cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Temporal Processes: A Model Predictive Control Approach

A dynamic predictive-control model of a nonlinear and temporal process is considered. Evolutionary computation and data mining algorithms are integrated for solving the model. Data-mining algorithms learn dynamic equations from process data. Evolutionary algorithms are then applied to solve the optimization problem guided by the knowledge extracted by data-mining algorithms. Several properties of the optimization model are shown in detail, in particular, a selection of regressors, time delays, prediction and control horizons, and weights. The concepts proposed in this paper are illustrated with an industrial case study in combustion process.
Genetically informative designs for the study of behavioural development

Genetic and environmental influences on behaviour and development can be examined by studying more than one individual within a family, using quantitative genetic theory and behavioural genetic (BG) methodology. Specific environmental and genetic influences can be measured and effect sizes estimated, and many assumptions of the methodology can be explicitly tested. BG designs can identify specific aspects of the environment that have the greatest influence on behavioural variation, and they can pinpoint critical periods in which environmental influences are most malleable, both of which are useful when designing interventions. Traits that are shown to be the most heritable through traditional family resemblance methods can now be explored further and actual genes may be identified, using new molecular methods. By identifying specific genetic and environmental influences on behaviour, and modelling the structure of these influences over time, we can rapidly advance our understanding of human development.
Suggested U.S. Policies to Promote Growth in Africa

The fall of 2012 marked the inaugural semester for the Ambassador Price Think Tank. John Price served as Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Seychelles, and the Union of Comoros from 2002-2005. He is currently serving as a Hinckley Resident Scholar. His Think Tank is reserved for our most globally-minded students and focuses on foreign policy as it relates to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. For their final project, the students developed policy proposals for the U.S. to implement to best benefit Africa.
The effect of access time on online quiz performance in large biology lecture courses.

To better understand the dynamics of online student test taking, including the likelihood of cheating by large numbers of students, we examined test-taking patterns and outcomes of weekly online quizzes in two large undergraduate biology lecture courses. Students taking a quiz late in a 1–3-day quiz access period performed 10–15% worse on quizzes than the students who completed the quiz early. Quiz access time was also negatively correlated with performance in other course components and course grades. These patterns suggest that academic dishonesty was not a determinant in unsupervised online quiz performance. Students generally completed quizzes in late afternoon or evening hours, but students who completed quizzes between midnight and 8 a.m. had significantly lower quiz grades than their peers. In addition, upper-division students were more likely to characterize weekly online quizzes as more helpful for their learning than the lower-division students.
When True Recognition Suppresses False Recognition: Evidence from Amnesic Patients

False recognition occurs when people mistakenly claim that a novel item is familiar. After studying lists of semantically related words, healthy controls show extraordinarily high levels of false recognition to nonstudied lures that are semantic associates of study list words. In previous experiments, we found that both Korsakoff and non-Korsakoff amnesic patients show reduced levels of false recognition to semantic associates, implying that the medial temporal/diencephalic structures that are damaged in amnesic patients are involved in the encoding and/or retrieval of information that underlies false recognition. These data contrast with earlier results indicating greater false recognition in Korsakoff amnesics than in control subjects. The present experiment tests the hypothesis that greater or lesser false recognition of semantic associates in amnesic patients, relative to normal controls, can be demonstrated by creating conditions that are more or less conducive to allowing true recognition to suppress false recognition. With repeated presentation and testing of lists of semantic associates, control subjects and both Korsakoff and non-Korsakoff amnesics showed increasing levels of true recognition across trials. However, control subjects exhibited decreasing levels of false recognition across trials, whereas Korsakoff amnesic patients showed increases across trials and non-Korsakoff amnesics showed a fluctuating pattern. Consideration of signal detection analyses and differences between the two types of amnesic patients provides insight into how mechanisms of veridical episodic memory can be used to suppress false recognition.
Scope of Justice in the Workplace: How Survivors React to Co-Worker Layoffs

The studies described in this paper explored the effects of layoffs on the work behaviors and attitudes of the employees not laid off (the survivors). Survivors were hypothesized to become more withdrawn from their jobs and organization to the extent that they believe management handled the layoff unfairly. Moreover, these tendencies should be especially true when the layoff victims were included in survivors' scope of justice. The results of field and laboratory studies supported these predictions. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Airway Management of the Nonintubated Patient

Maintenance of an unobstructed airway and administra tion of controlled ventilation by face mask can save the life of the patient unable to sustain adequate spontane ous ventilation. Techniques for obtaining an unob structed airway are reviewed, as are methods of posi tioning and holding the face mask. Breathing bag systems used to deliver supplemental oxygen and posi tive-pressure ventilation to the nonintubated patient are discussed.
Space division multiplexing in data communications and high performance computing

