cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autonomous robotic refueling of an unmanned surface vehicle in varying sea states

In an effort to improve sailor safety during underway replenishment on the open sea, a robotic refueling system has been developed to autonomously refuel unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). The Rapid Autonomous Fuel Transfer (RAFT) project has demonstrated a methodology that could be used on the open water to autonomously refuel Navy vessels at significant sea states. The prototype refueling system is made up of two robotic arms: a rigid and precise industrial robotic manipulator to pinpoint the location of the target fuel tank and a novel soft pneumatic arm (Octarm) to provide compliant and safe contact with the USV. At the end of the Octarm, a magnetic end effector was designed (patent pending) to transfer a refueling “puck” from the robotic system to the target fuel tank. Acting under manual control or autonomously through visual tracking techniques, the robotic refueling system was shown to effectively transfer fuel to the target US Navy Sea Fox vessel under sea state 3.25 conditions at the US Army Aberdeen Test Center. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using a robotic solution to allow autonomous shore-to-ship or ship-to-USV refueling. It also illustrates the benefits and challenges of future robotic ship-to-USV refueling operations. This represents the first demonstrated use of a robotic system for fluid transfer to vessels in active sea states. This paper describes the design, development, and demonstration of the prototype autonomous refueling system.
Role of Cyclic Di-GMP in Biofilm Development and Signaling in Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis, a gram-negative bacterium and member of the Enterobacteriaceae family, is the causative agent of bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. In general, increased levels of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) inside bacterial cells correlate with biofilm formation and expression of exopolysaccharide (EPS) and adherence factors, while decreased intracellular levels stimulate motility and a planktonic lifestyle. c-di-GMP homeostasis is carried out by GGDEF domain proteins, cyclic diguanylate cyclases (DGCs), which synthesize c-di-GMP, as well as EAL and HD-GYP domain proteins, c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which degrade this nucleotide. Y. pestis was reported to express an Hms-dependent biofilm EPS, based on electron microscopy, reaction with antisera against poly-β-1,6-GlcNAc, and on the ability of cells to bind Congo red (CR), calcofluor white, and ruthenium red, each shown to stain various polysaccharides. A Y. pestis hmsP mutant overproduces biofilm but shows no increase in the levels of HmsHFRS proteins. All other potential DGCs and PDEs encoded by the Y. pestis KIM6+ genome do not compensate for hmsT or hmsP mutations, and the authors' analysis suggests that HmsT and Y3730 are the only two functional DGCs and that HmsP is the only functional PDE in Y. pestis. Mutations in speC (encoding ornithine decarboxylase), speA (encoding arginine decarboxylase), or both genes cause progressively lower intracellular levels of putrescine and a corresponding loss of crystal violet staining as a measure of adherence. Currently, only biofilm development is known to be controlled by c-di-GMP signaling in Y. pestis.
The Diegetic Music of Berg’s Lulu: When Opera and Serialism Collide

ABSTRACTAlban Berg set his only serialist opera, Lulu, in the tumultuous and often noisy present of interwar Europe. During several scenes, Berg uses diegetic techniques to supply his characters with music that is appropriate to the depicted location. To accommodate such episodes, Berg must reinterpret popular genres within the opera’s twelve-tone context while preserving enough of the styles to render them familiar to the listener. The diegetic music of Lulu therefore exposes an artistic conflict between Berg’s compositional autonomy and his dramaturgical commitment to the realistic musical representation of a non-serialist world.
Efficient similarity-based declustering techniques for keyword-based information retrieval in the streaming data model

Multiple-disk architectures are an attractive approach to meet high performance I/O demands in I/O intensive applications such as search engines, web servers and information retrieval systems. This requires that the issues of dynamic load balancing and access parallelism be addressed, which is the goal of this paper. We address the problem of document declustering in a keyword-based information retrieval system for parallel architectures consisting of a single processor and multiple disks. We propose and evaluate experimentally four similarity-based methods, viz., set, multiset, vector, and euclidean, for declustering documents. Interestingly, our results show that for single keyword queries as well as boolean and queries the set and multiset methods generally outperform the vector and euclidean methods with set being the best for the so-called simple plan. We also introduce a highest-frequency first retrieval scenario and compare the methods under this scenario, and find that set and multiset methods are still generally superior to the other methods with the multiset outperforming the set method. We compare these methods with the (theoretically) optimal values, which are practically impossible to achieve. Finally, we approximated the multiset method using the harmonic mean and found that the results were slightly inferior than multiset method, but still better than the vector and euclidean methods.
ADAPTATION TO FINE-GRAINED ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION: AN ANALYSIS OF WITHIN-INDIVIDUAL LEAF VARIATION IN AN ANNUAL PLANT.

