cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
UVnovo: A de Novo Sequencing Algorithm Using Single Series of Fragment Ions via Chromophore Tagging and 351 nm Ultraviolet Photodissociation Mass Spectrometry

De novo peptide sequencing by mass spectrometry represents an important strategy for characterizing novel peptides and proteins, in which a peptide's amino acid sequence is inferred directly from the precursor peptide mass and tandem mass spectrum (MS/MS or MS(3)) fragment ions, without comparison to a reference proteome. This method is ideal for organisms or samples lacking a complete or well-annotated reference sequence set. One of the major barriers to de novo spectral interpretation arises from confusion of N- and C-terminal ion series due to the symmetry between b and y ion pairs created by collisional activation methods (or c, z ions for electron-based activation methods). This is known as the "antisymmetric path problem" and leads to inverted amino acid subsequences within a de novo reconstruction. Here, we combine several key strategies for de novo peptide sequencing into a single high-throughput pipeline: high-efficiency carbamylation blocks lysine side chains, and subsequent tryptic digestion and N-terminal peptide derivatization with the ultraviolet chromophore AMCA yield peptides susceptible to 351 nm ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD). UVPD-MS/MS of the AMCA-modified peptides then predominantly produces y ions in the MS/MS spectra, specifically addressing the antisymmetric path problem. Finally, the program UVnovo applies a random forest algorithm to automatically learn from and then interpret UVPD mass spectra, passing results to a hidden Markov model for de novo sequence prediction and scoring. We show this combined strategy provides high-performance de novo peptide sequencing, enabling the de novo sequencing of thousands of peptides from an Escherichia coli lysate at high confidence.
Effect of plasma from wounded donors on nitrogen and sulfur excretion.

SummaryRats, on a protein deficient diet, were given reconstituted plasma from wounded donors. These animals excreted less nitrogen and sulfur than did comparable rats given plasma from normal donors. Similar results were obtained on excretion of S35, administered as labeled cystine. After 10 days, liver and kidney of rats receiving normal plasma were significantly heavier than in rats getting plasma from wounded animals. The data appear to indicate that plasma from wounded rats contains a factor(s) which affects metabolism of nitrogen and sulfur.
SU-F-T-684: Analysis of Cherenkov Excitation in Tissue and the Feasibility of Cherenkov Excited Photodynamic Therapy.

Purpose: The irradiation of photodynamic agents with radiotherapy beams has been demonstrated to enhance tumor killing in various studies, and one proposed mechanism is the optical fluence of Cherenkov emission activating the photosensitizer. This mechanism is explored in Monte Carlo simulations of fluence as well as laboratory measurements of fluence and radical oxygen species. Methods: Simulations were completed using GAMOS/GEANT4 with a 6 MV photon beam in tissue. The effects of blood vessel diameter, blood oxygen saturation, and beam size were examined, recording spectral fluence. Experiments were carried out in solutions of photosensitizer and phantoms. Results: Cherenkov produced by a 100×100um2 6 MV beam resulted in fluence of less than 1 nJ/cm2/Gy per 1 nm wavelength. At this microscopic level, differences in absorption of blood and water in the tissue affected the fluence spectrum, but variation in blood oxygenation had little effect. Light in tissue resulting from larger (10mm ×10mm) 6 MV beams had greater fluence due to light transport and elastic scattering of optical photons, but this transport process also resulted in higher absorption shifts. Therefore, the spectrum produced by a microscopic beam was weighted more heavily in UV/blue wavelengths than the spectrum at the macroscopic level. At the macroscopic level, the total fluence available for absorption by Verteporfin (BPD) in tissue approached uJ/cm2 for a high radiation dose, indicating that photodynamic activation seems unlikely. Tissue phantom confirmation of these light levels supported this observation, and photosensitization measurements with a radical oxygen species reporter are ongoing. Conclusion: Simulations demonstrated that fluence produced by Cherenkov in tissue by 6 MV photon beams at typical radiotherapy doses appears insufficient to activate photosensitizers to the level required for threshold effects, yet this disagrees with published biological experiments. Experimental validation in tissue phantoms and cell studies are ongoing to clarify this discrepancy. Funding from NIH grant R01CA109558.
Side-informed steganography with additive distortion

Side-informed steganography is a term used for embedding secret messages while utilizing a higher quality form of the cover object called the precover. The embedding algorithm typically makes use of the quantization errors available when converting the precover to a lower quality cover object. Virtually all previously proposed side-informed steganographic schemes were limited to the case when the side-information is in the form of an uncompressed image and the embedding uses the unquantized DCT coefficients to improve the security when JPEG compressing the precover. Inspired by the side-informed (SI) UNIWARD embedding scheme, in this paper we describe a general principle for incorporating the side-information in any steganographic scheme designed to minimize embedding distortion. Further improvement in security is obtained by allowing a ternary embedding operation instead of binary and computing the costs from the unquantized cover. The usefulness of the proposed embedding paradigm is demonstrated on a wide spectrum of various information-reducing image processing operations, including image downsampling, color depth reduction, and filtering. Side-information appears to improve empirical security of existing embedding schemes by a rather large margin.
Negotiating Latino Immigrant Identity in Rural Nebraska

