cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The acquisition of herpes simplex virus during pregnancy

Background The acquisition of genital herpes during pregnancy has been associated with spontaneous abortion, prematurity, and congenital and neonatal herpes. The frequency of seroconversion, maternal symptoms of the disease, and the timing of its greatest effect on the outcome of pregnancy have not been systematically studied. Methods We studied 7046 pregnant women whom serologic tests showed to be at risk for herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. Serum samples obtained at the first prenatal visit, at approximately 16 and 24 weeks, and during labor were tested for antibodies to HSV types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) by the Western blot assay, and the results were correlated with the occurrence of antenatal genital infections. Results Ninety-four of the women became seropositive for HSV; 34 of the 94 women (36 percent) had symptoms consistent with herpes infection. Women who were initially seronegative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 had an estimated chance of seroconversion for either virus of 3.7 percent; those wh...
Laser spectroscopy of Magnesium Oxide in Magnesium metal combustion

A study of the combustion of bulk samples of magnesium (Mg) in atmospheres of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxygen (O2) is currently being conducted at the Univeristy of Colorado. Although there has been much work on metal reaction kinetics, the combustion of bulk metals remains an incompletely understood phenomenon. This is due to the interaction of several complex processes, including low-temperature surface oxidation, heterogeneous reactions, product condensation, high-emissivity products, convective action, non-premixed combustion, and multi-phase thermodynamics. The motivation for this work is to examine the feasibility of Mg-CO2 combustion as a rocket propulsion source for exploration of Mars and other planetary bodies. Our work focuses on fundamental aspects of bulk metal combustion. This work is supported by the NASA Micogravity Combustion Program (grant NAG3-2220).
Cyclic Variables and Infinite Horizon Structural Dynamic Models

In this paper, I develop Cyclic Value Function Iteration (CVFI), which is an adjustment to the value function iteration. When using this algorithm, the inclusion of cyclic variables of any size into the state space of an infinite horizon dynamic structural model does not increase the computational complexity of solving for the value function. This result is proven theoretically, and shown to closely hold in practice using Monte Carlo simulations.
Drug and alcohol abuse by bulimic women and their families

The author studied patterns of drug and alcohol abuse in 35 bulimic women, 35 healthy control subjects, and their first- and second-degree relatives. The bulimic women and their families had significantly higher rates of substance abuse disorders.
The Costimulatory Receptor OX40 Inhibits Interleukin-17 Expression through Activation of Repressive Chromatin Remodeling Pathways

Summary T helper 17 (Th17) cells are prominently featured in multiple autoimmune diseases, but the regulatory mechanisms that control Th17 cell responses are poorly defined. Here we found that stimulation of OX40 triggered a robust chromatin remodeling response and produced a "closed" chromatin structure at interleukin-17 (IL-17) locus to inhibit Th17 cell function. OX40 activated the NF-κB family member RelB, and RelB recruited the histone methyltransferases G9a and SETDB1 to the Il17 locus to deposit "repressive" chromatin marks at H3K9 sites, and consequently repressing IL-17 expression. Unlike its transcriptional activities, RelB acted independently of both p52 and p50 in the suppression of IL-17. In an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) disease model, we found that OX40 stimulation inhibited IL-17 and reduced EAE. Conversely, RelB-deficient CD4 + T cells showed enhanced IL-17 induction and exacerbated the disease. Our data uncover a mechanism in the control of Th17 cells that might have important clinic implications.
Toward a Developmentally Sensitive and Genetically Informed Perspective on Popularity

Previous work suggests that popularity with peers has some biological underpinnings, and particularly so in males during adolescence and emerging adulthood. The current chapter reviews this small literature and extends prior results using newly available data to investigate the developmental period of middle childhood and to study female-only peer groups in emerging adulthood. Results indicate that genetic influences on peer popularity are important during middle childhood and suggest that the personality correlates of popularity are moderated by gender during emerging adulthood. These findings are interpreted in the context of a genetically-informed and developmental perspective on popularity.
Intelligence, Working Memory, and Learning Disabilities

This chapter reviews some of our laboratory research on working memory (WM) in children with normal intelligence who have specific learning disabilities (LD) in reading and/or math. Two general conclusions emerge from this review. First, children with specific LD in reading and/or math are more likely to suffer general WM capacity constraints than average-achieving children, and these constraints are not entirely specific to their academic disability (i.e., reading or math) or intelligence. The reason is that constraints in WM capacity remain in individuals with LD when compared to their counterparts after the influence of achievement and psychometric IQ is partialed out in a statistical analysis. Second, constraints in WM capacity for children with LD are localized to isolated components of the phonological and executive systems. Difficulties related to the phonological system are related to the sequential recall of letters, numbers, real words, and pseudowords, whereas problems in executive processing are related to monitoring (decisions related to the allocation of attention) and interference (suppressing a competing memory trace that draws away from the targeted memory trace). It is further suggested that individuals with LD perform well on some measures of intelligence because (a) they compensate for WM limitations by increasing domain-specific knowledge and/or their reliance on environmental support; and/or (b) those domains or tasks do not place heavy demands on WM capacity.
Vertically resolved weak temperature gradient analysis of the Madden-Julian Oscillation in SP-CESM

