cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications of fiber-based phase-sensitive optical low-coherence reflectometer

We describe a phase sensitive optical low coherence reflectometer using polarization maintaining optical fiber with high lateral, longitudinal and phase resolution for biomedical applications. The system utilizes three sample path configurations (i.e. single beam, lateral beams, and longitudinally delayed channels) and allows investigation of various topics in biomedical research. Applications include measurement of birefringence change, intensity and phase imaging, refractive index measurements, surface analysis, and measurement of solute concentrations.
HEAT TRANSFER FROM PLUTONS UNDERGOING HYDROTHERMAL COOLING AND THERMAL CRACKING

Numerical calculations are reported for the transient cooling of a solidified intrusion embedded in a water-saturated porous layer. Heat transfer rates are increased greatly when the intrusion undergoes thermal cracking as it cools. The effects of a uniform heat flux into the porous layer from below are considered Solutions are obtained for porous layers that are initially above or below the critical-layer Rayleigh number for thermal convection. For conditions considered in this study, the effects on the cooling intrusion of initial convection and layer aspect ratio are small. Results are correlated by scaling velocities with the intrusion Rayleigh number.
Low-sidelobe slot arrays for the Juno Microwave Radiometer

Juno is a NASA New Frontiers mission to Jupiter scheduled to launch in 2011. One of the instruments on board is called the Juno Microwave Radiometer (MWR), which will peer into the outer layers of Jupiter with the goal of determining the composition of ammonia and water in its atmosphere. This information will contribute to the knowledge of Jupiter's formation and evolution. The instrument uses six frequency bands, each requiring an antenna with very low sidelobes. Three of the antennas are 8×8 waveguide slot arrays with approximately 30dB Taylor slot amplitude distributions operating at 2.6GHz, 5.2GHz and 10GHz, and each requiring bandwidths of 4%. This paper presents a practical overview of the design and analysis of these antennas and compares measurements with the predictions, including those of finite element models on a finite ground plane using HFSS - a relatively large problem electrically. It was found that there was very good agreement between the HFSS predictions and the measured patterns down to at least −35dB. Due to limited time and space constraints, the paper will focus on the largest and most difficult to fabricate of these antennas, the 2.6GHz “A3” slot array.
Aid Blame It All on “Easy Money”

Temporary membership on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has pernicious effects on the political and economic development of nations, particularly in nondemocracies. The leaders of rich d...
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Stock Composition

Publisher Summary Stock composition can be a significant uncertainty in the management of mixed-stock fisheries of highly migratory or transboundary resources. When a mixture of stocks with different productivities is harvested together, stocks with low productivity may be overharvested. Conversely, forgone yield may be substantial for high-productivity stocks if mixed-stock fishing effort is set too low. In this context, mixed-stock fisheries are similar to multispecies fisheries where different life histories imply different target harvest rates across species. Last, allocation of harvest among user groups is often predicated upon knowing the stock composition of the catch. Measuring stock composition in mixed-stock fisheries is often more challenging than determining species composition in multispecies fisheries, since identifying species is generally much simpler than determining where fish come from. One of the key challenges to effective management of mixed-stock fisheries is estimation of the relative contribution of each stock to the harvest. Stock composition analysis uses either mark-recapture techniques or differences in the frequency distributions of population characteristics among stocks to estimate the composition of a mixture of stocks. For example, statistical analyses of allozyme frequency distributions have routinely been used to estimate the contribution of Pacific salmon stocks in mixed-stock ocean fisheries. Seasonal fluctuations in the spatial distribution of stocks along with changes in the magnitude and distribution of fishing effort can further complicate stock composition analysis.
'A Fair Day's Pay for a Fair Day's Work': Why Congress Should Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to Include an Actual Time Test for Retroactive Damages

In an Eighth Circuit case decided in 2012 the court addressed an important and persistent ambiguity in the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) but failed to provide a clear answer. The question that has split the federal circuits is whether or not a “reasonable time” test or an “actual time” test is the appropriate calculation method for compensable time when a plaintiff successfully files suit for unpaid wages in violation of the FLSA. One likely reason neither Congress nor the Supreme Court have resolved the issue yet is because disagreement over the calculation method for damages is usually not the primary impetus for a FLSA case. The courts are more concerned about making the proper decision for the preliminary issue, whether or not the alleged activities for which the employees were not paid are compensable. Nonetheless, the appropriate test for retroactive damages is an important issue to answer directly and one that has a relatively easy solution. In order to resolve this circuit split, this Note proposes statutory changes to the FLSA that would incorporate the actual time test as the appropriate calculation method to be used for retroactive damages. This Note suggests that the actual time test is the better of the two options because it is the more logical of the two tests under current law, because it will result in more desirable practical implications for the modern day working world and because it is supported by public policy.
Aspiration cytology of the endometrium: office and hospital sampling procedures.

The diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma by cervicovaginal smear does not approach the accuracy enjoyed by squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Various techniques for obtaining intrauterine samples of endometrial cells have been described. Each technique has demonstrated an increased accuracy rate for the endometrial smear as compared to the cervicovaginal smear in the detection of endometrial carcinoma. However, no method has been widely accepted by the clinician. This study employed a new disposable endometrial aspirator. There were 160 postmenopausal women in whom an endometrial smear was obtained as an office procedure. The method was rapid, and there were no complications. There were 186 endometrial aspirations obtained on hospital patients. The smear was taken just prior to diagnostic curettage. The accuracy of the endometrial smear was the same as that obtained by curettage (85.7 per cent).
A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Esophageal Clearance Times of Oral Budesonide Preparations

Topical steroids prepared as oral viscous slurries have become common in the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis. Esophageal mucosal contact time correlates with clinical and histologic improvement. To compare the mucosal contact time of alternative oral viscous budesonide (OVB) slurries with the conventional sucralose OVB. A blinded randomized crossover trial investigating esophageal clearance of three OVB slurry preparations was done on healthy adults. Honey and xanthan gum OVB slurries were compared with standard sucralose OVB in 24 randomly assigned subjects. Each subject ingested the sucralose OVB and either the honey or xanthan gum OVB slurries. The esophageal clearance of each slurry was evaluated as an area under the curve (AUC) using 1 millicurie of technetium-99m-sulfur colloid (Tc99) co-administered in each OVB preparation using nuclear scintigraphy. A standardized taste survey was also administered. Xanthan gum had greater mucosal contact time compared to sucralose as measured by a higher AUC at 3 min (P = 0.002), while honey showed no significant difference in esophageal clearance relative to sucralose. Taste scores were significantly higher in the honey group, while scores for xanthan gum were no different from standard sucralose. OVB slurries utilizing xanthan gum may be a superior alternative to a sucralose-based slurry due to its increased mucosal contact time and similar taste tolerance. Honey may be a suitable alternative as well, due to its similar contact time and favorable taste.
The Changing Female Image: A Brief Commentary on Sport Competition for Women

(1971). The Changing Female Image: A Brief Commentary on Sport Competition for Women. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 59-63.
Bandgap engineering of graphene decorated with randomly distributed ZnO nano-seed

In this paper, we have experimentally demonstrated the engineering of semi-metal single layer CVD Graphene’s bandgap by decorating with randomly distributed ZnO nano-seed grown by sonication of Zinc acetate dehydrate. The proximity of nanoparticles and Graphene breaks Graphene’s sublattice symmetry and opens-up a bandgap. The 2-D/G ratio of Raman spectroscopy of decorated Graphene along with a peak at 432.39 cm-1 confirmed presence of ZnO on single layer Graphene. The introduced bandgap was measured from the slope of Arrhenius plot. Graphene with significant bandgap introduced by the proposed methods could be used for devices intended for digital and logic applications.
Whitford, W. G. 2002. Ecology of Desert Systems. Academic Press, an Elsevier Science Imprint, San Diego, California, 343 pp. ISBN 0-12-747261-4, price (cloth), $74.95.

W. G. Whitford 2002. Ecology of Desert Systems. Academic Press, an Elsevier Science Imprint, San Diego, California, 343 pp. ISBN 0-12-747261-4, price (cloth), $74.95. Deserts seem to fascinate scientists and lay-people alike; perhaps it is the extreme nature of the desert habitat, its stark beauty, or the history of mankind in desert regions. For whatever reason, there are many books available on deserts. Recent volumes have ranged from pictorial overviews to travel adventures to philosophical books dealing with the mysteries of the desert. Botanists, geomorphologists, mammalogists, and others have provided books dealing with landforms, an encyclopedia of deserts, and detailed descriptions of the ecology of individual deserts, particularly those in the United States. Whitford's book is different. It is designed to illustrate the concept of a desert at its most basic level: that of function. It provides the reader with a highly detailed description of the component parts that make up a desert system and the factors that make it function with time. One cannot understand the desert without understanding these fundamental principles, regardless of the type of science one might study in arid or semiarid habitats. This book contains 12 chapters that deal with topics important for understanding the structure and function of desert ecological systems. These include basic concepts related to desert ecosystem function; landforms, geomorphology, vegetation; climate; effects of wind and water; animal and plant adaptations; primary and secondary productivity; nutrient cycling; desertification; and management. Walt Whitford writes with authority about desert ecology because he has dedicated his life to …
Modification of HSV-1 to an oncolytic virus.