Recent studies of evolution in heterogeneous environments have concentrated on the role of coarse-grained environmental variation. Here I explore the potential for a modular organism to adapt to fine-grained environmental variation through within-individual variation among modules. I describe the pattern of variation among leaves of single individuals and report results of initial analyses of genetic variation for within-individual variability in leaf traits and of genetic correlations that could influence the rate of further evolution of within-individual variation of these traits. Plants from 24 paternal half-sib families were raised in growth chambers, and five traits were measured for two leaves produced by each plant. Four of the five traits differed significantly between sampling times. Genetic analyses revealed significant additive genetic variation for within-individual variation in several traits. Estimates of family mean correlations between traits expressed at different times suggest few relationships that would be expected to impede response to selection for changes in the pattern of within-individual variation in leaf traits. These results support the possibility that within-individual variation could evolve as an adaptive response to fine-grained environmental variation and suggest a need for further investigation to improve understanding of evolution in heterogeneous environments.
Management of Craniosynostosis

The safety and efficacy of early treatment of craniosynostosis, using minimally invasive endoscopic strip craniectomies, were evaluated prospectively in 100 patients (72 boys, 28 girls) treated at the University of Missouri Hospital, Columbus, MO.
Aspiration Cytology of Papillary Cystic Neoplasm of the Pancreas

The authors present a case of papillary and cystic neoplasm of the pancreas (PCN) in which fine-needle aspiration was performed intraoperatively. Only a few reports of fine-needle aspiration of this rare tumor have been published. The features most helpful in reaching a diagnosis of PCN were a monotonous population of tumor cells, round to oval bland-appearing nuclei, scanty to moderate ill-defined cytoplasm, and the presence of numerous capillaries. Despite the lack of branching papillary clusters described in previous reports, it was possible to suggest the correct diagnosis by identifying these other characteristic features. In addition, estrogen and progesterone receptor levels were measured and found to be negligible. A review of the literature with emphasis on cytologic features also is presented.
Seasonal Effect on Reproductive Performance of Monochamus carolinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Reared in Pine Logs

The effect of season on the reproductive performance of Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier) reared in pine logs was investigated by constructing fertility tables for each of 39 jack pine, Pinus banksiana Lamb., logs that differed only in the season that they were cut. Population parameters that measured survival and reproduction of M. carolinensis, including the intrinsic rate of increase ( r ), were compared among 3 seasonal cohorts. The intrinsic rate of increase and associated population parameters of beetles that emerged from logs cut during spring were significantly higher than for beetles that emerged from logs cut during summer and autumn. Only minor differences were found between beetles emerged from summer and autumn logs. The nutritional value of phloem and cambium tissue of pines is highest during the spring months. We hypothesize that seasonal differences in the nutritional quality of logs caused the observed differences in M. carolinensis survival and reproduction.
Investigation of Instability Mechanisms in a Laboratory Scale GH2/GO2 Combustor

This work investigates the properties of self-sustained unsteady flames in a moderatepressure single, shear coaxial injector combustor. Strong flowfield and flame structure modification is observed as a result of the low amplitude pressure fluctuation established in the combustion chamber. The flame front is observed to undergo a periodic change in structure, with near complete extinction and reignition following ejection events. Observations from performing experiments at varying chamber lengths suggest that the instability is thermoacoustic in nature. Corresponding mixing studies of variable-density non-reacting shear coaxial jets demonstrate the presence of self-excited hydrodynamic instabilities in the form of side jets, which could potentially be linked to the unsteady behavior in reacting cases.
Development of Genetically Engineered Oilseeds

Although the relative fatty acid composition of the oil varies between species, almost all of the important commodity vegetable oils are rich in 18-carbon, polyunsaturated fatty acids (linolenic and/or linoleic acids). Polyunsaturated fatty acids are prone to oxidation during storage (linolenic acid, for example, is over 50 times more chemically reactive than oleic acid) and chemical changes during cooking, which result in off-flavors. Oils rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperatures which makes them, in their unmodified form, unsuitable for applications such as butter and lard substitutes. Thus most edible vegetable oils used in commercial frying, margarines, baking shortenings and hydrophobic coatings have been modified by chemical hydrogenation after refining.
General and End Compactifications

The intuitive notion of forming a compactification of a topological space is to “attach” new points to a space to “compactify” it. We use equivalence relations on the remote points of an enlargement of a given topological space to produce the new points. Thus, nonstandard methods are shown to unify the various extant approaches to compactification.
Improving Workforce Diversity in Minority and Majority Institutions

