cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Copper toxicity thresholds for important restoration grass species of the western United States

Copper toxicity thresholds for plant species that are used in restoration activities in western North America have not been established. As a result, ecological risk assessments must rely on toxicity thresholds established for agronomic species, which usually differ from those of species used in restoration. Thus, risk assessors have the potential for classifying sites as phytotoxic to perennial, nonagronomic species and calling for intensive remediation activities that may not be necessary. The objective of this study was to provide a better estimate of Cu toxicity thresholds for five grass species that are commonly used in restoration efforts in the western United States. We used a greenhouse screening study where seedlings of introduced redtop (Agrostis gigantea Roth.), the native species slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus [Link] Gould ex Shinners var. Pryor), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa [L.] Beauvois), big bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl var. Sherman), and basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus [Scribner & Merrill] A. Love var. Magnar) and the agricultural species common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were grown in sand culture and exposed to supplemental concentrations of soluble Cu of 0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 mg/L. We determined six measures of toxicity: the 60-d mean lethal concentration (LC50), 60-d mean effective concentration (EC50)-plant, 60-d EC50-shoot, 60-d EC50-root, phytotoxicity threshold (PT50)-shoot, and the PT50-root. Results suggest that these restoration grass species generally have higher Cu tolerance than agronomic species reported in the past. Of the species tested, redtop appeared to be especially tolerant of high levels of substrate and tissue Cu. Values of EC50-plant for restoration grasses were between 283 and 710 mg Cu/L compared to 120 mg Cu/L for common wheat. Measured PT50-shoot values were between 737 and 10,792 mg Cu/L. These reported thresholds should be more useful for risk assessors than those currently used, which are based largely on agronomic crops.
BSCCO MRI Magnet Winding and Testing at ${\rm LN}_{2}$ Temperature

A limb size MRI magnet coldmass has been constructed using DI-BSCCO tapes from Sumitomo. The coils were wound with epoxy pre-impregnated fiberglass cloth (pre-preg) between layers to bond the wires. For radial dimensional control, temperature was elevated during the winding to thin out the epoxy and to adjust the pre-preg cloth layer thickness in order to control the coil build up. The wire tension was controlled within 1 kg with a set of moving pulleys. While the coils appeared solid after winding and curing, issues were found in the leads between coils. When the coldmass was cooled down to liquid nitrogen temperature, breaks in wire leads were found. Thermal expansion and contraction mismatch between the coil bobbin and the BSCCO tape was attributed to the leads break. The thermal stress was induced both in the oven curing and the cooling processes. Preliminary testing results at temperature are discussed. The magnet was designed to have a center field of 1.5 T operating at a liquid neon (LNe) temperature of 27 K.
Evaluation of Rates of Secretion and of Interconversion of Steroid Hormones

The amount of a steroid produced per day is usually evaluated by methods which measure the disposition of an isotopically labeled tracer of the hormone (injected intravenously) by following the decline in the specific activity of the hormone in blood [1] or by determining the cumulative specific activity of a urinary metabolite of the hormone [2,3,4]. In the application of these methods it has been assumed that they provide a measure of the dilution of the tracer by the endogenously secreted hormone. In this article, situations will be described in which the measurement of the dilution of the injected tracer of the hormone would not be sufficient to evaluate its rate of secretion. Such situations may arise when the hormone is produced not only by secretion but also by peripheral conversion from other precursors, or when the produced hormone does not mix completely with the injected tracer and does not have the same metabolic fate. In these situations it is convenient to correlate the fate of the administered isotope with that of the endogenously secreted hormone by considering models consisting of interrelated “compartments” or “pools.” A pool is defined by both a compound and the space in which it is distributed. A compound or a tracer entering a pool is assumed to mix immediately with the entire pool. The calculation of rates of entry of material into each pool or rates of transfer from one pool to another is dependent on the chosen models. Some conclusions obtained from tracer analysis of open systems of multiple pools at the steady state are presented in this article where it will be shown that the simultaneous administration of more than one tracer can make possible the evaluation of the secretory rates of a hormone in situations in which. that information cannot be obtained by administering only one tracer of the hormone. The mathematical proofs of statements made in this article are given in a paper in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism [5].
A Mori-Zwanzig and MITL Based Approach to Statistical Verification of Continuous-time Dynamical Systems*

Abstract In this work, we introduce a framework for the statistical verification of Metric Interval Temporal Logic (MITL) formulas on continuous-time dynamical systems. By considering the continuous-time Markov process associated with the dynamical system, we apply the Mori-Zwanzig method to reduce the original system to a Continuous-Time Markov Chain (CTMC). Accordingly, the MITL formulas on the original system can be reduced to MITL formulas on the CTMC. Furthermore, we propose a statistical verification algorithm for checking the MITL formulas on the CTMCand show that the original MITL formulas on the original system can be checked by this procedure.
The Perimetric Bisection of Triangles

