cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MouStress: detecting stress from mouse motion

Stress causes and exacerbates many physiological and mental health problems. Routine and unobtrusive monitoring of stress would enable a variety of treatments, from break-taking to calming exercises. It may also be a valuable tool for assessing effects (frustration, difficulty) of using interfaces or applications. Custom sensing hardware is a poor option, because of the need to buy/wear/use it continuously, even before stress-related problems are evident. Here we explore stress measurement from common computer mouse operations. We use a simple model of arm-hand dynamics that captures muscle stiffness during mouse movement. We show that the within-subject mouse-derived stress measure is quite strong, even compared to concurrent physiological sensor measurements. While our study used fixed mouse tasks, the stress signal was still strong even when averaged across widely varying task geometries. We argue that mouse sensing "in the wild" may be feasible, by analyzing frequently-performed operations of particular geometries.
Solar partitioning in a changing Arctic sea-ice cover

The summer extent of the Arctic sea-ice cover has decreased in recent decades and there have been alterations in the timing and duration of the summer melt season. These changes in ice conditions have affected the partitioning of solar radiation in the Arctic atmosphere-ice-ocean system. The impact of sea-ice changes on solar partitioning is examined on a pan-Arctic scale using a 25 km � 25 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid for the years 1979-2007. Daily values of incident solar irradiance are obtained from NCEP reanalysis products adjusted by ERA-40, and ice concentrations are determined from passive microwave satellite data. The albedo of the ice is parameterized by a five-stage process that includes dry snow, melting snow, melt pond formation, melt pond evolution, and freeze-up. The timing of these stages is governed by the onset dates of summer melt and fall freeze-up, which are determined from satellite observations. Trends of solar heat input to the ice were mixed, with increases due to longer melt seasons and decreases due to reduced ice concentration. Results indicate a general trend of increasing solar heat input to the Arctic ice-ocean system due to declines in albedo induced by decreases in ice concentration and longer melt seasons. The evolution of sea-ice albedo, and hence the total solar heating of the ice-ocean system, is more sensitive to the date of melt onset than the date of fall freeze-up. The largest increases in total annual solar heat input from 1979 to 2007, averaging as much as 4% a -1 , occurred in the Chukchi Sea region. The contribution of solar heat to the ocean is increasing faster than the contribution to the ice due to the loss of sea ice.
Fine Motor Skill Predicts Expressive Language in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism

We investigated whether fine motor and expressive language skills are related in the later-born siblings of children with autism (heightened-risk, HR infants) who are at increased risk for language delays. We observed 34 HR infants longitudinally from 12 to 36 months. We used parent report and standardized observation measures to assess fine motor skill from 12 to 24 months in HR infants (Study 1) and its relation to later expressive vocabulary at 36 months in HR infants (Study 2). In Study 1, we also included 25 infants without a family history of autism to serve as a normative comparison group for a parent-report fine motor measure. We found that HR infants exhibited fine motor delays between 12 and 24 months and expressive vocabulary delays at 36 months. Further, fine motor skill significantly predicted expressive language at 36 months. Fine motor and expressive language skills are related early in development in HR infants, who, as a group, exhibit risk for delays in both. Our findings highlight the importance of considering fine motor skill in children at risk for language impairments and may have implications for early identification of expressive language difficulties.
Phenobarbital-Responsive Ptyalism, Dysphagia, and Apparent Esophageal Spasm in a German Shepherd Puppy

A 10-week-old, male German shepherd dog was presented with a primary complaint of episodic ptyalism, dysphagia, vomiting, and mandibular salivary gland enlargement. An esophagram with fluoroscopy showed normal pharyngeal and esophageal function; however, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and cervical ultrasonography revealed a focal circumferential thickening of the midcervical esophageal muscular wall, consistent with esophageal spasm. The puppy responded dramatically and completely to phenobarbital treatment. An unusual syndrome of phenobarbital-responsive hypersialosis was consistent with this dog's clinical presentation and the finding of apparent esophageal spasm. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is unclear, but it may represent a form of limbic epilepsy or peripheral autonomic dysfunction.
Party and Committee Leadership Behavior, 1949-2009

Party leaders and committee chairs are rarely studied side by side or across time. This study takes a step toward resolving that shortcoming by using an approach developed by David Mayhew to content analyze 3,329 original leadership “actions” from the Washington Post to demonstrate how leadership is exercised in the U.S. House before and after the 1970 reforms. Existing studies demonstrate a shift in the locus of power from committee chairs to party leaders. This study details that transformation by illustrating how these leaders operate and reveals a shift in the number and type of leadership maneuvers. The results also provide comparative evidence that party leaders had a greater connection to the president than chairs.
Diethyldithiocarbamate, a New Photosystem I Electron Donor of Mehler-Type Hill Reactions

Diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC) does not accept electrons from the photosynthetic electron transport (PET) but can donate electrons to a photosystem I (PSI) Mehler reaction in the pres­ence of the following PET inhibitors: DCMU. DBMIB, and bathophenanthroline. It cannot photoreduce PSI in the presence of cyanide, a PET inhibitor. These data indicate that the site of electron donation is after the plastoquinone pool. Ascorbate is not required for the ability of DEDTC to donate electrons to PSI. There is no photoreductant activity by DEDTC inferredoxin/NADP Hill reactions. Superoxide dismutase inhibits DEDTC/DCMU or bathophenanthroline→methylviologen/O₂ Mehler reaction. Catalase does not recover the consumed O₂ from a DEDTC/DCMU→methylviologen/O₂ Mehler reaction, indicating O₂⁻ has not been dismutating into H₂O₂. These results indicate that superoxide is required for DEDTC ability to donate electrons, therefore DEDTC is limited only to Mehler-type reactions.
Large Eddy Simulations of Rectangular Jets in Crossflow: Effect of Hole Aspect Ratio

Large eddy simulations of rectangular jets in crossflow are performed to study the effect of hole geometry on the penetration and spread of the coolant jet. Three different holes of aspect ratio 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 are studied. In the present study, the jet to crossflow blowing ratio is 0.5 and the jet Reynolds number is approximately 4,700.
Recent Development in Database Systems

To many outsiders, the database field might look (or might have looked) concerned with the design and implementation of relational systems for business type applications.
Ecology of Insect Swarms. IV. Comparison of the Swarms of Two Closely Related Midges, Anarete johnsoni and A. sp. near johnsoni (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

The swarming behavior of Anarete johnsoni Felt (Sp. 1) and Anarete sp. near johnsoni (Sp. 2) showed distinct differences, as follows, (a) Reactions to a white surface: Sp. 1 attracted to it, Sp. 2 repelled by it. (b) Hours of peak occurrence: Sp. 1 before 0900, Sp. 2 between 1000 and 1100. (c) Average size of swarms: Sp. 1, 160 midges per swarm; Sp. 2, 39 midges per swarm, (d) Distribution: Sp. 1 found at 5 of 9 sites with different types of ground covers and with different exposures; Sp. 2 found at all 9 sites, (e) Light preference: Sp. 1 at 280–420 f.c., Sp. 2 at 420–560 f.c. The two species also showed similarities: (a) They both preferred the temperature range of 70°–80° F., and (b) they showed synchronized fluctuations in seasonal abundance. These observations were made at Waseca, Minnesota, in July and August 1960.
Hydrolysis of certain organophosphate insecticides by house fly enzymes.

Insects are known to degrade readily most organophosphate insecticides in viro. In vitro hydrolysis of certain organophosphates was effected by insect homogenates, particularly in the presence of manganic ion as an activator. Purification of house fly esterases showed that the enzymes hydrolyzing the dialkyl phosphoric anhydrides can be at least partially separated from the choline, aliphatic and aromatic esterases, and that more than one house fly esterase acts on the phosphates. The organophosphate substrate specificity is considered for homogenates of several insects and mammalian tissues. These organophosphate hydrolyzing esterases of insects are discussed with respect to the species-specificity in poisoning by organophosphates and the acquired resistance of house flies to certain organophosphates.
The implicit possibility of dualism in quantum probabilistic cognitive modeling.

Pothos & Busemeyer (P&B) argue convincingly that quantum probability offers an improvement over classical Bayesian probability in modeling the empirical data of cognitive science. However, a weakness related to restrictions on the dimensionality of incompatible physical observables flows from the authors' “agnosticism” regarding quantum processes in neural substrates underlying cognition. Addressing this problem will require either future research findings validating quantum neurophysics or theoretical expansion of the uncertainty principle as a new, neurocognitively contextualized, “local” symmetry.
Ballistic range investigation of sonic-boom overpressures in water.

An investigation of sonic-boom overpressures in water has been conducted by gun-launching small cone-cylinder models over water. Flights were conducted at Mach numbers of 2.7 and 5.7, in air, corresponding to Mach numbers of 0.6 and 1.3, respectively, in water. Shadowgraph pictures and underwater pressure measurements indicate that for horizontal flights at Mach numbers below Mach 4.4 in air (i.e., subsonic relative to the speed of sound in water) the resulting underwater disturbance is an acoustic wave whose peak pressure attenuates rapidly with water depth. In contrast, at supersonic Mach numbers, relative to water, the incident shock wave at the surface is transmitted into the water as a propagating shock wave and the peak pressure associated with it does not attenuate with water depth.
A Joint Model for Who-to-Follow and What-to-View Recommendations on Behance

Good recommendations are a key tool to increase user engagement and user satisfaction on many social networks. Here we focus on Behance, a social network for artist from various fields such as typography, street art, industrial design, and fashion. On Behance, the artists can connect by following each other, display their work in online portfolios, and brows each other's work. Each user has a personalized dashboard which is an integral part of the Behance experience. In this work we create a joint behavior model which jointly models the users' viewing behavior and the social network. The joint model which we fit with variational inference is capable of producing both who-to-follow and what-to-view recommendations. We show on real data from Behance that the joint behavior model outperforms a Poisson factorization approach which treats both data sources separately.
On Grain Filling Properties of Different Rice Cultivars

With five rice cultivars as entries,the yields,grain filling characters,and physiological characters during the period of grain filling were studied,and the relationships between different characters were analyzed.The results showed that the yield differences among rice cultivars reached significant level.The yields of Liaojing 294,Liaoyou 20,Liaojing 326 and Shendao 3 were higher than that of Oou 316,Shendao 3,Liaojing 294 and Liaoyou 20 filled synchronously in superior and inferior grains and Oou 316 and Liaojing 326 filled asynchronously.There were apparent differences between the superior and inferior grains in terms of initia1 filling power,maximum filling rate and mean filling rate.There also existed differences in the seeds' filling rate and grain plumpness between rice varieties or between different grain positions in the same cultivar.The cultivars with synchronous filling property filled rapidly and got plump grains,but the situations of cultivars with asynchronous filling property were the opposite.
Considerations in making low-loss measurements around one megacycle

One of the primary prerequisites of a good insulating material is that it have a low power factor. The best insulators in this respect are frequently difficult to evaluate accurately because, equipment conveniently available does not lend itself readily to low-loss measurements. The smallest power factors determined by most commercial bridges is hardly better than 10−4, whereas materials such as polystyrene and teflon have power factors only two to three times this value. When resonance methods are used the smallest detectable power factor is inversely proportional to the Q. For a. Q of about 200 and the usual voltmeters and generators the sensitivity is also of the order of 10−4. The precision can be improved by increasing the Q which in turn can be, accomplished by introducing negative resistance in the resonant circuit to compensate for the energy dissipated in the circuit. This idea is hot new. In fact radio engineers have for many years used regenerative circuits to improve the selectivity and gain of tuning circuits. Apparently Towsley∗ was the first to apply regeneration to dielectric measurements. The approach arid the circuit described in this paper are different and the apparatus is simpler.
MNE performance during a crisis: An evolutionary perspective on the role of dynamic managerial capabilities and industry context

As the likelihood of worldwide crises increases due to globalization and the resulting economic contagion, understanding why some multinational enterprises (MNEs) prevail in such environments becomes ever more critical. Drawing from the concept of dynamic managerial capabilities, we posit that MNE in-crisis performance is associated with the pre-crisis development of asset management capabilities, or the capacity of managers to orchestrate assets so as to extract more value from the firm’s resource pool. Specifically, we argue that because dynamic managerial capabilities evolve as a response to a firm’s task environment, MNEs that operate in dynamic industries develop stronger asset management capabilities. However, we also posit that whether these capabilities contribute to in-crisis performance is contingent upon the munificence of the industry environment in which the capability evolves. Asset management capabilities that evolve in munificent environments would encompass a wider spectrum of routine-altering activities, and thus increase the ability of the MNE to react to more revolutionary events, such as global economic crises. Conversely, asset management capabilities that evolve in resource-scarce environments will result in more strategic lock-in due to firms' constrained ability to experiment with novel resource configurations, resulting in poorer in-crisis performance. We test our hypotheses using a sample of 854 MNEs in the context of the global financial crisis of 2008, and find support for our hypotheses. We discuss implications for the dynamic capabilities view and MNE resilience.
Genome-wide use of high- and low-affinity Tbrain transcription factor binding sites during echinoderm development

Sea stars and sea urchins are model systems for interrogating the types of deep evolutionary changes that have restructured developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Although cis-regulatory DNA evolution is likely the predominant mechanism of change, it was recently shown that Tbrain, a Tbox transcription factor protein, has evolved a changed preference for a low-affinity, secondary binding motif. The primary, high-affinity motif is conserved. To date, however, no genome-wide comparisons have been performed to provide an unbiased assessment of the evolution of GRNs between these taxa, and no study has attempted to determine the interplay between transcription factor binding motif evolution and GRN topology. The study here measures genome-wide binding of Tbrain orthologs by using ChIP-sequencing and associates these orthologs with putative target genes to assess global function. Targets of both factors are enriched for other regulatory genes, although nonoverlapping sets of functional enrichments in the two datasets suggest a much diverged function. The number of low-affinity binding motifs is significantly depressed in sea urchins compared with sea star, but both motif types are associated with genes from a range of functional categories. Only a small fraction (∼10%) of genes are predicted to be orthologous targets. Collectively, these data indicate that Tbr has evolved significantly different developmental roles in these echinoderms and that the targets and the binding motifs in associated cis-regulatory sequences are dispersed throughout the hierarchy of the GRN, rather than being biased toward terminal process or discrete functional blocks, which suggests extensive evolutionary tinkering.
Electrical analysis of minocycline eluting layer-by-layer thin-films from functional micro-electrode arrays

Although the potential for intracortical implanted microelectrodes has been demonstrated, successful clinical translation has been hindered by their inability to function over clinically relevant time-points (years to decades). Failure of implanted microelectrode arrays (MEA's) has been highly correlated with the foreign body response which progressively encapsulates the MEA's in a glial sheath, isolating them from the surrounding microenvironment. To mitigate this response, drug delivery has been implemented to release therapeutics from the device surface. This has allowed limited success at acute time points; however, challenges in maintaining longterm therapeutic dosages has resulted in an inability to mitigate chronic inflammation. A recent publication has demonstrated the use of multi-layer film composed of dextran-sulfate, minocycline hydrochloride (MH), and gelatin type A, assembled via layer-by-layer technology, capable of providing sustained release of MH for several weeks; however, their impact on functionality has not yet been analyzed. We found that after being coated with 20 layers NeuroNexus devices exhibited significantly increased impedance at 100Hz, 1kHz, and 10kHz, though this was significantly reduced after 24-hours of incubation in PBS. Charge carrying capacity also significantly increased after incubation in PBS. It can be concluded that these coatings do influence MEA's immediately after coating, but is less impactful over time as the coating degrades.
Parsimony or Poor Luck: Concurrent Birt-Hogg- Dubé Syndrome and Sarcoidosis

While sarcoidosis is notorious for myriad manifestations including cystic lung changes, we present a case with both Birt-Hogg-Dub e syndrome (BHD) and pulmonary sarcoidosis. BHD is a rare, autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by numerous thin-walled, irregular cysts, but lung function is typically normal otherwise. We present a case with confirmed BHD syndrome and concurrent granulomatous lung disease consistent with sarcoidosis.
Closed-Loop Control During Intense Prolonged Outdoor Exercise in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: The Artificial Pancreas Ski Study

OBJECTIVE Intense exercise is a major challenge to the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Closed loop control (CLC) systems (artificial pancreas) improve glycemic control during limited intensity and short duration of physical activity (PA). However, CLC has not been tested during extended vigorous outdoor exercise common among adolescents. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Skiing presents unique metabolic challenges: intense prolonged PA, cold, altitude, and stress/fear/excitement. In a randomized controlled trial, 32 adolescents with T1D (ages 10–16 years) participated in a 5-day ski camp (∼5 h skiing/day) at two sites: Wintergreen, VA and Breckenridge, CO. Participants were randomized to the University of Virginia (UVa)–CLC system or remotely monitored sensor-augmented pump (RM-SAP). The CLC and RM-SAP groups were coarsely paired by age and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). All subjects were remotely monitored 24 h per day by study physicians and clinical team. RESULTS Compared with physician-monitored open loop, percent time in range (70–180 mg/dL) improved using CLC: 71.3 vs. 64.7% (+6.6% [95% CI 1–12]; P = 0.005), with maximum effect late at night. Hypoglycemia exposure and carbohydrate treatments were improved overall (P = 0.001 and P = 0.007) and during the daytime with strong ski level effects (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.006); ski/snowboard proficiency was balanced between groups but with a very strong site effect: naive in Virginia and experienced in Colorado. There were no adverse events associated with CLC; the participants’ feedback was overwhelmingly positive. CONCLUSIONS CLC in adolescents with T1D improved glycemic control and reduced exposure to hypoglycemia during prolonged intensive winter sport activities, despite the added challenges of cold and altitude.
Visualizing pathogen internalization pathways in fresh tomatoes using MicroCT and confocal laser scanning microscopy

Abstract Pathogen contamination of fresh produce significantly impacts public health and consumer confidence in eating fresh fruits and vegetables. In tomato fruits, studies have shown that the stem scar plays an important role in pathogen infiltration. However, the exact mechanisms and pathways for pathogen movement inside tomatoes are not well documented. This study examined in detail the pathway of pathogen internalization in tomato fruit. Tomatoes were infused with potassium iodide and examined with Xradia Bio MicroCT at 0.5×∼4×. Micro CT images revealed that infiltrated potassium iodide moved along the vascular bundles inside the fruit. In separate trials, tomato fruits were further infiltrated with red fluorescent microspheres and E. coli O157:H7 -pGFP. Stem scars and core tissues were subsequently excised after fruit surface disinfection and observed using a Zeiss 710 laser confocal microscope, or stomached, cultured, and enumerated for infiltrated E. coli O157:H7. Populations of internalized E. coli O157:H7 were confined in xylem vessels and concentrated immediately beneath the stem-scar, with a sharp decline in population with vertical distance from the stem-scar. Our observations suggest that 1) vascular bundles, especially the xylem vessels in tomato fruit, play a critical role in pathogen internalization, and 2) pathogen internalization is a passive, rather than active process, as the infiltration and movement of both microspheres (non-living) and E. coli O157:H7 cells (living) behaved similarly inside tomatoes. This study presents visual evidence of the critical role of vascular bundles in pathogen internalization in tomato fruit using Micro CT and Confocal Laser Microscopy. The finding is important for developing science-based food safety practices, interventions in controlling pathogen internalization, and new tools for probing pathogen-plant interactions.
Investigation of bubble dynamics in nonlinear acoustic field

Many bio-medical applications entail the problems of spatially manipulating microbubbles by means of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) pressure field. This paper investigates the nonlinear coupling between radial pulsations, axisymmetric modes of shape oscillations and translational motion of a single spherical gas bubble in water domain when it is subjected to a focused nonlinear acoustic pressure. A multiphysics mathematical model is investigated to obtain nonlinear acoustic field from a focused transducer and to account for bubble oscillations in the resultant HIFU pressure field. The effects of acoustic nonlinearity on the bubble dynamics are examined to determine the instability of the mode shapes of a bubble, which is contributing to form the translational instability, known as dancing motion. Furthermore, acoustic streaming effects caused by radial pulsations of a microbubble in the surrounding water domain are reported.
Mixing, scalar boundedness, and numerical dissipation in large-eddy simulations

Numerical schemes for scalar transport and mixing in turbulent flows must be high-order accurate, and observe conservation and boundedness constraints. Discretization accuracy can be evaluated from the truncation error, and assessed by its dispersion and dissipation properties. Dispersion errors can cause violation of physical scalar bounds, whereas numerical dissipation is key to mitigating those violations. Numerical dissipation primarily alters the energy at small scales that are critical to turbulent mixing. Influence of additional dissipation on scalar mixing in large-eddy simulations (LES) of incompressible temporally evolving shear flow is examined in terms of the resolved passive-scalar field, z. Scalar fields in flows with different mixing behavior, exhibiting both uniform and non-uniform mixed-fluid composition across a shear layer, are compared for different grid resolutions, subgrid-scale models, and scalar-convection schemes. Scalar mixing is assessed based on resolved passive scalar probability density function (PDF), variance, and spectra. The numerical-dissipation influence on mixing is found to depend on the nature of the flow. Mixing metrics sensitive to numerical dissipation are applied to examine the performance of limiting methods employed to mitigate unphysical scalar excursions. Two approaches, using a linear-scaling limiter for finite-volume schemes and a monotonicity-preserving limiter for finite-difference schemes, are studied. Their performance with respect to accuracy, conservation, and boundedness is discussed.
Distributed Cognition for Improving Cancer Care Coordination

Our health care system uses sophisticated cancer therapies, treatment technologies and facilities, and has dedicated and talented cancer specialists. Effective use of these innovations requires coo...
Advances and Challenges in Neural Engineering: Neurogenesis, Neurocontrol and Neurochips

Neural engineering is an emerging discipline to understand the organizational principles and underlying mechanisms of the biology of neural systems and to study the behavior dynamics and complexity of neural systems in nature.
Teaching without Exams--The Challenges and Benefits.

The traditional way of motivating students and assessing whether they learn is to give examinations. Successful teaching without exams requires the use of alternative structures that are at least as effective for both motivation and assessment. Three of the courses that I teach regularly have no exams, and I rely on written and oral assignments both as learning tools and as a means to motivate students and assess their work. Each week, the students in these classes prepare one or two written or oral assignments in which they integrate data and readings, make comparisons with what they have learned previously, take positions on issues, and so on. Written assignments typically form the basis for group or class discussion or oral presentations. Frequent written and oral assignments accomplish the following. First, the assignments require that students process information in ways that are more significant and sophisticated than is possible on conventional exams. Second, students are forced to engage the mater...
Environmental Change and Human Security in the Caspian Region: Threats, Vulnerability and Response Strategies

This paper examines the ecological changes occurring in the region of the Caspian Sea from the emergent perspective of environmental security. While the implications of environmental change for national and human security have been noted by scholars since the 1960s the concept of environmental security only became widely fashionable in the late 1980s with the abrupt decline of the cold war and rising concern about global environmental problems. Environmental security has been interpreted in two fundamentally different ways; with the more traditional conception focusing on environmental causes of war and other armed conflict while the comprehensive one examines how environmental stresses pose direct threats to human security. The principal environmental threats in the Caspian region arise from(1)water pollution(2)the decline of fisheries(3)changing sea levels and(4)land degradation. Prevention and adaptation are two fundamentally different approaches to enhancing environmental security. Four types of adaptive responses are avoidance protection recovery and adjustment. Examples of how each of these types of response strategies have been employed to address environmental changes in the Caspian region are cited. A combination of preventive and adaptive strategies will be needed to further enhance the environmental security of the peoples of the region.
Case 32: Delayed-Presentation Zone I/II Open Globe Injury Requiring Corneal Glue

A 41-year-old man presented with a delayed Zone I–II open-globe injury of the right eye from hitting his eye on a vacuum cleaner handle. CT imaging was consistent with an open-globe injury, and no intraocular lens was seen on the right on clinical exam or imaging. Due to the delayed presentation, the tissue surrounding the wound was very friable and was unable to be closed with sutures alone without a wound leak. Corneal glue was placed over the wound intraoperatively. After the cornea glue fell off a few weeks postoperatively, the wound was noted to be Seidel negative. The corneal sutures were left in place for an extended period given the complex closure requiring corneal glue. Sutures were removed under anesthesia due to patient cooperation. The final vision was 20/50 that improved with pinhole to 20/20 with an anterior chamber intraocular lens. This case emphasizes the importance of having options available intraoperatively in delayed-presentation cases as the tissue surrounding the wound may be friable and abnormal making closure difficult with sutures alone.
Evaluation of methods for obtaining dispersion energies used in density functional calculations of intermolecular interactions

Since semilocal density functional theory (DFT) approximations cannot recover the dispersion components of interaction energies at intermonomer separations near van der Waals minima and larger, dispersion energies computed by methods other than semilocal DFTs are often added to DFT interaction energies such dispersion energies are assessed here by comparing them to accurate dispersion energies obtained from symmetry-adapted perturbation theory on a set of molecular dimers, including variations of intermonomer separations. The evaluated methods include nonlocal DFT correlation functionals, parameterized atom–atom dispersion functions originating from the asymptotic expansion, and methods based on models of atoms in molecules. In contrast to many published comparisons of such methods focused on total interaction energies, our comparisons evaluate the performance on the actual physical quantity for which these methods have been designed. This performance is discussed in the context of the physical soundness of the methods. Our results show that atom–atom functions reproduce dispersion energies best, with a mean absolute percentage error of the order of 10%. The nonlocal correlation functionals perform much worse, with errors in the range 24–49%, far from what could be called quantitative reproduction of this quantity. The only exception is the recently proposed damped asymptotic dispersion energy functional which gave an error of 12%. The atom-in-molecule methods also gave large errors, above 29%.
Near-field source localization with an underwater inflatable sonar co-prime array

We present a near-field source localization method for use with a recently proposed inflatable array-based sonar system. The sensing system, known as the Underwater Inflatable Co-prime Sonar Array, can be easily deployed from an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), as it can be stored as a folded package with compact stowed dimension. This package can be detached from the UUV and it can morph into its final structural form at the destination. The co-prime sparse array configuration offers the capability to resolve a much higher number of sources as compared to a conventional uniform half-wavelength-spaced array. Using real-data measurements in a water tank with a co-prime array prototype, we demonstrate the capability of the proposed system to localize wideband acoustic sources.
Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets and Political Stability

A human being is, in general, not a computer. For a person the amount of whiteness of the sky and the amount of not whiteness of the sky are not always complementary. To model this inconsistency, Krassimir Atanassov introduced the concept of an intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS): Atanassov (1986, 1999); Atanassov et al. (2005); Cornelis et al. (2003a). An IFS is characterized by two functions that expressing, respectively, the degree of belongingness and non-belongingness of an object to an attribute, for example the object could be the sky and the attribute could be whiteness. Furthermore, Atanassov does not rule out that an observer may object to committing themselves completely to a whiteness – not whiteness view of the sky. An observer may decide that an attribute is a poor classifier of an object and refuse to commit to either belongingness or not belongingness. Thus if an object is abstract, like love, an observer may question the amount of blueness we could attribute to love. Similarly, if the object is concrete, say that we are examining a rock, it may be hard to determine its honesty, an abstract quality.
Gel Electrolyte Comprising Solvate Ionic Liquid and Methyl Cellulose

Self-standing, high conductivity solid iongel electrolytes with good thermal stability (Td ∼ 200 °C), mechanical properties, and an anodic stability up to 5 V were prepared using the solvate ionic ...
Beyond the Local-Global Binaries of Higher Education Internationalization in Post-Apartheid South Africa.

The article critiques the tendency in the field of international education to theorize internationalization around the impacts of and policy responses to globalization in local contexts. The centra...
Astrocyte senescence promotes glutamate toxicity in cortical neurons

Neurodegeneration is a major age-related pathology. Cognitive decline is characteristic of patients with Alzheimer's and related dementias and cancer patients after chemo- or radio-therapies. A recently emerged driver of these and other age-related pathologies is cellular senescence, a cell fate that entails a permanent cell cycle arrest and pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Although there is a link between inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases, there are many open questions regarding how cellular senescence affects neurodegenerative pathologies. Among the various cell types in the brain, astrocytes are the most abundant. Astrocytes have proliferative capacity and are essential for neuron survival. Here, we investigated the phenotype of primary human astrocytes made senescent by X-irradiation, and identified genes encoding glutamate and potassium transporters as specifically downregulated upon senescence. This down regulation led to neuronal cell death in co-culture assays. Unbiased RNA sequencing of transcripts expressed by non-senescent and senescent astrocytes confirmed that glutamate homeostasis pathway declines upon senescence. Our results suggest a key role for cellular senescence, particularly in astrocytes, in excitotoxicity, which may lead to neurodegeneration including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Human Rights Documentary or Plot-Driven Prison Drama? Animation and Nonfiction “Storytelling” in Camp 14: Total Control Zone

In the Foreword to the second edition of his 2012 profile of former North Korean prisoner Shin Dong-hyuk, whose harrowing escape from Kaechon internment camp drew the attention of human rights organizations around the world, American journalist Blaine Harden addresses recent revelations (made public three years after the publication of his book) that his subject had stretched the truth and misrepresented his actual experiences as the only known person to have been born in—and to have escaped from—such a place. Those admissions on the part of an ex-prisoner who still bears the physical and emotional scars of his past were made public in 2015, three years after the release of a feature-length documentary based on Harden’s book. That film, Camp 14: Total Control Zone, is less skeptical of Shin’s testimony than Harden’s revised text, which nevertheless maintains that his subject’s life “is not fiction” while foregrounding the ethical dilemmas that he and other journalists face when trying to report facts that simply cannot be checked. However, in combining seemingly straightforward talking-head interviews and poetically rendered animated sequences showing the life he led under a repressive military regime, the film adopts a hybridized form in which the line between history and fiction is blurred. The chapter reveals how Camp 14: Total Control Zone distinguishes itself from other animated documentaries by dramatizing the life of a prisoner for whom escape was not only a survival tactic but also a captivating “plot point.”
An Assessment Dependent upon Technology

"Technology and Economic Dependency: An Institutional Assessment,"1 by Thomas De Gregori, deserves serious consideration because it reaches to the heart of a conflict in holistic economic systems analysis and planning. The major issue in the article revolves around divergent views regarding technology. One is that technology should dominate society by being made the primary determinant of policy evaluation criteria. Another view is that technology should be treated as a system entity, albeit a powerful one, which must be evaluated along with others. De Gregori's conclusions are based on the first view. This comment will consider five aspects of De Gregori's article. First, there are statements unsubstantiated by evidence. This will be demonstrated by offering contrary evidence regarding his remarks on urbanization, nutrition delivery systems, and big dams. Second, the views of appropriate technology proponents are misrepresented. Third, many of the terms used beg for definitions. These will be indicated below by the insertion of bracketed statements. Fourth, De Gregori's conclusions are based on a teleological tautology. Finally, Clarence Ayres's institutional theory is misrepresented.
Miscellaneous Viral Infections

Measles (Rubeola virus). Although rare, measles infection produces a number of gastrointestinal manifestations, including appendicitis, enteritis, and mesenteric lymphadenitis. Histologic findings in measles-related appendicitis include lymphoid hyperplasia and multinucleate Warthin–Finkeldey giant cells (Fig. 26.1), predominantly within germinal centers; associated inflammation is variably present. Although the measles virus probably does not independently cause true appendicitis, the lymphoid hyperplasia may lead to obstruction, acute inflammation, and even gangrenous appendicitis. Patients often have a concomitant rash, although the gastrointestinal morphologic findings may precede the viral xanthem, and serologic findings and immunohistochemistry can help confirm the diagnosis. Measles rarely has been reported to cause viral gastritis and enteritis, with symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and malabsorption.
Breast Imaging Boot Camp Meets Milestones 2.0: A Match Made in Clinic.

Rationale and Objectives Designed to provide broad-based training in all aspects of imaging, the diagnostic radiology residency program must provide educational experiences that not only provide technical training, but also meet accreditation standards. With the breadth of material to cover during training, carefully orchestrated educational experiences must be planned. This manuscript reports a breast imaging boot camp curriculum with longitudinal outcomes, highlighting the boot camp's pedagogy and adaptability for residencies to meet the challenges of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Diagnostic Radiology Milestones Second Revision. Materials and Methods Breast block curriculum analysis, faculty leader preparation, and evaluation of all objective external benchmarks were undertaken commencing in 2012 and continuing through 2019. Specific curriculum changes include fundamental didactic lectures and self-study education modules, hands-on simulation activities, and team-building time. Upon publication of The Diagnostic Radiology Milestones Second Revision December 2019, all competencies were assessed in the context of the boot camp resident educational experiences. Results Following curriculum implementation, resident anonymous evaluation scores of the breast block, resident in-training examination scores, American Board of Radiology Core examination scores, and radiology residency educational website analytics all increased immediately and significantly. The curriculum meets twenty-four Diagnostic Milestones per participating resident when mapped against the newly implemented ACGME requirements. Conclusions Breast imaging boot camp is a successful innovative curriculum, readily meeting our learners’ needs in all objective benchmarks. Further, the adaptable model has the potential to play important roles in assisting residencies to meet the challenges of the ACGME Diagnostic Radiology Milestones Second Revision July 1, 2020 implementation date.
Is Your Banker Leaking Your Personal Information? The Roles of Ethics and Individual-Level Cultural Characteristics in Predicting Organizational Computer Abuse

Computer abuse (CA) by employees is a critical concern for managers. Misuse of an organization’s information assets leads to costly damage to an organization’s reputation, decreases in sales, and impositions of fines. We use this opportunity to introduce and expand the theoretical framework proffered by Thong and Yap (1998) to better understand the factors that lead an individual to commit CA in organizations. The study uses a survey of 449 respondents from the banking, financial, and insurance industries. Our results indicate that individuals who adhere to a formalist ethical perspective are significantly less likely to engage in CA activities than those following a utilitarian ethical framework. In addition, the results provide evidence that employees with individualistic natures are linked to increased CA incidents, whereas collectivist tendencies are associated with decreases in CA behaviors. Our results also show that collectivism acts as a strong moderator that further decreases both the relationships between formalism and CA, and utilitarianism and CA. Finally, we offer detailed suggestions on how organizations and researchers can leverage our findings to decrease CA occurrences.
Outcomes of Laparoscopic vs Open Repair of Perforated Peptic Ulcers: An ACS-NSQIP Study

ABSTRACT Background Perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) is a surgical emergency needing swift operative resolution. While laparoscopic and open approaches are viable options, it remains unclear whether laparoscopic repair has significantly improved outcomes. We use a national surgical database to compare perioperative and 30-d postoperative (30POP) outcomes. Materials and methods The 2016-2018 ACS-NSQIP database was used to create the patient cohort, using ICD-10 and CPT codes. An unmatched analysis identified factors that likely contributed to the laparoscopic versus open treatment allocation. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to identify outcomes that were not explained by underlying differences in the patient cohorts. Results A total of 3475 patients were included: 3135 in open group (OG), 340 (~10%) in laparoscopic group (LG). After PSM to control for comorbidities and illness severity that differed between groups on univariate analysis, 288 patients remained in each group. Analysis of the matched cohorts revealed no statistically significant difference in mortality (5.9% OG versus 3.8% LG, P = 0.245). The LG had significantly longer operative times (92 versus 79 min, P = 0.003), shorter hospital stays (8.2 versus 9.4 d, P = 0.044) and higher probability of being discharged home (81% versus 73%, P = 0.017). 30POP outcomes were largely equivalent, except that OG had higher risk for bleeding (14.6% versus 8%, P = 0.012) and pneumonia (8.7% versus 4.5%, P = 0.044). Conclusions While laparoscopic repairs take longer, they lead to shorter hospital stays and higher likelihood of discharge home. Further study to identify patients that are candidates for this technique is warranted.
Possessing Drugs, Possessing Rights: Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Argentina:

Argentina’s national drug law, Law 23.737, has been in effect since 1989. Based on prohibitionist drug policy, this law was intended to severely punish drug traffickers and protect the public from ...
Shoulder Conditions and Health Related Quality of Life and Utility: A Current Concepts Review

Abstract Study of the outcome of treatment of shoulder conditions has emphasized subjective evaluation of outcomes including a variety of disease, region, and joint specific tools. In response to the rapidly rising cost of healthcare further interest has been directed to cost effectiveness and value. Comparison of the outcomes of different shoulder conditions to each other, to other musculoskeletal, and non-orthopedic conditions requires more generalized outcome tools especially when considering cost effectiveness and utility analysis. The concept of quality of life (QoL) was developed to satisfy this goal and there are a variety of general health and quality of life assessments tools available. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the concept of health related quality of life (HRQoL) and discuss HRQoL measures as they relate to shoulder conditions.
ADJUNCTIVE E-HEALTH

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of e-health as part of a therapist's toolbox for trying to improve behavioral health. E-health is the use of computer technologies to pursue some of the typical goals associated with healthcare, i.e., the prevention, detection, assessment, and treatment of health problems. E-health becomes an interesting set of possibilities because of the challenges to healthcare systems. The challenges with the healthcare systems are the following: there are access problems such that some groups of individuals (rural, frontier, poor) do not have any or adequate access to care for their problems, there are problems with stigma, there are quality problems such that healthcare (especially behavioral health) varies in ways that are undesirable, and there are cost problems. There are limitations to the web and e-health. It is reasonable to hypothesize that humans have evolved to prefer face-to-face human contact. An e-mail message may not be able to comfort in times of grief or stress as a real human sitting a few feet from us. Although there are models of e-health in which video can be used, it still may be the case that at times being in the room with a client allows the therapist to pick up information that is missed in video. However, these limitations do not imply that e-health is useless. It is a useful tool, particularly in a stepped care model. Individuals who need information and skills training and who may have lower levels of problems may attempt e-health before moving to more intense levels of intervention. This is consistent with the ethical prescription of using the least intrusive intervention for a problem.