cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Remembering Dr. Angelou, 1928–2014

Dr. Angelou was a teacher to millions who savored her lectures, prose, and poetry. As we continue to mourn her passing, may we apply her wisdom to our nation’s ongoing freedom struggles. The non-indictment in the Michael Brown case, the non-indictment in the Eric Garner case, and the killing of twelve-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot while holding a toy gun, all raise questions about the ways Black bodies get policed and have led many to publicly affirm that “Black lives matter.” The national protests and movements these incidents sparked have drawn large multiethnic and multigenerational crowds demonstrating a coalitional consciousness such as Dr. Angelou would champion. In this collective spirit we must continue to tackle structural racism in the criminal justice system, and confront longstanding disparities in health, housing, lending, and wealth.
A Framework for Thinking About Law School Affordability

This research report, authored by Sandy Baum, Ph.D., explores the most constructive ways to think about the affordability of legal education in the context of trends in law school enrollment, prices, debt and employment. However, the report cautions that law school affordability cannot be evaluated through simple metrics; it must be measured by taking into account the lifetime value of the investment. The report was commissioned by Access Group to add to the public discourse about what makes law schools affordable for students in different circumstances.
A fateful night and a life.

This case study tells the story of an intern during their obstetrics-gynaecology rotation at a municipal hospital in Mumbai India. It details a night when a pregnant woman died of hypovolemic shock but occurred because of lack of resources and lack of infrastructure at the hospital.
Motion Kinematics Effects on Aerodynamic Performance of Bio- Inspired Wing Sections in Ultra-Low Reynolds Number Flow

“Bio-inspired” wing sections, so aptly named because their profile is defined by corrugated sections observed from actual insect species, have attracted more and more attentions in aircraft wing design. Existing literature has shown that corrugated airfoils, as well as their profiled counterparts, while possessing an unconventional shape, show very little contribution in drag when compared to more technical airfoils such as a flat plate and a cambered conventional airfoil with respect to cruising flight of fixed-wing aircraft. In addition, the corrugated airfoils were shown to delay stall as well provide an increase in translator lift. With this in mind, this study presents a series of computations using two bioinspired airfoils and two technical airfoils in a flapping motion for various reduced frequencies and Strouhal numbers. We find that for certain values of reduced frequencies and Strouhal numbers that the wake shows no appreciable difference between the four different airfoils. With increasing reduced frequencies and Strouhal numbers we find that the wake begins to vary widely from each other.
Studies with tularemia vaccines in volunteers. VI. Assessment of role of properdin in resistance.

SummaryPrechallenge properdin levels were not significantly different in 35 vaccinated or non-vaccinated volunteers who did or did not become ill after respiratory challenge with P. tularensis. No change was observed in properdin levels after infection in 4 volunteers so studied. P. tularensis was not sensitive to the properdin system in vitro. It would appear that the properdin system is not involved in immunity of humans to tularemia.
Lymphoblastoid Cell-Induced Suppression of Human Peripheral Blood Leukocyte Mitogenic Responses

Two lymphoblastoid tumor cell lines, the Burkitt lymphoma derived BJAB cell line which is free of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and B95-8 cells, which are marmoset lymphocytes transformed by EBV isolated from an infectious mononucleosis patient, were studied in regards to their effects on the blastogenic responsiveness of normal human peripheral blood leukocytes stimulated in vitro with mitogens. Mitomycin C treated tumor cell suspensions, when cocultured with normal human blood leukocytes, markedly depressed the expected blastogenic responses in vitro to concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, and phytohemagglutin. In addition, cell-free sonicates from the cell lines also depressed blastogenic responsiveness of the leukocytes in vitro. Heating the sonicates for 10 min at 100 degrees C markedly diminished the suppressive properties of the sonicates, as did ultraviolet light irradiation. The suppressive activity of the B95-8 sonicates was pelleted by high speed centrifugation as compared to the activity of sonicates derived from the BJAB cells. Further studies are warranted to determine the nature and mechanism of suppression of blastogenic responsiveness of normal human leukocytes by soluble components derived from such lymphoblastoid cell lines.
Occurrence of a Two-Headed Pupa in a Population of Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

During routine sexing of pupae of T. confusum Jacquelin duVal, a specimen was found that bore 2 heads (Fig. U. One head was situated in the normal position, while the abnormal head was firmly attached by a prothorax to the lateroposterior part of the abdomen covering the 5th, 6th, and 7th segments. The area between the abnormal head and the abdomen was slightly darkened, (possibly necrosis as described by Roth and Howland (1941). The abnormal head had readily visible mouthparts and a pair of forelegs originated from the prothorax. The extra head was much slower to develop than the normal head. After ca. 9 hr its eyes began to darken but the specimen died within 24 hr after discovery.
Development of a Functional Marker for Rice Blast Resistance Gene Pi-k~h and Natural Variation at Pi-k~h Locus in japonica Rice in Jiangsu Province,China