Cancer-permissive viruses or oncolytic viruses consist of either genetically engineered or naturally occurring strains that possess relatively selective replicative and/or infection abilities for cancer vs. normal cells (Chiocca, Nat Rev Cancer 2: 938-950, 2002). They can also be armed with additional anticancer cDNAs (e.g., cytokines, prodrug-activating, anti-angiogenesis genes, and others) to extend therapeutic effects (Kaur et al., Curr Gene Ther 9: 341-355, 2009). Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) possesses several advantages as an oncolytic virus such as a rapid lytic cycle and a large capacity for insertion of heterologous DNA sequences (Wade-Martins et al., Nat Biotechnol, 19: 1067-1070, 2001). However, the technical nuances of genetic manipulation of the HSV-1 genome may still be relatively challenging. Here, we describe a system that has been durable and consistent in providing the ability to generate multiple recombinant HSV-1. The HsvQuik technology utilizes an HSV-1 genome cloned in a bacterial artificial chromosome to recombine heterologous cDNAs in a relatively rapid and reliable manner (Terada et al., Gene Ther 13: 705-714, 2006).
Introduction to MEOR and Its Field Applications in China

This chapter presents microbial-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) mechanisms first. Microbes and nutrients used in MEOR are introduced. Screening criteria are listed. Finally, several microbial field applications are presented. These applications include single-well microbial huff-and-puff, microbial waterflooding, wellbore stimulation to remove wellbore or formation damage, and MEOR using indigenous microbes.
Abstract 1595: HMGA2 induces EMT in prostate cancer cells and may be antagonized by camalexin

Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of death in the United States. African American men have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer compared to any other race. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in cancer progression and metastasis. Mesenchymal cells are migratory, invasive, and more resistant to apoptosis. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) has been shown to promote EMT. High mobility group A (HMGA2) is a non-histone protein that is highly expressed during the embryogenesis, whereas the gene expression is very low or absent during adulthood. Recent studies have been reported an overexpression of HMGA2 protein in malignant cancers. Loss of Let-7 miRNA (repressor of HMGA2) has been found to induce EMT via upregulation of HMGA2 in prostate cancer. There has been no link between ROS and HMGA2. We have reported that camalexin, a 3-thizol-2-yl-indole, may be a candidate treatment for aggressive prostate cancer cells by ROS-mediated apoptosis. The study demonstrated that treating the prostate cancer cell with camalexin increased ROS levels which contributed to decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. We hypothesize that HMGA2 may regulate EMT in part by inducing ROS and that camalexin may antagonize HMGA2 signaling. We analysed HMGA2 and EMT marker expression in a panel of prostate cancer cell lines by western blot analysis. We also transiently and stably overexpressed wild-type HMGA2 and mutant HMGA2 (missing Let-7 binding site) in LNCaP cells. We measured ROS levels using DCFDA dye that detects hydrogen peroxide. We treated ARCaP-M (mesenchymal) cells with different concentrations of camalexin to analyse HMGA2 expression. Our results showed that HMGA2 is highly expressed in aggressive prostate cancer cell lines (C4-2, ARCaP, E006AA) as compared to RWPE1 and LNCaP cells. The transient overexpression of HMGA2 in LNCaP cells decreased E-cadherin more markedly than with mutant HMGA2 but did not show any changes in ROS. We will repeat this experiment with stable clones from HMGA2 overexpression. ARCaP-M cells treated with camalexin induced ROS and decreased HMGA2 expression. We are currently performing in vivo studies using ARCaP-M cells injected subcutaneously into nude mice followed by treatment with camalexin after the tumor grows to 50 mm 3 . In conclusion, HMGA2 promotes EMT, even more markedly if its Let-7 suppressor binding site is eliminated, and camalexin may target HMGA2 to decrease prostate cancer progression. GRANT SUPPORT: 1P20MD002285; 8G12MD007590 Citation Format: Ohuod A. hawsawi, Basil Smith, Jodi Dougan, Liza J. Burton, Valerie A. Odero-Marah. HMGA2 induces EMT in prostate cancer cells and may be antagonized by camalexin. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1595.
Skilled Movements Require Non-apoptotic Bax/Bak Pathway-Mediated Corticospinal Circuit Reorganization

Early postnatal mammals, including human babies, can perform only basic motor tasks. The acquisition of skilled behaviors occurs later, requiring anatomical changes in neural circuitry to support the development of coordinated activation or suppression of functionally related muscle groups. How this circuit reorganization occurs during postnatal development remains poorly understood. Here we explore the connectivity between corticospinal (CS) neurons in the motor cortex and muscles in mice. Using trans-synaptic viral and electrophysiological assays, we identify the early postnatal reorganization of CS circuitry for antagonistic muscle pairs. We further show that this synaptic rearrangement requires the activity-dependent, non-apoptotic Bax/Bak-caspase signaling cascade. Adult Bax/Bak mutant mice exhibit aberrant co-activation of antagonistic muscle pairs and skilled grasping deficits but normal reaching and retrieval behaviors. Our findings reveal key cellular and molecular mechanisms driving postnatal motor circuit reorganization and the resulting impacts on muscle activation patterns and the execution of skilled movements.
Uplink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access with Fractional Power Control

