cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting effluent quality from fill-and-draw activated sludge reactors

Experiments were conducted in fill-and-draw reactors to determine the effects of influent substrate (lactose) concentration and hydraulic residence time upon the concentration of soluble organic matter in the effluent from plug flow activated sludge reactors. The effluent soluble chemical oxygen demand and influent substrate concentration were found to be linearly related although little of the residual organic matter was the original substrate. Furthermore, a simple mathematical model was able to predict the effects of the influent substrate concentration. It was not possible to conclude whether the hydraulic residence time had a significant effect upon effluent quality. The observed effect was so small, however, that it is likely to be of little practical significance.
Transgenic approaches for the reproductive containment of genetically engineered fish

Abstract Aquacultural applications of transgenic technologies have the potential to supply the ever growing demand for food products derived from aquatic resources. However, before any benefits of genetically engineered fish can be realized, methods for the containment of transgenic fish must be developed to help prevent their interbreeding with native populations should they be accidentally released or escape. In this review, the current methods of physical and biological containment in use by aquaculturists for confinement of domestic farmed fish are outlined and discussed with regard to their applicability and effectiveness for the containment of transgenic fish. New and developing transgenic approaches for the confinement of genetically engineered fish, including transgenic sterilization, disruption of embryonic development, and gonad-specific transgene excision are then discussed in detail. Although some preliminary studies allude to ongoing experiments, there are few peer-reviewed scientific publications that describe the implementation of these techniques. The current dearth of publications demonstrating the success of these technically complex methods, even in model fish species, suggests that difficulties may be prevalent when trying to implement such transgenic containment approaches in vivo. Although these containment approaches are being developed to reduce the risks arising from released or escaped transgenic fish, these “containment transgenes” must themselves survive regulatory scrutiny. Given the extensive regulatory review process that has been associated with the approval of genetically engineered organisms expressing well-characterized proteins that have historically been present in the food supply and are generally regarded as safe, transgenic containment approaches using novel proteins may face an even longer and more complex regulatory process. Nuclear transfer cloning of cultured somatic cells has been reported for model fish species, and represents a non-transgenic approach for the production of targeted gene knockouts in commercial fish species. Inactivating key reproductive gene(s) such that fertility restoration can only be achieved by the selective administration of exogenous hormones may offer an effective solution for the reproductive containment of transgenic fish. Considering the need for dependable containment of transgenic fish and the technical and regulatory challenges that may be associated with transgenic containment approaches, future developments in gene knockout technology may ultimately result in a more reliable and commercially viable approach to achieve genetic reproductive containment.
Personalizing Bridging Anticoagulation in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation—a Microsimulation Analysis

Background Bridging anticoagulation is commonly prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation who are initiating warfarin or require interruption of anticoagulation. Current guidelines recommend bridging for patients at high risk of stroke. Among patients with atrial fibrillation and one or more risk factors for ischemic stroke, the recently published BRIDGE trial found forgoing bridging during interruption to be, on average, noninferior to bridging with respect to ischemic complications, with significantly fewer hemorrhagic complications.
Evaluating the Privacy Guarantees of Location Proximity Services

Location-based services have become an integral part of everyday life. To address the privacy issues that emerge from the use and sharing of location information, social networks and smartphone applications have adopted location proximity schemes as a means of balancing user privacy with utility. Unfortunately, despite the extensive academic literature on this topic, the schemes that large service providers have adopted are not always designed or implemented correctly, rendering users vulnerable to location-disclosure attacks. Such attacks have recently received major publicity as, in some cases, they even exposed citizens of oppressive regimes to life-threatening risks. In this article, we systematically assess the defenses that popular location-based services and mobile applications deploy to guard against adversaries seeking to identify a user’s location. We provide the theoretical foundations for formalizing the privacy guarantees of currently adopted proximity models, design practical attacks for each case, and prove tight bounds on the number of queries required for carrying out successful attacks in practice.To evaluate the completeness of our approach, we conduct extensive experiments against popular services including Facebook, Foursquare, and Grindr. Our results demonstrate that, even though the aforementioned services implement various privacy-preserving techniques to protect their users, they are still vulnerable to attacks. In particular, we are able to pinpoint Facebook users within 5m of their exact location. For Foursquare and Grindr, users are pinpointed within 15m of their location in 90% of the cases, even with the strictest privacy settings enabled. Our attacks are highly efficient and complete within a few seconds. The severity of our findings was acknowledged by Facebook and Foursquare, both of which have followed our recommendations and adopted our design of a safe proximity scheme in their production systems. As the number of mobile applications offering location functionality will continue to increase, service providers and software developers must be able to assess the privacy guarantees that their services offer. To that end, we discuss viable defenses that can be currently adopted by all major services, and provide an open-source testing framework to be used by researchers and service providers who wish to evaluate the privacy-preserving properties of applications offering proximity functionality.
Reconciling Volatility and Stability in the Defense Budget

