cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Storage Effects on Commercial, Biodegradable, Synthetic or Bio-sourced Hydraulic Fluid

Abstract : Bio-mass petroleum products are a reality. The U.S. Army has been involved in the development of biodegradable hydraulic products since the 1990s concentrating on industrial type hydraulic fluid, but will bio-based hydraulic fluids be able to stand the test of time? Executive Order 13101 endorses the use of bio-mass materials, to reduce dependence on natural resources, utilize renewable resources, and create a new outlet(s) for agricultural products. Even though military equipment is exempt from this executive order, the Fuels and Lubricants Technology Team (FLTT) is being responsive so that military equipment can utilize such a product without a sacrifice in performance. This paper identifies the chemical and physical properties exhibited by bio-based hydraulic fluids before and after four to five years in storage. It is expected that the bio-based hydraulic fluids will show signs of oxidation and degradation as a result of long-term storage. The test results demonstrated that bio-based hydraulic fluids, as formulated, are not stable and degrade over time.
Air pollution and insulin resistance: do all roads lead to Rome?

The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide in 2012, nearly 7 million deaths occurred prematurely due to air pollution (1). In addition to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, air pollution exposure is also linked to increased incidence of diabetes (2). Notably, the prevalence of diabetes and dyslipidemia escalated exponentially in the latter half of the 20th century coincident with the manufacture, use, and release of massive amounts of chemicals and pollution. The increase in the prevalence of these chronic conditions also coincides with an increase in sedentary lifestyles, calorie-rich diets, and human stress. Together, these factors contribute to metabolic disease. This complex tapestry suggests that many elements, including air pollution, are likely involved in an interactive manner to increase the risk of certain health conditions. Determining how air pollution might be linked to diabetes is useful not only in understanding how environmental factors contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease but also for identifying molecular targets for potential therapeutic strategies. Improved understanding of this dynamic also provides further rationale for improving air quality standards and public health. Ozone is produced in the air by photochemical reaction of components of anthropogenic emissions, and it contributes substantially to the societal burden of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The pulmonary effects of ozone have been studied for decades (3), with recent attention turning to the metabolic and cardiovascular effects of this exposure. A number of mechanisms have been proposed for extrapulmonary effects of inhaled pollutants. On the basis of experimental studies examining the metabolic effects of ambient particulate matter (chemically complex mixtures consisting of many components) in mouse models, Rajagopalan and Brook (4) proposed that systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuronal mechanisms might be involved in adipose inflammation and tissue insulin resistance. In this issue of Diabetes , Vella et al. …
Leveraging Web 2.0 Sources for Web Content Classification

This paper addresses practical aspects of web page classification not captured by the classical text mining framework. Classifiers are supposed to perform well on a broad variety of pages. We argue that constructing training corpora is a bottleneck for building such classifiers, and that care has to be taken if the goal is to generalize to previously unseen kinds of pages on the web. We study techniques for building training corpora automatically from publicly available web resources, quantify the discrepancy between them, and demonstrate that encouraging agreement between classifiers given such diverse sources drastically outperforms methods that ignore the different natures of data sources on the web.
Data Accessibility in Political Science: Putting the Principle Into Practice

Like Gary King and Paul Herrnson, we believe that making our data accessible can strengthen and advance scholarly knowledge. King and Herrnson, however, disagree about the measures necessary to ensure that data are widely available to achieve this collective good. Herrnson criticizes King's recommendations as potentially bad for the profession. As scholars who have collected data and relied on others' data for our own research, and—equally important—as relatively new Ph.D.s in political science, we have our own perspective in this debate over replication and data accessibility.
Translocation (3;3) in a patient with thrombocytopenia and erythroid dysplasia.

We describe a case with a translocation between the two chromosomes 3 with breakpoints q21 and q26, associated with a unique constellation of hematologic abnormalities. Megakaryocytic dysplasia and peripheral thrombocytosis are the most common abnormalities associated with this chromosome abnormality. Our patient had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), thrombocytopenia, dyserythropoiesis, and an increased myeloid/erythroid ratio but no megakaryocytic dysplasia. Although multilineage involvement has been reported, erythrocyte dysplasia associated with thrombocytopenia and without megakaryocyte dysplasia appears to be extremely rare. Our case supports the speculation that #3 abnormalities with breakpoints q21 and q26 affect a pluripotent stem cell and suggests that megakaryocytic involvement may not be pathognomonic in hematologic abnormalities with t(3;3) (q21;26).
Open and scalable accumulation and reuse of common design resources

