cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reasonably Accommodating Nonmitigating Plaintiffs After the ADA Amendments Act of 2008

The passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 ("ADAAA") has significantly changed the landscape of disability law in the United States. Prior to the ADAAA, the Supreme Court narrowed the definition of "disability" under the ADA in the landmark case Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc. Superseding Sutton, the ADAAA broadens the definition of "disability" by indicating that measures used to successfully mitigate a plaintiff's impairment may not be considered when determining whether a plaintiff is "disabled." The ADAAA does not, however, expressly address plaintiffs who fail to use these mitigating measures, and there has been confusion among district courts on how to address these nonmitigating plaintiffs. Because the ADAAA expands the definition of "disability," it will shift the focus of many ADA cases to the subsequent determination of whether a plaintiff, who could perform his job with or without a "reasonable accommodation, is a "qualified individual" under the ADA. This Note proposes that a nonmitigating plaintiff must establish that the burdens imposed on the plaintiff to mitigate the effects of his disability are not substantially less than the burdens imposed on the employer to accommodate the plaintiffs disability in order to show that an accommodation is reasonable. This proposal screens out cases where a plaintiffs decision not to mitigate is plainly unreasonable, yet allows most nonmitigating plaintiffs to survive summary judgment. In providing coverage in most cases, this proposal comports with the spirit of ADAAA to broaden coverage under the ADA.
Base resolution methylome profiling: considerations in platform selection, data preprocessing and analysis

Bisulfite treatment-based methylation microarray (mainly Illumina 450K Infinium array) and next-generation sequencing (reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, Agilent SureSelect Human Methyl-Seq, NimbleGen SeqCap Epi CpGiant or whole-genome bisulfite sequencing) are commonly used for base resolution DNA methylome research. Although multiple tools and methods have been developed and used for the data preprocessing and analysis, confusions remains for these platforms including how and whether the 450k array should be normalized; which platform should be used to better fit researchers’ needs; and which statistical models would be more appropriate for differential methylation analysis. This review presents the commonly used platforms and compares the pros and cons of each in methylome profiling. We then discuss approaches to study design, data normalization, bias correction and model selection for differentially methylated individual CpGs and regions.
Cotton Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae): Effect of In-Furrow Insecticides on Pesticide Resistance

A 2-yr study of the effect of in-furrow application of aldicarb, disulfoton, carbofuran, and acephate on the level or frequency of resistance in the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, revealed an increase in tolerance of survivors to bifenthrin (pyrethroid) and endosulfan (CHHC), two commonly used aphicides. With the exception of a low dose of acephate, all granular insecticides applied at planting increased the tolerance of surviving field-collected aphids and their offspring to both of these pesticides. Because alternative control measures may contribute more to the resistance problem than the use of granular insecticides at planting, the use of granular insecticides is still recommended as one of the steps to be taken in resistance management.
Unfairly forgotten member of the iodocarborane family: synthesis and structural characterization of 8-iodo-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane, its precursors, and derivatives.

8-Iodo-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (7) was prepared in three steps starting from decaborane-14 with 20% overall yield. In the presence of nucleophiles, compound 7 undergoes selective removal of the boron vertex in the position para to the iodine substituent to form the anionic nido-carborane 1-iodo-7,8-dicarba-nido-undecaborate. Capping of the corresponding dicarbollide dianion with BI3 led to formation of the new carborane, 3,10-diiodo-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (15). The same dicarbollide dianion reacts with cobalt and nickel acetylacetonates in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran to form the corresponding bis(dicarbollide) complexes with excellent yields. All compounds were characterized by multinuclear NMR and high-resolution mass spectroscopy. Structures of 2-iododecaborane (2), 8-iodo-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (7), 1-ethoxycarbonyl-8-iodo-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (10), cesium 1-iodo-7,8-dicarba-nido-undecaborate (13), 3,10-diiodo-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (15), and cesium 3,3′-commo-(10...
The vision of future smart grid

Because of the more complicated operation environment, which power system are confronting, and the continuous evolvement of power deregulation, the traditional power grids need to be enhanced again. With the development of materials, electronics, information and power technologies, a smart grid could then be constructed based on them. As the future direction of power grid, it can be clearly defined by its successful performance, characteristics, key technologies and business functions and the relations between them. The four components correspond to the future expected benefits, required special capability and related technologies support, the combination of technologies and businesses respectively. It was illustrated the four components in detaile, and provided a whole picture of future smart grid.
Measures of violence: Rumor publics and politics in the Kathmandu Valley:

Rumor is often depicted as a discourse predicating acts of popular violence – the unconscious medium for a decisive act of communal, mass and/or subaltern violence. This article presents a different perspective on how rumor relates to violence – instances of where rumor features as the contemplated subject of public inquiry regarding acts violence not yet formed, but considered imminent and likely as a condition of rumor’s possibility. Violence appears here as a spectral possibility contingent on how a rumor’s ‘aesthetic’, or material and circulatory expression, is likely to affect events of violent and political consequence beyond the coordinates of official publics and politics. Violence also appears in the habituated bodies, gestures, discourses, and spaces that encounter rumor and violence as such – material, spatial, and temporal orientations reflective and productive of chronic states of public and political precarity. The author’s argument is based on ethnographic work conducted in the Kathmandu Va...
Analysis of 613 Pneumoconiosis Cases in TISCO

