cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of growth and plasma growth hormone in a Laron's dwarf

Laron identified a group of children with severe growth failure and high levels of immunoreactive human growth hormone (IR-HGH). To investigate why these patients often have elevated HGH, we studied a 7½ year old Saudia Arabian boy with a height of 85 cm (HA 2yrs) and basal IR-HGH levels of 32 to 84 ng/ml (normal—less than 5 nanagrams per ml). Fasting blood sugars were often in the hypoglycemic range, and hyperglycemia induced by glucose infusion did not suppress his high IR-HGH. The serum IR-HGH was increased markedly by arginine infusion. High dose HGH treatment (7.5 mg q 12 hrs × 9 doses) did not modify his IR-HGH response 1 hour after arginine (increment over control was 111 and 121 ng/ml before and after treatment). Plasma sulfation factor (SF) was low and did not rise with treatment, as it does in the usual HGH deficient patient. Chronic adminsitration of HGH (2.5 mg × per week) produced a modest growth acceleration of 2.6 cm over the 5 months period compared to an expected response of 6.5 to 12 cm per year, in patients lacking HGH. These studies suggest that the persistently elevated IR-HGH is due to either a lack of SF to suppress the hypothalamic growth hormone releasing factor or that the hypothalamic HGH receptors share the same defects as those receptors responsible for the initiation of SF synthesis. Regardless of the interpretation, the IR-HGH in these patients does not appear to be under the hypothalamic control system demonstrable in normal individuals.
Distinguishing Motor Imagery from Motor Movement Using Phase Locking Value and Eigenvector Centrality

Motor imagery and motor movement are two distinct tasks with underlying similar neurological mechanisms. We sought to identify the electroencephalographic (EEG) differences between real and imaginary hand movements. Phase Locking Value (PLV) was employed to estimate brain's connectivity and create a network that was then studied on the basis of brain region centrality. We observed that the frontal/prefrontal cortex exhibits higher centrality in the ? band during motor movement than motor imagery tasks. Additionally, difference between left and right hand tasks was observed in the µ band at the somatosensory association cortex post-tasks' completion. These preliminary results indicate that, by proper EEG analysis, it may be possible to distinguish between motor imagery and motor movement.
Pregnancy and Brain Death: Lack of Guidance in U.S. Hospital Policies

Objective The death of Marlise Munoz, a pregnant woman who suffered an anoxic brain injury in November 2013, highlights the social, ethical, legal, and medical controversies associated with brain death in pregnancy. We sought to evaluate whether institutions in the United States have policies in place for situations in which a pregnant woman is declared brain dead. Study Design Institutional brain-death protocols from hospitals in the United States were obtained in cooperation with local and regional organ procurement agencies. Each protocol was reviewed to determine if and how it addressed brain death in pregnancy. Results We reviewed 317 unique brain-death protocols. In eight protocols (2.5%), it was noted that a pregnant patient could not be evaluated for brain death if the fetus could be preserved. Of the protocols that permitted brain-death evaluation, 289 (93.8%) did not include guidance about fetal management after maternal brain death and 305 (99%) did not indicate who was responsible for making decisions for the fetus. Conclusion Very few institutional brain-death policies address the issue of pregnancy. The creation of guidelines on management of the social and ethical challenges associated with brain death in pregnancy may be helpful.
Determination of Buagafuran and Its Related Substances by Gas Chromatograghy

OBJECTIVE To develop a gas chromatography method for determining buagafuran(AF-5) and its related substances.METHODS The chromatographic analysis was performed using HP-5 capillary column(30 mm×0.32 mm,0.25 μm) with column temperature programmed from 120 ℃(holding for 1 min) to 230 ℃(holding for 15 min)by 10 ℃·min-1.Injector temperature:200 ℃;Detector(FID)temperature:250 ℃;Carrier gas:nitrogen;Flow rate:1.0 mL·min-1;Split ratio:20∶1.RESULTS Buagafuran and its related substances was separated.The linear range was 0.01-1.0 g·L-1(r=0.999 4),RSD2.0%(n=3),the limit of detection was 1 ng.CONCLUSION The method is selective,simple,accurate and suitable for the determination of buagafuran and its related substances.
DIET OF THE LEATHERSIDE CHUB, SNYDERICHTHYS COPEI, IN THE FALL

Diet analysis provides a powerful method for determining a species’ role in the community. Potential competitors, potential prey, and the position of a species in the community food web are all determined by what an organism eats (Mittlebach 1994). In addition, a species’ diet is often sensitive to specific conditions of the environment (e.g., predators, resource availability; Reinthal 1994). Thus, variation in diets can provide insight about potential competitive interactions and spatial distribution, as well as the effects of invasive species (Breitburg 1994). An understanding of diet may be particularly useful for determining factors affecting declining species.
Spine instability and the special olympics.