As a promising radio access technology for 5G cellular network, non- orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has attracted extensive research attention recently. Compared with orthogonal multiple access (OMA), NOMA possesses the potential to further improve system spectrum efficiency. To perform uplink NOMA successfully, the received signal of each user equipment (UE) within a NOMA group at base station needs to be decodable. On the other hand, fractional power control (FPC) is widely applied in the existing wireless networks to mitigate inter-cell interference by giving cell center and cell edge users different target receiving signal power levels. NOMA can exploit this difference in the received powers and group cell edge UEs and cell center UEs into a NOMA group so that further spectrum efficiency can be realized. In this paper, an analytical framework on uplink NOMA with FPC is developed and performance on the system coverage and average user achievable rate is evaluated. The analysis on an OMA access scheme with FPC is also provided for comparison. The analytical results are validated by simulations. The performance study demonstrates that NOMA with FPC can bring considerable capacity gain compared to OMA with FPC.
Characterization of Coalescence-Induced Droplet Jumping Height on Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Coalescence-induced condensate droplet jumping from superhydrophobic surfaces can be exploited in condensation heat-transfer enhancement, imparting self-cleaning behavior to surfaces, anti-icing coatings, and other industrial uses. An intriguing application would exploit this phenomenon to achieve thermal rectification using a sealed vapor chamber with opposing superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces. During forward operation, continuous evaporation occurs from the heated superhydrophilic evaporator surface; self-propelled jumping returns the condensate droplets from the cooler superhydrophobic surface to the evaporator, allowing passive recirculation of the working fluid without a reliance on gravity or capillary wicking for fluid return. In reverse operation, when the superhydrophobic surface is heated, the absence of a mechanism for fluid return from the cooler superhydrophilic side to the evaporator restricts heat transport across the (low conductivity) vapor gap. The effectiveness of this jump...
The Regulatory Framework and Case Studies from Argentina

Argentina is a middle income country that started implementing clinical trials in the 1960s. There is no national law guiding research involving humans and the responsibility for clinical trials rests in the provinces. Nevertheless the federal Ministry of Health and the regulatory agency (ANMAT) have a number of regulations and the country can be characterized as having an uneven but evolving legal infrastructure. This chapter describes the regulatory framework, the number and type of clinical trials that have been conducted in the country since 2005, the results of clinical trial inspections, and the growing concern about the role and performance of private for-profit research ethics committees (which currently approve about 80 % of all research protocols). Using case studies of clinical trials that have been questioned by researchers, the legal system, the ombudsman, regulatory authorities and informed journalists, this chapter describes cases where researchers failed to obtain informed consent, duplicated patient records, and violated inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies that have generated controversy were financed by multinational companies and involved treatments for infections, cancer, heart and psychiatric problems, and pneumococcal vaccines. The underlying factors that facilitated the violation of scientific and ethical research principles include: conflicts of interests in the research ethics committees, research centers, public hospitals and possibly the regulatory agencies, and the pressure of the groups who benefit from the implementation of clinical trials, including the pharmaceutical industry, researchers, and the Argentinean government.
Fixed-pie Lie in Action

Negotiation is a crucial skill for socially intelligent agents. Sometimes negotiators lie to gain advantage. In particular, they can claim that they want the same thing as their opponents (i.e., use a “fixed-pie lie”) to gain an advantage while appearing fair. The current work is the first attempt to examine effectiveness of this strategy when used by agents against humans in realistic negotiation settings. Using the IAGO platform, we show that the exploitative agent indeed wins more points while appearing fair and honest to its opponent. In a second study, we investigated how far the exploitative agents could push for more gain and examined their effect on people’s behavior. This study shows that even though exploitative agents gained high value in short-term, their long-term success remains questioned as they left their opponents unhappy and unsatisfied.
Der Entwurf besserer Babys mittels Genetik

Muss alles, was technisch neu und leistungsstark ist, seinen Anfang in einer Garage nehmen? Manchmal hat es den Anschein.
An application of restricted mean survival time in a competing risks setting: comparing time to ART initiation by injection drug use

Restricted mean survival time (RMST) is an underutilized estimand in time-to-event analyses. Herein, we highlight its strengths by comparing time to (1) all-cause mortality and (2) initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected persons who inject drugs (PWID) and persons who do not inject drugs. RMST to death was determined by integrating the Kaplan-Meier survival curve to 5 years of follow-up. To account for the competing risks of death and loss-to-clinic when estimating time to ART, we calculated RMST to ART initiation by estimating the area between the survival curve for ART initiation and the cumulative incidence curve for death or loss-to-clinic. We standardized all curves using inverse probability of exposure weights. We followed 3044 HIV-positive, ART-naive persons from enrollment into the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinical Cohort from 1996 to 2014. PWID had a − 0.19 year (95% confidence interval (CI): − 0.29, − 0.10) difference in survival over 5 years of follow-up compared to persons who did not inject drugs. There was no difference between the two groups in time not on ART while alive and in clinic (RMST difference = 0.08, 95% CI: -0.10, 0.36). PWID have similar expected time to ART initiation after properly accounting for their greater risk of death and loss-to-clinic.
Commentary to Chapter 6

