cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Matter of Time: Writing Jewish Memory into Roman History

The Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds preserve fascinating stories about the origins of Roman festivals, through which they attempt to connect Roman history with Jewish history. This paper offers contextual readings of these narratives (Y. Avodah Zarah 1:2 [39c] and B. Avodah Zarah 8b) in light of Greek and Roman texts, epigraphical material, and numismatics, and places these rabbinic narratives within broader debates about cultural memory, Jewish historiography, calendars, and time. In one story, the idolatrous sins committed by a series of Israelite kings are blamed for the geological, mythical, and historical origins of the city of Rome, and a series of Roman imperial motifs and figures (the Tiber River, Remus and Romulus, Numa) are inverted. In another, the Romans are said to draw on the power of the Torah in order to defeat their Greek rivals. The rabbinic stories of Roman festivals and their Jewish origins can be understood as examples of what James C. Scott has called “a hidden transcript”—texts that bring to light an alternative perspective, that of the rabbis, within a Roman imperial context that they often interpreted as hostile or threatening.
Nutritional Support of the Septic Patient

Nutritional support is an important component in the management of the septic patient. While it is recognized that both underand overfeeding are potentially deleterious to the patient, determining what constitutes adequate and optimal support is still controversial. Both experimental and clinical studies are reviewed, and specific guidelines regarding nutritional support of the septic patient are provided. Additionally, practical aspects related to the implementation of nutritional support are highlighted.
Fluorescent Beads Are a Versatile Tool for Staging Caenorhabditis elegans in Different Life Histories

Precise staging of Caenorhabditis elegans is essential for developmental studies in different environmental conditions. In favorable conditions, larvae develop continuously through four larval stages separated by molting periods. Distinguishing molting from intermolt larvae has been achieved using transgenes with molting reporters, therefore requiring strain constructions, or careful observation of individuals for pharyngeal pumping or behavioral quiescence. In unfavorable conditions, larvae can enter the stress-resistant and developmentally arrested dauer larva stage. Identifying dauer larvae has been based on their ability to withstand detergent selection, precluding identification of recovering animals or of mutants with defects in dauer morphogenesis. Here, we describe a simple method to distinguish molting larvae or dauer larvae from intermolt larvae that bypasses the limitations of current methods. Fluorescent latex beads are mixed with the bacterial food source and ingested by intermolt larvae and adults. Molting and dauer larvae do not feed, and therefore lack beads in their digestive tract. The presence of beads can be determined using a dissecting microscope at magnifications as low as 100 ×, or by using a wormsorter for high-throughput experiments. We find that continuously developing bead-lacking larvae display hallmarks of molting, including expression of the mlt-10::gfp molting marker and a lack of pharyngeal pumping. Furthermore, wild-type and mutant dauer larvae produced by any of three common methods are accurately identified by a lack of beads. Importantly, this method is effective in SDS-sensitive mutant backgrounds and can identify recovering dauer larvae, a stage for which there is no other method of positive selection.
Measurement of Three-Dimensional Stall Cells on a Two-Dimensional NACA0015 Airfoil

This work aims to identify and quantify the flowfield associated with stall cells on a two-dimensional NACA0015 airfoil with aspect ratio AR=4 using oil flow visualization and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. The three-dimensional structures were explored parametrically using oil flow visualization from α=15 to 20 deg and Rec=2.09·105 to 4.81·105. A critical Reynolds number was observed, above which stall cells form, and its value increased with angle of attack. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurements were taken to quantify the stall cell and correlate the flowfield over the surface to oil patterns on the surface, including skin friction. Next, partial and full span trips were placed at 10% of the chord to artificially induce stall cells. The flowfields and associated vorticity fields for the various cases were measured. It was found that, for the baseline case, where flow is fully separated over the majority of the span, there are large concentrations of turbulent kinetic energy (mai...
A low-cost design experience for junior-level electronics circuits laboratories through emulation of industry-printed circuit board design practice:

Over a 2-year period, printed circuit board layout design and test were included in the laboratory portion of the second of two junior-level electronic circuits courses. Printed circuit board design using industry-accepted board specifications and standard industry Gerber file export experience was developed. The students’ printed circuit board design experience emulated real-world situations and cost criteria. The instructor served as the fabricator in this model of the industrial design situation. Students individually used industry standard schematic capture and layout software to develop a printed circuit board for a simplified discrete µA741 operational amplifier. The layout designs were submitted as industry standard Gerber files electronically to the instructor/fabricator for evaluation. Grades were assigned by evaluating the accuracy and cost effectiveness of the design by minimizing traces, reducing printed circuit board geometry, and limiting the number of vias, which ultimately reduces fabricat...
Implementation of a standardized electronic tool improves compliance, accuracy, and efficiency of trainee-to-trainee patient care handoffs after complex general surgical oncology procedures

