cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diseases and injuries among coal miners as reported in a rural hospital

This study assessed the differences between frequencies of hospital primary diagnoses by categories and by types between underground coal miners and non-coal miners. The data gathered provided a detailed list of the hospital primary diagnoses found on the 1766 charts within the 1158 medical records studied. Based upon statistical analyses coal miners were over-represented in hospital primary diagnoses (diseases and injuries) by categories and by types. There was also a meaningful relationship between frequencies of hospital primary diagnoses (diseases and injuries) by categories, and specified contractual employer (for the miner) and month of the year admitted to the hospital (for both groups). Neither age (for each group) nor the contractual mining strikes (for miners only), and frequencies of hospital primary diagnoses (diseases and injuries) by categories were related.
An attack and repair of secure web transaction protocol for anonymous mobile agents

The security problems that impact mobile agents include authentication and privacy. A challenging task is to implement secure mobile agents that provide anonymity for the mobile agent. Wang, Zhang, and Wang constructed a scheme that provides secure web transactions with anonymous mobile agents over the internet. Our paper will discuss the Wang, Zhang and Wang protocol(WZW) thoroughly, our work demonstrates the weaknesses of the WZW protocol, showing that it is not as secure as it is claimed to be. In this paper, we will construct attacks on the WZW protocol, provide several repairs and construct a secure scheme for conducting E-commerce using anonymous mobile agents.
Mestizaje and Law Making in Indigenous Identity Formation in Northeastern Brazil: “After the Conflict Came the History”

In this article, I explore issues of authenticity, legal discourse, and local requirements of belonging by considering the recent surge of indigenous recognitions in northeastern Brazil. I investigate how race and ethnicity are implicated in the recognition process in Brazil on the basis of an analysis of a successful struggle for indigenous identity and access to land by a group of mixed-race, visibly, African-descended rural workers. I propose that the debate over mestizaje (ethnoracial and cultural mixing) in the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America can be reconfigured and clarified by broadening it to include such Brazilian experiences. I argue that the interaction between two processes-law making and indigenous identity formation-is crucial to understanding how the notion of "mixed heritage" is both reinforced and disentangled. As such, this article is an illustration of the role of legal discourse in the constitution of indigenous identities and it introduces northeastern Brazil into the global discussion of law, indigenous rights, and claims to citizenship.
Study of mm-range electromagnetic radiation effects on biological systems as a basis of the EHF therapeutic equipment and its clinical employment

The results of long-term investigations of the mm-wave effects on nervous system of laboratory animals as well as their organism in a whole, in conjunction with various pathological affection in lethal doses are summarised. Treatment results of symptomatic epilepsy of animals by the EHF-therapy is also presented. Two different methods of treatment are compared. It is shown, that the beam scanning along the spine increases the efficiency of treatment. Possible mechanisms of the phenomenon is discussed.
OPERATIVE TREATMENT OF COCCYGODYNIA

1. Most cases of acute and of mild chronic coccygodynia respond to conservative treatment. 2. In severe chronic coccygodynia, excision of the coccyx, followed by careful restoration of the pelvic floor, may be expected to relieve the symptoms and to cause no disability.
Rates and pathways of methanogenesis in hypersaline environments as determined by 13 C-labeling

Rates and pathways of methane production were determined from photosynthetic soft microbial mats and gypsum-encrusted endoevaporites collected in hypersaline environments from California, Mexico and Chile, as well as an organic-rich mud from a pond in the El Tatio volcanic fields, Chile. Samples (mud, soft mats and endoevaporites) were incubated anaerobically with deoxygenated site water, and the increase in methane concentration through time in the headspaces of the incubation vials was used to determine methane production rates. To ascertain the substrates used by the methanogens, 13C-labeled methylamines, methanol, dimethylsulfide, acetate or bicarbonate were added to the incubations (one substrate per vial) and the stable isotopic composition of the resulting methane was measured. The vials amended with 13C-labeled methylamines produced the most 13C-enriched methane, generally followed by the 13C-labeled methanol-amended vials. The stable isotope data and the methane production rates were used to determine first order rate constants for each of the substrates at each of the sites. Estimates of individual substrate use revealed that the methylamines produced 55–92 % of the methane generated, while methanol was responsible for another 8–40 %.
Gamification for measuring cyber security situational awareness

Cyber defense competitions arising from U.S. service academy exercises, offer a platform for collecting data that can inform research that ranges from characterizing the ideal cyber warrior to describing behaviors during certain challenging cyber defense situations. This knowledge could lead to better preparation of cyber defenders in both military and civilian settings. This paper describes how one regional competition, the PRCCDC, a participant in the national CCDC program, conducted proof of concept experimentation to collect data during the annual competition for later analysis. The intent is to create an ongoing research agenda that expands on this current work and incorporates augmented cognition and gamification methods for measuring cybersecurity situational awareness under the stress of cyber attack.
Tinzaparin prophylaxis in brain tumor patients

