cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beware of input buffer misbehavior and make your code behave: a nifty hands-on assignment on secure coding at the CS0 and CS1 levels: nifty assignment

The latest ACM/IEEE computing curriculum (the CS2013 Final Report) has emphasized a strong need for inclusion of security topics within the current body of knowledge in computing education. These recent curricular recommendations lead to a more security focused computing curriculum, which requires relevant security topics to be incorporated in fundamental computing courses at the freshman and sophomore levels. To address this requirement, a nifty assignment on secure coding, which can be used in both CS0 and CS1 classes, is presented in this work. This hands-on exercise focuses on how to use defensive programming techniques/skills for protecting software code from buffer vulnerabilities arising from specific in-built library modules. Buffer vulnerabilities cause software security problems and lead to code misbehavior along with potential buffer attacks. Some instances of such input buffer vulnerabilities in a standard high-level programming language like C/C++ are introduced and demonstrated by this assignment. It highlights the aspect of intrinsic library limitations while programming, makes students aware of those limitations and teaches them how to overcome them. Overall, this assignment is a practical computing exercise based on the topic of inherent buffer flaws and its non-conventional approach is different from the traditional secure programming assignments, which use buffer overflow. The assignment was developed with simplified step wise instructions so that it is easily accessible to freshman and sophomore learners at the CS0 & CS1 levels. It was created as part of the 'Build-A-Lab' program under the NSF project of 'Security Injections' at Towson University, Maryland. It has been implemented as a lab module under the topic of software security and has been successfully deployed in computing classes like Essentials of Information Technology (IT), Fundamentals of Programming, Computer Security and Information Assurance & Security.
Adaptive weight training for post-Doppler STAP algorithms in non-homogeneous clutter

A new method for the training of STAP adaptive weights has been introduced and demonstrated on the experimental data collected with an airborne sensor. The method uses a phase-based criterion, as well as power, to choose samples for STAP training and is considered as an improvement to power-selected training for post-Doppler STAP algorithms. The use of phase effectively removes the targets whose inclusion in the training results in target self-nulling and a degradation in clutter cancellation performance. The new technique was compared with the power-selected training on experimental data collected with an airborne radar using the PRI-staggered STAP algorithm. The performance improvement achieved over the power-selected training is significant as the target signals were properly excluded from the training set. In addition, the SINR loss estimated from the STAP applied to the experimental data was compared with a theoretically predicted SINR loss, showing good agreement over all Doppler frequencies.
Evaluation of a contingency blood donor program on U.S. Navy submarines.

ABSTRACT Objective: Because the role of submarine warfare is shifting from strategic deterrence to littoral force projection, submarine providers will be required to manage combat trauma. Currently, submarine providers have only crystalloid available for the reversal of hemorrhagic shock. A proposal program to provide blood products on submarines was evaluated. Methods: Existing military emergency blood transfusion protocols were reviewed. The restrictions of donation/transfusion onboard submarines were considered. Results: A protocol to provide screening for, implementation of, and a reporting system for contingency blood donation and transfusion onboard submarines was created. The protocol contains all the safeguards of existing U.S. Navy contingency donor programs with the exception of pretransfusion infectious disease testing and cross-matching. However, because the program does not require laboratory capability, it can be implemented by an independent duty corpsman onboard a submarine. Conclusion: Th...
Specific organ defects in early chick embryos following inoculation with influenza A virus.

SummaryThe PR8 strain of influenza A virus was inoculated in high titer in chick embryos which were in stages of development ranging from 10 to 15 by Hamburger and Hamilton staging criteria (approximately 48 hours incubation time). Such inoculations produced specific organ defects, particularly noted in the lens and auditory vesicles, in addition to previously reported axis twists and flattening of the encephalon. Embryos inoculated at slightly later stages with more dilute virus also developed axis twists and flattened encephalon, but were much less consistent in their production of defects of the lens and otocysts within the time limits of the experiment. Specific hyperimmune serum to influenza A virus completely prevented all the influenza A-induced teratogenic effects, whereas other hyperimmune serum (Newcastle disease) failed to do so.
Vibration Characteristics of Mill Rolls under Multi-segment Nonlinear Elastic Constraints

Considering the role of nonlinear elastic constraint of the hydraulic pressure cylinder and compensating cylinder in the four-high rolling mill process,a multi-segmented nonlinear vibration dynamic equation of rolling mill rolls is established.Averaging method is used to get frequency response equation of the system,singularity theory is applied to analysis it and then 6 group transition sets and bifurcation diagrams are obtained,which show the various bifurcation forms of this system.The actual parameters of rolling mill is used to analyze the impact law that every nonlinear parameter on vibration characteristics of this system,after the numerical simulation the characteristics that the amplitude-frequency characteristic curves both show turning to the high frequency in each segment are found.Choosing proper system parameter can restrain this behave effectively,which provides a theoretical basis to suppress vibration of rolling mill rolls.
Application of fuzzy comprehensive judgment in optimum choice of polymer solution

