cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why U.S. FON Operations in the South China Sea Make Sense

The U.S. Freedom of Navigation (FON) Program has recently drawn significant attention in the United States and the international community. During this period of focused attention, some observers have questioned the legality of U.S. FONOPs. This author has previously outlined the legality and legitimacy of the U.S. FON Program, including FONOPs conducted as part of that program. Other observers have also questioned the appropriateness and wisdom of U.S. FONOPs, particularly in the South China Sea. A prime example would be a recent critique by Dr. Sam Bateman of Australia, in which he alleged that U.S. FONOPs in the South China Sea “don’t make sense.” Although Dr. Bateman asks some valid questions about the ongoing South China Sea situation, he makes incorrect assumptions on several points about U.S. FONOPs and misses the mark on several others. This article is an attempt to set the record straight on the matter, based upon this author’s prior experience with the U.S. FON Program at the operational, theater, and policy levels of the U.S. military.
Motivational Leadership: Tips From the Business World

It is an important task for leadership to identify the motivating factors for employees and motivate them to fulfill their individual and organizational goals. Although there are several motivational factors (extrinsic and intrinsic), intrinsic motivational factors such as autonomy, mastery, and purpose are more important for deeper lasting job satisfaction and higher performance. In this article, the authors discuss how an understanding of these factors that influence motivation has the potential to transform an organization.
Utilization by Cattle, Sheep, and Goats of Forage Harvested from Long-Term Bermudagrass Spray Fields Receiving Swine Lagoon Effluent1

Bermudagrasses frequently serve as receivers of swine lagoon effluent in swine production confinement systems in the Southeast. This study evaluated DMI and digestion of field-chopped, dehydrated regrowth forage cut from mature Coastal bermudagrass spray fields following harvest in late July. Four treatments were evaluated in separate experiments each with cattle, sheep, and goats. The treatments consisted of forage harvested at 2 wk of regrowth and either fed chopped ( 2-WC ) or pelleted ( 2-WP ) and that harvested and pelleted at 3 wk ( 3-WP ) and 4 wk ( 4-WP ) of regrowth. The long-time established spray fields varied in the proportions of bermudagrass but averaged 45% for the 2-wk regrowth and 50% for the 4-wk regrowth; the balance was composed of annual grasses and broadleaved weeds. All three pelleted forages were readily consumed with DMI (kg/100 kg of BW) averaging 2.99 for steers, 4.35 for sheep, and 3.21 for goats. Steers and goats consumed all pelleted treatments similarly, whereas sheep consumed 2-WP and 3-WP similarly (4.41) but consumed less 4-WP (4.23) compared with 2-WP (4.49). Pelleting increased (P≤0.01) DMI compared with chopping (3.01 vs 2.16 ± 0.087 for steers, 3.29 vs 2.37 ± 0.071 for goats, and 4.49 vs 2.54 ± 0.072 for sheep). Steers and sheep digested 2-WP and 4-WP similarly and digested both at rates greater (P≤0.05) than 3-WP; goats digested all similarly (P=0.11). These short-term responses indicate that forages from mature bermudagrass fields sprayed with swine effluent have potential as a feed in ruminant production systems.
Bullous Dermatosis Associated With Vancomycin Extravasation

Cutaneous side effects related to vancomycin therapy have been reported including histamine-related reactions, linear IgA bullous dermatosis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, maculopapular rash and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms. In all instances, these reports were due to the systemic administration of vancomycin and subsequent immunological reactions to the medication. Drug extravasation into soft tissues can result in a variety of clinical outcomes usually related to physiochemical properties of the drug extravasated and its diluents or pharmacologic effects on the vasculature and tissue. The authors report a patient who experienced vancomycin extravasation that resulted in a localized bullous eruption resembling linear IgA bullous dermatosis, a phenomenon not previously described in the literature.
Fate of Radioactive Glucosamine Administered Parenterally to the Rat.

Summary and conclusionsDistribution of radioactivity in various tissues of the rat after intraperitoneal administration of glucosamine-1-C14 has been studied. Highest levels of radioactivity were found in kidney, liver, spleen, lung, brain, digestive system, and blood serum. Radioactivity, however, was generally distributed throughout the animal body. The utility of glucosamine-1-C14 as a means of studying glycoprotein and mucopolysaccharide metabolism is indicated.
A multifactorial approach to reducing injurious falls