[Objective]To understand the incidence and dynamic change of pneumoconiosis in TISCO over the years, and provide scientific evidence for developing dust countermeasure in the future.[Methods]A retrospective study was adopted to analyze the incidence of pneumoconiosis in TISCO from 1950—2008.[Results]A total of 613 pneumoconiosis patients were diagnosed, with 378 death cases. Most pneumoconiosis patients came from fire-resistant system at early period and mine system after the 1980s. The incidence seniority and incidence age prolonged annually. The top 4 death causes of pneumoconiosis patients were cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, respiratory diseases and malignant tumor. The main death cause was incipient tuberculosis. [Conclusion]The prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis are effective in TISCO. But more work need to be done for anti-pneumoconiosis in future.
Subspace Learning of Dynamics on a Shape Manifold: A Generative Modeling Approach

In this paper, we propose a novel subspace learning algorithm of shape dynamics. Compared to the previous works, our method is invertible and better characterizes the nonlinear geometry of a shape manifold while retaining a good computational efficiency. In this paper, using a parallel moving frame on a shape manifold, each path of shape dynamics is uniquely represented in a subspace spanned by the moving frame, given an initial condition (the starting point and starting frame). Mathematically, such a representation may be formulated as solving a manifold-valued differential equation, which provides a generative modeling of high-dimensional shape dynamics in a lower dimensional subspace. Given the parallelism and a path on a shape manifold, the parallel moving frame along the path is uniquely determined up to the choice of the starting frame. With an initial frame, we minimize the reconstruction error from the subspace to shape manifold. Such an optimization characterizes well the Riemannian geometry of the manifold by imposing parallelism (equivalent as a Riemannian metric) constraints on the moving frame. The parallelism in this paper is defined by a Levi–Civita connection, which is consistent with the Riemannian metric of the shape manifold. In the experiments, the performance of the subspace learning is extensively evaluated using two scenarios: 1) how the high dimensional geometry is characterized in the subspace and 2) how the reconstruction compares with the original shape dynamics. The results demonstrate and validate the theoretical advantages of the proposed approach.
Drainage of Abscess

Drainage of an abscess is indicated as primary treatment for purulent skin infections. The need for incision and drainage may be based on physical exam or with ultrasonography. If indicated, this may be done with local anesthetic. With consideration given to access to abscess, patient comfort and provider ergonomics, prep skin with cleansing agent. Using local anesthetic, inject intradermally. Incision should be across the abscess and once purulence is drained and irrigated, pack wound, covering with gauze. If systemic symptoms such as fever are present, oral antibiotic may be necessary in conjunction with procedure.
A Library of Rare α1-Antitrypsin (AAT) Variant Phenotypes to Aid in the Diagnosis of AAT Deficiency.

Objectives: α1-Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a hereditary disorder due to defective production of the serine protease inhibitor, AAT, which can cause lung and liver diseases. Severity of disease depends particularly on the phenotypic representation of AAT variants in the patient. Methods: In this study, we present determination of seven common and nine rare variant phenotypes of AAT using pediatric samples collected in Texas Children’s Hospital to address the knowledge gap in the identification of rare variants. We tested 16 different AAT variants that had been stored in a –80 °C freezer over the years to add to the reference library of AAT variants. The gold-standard isoelectric focusing electrophoresis method was used for analysis and interpretation of AAT variants. Each variant was inspected visually by comparing multiple bands, unique to phenotypic identity, with a previously identified pattern. Results: Seven common M, S, and Z variants were identified as M1M1, M2M2, M1M2, MS, SS, SZ, and ZZ. Nine rare variants were identified as FM, FS, FZ, PM, XM, YM, IM, TS, and EP. These were interpreted independently and in a blinded manner by an experienced technologist and two clinical chemists from two different institutions. Conclusions: Our results add to the reference library to identify the rare variant phenotypes of AAT protein. This report will guide clinical laboratories for proper assessment of rare variants and in turn contribute to accurate diagnosis and management of AAT deficiency.
Response by Di Tullio et al to Letter Regarding Article, “Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and Risk of Stroke and Cardiac Events in Heart Failure: Data From the Warfarin Versus Aspirin in Reduced Ejection Fraction Trial”

