cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Launching the Space Shuttle by Making Water: The Chemist’s View of Energy

Energy is a pervasive concept in science that is used extensively in chemistry, biology, and physics to explain many observed phenomena. The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, National Science Education Standards. National Committee for Science Education Standards and Assessment. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996.), Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS 1993), and more recently, the Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, A framework for K-12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. National Committee for Science Education Standards and Assessment. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2011) acknowledge the central role energy plays in science and describe what students should know about energy across the grade levels and across both the physical and life sciences. This paper describes results of interviews of high school students learning about energy as it relates to chemistry. The analysis of these interviews provides a foundation for reformulation of instruction of energy concepts in high school chemistry classes. Specific suggestions for reformulation are offered that address the misunderstandings articulated by students during the interviews. In addition, an overview of the unit on energy in the Living by Chemistry curriculum (Stacy AM, Coonrod J, Claesgens J. High school chemistry student textbook. In Malek L, Dowling J (eds) Living by chemistry, 1st edn. Bedford, Freeman & Worth, 2010a; Teachers guide, unit 5: Fire. In Malek L, Dowling J (eds) Living by chemistry, 1st edn. Bedford, Freeman & Worth, 2010b) is provided as an example of how the reformulation suggestions might be implemented.
Supporting collaboration in mobile environments

Continued rapid improvements in the hardware capabilities of mobile computing devices is driving a parallel need for a paradigm shift in software design for such devices with the aim of ushering in new classes of software applications for devices of the future. One such class of software application is collaborative applications that seek to reduce the burden and overhead of collaborations on human users by providing automated computational support for the more mundane and mechanical aspects of a cooperative effort. This dissertation addresses the research and software engineering questions associated with building a workflow-based collaboration system that can operate across mobile ad hoc networks, the most dynamic type of mobile networks that can function without dependence on any fixed external resources. While workflow management systems have been implemented for stable wired networks, the transition to a mobile network required the development of a knowledge management system for improving the predictability of the network topology, a mobility-aware specification language to specify workflows that execute across mobile networks in the physical world, a mobile workflow-management system to execute the workflows, and its accompanying algorithms that help automate key pieces of the software. In addition to details of the formulation, design, and implementation of the various algorithms and software components, this dissertation also describes the construction of a custom mobile workflow simulator that can be used to conduct simulation experiments that verify the effectiveness of the approaches presented in this document and beyond. Also presented are empirical results obtained using this simulator that show the effectiveness of the described approaches.
A Compositional Approach to Reactive Games under Temporal Logic Specifications

We study the problem of compositional synthesis of controllers for reactive games with linear temporal logic (LTL) specifications. A reactive game is an abstraction of the interaction between a controllable system and its uncontrolled and dynamic environment. A centralized control design for such systems under complex specifications can be computationally expensive. Instead, a compositional approach aims to synthesize a controller for a complex specification by composing the solutions for its component sub-specifications. This mitigates the issue of scalability and has the advantages of being modular and flexible. This paper solves the problem of reactive game synthesis using the compositional approach in two steps. First, we use the notion of randomized permissive strategy to reduce the strategy synthesis problem to that of identifying only the winning region for the controlled agent against the uncontrolled environment. Then, we exploit the inherent compositional nature of LTL formulas to compose the independently computed winning regions of two sub-games into a superset of the composed-game winning region. We make use of elementary set operations to construct this superset. Finally, we introduce an iterative algorithm to extract the exact winning region from the superset. We prove the correctness of our proposed method and illustrate the solution using a toy-problem and a robot motion planning example.
Public perspectives on placing age limits on men and women seeking fertility treatment

Objective To assess public attitudes toward placing age limits on men and women seeking fertility treatment. Design Cross-sectional web-based survey. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) A nationally representative sample of 1,427 adults in the United States. Intervention(s) Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s) Support for placing age limits on people seeking fertility treatment. Result(s) Sixty-seven percent of respondents supported placing age limits on women, whereas 57% supported placing age limits on men seeking fertility treatments. Sixty-four percent agreed with current American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines that ET should not be undertaken beyond age 55 years. Whereas 55% of respondents supported placing age limits on both men and women, 12% supported age limits on women but not men, and 3% supported age limits on men but not women. Men were more likely to answer discordantly when compared with female respondents. Individuals older than 50 years, who lived in the western United States, or with a personal knowledge of someone who used assisted reproductive technology were more likely to support age limits on both women and men seeking fertility treatments. Sexual minorities, people without biological children, and single, long-term partnered or divorced/widowed respondents were less likely to support age limits on men or women seeking fertility treatments. Conclusion(s) Fifty-five percent of respondents in a nationally representative sample support upper age limits on both men and women seeking fertility treatments. Support was associated with various demographic characteristics. Men were more likely than women to support age limits only on women.
Does integral affect influence intentions to use artificial intelligence for skin cancer screening? A test of the affect heuristic