The collective effects of convection can influence large-scale circulations that, in turn, act to organize convective activity. Such scale interactions may play an important role in moisture-convection feedbacks thought to be important to both convective aggregation and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, yet such interactions are not fully understood. New diagnostics based on tropical weak temperature gradient (WTG) theory have begun to make this problem more tractable, and are leveraged in this study to analyze the relationship between various apparent heating processes and large-scale vertical moisture advection in SP-CESM. WTG theory provides a framework for accurately diagnosing intraseasonal variations in large-scale vertical motion from apparent heating, allowing large-scale vertical moisture advection to be decomposed into contributions from microphysical processes, subgrid scale eddy fluxes, and radiative heating. This approach is consistent with the column moist static energy (MSE) budget approach, and has the added benefit of allowing the vertical advection term of the column MSE budget to be quantitatively partitioned into contributions from the aforementioned apparent heating processes. This decomposition is used to show that the MJO is an instability strongly supported by radiative feedbacks and damped by horizontal advection, consistent with the findings of previous studies. Periods of low, moderate, and high MJO amplitude are compared, and it is shown that changes in the vertical structure of apparent heating do not play a dominant role in limiting the amplitude of the MJO in SP-CESM. Finally, a diagnostic approach to scale analysis of tropical dynamics is used to investigate how the governing dynamics of various phenomena differ throughout wavenumber-frequency space. Findings support previous studies that suggest the governing dynamics of the MJO differ from those of strongly divergent convectively coupled equatorial waves.
Rethinking young children’s digital game play outside of the home as a means of coping with modern life†

ABSTRACTThis study explores young children’s digital game play outside of the home as a means of surviving and thriving in modern spaces that limit young children’s participation by looking at four digital game-playing three-year-old children. In this ethnographic study, critical theory is used to examine how modern public spaces (e.g., a grocery market, a beauty salon, a kid’s club in a gym) function to control young children’s participation. This study sheds light on the way we view young children’s digital game-playing spaces and argues that young children’s digital game play in public spaces serves as a useful tactic for them to negotiate with public regulations, constraints, and their daily schedules.
Predictive modeling based on functional and genomic characterizations

The predictive modeling approaches based on genomic characterizations alone are often restricted in their accuracy, as the genomic characterizations observed under normal growth conditions can only provide a single snapshot of the biological system. Perturbing the patient tumor culture using various known perturbations in the form of targeted drugs, and observing the responses can be utilized as additional information to gain further insights into the specific patient tumor circuit. This chapter presents a computational modeling framework to infer target inhibition maps utilizing responses of a tumor culture to a range of targeted drugs. The target inhibition profiles of the drugs and the functional responses are utilized to infer potential tumor proliferation circuits that can assist in the generation of synergistic drug combinations. Application of this framework to synthetic pathways and experimental canine tumor cultures are also included in this chapter.
Epilogue: Professor Goes Gaga—Teaching Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame

The study of the social conditions of the fame of Lady Gaga addressed in this book was first launched by means of a college course. The course became a global news sensation after it was first announced in the Fall of 2010, thereby attaining a measure of popular fame to become a part of its very subject matter. This chapter reviews the attention the course received in the news media, on the internet, and from students, and discusses how sociologists remained largely silent about the course or were dismissive when they spoke. Concluding observations are made on the teaching of sociology in the area of fame in today’s age of celebrity culture.
Music Performers Classification by Using Multifractal Features: A Case Study

