cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Raman spectroscopic measurements of synthetic gas hydrates in the ocean

A Raman spectrometer extensively modified for deep ocean use was used to measure synthetic hydrates formed in an ocean environment. This was the first time hydrates formed in the ocean have been measured in situ using Raman spectroscopy. Gas hydrates were formed in situ in the Monterey Bay by pressurizing a Pyrex cell with various gas mixtures. Raman spectra were obtained for sI methane hydrate and sII methane+ethane hydrate. Gas occlusion resulting from rapid gas growth of methane hydrate was measured immediately after formation. The Raman shift for methane free gas was coincident with that of methane in the small 5 12 hydrate cage. The methane Raman peak widths were used to discriminate between methane in the free gas and hydrate phase. Methane+ethane sII hydrate was formed for 43 days on the seafloor. In this case, gas occlusion was not measured when the gas hydrates were allowed to form over an extended time period. Equivalent Raman spectra were obtained for the in situ and laboratory-formed sII methane+ethane hydrates, under similar p, T, and x conditions. With the Raman spectrometer operating in the ocean, seawater contributes to the Raman spectra obtained. Both the Raman bands for the sulfate ion and water were used to qualitatively determine the distribution of water phases measured (hydrate, seawater) in the Raman spectra. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Dependence of coupling of quasi 2-D MoS2 with substrates on substrate types, probed by temperature dependent Raman scattering.

This work reports a study on the temperature dependence of in-plane E12g and out-of-plane A1g Raman modes of single-layer (1L) and bi-layer (2L) MoS2 films on sapphire (epitaxial) and SiO2 (transferred) substrates as well as bulk MoS2 single crystals in a temperature range of 25–500 °C. For the films on the transferred SiO2 substrate, the in-plane E12g mode is only weakly affected by the substrate, whereas the out-of-plane A1g mode is strongly perturbed, showing highly nonlinear, sometimes even non-monotonic, temperature dependence on the Raman peak shift and linewidth. In contrast, for the films on the epitaxial sapphire substrate, E12g is affected more significantly by the substrate than A1g. This study suggests that the 2-D film–substrate coupling depends sensitively on the preparation method, and in particular on the film morphology for the transferred film. These findings are vitally important for the fundamental understanding and application of this quasi 2-D material that is expected to be supported by a substrate in most circumstances.
Cationic Polymer and Lipids Enhance Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer to Rabbit Carotid Artery

Background and Purpose —Improvement of efficiency of gene transfer to endothelium could be useful for several applications. We tested the hypothesis that cationic nonviral molecules augment adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to blood vessels, perhaps by alteration of the surface charge of adenovirus and facilitation of binding to endothelium. Methods —Carotid arteries from rabbits were incubated in vitro for 0.5 to 2 hours with an adenoviral vector alone or noncovalent complexes of adenovirus with poly-l-lysine (a cationic polymer) or lipofectin (a cationic lipid). Binding of adenovirus to the vessels was evaluated immediately after incubation with virus, and assay of transgene (β-galactosidase) activity and histochemistry were performed 24 hours after gene transfer. To determine whether cationic molecules can be used to augment alteration of vascular function by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, we also examined effects on gene transfer of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Results —Assay of β-galactosidase activity indicated that both cationic molecules increased transgene expression in vessels by ≈5- to 6-fold. In contrast, when endothelium was removed from the vessels after gene transfer, poly-l-lysine and lipofectin did not significantly increase transgene activity. Histochemistry for β-galactosidase also suggested that the adenovirus-cationic molecule complexes augmented transgene expression mainly in the endothelium. In addition, we found that complexing adenovirus with cationic molecules increased binding of adenovirus to the vessels. After gene transfer with recombinant adenovirus containing endothelial nitric oxide synthase, calcium ionophore (A23187) produced greater relaxation of vessels treated with adenovirus complexed with poly-l-lysine or lipofectin than those treated with adenovirus alone. Conclusions —Cationic molecules improve the efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to blood vessels.
Designing Assessments of Learning with Technology

In this article, we describe an approach designed to assess student skills as they use information and communications technologies (ICT) to solve complex, significant, recurring academic and applie...
FosB, a Cysteine-Dependent Fosfomycin Resistance Protein under the Control of ςW, an Extracytoplasmic-Function ς Factor in Bacillus subtilis

We demonstrate that the Bacillus subtilis fosB(yndN) gene encodes a fosfomycin resistance protein. Expression of fosB requires sigma(W), and both fosB and sigW mutants are fosfomycin sensitive. FosB is a metallothiol transferase related to the FosA class of Mn(2+)-dependent glutathione transferases but with a preference for Mg(2+) and L-cysteine as cofactors.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING OF REACTION INJECTION MOLDING. I

