cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A POSSIBLE ORIGIN FOR RABBITS

The relationship of lagomorphs (rabbits, hares, and pikas) to other mammals has been obscure ever since general acceptance of Gidley's (1912) conclusion that their few special similarities to rodents are not necessarily indicative of a close common ancestry. The most recent authoritative opinions are those of A. E. Wood (1957), who has tentatively derived the lagomorphs from the periptychid condylarths, and L. S. Russell (1959), who has derived them from the zalambdodont insectivores. The latter view is discussed and rejected by Van Valen (in press). I have not found clearcut evidence as to the actual ancestry of lagomorphs, but I do think that the Mongolian genus Pseudictops (late Paleocene, early Eocene, or both) provides the most probable indication of this ancestry. The earliest known lagomorph is Eurymylus from the Gashato Formation (approximately late Paleocene) of Mongolia, in which Pseudictops also occurs; the basic reference is Wood (1942). A second eurymylid, Mimolagus, was described by Bohlin (1952) from deposits of unknown but very probably later age (cf. also McKenna, 1963) of Kansu in northwest China. Comparison will be mainly with Eurymylus, although unworn upper teeth are not known in either eurymylid. Eurymylus is known from two moderately worn sets of upper cheek teeth with adjoining parts of the maxilla, and the anterior parts of three mandibles containing nearly or quite unworn P3 and P4, worn M1 and M2, and a broken incisor. Mimolagus is known from the muzzle with incisors, most of a set of worn cheek teeth with nearby maxilla and anterior zygoma, and several probably associated limb bones. Pseudictops is known from nearly unworn P3-M3, the mandible below most of this region and slightly anterior and posterior to it, and two maxillary fragments with moderately worn P4 (possibly DP4), M1, and M2, and the roots of M3. A palate with teeth or alveoli posterior from J?2 was poorly figured by Trofimov (1952). The descriptions and important discussion of Pseudictops are by Matthew, Granger, and Simpson (1929) and Trofimov (1952). Except for the specimens of Mimolagus, and those of Pseudictops described by Trofimov, all the known specimens (or important samples) of the genera discussed in the present paper are in the American Museum of Natural History (A.M.N.H.) and have been compared directly with each other. The existence of two species of Pseudictops is questionable. They are the same size, and I can see (from Trofimov's figures of P. ariloplio,don) no difference in morphology. The three characters given in Trofimov's diagnoses do not seem to me to distinguish the two species (although they do in part distinguish Trofimov's figures of P. arilophiodon from the slightly inaccurate figures of P. lophiodon), but direct comparison of specimens or casts will probably be necessary for a final resolution of this question.
Crucial Techniques of Fault Isolation and Restoration for Distribution Systems

In order to better implement distribution automation engineering construction,the fault isolation and restoration process for feeders with load switches,and those with circuit breakers,as well as those with hybrid load switches and circuit breakers are illustrated,respectively.It is pointed out that feeders with load switches and those with circuit breakers both have their own advantages and shortcomings,and hybrid feeders with load switches and circuit breakers can take the advantages and bypass the shortcomings of the above feeders,while merging the advantages of the two.The modular fault recovery processing for multi-sectioned and multi-linked grids and that with an additional back-up grid are suggested,respectively.It is pointed out that only by taking into account modular recovery processing will it be possible to bring the advantages of the above-mentioned grid structures into full play while attaining the goal of improving the efficiency of the apparatus for the two types of distribution grids.It is suggested that the super capacitor be adopted as the energy storage device of the back-up power supply in distribution automation systems.The design method of super capacitors is also given.
Predictive value analysis of measurements of human chorionic gonadotropin, pregnancy specific β1-glycoprotein, placental lactogen, and cystine aminopeptidase for the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy

The diagnostic utility of serum and urinary human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) measurements and serum measurements of pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein (PSBG), placental lactogen, and cystine aminopeptidase (CAP) was prospectively studied in 51 consecutive patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy who underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy. CAP was not detected in the sera of any patient with ectopic pregnancy. False-positive results in each assay were found in patients with intrauterine pregnancy or missed abortion. The overall efficiency of the tests were: urine hCG slide test, 47%; urine hCG tube test, 80%; serum hCG, 86%; serum PSBG, 82%; and human placental lactogen, 60%. Although measurement of serum hCG by radioimmunoassay is the most accurate biochemical test in predicting the correct diagnosis in patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy, the relatively high efficiency of the urinary hCG tube test, coupled with its ease of performance, low cost, and rapid turnaround time, makes it the most practical screening test.
Robust HPV-18 Production in Organotypic Cultures of Primary Human Keratinocytes

