cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A hybrid optimization approach for automated parameter estimation problems

We present a hybrid optimization approach for solving automated parameter estimation models. The hybrid approach is based on the coupling of the Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) [1] and a Newton-Krylov Interior-Point method (NKIP) [2] via a surrogate model. The global method SPSA performs a stochastic search to find target regions with low function values. Next, we generate a surrogate model based on the points of regions on which the local method NKIP algorithm is applied for finding an optimal solution. We illustrate the behavior of the hybrid optimization algorithm on one testcase. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
10 Gbps transmission over standard category-5 copper cable

IEEE is interested in specifying the next generation 10 Gbps copper cable Ethernet network, termed 10000BASE-T, in the not too distant future. In search of a proper solution, we are investigating the involved tradeoffs at every design step. The paper presents conceptual designs of a 10000BASE-T copper transmission system for distribution of a digital signal over /spl sim/100 meters of a standard CAT-5 copper cable. These designs make it possible to achieve this at a target average bit error rate (BER) of 10/sup -10/ after equalization and decoding, using standard CAT-5 cable, if we adopt vectored transmission on 4 pairs. This is done in the presence of insertion-loss dispersion, NEXT, FEXT, alien NEXT, echo and all the associated noise. To achieve this, the following tasks have been defined: MIMO cancellation of all crosstalk terms; iterative vector equalization and decoding of the received signals.
Johanson-Blizzard syndrome: expanding the phenotype of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Context Johanson-Blizzard syndrome (JBS) is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by dysmorphic nasal alae, ectodermal abnormalities, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and early growth failure. Most patients are diagnosed by clinical criteria prenatally or in early infancy. Nonsense, frame shift and splice-site mutations of the ubiquitin ligase gene (UBR1) lead to early loss of acinar cells in individuals with JBS. Case report We describe a previously asymptomatic patient with ectodermal dysplasia presenting with sudden onset exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in adolescence. The family reports an identical twin brother with similar symptoms. Conclusion This case illustrates that the phenotypic variability of pancreatic involvement in JBS may be subtle and may not manifest until the second decade of life. We suspect that this mild phenotype results from mutations in UBR1 allowing for partial function. Image. Thick yellow toe nails consistent with ectodermal dysplasia.
THE QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF INTELLIGENCE

A battery of seven intellectual tasks, designed for the qualitative examination of intelligence, was administered to thirty-five (experimental) children of superior ability and thirty-five (control) children of average ability, matched for age and other variables, and selected by a set of multiple criteria, including teachers' opinions, grades, and intelligence and achievement tests. Under the conditions of this study, superior intelligence was characterized, with significant frequency, by a variety of qualities, including: coherence and productivity of informal thought processes; a facility for abstracting conceptual principles as against ‘situation-bound’ responses; conceptual flexibility; perseverance and independence of structure (or aid) in complex problems; attentiveness and spontaneous perception of incongruities. It is felt that this approach to intelligence can ultimately produce a more fertile, inductive quantification, in dimensional terms.
Poor, Rural and Female: Under-Studied, Under-Counseled, More At-Risk

The feminization of poverty has been well documented, and the relationship between the experiences of poverty and negative mental health outcomes has been identified. These consequences remain largely unexamined for women living in rural areas that comprise a population both at risk and underserved by mental health professionals. The dynamics of poverty for these women and the relationship between poverty lifestyles and physical and mental well-being is explored. A model for assessment and mental health interventions is presented. Implications for mental health counseling and for research are considered.
Diagnostic evaluation of cystic pancreatic lesions

Background. Cystic pancreatic neoplasms (CPNs) present a unique challenge in preoperative diagnosis. We investigated the accuracy of diagnostic methods for CPN. Material and methods. This retrospective cases series includes 70 patients who underwent surgery at a university hospital for presumed CPNs between 1997 and 2003, and for whom a definitive diagnosis was established. Variables examined included symptoms, preoperative work-up (including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in 22 cases and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in 12), and operative and pathological findings. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (n=50 patients; CT=48; MRI=13) were independently reviewed by two blinded GI radiologists. Results. The final histopathologic diagnoses were mucinous cystic neoplasm (n=13), mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (10), serous cystadenoma (11), IPMN (14), simple cyst (3), cystic neuroendocrine tumor (5), pseudocyst (4), and other (10). Overall, 25 of 70 were malignant (37%), 21 premalignant (30%), and 24 benign (34%). The attending surgeon's preoperative diagnosis was correct in 31% of cases, incorrect in 29%, non-specific “cystic tumor” in 27%, and “pseuodcyst vs. neoplasm” in 11%. Eight had been previously managed as pseudocysts, and 3 pseudocysts were excised as presumed CPN. In review of the CT and MRI, a multivariate analysis of the morphologic features did not identify predictors of specific pathologic diagnoses. Both radiologists were accurate with their preferred (no. 1) diagnosis in <50% of cases. MRI demonstrated no additional utility beyond CT. Conclusions. The diagnosis of CPN remains challenging. Cross-sectional imaging methods do not reliably give an accurate preoperative diagnosis. Surgeons should continue to err on the side of resection.
Managerial Professionalism and the Use of Organization Resources

