cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intimate Partner Violence Before and During Pregnancy Related Demographic and Psychosocial Factors and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms Among Mexican American Women

Although research examining intimate partner violence (IPV) has expanded in recent years, there has been relatively little examination of the related demographic and psychosocial factors, as well as mental health outcomes, for IPV before and during pregnancy, especially in a Mexican American population. The current study provides a snapshot of the occurrence of IPV in a community sample of low-income, perinatal Mexican American women (n = 320). Results indicated that 13.1% of the women reported IPV before pregnancy and 11.3% reported IPV during pregnancy. For both IPV before and during pregnancy, women born in the United States were more likely to report IPV than foreign-born women. For IPV before pregnancy, women who were not in a serious romantic relationship or reported a history of childhood trauma were also more likely to report IPV. For IPV during pregnancy, women who reported higher general stress and lower social support were also more likely to report IPV. Finally, the current study provided strong evidence that a history of IPV predicted elevated postpartum depressive symptoms, above and beyond the impact of prenatal depressive symptoms. This study brings greater awareness to a complex and harmful situation in an understudied population. Results are discussed in terms of the relation between demographic and psychosocial risk for IPV before and during pregnancy, acculturation, and postpartum depressive symptoms, as well as the implications for the development of future prevention and intervention programs.
Reduction in dental hypersensitivity with nano-hydroxyapatite, potassium nitrate, sodium monoflurophosphate and antioxidants.

Objective: This clinical study aimed to evaluate effectiveness of a commercially available toothpaste containing potassium nitrate, sodium monoflurophosphate, and nano-hydroxyapatite as well as antioxidants phloretin, ferulic acid and silymarin in reducing dental hypersensitivity in adults. Materials and methods: The clinical trial enrolled patients with a history of dentin hypersensitivity. A test toothpaste was introduced into the daily routine, which included initial instruc- tion on usage. Patients completed a five-question visual analog scale (VAS) at the inception/baseline, after two days and after two weeks of using the toothpaste to determine their level of tooth sensitivity at baseline with the use of the toothpaste over time. Results: Patients that had significant sensitivity at baseline had a range of 52% to 76 % improvement after 48 hours and a range of 70% to 84% improvement after two weeks. Conclusion: A toothpaste containing potassium nitrate, sodium monoflurophosphate, and nano-hydroxyapatite plus antioxidants phloretin, ferulic acid and silymarin applied daily significantly decreased tooth pain of dentin hypersensitivity within a two-day and two-week time period. Clinical Significance: Based on the clinical study results, a daily application of a toothpaste containing potassium nitrate, sodium monofluorophosphate, and nano-hydroxyapatite plus antioxidants phloretin, ferulic acid and silymarin can signifi- cantly and quickly reduce tooth pain of dentin hypersensitivity.
Modular simulation environments: an object manager based architecture

To perform a simulation project, simulationists employ simulation specific software tools, general purpose software tools, and perhaps software developed to meet the needs of a particular project. Ideally, these divergent tools would work together in a seamless simulation environment. Modular simulation environments are one way of meeting this goal. Software tools can be added to or deleted from a modular simulation as needed. Thus, the simulation environment can be configured on a project by project basis or even dynamically during the course of a project. The flow of data between the tools in the environment is also a primary concern. An object manager based architecture provides the capabilities to add and delete software tools as necessary as well as to control the flow of data between the software tools. Each software tool and each data set can be viewed as an object with certain attributes. The object manager controls the invocation of the software tools as well as meeting input data requirements and organizing and managing the results of each operation. The design of such an object manager is presented. An example modular simulation environment is given and its configuration and operation illustrated.
USE AND ABUSE OF THE TIMBER CULTURE ACT

ABSTRACT The Timber Culture Act was one of the land laws used to enter and remove land from the public domain between 1873 and 1891. The Act was one aspect of the total adjustment necessitated in the settlers' occupance of the central grasslands of the United States, where the rainfall decreases rapidly westward. Tying the planting of trees to a gift of 160 acres of land was intended to increase the tree cover in order to modify the climate and provide a much needed supply of lumber and fuel. The greatest number of timber culture entries were made on the subhumid and semiarid grasslands of the four Great Plains states from North Dakota south through Kansas. Some settlers were successful in their plantings, but many others failed to grow trees despite honest efforts. Speculators, through the sale of relinquishments and land holding techniques, so dominated and abused timber culture entry that the law was repealed in 1891. A commutation clause in the repeal act permitted the patenting of many treeless tree ...
Combustion properties of carbon slurry drops