Objective: This study investigated how affect influences people's processing of messages about risks and benefits of using autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) technology to screen for skin cancer. We examined integral affect (emotion derived during decision making) separately from incidental affect (extraneous mood states). Design: Using the affect heuristic framework, we randomly assigned 273 participants to conditions featuring risk (high, low, uncertain) or benefit (high, low, uncertain) messages about AI. Following 'affect-as-spotlight', we also explored whether people's integral affect towards skin cancer moderated the relationship between risk/benefit messages and AI screening intentions. Outcomes: Perceived risk, perceived benefit, positive and negative affect toward AI, intention to use AI screening. Results: After controlling for incidental affect and risk perceptions, we found that compared to low risk messages, uncertain risk messages increased participants' negative affect toward AI, decreased positive affect toward AI, increased AI risk evaluations and reduced AI benefit evaluations. Perceptual variables significantly mediated participants' intentions to use AI for risk messages but not benefit messages. No moderation effects were found. Conclusions: Results suggest extending the affect heuristic framework to include uncertain risk conditions. Integral AI affect influenced people's interpretation of messages, which then impacted likelihood to use AI technology for health.
The Long Winter

It’s cold and grey and the snow is hard and packed down into grey patches of dirty ice that crunch under winter boots that make your feet sweat. You trudge and slide, cold wind biting at your cheeks and seeping down your shirt. My kids hate wearing hats and mittens, and getting ready to go anywhere is a marathon of will and patience. The sky is grey almost everyday. Slate grey. Silver grey. Ash grey. Dusty grey. Asphalt grey. It doesn’t matter how many fancy names you give it, it’s dull looking and depressing.
Effects of Diet Versus Exercise on Morphometric Measurements, Blood Hormone Concentrations, and Oral Sugar Test Response in Obese Horses.

Abstract Weight loss plans in horses typically use dietary restriction, but exercise may have additional benefits. This study aimed to compare the effects of a diet or exercise protocol resulting in comparable caloric restriction in obese horses. Ten obese horses were paired according to sex, age, and breed or breed type. One horse from each pair was randomly assigned to either diet (DIET)—intake restricted to approximately 85% of digestible energy requirements or exercise (EX)—exercised to expend approximately 15% of digestible energy requirements, resulting in 85% of requirements available, for 4 weeks. Body weight (BW), heart girth (HG), girth-to-height ratio (G:H), neck circumference (NC), neck circumference-to-height ratio (NC:H), belly girth (BG), body condition score (BCS), cresty neck score (CNS), serum insulin, plasma leptin, and plasma ghrelin concentrations were measured weekly. An oral sugar test was conducted on days 0 and 28 to measure insulin to glucose ratio (Ins:glc) and 60-minute insulin sensitivity index (ISI60). Results were analyzed using repeated measures. A P ≤ .05 was considered significant, and .05
Construct validity of PROMIS® Cognitive Function in cancer patients and noncancer controls.

OBJECTIVE The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Cognitive Function-Concerns® (PROMIS®-CF-Concerns) assesses self-reported cognitive complaints. Construct validity data for the CF-Concerns are few. To add to the literature, an analysis of criterion validity for cognitive complaints (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Cognitive Functioning subscale [EORTC-CF]) and cognitive performance (neuropsychological tests of memory [NIH Toolbox Auditory Verbal Learning Test] and verbal fluency [Controlled Oral Word Association Test]) and discriminant validity (self-reports of negative emotions of anxiety, depression, negative mood) are provided. A two-group comparison design was used. METHOD Forty-four patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 44 age- and gender-matched noncancer controls completed self-report measures and neuropsychological tests. Spearman's rank correlations (rs) and independent-samples t tests were used. RESULTS Regarding criterion validity, PROMIS®-CF-Concerns significantly correlated with the EORTC-CF (rs = 0.77, p < .001), although not with tests of memory (-0.19) or verbal fluency (0.16). As expected, patients with CLL performed lower than did controls on neuropsychological tests (ps < .05) yet did not differ from controls on PROMIS®-CF-Concerns. PROMIS®-CF-Concerns was reliably and significantly correlated with negative emotions, with rs ranges across measures of -0.42 to -0.69 for the CLL group and -0.53 to -0.78 for controls. CONCLUSIONS PROMIS®-CF-Concerns exhibited high internal consistency. Criterion validity was evidenced for cognitive complaints though not for cognitive performance as assessed here. In summary, the analysis supports the criterion validity of PROMIS®-CF-Concerns for cognitive complaints. It also covaries with self-reports of co-occurring anxiety, depression, and negative mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Post-transcriptional Modification of RNAs by Artificial Box H/ACA and Box C/D RNPs

