cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Significance of Dental Hygiene Education in a Dental School Setting

The American Dental Hygienists9 Association (ADHA) recently approved the creation of the ADHP and is currently addressing the curriculum. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain dental hygiene program (DHP) affiliations with dental institutions offering advanced degrees in dental hygiene. The trend in dental hygiene education has been the opening of independent programs and the closure of baccalaureate degree programs within colleges of dentistry. Recently, 4DHPs in dental schools have closed. Some closures claimed financial difficulties in maintaining a DHP. There are numerous educational advantages for having a DHP within a dental school for dental and dental hygiene students and the patient. The financial value a DHP generates for a college of dentistry cannot be overlooked as well. Revenues include more than those generated by dental hygiene students, including referrals to pre-doctoral students for other treatment. Objectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the financial benefits of a DHP within a dental school. Methods. An analysis of all dental hygiene procedures completed and fees assessed from June 2003 through December 2004 were obtained and entered into an Excel program. Additional data included completed procedures and fees from referrals to the pre-doctoral students. Data were entered by CDT-4 insurance codes and total revenue was calculated using the Ohio State University College of Dentistry fees during the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Results. Dental hygiene students produced $184,986 for procedures completed. Six hundred and sixteen patients were referred, producing $142,939. The total income to the College of Dentistry from dental hygiene was $327,925. Dental hygiene clinical expenses during the time period were approximately $158,400. Conclusions. The DHP at The Ohio State University not only generates income for the college but also provides educational experiences for all students, and will increase the opportunity to accommodate the ADHP curriculum. DHP affiliations with dental institutions facilitate teamwork among aspiring dentists and dental hygienists, while promoting continuity of care for the patient population.
The Proposal for Smoke-Free Public Housing: Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities for 2 Million Residents.

Tobacco use causes an estimated 480 000 deaths per year in the United States; of these, 41 000 are attributable to secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers.1 Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with serious health problems in infants and children, including respiratory tract infections, ear infections, more frequent and severe asthma attacks, and sudden infant death syndrome.1,2 The US Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure and that elimination of smoking indoors is critical to protect nonsmokers.2
Management of traumatic aortic rupture: A 30-year experience

Objective To present the authors' 30-year experience with traumatic aortic rupture (TAR). Background Data TAR is a highly lethal injury. Most institutions manage a small number of cases, and most surgeons receive only modest exposure during training. Methods Between 1971 and 2001, the authors operated on 219 patients with a diagnosis of TAR. Diagnosis of TAR since 1994 has been based exclusively on the use of contrast-enhanced spiral computed tomography, with angiography reserved for equivocal cases (periaortic mediastinal hematoma without aortic wall abnormalities). Patients were divided according to surgical technique. Eighty-two patients (group A) were operated on with a clamp-and-sew technique. Sixty-four patients (group B) underwent surgery with the use of a passive shunt, and 73 patients (group C) were treated using heparin-less partial cardiopulmonary bypass. Results Mortality was 18 patients for group A (21.9%), 23 patients for group B (35.9%), and 13 patients for group C (17.8%) (P = .03). Paraplegia occurred in 15 of 64 survivors in group A (23.4%), 7 of 41 survivors in group B (17%), and 0 of 60 survivors in group C (P =.0005). Aortic occlusion without lower body perfusion for longer than 30 minutes (P =.004) and surgical technique without lower body bypass support (P = .0005) were associated with paraplegia. Conclusions Surgery for TAR based on spiral computed tomography screening and diagnosis is reliable. The use of heparin-less distal cardiopulmonary bypass in the authors' hands is safe and is associated with a reduced incidence of paraplegia.
Deep Neural Networks and How They Apply to Sequential Education Data

Modern deep neural networks have achieved impressive results in a variety of automated tasks, such as text generation, grammar learning, and speech recognition. This paper discusses how education research might leverage recurrent neural network architectures in two small case studies. Specifically, we train a two-layer Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network on two distinct forms of education data: (1) essays written by students in a summative environment, and (2) MOOC clickstream data. Without any features specified beforehand, the network attempts to learn the underlying structure of the input sequences. After training, the model can be used generatively to produce new sequences with the same underlying patterns exhibited by the input distribution. These early explorations demonstrate the potential for applying deep learning techniques to large education data sets.
Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in the Caribbean cohort is a distinct clinical entity with dismal response to conventional chemotherapy