12506 Background: Thromboembolic disease is the second leading cause of death in brain tumor patients. Various studies have documented a 20–40% risk of deep vein thrombosis and / or pulmonary embol...
Interaction of Adjacent Synthetic Jets in an Airfoil Separation Control Application

This paper presents a study of the interaction of adjacent, synchronized synthetic jets for boundary layer separation flow control. A NACA 0025 sixinch chord airfoil with an embedded synthetic jet pair near the leading edge of the model is tested at Rec=10 5 and 12o angle-of-attack. In particular, relative phasing and high frequency forcing amplitude is investigated using flow visualization, Particle Image Velocimetry, and Laser Doppler Velocimetry. The results show that, for the conditions studied, a mean jet does not need to form to achieve separation control. Separation control effectiveness also does not appear to be significantly affected by relative phasing. However, actuation amplitude coupled with synthetic jet location in the streamwise direction play a significant role in flow control effectiveness.
Linda C. Farthing and Benjamin H. Kohl. Evo’s Bolivia: Continuity and Change

This is a review of Linda Farthing and Benjamin Kohl's Book "Evo's Bolivia: Continuity and Change" which explores the rise of Evo Morales and Bolivia's Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS).
Rates of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolus After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is one of the most common procedures performed by orthopaedic surgeons, as more than half of the 200,000 ACL tears that occur annually will undergo reconstruction.6,8,9,14 With an annual cost to the health care system of more than $1 billion, minimizing complications associated with ACL reconstruction to optimize patient care and prevent a further increase in spending is critical.9,10,20 Several measures have been taken to reduce the incidence of these complications. such as preoperative antibiotics and accelerated rehabilitation.13,16 However, data are currently lacking on deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) rates, as well as protocols on venous thromboembolic (VTE) prophylaxis, in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction. Given that there is no standard of care with regard to VTE prophylaxis after ACL reconstruction, there are some surgeons who routinely use chemical VTE prophylaxis in these patients and others who do not.3,19,22 Use of various types of pharmacological VTE prophylaxis including coumadin, rivaroxaban, low–molecular weight heparin (LMWH), and aspirin have been reported. While these medicines are effective in decreasing the rates of VTE after knee arthroscopy and other procedures, they are not without side effects, including hemarthrosis, adverse reactions to the medication itself, and others.18,19,23,28 Therefore, it is critically important to determine the incidence of VTE after ACL reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review that determines the incidence of DVT and PE in patients after ACL reconstruction. The hypothesis is that the incidence of DVT after ACL reconstruction will be less than 10%, and the incidence of PE will be less than 1%.
Research of Relay Protection for Distributed Generation System

Distributed generation (DG) has been used more and more broadly for its merits including diversification of energy sources,environment-friend property,energy saving and high performance and so on.In this paper its influence on relay protection is analyzed and the solution is provided.Relay protective technique for grid with DG and islanding detection algorithm at home and abroad are discussed emphatically and the characteristics of them are presented.It provides references for the improvement of relay protection of DG.
Medical planning for expeditions.

Summary Medical planning requires the expedition physician to draw from many aspects of the knowledge base of wilderness and environmental medicine and to learn and use lessons from those that have gone before. The medical plan is dependent on parameters of the expedition objective, scope, and resources and is developed cooperatively with the overall operational plan. The gathering of medical intelligence is crucial to the planning process and includes data specific to the location of the objective area and the expedition party itself. Medical screening of individual participants should be done for extended- or high-performance ventures. Medical training of both medical and nonmedical expedition party members is the responsibility of the medical planner. The contents, configuration, and deployment of medical kits depends on several variables and must be tailored to the individual venture. Protocols for preventive medicine measures, medical communications, and casualty evacuation are all included in the medical plan. It is hoped that with the focus of attention and effort that appropriate medical planning requires, unnecessary suffering and death will be less frequent as the boundaries of human exploration continue to expand.
Wiring dendrites in layers and columns

The most striking structure in the nervous system is the complex yet stereotyped morphology of the neuronal dendritic tree. Dendritic morphologies and the connections they make govern information flow and integration in the brain. The fundamental mechanisms that regulate dendritic outgrowth and branching are subjects of extensive study. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the molecular and cellular mechanisms for routing dendrites in layers and columns, prevalent organizational structures in the brain. We highlight how dendritic patterning influences the formation of synaptic circuits.
Oil and Authoritarianism: The Sino-Angolan Relationship