In this paper, we investigated the possibility to classify different performers playing the same melodies at the same manner being subjectively quite similar and very difficult to distinguish even for musically skilled persons. For resolving this problem we propose the use of multifractal (MF) analysis, which is proven as an efficient method for describing and quantifying complex natural structures, phenomena or signals. We found experimentally that parameters associated to some characteristic points within the MF spectrum can be used as music descriptors, thus permitting accurate discrimination of music performers. Our approach is tested on the dataset containing the same songs performed by music group ABBA and by actors in the movie Mamma Mia. As a classifier we used the support vector machines and the classification performance was evaluated by using the four-fold cross-validation. The results of proposed method were compared with those obtained using mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) as descriptors. For the considered two-class problem, the overall accuracy and F-measure higher than 98% are obtained with the MF descriptors, which was considerably better than by using the MFCC descriptors when the best results were less than 77%.
Effect of a mother's recorded voice on emergence from general anesthesia in pediatric patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Emergence delirium is a behavioral disturbance after general anesthesia in children and may distress both the patients and the primary caregivers, such as parents and medical staff, looking after the patients. Various medical and emotional interventions have been investigated to reduce emergence delirium; however, none are completely effective. This trial intends to assess whether the mother’s recorded voice can reduce this adverse post-anesthesia event and facilitate arousal from general anesthesia. This is a prospective, double-blind, single-center, parallel-arm, superiority, randomized controlled trial to be conducted in participants aged 2–8 years who are undergoing elective surgery requiring general anesthesia. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: those who are stimulated to wake up by listening to their mother’s recorded voice (maternal group, n = 33) or a stranger’s voice (stranger group, n = 33) during anesthetic emergence. The primary outcome is the initial emergence delirium score in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The secondary outcomes are hemodynamic parameters, including heart rate and mean blood pressure, the duration of time between the cessation of anesthetics and a BIS level of 60, 70 and 80, eye-opening or purposeful movement time, extubation time, total consumption of analgesics, PACU stay time, emergence delirium and pain scores during the PACU stay. This is the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of a mother’s recorded voice during emergence on the pediatric emergence profile after general anesthesia. It may provide prophylactic treatment options to decrease emergence delirium and enhance arousal from general anesthesia. ClicnicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02955680 . Registered on 2 November 2016.
A process evaluation of a community-based health promotion program for a minority target population.

(1989). A Process Evaluation of a Community-Based Health Promotion Program for a Minority Target Population. Health Education: Vol. 20, Health Education Interventions for Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations in the United States, pp. 61-64.
Document Clustering Using Local and Universal Knowledge

In almost all real-world text clustering problems, the distribution of the repository samples and the real distribution of the clusters’ concepts are rarely equivalent, which reduces the accuracy of the document clustering methods. Let U(f) and L(f) be the distribution functions of the extracted features based on Universal knowledge and Local -repository- knowledge, respectively. Having the same distribution functions U(f) and L(f) is desirable; however, in real-world situations, these two distribution functions are not equal and they might be even quite different. In this paper, we show how the difference between these two distribution functions could decrease the accuracy of the document clustering algorithms. To address this issue, two different methods are proposed which combine information from the local and universal knowledge efficiently. In the first method, a special transform T is introduced to combine the similarities of each pair of documents derived from the local and the universal knowledge. In the second method, the local and the universal knowledge are combined, per document, by concatenating each document’s feature vector derived from the local knowledge to the document feature vector derived from universal knowledge. The impact of the proposed methods on clustering is tested on two well-known datasets, Reuters and 20-Newsgroups. Experimental results show that by using either local or universal knowledge to generate the feature vectors, some documents could be assigned to a wrong cluster. However, we show that our proposed methods significantly improve the document clustering performance, thus demonstrating the benefit of enhancing local knowledge with universal knowledge in an efficient way.
A Computer Based Fault Diagnosis System for Refrigeration Plant

To assist the operators of refrigeration plant a microcomputer based fault diagnosis system is being developed that can be operated by plant operators, inputing information manually, or be fully automated gathering data from the plant with permanent instrumentation and data links. The importance of running refrigeration plant is ever increasing along with the demands of management to reduce the labour related maintenance budgets. This results in plant that runs and still apparently produces its product being neglected. This leads to increased running costs and can lead to major plant failure, with the inevitable costs to rectify the faults exceeding the costs of maintaining the plant properly. This short paper discusses the development of a computer based fault diagnosis system for refrigeration plant.
Evaluation of a Survey-Grade, Long-Range Uas Lidar System: a Case Study in South Texas, USA

Over recent years, light detection and ranging (lidar) sensor technology has rapidly evolved and miniaturized. The reduced sensor size and weight have opened more doors for lidar sensors to be carried onboard unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) [1]. Compared with traditional airborne lidar mapping, UAS platforms offer more flexibility in terms of flight design and data collection, rapid response capabilities, and potentially cost at local mapping scales.
Building an Inclusive Climate for Intercultural Dialogue: A Participant‐Generated Framework

This study investigates the question of how to build an inclusive environment for intercultural dialogue. Using the university campus as a context for our research, we conducted a facilitated idea generation workshop in which participants identified a set of dialogic competencies, followed by individual interviews in which we explored participants’ perceptions of the relationships among these competencies. Interviews were conducted utilizing a software‐assisted, idea‐structuring methodology referred to as Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). Based on our results, we constructed a framework that depicts the overall flow of influence among the set of dialogic competencies identified by the participants. While findings confirm the importance placed in current literature on factors such as listening and empathy, they provide a more sophisticated and nuanced perspective on how to accomplish one of the oft‐stated goals of intercultural dialogue, which is to help participants examine their unconscious biases, prejudices, and privileges.
Older Adult Lifespace Varies by Driving Status and Residential Population Density.