Common design resources” refers to a wide range of practices in the field of enterprise engineering. They also include tools and knowledge for collaboration among scientists and engineers. We develop them for service science: the design of complex one-of-a-kind knowledge-intensive systems. A new method, called Modelbase, accumulates reusable models (e.g., information, mathematical, and simulation) into randomly searchable repositories, and flexibly configures them for reuse. An implementation design is provided for structuring an open and scalable database of model resources and facilitating collaboration.
Emerging Trends in Behavioral Genetic Studies of Child Temperament

In this article, we describe three emerging trends in the application of behavioral genetic methods to the study of temperament. The trends-using multiple methods to assess temperament, considering contextual influences on temperament, and evaluating the structure of temperament-have been well studied in the phenotypic literature, but adding a behavioral genetic perspective can enrich our understanding of temperament. We review recent behavioral genetic research in each of these areas and discuss its implications.
Individual variability in adherence to the norm of group interest predicts outgroup bias

The norm of group interest dictates that group members should consider the interests of their group. We propose that individual variability in adherence to this norm accounts for intergroup attitudes and behavior. Study 1 developed a measure for the norm of group interest, and found that adherence to the norm predicted evaluations of the outgroup independent of group identification and collective self-esteem. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that the norm of group interest increased competitive behavior only when a competitive group norm was salient, but not when a cooperative norm was salient. These findings highlight the importance of both the norm of group interest and group norms to understanding attitudes and behavior in the intergroup context.
Icelandic Health Records

Recent News of the Week articles by Martin Enserink (14 Aug., p. [890][1] and 30 Oct., p. [859][2]) and an editorial by Henry T. Greely ( Science 's Compass, 23 Oct., p. [625][3]) clearly describe the discord over plans by the government of Iceland to create a central health record database and give a private company, deCODE Genetics, exclusive rights to analyze and market the data. It needs to be emphasized that the proposed bill allows deCODE to bypass review by human subjects committees and seeks to strip patients of rights that are considered fundamental in Westernized societies. First, while the bill provides an “opt-out” clause, no informed consent will be obtained from individuals whose data will be included in this database that targets insurance companies and HMOs as prospective buyers. Second, and even more troublesome, is a provision in the bill that would give deCODE exclusive rights to market the data for 12 years, preventing patients from participating in studies and databases that might be created in the future by competing entities. Thus, this provision limits a patient's ability to use health records, including genetic information, even when the patient's intent may be to seek understanding and solution of their affliction. Furthermore, such legalized monopoly of genetic research threatens academic freedom in Iceland. The Icelandic government, which is skilled at managing fisheries, seems to be inclined to treat our health records and genetic information like a seafood product. Although similar plans would not be taken seriously in other Western cultures, the proposed bill could motivate others to encroach on academic freedom and to trample on a patient's rights for monetary gain in different parts of the world. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that leaders in the international scientific community, especially those concerned about ethical aspects of genetic research, join patient advocates, physicians, and scientists in Iceland in condemning these plans. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.281.5379.890 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.282.5390.859 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.282.5389.625
Controlling connectivity of a clustered mobile communication network

The mobile communication network studied here consists of a group of agents which move in response to external commands to perform a data-gathering task. Connectivity of the network may be disrupted as these uncontrolled agents move out of communication range, preventing transmission of the gathered data. This paper describes an approach to controlling connectivity of a clustered mobile communication network by using a second network of controlled agents which are responsible for data aggregation, message forwarding, and maintenance of network connectivity. Higher Order Sliding Mode (HOSM) observers are used to reconstruct the external commands to the uncontrolled agents, from which their future positions are predicted on a certain time window. When a disruption of network connectivity is predicted and reclustering is accomplished, a controlled agent is moved, by means of HOSM controllers, to the Chebyshev centers of the clusters to prevent that disruption. An intact communication network is thus constantly reconfigured by the reclustering and movement of controlled agents.
Effect of surface interactions on the hysteresis of capillary condensation in nanopores

Gas adsorption and liquid desorption of a number of organic vapors in anodized nanoporous alumina, with controlled geometry (cylindrical pore diameters from 10 to 60 nm), are studied using optical interferometry. The narrow-diameter distribution of disconnected pores allows checking the validity of the (long-predicted but not experimentally verified) Kelvin equation without any adjustable parameters, modeling or other assumptions. Evaporation occurs at liquid-vapor equilibrium according to this equation, whereas condensation occurs from metastable states of the vapor phase by nucleation, enhanced by surface defects inside the nanopores. This produces hysteresis, in qualitative agreement with theoretical models and simulations that use Van der Waals interactions between the fluid and the pore surface. The reproducibility of the hysteresis depends on the strength of these interactions, which play an important role in the dynamics of capillary condensation.
Is Degree of Rurality More Crucial to Small Firm Births than Access to Incubators? An Analysis of States' Relative Efficiencies in Promoting the Birth of Small Firms

