cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effects of the 'Safety Valve' Amendment on Length of Imprisonment for Cocaine Trafficking/Manufacturing Offenders: Mitigating the Effects of Mandatory Minimum Penalties andOffender's Ethnicity

This research empirically examines whether the "safety valve" provision of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines significantly affects length of imprisonment imposed for offenders sentenced for cocaine drug trafficking/manufacturing. Furthermore, the study examines whether the provision conditions the effect of offender characteristics (ethnicity, gender, education), mechanisms of discretion (guilty pleas, guidelines departures), and statutory and guidelines-defined legally relevant case characteristics on length of imprisonment. The manuscript 1) reviews the legal and policy issues related to the "safety valve" amendment and federal sentencing, 2) reviews empirical research on federal sentencing, and 3) provides a theoretical perspective from which to hypothesize direct and conditioning effects of the "safety valve" provision on length of imprisonment. The research reveals that the "safety valve" provision significantly reduces length of imprisonment and conditions the effect of defendant's ethnicity, guidelines departures, and drug mandatory minimum penalties on length of imprisonment.
Effect of Indomethacin on Gastric Mucosal Prostaglandins in Humans: Correlation With Mucosal Damage

We evaluated in healthy human beings the effect of indomethacin on gastric mucosal prostaglandin concentration and on gastric mucosal damage in a placebo-controlled study. Prostaglandin E 2 , prostaglandin F 2α , and 6-keto prostaglandin F 1α concentrations of gastric mucosal biopsy specimens, obtained endoscopically, were measured by radioimmunoassay. Mean prostaglandin concentration of the antrum and fundus was similar. In both regions there was considerable intersubject variability in prostaglandin concentration. Repeated 50-mg oral doses of indomethacin for 4 days reduced mean prostaglandin F 2α and E 2 concentration by 50.2% and 69.4%, respectively, in the fundus and by 40.0% and 49.7% in the antrum, but this led to no significant mucosal damage when assessed endoscopically or histologically. A single 100-mg oral dose of indomethacin reduced mean prostaglandin F 2α and prostaglandin E 2 concentration by 81.4% and 60.9% in the f undus and by 64.2% and 57.5% in the antrum and also induced significant mucosal injury in both regions when assessed endoscopically. However, there was no correlation between degree of suppression of prostaglandin concentration by indomethacin and endoscopic evidence of mucosal damage.
Estimates of crystalline LiF thermal conductivity at high temperature and pressure by a Green-Kubo method

Here, given the unique optical properties of LiF, it is often used as an observation window in high-temperature and -pressure experiments; hence, estimates of its transmission properties are necessary to interpret observations. Since direct measurements of the thermal conductivity of LiF at the appropriate conditions are difficult, we resort to molecular simulation methods. Using an empirical potential validated against ab initio phonon density of states, we estimate the thermal conductivity of LiF at high temperatures (1000–4000 K) and pressures (100–400 GPa) with the Green-Kubo method. We also compare these estimates to those derived directly from ab initio data. To ascertain the correct phase of LiF at these extreme conditions, we calculate the (relative) phase stability of the B1 and B2 structures using a quasiharmonic ab initio model of the free energy. We also estimate the thermal conductivity of LiF in an uniaxial loading state that emulates initial stages of compression in high-stress ramp loading experiments and show the degree of anisotropy induced in the conductivity due to deformation.
Methodological Challenges to Researching Composing Processes in a New Literacy Context

Literacy researchers might develop a richer understanding of how literacy practices construct communities and writers within those communities through more detailed attention to what writers do when they write. Very little is currently known about the processes by which individuals are actually composing in digital writing environments. However, in this cultural moment of sweeping social, linguistic, and technological literacy transformations, research on digital composing processes involves unique methodological challenges. Contemporary writing technologies intersect with digital literacy composing processes in ways that require critical ethical and methodological decision-making by literacy researchers at all stages of the research process. In this article, I argue that research on contemporary composing processes provides a crucial window onto literacy as a social practice, and further, that such research poses unique methodological challenges for researchers. Through an examination of Facebook writers’ composing processes, I articulate some of these challenges and offer guidance for future research.
Effects of matrine injection on life quality of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To investigate the influence of the matrine injection on the quality of life of the patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.Methods 78 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were randomly divided into observation group and comparison group.Both groups proceeded the TP chemotherapy at the same time for four periods of treatment in total(1 period per 21 days).The patients of observation group were treated by both intravenous injection using the matrine injection and chemotherapy,while those of comparison group were only treated by chemotherapy without using the matrine.Results After four periods of treatment,the mean scores for five functional status(physical,role,emotional,cognitive,societal) and the quality of life of the patients in observation group increased significantly than those before treatment and control group(P0.01).The mean score of observation group in two systemic symptoms(fatigue,pain) and lung cancer symptoms(cough,hemoptysis,shortness of breath) decreased than those before treatment and control group(P0.05).Conclusion The matrine injection can improve the quality of life in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy.
Bit-Upset Vulnerability Factor for eDRAM Last Level Cache immunity analysis

