cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Starting to Smoke Cigars Trigger Onset of Cannabis Blunt Smoking

Introduction Among United States teens during the 1990s, increasing cigar use coincided with increasing use of tobacco cigar shells filled with cannabis, called "blunts." Cigar smokers are more likely to use cannabis, and we hypothesized that starting to smoke cigars might be a probabilistic "trigger" of blunt smoking. We turned to the case-crossover approach to evaluate this hypothesis. Methods Within US National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, 2009-2013, we identified a nationally representative sample of newly incident blunt smokers aged 12- to 21-years-old (n = 4868) and compared month-of-onsets for smoking of cigars and blunts. Using the subjects-as-their-own-controls case-crossover design, we specified the first month prior to blunt use as a "hazard interval" and the second month prior to blunt use as a "control interval." We used Mantel-Haenszel (MH) estimators to estimate the matched-pairs odds ratio (OR). Results The MH OR estimate was 1.7 (95% CI = 1.3, 2.3), with excess odds of cigar onsets during the hazard interval relative to the control interval. Two alternative control interval specifications yielded congruent estimates (OR = 2.7 and 2.9, respectively). Conclusions A short interval right after starting to smoke cigars may be one of increased risk of starting to smoke blunts. We discuss cigar, cigarillo, and "blunt wraps" control approaches that might reduce both tobacco and cannabis-related harms. Implications If this evidence is correct, increased market-targeting to promote youthful cigar and cigarillo smoking might be followed by increased rates of blunt smoking in a vulnerable population. As noted by others, enhanced risk of smoking-attributable harms might be a consequence of mixed tobacco-cannabis formulations.
Investing In Exchange Traded Funds

This article provides an overview of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and discusses their features including creation, redemption, and trading mechanism. The article further describes the 10 broader categories and 96 sub-categories of ETFs, net assets and annual issuances of ETFs and merits and demerits of investing in ETFs. As a passive but diversified investment strategy, ETFs appear to be better investment vehicles in terms of taxes, lower management fees and expenses, and portfolio risk management. The strategic investment decision in ETFs however depends on investors’ objectives, attitudes towards risks, and time horizon of investment because investing in ETFs could have diverge implications especially during the formation and distribution phases of retirement or pension funds.
Post Procedural Complication following Cervical Epidural Local Anesthetic Injection: A Case Report

Introduction: Cervical radiculopathy is a common condition affecting many people each year. The efficacy of cervical epidural steroid injection for patients that have not responded to conservative treatment has been demonstrated. Even with confirmatory radiocontrast dispersion indicating correct presence in the epidural space, there still may be rostral spread of steroid and local anesthetic resulting in an unusual presentation of symptoms and potentially life threatening complications. Case Presentation: We present the case of a 52-year-old male presenting for a right sided C6-C7 epidural steroid injection. The epidural space was identified and a Tuohy needle was advanced using loss of resistance technique. Isovue contrast was used for needle localization and after confirmation of the presence of the contrast in the epidural space, dexamethasone and lidocaine were injected to the area without any complications. Five minutes after arrival to the PACU, the patient developed a constellation of symptoms including inability to swallow, vertigo, and horizontal nystagmus which required reassurance and vigilant monitoring. Conclusions: Interventional pain physicians must be cognizant that even with confirmatory epidural radiocontrast dispersion, there still may be inadvertent uptake of steroid and local anesthetic rostrally resulting in an unusual presentation of symptoms and potentially life threatening complications. Potential reasons for the rostral spread include inadvertent subdural or intrathecal injection.
Effect of Diet Complexity, Multi-enzyme Complexes, Essential Oils, and Benzoic Acid on Weanling Pigs

Abstract The study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementing a simple corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet with multi-enzyme complexes, essential oils, and benzoic acid on growth performance, serum metabolite profile, serum cytokines, and intestinal microbiota in weanling pigs. Forty-eight gilts and 48 castrated males weaned at 3 to 4 wk of age (initial body weight, 7.96 ± 0.89 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments with 3 gilt and 3 castrated male pens per treatment and 4 gilts or 4 castrated males per pen. A complex diet containing palatable and digestible ingredients was formulated (1.30 g standardized ileal digestible Lys/kg) to serve as the positive control (POS) diet. A simple corn-SBM, negative control (NEG) diet was formulated to be isolysinic to the POS diet, and the NEG diet was supplemented with multi-enzyme complexes (ENZ) or multi-enzyme complexes, essential oils, and benzoic acid (ALL). All diets were formulated to meet or exceed the 2012 NRC nutrient requirements of pigs weighing 7 to 25 kg. During the fourth week, blood samples were collected to determine serum metabolite profile and cytokines, and fecal samples were collected for the enumeration of bacteria. Pigs had ad libitum access to feed and water throughout the 4-wk study. From d 0 to 7 and 7 to 14, pigs fed the POS diet had greater feed and Lys intake (P
Monkey prefrontal neurons during Sternberg task performance: full contents of working memory or most recent item?