// Monica Zell 1, * , Amer Assal 2, * , Olga Derman 2 , Noah Kornblum 2 , Ramakrishna Battini 2 , Yanhua Wang 3 , Deepa M. Narasimhulu 1 , Ioannis Mantzaris 2 , Aditi Shastri 2 , Amit Verma 2 , Hilda Ye 4 , Ira Braunschweig 2 , Murali Janakiram 2 1 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA 2 Department of Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA 3 Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA 4 Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Murali Janakiram, email: mjanakir06@gmail.com Keywords: human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1), adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, allogeneic stem cell transplantation Received: January 27, 2016 Accepted: May 09, 2016 Published: June 22, 2016 ABSTRACT Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare and aggressive disease caused by human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 that predominantly affects Japanese and Caribbean populations. Most studies have focused on Japanese cohorts. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 53 cases of ATLL who presented to our institution between 2003-2014. ATLL in the Caribbean population presents more often as the acute and lymphomatous subtypes, is associated with complex cytogenetics, and has a high rate of CNS involvement. The overall response rate to first-line therapies with anthracycline-based regimens was poor (32%), with a median survival of only 6.9 months. A complete or partial response to first-line regimens was associated with better survival. There was no difference in survival between patients who received chemotherapy alone versus chemotherapy with antiviral agents. Allogeneic transplantation was performed in five patients, two of whom achieved complete remission despite residual or refractory disease. Recipients of allogeneic transplantation had significantly improved overall survival compared to non-transplanted patients. This is the first analysis to describe ATLL pathological features, cytogenetics, and response to standard therapy and transplantation in the Caribbean cohort.
SparkScore: Leveraging Apache Spark for Distributed Genomic Inference

The method of the efficient score statistic is used extensively to conduct inference for high throughput genomic data due to its computational efficiency and abilityto accommodate simple and complex phenotypes. Inference based on these statistics can readily incorporate a priori knowledge from a vast collection of bioinformatics databases to further refine the analyses. The sampling distribution of the efficient score statistic is typically approximated using asymptotics. As this may be inappropriate in the context of small study size, or uncommon or rare variants, resampling methods are often used to approximate the exact sampling distribution. We propose SparkScore, a set of distributed computational algorithms implemented in Apache Spark, to leverage the embarrassingly parallel nature of genomic resampling inference on the basis of the efficient score statistics. We illustrate the application of this computational approachfor the analysis of data from genome-wide analysis studies(GWAS). This computational approach also harnesses thefault-tolerant features of Spark and can be readily extended to analysis of DNA and RNA sequencing data, including expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and phenotype association studies.
Nonexercise stress thallium imaging using dipyridamole coronary vasodilation

Pharmacologic stress testing using dipyridamole thallium imaging is emerging as a useful alternative to exercise thallium testing in patients who are unable to perform adequate exercise. In this review we summarize the mechanism of dipyridamoles affect, the hemodynamic and clinical observations frequently associated with dipyridamole thallium testing and discuss clinical protocols for test performance. In addition, we review studies which have compared dipyridamole thallium testing with exercise thallium imaging
How Do Hospitals Respond to Medicaid Managed Care? Evidence from Low Birth Weight Infants in New York

Despite widespread adoption across the United States, there is little empirical evidence on whether Medicaid managed care (MMC) reduces costs without compromising health outcomes. This paper exploits an arbitrary component of MMC enrollment in New York to examine the causal effects of MMC on hospital responses and newborn health. During the study period, infants with birth weight below 1,200 grams were excluded from MMC and were instead served through the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) system. Using a regression discontinuity design framework, I find that infants enrolled in MMC stay fewer days in the hospital following birth and thus have less expensive visits. I show that this is driven by birth hospitals retaining more infants enrolled in FFS while transferring away those enrolled in MMC to another hospital. The effects are stronger when the birth hospital is spatially constrained and for infants with high predicted list prices. I find little effect on short-term health measured by mortality during hospitalization and the incidence of readmissions. I show that hospitals engage in these behaviors only when they have a high-quality hospital in close proximity, suggesting that hospitals do not sacrifice quality of care for cost reductions. ∗I am grateful to Douglas Almond, Kate Ho, Wojciech Kopczuk, Amy Ellen Schwartz, and the applied microeconomics colloquium participants at Columbia University for their invaluable support and helpful suggestions. †Columbia University: al3045@columbia.edu
A meta-analysis and systematic literature review of virtual reality rehabilitation programs

A recent advancement in the study of physical rehabilitation is the application of virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) programs, in which patients perform practice behaviors while interacting with the computer-simulation of an environment that imitates a physical presence in real or imagined worlds. Despite enthusiasm, much remains unknown about VRR programs. Particularly, two important research questions have been left unanswered: Are VRR programs effective? And, if so, why are VRR programs effective? A meta-analysis is performed in the current article to determine the efficacy of VRR programs, in general, as well as their ability to develop four specific rehabilitation outcomes: motor control, balance, gait, and strength. A systematic literature review is also performed to determine the mechanisms that may cause VRR program success or failure. The results demonstrate that VRR programs are more effective than traditional rehabilitation programs for physical outcome development. Further, three mechanisms have been proposed to cause these improved outcomes: excitement, physical fidelity, and cognitive fidelity; however, empirical research has yet to show that these mechanisms actually prompt better rehabilitation outcomes. The implications of these results and possible avenues for future research and practice are discussed. Virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) programs are growing in popularity.VRR programs are more effective than traditional rehabilitation programs.Excitement, physical fidelity, and cognitive fidelity may cause VRR program success.More research is needed to better understand VRR programs.
Culturally adapted psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia: A review.