Whereas contemporary Last Level Cache (LLC) designs occupy a significant fraction of total die area in chip-multiprocessors (CMPs), approaches to deal with the vulnerability increase of LLC against Single Event Upset (SEU) and Multi-Bit Upsets (MBUs) are sought. In this paper, we focus on reliability assessment of eDRAM LLC to propose a more accurate and application-relevant vulnerability estimation approach compared to conventional LLC SEU analysis methods. In particular, the eDRAM Bit Upset Vulnerability Factor (BUVF) is proposed and an algorithm is developed to assess its behavior for soft errors using experimental benchmark suites. BUVF explicitly targets the vulnerable portion of the eDRAM refresh cycle where the critical charge varies depending on write voltage, storage and bit-line capacitance. Results for the PARSEC benchmark suite indicated that vulnerable sequences account for about 27.2% of data array lifetime in the cache, among which the Read-Read (RR) access sequence contributes about 23.4%. Furthermore, regardless of the size of the vulnerable data set located in an RR sequence over a short interval, the corresponding region of cache is seen to contribute negligible vulnerability to BUVF, which results from spending a small fraction of program execution time undergoing RR sequences. We recast the problem of reliable eDRAM LLC design as a straightforward search for reduced BUVF.
Variability in the size of emerging drones and of drone and worker eggs in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

SUMMARYForty honey bee eggs from two unrelated, similar-sized colonies were measured weekly from 1 June to 12 August 1990, in Ithaca, NY, USA. The eggs were obtained from a section of comb, containing both worker- and drone- sized cells, on which the queen was confined for 24 h. Egg length and width fluctuated significantly in both colonies throughout the experimental period. There was no statistical difference between sexes, and eggs destined to produce drones during the swarming season were not necessarily larger.Dry weights of drones were measured at 14-day intervals during spring (1990, Lake Placid, FL) and summer (1989 and 1990, Ithaca, NY), using a pool of 12–15 colonies. Weights varied significantly throughout all the sampling periods. The 1989 (NY) and 1990 (FL) data showed a tendency for drones to become lighter after swarming and heavier during swarming. The more extensive sampling in 1990 (NY) showed a mean drone dry weight varying from 56.86 mg to 30.71 mg, but there was no association with sw...
Temporally decorrelated muItifocal array for high-speed, high-resolution, muItiphoton imaging and micromachining

We demonstrate, for the first time, a temporally decorrelated, multifocal multiphoton microscope for imaging and micromachining. This new technique allows multiphoton processes using high numerical aperture optics at spatial foci densities that were previously prohibitive.
Dytective: towards detecting dyslexia across languages using an online game

At least 10% of the global population has dyslexia. In the United States and Spain, dyslexia is associated with a large percentage of school drop out. Current methods to detect risk of dyslexia are language specific, expensive, or do not scale well because they require a professional or extensive equipment. A central challenge to detecting dyslexia is handling its differing manifestations across languages. To address this, we designed a browser-based game, Dytective, to detect risk of dyslexia across the English and Spanish languages. Dytective consists of linguistic tasks informed by analysis of common errors made by persons with dyslexia. To evaluate Dytective, we conducted a user study with 60 English and Spanish speaking children between 7 and 12 years old. We found children with and without dyslexia differed significantly in their performance on the game. Our results suggest that Dytective is able to differentiate school age children with and without dyslexia in both English and Spanish speakers.
Political Uncertainty and Firm Investment: Project-Level Evidence from M&A Activity

We use gubernatorial elections in the state of headquarters of the acquirer or target and M&A deal data to examine the real effects of political uncertainty at the project level. We find that election-year mergers are smaller and less likely to be paid for in stock or announced in the second half of the year than similar non-election year mergers. Generally, our results are strongest for elections in the target state, deals for private targets, and in a subsample of deals classified as serial acquisitions. Our results demonstrate the importance of investment type to the decision to delay pre-election investment.
Min-cost tree for multi-resource manycast in mesh networks

We present and investigate the problem of finding a min-cost tree for multi-resource manycast in mesh networks. In the traditional manycast problem, or the K-MST problem, the goal is to find a minimum cost tree that spans any k vertices; however, in the min-cost tree multi-resource manycast problem, the objective is to find a minimum cost tree that spans any k computing resources distributed throughout the network, where each node may have multiple computing resources. Simple polynomial-time heuristic algorithms are proposed for the problem of min-cost tree multi-resource manycast. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes is evaluated through simulation.
Developing and Testing of an Economic Index Tool for Abused Women With Children.