Abstract Economic development via firm birth has recently been an important topic for many state governments. However, ways in which state governments can influence firm births are not obvious, and their efficiency in fostering firm births in comparison to their peers is even less so. Focusing on the birth of small firms in the contiguous US, regression analysis and non-parametric efficiency testing are employed to determine both the expenditures state governments can target to indirectly promote small firm birth and their relative efficiency in utilizing these expenditures. The regression results reveal three significant expenditure inputs and one significant controlling factor in determining firm birth, while the efficiency tests regarding states’ use of these expenditure inputs give insight as to how they compare to their peers in terms of efficient target expenditure use. 1. Introduction and Background Over the past century, firm births have been increasingly credited for advances in technological innovation, job creation, and consequently regional economic growth and development (Schumpeter, 1934; Birch, 1981; Kirchkoff and Philips, 1988; Reynolds and Maki, 1990; Davidsson et al., 1994; Reynolds, 1994; Luger and Koo, 2003). These contributions are not sufficient in themselves to merit the attention firm births have received over firm expansions, since firm expansions likewise create jobs and subsequently promote regional growth. Kirchhoff and Phillips (1988) discovered that from 1976 to 1984, firm births accounted for 74% of new job creation, while expansions were responsible for only the remaining 26%. With firm births creating nearly three times as many jobs as expansions, the focus placed on fostering firm birth by local and state governments appears warranted. Since firms births are often considered a significant indicator regarding a state’s performance in terms of fostering business development, there is no doubt state governments have made promoting firm birth and the retention of businesses a major topic of interest. Birley (1986) contends governments at all levels have incorporated strategies to foster entrepreneurial activity and firm birth. Baumol (2002) also asserts that both politicians and practitioners are
Failure of Synthetic Polynucleotides to Affect the Immunogenicity of Mycobacterial Ribonucleic Acid and Ribosomal Protein Preparations

Abstract The synthetic polyribonucleotides adenylic acid (poly A), uridylic acid (poly U), cytidylic acid (poly C), and inosinic acid (poly I), whether single- or double-stranded (poly A:U, poly I:C), cannot replace mycobacterial ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the production of a high immune response in CF-1 mice against tuberculous disease. These conclusions are based on the results of several types of experiments. (i) Poly A and poly U, used either singly or in combination, did not increase the immunogenicity of mycobacterial RNA preparations whether emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) or not emulsified. (ii) Mycobacterial ribosomal protein, extracted with 2-chloroethanol, was not immunogenic; the addition of poly A:U to the protein did not produce an immune response and FIA did not affect these results. (iii) The RNA left after the protein was extracted was partially immunogenic when emulsified in FIA even though it was partially degraded. (iv) Mycobacterial RNA prepared with ethyl alcohol and partially degraded with ribonuclease had a significantly lower immunogenic activity, and the original higher immune response was not restored by the addition of poly A:U. (v) Mycobacterial RNA totally degraded by weak alkali was not immunogenic, the original immunogenic activity was not restored by the addition of poly A:U or poly I:C, and FIA again did not influence the results. These findings suggest that (i) protein, polypeptides, or other antigenic fragments, if present, are not the specific immunogens; and (ii) mycobacterial RNA is responsible for the high immunogenic activity of mycobacterial ribosomal and RNA preparations. In addition, since the double-stranded forms of these synthetic polynucleotides markedly potentiate the formation of circulating antibodies, these results also reemphasize the lack of correlation between conventional antibody formation and immunity against tuberculosis.
Chemoenzymatic synthesis of conjugatable oligosialic acids

Bacterial polysaccharides are components of glycoconjugate vaccines against encapsulated bacterial pathogens. Because these vaccines are prepared by random coupling methods the structure of the immunogens is difficult to characterize. As a model for the development of well-defined glycoconjugates we have devised a chemoenzymatic method for preparation of conjugatable oligosialic acids. In this scheme, chemically synthesized azide or alkyne derivatives of lactosides are sialylated by bacterial sialyltransferases. An HPLC method to follow the progress of the enzymatic reaction was developed based on fluorogenic coupling partners of the Huisgen 1,3-cycloaddition reaction, since the azide and alkyne aglycons are not convenient chromaphores. We have used this chemoenzymatic scheme to synthesize oligosialic acids of Neisseria meningitidis group C polysaccharide with a conjugatable aglycon. The chemoenzymatically synthesized oligosialic acids were coupled to bovine serum albumin with the 1,3-cycloaddition reaction. The resulting glycoconjugate was reactive with N. meningitidis group C-specific monoclonal antibody, thus confirming this as a possible pathway to glycoconjugate antigens.
Predictors of catheter-related gram-negative bacilli bacteraemia among cancer patients