Abstract. Coase, Kaldor, and Baumol represent a pattern of thinking among microeconomists which regards professionalism among organization managers as contributing to efficiency and, therefore, a source of expansion of an organization's size beyond the limits otherwise expected. This paper takes the contrary position that managerial professionalism does not lead to technical efficiency but to the consumption of organization resources for competitive performances aimed at impressing outside audiences. The implications of empirical findings from a time series study of professionalizing functionaries are discussed.
Infertility: Demographic Aspects

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by U. Larsen, J. Menken, volume 11, pp. 7435–7439, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATION-BASED SELF- ESTEEM

This study examines the relationship between trait affectivity (i.e., negative -NA and positive affect- PA), organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). The current research attempts to augment the field’s understanding by demonstrating that the relationship between affect and citizenship is at least partially mediated by OBSE. This paper tests hypotheses using data collected across two different samples: an organizational sample of 105 employees and an amalgam sample of 187 working adults. Findings indicate that OBSE mediates the NA – OCB relationship in the amalgam sample. OBSE also at least partially mediates the PA-OCB relationship in both samples. The paper concludes with a discussion of relevant strengths, limitations, directions for future research, and practical implications.
Substantial reductions in blood pressure after bilateral nephrectomy in fetal sheep

The role of the kidneys in the maintenance of arterial blood pressure was examined in fetal sheep. Surgery was performed on 11 pregnant sheep (8 twin pregnancies) at approximately 125 days. All 19 fetuses were instrumented with hindlimb arterial and venous catheters. Eleven of the fetuses (but only 1 of each twin) were also bilaterally nephrectomized. Fetal arterial blood pressure was measured several times between 2 and 14 days after surgery. Arterial blood pressure in the intact fetuses increased from 44 +/- 1 to 47 +/- 1 mmHg (SE) but gradually decreased from 37 +/- 4 to 25 +/- 3 mmHg in the nephrectomized group. Whereas the arterial blood pressures measured on the first day of the experiment were not statistically significantly different between the two groups, by the final day of the experiment the arterial blood pressure of the intact fetuses was much higher than that of the nephrectomized fetuses. Venous blood pressure was similar in the two groups. We conclude that bilateral nephrectomy in fetal sheep not only stops the normal gestational increase in arterial blood pressure but also leads to a progressive decline.
Environment for Problem-Oriented Languages

Current interest and activity in linking the engineer and the computer into an effective design team are considerable. The necessity that the engineer have close, personal contact with the computer has led to the development of problem-oriented languages (POLs) such as COGO and STRESS. These languages let the engineer describe his problem in a vocabulary he would use to describe it to a professional colleague. Despite the advantages of the languages themselves, the processors for these languages leave much to be desired. The languages cannot be easily modified, and new processors for different machines must be written by hand. Both disadvantages can be eliminated if a POL is defined in its entirety before programming of the processor begins, and the processor is programmed in a procedural, essentially machine-independent, language. The paper describes a system for the POLs of the COGO and STRESS type. The emphasis is on providing a system for the development and modification of POLs by users themselves, to be applicable to whatever computers are available.
Estimating the Impacts of Brownfield Remediation on Housing Property Values

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Program provides grants to assess and clean up brownfields — properties the "expansion, re-development, or re-use of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." The highly localized nature of brownfields lends itself well to measuring the value of site remediation with property value hedonics. The application of that technique is, however, complicated by the presence of correlated unobservable determinants of housing prices (both time-invariant and those that vary over time). This report uses a variety of quasi-experimental techniques to overcome this problem. The analysis finds evidence of large increases in property values accompanying cleanup, ranging from 5.1% to 12.8%; a double-difference matching estimator that does not rely on the intertemporal stability of the hedonic price function finds even larger effects, implying that evidence of property value increases is consistent with a willingness to pay interpretation.
Kolmogorov’s Consistency Theorem

The Daniell-Kolmogorov existence theorem, or Kolmogorov’s consistency theorem, describes precisely when a given stochastic process exists.
Legislative Term Limits and Fiscal Uncertainty