To improve healthcare workforce diversity in minority and majority institutions, one must not only examine the supply (medical students, nursing students, etc.) but also the forces that may impede progress to healthcare workforce diversity. Here, we will tackle these key elements and then discuss current and future strategies that may provide meaningful solutions to this important dilemma.
Active learning and submodular functions

Active learning is a machine learning setting where the learning algorithm decides what data is labeled. Submodular functions are a class of set functions for which many optimization problems have efficient exact or approximate algorithms. We examine their connections. (1) We propose a new class of interactive submodular optimization problems which connect and generalize submodular optimization and active learning over a finite query set. We derive greedy algorithms with approximately optimal worst-case cost. These analyses apply to exact learning, approximate learning, learning in the presence of adversarial noise, and applications that mix learning and covering. (2) We consider active learning in a batch, transductive setting where the learning algorithm selects a set of examples to be labeled at once. In this setting we derive new error bounds which use symmetric submodular functions for regularization, and we give algorithms which approximately minimize these bounds. (3) We consider a repeated active learning setting where the learning algorithm solves a sequence of related learning problems. We propose an approach to this problem based on a new online prediction version of submodular set cover. A common theme in these results is the use of tools from submodular optimization to extend the breadth and depth of learning theory with an emphasis on non-stochastic settings.
Let the Games Begin! Teaching Your Game

This chapter explores pedagogical and logistical aspects to teaching the game by walking the reader through different steps and ways to implement the game. Certain scenarios such as how to deal with “cheaters” and those resistant to “playing games” in school are discussed. This chapter stresses the importance of the role of the teacher in putting into place the structures around the game in order to leverage learning, including exploring teachers playing a role in the game story (Digital games and learning, Continuum, London, pp. 226–251, 2011). It also encourages teacher research, or systematically collecting data to answer questions and to use these answers to further develop the curricular game. Finally, it proposes the idea that students can learn by designing, creating, and teaching their own curricular games by drawing on Papert’s (Mindstorms: children, computers, and powerful ideas, Basic Books, New York, 1980) notion of constructionism.
Visual Attention in Infancy

Within the past 15–20 years, research on visual attention in infancy has grown voluminously. This research area, which did not exist as a discrete area prior to the pioneer reports of Berlyne (1958) and Fantz (1958), is primarily concerned with infants’ abilities to deal with incoming visual stimulation within the first 6 months of life. As the area has expanded, researchers have become increasingly sophisticated in terms of their conceptualizations of the processes involved as well as in the methods used to measure these processes. At this time, however, there appears to be no integrated overview of this research area that would examine it from the point of view of all of the separate processes involved. Previous review papers have tended to note empirical results without attempting to determine how the various findings may relate to the more basic processes that are thought to be involved. The division of visual attention in infancy into the two major areas of stimulus variables and novelty (Bond, 1972; Hershenson, 1967; McCall, 1970) no longer appears to be the most satisfactory way of conceptualizing the area.
White blood cell aplasia associated with thymoma

A limited number of cases of acquired hypoplastic neutropenia or pure white blood cell aplasia (PWCA) associated with thymoma have been reported, in contrast to the well-documented association of pure red blood cell aplasia and thymoma. The mechanism of the aplasia in these disorders is unclear. The authors report a case of PWCA (with total absence of all granulopoietic elements in the bone marrow) in a patient with metastatic spindle cell thymoma, in which suppression of autologous granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units by the patient's serum could be demonstrated. This finding suggests a humoral autoimmune mechanism for the pathogenesis of PWCA in this patient and lends support to the possibility that all hematologic phenomena associated with thymoma may have an autoimmune basis.
Seeing the unseen: uncover the bulk heterogeneous deformation processes in metallic glasses through surface temperature decoding

Deformation processes in various materials are inhomogeneous in space and jerky in time, with the shear banding in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) as a quintessential example, but there is a lack of in situ, nondestructive observations of such processes on the appropriate spatio-temporal scales. This work solves this long-lasting difficulty by the integration of in situ infrared (IR) measurements and innovative signal processing algorithms. A spatio-temporal unmixing method is developed to identify the discrete surface ‘hot-spots’ that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of macroscopic shear bands during the serrated flow. The use of a thermal-electric analogy further identifies depths of these hot-spots, whose magnitudes and locations evolve as the successive shearing process repeats on the major shear band. Seeing the previously ‘unseen’ localized heat sources and their 3D evolution patterns, both in situ and inside the bulk, reveals for the first time how the coupled structural/thermal softening mechanisms govern the heterogeneous deformation processes in BMGs.
Road ecology: shifting gears toward evolutionary perspectives