Several suggestions to improve, clarify, and extend the discussion of the budget’s journey through Congress at the individual program level are offered in the concluding chapter. The chapter also provides some reflections of whether volatile budgets are good or bad for American democracy and its citizens.
The state of physical medicine and rehabilitation in Iowa: 2000-2005.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to to describe the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation within Iowa from 2000-2005 by conducting a survey of the 30 practicing physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians in Iowa. RESULTS Nine of 15 respondents completed medical school or residency training in midwest states. Physiatrists expressed numerous concerns including poor reimbursement, increasing malpractice costs, and difficulty recruiting physiatrists to Iowa. Iowa is ranked 49th in physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians per capita population. It also ranks 50th in Medicare payments per enrollee, yet is ranked fourth in the nation for percentage of citizens over the age of 65. CONCLUSIONS Recruitment of physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians should be tailored toward resident physicians completing training programs from midwest states. Retention of Iowa physiatrists, due to Iowa's lack of a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency training program, low Medicare reimbursement, and high percentage of patients over the age of 65, may lead to a "perfect storm" public health crisis for Iowans regarding the availability of future physical medicine and rehabilitation services.
Modeling of photonic bandgap effects on scan blindnesses in printed dipole arrays

An analysis of scanblindness onset angles in printed dipole arrays with perforated dielectric substrates is presented. The periodic grid of air holes in these arrays is shown to produce a photonic bandgap (PBG), which is identified as the root cause of previously observed anomalous behavior in H-plane scans. A basic transmission line unit cell model is developed that incorporates PBG effects, and this updated model is shown to accurately predict scanblindnesseses even in cases where traditional analysis fails. This new model lays the groundwork for investigations into E-plane blindness mitigation using the PBG behavior of perforated dielectric substrates.
A spiral-based volumetric acquisition for MR temperature imaging.

Purpose To develop a rapid pulse sequence for volumetric MR thermometry. Methods Simulations were carried out to assess temperature deviation, focal spot distortion/blurring, and focal spot shift across a range of readout durations and maximum temperatures for Cartesian, spiral-out, and retraced spiral-in/out (RIO) trajectories. The RIO trajectory was applied for stack-of-spirals 3D imaging on a real-time imaging platform and preliminary evaluation was carried out compared to a standard 2D sequence in vivo using a swine brain model, comparing maximum and mean temperatures measured between the two methods, as well as the temporal standard deviation measured by the two methods. Results In simulations, low-bandwidth Cartesian trajectories showed substantial shift of the focal spot, whereas both spiral trajectories showed no shift while maintaining focal spot geometry. In vivo, the 3D sequence achieved real-time 4D monitoring of thermometry, with an update time of 2.9-3.3 s. Conclusion Spiral imaging, and RIO imaging in particular, is an effective way to speed up volumetric MR thermometry. Magn Reson Med 79:3122-3127, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
A Comparison of Traditional Classroom Instruction and Anchored Instruction with University General Education Students

The effects of a traditional instruction format and an anchored instruction format on the immediate and long-term acquisition of knowledge of 100 university general education majors was examined. P...
Ending on a Note of Fear

On September 17, 1835, Charles Darwin recorded the Beagle’s move into St. Stephen’s harbor. Remarking on the abundance of reptilian and avian life on the island, he ends with the observation, “the birds are Strangers to Man & think him as innocent as their countrymen the huge Tortoises. Little birds, within 3 or four feet, quietly hopped about the Bushes & were not frightened by stones being thrown at them. Mr King killed one with his hat & I pushed off a branch with the end of my gun a large Hawk.”
The Past, Present and Future of MRI Superconducting Magnet Development

MR magnets have quickly moved from applications in laboratory spectroscopy instruments to application in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hospitals. The level of effort in universities and medical instrument companies directed at MRI and spectroscopy for diagnostics is substantial, and as a result, the magnet performance requirements are changing with time. Generally, these changing requirements are in the field strength, the field quality, and the interaction of the magnet with other system components. The application in hospitals, where cryogenics and magnets are not otherwise in use, brings its own set of demands to magnet design and performance. It is desirable to minimize the support necessary for cryogens by means of active coolers or liquefiers. Mobile MRI systems are also being used that impose their own set of demands on the magnet and cryogenic subsystem. Magnetic shielding that facilitates installation in the vicinity of other medical equipment is necessary in many installations.
Exploiting Timing Side Channel in Secure Cloud Scheduling