Gram-negative bacillary bacteraemia (GNB) is associated with high morbidity and mortality among cancer patients. We conducted this study to determine the risk factors that may predict the catheter as the source of GNB in cancer patients. From July 2005 to December 2006 all 266 cancer patients with GNB and central venous catheters (CVCs) at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, were classified as catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) according to Infectious Diseases Society of America criteria. We compared clinical and microbiological features of CRBSIs and non-CRBSIs. We identified 78 CRBSIs and 126 non-CRBSIs. On univariate analysis, polymicrobial bacteraemia, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteraemia, and more than 1000 CFUs in CVC blood cultures, were more common among CRBSI cases. Escherichia coli bacteraemia, haematologic cancer, neutropenia and prior antibiotic use were more common among non-CRBSI cases. On multivariate analysis, S. maltophilia bacteraemia (odds ratio (OR), 5.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.47-22.78; p 0.045), polymicrobial bacteraemia (OR, 4.04; 95% CI, 1.56-10.44; p 0.042), and more than 1000 CFUs from CVC blood cultures (OR, 4.39; 95% CI, 2.02-9.27; p <0.01), were associated with CRBSI. Neutropenia was associated with non-CRBSI (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.13-0.53; p <0.01). Several factors such as S. maltophilia bacteraemia, polymicrobial bacteraemia and more than 1000 CFUs from a blood culture drawn through the CVC may assist the clinicians in assessing whether an indwelling catheter is the source of a GNB and hence CVC removal may be considered.
Choose-to-move+ physical activity program

Obesity rates are increasing, resulting in 600 million obese individuals worldwide. Increased physical activity leads to weight reduction in a dose-dependent manner. Social support for physical activity is linked to increased physical activity levels in women. The study purpose was to test the Choose to Move+ physical activity program among 13 obese women. This social support intervention included informational group sessions and physical activities. Within three months, women self-reported a 2.5% increase in time spent in walking and the number of days per week walked. Nurse provided social support may encourage obese women to increase physical activity to improve fitness.
A UNIFIED APPROACH TO ANALYZING NEST SUCCESS

Abstract Logistic regression has become increasingly popular for modeling nest success in terms of nest-specific explanatory variables. However, logistic regression models for nest fate are inappropriate when applied to data from nests found at various ages, for the same reason that the apparent estimator of nest success is biased (i.e. older clutches are more likely to be successful than younger clutches). A generalized linear model is presented and illustrated that gives ornithologists access to a flexible, suitable alternative to logistic regression that is appropriate when exposure periods vary, as they usually do. Unlike the Mayfield method (1961, 1975) and the logistic regression method of Aebischer (1999), the logistic-exposure model requires no assumptions about when nest losses occur. Nest survival models involving continuous and categorical explanatory variables, multiway classifications, and time-specific (e.g. nest age) and random effects are easily implemented with the logistic-exposure model...
Military Detentions and the Judiciary: Al Qaeda, the KKK, and Supra-State Law

Three cases pending before the Supreme Court present a unique opportunity to clarify the respective roles of the military and the judiciary in time of crisis. All three cases involve military detentions and the administration’s claim of unreviewable discretion to imprison persons accused either of taking up arms against the United States or of plotting terrorist actions. The Bush administration’s challenge to judicial review lies at the heart of its so-called “war” on terrorism because it reflects the idea that civilian courts cannot second-guess the decisions of military commanders. It is important to the rule of law that courts not cede unreviewable authority to the military on our own soil.
Ontogeny of the Tympanic Floor and Roof in Archontans

To say that the middle ear and surrounding basicranium have played a critical role in current views of mammalian phylogeny is not an overstatement. Nearly every recent morphological treatment of phylogenetic relationships, be it higher or lower level, has included some characters from this complex region. The basicranium is certainly not a taxonomic touchstone, but it has been a helpful guide for elucidating affinities in many instances.
Book Review: Recent Scholarship on Male Violence Against Women

In this book review, Professor Hanna reviews four recent books dealing with violence against women: Sex, Violence, and Crime: Foucault and the “Man” Question, by Adrian Howe; Women, Violence, and the Media: Readings in Feminist Criminology, edited by Drew Humphries; A Deafening Silence: Hidden Violence against Women and Children, by Patrizia Romito; and Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life, by Evan Stark. Each of these books makes a timely and important contribution to the field, particularly for lawyers and legal scholars who often do not fully consider the social and political context of male violence against women. Each work makes a valuable contribution; read together they evince a far deeper sense of connectedness between disciplines and provide a global approach to problems of gendered violence.
Aesthetic Body Contouring of the Posterior Trunk and Buttocks Using Third Generation Pulsed Solid Probe Internal Ultrasound-Assisted Lipoplasty

