cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimally invasive comprehensive surgical staging for endometrial cancer: Robotics or laparoscopy?

Abstract Objective To compare outcomes between robotic versus laparoscopic hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy in patients with endometrial cancer. Methods A cohort study was performed by prospectively identifying all patients with clinical stage I or occult stage II endometrial cancer who underwent robotic hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy from 2006–2008 and retrospectively comparing data using the same surgeons' laparoscopic hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy cases from 1998–2005, prior to our robotic experience. Patient demographics, operative times, complications, conversion rates, pathologic results, and length of stay were analyzed. Results 181 patients (105 robotic and 76 laparoscopic) met inclusion criteria. There was no significant difference between the two groups in median age, uterine weight, bilateral pelvic or aortic lymph node counts, or complication rates in patients whose surgeries were completed minimally invasively. Despite a higher BMI (34 vs. 29, P P P =0.002), laparotomy conversion rate (12% vs. 26%, RR 0.47, 95%CI 0.25–0.89, P =0.017), and length of stay (median: 1 vs. 2 nights, P P =0.002). The mean skin to skin time (242 vs. 287 min, P P Conclusion Robotic hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy for endometrial carcinoma can be accomplished in heavier patients and results in shorter operating times and hospital length of stay, a lower transfusion rate, and less frequent conversion to laparotomy when compared to laparoscopic hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy.
Match–Mismatch Regulation for Bluegill and Yellow Perch Larvae and Their Prey in Sandhill Lakes

Abstract Food availability may regulate fish recruitment, both directly and indirectly. The availability of zooplankton, especially to newly hatched larvae, is thought to be crucial to their early ...
Differential impact of mouse Rad9 deletion on ionizing radiation-induced bystander effects.

Abstract Zhu, A., Zhou, H., Leloup, C., Marino, S. A., Geard, C. R., Hei, T. K. and Lieberman, H. B. Differential Impact of Mouse Rad9 Deletion on Ionizing Radiation-Induced Bystander Effects. Radiat. Res. 164, 655–661 (2005). The cellular response to ionizing radiation is not limited to cells irradiated directly but can be demonstrated in neighboring “bystander” populations. The ability of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to express a bystander effect and the role of the radioresistance gene Rad9 were tested. Mouse ES cells differing in Rad9 status were exposed to broad-beam 125 keV/ μm 3He α particles. All populations, when confluent, demonstrated a dose-independent bystander effect with respect to cell killing, and the Rad9−/− genotype did not selectively alter that response or cell killing after direct exposure to this high-LET radiation. In contrast, relative to Rad9+/+ cells, the homozygous mutant was sensitive to direct exposure to α particles when in log phase, providing evidence of a role for Rad9...
Neuroscience, Early Childhood Education and Play: We are Doing it Right!

This editorial examines neuroscience and its impact on the field of education. Starting with a narrative between two young children, the author intertwines research with basic principles of learning, using the inter- action between two 4-year-olds to illustrate the precepts. The four principles are: (1) the brain is uniquely organized; (2) the brain is continually growing; (3) a ''brain-compat- ible'' classroom enables connection of learning to positive emotions; and (4) children's brains need to be immersed in real-life, hands-on, and meaningful learning experiences. The editorial concludes with an illustration of how the brain works while two children are playing at the small animal center in their classroom.
Resolution, sensitivity and precision with autoradiography and small animal positron emission tomography: implications for functional brain imaging in animal research

Quantitative autoradiographic methods for in vivo measurement of regional rates of cerebral blood flow, glucose metabolism, and protein synthesis contribute significantly to our understanding of phsysiological and biochemical responses of the brain to changes in the environment. A disadvantage of these autoradiographic methods is that experimental animals can be studied only once. With the advent of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) and with increases in the sensitivity and spatial resolution of scanners it is now possible to use adaptations of these methods in experimental animals with PET. These developments allow repeated studies of the same animal, including studies of the same animal under different conditions, and longitudinal studies. In this review we summarize the tradeoffs between the use of autoradiography and small animal PET for functional brain imaging studies in animal research.
A ten year, multicentre study of coagulase negative staphylococcal infections in Australasian neonatal units

