cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water is a Right: A Critique of Curricular Materials and Learning Experiences in Schools Sponsored by the Transnational Water Utility Service Industry

There is no longer an infinite supply of fresh water on the planet. In large part, the global water crisis is a result of large-scale, destructive, industrial "innovations." In just fifteen years, two-thirds of the people on the planet will feel the impact of the diminishment of safe drinking water. Given the global water crisis, the focus is this analysis is on the transnational water utility service industry as well as the larger shift from the notion of drinking water as a public right to a commodity to be privately owned and sold on the global marketplace. I discuss the very different ways these corporations are entering communities in the Southern compared to the Northern hemisphere, including attempts to re-brand their image after public failures. I then consider the particular strategies these conglomerates use to seep into cities and towns in the North. Emphasis is placed on how this sector of the water industry is becoming involved in schooling through sponsoring curricular materials and activities. I also provide initial analysis of the messages distributed in a sample of such materials and activities intended for K-12 students. While literature exists that explores curricular materials in schools provided by transnational corporations involved in direct control of natural resources, surprisingly, the privatization of the world's fresh water supply receives little attention in both education-based scholarship and media.
Tracking reference inputs in control systems described by a class of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations

The authors consider the problem of designing a feedback control law in order to achieve tracking of reference inputs in control systems described by a class of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations. The approach is based on an extension of the extended linearization methodology to the class of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations studied. The procedure is reduced to the design of state feedback control laws which asymptotically stabilize a class of parametrized linear differential-algebraic equations. Using the stability theorem of M. Kelemen (1986) and the concept of state realizations for nonlinear differential-algebraic equations, it is shown that the control design guarantees, at least locally, that the tracking error is bounded by any given bound provided the reference inputs are sufficiently slowly varying. >
Effects of mite age, mite density, and host quality on aerial dispersal behavior in the twospotted spider mite

Mite age, population density, and host leaf quality affect various life history traits in spider mites. We investigated the effects of these factors on the aerial dispersal behavior of adult female twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). The proportion of adult females exhibiting the dispersal behavior dropped significantly with age following adult emergence, particularly in the first 3 days. Sixty to eighty percent of female mites 2-days old or younger displayed the behavior under test conditions, whereas less than 20% of female mites older than 3-days-old showed the behavior. Younger adult females also exhibited shorter latency for the behavior, although this trend was not as clear. Leaf quality experienced during deutonymph development had no effect on the behavior adults subsequently displayed. On the other hand, adult females that fed on poor quality leaves after emergence were twice as likely to display the behavior (90% vs. 45%), and with shorter latency (37 vs. 77 min), than those that fed on high quality leaves. When newly emerged adult females encountered high mite density and dry leaves, the incidence of the behavior increased (69% vs. 47%) and latency decreased (69 vs. 93 min) compared to mites that encountered low density on well watered leaves. Our results suggest that both starvation and desiccation of adult females may enhance their dispersal behavior.
LIQUID LEAD-BISMUTH EUTECTIC AS A COOLANT IN GENERATION IV NUCLEAR REACTORS AND IN HIGH TEMPERATURE SOLAR CONCENTRATOR APPLICATIONS: CHARACTERISTICS, CHALLENGES, ISSUES

Heavy liquid metals have found a wide range of application in energy conversion systems, due to their beneficial thermal properties, especially their low melting points and their capability of operating at higher temperatures without boiling. In addition, the neutronic properties of various liquid metals make them attractive for fusion as well as in Generation IV nuclear reactors. Lately, concentrated solar power (CSP) systems have developed an interest in this technology, calling for temperatures up to 800 o C. The main challenge in realizing engineering scale units is to find proper structural materials that can withstand the corrosion and provide mechanical strength at operation conditions. Lead-Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) is one of the main candidate coolants for liquid metal cooled reactors and solar thermal power applications due to its physical properties such as good thermal conduction, low thermal expansion and melting point, non-violent reactivity to water and low neutron absorption. However, the key limiting factor for LBE usage is the fact of its high corrosiveness to steels and other structural materials. In this work, the results of our systematic materials study in liquid LBE and its alternatives are presented. Various potential structural materials were exposed to LBE, Rose’s metal (Pb-Bi-Sn) and Pb-Bi-Zn eutectic, in static corrosion tests. Post corrosion characterization was conducted by micro-structural analysis (SEM/EDS, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy) and preferential corrosion mechanisms were evaluated.
Re-Clarifying China’s Trust Law: Characteristics and New Conceptual Basis

The common law trust institution always encounters modifications when it is transplanted to civil law jurisdictions. China designs its Trust Law with three characteristics in the process of localization: indeterminate title of trust assets, settlor’s intrusive rights, and beneficiary’s right in personam with two peculiarities. By virtue of these characteristics, Chinese lawmakers and politicians expect to make the trust institution more acceptable for the general public and orchestrated with the civil law tradition. However, these characteristics give rise to theoretical confusions and practical obstacles. This unintended result is not caused by insufficient rules in the Trust Law but by a deficient conceptual basis within the Chinese jurisprudence that is needed to underpin the trust institution. This paper addresses this problem by testing the prevailing contract theory and the novel special patrimony theory and, after systematic analyses, finds that the special patrimony theory works better to conceptualize China’s Trust Law. This finding may provide some reflections to other trust-reception civilian jurisdictions to understand the trust institution.
Changes in the metropolitan and large city populations of the USSR: 1979-85.