The line ND divides the perimeter of AABC in two halves. The point N is called the cleavance-point. The segment ND is called the cleaver. Every triangle has three cleavers. THEOREM 1. Every cleaver in a triangle is parallel to the bisector of the angle opposite the side of the middle where it passes. Proof. (Fig. 4) Let BN bisect the angle ABC; then CN/NA = b/c; CN/a CN =b/c; hence CN=ab/b+c; but CM=a/2; CQ=b+c/2; therefore CQ/CB =CM/CN, that means QMIIBN (Thales' theorem), THEOREM 2. The three cleavers of a triangle are concurrent in a point called the cleavance-center. Proof. (a) In an isosceles triangle, the cleavers will meet on the altitude of the triangle (symmetry). 60
Seven-Legged Mirid (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Supernumerary appendages on insects are rare. Cock-ayne (1937, 1943), Muche (1938), Poisson (1942), and Wilkinson (1952) have reported observations of supernumerary legs on Coleoptera of the families Cantharidae, Hydrophilidae, Carabidae, Prionidae, Lucanidae, Silphidae, Staphylinidae, Dytiscidae, and Scarabaeidae; Diptera, family Muscidae; and Hymenoptera, families Ichneumonidae and Formicidae. The phenomenon of supernumerary legs has been reported only in holometabolous insects. Most reports deal with partial or complete reduplications of the thoracic legs; these reduplications may be the result of attempts to repair injury (Bateson 1894). It appears from a survey of the literature that coleopterans are far more likely to produce supernumerary thoracic legs than any other order of insects.
Home, Heart, and Being Latina: Housing and Intimate Relationship Power among Low-income Mexican Mothers

The authors examine an emergent association between low-income Mexican mothers’ control of housing and power relations in their romantic unions. Guided by valued resource theory, and mothers’ lived racial, ethnic, and gender experiences of navigating access to housing and sustaining intimate unions, the authors used secondary longitudinal ethnographic data on 29 low-income mothers of Mexican descent as exemplar cases to explore (1) mothers’ housing dependencies as they transitioned from their natal homes to coresidential housing with romantic partners, (2) the factors that differentially shaped mothers’ housing options, and (3) how mothers’ control of housing procurement influenced their intimate relationship power. The findings suggest that mothers followed one of five housing dependency pathways, with 25 percent securing housing independently. Most traversed complex and transient levels of dependence on their partners for housing with immigrants and native-born Mexican Americans evincing nuanced differe...
Komplexität neuronaler Netze

Neuronale Netze sind Beispiele fur komplexe Systeme mit wechselwirkenden technischen Neuronen. Sie sind nach dem Vorbild sich selbst organisierender Systeme gebaut, die wir bereits an Beispielen der physikalischen, chemischen und biologischen Evolution erlautert haben. Daher konnen neuronale Netze ohne zentrale Programmsteuerung lernen, Muster zu erkennen.
The impact of E-diaries and accelerometers on young adults' perceived and objectively assessed physical activity

Abstract Objective E-diaries and accelerometers promise more objective, real-time measurements of health behavior. However, social-psychological theory suggests that using electronic behavioral monitoring may influence rather than just record physical activity (PA), especially when a device is novel. Design Participants (n = 146) were randomly assigned to either an accelerometer-only, e-diary-only, accelerometer + e-diary, or a no-technology control group for one week to assess how these technologies influenced PA, both perceived and actual, in young adults. Method Participants reported their PA, overall and number of discrete exercise sessions (DES) at baseline and follow-up; accelerometers provided daily step counts and e-diaries captured daily reports of PA for the active week of the study. Results Average daily steps in the accelerometer-only and accelerometer + e-diary groups did not differ nor did daily reports of PA via e-diary compared to accelerometer + e-diary group, showing that neither technology affected actual PA. ANCOVAS tested group differences in perceived PA; The accelerometer-only group had increased perceived overall PA but not DES compared to no-technology control. Conclusions Accelerometers may increase perceived overall PA, but the tested technologies did not increase DES or actual PA, suggesting that they may be viable unbiased measures of PA.
The release of endonuclease I from Escherichia coli by a new cold shock procedure.

