cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MR Imaging and Osseous Spinal Intervention and Intervertebral Disk Intervention

Percutaneous spine intervention, a wide range of invasive spine procedures performed through a puncture hole or through a small incision not requiring soft tissue closure and with few or no skin sutures or staples, is rapidly emerging as an effective alternative to open surgery. This article describes many of the minimally invasive osseous, intervertebral disk, and spinal nerve interventions currently being performed, including both well-established procedures and procedures developed recently. A general introduction to these types of procedures is provided, along with the characteristic pre- and postprocedural MR imaging appearance related to these techniques. The article also discusses reported and theoretical complications that may arise and their respective MR imaging appearances.
The Mediating Effects of Situational Control on Social Support and Mood Following a Stressor A Prospective Study of Dementia Caregivers in Their Natural Environments

Objectives. The present study examined, prospectively and within the context of stress experienced in the natural environment, whether situational control served as a mediator between perceived social support and caregiver's mood. Methods. Data came from baseline assessments of individuals participating in health promotion interventions for women caregivers. Participants were 49 female caregivers of dementia patients who monitored their own acute psychological states during the day. Results. Results revealed that although the occurrence of a situational stressor increased negative mood, greater perceived support reduced the detrimental impact of a stressor on negative mood. Moreover, path analyses revealed that changes in situational control partially mediated the relationship between perceived support and stress-induced negative mood changes. However, changes in control did not serve as a mediator in analyses focused on happiness. Discussion. Results suggest that caregivers with greater perceived support were less emotionally reactive to stress occurring in their natural environments because of, in part, sustained or increased situational control.
An Introductory Course in Jewish Education.

Abstract Foundations of Jewish Education is a required course for masters degree students in Jewish Education offered by the William S. Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. As an introduction to the theory and practice of Jewish education, it seeks to integrate theory from a wide range of fields as a way of helping students conceptualize the practice of Jewish education. Using syllabi from three different versions of the course, including an online version of it, this study identifies three central themes that animate the syllabi. The nature of the relationship between theory and practice, a key component of this course, is examined in light of the interdisciplinary orientation of the syllabi. Finally, questions about the distinctly religious dimensions of the course are raised as part of an inquiry into the implications of religious pluralism in Jewish education.
La numérisation d’images en anatomie-pathologique : application à l’assurance qualité pour le diagnostic de cancer

Resume Objectifs Tester un systeme de double lecture histologique fonde sur l’image numerique pour le diagnostic de cancer. Materiel et methodes Un systeme de numerisation d’images integre au systeme de gestion informatise du laboratoire permet d’illustrer en temps reel l’aspect histologique pour les cas de cancer diagnostiques dans le laboratoire et traites dans notre Centre. Une double lecture de ces cas a ete realisee par l’examen des images numerisees sur une periode de 30 jours d’activite. Les cas revus ont ete classes en tumeur maligne avec type histologique precise, tumeur maligne sans autre indication (SAI) et diagnostic de malignite douteux sur l’aspect des images numerisees. Resultats Pendant la periode d’etude, 204 cas de cancer ont ete diagnostiques dont 178 ont ete numerises (87%). Parmi les cas numerises, 119 (67%) ont ete classes en tumeur maligne avec type histologique precise, 53 (30%) en tumeur maligne SAI et 6 (3%) en diagnostic de malignite douteux. Ces derniers cas ont ete revus histologiquement et correspondaient bien a une tumeur maligne. Le temps passe a une telle relecture a ete d’environ 2 heures par semaine d’activite. Conclusion Le systeme de numerisation d’images peut participer a l’assurance qualite du diagnostic de cancer en permettant une double lecture rapide et efficace.
Integrated communications and optical navigation system

The Integrated Communications and Optical Navigation System (ICONS) is a flexible navigation system for spacecraft that does not require global positioning system (GPS) measurements. The navigation solution is computed using an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) that can accept any combination of range, range-rate, planet chord width, landmark, and angle measurements using any celestial object. Both absolute and relative orbit determination is supported. The UKF employs a full nonlinear dynamical model of the orbit including gravity models and disturbance models. The ICONS package also includes attitude determination algorithms using the UKF algorithm with the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The IMU is used as the dynamical base for the attitude determination algorithms. This makes the sensor a more capable plug-in replacement for a star tracker, thus reducing the integration and test cost of adding this sensor to a spacecraft. Recent additions include an integrated optical communications system which adds communications, and integrated range and range rate measurement and timing. The paper includes test results from trajectories based on the NASA New Horizons spacecraft.
The Pediatric Board Game