The author analyzes the signal factor indicators that evaluate the viscosity property of polymer solution depending on the principle that enhanced oil recovery by making use of polymer flooding and indoor experiment methods,and the method of fuzzy comprehensive judgment has been introduced,which can be used to evaluate the ability of expanding the sweep volume of polymer solution with different qualities.The results show,we can realize the fix quantify evaluations on the property of different character polymer solution under the influence of many factors making use of the methods of fuzzy comprehensive judgment.In these three kinds of polymer solutions of the middle molecule polycrylamine solution,the macromolecule polycrylamine solution and the salt-resisting polycrylamine solution,the viscosity property of the salt-resisting polycrylamine solution is the best.
Analysis of food-borne pathogens surveillance results in Fuyang city,2007～2011

Objective To understand the pathogen contamination in foods in Fuyang city and provide the scientific basis for effective prevention of the food-borne diseases.Methods Food samples were collected in 10 kinds of foods and examined for presence of salmonella enterica,listeria monocytogenes,enterohemorrhagic E.coli O157: H7,E.Sakazakii,campylobacter jejuni,vibrio parahaemolyticus and staphylococcus aureus according to the national standard guide.Results A total of 114(13.27%) pathogenic bacteria were isolated from the 859 specimens during the period of 2007-2011.Among them,fresh milk had the highest pollution rate of 52.50%(21/40) by staphylococcus aureus,next was animality fishery products 22.11%(21/95)by vibrio parahaemolyticus.Staphylococcus aureus had the highest positive rate of 11.65%(53/455),O157:H7 had the lowest positive rate of 0.26%(1/391).There was no statistical difference in detective rate among farming trade market,super-market and individual(χ2=5.15,P0.05).Conclusions Foods might be polluted by pathogenic bacteria in Fuyang city.The pollution of staphylococcus aureus in fresh milk product was the most serious.Specific efforts towards prevention and control of food contamination are crucial to prevent food-borne illness outbreak.
Book review: Fountain, P., Bush, R. and Feener, R. M., editors, 2015: Religion and the Politics of Development

Fountain, P., Bush, R. and Feener, R. M., editors, 2015:Religion and the Politics of Development. London: Palgrave Macmillan. xiii + 253 pp. £65.00 hardback; £61.75 ebk. ISBN: 978 0 333 71708 0 (hardback).
All Weather Flying Division, 1945–1948

Upon graduation from radar school in April 1945, I was assigned to the newly formed All Weather Flying Division (AWFD) at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio to do research and development (R&D) on weather radar for flight safety. The rest of my class was assigned to set up APQ-13 (airborne) radars to be used as ground-based systems for storm detection at various Air Corps bases. (The radar names were symbolic of their function: A = Airborne, P = Pulse, and Q = Special purpose, in this case, bombing.) The prior class had been assigned to fly B-29 weather reconnaissance out of Guam and Tinian in the Pacific on long missions to Japan. My assignment was a stroke of luck for it put me into a position where I was to get an early taste of research and to come into close contact with the scientific community.
Reductions in central arterial compliance with age are related to sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve activity in healthy men

The compliance of large elastic arteries in the cardiothoracic circulation declines, whereas sympathetic nervous system activity increases markedly with advancing age in adult humans. We tested the hypothesis that the reduction in compliance of the large elastic arteries with age is associated with elevations in sympathetic tone to vascular smooth muscle in 16 young and 17 older adults. Carotid arterial compliance (via ultrasonography) was 45% lower in healthy older compared with young men (P<0.001), and was inversely related to sympathetic nerve activity (via microneurography) (r=-0.51; P<0.005). Statistically correcting for sympathetic nerve activity abolished the age-related difference in arterial compliance (P=0.35). Our results suggest that increases in the sympathetic tone of vascular smooth muscle may have a mechanistic role in the age-related reduction in large artery compliance.
Erratum to: Maximal proper acceleration relative to the vacuum

On montre qu'il y a une acceleration propre possible maximum a 0 relative au vide donnee par a 0 =2πα (C 7 /¬hG) 1/2
Use of micro-optical coherence tomography to analyze barrier integrity of intestinal epithelial cells (Conference Presentation)