RNA-guided RNA 2′-O-methylation and pseudouridylation are naturally occurring processes, in which guide RNAs specifically direct modifications to rRNAs or spliceosomal snRNAs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Modifications can profoundly alter the properties of an RNA, thus influencing the contributions of the RNA to the cellular process in which it participates. Recently, it has been shown that, by expressing artificial guide RNAs (derived from naturally occurring guide RNAs), modifications can also be specifically introduced into other RNAs, thus offering an opportunity to study RNAs in vivo. Here, we present strategies for constructing guide RNAs and manipulating RNA modifications in the nucleus.
Effects of Fluorescent Lighting Versus Sunlight Exposure on Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Feather Destructive Behavior in Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots (Amazona ventralis)

Low exposure to ultraviolet light, and resulting vitamin D deficiency, has recently been linked to autism spectrum disorder in people. Captive psittacine birds that exhibit feather destructive behavior share similarities with people affected by autism spectrum disorder, such as repetitive (stereotypies) and self-harming behaviors. The metabolic and psychological effects of housing pet parrots indoors without ultraviolet B lighting are not typically considered in animal husbandry or veterinary care. Calcifediol (serum vitamin D), ionized calcium, and ionized magnesium levels were compared between 10 Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis) housed indoors and 10 Hispaniolan Amazon parrots historically housed outdoors. Although ionized calcium and magnesium levels were not significantly different, calcifediol levels were significantly greater in the colony of birds housed outdoors. Further, these 2 research colonies of individually housed birds were feather scored. Subjectively, the birds that were housed indoors had greater self-inflicted feather damage than did those housed outdoors; however, the difference was not statistically significant.
Outcomes of Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty vs. Conventional Balloon Angioplasty for Endovascular Treatment of Common Femoral Artery Atherosclerotic Disease.

Abstract Background Atherosclerotic disease of the common femoral artery (CFA), commonly associated with multilevel disease affecting the femoropopliteal segment, can cause claudication or contribute to critical limb ischemia. Although endovascular therapy for the management of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has been increasingly utilized, its role in CFA lesions remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of drug (DCB) vs non drug coated balloon angioplasty (BA) at the CFA segment. Methods In this two-center study, we identified 154 patients treated either with DCB (n = 47) or BA (n = 107) for CFA lesions. Hazard ratios (HR) and the respective 95% confidence interval (CI) were synthesized to examine the association between the two groups in terms of target lesion revascularization (TLR), limb loss, and major adverse limb event (MALE) at 12 and 24 months of follow up. Results This real-world population included a high percentage of patients with critical limb ischemia (43%) and moderate to severe lesion calcification (75%). Adjunctive atherectomy was performed in 97.9% of DCB cases (N = 46/47) and 44.7% of BA cases (N = 51/114). The overall procedural success rate was 95% without any differences between the two groups. Post-angioplasty dissections were observed in 15 cases [DCB: 8.5% (N = 4/47) vs BA: 9.7% (N = 11/113); p = .81], while distal embolization occurred in one patient in the DCB group and one in the BA group (p = .52). Provisional stenting was more commonly necessary in BA vs. DCB cases (12.3% vs 2.13%, p = .044). Physiologic assessment during follow up demonstrated a better mean 2-year ABI for the DCB group (mean: 0.9; SD: 0.2) vs BA group (mean: 0.6; SD: 0.4), although statistical significance was not reached (p = .06). No difference between the two groups was detected in terms of freedom from TLR (DCB: 75.5% vs BA: 86.8%; HR: 1.31; 95% CI: 0.46–3.67; p = .61), freedom from limb loss (DCB: 83.8% vs BA: 83.6%; HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.36–2.99; p = .94) or freedom from MALE (DCB: 83.5% vs BA: 78%; HR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.26–1.99; p = .53) at 24 m of follow up. However, at the end of follow up more deaths were observed in patients treated with BA than DCB (DCB: 14.9% vs BA: 31.7%; p = .03). Patients who required provisional stenting were at higher risk for limb loss 2 years after the initial procedure (multivariate: HR: 4.54; 95% CI: 1.09–18.85; p = .04). Conclusions Both DCB and non-DCB strategies are effective modalities for revascularization of patients with CFA lesions. Larger prospective studies are necessary to determine the relative benefit, if any, of drug-eluting technologies for the treatment of common femoral artery disease.
Investigation of the Effects of Select Metal Nanoparticles on Heavy Oil Combustion in Porous Media

Nanometals are useful for improving the effectiveness of in situ combustion-enhanced oil recovery. The effects of five different transition-metal nanoparticles on Colombian, Venezuelan, and Mexican...
Motion Referred to a Moving Reference Frame and Relative Motion

Thus far in our studies, the motion of a material point has been referred mainly to an assigned reference frame that often we thought of as being “fixed in space.” We have seen, however, that it is sometimes more convenient to refer the motion to a reference frame which itself is in arbitrary motion relative to some (possibly moving) assigned frame. To trace the motion of a long-range ballistic missile or space rocket, for example, it is essential that the motion of the earth be taken into account. In such cases it becomes necessary to refer the body’s motion to a moving reference system imbedded in the earth; and, in this instance, a reference frame fixed in the distant “fixed stars” may be chosen as a suitable assigned reference frame with respect to which the earth’s motion is known.
How Depressive Symptoms among African American Women Relate to Measures of Social Disorder in Her Childhood and Pregnancy Neighborhood