A new cold shock procedure has been developed for releasing large quantities of endonuclease I from E. coli, which neither involves EDTA-lysozyme treatment nor osmotic shock. Treatment of cells with ice-cold 0.1M Tris-0.2M KCl buffer, pH 7.4 results in the release of endonuclease I into the medium. Although the loss of endonuclease I from the cells is a rapid process, its recovery in the shock fluid is gradual and approaches maximum in about 90 minutes. Certain divalent metal ions such as Mg++ and Mn++ strongly inhibit the release of endonuclease I. The cold shock procedure is rather selective and the mechanism of the release of endonuclease I is different from that of osmotic shock procedure.
In vivo diagnostics of early abiotic plant stress response via Raman spectroscopy

Development of a phenotyping platform capable of noninvasive biochemical sensing could offer researchers, breeders, and producers a tool for precise response detection. In particular, the ability to measure plant stress in vivo responses is becoming increasingly important. In this work, a Raman spectroscopic technique is developed for high-throughput stress phenotyping of plants. We show the early (within 48 h) in vivo detection of plant stress responses. Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) plants were subjected to four common abiotic stress conditions individually: high soil salinity, drought, chilling exposure, and light saturation. Plants were examined poststress induction in vivo, and changes in the concentration levels of the reactive oxygen-scavenging pigments were observed by Raman microscopic and remote spectroscopic systems. The molecular concentration changes were further validated by commonly accepted chemical extraction (destructive) methods. Raman spectroscopy also allows simultaneous interrogation of various pigments in plants. For example, we found a unique negative correlation in concentration levels of anthocyanins and carotenoids, which clearly indicates that plant stress response is fine-tuned to protect against stress-induced damages. This precision spectroscopic technique holds promise for the future development of high-throughput screening for plant phenotyping and the quantification of biologically or commercially relevant molecules, such as antioxidants and pigments.
Effects of Fluids on the Deformation, Strength and Durability of Polymeric Composites – An Overview

This article provides an overview on the effects of fluids on the deformation and durability of polymeric composites. This subject is important for the ever-increasing application of composites in offshore structures, submersibles, and civil infrastructure. Since weight-gain data abound in the literature, it may be useful to recognize that a certain degree of correlation exists between some characteristic features of weight-gain data and the ability of a particular composite to retain its integrity under specified exposures to a certain fluid. In addition, this article provides records of fluid effects on deformation as well as on fluid-affected levels of static fatigue and fatigue lives in some specific circumstances.
Natural Convection Heat Transfer and Boundary Layer Transition for Vertical Heated Cylinders

Abstract This experimental study characterizes the effect of radius of curvature on heat transfer and boundary layer regime transition from laminar to turbulent flow on vertical heated cylinders with a heat flux boundary. Spatially-resolved temperature and velocity data was gathered from a series of five heated cylinders with unique diameters using distributed temperature sensors, thermocouples, and particle image velocimetry. A novel geometric relation has been derived to quantify the influence of curvature on heat transfer and regime transition which has proven to be in good agreement with empirical results. Advanced experimental and analysis methods have been implemented to yield the first continuous, local, curvature-dependent Nusselt correlation for the laminar, transition, and turbulent regimes for natural convection from vertical heated cylinders. As part of this correlation, empirical curvature-dependent dimensionless expressions for predicting regime transition have been developed from three separate data types and are used to define the bounds of the Nusselt correlation regimes.
A disturbance observer approach with online Q-filter tuning for position control of quadcopters

In this paper, a disturbance observer (DOB) approach is developed to reject disturbance and achieve precision position control of a quadcopter. The Q-filter is tuned to deal with both drift and noise from the onboard sensors. The position estimates are obtained from a hybrid low-pass and de-trending (HLPD) filter. Simulation and experimental flight tests are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed control technique. Experimental flight tests, which include hover test and waypoint following test, prove that the performance of the proposed algorithm is better than the widely used cascaded PID-PID structure. The algorithm doesn't rely on a motion capture system for position estimates which makes it suitable for outdoor flight missions.
State of the Art of Water for Food Within the Nexus Framework

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the state of knowledge regarding water for food within the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus framework. Three topics are considered: improved plant genetics; irrigation technology and practices; and urban agriculture. Research in plant genetics has sought to understand plant mechanisms that produce higher-yielding crops, identify and map genetic loci regions responsible for desirable plant traits, and introduce new and safe methods of precision plant breeding. In addition, new discoveries in irrigation practices are crucial in sustaining and further increasing yields as a result of improved irrigation water use efficiency through near-real time spatio-temporal monitoring of soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and rainfall. Urban agriculture has been proliferating in recent years, and recent research demonstrates the possibility of non-traditional, urban farming methods to produce food in a water- and land-efficient way. Opportunities remain to increase water use efficiency and/or decrease water usage throughout the food supply chain. Food producers need to achieve greater value from the water used through enhanced management supported by new technology and guided by scientific findings evolving from multidisciplinary research. To achieve this, constant exchange is needed between regulatory agencies, farmers, food manufacturers, and researchers to ensure all stakeholders are up to date on the issues, policies, technologies, and discoveries related to water and food production sustainability.
Treatment of Children