Individual- and environmental-level factors may explain differential trajectories in lifespace mobility in older adults. The current study tested whether driving status was associated with lifespac...
EP Receptor Subtype-Dependence of Regulation of Immune Cellular Functions by Prostaglandin E2

The recognition that some eicosanoids are potent inflammatory mediators was based on initial findings of the smooth muscle, microvascular, epithelial cell and nociceptive neural effects of prostaglandins (PGs) and peptidoleukotrienes, which mimicked the major humoral manifestations of tissue inflammation (1, 2, 3). The leukocytic component of inflammation also was shown to be reproduced by leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and several di-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids (di-HETEs) from the 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) pathway, with only modulatory influences of cyclooxygenase products, peptidoleukotrienes and lipoxins (4,5). The eicosanoids often are generated first at sites of inflammation by resident cells responding to the inciting stimulus. For example, neutrophils accumulate in the lungs of individuals lacking alpha 1-antitrypsin as a result of the chemotactic activity of LTB4 produced by alveolar macrophages activated through binding of uninhibited elastase (6). Neutrophil recruitment to the sites of immune complex deposition (7) and substance P release from sensory nerves (8) similarly are responses in part to LTB4 that is produced by activated resident mast cells, as evidenced by the lesser neutrophil responses in mast cell-deficient mice. In inflammatory reactions, the effects of individual eicosanoid mediators may be manifested separately (9), but most often there are substantial interactions both among the eicosanoids and between eicosanoids and mediators from other systems (10, 11, 12).
Mortality and Factors Associated With Hemorrhage During Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Objectives:To quantify and identify factors associated with bleeding events during pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.Design:Retrospective cohort study with primary outcome of bleeding days on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.Setting:Single tertiary care children’s hospital.Subjects:On
mTORC1-mediated polarization of M1 macrophages and their accumulation in the liver correlate with immunopathology in fatal ehrlichiosis

A polarized macrophage response into inflammatory (M1) or regenerative/anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes is critical in host response to multiple intracellular bacterial infections. Ehrlichia is an obligate Gram-negative intracellular bacterium that causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME): a febrile illness that may progress to fatal sepsis with multi-organ failure. We have shown that liver injury and Ehrlichia-induced sepsis occur due to dysregulated inflammation. Here, we investigated the contribution of macrophages to Ehrlichia-induced sepsis using murine models of mild and fatal ehrlichiosis. Lethally-infected mice showed accumulation of M1 macrophages (iNOS-positive) in the liver. In contrast, non-lethally infected mice showed polarization of M2 macrophages and their accumulation in peritoneum, but not in the liver. Predominance of M1 macrophages in lethally-infected mice was associated with expansion of IL-17-producing T, NK, and NKT cells. Consistent with the in vivo data, infection of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) with lethal Ehrlichia polarized M0 macrophages into M1 phenotype under an mTORC1-dependent manner, while infection with non-lethal Ehrlichia polarized these cells into M2 types. This work highlights that mTORC1-mediated polarization of macrophages towards M1 phenotype may contribute to induction of pathogenic immune responses during fatal ehrlichiosis. Targeting mTORC1 pathway may provide a novel aproach for treatment of HME.
A faculty-in-residence programme: enacting practice-based professional development in a STEAM-focused middle school

This paper describes a faculty-in-residence programme within a school–university partnership at a recently opened STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) middle school in the ...
A Human-Network-Security-Interface for an Average Joe

The size, number, and complexity of networks continue to increase at an extraordinary rate. Ensuring that these networks' security measures, such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and firewalls, are properly configured is more important than ever given the number of attacks that are occurring on a daily basis. This paper takes a more holistic view to address four key areas of network security, arguing that security is everyone's responsibility. With this in mind, we look at how information about the security of a network can be collected and translated into effective and reliable security policies and then validate that this information was translated correctly to accomplish the desired outcomes. We then propose a solution through the development, testing, and verification of a new network security instrument that allows natural language to be used to create IDS and firewall rules. With the use of this solution, novices who know little about network security can create effective policies and be satisfied that their networks are secure. This solution was implemented within OpenStack's cloud environment and supports a web interface that allows users to input rules using drop-down lists or open text areas. Using this network security instrument, 1000 input policies were collected from users of varying experience levels. Analysis of the collected data has shown its accuracy to be approximately 90.7% with room for further improvement still possible through further development.
Encéphalite auto-immune séronégative.