A game was designed to further student learning in the field of pediatric medicine. This educational tool was designed in a board game format. Players advance through the board by answering questions correctly. A total of 400 questions were written with emphasis in content from core pediatric textbooks. Questions were created to encompass four increasingly difficult levels of play. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether gaming can be a valuable learning experience. During clinical clerkships and rotations in pediatric medicine, both third-year medical students and residents played the game in small-group settings. To date, 37 medical students and 12 residents have completed a post-game survey with a standard 5-point Likert scale. Seven faculties have also played the game and completed the survey. The survey was designed to assess the extent to which students, residents and faculty understood the purpose of the game and agreed that it was a valuable learning experience. The data yielded descriptive statistics for preliminary evaluation of the game. The survey responses suggest that medical students, pediatric residents and faculty observed that the game was a practical and engaging learning experience. The students have universally given high scores to all 10 survey questions. The development of The Pediatric Board Game has been a successful endeavor in medical education. Both educators and learners agree that the board game is a creative and innovative educational tool. Future plans of study will help develop, refine and apply the game to advance students' knowledge of pediatric medicine.
Genes, Matrix, and Restenosis

One of the major advances in vascular biology over the last 2 decades has been the realization that the vessel wall is an active, integrated tissue composed of multiple distinct cell types coupled to one another by complex regulated interactions. Blood vessels are capable of sensing their milieu and integrating information from diverse stimuli, both humoral and biomechanical. In response to alterations in these signals, such as with mechanical injury or sustained hemodynamic changes, the vessel is capable of adapting itself, an effect known as vascular remodeling. This process can result in a spectrum of changes within the vessel wall, ranging from alterations in the cellular and extracellular (matrix) content of the wall to changes in the reactivity and functional properties of the vessel. The advent of techniques that allow more efficient discovery of the genes involved in these processes as well as a description of their temporal patterns of expression is now providing a powerful opportunity to begin to understand vascular remodeling at the molecular level. There are now multiple approaches aimed at understanding the repertoire of gene expression in a given biological context. These range from techniques such as differential display1 and subtractive cloning strategies,2 which are designed to identify unknown genes whose expression is modulated under the conditions being examined, to transcriptional profiling strategies,3 in which a set of known sequences are prepared as an array and their patterns of expression are determined in parallel. In general, the latter have the advantage of allowing one to identify global patterns of gene expression for a defined cohort of genes, whereas the former allow for the discovery of new species that may not …
Concurrent Average Memory Access Time

Traditional memory performance metrics, such as average memory access time (AMAT), are designed for sequential data accesses and can prove misleading for contemporary cache technologies that increasingly rely on access concurrency. C-AMAT, a new performance metric, accounts for concurrency at both the component and system levels for modern memory design.
The Throughput of Packet Broadcasting Channels

Packet broadcasting is a form of data communications architecture which can combine the features of packet switching with those of broadcast channels for data communication networks. Much of the basic theory of packet broadcasting has been presented as a byproduct in a sequence of papers with a distinctly practical emphasis. In this paper we provide a unified presentation of packet broadcasting theory. In Section II we introduce the theory of packet broadcasting data networks. In Section III we provide some theoretical results dealing with the performance of a packet broadcasting network when the users of the network have a variety of data rates. In Section IV we deal with packet broadcasting networks distributed in space, and in Section V we derive some properties of power-limited packet broadcasting channels, showing that the throughput of such channels can approach that of equivalent point-to-point channels.
Using a measure of structural variation to define a core for the globins

As the database of three-dimensi onal protein structures expands, it becomes possible to classify related structures into families. Some of these families, such as the globins, have enough members to allow statistical analysis of conserved features. Previously, we have shown that a probabilistic representation based on means and variances can be useful for defining structural cores for large families. These cores contain the subset of atoms that are in essentially the same relative positions in all members of the family. In addition to defining a core, our method creates an ordered list of atoms, ranked by their structural variation. In applying our core-finding procedure to the globins, we find that helices A, B,G and Hform a structural core with low variance. These helices fold early in the folding pathway, and superimpose well with helices in the helixlurn-helix repressor protein family. The non-core helices (F and the parts of other helices that interact with it) are associated with the functional differences among the globins, and are encoded within a separate exon. We have also compared the variablity measure implicit in our core structures with measures of sequence variability, using a procedure for measuring sequence variability that helps correct for the biased sampling in the databanks. We find, somewhat surprisingly, that sequence variation does not appear to correlate with structural variation.
Gauging the Effect of Compositional and Curricular Diversity on Freshman Success.