Recent advances in understanding the often rapid pace of evolution are reshaping our view of organisms and their capacity to cope with environmental change. Though evolutionary perspectives have gained traction in many fields of conservation, road ecology is not among them. This is surprising because roads are pervasive landscape features that generate intense natural selection. The biological outcomes from these selection pressures – whether adaptive or maladaptive – can have profound consequences for population persistence. We argue that studying evolutionary responses is critical to accurately understand the impacts of roads. Toward that end, we describe the basic tenets and relevance of contemporary evolution and showcase the few examples where it has been documented in road ecology. We outline practical ways that road ecologists can estimate and interpret evolutionary responses in their research. Finally, we suggest priority research topics and discuss how evolutionary insights can inform conservation in landscapes traversed by roads.
A Comparison of Phenomenologic Growth Laws for Myocardial Hypertrophy

The heart grows in response to changes in hemodynamic loading during normal development and in response to valve disease, hypertension, and other pathologies. In general, a left ventricle subjected to increased afterload (pressure overloading) exhibits concentric growth characterized by thickening of individual myocytes and the heart wall, while one experiencing increased preload (volume overloading) exhibits eccentric growth characterized by lengthening of myocytes and dilation of the cavity. Predictive models of cardiac growth could be important tools in evaluating treatments, guiding clinical decision making, and designing novel therapies for a range of diseases. Thus, in the past 20 years there has been considerable effort to simulate growth within the left ventricle. While a number of published equations or systems of equations (often termed "growth laws") can capture some aspects of experimentally observed growth patterns, no direct comparisons of the various published models have been performed. Here we examine eight of these laws and compare them in a simple test-bed in which we imposed stretches measured during in vivo pressure and volume overload. Laws were compared based on their ability to predict experimentally measured patterns of growth in the myocardial fiber and radial directions as well as the ratio of fiber-to-radial growth. Three of the eight laws were able to reproduce most key aspects of growth following both pressure and volume overload. Although these three growth laws utilized different approaches to predict hypertrophy, they all employed multiple inputs that were weakly correlated during in vivo overload and therefore provided independent information about mechanics.
INCIDENCE, PREDICTORS, AND OUTCOME OF POSTOPERATIVE ATRIAL FIBRILLATION IN PATIENTS RECEIVING CONTINUOUS FLOW LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICES

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and length of hospital stay after cardiac surgery. However, the incidence, predictors, and clinical outcomes of POAF in patients undergoing implantation of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD)
Antigen Density Dictates Immune Responsiveness following Red Blood Cell Transfusion.

Although RBC transfusion can result in the development of anti-RBC alloantibodies that increase the probability of life-threatening hemolytic transfusion reactions, not all patients generate anti-RBC alloantibodies. However, the factors that regulate immune responsiveness to RBC transfusion remain incompletely understood. One variable that may influence alloantibody formation is RBC alloantigen density. RBC alloantigens exist at different densities on the RBC surface and likewise exhibit distinct propensities to induce RBC alloantibody formation. However, although distinct alloantigens reside on the RBC surface at different levels, most alloantigens also represent completely different structures, making it difficult to separate the potential impact of differences in Ag density from other alloantigen features that may also influence RBC alloimmunization. To address this, we generated RBCs that stably express the same Ag at different levels. Although exposure to RBCs with higher Ag levels induces a robust Ab response, RBCs bearing low Ag levels fail to induce RBC alloantibodies. However, exposure to low Ag–density RBCs is not without consequence, because recipients subsequently develop Ag-specific tolerance. Low Ag–density RBC–induced tolerance protects higher Ag–density RBCs from immune-mediated clearance, is Ag specific, and occurs through the induction of B cell unresponsiveness. These results demonstrate that Ag density can potently impact immune outcomes following RBC transfusion and suggest that RBCs with altered Ag levels may provide a unique tool to induce Ag-specific tolerance.
SOL effects on the pedestal structure in DIII-D discharges