The research examines the dynamics surrounding the integration of newly arrived Latino residents to a historically white, rural community in Northeast Nebraska. The focus on ethnic identity formation, with an emphasis on the ways in which community and family are constructed, will circumscribe the more general topics of education, health care and work. This article describes the self-identification of the newly arrived Latino immigrants. In turn, it studies how that identity affects their access to community resources. The research is unique not only in its focus but also in its theoretical approach, the social constructionist perspective, emphasizing perceptual processes. Participant observation was used with open-ended interviews. The research utilized secondary data including U.S. census information, state and local demographic data, and newspaper accounts. Participant observation is employed to determine the physical and social location of individuals and groups of individuals in relation to other mem...
An Empirical Study on Chinese Microblog Stance Detection Using Supervised and Semi-supervised Machine Learning Methods

Nowadays, more and more people are willing to express their opinions and attitudes in the microblog platform. Stance detection refers to the task that judging whether the author of the text is in favor of or against the given target. Most of the existing literature are for the debates or online conversations, which have adequate context for inferring the authors’ stances. However, for detecting the stance in microblogs, we have to figure out the stance of the author only based on the unique and separate microblog, which sets new obstacles for this task. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive empirical study on microblog stance detection using supervised and semi-supervised machine learning methods. Different unbalanced data processing strategies and classifiers, such as Linear SVM, Naive Bayes and Random Forest, are compared using NLPCC 2016 Stance Detection Evaluation Task dataset. Experiment results show that the method based on ensemble learning and SMOTE2 unbalanced processing with sentiment word features outperforms the best submission result in NLPCC 2016 Evaluation Task.
The Old College Trial: Evaluating the Single-Investigator Model for Adjudicating Claims of Sexual Misconduct

This Note draws on case law and DOE requirements that have developed in response to the disciplinary-hearing model in order to test the strengths and weaknesses of the single-investigator model and correspondingly, elements of the hybrid model.
Patient blood management: A role for pharmacists.

The role of pharmacists as integral members of the care team is constantly being revised and redefined. Pharmacists are increasingly asked to take on a more proactive and essential role in the clinical management of patients, with focus shifting from the traditional product-centered (i.e.,
Narrative Persuasion 2.0: Transportation in Participatory Websites

This research applies narrative persuasion theory to participatory websites. Specifically, the study examines the joint effect of online review structure (narrative/nonnarrative) and source attributes (expert/nonexpert) on attitude strength (attitude certainty and intensity). Results demonstrate that source attributes moderate the relationship between transportation and attitude intensity but not attitude certainty. These findings advance transportation theory by illuminating that readers glean source attributes on participatory websites, and these attributes modify transportation effects. The findings offer implications for participatory websites and design features that may facilitate or hinder readers in their quest to make decisions based on the reviews they read.
Experiments with a Higher-Order Projective Dependency Parser

We present experiments with a dependency parsing model defined on rich factors. Our model represents dependency trees with factors that include three types of relations between the tokens of a dependency and their children. We extend the projective parsing algorithm of Eisner (1996) for our case, and train models using the averaged perceptron. Our experiments show that considering higher-order information yields significant improvements in parsing accuracy, but comes at a high cost in terms of both time and memory consumption. In the multilingual exercise of the CoNLL-2007 shared task (Nivre et al., 2007), our system obtains the best accuracy for English, and the second best accuracies for Basque and Czech.
Variação linguística e diversidade cultural em amostras de livros de inglês como língua adicional para adultos

Os livros didaticos geralmente apresentam a lingua inglesa na variedade entendida como a “padrao” , porem o idioma possui infinitas possibilidades de comunicacao, vocabulario e construcoes que dependem da localizacao geografica, grupo social ou cultura local. Alem disso, a globalizacao permite que pessoas do mundo inteiro dividam, de certa forma, a propriedade da lingua inglesa, contribuindo com sua parcela de influencia cultural e linguistica sobre o idioma. O objetivo deste artigo e verificar se ha recomendacoes, notas ou quaisquer informacoes sobre variacao linguistica, assim como apresentacao de diversidade cultural, em amostras de quatro livros do aluno e respectivos livros do professor disponibilizados na Internet por editoras internacionais. Tal verificacao tem como base conceitos apresentados por David Crystal (2003) e William Labov (2008). A observacao constata que os materiais apresentam quase nenhuma informacao sobre variacao linguistica e que a demonstracao de diversidade cultural atraves de imagens, textos e assuntos varia de acordo com o material: mais diversidade em amostras de livros de ingles britânico e menos diversidade em amostras de livros de ingles americano.
Unpacking a political icon: ‘Bike lanes’ and orders of indexicality:

Indexicality, the ability of language to evoke the context in which it usually occurs, is a concept commonly drawn upon in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. This article applies the fra...
Ergonomics and body mechanics in the work place.