Hollon, S. D., DeRubeis, R. J., Evans, M. D., Wiemer, M. J., Garvey, M. J., Grove, W. M. et al. (1992). Cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy for depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 774–781. Hollon, S. D., Evans, M. D., Auerbach, A., DeRubeis, R. J., Elkin, I., Lowery, H. A. et al. (1988). Development of a system for rating therapies of depression: Differentiating cognitive therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy and clinical management pharmacotherapy. Unpublished manuscript, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Jacobson, N. S., Dobson, K. S., Truax, P. A., Addis, M. E., Koerner, K., Gollan, J. K. et al. (1996). A component analysis of cognitive behavioural treatment for depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 295–304. Liese, B. S., Barber, J., & Beck, A. T. (1995). The Cognitive Therapy Adherence and Competence Scale. Unpublished manuscript, University of Kansas Medical Center. Luborsky, L., & DeRubeis, R. J. (1984). The use of psychotherapy treatment manuals: A small revolution in psychotherapy research style. Clinical Psychology Review, 4, 5–14. McGlinchey, J. B., & Dobson, K. S. (2003). Treatment integrity concerns in cognitive therapy for depression. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 17(4), 299–318. Shaw, B. F., & Dobson, K. S. (1988). Competency judgments in the training and evaluation of psychotherapists. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 666–672. Shaw, B. F., Elkin, I. F., Yamaguchi, J., Olmsted, M., Vallis, T. M., Dobson, K. S., et al. (1999). Therapist competence ratings in relation to clinical outcome in cognitive therapy for depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 837–846. Strupp, H. H., Butler, S. F., & Rosser, C. L. (1988). Training in psychodynamic therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 689–695. Waltz, J., Addis, M. E., Koerner, K., & Jacobson, N. (1993). Testing the integrity of a psychotherapy protocol: Assessment of adherence and competence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 620–630. Young, J., & Beck, A. T. (1980). Cognitive Therapy Scale: Rating manual. Unpublished manuscript, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Troubleshooting the Flipped Classroom in Medical Education: Common Challenges and Lessons Learned

The flipped classroom has garnered significant attention in medical education as a model to better promote student learning outcomes as well as student and faculty perceptions. As a pedagogical approach, the flipped classroom requires students to learn foundational material prior to class so that class time can be spent applying that material through active learning. Collectively, we accrued experience with this model, including facing challenges during the design, implementation, and evaluation of courses. This monograph focuses on common challenges faced and recommendation for solving problems that may occur during its utilization based on experience and scholarship.
Teacher Knowledge for Active-Learning Instruction: Expert–Novice Comparison Reveals Differences

Active-learning strategies can improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates' abilities to learn fundamental concepts and skills. However, the results instructors achieve vary substantially. One explanation for this is that instructors commonly implement active learning differently than intended. An important factor affecting how instructors implement active learning is knowledge of teaching and learning. We aimed to discover knowledge that is important to effective active learning in large undergraduate courses. We developed a lesson-analysis instrument to elicit teacher knowledge, drawing on the theoretical construct of teacher noticing. We compared the knowledge used by expert (n = 14) and novice (n = 29) active-learning instructors as they analyzed lessons. Experts and novices differed in what they noticed, with experts more commonly considering how instructors hold students accountable, topic-specific student difficulties, whether the instructor elicited and responded to student thinking, and opportunities students had to generate their own ideas and work. Experts were also better able to support their lesson analyses with reasoning. This work provides foundational knowledge for the future design of preparation and support for instructors adopting active learning. Improving teacher knowledge will improve the implementation of active learning, which will be necessary to widely realize the potential benefits of active learning in undergraduate STEM.
Current Concepts in Immunology

Immunology is one of the most rapidly developing fields of medicine, and there are several questions basic to our understanding of it that we must answer before a thorough discussion can begin. 1) What series of cellular events take place in the host between the introduction of antigen and the synthesis of antibody? For example, when an injection of tetanus toxoid is given, what cells take up the toxoid and present the antigen to lymphocytes, and how do these lymphocytes interact to eventually synthesize anti-toxoid antibody? Furthermore, what cells are responsible for maintaining the “memory” so important for the tetanus toxoid boosters, or infection with the organism? 2) What cells and regulatory factors are involved between the time of implantation of an allograft or the development of a tumor, and subsequent rejection of the allograft and hopefully the rejection of the tumor? 3) How do the cells involved in the immune response develop embryologically and where are they found in the human lymphoid apparatus? 4) Do the cells involved in immune response possess any unique characteristics that make their identification, function, and quantitation possible for study or clinical evaluation, or both, in various disease states?
Approach to Immunization in the Immunosuppressed Host

