cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Petitioning the FDA to Improve Pharmaceutical, Device and Public Health Safety by Ordinary Citizens: A Descriptive Analysis

The United States Constitution protects the right of citizens to petition the government for “a redress of grievances.” This right has important implications for citizens desiring to advance the public health by petitioning administrative agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, to take safety actions. We examined a total of 1,915 petitions filed between 2001 and 2013 to investigate the outcomes of citizen petitions that address public health concerns. We found that most petitions were filed by manufacturers against other manufacturers. Only 346 (18%) of all petitions were submitted by individuals and non-profit organizations, and 178 (87.3%) of these petitions with a final response were denied. On average, these petitions required 2.85 years for a final agency decision, and many decisions remain pending 10–13 years after their initial submission. The great majority of the approved requests included some form of risk communication, such as labeling changes, boxed warnings or placement of a drug into a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy. As a policy instrument to improve the safety of medical and food products, the citizen petition process requires sophisticated legal and scientific expertise, and may not represent a viable route for ordinary citizens to petition the FDA to “redress grievances.”
Hand-held Camera Based Document Image Mosaicing Algorithm

This paper presents a global alignment model based image mosaicing method for camera-captured document images,and it can be used to combine multiple overlapping document images into one large image. It corrects the perspective distortion with the estimated vanishing points,and there exists only an affine transform between two adjacent images. Then,it adjusts the distance of featurepoints to distribute them as evenly as possible in the overlapping regions. Thirdly,it uses local alignment constraints of all the overlapping image pairs to construct global alignment model,thus,to eliminate the error accumulation. In order to reduce alignment error of overlapping area,a binary weighted function is used to blend the overlapping region of image pairs. This method is unique because it does not require the calibration of the internal/external camera parameters in advance and does not restricting the camera position,thus allowing greater flexibility than scanner-based or fixed-camera-based approaches. It can produce a high resolution and accurate full page mosaic from small image patches of a document.
Efficient Clustering of Metagenomic Sequences using Locality Sensitive Hashing.

The new generation of genomic technologies have allowed researchers to determine the collective DNA of organisms (e.g., microbes) co-existing as communities across the ecosystem (e.g., within the human host). There is a need for the computational approaches to analyze and annotate the large volumes of available sequence data from such microbial communities (metagenomes). In this paper, we developed an efficient and accurate metagenome clustering approach that uses the locality sensitive hashing (LSH) technique to approximate the computational complexity associated with comparing sequences. We introduce the use of fixed-length, gapless subsequences for improving the sensitivity of the LSH-based similarity function. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm on two metagenome datasets associated with microbes existing across different human skin locations. Our empirical results show the strength of the developed approach in comparison to three state-of-the-art sequence clustering algorithms with regards to computational efficiency and clustering quality. We also demonstrate practical significance for the developed clustering algorithm, to compare bacterial diversity and structure across different skin locations.
The taxomomy and biogeography of the Thick-billed Flowerpecker complex in Borneo

-The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology expedition to Sabah, East Malaysia (North Borneo) collected specimens and field data on Brown-backed Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum everetti) and Thick-billed Flowerpeckers (D. agile) in 1982 and 1983. Dicaeum agile had not been known from Borneo previously, and its presence there changes the biogeographic assumptions Salomonsen (1960) used to classify the "thick-billed" flowerpeckers. Salomonsen's D. everetti was found to be a valid species, but his splitting of the Philippine Striped Flowerpecker (D. aeruginosum) from D. agile was not justified. Dicaeum agile of Borneo is here placed in the race remotum with the Malayan form of the species. The Bornean and Malayan races of D. everetti are grouped in the subspecies everetti. Received 2 October 1984, accepted 12 February 1985. THE thick-billed flowerpecker complex of India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines is listed by Salomonsen (1967) as comprising three species, the Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile), the Brown-backed Flowerpecker (D. everetti), and the Striped Flowerpecker (D. aeruginosum). Of these species, only D. agile of India and Sri Lanka is common and well documented (Ali and Ripley 1974). In other parts of Southeast Asia, the three species rarely have been recorded, and their statuses are uncertain. This is especially true in Sundaland, the areas of land such as Malaya, Borneo, and much of the Indonesian archipelago associated with the Sunda shelf. Dicaeum everetti in Malaya is known from only four specimens. Dicaeum agile in Java is known from only two specimens. Dicaeum everetti in the Natuna Islands and D. agile in Sumatra are known from only one specimen each. In 1982 and 1983, the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology expedition to Sabah, East Malaysia collected both D. agile and D. everetti. The D. agile specimens were thought to be the first from Borneo (Smythies 1981). However, museum study subsequent to the expedition has shown that specimens of D. agile have existed from Borneo, in small numbers, since 1898. The 1 Present address: Department of Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 6666, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 USA. D. everetti specimens were thought to be the first from Borneo in 27 years (Pfeffer 1961). In fact, no specimens of D. everetti have been collected from Borneo since 1901, even though several museums have specimens labeled as such. The two species have been confused for 85 years, largely because the scarcity and dispersion of specimens have led to oversights in the taxonomic literature. The Western Foundation field data and the new and old specimen material permit a critical evaluation of Salomonsen's (1960) classification of the thick-billed flowerpecker complex. His controversial separation of D. everetti from D. agile (sensu Mayr and Amadon 1947) is strongly supported, but questions are raised about some of his racial taxonomy and about the scheme proposed to explain the radiation and speciation of the thick-billed flowerpeckers in the Sunda and Philippine islands.
Management of Distal Femoral Fractures (Extra-articular)