I find myself initially responding to Meehan’s essay—as I have to other thoughtful prolife statements—with feelings of frustration and bafflement. Meehan and I appear to be looking at the same painting, but she sees only black and white colors and I see only varying shades of gray. The hard cases she discusses confront me with a conflict of values and create intellectual tension, doubt, and uncertainty. Yet, Meehan seems to find them easy to brush aside. Because she holds fast to the absolute value of the unborn life, these cases present her with no real moral dilemmas. She attempts conscientiously to balance the rights and interests of others against those of the unborn, but she discovers that, for her, one side of the balance scale is, after all, empty.
Diagnostic Issues: Family Dynamics and Caregiving for an Individual with Cancer

For the vast majority of the 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with cancer annually, their cancer care is delivered in outpatient settings. Living with a cancer diagnosis is a 24-hour experience, which means that family caregivers face responsibility for much of the care needed by persons diagnosed with cancer. Caregivers’ responsibilities are magnified by the many advances in cancer treatments, especially aggressive combination therapies that increase the complexity of patient needs over the trajectory of the cancer experience. The needs are equally complex, if not more so, for the people who will eventually die from their cancers. This chapter presents three model to address caregiving during the diagnostic phase of the cancer trajectory, a phase in which family dynamics set an important context for cancer caregiving throughout the other phases. A case example showcases the current status of care giving during the diagnostic phase of cancer care and highlights future directions for research and ways to implement conceptual frameworks. Such information can enhance the caregiving experience as patients and their caregivers begin to navigate the acceptable options for curative and palliative cancer care treatments.
Tyranny of the Majority: On the (Im)possibility of Correctness of Smart Contracts

Many consensus protocols are based on the assumption that participants are either “good” or “bad” but ignore the fact that they may be affected by direct or indirect economic interests involved in the corresponding smart contracts. We analyze consensus in decentralized environments and demonstrate that the system cannot guarantee correct execution results.
Changes in Engineering Technology Students Perception from Freshman to Senior Year

This Research Full Paper recognizes that changes in students from matriculation to graduation are evident to the educator; however, the changes are not easily quantified. Further, many groups of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) students have been studied, often excluding smaller disciplines such as engineering technology. Little, if any work, has been done in this area, creating a gap in knowledge of a growing and unique student population. These researchers have gathered data using an instrument designed to understand further how individuals perceive their surroundings. In particular, the researchers intended to learn more about freshmen students that just matriculated into the program and those that are preparing for graduation. The study focused on a twelve-week period and was presented to both freshman and senior engineering technology students. The researchers chose the Gregorc instrument, and while the original intent of the study was to focus on differences between engineering and engineering technology students, they found marked differences in the students that were just beginning their studies in engineering technology and those preparing to graduate and launch into their careers. The data was previously analyzed using the aggregate data from engineering technology students to engineering students, and a similar technique was used to compare freshman and senior students. Combining these techniques and comparing student populations based on their flow from one major and year to another provides a means to review this data in a new light.
Hybrids made from antimicrobial peptides with different mechanisms of action show enhanced membrane permeabilization

Combining two known antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) into a hybrid peptide is one promising avenue in the design of agents with increased antibacterial activity. However, very few previous studies have considered the effect of creating a hybrid from one AMP that permeabilizes membranes and another AMP that acts intracellularly after translocating across the membrane. Moreover, very few studies have systematically evaluated the order of parent peptides or the presence of linkers in the design of hybrid AMPs. Here, we use a combination of antibacterial measurements, cellular assays and semi-quantitative confocal microscopy to characterize the activity and mechanism for a library of sixteen hybrid peptides. These hybrids consist of permutations of two primarily membrane translocating peptides, buforin II and DesHDAP1, and two primarily membrane permeabilizing peptides, magainin 2 and parasin. For all hybrids, the permeabilizing peptide appeared to dominate the mechanism, with hybrids primarily killing bacteria through membrane permeabilization. We also observed increased hybrid activity when the permeabilizing parent peptide was placed at the N-terminus. Activity data also highlighted the potential value of considering AMP cocktails in addition to hybrid peptides. Together, these observations will guide future design efforts aiming to design more active hybrid AMPs.
An enchanted ring and a Dung Beetle: contaminated borders in Hassan Blasim’s nightmarish narratives