In 2002, the signing of a peace accord between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) brought an end to 27 years of civil war in Angola. Immediately thereafter, President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos of the ruling MPLA reached out to Western donors and international financial institutions to secure reconstruction and recovery funds for the war-torn country. After several years of discussion broke down without the securing of funding, China emerged as an alternative source of aid and investment in 2004 with a well-known $2 billion China Exim Bank loan. This arrangement, later reproduced in other partner states of China in the developing world, came to be known as an “Angola style” oil-for-infrastructure deal. In this agreement, Angola provided guaranteed deliveries of crude oil to Chinese firms, which would then be used to fund Chinese-constructed infrastructure projects. Soon thereafter, Sino-Angolan relations rapidly intensified, with Chinese firms leading the construction of housing developments outside of Luanda, railways and bridges crisscrossing Angola’s territory, and the development of telecommunications networks in the country. Moreover, China emerged as the leading destination for Angolan oil, boosting the country’s rapidly growing economy.
Surgical Treatment of Megaureters Using Detrusor Tunneling Extravesical Ureteroneocystostomy

AbstractFrom 1987 to 1992, 128 predominantly male patients 15 days to 19 years old (mean age 22 months) with a total of 167 megaureters underwent surgery for obstruction and/or reflux and symptomatic recurrent urinary infections. The technique consists of creating 2 holes through a muscle up to the mucosa by the detrusor splitting maneuver on the lateral bladder wall. Between the 2 holes a submucosal tunnel is created without detrusor resection. The megaureters are inserted into the tunnel and an anastomosis is made between the ureter and bladder mucosa. In cases of double megaureters 2 separate tunnels may be created. Regardless of the size, the megaureters can be inserted into the tunnel without any modeling. There are no problems with a wide megaureter since it spontaneously folds within the tunnel. However, the ureter must be maximally shortened and straightened to enable better urine flow, despite poor propulsive capacity of megaureters. Followup ranges from 3 months to 5 years (mean 2.5 years). Comp...
Asymmetric fault ride through capability enhancement of DFIG based variable speed wind generator by DC resistive fault current limiter

Doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) based variable speed wind generator is vulnerable to any sort of grid fault, as the stator of the DFIG is directly connected to the grid. Likewise the symmetrical faults, the asymmetrical faults also may cause the DFIG face high mechanical stress which may lead to mechanical damage. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the fault ride through (FRT) capability of the DFIG system during the asymmetrical fault situations. In this work, in order to enhance the FRT capability of the DFIG based wind generation system, a DC resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is proposed. The performance of the DC resistive SFCL is compared to that of the bridge type fault current limiter (BFCL). Simulations are accomplished by using the Matlab/Simulink software. Simulation results clearly indicate that the proposed DC resistive SFCL improves the FRT ability of the DFIG based variable speed wind generator system during any type of asymmetrical faults in the power network. Also, the performance of the proposed method is better than that of the BFCL.
Politics and Society in Italian Crime Fiction: An Historical Overview

Barbara Pezzotti’s Politics and Society in Italian Crime Fiction: An Historical Overview is a new title in a growing field that considers — in English — Italy’s remarkable and prolific production o...
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Treatment of Brain Metastases

Brain metastases are the most common intracranial malignancy. Incidence of brain metastases has risen as systemic therapies have improved and patients with metastatic disease live longer. Whole-brain radiation therapy, for many years, has been the standard treatment approach. Stereotactic radiosurgery has become an increasingly popular option because of its relatively short, convenient, and noninvasive treatment course. Although recently published data have renewed interest in use of whole-brain radiation therapy or systemic therapies for control of micrometastatic disease, stereotactic radiosurgery continues to be an important modality, capable of delivering ablative doses of radiation for long-term control of macroscopic disease. The purpose of this review is to explore the different paradigms for incorporation of stereotactic radiosurgery into management of brain metastases. Current uses for stereotactic radiosurgery include delivery as a boost with whole-brain radiation therapy; alone for patients with a limited number of brain metastases; in pre- or postoperative settings; and in combination with systemic, targeted, and immune-based therapies. Mature prospective data on use of stereotactic radiosurgery in combination with whole-brain radiation therapy is available; however, prospective, randomized data on stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with a greater number of brain metastases, its use in pre- and postoperative settings, and its use in combination with systemic therapies are limited. Data from ongoing and future studies are needed to define the appropriate use of stereotactic radiosurgery in these settings.
Boeotian Accentuation in the Ancient Editions of Boeotian Poetry

This paper argues that the papyri containing Boeotian poetry provide no evidence in support of a dialect-specific accentuation of Boeotian. Lectional signs on the extant papyri of Boeotian poetry follow for the most part the current accentuation practice of the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, equating Boeotian to the standard of Attic and the Koine: in their editions of Boeotian texts modern editors should refrain from introducing accentuation that does not follow that standard.
The Effect of Test Suite Type on Regression Test Selection

