cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using personality inventories to help form teams for software engineering class projects

As faculty create their teams for software engineering class projects various techniques may be used to create these teams. Random selection as well as structured assignments all have varied strengths and weaknesses. One method for selecting students involves using personality inventories to assess the various personality types of the students. This paper will discuss how the author used the Keirsey Temperament Sorter to select teams for a software engineering class and some of the results of this experiment.
Social networks, substance use, and mental health in college students.

AbstractObjectives: The relationship between social network risk (alcohol-using close friends), perceived peer closeness, substance use, and psychiatric symptoms was examined to identify risk and protective features of college students’ social context. Participants: Six hundred and seventy undergraduate students enrolled in a large southeastern university. Methods: An online survey was administered to consenting students. Results: Students with risky networks were at a 10-fold increase of hazardous drinking, 6-fold increase for weekly marijuana use, and 3-fold increase for weekly tobacco use. College students’ who feel very close to their peers were protected against psychiatric symptoms yet were at increased risk for marijuana use. Perceived closeness of peers was highly protective against psychiatric symptoms, adding a natural preventive effect for a population at great risk for mental illness. Conclusions: Results support targeting college students through network-oriented preventive interventions to a...
Inhibition of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Clostridium sporogenes in Spinach Packaged in Modified Atmospheres after Treatment Combined with Chlorine and Lactic Acid Bacteria

: Implementation of modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) into retail produce is a less commonly practiced method due to differences among commodities and the potential growth of anaerobes. Pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7 have been responsible for spinach outbreaks across the United States. In this study, hurdles, including those currently used with produce safety, such as MAP and chlorine, were combined with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to inhibit pathogens. Spinach was coinoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and Clostridium sporogenes, a surrogate for C. botulinum, and treated with water or a hurdle that included water, chlorine, and LAB. Spinach from treatments were packaged in air (traditional), oxygen (80% O2, 20% CO2), or nitrogen (80% N2, 20% CO2) and stored in a retail display case for 9 d at 4 to 7 °C. The hurdle inhibited E. coli O157:H7 and C. sporogenes compared to controls with reductions of 1.43 and 1.10 log (P < 0.05), respectively. The nitrogen atmosphere was outperformed by air and oxygen in the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 (P < 0.05) with a decrease of 0.26 and 0.15 logs. There were no significant differences among the 3 atmospheres on C. sporogenes survival. Relative to these hurdles, we also chose to evaluate the potential benefits of LAB in pathogen control. The survival of LAB in interventions demonstrates implementation of LAB into produce could control pathogens, without damaging produce or altering organoleptic properties. Practical Application: The goal of our work was to identify methods that could reduce food-borne pathogens in packaged spinach products. Using current industry techniques in combination with unique methods, such as the use of beneficial bacteria, our research identified whether harmful microorganisms could be eliminated. Our data demonstrate that specific packaging conditions with beneficial bacteria can help eliminate or reduce the survival of E. coli O157:H7 and C. sporogenes (a model for C. botulinum) in produce.
MIBPB: A software package for electrostatic analysis

The Poisson–Boltzmann equation (PBE) is an established model for the electrostatic analysis of biomolecules. The development of advanced computational techniques for the solution of the PBE has been an important topic in the past two decades. This article presents a matched interface and boundary (MIB)-based PBE software package, the MIBPB solver, for electrostatic analysis. The MIBPB has a unique feature that it is the first interface technique-based PBE solver that rigorously enforces the solution and flux continuity conditions at the dielectric interface between the biomolecule and the solvent. For protein molecular surfaces, which may possess troublesome geometrical singularities, the MIB scheme makes the MIBPB by far the only existing PBE solver that is able to deliver the second-order convergence, that is, the accuracy increases four times when the mesh size is halved. The MIBPB method is also equipped with a Dirichlet-to-Neumann mapping technique that builds a Green's function approach to analytically resolve the singular charge distribution in biomolecules in order to obtain reliable solutions at meshes as coarse as 1 A — whereas it usually takes other traditional PB solvers 0.25 A to reach similar level of reliability. This work further accelerates the rate of convergence of linear equation systems resulting from the MIBPB by using the Krylov subspace (KS) techniques. Condition numbers of the MIBPB matrices are significantly reduced by using appropriate KS solver and preconditioner combinations. Both linear and nonlinear PBE solvers in the MIBPB package are tested by protein–solvent solvation energy calculations and analysis of salt effects on protein–protein binding energies, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011
Prevention by Succinyl Sulfathiazole of Ulcerative Cecitis in Rats

ConclusionSuccinyl sulfathiazole incorporated in the stock ration completely prevented the development of ulcerative cecitis in rats.
The Theory of Negligent Malpractice

