cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Balanced and Deterministic Weight-Sharing Helps Network Performance

Weight-sharing plays a significant role in the success of many deep neural networks, by increasing memory efficiency and incorporating useful inductive priors about the problem into the network. But understanding how weight-sharing can be used effectively in general is a topic that has not been studied extensively. Chen et al. [1] proposed HashedNets, which augments a multi-layer perceptron with a hash table, as a method for neural network compression. We generalize this method into a framework (ArbNets) that allows for efficient arbitrary weight-sharing, and use it to study the role of weight-sharing in neural networks. We show that common neural networks can be expressed as ArbNets with different hash functions. We also present two novel hash functions, the Dirichlet hash and the Neighborhood hash, and use them to demonstrate experimentally that balanced and deterministic weight-sharing helps with the performance of a neural network.
Rotor Balancing Methods and Instrumentation

Rotor balancing methods may be separated into two categories: rigid rotor balancing and flexible rotor balancing. These generic titles refer to whether or not rotor flexibility is taken into account. That is, flexible rotor balancing procedures take into account rotor flexibility, while rigid rotor balancing procedures do not. Many flexible rotor balancing methods are suitable for balancing rigid rotors. However, rigid rotor balancing methods are, in general, not effective for balancing flexible rotors. Unfortunately, in practice, the use of rigid rotor balancing methods with flexible rotors is not unusual. The result is, at best, an extremely inefficient and costly balancing process and, at worst, a presumably well-balanced rotor which, at its operating speed, is actually very poorly balanced and potentially destructive. Specific rigid and flexible rotor balancing methods are discussed in considerable detail in this and the following several chapters.
HIGH-FREQUENCY CHANNEL NOISE OF MODULATION-DOPED AlGaAs-GaAs FETs

The channel noise of a normally-on MODFET has been measured at T = 300K as a function of bias and frequency. The results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for velocity fluctuation noise if the correct dependence of the two-dimensional carrier concentration on channel voltage is used.
Itinerant Orientation and Mobility in Public Schools.

Most visually impaired children receive their orientation and mobility instruction on an itinerant basis. Because of the distances their instructor must travel, many of these children receive instr...
The Microbial Spoilage of Foods

Spoilage occurs when bacterial nos. exceed ca. 108/g or cm2. To achieve counts of this size over short periods of time, the individual parameters of pH, Eh, aw, and temp. must be optimal for the spoilage flora. Spoilage is delayed if one or more parameter is not optimal, and prevented if most/all parameters are unsuitable for the flora. The relative speed at which a given food will spoil, the type of spoilage that will ensue, and the predominant spoilage flora can all be predicted if careful attention is paid to the above parameters. These principles will be illustrated by use of a wide variety of foods with emphasis upon mechanisms of action of the spoilage flora. Vacuum packaging and C02 atmospheres to extend shelf-life lead to a shift in spoilage flora, and the basis and consequences of this type spoilage will be discussed.
Oxidoreductive and hydrolytic enzyme patterns in plant suspension culture cells: Local and time relationships☆

Abstract 1. 1. Cytochemical tests were used to determine the patterns of enzyme activities in WR-132 suspension cultures. A geometrical periodicity was observed in 3-day-old cells for several dehydrogenases. The pattern was three negative cells to one positive cell for malate and succinate dehydrogenase, but the reverse for ethanol and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. Enzymes which did not demonstrate this periodicity in 3-day-old cells were acetylesterase, acid phosphatase, and cytochrome oxidase. 2. 2. On the basis of cytochemical localization enzyme activity was assigned to specific intracellular sites for the following: acetylesterase in endoplasmic reticulum, acid phosphatase in cell wall, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in spherosomes and lipid-rich particles, succinate dehydrogenase in plastidlike structures as well as in mitochondria, glutamate dehydrogenase in particles heavily concentrated within cytoplasmic regions adjacent to the cross-wall. 3. 3. Spectrophotometric analyses of formazan extracts obtained following dehydrogenase reactions demonstrated that specific enzyme activity in the cell cultures oscillated over the 12-day growth period. Four activity profiles were obtained for the six dehydrogenases examined. The data suggested a correlation between succinate and glutamate dehydrogenase and also ethanol and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. The maxima and minima in the activity curve for malate dehydrogenase were distinct.
The Economics and Regulation of PRP in the Evolving Field of Orthopedic Biologics