Objective: To study late onset systemic infections with coagulase negative staphylococci. Methods: Prospective longitudinal study of coagulase negative staphylococcal infection in 18 Australasian neonatal nurseries. Results: From 1991 to 2000 inclusive, there were 1281 cases of coagulase negative staphylococcal (CoNS) sepsis, comprising 57.1% of all late onset infections. The male/female ratio was 1.27:1 (p < 0.05). The incidence of CoNS sepsis was 3.46 episodes per 1000 live births. Most infected babies (71%) were 24–29 weeks gestation at birth (mode 26 weeks). The first positive culture was day 7–14 in 49% of babies (mode 10 days). Five cases of meningitis were reported, an incidence of 0.4% of all CoNS infections. Twenty nine babies (2.3%) had concurrent necrotising enterocolitis and CoNS septicaemia. Four babies (0.3%) died from CoNS infection, but CoNS infection possibly contributed to the death of an additional 20 babies (1.6%). The mortality directly attributable to CoNS infection was significantly lower than that from late onset infections with Staphylococcus aureus (13.1%; relative risk (RR) = 36.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 13.0 to 100.2) or with Gram negative bacilli (14.2%; RR = 45.5 (95% CI 16.8 to 123.3)). Conclusions: CoNS are currently responsible for most late onset neonatal infections. Most infected babies are < 30 weeks gestation at birth, and usually present between 7 and 14 days of age. CoNS infections may be associated with necrotising enterocolitis, although causality is unproven. Neonatal CoNS infections are relatively benign: meningitis is rare and mortality low compared with infection from other organisms. Over-vigorous attempts to reduce the incidence of CoNS infections using prophylactic antibiotics are not advisable.
Power-series corrections of tracing distortion

Recent experimental work at Telefunken-Decca in the correction of tracing error using harmonic generation is seen to find its justification in the well-known power-series expansions of that error. An exact expansion, in which the structure of the general term is evident, is newly derived in an apt form for mechanization. A process diagram is given.
COMPOUNDS CAUSING STERILITY IN ADULT HOUSE FLIES.

Of 173 compounds, administered in granulated sugar or in fly food, 27 caused sterility in adult house flies, Musca domestica L. P,P -Bis(1-aziridinyl)- N -ethylphosphinic amide induced sterility over the broadest range of concentrations (5.0 to 0.05% in fly food and 1.0 to 0.00025% in sugar).
Computer aided pattern recognition and 3-D reconstruction of carotid stenosis

An inexpensive computer system for signal analysis of ultrasonic Doppler data, pattern recognition, and three-dimensional reconstruction of ultrasonic B-mode images is described. The hardware architecture consists of an IBM PC/AT, a TMS 32025 co-processor, and a DMA interface. Display is output using standard EGA hardware. Test results are presented and discussed. >
Notions of efficiency and their reference sets

In this paper we compare various efficiency measures by investigating the sets that are termed efficient.
THE EVOLVING GLOBAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, SYNDROMIC CLASSIFICATION, MANAGEMENT, AND PREVENTION OF CATERPILLAR ENVENOMING

Caterpillars are the wormlike, larval forms of butterflies and moths of the insect order Lepidoptera. Next to flies, lepidopterans are the most abundant arthropods with more than 165,000 species worldwide, and with most species posing no human threats. However, caterpillar species from approximately 12 families of moths or butterflies worldwide can inflict serious human injuries ranging from urticarial dermatitis and atopic asthma to osteochondritis, consumption coagulopathy, renal failure, and intracerebral hemorrhage. Unlike bees and wasps, envenoming or stinging caterpillars do not possess stingers or modified ovipositors attached to venom glands, but instead bear highly specialized external nettling or urticating hairs and breakaway spines or setae to defend against attacks by predators and enemies. Since the 1970s, there have been increasing reports of mass dermatolgic, pulmonary, and systemic reactions following caterpillar encounters throughout the world.
Multilevel simulation tools for power converters

Various methods for simulating the large signal behavior of power converters are discussed. Multilevel simulation is the most efficient approach, combining the speed of behavioral circuit description with the accuracy of device models. Results for control optimization and converter loss reduction demonstrate this. Widespread use of the tools and the methodology discussed, however, depends on the availability of proper models for the various circuit components. The problem of accurate device modeling versus simulation speed is addressed, and an example of an efficient design analysis is shown. >
Characterization of bcsA Mutations That Bypass Two Distinct Signaling Requirements for Myxococcus xanthus Development

The BsgA protease is required for starvation-induced development in Myxococcus xanthus. Bypass suppressors of a bsgA mutant were isolated to identify genes that may encode additional components of BsgA protease-dependent regulation of development. Strain M951 was isolated following Tn5 mutagenesis of a bsgA mutant and was capable of forming fruiting bodies and viable spores in the absence of the BsgA protease. The Tn5Ω951 insertion was localized to a gene, bcsA, that encodes a protein that has significant amino acid similarity to a group of recently described flavin-containing monooxygenases involved in styrene catabolism. Mutations in bcsA bypassed the developmental requirements for both extracellular B and C signaling but did not bypass the requirement for A signaling. Bypass of the B-signaling requirement by the bcsA mutation was accompanied by restored expression of a subset of developmentally induced lacZ fusions to the BsgA protease-deficient strain. bcsA mutant cells developed considerably faster than wild-type cells at low cell density and altered transcriptional levels of a developmentally induced, cell-density-regulated gene (Ω4427), suggesting that the bcsA gene product may normally act to inhibit development in a cell-density-regulated fashion. Bypass of the requirements for both B and C signaling by bcsA mutations suggests a possible link between these two genetically, biochemically, and temporally distinct signaling requirements.
BAL1 and BBAP Are Regulated by a Gamma Interferon-Responsive Bidirectional Promoter and Are Overexpressed in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas with a Prominent Inflammatory Infiltrate

