cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increasingly correct message passing algorithms for heat source detection in sensor networks

Solving complex source inference and estimation problems in the distributed environment of sensor networks is a difficult task. Data is distributed, as is computational power, and energy is limited. We consider the problem of detecting and locating a heat source appearing in a region monitored by a sensor network. This task requires complex computations that must be shared by all sensors. One significant difficulty we overcome is the problem of local minima. By using a two step procedure, where in the first step the nodes estimate their distances to the source, and in the second step we localize it and avoid the problem of having erroneous location estimates of the local minima. Furthermore, to organize the computations involved, we draw on ideas from graphical models. We develop an algorithm that has a property which we call "increasing correctness" that at any time the algorithm can be stopped and it nevertheless provides the correct answer for the problem defined by the information that has been fed into the algorithm up to that time.
Privacy concerns in enterprise social travel: attitudes and actions

Privacy in travel refers to the way people manage their personal travel information and their willingness to share this information with others. Travel privacy concerns affect the amount and type of information people are willing to share within social networks, before or after their trip. Our study focuses on privacy and sharing concerns regarding business travel in an enterprise setting. We briefly present Voyage, an enterprise social travel application, and describe a study based on qualitative and quantitative data that inspects privacy and sharing concerns in business travels. We found that most employees are theoretically willing to share their business travel plans, but in practice they share less than expected. Further, most employees are less concerned to share their past travel information than their future plans. Based on our study, we suggest guidelines for the development of location based and enterprise travel applications.
Understanding China's Grassroots Elections

China's grassroots elections reflect the stop-and-go progress of political reform itself. Not a sham, they are, like other liberal institutions in an illiberal polity, part of a strategy designed to help one-party rule endure. Big, unintended consequences may yet emerge, but to this point, local elections operate in a limited context and have local effects. From their beginnings, elections arose out of a state-building as much as a democratizing impulse, and, several decades later, they may be legitimating the current regime rather than serving as a harbinger of systemic change. This book also demonstrates that research methods are changing as surveyers and ethnographers enter the field. (The first articles by economists and game theorists are only now beginning to appear). Research topics are also changing. Careful examination of election procedures and a lively debate over whether richer or poorer villages hold better elections is giving way to a focus on the consequences of balloting. Consequences, in the contemporary way of thinking, are understood broadly, including effects on: the ‘exercise of power’; relations between elected bodies and Party organizations; procedural aspects of post-election governance; corruption; land allocation; fiscal transfers; regime legitimacy; feelings of empowerment; and the development of citizenship consciousness. Several recent studies have also stressed that elections are just one means to enhance accountability, and perhaps not the most effective one. Cross-national comparison and dialogue with those who study elections in other authoritarian regimes remains, however, underdeveloped.
Unilateral Activity and Bone and Muscle Development in the Forearm

Abstract Comparisons of external anthropometric and roentgenogram measurements between the arms of tennis players and soldiers revealed that tennis playing leads to muscular hypertrophy and to an increase in length of the radius and ulna in the forearm used to swing the tennis racket. These findings are discussed in relation to changes in body composition with exercise.
Reaction Pathway: Aqueous Hexatantalate Clusters to High-Density Tantalum Oxide Nanofilms

The reaction path from aqueous oxohydroxometalate [(CH3)4N]6[H2Ta6O19]·xH2O to Ta2O5 thin film explains observed thin-film morphological characteristics–high density, uniform, pore free, and smooth. Film dehydration and tetramethylammonium thermal decomposition were observed via temperature-programmed desorption. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of the films were examined by X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Evolution of (CH3)4N+ reaction products in concert with condensation of the polyoxometalate clusters and structural relaxation led to film densities as high as 95% of single-crystal β-Ta2O5. The process enabled film deposition with single-digit-nanometer thickness.
WIC mothers' depressive symptoms are associated with greater use of feeding to soothe, regardless of perceived child negativity.

Summary Background Maternal symptoms of depression are related to suboptimal parenting practices and child well-being; women with elevated symptoms tend to be less responsive to their children. Objective The objective is to explore how maternal depressive symptomatology is related to childhood obesity-promoting parenting behaviours, and whether depressive symptomatology moderates the association between perceived child negativity and the use of food to soothe among low-income mothers. Methods There is a cross-sectional sample of 60 mothers and their formula fed infants/toddlers participating in the Special Supplemental Woman, Infants and Children Program. Measures included the Infant Behaviors Questionnaire, Baby's Basic Needs Questionnaire, the feeding problem assessment form and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Results Depressive symptoms exceeded the clinical screening cut-off for 38% of women. Mothers with depressive symptoms perceived their child to be more negative and were more likely to use food to soothe, add cereal to the bottle and put baby to bed with bottle than mothers without depressive symptoms. Generalized linear models revealed that child negativity was associated with greater use of food to soothe but that this effect was moderated by maternal depression: negativity was positively associated with food to soothe among non-depressed but not depressed mothers. Conclusions A high proportion of low-income mothers reported elevated depressive symptoms; depressive symptomatology was positively associated with perceived child negativity and greater reported use of controlling feeding practices. Screening for maternal depressive symptoms may help in providing more individually tailored counselling on responsive feeding.
Differentially Private Histogram and Synthetic Data Publication

