cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plated Holes in Cards and Boards

Plated-through holes (PTH) provide a current path between internal and/or external conductive patterns across the depth of a multilayer interconnection card or board (MIB). A (programmable) via connects two inner-plane (IP) copper layers for signal conduction (Fig. 13.1).
TROPICAL METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE | Monsoon: Dynamical Theory

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 3, pp 1370–1386, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd.
Thyroid hormone and bone

Abstract Thyroid hormone is essential for skeletal development and also affects mature bone. Depending on the hormone concentration and stage of life, the effects of thyroid hormone can be either beneficial or deleterious to the skeleton. This chapter focuses on the intracellular and cellular effects of thyroid hormone on bone cells as well as its relationship to the observed effects of the hormone on the skeleton in vivo in both experimental animals and humans. Studies published since the previous edition provide information on thyroid hormone effects on additional genes of interest in osteoblasts and further assessment of the skeletal risks of excess thyroid hormone.
Compact digital holographic memory

Recent technical progress in developing a compact digital holographic memory system is presented. Due to rapid advancement in data input and output devices, electro-optic beam steering technology, and diode laser source, a compact holographic memory brassboard for digital data storage has been integrated. The system consist of a 1 Meg pixel binary spatial light modulator, a PI beam steering mirror, a CMOS photo sensor, a LiNbO/sub 3/ photorefractive crystal, and a blue laser source. The system architecture and experimental test data was discussed. An overview of the holographic data storage technology will also be discussed.
DROUGHT DURING THE 1930s AND 1950s IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES

The Palmer Index was used to compare the droughts of the 1930s and the 1950s in the central United States. A series of maps was produced to compare the droughts in terms of location, severity, and duration. The results indicated the 1930s drought lasted longer and consisted of three distinct waves. The 1950s drought, although shorter in overall duration, was actually more intense over a larger area for a longer period. There were changes in the size and configuration of the drought-affected area, but both droughts were especially persistent in a core region on the High Plains. A simple index of overall drought impact was developed based on the drought-affected area and the Palmer value from each climatic division. The probability of drought occurrence was calculated for each of the 76 climatic divisions in the study area. [Key words: drought, Palmer Index, Great Plains.]
The Role of the Human Visual Cortex in Assessment of the Long-Term Durability of Retinal Gene Therapy in Follow-on RPE65 Clinical Trial Patients.

Purpose Gene therapy (GT) has offered immense hope to individuals who are visually impaired because of RPE65 mutations. Although GT has shown great success in clinical trials enrolling these individuals, evidence for stability and durability of this treatment over time is still unknown. Herein we explored the value of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as an objective measure to assess independently the longevity of retinal GT. Design Individuals with RPE65 mutations who underwent GT in their worse-seeing eye in a phase 1 clinical trial received a second subretinal injection in their contralateral eye in a follow-on clinical trial. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed longitudinally to assess brain responses of patients with RPE65 mutations after stimulation of their most recently treated eye before and 1 to 3 years after GT. Participants Seven participants with RPE65 mutations who were part of the follow-on clinical trial gave informed consent to participate in a longitudinal neuroimaging fMRI study. Methods All participants underwent fMRI using a 3-Tesla MRI system and a 32-channel head coil. Participants' cortical activations were assessed using a block design paradigm of contrast reversing checkerboard stimuli delivered using an MRI-compatible video system. Main Outcome Measures The primary parameters being measured in this study were the qualitative and quantitative fMRI cortical activations produced by our population in response to the visual task. Results Functional MRI results showed minimal or no cortical responses before GT. Significant increase in cortical activation lasting at least 3 years after GT was observed for all participants. Repeated measures analysis showed significant associations between cortical activations and clinical measures such as full-field light sensitivity threshold for white, red, and blue colors; visual field; and pupillary light reflex. Conclusions Participants with RPE65 mutations showed intact visual pathways, which became responsive and strengthened after treatment. Functional MRI results independently revealed the efficacy and durability of a 1-time subretinal injection. The fMRI results paralleled those recently reported during the long-term clinical evaluations of the same patients. Results from this study demonstrated that fMRI may play an important role in providing complementary information to patients' ophthalmic clinical evaluation and has usefulness as an outcome measure for future retinal intervention studies.
Explanation, Unification, and Mechanisms

This paper presents a new account of unifying explanation, which differs from Kitcher’s explanatory unification in a number of ways. Kitcher’s account preserves much of the covering-law model, identifying explanation with subsumption of many diverse phenomena under a general argument pattern. Many scientific explanations, however, fit neither the unification nor covering-law accounts. An important variety of these, mechanistic explanations in biology, has received considerable philosophical attention. I argue that important examples of mechanistic explanation in biology are also unifying explanations – in a sense different than Kitcher’s. Using the example of the operon, a seminal explanation of molecular biology, I show that some mechanistic models describe combining relations that unify lower-level parts in the sense of connecting them into a new, complex whole (commonsense unification). In describing how lower-level components are unified in this commonsense way, models like the operon thereby unify higher- and lower-level descriptions of the phenomenon to be explained (perspectival unification). The last sections discuss how unifying multi-level explanations can yield understanding, in an epistemically interesting sense, and show that this new account helps resolve recent debates about explanation in Systems Biology.
Reconstructing Rwanda: How Rwandan reporters use constructive journalism to promote peace