Analysis with the SOLPS code suite (Schneider R. et al 1992 J. Nucl. Mater. 196 810; Wiesen S. et al 2015 J. Nucl. Mater. 463 480–4; Bonnin X. et al 2016 Plasma Fusion Res. 11 1403102) explains the differences in pedestal structure associated with different ion drift directions in DIII-D. Core transport models predict that fusion power scales roughly as the square of the pressure at the top of the pedestal, so understanding the effects that determine pedestal structure in steady-state operational scenarios is important to help project scenarios developed in DIII-D to ITER and other devices. Both experiments and modeling indicate that scrape off layer (SOL) conditions are important in optimizing the pedestal structure for high-beta steady-state scenarios. The SOLPS code is used to provide interpretive analysis of the pedestal, and SOL conditions are used to examine the nature of flows and fueling on the pedestal structure; including the effect of drifts in the fluid model. This analysis shows that flows driven by the ion drift outwards when the drift flows toward the x-point, in a single-null divertor configuration (favorable direction for reduced H-mode power threshold), and they drift inwards when the drift flow is away from the x-point (unfavorable direction). It is hypothesized that these flows decrease the density gradient of the pedestal in the favorable direction, thereby stabilizing the kinetic ballooning mode (KBM) and increasing the pedestal width. Comparisons of the pedestal structures in similarly shaped DIII-D steady-state plasmas confirm this change, showing increased density pedestal width, lower peak density and lower separatrix density with the favorable drift direction. The pedestal temperature is higher at a lower density, resulting in an increased pedestal pressure, which indicates that the increased particle flux does not significantly degrade energy confinement. Modeling cases with constant drift direction, but with a change between the more open lower divertor and more closed upper divertor, show that there is increased fueling inside a pedestal with a more open geometry. The pedestal fueling rate for both attached and detached cases is always lower when there is a more closed divertor geometry than in cases when there is a more open divertor geometry.
Finite Element Solutions for General Fluid Motion

General hydrodynamic equations of the same form as the Navier-Stokes and continuity equations are numerically solved by a variational method based on a quasi-linear variational principle. The finite element decomposition results in a simple linear matrix system that is readily solved by standard first order numerical methods. A pseudo-iterative procedure is used to accommodate the basic nonlinearity of the equations of motion.
Sudden Cardiac Death Substrate Imaged by Magnetic Resonance Imaging: From Investigational Tool to Clinical Applications.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a devastating event afflicting 350 000 Americans annually despite the availability of life-saving preventive therapy, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator. SCD prevention strategies are hampered by over-reliance on global left ventricular ejection fraction $3 billion but only a 5% incidence per year of appropriate firings. This approach further fails to identify individuals who experience the majority, as many as 80%, of SCD events, which occur in the setting of more preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Better risk stratification is needed to improve care and should be guided by direct pathophysiologic markers of arrhythmic substrate, such as specific left ventricular structural abnormalities. There is an increasing body of literature to support the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with late gadolinium enhancement in phenotyping the left ventricular to identify those at highest risk for SCD. Cardiac magnetic resonance has unparalleled tissue characterization ability and provides exquisite detail about myocardial structure and composition, abnormalities of which form the direct, pathophysiologic substrate for SCD. Here, we review the evolution and the current state of cardiac magnetic resonance for imaging the arrhythmic substrate, both as a research tool and for clinical applications.
Gas phase pyrolysis synthesis of carbon nanotubes at high temperature

Abstract In this study, carbon nanotubes were synthesized at high temperature (1150–1500 °C) using the substrate-free gas phase pyrolysis method. The CNT sock morphology, CNT structure, impurity, process yield and growth efficiency at high temperatures were investigated. It was found that the CNTs transform from single-walled to multi-walled nanotubes at elevated temperature. The amount of amorphous impurities increases with higher temperature, possibly due to an increased non-catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons. However the CNT quality increases, as indicated by a higher Raman spectroscopy I G /I D ratio. The process yield increase by two folds at higher temperature (1500 °C) compared to a lower temperature (1200 °C), but the catalyst efficiency is highest at 1400 °C with 1 g Fe producing 5.1 g CNT. The calculated carbon conversion rate is lower than 4%. The CNT growth is not limited by the availability of carbon around the catalyst, instead of by the availability of active catalyst particles. Based on a pristine CNT sheet, the measured electrical conductivity is highest at 1400 °C, due to a balance between impurities and CNT quality. The tensile strength of the CNT sheet increases with the temperature, possibly because of the “gluing” effect of the carbonaceous impurities.
A phase correction technique based on spatial movements of antennas in real‐time for designing self‐adapting conformal array antennas

This article presents a real-time adaptive phase correction technique for flexible phased array antennas on conformal surfaces of variable shapes. Previously reported pattern correctional methods for flexible phased array antennas require prior knowledge on the possible non-planar shapes in which the array may adapt for conformal applications. For the first time, this initial requirement of shape curvature knowledge is no longer needed and the instantaneous information on the relative location of array elements is used here for developing a geometrical model based on a set of Bezier curves. Specifically, by using an array of inclinometer sensors and an adaptive phase-correctional algorithm, it has been shown that the proposed geometrical model can successfully predict different conformal orientations of a 1-by-4 array antenna in real-time without the requirement of knowing the shape-changing characteristics of the surface the array is attached upon. Moreover, the phase correction technique is validated by determining the field patterns and broadside gain of the 1-by-4 array antenna on 4 different conformal surfaces with multiple points of curvatures. Throughout this work, measurements are shown to agree with the analytical solutions and full-wave simulations.
Peptide-Based Bioinspired Approach to Regrowing Multilayered Aprismatic Enamel.

