cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing positive matrix factorization model fit: a new method to estimate uncertainty and bias in factor contributions at the measurement time scale

Abstract. A Positive Matrix Factorization receptor model for aerosol pollution source apportionment was fit to a synthetic dataset simulating one year of daily measurements of ambient PM2.5 concentrations, comprised of 39 chemical species from nine pollutant sources. A novel method was developed to estimate model fit uncertainty and bias at the daily time scale, as related to factor contributions. A circular block bootstrap is used to create replicate datasets, with the same receptor model then fit to the data. Neural networks are trained to classify factors based upon chemical profiles, as opposed to correlating contribution time series, and this classification is used to align factor orderings across the model results associated with the replicate datasets. Factor contribution uncertainty is assessed from the distribution of results associated with each factor. Comparing modeled factors with input factors used to create the synthetic data assesses bias. The results indicate that variability in factor contribution estimates does not necessarily encompass model error: contribution estimates can have small associated variability across results yet also be very biased. These findings are likely dependent on characteristics of the data.
Experimental characterization of gain assisted surface plasmon propagation using quantum wells

Gain-assisted surface plasmon propagation using quantum wells was experimentally characterized. The surface plasmon propagation loss reduced with increasing optical gain.
Neamine inhibits prostate cancer growth by suppressing angiogenin-mediated rRNA transcription.

Purpose: Angiogenin (ANG) undergoes nuclear translocation and stimulates rRNA transcription in both prostate cancer cells and endothelial cells. The purpose of this study is to assess the antitumor activity of neamine, a nontoxic degradation product of neomycin that blocks nuclear translocation of ANG. Experimental Design: The anti-prostate cancer activity of neamine was first evaluated in a xenograft animal model. It was then examined in the murine prostate-restricted AKT transgenic mice that develop prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) owing to AKT transgene overexpression. Results: Neamine inhibits xenograft growth of PC-3 human prostate cancer cells in athymic mice. It blocks nuclear translocation of ANG and inhibits rRNA transcription, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. Neamine also prevents AKT-induced PIN formation as well as reverses fully developed PIN in murine prostate-restricted AKT mice, accompanied by a decrease in rRNA synthesis, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis and an increase in prostate epithelial cell apoptosis. Conclusion: We confirmed that ANG is a molecular target for cancer drug development and that blocking nuclear translocation of ANG is an effective means to inhibit its activity. Our results also suggested that neamine is a lead compound for further preclinical evaluation.
Sensory Evaluation of Forage- and Grain-Fed Beef

Rib roasts, rib steaks, and shoulder roasts from forage and grain-fed cattle were compared. By means of triangle testing, panelists were able to detect differences between beef from the two feeding regimes. However, no significant preferences were shown for flavor of lean, flavor of fat, tenderness, or juiciness nor were there significant differences in cooking losses. The differences shown did not affect acceptability of forage-fed beef.
Nonlinearities in thin-film media and their impact on data recovery

Nonlinear distortion in thin-film media is studied based on dibit magnetization patterns created from a micromagnetic computer simulation. It is observed that the demagnetization field from previously written transitions causes large nonlinear distortions by inducing position shifts of later transitions. Even after the nonlinearities due to such position shifts are removed, significant residual nonlinearities were observed in all media considered. While total nonlinear distortion is larger with films with sharper transitions, the residual nonlinear distortion after the removal of position shifts is larger in the exchange coupled film than the uncoupled film. An attempt was also made to quantify the nonlinear effects on the performance of two competing modulation codes, namely, the rate 8/9 (0,k) code and the rate 2/3
Acoustic Chord Transcription and Key Extraction From Audio Using Key-Dependent HMMs Trained on Synthesized Audio

We describe an acoustic chord transcription system that uses symbolic data to train hidden Markov models and gives best-of-class frame-level recognition results. We avoid the extremely laborious task of human annotation of chord names and boundaries-which must be done to provide machine learning models with ground truth-by performing automatic harmony analysis on symbolic music files. In parallel, we synthesize audio from the same symbolic files and extract acoustic feature vectors which are in perfect alignment with the labels. We, therefore, generate a large set of labeled training data with a minimal amount of human labor. This allows for richer models. Thus, we build 24 key-dependent HMMs, one for each key, using the key information derived from symbolic data. Each key model defines a unique state-transition characteristic and helps avoid confusions seen in the observation vector. Given acoustic input, we identify a musical key by choosing a key model with the maximum likelihood, and we obtain the chord sequence from the optimal state path of the corresponding key model, both of which are returned by a Viterbi decoder. This not only increases the chord recognition accuracy, but also gives key information. Experimental results show the models trained on synthesized data perform very well on real recordings, even though the labels automatically generated from symbolic data are not 100% accurate. We also demonstrate the robustness of the tonal centroid feature, which outperforms the conventional chroma feature.
Caveolin-1 mediates the expression and localization of cathepsin B, pro-urokinase plasminogen activator and their cell-surface receptors in human colorectal carcinoma cells