An ever-increasing population of immunocompromised individuals, including not only the burgeoning AIDS population but also those patients whose host defenses have been damaged by a wide variety of diseases and their therapies, requires prophylaxis against infectious diseases. Existing vaccines can provide some benefit, but the clinician must always be alert to the fact that vaccine response cannot be assumed and such adjunctive measures as antimicrobial prophylaxis (i.e., amantadine during community-wide influenza outbreaks or penicillin prophylaxis against pneumococcal infection in certain asplenics) and/or intravenous immunoglobulin administration should be considered in some patients. In the future, in addition to developing new vaccines, a major effort should be devoted to the development of immunoadjuvants that would increase the effectiveness of vaccine administration.
Improved Fault-Prone Detection Analysis of Software Modules Using an Evolutionary Neural Network Approach

This paper describes an application of genetic algorithms to the evolution of optimal or near optimal backpropagation neural networks for the classification of fault-prone/not fault-prone software modules to support decision making on resource allocation. The algorithm treats each network in a population of neural networks as a potential solution to the optimal classification problem. Variables governing the learning and other parameters and network architecture are represented as substrings (genes) in a machine-level bit string (chromosome). When the neural net population undergoes simulated evolution using genetic operators — fitness-based selection, crossover, and mutation — the average performance increases in successive generations as better-performing neural nets emerge. We found that, on the same data, the classifications obtained were significantly better using a uniform crossover operator when compared with our previous work using traditional one-point crossover. These results are compared with those from the discriminant analysis statistical approach. The latter approach was found to be inferior on our data set. It is suggested that evolutionary neural networks can be used to successfully attack a broad range of data-intensive software engineering problems, where traditional methods have been used almost exclusively. Evolutionary enhancements of traditional methods are also worth considering.
Prolongation of Both PT and aPTT

The global coagulation tests, prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), are commonly used to screen for coagulation deficiencies and are usually done in preparation for surgery. Simultaneous prolongation of both times can be found in severe hepatic disease, vitamin K deficiency, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. In the absence of these disorders, one must consider inherited deficiencies or acquired inhibitors of those factors in the distal or the common portion of the coagulation pathway. While these constitute a group of rare bleeding disorders, they are important to recognize as they can result in severe bleeding, either spontaneously or with surgical procedures. This chapter reviews the pathobiology of those acquired and inherited conditions that cause concurrent prolongation of the PT and aPTT as well as specific management considerations.
How Does SNAP Affect Diet Quality? Evidence from FoodAPS

Underlying mechanisms of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) impact on diet quality are poorly understood. Based on data from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), we find that SNAP does not significantly improve diet quality. Two hypotheses are developed to test how SNAP affects diet quality. We find no evidence for the mental accounting effect that participants treat SNAP benefits as healthy food money. However, the analysis validates the existence of a diet quality cycle in the sense that participants’ awareness of eating healthy declines throughout a SNAP benefit month.cycle.
T Cells in Adipose Tissue in Aging.

Similar to obesity, aging is associated with visceral adiposity and insulin resistance. Inflammation in adipose tissue, mainly evidenced by increased accumulation and proinflammatory polarization of T cells and macrophages, has been well documented in obesity and may contribute to the associated metabolic dysfunctions including insulin resistance. Studies show that increased inflammation, including inflammation in adipose tissue, also occurs in aging, so-called “inflamm-aging.” Aging-associated inflammation in adipose tissue has some similarities but also differences compared to obesity-related inflammation. In particular, conventional T cells are elevated in adipose tissue in both obesity and aging and have been implicated in metabolic functions in obesity. However, the changes and also possibly functions of regulatory T cells (Treg) in adipose tissue are different in aging and obesity. In this review, we will summarize recent advances in research on the changes of these immune cells in adipose tissue with aging and obesity and discuss their possible contributions to metabolism and the potential of these immune cells as novel therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases associated with aging or obesity.
"Vitamin D" as a profile marker for cardiovascular diseases.