In this research a model to simulate both the filling the curing stages of a reaction injection molding (RIM) process in complex three-dimensional molds is developed. This model can be used to predict not only the temperature and conversion changes with time but also the front position during filling. Using given physical and chemical properties of the RIM system, moldability can be determined in advance. The numerical techniques used in this research include adaptation of the SIMPLE algorithm developed by Patankar for a moving-front, two-phase system with non-negligible inertial effects, and exothermic chemical reaction. The model predictions of temperature and conversion compare favorably with available data on simple two-dimensional molds. The ability of the model to predict the dynamics of filling in more complicated molds was verified by comparison to mold filling experiments with water and a polyurethane foam.
The methodology roles in the realization of a model development environment

The definition of "methodology" is followed by a very brief review of past work in modeling methodologies. The dual role of a methodology is explained: (1) conceptual guidance in the modeling task, and (2) definition of needs for environment designers. A model development environment based on the conical methodology serves for specific illustration of both roles.
The Study of the Dislocation Structure and Energy of NiO-Pt Interfaces

The dislocation structure of Pt-(001)NiO interfaces was studied using electron microscopy and electron diffraction techniques. Specimens were produced by hot pressing polycrystalline Pt films on to thin NiO single crystals, and bulk Pt single crystals on to bulk NiO single crystals. The polycrystalline Pt specimens were used to determine the favored orientation relationships between the NiO and Pt, while the bulk NiO-Pt specimens were used to study the detailed structure of the interface. Three categories of orientation relationships were identified: exact epitaxy with (001)Pt ║ (001)NiO, [110]Pt ║ [110]NiO; small rotations away from exact epitaxy about the common [001] direction; high index planes of Pt parallel to (001) of NiO. Theoretical calculations of the expected dislocation structures of interfaces with the first two orientation relationships were made using a Bollmann-type analysis. The experimental observations and theoretical predictions were shown to be in good agreement. The energies of the interfaces having the first two orientation relationships were shown to be similar which is believed to be the reason why they both occur.
An experimental and theoretical comparison of the electric fields above a coupled line bandpass filter

We present an experimental and theoretical comparison of the tangential electric fields within 100 /spl mu/m above a three stage coupled line bandpass filter (8.0 GHz-10.5 GHz). Using the experimental technique of modulated scattering, complete electric field intensity images of the tangential electric field components are displayed and compared with the calculated electric fields obtained through the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method in both the passband (10 GHz) and the rejection band of the filter (12 GHz). >
Quality-of-Life Assessment in Phase III Clinical Trials of Gemcitabine in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Health-related quality-of-life (QOL) endpoints in clinical trials provide decision makers with a more comprehensive picture of a specific treatment than activity-related endpoints alone. Such endpoints are increasingly being reported in cancer clinical trials. We reviewed phase III clinical trials that involved gemcitabine in the treatment of unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer. A systematic literature search was undertaken and 16 phase III clinical trials were found in which gemcitabine therapy was included in a treatment arm and QOL was an endpoint. Twelve of the 16 trials compared a gemcitabine-based treatment with a non-gemcitabine-based treatment. Not all data were reported in the trials, and the findings are mixed. However, a review of these 12 trials generally shows that gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy treatments had either no different or more favourable QOL outcomes than non-gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy treatments. Ten of the 16 trials that were reviewed had a primary endpoint or objective that was not QOL. Of these ten trials, only four concluded that one treatment arm could be therapeutically favoured over another in terms of the non-QOL primary endpoint. Two of the trials reported no difference in QOL and two reported that QOL favoured the arm that was therapeutically favoured. Many more trials will need to be conducted in order to conclude that gemcitabine-containing arms are associated with a more desirable QOL than non-gemcitabine-containing arms and that QOL necessarily favours the therapeutically favoured arm in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.
Partially Supervised Speaker Clustering

Content-based multimedia indexing, retrieval, and processing as well as multimedia databases demand the structuring of the media content (image, audio, video, text, etc.), one significant goal being to associate the identity of the content to the individual segments of the signals. In this paper, we specifically address the problem of speaker clustering, the task of assigning every speech utterance in an audio stream to its speaker. We offer a complete treatment to the idea of partially supervised speaker clustering, which refers to the use of our prior knowledge of speakers in general to assist the unsupervised speaker clustering process. By means of an independent training data set, we encode the prior knowledge at the various stages of the speaker clustering pipeline via 1) learning a speaker-discriminative acoustic feature transformation, 2) learning a universal speaker prior model, and 3) learning a discriminative speaker subspace, or equivalently, a speaker-discriminative distance metric. We study the directional scattering property of the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) mean supervector representation of utterances in the high-dimensional space, and advocate exploiting this property by using the cosine distance metric instead of the euclidean distance metric for speaker clustering in the GMM mean supervector space. We propose to perform discriminant analysis based on the cosine distance metric, which leads to a novel distance metric learning algorithm-linear spherical discriminant analysis (LSDA). We show that the proposed LSDA formulation can be systematically solved within the elegant graph embedding general dimensionality reduction framework. Our speaker clustering experiments on the GALE database clearly indicate that 1) our speaker clustering methods based on the GMM mean supervector representation and vector-based distance metrics outperform traditional speaker clustering methods based on the “bag of acoustic features” representation and statistical model-based distance metrics, 2) our advocated use of the cosine distance metric yields consistent increases in the speaker clustering performance as compared to the commonly used euclidean distance metric, 3) our partially supervised speaker clustering concept and strategies significantly improve the speaker clustering performance over the baselines, and 4) our proposed LSDA algorithm further leads to state-of-the-art speaker clustering performance.
A scheduling framework for general-purpose parallel languages

