cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of phototherapy for newborns with hyperbilirubinemia: a cautionary example of an instrumental variable analysis.

Background. Use of instrumental variables is gaining popularity as a method of controlling for confounding by indication in observational studies of treatments. Objectives. To illustrate how unmeasured instrument-level treatment substitution can distort effect size estimates using as an example an instrumental variable analysis of phototherapy for neonatal jaundice. Design. Retrospective cohort study. Setting. Northern California Kaiser Permanente Hospitals. Patients. The authors studied 20,731 newborns ≥2000 g and ≥35 weeks’ gestation born 1995–2004 with a “qualifying” total serum bilirubin (TSB) level within 3 mg/dL of the 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) phototherapy threshold who did not have a positive direct antiglobulin test. Measurements. The intervention was inpatient phototherapy within 8 hours of the qualifying TSB. The outcome was a TSB level exceeding the AAP exchange transfusion threshold <48 hours from the qualifying TSB. The instrumental variable was a measure of the frequency of ...
Numerical Modeling of Viscoelastic Stress Relaxation During Glass Lens Forming Process

With the recent advances in numerical simulation capabilities and computing technology, finite element method (FEM) can be applied to predict the performance of a precision aspherical lens molding process. In this paper, various stages of the lens molding process have been modeled using a commercial FEM code MSC MARC. Stress relaxation effect during the forming stage has been incorporated into the numerical model by using a generalized Maxwell model. Successful comparison of the predicted results has been made with the experimental data. The various aspects of the simulation that would enable a more realistic modeling of the process have been identified for future research.
discordia1 and alternative discordia1 Function Redundantly at the Cortical Division Site to Promote Preprophase Band Formation and Orient Division Planes in Maize

In plants, cell wall placement during cytokinesis is determined by the position of the preprophase band (PPB) and the subsequent expansion of the phragmoplast, which deposits the new cell wall, to the cortical division site delineated by the PPB. New cell walls are often incorrectly oriented during asymmetric cell divisions in the leaf epidermis of maize (Zea mays) discordia1 (dcd1) mutants, and this defect is associated with aberrant PPB formation in asymmetrically dividing cells. dcd1 was cloned and encodes a putative B’’ regulatory subunit of the PP2A phosphatase complex highly similar to Arabidopsis thaliana FASS/TONNEAU2, which is required for PPB formation. We also identified alternative discordia1 (add1), a second gene in maize nearly identical to dcd1. While loss of add1 function does not produce a noticeable phenotype, knock down of both genes in add1(RNAi) dcd1(RNAi) plants prevents PPB formation and causes misorientation of symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions. Immunolocalization studies with an antibody that recognizes both DCD1 and ADD1 showed that these proteins colocalize with PPBs and remain at the cortical division site through metaphase. Our results indicate that DCD1 and ADD1 function in PPB formation, that this function is more critical in asymmetrically dividing cells than in symmetrically dividing cells, and that DCD1/ADD1 may have other roles in addition to promoting PPB formation at the cortical division site.
Correlation of tectonically deformed shorelines on the southern Atlantic coastal plain

The assumption of absolute tectonic stability during Pleistocene time has influenced most previous attempts to map, name, and correlate relict shorelines and surficial deposits on the southern Atlantic coastal plain. This study is the first to correlate shorelines throughout the region independently of that assumption. Topographic shoreline features were mapped and differentiated into age groups on the bases of progradational discontinuities, contrasts in the state of preservation, and changes in coastal morphology. Three shoreline sequences are well preserved, permitting paleogeographic reconstructions. A combination of published and direct geomorphic evidence suggests that all three shoreline sequences have been deformed. Warping continued through Pleistocene time, following persistent Cenozoic structural features.
Goal-directed reasoning with ACE-SSM

The goal of knowledge-based systems (KBSs) is not only to produce a solution to a problem that these systems face but also to construct, implicitly or explicitly, a situation-specific model (SSM) that explicates the rationale behind that solution. This paper focuses on how KBSs can benefit from the availability of explicit goal knowledge that reflects the underlying structure (ontology) of SSMs constructed for an application task. It first shows how goal knowledge can be captured. Then, it explains how ACE-SSM-an architecture for constructing explicit SSMs-uses this knowledge to direct the construction of explicit SSMs. Finally, it discusses benefits that KBSs can derive from the availability of explicit SSMs and their underlying goal knowledge. Some of these benefits pertain to ways to simplify the construction and maintenance of KBSs through reuse, while others relate to ways to endow KBSs with more robust problem solving and explanation capabilities. These benefits are illustrated using concrete examples.
The Role of Speech-Gesture Synchrony in Clipping Words From the Speech Stream: Evidence From Infant Pupil Responses