The gradual discovery of functional domains in native enamel matrix proteins has enabled the design of smart bioinspired peptides for tooth enamel mimetics and repair. In this study, we expanded upon the concept of biomineralization to design smaller amelogenin-inspired peptides with conserved functional domains for clinical translation. The synthetic peptides displayed a characteristic nanostructured scaffold reminiscent of ‘nanospheres’ seen in the enamel matrix and effectively controlled apatite nucleation in vitro resulting in the formation of smaller crystallites. Following application of the peptides to sectioned human molar teeth, a robust, oriented, synthetic aprismatic enamel was observed after 7 days of incubation in situ. There was a two-fold increase in the hardness and modulus of the regrown enamel-like apatite layers and an increase in the attachment of the tooth-regrown layer interface compared to control samples. Repeated peptide applications generated multiple enamel-like hydroxyapatite (...
FUEL CELLS – PROTON-EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS | Gas Diffusion Layers

An introduction to gas diffusion layer (GDL) in fuel cells is presented. The topics covered include what GDLs are, how they are made, how they work, and what research is being carried out to address the challenges involved with preparing GDLs for liquid and in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells.
S-shapedness for energy balance climate models of Sellers-Type

Climate models are distinguished by the relative importance they attach to the different components and processes of the climate system. One finds the so-called energy balance climate models at the bottom on a scale of models of increasing complexity, and coupled general circulation models of atmosphere and oceans at the top on that scale.
A possible bimodal effect of estrogen on insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women and the attenuating effect of added progestin

Objective To determine the effects of estrogen and of added progestin on carbohydrate tolerance in postmenopausal women. Design An insulin tolerance test (ITT) was used to assess insulin resistance in healthy postmenopausal women and to determine the effects of oral estrogen with and without added progestin on insulin sensitivity. Setting A menopause research clinic at a University Medical Center. Patients Fifteen healthy postmenopausal and nine premenopausal women were studied after having not received any hormone preparations for ≥4 weeks. Interventions All subjects received a baseline ITT and postmenopausal women were then randomized to receive either 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen, 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen/10 mg progestin, or 1.25 mg conjugated equine estrogen for 2 months at which time a second ITT was performed. In the former two groups the women were treated for an additional 4 months to assess the long-term effects of treatment and had a third ITT performed at the end of 6 months. Main Outcome Measures Fasting serum insulin and glucose were measured and K itt values were obtained at each visit in each group. Results Forty-four percent of nonobese healthy postmenopausal women were found to have insulin resistance. The three groups differed significantly in their K itt responses. Estrogen replacement improved insulin sensitivity ( K itt increased by 25%). However, 1.25 mg of conjugated equine estrogen caused a 24.7% decrease in K itt values and progestins attenuated the beneficial effects of 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen from baseline values( K itt decreased by 17.0%). Two- and 6-month values did not differ. Conclusions Insulin resistance is prevalent in healthy postmenopausal women. A moderate dose of estrogen appears to increase insulin sensitivity but higher doses may attenuate this benefit and progestins may cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
Das ideale Nichtsollen (Nichtdürfen)

An zweiter Stelle sei das ideale Nichtsollen behandelt. In vieler Hinsicht ist es die spiegelbildliche Umkehrung des idealen Sollens. Deshalb wird immer wieder auf die entsprechenden Ausfuhrungen im Ersten Kapitel ruckverwiesen werden mussen.
Introduction: Why Human Auditory Cortex?

This volume concentrates on current approaches to understanding the human auditory cortex. Why auditory? The reasons why one would, could, and should study auditory processing ought to require little comment or motivation. That being said—and given the critical importance of hearing and speech for human communication and welfare—one might wonder why hearing research, in general, has remained the less popular stepchild and ugly duckling in the context of sensory neuroscience, in particular vision. (This question is discussed in more detail later.).
Lipids of human retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and Bruch's membrane/choroid: comparison of macular and peripheral regions.

