cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Content-based image retrieval using similarity

With the fast increase in digital image data and its broad applications, an efficient image retrieval system is demanded. This paper proposes a content-based image retrieval system using similarity that capitalizes on the complementary advantages of both current methods, which arc Retrieval by Image Example (RIE) and Retrieval by Semantic Content (RSC). A list of exemplar images is generated from a content-based image synthesis system, and then is used as examples in a GNU Image Finding Tool (GIFT) for image matching. Queries on battlefield images will be tested as experiments and the results are discussed for different two image matching algorithms. The analysis on the results show that image retrieval through semantic queries can be accomplished using the approach described in this paper.
A Systematic Analysis of the Effect of Corn, Wheat, and Poultry Dusts on Interleukin-8 Production by Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells

The objective of this study was to determine the inflammatory response initiated by various organic dusts by measuring in vitro interleukin-8 (I-8) production from transformed respiratory epithelial cells after dust exposure. To accomplish this objective, the following specific tasks were performed: 1) dust samples were collected from grain farms, grain storage facilities, and poultry houses and their endotoxin levels were determined; 2) A549 transformed respiratory epithelial cells were exposed to 0, 10, 100, or 1,000 μg/ml of organic dust or lipopolysaccharide (LPS); and, 3) production was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs). The results indicate that LPS induced at all concentrations. All dust types (corn, wheat, and poultry) induced at significantly higher levels than control and at significantly different levels between dust types. Overall there was an increasing trend of elevated production as the concentration of dust exposure was increased except at the highest concentration...
Bad reputation: stigma as an inhibitor of risk behaviors

In recent years, it has been suggested that technological and scientific advancements have made the world a safer place, yet the fear of risk and threats to safety is higher than ever. This theory suggests that people are increasingly basing decisions about risk behaviors on the potential impact on their reputation. Specifically, the stigma of taking risks has been alleged to be a primary factor inhibiting risk-taking behavior. This claim, however, has remained theoretical and without empirical tests to determine its validity. The present study uses data collected from a random sample of college students, including data from open-ended responses to vignette-style questions, to assess the presence and impact of the fear of stigma as a factor in making decisions regarding risk behaviors. Results indicate that stigma is considered by individuals, but is not as meaningful an inhibitor as other factors, such as fear of harm and fear of harming others.
On Vagina Monologues

About the Author Delia D. Aguilar teaches Women’s Studies and Comparative American Cultures. She has had a long-standing interest in the development of women’s movements and feminism, particularly in peripheral formations, and their interaction with feminist theoretical production in the metropolis. She firmly believes with Deniz Kandiyoti that feminism is not autonomous, but always bound to the national context that produces it.
Is Screening Cargo Containers for Smuggled Nuclear Threats Worthwhile

In recent years, Customs and Border Protection has installed radiation sensors to screen cargo containers entering the United States. They are concerned that terrorists could use containers to smuggle radiological material into the country and carry out attacks with dirty bombs or a nuclear device. Recent studies have questioned the value of improving this screening system with new sensor technology. The cost of delays caused by frequent false alarms outweighs any reduction in the probability of an attack in an expected-cost analysis. We extend existing methodology in three ways to demonstrate how additional factors affect the value of screening investments. We examine the effect that screening has in discouraging terrorists. We model multiple levels of screening. Finally, we consider additional objectives beyond cost. We find that the conclusion about screening depends on key inputs to the probability model (reflecting uncertainties) and to the value function (reflecting the stakeholders' fundamental objectives).
Gender-dependent Expression of Murine Irf5 Gene: Implications for Sex Bias in Autoimmunity

Molecular mechanisms that contribute to sex bias in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, remain unknown. We found that the expression levels of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a lupus susceptibility factor, depend on gender of mice. We found that steady-state levels of the Irf5 mRNA were relatively higher in splenic cells from certain autoimmune-prone mice (for example, NZB and NZB/W F(1)) than in non-autoimmune C57BL/6 mice. Additionally, levels of Irf5 mRNA and protein were higher in females than in strain and age-matched males. Accordingly, splenic cells from estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) knockout, when compared with the wild-type (ERα(+/+)), female mice expressed relatively lower levels of Irf5 mRNA and the treatment of splenic cells with 17β-estradiol increased the levels. Furthermore, splenic B cells from the female mice had relatively more IRF5 protein in the nucleus than the male mice. Collectively, our observations demonstrate a gender bias in the expression and sub-cellular localization of the murine IRF5.
Three Is a Magic Number: Virtual Cameras for Dynamic Triadic Game Dialogue

Interactive storytelling games can benefit from a century of film cinematography and established cinematic conventions. Conversation scenes in games are highly dynamic and pre-authored camera parameters impractical. We propose a combined theoretical and empirical approach towards an automatic Visual Director System focused on dynamic conversation scenes involving three characters and encoded as AI game component that selects suitable shots.
Iterative phase retrieval using two Fourier transform intensities

The problem of reconstructing either a one-dimensional or a two-dimensional signal from its Fourier intensity and the intensity of another signal that contains a known reference signal is addressed. After a brief summary of some conditions under which a one-dimensional or two-dimensional signal can be uniquely defined in terms of the given Fourier intensities, an iterative algorithm that makes it possible to reconstruct the original signal is presented. For the case of a point reference signal, a method is presented that can be used to determine the location and amplitude of the reference from the given Fourier intensity information. An example that illustrates the performance of the reconstruction algorithm is given. >
Feasibility of decoupling memory management from the execution pipeline

In conventional architectures, the central processing unit (CPU) spends a significant amount of execution time allocating and de-allocating memory. Efforts to improve memory management functions using custom allocators have led to only small improvements in performance. In this work, we test the feasibility of decoupling memory management functions from the main processing element to a separate memory management hardware. Such memory management hardware can reside on the same die as the CPU, in a memory controller or embedded within a DRAM chip. Using Simplescalar, we simulated our architecture and investigated the execution performance of various benchmarks selected from SPECInt2000, Olden and other memory intensive application suites. Hardware allocator reduced the execution time of applications by as much as 50%. In fact, the decoupled hardware results in a performance improvement even when we assume that both the hardware and software memory allocators require the same number of cycles. We attribute much of this improved performance to improved cache behavior since decoupling memory management functions reduces cache pollution caused by dynamic memory management software. We anticipate that even higher levels of performance can be achieved by using innovative hardware and software optimizations. We do not show any specific implementation for the memory management hardware. This paper only investigates the potential performance gains that can result from a hardware allocator.
STEREO and wind observations of intense electron cyclotron harmonic waves at the earths bow shock and inside the magnetosheath

We present the first observations of electron cyclotron harmonic waves at the Earth's bow shock from STEREO and Wind burst waveform captures. These waves are observed at magnetic field gradients at shocks ranging from quasi-parallel to nearly perpendicular along with whistler mode waves, ion acoustic waves, and electrostatic solitary waves. We also observe similar waveforms in the magnetosheath in association with magnetic field gradients convected past the bow shock. Amplitudes of the electron cyclotron harmonic waves are typically a few 10s of mV/m but are seen up to more than 500 mV/m peak-peak. Wavelengths are estimated to be not significantly larger than 100 m, consistent with the electron cyclotron radius. Waveforms are broadband and polarizations are distinctively comma-shaped due to significant wave power both perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. Harmonics are observed to be more prominent in the perpendicular directions. These observations indicate that the waves consist of a combination of perpendicular Bernstein waves and field-aligned waves without harmonics. A likely source is the electron cyclotron drift instability, which is a coupling between Bernstein and ion acoustic waves. These waves are the most common type of high frequency wave seen in the STEREO dataset during bow shock crossings and magnetosheath traversals. Our observations suggest that they are an important component of the high frequency turbulent spectrum in these regions.
Sales Tax Holidays, 1997-2007: A History

The author details the sales tax holidays held by the states through 2007. He suggests that policymakers consider other options, such as removing some items from the sales tax base or lowering the rate.
Abstract 5351: Phosphorylation of EZH2 at Thr487 is a marker for good prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients.

EZH2 is the catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and is involved in repressing gene expression through methylation of histone H3 on lysine 27 (H3K27). EZH2 is overexpressed in multiple tumor types and correlates with poor prognosis. We have previous shown that phosphorylation of EZH2 at Thr 487 by CDK1 inhibits its methyltransferase activity. However, the status of phosphorylation of EZH2 at Thr 487 (P-EZH2-T487) and its clinical implication in cancer patients have not been reported. We thus examined P-EZH2-T487 by immunohistochemistry and its association with prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients. We found that P-EZH2-T487 can be seen in 61% (47/77) of pancreatic cancer. In univariate survival analysis, patients with high P-EZH2-T487 had significantly longer overall survival time when compared with those with low P-EZH2-T487 (P=0.032). In multivariate analysis, P-EZH2-T487 was an independent prognostic marker for overall survival in pancreatic cancer (HR=0.358, P=0.001). These results suggest that P-EZH2-T487 is a prognostic indicator for clinical outcome in pancreatic cancer patients. Citation Format: Yongkun Wei, Shih-Shin Chang, Huamin Wang, Weiya Xia, Mien-Chie Hung. Phosphorylation of EZH2 at Thr487 is a marker for good prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5351. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5351 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.
IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPUTERIZED ORDER ENTRY TOOL TO IMPROVE APPROPRIATE USE OF CARDIAC STRESS TESTING IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS

Interventions designed to improve appropriate use of cardiac stress tests (CST) have focused primarily or exclusively on ambulatory patients. We designed a computerized order entry tool (OET) to facilitate more appropriate use of CST in hospitalized patients. The OET included prompts to suggest
New Antiretroviral Agents in the Clinic

Since the first controlled clinical trial of zidovudine (ACT) was terminated in the fall of 1986, much has been learned concerning the use of this agent in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The recent report of HIV resistance associated with long-term AZT therapy has accelerated the sense of urgency about the development of additional agents for use--either alone or in combination with AZT--against this infection. Several new agents are in various stages of preclinical or clinical evaluation. Some, such as dideoxycytidine, dideoxyinosine, dideoxydidehydrothymidine, azidouridine, and foscarnet, inhibit viral DNA synthesis through inhibition of reverse transcriptase. Other potentially useful agents presumably act at different stages of infection. Soluble CD4, for example, is a soluble form of the receptor to which HIV must bind to infect cells, and castanospermine represents a new class of compounds that block the maturation process of the viral glycoprotein. An apparently more potent and less toxic analogue of the latter agent, N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin, is currently in phase I testing.
Lead Systems: Sensitivity and Specificity

In this article, the modified 12-lead system and the bipolar lead systems are discussed, both of which may provide adequate sensitivity and specificity of stress tests for clinical purposes. A single lead V5 or, preferably, bipolar modification of lead V5 may be adequate in certain situations in which cost or the type of population being tested legitimizes such a choice. However, the modified 12- lead system is far more popular for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with ischemic heart disease. The final choice of lead system for monitoring stress tests will utilimately depend on the needs and resources of a given laboratory.
Evaluation of a combined acid-fast-trichrome stain for detection of microsporidia and Cryptosporidium parvum.

M and Cryptosporidium parvum are important agents of enteritis, capable of causing severe chronic disease in immunocompromised individuals.1,2 Currently, detection of these organisms in stool specimens requires at least 2 special stains or procedures; a chemofluorescent agent or a modified trichrome stain is commonly used to detect microsporidia,3–5 and an acid-fast stain, direct immunofluorescent assay (DFA), or enzyme immunoassay is used to detect C parvum.6–8 Recently, Ignatius et al9 described a combination acid-fast–trichrome (AFT) stain, which allows detection of these organisms, as well as Cyclospora cayetanensis and Isospora belli, with a single procedure. We modified this AFT procedure, incorporating the use of commercially available reagents, and compared the results of the modified AFT stain with those of our standard procedures for stool specimens received in the laboratory for a 15-month period.
Neoliberal ideology in a private Sudbury school

Educational researchers have called attention to how neoliberal ideology has profoundly and detrimentally influenced public education systems, but less attention has been paid to how neoliberalism ...
LumiSpace: a VR architectural daylighting design system

We built a VR daylighting design system for architects to design an indoor daylighting experience. With this system, users can import 3d models or meshes, and interact with the architecture in space. In particular users can draw the lighting areas they want and receive system-generated window opennings, given the sunlight conditions of a specific time and location. This research proposes a reversed design paradigm empowered by virtual reality technology, which puts the design of spatial experience first rather than the design of physical objects. That is, window design is determined as a result of daylighting experience.
Salmonella Sensitivity in a Sorbate/Modified Atmosphere Combination System.

The response of Salmonella enteriditis was examined on exposure to a combination treatment of potassium sorbate and modified atmosphere at 10 C. Atmospheres employed were 100, 60 and 20% CO2; vacuum and an air control. The organisms were exposed to these atmospheres on tryptic soy agar containing 0.0, 0.5, 1.5 or 2.5% potassium sorbate at pH 6.5, 6.0 or 5.5. In the absence of sorbate, only the 100% CO2 atmosphere inhibited growth; the vacuum and 20 and 60% CO2 atmospheres were in fact stimulatory. In combination with sorbate, all atmospheres were inhibitory. The combination treatment was increasingly effective with decreasing pH and increasing CO2 and sorbate concentrations.
The Challenge of Chronic and Persisting Infections for Vaccine Development

There are about 25 licensed vaccines to human infections in use in industrialized countries today and about another 25 are in the later stages of clinical testing or field trials (1). Virtually all are to prevent or control viral and bacterial infections and in turn, the great majority of these are infections in which the agent replicates and the host responds with an immune response of sufficient magnitude to control the infection. If the infectious agent is rapidly cleared in the great majority of people (provided the initial dose is not sufficiently large enough to overwhelm the host and be lethal), the infection is called acute rather than persistent.
Leptomeningeal disease and breast cancer: Relationship of outcome and subtype.

601 Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common tumors to involve the leptomeninges. Outcome of leptomeningeal disease (LMD) across BC subtypes is not well documented. We aimed to char...
Growth and Spawning Dynamics of Southern Flounder in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico

AbstractSouthern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma is the most commonly harvested flatfish in the north-central Gulf of Mexico (GOM), yet knowledge of this species’ growth and reproduction is limited for the Mississippi region. Given the offshore spawning migrations and likely mixing between state-managed units of the GOM Southern Flounder stock, small-scale environmental influences may constitute a major driver of life history dynamics during early life residency in nearshore estuaries. Therefore, estimates of local demographic characteristics are needed for effective fishery management. Here, we describe critical life history traits of Southern Flounder, including estimation of growth rates and maturity. The three-parameter von Bertalanffy growth function best described female-specific growth: mean asymptotic length L∞ was 514 mm TL, mean growth coefficient k was 0.67 year–1, and mean theoretical age at zero length t0 was –0.50 years. The estimated female-specific mean length at 50% maturity (L50) was 3...
Human Arm Trajectory: Planning, Execution, and Control

Abstract A three dimensional, five degrees of freedom human arm model has been developed to study the planning, execution and control of hand movement. The hand trajectory is assumed to derive from the population vector of neural cells of motor cortex. The real time calculation of joint trajectories from the hand trajectory is based on a biologically inspired algorithm. The instantaneous angular velocity for each joint is determined by the cross product of two vectors: the joint vector and the error vector. A nonlinear gain modulation adjusts the gain for each degree of freedom according to the instantaneous joint position relative to its physiological limit. The algorithm does not use inverse kinematics to determine joint trajectories from the hand position, and can be adapted to situations where the final target position is moving, for example, to track or to intercept a moving object. Several simulation results are presented to illustrate the merit of the algorithm.
Deposit Insurance: Theory and Practice (L'assurance des dÃ©pÃ´ts bancaires: thÃ©orie et pratique) (Seguro de depÃ³sitos: TeorÃ­a y prÃ¡ctica)

The paper discusses the historical development of deposit insurance and its rationale, drawing on a survey of 12 countries' systems. It then discusses the costs attached to deposit insurance before discussing the technical problems involved in designing an optimal deposit insurance system that will reflect the characteristics and objectives peculiar to a particular country. In general, the study appears to suggest that practical considerations will often militate for a relatively simple system, whereas theoretical discussions have often argued for more complex systems. In particular, experience suggests that, although variable premiums are desirable in theory, in practice they are infeasible. /// Cette A©tude, fondA©e sur une enquAate portant sur les systA¨mes en vigueur dans 12 pays, fait l'historique de l'assurance des dA©pA´ts bancaires et en expose les principes de base. L'auteur examine ensuite les coA»ts liA©s A ce type d'assurance, puis aborde les problA¨mes techniques posA©s par la mise au point d'un systA¨me optimal d'assurance des dA©pA´ts bancaires qui tienne compte des caractA©ristiques et des objectifs propres A un pays particulier. Dans l'ensemble, il ressort de l'A©tude que des considA©rations d'ordre pratique sont souvent avancA©es en faveur d'un systA¨me relativement simple, alors que, sur le plan thA©orique, des systA¨mes plus complexes ont frA©quemment A©tA© prA©conisA©s. En particulier, l'expA©rience montre que les primes variables, souhaitables en thA©orie, ne sont pas applicables dans la pratique. /// En este trabajo se examina la evoluciA³n histA³rica del seguro de depA³sitos y su fundamento, basAindose en un examen del sistema de 12 paA­ses. Se examinan luego los costos del seguro de depA³sitos y a continuaciA³n se presentan los problemas tA©cnicos implA­citos en un sistema A³ptimo de seguro de depA³sitos que refleje las caracterA­sticas y objetivos peculiares de un paA­s determinado. En general, este estudio parece indicar que las consideraciones prAicticas a menudo se inclinarAin a favor de un sistema relativamente sencillo, mientras que las discusiones teA³ricas han solido argumentar a favor de sistemas mAis complejos. En especial, la experiencia aconseja que, aunque en teorA­a sean convenientes las primas variables, en la prAictica esta modalidad no es viable.
The Karakoram Crustal Fracture: Oblique Convergence in the Asiatic Tethys

Satellite photography and the distribution of seismicity indicate that central Asia is the locus of crustal fractures passing from plate to plate. One such fracture is the Karakoram crustal fracture, extending into the Eurasia plate to the northwest, and into India (Indo-Australian plate) to the southeast. Because the Karakoram dislocation penetrates ancient terranes, its characteristics are not those of a transform fault or fracture zone. The seismicity incidence and the local configuration of the geoid suggest instead that dextral dislocation is developing between a NW-moving Pakistan lithosphere segment and a less mobile segment to the northeast. A corollary is that the Himalaya/Tibet region is entering the isostatic recovery stage of mountain-building, and that convergence between the Indo-Australian and Eurasia plates is no longer “head-on” (north-south), but oblique.
Impact on the Fidelity of Hyperspectral Imagery Produced by a Phenoptic Hyperspectral Imaging System

A simulation of a “perfect” telecentric hyperspectral phenoptic imager has been constructed to determine image fidelity resulting from diffractive spectral contamination and its comparison to imagery produced by a Surface Optics SOC716 VNIR hyperspectral camera.
Structure Based Design of Non-Peptide Mimetics

Abstract The field of systematic structure-based drug design is becoming more promising along with the continuous developments in molecular modeling software and computational hardware. Virtual screening can be performed on vast regions of chemical space while analyzing these structures with increased detail and accuracy. The concept of utilizing small molecules, in place of proteins, that exhibit biological activity towards a given protein target, whether activating or inhibiting, is known as non-peptide mimetics. These mimetics have several advantages over their peptide-based counterparts (decreased size, increased stability, increased lipophilicity etc.) while maintaining comparable or improved activities. Many of the properties used to characterize the oral bio-availability of drug candidates are also utilized in process design, which could allow for simultaneous optimization of several process and product variables on a property-based platform. This contribution outlines an algorithm for the design of mimetics based on information from existing pharmacophore models. Ideally, these techniques could be implemented alongside conventional high-throughput screening (HTS) efforts to alleviate the time and costs required to develop new therapeutic drugs with improved processing ability.
Anesthetic Concerns for Esophageal Surgery

Esophageal surgery for cancer can be curative but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Scrutinizing the perioperative anesthetic management for the procedure seeks to understand its impact on outcomes and discover opportunities for improvement. Moreover, surgical approaches to esophagectomy continue to evolve with the advent of minimally invasive techniques and robotic surgery, and anesthetic methods and concerns must evolve in parallel.
Tied farmworkers in free markets: congressional hearing debates on the roles of market and state from 1995 to 2012

Within the larger immigration reform debate in the U.S., the nature of guestworker policies and the fate of undocumented farmworkers have occupied Congressional attention for over two decades. Farm...
Trading Mexicans: Immigration Reform and International Trade

This paper approaches the growing debate over the reform of U.S. immigration law and proposes a new model to regulate the influx of migrant workers. After briefly tracing the history of U.S. immigration law, the paper explores the role that immigrant labor plays in international trade, specifically by exploring its effects on economic growth in national economies. It goes on to discuss the role of GATS mode 4 and the commitments made by Member States to liberalize their immigration laws to allow more foreign workers from developing countries to temporarily relocate to developed countries for work. The paper finally refreshes a largely overlooked economic notion of re-conceptualizing immigration as a trade issue and setting-up an immigrant tariff regime in place of existing immigration laws, seeing the latter as protectionist and violative of commitments under the GATT and WTO.
Coherence Resonances and Bandgaps in Plasmonic Hole Arrays

We theoretically demonstrate the existence of optical coherence bandgaps by simulating plasmonic interaction with a partially coherent field on a subwavelength-thickness gold plate perforated by a linear array of circular holes.
Insiders’ Adaptations to Security-Based Demands in the Workplace: An Examination of Security Behavioral Complexity

The protection of organizational information and information systems (IS) is a socio-technical issue and requires insiders take on a more proactive set of security roles. Accordingly, we contend that insiders’ abilities to enact these diverse information security roles can be explained by behavioral complexity theory. Adapted to the security context, behavioral complexity theory stipulates that insider’s ability to take appropriate precautions against organizational security threats is explained by their (1) repertoire of security roles and associated behaviors (i.e., security behavioral repertoire) and their (2) ability to switch from role to role (i.e., security behavioral differentiation). However, beyond behavioral complexity, protecting against complex security-related threats in the workplace requires significant psychological resources of insiders. Thus, to examine the influence of behavioral complexity on insiders’ protection motivation, we develop and examine an extended model of behavioral complexity including insiders’ workplace resilience—a significant work-related psychological resource Our results fully support the extended security behavioral complexity model’s role in driving an insider’s protection motivation.
How John Barleycorn Spun Simulation Gold

Abstract As it becomes increasingly difficult to secure mental health clinical placement sites for nursing students, creativity can provide a way to fill the gap. This article aims to describe how a simulation experience which was born out of a need for more clinical hours in mental health became the "favorite simulation experience the whole time we were in nursing school." The author was challenged to create a mental health–simulated experience with limited funds and turned it into an interprofessionally orchestrated simulation experience that will not soon be forgotten by the students who experienced it.
Diet-induced obesity decreases rate-dependent depression in the Hoffmann's reflex in adult mice.

Obesity is associated with balance and motor control deficits. We have recently shown that Group Ia muscle spindle afferents, the sensory arm of the muscle stretch reflex, are less responsive in mice fed a high-fat diet. Here we test the hypothesis that reflex excitability to sensory information from Group Ia muscle spindle afferents is altered in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. We measured the anesthetized Hoffmann's or H-reflex, the electrical analog of the muscle stretch reflex. Adult mice of both sexes were fed a control diet (CD; 10% kcal from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal from fat) for 5, 10, or 15 weeks. We used three quantitative measures of H-reflex excitability: (1) H-reflex latency; (2) the percentage of motor neurons recruited from electrical stimulation of Group Ia muscle spindle afferents (Hmax /Mmax ); and (3) rate-dependent depression (RDD), the decrease in H-reflex amplitude to high frequency stimulation (20 stimuli at 5 Hz). A HFD did not significantly alter H latency (P = 0.16) or Hmax /Mmax ratios (P = 0.06), but RDD was significantly lower in HFD compared to CD groups (P < 0.001). Interestingly, HFD males exhibited decreased RDD compared to controls only after 5 and 10 weeks of feeding, but females showed progressive decreases in RDD that were only significant at 10 and 15 weeks on the HFD. These results suggest that high-fat feeding increases H-reflex excitability. Future studies are needed to determine whether these changes alter muscle stretch reflex strength and/or balance and to determine the underlying mechanism(s).
A Day in the Life of an Internal Medicine Resident - A Time Study: What Is Changed from First to Third Year?

Background In the past decade, internal medicine residencies have undergone major changes in competency-based assessments, work-hour restrictions and the implementation of the electronic medical record. The aim of this study is to compare a typical day of a first year post-graduate (PGY1) to that of a third year post-graduate (PGY3) internal medicine resident and examine if the differences in their days demonstrate the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) desired progression towards competency-based milestones and unsupervised practice. Methods We conducted an observational time study documenting 14,103 minutes, 9 major categories, and 17 subcategories while shadowing 10 internal medicine PGY1s and 10 PGY3s during inpatient, non-call days. The following day, house staff completed surveys of their perceived time allocation of the previous 24 hours. Results PGY1s spent an average of 12.5 hours managing an average of 6 patients. Thirty-eight percent of their time was spent on the computer, 21% discussing patients and 18% directly with patients. PGY3s, overseeing an average of 12 patients, worked 1.5 hours less per day (p<0.001), had 1.5 hours less computer time (p=0.001), 24 minutes less direct patient contact (p=0.045), and 36 minutes more patient care discussions (p=0.011). Conclusion The difference between PGY1s' and PGY3s' daily time allocations is minimal. Whereas a PGY3 spends 1.5 hours less than a PGY1 on writing computer notes and discharges, they also work 1.5 hours less per day. The additional 36 minutes of patient care discussions was the only significant time quantity difference that would be considered a higher level of practice for the PGY3 compared to the PGY1. With residents now caring for fewer patients, there has been a marked increase in computer time per patient for both PGY1s and PGY3s.
Picking Apart the Black Box: Sociotechnical Contours of Accessibility in AI/ML Software Engineering

This paper considers everyday software engineering (SE) work practices in applied artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) development projects. As contemporary AI/ML systems become increasingly embedded into a wide array of everyday digital services, a number of concerns emerge over the opaque and “black box” constitution of these technical capabilities. How do software developers come to understand complex AI/ML capabilities and how do they explain their inner-workings to others? This paper empirically investigates these questions by drawing on an ethnographic study of AI/ML research and development at a large, global technology and services company, highlighting the situated, careful labor involved in configuring access around AI/ML systems and services. By rendering these situated practices visible, this paper contributes important provocations for current discourses on AI explainability (XAI) and interpretability: rather than a quality or component of a model, system, or interface, access emerges through ongoing, unfolding, and effortful sociotechnical encounters.
Developing and evaluating ASTHMAXcel adventures: A novel gamified mobile application for pediatric patients with asthma.

Abstract Background The ASTHMAXcel mobile application has been linked to favorable outcomes among adult patients with asthma. Objective To assess the impact of ASTHMAXcel Adventures, a gamified, guideline-based, pediatric version on asthma control, knowledge, health care utilization, and patient satisfaction. Methods Pediatric patients with asthma received the ASTHMAXcel Adventures mobile intervention on-site only at baseline (visit 1), 4 months (visit 2), and 6 months (visit 3). The asthma control test, asthma illness representation scale–self-administered, pediatric asthma impact survey, and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 were used to assess asthma control, knowledge, and patient satisfaction. Patients reported the number of asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and oral prednisone use. Results A total of 39 patients completed the study. The proportion of controlled asthma increased from visit 1 to visits 2 and 3 (30.8% vs 53.9%, P = .04; 30.8% vs 59.0%, P = .02), and largely seen in boys. The mean asthma illness representation scale–self-administered scores increased from baseline pre- to postintervention, with sustained improvements at visits 2 and 3 (3.55 vs 3.76, P Conclusion ASTHMAXcel Adventures improved asthma control, knowledge, and quality of life, and reduced ED visits and prednisone use with high satisfaction scores.
Disparities in Electronically Monitored Antiretroviral Adherence and Differential Adherence Predictors in Latinx and Non-Latinx White Persons Living with HIV

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence is vital for optimal HIV treatment. However, there is limited ART adherence research on the US Latinx population, who are at increased risk for HIV infection ...
Posterior Alpha Power During Working Memory Maintenance in Alcohol Use Disorder

Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) display modest neurobehavioral deficits on cognitive tasks such as working memory (WM). Neurophysiology (i.e. posterior alpha power) during the maintenance phase of a WM task was compared. Healthy controls (HC, n=50) and newly abstinent individuals with AUD (n=42) completed a directed attend/ignore WM task. Spectral alpha power was extracted from the posterior portion of the scalp. A mixed linear model compared posterior alpha power controlling for alpha power in a baseline condition between group (HC vs. AUD) and sex (male vs. female). Main effects for group (p=.01) and sex (p=.003) were significant. HC displayed a higher alpha power compared to that of individuals with AUD. Males also presented with higher alpha power compared to women. There was no significant interaction between group and sex. An exploratory analysis to determine a relationship between alpha power and performance on the task was conducted and a differential relationship between groups (p<.001) was found. There was no significant relationship between performance and spectral power for HC, but a negative relationship was found for individuals with AUD. Higher alpha power was associated with decreased accuracy (p=.09). Individuals with AUD display a lower alpha power compared to HC, and this is associated with increased accuracy. Whether this signifies a compensatory mechanism remains a question intended for investigation.
Right-to-Work Laws as Economic Freedom: Their Role in Influencing the Geographic Pattern of Manufacturing Jobs, Incomes, and Finances

A large empirical literature has found positive effects from economic freedom on economic outcomes, such as output and per capita economic growth. This study seeks to explain empirically the disparate timing of state manufacturing earnings and employment decline, as well as the shift among states in both manufacturing earnings and manufacturing employment resulting from right-to-work laws, which can be viewed as reflecting labor market freedom and thereby acting as a de facto economic policy. The results of the empirical estimations suggest a marked geographic shift of manufacturing employment and compensation in the U.S. during the 1970 to 2012 time period. The empirical estimations indicate that the regions of the country that have historically represented the manufacturing base have suffered the greatest relative losses in both employment and compensation during this period. In addition to regional location, it appears that right-to-work laws have had the effect of leveling manufacturing employment and compensation levels across the states since 1970. The data analysis suggests that, at least in part due to right-to-work laws, the manufacturing sectors of the states and regions are becoming increasingly similar over time, i.e., manufacturing activity that was once highly concentrated in the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mideast has now converged significantly, with the outcome that there is little geographic difference in concentration among the eight BEA regions.
Pyrolysis and Combustion Characteristics of Leaf-like Fuel under Convection and Radiation Heating

The heating of a fuel element representing a vertically oriented living manzanita leaf was computationally investigated. The computational conditions resembled a previous experimental setup where m...
Clinician Burnout Associated With Sex, Clinician Type, Work Culture, and Use of Electronic Health Records.

Importance Electronic health records (EHRs) are considered a potentially significant contributor to clinician burnout. Objective To describe the association of EHR usage, sex, and work culture with burnout for 3 types of clinicians at an academic medical institution. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study of 1310 clinicians at a large tertiary care academic medical center analyzed EHR usage metrics for the month of April 2019 with results from a well-being survey from May 2019. Participants included attending physicians, advanced practice providers (APPs), and house staff from various specialties. Data were analyzed between March 2020 and February 2021. Exposures Clinician demographic characteristics, EHR metadata, and an institution-wide survey. Main Outcomes and Measures Study metrics included clinician demographic data, burnout score, well-being measures, and EHR usage metadata. Results Of the 1310 clinicians analyzed, 542 (41.4%) were men (mean [SD] age, 47.3 [11.6] years; 448 [82.7%] White clinicians, 52 [9.6%] Asian clinicians, and 21 [3.9%] Black clinicians) and 768 (58.6%) were women (mean [SD] age, 42.6 [10.3] years; 573 [74.6%] White clinicians, 105 [13.7%] Asian clinicians, and 50 [6.5%] Black clinicians). Women reported more burnout (survey score ≥50: women, 423 [52.0%] vs men, 258 [47.6%]; P = .008) overall. No significant differences in EHR usage were found by sex for multiple metrics of time in the EHR, metrics of volume of clinical encounters, or differences in products of clinical care. Multivariate analysis of burnout revealed that work culture domains were significantly associated with self-reported results for commitment (odds ratio [OR], 0.542; 95% CI, 0.427-0.688; P < .001) and work-life balance (OR, 0.643; 95% CI, 0.559-0.739; P < .001). Clinician sex significantly contributed to burnout, with women having a greater likelihood of burnout compared with men (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.01-1.75; P = .04). An increased number of days spent using the EHR system was associated with less likelihood of burnout (OR, 0.966; 95% CI, 0.937-0.996; P = .03). Overall, EHR metrics accounted for 1.3% of model variance (P = .001) compared with work culture accounting for 17.6% of variance (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, sex-based differences in EHR usage and burnout were found in clinicians. These results also suggest that local work culture factors may contribute more to burnout than metrics of EHR usage.
Transfer Decisions in Services: A Multimethod Approach

In many service encounters front-line workers (often referred to as gatekeepers) have the discretion to attempt to resolve a customer request, or to transfer the customer to an expert service provider. We study the gatekeeper’s transfer decision using an integrated approach that consists of a ﬁeld study, an analytical model, and a behavioral experiment. Drawing on a proprietary dataset of interactions between the customers and call center agents of a mid-size US-based bank, we formulate and solve an analytical model of the gatekeeper’s transfer response to diﬀerent incentive schemes and to diﬀerent congestion loads and then test several model predictions experimentally. Our experiments show that human behavior matches the predictions qualitatively, but not always in magnitude. Speciﬁcally, transfer rates are disproportionately low in the presence of monetary penalties for transferring, even after controlling for the economic (dis)incentive to transfer, suggesting an overreaction to transfer cost. In contrast, the transfer response to varying congestion shows no systematic bias. Taken together, these results advance our understanding of cognitive capabilities and rationality limits on human server behavior in queueing systems.
Foster parent licensing: personal characteristics, parenting attitudes, and training experiences

Foster care in the United States is at a crisis point. The following literature review examines the roots of formalized family foster care, current issues facing the foster care system, and future directions for foster care. Issues explored include the effects of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 on the foster care system, the effects of foster care on the biological families of foster children and foster parents, the current foster care crisis, the difficulties with foster parent recruitment and retention, and the status of foster parent training. Recommendations for the professionalization of foster parents, increases in remuneration and support services, theoretically-based foster parent training, and creative permanency plan options are presented. The History of Foster Care It takes an entire village to rear a single child. The above ancient African proverb confirms that the growth and development of a society's children has long been viewed as the responsibility not only of the biological
Establishing the Reliability and Validity of a Performance Measure of Big Picture Appraisal

Three separate studies established the psychometric properties of the scrambled sentences test for big picture appraisal (SST–BPA), a performance measure which entails viewing difficult situations and one’s reactions to them in terms of a larger context that includes perspectives such as extended time, one’s broader life, and common human struggles. Study 1 established the content validity of the SST–BPA by showing that judges rated SST–BPA items as consistent with a description of the construct. In Studies 2 and 3, participants completed paper- and computer-administered versions (respectively) of the SST–BPA along with self-report measures of similar and dissimilar constructs. Item-total correlations supported internal consistency and correlations with other measures supported convergent and discriminant validity of the SST–BPA.
An Empirical Typology of the Latent Programmatic Structure of Community College Student Success Programs

The definition and description of student success programs in the literature (e.g., orientation, first-year seminars, learning communities, etc.) suggest underlying programmatic similarities. Yet researchers to date typically depend on ambiguous labels to delimit studies, resulting in loosely related but separate research lines and few generalizable findings. To demonstrate whether or how certain programs are effective there is need for more coherent conceptualizations to identify and describe programs. This is particularly problematic for community colleges where success programs are uniquely tailored relative to other sectors. The study’s purpose is to derive an empirical typology of community college student success programs based on their curricular and programmatic features. Data come from 1047 success programs at 336 U.S.-based respondents to the Community College Institutional Survey. Because programs might be characterized by their focus in different curricular areas and combinations of foci, we used factor mixture modeling, a hybrid of factor analysis and latent class analysis, which provides a model-based classification method that simultaneously accounts for dimensional and categorical data structures. Descriptive findings revealed extensive commonalities among nominal program types. Inferential analysis revealed five factors (types) of program elements, combined in unique ways among four latent program types: success skills programs, comprehensive programs, collaborative academic programs, and minimalist programs. We illustrate how the typology deconstructs nominal categories, may help unify different bodies of research, and affords a common framework and language for researchers and practitioners to identify and conceptualize programs based on what they do rather than by their names.
Cavity Quantum Electrod Ynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on cavity quantum electrodynamics. It presents the modifications of the spontaneous radiation rate in a cavity and the shifts of energy levels. The chapter focuses on experimental work, with an outline of a theoretical framework in which the experiments may be understood. In the laboratory, the study of atoms in cavities is a relatively young field in which much of the effort is still aimed at elucidating the basic physical principles at work and demonstrating the elementary modifications of energies and the rates of an atom in a cavity. However, the ability to adjust the electromagnetic spectrum of the vacuum is leading into a remarkable new domain of quantum physics in which atoms can decay from the ground state to an excited state, radiative corrections can be far larger than fine structure, and electromagnetic fields can be prepared with an exact number of photons. This realm of physics is now known as “cavity quantum electrodynamics.”