This review provides an update on the current status of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Topics covered include the current regulatory environment, economic outlook, and current clinical evidence. The global PRP market is expected to grow to between 380 million and 4.5 billion (USD) over the next 5–10 years. The cost of a single treatment, which is not covered by most insurance, is roughly $500–$2500, with patients often returning for additional treatments. While PRP is not ‘FDA-approved’, it can be legally offered in the clinic ‘off-label’ in the USA for a myriad of musculoskeletal indications. Recently published meta-analyses have demonstrated statistically significant improvements that, in some cases, suggest that PRP may have clinically meaningful effects. However, given the fact that clearance is not synonymous with approval, PRP is a costly treatment not covered by insurance, and clinical trials have not demonstrated definitive efficacy, we recommend informing patients when providing PRP ‘off-label’.
Applying Depth Distribution of Seismicity to Determine Thermo-Mechanical Properties of the Seismogenic Crust in Southern California: Comparing Lithotectonic Blocks

We analyze waveform-relocated seismicity (1981–2016) and other geophysical and geological datasets from 16 lithotectonic crustal blocks in southern California. We explore how earthquake depth histograms (EDH) are related to crustal strength, lithology, and temperature of the crust. First, we calculate relative EDHs to quantify the depth distribution of seismicity for each lithotectonic block. Second, we calculate depth profiles of maximum differential stress (“yield strength envelopes”, YSEs) using Byerlee’s law and a non-linear dislocation creep law. We use observed average heat flow values, strain rates, and states of stress to parameterize YSEs for five different crustal candidate lithologies in each lithotectonic block. We assume that seismicity ceases where the mechanical rock strength falls below a critical threshold level, and identify the YSE that best predicts the depth extent of seismicity in each block. The lithologies of the best matching YSEs are found to agree well with expectations from past tectonics: they are mostly quartz-dominated except for the feldspar-rich diorite lithologies in the Great Valley, the southernmost western Sierra Nevada, Inner Continental Borderland, and Rifted crust in the Salton Trough. Similarly, the inferred thermo-mechanical properties, including differential stress, lithology, and geotherms reflect the previously mapped tectonic variability between the 16 lithotectonic blocks. On average, the differential yield stress is smaller and peaks at a shallower depth in hotter and more quartz rich crust but is larger and peaks at greater depths for colder and predominantly diorite crust. The good agreement between the modeled YSEs, the EDHs and tectonic considerations suggests that EDHs indeed reflect long-term geophysical properties of the crust and can be used to infer thermo-mechanical properties at depth. In contrast, shallow seismicity may be more likely to reflect short-term strain transients from fluid flow or recent anthropogenic disturbances.
LESSONS FOR POLICY MAKERS FROM THE HISTORY OF CONSUMPTION TAXES

A consumption-based tax system has attracted a variety of supporters, including proponents of tax simplification and policy makers in search of more or alternative revenue sources. Such a system could involve the use of a value-added tax (VAT) or a sales tax. Policy makers and legislators should consider the history of the background of the VAT. A cursory review of the development of sales taxes is presented as a background for the problems that might be encountered in adopting the VAT. This review of the historical development shows that there are numerous and complex issues requiring careful study.
An evaluation of whether a gestational weight gain of 5 to 9 kg for obese women optimizes maternal and neonatal health risks

Maternal obesity has a wide range of health effects on both the pregnant woman and developing fetus. The clinical significance of these disorders, combined with a dramatically increasing prevalence of obesity among pregnant women has precipitated a major health crisis in the United States. The most commonly used recommendations for gestational weight gain were established by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2009 and have become well known and often adopted. The authors of the IOM report acknowledged that the recommended gestational weight gain of 5 to 9 kg for obese women whose body mass index was greater than 30 kg/m2 was based on very little empirical evidence. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a 5 to 9 kg weight gain, for obese women, optimized a set of maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Data containing approximately 12,000,000 birth records were obtained from the United States Natality database for the years 2014 to 2016. A Bayesian modeling approach was used to estimate the controlled direct effects of pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain. Obese women gaining less than 5 kg during pregnancy had reduced maternal risks for gestational hypertension, eclampsia, induction of labor and Caesarian section. In contrast, maternal gestational weight gain of less than 5 kg was associated with increased risks for multiple adverse neonatal outcomes with macrosomia the exception. Obese women who gained more than 9 kg during pregnancy had increased risk for multiple maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. Obese women who were observed to gain less than 5 kg during gestation had reduced odds of several peripartum disorders. However, this lower gestational weight gain was associated with an increase in multiple risks for the neonate.
Why Does Parental Divorce Lower Children's Educational Attainment? A Causal Mediation Analysis