Cathepsin B and pro-urokinase plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) localize to the caveolae of HCT 116 human colorectal carcinoma cells, an association mediated by active K-RAS. In this study, we established a stable HCT 116 cell line with a gene encoding antisense caveolin-1 (AS-cav-1) to examine the effects of caveolin-1, the main structural protein of caveolae, on the expression and localization of cathepsin B and pro-uPA, and their cell-surface receptors p11 and uPA receptor (uPAR), respectively. AS-cav-1 HCT 116 cells secreted less procathepsin B than control (empty vector) cells as measured by immunoblotting and pepsin activation of the proenzyme. Expression and secretion of pro-uPA was also downregulated in AS-cav-1 HCT 116 cells. Localization of cathepsin B and pro-uPA to caveolae was reduced in AS-cav-1 HCT 116 cells, and these cells expressed less total and caveolae-associated p11 and uPAR compared with control cells. Previous studies have shown that uPAR forms a complex with caveolin-1 and beta1-integrin, and we here show that downregulation of caveolin-1 also suppressed the localization of beta1-integrin to caveolae of these cells. Finally, downregulation of caveolin-1 in HCT 116 cells inhibited degradation of the extracellular matrix protein collagen IV and the invasion of these cells through Matrigel. Based on these results, we hypothesize that caveolin-1 affects the expression and localization of cathepsin B and pro-uPA, and their receptors, thereby mediating cell-surface proteolytic events associated with invasion of colon cancer cells.
Hypothalamic Amylin Acts in Concert with Leptin to Regulate Food Intake.

In this report we evaluated the functions of hypothalamic amylin in vivo and in vitro. Profiling of hypothalamic neurons revealed that islet amyloid polypeptide (Iapp, precursor to amylin) is expressed in neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, arcuate nucleus, medial preoptic area, and elsewhere. Hypothalamic expression of lapp is markedly decreased in ob/ob mice and normalized by exogenous leptin. In slices, amylin and leptin had similar electrophysiologic effects on lateral hypothalamic leptin receptor ObRb-expressing neurons, while the amylin antagonist AC187 inhibited their activity and blunted the effect of leptin. Finally, i.c.v. infusion of AC187 acutely reduced the anorectic effects of leptin. These data show that hypothalamic amylin is transcriptionally regulated by leptin, that it can act directly on ObRb neurons in concert with leptin, and that it regulates feeding. These findings provide a potential mechanism for the increased efficacy of a metreleptin/pramlintide combination therapy for obesity.
Effects of Response Contingent and Noncontingent Cocaine Injection on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Activity in Rhesus Monkeys

Earlier studies of cocaine's effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis used nonresponse-contingent designs in which the investigator determined dose, timing, and route of administration. It is important to evaluate whether "control" over cocaine delivery is a significant determinant of cocaine's HPA axis effect. This study measured cocaine's effects on plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol, using nonresponse-contingent injections followed later by response-contingent cocaine delivery. In addition, the effects of cocaine history on the HPA response to a noncontingent injection of 1 mg/kg of cocaine were measured. HPA effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRF) were also measured. Male and female rhesus monkeys, with surgically placed venous catheters, were tested in their home cages. Up to 13 injections of saline and cocaine (0.01-, 0.03-, 0.1-, and 0.3-mg/kg/injection) were administered at 10-min intervals (nonresponse-contingent condition) and on a fixed ratio 30, time out 10-min schedule of reinforcement. Overall, cocaine delivered response contingently produced larger, more dose-dependent HPA responses than did noncontingent delivery. The HPA response to a 1 mg/kg cocaine infusion in cocaine-naive monkeys was not predictive of the HPA effect of this dose subsequent to acquisition of cocaine self-administration. Overall, male monkeys had larger HPA responses to cocaine than did female monkeys. Finally, the HPA effects of CRF were significantly correlated with those of large cocaine doses delivered nonresponse contingently, but not with response-contingent administration.
Simulating Aircraft Wake Vortices with OVERFLOW

Low dissipation methods were used to simulate wake vortex generation using the OVERFLOW computational fluid dynamics solver. The study involved varying parameters such as grid spacing, time step, high order spatial and temporal methods, turbulence modeling, and automatic grid adaption. A two-dimensional inviscid vortex was analyzed to assess numerical dissipation, then the practices learned were applied to a finite wing and a full aircraft. Comparisons were made to idealized vortex models, the finite wing compared closest to the Hallock-Burnham model and the full aircraft to the the Proctor model.
TIMING OF RADIOACTIVE IODINE THERAPY DOES NOT IMPACT OVERALL SURVIVAL IN HIGH-RISK PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA.