Pregnant African American women who report higher levels of social disorder (e.g., vacant housing, drug dealing) in their neighborhoods also report higher levels of depressive symptoms. The effects of social disorder in the neighborhood during childhood on depressive symptoms during pregnancy are not known. Also unknown is the interaction between social disorders in the neighborhood during childhood and during pregnancy regarding depressive symptoms during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine whether higher levels of social disorder in the neighborhood during pregnancy buffered the association of social disorder in the neighborhood during childhood (at age 10 as reference) with depressive symptoms during pregnancy among African American women. We conducted a secondary data analysis of 1383 African American women from the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) Study (Detroit, Michigan, 2009–2011). Women were interviewed in the hospital 24–72 h after the births. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale measured depressive symptoms. Scales measuring social disorder in the neighborhood both during childhood and during pregnancy were also included in the interviews. Women with CES-D scores ≥ 16 were younger, were more likely to be single, and had lower levels of education and household income compared with women with CES-D < 16. There was a significant association between women who report social disorder in their neighborhoods during childhood and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. This effect was moderated by measures of social disorder in the neighborhood during pregnancy (p = .037). Women who reported both low levels of social disorder in their neighborhoods during childhood and during pregnancy had the lowest CES-D scores after controlling for maternal age, marital status, years of education, and family income. The model had a good fit to the data (χ2(6) = 6.36, p = .38). Health care providers should inquire about neighborhood conditions during childhood and during pregnancy and provide referrals for appropriate professional and community support for women who report social disorder in their neighborhoods and depressive symptoms.
Neurological safety of oxaliplatin in patients with uncommon variants in Charcot-Marie-tooth disease genes.

Abstract Oxaliplatin therapy can be complicated by chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Other neurotoxic chemotherapies have been linked to single nucleotide variants (SNV) in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) genes. Whether oxaliplatin carries increased risks of CIPN due to SNV in CMT-associated genes is unknown. 353 patients receiving oxaliplatin in NCCTG N08CB were serially evaluated for CIPN using a validated patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument, the CIPN20 questionnaire (sensory scale). 49 canonical CMT-associated genes were analyzed for rare and common SNV by nextgen sequencing. The 157 patients with the highest and lowest susceptibility to CIPN (cases and controls) harbored 270 non-synonymous SNV in CMT-associated genes (coding regions). 143 of these were rare, occurring only once (“singletons”). CIPN cases had 0.84 singletons per patient compared with 0.98 in controls. An imbalance in favor of cases was noted only in few genes including PRX, which was previously highlighted as a candidate CIPN gene in patients receiving paclitaxel. However, the imbalance was only modest (5 singleton SNV in cases and 2 in controls). Therefore, while singleton SNV were common, they did overall not portend an increased risk of CIPN. Furthermore, testing CMT-associated genes using recurrent non-synonymous SNV did not reveal any significant association with CIPN. Genetic analysis of patients from N08CB provides clinical guidance that oxaliplatin chemotherapy decisions should not be altered by the majority of SNV that may be encountered in CMT-associated genes when common genetic tests are performed, such as exome or genome sequencing. Oxaliplatin's CIPN risk appears unrelated to CMT-associated genes.
The Two Towers (or Somewhere in Between): The Behavioral Consequences of Positional Inconsistency across Status Hierarchies

We examine how actors react to status inconsistencies across multiple status hierarchies. We argue that pluralistic value systems create multiple status conferral mechanisms, and that hierarchies’ ...
Correction for Wilczek et al., “JC Polyomavirus Infection Reveals Delayed Progression of the Infectious Cycle in Normal Human Astrocytes”

Volume 94, no. 5, e01331-19, 2020, [https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01331-19][1]. A reference was inadvertently omitted. Page 14, line 6 from the bottom: “(NPCs) (47),” should read “(NPCs) (47), choroid plexus epithelial cells (48, 86),” Page 22: The following should be added as reference 86: O
6 – Elastohydrodynamic lubrication

: This chapter describes the lubrication mechanism for non-conformal contacts operating under heavy loads. The chapter provides an in-depth review of previous analytical and experimental work conducted in elastohydrodynamic lubrication of line and point contacts. The chapter also describes the lubricant pressure and film thickness distributions for line and point contacts as well as dry Hertz contact stresses between two general bodies, cylinders and spheres. Minimum film thickness equations for line and point contacts are presented and examples of lubricant film thickness and contact stress calculations for ball and cylindrical bearing are also discussed. An example for lubrication at the cam and follower contact is presented.
Modeling Reveals Cortical Dynein Regulation of Spindle Bipolarity

