cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ion Transport Through Biomimetic Nanochannel Membranes

A variety of nanochannels have been developed by several different experimental groups including that of Gokel at Missouri (St. Louis). These are selective for ions and also have potential in biomedical applications. Our group has performed molecular simulations of the transport of both chloride and sodium ions through these nanochannels assembled in lipid bilayers for which experimental data has been available. Results of these simulations are reviewed in terms of the validation of experimental models for transport and the potential for using other, more robust, platforms for these nanochannels is discussed.
Societal Value of Surgery for Facial Reanimation.

ImportancePatients with facial paralysis are perceived negatively by society in a number of domains. Society’s perception of the health utility of varying degrees of facial paralysis and the value ...
Processes of Racialization in New York City's Child Welfare System

This paper argues that daily practices in the child welfare system in the urban United States contribute to the racialization—the process of creating and recreating racial groups, meanings, experiences, and inequalities—of African American communities. First, child welfare practices reinforce and legitimize views of poor women of color as irresponsible mothers and urban black communities and families as in need of state supervision. Second, the child welfare system plays an important role in the “prison pipeline,” the interrelated factors that converge to make minority boys more likely to end up in prison. Child welfare is thus a key, yet relatively unexamined, set of state practices that perpetuates inequalities and recreates race. [Race; Racialization; Child Welfare; Urban United States; Prison Pipeline]
Correlations generated from high-temperature states: Nonequilibrium dynamics in the Fermi-Hubbard model

We study interaction quenches of the Fermi-Hubbard model initiated from various high-temperature and high-energy states, motivated by cold atom experiments, which currently operate above the ordering temperature(s). We analytically calculate the dynamics for quenches from these initial states, which are often strongly interacting, to the noninteracting limit. Even for high-temperature uncorrelated initial states, transient connected correlations develop. These correlations share many features for all considered initial states. We observe light-cone spreading of intertwined spin and density correlations. The character of these correlations is quite different from their low-temperature equilibrium counterparts: for example, the spin correlations can be ferromagnetic. We also show that an initially localized hole defect affects spin correlations near the hole, suppressing their magnitude and changing their sign.
Development of compact resonator fiber optic gyroscopes

In this paper we report progress toward a compact resonator fiber optic gyroscope (RFOG) design for commercial navigation applications. Specifically, we report the first use of silicon optical bench (SIOB) technology within the gyro to miniaturize optical component size. A low loss SIOB is used for optical resonator loop closure and a promising initial finesse of 35 is observed. The gyro angle random walk is 0.0029 deg./rt.-hr., and first results show a bias stability of better than 0.1 deg./hr for a sensing coil diameter of two inches. These results represent an encouraging step toward the realization of a practical navigation-grade RFOG for civil navigation usage.
Hardware support for embedded operating system security

Internet-connected embedded systems have limited capabilities to defend themselves against remote hacking attacks. The potential effects of such attacks, however, can have a significant impact in the context of the Internet of Things, industrial control systems, smart health systems, etc. Embedded systems cannot effectively utilize existing software-based protection mechanisms due to limited processing capabilities and energy resources. We propose a novel hardware-based monitoring technique that can detect if the embedded operating system or any running application deviates from the originally programmed behavior due to an attack. We present an FPGA-based prototype implementation that shows the effectiveness of such a security approach.
Food insecurity and emotional health in the USA: a systematic narrative review of longitudinal research.

Objective To examine the causal directionality in the relationship between food insecurity and emotional well-being among US-based populations. Design Systematic literature review from January 2006 to July 2016 using MEDLINE (PubMed), PsychInfo, Web of Science and CINHAL. Inclusion criteria were: written in English; examined a longitudinal association between food insecurity and emotional well-being. Setting The USA. Subjects Children and adults. Results Twelve out of 4161 peer-reviewed articles met inclusion criteria. Three articles examined the effect of emotional well-being on food insecurity, five studies examined the effect of food insecurity on emotional well-being, and four studies examined a bidirectional relationship. Most studies (83 %) reported a positive relationship between negative emotional well-being and food insecurity over time. Conclusions Findings suggest a bidirectional association whereby food insecurity increases the risk of poor emotional health, and poor emotional health increases the risk of food insecurity. Better-constructed studies are needed to follow cohorts at risk for both food insecurity and poor emotional health to further understand the mediators and moderators of the relationships. Intervention studies designed to mitigate or reverse risks are also needed to determine best evidence for practice and policy.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Myelofibrosis: the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System Plus Risk Predicts Post-Transplant Outcomes