The intestinal epithelial barrier provides protection from external threats that enter the digestive system and persist beyond passage through the stomach. The effects of toxic agents on the intestinal epithelial cell monolayer have not been fully characterized at a cellular level as live imaging of this dynamic interplay at sufficient resolution to interpret cellular responses presents technological challenges. Using a high-resolution native contrast modality called Micro-Optical Coherence Tomography (μOCT), we generated real-time 3D images depicting the impact of the chemical agent EDTA on polarized intestinal epithelial monolayers. Within minutes following application of EDTA, we observed a change in the uniformity of epithelial surface thickness and loss of the edge brightness associated with the apical surface. These observations were measured by generating computer algorithms which quantify imaged-based events changing over time, thus providing parallel graphed data to pair with video. The imaging platform was designed to monitor epithelial monolayers prior to and following application of chemical agents in order to provide a comprehensive account of monolayer behavior at baseline conditions and immediately following exposure. Furthermore, the platform was designed to simultaneously measure continuous trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER) in order to define the progressive loss of barrier integrity of the cell monolayer following exposure to toxic agents and correlate these findings to image-based metrics. This technological image-based experimental platform provides a novel means to characterize mechanisms that impact the intestinal barrier and, in future efforts, can be applied to study the impact of disease relevant agents such as enteric pathogens and enterotoxins.
Rapid and simultaneous measurement of phosphorus metabolite pool size ratio and reaction kinetics of enzymes in vivo.

Purpose The metabolites phosphocreatine (PCr), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and in-organic phosphate (Pi) are biochemically coupled. Their pool sizes, assessed by their magnetization ratios, have been extensively studied and reflect bioenergetics status in vivo. However, most such studies have ignored chemical exchange and T1 relaxation effects. In this work, we aimed to extend the T1nom method to simultaneously quantify the reaction rate constants as well as phosphorus metabolite pool size ratios under partially relaxed conditions. Materials and Methods Modified Bloch-McConnell equations were used to simulate the effects of chemical exchanges on T1 relaxation times and magnetization ratios among PCr, γ-ATP, and Pi. The T1nom method with iteration approach was used to measure both reaction constants and metabolite pool size ratios. To validate our method, in vivo data from rat brains (N = 8) at 9.4 Tesla were acquired under two conditions, i.e., approximately full relaxation (TR = 9 s) and partial relaxation (TR = 3 s). We compared metabolite pool size ratios and reaction constants before and after correcting the chemical exchange and T1 relaxation effects. Results There were significant errors in underestimation of PCr/γATP by 12 % (P = 0.03) and overestimation of ATP/Pi ratios by 14 % (P = 0.04) when not considering chemical exchange effects. These errors were minimized using our iteration approach, resulting in no significant differences (PCr/γATP, P = 0.47; ATP/Pi, P = 0.81) in metabolite pool size ratios and reaction constants between the two measurements (i.e., short versus long TR conditions). Conclusion Our method can facilitate broad biomedical applications of 31P magnetization saturation transfer spectroscopy, requiring high temporal and/or spatial resolution for assessment of altered bioenergetics. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017.
A Feasibility Study of Supply and Demand for Diabetes Prevention Programs in North Carolina.

INTRODUCTION Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPPs) have shown that healthy eating and moderate physical activity are effective ways of delaying and preventing type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance. We assessed willingness to pay for DPPs from the perspective of potential recipients and the cost of providing these programs from the perspective of community health centers and local health departments in North Carolina. METHODS We used contingent valuation to determine how much potential recipients would be willing to pay to participate in DPPs under 3 different models: delivered by registered professionals (traditional model), by community health workers, or online. By using information on the minimum reimbursement rate at which public health agencies would be prepared to provide the 3 models, we estimated the marginal costs per person of supplying the programs. Matching supply and demand, we estimated the degree of cost sharing between recipients and providers. RESULTS Potential program recipients (n = 99) were willing to pay more for programs led by registered professionals than by community health workers, and they preferred face-to-face contact to an online format. Socioeconomic status (measured by education and employment) and age played the biggest roles in determining willingness to pay. Leaders of public health agencies (n = 27) reported up to a 40% difference in the cost of providing the DPP, depending on the delivery model. CONCLUSION By using willingness to pay to understand demand for DPPs and computing the provider's marginal cost of providing these services, we can estimate cost sharing and market coverage of these services and thus compare the viability of alternate approaches to scaling up and sustaining DPPs with available resources.
Describing Elementary Students' Interactions in K-5 Puzzle-based Computer Science Environments using the Collaborative Computing Observation Instrument (C-COI)

Despite efforts to integrate computer science (CS) into K-12 education, there are numerous unanswered questions about how students learn CS, how to provide positive computing experiences, and how students interact with each other during CS instruction. To begin to deconstruct these complexities for a diverse range of students, it is important to not only study the outcomes and products of students' computational experiences, but also the processes they take in creating those products. In recognizing the necessity for targeted, narrow research questions, this paper focused on how elementary students interacted with each other during puzzle-based CS instruction. Future work will focus on comparing these findings to students' collaborative interactions in more open-ended computing situations. Data analysis made use of the Collaborative Computing Observation Instrument (C-COI) [M. Israel et al. 2015] to analyze video screen captures of nine students as they engaged in CS activities within Code.org's Code Studio. Findings confirmed three predominant types of collaborative interactions: Collaborative problem solving, excitement and accomplishment related to CS activities, and general socialization.
Photosynthesis, stomatal responses, and water potential in three species in an inland salt marsh in Kansas, USA