BAL1 is a transcription modulator that is overexpressed in chemoresistant, diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). BAL1 complexes with a recently described DELTEX family member termed BBAP. Herein, we characterized BAL1 and BBAP expression in primary DLBCL subtypes defined by their comprehensive transcriptional profiles. BAL1 and BBAP were most abundant in lymphomas with a brisk host inflammatory response, designated host response (HR) tumors. Although these DLBCLs include significant numbers of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and interdigitating dendritic cells, BAL1 and BBAP were expressed primarily by malignant B cells, prompting speculation that the genes might be induced by host-derived inflammatory mediators such as gamma interferon (IFN-γ). In fact, IFN-γ induced BAL1 and BBAP expression in DLBCL cell lines; doxycycline-induced BAL1 also increased the expression of multiple IFN-stimulated genes, directly implicating BAL1 in an IFN signaling pathway. We show that BAL1 and BBAP are located on chromosome 3q21 in a head-to-head orientation and are regulated by a IFN-γ-responsive bidirectional promoter. BBAP regulates the subcellular localization of BAL1 by a dynamic shuttling mechanism, highlighting the functional requirement for coordinated BBAP and BAL1 expression. IFN-γ-induced BAL1/BBAP expression contributes to the molecular signature of HR DLBCLs and highlights the interplay between the inflammatory infiltrate and malignant B cells in these tumors.
Effects of Furosemide on the Neuromuscular Junction

These studies investigated the direct effects of furosemide on neuromuscular transmission using the in vitro rat phrenic nerve diaphragm and the in vivo at soleus nerve muscle preparations. Furosemide (10(-6)-10(-4)m) reduced the concentration of d-tubocurarine required to achieve 50% twitch tension depression in the indirectly stimulated rat diaphragm. Intraarterial injection of furosemide had a biphasic effect on the cat neuromuscular junction. At low doses (0.1-10.0 micrograms/kg) the drug had a depressant effect, reduced the force of muscle contraction, prevented nerve and muscle responses to NaF and dibutryl cyclic AMP, and intensified the neuromuscular blockade produced by d-tubocurarine and succinylcholine. In contrast, in higher doses (1-4 mg/kg) furosemide produced stimulus-bound repetitive neural activity, initiated neural activity, increased the force of muscle contraction, enhanced nerve and muscle responses to NaF and dibutyrl cyclic AMP, and antagonized d-tubocurarine and succinylcholine blockades. Furosemide had no effect on denervated preparations. High doses of furosemide inhibit non-competitively both the high- and low-affinity forms of the enzyme cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in both soluble and particulate fractions of cat sciatic nerve. Thus, furosemide has direct effects on neuromuscular transmission, but the direction of these effects is dose-dependent.
Relation of Donor Age and Preexisting Coronary Artery Disease on Angiography and Intracoronary Ultrasound to Later Development of Accelerated Allograft Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract Objectives. This study assessed the influence of donor age and preexisting donor coronary artery disease on the later development of allograft coronary artery disease, ischemic events and overall survival. Background. The increasing demand for heart donors has led to a tendency to liberalize age criteria for donor acceptability. Methods. A total of 233 consecutive heart transplant recipients who had baseline, early postoperative and follow-up coronary angiograms, as well as a subset of 47 patients with baseline intracoronary ultrasound imaging recordings, were analyzed (mean 3.8 years of follow-up). Patients were subclassified according to the presence of donor coronary artery disease on the baseline angiogram and stratified at age 40 years. Results. Patients without evidence of preexisting coronary artery disease on a baseline angiogram (n = 219) were significantly less likely to develop new disease than the 14 patients with preexisting coronary artery disease (p = 0.002). Although older donors exhibited earlier coronary artery disease than younger donors at 3 years of follow-up, there was no difference by 5 years (p = 0.25). There was no difference in survival or probability of developing ischemic events between the groups. Baseline ultrasound imaging revealed substantial disease in 7 of 9 older donated hearts, and in only 7 of 38 younger donated hearts (p = 0.002). Preexisting coronary artery disease, nonuse of calcium channel blocking agents, older donor age, posttransplantation cytomegalovirus infection, elevated very low density lipoprotein levels and previous ischemic heart disease in the recipient were significant predictors of allograft coronary artery disease. Conclusions. Heart donors with angiographic evidence of pre-existing coronary artery disease and older donors are more likely to develop new allograft coronary artery disease by 3 years. However, there is no difference in patient survival or freedom from ischemic events between younger and older donors at a mean follow-up of 3.8 years. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:623–9)
Framing, Information Alignment, and Resilience in Distributed Human Coordination of Critical Infrastructure Event Response