Differential privacy has recently emerged as one of the strongest privacy guarantees by making few assumptions on the background or external knowledge of an attacker. Differentially private data analysis and publishing have received considerable attention in biomedical communities as promising approaches for sharing medical and health data, while preserving the privacy of individuals represented in data records. In this chapter, we provide a broad survey of the recent works in differentially private histogram and synthetic data publishing. We categorize most recent and emerging techniques in this field from two major aspects: (a) various data types (e.g, relational data, transaction data, dynamic stream data, etc.), and (b) parametric, and non-parametric techniques. We also present some challenges and future research directions for releasing differentially private histogram and synthetic data in health and medical data.
Laser ablation of basal cell carcinomas guided by confocal microscopy

Laser ablation offers precise and fast removal of superficial and early nodular types of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). Nevertheless, the lack of histological confirmation has been a limitation. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) imaging combined with a contrast agent can offer cellular-level histology-like feedback to detect the presence (or absence) of residual BCC directly on the patient. We conducted an ex vivo bench-top study to provide a set of effective ablation parameters (fluence, number of passes) to remove superficial BCCs while also controlling thermal coagulation post-ablation to allow uptake of contrast agent. The results for an Er:YAG laser (2.9 um and pulse duration 250us) show that with 6 passes of 25 J/cm 2 , thermal coagulation can be effectively controlled, to allow both the uptake of acetic acid (contrast agent) and detection of residual (or absence) BCCs. Confirmation was provided with histological examination. An initial in vivo study on 35 patients shows that the uptake of contrast agent aluminum chloride) and imaging quality is similar to that observed in the ex vivo study. The detection of the presence of residual tumor or complete clearance was confirmed in 10 wounds with (additional) histology and in 25 lesions with follow-up imaging. Our results indicate that resolution is sufficient but further development and use of appropriate contrast agent are necessary to improve sensitivity and specificity. Advances in RCM technology for imaging of lateral and deep margins directly on the patient may provide less invasive, faster and less expensive image-guided approaches for treatment of BCCs.
A Reply to Rothman.

Readers of Stanley Rothman's article “The Revival of Classical Political Philosophy: A Critique” will be aware that the title he has chosen does not indicate the full scope of his endeavor. He has in fact attempted to state and criticize the grounds of classical political and natural philosophy, and to state and in a certain measure defend the grounds of modern social and natural science. Exceptional resources of scholarship and analytic power would be needed to dispose of those tremendous themes, which I believe Rothman has not succeeded in doing. A prominent purpose of Rothman's paper is to criticize the work of Professor Leo Strauss and of some of his students, on the view that he, and after his instruction they, are the animators of the attempted revival of classical doctrines concerning natural right. The attempt to revive natural right is presented as complementary with a belief in the weakness of social science as now understood by the majority of academic and other professionals. The purpose of the present reflections on Rothman's article is to see how far he has made a valid criticism of the classics and of the men he regards as their attempted restorers; and to consider the soundness of his views on the received sciences.
Effects of walking on cigarette craving, nicotine withdrawal symptoms and affect in smokers with schizophrenia

Aims: Sexual risk behavior is common among substance abusers. To effectively target sexual risk behaviors for intervention in treatment programs, it is important to have a rapid and accurate measure of sexual risk. This study compares two dichotomous ratings of unprotected sex (Y/N) among women in outpatient substance abuse treatment who participated in a NIDA Clinical Trials Network HIV sexual risk reduction intervention: (1) any unprotected sex during vaginal or anal sex occasions in the past 3months versus and (2) unprotected sex at last sexual occasion. Methods: 363 sexually active women with a main or non-main male partner(s) from 12 methadone maintenance or psychosocial outpatient treatment programs were included. Unprotected sex in the last 3 months (dichotomized as yes/no) and unprotected sex at last occasion (yes/no), combined across 3 time points (baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow up), were compared for congruence. Results: Considering sexual occasions with main male partners (n=787occasions), 87.8%of the sample reportedunprotected sex in the past 3 months compared to 93.1% reporting unprotected sex at last occasion. Only 1.3% (n=10)were incongruent (reported unprotected sex at last sexual occasion but consistent protection during the last 3 months). Considering sexual occasions with non-main partners (n=182), 68.1% of the sample reported unprotected sex at last occasion, compared to 61.5% reporting unprotected sex in the past 3 months. 8 results (6.5%) were incongruent. Conclusions: Dichotomous ratings of unprotected sex at last sexual occasion and unprotected sex in the past 3 months similarly categorized the vast majority of women in substance abuse treatment programs. In busy substance abuse treatment programs, a single question about last sexual occasion could efficiently identify the presence of sexual risk behavior, and provide a basis for selected sexual risk reduction intervention. Financial support: This study was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network grants: U10 DA13035 (Edward Nunes, PI).
A Tentative Idea of Building New Generation of Energy System