I analyze Iraqi author Hassan Blasim’s “The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes” and “The Dung Beetle,” two short stories that are centrally concerned with the border crossing experiences of Iraqi immigra...
Anesthesia and postoperative pain control—multimodal anesthesia protocol

Multimodal analgesia (MMA) involves the use of additive or synergistic combinations of analgesics to achieve clinically required analgesia while minimizing significant side effects associated with higher dose of a single equianalgesic medication such as an opioid analgesic. MMA generally involves optimizing non-opioid pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions and reserving opioid use to treat breakthrough pain. Patients receiving medications via MMA protocols are likely to have lower opioid consumption compared to those managed using primarily IV opioid patient-controlled analgesia. MMA pain management strategies have become important components of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in an effort to optimize care by standardizing analgesic medications in the perioperative setting while minimizing adverse effects and improving quality and patient outcomes. Successful implementation of a MMA requires the input and cooperation of all of the stakeholders including the caregivers as well as the patients. Health system benefits can also be realized from the implementation of an effective MMA, as fewer opioid related side effects can improve patient recovery and lead to faster discharge and improved utilization of resources.
Solidarity theologies and the (re)definition of ethnoreligious identities: the case of the Alevis of Turkey and Alawites of Syria

ABSTRACTAlevis of Turkey and Alawites of Syria have different origins, traditions and political experience. After the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, Turkish government took a clear stand by su...
Abstract 264: EPRS is a Critical Translational Control Factor in Cardiac Fibrosis

Increased protein synthesis of pro-fibrotic genes is a common feature of cardiac fibrosis, a major manifestation of heart failure (HF). Despite this observation, critical factors and molecular mech...
Interacting with hummingbirds at home: Associations with supplemental feeding, plant diversity, plant origin, and landscape setting

Abstract Several organizations run wildlife-gardening programs designed to mitigate the biodiversity loss and disconnect between humans and wildlife that commonly accompanies urbanization. The National Audubon Society runs the Plants for Birds and the Humminbirds at Home programs that, like others, recommend homeowners to establish diverse assemblages of native plants with supplemental feeders. Here, we use plant and hummingbird data from the Hummingbirds at Home program to determine whether common wildlife-gardening recommendations correlate with intended outcomes. Our results showed that, after statistically controlling for several variables related to observer effort and geography, the relative occurrence and relative frequency of hummingbird sightings during patch surveys was positively related to the (1) presence of hummingbird feeders in a patch, (2) number of nectar-provisioning flowering-plant taxa in a patch, (3) degree to which nectar-provisioning flowering-plants in a patch were endemic to the conterminous USA, and (4) lack of impervious surface (a common proxy for urban development) in the surrounding landscape. These results support previous studies that showed how recommendations from wildlife-gardening programs associate with intended outcomes, but do so across an exceptionally broad, national extent that varies enormously in physical and biological geography.
Clinical and neuroimaging correlates of progression of mild parkinsonian signs in community-dwelling older adults.

Abstract Introduction Mild parkinsonian signs (MPS) are associated with morbidity. Identification of MPS progression markers may be vital for preventive management, yet has not been pursued. This study aimed to ascertain clinical/neuroimaging features predictive of MPS progression. Methods 205 participants in the Health ABC Study were included. MPS was defined using published guidelines. MPS progression was evaluated by determining UPDRS-III change between baseline and follow-up ≥2 years later. Standard brain MRI and DTI were obtained at baseline. Correlation coefficients between demographics, vascular risk factors, imaging markers, and UPDRS-III change were adjusted for follow-up time. Linear regression was used to adjust for possible confounders in the relationship between imaging markers and MPS progression. Results 30% of participants had baseline MPS. Demographics and risk factors did not differ significantly between participants with MPS (MPS+) and without MPS (MPS-). Mean follow-up time was 3.8±0.8 years. Older age, male gender, diabetes were associated with faster rate of UPDRS-III change in MPS- but not MPS+ participants. Among MPS- participants, the only imaging marker associated with faster UPDRS-III progression was higher gray matter mean diffusivity (MD), widespread in various cortico-subcortical bihemispheric regions, independent of age, gender, diabetes. No imaging features were associated with UPDRS-III change among MPS+ participants. Conclusions Lower gray matter integrity predicted MPS progression in those who did not have baseline MPS. Microstructural imaging may capture early changes related to MPS development, prior to macrostructural change. Any future management promoting gray matter preservation may inhibit MPS development.
Brains and Sprains: The Relationship between Neurocognitive Performance and Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in High School Athletes

Background: Quick and efficient integration of complex sensory information is required to direct high-demand motor control tasks during sports. Poor neurocognitive performance may thus impair motor control and lead to an increased risk of injury. While this effect has been demonstrated on a limited basis in collegiate athletes, there are no studies which have explored this effect in an adolescent population. Purpose: To determine the relationship between neurocognitive performance and the risk of sustaining a musculoskeletal injury in high school athletes. We hypothesized that athletes who …
Opening the Black Box: Investigating Student Understanding of Data Displays Using Programmable Sensor Technology

