cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ant Activity along Moisture Gradients in a Neotropical Forest1

Insect activity often tracks moisture gradients. We studied ant activity, size, and diversity along three moisture gradients in a Panamanian rain forest. Ant activity at baits increased by 25 percent from the dry to the wet season, and > 200 percent on a topographical gradient from a ravine to an exposed plateau. Activity varied little from day to night. Three microhabitats—tree trunk, shrub, and litter—showed different responses to these three gradients. The size distribution of the species pool (N = 63) was right skewed, but the average size of ants at a bait was strongly bimodal. Ants active in moister times and places were not significantly smaller. We suggest that gradients of desiccation risk and food availability were the two most likely causes of these patterns. Two temporal niche axes (daily and seasonal) showed little species specialization, but half of the common species could be categorized as litter or plant microhabitat specialists.
Family Limited Partnerships Under Attack: Is the End Near?

Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) represent unique vehicles for transferring wealth, such as family businesses, from one generation to another, permitting parents to gradually transfer business ownership to children while maintaining control over operations. FLPs also serve as significant shields against the effects of gift and estate taxes, since valuation discounts can be employed to reduce the fair market value of partnership interests transferred to children and other family members. However, these tax savings have resulted in aggressive audit and court challenges by the IRS. For accountants, responding to these challenges for their clients means understanding both how the financial and tax aspects of FLPs operate. This article details the critical nontax aspects of FLPs and presents a thorough examination of current tax developments, including the June 2002 appellate court decisions. Finally, the article discusses specific steps accountants should take in advising their clients to protect family assets and defend against IRS attacks.
The Emperor’s Clothes: A Look Behind the Western Mindfulness Mystique

Mindfulness is presently a popular word, taken originally from Buddhist practices, that has stimulated enthusiastic research in psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and clinical psychology. But what is the mindfulness that these disciplines study? Although there are diverse Western definitions of the term, the most frequent de facto operational definition is that subjects have taken some form of the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Accordingly this chapter provides: (a) A review of the meaning and place of mindfulness in the three main historical forms of Buddhism. (b) An analysis of the contents of the MBSR program and, in particular, of how participants use those contents. (c) A critique of the mindfulness measurement scales. Participants were found primarily responding not to mindfulness in either Buddhist or Western definitions, but to a variety of Western therapeutic components embedded in the program. I show how these findings could lead to new and more grounded research questions, better individually targeted therapies, and, when combined with some of the Eastern material, perhaps to shifts in our understanding of body and mind.
Hourly water demand forecasting for micro water grids

Many countries have problems related to water scarcity and are thus seeking to promote greater water efficiency. A micro water grid (MWG) is a high-efficiency water management system that integrates information and communication technologies (ICT) for the water distribution systems in individual buildings. More accurate forecasting of hourly water demand is necessary if these systems are to function correctly and thus is the focus of this paper. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) variant models were developed to create 24-hour lead-time forecasts. The forecast and observed values for both variant and traditional models were compared and developed models seem to perform well. It is therefore recommended to use linear stochastic models when developing MWGs for forecasting water demand to ensure sustainable water resource planning and management in MWG projects.
Modeling repetitive motions in real-world 3D scenes

Obtaining models of dynamic 3D objects is an important part of content generation for computer graphics. If the states or poses of the dynamic object repeat often during a sequence (but not necessarily periodically), we call such a repetitive motion. There are many objects, such as toys, machines, and humans, undergoing repetitive motions. Our key observation is that for repetitive motions we can use one fixed camera to perform robust motion analysis and a second capture-device to provide 3D information of each motion state. After the motion sequence, we group temporally disjoint observations of the same motion state and produce a smooth space-time reconstruction of the scene. Effectively, the dynamic scene modeling problem is converted to a series of static scene reconstructions, which are much easier to tackle. The second device can be either a passive camera or an active-light projector, resulting in two different modeling techniques. Based on this observation, we present an efficient passive multi-viewpoint acquisition and a robust structured-light acquisition of repetitive motions.
Progressive critical care education.