Extra-articular distal femur fractures are challenging orthopedic injuries that occur less commonly than proximal and diaphyseal femur fractures. As implant design and technology improve, the rate of fracture healing and complication rate have both improved. Currently, these injuries are most commonly treated with lateral locking plates or intramedullary nail fixation, but have yet to show uniformly good results. Considerations to direct the appropriate implant choice include degree of comminution, distance above the joint line, and intra-articular extension. Complications of distal femur fixation include nonunion, implant failure, and malalignment. These complications may have severe impact on functional and radiographic outcomes, and strategies to achieve appropriate alignment and fixation of femur fractures must be carefully considered to achieve optimal results.
Saliency Ratio and Power Factor of IPM Motors With Distributed Windings Optimally Designed for High Efficiency and Low-Cost Applications

This paper uses formal mathematical optimization techniques based on parametric finite-element-based computationally efficient models and differential evolution algorithms. For constant-power applications, in the novel approach described, three concurrent objective functions are minimized: material cost, losses, in order to ensure high efficiency, and the difference between the rated and the characteristic current, aiming to achieve very high constant-power flux-weakening range. Only the first two objectives are considered for constant-torque applications. Two types of interior permanent magnet rotors in a single- and double-layer V-shaped configuration are considered, respectively. The stator has the typical two slots per pole and phase distributed winding configuration. The results for the constant-torque design show that, in line with expectations, high efficiency and high power factor machines are more costly, and that the low-cost machines have poorer efficiency and power factor and most importantly, and despite a common misconception, the saliency ratio may also be lower in this case. For constant-power designs, the saliency ratio can be beneficial. Nevertheless, despite a common misconception, when cost is considered alongside performance as an objective, a higher saliency ratio does not necessarily improve the power factors of motors suitable for ideal infinite flux weakening.
Observation of Dynamics Inside an Unlabeled Live Cell Using a Bright-Field Photon Microscopy: Evaluation of Organelles’ Trajectories

This article presents an algorithm for the evaluation of organelles’ movements inside an unmodified live cell. We used a time-lapse image series obtained using wide-field bright-field photon transmission microscopy as an algorithm input. The benefit of the algorithm is the processing of the primary signal obtained using a color digital camera and the application of the Renyi information entropy, namely a variable called a point information gain, which enables to highlight the borders of the intracellular organelles and to localize the organelles’ centers of mass with the precision of one pixel. The algorithm is introduced on the description of intracellular dynamics of a MG-63 cancer cell.
Male Infertility Diagnosis and Treatment in the Era of In Vitro Fertilization and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.

As assisted reproductive technologies use increases, the evaluation of male factor infertility has often become overlooked. However, male evaluation remains critically important, with benefits seen in overall health, as well as in natural and assisted pregnancy and birth rates. A comprehensive assessment of the male partner should be offered to all couples seeking infertility care.
Who to select: Identifying critical sources in social sensing

Abstract Social sensing has emerged as a new data collection paradigm in networked sensing applications where humans are used as “sensors” to report their observations about the physical world. While many previous studies in social sensing focus on the problem of ascertaining the reliability of data sources and the correctness of their reported claims (often known as truth discovery), this paper investigates a new problem of critical source selection. The goal of this problem is to identify a subset of critical sources that can help effectively reduce the computational complexity of the original truth discovery problem and improve the accuracy of the analysis results. In this paper, we propose a new scheme, Critical Source Selection (CSS), to find the critical set of sources by explicitly exploring both dependency and speak rate of sources. We evaluated the performance of our scheme and compared it to the state-of-the-art baselines using two data traces collected from a real world social sensing application. The results showed that our scheme significantly outperforms the baselines by finding more truthful information at a higher speed.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Postoperative Infection and Revision Surgery in Elderly Patients Undergoing Anterior Cervical Fusion.

