cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Web-Based Tools and Mobile Applications To Mitigate Burnout, Depression, and Suicidality Among Healthcare Students and Professionals: a Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE:Being a healthcare professional can be a uniquely rewarding calling. However, the demands of training and practice can lead to chronic distress and serious psychological, interpersonal, and personal health burdens. Although higher burnout, depression, and suicide rates have been reported in healthcare professionals, only a minority receive treatment. Concerns regarding confidentiality, stigma, potential career implications, and cost and time constraints are cited as key barriers. Web-based and mobile applications have been shown to mitigate stress, burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation among several populations and may circumvent these barriers. Here, we reviewed published data on such resources and selected a small sample that readily can be used by healthcare providers. METHODS:We searched PubMed for articles evaluating stress, burnout, depression, and suicide prevention or intervention for healthcare students or providers and identified five categories of programs with significant effectiveness: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (online), meditation, mindfulness, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Using these categories, we searched for Web-based (through Google and beacon.anu.edu.au -a wellness resource website) and mobile applications (Apple and mobile. va.gov/appstore ) for stress, burnout, depression, and suicide prevention and identified 36 resources to further evaluate based on relevance, applicability to healthcare providers (confidentiality, convenience, and cost), and the strength of findings supporting their effectiveness. RESULTS:We selected seven resources under five general categories designed to foster wellness and reduce burnout, depression, and suicide risk among healthcare workers: breathing (Breath2Relax), meditation (Headspace, guided meditation audios), Web-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MoodGYM, Stress Gym), and suicide prevention apps (Stay Alive, Virtual Hope Box). CONCLUSIONS:This list serves as a starting point to enhance coping with stressors as a healthcare student or professional in order to help mitigate burnout, depression, and suicidality. The next steps include adapting digital health strategies to specifically fit the needs of healthcare providers, with the ultimate goal of facilitating in-person care when warranted.
Gravity is a pull! Exploring forces and motion with English learners

ABSTRACTEnglish learners (ELs) benefit from inquiry-based science instruction that includes explicit attention to language learning goals. The purpose of this article is to share a third-grade unit on forces and motion which integrates science inquiry and writing in science notebooks with the goal of developing ELs' engagement in science, conceptual understanding, and academic language and literacy skills. We demonstrate how to engage diverse students' background knowledge and use classroom activities and discussion to create bridges between everyday and academic language. We utilize excerpts from Peter, Lucia, and Andrea's science notebooks to explore and highlight how teachers can use this resource as a means of communicating science, during instruction. Through these EL students' journals, we discuss the importance of developing language goals at the word, sentence, and discourse level while promoting and supporting ELs' use of the language of science.
Oncologic Emergencies: Recognition and Initial Management

Most oncologic emergencies can be classified as metabolic, hematologic, structural, or treatment related. Tumor lysis syndrome is a metabolic emergency that presents as severe electrolyte abnormalities. Stabilization is focused on vigorous rehydration, maintaining urine output, and lowering uric acid levels. Hypercalcemia of malignancy, which is associated with poor outcomes, is treated with aggressive rehydration, intravenous bisphosphonates, and subspecialty consultation. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone should be suspected if a patient with cancer has hyponatremia. This metabolic condition is treated with fluid restriction or hypertonic saline, depending on the speed of development. Febrile neutropenia is one of the most common complications related to cancer treatment, particularly chemotherapy. It usually requires inpatient therapy with rapid administration of empiric antibiotics. Hyperviscosity syndrome may present as spontaneous bleeding and neurologic deficits, and is usually associated with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Treatment includes plasmapheresis followed by targeted chemotherapy. Structural oncologic emergencies are caused by direct compression of nontumor structures by metastatic disease. Superior vena cava syndrome presents as facial edema with development of collateral venous circulation. Intravascular stenting leads to superior patient outcomes and is used in addition to oncology-directed chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Malignant epidural spinal cord compression is managed in conjunction with neurosurgery, but it is classically treated using steroids and/or surgery and radiation therapy. Malignant pericardial effusion may be treated with pericardiocentesis or a more permanent surgical intervention. Complications of cancer treatment are becoming more varied because of the use of standard and newer immunologic therapies. Palliative care is increasingly appropriate as a part of the team approach for treating patients with cancer.
Vitamin D Metabolism in Chronic Renal Disease

This chapter provides a summary of current knowledge of vitamin D metabolism and abnormalities of vitamin D nutrition and metabolism among patients with chronic kidney disease.
Structured models for joint decoding of repeated utterances.