The trunk is one of the most common areas for which patients seek lipoplasty [1]. With the exception of minor contouring of a small surface area, it has been my experience that major contouring of the trunk is best performed circumferentially. That personal experience is derived from thousands of lipoplasty cases over a 25-year period. Circumferential contouring of the trunk requires a prone position followed by supine position on the operating table, and since most of these cases require extensive fat removal over a large surface area, they are performed under general anesthesia.
Self-Partitioned Droplet Array on Laser-Patterned Superhydrophilic Glass Surface for Wall-less Cell Arrays

In this work, we report a novel method for the creation of superhydrophilic patterns on the surface of hydrophobically coated glass through CO2 laser cleaning. This mask-free approach requires no photolithography for the print of the features, and only a single-step surface pretreatment is needed. The laser-cleaned glass surface enables self-partitioning of liquid into droplet arrays with controllable, quantitative volumes. We further designed wall-less cell arrays for the mapping of culturing conditions and demonstrated the potential of this droplet-arraying method.
The Food Marketing Commission and Market Structure and Performance

BEFORE attempting to assess the accomplishments of the Food Commission, we must consider the task with which it was charged. It was asked to answer four questions: (1) What changes have occurred in the structure of the food industry? (2) What will the industry be like if current trends continue? (3) Will these changes be consistent with national welfare and how will they affect the family farm and the consumer? (4) What kind of a food marketing system do we want? [18] Analysis of the technical studies impresses one with the task which the Commission set itself. Its report was presented to Congress in two years, and its technical studies were available about three months later. Even with the use of research done and data previously compiled by the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Census Bureau, the task was enormous and the accomplishments of the Commission staff deserve praise. Emphasis was placed upon recent changes in market structure of the food industry, with less space devoted to analysis of market performance. This statement implies no criticism of the Commission staff's work. To bring together in ten volumes an economic analysis of the structure and trends of the food marketing industry and to relate the various sectors to one another is in itself an Herculean task. This aspect of the study will supply economists interested in business
High-Resolution Two-Dimensional 1H and 14N Hyperfine Sublevel Correlation Spectroscopy of the Primary Quinone of Photosystem II

Quinones are naturally occurring isoprenoids that are widely exploited by photosynthetic reaction centers. Protein interactions modify the properties of quinones such that similar quinone species can perform diverse functions in reaction centers. Both type I and type II (oxygenic and nonoxygenic, respectively) reaction centers contain quinone cofactors that serve very different functions as the redox potential of similar quinones can operate at up to 800 mV lower reduction potential when present in type I reaction centers. However, the factors that determine quinone function in energy transduction remain unclear. It is thought that the location of the quinone cofactor, the geometry of its binding site, and the "smart" matrix effects from the surrounding protein environment greatly influence the functional properties of quinones. Photosystem II offers a unique system for the investigation of the factors that influence quinone function in energy transduction. It contains identical plastoquinones in the primary and secondary quinone acceptor sites, Q A and Q B . which exhibit very different functional properties. This study is focused on elucidating the tuning and control of the primary semiquinone state, Q A - , of photosystem II. We utilize high-resolution two-dimensional hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy to directly probe the strength and orientation of the hydrogen bonds of the Q A - state with the surrounding protein environment of photosystem II. We observe two asymmetric hydrogen bonding interactions of reduced Q A - in which the strength of each hydrogen bond is affected by the relative nonplanarity of the bond. This study confirms the importance of hydrogen bonds in the redox tuning of the primary semiquinone state of photosystem II.
The Nuanced Interplay of Intrinsic Disorder and other Structural Properties Driving Protein Evolution

Protein evolution often occurs at unequal rates in different sites along an amino acid chain. Site-specific evolutionary rates have been linked to several structural and functional properties of proteins. Previous analyses of this phenomenon have involved relatively small datasets and, in some cases, the interaction among multiple structural factors is not evaluated. Here, we present the results of a large-scale phylogenetic and statistical analysis, testing the effects and interactions of three structural properties on amino acid replacement rates. We used sequence-based computational methods to predict (i) intrinsic disorder propensity, (ii) secondary structure, and (iii) functional domain involvement across millions of amino acid sites in thousands of sequence alignments of metazoan proteins. Our results somewhat corroborate earlier findings that intrinsically disordered sites tend to be more variable than ordered sites, but there is considerable overlap among their rate distributions, and a significant confounding interaction exists between intrinsic disorder and secondary structure. Notably, protein sites that are consistently predicted to be both intrinsically disordered and involved in secondary structures tend to be the most conserved at the amino acid level, suggesting that they are highly constrained and functionally important. In addition, a significant interaction exists between functional domain involvement and secondary structure. These findings suggest that multiple structural drivers of protein evolution should be evaluated simultaneously in order to get a clear picture of their individual effects as well as any confounding interactions among them.
The definition of exergy transfer coefficient and its influence mechanism

