cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Book Review: In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms

In the book, In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms, Brooks and Brooks discussed the concepts, challenges, and strategies for applying constructivism in classrooms in a clear and straightforward manner. The book itself is divided into three parts. In part one, the authors defined constructivism explaining that students construct meanings through a quest for understanding their experiences, as they pondered about the challenges of implementing constructivist in an education system that emphasizes achievements measured by test scores rather than meaning and understanding. Following, in the second part of the book, Brooks and Brooks addressed the main criticism of the constructivist approach as well as common challenges for its implementation. Lastly, in part three, the authors exemplified through teachers’ journal entries the reasons that tend to influence on teachers’ decision in not applying constructivism to their classrooms, as well as offered recommendations regarding school reform.
A High Population, Fault Tolerant Parallel Raytracer.

We present hierarchical master-slave architecture for performing parallel raytracing algorithms that can support a large population of participating clients and at the same time maintain fault tolerance at the application level. Our design allows for scalability with minimal data redundancy and maximizes the utilization of each client involved in the raytracing process. Our results show that this three-layer system can survive any type or number of client failures, and any non-concurrent server failures, while maintaining a near linear increase in performance with the addition of each new processing client.
Comparison of Clinical Characteristics between Caucasian and Minority Parkinson's Disease Patients (P04.150)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients diagnosed with Parkinson9s disease (PD) and treated at a tertiary-care center. BACKGROUND: PD affects approximately 1% of the population over 60 years with a 2:1 ratio of men to women and a higher proportion of patients with Caucasian background. When considering diagnosis and treatment of patients, it may be important to consider differences in patient populations. DESIGN/METHODS: Patients with parkinsonism seen at the Movement Disorders Clinic at Boston Medical Center were entered into an established clinical database. Information was collected from the patients, family members, chart review, and the treating physician. Current age, and age of onset and diagnosis were compared between the Caucasian and non-Caucasian groups using t-tests. Male-to-female-ratio, side of onset, family history, disease complications, Hoehn & Yahr Score, current medications, and past medications of the groups were compared using chi-square analysis. RESULTS: There were a total of 671 distinct patient entries into the database between January 2007 and July 2012, of which 450 were diagnosed with PD. There were a higher proportion of males in the Caucasian subgroup compared to the non-Caucasians subgroup (60% vs. 41.8%, P= 0.002). There was a significantly different pattern of medication use in the groups, with more non-Caucasians on anticholinergics and Caucasians on more levodopa therapy. There were no other significant differences between the groups regarding demographic or clinical characteristics including age at diagnosis, side of onset, disease complications, Hoehn & Yahr score, and past medications. CONCLUSIONS: In this tertiary care, hospital-based population, there were a higher proportion of males in the Caucasian populations supporting a genetic and/or hormonal influence on PD. There were also differences in medication use between the groups, suggesting treatment and/or response disparities. Disclosure: Dr. Kaplan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Saint-Hilaire has received personal compensation for activities with Teva MOTION and EMD Serono. Dr. Hohler has received personal compensation for activities with Teva Neuroscience. Dr. Ellias has nothing to disclose. Dr. Frank has received personal compensation for activities with Lundbeck and Analysis Group as a consultant.
Chapter 2 – Effect of Age, Gender, Diet, Exercise, and Ethnicity on Laboratory Test Results

Many factors, such as age, gender, diet, exercise, and ethnicity/race, have an impact on clinical laboratory test results. Other factors, such as fasting, special diets, and nutraceuticals, can also significantly alter the results of clinical laboratory tests. These factors can be classified into two categories: nonmodifiable (age, gender, and ethnicity/race) and modifiable (diet and exercise, fasting, special diets, and nutraceuticals). Current reference intervals partially account for the age and gender effects on laboratory results. Diet has a marked effect on laboratory test results, as noted by changes in lipid profiles and glucose measurements. These changes reflect the metabolic and endocrine processes associated with food composition, amount, and intake intervals. However, ethnicity/race is a surrogate marker for environmental, socioeconomic/demographic, and/or genetic factors. With the exception of the estimated glomerular filtration rate calculation, few tests have widely used ethnic-specific reference intervals.
New ‘Fish Tank’ approach to evaluate durability and dynamic failure of marine composites

The major objectives of this paper include: 1) developing a novel approach to accurately simulate the material/mechanics conditions of composite structures in seawater; 2) characterizing the impact damage, and the residual compression strength of marine composites as a function of time of seawater exposure; and 3) conducting a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the compression failure of marine composite with impact damage. In this study, a new composite “fish tank” approach was developed. Four E-glass/vinyl ester composite specimens were weakly bonded together and inserted into a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) base plate. Only one surface of the composite specimen was exposed to seawater. This surface will be subjected to the drop weight impact, which is very similar to the dynamic failure of ship structures subjected to underwater explosion. The specimens will then be subjected to compression until failure. For the simulation of the compressive failure after impact, finite element method with cohesive element was employed
Modeling Multimodal Consumer Heterogeneity in Conjoint Analysis – A Sparse Learning Approach

