cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Censorship of the American Theatre in the Twentieth Century: Have you now or have you ever …

Professional theatre in the Depression Upon accepting the Republican nomination for president in 1928, Herbert Hoover announced that the United States was “nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land.” Apparently the American electorate agreed, for Hoover solidly defeated the Democratic candidate, New York Governor Al Smith. As the 1920s drew to an end, it seemed that big business had solved America's social problems. The booming consumer economy allowed corporate leaders to proclaim the triumph of industrial capitalism. On the surface, their claims were justified. Living standards had risen at home, and America's diplomatic and military conquests had secured numerous international investment opportunities as well as the acquisition of cheap raw materials. The “labor problem” also seemed to have been resolved. Militant labor activists had been driven underground by the post-World War I “Red scare” and the welfare policies of many large businesses softened the animosity that characterized earlier interactions between labor and management. But all was not as it seemed. Beneath the veneer of prosperity, American society was riven by economic and social conflicts. Hoover knew that the economy was in trouble, but did nothing for fear of dampening the enthusiasm necessary to maintain the speculative boom of the era. By 1928, the rapid industrial expansion that had fueled the optimism of the previous years was waning. Construction slowed, consumers reduced their spending, and manufacturers' inventories began to swell. In 1929, industrial corporations reduced production and began to lay off workers.
Finite element based design optimization of magnetic structures for roadway inductive power transfer systems

Design optimization of magnetic structures for roadway inductive power transfer (IPT) systems based on 2D finite element analysis (FEA) is proposed. The proposed method can be used to find the optimal structure for IPT systems based on prioritization of different objectives such as efficiency, cost, etc. A Multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) coupled with 2D FEA is used for the co-optimization of primary and secondary magnetic structures. Also, Electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions of the pads are considered to meet human exposure regulations in compliance with standards as defined by International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). A 1 kW roadway IPT system is investigated as the case study and the results of the optimization are presented using different objective functions.
How multiple imputation makes a difference

Political scientists increasingly recognize that multiple imputation represents a superior strategy for analyzing missing data to the widely used method of listwise deletion. However, there has been little systematic investigation of how multiple imputation affects existing empirical knowledge in the discipline. This article presents the first large-scale examination of the empirical effects of substituting multiple imputation for listwise deletion in political science. The examination focuses on research in the major subfield of comparative and international political economy (CIPE) as an illustrative example. Specifically, I use multiple imputation to reanalyze the results of almost every quantitative CIPE study published during a recent five-year period in International Organization and World Politics, two of the leading subfield journals in CIPE. The outcome is striking: in almost half of the studies, key results “disappear” (by conventional statistical standards) when reanalyzed.
Assessment of Engine and Vehicle Performance Using Integrated Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Models

NASA is actively funding research into advanced, unconventional aircraft and engine architectures to achieve drastic reductions in vehicle fuel burn, noise, and emissions. One such concept is being explored by The Boeing Company, the General Electric Company, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology under the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research Project. A major cornerstone of this research is evaluating the potential performance benefits that can be attributed to using hybrid-electric propulsion. Hybrid-electric propulsion in this context involves a non-Brayton power generation or storage source, such as a battery or a fuel cell that can be used to provide additional propulsive energy to a conventional Brayton-cycle-powered turbofan engine. This research constructs an integrated Numerical Propulsion System Simulation hybrid-electric propulsion model capable of predicting hybrid-electric engine performance throughout the operational envelope. The syste...
Is the Social Security Payroll Tax a Tax

Social security benefits are linked directly to earnings through the social security benefit formula. Hence, the marginal increment in benefits due to increased earnings offsets to some degree the ...
Hiding multi-level multi-color images in terahertz metasurfaces

Our work presents a novel technique to encode information onto terahertz metasurfaces comprised of geometrically identical unit cell arrays. Previous demonstrations on metasurfaces or frequency-selective surfaces have shown interesting concepts to engineer electromagnetic radiation, but such designs often require a spatial arrangement of geometrically varying unit cells, either by shape, size, orientation, etc. In some cases, the output response can be mapped by examining the arrangement of atoms. Here, we show that by fabricating an array of resonant structures that are nominally identical visually, but where individual structures can have different conductivities, we can hide image information that is revealed when imaged using the appropriate terahertz frequency and polarization. This is achieved because changes in the structure’s conductivity correspond to changes in the depth of the resonant absorption observed in transmission. Using the simplest unit cell consisting of a single dipole, we create images that have up to 9 different discernible gray levels when interrogated at a single frequency. When a slightly more complex cross structure is used in the unit cell, 36 discernible levels are encoded in the image using two different polarizations. Finally, when the unit cell consists of multiple dipoles designed for multiple frequencies, we observe 64 unique colors in an encoded image. We believe our results present a unique approach for hiding information that could be applied to security-related applications.
Some factors governing plant distributions in the Mojave–Intermountain Transition Zone