Abstract The productive program of the human papillomaviruses takes place in terminally differentiating squamous epithelia. In this chapter, we provide the protocols for robust production of HPV-18 in organotypic cultures of early passages of primary human keratinocytes. A critical step is the generation of genomic HPV plasmids in vivo by using Cre-loxP-mediated excisional recombination from a vector plasmid. We discuss the rationale for this approach. This system produces high yields of infectious virus and facilitates genetic analyses of HPV protein functions and their regulation in the context of recapitulated host tissue environment.
TH‐AB‐BRA‐11: Using 3D Dosimeters for the Investigation of the Electron Return Effect (ERE) in MR‐Guided Radiation Therapy: A Feasibility Study

Purpose: To demonstrate the capability of 3D radiochromic PRESAGE and Fricke-type dosimeters to measure the influence of magnetic fields on dose distribution, including the electron return effect (ERE), for MR-guided radiation therapy applications. Methods: Short cylindrical 3D dosimeters with PRESAGE and Fricke-type formulations were created in-house prior to irradiations in a 1.5T/7MV MR-linac. Each dosimeter was prepared with a concentric cylindrical air cavity with diameters of 1.5 cm and 2.5 cm, and the diameters of the dosimeters were 7.2 cm and 8.8 cm for PRESAGE and Fricke-type respectively. The dosimeters were irradiated within the bore of the MR-linac with the flat face of the dosimeters perpendicular to the magnetic field. Dosimeters were irradiated to approximately 9 Gy and 29 Gy to the center of dosimeters with a 15×15 cm2 field. The PRESAGE dosimeter was scanned using an optical-CT 2 hours post-irradiation; the Fricke-type dosimeter was immediately imaged with the MR component of the MR-linac post-irradiation. Results: Axial slices of the dose distributions show a clear demonstration of the dose enhancement due to the ERE above the cavity and the region of reduced dose below the cavity. The regions of increased and reduced dose are rotated with respect to the radiation beam axis due to the average directional change of the electrons. Measurements from line profiles show the dose enhanced up to ∼0.5 cm around the cavity by up to a factor of 1.3 and 1.4 for PRESAGE and Fricke-type dosimeters respectively. Conclusion: PRESAGE and Fricke-type dosimeters are able to qualitatively measure the ERE with good agreement with previously published simulation and 2D dosimetry demonstrations of the ERE. Further investigation of these 3D dosimeters as promising candidates for quality assurance of MR-guided radiation therapy systems is encouraged to assess changes in response and measurement accuracy due to the magnetic field.
Differences in health-related behaviors between middle school, high school, and college students in Jiangsu province, China.

Background: Increasing rates of obesity among Chinese adolescents has become a major public health concern in recent years. Studies have shown that factors such as food choices, physical activity, and screen time play important roles in fostering obesity. We examined a number of biological and social determinants that influence these factors. Objective: To determine whether dietary behavior, physical activity, and screen time varied among students in different stages of their education. Methods: Students in 13 cities across Jiangsu Province completed an anonymous survey assessing demographics and various health-related behaviors in a controlled setting. The survey population ranged from middle school students to undergraduates. 55 361 surveys were returned, and 46 611 (84.2%) were usable for the analysis. Multiple linear regression models were used to investigate the relationship between four behavioral factors (dietary behavior, screen time, physical activity, and moderate exercise) and seven predictors (gender, age, BMI, mother’s education, nearsightedness, allowance, and geographic region). Results: Baseline characteristics of the survey population analyzed by education level (middle school, high school, college and beyond) showed moderate differences in demographics among the three groups. Physical activity, moderate exercise, and dietary behavior decreased with educational level, while screen time increased. All predictors in the four considered regression models were statistically significant. Conclusions: This unique, large-scale survey of Chinese students in a region of contrasting economic development revealed numerous relationships between health-related diet and physicalactivity, region, and education level. These findings can inform the development of measures to counteract the rise of obesity in China.
The United States as Humanitarian Actor

The performance of the United States as a humanitarian actor received decidedly mixed reviews in DARA’s Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) 2007. Overall, the United States was ranked 16th among the 23 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These rankings range from a high of 2 for promoting learning and accountability to a low of 23 for implementing international guiding principles. The U.S. places 16th in responding to humanitarian needs, 13th in working with humanitarian partners, and 10th in integrating relief and development.
Effects of CEO Cognitive Complexity on Firm Strategy: Evidence from Text-Analysis of Language Style

This study investigates the impact of CEOs’ cognitive complexity on firm strategies. Based on a longitudinal sample, I find that CEO cognitive complexity leads to less strategic change, less strate...
Continuation of adjuvant temozolomide until tumor progression after upfront chemoradiation therapy produces promising survival in patients with GBM, especially with pseudoprogression.

e13001 Background: Radiation therapy with concomitant temozolomide (TMZ) followed by 6 months of adjuvant TMZ is standard of care in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The 6-month time frame for adjuvant TMZ was chosen arbitrarily and the optimal duration of TMZ chemotherapy remains undefined. In addition, the duration of TMZ chemotherapy and survival can be affected by uncertainty in differentiating pseudoprogression (Ps), indicating necrosis/inflammation, from true tumor progression. This IRB-approved retrospective study determined the survival of GBM patients treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and adjuvant TMZ continued until tumor progression. Methods: Patients with biopsy-proven newly diagnosed GBM at Oregon Health and Science University from January 2006 to June 2012 were treated with upfront CRT followed by adjuvant TMZ without Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis until tumor progression. Diagnosis of Ps was made by relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) estimation based on per...
Robust Stabilization of Linear Time Invariant Systems with Parametric Uncertainties

Abstract Considered in this paper is the problem of robust stabilization of a class of linear time invariant systems with parametric or structured uncertainty. The class of plants considered is single-input single-output, real rational with both numerator and denominator polynomial coefficients being continuous functions of some uncertain parameters which are known to vary over closed, real intervals. Two theorems giving necessary and sufficient conditions for robust stabilization are offered by utilizing the "Zero Exclusion Condition" and the Youla Parameterization of all stabilizing compensators for a fixed plant. The first theorem states that the plant family is robustly stabilizable if and only if an RH"", function can be found so that it does not intersect a certain frequency dependent region δ p . The second theorem removes the need for exhibiting the existence of an RH ∞ , function by requiring the demonstration of an RL ∞ , function whose distance from the set δ p is large enough.
Adolescent bariatric surgery: a systematic review of recommendation documents

Bariatric surgery has been performed on adolescents since the 1970s, but little is known about the guidance offered to providers in recommendation documents published in the United States. A systematic review was conducted to generate a complete record of all US recommendation documents and describe variability across the documents. This study had 3 aims: to identify the developers, examine selection criteria, and document reasons why developers have recommended this intervention for adolescents. Four databases (MEDLINE, National Guidelines Clearinghouse, Trip, and Embase) ertr searched, followed by a hand search. Documents were eligible for inclusion if they satisfied 5 criteria: written in the English language; developed and published by a US organization; comprised a clinical practice guideline, position statement, or consensus statement; offered a minimum 1-sentence recommendation on bariatric surgery for the treatment of obesity or related co-morbidities; and offered a minimum 1-sentence recommendation on bariatric surgery for children, adolescents, or both. No date limits were applied. Sixteen recommendation documents published between 1991 and 2013 met our inclusion criteria: 10 clinical practice guidelines, 4 position statements, and 2 consensus statements. Nine were produced by medical organizations, 3 by surgical organizations, and 4 by public health/governmental bodies. One document recommended against bariatric surgery for minors, and 15 endorsed the intervention for this population. Body mass index (a measure of obesity calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters) thresholds were the selection criteria most often provided. Minimum age varied widely. Of the 15 endorsing documents, 10 provided a reason for performing bariatric surgery on minors, most often to treat obesity-related co-morbidities that threaten the health of the adolescent. We make 3 suggestions to improve the quality of future recommendation documents.
Temperature dependence of the hydrated electron's excited-state relaxation. II. Elucidating the relaxation mechanism through ultrafast transient absorption and stimulated emission spectroscopy.

The structure of the hydrated electron, particularly whether it exists primarily within a cavity or encompasses interior water molecules, has been the subject of much recent debate. In Paper I [C.-C. Zho et al., J. Chem. Phys. 147, 074503 (2017)], we found that mixed quantum/classical simulations with cavity and non-cavity pseudopotentials gave different predictions for the temperature dependence of the rate of the photoexcited hydrated electron’s relaxation back to the ground state. In this paper, we measure the ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy of the photoexcited hydrated electron as a function of temperature to confront the predictions of our simulations. The ultrafast spectroscopy clearly shows faster relaxation dynamics at higher temperatures. In particular, the transient absorption data show a clear excess bleach beyond that of the equilibrium hydrated electron’s ground-state absorption that can only be explained by stimulated emission. This stimulated emission component, which is consist...
The Case for Writing a Kernel in Rust

An operating system kernel written in the Rust language would have extremely fine-grained isolation boundaries, have no memory leaks, and be safe from a wide range of security threats and memory bugs. Previous efforts towards this end concluded that writing a kernel requires changing Rust. This paper reaches a different conclusion, that no changes to Rust are needed and a kernel can be implemented with a very small amount of unsafe code. It describes how three sample kernel mechanisms---DMA, USB, and buffer caches---can be built using these abstractions.
Measuring Intra- and International Linguistic Competence: Appropriation of WEs and ELF Discourse in the Commercials for Two Standardized English Tests.