While intentional torts are probably of more concern to psychiatrists than to other physicians, the majority of malpractice cases in psychiatry as in other medical specialties are based on theories of negligence. Negligence implies fault on the part of the doctor. At the risk of being repetitious it must be reemphasized that the doctor is not liable simply because the patient suffered an untoward result in the course of treatment. Many patients do not respond favorably to treatment: some do not change, others experience deterioration of their conditions during treatment, and still others are made worse by the treatment. It would be impossible to practice medicine if the doctor could be sued every time there was a bad result. Aside from being liable for intentional wrongs, the doctor can only be sued when he has practiced negligently.
Truth and probability in evolutionary games

This paper concerns two composite Lewis–Skyrms signalling games. Each consists in a base game that evolves a language descriptive of nature and a metagame that coevolves a language descriptive of the base game and its evolving language. The first composite game shows how a pragmatic notion of truth might coevolve with a simple descriptive language. The second shows how a pragmatic notion of probability might similarly coevolve. Each of these pragmatic notions is characterised by the particular game and role that it comes to play in the game.
An Adverse Wound Environment Reduces Leukocyte Phagocytosis and Protein Synthesis

Little is known about the differences in behavior of leukocytes of specific types of wounds. It has been observed clinically that certain tissue types are considerably more able to resist bacterial inoculation, and some experimental evidence points to differences in leukocyte function. How is leukocyte activation affected by its immediate wound milieu, and what is it about a wound that causes a leukocyte to activate?
Thermomechanical Properties of Bimodal Brush Modified Nanoparticle Composites

The enthalpic incompatibility of organic polymer matrices and high surface energy inorganic nanoparticles often leads to phase separation in polymer nanocomposites (PNC) precluding the realization of anticipated property enhancements. The grafting of polymer chains to nanoparticles holds promise as a means for controlling dispersion. A single population of polymer chains with tunable graft density (σ) and molecular weight (N) is observed to have antithetical enthalpic and entropic effects on interface compatibility. We report the use of bimodal polymer brushes with fundamentally decoupled enthalpic and entropic parameters. Bimodal polystyrene brushes were grafted from 15 nm colloidal silica nanoparticles by a previously reported consecutive RAFT (reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer) polymerization technique. The combination of a high graft density short brush and a low graft density long brush was found to cause improved nanoparticle dispersion in a polystyrene matrix when compared to single ...
Effect of diet on rate of alcohol oxidation by the liver.

Summary1. Weanling rat liver homogenate had about one-half the level of alcohol oxidation activity eventually achieved by adult rats on a chow diet (net oxygen uptake of 24 cmm per 10 minutes per 200 mg fresh liver for the adult normal rat). 85% or 75% respectively of this normal level of activity was reached by feeding chow or a purified 24% casein diet for 2 weeks. A protein-free diet removed about 85% of this enzymatic activity from the liver. 2. Adult rats responded similarly to these diets. Complete starvation for 7 days reduced this activity about 50%, while a 50% food restriction for 2 weeks gave less than a 20% decrease in the rate of alcohol oxidation.
Invisible Play and Invisible Game: Video Game Testers or The Unsung Heroes of Knowledge Working

In this paper, I examine video game testing as a lens through which exploring broader aspects of digital economy such as the intersection of different kind productive practices—working, labouring, playing and gaming—as well as the tendency to conceal the labour associated with them. Drawing on Lund’s (2014) distinction between the creative aspects of “work-playing” and the constraining/instrumental aspects of “game-labouring”, I claim that video game testing is buried under several layers of invisibility. Ideologically, the “playful”, “carnivalesque”, quasi-subversive facets of this job are rejected because of their resistance to be easily subsumed by the logic of capitalism. Practically, a fetishist process of hiding human relations behind relations among things (elements in the video game environment) reaches its paradoxical apex in the quality assurance task of this profession: the more the game tester succeeds in debugging games higher is the fetishization of his/her activity.
Robustness of recurrence for a class of stochastic hybrid systems

Abstract We study a weak stability property called recurrence for a class of stochastic hybrid systems. Robustness of the recurrence property to various state-dependent perturbations is established under mild regularity conditions for the stochastic hybrid system. A potential application of the robustness results in the development of converse Lyapunov theorems is also outlined.
Reliability and Validity of Force Platform Measures of Balance Impairment in Individuals With Parkinson Disease.