High performance computing systems are exponentially increasing their dependence on optical interconnects to meet their scaling BW demands. Space division multiplexing continues to play an important role to meet the requirements of these systems.
Compensation of systematic variations through optimal biasing of SRAM wordlines

Increasing process variability is slowing SRAM scaling by reducing both read and write margins. Existing techniques to compensate for systematic variations optimize cell stability with excessive penalty to writeability. To maximize overall yield, a sensor circuit is presented that optimizes the read / write tradeoff in the presence of process, voltage, and temperature variations. Sensors implemented in a low-power 45 nm test chip adjust the wordline voltage to track changes in the optimal value within 30 mV over the entire range of operation.
Perceptual navigation strategy: a unified approach to interception of ground balls and fly balls

In previous work, we demonstrated the feasibility of perceptual navigation algorithms used to intercept fly balls. In this paper we expand the optical acceleration cancellation heuristic to also intercept ground balls. We used computer simulations and experiments with mobile robots with various bail trajectories and different initial positions of the fielder to test our new model. A new robotic system with improved vision and faster processing was developed for experimentally intercepting ground balls. The results support the generality of viewer based interception heuristics for both fly balls and ground balls.
Does globalization drive interest group strategy? A cross-national study of outside lobbying and social media

Social media offer a new outside lobbying tactics for interest groups, yet many examinations of social media use by interest groups have been case studies or single-country studies. While much can be learned from those approaches, national-level factors – such as the style of policy making and globalization – cannot be fully addressed. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the relationship between globalization and the use of social media as an outside lobbying strategy with cross-national data. Controlling for other factors, I argue that globalization creates isomorphic pressure on interest groups to adapt new lobbying tactics, thereby increasing the likelihood of using social media and using it in certain ways. Specifically, based on data collected from interest groups operating in 13 countries, the analysis shows that globalization is associated with more internationally-bounded social media strategies, but also with lower social media resonance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Consequences of the Plano Piloto: The Urban Development and Land Markets of Brasília:

Much has been written about what is perhaps the largest and most important city built entirely in the 20th century. By some, Brasilia is seen as the epitome of modernism's failure and, by others, simply an example of an overregulated city unable to cope with rapid urbanisation and population growth. This paper argues that Brasilia is not a typical case. The spatial structure of the metropolitan region of Brasilia is completely different from comparable regions in Brazil and its land market exhibits several distinct patterns. Furthermore, it is argued that the region's unique origin and restrictive urban land development policies have led to the current sprawling form of the region. It is concluded that the urban form of Brasilia is detrimental to the quality of life of its residents as it leads to higher housing and transport costs.
ortho‐Alkylation of Anilines: Ethyl 4‐Amino‐3‐Methylbenzoate

ortho-Alkylation of anilines: ethyl 4-amino-3-methylbenzoate reactant: 16.50 g. (0.1000 mole) of ethyl 4-aminobenzoate (Benzocaine, ) intermediate: ethyl 4-amino-3-(methylthiomethyl)benzoate product: ethyl 4-amino-3-methylbenzoate Keywords: alkylation, C-alkylation; esterification, of substituted monobasic acids; halogenation, chlorination; rearrangements; reduction, miscellaneous; benzocaine; Raney nickel catalyst
Linear theory of the circulation of a stratified ocean

A linear model of the circulation of a stratified ocean, in a closed basin, driven by both wind stress and heating is presented. Particular attention is given to the interdependence of the primary features of the oceanic circulation. The upwelling process is studied in detail and it is shown that the complete determination of the mid-ocean thermocline solution depends on the upwelling in the boundary layers on the ocean basin's side walls. The morphology of the side wall boundary layers as a function of the stratification is also discussed.
Estimation Risk in Morningstar Fund Ratings

The well-known Morningstar mutual fund star rating system rates funds regardless of age differences. This means the estimates that younger fund ratings are based on have significantly higher estimation risk than the estimates that the ratings of older funds are based on. Investors should be somewhat less confident that the ratings of younger funds are truly what they are estimated to be. The point should be clear in an investigation of 1,281 international equity mutual funds.
The Spatial Analysis of Peace and War

This article uses methodological insights to argue for a reconceptualization of the way in which we approach spatial data, and specifically for a rejection of the primacy of the nation state as the unit of analysis. We pay particular attention to the way in which the analysis of data with a geographic basis is undertaken, particularly in situations where some form of data aggregation has been undertaken, and in cases where there exists a wide variation in the size of data units. This analysis explores the implications of this variation, employing the technique of spatial autocorrelation. Our study of peace and war in Africa extends previous analyses by Starr and Most, and illustrates the way in which the measurement of spatial autocorrelation can be employed as a powerful analytical tool to identify relations of conflict and cooperation. This article builds on these findings with some speculations on the ways in which further research on conflict and cooperation might proceed, in both technical and concep...
Coloring 3D Line Fields Using Boy’s Real Projective Plane Immersion

