cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analysis of information complexity in air traffic control human machine interaction

This thesis proposes, develops and validates a methodology to quantify the complexity of air traffic control (ATC) human-machine interaction (HMI). Within this context, complexity is defined as the minimum amount of information required to describe the human machine interaction process in some fixed description language and chosen level of detail. The methodology elicits human information processing via cognitive task analysis (CTA) and expresses the HMI process algorithmically as a cognitive interaction algorithm (CIA). The CIA is comprised of multiple functions which formally describe each of the interaction processes required to complete a nominal set of tasks using a certain machine interface. Complexities of competing interface and task configurations are estimated by weighted summations of the compressed information content of the associated CIA functions. This information compression removes descriptive redundancy and approximates the minimum description length (MDL) of the CIA. The methodology is applied to a representative en-route ATC task and interface, and the complexity measures are compared to performance results obtained experimentally by human-in-the-loop simulations. It is found that the proposed complexity analysis methodology and resulting complexity metrics are able to predict trends in operator performance and workload. This methodology would allow designers and evaluators of human supervisory control (HSC) interfaces the ability to conduct complexity analyses and use complexity measures to more objectively select between competing interface and task configurations. Such a method could complement subjective interface evaluations, and reduce the amount of costly experimental testing. Thesis Supervisor: Mary L. Cummings Title: Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Page intentionally left blank
There is a nyctohemeral rhythm of type II iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase activity in rat anterior pituitary.

We found a nyctohemeral rhythm of type II iodothyronine 5′-deiodinase (5′-D-II) with a zenith at midnight in rat anterior pituitary, but not in brown adipose tissue. There was no nyctohemeral rhythm of 5′-D-I in anterior pituitary, liver, or kidney. Hypothyroidism abolished the nyctohemeral rhythmicity in anterior pituitary 5′-D-II. The rhythmicity of anterior pituitary 5′-D-II may play a role in setting the nyctohemeral rhythm of TSH secretion by regulating the degree of negative feedback by locally generated T3 in the thyrotroph. (Endocrinology 123: 1631–1635, 1988)
Ptosis and Orbital Fat Prolapse after Posterior Sub–Tenon’s Capsule Triamcinolone Injection

Purpose To describe the occurrence of orbital fat prolapse and blepharoptosis after posterior sub-Tenon (PST) triamcinolone injection. Design Retrospective review of consecutive case series. Participants Patients with ptosis and orbital fat herniation after PST triamcinolone injection. Methods Charts of all patients with ptosis and orbital fat herniation presenting after PST triamcinolone injection to the oculoplastics service of the Cole Eye Institute between 1999 and 2003 were reviewed. Charts were reviewed for patient age, indication, dates of injections, time to patient complaint or time to referral for ptosis, and marginal reflex distance (MRD 1 ). Main Outcome Measures Ptosis and orbital fat herniation after PST triamcinolone injection. Results Eleven patients with a history of ipsilateral PST triamcinolone injections were seen with ptosis and orbital fat prolapse. Ten charts were available for review. Mean patient age was 64 years (range, 45–78 years). Patients underwent 1 to 9 ipsilateral injections, and 2 patients underwent bilateral injections. Patients were seen for ptosis evaluation on average 22.5 months (range, 3–56 months) after the initial injection, and 6.6 months (range, 0–20 months) after the most recent injection. All patients demonstrated significant orbital fat prolapse in conjunction with statistically significant ptosis ( P = 0.016). Tissue was obtained in 3 cases. Histologic findings in 1 case showed orbital fat infiltrated by histiocytes that seemed to contain phagocytosed material. Conclusions Posterior sub-Tenon triamcinolone injection may cause ptosis associated with orbital fat prolapse. This finding may be a relatively common complication of PST triamcinolone injection. We recommend counseling patients about this risk before PST triamcinolone injection.
Regional variation in the otolith chemistry of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) from the western North Atlantic Ocean

Stable carbon (i13C) and oxygen (i18O) isotopes in the whole otoliths of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) were quantified, and regional variation in otolith composition was used to examine the population structure of both species in the western North Atlantic Ocean from collections taken over three decades (1981-2007). Otolith i13C and i18O of blue marlin and white marlin varied significantly among the regions investigated (Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida, Caribbean Sea, and U.S. Atlantic). Overall cross-validated classification success was 62% for blue marlin and 46% for white marlin (collected in three of four regions), with highest classification success for blue marlin in the Gulf of Mexico (85%) and for white marlin along the U.S. Atlantic (58%). Variability in otolith i18O of blue marlin and white marlin was higher in regions where individuals displayed a greater degree of movement based on previous tagging studies in the same regions. Reduced variability in otolith i 18 O of blue marlin in the Gulf of Mexico combined with high classification success of individuals from this region suggests that movement out of this basin may be more limited than in other regions investigated. Conversely, higher variability in otolith i18O and lower classification success for white marlin signifies that mixing among regions may be more common for this species. These results suggest that the concept of migratory contingents may have some application to istiophorids in the western North Atlantic Ocean (i.e. blue marlin), but continue to support the concept of single Atlantic wide stocks for both species. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Among the Dockhands Another Look at Working-Class Male Culture