Injuries, particularly fractures, are the most serious and costly consequence of falling for older people living in the community. Rather than having a single cause, fall injuries are the result of a combination of intrinsic, situational, and environmental factors. In this article, the epidemiology of fall injuries is reviewed, the results of observational and intervention studies are discussed, and a multifactorial approach to reducing injurious falls is presented.
Risk factors for inadequate colonoscopy bowel preparations in African Americans and whites at an urban medical center.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States, with African Americans having the highest CRC incidence and mortality of all US populations.1 Although colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for CRC screening, its efficacy is dependent on the quality of the procedure, most notably bowel preparation. Suboptimal bowel preparations have been shown to lead to missed adenomatous polyps,2 the precursor for CRC. Poor bowel preparation also has been associated with longer procedure times and a decreased rate of intubating the cecum.3 Moreover, inadequate bowel preparation results in canceled or aborted procedures and repeated examinations or earlier surveillance intervals.2,3 Inadequate bowel preparation has been reported in 15% to 48% of all colonoscopies in a variety of patient populations.2,4–10 Previous studies have identified risk factors associated with an inadequate colonoscopy preparation, including older age,4,5 male sex,4,8 afternoon procedure time,5 Medicaid insurance,4,10 single status,4,10 use of an interpreter,10 and inpatient status.4,8 Most of these studies, however, have not included a large number of African Americans who are at high risk for CRC. Moreover, little is known about the impact of quality measures, including bowel preparation on CRC burden in African Americans. The aim of this study, therefore, was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors associated with inadequate colonoscopy preparation in a diverse urban population.
Pathways for the relationship between diabetes distress, depression, fatalism and glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to examine the mechanism by which depressive symptoms, diabetes distress, and diabetes fatalism together influence diabetes outcomes using structured equation modeling. Methods 615 adults with type 2 diabetes were recruited from two primary care clinics in the southeastern United States. Psychosocial factors found to be associated with diabetes outcomes were measured using validated questionnaires. Structured equation modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the relationship between diabetes fatalism, depressive symptoms, diabetes distress, self-care and glycemic control. Results The final model (chi 2 (903)=24,088.91, p 2 =0.93, RMSEA=0.05 and CFI=0.90) showed that higher diabetes distress was directly significantly related to a decreased self-care (r=−0.69, p p p p Conclusion Diabetes distress serves as a pathway through which depressive symptoms and fatalism impact both glycemic control and self-care. In addition, pathways between diabetes distress and both self-care behaviors and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes remained separate, suggesting the need to address both psychological and behavioral factors in standard diabetes care, rather than focusing on psychological care primarily through support for self-management and treatment of depression.
Impact of arousal threshold and respiratory effort on the duration of breathing events across sleep stage and time of night

Abstract Purpose The frequency and duration of breathing events are influenced by sleep stage and time of day. In the present study we examined if these modifications are linked to adaptations in the arousal threshold and/or the magnitude of respiratory effort during and immediately after breathing events. Methods Participants with sleep apnea slept for 3 h in the evening and morning. For breathing events detected during these sessions the rate of change of respiratory effort, maximum respiratory effort immediately prior to termination of an event, and the maximum tidal volume and the minimum partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) immediately following an event were measured. Results The rate of change of respiratory effort was similar in N2 compared to N1 but the maximum respiratory effort immediately prior to event termination was greater (−10.7 ± 1.2 vs. −9.6 ± 1.0 cmH2O/s, P Conclusions We conclude that alterations in the arousal threshold, reflected by an increase in respiratory effort at event termination, coupled to increases in tidal volume and reductions in PETCO2 contribute to modifications in event duration and frequency associated with variations in sleep state or time of night.
Generalized Derivatives for Hybrid Systems

Established sensitivity results for hybrid discrete/continuous dynamic systems are generalized by relaxing smoothness assumptions on the functions governing the systems' continuous evolution and discrete event handling. The new results only require L-smoothness of these functions in the sense of Nesterov, instead of continuous differentiability. Parametric lexicographic derivatives for such a hybrid system provide useful local first-order sensitivity information, and are described as the unique solutions of auxiliary hybrid systems. This sensitivity analysis framework permits generalized derivative evaluation even for certain hybrid systems in which small changes in parameters can change the sequence of discrete modes visited. To handle parametric sensitivities of event times that are not known explicitly, conditions are provided under which a local inverse function or implicit function is L-smooth, with lexicographic derivatives that are described as the unique solutions of certain equation systems. These equation systems are readily solved when the functions involved are piecewise differentiable.
Questions on Bimodules of Nest Algebras

We will describe some recent results on bimodules of nest algebras and we will propose some related questions.
The effects of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate on testicular ultrastructure and hormone-regulated gene expression in male rats