How do young infants discover that a segment of the sound stream refers to a particular aspect of the visual world around them? Speakers do not enunciate each word separately, even to infants; rather, whattheysayrunstogether. To relate an object (say, an apple) to its referent, infants must notice the interactant's target of attention (the apple) and at the same time single out the word that refers to it as the other person speaks (Lookattheapple!). We contend that caregivers through their actions assist by directing and educating an infant's attention, particularly through the use of a show gesture. The onset/offset, rhythm, tempo, and duration of these show gestures are synchronous with the saying of the words referring to the target objects. Our prior research using eye tracking found that show gestures lead an infant to look at the object presented as the word for it is uttered and that show gestures facilitate word learning. In this research we tested the hypothesis that show gestures also lead to en...
Street network types and road safety: A study of 24 California cities

This article examines the role of the street network in road safety outcomes. Data on more than 130 000 crashes occurring over 9 years in 24 medium-sized California cities was input into a geographic information system (GIS) and evaluated against principal measures of street network density and connectivity at the Census Block Group level. Few studies have taken this more comprehensive approach of looking at the complete street network when it comes to safety, partly because until now this kind of holistic assessment would have been very difficult without recent advances in research tools such as GIS. The results of this study suggest that street network characteristics do in fact play a role in road safety outcomes. Although the underlying factors contributing to this role are not yet known, our analysis showed safety outcomes to be associated with street network density. More specifically, our results indicate that the highest risk of fatal or severe crashes occurs with very low street network density and safety outcomes improve as the intersection density increases.
‘A great list of potential mistakes’: NATO, Africa, and British efforts to limit the Global Cold War

The scholarly consensus on why NATO adopted a ‘non-policy’ towards the non-North Atlantic world rests on the logic of the Cold War. But British diplomats and officials did not see NATO’s policy towards Africa through a Cold War lens. NATO’s ‘non-policy’ towards the world beyond the North Atlantic was not the product of an allied Cold War consensus among the allies. Instead, it was the result of a determined British effort to channel growing pressure for NATO action into a bureaucratic dead-end in an effort to keep the Cold War out of Africa.
Starvation of the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta. 2. Survivorship Curves, Weight Loss, and Percent Dry Weight of Larvae

Effects of total starvation on survival time, weight loss, and remaining percent dry weight of newly molted 5thstage Manduca sexta (L.), larvae reared at 25° and 30°C were studied. Initial mortality occurred sooner, and the mortality rate was higher at 30°C. The 50% survival times at 25° and 30°C were 123 and 113 hours, respectively. The rate of weight loss was also greater at 30°C, and the rate of percent weight loss per 12 hours increased as death approached.
Lifestyle behavior interventions delivered using technology in childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors: A systematic review

Childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors demonstrate increased cardio-metabolic risk factors, which are amenable to lifestyle changes. The use of technology to impact lifestyle change expands previously limited intervention access, yet little is known about its use. We summarized lifestyle interventions for survivors delivered using technology, finding six studies, primarily targeting physical activity. Study samples were small and durations ranged from 5 to 16 weeks and outcomes modest. Participants were older, white, survivors of leukemia or brain tumors, and the majority received Web-based interventions. Study quality was moderate. Few technology-based interventions have been developed, suggesting an area of opportunity for survivors.
Immature Human Skeletal Remains from Homol'ovi III

ABSTRACTThe well-preserved immature skeletons of three individuals, aged at about five and one-half fetal months, nine and one-half fetal months, and one year, are examined. The youngest was delivered to the Human Identification Laboratory in its surrounding matrix, thus enabling precise identification of individual bones. This fact takes on added importance because vertebral anomalies are present. These anomalies, fusions of adjacent neural hemi-arches, are also exhibited by the individual aged at nine and one-half fetal months. Additional abnormalities in two ribs of this infant indicate the possibility of Klippel-Feil Syndrome, an inherited cervical spine disorder. The one-year-old infant has a marked facial asymmetry, another manifestation of this syndrome, thus suggesting a genetic link among all three individuals. Finally, cribra orbitalia, which could have been caused by an iron-deficiency anemia, may be evident in the one-year-old child.
Psychology as a resource for Christian spirituality

Psychology is a valuable resource for spirituality when researchers incorporate mutually critical correlations in their use of this discipline. It can be used to identify pathological elements in religious practice, uncover unconscious motivation, provide developmental schemas, and describe responses to meditative experiences. Researchers in spirituality will most likely draw on different schools of psychology in relationship to the particular phenomenon under investigation. Their critical perspective will uncover the presuppositions of psychologies that are either hostile to religion or neglect relationship to transcendence within their theories. Researchers in spirituality will want to retain a religious vocabulary and theological perspective.
Bio-inspired optimization of kinematic models for multi-legged walking robots