A realistic specification for consumer heterogeneity should allow for both multiple market segments and within-segment heterogeneity. Such a flexible heterogeneity specification, which we term as multimodal consumer heterogeneity (MCH), raises considerable modeling challenge. We propose an innovative sparse learning approach for modeling MCH and apply it to conjoint analysis, where an adequate modeling of consumer heterogeneity is critical. The unique perspective of our approach is to characterize MCH via a special form of structured sparsity defined on conjoint partworths that can be recovered efficiently using recently developed optimization techniques. The proposed approach is intuitive and easy to implement in practice. We use extensive simulation experiments and two empirical conjoint data sets to demonstrate the performance of our sparse learning approach in modeling MCH and recovering both accurate individual-level partworths estimates and managerially relevant market segmentations.
Real-Time, In Vivo Determination of Dynamic Changes in Lung and Heart Tissue Oxygenation Using EPR Oximetry

The use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry for oxygen measurements in deep tissues (>1 cm) is challenging due to the limited penetration depth of the microwave energy. To overcome this limitation, implantable resonators, having a small (0.5 mm diameter) sensory loop containing the oxygen-sensing paramagnetic material connected by a pair of twisted copper wire to a coupling loop (8–10 mm diameter), have been developed, which enable repeated measurements of deep-tissue oxygen levels (pO2, partial pressure of oxygen) in the brain and tumors of rodents. In this study, we have demonstrated the feasibility of measuring dynamic changes in pO2 in the heart and lung of rats using deep-tissue implantable oxygen sensors. The sensory loop of the resonator contained lithium octa-n-butoxynaphthalocyanine (LiNc-BuO) crystals embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and was implanted in the myocardial tissue or lung pleura. The external coupling loop was secured subcutaneously above chest. The rats were exposed to different breathing gas mixtures while undergoing EPR measurements. The results demonstrated that implantable oxygen sensors provide reliable measurements of pO2 in deep tissues such as heart and lung under adverse conditions of cardiac and respiratory motions.
Global Issues and Health Interactions

This chapter draws attention to a range of global issues that interact, and aims to provoke thought and research on their impact on health. Initially, it deals with communication, economic issues and physician migration. Then it summarizes a wide field of mechanisms by which global forces affect health, indirectly or directly. Within this classification there has to be some overlap—for example the HIV virus causing AIDS would appear to be a direct health effect, but a shift in lifestyles that has seen an increase in the number of individuals’ sexual partners—a shift that perhaps reflects a breakdown of family and religious value systems—may be the more fundamental, but indirect, cause. The view is primarily from the standpoint of developing countries, the “South,” and does not eschew controversy.
Recent advances in polymeric membranes for CO2 capture

Abstract Membrane and membrane process have been considered as one of the most promising technologies for mitigating CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels. In this paper, recent advances in polymeric membranes for CO2 capture are reviewed in terms of material design and membrane formation. The selected polymeric materials are grouped based on their gas transport mechanisms, i.e., solution‐diffusion and facilitated transport. The discussion of solution‐diffusion membranes encompasses the recent efforts to shift the upper bound barrier, including the enhanced CO2 solubility in several rubbery polymers and novel methods to construct shape-persisting macromolecules with unprecedented sieving ability. The carrier-bearing facilitated transport membranes are categorized based on the specific CO2-carrier chemistry. Finally, opportunities and challenges in practical applications are also discussed, including post-combustion carbon capture (CO2/N2), hydrogen purification (CO2/H2), and natural gas sweetening (CO2/CH4).
Creating Reference Neutron Fields for Calibration of Neutron Spectrometers and Computing Their Spectra

We consider the current state of metrological support for neutron spectrometry. We propose a method for creating reference neutron fields with energy spectra of different shapes from radioisotope sources, with the aim of designing a test setup for verification of real-time neutron spectrometers we have developed.
Re-Locating Haraway: Situated Knowledges in the Questions of Democracy and Development

Within critiques of neoliberalism and liberal democracy, Wendy Brown (2005) has stated that democracy has produced “nothing other than ideological shells,” and, through various power relations, normalizes and governs individual bodies (52). Following such critiques, I argue that in the question of democratic transformations within development discourse, it is a productive pursuit to re-engage Donna Haraway’s (1988) theory of Situated Knowledges and partial perspectives. Although there are multiple kinds of governance to consider, I investigate the normalizations of Western culture and the saturation of “objective” economic policies as worldview in interactions between development and democracy, as part of discursive modes of power, and question how each mode of governance has created and sustained such infrastructures as The Global Poor or Third World. Additionally, acknowledging Haraway’s own limitations via partial perspective, I follow her situated knowledges as methodology and include postcolonial writers, such as Chandra Mohanty (2003) and Linda Tuhiwai Smith (2012). Within Foucaultian notions of power, I maintain that the possibilities of resistance are embedded within our own embodied and situated worldviews. That is, by acknowledging and engaging our own differing power relations, situated knowledges provides an ideological framework that might help transform democracy as discourse to democracy as action.
Pretreatment Inflammation-Based Markers Predict Survival Outcomes in Patients with Early Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Radiofrequency Ablation