Abstract Recent research examining the potential efficacy of culturally adapted interventions for various mental disorders illustrates increasing interest in the integration of cultural perspectives into mental health systems. Despite recent evidence demonstrating that culturally adapted interventions may be more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach, few psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia consider cultural factors that may enhance their efficacy with diverse populations. The aim of this review is to discuss the empirical evidence examining the potential utility of culturally adapted group interventions for schizophrenia, as a means to encourage further work and expansion in this area. Specifically, this article provides an in-depth review of the empirical literature on culturally adapted psychosocial interventions for individuals with schizophrenia and their family members, with a focus on group-based interventions. This review is followed by a discussion of a few cultural constructs that may impact patient and family member functioning, and therefore may be important to address in psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia. Finally, we end this review with a broad discussion of research limitations and potential areas for additional research, clinical implications for adapting EBTs to better address cultural concerns, and a case vignette to illustrate how cultural considerations can be integrated into a traditional multifamily group therapy approach.
CpG island methylator phenotype in adenocarcinomas from the digestive tract: Methods, conclusions, and controversies

Over the last two decades, cancer-related alterations in DNA methylation that regulate transcription have been reported for a variety of tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Due to its relevance for translational research, great emphasis has been placed on the analysis and molecular characterization of the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), defined as widespread hypermethylation of CpG islands in clinically distinct subsets of cancer patients. Here, we present an overview of previous work in this field and also explore some open questions using cross-platform data for esophageal, gastric, and colorectal adenocarcinomas from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We provide a data-driven, pan-gastrointestinal stratification of individual samples based on CIMP status and we investigate correlations with oncogenic alterations, including somatic mutations and epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes. Besides known events in CIMP such as BRAF V600E mutation, CDKN2A silencing or MLH1 inactivation, we discuss the potential role of emerging actors such as Wnt pathway deregulation through truncating mutations in RNF43 and epigenetic silencing of WIF1. Our results highlight the existence of molecular similarities that are superimposed over a larger backbone of tissue-specific features and can be exploited to reduce heterogeneity of response in clinical trials.
Improving Care and Education Through a Radiology Resident-driven Clinical Consultation Service

Rationale and Objective As health care moves toward bundled payment systems and merit-based incentive models, increasing awareness of the value of the radiologist is essential. A resident-driven clinical imaging rounds (CIR) program initiated at our institution allows radiologists to actively and directly participate in the team-based medical model. A retrospective review of survey data evaluated the qualitative and quantitative effects of CIR on clinical management, communication, and education of referring providers and radiology residents. Materials and Methods The initial 10 months of a resident-organized CIR were evaluated in a retrospective study. Twenty radiology residents and 150 internal medicine physicians and medical students participated in imaging rounds. An anonymous survey of participants was performed and results were analyzed. Results Eighty-five percent of radiology resident participants completed the survey ( N = 17). Approximately 30% of internal medicine participants completed the survey ( N = 45). There was an overwhelming positive review of imaging rounds, with a large majority of all groups agreeing that imaging rounds improve education, communication, and patient care. Conclusions Resident-driven imaging rounds provide a valuable opportunity to improve communication, education, and patient care. We have created a CIR with a sustainable workflow that allows direct and regularly scheduled imaging-medicine consultation valued by both radiologists and internal medicine physicians, improving the quality of patient care and providing education to our radiology residents in value-based care.
Regulation of Translation in Plants

Protein synthesis in plants takes place in two distinct compartments, the cytoplasm and organelles. Translation in the cytoplasm of plants exhibits the characteristics of a typical eukaryotic system such as m7G capped mRNAs, polyadenylated 3′ ends and cap-dependent initiation. On the other hand, translation in organelles such as the chloroplast shows homologies to translation in prokaryotes. Chloroplastic mRNAs are not polyadenylated, exhibit internal initiation of translation and contain sequences which are reminiscent of Shine-Dalgarno sequences. The symbiotic state of the chloroplast within the eukaryotic cell necessitates the close cooperation of gene expression between these two compartments. This cooperation of gene expression may require the participation of nuclear-encoded factors in chloroplast translation resulting in the utilization of eukaryotic factors in a prokaryotic-like system.
Short-term Outcomes Following Concussion in the NFL: A Study of Player Longevity, Performance, and Financial Loss.

