cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation and Cancer Epidemiology Research

With the development of technology and power industry,extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation in environment has exceeded that in natural world in several orders of magnitude,especially in the living environment around the high-voltage transmission lines and workplace with occupational exposure to electromagnetic radiation.The effects and hazards on human health induced by electromagnetic radiation attract more and more attentions.In recent years,domestic and foreign researchers have carried out extensive research in the relationship between living environment and extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation.This paper reviews the current status of epidemiological studies.
DIFFERENTIALS AND PARAMETRIC EQUATIONS

This chapter presents certain exercises to find the dependent differential in the given functions. In Cartesian geometry, it is frequently more convenient to express a relationship between y and x indirectly by means of an intermediary variable called the parameter. Thus, one may express the relationship between y and x with the aid of a parameter t by means of a pair of functions called the parametric equations, which are of the form x = g(t), y = h(t). Here, t is defined over the same domain for both functions. When it is possible to eliminate t between the two equations, one may get y = f(x) directly. The chapter also presents exercises to find the Cartesian equation from the given parametric equations. It discusses the concept of derivative of arc length and the problem of devising a measure for the degree of bending or curvature exhibited by a curve.
Intraoperative Complications: Free Cap in Femtosecond LASIK

A free flap or a cap is a rare but significant complication that can occur with femtosecond LASIK [1]. This can happen during flap manipulation rather than during flap creation as seen with the microkeratome. Following the creation of the corneal flap, the flap can be inadvertently severed from the hinge in the process of lifting, positioning, and refloating. Some of the potential complications include irregular astigmatism, recurrent flap dislodgement, and complete flap loss.
The Earth Box™ — A containerized gradient oriented nutritional paradigm

Conventional nutritional procedure has been described as an empirical evaluation (trial and error) of how plant yield varies with nutrient application. The gradient concept shifts the emphasis from nutrient/water scheduling by management to a synchronized, plant controlled movement of nutrients and water to the root. A surface source of soluble nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) in conjunction with a continuing water table are the basic parameters. This combination maximizes nutrient movement to the root by diffusion which provides gradient stability and minimizes movement by mass flow (with the water) which can weaken or destroy nutritional stability, With the shift to a gradient oriented full-bed mulch procedure in the 1970’s, commercial tomato yields in Florida more than doubled. The Earth Box™, a container made of recycled plastic, is designed to maintain the same gradient parameters as in the full bed mulch procedure. Tomato yields have averaged 6 to 8 kg plant-1 (2 plants box-1), and with recent modification a yield of 22.6 kg box-1 was recorded. The Earth Box ™ with minimal soil plant-1 uses minimal water, requires minimal management and eliminates leaching as a source of pollution. The revolutionary potential of the Earth Box™ has been recognized and utilized primarily by the home gardener. A commercial version is currently being evaluated as a universal sustainable production system.
An Analysis and Bibliography of Recent African Atlases: Supplement One

This listing of recent African atlases is supplementary to that published in this Bulletin , October 1962. As in that article, atlases have been grouped according to major areas covered, and contents classified. Subject headings are: historical (hist.), physical and terrain (phys.), geology (geol.), climate (dim.), vegetation (veg.), soils, hydrography and irrigation (hydro.), political and administrative (pol.), agriculture and land use (agric.), forestry (for.), minerals and mining (min.), transportation (trans.), communications (commo.), miscellaneous economic (misc. econ.), population (pop.), tribes and races (trib.), languages (lang.), religious (relig.), health and diseases (health), African regions (regional), city and vicinity (city), other African subjects (other sub.), and non-African or extra-regional areas (other areas). This analysis is based mainly upon atlases examined at the Map Division in the Library of Congress, the American Geographical Society in New York, and the University of California, Los Angeles. This article is part of a research project supported by the African Studies Center at UCLA. The authors welcome comments on errors or omissions.
Satb1: Restraining PD1 and T Cell Exhaustion

Mechanisms that govern PD1 expression and exhaustion in T cells are not fully understood. In this issue of Immunity, Stephen et al. (2017) uncover a key role for the genome organizer Satb1 in restraining PD1 expression and promoting tumor immunity.
Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Educational Programming: A Qualitative Evaluation