Violence and poverty combine to severely compromise the safety, health, and functioning of women with major pass-through effects to their children. To reduce poverty and mitigate violence, measures are needed to assess economic status before and after intervention programs. The purpose of the study was to develop a new tool to assess women's various sources of income, to measure the degree to which the components of the tool are independent, and assess the usefulness of the tool to assess the connection of economic status and mental health functioning among abused women. Results: Using content and face validity techniques and exploratory factor analysis, the 5-item Economic Index Tool was derived that assesses formal and informal employment wages, family and government cash assistance, and child support. Concurrent and predictive validity models for both the raw and weighted scores were significant, χ² (1) = 65.02, p <.001, Nalgelkerke R² =.285 and χ² (1) = 108.44, p <.001, Nalgelkerke R² =.443, respectiv...
Mean field analysis of sparse reconstruction with correlated variables

Sparse reconstruction algorithms aim to retrieve high-dimensional sparse signals from a limited number of measurements. A common example is LASSO or Basis Pursuit where sparsity is enforced using an l 1 -penalty together with a cost function ‖y — Hx‖2 2 . For random design matrices H, a sharp phase transition boundary separates the ‘good’ parameter region where error-free recovery of a sufficiently sparse signal is possible and a ‘bad’ regime where the recovery fails. However, theoretical analysis of phase transition boundary of the correlated variables case lags behind that of uncorrelated variables. Here we use replica trick from statistical physics to show that when an N-dimensional signal x is K-sparse and H is M × N dimensional with the covariance E[H ia H jb ] = 1/M C ij D ab , with all D aa = 1, the perfect recovery occurs at M ∼ ψ K (D) K log(N/M) in the very sparse limit, where ψ K (D) ≥ 1, indicating need for more observations for the same degree of sparsity.
Prisoners with Disabilities: Individualization and Integration

This paper's goal is to make and justify policy recommendations relating to individualization and integration for prisoners with disabilities. A majority of American prisoners have at least one disability. So how jails and prisons deal with those prisoners' needs is central to institutional safety and humaneness, and to reentry success or failure. In this essay, I explain what current law requires of prison and jail officials, focusing on statutory and constitutional law mandating non-discrimination, accommodation, integration, and treatment. Jails and prisons have been very slow to learn the most general lesson of these strictures, which is that officials must individualize their assessment of and response to prisoners with disabilities. I make four recommendations to particularize the point. In addition, I look past current law to additional policies that could serve the goals of improving medical and mental health care for prisoners with disabilities. What is needed are programs that bridge the wall separating inside and outside of prison, with respect to record-keeping, personnel, and finances, which together have the potential to greatly improve care, and the lives and prospects, of prisoners with disabilities. I make five recommendations about how this should be achieved.
Alterations in Corneal Sensory Nerves During Homeostasis, Aging, and After Injury in Mice Lacking the Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan Syndecan-1.

Purpose To determine the impact of the loss of syndecan 1 (SDC1) on intraepithelial corneal nerves (ICNs) during homeostasis, aging, and in response to 1.5-mm trephine and debridement injury. Methods Whole-mount corneas are used to quantify ICN density and thickness over time after birth and in response to injury in SDC1-null and wild-type (WT) mice. High-resolution three-dimensional imaging is used to visualize intraepithelial nerve terminals (INTs), axon fragments, and lysosomes in corneal epithelial cells using antibodies against growth associated protein 43 (GAP43), βIII tubulin, and LAMP1. Quantitative PCR was performed to quantify expression of SDC1, SDC2, SDC3, and SDC4 in corneal epithelial mRNA. Phagocytosis was assessed by quantifying internalization of fluorescently labeled 1-μm latex beads. Results Intraepithelial corneal nerves innervate the corneas of SDC1-null mice more slowly. At 8 weeks, ICN density is less but thickness is greater. Apically projecting intraepithelial nerve terminals and lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 1 (LAMP1) are also reduced in unwounded SDC1-null corneas. Quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence studies show that SDC3 expression and localization are increased in SDC1-null ICNs. Wild-type and SDC1-null corneas lose ICN density and thickness as they age. Recovery of axon density and thickness after trephine but not debridement wounds is slower in SDC1-null corneas compared with WT. Experiments assessing phagocytosis show reduced bead internalization by SDC1-null epithelial cells. Conclusions Syndecan-1 deficiency alters ICN morphology and homeostasis during aging, reduces epithelial phagocytosis, and impairs reinnervation after trephine but not debridement injury. These data provide insight into the mechanisms used by sensory nerves to reinnervate after injury.
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: Reflecting on practice-changing observations over the past 50 years