Background Complex movement and balance impairments in people with Parkinson disease (PD) contribute to high fall risk. Comprehensive balance assessment is warranted to identify intrinsic fall risk factors and direct interventions. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of 3 balance measures of a force platform (FP) system in people with PD. Methods Forty-two community-dwelling individuals with idiopathic PD completed the testing protocol. Test-retest reliability was assessed for the Limits of Stability Test (LOS), Motor Control Test (MCT), and Sensory Organization Test (SOT). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC [2,1]) were calculated to determine test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change. Validity was assessed by comparing the FP measures with criterion gait and balance measures using Pearson product moment correlations. Multiple regression analyses examined the contribution of PD characteristics to FP measures. Results All primary FP variables demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=.78–.92). The SOT and LOS demonstrated fair to good correlations with criterion measures, whereas the MCT had fair correlations to balance measures only. Both SOT composite equilibrium and MCT average latency were moderately associated with disease severity. Limitations This study's sample had a relatively small number of participants with a positive fall history, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Conclusions This study's findings provide support that FP measures are reliable and valid tests of balance impairment in people with PD. Disease severity was significantly associated with SOT and MCT measures, perhaps reflecting that these tests are meaningful indicators of decline in postural control with disease progression. Force platform measures may provide valuable quantitative information about underlying balance impairments in people with PD to guide therapeutic interventions for fall risk reduction.
The Expansion of the American Empires

Columbus’ discovery of America in 1492 opened a dramatic chapter in the history of the human race. The discovery of the New World was fortuitous. In 1506 Columbus went to his grave convinced that what he had found were islands off the landmass of Asia. Not until 1513 when Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475–1517) set eyes on the Pacific (the whole of which he claimed for the king of Spain) did the Europeans realize their error. By then, the southern half of the continent had been named not after Columbus, but after another Italian, Amerigo Vespucci (1451–1512), who had sailed as far as present-day Argentina. A hundred years later the focus of European attention was still in Asia. It took a long time before Europe conceded the existence of a continent that would radically change its history.
Variable-sensitivity road departure warning system based on static, mapped, near-road threats

The severity of a road departure event strongly depends on the features around the roadway: trees and other “hard” fixed objects represent a severe collision hazard, steep slopes nearby may be representing rollover threats or frontal impact hazards, and sharp road-edge drop-offs may exist that prevent high-speed road recovery. But the near-road area may also contain traversable shoulders and medians, such that a road departure can be a fully safe and recoverable event. This paper presents a simulated road departure warning system, sensitive to severity of hazards based on near-road terrain geometry analysis and subsequent threat assessment. To serve as a demonstration, many random 3D models of a highway road and near-road features following AASHTO guidelines were generated. Near-road features were subdivided into three categories corresponding to high, medium or low severity based on their geometries. We assume that geometric parameters of features used in this study are available from pre-processed LIDAR or other map data. Due to unavailability of threat correlation between different types of features, a relative threat index defined as Normalized Average Severity index is used to determine threats associated with a feature. To simulate a driver-warning system, geometries and hazards were tagged with different colors on the generated 3D model. The 3D model is designed to serve as an additional visual warning system for the driver providing information about risk zones nearby the present vehicle position.
Cardiac-Activity Measures for Assessing Airport Ramp-Tower Controller's Workload

Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) potentially offer objective, continuous, and non-intrusive measures of human-operator's mental workload. Such measurement capability is attractive for workload assessment in complex laboratory simulations or safety-critical field testing. The present study compares mean HR and HRV data with self-reported subjective workload ratings collected during a high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulation of airport ramp traffic control operations, which involve complex cognitive and coordination tasks. Mean HR was found to be weakly sensitive to the workload ratings, while HRV was not sensitive or even contradictory to the assumptions. Until more knowledge on stress response mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system is obtained, it is recommended that these cardiac-activity measures be used with other workload assessment tools, such as subjective measures.
The jury: Social and psychological variables

The selection of a jury is an important phase of the American court system. Many lawyers believe that wise choices at this point may mean the difference between winning and losing a case. Various means of selecting jurors have been practiced by attorneys, and there seem to be among lawyers general impressions about the type of people best suited for certain cases. These ideas have most often concerned social, economic and psychological variables rather then genetic factors.
Multicore fiber with dual-ring structure

Features of MCFs with dual-ring structure are reviewed. A dual-ring MCF with 12 cores can realize a large Aeff of 105.8 m2 and small 1550-nm inter-core crosstalk of - 51 dB/100 km under limited cladding diameter.
A Critical Look at Three Arousal Constructs in Personality Theories

The first statement of an optimal level of arousal construct in personality theory was in Freud’s constancy principle (Breuer & Freud, 1895/1937): There is a tendency to preserve at a constant level the intracerebral excitement. An excess of it becomes burdensome and annoying, and there arises an urge to consume it .... I believe we can also assume a level of the intracerebral tonic excitement, namely that it also has an optimum. On this level of tonic excitement, the brain is accessible to all external stimuli. (p. 143)
Making Big Data Simple with dashDB Local

In this paper we introduce dashDB Local, a new Big Data & SQL warehousing technology from IBM designed to provide dramatic simplification over traditional data warehousing deployments, while offering next generation query performance and the analytic richness of the Apache Spark ecosystem. Designed as a Software Defined Technology, dashDB Local automatically adapts to hardware platforms to provide simplified deployments. In experiments one multiple workloads, we have achieved deployment times for large clusters in
A call for an ethic of transformation in communication activism education

Lawrence Frey and David Palmer present a provocative call for communication education and research that is urgent and opportune. The call is urgent because the global human condition—including clim...
Thresholds for Volume and Expansion in Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage: Predictors of Neurologic Deterioration and Mortality.