This paper describes the design and classroom implementation of a week-long unit that aims to integrate computational thinking (CT) into middle school science classes using programmable sensor technology. The goals of this sensor immersion unit are to help students understand why and how to use sensor and visualization technology as a powerful data-driven tool for scientific inquiry in ways that align with modern scientific practice. The sensor immersion unit is anchored in the investigation of classroom data where students engage with the sensor technology to ask questions about and design displays of the collected data. Students first generate questions about how data data displays work and then proceed through a set of programming exercises to help them understand how to collect and display data collected from their classrooms by building their own mini data displays. Throughout the unit students draw and update their hand drawn models representing their current understanding of how the data displays work. The sensor immersion unit was implemented by ten middle school science teachers during the 2019/2020 school year. Student drawn models of the classroom data displays from four of these teachers were analyzed to examine students' understandings in four areas: function of sensor components, process models of data flow, design of data displays, and control of the display. Students showed the best understanding when describing sensor components. Students exhibited greater confusion when describing the process of how data streams moved through displays and how programming controlled the data displays.
Estimating the Financial Impact of Gene Therapy

Abstract We assess the potential financial impact of future gene therapies by identifying the 109 late-stage gene therapy clinical trials currently underway, estimating the prevalence and incidence of their corresponding diseases, developing novel mathematical models of the increase in quality-adjusted life years for each approved gene therapy, and simulating the launch prices and the expected spending of these therapies over a 15-year time horizon. The results of our simulation suggest that an expected total of 1.09 million patients will be treated by gene therapy from January 2020 to December 2034. The expected peak annual spending on these therapies is $25.3 billion, and the total spending from January 2020 to December 2034 is $306 billion. We decompose their annual estimated spending by treated age group as a proxy for U.S. insurance type, and consider the tradeoffs of various methods of payment for these therapies to ensure patient access to their expected benefits.
TDD Massive MISO Piloting Strategy With User Information: A Reinforcement Learning Approach

In TDD massive MISO systems, user equipments (UEs) send channel measurement pilots to the BS for beamforming. Frequently sending these pilots, although improving beamforming, could consume significant communication resources. In this letter, we investigate how frequent these pilots should be sent for each UE so as to increase overall throughput performance for TDD massive MISO downlink. This real-time resource allocation problem is challenging due to non-trivial performance metric and boundary conditions. Assuming that instantaneous speed and location information of UEs can be obtained by the BS, we propose a reinforcement learning framework in which the BS acts as a learning agent to decide pilot intervals. Simulation results show that, for this multi-terminal setting where UEs compete for resources, using this centralized reinforcement learning framework, performance can be improved by choosing pilot intervals and transmission rates based on the UE information.
An Arduino-based constant pressure fluid pump

Constant pressure pumps are an invaluable yet underutilized resource for microfluidic flow systems. In particular, constant pressure pumps are able to stabilize the fluid pressure in systems where the viscosity may change due to chemical reactions or the flow rate may vary due to deformations of the channels. The constant pressure pump presented here is designed on the premise of creating and maintaining a pressure differential between the laboratory and a pressure reservoir. This pressure reservoir is then used to drive the input fluid at the specified gauge pressure. The pump design presented here is perfect for primarily undergraduate institutions and other laboratories with modest research budgets as it can be built for under US$100 and construction is within the scope of an advanced undergraduate. The pump consists of an Arduino-compatible microcontroller, Adafruit electronic components, low-voltage air pump, Nalgene water bottle, and various fluid components. A complete parts list is included in the appendix. Comparable commercial pumps have a retail price in excess of US$5000. Multiple pump designs were constructed and tested with the ability to hold a constant pressure of up to 14 psig (97 kPa-gauge) with a maximum flow rate of 65 [Formula: see text]L/s for water.
Dimensions of impulsivity related to psychopathic traits and homicidal behavior among incarcerated male youth offenders.

Abstract Despite impulsivity being included as scoring criteria within several measures of youth psychopathic traits, the relationship between psychopathic traits and dimensions of impulsivity among high-risk youth is not well-understood. Here we assessed psychopathic traits via total, factor, and facet scores from the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) and impulsivity through total, three-factor, and six-factor model scores from the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) in incarcerated male youth offenders. Correlational analyses indicated PCL:YV total, Factor 2, Facet 3, and Facet 4 scores were significantly positively correlated with BIS-11 total scores. Additionally, psychopathy scores were significantly positively correlated with specific scores from the three-factor model of the BIS-11 (e.g. Motor and Non-Planning Impulsivity scores) and the six-factor model of the BIS-11 (e.g., Attention, Self-Control, and Cognitive Complexity Impulsivity scores). Secondary analyses suggest that participants who had previously committed homicide scored higher on lifestyle/antisocial psychopathic traits and specific dimensions of impulsivity (e.g., BIS-11 Non-Planning and Self-Control Impulsivity factor scores) compared to youth who had not previously committed homicide. Our results improve our understanding of the specific forms of impulsivity significantly correlated with youth psychopathic traits and how specific factors underlying both constructs potentially characterize youth associated with severe forms of antisocial behavior.
Systematic Methods for Determining the Continuous Transformation Groups Admitted by Differential Equations