SUMMARY Ergonomics in the work place has become more critical in recent years, both from a sedentary and a dynamic perspective. As mentioned, overall work-place injuries have decreased, but carpal tunnel disease has risen steadily. It is essential that health care providers understand the basis of ergonomics to ensure quality of care to the injured worker as well as to promote safe work practices. The field of ergonomics has had more concrete scientific evidence from which to draw conclusions than body mechanics. Health care providers are able to make an assessment of a work station and have clear scientific evidence to support their rationale to change that work station. The controversy still goes on regarding the correct position the spine should assume when one attempts to lift. Only with continued basic scientific research will we solve that dilemma.
One-dimensional models for plane and non-plane power-law flow in shortening and elongating thrust zones

The movement of a thrust sheet, even in external parts of fold-thrust belts, occurs by deforming rocks within a zone of finite thickness. A significant fraction of thrust-zone strains may accrue slowly as viscous deformation. This contribution uses a simple one-dimensional model of power-law flow to analyse the viscous deformation in thrust zones. The model generates profiles of stress and velocity for plane and non-plane flows that shorten or elongate during shearing. These stress and velocity profiles are, in essence,’ snapshots’ of stresses and velocities in real thrust zones that sequentially shorten and elongate during thrust emplacement. A comparison of stress and velocity solutions for flows with different stress exponents gives a way to examine structural settings where a single weak layer develops and affects stresses throughout the sheet. Using data on the orientations of stress principal directions during episodes of shortening and elongation derived from the mesoscopic fault array in an external thrust zone from the southern Appalachian fold-thrust belt, the plane-flow solution suggests that differential stresses in the thrust zone did not exceed 20 MPa. Moreover, body forces due to the dipping upper surface of the sheet were apparently not the primary source of the tractions during thrust zone shortening or elongation episodes. The additional tractions that other portions of the thrust sheet exerted on this thrust-zone segment had comparable magnitudes during shortening and elongation episodes. Comparing plane and non-plane solutions indicates that (1) shearing may localize at shallower depths or occur with different orientations for principal stresses relative to the thrust-zone boundaries, and (2) shortening or elongation may occur at smaller magnitudes of in-transport compression or tension, in non-plane structural settings like the growing tips of thrusts.
Tax Avoidance and DuPont Measures of Future Performance

To date, there is mixed evidence on the implications of tax avoidance on firm value as measured by Tobin’s q or stock price reactions. The take-away from prior literature is that increased opportunities for rent extraction associated with tax avoidance (e.g., in low governance firms), might negatively affect the after-tax value of the firm. We revisit this topic by investigating the association between tax avoidance and firm fundamentals (leverage, profitability, and asset utilization), using DuPont analysis. We document that tax avoidance unambiguously lowers future pretax accounting rates of return (i.e., return on equity, return on net operating assets, and return on operating assets), largely due to inefficient utilization of operating assets and operating liabilities. These results also hold in different contexts that mitigate rent extraction, including when firms have foreign operations and good governance.
Conception failure in swine: importance of the sex ratio of a female's birth litter and tests of other factors.

Failure of gilts and sows to conceive when they are mated is a potentially serious economic cost for swine producers. In Exp. 1, we determined that anogenital distance of newborn gilts is related to the proportion of males in the litter (P < .001). Gilts from litters with more males have larger anogenital distances (mean = 8.0 +/- .2 mm); those from litters with low proportions of males have smaller anogenital distances (mean = 5.7 +/- .1 mm). In Exp. 2, we examined the effect of birth litter sex ratio of sows and gilts on reproductive performance using a 13-yr database of breeding and litter data. Gilts that failed to become pregnant on the first breeding attempt came from litters with significantly higher proportions of males than gilts that successfully conceived on the first breeding attempt. Overall, female swine were significantly more likely to exhibit lower rates of successful breeding during their first four breeding attempts if they had been born in a male-biased litter. These results have implications for swine producers deciding which gilts to keep and which to market. Given the higher probability of reproductive problems for gilts from litters of 12 or more pigs with 67% or more males, these females should likely become market hogs. Sow's age, mode of insemination, and the number of insemination attempts at an estrus period, but not season, can affect successful breeding.
Bit-wise Sequential Coding with Feedback