Pi-khis a vital non race-specific resistance gene for rice blast.In this study,one InDel marker,FM143was developed based on the 143bp insertion between the susceptible and resistant Pi-kh alleles.Previous studies showed that Tetep carried resistant Pi-kh allele and had the none-insertion genotype for PCR by FM143.F2population,derived from Tetep and Ning 9108,were detected by marker FM143and the result indicated that FM143could effectively identify Pi-kh/Pi-kh,Pi-kh/pi-kh and pi-kh/pi-kh genotypes with the expected segregation ratio 1∶2∶1.Sixty-five japonica varieties widely grown in Jiangsu Province over years and sixty-four japonica lines were genotyped by FM143.Among them,19japonica varieties and 22japonica lines showed none-insertion genotype.Further sequencing at the target Pi-kh locus for these none-insertion genotype showed that there was one highly conserved single-base mutation(G→C)at 102bp location compared with the whole target gene sequence in Tetep and public Pi-kh GeneBank leading to the changes from glutamic acid to asparaginic acid.This new allele in Jiangsu japonica rice was termed as Pi-khJSJ.
Hand tendon injuries in athletics.

Hand tendon injuries are common in athletes. Tendon ruptures occur secondary to acute trauma, and overuse syndromes are caused by repetitive micro trauma. Both traumatic and overuse injuries require prompt diagnosis for optimal outcome. This article reviews the common hand tendon injuries and emphasizes keys to early diagnosis and treatment.
Chapter A3 Dentin and Enamel

The permanent adult human dentition normally consists of 32 teeth, of which 16 are located in the mandible and 16 in the maxilla. There are 4 incisors, 2 canines, 4 premolars and 6 molars for the upper and lower dentition. The incisors are used for cutting food, the canines for tearing, the premolars for grasping, and the molars for grinding (i.e., masticating). There is a generic heterogeneous structure for these teeth, where enamel forms an exterior layer over the underlying dentin. From the cervix to the apex of the root, the exterior of the dentin is covered by cementum to which the periodontal ligament attaches the tooth to alveolar bone. Dental enamel is dense, highly mineralized, hard, and brittle. It contains prism-like structures that span from the enamel surface to the junction of enamel and dentin, the dentino-enamel junction (DEJ). The prisms are comprised of hydroxyapatite crystallites and contain very little organic matrix. These properties make dental enamel an excellent material for cutting and masticating food (i.e., processes that involve friction and wear). In contrast, dentin is not as hard as enamel, but it is tougher. Dentin is a heterogeneous material and can be thought of as a composite structure containing four major components: dentin matrix; dentinal tubules; mineral (i.e., carbonate containing hydroxyapatite); and, dentinal fluid. The dentinal tubules (~45 000 per mm2) are formed during development of the dentin matrix and are distributed throughout the dentin matrix in a somewhat uniform manner. The dentin matrix mineralizes in an anisotropic fashion, where a highly mineralized tissue, peritubular dentin, surrounds the dentinal tubules. The mineralized tissue between the dentinal tubules and peritubular dentin is referred to as intertubular dentin. Histological examination has revealed that intertubular dentin is less mineralized than peritubular dentin. Furthermore, the matrix and mineral content of root dentin is different from coronal dentin. A good review of the structure of teeth can be found in Waters [1].
Sequential decision aggregation with social pressure

This paper proposes and characterizes a sequential decision aggregation system consisting of agents performing binary sequential hypothesis testing and a fusion center which collects the individual decisions and reaches the global decision according to some threshold rule. Individual decision makers’ behaviors in the system are influenced by other decision makers, through a model for social pressure; our notion of social pressure is proportional to the ratio of individual decision makers who have already made the decisions. For our proposed model, we obtain the following results: First, we derive a recursive expression for the probabilities of making the correct and wrong global decisions as a function of time, system size, and the global decision threshold. The expression is based on the individual decision makers’ decision probabilities and does not rely on the specific individual decision-making policy. Second, we discuss two specific threshold rules: the fastest rule and the majority rule. By means of a mean-field analysis, we relate the asymptotic performance of the fusion center, as the system size tends to infinity, to the individual decision makers’ decision probability sequence. In addition to theoretical analysis, simulation work is conducted to discuss the speed/accuracy tradeoffs for different threshold rules.
Continuing education requirements among State Occupational Therapy Regulatory Boards in the United States of America

Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the contents of each state's occupational therapy (OT) regulatory board requirements regarding licensees' acquisition of continuing education units in the United States of America. Methods Data related to continuing education requirements from each OT regulatory board of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States were reviewed and categorized by two reviewers. Analysis was conducted based on the categorization of the continuing education requirements and activities required, allowed, and not allowed/not mentioned for continuing education units. Results Findings revealed non-uniformity and inconsistency of continuing education requirements for licensure renewal between OT regulatory boards and was coupled with lack of specific criteria for various continuing education activities. Continuing education requirements were not tailored to meet the needs of individual licensee's current and anticipated professional role and job responsibilities, with a negative bias towards presentation and publication allowed for continuing education units. Few boards mandated continuing education topics on ethics related to OT practice within each renewal cycle. Conclusion OT regulatory boards should move towards unifying the reporting format of continuing education requirements across all states to reduce ambiguity and to ensure licensees are equipped to provide ethical and competent practice. Efforts could be made to enact continuing education requirements specific to the primary role of a particular licensee. Finally, assigning the amount of continuing education credits to be awarded for different activities should be based on research evidence rather than arbitrary determination.
Ensemble Feedback Instruments

We document results from exploring ensemble feedback in loosely-structured electroacoustic improvisations. A conceptual justification for the explorations is provided, in addition to discussion of tools and methodologies. Physical configurations of intra-ensemble feedback networks are documented, along with qualitative analysis of their effectiveness.
SecureMAC: Securing Wireless Medium Access Control Against Insider Denial-of-Service Attacks

Wireless network dynamically allocates channel resources to improve spectral efficiency and, to avoid collisions, has its users cooperate with each other using a medium access control (MAC) protocol. However, MAC assumes user compliance and can be detrimental when a user misbehaves. An attacker who compromised the network can launch more devastating denial-of-service (DoS) attacks than a network outsider by sending excessive reservation requests to waste bandwidth, by listening to the control messages and conducting power-efficient jamming, by falsifying information to manipulate the network control, and so on. We build SecureMAC to defend against such insider threats while retaining the benefits of coordination between the cooperative users. SecureMAC is comprised of four components: channelization to prevent excessive reservations, randomization to thwart reactive targeted jamming, coordination to counter control-message aware jamming and resolve over-reserved and under-reserved spectrum, and power attribution to determine each node's contribution to the received power. Our theoretical analyses and implementation evaluations demonstrate superior performance over previous approaches, which either ignore security issues or give up the benefit of cooperation when under attack by disabling user coordination (such as the Nash equilibrium of continuous wideband transmission). In realistic scenarios, our SecureMAC implementation outperforms such schemes by 76-159 percent.
In Situ Formation of Metal Carbide Catalysts

Metal carbide catalysts are essential to many widely used chemical processes. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, methane dehydroaromatization, and biomass conversion catalysts are typically prepared in situ from a metal oxide precursor with a carbon-containing gas. The reduction process of the metal oxide affects the final catalyst, as does the carburization gas mixture, and metal promoters. By looking at materials that are carburized in situ, new insights can be gained about catalyst activation, fuel processing, and deactivation stages. The main focuses of this review are iron carbide, molybdenum carbide, and nickel carbide; analyzing catalyst synthesis methods, reduction steps, in situ carburization, and improvements to the native processes. By combining years of research on these catalysts, trends and similarities are observed that can be used to improve current catalytic studies.
Asymmetric impact of monetary surprises on exchange rate

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the asymmetric response of exchange rate to monetary surprises. After controlling the type, direction and origin of the news as well as business cycle phase, a new asymmetry is found in the response of the exchange rate to news surprises. In specific, the US Dollar depreciates against major currencies as the response to the negative monetary surprises in the 2001 recession, while the Dollar appreciates responding to similar negative monetary surprises during the 2008 recession. The paper further explores possible causes and finds that time-varying status of the currency with higher financial returns may contribute to the new asymmetry.
The t-Ratio Distribution

Abstract The distribution of the ratio of correlated Student t-variates is of interest in problems in econometrics, and ranking and selection. The density of this ratio is derived and computer graphs of the density are given in terms of standardized variates. Fractiles are given for selected parameter values. It is shown that the distribution contains no moments.
Phase Transfer Catalysis: A Tool for Environmentally Benign Synthesis

Abstract Phase transfer catalysis (PTC) is a long known contributor to sustainable synthesis. The generic method underwent many improvements over the past decades, and several new technical advances were made. This chapter summarizes the recent developments in this field. One of the major areas of application is in asymmetric synthesis by chiral phase transfer catalysts, including modified natural products (e.g., cinchona alkaloids) and synthetic alternatives, such as 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL)-based catalysts. The second part of the work deals with new areas including polymer-bound phase transfer catalysts that extend PTC to three-phase systems and multisite catalysts that effectively catalyze several reactions and improve the likelihood of catalyst recycling.
Sampling of Material and Statistical Analysis in Quantitative Stereology

All experiments in the field of quantitative stereology are essentially statistical experiments. A sample of a structure is selected for observation, and this sample is appropriately scanned. The sample and the scanning procedure may be zero, one, two, or three dimensional. Events that occur during the scan are recorded, such as the length of a lineal intercept, the intersection of a scanning line with particle outline, or the number of features observed in a two dimensional sample. These events are related, through the geometric probabilities which form the mathematical basis for the field, to the geometric properties of the structure which constitutes the population from which the sample is drawn.
Modeling the Predictive Social Mind