Background Duty-hour regulations have increased the frequency of trainee-trainee patient handoffs. Each handoff creates a potential source for communication errors that can lead to near-miss and patient-harm events. We investigated the utility, efficacy, and trainee experience associated with implementation of a novel, standardized, electronic handoff system. Methods We conducted a prospective intervention study of trainee-trainee handoffs of inpatients undergoing complex general surgical oncology procedures at a large tertiary institution. Preimplementation data were measured using trainee surveys and direct observation and by tracking delinquencies in charting. A standardized electronic handoff tool was created in a research electronic data capture (REDCap) database using the previously validated I-PASS methodology (illness severity, patient summary, action list, situational awareness and contingency planning, and synthesis). Electronic handoff was augmented by direct communication via phone or face-to-face interaction for inpatients deemed “watcher” or “unstable.” Postimplementation handoff compliance, communication errors, and trainee work flow were measured and compared to preimplementation values using standard statistical analysis. Results A total of 474 handoffs (203 preintervention and 271 postintervention) were observed over the study period; 86 handoffs involved patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit, 344 patients admitted to the surgical stepdown unit, and 44 patients on the surgery ward. Implementation of the structured electronic tool resulted in an increase in trainee handoff compliance from 73% to 96% (P Conclusion A standardized electronic tool augmented by direct communication for higher acuity patients can improve compliance, accuracy, and efficiency of handoff communication between surgery trainees.
Overview of Drug Treatment in Autism

Infantile autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by a failure to develop relatedness, language abnormalities, and cognitive lags and deficits of various degrees. Mental subnormality is an important aspect in the majority of autistic children. The goals of treatment are twofold: first, to decrease the behavioral symptoms and, second, to promote development and to foster skills that are absent or only rudimentary.
Responsibility and Skills Requirements for Entry Level Analytics Professionals

As companies continue to incorporate analytics into all aspects of their business, there is a growing demand for analytics professionals with the right mix of skills and experiences. This study examines the responsibilities and skill requirements for entry level analytics professionals by analyzing the job ads posted on three major job sites during a six-month period. The author's results show that companies expect entry level analytics professionals to work with a team and to contribute in early stages of analytics work. In terms of technical capabilities, companies stress the general abilities to work with data, including the use of database and spreadsheet tools for organizing, analyzing, and reporting data. Surprisingly, data mining, optimization, and other advanced analytical methods are not often listed as desired skills for entry level positions. The study can help universities and institutions in curriculum design as well as in working with the industry to define and guide the development of skill requirements.
Abstract A59: Influence of Spirituality on Cancer Risk Assessment Decisions: Perspectives of Hispanic & non-Hispanic Women

Spirituality has been a prominent coping resource among those facing cancer and can be especially relevant in dealing with the uncertainty of cancer risk. As part of a larger study, the aim of this study was to explore how spirituality influences decisions to get cancer risk assessment among Hispanic and non-Hispanic women in New Mexico. A total of 16 women with a personal history of breast and ovarian cancer participated in focus group or an interview. Ethnically, 50% of participants identified as Hispanic and racially, 69% identified as White. The mean age was 56 years old, 63% had a college degree, and 69% had a yearly household income of Citation Format: Belinda Vicuna. Influence of Spirituality on Cancer Risk Assessment Decisions: Perspectives of Hispanic & non-Hispanic Women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A59.
Balancing the Books: How Militant Organizations Compensate for Weaknesses with Alliances

All organizations have relative strengths and weaknesses. The successful ones effectively draw on their comparative advantages to mitigate their flaws. We argue that this process of “balancing the books” helps to explain the alliance and affiliation behavior of major militant organizations. We identify ideological and operational credibility as two essential attributes of successful transnational terrorist organizations and trace the impact of variations in the relative endowments of these assets thought three cases. We argue that organizations with substantial operational credibility — typified by the so-called Islamic State — can draw on their reputation and success to build international networks that they can then point to as a source of ideological credibility. In contrast, organizations with an ideological “surplus” and an operational “deficit” — typified by al-Qaeda — can lend their ideological credibility to affiliates who in turn supply the organization with reach into active conflicts that bolsters their reputation for capable violence. Finally, those without solid endowments of either attribute — typified by the Red Army Faction — have no recourse to affiliates when faced with setbacks. These findings indicate that, in contrast to the prevailing wisdom, substantial upticks in a militant group’s alliance formation may not be an indication of mounting organizational strength so much as a strategic response to underlying problems. This is important because mistaking a signal of weakness for a signal of strength risks the misallocation of valuable counterterrorism resources.
Pushing for the perfect time: Social and biological fertility