This paper considers the problem of bit-wise channel coding over a Binary Symmetric Channel (BSC) with feedback. While it is known that feedback does not increase the capacity of a memoryless channel, it is believed to simplify the coding schemes for some channels. The most significant one is the Binary Erasure Channel (BEC) where capacity is achieved by a simple sequential bit-wise repetition code under which each bit is (re-)transmitted until it is received. This sequential bit-wise feedback code has the added advantage that it can be used for streaming applications over BECs. In contrast, there is no known sequential bit-wise code with feedback that can achieve nonzero transmission rate for a BSC. For example, under Posterior Matching for a binary input channel with feedback, also known as Horstein scheme, each message is considered in its entirety in a block coding manner. This paper proposes a sequential feedback coding scheme with a nested bit-wise structure that generalizes repetition codes. This scheme is shown to achieve strictly positive rate for a large class of binary input channels including a BSC with arbitrary cross-over probability $p \in(0,\ \frac{1}{2})$ . The analysis relies on characterizing a lower bound on the step-wise Extrinsic Jensen Shannon divergence.
Punching the clock: a Foucauldian analysis of teacher time clock use

This article features a Foucauldian analysis of interview data from a qualitative study of four North Carolina public school teachers who are required to clock in and out of school each day via a v...
Impact of noise reduction schemes on quantitative accuracy of CT numbers.

Purpose In previous works, it has been demonstrated that for filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction-based computed tomography (CT) images, the measured CT numbers are biased and the bias level decreases with increasing radiation dose. Low-dose scans typically include noise reduction schemes to reduce noise level. The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential impact of different noise reduction schemes on the CT number bias. Methods Three different filtration methods: Gaussian, adaptive trimmed mean (ATM), and anisotropic diffusion (AD) were implemented to reduce noise. All filters were independently applied in three different domains: raw counts, log-processed sinogram, or reconstructed image domain. A quality assurance phantom was scanned on a benchtop CT cone beam CT system, at dose levels ranging from 0.6 to 4.0 mGy. The conventional FBP reconstructions were performed to reconstruct CT images for the study of CT number biases. The CT number bias of different material inserts in the phantom was then measured. To further study the overall impact of CT number bias together with the potential consequences of noise reduction schemes on both the spatial resolution and noise characteristics, the task-based detectability of a high-contrast and high spatial resolution imaging task was used as an example to assess the performance of each noise reduction scheme. To qualitatively assess the impact of these noise reduction schemes on image, an anthropomorphic head phantom was also scanned on the benchtop CT system and processed with the above noise reduction schemes to generate images for demonstration. Results Our results demonstrated the following major findings: (a) CT number bias can be significantly reduced when the noise reduction schemes are implemented in the raw counts domain; CT number bias cannot be reduced when these noise reduction schemes are implemented either in the reconstructed image domain or in the log-processed sinogram domain. (b) The extent of CT number bias reduction is dependent on both the material composition and noise reduction parameters. (c) The overall impact of the noise reduction schemes can be studied using the task-based detectability analysis framework and this framework can be used to select the appropriate parameters in each noise reduction scheme to optimize the performance for a given imaging task. Conclusions Noise reduction schemes can be used to considerably reduce CT number bias when they are implemented in the raw counts domain; however, their application cannot be arbitrarily extended to either the log-processed sinogram data domain or image domain. Trade-offs between bias reduction and overall image quality must be studied for an optimal performance of a given imaging task.
ACOUSTIC EMISSIONS GENERATED DURING THE QUASI-STATIC CONE PENETRATION OF SOILS

As a rigid object is pushed into a soil, acoustic emissions are generated by soil grains sliding over one another, sliding over the penetrating object, and being crushed. In 1977, a research project was initiated to develop a system for recording such emissions generated during the quasi-static cone penetration of soils, and to evaluate their potential usefulness as a means for the in situ characterization of soils and soil deposits. In order to ensure knowledge of and control over all factors governing the engineering behavior of tested soils, all initial tests were performed in the laboratory. A field testing program has recently been initiated. Laboratory tests to date have been performed on a single graded sand. Variables included relative density, confining stress, and state of saturation. Analyses of the obtained acoustic records include the determination of peak-to-peak voltage, root-mean-square voltage, and frequency distribution analysis. Initial results indicate that: 1. The resultant frequency distribution curves can be divided into two categories, one associated with lower confining stresses and penetration rates, the other with higher confining stresses and penetration rates, the other with higher confining stresses and penetration rates. These categories may well be signatures uniquely associated with the specific soil. 2. The amplitude of the signal increases with penetration rate. 3. The amplitude of the generated signal is larger in a dry, than in a saturated sample. The limited field tests performed to data indicate that amplitude of the generated signal may be used as an indicator of layering. The goal of the ongoing project is the development of a new method for the in situ identification and characterization of soils and soil deposits. (Authors)
Cannabis legalization, tobacco prevention policies, and Cannabis use in E-cigarettes among youth