The existence of a floristic transition zone can be inferred by the fact that a high proportion of indigenous plant species reach a distributional limit within the area. The vascular flora of Washington County, Utah, exhibits this character to a marked degree with 53.6 percent of the native flora reaching a distributional limit within the county. By looking at geographic distributions, ecological preferences, and range termination information for the component species, first approximations are made as to the probable factors mediating plant distributions within the county, particularly of the range-terminating species. The high proportion of range-terminating species in the flora may be accounted for mainly by limiting factors associated with abrupt shifts along two environmental gradients. The first factor is climatic and is mediated largely by altitude; change occurs primarily along a north-south gradient. The second is both climatic and edaphic and is mediated by factors other than altitude per se; it is oriented in an essentially east-west direction. Species with narrower tolerances are shown to be more sensitive to these environmental shifts. Some of the species distributions are better explained by a model involving the effects of interactions between habitat mosaic and genetic homogeneity of given populations on relative migration rates in the transition area. These species may have the capacity to migrate farther, but differences in migration rates give their distributional limits a quasi-stable aspect. These data suggest that species cannot simply be divided into those which are environmentally limited in their present distributions and those which are not. It seems more fruitful to regard these two conditions as extremes on a continuum which can be expressed as migration rate.
Training kindergarten students lockdown drill procedures using behavioral skills training.

During situations in which a gunman is present on a school campus, lockdowns are initiated until the threat is removed. However, there are no data demonstrating an effective teaching strategy to increase students’ correct responding during a lockdown. We evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training (BST) to teach three groups of kindergarten students how to respond during lockdown drills. Results showed that participant groups displayed increases in correct steps and decreases in noise levels after BST was implemented; these effects maintained following training.
Afterword—Not Yet the End: the Resistance to Closure in Bloch’s Anticipatory Consciousness and Contemporary Experimental Poetry

This chapter illustrates the ways in which the “rejection of closure” in experimental poetry finds its counterpart in Bloch’s concept of anticipatory consciousness. If the promise of utopia can be forecast as what is on the horizon, as an event that has “not yet” occurred, the open-ended compositional methods of contemporary poets have a corresponding objective: to use negative phrasing and a poetics of negation as a means of forestalling closure and anticipating the possibility of utopia.
The State of American Federalism 2016–2017: Policy Reversals and Partisan Perspectives on Intergovernmental Relations

Unified Republican Party control of the federal government after the 2016 election brought a reversal of several Obama administration policies, especially those adopted via executive and administrative action in areas such as immigration, energy, the environment, and LGBT rights. The 2016 election also prompted a reversal of partisan perspectives with respect to federal-state relations, as Republicans in Washington moved to preempt state discretion in various areas, whereas Democrats in state capitols challenged the legality of presidential actions and resisted federal efforts to constrain state and local discretion. In this essay, we discuss these themes through an analysis of developments in 2016 and early 2017 regarding health care, immigration, education, marijuana, and energy and environmental policy. We also consider key U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting the contours of state policymaking.
Regional distribution of large blowdown patches across Amazonia in 2005 caused by a single convective squall line

In mid-January 2005 a convective squall line traversed 4.5 million km2 of Amazonia from southwest to northeast. As seen in Landsat images, this atypical convective storm left blowdown imprints with diffuse geometry, unlike the fan-shaped wind disturbance of much more frequent east-to-west propagating squall lines. Previous work reported 0.2% of the forest area damaged by this one relatively rare event within one Landsat image and assumed similar disturbance across the entire traverse. We mapped convective wind damage impact to the region in 2005 by identifying large-scale (>4ha) blowdown imprints in 30 Landsat images. The diffuse-type imprints associated with this single squall line contributed up to 60-72% of total 2005 wind-disturbed area detected across the region, but damage was highly concentrated in Central Amazonia. Consequently, the distribution of large wind-damage patches in 2005 across Amazonia was very different from long-term average. Regional distribution of wind-driven tree mortality for smaller patch sizes remains unknown.
Gq-activated fibroblasts induce cardiomyocyte action potential prolongation and automaticity in a three-dimensional microtissue environment

Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are known to regulate cardiomyocyte (CM) function in vivo and in two-dimensional in vitro cultures. This study examined the effect of CF activation on the regulation of CM electrical activity in a three-dimensional (3-D) microtissue environment. Using a scaffold-free 3-D platform with interspersed neonatal rat ventricular CMs and CFs, Gq-mediated signaling was selectively enhanced in CFs by Gαq adenoviral infection before coseeding with CMs in nonadhesive hydrogels. After 3 days, the microtissues were analyzed by signaling assay, histological staining, quantitative PCR, Western blots, optical mapping with voltage- or Ca2+-sensitive dyes, and microelectrode recordings of CF resting membrane potential (RMPCF). Enhanced Gq signaling in CFs increased microtissue size and profibrotic and prohypertrophic markers. Expression of constitutively active Gαq in CFs prolonged CM action potential duration (by 33%) and rise time (by 31%), prolonged Ca2+ transient duration (by 98%) and rise time (by 65%), and caused abnormal electrical activity based on depolarization-induced automaticity. Constitutive Gq activation in CFs also depolarized RMPCF from -33 to -20 mV and increased connexin 43 and connexin 45 expression. Computational modeling confers that elevated RMPCF and increased cell-cell coupling between CMs and CFs in a 3-D environment could lead to automaticity. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that CF activation alone is capable of altering action potential and Ca2+ transient characteristics of CMs, leading to proarrhythmic electrical activity. Our results also emphasize the importance of a 3-D environment where cell-cell interactions are prevalent, underscoring that CF activation in 3-D tissue plays a significant role in modulating CM electrophysiology and arrhythmias.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In a three-dimensional microtissue model, which lowers baseline activation of cardiac fibroblasts but enables cell-cell, paracrine, and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, we demonstrate that selective cardiac fibroblast activation by enhanced Gq signaling, a pathophysiological trigger in the diseased heart, modulates cardiomyocyte electrical activity, leading to proarrhythmogenic automaticity.
The Artisan and His Audience: Identification with Work and Price-Setting in Southern India

Using ethnographic, experimental and survey data from an Indian handicraft cluster, this paper studies the conditions under which individuals who identify with their work sacrifice financial reward...
Emergent Sexual Identities in Indian Women's Writing

(2008). Emergent Sexual Identities in Indian Women's Writing. South Asian Review: Vol. 29, Perspectives on South Asian Women's Writing, pp. 251-268.
Some Tweets About Mockingbirds

In his fascinating book “To Mock a Mockingbird”, Ray Smullyan asks whether a fixed point combinator can be constructed from the Bluebird B, the Identity Bird I, and the Mockingbird M (sometimes called “little omega”). This is still not known.The mockingbird is only a special kind of mimid. Mimids are those birds which upon hearing the name of x, say what x would say upon hearing the name of some other y. In this note we shall characterize the set of mimids that occur in the Bluebird/Mockingbird flock.
Structural parameters to consider in selecting silica supports for polyethylenimine based CO2 solid adsorbents. Importance of pore size

Abstract Hybrid solid CO2 adsorbents prepared from commercially available silica and polyethylenimine (PEI) are potential candidate for large scale carbon capture applications. In this study, the effect of the silica support structure and morphology on the CO2 adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was investigated. Two series of silica supports with distinct morphology, i.e. granular and microspherical, available from PQ-Corp., and well defined surface area, pore diameter, and pore volume were loaded with branched PEI. The CO2 adsorption characteristics of these adsorbents were measured using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The increase in PEI loading on the porous silica caused a significant decrease in surface area and pore volume. At a certain loading level, the pores were completely filled with PEI, and the CO2 diffusion was hindered resulting in lower adsorption capacity and amine efficiency. With granular silicas, supports having an average pore diameter greater than about 240 A performed best. However, once this threshold in pore diameter was passed, the adsorption capacity did not improve much further. For microspherical silica supports this threshold was around 300 A. For supports with a same pore volume, the ones with a larger pore diameter had higher CO2 adsorption capacity, even if their surface area was lower. This difference was mainly due to the easier diffusion of CO2 into the pores, because the phenomenon was more pronounced at a low adsorption temperature (25 °C), where diffusion control was most significant.
Americas, central: Postclassic cultures of mesoamerica

The Postclassic period (AD 900–1521) in Mesoamerican culture history is the final pre-Columbian era in a long sequence that extends back to the first humans in the geographical region we know as ‘Middle America’. Middle America comprises the modern countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Middle America's northern boundary is defined by the arid reaches of northern Mexico and its southern boundary is the junction of Panama with South America. ‘Mesoamerica’ is a culture area, and it lies completely within Middle America, and consists of most of modern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador.
The b-HLH transcription factor Hes3 participates in neural plate border formation by interfering with Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Abstract Hes3 belongs to the Hes basic helix-loop-helix family of transcriptional repressors that play central roles in maintaining progenitor cells and regulating binary cell fate decisions in the embryo. During Xenopus laevis development, hes3 is expressed in the embryonic ectoderm in a horseshoe shape domain at the edge of the developing neural pate. Hes3 mis-expression at early neurula stage blocks neural crest (snai2, sox8, sox9 and sox10) and cranial placode (six1 and dmrta1) gene expression, and promotes neural plate (sox2 and sox3) fate. At tailbud stage, these embryos exhibited a massive up-regulation of both sox8 and sox10 expression, associated with an increase in genes important for melanocytes differentiation (mitf and dct). Using a hormone inducible construct we show that Hes3 does not induce a pigment cell differentiation program de novo, rather it maintains progenitor cells in an undifferentiated state, and as Hes3 expression subsides overtime these cells adopt a pigment cell fate. We demonstrate that mechanistically Hes3 mediates its activity through inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, a molecular pathway critical for neural crest specification and pigment cell lineage differentiation. We propose that Hes3 at the edge of the neural plate spatially restricts the response to mesoderm-derived Wnt ligands, thereby contributing to the establishment of sharp boundaries of gene expression at the neural plate border.
Effect of Asphalt Binder Grade and Source on the Extent of Rheological Changes in Rejuvenated Binders

