cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Circumventing censorship with collage

Oppressive regimes and even democratic governments restrict Internet access. Existing anti-censorship systems often require users to connect through proxies, but these systems are relatively easy for a censor to discover and block. We explore a possible next step in the censorship arms race: rather than relying on a single system or set of proxies to circumvent censorship firewalls, we use the vast deployment of sites that host user-generated content to breach these firewalls. We have developed Collage, which allows users to exchange messages through hidden channels in sites that host user-generated content. To send a message, a user embeds it into cover traffic and posts the content on some site, where receivers retrieve this content. Collage makes it difficult for a censor to monitor or block these messages by exploiting the sheer number of sites where users can exchange messages and the variety of ways that a message can be hidden.We have built a censorship-resistant news reader using Collage that can retrieve from behind a censorship firewall and show Collage's effectiveness with a live demonstration of its complete infrastructure.
Quartz exsolution in clinopyroxene is not proof of ultrahigh pressures: Evidence from eclogites from the Eastern Blue Ridge, Southern Appalachians, U.S.A.

Oriented quartz needles in clinopyroxene have become one of the diagnostic indicators of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism. The presence of apparently exsolved quartz is taken as evidence of decompression of a non-stochiometric Ca–Eskola component (Ca0.5 □0.5AlSi2O6, CaEs) that is presumed to be stable only at UHP conditions. Eclogite from the Eastern Blue Ridge, North Carolina, contains clinopyroxene (Jd20CaTs5Ac5CaEsDi65Hd5) with oriented needles of quartz and calcic amphibole that appear to have exsolved together. The quartz + amphibole intergrowths are surrounded by 1–5 μm haloes of neoformed pyroxene (Jd10CaTs10Ac5CaEsDi70Hd5). The modes of quartz, amphibole, and clinopyroxene haloes were determined using BSE images, and reintegrated with the host clinopyroxene. Viewing the quartz and amphibole needles down the c- axis of the pyroxene host provides a better estimate of their proportions than in prismatic sections. Reintegrated pyroxene compositions were nearly identical to the analyzed host pyroxene with no CaEs component. Clinopyroxene with CaEs solid solution has been repeatedly synthesized at UHP conditions. However, examination of the phase equilibria usually cited as evidence for CaEs stability at conditions of ≥25 kbar shows that clinopyroxene with 10 mol% CaEs is stable well within the quartz field, and provides a pressure minimum similar to the albite = jadeite + quartz barometer. Exsolution of quartz and associated amphibole is commonplace in clinopyroxene from the Blue Ridge eclogite that lacks coesite or other evidence for UHP metamorphism. The presence of a diluted (5–10%) CaEs component in clinopyroxene does not require UHP conditions.
Pathophysiology and current management of burn injury.

PURPOSE: To provide the physician and registered professional nurse with an overview of the pathophysiology and current management of burn injuries. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in learning about evidence-based prevention and management of burn wounds. OBJECTIVES: After reading the article and taking the test, the participant should be able to: (1) Explain the pathophysiology of skin function. (2) Describe the different types of burn injuries. (3) Identify the treatment strategies for burn injuries.
Interpreting carbon-isotope excursions: Strangelove oceans

Large negative excursions in marine carbonate {delta}{sup 13}C are commonly associated with period boundaries and mass extinctions. Explanations for these events must be consistent with limitations imposed by carbon-isotope mass balance. At steady state (i.e., for excursions lasting more than 10{sup 5} yr), the surface ocean {delta}{sup 13}C is set by the organic fraction of the total carbon burial rate and the magnitude of the photosynthetic isotope effect. The {delta}{sup 13}C of the deep ocean and the surface-to-deep isotope gradient are set by both the organic fraction of the ocean's remineralized particulate flux and the magnitude of the isotope effect. Thus it is the carbon-isotope composition of the deep ocean that is most reflective of internal oceanic processes; the surface ocean records changes in the longer term throughput of carbon in the system. The cessation of organic export from the surface ocean, such as is presumed to have caused the Strangelove ocean condition of the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary, leads to an isotopically homogeneous ocean in decades to centuries. If this condition persists, the ocean's isotopic composition approaches that of the riverine weathering input (in 10{sup 5} yr). Failure to approach this value during the K/T event suggests continued production andmore » burial of organic carbon, dominantly in either terrestrial or shallow-marine environments.« less
DENTAL DIVERGENCE SUPPORTS SPECIES STATUS OF THE EXTINCT SEA MINK (CARNIVORA: MUSTELIDAE: NEOVISON MACRODON)

