cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new taste reactivity analysis of the integration of taste and physiological state information

We used conjoint manipulation of taste and physiological state to address the theoretical issue of signal integration. The interaction between taste (glucose concentration) and state (food deprivation) was evaluated using the taste reactivity method in which oral motor responses elicited by direct intraoral infusion are measured. The time frame of the typical taste reactivity paradigm, where observation is limited to the infusion period, was expanded to include the postinfusion interval. In each test session, rats received a series of trials consisting of 15-s intraoral infusions and 45-s postinfusion observation intervals. Two experiments were run in which glucose concentration was varied and rats were run nondeprived and after 24 h food deprivation. In experiment 1, glucose concentrations (0, 3.2, 6.25, 12.5, and 25%) were randomly presented during each test session. In experiment 2, individual glucose concentrations (0, 6.25, or 25%) were presented during separate sessions. For both, a deprivation condition was flanked by nondeprived (baseline) sessions. Concentration-response functions were comparable in both experiments. In each experiment, the shape of the concentration-response function was dramatically different during and after infusions. During infusions, there were no increases in glucose-elicited rhythmic oral responses beyond a very dilute concentration. After infusions, the concentration-response functions appeared linear across the concentration range. In both experiments, deprivation elevated responding only in the after-infusion periods. In experiment 1, the concentration-response function was uniformly elevated (on average, 27%) by deprivation, which if taken at face value would suggest an additive combination of taste and state feedback signals. In experiment 2, however, deprivation increased responding (approximately 30%) for 6.25%, but not for 0 or 25%, suggesting a stimulus specificity of the taste-state integration. Clearly then, the taste-state profiles differed as a function of experimental design. In the GENERAL DISCUSSION, we suggest that the uniform elevation of responding to all glucose concentrations, and to water, seen in experiment 1, may be an artifact of the random presentation of all stimuli during individual sessions. Experiment 2, in which stimuli were presented in a between-sessions design, may provide a truer reflection of the underlying integrative process.
How Far Have We Come with Solid (Nonhematologic) Tumor Radioimmunotherapy

Twenty years ago, when phase I clinical trials began using a targeted approach to directing radioactivity toward cancer for diagnosis and therapy, the hope was that the management of cancer would soon change. The potential seemed enormous, that is, to be able to selectively target cancer cells while
Cross-plane Thermoreflectance Imaging of Thermoelectric Elements

This paper presents the first cross-plane thermoreflectance image of the temperature distribution in a thermoelectric (TE) element under bias. Using the technique of lock-in CCD thermoreflectance imaging, we can map the temperature distribution of an operational device with submicron spatial resolution and a temperature resolution of 10 mK. As such it offers a complete picture of the quasi-equilibrium transport within the device. The submicron resolution of the thermoreflectance image enables clear determination of localized heating due at interfaces - for example to due contact resistance - and thermal impedance mismatch within samples. The high spatial resolution is ideal for the characterization of thin-film thermoelectric materials where data from conventional techniques (such as the transient Harman method) are difficult to interpret. This paper also presents the first thermoreflectance data we are aware of for BiTe-based material systems. Identification and separation of the Peltier and Joule components of the heating are possible, and finite difference simulations of the devices are presented for comparison with experiment. In this way it is possible to simultaneously acquire information about the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric material. The measurements demonstrate the feasibility of non-contact thermal measurements at the sub-micron scale.
Keeping the medical practice financially viable: a marketer's approach.

Abstract This paper explores a way that medical practices might develop a higher margin revenue source by offering a differentiated service that caters to patients who value more personalized service. Using SERVQUAL, German patients were surveyed to determine if there is a relationship between a desire for personalized service and a willingness to pay a premium for medical care. The results indicate that a greater desire for personalized care distinguishes those who pay a premium for medical care from those who do not. This suggests that medical practices can differentiate their service based on more personalized care and charge a higher fee for this service.
Response of a Resistant Variant of Leukemic Cells to an Antagonist of Pteroylglutamic Acid

Summary1. The effect of a PGA antagonist, 4-amino-N10-methyl PGA on resistant leukemic cells of the mouse has been studied. The development of a florid leukemia with profuse localized growth of lymphomatous tissue, leukocytosis with escape of leukemic cells into the blood and extensive infiltration into various organs occurs at dosage levels as high as the LD50. 2. Symptoms of vitamin deficiency did not appear in mice growing the resistant leukemic cells and supplied with a total dose of antagonist as high as 20 mg/kg, indicating that the resistant leukemic cells are metabolizing the antagonist in some manner. Tolerance to 4-amino-N10-methyl PGA has been increased approximately 50-fold. 3. Citrovorum factor did not influence the growth of resistant leukemic cells but partially blocked the optimal growth-promoting effect of the PGA antagonist. 4. Possible mechanisms of action of 4-amino-N10-methyl PGA on resistant and dependent leukemic cells are considered.
Localized, dull abdominal pain in an otherwise asymptomatic woman