As the Michigan Legislature's budget deadline neared in the summer of 2007 without any hint of an impending deal to cope with the immediate budget deficit or the long term 'structural deficit', many politicians began pointing fingers. However, instead of blaming the usual suspects' party leaders and the governor - a surprising scapegoat for the budget impasse emerged: legislative term limits. Both politicians and scholars have argued that term limited legislatures will be composed of less experienced and less knowledgeable legislators. In addition, term limits may undermine the ability of legislators to build relationships with one another, especially across party lines. These effects of term limits may make brokering deals and building consensus, especially on complicated issues like budgets and taxes, much more difficult. This study examines whether term limits impede the ability of legislators to effectively set fiscal policy by analyzing state bond ratings from 1996 to 2006. Bond ratings serve as an effective indicator of a state's fiscal performance, gauging the risk and uncertainty that investors face when buying state bonds. In addition, good bond ratings can also be seen as a policy end in itself. Results from a two-stage least squares model, which accounts for the endogeneity of legislative term limits, suggests that term limits negatively impact a state's fiscal performance and lead to lower bond ratings.
Further Experiments on Accessory Growth Factor Requirements of the Brucella Group

Received for publication, January 10, 1942. This investigation was aided in part by a grant from The John and Mary R. Markle Foundation and in part by a grant from the Dr. Wallace C. and Clara A. Abbott Memorial Fund of the University of Chicago. 1. Koser, S. A., Breslove, B. B., and Dorfman, A.: J. Infect. Dis. 69: 114, 1941. tothenic acid. Fifty to 100 jug of thioglycollic acid were added also in the case of the Br. abortus cultures since this seemed to facilitate to some extent the growth of 2 of these strains. The effect on growth of three strains of Br. abortus produced by biotin conentrate, pure biotin and biotin methyl ester is shown in table 1. These 3 cul-
HVCs, infall and the Galactic Fountain

High-velocity clouds (HVCs) consist of gas that does not take part in normal Galactic rotation, having velocities deviating by up to 400 km s −1 from those expected from rotation. Over the past five decades, studies have shown they these clouds trace a number of different processes, including the Galactic Fountain, tidal streams, and infall. Here, I summarize some recent results concerning measurements of cloud metallicities and distances and how these are used to understand individual clouds and derive the conclusion above.
Parotid fluid calcium and phosphate levels in patients with hypercalcemia.

SummaryParotid saliva was collected from normocalcemic and hypercalcemia subjects, and it was found that the latter had higher parotid fluid calcium and phosphorus levels than the controls. The observations did not permit discrimination as to the etiology of the hypercalcemia. The reasons for the elevated levels of phosphorus have not been established.
Applying sequence methods to the study of team temporal dynamics

In this paper, we explain how structuring, characterizing, and analyzing team experience in terms of temporal sequences can yield new insights about the dynamic nature of teams. We suggest that sequence methods can offer a fuller representation of team temporal dynamics than is typically possible with cross-sectional or longitudinal multiphase designs alone. We provide suggestions for how to use sequence methods to develop teams research questions and conduct sequence analysis. To make our suggestions more concrete, we develop detailed examples that highlight the potential for sequence methods to advance the study of team temporal dynamics by augmenting conventional methods.
Comb generator design for SWaP-constrained applications

Many wireless devices have requirements that emphasize low size, weight and power for increased functionality and extended lifetimes. The additional complexity of these devices mandates the need to dynamically verify that all sub-system functions are fully operational. These tests can only be performed internal to the unit, and a circuit that could be utilized to meet this demand should be constructed to be as simple as possible. This paper presents both a novel set of equations to represent a compact comb generator circuit using a step recovery diode as well as unique sequential measurements of a prototype to provide greater insight into the design. The analyzed circuit requires no bias voltage, and effectively produces harmonics up to 2 GHz with a 2 MHz input signal, which is sufficient for adding built-in-test capability to most wireless devices.
Growth and Drift of Nine Stonefly Species (Plecoptera) in an Oklahoma Ozark Foothills Stream, and Conformation to Regression Models

Growth and drift of nine stonefly species, in a second-order, northeastern Oklahoma stream were elucidated from 19 and 13 months of sampling, respectively. Observed growth of each species (head-capsule width versus days) was analyzed with five different regression models. Growth patterns generally conformed to either a power curve (double log) or semilog regression. Coefficients of determination for best fit models ranged from 0.41 to 0.79 and were all highly significant. Haploperla brevis (Banks), Leuctra tenuis (Walker), and Amphinemura delosa (Ricker) exhibited univoltine, fast life cycles that were best modeled by semilog regressions. The univoltine, slow cycle of Acroneuria evoluta Klapalek showed good fit with a power curve. The univoltine, fast life cycles of Isoperla namata Frison, I. signata (Banks), Prostoia completa (Walker), and Allocapnia rickeri Ricker fit different types of regressions. Intraspecific differences in their growth curve shapes and rates were primarily attributed to temperature. Instars of Agnetina capitata (Pictet) nymphs were greatly spread over time and overlapped, making discretion of cohorts difficult. However, a semivoltine life cycle was suggested. This study suggests that growth characteristics of some stonefly species can be determined from lower sampling frequency, adequate to establish growth curve shape rather than the typical monthly increments. Comparison of significant semilog growth rates for each species corroborates the descriptive fast and slow classification. Stonefly drift density (0.1–7.5 nymphs per m3) was significantly lower than that of mayflies and Diptera and demonstrated a postsunset pulse. Multivariate regression of stonefly numbers in drift on current velocity and specific benthic densities accounted for a significant 25% of the variation in numbers drifting. Additional variation appears to be attributable to a greater degree of nymphal maturity as suggested by drift of predominantly pre-emergent nymphs.
Failure Analysis of Drainage System Under the LP Heater in A 600MW Unit