The sea mink (Neovison macrodon (Prentiss, 1903): Mustelinae) was an unusual late-Cenozoic example of an organism that had rapidly evolved toward a marine niche. Except for the otters, it was probably the most aquatic member of the Musteloidea. Its status as a separate species has not been resolved. A larger relative of the American mink (N. vison), it inhabited the shores of New England and possibly the Canadian Maritime Provinces until it was hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Skeletal and skin specimens were not collected by zoologists, but the former are known from Native American archaeological sites. The hypothesis that the sea mink showed dental divergence from N. vison, an indication of systematic and ecological distinctness, was tested on 111 dentally mature mink specimens originally collected from the Turner Farm archaeological site (Penobscot Bay, Maine). These teeth, dating from about 5,000 to 250 years ago, were compared with 158 other specimens measured for this study and published data from 78 individuals, representing 4 subspecies of N. vison and 22 additional musteloid genera. Thirteen dental measurements were taken on all species and studied using regressions, principal component analysis, and significance testing. Based on comparisons with American mink, it appears likely that the archaeological specimens included primarily N. macrodon but also N. vison. Although pairs of species within the Lutrinae and genus Mustela showed divergence comparable to that of N. vison and N. macrodon, the dental proportions of male and female N. vison and of the several N. vison subspecies were nearly identical. These analyses suggest that N. macrodon was sufficiently distinct from N. vison to support its recognition as a separate species.
Model based optimisation of friction stir welding processes

AbstractThis paper proposes a model based approach for the optimisation of friction stir welding processes. The proposed approach starts with building a model of the process. For this study, the thermal model developed by Chao and his associate for friction stir welding of AA 2195-T8 is replicated using Fluent. Once developed, the thermal model is then used to simulate the process. Two surrogate models, one linear and one non-linear, are constructed to relate three process parameters with maximum temperature at a selected location, using the simulation data generated by the thermal model. A constrained optimisation model is next formulated, which is eventually solved by five population based metaheuristrics to find the optimal solutions for the studied friction stir welding process. The optimal solutions are primarily constrained by the lower bound of the temperature. The lower this lower bound temperature is the higher travel speed can go. The linear surrogate model results in a slightly better optimal s...
European Solidarity and National Identity: An American Perspective

This contribution is based on a lecture given on 10 May 2012 at the Free University of Berlin, as part of a conference entitled "United in Diversity: How Much European Solidarity? How Much National Identity?" The conference proceedings will be published in a collective volume under the same title with Mohr Siebeck Verlag. The EU clearly has a great deal of functionally and legally autonomous regulatory power — what in Germany you might call 'Hoheitsrechte' — whether legislative, executive, or judicial. These 'Hoheitsrechte' stretch across a vast range of regulatory domains that often penetrate deeply into national legal orders. But what the EU lacks is an autonomous legitimacy commensurate with this autonomous power. The EU may well enjoy several different kinds of legitimacy (technocratic, legal), but what it lacks is autonomous democratic and constitutional legitimacy — that is, the sense that it embodies or expresses the capacity of a new political community (‘Europe’) to rule itself in autonomously democratic and constitutional sense. The absence of this crucial form of autonomous legitimacy bears directly on the questions of national identity and European solidarity that are at the heart of this conference. Despite the great advances in the integration process, inter-European expressions of solidarity have remained either limited (e.g., Articles 122 or 222 TFEU) or surprisingly grudging in the face of crisis (e.g., the EFSF/ESM). European solidarity has remained constrained in this way precisely because of the pervasive and, in some sense, incommensurable demand on the part of Europeans to preserve certain core democratic and constitutional prerogatives on the national level. This quest to preserve national democratic and constitutional legitimacy derives in no small measure from the persistence of national identity as a core political-cultural reality in the EU, even as regulatory power migrates to supranational bodies.
Use of anti-TNF drug levels to optimise patient management

Anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapies, such as infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol and golimumab, have been proven to be effective for the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. However, 10%-30% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) show no initial clinical benefit to anti-TNF therapy (primary non-response), and over 50% after an initial favourable outcome will lose response over time (secondary loss of response (SLR)). Numerous recent studies in IBD have revealed an exposure-response relationship suggesting a positive correlation between high serum anti-TNF concentrations and favourable therapeutic outcomes including clinical, biomarker and endoscopic remission, whereas antidrug antibodies have been associated with SLR and infusion reactions. Currently, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is typically performed when treatment failure occurs either for SLR, drug intolerance (potential immune-mediated reaction) or infusion reaction (reactive TDM). Nevertheless, recent data demonstrate that proactive TDM and a treat-to-target (trough) therapeutic approach may more effectively optimise anti-TNF therapy efficacy, safety and cost. However, implementing TDM in real-life clinical practice is currently limited by the diversity in study design, therapeutic outcomes and assays used, which have hindered the identification of robust clinically relevant concentration thresholds. This review will focus mainly on the pharmacodynamic properties of anti-TNF therapy and the role of TDM in guiding therapeutic decisions in IBD.
In vitro Incorporation of Iron-59 into Hemoglobin S Visualized by Autoradiography.∗