Isolated abdominal tenderness in the absence of other abnormal physical examination and laboratory findings eventually leads to diagnosis of a rare and benign condition.
Nomenclatural note: Heteropathes (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia: Cladopathidae): A new name for Heliopathes Opresko, 2003

The generic name Heliopathes Opresko, 2003 (see also Opresko 2005) proposed for an antipatharian coral (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia) of the family Cladopathidae, subfamily Hexapathinae (Opresko, 2003), is preoccupied by the darkling beetle genus Heliopathes (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae), proposed by Mulsant (1854). Therefore the substitute name Heteropathes is proposed for the antipatharian.
Teaching About Nuclear Disarmament: Attitudes of Middle Level Teachers

AbstractA questionnaire was administered to 546 middle level school teachers in one public school system in the southeast. The questions clustered around the following dimensions with respect to nuclear disarmament: significance for humanity, curriculum issues, teacher qualifications, availability of materials, appropriateness of issue for middle grades students, and reaction by community or school system to the teaching of the issue. Over 90% of the system's middle level teachers responded. Chi-square tests of independence were conducted, and a number of significant relationships were found. In general responses varied by subject taught, age, and educational background. Most of the teachers believed that the issue is an important one for humanity. Only a small percentage included it in their teaching, but about half believed that it should be included elsewhere in the curriculum. Most teachers did not think that they had enough background and information to teach about the issue. Recommendations included...
Rivalry and Revenge : The Politics of Violence During Civil War

What explains violence against civilians in civil wars? Why do groups kill civilians in areas where they have full military control and their rivals have no military presence? This innovative book connects pre-war politics to patterns of violence during civil war. It argues that both local political rivalry and local revenge account for violence against civilians. Armed groups perpetrate direct violence jointly with local civilians, who collaborate when violence can help them gain or consolidate local political control. As civil war continues, revenge motives also come into play, leading to spirals of violence at a local level. In an important contribution to the study of the Spanish Civil War, Balcells combines statistical analyses with ethnographic and qualitative research to provide new insights to scholars and academic researchers with an interest in civil war, politics and conflict processes. Rivalry and Revenge is theoretically and empirically rich, and it offers a theory and method generalizable to a wide set of cases.
Crisis Informatics for Everyday Analysts: A Design Fiction Approach to Social Media Best Practices

The importance of social media usage during crisis has been well established in academic and practitioner communities. Yet, the promise of rendering insights from social media for responders in a consistent and reliable manner remains a challenge and accepted standards of practice have yet to emerge. Inspired by a May 2017 workshop consisting of 15 Crisis Informatics practitioners from 3 continents, we imagine a training curriculum aimed at developing the necessary skills to harness social media data during a crisis. We call the recipients of that training Crisis Informatics Research Technicians (CIRT). We offer this design fiction to stimulate a conversation among Crisis Informatics scholars, Human-Computer Interaction scholars, crisis response professionals, and the public on best practices, tools, limitations, and ethics of using social media to improve crisis response.
Sero-epidemiology of Primate Herpesviruses and Associated Tumors as Models for Human Tumors

ABSTRACT The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) of man is a B-lymphotropic herpesvirus which is ubiquitous in the population and most individuals show no clinical manifestations after primary infection. Some individuals who acquire EBV infection during adolescence develop heterophile-positive infectious mononucleosis. Furthermore, EBV has been shown to be associated with Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Certain B- and T-lymphotropic herpesviruses of Old and New World monkeys offer good models for studying the putative association of herpesviruses with human neoplasia. Herpesvirus papio , a B-lymphotropic virus of baboons and Herpesvirus saimiri , a T-lymphotropic herpesvirus of squirrel monkeys are of interest because these viruses apparently cause no disease in the natural hosts but can induce a spectrum of lymphoproliferative diseases in marmoset monkeys.
Acoustic methods for regionalizing an impact force acting on a structure

It is often desired to know the location and magnitude of a force acting on a structure. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to install a sensor at the force location, particularly when that location is unknown. A structure subjected to an impact has many different vibrational modes that are excited to different levels based on the excitation location. These vibrations decay with time depending on their different rates of modal damping and the associated acoustic radiation characteristics. In this work, acoustic signatures for a number of structure impact locations were measured, normalized relative to the force magnitude, and processed to examine the ability to correlate the acoustic signal to the force impact location. Various processing techniques, such as the Short Time Fourier Transform, were considered. A primary interest focused on the ability of single-number metrics to aid in identifying the force location. For the experiments, a football helmet structure was used and multiple impact locatio...
Do we know enough?-sporadic non-ampullary duodenal neoplasms (SNADNs).