The development history and main characteristics of three generations of power grid are reviewed.The basic concept from the third power grid to a new generation of energy system is expounded.The paper analyzes the integrated energy systems and power transmission network at power source end,and the integrated energy system at network end.The major technical problems of science and engineering needed to be solved are put forward for building a new generation of energy system.The key points to understand the traditional power system,the three levels to construct and improve traditional power system are introduced.The advantages of building a new generation of energy system are summarized.
Investigation on AIDS knowledge,attitude,behavior and needs?among Nanchang Railway crew members

[Objective]To understand the railway crew members' knowledge,attitude,behavior and demand towards AIDS,to analyze the existed problem,and put forwards countermeasures of AIDS knowledge publicity.[Methods]In accordance with the method of cluster sampling,a random sample of 400 railway attendants was selected for self-designed questionnaire survey,the result was statistically analyzed by SPSS 11.5 software.[Results] The railway attendants' awareness rate of AIDS knowledge reached 86.3%.But the wrong understanding of AIDS transmission route still existed among some attendants.The overall awareness of cabin attendants was significantly higher than that of attendants on platform and conductors.More than 90% of attendants had correct attitude and behavior towards HIV-infected persons(patients).Above 85% were willing to become AIDS volunteers,and about 25.3% of conductors were not willing to become AIDS volunteers.91.4% of the attendants most wanted to know about AIDS prevention and control measures via radio.[Conclusion]AIDS health education needs urgent improvements.AIDS education in the pre-job training program with enough academic hour,strengthening of the prevention of AIDS education and adopting various forms of propaganda are the main countermeasures for solving the problems.
Concurrent Operants: A Model for Stimulus Control Transfer Using Delayed Prompting

A review of the literature is presented regarding the transfer of stimulus control in delayed prompting. A historical overview of the development of delayed prompting traces the origin of these techniques in the experimental analysis of behavior through to their use in applied behavior analysis. Currently, the cause(s) for stimulus control transfer in delayed prompting are unknown. A conceptual model, stemming from the work of Touchette and Howard (1984), is presented that may allow for a greater understanding of why transfer of stimulus control occurs with delayed prompting. It is shown that a model based upon concurrent schedules of reinforcement juxtaposing constant and progressive schedules may account for how delay of reinforcement and response effort interact during training to shift stimulus control of behavior from prompted to unprompted responding. The paper concludes with a summary of the utility of conceptualizing the mechanism responsible for the transfer of stimulus control in delayed prompting in terms of a concurrent schedule of reinforcement.
Abstract P017: Contribution of High Mobility Group Box 1 to Hyperhomocysteinemia-induced Podocyte Injury and Glomerular Sclerosis

High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), a nuclear DNA binding protein is released under pathological conditions and locally act as one of potent damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) to produce tissue injury and chronic inflammation. However, it remains unknown so far whether HMGB1 is implicated in homocysteine (Hcys)-induced podocyte injury and glomerular sclerosis during hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcys). In the present study, we found that homocysteine (Hcys) dose-dependently increased the production of HMGB1 in cultured podocytes, and that HMGB1 binder and inhibitor, glycyrrhizin (Gly) completely blocked its release induced by Hcys. Furthermore, inhibition of HMGB1 preserved podocyte function by restoring Hcys-induced suppression of VEGF secretion, decrease in expression of podocin and elevation of desmin level (podocyte damage markers). In in vivo studies, C57BL/6J wild type mice were fed a folate free (FF) diet or normal chow for 8 weeks to produce hHcys and administrated with vehicle or glycyrrhizin (1mg/kg/day) locally into the renal cortex. Western blot analysis of renal tissue showed that the FF diet significantly increased HMGB-1 (2 folds) and desmin expression (1.8 folds) compared to control mice, which was blocked by HMGB 1 inhibitor Glycyrrhizin. The urinary protein and albumin excretion were significantly higher in mice on the FF diet compared to ND fed mice. In glycerrhizin treated mice, however, the hHcys-induced albuminuria was significantly lowered (urinary albumin excretion in vehicle- and glycerrhizin-treated hHcys was 50 ± 3 and 32 ± 2.5 μg/24h/g BW, respectively). Morphological examinations showed that hHcys-induced more profound injury in glomeruli of vehicle treated mice than in glycerrhizin treated mice (the glomerular damage index in vehicle and glycerrhizin-treated hHcys mice was: 2.8 ± 0.4 vs. 1.3 ± 0.3). Based on these results, it is concluded that HMGB1 is one of important mediators of hHcys-induced podocyte injury and glomerular sclerosis. HMGB1 may be a therapeutic target for treatment or prevention of glomerulosclerosis associated with hHcys.
Our Stories–Our Journey: An Empowerment Group Approach for Justice-Involved Women using Pecha-Kucha