The following essay examines the congruence of American labor and social history scholarship with actualworking-classexperiences. Particularly, it compares an author's immersion in a masculine work...
Laser-Assisted Excitive Penning Ionization

Lasers have been used to study chemical rate processes in basically two ways. Either one alters the reactant state distribution by laser excitation of discrete reactant transitions, or one probes the product state distribution as in laser induced fluorescence methods. In contrast, the effects of collisions themselves on radiation fields have been observed for a number of years, as in collision induced far infrared absorption, collisional redistribution of resonant radiation, and a variety of collisional line broadening experiments. A merger of the concepts of collision induced absorption and laser excited reagents would be alteration of the product state distribution by a radiation field which is resonant in some sense with the transient collision complex, rather than with the reactants or products alone.
Trade and Human Health and Safety: Lotus Eaters: Reflections on the Varietals Dispute, the SPS Agreement and WTO Dispute Resolution

The Varietals dispute, which seemingly involves nothing other than a straight-forward application of the SPS Agreement, reveals surprisingly much about the function of WTO dispute settlement, the purposes of international trade law, as well as larger questions regarding both globalization and the status and scope of contemporary international law. The paper examines, inter alia, whether the SPS Agreement unduly restricts states' ability to enact desirable social legislation and different methodological approaches to answering this question. It also discusses the appropriate role of panels and the Appellate Body in food safety and other controversial disputes that pit economic against non-economic interests. Finally, as suggested by the title, the paper discusses the PCIJ's Lotus decision. Lotus implicitly assumes a world of independent states with few international rules governing their relations. In the Lotus universe, sovereignty is a paramount value, and states' freedom of action is jealously guarded. But the SPS Agreement and the Varietals dispute arise within a radically different legal environment, one where international legal norms proliferate and reach deeply within the domestic structure of the state. Varietals highlights the changing nature and functions of contemporary international law and some of the ways that the legal universe presupposed by the Lotus decision has been inverted.
Microstructural and micromechanical characterization of IN718 theta shaped specimens built with electron beam melting

Abstract Theta-shaped specimens were additively manufactured out of Inconel 718 powders using an electron beam melting technique, as a model complex load bearing structure. Two different build strategies were employed; producing two sets of specimens. Microstructural and micro-mechanical characterizations were performed using electron back-scatter, synchrotron x-ray and in-situ neutron diffraction techniques. In particular, the cross-members of the specimens were the focus of the synchrotron x-ray and in-situ neutron diffraction measurements. The build strategies employed resulted in the formation of distinct microstructures and crystallographic textures, signifying the importance of build-parameter manipulation for microstructural optimization. Large strain anisotropy of the different lattice planes was observed during in-situ loading. Texture was concluded to have a distinct effect upon both the axial and transverse strain responses of the cross-members. In particular, the (200), (220) and (420) transverse lattice strains all showed unexpected overlapping trends in both builds. This was related to the strong {200} textures along the build/loading direction, providing agreement between the experimental and calculated results.
GREEN-MAC-LCCP: a tool for assessing the life cycle climate performance of MAC systems.

In 2008, 95% of the vehicle fleet in the developed countries and 80% of fleet in the developing countries were equipped with mobile air conditioning systems (MACs). Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emitted due to refrigerant leakage (direct emissions) and due to the energy consumed by MACs operation (indirect emissions). In response to reducing the global warming impact of MACs, policy makers and the industry are investigating alternative refrigerant systems that use low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. The GREEN-MAC-LCCP model assesses the direct and indirect CO2 equivalent emissions related to MACs usage, as well as those associated with the production, use and disposal of alternative refrigerants and MACs components. This model provides a platform for simple data input and provides an output summary as well as details that can be analyzed in a custom fashion by the user. It provides engineers and policy makers a state-of-the-art tool, based on sound engineering data and methods, in order to faci...
Observation of large frequency shifts of the electron paramagnetic resonance of Rb 87 atoms due to collisions with cell walls coated with RbH salt