The social mind is tailored to the problem of predicting the mental states and actions of other people. However, social cognition researchers have only scratched the surface of the predictive social mind. We discuss here a new framework for explaining how people organize social knowledge and use it for social prediction. Specifically, we propose a multilayered framework of social cognition in which two hidden layers – the mental states and traits of others – support predictions about the observable layer – the actions of others. A parsimonious set of psychological dimensions structures each layer, and proximity within and across layers guides social prediction. This simple framework formalizes longstanding intuitions from social cognition, and in doing so offers a generative model for deriving new hypotheses about predictive social cognition.
Natural Language Processing Accurately Calculates Adenoma and Sessile Serrated Polyp Detection Rates.

ADR is a widely used colonoscopy quality indicator. Calculation of ADR is labor-intensive and cumbersome using current electronic medical databases. Natural language processing (NLP) is a method used to extract meaning from unstructured or free text data. (1) To develop and validate an accurate automated process for calculation of adenoma detection rate (ADR) and serrated polyp detection rate (SDR) on data stored in widely used electronic health record systems, specifically Epic electronic health record system, Provation® endoscopy reporting system, and Sunquest PowerPath pathology reporting system. Screening colonoscopies performed between June 2010 and August 2015 were identified using the Provation® reporting tool. An NLP pipeline was developed to identify adenomas and sessile serrated polyps (SSPs) on pathology reports corresponding to these colonoscopy reports. The pipeline was validated using a manual search. Precision, recall, and effectiveness of the natural language processing pipeline were calculated. ADR and SDR were then calculated. We identified 8032 screening colonoscopies that were linked to 3821 pathology reports (47.6%). The NLP pipeline had an accuracy of 100% for adenomas and 100% for SSPs. Mean total ADR was 29.3% (range 14.7–53.3%); mean male ADR was 35.7% (range 19.7–62.9%); and mean female ADR was 24.9% (range 9.1–51.0%). Mean total SDR was 4.0% (0–9.6%). We developed and validated an NLP pipeline that accurately and automatically calculates ADRs and SDRs using data stored in Epic, Provation® and Sunquest PowerPath. This NLP pipeline can be used to evaluate colonoscopy quality parameters at both individual and practice levels.
Effects of heroin on rat prosocial behavior.

Opioid use disorders are characterized in part by impairments in social functioning. Previous research indicates that laboratory rats, which are frequently used as animal models of addiction-related behaviors, are capable of prosocial behavior. For example, under normal conditions, when a 'free' rat is placed in the vicinity of rat trapped in a plastic restrainer, the rat will release or 'rescue' the other rat from confinement. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of heroin on prosocial behavior in rats. For 2 weeks, rats were given the opportunity to rescue their cagemate from confinement, and the occurrence of and latency to free the confined rat was recorded. After baseline rescuing behavior was established, rats were randomly selected to self-administer heroin (0.06 mg/kg/infusion i.v.) or sucrose pellets (orally) for 14 days. Next, rats were retested for rescuing behavior once daily for 3 days, during which they were provided with a choice between freeing the trapped cagemate and continuing to self-administer their respective reinforcer. Our results indicate that rats self-administering sucrose continued to rescue their cagemate, whereas heroin rats chose to self-administer heroin and not rescue their cagemate. These findings suggest that rats with a history of heroin self-administration show deficits in prosocial behavior, consistent with specific diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorder. Behavioral paradigms providing a choice between engaging in prosocial behavior and continuing drug use may be useful in modeling and investigating the neural basis of social functioning deficits in opioid addiction.
Producing and Applying Fluorescent Antibodies

With the fluorescent antibody (FA) technique, the antigen-antibody complex can be viewed directly under the microscope. This allows the researcher to detect and identify microorganisms simultaneously. FAs are useful for rhizobial strain identification in ecological research. In this chapter, antisera are purified by ammonium sulfate precipitations and dialysis. The protein content of the dialysate is determined. The immunoglobulin fraction is then conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The FITC-antibody conjugate is separated from the unreacted FITC by column chromatography (gel filtration). It is then used to identify rhizobia in nodules by the direct FA technique. A modification of this method, referred to as the indirect FA technique is described in Appendix 13.
Flow sorting of cells and organelles

Flow techniques offer the possibility of rapidly and precisely determining many characteristics of each member of a population, and of efficiently separating desired subpopulations for detailed study or culture. Measurements on objects can be made based on their electrical and acoustical properties, light scatter, uptake of specific fluorescent dyes, affinity for antibodies, and binding of nucleic acid probes. Asymmetrical objects can be oriented in flow and scanned or imaged to obtain morphological information. Spatial resolution below 1 µm has been achieved. Measurement rates are limited only by problems of coincidence between objects; operation above 105/sec has been achieved. High efficiency, high purity sorting at rates above 2 × 104/sec has been demonstrated. The detection threshold for fluorochromes is determined primarily by autofluorescence of the objects being measured.
Interhemispheric communication and the preference for attitude consistent information