There is a broad array of abnormalities of the upper cervical spine in people with Down syndrome, with an increased alanto- dens interval being the best known. Most patients are asymptomatic. The natural history, however, is not known, and therefore, treatment recommendations are based on important clinical determinants.
Performance of a thick silicon polarimeter

We have constructed and tested gamma-ray polarimeters from layers of 2 mm thick double-sided silicon strip detectors. The first test polarimeter consists of 2 layers of 64times64 strip detectors with a 0.891 mm strip pitch. The device was tested using 122 keV gamma-rays polarized by Compton scattering near 90deg in a 30times5 strip silicon detector. Data from a higher-energy experiment using gamma-rays from a 60Co source scattered by a 3.5 cm times 5 cm times 1 cm lead block and a single 64times64 strip Si detector was taken to test higher-energy polarimetry and allow direct background measurement. A detailed GEANT4 simulation for the low-energy polarimeter experiment has also been performed.
Range Expansion of the Small Carpenter Bee Ceratina smaragdula across the Hawaiian Archipelago with Potential Ecological Implications for Native Pollinator Systems

Invasive bee species may have a widely detrimental impact on their novel host ecosystem. Introduced bees can rapidly disrupt native plant-pollinator mutualisms through competition with indigenous pollinator fauna and facilitation of invasive flora reproduction. Island ecosystems, which are inherently limited in physical range, resource availability, and trophic diversity, tend to be particularly sensitive to ecological impacts of invasive species. The small green carpenter bee Ceratina ( Pithitis ) smaragdula occurs throughout Southeast Asia and across the Hawaiian archipelago. Historical records indicate that C. smaragdula is nonnative to the Hawaiian archipelago and is recently introduced. Here we present a comprehensive synthesis of C. smaragdula ’s known biological and ecological history, as well as a population genetic analysis of C. smaragdula from Maui, and from locations across its native range, at the cytochrome oxidase I ( COI ) locus. We update C. smaragdula ’s known distribution and occurrence elevation in Hawai‘i and reveal a lack of genetic structure between Hawaiian and native range populations. We discuss points of origin, means of introduction, and potential ecological impact of this nonnative pollinator.
Finding time and resources for education in a busy clinical practice

Charles H. Mayo stated "the great contribution we can make is to prepare the oncoming generations to think they can and will think for themselves". The Hippocratic Oath also indicates that physicians have an obligation to transmit their knowledge to the next generation. Hence, it is important to find time and resources for education even in busy clinical practices.
Introducing Entrepreneurship into an Undergraduate Software Development Course

During the past decade, undergraduate computer science students have become progressively more interested in pursuing less traditional paths of employment after graduation. While most still choose to work for established businesses, others are choosing to start businesses of their own. For students in computer science, developing novel software products is one viable approach to this end. To address our students’ growing interest in entrepreneurship, during the last three years, we have modified the content of our Software Development course to introduce the Lean Startup philosophy and simulate the process students starting their own businesses would take to do so. The class begins with students “pitching” their ideas to other students in the class, then choosing the project(s) they will work on, interviewing clients and potential customers to determine the requirements for the product, and finally, developing the product. Four software products have been developed in this period, including one that received second place in an innovation competition and attracted the attention of a venture capitalist. In this paper, we will further describe details of the course, the products developed, and student attitudes both during and after the class is over.
Regulatory Asset Thresholds and Acquisition Activity in the Banking Industry

This paper examines the effects of accounting-based thresholds in regulation on growth decisions in the banking industry. To investigate this relation we study changes in growth around the $10 billion asset threshold specified in the Dodd-Frank Act. We first document that in the years after the new threshold-based regulations are announced, banks slow their asset growth as they approach the threshold and then accelerate their asset growth as they cross the threshold. Next, we document the primary mechanism banks use to achieve each of these changes in growth: reduced deposit growth rates to slow growth and increased acquisition activity to accelerate growth. Finally, we document that while banks attempt to remain below the threshold, they reduce the growth of their investment portfolio and report a lower return on assets. Also, when banks accelerate growth through acquisition activity, those acquisitions involve larger and riskier target banks. These findings suggest that regulations with accounting-based thresholds can affect growth decisions and profitability in the banking industry.
Translational Resources: Reducing the Gap Between Academic Research and HCI Practice