Traditionally, scheduling policies used in event schedulers have been designed to optimize performance based metrics such as throughput and delay while maintaining some notion of fairness. In multi-tenancy cloud environments, it is important to ensure privacy of the users because a scheduler creates a timing based side channel through which malicious users can learn about the service usage pattern of the others. In this chapter, we demonstrate the existence of a timing side channel in shared schedulers and discuss the design of secure scheduling policies. When a processor is shared by multiple users, the delays experienced by jobs from one user are a function of the arrival pattern of jobs from other users, and the scheduling policy of the server. Consequently, a scheduling system creates a timing side channel in which information about arrival pattern from one user is inadvertently leaked to another. In this work, this information leakage is studied for a two user scheduling system. We first introduce a measure of privacy and then demonstrate that no scheduler can provide maximum privacy without idling/taking vacations, and consequently no policy can simultaneously be delay and privacy optimal.
A Theoretical Case for Reasonableness

Radical American environmental groups like EARTH FIRST!, Greenpeace, and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) have claimed responsibility for a list of arsons, defacements, and property damages aimed at the producers, researchers, and proponents of food biotechnology.20 Since 2000, fervent green activists have executed passive, but illegal, street theatre demonstrations such as those at the annual Biotechnology Industry Organization convention in Boston, staged highly aggressive demonstrations as seen at the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, and conducted violent riots at shareholder meetings for the grocery chain Safeway (Martineau, 2001). Whether they are burning crop experiments in research fields at land grant universities in the Midwest or stealing shipments of produce at food markets on the East Coast, their acts of defiance are indicative of the deep ecological concerns some American environmentalists have with genetically modified food (Martineau, 2001; Teitel, Wilson, & Nader, 1999). More important, when Greenpeace activists dumped tons of genetically engineered soy meal onto an American flag outside the biotechnology conference in France or when eco-terrorists destroyed a University of Washington horticultural lab, they were dismissed as ecological anarchists and not environmental freedom fighters by members of the same political movement (Malkin, 2001). That is, most acts by radical ecologists are rejected by mainstream environmental groups because these groups condemn all demonstrations that destroy intellectual capital and improperly characterize the environmental movement as revolutionary.
Effects of Emissivity on Combustion Behavior of Energetic Materials

Emissivity is defined as the ratio of the energy radiated from a material’s surface to that radiated from a blackbody (a perfect emitter) at the same temperature and wavelength and under the same viewing conditions. It is a dimensionless number between 0 (for a perfect reflector) and 1 (for a perfect emitter). Knowledge of surface emissivity is important both for accurate non-contact temperature measurement and for heat transfer calculations [1]. Piobert’s Law states that all burning occurs at the surface layer by layer and the burning is normal to the surface [2]. This may cause changes in the burn surface response depending on the surface. Another important characteristic of combustion is Saint Robert’s Law (a.k.a. Vieille’s Law) which explains the effect of pressure [3]. This paper will investigate through literature and propose a technical approach. The goal will be to assess the effect of a materials emissivity to its combustion behavior and identify a correlation if one exists. As stated above, emissivity does influence heat transfer which is also a contributor to combustion behavior.
Live Migration Ate My VM: Recovering a Virtual Machine after Failure of Post-Copy Live Migration

Post-copy is one of the two key techniques (besides pre-copy) for live migration of virtual machines in data centers. Post-copy provides deterministic total migration time and low downtime for write-intensive VMs. However, if post-copy migration fails for any reason, the migrating VM is lost because the VM’s latest consistent state is split between the source and destination nodes during migration. In this paper, we present PostCopyFT, a new approach to recover a VM after a destination or network failure during post-copy live migration using an efficient reverse incremental checkpointing mechanism. We have implemented and evaluated our approach in the KVM/QEMU platform. Our experimental results show that the total migration time of post-copy remains unchanged while maintaining low failover time, downtime, and application performance overhead.
A Research Review of Literacy Tutoring and Mentoring in Initial Teacher Preparation: Toward Practices That Can Transform Teaching:

Our goal through this literature review is to report and synthesize the findings from research into literacy tutoring and literacy mentoring in initial teacher preparation. We identified a total of...
Social Equity in Professional Codes of Ethics

Social equity is a principle of public administration ethics and is reflected in numerous professional organizations’ codes of ethics. This piece examines social equity as an ethical imperative of ...
Comment Clauses and mood choice in New York City Spanish: Generational constraints and innovations

Abstract This paper focuses on Spanish grammatical mood variation in Comment Clauses (e.g., es mejor que no vayas (subjunctive) / vas (indicative) ‘it’s better you not go’) in the speech of two generations in New York City. The data come from 36 participants, 18 from each of two generational cohorts. Carried out within the variationist-sociolinguistic research paradigm, we test grammatical mood against eight variables, four external (generation, region, speaker sex, language skill) and four internal (grammatical tense, clause type, lexical identity, negation). Statistical findings reveal that generation significantly conditions subjunctive use (the first generation has a significantly higher rate of use of subjunctive forms than does the second generation); English skill conditions first-generation subjunctive use (those with ‘good or excellent’ English skills have a higher subjunctive rate than those with ‘fair or poor’ English skills); clause type conditions both generations’ subjunctive use (impersonal constructions yield a higher subjunctive rate than personal constructions); lexical identity and negation in the matrix clause both condition first-generation use of mood (gustar ‘to like’ favors the indicative; importar ‘to be important’ and ser + impersonal expression ‘to be’ both favor the subjunctive). Generational differences are thus observed with respect to both social and linguistic conditioning factors.
Molecular, chemical, and structural characterization of prostaglandin A2 as a novel agonist for Nur77