Abstract This study explores how women consider embodied knowledge about their “biological clocks” alongside personal and professional goals as they make decisions about whether, when, and how to have children in the future. Based on 71 in-depth interviews with childless women between the ages of 25 and 40, the author proposes a holistic understanding of fertility inclusive of the biological limitations of the body as well as sociocultural factors including access to family leave, childcare, finances, housing, employment, and relationship status. By expanding our understanding of fertility to include the social, we can better understand why women considering having children advocate for social structural changes just as much as—if not more than—increased access to reproductive technologies.
Spaces Formed by Special Atoms II

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some properties of the spaces Cp and the computation of its dual spaces. In this section, some properties of the space Cp is stated and proved. Cp is an embedding in ReHp for 1/2
First Passage Times for Processes Governed by Master Equations

We calculate the activation rates of metastable states of processes governed by Master Equations, by calculating mean first passage times. We employ methods of singular perturbation theory to derive expressions for these rates, utilizing the full Kramers-Moyal expansions for the forward and backward operators in the Master Equation. In addition we discuss the validity of various diffusion approximations to the Master Equation, showing that such approximations are not valid in general.
A Comparative Study of Secondary Indexing Techniques in LSM-based NoSQL Databases

NoSQL databases are increasingly used in big data applications, because they achieve fast write throughput and fast lookups on the primary key. Many of these applications also require queries on non-primary attributes. For that reason, several NoSQL databases have added support for secondary indexes. However, these works are fragmented, as each system generally supports one type of secondary index, and may be using different names or no name at all to refer to such indexes. As there is no single system that supports all types of secondary indexes, no experimental head-to-head comparison or performance analysis of the various secondary indexing techniques in terms of throughput and space exists. In this paper, we present a taxonomy of NoSQL secondary indexes, broadly split into two classes: Embedded Indexes (i.e. lightweight filters embedded inside the primary table) and Stand-Alone Indexes (i.e. separate data structures). To ensure the fairness of our comparative study, we built a system, LevelDB++, on top of Google's popular open-source LevelDB key-value store. There, we implemented two Embedded Indexes and three state-of-the-art Stand-Alone indexes, which cover most of the popular NoSQL databases. Our comprehensive experimental study and theoretical evaluation show that none of these indexing techniques dominate the others: the embedded indexes offer superior write throughput and are more space efficient, whereas the stand-alone secondary indexes achieve faster query response times. Thus, the optimal choice of secondary index depends on the application workload. This paper provides an empirical guideline for choosing secondary indexes
Track and Circulation Analysis of Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones that Cause Strong Precipitation and Streamflow Events in the New York City Watershed

AbstractThe top 100 basin-scale 1-day precipitation, multiday precipitation, and 1-day streamflow events from 1950 to 2012 are examined for the Ashokan reservoir, a key water source for New York City. Through a cyclone association algorithm, extratropical cyclones (ETCs) are found to be associated with the majority of the top 100 precipitation and streamflow events. Tropical cyclones (TCs) generate the second-most top 100 one-day and multiday precipitation events, with more than two-thirds of these TCs having undergone extratropical transition. Furthermore, TCs that pass over the region are approximately 7 and 4 times more likely to generate a top 100 one-day precipitation and one-day streamflow event, respectively, than ETCs. Lagrangian cyclone track analysis shows cool season ETCs take a more meridional path compared to warm season ETCs. A composite analysis shows that for the top 100 one-day precipitation events, ETCs have relatively less moisture but stronger upper-level support than TCs. Due in part ...
Tracheal tube cuff volume changes during extracorporeal circulation

Changes in the volume of tracheal tube cuffs were examined during extracorporeal circulation to determine the influence of the composition of the inspired gases and of the gas within the cuff. The study was carried out on 90 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. When the cuff contains nitrous oxide at the start of extracorporeal circulation, the cuff volume decreases during bypass regardless of the composition of the inspired gases. When the cuff is filled with air or 100 per cent oxygen at the start of extracorporeal circulation and the inspired gas mixture consists of nitrous oxide and oxygen the cuff volume increases. When the cuff is deflated and then refilled with either room air or oxygen at the beginning of the extracorporeal circulation and the lungs are inflated with oxygen, the cuff volume change is minimal during bypass. This combination of gas prevents any undesirable change in the cuff volume. It appears desirable to monitor the tracheal tube cuff volume or pressure and to maintain a constant pressure and volume during bypass to prevent deflation and silent aspiration associated with cuff deflation, as well as to avoid mucosal damage due to excessive pressure in the cuff.
Neurosurgical Treatments for Psychiatric Indications