The trend in microprocessor design toward multicore and manycore processors means that future performance gains in software will largely come from harnessing parallelism. To realize such gains, we need languages and implementations that can enable parallelism at many different levels. For example, an application might use both explicit threads to implement course-grain parallelism for independent tasks and implicit threads for fine-grain data-parallel computation over a large array. An important aspect of this requirement is supporting a wide range of different scheduling mechanisms for parallel computation.In this paper, we describe the scheduling framework that we have designed and implemented for Manticore, a strict parallel functional language. We take a micro-kernel approach in our design: the compiler and runtime support a small collection of scheduling primitives upon which complex scheduling policies can be implemented. This framework is extremely flexible and can support a wide range of different scheduling policies. It also supports the nesting of schedulers, which is key to both supporting multiple scheduling policies in the same application and to hierarchies of speculative parallel computations.In addition to describing our framework, we also illustrate its expressiveness with several popular scheduling techniques. We present a (mostly) modular approach to extending our schedulers to support cancellation. This mechanism is essential for implementing eager and speculative parallelism. We finally evaluate our framework with a series of benchmarks and an analysis.
Identification of Staphylococcus Species Directly from Positive Blood Culture Broth by Use of Molecular and Conventional Methods

We compared two real-time PCR assays (both by the use of melting curve analysis) for their ability to identify Staphylococcus species directly from 200 positive blood culture bottles. The PCR assays correctly identified 83% to 94% of the Staphylococcus isolates to species clusters. Molecular testing significantly outperformed commercially available latex tests (sensitivity for both latex tests, <15%) when it was used directly with broth from signal-positive blood cultures.
Resonance energy and width operators in dilatation transformed dynamical systems

This Letter is concerned with locating dynamical resonances, as well as with algebraic calculations of resonance energy and lifetime based on rigged Hilbert space analysis. We present a derivation, from complex dilatation transformation, of a pair of operators corresponding to dynamical resonance energy and resonance width. These operators yield the well-known results for the case of a harmonic system. We also illustrate the resonance and lifetime calculation by application to dynamical resonances supported by a Morse potential barrier.
The Vascular Flora of Huggins Island, Onslow County, North Carolina

ABSTRACT Huggins Island, a Significant Natural Heritage Area in Onslow County, North Carolina, was incorporated into Hammocks Beach State Park in 1999. The 60 ha island has a long history of human activity, exemplified by shell middens, a Civil War earthen fortification, and farm clearings. An inventory of the flora from 2001–2005 found 192 species of vascular plants in 148 genera and 75 families. Thirteen species were new county records, and five species were Significantly Rare in North Carolina. Thirteen species of exotics occurred, 10 of which are invasive in the Southeast. Eleven major plant communities were recognized, including previously recognized, globally rare, maritime swamp forest. The largest community was maritime evergreen forest, and the most species rich was shell midden community. Few signs of human habitation and farming were visible, but most of the upland had storm damage, likely resulting from a series of hurricanes from the mid-1990s.
Topical Anesthesia for Strabismus Surgery

Twenty-two adults underwent strabismus surgery under topical anesthesia over the past 4 years. Benefits of this technique include avoidance of certain hazards of general and retrobulbar anesthesia, the ability to adjust eye position to the patient's satisfaction on the operative table, and expanded options for patients unwilling to undergo general anesthesia. The major disadvantages are the possibility of increased patient discomfort. Patient selection is important.
Binary Detection Systems Minimizing the Average Risk

We can now apply the concepts of the previous chapter to the special case of a binary system and determine the optimal decision function as well as the resulting minimum average risk. We shall see that the optimal decision function is the likelihood ratio, regardless of the cost function and regardless of the a priori probabilities, and that these parameters affect only a threshold level.
Mustela putorius furo (Ferret)

One of the smallest pairs of acrocentric autosomes bears a secondary-constriction on the long arm near the centromere. The short arm is much shorter than the satellite-bearing autosomes of the cat or a number of the Carnivores.
The Duress or Deception Defense to Joint and Several Spousal Liability

Under Code Sec. 6013(d)(3), spouses who file federal income tax returns are jointly and severally liable for the tax. That includes liability for amounts reported as due on the return but not paid as well as liability for any deficiency, interest and applicable penalties. Joint and several liability can attach even if all of the income and the deductions with respect to the return are attributable to only one of the spouses. Moreover, joint and several liability can attach even if only one of the spouses signed the return, as long as the IRS and the court(s) conclude that the nonsigning spouse intended the return to be joint.
Are Noncovalent Interactions an Achilles Heel in Chemistry Education? A Comparison of Instructional Approaches.