It has long been thought that items held in working memory are encoded by delay-period activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Here we describe evidence contrary to that view. In monkeys pe...
Modulation of Benzopyrene Dependent Mutagenesis and Xanthine Oxidase Activity by Copper Complexes

Chemical induced murine skin carcinogenesis can be operationally separated into sequential stages. Murine skin tumors can be experimentally produced by a single topical application of a subthreshold dose of carcinogen (initiation) if followed by repetitive treatments with nontumorigenic tumor promoting agents (promotion). Initiation is thought to encompass those events that damage or modify DNA; whereas promotion includes those processes facilitating the expression of the latent effects of initiation. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) biomimetic Cu(II) (3,5-diisopropylsalicylate)2 (CuDIPS) has been reported to inhibit both the initiation1,2 and promotion stages2,3 of murine skin multistage carcinogenesis. The mechanism(s) by which CuDIPS inhibits initiation and promotion are speculative, and are the subject of this article.
Chemostratigraphic and depositional characterization of the Niobrara Formation: Techniques for assessing lateral heterogeneity, CEMEX Quarry, Lyons, Colorado, Denver-Julesburg Basin

The Late Cretaceous (89-82 Ma) Niobrara Formation is the primary target for unconventional horizontal well activity in the Denver Basin. With an abundance of horizontal activity, the question of well-length scale lateral heterogeneity becomes paramount addressing steering practices, completion, and ultimately well performance. This study incorporates detailed core description, high-resolution chemostratigraphy, and petrophysical logs from four near-surface cores taken at the CEMEX Lyons Quarry in order to assess lateral heterogeneity. Cores were originally intended to determine the geochemistry and areal extent of the Fort Hays Limestone Member of the Niobrara Formation, CEMEX ’s primary target for cement production. However, due to the cores ’ proximity to one another (300 – 2000 ft.) and the presence of not only the Fort Hays Limestone but also the petroliferous chalks and marls of the Lower Smoky Hill Member (including the D Chalk, C Marl, and a portion of the C Chalk), the dataset can also be used as ...
Deep Aquifer Remediation Tools: Theory, Design, and Performance Modeling

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on deep aquifer remediation tools (DARTs), which have been developed for the emplacement of permeable reactive barriers (PRB) through arrays of non-pumping wells and which offer a number of advantages compared to classic trench installation methods, including easy replacement of spent reactive material and deeper installation depths. A DART is composed of a rigid polyvinyl chloride shell with high-capacity flow channels that contains the permeable reactive material and flexible wings to direct the flow of groundwater into the reactive material. The three factors which has to be considered while evaluating the feasibility of using DARTs for PRB emplacement include the hydrology of the system, the construction engineering of the DART itself, and the residence time required for contaminant removal reactions. The computer simulation indicates that the reactive material used in a DART should be engineered to have an X value 50 to 200 times greater than the K value of the aquifer material. This difference in K cancapture groundwater from an upgradient width of aquifer equal to about 1.8 to 1.9 times of the diameter of the nonpumping well. Important design features for DARTs include the maximization of the open surface area of the DART housing, maximization of the volume of groundwater that can flow through the reactive materials, allowance for easy production of DARTs with various diameters and lengths, easy emplacement of a DART, easy access to the reactive material, and minimization of the cost of production.
Selection of an error-correcting code for FPGA-based physical unclonable functions

This paper explores error-correcting codes for fuzzy extractor applications with Physical Unclonable Functions. We investigate BCH codes and compare them to convolutional codes using criteria of remaining entropy, probability of decoder failure, and hardware requirements. Parallel BCH coding is analyzed with a comprehensive search performed to find the smallest BCH code which satisfies the criteria in a parallel design to produce 128, 192, and 256-bit keys. A convolutional code is selected for comparison against the BCH codes found in this analysis. Application of the selected codes to a fuzzy extractor design is analyzed. Hardware requirements for FPGA implementations of each code is compared, with a BCH decoder design implemented for Artix-7 and Spartan-6 FPGA families. We find that a (127, 22, 47) parallel BCH code or (2, 1, 12) convolutional code is capable of performing as well as a single large BCH code, while requiring fewer FPGA resources when block RAMs can be leveraged. The convolutional code additionally requires the least amount of PUF ID bits.
10.16 – Music Psychophysics and Therapy

Music is acoustically different from all other sound, and research shows that the brain has distinctive responses to it. The unique neurologic processing of musical sound may be activated for pleasure or may be systematically manipulated for therapeutic outcomes. This article brings together acoustic principles, neurologic responses, evidence-based research, and clinical applications of the therapeutic uses of music in medical treatment, mental health counseling, and neurologic rehabilitation. The medical specialties of music therapy with premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatrics, and hospice/palliative care at end of life are also described.
A model for determining an effective in vivo dose of transplanted islets based on in vitro insulin secretion