This paper investigates the post-census growth of metropolitan areas and large cities in the USSR from 1979 to 1985. The Soviet population continues to be increasingly concentrated in large metropolitan areas and large cities, and although suburbanization occurs within metropolitan areas, a striking feature is that all central cities continue to grow and typically contain the vast majority of the metropolitan population. This reflects the fact that individual large cities continue to loom large, despite policies to limit their growth. Although the growth rates of large cities have slowed, so have those of smaller towns, and a merging of growth rates by size class is occurring.
A Review of: “Howard Good, Ed. Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies”

Reporters face all sorts of questions on the job: Am I being fair? Should I intervene in a crisis? Is objectivity really possible? Faking tears on TV is verboten, huh? Yes, even the last question c...
‘Beautiful to the eye, pleasing to the ear’: Educational performance in A Pictorial Story of Hiawatha (1904–1908)

From 1904 to 1908 the married couple Katharine Ertz-Bowden and Charles Bowden traveled the Midwest with the illustrated lecture A Pictorial Story of Hiawatha. Using hand-colored stereopticon slides and moving pictures, the Bowdens documented a live pageant of the Hiawatha story performed by Ojibwa actors from the Garden River Reservation. The Bowdens presented their lecture at venues devoted to education outside of the schoolroom including summer Chautuaquas and Lyceum courses. Based on primary historical research and an ongoing archival reconstruction of the existing media artifacts from the Bowdens’ Hiawatha performance, this article will present a close reading of the lecture that will add to the literature on early cinema and illustrated lectures. To examine how this performance worked as a form of pedagogical media, this article contends that a focus on its intermedial nature highlights the central role of performance in educating. Moreover, Charles Bowden’s work as a projectionist, normally consider...
Evaluating and extending user-level fault tolerance in MPI applications:

The user-level failure mitigation (ULFM) interface has been proposed to provide fault-tolerant semantics in the Message Passing Interface (MPI). Previous work presented performance evaluations of U...
Surrogacy: American Style

This overview of surrogacy regulation in the United States challenges its reputation as a hotbed of unregulated commercial surrogacy. Although to outside observers, the United States appears to assume a laissez-faire attitude towards surrogacy, in actuality laws regulating surrogacy in this country take many different forms. On one end of the spectrum are jurisdictions that outlaw and criminalize surrogacy; on the other are jurisdictions that permit and facilitate commercial surrogacy agreements. The focus herein is on the primary subjects of surrogacy regulation — access and parentage. In addition, the author canvasses and critiques the main strains of critical commentary on American surrogacy, concluding that the broad shift to gestational surrogacy and empirical evidence about surrogacy arrangements have brought us to a place where the commodification- and exploitation-based arguments against surrogacy have much less traction. The resulting trend in the law is toward more permissiveness within a regulatory framework that aims to define and protect the interests of all of the parties to the arrangement. The chapter concludes with an argument against limiting access to surrogacy to heterosexual married couples.
Ultrafast Spin Dynamics on the Nanoscale

We summarize the first x-ray free electron laser experiment that determines the extraordinary spin dynamics in the ferrimagnetic alloy GdFeCo on the femtosecond time- and nanometer length-scale. The results show that ultrafast nanoscale spin transport plays an important role in the all-optical switching observed in this material.
The staffing shortage: AHRA responds.

The AHRA Board of Directors formed a Long-Term Staffing Task Force to study the question, "Should AHRA become involved in the resolution(s) of the current staffing crisis, and if so how?" Because the background information that could be gathered was extensive, the Task Force used the following four questions to guide its activity: SENSITIVITY TO MEMBERS' VIEWS: What do we know about the needs, wants and preferences of our members, prospective members and customers relevant to a decision to become involved in activities to resolve the staffing crisis? FORESIGHT ABOUT FUTURE ENVIRONMENT: What do we know about the current and evolving dynamics of our profession relevant to a decision to become involved in activities to resolve the staffing crisis? INSIGHT INTO THE ORGANIZATION: What do we know about the strategic position and internal capacity of our organization relevant to a decision to become involved in activities to resolve the staffing crisis? CONSIDERATION OF OUR CHOICES: What are the ethical implications of our choices relevant to a decision to become involved in activities to resolve the staffing crisis? After considerable investigation and discussion, the Task Force made the following recommendations to the Board: RAISE AWARENESS OF OUR PROFESSION: Expand the number of radiologic technologists in the workforce by increasing the diversity of our students and by changing the traditional method in which we educate students (i.e., full-time, day clinical education). Create a quality monitor useful to the majority of radiology leaders to begin to systematically document the shortage. Support limited licensure and/or create a defined position of "staff extender" for radiologic technology.
Social Network Characteristics, Social Support, and Cigarette Smoking among Asian/Pacific Islander Young Adults