Mechanisms explaining the negative effects of parental divorce on children's attainment have long been conjectured and assessed. Yet few studies of parental divorce have carefully attended to the assumptions and methods necessary to estimate causal mediation effects. Applying a causal framework to linked U.S. panel data, we assess the degree to which parental divorce limits children's education among whites and nonwhites and whether observed lower levels of educational attainment are explained by postdivorce family conditions and children's skills. Our analyses yield three key findings. First, the negative effect of divorce on educational attainment, particularly college, is substantial for white children; by contrast, divorce does not lower the educational attainment of nonwhite children. Second, declines in family income explain as much as one- to two-thirds of the negative effect of parental divorce on white children's education. Family instability also helps explain the effect, particularly when divorce occurs in early childhood. Children's psychosocial skills explain about one-fifth of the effect, whereas children's cognitive skills play a minimal role. Third, among nonwhites, the minimal total effect on education is explained by the offsetting influence of postdivorce declines in family income and stability alongside increases in children's psychosocial and cognitive skills.
Differences in college students' aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening activities based on gender, race, and sexual orientation

Abstract Aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening activities are beneficial to both physical and mental health, though disparities in these behaviors exist based on social determinants. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in college students' aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening activities based on gender, race, and sexual orientation. Undergraduates enrolled in general education health and wellness courses at a large northeastern University in the United States responded to an online survey in August 2018 that assessed their demographics and physical activity behaviors. Differences in physical activity behaviors based on social determinants were examined using independent-samples t-tests and chi-square tests for independence. Less than half (40.3%) of participants (n = 606) met both aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening recommendations. No differences were found in physical activity based on sexual orientation. However, significantly more non-Hispanic white participants met aerobic physical activity (74.4% vs. 63.8%) and muscle-strengthening recommendations (47.2% vs. 37.6%); and, men reported significantly greater vigorous physical activity (p = .034, η2 = 0.01) and participation in muscle-strengthening activities (p
Effects of bundling policy on project cost under market uncertainty: A comparison across different highway project types

Abstract As highway agencies seek project delivery strategies that can help minimize their overall costs, interest in the practice of project bundling, which refers to the combining of multiple projects of similar or different work types into a single contract, continues to increase. The past literature contains studies about the effects of bundling, particularly from a conceptual perspective, but with only minimal quantitative analysis of empirical data from past bundling projects. Past researchers hypothesized that the magnitude and direction of the effects of bundling policies on project cost differ not only across different market conditions but also across different highway project types. In seeking to test this hypothesis, this paper presents analysis that utilized past project cost data to verify the effects of these project-related and bundling-related factors on bundling outcomes. In the analysis that quantified the extent to which increasing the bundle size causes a reduction in the bidding competition, it was determined that this outcome varies across the different project types. In addition, using Monte Carlo simulation, the study established the bundle size threshold (the bundle size beyond which the project cost increases) and quantified the uncertainties associated with cost estimates that arise from varying bidding competition conditions; these were also found to vary across the different project types. The models introduced in this paper can be used by highway agencies at the early (planning) stages of development of a given project type, to predict the expected project award cost for different bundling alternatives and under different market uncertainties. Heightened awareness of the cost consequences across the different bundling policies, bidding market conditions, and project types can provide guidance to agencies that seek to establish or update project bundling policies.
Recent Advances in the Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Bioactive Natural Products

Abstract The field of organic chemistry has recently witnessed a rapid rise in the use of chemoenzymatic strategies for the synthesis of complex molecules. Under this paradigm, biocatalytic methods and contemporary synthetic methods are used synergistically in a multistep approach toward a target molecule. In light of the unparalleled regioselectivity and stereoselectivity of enzymatic transformations and the reaction diversity of contemporary organic chemistry, chemoenzymatic strategies hold enormous potential for streamlining access to important bioactive molecules. This review covers recent demonstrations of chemoenzymatic approaches in chemical synthesis, with special emphasis on the preparation of medicinally relevant natural products.
Pathologic outcomes of MRI invisible tumors in prostate cancer.

282Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) invisible tumors are a diagnostic challenge in prostate cancer due to the lack of ability to reliably monitor these lesions radiographically or patho...
Reformulating the disjunctive cut generating linear program