The objective of this study is to determine testicular pathological damage and explore its molecular mechanisms after di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) treatment. A total of 40 healthy 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups, which received intragastric administration of 0 mg kg-1, 100 mg kg-1, 500 mg kg-1 and 1500 mg kg-1 DEHP for six continuous weeks. After DEHP treatment, the testes wet weight and testes coefficient were calculated, the histopathological changes of the testes were examined by HE staining and the testicular ultrastructure was examined by transmission electron microscopy. The gene expression levels were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR and the protein expression levels were analyzed by western blotting. Both 500 mg kg-1 and 1500 mg kg-1 DEPH treatments decreased the wet weight of the testes and testes coefficient, due to vacuoles in Sertoli cells, broken mitochondrial ridges, and degranulation. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that the relative gene expression levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) increased in the 100 mg kg-1, 500 mg kg-1, and 1500 mg kg-1 DEHP groups, respectively. Additionally, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) expression levels were increased in the 1500 mg kg-1 DEHP treatment group. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) expression levels were decreased with 500 mg kg-1 and 1500 mg kg-1 DEHP treatments. DEHP induced serious pathological damage and ultrastructure changes in rat testes, caused endocrine disorders, interfered with the synthesis of male hormones, and ultimately led to male reproductive system dysfunction.
Nonlinear behavior in hybrid microcavities

As a result of their ability to amplify input light, ultra-high quality factor (Q) whispering gallery mode optical resonators have found numerous applications spanning from basic science through applied technology. Because the Q is critical to the device’s utility, an ever-present challenge revolves around maintaining the Q factor over long timescales in ambient environments. The counter-approach is to increase the nonlinear coefficient of relevance to compensate for Q degradation. In the present work, we strive to accomplish both, in parallel. For example, one of the primary routes for Q degradation in silica cavities is the formation of water monolayers. By changing the surface functional groups, we can inhibit this process, thus stabilizing the Q above 100 million in ambient environments. In parallel, using a machine learning strategy, we have intelligently designed, synthesized, and verified the next generation of small molecules to enable ultra-low threshold and high efficiency Raman lasing. The molecules are verified using the silica microcavity as a testbed cavity. However, the fundamental design strategy is translatable to other whispering gallery mode cavities.
On the design problem for linear systems

A unifying theory for the design of linear multivariable systems is presented. A non-linear rational equation which is thereby involved, is solved using closed formulae. Moreover, all solutions satisfying appropriate properness, stability, and minimality conditions are parametrized. The main ingredient of this approach is the concept of partial realizations.
A test of the geostrophic approximation in the western channel of the Korea strait

Current meter measurements and lines of STD stations are analyzed to test the geostrophic method in the western channel of the Korea Strait. An array of three current meters was deployed in the deep central part of the channel. Meters were located near the surface, at mid-depth, and near the bottom in 203 m of water. They recorded approximately 550 hours of data between October 16 and November 2, 1972. Several cross-stream transects of physical properties with closely spaced (3-6 km) STD stations were acquired. The measured velocity differences between 25- and 80-m depths and between 80- and 195-m depths are approximately 0.24 m sec-1 and 0.42 m sec-1, respectively. The corresponding geostrophic velocity differences vary from -0.05 to 0.10 m sec-1 and 0.35 to 0.61 m sec-1, respectively. It would appear that geostrophic estimates of the total transport through the western channel may be in error and should be treated with caution.
Forecasting the Maturity of Alternate Wind Turbine Technologies Through Patent Analysis

The future of energy can’t be solely depending on fossil fuel. Fossil fuel availability is limited and the price is volatile. The solution to the future is renewable energy. One of the widest recognized renewable energy is wind. Wind energy is considered clean, zero-carbon emitting energy source, original, diversified and show promising development in the future. This paper explored new technology in wind energy. The new technologies identified were Jet Engine Wind Turbine, Gearless Wind Turbine, Airborne Wind Turbine, Magnus Wind Turbine and LIDAR wind turbine. Those technologies are based on Horizontal Axis principle. Technology forecasting by using bibliometrics analysis, patent analysis, and growth curve were integrated in this paper. The results indicate that jet engine wind turbines are currently in early maturity stage, while gearless wind turbines, LIDAR wind turbines and Magnus wind turbines are at the end of growth curve. Airborne wind turbines are currently in the very end of growth curve and almost move to maturity stage. The findings suggest that all of those wind turbines are expected to be produced started in 2011 or 2012 and implemented widely around 2014–2016.
A Sliding Window Filter for Incremental SLAM

This work develops a sliding window filter for incremental simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) that focuses computational resources on accurately estimating the immediate spatial surroundings using a sliding time window of the most recent sensor measurements. Ideally, we would like a constant time algorithm that closely approximates the all-time maximum-likelihood estimate as well as the minimum variance Cramer Rao lower bound (CRLB) that is we would like an estimator that achieves some notion of statistical optimality (quickly converges), efficiency (quickly reduces uncertainty) and consistency (avoids over-confidence). To this end we give a derivation of the SLAM problem from the Gaussian non-linear least squares optimization perspective. We find that this results in a simple, yet general, take on the SLAM problem; we think this is a useful contribution. Our approach is inspired by the results from the photogrammetry community, dating back to the late 1950’s [1], and later derivatives like Mikhail’s least squares treatment [6], the Variable state dimension filter(VSDF) [5], visual odometry(VO) [4], modern bundle adjustment(BA) [10, 3] and of course extended Kalman filter (EKF) SLAM [9]. We apply the sliding window filter to SLAM with stereo vision and inertial measurements. Experiments show that the best approximate method comes close to matching the performance of the optimal estimator while attaining constant time complexity empirically, it is often the case that the difference in their performance is indistinguishable.
Antiplatelet Effects of Direct Acting Thrombin Inhibitors and Platelet Gpiib/Illa Antagonists: Comparative Analysis