Background: This program evaluation considers the need for increased professional and patient education for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivorship. Due to the high incidence of late effects of cancer treatment among AYA cancer survivors, knowledge sharing and communications are needed throughout the transition from cancer care into community care. AYA survivors are likely to need developmentally appropriate psychosocial care as well as extensive follow-on surveillance by physicians who are educated and aware of the likely chronic conditions and late effects that may occur in these patients. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of the After Cancer Care Ends, Survivorship Starts for Adolescent and Young Adults (ACCESS AYA) programming. The intent of the ACCESS AYA program was to build health literacy around AYA survivorship issues and to stimulate improved communications between survivors and health care providers. This paper addresses the central research question of “How did the ACCESS AYA program increase health literacy, communications, and understanding among AYA survivors and providers?” Methods: The primarily qualitative evaluation included a brief introductory survey of participant awareness and effectiveness of the ACCESS AYA project serving as a recruitment tool. Survey respondents were invited to participate in in-depth interviews based on interview guides tailored to the different stakeholder groups. The evaluation used the Atlas Ti qualitative database and software for coding and key word analyses. Interrater reliability analyses were assessed using Cohen kappa analysis with Stata 12.1 (StataCorp LLC) software. Results: The key themes, which included survivor wellbeing, health care professional education, cancer advocates role and education, hospital and community-based resources, and the role of societal support, are presented in a concept map. The interrater reliability scores (ranging from 1 to minus 1) were .893 for first cycle coding and .784 for the second cycle. In the brief quantitative survey based on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 as high, the 22 respondents rated their level of awareness of the project with a mean 3.2 (CI 3.02-3.45) and project effectiveness with a mean of 4 (CI 3.72-4.27). Conclusions: This study contributes to understanding of the ACCESS AYA survivor community in central Texas and the health care professionals and advocates who aid them in their efforts to a new normal life and wellbeing in their survivorship. The results of the evaluation highlight the need to continue to build both survivor and professional resources to address the unique impact of cancer on AYA cancer survivors. [JMIR Cancer 2017;3(1):e3]
CHRONIC ALPHA BLOCKER USE AND OUTCOMES IN OLDER MALE MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES HOSPITALIZED FOR HEART FAILURE

Background: Alpha-blockers have been shown to be associated with higher risk of heart failure (HF) among those with hypertension. However, prior studies of alpha-blockers in patients with HF have produced mixed findings. Methods: Of the 8049 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for decompensated HF
Chapter 8 – Bullying During the Middle School Years

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the act of bullying, prevalent during the middle school years. Bullying is a specific form of aggression and one that is used deliberately to secure resources. Following the idea that bullying is a form of proactive aggression is the assumption that in early adolescence, boys use bullying as a strategy to establish and maintain social dominance. Dominance is a relationship variable determining individuals' leadership status within a group that results from a series of agonistic and cooperative exchanges. After dominance is established, rates of aggression should decrease because individuals know who the toughest kids are, and to challenge a tougher individual would result in defeat. In cost-benefit terms, the costs of a challenge clearly outweigh the possible benefits. Other aspects of this model have also been supported empirically. The chapter also supports the assumption that bullying is used in the service of dominance as adolescent males make the transition from primary to middle schools.
Coccolithophore growth and calcification in a changing ocean

Abstract Coccolithophores are the most abundant calcifying phytoplankton in the ocean. These tiny primary producers have an important role in the global carbon cycle, substantially contributing to global ocean calcification, ballasting organic matter to the deep sea, forming part of the marine food web base, and influencing ocean-atmosphere CO2 exchange. Despite these important impacts, coccolithophores are not explicitly simulated in most marine ecosystem models and, therefore, their impacts on carbon cycling are not represented in most Earth system models. Here, we compile field and laboratory data to synthesize overarching, across-species relationships between environmental conditions and coccolithophore growth rates and relative calcification (reported as a ratio of particulate inorganic carbon to particulate organic carbon in coccolithophore biomass, PIC/POC). We apply our relationships in a generalized coccolithophore model, estimating current surface ocean coccolithophore growth rates and relative calcification, and projecting how these may change over the 21st century using output from the Community Earth System Model large ensemble. We find that average increases in sea surface temperature of ∼ 2–3 ° C lead to faster coccolithophore growth rates globally ( > 10% increase) and increased calcification at high latitudes. Roughly an ubiquitous doubling of surface ocean pCO2 by the end of the century has the potential to moderately stimulate coccolithophore growth rates, but leads to reduced calcification ( ∼ 25% decrease). Decreasing nutrient availability (from warming-induced increases in stratification) produces increases in relative calcification, but leads to ∼ 25% slower growth rates. With all drivers combined, we observe decreases in calcification and growth in most low and mid latitude regions, with possible increases in both of these responses in most high latitude regions. Major limitations of our coccolithophore model stem from a lack of conclusive physiological responses to changes in irradiance (we do not include light limitation in our model), and a lack of physiological data for major coccolithophore species. Species within the Umbellosphaera genus, for example, are dominant in mid to low latitude regions where we predict some of the largest decreases in coccolithophore growth rate and calcification.
Using river temperature to optimize fish incubation metabolism and survival: a case for mechanistic models