Academic research can offer insights for HCI practitioners, yet past work shows that research findings are rarely used in industry. We interviewed 22 design practitioners to identify why they do not use academic research and why and how they use other resources at work. We contribute recommendations for the design of translational resources to bridge the gap between theory and practice in HCI. We recommend ways to create theory-driven examples tailored to specific activities: understanding, brainstorming, building, and advocacy. Additionally, practitioners prefer actionable guidance and see prescriptive recommendations and downloadable design patterns as most useful. Design-oriented filters, support for mapping design challenges to research keywords, and visual galleries of examples from theory have the potential to facilitate designers' search processes. Finally, translational resources and discussion features can be integrated into tools for designers and academics to support cross-community collaboration.
Builders of the Vision: Software and the Imagination of Design

Builders of the Vision traces the intellectual history and contemporary practices of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Numerical Control since the years following World War II until today. Drawing from primary archival and ethnographic sources, it identifies and documents the crucial ideas shaping digital design technologies since the first numerical control and CAD systems were developed under US Air Force research contracts at MIT between 1949 and 1970: the cybernetic theorization of design as a human-machine endeavor; the vision of computers as "perfect slaves" taking care of the drudgery of physical labor; the techno-social utopias of computers as vehicles of democracy and social change; the entrepreneurial urge towards design and construction integration; and the managerial ideologies enabling todays transnational geographies of practice. Examining the contrasting, and often conflicting, sensibilities that converge into CAD and BIM discourses - globalism, utopianism, entrepreneurialism, and architects desires for aesthetic liberation - Builders of the Vision shows that software systems and numerically controlled machines are not merely "instruments," or "tools," but rather versatile metaphors reconfiguring conceptions of design, materiality, work, and what it means to be creative. Crucially, by revealing software systems as socio-technical infrastructures that mediate the production of our built environments, author Daniel Cardoso Llach builds a strong case for the fields of architecture, media, and science and technology studies to critically engage with both the politics and the poetics of technology in design. Builders of the Vision will be essential reading for scholars and practitioners across disciplines interested in the increasingly complex socio-technical systems that go into imagining and building of our artifacts, buildings, and cities.
Climate refugees and their 'refugee' status

This article explores the manner in which the growing problem of climate refugees poses a significant legal, social and ethical challenge to international humanitarian law. It takes note of the obligations of the Global North, and takes into account different humanitarian and legal arguments that have been acknowledged by national courts. It goes on to talk about legal obligations to deal with climate change in the Netherlands, and what this means for climate refugees. It proposes solutions, and emphasises the necessity of a synthetical approach to accommodate climate refugees.
The Economics of the U.S. Endangered Species Act: A Review of Recent Developments

AbstractEconomics has much to contribute to debates about the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We review recent developments in the economics of endangered species conservation since the late 1990s and...
Influence of Professor T. C. Hu's Works on Fundamental Approaches in Layout

Professor T. C. Hu has made numerous pioneering and fundamental contributions in combinatorial algorithms, mathematical programming and operations research. His seminal 1985 IEEE book VLSI Circuit Layout: Theory and Design, coedited with Prof. E. S. Kuh, shaped algorithmic and optimization perspectives, as well as basic frameworks, for IC physical design throughout the following decades [44]. Indeed, Professor Hu gave a keynote address at the very first International Symposium on Physical Design, in April 1997 [41]. His research approach of (i) studying small and/or extremal cases first, (ii) always seeking to establish error bounds or other properties of heuristic outcomes (hence, always seeking to understand optimal solutions), (iii) approaching new problems from as fresh a perspective as possible, and (iv) pursuing simplicity and beauty in both formulation and exposition, has influenced generations of researchers. This paper complements [20] in recounting highlights of Professor Hu's contributions to, and impacts on, physical design. The focus is on several problems of "connection", as well as the concept of "shadow price", as they relate to layout.
Physostigmine Reversal of Dysarthria and Delirium After Iatrogenic Atropine Overdose From a Dental Procedure.

Abstract Background Sublingual atropine, dosed at 0.4–0.8 mg, is used by dentists as an antisialogogue to facilitate and increase the speed of procedures. Concentrated ophthalmic atropine drops (10 mg/mL) are commonly used off-label for this purpose. These highly concentrated drops may result in medication errors, atropine toxicity, and the antimuscarinic toxidrome. We report a case of a man who suffered acute delirium and dysarthria (from dry mouth) after an iatrogenic overdose from a dental procedure. His symptoms were initially interpreted as a stroke, but they completely resolved with physostigmine. Case Report A 57-year-old man presented with acute dysarthria and delirium after a dental procedure; 4 hours earlier he was fitted for a temporary replacement of some premolar/molar teeth. He received sublingual atropine to assist in gingival drying for molding of his prosthesis, but a calculation error resulted in the administration of approximately 113 mg. A stroke evaluation was initially planned; however, 2.5 mg of intravenous physostigmine completely reversed his symptoms. His symptoms reoccurred and were successfully treated twice more with physostigmine; the patient was observed overnight with no additional symptoms and safely discharged the next morning. Why Should an Emergency Physician be Aware of This? Ophthalmic atropine drops are highly concentrated and may cause an overdose after ingestion of small amounts. This novel case highlights the importance of considering antimuscarinic poisoning in cases of acute delirium or dysarthria after dental procedures and stands as a reminder to inquire about the use of atropine drops in such cases. Timely recognition of the antimuscarinic toxidrome and appropriate use of physostigmine may prevent unnecessary testing while providing an effective therapy. This case also highlights the need for observation after resolution of delirium treated with physostigmine.
Matrix inequality conditions for canonical factorization of rational transfer function matrices