Background Allogeneic islet transplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes often requires multiple implant procedures, from as many as several human pancreas donors, to achieve lasting clinical benefit. Given the limited availability of human pancreases for islet isolation, porcine islets have long been considered a potential option for clinical use. Agarose-encapsulated porcine islets (macrobeads) permit long-term culture and thus a thorough evaluation of microbiological safety and daily insulin secretory capacity, prior to implantation. The goal of this study was the development of a method for determining an effective dose of encapsulated islets based on their measured in vitro insulin secretion in a preclinical model of type 1 diabetes. Methods Spontaneously diabetic BioBreeding diabetes-prone rats were implanted with osmotic insulin pumps in combination with continuous glucose monitoring to establish the daily insulin dose required to achieve continuous euglycaemia in individual animals. Rats were then implanted with a 1×, 2× or 3× dose (defined as the ratio of macrobead in vitro insulin secretion per 24 hours to the recipient animal's total daily insulin requirement) of porcine islet macrobeads, in the absence of immunosuppression. In vivo macrobead function was assessed by recipient non-fasted morning blood glucose values, continuous glucose monitoring and the presence of peritoneal porcine C-peptide. At the end of the study, the implanted macrobeads were removed and returned to in vitro culture for the evaluation of insulin secretion. Results Diabetic rats receiving a 2× macrobead implant exhibited significantly improved blood glucose regulation compared to that of rats receiving a 1× dose during a 30-day pilot study. In a 3-month follow-up study, 2× and 3× macrobead doses initially controlled blood glucose levels equally well, although several animals receiving a 3× dose maintained euglycaemia throughout the study, compared to none of the 2× animals. The presence of porcine C-peptide in rat peritoneal fluid 3 months post-implant and the recurrence of hyperglycaemia following macrobead removal, along with the finding of persistent in vitro insulin secretion from retrieved macrobeads, confirmed long-term graft function. Conclusions Increasing dosages of islet macrobeads transplanted into diabetic rats, based on multiples of in vitro insulin secretion matched to the recipient's exogenous insulin requirements, correlated with improved blood glucose regulation and increased duration of graft function. These results demonstrate the usefulness of a standardized model for the evaluation of the functional effectiveness of islets intended for transplantation, in this case using intraperitoneally implanted agarose macrobeads, in diabetic rats. The results suggest that some features of this islet-dosing methodology may be applicable, and indeed necessary, to clinical allogeneic and xenogeneic islet transplantation.
Institutional contradictions and community emergence: An examination of institutional entrepreneurship in the popular music industries context:

This study investigates the emergence of an elective community in the popular music industries context. The community examined is the fan community of the Grateful Dead band, one of the most profit...
Teacher Quality or Quality Teaching? Eighth Grade Social Studies Teachers’ Professional Characteristics and Classroom Instruction as Predictors of U.S. History Achievement

Using data from the 2010 National Association of Education Progress eighth grade test of U.S. history (NAEP-US8), the current study explored the intersections among traditional indicators of teache...
The Road Out of Trent

The image of the converso as an enemy within grows in Counter-Reformation Spain as both the Crown and Church continue to associate New Christians with the practice of clandestine Protestantism. In this atmosphere of suspicion, conversos continue to wrestle with orthodox religious practice. It is now that Teresa of Avila (later Saint Teresa of Avila) encourages private mystical communion through her Barefoot Carmelite movement, while a group of Biblical scholars from the University of Salamanca promote Hebrew Biblical study in their classrooms, leading to their incarceration by the Inquisition. Meanwhile, converso humanists at the royal court begin to champion Philip II as the second Solomon in an attempt to emphasize the ties between Jewish and Catholic cultures, thus promoting greater concordance among Old and New Christian society.
Adaptive Deterrence of DNS Cache Poisoning

Many long-lived network protocols were not designed with adversarial environments in mind; security is often an afterthought. Developing security mechanisms for protecting such systems is often very challenging as they are required to maintain compatibility with existing implementations, minimize deployment cost and performance overhead. The Domain Name System (DNS) is one such noteworthy example; the lack of source authentication has made DNS susceptible to cache poisoning. Existing countermeasures often suffer from at least one of the following limitations: insufficient protection; modest deployment; complex configuration; dependent on domain owners’ participation. We propose CGuard which is an adaptive defense framework for caching DNS resolvers: CGuard actively tries to detect cache poisoning attempts and protect the cache entries under attack by only updating them through available high confidence channels. CGuard’s effective defense is immediately deployable by the caching resolvers without having to rely on domain owners’ assistance and is compatible with existing and future solutions. We have empirically demonstrated the efficacy of CGuard. We envision that by taking away the attacker’s incentive to launch DNS cache poisoning attacks, CGuard essentially turns the existence of high confidence channels into a deterrence. Deterrence-based defense mechanisms can be applicable to other systems beyond DNS.
Coping with the Loss of a Library Patron: A Call to Medical Libraries