Study Design.Retrospective review.Objective.To identify the incidence and analyze the risk of postoperative complications amongst elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing anterior cervical fusion.Summary of Background Data.Previous studies have reported elevated risks of postoperative c
Lexicodes over finite principal ideal rings

Let R be a (possibly noncommutative) finite principal ideal ring. Via a total ordering of the ring elements and an ordered basis a lexicographic ordering of the module $$R^n$$ is produced. This is used to set up a greedy algorithm that selects vectors for which all linear combinations with the previously selected vectors satisfy a pre-specified selection property and updates the to-be-constructed code to the linear hull of the vectors selected so far. The output is called a lexicode. This process was discussed earlier in the literature for fields and chain rings. In this paper we investigate the properties of such lexicodes over finite principal ideal rings and show that the total ordering of the ring elements has to respect containment of ideals for the algorithm to produce meaningful results. Only then it is guaranteed that the algorithm is exhaustive and thus produces codes that are maximal with respect to inclusion. It is further illustrated that the output of the algorithm heavily depends on the total ordering and chosen basis.
Peritoneal and scrotal carcinomas of unknown origin in two bovine calves

Two unrelated bovine beef calves, aged 2 mo and 3 mo, were presented to The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center because of scrotal swelling and abdominal distension. On postmortem examination, there was abundant peritoneal fluid and numerous small friable masses covering all peritoneal surfaces and extending into the scrotum via the tunica vaginalis, with no identifiable primary neoplasm. Based on light microscopy, differential diagnoses included malignant mesothelioma and anaplastic carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, the neoplasms labeled positive for cytokeratin, and negative for vimentin and calretinin. Neoplastic cells contained periodic acid-Schiff-positive, diastase-resistant cytoplasmic granules, and lacked Alcian blue-positive, hyaluronidase-negative cytoplasmic vacuoles. Ultrastructurally, the cells had features of carcinoma, including secretory granules, and lacked typical features of mesothelioma, such as long slender microvilli. Our final diagnosis was carcinoma in both calves, despite the equivocal gross and light microscopic findings. We propose that a presumptive diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma in bovine calves should be avoided without corroboration by a combination of histology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and, if possible, electron microscopy.
Linear Elliptic Equations

The first major topic of this chapter is the Dirichlet problem for the Laplace operator on a compact domain with boundary: $$\Delta u = 0\text{ on }\Omega,\quad {u\bigr |}_{\partial\Omega } = f.$$ (0.1) We also consider the nonhomogeneous problem Δu = g and allow for lower-order terms. As in Chap. 2, Δ is the Laplace operator determined by a Riemannian metric. In §1 we establish some basic results on existence and regularity of solutions, using the theory of Sobolev spaces. In §2 we establish maximum principles, which are useful for uniqueness theorems and for treating (0.1) for f continuous, among other things.
An Interview with Joel R. Levin

Joel R. Levin is presently Professor of Educational Psychology at the Uni versity of Arizona. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees all from the University of California at Berkeley. Professor Levin is presently Co Editor of Issues in Education: Contributions from Educational Psychology and was Editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology and Associate Edi tor of The Review of Educational Research. He is Chief Editorial Advisor for all APA journal operations and has published seven books and more than 300 scholarly articles and chapters. He is a Fellow of APA (Divisions 5 and 15) and was Vice President of AERA. Professor Levin holds the E. L. Thorndike Award for distinguished ca reer achievements in educational psychology research from APA's Division 15. His work is read by thousands of graduate and undergraduate students, and his research on memory, study skills, and mnemonics, as well as that on statistical analysis and research methodology, has influenced the field. In this interview, he reflects on both his work and the field of educational psychology in general. 1. Who has influenced you and why? I can think of no better way for a dyed-in-the-wool pictures-and-imagery researcher to respond to the first part of this question than in a more pictorial mode. So, let's let the following figurai quasi-chronological genealogy do the talking here. The names in parentheses indicate the scholars and colleagues who provided the initial impetus for my studying a particular research topic, and the topics in italics indicate those topical areas where I still maintain an active research concern.
Establishing a Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Consultation Service

A number of hospitals and outpatient facilities have established consultation services to aid physicians in the clinical applications of therapeutic drug monitoring. Such services can result in decreased length of stay and improved risk management posture. Despite their proven efficacy, many health care facilities have not yet implemented such services. This article provides guidelines for establishing a therapeutic drug monitoring consultation service, with emphasis on the potential role of the clinical pathologist.
Time Delay Neural Networks for Classification of Ultrasonic NDT Signals

The pressures of marketplace are increasingly resulting in a shift in emphasis from such concepts as Scheduled Replacement to notions that include Retirement for Cause (RFC). The shift has resulted in enormous demands placed on the performance levels of NDE algorithms and systems. The need for detection of flaws in the incipient stages of growth and the regularity with which inspections need to be carried have contributed to interest in systems that offer high levels of accuracy and throughput. Pattern recognition algorithms play a key role in NDE systems and improvements in classification schemes are an area of active research. This paper presents an approach for addressing classification of ultrasonic signals obtained during the inspection of nuclear power plant tubing. The signals are analyzed for detection of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC). However the similarity of the IGSCC signals to reflectors from other benign sources such as rootwelds and counterbores renders the identification of crack signals difficult. In addition variations in the location of cracks are manifested as temporal shifts or delays in the signal. The classification scheme is therefore required to be insensitive to temporal shifts.
Seasonal prescribed fire variation decreases inhibitory ability of Poa pratensis L. and promotes native plant diversity.