Une femme de 68 ans ayant des antecedents de polyarthrite rhumatoide a consulte aux urgences pour un declin cognitif rapide au cours des 3 mois precedents. L’examen a revele une recente perte de memoire a court terme, une faible capacite d’attention, une difficulte a
Synchronously pumped Raman laser for simultaneous degenerate and nondegenerate two-photon microscopy

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy is a nonlinear imaging modality frequently used in deep-tissue imaging applications. A tunable-wavelength multicolor short-pulse source is usually required to excite fluorophores with a wide range of excitation wavelengths. This need is most typically met by solid-state lasers, which are bulky, expensive, and complicated systems. Here, we demonstrate a compact, robust fiber system that generates naturally synchronized femtosecond pulses at 1050 nm and 1200 nm by using a combination of gain-managed and Raman amplification. We image the brain of a mouse and view the blood vessels, neurons, and other cell-like structures using simultaneous degenerate and nondegenerate excitation.
Engineering High-Yield Biopolymer Secretion Creates an Extracellular Protein Matrix for Living Materials

The bacterial extracellular matrix forms autonomously, giving rise to complex material properties and multicellular behaviors. Synthetic matrix analogues can replicate these functions but require exogenously added material or have limited programmability. Here, we design a two-strain bacterial system that self-synthesizes and structures a synthetic extracellular matrix of proteins. We engineered Caulobacter crescentus to secrete an extracellular matrix protein composed of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) hydrogel fused to supercharged SpyCatcher [SC(-)]. This biopolymer was secreted at levels of 60 mg/liter, an unprecedented level of biomaterial secretion by a native type I secretion apparatus. The ELP domain was swapped with either a cross-linkable variant of ELP or a resilin-like polypeptide, demonstrating this system is flexible. The SC(-)-ELP matrix protein bound specifically and covalently to the cell surface of a C. crescentus strain that displays a high-density array of SpyTag (ST) peptides via its engineered surface layer. Our work develops protein design guidelines for type I secretion in C. crescentus and demonstrates the autonomous secretion and assembly of programmable extracellular protein matrices, offering a path forward toward the formation of cohesive engineered living materials.IMPORTANCE Engineered living materials (ELM) aim to mimic characteristics of natural occurring systems, bringing the benefits of self-healing, synthesis, autonomous assembly, and responsiveness to traditional materials. Previous research has shown the potential of replicating the bacterial extracellular matrix (ECM) to mimic biofilms. However, these efforts require energy-intensive processing or have limited tunability. We propose a bacterially synthesized system that manipulates the protein content of the ECM, allowing for programmable interactions and autonomous material formation. To achieve this, we engineered a two-strain system to secrete a synthetic extracellular protein matrix (sEPM). This work is a step toward understanding the necessary parameters to engineering living cells to autonomously construct ELMs.
Prospective Evaluation of Xpert® Xpress Strep A Automated PCR Assay vs. Solana® Group A Streptococcal Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing vs. Conventional Throat Culture.

In our laboratory, the negative rapid group A streptococcal (GAS) antigen assays are backed up by the Solana® GAS Assay by Quidel instead of a Group A streptococcal throat culture. Another FDA cleared RT-PCR assay is the Xpert® Xpress Strep A, which detects Streptococcus pyogenes DNA, and is performed on the Cepheid GeneXpert instrument. Three hundred seventy-five positive and negative specimens were randomly selected from 5489 throat specimens that had been tested by the Solana® GAS Assay during January 2018 and were tested with the Xpress Strep A assay. A throat culture was also set up (sheep blood agar at 35 °C in 5% CO2). All beta-hemolytic streptococci were purified and identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Of the 375 samples, 185 were positive by Solana® GAS Assay, and 187 were positive by the Xpress Strep A. The total agreement between the Solana® GAS Assay and the Xpert® Xpress Strep A was 99.5%. The agreement of the Xpert® Xpress Strep A assay with culture was 90.1%. The sensitivity and specificity for Xpress Strep A versus culture were 100% and 83.5%, respectively. The Xpert® Xpress Strep A assay’s performance was equivalent to the Solana® GAS Assay, and was highly sensitive. The lower specificity was likely due to the Xpress Strep A assay having higher sensitivity as compared to throat culture.
ISLAMIC BANKING IN PAKISTAN: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES-A PERFORMANCE BASED ANALYSIS

his study is being coxed on performance measurement of Islamic Banking sector of Pakistan. The study has intended to show that Islamic banking sector of Pakistan may work at its optimal level if the altogether separate bankingregulatory framework is introduced parallel to the conventional. The secondary data based study has been conducted to measure the performance of the Islamic banks while considering various performance based parameters. The parameters have included productive, operational, allocative, distributive, and stabilization efficiency of Islamic Banks. The study only takes the data of the banks to be analyzed for the performance measurement, which are working as full-fledged Islamic banks in Pakistan. This research may help the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and policy makers to redesign their Islamic Banking priorities and take initiative to address those particular areas where its attention is actually needed to attract and sustain the level of Islamic Baking in the country.Most of the operational issues of Islamic banking leading to its sustainability and growth will be brought under discussion. First comprehensive study will be conducted on operational issues of Islamic Banking, uncovering the real exposure of future direction.Key Words: , Operational Performance Measurement,
Automated flight planning of high-density urban air mobility