Findings connect cognitive growth and enrollment persistence to racial diversity in the classroom using objective measures.
Progression of multifocal motor neuropathy during apparently successful treatment with human immunoglobulin

Article abstract We report a patient with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) who experienced a paradoxical decline in baseline strength to below pretreatment levels during a period of improvement associated with human immunoglobulin (HIG) administration. This outcome suggests that HIG may not limit progression of MMN and may reduce the utility of HIG as chronic therapy.
Biological effects of desert dust in respiratory epithelial cells and a murine model

AbstractAs a result of the challenge of recent dust storms to public health, we tested the postulate that desert dust collected in the southwestern United States imparts a biological effect in respiratory epithelial cells and an animal model. Two samples of surface sediment were collected from separate dust sources in northeastern Arizona. Analysis of the PM20 fraction demonstrated that the majority of both dust samples were quartz and clay minerals (total SiO2 of 52 and 57%). Using respiratory epithelial and monocytic cell lines, the two desert dusts increased oxidant generation, measured by Amplex Red fluorescence, along with carbon black (a control particle), silica, and NIST 1649 (an ambient air pollution particle). Cell oxidant generation was greatest following exposures to silica and the desert dusts. Similarly, changes in RNA for superoxide dismutase-1, heme oxygenase-1, and cyclooxygenase-2 were also greatest after silica and the desert dusts supporting an oxidative stress after cell exposure. Sil...
Polymeric vehicles for locally presenting tissue inductive molecules

Inductive molecules may provide exciting new therapeutic approaches in a variety of clinical applications. However, appropriate delivery approaches and vehicles are typically lacking for these macromolecular drugs. Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds capable of the sustained and localized delivery of single plasmid DNA molecules or proteins, or sequential delivery of multiple factors, have been developed that may greatly enhance the utility of these drugs.
Authoritative Parenting and Cigarette Smoking Among Multiethnic Preadolescents: The Mediating Role of Anti-Tobacco Parenting Strategies

Introduction Parenting has been shown to affect smoking among children in U.S. majority groups, but less is known about this association among multiethnic urban populations. Our study examines the role of parenting on smoking among a highly diverse sample. Methods Health surveys were collected from eighth graders (N ¼ 459) in 2 low-income urban schools. Structural equation models examined the direct and indirect effects of authoritative parenting on lifetime smoking. A moderated mediation analysis examined whether indirect effects of authoritative parenting vary among racial/ethnic groups. Results Authoritative controlling parenting, characterized by limit setting, was positively associated with anti-tobacco parenting. Anti-tobacco parenting was inversely associated with smoking, mediating the relationship between controlling parenting and smoking. There was no evidence that mediation was moderated by race/ ethnicity. Conclusions Parent training, which focuses on setting rules and expectations, can be an important and universal element of smoking prevention programs targeted to youth in diverse communities.
Diagnostic performance of a pocket-sized ultrasound device for quick-look cardiac imaging.

Abstract Background Although pocket-sized, simplified ultrasound devices have emerged to enable subjective point-of-care assessment, few data on their cardiac application exist. We sought to examine the image quality and the accuracy of subjective diagnosis of video loops obtained from a pocket-sized ultrasound device for 2 significant cardiac abnormalities, left ventricular systolic dysfunction and left atrial enlargement, obtained from a single, quick-look view. Methods Parasternal left ventricular long-axis images acquired with a miniaturized commercially available device (Acuson P10) were reviewed using subjective criteria for left ventricular systolic dysfunction and left atrial enlargement and were compared with M-mode measurements of left atrial systolic diameter and E-point septal separation from a fully featured echocardiograph in 78 inpatients referred for standard echocardiography. Interpretive confidence and image quality were evaluated with each interpretation. Results Of 78 inpatient studies, 19% of pocket ultrasound and 13% of standard studies were technically limited (P = NS). Of 61 technically adequate studies, subjective interpretation of pocket ultrasound images had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 79%, 52%, and 64% for left atrial diameter more than 4 cm; 47%, 98%, and 82% for E-point septal separation more than 1 cm of; 83%, 62%, and 74% for either abnormality; and 92%, 82%, and 87% for either abnormality when interpretive confidence was present (n = 23). The pocket ultrasound image quality scores were significantly lower than the standard echocardiograph (P Conclusion The pocket-sized device provided adequate imaging for screening of 2 significant cardiac entities. Subjective interpretation of a single parasternal view may help identify patients with cardiac disease.
Sampled Fourier Transform Hologram Generated by Computer

A technique to determine a real nonnegative function representing the transmittance of a synthesized hologram is described. The technique uses the positions of the samples in the synthesized hologram to record the phase information of a complex wavefront. Synthesized holograms are displayed on a flying spot scanner and recorded on film. The transmittance of the synthesized hologram is quantized into 256 levels because of a hardware limitation of the scanner.
FX trading via recurrent reinforcement learning