Regression test selection (RTS) techniques reduce the cost of regression testing by running only test cases related to code modifications. RTS techniques have been extensively researched, and the effects of several context factors on techniques have been empirically studied, but no prior work has explored the effects that might arise due to differences in types of test suites. We believe such differences may matter, and thus, we designed an empirical study to investigate them. Specifically, we consider two types of test suites obtained with automated test case generation techniques – feedback-directed random techniques and search-based techniques – along with manually written test suites. We assess the effects of these test suite types on two RTS techniques: a "fine-grained" technique that selects test cases based on dependencies tracked at the method level and a "coarse-grained" technique that selects test cases based on dependencies tracked at the file level. We performed our study on eight open-source projects across 800 commits. Our results show that on average, fine-grained RTS was more effective for test suites created by search-based test case generation techniques whereas coarse-grained RTS was more effective for test suites created by feedback-directed random techniques, and that commits affect RTS techniques differently for different types of test suites.
294. Myeloablative Conditioning Is Required for Efficient Engraftment of Gene-Modified Cells and Prevention of Antibody Production Against Transgene Products in a Rhesus Stem Cell Gene Therapy Model

Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens are desirable for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-targeted gene therapy. However, in previous gene therapy trials, low gene marking was reported in peripheral blood cells, raising the question that RIC might be insufficient for (1) opening niches for efficient engraftment and (2) inducing immunological tolerance to transgenes. Therefore, we sought to evaluate both engraftment and tolerance for genetically modified cells using our rhesus HSC gene therapy model following RIC.We performed a dose de-escalation of total body irradiation (TBI) (10, 8, 6, and 4Gy) as RIC transplantation (total 19 animals), in which mobilized rhesus CD34+ cells were transduced with a VSV-G-pseudotyped chimeric HIV-1 vector encoding GFP (or YFP) and these cells were transplanted into autologous animals following TBI. We evaluated GFP-positive rates (%GFP), average vector copy number per cell (VCN), and antibody titers against GFP and VSV-G in peripheral blood 6 months after transplantation.When we evaluated in vitro %GFP in transduced rhesus CD34+ cells, efficient transduction (22-71%) was observed among all TBI groups (without correlation). After transplantation of the transduced CD34+ cells, GFP-positive cells were detected in peripheral blood cells in all animals. Increasing doses of TBI resulted in higher %GFP with logarithmic regression in both granulocytes (R2=0.64, p<0.01) and lymphocytes (R2=0.67, p<0.01)(Figure). Similar results were observed between TBI dose and VCNs in both granulocytes (R2=0.54, p<0.01) and lymphocytes (R2=0.52, p<0.01). These data suggest that higher doses of TBI improve engraftment of gene-modified hematopoietic repopulating cells.To evaluate immunological tolerance for gene-modified cells, we measured both anti-GFP and anti-VSV-G antibody titers using serum samples from transplanted animals. Lower dose TBI allowed anti-GFP antibody production with logarithmic regression (R2=0.84, p<0.01)(Figure), while no significant effect of anti-VSV-G antibody was observed among all TBI groups (R2=0.003, p=0.87). These data demonstrate that higher dose TBI is important to induce immunological tolerance for gene-modified cells in a rhesus transplantation model.In summary, higher dose of TBI increased gene marking levels in transplanted rhesus macaques, while lower dose of TBI resulted in anti-GFP antibody production. Additional immunosuppressive therapy might be required in RIC to induce immunological tolerance for transgene products. Our findings should be valuable to consider conditioning regimens for clinical gene therapy. View Large Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Development of a Video Trawl Survey System for New England Groundfish

AbstractUsing an iterative approach and extensive field testing we developed a new video trawl survey system that used a live-feed video camera mounted in the cod end of a demersal trawl to record, identify, and quantify fish as they pass through the net. The majority of tows are made with an open cod end, allowing the fish to escape the net after being recorded by the camera. Periodically, closed cod end tows are made to collect biological samples and validate the video data. Eight field trials were conducted on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine, and 229 h of video were recorded. The in-trawl camera system performed reliably under harsh conditions in the field. Preliminary data analysis showed that the in-trawl camera system can be used to count and identify roundfishes, such as Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua and Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus with a high degree of accuracy (97%), and the video can be used to calculate absolute abundance estimates. However, identifying flatfishes to the species level in...
Derivation of an oral reference dose (RfD) for di 2-ethylhexyl cyclohexan-1,4-dicarboxylate (DEHCH), an alternative to phthalate plasticizers