Because the original design of drainage system under the LP heater system in a 600MW unit was defective,it resulted the gravity step by step of the normal drainage from 6 LP heater to 7 LP heater was poor when the unit load was increasing.It increased the cold source loss and directly impacted on the thermal economy of the unit.By careful analysis and experimental verification,the essential reasons leading to drainage system failure had been found and technological transformation programs had been proposed for engineering reference.
Urodynamic Evaluation of Ileal Conduit Function

Bilateral hydroureteronephrosis following ileal conduit urinary diversion is not uncommon. It may be owing to ureteroileal stenosis, stomal stenosis or a poorly compliant ileal conduit. The standard evaluation of stoma size, conduit residual urine and a loopogram often fail to allow determination of the cause of ureteral dilatation. In addition to these standard tests, we have used conduit urodynamics to study conduit function with a triple lumen urodynamic catheter to measure simultaneously conduit pressure proximal and distal to the fascia during filling under fluoroscopy. In 4 control patients with normal upper tracts who were studied with this technique conduit leak point pressures ranged from 5 to 20 cm. water pressure. Six patients with bilateral hydroureteronephrosis were studied to evaluate conduit function. We found abnormalities in 5 patients, including functional stomal stenosis in 2, an atonic loop in 1, segmental obstruction in 1 and a high pressure noncompliant distal segment in 1.
The epidemiology of varicella hospitalizations in the U.S. Army.

Varicella infections affect the U.S. Army, but the extent has not been quantified recently. We obtained 1990 to 1997 hospitalization data from the U.S. Army Medical Command and calculated rates using data from the Army Medical Surveillance Activity and the U.S. Army Training Command. There was a decline in the number and incidence of varicella hospitalizations for U.S. Army active duty soldiers from 1990 to 1997. Varicella incidence rates for active duty soldiers are significantly higher for females, blacks, those younger than 20 years, and those whose home of record were tropical island regions. Army initial entry training hospitalizations constitute 11.8% of active duty Army hospitalizations and have also declined. Varicella continues to affect the training and health of the U.S. Army; however, the impact has diminished over the years. A feasible approach to limit varicella in the U.S. Army is to target trainees for screening or vaccination. Refinement of this strategy should be determined from a follow-up cost-effectiveness analysis.
Pricing, Accounting and Costs

Coase has left his mark on economics in that branch of the discipline that we call microeconomics, or price theory. Perhaps the most traditionally micro-theoretic elements of his work are his forays into the areas of pricing and costs. His work on pricing is confined primarily to situations of monopoly,1 and his most enduring impact in this area is his analysis of price regulation under conditions of natural monopoly, where he saw multi-part pricing as the efficient pricing scheme. His contribution here does not lie in his advocacy of multi-part pricing per se (indeed, others had advocated this scheme before Coase) and he does little in the way of developing this idea. Rather, his contribution lies in his systematic exposure of the inefficiencies attending the then dominant idea that marginal cost pricing is the optimal response to situations of natural monopoly. His analysis marks a turning point in the professional perception of the relative merits of the marginal cost and multi-part approaches to natural monopoly price regulation.
Conclusion: Multiculturalism’s Unfinished Work

Sorensen reads minor characters from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Younghill Kang’s East Goes West as images of the agent of literary recovery who seeks an audience for texts that are stuck in the untimely space of pre-emergence. He also finds a similar narrative of recovery in an emerging subgenre of contemporary fiction that imagines alternative versions of literary history in which marginal ethnic figures associated with high modernism become central. Using Monique Truong’s The Book of Salt as an example, Sorensen shows that these fictional works contribute to the reservoir of untimely energy that makes critical multiculturalism an unfinishable project.
Photoregulation of Maize Plastid Genes during Light-Induced Development