In 1994 Rwanda, some journalists used their power for evil when government-run media houses perpetrated genocide through what scholars termed “hate media.” Since then, however, Rwanda’s media landscape has changed dramatically and the country has seen tremendous social and economic progress. Building on the tenets of social responsibility and framing theories and on literature regarding journalistic role functions, this study utilized qualitative interviews with Rwandan journalists to discover how they view their roles today and whether they have contributed to the reconstruction and recovery of the country by practicing constructive journalism. In keeping with the social responsibility theory of the press, constructive journalism calls for the news media to be an active participant in enhancing societal well-being. Results revealed that while journalists in Rwanda aim to fulfill traditional roles like informing and educating the public, they value a unique role to promote unity and reconciliation. They c...
Channel coding for optical transmission systems

In this invited paper, both binary and nonbinary LDPC codes suitable for optical transmission systems are described. The corresponding FPGA implementation has been discussed as well. The use of adaptive LDPC coding to deal with time-varying optical channel conditions is described as well.
Hospital Emergency Department Lethal Means Counseling for Suicidal Patients.

Introduction Lethal means counseling of suicidal individuals in emergency departments has the potential to reduce suicide. This study examines the provision of lethal means counseling and the presence of written protocols in a region with high rates of both firearm ownership and suicide. Methods In 2015–2016, emergency department nurse managers in hospital-based emergency departments throughout eight states were surveyed using an 80-item survey developed through qualitative interviews and pilot testing. Questions focused on discharge counseling with suicidal patients and the presence of written protocols. Using survey weights to adjust for nonresponse, relationships of protocols with counseling practices were examined. Results Data were obtained from 52.3% of all 363 eligible hospital emergency departments in the region. Among facilities that discharge suicidal patients, 79.7% (95% CI=75.0%, 84.4%) reported asking about access to firearms and 68.9% (95% CI=62.9%, 74.8%) counsel about safe storage when patients reported access. Forty-four percent of emergency departments reported having written protocols for lethal means counseling. Presence of written protocols was associated with a higher rate of counseling for all suicidal patients even if they were not planning to use a gun (45.0% [95% CI=33.4%, 56.7%] in hospitals with protocols vs 21.5% [95% CI=14.9%, 29.0%] in facilities without protocols). Conclusions There are significant gaps in attention to lethal means counseling in emergency departments. This signals an opportunity to increase consistency and thoroughness of care for suicidal patients in the emergency department and for leadership from key professional organizations to advocate for protocols.
TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 for rice-genome editing

Rice, Oryza sativa L., is an important staple crop that feeds more than half of the world’s population. Cultivated for more than 5,000 years, a huge number of natural and cultivated genotypes exist, representing the richest genetic resource among crop species. Rice also serves as a model species for cereal crops due to its syntenic relationship with other grass species (Gale and Devos, 1998). It was the first crop to have its genome sequenced (Goff et al., 2002; Yu et al., 2002), and the genome sequence of cultivar Nipponbare has been well annotated (Sakai et al., 2013). Rice has been a subject of genetic manipulation by a variety of approaches, including “traditional” mutagenesis (i.e. chemicaland radiationinduced mutation) and forward and reverse genetics. Research in our laboratory has been focusing on host/microbe interactions by using bacterial blight of rice as a model. The pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, causes an important disease in Asia and Western Africa, resulting in severe losses in rice-grain production (Nino-Liu et al., 2006). The objectives of our research include: • identification of virulence factors that facilitate the pathogen’s ability to colonize the host and develop symptoms, • identification of host targets for the pathogen’s virulence factors that cause disease susceptibility, • elucidation of the molecular mechanism of disease susceptibility and resistance mediated by the interactions between the pathogen’s virulence factors and the host’s target genes or gene products, and • engineering resistance based on the best information obtained from study of the disease, an approach that is widely applicable to other related diseases in crops.
Automatically evolving a general controller for robot swarms

Controller design is an important problem for swarm robotics. Although many successful controllers have been proposed, most are hand-coded, sometimes using adaptive mechanisms to tune parameters of a manually designed algorithm. These solutions are generally tailored to specific environments, or problem instances, and often fail to scale well as swarm size is increased. This paper focuses on the problem of swarm foraging, proposing an automated method for designing scalable controllers that can perform effectively in multiple foraging environments. We use Neuroevolution of Augmented Topologies (NEAT) to design a neural network controller for a swarm of homogeneous robots. Our system, called NeatFA (NEAT Foraging Algorithm), is compared to existing swarm foraging algorithms, the Central Place Foraging Algorithm (CPFA), and the Distributed Deterministic Spiral Algorithm (DDSA). We find that NEAT produces controllers with performance that is comparable to both the CPFA and the DDSA. This is significant because the controller design was evolved automatically without preprogramming high-level behaviors or movements. The evolved neural network controller responds to sensed inputs and produces movements and actions that lead to effective collective foraging by the swarm. We find that the NeatFA controller performs comparably or outperforms the DDSA and CPFA for large swarm sizes. Finally, we show that a NeatFA general controller, when evolved for multiple environments but smaller swarm sizes, scales successfully to larger swarm sizes.
Bayesian spatiotemporal dynamic models for regional dynamics of avian populations