This study investigates high frequency currency trading with neural networks trained via recurrent reinforcement learning (RRL). We compare the performance of single layer networks with networks having a hidden layer and examine the impact of the fixed system parameters on performance. In general, we conclude that the trading systems may be effective, but the performance varies widely for different currency markets and this variability cannot be explained by simple statistics of the markets. Also we find that the single layer network outperforms the two layer network in this application.
Excited heavy baryons in the bound state picture

The orbitally excited heavy quark baryons are studied in the Callan-Klebanov bound state model with heavy spin symmetry. First, a compact description of the large ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathit{c}}$, infinite heavy quark mass bound state wave functions and the collective quantization is given. In order to study the kinematical corrections due to finite masses we motivate an approximate Schr\"odinger-like equation for the bound state. The effective potential in this equation is compared with the quadratic approximation (spherical harmoinic oscillator) to it. This oscillator approximation is seen to be not very accurate. It is noted that the present experimental information cannot be even qualitatively understood with the usual light sector chiral Lagrangian containing only light pseudoscalar mesons. The addition of light vector mesons helps to overcome this problem.
Separating Cats from Dogs: A Case Designed to Enhance Students' Abilities to Identify Incompatible Duties and Employee Red Flags

ABSTRACT Developed by a graduate student and leveraging his experience with a family owned business, this case provides an interesting scenario addressing – and integrating – a number of factors relating to fraud, including incompatible duties, the fraud triangle, psychological factors, and “red flags”. Results from an under-graduate AIS course support the case's efficacy as a student assignment. Student performance on the case closely corresponded with other assessment of learning measures, supporting the use of the case for evaluation purposes. The case also increased student interest and motivation. Most importantly, use of the case resulted in measured enhancement of students' abilities to recognize problems in an accounting system. A spreadsheet was developed to increase the efficiency of grading the case.
The Orthopaedic Management of Brain-Injured Children

This survey emphasizes the important role the orthopaedic surgeon plays in the treatment of brain-damaged children. In one institution in ten years, 122 brain-damaged children were admitted and 112 were evaluated: 21 per cent walked in the first year after injury, and 83 per cent walked at the time of final evaluation; 68 per cent of the patients had joint deformities on admission, and 8 per cent had joint deformities at discharge. Scoliosis occurred in four patients, limb-length inequalities in three, and ectopic ossification in six. The problems of management of a total of sixty-nine fractures were described. Internal fixation was necessary in two of the fractured femora and would have been advisable in a third.
Infection of flower and vegetative tissues of citrus by Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides.

Colletotrichum acutatum causes postbloom fruit drop of citrus, whereas C. gloeosporioides causes postharvest anthracnose on fruit but does not affect healthy leaf or flower tissues. Conidia of C. a...
Measuring Order in Regioregular Poly(3-hexylthiophene) with Solid-State 13C CPMAS NMR

We report on measurements of order in semicrystalline, high molar mass poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by solid-state 13C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The relative degree of crystallinity was estimated for two films with different drying conditions via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Order determined by 13C NMR does not necessarily correlate with crystallinity, indicating that local order can occur in noncrystalline regions. Slow main chain dynamics influence the 13C NMR peak widths at lower temperatures ( 0 °C), where narrower thiophene resonances are observed, these main chain conformation rearrangements occur on fast time scales (≪3 ms). This room-temperature dynamic disorder suggests that P3HT may be classified as a conformationally disordered (CONDIS) crystal.
Study on the IEC 61850 Standard Applied to Substation Automation System

The seamless communication of power system is based on the IEC 61850 Standard in the future. How to grasp and practice the standard in soon has becoming a research focus now. The development and main idea of the standard are introduced in this paper. The main technical features of network leveling,unified object-oriented modeling,data object self-description abstraction of communication service mapping etc. are analyzed in detail. The methods how to realize the standard are proposed. This paper is available for reference in understanding the development trend of substations automation communication technology and developing the communication system which is conformed to IEC 61850.
The Prevalence of Neck and Shoulder Symptoms and Associations with Comorbidities and Disability: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

AbstractObjectives: Neck and shoulder pain are common but underreported by older people, raising important questions of frequency, medical comorbidities, gender and racial disparities and functional impact associated with neck and shoulder symptoms in elders, which we examined in this analysis.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis in the community-based Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, a cohort that is representative of the US population, utilizing data from 1672 participants with a mean age of 68 years; 69% were white and 68% were women. Trained staff obtained data on participant-reported: symptoms, comorbidities, depression and functional status; and performance-based functional assessments. Regression models of neck and shoulder symptoms and functional measures were adjusted for age, sex, race and body mass index, and additionally for other joint symptoms and comorbidities.Results: Symptoms of neck [8%], shoulder [13%] or both [13%] were reported by participants. Neck symptoms were mo...
Fast frequency-sweep spectroscopic imaging with an ultra-low flip angle

Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging has become an important tool in clinical settings for noninvasively obtaining spatial and metabolic information on a molecular scale. Conventional spectroscopic imaging is acquired in the time domain and its clinical application is limited by the long acquisition time, restricted spatial coverage and complex suppression and reconstruction procedures. We introduce a fast MR spectroscopic imaging technique in the frequency domain, termed phase-cycled spectroscopic imaging (PCSI). PCSI uses a balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequence with an ultra-low flip angle to achieve very high acquisition efficiency with a short repetition time. This approach enables faster frequency sweeping by changing the cycled RF phase and using flexible non-uniform sampling and it greatly reduces the RF energy deposition in tissue. With its intrinsic water and fat suppression, PCSI more closely resembles routine clinical scans because it eliminates the suppression steps. We demonstrate that it is feasible to acquire PCSI spectra in a phantom and in humans and that PCSI provides an efficient spectroscopic imaging method, even for J-coupled metabolites. PCSI may enable spectroscopic imaging to play a larger role in the clinical assessment of the spatial tissue distribution of metabolites.
Clustered channel estimation for temporal UWB returns

Due to their extremely large transmission bandwidth, ultrawideband (UWB) communications systems have the potential for significant multipath capture. However, such capture can be dependent on the accuracy of channel estimation the problem considered herein. Relying on a channel model based on clusters, this paper proposes a maximum likelihood (ML) estimation strategy which exploits the properties of the UWB channel and offers performance improvement over less parametric schemes. The robustness of the proposed algorithm in the presence of pulse distortion is investigated and the corresponding BER degradation is observed to be small.
Technology for array control

Throughout the years, electronic scanning of arrays has been accomplished using a variety of electromechanical and electronic components or frequency dependence to introduce phase shift or time delay at each of the antenna array radiators. Ferrite and diode phase shifters and MMIC modules are the technologies that have developed to address the control task. There is a continuing need to further develop these technologies in addition to the several new modalities that address the needs of wideband time-delayed arrays. This paper assesses the current state of the art of array control devices and the role of optical and digital control of future arrays. The paper also discusses the relevant array configurations appropriate to these technologies.
The Application Accuracy of NeuroMaster: a Robot System for Stereotactic Neurosurgery

The application accuracy is one of the most important specifications in robot-assisted stereotactic neurosurgery. This paper analyzed the application accuracy of a neurosurgical robot system and presented the details on how to improve it through improving the robot absolute positioning accuracy. Firstly the robot system was introduced briefly and the system error was analyzed. Secondly the robot was calibrated according to a revised Denavit-Hartenberg kinematic model. The neural network was used to compensate the joint transmitting error. Finally the application accuracy of the robot system was measured. The result showed that the maximum value of the application accuracy was 2.4 millimeters, and the mean value was 1.3 millimeters, which proved the effectiveness of the efforts.
Significance of reduced regional myocardial blood flow in asynergic areas evaluated with intervention ventriculography: Results of studies combining washout of xenon-133 and postextrasystolic potentiation*

Nineteen patients with coronary artery disease were studied to determine the significance of reduced regional myocardial blood flow (50 ml/min per 100 g or less) in areas of abnormal wall motion. Regional myocardial blood flow was measured in four regions of the left ventricle with an Anger camera after the injection of xenon-133 into the left main coronary artery. Abnormal wall motion was evaluated with biplane left ventriculography at rest and during postextrasystolic potentiation, a potent inotropic stimulus. Abnormal wall motion was defined as hemiaxis shortening of less than 20 percent. Four hemiaxes were designated as corresponding to the four regions of myocardial blood flow. Of 76 hemiaxes evaluated in the 19 patients, 54 manifested normal wall motion and 22 abnormal wall motion; 8 of the 22 hemiaxes had reduced regional myocardial blood flow. In these 8, hemiaxis shortening increased 6 ± 2 percent (mean ± standard error of the mean) above values at rest during postextrasystolic potentiation (with normalization of hemiaxis shortening in only 1 of the 8), compared with an increase of 19 ± 4 percent ( P P
Introduction to Pathways to a Productive Adulthood: The Role of CTE in the American High School

Unlike many, if not most, other industrialized nations, U.S. education lacks formal structures—like apprenticeships—that facilitate the transition of youth from secondary education to the workplace...
What Requirements Knowledge Do Developers Need to Manage Change in Safety-Critical Systems?