Summary1. Human bone marrow of a patient with sickle cell anemia and peripheral blood of a normal individual were incubated with iron-59 under similar conditions. Auto-radiograms were prepared from the cells. After incubation, hemolysates of the cells were fractionated by paper electrophoresis and the radioactivity of the fractions was measured. 2. 90% of the total radioactivity was located in hemoglobin from bone marrow hemoly sates. At 37°C the rate of hemoglobin synthesis as measured by iron-5 9 utilization is more rapid in the most immature erythrocytic cells beginning with the rubriblast. The rate of synthesis at 0°C was 25% of that at 37°C. 3. Less than 5% of the radioactive iron in incubated normal peripheral blood was in the hemoglobin fraction.
Influence of Morbid Obesity on Surgical Outcomes in Robotic-Assisted Gynecologic Surgery

Abstract Objective: The aim of this research was to estimate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on surgical outcomes in patients undergoing robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective review of prospectively collected cohort data for a consecutive series of patients undergoing gynecologic robotic surgery in a single institution. BMI, expressed as kg/m2, was abstracted from the medical charts of all patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy. Data on estimated blood loss (EBL), hemoglobin (Hb) drop, procedure time, length of hospital stay, uterine weight, pain-medication use, and complications were also extracted. Results: Two hundred and eighty-one patients underwent robotic operations. Types of procedures were total hysterectomy with or without adnexal excision, and total hysterectomies with lymphadenectomies. Eighty-four patients who were classified as morbidly obese (BMI>35) were compared with 197 patients who had a BMI of<35 (nonmorbidly obese). For patie...
The Effectiveness of a Computerized IV Infusion Protocol to Treat Hyperglycemia in Burn Patients

Tight glucose control (TGC) in critical care settings is becoming increasingly the standard of care. However, TGC comes with the risk of hypoglycemia, as highlighted by some recent studies. Our aim was to establish TGC in burn patients without increasing rates of hypoglycemia. The authors used a computer-driven glucose control program (CGS) to achieve this goal. The computer program calculates insulin drip rates by using a multiplier that changes according to blood glucose (BG) values as well as trends and keeps a record of BG data and insulin infusion rates for future quality control analysis. CGS is also a useful adjunct in transitioning patients from an IV insulin drip to subcutaneous insulin. A retrospective review of the glucose control program database was performed to obtain information on length of time to goal glucose levels (set at 100-150 mg/dl), glucose level trends, and incidence of hypoglycemia when using the computer program. Over 18 months, we used CGS on 94 critical and noncritical burn patients. Mean time to target BG was 5.1 hours. Glucose levels of 100 to 150 mg/dl were maintained 63.3% of the time, and values within the wider range of 70 to 150 mg/dl were maintained 80.8% of the time. The incidence of hypoglycemia, defined as BG level below 70 mg/dl, was only 1.66% and was treated without any adverse sequelae. Hyperglycemic episodes were directly correlated with surgical interventions during which time the CGS was not utilized in the operating room. CGS offers a safe and effective means of rapidly achieving and maintaining glucose targets in burn patients. Further analysis of the data needs to be conducted to determine whether the BG targets used in our study offer a morbidity benefit to burn patients.
Intraspecific competition influences food return-predation risk trade-off by white-crowned sparrows

The trade-off of food return against predation risk was quantified for winter flocking White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys), and the effect of intraspecific aggression on this trade-off was tested. Feeding bowls, containing a 1-L sand/seed mixture, were placed at three distances from cover. Control treatments (equal seed densities at each bowl) were compared with experimental treatments (higher seed densities farther from cover). More birds fed farther from cover when associated food return was higher, but age-classes responded differently to treatments. On average, dominant adults fed closer to cover than subordinate immatures, even when higher reward was available farther from cover. As predicted if risk of social interaction influences the food return-predation risk trade-off: (1) immatures switched their feeding location more readily than adults and (2) when the reward differential among bowls was especially large, adults shifted to feed farther from cover, and displaced immatures towards the bowl closer to cover. White-crowned Sparrows traded-off food return against predation risk, and this trade-off was influenced by the risk of social interaction such that subordinates were willing to risk higher predation if the risk of social interaction was thereby reduced.
Islamically modified cognitive behavioral therapy: Enhancing outcomes by increasing the cultural congruence of cognitive behavioral therapy self-statements:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used and effective therapeutic modalities. When utilized with devout Muslims, however, outcomes may be enhanced by modifying traditional...
Technical renovation of wastewater treatment for sorbic acid production

On the basis of characteristics of wastewater from sorbic acid production,facilities,field,and technology of Jilin chemical fiber wastewater treatment factory were reused,and technical renovation and economy compensation were adopted in treating chemical wastewater of sorbic acid for Jilin sorbic acid Co.,Ltd.By transformation of the regulating aerated tank,horizontal settling tank and inclined plane tank of the original pretreatment system into the hydrolytic acidic basin and contact aeration basin,as well as the design of dual A/O process,the treatment of sorbic acid wastewater has reached the discharge standard of class 1 in GB8978-1996.And a scientific support was provided for reformation of the district pollution control system.
The inner-city hospitals: their condition is 'guarded'.