Background:A short-term protocol for evaluation of National Football League (NFL) athletes incurring concussion has yet to be fully defined and framed in the context of the short-term potential tea...
Modeling Human-Environment Interactions

Geographers are committed to understanding and exploring the many intersections that exist within and between human (social) and environment (physical) systems (see Turner 2002; Butzer 2002; and CGER 1997). However, much of the research performed at the nexus of social and physical systems is ideologically framed and emphasizes the vulnerability of transitioning economies, the marginalization of specific social groups in risky places, or an “environmental” agenda. While neither of these points necessarily diminishes the contribution of geography or geographers to the discipline’s understanding of human-environment interaction, few geographers have explicitly focused on the dynamic interaction between systems per se. The purpose of this chapter is to explore one method—the expansion method—that may prove to be an effective device for accounting and assessing the interaction within and between social and physical systems. To accomplish this task, the chapter: (1) defines “spatial” expansion method articulated by Casetti; (2) considers the range of applications to date, and (3) re-positions the approach beyond its traditional role in human geography.
Srv2/Cyclase-Associated Protein (CAP)

Srv2/cyclase-associated protein (CAP) is a ubiquitously expressed actin monomer binding protein required for proper organization and rapid remodeling of cellular actin networks. CAP catalyzes the dissociation of cofilin-bound ADP-actin complexes, elevating cofilin levels available for filament disassembly. In addition, CAP and profilin promote exchange of nucleotide (ATP for ADP) on G-actin, then CAP releases profilin-bound ATP-G-actin to replenish the actin monomer pool. These functions are highly conserved, as expression of animal and plant CAPs complement cellular defects of yeast cap mutants. Unlike most actin monomer binding proteins, CAP oligomerizes, likely into hexamers. Within the high molecular weight complex formed, the C-terminal half of each CAP molecule binds one actin monomer. In addition, the N-terminus of CAP binds to cofilin-G-actin complexes and the middle region binds to Abpl and profilin. Abpl tethers CAP to filamentous actin networks. Cofilin and profilin function together with CAP to accelerate actin turnover, through a series of actin monomer handoffs guided by the changing nucleotide state of actin. Thus, the emerging view of CAP function is that it serves as a large molecular hub where multiple actin binding proteins interact to recycle actin monomers and cofilin. This macromolecular complex plays a key role in remodeling the actin cytoskeleton during events such as endocytosis, cell polarity, and cell motility.
The 25-Year Incidence of Visual Impairment in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy

Objective To examine the 25-year cumulative incidence of visual impairment (VI) and its relation to various risk factors. Design Population-based study. Participants Nine hundred fifty-five insulin-taking persons living in an 11-county area in southern Wisconsin with type 1 diabetes diagnosed before age 30 years who participated in a baseline (1980–1982) and at least 1 of 4 follow-up (4-, 10-, 14-, and 25-year) examinations or who died before the first follow-up examination (n = 64). Methods Best-corrected visual acuity (VA) was measured using a modification of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol. Visual impairment and severe VI were defined as best-corrected VA in the better eye of 20/40 or worse and 20/200 or worse, respectively. Main Outcome Measures Incidence of VI. Results The 25-year cumulative incidences of any VI and severe VI (accounting for competing risk of death) were 13% and 3%, respectively. Multivariate models showed increased risk of VI was associated (hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval, and P value) with more severe baseline retinopathy (1.14 per 1-step increase in retinopathy level; 1.03–1.27; P = 0.01), presence of cataract (2.49 versus absence; 1.53–4.04; P P P = 0.03), and currently smoking (vs. never smoked, 1.63; 1.01–2.61; P = 0.04), but not proteinuria. Conclusions These data show that the 25-year cumulative incidence of VI is related to modifiable risk factors and, therefore, that VI may be reduced by better glycemic and blood pressure control and avoidance of smoking. Financial Disclosure(s) Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.
Introduction to Theoretical Infrared Spectroscopy

I would like to present some ideas on band contours and types of vibrations that I think may be of help to the spectroscopist unfamiliar with some of the more theoretical aspects of infrared spectroscopy. In addition, I would like to compare the concept of “group frequencies” to a concept of infrared theory termed “correlation tables.” These correlation tables, I think, can be as useful in some infrared analyses as the concept of “group frequencies.” To present these ideas in a short time, I shall specifically discuss only one series of compounds, namely, the series CH3—CF3, CH3—CF2Cl, CH3—CFCl2, and CH3—CCl3. First, let me introduce the concept of a “species” of vibration, limiting the discussion specifically to the species of vibrations of CH3—CF3 and CH3—CCl3.
Enhanced Performance Ion Sources for the PI9200XJ Ion Implantation System

The Freeman source used on the PI9200 has been radically redesigned to enhance high current boron life and to greatly simplify construction so that servicing is quick and easy. The result is that the most common failure mode is now due to filament life constraints and that consistent, predictable performance can be readily obtained.
The neural representation of the association between comorbid drug use disorders and childhood maltreatment.