Di 2-ethylhexyl cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylate (DEHCH, CAS 84731-70-4) is an ester of polycarboxylic acid assessed in a variety of mammalian toxicity assays as a substitute for phthalate ester-type plasticizers. An OECD 422 combined systemic toxicity study with a reproductive/developmental toxicity screening test in SD rats found minimal effects on the liver, spleen, and thyroid and no indication that DEHCH is a developmental or reproductive toxicant. In a 90-day feeding study in SD rats, no toxicologically relevant effects were noted. Low genotoxic potential of DEHCH is indicated by the lack of mutagenicity or clastogenicity in vitro. No studies assessing mode of action were identified. Where data gaps exist for DEHCH, a read-across approach was used to assess other toxicological endpoints of interest. Di-ethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHT, CAS 6422-86-2) and 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid, diisononyl ester (DINCH, CAS 474919-59-0) have higher tiered studies to supplant the data lacking for health-based standard setting. DEHT and DINCH were chosen as the source substances due to similar physical/chemical properties and thus anticipated metabolism and toxicological characteristics. An oral reference dose (RfD) for DEHCH was calculated using the human equivalent NOAEL from the OECD 422 study. A total uncertainty factor of 100 was comprised of interspecies (3x), intraspecies (10x), subchronic to chronic (1x), LOAEL to NOAEL uncertainty (1x) and database uncertainty (3x) factors, resulting in an RfD of 0.3 mg/kg-day.
Counter-propagating Soliton Frequency Microcombs

Counter-propagating dissipative Kerr solitons are generated in a single silica microresonator. A relative soliton rate-locking phenomenon is observed and it provides dual-comb pulse streams with different repetition rates and a high-level of mutual coherence.
Hypothêkai: On Wisdom Sayings and Wisdom Poems

Scholars have long recognized that hypothekai , or instructional wisdom sayings, served as building blocks for larger structures of Greek wisdom poetry. Yet the mechanism that gets from saying to poem has never been traced in detail. If the transition involves more than piling sayings on top of each other, what intervenes? Focusing on the archaic hexametrical tradition of Homer and Hesiod, the paper develops a repertory of variations and expansions by which the primary genre, the hypotheke speech-act, is transformed into a secondary genre—the larger-scale wisdom constructions we find in various Homeric speeches and much if not all of the Works and Days . The paper first argues for a precise formal description of the hypotheke saying in the archaic hexameter; it then develops a toolbox of variations on the saying9s basic form. Finally, the toolbox is put to work in order to read a forty-verse excerpt of Hesiod9s Almanac.
A multi-fidelity shape optimization via surrogate modeling for civil structures

Abstract Shape optimization serves as a powerful tool to reduce wind effects on buildings. Past studies have demonstrated the superiority of the shape tailoring technique in aerodynamic mitigation through recessing or chamfering building corners, etc. Nonetheless, conventional approaches highly rely on wind tunnel experiments for which only a limited number of candidate geometries are tested to identify the best-performing one. In an attempt to globally and automatically explore the optimal geometry, the shape optimization via surrogate modeling is introduced in this study. Particularly, CFD is employed for calibration of the surrogate model. The CFD analyses can be conducted either through low-fidelity simulations such as RANS model, or through high-fidelity ones including LES. The low-fidelity model can provide a large ensemble for surrogate calibration, yet it suffers from the lack of accuracy. On the other hand, the high-fidelity model exhibits satisfactory accuracy, while it can only accommodate a small ensemble which may result in a large sampling error in the surrogate calibration. In order to take advantages of the merits of two types of CFD models, a multi-fidelity surrogate modeling is investigated in this research to guarantee the model accuracy as well as to maintain the computational efficiency.
Reduction-In-Practice in Current Mainstream Neuroscience

Most philosophers of mind and many cognitive psychologists still doubt that “genuinely cognitive” psychological theories will reduce to neurobiological counterparts. As I emphasized in Chapter One, this attitude contrasts starkly with the reductive aspirations of “mainstream” cellular and molecular neuroscientists. My first substantive task in this book is to characterize “reduction-in-practice,” as it is generating experiments, results, and explanations in current mainstream neuroscience. For reasons sketched in the previous chapter, I’ll ignore at first the concerns typically assumed by philosophers to occupy center stage in discussions of psychoneural reduction, namely philosophical anti-reductionist arguments and the problems of characterizing a concept of intertheoretic reduction for science generally. Instead, I’ll begin by presenting a detailed example, recent discoveries about the molecular mechanisms of long-term potentiation (LTP), an important type of experience-driven synaptic plasticity, and the behavioral data these mechanisms explain. This story is an accomplished neurobiological reduction of psychology’s “memory consolidation switch” that mediates the conversion of short-term to long-term memories. These recent scientific details show the nature of reduction at work and succeeding in current cellular and molecular neuroscience. Later in this chapter, as a piece of new wave metascience, I’ll generalize from this example, hopefully to provide a template for additional psychoneural reductions.
Image and Text: A Review of the Literature Concerning the Information Needs and Research Behaviors of Art Historians

useful to information professionals interested in the research needs of art historians. The information needs and informa tion-seeking behaviors of art historians are addressed through a discussion of this user group's research methodologies, the types of materials they consult, the impact of technology on their scholarship, and the discipline's continuing development and redefinition. As a review of the literature on the topic, this article's core incorporates the ideas expressed by a number of authors.
Increasing diversity in the information technology workforce: implications from a study of factors that predict achievement in CS