Abstract Global biodiversity is threatened by invasive plant species. Without a thorough understanding of effective management strategies, minimizing their impacts while improving native species diversity will be challenging. Burning in fire-prone landscapes has been successful for managing invasive species and increasing native biodiversity, but it is unclear how specific fire regimes improve restoration practices in novel ecosystems where invasive plants have a similar growth phenology to native plants. We investigated fire as a restoration practice in the Northern Great Plains to decrease the cover of Kentucky bluegrass Poa pratensis (bluegrass), a perennial cool-season invasive grass phenologically similar to dominant native cool-season grasses, by 1) evaluating season of burn (early-growing season, late-growing season, and dormant season) in a field experiment to test differences in plant community composition and 2) manipulating fine fuels (3000–5000 kg ha−1) in an experimental approach to determine the effects of fire on plant survivability of selected native grasses and bluegrass. Bluegrass cover decreased 27% on all field burned plots the first year post-fire. Three years post-fire, late-growing season and dormant season treatments had 35% less bluegrass, whereas the early-growing season treatment was not significantly different from the control. Overall, fire altered the native plant community, with native plants more associated with burned plots. However, native plant community changes were only evident three years post-fire in late-growing season and dormant season burn treatments. In the experimental approach, native grasses and bluegrass experienced high rates of mortality (40–50%) at fuel loads above 4000 kg ha−1 and heat dosages above 30,000 °C·sec, features commonly associated with early-growing season burns. Therefore, early-growing season burns meant to reduce bluegrass may also impact native plants dominant in the region. Invasive species management is complicated in novel ecosystems when invasive plants have similar growth phenologies to native species. Control efforts should consider how different management strategies impact invasive and native plants alike. We found that late-growing season and dormant season burns, along with higher fuel loads, decreased bluegrass cover. Determining mechanisms of control in fire-prone landscapes is a crucial step to improving invasive plant control and increasing native biodiversity.
A spatial agent-based model of the disease vector Ixodes scapularis to explore host-tick associations

Abstract Tick-borne diseases are increasing worldwide and have a progressively negative impact on human health. The black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the known vector of several emerging tick-borne diseases. To effectively manage diseases requires enhanced knowledge of the interactions of the tick, its hosts, and the environment. Modeling approaches may offer a way to evaluate vector control strategies since it is impossible to conduct large-scale experiments in natural settings. Therefore, we created the first spatially explicit individual-based tick interaction model (SEIB-TIM) that is designed from the perspective of the tick to examine the processes through which I. scapularis populations are maintained. Using a two-host wildlife community consisting of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we parameterized our model so that I. scapularis infestation rates for P. leucopus are within the range of those reported in field studies. Once our model (SEIB-TIM) accurately simulated the interactions between I. scapularis, wildlife hosts, and the environment, we evaluated its robustness to parameter uncertainty using both global and local sensitivity analyses. Lastly, we related changes in model parameters to I. scapularis life-history traits to understand how those changes affected the maintenance of I. scapularis populations. We found that of the model parameters we examined, increasing mouse grooming by 10% reduced the total questing nymph population by 30% in ten years. In addition, a 10% reduction in deer grooming is capable of reducing the questing larvae population by 36% and questing nymph population by 35%. This result indicates that management interventions aimed at decreasing the number of larval ticks that can successfully feed on mice in addition to targeting the reproductive stage of the ticks lifecycle can potentially reduce tick populations. We therefore conclude that effective management efforts should be aimed at multiple stages in the ticks life cycle and enacted for the long term. The maintenance of tick populations can be better understood and controlling mechanisms identified when incorporating information on all components of the tick life-cycle into the model. This SEIB-TIM model serves as the foundation for a more complex model with additional host species as well as tick-borne pathogens.
Fatal bronchopneumonia caused by skunk adenovirus 1 in an African pygmy hedgehog

Eleven adult African pygmy hedgehogs ( Atelerix albiventris) were added to a group of 35 animals, and within 10 d, respiratory distress affected 8 of 35 resident animals in the group, but none of the introduced animals. Three animals died following onset of clinical signs. Tissues from one animal were collected and submitted for histopathology, which revealed acute necrotizing bronchopneumonia and tracheitis with intraepithelial intranuclear inclusion bodies. Electron microscopy identified 75-90 nm diameter encapsulated icosahedral virions. Degenerate nested PCR analysis identified adenovirus within the affected lung tissue. Deep sequencing showed 100% homology to skunk adenovirus 1 (SkAdV-1). Adenoviruses are usually species-adapted and -specific, but our case supports the single previous report of non-skunk infection with SkAdV-1, indicating that this virus can infect other species, and further shows that it can cause fatal disease.
Electronic Negotiation: The International Electronic Mail Computer Negotiation Project