Lift-and-project cuts can be obtained by defining an elegant optimization problem over the space of valid inequalities, the cut generating linear program (CGLP). A CGLP has two main ingredients: (i) an objective function, which invariably maximizes the violation with respect to a fractional solution $${\bar{x}}$$ to be separated; and (ii) a normalization constraint, which limits the scale in which cuts are represented. One would expect that CGLP optima entail the best cuts, but the normalization may distort how cuts are compared, and the cutting plane may not be a supporting hyperplane with respect to the closure of valid inequalities from the CGLP. This work proposes the reverse polar CGLP (RP-CGLP), which switches the roles conventionally played by objective and normalization: violation with respect to $${\bar{x}}$$ is fixed to a positive constant, whereas we minimize the slack for a point p that cannot be separated by the valid inequalities. Cuts from RP-CGLP optima define supporting hyperplanes of the immediate closure. When that closure is full-dimensional, the face defined by the cut lays on facets first intersected by a ray from $${\bar{x}}$$ to p, all of which corresponding to cutting planes from RP-CGLP optima if p is an interior point. In fact, these are the cuts minimizing a ratio between the slack for p and the violation for $${\bar{x}}$$ . We show how to derive such cuts directly from the simplex tableau in the case of split disjunctions and report experiments on adapting the CglLandP cut generator library for the RP-CGLP formulation.
Computational modeling of charge hopping dynamics along a disordered one-dimensional wire with energy gradients in quantum environments

This computational study investigates the effects of energy gradients on charge hopping dynamics along a one-dimensional chain of discrete sites coupled to quantum bath, which is modeled at the level of Pauli master equation (PME). This study also assesses the performance of different approximations for the hopping rates. Three different methods for solving the PME, a fourth order Runge-Kutta method, numerical diagonalization of the rate matrix followed by analytic propagation, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulation method, are tested and confirmed to produce virtually identical values of time dependent mean square displacement, diffusion constant, and mobility. Five different rate expressions, exact numerical evaluation of Fermi's Golden Rule (FGR) rate, stationary phase interpolation (SPI) approximation, semiclassical approximation, classical Marcus rate, and Miller-Abrahams rate, are tested to help understand the effects of approximations in representing quantum environments in the presence of energy gradients. The results based on direct numerical evaluation of FGR rate exhibit transition from diffusive to non-diffusive behavior with the increase in the gradient and show that the charge transport in the quantum bath is more sensitive to the magnitude of the gradient and the disorder than in the classical bath. Among all the four approximations for the hopping rates, the SPI approximation is confirmed to work best overall. A comparison of two different methods to calculate the mobility identifies drift motion of the population distribution as the major source of non-diffusive behavior and provides more reliable information on the contribution of quantum bath.
Structural signatures of the insulator-to-metal transition in Ba Co 1 -x Ni x S 2

The solid solution $\mathrm{Ba}{\mathrm{Co}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{x}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ exhibits an insulator-to-metal transition close to $x=0.21$. Questions of whether this transition is coupled with structural changes remain open. Here we follow the structural evolution as a function of the Ni content $x$ using synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction and pair distribution function analyses to reveal significant basal sulfide anion displacements occurring preferentially along the ${\mathrm{CoS}}_{5}$ pyramidal edges comprising the edge-connected bond network in $\mathrm{Ba}{\mathrm{Co}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{x}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$. These displacements decrease in magnitude as $x$ increases and are nearly quenched in $x=1\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{BaNiS}}_{2}$. Density-functional-theory-based electronic structure calculations on $x=0\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{BaCoS}}_{2}$ suggest that these displacements arise as a dynamic first-order Jahn-Teller effect owing to partial occupancy of nominally degenerate ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{d}_{xz}$ and ${d}_{yz}$ orbitals, leading to local structural symmetry breaking in the $xy$-plane of the Co-rich phases. The Jahn-Teller instability is associated with the opening of a band gap that is further strengthened by electronic correlation. The Jahn-Teller effect is reduced upon increased electron filling as $x\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$, indicating that the local structure and band filling cooperatively result in the observed insulator-to-metal transition.
Levorphanol in the Perioperative Setting: Decreasing Opioid Requirements While Improving Pain Management

Levorphanol is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved long-acting opioid. Most information on perioperative use of levorphanol comes from the early- and mid-1950s when this drug emerged in the field of experimental pharmacology and anesthesia. It was mainly studied during this period with some additional data being generated in the 1960s and 70s. Since this time, perioperative use has declined and research is limited. This review of literature aims to provide pharmacologic and historic description of levorphanol as a tool for perioperative pain management and as an aid to potentially decrease total postoperative opioid use during the current opioid crisis.
Evidence for Widespread Cooling in an Active Region Observed with the SDO Atmospheric Imaging Assembly

A well known behavior of EUV light curves of discrete coronal loops is that the peak intensities of cooler channels or spectral lines are reached at progressively later times. This time lag is understood to be the result of hot coronal loop plasma cooling through these lower respective temperatures. However, loops typically comprise only a minority of the total emission in active regions. Is this cooling pattern a common property of active region coronal plasma, or does it only occur in unique circumstances, locations, and times? The new SDO/AIA data provide a wonderful opportunity to answer this question systematically for an entire active region. We measure the time lag between pairs of SDO/AIA EUV channels using 24 hours of images of AR 11082 observed on 19 June 2010. We find that there is a time-lag signal consistent with cooling plasma, just as is usually found for loops, throughout the active region including the diffuse emission between loops for the entire 24 hour duration. The pattern persists consistently for all channel pairs and choice of window length within the 24 hour time period, giving us confidence that the plasma is cooling from temperatures of greater than 3 MK, and sometimes exceeding 7 MK, down to temperatures lower than approx. 0.8 MK. This suggests that the bulk of the emitting coronal plasma in this active region is not steady; rather, it is dynamic and constantly evolving. These measurements provide crucial constraints on any model which seeks to describe coronal heating.
Industrial Symbiosis of Very Large Scale Photovoltaic Manufacturing

In order to stabilize the global climate, the world's governments must make significant commitments to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One of the most promising methods of curbing GHG emissions is a world transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells offer a technically sustainable solution to the projected enormous future energy demands. This article explores utilizing industrial symbiosis to obtain economies of scale and increased manufacturing efficiencies for solar PV cells in order for solar electricity to compete economically with fossil fuel-fired electricity. The state of PV manufacturing, the market and the effects of scale on both are reviewed. Government policies necessary to construct a multi-gigaWatt PV factory and complementary policies to protect existing solar companies are outlined and the technical requirements for a symbiotic industrial system are explored to increase the manufacturing efficiency while improving the environmental impact of PV. The results of the analysis show that an eight-factory industrial symbiotic system can be viewed as a medium-term investment by any government, which will not only obtain direct financial return, but also an improved global environment. The technical concepts and policy limitations to this approach were analyzed and it was found that symbiotic growth will help to mitigate many of the limitations of PV and is likely to catalyze mass manufacturing of PV by transparently demonstrating that large-scale PV manufacturing is technically feasible and reaches an enormous untapped market for PV with low costs.
Shifting the National Consciousness about Pain Treatment: The Critical Need for a National Public Education Campaign.

Abstract The failure of past practices and policies related to opioid prescribing for chronic pain has led federal agencies and professional organizations to recommend multimodal approaches that prioritize evidence-based nonpharmacological pain treatments (NPTs). These multimodal approaches, which include both traditional and complementary/integrative approaches, hold great promise for reducing the burden of chronic pain and reducing opioid use. Unfortunately, NPT approaches are underutilized due to a daunting array of interrelated barriers including the public's attitudes and beliefs about chronic pain and its treatment. Given the dual crises of chronic pain and opioid use, there is a critical need for a national public health campaign on chronic pain and its treatment to help educate the American public about NPT pain management options, while countering the misleading messages promulgated by the pharmaceutical industry, including but not limited to messages promoting the broad use of prescription opioids and minimizing its risks. Despite these dual crises of chronic pain and opioid use in the U.S., there has never been a concerted effort to broadly educate the American public about these issues and NPT pain management options.
A Secondary Analysis of the LILAC Study Regarding Cesarean Birth by Maternal Request in Women Living with HIV

Background: Latin America has the highest regional average cesarean birth rates. One potential driver is cesarean birth by maternal request (CBMR). Methods: We analyzed of a large prospective cohort study of HIV-infected women in six Latin American countries. Results: Comparisons were made between women who chose CBMR (n = 38) and women with a medical indication for cesarean (n = 683). The only variable associated with CBMR was onset of labor (AOR 0.3 [0.1,0.9], p = 0.04). Conclusion: Spontaneous labor reduced the likelihood of a woman living with HIV to pursue CBMR in a large Latin American cohort.
Top Tens in 2011: Patent, Trademark, Copyright and Trade Secret Cases

This paper discusses notable intellectual property law cases in the United States in 2011. Patent cases addressed such issues as the scope of patent subject matter (the patentability of human genes and methods for testing for genetic links to cancer), the standards for challenges to the validity of patents (such as where technology that was not considered by the patent office is put in evidence), and the breadth of patent protection (especially with respect to the scope of protection for software patents). Other cases tested the borders of trademark protection – distinctiveness, functionality, and the interplay between trademark law and other areas of the law, such as the First Amendment, products liability, and internet domain name ownership. In copyright, significant decisions addressed such issues as the proper procedures to settle a dispute (the Google Books case) affecting almost every author and reader, the scope of fair use, the assignment of rights to enforce alleged online infringement, the copyright holder’s power to control copies it has distributed, the minimal requirements for copyright protection, and liability of websites for users’ infringement. Trade secret cases reflected its interplay with patent law. An inventor may patent the invention (which requires publication of the information) or keep it a trade secret (which requires preventing publication). That boundary, cases show, is porous. The cases also reflect the increasing international flow of goods and information, as well as more attempts to protect “proprietary” information under the computer fraud statute.
Beyond input: Language learners produce novel relative clause types without exposure.

Syntax famously consists of abstract hierarchical representations. Less famously, most theories of syntax also assume a higher level of abstract representation: one that abstracts over the hierarch...
CRISPR Diagnostics: Underappreciated Uses in Perinatology

CRISPR-based therapeutics have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of hereditary diseases, but current efforts to translate research to the bedside face significant technical, regulatory, and ethical hurdles. In this article, we discuss an underappreciated application of CRISPR: diagnostic testing, and argue that: (1) CRISPR diagnostics are poised to disrupt diagnostic practices including perinatal screening and (2) since CRISPR diagnostics pose minimal technical, regulatory and ethical hurdles (unlike CRISPR therapeutic uses) they are likely to be clinically relevant before CRISPR-based therapies, and thus warrant medical community's attention.
Benign prostate hyperplasia as a potential protective factor against prostate cancer: Insights from a magnetic resonance imaging study of compositional characteristics.

PURPOSE The structural relationship between benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (Pca) is controversial. The purpose of our study was to examine the association between quantitative prostate compositional metrics by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Pca. METHODS We identified 405 patients who underwent prostate MRI and biopsy and/or prostatectomy from January 2019 to January 2021 at our institution. Segmentation volumetric methods were used to assess central gland (CG) and peripheral zone (PZ) volume. PZ mean thickness and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), marker of underlying histologic components, were measured. Multivariable logistic regression was performed with outcomes of ≥Grade Group (GG) 2 Pca and for multifocal disease. RESULTS On multivariable analysis, higher CG volumes were at lower odds of ≥GG2 disease (n = 227) (OR: 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98, p < 0.0001), taking into account PZ volume (p = 0.18) and thickness (p = 0.70). For every one cc increase in CG volume, there was an approximately 3% decrease in odds of ≥GG2 disease. Similar findings were noted for multifocal disease (n = 180) (OR: 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98, p < 0.0001). Notably, ADC of the normal PZ was not significantly associated with CG volume (p = 0.21) nor a predictor of disease (p = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS Increasing central gland volume, driven by BPH, is associated with lower odds of significant Pca, including multifocal disease, while PZ anatomic and histologic surrogate changes were noncontributory. Findings support BPH impediment of global tumor growth predicted by theoretical mechanobiological model. This potential stabilizing factor should be further studied for risk stratification and in consideration for BPH therapy.
Peace Building in Practice: Creating Shared Security at All Levels

Never before have the fates of individual communities and nations been so intertwined, exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. And never before have our safety and well-being depended so much on the safety and well-being of others. A new approach to thinking about safety and security is required: an approach where we commit to our mutual well-being and equitable access to resources. Shared security is a paradigm that promotes the safety and well-being of people throughout the world. It is the idea that shared problems require shared nonviolent solutions and that our interests are best served when we foster peaceful and just relationships together. The vision of shared security is very simply the idea that “my peace is your peace”—the understanding that peace and security are indivisible. It is a peace-building paradigm and belief that we can find mutual solutions to societal problems without weapons or violence. A shared-security approach invests seriously in peace building instead of war building in the name of security. It imagines a world where leaders are mobilized not to build walls, separate families, and bomb targets but to work together to prioritize peace building, support people-powered movements, and invest in early interventions that address the root causes of conflict long before violence and discrimination erupt, dividing civil society and fracturing the institutions that enable cooperation and democracy.
A qualitative analysis of the utility of a competency framework for mentor training

This study takes a qualitative approach to determining the potential usefulness of a competency framework for mentor training. Participants were 37 college women mentoring middle school girls as pa...
Alchemist: Learning Guarded Affine Functions

We present a technique and an accompanying tool that learns guarded affine functions. In our setting, a teacher starts with a guarded affine function and the learner learns this function using equivalence queries only. In each round, the teacher examines the current hypothesis of the learner and gives a counter-example in terms of an input-output pair where the hypothesis differs from the target function. The learner uses these input-output pairs to learn the guarded affine expression. This problem is relevant in synthesis domains where we are trying to synthesize guarded affine functions that have particular properties, provided we can build a teacher who can answer using such counter-examples. We implement our approach and show that our learner is effective in learning guarded affine expressions, and more effective than general-purpose synthesis techniques. Open image in new window
Maternal medication and herbal use and risk for hypospadias: data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2007.

Purpose Investigate associations between maternal use of common medications and herbals during early pregnancy and risk for hypospadias in male infants.
Relationship between the ionospheric eastward electric field and the equatorial electrojet

[1] The equatorial electrojet (EEJ) is a strong ionospheric current along the magnetic equator driven by the day side eastward electric field. Current strength is affected by two-stream and gradient-drift instabilities which pose a serious obstacle to quantitative electrodynamic modeling of the equatorial ionosphere. Using highly accurate radar and magnetic field measurements taken over the past decade, we deduce empirical relations between the observed EEJ and the driving eastward electric field. These indicate that the current strength is largely unaffected by instabilities for eastward fields in the range of −0.4 mV/m to 0.07 mV/m. This is followed by a band of moderate current reduction from 0.07 mV/m to 1 mV/m, consistent with predictions for the gradient drift instability. At even stronger eastward fields, a further current reduction is observed, as expected for the two-stream instability. These non-linear empirical relations can be used to correct ionospheric electric field strengths inferred from space and ground-based magnetic field measurements.
The description of Banacuniculus Buffington, new genus (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae)

The new eucoiline genus Banacuniculus is described to accommodate several species previously placed in Ganaspidium: Banacuniculus hunteri (Crawford), new combination; B. merickeli (Miller), new combination; B. nigrimanus (Kieffer), new combination; B. utilis (Beardsley), new combination; these species are all redescribed. The following new species are described: Banacuniculus brautigani, B. beardsleyi, B. dis, and B. strykeri. As is the case with Ganaspidium, species of Banacuniculus are parasitoids of some of the most pestiferous species of leaf- mining Agromyzidae (Diptera) and have been investigated for use as biological control agents of Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess). Additional phylogenetic, host range, and distributional data, and a key to all species are provided.
Forces of labor : workers' movements and globalization since 1870

Recasting labor studies in a long-term and global framework, this 2003 book draws on a major database on world labor unrest to show how local labor movements have been related to world-scale political, economic and social processes since the late-nineteenth century. Through an in-depth empirical analysis of select global industries it demonstrates how the main locations of labor unrest have shifted from country to country together with shifts in the geographical location of production. It shows how the main sites of labor unrest have shifted over time together with the rise/decline of new leading sectors of capitalist development, and demonstrates that labor movements have been deeply embedded (as both cause and effect) in world political dynamics. The book concludes by exploring the likely forms that emergent labor movements will take in the twenty-first century.
Providing Library Service to Off-Campus Business Students

SUMMARY The conversion of a traditionally research-intensive graduate marketing course to an online environment at the University of Wis-consin-Eau Claire posed challenges for the library. In providing services to a new population of off-campus graduate marketing students, the library faced issues in three categories: availability of library resources, access to resources and services, and instruction in an asynchronous environment. This paper looks at how the course instructor and the library collaborated to address these issues, discusses what was learned, and offers recommendations for those facing similar challenges.
Capsule Commentary on Moreno et al., Disparities in the Use of Internet and Telephone Medication Refills Among Linguistically Diverse Patients.

M oreno et al. 1 examine the relationship between English proficiency and use of remote medication refill systems (that is, requesting to refill medications through automated phone or online systems rather than in person). They find that only 46 % of limited English proficient (LEP) patients with chronic illness use these services, compared to 83 % of English proficient patients. This discrepancy is not surprising, given that the majority of healthcare systems in the US offer these refill services only in English. The differences between English proficient and LEP patients weremore pronounced for online refilling than telephone refilling, which may indicate unique barriers to online portal use among this patient subgroup. Overall, this work is consistent with growing evidence that patients with communication barriers are less likely to be able to access a variety of healthcare tools (particularly online tools) that are often designed and implemented for the mainstream patient population. The study also supports the longstanding hypothesis of the Binverse care law,^ which states that the most well resourced individuals are the first to gain from the introduction of a new technology or service. The inverse care law is most problematic in exacerbating existing health/health care disparities when the technology confers a direct health benefit.We should be concerned about this issue because there is evidence that patients who use both telephone and online refilling systems have significantly improved medication adherence (a health behavior that is clinically important, but often difficult to influence). There is much more work to be done in this area. In particular, we need more research on why these barriers exist and how to overcome them. Technology offers a seemingly streamlined and efficient way to provide services tailored to the needs and preferences of the target group. Moreover, online patient portals are becoming a new standard for patient communication in health care; we will continue to offer more and more healthcare services through these websites to improve efficiency of care. Therefore, it is critical to focus on accessibility and usability upfront and guarantee that these services are available in languages other than English. If our bank ATMs can ask and remember our preferred language, isn’t it time for our health care system to design communication technologies that do the same?
Phonetic variation in bilingual speech: A lens for studying the production-comprehension link.