Abstract Several historical observations have led to the current understanding of the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Seminal advances in the management of this disease include the development of a classification system for cutaneous lupus, the use of a validated scoring system to assess patient disease activity, and expansion of knowledge of the action spectrum of this disease; further, observations regarding certain medications as potential causes of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, the risk of progression from “pure” cutaneous disease to systemic disease, and traditional versus newer therapies are reviewed with closer inspection.
Functional video games in the CS1 classroom

Over the past decade enrollments in Computer Science undergraduate programs have drastically dropped while simultaneously seeing demand for computer scientists in the job market increase. The reason for this disconnect is, in part, due to the perception new potential students have of programming as a dull activity requiring no creativity, very little social interaction, and endless hours of coding in front of a monitor. The question then is how can we capture the imagination of new students and perk their interest in a way that gets them excited while at the same time giving them a solid foundation in computer programming and Computer Science. This article puts forth the thesis that developing video games using functional programming should be a new trend in the CS1 classroom. The article describes the approach implemented at Seton Hall University using video game programming and Felleisen et al.'s textbook How to Design Programs. The first-year programming curriculum is briefly described and how to get students interested in programming through the development of a Space-Invaders-like game is illustrated. The presented development gives the reader a clear sense of how to use functional video games in the first semester classroom.
The Diversity of Environmental Agreements

Environmental agreements have become a very popular and often discussed instrument of environmental policy. Surveys and studies that were performed recently showed that voluntary agreements are a vital element of environmental policy in most member states of the European Union.1 But it is not only in Europe that agreements have become a popular form of policy-making - examples from Poland and the U.S. show some interesting approaches as well.2
Autophagy modulation in bone metastatic breast cancer: A potential therapeutic targeting strategy.

e22009 Background: Metastasis to bone is a frequent complication associated with breast cancer; with no curative therapy currently available. While the mechanisms of metastasis are not entirely cle...
The Autonomous Production Island

Abstract The pilot project for an “autonomous production island” at SULZER WEISE, Bruchsal (FRG) is now attracting much interest from industry and labour unions. It involves a group-technological production concept for manufacturing small parts in short runs. This company belongs to the SULZER Pump Division and inaugurated the “autonomous production island” after two years research in collaboration with the Ruhr University in Bochum. To mark this event a conference was held before a wide public and the project sponsor (PfT of the nuclear research centre in Karlsruhe), and a report was submitted on the use of resources provided by the Federal German Ministry of Research and Technology. Below an account is given of the reasons which led to this new form of production structure, and how the “autonomous production island” works in practice.
Wearable Health: Opportunities and Challenges

The large number of sensors and form factors available enhance the potential of wearables to support, assist and facilitate healthcare. From activity trackers that aid to prevent diseases and monitor patients' conditions to assistive devices that provide therapeutic support, numerous conditions benefit from continuous data collection and long-term analysis. The benefits involve patients, and help to inform and to improve standard care practices thanks to a better understanding of the patients' conditions and responses to treatments and interventions. Wearable sensors allow objective measures of data, being less error-prone, more accurate that self-reports and more consistent than data manually annotated. While advances in storage, processing power, and battery life raised the number of applications in wearable health, such advances did not come without drawbacks. The potential of wearable health has been increasing with the growth in research and development in the field. However, many open challenges to be addressed still exist to ensure that applications are effective and safe to use before mainstream adoption. Key challenges that must be addressed to reduce risks are related to the accuracy of the data collection, performance of algorithms for data analysis, patients' safety and privacy protection. This paper discusses the design space for wearable health, listing form factors, sensors and applications. It also highlights opportunities and challenges in the domain.
Organisation und Reglementierung