Due to speech recognition errors, repetition can be a frequent occurrence in voice-search applications. While a proper treatment of this phenomenon requires the joint modeling of two or more utterances simultaneously, currently deployed systems typically treat the utterances independently. In this paper, we analyze the structure of repetitions and find that in at least one commercial directory assistance application, repetitions follow simple structural transformations more than 70% of the time. We present preliminary results that suggest that significant gains are possible by explicitly modeling this structure in a joint decoding process.
Chapter 35 A Survey of Peace Economics

Abstract Peace economics can be defined as the use of economics to understand the causes and effects of violent conflict in the international system and the ways that conflict can be avoided, managed, or resolved. This chapter surveys major subject areas of peace economics, highlighting seminal as well as current contributions. Particularly noteworthy among the newer developments is how major datasets like the Correlates of War Project have fostered a rapid growth of econometric studies based on relatively large cross-country panels. The topics surveyed include: the relation of peace economics to both defense economics and peace studies; data sources and trends for interstate, intrastate, and extra-state conflict; the costs of conflict; the conflict life cycle; the determinants of interstate armed conflict, with emphasis on the role of territory, economic development, and economic interdependence; arms rivalry, proliferation, and arms control, with particular attention given to the foundational models of Richardson and Intriligator and Brito; the technological and geographic dimensions of conflict, including their connections with Schelling's inherent propensity toward war or peace, various Lanchester war models, and the offense–defense balance; appropriation and exchange theory, wherein appropriation undermines the security of exchange at the same time that exchange shapes the incentives for appropriation; experiments in peace economics, most notably the path-breaking prisoner's dilemma experiments of the 1950s; and future directions in the field.
Courtship and Mating

Reproduction encompasses behaviors that range from the identification and courtship of a suitable mate to the successful rearing of offspring. Behavioral mechanisms determine the social, mating, and parental care systems of a particular species, and depend on complex interactions between anatomy and physiology on the one hand, and environmental factors, notably, habitat and predation, on the other. For example, high predator pressure may promote greater defense of young and, in turn, the extent to which the male can effectively contribute to this defense helps to determine the mating system (Chapter 15).
Automated femoral version estimation without the distal femur.

Femoral version impacts the long-term functioning of the femoroacetabular joint. Accurate measurements of version are thus required for success in total hip arthroplasties and hip reconstructive surgeries. These are impossible to obtain without visualization of the distal femur, which is often unavailable preoperatively as the majority of imaging scans are isolated to the pelvis and proximal femur. We developed an automated algorithm for identifying the major landmarks of the femur. These landmarks were then used to identify proximal axes and create a statistical shape model of the proximal femur across 144 asymptomatic femora. With six proximal axes selected, and 200 parameters (distances and angles between points) from the shape model measured, the best-fitting linear correlation was found. The difference between true version and version predicted by this model was 0.00 ± 5.13° with a maximum overestimation and underestimation of 11.80 and 15.35°, respectively. The mean absolute difference was 4.14°. This model and its prediction of femoral version are a substantial improvement over pre-operative 2D or intra-operative visual estimation measures. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:3161-3168, 2018.
Parasomnia overlap disorder: RBD and NREM parasomnias

Parasomnia overlap disorder (POD) was formally described and named in 1997 with a series of 33 cases of RBD combined with a disorder of arousal from NREM sleep (confusional arousals, sleepwalking, sleep terrors) that emerged idiopathically or symptomatically with neurological and other disorders. The presenting complaint was sleep-related injury; mean age was 34 years, and mean age of parasomnia onset was 15 years (range 1–66 years); 70% were males. POD is classified as a subtype of RBD in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition. An updated classification of POD also includes RBD-sleep-related eating disorder, RBD-sexsomnia, RBD-rhythmic movement disorder, and POD with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, including the newly identified autoimmune tauopathy with antibodies against IgLON5 (“anti-IgLON5 syndrome”) manifesting as RBD, NREM parasomnia, sleep-related breathing disturbance and striking, and progressive neurological features. POD may be a distinct pathophysiological entity, and not just a variant of RBD, given its typically younger age of onset and apparent lack of progression to neurodegeneration that contrasts with typical RBD in middle-aged and older adults. POD is usually controlled with bedtime clonazepam and other therapies.
The Impact of Health Claims on Consumer Search and Product Evaluation Outcomes: Results from FDA Experimental Data:

The authors report results of a mall-intercept study regarding the effects of health claims on consumer information search and processing behavior. Results suggest that the presence of health and n...
Localized compliance measurement of the airway wall using anatomic optical coherence elastography

We describe an elastographic method to circumferentially-resolve airway wall compliance using endoscopic, anatomic optical coherence tomography (aOCT) combined with an intraluminal pressure catheter. The method was first demonstrated on notched silicone phantoms of known elastic modulus under respiratory ventilation, where localized compliance measurements were validated against those predicted by finite element modeling. Then, ex vivo porcine tracheas were scanned, and the pattern of compliance was found to be consistent with histological identification of the locations of (stiff) cartilage and (soft) muscle. This quantitative method may aid in diagnosis and monitoring of collapsible airway wall tissues in obstructive respiratory disorders.
Mental health attitudes among Middle Eastern/North African individuals in the United States

ABSTRACTMiddle Eastern/North African (MENA) individuals may have heightened risk for developing mental health problems due to unique cultural stressors. However, traditional cultural and religious ...
Myelin water fraction estimation using small-tip fast recovery MRI.