Designing a walking robot for a specified task is a complex problem. It requires numerous calculations and evaluations to find the desired shape and topology to perform correctly. The abstraction of such a task is a multi-dimensional, multi-goal optimization problem. This paper proposes a bio-inspired solution to optimize such a kinematic model: A genetic algorithm aims to free the designer from the cumbersome procedure of calculating forces, evaluating models and selecting certain hardware components. Through a set of predefined preferences, it can be tasked to develop a light, stable or fast robot. It uses the classic evolutionary mechanisms of selection, recombination and mutation and adapts at runtime. The algorithm also allows the definition of a morphological type, a blueprint for walking robots, derived from common robot classes and calculates their dynamic model with a physics engine.
Reply to B. Meunier's Letter to the Editor Re: Brewer G. J.; Nutrients 2015, 7, 10053-10064.

In a letter to the editor, Meunier [1] apparently attempts to discredit the copper-2 hypothesis for causation of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) epidemic in developed countries proposed by myself in a review in this journal [2].[...]
INJURY PREVENTION IN FINLAND AMONG PEOPLE UNDER 25 YEARS 2009-2014

Background National action plan for injury prevention among children and youth in Finland was launched in 2009. National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), national research and expert agency under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH), has coordinated the program. National action plan includes 216 objectives and proposed measures to promote and prevent accidental injuries and suicides. Description of the problem Around 122 Finnish children and young people under the age of 25 die annually in accidental injuries and 13,500 are hospitalised (2011–2013). Accidental injuries remain the leading cause of death under the age of 25. Majority of the deaths (83%) occur to 15–24 year olds. Around 25 percent of all 15–24 year-olds who die from accidental injury are intoxicated. Traffic accidents are the most common accidental cause of death in this age group. Accidental falls are causing most of the treatment inpatients periods in hospital, respectively. Results Despite the continuous decrease of deaths from accidental injuries since the 1970’s, accidental injuries causes major health losses among children and youth. The objectives, measures and their implementation and responsibilities of the National action plan are divided into a number of different experts and government departments. Legislation and national policy guidelines, as well as statistics and databases are generally at a good level in Finland. The monitoring of the management and implementation should be paid more attention. Conclusions In order to be successful a National action plan requires high level recognition and adequate resources together with systematic coordination. National action plan is essential to be approved by the appropriate ministries and politicians. That made possible and empowered the national level activities and promoted a network of cooperation between the different actors. There is need for targeted accidental injury prevention especially for youth from 15 to 25 years.
Pediatric malignant germ cell tumors: A comparison of the neuro‐oncology and solid tumor experience

Malignant germ cell tumors (GCT) arise from abnormal migration of primordial germ cells and are histologically identical whether they occur inside or outside the central nervous system (CNS). However, the treatment strategy for GCTs varies greatly depending on the location of the tumor. These differences are in part due to the increased morbidity of surgery in the CNS but may also reflect differential sensitivity of the tumors to chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) or not-yet-understood biologic differences between these tumors. Historically, specialists caring for extracranial and intracranial GCT in the United States have practiced separately without much cross communication. The focus of this review is a discussion of differences between the management of CNS and extra-CNS GCTs and opportunities for collaboration and future research.
Latino Immigrants and the Redefinition of the US Catholic Experience in the Twenty-First Century

To speak of Catholicism in the United States until recently was almost tantamount to speaking of the experience of European immigrants and their descendants. They built most of the structures of what today is the largest church in the country. Major changes, however, would occur during the second half of the twentieth and early decades of the twenty-first centuries. Tens of millions of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly Catholic and Spanish-speaking, along with millions of Latinos already living in the country for several generations, are reshaping the entire US Catholic experience. Using American Catholicism as a case study, this chapter analyses tensions, possibilities, and transitions resulting from the profound impact of migratory and transnational dynamics upon religious communities in today’s global village.
Engaging Personal Peace: Micro and Macro Facets of Needs, Emotions and Mindfulness

Personal peace is a construct that can be approached from multiple perspectives. This chapter attempts to examine personal peacefulness as it is connected to human needs, emotions, and the practice of mindfulness. We examine these phenomena as they are experienced by the individual and also how individuals impact and are impacted by the larger social contexts in which they live. We examine the theoretical frameworks of these elements to personal peacefulness and then offer a case study to further explore their manifestation in real world examples. We present a case where members of Jewish Israeli and Palestinian community members spend time at mindfulness retreats to be together, explore the conflict in their region, and develop actions and interventions for peace. While the purpose of this chapter is to examine these constructs as they relate to personal peacefulness, we make a clear case that these processes cannot happen in isolation of larger initiatives toward structural peacebuilding.
Early-stage tumor detection using photoacoustic microscopy: a pattern recognition approach