Die professionelle Austragung von Rennserien oder Motorsportveranstaltungen erfordert ein strukturiertes Zusammenspiel von Motorsport- bzw. Automobilverbanden, Vermarktungsgesellschaften, Veranstaltern und teilnehmenden Rennstallen. Abb. 3.1 zeigt die wesentlichen Rollen und Aufgaben, die zur Austragung einer Rennserie wahrgenommen werden. Eine Auswahl einiger bedeutender Automobil- bzw. Motorsportverbande und die ihr zugeordneten Rennserien bietet Abb. 3.2.
Training Writing Tutors to Improve Their Support for Engineering Students’ Technical Reports

This Research-to-Practice Full Paper expands upon prior work to improve the engagement of engineering students with peer writing tutors and improve tutor feedback on engineering students’ technical reports. Before meeting with the engineering students, tutors received focused training from both the engineering course instructor and the writing tutor supervisor. In the prior research, all students completed the same assignment and met with writing tutors with their individual lab reports. In this iteration, the research was expanded to group lab reports in a multi-semester capstone course sequence, where the uniqueness of each project introduces additional dynamics. Strategies such as student elevator speeches and an additional tutor training session are employed to help improve the engagement during the tutoring session. Selected quantitative and qualitative results indicate an improved level of student-tutor engagement.
METHANE FROM URBAN WASTES - PROCESS REQUIREMENTS

Abstract Biological conversion of organic refuse to methane by anaerobic fermentation is one mechanism by which the energy in urban waste can be reclaimed. Laboratory studies have been used to determine the rate and quantity of gas production at various operating temperatures. Near optimum process parameters for fermentation have been defined. The characteristics of the organic fibers, in particular the cellulose-lignin complex, has been found to be a major factor in determining the conversion efficiency. A pretreatment process has been used to improve this conversion efficiency. Process requirements for the total system have been developed. The dewatering characteristics of the spent fermentation slurry have been evaluated. These solids can be dewatered to a sufficiently low moisture content such that incineration of these solids is selfsustaining. The incineration system has been analyzed to determine the possible energy recovery from the spent cake. Liquid from the slurry dewatering process is recycled. If total recycle is not possible, a process for treatment of this stream is presented. A mathematical simulation of the total system has been constructed to evaluate performance under various operating conditions. This simulator provides material and energy balances as well as cost data for specified operating conditions.
Understanding Why Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Physician Assistant (PA) Productivity Varies Across Community Health Centers (CHCs): A Comparative Qualitative Analysis

This study asks how much and why the productivity of advanced practice clinicians (APCs; nurse practitioners and physician assistants) varies across community health centers (CHCs), as measured in their marginal contribution to overall patient visits. We found APCs in the 90th percentile CHCs provide about 1,840 adjusted-visits per year, whereas APCs in the 10th percentile CHCs provide about 978 adjusted-visits per year. We interviewed leadership at 14 high APC and 16 low APC productivity CHCs to elicit organizational conditions that could explain the difference. Using content analysis and then qualitative comparative analysis, we found several important conditions were more common among high productivity CHCs, including scheduling APCs and physicians for the same number of visits, parity in terms of any financial incentives, and formal education programs for new APCs during onboarding/transition to practice.
Effect of System Grounding, AC-DC Converter Topology and Inverter Modulation on Motor Insulation Voltage Stress

This paper analyzes major sources of motor voltage stresses on the motor stator line-to-ground and line-to-line insulation systems. Root causes of motor insulation over-voltages produced as a result of the type of the power system grounding scheme, type of dc-bus power supply (diode front end or regenerative active converter), inverter switching schemes, and long motor power cables are analyzed and discussed. Limitations of the existing definition of the low-voltage definite-purpose inverter duty motors are highlighted in relation to the line-to-ground insulation system requirements.
Gut instinct: Using tofacitinib to treat alopecia areata in the context of comorbid inflammatory bowel disease.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune form of hair loss characterized by T-cell-mediated damage to hair follicles.1 Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease of the bowel characterized by dysregulation of T cells, increased production of proinflammatory cytokines (eg, interleukin [IL] 6, IL-23, IL-12, and IL-21), and intestinal epithelial dysfunction.2 Genome-wide association studies, performed separately in AA and IBD populations, reveal overlapping susceptibility loci in AA and Crohn disease (PRDX5 and IL-2RA) and AA and ulcerative colitis (UC) (IL-2/IL-21).3,4 The incidence of comorbid AA and IBD is unknown. Despite the success of biologics for the treatment of IBD, it may be that some biologics, in particular tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors, precipitate AA. The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib is approved for the treatment of UC, and there are several ongoing trials of other JAK inhibitors for IBD. JAK inhibitors are an emerging treatment for AA.1,5 In this study, we describe the results of treatment of patients with comorbid IBD and AA with tofacitinib.
An integrated approach for robotic Sit-To-Stand assistance: Control framework design and human intention recognition