Objective: Postthyroidectomy radioiodine (RAI) therapy is indicated for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with high-risk features. There is variability in the timing of RAI therapy with no consensus. We analyzed the impact of the timing of initial RAI therapy on overall survival (OS) in PTC. Methods: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried from 2003 to 2006 for patients with PTC undergoing near/subtotal or total thyroidectomy and RAI therapy. High-risk patients had tumors >4 cm in size, lymph node involvement, or grossly positive margins. Early RAI was ≤3 months, whereas delayed was between 3 and 12 months after thyroidectomy. Kaplan-Meier (KM) and Cox survival analyses were performed after adjusting for patient and tumor-related variables. A propensity-matched set of high-risk patients after eliminating bias in RAI timing was also analyzed. Results: There were 9,706 patients in the high-risk group. The median survival was 74.7 months. KM analysis showed a survival benefit for early RAI in high-r...
The unified nondiffusive-diffusive model for phonon transport applied to the transient gratings experiment

Current rigorous heat transfer models that treat the breakdown of Fourier law due to phonon nondiffusive transport are prohibitively expensive in terms of computation when applied to electronic devices. Therefore we present a recently proposed alternative, unified computationally cost-effective high-fidelity phonon transport model, the unified nondiffusive-diffusive (UND) model, which takes into account the mixed ballistic-diffusive nature of heat transport, as well as reduces to the Fourier law as a limiting case. In the UND model, the nondiffusive phonons are treated using the Boltzmann transport equation, while the diffusive phonon gas is treated by the Fourier law. We compare the results of our simulations with the data from the transient gratings experiment (TGE) of Johnson et al., and therefrom extract the mean-free path of the dominant nondiffusive phonon mode in silicon.
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF SEA WALLS IN MISSISSIPPI SOUND

The purpose of this paper is to describe briefly the various types of sea walls that have been constructed on Mississippi Sound, the performance of each type, and the conclusions with regard to sea wall design that can be drawn from this information.
Analysis of the Risk Factors of Repeated Hospitalization of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of repeated hospitalization of patients(number of hospitalizations≥2) with diabetic retinopathy. Methods: The experimental group were diagnosed as type 2 diabetes mellitus(DM) patients, which hospitalized several times(number of hospitalizations≥2) due to diabetic retinopathy(DR)-relatde complicatons. The control group were non-diabetic retinopathy patients with ophthalmic diseases, which hospitalized several times(number of hospitalizations≥2). The clinical parameters and biochemical indicators were compared between two groups, including age of onset,fasting blood glucose(GLU), glycated serum protrin(GSP), Alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), creatinine(Cr), urea, total bile acid(TBA), uric acid(UA), triglycetide(TG), cholesterol(Ch), body mass index(BMI). Results: Univariate analysis, showed that GLU, GSP, UA, TG and Ch were significantly associated with DR patients(number of hospitalizations≥2)(P≤0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that GLU(P=0.038; 95% CI: 1.101~26.325), GSP(P=0.003; 95% CI: 1.017~1.082), UA(P=0.167; 95% CIL 0.994~1.032), TG(P=0.023; 95% CI: 1.774~2228.179) and Ch(P=0.029; 95%CI: 1.317~166.317) were independent risk factors of DR patients(number of hospitalizations ≥ 2). Conclusion: GLU, GSP UA,TG and Ch level were independent risk factors for DR patients(number of hospitalizations ≥2).
Effects of asymmetric vergence on compensatory eye movements during active head rotation.

o Abstract The kinematics of the horizontal VOR for near fixation demand that VOR gain should change dependent on the target distance and the orientation of the head with respect to the target, or, equivalently, the amount of ocular vergence and the asymmetry of this vergence. Across two experiments, the gain of the VOR was measured in the right eye of humans who rotated their heads to the right or left while viewing a target placed either 22, 32.5 or 200 cm from the center of head rotation, in conditions with and without visual feedback. When tbe eye was in=line with the target, the measured VOR gain was up to 43070 greater than when the eye was in an eccentric position. However, in the eccentric position, higher VOR gains were achieved with visual feedback of the target than without feedback, indicative of a visua) component in the compensatory eye movement. Also, by changing the posture of the left eye but keeping the right eye constant, the VOR gain in the right eye was changed substantially during a subsequent head rotation. Hence, the positions of both eyes in their orbits determine the gain of the VOR in each eye. o
Beyond task performance: the concept of organizational citizenship performance

In this paper, we describe the construct of citizenship performance and briefly review some of the industrial and organizational psychology research on organizational citizenship. We discuss the history, the dimensionality, the antecedents, consequences and implications for practice, and also provide a critical analysis. The conclusions of this review are that citizenship performance is important for contemporary organizations and contemporary trends suggest it will continue to be important in the future. We encourage further research in the area of citizenship performance in other cultures beyond the US.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Its Importance in Special Care Dentistry