The number of women and minorities earning a bachelor's degree in information technology-related fields has been dropping steadily since the mid-1980's, in contrast with the general trends in graduation rates. According to the 2001-2002 Taulbee Report (http://www.cra.org/statistics/home.html), 82% of bachelor's degrees in computer science (CS) during this period were awarded to males, compared with 18% to females. The majority of degree recipients were White/non-Hispanic (58%) or Asian/Pacific Islanders (22%). In order to better understand the factors that predict achievement and retention of women and minorities in undergraduate CS programs, the study presented in this poster investigated factors that predict performance in undergraduate CS courses at a large university, and compared male and female students, minority (African American) and majority (White and Asian American) students with respect to these factors. Although several studies have examined gender differences in undergraduate CS programs in the past decade, studies that consider race are rare, largely due to the difficulty of studying under-represented groups (sample sizes tend to be too small for statistical analysis).
Some problems on one-relator groups

The isomorphism problem is perhaps the most important as well as the most intractable problem in the theory of 1-relator groups. Almost nothing is known besides Magnus’ Theorem [16]:
Input Ranking Revisited: A Theoretical Input Sensitivity Approach

In feedforward neural networks, all inputs contribute to a greater or lesser extent when calculating the outputs. Therefore, inputs may be ordered from the greatest contributor to the least. Input ranking is non-trivial — cursory examination of the weight and bias matrices fails to reveal ranking. Solving the ranking issue allows for elimination of inputs with little influence on output. This paper presents a new method of determining the input sensitivity of three-layer feedforward neural networks. Specifically, sensitivity of an input is independent of the magnitudes of the remaining inputs, providing an unambiguous ranking of input importance. Small changes to influential inputs will result in great changes to output. This concept motivated the theoretical approach to input ranking. Examination of theoretical results will demonstrate the correctness of this approach.
Mechanism of Carboxylation by Biotin Enzymes

Biotin enzymes catalyze the carboxylation of substrates (RH) in two steps: $$ MgATP + HC{{O}_{3}}^{ - } + E - biotin \rightleftharpoons MgADP + {{P}_{1}} + E - biotin - C{{O}_{2}}^{ - } + {{H}^{ + }} $$ (1) $$ E - biotin - C{{O}_{2}}^{ - } + RH \rightleftharpoons R - C{{O}_{2}}^{ - } + E - biotin $$ (2) Mechanistic studies suggest that step (1) occurs by the phosphorylation of bicarbonate to form carboxyphosphate, which carboxylates the enolate of biotin possibly via bound CO2 as an intermediate. In step (2) carboxybiotin decomposes into bound CO2 and the biotin enolate which deprotonates S to form a carbanion, facilitated in some cases by a bound metal. The carbanion is then carboxylated by bound CO2.
Applications of the Consensus Model

There are many areas of application for our model of consensus. The most obvious being economic, political, ethical, or all three combined. There are, however, other domains where consensus is germane. Perhaps the two most salient examples are those of science and language. The conception of science is social, science being the activity and product of a group of investigators. What is accepted as science is based on consensus within a scientific community. Again, when we speak of knowledge, of what is known, we implicitly refer to a group and an epistemic consensus within such a group. Finally, when we speak of a language, of the semantics and grammar of language, for example, we describe something communal and, therefore, consensual.
Bioactive Glass Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract The repair and regeneration of large bone defects resulting from disease or trauma remains a significant clinical challenge. There has been increasing interest in using bioactive glass as a scaffold material for bone tissue engineering due to its appealing characteristics. However, the application of glass scaffolds for the repair of load-bearing bone defects is often limited by their low mechanical strength and fracture toughness. This chapter focuses on recent advances in the development and use of bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. Scaffolds with compressive strengths comparable to those of trabecular and cortical bones have been achieved using a variety of processing methods. The low fracture toughness (low resistance to fracture) and limited mechanical reliability remain key limitations for bioactive glass scaffolds. Multiple approaches to manipulate the structure and performance of bioactive glass are discussed. Future research directions including the development of strong and tough bioactive glass scaffolds and their evaluation in unloaded and load-bearing bone defects in animal models are recommended.
Transient evaluation of a soil-borehole thermal energy storage system