Nur77 is a transcription factor belonging to the NR4A subfamily of nuclear hormone receptors. Upon induction, Nur77 modulates expression of its target genes and controls a variety of biological and pathophysiological processes. Prior research that revealed a structurally atypical ligand-binding domain and failed to locate an endogenous ligand had led to classification of Nur77 as an orphan receptor. However, several more recent studies indicate that small synthetic molecules and unsaturated fatty acids can bind to Nur77. Discovery of additional endogenous ligands will facilitate our understanding of the receptor9s functions and regulatory mechanisms. Our data have identified prostaglandin A2 (PGA2), a cyclopentenone prostaglandin, as such a ligand. Cyclopentenone prostaglandins exert their biological effects primarily by forming protein adducts via the characteristic electrophilic β-carbon(s) located in their cyclopentenone rings. Our data show that PGA2 induces Nur77 transcriptional activity by forming a covalent adduct between its endocyclic β-carbon, C9, and Cys566 in the receptor9s ligand-binding domain. The importance of this endocyclic β-carbon was substantiated by the failure of prostaglandins without such electrophilic properties to react with Nur77. Calculated chemical properties and data from reactive molecular dynamic simulations, intrinsic reaction coordinate modeling, and covalent molecular docking also corroborate the selectivity of PGA29s C9 β-carbon towards Nur779s Cys. In summary, our molecular, chemical, and structural characterization of the PGA2-Nur77 interaction provides the first evidence that PGA2 is an endogenous Nur77 agonist.
Effect of Fellowship-Trained Surgeon Involvement on Hysterectomy Outcomes in Morbidly Obese Patients

Study Objective To assess the effect of fellowship-trained surgeons (FTS) on hysterectomy-related complications in morbidly obese patients. Design Retrospective cohort study Setting Tertiary-care, academic medical center with generalist obstetricians/gynecologists, gynecologic oncologists, urogynecologists, and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery trained surgeons Patients or Participants Patients with BMI > 40 kg/m2 who underwent any route of hysterectomy between 4/2014 and 3/2018 were eligible for inclusion. 225 patients were randomly selected, excluding patients with malignancy or bariatric surgery. Interventions 105 patients who underwent hysterectomy with a FTS were compared to 120 patients with no FTS. Data was collected by chart review and polytomous logistic regression was used for analysis. Measurements and Main Results Patients in the FTS group were more obese (BMI 46.7 v. 45.0, P=0.01), had a higher prevalence of obesity-related medical comorbidities (80% v. 55%, P Conclusion In morbidly obese patients, hysterectomy by fellowship trained surgeons was not associated with a difference in 30-day complications. It is possible that in this high-risk cohort, there are small differences in outcomes, which we are unable to detect.
Thirty- and 90-Day Readmissions After Treatment of Traumatic Subdural Hematoma: National Trend Analysis.

Objective Subdural hematoma (SDH), a form of traumatic brain injury, is a common disease that requires extensive patient management and resource utilization; however, there remains a paucity of national studies examining the likelihood of readmission in this patient population. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in 30- and 90-day readmissions for treatment of traumatic SDH using a nationwide readmission database. Methods The Nationwide Readmission Database years 2013–2015 were queried. Patients with a diagnosis of traumatic SDH and a primary procedure code for incision of cerebral meninges for drainage were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification coding system. Patients were grouped by no readmission (Non-R), readmission within 30 days (30-R), and readmission within 31–90 days (90-R). Results We identified a total of 14,355 patients, with 3106 (21.6%) patients encountering a readmission (30-R: n = 2193 [15.3%]; 90-R: n = 913 [6.3%]; Non-R: n = 11,249). The most prevalent 30- and 90-day diagnoses seen among the readmitted cohorts were postoperative infection (30-R: 10.5%, 90-R: 13.0%) and epilepsy (30-R: 3.7%, 90-R: 1.1%). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, Medicare, Medicaid, hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, congestive heart failure, and coagulopathy were independently associated with 30-day readmission; Medicare and rheumatoid arthritis/collagen vascular disease were independently associated with 90-day readmission. Conclusions In this study, we determine the relationship between readmission rates and complications associated with surgical intervention for traumatic subdural hematoma.
Novel spectral-shaping building block: a narrowband Mach–Zehnder interferometer