Intermolecular forces (IMFs), or more broadly, noncovalent interactions either within or between molecules, are central to an understanding of a wide range of chemical and biological phenomena. In this study, we present a multiyear, multi-institutional, longitudinal comparison of how students enrolled in traditional general chemistry courses and those in a transformed general chemistry course (Chemistry, Life, the Universe and Everything, or CLUE) represent intermolecular forces in the context of small molecules. For multiple cohorts of students at two different universities, we found that students who participate in the CLUE curriculum were significantly more likely than those in a traditional curriculum to indicate (correctly) that intermolecular forces occur between, rather than within small molecules. In a longitudinal study, we followed the students from one cohort through the subsequent year of organic chemistry and found that the differences between the CLUE and traditional students persisted over ...
Design thinking in online communities: suggestions for overcoming crowdsourcing issues

This paper is positioned at the intersection of two emerging trends in business: 'design thinking' (DT) and 'crowdsourcing'. DT is a new problem-solving protocol that is commonly used in offline environment but is increasingly being applied to online networks in an effort to tap into online crowds. This paper argues that the application of DT can solve various issues that managers grapple with in crowdsourcing. We further posit that network and consumer behaviour theories can be used to create contributor profiles that include information on the structure of relationships. This relationship information is suggested to help other participants and facilitators better evaluate and manage the contributions of crowd members.
Ocular Antiviral Therapy in Perspective

The eye presents a unique model for the study of the pathogenesis of viral disease, drugs, and local and general host factors. Disease is easily observed and quantitated, and the presence of two organs sometimes permits controlled observations that are otherwise impossible. Perhaps most important, ocular viral infection is disabling and blinding, and the success of its treatment with antiviral drugs has clearly demonstrated the potential for the use of antiviral drugs in other areas.
Hormonal modification of endotoxin mortality in mice.

SummarySerotonin reduces endotoxin mortality in mice. This effect is greater in females, and is potentiated by Compound F. Maintained Thyroxine treatment progressively increases toxicity of endotoxin in this species.
EFFECTS OF EVOLOCUMAB (AMG 145) TREATMENT ON VITAMIN E LEVELS: RESULTS FROM THE 52-WEEK PHASE 3 DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED DESCARTES STUDY

Vitamin E (Vit E) deficiency may cause neurological dysfunction, myopathies, and diminished erythrocyte life span. As a significant proportion of circulating Vit E is found in apo B-containing lipoproteins, we investigated the effects of evolocumab (AMG 145), a fully human monoclonal antibody to
Effect of Temporal Lobectomy for Epilepsy on Language Development

Language development was examined in 24 children (mean age 11 years; range 5.8-15.7 years) with AED intractable epilepsy before and 6, 12, and 24 months after anterior temporal lobectomy, in a study by the Dutch Collaborative Epilepsy Surgery Programme (DuCESP) at University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Robot for investigations and assessments of nuclear areas

RIANA is a remote controlled robot dedicated for investigations and assessments of nuclear Areas. The development of RIANA is motivated by the need to have at disposal a proven robot; a robot capable of remotely investigating and characterizing the inside of nuclear facilities in order to collect efficiently all the required data in the shortest possible time. RIANA is a modular robot that can carry a variety of interchangeable modules, sensors and tools, depending on missions; it is highly flexible so it may be customized to project specific requirements, configured based on the mission needs and easily adapted to the ever-changing requirements of missions.
Progress in Mesoporous Catalysts for Isomerization of High n-Alkanes

The catalysts for selective conversion of high n-alkanes into their branched isomers were introduced,particularly the mesoporous materials.With the development of mesoporous materials,many kinds of mesoporous materials with different components and structures were synthesized by different cooperative assembly pathway and at different synthesizing conditions. The ordered mesoporous catalysts were modified,and were testified with good activity and selectivity for selective conversion of high n-alkanes into their branched isomers.Some of the results have been applied in the oil refining and petrochemical industries.
Sex, Love, and Romance in the Mass Media: Analysis and Criticism of Unrealistic Portrayals and Their Influence

This accessible yet research-based text offers both foundational theories and practical applications of analysis and criticism of mass media portrayals of sex, love, and romance in a wide variety of mass media, from entertainment to advertising to news. The multidisciplinary methodological perspective comes out of a media literacy approach and embraces a variety of traditions along the quantitative-qualitative continuum. Focused on portrayals of male-female coupleship, the book is centered around the 12 major myths and stereotypes of Galician's Dr. FUN!'s Mass Media Love Quiz©, each of which has a corresponding Dr. Galician Prescription® that encapsulates healthy strategies--rarely found in the mass media--to counteract that myth or stereotype. Readers learn how to identify, illustrate, deconstruct, evaluate, and reframe the mass media's mythic and stereotypic portrayals of sex, love, and romance. They also learn how to use their own formal critical evaluations to clarify their own values and--as media consumers or mass communication creators--to share their insights with others. Thus, the learning objectives encompass all three major educational domains: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Part I of this book covers the five foundations: *myths and stereotypes of love and coupleship;*models of realistic and constructive love and coupleship;*mass media storytelling approaches, techniques, and devices;*research and theories of mass media effects; and*strategies and skills of media literacy. Part II is devoted to exploring the myths and stereotypes identified in the Quiz. Following several brief case studies and a summary of related research and commentary, each chapter focuses on analyses and criticisms of portrayals of sex, love, and romance in the content of news and advertising, as well as entertainment using Galician's Seven-Step Dis-illusioning Directions. Each chapter concludes with a "Dis-illusion Digest."While critical of unrealistic portrayals and the damage they can cause unsuspecting media consumers, Galician--a media literacy advocate--is not anti-media. Rather, her goal is to empower consumers to use these portrayals with more awareness of their possible consequences, to resist adopting them as models for actual behavior, and to consciously reframe them into more realistic, productive scenarios. This unique text is an engaging classroom resource for media literacy, media and relationships, and media and society coursework.
Recent experiments conducted with the Wide-field imaging interferometry testbed (WIIT)

The Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) was developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to demonstrate and explore the practical limitations inherent in wide field-of-view double Fourier (spatio-spectral) interferometry. The testbed delivers high-quality interferometric data and is capable of observing spatially and spectrally complex hyperspectral test scenes. Although WIIT operates at visible wavelengths, by design the data are representative of those from a space-based far-infrared observatory. We used WIIT to observe a calibrated, independently characterized test scene of modest spatial and spectral complexity, and an astronomically realistic test scene of much greater spatial and spectral complexity. This paper describes the experimental setup, summarizes the performance of the testbed, and presents representative data.
Prevention of Sudden Death in Athletes

*Corresponding author: P. Syamasundar Rao, Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Emeritus Chief of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, 6410 Fannin Street, UTPB Suite # 425, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA, Tel: 713-500-5738; Fax: 713-500-5751; Email: P.Syamasundar.Rao@uth.tmc.edu Rec date: Aug 14, 2015, Acc date: Aug 18, 2015, Pub date: Aug 20, 2015
Evolution of the circuitry for conscious color vision in primates

There are many ganglion cell types and subtypes in our retina that carry color information. These have appeared at different times over the history of the evolution of the vertebrate visual system. They project to several different places in the brain and serve a variety of purposes allowing wavelength information to contribute to diverse visual functions. These include circadian photoentrainment, regulation of sleep and mood, guidance of orienting movements, detection and segmentation of objects. Predecessors to some of the circuits serving these purposes presumably arose before mammals evolved and different functions are represented by distinct ganglion cell types. However, while other animals use color information to elicit motor movements and regulate activity rhythms, as do humans, using phylogenetically ancient circuitry, the ability to appreciate color appearance may have been refined in ancestors to primates, mediated by a special set of ganglion cells that serve only that purpose. Understanding the circuitry for color vision has implications for the possibility of treating color blindness using gene therapy by recapitulating evolution. In addition, understanding how color is encoded, including how chromatic and achromatic percepts are separated is a step toward developing a complete picture of the diversity of ganglion cell types and their functions. Such knowledge could be useful in developing therapeutic strategies for blinding eye disorders that rely on stimulating elements in the retina, where more than 50 different neuron types are organized into circuits that transform signals from photoreceptors into specialized detectors many of which are not directly involved in conscious vision.
Classification of micro-CT images using 3D characterization of bone canal patterns in human osteogenesis imperfecta

Few studies have analyzed the microstructural properties of bone in cases of Osteogenenis Imperfecta (OI), or 'brittle bone disease'. Current approaches mainly focus on bone mineral density measurements as an indirect indicator of bone strength and quality. It has been shown that bone strength would depend not only on composition but also structural organization. This study aims to characterize 3D structure of the cortical bone in high- resolution micro CT images. A total of 40 bone fragments from 28 subjects (13 with OI and 15 healthy controls) were imaged using micro tomography using a synchrotron light source (SR mu CT). Minkowski functionals - volume, surface, curvature, and Euler characteristics - describing the topological organization of the bone were computed from the images. The features were used in a machine learning task to classify between healthy and OI bone. The best classification performance (mean AUC - 0.96) was achieved with a combined 4-dimensional feature of all Minkowski functionals. Individually, the best feature performance was seen using curvature (mean AUC - 0.85), which characterizes the edges within a binary object. These results show that quantitative analysis of cortical bone microstructure, in a computer-aided diagnostics framework, can be used to distinguish between healthy and OI bone with high accuracy.
Using and Customizing Open-Source Runestone Ebooks for Computer Science Classes (Abstract Only)

Runestone is an open-source ebook platform designed to create and publish interactive computer science textbooks (See http://runestoneinteractive.org/). Runestone textbooks support programming within the browser, code visualizations, and a wide variety of practice activities, from multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions to Parsons Problems (drag-and-drop mixed-up code). The presenters have several years of experience developing and using ebooks for CS1, AP CS A, AP CSP, data structures, and web programming. Several studies have demonstrated good usability and positive learning and attitude impacts on students using these ebooks. Runestone ebooks can be customized to meet the needs of individual courses and teachers. The goal of this workshop is to help computer science teachers use and modify Runestone ebooks. The hands-on session will start by leading participants through use of the ebooks as if they were students. Participants will next create their own custom course of any existing ebook in the library and will use the instructor's dashboard to review student activity, modify the course, and grade students. Finally, participants will create their own assignments using Runestone's active learning components, which serves as a starting point for authoring their own content in Runestone. Laptop Required.
Self, God, and Immortality: A Jamesian Investigation

(2003). Self, God, and Immortality: A Jamesian Investigation. Ars Disputandi: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 210-212.
3D Printing Provides a Precise Approach in the Treatment of Tetralogy of Fallot, Pulmonary Atresia with Major Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries

Patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and multiple aortopulmonary collateral arteries (Tet PA MAPCAs) have a wide spectrum of anatomy and disease severity. Management of these patients can be challenging and often require multiple high-risk surgical and interventional catheterization procedures. These interventions are made challenging by complex anatomy that require the proceduralist to mentally reconstruct three-dimensional anatomic relationships from two-dimensional images. Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging medical technology that provides added benefits in the management of patients with Tet PA MAPCAs. When used in combination with current diagnostic modalities and procedures, 3D printing provides a precise approach to the management of these challenging, high-risk patients. Specifically, 3D printing enables detailed surgical and interventional planning prior to the procedure, which may improve procedural outcomes, decrease complications, and reduce procedure-related radiation dose and contrast load.
The Scientific Filesystem.

Background Here, we present the Scientific Filesystem (SCIF), an organizational format that supports exposure of executables and metadata for discoverability of scientific applications. The format includes a known filesystem structure, a definition for a set of environment variables describing it, and functions for generation of the variables and interaction with the libraries, metadata, and executables located within. SCIF makes it easy to expose metadata, multiple environments, installation steps, files, and entry points to render scientific applications consistent, modular, and discoverable. A SCIF can be installed on a traditional host or in a container technology such as Docker or Singularity. We start by reviewing the background and rationale for the SCIF, followed by an overview of the specification and the different levels of internal modules ("apps") that the organizational format affords. Finally, we demonstrate that SCIF is useful by implementing and discussing several use cases that improve user interaction and understanding of scientific applications. SCIF is released along with a client and integration in the Singularity 2.4 software to quickly install and interact with SCIF. When used inside of a reproducible container, a SCIF is a recipe for reproducibility and introspection of the functions and users that it serves. Results We use SCIF to evaluate container software, provide metrics, serve scientific workflows, and execute a primary function under different contexts. To encourage collaboration and sharing of applications, we developed tools along with an open source, version-controlled, tested, and programmatically accessible web infrastructure. SCIF and associated resources are available at https://sci-f.github.io. The ease of using SCIF, especially in the context of containers, offers promise for scientists' work to be self-documenting and programatically parseable for maximum reproducibility. SCIF opens up an abstraction from underlying programming languages and packaging logic to work with scientific applications, opening up new opportunities for scientific software development.
A Textbook Example of Complex Kinetics

A kinetic scheme is analyzed which includes a number of important features and special cases which are of interest to the kineticist dealing with complex equilibrating systems. These include (a) coupling of a slow reaction to a fast equilibrium, (b) coupling of two reactions which equilibrate at similar rates, (c) designing experiments which render a relaxation effect invisible (zero amplitude) so that the remaining relaxation times can be more easily evaluated, (d) evaluating two overlapping relaxation times by taking advantage of an isosbestic point, and (e) converting an equilibrium reaction into an irreversible process by “instantaneous” removal of one of the reagents, thereby making an inaccessible rate constant measurable. Furthermore, our system permits a systematic discussion of situations where certain reactions would escape kinetic detection even if they were present.
Soy Isoflavonoids and Cancer Prevention