Objective Spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH) is a common neurosurgical emergency, with hemorrhage size and expansion associated with poor clinical outcomes. In this study, radiologic risk factors and specific IPH volume thresholds were calculated to identify heightened risk of neurologic deterioration and mortality. Methods A consecutive review of all patients with nontraumatic IPH transferred to a tertiary academic neurosurgery service was performed over 2 years. IPH volume, hemorrhage location, presence of intraventricular hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, anticoagulant use, and neurologic status were reviewed. A maximum Youden index was calculated to determine thresholds of initial IPH volume and expansion most predictive of deterioration and mortality. Results A total of 202 transfers were studied. Both initial IPH volume at the outside hospital and IPH expansion were correlated with neurologic deterioration and death. The most predictive threshold for mortality was 32 mL of initial IPH volume (area under the curve 0.758, P Conclusions Volume and growth of IPH are significant predictors of neurologic deterioration and death. An initial volume over 32 mL is associated with increased mortality risk, whereas risk of neurologic deterioration appears to peak at a smaller volume of 18 mL. Any measurable IPH expansion suggests elevated risk of deterioration and mortality.
Tissue loading and microstructure regulate the deformation of embedded nerve fibres: predictions from single-scale and multiscale simulations

Excessive deformation of nerve fibres (axons) in the spinal facet capsular ligaments (FCLs) can be a cause of pain. The axons are embedded in the fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) of FCLs, so understanding how local fibre organization and micromechanics modulate their mechanical behaviour is essential. We constructed a computational discrete-fibre model of an axon embedded in a collagen fibre network attached to the axon by distinct fibre-axon connections. This model was used to relate the axonal deformation to the fibre alignment and collagen volume concentration of the surrounding network during transverse, axial and shear deformations. Our results showed that fibre alignment affects axonal deformation only during transverse and axial loading, but higher collagen volume concentration results in larger overall axonal strains for all loading cases. Furthermore, axial loading leads to the largest stretch of axonal microtubules and induces the largest forces on axon's surface in most cases. Comparison between this model and a multiscale continuum model for a representative case showed that although both models predicted similar averaged axonal strains, strain was more heterogeneous in the discrete-fibre model.
Aging Populations and the Size of Government

Aging populations continue to put strain on government finances, as such demographic shifts cause fewer tax dollars and more citizens on pension programs. What effect does this have on the size of government across countries worldwide? We study this using the Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) index published by the Fraser Institute. One fifth of the index is comprised of measures of the size of government. We investigate whether the share of the population over 65 has a negative impact on this measure of the size of government, as well as whether it has a negative impact on the narrower measure of subsidies and transfers published in EFW. Using standard panel methods we find support for this hypothesis. These results are supported by the use of the aged dependency ratio as a robustness check.
Clergy Marriages: A Multivariate Model of Marital Adjustment:

This was a study of marital adjustment among clergy who had attended a Presbyterian seminary and their spouses (N= 247). The proposed explanatory model that was tested was composed of earner status...
Reply to Huang et al.: Avoiding "one-size-fits-all" approaches to variant discovery.

Huang et al. (1) argue that variant calling methods less conservative than GATK’s Best Practices workflow (2) increased false-positive variant discovery in our study of wild and cultivated potatoes (3), impacting diversity estimates. We disagree with their conclusion and highlight the rationale for the variant calling methods used in our study. First, GATK Best Practices, developed at the Broad Institute, were specifically designed and optimized for human genomics and medical research. Variant calling methodology for human medical research utilizes parameters and validation thresholds not intended for universal application across genomic studies. GATK’s hard filter is openly presented as a bias-prone substitute to their preferred (human-specific) variant quality … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: buell{at}msu.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
“I’m Aware that a Lot of these People that I’m Feeling Sorry for are Wankers”: A Conversation with Hannah Berry