A canonical factorization of a square real-rational transfer function matrix M(s) is the following: $$ M\left( s \right) = {M_ + }\left( s \right)M\_\left( s \right), $$ where M + (s), M + (s) −1, M_(−s), and M_(−s) −1 belong to RH∞.
Design and Analysis of Fault-Tolerant Systems for Industrial Applications

Fault tolerance is crucial in many industrial applications because of the severe consequences of a system failure. The impact of a failure is often measured in terms of equipment damage, financial loss, data destruction, loss of human life, or simply frustration with the inability to complete specified functions. As a result, designers must be familiar with fault tolerance techniques, evaluation methods, and proper design methodologies to ensure the dependable operation of industrial systems. This paper presents fault tolerance techniques and design methods that have been successfully used in practical applications. The methods presented are illustrated via industrial applications. First, important terminology is summarized to provide the proper framework for the remainder of the paper. Second, the key elements of the design process are presented with an emphasis on incorporating fault avoidance at each step. Third, evaluation measures such as reliability, safety, availability, and performability are reviewed. Finally, a detailed discussion of two example fault-tolerant industrial systems is provided.
The Immunology of Breast Cancer

Adenocarcinoma of the breast is a major cancer of women. Evidence indicates that breast cancers may be latent for long periods, perhaps as a result of host response. Based upon an extensive review of the available literature, it appears that breast cancers are immunogenic and that host reactions to the antigens involved determine prognosis. Breast cancers generally show lymphocyte infiltration. These tumour-associated lymphocytes correlate with prognosis when histological grade and clinical stage are controlled for as variables. The interpretation of secondary changes in regional lymph nodes is controversial. The data indicate prognostically significant reactions reflecting immunity. Tumour-associated lymphocytes from tumour and regional nodes are T lymphocytes that are suppressed in their function, presumably by factors derived from both the patients’ tumour and tumour-immune cell interaction. However, when they are grown in interleukin-2 they can show a high degree of antitumour reactivity. Studies of patients’ immune competence show progressive cellular immune deficiency which correlates with prognosis. A variety of human studies in vitro and in vivo show both cellular and humoral immune reactions to tumour-associated antigens. Tumour markers and antigens include HER-2/neu, P53, mucin carbohydrates and peptides, mouse mammary tumour virus-related peptides and other less well characterised antigens. Murine models for breast cancer show a similar immunological picture and provide a proving ground for testing immunotherapeutics. Early immunotherapy of breast cancer in humans was not successful; however, recent efforts using combinations involving tumour vaccines, adjuvants, contrasuppression, thymic hormones and natural interleukins are encouraging.
Dynamics of Disordered Proteins under Confinement: Memory Effects and Internal Friction

Many proteins are disordered under physiological conditions. How efficiently they can search for their cellular targets and how fast they can fold upon target binding is determined by their intrinsic dynamics, which have thus attracted much recent attention. Experiments and molecular simulations show that the inherent reconfiguration timescale for unfolded proteins has a solvent friction component and an internal friction component, and the microscopic origin of the latter, along with its proper mathematical description, has been a topic of considerable debate. Internal friction varies across different proteins of comparable length and increases with decreasing denaturant concentration, showing that it depends on how compact the protein is. Here we report on a systematic atomistic simulation study of how confinement, which induces a more compact unfolded state, affects dynamics and friction in disordered peptides. We find that the average reconfiguration timescales increase exponentially as the peptide’s ...
SE3-Pose-Nets: Structured Deep Dynamics Models for Visuomotor Control