The present investigation was undertaken to compare the effects of different direct thrombin inhibitors including hirudin, DUP 714 (Ac-D-Phe-Pro-boro Arg) and PPACK (Phe-Pro-Arg-chloromethyl ketone) with different platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonists including linear Arginine-Glycine-Aspartate (RGD), cyclic RGD, peptidomimetic and non-peptide inhibitors on various platelet functions including: (a) platelet aggregation, (b) fibrinogen binding, (c) platelet plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) release, (d) platelet serotonin release, and (e) platelet intracellular Ca++ mobilization. Hirudin, DUP 714 and PPACK were effective in inhibiting all of the responses (a-e) mediated by thrombin, with IC50s ranging from 0.002 to 0.9 uM depending upon the concentration of thrombin used, but not those mediated by other platelet agonists including collagen, ADP, and arachidonic acid. In contrast, linear RGD, constrained cyclic RGD (XM648), an RGD peptidomimetic (YY751), a non-peptide GPIIb/IIIa antagonist were effective in blocking fibrinogen binding and platelet aggregation mediated by any of the agonists. The potency of XL 111, XM648 and YY751 in inhibiting thrombin-mediated platelet aggregation (a) and fibrinogen binding (b) ranged from IC50 of 0.05 to 1.0 uM in (a) and IC50 of 0.01 to 0.005 uM in (b). However, all platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonists tested were ineffective in blocking either (c), (d) or (e). Flow cytometric analysis using dual fluorescence markers for the platelet GPIIb/IIIa membrane receptors (FITC-labeled cyclic RGD analog, XL086) and for the alpha granule (PE-monoclonal antibody for P-selectin) demonstrated a dissociation between the platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptors by inhibitors and platelet granular secretion. These data suggest that GPIIb/IIIa receptor blockade as compared with direct inhibition of thrombin, does not inhibit intracellular Ca++ mobilization signal transduction. These data also show that GPIIb/IIIa antagonists, in contrast to thrombin inhibitors, inhibit platelet aggregation mediated by different agonists. The universal anti-aggregatory efficacy of the GPIIb/IIIa antagonists and efficacy of the thrombin inhibitors against thrombin-induced platelet secretion suggest potential benefits of their combinations in various thrombotic disorders.
Effect of aging on retinal macular microcirculation: a blue field simulation study.

Purpose Structural changes in the retina are known to occur with aging. This study was performed to investigate whether aging also affects the retinal macular microcirculation. Methods Healthy volunteers with ages ranging from 20 to 78 years (mean +/- SD, 49 +/- 19 years) were included in this study. The retinal macular microcirculation was assessed with the blue field simulation technique, based on the blue field entoptic phenomenon. Subjects were asked to match the velocity and density of computer-simulated particles displayed on a screen with those of their entoptically observed leukocytes. Ten matching trials were performed, and an average leukocyte velocity and density were calculated. Results Significant negative linear correlations were observed between velocity and age (P = 0.0001) and density and age (P = 0.009). Older subjects (50 to 78 years of age) had a significantly slower velocity (0.61 +/- 0.21 mm/s) and smaller density (90 +/- 43 particles per field of view) than younger subjects (0.92 +/- 0.12 mm/s and 135 +/- 65 particles, respectively; unpaired Student's t-test, P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively). Conclusions These results suggest that, in normal subjects, retinal macular blood flow decreases with age. The 20% decrease in average velocity with age is very similar to the age-related decrease in number of cells observed in the human foveal ganglion cell layer.
A community-based diabetes group pilot incorporating a community health worker and photovoice methodology in an urban primary care practice

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate a three-month, community-based, diabetes self-management pilot intervention using photovoice, a community health worker (CHW), and group educatio...
Inadvertent ocular exposures secondary to e-liquid misuse.