This is an interview with renowned comics creator Hannah Berry, creator of Britten and Brulightly, Adamtine, and Livestock (all Jonathan Cape). It was recorded at the first annual conference of the Graphic Justice Research Alliance: Graphic Justice Discussions 2017, hosted by St Mary’s University on 4–5 July 2017. The interview was a plenary session at this conference, and was subsequently transcribed into text. In it, Berry discusses the various relationships between her creative comics work and her perspectives on law, the legal system, responsibility, politics, and social justice, as well as her creative practice and approach to comics production, and the general value of comics as an art-form.
Brain Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis and Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is an age-related neurodegenerative disease and is characterized by the presence of senile plaques (SP), neurofibrillary tangles, and synapse loss. Amyloid-beta, one of the main components of SP, has been known to induce oxidative stress and is highly toxic. Using redox proteomics approaches a number of oxidatively modified proteins were identified in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) brain that are consistent with the clinical presentation, pathology, and biochemistry. The identification of key proteins that are highly susceptible to amyloid-beta-mediated oxidation might serve as biomarkers for use in diagnosing and also in the identification of therapeutic targets to prevent or delay this devastating disorder.
Evaluation of the inclusion of soybean oil and soybean processing by-products to soybean meal on nutrient composition and digestibility in swine and poultry

This experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of selected soybean (SB) processing byproducts (gums, oil, soapstock, weeds/trash) when added back to soybean meal (SBM) during processing on the resulting nutrient composition, protein quality, nutrient digestibility by swine, and true metabolizable energy (TMEn) content and standardized AA digestibility by poultry. To measure ileal DM and nutrient digestibility, pigs were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum. The concentration of TMEn and the standardized AA digestibility by poultry were determined using the precision fed cecectomized rooster assay. Treatments in the swine experiment included SBM with no by-products; SBM with 1% gum; SBM with 3% gum; SBM with 0.5% soapstock; SBM with 1.5% soapstock; SBM with 2% weeds/trash; SBM with a combination of 3% gum, 1.5% soapstock, and 2% weeds/trash; SBM with 5.4% soybean oil; and roasted SB. A 10 x 10 Latin square design was utilized. The experiment was conducted at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and at The Ohio State University, Columbus. In the swine experiment, apparent ileal DM, OM, CP, and AA digestibilities were reduced (P < 0.05) when pigs consumed the combination by-product diet compared with the diet containing no by-products. Apparent ileal digestibilities of DM, CP, and total essential, total nonessential, and total AA were lower (P < 0.05) for any diet containing by-products compared with the diet with no by-products. Apparent ileal digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, and AA were lower (P < 0.05) for the roasted SB-compared with the SB oil-containing diet. In the rooster experiment, TMEn values were greater (P < 0.05) for roasted SB compared with SBM with no by-products and increased linearly as the addition of soapstock increased. Individual, total essential, total nonessential, and total AA digestibilities were lower (P < 0.05) for roosters fed roasted SB versus SBM devoid of by-products. Gums, soapstock, and weeds/trash reduce the nutritive value of the resultant meal when they are added back during processing.
Clinical estimation of corneal endothelial pump function.

Abstract PURPOSE: To develop a technique to estimate the corneal endothelial pump rate in human subjects. METHODS: Corneal hydration control is thought to be maintained by a pump-leak mechanism whereby the leak of solutes and fluid across the endothelial barrier into the stroma is, in the steady state, exactly balanced by the pumping of solutes and passive fluid transfer across the endothelium to the aqueous humor. Overall corneal hydration control can be measured from the rate at which the swollen cornea thins (deswells), and a measure of the leak can be obtained simultaneously from the endothelial permeability to fluorescein. From the pump-leak hypothesis, the deswelling rate is directly proportional to the pump rate and inversely proportional to the leak rate. The relative endothelial pump rate can be estimated as the product of the normalized deswelling rate and the normalized endothelial permeability. This procedure was used to obtain the relative endothelial pump rate in 41 patients with diabetes mellitus, 12 patients with long-term corneal transplants, 20 long-term wearers of contact lenses, and 19 normal volunteer subjects after the short-term administration of topical dorzolamide. RESULTS: The relative endothelial pump rate did not differ significantly from that of control subjects in diabetics, in contact lens wearers, and after dorzolamide administration, but was markedly decreased in the patients with corneal transplants, despite a reduction in permeability (reduced leak). CONCLUSIONS: This method allows the estimation of both the barrier and pump arms of corneal endothelial function and should be useful in the investigation of causes and mechanisms of functional endothelial insufficiency.
Efficient abstraction and refinement for behavioral description based web service composition

The Web Service Composition (WSC) problem with respect to behavioral descriptions deals with the automatic synthesis of a coordinator web service, c, that controls a set of web services to reach a goal state. Despite its importance, however, solving the WSC problem for a general case (when c has only partial observations) remains to be doubly exponential in the number of variables in web service descriptions, rendering any attempts to compute an exact solution for modest size impractical. Toward this challenge, in this paper, we propose two novel (signature preserving and subsuming) approximation-based approaches using abstraction and refinement. We empirically validate that our proposals can solve realistic problems efficiently.
Mismatched priorities, smallholders, and climate adaptation strategies: landuse scientists, it’s time to step up