We introduce a new method for coloring 3D line fields and show results from its application in visualizing orientation in DTI brain data sets. The method uses Boy's surface, an immersion of RP2 in 3D. This coloring method is smooth and one-to-one except on a set of measure zero, the double curve of Boy's surface.
One Model for Solving Problems

Problem solving is a key skill for independent contributors, managers, and leaders alike. Unfortunately, too many would-be problem solvers dive too quickly into solutions that miss the real problems altogether, the consequences of which only appear after months or years of embarrassing results. Much time and resource is wasted when problem solvers do not take the time to insure that they are working with an accurate and comprehensive view of the problems involved. Worse, sometimes solving part of problem(s) or the “wrong” problems can create more or worse problems. Finally, anticipating potential problems and “solving” them before they arise is becoming increasingly important in a world in which the rate of technological and organizational change continues to accelerate. Excerpt UVA-OB-0176 ONE MODEL FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS Problem solving is a key skill for independent contributors, managers, and leaders alike. Unfortunately, too many would-be problem solvers dive too quickly into solutions that miss the real problems altogether, the consequences of which only appear after months or years of embarrassing results. Much time and resource is wasted when problem solvers do not take the time to insure that they are working with an accurate and comprehensive view of the problems involved. Worse, sometimes solving part of problem(s) or the “wrong” problems can create more or worse problems. Finally, anticipating potential problems and “solving” them before they arise is becoming increasingly important in a world in which the rate of technological and organizational change continues to accelerate. This note outlines a four step process which problem-solvers can use to increase their abilities to anticipate, identify, and apply appropriate solutions to problem situations. The four steps are 1) defining the problem, 2) understanding the causes, 3) making a decision, and 4) implementing and evaluating. The model is cybernetic in that it encourages the problem-solver to continually re-evaluate results of selected action plans and “re-solve” the problem as changes occur in the environment. This model of identi­fying and analyzing problems can be used effectively either by individuals in organizational practice or by third party analysts such as case readers or consultants. The structure presented here represents a logical flow of analysis which can aid one in visualizing the present, understanding the past, and projecting into the future. This model is only one of many models used nowadays for analyzing and seeking solutions to problems. The reader may find other perspectives on this process including your own, to also be valuable in problem identification and analysis. Some references to other problem solving approaches are provided at the end of this note. . . .
Joint Design of Excitation k-Space Trajectory and RF Pulse for Small-Tip 3D Tailored Excitation in MRI

We propose a new method for the joint design of k-space trajectory and RF pulse in 3D small-tip tailored excitation. Designing time-varying RF and gradient waveforms for a desired 3D target excitation pattern in MRI poses a non-linear, non-convex, constrained optimization problem with relatively large problem size that is difficult to solve directly. Existing joint pulse design approaches are therefore typically restricted to predefined trajectory types such as EPI or stack-of-spirals that intrinsically satisfy the gradient maximum and slew rate constraints and reduce the problem size (dimensionality) dramatically, but lead to suboptimal excitation accuracy for a given pulse duration. Here we use a 2nd-order B-spline basis that can be fitted to an arbitrary k-space trajectory, and allows the gradient constraints to be implemented efficiently. We show that this allows the joint optimization problem to be solved with quite general k-space trajectories. Starting from an arbitrary initial trajectory, we first approximate the trajectory using B-spline basis, and then optimize the corresponding coefficients. We evaluate our method in simulation using four different k-space initializations: stack-of-spirals, SPINS, KT-points, and a new method based on KT-points. In all cases, our approach leads to substantial improvement in excitation accuracy for a given pulse duration. We also validated our method for inner-volume excitation using phantom experiments. The computation is fast enough for online applications.
RIVAROXABAN COMPARED TO LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN IN TREATMENT OF MALIGNANCY ASSOCIATED VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is the guideline endorsed treatment of choice for cancer associated venous thromboembolism (VTE). Rivaroxaban offers a convenient potential alternative to LMWH; however there are no data comparing either the efficacy or safety of these two therapies in this
Anomalous Magneto-Optical and Magnetic Behavior in a Two-Dimensional Magnetic Semiconductor Superlattice MnSe/ZnSe

The growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of ultrathin layer II-VI compound semiconductors with magnetic constituents has opened new possibilities in the study of both lower dimensional electronic and magnetic phenomena. Some aspects of the latter are presented here with the zincblende MnSe/ZnSe superlattice as the test system. Initial indicators suggest that interfaces play a key role in determining the magnetic character of the heterostructure.
What's new in cardiology!