Abstract We exploit the unique phonetic properties of bilingual speech to ask how processes occurring during planning affect speech articulation, and whether listeners can use the phonetic modulations that occur in anticipation of a codeswitch to help restrict their lexical search to the appropriate language. An analysis of spontaneous bilingual codeswitching in the Bangor Miami Corpus (Deuchar, Davies, Herring, Parafita Couto, & Carter, 2014) reveals that in anticipation of switching languages, Spanish–English bilinguals produce slowed speech rate and cross-language phonological influence on consonant voice onset time. A study of speech comprehension using the visual world paradigm demonstrates that bilingual listeners can indeed exploit these low-level phonetic cues to anticipate that a codeswitch is coming and to suppress activation of the non-target language. We discuss the implications of these results for current theories of bilingual language regulation, and situate them in terms of recent proposals relating the coupling of the production and comprehension systems more generally.
The Rights of the Defenseless: Protecting Animals and Children in Gilded Age America

In this ambitious study of the legal, social, and political connections between animals and children, Susan J. Pearson argues against the notion that the historical coupling of child and animal wel...
Contribution of computer simulation to plasma theory

Abstract Recent advances in computers and in techniques for simulating plasmas have made it possible to investigate rather complicated nonlinear and turbulent phenomena in plasmas. Quite a number of problems have been investigated in recent years. Among them, anomalous absorption of intense electromagnetic waves due to the turbulence associated with parametric instabilities created by the electromagnetic wave, the diffusion of plasma across strong magnetic fields due to thermally exerted convective motion. Sampling amplitudes of ion waves, and the coupling of intense plasma oscillations due to ion density fluctuations. From the simulation one can generally gain a pretty good idea of the mechanisms involved and construct theories for the observed effects. The present status of simulation and a few examples of how it has been used to aid theory will be given.
Angular Induction as a Function of Contact and Target Orientation

The Poggendorff effect is seen as misalignment of two obliques, or misprojection of one, when the obliques are placed outside a set of parallel lines. To understand better the mechanisms behind this effect, the orientation of the lines which are normally parallel was systematically manipulated. The results indicate that projection bias is affected by the orientation of either line, is at a minimum where the line is orthogonal to the oblique, and is maximal at small angles. This is in line with classic theories which attribute the illusion to misperception of angular size. However, such explanations presuppose that in order to be effective the induction line must be proximal to the oblique so that an angle can be formed. Results are reported which show that the angle formed by the oblique and a line placed at a distance from the oblique, serving as the target of the projection, follows an angular rule of effectiveness similar to what is seen when the line is placed directly in contact with the oblique. The underlying process is described as 'angular induction'.
Aptamer stationary phase for protein capture in affinity capillary chromatography.

The thrombin-binding DNA aptamer was used with thrombin as a model system to investigate protein capture using aptamer stationary phases in affinity capillary chromatography. The aptamer was covalently attached to the inner surface of a bare fused-silica glass capillary to serve as the stationary phase. Proteins were loaded onto the capillary via an applied pressure. The capillary was then washed to remove unbound and non-specifically associated proteins. Finally, the bound protein was released and eluted using 20 mM Tris buffer containing 8 M urea, pH 7.3, at 50 °C. Eluate was collected after each step (load, wash and elute) and relative amounts of protein each were compared using fluorescence spectroscopy. The identity of the protein in the collections was confirmed using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The experiment was repeated for thrombin on a bare (unmodified) capillary and a capillary coated with a scrambled-sequence, non-G-quartet forming oligonucleotide that does not bind with thrombin. The results show that the aptamer stationary phase captures approximately three times as much thrombin as the control columns. The experiment was also repeated using human serum albumin (HSA) alone and in an equimolar mixture with thrombin. HSA was not retained on the aptamer capillary, nor did it affect the capture of thrombin from the mixture.
Spin-drift transport and its applications

We study the generation of nonequilibrium spin currents in systems with spatially inhomogeneous magnetic potentials. For sufficiently high current densities, the spin polarization can be transported over distances significantly exceeding the intrinsic spin-diffusion length. This enables applications that would be impossible within the conventional spin-diffusion regime. Specifically, we propose dc measurement schemes for the carrier spin-relaxation times, ${T}_{1}$ and ${T}_{2},$ as well as demonstrate the possibility of spin species separation by driving current through a region with an inhomogeneous magnetic potential.
Stewart's quantitative acid-base chemistry: Applications in biology and medicine

We review P.A. Stewart's quantitative approach to acid-base chemistry, starting with its historical context. We outline its implications for cellular and membrane processes in acid-base physiology; discuss its contributions to the understanding and analysis of acid-base phenomena; show how it can be applied in clinical problems; and propose a classification of clinical acid-base disturbances based on this general approach.