Neurosurgery for psychiatric indications is perhaps the strongest statement to date that psychiatric disorders, like neurological disorders, are grounded in brain dysfunction. The premise underlying the effectiveness of these procedures is that altering brain structure will change mental functioning. As we learn more about how biological states serve as a substrate for complex mental phenomena, the practice of psychiatry approaches that of other medical specialties, such as neurology. Psychiatric disorders are increasingly conceptualized as an alteration of brain processing and treatments are designed to intervene on a neurobiological level. Although the pull to connect mind and brain has been evident throughout the history of medicine, it has only been recently that we have begun to understand how and why brain-based interventions affect mental functioning in a clinically meaningful way.
Organization and Complexity in a Nested Hierarchical Spin-Glass like Social Space

We lay mathematical foundations for an interaction-based model for multi-agent complex systems. Emergence and evolution of such systems are analyzed in light of the model. Various hierarchical levels within such complex systems are observed and the nature of interactions among such levels and among units within the levels are studied. The modification of the identities of the units is also examined. Scenarios are briefly mentioned from psychology and social history to suggest possible future uses of the model and to substantiate the need for an interaction-physics based model to understand complex social phenomena. c
The burning issue of dung in archaeobotanical samples: a case-study integrating macro-botanical remains, dung spherulites, and phytoliths to assess sample origin and fuel use at Tell Zeidan, Syria

Since Naomi Miller’s first discussion of dung fuel within macro-botanical samples from Malyan, Iran, considerations of dung fuel across Southwest Asia have become commonplace, yet archaeobotanists remain divided on: (1) the extent to which dung fuel contributed to archaeobotanical assemblages relative to remnants of repeated crop processing and household activities; and (2) the plant-based, middle-range theories that should be used to infer the presence of dung within macro-botanical assemblages. Here we present a case-study integrating a simple, well-established geo-archaeological approach to assess the presence and relative abundance of dung spherulites within paired sediment and flotation samples from Ubaid period Tell Zeidan, Syria (5300–5100 bc). Spherulite data generated from “sediment smears” are integrated with macro-botanical and phytolith data to assess elevated concentrations of dung within samples. Our analyses demonstrate that plant-based depositional processes across a site are complex, reflecting the rich nature of plant use in antiquity. By using a multi-proxy approach, it is possible to differentiate between predominantly fuel-based deposits and those resulting from predominantly crop-processing processes with greater resolution. This study documents the use of wood fuels in hearths and dung fuel within pyrotechnic features and an oven during the Ubaid period, thereby contributing to discussions of fuel selection and the Secondary Products Revolution. When spherulites are preserved within sediment in abundance, they are also present in floated material, so it is possible to use this approach to consider the presence of dung within archived macro-botanical samples and resolve decade-old debates.
Examining Curriculum-Based Measurement Screening Tools in Middle School Science: A Scaled Replication Study.

This replication study examined the alternate form reliability, criterion validity, and predictive utility of two curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools in science, Vocabulary-Matching (VM) and S...
15.17 – Nanoparticles in the Lung☆

Nanoparticles (NPs) include carefully engineered structures developed for drug delivery and imaging, high production volume powders used as manufacturing ingredients, and incidentally produced aerosols from combustion and air pollution. The same basic principles of physical and biological science apply to NP toxicology regardless of the source or intended application of the material. This article will emphasize the following areas: (1) physical properties of NPs that make them of interest for both materials science and toxicology; (2) plausible lung exposures to medical, manufactured, and incidental NPs; (3) known whole-organism effects of environmental ultrafine and manufactured NPs; (4) the cellular and molecular evidence for unique toxicities associated with NPs compared to larger particles of the same nominal composition; and (5) considerations for establishing the risk and safety of NPs that may reach the lung.
Adequately Human: Methods for Health Science

This chapter describes a methodology for studying healthcare that is adequately human. Building off of the description of health given in Chap. 5, a method is explained that is directed at concrete experience of well-being and deficits to this. Two examples of this are shared: narrative medicine and existential phenomenology. Narrative medicine focuses on the stories that we tell about our lives and our experiences. Illness interferes with how we see our life moving forward and may be understood as a confrontation between expectations and actualities. Rita Charon’s work in this area is presented as an example. Existential phenomenology carefully describes concrete experience as it unfolds in the person’s life. In existential health psychology, an existential phenomenological analysis would examine how an illness is lived and how their body is experienced throughout the course of the illness.
Factors Affecting Health Care Engagement of Patients With End-Stage Heart Failure: An Exploratory Survey Study.