Developers maintaining safety-critical systems need to assess the impact a proposed change would have upon existing safety controls. By leveraging the network of traceability links that are present in most safety-critical systems, we can push timely information about related hazards, environmental assumptions, and safety requirements to developers. In this work we take a design science approach to discover the informational needs of developers as they engage in software maintenance activities and then propose and evaluate techniques for presenting and visualizing this information. Through a human-centered study involving five safety-critical system practitioners and 14 experienced developers, we analyze the way in which developers use requirements knowledge while maintaining safety-critical code, identify their informational needs, and propose and evaluate a supporting visualization technique. The insights proposed as a result of this study can be used to design requirements-based knowledge tools for supporting developers' maintenance tasks.
Gramsci, No Longer a Communist?: A Review of I Due Carceri di Gramsci, L’Enigma del Quaderno and Il Professor Gramsci e Wittgenstein by Franco Lo Piparo

In his last three books, Franco Lo Piparo (a philosopher of language who teaches in Palermo) presents fresh and contested interpretations of the last part of Gramsci’s life. In his view, the Sardinian thinker was distancing himself from the Communist world, not just from the Soviet Union. In the first part of the review-essay I will introduce the three books; in the second part I will then highlight some passages in the books that present Gramsci as a non-Communist thinker; in the final part, I will discuss the comparative analysis of Wittgenstein and Gramsci that the author traces in his last book. I believe that while this can open up new avenues, it is ultimately based on unconvincing and/or vague arguments.
Review: Jussi Parikka, Digital Contagions: A Media Archaeology of Computer Viruses:

The second edition of Jussi Parikka’s Digital Contagions: A Media Archaeology of Computer Viruses is both a welcome reissue of a canonical text in media archaeology and an important intervention into contemporary techno-political crises like cyberwarfare. Parikka’s book shows how viruses are central to the history of networked computing, while articulating their social connections to political, medical, and cultural discourses. For him, the notion of contagion in digital networks is inseparable from the rise of the computing security industry and the spread of what he calls ‘viral capitalism’: a system of value that leverages viral methodologies to colonize new markets and appropriate revolutionary impulses. Against the purity and commercialism of contemporary consumer electronics, Digital Contagions instead looks to the experiments of early viral programming as offering alternative histories of digital media.
On the fate of mesh-stabilized lipid nanobubbles after destruction with ultrasound

The dissipation of ultrasound (US) signal from microbubble contrast agents has been linked to their fragmentation, jetting or sonic cracking, leading to a loss of gas. With strong interest in the use of bubbles as drug delivery vehicles, their ultimate fate is of great importance. It has been hypothesized that remnant shells shed into the surround aqueous medium, folding into liposomes or micelles. To investigate these effects, we have applied cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to image nanoscale lipid and polymer-stabilized perfluorocarbon gas bubbles before and after their destruction with high intensity US.
Empathic Actualities: Toward a Taxonomy of Empathy in Virtual Reality

This paper seeks to formalize the language of empathy surrounding Virtual Reality (VR). The immediacy of VR documentaries has been claimed to be so vivid that users are more capable of empathizing than through previous media. This is a laudable but ambiguous claim. Empathy’s multiple definitions complicate how designers use the term. Further, the relationship between users, designers, and subjects in reality needs clarification if claims of empathy are to be made. This paper proposes that VR does not facilitate a direct relationship between a user and an experience’s subject in reality to achieve empathy. Instead, VR designers establish role-plays to achieve an empathic actuality—an emotionally charged interpretation of life—which may result in compassion or sympathy. Users end up empathizing directly with a VR designer and their presented representations, not their subjects in lived reality. A review of existing experiences is discussed to clarify claims of empathy and put forward a foundational taxonomy.
Fully printed and integrated electrolyzer cells with additive manufacturing for high-efficiency water splitting

Abstract Using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, a fundamental material and structure innovation was proposed to significantly increase the energy efficiency, and to reduce the weight, volume and component quantity of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Four conventional parts (liquid/gas diffusion layer, bipolar plate, gasket, and current distributor) in a PEMEC were integrated into one multifunctional AM plate without committing to tools or molds for the first time. In addition, since the interfacial contact resistances between those parts were eliminated, the comprehensive in-situ characterizations of AM cells showed that an excellent energy efficiency of up to 86.48% was achieved at 2 A/cm2 and 80 °C, and the hydrogen generation rate was increased by 61.81% compared to the conventional cell. More importantly, the highly complex inner structures of the AM integrated multifunctional plates also exhibit the potential to break limitations of conventional manufacture methods for hydrogen generation and to open a door for the development of other energy conversion devices, including fuel cells, solar cells and batteries.
Assessing threats of non-native species to native freshwater biodiversity: Conservation priorities for the United States.