ABSTRACTOur small hospital library staff was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of one of our regular patrons, someone who embodied the societal struggles that our safety net patients face ...
Performance enhancing techniques for deep learning models in time series forecasting

Abstract Time series forecasting uses deterministic algorithms to capture past temporal information or dependencies that can be used to predict future patterns. Studies have shown that traditional forecasting techniques are outperformed by deep learning models. Since then research work has been much focused on proposing different network models, little attention has been paid to improve the performance of existing models. In this paper, we compare the performance of several existing deep learning models used in both single and multiple time series forecasting tasks. We then propose two different approaches to improve the models’ performance. Specifically, we present a fine-grained attention mechanism that achieves a much better performance for multi-step forecasting tasks. An ensemble technique is then proposed to further improve the performance of all the models.
Roles of executive functioning and language in developing low-income preschoolers’ behavior and emotion regulation

Abstract Young children’s regulation of their behaviors and emotions is a foundational skill that undergirds learning, academic achievement, and social competence (Bierman & Erath, 2006; McClelland et al., 2018). Executive functioning (EF) and language are two cognitive skillsets that facilitate behavior and emotion regulation (Blair & Ursache, 2011; Cole, Armstrong, & Pemberton, 2010). What is not yet fully understood is how these two skillsets may work together to promote these regulatory skills. The present study investigated the independent and interactive contributions of EF and language skills at preschool entry to the development of behavior and emotion regulation across the year in a primarily low-income sample. Results indicated that language at preschool entry was associated with children’s emotion regulation development during preschool, especially for children who entered preschool with low EF. As such, incorporating language-promoting activities into early childhood interventions designed to facilitate emotion regulation may enhance efficacy, particularly for children at risk for later emotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties due to low emerging EF skills. Unexpectedly, language was not associated with behavior regulation, and EF was not independently linked to behavior or emotion regulation in this sample.
The implications of digital collection takedown requests on archival appraisal

As data privacy legislation and protections are implemented and advocated for internationally, archivists must consider how these developments impact their work, particularly appraisal. Online digital collections make records more easily accessible to researchers and the general public. However, private and sensitive information may be disseminated through these collections inadvertently. In 2018, the European Union (EU) passed the General Data Protection Regulation, which includes right to be forgotten (RTBF) legislation. This enables EU citizens to request the redaction of their personal information online. In the wake of EU court rulings which demonstrate how the RTBF impacts what archives make accessible, and increasing public concerns regarding online privacy, archivists should be aware of the possibility of receiving increased digital collection takedown requests and what their legal liabilities may be. This article explores how takedown requests, as well as RTBF advocacy and criticism, are positioned with respect to appraisal theory. It also addresses how takedown requests affect appraisal praxis and how archivists can be better prepared to manage them.
The dorsal hippocampus mediates synaptic destabilization and memory lability in the amygdala in the absence of contextual novelty

The recall of a previously formed fear memory triggers a process through which synapses in the amygdala become "destabilized". This labile state at retrieval may be critical for the plasticity required to modify, update, or disrupt long-term memories. One component of this process involves the rapid internalization of calcium impermeable AMPA receptors (CI-AMPAR). While some recent work has focused on the details of modifying amygdala synapses, much less is known about the environmental factors that control memory updating and the important circuit level processes. Synchrony between the hippocampus and amygdala increases during memory retrieval and stable memories can sometimes be made labile with hippocampal manipulations. Recent work shows that memory lability at retrieval is influenced by the novelty of the retrieval environment, and detection of this novelty likely relies on the dorsal hippocampus (DH). Our goal was to determine how local activity in the DH contributes to memory lability and synaptic destabilization in the amygdala during retrieval when contextual novelty is introduced. We found that contextual novelty during retrieval is necessary for alterations in amygdala activity and CI-AMPAR internalization. In the absence of novelty, suppression of local activity in the DH prior to learning allowed for retrieval-dependent CI-AMPAR internalization in the amygdala. We next tested whether the changes in AMPAR internalization were accompanied by differences in memory lability. We found that a memory was made labile when activity within the DH was disrupted in the absence of contextual novelty. These results suggest that the DH is important for encoding contextual information during learning that regulates retrieval-dependent memory modification in the amygdala.
Interpretable Machine Learning with Boosting by Boolean Algorithm