Cigarette smoking may be one of the factors contributing to the high levels of cancer-related mortality experienced by certain Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) subgroups (e.g., Native Hawaiian). Given the collectivist cultural orientation attributed to A/PI groups, social strategies are recommended for substance abuse or smoking cessation treatment among A/PI. However, research examining how social network characteristics and social support relate to smoking across A/PI subgroups has been lacking. This study investigated the associations between social network characteristics (e.g., size, composition), perceived social support, and recent cigarette use across Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and East Asian (e.g., Japanese, Chinese) young adults (18-35 year old). Cross-sectional, self-report data were collected from N = 435 participants (M age = 25.6, SD = 8.3; 61% women). Ethnic differences were found in a number of pathways linking social network characteristics, perceived social support, and cigarette smoking. Larger network size was strongly associated with higher perceived social support and lower recent cigarette smoking among Native Hawaiians but not Filipinos or East Asians. Higher perceived social support was associated with lower recent smoking among East Asians and Filipinos but not Native Hawaiians. Implications are discussed with regard to smoking prevention and cessation among A/PI.
Next‐generation polyploid phylogenetics: rapid resolution of hybrid polyploid complexes using PacBio single‐molecule sequencing

Difficulties in generating nuclear data for polyploids have impeded phylogenetic study of these groups. We describe a high-throughput protocol and an associated bioinformatics pipeline (Pipeline for Untangling Reticulate Complexes (Purc)) that is able to generate these data quickly and conveniently, and demonstrate its efficacy on accessions from the fern family Cystopteridaceae. We conclude with a demonstration of the downstream utility of these data by inferring a multi-labeled species tree for a subset of our accessions. We amplified four c. 1-kb-long nuclear loci and sequenced them in a parallel-tagged amplicon sequencing approach using the PacBio platform. Purc infers the final sequences from the raw reads via an iterative approach that corrects PCR and sequencing errors and removes PCR-mediated recombinant sequences (chimeras). We generated data for all gene copies (homeologs, paralogs, and segregating alleles) present in each of three sets of 50 mostly polyploid accessions, for four loci, in three PacBio runs (one run per set). From the raw sequencing reads, Purc was able to accurately infer the underlying sequences. This approach makes it easy and economical to study the phylogenetics of polyploids, and, in conjunction with recent analytical advances, facilitates investigation of broad patterns of polyploid evolution.
Saying vs. Doing: A Contradiction in the Professional Development of Foreign Language Teaching Assistants.

Despite the sizeable portion of foreign language (FL) instruction provided by graduate students now as teaching assistants (TAs) and in the future as faculty, few studies have considered TAs’ perspectives on their own professional development. To inform the professional development of FL graduate students as teachers, the present study updated and expanded on Brandl (2000) and Gonglewski and Penningroth (1998), who surveyed FL TAs about their perceptions of professional development opportunities. Using both quantitative and qualitative data from a nationwide online questionnaire completed by TAs (N = 94) and follow-up Skype interviews (N = 9), the present study gave a voice to TAs by asking them which professional development opportunities they valued and what constraints limited their participation. TAs exhibited an apparent lack of awareness about the possible responsibilities of their future careers and the evaluation criteria used in academia, resulting in a disconnect between the professional development opportunities in which they participated and those that would actually prepare them for the long term. In light of TAs’ perceptions and practices, recommendations are provided to enhance future TA professional development.
Ensemble-based model for DDoS attack detection and flash event separation

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks continue to constitute a pernicious threat to the delivery of services within the Internet domain. These attacks harness the power of thousands, and sometimes tens or hundreds of thousands of compromised computers to attack web-services and online trading sites, resulting in significant down-time and financial loss. The problem of detecting DDoS attacks is complicated by Flash Events (FEs), which share some characteristics with DDoS attacks, and which occur when a server experiences an unexpected surge in requests from legitimate clients. This paper presents the design and implementation of an ensemble-based DDoS attack detection and FE separation model, which combines two orthogonal anomaly-based attack detection strategies viz., network traffic analysis and server-load analysis. Using an Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) technique, changes in individual network and server load metrics are first detected and then correlated to identify a variety of DDoS attacks, both at the network and the application layer, and to differentiate them from FE and normal traffic scenarios.
Recent progresses of understanding the viscosity of concentrated protein solutions