PURPOSE To demonstrate the feasibility of an optimized set of small-tip fast recovery (STFR) MRI scans for rapidly estimating myelin water fraction (MWF) in the brain. METHODS We optimized a set of STFR scans to minimize the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound of MWF estimates. We evaluated the RMSE of MWF estimates from the optimized scans in simulation. We compared STFR-based MWF estimates (both modeling exchange and not modeling exchange) to multi-echo spin echo (MESE)-based estimates. We used the optimized scans to acquire in vivo data from which a MWF map was estimated. We computed the STFR-based MWF estimates using PERK, a recently developed kernel regression technique, and the MESE-based MWF estimates using both regularized non-negative least squares (NNLS) and PERK. RESULTS In simulation, the optimized STFR scans led to estimates of MWF with low RMSE across a range of tissue parameters and across white matter and gray matter. The STFR-based MWF estimates that modeled exchange compared well to MESE-based MWF estimates in simulation. When the optimized scans were tested in vivo, the MWF map that was estimated using a 3-compartment model with exchange was closer to the MESE-based MWF map. CONCLUSIONS The optimized STFR scans appear to be well suited for estimating MWF in simulation and in vivo when we model exchange in training. In this case, the STFR-based MWF estimates are close to the MESE-based estimates.
A survey on the smart medical service model in Hangzhou: signing behavior and associated factors

To analyze the associated factors of signing behavior of the smart medical service model in Hangzhou, 500 residents aged 18 years and older who signed the smart medical service and 500 unsigned residents were randomly selected from 5 urban districts of Hangzhou city from 19 to 26, July 2016. The social-demographic characteristics, chronic disease, health-seeking behavior, kinds of medical insurance were investigated by face-to-face interview. The results showed that there were significant differences in educational level, self-rated health status, chronic disease, seeking behavior and type of medical insurance, while there were no significant differences in gender and age between the signed group and the non-signed group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that residents with higher education level (OR=1.226, 95%CI: 1.118-1.344, P<0.01) and having more chronic diseases (OR=1.854, 95%CI: 1.524-2.257, P<0.01) preferred to sign the service contract. The main reasons for unwillingness of signing contract were " the service was not suitable for me" (17.0%, 61/359), "I didn′t know the specific content of the service" (16.7%,60/359), "the signing procedure was complicated" (15.0%, 54/359). In conclusion, different communication strategies should be adopted considering residents with different educational level and chronic diseases. And delivery of detailed information, simplification of signing process will promote to popularize this smart medical service. Key words: Community health service; Contracted; Smart medical service; Influence factors
Observing whiteness: the system of whiteness and its religious fantasy of absolute immunity

This essay engages cultural theorist Sylvia Wynter’s theory of ‘genres of being human’ and sociologist Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social system observation in order to argue that the system of whit...
An examination of anti-doping education initiatives from an educational perspective: Insights and recommendations for improved educational design

Abstract The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has declared that education is a central focus of their anti-doping strategy. This is evident in the expansion of Article 18 of the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code that focuses on education. Furthermore, at the 2019 World Conference on Doping in Sport, they launched the International Standard for Education. International standards are technical documents that further harmonize anti-doping efforts, to which Code signatories are required to follow for Code compliance. Before this, WADA developed an online platform, ADeL, to consolidates all of its e-learning resources and in August 2019, they hired a Director of Education to lead their education strategy. While these developments are likely applauded by anti-doping advocates, historically the efficacy of anti-doping educational programs to increase athletes’ knowledge of doping has been very poor. The design of education programs has been criticized and even when they meet many of the current recommendations for program design, the results are not favorable. A partial explanation for this is that the design of past education programs has not been informed by principles from education and other related disciplines. This includes a lack of alignment between learning outcomes desired, the education activities performed, and the assessment of learning outcomes. In this monograph, previous educational initiatives are reviewed, and program design critiqued. WADA’s education strategy is examined before recommendations for improved education design are made. This includes greater reliance on education programs that are constructively aligned and provide opportunities for athletes to develop knowledge via retrieval tasks.
Prevalence of Female Athlete Triad Risk Factors and Iron Supplementation Among High School Distance Runners: Results From a Triad Risk Screening Tool:

Background:Investigations of the female athlete triad (Triad) in high school athletes have found that 36% had low energy availability, 54% had menstrual abnormalities, and 16% had low bone mineral ...
She "didn't see my weight; she saw me, a mom who needed help breastfeeding": Perceptions of perinatal weight stigma and its relationship with breastfeeding experiences.