Proper formation and maintenance of the mitotic spindle is required for faithful cell division. While much work has been done to understand the roles of the key force components of the mitotic spindle, identifying the implications of force perturbations in the spindle remains a challenge. We developed a computational framework of the minimal force requirements for mitotic progression and used experimental approaches to further define and validate the model. Through simulations, we show that rather than achieving and maintaining a constant bipolar spindle length, oscillations in pole to pole distance occur that coincide with microtubule binding and force generation by cortical dynein. In the context of high kinesin-14 (HSET) activity, we reveal the requirement of high cortical dynein activity for bipolar spindle formation.
Keynote: Building storage systems for emerging applications and technologies

The modern storage landscape is changing at an exciting rate. New technologies, such as Intel DC Persistent Memory, are being introduced. At the same time, new applications such as blockchain are emerging with new requirements from the storage subsystem. New regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), place new constraints on how data may be read and written. As a result, designing storage systems that satisfy these constraints is interesting and challenging. In this talk, I will describe the lessons we learned from tackling this challenge in various forms: my group has built file systems and concurrent data structures for persistent memory, storage solutions for blockchains, and analyzed how GDPR affects storage systems.
ViPER: Vehicle Pose Estimation using Ultra-WideBand Radios

Pose estimation is a building block for many location-based applications, such as safety applications in a construction site. Ultra-WideBand (UWB) Radios have been widely used for localization and can be used in pose (location and orientation angle of the object) estimation primarily because of the accuracy with which these radios can estimate the arrival time of radio signals. Current UWB pose estimation solutions do not perform adequately in Non-Line of Sight (NLoS) conditions. Some of these existing solutions in pose estimation rely on two or more types of sensors to tackle the NLoS challenge. These methods suffer from data fusion complexity, making the system not generalizable and limited to some specific simple environments, such as labs. In this paper, we propose ViPER, a UWB-based pose estimating system using only UWB radios. Our goal is to reduce the effects of the NLoS without the inclusion of any auxiliary sensors. ViPER uses low-pass filter, anchor and reference selection method to reduce the effect of NLoS in the measurements. It also estimates the pose of the entities using an optimization problem. We have evaluated ViPER in real- world highway construction and parking lot setting. We find that it improves the average packet reception ratio by 117% and decreases the error rate by 70% over the state of the art in Non-Line of Sight situation.
Nanoparticle-enabled phase modification (nano-treating) of CuZrSi pseudo-binary alloy

Abstract For many alloys, bulky and brittle intermetallic phases are detrimental to their properties, and the refinement of those phases is considered a long-time challenge. Here, we show that nanoparticles (NPs) can modify and refine such intermetallics to the ultrafine/nanoscale during solidification. Cu-ZrCuSi pseudo-binary alloy was nano-treated by approximately 1 vol.% and 4 vol.% WC nanoparticles through dilution of a Cu/WC nanocomposite master. While 1 vol.% WC nanoparticles transformed the ZrCuSi phase partially, significant morphology transformation and refinement of ZrCuSi (originally 8±7 μm) down to the ultrafine/nanoscale was achieved upon the addition of 4 vol.% WC nanoparticles, which arose from the nanoparticle-enabled phase control during solidification. The CuZrSi alloy with 4 vol.% WC nanoparticles exhibit simultaneously enhanced hardness, strength, and plasticity over pure CuZrSi due to the effective intermetallic modification by nanoparticles.
Distance of Cervico-Vaginal Junction to Anterior Cul-de-sac during Vaginal Hysterectomy in Patients with and without Prior Cesarean Section

Study Objective Incomplete dissection of vaginal attachments to cervix during vaginal hysterectomy (VH) can lead to incorrect plane and injury to the bladder. This study aims to compare the mean distance between the cervico-vaginal (CV) incision to the anterior cul-de-sac (AC) during VH between women with and without a history of cesarean section (CS). Design Prospective cohort study of women who underwent VH. Intraoperative measurements taken: Distance from external cervical os to initial incision at CV, distance from CV to peritoneal entry into the AC, and distance from AC to the uterine fundus. Measurements were compared between patients with and without CS. We determined that 40 patients were needed to study our primary outcome: 20 CS and 20 non-CS. Setting VH performed in high lithotomy position. Patients or Participants Women who were undergoing VH for benign gynecologic conditions were included. Patients were excluded if gynecologic malignancy, prior vaginal or pelvic radiation, and/or presence of lower anterior uterine segment myoma. Interventions N/A Measurements and Main Results Preliminary data are presented (incomplete accrual as yet of patients due to the COVID19). Of the 35 patients with complete data, 23 (62.1%) had vaginal delivery(ies) only, 12 (32.4%) had at least one CS. The mean distance from CV to AC entry in all patients was 5.0 (1.55) cm, 5.4 (1.92) cm with CS, and 4.79 (1.31) cm without CS (p=0.27). The mean distance of the AC entry to fundus was longer in patients without CS (6.48cm vs 4.49cm, p=0.01). This finding remained significant when we controlled for both uterine length and weight. Conclusion Preliminary data suggests that in CS patients, the mean distance from the initial incision to AC tended to be greater and distance of AC to fundus was significantly shorter compared to non-CS patients.
Regional differences in PAP care: more questions than answers.