Congenital heart diseases occur with a frequency of 0.5 to 1 case per 1000 live births, accounting for more than 50% of reported birth defects. In addition, they are the leading cause of infant mortality in the first year of life. Significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of most defects has been made in the past few years. In addition, new experimental evidence suggests that we soon may be able to identify the genes involved in disturbed cardiac anatomy and function. The following is a brief overview of some of the more recent developments that have made an important impact on the contemporary management of the child who has congenital heart disease. Transcatheter Ablation of Pediatric Tachyarrhythmias: A Cure Without Medication The prevalence of tachyarrhythmias within the general pediatric population is such that virtually every practitioner is faced with diagnostic and management considerations that involve patients from birth through adolescence. Fortunately, most tachyarrhythmias can be managed with relatively benign pharmacologic therapies. However, there is a subset of patients who do not respond to "simple" medical intervention, requiring multiple or more potent antiarrhythmic medications that may involve frequent or prolonged hospitalizations for monitoring and optimization of therapeutic regimens. These medications also may cause significant side effects and often result only in a decrease, not elimination, of the arrhythmia.
OC-077 Field effect identification via spectroscopic rectal microvasculature enables accurate proximal neoplasia detection by flexible sigmoidoscopy

Introduction Flexible sigmoidoscopy (flex sig) remains a cornerstone for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in the UK although concerns have been raised about about isolated proximal neoplasia which is especially common in women.1 Our group has demonstrated using novel polarisation-gated spectroscopy (4D-ELF) that peri-cryptal microvascular blood supply is elevated in the histologically normal mucosa of patients harboring neoplasia elsewhere in their colon (marker of field effect).2–4 We, therefore, wanted to investigate whether this could serve as an adjunct to flex sig. Methods Subjects undergoing colonoscopy were recruited. Microvascular readings were taken from the endoscopically normal rectum with a fibreoptic probe and analysed by an investigator blinded to colonoscopic findings. Specifically, superficially (within 100 micron of tissue surface) oxygenated hemoglobin (SupOxyHb) was calculated. Proximal lesions were defined at the level of the spenic flexure. The performance of distal adenoma and microvascular blood content was calculated. Advanced adenomas (AAs) were defined as size ≥1.0 cm or presence of high-grade dysplasia. Results Our initial data set consisted of 366 patients (age 58±10, 50% female, 28 with AA). Distal adenoma performed poorly at identifying risk proximal AA (sensitivity 11%). Rectal SupOxyHb was elevated by approximately 50% in patients harboring proximal AA (when compared to neoplasia free patients) with an area under receiver operator characteric curve (AUROC) of 0.83. On a separate data set (n=172), the results were validated with an AUROC of 0.84. With regards to gender, the performance in females was excellent. (AUROC=0.88). SupOxyHb was not confounded by demographic factors or benign colonic disease (including hyperplastic polyps) and was insensitive to non-advanced adenomas. Conclusion We demonstrate, for the first time, that evaluation of rectal microvascular hemoglobin was able to sense proximal advanced adenomas with excellent accuracy, markedly outperforming the sentinel adenoma (a conventional marker of field effect). We replicated these results with an independent data set. Furthermore, SupOxyHb worked well in women, a group in which flex sig performs relatively poorly. Our data suggest that rectal EIBS measurement may provide an accurate and inexpensive means of improving performance of flex sig for CRC screening.
Viewing a brief chest-compression-only CPR video improves bystander CPR performance and responsiveness in high school students: A cluster randomized trial

Abstract Background CPR training in schools is a public health initiative to improve out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival. It is unclear whether brief video training in students improves CPR quality and responsiveness and skills retention. Objectives Determine if a brief video is as effective as classroom instruction for chest compression-only (CCO) CPR training in high school students. Methods This was a prospective cluster-randomized controlled trial with three study arms: control (sham video), brief video (BV), and CCO-CPR class. Students were randomized and clustered based on their classrooms and evaluated using a standardized OHCA scenario measuring CPR quality (compression rate, depth, hands-off time) and responsiveness (calling 911, time to calling 911, starting compressions within 2 min). Data was collected at baseline, post-intervention and 2 months. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze outcome data, accounting for repeated measures for each individual and clustering by class. Results 179 students (14–18 years) were consented in 7 classrooms (clusters). At post-intervention and 2 months, BV and CCO class students called 911 more frequently and sooner, started chest compressions earlier, and had improved chest compression rates and hands-off time compared to baseline. Chest compression depth improved significantly from baseline in the CCO class, but not in the BV group post-intervention and at 2 months. Conclusions Brief CPR video training resulted in improved CPR quality and responsiveness in high school students. Compression depth only improved with traditional class training. This suggests brief educational interventions are beneficial to improve CPR responsiveness but psychomotor training is important for CPR quality.
Isolated reversed umbilical arterial blood flow on Doppler ultrasonography and fetal hiccups