We report photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) of arteriovenous (AV) shunts in early stage tumors in vivo, and develop a pattern recognition framework for computerized tumor detection. Here, using a high-resolution photoacoustic microscope, we implement a new blood oxygenation (sO2)-based disease marker induced by the AV shunt effect in tumor angiogenesis. We discovered a striking biological phenomenon: There can be two dramatically different sO2 values in bloodstreams flowing side-by-side in a single vessel. By tracing abnormal sO2 values in the blood vessels, we can identify a tumor region at an early stage. To further automate tumor detection based on our findings, we adopt widely used pattern recognition methods and develop an efficient computerized classification framework. The test result shows over 80% averaged detection accuracy with false positive contributing 18.52% of error test samples on a 50 PAM image dataset.
When Can Taxation Be Justified

But you might say, if government didn’t do all that it’s doing we wouldn’t have a just society. What’s just has been debated for centuries but let me offer my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you — and why? (Walter Williams)1
Mucinous ductal ectasia of the pancreas: the diagnostic value of MRCP

Background Mucinous ductal ectasia of the pancreas Is an uncommon premalignant disorder with characteristic radiological findings. Case outline This case demonstrates the diagnostic potential of MRCP in detecting pancreatic malignancy In a 72-year-old woman with painless steatorrhoea. The diagnosis was confirmed by ERCP, cytology and laparotomy. Results Total pancreapectomy was performed, and the patient made an uneventful recovery. Discussion Although ERCP allows definitive diagnosis of mucinous ductal ectasia, MRCP is a sensitive and non-invasive method of detecting the characteristic dilation of the pancreatic duct.
Experiences Using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Safer Conception Among HIV Serodiscordant Heterosexual Couples in the United States.

Abstract Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising HIV prevention strategy for HIV serodiscordant couples (HIV-infected male, uninfected female) seeking safer conception. However, most research on PrEP for safer conception has focused on couples in sub-Saharan Africa; little is known about the perspectives or experiences of heterosexual couples in the United States. We conducted qualitative interviews with six couples (six women and five of their male partners) receiving PrEP for conception services at an urban safety net hospital in the US Northeast. In-depth interview guides explored couple relationships and contextual factors and attitudes, perceptions, and decision-making processes surrounding PrEP for safer conception. Thematic analyses focused on identifying the following emergent themes. We found that couple relationships were situated within broader social and cultural contexts of immigration, family, and community that shaped their experiences with HIV and serodiscordant relat...
Robotic and endoscopic transoral thyroidectomy: feasibility and description of the technique in the cadaveric model.

Background: Numerous new approaches have been described over the years to improve the cosmetic outcomes of thyroid surgery. Transoral approach is a new technique that aims to achieve superior cosmetic outcomes by concealing the incision in the oral cavity. Methods: Transoral thyroidectomy through vestibular approach was performed in two institutions on cadaveric models. Procedure was performed endoscopically in one institution, while the robotic technique was utilized at the other. Results: Transoral thyroidectomy was successfully performed at both institutions with robotic and endoscopic techniques. All vital structures were identified and preserved. Conclusions: Transoral thyroidectomy has been performed in animal and cadaveric models, as well as in some clinical studies. Our initial experience indicates the feasibility of this approach. More clinical studies are required to elucidate its full utility.
Fluorophotometry for Pharmacokinetic Assessment

The corneal epithelium provides a semi-impermeable barrier between the eye and the environment. With continuous intercellular tight junctions, the corneal epithelium exerts a high resistance to passage of ions. Fluorescein staining of the corneal epithelium and stroma has been a subjective measure of the quality of the epithelial barrier. Maurice (1963) was an early pioneer in devising a slit lamp-based instrument to quantify the fluorescein in the cornea of human subjects. Cunha-Vaz (Br J Ophthalmol 59:649-656, 1975) expanded the technology to perform multiple measures of fluorescein concentration as the instrument’s focal plane moved through the eye. Since these early instruments, several commercial fluorophotometers have become available with application to drug delivery of fluorescent tracers.
Reasonable Expectations: How Much Aerobic Capacity, Muscle Strength, and Quality of Life Can Improve with Exercise Training in Heart Failure

In this article, the literature that describes the magnitude of functional and quality of life gains with a traditional moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance training programs is reviewed, and differences between the impact of exercise training in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction versus heart failure with reduced ejection fraction are discussed.
Glucocorticoids and infection

Glucocorticoids alter the host response to both common and unusual infectious agents through widespread effects on immunity and the inflammatory process. Patients with ectopic ACTH syndrome or with exposure to high doses of exogenous glucocorticoids are at highest risk of infection. Care of these patients involves decreasing the levels of glucocorticoids whenever possible, preventing exposure to infectious agents, and aggressively evaluating patients with suspected infection.
Alveolar hypoxia is a powerful stimulus for ANF release in conscious lambs