Citation:Billings ME. Regional differences in PAP care: more questions than answers. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(3):363–364.
Positive and Normative Models of Procedural Rights: An Integrative Approach to Administrative Procedures

The gulf between legal ideals and reductionist PPT provides a challenge for PPT: Is PPT necessarily reductionist, arguing that legal realism is misconceived and irrelevant? If not reductionist, then how are the two to be integrated in a manner that does more than give lip service to legal idealists? Our answer is that the two approaches can be integrated. Attention to normative issues by reelection-minded politicians can explain self-imposed procedural limits, such as those enacted in the Administrative Procedure Act, by noting that such limits serve political ends as well as normative ones.
Government Debt Maturity and Term Structure of Credit Spreads

We investigate how government borrowing behaviors influence private sectors by exploring the relationship between government debt maturity and credit term structures. Using individual corporate bonds data between 1987 and 2015, we find that a longer government debt maturity is associated with a steeper credit term structure in both the primary and secondary corporate bond markets. An instrumental variable approach and an exogenous event study help us establish a causality. Our findings are more pronounced among riskier corporate bonds, and the influences of Treasury bond supply on credit term spreads are more pronounced near the maturity where this supply shock originates, suggesting that the credit risk and the maturity clientele channels together drive our findings.
High Resolution Chandra Spectroscopy of Gamma Cassiopeia (B0.5IVe)

gamma Cas has long been famous for its unique hard X-ray characteristics. We report herein on a 53 ks Chandra HETGS observation of this target. An inspection of our spectrum shows that it is quite atypical for a massive star, with abnormally weak Fe XXV, XXVI lines, Ly-alpha lines of H-like species from Fe XVII, XXIII, XXIV, S XVI, Si XIV, Mg XII, Ne X, O VII, VIII, and N VII. Also, line ratios of the rif-triplet of for a few He-like ions XVII are consistent with the dominance of collisional atomic processes. Yet, the presence of Fe and Si fluorescence K features indicates that photoionization also occurs in nearby cold gas. The line profiles indicate a mean velocity at rest and a broadening of 500 km/s. A global fitting analysis of the line and continuum spectrum finds that there are 3-4 plasma emission components. The dominant hot (12 keV) component and has a Fe abundance of 0.22 solar. Some fraction of this component (10-30%) is heavily absorbed. The other 2-3 components, with temperatures 0.1, 0.4, 3 keV, are "warm," have a nearly solar composition, a lower column absorption, and are responsible for most other emission lines. The strength of the fluorescence features and the dual-column absorption model for the hot plasma component suggest the presence near the hot sites of a cold gas structure with a column density of 10^23 cm^-2. Since this value is consistent with theoretical estimates of the vertical disk column of this star, these attributes suggest that the X-rays originate near the star or disk. It is possible that the Fe anomaly in the hot component is related to the First Ionization Potential effect found in coronal structures around active cool stars. This would be yet another indication that the X-rays -rays are produced in the immediate vicinity of the Be star.
Structural brain correlates of eating pathology symptom dimensions: A systematic review.

Abstract There has been an increasing interest in neurobiological correlates of psychopathology with a growing consensus that such research questions are best investigated through dimensional approaches to psychopathology. One area that has been noticeably understudied in this regard is eating pathology. Therefore, the goal of the current systematic review was to summarize research on structural brain correlates of symptom dimensions of eating-related pathology. Google Scholar and PubMed databases were searched following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results suggest that restrained eating is associated with increased GMV (gray matter volume) in regions involved in emotional, visuo-spatial, attentional, and self-related processing. Disinhibitory eating is associated with increased GMV in regions involved in reward value of food-related stimuli and decreased GMV in regions involved in emotional/motivational processing. All told, results suggest that dimensions of eating pathology have differential neuroanatomical correlates potentially suggesting differences in neural pathways which has the potential to support future biologically-driven classification and treatment efforts.
Deep Learning-based Concurrent Resource Allocation for Enhancing Service Response in Secure 6G Network-in-Box Users using IIoT

Network-in-box (NIB) architectures are designed to improve communication information sharing in an ad-hoc manner with limited infrastructure support. These architectures are interoperable, and hence it is capable of providing services based on sixth-generation (6G) communication technologies. Resource allocation for massive machine-type communications in the 6G platform aided for NIB architectures is challenging due to the terahertz and high throughput features.Then it comes to resource allocation, and the most difficult part is figuring out what capacity is to check the availabilityof work on a project is difficult to determine.In this manuscript, the attuned slicing-dependent concurrent resource allocation (AS-CRA) method is formulated for improving the service reliability of the 6G users in NIB architecture. Learning assisted slicing and concurrent resource allocation process is jointly exploited in this proposed method to improve the users’ service reliability. The output of the learning process is useful in classifying resource allocation and user mapping irrespective of the limited NIB infrastructure support. Virtualization and concurrency in resource allocation are balanced based on the user capacity and network blocking rate to achieve optimality in service responses. The performance of the proposed resource allocation method is verified using simulations, and the performance is verified using the metrics capacity 89.726%, latency 81.32%, resource utilization rate 0.963%, response ratio 92.309, and blocking rate 0.047%.
MCAT 2015 and the Academy: Undergraduate, Graduate and Health Professional Ramifications

MCAT is a significant driver of undergraduate education because so many students start college with premedical inclinations. Annually, ~500k US students take general chemistry, 165k take organic ch...
Mood-Reactive Self-Esteem and Depression Vulnerability: Person-Specific Symptom Dynamics via Smart Phone Assessment.