This article focuses on understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act and developmental disabilities for health care providers in special care dentistry. Essential to this awareness is a comprehension of statutory and regulatory requirements and how state disability acts can be more rigorous in application. Developmental disabilities are re-examined in the context of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition). Understanding of intellectual disability, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy is necessary because the management of oral health considerations for special care patients has become ever more complex and indispensable.
High-Risk Cardiac Patient: Focus on Vascular Surgery

Summary The ideal screening test for the detection of patients at increased risk for cardiac morbidity during vascular operations has not yet been developed. Nevertheless, a broad spectrum of preoperative tests are available and include resting, ambulatory, and exercise ECG monitoring, radionuclide angiography, dipyridamole thallium-201 myocardial imaging, and coronary angiography. Any of these tests may be indicated in the asymptomatic patient, depending on the analysis of individual cardiac-risk factors. At present, we perform resting ECG and dipyridamole thallium-201 imaging in most of our patients who undergo vascular operation. Coronary angiography is performed in selected patients in whom evidence of significant myocardial ischemia is found on these or other comparable tests. Preoperative pharmacologic therapy is directed toward the treatment of potential causes of myocardial ischemia, such as tachycardia and hypertension. In addition, pharmacologic interventions to reverse intraoperative and postoperative myocardial ischemia are equally important. In this regard, constant surveillance for myocardial ischemia in patients undergoing vascular operation is recommended because the presence of some CAD in these patients is the rule rather than the exception.
Emotion and Cognition in Attachment

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the relationship between emotions and cognitions as they coexist in attachment. Because they are the underlying components of attachment, understanding their relationship offers insight into the dynamics of the attachment process itself. Investigations of attachment phenomena and formulations of attachment theory have increased in recent years in an effort to better understand personality and social development, interpersonal relationships, and psychopathology in both children and adults. Also, attachments exist in adulthood and old age either as the emergence in adulthood of new attachments between adults, such as attachment to a spouse or intimate friend or as a continuation of early attachments. Attachment itself may be defined in various ways that overlap but emphasize different aspects of the concept. In all cases, however, both emotions and cognitions underlie the content, organization, and processes of attachment. The cognitive content includes memories, knowledge, beliefs, expectancies, and interpretations, whereas the emotion content includes simple, complex, and diffuse emotions, along with feelings.
Small signal non-quasi-static model for AlGaN/GaN MODFETs

A simple non-quasi-static model for AlGaN/GaN MODFETs has been developed. First a DC model has been obtained, where the effects of spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization, as well as the strain due to Aluminum mole fractions are incorporated. Using this DC model, a small signal non-quasi-static model is developed. The results show that the proposed model can predict the DC and the small signal characteristics of the device with high degrees of accuracy.
Psychoanalysis, Personal Identity, and Scientific Method

Professor Eagle has written a wide-ranging and provocative paper in which he attempts to come to grips with a number of philosophically basic criticisms of any personality theory that contemplates fundamental personal disorganization or unconscious or subconscious actions. Without allying himself with any particular school of thought in psychiatry or psychology, Eagle tries to show how these criticisms fail to deal with the problems of both normal and abnormal behavior by exhibiting a representative range of such problems for our examination and judgement. I think Eagle is fundamentally right, and I will offer arguments to support this position on methodological grounds, while, at the same time urging that existing personality theories are both too simple and not well-enough integrated with theories in related areas. The first will occupy the greater part of my remarks.
Serelaxin in the Treatment of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department

The aim of this paper is to review the historical perspective for the need for new agents in the treatment of acute heart failure that may impact morbidity and mortality. Also, the purpose is to introduce serelaxin and discuss how it may play a role in the treatment for acute heart failure, in particular in the emergency department. Prospective, randomized trials in acute heart failure are limited. No single intervention or treatment in acute heart failure has improved mortality. However, registry data show that rapid treatment for acute heart failure produces better outcomes. Serelaxin is a pharmaceutical analog of relaxin which is a naturally occurring peptide hormone released in pregnancy that helps regulate hemodynamic function and renovascular blood flow through a number of effects including stimulation of nitric oxide production, vascular endothelial growth factor, and matrix metalloproteinases, and inhibition of endogenous vasoconstrictors. Serelaxin improved mortality at 180 days in RELAX-AHF when patients received 48 h of intravenous serelaxin within hours after presentation to the emergency department. Serelaxin is a new agent with a different mechanism of action than previous agents studied in the treatment of acute heart failure. It produces vasodilation and improved renovascular blood flow and may prevent end organ damage to improve outcomes in patients with acute heart failure. Rapid treatment in the emergency department with intravenous diuretics and serelaxin in appropriate patients with normal to high blood pressure may have a beneficial effect on patients with acute heart failure.
Unified Divide-and-Conquer Algorithm