We present an experimental demonstration of notch filters with arbitrary center wavelengths capable of tunable analog output power values varying between full extinction of 15 and 0 dB. Each filter is composed of highly modular apodized four-port Bragg add/drop filters to reduce the crosstalk between concatenated devices. The constructed photonic integrated circuit experimentally demonstrates spectra shaping using four independent notch filters. Each notch filter supports a bandwidth of ∼2 nm and is shown to be suitable for realization of programmable photonic integrated circuits.
Phonon, plasmon and gap behavior in high-temperature copper oxide superconductors

Infrared spectroscopy of conventional superconductors shows Drude electronic behavior above T c , gap behavior below T c , and almost no phonons because of screening. In contrast, our spectra (50–600 cm−1) of the rare earth barium copper oxides R x B a 3–x C u 3 O 7 (R =Y, Gd, Tm; x= 1, 1.5) show few carriers and strong phonon modes. The spectra yield 2Δ/kT c ≥ 3.6 and suggest enhanced plasmon-phonon interaction near the gap which may be important for high-T c superconductivity (1–4).
Detection of Monocyte/Macrophage and Microglia Activation in the TMEV Model of Chronic Demyelination Using USPIO‐Enhanced Ultrahigh‐Field Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Blood-derived monocytes/macrophages can be labeled with ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxides (USPIO) at periphery and subsequently migrate into areas of inflammation in the brain. We investigated temporal pattern of migration of peripheral immune cells in Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) model of chronic demyelination by USPIO-enhanced imaging. METHODS Fifteen SJL mice (Envigo, Indianapolis, IN) were injected with TMEV (n = 12) or saline (n = 3) at 7 weeks of age. Brain MRI of 9.4 T was performed at 3 months postinfection (mpi) (the peak of inflammatory phase), at 4, 5, and 7 mpi (throughout neurodegenerative phase) using T2*-weighted gradient echo MRI, and performed 24 hours after USPIO injection. Contrast enhancing lesion (CEL) number and volume were measured and development of brain atrophy was assessed across serial time points. Clinical disability scale and rotarod score assessed disease progression. RESULTS CEL was detected in a total of eight (66.7%) TMEV-infected animals and none of the Controls. The CEL was present in four (33.3%) TMEV-infected animals at 3 mpi, two (16.7%) at 4 mpi, six (54.5%) at 5 mpi, and four (44.4%) at 7 mpi, respectively. In TMEV-infected animals, the CEL number and volume increased significantly from 3 to 7 mpi (P < .01 for both). The correlation between total CEL number and volume with clinical and MRI outcomes was trending (P < .05). On histopathology analysis, CEL showed increased density of Iba1 staining for microglia activity. CONCLUSIONS Serial USPIO imaging is a promising biomarker for investigating the effect of therapeutic interventions on monocytes/macrophages and microglia activation and neurodegeneration in TMEV-infected animals.
Coping with brain amyloid: genetic heterogeneity and cognitive resilience to Alzheimer's pathophysiology.

Although abnormal accumulation of amyloid in the brain is an early biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), wide variation in cognitive trajectories during life can be seen in the setting of brain amyloidosis, ranging from maintenance of normal function to progression to dementia. It is widely presumed that cognitive resilience (i.e., coping) to amyloidosis may be influenced by environmental, lifestyle, and inherited factors, but relatively little in specifics is known about this architecture. Here, we leveraged multimodal longitudinal data from a large, population-based sample of older adults to discover genetic factors associated with differential cognitive resilience to brain amyloidosis determined by positron emission tomography (PET). Among amyloid-PET positive older adults, the AD risk allele APOE ɛ4 was associated with worse longitudinal memory trajectories as expected, and was thus covaried in the main analyses. Through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we uncovered a novel association with cognitive resilience on chromosome 8 at the MTMR7/CNOT7/ZDHHC2/VPS37A locus (p = 4.66 × 10–8, β = 0.23), and demonstrated replication in an independent cohort. Post-hoc analyses confirmed this association as specific to the setting of elevated amyloid burden and not explained by differences in tau deposition or cerebrovascular disease. Complementary gene-based analyses and publically available functional data suggested that the causative variant at this locus may tag CNOT7 (CCR4-NOT Transcription Complex Subunit 7), a gene linked to synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Pathways related to cell adhesion and immune system activation displayed enrichment of association in the GWAS. Our findings, resulting from a unique study design, support the hypothesis that genetic heterogeneity is one of the factors that explains differential cognitive resilience to brain amyloidosis. Further characterization of the underlying biological mechanisms influencing cognitive resilience may facilitate improved prognostic counseling, therapeutic application, and trial enrollment in AD.
Increased Exposure to Nature Reduces Elementary Students' Anxiety

This study investigated the effect of nature-based guidance lessons on anxiety and connection to nature among elementary students using a pretest post-test with control group experimental design. N...
A Method of Reconfiguring Flying Capacitor Multilevel Input Stage for Wide Input Voltage Range Converter Design