AbstractRejuvenators are primarily added to aged binders to restore their properties by lowering their stiffness and improving their stress relaxation. The type of interaction that takes place betw...
Whither Election Rigging Revisited

Finally, this chapter recaps the findings in the book with an eye toward what we can expect to see in the coming years pertaining to election reform. I look ahead to the future of American elections, surveying the political landscape for indications of where reform is headed and suggesting new directions for reform. In the face of increasingly politicized discussions around elections and election reform, calls for change range from a dramatic overhaul of election systems to more incremental modifications to aspects of election administration. In order to make our way out of this darkly surreal political milieu, we must be attuned to the lessons it offers as we move through it.
Impact of Antibiotics on Biogas Production

Besides their use in human treatments, antibiotics have been extensively used to control animal diseases and, in some countries, still used to promote animal growth in livestock industry. To attempt human diet necessities, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are necessary, increasing antibiotics consumption and manure production. Once antibiotic active agents and its metabolites are excreted in urine and feces, these substances are present in manure and can reach the environment. Around the world, especially in rural areas, manure is the main substrate for biogas production. This chapter presents a review about fate of antibiotics, with special focus on livestock by-products, and effects during the anaerobic digestion (AD). The antibiotic interaction has two important emphases addressed: (a) inhibition on the biogas and methane production process by the presence and action of these compounds and metabolites in the digester and (b) the ability of AD to degrade the molecules of antibiotics and thereby reduce the adverse effect caused by these compounds on the environment.
A Novel Reduced Complexity Detection Scheme for ON-OFF-Keying Diffusion-Based Molecular Communications

Molecular Communication (MC) is a nano-bio-compatible promising system that conveys information via chemical signals through fluid or gases mediums. However, the design of MC requires low complexity and efficient power detection schemes to identify received bits under noise distortion. In this paper, we propose a novel detection scheme for molecular communication via diffusion (MCvD). Our system model consists of a single transmitter (Tx), a single receiver (Rx), and a free-diffusion-based propagation environment. The Tx uses a binary ON-OFF keying modulation scheme to modulate information. Our detection methods have been able to achieve un-coded BER levels down to 10−5 at signal-to-noise ratios where traditional threshold detection achieves worse than 10−2.
Kinetics of Electron Distribution in Defects

The electron distribution in defects is based on widely different mechanisms such as creation of atomic lattice defects and their electronic defect levels, carrier redistribution over these defects, phonon relaxation, orientation relaxation, carrier-carrier scattering relaxation of momentum and energy, and electron spin relaxation. These changes can be initiated by changes in optical excitation yielding rise and decay of photoconductivity (reaction kinetics). The method of controlled excitation is introduced. Photoconductivity time constants are defined. Kinetics that is influenced by trap distributions are evaluated. Ultrafast photo detectors are described. Competing excitation processes are evaluated. Optical quenching is introduced. Orientation relaxation is discussed. The changes in thermal excitation, yielding glow curves and thermally stimulated currents are evaluated. The residence time of carriers in deep traps is tabulated. Changes in field ionization and field stimulated current curves are given.
Umstellung auf Insulin bei Typ-2-Diabetes

Der Einstieg in die Insulintherapie ist alles andere als eine lineare, eindimensionale Herausforderung: Insulin lost beim Patienten nicht selten eine schwere Lebenskrise aus, mit ganz individuellen Sorgen und Anliegen. Eine Insulintherapie braucht die Motivation des Patienten zur eigenstandigen Therapie(durch)fuhrung. Die meiste Zeit entscheidet und handelt er in seinem Alltag allein. Erst, wenn dem Patienten seine Bedenken genommen werden konnen, ist eine bewusste und nachhaltige Entscheidung fur die Insulintherapie moglich. Statt einem eindeutigen Ja oder Nein zur Therapie bewegen den Patienten ambivalente Uberlegungen. Naturlich ist dem Menschen seine Gesundheit wichtig, aber er verwaltet immer auch seine Gesamtgesundheit. Im arztlichen Gesprach sollten diese Ambivalenzen exploriert und verbalisiert werden. Das Gefuhl der Autonomie motiviert. Entscheidungsspielraume starken die Autonomie und unterstutzen die patienteneigene Entscheidungsfindung. Schulung gibt Sicherheit und reduziert Angst. Ein Fertigkeitstraining starkt die erlebte Selbstwirksamkeit und sichert die Therapieumsetzung wesentlich. Wir verfugen uber gemeinsame, qualitatsgesicherte Leitfaden zum Fertigkeitstraining. Schulung und Anleitung sollten sofort, zum Zeitpunkt der Therapieentscheidung bereitstehen. Modulare Schulungskonzepte ermoglichen die dafur notwendige Flexibilitat. Hier liegen die Schulungskonzepte der Zukunft.
Phase Retrieval for Image Reconstruction

Our development of phase retrieval for image reconstruction is reviewed, including both passive and active imaging, in both optics and x-rays, enabling imaging from the nano-scale to the astronomical scale.
Localization in Optical Wireless Sensor Networks for IoT Applications

Optical wireless communications (OWC) and the internet of things (IoT) are two recent paradigms that are expected to be ubiquitous in the near future. In this paper, we introduce an early concept of how OWC can play a critical role in IoT applications in the context of real-time location-based services. OWC systems such as visible light communications (VLC) use light-emitting diodes (LED), already present in most user electronics as data transmission nodes. Studies on indoor OWC positioning generally assume that the location of the nodes, the LEDs that are connected to the backbone communications network, is provided to the user equipment (UE). In this paper, we consider a scenario where no a priori knowledge of the LED and UE locations is available, and the UE uses a single photodetector to measure the received optical intensity. We use these measurements to extract the distance between the UE and LEDs, and form geometric relations to find their locations. Once the LED locations have been found, we can track the UE using an extended Kalman filter. The joint source LED localization and UE tracking process is enhanced by using measurements that are collected by other members of the OWC-IoT network. Results show that the root mean square error of the LED localization can be decreased to 10 centimeters, and this leads to a user tracking accuracy better than 20 centimeters using the proposed method.
Neoadjuvant Versus Adjuvant Immune Checkpoint Blockade in the Treatment of Clinical Stage III Melanoma

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has transformed melanoma treatment, but optimal sequencing of ICB and surgery for clinically evident nodal metastasis remains undefined. We evaluated adjuvant-only (AT) and neoadjuvant/adjuvant (NAT) ICB with respect to survival outcomes in this patient population. Patients who underwent lymphadenectomy (1 January 2011 to 31 July 2018) and received perioperative ICB at an academic center were identified. AT was defined as postoperative ICB, and NAT was defined as one to two cycles of ICB prior to resection with continuation of therapy following surgery. Three-year disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), and melanoma-specific survival (MSS) were estimated. Of 59 patients, 18 (31%) received AT and 41 (69%) received NAT. The AT and NAT groups did not differ in age (median 53 vs. 62 years, p = 0.16) or stage (IIIB 33% vs. 29%, IIIC 56% vs. 68%, IIID 11% vs. 2%, p = 0.34). Although 3-year DFS did not differ significantly by treatment sequencing (NAT vs. AT, hazard ratio [HR] 0.56, p = 0.17), NAT was associated with improved 3-year DDFS (HR 0.38, p = 0.028). Of 39 NAT patients with evaluable pathologic response, 23 (59%) and 5 (13%) had a pathologic partial response (pPR) and pathologic complete response (pCR), respectively. Patients with pPR/pCR experienced improved 3-year DFS (HR 0.16, p = 0.001), LRFS (HR 0.17, p = 0.003), and DDFS (HR 0.26, p = 0.029) compared with those with no response. Three-year MSS did not differ significantly by response (p = 0.062). NAT may be associated with improved 3-year DDFS compared with AT sequencing, and allows for early assessment of pathologic response. Further prospective evaluation of treatment sequencing is warranted.
Chapter 16 – Autohemorrhage

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses autohemorrhaging behavior of insects that is voluntarily discharging blood in response to a threat. Many beetles in the Chrysomelidae, Meloidae, and Lampyridae are well known for this behavior, which is also called reflex bleeding. For example, the blood of blister (meloid) beetles exposes potential predators to the noxious substance cantharidin. Species apparently release blood through an increase in hydrostatic pressure. When the hydrostatic pressure returns to normal levels, much of this blood is withdrawn into the insect's hemocoel, and so little is actually lost from the insect.
Metrics, Connections, and Curvature on Lie Groups

Since a Lie group G is a smooth manifold, we can endow G with a Riemannian metric. Among all the Riemannian metrics on a Lie groups, those for which the left translations (or the right translations) are isometries are of particular interest because they take the group structure of G into account. As a consequence, it is possible to find explicit formulae for the Levi-Civita connection and the various curvatures, especially in the case of metrics which are both left- and right-invariant.
Monitoring Local Impedance Changes with Solitary Waves

Structural health monitoring methods based on the generation and detection of highly nonlinear solitary waves have emerged as a cost-effective technique for a variety of structures and materials. Outlier analysis is a statistic tool able to identify anomalies in data that diverge from a set of baseline data. In this paper the use of outlier analysis in terms of discordancy test and Mahalanobis squared distance was explored to enhance the damage detection capability based on the propagation and detection of highly nonlinear solitary waves. An experiment was performed to demonstrate the procedure. A thick steel plate was monitored with a solitary wave transducer placed above the plate, and damage was simulated in terms of a foreign object attached to the bottom of the plate. Three different masses located at an increasing distance from the transducer were considered. A few features were extracted from the experimental time waveforms, and then fed to a univariate and a multivariate analysis that compared the testing data to a set of baseline data. The experimental results show that the outlier analysis significantly enhances the ability to detect damage.
A Remote Surveillance Platform to Monitor General Care Ward Surgical Patients for Acute Physiologic Deterioration.