Abstract Non-native species pose one of the greatest threats to native biodiversity, and can have severe negative impacts in freshwater ecosystems. Identifying regions of spatial overlap between high freshwater biodiversity and high invasion pressure may thus better inform the prioritization of freshwater conservation efforts. We employ geospatial analysis of species distribution data to investigate the potential threat of non-native species to aquatic animal taxa across the continental United States. We mapped non-native aquatic plant and animal species richness and cumulative invasion pressure to estimate overall negative impact associated with species introductions. These distributions were compared to distributions of native aquatic animal taxa derived from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) database. To identify hotspots of native biodiversity we mapped total species richness, number of threatened and endangered species, and a community index of species rarity calculated at the watershed scale. An overall priority index allowed identification of watersheds experiencing high pressure from non-native species and also exhibiting high native biodiversity conservation value. While priority regions are roughly consistent with previously reported prioritization maps for the US, we also recognize novel priority areas characterized by moderate-to-high native diversity but extremely high invasion pressure. We further compared priority areas with existing conservation protections as well as projected future threats associated with land use change. Our findings suggest that many regions of elevated freshwater biodiversity value are compromised by high invasion pressure, and are poorly safeguarded by existing conservation mechanisms and are likely to experience significant additional stresses in the future.
The Synaptic Organization of the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus of the Cat: The Peripheral Cap of Small Cells

The ventral cochlear nucleus of the cat comprises a number of morphologically distinct subdivisions, each of which appears to have a characteristic pattern of synaptic organization (Lorente de No,’ 33,’ 81; Osen,’ 69; Kane,’ 73; Brawer et al.,’ 74; Cant and Morest,’ 79b; Mugnaini et al.,’ 80; Cant,’ 81; Tolbert and Morest,’ 82b; Adams and Mugnaini,’ 87; Smith and Rhode,’ 87,’ 89; Saint Marie et al.,’ 89). One important gap in our knowledge of the synaptic organization of the ventral cochlear nucleus is that one of its subdivisions, the peripheral cap of small cells, has not been described at the level of the electron microscope.
Mathematics in Europe, 1200–1700

The problem of passing from commensurable to incommensurable magnitudes led eventually to the development of the method of exhaustion. Here the Greeks took steps toward the creation of the calculus.1 Already Antiphon in the fifth century BC had worked on “exhausting” the area between a circle and an inscribed regular polygon. This is a crude approach to integration. The fullest development of this method by the Greeks and the nearest approach to integration as we understand it is credited to Archimedes.
Oncolytic viruses and checkpoint inhibitors: combination therapy in clinical trials

Advances in the understanding of cancer immunotherapy and the development of multiple checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically changed the current landscape of cancer treatment. Recent large-scale phase III trials (e.g. PHOCUS, OPTiM) are establishing use of oncolytic viruses as another tool in the cancer therapeutics armamentarium. These viruses do not simply lyse cells to achieve their cancer-killing effects, but also cause dramatic changes in the tumor immune microenvironment. This review will highlight the major vector platforms that are currently in development (including adenoviruses, reoviruses, vaccinia viruses, herpesviruses, and coxsackieviruses) and how they are combined with checkpoint inhibitors. These vectors employ a variety of engineered capsid modifications to enhance infectivity, genome deletions or promoter elements to confer selective replication, and encode a variety of transgenes to enhance anti-tumor or immunogenic effects. Pre-clinical and clinical data have shown that oncolytic vectors can induce anti-tumor immunity and markedly increase immune cell infiltration (including cytotoxic CD8+ T cells) into the local tumor microenvironment. This “priming” by the viral infection can change a ‘cold’ tumor microenvironment into a ‘hot’ one with the influx of a multitude of immune cells and cytokines. This alteration sets the stage for subsequent checkpoint inhibitor delivery, as they are most effective in an environment with a large lymphocytic infiltrate. There are multiple ongoing clinical trials that are currently combining oncolytic viruses with checkpoint inhibitors (e.g. CAPTIVE, CAPRA, and Masterkey-265), and the initial results are encouraging. It is clear that oncolytic viruses and checkpoint inhibitors will continue to evolve together as a combination therapy for multiple types of cancers.
Nodular lymphocyte-predominant and classical Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes: Differences in biology, survival, and impact of radiotherapy.

8550 Background: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a heterogeneous disease, but differences between nodular lymphocyte predominant (NLPHL) and classical (CHL) subtypes were previously studied in small cohor...
Americans overestimate the intergenerational persistence in income ranks.