Much research has been conducted for developing efficient, automated, interpretable, and highly accurate Machine Learning algorithms. However, the primary challenge remains — developing algorithms successful in all of these aspects simultaneously. For applications, where human lives are at stake, having to choose between accuracy and interpretability is not acceptable. To address this challenge, previously the Dominance Classifier and Predictor (DCP) algorithm, capable of discovering of the human-understandable models in simple and visualizable terms was proposed. On the benchmark Wisconsin Breast Cancer (WBC) dataset, it achieved greater accuracy than other interpretable algorithms, reducing the gap between the prediction accuracy of interpretable and non-interpretable algorithms on these data. This paper proposes a new interpretable algorithm RPPR, to bridge this gap more by boosting DCP via discovering properties of misclassified cases. Experiments with RPPR on WBC and two other benchmark datasets using 10-fold cross validation, achieved accuracies greater than 99%. Thus, the accuracy of non-interpretable algorithms is reachable without sacrificing interpretability.
Drugs that act on the respiratory tract

Abstract Inhaled corticosteroids and inhaled bronchodilators are the cornerstones of therapy for a variety of airways diseases, most notably asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Studies of new compounds, formulations, delivery devices, and drug therapy combinations are advancing our understanding of the risks and benefits of these drugs in patients with obstructive and reactive airway diseases. In addition, pharmacovigilance data have provided new insights into the safety and toxicity profile of montelukast, an oral leukotriene receptor antagonist for adult and pediatric asthma. A report on roflumilast, an oral phosphodiesterase inhibitor used for advanced COPD, provides new information on the risks of adverse neuropsychiatric events within the first few weeks of starting therapy. New reports are also available for sildenafil and vardenafil, oral phosphodiesterase inhibitors used for pulmonary hypertension, that describe rare, but serious, adverse events associated with these agents. Sildenafil has also been evaluated as an adjunctive therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The only two drugs currently available for IPF are the oral anti-fibrotic agents nintedanib and pirfenidone. Nintedanib has been evaluated for a related condition, familial pulmonary fibrosis, and it continues to be evaluated for its potential anti-cancer activity. A case report on pirfenidone, on the other hand, describes a possible cancer-inducing effect of this drug. Lastly, the advent of monoclonal antibody therapy continues to improve outcomes associated with uncontrolled severe asthma. Long-term safety data are starting to emerge, and data on the safety and efficacy of a new agent, dupilumab, with a novel mechanism of action, are now available.
suPAR news for acute kidney injury

suPAR might serve as a biomarker for prediction of acute kidney injury with possible therapeutic implications.
Lessons From The Impact Of Price Regulation On The Pricing Of Anticancer Drugs In Germany

Worldwide spending on prescription drugs has increased dramatically in recent years. Although this increase has been particularly pronounced in the US, it remains largely unaddressed there. In Euro...
Attention-Based Activation Pruning to Reduce Data Movement in Real-Time AI: A Case-Study on Local Motion Planning in Autonomous Vehicles

In state-of-the-art deep neural network (DNN), the layer-wise activation maps leads to significant data movement in hardware accelerators operating on real-time streaming inputs. We explore an architecture-aware algorithmic approach to reduce data movement and the resulting latency and power consumption. This article presents an attention-based feedback for controlling input data, referred to as the activation pruning, that reduces activation maps in early layers of a DNN network which are critical for reducing data movement in real-time AI processing. The proposed approach is demonstrated for coupling RGB and Lidar images to perform real-time perception and local motion planning in autonomous systems. Lidar data is used to determine “Pixels of Interest”( PoI ) in an RGB image depending on their distance from sensor, prune the RGB image to perform object detection only within the PoI , and use the detected objects to perform local motion planning. Experiments on sequences from KITTI dataset shows the activation pruning maintains quality of motion planning while increasing the sparsity of the activation maps. The sparsity-aware computing architectures is considered to leverage activation sparsity for improved performance. The simulation results show that proposed activation pruning algorithm reduces data movement (38.5%), computational load (30.1%), and memory latency (76.3%) in sparsity-aware compute architecture, leading to faster perception and lower energy consumption.
Worsening Kidney Function Is the Major Mechanism of Heart Failure in Hypertension: The ALLHAT Study

Abstract Objectives The authors aimed to quantify the extent to which the effect of antihypertensive drugs on incident heart failure (HF) is mediated by their effect on kidney function. Background The authors hypothesized that the dynamic change in kidney function is the mechanism behind differences in the rate of incident HF in ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial) participants randomized to lisinopril and chlorthalidone, in comparison with those randomized to amlodipine and doxazosin. Methods Causal mediation analysis of ALLHAT data (1994 to 2002) included participants with available baseline and 24- to 48-month estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (N = 27,918; mean age 66 ± 7.4 years; 32.4% Black, 56.3% men). Change in eGFR was the mediator. Incident symptomatic HF was the primary outcome. Hospitalized/fatal HF was the secondary outcome. Linear regression (for mediator) and logistic regression (for outcome) analyses were adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular disease, and risk factors. Results There were 1,769 incident HF events, including 1,359 hospitalized/fatal HF events. In fully adjusted causal mediation analysis, the relative change in eGFR mediated 18% of the effect of chlorthalidone, and 33% of lisinopril on incident symptomatic HF, and 25% of the effect of chlorthalidone, and 41% of lisinopril on hospitalized/fatal HF. In participants with diabetes, the relative change in eGFR mediated nearly 50% of the effect of lisinopril on incident symptomatic HF, whereas in diabetes-free participants, only 17%. Conclusions On the risk difference scale, change in eGFR accounts for up to 50% of the mechanism by which antihypertensive medications affect HF. (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial [ALLHAT]; NCT00000542 ).
An optimised approach to near repeat analysis for intelligence driven crime linkage