Abstract This study focuses on the simulation of transient ground temperatures in a field-scale soil-borehole thermal energy storage (SBTES) system in San Diego, California. The SBTES system consists of an array of thirteen 15 m-deep borehole heat exchangers installed in conglomerate bedrock at a spacing of approximately 1.5 m. Heat collected from solar thermal panels was injected into the SBTES system over a 4-month period, after which the subsurface was monitored during a 5-month ambient cooling period. The SBTES system is located in the vadose zone above the water table with relatively dry subsurface conditions, so a coupled heat transfer and water flow model was used to simulate the ground response using thermo-hydraulic constitutive relationships and parameters governing vapor diffusion and water phase change calibrated using soil collected from the site. The simulated ground temperatures from the model match well with measurements from thermistors installed at different radial locations and depths in the SBTES system and are greater than those simulated using a conduction-only model for saturated conditions. Significant overlap between the effects of the borehole heat exchangers was observed in terms of the ground temperature. Although the numerical simulations indicate that permanent decreases in degree of saturation and thermal conductivity occurred at the borehole heat exchanger locations, the zone of influence of these changes was relatively small for the particular site conditions.
Machine Learning in Seismology: Turning Data into Insights

This article provides an overview of current applications of machine learning (ML) in seismology. ML techniques are becoming increasingly widespread in seismology, with applications ranging from identifying unseen signals and patterns to extracting features that might improve our physical understanding. The survey of the applications in seismology presented here serves as a catalyst for further use of ML. Five research areas in seismology are surveyed in which ML classification, regression, clustering algorithms show promise: earthquake detection and phase picking, earthquake early warning (EEW), ground‐motion prediction, seismic tomography, and earthquake geodesy. We conclude by discussing the need for a hybrid approach combining data‐driven ML with traditional physical modeling.
Enteral nutrition and dietary modification in adult and paediatric Crohn's disease: a systematic review

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes exacerbations of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, with secondary symptoms including malnutrition and w...
Quantitative low-dose CT: potential value of low signal correction methods

In previous works, it has been demonstrated that CT number estimates are biased at low-dose levels for FBPbased CT. The purpose of this work was to explore the potential of noise-reduction methods to address this limitation. One may speculate that these potential CT number bias issues may have been addressed by noisereduction schemes, such as those implemented in commercial products. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is not the case. In this work, we performed an in-house noise-reduction implementation on benchtop-CT data, to further investigate under what conditions noise-reduction methods could favor quantitative low-dose CT. A quality assurance phantom was scanned at different dose levels, and the CT number bias was estimated for different material inserts of known composition, prior and after noise reduction. Anisotropic diffusion (AD) filtration was used as noise-reduction method, and independently applied in three different signal domains: raw counts, log-processed sinogram and reconstructed CT image. As result, AD filtration in the raw counts domain was the only noise-reduction scheme successful to considerably reduce CT number bias. Our results suggest that noise-reduction methods can help to preserve CT number accuracy to some degree when reducing radiation dose; however, their application cannot be arbitrarily extended to any signal domain. It was also observed that CT number bias reduction is greater for stronger filtration, which suggest that the overall CT image quality may limit the quantification accuracy when noise-reduction is performed.
A Small Town Texas Fraud

In 2014 a former corporate controller was convicted of stealing over $16 million from a small town,family owned, Texas bakery which conducted most of its business online. His wife was also convicted, having knowingly participated in spending the money to support the couples' extremely lavish lifestyle. This trusted employee, after almost seven years employment, started stealing. The fraud continued undetected and unsuspected for eight and one half years. This paper looks at how it was carried out, the lifestyle it allowed, how it was eventually discovered, and finally why it should have been easily detected soon after it started.
Increasing Student Retention and Satisfaction in IT Introductory Programming Courses using Active Learning

The emerging field of Information Technology is one of several fields that require students to learn computer programming. A large proportion of the students were having difficulty getting through the programming sequence and ultimately changed majors or dropped out of college. To deal with this problem, curricular reforms were implemented and active learning techniques were added to the classroom. The outcome of which was increased student retention, grades, and overall satisfaction. As a result of these encouraging results, an NSF CCLI grant was awarded to formally compare teaching techniques and to create active learning activities specifically designed for introductory computer programming courses. This paper discusses the preliminary work and results that led to the grant award and also summarizes the work that is currently underway. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. DUE-0442987.
O01.4 Rabbit immunization with B. burgdorferi expressing T. pallidum TprK and Tp0435 as a novel vaccine design for syphilis