Objective: A growing body of research indicates that there exists a correlation between Vit D deficiency and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In addition to being genetically determined, it is strongly influenced by lifestyle factors. In this study, Vit D and its interrelated factors have been studied as profile marker for identifying the risk of CVD in patients. Methods: The present study includes comparison of a total 200 adults CVD patients with the healthy patients as control, by measuring their serum lipid levels and Vit D concentrations with other CVD risk factors. Results: The average serum Vit D in CVD patients and controls are found to be 22.55±6.2 ng/ml and 37.62±3.2 ng/ml respectively, showing that 63% of CVD patients and 35% of controls are Vit D deficient. Serum lipids levels were considered as marker for patients having CVD which include high levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol while low levels of high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol levels. Other risk factors like hypertension, lifestyle, smoking, dietary factors and nutritional status shows significantly correlation for CVD patients compared to controls. Conclusion: Literature supports the relationship between lipid profile and Vit D level by using this as a profile marker for CVD patients. Our study also suggests the same that vitamin D can be used as profile marker for cardiovascular diseases.
Diagnostic performance of Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) v2017 in predicting malignant liver lesions in pediatric patients: a preliminary study

Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) has standardized the evaluation of hepatic lesions in adults at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There is no accepted imaging algorithm for diagnosing HCC in the pediatric population. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and inter-rater reliability of LI-RADS version 2017 (v2017) for diagnosing HCC in a pediatric cohort. This retrospective, Institutional Review Board-approved study involved review of all abdominal dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging at a tertiary children’s hospital during a 10-year period, yielding 151 liver lesions in patients <18 years. Cases with active extrahepatic malignancy or an inadequate reference standard were excluded. Two readers independently evaluated all included hepatic lesions using LI-RADS criteria. Pathology and imaging follow-up were used as reference standards. A total of 41 lesions in 41 patients met criteria for evaluation (3 HCCs, 8 non-HCC malignancies, 30 benign lesions). A LI-RADS designation of definite HCC had high sensitivity (Reader 1/Reader 2: 100%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 31–100%) and high specificity (Reader 1: 84%, 95% CI: 68–93%; Reader 2: 97%, 95% CI: 85–100%) for predicting HCC. However, positive predictive value was only 33% (95% CI: 9–69%) and 75% (95% CI: 22–99%) for Reader 1 and Reader 2, respectively. For predicting any type of hepatic malignancy, a LI-RADS designation of definitely or likely malignant (i.e. not necessarily HCC) had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 74–100%) and 90% (95% CI: 61–100%) for Reader 1 and Reader 2, respectively, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100% (95% CI: 81–100%) and 96% (95% CI: 83–99%) for Reader 1 and Reader 2, respectively. Interobserver agreement was substantial for the overall LI-RADS category (weighted κ=0.62; 95% CI: 0.38–0.86). The positive predictive value of LI-RADS v2017 for diagnosing HCC was limited by the low frequency of HCC among pediatric patients. However, a LI-RADS designation of definitely or likely malignant had high sensitivity and NPV for any type of hepatic malignancy and may serve to direct clinical management by selecting patients for tissue sampling.
Monitoring Through-The-Thickness Behaviour of Composites Using Fiber Optic Sensors

A dynamic stress based theory for composite laminates that assumes a piecewise linear distribution of in-plane stresses across each lamina is developed. Unlike displacement based approaches this theory accurately predicts transverse stresses through the lamina thickness even in regions of high stress gradients such as free edge delamination coupons. To validate the accuracy of the transverse stresses predicted by the theoretical model, a novel experimental technique is being developed. The experimental program utilizes unintrusive extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric strain sensors (EFPI-SS) embedded through the lamina thickness to monitor the transverse normal stress/strain. This experimental technique is unique in that to the authors’ knowledge it is the first study of its kind to directly monitor through-the-thickness internal behaviour in multiply composite materials.
Childhood maltreatment exposure and physical functional limitations in late adulthood: examining subjective sleep quality in midlife as a mediator

Objective: The present study had three major aims: 1) To identify sub-groups of adults with differing combinations of childhood maltreatment exposures, 2) to understand the association of childhood...
Vortex: OpenCL Compatible RISC-V GPGPU

The current challenges in technology scaling are pushing the semiconductor industry towards hardware specialization, creating a proliferation of heterogeneous systems-on-chip, delivering orders of magnitude performance and power benefits compared to traditional general-purpose architectures. This transition is getting a significant boost with the advent of RISC-V with its unique modular and extensible ISA, allowing a wide range of low-cost processor designs for various target applications. In addition, OpenCL is currently the most widely adopted programming framework for heterogeneous platforms available on mainstream CPUs, GPUs, as well as FPGAs and custom DSP. In this work, we present Vortex, a RISC-V General-Purpose GPU that supports OpenCL. Vortex implements a SIMT architecture with a minimal ISA extension to RISC-V that enables the execution of OpenCL programs. We also extended OpenCL runtime framework to use the new ISA. We evaluate this design using 15nm technology. We also show the performance and energy numbers of running them with a subset of benchmarks from the Rodinia Benchmark suite.
Making MAGIC: how to improve the use of peripherally inserted central catheters