Abstract Background Comorbidity of drug use disorders (DUD) with other psychopathology is associated with worse functional and treatment outcomes than DUD alone. The present study sought to identify altered functional neural circuitry underlying DUD comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, and model the relationship of these alterations to childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and negative self-beliefs (Beck Depression Inventory). Methods A sample of adult men and women (mean = 36.8 years) with childhood maltreatment histories (n = 81) was allocated into the following groups based on psychiatric diagnoses and drug use history: no current or past psychiatric disorders (trauma control sample, n = 20), DUD only (n = 22), psychopathology only (n = 20), and DUD comorbid with other psychiatric illness (DCoP, n = 25). Results Multiple regression of seed-based resting-state fMRI, controlling for age and sex, identified a functional connection between the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) that was significantly increased in DCoP females, relative to the other clinical and control groups. Within the DCoP female sample, mediation analysis demonstrated that strength of connectivity between the subgenual cingulate cortex and both the right anterior insula and rostral lateral prefrontal cortex significantly mediated the relationship between increasing physical abuse and self-criticism with age as a moderator. Conclusions This study related sex-dependent alterations in functional organization of the prefrontal cortex with DCoP that are, in turn, related to magnitude of negative self-beliefs to childhood trauma exposure. Additionally, DCoP-selective alterations in rACC connectivity suggest that the neural correlates of DCoP do not represent linear additive contributions from two independent disorders.
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Unceded Territories

Book Review: Karen Duffek and Tania Willard, eds. Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Unceded Territories . With contributions by Glenn Alteen, Marcia Crosby, Jimmie Durham et al. Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing and Museum of Anthropology at UBC, 2016. 182 pp.; 85 ills (chiefly color). Hardcover $45.00 (9781927958513)
Diapause research in insects: historical review and recent work perspectives

All organisms on Earth have evolved biological rhythms to face alternation of periods of favorable and unfavorable environmental conditions, at various temporal scales. Diapause is a state of seasonal dormancy adapted to recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions and triggered by biotic and abiotic factors that precede the arrival of these conditions. Several monographs already review the mechanisms of diapause expression in arthropods, from initiation to termination phases. Rather than adding another review to the literature on this topic, this paper primarily aims to link past concepts on seasonal strategies with new perspective on diapause research in arthropods. By focusing on insects, I examine the legacy of diapause history research in terrestrial arthropods since antiquity but mostly over the past 3 centuries, its contribution to the understanding of insect seasonal ecology, and I explore some of the reasons why it is still relevant to study diapause. I highlight some of the topical issues on which current work focuses to better understand and integrate arthropod diapause with their ecology, especially in the climate change context and for the provision of ecosystem services.
Research and Design of Distributed Static Synchronous Series Compensator

The flexible AC transmission system(FACTS) technology can significantly improve the stability and reduce the operation cost of power system. However, there are several disadvantages for concentrated FACTS controller, such as large size and high-voltage insulation. While the distributed FACTS is introduced to fix up the disadvantages above. In the paper, the distributed static synchronous series compensator (DSSC) topology structure and its operating principle is analyzed. The DSSC's capacity and its effective reactance operating range is discussed as well. Then a DC voltage and power flow decoupling control strategy based on the orthogonal decomposition of injected voltage of DSSC is proposed and proved by simulation. The protection principle of DSSC is discussed and the active overvoltage protection and automatic bypass protection circuit is designed. Experimental verification is carried out on the DSSC prototype. The results show that the control process is smooth with the capacitive or inductive compensation output, and the automatic bypass function under abnormal conditions protects the device. It provides the foundation for the engineering application.
Alcohol Abuse and Disorder of Granulopoiesis

Granulocytes are the major type of phagocytes constituting the front line of innate immune defense against bacterial infection. In adults, granulocytes are derived from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance in human society. Excessive alcohol consumption injures hematopoietic tissue, impairing bone marrow production of granulocytes through disrupting homeostasis of granulopoiesis and the granulopoietic response. Because of the compromised immune defense function, alcohol abusers are susceptible to infectious diseases, particularly septic infection. Alcoholic patients with septic infection and granulocytopenia have an exceedingly high mortality rate. Treatment of serious infection in alcoholic patients with bone marrow inhibition continues to be a major challenge. Excessive alcohol consumption also causes diseases in other organ systems, particularly severe alcoholic hepatitis which is life threatening. Corticosteroids are the only therapeutic option for improving short-term survival in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. The existence of advanced alcoholic liver diseases and administration of corticosteroids make it more difficult to treat serious infection in alcoholic patients with the disorder of granulopoieis. This article reviews the recent development in understanding alcohol-induced disruption of marrow granulopoiesis and the granulopoietic response with the focus on progress in delineating cell signaling mechanisms underlying the alcohol-induced injury to hematopoietic tissue. Efforts in exploring effective therapy to improve patient care in this field will also be discussed.
On the PDF Estimation for Information Theoretic Learning for Neural Networks