This talk will present some recent results obtained by using Lie’s systematic methods to uncover transformation groups admitted by several types of differential equations. We begin by sketching the methods.
Chapter 7 The Direct Preparative Resolution Of Enantiomers By Liquid Chromatography On Chiral Stationary Phases

Publisher Summary This chapter considers recent developments in the liquid chromatographic separation of enantiomers on a preparative scale. The chapter focuses on methods which allow the isolation of enantiomerically pure rather that slightly enriched materials. The recent development of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) effective for preparative work can be attributed largely to research done at the analytical level, for example, the separability of enantiomers on a given CSP can be evaluated quickly using a small quantity of racemate. Well-separated enantiomers are potential candidates for incorporation into “reciprocal” CSPs which should resolve compounds of the type used in the initial CSP. Any CSP which performs well at the analytical level can be used in preparative columns. Because the properties desired in a preparative chiral column are not unlike those required for any preparative separation, any treatment of preparative liquid chromatographic technique is relevant to the separation of enantiomers. The chapter discusses several chromatographic parameters specifically applied to CSPs.
Dark Energy and Dark Matter Halos

We investigate the effect of dark energy on the density profiles of dark matter haloes with a suite of cosmological N-body simulations and use our results to test analytic models. We consider constant equation of state models, and allow both w>-1 and w -1 quintessence models seem to exacerbate the central density problem relative to the standard w=-1 model. Meanwhile w<-1 models help to reduce the apparent discrepancy. We confirm that the Jenkins et al. (2001) halo mass function provides an excellent approximation to the abundance of haloes in our simulations and extend its region of validity to include models with w<-1.
Machine Interviewing for Assessing Student Learning

This paper describes how computer-based machine interviewing and recording devices can be used as formative and summative assessment tools in schools, in the context of electronic portfolios. We describe demonstration prototype instructional and assessment systems that have been developed at the University of Hawaii, including the Automatic Interviewer and Past Recorder. Instructional applications and future directions are described.
On graph bipartization

The author discusses an undirected, connected graph G(V,E) without multiple edges and self loops. The minimum node (edge) deletion bipartite subgraph problem for G(V,E) is considered. Constant time computable upper and lower bounds are presented on the number of nodes (edges) deleted. The bounds are useful when very little is known about G(V,E). Heuristic solutions for each of these problems are introduced. The time complexity of both heuristics is O( mod V mod /sup 2/). >
The microsomal monooxygenase system of regenerating liver. An examination of the role of estradiol in the demasculinization of drug metabolism produced by 2/3 partial hepatectomy.

Abstract Declines in total cytochrome P450 content and in monooxygenase activities associated with some male specific isozymes of cytochrome P450 have been reported in the rat following 2 3 partial hepatectomy ( 2 3 PH). In the present study, we examined the effects of 2 3 PH on hepatic microsomal monooxygenase activities towards testosterone, the alkoxyresorufins, p-nitrophenol and carbon tetrachloride in male rats. Levels of P450 apoproteins were determined by Western blot analysis. The effects of hepatectomy and sham operations on plasma growth hormone (GH) pulse profiles and the effects of a single acute dose of estradiol (E2) were studied to determine the role of these factors in 2 3 PH mediated changes in oxidative metabolism. 2 3 PH produced substantial decreases in testosterone hydroxylation at positions 16α, 2α and 7α, but only a small decrease in hydroxylation at position 6β. Reductions in CYP 2C11 (P450h) and CYP 2A1 (P450a) expression were observed with Western blot analysis down to 19 and 41% of control values, respectively, but insignificant effects were observed on expression of CYP 3A (P450p family) proteins recognized by a polyclonal antibody raised against rat CYP 3A2 (P450pcn2). In contrast, acute E2 treatment caused a 2-fold increase in expression of CYP 2A1 apoprotein and significantly decreased expression of CYP 2E1 (P450j) apoprotein and dependent monooxygenase activities, but had no significant effect on expression of CYP 2C11. Both sham operations and 2 3 PH caused a temporary decrease in plasma GH concentrations, but secretion returned towards normal 24–48 hr after both operations. These data suggest that some factor other than GH or E2 must be involved in the selective suppression of some P450 isozymes observed after 2 3 PH.