In subsistence agriculture communities, survival is dependent upon real-time adaptability to stochastic events. For rural smallholders, shifting cultural, social, economic, demographic, environmental, and climatic pressures are all impacting livelihoods simultaneously. We present two case studies in which residents list livelihood priorities such as access to healthcare, markets, education, and agricultural extension support above climate change adaptation management. Impacts of climate change cannot be separated from impacts of capitalist economic systems on those most dependent upon natural resources, since by nature modern capitalism and associated structures of landownership and resource access blocks economic mobility by those too poor to differentiate their economic activities. To meaningfully improve adaptive strategies to increasing climate variability for the world’s poor and subsistence agriculturists, a re-thinking of economic and social support is required; one that goes beyond land use and management objectives and includes creating more permeable economic and social structures across larger political landscapes.
Design of novel load-balancing algorithms with implementations on an IBM SP2

In a distributed-computing environment, it is important to ensure that the processor workloads are adequately balanced. Among numerous load-balancing algorithms, a unique approach due to Das and Prasad defines a symmetric broadcast network (SBN) that provides a robust communication pattern among the processors in a topology-independent manner. In this paper, we propose and analyze three novel SBN-based load-balancing algorithms, and implement them on an SP2. A thorough experimental study with Poisson-distributed synthetic loads demonstrates that these algorithms are very effective in balancing system load while minimizing processor idle time. They also compare favorably with several other existing load-balancing techniques.
System Dynamic Model Validation using Real-Time Models and PMU Data

High-resolution synchrophasor data recorded during disturbances has made dynamic model validation more feasible. While several papers discuss the validation of individual components such as governors and exciters, few consider the validation of the system model as a whole. It is a challenging problem for larger systems due to the sheer number of dynamic models, and hence the states and parameters involved. This paper describes the process of validating the entire system model, up to an interconnect level using an actual disturbance event and the PMU data captured during it. We use the state estimator snapshot captured just before the inception of the disturbance, which is also known as the real-time model. The paper details the important steps of setting up dynamic model data in these real-time models, and addresses issues commonly encountered during validation such as correcting “bad data”. The methodology is illustrated using an actual large system model.
Genomic Data Compression

Recently, there has been growing interest in genome sequencing, driven by advances in sequencing technology, in terms of both efficiency and affordability. These developments have allowed many to e...
Irrigation Fluids Used for the Prevention and Treatment of Orthopaedic Infections

Intrawound irrigation is a mainstay in the prevention and treatment of surgical site infections.There are 3 components of irrigation: delivery method, volume, and type of solution (with and without additives).A low-pressure delivery system for a 1 to 9-L volume of solution should be used to irrigate
Infant Death Following Home Birth: A Case Report of Fatal Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Infants born to diabetic mothers are at increased risk for symptomatic hypoglycemia and death after birth. A 36-year-old G4P3 mother with a history of gestational diabetes and newly diagnosed type II insulin-dependent diabetes gave birth at home, in the care of a midwife, to a macrosomic infant girl (10 lbs.). Several hours after birth, the infant became lethargic and was found to be hypoglycemic (blood sugar: 28 mg/dL). Glucose and sugar water were administered by the midwife; however, the infant continued to decompensate. Emergency medical services were called, and the infant was transported to the hospital where, despite resuscitative efforts, she died. An autopsy and review of the literature was performed. At autopsy, characteristic features of maternal-fetal glucose dysregulation were identified, including fetal macrosomia, cardiomegaly, hepatomegaly, and severe pancreatic islet cell hypertrophy/hyperplasia. Developmental abnormalities and other potential causes of death were not identified. Although deaths due to hypoglycemia cannot be reliably diagnosed postmortem using vitreous glucose levels, a clinical history of maternal glucose dysregulation in combination with certain gross and histologic findings should prompt a pathologist to consider maternal-fetal glucose dysregulation as a diagnosis of exclusion and cause of death.
Low- and Mid-Valent Uranium Species Supported by Phenyltris(oxazolinyl)borate Ligands

The synthesis and characterization of a family of uranium derivatives featuring the phenyltris(4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazolinyl)borate (ToM) ligand framework was achieved. Uranium(IV) halide compounds, specifically ToMUCl3(THF) and ToMUI3, were generated by adding 1 equiv of Tl[ToM] to either UCl4 or UI3(THF)4, respectively. The tetravalent derivatives ToMUCl2(NPh2) and ToMUI(═N-Ad)(THF) were also synthesized, showing that ToM supports uranium amido and imido species. Attempts to make bis(phenyltris(oxazolinyl)borate) compounds were unsuccessful. However, when the smaller hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate (Tp) ligand was used, a mixed bis(ligand) derivative, TpToMUI, was isolated. All of the compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, infrared, and electronic absorption spectroscopies. Where possible, X-ray crystallography was used to assess structural parameters.
The mechanics of air breathing in gray tree frog tadpoles, Hyla versicolor (Anura: Hylidae).

ABSTRACT We describe air-breathing mechanics in gray tree frog tadpoles (Hyla versicolor). We found that H. versicolor tadpoles breathe by ‘bubble-sucking’, a breathing mode typically employed by tadpoles too small to break the water9s surface tension, in which a bubble is drawn into the buccal cavity and compressed into the lungs. In most tadpoles, bubble-sucking is replaced by breach breathing (breaking the surface to access air) at larger body sizes. In contrast, H. versicolor tadpoles bubble-suck throughout the larval period, despite reaching body sizes at which breaching is possible. Hyla versicolor tadpoles exhibit two bubble-sucking behaviors: ‘single bubble-sucking’, previously described in other tadpole species, is characterized by a single suction event followed by a compression phase to fill the lungs; ‘double bubble-sucking’ is a novel, apparently derived form of bubble-sucking that adds a second suction event. Hyla versicolor tadpoles transition from single bubble-sucking to double bubble-sucking at approximately 5.7 mm snout–vent length (SVL), which corresponds to a period of rapid lung maturation when they transition from low to high vascularization (6.0 mm SVL). Functional, behavioral and morphological evidence suggests that double bubble-sucking increases the efficiency of pulmonary gas exchange by separating expired, deoxygenated air from freshly inspired air to prevent mixing. Hyla versicolor, and possibly other hylid tadpoles, may have specialized for bubble-sucking in order to take advantage of this increased efficiency. Single and double bubble-sucking represent two- and four-stroke ventilation systems, which we discuss in the context of other anamniote air-breathing mechanisms.
Chapter 13C – Preimplantation Diagnosis and Other Modern Methods for Prenatal Diagnosis

In the late 1980s chorionic villus sampling (CVS) became available, permitting first trimester diagnosis. Now, maternal administration of dexamethasone to prevent genital virilization can be restricted to pregnancies with affected female fetuses earlier in gestation. If the fetus were male, affected with CAH or not, treatment could cease, and would be resumed after birth if the neonate proved to be affected. Although CVS could safely be performed at 10 weeks’ gestation, treatment still had to begin before fetal gender and genotype was known.
Tumescent triamcinolone infiltration: A new approach for the management of recalcitrant hidradenitis suppurativa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory follicular disorder of the intertriginous areas.1 It is one of the most reported diseases associated with Crohn's disease (CD). Effective symptomatic management remains a therapeutic challenge for HS or CD. Acute symptomatic management for HS is limited to intralesional steroids and systemic steroids as rescue therapies.2 Herein, we report a unique case of aggressive/recalcitrant HS in the setting of CD rapidly stabilized following tumescent triamcinolone infiltration (TTI).
Race Selective Abortion Bans: A New Way to Prevent the Elimination of Minority Groups in the United States

This article will address whether race selective abortion bans infringe on a women’s right to obtain an abortion when the state has a compelling interest in protecting against the elimination of a race through modern day eugenics. Section I discusses how abortion jurisprudence has developed over time. Section II discusses race selective abortion bans. Section III examines and analyzes selective - abortion bans, specifically race-selective abortion bans. Section IV presents numerous solutions for addressing the high abortion rate in different community settings and the prevention of abortion being used as a form of modern-day eugenics. The objective of this article is to educate on the current status of race selective abortion laws in the United States, and to place that knowledge in the context of the history of the eugenics movement.
Discriminatory Product Differentiation: The Case of Israel’s Omission from Airline Route Maps

We ask whether international firms compete by designing products attractive to customers because they are objectionable to others. We investigate “discriminatory product differentiation” among inte...
Long Noncoding RNA H19: A Key Player in Liver Diseases

The rapid advance in deep sequencing technologies has identified numerous long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) and their biological functions are increasingly being recognized as important regulators of gene expression and cell signaling pathways. H19 is the first lncRNA identified and characterized as the first imprinted gene in the pre-genomic era. During the last three decades, H19 has been extensively investigated as a multitasking lncRNA. H19 plays a crucial role in regulating many biological functions and is intimately involved in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. Here, we highlight the recent findings related to H19 in liver diseases. The unique features of H19 biogenesis and regulation make it an attractive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for certain liver diseases. Conclusions: The roles of H19 in liver disease remains obscure. The rapid advance in new technologies offers promise for the understanding of the mechanisms of lncRNA H19 in physiological and pathological processes of liver diseases and for the development novel therapeutics.
2008 IEEE International Conference on Cluster Computing

Parallel performance monitoring extends parallel measurement systems with infrastructure and interfaces for online performance data access, communication, and analysis. At the same time it raises concerns for the impact on application execution from monitor overhead. The application monitoring scheme parameterized by performance events to monitor, access frequency and the type of data analysis operation defines a set of monitoring requirements. The monitoring infrastructure presents its own choices, particularly the amount and configuration of resources devoted explicitly to monitoring. The key to scalable, low-overhead parallel performance monitoring is to match the application monitoring demands to the effective operating range of the monitoring system (or vice-versa). A poor match can result in over-provisioning (wasted resources) or in under-provisioning (lack of scalability, high overheads and poor quality of performance data). We present a methodology and evaluation framework to determine the sweet-spots for performance monitoring using TAU and MRNet.
Complete paraplegia 36 h after attempted posterior spinal fusion for severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a case report.