Viscosity control for concentrated protein solutions is very important for the manufacturability and drug delivery routes of many protein therapeutics of the pharmaceutical industry. Even though there are successful applications of colloidal theories to calculate or predict the viscosity of globular proteins with electrostatic repulsions, understanding concentrated protein solutions remains an open challenge for colloidal science. This is especially true when proteins have complicated interaction potentials and non-spherical shapes, such as monoclonal antibody proteins. This paper provides a brief review of the recent experimental and theoretical progress in understanding the viscosity of concentrated protein solutions with a focus on the experimental results.
Durability and reliability of electric vehicle batteries under electric utility grid operations: Bidirectional charging impact analysis

Abstract Vehicle-to-grid and Grid-to-vehicle strategies are often cited as promising to mitigate the intermittency of renewable energy on electric power grids. However, their impact on the vehicle battery degradation has not been investigated in detail. The aim of this work is to understand the impact of bidirectional charging on commercial Li-ion cells used in electric vehicles today. Results show that additional cycling to discharge vehicle batteries to the power grid, even at constant power, is detrimental to cell performance. This additional use of the battery packs could shorten the lifetime for vehicle use to less than five years. By contrast, the impact of delaying the charge in order to reduce the impact on the power grid is found to be negligible at room temperature, but could be significant in warmer climates.
Do changes in oil prices affect welfare programs? Evidence from Kern County

Abstract In this paper, the intertemporal causal relationship between oil prices and welfare programs in Kern County is studied using monthly data between 1999:7 and 2016:8. Results from the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-bounds testing approach show that there is stable long run equilibrium relationship between CalFresh caseloads, oil prices and unemployment. They also show that adjustment in CalFresh participation due to changes in oil prices and unemployment is slow, and a 10% increase in unemployment led to a 3.3% increase in CalFresh enrollment. Results from a modified Granger Causality method indicated causality running from unemployment to CalWORKs, and no causality from oil prices to CalWORKs participation. The GIRF confirmed that CalWORKs is more responsive to changes in unemployment than to oil price shocks. The FEVDC results demonstrated that contributions of the oil price shocks in explaining variations in CalWORKs were negligible.
Gallantry and its discontents: Joan of Arc and virtuous transmasculinity in Radclyffe Hall and Vita Sackville-West

ABSTRACTThe medieval crossdressing warrior Joan of Arc became a popular figure during World War I and its aftermath, appearing in silent films, political posters, plays, novels, and speculative biographies. Her youthful idealism, chivalry, and courage associated her with young soldiers sacrificed on the field of battle, and her canonization in 1920 made official the centuries-old veneration of her as a virgin martyr. Modern figurations of Joan emphasize the ethical dimensions of her transmasculinity, where queer gender identity and desire are actively engaged in the struggle to build a more tolerant world. Looking at Cecil B. DeMille’s film Joan the Woman (1916), Radclyffe Hall’s novels The Unlit Lamp (1924) and The Well of Loneliness (1928), and Vita Sackville-West’s biography Saint Joan of Arc (1936), I argue that Joan’s chivalry and saintliness model an ethical transmasculine gender that emerges in wartime, but gradually shows up elsewhere in modernism to insist on queer social justice, fighting “for t...
Method of LDL Cholesterol Measurement Influences Classification of LDL Cholesterol Treatment Goals: Clinical Research Study

Background Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been clearly associated with the risk of developing coronary heart disease. The best and most convenient method for determining LDL-C has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. We present comparisons of the Friedewald calculated LDL-C (C-LDL-C) and direct LDL-C (D-LDL-C) using 3 different homogenous assays. This highlights differences between the 2 methods of LDL-C measurement and how this affects the classification of samples into different LDL-C treatment goals as determined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines thus potentially affecting treatment strategies. Methods Lipid profiles of a total of 2208 clinic patients were retrieved from the Central Arkansas VA Healthcare System clinical laboratory database. Samples studied were of 1-week period during the 3 periods studied: 2000 (period 1), 2002 (period 2), and 2005 (period 3). Different homogenous assays for D-LDL-C measurement were used for each of the 3 periods. Results There is a fundamental disagreement between D-LDL-C and C-LDL-C, although Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.93, 0.97, and 0.98 for periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Using the model for period 1, when C-LDL-C is 70 mg/dL, the predicted D-LDL-C is 95 mg/dL (36% higher). The differences between C-LDL-C and predicted D-LDL-C progressively decrease at higher LDL-C cut points. In the assay used in period 3, there are 290 samples with D-LDL-C values between 100 and 130 mg/dL. Of these, only 182 samples show agreement with C-LDL-C values, whereas 90 samples with a D-LDL-C in the 100- to 130-mg/dL range are in the 70- to 100-mg/dL range using the C-LDL-C assay. Although the κ statistics suggests the LDL-C measures have relatively high levels of agreement, the significant generalized McNemar tests ( P Conclusions Our results highlight D-LDL-C measurements using 3 different assays during 3 different periods. In all assays, there is a substantial lack of agreement between D-LDL-C and C-LDL-C, which, in most cases, resulted in higher D-LDL-C values than C-LDL-C. This leads to clinically significant misclassification of patient9s LDL-C to a different LDL-C treatment goal, which would potentially result in more drug usage, thus exposing patients to more potential adverse effects and at a much greater cost with little evidence of benefit.
Total RNA Sequencing of Rett Syndrome Autopsy Samples Identifies the M4 Muscarinic Receptor as a Novel Therapeutic Target