Absent and reversed UA end-diastolic blood flow is usually a poor prognostic sign. However, in 19 fetuses evaluated in the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Unit, we observed an unusual pattern of intermittent, significantly decreased, or reversed UA blood flow that coincided with a demonstration of fetal hiccuping. No evidence of cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, or uteroplacental dysfunction was found in these fetuses. With one exception, all Doppler evaluations were otherwise normal. A potential mechanism of intermittent fetal UA blood flow reversal is discussed.
Epidemic Trend of Infectious Diseases in Qingyang District,Chengdu City from 1953 to 2006

Objective To analyze the epidemic trend of infectious diseases in the past 54 years at Qingyang District,Chengdu City,and to provide a scientific basis for health administrative departments formulating preventive and therapeutic strategies.Method Data on the epidemic reports of infectious diseases over the 54 years were collected and analyzed by using descriptive epidemiological methods.Results The reported incidence rate fluctuated between 156.35/105 and 4 750.95/105 from 1953 to 2006 at Qingyang Distract.The rate was in a linear decrease from 1979.Since 1994,the situation had remained 300/105.Measles,chincough and malaria prevailed from 1950s to 1960s,and since 2000,these diseases hardly could be found.The mean annual incidence of venereal disease,dysentery,tuberculosis,hepatitis and scarlatina fell into the top five in list of all infectious diseases since 2000.Overt changes in the route of transmission of infectious diseases took place since 1950s,from predominant enteric and respiratory infectious diseases to prevailing blood-borne infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases.Conclusion The incidence rate of infectious diseases has remained in a stable state since 1994,at Qingyang Distract,Chengdu City.The spectrum of infectious diseases has changed.Tuberculosis,blood-borne infectious and sexually transmitted diseases have been the main infectious diseases.With newly infectious diseases growing up,the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases should be reinforced.
Maturation of acetylcholinesterase expression in tracheal smooth muscle contraction.

We examined postganglionic development of acetylcholinesterase (AChase) activity and tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) contraction elicited by cholinomimetic activation and electrical field depolarizati...
Immunostaining of small cytologic specimens: Facilitation with cell transfer

Immunocytochemical study of cytologic specimens is often limited by the number of slides containing diagnostic cells. This study examined the effectiveness of transferring cells from a single smear to multiple slides in order to perform a battery of immunocytochemical stains on limited material. Immunostaining performed on four effusions and five fine needle aspirates yielded the expected results for most of the antibodies commonly employed in diagnostic pathology. Background staining was generally low following cell transfer, and the morphology of the cells was preserved. These results suggest that cell transfer in combination with immunocytochemistry may prove useful in the cytologic diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, neuroendocrine neoplasms, prostatic and mammary adenocarcinoma, and other malignant tumors.
The direct current conductivity of polar liquid dielectrics

The increase in viscosity of a polar liquid which occurs when a constant electric field is applied across the capillary in which the liquid is flowing saturates at a high field intensity, and no further viscosity increase occurs (fig. 1(a)). This saturation effect has a long time-constant, and disappears if a very low frequency field of 1 c.p.s. is substituted for the D. C, field (fig. 1(b)); this behaviour is inconsistent with the theory that the viscosity increase is a spurious electrode effect.
AUC-Maximized Deep Convolutional Neural Fields for Protein Sequence Labeling

Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) has shown excellent performance in a variety of machine learning tasks. This paper presents Deep Convolutional Neural Fields (DeepCNF), an integration of DCNN with Conditional Random Field (CRF), for sequence labeling with an imbalanced label distribution. The widely-used training methods, such as maximum-likelihood and maximum labelwise accuracy, do not work well on imbalanced data. To handle this, we present a new training algorithm called maximum-AUC for DeepCNF. That is, we train DeepCNF by directly maximizing the empirical Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC), which is an unbiased measurement for imbalanced data. To fulfill this, we formulate AUC in a pairwise ranking framework, approximate it by a polynomial function and then apply a gradient-based procedure to optimize it. Our experimental results confirm that maximum-AUC greatly outperforms the other two training methods on 8-state secondary structure prediction and disorder prediction since their label distributions are highly imbalanced and also has similar performance as the other two training methods on solvent accessibility prediction, which has three equally-distributed labels. Furthermore, our experimental results show that our AUC-trained DeepCNF models greatly outperform existing popular predictors of these three tasks. The data and software related to this paper are available at https://github.com/realbigws/DeepCNF_AUC.
Major Depressive Disorder