(1983). The Inner-City Hospitals: Their Condition Is ‘Guarded’. Hospital Practice: Vol. 18, No. 12, pp. 10-15.
Regional Analgesia for Orthopedic Surgery

Issues and Concerns Regarding Regional Anesthesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Anticoagulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Potential for Operating Room Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Wrong Side/Site Blockade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Nerve Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Regional Anesthesia in Anesthetized or Heavily Sedated Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST) . . . . . . . . . 40 Infectious Complications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
The normal model

Perhaps the most useful (or utilized) probability model for data analysis is the normal distribution. There are several reasons for this, one being the central limit theorem, and another being that the normal model is a simple model with separate parameters for the population mean and variance – two quantities that are often of primary interest. In this chapter we discuss some of the properties of the normal distribution, and show how to make posterior inference on the population mean and variance parameters. We also compare the sampling properties of the standard Bayesian estimator of the population mean to those of the unbiased sample mean. Lastly, we discuss the appropriateness of the normal model when the underlying data are not normally distributed.
The Strength of Tweet Ties

While in 2011 protesters took to the streets and gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, people in Egypt and across the world started discussing the protests on Twitter. With its short and simple messages, Twitter turned out to be an effective venue for diffusion of ideas and opinions. This chapter explores how social movements and other forms of collective action may be able to use Twitter to frame grievances in ways that resonate with their target audience. In particular, using Twitter data collected during the protests in Egypt, this paper examines whether the use of Twitter by Egyptian activists helped to diffuse the Arab Spring frame across Egypt and generate greater social cohesion around their messages. Our results lend tentative support to the hypothesis that it in fact did. When activists or members of the traditional media are in positions of brokerage, the level of cohesion within a community is greater than it would be otherwise. That highly central activists have the largest effect suggests that because their position within the network allows them to broker the flow of information, they are able to use Twitter to frame events in ways that resonate with others.
Actual and Potential Infinities

Historically, the most popular theory of the impossible infinite is the one handed down by Aristotle: that infinity can only be potential, never actual.1 What does this mean? Here are two helpful remarks from Aristotle’s discussion of the infinite: A quantity is infinite if it is such that we can always take a part outside what has already been taken. Our account does not rob the mathematicians of their science […]. In point of fact they do not need the infinite and do not use it. They postulate only that the finite straight line may be produced as far as they wish.2 The latter passage is particularly instructive. The idea appears to be this: there is an infinite potentiality, because there is no limit to how long a line can be. A line cannot be infinitely long — this would be an ‘actual infinity’ — but a line can be of any finite length. The possible lengths of lines go on up forever — for any line, there could be one twice as long.
Classification of Genetic Disorders

Single-gene disorders are caused by mutations of specific genes in the human genetic material. Polymorphic changes are variations in the genetic material that do not cause disease but may increase an individual’s susceptibility to a particular disease. X-linked disorders are caused by an inheritance of a mutant gene found in the X chromosome. Common diseases of adults, such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and some congenital malformations, are not inherited as a single-gene disorder or a chromosomal abnormality.
Value of SPECT in Intractable Epilepsy

The role of SPECT in 65 children undergoing video-EEG telemetry for intractable seizures was evaluated at Sydney Children’s Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
Women and power in postconflict Africa

In a provocative and ambitious new book, Aili Mari Tripp, professor of political science and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, contributes to the growing comparative feminist ...
Shock-Tube Boundary-Layer Effects on Reflected-Shock Conditions with and Without CO2

The disturbances created by boundary layers behind incident shock waves are minimal but are multiplied in the postreflected-shock region and contribute to nonideal behaviors in this region. In this study, a boundary-layer model was used to confirm the link between predicted incident-shock boundary-layer growth and postreflected-shock pressure rise in shock tubes for a wide variety of nonreacting mixture compositions and experimental conditions. The results show that boundary-layer growth and, consequently, postreflected-shock pressure rise are strongly affected by the incident-shock Mach number and specific heat ratio γ of the mixture. In this study, mixtures of Ar, N2, and 0.21N2/CO2 were examined at experimental conditions of approximately 1400–1800 K at an average pressure of 1.73 atm. Although each mixture (with differing γ) experienced the same range of postreflected-shock conditions (T5 and P5), the Mach number span for each mixture was different. This Mach number byproduct of matching T5 and P5 for...
Novel therapeutics for Stargardt disease.