Mutations in the MeCP2 gene are responsible for the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome (RTT). MeCP2 is a DNA-binding protein whose abundance and ability to complex with histone deacetylase 3 is linked to the regulation of chromatin structure. Consequently, loss-of-function mutations in MeCP2 are predicted to have broad effects on gene expression. However, to date, studies in mouse models of RTT have identified a limited number of gene or pathway-level disruptions, and even fewer genes have been identified that could be considered amenable to classic drug discovery approaches. Here, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on nine motor cortex and six cerebellar autopsy samples from RTT patients and controls. This approach identified 1887 significantly affected genes in the motor cortex and 2110 genes in the cerebellum, with a global trend toward increased expression. Pathway-level analysis identified enrichment in genes associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, long-term potentiation, and axon guidance. A survey of our RNA-seq results also identified a significant decrease in expression of the CHRM4 gene, which encodes a receptor [muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 4 (M4)] that is the subject of multiple large drug discovery efforts for schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. We confirmed that CHRM4 expression was decreased in RTT patients, and, excitingly, we demonstrated that M4 potentiation normalizes social and cognitive phenotypes in Mecp2+/- mice. This work provides an experimental paradigm in which translationally relevant targets can be identified using transcriptomics in RTT autopsy samples, back-modeled in Mecp2+/- mice, and assessed for preclinical efficacy using existing pharmacological tool compounds.
No-cost gym visits are associated with lower weight and blood pressure among non-Latino black and Latino participants with a diagnosis of hypertension in a multi-site demonstration project.

Abstract Well documented, persistent racial/ethnic health disparities in obesity and hypertension in the US demonstrate the continued need for interventions that focus on people of color who may be at higher risk. We evaluated a demonstration project funded by the CDC's Racial/Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program at four federally qualified health centers (FQHC) and YMCA fitness and wellness centers in Boston. No-cost YMCA memberships were offered from June 2014 to June 2015 to non-Latino black and Latino adults with a diagnosis of hypertension. YMCA visit data were merged with health data for 224 participants (n = 1265 health center visits). We assessed associations between gym visit frequency and weight, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) using longitudinal time-varying linear fixed-effects models. The total number of gym visits over the entire program duration was 5.5, while the conditional total number of visits (after the first gym visit has been made) was 17.3. Having visited the gym at least 10 times before an FQHC exam was, on average, associated with lower weight (1.19 kg, p = 0.01), lower BMI (0.43 kg/m2, p = 0.01) and reductions in SBP (−3.20 mm Hg, p = 0.01) and DBP (−2.06 mm Hg p = 0.01). Having visited the gym an average of 1.4 times per month (study average) was associated with reductions in weight, BMI, and DBP. No-cost gym visits were associated with improved weight and blood pressure in hypertensive non-Latino black and Latino adults in this program. Additional evaluation is necessary to assess the sustainability of these effects.
Influence of Defects on the Reactivity of Organic Surfaces

Molecular orientation within organic solids limits the range of applicable surface reactions, with reactive functionalities often recessed and inaccessible to adsorbates. To induce reactivity in heretofore inert orientations of acenes, a defect-mediated mechanism is utilized to functionalize thin-film phase pentacene. This mechanism was demonstrated via correlation of reaction data to defect density, determined via polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). By controllably varying the amount of grain boundaries in the acene films, the reaction can be varied from near zero to coverage exceeding a monolayer. The extensive coverage suggests that the reaction propagates from the defects throughout the grains, a prediction borne out via direct observation of reaction progression along the surface from a single dislocation (via scanning electron microscopy). The results support a mechanism whereby the reaction is initialized at the defect si...
On the Factorial Approach to Index Number Problems, Consumption Analysis and Orthogonal Decomposition of National Income: A Review

Since this Review has already been published, [A1], the Review, as a whole, is withdrawn from reproduction here. However, we provide below an extended abstract of the publication and the list of references for purposes of general information concerning the topic and its developments. Additional remarks and an “Addendum to References” are also included.
The regulation of yeast gene expression by multiple control elements.