The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in the commercials for 2 standardized English tests: the International English Language Testing System f...
Transcatheter aortic valve insertion in patients with hostile ascending aorta calcification.

Abstract Objective Calcification of the ascending aorta complicates aortic valve replacement. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is an alternative procedure in this situation, but it requires manipulation through the hostile area in the ascending aorta. We reviewed our transcatheter aortic valve insertion experience to better understand the surgical mortality risk of valve insertion in patients with extensive calcification of the ascending aorta. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 665 consecutive patients who received transcatheter aortic valve insertion from November 2008 through December 2015. We defined a hostile ascending aorta on the basis of preoperative computed tomography scan documenting significant aortic calcification that the surgeon believed precluded safe aortic cross-clamp application. There were 36 patients (5%) who met our definition of a hostile ascending aorta (hostile aorta group) and 629 (95%) who did not (control group). Results Surgical mortality occurred in 2 patients (6%) in the hostile aorta group and in 18 (3%) in the control group (P = .296). There were no strokes in the hostile aorta group, whereas there were 15 (2%) in the control group (P = 1.00). There was no difference in mortality at 3 years for patients in the hostile aorta (48.5% ± 9.0%) and control groups (35.9% ± 2.3%; P = .484). Alternative access was associated with an increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.82; P = .009). Conclusions Transcatheter aortic valve insertion can be performed with low procedure-related morbidity and mortality in patients with hostile calcification of the ascending aorta. Our data support a transfemoral-first paradigm in this patient population.
Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) and Cognitive Processing

The neural activity patterns underlying perceptual and cognitive processes may be studied noninvasively in humans by recording the brain's event-related potentials (ERPs) using scalp electrodes. ERPs are field potentials generated by the synchronous activity of the participating neural networks and provide a spatiotemporal picture of critical information processing operations in the brain. Specific patterns of ERPs accompany a variety of perceptual and cognitive processes, including selective attention, stimulus discrimination and classification, memory storage and retrieval, and linguistic operations. Although their spatial location is imprecise, ERP studies have contributed greatly to understanding the neural bases and functional properties of normal and disordered human cognition.
MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINES

Today's turbine engines operate at high thrust-to-weight ratios, high pressure ratios and high turbine inlet turbine temperatures compared with previous generation engines. To avoid structural failures under the more demanding conditions, significant advances have been made in analytical methods and material selection and utilization. A general review of engineering materials requirements for engine components ranging from cold section to hot section is presented, with emphasis on durability. Aspects of engine life philosophy are discussed in relation to certification agency requirements as are the extensive validation programs needed to support life extension. The validation programs clearly illustrate the need for accurate cumulative damage assessment and detailed materials pedigree information. A brief discussion of defect tolerance and some current applications of fracture mechanics are presented. The importance of these aspects in relation to the use of high strength, high temperature materials is widely recognised in the industry as evidenced by the rapidly emerging literature.
Wireless Online Impact Source Localization on a Composite

Abstract We describe a self-sensing composite capable of making online estimations on the location of an impact within its structure without the need for wires or offline data processing. We embed a network of piezoelectric sensors in the material during manufacturing and connect each sensor to a dedicated micro-controller and power source. Triangulation is performed by each sensor in the network through wireless distributed computation and communication. By making the computation of the sensors distributed, the system is scalable with regard to the number of sensors and robust with regard to individual failure. One of the key challenges of distributed structural health monitoring is the need for multiple sensor signals in order to calculate the impact’s location. This requires that every sensor makes an appropriate choice of neighboring sensors whose signals will be used during the computation. We address this problem by performing selective pairing of a given sensor with the neighbors that it believes provide the most reliable data at a given time. This reliability depends on how close in time the event detection occurred in other sensors compared to the given sensor. Experimental results on a composite with 12 embedded sensors show that this approach is robust against failure of individual sensors and that it is accurate enough to provide a good guess, but not an exact location of the impact when the sensors are too close together.
Interaction of Therapeutic Diets and Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs in Regression Studies in Animals

The evidence for regression of the atherosclerotic plaque comes largely from three types of studies. These include older epidemiological and pathological studies of human disease, recent animal model investigations, and a number of recent and current pioneering studies in man in which sequential angiography was used as the major endpoint.
An approach to induction of tolerance to pig cardiac xenografts in neonates.

There is a continuing need for donor hearts for infants with complex congenital heart defects. The transplantation of hearts from neonatal pigs would be an alternative to human organs, particularly if donor-specific immunological tolerance could be achieved. The great majority of infant humans do not make natural (preformed) antibodies against triple-knockout (TKO) pigs (that do not express any of the three known pig antigens against which humans have natural anti-pig antibodies). The transplantation of a heart from a TKO pig into an infant would therefore minimize any risk of early antibody-mediated rejection, and, with adequate immunosuppressive therapy, prolonged graft survival may well be achieved. Total host thymectomy (commonly carried out at the time of orthotopic heart transplantation in this age group) ± residual T-cell depletion and donor-specific pig thymus tissue transplantation might induce T-cell tolerance and allow immunosuppressive therapy to be discontinued (if there is in vitro evidence of T-cell and B-cell nonresponsiveness to donor-specific pig cells). Even if tolerance were not achieved, with continuing immunosuppressive therapy, the graft would likely "bridge" the patient until a suitable allograft became available or be associated with prolonged xenograft function.
Game-Informed L2TL

This chapter explores the notion that effective L2TL practice has in some ways always been game-informed, and outlines the elements to gamifying formal L2 instruction. The first section discusses how the L2 learning affordances identified by research on gameful L2TL have implications for L2TL practices more generally in contexts not normally considered gameful. The second section discusses the practice of gamification and how it might be considered both problematic and promising. The third section offers a quick guide to gamification by describing nine features and practices that typify it, interpreted for the design of L2 learning environments.
Quantifying wavelengths constrained by simulated SWOT observations in a submesoscale resolving ocean analysis/forecasting system

Abstract Using a suite of Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs), the utility of simulated Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) observations is estimated in a high-resolution (1 km) ocean analysis/forecasting system. Sampling a Nature Run provides observations for the OSSEs and the realism of the Nature Run is established by comparison to climatological data and an independent ocean analysis/forecast system. Each OSSE experiment assimilated different sets of simulated observations including traditional nadir altimeters, satellite sea surface temperature (SST), in situ profile data, and SWOT. OSSE evaluation metrics include area-averaged errors and wavenumber spectra with the latter providing much finer differentiation between experiments. 100 m temperature, sea surface height (SSH), and mixed layer depth (MLD) errors across the observed wavenumber spectra were reduced by up to 20% for OSSEs assimilating the simulated SWOT observations. The minimum constrained wavelength was found to be 130 km when both nadir altimetry and SWOT observations were used. The experiment using only nadir altimetry produced a value of 161 km. This 31 km gain in skill of predictable scales suggests that ocean forecasts can expect substantial gains in capability when utilizing the forthcoming SWOT data. Experimentation with the analysis decorrelation length scale suggests that emerging multi-scale assimilation methodologies will provide additional advancements in predictive skill.
500.06 Adverse Events and Modes of Failure Related to Impella RP: A Retrospective Analysis of the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) Database

Right ventricular (RV) mechanical circulatory support remains an important adjunctive therapy for RV failure refractory to medical therapy. Impella RP (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) is approved for providing temporary RV support for patients with acute right heart failure or decompensation following acute
Fluorescence-Guided Stereotactic Biopsy: A Proof-of-Concept Study

OBJECTIVEAccurate histopathological diagnoses are often necessary for treating neuro-oncology patients. However, stereotactic biopsy (STB), a common method for obtaining suspicious tissue from deep or eloquent brain regions, fails to yield diagnostic tissue in some cases. Failure to obtain diagnostic tissue can delay initiation of treatment and may result in further invasive procedures for patients. In this study, the authors sought to determine if the coupling of in vivo optical imaging with an STB system is an effective method for identification of diagnostic tissue at the time of biopsy.METHODSA minimally invasive fiber optic imaging system was developed by coupling a 0.65-mm-diameter coherent fiber optic fluorescence microendoscope to an STB system. Human U251 glioma cells were transduced for stable expression of blue fluorescent protein (BFP) to produce U251-BFP cells that were utilized for in vitro and in vivo experiments. In vitro, blue fluorescence was confirmed, and tumor cell delineation by fluorescein sodium (FNa) was quantified with fluorescence microscopy. In vivo, transgenic athymic rats implanted with U251-BFP cells (n = 4) were utilized for experiments. Five weeks postimplantation, the rats received 5-10 mg/kg intravenous FNa and underwent craniotomies overlying the tumor implantation site and contralateral normal brain. A clinical STB needle containing our 0.65-mm imaging fiber was passed through each craniotomy and images were collected. Fluorescence images from regions of interest ipsilateral and contralateral to tumor implantation were obtained and quantified.RESULTSLive-cell fluorescence imaging confirmed blue fluorescence from transduced tumor cells and revealed a strong correlation between tumor cells quantified by blue fluorescence and FNa contrast (R2 = 0.91, p < 0.001). Normalized to background, in vivo FNa-mediated fluorescence intensity was significantly greater from tumor regions, verified by blue fluorescence, compared to contralateral brain in all animals (301.7 ± 34.18 relative fluorescence units, p < 0.001). Fluorescence intensity measured from the tumor margin was not significantly greater than that from normal brain (p = 0.89). Biopsies obtained from regions of strong fluorescein contrast were histologically consistent with tumor.CONCLUSIONSThe authors found that in vivo fluorescence imaging with an STB needle containing a submillimeter-diameter fiber optic fluorescence microendoscope provided direct visualization of neoplastic tissue in an animal brain tumor model prior to biopsy. These results were confirmed in vivo with positive control cells and by post hoc histological assessment. In vivo fluorescence guidance may improve the diagnostic yield of stereotactic biopsies.
Proposal to Standardize the Nomenclature for Paraspinal Interfascial Plane Blocks

To the editor, The thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP) block was first described by William Hand and his colleagues in 2015.[1][1] Hand’s group named the block, ‘the novel thoracolumbar interfascial plane block (analogous to the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, but intended for the
Qualitative Interview Techniques for Human-Robot Interactions

The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the use of the forensic interview approach for conducting qualitative interviews especially with children in human-robot interaction studies. Presented is a discussion of related work for using qualitative interviews in human-robot interaction studies. A detailed approach on the phases of a forensic interview are presented, which includes introduction and guidelines, rapport building, narrative practice, substantive disclosure interview, and the cool-down and wrap-up. There is a discussion on the process of transcription and coding of the qualitative data from the forensic interview approach. A presentation is provided detailing an exemplar study including the analyses of the qualitative data. There is a brief discussion of the methods for reporting this type of data and results along with the conclusions from using this approach for human-robot interaction studies.
A Divide and Conquer Algorithm for Electron Microscopy Segmentation

Cryo-Electron Microscopy is a biophysical technique able to visualize macromolecular complexes by producing 3-dimensional images. Currently, it has been advanced to be the second popular technique to construct protein molecules in terms of the number of structures released annually. The main advantages of cryo-electron microscopy are its ability to visualize large molecules, molecules that are hard to crystalize in their native environment. One critical step to construct the structure of a molecule from cryo-electron microscopy is to divide the image into regions for the chains/subunits that make up the molecule/complex. If the image is accurately segmented into the correct regions, the process of modelling using existing tools become easier and faster. In this paper, we developed a divide-and-conquer algorithm to segment a given cryo-electron microscopy image efficiently. Our approach is based on the popular watershed algorithm. We tested our method on 10 authentic images and compared it with Segger. Although, it is difficult to conduct an accurate comparison, the results show that the performance of our algorithm is competitive when compared to Segger.
Taking the ‘Blank’ Out of Politics: Murray Rothbard on Political and Local Reform during the Progressive Era

A vital part of urban progressivism, as shall be seen further below, was a frenetic attack on the ‘corruption’ of politicians . . . (Rothbard 2017, 285). The Progressive Era, written by Murray Rothbard and edited by the present writer, was recently published by the Ludwig von Mises Institute in the fall of 2017 (Rothbard 2017). It contains nine full chapters of Rothbard’s planned book on the period as well as later published essays on material Rothbard wanted to discuss in the book. Chapter 9, “The National Civic Federation: Big Business Organized for Progressivism,” documents the cartelizing state and local reforms pushed by big business, big government, and court intellectuals in the early 20th century. In Chapter 10, of which only notes remain because it was unfortunately not written, Rothbard would have continued his analysis of local Progressive Era interventions by analyzing both their political and urban reforms. Some of his important insights were included in the published essays later in the book as well as in other writings not included (Rothbard 1962, 1974, 2011 [1978], 1995). Rothbard’s lecture series “The American Economy and the End of Laissez Faire: 1870 to World War II,” given at Brooklyn Polytechnic in 1986, followed the format of the unpublished manuscript of The Progressive Era and continued where Rothbard left off. Immediately after finishing with the material provided in Chapter 9, the lecture series moved into his notes on the political and local reforms of the era (Rothbard 1986). Using his published writings and lectures, this article will discuss what Rothbard would have written about in the tenth chapter of the book.
Changes in rectal temperature, sacrosciatic ligament relaxation, and plasma progesterone concentration 24 hours before parturition in Holstein-Friesian cattle

Accurate prediction of parturition permits more frequent observation of periparturient dairy cattle and minimizes dystocia-related injuries that lead to animal pain and suffering. The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive ability of changes in rectal temperature, sacrosciatic ligament relaxation, and plasma progesterone concentration as indicators of parturition within 24 hours in dairy cattle.
Short- and long-term survival outcomes among never smokers who developed lung cancer.

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the US. While an extensive literature exists detailing lung cancer risk factors and mortality among patients with a history of tobacco use, the data are more limited among individuals who have never smoked. The purpose of this investigation is to compare survival rates between the two groups and evaluate potential risk factors among never smokers. Methods This retrospective study included 3380 smokers and 334 never smokers who were diagnosed with lung cancer at Stony Brook University Hospital between 2003 and 2016. 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year survival outcomes, stratified by smoking status, were compared and Kaplan-Meier curves for overall survival are provided. Cox Proportional Hazard models were used to evaluate factors influencing survival among never smokers. Results Never smokers with lung cancer were more likely to be female, be diagnosed with adenocarcinoma histology, and had fewer comorbidities than lung cancer patients who smoked. Although 60% of patients were diagnosed at a later stage of disease development, regardless of smoking status, overall short- and long-term survival was significantly higher among never smokers compared to those with a history of tobacco use. In addition to age and stage at diagnosis, a history of diabetes was found to be a significant prognostic factor for decreased survival among never smokers (HR=3.15, 95% CI (1.74, 5.71)). Conclusions Data from the present investigation suggest that, regardless of smoking status, approximately three of every five lung cancer patients are diagnosed at a later stage, and that both short- and long-term survival outcomes are significantly better among never smokers compared to those with a history of tobacco use. Additional studies are required to validate these findings and better explain the mechanistic drivers for the improved outcomes among never smokers.
Modeling Electron Density in the Topside of the Ionosphere using Machine Learning

Modeling the Earth's ionosphere is a critical component of forecasting space weather, which in turn impacts radio wave propagation, navigation and communication. This research focuses specifically on predicting the electron density in the topside of the ionosphere, using data collected from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), a collection of 19 satellites that have been polar orbiting the Earth for various lengths of times, fully covering 1982 to the present. An artificial neural network with two hidden layers was developed and trained on two solar cycles worth of data, including features such as time series F10.7, time series average interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), time series Kp, solar azimuth, and location to generate an electron density prediction. We tested the model on six years of subsequent data, and found a correlation coefficient of 0.73 for a nowcast of electron density. Figure 1 depicts the predicted electron densities along with the true densities measured by a DMSP satellite over a 5-hour period. Upcoming work includes improved testing performance via modified model inputs, tweaking the model architecture, and further rounds of hyperparameter searching. A forecast will then be computed by providing the now-cast model with forecasted global inputs (solar wind, IMF, geomagnetic indices) as part of a larger space weather forecasting effort currently underway. Therefore, we eventually hope to better forecast the electron density of the Earth's ionosphere and in turn better predict space weather, mitigating its negative effects. In addition, these accuracy of these results will be assessed with out-of-training DMSP satellite data alongside the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI).
Calculation of the partial specific volumes of proteins in concentrated salt, sugar, and amino acid solutions

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates that the physicochemical characterization of proteins, requires working in solvents which contain high concentrations of low-molecular-weight compounds. Parameters which play an important role in sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity experiments, density gradient sedimentation, and in X-ray scattering, X-ray diffraction, and some column techniques are the preferential hydration of the proteins and the apparent partial specific volume, φ ' 2 °, of the protein measured at dialysis equilibrium, i.e., under conditions where the chemical potentials of the additive are identical in the protein solution and the bulk solvent. This procedure, requires relatively large amounts of protein and extensive dialysis, which may not be practical for many proteins because of stability problems. The chapter explains that as the patterns of preferential interaction for salts and amino acids with proteins are completely different from those for the denaturants, that method cannot be applied. However, in these systems there exists a correlation between the preferential interaction and the protein surface area which renders possible the calculation of the preferential interactions for various proteins from the data obtained with other proteins. This method is addressed in the present chapter.
Stochastic Models of Sediment Motion on Flat Bed

Plausible stochastic models for resting period, moving period, and step length are constructed to describe the longitudinal sediment motion on a flat bed under steady uniform flows. Resting period is found to be compound exponentially distributed (J-shaped) with a random hazard rate which has a monotonically decreasing probability density function. Step length and resting period are found to be exponentially distributed (J-shaped) when the flow is slow. They possess bell-shaped probability density functions when the flow is faster and have weak associations with the preceding resting period.
Privacy's Other Path: Recovering the Law of Confidentiality

The familiar legend of privacy law holds that Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis invented the right to privacy in 1890, and that William Prosser aided its development by recognizing four privacy torts in 1960. In this article, Professors Richards and Solove contend that Warren, Brandeis, and Prosser did not invent privacy law, but took it down a new path. Well before 1890, a considerable body of Anglo-American law protected confidentiality, which safeguards the information people share with others. Warren, Brandeis, and later Prosser turned away from the law of confidentiality to create a new conception of privacy based on the individual's inviolate personality. English law, however, rejected Warren and Brandeis's conception of privacy and developed a conception of privacy as confidentiality from the same sources used by Warren and Brandeis. Today, in contrast to the individualistic conception of privacy in American law, the English law of confidence recognizes and enforces expectations of trust within relationships. Richards and Solove explore how and why privacy law developed so differently in America and England. Understanding the origins and developments of privacy law's divergent paths reveals that each body of law's conception of privacy has much to teach the other.
Trauma Counseling: Theories and Interventions