In this work, we present an approach to deep visuomotor control using structured deep dynamics models. Our model, a variant of SE3-Nets, learns a low-dimensional pose embedding for visuomotor control via an encoder-decoder structure. Unlike prior work, our model is structured: given an input scene, our network explicitly learns to segment salient parts and predict their pose embedding and motion, modeled as a change in the pose due to the applied actions. We train our model using a pair of point clouds separated by an action and show that given supervision only through point-wise data associations between the frames our network is able to learn a meaningful segmentation of the scene along with consistent poses. We further show that our model can be used for closed-loop control directly in the learned low-dimensional pose space, where the actions are computed by minimizing pose error using gradient-based methods, similar to traditional model-based control. We present results on controlling a Baxter robot from raw depth data in simulation and RGBD data in the real world and compare against two baseline deep networks. We also test the robustness and generalization performance of our controller under changes in camera pose, lighting, occlusion, and motion. Our method is robust, runs in real-time, achieves good prediction of scene dynamics, and outperforms baselines on multiple control runs. Video results can be found at: https://rse-lab.cs.washington.edu/se3-structured-deep-ctrl/.
Tracking Error and Portfolio Diversification Using Mutual Funds and ETFs

Current practice and research in portfolio asset allocation employs necessary assumptions about which securities and asset classes are held in particular proportions in order to arrive at an “optimal” mix of investments. These studies typically employ the average performance in the input process, yet it is unlikely that investors hold average funds, and that the specific funds they own exhibit tracking error. We find that when we examine a representative investor year, 2013, mutual funds outperformed ETFs and ETFs exhibited a greater degree of risk. ETFs had lower expenses but a greater tracking error. In addition, simulations revealed that it took twice as many ETFs to reduce tracking error compared to mutual funds. Finally, key variables that drive tracking error for both traditional mutual funds and ETFs are a manager’s experience and whether the fund employs leverage.
Oprah and the Politics of Consolation

Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the 2018 Golden Globes elicited widespread calls for the media mogul to enter the US presidential race in 2020. At the time, the passionate outpouring of support was generally interpreted as a reflection of Democrats’ desire for a liberal answer to President Donald Trump’s celebrity. Building on cultural sociology’s engagement with the symbolic dimensions of democratic power struggles, this article argues that commentators largely missed a crucial element of Winfrey’s appeal: namely, her focus on engaging the meaning of suffering, a task that has long been integral to the American president’s role. Moreover, Winfrey’s specific mode of engagement exhibits a striking homology with public representations of collective suffering in the United States, especially the suffering associated with terrorism. Drawing on a trauma framework, Winfrey encourages individuals to re-live past experiences of suffering and indeed to make such experiences the linchpins for their identities. Similarly, official memorials and museums cast episodes of terrorist violence as collective traumas—inviting visitors to re-experience these events and the grief they left in their wake, and portraying victimhood as central to American national identity. Identifying this homology not only helps to explain the appeal of a Winfrey candidacy, but also illuminates the role of suffering in contemporary US politics more generally.
Cytoplasmic "ciliary inclusions" in isolation are not sufficient for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Background The diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is difficult and requires a combination of clinical features, nasal nitric oxide testing, cilia ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy (EM), and genetics. A recently described cytoplasmic ultrastructural change termed "ciliary inclusions" was reported to be diagnostic of PCD; however, no supporting evidence of PCD was provided. In this study, we sought to confirm, or refute, the diagnosis of PCD in subjects with "ciliary inclusions" on EM. Methods Six subjects from five families with previous lab reports of "ciliary inclusions" on EMs of ciliated cells were identified and evaluated at a Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium site. We performed a detailed clinical history, nasal nitric oxide measurement, genetic testing including whole-exome sequencing (WES), and when possible, repeat ciliary EM study. Results Only one of six subjects had multiple and persistent clinical features congruent with PCD. No subject had situs inversus. Only one of six subjects had a very low nasal nitric oxide level. No "ciliary inclusions" were found in three subjects who had a repeat ciliary EM, and ciliary axonemal ultrastructures were normal. Genetic testing, including WES, was negative for PCD-causing genes, and for pathogenic variants in gene pathways that might cause "ciliary inclusions," such as ciliary biogenesis. Conclusion "Ciliary Inclusions", in isolation, are not sufficient to diagnosis PCD. If seen, additional studies should be done to pursue an accurate diagnosis.
Discovery on a Geoboard.

JL he geoboard is one of the more versatile teaching aids that has been used successfully in the elementary classroom. In Syracuse we have made our own geoboards from 9"-by-9" squares of plywood. On each board we have made five rows and five columns of nails (1", round-headed). If the distance from the outer nails to the edge of the board is half the distance between two nails, then several geoboards can be used together to make a larger geoboard. Given a handful of rubber bands (preferably multicolored) a student (or teacher) is ready to explore and discover. As with many concrete materials, best results may be obtained by directing or channeling the discovery and exploration. With some guidance, teachers and children can indeed make some nice discoveries.
Online intervention to reduce pediatric anxiety: An evidence-based review.