Abstract The spatiotemporal dynamics of multiple animal populations may exhibit the hierarchical dynamic patterns including regional common trends or spatial synchrony and local variability. Environmental drivers such as climatic variability, operating on large spatial scales, have been proposed to be a driver of the spatial synchrony of avian and mammalian populations (i.e., the Moran effect). On the other hand, demographic responses to heterogeneous, local environments may result in substantial local population variability (i.e., variance across multiple populations). This study used the Bayesian hierarchical spatiotemporal dynamic model to determine the spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of 27 eastern wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ) populations scattered across Mississippi, USA, from 1994 to 2005. The regional effects of seasonal climate and relative amount of forest in habitats were also evaluated to test the Moran effect. Twenty seven wild turkey populations had a spatial synchrony with the strength and spatial scale similar to those of other avian populations in North America. Warming spring or spring-autumn climate appeared to reduce wild turkey relative abundance; however, winter climate did not influence the dynamics of wild turkey populations in Mississippi. Average proportion of forest affected the average relative abundance of wild turkeys in a nonlinear manner, with its positive effects switching to a lessened constant effect beyond the threshold of 60% forest cover. However, regional climatic variability was unlikely to synchronize wild turkey populations in Mississippi. This study proposed a hypothesis concerning regional habitat quality degradation, which may cause regional population declines and synchronize the dynamics of animal populations.
Omic Data, Information Derivable and Computational Needs

Cancer is probably the most complex class of human diseases. Its complexity lies in: (1) its rapidly evolving population of cells that drift away from their normal functional states at the molecular, epigenomic and genomic levels, (2) its growth and expansion to encroach and replace normal tissue cells; and (3) its abilities to resist both endogenous and exogenous measures for stopping or slowing down its growth. According to Hanahan and Weinberg, cancer cells, regardless of the type, tend to have eight hallmark characteristics (Hanahan and Weinberg 2011). As introduced in Chap. 1, these hallmarks are: (1) reprogrammed energy metabolism, (2) sustained cell-growth signaling, (3) evading growth suppressors, (4) resisting cell death, (5) enabling replicative immortality, (6) inducing angiogenesis, (7) avoiding immune destruction, and (8) activating cell invasion and metastasis. Other authors have suggested some additional hallmarks of cancer such as tumor-promoting inflammation (Colotta et al. 2009) and deregulated extracellular matrix dynamics (Lu et al. 2012). These recognized hallmarks have provided an effective framework for addressing cancer-related questions, having led to a deeper understanding of this disease. However, the reality is that our overall ability in curing cancer has not yet made substantive improvements, particularly in adult cancers that account for 99 % of all cancers since the start of the “War on Cancer” in 1971 (The-National-Cancer-Act 1971).
Control of Vascular Tube Morphogenesis and Maturation in 3D Extracellular Matrices by Endothelial Cells and Pericytes

An important advance using in vitro EC tube morphogenesis and maturation models has been the development of systems using serum-free defined media. Using this approach, the growth factors and cytokines which are actually necessary for these events can be determined. The first model developed by our laboratory was such a system where we showed that phorbol ester was needed in order to promote survival and tube morphogenesis in 3D collagen matrices. Recently, we have developed a new system in which the hematopoietic stem cell cytokines, stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), and stromal derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) were added in conjunction with FGF-2 to promote human EC tube morphogenesis in 3D collagen matrices under serum-free defined conditions. This new model using SCF, IL-3, SDF-1α, and FGF-2 also works well following the addition of pericytes where EC tube formation occurs, pericytes are recruited to the tubes, and vascular basement membrane matrix assembly occurs following EC-pericyte interactions. In this chapter, we describe several in vitro assay models that we routinely utilize to investigate the molecular requirements that are critical to EC tube formation and maturation events in 3D extracellular matrix environments.
The Hijacked Hashtag: The Constitutive Features of Abortion Stigma in the #ShoutYourAbortion Twitter Campaign

Although originally intended to destigmatize abortion, the #ShoutYourAbortion Twitter campaign was hijacked by anti-abortionists who linked the hashtag to hundreds of stigmatizing, anti-abortion messages. Using a Twitter Search API, we collected these messages ( N = 1,990 tweets) to identify the discursive features of abortion stigma, which we defined as messages that other and label something related to abortion as physically, behaviorally, socially, and/or morally deficient. These messages bore six features: religious references, disgust cues, infamous allusions, imputations, mentions of medical maleficence, and stigma affirmations. The discussion section details the implications of these findings.
The 4D hyperspherical diffusion wavelet: A new method for the detection of localized anatomical variation.