In this chapter, we describe a superfast divide-and-conquer algorithm for recursive triangular factorization of structured matrices. The algorithm applies over any field of constants. As a by-product, we obtain the rank of an input matrix and a basis for its null space. For a non-singular matrix, we also compute its inverse and determinant. The null space basis and the inverse are represented in compressed form, with their short displacement generators. The presentation is unified over various classes of structured matrices. Treatment of singularities is specified separately for numerical and symbolic implementations of the algorithm. The algorithm enables computations for several fundamental and celebrated problems of computer algebra and numerical rational computations.
Motivation of Engineering Students Participating in Multinational Design Projects – Comparison Based on Gender and Class Status

There have been different active-learning initiatives introduced in academia to provide engineering students with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to be competitive in the global market. These initiatives have been in response to the need in the corporate world for engineers with exposure to global collaborative environments. Consequently, multinational collaborative design projects have been used by the authors as means of introducing professional global skills to engineering students while exposing them to a project-based learning experience. This educational activity is expected to motivate students so that they can start developing the professional skills that will help them to overcome difficulties and to carry out the project successfully. However, this activity faces many challenges including, among others, cultural and academic background differences, language and time zone barriers, and issues with communication tools. Therefore, this work compares the motivation of students before and after their participation in a multinational design project, using gender and class standing as differentiating parameters. To accomplish this objective, the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was adapted to the implemented multinational collaborative experience and administered to the participating students. For this study, three motivation constructs are taken into consideration: (a) interest/enjoyment, (b) perception of choice, and (c) perceived competence. Results are discussed based on the research questions posed for this comparative work, and result reflections are presented.
Software Innovations to Support the Use of Social Media by Emergency Managers

Although social media (SM) can be very useful for emergency managers (EMs), especially for providing situational awareness in the early stages of a disaster, many do not use it. This study is based...
Cerebellar Mutants in the Laboratory Mouse

Mutant mice with discrete cerebellar lesions1–3 provide invaluable experimental models of hereditary cerebellar disorders by helping us better understand developmental mechanisms of cortical histogenesis, the formation of synaptic connections and neurodegenerative processes.4–9
Collision Theory: Summary of the Panel Discussion

A positive conclusion from the discussion at the workshop was that the ion dipole capture rates from the parameterized classical trajectory calculations are generally the best choice for comparison to experimental rate constants. Quantum effects may be important at temperatures below ca. 100K, however. Questions were raised about the role in determining collision rates of terms in ion-molecule potentials other than the ion dipole and ion induced dipole terms. The applicability of the various capture theories at translational energies above ca. 0.1 eV was questioned. A number of these conclusions and questions are concisely summarized in Henchman’s contribution below. Viggiano, Paulson and Dale report below intriguing evidence of low temperature rate constants larger than expected from classical collision theory.
Integration, Contagion, and Income Distribution

The 2008/2009 global financial crisis and the unprecedented policy response in advanced economies have a worldwide impact. The episode also led many to question the standard framework of economic thinking on regional integration, financial liberalization and their repercussions on income disparity. The paper argues that one needs to take a balanced view on integration—not just the benefits but also the risks. If regional integration leads to greater inequality, the expected growth and prospect of improved welfare can be diminished. Utilizing a general equilibrium framework, it is also shown how financial liberalization and the surge of capital inflows can produce not only financial instability but also worsening income disparity. By combining model-based results and theory-based ranking applied to the Asian case, and considering the benefits, opportunities, costs and risks of alternative policies, it is revealed that imposing levy on bank-led flows can be used to reduce instability and inequality. This type of macro-prudential policy reflects a departure from the ‘First Best’ to the ‘Second Best’ approach of liberalization, where the frictionless outcome of the former is seriously questioned.
BICYCLE HELMET USE PATTERNS IN THE UNITED STATES. A DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL SURVEY DATA

While there have been considerable efforts to promote bicycle helmet use in the United States in recent years, little information has been available on actual helmet usage patterns. Based on the results of a recent national survey, this article provides information on current helmet usage patterns, the types of helmets in use, and the reasons why bicycle riders use or do not use helmets. It also presents a statistical analysis of the factors associated with helmet use. These factors are determined and quantified with a probit regression model, a type of qualitative response model that can be used to estimate the expected probabilities of helmet use for individual bicyclists and for various population subgroups. The regression analysis shows that helmet use is systematically related to riding patterns, rider characteristics, and household demographics.
Non-random chromosome distribution in radial metaphases from the chinese hamster. I. Uncultured cells.