The effective employment of biological systems for production of commercially useful chemicals often requires a thorough understanding of how the desired system is regulated. In the past we have looked to procaryotic systems for models of how control is exerted; they have served us well. However, it is becoming abundantly clear that the procaryotic paradigm does not extend to eucaryotic systems. For these, new models must be developed and new paradigms constructed. My purpose is the development of such a model in the simple eucaryotic microorganism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast is perhaps the oldest commercially cultured organism in existence. It is also one of the most well studied genetic systems available. Our model is the metabolism of two main nitrogen sources, allantoin and arginine. We selected two systems instead of one to gain some insight into the spectrum of regulatory mechanisms that operate in eucaryotic cells. Our choice also presents the added opportunity of assessing the means used to integrate the expression of separately controlled, but functionally related genes.
EFFECTS OF SUBSTRATUM HYDROPHOBICITY AND STERIC HINDRANCE ON ADHESION OF A MARINE PSEUDOMONAS SP.

Many studies on the adhesion of microorganisms and eucaryotic cells to inanimate surfaces have focused on the chemical and physical properties of the substratum. Several general trends have been observed, such as higher levels of bacterial adhesion and protein adsorption on hydrophobic surfaces as compared to hydrophilic substrata (Marshall, 1985; Pringle and Fletcher, 1983). However, there is enough conflicting evidence to prevent the prediction of bacterial adhesion based solely on substratum hydrophobicity (Dexter et al., 1975; Pedersen et al., 1986). Steric repulsion may retard adhesion of proteins (Lee, et al., 1988; Prime and Whitesides, 1991), eucaryotic cells (Owens et al., 1987), and bacteria (Humphries et al., 1987) to surfaces. Molecular mobility of flexible molecules on the substratum surface sterically hinders the adhesion of bacteria, regardless of the chemical composition of cell surface adhesives. To investigate the effects of substratum molecular mobility and chemical composition on the kinetics and strength of adhesion, we have initiated studies using substrata which exhibit a homogenous surface consisting of specific functional groups.
Magic marker: a color analytics interface for image annotation

This paper presents a system that helps users by suggesting appropriate colors for inserting text and symbols into an image. The color distribution in the image regions surrounding the annotation area determines the colors that make a good choice - i.e. capture a viewer's attention, while remaining legible. Each point in the color-space is assigned a distance-map value, where colors with higher values are better choices. This tool works like a "Magic Marker" giving users the power to automatically choose a good annotation color, which can be varied based on their personal preferences.
Bounds for Cell Wall Permeabilities

We provide new bounds on the cell wall permeability for myocardial tissue based on measured values of effective diffusion rate, known values of cell volume fractions and the tortuosity for the extra cellular phase. Our tool is a new set of variational principles and bounds on the effective properties of composites with imperfect interface obtained by us in [1].
Principles of Memetic Therapy

Memetic therapy may be geared both to the cause of the meme replication as well as to the pathogenic memes themselves. In order to treat the influx of memes caused by either exposure to external memes or through empathy, one has to block the continuing entrance of the pathogenic memes into the brain, i.e., perception and induction of memes. This will also treat the weakening of the dominant, healthy memes. Entrance of pathogenic memes may be blocked by separation from the meme source or by saturation of the perceptual apparatus with competing memes. In addition, memetic therapy should be geared to suppressing and/or eradicating the replicating pathogenic memes already in the brain. This may be accomplished by first identifying the pathogenic memes and their nature, identifying the components of the pathogenic memeplexes, and identifying their sensory capsules or vehicles, and neutralizing or suppressing them. Pathogenic memeplexes may be deconstructed and neutralized. Conventional meme-directed therapies include various forms of psychotherapy as well as music and dance therapy, massage. Avatar therapy is a promising novel meme-directed therapy. There is a need for development of more novel meme-directed therapies.
Deep Learning and Online Video: Advances in Transcription, Automated Indexing, and Manipulation