Abstract Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is an emerging concept for transporting people and cargo in urban, rural, regional, and interregional settings using revolutionary new aircraft. Urban Air Mobility (UAM), a part of AAM, focused on transport passengers in low-altitude urban airspace, has attracted extensive attention among industry, government, academia, and the public. Compared to existing commercial flights, AAM operations are expected to be at higher density; thus, an AAM system needs to be scalable, safe, and autonomous. Third-party service providers are recommended for offering air traffic management and information sharing services given the anticipated high density of UAM operations. To this end, we propose an Automated Flight Planning System (AFPS) that could be employed by such service providers. In the AFPS, a Low-Altitude Airspace Management System (LAMS) is proposed to automatically generate a route network with the capability of avoiding obstacles and obstructions in low-altitude airspace. The main components of this tool are the generation of a 3D map with LiDAR data, construction of a nodal network based on the map by using the visibility graph method, and initiation of 3D shortest paths. Given the requests of flight operations, i.e., origin, destination, departure time, the Low-Altitude Traffic Management System (LTMS) will design pre-departure conflict-free 4D trajectories and provide flexibilities of en-route maneuvering by taking system cost and equity among operators into consideration. In this study, a flight-level assignment strategy is proposed to solve the trajectory deconfliction problem in LTMS. In addition, a Nash Social Welfare Program (NSWP) is introduced to maintain fairness among different operators if the service is provided to multiple operators of UAM. A case study of the Tampa Bay area in Florida is used to demonstrate the operability of the proposed AFPS, and animations are built to visualize the optimized conflict-free operations of UAM in the study area.
Acute otitis media: treatment results in relation to bacterial etiology.

Three hundred and six children less than 3 years of age with acute otitis media were randomly distributed among three oral treatment regimens: penicillin V, penicillin V plus sulfonamide, and ampicillin. Treatment groups were comparable when analyzed for the number of patients with fever at onset and the proportion shown to be taking the antibiotic by blood assay. Response was determined in a double blind manner and correlated with the organism isolated from the middle ear aspirate. Results both for pneumococcal otitis and for all otitis regardless of culture were not significantly different with the three regimens. However, the groups with H. influenzae otitis treated with either penicillin plus sulfonamide or ampicillin had a better therapeutic response than those treated with penicillin V alone. Patients receiving ampicillin generally achieved a bacteriostatic serum level for strains of H. influenzae isolated by tympanocentesis while patients receiving penicillin V generally did not achieve such a level.
Further thoughts on "The Restless Legs Syndrome: Would You Like that with Movements or Without?": Summary of Evidence that the Presence of Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep Does Not Significantly Aid in the Diagnosis of Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease.

In Response to: Koo BB. The restless legs syndrome: Would you like that with movements or without? Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov. 2015; 5. doi: 10.7916/D80P0Z0H
Hegemony, Nationalism and Doxa: A Social Semiotic Analysis

Since the end of the Second World War, successive governments in the United States have mobilized the U.S. population and the resources of the country in pursuit of global hegemony, first, in the context of a ‘defensive’ Cold War, then in the construction of a New World Order, and presently in the various actions comprising a Global War on Terror (GWOT). In order to successfully elicit the compliance and participation of the U.S. population in perpetual warfare, institutions, technologies and practices must be established to produce and reproduce support of, or at least acquiescence to, the ongoing policy of global hegemony and the warfare used to pursue and sustain it. An examination of such technologies and practices, produced as pedagogical resources and linked to public school web pages, is offered here, theoretically grounded with reference to both Vygotsky’s work connecting ideological structures and the development of human consciousness (Wertsch 1995), and Bourdieu’s insights on “habitus” and “doxa” (Bourdieu 1990). Specifically, a multimodal analysis of narratives embedded within private and government Veterans Day materials and activity templates linked to public schools is presented in terms of 1) the devices which produce profluence (narrative flow, expectations and evaluation, Scollon 2010), 2) chronotope (space-time-person configuration, Bakhtin, 1981), 3) the arrangement and composition of text, images and layout (Kress and Van Leeuwen, 1996), and 4) the motive structure (Burke 1969). Close examination of these mediational means and practices provides insight into the social semiotic processes serving to produce attitudes and dispositions in children, carried into adulthood, that take perpetual warfare as naturalized, or doxic, and in so doing, reproduce popular acceptance of global hegemonic policy and its consequences.
The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000: A sheep in wolf's clothing?