Topic Online intervention for school-age youth suffering from symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Purpose A review of the evidence was conducted to examine the effects of nonpharmacological interventions available online for a reduction of symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in school-age youth. Sources used The search strategy included the databases of Pubmed, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Clinical Trials, and Evidence-Based Reviews. A combination of search terms was used to identify studies with database-specific truncations: "Child* and youth* anxiety screen and intervention" AND "meta-analysis", "child anxiety" AND "systematic review", "child anxiety and personal empowerment and SR", "SCARED*", "COPE", and "SCARED* and SR". Studies published between 2007 and 2017 were included for this review. Twenty studies met criteria and represented level one or two using Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt, Level of Evidence Rating System for intervention inquiries. Conclusion Positive outcomes of improved physiological, social, and cognitive development are supported in the studies using cognitive behavior therapy such as the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE) program. The COPE-online program is a cost-effective strategy to complements models used for early screening and timely interventions for school-age youth who struggle with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Performance of Pediatric Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Organ Dysfunction Criteria in Late-Onset Sepsis in a Quaternary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Case-Control Study

Objectives To evaluate accuracy of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria in identifying culture-proven late-onset neonatal sepsis and to assess prevalence of organ dysfunction and its relationship with SIRS criteria. Study design This was a retrospective case-control study of patients in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia level IV neonatal intensive care unit undergoing sepsis evaluations (concurrent blood culture and antibiotics). During calendar years 2016-2017, 77 case and 77 control sepsis evaluations were identified. Cases included infants who had sepsis evaluations with positive blood cultures and antibiotic duration ≥7 days. Controls were matched by gestational and postmenstrual age, and had sepsis evaluations with negative blood cultures and antibiotic duration ≤48 hours. SIRS criteria were determined at time of sepsis evaluation, and organ dysfunction evaluated in the 72 hours following sepsis evaluation. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney tests, and χ2 (Fisher exact) tests. Results At time of sepsis evaluation, 42% of cases and 26% of controls met SIRS criteria. Among infants of ≤37 weeks postmenstrual age, SIRS criteria were met in only 17% of sepsis evaluations (4 of 23 in both cases and controls). Test characteristics for SIRS at diagnosis of culture-proven sepsis included sensitivity 42% and specificity 74%. Cases had higher rates of new organ dysfunction within 72 hours (40% vs 21%); however, 58% of cases developing organ dysfunction did not meet SIRS criteria at time of sepsis evaluation. Of 6 deaths (all cases with organ dysfunction), 2 did not meet SIRS criteria at sepsis evaluation. Conclusions SIRS criteria did not accurately identify culture-proven late-onset sepsis, with poorest accuracy in preterm infants. SIRS criteria did not predict later organ dysfunction or mortality.
Unintended Restrictions: Women’s Rights INGOs and Women’s Civil Society Restrictions

How does the presence of women’s INGOs relate to restrictions on women’s civil society? Although women’s INGOs may help protect against civil society restrictions in most situations, we contend that the presence of women’s INGOs within a country may lead to increased restrictions on women’s civil society when countries are extremely economically or politically vulnerable. At these times, women’s INGOs are more likely to be seen as an outside instigator, possibly leading to more political or economic change. In an effort to retain power, leaders may use women’s INGOs as scapegoats; attention to them and restrictions on women’s civil society more generally may be a tactic taken by a leader that is politically or economically vulnerable. We test our hypotheses in a cross-national sample of non-OECD countries from 1975 to 2013, using new data on civil society restrictions and the involvement of women’s INGOs. We find evidence in support of our central argument: economic and political vulnerability may condition the relationship between women’s INGOs and future restrictions on women’s civil society.
Wetlands for environmental protection

This article presents an update on the research and practical demonstration of wetland-based treatment technologies for protecting water resources and environment covering papers published in 2019. Wetland applications in wastewater treatment, stormwater management, and removal of nutrients, metals, and emerging pollutants including pathogens are highlighted. A summary of studies focusing on the effects of vegetation, wetland design and operation strategies, and process configurations and modeling, for efficient treatment of various municipal and industrial wastewaters, is included. In addition, hybrid and innovative processes with wetlands as a platform treatment technology are presented.
Managing food storage in the Roman Empire