Recent research suggests that intergenerational income mobility has remained low and stable in America, but popular discourse routinely assumes that Americans are optimistic about mobility prospects in society. Examining these 2 seemingly contradictory observations requires a careful measurement of the public’s perceptions of mobility. Unlike most previous work that measures perceptions about mobility outcomes for the overall population or certain subgroups, we propose a survey instrument that emphasizes the variation in perceived mobility prospects for hypothetical children across parent income ranks. Based on this survey instrument, we derive the perceived relationship between the income ranks of parents and children, which can then be compared against the actual rank–rank relationship reported by empirical work based on tax data. We fielded this instrument in a general population survey experiment (n = 3,077). Our results suggest that Americans overestimate the intergenerational persistence in income ranks. They overestimate economic prospects for children from rich families and underestimate economic prospects for those from poor families.
Line Loss Analysis and Reduction Method for Small Hydropower Embedded Distribution Network

The distribution system power flow during flood season and dry season varies greatly, due to the impact of the output fluctuation of small hydropower in different seasons. Hence, it is necessary to optimize and adjust the grid structure, operation mode and load level for the sake of distribution network loss minimization. A distribution network operation analysis method is proposed. Then the impact of different operation modes of small hydropower on the power grid is comprehensively analyzed. The integrated power and line loss management system and its theoretical line loss calculation module are used to verify the impact of different operation modes of small hydropower. Finally, the optimized solutions are effectively conducted to reduce the line loss.
The Role of Statistical Evidence in Civil Cases

Civil cases outnumber criminal cases in federal courts, and statistical evidence has become more important in a wide variety of them. In contrast to science, which is concerned with general phenome...
Structural and Social Determinants of Health in Asthma in Developed Economies: a Scoping Review of Literature Published Between 2014 and 2019.

Using the WHO Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health, this review provides a discussion of recent epidemiologic, mechanistic, and intervention studies of structural and social determinants of health and asthma outcomes covering the period from 2014 to 2019. A majority of studies and interventions to date focus on the intermediary determinants of health (e.g., housing), which as the name suggests, exist between the patient and the upstream structural determinants of health (e.g., housing policy). Race/ethnicity remains a profound social driver of asthma disparities with cumulative risk from many overlapping determinants. A growing number of studies on asthma are beginning to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that connect social determinants to human disease. Several effective interventions have been developed, though a need for large-scale policy research and innovation remains. Strong evidence supports the key role of the structural determinants, which generate social stratification and inequity, in the development and progression of asthma; yet, interventions in this realm are challenging to develop and therefore infrequent. Proximal, intermediary determinants have provided a natural starting point for interventions, though structural interventions have the most potential for major impact on asthma outcomes. Further research to investigate the interactive effect of multiple determinants, as well as intervention studies, specifically those that are cross-sector and propose innovative strategies to target structural determinants, are needed to address asthma morbidities, and more importantly, close the asthma disparity gap.
The Two Cultures: The Place of the Humanities in Leadership Studies

In the last chapter, I expressed my affection for the study of leadership as a liberal art. This chapter is an ode to the study of leadership and the humanities. If I had spent all of my career teaching in a philosophy department, I probably wouldn’t have written it. However, teaching in business schools and doing interdisciplinary research in leadership studies, compelled me to write this, because both areas are dominated by the social sciences. Another reason for this chapter is that I have watched with dismay, as the status of the humanities in the university has diminished over the years. Some consider the humanities impractical since they don’t seem to prepare students for jobs when they graduate. Hence, most students in the U.S. want to study business, where, except for business ethics courses, the curriculum is usually devoid of the humanities. Over the years, I have participated in several projects to promote humanities research in leadership studies, including a special issue on leadership and the humanities in the Leadership Quarterly (see Ciulla JB. Leaders Q 19.4:393–395, 2008a) and a collection of original works on leadership by professors, of literature, art, design, music, philosophy, and political theory called Leadership and the Humanities (Ciulla JB (ed) Leadership and the humanities. In: Ciulla JB (ed) (3-volume set editor) Leadership at the crossroads, vol 3, Praeger, Westport, 2008b). In this chapter, I argue that the topic of leadership is a natural part of the humanities and that leadership scholars cannot fully understand leadership without building their research on the humanities as well as the social sciences.
Mathematics to Understand and Critique the World: Reconceiving Mathematics in a Mathematics Content Course for Elementary School Teachers

There are long-standing and ongoing calls for making mathematics meaningful, relevant, and applicable outside the classroom. In other words, to help students see mathematics as a tool for understan...
The Engineering Dynamics Course Companion, Part 1: Particles: Kinematics and Kinetics

Engineering Dynamics Course Companion, Part 1: Particles: Kinematics and Kinetics is a supplemental textbook intended to assist students, especially visual learners, in their approach to Sophomore-level Engineering Dynamics. This text covers particle kinematics and kinetics and emphasizes Newtonian Mechanics "Problem Solving Skills" in an accessible and fun format, organized to coincide with the first half of a semester schedule many instructors choose, and supplied with numerous example problems. While this book addresses Particle Dynamics, a separate book (Part 2) is available that covers Rigid Body Dynamics.