Background. The decision to receive a permanent left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to treat end-stage heart failure (HF) involves understanding and weighing the risks and benefits of a highly in...
Prognostic implications of tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) in soft tissue sarcoma.

e22548Background: Clinical responses in patients with soft tissue sarcoma administered immune checkpoint inhibitors have been infrequent. Little is known regarding the immune microenvironment in so...
A functional flipped CS1

This paper describes an experience adopting a flipped classroom approach for an introductory Computer Science course. It compares the author's experience against other published reports and analyses. Overall, the experience with adopting a flipped classroom approach has been positive and corroborates the findings of other reports in the literature with respect to benefits and challenges, even though the context of this paper - a functional programming based CS1 course at a small, liberal arts college - is different than most of those.
2 MB Array-Level Demonstration of STT-MRAM Process and Performance Towards L4 Cache Applications

In this paper, we discuss array-level MTJ process, performance, and reliability requirements for STT-MRAM operation in an L4 Cache application. We demonstrate 2 MB arrays of scaled-size MTJ devices capable of meeting L4 Cache specifications across all proposed temperatures of operation. The technology achieves ECC-correctable bit fail rates for a 20 ns write time, a 4 ns read time, endurance of 1012 cycles, and retention of 1 second at 110 C. Key to achieving these results is the careful co-optimization of the MTJ stack and etch process to minimize array-level tail failure events.
Longitudinal examination of changing fertility intentions and behaviors over a four-year period in urban Senegal

Fertility intentions and contraceptive use are often used to demonstrate gaps in programs and policies to meet the contraceptive needs of women and couples. Prior work demonstrated that fertility intentions are fluid and change over a woman’s (or couple’s) life course with changing marital status, childbearing, and education/employment opportunities. This study uses longitudinal data to better examine the fluidity of women’s fertility intentions and disentangle the complex interrelationships between fertility and contraceptive use. Using survey data from three time points and three urban sites in Senegal, this study examines how women’s fertility intentions and contraceptive use in an earlier period affect pregnancy experience and the intentionality of experienced pregnancies among a sample of 1050 women who were in union at all three time points. We apply correlated random effect longitudinal regression methods to predict a subsequent birth by fertility intentions and modern contraceptive use at an earlier period addressing endogeneity concerns of earlier analyses that only include two time periods. Descriptive results demonstrate some change in fertility desires over time such that 6–8% of women who reported their pregnancy as intended (i.e., wanted to get pregnant at time of pregnancy) reported earlier that they did not want any(more) children. Multivariate analyses demonstrate that women who want to delay or avoid a pregnancy and are using modern contraception are the least likely to get pregnant. Among women who became pregnant, the only factor differentiating whether the pregnancy is reported as intended or unintended (mistimed or unwanted) was prior fertility intention. Women who wanted to delay a pregnancy previously were more likely to report the pregnancy as unintended compared to women who wanted to get pregnant soon. These results suggest some post-hoc rationalization among women who are getting pregnant. Women who say they do not want to get pregnant may be choosing not to use a contraceptive method in this urban Senegal context of high fertility. Programs seeking to reach these women need to consider their complex situations including their fertility intentions, family planning use, and the community norms within which they are reporting these intentions and behaviors.
Special Emphasis Recruiting: Intentional Recruitment of Black Women to the Teaching Profession

Drawing on calls to diversify the teacher workforce, this paper demonstrates the need for a commitment to diversity and equity in recruiting Black women into the recruiting practices of educational...
Measurement of the π 0 Mass, and Search for a π 0 0

Since the "existence'' of a second natural The effects of meson, with an isotopic spin T = 0, may be expected in the reaction The effects of /sup -/ = p 1100 deg C are n + The effects of /sup 0/ in addition to the ordinary The effects of /sup 0/ meson (T = 1), and since the possibility that the masses of the two neutral mesons might be relatively close does not appear excluded by present knowledge, it appeared worthwhile to carry out a more direct measurement to determine the mass or masses. Results from a preliminary experiment for this purpose are reported. Although the The effects of 00 was not found, the results did not exclude its possible existence. (W.D.M.)
Abstract P002: Soluble (pro)renin Receptor Contributes To Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension In Mice

Activation of (pro)renin receptor (PRR) contributes to enhancement of intrarenal RAS and renal medullary α-ENaC and thus elevated blood pressure during angiotensin II (AngII) infusion. Soluble PRR ...
Fatigue Damage of a Single-Edge Notched Beam Specimen Under Variable Amplitude Loading with Similar Probabilistic and Cycle Counting Statistics