Law enforcement and security agencies around the globe have integrated geospatial analysis into their intelligence workflow to profile serial offenders, track suspects, and direct crime reduction/p...
It’s (Not) like the Flu: Resonant Expertise and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the United States (preprint)

Why did societies respond to COVID-19 differently? Unlike popular explanations relying on political or cultural differences, we examine the role that experts and expertise play in shaping the initial responses to COVID-19. We ask three specific questions: (1) Who were the COVID-19 experts, (2) How was expertise mobilized to understand the emerging threat of COVID-19, and (3) How did these expert statements resonate with policymakers and publics in different political contexts? Through our three-case comparison of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the United States, we show how past experiences with disease outbreaks shaped how experts deployed their expertise to make sense of the emerging crisis. Furthermore, past experiences with disease outbreaks also shape how these forms of expertise become resonant with policymakers and publics, as the past itself becomes a cultural object that is mobilized, contested, and seen as potentially useful to solve the problem of COVID-19. We argue that the process of resonant expertise played a key role in coming up with effective policies to tackle COVID-19.
CORRELATES OF EXAM PERFORMANCE IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE: BASIC MATH SKILLS ALONG WITH SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL/BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES

This study investigated whether basic mathematics skills are associated with undergraduate psychology statistics course performance while simultaneously considering self-reported psychological/behavioral and demographic variables. Participants (n = 460) completed a Math Assessment for College Students (MACS), which included questions ranging from calculating percentages to graphical interpretation. The researchers used a discriminant correspondence analysis to reveal differences in course performance evaluated as the average of three exam grades. For the variation in the average exam scores accounted for by our model, the MACS scores provided the largest contribution. Other variables associated with better exam grades included white ethnicity, non-transfer status, lower year in school, and low procrastination. The researchers discuss the implications for helping instructors identify areas of basic mathematical deficiency and strength.
Market reactions to asset sales:: Effects of the Joint Venture Prerequisite

Summary We analyze the strategic issue of inter-firm resource transfer – i.e., the methods firms use to buy and sell assets. We introduce a typology of asset sale mechanisms delineated by levels of information uncertainty. We analyze this typology, by exploring how firms choose among the mechanisms and by exploring how they are rewarded by the financial markets for their choices. We find that factors involving the level of information asymmetry, the firm’s bargaining power, the firm’s current opportunities and pressures, and the firm’s ability to engage in the various mechanisms, all correlate with both choices and rewards.
Regulation of protein synthesis directed by coliphage MS2 RNA. II. In vitro repression by phage coat protein.

Abstract In vitro protein synthesis directed by bacteriophage MS2 RNA is inhibited by prior incubation of the RNA with MS2 coat protein. This inhibition involves exclusively non-coat proteins as shown by the selective decrease in incorporation of histidine, which is absent in phage coat protein, and by the results of acrylamide gel fractionation of the cell-free protein products. The specificity of the inhibitory effect is shown by the failure of MS2 coat protein to inhibit protein synthesis directed by coliphage Qβ RNA, by the lack of activity of Qβ coat protein with MS2 RNA, and by the indiscriminate inhibition of phage protein synthesis by the polycation polylysine. Coat protein inhibition was correlated with the formation of a complex between MS2 RNA and a small number of MS2 coat protein molecules (complex I of Sugiyama, Hebert & Hartman, 1967). Qβ RNA failed to form such a complex with MS2 coat protein, although it did form a complex with a high protein to RNA ratio. On the basis of these observations we suggest that coat protein inhibition results from the binding of a small number of protein molecules to the phage RNA at one or more sites outside the coat protein gene and prevents the translation of the other phage genes.
The Effects of Changing Answers on Scores of Non-Test-Sophisticated Examinees

The effects of answer changes on test scores of relatively non-test-sophisticated examinees was studied. Findings showed that a significantly greater number of changes were from wrong to right, thu...
When will spares run-out?