In their interesting letter, Chen et al point out that there was no placebo arm in the WARCEF trial (Warfarin Versus Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction), preventing an estimation of stroke incidence without antithrombotic treatment and, therefore, of the benefit, if any, of such treatment for stroke prevention. Although this is true, it should be noted that some antithrombotic treatment is usually prescribed to patients with systolic heart failure, whether because of a previous myocardial infarction, and therefore the need of antiplatelet treatment for secondary prevention, or of past episodes of atrial fibrillation, which are frequent in heart failure and mandate systemic anticoagulation. Also, heart failure is associated with blood hypercoagulability,1,2 and an ischemic, possibly embolic, mechanism is involved in the majority of strokes observed in patients with systolic heart failure,2 …
Precision long-term measurements of beta-decay-rate ratios in a controlled environment

Abstract We report on measurements of relative beta-decay rates of Na-22, Cl-36, Co-60, Sr-90, Cs-137 monitored for more than one year. The radioactive samples are mounted in an automated sample changer that sequentially positions the five samples in turn, with high spatial precision, in front of each of four Geiger–Muller tubes. The sample wheel, detectors, and associated electronics are housed inside a sealed chamber held at constant absolute pressure, humidity, and temperature to isolate the experiment from environmental variations. The statistical uncertainty in the count rate approaches a few times 0.01% with two weeks of averaging. Other sources of error are on a similar scale. The data are analyzed in variety of ways, comparing count rates of the various samples on one or more detectors, and comparing count rates of a particular sample across multiple detectors. We observe no statistically significant variations in the ratios of decay rates, either annual or at higher-frequency, at a level above 0.01%.
The physics and mathematics of multiantenna systems and how to improve their performances

The objective of this presentation is to illustrate that the principle of superposition of power is not always valid in electrical engineering and hence not applicable to analysis of multi antenna systems where multi-streams are affected by mutual interference. In electrical engineering, it is the voltage and the current that always can be superposed and that is why another name of it is field theory, as the voltages and the currents are the results of the fields. Examples will be presented to illustrate how the Maxwellian physics can be introduced to improve the system performance of multi antenna systems. This group also includes MIMO systems. The first objective of this presentation is to define the appropriate metric for comparison of performance between various multiantenna systems. In addition, when comparing the performance between systems, the input power needs to be the same for all the systems, as it is not clear how one excites an antenna in theory using a priori power, as antennas are excited with voltage sources just like in circuit theory. It becomes clear that the use of the Hartley definition of channel capacity is more appropriate to use for a multiantenna system rather than the Shannon Channel capacity which uses the superposition of power as Shannon did not develop the theory for wireless systems where the presence of self-interference is the limiting factor in the performance of a system rather than background thermal noise. From a physics perspective, it is illustrated that a 1×1 SISO system may perform better than a 2×2 MIMO system under specific circumstances. However, as the concept of channel capacity is developed on purely mathematical grounds based on entropy, it is difficult to relate the physics to the mathematics as the capacity is defined with respect to background thermal noise whereas no receiver can accept a signal weaker than 100 μV/m in the absence of interference, which is far above the background noise. One of the goals is also to illustrate that an N×N MIMO system does not necessarily have better performance than N separate SISO systems, using the same total input power. In addition, a zero-forcing scheme is presented where decoupling receivers in a MIMO broadcast scenario allows the direct use of the Hartley definition of capacity. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate this scenario and a comparison in performance with conventional systems will be made to illustrate that this system can perform equally well.
Creating a universal radio frequency front-end for elemental digital beam formed phased arrays

The DARPA Arrays at Commercial Timescales (ACT) program seeks to lower the nonrecurring engineering costs and timeframe of designing and upgrading phased arrays through the use of a common hardware module that can be reused across many phased array missions and array sizes. The ACT program seeks to utilize elemental level digital beamforming to remove many of the fixed choices, e.g. array size, number of beams, center frequency and bandwidth, associated with analog beam-former implementations. One of the main challenges in realizing this vision is the implementation of a common RF front-end that can be used to down/up covert RF signals over a wide range of center frequencies and bandwidths to within the analog bandwidth of typical data converters. The DARPA Radio Frequency Field Programmable Array (RF-FPGA) has yielded flexible and reprogrammable RF front-end systems. This paper describes research from the DARPA ACT and RF-FPGA programs in pursuit of a universal RF front-end.
Reliability of AuGe Die Attach on DBC Substrates With Different Ni Surface Finishes

Plated Ni is a commonly used barrier layer for direct bond copper (DBC) substrates used in high-temperature and high-power applications. The Ni plating method can be electrolytic or electroless, and the composition may be pure Ni, Ni:P, or Ni:B. With a melting point of 356 °C, eutectic Au88Ge12 (wt.%) solder preforms can be used for die attach in high-temperature applications up to 325 °C. The reactivity of these different Ni layers with the Ge in the AuGe solder preform has been compared. With Ni and Ni:B, the reaction was rapid during the reflow process, and initial shear strengths were low. With electroless and electrolytic Ni:P, the initial shear strengths were high and decreased ~30% after 3000 h aging at 300 °C and 325 °C. The formation of Ni–Ge intermetallic compounds (IMCs) during high-temperature storage was studied, and the growth kinetics of the Ni–Ge IMCs were calculated. A −55 °C to +300 °C thermal cycling test was conducted, in which the Cu-to-alumina DBC substrate interface failed before the die attach.
Theory-Laden Language