The prognostic significance of various systemic inflammation‐based markers has been explored in different cancers after surgery. This study aimed to investigate whether these markers could predict outcomes in patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA). One hundred eighteen patients with newly diagnosed HCC within the Milan criteria receiving RFA as initial therapy were retrospectively enrolled. Pretreatment inflammation-based markers including the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), together with other clinicopathologic parameters were collected. Cumulative overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and by multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazard model. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of patients were 90%, 67%, and 52%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that baseline high NLR ≥ 2.5 (p = 0.006), low PNI < 40 (p = 0.005), history of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (p = 0.005), non-Child-Pugh class A (p = 0.001) and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥ 200 ng/mL (p = 0.005) significantly associated with the poor OS, whereas high PLR ≥ 100 did not. By multivariate analysis, high NLR ≥ 2.5 (hazard ratio (HR) 1.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05–3.59; p = 0.034), low PNI < 40 (HR 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20–0.72; p = 0.003), ESRD history (HR 3.60; 95% CI, 1.48–8.76; p = 0.005) and elevated AFP ≥ 200 ng/mL (HR 4.61; 95% CI, 1.75–12.13; p = 0.002) were independent factors. An elevated AFP level of ≥200 ng/mL was the significant factor associated with intrahepatic new RFS by univariate and multivariate analyses. In conclusion, pretreatment NLR and PNI are simple and useful predictors for OS in patients with early-stage HCC after RFA.
Infection, survival, and growth of clavibacter nebraskensis on crop, weed, and prairie plant species

Clavibacter nebraskensis is the causal agent of Goss's leaf blight and wilt, an important disease of maize in the United States and Canada. The epidemiology and ecology of this bacterial pathogen are poorly understood. Infested maize residue is often considered to be the primary source of inoculum for maize; however, the potential for many other plant species to be infected and serve as inoculum sources is unknown. The goal of this study was to determine if C. nebraskensis could infect, survive, and grow on common weed, crop, and grass species. Seedling leaves of 18 plant species that grow in maize production areas in the United States were inoculated with this pathogen in a controlled environment and in the field. Lesion development, bacterial streaming, and pathogen population size on leaves were then determined and used as criteria to evaluate host-pathogen interactions. Woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa) and the native prairie grasses big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) developed lesions and bacterial streaming, identifying them as hosts and susceptible to infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these grass species being hosts of C. nebraskensis. Ten other grass species, including wheat and oats, were identified as potential sustaining hosts that maintained epiphytic or endophytic pathogen populations >106 colony forming units per leaf sample but displayed no evidence of infection. Five broadleaf species tested were nonhosts based on the three criteria. This study suggests that multiple plant species support infection and growth of C. nebraskensis and further elucidates the ecology of this pathogen and the epidemiology of Goss's wilt.
Graded striatal learning factors enable switches between goal-directed and habitual modes, by reassigning behavior control to the fastest-computed representation that predicts reward

Abstract Different compartments of striatum mediate distinctive behavior-control modes, notably goal-directed versus habitual behavior. Normally, animals move back and forth between these modes as they adapt to changing contingencies of reward. However, this ability is compromised when dopaminergic drugs are used as reinforcers. These facts suggest that a set of biological variables, which make striatal decision making both highly plastic and uniquely sensitive to dopamine, contribute both to normal switches among modes and to the susceptibility for excessive habit formation when dopaminergic drugs serve as rewards. Indeed, data have revealed an impressive number of plasticity- and dopamine-related neural factors that vary systematically (with either increasing or decreasing gradients) across the rostral-ventral-medial to caudal-dorsal-lateral axis within striatum, the same axis implicated in switches among behavioral modes. Computer simulations reported here show how a dopamine-dependent parallel learning algorithm, if applied within modeled cortico-striatal circuits with parameters that reflect these striatal gradients, can explain normal mode switching, both into the habitual mode and returns to goal-directed mode, while also exhibiting a susceptibility to excessive habit formation when a dopaminergic drug serves as reward. With the same parameters, the model also directly illuminates: why interval and probabilistic reinforcement schedules are more habit forming than fixed-ratio schedules; why extinction learning is not (and should not be) a mirror image of acquisition learning; and why striatal decisions guided by reward-guided learning typically exhibit a highly sensitive tradeoff between speed and accuracy.
Two uncommon causes of mineralocorticoid excess. Syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess and glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism.