Abstract Background E-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among youth. As more states adopt cannabis legalization policies, youth cannabis use in e-cigarettes is a mounting concern. Methods Data were from the 2016 and 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a nationally-representative repeated cross-sectional survey administered to US middle and high school students. Ever use groups were categorized into e-cigarette ever users, cannabis in e-cigarette ever users, other tobacco ever users, and never users. Weighted multinomial logistic regression compared ever use groups, while controlling for state-level cannabis legalization and tobacco prevention polices, tobacco perceptions and exposures, and sociodemographic variables. Weighted prevalence of ever and current, or past 30 day, tobacco product use was determined by ever use groups. Results Compared to e-cigarette ever users, cannabis in e-cigarette ever users increased (Adjusted Relative Risk Ratio (ARRR) = 1.65; p Conclusions Cannabis use in e-cigarettes has increased among youth, and these trends will likely continue as e-cigarettes continue to gain popularity and cannabis legalization policies proliferate. Targeted tobacco and cannabis prevention strategies are needed for youth, especially in states that have implemented cannabis 'medical and recreational laws.
Spatio-Temporal Value of Energy Storage in Transmission Networks

This article proposes a continuous-time modeling approach to calculate the spatio-temporal value of energy storage (ES) devices in power transmission networks. More specifically, this article formulates the dynamic operation of ES devices in power transmission networks as a continuous-time optimal control problem, where the Lagrange multiplier trajectories of nodal power balance constraints are defined as continuous-time locational marginal prices (LMPs). In addition, the adjoint functions associated with ES state equations are calculated in closed-form, which define the locational value of stored energy (LVSE) in ES devices. The notion of LVSE is, then, leveraged to define incremental charging utility and discharging cost rates of ES devices, which pass on the spatio-temporal values of ES devices to the continuous-time LMPs. The numerical results of implementing the proposed continuous-time model on a test 3-bus power system and the IEEE-Reliability Test System highlight its effectiveness in calculating the value of ES energy shifting and congestion relief services in transmission networks.
On a phase transition in general order spline regression

In the Gaussian sequence model $Y= \theta_0 + \varepsilon$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$, we study the fundamental limit of approximating the signal $\theta_0$ by a class $\Theta(d,d_0,k)$ of (generalized) splines with free knots. Here $d$ is the degree of the spline, $d_0$ is the order of differentiability at each inner knot, and $k$ is the maximal number of pieces. We show that, given any integer $d\geq 0$ and $d_0\in\{-1,0,\ldots,d-1\}$, the minimax rate of estimation over $\Theta(d,d_0,k)$ exhibits the following phase transition: \begin{equation*} \begin{aligned} \inf_{\widetilde{\theta}}\sup_{\theta\in\Theta(d,d_0, k)}\mathbb{E}_\theta\|\widetilde{\theta} - \theta\|^2 \asymp_d \begin{cases} k\log\log(16n/k), & 2\leq k\leq k_0,\\ k\log(en/k), & k \geq k_0+1. \end{cases} \end{aligned} \end{equation*} The transition boundary $k_0$, which takes the form $\lfloor{(d+1)/(d-d_0)\rfloor} + 1$, demonstrates the critical role of the regularity parameter $d_0$ in the separation between a faster $\log \log(16n)$ and a slower $\log(en)$ rate. We further show that, once encouraging an additional '$d$-monotonicity' shape constraint (including monotonicity for $d = 0$ and convexity for $d=1$), the above phase transition is eliminated and the faster $k\log\log(16n/k)$ rate can be achieved for all $k$. These results provide theoretical support for developing $\ell_0$-penalized (shape-constrained) spline regression procedures as useful alternatives to $\ell_1$- and $\ell_2$-penalized ones.
Research progression on neonatal jaundice

Neonatal jaundice is one of the common diseases in preterm neonates. But there are still some problems to be determined,for example,the clinical diagnosis criteria for neonatal jaundice,the prediction,diagnosis and therapies for hyperbilirubinemia,and diagnosis for bilirubin encephalopathy in early-stage and prevention from bilirubin encephalopathy sequelae. Key words: Jaundice; Bilirubin encephalopathy; Diagnosis; Treatment
How “Dependent” Are We? A Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Young and the Older Adult Populations in the US