Our ideas about causation are closely linked with the activities we call “explaining” and “theorizing.” How and where the link is forged are the problems to which we shall address ourselves here.
Circadian Rhythm and the Business Person

Each human being has an internal timekeeping mechanism. To date, over 100 so-called ‘circadian’ rhythms have been detected. Perhaps the most significant is body temperature. There is an apparent connection between this rhythm and the efficiency with which we do things in the course of the working day. Within individuals, patterns have been discovered which give credence to the popular notions of a ‘morning’ or an ‘afternoon’ person, and so on. Our memory changes from morning to afternoon: short-term memory is stronger in the morning, and long-term memory stronger in the afternoon; in schools, ‘morning’ students have higher grades than students who have other time-of-day preferences. Therefore, a strong case can be made in support of flexible time schedules. It is reported that productivity went up on the introduction of such a scheme. Employee stress has been seen to decline also. When flextime was offered, parents with small children took advantage of the benefit as well as unmarried employees. The only drawback is ensuring that, with so many individual variations in preferences, the needs of the company are fully met. If such a scheme can be devised, however, the research suggests that productivity and efficiency will increase.
A Study of Situated Product Recommendations in Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality interfaces increasingly utilize artificial intelligence systems to tailor content and experiences to the user. We explore the effects of one such system - a recommender system for online shopping - which allows customers to view personalized product recommendations in the physical spaces where they might be used. We describe results of a 2x3 condition exploratory study in which recommendation quality was varied across 3 user interface types. Our results highlight potential differences in user perception of the recommended objects in an AR environment. Specifically, users rate product recommendations significantly higher in AR and in a 3D browser interface, and show a significant increase in trust in the recommender system, compared to a web interface with 2D product images. Through semi-structured interviews, we gather participant feedback which suggests AR interfaces perform better due to their ability to view products within the physical context where they will be used.
Thermostructural Response of a Spatially Graded Metal-Ceramic Composite Panel Subjected to High-Speed Flight Loads

AbstractThe response of a thermally and mechanically loaded metal-ceramic spatially graded composite structural panel is considered. The load profiles that are representative of in-flight high-spee...
Enrichment-induced differences in methamphetamine drug discrimination in male rats.

Abstract Rats raised in an enriched environment show a decrease in sensitivity to the subjective effects of the psychostimulant d-amphetamine. The purpose of the present study was to determine if environmental enrichment during development alters the subjective effects of the more commonly abused drug methamphetamine. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were raised in either an enriched (EC) or an isolated condition (IC). EC and IC rats were trained on a two-lever operant procedure to discriminate 1.0 mg/kg (i.p.) methamphetamine from saline. Following acquisition of the discrimination a methamphetamine generalization curve (0.1–1.0 mg/kg) was determined. The antagonistic effects of dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.0075–0.06 mg/kg) and the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist eticlopride (0.01–0.3 mg/kg) were also tested. Finally, the ability of nicotine (0.05–0.5 mg/kg) to generalize and the ability of the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine (0.125–0.5 mg/kg) to antagonize the discriminative stimulus effects of methamphetamine were determined. EC rats were less sensitive to discriminative stimulus effects of methamphetamine compared to IC rats at a low 0.3 mg/kg dose and showed full antagonism of methamphetamine discrimination following SCH23390 compared to IC rats. There were no environmentally-induced differences in the effects of eticlopride. Nicotine only partially generalized to the effects of methamphetamine in both EC and IC rats. While mecamylamine failed to antagonize the effects of methamphetamine in either EC or IC rats. These results suggest that environmental enrichment decreases sensitivity to the discriminative effects of methamphetamine and the differences may be mediated through changes in the D1 dopamine receptor.
Some observations of hypervelocity impacts with porous media.

Hypervelocity impact of glass spheres with porous media, studying target material ejection with regard to lunar crater fragment trajectories
A multifunctional shape-morphing elastomer with liquid metal inclusions

Natural soft tissue achieves a rich variety of functionality through a hierarchy of molecular, microscale, and mesoscale structures and ordering. Inspired by such architectures, we introduce a soft, multifunctional composite capable of a unique combination of sensing, mechanically robust electronic connectivity, and active shape morphing. The material is composed of a compliant and deformable liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) matrix that can achieve macroscopic shape change through a liquid crystal phase transition. The matrix is dispersed with liquid metal (LM) microparticles that are used to tailor the thermal and electrical conductivity of the LCE without detrimentally altering its mechanical or shape-morphing properties. Demonstrations of this composite for sensing, actuation, circuitry, and soft robot locomotion suggest the potential for versatile, tissue-like multifunctionality.
Ethical Considerations in Supervision: Familiarity Is Your Friend

Purpose This article will discuss the ASHA Code of Ethics and its application to the supervision of various individuals throughout the continuum of professional practice. Additionally, it will disc...
Time of Feeding Alters Obesity-Associated Parameters and Gut Bacterial Communities, but Not Fungal Populations, in C57BL/6 Male Mice.