Cognitive theories of depression suggest that mood-reactive self-esteem, a pattern of cognitive reactivity where low self-esteem is temporally dependent on levels of sadness, represents vulnerability for depression. Few studies have directly tested this hypothesis, particularly using intensive data collection methods (i.e., experience sampling) required to capture the temporal dynamics of sadness and self-esteem as they unfold naturally, over time. In this study we used participants’ smartphones to collect multiple daily ratings of sadness and self-esteem over three weeks, in the real world. We then applied dynamic factor modeling to explore theoretically driven hypotheses about the temporal dependency of self-esteem on sadness (i.e., mood-reactive self-esteem) and its relationship to indices of depression vulnerability both contemporaneously (e.g., rumination, sad mood persistence) and prospectively (e.g., future symptomatology). In sum, individuals who demonstrated mood-reactive self-esteem reported higher levels of rumination at baseline, more persistent sad mood over three weeks, and increased depression symptoms at the end of three weeks above and beyond a trait-like index of self-esteem. The integration of smartphone assessment and person-specific analytics employed in this study offers an exiting new avenue to advance the study and treatment of depression.
Ankle Stability and Movement Coordination Impairments: Ankle Ligament Sprains

The Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has an ongoing effort to create evidence-based practice guidelines for orthopaedic physical therapy management of patients with musculoskeletal impairments described in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). The purpose of these clinical practice guidelines is to describe the peer-reviewed literature and make recommendations related to ankle ligament sprain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2013;43(9):A1–A40. doi:10.2519/jospt.2013.0305
Study of activated T cells in man. II. Interleukin 2 receptor and transferrin receptor expression on T cells and production of interleukin 2 in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex.

Because the expression of interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor and transferrin receptor is essential for the proliferation of T cells to mitogens and antigens, we examined the expression of monoclonal antibody defined IL-2 receptor (Tac antigen) and transferrin receptor on unstimulated as well as on phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-activated highly enriched T cells from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC). A trend of increased proportion of unstimulated T cells with Tac antigen and transferrin receptor was observed in patients with AIDS and ARC when compared to healthy heterosexual controls, but the differences were not significant (P > 0.1). The proportions of Tac + PHA-activated T cells were, however, significantly decreased in AIDS (P < 0.001). ARC (P < 0.001), and asymptomatic homosexuals (P < 0.01) when compared to healthy heterosexuals. The proportions of transferrin receptor positive PHA-activated T cells were not significantly different among various groups. A significantly (P < 0.01) decreased production of IL-2 was observed in AIDS. This study suggests that the poor proliferative responses of T cells may be due to several defects in lymphocyte-cytokine cascade and the deficiency of Tac antigen expression and of the production of IL-2 could be a few of several abnormalities contributing to poor T-cell functions in AIDS.
2,3-Diphenyl-2,3-di-hydro-4H-pyrido[3,2-e][1,3]thia-zin-4-one.

In the racemic title compound, C19H14N2OS, the two phenyl substituents on the 1,3-thia­zine ring are almost perpendicular to the pyridine ring which is fused to the thia­zine ring [inter-ring dihedral angles = 87.90 (8) and 85.54 (7)°]. The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 75.11 (7)°. The six-membered thia­zine ring has an envelope conformation with the ortho-related C atom forming the flap. The crystals exhibit face-to-edge aromatic-ring interactions with the nearest C—H⋯C distance equal to 3.676 (3) A.
Fire-fighting robots and first-year engineering design: trinity college experience

This paper describes a new first year engineering course, ENGR 120: Introduction to Engineering Design-Mobile Robotics, which immerses students in a highly motivating team-based engineering design experience-development of an autonomous, competitive, fire-fighting mobile robot. This course also introduces students to design as it is practiced in industry and to the philosophical dimensions of engineering design. The paper presents results of assessment surveys and student comments about their experiences in ENGR 120, and it relates course learning outcomes to the ABET basic outcomes a-k.
Impact of Psychoactive Drugs on Hypnotizability