The argument is presented that, is contrast to expectations, the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA) of 2000 will not be responsible for significant change in the practice of civil asset forfeiture, that the Act is a sheep in wolf's clothing. While it has ushered in some important procedural changes, CAFRA does not address several of what critics perceive to be the most significant problems associated with civil asset forfeiture, among them are a questionable standard of proof, equitable sharing, and the so‐called “taint doctrine.” Thus, it is likely that civil asset forfeiture will continue to be a valuable law enforcement tool in the war on drugs.
Logic Modeling: A Tool for Teaching Critical Thinking in Social Work Practice.

This article describes how logic models are used to teach critical thinking in social work courses. By breaking down the helping process into parts, logic modeling enables students to think about the clinical experience as a whole and to understand the causal relationships between these parts. Students are exposed to the connections between social work theory and practice, and they are made aware of the reciprocal connections between interventions and outcomes at the individual, organizational, community, and societal levels. The discussion of logic models in social work education is continued in the following article as well.
Brain Imaging: Observing Ongoing Neural Activity

The neuroimaging techniques available to observe ongoing brain activity during human cognition include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), event-related potentials (ERPs), magnetoencephalography (MEG) and event-related optical signaling (EROS). Additionally, brain activity can be disrupted temporarily via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Using these neuroimaging methods, both spatial and temporal precision are attainable in describing the underlying neural substrates that comprise human cognition. Great progress has been made in understanding the physiological basis of human thought with many exciting new frontiers opening up including understanding the genetics of human cognition and the neural basis of consciousness. Keywords: functional brain mapping; functional magnetic resonance imaging; positron emission tomography; haemodynamic response; cognitive neuroscience
The microcomputer revolution?: technical possibilities and social choices

The technology on which microcomputers and allied developments are based is rapidly progressing, but the extent and directions in which development continues will be determined largely by social, not autonomously technical, factors. This technology can, within the next decade or two, advance to the point where an enormous range of new applications will be economically practicable. A wide variety of microcomputer applications are already underway in computation, automation, data management, and communication. This article surveys some of the more important of these, and suggests the vast social implications which they have. The applications themselves and their effects are, it is argued, at least partially subject to social control. The article suggests some of the blocks on further innovation, and some of the social choices to be faced.
Mechanical properties and microstructure of biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics fabricated from wood precursors

Silicon carbide based, environment friendly, biomorphic ceramics have been fabricated by the pyrolysis and infiltration of natural wood (maple and mahogany) precursors. This technology provides an eco-friendly route to advanced ceramic materials. These biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics have tailorable properties and behave like silicon carbide based materials manufactured by conventional approaches. The elastic moduli and fracture toughness of biomorphic ceramics strongly depend on the properties of starting wood preforms and the degree of molten silicon infiltration. Mechanical properties of silicon carbide ceramics fabricated from maple wood precursors indicate the flexural strengths of 3441+/-58 MPa at room temperature and 230136 MPa at 1350C. Room temperature fracture toughness of the maple based material is 2.6 +/- 0.2 MPa(square root of)m while the mahogany precursor derived ceramics show a fracture toughness of 2.0 +/- 0.2 Mpa(square root of)m. The fracture toughness and the strength increase as the density of final material increases. Fractographic characterization indicates the failure origins to be pores and chipped pockets of silicon.
Effect of Ascorbic Acid on Guinea Pig Skin Collagen Synthesis: I. Total Collagen

A deficiency of ascorbic acid caused a decreased uptake of 3H-proline into guinea pig skin collagen and a further decrease in the 3HO-proline formation; inanition from pair-feeding was not a contributing factor. An anemia developed in the completely deficient animals which was prevented with low levels of ascorbic acid in another group.
Analysis of erythrocyte survival curves obtained simultaneously by 51Cr and an automated differential agglutination technic.

Using both a radioactive chromium and an automated differential agglutination (ADA) technic donor erythrocyte survivals were measured in 19 subjects. The data were analyzed to determine the presence of age-dependent (linear) and random (exponential) destruction. The erythrocyte lifespan was calculated from the rate of linear destruction. In all cases it was possible to estimate the erythrocyte lifespan with the ADA technic. Significant random destruction of red blood cells was observed in nine patients. With the 51chromium technic it was possible to estimate the erythrocyte lifespan in only ten cases; these values were similar to those obtained with the ADA technic. It was not possible to determine the erythrocyte lifespan in the remaining nine cases; the best estimates were too large. Our inability to measure erythrocyte lifespan satisfactorily with the 51chromium technic may have been related to the preferential labeling of young red blood cells in vitro.
Transport of citric acid by Aerobacter aerogenes.