Background Fasting and timed feeding strategies normalize obesity parameters even under high-fat dietary intake. Although previous work demonstrated that these dietary strategies reduce adiposity and improve metabolic health, limited work has examined intestinal microbial communities. Objectives We determined whether timed feeding modifies the composition of the intestinal microbiome and mycobiome (yeast and fungi). Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HF) for 6 wk. Animals were then randomly assigned to the following groups (n = 8-10/group): 1) HF ad libitum; 2) purified high-fiber diet (Daniel Fast, DF); 3) HF-time-restricted feeding (TRF) (6 h); 4) HF-alternate-day fasting (ADF); or 5) HF at 80% total caloric restriction (CR). After 8 wk, obesity and gut parameters were characterized. We also examined changes to the gut microbiome and mycobiome before, during, and following dietary interventions. Results Body mass gain was reduced with all restricted dietary groups. HF-fed microbiota displayed lower α-diversity along with reduced phylum levels of Bacteroidetes and increased Firmicutes. Animals switched from HF to DF demonstrated a rapid transition in bacterial taxonomic composition, α-, and β-diversity that initially resembled HF, but was distinct after 4 and 8 wk of DF feeding. Time-or calorie-restricted HF-fed groups did not show changes at the phylum level, but α-diversity was increased, with specific genera altered. Six weeks of HF feeding reduced various fungal populations, particularly Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Talaromyces, and increased Candida, Hanseniaspora, and Kurtzmaniella. However, 8 wk of intervention did not change the fungal populations, with the most abundant genera being Candida, Penicillium, and Hanseniaspora. Conclusions These data suggest that timed-feeding protocols and diet composition do not significantly affect the gut fungal community, despite inducing measurable shifts in the bacterial population that coincide with improvements in metabolism.
BrailleBlocks: Computational Braille Toys for Collaborative Learning

Braille literacy has fallen in recent years, and many blind children now grow up without learning Braille. However, learning Braille can increase employment chances and improve literacy skills. We introduce BrailleBlocks, a system to help visually impaired children learn and practice Braille alongside a sighted parent. BrailleBlocks comprises a set of tangible blocks and pegs, each block representing a Braille cell, and an associated application with games. The system automatically tracks and recognizes the blocks so that parents can follow along even if they cannot read Braille. We conducted a user study to test BrailleBlocks with five families, with five parents and six visually impaired children. The contributions of this work are a novel approach to Braille education toys, observations of how visually impaired children and sighted parents used this system together, their insights on current issues with Braille educational tools, and actionable feedback for future Braille-based learning tools.
Polyethylene Terephthalate Deconstruction Catalyzed by a Carbon-Supported Single-Site Molybdenum-Dioxo Complex

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is selectively depolymerized by a carbon-supported single-site molybdenum-dioxo catalyst to terephthalic acid (PTA) and ethylene. The solventless reactions are most efficient under 1 atmosphere of H2 . The catalyst exhibits high stability and can be recycled multiple times without loss of activity. Waste beverage bottle PET or a PET + polypropylene (PP) mixture (simulating the bottle + cap) proceeds at 260 °C with complete PET deconstruction and quantitative PTA isolation. Mechanistic studies with a model diester, 1,2-ethanediol dibenzoate, suggest the reaction proceeds by initial retro-hydroalkoxylation/β-C-O scission and subsequent hydrogenolysis of the vinyl benzoate intermediate.
Ecological Niche Modeling: An Introduction for Veterinarians and Epidemiologists

Most infectious diseases in animals are not distributed randomly. Instead, diseases in livestock and wildlife are predictable in terms of the geography, time, and species affected. Ecological niche modeling approaches have been crucial to the advancement of our understanding of diversity and diseases distributions. This contribution is an introductory overview to the field of distributional ecology, with emphasis on its application for spatial epidemiology. A new, revised modeling framework is proposed for more detailed and replicable models that account for both the biology of the disease to be modeled and the uncertainty of the data available. Considering that most disease systems need at least two organisms interacting (i.e., host and pathogen), biotic interactions lie at the core of the pathogen's ecological niche. As a result, neglecting interacting organisms in pathogen dynamics (e.g., maintenance, reproduction, and transmission) may limit efforts to forecast disease distributions in veterinary epidemiology. Although limitations of ecological niche modeling are noted, it is clear that the application and value of ecological niche modeling to epidemiology will increase in the future. Potential research lines include the examination of the effects of biotic variables on model performance, assessments of protocols for model calibration in disease systems, and new tools and metrics for robust model evaluation. Epidemiologists aiming to employ ecological niche modeling theory and methods to reconstruct and forecast epidemics should familiarize themselves with ecological literature and must consider multidisciplinary collaborations including veterinarians to develop biologically sound, statistically robust analyses. This review attempts to increase the use of tools from ecology in disease mapping.
Textual Analysis of Communications in COVID-19 Infected Community on Social Media