ABSTRACTThe current study investigated the role of interhemispheric communication in selective exposure to information. Participants (N = 241) reported their attitude and attitude strength toward a controversial social topic, engaged in a selective exposure task, and completed the Poffenberger paradigm. As expected, participants demonstrated a moderate (d = 0.50) preference for attitude consistent information on the selective exposure task and attitude strength was a significant predictor of participants’ information search tendencies. Furthermore, faster right-to-left interhemispheric transfer was also significantly associated with an increased preference for attitude consistent information. These findings highlight the potential role of the right hemispheric processes in the detection of cognitive inconsistency and in the implementation of dissonance reduction strategies.
A developmental gene regulatory network for invasive differentiation of the C. elegans anchor cell

Cellular invasion through the basement membrane is a key part of fertility, development, immunity, and disease. To understand the acquisition of the invasive phenotype, we use the genetically tractable in vivo model of C. elegans anchor cell invasion into the vulval epithelium. Coordination of AC invasive machinery is largely achieved cell autonomously through the activity of four conserved transcription factors (TFs), fos-1a (Fos), egl-43 (EVI/MEL), hlh-2 (E/Daughterless) and nhr-67 (NR2E1/TLX). Here, using genome editing and protein depletion with improved RNA interference (RNAi), we characterize the gene regulatory network (GRN) programming AC invasion. Using quantitative measures of endogenous protein levels paired with perturbation analyses, we identify the upstream regulation of nhr-67 activity by egl-43 and hlh-2. Network inference suggests that these three TFs function in a type I coherent feed-forward loop with positive feedback to maintain the AC in a post-mitotic, pro-invasive state. Finally, we provide evidence that two overlapping pro-invasive sub-circuits function in a cell cycle-dependent and independent fashion. Together, these results provide the first framework for integrating TF relationships with the cell biological mechanisms driving invasive cellular behavior.
Applications of Fourier Methods on the Motion Group in Robot Kinematics

In this paper we review the fast Fourier transform on the “discrete motion group”. We apply this transform to the problem of finding the workspace density of discretely actuated manipulators. This transform allows us to compute convolution-like integrals that arise in robot kinematics and motion planning. The results of the implementation are discussed for particular examples.
The Normative and Material Foundations of Judicial Confidence in Bolivia

What allows unpopular judiciaries to gain the trust of the public? Some suggest that judicial confidence depends on procedural integrity. Others emphasize the importance of ideological congruence between the court and the public. This article examines the explanatory power of these two leading hypotheses while also paying closer attention to the moderating effects of political and economic inclusion. It finds that confidence in the judiciary is driven by normative considerations when inclusion is high, but by ideological proximity when inclusion is low. The findings highlight that institutional support does not emerge from a single causal path. Instead, inequalities in the economic and political structure make people trust institutions for different—and sometimes contrasting—reasons.
Development of a Clinical Prototype for Range Verification in Proton Therapy based on Prompt Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy

Range uncertainties in proton therapy pose a limitation on its benefits for cancer treatment. Robust planning and conservative safety margins of up to 1 cm are necessary for guaranteeing full tumor coverage, at the price of a larger dose to normal tissue. At the Massachusetts General Hospital, a full-scale prototype system for in vivo proton range verification is under development, based on spectroscopy of prompt gamma-rays emitted from proton-nuclear reactions with tissue. The aim is to verify the proton range during patient treatments with 1 mm precision. The system consists of eight LaBr3 detectors and a tungsten collimator that are mounted on a rotating frame. The electronics and data processing algorithms are designed to cope with the highly variable count rates that occur during pencil-beam scanning. The prototype was tested by irradiating a water phantom with a clinical dose of 0.9 Gy, a beam current of 2 nA and a field size of 10 cm x 10 cm. Energy- and time-resolved gamma-ray spectra were acquired during the irradiation and further analyzed to subtract the neutron background and to determine the prompt gamma-ray line magnitudes. A GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo model of the gamma-ray emissions was developed, which relies on measured nuclear reaction cross sections and the treatment plan CT. We reconstruct both the absolute proton range and the elemental concentrations of the irradiated tissue by minimizing the deviation between the measurement and the parameterized model. Range shifters and changes in the elemental composition were introduced in different parts of the water phantom to verify the precision and robustness of the range verification method. A statistical precision of 1.1 mm at 95% confidence level and a mean systematic error of 0.5 mm were obtained, when merging protons delivered to the two distal pencil-beam layers within a 10 mm radius. In an upcoming clinical study, the prototype will be tested during the treatment of brain cancer patients.
The pathogenic importance of CCL21 and CCR7 in rheumatoid arthritis.