At this very moment, somewhere in the world, an intravenous catheter is being placed in a hospitalised patient. Whether the device is small and being placed in a vein in the arm (eg, peripheral intravenous catheter) or large and inserted into a great vessel within the chest (eg, implanted port), they share several characteristics. First, they are all designed to deliver potentially life-saving therapies such as antibiotics, fluids and nutrition or blood products. Indeed, safe and reliable venous access is a cornerstone to medical care in the 20th century. Second, in order to access the venous network, they must penetrate through the skin to provide a pathway to the bloodstream. Consequently, they each carry a risk of both infectious and non-infectious complications. Thus, to keep patients safe, selecting the most appropriate device—one that balances risks against benefits—is paramount to ensure optimal outcomes. While this statement may seem obvious, evidence suggests that clinical practice is far from this ideal. For example, in a study of hospitalised children who received peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC), a large proportion experienced multiple PICC insertions, short dwell times (eg, PICCs placed for difficult venous access) and premature removals (eg, because of failure or lack of clear indication), increasing the risk of harm.1 In another study of hospitalised adults, patients with PICCs were found to have multiple days where the device was not used, exposing patients to complications without therapeutic benefit.2 These aberrations in best practice are not unique to PICCs. For instance, in a global study examining patterns of peripheral intravenous catheter use, two-thirds of all surveyed devices were placed in a non-recommended site, had signs and symptoms of malfunction or were idle without a clear indication for continued use.3 Similarly, despite the risk of thrombosis associated with PICCs in patients with …
“White supremacy in heels”: (white) feminism, white supremacy, and discursive violence

As a progressive intervention into patriarchy, feminism has traditionally centered (white) women's experience, yet when sex and gender are combined with race, feminism tends to lose its progressive...
Redefining risk of contralateral cervical nodal disease in early stage oropharyngeal cancer in the human papillomavirus era.

Background The optimal extent of surgery and/or radiation to the contralateral lymph node region is unknown in early-stage human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Methods To investigate the pathologic incidence of and risk factors for contralateral nodal disease (CND) in cT1-T2 HPV-related OPSCC treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and bilateral neck dissection (BND), the records of 120 patients were reviewed. Results Eleven patients displayed pathologic contralateral nodal disease (pCND), including 7.1% of tonsil and 10.9% of base of tongue (BOT) cases. Medial hemistructure involvement and cN2 disease were significantly associated with pCND. Zero cN0 patients had pCND, and on multivariate analysis only cN classification remained significantly associated with pCND. Four percent of BOT patients and 2% of tonsil patients with a well-lateralized primary and cN0/N1 neck demonstrated pCND. Conclusions HPV-related OPSCC that are cN0-N1 have exceedingly low rates of pCND. Well-lateralized HPV-related BOT primaries with limited clinical nodal disease may be candidates for ipsilateral only treatment.
A new technique for fast detection of progressive faults

In this paper, we propose a new technique for enhancing the residual signal in a way that reduces the rate of false alarms without introducing detection delay. This is achieved by eliminating most of the noise from the residual signal by performing an autoregressive modeling, where the model parameters are estimated in real time by an ordinary Kalman filter. Computer experiments using a Boeing 747 model are used to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed technique.
Predicting genetic interactions in caenorhabditis elegans using machine learning

The presented work develops a set of machine learning and other computational techniques to investigate and predict gene properties across a variety of biological datasets. In particular, our main goal is the discovery of genetic interactions based on sparse and incomplete information. In our development, we use gene data from two model organisms, Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our first method, information flow, uses circuit theory to evaluate the importance of a protein in an interactome. We find that proteins with high i-flow scores mediate information exchange between functional modules. We also show that increasing information flow scores strongly correlate with the likelihood of observing lethality or pleiotropy as well as observing genetic interactions. Our metric significantly outperforms other established network metrics such as degree or betweenness. Next, we show how Bayesian sets can be applied to gain intuition as to which datasets are the most relevant for predicting genetic interactions. In order to directly apply this method to microarray data, we extend Bayesian sets to handle continuous variables. Using Bayesian sets, we show that genetically interacting genes tend to share phenotypes but are not necessarily co-localized. Additionally, they have similar development and aging temporal expression profiles. One of the major difficulties in dealing with biological data is the problem of incomplete datasets. We describe a novel application of collaborative filtering (CF) in order to predict missing values in the biological datasets. We adapt the factorization-based and the neighborhood-aware CF [13] to deal with a mixture of continuous and discrete entries. We use collaborative filtering to input missing values, assess how much information relevant to genetic interactions is present, arid, finally, to predict genetic interactions. We also show how CF can reduce input dimensionality. Our last development is the application of Support Vector Machines (SVM), an adapted machine learning classification method, to predicting genetic interactions. We find that SVM with nonlinear radial basis function (RBF) kernel has greater predictive power over CF. Its performance, however, greatly benefits from using CF to fill in missing entries in the input data. We show that SVM performance further improves if we constrain the group of genes to a specific functional category. Throughout this thesis, we emphasize the features of the studied datasets and explain our findings from a biological perspective. In this respect, we hope that this work possesses an independent biological significance. The final step would be to confirm our predictions experimentally. This would allow us to gain new insights into C. elegans biology: specific genes orchestrating developmental and regulatory pathways, response to stress, etc. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