Stargardt disease, an inherited macular dystrophy caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene encoding a retinal transporter protein, is the most prevalent form of macular degeneration in children. Patients with Stargardt disease develop severe vision loss within their first or second decades of life, which progresses to irreversible decreased visual acuity in almost all cases. Presently, there are no standard treatments for Stargardt disease. However, encouraging progress has been made in the development of innovative approaches to preventing vision loss in Stargardt patients. Among the promising treatment candidates include ALK-001, fenretinide, and A1120 as pharmacological agents to modulate the visual cycle, StarGenTM as a vector for supplementation of a functional ABCA4 gene, and stem-cell transplantation of hESC-RPE cells for regeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium. This study aims to systematically review and summarize evidence concerning the most up-to-date developments in pharmacologic, gene, and stem-cell therapies as novel therapeutic strategies to improve vision for patients with Stargardt disease.
Formation of Fe-Co-Si Structure in Fe and Co Implanted Si Substrate

Ternary Fe-Co-Si B20 phase structure was formed by implanting Fe and Co ions consecutively into Si(100) substrate at 50 keV energy, each with a fluence of 1.0 × 1017 atoms/cm2 and post-thermal vacuum annealing at 500 oC for 60 minutes. An in-situ magnetic field was used to enhance the formation of the ternary phase in the Si substrate during the implantation process. The magnetic field of 0.05 T was applied perpendicular to the incoming ion beam direction and parallel to the substrate surface to form elongated clusters in the transverse direction of the sample. Prior to the implantation of ions, the implant ions depth profiles were simulated using a dynamic ion-solid interaction code (TRIDYN). The TRIDYN simulation predicted a saturation in the peak concentration of the Fe and Co ions at a fluence of 1.0 × 1017 atoms/cm2. XPS measurement at the peak concentration depth (40 nm) showed the presence of Fe (23 %) and Co (32 %) in the Si matrix. XRD characterization confirmed the presence of stable Fe-Co-Si B20 phase structure in the annealed samples implanted with the in-situ magnetic field.
The Relationships of Competition and Demographics to the Pricing of Health Insurance Premiums in Affordable Care Act–Era Health Insurance Markets

AbstractThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. Despite the act having been signed into law more than five years ago, health care affordability in the ACA era remains a topic of empirical inquiry, relevant to academicians and public policy makers. A primary concern, with implications for any future legislation, is whether all consumer groups have equitable access to health insurance options through ACA-mandated health insurance markets (HIMs). Utilizing pricing information and demographic data for states that adopted the Healthcare.gov platform, this study examines relationships between health insurance premiums, competition, and population characteristics. Results indicate that competition within HIMs is multifaceted. Although markets with a large number of insurance plans are associated with lower premiums, this effect is moderated by the concentration of insurers in the market and number of rating areas. Furthermore, population characteristics are relat...
The Social Cognitive Construction of Difference and Disorder

In the previous chapter we discussed the history of the relationship between social cognitive psychology and clinical psychology and provided a set of orienting assumptions for a social clinical psychology concerned with human adjustment and maladjustment, the nature of psychological change, and the nature of the encounter between the clinician and his or her client. One of those assumptions is that the clinical encounter is more similar to than different from everyday social encounters and that, in particular, clinicians’ judgments of their clients are vulnerable to the same errors and biases that plague everyday social interactions. In this chapter, we explore this issue in detail, along with two related issues that are typically overlooked in discussions of clinical judgment and decision making, issues related to the illness ideology described in the previous chapter. The first concerns misunderstandings about the nature and definition of normality and abnormality, disorder, or pathology in psychological functioning. The second concerns problems with the traditional and accepted categorical system for classifying and diagnosing so-called psychological disorders. Understanding these two issues is crucial to achieving a richer understanding of clinical judgment because illness-oriented definitions of normality and abnormality and the current illness-oriented diagnostic-category system for construing psychological problems set the stage for error and for bias in judgment. What we present, therefore, is not simply the social cognitive research on the judgment of the clinician but a social cognitive model of how errors and biases in judgment are encouraged and maintained by the illness ideology.
Detecting Structurally Anomalous Logins Within Enterprise Networks

Many network intrusion detection systems use byte sequences to detect lateral movements that exploit remote vulnerabilities. Attackers bypass such detection by stealing valid credentials and using them to transmit from one computer to another without creating abnormal network traffic. We call this method Credential-based Lateral Movement. To detect this type of lateral movement, we develop the concept of a Network Login Structure that specifies normal logins within a given network. Our method models a network login structure by automatically extracting a collection of login patterns by using a variation of the market-basket algorithm. We then employ an anomaly detection approach to detect malicious logins that are inconsistent with the enterprise network's login structure. Evaluations show that the proposed method is able to detect malicious logins in a real setting. In a simulated attack, our system was able to detect 82% of malicious logins, with a 0.3% false positive rate. We used a real dataset of millions of logins over the course of five months within a global financial company for evaluation of this work.
Management of Hematuria in Children.

