cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-latitude freeze and thaw states detection using satellite-based microwave land surface emissivity estimates

Freeze and thaw (FT) processes have profound impact on the terrestrial water cycle, net primary productivity, carbon cycle, surface energy budget and hence the global climate system. The available passive microwave based FT states data are basically developed from brightness temperatures, which themselves affected by atmospheric water vapor content. Since land surface emissivity estimates derived from passive microwave observations are free from atmospheric effects, the use of land emissivity in FT states detection is promising. The objective of this study is to estimate land surface emissivity from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 observations and to investigate its potential for high-latitude FT states detection. The instantaneous land surface emissivity is computed using an improved algorithm along with near-simultaneous ancillary data sets. The difference of estimated land emissivity between higher and lower frequency channels shows great potential for FT states detection.
Incarcerated Pediatric Hernias

Indirect inguinal hernias are the most commonly incarcerated hernias in children, with a higher incidence in low birth weight and premature infants. Contralateral groin exploration to evaluate for a patent processus vaginalis or subclinical hernia is controversial, given that most never progress to clinical hernias. Most indirect inguinal hernias can be reduced nonoperatively. It is recommended to repair them in a timely fashion, even in premature infants. Laparoscopic repair of incarcerated inguinal hernia repair is considered a safe and effective alternative to conventional open herniorrhaphy. Other incarcerated pediatric hernias are extremely rare and may be managed effectively with laparoscopy.
Somatic Security: Negotiating Appropriateness in Sexualized Interactions

This article analyzes how individuals use affect as a resource to negotiate judgments of appropriateness in situations where they or others feel sexualized. It draws from two years of participant observation at a sensual figure drawing session in an erotic arts club—where bodily exposure was heightened and social norms regarding sexualization were ambiguous—as well as in-depth interviews with the club’s artists, models, and owners. It argues that somatic security and somatic insecurity, individuals’ comfort or unease with how they perceive others to interact with their bodies through talk and bodily comportment, mediate sexualized interactions. Extending sociological studies of sexualization in interaction, it reveals that these affective states, which arise out of situational dynamics, form a foundation of comfort/unease toward others and assurance/shame with oneself. Individuals use these affective experiences to judge and justify future interactions as appropriate or inappropriate and develop relationships with others.
Quantitative assessment of neural outgrowth using spatial light interference microscopy

Optimal growth as well as branching of axons and dendrites is critical for the nervous system function. Neuritic length, arborization, and growth rate determine the innervation properties of neurons and define each cell’s computational capability. Thus, to investigate the nervous system function, we need to develop methods and instrumentation techniques capable of quantifying various aspects of neural network formation: neuron process extension, retraction, stability, and branching. During the last three decades, fluorescence microscopy has yielded enormous advances in our understanding of neurobiology. While fluorescent markers provide valuable specificity to imaging, photobleaching, and photoxicity often limit the duration of the investigation. Here, we used spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) to measure quantitatively neurite outgrowth as a function of cell confluence. Because it is label-free and nondestructive, SLIM allows for long-term investigation over many hours. We found that neurons exhibit a higher growth rate of neurite length in low-confluence versus medium- and high-confluence conditions. We believe this methodology will aid investigators in performing unbiased, nondestructive analysis of morphometric neuronal parameters.
Parents' views on sex education in schools: How much do Democrats and Republicans agree?

More than 93 percent of parents place high importance on sex education in both middle and high school. Sex education in middle and high school is widely supported by parents regardless of their political affiliation. Using data from a large diverse sample of 1,633 parents of children aged 9 to 21 years, we examined whether views on sex education differed by parents’ political affiliation. More than 89 percent of parents that identified as Republicans or Democrats support including a wide range of topics in sex education including puberty, healthy relationships, abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and birth control in high school. In middle school, 78 percent or more of both parents that identified as Republicans and Democrats support the inclusion of those topics. Controlling for key demographic factors, parents that identified as Democrats are more likely than those that identified as Republicans to support the inclusion of the topics of healthy relationships, birth control, STDs, and sexual orientation in both middle and high school. However, a strong majority of Republican parents want all these topics included in sex education. Sex education which includes a broad set of topics represents an area of strong agreement between parents of both political parties.
The Pet Food Industry: An innovative Distribution Channel for Marketing Feed Products from Welfare Friendly Production to Consumers?

This paper represents the starting point of the notion of launching an innovative pet food segment labelled “made from welfare friendly production (WFP)” to achieve an added value for slaughter by-products that accrue in the production of animal welfare meat and to allocate the additional costs of higher animal welfare standards to a broader range of products. Since the pet food market is characterized by a large premium segment and pet owners are generally believed to be interested in the welfare of animals, the idea seems promising at first sight, but there is a lack of reliable evidence. Thus, the main objective of this investigation was to determine the particular interest of pet owners in the welfare of farm animals. It aims to provide decision support whether further cost-intensive economic analyses on the size and the potential of the market for pet food made from WFP should be developed and conducted. Therefore, a comparison of pet owners’ and non–pet owners’ attitudes to the issue of animal welfare in livestock farming was conducted and revealed highly significant differences. Pet owners not only have a more critical attitude towards intensive livestock farming but are also very interested in animal welfare meat and show a significantly higher willingness-to-pay for welfare friendly meat products. On the basis of these findings, specific analyses of the market potential and the feasibility of pet food made from WFP meat are highly recommended.
Toward scalable monitoring on large-scale storage for software defined cyberinfrastructure

As research processes become yet more collaborative and increasingly data-oriented, new techniques are needed to efficiently manage and automate the crucial, yet tedious, aspects of the data life-cycle. Researchers now spend considerable time replicating, cataloging, sharing, analyzing, and purging large amounts of data, distributed over vast storage networks. Software Defined Cyberinfrastructure (SDCI) provides a solution to this problem by enhancing existing storage systems to enable the automated execution of actions based on the specification of high-level data management policies. Our SDCI implementation, called Ripple, relies on agents being deployed on storage resources to detect and act on data events. However, current monitoring technologies, such as inotify, are not generally available on large or parallel file systems, such as Lustre. We describe here an approach for scalable, lightweight, event detection on large (multi-petabyte) Lustre file systems. Together, Ripple and the Lustre monitor enable new types of lifecycle automation across both personal devices and leadership computing platforms.
Conversion from Filgrastim to Tbo-filgrastim: Experience of a Large Health Care System

BACKGROUND: In 2008, tbo-filgrastim was approved as a biosimilar in Europe and then approved in the United States by the FDA in 2012 as a biologic product with 1 similar indication to filgrastim. Because tbo-filgrastim was less expensive than filgrastim, and clinical information and expert opinion supported similarity, the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee of a large health care system approved tbo-filgrastim as the preferred granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) product in March 2014. OBJECTIVES: To (a) assess the use of filgrastim and tbo-filgrastim products by comparing baseline characteristics, setting of care, indication for use, and payer type and (b) understand potential barriers of conversion to tbo-filgrastim. METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of filgrastim and tbo-filgrastim use was conducted on all patients (N = 204) who received the drugs between July 2015 and December 2015 at the 2 largest hospitals in the health system. Baseline characteristics, indication requiring use of filgrast...
SUMOylation Promotes Nuclear Import and Stabilization of Polo-like Kinase 1 to Support Its Mitotic Function

Summary As a pivotal mitotic regulator, polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is under highly coordinated and multi-layered regulation. However, the pathways that control PLK1's activity and function have just begun to be elucidated. PLK1 has recently been shown to be functionally modulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs), including phosphorylation and ubiquitination. Herein, we report that SUMOylation plays an essential role in regulating PLK1's mitotic function. We found that Ubc9 was recruited to PLK1 upon initial phosphorylation and activation by CDK1/cyclin B. By in vivo and in vitro SUMOylation assays, PLK1 was identified as a physiologically relevant small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-targeted protein, preferentially modified by SUMO-1. We further showed that K492 on PLK1 is essential for SUMOylation. SUMOylation causes PLK1's nuclear import and significantly increases its protein stability, both of which are critical for normal mitotic progression and genomic integrity. Our findings suggest that SUMOylation is an important regulatory mechanism governing PLK1's mitotic function.
Effect of phosphatidylserine on the shape of McLeod red cell acanthocytes

The rare McLeod blood group phenotype is characterized by weak Kell antigens, lack of the common Kx antigen, and acanthocytic morphology. Previous studies that did not detect membrane or cytoskeletal protein abnormalities suggested a lipid disturbance. In normal red cells, dimyristoyl phosphatidylserine (DMPS) is transported across the membrane by an enzymatic process and accumulates in the inner leaflet of the membrane bilayer causing discocyte to stomatocyte shape changes. Scanning electron microscopy of McLeod red cells shows a mixture comprised of 15% discocytes, 51% with irregular surfaces, and 34% acanthocytes. On incubation with various concentrations of DMPS at 37 degrees C for periods up to two hours, McLeod red cells transported DMPS across the membrane and caused irregularly shaped and acanthocytic McLeod red cells to attain normal discocyte shape and later to become stomatocytes. Chlorpromazine, which at 0 degrees C preferentially partitions into the inner monolayer of the membrane, had a similar effect on the shape of McLeod red cells. This suggests that in McLeod cells acanthocytosis is due to a lack of lipid in the inner leaflet of the membrane bilayer but that the imbalance is not caused by defective transport of phosphatidylserine across the membrane.
Circadian-effective light and its impact on alertness in office workers:

A field study was conducted at two U.S. federal government office sites and two U.S. embassies to demonstrate whether circadian-effective lighting (providing circadian stimulus (CS) values of CS ≥ ...
Performance as place preservation: The role of storytelling in the formation of Shankleville Community's Black counterpublics

From 1870 to 1920, previously enslaved Texans founded more than 540 ‘freedom colonies.’ Since then, descendants left behind seemingly intangible Black geographies where evidence of their placemakin...
Prostate Artery Embolization: Current Status 2018

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a promising new treatment option for men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Our goal is to review the data on PAE with regard to outcomes, risks versus benefits, and safety. Current data suggests that PAE is safe and effective for men with symptomatic BPH. The two most robust randomized controlled trials comparing PAE with TURP both found comparable short-term results with regard to improvements in symptoms. However, the side effects of PAE were higher than those of TURP. There remain ongoing randomized controlled trials comparing the two modalities of treatment. Though the largest randomized controlled trials comparing these two modalities of treatment of BPH are still underway, current data suggest PAE may be a promising, safe, and effective treatment option for men with symptomatic BPH. Additionally, PAE can be safely performed on larger prostates of any size and is generally performed via a single, femoral artery puncture under local anesthesia. Therefore, it is particularly appealing for patients with prostate glands > 80 g and who are poor candidates for general anesthesia.
Cigarette Smoke : Cancer Risk at Low Doses

The regulation of exposure to low-dose carcinogens is beset with difficulties and uncertainties. Ethical considerations rule out the use of human experiments to determine risk from low dose carcinogens. Even if animal experiments are used, a number of animals would be required to test for carcinogens at low doses. Nevertheless, safe levels of human exposure must be set. Thus, methods based on extrapolation from animal experiments with a relatively small number of animals exposed to high dosages of potential carcinogens are being adopted as the basis for regulating human exposure to low dosages of carcinogens [1]. Since it has been impossible to determine a dosage level at which there is no cancer hazard, an alternate “virtually safe” dose method has become common. The virtually safe dose is a dose at which the cancer risk is no greater than some very small risk, say, a one-in 105, 106, or 108 chance of developing cancer in a lifetime. For example, an action level of 100 μg/liter for total trihalomethanes in drinking water has been proposed by the EPA as prudent for these animal carcinogens [2]: the risk of cancer resulting from low-dose x-ray exposure has been determined in this way and used to establish acceptable x-ray dosage levels for mammography screening [3].
Electricity Sector Adaptation to Heat Waves

Electricity is very important for human settlements and a key accelerator for development and prosperity. As heat waves become more frequent and intense the reliability and efficiency of the electricity systems is threatened. Increased temperatures have adverse effects on electricity generation, transmission, distribution and demand. The high temperatures cause intentional or unintentional brownouts and blackouts, which come at high costs for people and economies. The case studies in this analysis highlight the importance of heat wave impacts to the electricity sector and the need for adaptation. The electricity sector requires a holistic approach for adaptation that comprises technological, behavioral and institutional approaches. All actors, governments, electricity companies and individuals need to collaborate in order to secure electricity supply in future heat waves.
APPROACHES TO IMPROVED THERAPEUTIC SELECTIVITY WITH METHOTREXATE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses approaches to improved therapeutic selectivity with methotrexate. Early studies demonstrated that the effects of methotrexate (MTX) were related to an interference of folate metabolism. This mode of inhibition was termed stoichiometric that implied that at concentrations of inhibitor inadequate to cause complete inhibition of enzyme, almost all of the MTX was enzyme bound. The results led to the conclusion that essentially no folate or dihydrofolate reductase activity would be present in cells that contained free MTX; a conclusion that current concepts indicate must be modified. A clinical trial has been initiated to evaluate the therapeutic utility of the combination of MTX-thymidine-CF infused concurrently. As the concepts involved in this combination are based on steady-state considerations rather than rescue or timing phenomena, long-term infusion of high-dose MTX will be evaluated. The lack of substantial clinical toxicity following a fairly long exposure to high-dose MTX may allow this S-phase specific agent to be of therapeutic utility against the more slow-growing solid tumors.
Observation of Human Fetal Breathing Movements Using a Real Time B-Scan Method

The presence of fetal breathing movements (FBM) as a normal component of intrauterine life has been confirmed by direct tracheal pressure recording in chronic animal models, including lambs and fetal monkeys. The incidence and character of FBM in the animal fetus appear to be sensitive indices of fetal health. Fetal breathing movements occur infrequently, if at all, in circumstances known to be harmful to fetal health (hypoxemia, acidemia) and are significantly reduced in circumstances suspected to be harmful (hypoglycemia, fetal infection). Human fetal breathing movements have been recorded using direct pressure sensitive devices placed on the maternal abdomen (tocodynanometer) and using ultrasound techniques (gated A-scan mode, T/M mode). Whereas these methods are helpful in determining the incidence and frequency of FBM, they provide little information on the character of the movements. The advent of real time B-scan techniques enables detailed analysis of human FBM. This study is designed to evaluate FBM serially in high-risk pregnancies to determine their incidence and character and the relationship, if any, between human FBM and fetal condition.
Selenoproteins in Cardiovascular Redox Pathology

Redox-active selenoproteins, such as the mammalian glutathione peroxidases and thioredoxin reductases, are essential components of anti-oxidant defence systems that limit the damaging accumulation of oxidants and maintain the pool of reduced cellular thiols. Accumulating evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies indicates that these key redox-active proteins are essential to the cardiovascular system: their deficiencies are detrimental for cardiovascular health and their excess can be beneficial in protecting against cardiovascular injury and the development of atherogenesis. In this chapter, we will highlight the role of selenoproteins in cardiovascular development, vascular and cardiac function, thrombosis, and atherogenesis.
Toward supporting hypothesis formation and testing in an interpretive domain

The research field of AI & Education has long been interested in cognitive processes in which students formulate and test hypotheses by considering them in light of specific cases. However, few if any of the systems that have been built target domains which are ill-structured and in which determining whether a hypothesized rule and proposed outcome are consistent with past decisions is a matter of interpretation, rather than deductive inference. The goals of our project are to (1) develop an AI model of hypothesis formation and testing in an interpretive domain, US Supreme Court oral arguments and (2) to use it in an intelligent tutoring system to guide law students in learning that process. As a first step toward these goals we will conduct an experiment to evaluate whether self-explanation prompts facilitate learning by studying argument transcripts.
Selective IgA deficiency in blood donors

The frequency of selective IgA deficiency was determined in a healthy population of 6,240 blood donors. Screening for IgA deficiency was performed by double-diffusion analysis in agarose gel. Confirmation testing was performed with the more sensitive passive hemagglutination inhibition assay. Prevalence of IgA deficiency, characterized by a serum level of below 50 mg/L, was 0.30% (1 in 328), which is the highest prevalence of selective IgA deficiency reported in a healthy population. Antibodies to IgA were detected in sera of 36.8% of the blood donors with selective IgA deficiency, which also is the highest prevalence of anti-IgA antibodies reported in any previous study. The literature on IgA deficiency in healthy populations is reviewed. Current concepts in treatment of IgA-deficient patients requiring blood products are described.
Center Variation in Medicare Spending for Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Implant Hospitalizations.

Importance Hospitalizations for durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implants are expensive and increasingly common. Insights into center-level variation in Medicare spending for these hospitalizations are needed to inform value improvement efforts. Objective To examine center-level variation in Medicare spending for durable LVAD implant hospitalizations and its association with clinical outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of linked Medicare administrative claims and Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) clinical data comprising 106 centers in the United States providing durable LVAD implant. Centers were grouped into quartiles based on the mean price-standardized Medicare spending of their patients. The study included Medicare beneficiaries receiving primary durable LVAD implant between January 2008 and December 2014. Data were analyzed between November 2017 and October 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Price-standardized Medicare payments and clinical outcomes. Overall and component (facility diagnosis-related group payments, outlier payments, physician services) payments and clinical outcomes (postimplant length of stay and adverse events) were compared across payment quartiles. Results The study sample included 4442 hospitalized patients, with mean (SD) age of 63.0 (10.8) years, 18.7% female, 27.2% nonwhite, and 6.1% Hispanic ethnicity. Among 4442 hospitalizations, the mean (SD) price-standardized Medicare payment was $176 825 ($60 286) and ranged from $122 953 to $271 472 across 106 centers. The difference in price-standardized payments between lowest and highest spending quartiles was $55 446 ($152 714 vs $208 160; 36%;P Conclusions and Relevance Medicare payments for durable LVAD implant hospitalizations vary widely across centers; this was not well explained by prices or case mix. While associated with longer postimplant length of stay, increased spending was not associated with adverse events. As the supply and demand for durable LVAD therapy continues to rise, identifying opportunities to reduce variation in spending from both explained and unexplained sources will ensure high-value use.
Colonization, Baker's law, and the evolution of gynodioecy in Hawaii: implications from a study of Lycium carolinianum.

Premise As Baker's law suggests, the successful colonization of oceanic islands is often associated with uniparental reproduction (self-fertility), but the high incidence of dimorphism (dioecy, gynodioecy) on islands complicates this idea. Lycium carolinianum is widespread, occurring on the North American mainland and the Hawaiian Islands. We examined Baker's ideas for mainland and island populations of L. carolinianum and examined inbreeding depression as a possible contributor to the evolution of gynodioecy on Maui. Methods Controlled crosses were conducted in two mainland populations and two populations in Hawaii. Treatments included self and cross pollination, unmanipulated controls, and autogamy/agamospermy. Alleles from the self-incompatibility S-RNase gene were isolated and compared between mainland and island populations. Given self-compatibility in Hawaii, we germinated seeds from self- and cross- treatments and estimated inbreeding depression using seven traits and a measure of cumulative fitness. Results Mainland populations of Lycium carolinianum are predominately self-incompatible with some polymorphism for self-fertility, whereas Hawaiian populations are self-compatible. Concordantly, S-RNase allelic diversity is reduced in Hawaii compared to the mainland. Hawaiian populations also exhibit significant inbreeding depression. Conclusions Self-compatibility in Hawaii and individual variation in self-fertility in mainland populations suggests that a colonization filter promoting uniparental reproduction may be acting in this system. Comparison of S-RNase variation suggests a collapse of allelic diversity and heterozygosity at the S-RNase locus in Hawaii, which likely contributed to mate limitation upon arrival to the Pacific. Inbreeding depression coupled with autonomous self-fertilization may have led to the evolution of gynodioecy on Maui.
A field evaluation of the growth and survival of age-0 Oncorhynchus mykiss tagged with 8-mm passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags

In fish tagging studies, tag size limits the size of fish that can be tagged, the fraction of a population that can be represented, and ultimately inferences that can be made about the study population, particularly when juvenile fish are the subject of interest. Introduction of an 8-mm passive integrated transponder (PIT) reduced the minimum taggable size of fish, but it has not been evaluated in field trials. We evaluated the growth and survival of age-0 Oncorhynchus mykiss tagged with 8-mm PIT tags in four streams in southwest Washington, USA. A total of 351 PIT tagged fish and 340 control fish (marked with pelvic fin clips) were released, but recapture rates were low, particularly for control fish. Growth in length and mass did not differ between small (42–54 mm) and large (55–64 mm) PIT tagged fish. There was a slightly positive, but weak, relation between tag burden and growth in mass; however, there was considerable variability in this relation (R2 = 0.115). Summer to autumn joint probability of fish surviving and remaining in the study area estimated with a Bayesian mark-recapture model ranged from 0.228 to 0.478 in study streams. We found no significant relation between tag burden and survival, suggesting neither tag burden nor fish size at tagging affected survival. Although this study was limited in scope, it provided insight into how age-0 O. mykiss tagged with 8-mm PIT tags grew and survived under natural conditions. We showed that fish as small as 42 mm could be tagged without detrimental effects, which should allow researchers to represent a larger portion of study populations through PIT tagging.
Spatially Periodic Activation Patterns of Retrosplenial Cortex Encode Route Sub-spaces and Distance Traveled.

Traversal of a complicated route is often facilitated by considering it as a set of related sub-spaces. Such compartmentalization processes could occur within retrosplenial cortex, a structure whose neurons simultaneously encode position within routes and other spatial coordinate systems. Here, retrosplenial cortex neurons were recorded as rats traversed a track having recurrent structure at multiple scales. Consistent with a major role in compartmentalization of complex routes, individual retrosplenial cortex (RSC) neurons exhibited periodic activation patterns that repeated across route segments having the same shape. Concurrently, a larger population of RSC neurons exhibited single-cycle periodicity over the full route, effectively defining a framework for encoding of sub-route positions relative to the whole. The same population simultaneously provides a novel metric for distance from each route position to all others. Together, the findings implicate retrosplenial cortex in the extraction of path sub-spaces, the encoding of their spatial relationships to each other, and path integration.
Monitoring of a machining process using kernel principal component analysis and kernel density estimation

Tool wear is one of the consequences of a machining process. Excessive tool wear can lead to poor surface finish, and result in a defective product. It can also lead to premature tool failure, and may result in process downtime and damaged components. With this in mind, it has long been desired to monitor tool wear/tool condition. Kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) is proposed as an effective and efficient method for monitoring the tool condition in a machining process. The KPCA-based method may be used to identify faults (abnormalities) in a process through the fusion of multi-sensor signals. The method employs a control chart monitoring approach that uses Hotelling’s T2-statistic and Q-statistic to identify the faults in conjunction with control limits, which are computed by kernel density estimation (KDE). KDE is a non-parametric technique to approximate a probability density function. Four performance metrics, abnormality detection rate, false detection rate, detection delay, and prediction accuracy, are employed to test the reliability of the monitoring system and are used to compare the KPCA-based method with PCA-based method. Application of the proposed monitoring system to experimental data shows that the KPCA based method can effectively monitor the tool wear.
Electrical Stimulation Therapies for Active Duty Military with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Trial

Introduction Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common musculoskeletal disorder among military service members that causes knee pain, quadriceps strength loss, and impaired motor performance in otherwise healthy individuals. PFPS poses a threat to the health, fitness, and subsequent readiness of the total force. The goal of rehabilitation for military service members with PFPS is to regain physical capacity of strength and function and to reduce pain, in order to restore readiness in this population. The randomized controlled trial reported here compared an active home exercise program (HEP) alone with three different electrical stimulation treatment regimens implemented concurrently with HEP postulated improvements in lower extremity strength and physical functional performance while also reducing pain in active duty military diagnosed with PFPS. Materials and methods After baseline testing, 130 active duty military members with PFPS were randomized to 1 of 4 treatment groups: (1) neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) with HEP; (2) transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with HEP; (3) combined NMES/TENS with HEP; (4) active HEP only. The primary outcome measure was degree of change in knee flexion and extension strength over 9 weeks. Secondary outcomes were physical functional performance and knee pain. The primary analyses used repeated measures, linear mixed-effects models with a random effect for subject, time as a continuous variable, group as a categorical variable, and a group and time interaction to test for differences in change over time among the groups. Results All three electrical stimulation treatment groups improved in knee extension strength in the PFPS limb to a greater extent than the HEP alone group over the 9-week treatment period. The NMES and NMES/TENS groups improved to a greater extent than the HEP alone group in knee flexion strength in the PFPS limb. The reported pain improved over time for all treatment groups with no significant group differences. All three stimulation groups performed better on the 6-min walk test than the HEP alone group. Conclusion The findings from this study showed that all three electrical stimulation with HEP treatment groups showed greater improvement in strength compared to the HEP alone group. These findings could offer alternative forms of rehabilitation for AD military with PFPS as these treatment regimens can be easily implemented at home station or during deployment.
Pulsed Laser Deposition 1

This chapter examines homoepitaxial β-Ga2O3 thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The recent availability of high-quality native substrates affords investigations using a wide range of growth conditions to achieve single crystalline films by pulsed laser deposition. Deposition parameter optimization and structural, electrical and chemical film characterization are presented for undoped and impurity-doped films. Films grown on commercially available (010) Fe compensation-doped substrates fabricated by the edge-defined film-fed growth technique and a developing Czochralski method are examined. Hall effect results from PLD Si-doped β-Ga2O3 films are compared with data produced from other vapor phase epitaxial growth techniques. The influence of substrate orientation on film properties is also studied with (010) and (001) crystals. Implementation of a PLD n+ regrowth layer in a transistor device is demonstrated to achieve low ohmic contact resistance. Results from β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 film studies show the potential utility of heterostructures for field-effect transistor 2DEG formation.
11 – PRESENTING DATA

Publisher Summary This chapter describes how to present data so that the audience is able to understand it effectively, with ease. Often tables, graphs, maps, photographs, flow charts, or other figures or illustrations can communicate more clearly than the text. Some readers may need a simple table or figure and more verbal explanation, and they may not understand linear regressions or logarithmic scales; others may be skeptical of the writer's credibility if he or she does not use these forms. Tables are excellent for presenting specific data and making exact comparisons between data points. Bar charts are not numerically specific as tables, but can make more dramatic comparisons. Pie charts can be a clear, simple way for showing parts of a whole or percentages. Line graphs are designed to demonstrate movement, change, and trends, especially over time or concentrations. Variations in tables, pie or bar charts, and line graphs give a wide range of choices. The readers may interpret data according to conventions they are familiar with, or by their visual perception of what appears most important.
Exploration of Sensory and Spinal Neurons Expressing GRP in Itch and Pain

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is a putative itch-specific neurotransmitter, but definite evidence in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal cord is lacking. We generated and validated a Grp-Cre knock-in (GrpCre-KI) mouse line whereby Grp neurons are genetically labeled. Cre-dependent marking analysis revealed exclusive innervation of the upper epidermis of the skin by GRP fibers. Importantly, optical stimulation of Grp fibers expressing channel rhodopsin (ChR2) in the skin evoked itch but not pain-related scratching behaviors, while conditional deletion of Grp in sensory neurons attenuated non-histaminergic itch. In contrast, intersectional genetic ablation of spinal Grp neurons did not affect itch nor pain transmission. Our study demonstrates a role of GRP in sensory neurons in itch and suggests that GRP sensory neurons are dedicated to itch transmission. GrpCre-KI mice provide a long-sought avenue for investigating peripheral coding mechanism of itch and further interrogation of itch-nerve fibers in the skin under chronic pruritus.
Something More Than Words: A Review of (Re-)Defining Racism: A Philosophical Analysis, Alberto G. Urquidez

Drawing on the later work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Alberto G. Urquidez works to free the fly (i.e. race/racism) from the metaphorical bottle by shifting the terms of the debate away from attempts at describing a thing that is not real and toward a normative or prescriptive approach to racism, rather than race, that emphasizes how the concept ought to be defined, as well as deployed, for anti-racist ends. Urquidez refers to this normative pragmatic approach as ‘conventionalism’ and the overarching structure of (Re-)Defining Racism: A Philosophical Analysis thus describes this position and then emphasizes its normative force. Here, I unpack Urquidez’s dual critique while also emphasizing my anxieties about a linguistic approach to race or racism, which might be framed as a variation of the is/ought problem insofar as it remains unclear to me how Alberto’s framework accounts for the transition from descriptive critique to normative anti-racist action.
Radiometric Normalization of Multitemporal Landsat and Sentinel-2 Images Using a Reference MODIS Product Through Spatiotemporal Filtering

Radiometric normalization is an essential preprocessing step for almost all remote sensing applications such as change detection, image mosaic, and 3-D reconstruction. This article proposes a novel radiometric normalizing method based on spatiotemporal filtering using a reference moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) product. This differs from traditional relative radiometric normalization (RRN) methods in two folds: first, the number of reference images is more than one, which introduces more complexities than RRN with a single reference image; second, the resolution of MODIS product is significantly lower, thus requiring the algorithms to accommodate scale differences. To address, our approach extends the traditional spatiotemporal filtering method with per image bias that represents both internal (e.g., sensor characteristics) and external (e.g., atmosphere and topography) against the reference data. In addition, we use the Kullback-Leibler divergence metric to statistically determine the resemblance degree between the temporal images for weighting. We applied our proposed method to normalize Landsat Operational Land Imager, Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus +, and Sentinel MSI using MODIS Nadir BRDF-adjusted reflectance product, covering two study areas of 30 × 15 km2 and 32 × 52 km2, respectively, and we show a notable radiometric consistency over both temporal and spatial dimension after the processing through three comparative experiments with state-of-the-art methods. 1) 3–7% improvement in the contexts of transfer learning, which favors only images with consistent radiometric properties and 2) Mosaic results using our processed images show no apparent seamlines as compared with images processed by other methods.
Self-Care Needs and Technology Preferences Among Parents in Marginalized Communities: Participatory Design Study.

Background: Ten million parents provide unpaid care to children living with chronic conditions, such as asthma, and a high percentage of these parents are in marginalized communities, including racial and ethnic minority and low-income families. There is an urgent need to develop technology-enabled tailored solutions to support the self-care needs of these parents. Objective: This study aimed to use a participatory design approach to describe and compare Latino and non-Latino parents’ current self-care practices, needs, and technology preferences when caring for children with asthma in marginalized communities. Methods: The participatory design approach was used to actively engage intended users in the design process and empower them to identify needs and generate design ideas to meet those needs. Results: Thirteen stakeholders participated in three design sessions. We described Latino and non-Latino parents’ similarities in self-care practices and cultural-specific preferences. When coming up with ideas of technologies for self-care, non-Latino parents focused on improving caregiving stress through journaling, daily affirmations, and tracking feelings, while Latino parents focused more on relaxation and entertainment. Conclusions: Considerations need to be taken beyond language differences when developing technology-enabled interventions for diverse populations. The community partnership approach strengthened the study’s inclusive design.
Semi-supervised identification of SARS-CoV-2 molecular targets

SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing efforts have scaled dramatically to address the current global pandemic and aid public health. In this work, we analyzed a corpus of 66,000 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences. We developed a novel semi-supervised pipeline for automated gene, protein, and functional domain annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genomes that differentiates itself by not relying on use of a single reference genome and by overcoming atypical genome traits. Using this method, we identified the comprehensive set of known proteins with 98.5% set membership accuracy and 99.1% accuracy in length prediction compared to proteome references including Replicase polyprotein 1ab (with its transcriptional slippage site). Compared to other published tools such as Prokka (base) and VAPiD, we yielded an 6.4- and 1.8-fold increase in protein annotations. Our method generated 13,000,000 molecular target sequences-- some conserved across time and geography while others represent emerging variants. We observed 3,362 non-redundant sequences per protein on average within this corpus and describe key D614G and N501Y variants spatiotemporally. For spike glycoprotein domains, we achieved greater than 97.9% sequence identity to references and characterized Receptor Binding Domain variants. Here, we comprehensively present the molecular targets to refine biomedical interventions for SARS-CoV-2 with a scalable high-accuracy method to analyze newly sequenced infections.
Regional anesthesia does not decrease inpatient or outpatient opioid demand in femoral shaft fracture surgery.

Abstract Introduction Regional anesthesia (RA) may be used in femoral shaft fracture surgery to decrease pain and opioid consumption. However, the impact of RA on inpatient and outpatient opioid demand in patients undergoing femoral shaft fracture surgery is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of RA on inpatient opioid consumption and outpatient opioid demand in patients undergoing femoral shaft fracture surgery. Methods Inpatient opioid consumption and outpatient opioid demand in all patients undergoing femoral shaft fracture surgery was recorded at a single, Level I trauma center from 7/2013 – 7/2018 (n=436). In addition to RA, baseline and treatment factors including age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), smoking, chronic opioid use, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, injury mechanism, additional injuries, open injury, and additional inpatient surgery were recorded. Unadjusted and adjusted multivariable models were used to evaluate the impact of RA on inpatient opioid consumption and outpatient opioid demand. Results Adjusted models demonstrated increases in inpatient opioid consumption in patients with RA (6.9 estimated OE's without RA vs 8.8 OE's with RA from 48-72 hours post-op, p 0.05). Estimated cumulative outpatient opioid demand did not differ significantly in patients with RA (82.3 OE's without RA vs 94.8 with RA from discharge to two-weeks, 105.4 vs 116.3 OE's to 6-weeks, and 124.5 vs 137.9 OE's to 90-days, all p>0.05). Late opioid refills were significantly more common in patients with RA (1.57 odds at 2-weeks to 6-weeks, 1.69 odds at 6-weeks to 90-days, p Discussion In femoral shaft fracture surgery, RA was not associated with decreased opioid demand after adjusting for baseline patient and treatment characteristics. These results provide a real-world estimate of the impact of RA on opioid demand in femoral shaft fracture surgery and encourage providers to seek alternative analgesic modalities. Level of evidence Level III, retrospective, therapeutic cohort study
Hybrid Flexible Instruction: Exploring Faculty Preparedness

The aim of this investigation was to survey faculty members on their perceived level of preparedness to design and implement hybrid flexible (HyFlex) instruction. Participants included 121 full- and part-time faculty. Using an electronic survey, faculty members: a) rated their preparedness to engage on different HyFlex instruction competencies, b) shared which pedagogical strategies they felt prepared to use in this instructional modality, and c) listed the resources and support that they felt were needed to successfully implement their course. The results indicated that faculty members felt prepared to successfully engage in competencies related to HyFlex instruction that were significantly similar to competencies required for in-person instruction. However, they admitted to feeling less prepared to manage the intricacies that are unique to the HyFlex modality. Also, instructors believe a variety of pedagogical strategies can be integrated into HyFlex instruction; however, for those unfamiliar with this instructional modality, significant support and resources are needed before designing and implementing a course.
A Socio-Ecological Approach to Activity Games for Girls

Most American girls are not meeting physical activity guidelines, placing them at risk for adverse health consequences. In response, our team developed Frolic, an evidence-based mobile application to address this problem through play. Frolic uses a socio-ecological framework and behavioral design principles to address barriers and social norms that are specific to girls. Parents are leveraged as important sources of support and motivation, with key design elements to help girls initiate play, adapt to the space, and play independently. The current paper contributes design principles for creating socio-ecological activity games for girls. In addition, we contribute the design of Frolic itself, a game constructed according to these guidelines, and outline future intervention studies with the app itself. Finally, we provide the perspectives of professional game designers and health experts on our work and interpretative insights for game designers and researchers who hope to work in this space.
Knowledge Management: A Practical Guide for Librarians

Bartlett’s Knowledge management exhibits a strong understanding on the topic and is written with a keen ability to convey the topic to a general audience. This makes it a great start for those want...
Distributed Representations of Ambiguous Words and Their Resolution in a Connectionist Network

Publisher Summary This chapter shows how a distributed representation of ambiguous words captures the effects of frequency and contextual biases quite naturally. Moreover, the flexibility of this type of representation allows both polysemy and ambiguity to be treated identically, and suggests how neologisms can be handled. Although the use of distributed representations in psychology is not very widespread, these ideas are continually explored because of the demonstrations of their utility in a variety of different domains. The chapter also explores the effects following the resolution of the ambiguity. When asked, people are able to generate more than one meaning of an ambiguous word. The alternative meaning of an ambiguous word can be accessed by habituating the connections. Consistent with empirical findings, access of the alternative meaning is more likely when the subordinate meaning is given initially.
Studies on the Nature of the Inhibition by Gossypol of the Transformation of Pepsinogen to Pepsin

Abstract Pepsinogen reacts with gossypol to form gossypolpepsinogen, a zymogen which cannot be activated to pepsin. This modified protein was digested with Nagarse followed by partial acid hydrolysis with 0.03 n HCl at 110° for 40 hours. The gossypol-containing portion of the molecule was isolated and purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G-15 and LH-20 columns and countercurrent distribution by means of a 1-butanol, pyridine, and acetic acid system. The material thus purified was found to be a decapeptide originating from the NH2-terminal portion of the protein and a heptapeptide obtained from the COOH terminus. The two peptides were cross-linked by gossypol through the e-NH2 groups of Lys18 and Lys358. As indicated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, it is apparent that intra- as well as intermolecular cross-linkages may occur. Furthermore, the optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism differ from those of pepsinogen.