cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compensability of Workers' Compensation Claims for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMDS) Using Logistic Regression: An Empirical Study of an Appliance Manufacturer

Over 6500 workers' compensation claims, initiated in 1993–1996 and closed by March 1997, in a population-based study of appliance manufacturing employees were evaluated. The result of statistical analysis (Chi-square test) disproves the hypothesis of no association between WRMDs and workers' compensation claim (compensability) outcome. In addition, a mathematical relationship between work-related musculoskeletal disorders and workers' compensation claim outcomes was developed using the logistic regression modeling. The results revealed that individuals with a WRMD type injury are 2.55 times more likely than an individual without a WRMD to be compensated. Other variables proving to be significant were tool use, being on restricted duty, and straining. The results have important implications for areas to target for prevention and ergonomic intervention among workers, particularly for return-to-work programs and workers' compensation cost reduction.
Early Diagnosis and Management of Hearing Loss in Medically Fragile Children

Newborns and young children with serious medical problems pose a challenge to the success of universal newborn hearing screening. The need for ototoxic medications to rescue the critically ill child increases the risk for hearing loss that is already high due to the underlying disease. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection, aggressive life support including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and platinum-based chemotherapy to treat childhood cancer are cause to closely monitor hearing once health care attention turns from rescue to recovery. Algorithms for surveillance for hearing loss help reduce the time delay between the adventitious onset of hearing loss and the diagnosis and intervention. Understanding the relative risk for hearing loss for the individual child can help clinicians counsel families regarding the anticipated need for audiologic intervention. Assuring adequate hearing habilitation includes objective verification of audiologic interventions, as this young and ill patient population often cannot communicate the appropriateness of hearing aid settings. The use of FM systems is quite often necessary given the steeply sloping configuration of ototoxic hearing loss, and candidacy for cochlear implant may be complicated, but certainly not contraindicated, in children with complex medical histories.
Pilot Study Quantifying Filipino Nurses’ Perception of Stress

To understand stress in the context of differences in cultural perception, this study begins to explore stress levels in Filipino registered nurses. Stressors, in this study, include factors such as: death and dying, conflict with physicians, inadequate preparations, problems with peers, problems with supervisors, workload, uncertainty concerning treatment, problems with patients and their families, and discrimination. Using the questions derived from the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) by Lenton et al. (2000), thirty Filipino registered nurses were requested to complete a questionnaire voluntarily without providing any identifying information. This study is a preliminary exploration of stress levels in Filipino nurses and no generalizations can be made from these results. Data analysis revealed interesting information as to variability in perception of stress levels regarding certain factors. Discussions elucidate on various stress factors in the context of the Filipino culture. Further study regarding stress levels is greatly needed particularly in the light of the nursing shortage especially during the evening and night shifts. Stress management programs can be enhanced through the use of the ENSS as a diagnostic tool to identify specific factors considered relevant by the nurses concerned.
The Analysis of Automotive Vibration and Noise Development

The situation of automotive vibration and noise development is analyzed and the development procedure is presented in this paper.Some problems and subjects are discussed,including benchmark,target distributing,project design,modal layout,CAE and CAT,then the proposes are brought out about how to improve the capability of automotive vibration and noise development.
Getting User Input

Scripts that are designed to be flexible can be reused with varying parameter values. Relying on hard-coded parameters, specified with string literals, numbers and so forth, means users can’t change the values without opening the script and modifying the code. A flexible script that accepts arguments for the parameters can be easier to reuse. The geoprocessing examples in Chapter 6 specified the tool parameters inside the script. These processes can be made dynamic by accepting user input. This chapter covers the arcpy approach to receiving arguments and contrasts this with using sys.argv. Then it discusses argument spacing and os module methods for handling file path arguments and getting the script path.
Mitochondrial transport of nucleic acids. Participation of the benzodiazepine receptor

The models of mitochondrial transmembrane nucleic acid transfer are discussed. According to this hypothesis, mitochondria can exchange their nucleic acids by two possible mechanisms including either intermitochondrial fusion and fission or transmembrane transport. In the latter case, important roles for mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor and factors that regulate activities of its components (mitochondrial porin and adenine nucleotide translocator) are suggested. Nucleic acids can be transported through a Ca(2+)-dependent pore that can be one of the functional states of mitochondrial exchange of genetic material. Problems like cellular aging, apoptosis, proliferation, mitochondrial diseases, multidrug resistance, intracellular traffic, and mitochondrial heredity are discussed considering an important role of mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor in these processes.
The Perceived Impact of Peer Leadership Experiences on College Academic Performance