Allocating reservoir flows to societal and ecosystem needs under increasing demands for water and increasing variability in climate presents challenges to resource managers. In the past, managers have operated reservoirs to achieve flow and temperature compliance points based on qualitative predictions of competing needs. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to assess whether meeting such compliance points is efficient or equitable, new strategies for regulation are being advanced. Critical to these strategies is the need for new models with sufficient biological details to identify the effects of reservoir operations on organism growth and survival in real time. This paper evaluates the adequacy of three models of differing complexity for managing the Sacramento River temperature during the incubation of winter-run Chinook salmon. The models similarly characterize temperature- and density-dependent mortality from egg through fry survival, but use different spatial and temporal resolutions. The models all fit survival data reasonably well, but predict different reservoir operations to protect fish. Importantly, the models with the finer spatial/temporal resolution predict reservoir operations that require less flow and better protect fish when water resources are limited. The paper illustrates that shifting the focus of management from meeting compliance points to meeting the metabolic needs of the organisms' yields efficiencies and identifies when water is needed and when it can be saved.
Brain Monitoring and Homeostasis in Comatose, Critically Ill Patients

Preservation of brain function should be the pivotal concern in the management of critically ill or injured patients, for the status of the brain will determine the quality of life subsequent to recovery. Acute focal or total cerebral anoxic-ischemic, traumatic, inflammatory, metabolic, hemorrhagic, or neoplastic insults may result in coma, cerebral edema, total or regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) disturbances, and permanent cerebral metabolic derangements. Various insults to other organ systems may also ultimately jeopardize cerebral functioning. The initial insult is often followed by secondary (postresuscitative) cerebral changes that can be either ameliorated or prevented. With the use of titrated therapy aimed at restoring cerebral homeostasis, the chance for neuronal recovery may be enhanced [65]. The present chapter summarizes information on cerebral pathophysiology and some current therapeutic recommendations.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF PARASITEMIA TO THE ANTIBODY RESPONSE IN HUMAN MALARIA

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study of the relationship of parasitemia to the antibody response. The study was conducted using conventional methods for parasite detection and employing the indirect fluorescent antibody technique for the detection and titration of malarial antibody in serum. The relationship was determined in five volunteers with sporozoite-induced and five with blood-induced Plasmodium vivax malaria. In all of the sporozoite-induced cases, antibody production closely followed the appearance of parasites in the peripheral circulation. In three of the five blood-induced P. vivax cases which received fresh blood, the prepatent periods were much shorter than those of the sporozoite-induced infections. In human volunteers with sporozoite-induced Plasmodium cynomolgi malaria, similar relationships have been observed. As in vivax malaria, shortly after the first parasites appeared in the peripheral blood, the initial detection of antibody was made.
Family History of Breast or Prostate Cancer and Prostate Cancer Risk.

Purpose: Breast and prostate cancer co-occur in families, and women with a family history of prostate cancer are at increased breast cancer risk. Prostate cancer is among the most heritable cancers, but few studies have investigated its association with familial breast cancer. The objective of this study is to investigate the extent to which familial breast or prostate cancer in first-degree relatives increases prostate cancer risk. Experimental Design: A prospective study of 37,002 U.S. men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During the 16-year follow-up to 2012, 4,208 total and 344 lethal cases were diagnosed. Using cause-specific hazards regression, we estimated the multivariable HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between familial breast or prostate cancer and total and lethal prostate cancer. Results: Those with familial breast cancer had a 21% greater risk of prostate cancer overall (95% CI, 1.10–1.34), and a 34% greater risk of lethal disease (HR 1.34; 95% CI, 0.96–1.89). Family history of prostate cancer alone was associated with a 68% increased risk of total disease (95% CI, 1.53–1.83) and a 72% increased risk of lethal disease (95% CI, 1.25–2.38). Men with a family history of both cancers were also at elevated risk. Conclusions: Our study found that men with a family history of breast or prostate cancer had elevated prostate cancer risks, including risk of lethal disease. These findings have translational relevance for cancer risk prediction in men.
Japanese Rice: History and Cultural Performance

Engagement with the notions of “traditional” related to the narrative of rice and its place in Japanese culture is presented with a discussion regarding the relationship of rice and the traditional Japanese diet or washoku to ideas about Japanese identities. The research methodology, theoretical focus, and overview of current research in the field will be included as well. This book uses a qualitative methodology with in-depth interviews, which provides rich in-depth information that will examine sites and interviewees across Japan. A literature review is also presented which provides a context for the book and situates it within the disciplines of political science, history, and social science.
Peripheral lymphocyte function in dogs with Brucellla canis infection