Wide input or output voltage range converters are required in various applications, including railway, industrial, military, aerospace, and many more. However, it has been challenging to achieve and maintain high efficiency under a wide range of input or output voltages of operation because of shifting operating conditions and compromised component selections required to cover a wide voltage range of operation. In this article, a method of reconfiguring the flying capacitor multilevel power conversion input stage is revealed for a wide voltage range of operation. A pulse voltage is produced by the input stage. With proper configuration under different input voltage levels, the voltage across key components, namely power switches, inductors, and capacitors, can be maintained relatively constant. In this way, components can be selected and optimized for very confined operating conditions. Also, the amplitude and frequency of the pulse voltage produced by the input stage are also maintained relatively constant. Therefore, a followed filter stage, a resonant tank, or an isolation + rectifier stage can be designed and operated with optimization. High and maintained overall efficiency are achieved over a wide change of the input voltage.
Safety of Ibuprofen in Children With G6PD Deficiency: A Systematic Review

Introduction Ibuprofen is included on websites and frequently referenced lists as medium risk for inducing hemolysis in children with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. This presents a challenge for otolaryngologists who perform tonsillectomy and other surgeries in children, as ibuprofen serves as an important alternative to opioids for perioperative pain control. We systematically review published literature and national medication databases to evaluate the risk of hemolytic anemia and related complications when ibuprofen is used in children with G6PD deficiency. Methods Systematic literature review using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses methodology. National drug adverse reaction database inquiry. Results Our search yielded 774 results for review consideration. Of these, three studies were included in our final analysis (two retrospective case-series, and one nonrandomized prospective study). The prospective study showed no evidence of hemolysis from perioperative exposure to ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in children with G6PD deficiency at high risk. Two population studies in the Middle East suggested extremely low incidence of ibuprofen-related hemolysis (approximate 1/100,000 affected children per year). United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicine Agency, and Health Canada adverse drug reaction databases reveled reported ibuprofen-related hematologic adverse reactions of approximate 1/100 million affected children per year. Conclusions There is scant, low-quality evidence of hemolytic anemia caused by ibuprofen in children with G6PD deficiency. If an association does exist, it is extremely rare. Drug-induced hemolytic anemias are recognizable and reversible following discontinuation of the inciting medication. Given these low risks, ibuprofen should be considered an appropriate choice in the management of perioperative pain in children with G6PD deficiency. Level of evidence N/A Laryngoscope, 2021.
Prognostic value of clinicians' predictions of neonatal outcomes in counseling at the margin of gestational viability.

Abstract Within antenatal counseling sessions at the margin of gestational viability, clinicians frequently to use population-based outcome data and statistical models to guide the decision-making process. These tools often utilize non-modifiable prenatal factors to estimate outcomes based on population averages. However, most parents prefer individualized predictions, which cannot be supported by these models. Additionally, prognostic accuracy is limited by institutional practices surrounding active management of infants at the margin of viability. Throughout the literature, parental perspectives emphasize the importance of communicating subjective information, such as providing hope and supporting personal values, over the importance of accurate prognostic information from the clinician. In this review we aim to describe the value of clinician prognoses in the decision-making process at the margin of gestational viability and emphasize the importance of addressing parental values during the counseling process, regardless of the expected outcome.
Methodology for designing reasonably expressive mechanisms with application to ad auctions

Mechanisms (especially on the Internet) have begun allowing people or organizations to express richer preferences in order to provide for greater levels of overall satisfaction. In this paper, we develop an operational methodology for quantifying the expected gains in economic efficiency associated with different forms of expressiveness. We begin by proving that the sponsored search mechanism (GSP) used by Google, Yahoo!, MSN, etc. can be arbitrarily inefficient. We then experimentally compare its efficiency to a slightly more expressive variant (PGSP), which solicits an extra bid for a premium class of positions. We generate random preference distributions based on published industry knowledge. We determine ideal strategies for the agents using a custom tree search technique, and we also benchmark using straightforward heuristic bidding strategies. The GSP's efficiency loss is greatest in the practical case where some advertisers ("brand advertisers") prefer top positions while others ("value advertisers") prefer middle positions, and that loss can be dramatic. It is also worst when agents have small profit margins. While the PGSP is only slightly more expressive (and thus not much more cumbersome), it removes almost all of the efficiency loss in all of the settings we study.
The teratogenic effect of 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine in the rat. Protection by deoxycytidine.