Fatigue life estimation under variable amplitude (VA) loading is still a major unresolved engineering problem. The linear cumulative damage rule (LDR) based methodology is inadequate to predict fatigue damage or useful remaining life if the fatigue loading is complex (not sinusoidal). In addition, the LDR based damage estimation methods rely on statistics of various cycle counting methodologies (e.g., rain-flow counting) where the load interaction effects are being ignored. It has been shown that the damage estimation fails if two load-time (load-cycle) histories with different temporal dynamics have the same or similar load spectra. A robust damage estimation should take the temporal dynamics, i.e., the overload/underload information, stress memory statistics, into consideration. In this extended abstract, the shortcomings of the LDR based methods will be presented through a comparison where two VA load spectra with similar stress history and cycle counting statistics were applied to a singled-edge notched beam specimen.
Surgical Treatment of True Superior Mesenteric Artery Aneurysms.

Background Superior mesenteric artery aneurysms (SMAAs) are a rare clinical problem that can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The optimal surgical approach for both mycotic and degenerative SMAAs remains poorly defined. The study was designed to review our institutional experience and develop a treatment algorithm. Methods A single-institution, retrospective review was performed to document presentation, treatment, and outcomes of patients undergoing surgical repair of SMAAs from 2003 to 2020. The primary end-point was 30-day mortality, and secondary end-points included complications, patency, freedom from reinfection, freedom from reintervention, and survival. Results Eighteen patients (mean age: 46 ± 16 yrs; 50% male; mean diameter 2.4 ± 2.0 cm) underwent treatment of mycotic (50%) or degenerative (50%) SMAAs. Abdominal pain (66%) was the most common presenting symptom, and the diagnosis was confirmed with CT arteriography. Endocarditis secondary to intravenous drug abuse was responsible for most (88%) of the mycotic SMAAs, with a majority (66%) having positive cultures and Streptococcus being the most common organism. The majority (61%) of patients underwent urgent or emergent repair with aneurysmectomy and interposition saphenous vein bypass being the most common treatment of mycotic SMAAs while aneurysmectomy and prosthetic bypass were used most frequently for degenerative aneurysms. The operative mortality rate was 6% with a major complication rate of 17% (n = 3 patients: respiratory failure/reintubation-1, pulmonary embolism-1, necrotizing pancreatitis/graft disruption and death-1). The single death occurred in a patient with a degenerative aneurysm that developed postoperative pancreatitis and multiple organ dysfunction. The mean clinical follow-up time was 25 ± 48 (95% CI 1–48) months. The estimated primary patency, freedom from reinfection, and freedom from reintervention were 93 ± 7 %, 94 ± 5%, and 94 ± 5%, respectively, at 1 year. The overall mean survival was 55 ± 51 (95% CI 30–80) months with an estimated survival at 3 years of 77 ± 10%. Conclusions SMAAs associated with both degenerative and mycotic etiologies can be treated using a variety of surgical approaches with acceptable morbidity and mortality. Mycotic SMAAs should likely be repaired, regardless of size, while the indications for asymptomatic, degenerative aneurysms remain to be defined by further natural history studies.
An Augmented Sliding Window Technique to Improve Detection of Curved Lanes in Autonomous Vehicles

In this paper, an improved curved lane detection algorithm using multiple sliding windows is proposed. Image processing techniques like color-based thresholding; edge detection and perspective transformation are mainly used for retrieving the data about the lane points from the input image. The selection of initial sliding window is very important and hence previous lane starting points are saved in the cache to efficiently detect the moving lanes. Basic sliding window approach is not suitable in sharp curves and dashed lanes. Multiple sliding window technique is able to detect the sharp curves and dashed lanes. Once the left and right lanes are detected, the center of the left lane and right lane is found; vehicle's deviation from actual center of the lane is calculated. The performance of the proposed multiple sliding window technique is compared with the basic sliding window approach. For a data set of 938 images, the detection accuracy of the lanes using the proposed algorithm is observed to be 96.26%.
Self-serving, altruistic and spiteful lying in the schoolyard

Abstract Subjects 5 to 17 years old participate in two rounds of a lying game. In each round, each participant reports one outcome for themselves and one outcome for another random, anonymous person of the same age. We observe frequent but not omnipresent over-reports for oneself (self-serving lying). We also observe small aggregate levels of under-reports for others and a strong positive correlation across rounds in the reports for others, which might be explained by a coexistence of altruistic liars and spiteful liars in our population. Behavior is similar across ages, except for middle schoolers who exhibit a slightly higher inclination towards self-serving and spiteful lying. A focused analysis of choice in middle school reveals some differences by academic performance and socioeconomic status.
Ethics in Praxis: Socio-Technical Integration Research in Learning Analytics