Management of sporadic, non-ampullary duodenal neoplasms (SNADNs) has been a topic of increasing interest over the last decade due to increased recognition of these lesions, in part because of increase in surveillance and also with development of advanced endoscopic imaging including narrow band imaging, high resolution white light endoscopy with magnification and chromo-endoscopy.
A novel parallel-kinematics mechanisms for integrated, multi-axis nanopositioning: Part 1. Kinematics and design for fabrication

Abstract Multi-axis micro and nanopositioning systems are increasingly used in much of the metrology and process equipment related to the field of nanotechnology. This, the first of a two-part series of papers on a novel piezo-driven, parallel-kinematics XYZ nanopositioning (PKXYZNP) stage, concentrates on the development of a viable scheme to achieve pure spatial translation. First, the mechanism is shown to admit closed-form solutions to both; the forward and reverse kinematic problems. The Jacobian and the dynamics of the system indicate that the mechanical structure produces a relatively large work volume, and is capable of high bandwidth and uniform performance across it. The fabrication of the system is described along with some basic testing of its Jacobian and its modal frequencies. Using capacitive gages, the stage is capable of about 85 μm of motion along each axis with a resolution of about 2–4 nm. The controls, testing and performance are discussed in detail in the companion paper [Dong J, Yao Q, Ferreira PM. A novel parallel-kinematics mechanism for integrated, multi-axis nanopositioning. Part 2. Dynamics, control and performance analysis. Precis Eng].
Claims against Iraqi Oil and Gas: Legal Considerations and Lessons Learned

1. A brief precis on Iraq's debts 2. The legal theory of 'odious debt' 3. The development and background of Security Council Resolution 1859 4. The development and background of the Iraqi measures permitting departure from earlier oil and gas contractual commitments 5. The concepts of 'finality', 'related to', and assorted matters of Article 54 of the KRG's oil and gas law (no. 22), and Article 141 of the Iraqi Constitution 6. Old oil and gas contracts, and those of more recent vintage: Iraqi constitutional protections of contract rights and their significance on legal claims 7. Oil and gas assets affected by the prosecution of legal claims aimed at recovering on debts owed by Iraq 8. Issues associated with prosecuting a claim in the United States, with a brief glimpse at other jurisdictions: the impact of national law 9. Recognition and enforcement of determinative actions affecting Iraqi oil and gas assets 10. Lessons learned from the Iraq experience that are transferable to other instances of debt owed by resource-rich nations.
Short Pulse Absorption Spectroscopy of Nitromethane Photolysis

We are applying short pulse techniques to studies of small molecular fragments, stable or reactive radical species emergent as the primary products of unimolecular decomposition of simple photolabile materials. Nitro-methane (CH3NO2) photolysis has been the subject of extensive prior investigations under varying conditions of irradiation wavelength, phase, temperature, and with active additives. The identity of the primary products and the kinetics of the reaction remain unresolved, although several mechanisms have been advanced to explain the observed products. From nitromethane vapor the list of major final products which have been reported [1] includes CH3ONO, CH2O, CH3NO, NO, and N2O; minor final products include H2, CH4, N2, and CO; and a number of reaction intermediates have been reported, notably NO2 and HNO. As an inferred early product, NO2 was estimated to have a quantum yield as large as 0.6, and this fragment has been our principal object of study to date.
CULTURAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION OF TRYPANOSOMES

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the cultural and physiological differentiation of trypanosomes. A variety of methods have been employed to specifically differentiate trypanosomes: morphological, vectors and life cycles, immunological, biochemical, and human inoculation. The latter method is of prime importance when members of the human and nonhuman group flagellates are considered. It has been shown that Trypanosoma rhodesiense and T. hrucei differ morphologically when grown in autoclaved media, but the points of dissimilarity are rather slight and difficult to detect. The type of overlay, peptone-blood or saline, appears to be discriminatory in that, in the latter overlay, T. rhodesiense—but not T. hrucei—is able to be later subcultured. When melarsen or tryparsamide (in amounts of 1.0 mg/ml of overlay) was included in diphasic media, it was found that T. rhodesiense—but not T. hrucei—could be cultured. The study reveals that it is hoped that the saline-citrate and melarsen-tryparsamide culture methods may be used to distinguish T. brucei from T. rhodesiense in a series of field trials.
Bounded automorphisms of surfaces

The equivalence among bounded homeomorphisms of a surface, reducible homeomorphisms of the surface, bounded automorphisms of the surface group, induced or exchange automorphisms of the surface group, and the stabilizer of the translation length function of the tree action is established.
Reluctant Humanitarians: British Policy Toward Refugees in Kenya During the Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935–1940

Following the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, several hundred Eritrean deserters from the Italian army and several thousand Ethiopian officials, soldiers, and civilians fled to Kenya. British...
Conclusions and Implications: The Take Out

Conceptual gains surrounding learning and social justice, as well as curricular gains in critical literacy and numeracy skills, are summarized in the conclusion. Students who engaged in the learning material, took risks, and ventured outside of their comfort zones or primary stability had the greatest gains. Alternately, students who remained in their primary stability and were not as engaged did not have practical or conceptual learning gains. Implications for interdisciplinary teaching, English Language Arts, and mathematics classes are shared (and connected to Common Core State Standards), along with ideas for teacher education and education research. Lastly, implications for queer pedagogy and theory are explored.
Dynamic Aspects of Electron-Transfer Reactions in Metalloprotein Complexes

Various metalloproteins act as electron carriers and redox enzymes in photosynthesis, respiration, and other biological processes. Because these processes involve oxidation and reduction, that is, electron transfer, mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions involving metalloproteins are very important. Despite much recent research, molecular mechanisms of these reactions are only beginning to be understood.1-4 Because the protein enveloping metal complexes (often termed metal sites or metal centers) is an organic polymer, mechanisms of electron transfer through proteins may interest polymer scientists and other materials scientists, especially those who study electroconductive materials. If one understands how electrons are transferred over 10-20 A or even longer distances between metal complexes in metalloproteins, one may be more successful in designing a synthetic electroconductive polymer.
Importance of electrical and physical contact in electromagnetic forming simulations

Abstract In both industry and academia, researchers often use numerical simulations to reduce the number of trial-and-error iterations required in experiments to reduce costs. However, this can be difficult in the EMF process where electricity is flowing with relative motion between the workpiece and conductor. Thus, a coupled electromagnetism (EM)-structural analysis, which also includes EM contact, has to be conducted. In this paper, in order to further understand the science behind the EMF process and benefits of a coupled numerical analysis, a numerical model was created in a commercial software package, LS-DYNA, for a coil design called a uniform pressure actuator (UPA). Numerically predicted workpiece velocities and displacements were compared with those in experimental tests measured using a Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) and Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM). Simulations of idealized electrical conditions without material draw-in as well as more physically accurate simulations where EM contact allowed material draw-in were conducted. The inclusion of material draw-in allowed more accurate predictions of experimental displacements and velocities. In addition, the fact that shear stresses in the formed wall cause the inverse saddle geometry of components produced with a UPA is shown.
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Review of Epidemiology, Care Models, and Current Understanding of Outcomes

The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome owing to prenatal opioid exposure has grown rapidly in recent decades and it disproportionately affects rural, non-white, and public insurance-dependent populations. Treatment consists of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions with wide variability in approaches across the United States. Standardizing clinical assessment, minimizing unnecessary interruptions, and prioritizing nonpharmacologic and family-centered care seems to improve hospital outcomes. Neonatal abstinence syndrome may have long-term developmental and biological effects, but understanding is limited owing in part confounding biosocial factors. Early intervention and longitudinal support of the infant and family promote better outcomes.
Delayed access to feed alters expression of genes associated with carbohydrate and amino acid utilization in newly hatched broiler chicks

Newly hatched chicks must transition from lipid-rich yolk to carbohydrate-rich feed as their primary nutrient source, and posthatch delays in access to feed can have long-term negative consequences...
Differential Impact of Mindfulness Practices on Aggression Among Law Enforcement Officers