In this chapter, we will learn about the symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) and how they are assessed. We will focus on what is known about dysfunction in brain networks in depression and we will review what we know about the mechanisms and causes of depression. We will conclude by providing an overview of the brain stimulation approaches to target the dynamics in depression. The toolbox “Psychiatry” provides helpful background about psychiatry in general.
Selective Oxidation of n-Butane and Isobutane Catalyzed by Boron Nitride

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is presented as an outstanding catalyst for the selective production of C4 olefins by the oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane and isobutane. Unlike catalysts reported previously, hBN limits the amount of undesired COx and instead forms C2 and C3 olefins as the main side products. Kinetic experiments suggest a mechanism in which the rates of n-butane and isobutane consumption are dependent on O2 adsorption. Kinetic and spectroscopic insights are used to formulate mechanistic hypotheses for the formation mechanisms of C2–C4 olefins.
Origin of Chain Length Specificites of Starch Branching Enzyme

Starch Branching enzyme (BE) is one of the three enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis. It is responsible for synthesizing the alpha-1,6-glucan branches, remodeling the linear alpha-1,4-glucan polymer to produce amylopectin. There are at least two isoforms of the enzyme in most plants, with each having distinct reactivities and product chain-length specificities. Though the chemistry of the active site of branching enzyme is relatively well studied, the origin of the chain length specificity is yet to be understood. Using protein crystallography and biochemical studies on rice branching enzyme, we aim to understand the factors controlling the chain-length specificity of branching enzymes. The mechanism of branching enzyme involves two steps: (1) An oligosaccharide (donor chain) binds to the enzyme and is cleaved by the action of a nucleophilic aspartate residue to form a covalently-linked enzyme-glucan intermediate. (2) A second oligosaccharide (acceptor chain) then reacts, by nucleophilic attack of one of its alpha-1,6-hydroxyl groups, to form a new alpha-1,6-branch. We have focused on discovering the surface glucan binding sites in branching enzyme because they are likely essential to understanding the specificity of the enzyme. To this end we have obtained a crystal structure of an oligosaccharide (M12)-bound rice branching enzyme, which reveals oligosaccharide binding from the outer surface of the enzyme almost to the active site. Mutations of the residues interacting with the M12 can substantially compromise the enzyme's activity, though none have affected the branch chain specificity. On the other hand, comparison of an isoamylase maltoheptaose (M7)-bound structure with rice branching enzyme suggested another potential glucan surface binding site. Interestingly, mutations in this new site did effect the chain-length specificity of the enzyme. These results suggest that the bound M12 is part of the acceptor chain and the newly identified binding site hosts the donor chain. Together, the data allow us to, for the first time propose a detailed mechanism for the enzyme, explaining how disparate surface glucan binding sites far from the active site create the enzyme's activity and specificity against its polymeric substrate.
Risk communication and miscommunication: case studies in science, technology, engineering, government, and community organizations (boiarsky, c.r.; 2016) [book review]

Risk communication professionals, teachers, and trainers will find this book useful and practical. It accomplishes its purpose of presenting, in plain language, several historical cases of risk communication—good and bad—as object lessons for extrapolating best practices to follow and worst practices to avoid. Chapter 1 stresses the importance of considering and incorporating the reader’s background, knowledge, expectations, and reading process when writing about risk prediction, as illustrated by correspondence from two cases: memos between the Bureau of Bridges and the Department of Transportation that warned about leaks that caused the Chicago Floods in 1992, and a memo from Morton Thiokol, Inc., responding to questions from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center about whether to proceed with the Challenger launch in 1986. The author defines the reader-centered context upon which risk communicators should concentrate. The author also encourages writers to avoid writer-based documents and favor reader-based documents, which anticipate why readers need the information, how they will use it, what decisions they will make with it, and how they will read it.
Mechanical Ventilation and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridging Strategy to Lung Transplantation: Significant Gains in Survival

Mechanical ventilation (MV) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are increasingly used to bridge patients to lung transplantation. We investigated the impact of using MV, with or without ECMO, before lung transplantation on survival after transplantation by performing a retrospective analysis of 826 patients who underwent transplantation at our high-volume center. Recipient characteristics and posttransplant outcomes were analyzed. Most lung transplant recipients (729 patients) did not require bridging; 194 of these patients were propensity matched with patients who were bridged using MV alone (48 patients) or MV and ECMO (49 patients). There was no difference in overall survival between the MV and MV+ECMO groups (p = 0.07). The MV+ECMO group had significantly higher survival conditioned on surviving to 1 year (median 1,811 days ([MV] vs. not reached ([MV+ECMO], p = 0.01). Recipients in the MV+ECMO group, however, were more likely to require ECMO after lung transplantation (16.7% MV vs. 57.1% MV+ECMO, p < 0.001). There were no differences in duration of postoperative MV, hospital stay, graft survival, or the incidence of acute rejection, renal failure, bleeding requiring reoperation, or airway complications. In this contemporary series, the combination of MV and ECMO was a viable bridging strategy to lung transplantation that led to acceptable patient outcomes.
Are New York City drivers more likely to get a ticket at the end of the month