Abstract Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) provides potentially curative treatment for patients with myelofibrosis (MF). HCT outcomes are associated with the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS) risk scores. In the present study we analyzed results in 233 patients to determine if the DIPSS plus classification, which adds cytogenetics, thrombocytopenia, and RBC transfusion dependence as risk factors, would better predict post-HCT outcomes than the original DIPSS. Multivariate analysis showed that each risk parameter incorporated into the DIPPS plus model contributed to its predictive power of overall mortality, relapse-free survival, and nonrelapse mortality. The 5-year overall survival (OS), relapse, and treatment-related mortality (TRM) rates for patients with low/intermediate-1 risk MF were 78%, 5%, and 20%, respectively. The 5-year OS, relapse, and TRM rates for patients with high-risk MF were 35%, 28%, and 40%, respectively. The HCT-specific comorbidity index of 3 or greater was associated with higher nonrelapse and overall mortality and reduced relapse-free survival. The relapse incidence was significantly increased in older patients (HR, 3.02; P = .0007). With a median follow-up of 8 years 124 patients (53%) were surviving. The components of the DIPSS plus classification still have prognostic relevance after adjustment by the DIPSS classification. This information should enhance our ability to advise patients when making decisions regarding timing of transplant.
Reducing Side-Channel Leakage of Encryption Engines Using Integrated Low-Dropout Voltage Regulators

Low-dropout (LDO) regulators are becoming a part of modern processor architectures for fine-grain power management and higher energy efficiency. This paper shows that these integrated LDOs can also be leveraged to enhance side-channel analysis resistance of encryption engines to power side-channel analysis (PSCA) attacks. The current transformation induced by integrated LDOs coupled with limited bandwidth of the feedback loop help suppress the side-channel leakage. The impact of both analog LDO (ALDO) and all-digital LDO (ADLDO) on the load currents is studied with correlation analysis between the load and the LDO input current. The effectiveness of integrated LDOs as countermeasure to PSCA is further explored with Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) and Test Vector Leakage Assessment (TVLA) performed on both simulated as well as measured load currents for a 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) implemented in GF-130-nm process technology. We show that integrated LDOs can enhance PSCA resistance; however, the trade-off between integrated LDO performance and side-channel security is essential. We design integrated LDOs optimized for low-power/compact encryption engines and show that LDO-based protection can increase power attack resistance by >800× with minimal power, area, and performance overheads.
High Throughput Phenotyping for Dimensional Psychopathology in Electronic Health Records.

Abstract Background Relying on diagnostic categories of neuropsychiatric illness obscures the complexity of these disorders. Capturing multiple dimensional measures of neuropathology could facilitate the clinical and neurobiological investigation of cognitive and behavioral phenotypes. Methods We developed a natural language processing–based approach to extract five symptom dimensions, based on the National Institute of Mental Health Research Domain Criteria definitions, from narrative clinical notes. Estimates of Research Domain Criteria loading were derived from a cohort of 3619 individuals with 4623 hospital admissions. We applied this tool to a large corpus of psychiatric inpatient admission and discharge notes (2010–2015), and using the same cohort we examined face validity, predictive validity, and convergent validity with gold standard annotations. Results In mixed-effect models adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical features, greater negative and positive symptom domains were associated with a shorter length of stay (β = −.88, p = .001 and β = −1.22, p Conclusions This shows that natural language processing can be used to efficiently and transparently score clinical notes in terms of cognitive and psychopathologic domains.
Is markedness a confused concept

It is well known that, across languages, certain phonological features are more frequent than others. But whether these facts reflect abstract universal markedness constraints or functional pressur...
Dynamic Unstructured Bargaining with Private Information: Theory, Experiment, and Outcome Prediction via Machine Learning

We study dynamic unstructured bargaining with deadlines and one-sided private information about the amount available to share (the “pie size”). Using mechanism design theory, we show that given the players’ incentives, the equilibrium incidence of bargaining failures (“strikes”) should increase with the pie size, and we derive a condition under which strikes are efficient. In our setting, no equilibrium satisfies both equality and efficiency in all pie sizes. We derive two equilibria that resolve the trade-off between equality and efficiency by favoring either equality or efficiency. Using a novel experimental paradigm, we confirm that strike incidence is decreasing in the pie size. Subjects reach equal splits in small pie games (in which strikes are efficient), while most payoffs are close to either the efficient or the equal equilibrium prediction, when the pie is large. We employ a machine learning approach to show that bargaining process features recorded early in the game improve out-of-sample predic...
Pathophysiological Regulation of the Cutaneous Vascular System in Raynaud’s Phenomenon