Information-Theoretic Learning (ITL) is one of the new methods gaining popularity used for adaptive signal processing learning algorithms and has many advantages compared to traditional method which minimizes the mean square error (MSE). Previously [12], we described a method based on the backpropagation algorithm to train a type of neural network called the multi-layer perceptron (MLP) using Information Theoretic Learning (ITL) techniques. Our method was developed to train MLPs by utilizing the minimum error entropy (MEE) of the error samples. The MSE is a second order statistic whereas the MEE uses the probability density function of the error samples. Therefore, the MEE technique uses higher order statistical information from the error samples to adapt the weights of the neural network. When the error distribution is non-gaussian, higher order statistical information can lead to faster training and smaller residual training error. The Probability Density Function (PDF) estimation using the Parzen window could affect the accuracy of the Back-Propagation training. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the Parzen Window estimator on the efficacy of the ITL training using Renyi's Entropy and Shannon's Entropy. Using different estimators and simulations, we compare MLP using the typical backpropagation algorithm (using MSE and cross-entropy) and also one using ITL methods in terms of convergence speed of the weights, PDF estimator and the residual error. We use standard data sets (like the MNIST handwriting data set available on the Internet) to train and test the MLP using all these methods. Simulation results compare the prediction accuracy of the three different types of backpropagation algorithms (MSE, Shannon's cross-entropy, Renyi's quadratic entropy) in the paper.
Tracking, Inequality, and the Rhetoric of Reform: Why Schools Don't Change:

This paper looks critically at the historical, political, and economic context of differentiated schooling. The argument is made that this context explains the failure to address inequality in the ...
Future of religious studies

ABSTRACTAs an academic community, religious studies scholars and educators are facing a significant challenge. In part, that challenge connects with challenges to the humanities more broadly. Howev...
Highly Linear Low Power V-Band Down-Conversion Mixer in SiGe BiCMOS Technology

This paper presents a V-band Gilbert-cell down-conversion mixer implemented in 0.13um SiGe BiCMOS process. The mixer consists of a double-balanced Gilbert-cell, on-chip transformer-type baluns for the RF and LO ports, and matching networks. The performance of the mixer is optimized to achieve high linearity, low noise and low power consumption. Based on the measurement results, 1-dB input compression point of 11dBm is obtained at 60 GHz with conversion gain of -9.5 dB with overall DC power consumption of 17.7 mW. The maximum gain of -6.5 dB is achieved at 53 GHz with 3-dB RF bandwidth of 50-60 GHz for LO drive of -2 dBm. IF 3-dB bandwidth is around 5.5 GHz. The chip occupies the area of 483 μm by 482 μm. The mixer has simulated noise figure of 9.5dB. The mixer achieves performance comparable to state-of-the-art V-band mixers with high linearity and low power consumption.
1.05 – Oral Exposure and Absorption of Toxicants☆

This article provides an overview of the toxicokinetics of orally absorbed xenobiotics. This includes a description of the basic anatomy and physiology of the digestive tract most relevant to the absorption process. In addition, differences in anatomy and physiology between humans and animals that may impact interpretation and extrapolation of animal toxicokinetic data are discussed. Mechanisms of oral absorption are described at both the molecular and mathematical levels, including transporters, and the basic concepts of bioavailability and first pass metabolism are introduced. Host and environmental factors that may impact absorption are described, including dose and dose-rate effects. In addition, the nature of metabolism in gastrointestinal tract, in both gastrointestinal tissue and by the gastrointestinal microflora, is characterized and its impact on absorption is discussed.
Early serum biomarkers as predictors of brain injury on MRI in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Background - Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) continues to represent a significant burden of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therapeutic hypothermia improves the neurodevelopmental outcome in 1 out of 8 infants when initiated within 6 hours of life. However, the clinician lacks an objective algorithm for predicting the severity of brain injury. We hypothesized that the concentrations of two neonatal brain injury biomarkers, Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), will predict the subjective magnitude of brain injury and the volume of injury in the cortex, deep grey matter …
Development and Performance Enhancement of an Overactuated Autonomous Ground Vehicle

