cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weaving Relationship Webs: Tracing how IMing Practices Mediate the Trajectories of Chinese International Students

Abstract Over the past decade has been a dramatic increase in the international student population at U.S. universities with the total enrollments at many colleges having doubled or quadrupled within the span of a few years. Despite the size and scale of these transformations, there remains little situated research attending to how this population's home languages or grassroots literacies mediate their transitions into the university. To understand this process, this study attends to ways an online chat room called QQ mediates the students’ transition into a large Midwestern public university. In performing this work, the present study contributes to current scholarship on IMing and to what Haas, Carr, and Takayoshi (2011) characterize as interactive networked writing (INW). Given the centrality of INWs in students’ everyday lives, attention to this area is key for understanding how their out-of-school literacies afford and constrain their academic socialization and learning. This exigency is particularly critical in relation to transnational students, as the extant INW scholarship has focused primarily on English with limited attention to practices in other languages beyond North American borders.
Electrospun fibrous polyurethane scaffolds in tissue engineering

Abstract Electrospinning is a popular and attractive technique for processing polymers into fibrous scaffolds mimicking the extracellular matrix of native tissue. Biodegradable linear polyurethanes have been processed into fibrous scaffolds through electrospinning, and then utilized for tissue engineering applications. In this chapter, an overview of electrospinning factors, including polymer solution properties and electrospinning parameters, which can be used to manipulate scaffold morphology, is provided. Further, improved electrospinning approaches are introduced to address the challenge of cell infiltration for electrospun scaffolds with dense structures. Finally, specific applications of polyurethane scaffolds in cardiovascular tissue engineering and abdominal wall reconstruction are summarized. Biodegradable electrospun polyurethane scaffolds with attractive structural and mechanical properties are potentially ideal candidates for tissue engineering applications.
Use of MKSAP 16 for American Board of Internal Medicine Examination.

In reviewing MKSAP 16 in preparation for an American Board of Internal Medicine recertification examination, Dr. Melissa Gennarelli, an internist at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College, asked Dr. Wilbert S. Aronow, a Professor of Cardiology at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College, 2 questions. The first question was why he currently recommends that diabetics with hypertension should have their systolic blood pressure reduced to < 140 mm Hg when MKSAP 16 (page 29 of Cardiovascular Medicine) recommends a systolic blood pressure goal of < 130 mm Hg. The second question was why he does not use dronedarone to treat high-risk patients with permanent atrial fibrillation when MKSAP 16 (page 52 of Cardiovascular Medicine) recommends the use of dronedarone in patients with atrial fibrillation to reduce hospitalization for cardiovascular events or mortality. In reply to the first question, Dr. Aronow stated that on the basis of clinical trial data, the 2009 European Society of Hypertension guidelines [1], the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association 2011 expert consensus document on hypertension in the elderly [2], and an excellent review article on this topic [3] recommend a systolic blood pressure goal of <140 mm Hg in diabetics with hypertension. The 2013 American Diabetes Association guidelines recommend a systolic blood pressure goal of < 140 mm Hg in most diabetics with hypertension [4]. In reply to the second question, Dr. Aronow stated that the Permanent Atrial Fibrillation Outcome Study Using Dronedarone on Top of Standard Therapy (PALLAS) randomized 3,236 patients with permanent atrial fibrillation and risk factors for major vascular events to treatment with dronedarone or double-blind placebo [5]. This study was stopped for safety reasons with a median follow-up of 3.5 months because dronedarone increased the rates of heart failure, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation at risk for major vascular events [5].
Can avian biology be useful to the social sciences

watchers in North America alone. Most consider birding a hobby-a reason for getting out of doors, or for observing the behavior of species that come to their feeders. Few probably are aware of the important role that avian research has played in the development of most major areas of evolutionary thinking (Mayr 1984, Konishi et al. 1989). Fewer still, I suspect, realize that basic ornithological research can lead to an increased understanding of some of the applied social problems facing our own society today. In this commentary, I address this latter issue. Over 300 species of birds live in family-structured kin groups (Emlen 1984, Brown 1987). Ornithologists are thus well positioned to decipher the basic biological rules that influence social interactions among genetically related individuals. Once such rules are known, they can provide a darwinian perspective for predicting the types of interactions expected between family members under a variety of differing social circumstances. I suggest that by extrapolating these rules to ourselves, we can better understand some of our own predispositions for behaving the way we do. To illustrate, I show how knowledge of such rules allows us to predict changes in the interactions of avian family members following the disappearance of a parent and its subsequent replacement by a new mate from outside the group. These changes are then compared to those which are currently taking place in our own society with the rapid rise in numbers of single-parent and stepparent families.
Grain Boundaries and J c in High-T c Oxide Superconductors

In metallic superconductors, grain boundaries are effective pinners of magnetic flux and, as such, are partially responsible for high critical current densities achievable in those materials. However, in the high-critical-temperature oxide superconductors, grain boundaries have been identified as the source of problems leading to the low critical current densities exhibited by bulk-sintered material. The very short superconducting coherence lengths of the oxides make their electrical and magnetic properties exceedingly sensitive to microstructural inhomogeneities, thus placing stringent requirements on the quality of grain boundaries. Recent studies of grain boundary chemistry and its effects on critical current density have shed some light on the problem.
Numerical Optimization of Leakage by Multifactor Regression of Trapezoidal Groove Geometries for a Balance Drum Labyrinth Seal

Grove configuration has a direct influence on the performance of the labyrinth seal. In this study, the geometry of the groove cavities in a water balance drum labyrinth seal was varied to investigate the effects on fluid leakage. A design of experiments (DOE) study varied the groove cavity cross-section through various trapezoidal shapes with one or both internal base angles obtuse. The grooves are parameterized by the groove width connected to the jet-flow region, the internal entrance and exit angles, the flat width inside the groove, and the depth. The corners inside the groove cavity are filleted with equal radii. As with the baseline model the grooves are evenly spaced along the seal length and identical copies of each other. The flow path starting at the rear of the pump impeller and proceeding through the seal was created as a 5 degree sector CFD model in ANSYS CFX. Three five-level factorial designs were selected for the cases where the entrance angle is obtuse and the exit angle acute, the exit angle obtuse and entrance angle acute, and both angles were obtuse. The feasible geometries from each factorial design were selected based on the nonlinear geometric constraints and CFD simulation experiments were performed in ANSYS CFX. The leakage results from these simulation experiments were then analyzed by multifactor linear regression to create prediction equations relating the geometric design variables to leakage and enable geometric optimization for minimum leakage. Streamline plots along the seal cross-section were then used to visualize the flow and understand regression trends. This study investigates the effect of groove cavities with obtuse internal entrance and exit angles on vortex size and position and subsequent seal leakage.© 2015 ASME
Stability of i.v. admixture containing metoclopramide, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate in 0.9% sodium chloride injection.

Purpose The chemical stability of a sterile admixture containing metoclopramide 1.6 mg/mL, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate 0.16 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was evaluated. Methods Triplicate samples were prepared and stored at room temperature without light protection for a total of 48 hours. Aliquots from each sample were tested for chemical stability immediately after preparation and at 1, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Metoclopramide, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate were selectively monitored using multiple-reaction monitoring. Samples were diluted differently for quantitation using three individual LC-MS/MS methods. To determine the drug concentration of the three compounds in the samples, three calibration curves were constructed by plotting the peak area or the peak area ratio versus the concentration of the calibration standards of each tested compound. Apixaban was used as an internal standard. Linearity of the calibration curve was evaluated by the correlation coefficient r 2. Results Constituents of the admixture of metoclopramide 1.6 mg/mL, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate 0.16 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection retained more than 90% of their initial concentrations over 48 hours of storage at room temperature without protection from light. The observed variability in concentrations of these three compounds was within the limits of assay variability. Conclusion An i.v. admixture containing metoclopramide 1.6 mg/mL, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate 0.16 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was chemically stable for 48 hours when stored at room temperature without light protection.
Can progression of renal disease be prevented

Renal disease from a variety of causes often progresses to end-stage renal failure. The progression may be caused by factors accompanying, but not initiating, renal injury. These factors include glomerular hyperfiltration, glomerular hypertension, systemic hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Studies, primarily in animals, indicate that causative factors may be altered by control of systemic hypertension, dietary protein restriction, administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or calcium channel blockers, and plasma lipid control. Whether such interventions will significantly alter progressive renal disease in humans is, as yet, uncertain.
Serotype assignment by sero-agglutination, ELISA, and PCR

For assessing isolates of Listeria monocytogenes, serotype designation is the first subtyping method used. Methodologies used to assign serotype are currently evolving and will eventually be replaced with whole genome sequencing. Traditionally, serotyping has been done with agglutination reactions; however, alternative methods utilizing enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are common. Described here are the three non-genomic methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Lipoplasty in Males

The use of the lipoplasty procedure in men differs significantly from that in women, primarily because men tend to have fatty deposits in different anatomic sites than women. Differences in physiology and motivation for surgery also contribute to the surgical considerations.
PLANE HARMONIC WAVES IN ELASTIC HALF-SPACES

This chapter discusses the plane waves representing disturbances that are uniform in planes of constant phase. Important wave propagation effects are the surface waves propagating along a bounding surface. For bodies with a surface of material discontinuity, there are plane waves that are not uniform in planes of constant phase. These waves are called surface waves. The surface waves propagate parallel to the surface of discontinuity. They have a property that disturbance decays rapidly as the distance from the surface increases. For a free surface, the surface waves are known as Rayleigh waves. The criterion for surface waves or Rayleigh waves is that the displacement decays exponentially with distance from the free surface. Propagating disturbances confined to the neighborhood of a surface occur not only in the vicinity of a free surface but also at the interface of two half-spaces filled with different materials. Thus, there can be surface waves at the interface of a solid and a fluid and also at the interface of two solids. Such waves are called Stoneley waves. The chapter discusses Rayleigh waves at a free boundary and Stoneley waves at an interface. The chapter reviews the existence of Rayleigh waves for the two-dimensional case of plane waves. It also discusses Simple harmonic waves.
How We Invest

In this chapter from their new book, Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet, the founder of Bloomberg LP and former mayor of New York City collaborates with the former executive director of the Sierra Club in showing how the pursuit of profit by companies and their investors is playing an important role in the battle against global warming. Climate change is shown as posing a series of discrete, manageable challenges—such as accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy—that have spurred a search for solutions that promise to make our society healthier and stronger. National governments, the authors argue, are not the best places to create or carry out these solutions. Rather, it is the mayors, CEOs, entrepreneurs, activists, concerned citizens, and other local actors who have the strongest incentives as well as the power and means to win the battle against climate change—and in ways that have already begun to generate economic growth and improve public health. State governors and mayors of cities around the U.S., in red and blue states alike, have been responsible for much of this progress. Cities and states have negotiated contracts with local utilities to provide greater amounts of clean energy, and used combinations of public and private capital to fund rapid transit, waste‐water treatment, and other infrastructure programs. But an equally important if not larger role is now being played by business. Companies large and small, with the backing of a growing number of environmentally conscious but resolutely profit‐seeking investors, are finding ways to reduce waste and strengthen worker protection and morale throughout supply chains that are providing increasingly climate friendly products and services. The authors' bottom line, then, is that preventing climate change will require more than goodwill and government regulation. It will take the profit motive, a force that that many environmentalists have long viewed with suspicion. While acknowledging the past efforts of socially responsible investment funds that have shown a willingness to sacrifice returns, the authors conclude that the enlightened self‐interest of value‐seeking investors may well prove more effective than the "beneficence" of social investors and philanthropists in producing investments of sufficient scale and practical efficacy to meet the challenges of global warming.
Self-Control: Methods for Child Training.

This article reports results from field research on training children in methods of behavioral self-control—an effort that has developed from interest in the generalization and maintenance of behav...
Optimized Synthesis of ZSM-11 Catalysts using 1,8-Diaminooctane as a Structure-Directing Agent.

Developing new zeolite catalysts for (petro)chemical applications is nontrivial owing to challenges that include the identification of commercially-viable syntheses. The vast majority of syntheses require the use of an organic structure-directing agent (OSDA), which has economic and environmental shortcomings. In the search for alternative zeolites to common industrial catalysts, such as ZSM-5 (MFI), a promising candidate is ZSM-11 (MEL), a close structural analogue of MFI. ZSM-11 is comprised of 3-dimensional straight channels that have less diffusion limitations than MFI. Side-by-side comparisons of ZSM-11 and ZSM-5 catalysts reveal the former exhibits significantly longer time-on-stream lifetime in many reactions; however, there are several difficulties associated with the preparation of ZSM-11, which include the ability to identify inexpensive OSDAs that produce small crystals in high yield. Here, we examine ZSM-11 synthesis using 1,8-diaminooctane (DAO), which produces ZSM-11 crystals with sizes of ca. 300 nm. We demonstrate that the quantity of DAO can be reduced by an order of magnitude via the use of MEL seeds without sacrificing crystal purity or yield. Catalytic tests using methanol to hydrocarbons as a representative reaction show that H-ZSM-11 lifetime and selectivity are similar for samples prepared with and without seeds. Collectively our findings highlight an efficient method to produce ZSM-11 as a potential alternative to ZSM-5 for catalytic applications.
Long-Term Outcome

The prognosis in West syndrome is poor overall, although a small number of individuals recover, with both resolution of seizures and achievement of normal mental development. While the natural history of this disorder is, in general, well documented, major questions remain unanswered regarding the factors that influence, or predict, outcome, and the long-term benefits of various therapeutic modalities. As discussed in the preceding chapter, a number of therapies have demonstrated efficacy for the control of spasms and improvement of the EEG characteristics. In this chapter, the evidence for an effect of such treatment on long-term outcome is considered, and we attempt to distinguish changes that are simply a part of the natural history of the disorder from those that are truly associated with therapeutic intervention.
Variation in Sterilization by Deladenus proximus on the Native Woodwasp, Sirex nigricornis, in Arkansas

Discovery of a potentially destructive non-native woodwasp, Sirex noctilio F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), in pine forests of eastern North America has elicited interest in appropriate management options. A parasitic nematode, Deladenus siricidicola Bedding (Tylenchida: Neotylenchidae), was introduced as a biological control agent in the Southern Hemisphere where it has been successful in some areas and unsuccessful in others. The North American congener (D. proximus Bedding) parasitizes native Sirex woodwasps and has potential as a biological control agent of S. noctilio due to its ability to utilize the invasive woodwasp as a novel host. However, basic biology and ecology of these native nematodes are largely unknown. Sirex nigricornis females were collected from three geographic locations in Arkansas in 2009 and 2010, dissected, and examined for the presence of D. proximus. Nematodes were found within S. nigricornis collected from all locations and years. Parasitism negatively affected woodwasp body size. We found high variation in percent of eggs infected with nematodes during both years of trapping. Research is needed to investigate potential mechanisms behind this variation of parasitism.
Utility of cardiac MRI in determining percutaneous versus surgical post-infarction ventricular septal defect repair.

Aim Postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a rare complication that can lead to rapid hemodynamic patient decompensation. The type of VSD repair relies on several factors including: size, location, timing and surgical expertise. Case A 63-year-old man with a ST-elevation myocardial infarction underwent percutaneous coronary intervention of the right coronary artery. A holosystolic murmur was notable postcatheterization, and transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed a VSD. To characterize the VSD, a cardiac MRI demonstrated a large, serpiginous VSD and longitudinal septal tear. Given the anatomic complexity and stable hemodynamics, a surgical trans-left ventricular patch repair was performed. Conclusion We emphasize the importance of cardiac magnetic resonance as a decision-making tool, utilizing imaging to ascertain the anatomy combined with hemodynamics to determine optimal individualized therapy.
Phase Transitions in the Assembly and Function of Human miRISC.

miRISC is a multi-protein assembly that uses microRNAs (miRNAs) to identify mRNAs targeted for repression. Dozens of miRISC-associated proteins have been identified, and interactions between many factors have been examined in detail. However, the physical nature of the complex remains unknown. Here, we show that two core protein components of human miRISC, Argonaute2 (Ago2) and TNRC6B, condense into phase-separated droplets in vitro and in live cells. Phase separation is promoted by multivalent interactions between the glycine/tryptophan (GW)-rich domain of TNRC6B and three evenly spaced tryptophan-binding pockets in the Ago2 PIWI domain. miRISC droplets formed in vitro recruit deadenylation factors and sequester target RNAs from the bulk solution. The condensation of miRISC is accompanied by accelerated deadenylation of target RNAs bound to Ago2. The combined results may explain how miRISC silences mRNAs of varying size and structure and provide experimental evidence that protein-mediated phase separation can facilitate an RNA processing reaction.
Alfred W. Crosby: Adapting Within a Matrix of Flora and Fauna

A geographer of a different cast of mind, Alfred Crosby described assemblages of portmanteau biotas, a concept recognizing associated micro-communities of animals and plants within which human societies are ensconced, and to which they respond culturally and evolutionarily. Crosby then historically reinterprets the clash between European and Amerindian populations during the Age of Exploration through the lens of portmanteau biotas. This third chapter reframes and reinterprets Crosby’s original insights, by conceptually expanding portmanteau biotas to include mutualisms propagated absent anthropogenic intervention. With Crosby’s portmanteau biota thus expanded into Symbiotic Portmanteau Assemblages, one can then reconstruct the early history of European colonization of the Americas. So situated, one can see that colonization systematically selected for relatively fast life history survivors, compounding direct destruction of Amerindian populations and sociopolitical structures.
Managing Information Leakage

We explore the problem of managing information leakage by connecting two hitherto disconnected topics: entity resolution (ER) and data privacy (DP). As more of our sensitive data gets exposed to a variety of merchants, health care providers, employers, social sites and so on, there is a higher chance that an adversary can “connect the dots” and piece together our information, leading to even more loss of privacy. For instance, suppose that Alice has a social networking profile with her name and photo and a web homepage containing her name and address. An adversary Eve may be able to link the profile and homepage to connect the photo and address of Alice and thus glean more personal information. The better Eve is at linking the information, the more vulnerable is Alice’s privacy. Thus in order to gain DP, one must try to prevent important bits of information being resolved by ER. In this paper, we formalize information leakage and list several challenges both in ER and DP. We also propose using disinformation as a tool for containing information leakage.
A New Application of Local Minima of Interval Functions: Interval-Valued Fuzzy Control

A new application is proposed for the algorithms of finding local minima of an interval-valued function: computing control in intelligent control systems.
Characterization of a Novel Murine Aldo-Keto Reductase

The aldo-keto reductase superfamily (Bohren et al., 1989) consists of many reductases that differ in their primary structure, substrate specficities and catalytic properties. Many subfamilies have been recognized, including the aldose reductase, aldehyde reductase, 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, androgen regulated protein from the mouse vas deferens, and many more. In the course of cloning murine liver aldo-keto reductases, we discovered yet another aldo-keto reductase with some unique properties. We hereby describe the cloning, sequencing, over-expression and characterization of this novel murine aldo-keto reductase which appears to be uniquely different from any hitherto described member of the superfamily.
Barbarism and Religion: Gibbon's fifteenth chapter: the spread of Christianity and the rise of the clergy

THE PROBLEMS OF THE TWO CHAPTERS The language in which Gibbon introduces his history of Christianity before Constantine is also the language which offended his Christian readers and has established his reputation as a hero of irreligious Enlightenment. It occurs just after the opening of chapter 15 and is repeated here. Our curiosity is naturally prompted to inquire by what means the Christian faith obtained so remarkable a victory over the established religions of the earth. To this inquiry, an obvious but satisfactory answer may be returned; that it was owing to the convincing evidence of the doctrine itself, and to the ruling providence of its great Author. But as truth and reason seldom find so favourable a reception in the world, and as the wisdom of Providence frequently condescends to use the passions of the human heart, and the general circumstances of mankind, as instruments to execute its purpose; we may still be permitted, though with becoming submission, to ask, not indeed what were the first, but what were the secondary causes of the rapid growth of the Christian Church. It will, perhaps, appear, that it was most effectually favoured and assisted by the five following causes: I. The inflexible, and, if we may use the expression, the intolerant zeal of the Christians, derived, it is true, from the Jewish religion, but purified from the narrow and unsocial spirit, which instead of inviting, had deterred the Gentiles from embracing the law of Moses. II. The doctrine of a future life, improved by every additional circumstance which could give weight and efficacy to that important truth. […]
Notes on the Life History of the Delicate Silver Y, Autographa pseudogamma (Grote, 1875) (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Noctuidae: Plusiinae)

The egg, larval, and pupal stages of the plusiine moth Autographa pseudogamma (Grote, 1875) are discussed and illustrated based on a laboratory iso-female rearing of a wild moth collected near Big Sky, Montana, in mid-July 2016. Eggs, larval coloration and pattern, and pupae are very similar to those already known from close relatives in the genus Autographa Hubner, [1821]. DNA sequence data from the COI barcode region were used to generate a phylogenetic tree showing the position of A. pseudogamma amongst other North American members of the genus and to help confirm the identification of field-collected moths. Genetic analyses indicate that A. pseudogamma is most closely related to A. sansoni Dod, 1910, contrary to relationships previously generated based on morphology.
Multiphysics reactor-core simulations using the improved quasi-static method

Abstract The improved quasi-static method (IQS) is a rigorous space/time multiscale approach whereby the neutron flux is represented by a time-dependent amplitude and a time-, space-, and energy-dependent shape. The objective of the IQS factorization is to evaluate amplitude and shape on different time scales in order to reduce the computational burden associated with solving the multi-dimensional flux equations, while maintaining solution accuracy. The IQS decomposition leads to a nonlinear system of equations that requires iteration of shape and amplitude. IQS iteration techniques involve fixed-point (Picard) iteration with various convergence criteria and shape rescaling. Nonlinear convergence of each of these techniques is investigated. Verification of IQS with analysis of time step convergence is also investigated in order to examine the method’s effectiveness with high-order schemes. The time derivative of the shape function is discretized through fourth order using implicit-Euler, Crank-Nicolson, and backward difference formulae (BDF).
A 0.033mm 2 Integrated Tunable Low-Pass Filter for Wideband Transceiver RFIC in 65 nm CMOS

A tunable 3rd-order Butterworth low-pass filter occupying a miniaturized 0.033 mm2 chip area is designed and integrated as a building block in a 65 nm CMOS wideband transceiver RFIC for multi-mode channel selection. Using compact binary-weighted current mode output OTA, the filter exhibits digitally programmable cutoff frequencies from 13.3 to 53.6 MHz. Measurement results show an in-band IIP3 of 19–21 dBm, and an input-referred noise of 33–38 nV/√Hz at a power consumption of 4.7-8.4 mW from a 1.2 V supply.
Using Online Search Queries in Real Estate Research with an Empirical Example of Arson Forecast

Abstract In this paper, I introduce a user's guide to Google Trends, a service created by Google to make statistics about online searches available to everyone at no cost. I review the service's ad...
Variable cellular decision-making behavior in a constant synthetic network topology.

Modules of interacting components arranged in specific network topologies have evolved to perform a diverse array of cellular functions. For a network with a constant topological structure, its function within a cell may still be tuned by changing the number of instances of a particular component (e.g., gene copy number) or by modulating the intrinsic biochemical properties of a component (e.g., binding strength or catalytic efficiency). How such perturbations affect cellular response dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we explored these effects in a common decision-making motif, cross-antagonism with autoregulation, by synthetically constructing this network in yeast. We employed the engineering design strategy of reuse to build this topology with a single protein building block, TetR, creating necessary components through TetR mutations and fusion partners. We then studied the impact of several topology-preserving perturbations – strength of cross-antagonism, number of operator sites in a promoter, and gene dosage – on decision-making behavior. We found that reducing TetR repression strength, which hinders cross-antagonism, resulted in a loss of mutually exclusive cell responses. Unexpectedly, increasing the number of operator sites also impeded decision-making exclusivity, which may be a consequence of the averaging effect that arises when multiple transcriptional activators and repressors are accommodated at a given locus. Stochastic simulations of this topology revealed that, even for networks with high TetR repression strength and a low number of operator sites, increasing gene dosage can reduce exclusivity in response dynamics. We further demonstrated this result experimentally by quantifying gene copy numbers in selected yeast clones with differing phenotypic responses. Our study illustrates how parameters that do not change the topological structure of a decision-making network can nonetheless exert significant influence on its response dynamics. These findings should further inform the study of native motifs, including the effects of topology-preserving mutations, and the robust engineering of synthetic networks.
Technical note: Measurements and data analysis of sediment–water oxygen flux using a new dual-optode eddy covariance instrument

Abstract. Sediment–water oxygen fluxes are widely used as a proxy for organic carbon production and mineralization at the seafloor. In situ fluxes can be measured non-invasively with the aquatic eddy covariance technique, but a critical requirement is that the sensors of the instrument are able to correctly capture the high-frequency variations in dissolved oxygen concentration and vertical velocity. Even small changes in sensor characteristics during deployment as caused, e.g. by biofouling can result in erroneous flux data. Here we present a dual-optode eddy covariance instrument (2OEC) with two fast oxygen fibre sensors and document how erroneous flux interpretations and data loss can effectively be reduced by this hardware and a new data analysis approach. With deployments over a carbonate sandy sediment in the Florida Keys and comparison with parallel benthic advection chamber incubations, we demonstrate the improved data quality and data reliability facilitated by the instrument and associated data processing. Short-term changes in flux that are dubious in measurements with single oxygen sensor instruments can be confirmed or rejected with the 2OEC and in our deployments provided new insights into the temporal dynamics of benthic oxygen flux in permeable carbonate sands. Under steady conditions, representative benthic flux data can be generated with the 2OEC within a couple of hours, making this technique suitable for mapping sediment–water, intra-water column, or atmosphere–water fluxes.
Legal Feasibility and Implementation of Federal Strategies for a National Retail-Based Fruit and Vegetable Subsidy Program in the United States.

Policy Points Suboptimal intake of fruit and vegetables is associated with increased risk of diet-related diseases. A national retail-based fruit and vegetable subsidy program could broadly benefit the health of the entire population. Existing fruit and vegetable subsidy programs can inform potential implementation mechanisms; Congress's powers to tax, spend, and regulate interstate commerce can be leveraged to create a federal program. Legal and administrative feasibility considerations support a conditional funding program or a federal-state cooperative program combining regulation, licensing, and state or local options for flexible implementation strategies. Strategies to engage key stakeholders would enable the program to utilize lessons learned from existing programs. Context Suboptimal intake of fruit and vegetables (FV 74 programs (six multistate, 22 state [including DC], and 46 local) administered by state and local governments and NGOs that incentivize the purchase of FV and two state laws and 11 state bills to provide tax exemptions for F&Vs. To create a national F&V subsidy program, Congress could use its Commerce Clause powers or its powers to tax or spend, through direct regulation, licensing, taxation, tax incentives, and conditional funding. Legal and administrative feasibility considerations support a voluntary conditional funding program or, as a second option, a mandatory federal-state cooperative program combining regulation and licensing. Conclusions Multiple existing programs provide an important foundation to inform potential implementation mechanisms for a national F&V subsidy program. Results also highlight the value of state and local participation to leverage existing networks and stakeholder knowledge.
Do Charter Schools Worsen Conditions in Neighborhood Public Schools? An Analysis of School Safety in New York City:

Safety has contributed to the growth of charter schools. However, charter schools may drain public schools of key resources, leading to a decline in safety in public schools. This study examines wh...
A desirable form for sparse matrices when computing their inverse in factored forms

An algorithm is given for transforming a sparse matrix by row-column permutations to a matrix in a special form. This form is desirable when computing the elimination form of the inverse of the matrix if the pivots are chosen sequentially on the main diagnoal. All the fill-in is limited to a known region of the form and the elements of this region can be computed accurately by accumulation of the inner products.
Implementing Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances at a Tertiary Care Pediatric Hospital : Unanticipated Effects and Provider Perceptions

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES There has been slow adoption of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) due to cost concerns and cumbersome technological and security specifications required by the DEA. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of an EPCS implementation at a tertiary care pediatric hospital on prescribing patterns and providers’ perceptions of this functionality pre and post implementation. METHODS The prescribing patterns of both the pilot group and the institution as a whole were analyzed before and after implementation. A survey was distributed to …
Behavioral Health After a Natural Disaster

The impact of a natural disaster can lead to a number of adverse consequences for individuals, whether physical or psychological. Healthcare response following a natural disaster tends to focus on identifying and treating symptomology for chronic and acute physiological conditions, which, left untreated, can be fatal. However, research has shown that less acutely severe conditions and problems related to behavioral health (e.g., medication/medical treatment adherence, diet, sleep, substance use disorders, mental health disorders, physical activity) can also lead to harmful short- and long-term consequences if not addressed. Throughout the following chapter, we examine how natural disasters affect behavioral health and potential methods moving forward for addressing these problems. Additionally, this chapter examines how natural disasters differentially affect behavioral health for those across the developmental trajectory.
Shared and disease-specific host gene-microbiome interactions across human diseases

Abstract While the gut microbiome and host gene regulation separately contribute to gastrointestinal disorders, it is unclear how the two may interact to influence host pathophysiology. Here, we developed a machine learning-based framework to jointly analyze host transcriptomic and microbiome profiles from 416 colonic mucosal samples of patients with colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. We identified potential interactions between gut microbes and host genes that are disease-specific, as well as interactions that are shared across the three diseases, involving host genes and gut microbes previously implicated in gastrointestinal inflammation, gut barrier protection, energy metabolism, and tumorigenesis. In addition, we found that mucosal gut microbes that have been associated with all three diseases, such as Streptococcus, interact with different host pathways in each disease, suggesting that similar microbes can affect host pathophysiology in a disease-specific manner through regulation of different host genes.
“I’m Losing Everything all Over Again”: Responses from Youth Experiencing Homelessness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Purpose Already at high-risk for adverse consequences associated with daily living, youth experiencing homelessness face additional barriers to health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to identify the self-reported experiences and healthcare needs of youth experiencing homelessness as services in the community began to shut down at the beginning of the pandemic. Method From May through November 2020, qualitative data were obtained by telephone or Facebook messenger from 20 youth (M = 22.4, SD = 2.64 years) who had been enrolled in a longitudinal intervention study. Results Content analysis of qualitative data yielded 5 categories and 1 overall theme. Categories were resource availability, financial instability, mental health, relationship conflict, and maladaptive coping. The overall theme was multiple losses. Youths lost jobs, means of financial support for self and family, access to social and healthcare services, meaningful and important relationships, and skills and controls over high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse. Conclusions Having similar experiences such as social isolation as those of high school students during the pandemic, the youths in this sample experienced multiple and simultaneous losses, needing time to grieve, and leaving them once more at high-risk for adverse outcomes.
Clinical Use of Serum Biomarkers in the Prediction of Cardiovascular Risk

Biomarkers that help predict the risk and prognosis for cardiovascular disease are discussed in this chapter. Biomarkers that appear to be useful include high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), NT-proBNP, interleukin-6 (IL-6), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and the troponins. However, most of the biomarkers currently available only moderately improve the predictive power of current risk models and variables that are measured routinely during the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. Measuring several of these biomarkers simultaneously may be of additional value, but there is still a need for new biomarkers that have a robust predictive power independent of that provided by the measurement of conventional risk factors.
Taxation of Damages after Schleier - Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?

Since 1919, statutory tax law has excluded from gross income damages received on account of a personal injury or sickness. The exclusion currently is set forth in section 104(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. The construction of that statutory exclusion, both by the courts and by the Commissioner, has undergone a number of changes and flip-flops over its 76-year history. The Supreme Court dealt with the meaning and application of section 104(a)(2) in its 1995 decision in Commissioner v. Schleier. While the Schleier decision arrived at a second-best solution, it was an improvement over the previous state of the law on the issue. Schleier removes most, albeit not all, of the potential for manipulation that previously existed and provides a considerable degree of certainty in what had been a chaotic corner of the tax law. In addition, Schleier's construction of the statute comports more closely with the policies that underlie section 104(a)(2) than did prior judicial constructions. In any event, Schleier has significantly altered the construction of section 104(a)(2), and the subsequent tax treatment of damages will be controlled by that decision, even perhaps certain aspects of damages for which taxation is determined by the 1996 amendment of section 104. This article will examine the reasoning of the Schleier decision.
Lattice Parameters in Blue Phase Mixtures

The blue phases BPI and BPII in two sets of mixtures of cholesteric and nematic materials have been studied using optical Bragg reflection. A critical cholesteric pitch exists for each set of mixtures separating two types of behavior of the BPII lattice parameters. The extent of lattice contraction at the BPI-BPII transition in short-pitch mixtures appears to be universal. There is no simple correlation between the blue phase lattice parameters and the cholesteric pitch.
Randomized Field Trials in Education

In the simplest randomized field trial (RFT), individuals are randomly assigned to one of two or more groups, each group being given a different educational intervention that purports to improve the achievement level of children. The groups so composed do not differ systematically. Roughly speaking, the groups are equivalent.
Surface passivation and isochronal annealing studies on n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layer

Schottky barrier radiation detectors were fabricated on the Si-face of 50 μm thick detector grade n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers. The junction properties of the fabricated detectors were investigated by current-voltage (I-V) and capacitancevoltage (C-V) measurements. The radiation detector performances were evaluated by alpha pulse height spectroscopy using a 0.1 μCi 241Am radiation source. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements were carried out to identify and characterize the electrically active defect levels present in the epitaxial layers. The performance of the detector was found to be limited by the presence of electrically active defect centers in the epilayer. Deep level defects were reduced significantly by isochronal annealing. Surface passivation studies were conducted on n-type 4H-SiC epilayers for use on radiation detectors for the first time. Energy resolution of the detector was found to have improved after passivation and the life time killing defects that were responsible for preventing full charge collection were reduced significantly. Systematic and thorough C-DLTS studies were conducted prior and subsequent to isochronal annealing to observe evolution of the deep level defects.
Random projection, margins, kernels, and feature-selection

Random projection is a simple technique that has had a number of applications in algorithm design. In the context of machine learning, it can provide insight into questions such as “why is a learning problem easier if data is separable by a large margin?” and “in what sense is choosing a kernel much like choosing a set of features?” This talk is intended to provide an introduction to random projection and to survey some simple learning algorithms and other applications to learning based on it. I will also discuss how, given a kernel as a black-box function, we can use various forms of random projection to extract an explicit small feature space that captures much of what the kernel is doing. This talk is based in large part on work in [BB05, BBV04] joint with Nina Balcan and Santosh Vempala.
How ordinary judges and juries decide the seemingly complex technological questions of patentability over the prior art.

Determinations of patentability over the prior art are often thought to raise questions that are so technologically complex that they require special training and judgment to answer, especially in fast-moving fields like modern biotechnology. This essay explores the somewhat counterintuitive argument that under the U.S. system they do not and should not. According to this view, determinations of patentability over the prior art are based entirely on factual inquiries that are best made by lay judges and juries, just like the factual determinations these people regularly make in any ordinary nonpatent trial. This is good because judges and juries are adept at these determinations, and because appellate courts are adept at reviewing them. It leads to a system that is cheaper overall in allowing private litigants to better predict outcomes that also better approximate the correct answer than would be possible under other regimes premised upon the expert technological knowledge and judgment of a decisionmaker.
Death by Disaster: Anglo-American Presumptions, 1766-2006

Suppose that two persons, A and B, died in a common disaster. B was the child of A and stood to receive some or all of A's property at A's death. Yet B (and, in turn, B's successors) would only be so entitled if B survived A, at least for an instant. How was a court to determine whether B so survived? This article explores the answers in England and America from 1766 to 2006. Commissioned for a book on The Law of Presumptions: Essays in Comparative Legal History, the article examines the history of the presumptions in Anglo-American law that govern survivorship. The article uses treatises, cases, and legislative records to shed new light on the history, and to explore the resistance at common law to any presumption on the matter - a resistance that was only overcome by legislation in the twentieth century.