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people started to discuss about pandemic-related topics on social media. On subreddit \textit{r/COVID19positive}, a number of topics are discussed or being shared, including experience of those who got a positive test result, stories of those who presumably got infected, and questions asked regarding the pandemic and the disease. In this study, we try to understand, from a linguistic perspective, the nature of discussions on the subreddit. We found differences in linguistic characteristics (e.g. psychological, emotional and reasoning) across three different categories of topics. We also classified posts into the different categories using SOTA pre-trained language models. Such classification model can be used for pandemic-related research on social media.
Funding the future of global health: A medical student perspective

As students from the Penn State College of Medicine (PSCOM) who are engaged in medical research projects in Ecuador, Kenya, Ethiopia and Peru, we recognize we are at a defining crossroad in global health; yet, our voices are seldom invited into public debate. For decades, global health has been synonymous with prevention and treatment of infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis; today, however, the disease burden is shifting toward non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and future physicians will face the likelihood of having to make difficult decisions about the distribution of the scarce resources devoted to health care.1 The 2011 United Nations General Assembly Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases sparked a debate when members proposed increased funding for NCDs without acknowledging the negative impact such allocations would have on funding for preventing and treating infectious diseases.1 With our future careers and past experiences in mind, students from PSCOM have explored this conflict in depth and concluded that it is critical that we fight for continued funding of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Zero echo time pediatric musculoskeletal magnetic resonance imaging: initial experience.

Projection radiography (XR) is often supplemented by both CT (to evaluate osseous structures with ionizing radiation) and MRI (for marrow and soft-tissue assessment). Zero echo time (ZTE) MR imaging produces a “CT-like” osseous contrast that might obviate CT. This study investigated our institution’s initial experience in implementing an isotropic ZTE MR imaging sequence for pediatric musculoskeletal examinations. Pediatric patients referred for extremity MRI at 3 tesla (T) underwent ZTE MR imaging to yield images with contrast similar to that of CT. A radiograph-like image was also created with ray-sum image processing. We assessed ZTE–CT/XR anatomical image quality (Sanat) from 0 (nondiagnostic) to 5 (outstanding). Further, we made image comparisons on a 5-point scale (Scomp) (range of −2 = conventional CT/XR greater anatomical delineation to +2 = ZTE–CT/XR greater anatomical delineation; 0=same) for three cohorts: (1) ZTE–XR to conventional radiography, (2) ZTE–CT to conventional CT and (3) pathological lesion assessment on ZTE–XR to conventional radiography. We measured cortical thickness of ZTE–XR and ZTE–CT and compared these with conventional imaging. We calculated confidence interval of proportions, Wilcoxon rank sum test and intraclass correlation coefficients for inter-reader agreement. Cohorts 1, 2 and 3 consisted of 40, 20 and 35 cases, respectively (age range 0.6−23.0 years). ZTE–CT versus CT and ZTE–XR versus radiography of cortical thicknesses were not significantly different (P=0.55 and P=0.31, respectively). Cortical delineation was rated diagnostic or better (score of 3, 4 or 5) in all cases (confidence interval of proportions = 100%) for ZTE–CT/XR. Similarly, intramedullary cavity delineation was rated diagnostic or better in all cases for ZTE–CT, and ZTE–XR was at least diagnostic in 58–63% of cases. For cohort 2, cortex and intramedullary cavity Scomp for ZTE–CT was comparable to those of conventional CT, with confidence interval of proportion (sum of score of −1 to +2) of 93−100% and 95%, respectively. Pathology visualized on ZTE–CT/XR was comparable; Scomp confidence interval of proportions was 95%/97–100%, with improved delineation of non-displaced fractures on ZTE–XR. Readers had moderate to near-perfect intraclass correlation coefficient (range=0.60–0.93). Implementation of a diagnostic-quality ZTE MRI sequence in the pediatric population is feasible and can be performed as a complementary pulse sequence to enhance musculoskeletal MRI studies. Compared to conventional CT, ZTE has comparable cortical delineation, intramedullary cavity and pathology visualization. While not intended as a replacement for conventional radiography, ZTE–XR provides similar visualization of pathology.
Clinical and cost efficacy of advanced wound care matrices in the treatment of venous leg ulcers: a systematic review.