Abstract In this paper, the problem of robotic Sit-To-Stand (STS) assistance is studied. The objective is to effectively assist individuals in need to stand up from a seated position using a robot manipulator. To achieve the goal, we propose an integrated method which encompasses traditional model-based control and optimization, as well as AI-based human intention recognition. Specifically, a number of demonstrations of human-to-human STS assistance are first performed and recorded using motion capture system. On the account of the observation and recorded data, the average intended motion trajectories for the joints of lower limbs are obtained. Based on these intended motion trajectories as well as the constructed human body dynamics and control in different STS phases, an optimal nominal trajectory of the robot end-effector is generated off-line that minimizes the human joint loads while satisfying additional physical constraints. In actual STS assistance, the human who is being assisted is likely to move faster or slower from the nominal trajectories, or even sit back down. Therefore, we develop a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network to estimate the ever-changing human’s intention in STS assistance, and then adjust the velocity of the robot end-effector on the basis of the predicted human intention on the nominal trajectory. Simulations and experiments are conducted, demonstrating that the proposed algorithm is indeed capable of minimizing joint load of human while following his/her intention during the course of STS motion. The algorithm can potentially be applied to future home robots that assist elderly and disabled people with daily activities.
Incorporating Biobank Consent into a Healthcare Setting: Challenges for Patient Understanding

Biobank participants often do not understand much of the information they are provided as part of the informed consent process, despite numerous attempts at simplifying consent forms and improving ...
Sea urchins, parrotfish and coral reefs in Grand Cayman, BWI: exemplar or outlier?

The change in state of Caribbean coral reefs over the last 40 years has been characterized by phase shifts from scleractinian coral cover to macroalgal cover, the loss of structural complexity and a decline in biodiversity. Not only do scientists want to understand these changes, but also predict the future of coral reefs and their capacity for resilience. In particular, the loss of herbivory, due to declines in parrotfish and the sea urchin Diadema antillarum, has been implicated in many studies as a proximate cause of the coral to macroalgal phase shift. However, reports of the particular role of these putative herbivores have varied, with some studies claiming a causal role for parrotfish, others for Diadema and still others suggesting no such relationships. Often these studies just examined one response measure of coral reef biodiversity. In this paper, I report the relationship between parrotfish and Diadema to many metrics of reef organization surveyed simultaneously in the same transects in reefs outside and within the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Grand Cayman, an island that has been affected by increasing tourism over the last 30 years. The magnitudes of the various measures of reef diversity reported here are consistent with those reported elsewhere. The relationships among those measures are consistent with those reported in some prior studies and inconsistent with others, reflecting the variation in responses documented in prior studies. The presence of sea urchins was associated with survey sites having higher levels of coral cover, lower levels of macroalgae cover, and lower densities of parrotfish than survey sites without sea urchins. Moreover, parrotfish abundance was associated with a decrease in coral cover and little relationship to macroalgae cover. Neither coral cover nor macroalgae cover was different in sites within the MPA compared to sites outside the MPA. I argue that the combination of site-specific local stressors and their interaction with global stressors makes it unlikely that any one island or even regional reef system could serve as an exemplar for Caribbean-wide reef degradation. Moreover, it is difficult to assess the potential for reef resilience in the face of the ongoing assaults from increasing tourism pressures and global climate change.
AFHVS 2020 presidential address: pushing beyond the boundaries.

In this 2020 AFHVS Presidential Address, Molly Anderson suggests that we must push beyond the boundaries imposed by our training, institutional reward systems, political system and comfort zones in order to solve global challenges. She lists five challenges facing those who are trying to build more sustainable food systems: overcoming the technocratic and productivist approach of industrial agriculture, avoiding future pandemics, restoring degraded and depleted systems and resources, remaining united as a movement while creating collaborations with other movements, and redistributing power across food system actors so that everyone can realize their human rights, including the right to food. She describes three ways that she has found to be effective in pushing beyond boundaries: international collaborations, interactions with global social movements, and anti-racist work. She links these “moments” of opportunity back to the five challenges, and concludes with advice to young scholars.
The End of Policymaking and the Rise of Mandatory Spending: A Fiscal Dilemma

This policy brief will focus on the underlying causes of declining discretion in policy-making: specifically, the unsustainable growth of mandatory spending programs rooted in a rapidly aging population. We will discuss how this phenomenon will lead effectively to the end of policy-making in a little over a decade if no action is taken to avert this problem. While drastically raising taxes is not a feasible solution to this problem of unsustainable spending, numerous workable solutions are available to lawmakers. We recommend six modest reforms to Social Security, healthcare programs, and the budgetary process. While we recognize that these modest reforms are not a cure-all solution to America’s fiscal dilemma, these changes would demonstrate the willingness and ability of policymakers to address our deteriorating fiscal outlook.
The Impact of Environmental Factors on the Mortality of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.