Author(s): Safavi, Kyan C; Deng, Hao; Driscoll, William; Nikolov, Milcho; Tolia, Kalpan; Wiener-Kronish, Jeanine P | Abstract: BackgroundThe traditional paradigm of hospital surgical ward care consists of episodic bedside visits by providers with periodic perusals of the patient's electronic health record (EHR). Vital signs and laboratory results are directly pushed to the EHR but not to providers themselves. Results that require intervention may not be recognized for hours. Remote surveillance programs continuously monitor electronic data and provide automatic alerts that can be routed to multidisciplinary providers. Such programs have not been explored in surgical general care wards.MethodsWe performed a quality improvement observational study of otolaryngology and ophthalmology patients on a general care ward from October 2017 to March 2019 during nighttime hours (17:00-07:00). The study was initiated due to the loss of on-site anesthesiology resources that historically helped respond to acute physiologic deterioration events. We implemented a remote surveillance software program to continuously monitor patients for severe vital signs and laboratory abnormalities and automatically alert the ward team and a remote critical care anesthesiology team. The primary end point was the true positive rate, defined as the proportion of alerts that were associated with a downstream action that changed the care of the patient. This was determined using systematic chart review. The secondary end point, as a measure of alarm fatigue, was the average number of alerts per clinician shift.ResultsThe software monitored 3926 hospital visits and analyzed 1,560,999 vitals signs and 16,635 laboratories. It generated 151 alerts, averaging 2.6 alerts per week. Of these, 143 (94.7%) were numerically accurate and 8 (5.3%) were inaccurate. Hypoxemia with oxygen saturation l88% was the most common etiology (92, 63%) followed by tachycardia g130 beats per minute (19, 13.3%). Among the accurate alerts, 133 (88.1%) were true positives with an associated clinical action. Actions included a change in management 113 (67.7%), new diagnostic test 26 (15.6%), change in discharge planning 20 (12.0%), and change in level of care to the intensive care unit (ICU) 8 (4.8%). As a measure of alarm fatigue, there were 0.4 alerts per clinician shift.ConclusionsIn a surgical general care ward, a remote surveillance software program that continually and automatically monitors physiologic data streams from the EHR and alerts multidisciplinary providers for severe derangements provided highly actionable alarms at a rate that is unlikely to cause alarm fatigue. Such programs are feasible and could be used to change the paradigm of monitoring.
Controlling Non-Native B12 Reactivity and Catalysis in the Transcription Factor CarH

Vitamin B12 derivatives catalyze a wide range of organic transformations, but B12-dependent enzymes are underutilized in biocatalysis relative to other metalloenzymes. In this study, we engineered a variant of the transcription factor CarH, called CarH*, that catalyzes styrene C-H alkylation with improved yield and selectivity relative to B12 itself. While the native function of CarH involves transcription regulation via AdoCbl Co(III)-carbon bond cleavage and β-hydride elimination to generate 4’,5’-didehydroadenosine, CarH*-catalyzed styrene alkylation proceeds via non-native oxidative addition and olefin addition coupled with a native-like β-hydride elimination. Mechanistic studies on this reaction echo findings from earlier studies on AdoCbl homolysis under strong cage conditions to suggest that CarH* can enable non-native radical chemistry with improved selectivity relative to B12 itself. These findings lay the groundwork for the development of B12-dependent enzymes as catalysts for a wide range of non-native transformations.
Methylation of the Flagellin of Salmonella typhimurium

The methylation of endogenous proteins by Salmonella typhimurium SL 870 was investigated in cell-free extracts by using S-adenosylmethionine as methyl donor. Several lines of evidence are presented which suggest that one of the methylated products is the protein flagellin. Mutant strains of SL 870 (nml(-)fla(+) and nml(+)fla(-)) were also found to synthesize epsilon-N-methyl-lysine. It is proposed that S. typhimurium possesses at least two genes specifying different methylating enzymes. One gene product is a flagellin-specific methylating enzyme, whereas the other gene(s) codes for enzymes that methylate one or more other cell proteins.
The Trade Winds of Judicial Activism: an Introduction to 2004-2005 Goodwin Seminar Articles by Dennis Morrison, Q.C., and the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P.