Background: Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are hard-to-heal, recurrent and challenging to treat. Advanced wound care matrices (AWCMs) have been developed to supplement conventional therapies. These costl...
Do Mutual Funds (Window) Dress Up for All Occasions? - A Comparison of SEC and Non-SEC Portfolio Disclosures

Given the extensive amount of data available, the mutual fund industry has been used as a laboratory to study performance, risk-taking, agency theory, and behavior of financial agents. Most recent mutual fund studies utilize portfolio holdings data, which are commonly obtained from the Thomson Mutual Fund Holdings database (Thomson). In this paper, we document a wide disparity between holdings data that are reported in Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and Thomson (non-SEC). When examining the same sample of equity funds from 1996 to 2008, we find only forty-eight percent of the 77,582 portfolios available through Thomson and SEC filings appear in both data sources. The remainder of the filings is sent to either Thomson only (thirty-two percent) or the SEC only (twenty percent). All told, Thomson is missing 30% of these funds’ SEC disclosures, or 15,357 portfolios. After hand collecting the missing SEC portfolios, we examine a number of potential issues that may result from this informational disparity. We hypothesize that the most likely reason for the disparity in the timing of the filings is related to administrative convenience or continuity when providing holdings data to Thomson. Since fund managers may not know these non-SEC portfolios are being disclosed or view them as less important, we find more evidence SEC portfolios are window-dressing when compared to non-SEC portfolios. We also, for the first time, are able to estimate the cost of window dressing because of the heterogeneity in portfolio window dressing for the same fund. We estimate that the cost of window dressing to investors is low both in terms of direct costs due to excess trading and indirect costs due to decreased fund monitoring ability. Finally, we discuss the implications of the portfolio disclosure heterogeneity on academic research.
Management Issues in the U.S. Construction Industry

In order to begin to examine the construction industry and its operations, the management and organization aspects of the industry are reviewed. The issues facing the industry in these areas are examined, in terms of identifying some of their causes, effects, and interactions and of examining some solutions suggested to alleviate certain undesirable situations. The specific topics considered include: (1) Some structural features of the industry; (2) participants and their interactions in conventional project construction; (3) contractual arrangements; and (4) management functions in a construction company’s projects. These issues, among others relating to economics and financing, labor, and technology, are found to be of considerable concern to the construction industry and thus warrant further substantial research. It is necessary to ascertain whether the industry is doing the best it can under the present circumstances and whether conditions external or internal, or both, to the industry can or should, or both, be altered somehow to improve the industry’s operations. Research along these lines should be executed on both a micro and macrolevel.
Steady-State Examples

This chapter introduces the notion of steady state through several physically significant examples. Indeed, there exist many time-dependent problems, among which are problems of phase growth, whose solution can be “almost” at steady state. Such is the case for oxidation kinetics, precipitate growth, and crystal growth under conditions of constant supersaturation. Along the way, the equilibrium properties of binary systems and of “small” phases will be reviewed.
Acceptability of Fat-Free Chocolate Bar Cookies by Dietary Managers

Low dietary fat intake may reduce one's risk of cardiovascular disease. In this study, dietary managers determined the acceptability and their willingness to serve fat-free chocolate bar cookies prepared with either okra gum or applesauce as the fat substitute. Sensory ratings for fat-free cookies with okra gum were acceptable and similar or better than the full-fat version. Fat-free chocolate bar cookies with applesauce were rated neutral to moderately acceptable on all characteristics except flavor. However, ratings were lower than full-fat cookies in all areas except smell, and dietary managers were least willing to serve the fat-free cookies with applesauce. In conclusion, fat-free chocolate bar cookies with okra gum may be a novel alternative for foodservice operations offering fat-free baked products.
Hyper-Erlang Distribution Model and its Application in Wireless Mobile Networks

This paper presents the study of the hyper-Erlang distribution model and its applications in wireless networks and mobile computing systems. We demonstrate that the hyper-Erlang model provides a very general model for users' mobility and may provide a viable approximation to fat-tailed distribution which leads to the self-similar traffic. The significant difference from the traditional approach in the self-similarity study is that we want to provide an approximation model which preserves the Markovian property of the resulting queueing systems. We also illustrate that the hyper-Erlang distribution is a natural model for the characterization of the systems with mixed types of traffics. As an application, we apply the hyper-Erlang distribution to model the cell residence time (for users' mobility) and demonstrate the effect on channel holding time. This research may open a new avenue for traffic modeling and performance evaluation for future wireless networks and mobile computing systems, over which multiple types of services (voice, data or multimedia) will be supported.
IGFBP-3 reduces eNOS and PKCzeta phosphorylation, leading to lowered VEGF levels.

Purpose: In models of diabetic retinopathy, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is protective to the retina, especially retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RECs), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. For this study, we hypothesized that IGFBP-3 may reduce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels through reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity, which may be protective against macular edema. Methods: To test this hypothesis, we grew primary human retinal endothelial cells in normal glucose (5 mM) or high glucose (25 mM) for three days, treated with IGFBP-3 NB plasmid (a plasmid of IGFBP-3 that cannot bind IGF-1), followed by western blotting for eNOS, protein kinase C zeta (PKCzeta), and VEGF. Additionally, we treated some cells with recombinant eNOS or PKCzeta, after IGFBP-3 NB plasmid transfection to validate that these pathways regulate VEGF levels. Immunoprecipitation experiments were done with the eNOS antibody, followed by western blotting for PKCzeta, to determine if eNOS and PKCzeta interact directly. Results: Our results suggest that 1) IGFBP-3 inhibits the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and protein kinase C zeta (PKCzeta) pathway, which in turn inhibits VEGF production, and 2) that eNOS plays a role in activating PKCzeta to increase VEGF levels in diabetic retinopathy. Conclusions: In conclusion, IGFBP-3 may be a novel treatment for macular edema through the inhibition of eNOS and PKCzeta activation, leading to reduced VEGF levels.
Extinct Radioactivities and the History of the Elements and the Solar System