ABSTRACTThis article presents Our Stories–Our Journey, a group-work intervention with justice-involved women. This narrative-based intervention helps members to develop insight into self-identity and to restructure narratives via mutual aid. Through a group-work intervention using empowerment and narrative theories with pecha-kucha (the word for chit-chat or chatter, in Japanese), incarcerated women work to create empowering stories that will support them in constructing new narratives. Considering the traumatic pathways to prison for women and the oppressive correctional environments, models of innovative programs that are strength based and empowering are needed that will guide the social work profession to work effectively with justice-involved populations.
TCT-124 Safety and Feasibility of a Novel, Second Generation Robotic-Assisted System for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: First-in-Human Report

The first generation CorPath 200 robotic-assisted system for PCI is safe and effective but is limited by the lack of robotic guide catheter control. The second generation robotic-assisted system CorPath GRX (Corindus, Waltham, MA) enables robotic guide catheter manipulation in addition to guidewire
Comparison of Intubation Using Personal Protective Equipment and Standard Uniform in Simulated Cadaveric Models

Introduction The use of personal protection equipment (PPE) for patient care can have an impact on the delivery of effective patient care. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of basic PPE on intubation times and corresponding success rates in cadaver models. Methods A prospective crossover design using a single cohort of emergency medicine residents was used for this study. The primary objective is to compare time with intubation in standard uniform (e.g., scrubs without PPE) and using PPE. The secondary objectives are measuring success rates of intubation and the perceived difficulty of intubation when using PPE. Results The mean time to intubation in the standard uniform group was 18.85 s, whereas the mean time to intubation in the PPE group was 19.29. The overall success rate in the standard uniform group was 83% compared with the PPE group, which was 72%. The perceived difficulty was higher in the PPE group (3.38) when compared with the standard uniform. Conclusion Although the mean intubation times between the groups were not significantly different, the overall success rate was significantly higher in the standard uniform group when compared with PPE group. The perceived difficulty rating was also noted to be significantly higher in the PPE group when compared with the standard uniform group.
Multibaseline TanDEM-X Mangrove Height Estimation: The Selection of the Vertical Wavenumber

We generated a large-scale mangrove forest height map using multiple TanDEM-X (TDX) interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) acquisitions with various spatial baselines in order to improve the height estimation accuracy across a wide range of forest heights. The forest height inversion using InSAR data is strongly dependent upon the vertical wavenumber (i.e., perpendicular baseline). First, we investigated the role of the vertical wavenumber in forest height inversion from InSAR data using the sensitivity of the interferometric (volume) coherence to forest height. We used corrected but lower resolution and accuracy Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) mangrove height maps as a priori information over Akanda and Pongara National Parks in Gabon to estimate lower and upper boundaries of the vertical wavenumber over test sites from the measured coherence-to-height sensitivity. Only TDX acquisitions within the boundaries of the vertical wavenumber were selected and combined for multibaseline mangrove height inversion. Mangrove forest height was obtained with multibaseline TDX acquisitions and was validated against the reference height derived from field measurement data providing improvements in multibaseline inversion over existing height estimates (i.e., SRTM height) and single-baseline inversions (multibaseline inversion: $r^{2}= {\text{0.98}}$ , root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.73 m; SRTM height: $r^{2}= {\text{0.86}}$ , ${\text{RMSE}}= {\text{7.21}}$ m; single-baseline inversions: $r^{2}= {\text{0.08}}{\hbox{-}} {\text{0.97}}$ , ${\text{RMSE}}= {\text{3.86}}$ –11.10 m). As a result, to accurately estimate forest heights over a wide range (3–60 m), multibaseline InSAR acquisitions (at least three different baselines) are needed to exclude biases associated with the vertical wavenumber in forest height inversion.
The Need for Speed: Uncertainty Reduction in Patenting and Effects on Startups