Purpose To understand the difference between macular and peripheral regions, tissue samples of human retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and Bruch's membrane/choroid were dissected and analyzed for lipid composition. Method To facilitate dissections and enhance the recovery of tissues, eyecups were prefixed for 1 hour in 10% formalin (pH 7). Lipids were extracted from 4-mm trephined punches of tissues and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. After separation of neutral lipids and phospholipids, total fatty acids in both lipid classes were quantitated. Results The major phospholipid classes in retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and Bruch's membrane/choroid were phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl inositol, and phosphatidyl serine; the major fatty acids were palmitic (16:0), stearic (18:0), and oleic (18:1). Although the three tissues had similar total fatty acid and phospholipid components, their relative compositions were different. Neutral lipid/phospholipid ratios in retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch's membrane/choroid were almost three times higher than in the retina. Conclusions This study provides information about the lipid composition of macular and peripheral regions of the human retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and Bruch's membrane/choroid. The methodology employed enabled study of lipids in small amounts of tissue, which will be of value in investigating the biochemical aspects of age-related macular degeneration.
Propensity Score Matching in Criminology and Criminal Justice

The propensity score methodology has become quite common in applied research in the last 10 years, and criminology is no exception to this growing trend. It offers a potentially powerful way to estimate the treatment effect of some intervention on behavior when the receipt of treatment arises in a nonrandom way – this is the selection problem. It does so by creating synthetic “experimental” and “control” groups that are equivalent on a large number of potential confounding variables. In this chapter, we first introduce the counterfactual framework on which the propensity score method is based and define the average treatment effect. We then outline technical issues that must be addressed when the propensity score method is used in practice, including estimation of the propensity score, demonstration of covariate balance, and estimation of the treatment effect of interest. To provide a step-by-step example of the method, we appeal to the relationship between employment and substance use in adolescence. Following a brief review of research in criminology and related disciplines that employ the propensity score methodology, we offer a number of guidelines for use of the technique.
Implementation of an Alcohol Medical Amnesty Policy at an Urban University With a Collegiate-Based Emergency Medical Services Agency.

Abstract Purpose Medical amnesty policies (MAPs) at universities attempt to encourage students to seek emergency medical care by reducing disciplinary sanctions. This study analyzed how a MAP affected requests for emergency medical help to a collegiate-based emergency medical services (CBEMS) agency for alcohol-related issues. Methods This before-and-after study analyzed CBEMS call data for the 6 semesters prior to and after MAP implementation. Extracted data included patient demographics, dispatch time, and requests for advanced life support (ALS) resources. Results Following MAP introduction, increases were observed in alcohol-related calls/day in the fall semesters (0.84 vs. 0.93; p a.m. versus 12:59 a.m. (median difference 21 minutes, p Conclusions MAP implementation at a university with a CBEMS is associated with a higher call volume, requests for service that occur earlier in the evening, and reduction in ALS requests for alcohol-related emergencies.
Protein Folding and Machine Learning: Fundamentals

In spite of decades of research, much remains to be discovered about folding: the detailed structure of the initial (unfolded) state, vestigial folding instructions remaining only in the unfolded state, the interaction of the molecule with the solvent, instantaneous power at each point within the molecule during folding, the fact that the process is stable in spite of myriad possible disturbances, potential stabilization of trajectory by chaos, and, of course, the exact physical mechanism (code or instructions) by which the folding process is specified in the amino acid sequence. Simulations based upon microscopic physics have had some spectacular successes and continue to improve, particularly as super-computer capabilities increase. The simulations, exciting as they are, are still too slow and expensive to deal with the enormous number of molecules of interest. In this paper, we introduce an approximate model based upon physics, empirics, and information science which is proposed for use in machine learning applications in which very large numbers of sub-simulations must be made. In particular, we focus upon machine learning applications in the learning phase and argue that our model is sufficiently close to the physics that, in spite of its approximate nature, can facilitate stepping through machine learning solutions to explore the mechanics of folding mentioned above. We particularly emphasize the exploration of energy flow (power) within the molecule during folding, the possibility of energy scale invariance (above a threshold), vestigial information in the unfolded state as attractive targets for such machine language analysis, and statistical analysis of an ensemble of folding micro-steps.
Review: Exploration Station: Human Body, by Smithsonian and Exploration Station: Solar System, by Smithsonian

Exploration Station: Human Body . By Smithsonian. 2018. Silver Dolphin Books. (ISBN 9781626867215). 56 pp. Hardcover kit, $21.99. Exploration Station: Solar System . By Smithsonian. 2018. Silver Dolphin Books. (ISBN 9781626867222). 56 pp. Hardcover kit, $21.99. If there is a little scientist in your home (or classroom), these are very neat kits that offer fun and exploration of the topics they cover. Each comes in a round, hard box-case that is about the size of a dinner plate. Included in each kit is a 56-page guidebook that teaches kids about the given topic, in these cases the Solar System and the Human Body (although there are quite a few other topics available as well). These kits are designated for children ages six and above, and to test them I turned them loose on …
What people with normative identities believe about sex, gender and sexual orientation

The present study examined the beliefs of individuals with normative identities regarding sex, gender and sexual orientation. Data were collected from 691 heterosexual cisgender women and men using...
Comparison of glycemic control after pancreas transplantation for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic recipients at a high volume center