This article describes the use of e-mail to conduct negotiations between students in Hawaii and England.
‘Bridging the gap’: school resource officers as bridge builders in the community policing era

Since their origination in the 1950s, school resource officers (SROs) have become increasingly commonplace in schools throughout the United States. In turn, researchers have developed a considerabl...
Excess BMI Accelerates Islet Autoimmunity in Older Children and Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE Sustained excess BMI increases the risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in autoantibody-positive relatives without diabetes of patients. We tested whether elevated BMI also accelerates the progression of islet autoimmunity before T1D diagnosis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 706 single autoantibody–positive pediatric TrialNet participants (ages 1.6–18.6 years at baseline). Cumulative excess BMI (ceBMI) was calculated for each participant based on longitudinally accumulated BMI ≥85th age- and sex-adjusted percentile. Recursive partitioning analysis and multivariable modeling defined the age cut point differentiating the risk for progression to multiple positive autoantibodies. RESULTS At baseline, 175 children (25%) had a BMI ≥85th percentile. ceBMI range was −9.2 to 15.6 kg/m2 (median −1.91), with ceBMI ≥0 kg/m2 corresponding to persistently elevated BMI ≥85th percentile. Younger age increased the progression to multiple autoantibodies, with age cutoff of 9 years defined by recursive partitioning analysis. Although ceBMI was not significantly associated with progression from single to multiple autoantibodies overall, there was an interaction with ceBMI ≥0 kg/m2, age, and HLA (P = 0.009). Among children ≥9 years old without HLA DR3-DQ2 and DR4-DQ8, ceBMI ≥0 kg/m2 increased the rate of progression from single to multiple positive autoantibodies (hazard ratio 7.32, P = 0.004) and conferred a risk similar to that in those with T1D-associated HLA haplotypes. In participants CONCLUSIONS These data support that elevated BMI may exacerbate islet autoimmunity prior to clinical T1D, particularly in children with lower risk based on age and HLA. Interventions to maintain normal BMI may prevent or delay the progression of islet autoimmunity.
Speed dependence of friction on single-layer and bulk MoS2 measured by atomic force microscopy

We perform atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments on mechanically exfoliated, single-layer and bulk molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) in order to probe friction forces as a function of sliding speed. The results of the experiments demonstrate that (i) friction forces increase logarithmically with respect to sliding speed, (ii) there is no correlation between the speed dependence of friction and the number of layers of MoS2, and (iii) changes in the speed dependence of friction can be attributed to changes in the physical characteristics of the AFM probe, manifesting in the form of varying contact stiffness and tip-sample interaction potential parameters in the thermally activated Prandtl–Tomlinson model. Our study contributes to the formation of a mechanistic understanding of the speed dependence of nanoscale friction on two-dimensional materials.
4.27 Polymeric Drug Conjugates by Controlled Radical Polymerization

Synthetic polymers have been broadly implemented as biomaterials in drug delivery and tissue regeneration. Polymers, as drug delivery vehicles, improve efficacy by increasing loading, solubility, and specificity, and alleviating toxicity and immunogenicity of drugs. Conjugation of a drug to a high molecular weight polymer chain improves pharmacokinetics while retaining the drug potency. Controlled radical polymerizations (CRPs), such as atom transfer radical polymerization, reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, and nitroxide-mediated polymerization, are being increasingly implemented in the bioconjugation field. CRPs offer well-defined polymer–drug conjugates with controlled molecular weight and architecture and narrow polydispersity. Flexible choice of monomers and initiators or chain transfer agents enables chemoselective and site-specific conjugation for small molecule and biomolecule (such as proteins and peptides) drugs. In this chapter, synthetic approaches for drug conjugation that employ CRP techniques are discussed.
The Relationships among Dimensions of Perceived Risk and the Switching Intentions of Pioneer Adopters in Japan

The authors examine the roles of four dimensions of risk (performance, financial, social, and emotional) in decisions to switch from a pioneer product to a follower product in a collectivist cultur...
The Influence of Surface Termination and Domain Structure on the Photochemical Reactivity of SrTiO3 and BaTiO3

The crystallographic orientation and atomic termination layer of oxide catalysts are known to influence their reactivity. The objective of this work was to measure how the relative photochemical reactivities of two ternary titanates vary with surface orientation and composition. The surface structure property relationships derived from these observations can be used to define optimized photocatalyst microstructures.To measure the relative reactivity of surfaces with different orientations, crystallites (∽ 20 μm in diameter) in a polycrystalline ceramic were examined individually. First, polycrystalline specimens of BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 were synthesized using conventional ceramic processing. Surfaces for analysis were prepared by polishing and thermal etching in air. The surface orientations of selected grains in the sample were then determined from backscattered electron diffraction patterns recorded in a scanning electron microscope. to make a local measurement of the photochemical activity of each grain, we used a well established probe reaction (the reduction of aqueous Ag+ to Ag0) that deposits metallic silver on the surface as a reaction product.
Use of a Vortex Whistle for Measures of Respiratory Capacity.