At normal temperatures, digital blood flow is already lower in Raynaud’s phenomenon (RPh) compared to control subjects, and this falls to dramatically low levels during cold exposure. In control subjects, body cooling selectively reduces blood flow through arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs), whereas in RPh both AVA and nutritional blood flow are decreased. The reflex increase in sympathetic outflow in response to cold exposure is similar in control and RPh subjects. However, the resulting cutaneous vasoconstriction and the ability of local cooling to amplify the sympathetic response are increased in RPh. The increase in sympathetic activity can precipitate vasospasm in RPh digital arteries, although this vasoconstrictor influence is dramatically increased by local cooling. In contrast, digital arteries of control subjects are minimally affected by these interventions. Increased reactivity of RPh vasculature to cold exposure appears to be mediated by increased activity of smooth muscle α2-ARs.
Stress, Coping, and Illness

Impressive gains in the control of communicable disease and the treatment of acute illness have paradoxically confronted us with the limitations of the dominant medical model. As the leading cause of death in Western countries has shifted from infectious to chronic diseases, it has become apparent that solutions to the problems of health and illness will prove far more complex than had been anticipated by scientists only a few decades ago. It is no longer possible to view illness as “a thing in itself, essentially unrelated to the patient’s personality, his bodily constitution, or his mode of life” (Dubos, 1965, p. 319). Single-factor conceptions of illness derived from infectious disease are proving too linear, restrictive, and oversimplified to deal with the multifaceted nature of chronic illness (Weiner, 1977).
Academic Misconduct: Responses from Deans and Nurse Educators

The purpose of this study was to describe what deans/chairs and faculty in baccalaureate nursing programs perceive as academic misconduct among students. Subjects were asked to describe a positive and negative incident that reflected student cheating and/or plagiarizing and to describe the setting where the incident occurred. Various types of cheating and plagiarism were described by the subjects as occurring in the classroom setting. In the clinical setting, incidents of false documentation and faked home visits were reported. Results of this study support the need for a clearer understanding among students of what constitutes plagiarism. Students who become involved in academic misconduct need to be identified early and policies must be developed that will assist administrators and faculty in dealing with these issues.
Prospective bi-directional associations between sedentary time and physical activity with cognitive performance: a cohort study

This prospective study determined whether: (1) objective physical activity (PA) and sedentary (SED) time at 9 years was associated with cognition at 15 years, (2) cognition at 9 years was associate...
Adapting substance use brief interventions for adolescents: perspectives of adolescents living with adults in substance use disorder treatment

Background Brief interventions (BIs) have shown potential to reduce both alcohol and drug use. Although BIs for adults have been studied extensively, little is known about how to adapt them to meet the needs and preferences of adolescents. This article examines adolescents' preferences to consider when adapting BIs for use with adolescents. Methods Eighteen adolescents (age 9-17 years) living in Los Angeles County with adults receiving substance use disorder treatment were interviewed and asked about their perspectives on how to adapt a BI originally developed for adults for use with adolescents. Questions focused on adolescents' preferences for who should deliver BIs, how BIs should be delivered, and what content they would want to be included in BIs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using summative content analysis. Results Adolescents did not express any discernable opinions concerning who delivers BIs or what content they would want to be included, but they did share perspectives on how BIs should be delivered. Most adolescents did not endorse incorporating text messaging or social media into BIs. Instead they preferred having BIs delivered face-to-face or over the telephone. They reported that they did not want BIs to incorporate text messaging or social media due to concerns about trust, the quality of information they would receive, and challenges communicating in writing instead of speaking. Conclusion Although the study has limitations because of its small sample size, findings indicate that adolescents may not want text messaging or social media to be incorporated into BIs for substance use. These findings warrant further research and consideration, particularly as work to enhance BIs for adolescents continues.
The Role of Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) in Regulating Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) in Thoracic Cancer

The programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)/PD-1 pathway is an immunological checkpoint in cancer cells. The binding of PD-L1 and PD-1 promotes T-cell tolerance and helps tumor cells escape from host immunity. Immunotherapy targeting the PD-L1/PD-1 axis has been developed as an anti-cancer therapy and used in treating advanced human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a key mediator of the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway, and plays important roles in promoting cancer development, drug resistance and metastasis in human NSCLC and MPM. YAP has been suggested as a new therapeutic target in NSCLC and MPM. The role of YAP in regulating tumor immunity such as PD-L1 expression has just begun to be explored, and the correlation between YAP-induced tumorigenesis and host anti-tumor immune responses is not well known. Here, we review recent studies investigating the correlation between YAP and PD-L1 and demonstrating the mechanism by which YAP regulates PD-L1 expression in human NSCLC and MPM. Future work should focus on the interactions between Hippo/YAP signaling pathways and the immune checkpoint PD-L1/PD-1 pathway. The development of new synergistic drugs for immune checkpoint PD-L1/PD-1 blockade in NSCLC and MPM is warranted.
Clinicopathologic Features of Mismatch Repair-Deficient Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinomas

Background: Prior studies have reported mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes in a small subset of anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATC). The aim of this study was to identify MMR-protein-deficien...
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Technology

This chapter describes some of the theories behind ASD, explains some of the characteristics of learners with ASD, explores different forms of technology that can be used to support individuals with ASD, and includes helpful tips for parents, teachers, and other individuals working with children with ASD. Technology tools can be beneficial for developing communication and social skills, demonstrating and rewarding appropriate behavior, and delivering multi-modal (auditory, visual, and tactile presentations) instruction. The portability, user control, immediate feedback, and teacher support make technology tools broadly applicable to a variety of instructional challenges. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can learn; they function at their best when they have patient and knowledgeable instructors who understand their learning needs, make connections between instructional content, facilitate practice, provide frequent reviews, present information in different ways, structure the learning environment, provide accommodations where needed, motivate the learner using some of his or her preferences, apply built-in reward mechanisms, and encourage success.
Synthesis, structure, and properties of compounds in the NaHSO4-CsHSO4 system. 2. The absence of superprotonic transitions in Cs2Na(HSO4)3 and CsNa2(HSO4)3

Exploratory synthesis in the NaHSO₄−CsHSO₄ system, aimed at discovering novel proton-conducting solids, yielded the new compounds CsNa₂(HSO₄)₃ and Cs₂Na(HSO₄)₃. Thermal analysis demonstrated the absence of phase transitions for both compounds prior to melting. The conductivities of the two compounds vary monotonically with temperature, in a non-Arrhenius manner, from ambient to the respective melt temperatures of 398 and 413 K. At 363 K the conductivities are on the order of 10⁻⁸ Ω¹⁻cm⁻¹, which is comparable to that of other alkali acid sulfates. The absence of transitions to disordered, high conductivity phases, as is observed in compounds such as CsHSO₄, is explained in terms of the stiffness of the Na−O bonds, which may serve to prevent rapid reorientation of SO₄ tetrahedral groups.
Social Capital as an Inhibitor of Online Political Incivility: An Analysis of Behavioral Patterns Among Politically Active Facebook Users

This study examines the relationship between social capital and uncivil political communication online using a sample of politically active Facebook users and their Facebook post data. Theory suggests that social capital, in both its bonded and bridged forms, may inhibit the frequency and severity of online political incivility. The results here indicate that bonded social capital is negatively associated with political incivility on Facebook. Bridged capital is not, however, statistically related to posting uncivil content on Facebook.
Developing quantitative insights on building occupant behaviour: Supporting modelling tools and datasets

Abstract Energy-related occupant behaviour is crucial to the design and operation of low-energy buildings. This chapter introduces state-of-the-art methods, tools, and datasets for quantifying occupant impacts on building energy use and occupant comfort. The chapter begins with an overview of how occupants can influence building environments and energy performance and highlights gaps in the abilities of building energy simulation programs to represent these influences. Next, state-of-the-art methods and modelling tools that enable more sophisticated occupant behaviour simulation are reviewed, along with the most prominent datasets available to support quantitative behaviour model development. Then, an overview of application areas for occupant behaviour modelling tools and datasets across the building life cycle is presented, and example applications are demonstrated through three case studies. The chapter concludes by identifying emerging opportunities and challenges surrounding the use of occupant behaviour simulation to support the design and operation of low-energy buildings that foster greater occupant satisfaction.
Student-generated awareness information in a group awareness tool: what does it reveal?

Group awareness tools (GATs) are used to enhance awareness among students in online collaborative settings. GATs display awareness information of group processes, so students have a shared understanding of the collaboration. They also encourage students to share their opinions regarding their group processes, which externalizes unspoken awareness information and facilitates group regulation activities. The current study observed how students generated awareness information when being guided by a GAT. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the contents of student-generated awareness information collected from the evaluations of group processes and reflections about the collaboration process. A case study, drawing upon both qualitative and quantitative data, was conducted in the study. The results suggested the validity of student-generated awareness information, and its application in evaluating collaborative group processes. Students’ reflections also identified successful as well as disadvantageous aspects of group processes in three themes: communication, efficient work processes, and commitment. Overall, the findings suggested that student-generated awareness information can reveal the real status of collaborative group process. Successful and disadvantageous aspects of group processes were discussed from the students’ perspectives.
Spectro-spatial analyses of a nonlinear metamaterial with multiple nonlinear local resonators