We report an observation of large frequency shifts on the order of several hundred Hz of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of the gas phase alkali-metal atoms ($^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$) in a millimeter-sized cell coated with RbH salt. We provide convincing evidence that the observed EPR frequency shift is due to collisions with RbH-coated cell walls. The RbH coating is nuclear spin polarized by spin exchange with optically pumped $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ vapor, and the observed frequency shift is caused by the Fermi contact interaction between the $s$ electron of the adsorbed $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atom and the polarized nucleus on the salt surface. From the measured EPR frequency shift we calculated the ensemble-averaged phase shift $\ensuremath{\delta}{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{s}$ experienced by the spin polarized $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms while adsorbed on the surface. Under our experimental conditions, we found the average phase shift $\ensuremath{\delta}{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{s}\ensuremath{\sim}70\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mrad}$.
Experimentally Obtained Forces and Moments on Slender Bodies during Steady and Unsteady Maneuvers

Nomenclature bzy = loadcell sensitivity for load in z-direction from registered voltage in y-direction Fy = force registered by a loadcell in loadcell y-direction fc = filter cutoff frequency K’,M’,N’ = aerodynamic moments about the body fixed coordinate system origin normalized by qL L = length between perpendiculars of model p,q,r = angular velocities of the body fixed coordinate system t’ = tU∞/L = non-dimensional time u’,v’,w’ = linear velocities in the body-fixed coordinate system normalized by U∞ U∞ = sqrt(u +v+w) = freestream velocity X’,Y’,Z’ = aerodynamic forces in the body fixed coordinate system normalized by qL x,y,z = body-fixed right handed coordinate system with x forward, y to starboard and z down α = angle of attack = arcsin(w’) β = angle of sideslip = arcsin(v’) ζ = non-dimensional lengthwise coordinate from bow to stern
Evidence of negative implicit attitudes toward individuals with a tattoo near the face

Three studies examined if people express negative implicit attitudes toward individuals with a tattoo near the face. In Study 1, participants who completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) expres...
Comparison of the extent to which total hip and total knee arthroplasty restore patient-reported physical function

Summary Objective To evaluate the extent to which elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis (OA) restore normal patient-reported physical function in men and women. Methods Pain and physical function (WOMAC-PF) were prospectively measured pre- and post-operatively. The relationship between surgical procedure and achieving physical function equivalent to age and sex-matched adults with no hip or knee joint problems was modeled using sex-specific logistic regression. Percent change in function was also compared between groups using sex-specific generalized linear models adjusted for age, BMI, pain, comorbid conditions, time from surgery, and subsequent surgery. Results Individuals with pre- and post-operative WOMAC data were classified exclusively into either THA (287M:306F) or TKA (239M:424F) groups. The median follow-up was 476 (THA) and 474 (TKA) days for men, and 495 (THA) and 526 (TKA) days for women. Main outcome: women with THA compared with TKA were more likely to achieve a normal level of postoperative PF while there were no significant differences between procedures in men. Additional analyses: we found slightly lower preoperative PF in THA compared with TKA. This difference resolved postoperatively in men, but women who underwent THA reported greater improvement and better PF than those who had TKA. Conclusion In women, THA results in greater improvement in WOMAC-PF at approximately 1-year follow-up and better approximates physical function of community-dwelling older adults without OA than TKA does. In contrast, in men, a lack of between-group post-operative WOMAC-PF differences suggests that procedures result in a similar degree of improvement.
7. On the Nature of Antozone.

Many of the properties of ozone are very similar to those of peroxide of hydrogen. Thus ozone, like peroxide of hydrogen, is in many cases a powerful oxidising agent. In other cases, however, it acts as a deoxidiser. Thus ozone deoxidises peroxide of hydrogen and peroxide of barium with the production of water and oxide of barium. Peroxide of hydrogen also deoxidises oxide of silver, the peroxides of manganese and lead, permanganic and chromic acids, &c. Again, ozone is decomposed catalytically by dry silver leaf and by several oxides, such as the peroxides of manganese and lead, &c.
A new criterion for echo state property of ESN with feedback

Echo state network (ESN) consists of input, output and reservoir which includes large and randomly connected neurons. For training network, only the connected weights from the reservoir to output units are learned. In this paper, based on the traditional criterions for echo state property of ESNs, a new criterion for echo state property with output feedback is proposed. For the training process of ESN, this criterion makes every training can ensure that the network has echo state property. Considering the output feedback, this can improve the degree of influence of the previous inputs and the current state, and reduce the vanished speed of the effect of the previous inputs and the current state. Through using analytical example, the effectiveness of this criterion is validated.
Sex and gender medicine in physician clinical training: results of a large, single-center survey.