Summary Objectives: A vortex whistle produces a tone which has a frequency proportional to the inlet air flow rate. The objectives of this study were to replicate previous studies demonstrating the use of a vortex whistle as an accurate flow meter, and to assess the degree of relationship between measures of vital capacity (VC) obtained using low-cost methods (vortex whistle and hand-held spirometry) vs. pneumotach-based spirometry. Methodology: A vortex whistle was designed using 3D modeling software and manufactured using a 3D printer with non-toxic, biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA). The digitized vortex whistle tone was analyzed using custom software to produce a frequency vs. time contour. As the frequency is proportional to flow, the integral of this curve corresponds to the overall volume by a linear relationship. The accuracy of vortex whistle volume estimates were assessed using (1) controlled flow rates from a consistent volume calibration syringe, and (2) with 66 subjects between the ages of 18–30 yrs. in comparison to hand-held spirometry and two pneumotach systems. Results: Observations from the calibration syringe experiment confirmed that the vortex whistle and software are able to effectively track the flow rate, with a correlation coefficient between the average flow and the average frequency of r2 = 0.9965. Results from the human VC testing showed that measures obtained using both vortex whistles and hand-held spirometry correlated very strongly (r > 0.94) with computerized pneumotach systems, and the strength of correlations obtained via vortex whistles vs. hand-held spirometry were highly comparable. Discussion & Conclusions: When coupled with the analysis software described herein, valid and reliable frequency/flow curves and volume estimates may be obtained using a vortex whistle that are highly comparable to the hand-held spirometer. The use of the vortex whistle has the potential to bring measures of basic respiratory function to clinicians and patients alike at a fraction of the cost of currently used spirometric methods.
Missões nas fronteiras da América Espanhola: análise comparativa

The Spanish Crown constructed a colonial system in the Americas based on the exploitation of the indigenous populations. This colonial system worked well in sedentary populations that practiced agriculture, and that had govemrnents that exer­cised central control. On the frontiers of the empire, the Spaniards encountered popula­tions that were not sedentary, and developed the mission system where missionaries from various Catholic orders such as the Franciscans and the Jesuits attempted to change the social structure and religion of the indigenous neophytes. This essay offers a comparative analysis of missions in northem Mexico during the colonial period, and in Paraguay.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in the Older Athlete.

Context:Older adults are remaining active longer and continuing during later stages of life to participate in sports and activities that involve pivoting on 1 foot. The rate of anterior cruciate li...
The Impact of Purpose On Rating Quality and User Acceptance

Using a quasi-experimental design, the effects of purpose (evaluative vs. developmental) on both peer-rating quality and user acceptance were examined. Subjects were 65 undergraduates divided into ...
Lightweight Run-Time Working Memory Compression for Deployment of Deep Neural Networks on Resource-Constrained MCUs

This work aims to achieve intelligence on embedded devices by deploying deep neural networks (DNNs) onto resource-constrained microcontroller units (MCUs). Apart from the low frequency (e.g., 1-16 MHz) and limited storage (e.g., 16KB to 256KB ROM), one of the largest challenges is the limited RAM (e.g., 2KB to 64KB), which is needed to save the intermediate feature maps of a DNN. Most existing neural network compression algorithms aim to reduce the model size of DNNs so that they can fit into limited storage. However, they do not reduce the size of intermediate feature maps significantly, which is referred to as working memory and might exceed the capacity of RAM. Therefore, it is possible that DNNs cannot run in MCUs even after compression. To address this problem, this work proposes a technique to dynamically prune the activation values of the intermediate output feature maps in the runtime to ensure that they can fit into limited RAM. The results of our experiments show that this method could significantly reduce the working memory of DNNs to satisfy the hard constraint of RAM size, while maintaining satisfactory accuracy with relatively low overhead on memory and run-time latency.
#ChinaMustexplain: Global Tweets, COVID-19, and Anti-Black Racism in China

One of the consequences of the emergence of COVID-19 has been the glaring racial and ethnic disparities that have defined the course of the spread of the virus. As a recent migrant-minority communi...
Application of optogenetics and in vivo imaging approaches for elucidating the neurobiology of addiction