On the basis of establishing exergy transfer phenomenological equation, the relation of dynamic,resistance and rate of exergy transfer process is discussed.It is pointed out that the key of exergy transfer study should be determining exergy transfer coefficient and analyzing its influence factors,so as to control and regulate exergy transfer process.Using dimension comparison method the exergy transfer coefficient of heat,momentum and quality is derived.The analysis shows that macroscopic factors of influencing exergy transfer coefficient include its corresponding energy transfer coefficient,process irreversibility and other non itself intensity field.The molecular motion theory study of exergy transfer coefficient reveals its internal mechanism from micro level,namely exergy transfer coefficient is essentially related to molecular itself physical properties and the temperature embodying molecular motion violent degree.
Immigration Control and the Punitive Turn

The “punitive turn” describes the penalizing and disciplinary focus the United States has implemented in regulating problem populations since the late 1970s. This period has welcomed the era of mass incarceration in which the US penal population has exploded to levels not seen anywhere else in the world. The rise in the use of prisons and jails has been accompanied by the retrenchment of the welfare state, attacks on affirmative action policies, continued segregation in education and housing, and a growing gap between the rich and the poor. All of these have essentially erased the gains made by the Civil Rights Movement and the radical activists of the 1960s and 1970s. This essay makes the case that observers of the punitive turn must include the injustices of immigration control efforts in justice studies debates. The militarization of the border, the policing of immigrant communities, and the rapid rise in the use of immigration detention centers all fall in line with the trends of the punitive turn. For progress to be made on alleviating the hardships brought by current immigration policies, educators, community organizations, and student activists must all struggle to include immigration in battles to improve lives of all oppressed populations.
BOTS: Harnessing Player Data and Player Effort to Create and Evaluate Levels in a Serious Game.

BOTS is a socially multiplayer online game designed to teach students about introductory computer science concepts such as loops and functions. Using this game, I plan to explore the use of user-generated content (UGC) in game-based tutors, increasing replayability and, ideally, player engagement. BOTS has so far been used for work towards identifying what makes a level or puzzle in the game “good” and how I identify that quality in new submissions, as well as investigating several mechanisms for moderation of submitted content. The use of UGC has the potential to revolutionize how game-based tutors are created, drastically reducing the burden of content creation on developers and educators.
Comparison of In Vivo and In Vitro Methods for Blood Feeding of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the Laboratory.

Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli is a medically important insect that has been successfully colonized in the laboratory, and blood feeding is critical for colony propagation. There has been much interest in developing established protocols for in vitro blood-feeding systems. The objective of this study was to determine if a Parafilm membrane and a hog’s gut membrane could be successfully used with in vitro feeding systems. We evaluated percentages of P. papatasi females that blood fed on different blood-feeding systems (a mouse, a Hemotek feeder, or a glass feeder) used with either a Parafilm or a hog’s gut membrane, with cohorts of 250 and 500 P. papatasi females, and with or without external exhalations. For all feeding system combinations, female P. papatasi blood fed in higher percentages when in cohorts of 500 individuals and in the presence of exhalations. Higher percentages of P. papatasi fed on a mouse, but this study also demonstrates that P. papatasi will readily feed with in vitro feeding systems using a Parafilm membrane or a hog’s gut membrane. This study suggests that female P. papatasi may use an invitation effect to blood feed and are attracted to blood sources via chemical olfaction cues, both of which have been characterized in other blood-feeding arthropods. Our study demonstrates that a Parafilm membrane or a hog’s gut membrane, in conjunction with the Hemotek or glass feeder system, is potentially a viable alternative to live rodents to blood feed a colony of P. papatasi .
CAUSALITY AND DETERMINISM; EMPIRICAL LIMITATIONS

The science takes the view that a certain cause is followed by certain effects. This point of view was, in the past, pushed to the extreme and exaggerated in the form of a more definite statement: A certain cause should be followed by a certain effect. This chapter discusses through many well-known examples that such strict determinism cannot be accepted because it runs contrary to experiments. The BWK method has become classical; it specifies the relations between wave mechanics and the first quantum theory of Bohr and Sommerfeld, which started from classical mechanics. The Brillouin theorem refers to the theory of multi-electronic structures. Electrons in metals or semiconductors are represented by waves propagating through the whole crystal lattice. These waves can be built in different ways.
Non-isolated two-inductor boost converter with improved EMI performance