Outcomes of acute heart failure hospitalizations are worse during the winter than the rest of the year. Seasonality data are more limited for outcomes in chronic heart failure and the effect of environmental variables is unknown. In this population-level study, we merged 20-year data for 555,324 patients with heart failure from the national Veterans Administration database with data on climate from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and air pollutants by the Environmental Protection Agency. The outcome was the all-cause mortality rate, stratified by geographical location and each month. The impact of environmental factors was assessed through Pearson's correlation and multiple regression with a family-wise α = 0.05. The monthly all-cause mortality was 13.9% higher in the winter than the summer, regardless of gender, age group, and heart failure etiology. Winter season, lower temperatures, and higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were associated with a higher mortality rate in multivariate analysis of the overall population. Different environmental factors were associated in regions with similar patterns of temperature and precipitation. The only environmental factor associated with the mortality rate of patients dwelling in large urban centers was the air quality index. In conclusion, the mortality in chronic heart failure exhibits a seasonal pattern, regardless of latitude or climate. In this group of patients, particularly those of male gender, a higher mortality was associated with environmental factors and incorporating these factors in treatment plans and recommendations could have a favorable cost-benefit ratio.
Contesting Science, Making Disease

Disease, as noted in the previous chapters, does not precede politics, but rather emerges in relation to it. It is a site of, and is forged through, ongoing negotiation. Or, as Fraser and Seear (2011, p. 142) observe in a sympathetic context — that of hepatitis C — disease is ‘a site of dealing and dispute in its ontology’. This chapter maps some key disputes over the science of HIV that took place in South Africa under Mbeki and tracks how these helped to differentially materialise HIV as disease. It compares how the Mbeki government and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) responded to the dominant scientific model of HIV/AIDS and, in particular, how the ‘problem of HIV’ was constituted through their responses. In doing so, the chapter advances the broader objective of the book to trace the performative role of politics, including contests over science, in producing specific, sometimes harmful, ontologies of HIV in South Africa. Tracing the political processes through which HIV has been constituted is important because, when these processes change, so too does the substance of the disease. In other words, far from being irrelevant to disease and its effects, the workings of politics have the potential to dramatically alter the very materiality of HIV in South Africa and in turn, the contours of the epidemic and the lives of those affected by it.
Biden Antitrust: The Middle Way

Shortly after the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as President in 2017, we wrote an article entitled “America-First Antitrust.” In the article we speculated on what the signature theme of Donald Trump’s campaign might mean for antitrust enforcement in the coming administration. We feared that “America First” might lead to nationalistic antitrust in which non-U.S. interests would be a target of active discrimination. The incoming Biden administration does not offer a similar signature theme, however. Instead, we have signals that Biden wants tougher antitrust and wants to control big tech, and also numerous statements from Biden that he wants to govern by consensus. In this essay we attempt to distill an antitrust agenda meet for the time, the middle way. We think that dramatic change is needed in US antitrust, but we see critical roadblocks to that agenda for the near future, both legislative and judicial, that can’t be ignored. We divide our agenda into four R’s for the Biden administration: restore integrity, rejoin the world, reinvigorate enforcement, and rethink key approaches. The first three R’s focus on the immediate; they are goals for the first year of Biden antitrust. The fourth–rethinking key approaches—is critical for making more fundamental changes in antitrust.
Using an Individual Cow Somatic Cell Count Diagnostic Algorithm to Investigate Herd Milk Quality Problems

When investigating herds with high somatic cell counts (SCC), how do we direct our advice to target areas with the biggest impact on herd profitability? Analysis of individual cow SCC from the current and previous six months Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) recordings using Wisgraph to calculate a number of udder infection parameters; comparison of these data with benchmark performance for the top 10% of herds; and using the algorithm described below may help.
Evaluation of a modified and abbreviated scale for assessing chronic illness care for medication therapy management practice.