The effect of acute alveolar hypoxia [fractional concentration of O2 in inspired gas (FIo2) = 0.1] for 10 min [arterial PO2 = 37 +/- 4 (SE) mmHg] and of blood volume expansion (7 and 15% of calculated blood volume) on atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) release was examined in groups of awake, instrumented young lambs. Systemic venous plasma ANF concentrations increased 1.6-fold (P less than 0.01) during blood volume expansion of 7%, 1.9-fold (P less than 0.01) during acute hypoxia, and 2.2-fold (P less than 0.005) during blood volume expansion of 15%. In lambs with prior 15% blood volume expansion, alveolar hypoxia further increased ANF concentrations 3.1-fold (P less than 0.01), suggesting synergism between volume and hypoxia stimuli. Hypoxia-induced ANF release correlated best with increased pulmonary arterial pressure, a potential mediator of the ANF response (r = 0.67; P less than 0.016). Increased differences between pulmonary arterial and systemic venous plasma ANF concentrations (from 11 to 134 pg/ml) indicate that hypoxia causes increased release of ANF from the heart rather than decreased metabolism of circulating ANF. Pulmonary arterial plasma ANF during hypervolemic hypoxia had immunological and chromatographic (high-performance liquid chromatography) properties of Pro-ANF-(99-126) [alpha-ANF-(1-28)]. Thus alveolar hypoxia (FIo2 = 0.1) is as potent as 15% blood volume expansion in increasing the concentration of circulating ANF. This newly described endocrine response could be important during alveolar hypoxia to decrease pulmonary vasoconstriction and fluid accumulation in the lung.
Building an Effective Right-Hand Guitar Technique Around Injury Prevention Methods

The right-hand technique of guitarists needs to move forward when it comes to injury prevention. Guitarists are often diagnosed with median neuritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, lateral epicondylitis, medial epicondylitis, intersection syndrome, digital flexor tenosynovitis, stenosing tenosynovitis, and De Quervain's syndrome as a result of faulty right-hand technique. The causes generally converge to the lack of warm-ups, compression of the forearm muscles, excessive wrist flexion, extension, or sideways deviations, and repetitive movements with simultaneous muscle tension or strained positions. Based on evidence, this article provides technical suggestions that reduces tension and theoretically decreases the chances of playing-related injuries.
Gp1ba-Cre or Pf4-Cre: pick your poison.

In this issue of Blood , Nagy et al developed a novel Gp1ba-Cre mouse that uses the endogenous Gp1ba locus that encodes the glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) subunit of the GPib-IX receptor to drive Cre expression in murine megakaryocytes (MKs) for targeted ablation of floxed genes. 1
Transformations and structures in the uranium-rhenium system II. The β /ai α transformation☆

Abstract The compositions and cooling rates under which the β phase is rendered metastable are discussed. In addition, the stability of the retained β phase and its modes of decomposition are considered. The β → α transformation was found to proceed via an isothermal martensitic reaction or by a sluggish nucleation and growth process.
International financial credit crises; Lessons from Canada

Abstract. The credit crises experienced in the US in year 2008 is labeled as perhaps the most significant crises since the great depression. The roots of the crises were found in the default of the sub-prime mortgages and the failure occurred in both the US and the UK. Due to the integrated nature of international financial systems the spillover impacted many countries as the economies in Asia and Europe were purchasers of the sub-prime mortgages that originated in both UK and US. The impact of the credit crises in Canada is of unique importance due to the close proximity to US, and both the US and Canada being of great strategic importance to each other as well as one of the largest trading partners.Even though the international financial credit crises adversely impacted many countries, the evidence that has come across recent years point towards the conclusion that Canada was able to weather the crises much better than many other countries. Keywords. Banking system, Canada, Financial credit crises, MNC’s, Regulations. JEL. F23, N12, N22, N32, N42, O51.
An MRI-based switched gradient impulse response characterization method with uniform eigenmode excitation

Abstract Switching gradients generate eddy currents and mechanical vibrations of the gradient assembly causing errors in the gradient time integrals. This results in image distortions in k-space and inaccuracies in q-space imaging. The purpose of this work is to develop an MRI based unbiased measurement of the switched gradient impulse response function (sGIRF). A new gradient pattern, called the Tukey windowed Shifted Sine-Integral (Tw-SSI) pulse, is introduced to excite the gradient eigenmodes uniformly over a user-defined bandwidth. A 3D MRI-based method with Hadamard encoding was developed to map the spatiotemporal magnetic field generated after the excitation pulse to obtain the sGIRF for all the three gradient axes simultaneously. Compared to an energy-equivalent traditional trapezoidal pulse, the Tw-SSI pulse is able to excite the weak bandlimited cross-terms of the sGIRF by uniformly distributing the energy across eigenmodes. The developed field mapping method is sensitive enough to capture both the direct and cross-terms in the sGIRF. The various mechanical resonant modes of the gradient coils are also revealed, which were found to last longer than eddy currents in the shielded gradient coil studied. Tunable Tw-SSI pulse offers the flexibility to perform unbiased sGIRF measurements over a bandwidth of interest. Rapid MRI field mapping can be easily implemented in any MRI system. The method may be used to perform gradient pre-emphasis, to evaluate new gradient coil designs, and to characterize higher order shims.
Ultrafast, Low-Cost, and Mass Production of High-Quality Graphene.