Background Syphilis is resurgent in many developed countries, including the United States, and still prevalent in developing nations, where it causes significant morbidity in adults and mortality when infection is congenital. Such evidence highlights the need for novel control strategies to curtail syphilis spread, including the development of a vaccine. Although some of the most promising vaccine candidates have been identified among the putative surface-exposed integral outer membrane antigens of the syphilis spirochete, immunization/challenge experiments using denatured/refolded recombinants did not fully protect animals against infection in the rabbit model of syphilis. We speculated that immunizing with antigens in their native structure and with a delivery approach that simulates the antigen cellular compartment could increase the protective ability of these vaccine candidates. Methods To test our hypothesis, we engineered a lab-derived non-pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi strain to express the tp0897 and tp0435 genes of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum and immunized rabbits by injecting recombinant strain intramuscularly without adjuvant. The tp0897 and tp0435 genes encode the putative integral outer membrane protein TprK, and the abundantly expressed periplasmic/surface 17-kDa lipoprotein (Tp0435) of the syphilis agent, respectively. Following the development of a specific response to these treponemal antigens in immunized animals, rabbits were challenged with the Nichols strain of Treponema pallidum. Primary lesion development and treponemal burden within lesions were measured using dark-field microscopy and real time RT-qPCR, while serology was used to assess establishment of the infection. Results No protection was seen in rabbits immunized with Borrelia expressing Tp0435 and only partial protection in animals immunized with Borrelia expressing TprK. Conclusion Our surrogate Borrelia system is an effective delivery system to elicit a specific response to Treponema pallidum antigens. This novel approach will help assess the efficacy of syphilis vaccine candidates Disclosure No significant relationships.
A Human-Centered Review of Algorithms used within the U.S. Child Welfare System

The U.S. Child Welfare System (CWS) is charged with improving outcomes for foster youth; yet, they are overburdened and underfunded. To overcome this limitation, several states have turned towards algorithmic decision-making systems to reduce costs and determine better processes for improving CWS outcomes. Using a human-centered algorithmic design approach, we synthesize 50 peer-reviewed publications on computational systems used in CWS to assess how they were being developed, common characteristics of predictors used, as well as the target outcomes. We found that most of the literature has focused on risk assessment models but does not consider theoretical approaches (e.g., child-foster parent matching) nor the perspectives of caseworkers (e.g., case notes). Therefore, future algorithms should strive to be context-aware and theoretically robust by incorporating salient factors identified by past research. We provide the HCI community with research avenues for developing human-centered algorithms that redirect attention towards more equitable outcomes for CWS.
Anionic phospholipid expression as a molecular target in Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT This study validates bacterial anionic phospholipids (APs) as a putative molecular target in a novel antibiotic treatment against the Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Bacterial AP expression was targeted with its associated protein-ligand partner, annexin A5 (ANXA5). This protein was functionalised with the covalent addition of the antibiotic ampicillin (AMP) and separately with the antibiotic moxifloxacin (MOX). Functionalised ANXA5 serves as a delivery vehicle, directing the antibiotic to bacterial AP expression. The results presented here suggest that this ANXA5-AMP bioconjugate participates in a positive feedback loop where APs, the target of the delivery vehicle ANXA5, are upregulated by the chemotherapeutic payload of the bioconjugate. Importantly, the ANXA5 delivery vehicle is non-toxic to bacterial cells by itself and neither is the ANXA5–antibiotic bioconjugate toxic to human vascular endothelial cells. As measured by the IC50, conjugation to ANXA5 resulted in increasing the antibiotic activity of AMP against L. monocytogenes and E. coli by more than 4 and 3 orders of magnitude, respectively, compared with free AMP, whilst the activity of MOX against L. monocytogenes is increased by 4 orders of magnitude. Given the conservation of AP expression in pathologies such as oncogenesis and other bacterial/viral/parasitic infections, we hypothesise that a therapeutic modality targeting AP expression may be a viable chemotherapeutic strategy in many infectious diseases.
Competition between two floating-leaved aquatic plants

Abstract Water chestnut (Trapa natans L.) is a notorious aquatic invasive species invading wetlands and waterways of the northeastern United States. In the Great Lakes watershed, specifically Lake Ontario coastal wetlands, water chestnut grows in areas similar to the native white water lily (Nymphaea odorata Aiton). To understand better the competitive interactions these species may have, they were grown in mesocosms in a factorial design to simulate varying levels of invasion. Biomass, percent cover, number of rosettes or leaves, and specific leaf area of both species, and seed production of T. natans were measured and analyzed. Relative growth rate (RGR) was also calculated. These data were analyzed using Spitters’ reciprocal-yield model to explore inter-specific and intra-specific effects. Regressions of T. natans percent cover, N. odorata percent cover, number of T. natans rosettes, and number of N. odorata leaves against planting density were statistically significant. Inter-specific competition from N. odorata was 2.27 times more effective than intra-specific competition on T. natans percent cover. These analyses indicate that N. odorata exerts more competitive pressure on T. natans than T. natans on N. odorata or either species intra-specifically. However, these analyses also indicate that N. odorata may facilitate T. natans seed production. Understanding competitive interactions between T. natans and other species can help inform management decisions.