Recent focus has been given to spectro-spatial analysis of nonlinear metamaterials since they can predict interesting nonlinear phenomena not accessible by spectral analysis (i.e., dispersion relations). However, current studies are limited to a nonlinear chain with single linear resonator or linear chain with nonlinear resonator. There is no work that examines the combination of nonlinear chain with nonlinear resonators. This paper investigates the spectro-spatial properties of wave propagation through a nonlinear metamaterials consisting of nonlinear chain with multiple nonlinear local resonators. Different combinations of softening and hardening nonlinearities are examined to reveal their impact on the traveling wave features and the band structure. The method of multiple scales is used to obtain closed-form expressions for the dispersion relations. Our analytical solution is validated via the numerical simulation and results from the literature. The numerical simulation is based on spectro-spatial analysis using signal processing techniques such as spatial spectrogram, wave filtering, and contour plots of 2D Fourier transform. The spectro-spatial analysis provides a detailed information about wave distortion due to nonlinearity and classify the distortion into different features. The observations suggest that nonlinear chain with multiple nonlinear resonators can affect the waveform at all wavelength limits. Such nonlinear metamaterials are suitable for broadband vibration control and energy harvesting, as well as other applications such as acoustic switches, diodes, and rectifiers, allowing wave propagation only in a pre-defined direction.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Inflammation Shows Morphologic Similarities to, but Is Immunologically Distinct From, Helicobacter pylori Gastritis and Celiac Disease

Context.— Immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapies are associated with multi-organ immune-related adverse events. Although colonic mucosal changes have been described, inflammatory changes incited by CPIs in the upper gastrointestinal tract have not been well characterized. Objective.— To investigate morphologic and immunologic changes incited by CPI therapy in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Design.— We compared the morphology and immune cell phenotype of gastric and duodenal biopsies from patients treated with anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) or anti-programmed death receptor-1/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) antibodies with biopsies from patients with Helicobacter pylori gastritis, patients with celiac disease, and normal controls. Results.— Gastric biopsies from patients on CPIs showed chronic gastritis mimicking H pylori gastritis. However, CPI gastritis demonstrated greater numbers of CD8+ intraepithelial lymphocytes, less lamina propria inflammation, fewer plasma cells and CD20+ B cells, fewer lymphoid aggregates, and reduced CD4:CD8 ratio in both the lamina propria and the epithelial layer. There were no differences between anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 gastritis, except for more lymphoid aggregates in anti-PD-1/PD-L1 gastritis. Duodenal biopsies from patients on CPIs revealed chronic duodenitis with villous blunting, mimicking celiac disease. Compared with celiac disease, CPI duodenitis demonstrated higher prevalence of neutrophilic infiltrates and erosions, increased lamina propria CD3 and CD8 T cells, and reduced CD4:CD8 ratio. Upper gastrointestinal biopsies were more inflamed than concomitant colonic biopsies in the majority of patients. Conclusions.— The morphologic and immunophenotypic distinctions between CPI-associated upper gastrointestinal injuries and common infectious and autoimmune diseases may provide useful discriminators when clinicians are confronted with gastric and duodenal inflammatory changes in patients receiving CPI therapy.
High Glucose and Hypoxia-Mediated Damage to Human Brain Microvessel Endothelial Cells Induces an Altered, Pro-Inflammatory Phenotype in BV-2 Microglia In Vitro.

Diabetes is strongly linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), though the mechanisms for this enhanced risk are unclear. Because vascular inflammation is a consistent feature of both diabetes and AD, the cerebral microcirculation could be a key target for the effects of diabetes in the brain. The goal of this study is to explore whether brain endothelial cells, injured by diabetes-related insults, glucose and hypoxia, can affect inflammatory and activation processes in microglia in vitro. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVECs) were either treated with 5 mM glucose (control), 30 mM glucose (high glucose), exposed to hypoxia, or exposed to hypoxia plus high glucose. HBMVEC-conditioned medium was then used to treat BV-2 microglia. Alterations in microglia phenotype were assessed through measurement of nitric oxide (NO), cytokine production, microglial activation state markers, and microglial phagocytosis. HBMVECs were injured by exposure to glucose and/or hypoxia, as assessed by release of LDH, interleukin (IL)-1β, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). HBMVECs injured by glucose and hypoxia induced increases in microglial production of NO, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. Injured HBMVECs significantly increased microglial expression of CD11c and CLEC7A, and decreased expression of the homeostatic marker P2RY12. Finally, bead uptake by BV-2 cells, an index of phagocytic ability, was elevated by conditioned media from injured HBMVECs. The demonstration that injury to brain endothelial cells by diabetic-associated insults, glucose and hypoxia, promotes microglial inflammation supports the idea that the cerebral microcirculation is a critical locus for the deleterious effects of diabetes in the AD brain.
Applications of spatial models to ordinal data