Introduction The incidence of neurologic complications with spinal surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has been reported to be 0.69%. This rare complication typically occurs during surgery or immediately postoperatively. We report the occurrence of a delayed neurologic deficit that presented 36 h after the initial surgery of a staged posterior spinal fusion for severe AIS. Case presentation A 12-year-old girl with severe thoracolumbar AIS of 125° underwent attempted posterior spinal fusion from T2-L4. The case was complicated by a transient loss of transcutaneous motor evoked potentials (TcMEP) that resolved with an increase in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and relaxation of curve correction with rod removal. The patient awoke with normal neurologic function. She had a transient decrease in MAP 36 h post-op and awoke on postoperative day #2 with nearly complete lower extremity paraplegia (American Spinal Injury Association [ASIA] Impairment Scale B). Emergent exploration and removal of the concave apical pedicles resulted in improvement of TcMEPs and return of function. Discussion Delayed postoperative neurologic deficit is a very rare phenomenon, with only a few case reports in the literature to date. The delayed neurologic decline of our patient was likely secondary to a transient episode of postoperative hypotension combined with spinal cord compression by the apical concave pedicles. Close monitoring and support of spinal cord perfusion as well as emergent decompression are imperative in the setting of a delayed neurologic deficit. Further multicenter study on this rare occurrence is underway to identify potential causes and improve treatment.
Editorial: The Global Impacts of COVID-19 on Maternity Care Practices and Childbearing Experiences

This special issue on The Global Impact of COVID-19 on Maternity Care Practices and Childbearing Experiences includes articles that describe the experiences of providers and childbearers in relation to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period during the COVID-19 pandemic across a range of countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Italy, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kenya, and New Zealand, as well as an article on pandemic doula care across 23 high- and middle-income countries. Most of the articles in this collection primarily examine the COVID-19 pandemic either from the perspective of providers—including midwives, doulas, obstetricians, nurses, social workers, and other birthworkers—or from the perspective of childbearers. We begin this Editorial by focusing mostly on providers, then turn to childbearers’ experiences. All references without dates refer to articles in this Special Issue. These articles cumulatively emphasize that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed and highlighted deep fragmentations, inequalities, and dysfunctions within maternity care that existed before the pandemic began. Indeed, this pandemic offers both a disruptive moment and a long-overdue opportunity to fix systemic problems within maternity care in ways that can benefit providers, mothers, newborns, and families (Gutschow et al., 2021). In short, the pandemic offers an opportunity to shift maternity care toward justice, equality, and human rights for all, as we will further address in our Conclusion to this Editorial.
Fatal COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome is Associated with Incomplete Alveolar Type 1 Epithelial Cell Differentiation from the Transitional State Without Fibrosis

ARDS due to COVID-19 and other etiologies results from injury to the alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) barrier resulting in noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, which causes acute respiratory failure; clinical recovery requires epithelial regeneration. During physiologic regeneration in mice, AEC2s proliferate, exit the cell cycle, and transiently assume a transitional state before differentiating into AEC1s; persistence of the transitional state is associated with pulmonary fibrosis in humans. It is unknown whether transitional cells emerge and differentiate into AEC1s without fibrosis in human ARDS and why transitional cells differentiate into AEC1s during physiologic regeneration but persist in fibrosis. We hypothesized that incomplete but ongoing AEC1 differentiation from transitional cells without fibrosis may underlie persistent barrier permeability and fatal acute respiratory failure in ARDS. Immunostaining of postmortem ARDS lungs revealed abundant transitional cells in organized monolayers on alveolar septa without fibrosis. They were typically cuboidal or partially spread, sometimes flat, and occasionally expressed AEC1 markers. Immunostaining and/or interrogation of scRNAseq datasets revealed that transitional cells in mouse models of physiologic regeneration, ARDS, and fibrosis express markers of cell cycle exit but only in fibrosis express a specific senescence marker. Thus, in severe, fatal early ARDS, AEC1 differentiation from transitional cells is incomplete, underlying persistent barrier permeability and respiratory failure, but ongoing without fibrosis; senescence of transitional cells may be associated with pulmonary fibrosis.