Peripheral lymphocyte function in dogs with Brucella canis infection was evaluated using in vitro lymphocyte stimulation with the mitogens PHA, Con A and PWM, and killed Brucella canis organisms. Bitches with naturally occurring Brucella canis infection were compared to negative controls. There was no difference in the response to Con A and PWM between these two groups. Lymphocytes from infected dogs were less responsive (p less than .05) to PHA than were lymphocytes from controls. There was a significant (p less than .005) difference in response to Brucella canis antigen between the two groups. Lymphocytes from infected dogs were stimulated by Brucella canis antigen, whereas those from controls did not respond.
Applications of Reactive Materials in Munitions

This chapter describes reactive materials that are researched for use in conventional weapon applications. Production of powders from nano-scale to mm particle sizes using methods such as ball milling, vapor deposition, electro-spraying, etc. are detailed. The properties of reactive material powders achieved from these methods, their microstructure, and its effect on achieving different reaction rates and energy efficiencies are discussed. The use of reactive powders in several applications such as agent-defeat weapons, explosive formulations, propellant, and warhead liners are elucidated. Then, methods to prepare structural reactive materials (or reactive material structures), such as hot isostatic pressing, fiber reinforcing, etc. are considered together with their munitions applications such as enhanced blast, reactive fragments, and penetrator cases.
Fused Colonies of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) for Laboratory Experiments

Laboratory studies of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) often employ the use of field-collected foraging populations of individuals as defined colonies. The biological relevance of this practice is often called into question, because these colonies lack a full composition of reproductive castes and brood, which may have physiological and behavioral consequences. Rearing intact laboratory colonies can be done; however, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The artificial fusion of field-collected foraging populations with a young, laboratory-reared incipient colony may provide whole, intact colonies for laboratory research. The current study measures survivorship of fused colonies using laboratory-reared complete incipient colonies ranging in age from 0 to 5 mo, fused with 100 workers and 10 soldiers from field-collected populations of different colonial origin. Results indicate that 60% of colony fusion was successful when the incipient colony introduced is 5 mo of age. This method of colony fusion will provide researchers with intact colonies using minimal resources.
Minecraft as AI Playground and Laboratory

Modern video games provide exciting challenges and opportunities for pushing the state of the art in machine learning and other research areas, and, in turn, stand to first benefit from research advances. For driving research, games provide rich data that can be used to tackle hard problems, from complex decision making to collaboration. If and when these are successfully tackled, new algorithms and insights have the potential to enable entirely new game experiences. This talk focuses on opportunities in the setting of the game Minecraft, one of the most popular video games of all time. Minecraft is an open-world game, where players explore, create, and continuously find new ways to play and engage with each other. This open-ended nature both make the game appealing to its human fan-base, and uniquely challenging to AI algorithms. To unlock the potential of Minecraft for AI experimentation, my team has developed Project Malmo -- an open source experimentation platform built on top of Minecraft to enable a wide range of research. Here, I will illustrate the capabilities of the platform with recent examples that I find particularly exciting. I will highlight our most recent collaboration, led by a team of PhD students at Carnegie Mellon University: the MineRL competition. This ambitious competition is designed to drive advances in sample efficient reinforcement learning with human priors. Sample efficient learning is a key challenge, with current algorithms often requiring millions of samples to learn to perform individual narrow tasks, limiting the scope and applicability of these approaches. This competition is built around a complex task, large-scale demonstration data, and an evaluation setup that requires and rewards sample efficient learning and effective generalization. Looking out into the future, I will conclude by highlight selected open questions and challenges that have high potential for impact in video games and raise key questions for current state-of-the-art AI approaches.
Educating Perioperative Nurses About Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity Using High-Fidelity Simulation.

Abstract Background The rarity of perianesthetic catastrophic events creates a challenge in training support staff in the treatment of emergencies such as local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST). Simulation learning offers a unique venue in which to safely encounter rare events. Aims This study aimed to evaluate knowledge retention regarding LAST in perianesthetic nursing staff using high-fidelity simulation and a short didactic session. Design Nurses were recruited from perioperative locations to participate in a simulated scenario of LAST and engage in a short didactic session. Settings Simulation and education occurred in the high-fidelity simulation center at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. Participants/Subjects Thirteen nurses from the preoperative, post-anesthesia, and block nursing teams participated in the study. Methods Participants completed a pre-test before participating in the simulation, followed by a formal debrief and short lecture. They then completed post-tests and a short survey focused on self-efficacy and review of the simulation experience. Results Test scores, compared to the pre-test, improved significantly on the immediately-post, 1-month, and 3-month assessments. Participants felt more equipped to handle crisis scenarios. Conclusions Experiential learning often results in significant knowledge acquisition and retention. Participants in this study improved their test scores regarding LAST and increased their sense of self-efficacy and ability to handle crisis scenarios after taking part in a high-fidelity simulation.
Flight feather molt in Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula)