To further enhance the safety, energy efficiency, and riding comfort of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs), an overactuated AGV (OA-AGV) driven by four in-wheel motors and two steering motors is developed. Benefitted from the overactuation, three main advantages of the OA-AGV over conventional AGVs are demonstrated in this article. First, the lateral stability of the OA-AGV can be significantly enhanced with the additional rear wheel steering system. Second, the energy consumptions of the OA-AGV are reduced for lateral maneuvers compared with a conventional AGV with only front wheel steering. Third, the riding comfort of the OA-AGV, described by the lateral acceleration and jerk in lateral maneuvers, can also be improved. To evaluate and validate these three advantages of the OA-AGV, both simulation and experimental results are demonstrated and discussed. The conclusion is that the redundant actuators, together with sensor fusions and path planning strategies, can significantly enhance the capabilities and potentials of AGVs on safety, energy efficiency, and riding comfort.
Site selection framework for mini-grids in developing countries: An overview

Abstract As developing countries ramp up efforts to secure adequate rural electrification, mini-grids are growing in popularity. However, a key barrier for their widespread deployment remains the inherent uncertainty around revenue and project sustainability. To address these concerns, preliminary energy-use surveys that assess the suitability of a site for mini-grid installation should be utilized. Energy-use surveys account for village demography, current and projected demand and willingness to pay, amongst other parameters. This study presents a preliminary quantitative and qualitative methodology for evaluating the suitability of a rural village for the installation of a mini-grid. The framework may be used by energy service companies and project managers prior to selecting a site for a mini-grid.
Transient Nonlinear Phase-Shift in Epsilon-Near-Zero Materials

We present direct measurements of the nonlinearly induced phase-shift and spectral shift via beam-deflection technique and cross-phase modulation measurements. The optical nonlinearities are enhanced due to the highly dispersive nature of epsilon-near-zero materials, which allows obtaining reduced group velocity and enhanced phase velocity.
Design And Implementation Of Smart Helmet Using IoT

Now a days road accidents are occurring very frequently in our daily life because motor cyclists are not wearing of helmet. To Avoid those road accidents motor cyclists can have to wear helmet. By Wearing it riders can have to save their life up to some instant. This Project is to improve the safety of riders. The design of this smart helmet is to detect the user can wear helmet or not. Not only but also the helmet can detect the user is alcoholic or not. If user is alcoholic the ignition gets OFF. Only the ignition gets ON when user can wear helmet and user is not alcoholic .Even user met with an accident by using GPS and GSM the location can share to contact members .By using IOT the data of user can send to cloud for monitoring of activities like wearing of helmet, alcoholic and accident condition.
Transitions in Black and Latinx Community-Based Doula Work in the US During COVID-19

In response to COVID-19, many doulas, including community-based doulas (CBDs), have shifted to virtual doula work, placing aspects of doula care online. CBDs typically center Black and Brown mothers and come from the same community as their clients, granting access to doula care for many individuals who would traditionally not have access. Two partner CBD organizations in Central New York-Village Birth International and Doula 4 a Queen-transitioned to virtual doula work, continuing to center Black and Afro-Latinx people. As CBDs began to transition their work online, they had to create new ways to include both the community and doula aspects of their work. My research has captured these doulas' experiences since mid-2019 and has documented their transition from in-person doula work to virtual work. This also included their experiences of hosting doula trainings that were originally designed to be held in person. To understand this turn to virtual doula work, in this article I draw on social media engagement, online interviews, Zoom discussions, and personal experience to capture how CBD work shifted to virtual platforms can still center Black and Afro-Latinx folks in their communities and beyond.
Hard Forks on the Bitcoin Blockchain: Reversible Exit, Continuing Voice

Hirschman’s Exit/Voice conception has stimulated an extensive literature across many disciplines. Exit/Voice was designed to shine explanatory light on the responses of stakeholders in firms and states in moments of decline. We apply it here to the Bitcoin blockchain, where the Exit/Voice apparatus illuminates strange and unencountered qualities of the reactive choices open to the blockchain’s varied stakeholders.
New Retail: Implications for Channel Choices under Competition