Patents are essential in commerce to establish property rights for ideas and to give equal protection to firms that develop new technologies. Startups especially depend on the protection of intelle...
PROPERTIES OF THE S2 STATE ASSOCIATED WITH O2 EVOLUTION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the properties of the S2 state associated with O2 evolution. Photosynthetic water oxidation requires the generation of four oxidizing equivalents per molecule of O2 evolved. These oxidizing equivalents are produced by single charge separation events in photosystem II and are stored in an O2-evolving complex. A light-induced multiline electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal in spinach chloroplasts arises from a paramagnetic species in the final oxidation product of the S2 state. The most obvious feature of the multiline S2 state EPR signal is the wealth of hyperfine structure. This hyperfine structure arises from a moderately strong coupling of the unpaired electrons to a large net nuclear spin. The splitting between the hyperfine lines in the low resolution spectrum of the S2 state is approximately 90 G. Manganese (Mn) is a component of the paramagnetic species in the S2 state that indicates that Mn participates in the oxidation state changes associated with S state advancement.
Cardiac Sodium-Calcium Exchange and Efficient Excitation-Contraction Coupling: Implications for Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, with ischemic heart disease alone accounting for >12% of all deaths, more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, lung, and breast cancer combined. Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for the past 85 years and is a major cause of disability and health-care expenditures. The cardiac conditions most likely to result in death include heart failure and arrhythmias, both a consequence of ischemic coronary disease and myocardial infarction, though chronic hypertension and valvular diseases are also important causes of heart failure. Sodium-calcium exchange (NCX) is the dominant calcium (Ca2+) efflux mechanism in cardiac cells. Using ventricular-specific NCX knockout mice, we have found that NCX is also an essential regulator of cardiac contractility independent of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load. During the upstroke of the action potential, sodium (Na+) ions enter the diadic cleft space between the sarcolemma and the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The rise in cleft Na+, in conjunction with depolarization, causes NCX to transiently reverse. Ca2+ entry by this mechanism then “primes” the diadic cleft so that subsequent Ca2+ entry through Ca2+ channels can more efficiently trigger Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In NCX knockout mice, this mechanism is inoperative (Na+ current has no effect on the Ca2+ transient), and excitation-contraction coupling relies upon the elevated diadic cleft Ca2+ that arises from the slow extrusion of cytoplasmic Ca2+ by the ATP-dependent sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump. Thus, our data support the conclusion that NCX is an important regulator of cardiac contractility. These findings suggest that manipulation of NCX may be beneficial in the treatment of heart failure.
The Problem of Temporary Intrinsics

Adoption of an A- or B-Theory of time seems to involve commitment to radically different understandings of what it is to be an object or thing. Borrowing terminology suggested by Mark Johnston,1 we may say that an endurantist holds that objects exist wholly at any time at which they exist, that is to say, an object which exists at any time t does not have at t parts which do not exist at t. More positively, an endurantist holds that an object which exists at one time is identical to that object existing at another time.2 For the endurantist, persistence through time consists in an object’s existing at several successive times, being wholly present and remaining self-identical at each of those times. By contrast, what we may call a perdurantist holds that an object does not exist wholly at any one time (unless its total temporal history lasts only for an instant) but is identical with the whole temporally extended entity; for a spatio-temporal object this would be what is marked off as its world line on a spacetime diagram. Sections of the line correspond to temporal parts of the object, of which the object itself is composed. For obvious reasons, perdurantism is often called four-dimensionalism, and perduring objects four-dimensional objects. This nomenclature is, however, a misnomer, for it gratuitously assumes that all temporal objects are also spatial objects.3 But abstract objects such as propositions which change their truth values, God, and angels may be conceived as non-spatial temporal objects, in which case we should speak of one-dimensionalism. The salient point of perdurantism is that an object is to be regarded as the entire temporally extended whole and the temporal slice of that object at any moment as a temporal part of the object. Persistence through time consists in just being temporally extended.
A place-based analysis of #BlackLivesMatter and counter-protest content on Twitter

The internet has become an integral part of social activism. The widespread nature of movements such as #OccupyWallStreet and #BlackLivesMatter on social media demonstrate the web’s efficacy in raising awareness on social issues. These movements often have their detractors, however, and online debate on racial protest in particular is often vigorous. While the #BlackLivesMatter movement has drawn considerable attention in sociological circles, little work has been conducted on how content manifests itself over space. In this article, I undertake a place-based approach to studying the factors driving #BlackLivesMatter and counter-protest content (e.g., #AllLivesMatter) through geolocated tweets in Louisiana and Texas Census Designated and Incorporated Places (i.e. cities). I find that the production of content meshes with color-blind racial theory and aligns with some offline processes, but perhaps not in the ways that one might expect. Percent black and percent Asian have a positive association with the production of both #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter content, while percent white and percent Hispanic have a negative association. The approach presented is novel in that it utilizes tweets with general location and information from users’ profile descriptions. The post hoc analysis demonstrates how bifurcating the data based on spatial and temporal characteristics can reveal subtle but, informative trends, yet results should be interpreted cautiously.
Introduction: Teaching with Objects