ABSTRACT We evaluated flight feather molt of Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) collected in North Dakota to determine differences by age and sex and to infer seasonal relationships with nesting ...
The Making of a Torturer

Liberal democracies that perpetrate torture represent an apparent paradox: a flagrant violation of human rights by states supposedly dedicated to protecting human rights. In liberal democracies, the political, social, and legal narratives used to justify torture portray torture as an individual act motivated by important moral values. This individualized torture narrative then shapes the moral framework through which the public, policy-makers, and individual torturers view torture, and masks the institutional nature of torture perpetration. This interaction between an individualized torture narrative and the moral framework of torture distinguishes democratic perpetrators (Critchell et al. 2017, 9–10) from non-democratic perpetrators of torture. Yet, the implementation of a torture program in a democratic state is remarkably similar to the implementation of a torture program in a non-democratic state. In both cases, torture is an institutionalized practice given moral and political meaning through broad social and political narratives. This chapter uses the post-9/11 US torture program as a case study of a democratic perpetrator in order to explore the interaction of democratic narratives of torture, state implementation of torture, and the moral psychology of individual torturers. This permits a way of thinking about torture perpetration that goes beyond a myopic focus on torture as individual act to understand the interaction and mutual reinforcement of different forms of torture perpetration. This analysis also offers a starting point from which to consider how to resist and oppose torture narratives that sustain democratic torture, a question I explore in the conclusion of this chapter.
Parental drug use and racial and ethnic disproportionality in the U.S. foster care system.

Abstract Background and aims Following nearly a decade of entry declines, foster care entries in the United States began to rise steadily since 2012, largely because of dramatic increases in home removals involving parental drug use (PDU). America’s ongoing opioid crisis and recent changes in drug policies have been associated with the growth in PDU entries. The extent to which these and other recent factors have affected historical racial/ethnic differences in the foster care system is unknown. We explored the prevalence of racial/ethnic disproportionality and disparity in PDU entries and described children characteristics across racial/ethnic populations. Design Secondary data analysis of the universe of foster care entries in 2008–2017, obtained from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. Setting Children ages 0–17 entering foster care in the United States. Cases A total of 2,489,423 foster care entries, 29% (N = 714,085) designated as involving PDU. Measurements The rate of PDU entries was measured as the number of foster care entries involving PDU per 1000 children ages 0–17 in the general population, by racial/ethnic group. Disproportionality in PDU entries was measured as the proportion of a racial/ethnic group among PDU entries over their proportion among the general population. Findings From 2008 to 2017, the rate of PDU entries increased 71% in the general population and across all racial/ethnic groups. Native American children displayed the highest level and fastest growth in PDU entry rates (139%; 1.74 in 2008 to 4.15 in 2017), followed by non-Hispanic White children (112%; 0.70 in 2008 to 1.49 in 2017). Native American children also displayed the highest level of disproportionality in foster care entries, with a representation in PDU entries and other entries about 3.23 and 2.56 times their representation in the general population. Conclusions Foster care entries involving PDU increased considerably across all racial/ethnic populations. Growth in PDU entries was greatest among Native American children, exacerbating existing disproportionalities in the foster care system for this vulnerable population.
Chest radiograph features of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) compared to pediatric COVID-19.

Although the radiographic features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children have been described, the distinguishing features of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 are not well characterized. We compared the chest radiographic findings of MIS-C with those of COVID-19 and described other distinguishing imaging features of MIS-C. We performed a retrospective case series review of children ages 0 to 18 years who were hospitalized at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta from March to May 2020 and who either met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definition for MIS-C (n=11) or who had symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 (n=16). Two radiologists reviewed the most severe chest radiographs for each patient. The type and distribution of pulmonary opacities and presence or absence of pleural effusions were recorded. The chest radiographs were categorized based on potential COVID-19 imaging findings as typical, indeterminate, atypical or negative. An imaging severity score was also assigned using a simplified version of the Radiographic Assessment of Lung Edema Score. Findings were statistically compared between patients with MIS-C and those with COVID-19. Additional imaging findings of MIS-C were also described. Radiographic features of MIS-C included pleural effusions (82% [9/11]), pulmonary consolidations (73% [8/11]) and ground glass opacities (91% [10/11]). All of the lung opacities (100% [10/10]) were bilateral, and the majority of the pleural effusions (67% [6/9]) were bilateral. Compared to children with COVID-19, children with MIS-C were significantly more likely to develop pleural effusions on chest radiograph (82% [9/11] vs. 0% [0/0], P-value <0.01) and a lower zone predominance of pulmonary opacifications (100% [10/10] vs. 38% [5/13], P-value <0.01). Children with MIS-C who also had abdominal imaging had intra-abdominal inflammatory changes. Key chest radiographic features of MIS-C versus those of COVID-19 were pleural effusions and lower zone pulmonary opacifications as well as intra-abdominal inflammation. Elucidating the distinguishing radiographic features of MIS-C may help refine the case definition and expedite diagnosis and treatment.
Pneumocystis pneumonia with hypogammaglobulinemia in a pediatric patient who underwent heart transplantation.