Abstract The kinetics of citrate transport by induced cells of Aerobacter aerogenes was measured and an apparent K m of 2.5 × 10 −6 was determined. Citrate was transported optimally at pH 7 and 30–37 °. Osmotic shock decreased total citrate uptake by 75% but the initial rate of transport was unaffected. Shocked cells incubated with citrate recovered their ability to take up citrate, but chloramphenicol prevented this recovery. Aconitase activity was 20-fold higher in extracts from citrate-grown cells of A. aerogenes than from glucose-grown cells. Aconitase activity was diminished by osmotic shock. Aconitase activity was recovered by incubation of shocked cells with citrate concomitant with the recovery of citrate uptake. There was no accumulation of label from uptake of [6- 14 C]citrate and 14 CO 2 was evolved immediately. Intracellular citrate could not be detected after a 10-sec pulse with [1,5- 14 C]citrate or [2,4- 14 C]citrate; instead, the major intracellular product was glutamate. Citrate lyase was not detected in cell-free extracts of citrate-grown cells. These results indicated that A. aerogenes metabolized citrate as rapidly as it entered the cells and that aerobic citrate catabolism proceeded via the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Profiles of commitment: An empirical test

Prior research has demonstrated the importance of distinguishing among foci and bases of commitment. Foci of commitment are the individuals and groups to whom an employee is attached, and bases of commitment are the motives engendering attachment. This study uses distinctions among foci and bases of commitment to develop four profiles of commitment, and examines the extent to which differences in these patterns predict other variables. Cluster analysis of 440 employees suggests the following profiles: (1) The Locally Committed (employees who are attached to their supervisor and work group), (2) the Globally Committed (who are attached to top management and the organization), (3) the Committed (who are attached to both local and global foci), and (4) the Uncommitted (who are attached to neither local nor global foci). The profiles are differentially related to intent to quit, job satisfaction, prosocial organizational behaviors, and certain demographic and contextual variables. Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.
Direct carbonization of PBO fiber

Abstract Poly p-phenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) fiber appears to display unusual characteristics during its conversion to carbon fiber. This introductory study focused on specific aspects of the carbonization behavior that differentiate PBO from other materials. Results showed that oxidative stabilization did not affect the tensile properties of carbonized fiber produced from PBO precursor fiber. Unlike other polymeric precursors, unstabilized PBO fibers could be directly converted to carbon fibers with promising mechanical and thermal properties. The carbonization characteristics of unstabilized PBO were found to be similar to those of stabilized PAN-based fibers. However, the PBO-based carbon fibers exhibited a radial texture similar to pitch-based fibers. Surprisingly, the PBO-based carbon fibers exhibited electrical resistivities in the range of commercial pitch-based fibers, implying that their thermal conductivities also will be similar. Low-temperature carbonization studies showed that PBO fiber can be carbonized at rapid rates without adversely affecting the tensile properties of the carbonized material. Its ability to be directly carbonized, combined with the unusual thermal properties of the final carbon fiber, may make PBO an attractive precursor for some carbon fiber applications.
Ab Initio Study of Molecular and Electronic Structures of Early Transition Metal Trihydrides MH3 (M = Sc, Ti, V, Fe)

Ab initio calculations with accounting for electronic correlation were carried out for ScH3, VH3, TiH3, and FeH3. Relative energies of excited states of the molecules were evaluated by the equation-of-motion coupled cluster method in the single and double approximation (EOM-CCSD) and ground-state properties were calculated at coupled cluster singles doubles level augmented by pertrubative correction for connected triple excitation (CCSD(T)). The ground electronic states of the molecules were found to have high-spin and planar (D3h) equilibrium geometries. The molecules TiH3 and VH3 possess low-lying degenerate electronic states. However, the Jahn−Teller distortion of these states was investigated and found to be small. Correlation corrections to equilibrium internuclear distances, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and infrared intensities are shown to be significant. A comparison of theoretical and available experimental data on the molecules was performed.
Status Reporting of “Eyes on” and Peripheral Displays during Tracking

In response to external requests, pilots often orally report status information read from scattered visual displays while simultaneously controlling an aircraft. For an experimentally controlled "status-reporting" task, we found that the input frequency on a concurrent-tracking task and the task stream-related factors of the rate, uncertainty, and timing of requests showed few significant effects on mean performance times and standard deviations. Tracking performance did vary greatly between the different phases of the "status-reporting" task, the different types of displays and their locations, and the different tracking-input frequencies. An elementary manual control model produced conformal tracking error means and standard deviations when parameters corresponding to behavioral changes were varied. These results indicated that both the performance time statistics of the "status-reporting" task and the influence of concurrent performance on tracking error can be estimated using simple methods.