DNA/RNA hybridization experiments have led to the identification of several regions of the maize plastid chromosome that contain photogenes— i.e., genes whose transcripts increase appreciably in abundance during light-induced plastid differentiation (1,2). The data from these experiments suggest that transcriptional regulation of gene expression plays a central role in the greening process. As shown in Figure 1, these positively photoregulated regions are dispersed over about 19% of the chromosome, and nearly all the genes within these regions have been identified and their nucleotide sequences determined. These include psbC and psbD, the genes for the 44 kd and “D2” polypeptides of photosystem II (E.T. Krebbers, K.M. Muskavitch and L. Bogorad, in preparation); ps2B (or psbA), the gene for the 32 kd herbicide-binding QB protein of photosystem II (3,4,5,6) rcL, the gene for the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (7); cflEE, the fused gene for the beta and epsilon subunits of CF1 (8); pslA1 and pslA2, the duplicated genes for the chlorophyll a-proteins of the photosystem I reaction center complex (9); rpS14, the gene for the ribosomal protein “S14” (S.R. Rodermel, P. Orlin and L. Bogorad, in preparation); and cf1A, cf0I, and cf0III, the genes for the alpha subunit of CF1 and subunits I and III of CF0 (2/10).
Characteristics and Mechanisms of Angiotensin II-Related Myocardial Damage

Chronic, pathophysiological elevations of angiotensin (Ang) II cause myocyte necrosis and coronary vascular damage. These adverse effects are mediated by the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor and are, therefore, preventable with AT1 receptor blockade. Additionally, the intracellular signaling cascade stimulated by elevations in Ang II results in an AT1 receptor-mediated catecholamine release, and the myocardial damage can also be attenuated by β1-adrenergic receptor blockade. The restriction of myocardial damage to the first 3 days of Ang II infusion is due to subsequent downregulation of the β1-adrenergic receptor population. Discontinuation of the Ang II infusion results in a return to normal β1-adrenergic receptor density, which makes the myocardium susceptible once again to subsequent elevations of Ang II. This Ang II-related myocardial damage could play an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure post-myocardial infarction or in other cardiac disease states.
Gene Function Prediction Based on Developmental Transcriptomes of the Two Sexes in C. elegans

We compare whole-animal RNA-seq transcriptomes for C. elegans males and hermaphrodites from the late L3 larval stage to young adulthood. During this interval, male sexual structures develop, including extensive neurogenesis and synaptogenesis that nearly doubles the size of the nervous system. Previous genome-wide expression studies in C. elegans have usually focused on only one sex-the hermaphrodite-and there are a relatively large number of genes that remain without meaningful annotation. In the present study, differential expression analysis of the RNA-seq data revealed 1,751 genes expressed at a higher level in the male. By differential expression and co-expression analyses, we identified transcription factors required for differentiation of male genital structures, semen proteins, and candidates for components of synapse function. Comparison with other prediction tools suggests that our dataset can expand gene predictions. The results validate the dataset as a rich resource for future gene discovery in C. elegans.
The Effect of Unemployment Insurance on Temporary Help Services Employment

A model with fixed effects and controls for state-specific linear time trends is developed to analyze the influence of state unemployment insurance taxes on temporary help services employment using state level panel data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Prior research has shown that imperfect experience rating of unemployment insurance taxes increases temporary layoffs and that, conversely, more extensive experience rating leads to a decrease in temporary layoffs. The current analysis demonstrates that more extensive experience rating increases temporary help services agency-intermediated temporary employment. To the extent that the increase in temporary help services employment represents a substitution of temporary help services jobs for traditional direct hire jobs, it implies a negative effect on job quality. Steps to address low unemployment insurance recipiency rates by temporary help services workers may alleviate the impact of unemployment insurance tax structures on temporary help services employment.
A genome-scale Escherichia coli kinetic metabolic model k-ecoli457 satisfying flux data for multiple mutant strains

Kinetic models of metabolism at a genome scale that faithfully recapitulate the effect of multiple genetic interventions would be transformative in our ability to reliably design novel overproducing microbial strains. Here, we introduce k-ecoli457, a genome-scale kinetic model of Escherichia coli metabolism that satisfies fluxomic data for wild-type and 25 mutant strains under different substrates and growth conditions. The k-ecoli457 model contains 457 model reactions, 337 metabolites and 295 substrate-level regulatory interactions. Parameterization is carried out using a genetic algorithm by simultaneously imposing all available fluxomic data (about 30 measured fluxes per mutant). The Pearson correlation coefficient between experimental data and predicted product yields for 320 engineered strains spanning 24 product metabolites is 0.84. This is substantially higher than that using flux balance analysis, minimization of metabolic adjustment or maximization of product yield exhibiting systematic errors with correlation coefficients of, respectively, 0.18, 0.37 and 0.47 (k-ecoli457 is available for download at http://www.maranasgroup.com).
The Difference the Mini-DOMAs Make