The neurobiology of addiction has been an intense topic of investigation for more than 50 years. Over this time, technological innovation in methods for studying brain function rapidly progressed, leading to increasingly sophisticated experimental approaches. To understand how specific brain regions, cell types, and circuits are affected by drugs of abuse and drive behaviors characteristic of addiction, it is necessary both to observe and manipulate neural activity in addiction-related behavioral paradigms. In pursuit of this goal, there have been several key technological advancements in in vivo imaging and neural circuit modulation in recent years, which have shed light on the cellular and circuit mechanisms of addiction. Here we discuss some of these key technologies, including circuit modulation with optogenetics, in vivo imaging with miniaturized single-photon microscopy (miniscope) and fiber photometry, and how the application of these technologies has garnered novel insights into the neurobiology of addiction.
An Examination of the Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Impact of Prenatal Zika Virus Infection in a Rat Model Using a High Resolution, Longitudinal MRI Approach

Since Zika virus (ZIKV) first emerged as a public health concern in 2015, our ability to identify and track the long-term neurological sequelae of prenatal Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in humans has been limited. Our lab has developed a rat model of maternal ZIKV infection with associated vertical transmission to the fetus that results in significant brain malformations in the neonatal offspring. Here, we use this model in conjunction with longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to expand our understanding of the long-term neurological consequences of prenatal ZIKV infection in order to identify characteristic neurodevelopmental changes and track them across time. We exploited both manual and automated atlas-based segmentation of MR images in order to identify long-term structural changes within the developing rat brain following inoculation. The paradigm involved scanning three cohorts of male and female rats that were prenatally inoculated with 107 PFU ZIKV, 107 UV-inactivated ZIKV (iZIKV), or diluent medium (mock), at 4 different postnatal day (P) age points: P2, P16, P24, and P60. Analysis of tracked brain structures revealed significantly altered development in both the ZIKV and iZIKV rats. Moreover, we demonstrate that prenatal ZIKV infection alters the growth of brain regions throughout the neonatal and juvenile ages. Our findings also suggest that maternal immune activation caused by inactive viral proteins may play a role in altered brain growth throughout development. For the very first time, we introduce manual and automated atlas-based segmentation of neonatal and juvenile rat brains longitudinally. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our novel approach for detecting significant changes in neurodevelopment in models of early-life infections.
Efficacy of dural venous sinus stenting in treating idiopathic intracranial hypertension with acute vision loss.

INTRODUCTION Dural venous sinus stenting (VSS) is an effective, durable treatment for patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) due to underlying venous sinus stenosis. However, the use of venous sinus stenting to treat IIH with acute vision loss has rarely been described. METHODS A retrospective chart analysis identified patients who received VSS for fulminant IIH, defined as acute (< 8 weeks) visual field loss to within the central 5° and/or a decrease in visual acuity to less than or equal to 20/50 in either eye in the presence of papilledema. RESULTS Ten patients were identified with average patient age of 31.0 years, and all except one were female. Mean body mass index was 41.2 kg/m2. All patients presented with vision loss and some with headache and tinnitus. The average trans-stenotic gradient pre-stenting was 28.7 mmHg (range 9-62 mmHg). All patients had diminished or resolved venous gradients immediately following the procedure. At mean follow-up of 60.5 weeks, 100% had improvements in papilledema, 80.0% had subjective vision improvement, 55.6% had headache improvement and 87.5% had tinnitus improvement. 90.0% had stable or improved visual acuity in both eyes with a mean post-stenting Snellen acuity of 20/30 and an average gain of 3 lines Snellen acuity post-stenting (95% confidence intervals 0.1185-0.4286, p = 0.0018). Two patients (20.0%) required further surgical treatment (cerebrospinal shunting and/or stenting) after their first stenting procedure. CONCLUSIONS This series suggests that VSS is feasible in patients presenting with IIH and acute vision loss with a fairly low complication rate and satisfactory clinical outcomes.
Europeans Arrive in the (Not-So) New World

In this chapter, the authors introduce the themes of the book. The early history of European colonization of the Americas led to the emergence of racial tension, developmental politics, and cultural clashes that planted the seeds for later problems of interaction, acceptance, and the politics of land ownership. Many Europeans saw the indigenous population as such human savages, who the more advanced Europeans had the “right” to steal the land from. Also, the contributor of the Iroquois Confederation on the voting of the Constitution, and the question of “genocide” are discussed.
Inference for a two-stage enrichment design

Two-stage enrichment designs can be used to target the benefiting population in clinical trials based on patients’ biomarkers. In the case of continuous biomarkers, we show that using a bivariate model that treats biomarkers as random variables more accurately identifies a treatment-benefiting enriched population than assuming biomarkers are fixed. Additionally, we show that under the bivariate model, the maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs) follow a randomly scaled mixture of normal distributions. Using random normings, we obtain asymptotically standard normal MLEs and construct hypothesis tests. Finally, in a simulation study, we demonstrate that our proposed design is more powerful than a single stage design when outcomes and biomarkers are correlated; the model-based estimators have smaller bias and mean square error (MSE) than weighted average estimators.
What to do With Racial Preferences in Financial Aid? Rational Learning and Implementing the Michigan Cases