The Internet and online retailing has disrupted traditional brick-and-mortar retailing immensely. In recent years, a hybrid omnichannel structure referred to as “New Retail” that promises to take advantage of the positive aspects of online and physical channels has emerged within the industry, and some industry experts tout New Retail as the future of retailing. In this paper, we provide insights into competing firms' retail-channel choices among online channel, physical channel, and omnichannel. The online and physical channels could differ in terms of geographical market coverage, consumer shopping cost, and consumer valuation—an online channel can serve both city and remote (suburban) consumers whereas a physical channel may be able to serve only city consumers, and consumers have a lower shopping cost in the online channel than the physical channel but can have a higher valuation for either the physical or the online channel. We find that an equilibrium in which at least one firm operates the omnichannel emerges only when consumers have a higher valuation for the physical channel. Moreover, neither firm would operate only the online channel in this case. In contrast, when consumers have a higher valuation for the online channel than the physical channel, neither firm is likely to operate the omnichannel. The market and channel characteristics have nonuniform and counterintuitive impacts on firms' profits under different equilibria. For instance, neither increasing the differentiation between the channels within a firm nor increasing the differentiation between channels across firms necessarily benefits firms. Furthermore, an increase in the number of city consumers relative to the suburban consumers can hurt the firm that serves only city consumers. The tradeoffs among interfirm competition, market expansion, consumer segmentation, and intrafirm-cannibalization effects of firms' channel choices are the driving forces that lead to our findings.
Heterogeneous multiscale methods for rough-wall laminar viscous flow.

We develop numerical multiscale methods for viscous boundary layer flow. The goal is to derive effective boundary conditions, or wall laws, through high resolution simulations localized to the boundary coupled to a coarser simulation in the domain interior. The multiscale framework is analyzed in the context of laminar flow over a rough boundary. Asymptotic analysis shows that, up to a small perturbation, the method recovers the slip constant in the wall law derived from periodic homogenization theory. Numerical experiments illustrate the utility of the method for more general roughness patterns and fair field flow conditions.
Sparse broadband acoustic response estimation via a gaussian mixture model with application to m-ary orthogonal signaling

Shallow water acoustic response functions at high frequencies and large bandwidths exhibit spatio- temporal variability that depends greatly on the propagation media's volume and boundary conditions as well as system source-receiver motion. For this reason practical acoustic systems invariably must operate without perfect knowledge of the space-time state of the ocean media. Considered here is a Gaussian mixture assignment over Doppler and channel bandwidth employed to describe the amplitude and phase of such acoustic response functions over signal duration and bandwidth that can serve in many scenarios to replace recursive least squares and Kalman-like algorithms. The mixtue Gaussian model of channel dynamics allows for the accurate and adaptive description of the response function. The model is flexible and naturally accommodates varying degrees of observed channel spar- sity. Posterior expectations are derived and shown to be soft shrinkage operators over Doppler-channel frequency. The model allows for novel and accurate estimates regarding the aggregate acoustic path dilation process that serve to replace conventional phase locked loops. This adaptive filtering scheme with aggregate path dilation estimation and compensation is tested on M-ary orthogonal signals at both 1 and 2 bits per symbol during the Unet08 acoustic communication experiments. These tests took place in the downward refracting, lossy bottom environment of St. Margaret's Bay Nova Scotia off of the R/V Quest. Receiver algorithms based on this approach were applied to a single element acoustic time series and empirical bit error rates demonstrate a 4 dB improvement over rank based maximal path combining methods. For a single hydrophone at 2 bits per symbol a bit error rate of less than 10-4 is observed at received SNR < -10 dB corresponding to an SNR/bit < 14 dB.
Policy Responsiveness to Shifting Majorities: US House Members Respond to Hard Times

In theory, students of democracy hold that voting is the hallmark of a responsive government. One measure of responsive government is the fit between citizens’ policy expectations and those of their agents, the elected officials. We examine fluctuations in federal awards and assistance to House districts over three election cycles (2002 through 2006) for their responsiveness to observable changes in members’ reelection constituencies. We anticipate that changes in the makeup of voters will alter the number and mix of federal outlays. In keeping with prior scholarship (Fenno 1977; Lee 2000; Wlezien 2004), we test for additional effects, both institutional and contextual. We use the Federal Assistance Awards Data System (FAADS) to capture shifts in spending of particular interest to Democrats (entitlements) and Republicans (contingent liability) (Bickers and Stein 1995). The findings advance our appreciation for the challenges that are inherent in representative governance.
The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Colorectal Cancer

In the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality, with limited treatment options for those with advanced disease. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important for maintaining extracellular homeostasis but also play a prominent role in cancer cell invasion and dissemination. Expression levels of MMP-1, -2, -7, -9 and -13 correlate with worse outcomes; MMP-12 expression appears to be protective. Hence, MMPs are attractive therapeutic targets. Previous clinical trials using broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors were disappointing because of off-target toxicity and lack of efficacy. Now, the availability of safer, more selective inhibitors has renewed interest in therapeutic targeting of MMPs.
Hypertext functionality : a theoretical framework

This article presents a theoretical framework useful for understanding the functionality of Hypertext systems in terms of their ability to satisfy cognitive requirements for expressing concepts and their relationships. This theoretical framework is derived from a re‐interpretation of Guilford's theory of the Structure of Intellect.