Innate and adaptive immunity regulate the inflammatory and erosive phenotypes observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Hence, identifying novel pathways that participate in different stages of RA pathology will provide valuable insights concerning the mechanistic behavior of different joint leukocytes and the strategy to restrain their activity. Recent findings have revealed that CCL21 poses as a risk factor for RA and expression of its receptor, CCR7, on circulating monocytes is representative of the patient's disease activity score. Expression of CCR7 was found to be the hallmark of RA synovial fluid (SF) M1 macrophages (MФs) and its levels were potentiated in response to M1 mediating factors and curtailed by M2 mediators in naive MФs. Intriguingly, although both CCR7 ligands, CCL19 and CCL21, are elevated in RA specimens, only CCL21 was predominately responsible for CCR7's pathological manifestation of RA. Unique subset of MФs differentiated in response to CCL21 stimulation, exhibited upregulation in Th17-polarizing monokines. Moreover, CCL21-activated monokines were capable of differentiating naive T cells into joint Th17 cells, which also partook in RA osteoclastogenesis. Finally, to conserve chronic inflammation, SF CCL21 amplified RA neovascularization directly and indirectly by promoting RA FLS and MΦs to secrete proangiogenic factors, VEGF and IL-17. This review aims to shed light on the broad pathogenic impact of CCL21, linking immunostimulatory MФs with Th17 cells, while concurrently advancing RA bone destruction and neovascularization.
Demo: SLEMI: Finding Simulink Compiler Bugs through Equivalence Modulo Input (EMI)

This demo presents usage and implementation details of SLEMI. SLEMI is the first tool to automatically find compiler bugs in the widely used cyber-physical system development tool Simulink via Equivalence Modulo Input (EMI). EMI is a recent twist on differential testing that promises more efficiency. SLEMI implements several novel mutation techniques that deal with CPS language features that are not found in procedural languages. This demo also introduces a new EMI-based mutation strategy that has already found a new confirmed bug in Simulink version R2018a. To increase SLEMI's efficiency further, this paper presents parallel generation of random, valid Simulink models. A video demo of SLEMI is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oliPgOLT6eY.
Contemporary Landmark Trials Update in the Management of Idiopathic Overactive Bladder

The landmark trials evaluating the different lines of treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) were reviewed to provide a summary of the most recent advances in behavioral, medical, and surgical management of OAB in the last 5 to 10 years. Clinical trials for the treatment of OAB have evaluated the efficacy and effectiveness of different combinations of medical management, surgical management, and conservative therapies in quality of life improvement in these patients. All three lines of therapy include safe and effective treatment options that can be used as monotherapy or in combination to treat a variety of patient characteristics and comorbidities. The three lines of treatment currently available to patients continue to be improved with new innovations in strategies for their use in combination with one another and improving technology to make them safer, more effective, and individualized to each patient’s needs.
Theoretical analysis of the distribution of isolated particles in the TASEP: Application to mRNA translation rate estimation

The Totally Asymmetric Exclusion Process (TASEP) is a classical stochastic model for describing the transport of interacting particles, such as ribosomes moving along the mRNA during translation. Although this model has been widely studied in the past, the extent of collision between particles and the average distance between a particle to its nearest neighbor have not been quantified explicitly. We provide here a theoretical analysis of such quantities via the distribution of isolated particles. In the classical form of the model in which each particle occupies only a single site, we obtain an exact analytic solution using the Matrix Ansatz. We then employ a refined mean field approach to extend the analysis to a generalized TASEP with particles of an arbitrary size. Our theoretical study has direct applications in mRNA translation and the interpretation of experimental ribosome profiling data. In particular, our analysis of data from S. cerevisiae suggests a potential bias against the detection of nearby ribosomes with gap distance less than ~3 codons, which leads to some ambiguity in estimating the initiation rate and protein production flux for a substantial fraction of genes. Despite such ambiguity, however, we demonstrate theoretically that the interference rate associated with collisions can be robustly estimated, and show that approximately 1% of the translating ribosomes get obstructed.
Visual vignettes for cross-national research

Textual vignettes are a widely popular research tool, but they assume literacy and reading comprehension skills that limit their utility for both research with disadvantaged populations and cross-n...
Chest Feminization in Male-to-Female Transgender Patients: A Review of Options

Management of a transgender (TG) woman's gender dysphoria is individualized to address the sources of her distress. This typically involves some combination of psychological therapy, hormone modula...
A message passing coprocessor for distributed memory multicomputers

The authors present the architecture, methodology and performance evaluation of a message-passing coprocessor (MPC) which can accelerate message communication in a distributed memory multicomputer (i.e. iPSC/2 hypercube). The MPC is a microprogrammable processor which offloads from the CPU the burden of communication and speeds up the software processing by directly executing message passing instructions in microcode. It supports process scheduling, message buffer management, and fast buffer copying. The most unique feature of the MPC is that it performs software caching for expected message destinations and buffers. The MPC works closely with a virtual channel router which is a smart routing controller and supports virtual channels and cached circuits. The software and hardware overhead of communication can be reduced significantly by these two processors. The performance is confirmed by trace-driven simulation.
A Case Study and Review of Literature of Eruptive Syringoma in a Six-Year-Old.