“Sex and Gender Medicine” is a novel medical discipline that takes into account the effects of sex and gender on the health of women and men. The Institute of Medicine in the USA declared in its 2001 and 2010 statements that being a woman or a man significantly impacts the course of diseases, and therefore, this fact must be considered in diagnosis and therapy. We evaluated the representation of Sex and Gender Medicine in clinical training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a large, tertiary, non-profit, academic medical training center in the Western United States. Post-graduate physician trainees (residents and fellows) in all medical and surgical departments (medicine, surgery, OB-GYN, pediatrics, anesthesiology, pathology, urology, electrophysiology, pulmonary critical care, cardiology, women’s heart, medical genetics, radiology, neurosurgery, and radiation oncology) were surveyed online; 80 (55 and 45 % female and male residents, respectively) out of 890 physicians (9 % response rate) responded to questions regarding sex and gender-based medicine. Seventy percent of post-graduate physician trainees indicated that gender medicine concepts are never or only sometimes discussed/presented in their training program. Slightly greater than 70 % of the trainees indicated that gender concepts are never or only sometimes incorporated into didactic lectures or clinical teaching. However, more than 65 % felt that gender medicine concepts are important, and 60 % agreed that gender medicine curriculum should be implemented and taught in their clinical program. Current physician trainees endorse both a current lack of and need for Sex and Gender Medicine clinical training.
Decision level fusion with best-bases for hyperspectral classification

In recent years, more intuitive understanding about the characteristics of higher dimensional space has influenced the development of subsequent data analysis and classification algorithms in the field of hyperspectral remote sensing. Earlier data analysis and classification algorithms rely on processing high dimensional space as a whole to extract a lower dimensional feature space. The major impediment on these techniques is the limited training data size, which does not confer with the large dimensionality of hyperspectral data. Previous work has shown that statistically reliable parameter estimation can be performed on lower dimensional subspaces that are formed by decomposing the entire dimension into a set of subspaces (bases), based on certain discrimination criterion. In this paper the authors present a classification technique that combines the feature level fusion capabilities of lower dimensional subspaces; with decision level fusion to improve the classification potential of hyperspectral data. In order to reduce the impact of conflicting decisions by individual bases, a voting scheme called Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) is used in combining the decisions. Each base is qualified to influence the final decision, based on its ability to predict the classes with respect to other bases. This information can be derived from training data, analyst inputs or feed back from prior applications. Unlike the traditional classification approaches, this technique not only utilizes the projected lower dimensional feature space, but also makes use of the reliability of the subspaces in classifying certain classes.
View from the Shop—Antitrust and the Decline of the America’s Independent Small Business

Stacy Mitchell's “View from the Shop—Antitrust and the Decline of America's Independent Small Business” is the latest contribution in a string of recent articles and reports calling for a renewal in antitrust policy.
What Is the Role of Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation for Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia

There is a subset of patients who have recurrent ventricular tachycardia despite optimal medical management with pharmacologic therapy and catheter ablation. The cardiac sympathetic nervous system is responsible for triggering and perpetuating ventricular arrhythmias, and surgery can reduce the sympathetic stimulation to the heart. Evidence supports the use of left cardiac sympathetic denervation in recurrent ventricular arrhythmias for long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. There are emerging studies suggesting an improvement in symptoms and survival for cardiac sympathetic denervation in a diverse range of underlying cardiac pathology. Some evidence supports that bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation may be more effective at preventing recurrent ventricular tachycardia compared to left sided alone. Despite recent studies demonstrating promising results, rigorous clinical trials demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of cardiac sympathetic denervation surgery are lacking. However, individuals with recurrent ventricular tachycardia have a poor prognosis and a low quality of life, and surgical treatment may be justified in some individuals. It is our opinion that for patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia, a multimodal approach should be used, including treatment of the underlying condition, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, pharmacologic therapy, and catheter ablation. If ventricular tachycardia persists after exhausting medical management, then cardiac sympathetic denervation may be considered. Future studies should focus on determining the impact of laterality on effectiveness and using novel imaging modalities to select patients most likely to benefit.
Numerical Simulations of the Two-Dimensional Hubbard Model

Monte-Carlo simulations based on the Trotter-Suzuki transformation were performed. For intermediate-range repulsive interaction U, they show suppression of the nearest-neighbor hole correlation function, while next-nearest-neighbor correlations are enhanced.
Reserpine: Basic and Clinical Pharmacology

The introduction, somewhat more than two decades ago, of reserpine as a purified alkaloid of Rauwolfia has contributed greatly to the remarkable advances in the emerging field of psychopharmacology. Notwithstanding the disappearance of the use of reserpine in clinical psychiatry, owing largely to its overshadowing by better drugs, reserpine has made its mark in the stimulation of investigative work and in its continuing use as a tool in the understanding of the mode of action of psychoactive drugs and of the functioning of central monoaminergic neuronal systems and the peripheral adrenergic nervous system. Reserpine rightly deserves historical recognition as one of those key drugs, like nicotine or muscarine, which has allowed a “quantum jump” in our knowledge of the nervous system.
Faraday’s Principle And Air Travel In The Introductory Labs

We all know that we must improve the quality of teaching in science at all levels. Not only physicists but also many students from other areas of study take the introductory physics courses in college. Physics introductory laboratories (labs) can be one of the best tools to help these students understand applications of scientific principles that affect our lives. However, traditional labs are considered by many students, especially non-physics majors, as uninteresting due to the lack of real life applications. In this study, we develop a lab experiment that uses air travel to understand one of the most important concepts in physics: the induced voltage per Faraday’s law.
Online and Classroom Simulations: Does Video Use Inspire Interest, Comprehensibility, or Achieve Learning Outcomes?:

This study examined whether a video illustration of a complex phenomenon promoted learner interest, perceived comprehensibility, and better learning in online- and classroom-based contexts. In the ...
Sex differences in the late first trimester human placenta transcriptome

Development of the placenta during the late first trimester is critical to ensure normal growth and development of the fetus. Developmental differences in this window such as sex-specific variation are implicated in later placental disease states, yet gene expression at this time is poorly understood. RNA-sequencing was performed to characterize the transcriptome of 39 first trimester human placentas using chorionic villi following genetic testing (17 females, 22 males). Gene enrichment analysis was performed to find enriched canonical pathways and gene ontologies in the first trimester. DESeq2 was used to find sexually dimorphic gene expression. Patient demographics were analyzed for sex differences in fetal weight at time of chorionic villus sampling and birth. RNA-sequencing analyses detected 14,250 expressed genes, with chromosome 19 contributing the greatest proportion (973/2852, 34.1% of chromosome 19 genes) and Y chromosome contributing the least (16/568, 2.8%). Several placenta-enriched genes as well as histone-coding genes were identified to be unique to the first trimester and common to both sexes. Further, we identified 58 genes with significantly different expression between males and females: 25 X-linked, 15 Y-linked, and 18 autosomal genes. Genes that escape X inactivation were highly represented (59.1%) among X-linked genes upregulated in females. Many genes differentially expressed by sex consisted of X/Y gene pairs, suggesting that dosage compensation plays a role in sex differences. These X/Y pairs had roles in parallel, ancient canonical pathways important for eukaryotic cell growth and survival: chromatin modification, transcription, splicing, and translation. This study is the first characterization of the late first trimester placenta transcriptome, highlighting similarities and differences among the sexes in ongoing human pregnancies resulting in live births. Sexual dimorphism may contribute to pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth and birth weight, which was seen in our cohort, with males significantly heavier than females at birth. This transcriptome provides a basis for development of early diagnostic tests of placental function that can indicate overall pregnancy heath, fetal-maternal health, and long-term adult health.
Bayesian Analysis of Multidimensional Item Response Theory Models: A Discussion and Illustration of Three Response Style Models.

Interest in Bayesian analysis of item response theory (IRT) models has grown tremendously due to the appeal of the paradigm among psychometricians, advantages of these methods when analyzing comple...
Sex Selection for Nonmedical Reasons

Physicians who specialize in assisted reproductive technology should advise parents-to-be of the health and psychosocial risks of preimplantation sex selection for nonmedical reasons. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Derivation and Use of Deadline Information in Real-Time Control Systems

This section presents a method for deriving the hard deadline of a real-time control system, which captures the interplay between a controlled process and its controller computer by formally specifying the need of the controlled process in a form understandable to the controller computer. Several examples of deriving and applying the hard-deadline information are also presented to demonstrate the importance of the deadline information.
Environmental Health and Disability

“The environment is everything around us—the air we breathe, the water we drink and use, and the food we consume. It’s also the chemicals, radiation, microbes, and physical forces with which we come into contact,” says the Overview of the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2009a, b). The World Health Organization explains that “in its broadest sense, environmental health comprises those aspects of human health, disease, and injury that are determined or influenced by factors in the environment.” The field includes studying both direct pathological effects of numerous agents whether biological, chemical, or physical, but also the impact on health of the physical and social environment, such as land use, industry, housing, transportation, housing, and agriculture (WHO, 1997). The Environmental Health chapter of Healthy People 2010, the public health agenda for the United States from 2000 to 2010, extends this emphasis with the notion that decisions about the environment also affect quality of life and health. Decisions about how and where communities choose to grow, for example, impacts the amount of time people spend to go to work. Also, the decisions about where communities plan and place different components, such as housing, schools, shopping, and parks, affect access of these components by citizens living in the community (DHHS, 2001a; Jackson, 2003). Public health, therefore, has defined environment broadly, highlighting the varied ways in which health is affected.
Limited but not Disabled: Subjective Disability Versus Objective Measurement of Functional Status and Mortality Risk Among Elderly Mexican Americans

In this paper, we examine the degree of concordance among subjective and more objective measures of functional capacity and disability among older Mexican-origin Hispanics. We address three questions: (1) Are there significant discrepancies between objectively measured functional limitations and self-reported disability? (2) How is mortality affected by discrepancies between self-reported disability and more objective functional limitations? (3) Finally, is the association between discrepancies and mortality affected by psychological, cultural, and social factors net of physical illness? We use data from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly Waves 1 and 5 (N = 863). We examine individuals who have objective functional limitations measured by POMAs and label those who also report having ADL disability as “Realists” while those who report no ADLs are labeled “Optimists.” Results show that the association between “optimism” and mortality is mediated by differences in the number and degree of severity of IADL disabilities and the independent living capacities these measures represent.
Chronic captivity stress in wild animals is highly species-specific

Wild animals are brought into captivity for many reasons-conservation, research, agriculture and the exotic pet trade. While the physical needs of animals are met in captivity, the conditions of confinement and exposure to humans can result in physiological stress. The stress response consists of the suite of hormonal and physiological reactions to help an animal survive potentially harmful stimuli. The adrenomedullary response results in increased heart rate and muscle tone (among other effects); elevated glucocorticoid (GC) hormones help to direct resources towards immediate survival. While these responses are adaptive, overexposure to stress can cause physiological problems, such as weight loss, changes to the immune system and decreased reproductive capacity. Many people who work with wild animals in captivity assume that they will eventually adjust to their new circumstances. However, captivity may have long-term or permanent impacts on physiology if the stress response is chronically activated. We reviewed the literature on the effects of introduction to captivity in wild-caught individuals on the physiological systems impacted by stress, particularly weight changes, GC regulation, adrenomedullary regulation and the immune and reproductive systems. This paper did not review studies on captive-born animals. Adjustment to captivity has been reported for some physiological systems in some species. However, for many species, permanent alterations to physiology may occur with captivity. For example, captive animals may have elevated GCs and/or reduced reproductive capacity compared to free-living animals even after months in captivity. Full adjustment to captivity may occur only in some species, and may be dependent on time of year or other variables. We discuss some of the methods that can be used to reduce chronic captivity stress.
Correlating computed tomography pulmonary angiography signs of right ventricular strain in pulmonary embolisms to clinical outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Right ventricular strain (RVS) in pulmonary embolism (PE) can be used to stratify risk and direct intervention. The clinical significance of computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA)-derived radiologic signs of RVS, however, remains incompletely characterized. We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of persons with acute PE to determine which, if any, findings of RVS on CTPA correlate with clinical outcomes. METHODS: All patients with PE diagnosed on CTPA from March 2013 through February 2015 at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital were identified. Their records were retrospectively reviewed to identify length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) placement, hemodynamic failure, use of thrombolytics, vasopressor requirement, mechanical ventilation, and attributable mortality. Three radiologists, blinded to clinical outcomes, separately reviewed the cohort's CTPAs to identify signs of RVS – pulmonary trunk size, internal size of the right and left ventricles, paradoxical interventricular septal bowing, inferior vena cava (IVC) contrast reflux, and hepatic vein contrast reflux. RESULTS: In our cohort of 102 persons, 12 demonstrated hemodynamic failure, 13 required ICU placement, 3 received thrombolysis, and 5 had death attributable to PE. The greatest interobserver agreement among radiologists existed for the presence of increased pulmonary trunk size (0.76 kappa by %agreement) and hepatic vein contrast reflux (0.92 kappa by %agreement). A multiple regression analysis found that when 100% radiologist agreement existed, presence of paradoxical intravenous septal bowing predicted thrombolytic usage (P = 0.02), and the presence of IVC reflux predicted attributable mortality (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Only IVC contrast reflux was associated with increased mortality, and no other sign of RVS on CTPA correlated with clinical outcomes. This suggests that most signs of RVS on CTPA do not reliably predict PE severity. Therefore, RVS seen by CTPA should be used cautiously in weighing the decision to initiate thrombolytics.
Multi-task Multimodal Learning for Disaster Situation Assessment

During disaster events, emergency response teams need to draw up the response plan at the earliest possible stage. Social media platforms contain rich information which could help to assess the current situation. In this paper, a novel multi-task multimodal deep learning framework with automatic loss weighting is proposed. Our framework is able to capture the correlation among different concepts and data modalities. The proposed automatic loss weighting method can prevent the tedious manual weight tuning process and improve the model performance. Extensive experiments on a large-scale multimodal disaster dataset from Twitter are conducted to identify post-disaster humanitarian category and infrastructure damage level. The results show that by learning the shared latent space of multiple tasks with loss weighting, our model can outperform all single tasks.
Utility of Targeted Ultrasound to Predict Malignancy Among Lesions Detected on Contrast-Enhanced Digital Mammography.

BACKGROUND. Targeted ultrasound (US) can be performed to characterize and potentially biopsy areas of enhancement detected on contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM). OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this stu...
Mental Health in Women Living With HIV: The Unique and Unmet Needs:

Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms at higher rates than their male counterparts and more often than HIV-unaffected women. These mental health issues affect not only the well-being and quality of life of WLWH, but have implications for HIV management and transmission prevention. Despite these ramifications, WLWH are under-treated for mental health concerns and they are underrepresented in the mental health treatment literature. In this review, we illustrate the unique mental health issues faced by WLWH such as a high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse histories, caregiving stress, and elevated internalized stigma as well as myriad barriers to care. We examine the feasibility and outcomes of mental health interventions that have been tested in WLWH including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and supportive counseling. Future research is required to address individual and systemic barriers to mental health care for WLWH.
Tissue-specific activation of Myd88-dependent pathways governs disease severity in primary Sjögren's syndrome

Myd88 activation is an important driver of autoimmunity. Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction in combination with serious systemic disease manifestations. Myd88-dependent signaling networks remain incompletely understood in the context of pSS. The objective of this study was to establish the contribution of tissue-specific Myd88 activation to local (exocrine) and systemic pSS manifestations. To this end, we generated two novel conditional knockout pSS mouse models; one lacking Myd88 in hematopoietic cells and a second strain in which Myd88 was deleted in the stromal compartment. Spontaneous production of inflammatory mediators was altered in salivary tissue, and nephritis was diminished in both conditional knockout strains. In contrast, pulmonary inflammation was increased in mice lacking Myd88 in hematopoietic cells and was reduced when Myd88 was ablated in stromal cells. Finally, anti-nuclear autoantibodies (ANAs) were attenuated in pSS mice lacking Myd88 in immune cells. Additionally, the ANA-specific B cell repertoire was skewed in the Myd88-deficient strains. Collectively, these data demonstrate that Myd88 activation in specific cell types is essential for distinct aspects of pSS pathology.
From Julius Evola to Anders Breivik: The Invented Tradition of Far-Right Christianity

Eric Hobsbawm famously helped develop the concept of an invented tradition. Where something may appear traditional, use traditional symbols and language, it may still yet be a modern political project—invented to achieve modern political results. This essay analyzes a species of reactionary far-right politics which utilizes and sometimes criticizes Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant. Specifically engaged in the promotion of white identitarianism against encroaching Islamism, liberalism, and globalism, these political actors have invented forms of Christianity which would be otherwise alien to their historical counterparts. In this essay non-Christian thinkers such as Julius Evola are analyzed alongside cultural Christians such as Anders Breivik and explicit Christian identitarians such as Brenton Tarrant, both of whom are famous for terrorist acts in defense of “western civilization.” This essay seeks to historically contextualize their claims and shed light on how seemingly traditional symbols, concepts, or historical episodes are ahistorical and thoroughly modern.
A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve Handwriting and Spelling in Children with Specific Learning Disabilities

Handwriting and spelling deficits are common struggles experienced by children with specific learning disabilities (SLD), but there is little evidence on interventions that target these areas for c...
Evaluation of In-Office Volitional Snore as a Screening Tool for Candidacy for Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation:

Candidacy evaluation for hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) is resource intensive. This proof-of-concept study investigates use of in-office volitional snore during flexible laryngoscopy as an ef...
Response of essential oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) growth, biomass, and cannabinoid profiles to varying fertigation rates

Five essential oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars (Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom (Tuan), Berry Blossom, Cherry Wine, and Cherry Blossom × Trump) were treated with six fertigation treatments to quantify the effects of synthetic fertilizer rates and irrigation electrical conductivity on plant growth, biomass accumulation, and cannabinoid profiles. Irrigation water was injected with a commercial 20-20-20 fertilizer at rates of 0, 50, 150, 300, 450, and 600 ppm nitrogen equating to 0.33 (control), 0.54, 0.96, 1.59, 2.22, and 2.85 dS m-1, respectively. Plants were grown under artificial lighting (18 hr) to maintain vegetative growth for eight weeks, followed by an eight-week flowering period. High linear relationship between chlorophyll concentrations and SPAD-502 measurements validated the utilization of SPAD meters to rapidly identify nutrient deficiency in essential oil hemp. Cultivars expressed significant variation in plant height and cannabinoid profiles (% dry mass), in concurrence with limited biomass and cannabinoid (g per plant) yield variation. Cherry Blossom was the best performing cultivar and Cherry Wine was the least productive. Variation in plant growth, biomass, and cannabinoid concentrations were affected to a greater extent by fertilizer rates. Optimal fertilizer rates were observed at 50 ppm N, while increased fertilizer rates significantly reduced plant growth, biomass accumulation, and cannabinoid concentrations. Increased fertilizer rates (> 300 ppm N) resulted in compliant THC levels ( 300 ppm N) compared to THC and CBG (> 450 ppm N). The results of this study can serve as a guide when using fertigation methods on essential oil hemp cultivars; although results may differ with cultivar selection, environmental conditions, and management practices.
Dietary and Nutritional Recommendations for the Prevention and Treatment of Heart Failure