Material Religion is, as the subtitle suggests, a journal of “objects, art, and belief,” and many of its articles focus on the role of objects in the creation of religious beliefs and sensibilities...
On the nature of the perception-production link: Individual variability in English sibilant-vowel coarticulation

This study aims to elucidate the nature of the perception–production link with respect to coarticulation by examining the production and perception of English sibilants before different vowels. A group of native speakers of American English were recorded reciting a set of /s/- and /ʃ/-initial words in different vocalic contexts and took part in an identification experiment designed to test their ability to adjust their perceptual expectation in light of the vocalic influence on the preceding sibilant. Significant correlations between the production and perception results were observed when by-subject estimates for context-relevant predictors (and their interactions) in the perception regression models were examined in relation to the by-subject estimates of the production regression models. These results suggest a positive correlation between how much an individual attends to context-specific variation in perception and how the sibilant contrast is realized in specific vocalic contexts. Ramifications of these findings are discussed for the nature of speech perception and production and the understanding of sound change.
Case 4: Thrombocytopenia and Hematochezia in an Infant

1. Alexandra Schaller, DO* 2. Angela Myers, MD† 3. Shakila Khan, MD‡ 4. Avni Joshi, MD§ 5. Vilmarie Rodriguez, MD¶ 6. George Maher, DO** 1. *Division of Pediatric Critical Care, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN 2. †Department of Medical Genetics, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA 3. ‡Division of Pediatric Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 4. §Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 5. ¶Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 6. **Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Sanford Children’s Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD A 6-week-old white boy presented to his primary care provider with complaints of bloody stools and petechiae and was found to be thrombocytopenic, with an initial platelet count of 25 × 103/μL (25 × 109/L). The complete blood cell (CBC) count was otherwise normal. The mother’s platelet phenotype was PLA1 positive, ruling out neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. The infant’s primary care provider recommended a milk and soy protein-free diet for the mother (the infant was exclusively breastfed), reasoning that the hematochezia and thrombocytopenia may have been unrelated. After this maternal dietary intervention, the infant’s symptoms abated transiently. Hematochezia, petechiae, and thrombocytopenia recurred at age 4 months, at which time the platelet count was 19 × 103/μL (19 × 109/L), prompting further evaluation. Medical history revealed spontaneous vaginal delivery at 39 weeks' gestation, mild eczema, and intermittent nasal congestion. The …
Intrapartum Fetal Monitoring

Abstract Electronic fetal monitoring is used to monitor fetal well-being during labor. Fetal heart rate tracings are described in terms of baseline, variability, presence of accelerations, presence of decelerations, and changes with time. Accelerations and moderate variability are reassuring that there is no fetal acidemia at that moment. Absent variability with recurrent late or variable decelerations is concerning and mandates expedient delivery. Unfortunately, many fetal heart rate tracings cannot be classified into either of these extremes. The clinician must become skilled in interpreting and addressing fetal heart rate tracings.
What’s Mine Is Mine and What’s Yours Is Yours

I step out of the van and straight into a real-world approximation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lothlorien, which was the famous Elven forest lying in a woodland valley. I am surrounded by large red and white pine trees. Although the pines are clearly dominating the landscapes, there are occasional low-lying cedar trees interspersed with tall ferns and mosses. The dark greens of the needles are contrasted with the reddish hues of the trunks and the oranges of last year’s fallen needles. Shafts of sunlight penetrate the gaps in branches and provide some light to the forest floor. I pause to inhale deeply. The splendor of nature greets my nose, and I am enveloped with a mix of earthen and pine aromas. The damp forest floors emit a heavy and peaty smell that connects me with the earth. The clean air and pine smells create a perception of pure nature. Finally, I listen. Just beyond my vision is a river. I can make out the familiar but distinctive and pleasing sounds of water rushing over rapids and small waterfalls. The sound is subtle, but because I have been here multiple times, I know the sound.
Pedagogical-Agent Learning Companions in a Virtual Reality Educational Experience

This research studies pedagogical agents as a learning companion (PALs) and aims to find which approach is more effective for learners in terms of learning, engagement and rapport: a PAL that is the same gender as the student, a PAL that is female, or a PAL that is male. We compared results in terms of learning and rapport with respect to the gender of a PAL. To this end, we implemented a multimodal interactive virtual-reality application to teach students about the 1770 Boston Massacre. Our results suggest that (1) both male and female participants will learn well with a female PAL, and (2) differences in rapport do not seem to affect learning.
A Semantic Sense & Respond Approach to IT-enabled Buyer-Supplier Relationship Management: An Action Research Study