Abstract Interspecific variation of photosynthesis and water potential in inland salt marsh species has been largely unexplored. In this study, photosynthesis and water potential were measured in individuals of Spartina pectinata Link, Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene, and Bolboschoenus maritimus (L.) Palla in an inland salt marsh, possibly the first field measures of photosynthesis in inland salt marsh plants in North America. It was hypothesized that the C4 grasses S. pectinata and D. spicata would have a greater tolerance to salinity compared to the C3 sedge B. maritimus by stomata being less responsive to changing water status. During the study, B. maritimus was most sensitive to dry conditions, which was manifested as low photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and water potential. Stomatal closure occurred in all species under dry conditions, but particularly in B. maritimus. Under dry conditions, S. pectinata maintained higher photosynthesis compared to other species. Water potential was lower in D. spicata compared to the other species. There were significant correlations between plant water potential and photosynthesis and water potential and stomatal conductance in B. maritimus, but not in S. pectinata or D. spicata. This is evidence of sensitivity of B. maritimus to dry conditions and tolerance in S. pectinata and D. spicata, largely due to stomatal responses.
The Econometrics of Risk

The purpose of this chapter is to review some of the recent relevant literature on the empirical implementation and testing of risk in agricultural production decisions. As well, it suggests several potentially fruitful areas for future investigation. In many respects agriculture and risk are synonymous. Agricultural economists have long recognized risk as a primary distinguishing feature of the agriculture sector relative to other sectors of the economy. Two overriding factors have contributed significantly to the observed variability in price, income, and production realizations for agricultural producers over time: the fact that production — and especially field crop production — is stochastic, and the received empirical truth that the demands, both domestic and foreign, for many agricultural products are highly price inelastic. The inherent biological lags that describe most physical agricultural production processes and, as well, the reliance of the agricultural sector on highly volatile international markets have also added to the instability in agriculture markets. Given these fundamental characterizing features of agricultural production and marketing environments, a primary question is: Do agricultural decision makers account for these inherent risks in any meaningful and systematic way when making production and investment decisions? As well, to what extent does the intrinsic underlying stochastic nature of agricultural production make it necessary to modify extant economic models, both theoretical and empirical, of production and producer decision making? Attempts to address these two fundamental questions have been the underlying motivating force for the research programs of many professional agricultural economists during the past twenty-five years (Pope 1982).
Resource management in the cloud using evolutionary computation

Cloud computing will revolutionize our way of life the same way the Internet did in the early nineties. Cloud computing users utilizing the infrastructure as a model service pay the provider based on a preset resource per unit time price whether they consumed the full capacity of this instance or not. To lower their cost, users could share their cloud resources with other users as long as they do not exceed the allocated capacity. The problem then is reduced to finding the optimal number of users that can share the resource given a certain capacity. In this paper we propose a solution to this problem using genetic algorithms. Our results show that our genetic algorithm converges to near optimal solutions, but it can take a long time to do so. It converges on less optimal solutions in much quicker time. Our studies have shown that memetic algorithms are more efficient than genetic algorithm approaches.
Biotic Interactions in Recent Marine Sedimentary Environments

Explanation of patterns of the distribution and abundance of organisms is the primary intellectual domain of the ecologist and often of the paleoecologist. Regardless of the investigative techniques employed, the patterns are usually explained by invoking physical or biotic factors or some combination of the two. Investigators in the Recent may then attempt to substantiate their hypothesis by manipulating the assemblage in some way (see Connell, 1975, for examples) or by observing the behaviors of the organisms (see Morse, 1980). Here I attempt to present a partial summary of the evidence from the Recent that suggests that biotic factors are important and that particular patterns may be associated with the importance of these factors. I will ignore physical factors due to lack of space.
Nicotine Self-administration Is Not Increased in the Methylazoxymethanol Acetate Rodent Model of Schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) smoke at a rate of 4-5 times higher than the general population, contributing to negative health consequences in this group. One possible explanation for this increased smoking is that individuals with SCZ find nicotine (NIC) more reinforcing. However, data supporting this possibility are limited. METHODS The present experiments examined self-administration of NIC, alone or in combination with other reinforcers, across a range of doses in the methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rodent model of SCZ. RESULTS MAM and control animals did not differ in NIC self-administration across a range of doses and schedules of reinforcement, in both standard 1-hour self-administration sessions and 23-hour extended access sessions. However, MAM animals responded less for sucrose or reinforcing visual stimuli alone or when paired with NIC. CONCLUSIONS To the extent that MAM-treated rats are a valid model of SCZ, these results suggest that increased NIC reinforcement does not account for increased smoking in SCZ patients. IMPLICATIONS This study is the first to utilize nicotine self-administration, the gold standard for studying nicotine reinforcement, in the methylazoxymethanol acetate model of schizophrenia, which is arguably the most comprehensive animal model of the disease currently available. Our assessment found no evidence of increased nicotine reinforcement in methylazoxymethanol acetate animals, suggesting that increased reinforcement may not perpetuate increased smoking in schizophrenia patients.
Adamts9 is necessary for ovarian development in zebrafish

Expression of adamts9 (A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type-1 motif, member 9) increases dramatically in the somatic cells surrounding oocytes during ovulation in vertebrates from zebrafish to human. However, the function of Adamts9 during ovulation has not been determined due to the embryonic lethality of knockouts in mice and Drosophila. To identify the role of Adamts9 during ovulation we generated knockout (adamts9-/-) zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 and characterized the effects of the mutation. From 1047 fish generated by crossing adamts9+/- pairs, we found significantly fewer adult adamts9-/- fish (4%) than predicted by Mendelian ratios (25%). Of the mutants found, there was a significant male bias (82%). Only 3 female mutants were identified (7%), and they had small ovaries with few stage III and IV oocytes compared to wildtype (wt) counterparts of comparable size and age. Astoundingly, the remaining mutants (11%) did not appear to have normal testis or ovaries. Instead there was a pair of transparent, ovarian-like membranous shells that filled the abdominal cavity. Histological examination confirmed that shells were largely empty with no internal structure. Surprisingly, seminiferous tubules and various spermatocytes including mature spermatozoa were observed on the periphery of these transparent shells. No female or female like knockouts were observed to release eggs, and no ovulated oocytes were observed in histological sections. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an adamts9 global knockout model in any adult vertebrates and the first description of how gonadal sex and structure are affected- highlighting the importance of Adamts9 during gonadal development and the value of zebrafish as a model organism.
Poisson Probability of Failing to Meet Minimum Case Volumes in Pediatric Surgery Fellowships.

Introduction With the expansion of pediatric surgery fellowships from 2008 to 2018, there is concern for the dilution of training experience, especially for rare index cases. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) established required minimum case numbers by case type, but this is a program requirement rather than an individual trainee requirement. The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is considering instituting minimum case requirements across 5 broad categories for individuals to be board-eligible in pediatric surgery. Methods The ACGME National Data Report summary case logs were obtained for graduating fellows in pediatric surgery from 2008 to 2018. Median case volumes were compared to minimum ACGME case numbers and proposed ABS individual requirements. Using Poisson distributions, probabilities of individual fellows failing to meet minimum case numbers were calculated. Results The average annual probability that a median program would fail to meet minimum ACGME case numbers in at least 1 category was estimated at 16.6%. Using the proposed ABS system, the probability of failure was estimated at 44.1%. No temporal trend was found in the annual probability of failure in either the ACGME or the proposed ABS system. Conclusions There is significant risk of a fellow failing to meet case minimums in the ACGME system and the proposed ABS system. This probability is increased for the half of programs below median. If the ABS institutes case minimums as a requirement for certification in pediatric surgery, the current training paradigm may be impacted at some programs.
Electron Spin Resonance Dating

Abstract Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating is one of a family of ‘trapped charge’ dating methods that use the damage produced by radioactivity in a material to determine age. Others include optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL). ESR dating exceeds both of these in utility due to longer time range and greater variety of suitable sample types. In the nearly 50 years since the first published paper on ESR dating, the method has been used to date a variety of materials over a time range, from ~ 10 Ka to 3 Ma depending on sample type. Most frequently used materials are fossil teeth, carbonate deposits such as stalagmites, and quartz. The former is found in paleontological sites since tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body. The latter two are common constituents of geological sites. There are difficulties that interfere with accurate and precise results, most often due to changes in the ambient environment. Despite this, ESR has been used to determine the details of physical changes in the landscape, periods of climate change, and the tempo and mode of human evolution. This article describes the physical background to ESR dating, the selection of samples, and the treatment of results. A number of case studies show the versatility of the method within subfields of geology.
Efficacy of methyl bromide and alternative fumigants against pinewood nematode in pine wood samples

Alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation are needed for the phytosanitary treatment of log exports. Among the potential alternative, fumigants are phosphine, and sulfuryl fluoride, which are already in use for other commodities and are labeled for use on wood products. Ethanedinitrile is being used for log treatment in Australia and its registration for that purpose is being sought in other countries. These alternative fumigants were tested against the pinewood nematode, in a range of artificially infested wood samples with high moisture content and, in some cases, the bark layer intact on the surface exposed to the fumigant. Phosphine and sulfuryl fluoride successfully eliminated pinewood nematodes on pine wood chips but neither was completely effective on pine blocks with intact bark. Ethanedinitrile was effective on pine chips, blocks and logs at all the doses tested: 40–100 mgL−1 for 24 h at 20 °C. Ethanedinitrile appears to be a promising alternative to methyl bromide for the fumigation of pine logs. Further testing at lower temperatures and doses, and with commercial-scale log loads, is recommended.
Damage Detection and Decreased Load-Carrying Capacity Assessment of a Vertical-Lift Steel Truss Bridge

AbstractOver a bridge’s service life, physical damage, such as material deterioration, accidental impact, and overloading, can decrease its load-carrying capacity. To assess the integrity and servi...
Patient Race and Insurance Status Do Not Impact the Treatment of Simple Mandibular Fractures

Introduction:Health-care disparities have been reported throughout medical literature for decades. While blatant explicit bias is not prevalent, a substantial body of research has been published su...
The Emersonian Natural Law of Justice Holmes

Michael Hoffheimer has argued that the prevailing scholarly assumption that Holmes did not believe in natural law in any form was misguided. He claims that Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendentalism encompassed a kind of natural law that influenced Holmes, and that Holmes rejected only specific strands—rather than the entire field—of natural law theory. “Notwithstanding his forceful criticism of natural law,” Hoffheimer submits, “Holmes retained an interest throughout his life in the champion of transcendentalism,” namely Emerson, whose exhilarating philosophy and lyrical prose anticipate elements of Holmes’s writing.
Reporting and Abstracting Variability in Technical Standards for Breast Cancer Operations.

Abstract Background The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer has incorporated documentation of critical elements outlined in Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery into revised standards for cancer center accreditation. This study assessed the current documentation of critical elements in partial mastectomy (PM) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) operative reports. Materials and methods Operative reports for PM + SLNB at a single academic institution from 2013 to 2018 were reviewed for compliance and surveyor interobserver reliability with the Oncologic Elements of Operative Record defined in Operative Standards and compared with a nonredundant American Society of Breast Surgeons Mastery of Breast Surgery (MBS) quality measure for specimen orientation. Results Ten reviewers each evaluated 66 PM + SLNB operative reports for 13 Oncologic Elements and one MBS measure. No operative records reported all critical elements for PM + SLNB or PM alone. Residents completed 36.4% of operative reports: Element documentation was similar for PM but varied significantly for SLNB between resident and attending authorship. Combined reporting performance and interrater reliability varied across all elements and was highest for the use of SLNB tracer (97.1% and κ = 0.95, respectively) and lowest for intraoperative assessment of SLNB (30.6%, κ = 0.43). MBS specimen orientation had both high proportion reported (87.0%) and interrater reliability (κ = 0.84). Conclusions Adherence to reporting critical elements for PM and SLNB varied. Whether differential compliance was tied to discrepancies in documentation or reviewer abstraction, clarification of synoptic choices may improve reporting consistency. Evolving techniques or technologies will require continuous appraisal of mandated reporting for breast surgery.
Radiation for Glioblastoma in the Era of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Patient Selection and Hypofractionation to Maximize Benefit and Minimize Risk

We describe the institutional guidelines of a major tertiary cancer center with regard to using hypofractionated radiation regimens to treat glioblastoma as a measure to minimize exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) while not sacrificing clinical outcomes. Our guidelines review level one evidence of various hypofractionated regimens, and recommend a multidisciplinary approach while balancing the risk of morbidity and mortality among individuals at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19 infection. We also briefly outline strategies our department is taking in mitigating risk among our cancer patients undergoing radiation.
What is Rivalry and Where We Go From Here

Of the many ways, sport can positively impact individuals and society as a whole, it also possesses the ability to separate people into groups, with an unfortunate side effect being in-group bias and out-group derogation. This chapter provides an overview of the rivalry phenomenon and discusses an organization’s role in responsibly promoting rivalry. Sport managers and researchers have to collectively engage in open dialogue to find solutions to some of the negative consequences of rivalry. If sport truly is a catalyst for bringing people from diverse backgrounds together, managers and researchers must look at practices and work toward providing solutions that can not only help the sport product, but ultimately provide a positive influence on society as a whole.
Help from peripheral macrophages in ALS

Chiot and colleagues investigated whether peripheral macrophages play a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology, finding that macrophages along peripheral motor neuron axons react to neurodegeneration. Modifying reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling in peripheral macrophages, using bone marrow cell replacement, reduces both macrophage and microglia inflammatory response, delays pathology and increases survival in ALS mouse models.
Assessing the Impact of Transportation Diversity on Postdisaster Intraurban Mobility

AbstractTransportation infrastructure enables mobility in urban communities and impacts the functionality of other infrastructure and services. Natural hazards can cause failures in a transportatio...
Observation of Dicke Superradiance in Far Infrared Emission from CH 3 F

Dicke superradiance has been observed in far infrared pulses from homogeneously broadened CH 3 F optically pumped by a CO 2 TEA laser. The superradiant character of the emission has been verified by the pressure dependence of the height, width, and delay of the pulses.
Reliance on polyfunctional tissue leads to a reproduction-immunity tradeoff due to inherent constraint

Abstract The use of one tissue for multiple purposes can result in constraints, impaired function, and tradeoffs. The insect fat body performs remarkably diverse functions including metabolic control, reproductive provisioning, and systemic immune responses. Immunity and reproduction are observed to trade off in many organisms, although the mechanistic basis for the tradeoff is generally unknown. More generally, how do polyfunctional tissues simultaneously execute multiple distinct physiological functions? Using single-nucleus sequencing, we determined the Drosophila melanogaster fat body executes diverse basal functions with heterogenous cellular subpopulations. However, as an emergency function, the immune response engages the entire tissue. We found that reproductively active females exhibit impaired capacity to produce new protein in response to infection, resulting in the reproduction-immunity tradeoff. We suggest that such inherent internal limitations may provide a general explanation for the wide prevalence of physiological and evolutionary tradeoffs.
Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics

This chapter presents an introduction to fundamental concepts in nonlinear dynamics, which are essential for modeling and testing the mechanical behavior of MEMS devices. Because nonlinear dynamics is a wide topic, the focus here is on subjects that are most common and relevant to MEMS. Basic analytical techniques to analyze and tackle nonlinear systems are presented. Several applications on MEMS devices demonstrating phenomena at the microscale level are discussed. The aim of this chapter is to give MEMS researchers fundamental background on the subject. This should lead to proper understanding of the behavior of microsystems and enable the development of modeling methodologies that can capture the essence of the static and dynamic aspects of MEMS devices behaving nonlinearly.
Approach to Medical Complications After Kidney Transplantation

It is generally accepted that transplantation is the treatment of choice for selected patients with end-stage kidney disease as patient survival is improved when compared with dialysis. Transplant recipients experience an improvement in quality of life as well as reduced long-term health care costs. Unfortunately, for most individuals, the success of transplantation is based on an absolute requirement for immunotherapy from which most complications derive. Much of the medical care of the transplant patient involves assessing the risks of over- and under-immunosuppression, striving to minimize immunosuppression while avoiding the risks of rejection. Complications range from those that are minor in severity to those that are graft or life threatening. All complications need to be evaluated and managed appropriately in order to minimize nonadherence with medications, premature graft failure, and death.
Data mining for surveillance applications

Dr. Bhavani M. Thuraisingham is an invited speaker for PAKDD 2006. She is a Professor at the Eric Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Texas at Dallas. She is also director of the Cyber Security Research Center and President of Bhavani Security Consulting.
Sickle Reticulocytes Adhere to VCAM-1

Adherence of sickle (SS) erythrocytes to endothelial cells represents interactions between red blood cell (RBC) and endothelial cell surface molecules. To enhance our understanding of the ligands involved, we transfected COS cells with the cDNAs of two endothelial cell adhesion molecules, VCAM-1 and E-selectin, and measured the binding of normal and sickle RBCs after static incubation. The percentage of COS cells with rosettes (five or more adherent RBCs) was determined. Normal RBCs did not adhere to VCAM-1-transfected COS cells. Unfractionated SS RBCs formed rosettes on the VCAM-1-transfected COS cells (mean +/- SD, 5.85% +/- 4.98%). Low-density SS RBCs were more adherent than high-density SS RBCs (P < .005). The adherent SS RBCs were a young reticulocyte population, staining positively for transferrin receptor. Another measure of reticulocyte age, RNA content, also correlated with adherence. SS RBC binding was specific--inhibitable by antibodies to either VCAM-1 or the alpha 4 integrin chain of VLA-4. In contrast, there was no significant adherence of normal or SS RBCs to E-selectin- transfected COS cells. These results suggest that young reticulocytes bind to endothelial cell VCAM-1 via VLA-4 integrin.
The Role of Microstructure and Porosity in Ductility of Die Cast AM50 and AM60 Magnesium Alloys

The deformation and fracture behavior of die-cast AM50 and AM60 magnesium alloys have been examined to determine the processes leading to fracture in bending and tension and to elucidate the influences of microstructure and porosity on ductility. Damage accumulation in terms of crack initiation, growth, linking and eventual failure was quantified as a function of strain for as-cast plates with section thicknesses of 2, 6 and 10 mm. Microstructure and porosity distribution are dependent on section thickness, with bands of high porosity resulting from the nature of the die filling process. In both tensile and three-point bend studies, damage accumulation and subsequent ductility at fracture are strongly influenced by the heterogeneous porosity distribution, with early crack formation occurring in regions of highest porosity. A model is presented that relates the observed ductility of these alloys with porosity distribution, crack size, crack tip radius, and elastic modulus.
A jitter after-effect reveals motion-based stabilization of vision

A shaky hand holding a video camera invariably turns a treasured moment into an annoying, jittery momento. More recent consumer cameras thoughtfully offer stabilization mechanisms to compensate for our unsteady grip. Our eyes face a similar challenge in that they are constantly making small movements even when we try to maintain a fixed gaze1. What should be substantial, distracting jitter passes completely unseen. Position changes from large eye movements (saccades) seem to be corrected on the basis of extraretinal signals such as the motor commands sent to the eye muscle2,3,4,5, and the resulting motion responses seem to be simply switched off6,7. But this approach is impracticable for incessant, small displacements, and here we describe a novel visual illusion that reveals a compensation mechanism based on visual motion signals. Observers were adapted to a patch of dynamic random noise and then viewed a larger pattern of static random noise. The static noise in the unadapted regions then appeared to ‘jitter’ coherently in random directions. Several observations indicate that this visual jitter directly reflects fixational eye movements. We propose a model that accounts for this illusion as well as the stability of the visual world during small and/or slow eye movements such as fixational drift, smooth pursuit and low-amplitude mechanical vibrations of the eyes.
The effect of N-linked glycosylation on molecular weight, thrombin cleavage, and functional activity of human protein S

Human protein S (HPS) has three potential N-linked glycosylation sites at Asn458, 468, 489. To study the role of glycosylation at these sites, PCR mutagenesis was used to abolish the consensus sequence of each N-linked glycosylation site (Asn458-->Gln, Ser460-->Gly; Asn468-->Gln, Thr470-->Gly; Asn489-->Gln, Thr491-->Gly) in full-length HPS cDNA. Each resulting construct was expressed in human kidney 293 cells by stable transfection of cDNA/SV40/adeno/pBR322-derived expression vectors, and conditioned medium was collected for recombinant protein purification. SDS-PAGE gels revealed that glycosylation mutants migrate identically and faster than the wild-type rHPS, showing that each of the three potential N-glycosylation sites contain a similar amount of carbohydrate. Mass spectral analysis yielded similar results and a molecular mass of approximately 78,000 for wild-type HPS. To demonstrate that the difference in mobility between wild-type and mutant protein S is due to their carbohydrate content, plasma-derived HPS and recombinant HPS were subjected to N-glycanase digestion and subsequently shown to migrate identically on SDS-PAGE gels. All forms of HPS have similar time courses for cleavage by alpha-thrombin. Functional studies indicate that wild-type rHPS possesses the same cofactor specific activity as plasma-derived HPS, as tested by a standard clotting assay. Asn458 and Ser460 mutant rHPS have only a slightly higher cofactor activity, whereas the other four mutants have similar clotting activities, compared to wild-type rHPS. In a purified component system, glycosylation mutants of protein S showed a slightly enhanced ability to stimulate APC-mediated factor Va inactivation after an initial lag phase. The interaction of rHPS glycosylation mutants with human C4b-binding protein (C4bp) was also studied by solution phase equilibrium binding assay. Two mutants (Asn458, Ser480) have marginally lower dissociated constants (Kd) with C4bp, whereas the others have the same apparent Kd as wild-type rHPS.
A system for axiomatic programming

We present the design and implementation of a system for axiomatic programming, and its application to mathematical software construction. Key novelties include a direct support for user-defined axioms establishing local equalities between types, and overload resolution based on equational theories and user-defined local axioms. We illustrate uses of axioms, and their organization into concepts, in structured generic programming as practiced in computational mathematical systems.
The effect of ankle position on the exam for first ray mobility.

Purpose: The clinical assessment of first ray motion in the sagittal plane, as originally described by Morton, is difficult to quantify. Different reports have shown inconsistent values and variabi...
Learning from traffic data collected before, during and after a hurricane

Hurricanes harm people and damage property through extreme wind speeds and flooding associated with heavy rains and storm surge. One of the most effective and widely used tactics to protect people from hurricanes is evacuation. Improved knowledge of the behavior of communities before, during and after an evacuation can better support emergency planning and operations, and thus help make evacuations safer and more efficient. The objective of this work is to identify ways to use traffic data to better understand evacuation behavior and to explore ways to integrate traffic data into evacuation planning and response. Traffic data collected in Delaware before, during and after Hurricane Irene in August 2011 using automated traffic recorders are assembled and analyzed. The analysis shows that a significant number of residents and visitors evacuated from the beach communities and the evacuation patterns are very similar to the traffic patterns experienced on summer weekends. These insights suggest that this type of analysis may also be of value for other events in other communities.
Differential properties from adaptive thin-plate splines

One of the reasons for creating a global energy-minimizing thin-plate fit in the surface- reconstruction-from-scattered-data problem is to find the differential properties of the surface and use these to characterize the surface. The author has also used the thin-plate surface to create a mesh of principal curvature lines on the surface to find a viewpoint invariant representation for the data. This paper examines what effect the changing of parameters in the surface fitting stage has on the differential properties of the surface, and thereby on the canonical surface representation based on the lines of principal curvature.