The metabolic errors in two inherited disorders provide insight into normal adrenocortical mechanisms. The defect in the syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess, in describing the consequences of incomplete peripheral metabolism of cortisol, reveals that the mineralocorticoid-specific response rests not on the inherent specificity of its receptor protein but on target tissue inactivation of the potential mineralocorticoid activity of glucocorticoids. The defect in glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism reveals the consequences of a failure of biochemical zonation. The acquisition of glomerulosa zone function by the fasciculata zone, characteristic of this disorder, may be due to a mutation in fasciculata zone cytochrome P450 11 s leading to the acquisition of angular methyl oxidase activity.
Effects of obesity on overall survival (OS) of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

e18510Background: The relationship between obesity and prognosis of AML has not been established. Our retrospective study aimed to determine the effect of obesity on OS of AML. Methods: AML patient...
Non-urgent Surgical Intervention Over Objection in a Patient Who Lacks Capacity: A Case Report.

Abstract Capacity requests in the general hospital require the consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatrist to make assessments based on their evaluation of the patient’s ability to understand and make informed choices, as well as consideration of the clinical situation. When a patient does not have capacity to consent for surgery and the intervention is non-urgent, the ramifications of treating over objection must be considered carefully. We present a case of a patient with schizophrenia who refused a non-urgent surgical intervention to repair a cervical spine injury. We discuss important factors that impact medical decision-making in the general hospital. In this case, we give an example of how the interests of the surrogate medical decision maker and hospital may conflict with the patient’s authenticity and how this can complicate the capacity assessment, decision-making process, and hospital course. An ethics committee was utilized to discuss the risks and benefits of treating over objection and implications for the patient and care team.
The Dual Weighted Residual and Error Estimation in Double Higher-Order FEM

We summarize the application of the dual weighted residual for error estimation for a double higher-order finite element method solution in frequency-domain computational electromagnetics. These error estimates facilitate intelligent refinement strategies, allowing an automated targeting of potential problems in a discretization, both in terms of accuracy and efficiency. We outline the construction of the dual weighted residual for three-dimensional scattering problems, and demonstrate error contribution estimates for two examples.
Network‐based recruitment of people who inject drugs for hepatitis C testing and linkage to care

Although oral direct-acting agent (DAA) therapies have the potential to reduce the burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, treatment uptake remains low, particularly among people who inject drugs (PWID). This study examined the feasibility of an innovative peer-based recruitment strategy to engage PWID in HCV testing and treatment. We interviewed an initial set of HCV antibody-positive PWID as 'primary indexes' to gather demographic, drug use, health information and drug network characteristics. Primary indexes were then briefly educated on HCV and its treatment and encouraged to recruit their injection drug 'network members' for HCV testing and linkage to care. Eligible network members were enrolled as 'secondary indexes' and completed the same index study procedures. In sum, 17 of 36 primary indexes initiated the recruitment of 64 network members who were HCV antibody positive and eligible to become indexes. In multivariable analysis, successful recruitment of at least one network member was positively associated with prior HCV treatment (OR 2.80; CI [1.01, 7.72]), daily or more injection drug use (OR 2.38; CI [1.04, 5.47]), and a higher number of injection drug network members (OR 1.20; CI [1.01, 1.42]). Among the 69 participants with chronic HCV not previously linked to HCV care at enrolment, 91% (n = 63) completed a linkage to HCV care appointment, 45% (n = 31) scheduled an appointment with an HCV provider, and 20% (n = 14) initiated HCV therapy. These findings suggest a potential benefit for peer-driven, network-based interventions focused on HCV treatment-experienced PWID as a mechanism to increase HCV linkage to care.
Landscapes of Extraction and the Memories of Extinction in Patricio Guzmán’s Nostalgia de la luz and El botón de nácar