This paper provides a review of the diagnostic evaluation of both microscopic and gross hematuria, as well as an update on the pathogenesis, clinical features, and treatment strategies for several diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract in which hematuria is a prominent finding. The goal is to provide pediatric providers with a framework through which appropriate and expeditious referral to subspecialty care may be made for definitive treatment. Although there has been great heterogeneity in published treatment strategies for many causes of hematuria, the Kidney Diseases Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) initiative has recently set forth guidelines for glomerular diseases in particular to provide evidence-based strategies for treatment. In addition, recent advances in the understanding of molecular pathogenesis and long-term clinical outcomes for other non-glomerular diseases have led to updates in treatment strategies summarized in this review. As the pediatric primary care provider is often the first point of contact for children with microscopic or gross hematuria, updated knowledge as to the epidemiology and management of several of the various causes of hematuria will improve the care of children by both avoiding extraneous testing and interventions and implementing definitive care (either by expectant management and reassurance or by subspecialty referral) in a timely manner.
On-farm oil-based biodiesel production

Abstract Oilseeds present farms with an opportunity for fuel, food, and feed production to reduce overall expenses and energy costs and to potentially diversify revenue via oil, feed, and fuel sales. The economic viability of oilseed crops, such as sunflower, canola, and soybeans, requires attention to crop production details as well as harvest and postharvest practices. Further processing of seed to oil, fuel, and livestock meal adds value but requires proper equipment. Production of fuel, especially, should include a focus on quality and safety. Examples from the Northeast are provided, which have been shown to result in fuel production costs of $0.60–2.52 per gallon, an energy return on investment of 2.6–5.9:1 and a potential net carbon emission reduction of up to 1420 lbs per acre of production.
Standards and Local Curriculum: A Zero-Sum Game?

Many rural educators and researchers have not embracedstandards-basedreform warmly. Some are waryofstandards driving out unique and locally responsive curriculum. Others caststandards as one more exampleofa reform largely geared toward urban and suburban schools but foisted on rural schools regardless of applicability. These arguments are mostly rhetorical. Few studies have looked at the effectsofstandards' implementationon the classroompractices ofrural educators. In this paper, I examine the impactofa state standards-basedreform, the Maine Learning Results, oncurriculumand instruc­ tion infour rural schools. Ifocus on the impact thatstandards have on locally responsive curriculum in the schools. I suggest that state standards and locally responsive curriculum ultimately may not be as incompatible as many scholars and practitio­ ners suggest. Rural educators and researchers view reform ideas of state or federal policymakers with much skepticism. Reforms of­ ten seem like solutions to urban problems or urban solutions to rural problems. Few look like policies crafted to support the unique situations of rural schools. Most are crafted from the outside. Consolidation efforts started over 50 years ago and continuing today are perhaps the best examples of re­ forms that constructed a rural problem and then sought to solve it with an urban solution. Kannapel and DeYoung (1999) write in their recent review of rural education research: [M]any rural education scholars believe the rural school problem today is that generic, standardized modes of reform continue to predominate in educa­ tion policymaking. The strengths and needs of rural schools have been largely ignored at the national level in conversations about school reform. (p. 72) Given their history with reforms "from away," it is no wonder that rural educators greet new waves of state and fed­ eral reform with wariness. They question whether reform ideas designed-and mandated-for all schools are merely ex­ amples of change that in reality favor large, urban schools and make rural schools cater to national rather than local goals. This paper examines a current state-level instructional reform in Maine and its effects on four rural schools. It ex­ plores the ways in which implementation efforts have changed school curriculum, focusing particularly on the ways in which locally designed curriculum has been affected by implemen­ tation efforts. It attempts to understand the relationship be­ tween state standards-based reform and locally responsive curriculum.
Compatibility of rhizobia and fertilizers combined as legume inocula

Several factors affecting the physical and biological quality of fertilizer-based legume inocula were evaluated. Application of 2.5, 5 or 8% (v/w) peanut oil or paraffin oil in a fertilizer granule resulted in stable and flowable granules, free from aggregation. However, chemical composition of fertilizers significantly limited rhizobial survival in that granulated phosphate rock (PR) promoted survival better than either 0/6.5/12.4 or 0/8.7/16.6 (N/P/K) fertilizers. Oil-suspended rhizobia applied to granular PR at 8% survived acceptably at 30°C but was less tolerant at 60°C although the fertilizer still contained 103 to 104 cells/g at the elevated temperature after 56 days of storage.Rhizobium strains also differed significantly in tolerance to fertilizer type and elevated temperatures. The results suggest that fertilizer-base inocula can be an important special purpose inoculant for use as an alternative to conventional inocula in many areas of the world.
A probabilistic appraisal of rainfall-runoff modeling approaches within SWAT in mixed land use watersheds