Abstract One of the most remarkable facets of the Roman Empire was its food supply system. The second century grammarian Aelius Aristides described Rome as the warehouse of the world, lauding the capital not only for its wealth of exotic goods, but also for holding all the foods of the world (To Rome 12–13). Many settlements across the Roman Empire's expansive territory were connected to one another via roads and trade routes, and were also able to acquire food from distant places. In addition to having access to different foods, Roman consumers were able to have them almost year-round. When one considers that many agricultural goods were harvested once a year, their year-round availability, storage, and transport are further appreciated. This paper considers how, without technology such as refrigeration, Roman builders constructed warehouses and cellars and potters produced containers that not only protected goods, but also helped stabilize temperatures and humidity levels to store foods properly for potentially long periods of time. Granaries throughout the Mediterranean, for example, were equipped with raised floors, small and secure windows, and thick walls in order to provide cool, ventilated rooms for grain coming into the capital. Farmers and merchants used large ceramic storage containers, such as dolia and pithoi, to stabilize temperatures year-round for goods such as wine, olive oil, and fish sauce (garum). Furthermore, the placement and installation of the vessels, whether in a north- or south-facing room, mostly buried, or mostly exposed, could not only extend the shelf-life of their contents, but also help protect their quality. By processing foods, using ceramic containers, and building well-designed warehouses, inhabitants of the Roman Empire were able to adapt to and have some control over the arid and fragmentary microclimates of the Mediterranean basin.
The linear stability of Reissner-Nordström spacetime for small charge

In this paper, we prove the linear stability to gravitational and electromagnetic perturbations of the Reissner–Nordstrom family of charged black holes with small charge. Solutions to the linearized Einstein-Maxwell equations around a Reissner-Nordstrom solution arising from regular initial data remain globally bounded on the black hole exterior and in fact decay to a linearized Kerr-Newman metric. We express the perturbations in geodesic outgoing null foliations, also known as Bondi gauge. To obtain decay of the solution, one must add a residual pure gauge solution which is proved to be itself controlled from initial data. Our results rely on decay statements for the Teukolsky system of spin $$\pm \,2$$ and spin $$\pm \,1$$ satisfied by gauge-invariant null-decomposed curvature components, obtained in earlier works. These decays are then exploited to obtain polynomial decay for all the remaining components of curvature, electromagnetic tensor and Ricci coefficients. In particular, the obtained decay is optimal in the sense that it is the one which is expected to hold in the non-linear stability problem.
3D Cosmic Ray Muon Tomography from an Underground Tunnel

We present an underground cosmic ray muon tomographic experiment imaging 3D density of overburden, part of a joint study with differential gravity. Muon data were acquired at four locations within a tunnel beneath Los Alamos, New Mexico, and used in a 3D tomographic inversion to recover the spatial variation in the overlying rock–air interface, and compared with a priori knowledge of the topography. Densities obtained exhibit good agreement with preliminary results of the gravity modeling, which will be presented elsewhere, and are compatible with values reported in the literature. The modeled rock–air interface matches that obtained from LIDAR within 4 m, our resolution, over much of the model volume. This experiment demonstrates the power of cosmic ray muons to image shallow geological targets using underground detectors, whose development as borehole devices will be an important new direction of passive geophysical imaging.
Finding Ablation Rates via Temperature Measurements from the Mars Science Laboratory

The determination of the ablation rate for thermal protection systems on atmospheric entry is a difficult task, but can have significant implications in terms of safety and heat shield design. Abla...
Obstetrics and Gynecology

This chapter discusses labor and delivery of a newborn and the different considerations that you will need to take in regard to both the delivering patient and the neonate.
How Communities Scale into Civilizations: The Diffusion of Culture Across Historical Networks

I analyze structure and function in the network design of historical regimes of China and Western Europe to build a theory for the development of societies and states from endogenous mechanisms of social change. I show how their respective network structures evolved independently but share a global property: both are small world, meaning that any node in the network can reach any other node by a small number of steps. Probing the variations in network topologies and their role in diffusion and scaling, I account for differences in formal institutions, interpersonal trust, cultural norms, and moral protocols. Network structure as an independent variable moves the discussion of the divergence of East and West beyond the conventional, centralized China versus decentralized Europe debate. It allows us to identify an overlooked driver of structural change in the economy, helping to better discern what sets the development of world civilizations apart.
Cyclic experiments on isolated steel sheet connections for CFS framed steel sheet sheathed shear walls with new configurations

Abstract The main objective of this research is to experimentally characterize the performance of isolated single sheathing-to-framing fastener connections under cyclic load as utilized in emerging classes of cold-formed steel (CFS) framed steel sheet sheathed shear walls used for seismic lateral resistance. New shear wall variations include the use of steel sheet sheathing sandwiched between framing members (i.e., mid-ply) and the use of heavy hollow structural sections (HSS) chord members with the thin steel sheet sheathing attached by power actuated fasteners (PAF) to the HSS. The cyclic nonlinear response of the framing to steel sheet fastener connection is fundamental for simulating the seismic performance of steel sheet sheathed shear walls. Minimal cyclic fastener-level test data under shear exists for these new configurations. A unique lap shear test following AISI S905 was designed to study and characterize the cyclic fastener connection behavior. The specimens were loaded with an asymmetric cyclic loading protocol which intentionally buckles the thin sheet in the compression direction, and progressively increases in the tension direction. Sixty-three tests covering a wide range of framing thickness, sheet thickness, fastener type and size were completed. Each connection configuration is characterized with a multi-linear backbone curve ready for use in numerical shear wall models. The tested fastener configurations exhibit excellent performance as fastener tilting is largely or completely eliminated in these configurations, and connection degradation from buckling of the steel sheet is minimized. It is also shown that AISI S100 connection strength provisions are applicable to the tested connections.
Tracing Embodied Narrative in VR Experiences