INTRODUCTION The number of pancreas transplants (PTX) in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has increased in response to excellent outcomes in appropriately selected patients. Not all pancreas transplant centers share an enthusiasm for performing PTX for T2DM out of concern for increased complication rates. This study aims to clarify the characteristics of T2DM recipients with successful outcomes to clarify which candidates are more suitable for PTX as means of maximizing access to this highly effective therapy for Type 2 patients. METHODS & RESULTS At MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, 50 patients underwent pancreas transplant between 2013 and 2016. Based on patient characteristics, 38 (78%) were categorized as T1DM, and 11 (22%) were considered T2DM. One case was excluded due to early graft loss. The estimated age of diabetes onset was significantly different between T1DM and T2DM cohorts (13 years vs. 29 years, P < .001). T2DM patients had significantly higher preoperative C-peptide levels (4.11 vs. 0.05, P < .001). Preoperative HbA1c, preoperative Body Mass Index (BMI), number of diabetic complications, and hemodialysis status were similar between both groups. At 2-year follow-up, there was no statistical difference in glycemic control between the two groups (T1DM vs. T2DM). Infectious complications and readmission rates were similar. Other trends that did not meet statistical significance included T1DM group with a slightly higher mortality and re-intervention rate. The T2DM group demonstrated higher BMI, higher rejection rates, and higher short-term postoperative insulin requirements. Graft survival was 95% and 82% for T1 and T2DM at 2 years post-transplant, respectively. CONCLUSION Successful PTX in T1DM and T2DM recipient groups resulted in comparable glycemic control at 2-year post-transplant follow-up. T2DM group had a trend toward higher BMI as well as higher rates of rejection, temporary insulin requirement and graft failure, although none of these trends reached statistical significance. These results suggest that strict classification of T1 and T2DM by itself may not be relevant to achieving excellent outcomes in pancreas transplantation and, therefore, patient selection for PTX should not be based primarily on this classification.
Balancing Prevention and Suppression of Forest Fires with Fuel Management as a Stock

To study the effects of prevention and suppression on the occurrence of large forest fires, we incorporate the stochasticity of the time of a forest fire into our model and corresponding optimal control problem. In our model, the effects of prevention management spending accumulate over time. Our goal is to determine the optimal combination of the prevention management spending rate over time and one-time suppression spending which would maximize the expected value of a forest. By choosing a hazard function for the random variable for the time of fire, we can convert our stochastic problem into a deterministic problem. We illustrate our results numerically using the 2011 Las Conchas Fire example. Overall, our results support the importance of prevention efforts.
‘Our members are growing up!’: contradictions in ageing talk within a lifelong learning institute

Whether encouraging successful ageing or labelling one as a stereotypical senior citizen, messages surrounding ageing pervade the daily lives of older adults. However, as a social status, age remains primarily in the background of older adults’ conversations, only being drawn into the focus when one is identified as older. This paper draws on interviews with members and staff of an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in the southeastern United States of America in order to examine the ways that they discuss age and ageing. These older adults’ ageing talk often focused on navigating away from negative ideas about age and avoiding labels deemed pejorative. Humour was occasionally used in identifying age, which carried potential for reinforcing as well as subverting ageism. Yet, members highlighted positive value in being older, particularly as demonstrated through participation in age-segregated education. Overall, these findings reflect the conflicting influences of deeply embedded ageist beliefs and personal desires to age successfully among this group of white, upper-middle-class, educated older adults. Ultimately, OLLI served as a protective environment for these privileged individuals, shielding the self from stereotypes otherwise present in ageing talk.
Association of Young Children’s Use of Mobile Devices With Their Self-regulation

This study examines the association of parent-reported and behaviorally assessed child self-regulation with their use of mobile devices, including mean weekly exposure and age at first use.
Understanding the Negative Consequences of Watching Social Live Streaming Among Chinese Viewers

As an emerging media technology, social live streaming has been gaining prevalence worldwide, especially in some East Asian countries such as China. Meanwhile, this media format has received increasing criticism for its negative impact on individual viewers. The present study conducted an online survey among current viewers of social live streaming ( N = 244) in China to test a conceptual model that explains how watching live streams leads to undesirable consequences. The findings indicate that viewers’ enjoyment with broadcasters was positively associated with their parasocial relationship with the broadcasters, which in turn led to increased loneliness and addiction among the viewers. Viewers’ perceptions of loneliness were also a direct factor that influenced their addictive media usage. In addition, viewers’ entertainment-seeking motive and social interaction motive were identified as the antecedents to their enjoyment with broadcasters. These findings are believed to provide both theoretical and practical implications for the field of emerging digital media.