Forty-four states now have statutes barring same-sex marriage. These laws were enacted in three waves, in response to the progress of the movement toward same-sex marriage. In the early 1970s, reacting to a few lawsuits filed by same-sex couples who sought to marry, a number of states enacted laws declaring that marriage would only be recognized between a man and a woman. A larger wave of statutes was enacted after a 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision made it seem likely that Hawaii would shortly recognize same-sex marriage.1 Finally, the most recent wave of laws and constitutional amendments followed decisions in which state supreme courts in Vermont and Massachusetts construed their states’ constitutions as mandating the recognition of same-sex relationships.2 In this essay, I will discuss how these laws affect cases involving choice of law issues. Some of the consequences of these laws are surprising. Some are so harsh and irrational as to make the laws unconstitutional. At the time of this essay’s writing, in June 2006, there were forty states with post-1993 mini-Defense of Marriage Acts (“mini-DOMAs”), so called because they mimic the effort of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 19963 to contain the interstate effect of one state’s
WORK, ENERGY, AND POWER

This chapter discusses work, energy, and power, with special reference to ventilation and cardiac output. Mechanical work is a form of energy, and other forms of energy include heat energy and chemical energy. Work is done or energy is expended whenever the point of application of a force moves in the direction of the force. A constant-pressure generator type of ventilator presents a good example of the interrelationship between the force and distance moved and the pressure and volume changes. During expiration, the pressure at the ventilator falls rapidly to atmospheric and remains at zero while the air is expired. During inspiration, about half the mechanical energy used is stored as potential energy in the elastic tissues of the lung and the chest wall. This energy is subsequently used for the work of expiration. The remaining half of the mechanical energy of inspiration is used in overcoming airway resistance and in moving the air and tissues. As power is the product of pressure and flow, the work of the heart is directly proportional to the mean blood pressure and to the cardiac output. Hypertension results in additional energy requirements even if the cardiac output is unchanged, and hypotension lowers the energy demands on the heart, provided that cardiac output is not simultaneously raised. A high cardiac output also increases the work load of the heart. An increase in the energy requirements of the heart, if maintained, may lead to heart failure.
Gene expression profiling of citrulline-specific B cells in rheumatoid arthritis (BA3P.118)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects ~1% of the world’s population and is the most common autoimmune disease afflicting humans. The elicitation of anti-citrulinated protein antibody (ACPA) responses, has been a major milestone for both the detection and treatment of RA. Given the significance of ACPA in RA, B cells have a central role in the progression of the disease. The identification of the differentiation state and phenotype of autoreactive B cells (ABC) is significant from both a fundamental standpoint in understanding autoimmune biology and from a clinical standpoint in providing new avenues to targeting ABCs. In order to identify novel biomarkers targeting ABCs, we have undertaken comprehensive gene expression profiling of citrulline-specific autoreactive B cells isolated from the peripheral blood of RA patients. We demonstrate the ability to selectively isolate autoreactive B cells for single-cell gene expression profiling. The frequency of citrulline-specific B cells was 0.012 % of the PBMCs. The specificity of the mAb isolated using our approach was confirmed using ELISA. We have undertaken whole transcriptome amplification and single-cell gene expression, and by comparison to pathogen-specific B cells, describe sets of genes that may be used to uniquely define ABCs. We anticipate that the key biomarkers identified from these genes will further improve our understanding of autoimmune pathology and will be evaluated for their clinical relevance.
ECJ then and now

ECJ is a mature and widely used evolutionary computation library with particular strengths in genetic programming, massive distributed computation, and coevolution. In Fall of 2016 we received a three-year NSF grant to expand ECJ into a toolkit with wide-ranging facilities designed to serve the broader metaheuristics community. This report discusses ECJ's history, capabilities, and architecture, then details our planned extensions and expansions.
Childhood Trauma and Two Stages of Alcohol Use in African American and European American Women: Findings from a Female Twin Sample

The current investigation assessed for moderating effects of childhood trauma on genetic and environmental contributions to timing of alcohol use initiation and alcohol use disorder in African American (AA) and European American (EA) women. Data were drawn from diagnostic telephone interviews conducted with 3786 participants (14.6% AA) in a longitudinal female twin study. Childhood trauma was defined alternately as child maltreatment and more broadly to include other events (e.g., witnessing violence). Phenotypic associations between childhood trauma and alcohol outcomes were estimated using logistic regression analyses. Twin modeling was conducted to test for moderating effects of childhood trauma on the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to timing of initiation and alcohol use disorder. Under both definitions, childhood trauma was associated with early initiation (relative risk ratios: 1.90, 1.72) and alcohol use disorder (odds ratios: 1.92, 1.76). Yet gene by environment effects were observed only for child maltreatment and timing of initiation in EA women, with heritable influences less prominent in those who had experienced child maltreatment (0.35, 95% CI: 0.05–0.66 vs. 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30–0.73). We found more similarities than differences in the association of childhood trauma with alcohol outcomes across racial/ethnic groups, trauma type, and stages of alcohol use. However, findings suggest that the relative contribution of genetic factors to alcohol outcomes differs by childhood maltreatment history in EA women specifically in the earliest stage of alcohol use.
Environmental and behavioral changes may influence the exposure of an Arctic apex predator to pathogens and contaminants