This paper investigates how colleges and universities responded to the University of Michigan affirmative action cases. It focuses on their policy decisions concerning racial preferences in financial aid. It does so using unique and original survey data that provides direct insight into legal policy decision making. It provides substantial empirical support for importance of targeted learning and diffusion in legal policy implementation. Specifically, the data show that many colleges and universities relied little on independent analysis of legal materials. Instead of acting independently, many utilized opportunities to learn from other institutions and professional associations. The relative importance of these sources increased with decreases in legal capacity. Moreover, when institutions sought to learn from others, they prioritized learning from those whose traits and affirmative action activities were most similar to their own. Additionally, the chapter links decision making tactics and inputs to concrete policy choices and outputs. In sum, the chapter points to the rationality of learning and the interdependence of legal compliance policies. It engages with the legal impact literature by focusing on the oft overlooked actors that shape legal institutions' impact on outcomes. More broadly, it supports a general model of policy choice under uncertainty which has applications to other political institutions, settings, and activities.
A Review of: “The Arab Mind”

Originally published in 1973, The Arab Mind is a nearly 400-page volume of engaging, seemingly insider information of life in the Middle East. The author 1 seeks to unlock the mysteries of Arab soc...
Making Computer-Mediated Education Responsive to the Accommodation Needs of Students with Disabilities

Although the accommodation of students with disabilities in the traditional social work classroom has been discussed in the professional literature, the emergence of Internet-based courses raises new questions about accommodating students with disabilities. While the Internet has opened up new possibilities for learning, it has also interposed speed, uniformity, and efficiency as overriding principles, often running counter to accessibility and adaptability needs. Several key domains for Internet-based course work accommodations are identified: student privacy, online etiquette, ethical guidelines for online learning, and pedagogical integrity. Finally, recommendations are made for optimizing the online learning experience for social work students with disabilities.
Recent Advances in 3-5 microns InGaAs/InAlAs/InP quantum cascade lasers

In this paper, we discuss the limiting factors for short-wavelength QCL designs and how the incorporation of strain into the material can help to overcome the electron confinement limitations of QCLs at shorter wavelengths. As QCL designs approach shorter wavelengths, several problems arise, including electron confinement, intervalley leakage, surface plasmon loss, high power density, and non-uniform gain in the waveguide, all of which reduce device performance or even prevent operation completely. Problems associated with electron confinement arise as the upper laser level is pushed closer to the continuum by the wider separation of energy levels required for short-wavelength emission. High lattice and/or electron temperature leads to escape of electrons into the continuum, which manifests as leakage current.
An Exact Determination of the Probability Density Function Under Coordinate Transformations

In this note, the formalism to determine the probability density function (PDF) resulting from a coordinate transformation applied to an arbitrary PDF is developed. The results are applied to the coordinate transformation used in target tracking, specifically the transformation from spherical to Cartesian coordinates. This result is then applied to the specific example of a Gaussian random variable transformed by sine and cosine coordinate transformations. A brief discussion is then made of multi-dimensional transformations.
Tyrosine phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) during hypoxia in the cerebral cortex of newborn piglets: The role of nitric oxide

The present study aims to investigate the mechanism of activation of nNOS during hypoxia and tests the hypothesis that the hypoxia-induced increased tyrosine phosphorylation of nNOS in the cerebral cortical membranes of newborn piglets is mediated by nNOS-derived nitric oxide (NO). Fifteen newborn piglets were divided into normoxic (Nx, n=5), hypoxic (Hx, n=5) and hypoxic-pretreated with nNOS inhibitor I (Hx-nNOSi) groups. Hypoxia was induced by an FiO(2) of 0.07 for 60 min. nNOS inhibitor I (selectivity>2500 vs endothelial NOS and >500 vs inducible NOS) was administered (0.4 mg/kg, i.v.) 30 min prior to hypoxia. Cortical membranes were isolated and tyrosine phosphorylation of nNOS determined by Western blot. Membrane protein was immunoprecipitated with nNOS antibody, separated on 12% SDS-PAGE and blotted with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. Protein bands were detected by enhanced chemiluminescence, analyzed by densitometry and expressed as absorbance (OD x mm(2)). Density (OD x mm(2)) of tyrosine phosphorylated nNOS was 51.66+/-14.11 in Nx, 118.39+/-14.17 in Hx (p<0.05 vs Nx) and 45.56+/-10.34 in Hx-nNOSi (p<0.05 vs Hx, p=NS vs Nx). The results demonstrate that pretreatment with nNOS inhibitor prevents the hypoxia-induced increased tyrosine phosphorylation of nNOS. We conclude that the mechanism of hypoxia-induced increased tyrosine phosphorylation of nNOS is mediated by nNOS-derived NO.