Reliability engineers analyze system and part data after manufacture to determine performance. Reliability analysis is used to make recommendations that permit a system to function longer and dependably. One of the uses of reliability data is in helping to generate probability of failure metrics that aid the logistical analysis team. Mean time between failures (MTBF) of a part is a common reliability metric in support of logistic analysis. A MTBF assumes a constant failure rate of the part performing its required function. Spare analysis is used to predict the number of replacement parts to support the system and uses the MTBF metric for that purpose. Part demand is assumed to be equivalent to the MTBF in logistic analysis. A concern exists with stockage calculations in a mature system that there is possibility of running out of parts. The running out of parts is called a stockout condition. A stockout condition can occur when the demand exceeds the supply of spares or the spare is no longer available. Common policies use d in monitoring the status of spare parts depend on the MTBF equaling the spare part demand. This paper will present a model that differentiates between MTBF and parts demand. Logistics policies based on the enhanced model have a better chance for avoiding either stockout conditions or costs for excessive spare parts.
Automated wideband test system, measurement uncertainty, and design of on-chip six-port reflectometers for 5G applications

This paper introduces an automated wideband test system, measurement uncertainty, and designs of on-chip six-port reflectometers (SPRs) that can be used for 5G applications. The trial frequency bands of 5G technology research and development (R&D) include 15 GHz, 28 GHz, and 38 GHz. Reflection measurements at these high frequencies are an essential part of 5G R&D. A six-port reflectometer (SPR) can be used for the embedded reflection measurements. However, the complexity of its calibration makes measurements challenging. Performing multiple measurements at wideband frequencies is even more challenging. An automated test system of on-chip SPRs in this paper can alleviate this problem. The details of the automated test system are introduced. Automated measurements were performed from 12 GHz to 18 GHz, including 15 GHz. The discussion of the measurement uncertainty is included. The design, layout, and simulation results of a 28-GHz SPR are also presented.
Stabilization and Time Elements for Kepler’s Problem

In the two body problem, let x,y denote the momentum and position vectors respectively, and let the energy h be introduced as an additional coordinate, with its conjugate t (time). Here x,y e R3 (or in the general case Rn,n>2). Let a new time variable s1 be given by \( dt = (\left| y \right|/\sqrt {{ - 2h}} )d{{s}_{]}} \) (H < 0 for the elliptic orbits of interest here). By a slight extension of a canonical transformation of Moser, one can transform the variables x, y, h, t into variables ξ, η, ρ, τ, where now ξ, η, e, R4, ρ, τ scalars.
Theories of Human Development

1. Introduction Part 1: Theories that Emphasize Biological Factors 2. Evolutionary Theory 3. Psychoanalytic Theory 4. Cognitive Developmental Theory Part 2: Theories that Emphasize Environmental Factors 5. Learning Theories 6. Social Role Theory 7. Life Course Theory Part 3: Theories that Emphasize the Interaction between the Person and the Environment 8. Psychosocial Theory 9. Cognitive Social-Historical Theory 10. Bioecological Theory 11. Dynamic Systems Theory 12. Epilogue
Pericentral hepatic fibrosis and intracellular hyalin in diabetes mellitus

Abstract Five patients with maturity-onset diabetes mellitus and hepatomegaly were studied. This group included moderately obese females in whom hepatomegaly and abnormal liver studies were associated with a marked elevation in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Liver biopsies from all 5 showed fatty steatosis and pericentral fibrosis. In 3 of the 5, fibrous bridging between central veins and portal tracts was present. Collagen surrounded swollen hepatocytes, some of which contained intracellular hyalin indistinguishable from Mallory's hyalin. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils and regenerating nodules were not present. None of the patients had a history of alcohol use, and in 2 followed closely for 2 yr, alcohol was never detected in random blood samples. The recognition of this morphologic lesion may help to clarify the significance of this finding as an intermediate lesion between fatty steatosis and cirrhosis in diabetics.
Factors influencing the inhibitory effect of selenium on mice inoculated with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Selenium, administered to mice with Ehrlich ascites tumors, effectively limited tumor growth. The response was dependent on the chemical form and dose of selenium administered. At the doses administered, there were no detectable adverse effects to the host.
Curriculum for the Twenty-First Century: Recent Advances in Economic Theory and Undergraduate Economics

Undergraduate economics lags behind cutting-edge economic theory. The author briefly reviews six related advances that profoundly extend and deepen economic analysis: game-theoretic modeling, collective-action problems, information economics and contracting, social preference theory, conceptualizing rationality, and institutional theory. He offers suggestions for incorporating these into the undergraduate classes at various levels. He argues that game-theoretic representation of collective-action problems offers a unifying framework, on par with supply and demand, for political economy. Blending in the other developments deepens our micro-level understanding of internal and external contract enforcement, with implications on nonclearing markets, power, and distribution. At the macro level, these concepts illuminate the role of institutions in economic development and long-term growth. Undergraduate curricula should incorporate these new approaches.
Sepsis and adrenal function