espanolBasandome en los ensayos filmicos “Nostalgia de la luz” (2010) y “El boton de nacar” (2015) de Patricio Guzman, en este articulo sostengo que la ambiguedad entre referencia y abstraccion que caracteriza la representacion visual del paisaje en el capitalismo tardio ofrece un mecanismo productivo para mapear los procesos de extincion causados por historias continuas de extraccion. Esta ambiguedad no solo revela los limites de la forma-paisaje para comunicar la degradacion de la naturaleza, sino que tambien expone la progresiva desaparicion del sujeto humano del centro de la historia en aquellos espacios donde el capital busca una y otra vez resolver sus contradicciones internas a traves de nuevas formas de extraccion de recursos. De esta manera, la aspiracion totalizadora de Guzman de representar el pasado historico, arqueologico e incluso cosmologico a traves de los paisajes del desierto de Atacama y la Patagonia se convierte en una forma de explicar como el capital se ha desplazado de lo humano hacia lo planetario, lo que implica una mayor alteracion del equilibrio ecologico y de paso transforma la extincion en el unico horizonte historico. Concluyo senalando que la memoria de aquellos procesos pasados de extraccion y extincion inscritos en el paisaje puede funcionar como una prolepsis de un futuro sin nosotros, presentando asi una oportunidad para reactivar el potencial historico del sujeto para cambiar nuestro modo de relacionarnos con la naturaleza. EnglishFocusing on Guzman's essay films “Nostalgia de la luz” (2010) and “El boton de nacar” (2015), in this article I argue that the ambiguity between reference and abstraction that pervades the visual representation of landscape in late capitalism offers a productive way to map out the processes of extinction caused by continual histories of extraction. This ambiguity not only reveals the limits of the landscape-form to convey the degradation of nature, but also the progressive disappearance of the human subject from the center of history in such spaces where capital seeks time and time again to resolve its internal contradictions through new forms of resource extraction. In this fashion, Guzman’s totalizing aspiration to represent the historical, archaeological, and even cosmological pasts through the landscapes of the Atacama Desert and Patagonia becomes a way to explain how capital has moved from the human to the planetary, which entails a larger alteration of ecological metabolism and transforms extinction into the only historical horizon. I conclude that the memory of past processes of extraction and extinction inscribed in these landscapes can also function as a prolepsis of a future without us, thus presenting an opportunity to reactivate the subject’s historical potential to change the way we relate to nature.
Epidemiologic investigation on a dengue outbreak in Foshan Guangdong

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and disposition of a dengue outbreak in Chancheng District of Foshan in 2012,so as to provide scientific basis for effective control of dengue fever.Methods Epidemic data,the data from field investigation and mosquito survey were statistically analyzed.Results A total of 239 cases of dengue patients were reported in the outbreak from September to November 2012,with a incidence rate of 21.68/100 000.No severe or fatal disease was reported.The pathogen of this outbreak was dengue virus type I.The number of patients rose sharply from September,reaching 192 cases (80.23％)during the peak period of September and October,and then decreased in late November.There were cases reported in each age group,and the incidence rose with the increasing age by trend test (x2rend=34.89,P＜0.01).The dengue mainly occurred in commercial service staff,retiree and workers,accounting for 69.46％.About 17％ of cases showed family clustering (x2=2 402 734.60,P＜0.01).During the epidemic period,a peak of dengue cases always happened 10 days later after the mosquito density peak.By the middle ten days of November,Breteau Index didn't decrease below the safety line(＜5),so the incidence didn't decrease obviously.Conclusions The dengue outbreak lasted for a long time and affected a wide range,which may attribute to sustained high mosquito density.The key to effective control of dengue epidemic is to quickly decrease Aedes density. Key words: Dengue; Outbreak; Epidemiologic investigation
Conflict Management in the ICU.

Objectives To provide a concise review of data and literature pertaining to the etiologies of conflict in the ICU, as well as current approaches to conflict management. Data sources Detailed search strategy using PubMed and OVID Medline for English language articles describing conflict in the ICU as well as prevention and management strategies. Study selection Descriptive and interventional studies addressing conflict, bioethics, clinical ethics consultation, palliative care medicine, conflict management, and conflict mediation in critical care. Data extraction Relevant descriptions or studies were reviewed, and the following aspects of each manuscript were identified, abstracted, and analyzed: setting, study population, aims, methods, results, and relevant implications for critical care practice and training. Data synthesis Conflict frequently erupts in the ICU between patients and families and care teams, as well as within and between care teams. Conflict engenders a host of untoward consequences for patients, families, clinicians, and facilities rendering abrogating conflict a key priority for all. Conflict etiologies are diverse but understood in terms of a framework of triggers. Identifying and de-escalating conflict before it become intractable is a preferred approach. Approaches to conflict management include utilizing clinical ethics consultation, and palliative care medicine clinicians. Conflict Management is a new technique that all ICU clinicians may use to identify and manage conflict. Entrenched conflict appears to benefit from Bioethics Mediation, an approach that uses a neutral, unaligned mediator to guide parties to a mutually acceptable resolution. Conclusions Conflict commonly occurs in the ICU around difficult and complex decision-making. Patients, families, clinicians, and institutions suffer undesirable consequences resulting from conflict, establishing conflict prevention and resolution as key priorities. A variety of approaches may successfully identify, manage, and prevent conflict including techniques that are utilizable by all team members in support of clinical excellence.
Ni foam electrode solution impregnated with Ni-FeX(OH)Y catalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolyzers

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a demanding step within the water splitting process for its requirement of a high overpotential. Thus, to overcome this unfavourable kinetics, an efficient catalyst is required to expedite the process. In this context, we report on Ni foam functionalised with low cost iron (Fe) and iron hydroxide (Fe(OH)X), wet chemically synthesized as OER catalysts. The prepared catalyst based on iron hydroxide precipitate shows a promising performance, exhibiting an overpotential of 270 mV (at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH solution), an efficient Tafel slope of ∼50 mV dec−1 and stable chronopotentiometry. The promising performance of the anode was further reproduced in the overall water splitting reaction with a two electrode cell. The overall reaction requires a lower potential of 1.508 V to afford 10 mA cm−2, corresponding to 81.5% electrical to fuel efficiency.
Exome Sequencing as a Potential Diagnostic Adjunct in Sporadic Congenital Hydrocephalus

This study evaluates whole-exome sequencing as a diagnostic tool in a cohort of neurosurgically treated congenital hydrocephalus probands.
Matchmaking of Volunteers and Channels for Dynamic Spectrum Access Enforcement

The success of dynamic spectrum sharing in wireless networks depends on reliable automated enforcement of spectrum access policies. In this paper, a crowdsourced approach is used to select volunteers to detect spectrum misuse. Volunteer selection is based on multiple criteria, including their reputation, likelihood of being in a region and ability to effectively detect channel misuse. We formulate the volunteer selection problem as a stable matching problem, whereby, volunteers’ monitoring preferences are matched to channels’ attributes. Given a set of volunteers, the objective is to ensure maximum coverage of the spectrum enforcement area and accurate detection of spectrum access violation of all channels in the area. The two matching algorithms, Volunteer Matching (VM) and Reverse Volunteer Matching (RVM) are based on variants of the Gale-Shapley algorithm for stable matching. We also propose two Hybrid algorithms, HYBRID-VM and HYBRID-RVM that augment the matching algorithms with a Secretary-based algorithm to overcome the shortcomings of the individual vanilla algorithms. Simulation results show that volunteer selection by using HYBRID-VM gives better coverage of region (better by 19.2% when compared to threshold-based Secretary algorithm), better accuracy of detection and better volunteer happiness when compared to the other algorithms that are tested.
‘All the Laws in the Book’: The Transgressive Impulse of Hammett's The Maltese Falcon

Scholars of detective fiction have long acknowledged Dashiell Hammett's crucial role in the formation of the American hard-boiled style. However, a closer look at his third novel, The Maltese Falco...
ADAM9 enhances Th17 cell differentiation and autoimmunity by activating TGF-β1.

The a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) family of proteinases alter the extracellular environment and are involved in the development of T cells and autoimmunity. The role of ADAM family members in Th17 cell differentiation is unknown. We identified ADAM9 to be specifically expressed and to promote Th17 differentiation. Mechanistically, we found that ADAM9 cleaved the latency-associated peptide to produce bioactive transforming growth factor β1, which promoted SMAD2/3 phosphorylation and activation. A transcription factor inducible cAMP early repressor was found to bind directly to the ADAM9 promoter and to promote its transcription. Adam9-deficient mice displayed mitigated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and transfer of Adam9-deficient myelin oligodendrocyte globulin-specific T cells into Rag1−/− mice failed to induce disease. At the translational level, an increased abundance of ADAM9 levels was observed in CD4+ T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and ADAM9 gene deletion in lupus primary CD4+ T cells clearly attenuated their ability to differentiate into Th17 cells. These findings revealed that ADAM9 as a proteinase provides Th17 cells with an ability to activate transforming growth factor β1 and accelerates its differentiation, resulting in aberrant autoimmunity.
An optimization-based model discrimination framework for selecting an appropriate reaction kinetic model structure during early phase pharmaceutical process development

The value of reaction kinetic models for manufacturing APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) has been well established in the quality by design (QbD) paradigm. Creating such models during the early phase of development when data and material are scarce is challenging. In this work, we present a model-based design of experiments framework for selecting a “fit for purpose” kinetic model from limited data. The framework leverages an estimability analysis to facilitate parameterizing candidate models. The essential elements can be applied in other domains where model selection is required, but an illustrative case study is presented for selecting the best of three proposed kinetic models for the 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU)-catalyzed N-methylation of a key intermediate in an API process using dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The case study concludes by selecting a mechanism that invokes an N-methylated DBU species as a key intermediate over other plausible mechanisms previously suggested in the literature. The framework is conceptually straightforward and requires minimal coding and computational time to execute.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) for Detection in Immunoassays: applications, fundamentals, and optimization