As an instructor of clinical psychology, traumatologist, and supervisor of mental health graduate students, I am always searching for better resources to help my students understand the complexity ...
Corporate Fantasy and the "Brave New World of Digital Education"

This article confronts the virtual university movement by analyzing its promotion in Washington state, particularly during 1998. I critically evaluate key speeches and policy proposals made by Locke and his advisors and analyze planning and promotional documents of the Western Governors University and the 2020 Commission. I also consult PricewaterhouseCooper’s Reinventing the University (1998). Analysis of these texts shows that the virtual university serves as a discursive toolbox that helps rationalize and obfuscate strategies to reorganize higher education. In so doing, the e-cademy distracts us from the less dramatic, less visible ways in which policymakers and administrators intend to finance higher education and deskill and downsize its labor force.
High temperature deformation of silicon nitride ceramics with different microstructures

Abstract The deformation of some silicon nitride ceramics which consist of elongated β-Si 3 N 4 grains in a fine-grained matrix containing an amorphous grain boundary phase was studied by tensile testing at elevated temperature. Superplastic elongations larger than 250% could be observed, and characteristic microstructural development during deformation was studied.
Sensitivity, reliability and accuracy of the instant center of rotation calculation in the cervical spine during in vivo dynamic flexion-extension

The instant center of rotation (ICR) has been proposed as an alternative to range of motion (ROM) for evaluating the quality, rather than the quantity, of cervical spine movement. The purpose of the present study was to assess the sensitivity, reliability and accuracy of cervical spine ICR path calculations obtained during dynamic in vivo movement. The reliability and sensitivity of in vivo cervical spine ICR calculations were assessed by evaluating the effects of movement direction (flexion versus extension), rotation step size, filter frequency, and motion tracking error. The accuracy of the ICR path calculations was assessed through a simulation experiment that replicated in vivo movement of cervical vertebrae. The in vivo assessment included 20 asymptomatic subjects who performed continuous head flexion-extension movements while biplane radiographs were collected at 30 frames per second. In vivo motion of C2 through C7 cervical vertebrae was tracked with sub-millimeter accuracy using a volumetric model-based tracking technique. The finite helical axis method was used to determine ICRs between each pair of adjacent vertebra. The in vivo results indicate ICR path is not different during the flexion movement and the extension movement. In vivo, the path of the ICR can reliably be characterized within 0.5mm in the SI and 1.0mm in the AP direction. The inter-subject variability in ICR location averaged ±1.2mm in the SI direction and ±2.2mm in the AP direction. The computational experiment estimated the in vivo accuracy in ICR location was between 1.1mm and 3.1mm.
Three-dimensional illusory contours and surfaces.

UNDER general viewing conditions, objects are often partially camouflaged, obscured or occluded, thereby limiting information about their three-dimensional position, orientation and shape to incomplete and variable image cues. When presented with such partial cues, observers report perceiving 'illusory' contours and surfaces (forms) in regions having no physical image contrast1–7. Here we report that three-dimensional illusory forms share three fundamental properties with 'real' forms: (1) the same forms are perceived using either stereo or motion parallax cues (cue invariance8,9); (2) they retain their shape over changes in position and orientation relative to an observer (view stability10); and (3) they can take the shape of general contours and surfaces in three dimensions11 (morphic generality). We hypothesize that illusory contours and surfaces are manifestations of a previously unnoticed visual process which constructs a representation of three-dimensional position, orientation and shape of objects from available image cues.
Effects of High Glucose and Ketosis (Acetoacetate, ß-Hydroxybutyrate) on PAI-1 Secretion in Human Umbilical Vascular Endothelial Cells

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) is a known contributor of thrombus formation and cardiovascular diseases. Type 1 diabetes is associated with elevated levels of blood PAI-1 and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence. However, type 1 diabetic patients have elevated blood levels of ketone bodies acetoacetate (AA) and 3-β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). This study examined the hypothesis that hyperketonemia (ketosis) contributes to increased secretion of PAI-1 from the cells that form the vascular endothelium. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were treated with different concentrations of AA or BHB in the presence or absence of high glucose (HG) and the amount of PAI-1 protein secreted by these cells into conditioned media was determined. Levels of PAI-1 secreted into conditioned media by these treated cells did not change significantly when compared to controls. High glucose induced a significant increase in PAI-1 secretion, but combination with AA or BHB did not cause significant effects on PAI-1 secretion caused by HG. These results indicate that hyperglycemia but not hyperketonemia is a significant contributor to increased blood levels of PAI-1 associated with type 1 diabetes.