Drivers in New York City often claim that police hand out more tickets later in the month in order to meet quotas. Quota setting is illegal, but do the data support such a claim? Jonathan Auerbach investigates
Brand Advertising in an Access–Ownership World: How Marketing Channels Impact Message Persuasiveness

Recent research has sought to identify drivers of preference for access-based consumption over ownership. Although much of this research highlights ideological reasons consumers may prefer access options, other empirical work suggests that functional reasons may be stronger drivers. We examine whether functional appeals will always result in more favorable attitudes toward access offerings or if and when ideological appeals will be equally or more persuasive. Building on the satisficing, maximizing, and brand personality literatures, we propose that people are more likely to satisfice in an access marketing channel, becoming more persuaded by appeals that fit with—or meet—minimum expectations given the brand's personality. In contrast, people are more likely to maximize in an ownership marketing channel, becoming more persuaded by appeals that do not fit with—or exceed—minimum expectations given the brand's personality. The results of two experiments with competent, exciting, and sincere brands largely su...
D-c Generators

The operation of all generators and motors discussed in this book is based on Faraday’s law. Voltages are induced in a system of conductors moving relative to a magnetic field. In the case of a motor, this magnetic field may be produced by a current drawn from the same source as the main motor current. But where is a generator to draw its field excitation from, unless its magnetic field is produced by a permanent magnet?
A review of radiation-induced demagnetization of permanent magnets

Abstract Radiation-induced demagnetization of permanent magnets is important for a number of applications including space missions, particle accelerators and robots designed to carry out rescue missions at nuclear accidents where magnet failure can lead to serious consequences. This topic has been studied by several investigators over the past three decades and in this work, a review of the available literature is conducted and some general conclusions and trends are presented. In short, it can be gleaned that magnetism loss is dependent on the type of radiation, the energy of the incoming particle and the overall dose or fluence. Furthermore, magnetism loss also shows a dependence on the type of the irradiated magnet, the coercivity of the magnet, the demagnetizing field and the temperature of irradiation.
HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: second-line treatment

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in approximately 20 % of invasive breast cancers, primarily due to gene amplification.
Ion exchange of alkali metal cations with an inorganic resin

A comparison of the ion exchange properties of the inorganic resin Isolute SCX-2 with alkali metal cations, including francium, to the organic Dowex 50X8 resin is presented. The purpose of this stu...
Systematic parameterization of lignin for the CHARMM force field

Lignin is an abundant aromatic biopolymer within plant cell walls formed through radical coupling chemistry, whose composition and topology can vary greatly depending on the biomass source. Computational modeling provides a complementary approach to traditional experimental techniques to probe lignin interactions, lignin structure, and lignin material properties. However, current modeling approaches are limited based on the subset of lignin chemistries covered by existing lignin force fields. To fill the gap, we developed a comprehensive lignin force field that accounts for more lignin–lignin and lignin–carbohydrate interlinkages than existing lignin force fields, and also greatly expands the lignin monomer chemistries that can be modeled beyond simple alcohols and into the rich mixture of natural lignin varieties. The development of this force field utilizes recent developments in parameterization methodology, and synthesizes them into a workflow that combines target data from multiple molecules simultaneously into a single consistent and comprehensive parameter set. The parameter set represents a significant improvement to alternatives for atomic modeling of diverse lignin topologies, more accurately reproducing experimental observables while also significantly reducing the error relative to quantum calculations. The improved energetics, as well as the rigid adherence to CHARMM parameterization philosophy, enables simulation of lignin within its biological context with greater accuracy than was previously possible. The lignin force field presented here is therefore a crucial first step towards modeling lignin structure across a broad range of environments, including within plant cell walls where lignin is complexed with carbohydrates and deconstructed by bacterial or fungal enzymes, or as it exists within industrial solvent mixtures. Future simulations enabled by this updated lignin force field will thus lead to better chemical and structural understanding of lignin, providing new insight into its role in biomass recalcitrance or probing the potential for lignin to be used within industrial processes.
Value-Added Assessment from Student Achievement Data: Opportunities and Hurdles CREATE NATIONAL EVALUATION INSTITUTE July 21, 2000