To the Editor,Our recently published article, “An epidemiologic and clinical description of e-cigarette toxicity,” [1] prospectively examined 265 e-cigarette exposures reported to one poison center...
Analysis of optimal superconvergence of a local discontinuous Galerkin method for nonlinear second-order two-point boundary-value problems

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the convergence and superconvergence properties of a local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method for nonlinear second-order two-point boundary-value problems (BVPs) of the form u ″ = f ( x , u , u ′ ) , x ∈ [ a , b ] subject to some suitable boundary conditions at the endpoints x = a and x = b . We prove optimal L 2 error estimates for the solution and for the auxiliary variable that approximates the first-order derivative. The order of convergence is proved to be p + 1 , when piecewise polynomials of degree at most p are used. We further prove that the derivatives of the LDG solutions are superconvergent with order p + 1 toward the derivatives of Gauss-Radau projections of the exact solutions. Moreover, we prove that the LDG solutions are superconvergent with order p + 2 toward Gauss-Radau projections of the exact solutions. Finally, we prove, for any polynomial degree p, the ( 2 p + 1 ) th superconvergence rate of the LDG approximations at the upwind or downwind points and for the domain average under quasi-uniform meshes. Our numerical experiments demonstrate optimal rates of convergence and superconvergence. Our proofs are valid for arbitrary regular meshes using piecewise polynomials of degree p ≥ 1 and for the classical sets of boundary conditions. Several computational examples are provided to validate the theoretical results.
Spinal Cord Stimulator Explant and Revision Complicated by Syrinx Formation: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been shown to be a safe, effective, and drug-free treatment option for many chronic pain conditions including refractory low back pain. The most commonly reported complication of SCS is equipment failure. We report a case of spinal cord injury (SCI) during SCS explant and revision. This 61-year-old female veteran complained of intermittent shock-like sensations 3-4 times a week for three months prior to her clinic visit. The device was initially implanted in 2009 secondary to neurogenic claudication with appropriate relief. The battery was replaced in 2015. Pain Management Service referred the patient to neurosurgery for replacement of the original SCS unit. Immediately following surgery she complained of severe left lower extremity pain concentrated in the medial thigh radiating into the groin and buttock. She also complained of pain, weakness and numbness in both legs (left more than right). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an edematous area in the left spinal cord between T11-T12. The patient was placed on steroids, ketamine infusion for pain control, and MRI the next day showed slight improvement of the edema and she was discharged home. Follow-up MRI two months later revealed mild diminution in the size of the cord edema. Her pre-operative shock-like sensations had not returned. While rare, spinal cord injury can occur and should be identified and managed expeditiously. Our case here reports for the first time an association between SCS explant/revision and syrinx formation.
Religiosidad popular en las Conferencias Episcopales Latinoamericanas y en el Magisterio de Francisco

In this article I will give a description of Latin American popular religiosity, highlighting its approach in the Magisterium of the Church and in the Episcopal Conferences from Medellin to Aparecida. I will work off of the Magisterium of Pope Francis, especially from the guidelines that appear in Evangelii Gaudium on the topic. The same theological line of Cardinal Bergoglio, who was the Chairman of the Committee for the Drafting of the Final Document of Aparecida, is observed in his Magisterium based on the theology of the people. The Marian shrine of Aparecida marks a theological line, which we can perceive as the time of Mary. That place is a sign to highlight and remove from the anonymity of the Marian popular faith that has quietly grown and continues to spread, evangelizing itself in a very creative way. The Pope has captured this silent action in the hearts of the people who love and follow the Mother of God beyond the eclesial structures and the ecclesial institution. It is a challenge that sets the church in motion, breaking paradigms and opening doors, so that the Spirit may become flesh in the most unprotected and weakest that only have the Savior’s Mother as hope. Let us think of the thousands of faithful who come to the shrines asking for health, peace, work, food... on a continent that remains imprisoned in structures that produce more disadvantaged every day.
Strategies for Mesh Fixation in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: Concepts and Techniques.

Ventral hernias have numerous etiologies ranging from sequelae of surgical procedures to congenital deformities. Patients suffering from these hernias experience a reduced quality of life through pain, associated complications, and physical disfigurement. Therefore, it is important to provide these patients with a steadfast repair that restores functionality and native anatomy. In order to do this, techniques and materials for abdominal wall reconstruction have advanced throughout the decades leading to durable surgical repairs. At the cornerstone of this lies the use of mesh.When providing abdominal wall reconstruction, a surgeon must make many decisions with regards to mesh usage. Along with the type of mesh and plane of placement of mesh, a surgeon must decide on the method of mesh fixation. Fixation of mesh provides an equal distribution of tension and a more robust tissue-mesh interface, which promotes integration. There exist numerous modalities for mesh fixation, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. This Special Topic article aims to compare and contrast methods of mesh fixation in terms of strength of fixation, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness. Methods included in this review are suture, tack, fibrin glue, mesh strip, and self-adhering modes of fixation.
Kudu: An Efficient and Scalable Distributed Graph Pattern Mining Engine.