In recent years, the amount of video content created and uploaded to the Internet has grown exponentially. Video content has unique accessibility challenges: indexing, transcribing, and searching video has always been very labor intensive, and there were no automated ways of searching videos for specific content. New software tools that use deep learning methods are automating some of these processes, making video content more discoverable and useful. There are also many new tools for processing and manipulating video in interesting ways. This column will briefly discuss the idea of deep learning and how deep learning tools can be used to transcribe, translate, search, and even manipulate videos. It will suggest ways that librarians can use these tools to help their institutions better manage video content. It also includes a list of video-related software tools.
Association of heavy metals with measures of pulmonary function in children and youth: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Abstract Introduction Exposure to cadmium, cobalt, lead, and manganese has been associated with decreased pulmonary function in adults. Little is known about the magnitude of these associations among children in the United States. Objectives We evaluated cross-sectional associations of blood and urinary concentrations of cadmium, cobalt, lead, and manganese with pulmonary function measures [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1; milliliters), forced vital capacity (FVC; milliliters), ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEV1:FVC), and mid-exhalation forced expiratory flow rate (FEF 25–75%; milliliters/second)] in a sample of 1234 6–17 year olds, who participated in the 2011–2012 survey cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods Survey-weighted linear regression was used to estimate beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between metal exposure tertiles or quartiles and pulmonary function test parameters, with adjustment for relevant covariates. Results Blood manganese concentration was inversely associated with FVC (β for highest versus lowest quartile = −97.1, 95% CI = −230.6, 36.4; p for trend = 0.03). Urinary manganese was inversely associated with FEV1:FVC and FEF 25–75% (p for trend = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). Urinary lead was inversely associated with FEF 25–75% (p for trend = 0.01). The associations between blood manganese and both FEV1 and FVC differed by age (p for interaction = 0.04 and 0.04, respectively), indicating an inverse trend that was strongest among older youth. Conclusions Environmental exposure to manganese and lead may adversely impact the pulmonary function of young people in the United States. Our findings highlight a need to prioritize children's environmental health and evaluate these associations prospectively.
The sign of the multiple Coulomb excitation interference term and the static quadrupole moment of the first 2+ state of 114Cd

Abstract A Coulomb excitation experiment has been performed on the first 2+ state of 114Cd. Thin foils of enriched 114CdO were bombarded by 50 MeV 32S ions. The relative excitation probabilities of the first 2+ state were measured at backward and forward projectile scattering angles. Particle-γ coincidences were used to identify the inelastic events. The data were analyzed with the aid of the Winther-De Boer multiple Coulomb excitation program. The projectile and its bombarding energy were chosen to minimize the effect on the experiment of Coulomb excitation of the first 2+ state via the second 2+ state. By comparing the results of this work with the results of the high excitation probability experiment of Berant et al., it was possible to deduce that the sign of the interference term due to Coulomb excitation of the first 2+ state via the second 2+ state is positive. The static quadrupole moment of the first 2+ state was determined to be Q2+ = −0.35±0.07 b.
Otolaryngology Aspects of Chronic Cough

Cough is an increasingly important public health concern, and diagnosis and treatment can be challenging in these complex patients. The purpose of this review is to address the roles of otolaryngology in understanding pathophysiology, and unique aspects in their diagnosis and management. Evidence-based best practice through clinical practice guidelines for cough is emphasized. A step-wise description of the interrelated pathophysiology is used to gain a deeper understanding of contributing disease states and the importance of synergistic effects on cough. Unique perspectives exist from an otolaryngology perspective regarding chronic cough. Included here are the premier role of the larynx, immunity, and the microbiome in the Unified Airway, the interconnected nature of reflux disease with respiratory physiology, a spectrum of neurologic diseases tying aspiration to cough, and maladaptive neuro-based behaviors. Otolaryngology aspects of chronic cough encompass the composite nature of the disease with all of its contributions.
Association between unintended pregnancy and internalizing disorders among Latina and Asian American mothers

Abstract Background Pregnancy, whether intended or unintended, is associated with internalizing symptoms among women; for some, these symptoms cause impairment and develop into an internalizing disorder (ID). With the growing diversity of the US population, there is a need to understand how pregnancy relates to IDs among minorities. This study examines the association between unintended pregnancy and lifetime and 12-month history of IDs among Latina and Asian mothers. Methods Data come from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), a nationally representative sample of Latino and Asian adults. Pregnancy intention was self-reported. ID history was assessed with the CIDI (DSM-IV). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between pregnancy intention and likelihood of lifetime and 12-month IDs. Results Among 1915 mothers, 24.1% and 14.7% met criteria for a lifetime and 12-month ID, respectively. Relative to those who only reported intended pregnancies, Asian mothers reporting an unintended pregnancy had the highest odds of lifetime (Odds ratio (OR): 2.51, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.55–4.08) and 12-month IDs (OR: 5.73, 95% CI: 2.67–12.29). Latina mothers reporting unintended pregnancies also had higher odds of lifetime (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.41–2.72) and 12-month IDs (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.12–2.59). Socioeconomic status had no significant modifying effect. Limitations Cross-sectional data and retrospective recall and social desirability could misclassify pregnancy intention. Conclusions Unintended pregnancy is associated with higher odds of IDs among mothers. Findings underscore the complex relationship between unintended pregnancy and maternal mental health.
Factors Associated with Attempted External Cephalic Version for Fetal Malpresentation at Term