The importance of buyer-supplier relations has been recognized by research as well as practice. Information sharing and knowledge exchange have been found to positively impact closer collaboration, increase transparency, and improve perceptions of trust between buyers and sellers. There is however, lesser research about IT as an enabler in the dynamics of buyer-seller relationship management. Against this backdrop, we examine how a retailer leveraged and adapted a portal to help them “listen to the voice of their suppliers”. Through a collaborative action research project, we developed a semantic sense & respond approach to design and implement mechanisms that allowed a large retailer, BuildSmart, to continuously sense how their portal was experienced by suppliers and how to more generally improve their relationship with their suppliers. As a result, we present a conceptual model of IT-enabled buyer-supplier relationship management, and demonstrate how semantic modeling can be combined with sense & response thinking to support adaptive technology management.
The molecular aspects of absorption and metabolism of carotenoids and retinoids in vertebrates

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient necessary for numerous basic physiological functions, including reproduction and development, immune cell differentiation and communication, as well as the perception of light. To evade the dire consequences of vitamin A deficiency, vertebrates have evolved specialized metabolic pathways that enable the absorption, transport, and storage of vitamin A acquired from dietary sources as preformed retinoids or provitamin A carotenoids. This evolutionary advantage requires a complex interplay between numerous specialized retinoid-transport proteins, receptors, and enzymes. Recent advances in molecular and structural biology resulted in a rapid expansion of our understanding of these processes at the molecular level. This progress opened new avenues for the therapeutic manipulation of retinoid homeostasis. In this review, we summarize current research related to the biochemistry of carotenoid and retinoid-processing proteins with special emphasis on the structural aspects of their physiological actions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Carotenoids recent advances in cell and molecular biology edited by Johannes von Lintig and Loredana Quadro.
Competing models of consciousness

Graziano et al. (in press) sketch some suggestive ways in which Graziano’s attention-schema theory (AST) of consciousness (Graziano, 2013, 2019; Webb & Graziano, 2015) connects with three other the...
Modified Autoencoder Training and Scoring for Robust Unsupervised Anomaly Detection in Deep Learning

The autoencoder (AE) is a fundamental deep learning approach to anomaly detection. AEs are trained on the assumption that abnormal inputs will produce higher reconstruction errors than normal ones. In practice, however, this assumption is unreliable in the unsupervised case, where the training data may contain anomalous examples. Given sufficient capacity and training time, an AE can generalize to such an extent that it reliably reconstructs anomalies. Consequently, the ability to distinguish anomalies via reconstruction errors is diminished. We respond to this limitation by introducing three new methods to more reliably train AEs for unsupervised anomaly detection: cumulative error scoring (CES), percentile loss (PL), and early stopping via knee detection. We demonstrate significant improvements over conventional AE training on image, remote-sensing, and cybersecurity datasets.
Chapter 20 – Comparative Aspects of Nucleotide and Amino Acid Metabolism in Toxoplasma gondii and Other Apicomplexa

As obligate intracellular parasites, the Apicomplexa must acquire nutrients from their hosts. Amongst the most important nutrients are purines and pyrimidines that form the essential building blocks for nucleic acids and molecules required for energy metabolism. It had been assumed for decades that purine and pyrimidine metabolism would be similar in all protozoa, but detailed study of these pathways has demonstrated that each parasite has evolved its own repertoire of pathways that reflects the unique environmental niches occupied by the Apicomplexa. All Apicomplexa are unable to make purines de novo and must salvage from their hosts. The ability to make pyrimidines varies within each of the parasites. This chapter reviews our current knowledge of the nucleotide and amino acid metabolic pathways for three major Apicomplexa of importance in human disease: Plasmodium species, Cryptosporidium species and Toxoplasma gondii
From descent with modification to the origins of novelty

Abstract Descent with modification is the foundational framework of all of evolution. Yet evolutionary novelties are defined as lacking affinities to structures that already existed in the ancestral state, i.e. to somehow emerge in the absence of homology. We posit that reconciling both perspectives necessitates the existence of a type of innovation gradient that allows descent with modification to seed the initiation of a novel trait, which once in existence can then diversify into its variant forms. Recent work on diverse, textbook examples of morphological novelties illustrate the value of the innovation gradient concept. Innovations as profound and diverse as insect wings, beetle horns, and treehopper helmets derive from homologous source tissues instructed in their development by homologous gene regulatory networks. Yet rather than rendering these traits no longer novel, we posit that discoveries such as these call for a reassessment of the usefulness of defining evolutionary novelty as necessitating the absence of homology. Instead, we need to redirect our attention to how ancestral homologies scaffold and bias the innovation gradient to facilitate hotspots of innovation in some places, and deep conservation elsewhere.
Clinical Outcomes and Complications Following Limited Open Achilles Repair Without an Instrumented Guide

Background:We report the clinical outcomes and complications following our limited open incision Achilles tendon repair technique without instrument guides.Methods:A total of 33 patients were inclu...
Financial Reimbursement and Enteral Access

Enteral access procedures can represent a significant proportion of many surgical and gastroenterologist’s practices (Reference) and a fundamental understanding of coding and reimbursement practices can assist in ensuring compensation for time, energy, and expertise devoted to these efforts. There is minimal medical literature and training available to clinicians to allow for some rudimentary comprehension of this very complex system. This review will discuss the basics of coding terminology and focus specifically on factors relevant to enteral access.
Patient perspectives on acceptability of, and implementation preferences for, use of electronic health records and machine learning to identify suicide risk.