Abstract This paper discusses several elements of communication, coordination, and event response dynamics from a combination of cognitive ergonomics and systems engineering analysis perspectives. Event response coordinators and managers of critical infrastructure networks are faced with cognitive challenges due to bounded sociotechnical rationality and cognitive framing. For the purposes of this discussion, “disaster” is a derived description, emerging from a combination of event dynamics (including magnitude and scope of natural processes); human impact (including number and severity of people and communities affected); and event response activity (including prediction and preparation, and both proactive and reactive allocation of resources). The potential impact of the event itself may limit information flow to coordinate and improve response, as well as the age, confidence, and completeness of information available. Cognitive framing addresses responders’ decisions and actions to maintain a stance of process control to maintain robust, nominal operations, or cybernetic adaption to maximize resilience and recovery from degradation. This paper addresses the need for effective information alignment, not only in terms of structural components of event planning, but real-time dynamics of event response when infrastructure networks themselves may be compromised. As the geographic scope of an event increases, event response activity must evolve from a centralized to a more distributed human response coordination process.
Using smartphones as mobile implementation platforms for applied digital signal processing courses

This paper presents a newly developed laboratory paradigm for teaching applied or real-time digital signal processing courses. It involves the utilization of smartphones to implement digital signal processing algorithms in real-time using ARM processors of smartphones. Representative laboratory experiments together with an application project running on smartphones as apps are discussed in the paper. It is shown that such a paradigm provides a cost-free and a truly mobile laboratory environment for students to learn implementation aspects of signal processing algorithms.
Special section topic proposals encouraged

This PDF file contains the editorial “Special section topic proposals encouraged” for JATIS Vol. 2 Issue 01
N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Ring Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone with and without Alcohol Initiators: Insights from Theory and Experiment.

Computational investigations with density functional theory (DFT) have been performed on the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of e-caprolactone in the presence and in the absence of a methanol initiator. Much like the zwitterionic ring opening (ZROP) of δ-valerolactone which was previously reported, calculations predict that the mechanism of the ZROP of caprolactone that occurs without an alcohol present involves a high-barrier step involving ring opening of the zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate formed after the initial nucleophilic attack of NHC on caprolactone. However, the operative mechanism by which caprolactone is polymerized in the presence of an alcohol initiator does not involve the analogous mechanism involving initial nucleophilic attack by the organocatalytic NHC. Instead, the NHC activates the alcohol through hydrogen bonding and promotes nucleophilic attack and the subsequent ring-opening steps that occur during polymerization. The largest free energy ba...
The many voices of interdisciplinarity

Cogent Arts & Humanities aspires to publish high-quality, peer-reviewed academic work from around the world in a scholarly Open Access format supported by the finest Internet software, marketing, a...
Experimental autoimmune cystitis: a potential murine model for ulcerative interstitial cystitis.

Interstitial cystitis is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. To facilitate the study of the pathophysiology of interstitial cystitis, an animal model that correlates with the clinical features of interstitial cystitis and expresses histologic features consistent with those observed in interstitial cystitis patients was developed. Various strains of mice were immunized with a syngeneic bladder homogenate to determine their susceptibility to the induction of autoimmune cystitis. Of 3 mouse strains tested, only the Balb/cAN mice reproducibly developed the clinical correlates and histological features consistent with those observed in interstitial cystitis. In a blinded pathologic review, autoreactive Balb/cAN bladders were correctly distinguished from chronic bacterial cystitis, sham treated bladders and normal control bladders. Edema, fibrosis, perivascular lymphocytic infiltrations and detrusor mast cell accumulation were apparent in 75% of the Balb/cAN mice 2 weeks after immunization and 100% at 4 weeks. These histologic features plateaued and remained stable for at least 6 months. Grossly, the immunized mouse bladders were fibrotic and contracted with a significantly (p < .05) decreased fluid capacity. On hydrodistension, increased vascular prominence and petechial hemorrhage (glomerulations) were evident. Instillation of 14C-urea demonstrated increased permeability in immunized bladders compared with controls. A cellular autoimmune basis for the cystitis is supported by adoptive transfer studies. Spleen cells from experimental mice but not controls transferred the histological features of the disease to naive mice. These studies outline the development of a new experimental autoimmune cystitis model that expresses features similar to those frequently observed in human interstitial cystitis, and may provide a model for the study of the inflammatory process associated with interstitial cystitis. Furthermore, these data suggest a possible role for cellular immune components in interstitial cystitis.
A new solution for the 1D radiative transfer equation

The analytical solution to the discrete radiative transfer equation in a homogeneous atmosphere is derived in a new form improving previous forms and enabling high precision benchmarks.
Data from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium confirm and specify the nature of the female protective effect in autism: A commentary on Messinger et al.

Sibling recurrence data from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC) recapitulate results from very large clinical family studies that demonstrate the absence of the Carter effect and provide clarification of the nature of the female protective effect in ASD. This legacy prospective data collection confirmed marked differences in the proportions of males versus females who lie along deviant trajectories of social development in the setting of inherited liability to autism—a phenomenon which defines the female protective effect—and demonstrate that among affected children, sex differences are modest and homologous to those observed among non-ASD children.
Rainbow: architecture-based self-adaptation with reusable infrastructure

While attractive in principle, architecture-based self-adaptation raises a number of research and engineering challenges. First, the ability to handle a wide variety of systems must be addressed. Second, the need to reduce costs in adding external control to a system must be addressed. Our rainbow framework attempts to address both problems. By adopting an architecture-based approach, it provides reusable infrastructure together with mechanisms for specializing that infrastructure to the needs of specific systems. The specialization mechanisms let the developer of self-adaptation capabilities choose what aspects of the system to model and monitor, what conditions should trigger adaptation, and how to adapt the system.
Cannabis Control and Crime: Medicinal Use, Depenalization and the War on Drugs

To date, 27 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws easing marijuana control. This paper examines the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana, depenalization of possession, and the incidence of non-drug crime. Using state panel data from 1970 to 2012, results show evidence of 4–12 % reductions in robberies, larcenies, and burglaries due to the legalization of medical marijuana, but that depenalization has little effect and may instead increase crime rates. These effects are supported by null results for crimes unrelated to the cannabis market and are consistent with the supply-side effects of medicinal use that are absent from depenalization laws as well as existing evidence on the substitution between marijuana and alcohol. The findings contribute new evidence to the complex debate surrounding marijuana policy and the war on drugs.
Comparison of Medical Diagnoses among Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex-Partnered Patients.

Background: Health disparities for gay and lesbian individuals are well documented in survey research. However, a limitation throughout the existing literature is the reliance on self-reported health conditions. This study used medical record diagnoses for gay and lesbian patients seen in primary care clinics. Methods: This study used medical records of primary care patients (n = 31,569) seen at Midwestern, university-affiliated primary care clinics. First, all records with information about the sexual partnering of the patient were identified (n = 13,509). Then, opposite-sex-partnered and same-sex-partnered (SSP) patients were compared for prevalence of common chronic conditions and clinic utilization. Results: Only 44.20% of medical records included information about patients9 sexual partners. Both male and female SSP patients were more likely to be lower socioeconomic status, be a current or former smoker, and be diagnosed with substance abuse/dependence and depression. Conclusions: The findings suggest the need for more consistent screening of the sexual partnering of patients for identifying patients who are at greater risk of poorer health outcomes. However, identifying the sexual partnering of patients may not occur systematically in primary care, and there may be a lack of disclosure by SSP patients to their physicians given the social stigma about same-sex relationships.
Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing for Diagnostics and Forensics.

Pathogen-specific, targeted assays such as real-time PCR are generally used for clinical diagnosis of infectious and biothreat diseases as highlighted in the recent West African Ebola virus outbreak where real-time PCR was the primary diagnostic for critical treatment decisions. However, current diagnostic algorithms rarely require determination of a single etiologic agent outside the context of an outbreak response but rather involve interrogation across a spectrum of pathogens with similar pathology and/or epidemiology. The necessity for multiple pathogen interrogation exposes the critical gap in availability of higher-multiplex diagnostics. This caveat is exacerbated with biothreat agents where initial symptoms of an infection are often similar to a myriad of less consequential pathogens. Development of diagnostic platforms is a daunting challenge given the plethora of human pathogens spanning both infectious and biothreat diseases. In general, infectious disease diagnostics must meet defined metrics for performance in clinical matrices as well as show validated efficacy for use in an actionable context to impact patient care. Detection of virulence markers to discriminate microbiota from pathogenic events and the ability to detect the spectrum of pathogen heterogeneity are critical aspects to an ideal diagnostic platform. Biothreat diagnostics include all of these requirements in addition to the need for microbial forensics/attribution. The detection of a biothreat incident (e.g., Bacillus anthracis ), environmental or clinical, has substantial consequences including public angst as well as mobilization of military, public health, and law enforcement responses, the latter of these responses requiring forensic attribution. Detection of both clinical and environmental biothreat incidents remains a perennial issue that requires some level of preparedness to mitigate situations proactively. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)2 offers a potential solution to challenges for both diagnostic and environmental detection of infectious disease and biothreats. Specifically, NGS has the potential to sequence all nucleic acids within a sample, allowing for near …
Precision Medicine Requires Precision Laboratories

This commentary highlights the validation study by Lih et al that supports the use of precision medicine for improved clinical trials.
Accent detection and social cognition: evidence of protracted learning.