In this article, I will consider the specificity of narrative in VR from the perspective of its embodied, spatial, and participatory nature. For this purpose, I will look at storytelling in VR from a neurofilmological perspective that accounts for both the cognitive and phenomenological and conceptualizes the viewer as an organism, applying an integrative view. I will probe several ideas from cognitive sciences and phenomenological cinema and media studies in order to support the above understanding of narrative in VR. I will apply these theories and ideas to specific VR case studies: Book of Distance (Randall Okita, 2019), Heterotopias (Noa Kaplan and Szilvia Ruszev, 2018), and Carne y Arena (Alejandro Inarritu, 2017). Finally, this article will discuss the terms “ambient storytelling” (Stein and Fisher 2013), “somatic montage” (Waite 2016), and “embodied narrative” (a term used in cognitive sciences) and their relevance concerning narrative in VR.
"I Think Parents Shouldn't Be Too Pushy": A Qualitative Exploration of Parent and Youth Perspectives of Youth Decision-Making Involvement in Starting Continuous Glucose Monitoring.

PurposeThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parent and youth perspectives of the decision-making process to start continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).MethodsYouth with type 1 diabet...
Ancient-Future Worship: Our Liturgical Back Pages?

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglectDeceived me into thinking I had something to protectGood and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehowAh, but I was...
The Role of GM-CSF Autoantibodies in Infection and Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis: A Concise Review

Autoantibodies to multiple cytokines have been identified and some, including antibodies against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), have been associated with increased susceptibility to infection. High levels of GM-CSF autoantibodies that neutralize signaling cause autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP), an ultrarare autoimmune disease characterized by accumulation of excess surfactant in the alveoli, leading to pulmonary insufficiency. Defective GM-CSF signaling leads to functional deficits in multiple cell types, including macrophages and neutrophils, with impaired phagocytosis and host immune responses against pulmonary and systemic infections. In this article, we review the role of GM-CSF in aPAP pathogenesis and pulmonary homeostasis along with the increased incidence of infections (particularly opportunistic infections). Therefore, recombinant human GM-CSF products may have potential for treatment of aPAP and possibly other infectious and pulmonary diseases due to its pleotropic immunomodulatory actions.
Serotonin in Crustacean Systems: More than a Half Century of Fundamental Discoveries

One can anticipate not running out of ideas for how to use crustacean systems in unique and exciting ways to address questions of fundamental importance in biology in the future. To illustrate, many questions remain in elucidating the roles of amines: at cellular and subcellular levels; in how and where amines interact with other neurohormones, including peptides and steroids; in behaving animals; and during development. The single identified neuron approach remains a powerful tool to address such issues, and its utility must be stressed for continuing lines of investigation of these types. Important issues remain, however, in guaranteeing that these tools remain available to biologists. These include: ensuring that investigators in other fields learn about and come to recognize the important contributions these systems have made; convincing funding agencies of the importance of these systems for wide ranging biological discoveries; and, probably most important, convincing the next generation of investigators that these are exciting systems to study.
Testing the Effectiveness of Non-linear Rectification on Gabor Energy

The gabor family of filters has received a great deal of attention as it seems to closely approximate the type of low-level processing found in biological vision systems. It has also been widely held that further processing stages involving energy calculation and Non-Linear Rectification (NLR) should be employed. Recent performance evaluation tests of gabor-based features in texture classification [1], where NLR was not used, produced poor results and the hypothesis that use of NLR would improve performance was made.
Determination of the thermal stability of perfluoropolyalkyl ethers by tensimetry

The thermal decomposition temperatures of several perfluoropolyalkyl ether fluids were determined with a computerized tensimeter. In general, the decomposition temperatures of the commercial fluids were all similar and significantly higher than those for noncommercial fluids. Correlation of the decomposition temperatures with the molecular structures of the primary components of the commercial fluids revealed that the stability of the fluids was not affected by carbon chain length, branching, or adjacent difluoroformal groups. Instead, stability was limited by the presence of small quantities of thermally unstable material and/or chlorine-containing material arising from the use of chlorine containing solvents during synthesis. Finally, correlation of decomposition temperatures with molecular weights for two fluids supports a chain cleavage reaction mechanism for one and an unzipping reaction mechanism for the other.