Syringomas are benign tumors originating from the intraepidermal portion of eccrine sweat ducts. A six-year-old African American female presented with multiple 2-3 mm hyperpigmented papules over the neck, upper chest, and axillae bilaterally. The lesions were non-tender, non-pruritic, and did not bleed when lightly scraped. A cafe-au-lait macule was incidentally found in the mid-back of the patient. Histopathologically, multiple small ducts displaying a tadpole-shaped/paisley-tie pattern with fibrotic stroma were identified on hematoxylin and eosin staining. Epithelium showing nests of cells with basaloid appearance and dilated glands filled with eosinophilic material were also identified. These histopathologic findings were consistent with a diagnosis of eruptive syringoma. The patient was treated conservatively, and the lesions subsided without intervention. In most patients requesting treatment, isotretinoin is used; however, this may be an unnecessary measure in many patients. Overall, this case was significant due to the patient's young age, ethnicity, and clinical improvement in the absence of treatment.
Imaging in Pelvic Floor Medicine: Roles of Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI

The evaluation of urethral diverticular disease has evolved over time to include many imaging modalities including magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, cystography, and urodynamics. Depending on patient presentation, optimized diagnosis may require multimodal evaluation. This chapter will discuss the different radiographic options for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of periurethral lesions, specifically urethral diverticular disease.
On space-time properties of solutions for nonlinear evolutionary equations with random initial data

We consider space-time properties of periodic solutions of nonlinear wave equations, nonlinear Schrodinger equations and KdV-type equations with initial data from the support of the Gibbs’ measure. For the wave and Schrodinger equations we establish the best Holder exponents. We also discuss KdV-type equations which are more difficult due to a presence of the derivative in the nonlinearity.
Grain boundary relaxation in doped nano-grained aluminum

Abstract Simulation studies are done to understand the role of dopants that segregate preferentially to grain boundaries on the stability of nanocrystalline aluminum. A dopant design framework based on thermodynamic principles, is used to identify the specific dopant type with the highest potential to segregate to grain boundaries in nanocrystalline aluminum. Various elements are evaluated as potential dopants and magnesium is identified to have the highest tendency to segregate to grain boundaries and release the excess free energyleading to the relaxation of the grain boundaries. A systematic combination of atomic structure analysis is then done to correlate grain boundary relaxation and the mechanical response of the magnesium-doped nanocrystalline aluminum at ambient temperature. The atomistic simulations reveal that the preferential partitioning of magnesium dopants to the grain boundaries reduces the excess volume within this region which stabilizes the nanostructure. At low contents, the magnesium dopants are observed initially partition to the grain boundaries, but once saturation of the grain boundaries is reached, excess dopants are accommodated in the crystalline interiors. It is found that the addition of the magnesium dopants even in the dilute limit, enhances the strength of the nanocrystalline aluminum. The formation of large, disordered GBs in doped nanocrystalline aluminum under tensile load allowed it to accommodate the deformation and prohibit crack growth.
Confederate Monuments and the History of Lynching in the American South: An Empirical Examination

The present work interrogates the history of Confederate memorializations by examining the relationship between these memorializations and lynching, an explicitly racist act of violence. We obtained and merged data on Confederate memorializations at the county level and lynching victims, also at the county level. We find that the number of lynching victims in a county is a positive and significant predictor of the number of Confederate memorializations in that county, even after controlling for relevant covariates. This finding provides concrete, quantitative, and historically and geographically situated evidence consistent with the position that Confederate memorializations reflect a racist history, one marred by intentions to terrorize and intimidate Black Americans in response to Black progress.
Photoacoustic Imaging the Relative Size of Optical Absorbing Aggregates

Traditional photoacoustic (PA) images are formed from the amplitudes of the envelope-detected PA data. This approach largely ignores encoded spectral information that may provide more insight about tissue function and pathology. Here we introduce a new PA graphic equalization (PAGE) algorithm that divides the PA signal into a collection of frequency bands that are related to different-sized optical absorbers. Radiofrequency (RF) PA data were obtained using a Vevo 3100 with LAZR-X system (Fujifilm VisualSonics Inc). Experiments were performed using phantom materials and narrow translucent silicone tubes with clotting blood (inner diameter of 0.30, 0.51, or 0.64 mm). Phantoms were created by embedding an agar solution with fluorescent microspheres having diameters of 10 to 45 µm or 106 to 125 µm. Overall, preliminary in vitro results demonstrate that PAGE processing can distinguish micrometer-sized optical absorbers of varying size.
Legacy Effects of Highway Construction Disturbance and Vegetation Management on Carbon Dynamics in Forested Urban Verges