Abstract Single i.p. injections of 1-β- D -arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) at doses ranging from 20–800 mg/kg of body wt. given to the pregnant Wistar rat from day 10–12 of gestation produced malformations which included cleft palate and lip, encephalocele, and deformed appendages and tail in fetuses that survived to day 21 of gestation. No malformations were observed in fetuses at 21 days with any of the doses (5–500 mg/kg) given to the pregnant rat on day 5–9 of gestation. The effectiveness of 1-β- D -2'-deoxy-ribofuranosylcytosine (CdR) in preventing fetal malformations at 21 days, produced by a single i.p. injection of 150 mg/kg or ara-C given to the 12-day-pregnant rat was dependent on the amount of CdR and of intervals of time between the administration of the two compounds. If the time interval between administration of ara-C (150 mg/kg) and CdR (600 mg/kg) exceeded 10 min, complete protection against ara-C-induced malformations did not occur. 1-β- D -deoxyribofuranosyl-5'-phosphate (dCMP) gave protection in the same range as CdR, but 1-β- D -ribofuranosylcytosine-5'-phosphate (CMP), 1-β- D -ribofuranosylcytosine diphosphate (CDP), 1-β- D -ribofuranosylcytosine (CR) and thymidine (TdR) did not. When tritium-labeled ara-C (282.5 mg/kg) was given i.v. to the 12-day-pregnant rat, about 30 per cent of the injected dose was excreted in the urine within 24 hr, with only minor amounts being deaminated to 1-β- D -ribofuranosyluracil (ara-U); fetuses from these rats extracted 1–2 hr after injection showed about 97.5 per cent of the radioactivity in the trichloracetic acid (TCA), 2.5 per cent in the DNA, and no activity in the RNA and protein fractions.
StarDBT: an efficient multi-platform dynamic binary translation system

This paper describes the design and implementation of a research dynamic binary translation system, StarDBT, which runs many real-world applications. StarDBT is a multi-platform translation system that is capable of translating application level binaries on either Windows or Linux OSes. A system-level variant of StarDBT can also run on a bare machine by translating the whole system code. We evaluate performance of a user-mode system using both SPEC2000 and some challenging Windows applications. StarDBT runs the SPEC2000 benchmark competitively to other state-of-the-art binary translators. For Windows applications that are typically multi-threaded GUI-based interactive applications with large code footprint, the StarDBT system provides acceptable performance in many cases. However, there are important scenarios in which dynamic translation still incurs significant runtime overhead, raising issues for further research. The major overheads are caused by the translation overhead of large volume of infrequently-executed code and by the emulation overhead for indirect branches.
COMPLEX ALPHA AND GAMMA SPECTRA OF Cf$sup 250$,$sup 25$$sup 2$

The alpha and gamma spectra of ${\mathrm{Cf}}^{250}$ and ${\mathrm{Cf}}^{252}$ have been investigated with an alpha-particle spectrograph and an alpha-particle gamma-ray coincidence counter. Alpha groups of 6.112 (84.5%) and 6.069 Mev (15.5%) belonging to ${\mathrm{Cf}}^{252}$ were found, as were groups of 6.024 (83%) and 5.980 Mev (17%), belonging to ${\mathrm{Cf}}^{250}$. $L$ x-rays and gamma rays of 42 (0.014%) and 100 kev (${0.01}_{3}$%) were assigned to ${\mathrm{Cf}}^{252}$. Other gamma rays were assigned to odd-mass californium isotopes. The results are evaluated with respect to the current theory and systematics of complex alpha spectra and excited states of even-even nuclei.
Intracellular uncoating of type 5 adenovirus deoxyribonucleic acid.

Highly purified, (32)P-labeled type 5 adenovirus was employed to study "uncoating" of viral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-defined as the development of sensitivity to deoxyribonuclease. Viral infectivity and radioactivity adsorbed to KB cells at the same rate, and significant amounts of (32)P did not elute from cells throughout the eclipse period. Kinetic studies of viral penetration, eclipse of infectivity, and uncoating of viral DNA indicated that the three events were closely related temporally, that the rates of each were similar, and that they were completed within 60 to 90 min after infection. Viral penetration, eclipse, and uncoating proceeded normally under conditions which blocked protein synthesis, but they did not occur at 0 to 4 C. Neither viral DNA nor viral protein was degraded to acid-soluble material during the eclipse period. The nature of adenovirus DNA was studied after it was converted intracellularly from deoxyribonuclease-resistant to deoxyribonuclease-susceptible. Intact virions centrifuged in sucrose gradients had a sedimentation coefficient of approximately 800, and viral DNA sedimented as a particle of about 30S. Infection of KB cells with purified (32)P-labeled virus yielded deoxyribonuclease-susceptible viral nucleic acid which was in particles with sedimentation coefficients of 350 to 450S, i.e., greater than 10 times faster than DNA obtained from purified virions which had been disrupted by exposure to pH 10.5. When the DNA from disrupted virions was mixed with cell lysates, its sedimentation characteristics were essentially unchanged by the presence of cellular material.
Seeing into hearts and minds: Part 2. ‘Big data’, algorithms, and computational counterinsurgency

In this second of his two-part article, the author analyzes the rise of ‘predictive policing’ and its Pentagon connections, reviews two programmes, and poses these in the context of scientists' concerns over artificial intelligence and long-term human survival.
Education and the Constitution.