Chromosome distribution was analyzed in uncultured radial metaphase cells (corneal epithelium, testicular mitotic cells, cells in diakinesis, and cells in metaphase II) from the Chinese hamster. The hypothesis of random distribution was rejected at the 0.001 level (x 3 2 = 31.6). — Homologous association was observed for two pairs of chromosomes (3 and 10) in corneal epithelial cells. It was observed for all chromosomes in the testicular mitotic cells. Acrocentric association was observed in all four cell types. The chromosomes associated in four groups of similarly sized and shaped chromosomes. While group membership did not appear to vary, position within the group was highly variable. — An elevenpoint model of chromosome relationships was constructed from the data.
Physics approaches to natural locomotion: Every robot is an experiment

Abstract As robots begin to move from the controlled conditions in factories to messy real-world terrestrial environments, they confront mechanical interactions with nature that are challenging to model (e.g., materials like grass, rubble, and leaf litter) and/or are unplanned for (e.g., collisions with boulders and other robots). We posit that limited insight into novel dynamics associated with such interactions plays a role in the present lack of robust artificial locomotion at the level of living systems. Inspired by Eric Krotkov's 1990 paper that proposed for legged robots that “every step is an experiment” we believe that important insights will result from beginning to treat robots and their behaviors as physics experiments. Such an approach should take its place alongside the disciplines of computer science and control theory, the traditional homes for robotics research. We will demonstrate the efficacy of the experimental robotics mindset through examples from our work using robots as tools to discover novel interaction mechanics; these include legged locomotion on granular media, undulatory propulsion and scattering in heterogeneous terrain, and rudimentary robots made from active matter (other robots). Perhaps a new discipline (which we propose to call “robophysics”) that integrates control theory, dynamical systems, and environmental interaction mechanics can lead to a physics of robotics, similar to how thermodynamics emerged as a physics of engines.
A vinylogous urethane approach towards the synthesis of okadaic acid. construction of the C9-C18 Fragment. Part II

Abstract A vinylogous urethane approach is utilized to synthesize the Cl-C8 fragment of okadaic acid. The key steps include an asymmetric alkylation, a hydroxyl directed iodocarbonate cyclization and a stereoselective cyanohydrin formation.
Inequities and Ethical Dilemmas beyond the Classroom: Joseph's Story.

This essay considers school and external factors that influenced a teacher’s decision to pass a high school student, thus allowing him to graduate high school. I explore my role in understanding an...
Cell-free mitochondrial DNA increases in maternal circulation during healthy pregnancy: A prospective, longitudinal study

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) exposed to the extracellular space due to cell death has immunostimulatory properties. Case-control studies reported a positive association between odds of developing pree...
Importance of Lifetime Sexual History on the Prevalence of Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Among Unvaccinated Adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys: Implications for Adult HPV Vaccination.

BACKGROUND Although the United States Food and Drug Administration recently approved the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for individuals aged 27-45 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not change its guidelines for routine HPV vaccination. Since recommendations for adult vaccination emphasize shared clinical decision-making based on risk of new infections, we examined the relationship between HPV prevalence and sexual behavior. METHODS This study was conducted among 5093 HPV-unvaccinated, sexually experienced adults aged 18-59 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2013-2016). For each sex and age group, adjusted prevalences of 9-valent vaccine-specific, high-risk, and any HPV infection were estimated by number of lifetime sexual partners (LTSPs) using logistic regression. An analysis restricted to persons who did not have a new sexual partner in the past year (ie, removing those at highest risk of newly acquired HPV) was also conducted. RESULTS In each age group, genital HPV prevalence was higher among persons with >5 LTSPs compared with 1-5 LTSPs in both males and females. There were only slight reductions in HPV prevalence after removing participants who reported a new sexual partner in the past year. For example, among females aged 27-45 years with >5 LTSPs, the adjusted prevalence of 9-valent vaccine-type HPV infection was 13.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.9%-17.0%) in the full population compared to 12.1% (95% CI, 8.8%-15.4%) among those with no new sexual partners. CONCLUSIONS Prevalent HPV infection was primarily reflective of cumulative exposures over time (higher LTSPs). New exposures had limited impact, emphasizing the need to consider sexual history in the decision-making process for adult HPV vaccination.
The Spatial Distribution of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Africa

Human migration involving the movement of persons or groups of people from one geographic location to another has always been a feature in human civilization. By and large, such migrations are often voluntary, involving people making a conscious decision to move from one place to another for economic and other reasons. The past couple of decades has witnessed the massive involuntary movement and dislocation of people within and between national borders. This has given rise to a new classification of groups or persons within the migration lexicon called internally displaced persons (IDPs). IDPs are persons or groups of persons who have been forced to move away from their permanent place of abode to temporary settlements within their national boundaries. This movement is often caused by a variety of factors including political instability, environmental disasters, ethnic and inter-tribal wars, and economic factors that affect them directly or to escape their effects without crossing recognized international borders.
Suicide Across Buddhism, American Indian-Alaskan Native, and African Traditional Religions, Atheism and Agnosticism: An Updated Systematic Review.