Fast, mass, and low-cost production of high-quality graphene, which is alluring, remains a great challenge, even though some approaches have shown potential for mass synthesis of graphene. Very recently a great breakthrough was made by Tour and co-workers (Nature 2020, 577, 647-651): in just a second, easily exfoliated and highly crystalline graphene was produced from abundant carbon-containing species by cost-effective flash Joule heating with a low energy input of 7.2 kJ per gram graphene. Such an ultrafast, economic, and scalable process for high-quality graphene production can be considered as a milestone in the graphene field and is highlighted in this article.
About the pressure-induced superconducting state of europium metal at low temperatures

Abstract In Physical Review Letters 102 (2009) 197002, it was reported that the element Eu becomes superconducting in the pressure and temperature range [84–142 GPa], [1.8–2.75 K]. The claim was largely based on ac susceptibility measurements. Here I point out that recently reported ac susceptibility measurements on a hydride compound under pressure that appears to become superconducting near room temperature (Nature 586 (2020) 373) cast serious doubt on the validity of the results for Eu as well as for the hydride. It is argued that the experiments on Eu have to be repeated to either validate or rule out the claim that it is a superconducting element.
The dialectical experience of the fear of missing out for U.S. American iGen emerging adult college students

FoMO, the fear of missing out, is a salient and significant experience with personal and relational consequences. This study qualitatively analyzed 35 interviews with iGen emerging adult college st...
ICEBOX: The Logistics of Detention

At the intersection of logistics and migration, I focus on US for-profit immigrant detention centres as nodes within global capital flows. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centres process humans through transnational, encoded power systems, which couple tightly to the logics, infrastructure, and public-private strategies that comprise the international logistics industry. Migrants move from the country of origin to the US as itinerant labour, and as bodies to meet detention-centre quotas, forming patterns where chain migration is transformed into supply chain. The immigration detention system is an industrialisation of humans, and its administration processes are intersectoral and vertically integrated. I use the southeastern US logistics hub of Georgia, and its capital Atlanta, to illustrate the intersection of logistics and immigration detention systems. I demonstrate how the immigrant detention systems’ scale and its architecture – its spatial contours and manifestations – mirror those systems of international supply chain coordination, assembly, transport, and sale.
Life cycle assessment of electrodialysis for sidestream nitrogen recovery in municipal wastewater treatment

Abstract Nitrogen is removed during municipal wastewater treatment to reduce eutrophication of waterways and preserve drinking water quality. Nitrification-denitrification and sidestream partial nitrification-anammox are state-of-the-art municipal N removal technologies, but they require energy for aeration and can release nitrous oxide as a fugitive greenhouse gas. An emerging sidestream electrodialysis technology is intended to both remove and recover N as ammonium-based fertilizer. This midpoint life cycle assessment compiles literature values to compare the state-of-the-art technologies of municipal wastewater nitrogen removal to the new electrodialysis nitrogen removal and recovery technology, accounting for the offset of Haber-Bosch-derived ammonia. Electrodialysis is projected to be environmentally favorable compared to the state-of-the-art, predicting electricity savings similar to anammox and, with the offset of industrial ammonia manufacture, net negative emissions in five of ten midpoint environmental impact categories, including global warming potential.
Removal of Organic Matter by Activated Carbon Columns

This study shows that the major organic fraction in activated sludge effluent that exhibited a high adsorption in activated carbon columns is a fulvic acid-like material with a molecular weight ranging from approximately 100 - 10,000. A high molecular compound with a molecular weight larger than 50,000 absorbed poorly in carbon columns. This compound consists of carbohydrates and proteins and resembles a humic acid-like compound. This fraction also enhances flocculation of bacteria and is found to prevent virus adsorption in diatomaceous earth filters coated with polyelectrolytes. Another fraction in activated sludge effluent that absorbed poorly in carbon columns consists of polar compounds, e.g., volatile free fatty acids with a molecular weight smaller than 100.
Associations Between Gambling Games and Gambling Problems: Whole Games Compared with Temporal, Skill Characteristics, and Other Structural Characteristics