Recently, the HyperSPHARM algorithm was proposed to parameterize multiple disjoint objects in a holistic manner using the 4D hyperspherical harmonics. The HyperSPHARM coefficients are global; they cannot be used to directly infer localized variations in signal. In this paper, we present a unified wavelet framework that links HyperSPHARM to the diffusion wavelet transform. Specifically, we will show that the HyperSPHARM basis forms a subset of a wavelet-based multi-scale representation of surface-based signals. This wavelet, termed the hyperspherical diffusion wavelet, is a consequence of the equivalence of isotropic heat diffusion smoothing and the diffusion wavelet transform on the hypersphere. Our framework allows for the statistical inference of highly localized anatomical changes, which we demonstrate in the first-ever developmental study on the hyoid bone investigating gender and age effects. We also show that the hyperspherical wavelet successfully picks up group-wise differences that are barely detectable using SPHARM.
Demonstration of Multigroup Multiband Cross Section Generation in Monte Carlo Simulations

This is the investigation into the generation of high-fidelity multigroup multiband cross sections from Monte Carlo neutron transport simulations. Previous methods for generating multigroup multiba...
Civil Rights Act of 1871

This encyclopedia entry, for the Civil Rights Act of 1871, describes the historical context as well as the substantive language of the statute. Enacted in the aftermath of the Civil War, the law provided equitable remedies for citizens whose civil rights had been violated by those acting under the authority of the state. The author describes its enforcement and legal theories of redress for violations.
A Velocity Map Imaging Study of the Reactions of O+ (4S) With CH4.

We present a velocity map imaging study of the key ion-molecule reactions occurring in the O+(4S3/2) + CH4 (X 1A1) system at collision energies of 1.84 and 2.14 eV. In addition to charge transfer to form CH 4 + (X 2B2), we also present data on formation of CH 3 + (X 1A1'), for which the experimentally determined images provide clear confirmation that the products arise from dissociative charge transfer rather than hydride transfer. Experimental data are also presented on the formation of HCO+ through a transient [OCH4]+ complex living many rotational periods. Plausible reaction pathways and intermediate structures are presented to give insight into the routes for formation of these reaction products.
Effects of the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist JWH-018 on abuse-related effects of opioids in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Opioid abuse remains a public health crisis despite a tremendous outpouring of resources to address the problem. One factor that might complicate this issue is polydrug abuse. While cannabis is increasingly available due to legalization by states, phytocannabinoids do not appear to alter the abuse-related effects of opioids. Synthetic cannabinoids, which are not pharmacologically identical to phytocannabinoids, are also increasingly available, and differences among cannabinoids might affect their interactions with opioids. This study assessed the impact of one synthetic cannabinoid, JWH-018, on the effects of two μ opioid receptor agonists using two procedures that address different aspects of abuse. First, four monkeys could choose to self-administer the opioid remifentanil alone (0.32 μg/kg/infusion) or a mixture containing 0.32 μg/kg/infusion remifentanil and JWH-018 (1–10 μg/kg/infusion). On separate occasions, monkeys could choose between remifentanil available alone or combined with 100 μg/kg/infusion cocaine. While monkeys chose the remifentanil/cocaine mixture over remifentanil alone, they responded equally for remifentanil alone and the remifentanil/JWH-018 mixture. The ability of JWH-018 to reinstate extinguished responding previously maintained by heroin was examined in four other monkeys. When presented with drug-associated stimuli, heroin, but not JWH-018, reinstated responding, and when combined, JWH-018 did not increase the potency of heroin. While opioids and synthetic cannabinoids, including JWH-018, are abused, these results indicate that JWH-018 does not modify the behavioral effects of opioids in monkeys in a manner that would predict greater abuse liability of cannabinoid/opioid mixtures, a result that is consistent with a growing literature on mixtures of opioids and phytocannabinoids.
Preliminary results of a phase I/II dose-escalation study of fractionated dose 177Lu-PSMA-617 for progressive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)