Home-based mindfulness practice is a common component of formal mindfulness training (MT) protocols. Obtaining objective data from home-based mindfulness practice is challenging. Interpreting associations between home-based mindfulness practice and clinically impactful outcomes is complicated given the variability in recommendations in length, frequency, and type of practice. In this exploratory study, adherence to home-based practices of Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) was studied in order to evaluate associations with clinical outcomes. Home practices from 24 (92% male, non-Hispanic White, aged M = 43.20 years) law enforcement officers (LEOs) from the urban Pacific Northwest enrolled in a feasibility and efficacy trial of MBRT were studied using an objective tracking device and self-report data. Outcomes included adherence to home-based mindfulness practices and self-reported aggression. Participants completed 59.12% of the frequency amount of practice assigned in the MBRT curriculum. Frequency of practice was associated with decreased aggression, adjusted R2 = .41, F(3,23) = 6.14, p = .004. Duration of practice also predicted decreased aggression, adjusted R2 = .33, F(3,23) = 4.76, p = .011. Home-based MBRT practices for LEOs, even at low rates of adherence, may reduce aggression. MTs may show beneficial effects for other populations presented with challenges to engage in regular MT practices.
Tramadol-associated hallucinations: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of their pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Recent prescribing trends reflect government-led efforts undertaken in both the U.S. and Canada to decrease opioid use. These provisions reflect a reduction in the use of many potent opioids in favour of tramadol. Despite the purported benefits of tramadol over other opioids, little remains known about tramadol-associated hallucinations (TAH). We conducted a systematic literature search in Embase, Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, PAHO Virtual Health Library, MedNar, and ClinicalTrials.gov to find reported cases of hallucinations associated with the use of tramadol. For all corresponding cases reporting hallucinations secondary to tramadol use, we extracted data on patient demographics, medical management, and the details on hallucinations. Cases were categorized as “probable TAH” if the evidence supported an association between hallucinations and tramadol use, or “possible TAH” if hallucinations were attributed to tramadol use but the supporting evidence was weak. The “probable TAH” cases were further classified as “isolated TAH” if hallucinations were the primary complaint, or “other existing medical condition” if concurrent signs and symptoms alluded to a diagnosis of an existing medical condition. We then conducted a narrative synthesis of the available literature to contextualize these results. A total of 941 articles were identified in the initial search. No observational studies or randomized clinical trials were identified with our systematic review; only case reports were found. After a thorough screening, 34 articles comprising 101 patients reported an association between tramadol use and hallucinations. Among these 101 cases, 31 were “probable TAH” and 70 were “possible TAH”. Of the 31 cases of “probable TAH”, 16 cases were “isolated TAH” while the remaining 15 cases belonged to “other existing medical condition”. Tramadol-associated hallucinations can result in auditory or visual disturbances, although multisensory symptoms have also been reported. The mechanism underlying TAH remains poorly understood and likely involves numerous receptor types. The relative risk of hallucinations from tramadol compared with other opioids remains unclear.
Expanding Information Literacy: The Roles of Digital and Critical Literacies in Learning with Information

This chapter builds upon foundational ideas presented earlier in this book about the natures of learning and of information, their marriage under the umbrella of “information literacy,” and the ways that marriage plays out in today’s various information-rich environments. With this foundation in place, the chapter discusses two intertwined literacies that have recently emerged to expand and enrich our understanding of learning with information: digital literacy and critical literacy. Digital literacy addresses how learners master the “grammar” of digital information to conduct solid research and to create and display new knowledge accurately and ethically through a wide and changing range of technology platforms and multimedia products. Critical literacy encourages learners to go beyond traditional criteria for evaluating information and to examine it from diverse social and cultural perspectives in order to arrive at an astute and nuanced assessment of its value. While we have only a relatively small and recent research base to provide guidance in exploiting these “new” literacies specifically as avenues for learning with information, it is clear that they are central components in the construction of solid, evidence-based knowledge today and will become even more important in the future.
Assessing quality care in kidney disease: The double‐edged sword versus the Gordian knot

Assessing quality is essential for optimizing clinical care but remains challenging. Too many measures can result in dilution of quality improvement efforts, distracting providers from delivering the most meaningful care, whereas too few measures can devalue important domains of care. Similarly, performance standards that are too high can result in unintended consequences, including diminishment of patient input into their individualized care and cherry picking. Valid quality metrics assess measureable aspects of care that are both clinically meaningful and modifiable, and, in the absence of quality metrics and performance standards, optimal care is at risk. Quality measures are an indelible part of the health care system, composing a pillar of value-based purchasing, and balancing these aspects of quality assessment is essential for patient care. This review summarizes the quality systems in nephrology, focuses on current dialysis quality metrics and the strengths and limitations of current measures, and emphasizes the value of a parsimonious set of meaningful metrics with performance standards that both incentivize optimal practices while allowing sufficient latitude to individualize care for kidney patients.
Neuromodulation zur Behandlung von Harnblasenfunktionsstörungen

Harnblasenfunktionsstorungen zahlen zu den haufigsten urologischen Problemen, mit welchen Mediziner im Alltag konfrontiert werden, und fuhren nicht selten langfristig zu irreversiblen Schaden am Harntrakt sowie massiven Einschrankungen im Alltag und Verschlechterung der Lebensqualitat. Die Erstlinienbehandlung besteht aus verhaltenstherapeutischen Massnahmen (z. B. Anpassung des Trinkverhaltens) sowie Beckenbodenphysiotherapie und antimuskarinerger Therapien bei uberaktiver Harnblase (sog. „overactive bladder“ [OAB]) oder Alpha-1-Rezeptor-Blockern bei Harnblasenentleerungsstorungen. Als Zweitlinientherapien konnen Onabotulinumtoxin A-Injektionen in den Detrusor angeboten werden, welche allerdings zu relevanten Restharnerhohungen fuhren konnen. Als Alternative bieten sich verschiedene nicht-invasive und invasive neuromodulative Verfahren an: die tibiale Nervenstimulation (TNS), die transkutane elektrische Stimulation des N. pudendus (TENS-P) sowie die sakrale Neuromodulation (SNM). Hierbei sind bei der Auswahl des Verfahrens die Art der zugrunde liegenden Erkrankung (idiopathisch vs. neurogen), deren Dynamik (stationar vs. progredient), deren Stadium und Patientencompliance relevant. Da sich all diese Faktoren von PatientIn zu PatientIn unterscheiden, sind verallgemeinerte Aussagen uber die Erfolgswahrscheinlichkeit der verschiedenen Verfahren tendenziell schwierig und die Indikation zur Therapie in jedem Fall individuell zu stellen. Allerdings konnen die verschiedenen Verfahren unabhangig davon, ob es sich um eine neurologische oder nicht-neurologische Grundproblematik handelt, zu massgeblicher Verbesserung der Dysfunktion sowie Lebensqualitat fuhren.
Interview 8 Jeffrey C. Alexander