Weight stigmatization is related to emotional and psychological distress including low self-esteem, body image dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety; all linked with suboptimal breastfeeding out...
¡Sí, Ella Puede! The Rhetorical Legacy of Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers.

iSi, Ella Puede! The Rhetorical Legacy of Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers accounts for the considerable rhetorical legacy of Dolores Huerta, an activist and civil rights organizer whose ...
Multirotor Docking with an Airborne Platform

Multirotor systems have traditionally been employed for missions that ensure minimal contact with the objects in their vicinity. However, their agile flight dynamics lets them sense, plan and react rapidly, and therefore perform highly dynamic missions. In this work, we push their operational envelope further by developing a complete framework that allows a multirotor to dock with a moving platform. Our approach builds on state-of-the-art and optimal methods for estimating and predicting the state of the moving platform, as well as for generating interception trajectories for the docking multirotor. Through a total of 25 field tests outdoors, we demonstrate the capabilities of our system in docking with a platform moving at different speeds and in various operating conditions. We also evaluate the quality of our system’s trajectory following at speeds over 2 m/s to effect docking within 10 s.
Microplastic and nanoplastic transfer, accumulation, and toxicity in humans

Abstract Plastics impact our daily lives. Unfortunately, it is the disuse and disposal of these items that may affect us the greatest. Plastic, micro- and nano-sized particles, likely from bulk degradation, have been identified in air pollution and water sources. Recently, plastic particles have also been identified in consumable products. The purpose of this review is to identify the likely routes of human exposure, the toxicological outcomes and concerns currently reported, and provide some considerations for future assessments.
Geological Stress State Calibration and Uncertainty Analysis

The stress state is an important controlling factor on the slip behavior of faults and fractures in the earth’s crust and hence on the productivity of faulted and fractured hydrocarbon reservoirs. Uncertain or poorly constrained estimates of stress states can lead to high risk both in drilling and production costs. Current methods for stress tensor estimation rely on slip vector field data, however, this information is not generally available from datasets that are commonly used in the oil and gas industry. This work presents an approach whereby predicted slip tendency is used as a proxy for fault displacement, which can easily be extracted from datasets routinely used by the oil and gas industry. In doing so, a calibration approach is developed in order to estimate the parameters governing the underlying stress state by calibrating slip tendency predicted by the 3DStress® software to match measured slip displacement. A Bayesian approach is employed, and several uncertainty sources are accounted for in the estimation process, including the impacts of limited data and correlated data taken from geologically similar measurement locations.
Satoyoshi syndrome: comments.

Sir, I read with interest a case report of Satoyoshi syndrome by Ashalatha et al. The similarity with a ‘jerking stiff-man syndrome’ –a variant of stiff-man syndrome (SMS) is striking. Distal limb involvement, myoclonic jerking, board-like muscles, stimulus-evoked spasms, endocrinopathies, vitiligo, pernicious anemia and sicca syndrome can also be seen in jerking SMS. Continuous motor unit activity (CMUA) is necessary to diagnose this variant but can sometimes be elusive and manifest only in the paraspinal muscles. Earlier this year, anti-GAD antibodies were described with Satoyoshi syndrome. This validates the auto-immune nature of this disorder and suggests that it might be a variant of stiff-man syndrome. In both cases, a partial response to immunomodulating agents such as immuno-globulin or high dose steroids may be seen. I wonder if anti-GAD antibodies could be tested in the described case as well.
Fragmentation of Suddenly Heated Liquids in ICF Reactors

AbstractFragmentation of free liquids in Inertial Confinement Fusion reactors could determine the upper bound on reactor pulse rate because increased surface area will enhance the cooling and conde...
Distributed Asynchronous Online Learning for Natural Language Processing

Recent speed-ups for training large-scale models like those found in statistical NLP exploit distributed computing (either on multicore or "cloud" architectures) and rapidly converging online learning algorithms. Here we aim to combine the two. We focus on distributed, "mini-batch" learners that make frequent updates asynchronously (Nedic et al., 2001; Langford et al., 2009). We generalize existing asynchronous algorithms and experiment extensively with structured prediction problems from NLP, including discriminative, unsupervised, and non-convex learning scenarios. Our results show asynchronous learning can provide substantial speedups compared to distributed and single-processor mini-batch algorithms with no signs of error arising from the approximate nature of the technique.
Glucolipotoxicity-induced p21 suppresses pro-survival signaling in pancreatic β cells (1108.9)

Type 2 diabetes manifests from peripheral insulin resistance and a loss of functional β cell mass due to decreased β cell function, survival, or proliferation. The glucolipotoxic environment in the diabetic milieu activates a stress response in β cells, resulting in cell death and decreased survival through various mechanisms. One key player implicated in β cell dysfunction is FOXO-1, a transcription factor phosphorylated and inhibited by the pro-survival kinase Akt. Interestingly, palmitate in combination with high glucose induced expression of p21, a cell cycle inhibitor that activates the intrinsic apoptotic pathway and reduces Akt cell survival signaling. The molecular mechanism by which p21 activates apoptosis in β cells during metabolic stress is still unknown. We hypothesized that p21-mediated suppression of Akt leads to FOXO-1 activation, ultimately resulting in the expression of pro-apoptotic factors. To investigate the molecular events that p21 acts through to increase death and reduce cell surv...
Uniqueness Conditions for ER Representations

Given a collection of entity types (database tables) there is usually more than one way to model their associations. Consequently two data models may appear different while essentially they are the same. To simplify the task of comparing data models, necessary and sufficient conditions are defined for a collection of entity types to have a unique Entity Relationship Diagram. The sufficient conditions for uniqueness are translated into modeling constraints that can be easily used to build an Entity-Relationship model. It is shown that the constraints do not prevent the representation of information requirements except for rare types of involuted relationships that seldom appear in the real world. All of this is done under the assumption that relationships are degree 2 or less. The results are extended to models containing relationships of higher degree.
Computer network intrusion detection, assessment and prevention based on security dependency relation

An approach to detection, assessment and prevention of further intrusions of distributed intrusions in a computer network is presented. Our approach uses audit data from multiple network nodes and services. To achieve accurate results, inherent security relations among different network nodes should be considered. In our approach, the security dependency relation (SDR) is defined to describe these relations, and ripple effect analysis is used to detect, assess, and prevent intrusions based on SDRs. Agents are used to improve the scalability and efficiency of our approach.
Zinc Status is not Adversely Affected by Folic Acid Supplementation and Zinc Intake does not Impair Folate Utilization in Human Subjects

Changes in zinc status in response to folic acid supplementation and the effect of zinc intake on folate utilization were evaluated in 12 men (20-34 y old) consuming a diet containing 3.5 or 14.5 mg zinc/d for two 25-d intervals. Deuterium-labeled folic acid (800 micrograms/d) or a placebo was administered orally during each phase. No differences in plasma zinc, erythrocyte zinc, urinary zinc, erythrocyte metallothionein or serum alkaline phosphatase, due to supplemental folic acid, were detected at either level of zinc intake. Differences in the response to folic acid supplementation, due to the level of zinc intake, were not detected for serum, erythrocyte or urinary (labeled and unlabeled) folate. Within the constraints of this short-term folic acid supplementation study, adverse effects on zinc status were not observed and our data suggest that folic acid utilization was not influenced by level of zinc intake.
Spinal projections of pelvic visceral afferents of the rat: A calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunohistochemical study

Little information is available concerning the pelvic visceral afferent system, in view of its terminal location in the spinal cord and its associated transmitter substances in the rat. By utilizing an immunostaining method to examine the transneuronal neurotransmitter depletion resulting from peripheral sensory nerve injury, the spinal projections of primary afferent fibers containing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and originating from pelvic viscera were studied in the lumbosacral spinal cord of the rat. After unilateral or bilateral pelvic nerve section, CGRP immunoreactivity in the lumbosacral spinal cord was decreased greatly in the sacral parasympathetic nucleus (SPN), the dorsolateral fasiculus, the medial border of the dorsal horn, the dorsal gray commissure (DGC), and the intermediate gray connecting the SPN and DGC. Fine structural analysis showed that the CGRP-immunoreactive terminals made synaptic contact with dendrites and, rarely, with somata. Although there was some incidence of a synaptic contact between a CGRP-IR terminal and a vesicle-containing profile, definite evidence of axo-axonal synapse has not been confirmed. These data indicate that CGRP-containing pelvic visceral primary afferent fibers project to autonomic areas of the lumbosacral spinal cord by way of the pelvic nerve and make synaptic contact with dendrites and somata.
Immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in asthmatic children.

Asthma is a disease that demonstrates chronic Th2 lymphocyte-mediated pulmonary inflammation. We hypothesized that cytokines produced by asthmatic lung inflammation bias the immune response to antigens administered systemically toward a Th2 response, as assessed by serum IgE antibody and lymphocyte-secreted IL-4 and IL-5. We also hypothesized that treatment of asthmatic children with local anti-inflammatory agents reduces this cytokine-mediated Th2 influence. We systemically immunized groups of asthmatic children (n = 29) who were participating in a long-term, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of inhaled anti-inflammatory therapy (Childhood Asthma Management Program) and nonasthmatic children (n = 12) with hepatitis B (Hep B) antigen, and examined their antigen-specific antibody and lymphocyte cytokine secretion profiles. The asthmatic population demonstrated an increased amount of Th2-mediated serum IgE anti-Hep B antibody, as compared to nonasthmatic children; but comparable amounts of IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgA, and IgM anti-Hep B antibody and lymphocyte IFNγ, IL4, and IL5. There was no significant difference of antibody isotype or cytokine production between asthmatic subjects receiving treatment with budesonide or nedocromil, as compared to placebo. In conclusion, there is a subtle bias in responses to systemic immunization in children with asthma, but anti-inflammatory therapy does not affect this bias. The findings support the concept that the Th2 bias may be largely genetic. Importantly, we confirmed that children with asthma, including even those on inhaled corticosteroids, responded to Hep B immunization as well as did nonasthmatic children with the major isotypes of anti-Hep B antibody, suggesting that vaccine protection against hepatitis B is not influenced by inhaled steroid therapy. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 36:522–528. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Photographic patterns in macular images: representation by a mathematical model

Normal macular photographic patterns are geometrically described and mathematically modeled. Forty normal color fundus photographs were digitized. The green channel gray-level data were filtered and contrast enhanced, then analyzed for concentricity, convexity, and radial resolution. The foveal data for five images were fit with elliptic quadratic polynomials in two zones: a central ellipse and a surrounding annulus. The ability of the model to reconstruct the entire foveal data from selected pixel values was tested. The gray-level patterns were nested sets of concentric ellipses. Gray levels increased radially, with retinal vessels changing the patterns to star shaped in the peripheral fovea. The elliptic polynomial model could fit a high-resolution green channel foveal image with mean absolute errors of 6.1% of the gray-level range. Foveal images were reconstructed from small numbers of selected pixel values with mean errors of 7.2%. Digital analysis of normal fundus photographs shows finely resolved concentric elliptical foveal and star-shaped parafoveal patterns, which are consistent with anatomical structures. A two-zone elliptic quadratic polynomial model can approximate foveal data, and can also reconstruct it from small subsets, allowing improved macular image analysis.
Greenhouse floor heating system optimization using long-term thermal performance design curves.

Abstract Steady-state design curves suitable for the determination of long-term thermal performance of the floor heating system are presented in the paper. The dominant design variables considered in the system synthesis are: pipe diameter and spacing, floor depth, greenhouse main air mass temperature, hot water temperature, water flow rate and plant canopy density. The design curves are generated for a wide range of these parameter values. The nomograms are presented in terms of the greenhouse heat gain per unit floor area as a function of the floor depth, with other variables as parameters. The set of design curves also includes the values of the rate of change of heat flux with the floor depth. This facilitates in design optimization by reducing the three dimensional search in geometric parameter, namely, pipe diameter and spacing, and floor depth, to a two dimensional search. The utility of nomograms is illustrated through a design example for a floor heated greenhouse located in the midwest region of the United States. The optimum parameter values for the floor heating system are estimated using the classical calculus technique.
Visual stimuli that elicit appetitive behaviors in three morphologically distinct species of praying mantis

We assessed the differences in appetitive responses to visual stimuli by three species of praying mantis (Insecta: Mantodea), Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, Mantis religiosa, and Cilnia humeralis. Tethered, adult females watched computer generated stimuli (erratically moving disks or linearly moving rectangles) that varied along predetermined parameters. Three responses were scored: tracking, approaching, and striking. Threshold stimulus size (diameter) for tracking and striking at disks ranged from 3.5 deg (C. humeralis) to 7.8 deg (M. religiosa), and from 3.3 deg (C. humeralis) to 11.7 deg (M. religiosa), respectively. Unlike the other species which struck at disks as large as 44 deg, T. a. sinensis displayed a preference for 14 deg disks. Disks moving at 143 deg/s were preferred by all species. M. religiosa exhibited the most approaching behavior, and with T. a. sinensis distinguished between rectangular stimuli moving parallel versus perpendicular to their long axes. C. humeralis did not make this distinction. Stimulus sizes that elicited the target behaviors were not related to mantis size. However, differences in compound eye morphology may be related to species differences: C. humeralis’ eyes are farthest apart, and it has an apparently narrower binocular visual field which may affect retinal inputs to movement-sensitive visual interneurons.
Assessing sales contest effectiveness: the role of salesperson and sales district characteristics

Sales contests are widely employed to improve short-term sales performance, but knowledge about their effectiveness at the individual salesperson level remains sparse. Proponents argue that contests increase sales by stimulating salespeople, while critics say that contests merely encourage strategic timing of sales efforts. The authors draw on the strategic sales timing literature and goal theory to hypothesize that in a consultative selling scenario, sales will dip below the baseline before the contest but increase above the baseline during and after the contest. They posit that sales district potential and salesperson ability moderate the pre-contest sales dip, contest sales boost, and post-contest sales. Results from a model based on individual-level data on 1180 salespeople in 78 sales districts are largely supportive of the hypotheses. They highlight the need for researchers to integrate the role of strategic timing, salesperson, and sales district characteristics to assess sales contest outcomes. For practitioners, the findings show that in consultative selling situations, contests can generate a net sales increase despite the occurrence of timing games, and the sales gain is higher in districts with lower sales potential and among salespeople with higher sales ability.
Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte and Monocyte Recovery and Survival in Acute Leukemia Postmyeloablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Many previous studies of immune reconstitution (IR) postallogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have focused on lymphocyte recovery. Recognizing that IR involves complex interactions between innate and adaptive immune networks, we hypothesized that patterns of both monocyte and lymphocyte recovery could provide additional prognostic information. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed data from 135 consecutive patients undergoing myeloablative allogeneic HSCT for acute myeloid (AML) and lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from 2001 to 2010. The absolute lymphocyte and monocyte counts (ALC and AMC, respectively) were determined longitudinally at days +15, +30, +60, and +100, and correlated with clinical outcomes. At the day +30 time point, both ALC and AMC >0.3 × 109 cells/L were strongly associated with improved survival (overall survival [OS] 29.6 months versus 5.4 months, P = .006 and 25.3 months versus 5.1 months, P = .01 respectively), a pattern that generally continued through the day +100 evaluation. Multivariate analysis revealed the following independent prognostic factors: early disease status at transplantation, the development of chronic GVHD, the day +30 AMC, day +100 AMC, and day +100 ALC. To further explore whether any inherent patterns in the timing of lymphocyte and monocyte recovery had prognostic value post-HSCT, we performed unsupervised hierarchical clustering on the longitudinal hematopoietic parameters studied in this cohort. Four clusters of patients were identified: clusters A-D. Patient clusters B and D both demonstrated improved ALC and AMC recovery at the day +60 and day +100 time points and had significantly improved OS compared with clusters A and C (57.8 months versus 19.7 and 4.4 months, respectively, P
A modified Goodman's technique for obtaining rocking-beam type patterns

A new method was developed for convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) and large angle convergent beam electron diffraction (LACBED) in the JEM-100CXII. This method is obtained in the imaging mode using the defocus objective lens and by re-setting condenser-2. A multi-dark field CBED pattern was achieved in two ways.
A Turbulent Flow System for Studying Turbulent Combustion Processes

The purpose of this communication is to describe a new turbulent flow system for the study of turbulent combustion processes. The system produces very high levels of relative turbulence intensities and allow for the generation of an unstabilized , propagating flame
“I Have HUGE Stereo-types:” Using Eco-maps to Understand Children and Families

National educational organizations highlight the importance of preparing preservice teachers to work with diverse families. As teacher educators in an interdisciplinary early childhood teacher education program, we developed a project using eco-maps to help students learn about children and their families. We analyzed students' written reflections and observation notes from class discussion and three major themes emerged from the data: importance of knowing about families, understanding the whole child, and recognizing assumptions. This paper presents details about the project, its impact on student learning and implications for teacher education programs.
Bar Graphs and Small Screens: Mitigating Cognitive Load in Mobile Visualizations

The literature separately addresses issues related to mobile visualization techniques (Chae & Kim, 2004; Chittaro, 2006; Chittaro & Camaggio, 2002; Gutwin & Fedak, 2004) and visuospatial working me...
Lithium inhibits a late step in agrin-induced AChR aggregation

Agrin activates an intracellular signaling pathway to induce the formation of postsynaptic specializations on muscle fibers. In myotubes in culture, this pathway has been shown to include autophosphorylation of the muscle-specific kinase MuSK, activation of Src-family kinases, tyrosine phosphorylation of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) β subunit, a decrease in receptor detergent extractability, and the accumulation of AChRs into high-density aggregates. Here we report that treating chick myotubes with lithium prevented any detectable agrin-induced change in AChR distribution without affecting the number of AChRs or the agrin-induced change in AChR tyrosine phosphorylation and detergent extractability. Lithium treatment also increased the rate at which AChR aggregates disappeared when agrin was removed. The effects of lithium developed slowly over the course of approximately 12 h. Thus, sensitivity to lithium identifies a late step in the agrin signaling pathway, after agrin-induced MuSK and AChR phosphorylation, that is necessary for the recruitment of AChRs into visible aggregates. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 54: 346–357, 2003
Teaching neural networks using LEGO handy board robots in an artificial intelligence course

In this paper we propose a novel method for teaching neural networks with back propagation in an undergraduate Artificial Intelligence course. We use an agent based approach in the course, as outlined in the textbook Artificial Intelligence A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig [7]. The students build a robot agent whose task is to learn path-following behavior with a neural network. Robot agents are constructed from standard LEGO pieces and use the MIT Handy Board as a controller.
Spending Money When It Is Not Clear What Works

Public school funding in the United States is not a product of intelligent design. Funding programs have grown willy-nilly based on political entrepreneurship, interest group pressure, and intergovernmental competition. Consequently, now that Americans feel the need to educate all children to high standards, no one knows for sure how money is used or how it might be used more effectively. This article shows that Americans can learn how to make more effective use of the money available for public schools. But to do so, states and localities must keep careful track of how money is spent; how children are taught and by whom; and what programs, schools, and teachers are most and less productive. Foundations should sponsor rigorous development and testing of new instructional programs, and every level of government should permit experimentation with alternative uses of funds, reproduce effective schools and programs, and abandon ineffective ones.
Effects of Zeolite Membrane Structure on the Separation of 1,3-Propanediol from Glycerol and Glucose by Pervaporation

Seven types of zeolite membranes were synthesized on the inside surfaces of alumina and stainless steel supports. The medium-pore membranes (MFI, MEL, and a MFI + MEL composite) were prepared by using organic templates, whereas the larger pore membranes (MOR, FAU) were prepared by a template-free method. These membranes were used in pervaporation to separate 1,3-propanediol from glycerol and glucose in an aqueous solution. All membranes had 1,3-propanediol/glycerol selectivities higher than 27, and zeolite pore size did not have a large influence on membrane selectivity, which was mainly due to preferential adsorption of 1,3-propanediol. The 1,3-propanediol/glucose selectivities were higher than 1600 for all membranes because the selectivities were mainly controlled by molecular sieving. Zeolite structure had a significant effect on the pervaporation flux; the larger pore membranes had higher fluxes. At 308 K, the X-type membrane had the largest 1,3-propanediol flux of 62 g/(m2 h), with a 1,3-propanediol/...
Gabrielle Duchêne: Feminist, Pacifist, Reluctant Bourgeoise

This article discusses the peace activism of Gabrielle Duchene, who headed the French national section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and also served as vice-president of the international executive during the interwar years. Duchene's activism began in the pre-World War I years when she first became involved in the plight of garment workers in the linen trades. She worked for a minimum wage for women homeworkers and remained a committed feminist after the war. Duchene linked the cause of world peace with that of women's rights and never compromised her feminist agenda in her fight against war and fascism. Through use of biographical information and organizational records, the author points to the serious limitations of the international peace movement during the 1930s and its inability to speak with a united voice. This examination of Duchene's relationship with both the international organization and its French national section reveals the frequent conflict of interests among members. At the international level, the serious threat of division existed between adherents of “integral” and “realist” pacifism. At the national level, party loyalties often interfered with and impeded the work of peace activists in the regional sections (as in the case of the Lyons controversy with the National Executive). Duchene was at the center of these struggles. Thus, her case is particularly interesting as it helps to explain the failure of a global, mass movement organized to prevent war in 1939.
Experimental Validation of 2D Uncertainty Quantification for Digital Image Correlation

Because digital image correlation (DIC) has become such an important and standard tool in the toolbox of experimental mechanicists, a complete uncertainty quantification of the method is needed. It should be remembered that each DIC setup and series of images will have a unique uncertainty based on the calibration quality and the image and speckle quality of the analyzed images. Any pretest work done with a calibrated DIC stereo-rig to quantify the errors using known shapes and translations, while useful, do not necessarily reveal the uncertainty of a later test. This is particularly true with high-speed applications where actual test images are often less than ideal. Work has previously been completed on the mathematical underpinnings of DIC uncertainty quantification and is already published [1], this paper will present corresponding experimental work used to check the validity of the uncertainty equations. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract No. DE-AC0494AL85000.
Unusually limited nucleotide sequence variation of the expressed major histocompatibility complex class I genes of a New World primate species (Saguinus oedipus).

Although major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules are, as a rule, highly polymorphic in mammalian species, those of the New World primate Saguinus oedipus (cotton-top tamarin) exhibit limited polymorphism. We have cloned and sequenced twelve MHC class I cDNAs from this species. Since cloned cotton-top tamarin cell lines express three to six MHC class I molecules, this species must have at least three functional MHC class I loci. There was, however, no evidence of locus-specific substitutions in the tamarin cDNAs. Unlike all other species studied, tamarin MHC class I cDNAs displayed limited nucleotide sequence variation. The sequence similarity between the two most divergent tamarin cDNAs was 95%. To ensure that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers employed in these studies had amplified all of the tamarins' expressed MHC class I genes, we used another set of primers to amplify only exons 2 and 3 from RNA and DNA. PCR of genomic DNA resulted in the amplification of six distinct clones, of which only three were well expressed. Two of these nonexpressed genes were pseudogenes and the other was a nonclassical gene. Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the tamarin has 8–11 MHC class I genes, suggesting we had indeed cloned the majority of these genes. Cotton-top tamarins are, therefore, unique among mammalian species studied to date in that they express MHC class I molecules with limited nucleotide sequence variation.