This paper proposes Kudu, a general distributed execution engine with a well-defined abstraction that can be integrated with various existing single-machine graph pattern mining (GPM) systems. With this approach, the programming interfaces and codes based on existing GPM systems do not change and Kudu can transparently enable the distributed execution. The key novelty is extendable embedding which can express pattern enumeration algorithm and enable fine-grained task scheduling. To enable efficient scheduling, we propose a novel BFS-DFS hybrid exploration method that generates sufficient concurrent tasks without incurring high memory consumption. The computation and communication of Kudu can be further optimized with several effective techniques. We implemented two scalable distributed GPM systems by porting Automine and GraphPi on Kudu. Our evaluation shows that Kudu-based systems significantly outperform state-of-the-art graph partition-based GPM systems by up to three orders of magnitude, achieve similar or even better performance compared with the fastest graph replication-based systems, and scale to large datasets with graph partitioning.
Prevalence of Angina Among Primary Care Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

Importance Angina pectoris is associated with morbidity and mortality. Angina prevalence and frequency among contemporary US populations with coronary artery disease (CAD) remain incompletely defined. Objective To ascertain the angina prevalence and frequency among stable outpatients with CAD. Design, setting, and participants This cross-sectional survey study involved telephone-based administration of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire-7 (SAQ-7) between February 1, 2017, and July 31, 2017, to a nonconvenience sample of adults with established CAD who receive primary care through a large US integrated primary care network. Data analysis was performed from August 2017 to August 2019. Exposure SAQ-7 administration. Main outcomes and measures Angina prevalence and frequency were assessed using SAQ-7 question 2. Covariates associated with angina were assessed in univariable and multivariable regression. Results Of 4139 eligible patients, 1612 responded to the survey (response rate, 38.9%). The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 71.8 (11.0) years, 577 (35.8%) were women, 1447 (89.8%) spoke English, 147 (9.1%) spoke Spanish, 1336 (82.8%) were White, 76 (4.7%) were Black, 92 (5.7%) were Hispanic, 974 (60.4%) had Medicare, and 83 (5.2%) had Medicaid. Among respondents, 342 (21.2%) reported experiencing angina at least once monthly; among those, 201 (12.5%) reported daily or weekly angina, and 141 respondents (8.7%) reported monthly angina. The mean (SD) SAQ-7 score was 93.7 (13.7). After multivariable adjustment, speaking a language other than Spanish or English (odds ratio [OR], 5.07; 95% CI, 1.39-18.50), Black race (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.08-3.75), current smoking (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.27-2.78), former smoking (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.13-2.51), atrial fibrillation (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.02-2.26), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.18-2.18) were associated with more frequent angina. Male sex (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.47-0.86), peripheral artery disease (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.44-0.90), and novel oral anticoagulant use (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.08-0.48) were associated with less frequent angina. Conclusions and relevance Among stable outpatients with CAD receiving primary care through an integrated primary care network, 21.2% of surveyed patients reported experiencing angina at least once monthly. Several objective demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with angina frequency. Proactive assessment of angina symptoms using validated assessment tools and estimation of patients at higher risk of suboptimally controlled angina may be associated with reduced morbidity.
Clinical and cytopathological features of suspected thyroglossal duct cysts and neoplasms arising from them: A large series from a referral cancer center.

BACKGROUND Thyroglossal duct cysts (TGDCs) are the most common congenital midline cystic lesions in the neck, and they are often evaluated by fine-needle aspiration. Recognizing the cytomorphologic features of TGDCs and their mimics is important for clinical management. METHODS This study examined the clinical, radiological, and cytopathological features of 86 ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) specimens from clinically suspected TGDCs or malignancies arising from TGDCs and correlated the findings with surgical follow-up and/or imaging studies. RESULTS According to ultrasound examinations of 66 lesions, 17 (25.8%) were cystic, 8 (12.1%) were cystic with septations, 21 (31.8%) were cystic with solid nodules, and 20 (30.3%) were solid or cystic with internal debris. Cytopathologically, 81 lesions (94%) were categorized as benign, 2 (2%) were categorized as atypical, and 3 (3%) were categorized as malignant. In benign lesions, proteinaceous material (63%), histiocytes (63%), colloid (37%), squamous cells (35%), columnar cells (32%), follicular cells (15%), inflammatory cells (9%), and multinucleated giant cells (9%) were noted. Diagnoses in the benign category included TGDC in 64 patients (75%), TGDC or mimics (colloid nodule/epidermoid cyst) in 14 patients (17%), a colloid nodule in 1 patient, and thyroiditis in 1 patient. Surgical resection, performed in 23 patients, confirmed TGDCs in 12, benign mimics in 7, and carcinoma in 4. CONCLUSIONS Cytopathological features, in conjunction with imaging, allowed a definite diagnosis of TGDC in most patients (75%). The presence of mature squamous cells, thyroid follicular cells, with or without colloid and/or lymphocytes alone allowed a differential diagnosis of TGDC and its mimics in 17%. US-FNA findings could not distinguish primary carcinomas arising from TGDCs from metastatic tumors.
A Distributed Leadership Model for Informal, Online Faculty Professional Development