Research and commentary have been addressed to distinctions regarding problem gambling on the basis of differences in the types of gambling in which individuals engage, such as symptom severity, co-occurring conditions, psychological correlates, and demographic differences. Some progress has been made at the level of the whole game. For example, electronic gaming machine users are more often female and more prone to depressive disorders as well as gambling disorder. Players of other games, such as poker and sports betting, are typically male and prone to substance use disorders. A promising recent trend, however, is to create taxonomies to analyze relevant structural game characteristics that predict gambling problems in a theoretically grounded way. Temporal characteristics such as speed and duration of games have received the most attention, but other relevant characteristics include a skill element, online (Internet) format, and various superficial characteristics. These efforts remain at an early stage, and further development is needed.
An Exploration of iPad-Based Teaching and Learning: How Middle-Grades Teachers and Students Are Realizing the Potential

AbstractAs iPads take their place in mainstream pedagogy, many educators struggle to envision how the technology might be utilized effectively in classrooms. Research reports various potentials and benefits of iPad-based teaching and learning, but does not often describe how those benefits might be realized. This article reports on a qualitative research project that observed iPad-based teaching and learning in six middle-grades classrooms across two public school districts during one academic school year. The research goals were to examine the phenomenon naturalistically, describe its best features, and share the teachers' and students' perspectives about it. Five key themes that emerged from the data are illustrated here in a richly detailed portrait that enables readers to envision and understand how iPad-based teaching and learning takes place in classrooms, and how participants perceive the phenomenon. A closing discussion addresses implications for administrators, teachers, teacher educators, and re...
Treatment of epidural cord compressions from hodgkin's disease with chemotherapy: A report of two cases and a review of the literature

Epidural cord compressions are a frequent and serious problem for patients with cancer. Standard treatment for these lesions includes local irradiation with or without surgery. Herein are reported two cases of epidural cord compression from Hodgkin's disease that responded dramatically to systemic chemotherapy. A review of the literature reveals reports of successful chemotherapy in the treatment of seven patients with epidural metastases secondary to lymphomas and 15 secondary to a variety of other tumors. The use of systemic chemotherapy is an increasingly important therapeutic option for treatment of epidural cord compressions in carefully selected patients.
Effect of pH and calcium on short-term NO3- fluxes in roots of barley seedlings.

The effect of pH and Ca2+ on net NO3- uptake, influx, and efflux by intact roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seedlings was studied. Seedlings were induced with NO3- or NO2-. Net NO3- uptake and efflux, respectively, were determined by following its depletion from, and accumulation in, the external solution. Since roots of both uninduced and NO2(-)-induced seedlings contain little internal NO3- initial net uptake rates are equivalent to influx (M. Aslam, R.L. Travis, R.C. Huffaker [1994] Plant Physiol 106: 1293-1301). NO3-, uptake (influx) by these roots was little affected at acidic pH. In contrast, in NO3(-)-induced roots, which accumulate NO3-, net uptake rates decreased in response to acidic pH. Under these conditions, NO3- efflux was stimulated and was a function of root NO3- concentration. Conversely, at basic pH, NO3- uptake by NO3- and NO2(-)-induced and uninduced roots decreased, apparently because of the inhibition of influx. Calcium had little effect on NO3- uptake (influx) by NO2(-)-induced roots at either pH 3 or 6. However, in NO3(-)-induced roots, lack of Ca2+ at pH 3 significantly decreased net NO3- uptake and stimulated efflux. The results indicate that at acidic pH the decrease in net NO3- uptake is due to the stimulation of efflux, whereas at basic pH, it is due to the inhibition of influx.
Information assimilation from coded and uncoded individual and group displays.

This report describes two related studies designed to evaluate the effects of conspicuity coding of updated alpha-numeric information and to compare the relative effects of Individual and Group displays. Amount of information presented and amount of information updated were varied. Principal findings lend support to the incorporation and use of coding capabilities in current and proposed command systems. While findings regarding Individual vs Group displays are not conclusive, they do suggest that if uncoded updated information is presented, there may be a whole series of information assimilation tasks which can be more efficiently accomplished with Individual than with Group displays.
Abstract 21: The Effects of Carbohydrate Amount and Type on Kidney Function in Healthy Adults: Results From the Omnicarb Trial

Background: While there is considerable interest in the effect of glycemic index (GI) and amount of carbohydrate (%carb) on health, few studies have examined the effects of GI and %carb on kidney function, an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We determined the effects of reducing GI and %carb on kidney function. Methods: We conducted a four-period, randomized, crossover feeding study in overweight/obese adults without diabetes or kidney disease (N=163). Participants were fed each of four diets for 5 weeks, separated by 2-week washout periods. Weight was held constant. The four diets were: high GI (GI >65) with high %carb (58% kcal from carbohydrates) (reference diet), low GI (GI <45) with low %carb (40% kcal from carbohydrates), low GI with high %carb; and high GI with low %carb. Plasma was collected at baseline and at the end of each feeding period. Primary outcomes were β2-microglobulin, cystatin C, and estimated glomerular filtration rate based on cystatin C (eGFRcys). Instead of serum ...
Free Will, Alternative Possibilities, and Responsibility: An Empirical Investigation