Abstract Models have been developed to account for heterogeneous spatial variation in field trials. These spatial models have been shown to successfully increase the quality of phenotypic data resulting in improved effectiveness of selection by plant breeders. The models were developed for continuous data types such as grain yield and plant height, but data for most traits, such as in iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC), are recorded on ordinal scales. Is it reasonable to make spatial adjustments to ordinal data by simply applying methods developed for continuous data? The objective of the research described herein is to evaluate methods for spatial adjustment on ordinal data, using soybean IDC as an example. Spatial adjustment models are classified into three different groups: group I, moving average grid adjustment; group II, geospatial autoregressive regression (SAR) models; and group III, tensor product penalized P-splines. Comparisons of eight models sampled from these three classes demonstrate that spatial adjustments depend on severity of field heterogeneity, the irregularity of the spatial patterns, and the model used. SAR models generally produce better performance metrics than other classes of models. However, none of the eight evaluated models fully removed spatial patterns indicating that there is a need to either adjust existing models or develop novel models for spatial adjustments of ordinal data collected in fields exhibiting discontinuous transitions between heterogeneous patches.
Bonds of Empire: The English Origins of Slave Law in South Carolina and British Plantation America, 1660–1783

Bonds of Empire presents an account of slave law that is entirely new: one in which English law imbued plantation slavery with its staying power even as it insulated slave owners from contemplating the moral implications of owning human beings. Emphasizing practice rather than proscription, the book follows South Carolina colonists as they used English law to maximize the value of the people they treated as property. Doing so reveals that most daily legal practices surrounding slave ownership were derived from English law: colonists categorized enslaved people as property using English legal terms, they bought and sold them with printed English legal forms, and they followed English legal procedures as they litigated over enslaved people in court. Bonds of Empire ultimately shows that plantation slavery and the laws that governed it were not beyond the pale of English imperial legal history; they were yet another invidious manifestation of English law's protean potential.
The information content of Basel III liquidity risk measures

Abstract We present a comprehensive analysis to calculate the Basel III liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and the net stable funding ratio (NSFR) of U.S. commercial banks using Call Report data over the period 2001–2011, and provide indirect empirical evidence on net cash outflow rates of certain liability categories. In addition, we examine potential links between Basel III liquidity risk measures and bank failures using a model that differentiates between idiosyncratic and systemic liquidity risks. We find that while both the NSFR and the LCR have limited effects on bank failures, the systemic liquidity risk is a major contributor to bank failures in 2009 and 2010. This finding suggests that an effective framework of liquidity risk management needs to target liquidity risk at both the individual level and the system level.
Masculinist State Protection: Safety Concerns Produce Gender Disparities in University Housing Policies

Under President Trump, the Department of Education narrowed the definition of and protections for gender inequality in U.S. higher education (U.S. Department of Education, Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender, 2017). These changes drew criticism and concern for legal remedies for gender inequality. This study positions Trump’s actions as an extension of rather than a deviation from past state actions towards gender in higher education. Drawing upon Brown’s (Fem Stud 18(1):7–34, 1992; States of injury: power and freedom in late modernity, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1995) theory of the masculinist state, we examined how liberal feminists sought state protection through Title-IX and, in doing so, formalized state control over gender equity in schools. Using instrumental case study methodology (Creswell, Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, 2013; Stake, The art of case study research, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, 1995) we analyzed campus housing policies and found three themes—segregation, visitation, and demarcation—that entrench masculinist state power across public, private, and religious institutions. We conclude by discussing the on-going contradictions for feminists seeking the state’s protection.
IFN-I continues to activate STAT4 in Tfh cells maintaining IL-21 and IFN-γ production, regulating autoantibody production throughout lupus

We write in response to Chen and colleagues. We first address their hyperbolic argument that our conclusions "may be greatly exaggerated and even misleading". Hyperbole aside, we argue that the conclusions of our work are scientifically justified by our data and previous publications. We have demonstrated that STAT4 is required by Tfh cells for the production of IL-21 and IFN-γ during a viral infection (1); ironically, Chen and colleagues petar one of their central arguments (2) by citing this paper, which is our work (1).
Can English Language Classes Promote Employability

English is fast changing in its role with the changing times and needs. It has travelled a long way from the language of colonization, artistic expression, knowledge acquisition & production, research, and now employment. The circle has come full in the sense that the EIC recruited English-knowing Indian subjects and now all the MNCs recruit graduates with the knowledge of English in addition to their subject knowledge. It is presumed that every English language teacher (including those who claim scholarship in English Studies) needs to perceive the global change vis-a-vis English and that they are first English language teachers who facilitate their students to become employable by strengthening their English. It not only calls for an attitudinal change in them, but also demands the appropriate pedagogy for empowering students with the English language skills. This paper discusses how students of arts and science streams perceive English language teachers as far as their acquisition of English as a means for employability post-study period.
Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Associated With Adverse Events After Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR).