How and when do children become aware that speakers have different accents? While adults readily make a variety of subtle social inferences based on speakers’ accents, findings from children are more mixed: while one line of research suggests that even infants may be acutely sensitive to accent unfamiliarity, other studies suggest that 5-year-olds have difficulty identifying accents as different from their own. In an attempt to resolve this paradox, the current study assesses American children's sensitivity to American vs. Dutch accents in two situations. First, in an eye-tracked sentence processing paradigm where children have previously shown sensitivity to a salient social distinction (gender) from voice cues, 3–5-year-old children showed no sensitivity to accent differences. Second, in a social decision-making task where accent sensitivity has been found in 5-year-olds, an age gradient appeared, suggesting that familiar accent preferences emerge slowly between 3 and 7 years. Counter to claims that accent is an early, salient signal of social group, results are more consistent with a protracted learning hypothesis that children need extended exposure to native-language sound patterns in order to detect that an accent deviates from their own. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQAgy3IFYXA
Negative Event Recall as a Vulnerability for Depression: Relationship Between Momentary Stress-Reactive Rumination and Memory for Daily Life Stress:

The current research utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology to test the hypotheses that: 1) engaging in greater rumination following stress (stress-reactive rumination; SRR) would lead to improved stressor recall, and 2) this improved memory for stress would predict increases in depressive symptoms. One hundred twenty-one participants received smartphone alerts in which they reported on their experience of negative life events (NLEs) as well as SRR and depressed mood after event occurrence. NLEs followed by increased SRR were more likely to be recalled two weeks later. Furthermore, individuals who endorsed and recalled more stressors displayed increased depressive symptoms. Contrary to hypotheses, no evidence was found for a mediational effect in which SRR predicted depressive symptoms and was mediated by memory for NLEs. Current findings demonstrate a relationship between rumination following stress and the subsequent recall of those stressors, and support the role of negative event recall as a vulnerability factor for depression.
Unbecoming: The aftereffects of autoethnography:

Autoethnography is a research methodology that employs conscious becoming as a strategy for producing academic knowledge. As it grows in popularity across disciplines in the social sciences and hum...
English acquisition in Puerto Rico: Teachers’ insights

ABSTRACTAcquiring English in Puerto Rico involves the perceived advantages of bilingualism in contact with socio-political and economic forces that encourage and constrain the development of a popu...
Passive Non-line-of-sight Source Classification from Coherence Measurements

We demonstrate a passive imaging approach for identifying the shape and size of a secondary source using non-line-of-sight spatial coherence measurements.
A Methodology to Predict Creep Life for Advanced Ceramics Using Continuum Damage Mechanics

A methodology is proposed to estimate creep rupture life for advanced ceramics such as continuous fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CFCMC). Based on the premise that the damage pattern takes the form of a heterogeneous distribution of grain boundary cavities in the majority of creep life, a damage parameter is incorporated in various creep strain rate equations. The resulting constitutive equations for creep strain and accumulated damage are cast in terms of stress, and other affinities. It is pointed out that these affinities can be derived from a scalar creep potential in non equilibrium thermodynamics. The evolutionary laws are formulated based on many micro-mechanical models. The time-dependent reliability or hazard rate for a SiC is then established by damage mechanics with Weibull analysis. A unit cell model is presented for predicting life of a uni-directional CFCMC subjected to a constant far-field stress. A system of coupled flrst order ordinary differential equations is derived from which the evolution of creep damage can be solved giving the rupture life. It is shown that the stress dependence on the lifetime is very sensitive to the type of damage mechanisms active at the microstructural level.
Ferredoxin from Bacillus polymyxa

A ferredoxin has been purified from Bacillus polymyxa, strain Hino, a facultative N2-fixing organism. Optical and electron spin resonance spectra of the ferredoxin have been recorded, and its molecular weight is approximately 9,000. The ferredoxin is reduced reversibly by H2 in the presence of hydrogenase from Clostridium pasteurianum or B. polymyxa. Purified ferredoxin enhances acetylene reduction, with pyruvate as the substrate, by extracts from which ferredoxin has been partially removed with DEAE-cellulose.
Fiberous Carbon from Sepiolite Clay and Propylene

A pure carbon-based material with applications in electrochemical processes was synthesized using sepiolite clay as a template and propylene as the organic precursor. Carbon fibers (1–1.5 µm long) were obtained whose orientation and shape resemble that of the original clay. The results indicated that there is a correlation of the reversible specific capacity obtained and the surface properties of the template sepiolite. The electrochemical performance for anode Li cells is related to the surface chemical properties rather than the BET surface area.
ENTRAPPED MIXED MICROBIAL CELL PROCESS FOR TREATMENT OF PHENOL AND ITS RELATED COMPOUNDS

ABSTRACT An entrapped mixed microbial cell process was used for the treatment of a synthetic phenol wastewater. Operational performance by stepping increase of organic loading rate, from 1.5 to 18 g COD/L/day, a long term operational behavior of an organic loading rate of 2.5–3.5 g COD/L/day and a quantitative shock loading including concentration and hydraulic shock loads were investigated. The system was operated under aerobic condition with a temperature of 25° ± 1°C. The process could achieve a TCOD and SCOD removal efficiencies of >90% and >93%, respectively, under a loading rate of less than 8 g COD/L/day. Also, the process could take both concentration and hydraulic (phenol) shock loads very effectively. A comparison of other biological treatment of phenol wastewater was made and was found that the phenol removal rate of 2.69 g/L/day could be achieved in this process which is 15–20% higher than the other studies. Thus, the process has a great potential to replace or upgrade the existing biological treatment process in removing the organic-toxic contaminated water and wastewater.
Biofilm Development: A Process Analysis