Abstract Background PSMA is overexpressed in PC with limited expression in other organs. PC is radiosensitive with dose-response. Dose-fractionation allows delivery of higher total dose per cycle, may result in less radioresistance due to repopulation compared with doses 6-12 wks apart. Initial Ph I safety results of the dose-escalation portion of this study [ESMO 2018] were without DLT at all dose levels. Methods Entry criteria: progressive mCRPC following at least 1 potent AR-targeted agent (e.g. abi/enza) and taxane (or unfit/refuse chemo) without limit of # prior therapies, adequate organ function, ECOG performance status 0-2. No preselection for PSMA expression. Treatment was a single cycle of fractionated dose 177Lu-PSMA-617 on D1 and D15. In the Ph I dose-escalation cohort, men received 7.4 to 22 GBq. In Ph II, a Simon 2 stage design enrolled pts at the 22.2 GBq dose level. Pre- and post-treatment 68Ga-PSMA11 PET/CT and post-treatment 177Lu-PSMA-617 imaging was performed in addition to standard serial CT and bone scans. Cellsearch CTC count at baseline and 12 wks. Results 44 men (29 in Ph I, 15 in Ph II; total 21 at 22.2 GBq) with median age 69 (range 55-91), median PSA 182.97 (range 0.89-5541) were treated. 93% with bone, 45% nodal, 18% lung, 9% liver, 9% other visceral metastases. 55% with at least 1 prior chemo regimen, 52% >1 prior potent AR therapy, 27% with Ra223, 30% sip-T, 5% 177Lu-J591; 66% Halabi poor risk, 30% intermed risk. With follow up ongoing, 61% with >50% PSA decline (71.4% at 22.2 GBq), median overall survival 16 months (95% CI 11-NR). Of 26 with paired CTC counts, 57.7% decreased, 7.7% stable, 34.6% increased; 34.6% converted from detectable to undetectable at 12 weeks). 61.4% with all grade xerostomia, 29.5% fatigue, 25% thrombocytopenia, 25% anemia, 25% pain, 15.5% nausea. While not required for eligibility, all pts had some PSMA uptake in at least 1 site on PSMA PET, with 2.2% highest lesion SUV 5x liver. Conclusions A single fractionated cycle of up to 22.2 GBq of 177Lu-PSMA-617 is safe, with encouraging early efficacy signals, even without selection for PSMA expression by imaging. A trend for dose-response was observed. Clinical trial identification NCT03042468. Legal entity responsible for the study Well Cornell Medicine. Funding Weill Cornell Medicine, Prostate Cancer Foundation, US Department of Defense, US National Institutes of Health, Endocyte. Disclosure S.T. Tagawa: Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Endocyte. H. Beltran: Advisory / Consultancy: Endocyte. S. Vallabhajosula: Research grant / Funding (institution): Endocyte; Full / Part-time employment: NCM USA. O. Sartor: Research grant / Funding (institution): Endocyte. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Understanding the Spatial Heterogeneity of Indoor OH and HO2 due to Photolysis of HONO Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation.

Indoor photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO) generates hydroxyl radicals (OH), and since OH is fast reacting, it may be confined within the HONO-photolyzing indoor volume of light. This study investiga...
Reinvigorating a database systems course using web applications

As both a student and teaching assistant, I have experienced the traditional approach to an introductory database systems course firsthand. I particularly enjoyed the course myself, however I noticed that a majority of students were unimpressed and even displeased with the class. I found that students had difficultly connecting with the topic and identifying the role that databases play in their everyday lives. This is mainly due to the fact that real world applications for databases are often presented at the end of a course. Students often do not realize the major role that databases have in many aspects of computing, especially in the web applications that they are using every day.
Theories, Theoretical Scenarios, Their Magnitude Vector Spaces and the Modal Physical Possibilities they Provide

With this chapter we begin the development of a view about those scientific laws each of which has associated with it, a background that consists either of some theory, or a loosely knit collection of statements that involves various physical magnitudes that are involved in the expression of the law. We shall refer to the latter kind of background as the theoretical scenario for the law.
Piecing Together the Role of a Spatial Assembly Intervention in Preschoolers' Spatial and Mathematics Learning: Influences of Gesture, Spatial Language, and Socioeconomic Status.

Spatial skills are associated with mathematics skills, but it is unclear if spatial training transfers to mathematics skills for preschoolers, especially from underserved communities. The current study tested (a) whether spatial training benefited preschoolers' spatial and mathematics skills, (b) if the type of feedback provided during spatial training differentially influenced children's spatial and mathematics skills, and (c) if the spatial training's effects varied by socioeconomic status (SES). Preschoolers (N = 187) were randomly assigned to either a 'business-as-usual' control or one of three spatial training groups (modeling and feedback [MF]; gesture feedback [GF]; spatial language feedback [SLF]). Three-year-olds were trained to construct puzzles to match a model composed of various geometric shapes. New models were created similar to the 2-dimensional trials of the Test of Spatial Assembly (TOSA). Training was given once per week for 5 weeks. Preschoolers were pretested and posttested on 2D and 3D TOSA trials, spatial vocabulary, shape identification, and 2 mathematics assessments. Results indicate that first, any spatial training improved preschoolers' 2D TOSA performance, although a significant interaction with SES indicated improvement was driven by low-SES children. Furthermore, low-SES children showed greatest gains on the 2D TOSA with MF and GF. Second, MF and GF improved low-SES children's performance on the 3D TOSA. Third, only low-SES children with MF saw improvements in far-transfer to mathematics (Woodcock-Johnson: Applied Problems, but not the Test of Early Mathematical Ability). Results indicate that, especially for low-income learners, spatial training can improve children's early spatial and mathematics skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
iDDS: An Edge-Device in IoMT for Automatic Seizure Control using On-Time Drug Delivery