Background The blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a surrogate biomarker of systemic inflammation with important prognostic significance in multiple disease processes, including cardiovascular diseases. It is inexpensive, widely available, and may be related to the outcomes of patients after surgery. We aimed to investigate the possible association of NLR with the outcomes of patients following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods This single-center, retrospective study of a prospectively maintained database evaluated 777 patients with a diagnosed abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) who underwent EVAR and were longitudinally followed between 2001 and 2017. NLR was defined as the ratio of absolute neutrophil count to absolute lymphocyte count. The mortality and reinterventions were used to evaluate outcomes using the appropriate univariate models, and the effect of clinical variables on NLR was further investigated using multivariate modelling. Results The median NLR for all patients was 3 IQR [2.2 – 4.6]. A cut-off point of 3.6 was uncovered in a training set of 388 patients using the maximally ranked statistic method. Patients with NLR Conclusion High NLR was significantly associated with higher rates of death at 5 years as well as higher rates of reinterventions at 30 days, 1 year and 5 years. We also suggest that an internally validated cut-off point of NLR >3.6 may be clinically important to help segregate patients into high and low NLR categories. It remains unclear whether NLR is directly linked to adverse events post-EVAR or whether it is a surrogate for an inflammatory state that predisposes patients to higher risk of death or reinterventions.
Theory of Functionally Graded Sandwich Plates and Shells

The foundation of functionally graded doubly curved sandwich structures is presented. The theory considers a comprehensive nonlinear theory with two types of variations of the constituent materials. The theory considers the first-order shear deformation construct at the cost of only a slight decrease in accuracy. An energy approach is taken in the formulation of the governing equations. Within the context of this theoretical model, the work due to edge loads, lateral loads, and surface tractions is included.
The Black Rhino

John Hume, a veteran game farmer and founder of the Mauricedale Game Ranch in South Africa, was deeply troubled by the record upsurge in black rhino poaching incidents and black-market horn thefts in 2010 and 2011. While the endangered black rhino represented only one segment of Mauricedale's hunting and farming businesses in 2011, the animal's survival was an important component of the ranch's and industry's growth potential in the future. As both a businessman and a rhino advocate, John Hume was contemplating an innovative idea that might help stop the decline of the black rhino: the creation of a market for legalized black rhino hunting. As he pondered the possibilities and alternatives to determine what his next move should be, Hume had several questions on his mind: Was the legalization of the international sale and trade of rhino horns a viable solution? Was it Hume's responsibility to save the black rhino, and was the animal a good investment? Excerpt UVA-E-0363 Mar. 8, 2012 The Black Rhino The very thing that makes the rhino valuable is the thing that is causing its extinction. —John Hume In early 2011, game farmer John Hume hoped that he could finally solve the black rhinoceros problem that had plagued him and his Mauricedale Game Ranch for more than a decade. As the largest private owner and breeder of rhino in South Africa, Hume had been at the center of the endangered-rhino conservation effort and controversy since the 1990s, when he began to transform legalized rhino harvesting into a profitable business model. As Hume gazed across the expansive South African veld and the Mauricedale ranch, he drummed his fingers anxiously on his desk. He had just read through the annual report issued by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG), which stated that the recent rise in criminal poaching of the endangered African rhino had risen to record levels. Hume thought carefully through the complex challenges that lay ahead for Mauricedale and wondered whether the creation of a market for black rhino hunting would be enough to save the endangered species from extinction. . . .
Addressing Gender Inequities: Creation of a Multi-Institutional Consortium of Women Physicians in Academic Emergency Medicine