Abstract A probabilistic approach is presented to assess the performance validity of the empirical Curve Number (CN) and physically-based Green and Ampt (G&A) rainfall-runoff methods in the SWAT model. Specifically, the effects of modeling uncertainties on characterization of the hydrologic budgets and streamflow regimes at various spatial scales and upstream land use conditions are investigated. A Bayesian total uncertainty assessment framework, which explicitly accounts for uncertainties from model parameters, inputs, structure, and measurement data, was employed to explore uncertainties in streamflow simulation using SWAT with different rainfall-runoff methods in a mixed-land use watershed. While the models were trained for streamflow estimation only at the watershed outlet, the performances of the models were compared at different stream locations within the watershed. At the watershed outlet, the CN method had a slightly better, but not significant, performance in terms of streamflow error statistics. Similar results were obtained for the predominantly forested and agricultural tributaries. However, in tributaries with higher percentage of developed land, G&A outperformed the CN method in simulating streamflow based on various performance metrics. In general, the 95% prediction intervals from the models with G&A method covered a higher percentage of observed streamflow especially during the high flow events. However, they were approximately 20–45% wider than the corresponding 95% prediction intervals from the CN methods. Using 95% prediction interval for estimated flow duration curves, results indicated that the models with CN methods underestimated high flow events especially in tributaries with highly developed land use. However, the CN methods generated higher water yields to streams than the G&A method. The results of this study have important implications for the selection and application of appropriate rainfall-runoff methods within complex distributed hydrologic models particularly when simulating hydrologic responses in mixed-land use watersheds. In the present study, while CN and G&A methods in the SWAT model performed similarly at the outlet of a mixed-land use watershed, G&A captured the internal processes more realistically. The subsequent effects on the representation of internal hydrological processes and budgets are discussed.
Strain-mediated voltage-controlled switching of magnetic skyrmions in nanostructures

Magnetic skyrmions are swirling spin structures stabilized typically by the Dyzaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The existing control of magnetic skyrmions has often relied on the use of an electric current, which may cause overheating in densely packed devices. Here we demonstrate, using phase-field simulations, that an isolated Neel skyrmion in a magnetic nanodisk can be repeatedly created and deleted by voltage-induced strains from a juxtaposed piezoelectric. Such a skyrmion switching is non-volatile, and consumes only ~0.5 fJ per switching which is about five orders of magnitude smaller than that by current-induced spin-transfer-torques. It is found that the strain-mediated skyrmion creation occurs through an intermediate vortex-like spin structure, and that the skyrmion deletion occurs though a homogenous shrinkage during which the Neel wall is temporarily transformed to a vortex-wall. These findings are expected to stimulate experimental research into strain-mediated voltage control of skyrmions, as well as other chiral spin structures for low-power spintronics. Isolated magnetic skyrmions can be created and deleted in a multilayer magnetic nanostructure by voltage-induced strains from the underlying piezoelectric layer. A team led by Long-Qing Chen from the Pennsylvania State University carried out phase-field simulations on an integrated multilayer, where a magnetic ultrathin nanodisk is sandwiched by a capping layer and a heavy-metal layer. They consider a net Dyzaloshinskii-Moriya interaction arising only from the magnet/heavy-metal interface, so that a Neel skyrmion is more favorable than a Bloch skyrmion. They demonstrate that the voltage-induced strain alone can drive non-volatile switching from a ferromagnetic state to a skyrmion and vice versa, without using magnetic fields. These results may stimulate experimental efforts in realizing strain-mediated voltage control of skyrmions, as well as other spin structures for low-power spintronics.
Phenethyl Isothiocyanate Exposure Promotes Oxidative Stress and Suppresses Sp1 Transcription Factor in Cancer Stem Cells

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is a cytosolic marker of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are a sub-population within heterogeneous tumor cells. CSCs associate with therapy-resistance, self-renewal, malignancy, tumor-relapse, and reduced patient-survival window. ALDH1-mediated aldehyde scavenging helps CSCs to survive a higher level of oxidative stress than regular cancer cells. Cruciferous vegetable-derived phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) selectively induces reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to apoptosis of cancer cells, but not healthy cells. However, this pro-oxidant role of PEITC in CSCs is poorly understood and is investigated here. In a HeLa CSCs model (hCSCs), the sphere-culture and tumorsphere assay showed significantly enriched ALDHhi CSCs from HeLa parental cells (p < 0.05). Aldefluor assay and cell proliferation assay revealed that PEITC treatments resulted in a reduced number of ALDHhi hCSCs in a concentration-dependent manner (p < 0.05). In the ROS assay, PEITC promoted oxidative stress in hCSCs (p ≤ 0.001). Using immunoblotting and flow cytometry techniques, we reported that PEITC suppressed the cancer-associated transcription factor (Sp1) and a downstream multidrug resistance protein (P-glycoprotein) (both, p < 0.05). Furthermore, PEITC-treatment of hCSCs, prior to xenotransplantation in mice, lowered the in vivo tumor-initiating potential of hCSCs. In summary, PEITC treatment suppressed the proliferation of ALDH1 expressing cancer stem cells as well as key factors that are involved with drug-resistance, while promoting oxidative stress and apoptosis in hCSCs.
Agile Development in Practice: Lessons from the Trenches