Immunoassays have been utilized for the detection of biological analytes for several decades. Many formats and detection strategies have been explored, each having unique advantages and disadvantages. More recently, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been introduced as a readout method for immunoassays, and has shown great potential to meet many key analytical figures of merit. This technology is in its infancy and this dissertation explores the diversity of this method as well as the mechanism responsible for surface enhancement. Approaches to reduce assay times are also investigated. Implementing the knowledge gained from these studies will lead to a more sensitive immunoassay requiring less time than its predecessors. This dissertation is organized into six sections. The first section includes a literature review of the previous work that led to this dissertation. A general overview of the different approaches to immunoassays is given, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each. Included is a detailed review of binding kinetics, which is central for decreasing assay times. Next, the theoretical underpinnings of SERS is reviewed at its current level of understanding. Past work has argued that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the enhancing substrate influences the SERS signal; therefore, the SPR of the extrinsicmore » Raman labels (ERLs) utilized in our SERS-based immunoassay is discussed. Four original research chapters follow the Introduction, each presented as separate manuscripts. Chapter 2 modifies a SERS-based immunoassay previously developed in our group, extending it to the low-level detection of viral pathogens and demonstrating its versatility in terms of analyte type, Chapter 3 investigates the influence of ERL size, material composition, and separation distance between the ERLs and capture substrate on the SERS signal. This chapter links SPR with SERS enhancement factors and is consistent with many of the results from theoretical treatments of SPR and SERS. Chapter 4 introduces a novel method of reducing sample incubation time via capture substrate rotation. Moreover, this work led to a method of virus quantification without the use of standards. Chapter 5 extends the methodology developed in Chapter 4 to both the antigen and ERL labeling step to perform assays with improved analytical performance in less time than can be accomplished in diffusion controlled assays. This dissertation concludes with a general summary and speculates on the future of this exciting approach to carrying out immunoassays.« less
California Zappers: A Proposal for the Commission for the 21st Century Economy

California has not uncovered a single instance of technology-assisted cash skimming - there are no zappers, and no phantomware in California. Is this because Californians are not skimming cash sales with technology, or is this because the California technology works so well that the fraud cannot be detected? The record in foreign jurisdictions is reasonable clear. Automated sales suppression technology is widely used to skim cash sales, denying the state revenues from consumption taxes that have been paid by the consumer, reducing taxable business profits, and funding a cash hoard out of which unreported employee wages are paid. Government studies indicate that upwards of 50% of the electronic cash registers (ECRs) are infected with fraud-facilitating software. This paper recommends that the California Commission on the 21st Century Economy look carefully at this digital tax fraud. There are new ways of performing old frauds. The new ways have made familiar frauds difficult to detect without the assistance of technology-sensitive legislation (and regulation) as well as technology-intensive audit tools. In short, California needs to determine if a digital hole has been cut through the bottom of the modern ECR through which revenue is being poured. Foreign revenue authorities are making efforts to plug this hole, as of yet California has not done so. Specifically, this proposal asks the Commission to recommend that a randomized, statistically valid study be taken of automated sales suppression within the State. The study should consider add-on software (zappers), factory or distributor installed software (phantomware), and manually re-programmed ECRs (self-help phantomware). The Commission should further recommend that if the results of this study align with the results of similar (foreign) studies then appropriate legislative (or regulatory) changes should be enacted to meet this challenge. A technology-intensive audit response will most likely (but not necessarily) also be required. This paper summarizes four of these approaches. Admittedly, one of the reasons this problem has not been better addressed is that almost all of the work in this area is being done in foreign languages - French, German, Portuguese, Dutch and Swedish. However, California might consider reading some foreign newspapers and begin to ask questions when a business with California operations is found to be using zappers to skim cash sales in a foreign jurisdiction. Zappers follow the path cut by the ECRs. They do not respect judicial boundaries. For example, when Celine Dion's Nickel restaurant chain was raided by Revenue Quebec, and each of the 32 Nickel restaurants in the Province were found using zappers, the zapper question should have arisen in the mind of the Florida Department of Revenue where there were 2 more Nickel restaurants. It certainly did in the mind of the Ontario authorities where the remaining 10 Nickel restaurants were located.
International Organizations: Politics, Law, Practice

Now in its third edition, this leading undergraduate textbook has been revised and updated throughout to take account of recent developments in world politics. Concise and engagingly written, the book is core reading for courses on international organizations, international law and politics, and global governance. Unlike other textbooks in the field, it takes readers behind the scenes of the world's most important international institutions to explore their legal authority and the political controversies that they generate. It presents chapter-length case studies of the world's leading international organizations, with attention to the legal, political, and practical aspects. The new edition adds depth to the discussion of international relations theory and features new case material on Brexit, the Argentine sovereign debt, the Syrian war, the cholera epidemic in Haiti, and more.
A Narrow Road to Cooperation