Abstract Objective Assess patient understanding of, potential concerns with, and implementation preferences related to automated suicide risk identification using electronic health record data and machine learning. Method: Focus groups (n = 23 participants) informed a web-based survey sent to 11,486 Kaiser Permanente Northwest members in April 2020. Survey items assessed patient preferences using Likert and visual analog scales (means scored from −50 to 50). Descriptive statistics summarized findings. Results 1357 (12%) participants responded. Most (84%) found machine learning-derived suicide risk identification an acceptable use of electronic health record data; however, 67% objected to use of externally sourced data. Participants felt consent (or opt-out) should be required (mean = −14). The majority (69%) supported outreach to at-risk individuals by a trusted clinician through care messages (57%) or telephone calls (47–54%). Highest endorsements were for psychiatrists/therapists (99%) or a primary care clinician (75–96%); less than half (42%) supported outreach by any clinician and participants generally felt only trusted clinicians should have access to risk information (mean = −16). Conclusion Patients generally support use of EHR data (not externally sourced risk information) to inform automated suicide risk identification models but prefer to consent or opt-out; trusted clinicians should outreach by telephone or care message to at risk individuals.
Litigation Risk Management Through Corporate Payout Policy

Firms significantly modify their payout policy in anticipation of future litigation costs. We examine a comprehensive sample of U.S. corporate lawsuits and find that firms facing significant litigation risk pay lower dividends, and in some cases omit dividends while distributing more cash through share repurchases. Litigation risk changes the distribution of payouts but not the total payout yield as the increase in share repurchases offsets the decrease in dividends. Cash-poor firms cut share repurchases when settlement costs are incurred. The results suggest that firms at higher risk of litigation increase their payout flexibility.
Is Russia really a normal country? A numerical taxonomy of Russia in comparative perspective

What sort of country has Russia become since the collapse of the Soviet Union? Scholars have tracked Russia’s political economy closely for almost three decades but have yet to agree on a method for classifying it. Using cluster analysis and eleven different measures of political, economic, and social development, the article constructs a numerical taxonomy of Russia and nineteen other countries. The results show that, for the most part, Russia no longer resembles other post-communist countries, nor does it resemble the political economy of the developed West or the poorer countries of the developing world. Instead, the results indicate it increasingly approximates other rent extractive political economies, such as China, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia.
Training and Evaluation of a Knowledge-Based Model for Automated Treatment Planning of Multiple Brain Metastases: An Advanced Study

Aim: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has been utilized to plan and treat multiple cranial lesion metastases using a single isocenter due to its ability to provide steep dose gradients around targets as well as low doses to critical structures. VMAT treatment is delivered in a much shorter time compared to using a single isocenter for the treatment of each lesion. However, there is a need to develop methods to reduce the treatment planning time for these cases while also standardizing the plan quality. In this work we demonstrate the use of RapidPlan, which is a knowledge-based treatment (KBP) planning software to plan multiple cranial SRS cases. Methods: 66 patient plans with 125 lesions (range 1-4, median 1) were used to train a model. In addition, the model was validated using 10 cases that were previously treated and chosen randomly. The clinical plans were compared to plans generated by RapidPlan for target coverage and critical organ dose. Results: Coverage to the target volume, gradient index (GI), conformity index (CI) and minimum dose to the target showed no significant difference between the original clinical plan versus the plan generated by KBP. A comparison of doses to the critical organs namely the brainstem, brain, chiasm, eyes, optic nerves and lenses showed no significant difference. Target dose homogeneity was slightly better with the clinical plan, however this difference was also statistically insignificant. Conclusion: This work demonstrates that KBP can be trained and efficiently utilized to help decrease the treatment planning time while standardizing and optimizing treatment plan quality.
Tighten Your Anastomoses

Hemostasis is not possible without tight anastomoses. Prolene revolutionized vascular surgery upon its arrival in the early 1980s. Prolene slides easily, permitting tight anastomoses. Before that time, vascular anastomoses were done with interrupted silk sutures, leading to a time-consuming, frustrating jumble of many fine threads. Prolene changed all that, permitting running suture anastomoses that could be done quickly and neatly, with a minimum of clutter.