Objective To assess differences in patient characteristics between women who did and did not undergo attempted external cephalic version (ECV) for fetal malpresentation at term. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of women with a singleton gestation and noncephalic presentation at > 37.0 weeks between October 2014 and October 2015. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics of women who did and did not undergo attempted ECV and assessed the reasons that women did not attempt ECV. Results Among 215 women, only 51 (24%) attempted ECV. There were no differences in age, race, insurance type, or body mass index between women who underwent attempted ECV and those who did not. Women who underwent ECV were significantly more likely to have had a prior vaginal delivery (69 vs. 36%, p Conclusion Among women with fetal malpresentation at term, those without a prior vaginal delivery were significantly less likely to undergo attempted ECV.
An Investigation on Instructional-Level Reading Among Chinese L2 Learners

This study investigates oral reading speed and accuracy rates, silent reading speed and comprehension rates, and the relationship between oral reading fluency and reading comprehension at the instructional level of reading among Chinese-as-a-second-language (Chinese L2) adult learners across four learning levels. 80 students from three U.S. universities participated in the study. The results showed that when reading a material at the instructional level, oral reading speed increases as learning level increases for Levels 1-3, but not for Level 4, and silent reading speed increases across learning levels, but not synchronizing with reading-comprehension rate. A mid-to-high correlation was found between oral-reading fluency and reading comprehension for Levels 1-3, but not Level 4. However, a trend was observed, in that correlation strength decreases as learning level increases. Based on the findings, a scale for selecting instructional-level reading material for Chinese L2 was proposed, along with pedagogical suggestions.
Developing the specialized potato growing in the region

With the development of the market in the agro-industrial production, the growth of the effective functioning of the food market and the development of a more developed potato market, its supply through the inter-regional exchange will increase due to the further deepening of the specialization of regions in which there are more favorable both natural and economic conditions for growing potatoes intended for consumption in fresh and processed form. The main direction of deepening specialization and increasing the concentration of the production of marketable potatoes should be a focus on those regions in which economic and natural factors contribute to the more efficient development of interregional relations. It will also have a beneficial effect on the process of formation of the all-Russian potato market, an increase in the import of potatoes to regions where its production does not provide rational consumption rates, and export from regions with a high level of per capita production.
Venture Philanthropy and Teacher Education Policy in the U.S.: The Role of the New Schools Venture Fund:

Background & PurposeThis article focuses on the growing role of venture philanthropy in shaping policy and practice in teacher education in the United States. Our goal is to bring a greater level o...
Perovskite neural trees

Trees are used by animals, humans and machines to classify information and make decisions. Natural tree structures displayed by synapses of the brain involves potentiation and depression capable of branching and is essential for survival and learning. Demonstration of such features in synthetic matter is challenging due to the need to host a complex energy landscape capable of learning, memory and electrical interrogation. We report experimental realization of tree-like conductance states at room temperature in strongly correlated perovskite nickelates by modulating proton distribution under high speed electric pulses. This demonstration represents physical realization of ultrametric trees, a concept from number theory applied to the study of spin glasses in physics that inspired early neural network theory dating almost forty years ago. We apply the tree-like memory features in spiking neural networks to demonstrate high fidelity object recognition, and in future can open new directions for neuromorphic computing and artificial intelligence. Designing energy efficient and scalable artificial networks for neuromorphic computing remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate tree-like conductance states at room temperature in strongly correlated perovskite nickelates by modulating proton distribution under high speed electric pulses.
Distal pancreatectomy outcomes: Perspectives from a community-based teaching institution.

Backgrounds/aims Distal pancreatic resections are intricate operations with potential for significant morbidity; there is controversy surrounding the appropriate setting regarding surgeon/hospital volume. We report our distal pancreatectomy experience from a community-based teaching hospital. Methods This study includes all patients who underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) and open distal pancreatectomy (ODP) for benign and malignant lesions between June 2004 and October 2017. Both groups were compared for perioperative characteristics, parenchymal resection technique, and outcomes. Results 138 patients underwent distal pancreatectomy during this time. The distribution of LDP and ODP was 68 and 70 respectively. Operative time (146 vs. 174 min), blood loss (139 vs. 395 ml) and mean length of stay (4.8 vs. 8.0 days) were significantly lower in the laparoscopic group. The 30-day Clavien Grade 2/3 morbidity rate was 13.7% (19/138) and the incidence of Grade B/C pancreatic fistula was 6.5% (9/138), with no difference between ODP and LDP. 30-day mortality was 0.7% (1/138). 61/138 resections had a malignancy on final pathology. ODP mean tumor diameter was greater (6.4 cm vs. 2.9 cm), but there was no significant difference in the mean number of harvested nodes (8.6 vs. 7.4). The cost of hospitalization, including readmissions and surgery was significantly lower for LDP ($7558 vs. $11610). Conclusions This series of distal pancreatectomies indicates a shorter hospital stay, less operative blood loss and reduced cost in the LDP group, and comparable morbidity and oncologic outcomes between LDP and ODP. It highlights the feasibility and safety of these complex surgeries in a community setting.