The shifting of a country’s age structure has far-reaching socioeconomic and policy implications. In the US, the changing age structure at the sub-national level has received little research attention. To address this gap, we examine age dependencies across states in the US between 1990 and 2010 using decennial census data. We find that dependency changes have been gradual with a distinct graying of states during this period. Within this overarching trend, the sources of states’ dependencies follow complicated trajectories without clear spatiotemporal patterns. Nevertheless, changes in states’ old-age dependency contributions to respective total dependencies are geographically clustered and the inverse link between old-age dependency and economic productivity across states may be waning. Additional research is justified to further unravel these trends in old-age dependencies. The analytic framework that we apply can be adopted to conduct sub-national age dependency studies for other countries, including some European nations with relatively large proportions of older adults and many developing nations with an increasing share of older adults.
Endoscopic transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae: implications for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and postmarket surveillance of endoscopic devices

Since the first widely reported case cluster of duodenoscope-associated transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in 2013 that affected 38 patients, similar outbreaks have occurred throughout the world. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, professional gastroenterology societies, and endoscope manufacturers have taken multiple steps to address this issue. Unlike prior outbreaks attributed to lapses in cleaning and reprocessing, transmission and outbreaks have continued to occur despite compliance with current reprocessing guidelines. A definitive method of duodenoscope reprocessing remains elusive, and the FDA recently recommended transition to new designs with disposable components that do not require reprocessing. The first fully disposable duodenoscope received FDA clearance as a "breakthrough" device in December 2019. Although the human, microbiologic, and endoscopic design factors responsible for infectious transmissions and disinfecting techniques to avoid them have been examined, discussion has not included the critical role of FDA regulation of duodenoscopes through the 510(k) clearance pathway and the mechanisms of postmarket surveillance, including adverse event reporting. We present an overview of the FDA approval of duodenoscopes by analyzing the FDA's 510(k) premarket notification database for data supporting clearance of duodenoscope models implicated in CRE-related outbreaks as well as subsequently required postmarket studies. We address the policy implications of CRE outbreaks on postmarketing surveillance and the need for increased gastroenterologist involvement in the life cycle of duodenoscopes and other medical devices. This includes reporting thorough adverse event data to the FDA and device manufacturers, supporting active surveillance studies to ensure safety and effectiveness, and evaluating implementation of recommendations to reduce adverse events.
The Effects of Different Crop Load and Summer Pruning Application on Grape Yield and Quality Parameters of ‘Mevlana’ Cultivar ( Vitis vinifera L.)

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is considered as one of the most important commercial fruit crops in Turkey. Wine quality is affected by cultural practices. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of crop load level and different summer pruning applications on the wine quality of ‘Mevlana’ (Vitis vinifera L.). The study was carried out on a 12-year-old own-rooted ‘Mevlana’ vineyard, which was established as a rational pergola in Manisa. Two different crop load levels (55 clusters/vine and 110 clusters/vine) and four different applications were adapted to these crop loads. Applications are, I: removal of 1/3 cluster (the ends of the bunch were cut with scissors at berry state; 4 mm of berry), II: girdling (girdling was the removal of a ring of phloem around the trunk, while scoring was a simple metal wire (3 mm diameter) at berry state; 4 mm of berry, thirty-five days after application, the wires were removed), III: removal of 1/3 cluster (the ends of the bunch were cut with scissors at berry state; 4 mm of berry) and girdling (thirty-five days after girdling, the wires were removed), IV: control (no application). Yield (kg/vine), and other quality characteristics were analyzed. The best results were obtained from girdling application (27.99, 28.59) in cluster length (cm) and obtained from application of 55TII and 110TII (20.34, 20.38) in berry width (mm) and were obtained from applications of 110TII (84.80 number/vine) in number of marketable cluster and application of 55TII and 110TII (47.46, 47.02) in L* level. The conclusion that can be drawn from the results of this study is that 55TII and 110TII applications led to enhancements in the berry growth and biochemical properties of cv. ‘Mevlana’ to rational pergola trailing system.
Ultrasound-assisted injection of the centrodistal joint in the horse

BACKGROUND Injection of the centrodistal (CD) joint in the horse is a commonly performed procedure for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This procedure can be technically challenging, and while radiographic guidance has been previously used, ultrasound localised injection of the CD joint has not been described. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of using ultrasound localisation to increase the accuracy of CD joint injection. STUDY DESIGN Experimental method assessment. METHODS One operator performed the ultrasound and injection of 24 CD joints in 12 sedated horses. The joints were injected with iohexol (2 ml), sterile saline (1.5 ml) and amikacin (0.5 ml). Dorsoplantar and dorsomedial plantarolateral radiographic projections were obtained immediately after injection to evaluate the presence of contrast material in the CD joint. RESULTS The CD joint was successfully injected in 17/24 joints, representing a 70.8% accuracy. MAIN LIMITATIONS The horses used in this study were from the University research herd, and not clinical cases. One investigator performed all the ultrasonography and CD joint injections. CONCLUSIONS The use of ultrasound localisation could improve success of CD joint injection as well as improve the learning curve of less experienced practitioners learning this procedure.
Mutational landscape influences immunotherapy outcomes among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer with human leukocyte antigen supertype B44