No, I was in a major called social studies, you may have heard of that. It’s an interdisciplinary major, which includes political theory, social theory, applied studies, sociology, political science and history. I never took a sociology course until I was accepted to graduate school, so at Harvard, my last course I ever took was my first sociology course
Saica erubescens (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Saicinae): First Description of the Female and a Southward Range Extension

The female of Saica erubescensChampion, 1898 is herein described for the first time, based on a specimen from “Pilaton” in Ecuador, markedly expanding the known distribution of the species at least 970 km southward from Central into South America. Characters for separating S. erubescens from its congeners are discussed, as is the presence of apical abdominal spines as a potentially useful character for identifying females within the genus.
Generating Black-Box Adversarial Examples in Sparse Domain.

Applications of machine learning (ML) models and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been rapidly increased. Although ML models provide high accuracy in many applications, recent investigations show that such networks are highly vulnerable to adversarial attacks. The black-box adversarial attack is one type of attack that the attacker does not have any knowledge about the model or the training dataset. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to generate a black-box attack in sparse domain whereas the most important information of an image can be observed. Our investigation shows that large sparse components play a critical role in the performance of the image classifiers. Under this presumption, to generate adversarial example, we transfer an image into a sparse domain and put a threshold to choose only k largest components. In contrast to the very recent works that randomly perturb k low frequency (LoF) components, we perturb k largest sparse (LaS)components either randomly (query-based) or in the direction of the most correlated sparse signal from a different class. We show that LaS components contain some middle or higher frequency components information which can help us fool the classifiers with a fewer number of queries. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by fooling the TensorFlow Lite (TFLite) model of Google Cloud Vision platform. Mean squared error (MSE) and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) are used as quality metrics. We present a theoretical proof to connect these metrics to the level of perturbation in the sparse domain. We tested our adversarial examples to the state-of-the-art CNNs and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers on color and grayscale image datasets. The results show the proposed method can highly increase the misclassification rate of the classifiers.
Review of American Government 2e. Glen Krutz. Houston, TX: OpenStax/Rice University, 2016. 771p. Free online PDF

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis have further highlighted the growing problem of the financial accessibility of higher education. As such, any effort to save students money w...
The Sunscreen for Kindergarteners (SKIN) Study trial protocol.

Abstract Background Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the major modifiable risk factor for skin cancers. The majority of lifetime UVR exposure occurs before age 20, underscoring an important window for risk reduction. Incorporation of skills-based sunscreen education into school health curricula may foster the development of consistent and effective use of sunscreen among children and youth. We describe the study protocol for a first-of-its-kind study that examined the feasibility of bringing skills-based sunscreen education into kindergarten classrooms. Methods Participants were 96 kindergarten students across four classrooms in a single elementary school. A single-blind open-label trial design was used to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating a song-based, video-guided intervention for independent application of sunscreen into the kindergarten curriculum. Students first completed a 10-day no-intervention baseline period, followed by a 10-day intervention period, and then a 10-day randomized follow-up period where students were randomly assigned to continue with the intervention or to revert to the no-intervention condition. Outcomes Feasibility metrics associated with study process, resources, management, scientific outcomes and safety were gathered. The primary outcome was pre-to-post intervention changes in student engagement in the sunscreen task. The secondary outcome was pre-to-post intervention changes in the proportion of exposed skin to which a student applies sunscreen. Teacher and student perceptions of intervention value and utility were also evaluated. Discussion This is the study protocol for a clinical trial designed to determine the feasibility of implementing a skills-based sunscreen curriculum in kindergarten classrooms. Next steps include evaluation of the intervention for efficacy and effectiveness. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03752736
Learning thermal radiative properties of porous media from engineered geometric features

Abstract Monte Carlo ray tracing (MCRT) simulations are the most reliable non-experimental means for predicting radiative properties of randomly packed structures or porous media, particularly in polydisperse or heterogenous environments. These methods can approximate radiative properties of a void region filled with homogeneous or heterogenous solids by averaging across a large pool of independent random ray tracing simulations. However, due to stringent precision requirements, high computational cost of simulation setup and execution including processing, memory and programming requirements and parameter-dependent uncertainty of MC simulations, the required time and computational cost of these methods are overwhelmingly high for obtaining accurate estimations. The goal of this work is to build approximate models for MCRT calculations using learning methods. This work is an extension of a previous work, with the goal of building models that are more generalizable and more realistic: while previous work was limited to circular particles and assumed knowledge of the generating parameters of the porous media, the learning models proposed in this work are based on engineered geometric features constructed from the final configuration. Furthermore, ground truth calculations of the current work take the more accurate approach of generating configurations based on a packing algorithm, rather than using the approximate radiation distribution function identification method (pack-free). In addition, we study both uniform and polydisperse 2D media packed with circles and squares of random orientation. We also consider both opaque and transparent materials and study a larger pool of various refractive indices. We focus on the geometric optics dimensions regime in which particle sizes are large compared to the light wavelength and thus the ray tracing simulations render an accurate estimation of the wave propagation properties. We design learning models based on a large synthetically generated database using in-house packing algorithms and MCRT computations. We also use combinations of cross-validation and data mixture techniques to assure that the models are not overfit to a particular class of configurations. As a result, we demonstrate that the models proposed in this work can estimate the radiative properties of configurations in out-sample data generated based on different generation schemes with high accuracy.
Active Traffic Management Sign Comprehension

Active traffic management (ATM) strategies are being deployed in the United States to deliver additional information to drivers. Per lane variable speed limit and lane control signs are being deployed along with dynamic message signs that display warning and other motorist information. The Manual of Uniformed Traffic Control Devices currently does not provide guidelines or standards for these signs. The present research is the first in a series of studies aimed at providing data that can be used to develop guidelines and standards. This study used laboratory procedures to examine comprehension and preference for various variable speed limit and lane control sign messages. The results indicate that while participants sometimes make errors interpreting some advisory messages, they generally correctly interpreted the lane control and speed limit ATM signs.
Rousseau's Social Contract: An Introduction

If the greatness of a philosophical work can be measured by the volume and vehemence of the public response, there is little question that Rousseau's Social Contract stands out as a masterpiece. Within a week of its publication in 1762 it was banished from France. Soon thereafter, Rousseau fled to Geneva, where he saw the book burned in public. At the same time, many of his contemporaries, such as Kant, considered Rousseau to be 'the Newton of the moral world', as he was the first philosopher to draw attention to the basic dignity of human nature. The Social Contract has never ceased to be read and debated in the 250 years since its publication. Rousseau's Social Contract: An Introduction offers a thorough and systematic tour of this notoriously paradoxical and challenging text. David Lay Williams offers readers a chapter-by-chapter reading of the Social Contract, squarely confronting these interpretive obstacles. The book also features a special extended appendix dedicated to outlining Rousseau's famous conception of the general will, which has been the object of controversy since the Social Contract's publication in 1762.
Power distribution network analysis using semi irregular plane shape approach and via modeling

In this paper, a proposal to calculate the impedance frequency response of a power distribution network (PDN) is presented. Using the proposed algorithm, power planes have been modeled as an array of regular rectangles or squares constructing blocks like lego type which have been defined in terms of analytical equations given by the pi model. Transition via models has been obtained by using an approach based on Foldy-Lax equations. All these analytical models have been validated versus a commercial tool: PowerSI from Sigrity. A simple plane and a multilayered plane structure cases have been validated. Results showed less than 10% errors at peak resonance frequency. Accurate prediction of the PDN impedance profile has been demonstrated.
LAKOFF, Andrew (2005), Pharmaceutical Reason: Knowledge and Value in Global Psychiatry

LAKOFF, Andrew (2005), Pharmaceutical Reason:Knowledge and Value in Global Psychiatry. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 206 paginas.
Breast bruises and breast cancer

While recently examining one of the early classic works on breast cancer epidemiology—Janet E. Lane-Claypon’s 1926 report to the United Kingdom Ministry of Health [1]—and its 1931 US counterpart [2], I was struck by one item in the list of commonplace “antecedent conditions”: breast bruises, a not uncommon occurrence. Johannes Clemmensen’s classic review article in 1948 [3] also mention bruises to the breast as a possible etiologic factor. In these articles, the discussion of bruises concerned how tissue trauma might increase risk of cancer [1–3]. As for the etiology of the bruises themselves? This was barely discussed, except with speculative reference to accidents and falls, whether at home or at work [1–3]. Any mention of breast bruises now, however, raises the question of whether intimate partner violence or other forms of physical abuse are at issue. A handful of new studies notably are investigating whether being physically or sexually abused acts as a psychosocial stressor that affects the risk of developing breast cancer (either directly or else indirectly, e.g., via increasing risk of obesity or alcohol consumption) [4] and also the likelihood of getting a mammogram [5]. As these studies attest, research on links between breast cancer and exposure to physical abuse and intimate partner violence remains scant [4, 5]. The historical juxtaposition is stark: (a) breast bruises having been routinely associated, in the past, with risk of breast cancer, albeit with no attention to violence as a possible cause [1–3] versus (b) intimate partner violence only recently becoming a focus of contemporary research on breast cancer [4, 5]. Although empirical data on long-term trends in violence involving breast bruises among women with breast cancer is likely unobtainable, nevertheless such violence is unlikely to be negligible [4, 5]. A lack of attention to breast bruises and violence in the current period is at best only partly explicable by changes in etiologic hypotheses regarding physical trauma as a cause of carcinogenesis. The larger point is that a concern with breast cancer must be in the full context of the lives of those whom it affects, with due attention to the health problems to which breasts bear witness.
Politicized Judicial Review in Administrative Law: Three Improbable Responses

In administrative law, as elsewhere, empirical studies confirm that ideology affects judicial review of agency action to an alarming degree. After summarizing and analyzing empirical studies of judicial review in administrative law, this article proposes four models of judicial behavior that can explain the politicization of judging. While all four models are based on the literature, the article uniquely compares and contrasts them. Based on the models, the article then explores three improbable possibilities for ameliorating politicized judging. The first and least promising contemplates making administrative law clearer and more determinate, thereby depriving judges of the discretion necessary for political preferences to affect their decision-making. The second requires judges to discuss openly their political and policy preferences when explaining their administrative law decisions. The third possibility is the most plausible, least ambitious, and simplest: Require five-judge panels for a well-defined set of significant agency actions - e.g., legislative rules with significant economic effects promulgated through notice-and-comment.
An automated application for analysis of incremental exercise tests

Introduction Clinical exercise tests (CXT) using symptom-limited incremental protocols can identify physiological limitations and assist with diagnosis of exercise intolerance. However, there are challenges with these tests because of lack of standardization in their performance and with data interpretation. Methods We developed an automated application for CXT interpretation based on novel algorithms and pattern recognition. We tested the application on 100 sequential CXT (57 men) and compared results with human interpretation by experienced physicians. Six key physiological variables were examined: maximum values for work (Wmax), oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), heart rate (fCmax), and ventilation (VEmax); and slope values for chronotropic index (CI) and ventilatory efficiency (VE). Accuracy was compared to stringent minimum clinically important differences. Agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman methods. Results Three studies were excluded from the analysis because of incomplete data. In three more, the heart rate signal was corrupted by interference. Accuracy and mean bias (limits of agreement) were: Wmax 96%, 1.7 (5.6, -2.2) watts, VO 2 max 80%, -0.02 (0.13, -0.18) L/min, fCmax 82%, -2.0 (8.1, -12.2) /min, VEmax 75%, 3.1 (13.7, -19.85), CI 79%, -0.7 (11.6, -10.3), VE 69%, 1.7 (16.5, -13.1). The application also provides plots for visual detection of threshold values for lactate accumulation (VO 2 θ) and ventilatory compensation (VCO 2 θ). Conclusion This automated application produces more consistent and reliable characterization of the human exercise response than manual reporting. Such standardization is necessary to better define the pathophysiology and to assist with diagnosis of exercise limitation.
Toxoplasma gondii myelitis in AIDS

Toxoplasmosis of the spinal cord is an uncommon manifestation of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Previously described patients generally have had poor outcomes. We report a case of successfully treated, biopsy-proven AIDS-related Toxoplasma gondii myelitis (TGM) in a 39-year old man who presented with a conus medullaris syndrome. A review of the literature and a suggested therapeutic approach to TGM are presented.
The Chemistry of Hypervalent Molecules

Molecules formed from atoms of Groups V–VIII of the periodic table in their higher valences are studied and a general theory for their electronic and geometric structure is presented. These molecules, which we call hypervalent molecules, are unique in that a donor atom can possess two identical monovalent ligands which are bonded by different types of chemical bonds. The present study provides a simple theoretical description of such molecules using doubly-occupied lone-pair orbitals to form hypervalent bonds, and these bonds are divided into two classes as to whether they involve p electrons alone or utilize s electrons as well. While the theoretical classification is of some interest in itself, there are even more interesting problems concerning the physico-chemical properties of these molecules and the syntheses of new molecules and polymers. We thus present a brief description of the energetics, possibilities for intermolecular inversion and site-exchange, and synthetic paths for the preparation of hypervalent molecules, as well as indicate a number of new molecules which can probably be synthesized using these ideas. For corrigendum see DOI:10.1002/anie.196901311