Introduction Moral responsibility (MR) and free will (FW) have been topics of a considerable amount of research in philosophy. More specifically, philosophers have argued whether or not the responsibility of an agent’s actions are contingent upon the agent’s having the ability to do otherwise than she actually does. Libertarians hold that the truth of hard determinism undermines this very ability. This brings to the vanguard an important question, namely, can we still be responsible for our actions if hard determinism is true? In this paper, I explore what many libertarians take to be the implications for MR given the truth of hard determinism, arguing ultimately that a libertarian conception of FW is required for MR. That is to say that MR requires alternative possibilities. In doing so, I will consider what many take to be the most formidable opponent—Frankfurt-style counterexamples (FSCs)—to the principle of alternative possibilities (PAP). It should be noted that my account is significantly different from most contemporary accounts for MR and libertarian FW in that I have sampled a group of people in order to see where their intuitions fall pertaining to alternative possibilities and FSCs. I will, then, appeal to that empirical data to build, bolster, and defend my argument. Hence, this will get us closer to achieving reflective equilibrium in matters concerning FW. 3
Prosocial Motivation: Is it ever Truly Altruistic?

Publisher Summary Prosocial motivation is egoistic when the ultimate goal is to increase one's own welfare; it is altruistic when the ultimate goal is to increase another's welfare. The view that all prosocial behavior, regardless how noble in appearance, is motivated by some form of self-benefits may seem cynical. But it is the dominant view in contemporary psychology. Most contemporary psychologists who use the term have no intention of challenging the dominant view that all human behavior, including all prosocial behavior, is motivated by self-serving, egoistic desires. Contemporary pseudoaltruistic views can be classified into three types: altruism as prosocial behavior, not motivation, altruism as prosocial behavior seeking internal rewards, and altruism as prosocial behavior to reduce aversive arousal. If altruistic motivation exists, then one has to make some fundamental changes in the conception of human motivation and indeed of human nature. As yet, the evidence is not sufficiently clear to justify such changes. If the conceptual analysis and research outlined in the chapter have merit, then the threshold of an empirical answer to the question why one care for other will be reached.
Problems with continuum regulation of strong-coupling expansions

Abstract Normally, a lattice is introduced to regulate a strong-coupling expansion in quantum field theory. We investigate a class of alternative continuum regulation schemes and show that they fail.
A Comparison of French and American Environmental Behaviors, Knowledge, and Attitudes

Abstract Matched samples of French (N = 56) and American (N = 112) adults were administered surveys assessing environmental behavior (recycling), knowledge, and attitudes, as well as more general attitudes and personality traits. While minimal differences were observed in recycling, the relationships of this behavior with other variables indicated differing conceptions between cultures. The Americans environmental attitudes were more pro-ecological, were more internally consistent, and were more likely to be related to environmental behavior and knowledge and other attitudinal and personality variables. It was suggested that knowledge may act as a mediating variable between attitudes and behavior.
Bioaccumulation models with time lags: Dynamics and stability criteria

Simple bioaccumulation models predict a monotonic increase in concentration with time until an equilibrium concentration is reached. However, unconsidered dynamics including deterministic oscillations occur if realistic time lags are incorporated. Stability criteria are provided for difference and differential forms of the simplest model. These criteria provide the means of identifying systems expected to exhibit monotonically damped, exponentially damped, or diverging oscillations in toxicant concentration. These unconsidered dynamics can render invalid the assumption of a single equilibrium concentration used in estimation of bioconcentration factors.
Visceral adiposity and the prevalence of hypertension in Japanese Americans.

Background— Visceral adiposity is generally considered to play a key role in the metabolic syndrome, including hypertension. The purpose of this study was to evaluate cross-sectionally whether visceral adiposity is associated with prevalence of hypertension independent of other adipose depots and fasting plasma insulin. Methods and Results— Study subjects included 563 Japanese Americans with normal or impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes but not taking oral hypoglycemic medication or insulin at entry. Variables included plasma glucose and insulin measured after an overnight fast and during an oral glucose tolerance test, and abdominal, thoracic, and thigh fat areas by CT. Total fat area (TFA) was calculated as the sum of these fat areas. Hypertension was defined as having a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg, having a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg, or taking antihypertensive medications. Intra-abdominal fat area (IAFA) was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension. Adjusted odds ratio of ...
Watered Down Partial Implementation of the New Generation Jail Philosophy

Podular direct-supervision jails, also known as new generation jails, are a radical departure from the design and management strategy of traditional institutions. These facilities provide a normali...