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B has been recognized as a major determinant of discrepancies in disease outcomes, and recent evidence indicates a role in immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) efficacy. The B44 supertype, which features an electropositive binding pocket that preferentially displays peptides with negatively charged amino acid anchors, is associated with improved survival in ICB-treated melanoma. Yet this effect was not seen in ICB-treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here we show that mutations leading to glutamic acid substitutions occur more often in melanoma than NSCLC based on mutational landscape. We additionally show stratifying B44 based on the presence of somatic mutations that lead to negatively charged glutamic acid anchors identifies patients with NSCLC with an ICB benefit similar to that seen in melanoma. We anticipate these findings could improve assessment of HLA-related outcomes and prediction of ICB benefit in those with B44, representing approximately half of the world’s population. Garon and colleagues demonstrate that the association of HLA supertype B44 with response to immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma but not NSCLC is related to differential mutational features that influence HLA binding of neoepitopes.
Beyond the Black Box

As algorithms have become more complex, privacy and ethics scholars have urged artificial intelligence (AI) transparency for purposes of ensuring safety and preventing discrimination. International statutes are increasingly mandating that algorithmic decision-making be explained to affected individuals when such decisions impact an individual’s legal rights, and U.S. scholars continue to call for transparency in automated decision-making. Unfortunately, modern AI technology does not function like traditional, human-designed algorithms. Due to the unavailability of alternative intellectual property (IP) protections and their often dynamically inscrutable status, algorithms created by AI are often protected under trade-secrecy status, which prohibits sharing the details of a trade secret, lest destroy the trade secret. Furthermore, dynamic inscrutability, the true “black box,” makes these algorithms secret by definition: even their creators cannot easily explain how they work. When mandated by statute, it may be tremendously difficult, expensive, and undesirable from an IP perspective to require organizations to explain their AI algorithms. Despite this challenge, it may still be possible to satisfy safety and fairness goals by instead focusing on AI system and process disclosure. This Article first explains how AI differs from historically defined software and computer code. This Article then explores the dominant scholarship calling for opening the black box and the reciprocal pushback from organizations likely to rely on trade secret protection—a natural fit for AI’s dynamically inscrutable algorithms. Finally, using a simplified information fiduciary framework, I propose an alternative for promoting disclosure while balancing organizational interests via public AI system disclosure and black-box testing.
Spatial and temporal memory effects in the Nagel-Schreckenberg model for crowdsourced traffic property determination.

We investigate the spatial and temporal memory effects of traffic density and velocity in the Nagel-Schreckenberg cellular automaton model. We show that the two-point correlation function of vehicle occupancy provides access to spatial memory effects, such as headway, and the velocity autocovariance function to temporal memory effects such as traffic relaxation time and traffic compressibility. We develop stochasticity--density plots that permit determination of traffic density and stochasticity from the isotherms of first- and second-order velocity statistics of a randomly selected vehicle. Specifically, provided ergodicity and stationarity, these stochasticity--density plots permit a direct determination of traffic properties from crowdsourced measurements of velocities of vehicles. We illustrate the predictive prowess of the approach for crowdsourced vehicle speed data collected by anonymous smartphone measurements for the state of Massachusetts, USA, as a powerful alternative to classical traffic property estimates from spatially distributed user counts.
Survey of residential indoor Particulate Matter measurements 1990-2019

We surveyed literature on measurements of indoor particulate matter in all size fractions, in residential environments free of solid fuel combustion. Data from worldwide studies from 1990-2019 were assembled into the most comprehensive collection to date. Out of 2,752 publications retrieved, 538 articles from 433 research projects met inclusion criteria and reported unique data, from which more than 2,000 unique sets of indoor PM measurements were collected. Distributions of mean concentrations were compiled, weighted by study size. Long-term trends, the impact of non-smoking, air cleaners, and the influence of outdoor PM were also evaluated. Similar patterns of indoor PM distributions for North America and Europe could reflect similarities in the indoor environments of these regions. Greater observed variability for all regions of Asia may reflect greater heterogeneity in indoor conditions, but also low numbers of studies for some regions. Indoor PM concentrations of all size fractions were mostly stable over the survey period, with the exception of observed declines in PM2.5 in European and North American studies, and in PM10 in North America. While outdoor concentrations were correlated with indoor concentrations across studies, indoor concentrations had higher variability, illustrating a limitation of using outdoor measurements to approximate indoor PM exposures. Practical implicationsO_LIResidential indoor PM concentration ranges for several size fractions measured in different worldwide regions are provided and may inform future public health research and practice, including PM exposure and risk assessment, and evaluation of IAQ-related interventions and consumer products, such as portable air cleaners. C_LIO_LIThis long-term indoor PM concentration record provides insights regarding the degree of change in observed indoor PM concentrations by world region and some of the factors contributing to increasing or decreasing temporal trends. C_LIO_LIOutdoor air pollution remains a major influence on indoor concentrations of PM of all sizes. C_LIO_LIGreater variability of indoor concentrations of PM relative to outdoor concentrations demonstrate the potential for exposure misclassification when using outdoor concentrations to estimate indoor exposures and risk. C_LIO_LIIAQ interventions, including removing environmental tobacco smoke or using filtration-based portable air cleaners, can produce major improvements in IAQ through reduced indoor particle concentrations. C_LI
Chapter 31. Use of Chemical Relationships in Design of DDT-Type Insecticides