A new model of collective action shows how socially beneficial punishment can arise and evolve.
Exacerbation of pathology by oxidative stress in respiratory and locomotor muscles with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most devastating type of muscular dystrophy, leading to progressive weakness of respiratory (e.g. diaphragm) and locomotor muscles (e.g. gastrocnemius). DMD is caused by X-linked defects in the gene that encodes for dystrophin, a key scaffolding protein of the dystroglycan complex (DCG) within the sarcolemmal cytoskeleton. As a result of a compromised dystroglycan complex, mechanical integrity is impaired and important signalling proteins (e.g. nNOS, caveolin-3) and pathways are disrupted. Disruption of the dystroglycan complex leads to high susceptibility to injury with repeated, eccentric contractions as well as inflammation, resulting in significant damage and necrosis. Chronic damage and repair cycling leads to fibrosis and weakness. While the link between inflammation with damage and weakness in the DMD diaphragm is unresolved, elevated oxidative stress may contribute to damage, weakness and possibly fibrosis. While utilization of non-specific antioxidant interventions has yielded inconsistent results, recent data suggest that NAD(P)H oxidase could play a pivotal role in elevating oxidative stress via integrated changes in caveolin-3 and stretch-activated channels (SACs). Oxidative stress may act as an amplifier, exacerbating disruption of the dystroglycan complex, upregulation of the inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, and thus functional impairment of force-generating capacity.
Native Cover Crops: Effects on Weed Invasion and Prairie Establishment

Introduction Planting cover crops to simultaneously establish native prairie seedlings and prevent weed invasion is an increasingly common management practice. The idea is based on the assumptions that the cover plant will act as a nurse plant to prairie seedlings and that it will have a positive effect on seedling recruitment by suppressing weeds and by lowering the harmful effects of high evaporation and light availability. Cover crops could also potentially reduce the amount of soil erosion that occurs during planting. However, the evidence supporting the benefits of cover crops is mostly anecdotal and has been challenged. Clearly, there is a need for further scientific evidence on the efficacy of cover plants, their possible facilitative or competitive effects on prairie seedlings, as well as how these processes work. Of particular interest is whether the nurse plant effect is caused by light suppression or water uptake.
BRAKING AND STEERING EFFORT CAPABILITIES OF DRIVERS

TWO EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE A LEVEL OF CONTROL EFFORT THAT CAN BE EXERTED OR EXCEEDED BY A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF DRIVERS. IN BOTH STUDIES FEMALE SUBJECTS WERE MADE TO RESPOND TO AN UNEXPECTED DRASTIC INCREASE IN CONTROL EFFORT WHILE ATTEMPTING MANEUVERS IN A VEHICLE. IN ONE STUDY, SUBJECTS WERE REQUIRED TO BRAKE A VEHICLE IN A DEAD-END PYLON CORRIDOR, RESULTING IN A 5TH PERCENTILE PEDAL FORCE CAPABILITY FOR WOMEN OF 100 POUNDS. IN THE OTHER STUDY SUBJECTS WERE REQUIRED TO PERFORM A LANE CHANGE MANEUVER, RESULTING IN A 5TH PERCENTILE STEERING WHEEL POWER CAPABILITY FOR WOMEN OF .023 HORSEPOWER. FROM THESE STUDIES IT IS POSSIBLE TO PREDICT WITH STATISTICAL CONFIDENCE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE DRIVING POPULATION CAN GENERATE AT LEAST A CERTAIN FORCE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND A CERTAIN POWER ON THE STEERING WHEEL. /HSL/
A GaN-based 97% efficient hybrid switched-capacitor converter with lossless regulation capability

DC-DC converters for large conversion ratio applications face challenges such as high device stress and large inductor size. Switched-capacitor (SC) converters are known to have reduced device stress and no inductors, but the associated large transient current and poor efficiency at regulated output have prevented their wide adoptions. In this work, a complete solution is proposed, including the control and design considerations for a magnetic hybrid type of SC converter, so that the capacitor charging loss is eliminated and high efficiency is maintained with voltage regulation. Compared to conventional buck converters, the proposed converter offers the advantages of higher efficiency and significantly reduced inductor size. A 170 V to 24 V, 70 W prototype with a wide input and output voltage operating range is implemented using GaN transistors. A low profile heat-sink is designed and built by 3D printing to sufficiently cool the converter. A peak efficiency of 97% and a power density of 276 W/in3 are achieved, which compare favorably to both conventional SC converters and buck converters.
Supported Decision-Making and the Human Right of Legal Capacity

Abstract The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD) establishes a new paradigm of supported decision-making, rather than guardianship or substituted decision-making, for people with intellectual disability (ID). Article 12 of the CRPD guarantees every person's right to legal capacity—to make her/his own decisions and have those decisions legally recognized—and specifically requires governments to provide people with ID the supports they may need to exercise legal capacity. The Article describes the human rights regime and explores different forms of supported decision-making and legislative efforts to abolish guardianship. It calls for a paradigm shift in how we view people with ID, from inquiry into what a person cannot do, to supports necessary to enable her/him to make her/his own decisions, and the legal efforts necessary to ensure that such decisions are recognized by third parties including financial institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies.