cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relative concentrations of endotoxin-binding proteins in body fluids during infection

Endotoxin initiates the systemic inflammatory response, haemodynamic changes, and multi-organ failure that may occur as a consequence of systemic gram-negative bacterial infection. The serum protein lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) binds to the lipid A component of bacterial endotoxin and facilitates its delivery to the CD14 antigen on the macrophage, where inflammatory cytokines are released and a cascade of host mediators is initiated. The neutrophil granular protein bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) competes with LBP for endotoxin binding and functions as a molecular antagonist of LBP-endotoxin interactions. We have measured concentrations of both proteins in body fluids from 49 consecutive patients. In 16 of 17 samples of fluid from closed-space infections, BPI was present in greater concentration than LBP (median BPI/LBP ratio 7.6 [95% CI 2.32-22.1]). The ratio of BPI and LBP was not significantly different from 1.0 in abdominal fluid from 10 patients with peritonitis (ratio 0.235 [0.18-0.47]), whereas the BPI/LBP ratio was low in 22 non-infected body fluids (0.01 [0.001-0.04]) and concentrations of both proteins approached those in normal human plasma. BPI concentrations were directly correlated with the quantity of neutrophils within clinical samples (rs = 0.81, p < 0.0001). Thus, within abscess cavities BPI is available in sufficient quantities for effective competition with LBP for endotoxin. BPI may attenuate the local inflammatory response and the systemic toxicity of endotoxin release during gram-negative infections.
Part four: Should practitioners educating adults in the workplace be credentialed?. Human resource development practitioners should resist professional licensing

There are compelling reasons why people who are involved in facilitating workplace learning should resist efforts toward professional licensing.
Spatial color indexing: a novel approach for content-based image retrieval

The paper examines the use of a computational geometry based spatial color indexing methodology for efficient and effective image retrieval. In this scheme, an image is evenly divided into a number of M*N non overlapping blocks, and each individual block is abstracted as a unique feature point labeled with its spatial location, dominant hue, and dominant saturation. For each set of feature points labeled with the same hue or saturation, we construct a Delaunay triangulation and then complete the feature point histogram by discretizing and counting the angles produced by this triangulation. The concatenation of all these feature point histograms serves as the image index. An important contribution of this work is to encode the spatial color information using geometric triangulation, which is translation, rotation, and scale independent. We have implemented the proposed approach and have tested it over two image collections of 2000 JPEG images and 1380 GIF images. Various experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of our techniques.
Parent–Child Interaction Therapy as a Family-Oriented Approach to Behavioral Management Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Report

Objective To present a case study illustrating the application of parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) for management of a child’s externalizing behaviors related to a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods An 11-year-old boy’s history and injury are described, followed by a description of PCIT and the course of therapy. Results After 9 sessions of PCIT, the child displayed fewer negative behaviors, and his mother’s distress was reduced. Conclusions This case demonstrates the feasibility of using PCIT with a child older than the recommended age range to address behavior problems associated with TBI.
Effective use of a joystick by an infant monkey.

The acquisition of the ability to use a joystick to maintain contact between a cursor and moving target is described for an infant bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata). The infant was first exposed to a very elementary joystick task while living in a social group at the age of 3.5 months. With task difficulty increased in small increments over a total of only 9 weeks of access to the tasks, the infant was able to maintain contact with a small moving target for over 2.5 sec by the age of 7.5 months. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Work Stress and Employee Health A Multidisciplinary Review

Research examining the relationship between work stress and well-being has flourished over the past 20 years. At the same time, research on physiological stress processes has also advanced significantly. One of the major advances in this literature has been the emergence of the Allostatic Load model as a central organizing theory for understanding the physiology of stress. In this article, the Allostatic Load model is used as an organizing framework for reviewing the vast literature that has considered health outcomes that are associated with exposure to psychosocial stressors at work. This review spans multiple disciplines and includes a critical discussion of management and applied psychology research, epidemiological studies, and recent developments in biology, neuroendocrinology, and physiology that provide insight into how workplace experiences affect well-being. The authors critically review the literature within an Allostatic Load framework, with a focus on primary (e.g., stress hormones, anxiety a...
Aggressive osteoblastoma of the maxilla: a case report and review of the literature.

Aggressive osteoblastoma is a rare primary bone neoplasm with the potential for local invasion and recurrence. While the vertebrae or long bones are most commonly affected, few well-documented cases have been reported in the jaws. A 25-year-old man presented with a palatal mass of several months’ duration. He reported the lesion had undergone gradual enlargement and, while generally asymptomatic, had recently become increasingly painful. An incisional biopsy was interpreted as “osteoblastic neoplasm” most suggestive of osteoblastoma. However, final diagnosis was deferred until the resection specimen could be evaluated. Following partial maxillectomy, histopathologic examination revealed a proliferation of large epithelioid cells with eccentric nuclei and prominent nucleoli associated with broad, irregular deposits of osteoid and trabeculae of bone. The lesional cells exhibited minimal pleomorphism with infrequent, normal-appearing mitotic figures and numerous osteoclast-like giant cells were observed within an associated loose fibrovascular stroma. Transformation of “blue bone” to more organized eosinophilic trabeculae of woven bone was noted at the periphery of the lesion and there was no evidence of invasion. A diagnosis of aggressive osteoblastoma was made. Previous reports of gnathic aggressive osteoblastoma are reviewed and the features that distinguish this process from conventional osteoblastoma or osteoblastoma-like osteosarcoma are presented.
Familiarity and attraction to stimuli: Developmental change or methodological artifact?☆

Abstract One hundred thirteen 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old children viewed a series of stimuli consisting of Chinese characters exposed a different number of times. Following exposure to the stimuli, children ranked the stimuli according to liking. Seven- and 9-year-olds preferred the more familiar characters to those seen less frequently, but the oldest children preferred novel stimuli. In rankings taken 3 weeks after original exposure, a subsample of 11-year-olds preferred the more familiar characters. These results suggest that discrepancies obtained in previous research on the affective consequences of mere exposure are of methodological rather than developmental origin. Possible critical differences in procedure are discussed.
Feature extraction based built-in alternate test of RF components using a noise reference

This paper addresses the cost, signal integrity and I/O bandwidth problems in radio-frequency testing by proposing a feature extraction based built-in alternate test scheme. The scheme is suitable for built-in self-test of radio-frequency components embedded in a system with available digital signal processing resources, and can also be extended to implement built-in test solutions for individual RF devices that have access to a low-end digital tester. The process applies an alternate test and automatically extracts features from the component response to predict specifications like third order intercept point, 1dB compression point, noise figure, gain and power supply rejection ratio. The proposed scheme makes use of low-speed low-resolution undersampling to eliminate the need for a bulky analog-to-digital converter and the use of a noise reference for comparison makes it possible to compensate for imperfect stimulus generation. The simulation results for a 1 GHz downconversion mixer and a 900 MHz low-noise amplifier present an average of 97.3% prediction accuracy of specifications under test.
Addressing diversion effects

Alan Wertheimer argues that those who promulgate principles of research ethics have a responsibility to take into account the diversion effects of those principles. In this commentary, I argue that Wertheimer's proposal that diversion effects should be considered when promulgating principles of research ethics makes sense, but it often may be best to deal with these effects once a principle has been accepted and implemented, rather than focusing on them at the outset.
Does your HRM matter? A focus on difference between managerial and non-managerial employees

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Human Resource Management (HRM) on organisational performance. This study addressed two measurement challenges suggested by human resource researchers: collecting data separately for managerial and non-managerial employee groups and testing the interrelationships between three organisational performance measures (turnover, labour productivity and growth rate). The structural equation model revealed that the effects of HRM implemented for the managerial employee group were different from the effects of HRM implemented for the non-managerial employees. The primary difference related to the influence of a firm's bottom line. This study also examined the interrelationships among the dependent variables and found that managers' turnover rates reduced by HRM practices increased labour productivity.
Discrimination of Human Coronary Artery Atherosclerotic Lipid-Rich Lesions by Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Abstract —Lesion composition plays a significant role in atherosclerotic lesion instability and rupture. Current clinical techniques cannot fully characterize lesion composition or accurately identify unstable lesions. This study investigates the use of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy for unstable atherosclerotic lesion diagnosis. The fluorescence of human coronary artery samples was induced with nitrogen laser and detected in the 360- to 510-nm wavelength range. The samples were sorted into 7 groups according to the AHA classification: normal wall and types I, IIa (fatty streaks), III (preatheroma), IV (atheroma), Va (fibrous), and Vb (calcified) lesions. Spectral intensities and time-dependent parameters [average lifetime τf; decay constants: τ1 (fast-term), τ2 (slow-term), A1 (fast-term amplitude contribution)] derived from the time-resolved spectra of coronary samples were used for tissue characterization. We determined that a few intensity values at longer wavelengths (>430 nm) and time-dependent parameters at peak emission region (390 nm) discriminate between all types of arterial samples except between normal wall and type I lesions. The lipid-rich lesions (more unstable) can be discriminated from fibrous lesions (more stable) on the basis of time-dependent parameters (lifetime and fast-term decay). We inferred that features of lipid fluorescence are reflected on lipid-rich lesion emission. Our results demonstrate that analysis of the time-resolved spectra may be used to enhance the discrimination between different grades of atherosclerotic lesions and provide a means of discrimination between lipid-rich and fibrous lesions.
Long Nonlinear Internal Waves

Over the past four decades, the combination of in situ and remote sensing observations has demonstrated that long nonlinear internal solitary-like waves are ubiquitous features of coastal oceans. The following provides an overview of the properties of steady internal solitary waves and the transient processes of wave generation and evolution, primarily from the point of view of weakly nonlinear theory, of which the Korteweg-de Vries equation is the most frequently used example. However, the oceanographically important processes of wave instability and breaking, generally inaccessible with these models, are also discussed. Furthermore, observations often show strongly nonlinear waves whose properties can only be explained with fully nonlinear models.
The Influence of Heating on the Anticancer Properties of Garlic

Allyl sulfur compounds are the major active constituents found in crushed garlic. Research has revealed that garlic and its lipid- or water-soluble components have many pharmacologic properties; however, studies also demonstrate that heating has a negative influence on these beneficial effects. We recently conducted several studies to investigate the influence of microwave or oven heating on the anticarcinogenesis property of garlic. Our studies showed that as little as 60 s of microwave heating or 45 min of oven heating can block garlic's ability to inhibit in vivo binding of mammary carcinogen [7,12-dimethylbenzene(a)anthracene (DMBA)] metabolites to rat mammary epithelial cell DNA. Allowing crushed garlic to "stand" for 10 min before microwave heating for 60 s prevented the total loss of anticarcinogenic activity. Our studies demonstrated that this blocking of the ability of garlic was consistent with inactivation of alliinase. These studies suggest that heating destroyed garlic's active allyl sulfur compound formation, which may relate to its anticancer properties.
MULTIMEDIA AND HYPERMEDIA SOLUTIONS FOR PROMOTING METACOGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT, COHERENCE, AND LEARNING

Users of educational hypertext are faced with the challenge of creating meaning both within and between texts. Cohesion is an important factor contributing to whether a reader is able to capture meaning and comprehend text. When readers are required to fill in conceptual gaps in text, comprehension can fail if they do not have sufficient knowledge. Cohesion helps low-knowledge readers to create a more coherent mental representation of the text. However, text that is too cohesive can inhibit active processing, and thus reduce coherence for more knowledgeable readers. Similar patterns have been found for hypertext, which requires readers to create coherence between multiple electronic texts. Domain novices are in greater need of explicit pointers to important links between documents and gain from having less control over system navigation. Domain experts are in less need of scaffolding within the system. We discuss the use of a multimedia reading strategy training program to help low-knowledge readers better understand less cohesive text. Finally, we discuss four principles to guide hypertext development geared toward improving coherence and metacognitive engagement.
Nerve graft selection for peripheral nerve regeneration using neural networks trained by a hybrid ACO/PSO method

Identification of the most successful strategy for applications in tissue engineering is often confusing, with a wide variety of options and variables available, that can fit into an ideal graft or scaffold. The complexity of the problem is multifold in application of grafts for regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries, with many variables that affect the regeneration process and thereby the success of regeneration. Here, we develop a Swarm Intelligence based artificial neural network (SWIRL) to predict the outcome of success of a nerve graft, thus providing critical information on the ability of a nerve graft to succeed under certain circumstances. Over 30 independent variables were identified and used as features for training the network and estimation of outcomes. Specific parameters such as the critical regeneration length and the ratio of the actual length to critical length were used in the evaluation and estimation of the success of the nerve grafts. Using the SWIRL, we estimate the success of regeneration of any nerve grafts to approximately 92.59 % accuracy. This system could allow for the estimation of the best possible outcome with a fixed set of variables or identification of best possible combinations with the multitude of options available, aiding researchers to perform experiments and test hypothesis efficiently and ethically.
RecA-Binding pilE G4 Sequence Essential for Pilin Antigenic Variation Forms Monomeric and 5′ End-Stacked Dimeric Parallel G-Quadruplexes

Summary Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen that can escape immune surveillance through antigenic variation of surface structures such as pili. A G-quadruplex-forming (G4) sequence (5′-G 3 TG 3 TTG 3 TG 3 ) located upstream of the N. gonorrhoeae pilin expression locus ( pilE ) is necessary for initiation of pilin antigenic variation, a recombination-based, high-frequency, diversity-generation system. We have determined NMR-based structures of the all parallel-stranded monomeric and 5′ end-stacked dimeric pilE G-quadruplexes in monovalent cation-containing solutions. We demonstrate that the three-layered all parallel-stranded monomeric pilE G-quadruplex containing single-residue double-chain reversal loops, which can be modeled without steric clashes into the 3 nt DNA-binding site of RecA, binds and promotes E. coli RecA-mediated strand exchange in vitro. We discuss how interactions between RecA and monomeric pilE G-quadruplex could facilitate the specialized recombination reactions leading to pilin diversification.
Open-loop motor speed control with LabView

An open-loop DC motor speed control system is developed using National Instrument's Data Acquisition (DAQ) Board (Model 6040E) and LabVIEW software package. A pulse width modulation (PWM) technique is employed to control motor speed. A VI (virtual instrument) is developed with LabVIEW that allows the DAQ to read a user selected reference voltage continuously. The VI also generates a suitable triangular wave that with the help of the reference signal produces the desired PWM signal. PWM is an analog signal that switches between two predefined limits. The switching interval of the PWM, controlled by the reference signal, determines the average power delivered to the motor circuit. The PWM signal is sent through the output port of the DAQ by the VI which in turn controls the motor speed. User from the front panel of the VI may input the amplitude and the frequency of the triangular wave, sampling rate of the reference signal, and the desired amplitude of the PWM. As the reference voltage increases, the width of the PWM (duty cycle) increases which in turn increases the speed of the motor. The varying nature of the motor speed is demonstrated in the laboratory by changing the reference signal. The principle developed in this project will be utilized in future endeavor toward controlling robot motion remotely via Internet.
The Finescale Response of Lowered ADCP Velocity Measurements Processed with Different Methods

In a paper published in 2002 in this journal, K. Polzin et al. derive corrections for spectra of vertical shear calculated from lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) velocity data. To illustrate and validate the corrections, they use velocities derived with a specific implementation of the shear method for LADCP processing that is no longer supported or widely used. In several recent publications, spectral corrections specific to this old processing method have been applied without modification to LADCP data processed with the more modern and much more widely used velocity-inversion method, which is associated with significantlyless dampingat high verticalwavenumbers thantheolder method.Thepurposeofthis workis toderive and validate spectral corrections appropriate for different LADCP processing methods.
Coherence and correlations in fast ion-atom collisions

Inelastic ion-atom collisions are characterized by a rearrangement of the electronic charge cloud of the collision partners. Electrons may be lifted from the ground state to excited states (“direct excitation” of the target or projectile) or may be lost during the collision (“ionization”) or may be transferred into orbits of the collision partner (“electron capture”). In recent years the study of atomic collisions has tended toward a more detailed understanding of the collision dynamics focussing on the “shape” and the “circulation” properties of the electronic charge distribution. The goal is to extract the maximum available information from the collision process rather than just a few cross sections. Investigations along these lines are closely connected with the notion of “coherence and correlations” in atomic collisions. The work on this subject until the early 70’s has been reviewed by Fano and Macek in their seminal paper1 on “Impact Excitation and Polarization of Emitted Light” which, in turn, has stimulated a rapidly growing number of related studies in the fields of electron-atom and ion-atom collisions and of beam-foil spectroscopy. Several reviews on more recent developments have become available including those by Andra,2 Blum,3 Hermann and Hertel,4 Hippler,5 and Janev and Winter.6
Layer-by-Layer Removal of Graphene for Device Patterning

The patterning of graphene is useful in fabricating electronic devices, but existing methods do not allow control of the number of layers of graphene that are removed. We show that sputter-coating graphene and graphene-like materials with zinc and dissolving the latter with dilute acid removes one graphene layer and leaves the lower layers intact. The method works with the four different types of graphene and graphene-like materials: graphene oxide, chemically converted graphene, chemical vapor-deposited graphene, and micromechanically cleaved ("clear-tape") graphene. On the basis of our data, the top graphene layer is damaged by the sputtering process, and the acid treatment removes the damaged layer of carbon. When used with predesigned zinc patterns, this method can be viewed as lithography that etches the sample with single-atomic-layer resolution.
Chronic tibial nonunion in a Rothmund–Thomson syndrome patient

Rothmund–Thomson syndrome (RTS) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by biallelic mutations in RECQL4, a helicase involved with chromosomal instability and DNA repair. Patients typically present with a poikilodermatous facial rash, photosensitivity, congenital bony abnormalities, short stature, and have a predilection for osteosarcoma and cutaneous malignancies. We present a 34-year-old male RTS patient, previously diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the right forearm which was successfully treated with resection and chemotherapy, who has had multiple tibial fractures and has suffered from chronic nonunion of the proximal tibias bilaterally for greater than 9 years. The patient subsequently developed generalized lower extremity osteopenia with normal calcium homeostasis and calcitriol levels. As the RTS population continues to reach greater ages we must be mindful of other health concerns that may develop. Bone health is one considerable concern with a large portion of patients having congenital bony abnormalities and many receiving chemotherapy for osteosarcoma. We conclude that screening for bone health and supplementation with calcium and vitamin D may be warranted in RTS patients with a history of fractures and osteosarcoma treatment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Disruptive peers and the estimation of teacher value added

Abstract Classroom disruption is often cited as an obstacle to effective teaching, yet little is known regarding how disruptive students influence classroom learning and teacher evaluation. In this study, we show that students with serious behavioral difficulties substantially reduce the academic performance of their peers. Since standard value-added models fail to account for these peer effects, we find that some teachers’ value added is penalized because of the students she is assigned. Importantly, we show that the assignment of disruptive students to teachers is non-random, so these peer effects do not impact the evaluation of all teachers equally.
Synthesis of Orthogonally Protected (2S)-2-Amino-adipic Acid (α-AAA) and (2S,4R)-2-Amino-4-hydroxyadipic Acid (Ahad)

(2S,4R)-2-Amino-4-hydroxyadipic acid (Ahad) building block 45 was synthesized in 11 steps and 6.5% overall yield from commercially available materials. Key steps in stereocontrol were an asymmetric conjugate addition employing a proline-based catalyst and a syn-selective intramolecular-conjugate addition of an oxygen nucleophile to an α,β-unsaturated ester. To enable incorporation of α-amino-adipic acid (α-AAA) and Ahad into peptides, a truly orthogonal protecting group scheme was developed, encompassing an allyloxycarbonyl (Alloc) carbamate for Nα, a tert-butyl ester for the δ-COOH, an acetol ester for the α-COOH, and a tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether for the γ-hydroxy group of Ahad.
Examining a Preteaching Framework to Improve Fraction Computation Outcomes Among Struggling Learners

Thirty-two students enrolled in one of four sixth-grade classrooms across two elementary schools participated in this study. Students receiving supplemental and intensive instruction in math and those with math-related disabilities were participants. A treatment and control, pre/postexperimental design was used to examine the effect of preteaching using a gradual instructional sequence on students' accuracy in solving fraction computations. Prior to each unit, students were pretaught three essential prerequisite skills related to the upcoming general education core math unit. Findings indicate that the combination of preteaching using the concrete-representational-abstract instructional sequence can be effective at improving the overall fraction computations of students with or at risk for disabilities.
Pancreatic frozen section nightmares

Abstract Pancreatic resections have steadily increased over the past few decades and as a consequence so have the number of pancreatic specimens submitted for intraoperative frozen section consultation. Frozen section evaluation of the pancreas is generally performed for tumour confirmation and the assessment of margin status. An accurate and prompt diagnosis is therefore critical in guiding surgical management. However, pancreatic frozen sections are among the most challenging specimens submitted to the pathologist. While the main diagnostic dilemma is between adenocarcinoma and chronic pancreatitis, the spectrum of reactive changes, preinvasive neoplasms, neoadjuvant treatment effect and incidental lesions can further confound this assessment. The purpose of this review is to briefly discuss practical guidelines in specimen handling, common tissue artifacts, non-neoplastic and neoplastic frozen section histology, and challenging scenarios. In addition, it is our hope that this review will serve to facilitate better communication between the surgeon and pathologist to enhance patient care.
A Novel Agent Based Method for Intelligent Public Transportation System

An Intelligent Public Transportation System requires continuous exchanges of information in order to provide reliable services to passengers. This article explores various models of information exchange for a multi-agent system. The main issue is the size and shape of each area controlled by each specific coordinator agent, because it affects the efficiency and effectiveness of exchanging the information between agents. For experimentation, three models namely circular, square and hexagonal grid models are compared, and we found out that the best model for information exchange is a hexagonal grid model, i.e., when the geographical boundaries are defined by hexagons.
Geographic Pricing Practices

Transportation costs are an important consideration in the pricing of most products. The basic question is whether to absorb the costs of getting the product to the customer or to pass the cost along to the customer as a noted extra to the price of the product. Transportation costs and how they are treated relative to pricing also affect the extent of the geographical market served by the seller, the ability to compete beyond the local market on a price basis, as well as the ability to adopt and promote a specific resale price. Thus the policy a manufacturer adopts is an important one. Pricing practices regarding the aspects of transportation can be categorized as geographical or delivered.
Gold, Platinum, and Expected Stock Returns

The ratio of gold to platinum prices (GP) reveals persistent variation in risk and proxies for an important economic state variable. GP predicts future stock returns in the time-series, explains stock return variation in the cross-section, and is significantly correlated with option-implied tail risk measures. Contrary to conventional wisdom, gold prices fall in recessions, albeit by less than platinum prices. A model featuring recursive preferences, time-varying tail risk, and preference shocks for gold and platinum can account for asset pricing dynamics of equity, gold, and platinum markets, rationalize the return predictability, and explain why gold prices fall in bad times.
Boardwalk Empire, shell shock and the Great War: the characters of militarism

AbstractI will examine the HBO drama ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and the show’s depiction of WWI veterans Jimmy Darmody and Richard Harrow, the trials and tribulations of dealing with the fallout of shell shock, the psychological precursor to modern day PTSD. The drama provided two compelling characters who attempted to live 'normal' lives, but instead chose a life of crime and mobster violence in an effort to readjust to society. In that attempt, both struggled with what the war meant and if they ever really left the war behind.
Chapter 5 Dissolving the Frame

This chapter traces Stein’s sustained experiment with figure–ground relations by reading the landscape play Capital Capitals (1923) in sequence with a preceding text, “Why Are There Whites To Console. A History In Three Parts” (1922), and a subsequent text, “Subject-Cases: The Background of A Detective Story” (1923). Voris shows conclusively that these are members in a shared compositional task and demonstrates the rewards of a compositional method of interpretation. Having begun with a scenic mode, Stein now creates incessant flux, or movement without a frame and stable perspective. As Stein tries first one figure–ground configuration after another, the results differ dramatically in temporal effects and movement. “Why Are There Whites to Console” dissolves the framed space of landscape into lively motion, whereas movement comes to a near standstill in “Subject-Cases.” Voris explains that the texts are making sense of the compositional problem at hand.
Investigating the “Teacher Savior”: Veronica Mars and the Mysteries of Education

Originally airing from 2004 to 2007, Veronica Mars centers on the sleuthing adventures of its eponymous heroine, a teenage student moonlighting as a detective in the corrupt and segregated town of Neptune, California. The show is remarkable for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that its active fandom led to the first successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a theatrically released film. Importantly, Rob Thomas, the show’s creator and showrunner, worked as a high school teacher in central Texas and therefore imbues his show with something of an insider’s perspective. What is arguably most interesting about Veronica Mars, however, is the diversity in its representation of teachers and teaching. The teachers of Neptune High School occupy a broad range from self-sacrificial to exploitative; the school also boasts an ethically complex administration—at once Machiavellian and moral—and a custodial and support staff that is regularly foregrounded in the lives of the show’s central cast. This chapter critically considers the construction of teaching presented in Veronica Mars from the perspective both of Rob Thomas’ experiences as a teacher, and also from the array of teaching models Neptune High affords viewers. Ultimately, we argue that Veronica Mars presents a model of teaching that differs from other pop-cultural representations of teaching in two important ways. First, the show presents “good” and “bad” teaching in ethical terms far removed from a focus on skill- and content-knowledge. As a microcosm for sociocultural inequity and corruption in the town of Neptune, Neptune High School presents as a site for liberation or oppression wherein “good” teachers act to protect students from systemic manipulation or devaluation, and “bad” teachers maintain the status quo, or leverage injustices in order to exploit students in their charge. Second, in a related, and arguably more important way, the show challenges conventional notions of what it means to be a “teacher,” and what it means to “teach,” by foregrounding the experiential, extracurricular learning inextricable from the mysteries Veronica solves. Neptune is a town filled with, and driven by, secrets; the task of uncovering those secrets acts as an extracurricular pedagogy that both complements and subverts classroom learning.
POI Recommendation: A Temporal Matching between POI Popularity and User Regularity

Point of interest (POI) recommendation, which provides personalized recommendation of places to mobile users, is an important task in location-based social networks (LBSNs). However, quite different from traditional interest-oriented merchandise recommendation, POI recommendation is more complex due to the timing effects: we need to examine whether the POI fits a user's availability. While there are some prior studies which included the temporal effect into POI recommendations, they overlooked the compatibility between time-varying popularity of POIs and regular availability of users, which we believe has a non-negligible impact on user decision-making. To this end, in this paper, we present a novel method which incorporates the degree of temporal matching between users and POIs into personalized POI recommendations. Specifically, we first profile the temporal popularity of POIs to show when a POI is popular for visit by mining the spatio-temporal human mobility and POI category data. Secondly, we propose latent user regularities to characterize when a user is regularly available for exploring POIs, which is learned with a user-POI temporal matching function. Finally, results of extensive experiments with real-world POI check-in and human mobility data demonstrate that our proposed user-POI temporal matching method delivers substantial advantages over baseline models for POI recommendation tasks.
Water-Saturated Sandy Sediments

In the baseline Biot model, both shear and compressional wave absorption is dominated by the viscous loss due to relative motion between the pore fluid and the solid particles. For the compressional wave, frequency dependence is close to the second power of frequency below the characteristic frequency. At higher frequencies, the attenuation follows the half-power of frequency. In practice, other factors, such as squirt flow at the grain contacts, combined with the unavoidable distribution in pore sizes, can produce a range of frequency dependencies. Compressional wave absorption is most sensitive to the presence of small amounts of gas. Most of the laboratory measurements are suspected of being biased by the presence of minute concentrations of gas of the order of 1–10 parts per million by volume. At even higher frequencies, when the grains and pores are no longer small compared to the wavelength, the effective medium assumption that underlies the Biot model breaks down. Multiple scattering dominates and absorption increases as the fourth power of frequency. The shear wave speed is controlled by the frame shear modulus. There is an increase in the shear speed at the contact squirt-flow relaxation frequency. The Biot slow wave, being highly attenuated, is difficult to detect. Its speed is a function of the frame bulk modulus. It is easily detected in water-saturated sintered glass beads, in which the frame moduli are high, but more difficult to detect in unconsolidated sand, which, in the absence of any confining pressure, has low frame moduli. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored because it makes its presence felt as a significant loss mechanism in the reflection process.
State-level immigration and immigrant-focused policies as drivers of Latino health disparities in the United States

There has been a great deal of state-level legislative activity focused on immigration and immigrants over the past decade in the United States. Some policies aim to improve access to education, transportation, benefits, and additional services while others constrain such access. From a social determinants of health perspective, social and economic policies are intrinsically health policies, but research on the relationship between state-level immigration-related policies and Latino health remains scarce. This paper summarizes the existing evidence about the range of state-level immigration policies that affect Latino health, indicates conceptually plausible but under-explored relationships between policy domains and Latino health, traces the mechanisms through which immigration policies might shape Latino health, and points to key areas for future research. We examined peer-reviewed publications from 1986 to 2016 and assessed 838 based on inclusion criteria; 40 were included for final review. These 40 articles identified four pathways through which state-level immigration policies may influence Latino health: through stress related to structural racism; by affecting access to beneficial social institutions, particularly education; by affecting access to healthcare and related services; and through constraining access to material conditions such as food, wages, working conditions, and housing. Our review demonstrates that the field of immigration policy and health is currently dominated by a "one-policy, one-level, one-outcome" approach. We argue that pursuing multi-sectoral, multi-level, and multi-outcome research will strengthen and advance the existing evidence base on immigration policy and Latino health.
Extension of HCDstruct for Transonic Aeroservoelastic Analysis of Unconventional Aircraft Concepts

A substantial effort has been made to implement an enhanced aerodynamic modeling capability in the Higher-fidelity Conceptual Design and structural optimization tool. This additional capability is needed for a rapid, physics-based method of modeling advanced aircraft concepts at risk of structural failure due to dynamic aeroelastic instabilities. To adequately predict these instabilities, in particular for transonic applications, a generalized aerodynamic matching algorithm was implemented to correct the doublet-lattice model available in Nastran using solution data from a priori computational fluid dynamics anal- ysis. This new capability is demonstrated for two tube-and-wing aircraft configurations, including a Boeing 737-200 for implementation validation and the NASA D8 as a first use case. Results validate the current implementation of the aerodynamic matching utility and demonstrate the importance of using such a method for aircraft configurations featuring fuselage-wing aerodynamic interaction.
Variation in life expectancy and mortality by cause among neighbourhoods in King County, WA, USA, 1990–2014: a census tract-level analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Summary Background Health outcomes are known to vary at both the country and local levels, but trends in mortality across a detailed and comprehensive set of causes have not been previously described at a very local level. Life expectancy in King County, WA, USA, is in the 95th percentile among all counties in the USA. However, little is known about how life expectancy and mortality from different causes of death vary at a local, neighbourhood level within this county. In this analysis, we estimated life expectancy and cause-specific mortality within King County to describe spatial trends, quantify disparities in mortality, and assess the contribution of each cause of death to overall disparities in all-cause mortality. Methods We applied established so-called garbage code redistribution algorithms and small area estimation methods to death registration data for King County to estimate life expectancy, cause-specific mortality rates, and years of life lost (YLL) rates from 152 causes of death for 397 census tracts from Jan 1, 1990, to Dec 31, 2014. We used the cause list developed for the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study for this analysis. Deaths were tabulated by age group, sex, census tract, and cause of death. We used Bayesian mixed-effects regression models to estimate mortality overall and from each cause. Findings Between 1990 and 2014, life expectancy in King County increased by 5·4 years (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 5·0–5·7) among men (from 74·0 years [73·7–74·3] to 79·3 years [79·1–79·6]) and by 3·4 years (3·0–3·7) among women (from 80·0 years [79·7–80·2] to 83·3 years [83·1–83·5]). In 2014, life expectancy ranged from 68·4 years (95% UI 66·9–70·1) to 86·7 years (85·0–88·2) for men and from 73·6 years (71·6–75·5) to 88·4 years (86·9–89·9) for women among census tracts within King County. Rates of YLL by cause also varied substantially among census tracts for each cause of death. Geographical areas with relatively high and relatively low YLL rates differed by cause. In general, causes of death responsible for more YLLs overall also contributed more significantly to geographical inequality within King County. However, certain causes contributed more to inequality than to overall YLLs. Interpretation This census tract-level analysis of life expectancy and cause-specific YLL rates highlights important differences in health among neighbourhoods in King County that are masked by county-level estimates. Efforts to improve population health in King County should focus on reducing geographical inequality, by targeting those health conditions that contribute the most to overall YLLs and to inequality. This analysis should be replicated in other locations to more fully describe fine-grained local-level variation in population health and contribute to efforts to improve health while reducing inequalities. Funding John W Stanton and Theresa E Gillespie.
The Nether Side of Civil Procedure: (Pt. 1: Judicial Liens on New York Real Property)

This article studies the property aspects of judicial liens that arise upon docketing money judgments in New York. It investigates the execution sales procedure and finds an aspect of it clearly unconstitutional. The homestead exemption and various priority issues are described as well. The interaction of these judicial liens with senior mortgages and bankruptcy proceedings is carefully analyzed, as well as the priority of federal tax liens as against New York judicial liens. The Supreme Court's opinion in United States v. McDermott is criticized as wrongly decided on multiple grounds. This opinion holds that federal tax liens are senior to after-acquired property liens claimed by judgment creditors.
Female-Controlled Prevention Technologies

The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS estimates that AIDS has claimed 13.9 million lives worldwide and 3.4 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS], December 1998). Approximately 5.8 million new infections occurred throughout the world in 1998 alone and 16,000 new infections occur daily. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world most affected by the epidemic, an estimated 34 million people have been infected with HIV and approximately 11.5 million of those have already died. In some southern African countries between 20% and 26% of the general population aged 1549 are reported to be living with HIV. In the United States, HIV infection is now the third leading cause of death among women age 25-44 and the leading cause of death among African American women in this age category (National Center for Health Statistics, 1997). The majority of newly acquired HIV infections throughout the world are the result of heterosexual transmission (UNAIDS, December, 1998). In subSaharan Africa, heterosexual sex and perinatal transmission account for almost all cases of HIV infection (UNAIDS, June, 1998). In the United States the proportion of HIV infections attributable to heterosexual transmission has increased sharply among women; approximately 40% of new AIDS cases and 57% of new HIV infections are attributed to
Endoscopic Extraction of Eroded Marlex Mesh in a Kock Pouch

We report a case of recurrent calculi in a Kock pouch continent urinary diversion. An open operation was avoided by successfully excising the Marlex mesh and removing it with the associated calculi in an endoscopic fashion.
Microtubes-An Enabling Technology in Numerous Fields

Abstract : The intent of this article was to acquaint the reader with some of the basic capabilities of microtube technology and was not intended to be application specific. We are currently working with industrial and academic partners to develop application specific microtube technology through cooperative research and development agreements (GRDA). We welcome the opportunity to develop additional technology with future partners.
2.20 – Hepatotoxic Mycotoxins☆

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi. Aflatoxins represent one of the most important classes of hepatotoxic mycotoxins known to adversely affect human health. Aflatoxins are the most potent identified mycotoxins and are produced by three fungal species: the common fungal molds Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, and the rare fungal mold Aspergillus nomius. Aflatoxins are difuranocoumarin compounds. Fumonisins, like aflatoxins, are toxic fungal metabolites that are known to cause farm animal diseases and are carcinogenic in laboratory animals. Unlike aflatoxins, fumonisins are water soluble and are neither metabolized nor deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) reactive and are not proven to cause any disease in humans. While at least 28 different fumonisin analogs have been described, fumonisins B1, B2, and B3 are the primary fumonisins associated with natural contamination. They are produced mainly on maize by certain Fusarium species, most notably Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum. While aflatoxins are usually considered to only be produced in high levels postharvest and are not associated with any plant disease, fumonisins are produced in the field and are pathogenicity factors in maize seedling disease and may also contribute to other Fusarium-induced maize diseases. Although the evidence associating fumonisin exposure with liver cancer in humans is weak, fumonisins and aflatoxins co-occur on maize, and fumonisin promotes aflatoxin carcinogenicity in trout and rats, making the co-exposure to these two hepatocarcinogens a concern for humans consuming large amounts of maize as a dietary staple.
Gene-Environment Interaction in the Era of Precision Medicine.

Innovative analytical frameworks are required to capture the complex gene-environment interactions. We investigate the insufficiency of commonly used models for disease genome analysis and suggest considering genetic interactions in complex diseases. For non-genetic factors, we study the emerging wearable technologies that have enabled quantification of physiological and environmental factors at an unprecedented breadth and depth. We propose a Bayesian framework to hierarchically model personalized gene-environmental interaction to enable precision health and medicine.