Epilepsy affects around 1% of the world population, necessitating wearable or implantable solutions for seizure control. In this paper, an Internet of medical things (IoMT) based unified drug delivery system (iDDS) is proposed for automatic seizure detection and control. iDDS consists of two units: a seizure detection unit and a drug delivery unit. Seizure detection is performed in real time using statistical feature extraction and a deep neural network (DNN) classifier. Once a detection is complete, the drug is injected into the target area using a piezoelectric actuated valveless double reservoir micropump. iDDS presents a unique piezoelectric actuated double-reservoir based drug delivery system for fault-tolerance as well as better drug control. The proposed system was implemented in Simulink® and Thinkspeak, which reported a sensitivity of 100% and an average latency of 1.8 sec for the selected dataset.
Extended Antibiotic Coverage in the Management of Type II Open Fractures.

Background: Responsible antibiotic stewardship requires surgeons treating open fractures to use the narrowest appropriate antibiotic coverage possible to prevent infection. Because inter-observer a...
Exploring Correlations between Travel Time Based Measures by Year, Day-of-the-week, Time-of-the-day, Week-of-the-Year and the Posted Speed Limit

This research explores correlations between travel time-based measures, comprehensively, by year, day-of-the-week (DoW), time-of-the-day (ToD), week-of-the-year (WoY), and the posted speed limit us...
Paid Your Debt to Society? Court-related Financial Obligations and Community Supervision during the First Year after Release from Prison

Academics, policymakers, and practitioners alike are increasingly interested in criminal legal debt stemming from financial sanctions and its consequences on individuals and families. Most prior wo...
Drama research methods: provocations of practice: edited by Peter Duffy, Christine Hatton and Richard Sallis, Leiden, The Netherlands, Brill Sense, 2019, xxv + 262 pp., US$53.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-90-04-38954-0

Drama research methods have matured enough so that we could reimagine our demarcated research territories. Through this book we wondered along with the contributing authors whether boundary stones ...
Low activity allele of COMT V158M polymorphism is associated with increased serum estradiol and progesterone levels in lung cancer patients

4512 Some epidemiological evidences suggest that women are at a relatively higher risk of lung cancer than men for a given degree of smoking. The reasons why women may be more susceptible to tobacco than men are not well understood. It is possible that risk increases because of increasing in endogenous sex steroid exposure. Catechol metabolites of estradiol are associated with high risk of carcinogenesis. Inactivation of these catechol metabolites by O-methylation is catalyzed by Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT). Low COMT activity, resulting in higher concentration of catechol estrogens, might be related to an increased carcinogenic burden. In a case series study, we evaluated the association of COMT low activity allele (COMTMET) and serum estradiol and progesterone levels in 116 male and 56 female lung cancer patients. The mean serum estradiol levels in male lung cancer patients were 28.6, 29.4 and 33.8 (pg/ml) for COMT val/val, val/met and met/met genotypes respectively (p-for-trend = 0.04). The mean serum estradiol levels in female lung cancer patients were 31.3, 39.0 and 79.0 for COMT val/val, val/met and met/met genotypes respectively (p-for-trend = 0.50). COMTMET allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of high serum estradiol level (defined as > 28.8 pg/ml) in male lung cancer patients with adjusted OR (95% CI) of 2.0 (0.5, 7.7), 7.6 (1.9, 30.3) for COMT val/met and met/met genotypes respectively, adjusted for age, race, body mess index and pack-years. The association of COMTMET allele and the risk of high serum estradiol level was not significant in female lung cancer patients. The mean serum progesterone levels in male lung cancer patients were 1.0, 1.7 and 2.3 (pg/ml) for COMT val/val, val/met and met/met genotypes respectively (p-for-trend = 0.01). The mean serum progesterone levels in female lung cancer patients were 1.5, 2.7 and 1.2 for COMT val/val, val/met and met/met genotypes respectively (p-for-trend = 0.60). COMTMET allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of high serum progesterone level (defined as > 0.83 pg/ml) in male lung cancer patients with adjusted OR (95% CI) of 2.7 (0.9, 8.2), 3.4 (1.1, 11.4) for COMT val/met and met/met genotypes respectively. The association of COMTMET allele and risk of high serum progesterone level was not significant in female lung cancer patients. Our preliminary results suggested that COMTMET allele is significantly associated with increased serum estradiol and progesterone levels in male lung cancer patients. We hypothesize that COMT V158M polymorphism modulates lung cancer risk by affecting the life time exposure to sex steroids and the risk modulation by COMT may be different between males and females. We are currently testing this hypothesis using an on-going lung cancer case-control study in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
Arabidopsis stomatal polarity protein BASL mediates distinct processes before and after cell division to coordinate cell size and fate asymmetries