ABSTRACTIn the twenty years since the agile approach to systems development was introduced, a wide range of organizations have adopted its principles. Despite numerous reports that highlight agile ...
Handbook of Item Response Theory: Volume one, Models

There are three volumes in the series on this topic: item response theory (IRT). What is IRT? Based on scores in a battery of questions in Psychometrics, IRT is a paradigm for designing, analyzing,...
Impact of in-house specialty pharmacy on access to novel androgen axis inhibitors in men with advanced prostate cancer

132Background: Novel androgen axis inhibitors are standard of care treatments in advanced prostate cancer. The billed amounts for these medications are often very high, which may create significant...
Vaginal cuff dehiscence following controlled ovarian stimulation recognized during egg retrieval.

Vaginal cuff dehiscence is a rare complication of hysterectomy. Those who choose to undergo controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and oocyte cryopreservation following hysterectomy must be aware that elevated abdominal pressure from stimulation as well as transvaginal ultrasound use during monitoring may increase the risk of cuff dehiscence. We present a case of a 25-year-old patient who had undergone a hysterectomy four months prior for endometrial cancer who was found to have vaginal cuff dehiscence which was recognized at the time of egg retrieval after COS. Prompt recognition and appropriate management led to successful treatment. Patients presenting for oocyte cryopreservation following hysterectomy are at risk for cuff dehiscence. Providers should allow ample time for proper cuff healing prior to COS and oocyte cryopreservation.
Realizing the Dream of Molecularly Targeted Therapies for Cystic Fibrosis

The diary entry of an 8-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis indicates that Aug. 25, 1989, was an important day for her (
Extending international toxicity testing guidance to middle eastern test species.

Abstract The Arabian Gulf is a dynamic environment with unique habitats located in the Middle East. The inhabitants of this ecosystem have historically been understudied and a lack of reliable toxicity data exists to benchmark their sensitivities. Current international testing guidelines (i.e. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), International Standard Organization (ISO), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), etc.) do not reference relevant species for this region of the world. This research focuses on developing standard test conditions for relevant test organisms indigenous to the Middle East region while maintaining general agreement with international testing guidelines. A copepod, cyanobacteria and juvenile killifish were selected as local test organisms to perform acute exposures to 4 Aromatic Hydrocarbons (AHs) ranging in log KOW from 3.88–5.19, 1-methylnaphthalene, phenanthrene, biphenyl and octahydrophenanthrene. Acute test durations were 48, 72 and 96 h and generally followed ISO 14669, OECD 201 and 203 for the copepod, algae and killifish respectively. To deliver and maintain controlled exposure concentrations, a passive dosing (PD) format was employed. PD effectively maintained aqueous exposure concentration of the AHs tested over the test duration. Effects data were comparable to literature values for similar taxonomic groupings. Critical target lipid body burden's for test species used were calculated and found to be in agreement with those predicted by the Target Lipid Model.
Chapter 31 – Paleopathology

Paleopathology is the study of diseases in ancient organisms. The lives of hominid fossils, prehistoric people, and people from the recent past are better understood if evidence for health and disease derived from their remains is considered. Some diseases can be diagnosed from ancient skeletons and mummies. Others can be identified through ancient DNA techniques or through paleoparasitology. Bioarchaeology seeks to place evidence for health and disease in cultural, historical, ecological, and archaeological contexts. Osteobiography uses the techniques of paleopathology to describe the life experiences both of persons known from history and of the anonymous ancient dead. New technologies and new media promise to improve communication in this interdisciplinary field.
Why have nanotechnologies been underutilized in the global uprising against the coronavirus pandemic

Prior research on nanotechnologies in diagnostics, prevention and treatment of coronavirus infections is reviewed. Gold nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots in colorimetric and immunochromatographic assays, silica nanoparticles in the polymerase chain reaction and spike protein nanospheres as antigen carriers and adjuvants in vaccine formulations present notable examples in diagnostics and prevention, while uses of nanoparticles in coronavirus infection treatments have been merely sporadic. The current absence of antiviral therapeutics that specifically target human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, might be largely due to the underuse of nanotechnologies. Elucidating the interface between nanoparticles and coronaviruses is timely, but presents the only route to the rational design of precisely targeted therapeutics for coronavirus infections. Such a fundamental approach is also a viable prophylaxis against future pandemics of this type.