A 23-month-old Caucasian female who had heart transplantation (HT) at 11 days of age was diagnosed with Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in the setting of secondary hypogammaglobulinemia (HGG). She was diagnosed with HGG at 5 months of age and had been receiving monthly intravenous immunoglobulin infusion. This is the first case report describing the clinical course of PCP in a pediatric patient with HGG. She developed PCP 23 months after HT even when she was off steroids and was receiving timely IVIG. The case posed some clinical questions regarding PCP prophylaxis and HGG management.
Impact of the COVID-19 induced lockdown measures on PM2.5 concentration in USA.

In 2020, most countries around the world have observed varying degrees of public lockdown measures to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. As an unintended consequence of reduced transportation and industrial activities, air quality has dramatically improved in many major cities around the world. In this paper, we analyze the environmental impact of the lockdown measures on P M 2.5 concentration levels in 48 core-based statistical areas (CBSA) of the United States, during the pre and post-lockdown period of January to June, 2020. We model the effect of lockdown on the P M 2.5 concentration in different CBSAs while adjusting for various meteorological factors like temperature, wind-speed, precipitation and snow. Linear mixed effects models and functional regression methods with random intercepts are employed to capture the heterogeneity of the effect across different regions. Our analysis shows there is a statistically significant reduction in levels of P M 2.5 across most of the regions during the lock-down period, although interestingly, this effect is not uniform across all the CBSAs under consideration.
Individualized and Phase-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Early Onset Pure Dysthymic Syndrome in an Outpatient with Mixed Personality Features

Chronic forms of depression often share many features with personality dysfunction and can be difficult to treat using traditional psychotherapies. To help improve treatment outcomes, individualize...
Predicting time-varying, speed-varying dilemma zones using machine learning and continuous vehicle tracking

Abstract This paper proposes an innovative framework of predicting driver behavior under varying dilemma zone conditions using artificial intelligence-based machine learning. The framework utilizes multiple machine learning techniques to process vehicle attribute data (e.g., speed, location, and time-of-arrival) collected at the onset of the yellow indication, and eventually predicts drivers’ stop-or-go decision based on the data. A linear SVM was used to extract through vehicles from all approaching vehicles detected from radar sensors. A hierarchical clustering method was utilized to classify different traffic patterns by time-of-day. Finally, driver behavior prediction models were developed using three machine learning techniques (i.e., linear SVM, polynomial SVM, and ANN) widely adopted for binary classification problems. Model validation results showed that all the prediction models perform well with high prediction accuracies. The ANN model, which showed the best performance among the three, was selected to represent dilemma zone boundaries. Results show that the dilemma zone start- and end-points would both locate further from the stop bar with higher approaching speeds. Furthermore, the dilemma zone end-point would be more sensitive to the approaching speed than the start-point is. As a result, the dilemma zone length would become longer with higher approaching speeds. Results also showed that the dilemma zone length and location would vary by time-of-day regardless of the speed of approaching vehicles. The analysis showed that the dilemma zone length would be longer and its location would be much further from the stop bar for vehicles arriving during rush hours, as compared to those arriving during non-rush or nighttime hours. This indicates that drivers’ decision location to stop or go (when they are faced with a dilemma zone situation) is distributed farther from the intersection stop bar during rush hours. The proposed method shows an effective way of predicting driver behavior on signalized intersections. It is expected for the transportation agencies to use the method to improve intersection signal operations more effectively and safely.
Aliasing Error (Data Acquisition System)

This article has no abstract. Keywords: aliasing error; Shannon-Nyquist sampling theorem
Modular Forms of Half Integer Weight

Let k be a positive odd integer, and let λ = (k − 1)/2. In this chapter we shall look at modular forms of weight k/2 = λ + 1/2, which is not an integer but rather half way between two integers. Roughly speaking, such a modular form f should satisfy f((az + b)/(cz + d)) = (cz + d)λ+1/2f(z) for \( \left( {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} a & b \\ c & d \\ \end{array} } \right) \) in Γ = SL2(ℤ) or some congruence subgroup Γ′ ⊂= Γ. However, such a simple- minded functional equation leads to inconsistencies (see below), basically because of the possible choice of two branches for the square root. A subtler definition is needed in order to handle the square root properly. One must introduce a quadratic character, corresponding to some quadratic extension of ℚ. Roughly speaking, because of this required “twist” by a quadratic character, the resulting forms turn out to have interesting relationships to the arithmetic of quadratic fields (such as L-series and class numbers). Moreover, recall that the Hasse-Weil L-series for our family of elliptic curves E n : y2 = x3 − n2x in the congruent number problem involved “twists” by quadratic characters as n varies (see Chapter II). It turns out that the critical values L(E n , 1) for this family of L-series are closely related to certain modular forms of half-integral weight
The Hypothesized Relationship Between Accountability and Ethical Behavior