ABSTRACT In many land plants, asymmetric cell divisions (ACDs) create and pattern differentiated cell types on the leaf surface. In the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage, BREAKING OF ASYMMETRY IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE (BASL) regulates multiple aspects of ACD including division plane placement and cell fate enforcement. Polarized subcellular localization of BASL is initiated before the ACD and persists for many hours after the division in one of the two daughters. Untangling the respective contributions of polarized BASL before and after division is essential to gain a better understanding of its roles in regulating stomatal lineage ACDs and to uncover the rules that guide leaf pattern. Here we combine quantitative imaging and lineage tracking with genetic tools that provide temporally-restricted BASL expression. We find that pre-division BASL is required for division orientation, whereas BASL polarity post-division ensures proper cell fate commitment. These genetic manipulations allowed us to uncouple daughter-cell size asymmetry from polarity crescent inheritance, revealing independent effects of these two asymmetries on subsequent cell behavior. Finally, we show that there is coordination between the division frequencies of sister cells produced by ACDs, and this coupling requires BASL as an effector of peptide signaling.
A rare case of a novel coagulase negative Staphylococcus native valve endocarditis in a 28-year-old male.

Abstract Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) are an emerging cause of native valve endocarditis in community and healthcare settings. We describe a case of a 28-year-old man with no significant risk factors who presented with Staphylococcus pettenkoferi native valve endocarditis. During our patient’s initial hospitalization, he was treated for CoNS bacteraemia and subsequently discharged after a protracted hospital course with a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showing no valvular vegetations. However, during the course of his second hospitalization, speciation identified S. pettenkoferi and transoesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) showed aortic valve perforations with new regurgitation raising concern for left sided endocarditis. We postulate that our patient may have been infected with the same CoNS species causing aortic valve endocarditis during his initial hospitalization. This case highlights the importance of recognizing CoNS as a possible causative bacterium in NVE, as well as the importance of obtaining a TEE when evaluating a patient for suspected endocarditis.
The Role of Chemokines in Cervical Cancers

Both clinical-pathological and experimental studies have shown that chemokines play a key role in activating the immune checkpoint modulator in cervical cancer progression and are associated with prognosis in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, chemoresistance, and immunosuppression. Therefore, a clear understanding of chemokines and immune checkpoint modulators is essential for the treatment of this disease. This review discusses the origins and categories of chemokines and the mechanisms that are responsible for activating immune checkpoints in cervical dysplasia and cancer, chemokines as biomarkers, and therapy development that targets immune checkpoints in cervical cancer research.
Family Firm Culture and Performance: Specific Empirical Evidence

The purpose of this study is to connect culture and performance in family firms. Survey data measuring cultural attributes and performance were collected from 149 family-firm members in Ukraine and the U.S. Two countries of very different culture and stage of national development are included to insure the cross-cultural validity of findings. Correlation results showed significant support for the proposition that specific cultural attributes positively affect firm performance. Six out of seven cultural attributes can be shown to correlate with one or more performance measures. This research is original in finding an empirical relationship between specific cultural attributes and firm performance.
The Importance of Intersections: An Interview with Professor Fred Turner

Professor Fred Turner earned his B.A. in English and American Literature at Brown University. Professor Turner then worked extensively as a journalist, writing for a variety of publications ranging from Nature to The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine. He went on to earn his M.S. in English at Columbia University and his Ph.D. in Communication in 2002 from the University of California, San Diego. He began teaching Communication at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management. He is the author of three books: The Democratic Surround: Multimedia and American Liberalism from World War II to the Psychedelic Sixties (University of Chicago Press, forthcoming), From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism (University of Chicago Press, 2006), and Echoes of Combat: The Vietnam War in American Memory (Anchor/Doubleday, 1996; 2nd ed., University of Minnesota Press, 2001).Currently, Professor Turner is the Director of the Stanford Program in Science, Technology, and Society. He began this role in 2011. He is also the undergraduate director of the Department of Communication at Stanford where he holds his position as Associate Professor.
Petri Net based Models for Condition/Event Systems

In this paper we define a class of continuous-time discrete event dynamic systems (DEDS) with two types of discrete-valued input and output signals: condition signals and event signals called Condition/Event systems (C/E systems). We formally define C/E systems and models of C/E systems that are based on an extension of Petri nets (C/E PNs). We then introduce equivalent C/E PN models for C/E systems resulting from cascade and feedback interconnections via examples. The algorithms that compute these equivalent models can be found in reference [1] The paper concludes with directions for future research.
EEG dipole analysis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the electroencephalography (EEG) analysis. By using these techniques, one can consistently localize spike and seizure sources to sublobar areas. This may be particularly worthwhile in the temporal lobe where there are many surfaces of distinctly different orientation in small regions producing EEG fields that are difficult to interpret. More easily identifying a falsely lateralizing negative field maximum is definitely useful, in cases of mesial frontal, parietal, and occipital interhemispheric sources. Certainly, EEG source modeling techniques have improved the ability to select cortical regions for targeting with invasive electrodes. The development of dipole and other source models has indirect benefit of making clinicians more aware of the relationships between EEG potentials and the underlying cortical generators. Dipole modeling has been a teaching tool for reintroducing physics and physiology into what had become the art of EEG.
In Implementation Model for Contexts and Negation in Conceptual Graphs

An implementation model for a retrieval and inference system based on the theory of conceptual graphs is presented. Several hard issues related to the full implementation of the theory are taken up and solutions presented. The solutions attempt to exploit existing but not fully recognized symmetries in CG theory. These symmetries include those between formation and inference rules, AND and OR, positive and negative, copy and restrict, general and specific, etc. Topics taken up include the implementation of Sowa''s formation rules, the storage of a conceptual graph hierarchy involving contexts and negation as a conjunctive normal form (CNF) lattice, the extension of existing retrieval algorithms, such as Levinson''s Method III and UDS, to handle complex referents and nested contexts, the checking of consistency, and the definition of Peirce''s inference rules in terms of formation rules. A distinction is made between syntactic implication and semantic implication. The issues tackled in the paper lay the foundation for a full scale graph-based first-order logic theorem prover.
Distributed power and admission control for time varying wireless networks

This paper presents new distributed power and admission control algorithms for ad-hoc wireless networks in random channel environments. Previous work in this area has focused on distributed control for ad-hoc networks with fixed channels. We show that the algorithms resulting from such formulations do not accurately capture the dynamics of a time-varying channel. The performance of the network in terms of power consumption and generated interference can be severely degraded when power and admission control algorithms that are designed for deterministic channels are applied to random channels. In particular, some well-known optimality results for deterministic channels no longer hold. In order to address these problems we propose a new criterion for power optimality in ad-hoc wireless networks. We then show that the optimal power allocation for this new criterion can be found through an appropriate stochastic approximation algorithm. We also present a modified version of this algorithm for tracking nonstationary equilibria, which allows us to perform admission control. Ultimately, the iterations of the stochastic approximation algorithms can be decoupled to form fully distributed on-line power and admission control algorithms for ad-hoc wireless networks with time-varying channels.
Relatives‐based Test for Linkage Disequilibrium: The Transmission/Disequilibrium Test (TDT)

Genes that contribute to complex genetic diseases can sometimes be identified by studies that show genetic linkage, or association, with marker genes. The transmission/disequilibrium test is a procedure that tests for the simultaneous presence of these two genetic phenomena. Keywords: linkage disequilibrium; linkage; association; transmission/ disequilibrium test; family-based tests
Principles of Psychotherapy

The Nature and Goals of Psychotherapy. The Patient. The Therapist. Theory and Process in Psychotherapy. THE INITIAL PHASE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY. Evaluation and Assessment. The Treatment Contract. Conduct of the Interview. THE MIDDLE PHASE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY. Communicating Understanding: Interpretation. Interference with Communication: Resistance. The Psychotherapy Relationship: Transference. The Psychotherapy Relationship: Countertransference. THE FINAL PHASE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY. Termination. References. Indexes.
Awareness of Distributed Denial of Service Attacks' Dangers: Role of Internet Pricing Mechanisms

Denial of Service (DoS) attacks consist of overwhelming a server, a network or a Web site in order to paralyze its normal activity. The additional parameter in Distributed Denial of Service (DdoS) attacks is the distributing strategy. It means that DDoS attacks do not come from a single computer but stem from all accessible channels and servers. Consequences are multiple, ranging from system errors, temporary inability to access the Web site for normal users to challenging the actual reliability of the Internet. Despite this, Internet users show carelessness. The explanation lies in the specificities of DDoS attacks. We explore possibilities to raise users' awareness about the actual amplitude of problems caused by DDoS attacks. We suggest a careful examination of Internet pricing mechanisms and switching from flat to usage-constraining pricing schemes.
Testicular LH Receptors During Aging in Fisher 344 Rats

Levels of serum LH, prolactin, testosterone, progesterone and 17-OH progesterone and the testicular concentration and total content of LH receptors were measured in 4-, 11-, 18-, and 27-month-old Fisher 344 rats. All 27-month-old rats had Leydig cell tumors. At first, testicular LH receptor levels decreased with age, but with the appearance of the testicular tumors, these levels increased dramatically. Serum prolactin levels fluctuated with age, but were significantly decreased in 27-month-old rats, as were serum LH levels. Serum testosterone levels decreased steadily with age, while the testosterone-LH receptor ratio remained constant until the appearance of the testicular tumors, after which the ratio decreased precipitously. Serum progesterone levels remained constant throughout the life of Fisher 344 rats until the appearance of testicular tumors, when they increased dramatically. Serum 17-OH progesterone levels were increased significantly at 11 and 27 months as compared to four months of age, but levels at 18 months were similar to those seen in the 4-month-old animals. Therefore, in aged Fisher 344 rats with spontaneous Leydig cell tumors, there is an alteration in the testicular testosterone synthesizing pathway at a step after progesterone.