Abstract Measurements of the accumulation of Xe 129 from radioactive decay of extinct I 129 in meteorites show that the I 129 /I 127 ratio in high temperature minerals in diverse chondrites was uniformly 10 −4 at the time of cooling. A formation interval of 60 m.y. is indicated. Fissiogenic xenon, which has to be ascribed to radioactive decay of extinct Pu 244 , is found in all stone meteorites. Its concentration in achondrites is consistent with models of uniform galactic nucleosynthesis and with the lack of appreciable Xe 129 in achondrites. A formation interval of 130 m.y. is indicated. But its concentration in chondrites, and especially carbonaceous chondrites, is much too high to be understood and suggests that one or two late supernovae have contributed strongly to local nucleosynthesis for the solar system.
A graph theoretical approach to Möbius systems in organic chemistry

We present a graph theoretical approach to Mobius systems, extending the concept of conjugated circuits to cyclic arrays that involve a single phase inversion. The approach can be applied without difficulty to polycyclic systems, justifying validity of the 4n rule beyond the narrow class of monocyclic systems. One obtains expressions for the resonance energy of Mobius systems that frequently allow an assessment of the relative stabilities among different systems without use of a full numerical analysis. Given reliable computations allowing one to select parameters, the approach could be used quantitatively; however, its important value is at the conceptual level. It offers insights into structural components contributing to the molecular stability for some ground-state organic systems as well as to the factors that govern numerous chemical reactions. In this paper we have analyzed a dozen conjugated alternant hydrocarbons having 4-, 6-, and 8-membered rings and found the most stable Mobius system for each parent hydrocarbon. The analysis consists in enumeration of conjugated circuits of size 4n + 2 and 4n, discriminating between the conjugated circuits involving a phase inversion and those that do not.
Antimicrobial-resistant coliforms in New York Bight☆

Abstract A preliminary study of sediments and overlying water samples obtained at the approximate centre of the sewage sludge bed in the New York Bight, revealed significant numbers of coliforms resistant to antibiotics and heavy metals. Some of the isolates were shown to transfer antibiotic resistance during conjugation with a recipient strain of Salmonella gallinarum . The selection of bacterial populations resistant to antimicrobials may be significant in the ecology of this impoverished area, and requires further study.
Analysis of nitrogen heterocycles in shale oil by a dual capillary column heart cutting technique

Abstract The analysis of nitrogen heterocycles in a shale oil matrix is described. A dual column gas chromatograph is used for the analysis after a simple sample preparation scheme is used. Details of the apparatus, especially the inter-column pneumatic microswitch, are given. Quantitation by the standard addition method using internal volume corrections is described. Future direction for further development of this technique is briefly discussed.
Sensitive detection of rare Ewing's sarcoma cells in peripheral blood by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

Abstract Disseminated disease is very important in the clinical assessment of pediatric sarcomas. Several reports suggest that reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) holds great promise in the early staging of cancer patients in general. However, the complexities of these protocols hamper adequate standardization, and their application as routine diagnostic tools has been difficult. The aim of this study is to assess the actual minimal number of tumor cells that may be detected by RT-PCR in a blood sample. Specific tumor cell dilutions from a Ewing's sarcoma cell line reconstituted in peripheral blood from healthy individuals were "ficolled" and submitted to RNA extraction for cDNA preparation and PCR amplification of the t(11–22) (q24;q12) fusion transcript. After PCR amplification, we were able to detect the EWS/FLI-1 chimeric gene product at a dilution of 10 tumor cells per 1 or 2 mL of blood. Our simple method supports a role for routine clinical use of RT-PCR in the detection of circulating Ewing's sarcoma cells.
Functional inactivation of p53 by HPV-E6 transformation is associated with a reduced expression of radiation-induced potentially lethal damage.

Purpose : To examine the effect of functional loss of p53 on radiation sensitivity and potentially lethal damage repair (PLDR). Materials and methods : Radiation sensitivity and PLDR were examined in an isogenic pair of human tumour cell lines created by HPV- E6 transformation. Results : Inactivation of p53 by E6 transformation resulted in a cell line that was more resistant to killing by radiation but showed little enhancement in survival (PLDR) when plateauphase cells were held non-cycling after radiation exposure. Holding p53 -normal cells in plateau-phase after radiation exposure not only led to enhanced survival, but also to a reduction in the proportion of cells that blocked in G1 subsequent to release. Conclusions : These results suggest that p53 expression influences that component of radiation sensitivity associated with PLDR.