Unethical behavior is important to study because it may have an adverse influence on organizational performance. This paper is an attempt to better understand why individuals behave as they do when faced with ethical dilemmas. We first explore the definition, theories and models of ethical behaviors and accountability. This discussion of societal ethics and accountability as forms of social control segues into a discussion of how accountability may influence ethical behaviors. Based on the business ethics and accountability literatures, we suggest a number of research questions and hypotheses that need to be tested, as well as an appropriate research strategy.
Surface characterization of Pt electrodes using underpotential deposition of H and Cu: Part III. Surface improvement of the flame-annealed Pt(100) and Pt(111) electrodes via potential cycling

Abstract In Parts I and II of this series it was shown that the Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces pretreated by flame-annealing and quenching in aqueous electrolyte contain a high density of defects such as vacancies, Pt adatoms and clusters of Pt adatoms. In this paper we show that potential cycling including scans into the oxygen region in sulfuric or perchloric acid removes most of these sites and that a limited number of cycles yield hydrogen adsorption-desorption profiles (cyclic voltammograms) that compare favorably with those published by authors who established the structure using electron diffraction techniques. Some loss of longer-range surface order as a result of the potential cycling is indicated by an increase in the width at half-height of the monolayer copper stripping peaks. The possibility of surface improvement in the absence of surface oxidation and reduction is explored by potential cycling in hydrochloric acid.
State Educational Investments and Economic Growth in the United States: A Path Analysis*

Objective. This article investigates direct and indirect relationships between state investments in education and economic growth measured as change in per-capita gross state product (GSP). As a basis for selecting control variables, it also applies a conceptual framework borrowed from the cross-national growth research. Method. We gathered 18 years of panel data on the 48 continental states and ran GLS regressions with panel corrected standard errors after executing an AR1 correction for autocorrelation. Results. Per-capita savings deposits, college attainment, and initial GSP are the most consistent predictors of GSP growth over the 18-year period investigated. However, all the independent variables in the model, except high school attainment, predict per-capita GSP growth from 1997 to 2005. Conclusion. The study supports the virtues of a path model and a cross-national framework for explaining the relationship between educational expenditures and GSP growth, especially from 1997 to 2005.
Vanadium nitride functionalization and denitrogenation by carbon disulfide and dioxide.

A dramatic difference in behavior is observed for the dithiocarbamate and carbamate complexes [Ar(But)N]3V(NCE2)Na(THF)2 (E = S or O, respectively), prepared from the corresponding nitride species {[Ar(But)N]3VNNa}2 by way of a nucleophilic addition reaction involving carbon disulfide or dioxide, and is rationalized with the aid of DFT calculations.
Responding to The Will of the People: An Introduction to a Symposium in Reaction to Barry Friedman's Book

This Essay introduces a Symposium, which responds to Barry Friedman’s important book, The Will of the People, from the perspectives of constitutional theory, American constitutional history, comparative constitutionalism, and law and politics. The introduction briefly describes each of the thirteen contributions, identifies some of the most prominent themes and criticisms that emerged from the papers, and summarizes Professor Friedman’s trenchant response - which focuses on the sort of interdisciplinary endeavor his book represents and offers some suggestions for approaching and evaluating multi-disciplinary work.
THE CONTROL OF CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS METABOLISM BY THE VITAMIN D ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

Vitamin D, which is normally produced in the skin under ultraviolet irradiation, is the building block for a new endocrine system that involves hydroxylation on the 25-position in the liver followed by 1 alpha-hydroxylation in the kidney to produce the vitamin D hormone, 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3. This vitamin D hormone functions in the intestine, bone, and kidney to stimulate transport of calcium and phosphorus into the extracellular fluid compartment upon demand. The production of the vitamin D hormone is tightly feedback regulated directly or indirectly by calcium and phosphorus levels of the plasma. The vitamin D endocrine system is an important one in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus metabolism but is not solely responsible for the calcium and phosphorus transfer reactions occurring during reproduction. The vitamin D hormone functions in the target organs by a nuclear-mediated receptor-based mechanism probably involving the biogenesis of calcium and phosphorus transfer proteins. New target sites of 1,25-(OH)2D3 action in several tissues are suggested by this nuclear localization in those cells. Study of the vitamin D endocrine system has provided a new understanding of metabolic bone diseases and has provided new forms of vitamin D for their treatment. Thus a basic investigation of the regulation of calcium and phosphorus metabolism has rewarded medicine and science with new therapeutic approaches to disease problems.
Copper deficiency in the developing rat brain: evidence for abnormal mitochondria.