In this chapter, we describe how informal, online faculty professional development can be built upon the theoretical concepts of distributed leadership and communities of practice. In contrast to typical book study groups, where there is one leader who guides the discussions and focus of the group, we implemented a distributed leadership model that provided participants with an opportunity to take on leadership roles and actively define the focus and direction of our group discussions. While our group chose to focus on the Mathematical Association of America’s (MAA Instructional Practices Guide, 2018) Instructional Practices Guide along with the themes of technology and equity, the model we developed can be used for any book study group regardless of the chosen text or focus. After establishing our theoretical foundation, we describe the following three macro-activity tasks that formed the underlying design principles for our model: (a) launching the book study group, (b) supporting the participants, and (c) supporting the facilitators.
Morse Theoretic Aspects of Yang-Mills Theory

Let me start in the manner I have learned of late from all you Physicists, with a modest list of topics to be covered in these two lectures. My topics are: (i) Algebraic topology (ii) Morse theory (iii) Equivariant Morse theory (iv) Pertinence of (i), (ii), and (iii) to the solutions of the classical Yang-Mills Equations.
Chronicle of a future foretold: The complex legacies of Ken Saro-Wiwa

Abstract This article reflects upon the legacies of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his legal counsel Oronto Douglas who passed away in 2015. The article examines the prophetic quality of Saro_Wiwa’s writings and how we can understand the side into insurgency in the Niger delta.
LIFTING MODULES AND A THEOREM ON FINITE FREE RESOLUTIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the lifting modules and a theorem on finite free resolutions. It discusses a new theorem about finite free resolutions over commutative noetherian rings that has proved useful in connection with the lifting problem. The result on free resolutions has some other interesting applications. It yields Burch's theorem on the structure of cyclic modules of homological dimension. In particular, it yields a new proof that any regular local ring is a unique factorization domain. A positive solution to the lifting problem would allow one to reduce the general (complete regular local) case of Serre's conjecture to the unramified case. It is found that because of Serre's reduction of the conjecture to the cyclic case, it would be sufficient to be able to lift cyclic modules. The chapter presents the results connected with the lifting problem of Grothendieck. The result on lifting cyclic modules S/I, where S/I has finite homological dimension and I is generated by three elements, follows from a broad generalization of Burch's theorem that gives information about the form of a finite free resolution of any length.
Featuring Historical Textbooks to Build Knowledge of University History

Undergraduate students at a teacher education institution, the University of Northern Colorado, are the target audience for an exhibit of a reading series from the Libraries’ Archival Services collections. The display highlights an important era in the university’s history involving four faculty members: Paul McKee, M. Lucile Harrison, Annie McCowen, and Elizabeth Lehr. These professors developed an innovative approach to early reading instruction that was incorporated into their reading textbook series during a time of uniformity in reading textbooks. The rationale for the display was based on research about the Reading for Meaning series discussed in this article.
An investigation of yield surfaces based on dislocation mechanics—I: Basic theory

Abstract With the help of dislocation theory a new hardening law and a yield criterion are introduced and the initial and subsequent yield surfaces for both single crystals and polycrystalline aggregates are studied.
Child abuse syndrome: the "gray areas" in extablishing a diagnosis.

Despite almost universal legislation requiring physicians in the United States to report instances of suspected child abuse and in the face of published efforts to clarify and to define legal, medical, and social issues associated with the "batered child syndrome," some physicians find it hard to accept the reality of willful abuse of children. An attempt was made to explore further those situations in which the physician found it difficult to establish or rule out the diagnosis of child abuse. In each of the types of such cases, the major issues were the physician9s subjective personal feelings, his misunderstandings of the Child Abuse Laws, or of his role and responsibilities. It is easy to comment that, if the physician understands that the Child Abuse Laws only make him responsible for reporting a case in which there is reasonable cause to suspect a case of abuse and if he understands that he is not responsible for establishing that the case is truly one of child abuse or for indentifying the abuser, then there would be few cases in the "gray area." It is not as easy to explain away or develop an approach to minimize the physicians9 subjective feelings or personal views which confound his ability to establish this clinical impression. It is essential that all suspected instances of abuse be reported. Only then can community agencies become active to protect the child, to assist the family, and to interrupt the pattern of violent behavior.
The Orbital Motion and Impact Circumstances of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

Two months after the discovery of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 came the astonishing announcement that the comet would impact Jupiter in July 1994. Computing the orbital motion of this remarkable comet presented several unusual challenges. We review the pre-impact orbit computations and impact predictions for SL9, from the preliminary orbit solutions shortly after discovery to the final set of predictions before the impacts.
Separation of Transplutonium Elements by Phosphonate Extraction

A process for separating transcurium elements from americium and curium was developed and tested in laboratory scale experiments. This separation is based on preferential extraction of the transcur...
A new passive soft-switching dual-boost topology for power factor correction

This paper presents a new passive soft-switching dual-boost topology, which is suitable for higher power level (above 1 kW) single phase PFC rectification. No extra switch and control circuitry are needed. With a few add-on passive components, both power switches realize zero current turn on and zero voltage turn off. The operation principle and optimized design procedures of the topology are provided. A 1 kW prototype using optimized design parameters was built and the experimental results are given in the paper.
Overview of Cyber Situation Awareness