Religion can exert a powerful influence on human behavior, including suicide. Research has demonstrated that religiosity can potentially serve as a protective factor against suicidal behavior, but may also, at times, serve as a risk factor. In clinical practice with individuals managing suicidality, a clear understanding of the influence of religion on suicidality is required to effectively assess for risk of suicide. In the 10 years since the article, ‘Religion and suicide: Buddhism, American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) and African religions, Atheism, and Agnosticism’ (Lizardi and Gearing, J Relig Health 49:377–384, 2010), there has been a significant increase in research advancing our understanding of the nature of this relationship across faiths and beliefs. Consequently, this article provides an expanded and updated review of the research in the 10 years since our original publication examining the relationship between suicide and religion across Buddhism, AIAN, African religions, as well as atheism, agnosticism. The databases PsycINFO, MEDLINE, SocINDEX, and CINAHL databases were searched for published articles on religion and suicide over the last decade, between 2009 and 2019. Epidemiological data on suicidality across these world religions, and attitudes and beliefs toward suicide are presented. Updated recommended practice guidelines for effectively incorporating religiosity into suicide risk assessment and treatment are provided, and areas of future research are identified.
Guayule is an industrial crop that can be grown for its natural rubber production and phytoremediation capability in the Western San Joaquin Valley, California

Abstract This study evaluated the growth characteristics of six guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) accessions irrigated with waters high in boron, selenium, and calcium, and sodium salts under greenhouse conditions. The synthetic irrigation waters used in this investigation mimic the water quality used frequently for irrigation in the westside of the San Joaquin Valley, California, U.S.A. Guayule is a natural rubber-producing industrial crop that is tolerant of marginal soils and drought, and it may be grown as an alternative crop with poor quality waters for this region. Among the six accessions investigated for 55 days, three of them showed increased natural rubber concentration when grown under saline irrigation conditions compared to a non-saline irrigation (control). Elemental analysis in the leaves revealed that guayule can also absorb and accumulate potentially toxic elements. Results from this study suggest that specific accessions of guayule can be grown under saline irrigation conditions. Guayule exhibited potential bioremediation benefits under agronomic conditions found in the westside of the San Joaquin Valley, CA.
Gain/bandwidth programmable PA control loop for GMS/GPRS quad-band applications

The analog power amplifier (PA) control loop of a fully-integrated GSM/GPRS quad band transceiver by Duvivier et al. (2003) is presented. The control loop is based on a fully-integrated PA controller which meets all GSM/GPRS specifications. Both the gain and the bandwidth of the PA control loop are programmable as well as the stand-by voltage delivered to the PA. These features, together with a high driving capability (8.4 mA @ 2.5 V), make this solution capable to interface vast combinations of PAs, couplers and detectors. The proposed PA controller has been integrated in a BiCMOS SiGe 0.35 /spl mu/m process and measures 0.33 mm/sub 2/. The current consumption is 2.8 mA without load and 7.2 mA in the application (using Hitachi PF08109B PA) from a single 2.8 V power supply.
In Defense of Mandatory Arbitration (If Imposed on the Company)

Having spent much of her academic life battling companies' mandatory imposition of binding arbitration on consumers and employees, the author now switches gears. This Article contemplates whether mandatory binding arbitration is acceptable if imposed by the government on companies (governmental mandatory arbitration) rather than by companies on their employees and consumers (private mandatory arbitration). Specifically, the Article considers the possibility of statutes that would provide little guys (consumers and employees) with an opportunity to take their disputes to binding arbitration rather than litigation. If the little guys chose arbitration over litigation, post-dispute, companies would have to agree to such arbitration, and the results of the arbitration would then be binding on both little guy and company. If on the other hand the little guys preferred to litigate their disputes, they would reserve that right. After first examining the policy implications of this approach, and finding some reasons to favor the proposal, the Article next considers the constitutional arguments that would likely be raised in opposition to such statutes. Specifically, it considers the legitimacy of governmentally imposed mandatory arbitration in light of Article III, the Seventh Amendment, and the Due Process Clause. The Article finds that it may be possible to governmentally impose mandatory arbitration in some situations without violating the Constitution. Nonetheless, the Article concludes that trying to introduce such legislation is probably unwise, as a matter of realpolitik. At a minimum, however, the Article should discourage companies and their lobbyists from insisting, as they often do, that privately imposed binding arbitration is the best way to ensure little guys get access to arbitration. Instead, if such companies and lobbyists truly believe arbitration is better for little guys than litigation they should favor the governmental imposition of arbitration on companies, as discussed in this Article.
Humans and Monkeys Exert Metacognitive Control Based on Learning Difficulty in a Perceptual Categorization Task.