The isoflavonoids in soy, genistein and daidzein, have been proposed to contribute an important part of the anti-cancer effect of soy. Although there have been many interesting studies on the effects of isoflavones on biochemical targets in tissue culture experiments, in most cases the concentrations used by investigators have exceeded 10 μM. However, based on simple pharmacokinetic calculations involving daily intake of isoflavones, absorption from the gut, distribution to peripheral tissues, and excretion, it is unlikely that blood isoflavone concentrations even in high soy consumers could be greater than 1–5 μM. Experiments designed to evaluate these pharmacological principles were carried out in anesthetized rats with indwelling biliary catheters and in human volunteers consuming soy beverages. The data from these experiments indicate that genistein is efficiently absorbed from the gut, taken up by the liver and excreted in the bile as its 7-O-β-glucuronide. Re-infused genistein 7-O-β-glucuronide was also well absorbed from the gut, although this occurred in the distal small intestine. In human subjects fed a soy beverage for a period of two weeks, plasma levels of genistein and daidzein, determined by HPLC-mass spectrometry, ranged from 0.55–0.86 μM, mostly as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. In summary, genistein is well absorbed from the small intestine and undergoes an enterohepatic circulation. Although the plasma genistein levels achievable with soy food feeding are unlikely to be sufficient to inhibit the growth of mature, established breast cancer cells by chemotherapeutic-like mechanisms, these levels are sufficient to regulate the proliferation of epithelial cells in the breast and thereby may cause a chemopreventive effect.
Bogspeak: Biosemiotics and Bogland

Bogland, like the Burren, was often depicted as uncultivatable wasteland, and considered metonymic for Irish character, as the Irish, too, resisted colonization and were thus defined as outlaws in their own countries. Bogs came to represent early on for Ireland’s conquerors the Irish lack of aspirations, their disinterest in cultivating the land, and moreover, their very lack of incentive to govern themselves. Giraldus Cambrensis remarks in Topographia Hibernica that “the Irish people attach no importance to castles; they make the woods their stronghold, and the bogs their trenches.” The very process by which bog acquired symbolic weight illuminates the range of associations that the bog continues to have in Irish environmental activism and ecocriticism. Today bogs are celebrated by writers and artists, and have emerged as the focus of competing environmental campaigns.
Cardiac Consultation in the Emergency Department

Abstract The challenge for the pediatric emergency medicine provider is to identify cardiac emergencies even when the chief complaint is not clearly cardiac. An additional challenge is to consider whether subspecialty consultation is required and, if so, to determine in what capacity and with what urgency. In this article, we review guiding principles surrounding subspecialty consultation in pediatrics and examine factors in all phases of a consultation from the perspective of both the pediatric emergency medicine provider and the pediatric cardiologist. In the Preliminary Phase, we discuss considerations surrounding whether a consult should be called and introduce the categories of “FYI” and “Curbside” calls. In the Action Phase, we review different circumstances appropriate for traditional (in-person) and telemedicine consultations. In the Aftercare Phase, we summarize the responsibilities of each party, emphasizing the need to ascertain appropriate access to effective follow-up care. We conclude by recommending that future efforts should be focused on collaboration between EDs and local pediatric cardiology groups to devise guidelines or clinical reference documents in regard to consultation expectations and parameters, with a suggested starting point included.
Ten Years Pass

Ten years have passed since the first transplant was conducted at the Cleveland Clinic. Face transplants, while far from common, no longer stir media interest. A formal registry has been established to record the clinical aspects of each procedure as it is completed. There are now close to 40, perhaps more, transplants that have been completed world-wide. I conducted a review of the first 36 procedures to find that 4 patients died, a survival rate of 89%. Opportunistic infections were common in a majority of patients and were for the most part well managed by antibiotics and antivirals. The procedure is gaining acceptance but many clinical, biological and ethical questions remain to be answered.
IASPM-US Keynote, March 20, 2018: “The Politics of The Voice: What NBC’s Reality Singing Contest Tells Us About Contemporary American Popular Music Culture”

The Voice is a global phenomenon. Originally a Dutch program in 2010, The Voice of Holland, it has since been adapted in 129 different regions and nations worldwide. For this project, I’m specifically examining the American version of The Voice , which debuted in 2011 and is currently in its 14th
Review: recent progress in low-temperature proton-conducting ceramics