Gender inequity is pervasive in medicine, including emergency medicine (EM), and is well documented in workforce representation, leadership, financial compensation, and resource allocation. The reasons for gender inequities in medicine, including academic EM, are multifactorial and include disadvantageous institutional parental, family, and promotion policies; workplace environment and culture; implicit biases; and a paucity of women physician leader role models, mentors, and sponsors. To address some of the challenges of gender inequities and career advancement for women in academic EM, we established an innovative, peer-driven, multi-institutional consortium of women EM faculty employed at four distinct hospitals affiliated with one medical school. The consortium combined financial and faculty resources to execute gender-specific programs not feasible at an individual institution due to limited funding and faculty availability. The programs included leadership skill-building and negotiation seminars for consortium members. The consortium created a collaborative community designed specifically to enrich career development for women in academic EM, with a formal organizational structure to connect faculty from four hospitals under one academic institution. The objective of this report is to describe the creation of this cross-institutional consortium focused on career development, academic productivity, and networking and sharing best practices for work-life integration for academic EM women faculty. This consortium-building model could be used to enhance existing institutional career development structures for women and other physician communities in academic medicine with unique career advancement challenges.
Aging and Death

Death is neither an exclusive personal experience nor an event restricted to a particular family; instead, it is a universal truth. Death is one of the two life events (the other is birth) that is inevitable for all of us, and somehow, we all experience it very closely in our lives. However, death cannot stop other lives instantly; instead, people find ways to substitute the loss and reestablish interest in life. How do death-related events differ from country to country? How do we react to the deaths of different individuals belonging to our different levels of ties? Despite the overwhelming black clouds of globalization, where death is considered an event for business, we still feel sad about the deaths of many individuals. This chapter discusses different feelings related to death and emerging issues like palliative care and hospice from a global perspective. Implications for policy and practices are also discussed.
Optimization of a Continuously Variable Transmission with Emission Constraints

An optimization technique was developed which can be used to compute the optimal control strategy for an engine-continuously variable transmission (CVT) configuration subject to emission constraints. The engine/CVT system is represented as a function of the four independent variables: spark advance, air/fuel ratio, exhaust gas recirculation percentage, and CVT gear ratio. The Generalized Lagrange Multiplier Technique is used to optimize these variables at a set of drive shaft torque/speed points which represent operation of the vehicle over a drive cycle. Results are presented for idealized CVT's.
Artificial Intelligence: Case-Based Reasoning

First page of article Keywords: artificial intelligence; Case-Based Reasoning (CBR)
Teachers' Perceptions of Rural STEM Teaching: Implications for Rural Teacher Retention

Rural school districts often struggle with attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, especially in science subject areas. However, little is known about STEM in-service teachers’ lived experiences of rural teaching as they relate to retention. In this phenomenographical study, six rural in-service science teachers were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of teaching in rural schools in general, and teaching science subjects in particular. Community interactions, professional development, and rural school structures emerged as three key factors related to rural teacher retention. Participants viewed each of these factors as having both positive and negative aspects. Findings from this study confirm existing literature regarding rural teaching, in general, but provide additional insight into the complexities of rural science teaching, in particular. Implications for rural teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention are discussed.
Exploring Linkage for Alcoholism Using Affection Status and Quantitative Event Related Potential Phenotypes

Using genome-scan data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), we compared results of linkage analyses using a qualitative alcoholism phenotype to results of linkage analyses using event related potential (ERP) quantitative phenotypes, and compared our results to the results of Reich et al. [1998] and Begleiter et al. [1998]. We describe a general and simple strategy for identifying regions of the genome which may harbor genes involved in alcohol dependence which takes into consideration the results of both the affection status and ERP linkage analyses.
Electrodeposition and Characterization of Sacrificial Copper-Manganese Alloy Coatings I. Electrochemical and Morphological Characterization

Cu-Mn electrodeposition from simple sulfate electrolytes with the only addition of ammonium sulfate was studied under different current densities, at pH 2.6-2.8 and pH 6.4-6.6, and at different cupric ion concentrations. An electrochemical investigation of this Cu-Mn electrodeposition system was conducted by potentiodynamic methods and cyclic voltammetry. Electrodeposition was performed galvanostatically. Mn content in the alloy increased with increasing current density. Three types of coatings were obtained: spongy Cu-rich oxygen-containing films at low current density, crystalline Mn-rich coatings at intermediate current density (type I), and amorphous coatings at high current density (type II). At high pH (6.4-6.6), the composition of type I coatings could be controlled by adjusting the current density, while at low pH (2.6-2.8) composition becomes more controllable by varying the Cu 2+ concentration ([Cu 2+ ]). The optimal current density to obtain type I coatings is shifted upward with increasing [Cu 2+ ]. A Cu-rich interlayer is formed between the Cu-Mn film and the stainless steel substrate. The bulk of type II coatings is mainly composed of metallic Cu and Mn. Metal complexation equilibria with NH 3 can explain the influence of Cu additions on coating morphology and composition.