The last 50 years have seen a massive increase in the federal role in public education in the United States and a marked increase in the tension between the federal government and the states with respect to control over education. This article investigates the history of education in America, particularly with respect to federal versus state power. By examining primary sources from the colonial and postcolonial periods, we can glimpse the thoughts and motivations of the United States’ most influential thinkers and leaders, as they were helping build a new country. Furthermore, the decisions of the Supreme Court on education shed light on the history and role of education in our society today. Fundamentally, this article asks the question, Because the federal government plays such a large role in public education, where is education in the Constitution?
Proposed Revision of the Standard Weight (WS) Equation for Smallmouth Bass

Abstract Weight-length data from 50 populations of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu (N = 6,731) in 19 states were used to develop a revised standard weight (WS ) equation for smallmouth bass. The regression-line–percentile (RLP) technique was used to develop the proposed 75th-percentile WS equation from length-weight regressions for individual smallmouth bass populations. The proposed Ws equation, log10 WS (weight, g) = –5.329 + 3.200 log10 L(total length, mm), is valid for fish 150 mm long and longer. The English-unit equivalent, log10 WS (lb) = –3.491 + 3.200 log10 L(total length, in), is valid for fish 6 in long and longer.
The functional relationship between in vivo bromodeoxyuridine labeling index and Ki-67 proliferation index in human breast cancer

Proliferation indices are used, along with other parameters, to estimate the risk of recurrence of breast cancer for individual patients. Because it is unlikely one index will be practical for all patients, it is important to understand the relationship between various indices of proliferation. For this reason, we compared a proliferation index based on in vivo labeling of S-phase tumor cells with the thymidine analog bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd), to a proliferation index based on an estimate of the growth fraction with the MIB-1 antibody to the Ki-67 antigen. With informed consent, we gave 145 patients 200 mg/m2 BrdUrd intravenously just prior to surgical removal of breast cancer. On histology sections, we visually counted S-phase cells which had incorporated BrdUrd using the Br-3 antibody which is specific to DNA-incorporated BrdUrd, and we counted cells in the growth fraction using the MIB-1 antibody to the Ki-67 antigen. We found that both indices were positively correlated with tumor size, number of positive nodes, and tumor grade, and both were negatively correlated with age and estrogen-progesterone receptor positivity. Using a linear functional relationship model, we found that the best (i.e. the maximal) fit between the two indices (correlation coefficient 0.79; p < 0.0001) occurred when each index was square root transformed, as is appropriate when counts follow a Poisson distribution. When we used the median as a cutpoint for each index, the classification of 19 percent of data pairs changed depending upon which index was used. We also estimated that the Ki-67 intercept (1.02 ± 0.25) was significantly greater than zero. We conclude that the BrdUrd index of DNA synthesis in S-phase correlates highly with the MIB-1 index of the growth fraction, and both indices correlate well with other parameters of tumor aggressiveness. Because this correlation is driven by concordance of the extremes of high and low counts, clinical comparison will be necessary to determine which is the better prognostic marker for human breast cancer.
Metal complexes with varying intramolecular hydrogen bonding networks.

Alfred Werner described the attributes of the primary and secondary coordination spheres in his development of coordination chemistry. To examine the effects of the secondary coordination sphere on coordination chemistry, a series of tripodal ligands containing differing numbers of hydrogen bond (H-bond) donors were used to examine the effects of H-bonds on Fe(II), Mn(II)–acetato, and Mn(III)–OH complexes. The ligands containing varying numbers of urea and amidate donors allowed for systematic changes in the secondary coordination spheres of the complexes. Two of the Fe(II) complexes that were isolated as their Bu4N+ salts formed dimers in the solid-state as determined by X-ray diffraction methods, which correlates with the number of H-bonds present in the complexes (i.e., dimerization is favored as the number of H-bond donors increases). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies suggested that the dimeric structures persist in acetonitrile. The Mn(II) complexes were all isolated as their acetato adducts. Furthermore, the synthesis of a rare Mn(III)–OH complex via dioxygen activation was achieved that contains a single intramolecular H-bond; its physical properties are discussed within the context of other Mn(III)–OH complexes.
A note on incentive fee contracting

Abstract : A hypothetical incentive fee contract for a missile is considered that includes factors of cost, time, weight, and reliability; the missile is to be assembled from 10 components, each of which is to be manufactured under a subcontract. The main desire is to learn whether the incentive fee contract can reasonably be extended to the subcontractors. The following features are stressed as of importance in extending the incentive fee concept to subcontracts: (1) If individual components have a strictly additive effect on the total project, then the incentive fee concept can be safely extended to subcontractors although for a weight case this may lead to some minor inequities. (2) If the performance of the total project is measured by that of the poorest of the components, then one must beware of substantial magnification effects. (3) If the performances of the components combine like independent probabilities to determine overall performance, the range of variability for individual components is severely restricted.