In Fall 2004, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center hosted a Goodwin Seminar series entitled Trade Winds in Caribbean Law: Evolution of Legal Norms and the Quest for Independent Justice. Since the conclusion of the Goodwin Seminar in November 2004, there have been two significant developments in the Commonwealth Caribbean. First, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was inaugurated on April 16, 2005 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Second, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was launched on January 30, 2006.
Microglia and neuroinflammation: a pathological perspective

Microglia make up the innate immune system of the central nervous system and are key cellular mediators of neuroinflammatory processes. Their role in central nervous system diseases, including infections, is discussed in terms of a participation in both acute and chronic neuroinflammatory responses. Specific reference is made also to their involvement in Alzheimer's disease where microglial cell activation is thought to be critically important in the neurodegenerative process.
Novel manufacturing technology for microelectronic packaging fabrication

Flexible, quick turn around and high density interconnection circuit patterning capabilities are key for packaging manufacturing as the industry grows at an increasingly competitive and faster pace. A novel fabrication technology for multilayer ceramic (MLC) packaging has been investigated and developed to meet these challenges. This flexible technology combines the data-driven high energy, high current electron beam technology with the unique integrated-mask (for thick film) metallization process technology to enable converting the circuit design data to fully metalized ceramic sheets in minutes. Thus, many different designs can be patterned and ready for stacking/lamination in days (i.e. no new punch heads or metallization masks needed). In addition, this technology will significantly reduce product development cycle time when utilized for product design verification and prototype build, significantly. This paper describes the novel packaging manufacturing technology and experimental results. >
Justifying Contingent Information Technology Investments: Balancing the Need for Speed of Action with Certainty Before Action

Executives need to master different mechanisms for analyzing their firms' investment opportunities in uncertain, difficult times. Rapidly changing business conditions require firms to move quickly, with total commitment and the rapid deployment of capital, resources, and management attention, often in several directions at the same time. However, high levels of strategic uncertainty and environmental risk, combined with limits on available funding, require firms to limit their commitment. In brief, we require high levels of strategic commitment to numerous projects, while simultaneously preserving our flexibility and withholding commitment. Whereas achieving both is clearly impossible, techniques exist that enable executives (1) to identify and to delimit their range of investment alternatives that must be considered, and to do so rapidly and reliably, (2) to divide investments into discrete stages that can be implemented sequentially, (3) to determine which chunks can safely and profitably be developed as strategic options, with value that can be captured when subsequent stage investments are made later; and (4) to quantify and to estimate the value of these strategic options with a significant degree of accuracy, so that selections can be made from a portfolio of investment alternatives. This paper also avoids restrictions of common option valuation models by providing a technique that is general enough to be used when the data required by common models are not available or the assumptions are not satisfied.
Opiate influences on nucleus accumbens neuronal electrophysiology: dopamine and non-dopamine mechanisms

Single-unit recordings of nucleus accumbens septi (NAS) neurons in halothane-anesthetized rats revealed that microinfusions of morphine into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) primarily inhibited spontaneously active NAS units. These inhibitory effects were reversed by alpha- flupenthixol (s.c.), suggesting a role for dopamine (DA) in the observed opiate-induced effect. VTA opiate microinfusions also inhibited the evoked (driven) responses of silent cells (spontaneously inactive) in the NAS elicited by stimulation of hippocampal afferents to the NAS. In addition, this inhibition of driven response was reversed by naloxone (s.c.) but not by alpha-flupenthixol, implying a VTA-mediated non-DA mechanism. Morphine applied iontophoretically to cells within the NAS inhibited spontaneous activity but not fimbria- driven cellular activity, suggesting that the systemic effects of opiates on NAS activity can be mediated directly in the NAS as well as through VTA afferents. Moreover, since VTA-induced inhibition of fimbria-driven activity was reversed by systemic opiates, opiates also can exert effects through other, as yet unidentified NAS afferent systems.
Amplified RNase H Activity in Escherichia coli B/r Increases Sensitivity to Ultraviolet Radiation

Strains of E. coli B/r transformed with the plasmid pSK760 were found to be sensitized to inactivation by ultraviolet radiation (UV) and to have elevated levels of RNase H activity. Strains transformed with the carrier vector pBR322 or the plasmid pSK762C derived from pSK760 but with an inactivated rnh gene were not sensitized. UV-inactivation data for strains having known defects in DNA repair and transformed with pSK760 suggested an interference by RNase H of postreplication repair: uvrA cells were strongly sensitized, wild-type and uvrA recF cells were moderately sensitized and recA cells were not sensitized; and minimal medium recovery was no longer apparent in sensitized uvrA cells. Biochemical studies showed that post-UV DNA synthesis was sensitized and that the smaller amounts of DNA synthesized after irradiation, while of normal reduced size as indicated by sedimentation position in alkaline sucrose gradients, did not shift to a larger size (more rapidly sedimenting) upon additional incubation. We suggest an excess level of RNase H interferes with reinitiation of DNA synthesis on damaged templates to disturb the normal pattern of daughter strand gaps and thereby to inhibit postreplication repair.
Fostering career development through involvement in professional organizations.

Pharmacists have many options when choosing to become involved in professional pharmacy organizations. Pharmacy students may choose to join pharmacy associations at the national, state, and local levels. Students often choose to join all or a variety of professional organizations until determining
Hypogammaglobulinemia followed by aplastic anemia with suppressor lymphocytes: a case report.

Abstract A patient with hypogammaglobulinemia was found 8 years later to have aplastic anemia. At this time immunoglobulin levels had returned to normal. Her peripheral blood lymphocytes suppressed erythroid colony formation by normal bone marrow cells. The association of these two conditions with suppressor T lymphocytes and the occurrence of these diseases in the same patient imply a common defect in T-lymphocyte control of cellular differentiation.
Psychology, diversity and social justice: Beyond heterosexism and across the cultural divide

This article discusses the tendency to avoid examining the role of oppressive ideologies in mental health that facilitate social injustice, the role of oppressive ideologies in creating mental health problems, barriers to culturally competent interventions, and the discomfort associated with examining differences in psychotherapy as manifestations of power and privilege differentials that form the core of social injustice.
Disappointing Weight Loss among Shift Workers after Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery

Shift work is an increasingly common employment structure in the United States and has been associated with increased rates of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Shift work can necessitate altered patterns of sleep, eating, and activity over traditional work schedules. We investigated the effects of shift work on postoperative weight loss in bariatric surgery patients. A retrospective chart review of 389 patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was conducted. Shift workers were identified as patients with at least 2 years of employment primarily outside the hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm preoperatively and without return to a traditional schedule in the period up to 1 year postoperatively. Trends in excess body weight loss were categorized and compared between the shift workers and the nonshift workers in the cohort. Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis. 8 shift workers were identified in the cohort. They had an average age of 45.9 years and preoperative BMI of 54.6, as compared to an age of 43.6 and BMI of 47.0 for the non-shift-workers in the cohort. 75% were female, compared to 83% for the non-shift-workers. Average postoperative excess weight loss for the shift workers was significantly lower than in the non-shift-workers: 29.9% vs 43.8% (P–lt;–01) at 3 months, 46.4% vs 61.3% (P–lt;–01) at 6 months, and 56.5% vs 76.8% (P–lt;–01) at 12 months. The postoperative period in bariatric surgery requires significant adjustments in patients–lives. The potential for altered sleep physiology, reduced quantity of sleep, altered hormonal balance, increased tendency to disordered eating, and poorer quality of food intake, are all possible etiologies for substandard weight loss outcomes in shift workers undergoing bariatric surgery. Additional care should be taken in preoperative counseling and postoperative management of these patients.
Completed Three-Dimensional Model of Human Coagulation Factor Va. Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Structural Analyses

Factor Va is the critical cofactor for prothrombinase assembly required for timely and efficient prothrombin activation. In the absence of a complete crystal structure for the cofactor, Pellequer et al. [(2000) Thromb. Haemostasis 84, 849-857] proposed an incomplete homology model of factor Va (it lacks 46 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus of the heavy chain), which is a static model in a vacuum. A recently published X-ray structure of activated protein C (APC) inactivated bovine factor Va(i) (without the A2 domain) suggests a completely new arrangement of the C1 and C2 domains as compared with the previously published structure of the recombinant C1 and C2 domains. Our aims were (a) to exchange the C1 and C2 domains of the homology model with the modified bovine C1 and C2 domains using the X-ray structure as a template, (b) to determine by computation the three-dimensional model for the carboxyl-terminal peptide of the factor Va heavy chain (Ser(664)-Arg(709)) and incorporate it into the incomplete model, (c) to obtain a complete model of the cofactor folded in solution that might account for its physiological functions and interactions with other components of prothrombinase, and (d) to use the model in order to understand the mechanism of factor Va inactivation by APC. In the first step a sequence alignment of the human and bovine C1 and C2 domains was performed followed by amino acid changes in the three-dimensional structure where the sequences were not identical. The new model of the C1 and C2 domains was then attached to the homology model. The analysis of the MD simulation data revealed that several domains of the cofactor were significantly displaced during simulation. Using our completed model of human factor Va, we are also demonstrating for the first time that cleavage of membrane-bound normal factor Va as well as membrane-bound factor V(LEIDEN) by APC at Arg(306) is required for the dissociation of the A2 domain from the rest of the molecule. Thus, differences in the inactivation rates of the two cofactor molecules are due to differences in the rate of cleavage at Arg(306). The data demonstrate that our model represents the foundation for the establishment of a complete prothrombinase complex model, which might be successful in describing accurately the ternary protein-protein interaction and thus accounts for experimental observations.