The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Primary Children’s Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, has developed an orientation and progressive education program to provide both mentorship and clinical guidance for nurses as they move from novice to expert in the critical care environment. The PICU is a diversified and challenging place to work. Our unit is a state-of-the-art, 26bed, multidisciplinary unit for children ages newborn to 18 years. These young patients have a wide variety of illness or injury needs, including respiratory distress, multisystem organ failure, multiple trauma, and postoperative cardiovascular care. Nurses are often overwhelmed entering this setting. Because of the nursing shortage, the unit must now hire new graduates. These eager but inexperienced nurses are placed into a special, progressive education program that begins in a medical-surgery area. During the 6 to 12 months when they are assigned to the medical-surgical area, these nurses can gain experience caring for children and acquire organizational skills. Also during this period, they meet once a month with a PICU educator for debriefing and an introduction to skills and critical thinking. With input from the medical-surgical team, the educator and novice nurse mutually decide when it is time to make the transition into the PICU. It is at this time that the nurse begins general orientation. Phases 1 to 3 of the orientation are similar to programs traditionally offered in critical care units, with 6 weeks devoted to didactics and mentored clinical shifts. Because the experience is often intense, only a small amount of the information is actually fully retained by the orientee. These nurses are able to provide adequate care for stable PICU patients of all ages. If, after approximately 4 months of this independent nursing care experience, competence is demonstrated, the nurse begins phase 4 of orientation. During this phase, the novice nurse returns to the classroom for an additional 12 hours of didactics, which focus on neurotrauma and respiratory care as it builds on the basic knowledge foundation established in the earlier orientation phases. Neurotrauma and respiratory concepts such as oxygen transport and assessment and treatment of increased intracranial pressure are reviewed. The course work is followed by 2 mentored shifts caring for unstable patients. The novice learner is given a checklist of skills to complete IN OUR UNIT
Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupling, Strong Interactions, and the BCS-BEC Crossover in the Ground State of the Two-Dimensional Fermi Gas

The recent experimental realization of spin-orbit coupled Fermi gases provides a unique opportunity to study the interplay between strong interaction and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in a tunable, disorder-free system. We present here precision ab initio numerical results on the two-dimensional, unpolarized, uniform Fermi gas with attractive interactions and Rashba SOC. Using the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo method and incorporating recent algorithmic advances, we carry out exact calculations on sufficiently large system sizes to provide accurate results systematically as a function of experimental parameters. We obtain the equation of state, the momentum distributions, the pseudospin correlations, and the pair wave functions. Our results help illuminate the rich pairing structure induced by SOC, and provide benchmarks for theory and guidance to future experimental efforts.
Synthesis and evaluation of cyclic cationic polymers for nucleic acid delivery

The architecture of polycation gene carriers has been shown to affect both their transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity. This work reports the synthesis of cyclic polycations and their use for ge...
Estrogen fueled, nuclear kiss: Did it move for you?

A paper appearing in late 2008 attracted considerable attention with its description of a dramatic juxtaposition of two estrogen responsive genes on different chromosomes within 15-60 minutes of adding estradiol. These results challenged a growing consensus of limited chromosome mobility within interphase nuclei, while raising questions of whether a hitherto unknown molecular mechanism might exist to move chromosomes long distances within the nucleus. These results also raised the fascinating question of how two genes on widely separated chromosomes might find each other over such a short time span. Now, a more recent paper reports no such long-range interaction or chromosome movements in the same cell types under what appear to be well replicated conditions, forcing a reexamination of the prior results.
Temperature-Dependent Structure of a Superdislocations in Ni3Al

The dissociated structure of the a(101) superdislocations in Ni3Al is predicted as a function of temperature. The temperature dependence of the relevant fault Helmholtz free energies and elastic constants are calculated within the quasiharmonic approximation using the embedded atom method. The results of these calculations are then incorporated into anisotropic elasticity theory-based calculations of the dissociation distances. The cross-slip activation enthalpy is estimated and found to decrease by 24% at 600 K when compared with its 0 K. value. The calculations point to the need to perform experiments to address this temperature dependence.
A new Type of Automatic Transportation Device

Detailed introduced A new type of automatic transportation device which use for transport the parts of body, The use of magnetic force generated by electromagnet, Electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy, To achieve Automatic transmission.
Selection and breeding report of the new rice variety Jiudao 59(Nine 02GD8)

New Rice Variety Jiudao59 was selected through sexual hybridization using pedigree technique by Rice Institute,Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Jilin city.It had such advantages as high yield and strong resistance against adverse conditions.It was examined and approved by Jilin Provincial Variety Examination and Approval Committee in 2006.Its Average yield is about 8669.3 kg/hm2 during regional trials in Jilin province,Its yield increased by 9.9% compared with the contrast variety(Guan-dong 107).It is worth to generalize.
Cesarean delivery complications in women with morbid obesity.

AbstractObjective: To compare cesarean complication rates between women with body mass index (BMI) 40–49.9 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2 and associations with surgical techniques.Methods: This retrospective cohort study from 2009 to 2014 included women who underwent cesarean with delivery BMI ≥ 50 and an equal number with BMI 40–49.9. Wound infections and/or separations were compared. We also examined wound complication rates between skin closure techniques and self-retaining retractor use.Results: Among 498 patients (249 with BMI ≥ 50 and 249 with BMI 40–49.9) there were no differences in estimated blood loss >1000 mL, blood transfusion, deep vein thrombosis or endometritis. Among those with outpatient follow-up (144 with BMI ≥ 50 and 162 with BMI 40–49.9), those with BMI ≥ 50 had a significantly higher rate of wound separations (p = 0.01) but not infections. There were no differences in wound complication rates between skin closure techniques or self-retaining retractor use, though the study was not powered ...
Linear Scleroderma and Neurological Complications

Three patients with linear scleroderma en coup de sabre who presented with neurologic abnormalities before or concurrent with the dermatologic diagnosis are reported from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
Clinical studies on 4 newborn throughbred foals suffering from convulsions with special reference to blood gas chemistry and pulmonary ventilation.

SUMMARY Four foals suffering from convulsions and derangements of behavioural patterns in the first 4. days of life, were studied under clinical conditions. Respiratory rates, tidal and minute volumes, maximum tidal volumes, arterial blood gas tensions and pH levels were measured over the course of their illness with a view to establishing a firm basis for the diagnosis of pulmonary dysfunction. This state was found in 3 of the foals, but not in the fourth, although each presented a picture indistinguishable from other cases usually referred to as ‘barkers’ or ‘convulsive foals’. Two of the foals died and the results of autopsy are reported. The relevant clinical data and treatment of the cases is presented and the findings discussed. It is suggested that in order to facilitate future research and diagnostic precision, the terms ‘barker’, ‘wanderer’, ‘dummy’, ‘premature’, ‘immature’ and ‘convulsive syndrome’ should be included under one heading of ‘the neonatal maladjustment syndrome’.
An Asymptotic Analysis of the Layered Tube

Summary The problem considered is that of an anisotropic composite cylinder subjected to internal and external pressure, stretching, and torsion. The method of asymptotic integration of the elasticity equations is employed to derive both thin and higher order shell theories. The validity and range of applicability of these theories is tested by a comparison with an exact solution. Finally, it is demonstrated that for the stated problem the asymptotic method converges uniformly.
Mentoring Student Participation in Undergraduate Research: A Case Study of Twists and Turns from Two Perspectives

AbstractUndergraduate research experiences provide excellent examples of high-impact practices. They rely on inquiry-based learning to provide important capstone experiences for the students. However, they are time-intensive for mentor faculty. In an attempt to scale up our faculty’s ability to offer such experiences, we combined a number of projects into one class: the Biomathematics Workshop. This article chronicles the experiences of one student from that class interspersed with comments from his mentor. Our goal is to illustrate some of the twists and turns in his journey and the unexpected but valuable lessons the student (and the mentoring team) learned.
Postoperative IPTH compared with IPTH gradient as predictors of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia

Objectives/Hypothesis Predicting patients' risk for hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy may allow for same-day discharge. This study was designed to compare postoperative intact parathyroid hormone (IPTH) alone with percentage change in IPTH (IPTH gradient) in predicting post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods Patients undergoing total thyroidectomy by the senior author from May 2015 to May 2016 were included. Serum IPTH was measured preoperatively and 1 hour postoperatively, and IPTH gradient was calculated. Postoperative hypocalcemia was mild (≥8.0, <8.4) or severe (<8.0 and/or hypocalcemic symptoms). Postoperative IPTH and IPTH gradient were compared with hypocalcemia using logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of IPTH measures as predictors of hypocalcemia was performed, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Results Overall, 119 patients were included. Forty-seven percent of the patients developed postoperative hypocalcemia, including 26 (22%) with mild and 30 (25%) with severe hypocalcemia. Thirteen patients had hypocalcemic symptoms. Median IPTH gradient and postoperative IPTH each differed significantly by category of hypocalcemia (P < .001). Higher IPTH gradient was significantly associated with odds of severe and symptomatic hypocalcemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.39 and aOR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.05-1.71 per 10% increase), whereas lower postoperative IPTH was not (aOR: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.95-1.68 and aOR: 1.44, 95% CI: 0.90-2.31 per 10 pg/mL decrease). The AUC for predicting severe hypocalcemia was nonsignificantly higher for IPTH gradient than postoperative IPTH (AUC = 0.77 vs. 0.69, P = .10). The AUC for predicting symptomatic hypocalcemia was significantly higher for IPTH gradient (AUC = 0.75 vs. 0.72, P = .03). Conclusions Our results suggest that the IPTH gradient may be more useful than postoperative IPTH alone in predicting risk of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 2017
Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on DNA damage and immune regulation induced by the environmental pollutant dibenzo[a,l]pyrene in oral tissues of mice

Previously, we showed that oral application of the environmental pollutant dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) induces oral tumors in mice. Thus, in the present investigation we examined the effect of alcohol on DB[a,l]P-induced DNA damage and immune regulation; we showed that alcohol (6.4% v/v in the diet, 35% of Calories) significantly enhanced the levels of (-)-anti-trans-DB[a,l]P-dA while decreased the levels of GSH in the mouse oral tissues. Analysis of RNA expression revealed that DB[a,l]P alone upregulates inflammatory genes while alcohol suppresses several markers of immune surveillance. Collectively, these results suggest that alcohol may enhance oral carcinogenesis induced by DB[a,l]P.
Hybrid Liquid Crystal Nanocarriers for Enhanced Zinc Phthalocyanine-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy

Current challenges in photodynamic therapy (PDT) include both the targeted delivery of the photosensitizer (PS) to the desired cellular location and the maintenance of PS efficacy. Zinc phthalocyan...
24 Self-Report Inventories

This chapter describes the history and development of self-report inventories (SRIs) as measures of personality and psychopathology. Early criticisms of this technique are reviewed, with an emphasis on concerns regarding their susceptibility to distortion and limited empirical foundations for their interpretation. Current issues in SRI-based assessment are then reviewed and discussed, including various approaches to constructing SRIs and their relative merits; approaches to and foundations for SRI interpretation, including the merits of empirical and content-based interpretation; and derivation of standard scores for SRI interpretation. Next, the concept of protocol validity is defined, and threats to protocol validity, including content and non-content-based threats are identified and discussed. These threats include nonresponding, random responding, fixed responding, overreporting, and underreporting. The chapter also identifies a need for further SRI research studies to allow for a greater role for construct validity in SRI interpretation and discusses initial steps in this direction. Keywords: personality; psychopathology; self-report
Interpreter assemblages: Caring for immigrant and refugee patients in US hospitals.

Abstract US hospitals have developed a variety of strategies to meet federal requirements and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate health care for people who report limited English proficiency. A key strategy is the use of healthcare interpreters who may be physically present in the room or in the room via telephone or video conference. This paper analyzes the contingent and unstable combinations of heterogeneous human and nonhuman elements that form and disperse during visits to the hospital when healthcare interpreters are used. It draws its analysis from 9 months of fieldwork in 2012 that included following 69 adult immigrant and refugee patients in one hospital in Maine and observing encounters with interpreters and clinic staff. It introduces the concept of interpreter assemblage to make sense of the transnational mixes of people, technologies, and ideas that bring multilingual hospital care to life and give it a character of its own.
Is Traditional Chinese Medicine Use Associated with Worse Patient-reported Outcomes among Chinese American Rheumatology Patients?

Objective. Chinese Americans are a fast-growing immigrant group with more severe rheumatic disease manifestations than whites and often a strong cultural preference for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). We aimed to examine TCM use patterns and association with patient-reported outcomes (PRO) among Chinese American rheumatology patients. Methods. Chinese Americans actively treated for systemic rheumatic diseases were recruited from urban Chinatown rheumatology clinics. Data on sociodemographics, acculturation, clinical factors, and TCM use (11 modalities) were gathered. Self-reported health status was assessed using Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short forms. TCM users and nonusers were compared. Factors independently associated with TCM use were identified using multivariable logistic regression. Results. Among 230 participants, median age was 57 years (range 20–97), 65% were women, 71% had ≤ high school education, 70% were on Medicaid insurance, 47% lived in the United States for ≥ 20 years, and 22% spoke English fluently. Half used TCM in the past year; these participants had worse self-reported anxiety, depression, fatigue, and ability to participate in social roles and activities compared with nonusers. In multivariable analysis, TCM use was associated with belief in TCM, female sex, ≥ 20 years of US residency, reporting Western medicine as ineffective, and shorter rheumatic disease duration. Conclusion. Among these Chinese American rheumatology patients, TCM users had worse PRO in many physical and mental health domains. TCM use may be a proxy for unmet therapeutic needs. Asking about TCM use could help providers identify patients with suboptimal health-related quality of life who may benefit from targeted interventions.
Experimental Ion-Molecule Dynamics Including Reactions Involving Excited States

In this brief presentation we present some results obtained in studies of the collision of monoatomic ions with simple garget molecules. We comment on the reactions of B+(3Pu) and B+ (1Sg) with D2 and on the electronic states of the BD+ product ions produced in the reactions. Under good instrumental conditions there is some Indication of vibrational structure in the kinetic energy spectrum of BD+; however, for various experimental reasons this reaction is not the most favorable illustration of the presence of vibrational excitation in the product ions. On the other hand, the C+(D2,D)CD+ reaction is a more favorable case and here vibrational structure is observed in the product ion kinetic energy distribution. Finally, we report on some preliminary work on the inelastic and superelastic collisions of C1+ and Br+ with Ar and Kr respectively. Here there appears to be an efficient mechanism of transferring electronic energy of excitation from the halogen ion into translational energy of the rare gas atom and vice versa.
Clinical and Laboratory Correlative Studies of Neutrophil PRV-1 Expression: A Prospective Study in 141 Subjects.

Background : Controversy persists regarding diagnostic accuracy as well as added value for quantitative assessment of neutrophil PRV-1 expression in polycythemia vera (Klippel et al. Blood2003;102:3569; Tefferi et al. Blood2004;103:3547). This is partly because of limited data regarding the relationship between neutrophil PRV-1 transcript level and other laboratory parameters in polycythemia vera (PV). More information is also needed on the PRV-1 expression profile in other myeloproliferative disorders (MPD), including essential thrombocythemia (ET) and agnogenic (AMM), post-polycythemic (PPMM), and post-thrombocythemic (PTMM) myeloid metaplasia. Methods : The current prospective study involves 141 subjects, including 49 with PV, 40 with secondary or spurious polycythemia (SP), 23 with ET, 11 with AMM, 4 with PPMM, 3 with PTMM, and 11 normal controls. Peripheral blood neutrophil PRV-1 expression was quantified by real-time PCR according to published methods ( Klippel et al. Blood 2003) . The results were first compared among the different disease categories and controls. Subsequently, within the specific disease categories of both PV and ET, PRV-1 expression was correlated with several laboratory [leukocyte count, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), leukocyte alkaline phosphatase score (LAP) score, CD34 count, platelet count, hematocrit, serum EPO level, MCV, serum ferritin, reticulin fibrosis] and clinical (age, sex, disease duration, spleen size, thrombosis history, and presence of treatment with cytoreductive agent, aspirin, or phlebotomy) parameters. Results : The incidence of increased neutrophil PRV-1 expression was the highest in PV and PPMM (p Table 1 In both PV and ET, neutrophil PRV-1 expression strongly correlated with LAP score (p=0.003 and 0.04, respectively). In addition, in PV, univariate analysis revealed significant correlations between PRV-1 expression and leukocyte count, ANC, and reticulin fibrosis. On multivariate analysis, only LAP score retained its significance. Conclusion :The current study confirms the previously recognized close association between increased neutrophil PRV-1 expression and PV as well as suggests a similarly strong association with PPMM but not with ET, MMM, or PTMM. The study also underscores the suboptimal diagnostic accuracy of the neutophil PRV-1 assay in distinguishing PV from SP. Most importantly, the demonstrated tight correlation between PRV-1 transcript level and LAP score raises the issue of added value to currently available diagnostic tests.
Tattoos and perceptions of employment suitability in the hospitality industry

To shed light on tattoo bias in the hospitality industry, two studies were conducted in the context of employee selection. The first study that examined tattoo bias in the context of selecting entr...
Experiences with end-of-life care with a left ventricular assist device: An integrative review

Abstract Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are increasingly being used to treat end-stage heart failure. Despite the increased prevalence of these devices, there is a still a high 1-year mortality rate. The purpose of this integrative review was to systematically evaluate research studies that focused on the process and content of LVAD related end-of-life discussions. A literature search was conducted from earliest available date to November, 2017. A total of 59 citations were produced, 13 articles went under full review, and six studies remained for inclusion in this review. Patients and their caregivers experienced confusion and frustration regarding the end-of-life experiences and care related to disjointed care by their provider teams. Clinician experiences and opinions also suggested a controversy about deactivation of the LVAD at the end-of-life, and a divide regarding practices at the end-of-life. Research focused on system-level factors involved in end-of-life care for patients with an LVAD is needed.
Hybrid Electric Aircraft Switched Model Optimal Control

This work presents the modeling, control design, and simulation of a Cirrus SR20 with a hybrid electric propulsion (HEP) system composed of a combustion engine and battery-supplied electric drive t...
Self-assessment of Proficiency of Intelligent Systems: Challenges and Opportunities

Autonomous systems, although capable of performing complicated tasks much faster than humans, are brittle due to uncertainties encountered in most real-time applications. People supervising these systems often rely on information relayed by the system to make any decisions, which places a burden on the system to self-assess its proficiency and communicate the relevant information.
Regional variation in bone turnover at the iliac crest versus the greater trochanter.

Abstract Background Iliac crest bone biopsy with histomorphometry is the gold standard for diagnosis of abnormalities in bone turnover, yet fractures more frequently occur at the greater trochanter of the hip. Whether bone turnover is similar at these two anatomic sites within individuals is uncertain. Methods We collected bone biopsy samples from the ipsilateral iliac crest and greater trochanter in 9 deceased individuals undergoing autopsies at an academic medical center between March–August 2018. We measured 14 static bone histomorphometry parameters including osteoclast number (N.Oc/T.A), eroded surface (ES/BS), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), osteoclast surface (Oc.S/BS) and osteoid volume (OV/BV) as markers of bone turnover, mineralization, and volume (TMV), and evaluated the correlation of these markers between the iliac crest and greater trochanter. Results Average age at time of death was 58 ± 15 years, 2 were women, and average time from death to autopsy was 2.9 ± 1.8 days. Overall, correlations of the markers of bone turnover across the two sites were poor, ranging from as low as 0 for Tb.Sp (p = 1.0) to as high as 0.583 for Oc.S/BS (p = 0.102). Conclusions Static histomorphometric measures of bone turnover at the iliac crest may not provide reliable information about turnover at other anatomic sites.
Saving Captive White Tigers: An Assessment of an Animal Law Treatise

In this Article, the author examines a legal treatise’s effect on the pedagogical efficacy of an Article published in Journal of Law and Social Deviance entitled “Save the White Tiger.” That Article’s aim was to introduce readers to concepts underlying the argument that white tigers should be saved by placing them in intermediate-size zoos in the United States.This Article gauges the impact of that work.
The Protective Effects of Social Support on Hypertension Among African American Adolescents Exposed to Violence

African Americans develop hypertension earlier in life than Whites and the racial/ethnic disparities in blood pressure level can appear as early as adolescence. Violence victimization, a prevalent environmental stressor among inner-city youth, may play a role in such disparities. In a sample of inner-city youth in the United States, the current study examines the relationship between violence victimization and hypertension while investigating the role of social support in moderating that relationship. We analyzed eight waves of data from a longitudinal study of African American youth (n = 353, 56.7% female) from mid-adolescence (9th grade, mean age = 14.9 years old) to emerging adulthood (mean age = 23.1 years old) using probit regression. Higher levels of self-reported violence victimization during ages 14-18 was associated with more reports of hypertension during ages 20-23, after adjusting for sex, socioeconomic status, substance use, and mental distress. The relationship of violence victimization with hypertension was moderated by friends' support, but not parental support. The association between victimization and hypertension was weaker and non-significant among individuals with more peer support compared to those with less support. Researchers have reported many instances of associations of early violence exposure to later risk for hypertension; however, most have focused on childhood maltreatment or intimate partner violence. We extend these findings to violence victimization in an African American sample of youth from adolescence to early adulthood, while examining social support modifiers. The disparity in African American hypertension rates relative to Whites may partly be explained by differential exposure to violence. Our findings also suggest that having supportive friends when faced with violence can be beneficial for young adulthood health outcomes.
High-resolution colorimetric detection on paper-based microfluidic devices via indicator merging and machine learning

Colorimetric analysis is being broadly applied in chemical sensing today; however, detection ranges and resolution limits are typically modest. In this paper, we introduce a methodology to quantify the colorimetric chemical response on a paper-based microfluidic device that enables high-resolution colorimetric detection over a broad pH range. We have achieved this by combining data from various indicators displaying sensitivity on partially overlapping small pH ranges and training machine learning classification models to the colorimetric output. The training dataset consists of images taken from the colorimetric response of three different pH indicators previously deposited on circular spots of a multilayer paper-based device, captured with a reference lab-grade camera. Instead of restricting the use of each pH indicator to their linear response regime within the RGB space, the models are trained against data spanning the entire range of pH values, from 3 to 9, in increments of 0.1, exploring the optimum combination of feature engineering and classification model to maximize the overall model accuracy. The combined analysis of image data captured simultaneously with the three indicators resulted in a pH detection accuracy above 85% with over the entire pH range with resolution down to 0.2 pH points. The demonstrated detection range and resolution are well-suited to support various applications in environmental and industrial analysis.
Capturing the Complexity of Cognitive Computing Systems: Co-Adaptation Theory for Individuals

Cognitive computing systems (CCS) are the new generation of automated IT systems that mimic human cognitive capabilities. CCS reshape the interaction between humans and machines and challenge our traditional assumptions of technology use and adoption. This work introduces co-adaptation and defines it as the series of activities that a user and a system engage in simultaneously to make the system fit the user. Co-adaptation involves two types of adaptation: human adaptation and machine adaptation. Human adaptation refers to the user either changing their behavior to adjust to the technology or changing the technology to adjust to their use. Machine adaptation refers to the system adapting itself to fit users' needs. We use polynomial regression and response surface analysis to examine the impact of co-adaptation on individual performance. We add to previous work by offering a solid theoretical argument with supporting evidence that congruence between human adaptation and machine adaptation plays a critical role in determining the impact of technology use on individuals and their performance.
An Intersectional Examination of the Effects of Race/Ethnicity and Immigrant Status on School Victimization in Predominantly Hispanic/Latinx High Schools

Guided by the theory of intersectionality and social identity theory, this study examined the interactive influences of both racial/ethnic majority status and immigrant status on students’ school v...
Comprehensive policies for victims of sexual assault returning to the campus classroom: Lessons from university sports-related concussion policies.

OBJECTIVE The current paper presents a comparison of university policies and health and academic accommodations offered to undergraduate students following sexual assault (SA) and sports-related concussions (SRC). Procedures and protocols for universities to consider adapting from their SRC policies to their SA policies are detailed.Participants: The SRC and SA policies at the 50 United States public flagship universities were analyzed.Methods: The research team coded for a number of policy details including health referrals, academic and financial accommodations, and requirements for follow-up with university personnel.Results: Compared to SA polices, SRC policies at the public flagship universities offer more comprehensive academic accommodations and physical and mental health resources. Conclusions: Comprehensive policies for student SA survivors, like those available for students who suffer SRCs, would improve student health and academic outcomes and increase SA survivors' likelihood of graduating college, thereby reducing individual and societal human capital loses.
With Gratitude to Börje Holmberg – Theorist, Scholar, Leader

The editorial team here at The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE) are saddened to learn of the April 2021 passing of Borje Holmberg, pioneer theorist, and one of the most cited and respe...
INTERDEPENDENCE AND NETWORK OVERSIGHT IN 1990S INTERNET GOVERNANCE

In October 2016, the contract between the United States Department of Commerce and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) officially expired. This contract represented a long-standing and close relationship between the United States government and ICANN, a relationship that positioned the U.S. as a kind of linchpin in determining the shape and coordination of the global, extraterritorial internet. This research seeks to address the question: what interests and values shaped ICANN at the time of its establishment and in what ways do debates about this system reflect broader concerns about the U.S.-centric nature of early internet governance policy? I address this question using archival analysis focusing on the Ira Magaziner Electronic Commerce papers at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. In examining this archive, there are repeated concerns about the U.S.-centric nature of early internet governance policy, concerns that were clear as early as the mid-1990s and which remained at issue with the oversight of ICANN until 2016. While espousing the values of competitive free-market, the internet governance policy promoted by the U.S. government during the Clinton Administration raised concerns about the concentration of power and potentially monopolistic control of the network by a single nation. Understanding the foundations of debates around oversight and multistakeholderism that took place as early as the 1990s helps us better understand more recent changes in internet governance and also help contextualize and ground discussions about how to best create a truly representative global internet in the future.
Low Efficacy of Medication Shortage Clinical Decision Support Alerts.

Objective We examined clinical decision support (CDS) alerts designed specifically for medication shortages to characterize and assess provider behavior in response to these short-term clinical situations. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the usage of medication shortage alerts (MSAs) that included at least one alternative medication suggestion and were active for 60 or more days during the 2-year study period, January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019, in a large health care system. We characterized ordering provider behavior in response to inpatient MSAs. We then developed a linear regression model to predict provider response to alerts using the characteristics of the ordering provider and alert frequency groupings. Results During the study period, there were 67 MSAs in use that focused on 42 distinct medications in shortage. The MSAs suggested an average of 3.9 alternative medications. Adjusting for the different alerts, fellows (p = 0.004), residents (p = 0.03), and physician assistants (p = 0.02) were less likely to accept alerts on average compared with attending physicians. Further, female ordering clinicians (p Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that providers tended to reject MSAs, even those who were sometimes flexible about their responses. The low overall acceptance rate supports the theory that alerts appearing at the time of order entry may have limited value, as they may be presented too late in the decision-making process. Though MSAs are designed to be attention-grabbing and higher impact than traditional CDS, our findings suggest that providers rarely change their clinical decisions when presented with these alerts.
Photosynthesis and Plant Growth

Plants represent some of the most difficult biological systems to model. There are major problems with choosing the appropriate spatial, temporal, and biological scales. In addition, in terrestrial vascular plants, a major component of the organism, the root system, is not easily available for study or inspection. In this chapter, we will not provide a complete overview of models of photosynthesis and plant-water relations, but rather choose a few examples from these fields to illustrate some of the problems and progress that has been made. In examining these systems, we will illustrate several important principles developed in Part II. These include (1) the effect of scale and biological levels of organization on model structure, (2) nullcline analysis and bifurcations, (3) the control of processes by multiple factors in biochemical networks, (4) the use of mean resistance for multiple control in hydraulic models, and (5) multiple flow variables in plant growth models.
Layout-accurate ultra-fast system-level design exploration through verilog-ams

This research addresses problems in designing analog and mixed-signal (AMS) systems by bridging the gap between system-level and circuit-level simulation by making simulations fast like system-level and accurate like circuit-level. The tools proposed include metamodel integrated Verilog-AMS based design exploration flows. The research involves design centering, metamodel generation flows for creating efficient behavioral models, and Verilog-AMS integration techniques for model realization. The core of the proposed solution is transistor-level and layout-level metamodeling and their incorporation in Verilog-AMS. Metamodeling is used to construct efficient and layoutaccurate surrogate models for AMS system building blocks. Verilog-AMS, an AMS hardware description language, is employed to build surrogate model implementations that can be simulated with industrial standard simulators. The case-study circuits and systems include an operational amplifier (OP-AMP), a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), a charge-pump phase-locked loop (PLL), and a continuous-time delta-sigma modulator (DSM). The minimum and maximum error rates of the proposed OP-AMP model are 0.11 % and 2.86 %, respectively. The error rates for the PLL lock time and power estimation are 0.7 % and 3.0 %, respectively. The OP-AMP optimization using the proposed approach is ~17000~ faster than the transistor-level model based approach. The optimization achieves a ~4~ power reduction for the OP-AMP design. The PLL parasitic-aware optimization achieves a 10x speedup and a 147 μW power reduction. Thus the experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Chapter 10 – Duffy blood group system

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Duffy blood group system. The terminology, expression, database accession numbers, and the carrier molecule related to the Duffy blood group system are also reviewed. The Duffy blood group was named after the family of the first proband who made anti-Fya. The function and disease association of the Kell blood group system is discussed. The Kell blood group serves as a receptor for both C-X-C (acute inflammation) and C-C (chronic inflammation) proinflammatory chemokines: IL-8 (interleukin-8) and MGSA (melanoma growth stimulatory activity). It clears proinflammatory peptides. The Kell blood group is a receptor for Plasmodium vivax, and P. knowlesi malarial parasites. The chapter discusses the molecular basis of Fy(a–b–) phenotypes and particularly of Fyx [Fy(b+w)] phenotype. The effect of enzymes/chemicals on Fya antigen on intact red blood cells (RBCs), the in vitro characteristics of alloanti-Fya, and the clinical significance of alloanti-Fya are also discussed.
Soil Science Applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the concepts and terminology commonly used by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Naturally occurring soil materials, both organic and inorganic, are generally poor specimens for direct NMR study for two reasons. First, transition metal ions (mostly Fe and Mn) are a ubiquitous interference. Even though one may see a signal in the NMR spectrum of a natural sample, many of the chemical environments will not appear because of severe line-broadening. Second, natural materials are a mixture of many types of chemical environments. Materials suitable for NMR study must be either naturally low in transition metals and organic free radicals or materials from which these could be extracted in some way. NMR studies of soil organic matter that have not rigorously removed transition metal impurities and verified the absence of organic free radicals provide incomplete information of the polymers. NMR spectroscopy, just as other physical methods, has its strengths and weaknesses, and it yields the greatest return when used within the constraints these impose. The structural information derived from an NMR study is fundamentally different from that obtained in an x-ray diffraction study.
Plasma position control system in HL-1M tokamak

The HL-1M tokamak is the modification device of HL-1. In this paper, the consideration for plasma equilibrium and the design of the coil, power supply and control circuits for the plasma position control system in HL-1M tokamak are presented, four-quadrant thyristor converter (FQTC) with the circulating current for the power supply of the fast vertical field (FF) coils and the control circuits are described, the commissioning results for the FF power supply with a dummy coil are given.
Physically based animation and rendering of lightning

We present a physically-based method for animating and rendering lightning and other electric arcs. For the simulation, we present the dielectric breakdown model, an elegant formulation of electrical pattern formation. We then extend the model to animate a sustained, 'dancing' electrical arc, by using a simplified Helmholtz equation for propagating electromagnetic waves. For rendering, we use a convolution kernel to produce results competitive with Monte Carlo ray tracing. Lastly, we present user parameters for manipulation of the simulation patterns.
A Statistical Approach for Detecting Tubular Structures in Myocardial Infarct Scars

The presence of an infarct scar in the heart generates abnormal electrical pathways that may trigger the occurrence of arrhythmic episodes. While precise models of the electric propagation in the heart have been proposed, we are just starting to observe and analyze infarct scars using high-resolution imaging techniques. Recent observations have shown that the scar is a highly heterogeneous tissue, characterized by a complex interface with surrounding myocardium. For instance, the infarct scar is perforated by tunnels of live tissue, which could generate abnormal activation pathways and therefore facilitate arrhythmia episodes. In order to characterize the role of such structures, we need to first delineate them. In this paper, we propose an automatic method for the detection of these tunnels of normal tissue through scars in high resolution MR images.