A new implementation of a non-isolated, two-inductor, two-switch boost converter topology that features a common ground for the source and load is described. The new circuit exhibits a significantly reduced common-mode noise compared to its counterpart that is implemented with separate source and load grounds. The EMI performance of the proposed implementation was experimentally verified on a 540-W prototype designed to operate with a -36-V to -72-V dc input-voltage range
Called and Formed: Personality Dimensions and Leadership Styles among Catholic Deacons and Men in Formation

Through a national survey, Roman Catholic deacons (n = 1349) and men in spiritual formation for the diaconate, called candidates (n = 205), completed on-line measures of personality dimensions (i.e., HEXACO-60) and transformational leadership, as well as demographic variables. Results indicated that for both candidates and deacons, personality dimensions of agreeableness and conscientiousness were the most important variables for predicting transformational leadership styles. For deacons only, higher levels of honesty/humility, extraversion, and openness to experience also led to higher transformational leadership styles. Adding demographic variables as co-variates (age, years in a parish, number of children, and number of families in a parish) in the models did not seem to affect the predictive models; however, years in formation (for candidates) and years as a deacon did affect servant leadership style. Implications for the personality and leadership attributes of Catholic “married clergy” are discussed.
2016 Project Elijah Final Report

We are the 2016 Project Elijah Payload team, and we were excited to work on the payload and perform some cool experiments. This report goes in detail about the payload design, vegetation health monitoring system, immersive experience, stabilization system, and the air quality system.
Epigenetic therapy and chemosensitization in solid malignancy.

Abstract Epigenetic modifications result in dynamic shifts between transcriptionally active and suppressed states. The potentially reversible nature of epigenetic changes underlies the concept of epigenetic therapy, which serves to reprogram cancer cells as opposed to inducing cytotoxicity that occurs with standard chemotherapeutics. There are numerous enzymes involved in epigenetic changes and each can be potentially targetable. Although many investigations have evaluated the clinical potential of the various epigenetic therapies, currently only histone deacetylase inhibitors and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors are approved for use in specific hematologic malignancies. Use of epigenetic therapy coincident with cytotoxic or targeted systemic therapy appears to derive a benefit due to chemosensitization. Trials demonstrating efficacy from combination therapy have been performed in various diseases such as NSCLC, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Furthermore, there are patient subsets in certain solid tumors in which epigenetic therapy provide durable response, such as patients with NSCLC and specific hypermethylation patterns. The encouraging results from combination therapy identified in these trials built upon prior investigations and have provided a foundation for ensuing trials seeking to evaluate epigenetic therapy.
The Ethics of Virtual Reality Technology: Social Hazards and Public Policy Recommendations.

This article explores four major areas of moral concern regarding virtual reality (VR) technologies. First, VR poses potential mental health risks, including Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder. Second, VR technology raises serious concerns related to personal neglect of users’ own actual bodies and real physical environments. Third, VR technologies may be used to record personal data which could be deployed in ways that threaten personal privacy and present a danger related to manipulation of users’ beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. Finally, there are other moral and social risks associated with the way VR blurs the distinction between the real and illusory. These concerns regarding VR naturally raise questions about public policy. The article makes several recommendations for legal regulations of VR that together address each of the above concerns. It is argued that these regulations would not seriously threaten personal liberty but rather would protect and enhance the autonomy of VR consumers.
Implantable medical devices and brain attractors: Network modulation and design practice

Implantable medical devices are increasingly employed for neurorehabilitation to restore lost motor function through brain computer interfacing. Proper circuit design for both sensing and stimulation is key to technology success, including the optimization of device capabilities and the exploitation of neural coding properties, while enhancing patient safety. To date peripheral nerve and brain implant devices adopt similar design strategies for neural interfacing that rely on Hodgkin Huxley formulations of spiking properties. Dynamical systems theory is revealing, however, that brain operation fundamentally differs from that of peripheral nerves, and is characterized by continuous operation, oscillatory networking properties, and the optimization of set points that enable both stability and maximum flexibility of response. Dynamical elements like attractors are nonlinearly and, in cases of sustained activity, functionally independent of spiking activity relative to output, adopting numerous configurations described by widely varying mathematical relations between spiking activity and performance. These features introduce new physiological considerations for brain implant design strategies.
Blood Group Antigen Expression on Vaginal and Buccal Epithelial Cells and Mucus in Secretor and Nonsecretor Women

AbstractBlood group antigens on epithelial cells may influence bacterial adherence to mucosal surfaces. In the urinary tract the presence of these genetically determined carbohydrate structures may affect bacterial colonization of the vaginal mucosa and subsequent urinary tract infection. In previous studies the detection of ABH and Lewis antigen expression and distribution in tissues have made use of semiquantitative immunohistochemical staining techniques. To determine the pattern and intensity of blood group antigens on epithelial cells and in the mucus overlying them, we developed quantitative immunoassays that use monoclonal antibodies to detect changes in the expression and intensity of ABH and Lewis antigens on cells and in mucus. Vaginal and buccal cell specimens from 23 healthy women (15 secretors and 8 nonsecretors) with no history of urinary tract infections and known blood group types were analyzed for the expression of these antigenic determinants. The profile of ABH antigen expression was ge...
Willingness to Pay for Perceived Increased Costs of Water and Wastewater Service in Shrinking US Cities: A Latent Class Approach