— Copper deficiency was produced in developing rats by feeding a low copper diet to rats during gestation and lactation and providing the offspring the same diet. The progeny developed similar to those of an earlier model based on preconception depletion followed by marginal supplementation during gestation. Copper levels were greatly reduced in the brain, iron levels were slightly depressed, and no differences in zinc content were found. Electron microscopic examination of brain tissue revealed the presence of enlarge mitochondria from copper-deficient animals. Isolated mitochondria from copper-deficient rats showed a 30% reduction in the rate of both succinate and glutamate oxidation, and for glutamate, the respiratory control ratio (RCR) was decreased by 60%. Difference spectra displayed a four-fold reduction in cytochrome a+a3 and slight increases in cytochrome b, c1 and c. Enzyme analysis of isolated mitochondria revealed a five-fold decrease in cytochrome oxidase, slight increases in succinic dehydrogenase and fumarase, and small decreases in hexokinase and monoamine oxidase. No difference in peroxidation of brain lipids was evident. Determination of metabolites from fast frozen tissue suggested that the copper-deficient brain was in a more reduced state based on a doubling of both the lactate/pyruvate and α-glycerol-P/dihydroxyacetone-P ratios. Creatine-P, ATP, and ADP levels were not different.
The response of an atmospheric reaction-transport model to changes in input functions

Abstract We define auxiliary parameters which scale the input functions required by an atmospheric model and expand the output concentration of each species as a Taylor series in these parameters. The response of the model to changes in a scaling parameter is defined to be linear if the quadratic and higher order terms in the Taylor series vanish identically or are small. Using a model with nonlinear chemical reactions simulating Los Angeles, we investigated numerically the magnitude of the constant, linear, and quadratic terms in the Taylor series for scalings of the initial conditions, emission rates, and boundary conditions. The input functions for hydrocarbon, NO, and NO 2 were scaled individually and in pairs. For very large changes in these input functions the model responds nonlinearly. However, the quadratic terms in the Taylor series are negligible and the model responds linearly if these input functions are changed by less than 20–30% of their values in the base case.
Detonation sensitivity of liquid nitromethane doped with methyl nitrite

It has been suggested, by other workers, that the isomerization of normal nitromethane (NMCH3NO2) to methyl nitrite (CH3ONO) is an important first step in the chemical kinetics of liquid NM detonation. We examine this idea by studying the effect of direct methyl nitrite addition on NM's detonation sensitivity. Failure diameter is used as the measure of sensitivity. A comparison is made between the effect of methyl nitrite addition and that of a known sensitizer of NM i.e., the NM aci ion (CH2NO2−). Methyl nitrite is found to be an ineffective sensitizer relative to NM's aci ion.
α-Hydroxycarboxylic acids in the Murchison meteorite

A VARIETY of indigenous organic compounds have been detected in carbonaceous meteorites1–6, and of these, the amino acids have been the most extensively studied1,7–11. In addition to the amino acids commonly found in the proteins of terrestrial organisms, a large number of nonprotein amino acids have also been detected8. Moreover, the amino acids in meteorites exist as a racemic mixture, demonstrating their abiotic origin1,8–10. The general abundance pattern of amino acids in the Murchison meteorite is similar to that obtained in a typical prebiotic electric discharge experiment12. The mechanism of formation of amino acids in the electric discharge is by way of the Strecker synthesis, that is, the reaction of hydrogen cyanide, aldehydes and ammonia in aqueous solution, producing amino nitriles, which yield amino acids following acid hydrolysis13,14. In the electric discharge experiment, in addition to amino acid formation, the corresponding α-hydroxycarboxylic acids (hydroxy acids) are also produced by the reaction of hydrogen cyanide and aldehydes (the cyanohydrin synthesis). The ratio of hydroxy to amino acids depends on the amount of ammonia present in the system13,14. At high ammonia concentrations, amino acids are preferentially synthesised, whereas if ammonia is absent, only hydroxy acids are produced. Thus, the detection of hydroxy acids in carbonaceous meteorites would provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that the Strecker mechanism is responsible for the natural extraterrestrial synthesis of amino acids found in meteorites. In addition, the ratio of hydroxy to amino acids would provide some indication as to the ammonia content of the environment in which these compounds were synthesised. We report here the presence of seven α-hydroxycarboxylic acids in the Murchison meteorite, a type II carbonaceous chondrite.