Proton-conducting ceramics (PCCs) are of considerable interest for use in energy conversion and storage applications, electrochemical sensors, and separation membranes. PCCs that combine performance, efficiency, stability, and an ability to operate at low temperatures are particularly attractive. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the development of low-temperature proton-conducting ceramics (LT-PCCs), which are defined as operating in the temperature range of 25–400 °C. The structure of these ceramic materials, the characteristics of proton transport mechanisms, and the potential applications for LT-PCCs will be summarized with an emphasis on protonic conduction occurring at interfaces. Three temperature zones are defined in the LT-PCC operating regime based on the predominant proton transfer mechanism occurring in each zone. The variation in material properties, such as crystal structure, conductivity, microstructure, fabrication methods required to achieve the requisite grain size distribution, along with typical strategies pursued to enhance the proton conduction, is addressed. Finally, a perspective regarding applications of these materials to low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells, hydrogen separation membranes, and emerging areas in the nuclear industry including off-gas capture and isotopic separations is presented.
Grain Growth in Nanosized Nickel Deformed in a Confining Environment

Stress-induced grain growths were observed in many nanosized metals and alloys. Correctly understanding this unique feature is critical in designing and tailoring proper nanostructures for particul...
Variation in breast milk macronutrient contents by maternal anemia and hemoglobin concentration in northern Kenya

OBJECTIVES This study explored differing levels of macronutrients in breast milk in relation to maternal anemia and hemoglobin. METHODS Archived milk specimens and data from a cross-sectional sample of 208 breastfeeding mothers in northern Kenya, originally collected in 2006, were analyzed; data included milk fat, maternal hemoglobin concentration, and anemia status (anemia defined as hemoglobin <12 g/dL). Total protein and lactose were measured and energy was calculated. To explore the association between milk outcomes (fat, protein, lactose, and energy) and anemia, regression models were constructed with and without adjustment for maternal age, parity, and time (days) postpartum. The same models were constructed using hemoglobin as a continuous predictor in lieu of dichotomous anemia to explore the role of hemoglobin levels and anemia severity in predicting milk outcomes. RESULTS The group comparison indicated significantly higher milk protein and lower milk fat for anemic mothers relative to nonanemic counterparts. After adjustment for maternal age, parity, and time postpartum, maternal anemia was associated with significantly higher milk protein (P = 0.001) and significantly lower milk fat (P = 0.025). Hemoglobin had a significant inverse relationship with milk protein (P = 0.017) and a marginally significant positive relationship with milk fat (P = 0.060) after adjusting for the maternal variables. Neither anemia nor hemoglobin was significant in predicting lactose or milk energy. CONCLUSIONS Maternal anemia and hemoglobin concentration may be associated with complex changes in milk macronutrients. Future research should clarify the impact of maternal anemia on a range of breast milk components while accounting for other maternal characteristics.
Manipulating Drone Position Control

Although consumer drones have been used in many attacks, besides specific methods such as jamming, very little research has been conducted on systematical methods to counter these drones. In this paper, we develop generic methods to compromise drone position control algorithms in order to make malicious drones deviate from their targets. Taking advantage of existing methods to remotely manipulate drone sensors through cyber or physical attacks (e.g., [1], [2]), we exploited the weaknesses of position estimation and autopilot controller algorithms on consumer drones in the proposed attacks. For compromising drone position control, we first designed two state estimation attacks: a maximum False Data Injection (FDI) attack and a generic FDI attack that compromised the Kalman-Filter-based position estimation (arguably the most popular method). Furthermore, based on the above attacks, we proposed two attacks on autopilot-based navigation, to compromise the actual position of a malicious drone. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first piece of work in this area. Our analysis and simulation results show that the proposed attacks can significantly affect the position estimation and the actual positions of drones. We also proposed potential countermeasures to address these attacks.
How Aging Impacts Runners’ Goals of Lifelong Running

Running and jogging are listed as two of the most popular outdoor leisure activities for adults (The Outdoor Foundation 2017). Male and female adult runners attending a four-day workshop conducted by the authors from 2007–2018 indicated that learning how to be lifelong runners was their primary goal for attending the workshop. These recreational runners with an average age of 50 years, who attended one of the 20 workshops, were chosen for the study to see how successful they had been years later in pursuit of their goal of lifelong running and what changes in training and health they had incurred. The study surveyed workshop participants to examine their running frequency, injuries, body weight changes, and supplemental training as they aged. Among respondents there was no difference in the percentage who are still running with regard to age and sex. Comparisons of those runners 60 years old and over with those under 60 years of age were made to see if there were differences in how their running activities had changed over 10 years. Current runners 60 and older reported running “less frequently.” There was no significant difference in running interruption due to injury in those 60 and over compared to those under 60. Two-thirds of the runners had a normal BMI classification in strong contrast to national norms. Nearly ninety percent were cross-training to supplement their running. These former workshop participants have been able to continue their favorite physical activity and enjoy running after the age of 60 and beyond.