Introduction Developmental Disabilities: Definitions and Federal Policy Health and Well-Being of Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities Theoretical Models of Adolescent Development: Applications to Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities Families of Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities Future Directions Conclusions Keywords: federal policy; civil rights; sense of self; self-agency; peer network; parent relationships; family impacts; positive impacts; instrumental involvement
Solution properties of sulfated monohydroxy bile salts: Relative insolubility of the disodium salt of glycolithocholate sulfate

Physical-chemical properties of the major sulfated monohydroxy bile salts of man are described. In general, the sulfates are significantly more water-soluble than the non-sulfated species as a result of lower critical micellar temperatures, high aqueous monomeric solubilities and critical micellar concentrations. Nevertheless, at 37 degrees C the disodium salt of glycolithocholate sulfate, the major monohydroxy bile salt of man is not more soluble than its non-sulfated form. Since aqueous solubility correlates inversely with the cholestatic potential of bile salts, our results suggest that this sulfate may be potentially hepatoxic. Micellar solubility of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol by the majority of non-sulfated and sulfated monohydroxy bile salts is slight. Nonetheless, phosphatidylcholine is very well solubilized by taurolithocholate sulfate but cholesterol solubility is not increased appreciably. Cholesterol saturation in model bile systems of taurochenodeoxycholate and phosphatidylcholine is impaired by the addition of sulfated lithocholate conjugates but with physiological bile salt compositions this reduction is not significant.
The Electoral Disconnection in U.S. Foreign Policy

In the last few decades, a significant body of research in international relations has linked the behavior of democracies in the international arena to electoral mechanisms, notably the prospect that democratic leaders face of being voted out of office. Indeed, in the US context, presidents often worry about public opinion when making foreign policy choices. Scholars of American political behavior have advanced a very different set of arguments, however. They emphasize that voters typically do not know much about foreign policy, and tend to take their cues on foreign policy from elites. When elites are unified, the attentive public tends to support the elite consensus, but when elites are divided, attentive citizens also tend to hold polarized views, taking their cues from the elites they support on partisan grounds. For a large class of foreign policy actions, then, the public is unlikely to hold presidents directly accountable. Yet empirically we observe that presidents often behave as if public opinion about foreign policy matters. To reconcile these perspectives, I argue that we can better understand the nature of democratic foreign policymaking by focusing on elite competition. If presidents are able to earn and retain the support of other important elites — such as Congress, key members of the bureaucracy, and high-ranking members of the military — then public opinion can be effectively managed and presidents can try to inoculate themselves against electoral consequences. Such an argument suggests that mass public opinion will rarely have a direct effect on foreign policy (except under limited conditions). For practical purposes in many cases, then, the relevant domestic audience for foreign policy choices may be other elites, rather than the mass public. Important implications follow for our understanding of the foreign policies of democracies more generally, as well as international relations theories that rely on regime type as a key variable. If leaders in a democratic state frequently worry primarily about the political reactions of other elites or a small “attentive” segment of the public, then in many cases the relevant domestic audience is likely to be far smaller than theories of democratic foreign policymaking typically assume. The paper develops a framework that sees the president as an agenda-setter who manages competition with other foreign policy elites whose dissent could potentially be transmitted through media sources and influence public opinion. It illustrates the logic of the theory with a discussion of how Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon managed the Vietnam War, arguably a difficult case.
Switching Equivalence Classes of Perfect Codes

The authors present a 1-error correcting perfect code of length 15 and show that it is not switching equivalent to the Hamming code thereby settling a question of Avgustinovich and Solov‘evaas96
Content and Relational Implications of Children-In-Law's Relational Uncertainty Within the In-Law Dyad During the Transition to Extended Family

Two studies were conducted to examine children-in-law's experiences of relational uncertainty and satisfaction during the transition to marriage. In Study 1, responses revealed children-in-law's (N = 154) myriad concerns revolving around three, broad themes of relational uncertainty: dyadic uncertainty, family system uncertainty, and individual uncertainty. Based on these results, we constructed scales of children-in-law's uncertainty for use in Study 2 (N = 204). Bivariate correlations revealed negative associations between children-in-law's uncertainty and relationship satisfaction within both the in-law and marital dyads. Collectively, these findings extend theoretical understanding of the role of relational uncertainty and social network influence during a crucial family transition.