This paper will provide a framework for understanding the process of biofilm development in the context of stoichiometry and kinetics. Biofilm development is described in terms of selected fundamental rate processes and environmental parameters which influence their rate and extent. The properties of the biofilm and its microenvironment lead to topics of microbial ecology within the biofilm and the physiology of the organisms immobilized within it. These topics will be discussed in terms of unstructured models for the microbial processes.
Generating Ethics and Social Justice in Applied Theatre Curricula

Ethics are a set of principles and guidelines to help individuals make choices in order to avoid doing harm while working with others. Most professions have developed codes of ethics for their practitioners to follow in relation to their clients; however, a code of ethics for applied theatre has not yet been agreed upon by the field at large. This chapter presents a potential code of ethics for applied theatre based on the following factors: Boundaries, Competence, Participants’ Rights, Research, and Justice and Advocacy.
Meeting Milestones: Results of a Quality-Improvement Curriculum to Achieve Cost-Conscious Care.

There is a lack of residency education in cost-conscious care. We implemented a costing and quality improvement (QI) curriculum to Obstetrics and Gynaecology trainees using “Time-Driven Activity-Ba...
UNIT 13.7 Human Hematopoietic Cell Culture, Transduction, and Analyses

This unit provides methods to introduce genes into human hematopoietic progenitor cells. The Basic Protocol describes isolating CD34+ cells, transducing these cells with a retroviral vector in the presence of a stromal cell layer, assaying the efficiency of transduction, and establishing long-term cultures. One support protocol describes how colonies can be plated from long-term cultures. An alternate procedure describes the use of fibronectin-coated plates as a substitute for the stromal cell layer in transduction. Support protocols describe methods for maintenance and supernatant collection from vector-producing fibroblasts (VPF), screening medium components for the ability to support hematopoietic cell growth, and establishing colonies from long-term cultures. Other protocols provide PCR-based methods to analyze individual colonies for transduction. Methods are given to analyze cells harvested from long-term cultures. Additional protocols describe freezing and thawing hematopoietic cells.This unit provides methods to introduce genes into human hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Assessment of damage tolerance approaches for composite aircraft with focus on barely visible impact damage

Abstract Industry practice in composite aircraft damage tolerance, as reported in the open literature, is reviewed and examined in view of the current knowledge in the field of damage and failure of composite materials. Particular attention is paid to the challenging regime of damage tolerance when barely visible impact damage (BVID) is of concern. The validity of the compression after impact (CAI) testing as a means of assuring safety against failure from BVID is critically assessed. The role of in-field nondestructive evaluation (NDE) for quantifying the damage severity is considered as an integral part of the damage tolerance assessment. Finally, recommendations are made toward exploring other avenues for improving the current damage tolerance approaches as they apply to the case of BVID in composite structures.
Strong adsorption of Polychlorinated Biphenyls by processed montmorillonite clays: Potential applications as toxin enterosorbents during disasters and floods

Abstract Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected as prevalent environmental contaminants in water, food and biota. Previous studies in vitro have shown that a variety of sorbent materials, including carbon, can sorb PCBs; however, PCB sorbents that can be added to food or drinking water to decrease toxin bioavailability in humans and animals have not been reported. To address this problem, we have developed broad-acting and highly effective sorbents for PCBs using montmorillonite clays reported to be safe for consumption in animals and humans. In this study, calcium montmorillonite clays were acid processed (APMs) and the interactions of six PCB congeners (PCB 77, 126, 153, 157, 154 and 155) on the surfaces of APMs were characterized. Computational models and isothermal analyses were used to derive surface capacities and affinities, delineate mechanisms and predict the thermodynamics of sorption. To confirm the safety and predict the efficacy of APMs against individual PCBs and common mixtures (Aroclors 1254 and 1260), we have also used a living organism (Hydra vulgaris) that is sensitive to toxins. APMs significantly protected hydra against the toxicity of PCBs and Aroclors. This finding was supported by studies showing tight binding; high capacity, affinity, and enthalpy; and a low therapeutic dose.
Abstract 14369: Assessment of Hemodynamic Response to Exercise in Patients With Advanced Heart Failure

Introduction: Among patients suffering from HFrEF, outcomes are closely associated with quality-of-life and functional capacity. Data are limited regarding exertional cardiopulmonary performance me...
JA:2021-25. Increasing Efficiency and Reliability of Agricultural Injury and Fatality Coding with Standard Operating Procedures: Lessons Learned from AgInjuryNews.org

Purpose: News media reports of agricultural injuries can be useful to better inform safety and health stakeholders and prevention efforts. These data are particularly useful for youth incidents, si...
Analysis of Human Trafficking in North Carolina Based on Criminal Records: A Framework to Measure Human Trafficking Trends

The application of quantitative analytics to human trafficking is growing rapidly, which offers novel approaches to studying a topic in which accessing reliable large-scale data is difficult. Human trafficking research often relies on proxy evidence, such as data from online advertisements. In this paper, we propose an alternative method for discerning the scale of trafficking activity. We develop a measure by applying network analysis to six years of North Carolina court data. In conjunction with existing measures, this measure could potentially produce a more accurate estimate of the amount of human trafficking encountered by the state’s justice system. We further identify a series of non-trafficking criminal charges that can be highly indicative of human trafficking.
The role of concrete in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of US buildings and pavements

Concrete is a critical component of deep decarbonization efforts because of both the scale of the industry and because of how its use impacts the building, transportation, and industrial sectors. We use a bottom-up model of current and future building and pavement stocks and construction in the United States to contextualize the role of concrete in greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions strategies under projected and ambitious scenarios, including embodied and use phases of the structures’ life cycle. We show that projected improvements in the building sector result in a reduction of 49% of GHG emissions in 2050 relative to 2016 levels, whereas ambitious improvements result in a 57% reduction in 2050, which is 22.5 Gt cumulative saving. The pavements sector shows a larger difference between the two scenarios with a 14% reduction of GHG emissions for projected improvements and a 65% reduction under the ambitious scenario, which is ∼1.35 Gt. This reduction occurs despite the fact that concrete usage in 2050 in the ambitious scenario is over three times that of the projected scenario because of the ways in which concrete lowers use phase emissions. Over 70% of future emissions from new construction are from the use phase.
Radiomics-Informed Deep Curriculum Learning for Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are traditionally trained solely using the given imaging dataset. Additional clinical information is often available along with imaging data but is mostly ignored in the current practice of data-driven deep learning modeling. In this work, we propose a novel deep curriculum learning method that utilizes radiomics information as a source of additional knowledge to guide training using customized curriculums. Specifically, we define a new measure, termed radiomics score, to capture the difficulty of classifying a set of samples. We use the radiomics score to enable a newly designed curriculum-based training scheme. In this scheme, the loss function component is weighted and initialized by the corresponding radiomics score of each sample, and furthermore, the weights are continuously updated in the course of training based on our customized curriculums to enable curriculum learning. We implement and evaluate our methods on a typical computer-aided diagnosis of breast cancer. Our experiment results show benefits of the proposed method when compared to a direct use of radiomics model, a baseline CNN without using any knowledge, the standard curriculum learning using data resampling, an existing difficulty score from self-teaching, and previous methods that use radiomics features as additional input to CNN models.
Beyond Broken Windows: Youth Perspectives on Housing Abandonment and its Impact on Individual and Community Well-Being

This paper presents the findings of a study that used an innovative mixed methods community based participatory research approach that included participatory photo mapping, which combines photography, youth-led neighborhood tours, and advocacy (n = 10); in-depth interviews with youth (n = 21); and spatial analysis of neighborhood factors using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The focus is on youths’ descriptions of the meaning and implications of abandoned housing for their own and their community’s well-being. Youth in this study indicated that abandoned properties signify that no one cares about the neighborhood. A youth-authored version of broken windows theory is presented that can be used to better understand the built environment as an indicator of child and neighborhood well-being. This multi-step cycle, reminiscent of broken windows theory, is as follows: 1) unrepaired signs of incivility signal that no one cares; 2) residents withdraw, become more fearful; 3) untended property becomes “fair game” leading to more crime and incivilities; and finally, 4) a breakdown of community control and individual and community vulnerability. The youths’ narratives are used to highlight research and practice implications and suggest the need for future youth-engaged, community-partnered intervention research to address the effects of housing abandonment.
Oceanic mesoscale eddies as revealed by Lagrangian coherent structures

[1] We demonstrate the feasibility of using dynamical systems tools to unambiguously identify mesoscale oceanic eddies from surface ocean currents derived using climatological hydrography and altimetry. Specifically, our analysis is based on extracting Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) from finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) fields. The FTLE fields reveal with unprecedented detail an intricate tangle of LCSs, which are hidden in ocean surface topography maps but sometimes are apparent in ocean color images. These LCSs delineate fluid domains with very different advective properties, and thus their detection provides an objective (i.e., frame-independent) means of identifying eddy boundaries. The importance of considering LCSs in quantifying transport by eddies is highlighted. Such a quantification does not rely on the common assumption—which is shown to be generally not valid—that transport is largely effected by the trapping and subsequent translation of water slugs inside eddies defined as the regions enclosed by sea height (streamfunction) contours within which rotation dominates over strain. LCSs are calculated for the whole globe and compared with satellite-tracked drogue drifter trajectories within a selected region of the South Atlantic.