Improving a decision maker’s1 situational awareness of the cyber domain isn’t greatly different than enabling situation awareness in more traditional domains2. Situation awareness necessitates working with processes capable of identifying domain specific activities as well as processes capable of identifying activities that cross domains. These processes depend on the context of the environment, the domains, and the goals and interests of the decision maker but they can be defined to support any domain. This chapter will define situation awareness in its broadest sense, describe our situation awareness reference and process models, describe some of the applicable processes, and identify a set of metrics usable for measuring the performance of a capability supporting situation awareness. These techniques are independent of domain but this chapter will also describe how they apply to the cyber domain.
An affordable solution to real-time video compression

In today's multimedia market, there are several hardware and software solutions to the transmission of video over a low bit-rate channel. The decoding part is relatively simple and inexpensive to implement. However, the encoding of full-size, high-quality video in real-time remains a complex and costly matter for the compression algorithms currently in use. A real-time digital video compression system (DVCS) has been developed to provide a solution to this problem, and make real-time video applications such as videoconferencing, digital video editing and several others affordable. Three-dimensional subband coding is used in the compression process because this algorithm is most compatible with the human visual system. The DVCS described in this paper is based on a simple subband coding algorithm which can be implemented in ASIC form with less than 50,000 gates. Hence, a much simpler and less expensive encoder/decoder chip can be implemented. The DVCS supports full screen, full-motion images at 30 frames/sec. A number of other standard resolution formats such as CCIR 601, CIF and QCIF are also supported. The intrinsic scalability of subband coding makes the compression system expandable to high-definition television by simply adding an additional image detail band.
RealTime Fuzzy Control of Biomedical Systems

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Common Complexity of Biomedical Systems Ideal for Fuzzy Control Mamdani Fuzzy PI Control of Mean Arterial Pressure in Postsurgical Cardiac Patients Thermal Treatment of Tissue Lesions Fuzzy PD Control of Tissue Temperature during Laser Heating Ultrasound-Guided Fuzzy PD Control of Laser-Tissue Coagulation Summary Notes and References
Elemental composition of the lunar surface: Analysis of gamma ray spectroscopy data from Lunar Prospector

[1] Gamma ray spectroscopy data acquired by Lunar Prospector are used to determine global maps of the elemental composition of the lunar surface. Maps of the abundance of major oxides, MgO, Al2O3, SiO2, CaO, TiO2, and FeO, and trace incompatible elements, K and Th, are presented along with their geochemical interpretation. Linear spectral mixing is used to model the observed gamma ray spectrum for each map pixel. The spectral shape for each elemental constituent is determined by a Monte Carlo radiation transport calculation. Linearization of the mixing model is accomplished by scaling the spectral shapes with lunar surface parameters determined by neutron spectroscopy, including the number density of neutrons slowing down within the surface and the effective atomic mass of the surface materials. The association of the highlands with the feldspathic lunar meteorites is used to calibrate the mixing model and to determine backgrounds. A linear least squares approach is used to unmix measured spectra to determine the composition of each map pixel. The present analysis uses new gamma ray production cross sections for neutron interactions, resulting in improved accuracy compared to results previously submitted to the Planetary Data System. Systematic variations in lunar composition determined by the spectral unmixing analysis are compared with the lunar soil sample and meteorite collections. Significant results include improved accuracy for the abundance of Th and K in the highlands; identification of large regions, including western Procellarum, that are not well represented by the sample collection; and the association of relatively high concentrations of Mg with KREEP-rich regions on the lunar nearside, which may have implications for the concept of an early magma ocean.
NAFTA and the New Transnational Corporate Agenda

This paper argues that the present proposal for a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) represents a significant escalation of a process underway since the mid-1970s. That process involves a transnational corporate agenda, borne out of the collapse of Bretton Woods, and designed to resolve the crisis which brought on the collapse. The elements of this transnational corporate agenda are analyzed as well as it implication for popular organizing.
Reforming La Policía: looking to the future of policing in Mexico

Historically, policing in Mexico has been known more for its rampant corruption than crime fighting or public service. However, recent decades have seen not only a marked rise in crime, but a boom in substantive reform efforts. This study examines the historical development of law enforcement reform in Mexico with an emphasis on the last decade which has produced the most revolutionary changes in policing practices in Mexico. Not only does this discussion include the last decade of substantive reforms and subsequent outcomes, but also explores an overview of the current Mexican president’s law enforcement reform initiatives, and potential reforms based on US attempts. This research then focuses on survey responses and direct interviews of criminological experts on law enforcement in Mexico and their predictions on the future of police reforms, with a focus on policing in Mexico City. The interviews focused on the reform initiatives by Mexico’s two most recent presidents and predictions of their likely suc...