Let me share with you how honored I am to receive an award named after the late Dr. Jay Millman. In 1983, after completing the first of our research studies that began our continuing work in value-added, our report was sent by officials in the Tennessee Department of Education for review by Dr. Millman. It is no secret that many in the Department at the time were assuming that his anticipated critical review would put an end to such a preposterous idea—that student achievement data could be used as part of teacher evaluation. Days turned into weeks; each time that I would inquire of the Department as to when we would hear from the review, I was always told that they had not received it. One day I called Dr. Millman and explained my frustration of not hearing from the review and inquired as to when it might be available. He immediately interrupted and explained that he had sent the review several weeks previous to that day and that he would be glad to send me a copy of his remarks, obviously very angry that they had not been passed on to me. Upon receiving and reading his review, it became obvious why I had not received a copy from the Department. Even though he raised many important questions, his review was most objective and generally very positive. Later, he asked us to submit chapters to the book on student outcomes assessment models that he edited. In all of my interactions with Jay, I developed the utmost respect for this distinguished scholar, and I am glad that fate let our paths cross.
The role of media exposure on relational aggression: A meta-analysis

Abstract We conducted a meta-analysis of 33 studies that examined the effects of media exposure on relationally aggressive behaviors and cognitions (a total of 66 effect sizes, N = (20,990). Across all types of aggressive content, there was a small positive effect (r = 0.15) on relational aggression. However, a comparison of effects sizes demonstrate that exposure to relational aggression had the strongest effect (r = 0.21), whereas exposure to non-specific media content had the weakest effect (r = 0.08). Exposure to physical aggression fell in the middle of the two content types (r = 0.15). Potential explanations for these effects as well as moderators that could influence the results are considered, and the practical implications of these findings are discussed.
The Accuracy of Using Thiopental or Test Strips to Detect Dural Puncture During Continuous Epidural Analgesia

An epidural catheter may puncture the dura during insertion or patient movement. When one is able to obtain free-flowing fluid, thiopental or pH urine test strips are helpful in distinguishing cerebrospinal fluid from local anesthetic or saline. However, one cannot always obtain free-flowing fluid from an epidural catheter and, in some instances, one can only obtain several drops of epidural aspirate. If only a few drops are obtained, the aspirate will contain a large percentage of the solution injected. This study demonstrates the usefulness of glucose test strips in detecting small volumes of cerebrospinal fluid diluted with saline or local anesthetics.
Evans–Krylov Estimates for a nonconvex Monge–Ampère equation

We establish Evans–Krylov estimates for certain nonconvex fully nonlinear elliptic and parabolic equations by exploiting partial Legendre transformations. The equations under consideration arise in part from the study of the “pluriclosed flow” introduced by Streets and Tian (Int Math Res Not 16:3101–3133, 2010).
Crystal structure and magnetic properties of the layered van der Waals compound VB r 3

Single crystals of the layered, van der Waals compound $\mathrm{VB}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}$ were synthesized by a vapor transport technique, and characterized by single-crystal x-ray diffraction, temperature- and field-dependent magnetization, and temperature-dependent specific-heat measurements. $\mathrm{VB}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}$ has a honeycomb-based $\mathrm{Bi}{\mathrm{I}}_{3}$-type structure with space group $R\text{\ensuremath{-}}3$ (no. 148) at 100 K, analogous to the structure of other honeycomb trihalides. Structural stacking faults were observed as evidenced by the streaking of reflections along $c*$ in the diffraction data. $\mathrm{VB}{\mathrm{r}}_{3}$ goes through a structural phase transition at 90.4 K and a subsequent antiferromagnetic phase transition at 26.5 K, below which the magnetic moments are primarily aligned along the $c$ axis.
The Effects of a Systemwide Diagnostic Stewardship Change on West Nile Virus Disease Ordering Practices

We report that removing the clinically insensitive West Nile virus CSF nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) from the electronic health record (EHR) test. This diagnostic stewardship intervention decreased costs and may have improved diagnostic yield.
‘Woful womman, confortlees’: Failed maternity and maternal grief as feminist issues

Reproductive health has long been central to feminist inquiry, but cultural taboos tend to silence full discussion of the topic. This piece considers reproductive loss, broadly defined, as a feminist issue, revisiting prominent literary exemplars of maternity through the narrower lenses of failed maternity and grief. Specifically, it discusses Marian lyrics and Margery Kempe’s Boke not simply as avenues for Christian or Marian meditation but as acknowledgment of the shared cultural experience of reproductive loss and, potentially, as textual responses to the gendering and regulation of public lament for such loss. These texts’ overt recognition of the deep connection between birth and death provides spaces to address failed maternity and maternal grief that our scholarship does not yet recognize.