Abstract Background The central goals of MTM align with those of the Chronic Care Model (CCM). However, reliable and valid assessments are needed to estimate the extent to which components of MTM care delivery are consistent with the CCM. The Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) is a 34-item scale for administration in primary care offices to estimate the extent to which chronic care delivery aligns with the six elements of the CCM. The ACIC appears to be responsive for care delivery interventions aimed at improving various chronic illnesses. However, the potential value of the ACIC as a measure for evaluating MTM delivery is unknown. Objective A modified and abbreviated version of the ACIC could be a useful evaluation tool for pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM). The objective of this study was to assess the construct and criterion-related validity, and internal consistency, of the abbreviated (12-item) “MTM ACIC.” Methods The abbreviated MTM ACIC was administered to pharmacists employed at 27,560 community pharmacies. Construct validity and internal consistency were estimated through principal components analysis, item-to-total correlations, and Cronbach's alpha estimate of internal consistency. To assess criterion-related validity, a univariate negative binomial model estimated the association between ACIC scores and pharmacy-level MTM completion rates. Results A one-component model accounted for 64% of the variance, and Cronbach's alpha was 0.95. Scores on the abbreviated MTM ACIC were associated with MTM completion rates (rate ratio: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.03). Conclusion The abbreviated MTM ACIC exhibited acceptable construct and criterion-related validity and internal consistency and could serve as a valuable tool for evaluating chronic illness care within the MTM setting.
Diagnosis and Management of Suture-Related Concerns of the Infant Skull.

The cranial fontanelles and sutures have several benign variations, including most cases of "early" or "late" closure of the anterior fontanelle, bathrocephaly, overriding sutures, and benign metopic ridging. However, recognizing true craniosynostosis and referring the patient to a craniofacial specialist in a timely fashion are imperative, as minimally invasive options can be offered to most patients younger than 6 months of age. Gaining comfort with the physical examination of an infant with an abnormal head shape is best achieved through experience and pattern recognition and will frequently facilitate an accurate diagnosis without the need for ionizing radiation.
Tridental Resource Assignment Algorithm for Spectrally-Spatially Flexible Optical Networks

Recent advances in Spectrally-Spatially Flexible Optical Networks (SS-FONs) have enhanced service provisioning by leveraging elastic optical transmission with a fine-grained and flexible frequency grid, multiple spatial modes (fiber cores), and a variety of advanced modulation formats (MFs) to increase the capacity of optical fiber. An important lightpath resource assignment problem in SS-FONs is the routing, modulation, core, and spectrum assignment (RMCSA) problem. Crosstalk (XT) between connections on different cores degrades the quality of transmission, and the RMCSA algorithm must ensure that XT constraints are met while maximizing performance. In this paper, we propose an RMCSA algorithm called Tridental Resource Assignment algorithm (TRA), as it balances network capacity, spectrum utilization and spectrum fragmentation that affect network performance. Our resource assignment approach includes both an offline/static network planning component and an online/dynamic provisioning component. In the former, MFs and spectrum utilization are used to compute path priorities for a lightpath. The dynamic provisioning component then allocates the resources on a selected path using TRA. Extensive simulation experiments performed in realistic network scenarios indicate that TRA significantly reduces the bandwidth blocking probability (BBP) in a variety of scenarios by maintaining a good balance between spectrum utilization and XT.
Numerical Solution of Elliptic and Parabolic Partial Differential Equations

For mathematicians and engineers interested in applying numerical methods to physical problems this book is ideal. Numerical ideas are connected to accompanying software, which is also available online. By seeing the complete description of the methods in both theory and implementation, students will more easily gain the knowledge needed to write their own application programs or develop new theory. The book contains careful development of the mathematical tools needed for analysis of the numerical methods, including elliptic regularity theory and approximation theory. Variational crimes, due to quadrature, coordinate mappings, domain approximation and boundary conditions, are analyzed. The claims are stated with full statement of the assumptions and conclusions, and use subscripted constants which can be traced back to the origination (particularly in the electronic version, which can be found on the accompanying CD-ROM).
Tensile Creep and Creep Rupture of Continuous Strand Mat Polypropylene Composites

This paper describes an experimental study on the tensile creep behavior of a random continuous fiber mat reinforced polypropylene composite, commercially known as Azdel. A special experimental setup was designed and used to conduct these creep tests at 75 and 100°C with stress levels ranging from 30 to 60 percent of the tensile strength of Azdel. The test duration was 3,000 hours or the time to creep rupture response, whichever occurred first. A straight line on a semi-log plot adequately described the relationship between the imposed stress and the creep rupture response time for the range of stress levels studied. Moreover, the estimated secondary creep rate was inversely related to the observed creep rupture response time.