Open-ended data from the 2009 National Survey of Peer Leaders were analyzed to explore the impact of peer leadership on academic performance. While most participants suggested the experience had no effect on academics, perceptions varied by role. Peer leaders in academic and community service roles described increased skills and understanding of academic concepts, while resident assistants more commonly noted a negative influence. Implications for reframing peer leader experiences to support broader developmental outcomes are explored.
Predictive Model for Design of Fixed-Bed Adsorbers: Parameter Estimation and Model Development

A predictive mathematical model for fixed-bed adsorber design which incorporates both liquid and solid phase resistances to mass transfer is formulated; numeric solutions are described and checked for accuracy. Laboratory bench scale studies used to estimate model parameters independently from adsorber break-through profiles are described, and experimental results presented. The bench scale tests involve both adsorption rate and isotherm measurements that are used to determine isotherm equation parameters and surface diffusion coefficients for model calibration. Liquid-phase mass transfer coefficients for fixed-bed operation are obtained from literature correlations; parameter values used for model calibration are presented. This paper sets the stage for single- and multi-component model verifications to be presented in two subsequent papers.
The Path of Initiation: The Integration of Psychological and Spiritual Development in Western Esoteric Thought

This paper examines, from an emic stance, a strand of Western esoteric wisdom that offers a particular perspective on psycho-spiritual development in relation to spiritual emergence, the mutually interdependent evolution of consciousness and substance, and the functional role of human incarnation within our planetary life. The writings of Alice A. Bailey (1880-1949) and Lucille Cedercrans (1921-1984) serve as significant reference points in this effort. These teachings hold an integral view of human development in which a person's awareness and self-identification progress from polarization in physical matter and sensation through progressively subtler gradients of emotional and mental experience, culminating in "The Path of Initiation," a phase of psychological and spiritual expansions into deepening levels of transcendent, supramental consciousness and functioning. The esoteric teachings described here portray this path descriptively rather than prescriptively, and have significant parallels to Sri Aurobindo's Integral vision. Both consider human life in form to be a vital and necessary phase within the larger cosmic evolution of consciousness and matter, and both are frameworks that expansively embrace the significance of the Divine as both immanent and transcendent presence. The important issue of epistemological methodology and the testing of esoteric assertions is also considered.
In-Hand Manipulation Primitives for a Minimal, Underactuated Gripper With Active Surfaces

Dexterous in-hand manipulation tasks have been difficult to execute, even with highly complex hands and control schemes, as the object grasp stability needs to be maintained while it is displaced in the hand workspace. Researchers have shown that underactuated, adaptive hand designs can effectively immobilize objects with simple, open-loop, but there have been few cases where underactuation has been leveraged to enhance in-hand manipulation. In this work, we investigate the performance of a gripper utilizing a thumb with an active, belt-driven, conveyor surface and an opposing, underactuated finger with passive rollers, for a variety of manipulation tasks and range of objects. We show that consistent, repeatable object motion can be obtained while ensuring a rigid grasp without a priori knowledge of the object geometry or contact locations, due to the adaptive qualities of underactuated design. Many dexterous in-hand manipulation examples with their anthropomorphic equivalents are examined, and simple, open-loop control schemes to optimize the repeatability of these tasks are proposed.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
STEM-Focused Academies in Urban Schools: Tensions and Possibilities

Drawing on data from a study of learning, race, and equity in an urban high school organized around specialized learning academies, we examine the ways in which the design, framing, construction, and organization of learning spaces deeply influences the types of access to rigorous learning that students experience. We draw on the notion of racialized learning pathways to examine access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning spaces and the ways in which decisions about engaging these learning settings are bound up in notions of race, racial identity, gender, and belonging. We also take up the questions of how researchers and educators can intentionally design for positive racialization toward more inclusive school organization and classrooms. This article contributes to understanding of (a) how learning and identity development are mediated by broader processes of racialization tied to schooling organization and access structures and (b) how racial and gender inequities in STE...
Pregnancy Outcomes of U.S.-born Puerto Ricans: The Role of Maternal Nativity Status

This study examines maternal sociodemographic characteristics, prenatal care use, and birth outcomes of U.S. resident Puerto Ricans by maternal nativity status in order to ascertain if Puerto Rican-born mothers exhibit better birth outcomes than U.S.-born Puerto Rican mothers, after controlling for maternal risk characteristics. All single live births to U.S. resident mothers indicating a Puerto Rican heritage or ethnicity on the infant's Certificate of Live Birth were selected for analysis from the 1983-1986 National Center for Health Statistics' Public Use U.S. Linked Live Birth and Infant Death File. Infants of Puerto Rican-born mothers had a significantly lower risk of low birthweight and small for gestational age infants than infants of U.S.-born Puerto Rican mothers, after controlling for available maternal risk factors. Nevertheless, infants of Puerto Rican-born mothers had a significantly higher risk of neonatal mortality, although they exhibited a significantly lower risk of postneonatal mortality. No significant maternal nativity status differences in very preterm, preterm, very low birthweight, and infant mortality were identified after controlling for the same maternal sociodemographic and prenatal care use variables. Infants of Puerto Rican-born mothers demonstrated higher birthweight-specific neonatal mortality rates but lower birthweight-specific postneonatal mortality rates for nearly every birthweight category. These findings emphasize the need for further investigation of the factors that may influence maternal nativity variations in intrauterine growth retardation, access to tertiary health care services, and postneonatal mortality.
Small Molecule PET Tracers for Transporter Imaging

As the field of PET has expanded and an ever-increasing number and variety of compounds have been radiolabeled as potential in vivo tracers of biochemistry, transporters have become important primary targets or facilitators of radiotracer uptake and distribution. A transporter can be the primary target through the development of a specific high-affinity radioligand: examples are the multiple high-affinity radioligands for the neuronal membrane neurotransmitter or vesicular transporters, used to image nerve terminals in the brain. The goal of a radiotracer might be to study the function of a transporter through the use of a radiolabeled substrate, such as the application of 3-O-[ 11 C]methyl]glucose to measure rates of glucose transport through the blood–brain barrier. In many cases, transporters are required for radiotracer distributions, but the targeted biochemistries might be unrelated: an example is the use of 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]FDG for imaging glucose metabolism, where initial passage of the radiotracer through cell membranes requires the action of specific glucose transporters. Finally, there are transporters such as p-glycoprotein that function to extrude small molecules from tissues, and can effectively work against successful uptake of radiotracers. The diversity of structures and functions of transporters, their importance in human health and disease, and their role in therapeutic drug disposition suggest that in vivo imaging of transporter location and function will continue to be a point of emphasis in PET radiopharmaceutical development. In this review, the variety of transporters and their importance for in vivo PET radiotracer development and application are discussed. Transporters have thus joined the other major protein targets such as G-protein coupled receptors, ligand-gated ion channels, enzymes, and aggregated proteins as of high interest for understanding human health and disease.
Heuristics from Curating and Exhibiting Game Art in the 21st Century

This paper outlines experiences and lessons learned in organizing a variety of digital art exhibits for small and large scale events. The perspective is provided as a cross-disciplinary set of heuristics, drawing on the decade long experience of the curator-artist and paying particular attention to playable electronic media (e.g. games and toys) as installation works in an art context. Lessons learned from exhibits organized or co-organized by the author in the United States, Europe and Asia are shared. These events were offered with support from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Leuphana University, the University of Utah, Abertay University and others. Additional observations are provided as an artist who has exhibited at more than 40 events in the last decade. Formally the paper offers an ontology for defining distinguishing between exhibits, festivals and showcases. It is not the intention of the author to create a compendium of exhibition and curation practice. Instead the aim is to provide context and a starting point for the evolving intellectual examination of curatorial practices around digital games. It is hoped that these assertions support the growth of such work by providing a starting point for other practitioners.
Labeling of deployment sexual harassment experiences among male and female veterans.

Objective Victims' conceptualizations of traumatic experiences can impact screening responses and decisions to utilize health care. Despite experiencing events constituting sexual harassment, many victims do not label their experiences as such. In the military, specific situational factors (e.g., occurred on-duty, higher ranking harasser) and victim appraisals of experiences (e.g., offensive, threatening) have been associated with increased labeling of sexual harassment. However, no research has examined sexual harassment labeling among those deployed in recent Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, where the context of harassment may differ from peacetime settings. The purpose of the present study was to examine frequencies of labeling sexual harassment during deployment, factors associated with labeling, and associations between labeling and perceived need for and use of mental health services. Method 2,348 veterans (51% women, 49% men) drawn from a random sample of veterans deployed in support of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq completed a mail survey. Results Women were significantly more likely than men to label experiences as harassment. Whereas appraisals of events were associated with both women's and men's labeling, situational factors were only associated with women's labeling. Among women, labeling was associated with a greater perceived need for and use of mental health services among those who experienced nonassaultive harassment. Conclusions These results confirm the importance of using behavioral language when screening for experiences of harassment among veterans returning from deployment. We discuss strategies for addressing labeling in the context of mental health treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record
Estimation of Parameters of a Uniformly Nonlinear Surface Runoff Model

The surface runoff model, based on the concept of uniform nonlinearity (Dooge 1967), has three parameters. It is shown that these parameters can be estimated from the informaion that can be easily obtained from a topographic map of the watershed. By applying the model to natural agricultural watersheds the reliability of estimating parameters in the proposed manner is reexamined.
From difficult past to imagined future: Projective reversal and the transformation of ground zero

Abstract In the United States, the term “ground zero” is now inextricably linked with New York City. Originally, however, it referred to the site directly beneath a detonated atomic bomb. The phrase was first used in government documents to identify the epicenters of destruction in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where U.S. forces dropped nuclear weapons in 1945. How did a term whose origins are bound up with acts of American violence come to signify American victimhood? Examining U.S. political and media discourse from 1945–2001, this paper identifies a long history of projective reversal: faced with the prospect of a “difficult past,” American politicians and media outlets often grappled with the realities of a nuclear age by switching the roles of victim and perpetrator, imagining the United States as a future victim of a nuclear attack. After 9/11, the “ground zero” nomenclature naturalized an understanding of lower Manhattan as akin to a post-atomic landscape and, in turn, helped to animate a new series of nuclear projections leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In tracing the transformation of ground zero, this paper also forges a more robust link between the extensive literature on collective memory and recent efforts to elaborate a sociology of the future, examining how pasts and futures interpenetrate to shape political action in the present.
A Multicast Technique for Fixed and Mobile Optical Wireless Backhaul in 5G Networks

The data demand for 5G networks is expected to be much higher than current throughput requirements. To meet this demand, a dense topology of interlinked small cells is needed. Laying new copper and fiber in such a dense network would be cost prohibitive. There is, therefore, an urgent need for high capacity wireless point-to-multipoint backhaul solutions. In this paper, we provide a compendium of solutions for ultrahigh data rate physical-layer broadcast and multicast using free space optics in 5G backhaul networks. We show that the problem of optimal multicast in mobile scenarios with highly directional optical links is a time-dependent prize collecting traveling salesman problem which is NP-hard. In formulating our problem, we develop a novel prize assignment strategy that guarantees the selection of mutually non-disjoint multicast sets. Due to the problem being NP-hard, we provide several potential heuristics for multicast in fixed and mobile scenarios, and present a comprehensive performance evaluation of the developed schemes.
Unraveling the Differential Aggregation of Anionic and Nonionic Monorhamnolipids at Air–Water and Oil–Water Interfaces: A Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

The molecular structure of a surfactant molecule is known to have a great effect on the interfacial properties. We employ molecular dynamics simulations for a detailed atomistic study of monolayers of the nonionic and anionic form of the most common congener of monorhamnolipids, α-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoyl-β-hydroxydecanoate ((R,R)-Rha–C10-C10), at the air–water and oil–water interfaces. An atomistic-level understanding of monolayer aggregation is necessary to explain a recent experimental observation indicating that nonionic and anionic Rha–C10-C10 show surprisingly different surface area per molecule at the critical micelle concentration. Surface-pressure analysis, interface formation energy calculations, and mass density profiles of the monolayers at the air–water interface show similar properties between nonionic and anionic Rha–C10-C10 aggregation. It is found that there is a significant difference in the headgroup conformations of Rha–C10-C10 in the nonionic and anionic monolayers. Hydrogen ...
Hybrid electrical power supply for an electric propelled boat

This paper deals with electrical energy from multi-sources intended to feed a propulsion system of a boat. These energy sources consist of photovoltaic panels, fuel cells, supercapacitors and accumulator batteries. A study of different topologies of connections between these different sources and the propulsion engine of the boat allowed to retain the continuous Bus topology. In this work, we present the modeling of each energy source associated with its converter, as well as the dimensioning of these elements. Then, we give the overall electrical diagram with the different sources and the associated electrical converters which are all connected to a continuous Bus. This Bus feeds the synchronous propellant motor through a three-phase pulse-modulated control inverter. Numerical simulations were carried out in this work.
Richard Wright's Apprenticeship:

n Black Boy, Richard Wright (1941: 285) speaks of leaving his native South because he had a "hazy notion that life could be lived with dignity, that the personalities of others should not be violated, that men should be able to confront other men without fear or shame." Nevertheless, he seems to have had no illusion of approximating his ideal in ordinary Northern society where the concrete experience of day-today living would oppress him as it did tens of thousands of other black migrants in the great Depression. In the South, Wright had developed a sense of his own unique inner life in conflict with the patterns of expectations in the racial caste system, and in the North, much of the time, he was no less alienated by racism. Still, there was this difference. After his migration from the South, Wright found the means to project his sensibility beyond himself into the social world. This essay, focusing upon Wright's beginnings as an artist, attempts to identify within that process of artistic entry into the broader world the significance for Richard Wright-the artist-of the apprenticeship he served in the left wing literary culture. 1
The decision partner in healthcare decision-making: A concept analysis.

Abstract Background The decision partner concept emerged to describe someone who contributes to healthcare decision-making with a patient. There is a need for greater precision and consensus surrounding its conceptual definition and use in broader populations. Objective To define and describe the decision partner concept within the context of healthcare decision-making. Design A concept analysis. Data sources We searched the following databases for articles published between 1990–2017: PsychINFO, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. We included qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods studies that used the term decision partner in the context of healthcare decision-making. Methods We applied the Walker and Avant method to identify the antecedents, attributes, related concepts, consequences, and empirical referents of the concept, with major themes identified. Results From the 112 articles included in this concept analysis, 6 defining attributes of decision partner were identified: (1) has a relationship with the patient, (2) demonstrates a willingness to participate in decision-making, (3) articulates a clear understanding of both the patient’s health condition and the decisions that must be made, (4) demonstrates decision-making self-efficacy; (5) exemplifies an emotional capacity to participate in decision-making, and (6) willing to fulfill several supportive roles including patient advocate and the “hub of information”. Conclusions A unifying definition and discussion of the decision partner concept has been developed. Our findings: (1) offer insights into refining the concept across various diseases and healthcare encounters, (2) contribute to developing theoretical models and empirical research to refine antecedents, attributes, consequences, (3) serve as a foundation to develop instruments to measure the concept and (4) highlight the need to design interventions that include and support decision partners in healthcare decision-making.
RNA-sequencing across three matched tissues reveals shared and tissue-specific gene expression and pathway signatures of COPD

Multiple gene expression studies have been performed separately in peripheral blood, lung, and airway tissues to study COPD. We performed RNA-sequencing gene expression profiling of large-airway epithelium, alveolar macrophage and peripheral blood samples from the same subset of COPD cases and controls from the COPDGene study who underwent bronchoscopy at a single center. Using statistical and gene set enrichment approaches, we sought to improve the understanding of COPD by studying gene sets and pathways across these tissues, beyond the individual genomic determinants. We performed differential expression analysis using RNA-seq data obtained from 63 samples from 21 COPD cases and controls (includes four non-smokers) via the R package DESeq2. We tested associations between gene expression and variables related to lung function, smoking history, and CT scan measures of emphysema and airway disease. We examined the correlation of differential gene expression across the tissues and phenotypes, hypothesizing that this would reveal preserved and private gene expression signatures. We performed gene set enrichment analyses using curated databases and findings from prior COPD studies to provide biological and disease relevance. The known smoking-related genes CYP1B1 and AHRR were among the top differential expression results for smoking status in the large-airway epithelium data. We observed a significant overlap of genes primarily across large-airway and macrophage results for smoking and airway disease phenotypes. We did not observe specific genes differentially expressed in all three tissues for any of the phenotypes. However, we did observe hemostasis and immune signaling pathways in the overlaps across all three tissues for emphysema, and amyloid and telomere-related pathways for smoking. In peripheral blood, the emphysema results were enriched for B cell related genes previously identified in lung tissue studies. Our integrative analyses across COPD-relevant tissues and prior studies revealed shared and tissue-specific disease biology. These replicated and novel findings in the airway and peripheral blood have highlighted candidate genes and pathways for COPD pathogenesis.
Measurement of erythropoietin in anephric children. A report of the Southwest Pediatric Nephrology Study Group.

Serum erythropoietin (Ep) levels were measured using a highly sensitive radioimmunoassay in 69 children undergoing chronic dialysis; 31 were anephric, whereas 38 were non-nephrectomized (nephric). Twenty-nine normal children were studied as controls. Serum Ep levels in the anephric group were much higher than anticipated (mean 19.7±1.8 mU/ml), albeit significantly lower than those measured in normal children (mean 26.2±2.4 mU/ml,P 12 months (21.6±6.0) were not significantly different from each other. This demonstration of relatively normal levels of serum Ep in anephric children suggests that extrarenal sites of Ep production are able to exert a significant response to severe anemia in patients who are devoid of renal parenchyma.
Real-time mapping of natural disasters using citizen update streams

Natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, and mudslides are rare events, but they affect citizens at unpredictable times and the impact on human life can be significant. Citizens located close...
Exploring Untrusted Distributed Storage for High Performance Computing

High performance computing systems are typically built with high-throughput and infrastructural uniformity in mind, but generally do not easily accommodate diverse data security requirements on a single cluster. Rather than fracturing that infrastructure by building many network isolated storage "islands" to secure each dataset covered by an individual data use agreement, we explore using the Ceph distributed storage system with client-side encryption to provision secure storage from a single, untrusted data lake.
Nutrition Monitoring of Children Aged Birth to 24 Mo (B-24): Data Collection and Findings from the NHANES.

The first 2 y of life are characterized by several transitions that can affect growth, development, and eating patterns long term. These include a shift from a primarily milk-based eating pattern to introduction of complementary foods at ∼4-6 mo of age, and passage to family-meal patterns in toddler years. Recognizing the importance of this critical period, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans from 2020 onwards will include guidance for children aged birth to 24 mo (B-24). Few large-scale surveys provide comprehensive, nationally representative, quantitative, recent data on infant and toddler nutrition in the United States. The continuous NHANES has collected data relevant to this initiative since 1999 using standardized interview and examination protocols. These include data on infant feeding practices, dietary intakes (foods, beverages, and supplements), anthropometry, and blood-based nutritional status on nationally representative samples of infants and toddlers. NHANES data can be used to describe large group-level consumption patterns, as well as trends over time for B-24 children overall, and by demographic groups (e.g., race-ethnic and income groups). In addition, NHANES data can be analyzed to examine adherence to nutrition-related recommendations, such as those from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and to track Healthy People 2020 objectives. This paper provides an update on NHANES nutrition monitoring in B-24 children since our previous publication (which provided details through NHANES 2009-2010) and describes data collection since 2010 and plans for upcoming cycles. It also describes key NHANES-based findings published in the last 5 y on infant feeding practices, dietary intakes and supplement use, and nutritional status of US children aged <2 y. Findings related to existing recommendations, such as from the AAP, are presented when available. This information can inform researchers and policymakers on the state of nutrition in the US B-24 population and its subgroups of interest.
Unusual presentations for Lupus: From Occular Oddities to Cauda Equina Nerve Root Enhancement (P1.2-051)

Objective: Atypical neurological manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with multiple cranial neuropathies and cauda equina nerve root enhancement, mimicking acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP). Background: SLE can present with neurological manifestation, including the central and peripheral nervous systems and muscles. Its relatively easier to diagnose SLE when it presents with systemic manifestations. 10%–20% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus show peripheral nervous system involvement. SLE may affect the visual system in up to a third of patients. Design/Methods: Case 1: 28-year-old woman admitted with multiorgan failure and severe encephalopathy preceded by flue like symptoms. Upon arousal from coma patient reported visual loss and severe lower extremity weakness. Neurological examination revealed no light perception in both eyes, severe flaccid lower extremity weakness with areflexia. Patient had an extensive neurological work up done which showed positive ANA, Anti-RNP and anti-Smith antibodies with low C3, very high CSF protein, multiple cranial neuropathies and cauda equina nerve root enhancement. Patient failed IVIG and PLEX. Patient improved with high doses of steroids followed by oral prednisone and Plaquenil. Case 2: 29-year-old woman presented with transient visual loss and bilateral lower extremity paresthesia preceded by viral prodrome. On exam she had very mild optic disc edema, lower extremity weakness with areflexia. CSF showed elevated protein and white count. She had positive ANA, anti-RNP and anti-smith antibodies. Patient later developed a malar rash and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT). Treatment for lupus was initiated with pulse steroids, followed by oral prednisone and Plaquenil. Anticoagulation was initiated for CVT. Patient symptoms improved significantly with treatment. Results: N/A Conclusions: We present two interesting cases of SLE with ocular manifestation and vasculitis polyradiculopathy mimicking AIDP. Lupus should be considered as a differential for AIDP in patients with cauda equina nerve root enhancement with positive autoimmune panel not responsive to IVIG or PLEX. Disclosure: Dr. Salim Khan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Memon has nothing to disclose.
Differences in Admission Blood Pressure Among Causes of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— It is unknown whether admission systolic blood pressure (SBP) differs among causes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We sought to elucidate an association between admission...
Issues Raised on Korea’s Official Development Assistance to Africa: Future Perspective

There is a growing demand for Korean partnerships from African countries from those who are requiring to share Korea’s development experiences. As the Korean case of economic development has inspired many developing countries, especially in Africa, the Korean government has increased activities to foster partnerships with African countries. In order to strengthen the partnership, Korean presidents visited Africa more often and organized regular forums and conferences among the public and private sectors in Korea and Africa from the early 2000s. The Korea-Africa Foundation was established as a government entity to enlighten partnerships with Africa in 2018. Korea’s Official Development Assistance to Africa has increased and could be consolidated by focusing on projects related to development of African countries. This could be possible through a holistic approach by bringing academia, private companies and public institutions together.
Werken aan het lichaamsbeeld

Met werken aan het lichaamsbeeld stappen we over naar het eerste onderdeel van Stap 3 van het stepped-caremodel (zie fig. II.1 in de inleiding van deel II). Clienten die Stap 3-zorg nodig hebben, zijn doorgaans het slachtoffer geweest van ernstige fysieke mishandeling en/of seksueel misbruik. Dit zijn niet de relatief gezonde individuen uit de algemene populatie die in H. 4 werden beschreven. Als gevolg van de slechte ervaringen die hun ten deel zijn gevallen – in combinatie met biologische kwetsbaarheden – vertonen deze clienten vaak nog meer problemen dan non-suicidale zelfverwonding. Ze kampen bijvoorbeeld met complexe PTSS-symptomen, incidentele suicide-ideatie of suicidaal gedrag, lichaamsvervreemding, eetstoornissen en gebruik van verslavende middelen. Werken aan het lichaamsbeeld is een goed vertrekpunt voor individuen met zulke complexe problematiek. Voor individuen die er nog niet klaar voor zijn om met complexe, uit trauma’s voortvloeiende problemen aan de slag te gaan kan behandeling die gericht is op lichaamsvervreemding soms acceptabeler zijn (zie H. 16).
Rajiv Rao (Ed.). Key issues in the teaching of Spanish pronunciation: From description to pedagogy

This article reviews Key issues in the teaching of Spanish pronunciation: From description to pedagogy
Should clinical practice change to bedtime administration of antihypertensive

Chronotherapy provides a new option to optimise hypertension and reduce cardiovascular risks based on the circadian profile of blood pressure.1 A recent Hygia trial reported taking bedtime antihypertensives reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by 45% compared with ingestion of medications on awakening.2 However, two key points related to the design and reporting of this trial should be considered in developing guidelines for optimal timing of antihypertensive use. The Hygia trial reported that there was no treatment-time difference in prevalence of all adverse events and sleep time hypotension. Unexpectedly, they did …
Visual tracking of deepwater animals using machine learning-controlled robotic underwater vehicles

The ocean is a vast three-dimensional space that is poorly explored and understood, and harbors unobserved life and processes that are vital to ecosystem function. To fully interrogate the space, novel algorithms and robotic platforms are required to scale up observations. Locating animals of interest and extended visual observations in the water column are particularly challenging objectives. Towards that end, we present a novel Machine Learning-integrated Tracking (or ML-Tracking) algorithm for underwater vehicle control that builds on the class of algorithms known as tracking-by-detection. By coupling a multi-object detector (trained on in situ underwater image data), a 3D stereo tracker, and a supervisor module to oversee the mission, we show how ML-Tracking can create robust tracks needed for long duration observations, as well as enable fully automated acquisition of objects for targeted sampling. Using a remotely operated vehicle as a proxy for an autonomous underwater vehicle, we demonstrate continuous input from the ML-Tracking algorithm to the vehicle controller during a record, 5+ hr continuous observation of a midwater gelatinous animal known as a siphonophore. These efforts clearly demonstrate the potential that tracking-by-detection algorithms can have on exploration in unexplored environments and discovery of undiscovered life in our ocean.
Dachau and Buchenwald

This chapter describes Robert Eisler’s arrest following the Nazi annexation of Austria and his subsequent confinement for 15 months in Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps. In the camps, Eisler made friends with like-minded prisoners like the rare book dealer Hans P. Kraus and the historian of bread and baking Heinrich E. Jacob, as well as a Jehovah’s Witness who had read his book on the historical Jesus. The chapter also looks at what Eisler wrote about Hitler and the Nazis in the ten years he lived after leaving Buchenwald, and narrates the strange story of the S.S. officer Friedrich Murawski, who was expelled for having plagiarized Eisler’s work on the historical Jesus.
Intensive ocular sampling for the detection of subclinical canine herpesvirus-1 shedding in dogs with experimentally-induced latent infection.

Abstract Latent canine herpesvirus-1 (CaHV-1) infections are common in domestic dogs, but viral shedding patterns in dogs are poorly understood. Previous research failed to detect spontaneous subclinical ocular CaHV-1 shedding in dogs following ocular infection, a situation that is fundamentally distinct from many of the alphaherpesviruses closely related to CaHV-1. One possible explanation for this finding is that the sampling interval in the prior studies evaluating ocular shedding patterns was too infrequent to detect rapidly cleared, brief ocular viral shedding episodes. To evaluate for this potential viral shedding scenario, 10 laboratory beagles recovered from experimental primary ocular CaHV-1 infection and with latent CaHV-1infection were intensively monitored for viral reactivation and shedding for 28 days. Clinical ophthalmic examinations were performed daily. Ocular swab samples were collected for CaHV-1 polymerase chain reaction 3 times daily and CaHV-1 virus neutralizing antibody assays were evaluated at 2-week intervals. No abnormalities suggestive of recurrent CaHV-1 ocular disease were observed during clinical ophthalmic examination in the dogs during the study. Ocular CaHV-1 shedding was not detected by polymerase chain reaction and CaHV-1 virus neutralizing antibody titers remained stable in all dogs for the study duration. In the present study utilizing frequent multiple daily sample collections, no evidence of subclinical ocular CaHV-1 shedding was detected in mature dogs with experimentally-induced latent CaHV-1 infection.
A healthy peace: public good provision and post-civil war peace stability

The study of civil war recurrence is situated at the intersection of conflict and peacebuilding. These literatures focus on disparate definitions of peace. These literatures provide different explanations for variation in peace stability, and cover a large number of causal factors. We argue that these causal mechanisms are connected and conditioned by public policy. Specifically, we argue that the production and distribution of public goods post-conflict contribute to the maintenance of negative peace by acting as a credible commitment mechanism. In addition, public goods contribute to the building of positive peace when there is shared access to goods and services. We investigate the impact of public goods provision ‒ measured as health funding and distribution ‒ on causal mechanisms including opportunity, grievance, greed, and credible commitments. Using a duration model, we find that health spending, as a measure of public goods provision, is a strong predictor of the durability of peace after civil conflict.
The Imaging Operator in Indirect Imaging Correlography

The work presents a mathematical model for the imaging operator in Non-Line-of-Sight Imaging using Indirect Imaging Correlography. The model is used to analyze the impact of object pose and obliquity on system performance, through a series of simulations and experiments.
Elastic interaction of a crack with a microcrack array. I - Formulation of the problem and general form of the solution. II - Elastic solution for two crack configurations (piecewise constant and linear approximations)

The elastic interactions of a two-dimensional configuration consisting of a crack with an array of microcracks located near the tip are studied. The general form of the solution is based on the potential representations and approximations of tractions on the microcracks by polynomials. In the second part, the technique is applied to two simple two-dimensional configurations involving one and two microcracks. The problems of stress shielding and stress amplification (the reduction or increase of the effective stress intensity factor due to the presence of microcracks) are discussed, and the refinements introduced by higher order polynomial approximations are illustrated.
A probabilistic interpretation of the quotient method for characterizing and managing risk to ecological receptors

Hazard or risk quotients are commonly used to characterize the risk to ecological receptors at Superfund sites. A risk quotient is the ratio of an estimated exposure level (concentration or dose) to an effects threshold level (concentration or dose). Ecological hazard quotients can be formulated and interpreted in probabilistic terms. The numerator of the ratio is the exposure corresponding to the maximum allowable risk to the receptor at the site. Given a distribution of exposures at a site, the specified exposure level defines the maximum acceptable probability that a receptor experiences unacceptable harm, i.e., maximum acceptable risk. The exposure level at Superfund sites is frequently specified by regulators to be that corresponding to the upper 95th confidence limit on the mean concentration. The denominator of the ratio is the exposure corresponding to the dose causing the maximum allowable adverse effect on the receptor. Given a distribution of exposures at a site, the effects threshold defines the actual probability that the receptor is exposed to levels greater than the threshold, i.e., actual risk. The effects threshold at Superfund sites is frequently required by regulators to be that corresponding to the no effect level. This formulation of ecological hazard quotients clarifies themore » meaning of the quotient and highlights the importance of the exposure level and effects thresholds specified by regulators. This paper also discusses the relationship between this probabilistic interpretation of risk quotients and probabilistic exposure modeling, e.g., Monte Carlo simulation.« less
Methodology and Subspecialty Consolidation in the Clinical Laboratory

The design of instruments as automated workstations for the clinical laboratory has evolved steadily over the last two decades. The grouping of assays into clinical chemistry disciplines has been largely influenced by the instrumentation available, e.g., multicomponent chemistry analyzers and specialty analyzers, including analyte-specific analyzers, blood gas analyzers, nephelometers, instruments dedicated to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), and instruments dedicated to protein or other immunoassays. This evolution has been a synergy of needs and technologies. The advent of managed care has led to stringent efforts to decrease the unit costs of laboratory testing and to increase productivity. Increases in efficiency in the clinical laboratory can be achieved by modifying the overall process flow and by using more-efficient technologies. These changes are assumed to decrease labor requirements and, therefore, to decrease the major component of the direct cost of testing. The use of multiple instrument types, however, even for such altruistic reasons as optimizing analytical performance, can create a process and scheduling problem in attempts to reduce unit costs (1)(2). Each instrument utilized in a clinical chemistry laboratory (or in a multidiscipline automated core laboratory) incurs support costs: for calibration, regulation compliance, utilities, maintenance (including service contracts), computer interfacing, and inventory control, among others. These costs will exist if the front and back ends of the specimen-processing functions are completely automated. Therefore, even if all specimen manipulations are automated, reducing the number of instrument workstations can still reduce costs. The report by Scholer et al. in this issue of Clinical Chemistry describes an immunoturbidimetric method for digoxin that requires no pretreatment (3). The assay is adaptable to general chemistry analyzers, and its performance at several different centers with a variety of instrumentation is well documented here (3). Considering the analytical requirements for an acceptable assay for serum digoxin, the performance …