Recently, Redford (2010) found that monkeys seemed to exert meta-cognitive control in a category-learning paradigm. Specifically, they selected more trials to view as the difficulty of the category-learning task increased. However, category-learning difficulty was determined by manipulating the family resemblance across the to-be-learned exemplars. Although this effectively influenced the learning difficulty, difficulty was confounded with novelty. For instance, a weak family resemblance made category learning difficult, but also increased the amount of perceptual change from trial to trial. The current research rules out novelty in favor of difficulty by manipulating the number of dots involved in the dot distortions while controlling the amount of perceptual change.
Invertebrates as Powerful Genetic Models for Human Neurodegenerative Diseases

Our attempt to elucidate the basic mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and to identify pharmaceuticals that can affect these diseases has largely been inhibited by the complexities of the vertebrate brain and the difficulties of modeling the diseases in cell cultures. Most studies involving rodent or cell culture models require some prior knowledge of the molecular pathways that could be involved in the disease. Now, through the completion of genome-sequencing projects and the development of genetic technologies, we can begin to identify novel molecular components involved in human diseases using genetically tractable organisms. In this chapter we will briefly summarize recent advances using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster to model a number of neurodegenerative diseases and describe the potential these organisms have to identify novel proteins and environmental compounds that could confer cell death as well as pharmaceutical targets that can protect against these disorders. Keywords: nematode; fly; genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans; Drosophila; Parkinson's disease; Huntington's disease; Alzheimer's disease; transition metals; 6-OHDA; high-throughput screens
Transmission Electron Microscopy: Preparation of Specimens

Manipulation of objects so as to reveal resolvable detail remains a challenge. There are in general four requirements of any technique: (1) avoidance of collapse of structures in dehydrated specimens; (2) production of a sample sufficiently thin to avoid multiple scattering; (3) minimization of damage by the electron beam; (4) maximization of contrast. The relative importance of each constraint varies with the type of specimen and with the level of resolution sought. Keywords: electron microscopy; specimen preparation; transmission electron microscopy
Granular Cell Variant of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP)

To date, there are three reported cases of granular cell variant of DFSP. We describe the fourth case in a 21-year-old female who presented with an eight months history of a growing, irregular, firm, 2.5 × 2.0 × 1.5 cm nodule on the right cheek. Biopsy revealed a spindle cell neoplasm involving the deep dermis and subcutis exhibiting the characteristic storiform arrangement. The spindle cells had thin, elongated, hyperchromatic nuclei and a moderate amount of cytoplasm. The superficial dermis revealed larger polygonal cells with central oval nuclei and abundant cytoplasm intermingled with the spindle cells. The distinct feature in both cell types was the presence of a characteristic pink granular cytoplasm. The cells exhibited minimal cytological atypia with rare mitotic figures. Immunohistochemically, both cell types demonstrated a positive immunoreaction for vimentin and CD68, the spindle cells stained positively with muscle actins, and dermal dendrocytes stained with Factor XIIIa. The tumor was negative for cytokeratins, S-100, HMB-45, desmin, NSE, and CD34. PAS failed to stain the cytoplasmic granules. Ultrastructurally, abundant cytoplasmic organelles composed of pleomorphic secondary lysosomal structures and lipid droplets were noted. The histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features of this tumor are compatible with previously reported cases of granular variant of DFSP.
A new set of PCR assays for the identification of multiple human adenovirus species in environmental samples.

Aims: To assess human adenovirus (HAdV) diversity in environmental samples based on sequence comparisons of hexon gene fragments amplified using newly designed HAdV-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Methods and Results: Six PCR primer sets were designed based on 56 aligned hexon sequences from NCBI GenBank to amplify different hexon gene sections (241–349 bp) of the six HAdV species. The amplified hexon genes from wastewater samples were cloned, sequenced, and compared with those in publicly accessible databases (i.e. NCBI GenBank) by using the Blast program. A total of 46 analysed positive clones were affiliated to five HAdV serotypes, i.e. 1, 2, 12, 31 and 41. Similarities between the cloned and database hexon sequences ranged from 95·9 to 100% (with an average of 98·1 ± 1·0%). Conclusion: The designed primers showed higher amplification efficiencies when compared with the existing assays. Using the new assays, HAdV species A, C, and F (serotypes 1, 2, 12, 31 and 41 in particular) were identified in the studied municipal wastewater. Significance and Impact of the Study: The six PCR primer sets developed in this study can be used to efficiently amplify hexon gene fragments in HAdV. Multiple HAdV serotypes identified in the municipal wastewater provide new information about HAdV diversity in environmental samples.
Clustering, Complete Linkage

Complete linkage clustering is used in hierarchical cluster analysis to partition a set of n observations into g groups or clusters on the basis of p variables measured on the n observations. The analysis is performed on an n × n matrix of pairwise distance measures between observations. The procedure starts by combining the two observations with the smallest distance between them. The procedure continues to combine clusters with the smallest distances until only one cluster, including the entire sample, remains. The number of groups, g, is determined to represent the final number of clusters to retain. Keywords: hierarchical methods; similarity; dissimilarity; distance measures