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the use of chemical relationships in design of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)-type insecticides. The pharmacology of insecticides is of broad general interest in that it involves details of action and detoxication both in target insects, in man and domestic animals, and in the thousands of non-target species in the environment. The current views of the action of DDT strongly support a precise physical interaction between a macro-molecular element of the nerve axon, the DDT-receptor, and the DDT-type molecule. Analogues isosteric with DDT and with appropriate lipophilicity produce typical DDT-like axonal instability. This phenomenon can be best observed by prior inhibition of mixed function oxidase detoxication by administration of a synergist such as 3,4-methylenedioxy-6-propylbenzyl n -butyl diethyleneglycol ether or, 2- (3,4-methylenedioxyphenoxy)-3,6,9- trioxaundecane. The biological action of DDT and analogs depends upon optimum configuration of the phenyl rings and trichloromethyl-group about the central α-carbon.
Two Women and One Man

The woman is sitting at the bar in a certain small city. No one in the city knows where she lives. She is wearing clothing that she has chosen for its ability to blend into whatever surroundings she might choose. Unobtrusive; simple, and in good taste. Although one could not later tell whether she wore one color or another. Her clothing was not particularly modem, and it seemed to be composed of neutral colors. There are certain colors which, having little color of their own, will adopt or reflect those colors around it. In this place, her clothing has overtones of the blue and green sign of the bar, whose light reaches even back to the golden and reddish aura of the bar. There are not many people at the bar, nor in the booths nearby. Never theless, her presence has been observed, and perhaps commented upon, by the few who are there. It is not that ordinary an occurrence, here, for such a woman to come in: alone. Usually, the women who come in alone are known to everyone, and their purpose is known. The woman has been in
Projective Measures of Personality/Psychopathology

A review of projective measures of personality is engendered through a highlighting of the role visual ambiguity plays in drawing upon a testee's signature pattern of meaning-making. The nature of the Rorschach Inkblot Method, Thematic Apperception Test, sentence completion and figure drawing tasks are explained, with an emphasis placed on their use in a battery of testing methods. Each of the measures presents a different sort of ambiguity, challenging a testee's capacity to maintain coherence under stress in different ways. Heuristic linkages are then provided between the nature of these different types of tasks and behaviors outside the testing situation. Keywords: psychology of personality; Rorschach; Rorschach, Hermann; testing in psychology; thematic apperception test; personality assessment; projective tests
Benefits of Cultural Immersion Experiences

His comments are as relevant today as they were then. Middle schools are often institutions where students become increasingly cognizant of the pluralistic society that exists within this nation's boundaries. Middle schools frequently enroll students who are drawn from a larger geographic area than that of many elementary schools. As a result, middle school educators often must help young scholars to understand and appreciate the value and import of the diverse student body to which they now belong. This issue is further compounded by the recent population trends in the United States. The demographic trends indicate that, as we enter the twentyfirst century, our country will face major shifts in the composition of our population. Fields (1988) reported that "there are nearly 19 million Hispanics in the United States today. . . . They account for 7.9 percent of the nation's mainland population. . . ." (20). According to Kellogg (1988), this percentage may nearly double early in the twenty-first century. As middle school teachers prepare their students for the future, they are confronted with the need to broaden student awareness and
Likelihood-Based Finite Sample Inference for Synthetic Data Based on Exponential Model

Likelihood-based finite sample inference based on synthetic data under the exponential model is developed in this paper. Two distinct synthetic data generation scenarios are considered, one based on posterior predictive sampling, and the other based on plug-in sampling. It is demonstrated that valid inference can be drawn in both scenarios, even for a singly imputed synthetic dataset. The usual combination rules for drawing inference under multiple synthetic datasets are discussed in the context of likelihood-based data analysis.
Urban civil society: the context of empire

Using the example of cities in the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this article examines the implications of globalization for models of colonial urban society. Royal celebrations and voluntary associations provide evidence of a well-developed hybridized social life in Malayan towns. A multicultural civil society based upon an independent print culture, a sizeable literate population and a growing group of professionals existed by 1900. The model of a binary society divided into colonizer and colonized is inaccurate.