Recent decline of sea ice habitat has coincided with increased use of land by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea (SB), which may alter the risks of exposure to pathogens and contaminants. We assayed blood samples from SB polar bears to assess prior exposure to the pathogens Brucella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, and Neospora caninum, estimate concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and evaluate risk factors associated with exposure to pathogens and POPs. We found that seroprevalence of Brucella spp. and T. gondii antibodies likely increased through time, and provide the first evidence of exposure of polar bears to C. burnetii, N. caninum, and F. tularensis. Additionally, the odds of exposure to T. gondii were greater for bears that used land than for bears that remained on the sea ice during summer and fall, while mean concentrations of the POP chlordane (ΣCHL) were lower for land-based bears. Changes in polar bear behavior brought about by climate-induced modifications to the Arctic marine ecosystem may increase exposure risk to certain pathogens and alter contaminant exposure pathways.
Predicting cloud performance for HPC applications before deployment

Abstract To reduce the capital investment required to acquire and maintain a high performance computing cluster, today many HPC users are moving to cloud. When deploying an application in the cloud, the users may ( a ) fail to understand the interactions of the application with the software layers implementing the cloud system, ( b ) be unaware of some hardware details of the cloud system, and ( c ) fail to understand how sharing part of the cloud system with other users might degrade application performance. These misunderstandings may lead the users to select suboptimal cloud configurations in terms of cost or performance. In this work we propose a machine-learning methodology to support the user in the selection of the best cloud configuration to run the target workload before deploying it in the cloud. This enables the user to decide if and what to buy before facing the cost of porting and analyzing the application in the cloud. We couple a cloud-performance-prediction model (CP) on the cloud-provider side with a hardware-independent profile-prediction model (PP) on the user-side. PP captures the application-specific scaling behavior. The user profiles the target application while processing small datasets on small machines she (or he) owns, and applies machine learning to generate PP to predict the profiles for larger datasets to be processed in the cloud. CP is generated by the cloud provider to learn the relationships between the hardware-independent profile and cloud performance starting from the observations gathered by executing a set of training applications on a set of training cloud configurations. Since the profile data in use is hardware-independent the user and the provider can generate the prediction models independently possibly on heterogeneous machines. We apply the prediction models to Fortran-MPI benchmarks. The resulting relative error is below 12% for CP and 30% for PP. The optimal Pareto front of cloud configurations finally found when maximizing performance and minimizing execution cost on the prediction models is at most 25% away from the actual optimal solutions.
Object narratives and the enslaved at Sam Houston memorial museum

Objects offer an opportunity to narrate the past. Tourism scholarship has found that plantation museums in the American South give considerable attention to objects associated with the planter clas...
Noninvasive Assessment of Retinal Function in Rats Using Multifocal Electroretinography

RESULTS. mfERGs were recorded from pigmented and albino rats by slowing the rate of stimulus presentation to allow for the slow recovery time of the rod system. In each rat strain, responses varied systematically with changes in stimulus parameters. Peak response amplitude increased as the rate of stimulation was slowed and as stimulus luminance was increased. Response latency decreased as stimulus intensity was increased. The local nature of the response was assessed by several independent measures. CONCLUSIONS. The present work demonstrated the feasibility and limitations of using mfERG to assess topographical changes in the rat retina. It showed that despite the problems of the unavoidable self-adapting nature of the stimulus, the small eye of the animal, and the high potential for light scatter within the retina, multifocal responses with a good signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained from the rat. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2000;41:610 ‐ 617)
Convincing evidence supports reducing saturated fat to decrease cardiovascular disease risk

Treatment guidelines and population-based recommendations evolve from research vetted by the scientific community. Healthcare providers require practice guidelines resulting from rigorous review of the totality of evidence. Open discussion/debate among experts is fundamental and encouraged, but blatant disregard for scientific process can lead to confusion and public distrust. A recent example is the controversy among scientists, healthcare professionals and the public about dietary saturated fat (SFA) recommendations to lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). ### Dietary recommendations for SFA from authoritative organisations More than 60 years ago (in 1957), the American Heart Association (AHA) proposed that modifying dietary fat could reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). This was based on research, including controlled feeding studies, and endpoint measures of blood lipids and blood pressure.1 In 1980, the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended ‘avoiding too much SFA’.2 For decades, research has substantiated this consistent dietary recommendation from authoritative organisations to decrease SFA to reduce CVD risk.3–6 Current dietary guidelines for SFA and evidence ratings are summarised in table 1. While the strong evidence to reduce SFA specifically targets decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, it is very much germane to CVD risk reduction. View this table: Table 1 Authoritative recommendations for saturated fat and evidence ratings ### Challenging practice guidelines and population-based recommendations: the SFA SAGA In 2010, a meta-analysis of 21 prospective epidemiological studies totalling 347 747 subjects reported that higher intake of SFA was not associated with an increased risk of CHD, stroke or CVD.7 Aspects of this methodology were widely …
The light-sensitive dimerizer zapalog reveals distinct modes of immobilization for axonal mitochondria