Patients with heart failure (HF) suffer from a high degree of morbidity and mortality at a significant cost to health systems making HF a substantial public health burden. Efforts to prevent and manage HF through dietary and nutritional interventions have posed an especially unique challenge in cardiovascular medicine. This is a result of HF being a complex clinical syndrome that encompasses numerous pathophysiologic states and has significant overlap with various comorbidities, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. Further complicating matters, creating nutritional and dietary recommendations for the prevention and treatment of HF is challenging across the different classifications and stages of HF, and currently there is no single guideline-based dietary recommendation for patients with HF. At present, the DASH, Mediterranean, and plant-based diets have the most robust evidence for preventing HF in at-risk individuals and reducing mortality in patients with existing HF. Dietary modifications and nutritional supplementation in HF remain a controversial topic where outside of iron replacement, there is limited evidence for the repletion of other vitamins and micronutrients. Thus, clinicians are encouraged to individualize dietary and nutritional recommendations in HF patients by considering a patient’s comorbidities, risk of micronutrient deficiency, and lifestyle.
An enriched microvillus membrane preparation from frozen specimens of human small intestine.

A method for the separation of microvillus membranes from frozen human small intestine has been devised. The technique utilized controlled homogenization of the tissue in ethyl enediaminetetraacetate-Tris, initial separation by centrifugation, Tris disruption, and finally fractionation on a discontinuous density gradient. Four to eight bands and a pellet were visible in the gradient and they were collected into six fractions. One of the fractions, IIIA, is composed largely of microvillar structures as shown by electron microscopic examination. This fraction has substantially increased specific activity of sucrase, trehalase, alkaline phosphatase, and, when prepared from tissue with normal amounts of lactase, of this enzyme also over the initial homogenate. The peptidases, leucyl naphthylamide hydrolase, and a peptidase which hydrolyzes the β chain of insulin, were also found in this fraction at increased specific activities. Preliminary studies have indicated that minor modifications will adapt the method to similar preparations from peroral biopsies of intestinal mucosa.
Flat plate vs. concentrator solar photovoltaic cells - a manufacturing cost analysis

The choice of which photovoltaic system (flat plate or concentrator) to use for utilizing solar cells to generate electricity depends mainly on the cost. A detailed, comparative manufacturing cost analysis of the two types of systems is presented. Several common assumptions, i.e., cell thickness, interest rate, power rate, factory production life, polysilicon cost, and direct labor rate are utilized in this analysis. Process sequences, cost variables, and sensitivity analyses have been studied, and results of the latter show that the most important parameters which determine manufacturing costs are concentration ratio, manufacturing volume, and cell efficiency. The total cost per watt of the flat plate solar cell is $1.45, and that of the concentrator solar cell is $1.85, the higher cost being due to the increased process complexity and material costs.
Behavior of the Idiotypic Network in Conventional Immune Responses: III. Detection and Enumeration of Cells Producing Idiotypic and Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies by a Spot ELISA Technique

The idiotypic (Ab1) and anti-idiotypic (Ab2) responses of spleen cells of mice immunized with DNP-Ficoll were assayed with the spot ELISA technique in wells coated with DNP-BSA or with affinity-purified rabbit anti-DNP antibodies, respectively. In agreement with results previously obtained with the hemolytic plaque technique, large numbers of Ab1 and Ab2 ELISA spots were found. The cytokinetics of the Ab1 and Ab2 responses were very similar and the peak responses occurred simultaneously. The isotypes of Abs1 and Abs2 were also similar. Both responses were specifically inhibited by soluble DNP-lysine. Similar results were obtained with spleen cells from mice immunized with the T-dependent antigen DNP-KLH and with the T-independent antigen fluorescein-Ficoll. In contrast, no Ab2 response was detected when spleen cells from mice immunized with ovalbumin were assayed, probably because the affinity-purified rabbit anti-ovalbumin antibodies used to coat the wells for the Ab2 assay contained molecules of several specificities, corresponding to the several epitopes of the ovalbumin molecule. The many similarities between the Ab1 and Ab2 responses to the haptens suggest that they reflected two different reactivities of the same antibody molecules.
Introducing Bruner: A Guide for Practitioners and Students in Early Years Education. By Sandra Smidt

The main argument of Sandra Smidt's Introducing Bruner is that Jerome Bruner's groundbreaking ideas about how children learn and develop have direct, practical implications for early years educatio...