AbstractChronic population decline in cities nationwide has resulted in increased per capita costs for continued service of water and wastewater infrastructure. Due to the high fixed costs associat...
The Relationship between Social and Cognitive Development

The young child’s interpersonal environment obviously has powerful effects on both his cognitive and social development. To consider these effects separately, as we have attempted to do thus far, is instructive but in many ways artificial. It is becoming more and more obvious that social and cognitive competencies develop from shared organizational processes and are inextricably bound up with each other. Thus, any specific kind of social interaction is inevitably partially dependent on cognitive processes; cognitions, in turn, are influenced and modified by interpersonal interactions.
Black Race and Body Mass Index Are Risk Factors for Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Kidney Injury in Trauma.

AbstractPurpose: Obesity has been shown in a single-center study to be a risk factor for rhabdomyolysis. More recently, sickle cell trait, known to be more prevalent in blacks, has been shown to be...
Verification of average absorption coefficients—A follow-up on one of Murray Hodgson’s Classroom Acoustics Projects

Twelve years ago, multivariable linear-regression analysis techniques were used with data from over a hundred UBC classrooms to estimate the “average” absorption coefficient of typical surfaces in classrooms. The purpose of the work was to obtain accurate estimates that could be used in the design of new classrooms, to better predict the early-decay time[1]. The current paper applies the results from the previous work to new classrooms, outside UBC. Detailed information is known regarding the surface types and absorption coefficients used in these classrooms. Measurements of the early decay times have also been taken. Comparisons are made between the early-decay times predicted using standard absorption coefficients, the “average” absorption coefficients from the UBC classrooms, and measurements. [1] Hodgson M., Scherebnyj K. Technical note—Estimation of the absorption coefficients of the surfaces of Classrooms. Applied Acoustics 67 (2006) 936–944.
The Effect of an Electronic Dynamic Cognitive Aid Versus a Static Cognitive Aid on the Management of a Simulated Crisis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a dynamic electronic cognitive aid with embedded clinical decision support (dCA) versus a static cognitive aid (sCA) tool. Anesthesia residents in clinical anesthesia years 2 and 3 were recruited to participate. Each subject was randomized to one of two groups and performed an identical simulated clinical scenario. The primary outcome was task checklist performance with a secondary outcome of performance using the Anesthesia Non-technical skills (ANTS) scoring system. 34 residents were recruited to participate in the study. 19 residents were randomized to the sCA group and 15 to the dCA group. Overall inter-rater agreement for total checklist, malignant hyperthermia, hyperkalemia and ventricular fibrillation was 98.9%, 97.8%, 99.5% and 99.5% respectively with similar Kappa coefficient. Inter-rater agreement for ANTS partial ratings, however, was only 53.5% with a similar Kappa of 0.15. Mean performance was statistically higher in the dCA group versus the sCA group for total check list performance (15.70 ± 1.93 vs 12.95 ± 2.16, p < 0.0001). The difference in performance between dCA and sCA is most notable in dose-dependent related checklist items (4.60 ± 1.3 vs 1.89 ± 1.23, p < 0.0001), while the performance score for dose-independent checklist items was similar between the two groups (p = 0.8908). ANTS ratings did not differ between groups. In conclusion, we evaluated the use of a sCA versus a dCA with embedded decision support in a simulated environment. The dCA group was found to perform more checklist items correctly. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov study #: NCT02440607.
Developing Psychiatric Genetics Community In China

Abstract Since 2014, we have used the platform of the Chinese Psychiatric Genetics Summit Annual Meeting to develop a research community in China. Starting with primarily geneticists, we gradually expanded our members to include psychologists and clinicians. With the supports from the Journal of Psychiatry and Brain Science, we have established a travel award to fund Chinese investigators to attend the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics. High quality abstracts were received to compete for the Award in the 2017 Summit. More importantly, we have gathered senior investigators and their labs with a spectrum of interests, ranging from deep phenotyping, brain imaging, cognitive functions, treatment responses, to animal models and bioinformatics. Not only high-quality research products are expected from this community, it will be able to provide valuable collaboration for foreign investigators, who are interested in studying psychiatric genetics in China, where untreated patients are still commonly seen in psychiatry, and a large population with unique social and culture environment is available for study.