Controlling cellular processes with light can help elucidate their underlying mechanisms. Here we present zapalog, a small-molecule dimerizer that undergoes photolysis when exposed to blue light. Zapalog dimerizes any two proteins tagged with the FKBP and DHFR domains until exposure to light causes its photolysis. Dimerization can be repeatedly restored with uncleaved zapalog. We implement this method to investigate mitochondrial motility and positioning in cultured neurons. Using zapalog, we tether mitochondria to constitutively active kinesin motors, forcing them down the axon towards microtubule (+) ends until their instantaneous release via blue light, which results in full restoration of their endogenous motility. We find that one-third of stationary mitochondria cannot be pulled away from their position and that these firmly anchored mitochondria preferentially localize to VGLUT1-positive presynapses. Furthermore, inhibition of actin polymerization with latrunculin A reduces this firmly anchored pool. On release from exogenous motors, mitochondria are preferentially recaptured at presynapses.
Sourcing and shipping museum objects from East Africa to the Smithsonian, 1887–1891

This article presents new research on the sourcing and shipping of museum objects from the Kilimanjaro Region, located in present-day Tanzania, to the Smithsonian Institution, located in Washington...
A Multidisciplinary Technique for Concurrent Panniculectomy-Living Donor Renal Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Recently, it has been shown that panniculectomy concurrent to living donor renal transplantation is a safe option for management of renal transplant recipients with a large focal pannus. This combined management requires precise coordination of teams. We describe the technique, timing, and sequence for combined renal transplantation and panniculectomy. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult patients (≥18 years old) who underwent simultaneous living donor renal transplantation-panniculectomy from 2015 to 2019. A multi-team approach that included urology, transplant, and plastic surgery was used to perform the combined operations. Typically, the plastic surgery team initiates the operation by performing the panniculectomy. This is followed by kidney transplantation and graft anastomosis. The plastic surgery team then completes the operation with closure of the wound. RESULTS Twenty patients were identified. Most were male (12:8) with a mean age of 55 years and an average body mass index of 35 kg/m. The mean total operative duration was 394 minutes. On average, 17% of operating time was devoted to panniculectomy. At 90 days follow-up, there was 100% graft survival and all patients had primary graft function. There was a 25% wound complications rate and a 15% reoperation rate. CONCLUSION By performing panniculectomy first in the sequence, concurrent panniculectomy provides wide exposure and a large operative field for transplantation. Wound closure by plastic surgeons may mitigate the high complication rate commonly seen in obese patients with end-stage renal disease. Future studies are needed to evaluate the cost-benefit of the combined living donor renal transplantation-panniculectomy.
Obesity Risk Assessment Tool among 3–5 Year Olds: Validation with Biomarkers of Low-Grade Chronic Inflammation

Background: Many families with young children practice nutrition, parenting, and lifestyle behaviors that set their children on trajectories for unhealthful weight gain. Potential adverse health ef...
Assessment of U.S. health care personnel (HCP) attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in a large university health care system.

BACKGROUND: As a priority group, healthcare personnel (HCP) will be key to the success of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programs. This study assessed HCP willingness to get vaccinated and identified specific concerns that would undermine vaccination efforts. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of HCP, including clinical and nonclinical staff, researchers, and trainees, between 23 November and 5 December 2020. The survey evaluated attitudes, beliefs, and willingness to get vaccinated. RESULTS: There were 5287 respondents with a mean (SD) age of 42.5 (13.56) years; 72.8% were female (nâ =â 3842). Overall, 57.5 % of individuals expressed intent to receive COVID-19 vaccine; 80.4% were physicians and scientists representing the largest group. 33.6% of registered nurses, 31.6% of allied health professionals, and 32% of master's level clinicians were unsure they would take the vaccine (Pâ <â .001). Respondents who were older, male, White, or Asian were more likely to get vaccinated than other groups. Vaccine safety, potential adverse events, efficacy, and speed of vaccine development dominated concerns listed by participants. Fewer (54.0%) providers of direct care versus non-care providers (62.4%) and 52.0% of those who had provided care for COVID-19 patients (vs 60.6% of those who had not) indicated they would take the vaccine if offered (Pâ <â .001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed that self-reported willingness to receive vaccination against COVID-19 differs by hospital roles, with physicians and research scientists showing the highest acceptance. These findings highlight important heterogeneity in personal attitudes among HCPs around COVID-19 vaccines and highlight a need for tailored communication strategies.