cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Backpropagation without human supervision for visual control in Quake II

Backpropagation and neuroevolution are used in a Lamarckian evolution process to train a neural network visual controller for agents in the Quake II environment. In previous work, we hand-coded a non-visual controller for supervising in backpropagation, but hand-coding can only be done for problems with known solutions. In this research the problem for the agent is to attack a moving enemy in a visually complex room with a large central pillar. Because we did not know a solution to the problem, we could not hand-code a supervising controller; instead, we evolve a non-visual neural network as supervisor to the visual controller. This setup creates controllers that learn much faster and have a greater fitness than those learning by neuroevolution-only on the same problem in the same amount of time.
The end of Nicaragua's radio freedom

The very conflict over obscure points of law and regulation and their relation to the First Amendment hides for broadcasters in the United States the far more serious plight of broadcasters in other American nations. The conditions in Nicaragua fluctuate between complete repression of objective news programing and a limited amount of freedom. In other countries, notably Cuba, broadcasting has suffered greater loss—not merely in repression or physical damage, but in its own professional ethic, its reason for existence.
Climatic and environmental controls on the variation of C3 and C4 plant abundances in central Florida for the past 62,000 years

Lake Tulane provides one of the few continental sediment records beyond the late glacial period (~15,000 cal years B.P.) for eastern North America. Its continuous, organic-rich sediment has yielded pollen assemblages that date back 62,000 years. Here we report the first organic geochemical characterization of the sediment core from Lake Tulane based on compound-specific carbon isotopic analyses of higher plant leaf waxes. Our millennium-resolution carbon isotope data allow us to quantitatively assess the variations in the relative abundances of C3 and C4 plants in Central Florida under contrasting climate conditions and different atmospheric pCO2 levels during the last glacial–interglacial cycle. Specifically, our results indicate large changes in the relative abundance of C3 and C4 plants, with ~40% higher input from C4 plants during the last glacial maximum (LGM) than during the Holocene. During the last glacial period, C4 plant abundance decreased dramatically during the pine phases when precipitation increased, indicating that increasing precipitation overrode the impact of low atmospheric pCO2, leading to expansions of C3 plants. Our results provide new insights on the forcing mechanisms and first quantitative estimates on the C3 and C4 plant variation in central Florida for the last 62,000 cal years. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Notes on the history of the prion diseases. Part I

The astute observation by William Hadlow, an American veterinary neuropathologist of the similarity between the histopathology of kuru, an obscure disease of the primitive tribe in New Guinea, and scrapie of sheep, was the first clue to the etiology of the tramsmissable spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). The knowledge that scrapie was transmissable but only after an unusually long incubation period, that the causative agent was highly resistant to heat and formalin, and that it seemed to be able to replicate in the absence of nucleic acid, eventually led to the discovery of the prion by Stanley Pruisner and the still controversial protein-only hypothesis of etiology of the TSE.
SadC Reciprocally Influences Biofilm Formation and Swarming Motility via Modulation of Exopolysaccharide Production and Flagellar Function

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has served as an important organism in the study of biofilm formation; however, we still lack an understanding of the mechanisms by which this microbe transitions to a surface lifestyle. A recent study of the early stages of biofilm formation implicated the control of flagellar reversals and production of an exopolysaccharide (EPS) as factors in the establishment of a stable association with the substratum and swarming motility. Here we present evidence that SadC (PA4332), an inner membrane-localized diguanylate cyclase, plays a role in controlling these cellular functions. Deletion of the sadC gene results in a strain that is defective in biofilm formation and a hyperswarmer, while multicopy expression of this gene promotes sessility. A ΔsadC mutant was additionally found to be deficient in EPS production and display altered reversal behavior while swimming in high-viscosity medium, two behaviors proposed to influence biofilm formation and swarming motility. Epistasis analysis suggests that the sadC gene is part of a genetic pathway that allows for the concomitant regulation of these aspects of P. aeruginosa surface behavior. We propose that SadC and the phosphodiesterase BifA (S. L. Kuchma et al., J. Bacteriol. 189:8165-8178, 2007), via modulating levels of the signaling molecule cyclic-di-GMP, coregulate swarming motility and biofilm formation as P. aeruginosa transitions from a planktonic to a surface-associated lifestyle.
Choosing a culture medium: making informed choices.

Objective To analyze critically the reasons justifying the choice of two-step protocols requiring two media for the culture of human preimplantation embryos from the zygote to the blastocyst. Design Literature review. Result(s) Two types of protocol are used for the culture of human preimplantation embryos from the zygote to the blastocyst, using either one medium (one-step protocol) or two media of different composition (two-step protocol). Two-step protocols are the most widely used, largely because all but one of the commercially available protocols are of this type. The reasons for the adoption of two-step protocols are described and critically analyzed. They are based on considerations of the functions of glucose, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), glutamine, and amino acids that are included in the media. A reappraisal of the reasons for selecting two-step protocols is important because recent animal experiments and clinical observations have raised doubts as to whether the more complex, two-step protocols have any advantage over one-step protocols. The analyses show that all of conclusions reached should be considered equivocal. Conclusion(s) Clinical embryologists should evaluate the justification for selecting two-step protocols for the culture of human preimplantation embryos from the zygote to the blastocyst.
War, Welfare, and Unequal Citizenship: Social Rights and Ethnic Divisions after World War II

This paper compares the institutionalization of ethnically differentiated social citizenship regimes in Northern Ireland and South Africa after World War II. Political sociologists disagree on whether the postwar expansion of social rights was due to changing wartime power relations (Mann 2012) or prior political institutions (Amenta and Skocpol 1988; Amenta 1998). This debate has focused on the variation of welfare state expansion in the core states of Britain and the United States, specifically the contrast between the universal NHS (Marwick 1974) and the grafting of employer-provided health insurance onto racist New Deal welfare institutions (Katznelson 2005; 2013). However, this paper tests the competing theories of welfare expansion against two ethnically divided societies on the Allied side in World War II, an autonomous region, Northern Ireland, and a dominion, South Africa. Each was dominated by ethnically exclusionary groups and experienced rapid economic and social change. Their postwar citizenship regimes and labor market institutions differed. Northern Ireland adopted British welfare legislation but grafted on residency qualifications for benefits and labor migration regulations to exclude Southern Irish migrants. Apartheid codified a cast-bound labor market, residency and citizenship regime, despite Black Africans’ proletarianization and military service. How did these cases construct exclusionary postwar welfare states and citizenship regimes? Three broad families of theoretical approach are compared. First, power-resource theory suggests that the limited social transformation of the war in these peripheral regimes precluded more universal citizenship regimes after the war. Second, historical institutionalism focuses on the majoritarian institutions of local government in Northern Ireland, and the minority franchise in South Africa. Instead, this paper builds on the neo-Weberian theory of nation state-building as a cultural compromise between state elites and their target citizenry (Wimmer 2002; Mann 1993, 1995) and Bourdieu’s theory of political fields in which actors jostle strategically for advantage with imperfect information (Bourdieu and Wacquant 1992; Fligstein 2008; Fligstein and McAdam 2012). The primary finding is that the limited transformations of the World War II deepened the political exchanges between elites and workers in the dominant ethnic groups, thickening social citizenship rights for members of the dominant ethnic groups, but strengthening categorical boundaries around those rights.
Abstract 209: The Incidence and Determinants of Brain Tissue Hypoxia in Cardiac Arrest Survivors with Severe Neurological Injury

Introduction: After cardiac arrest (CA), the American Heart Association recommends weaning inspired oxygen (FiO2) “to achieve an arterial oxygen saturation [SaO2]≥94%...to avoid potential oxygen toxicity.” This risks inadequate cerebral oxygen delivery. We hypothesized that brain tissue hypoxia (BTH) would occur commonly in severely brain injured post-CA patients and be more frequent when SaO2 was Methods: We monitor intracranial pressure (ICP), temperature, PbtO2 and jugular venous oxygen saturation in patients with severe neurological injury (extensor posturing or worse) after CA. We collected data hourly and defined BTH as PbtO298% vs 94-98%. We used generalized estimating equations to test the correlation of ICP, temperature, time from arrest, PaO2, MAP, arterial oxygen content and PaCO2 with PbtO2, then constructed an adjusted model using predictors with an unadjusted P98% (P Conclusion: In severely injured post-CA patients, BTH occurs frequently, appears to be delivery responsive, and occurs more commonly when SaO2 is 94-98%. The risk-benefit ratio between limiting BTH vs. limiting hyperoxia must be carefully considered in light of existing guidelines in these severely injured patients.
Nicotinic Acid: Studies on the Mechanism of Its Antilipolytic Action

Nicotinic acid in vitro is known to depress basal lipolytic rates in adipose tissue and also to inhibit the action of a number of agents which stimulate adipose tissue lipolysis. Three possible mechanisms by which nicotinic acid could exert this antilipolytic effect have been examined. The rat epididymal fat pad was used as an adipose tissue source. In vitro nicotinic acid was found to have no effect on fat pad phosphodiesterase activity. Similarly, no direct effect of this drug on lipase activity could be demonstrated. Nicotinic acid in vitro was observed to inhibit, by about 50%, the increased lipolytic rates induced in isolated fat pad sections with theophylline. This inhibitory action, however, was antagonized by the further in vitro addition of the β-adrenergic blocking agent, nethalide, (pronethalol). Also, this antagonism appeared to be a direct one. It is suggested from these results that nicotinic acid does not exert its antilipolytic action by either increasing the degradation of cyclic 39,59-AMP or by inhibiting directly the activity of lipase. It would appear, however, that nicotinic acid acts at a site that is either identical with the receptor for nethalide or is closely associated to it. Thus, it seems possible that nicotinic acid may exert its antilipolytic action by depressing the production of cyclic 39,59-AMP.
A “Spiritual Turn” in Organizational Studies: Meaning Making or Meaningless?

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on organizational spirituality in an effort to distil the importance of spirituality research and make the case for the “spiritual turn” in organization studies. The paper examines current arguments for and against spirituality in organizations. It suggests that despite dilemmas and controversies in the literature, spirituality research makes a significant contribution. Particularly, the benefit of taking the “spiritual turn” as a response to a crisis of meaning in organizations may be to better define the spaces of programmatic versus existential meaning making and to gain more insights into where organizational meaning making and existential, individual meaning can exist in their respective spaces. It is suggested that spirituality research may need to build on a variety of perspectives from critical management theories to discourse studies to protect existential meaning making as a lived and socially constructed experience. The paper develops some a...
Complex Litigation: CAFA 'Carve-Outs'

Commentary and analysis of two carve-outs and exceptions to federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (CAFA). Congress enacted CAFA in 2005 to create new federal diversity jurisdiction especially for class actions. In order to gain access to federal court, the proponents of a class action must demonstrate diversity of citizenship between the class claimants and the defendants, that there are at least 100 members in the class, and that the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million. 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d). To satisfy these requirements, the proponents needs only to show minimal diversity among the parties, and may aggregate the claimants’ damages to reach the $5 million amount-in-controversy threshold. This article discusses two types of carve-outs from federal jurisdiction in which courts must decline to exercise jurisdiction (mandatory), and circumstances in which courts may decline to exercise jurisdiction (discretionary). The article focuses on how courts have treated one type of CAFA mandatory carve-out, dealing with securities litigation, and one permissive carve-out, dealing with repetitive, duplicative class litigation. 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d)(9); 28 U.S.C. 1332(d)(4)(A).
Growth efficiency and digestibility of heated protein fed to growing ruminants.

Four trials were conducted to evaluate digestibility and growth efficiency caused by feeding heat-damaged protein. In Trial 1, 60 lambs (18.6 kg) were fed diets containing corn gluten meal (CGM) at five levels either of control (CGM-C) or heat-damaged (CGM-H), along with urea as the main supplemental N source. Efficiency of protein used for growth was determined by the slope-ratio technique. The heat damage to CGM decreased (P < .001) protein efficiency by 46%. In Trial 2, diets with the three highest CGM levels from Trial 1 were fed to 18 of the same lambs in a digestion trial. True N digestibility (TND) was 108% for CGM-C and was decreased (P < .05) 22% by heat damage. In Trial 3, 90 growing cattle (219 kg) were individually fed one of three protein supplements for 56 d. The protein supplement contained either a control source of dried distillers grains (DDG-C) or a heat-damaged source (DDG-H) at five levels, and a urea treatment was used as a negative control. Protein efficiency of DDG protein determined by the slope-ratio technique was decreased (P < .05) 34% by heat damage. In Trial 4, four yearling heifers (265 kg) were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design to determine N digestibility of three diets used in Trial 3 (plus a diet not reported herein). True N digestibility averaged 98% for DDG-C and was decreased 7% by heat damage. These data suggest that some of the N in heat-damaged protein was absorbed postruminally but was not used for growth by growing ruminants.
The effect of primaquine and acetylphenylhydrazine on the enzymatic and nonenzymatic oxidation of reduced pyridine nucleotides.

Abstract A primaquine mediated nonenzymatic reaction between reduced pyridine nucleotides and cytochrome c or oxygen has been described. Under similar conditions this chemical reaction was found to be distinctly different from that produced by phenylhydrazine. The effect of primaquine on the purified erythrocyte TPNH diaphorase suggests that its hemolytic properties are most likely not related to the stimulation of this enzyme. The results of this study are consistent with other published work in the field and offer a proposed model system for the mechanism of action of primaquine.
Crystal structure of the archaeosine synthase QueF‐like—Insights into amidino transfer and tRNA recognition by the tunnel fold

The tunneling-fold (T-fold) structural superfamily has emerged as a versatile protein scaffold of diverse catalytic activities. This is especially evident in the pathways to the 7-deazaguanosine modified nucleosides of tRNA queuosine and archaeosine. Four members of the T-fold superfamily have been confirmed in these pathways and here we report the crystal structure of a fifth enzyme; the recently discovered amidinotransferase QueF-Like (QueF-L), responsible for the final step in the biosynthesis of archaeosine in the D-loop of tRNA in a subset of Crenarchaeota. QueF-L catalyzes the conversion of the nitrile group of the 7-cyano-7-deazaguanine (preQ0 ) base of preQ0 -modified tRNA to a formamidino group. The structure, determined in the presence of preQ0 , reveals a symmetric T-fold homodecamer of two head-to-head facing pentameric subunits, with 10 active sites at the inter-monomer interfaces. Bound preQ0 forms a stable covalent thioimide bond with a conserved active site cysteine similar to the intermediate previously observed in the nitrile reductase QueF. Despite distinct catalytic functions, phylogenetic distributions, and only 19% sequence identity, the two enzymes share a common preQ0 binding pocket, and likely a common mechanism of thioimide formation. However, due to tight twisting of its decamer, QueF-L lacks the NADPH binding site present in QueF. A large positively charged molecular surface and a docking model suggest simultaneous binding of multiple tRNA molecules and structure-specific recognition of the D-loop by a surface groove. The structure sheds light on the mechanism of nitrile amidation, and the evolution of diverse chemistries in a common fold. Proteins 2016; 85:103-116. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Real-Time Controllable and Multifunctional Metasurfaces Utilizing Indium Tin Oxide Materials: A Phased Array Perspective

In this paper, two electrically tunable dual-band reflectarray antennas are designed by the integration of a thin layer of indium tin oxide (ITO) into plasmonic multi-sized and multilayer unit cells. The presented geometries include two gold nanoribbons located next to each other with different widths and backed by a stack of alumina-ITO-metallic ground plane and two pairs of vertically stacked gold nanoribbon-alumina-ITO on a metallic ground plane. The double-resonance nature of the double metal-insulator-metal unit-cells is exploited to achieve two distinct operating frequencies in which the control over phase of the reflected beam is obtained via the tunable gate biasing of ITO. An in-depth phased array analysis is developed with emphasis on the accomplishment of a reconfigurable antenna with robust beam scanning and focusing characteristics. The proposed structures can be considered as dual-band bifunctional reflectarray antenna that can operate at two distinct frequencies in the near-infrared regime with two different functionalities as bending and focusing.
Inverse Radiative Heat Transfer

Up to this point we have concerned ourselves with radiative heat transfer problems, where the necessary geometry, temperatures, and radiative properties are known, enabling us to calculate the radiative intensity and radiative heat fluxes in such enclosures. Such cases are sometimes called “direct” heat transfer problems. However, there are many important engineering applications where knowledge of one or more input parameters is desired that cause a certain radiative intensity field. For example, it may be desired to control the temperatures of heating elements in a furnace, in order to achieve a specified temperature distribution or radiative heat load on an object being heated. Or the aim may be to deduce difficult to measure parameters (such as radiative properties, temperature fields inside a furnace, etc.) based on measurements of radiative intensity or radiative flux. Such calculations are known as inverse heat transfer analyses.
How Political Signals Affect Public Support for Judicial Nominations: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment

How do Americans evaluate potential US Supreme Court candidates? Using a novel, two-part conjoint experiment, I show that respondents put high importance on the political leanings of potential Cour...
Embedding Sustainability Instruction across Content Areas: Best Classroom Practices from Informal Environmental Education.

Environmental education (EE) facilitates students' scientific and environmental literacy, and addresses content areas including sustainability, ecology, and civic responsibility. However, U.S. scie...
Sox9 positive periosteal cells in fracture repair of the adult mammalian long bone

Introduction The phases of fracture healing have been well characterized. However, the exact source and genetic profile of the skeletal progenitors that participate in bone repair is somewhat unclear. Sox9 expression in skeletal elements precedes bone and cartilage formation and a Sox9+ cell type is retained in the adult periosteum. We hypothesized that Sox9+ periosteal cells are multipotent skeletal progenitors normally participating in fracture repair.
Movie aspects, tweet metrics, and movie revenues

Microblogging word of mouth (MWOM) using Twitter has been found to impact the success of experiential products such as movies. However, the influence of the type of device or platform used for tweeting (iOS or Android) on the relationship between well-established tweet metrics - valence, volume, and time period of tweeting - and movie performance is not yet known. Furthermore, it is not known if users of these platforms differ in the aspects of movies they discuss and how that may influence tweet metrics. In this study, we investigated these gaps by analyzing more than four million tweets for 29 movies from both iOS and Android users and conducted a robustness check on another 8 movies. Results from mixed model estimations show that valence of tweets on Android before a movie's release and volume of tweets on iOS after the release significantly influence the revenues of a movie. Results also show that mentions of director and script are more important in the case of Android users whereas mentions of production and music are more important in the case of iOS users. Finally, results show that it may be more productive for movie studios and advertisers to reach the more prolific Twitter users on Android but relatively newer Twitter users on iOS. These findings have significant implications for movie studios as well as mobile advertisers to target their promotions to these platform users accordingly.
Aspects that influence curricular change capacity: Characterizing the transferability, openness, and literacy of individual changemakers

In this work-in-progress paper, we present a framework for developing an individual's capacity to engage in curricular culture change. It is part of a larger project that looks at curricular change through a cultural lens by analyzing cross-institutional curricular collaborations. An individual's capacity depends on three aspects: transferability (the presence of a testable hypothesis for transferring a curricular element across cultures), openness (the willingness and ability to personally pay the “cost” of running that experiment), and literacy (the ability to make sense of one or both curricular cultures involved). These three aspects combine into eight possible states, and individuals in each state demonstrate different responses to opportunities for curricular culture change. Developing this framework gives us a way to think about potential interventions that can help individuals increase their capacity for this sort of change work.
An Exploratory Study of Student Pharmacists' Self-Reported Pain, Management Strategies, Outcomes, and Implications for Pharmacy Education.

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence, management strategies, and outcomes of pain experienced by student pharmacists, and to discuss implications for pharmacy education. A questionnaire administered to student pharmacists collected data about their experience, management strategies, and outcomes of pain. Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square or Fisher’s tests, and logistic regression. Of the 218 student pharmacists who completed the survey, 79% experienced pain in the past five years. Chronic pain impacted students’ ability to work (15%) and attend school (9%). Respondents most commonly used prescription (38%) and over-the-counter (OTC, 78%) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and rest (69%) to manage pain. Men used more opioids, whereas women used more OTC NSAIDs (p < 0.05). Emergency department visits were associated with increased prescription drug use to manage pain. This study found that 15% of student pharmacists had chronic pain in the past five years, which was managed with medical and non-medical strategies.
Association of ibuprofen use with post-tonsillectomy bleeding in older children.

Abstract Objective Evaluate post-tonsillectomy outcomes in children discharged with ibuprofen versus those without. Methods This was a retrospective review of children who underwent tonsillectomy ± adenoidectomy from 2012 to 2016 at a tertiary care children's hospital. Main outcome measures included bleed rates, ER visits, and nurse phone calls. Results Seven hundred and seventy-three patients were included; 504 had ibuprofen at discharge (ID) and 269 did not (NID). There were significant differences in mean age, 6.7 years in the ID group years versus 8.6 for the NID group (P Conclusion Ibuprofen is associated with significantly elevated post-tonsillectomy bleeding in older children, further research is needed and other analgesics should be considered.
Prostate Focal Therapy: Definitions and Common Terminology

The term “focal therapy,” as applied to the treatment of localized prostate cancer, is a blanket term that encompasses any treatment of the prostate with the intent to preserve some portion of the prostate gland. There is no one “focal therapy.” Focal therapy by definition may involve the treatment and/or preservation of different proportions of the prostate gland or different regions of the prostate gland. Development of this field is currently taking place simultaneously at many centers throughout the world. A common nomenclature that describes what our intent is beyond the vagueness of just “focal therapy” will facilitate the communication of our ideas and results with our peers. This in turn will provide an accurate level of knowledge transfer to thoughtfully move this therapy forward and shift the entire way we approach men with prostate cancer.
IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth: an architectural overview

IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Bluetooth wireless technology have positioned themselves as technologies with varied industry applications and as having distinct technical features. IEEE 802.11 applications focus on high-speed WLAN scenarios, whereas Bluetooth focuses on wireless personal area network (PAN) and cable replacement applications. This chapter highlights some of these applications and presents an overview of the architectural differences that make up these technologies, including network configurations, and market trends.
The impaired psychiatrist.

Precise data on impaired psychiatrists is lacking, but the evidence suggests significant prevalance due to mental illness, substance abuse, and personality disorder. There is a need to balance sanction and rehabilitation, and we need to be proactive and research oriented in dealing with the problem.
Low-temperature magnetocapacitance measurements on n-type silicon: Spin-dependent electrical polarizabilities of donor clusters

Magnetocapacitance measurements on Si:P and Si:As samples have been made in a dilution refrigerator in the temperature range 60MK to lK with magnetic fields to 19 Tesla. A break between low field B2 behavior and Bn (n<1) behavior shifts to lower fields as the temperature is lowered and also becomes increasingly sharp. The results support the concept of spin-dependent polarizabilities of donor clusters. the concept of spin-dependent polarizabilities of donor clusters.
Medical Interventions on Women's Genitals: Historical Texts and Contemporary Discourse

In Italian media and professional medical discourse, medical interventions on bodies are described in non-cultural terms and are presented as necessary responses to material problems considered objectively assessed. Far from being a mere linguistic process, this categorization is dense with meaning: it removes medicine from the realm of culture, transforming it from a sociocultural process to an historical object, a given. The controversy around a proposal for a ritual alternative to FGM in a Florence clinic triggered my reflection on the aforementioned medical view that organizes human reality into two conflicting shpheres: medical practices on one side and cultural actions on the other. In the context of a reflexive perspective on biomedicine, I analyze 19th-century Italian medical journals that consider female genital surgery as a cure for a variety of ailments; this analysis gives useful insight on the contemporary debate—alive in Italian biomedical environments—on the definition of medical practices in relation to interventions on patients' bodies and on doctors' roles in Italian society.
State of the science review of the health effects of inorganic arsenic: Perspectives for future research

Human exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a global health issue. Although there is strong evidence for iAs-induced toxicity at higher levels of exposure, many epidemiological studies evaluating its effects at low exposure levels have reported mixed results. We comprehensively reviewed the literature and evaluated the scientific knowledge on human exposure to arsenic, mechanisms of action, systemic and carcinogenic effects, risk characterization, and regulatory guidelines. We identified areas where additional research is needed. These priority areas include: (1) further development of animal models of iAs carcinogenicity to identify molecular events involved in iAs carcinogenicity; (2) characterization of underlying mechanisms of iAs toxicity; (3) assessment of gender-specific susceptibilities and other factors that modulate arsenic metabolism; (4) sufficiently powered epidemiological studies to ascertain relationship between iAs exposure and reproductive/developmental effects; (5) evaluation of genetic/epigenetic determinants of iAs effects in children; and (6) epidemiological studies of people chronically exposed to low iAs concentrations.
Drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents for saphenous vein graft interventions

Currently, the use of drug-eluting stents (DESs) for native coronary artery intervention is the standard of care. This is because robust evidence based on high-quality trails support the superior efficacy of DES compared to bare-metal stents (BMSs) (1,2). Additionally, observational studies have shown improved outcomes with DESs compared to BMSs for saphenous vein graft (SVG) intervention (3-5). However, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) frequently exclude patients with SVG stenoses and interpretation of observational studies is limited by multiple biases (6). At this time, the superiority of DESs relative to BMSs for SVG lesions has not been well-established.
Radiation-induced and neurofibromatosis-associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) have worse outcomes than sporadic MPNST.

Abstract Background Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) may be sporadic or associated with neurofibromatosis or prior radiation. MPNST may behave aggressively with a high rate of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Methods In an IRB approved protocol, we reviewed the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of 280 patients treated for MPNST at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) between 1960 and 2016. Results There were 138 men and 142 women with a median age of 41 (range: 3–95) years. Tumors were classified as neurofibromatosis-associated (nfMPNST, n = 77), radiation-induced (rMPNST, n = 21), or sporadic (sMPNST, n = 182) MPNST. The median time to development of rMPNST from prior radiation was 15 years. With a median follow-up of 43.1 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 65.3 months. Older age, nfMPNST, rMPNST, increased tumor size, lymph node involvement, metastatic disease, intermediate to high grade, radiotherapy alone, and R2 resection were related to worse OS, whereas surgery with radiotherapy was associated with improved OS. Among the 251 patients without metastasis, nfMPNST, rMPNST, and increased tumor size were correlated with worse metastasis-free survival; nfMPNST, radiotherapy alone, and R1/R2 resection were associated with local recurrence, whereas surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy was related to improved local control in patients with R1/R2 resection. Conclusions Both radiation-induced and neurofibromatosis-associated MPNSTs have poorer prognosis than sporadic MPNSTs. Complete resection of the tumor is a significant prognostic factor for MPNST. The addition of radiotherapy after surgery should be considered especially when the surgical margins are positive.
Impact of multiple concurrent central lines on central-line–associated bloodstream infection rates

Background:The current methodology for calculating central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates, used for pay-for-performance measures, does not account for multiple concurrent central lines.Objective:To compare CLABSI rates using standard National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) denominators to rates accounting for multiple concurrent central lines.Design:Descriptive analysis and retrospective cohort analysis.Methods:We identified all adult patients with central lines at 2 academic medical centers over an 18-month period. CLABSI rates were calculated for intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs using the standard NHSN methodology and denominator (a patient could only have 1 central-line day for a given patient day) and a modified denominator (number of central lines in 1 patient in 1 day count as number of line days). We also compared characteristics of patients with and without multiple concurrent central lines.Results:Among 18,521 hospital admissions, there were 156,574 central-line days and 239 CLABSIs (ICU, 105; non-ICU, 134). Our modified denominator reduced CLABSI rates by 25% in ICUs (1.95 vs 1.47 per 1,000 line days) and 6% (1.30 vs 1.22 per 1,000 line days) in non-ICUs. Patients with multiple concurrent central lines were more likely to be in an ICU, to have a longer admission, to have a dialysis catheter, and to have a CLABSI.Conclusions:Using the number of central lines as the denominator decreased CLABSI rates in ICUs by 25%. The presence of multiple concurrent central lines may be a marker of severity of illness. The risk of CLABSI per lumen of a central line is similar in ICUs compared to wards.
RELIABILITY DATA COLLECTION FOR SHIP MACHINERY

An industry-wide international network is needed to collect Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) data on shipboard machinery and share this data at different levels by linking vessel chief engineers, ship operators-managers, regulatory agencies, equipment manufacturers, and shipyards/designers. This network should facilitate the efficient collection and flow of RAM information between these entities with industry-wide continuous improvement in safety and cost-effectiveness. This paper describes the implementation of a worldwide information network, called RAM/SHIPNET to support the optimization of safety, reliability and cost effectiveness throughout all stages of a vessel's life cycle. Development of this network was started with seed funding from SNAME and continued under the umbrella of the Ship Operations Cooperative Program with primary funding from the Gulf Coast Region Maritime Technology Center at the University of New Orleans. First generation data collection and processing tools have been completed and, pilot validation and testing has been performed in the USA. The project is now moving into the second implementation stage enabling full scale testing, validation and roll-out on a global scale. A call is made to the industry for suggestions on improvement to meet emerging needs.
Stereoselective Syntheses of γ,δ-Bifunctionalized Homoallylic Alcohols and Ethers via Chemoselective Allyl Addition to Aldehydes

Stereoselective synthesis of γ,δ-bifunctionalized homoallylic alcohols and ethers via chemoselective allylation is reported. Pd-catalyzed 1,2-diboration of allenylsilane provided a novel 1,1,2-trifunctional allylation reagent. Allylboration of aldehydes with the reagent followed by in situ protection gave TES-protected homoallylic alcohols with excellent Z-selectivities. Chemoselective allylsilation with the same reagent delivered γ,δ-bifunctionalized homoallylic ethers with high E-selectivities. The bifunctionalized alkene group in the products underwent various transformations without erosion of the olefin geometry.
Social Validity in Early Language Interventions for Dual Language Learners: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The social validity of intervention research has been emphasized in special education and related fields for decades. There is relatively little focus on social validity that considers culturally a...
Projection method as a probe for multiplexing/demultiplexing of magnetically enriched biological tissues

The unmet demand for cheap, accurate, and fast multiplexing of biomarkers has urged nanobiotechnology to prioritize the invention of new biomarkers that make feasible the remote detection, identification, and quantification of biological units, such as regenerative tissues. Here, we introduce a novel approach that highlights magnetic nanowires (MNWs) with such capabilities. This method employs the stable magnetization states of MNWs as a unique characteristic that can be realized by projecting the MNWs' switching field on the backward field (PHb), also known as the irreversible switching field. Experimentally, several types of MNWs were directly synthesized inside polycarbonate tissues and their PHb characteristics were measured and analyzed. Our results show that the PHb gives an excellent identification and quantification characteristic for demultiplexing MNWs embedded in these tissues. Furthermore, this method significantly improves the characterization speed by a factor of 50×–100× that makes it superior to the current state of the art that ceased the progression of magnetic nanoparticles in multiplexing/demultiplexing applications.
Guillaume Budé on Tyranny in the Education of the Prince

Bude on tyranny in the Institution du Prince. Humanist readings of Plutarch, Quintus Curtius, Cicero, and Lucan yield a patchwork of observations about government and the moral conduct of persons in power. He is critical of Alexander the Great, with the exception of his conquests; and he is negative about Dionysius I of Syracuse. He grasps Caesar’s shift in Rome from a republic to a principate, and notes that Sulla finally gave up his dictatorial powers, thereby creating an implicit parallel between Caesar murdered and Sulla in retirement.
Dynamic Upwelling Beneath the Salton Trough Imaged With Teleseismic Attenuation Tomography

The Salton Trough is one of the few regions on Earth where rifting is sub-aerial instead of sub-marine. We use the relative attenuation of teleseismic P phases recorded by the Salton Trough Seismic...
Spectral Information Content Algorithm for Automated Signature Assessment

Passive hyperspectral imaging (HSI) systems can be coupled with exploitation algorithms for target detection, classification, and identification using the spectral signatures of manmade and natural materials. The detectability of a particular target is dependent on the material optical properties, sensor noise characteristics, and environmental conditions. Previously developed algorithms based on statistical methods and information theory enable the assessment of the impact of material phenomenology on detection performance. However, these algorithms are band-variant and un-normalized. Here, we develop the spectral information content (SIC) algorithm to quantify signature strength and to automate sensor selection for detecting a particular target. Furthermore, we illustrate that the SIC algorithm is reasonably correlated with target detection performance.
Dorsal Push and Abdominal Binding Improve Respiratory Compliance and Driving Pressure in Proned Coronavirus Disease 2019 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

We describe seven proned patients with coronavirus disease 2019-related acute respiratory distress syndrome in whom a paradoxical decrease in driving pressure reversibly occurred during passive, volume-controlled ventilation when compressing the lower back by a sustained "dorsal push." We offer a potential explanation for these unexpected observations and suggest the possible importance of eliciting this response for lung-protective ventilation of similar patients. Design/setting Case series at a single teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Minnesota. Measurements were recorded from continuously monitored airway pressure and flow data. Patients Nonconsecutive and nonrandomized sample of coronavirus disease 2019 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients who were already prone and paralyzed for optimized lung protective clinical management while inhaling pure oxygen. Interventions Sustained, firm manual pressure applied over the lower back in all patients, followed by abdominal binding in a subset of these. Measurements and main results Respiratory system driving pressure declined and respiratory system compliance improved in seven patients with the dorsal push maneuver. In a subset of four of these, abdominal binding sustained those improvements over >3 hours. Conclusions Sustained compressive force applied to the dorsum of the passive and prone patient with severe respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease pneumonia may elicit a paradoxical response characterized by improved compliance and for a given tidal volume, lower plateau, and driving pressures. Such findings, which suggest end-tidal overinflation within the aerated part of the diseased lung despite the already compressed anterior chest wall of prone positioning, complement and extend those observations recently described for the supine position in coronavirus disease 2019 acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The role of the paediatric clinical pharmacologist in paediatric research

In 1970 the World Health Organization stated that the function of the clinical pharmacologist was: 1) to improve patient care by promoting safer and more effective use of drugs, 2) to increase knowledge through research, 3) to pass on knowledge through teaching and 4) to provide services (e.g., analyses, drug information, and advice in the design of experiments). The role of the clinical pharmacologist in the fields of drug discovery, drug development, and regulatory sciences has significantly changed over the last decades. There is no discussion about the pivotal role of clinical pharmacologists in ensuring rational use of drugs, in translating pharmacological concepts from the bench to the clinic, in clinical drug development, or in teaching the discipline to medical and pharmacy students. Specifically, the role of paediatric clinical pharmacology is evolving and changing dramatically. This paper will summarize the current role of the (paediatric) clinical pharmacologist.
Closed Form Expressions for Some Gravitational Potentials

We give elementary derivations of the gravitational Newtonian potential created by different mass distributions. We begin with several two-dimensional objects such as rectangles, triangles and polygons. We emphasize the presence of two kinds of terms: logarithms and Arc-Tangents. We also show the connection with the well-known logarithmic potential of the wire segment. All these potentials are expressed in closed form.
Predicting the time derivative of local magnetic perturbations

Some of the potentially most destructive effects of severe space weather storms are caused by the geomagnetically induced currents. Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) can cause failures of electric transformers and result in widespread blackouts. GICs are induced by the time variability of the magnetic field and are closely related to the time derivative of the local magnetic field perturbation. Predicting dB/dt is rather challenging, since the local magnetic perturbations and their time derivatives are both highly fluctuating quantities, especially during geomagnetic storms. The currently available first principles-based and empirical models cannot predict the detailed minute-scale or even faster time variation of the local magnetic field. On the other hand, Pulkkinen et al. (2013) demonstrated recently that several models can predict with positive skill scores whether the horizontal component of dB/dt at a given magnetometer station will exceed some threshold value in a 20 min time interval. In this paper we investigate if one can improve the efficiency of the prediction further. We find that the Space Weather Modeling Framework, the best performing among the five models compared by Pulkkinen et al. (2013), shows significantly better skill scores in predicting the magnetic perturbation than predicting its time derivative, especially for large deviations. We also find that there is a strong correlation between the magnitude of dB/dt and the magnitude of the horizontal magnetic perturbation itself. Combining these two results one can devise an algorithm that gives better skill scores for predicting dB/dt exceeding various thresholds in 20 min time intervals than the direct approach.
VLSI implementation of a color map inversion algorithm [color printer applications]

The iteratively clustered interpolation (ICI) algorithm has proven to be accurate and efficient at computing the inverse printer map from the forward map. The details and results of the first hardware implementation of this novel algorithm are presented here. The ICI algorithm was implemented in VHDL and synthesized to a generic library using the Synopsys design compiler. The synthesis results provided the approximate size and speed of an ASIC that could perform the inverse computation.
On the motion of echo i-type earth satellites.

Perturbation of Echo I satellite as explanation of orbital element changes effect on lifetime of balloon type satellites
Dystonia, hyperintense basal ganglia, and high whole blood manganese levels in Alagille's syndrome.

Abstract Hyperintensity of the globus pallidus on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been reported in patients with chronic liver disease. This abnormality has been associated with the severity of liver disease and tremor, but its cause is unknown. Similar MRI signal abnormalities have been reported in experimental models of manganese neurotoxicity. This case report describes a child with Alagille's syndrome and endstage liver disease who developed dystonia and tremor associated with an elevated whole blood manganese level and symmetric hyperintense globus pallidi and subthalamic nuclei on T1-weighted but not T2-weighted MRI. Liver transplantation was performed; 2 months later, neurological function was improved, manganese levels were normal, and the MRI signal abnormality had completely resolved. This child had neurological findings described in manganese neurotoxicity with compatible laboratory and radiological findings. Manganese is excreted by the liver in bile, and toxicity may have resulted from the inadequacy of this mechanism, subsequently corrected by liver transplantation.