Learning analytics create beneficial opportunities to reimagine educational institutions, pedagogy, and learning experiences. However, it is unclear whether or not the processes that will create these benefits take into consideration ethical issues, such as fairness and privacy. For learning analytics to be legitimate, there is a need to make sure that data practices and technological designs limit downstream harms as much as possible. To do so, some have argued that transparency, auditing, and participatory design can achieve this goal; we argue that there is an opportunity to address ethical concerns upstream using a method from science and technology studies: Socio-technical integration research.
Practical data considerations for the modern epidemiology student

Abstract As an inherent part of epidemiologic research, practical decisions made during data collection and analysis have the potential to impact the measurement of disease occurrence as well as statistical and causal inference from the results. However, the computational skills needed to collect, manipulate, and evaluate data have not always been a focus of educational programs, and the increasing interest in “data science” suggest that data literacy has become paramount to ensure valid estimation. In this article, we first motivate such practical concerns for the modern epidemiology student, particularly as it relates to challenges in causal inference; second, we discuss how such concerns may be manifested in typical epidemiological analyses and identify the potential for bias; third, we present a case study that exemplifies the entire process; and finally, we draw attention to resources that can help epidemiology students connect the theoretical underpinning of the science to the practical considerations as described herein.
Planar Microwave Engineering: A Practical Guide to Theory, Measurement, and Circuits

Modern wireless communications hardware is underpinned by RF and microwave design techniques. This insightful book contains a wealth of circuit layouts, design tips, and practical measurement techniques for building and testing practical gigahertz systems. The book covers everything you need to know to design, build, and test a high-frequency circuit. Microstrip components are discussed, including tricks for extracting good performance from cheap materials. Connectors and cables are also described, as are discrete passive components, antennas, low-noise amplifiers, oscillators, and frequency synthesizers. Practical measurement techniques are presented in detail, including the use of network analyzers, sampling oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and noise figure meters. Throughout the focus is practical, and many worked examples and design projects are included. There is also a CD-ROM that contains a variety of design and analysis programs. The book is packed with indispensable information for students taking courses on RF or microwave circuits and for practising engineers.
Method and Writing: A Review of Adams’ Narrating the Close

The reviewer starts the review with her reading strategy of beginning with the discussion of the method. She argues that Adams’ work expands definitions of culture and what constitutes the field in ethnographic work in a beautifully written piece of autoethnography. Adams marries method, writing, and topic matter. The reviewer believes that this text would be appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students as well as those of us wanting an excellent example of autoethnography. In conclusion, the reviewer claims excitement to see where this will take ethnographers in the future, and especially those of us interested in the study of stigmatized and marginalized identities and close relationships. The claim “I study LGBQ cultures” makes little sense: if LGBQ cultures are not cultures, then how can I use ethnography—a method for studying cultural experience—to understand LGBQ cultural members, happenings, and experiences? By claiming to study LGBQ cultures, I claim to study cultures that some writers say do not exist. (p. 154) This quote is an apt way to begin my review of Adams’ (2011) Narrating the Closet: An autoethnography of same sex attraction because of my reading strategy: I admit that I began from the appendix (Notes on method, criticism, and representation). As someone who teaches qualitative methodology at the graduate and undergraduate level and uses autoethnography for some of her work, I welcome a book that explicitly addresses methodological issues in the presentation of the ethnography. I also was attracted to the topic given my research interest in stigmatized identities and how they are (re)negotiated in the context of close relationships. I looked forward to reading Adams’ work because of the meeting of method, topic, and writing, and I admit to starting and finishing the piece in one sitting on a plane flight because it was that well-done; a feat for any academic work blending interpretive methods and creative writing. It is challenging to do autoethnography well, thus I am always curious about how a researcher participant executes the method. Adams’ work represents the best of personal narrative as it is highly theoretical, useful, and evocative (Ellis, 2004). Adams makes a convincing case for the study of LGBQ identities as a cultural one and his work expands definitions of culture and ethnography. My reading strategy did not spoil the elegant writing flowing through the remainder of the book, and in fact, it crystallized my opinion that this text would be appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students as well as those of us wanting an excellent example of autoethnography. Adams (2011) articulated his goal for the work early to frame the reading of the text: “I document my journey through, and processing of, the closet and coming out with the purpose of making experiences of same-sex attraction more humane, tolerable, and meaningful to for others” (p. 36). The point is to implicate all of us in climate issues; we
The Effectiveness of Web-Based Instruction: An initial inquiry

As the use of Web-based instruction increases in the educational and training domains, many people have recognized the importance of evaluating its effects on student outcomes such as learning, performance, and satisfaction. Often, these results are compared to those of conventional classroom instruction in order to determine which method is “better.” However, major differences in technology and presentation rather than instructional content can obscure the true relationship between Web-based instruction and these outcomes. Computer-based instruction (CBI), with more features similar to Web-based instruction, may be a more appropriate benchmark than conventional classroom instruction. Furthermore, there is little consensus as to what variables should be examined or what measures of learning are the most appropriate, making comparisons between studies difficult and inconclusive. In this article, we review the historical findings of CBI as an appropriate benchmark to Web-based instruction. In addition, we review 47 reports of evaluations of Web-based courses in higher education published between 1996 and 2002. A tabulation of the documented findings into eight characteristics is offered, along with our assessments of the experimental designs, effect sizes, and the degree to which the evaluations incorporated features unique to Web-based instruction.
Treatment of Status Asthmaticus in Children With High Doses and Conventional Doses of Methylprednisolone

Twenty-one children who were admitted to the hospital with status asthmaticus were assigned randomly to one of two groups. Children in group A received methylprednisolone sodium succinate intravenously, 30 mg/sq m every six hours (conventional dose), and those in group B received methylprednisolone sodium succinate intravenously 300 mg/sq m every six hours, until they were no longer wheezing, or for a maximum of four days. There were no significant differences in the outcome between the two groups. We conclude that there is no extra advantage in giving massive doses of corticosteroids over conventional doses in the treatment of severe asthma attacks.
Rat liver alkaline phosphatase. Purification and properties.

Abstract Hepatic alkaline phosphatase has been purified 42,000-fold from rats whose bile ducts had been ligated for 24 hours, a procedure which increases hepatic alkaline phosphatase activity 5- to 10-fold. The purified enzyme was obtained in 27% yield and was greater than 98% homogeneous as judged by polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis and meniscus depletion sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The molecular weight of the holoenzyme was 154,000. Rat liver alkaline phosphatase precipitated in 6 m guanidine-HCl but dissociated into two soluble subunits of identical molecular weight (71,200) in 6 m guanidine HCl plus 1% 2-mercaptoethanol. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate indicated a protein molecular weight of 155,000. The addition of 1% 2-mercaptoethanol caused the dissociation of alkaline phosphatase into two subunits of identical molecular weight, 75,000. The pH optimum for rat liver alkaline phosphatase was 10.2 with p-nitrophenyl-phosphate, 9.0 with phosphorylethanolamine and phosphorylcholine, 8.9 with AMP, ADP, and ATP, and 8.3 with pyrophosphate. Rat liver alkaline phosphatase appears to be a zinc-containing enzyme, loss of which results in irreversible inactivation. Magnesium is required for catalytic activity. Loss of activity after electrodialysis can be rapidly reversed by the addition of magnesium. Purified rat liver alkaline phosphatase has ATPase activity, but the Vmax of ATP is only 12% that of p-nitrophenylphosphate, while its Km is similar, 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm, respectively. The naturally occurring constituents of bile do not stimulate the ATPase activity of pure alkaline phosphatase. Pure rat liver alkaline phosphatase displayed no unusual affinity for phosphorylcholine, a substance suggested as the physiological substrate for this enzyme.
Structure of the DNA damage-inducible gene DDR48 and evidence for its role in mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract The DDR48 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a member of a set of genes that displays increased transcription in response to treatments that produce DNA lesions or to heat-shock stress. Other members of this group include the DDRA2 and UBI4 genes. DNA sequence analysis of the DDR48 gene demonstrates the presence of two overlapping open reading frames, each of which has the capacity to encode a protein with a molecular mass of approximately 45 kilodaltons. Fusions of the DDR48 coding sequences to lacZ demonstrates that only one of these frames is expressed in yeast cells. The protein predicted from this sequence is extremely hydrophilic and contains multiple repeats of the peptide sequence Ser-Asn-Asn-X-Asp-Ser-Tyr-Gly where X is either Asn or Asp. Additionally, closely related sequences are found throughout the primary sequence. Primer extension data indicate that, after 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and heat-shock treatments, there are three major and two minor transcriptional start sites which are utilized. The function of the DDR48 gene was investigated by disrupting this gene in diploid cells. Viable haploid cells containing the DDR48 gene disruption were isolated after tetrad analysis. Although the ddr48 mutant showed a slightly altered sensitivity to killing by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and to heat shock compared with the DDR48 haploid, the spontaneous mutation rate of reversion of a his4 mutation was reduced 6- to 14-fold in the ddr48 strain. These results implicate the DDR48 gene in the production or recovery of mutations in S. cerevisiae.