Abstract Eleven adult male marihuana smokers who were pre-tested for hypnotic susceptibility were later tested for hypnotic susceptibility under four experimental conditions: (a) After smoking a cannabis cigarette containing 7.5 mg of tetrahydro cannabinol and receiving placebo IM injection; (b) After smoking a placebo cannibis cigarette and receiving 2 mg of haloperidol IM; (c) After a combination of both drugs; and (d) After placebo smoke and placebo injection. The drugs had no systematic impact on hypnotizability as measured by a modified version of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotizability.
The electrical response of Avena coleoptile cortex to auxins

The electrical response to auxin perfusion by cortex tissue of peeledAvena saliva L. coleoptiles was examined using microelectrode measurements of the membrane potential. Applied at 10 μM, the known auxins indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), α-naphthalene acetic acid (αNAA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and indole-3-butyric acid, the two analogues β-naphthalene acetic acid and 2,3-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and acetic acid transiently (1–30 min) depolarized the membrane potential; but a subsequent hyperpolarization, possibly resulting from activation of the plasma-membrane H+-ATPase, occurred only with active auxins. The magnitude and duration of the depolarizations induced by the different compounds varied. The αNAA-induced depolarization consisted of two depolarization events. The first reached a maximum within 2–3 min and the second between 6 and 10 min. The magnitude of the first αNAA-induced depolarization varied with external concentration of Cl− suggesting that it represents an efflux of Cl−. A known anion-channel blocker, anthracene-9-carboxylic acid, at 1 μM prevented the Cl−-sensitive depolarization induced by αNAA. The same concentration failed to block αNAA-induced elongation of peeled coleoptile segments, though higher concentrations (20 μM and 100 μM) increasingly inhibited growth. Applied at 10 μM, the naturally occurring auxin, IAA, induced a single depolarization (maximal between 6 and 8 min) which was insensitive to external Cl− concentration. The depolarization induced by 10 μM IAA, as well as that induced by acetic acid and the second depolarization induced by 10 μM αNAA, increased in magnitude when the pH of the perfusate was lowered from 6.0 to 4.5. When IAA was applied at a higher concentration (100 μM) the magnitude of the depolarization increased, lengthened, and also contained an early, Cl−-sensitive, depolarization (maximal between 2 and 4 min). The Cl−-sensitive depolarization induced by αNAA also increased when αNAA was increased from 10 to 100 μM, but, while 10 and 100 μM IAA and 10 μM αNAA induced elongation of peeledAvena coleoptile segments, 100 μM αNAA did not. Our results suggest that: (i) the putative Cl− currents induced by 10 μM αNAA and 100 μM IAA are the result of the opening of a population of Cl−-permeable anion channels, (ii) activation of these channels is not required for the auxin-induced growth ofAvena coleoptiles, (iii) the pH-sensitive depolarization induced by αNAA and IAA is not an auxin-specific response and might result from a weak acid protonophore effect, and (iv) the delayed hyperpolarization is a specific response to auxins inAvena coleoptiles.
Registration law proposed

A proposal has been submitted to a New Jersey state senator for a state law that would establish a noncompulsory registration program to identify qualified professional geologists and soil scientists. The proposal, which would create a registration law similar to those in other states, is supported by the membership of the Northeast Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and by the New Jersey Association of Professional Soil Scientists (NJAPSS). The proposal, drawn up by the membership of the Northeast Section of AIPG (which includes the six New England states, New York, and New Jersey) in cooperation with NJAPSS and the New York-Philadelphia section of the Association of Engineering Geology, has been submitted to Democratic State Senator Raymond J. Zane. The senator's staff has indicated that they will review the proposal and refine it for presentation to the entire state senate, according to Richard H. Young, vice president of AIPG's northeastern section.
Simvastatin, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, suppresses osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand through modulation of NF-κB pathway

Simvastatin, an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, is a cholesterol-lowering drug that may play a role in bone metabolism through a mechanism that is not fully understood. Recently, receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL), a member of the TNF superfamily, has emerged as a major mediator of bone loss via activation of osteoclastogenesis. The latter is also associated with certain cancers such as multiple myeloma and breast cancer. Whether simvastatin can modulate RANKL-induced or cancer induced osteoclastogenesis was investigated. The effect of simvastatin on RANKL signaling and consequent osteoclastogenesis was investigated. RANKL induced NF-kappaB activation, whereas pretreatment with simvastatin completely suppressed such activation and correlated with suppression of RANKL-induced activation of IkappaBalpha kinase, IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and IkappaBalpha degradation. Similarly, RANKL induced the differentiation of monocytic cells to osteoclasts, whereas simvastatin suppressed it. The inhibition was maximal when cells were exposed to both simvastatin and RANKL simultaneously and minimal when simvastatin was added 1 day after RANKL treatment. Simvastatin also inhibited the osteoclastogenesis induced by human breast cancer and by multiple myeloma cells. Together, our results indicate that simvastatin inhibits the RANKL-induced NF-kappaB activation pathway that leads to suppression of osteoclastogenesis induced by RANKL and by tumor cells, thereby suggesting its therapeutic potential in osteoporosis and in cancer-related bone loss.