Natural ecosystems, like forests, adjacent to urban interstates are directly exposed to vehicle emissions (e.g., carbon dioxide) and may be strategically located for providing ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and sequestration. The primary goal of this study was to determine the effects of past soil disturbance (i.e., topsoil removal during highway construction) and an exotic shrub (Amur honeysuckle) on soil carbon dynamics in forests adjacent to urban interstates in Louisville, Kentucky. To predict potential tree and soil carbon storage and sequestration, CENTURY model simulations were conducted. A short-term (94-year) CENTURY model simulation was performed to determine the impact of past soil disturbance and honeysuckle presence on tree and soil carbon dynamics. The forest with highly disturbed soils exhibited 20% lower tree and 3% lower soil carbon storage than the forest with undisturbed soils. Tree carbon storage was 1.6 times more and soil carbon storage 1.2 times more in the forest with low honeysuckle density compared to the forest dominated by honeysuckle. Since honeysuckle removal is a management option for improving biodiversity in these interstate forests, the implication of honeysuckle eradication on long-term carbon storage in these ecosystems using 494-year CENTURY model runs was explored. Once the impact of honeysuckle was removed from the CENTURY simulations, the forest dominated by honeysuckle with intensively disturbed soils exhibited similar tree carbon storage (70,133 g Cm−2) and greater soil carbon storage (7,380 g Cm−2) than the forest with low honeysuckle density and undisturbed soils (tree = 71,152 g Cm−2, soil = 7,053 g Cm−2). These CENTURY model simulations suggest that over long time spans the removal of Amur honeysuckle could improve tree and soil carbon sequestration even where urban soils experienced intense past soil disturbance.
Biological warfare and bioterrorism: a historical review.

Because of the increased threat of terrorism, the risk posed by various microorganisms as biological weapons needs to be evaluated and the historical development and use of biological agents better understood. Biological warfare agents may be more potent than conventional and chemical weapons. During the past century, the progress made in biotechnology and biochemistry has simplified the development and production of such weapons. In addition, genetic engineering holds perhaps the most dangerous potential. Ease of production and the broad availability of biological agents and technical know how have led to a further spread of biological weapons and an increased desire among developing countries to have them. This article explains the concepts of biological warfare and its states of development, its utilization, and the attempts to control its proliferation throughout history. The threat of bioterrorism is real and significant; it is neither in the realm of science fiction nor confined to our nation.
EEG sleep in primary depression: A longitudinal placebo study

Characteristic EEG sleep changes in depression are highlighted by a sleep continuity disturbance, delta sleep reduction, and a shortened REM latency. Since these findings have been derived primarily from only a few baseline recordings, questions regarding their persistence and/or variability have not been previously addressed. As part of an extensive set of investigations of EEG sleep in depression, we examined nightly the sleep of 12 hospitalized, non-delusional, primary depressives who were involved in a program of active psychosocial treatment intervention and received only placebo during a 5-week study period. EEG sleep findings revealed a relative lack of change across time, particularly in those parameters reported to be associated with a primary or 'biologic' depressive episode. While some degree of clinical improvement was noted, the group failed to achieve a state of remission or even partial remission as determined by the Hamilton Rating Scale. It appears that the major sleep alterations associated with such disorders persist for up to at least 5 weeks in the absence of pharmacologic or other somatic intervention.
How Vigorously Will the SEC Enforce Attorney Up-the-Ladder Reporting Rules? An Analysis of Institutional Constraints, Norms, and Biases

Section 307 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act directs the SEC to adopt rules that require attorneys to report evidence of material violations of securities laws or breaches of fiduciary duty to the general counsel or CEO of the company. If those individuals do not respond appropriately to the evidence, the attorney must report the evidence to the audit committee or to another committee comprised solely of outside directors. The SEC adopted the required rules in February 2003. This paper, in commenting on an analysis of these new rules by Professors Susan P. Koniak, Roger C. Cramton and George M. Cohen, examines certain institutional features that may impact the SEC's willingness or ability to enforce the lawyer conduct rules vigorously in the future. This kind of institutional analysis is important because one of the primary justifications for requiring the SEC to promulgate and enforce these rules is the perceived failure of state bar authorities to discipline transactional lawyers. This comment suggests that with respect to enforcing professional responsibility rules, the SEC shares many characteristics with state bar authorities and that it is therefore reasonable to expect a very similar pattern of enforcement. In particular, the paper analyzes the SEC's budget and personnel constraints and the already enormous demands on the SEC's scarce resources. The paper then sketches the potential influence of cultural norms, constraints, and staff incentives at the SEC on future enforcement efforts in this area.