In the setting of sepsis, adrenal function can be difficult to evaluate. Cortisol levels, normally elevated by the stress of sepsis, are occasionally reduced, signifying possible adrenal dysfunction. Even elevated cortisol levels do not assure that adrenal reserve is adequate and may in fact portend a preterminal state. Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage leading to adrenal insufficiency is one complication of the sepsis syndrome. This endocrine rounds illustrates the importance in considering adrenal insufficiency and adrenal hemorrhage in patients with overwhelming sepsis while discussing the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and therapeutic implications of this dire complication.
Political explanations for the difficulties in congressional budgeting

Abstract Why does the congressional budget process seem so flawed? The difficulties Congress has budgeting are a direct result of the nature of a representative democracy. The American public wants contradictory budgetary actions from its representatives in Congress. Congress is a responsive body on budgetary matters, as can be seen by the strong correlations between demographics and congressional budget votes. Being responsive, however, does not make it accountable. The problems Congress faces when budgeting are in part a result of the inconsistencies of what the public says it wants. Thus, unless the contradictory desires of the American public are modified, congressional budgeting is destined to be viewed as flawed and inadequate.
First CMB constraints on direction-dependent cosmological birefringence from WMAP-7

A Chern-Simons coupling of a new scalar field to electromagnetism may give rise to cosmological birefringence, a rotation of the linear polarization of electromagnetic waves as they propagate over cosmological distances. Prior work has sought this rotation, assuming the rotation angle to be uniform across the sky, by looking for the parity-violating TB and EB correlations that a uniform rotation produces in the cosmic microwave background temperature/polarization. However, if the scalar field that gives rise to cosmological birefringence has spatial fluctuations, then the rotation angle may vary across the sky. Here we search for direction-dependent cosmological birefringence in the WMAP-7 data. We report the first cosmic microwave background constraint on the rotation-angle power spectrum C^(αα)_L for multipoles between L=0 and L=512. We also obtain a 68% confidence-level upper limit of √(C^(αα)_(2)/(4π))≲1° on the quadrupole of a scale-invariant rotation-angle power spectrum.
Pressure effects on flow boiling instabilities in parallel microchannels

Abstract The effects of pressure on flow boiling instabilities in microchannels were experimentally studied. Experiments were conducted using water in 223 μm hydraulic diameter microchannels with mass fluxes ranging from 86 to 520 kg/m 2 s and pressures ranging from 50 to 205 kPa. Onset of flow oscillation, critical heat flux (CHF) conditions, local transient temperature measurements along with flow boiling visualization were obtained and studied. System pressure was found to significantly affect flow instabilities. For high pressure, it was observed that boiling instabilities were significantly delayed and CHF was extended to high mass qualities. Local temperature measurements also revealed lower magnitudes and higher frequencies of oscillations at high system pressures.
Formation and atmospheric reactions of 4,5-dihydro-2-methylfuran

4,5-Dihydro-2-methylfuran (DHMF) can be formed from cyclization of 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone, an important gas-phase photooxidation product of n-pentane and a representative 1,4-hydroxycarbonyl. At very low (≪1%) relative humidity a lifetime of ∼1.1 h was obtained for the transformation of 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone to DHMF. Rate constants and products of the gas-phase reactions of DHMF with OH radicals, NO3 radicals, and ozone have been determined at 298 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air using in situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, in situ atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry (API-MS/MS), and combined gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC−MS). Rate constants (in cm3 molecule-1 s-1) for the reactions of DHMF with OH radicals, NO3 radicals, and O3 were measured to be (2.18 ± 0.11) × 10-10, (1.68 ± 0.12) × 10-10, and (3.49 ± 0.24) × 10-15, respectively, resulting in estimated tropospheric lifetimes of 1.3 h, 24 s, and 7 min for the OH radical, NO3 radical, and O3 reaction...
Overexpression of cytochrome P450 genes in pyrethroid-resistant Culex quinquefasciatus

JPal-per strain of Culex quinquefasciatus exhibits extremely high resistance against pyrethroids in larvae, though the resistance is greatly lower in adults. Increased microsome monooxygenase metabolism is one of the major factors of the larval resistance in this strain. We cloned 46 novel cytochrome P450 cDNAs from JPal-per strain. An oligonucleotide microarray was designed for the novel 46 genes plus 16 previously reported P450 genes along with other non-P450 gene probes. Of these, five P450 genes were upregulated (>2.5-fold) in JPal-per larvae as compared with a susceptible strain. The expression ratios for the highest three among the five P450 genes screened in the microarray analysis, CYP9M10, CYP4H34 and CYP6Z10, were further validated by qPCR as 264-, 8.3-, and 3.9-fold, respectively. In JPal-per, the transcription levels of CYP9M10 and CYP4H34 showed a similar stage-dependent pattern as a high expression level during the larvfrom Ogasawara Islands in Japanal stage dramatically decreases in the adult stage. This larval specific overexpression manner of the two genes was consistent with the characteristic of stage-dependent resistance of JPal-per strain previously reported, suggesting that the two P450s, CYP9M10 and CYP4H34, are involved in pyrethroid detoxification in JPal-per strain.