cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Finite element modeling of soil-pile response subjected to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading in a large-scale shake table experiment

Abstract This paper presents two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear dynamic finite element (FE) modeling of a large-scale shake table test conducted at the E-Defense shake table facility in Japan. This study explores the efficiency of 2D effective stress analyses to predict the behavior of soil-pile systems subjected to liquefaction and lateral spreading using the library of existing constitutive models and the prescribed parameters. The coupled soil-water FE model was developed in OpenSees and the analysis results are compared with measured data from the shake table experiment with the main emphasis on the response of liquefied soil and the demand applied to the piles as well as the sheet-pile quay wall. By examining the numerical analysis results, it is demonstrated that the FE model was able to reproduce the shake table model behavior with reasonable accuracy. Lastly, a mitigation strategy was modeled to investigate its effectiveness to reduce the demand on the soil-pile system.
Associations between alcohol dehydrogenase genes and alcohol use across early and middle adolescence: Moderation × Preventive intervention

Data from the in-school sample of the PROSPER preventive intervention dissemination trial were used to investigate associations between alcohol dehydrogenase genes and alcohol use across adolescence, and whether substance misuse interventions in the 6th and 7th grades (targeting parenting, family functioning, social norms, youth decision making, and peer group affiliations) modified associations between these genes and adolescent use. Primary analyses were run on a sample of 1,885 individuals and included three steps. First, we estimated unconditional growth curve models with separate slopes for alcohol use from 6th to 9th grade and from 9th to 12th grade, as well as the intercept at Grade 9. Second, we used intervention condition and three alcohol dehydrogenase genes, 1B (ADH1B), 1C (ADH1C), and 4 (ADH4) to predict variance in slopes and intercept. Third, we examined whether genetic influences on model slopes and intercepts were moderated by intervention condition. The results indicated that the increase in alcohol use was greater in early adolescence than in middle adolescence; two of the genes, ADH1B and ADH1C, significantly predicted early adolescent slope and Grade 9 intercept, and associations between ADH1C and both early adolescent slope and intercept were significantly different across control and intervention conditions.
Cognitive Training for Ethnic Minority Older Adults in the United States: A Review.

Purpose of the Study Interest in cognitive training for healthy older adults to reduce cognitive decline has grown considerably over the past few decades. Given the shift toward a more diverse society, the purpose of this review is to examine the extent of race/ethnic minority participation in cognitive training studies and characteristics of studies that included race/ethnic minority participants. Design and Methods This review considered peer-reviewed studies reporting cognitive training studies for cognitively healthy, community-dwelling older adults (age 55+) in the United States published in English before December 31, 2015. A total of 31 articles published between 1986 and 2015 meeting inclusion criteria were identified and included in the review. Results A total of 6,432 participants were recruited across all of the studies, and ranged in age from 55 to 99 years. Across all studies examined, 39% reported racial/ethnic background information. Only 3 of these studies included a substantial number of minorities (26.7% in the ACTIVE study; 28.4% in the SeniorWISE study; 22.7% in the TEAM study). Race/ethnic minority older adults were disproportionately underrepresented in cognitive training studies. Implications Further research should aim to enroll participants representative of various race/ethnic minority populations. Strategies for recruitment and retention of ethnic minority participants in cognitive training research are discussed, which could lead to the development of more culturally appropriate and perhaps more effective cognitive interventions.
Smart Economic Development

Smart economic development is dependent upon holistic and routine evaluation of economic and societal frameworks. These frameworks need to be assessed and modified as part of an ongoing continuous improvement process. This chapter describes the relationship between smart economic development and sustainability. It prompts evaluation in the mechanics of sustainability‐focused education. It also establishes the view that the measurement of success of smart economic development may not be captured in present, standardly used metrics, namely, gross domestic product (GDP), given that the underlying values that support GDP expansion may be inconsistent with the success parameters associated with sustainability. The chapter also discusses the significance of culture, specifically conscious consumption in enabling sustainable outcomes. Establishment of rational agent decision‐making and responsible conscious consumption provides the conduit for paradigm shifting from consumerism to sustainability.
Hospital discharge preparedness for patients with limited English proficiency: A mixed methods study of bedside interpreter-phones.

Abstract Objective Assess effects of a bedside interpreter-phone intervention on hospital discharge preparedness among patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Methods Mixed-methods study compared patient-reported discharge preparedness and knowledge of medications and follow-up appointments among 189 Chinese- and Spanish-speakers before (n = 94) and after (n = 95) bedside interpreter-phone implementation, and examined nurse and resident-physician interpreter-phone utilization through focus groups. Results Pre-post discharge preparedness (Care Transitions Measure mean 77.2 vs. 78.5; p = 0.62) and patient-reported knowledge of follow-up appointments, discharge medication administration and side effects did not differ significantly. Pre-post knowledge of medication purpose increased in bivariate (88% vs. 97%, p = 0.02) and propensity score adjusted analyses [aOR (adjusted odds ratio), 4.49; 95% CI, 1.09–18.4]. Nurses and physicians reported using interpreter-phones infrequently for discharge communication, preferring in-person interpreters for complex discharges and direct communication with family for routine discharges. Post-implementation patients reported continued use of ad-hoc family interpreters (43%) or no interpretation at all (22%). Conclusion Implementation of a bedside interpreter-phone systems intervention did not consistently improve patient-reported measures of discharge preparedness, possibly due to limited uptake during discharges. Practice implications Hospital systems must better understand clinician preferences for discharge communication to successfully increase professional interpretation and shift culture away from using family members as interpreters.
Changes in Youth Baseball Pitching Biomechanics: A 7-Year Longitudinal Study

Background:Pitching biomechanics are associated with performance and risk of injury in baseball. Previous studies have identified biomechanical differences between youth and adult pitchers but have...
Victoria Martin. Transdisciplinarity Revealed: What Librarians Need to Know . Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited, 2017. 211p. Paper. $85.00 (ISBN 978-1-4408-4347-1).

Academia is rooted in disciplinary distinctions, so it is no surprise that academic librarianship shares that quality. Over time, as “multidisciplinary,” “interdisciplinary,” and “transdisciplinary” have increasingly become part of the process of knowledge creation within higher education, librarians have adapted. But, while most education professionals are able to explain the distinctions between multi- and interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity is less understood, so much so that it is often perceived as a synonym for the better known modes of knowledge creation. In an ambitious work, that is both a meticulously researched history of the development of transdisciplinarity and a forward-looking call for librarians to anticipate and prepare for the challenges that will arise as it is more widely embraced and implemented, the author sets out to clarify transdisciplinarity for her readers. In doing so, she highlights the potential and challenges of becoming more knowledgeable about, and adept at serving, this highly integrative and collaborative approach to scholarship, discusses areas of librarianship that may be profoundly impacted as transdisciplinarity continues to be adopted among scholars, and challenges existing paradigms within librarianship.
Thirty-five years of political geography and Political Geography: The good, the bad and the ugly

Abstract When Political Geography (Quarterly) was established in 1981, the field barely registered in the international social science community and had become a "moribund backwater". The journal has motivated and reflected a sizable body of published works for almost two generations. The impact of these articles, however, is muted for a variety of reasons including a large diversity of subjects and methodologies, a lack of sustained and replicable research on important contemporary subjects, a tendency to dilettantism, and a failure to achieve any coherent notion of what constitutes political geographic research. Because the discipline of political geography is so amorphous and opaque to both its practitioners and observers, the potential benefits of its approach are muted and its achievements enervated. The field's achievements can partly be gauged by a comparison of the journal's content to its original agenda. Notable missed opportunities for focus and impact are identified, especially in a failure to clarify the important role that context plays in political behavior. Publication expectations in academia have changed, propelling authors to try to rush to print, while not coincidentally publishing production standards have slipped. The likely trends are further centrifugal pressures on disciplinary staples and an erosion of what seemed like a relatively coherent sub-discipline in 1981.
Multimodal Life-Cycle Variation in 13- and 17-Year Periodical Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada)

Abstract Periodical cicadas, known for strict life-cycle lengths of 13 or 17 yr, actually exhibit developmental plasticity in cycle length. This variation tends to occur in 1- and 4-yr increments for both life-cycle types, with the largest events involving 4-yr accelerations of the 17-yr species. The pattern has stimulated hypotheses to explain brood formation and life-cycle evolution, but most of the evidence is anecdotal. We present the first quantitative evidence confirming that a site with a 4-yr acceleration does not necessarily experience comparable emergence in the following year, and we provide the first density estimate for a 4-yr early emergence of 17-yr cicadas (1.28/m2, within the range of published estimates for on-schedule emergences). We also document a 4-yr early 13-yr emergence—cicadas apparently emerging in 9 yr. Multimodal life-cycle patterns spanning −4 to +4 yr are evident in both 13- and 17-yr cicadas.
Assessment of emotionally disturbed children with the WISC—III.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the serious and persistent emotional and behavioral obstacles of school- going children and adolescents. It usually comprises the low-incidence problems– such as, autism, anxiety, and depression. In this context, terms such as emotional handicap, behavioral disturbance (BD), severe emotional disturbance (SED), emotional and behavioral disturbance (EBD), and emotional disturbance (ED) have been extensively used to encompass this heterogeneous group of children. Along with these, the myriad problems and long-term social consequences related to childhood ED refer to the importance of assessment practices leading to accurate identification and effective interventions. The chapter also stresses the importance of the Wechsler intelligence scale for children-third edition within the framework of a multimethod–multisource conceptualization of assessment. Detailed assessments have also been made in the chapter to understand the difference in the behavior of children with high and low verbal abilities. The issue of comorbidity is beneficial in this context, as children with more than one psychiatric disorder usually have a more guarded outcome.
Delamination growth in long composite tubes under external pressure

Delamination growth is a phenomenon known to reduce the integrity of laminated composite structural elements and may lead to premature failures. In the present study, state of the art procedures of delamination growth analysis are overviewed. The energy release rate calculation is formulated for composite delaminated tubular cross sections and specialized to a finite element model for delamination buckling and growth analysis of long laminated composite tubes taking into account initial geometric imperfections, large deformations, contact between delamination faces and material degradation. It is, then, used to study the potential of delamination growth in a hybrid composite tube. Parametric studies are conducted to assess the effects of delamination length, location and geometric imperfection on growth.
Fifty-Plus Years of Combinatorial Integer Programming

Throughout the history of integer programming, the field has been guided by research into solution approaches to combinatorial problems. We discuss some of the highlights and defining moments of this area.
Applications of Rasch Analysis to Studies in Occupational Therapy

The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) is a functional assessment instrument capable not only of providing equal-interval data on rehabilitation clients’ functional status but also of accounting for the substantial differences in rating behavior among raters. The multifaceted objective measurement theory making these advances possible is described, as is a research application of the AMPS to the study of developmental dyspraxia among very young children. Finally, some of the implications of objective measurement for functional assessment in rehabilitation are presented.
Chronic Coronary Artery Disease

Over the last two decades, due to improvement in the management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), the increasing aging of the population, and the epidemics of diabetes and obesity, the management of patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) has become an increasingly common and important part of clinical practice. The spectrum of chronic ischemic heart disease includes patients who have asymptomatic myocardial ischemia, stable angina pectoris, unstable angina, or prior myocardial infarction (MI) with residual ischemia. Mortality from ischemic heart disease increases in all age groups as blood pressure, vascular stiffness and endothelial dysfunction become more prevalent. New insights into the mechanisms underlying chronic stable coronary disease have led to the emergence of new anti-ischemic treatments and the role for revascularization has been reformulated.
Enforcing Strict Current Control in Controlled Voltage Source Converter Model for use in Large Scale Positive Sequence Time Domain Simulations

This paper introduces an inner loop current control methodology for a controlled voltage source converter model that has been previously proposed for use in large scale positive sequence time domain simulations. The architecture of the control loop is similar to and derived from the control architecture used in a point on wave simulation. As proof of concept, the behavior of the control methodology in a three-machine nine-bus test system and the 2012 WECC system, has been examined. Additionally, the necessity and effect of enforcing a near instantaneous current limit through network iterations will be discussed using the three-machine nine-bus test system and the IEEE 118 bus test system.
Uptake and localization of fluorescently-labeled Karenia brevis metabolites in non-toxic marine microbial taxa.

Brevetoxin (PbTx) is a neurotoxic secondary metabolite of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. We used a novel, fluorescent BODIPY-labeled conjugate of brevetoxin congener PbTx-2 (B-PbTx) to track absorption of the metabolite into a variety of marine microbes. The labeled toxin was taken up and brightly fluoresced in lipid-rich regions of several marine microbes including diatoms and coccolithophores. The microzooplankton (20-200 μm) tintinnid ciliate Favella sp. and the rotifer Brachionus rotundiformis also took up B-PbTx. Uptake and intracellular fluorescence of B-PbTx was weak or undetectable in phytoplankton species representative of dinoflagellates, cryptophytes, and cyanobacteria over the same (4 h) time course. The cellular fate of two additional BODIPY-conjugated K. brevis associated secondary metabolites, brevenal (B-Bn) and brevisin (B-Bs), were examined in all the species tested. All taxa exhibited minimal or undetectable fluorescence when exposed to the former conjugate, while most brightly fluoresced when treated with the latter. This is the first study to observe the uptake of fluorescently-tagged brevetoxin conjugates in non-toxic phytoplankton and zooplankton taxa, demonstrating their potential in investigating whether marine microbes can serve as a significant biological sink for algal toxins. The highly variable uptake of B-PbTx observed among taxa suggests some may play a more significant role than others in vectoring lipophilic toxins in the marine environment.
A Finite Sample Analysis of the Actor-Critic Algorithm

We study the finite-sample performance of batch actor-critic algorithm for reinforcement learning with nonlinear function approximations. Specifically, in the critic step, we estimate the action-value function corresponding to the policy of the actor within some parametrized function class, while in the actor step, the policy is updated using the policy gradient estimated based on the critic, so as to minimize the objective function defined as the expected value of discounted cumulative rewards. Under this setting, for the parameter sequence created by the actor steps, we show that the gradient norm of the objective function at any limit point is close to zero up to some fundamental error. In particular, we show that the error corresponds to the statistical rate of policy evaluation with nonlinear function approximations. For the special class of linear functions and when the number of samples goes to infinity, our result recovers the classical convergence results for the online actor-critic algorithm, which is based on the asymptotic behavior of two-time-scale stochastic approximation.
The impact of chemical order on defect transport in mixed pyrochlores.

Using temperature accelerated dynamics, an accelerated molecular dynamics method, we examine the relationship between composition and cation ordering and defect transport in the mixed pyrochlore Gd2(Ti1−xZrx)2O7, using the oxygen vacancy as a representative defect structure. We find that the nature of transport is very sensitive to the cation structure, transitioning, as a function of composition, from three-dimensional migration to two-dimensional to pseudo-one-dimensional to becoming essentially immobile before reverting back to three-dimensional as the Zr content is increased. The rates of migration are also affected by the cation structure in the various compositions. This behavior is driven by the connectivity of Ti polyhedra in the material, with more extensive networks of Ti ions leading to a greater ability of the vacancy to traverse the material. Our results indicate that the nature of transport is dictated by the cation structure of the material and that, conversely, the cation structure could be used to control transport and potentially other functionalities in mixed pyrochlores.
Cardiac Critical Care: Training Pathways and Transition to Early Career.

Since the inception of the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) in the early 1960s [(1)][1], the patient population has drastically evolved [(2–4)][2]. CICU hospitalizations complicated by multiorgan failure are frequent, while patient admissions with isolated primary cardiac dysfunction (e.g.,
A Comparative Review of Methods of Using Soil Colors and their Patterns for Wetland Ecology and Management

ABSTRACTSoil color patterns are essential to understand hydrologic regime and biogeochemical processes in wetland ecosystems. Munsell Soil Color Chart (MSCC) has been traditionally and predominantl...
Recombinant expression and purification of AF1q and its interaction with T-cell Factor 7

Abstract The protein ALL1 fused from chromosome 1q (AF1q) is overexpressed in a variety of cancers and acts to activate several signaling pathways that lead to oncogenesis. For example, AF1q has been shown to interact with T-cell Factor 7 (TCF7; also known as TCF1) from the Wnt/β-catenin pathway resulting in the transcriptional activation of the CD44 and the enhancement of breast cancer metastasis. Despite the importance of AF1q in facilitating oncogenesis and metastasis, the structural and biophysical properties of AF1q remain largely unexplored due to the absence of a viable method for producing recombinant protein. Here, we report the overexpression of AF1q in E. coli as a fusion to a N-terminal His6-tag, which forms inclusion bodies (IBs) during expression. The AF1q protein was purified from IBs under denaturing conditions by immobilized metal affinity chromatography followed by a successful one-step dialysis refolding. Refolded AF1q was further purified to homogeneity by gel filtration chromatography resulting in an overall yield of 35 mg/L culture. Our nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) measurements reveal AF1q interacts with TCF7, specifically with TCF7's high-mobility group (HMG) domain (residues 154–237), which is, to our knowledge, the first biophysical characterization of the AF1q and TCF7 interaction.
OnabotulinumtoxinA for Prevention of Migraine in Adults.

OnabotulinumtoxinA reduces the number of migraine days per month by two days compared with placebo in adults with chronic migraines.
Eyes-Closed Safety Kernels: Safety for Autonomous Systems Under Loss of Observability

A framework is presented for handling a potential loss of observability of a dynamical system in a provably-safe way. Inspired by the fragility of data-driven perception systems used by autonomous vehicles, we formulate the problem that arises when a sensing modality fails or is found to be untrustworthy during autonomous operation. We cast this problem as a differential game played between the dynamical system being controlled and the external system factor(s) for which observations are lost. The game is a zero-sum Stackelberg game in which the controlled system (leader) is trying to find a trajectory which maximizes a function representing the safety of the system, and the unobserved factor (follower) is trying to minimize the same function. The set of winning initial configurations of this game for the controlled system represent the set of all states in which safety can be maintained with respect to the external factor, even if observability of that factor is lost. This is the set we refer to as the Eyes-Closed Safety Kernel. In practical use, the policy defined by the winning strategy of the controlled system is only needed to be executed whenever observability of the external system is lost or the system deviates from the Eyes-Closed Safety Kernel due to other, non-safety oriented control schemes. We present a means for solving this game offline, such that the resulting winning strategy can be used for computationally efficient, provably-safe, online control when needed. The solution approach presented is based on representing the game using the solutions of two Hamilton-Jacobi partial differential equations. We illustrate the applicability of our framework by working through a realistic example in which an autonomous car must avoid a dynamic obstacle despite potentially losing observability.
Computed tomography screening for lung cancer

Cigarette smoking is the attributable cause for 90% of lung cancers. To complement preventative strategies, the advent of lung cancer screening programs targeted at prior and active smokers has been explored to reduce the mortality and morbidity of this lethal malignancy. In this article, we discuss the results of major computed tomography-based lung cancer screening trials, cost-effectiveness of screening, guidelines from major societies and future directions of the field.
Faculty and programmatic influences on the percentage of graduates of color from professional physical therapy programs in the United States

The physical therapy profession in the United States suffers from a shortage of providers of color. This is unlikely to change with newly graduating students, as 2.6% of 2017 graduates were African American and 5.7% were Hispanic or Latino. Faculty mentorship has a more profound influence on the retention of underrepresented minority students as compared with students from privileged backgrounds, according to undergraduate literature. The influences of faculty characteristics on physical therapy graduates of color are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine faculty and programmatic characteristics that could influence the percentage of physical therapy graduates of color. This study implemented the theory of academic capitalism to inform the results of a retrospective panel analysis, which used accreditation data from 2008 to 2017. Data from 231 programs was used to create fixed effects and random effects models to estimate the effects that faculty and program characteristics had on the percentage of graduates of color that a program produced. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between faculty of color and graduates of color (p < 0.001), but faculty must be sufficiently diverse before a program can expect a meaningful change in their percentage of graduates of color. Academic capitalist principles suggest that competition between programs for resources could negatively influence the proportion of graduates of color. Cause and effect associations between variables cannot be established. The authors concluded that professional physical therapy programs appeared to have increases in the percentages of graduates of color when they had more core faculty members of color.
A mixed-methods approach to understanding overdose risk-management strategies among a nationwide convenience sample.

Abstract Background This mixed-methods study compared drug use histories between individuals who had a reported non-fatal overdose to individuals who did not and described the overdose risk-management strategies as they were experienced by a sample of people who use drugs (PWUD). Shifts from non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) to the use of heroin and synthetic opioids have been implicated in national increases in overdose incidences in the United States. However, relatively limited data exists regarding the narrative experiences of the evolving overdose risk management strategies among a nationwide sample of PWUD. Methods Data recruitment was conducted via Amazon's mTurk crowdsourcing technology and was collected through semi-structured interviews that occurred in 2019. Participants (N = 60) with a history of NMPOU with transition to heroin or fentanyl use were recruited. Results Participants reporting a previous non-fatal overdose were more likely to report a history of injection drug use, a history of heroin injection, greater overdose risk knowledge, and current medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) use. Qualitative analysis revealed that participants attempted to mitigate overdose risk in primarily three ways: 1) self-regulation; 2) harm reduction; and 3) passive approach. Self-regulatory measures included administering small or incremental dosing, being mindful of personal tolerance limits, and avoiding the initiation of injection drug use. Harm reduction measures used to protect from overdose included carrying Narcan and relying on trusted drug-suppliers as references to drug purity. A passive approach indicated that participants relied on “luck” or divine support systems where religiosity and faith were endorsed as factors that mitigated personal overdose risk. Conclusion Participants reported successful overdose mitigation via self-regulation, which may suggest that PWUDs were capable at managing their drug use amid the overdose crisis. The importance of the drug-supplier relationship was critical to many in reducing their overdose risk as formal harm reduction services (e.g., safe injection sites) remain inaccessible in the U.S. Implications for drug policy and harm reduction interventions are discussed.
Transplanting Organs from Donors with HIV or Hepatitis C: The Viral Frontier.

A wide gap between the increasing demand for organs and the limited supply leads to immeasurable loss of life each year. The organ shortage could be attenuated by donors with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). The transplantation of organs from HIV+ deceased donors into HIV+ individuals (HIV D+ /R+) was initiated in South Africa in 2010; however, this practice was forbidden in the USA until the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act in 2013. HIV D+/R+ transplantation is now practiced in the USA as part of ongoing research studies, helping to reduce waiting times for all patients on the waitlist. The introduction of direct acting antivirals for HCV has revolutionized the utilization of donors with HCV for HCV-uninfected (HCV-) recipients. This is particularly relevant as the HCV donor pool has increased substantially in the context of the rise in deaths related to drug overdose from injection drug use. This article serves to review the current literature on using organs from donors with HIV or HCV.
Timing and Intertemporal Choice Behavior in the Valproic Acid Rat Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Recently it has been proposed that impairments related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may reflect a more fundamental disruption in time perception. Here, we examined whether in utero exposure to valproic acid (VPA) can generate specific behavioral deficits related to ASD and time perception. Pups from control and VPA groups were tested using fixed-interval (FI) temporal bisection, peak interval, and intertemporal choice tasks. In addition, the rats were assessed on motor function, perseverative and exploratory behavior, anxiety, and memory. The VPA group displayed a leftward shift in timing functions. VPA rats displayed no deficits on the motor and memory tasks, but were significantly different from controls on measures of perseveration and anxiety.
Black Normativity and Burdened Individualism: Grasping Disney’s The Princess and the Frog at the Roots

The Walt Disney Company has a marred past; the products that powered its explosive growth to an entertainment conglomerate depicted grossly racist stereotypes. Seeking to wash its hands of this controversial past, Disney released The Princess and the Frog (TPF), its first film featuring a Black protagonist. The film deserves recognition for its efforts to bring representation to Black Americans. But lurking in Disney’s redemption project is a noticeable revisionist whitewashing of American history. The film’s plot begins when Tiana, short on money and seeking to rescue her incipient dream to open a restaurant, accepts a prince-transmuted-frog’s offer to reward her for kissing him. When she compromises her unyielding adherence to “hard work,” she transforms into a frog. The film’s very narrative structure is built on what Saidiya Hartman labels “burdened individualism,” a discourse that demands Black Americans ceaselessly pursue market ascendency while stripping them of the tools to do so.
Teaching High-Frequency Circuit Design in Online Environment

COVID-19 pandemic has affected engineering education worldwide with most departments opting to switch to an online (remote) mode of instruction. At our institution, the switch happened in a matter of weeks which presented significant problems in teaching the fourth year Microwave Circuit Design courses. These courses were originally designed with a “studio” component where much of the design and experimentation happened during the so-called lab hours. Experimentation was very dependent on access to specialized and very expensive equipment, most importantly to VNA-s (vector network analyzers) and TDR oscilloscopes (time-domain reflectometry). Several compromises were made for online instruction: a) reduction of teaching material to essential components, b) use of inexpensive instrumentation, c) redesign of labs for off-line work, and d) reduction in the size of teams to two members instead of three. While the first may be advisable in any circumstances, the last two were driven primarily by logistical or organizational considerations. We report on how our “studio” environment was transformed into online “lab” assignments and how this affected course content. Key aspect of it is the development of affordable instrumentation that students can purchase themselves. This includes VNA-s and software-defined radios which are utilized as spectrum analyzers. We describe the initial uses of such instrumentation in our courses, their pros and cons, and the remaining issues. These developments have the potential to fundamentally change how we teach these and similar courses and we expect that many of the ideas being implemented will carry over into face-to-face instruction.
A RA-dependent, tumour-growth suppressive transcription complex is the target of the PML-RARα and T18 oncoproteins

A RA-dependent, tumour-growth suppressive transcription complex is the target of the PML-RARα and T18 oncoproteins
Surgical Aspects of Infection in the Compromised Host

Steadily increasing numbers of patients with compromised immune responsiveness are being encountered in current surgical practice. The spectrum of these patients (Table 1) ranges from those with severely impaired host resistance, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) victims or immunosuppressed transplant recipients, to those with more subtle defects, as occur in diabetics and the elderly. These patients should be expected to respond to inflammation and surgical stress quite differently from normal individuals. Thus, it is not unusual to encounter as great as a 12-fold increase in postoperative sepsis and mortality1 in patients whose acute condition is complicated by factors that diminish host defense. The surgeon called upon to evaluate a problem requiring possible surgical intervention in such patients must be aware of the special considerations which have been found to greatly influence their prognosis. Successful operative intervention is usually not possible following the solo approach typically employed for acute focal or traumatic conditions. Close collaboration and planning with the internist, infectious disease consultant, and anesthetist are essential. This chapter presents a number of other guidelines found helpful in the diagnostic approach, preoperative preparation, intraoperative techniques, and postoperative management of infection in the compromised host, illustrated by a review of typically encountered cases.
Observation‐Driven Geo‐Ontology Engineering

Big Data, Linked Data, Smart Dust, Digital Earth, and e-Science are just some of the names for research trends that surfaced over the last years. While all of them address different visions and needs, they share a common theme: How do we manage massive amounts of heterogeneous data, derive knowledge out of them instead of drowning in information, and how do we make our findings reproducible and reusable by others? In a network of knowledge, topics span across scientific disciplines and the idea of domain ontologies as common agreements seems like an illusion. In this work, we argue that these trends require a radical paradigm shift in ontology engineering away from a small number of authoritative, global ontologies developed top-down, to a high number of local ontologies that are driven by application needs and developed bottom-up out of observation data. Similarly as the early Web was replaced by a social Web in which volunteers produce data instead of purely consuming it, the next generation of knowledge infrastructures has to enable users to become knowledge engineers themselves. Surprisingly, existing ontology engineering frameworks are not well suited for this new perspective. Hence, we propose an observation-driven ontology engineering framework, show how its layers can be realized using specific methodologies, and relate the framework to existing work on geo-ontologies.
Teaching circuit analysis with MICRO-CAP II

The author describes the experiences gained while incorporating MICRO-CAP II into a basic circuit analysis course. MICRO-CAP II is a SPICE-based software that can be used to do AC, DC, transient and Fourier analysis. MICRO-CAP II not only allows one to draw the schematic of a circuit but also to do computer analysis directly from the schematic. A set of exercises solved with the aid of the MICRO-CAP II that enhances the teaching of such topics as transient analysis, frequency response, and input/output characteristics of circuits at DC conditions is described. Special features of the MICRO-CAP II and the reaction of the students who used the software are pointed out. It is shown that the MICRO-CAP II can be used by students to obtain, verify, or check the characteristics of electrical circuits of various degrees of complexity. >
Antiproliferative withanolides from several solanaceous species

To date, our work on solanaceous species (Datura wrightii, Jaborosa caulescens, Physalis hispida, Physalis longifolia, Vassobia breviflora and Withania somnifera) has resulted in the isolation of 65 withanolides, 31 of which were new, as well as the semi-synthesis of a further 30 withanolides. Structure identification and MTS assay-based antiproliferative evaluation of these 95 compounds revealed that a Δ(2)-1-oxo functionality in ring A, in conjunction with either a 5β,6β-epoxy or 5α-chloro-6β-hydroxy moiety in ring B, is the minimum structural requirement for withanolides to produce potent cytotoxic activity. Such structure-activity relationship analysis also revealed that oxygenation (the -OH or -OR groups) at C-4, 7, 11 and 12, as well as C-14 to C-28, did not contribute towards the observed antiproliferative activity. Herein, we present a complete overview of our work as it relates to the withanolides reported from 1965 to 2013.
Association between commercial and traditional sugar-sweetened beverages and measures of adiposity in Costa Rica.

Objective: Increasing trends in the consumption of commercial sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) have occurred in parallel with rising levels of obesity in Latin America, but data showing the relationship between these SSB and obesity are limited. The current study examined the association between commercial and traditional SSB and measures of adiposity in Costa Rica. Design: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in which the exposure, SSB intake, was defined as frequency of daily servings of ‘fresco’ (a traditional homemade beverage), fruit drink (commercially available SSB), soda and fruit juice (made from fruits at home). Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate associations between SSB intake and BMI, waist-to-hip ratio and skinfold thickness. Setting: Central Valley, Costa Rica. Subjects: Controls (n 2045) of a case‐control study on diet and heart disease in Costa Rica. Results: Fresco, fruit drink, soda and fruit juice were consumed $1 time/d by 47%, 14%, 4% and 14% of the population, respectively. One serving/d of soda, fruit drink and fresco was associated with 0?89, 0?49 and 0?21kg/m 2 higher BMI, respectively (all P ,0?05). Fruit drink ($1 serving/d) was associated with higher waist-to-hip ratio (P 50?004), while soda and fresco were associated with higher skinfold thickness (P 50?02 and 0?01, respectively). Associations with fruit juice intake were modest and not statistically significant. Other factors associated with higher BMI were higher income and less education, smoking and physical inactivity (all P ,0?05). Conclusions: Increasing intake of commercially available SSB could be in part responsible for the high prevalence of obesity among Hispanic adults.
Impact of a scene projector array on the nonuniformity of a test article's output image

The contribution of a scene projector array to the nonuniformity of a test article's output image has been calculated. In addition to the inherent nonuniformity of the detector array, the output image nonuniformity is dependent upon the nonuniformity of the projector array and the relative positions of emitter images on the detector array as determined by the sampling ratio. In order to calculate the predicted output nonuniformity, a weighting function was developed that accounts for the different contributions of one emitter to different individual detector elements. It is through this weighting function that parameters such as the sampling ratio, the fill factor of the detector array, the optical blur of the emitters, and the alignment of the emitters with respect to the detectors affect the nonuniformity. A computer program has been written to numerically approximate the weighting function for a user- defined set of parameters. For realistic parameters, a significant contribution to the nonuniformity was found to occur when certain non-integer sampling ratios are used. This nonuniformity is based solely on the relative positions of the emitter images on the detector array and will occur even if the projector array is completely uniform.
Iterative morphological algorithms for automated detection of land mines

A new hybrid algorithm, based on combining the decorrelating and packing qualitites of Principal Component (PC) analysis and the shape extracting and filtering properties of Mathematical Morphology, is investigated in the frame-work of land mien detection. The new method is similar in spirit to the MM-MNF algorithm, which is based on a linear pre- filter, followed by a morphological multispectral detection component (MM). The new filter (PC-MM), has a similar concatenated structure, and addresses some of the weaknesses inherent in the linear component of the MM-MNF algorithm; namely, the susceptibility of the MNF transform to clutter inhomogeneity, as well as to variation sin clutter covariance estimation. The PC-MM algorithm addresses the stationarity problem by solely operating on image peaks extracted by a morphological top-hat transform. Therefore, the algorithm is much less susceptible to the present of different textural regions. Subsequently, the peaks in the extracted multispectral top-het image are projected into uncorrelated bands using the principal component (PC) transform. Due to the packing property of the PC transform, the target markers are typically found in the first and second bands in the PC transformed image. The targets are then detected using a variant of the morphological detection scheme. The new method provides a fast and satisfactory first-pass detection result, for images of different clutter homogeneities and target types. The extracted targets, from the first pass, are then issued to improve the detection result in a subsequent iteration, by updating covariance estimates of relevant filter variables.
Disruption of semantic influence on writing following a left prefrontal lesion

We report a patient with impaired spontaneous writing, written naming, and homophone spelling, consistent with a disruption of semantic influence on writing. However, writing to dictation by both the phonological and lexical spelling systems was intact. In addition, general semantic abilities were spared, as indicated by preserved auditory and reading comprehension. We propose that our patient could not incorporate meaning into writing because of a disruption of both direct and indirect connections between semantics and the orthographic output lexicon. The writing dysfunction was accompanied by a similar impairment of speech output, suggesting that it was part of a more general disturbance of semantic influence on language production following left prefrontal damage.
Response to How Are the Mighty Fallen? A Dialogical Study of King Saul in 1 Samuel

Barbara Green's monograph, How Are the Mighty Fallen?, opens new vistas for the interpretation of 1 Samuel. No other work has attempted to use Bakhtin's thought so systematically in its interpretive project. In one sense the book might be viewed as a kind of experimental workshop in which the usefulness and generative potential of Bakhtin's categories are systematically explored. One of the risks in such a procedure is that not everything will work equally well—or, conversely, that there will not finally be an integral relationship between the Bakhtinian categories and the reading that is produced. Perhaps the most useful applications of Bakhtinian categories are "answerability" and "architectonics." Two of his concepts employed by Green that are found less satisfactorily are his understanding of genre and chronotope.
T4 DNA polymerase has a lower apparent Km for deoxynucleoside triphosphates complementary rather than noncomplementary to the template

Abstract The apparent Michaelis constants (K m ) of the T4 phage-induced DNA polymerase for the complementary nucleotides, dATP (17 μM) and dTTP (6 μM), are much lower than those obtained with the noncomplementary nucleotides, dGTP (190 μM) or dCTP (1,600 μM) with the homopolymers poly dA · poly dT as template-primer. In control experiments with denatured salmon sperm DNA as a template-primer, the K m values determined separately for each of the 4 dNTP were nearly identical (1.3 μM to 1.9 μM).
Magnetization behavior of RFe3-hydrides (R = Tb, Er and Tm)

The RFe/sub 3/ compounds (R = heavy rare earth), crystallizing in rhombohedral PuNi/sub 3/ type structure, absorb typically three hydrogens per formula unit at room temperature. The hydrogen absorption does not change the structure of these compounds but merely causes an expansion of the lattice. Magnetization studies have been carried out on the hydrides in the temperature range 4.2 to 300 K and in applied fields up to 21 kOe. The parent compounds are known to be ferrimagnetically ordered with reasonably high Curie temperatures. The magnetization of the hydrides at 4.2 K is observed to be smaller than that of the corresponding parent compounds. The compensation temperature also decrease on hydrogen absorption. These results may be taken to imply either an increase in moment on iron and/or a decrease in rare earth moment. In ErFe/sub 3/-hydride, a sharp increase in magnetization is observed close to room temperature. This is attributed to the change in easy direction of magnetization.
Enlarging and cooling the Néel state in an optical lattice

We propose an experimental scheme to favor both the realization and the detection of the N\'eel state in a two-component gas of ultracold fermions in a three-dimensional simple-cubic optical lattice. By adding three compensating Gaussian laser beams to the standard three pairs of retroreflected lattice beams, and adjusting the relative waists and intensities of the beams, one can significantly enhance the size of the N\'eel state in the trap, thus increasing the signal of optical Bragg scattering. Furthermore, the additional beams provide for adjustment of the local chemical potential and the possibility to evaporatively cool the gas while in the lattice. Our proposals are also relevant to efforts to realize other many-body quantum phases in optical lattices.