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the combustion properties of carbon slurry fuels is described. The combustion of individual drops (400-1000 /*m in diameter) supported at various positions within an open turbulent diffusion flame was observed. When a slurry drop was exposed to the flame, the liquid fuel evaporated in the first stage of the process leaving a porous carbon agglomerate formed from the carbon particles in the slurry. The second stage involved heat-up and reaction or quenching of the agglomerate. Consumption of the agglomerate was the slowest step in the process, requiring 90-95% of the drop lifetime, even in regions where maximum agglomerate reaction rates were observed. An analysis was developed to provide predictions of both liquid and agglomerate heat-up and gasification. The analysis yielded good predictions of both particle size and temperature variations for flame equivalence ratios of 0.272-1.350. The use of a catalyzed slurry was found to increase agglomerate burning rates in the lean portions of the flame, extending the lean limit of agglomerate reaction. Nomenclature ai - area/reactivity factor At = pre-exponential factor Cp - specific heat d - flame jet diameter dp = particle diameter D = effective binary diffusivity Ei - activation energy / = enthalpy if = enthalpy of formation K = dimensionless mass burning rate, Eq. (15)
Attenuation of alcohol-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes in rat livers by polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC).

Background: Alcohol consumption increases apoptosis of hepatocytes. This effect appears to be mediated by the induction of hepatic cytochrome P-4502E1(CYP2E1) and its generation of free radicals, which results in an enhanced lipid peroxidation that initiates apoptosis. Because polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC), a soybean extract rich in polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines, decreases the induction of ethanol-specific CYP2E1 and opposes oxidative stress, we hypothesized that PPC supplementation may attenuate hepatocyte apoptosis caused by ethanol ingestion. Methods: Twenty-eight male Sprague Dawley® rats were pair-fed Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets containing 36% of energy as alcohol or an isocaloric amount of carbohydrate for 28 days. Half of the rats were given PPC (3 g/liter), whereas the other half received the same amount of linoleate (as safflower oil) and of choline as the bitartrate. An additional dose of alcohol (3 g/kg) was given intragastrically 90 min before the livers were removed. We assessed apoptosis in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver sections by using the TUNEL (terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling) assay. Apoptotic hepatocytes were identified by positive TUNEL staining in conjunction with condensation of nucleoplasm or margination of chromatin. In each rat, 20,000 to 60,000 hepatocytes were counted by light microscopy by using Image-Pro Plus computer software, and the incidence of apoptosis was expressed as the percentage of total hepatocytes. Results: Alcohol feeding resulted in a 4.5-fold increase in apoptosis of hepatocytes compared to pair-fed control rats; PPC supplementation decreased the alcohol-induced apoptosis to less than half. No difference in the incidence of apoptosis between the control and PPC-supplemented rats was found in the absence of alcohol. Apoptosis was distributed randomly in the liver lobules of the rats fed the control diet, whereas the alcohol-induced apoptosis was significantly increased in the perivenular area. PPC supplementation strikingly reduced this effect. Conclusions: PPC attenuates alcohol-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes; this effect may provide a mechanism for PPC's protection against liver injury, possibly in association with its antioxidative action via the down-regulation of ethanol-mediated CYP2E1 induction.
The Cave Revisited

In 1962 I offered an analysis of the Line and Cave which (1) maintained that the four main divisions of each are parallel and (2) interpreted the three stages of ascent in the Cave allegory as representing the three stages in Plato's educational programme: music and gymnastic, mathematics and dialectic. At that time a major portion of my task was to counter arguments which purported to show that the Line and Cave could not be parallel. The present situation is quite different since recent writers, for the most part, not only take the four main divisions of the Cave as parallel to those of the Line, but also accept the restriction of the Cave allegory to moral and mathematical education as a crucial step in the establishing of this fact. This last move, which is clearly in harmony with the form and content of the Republic, enables us to allow for the ordinary unenlightened man to be at the bottom level of the Cave without our having to suggest that he confuses the shadows of visual objects with their originals, which could well be the case if the Cave were taken to represent all sense perception as such.Despite fairly general agreement on these basic points of interpretation there remains, however, a wide divergence of opinion as to the significance of the various levels of education or moral awareness portrayed by the Cave. In keeping with several recent papers on this topic I shall focus my attention on the bottom two stages of this allegory: the state (C1) of the prisoners viewing shadows on the cave wall and that (C2) of the released prisoners, still in the cave, but turned around and looking at the puppets which cast these shadows.
Prenatal exposure to alcohol and school problems in late childhood: A longitudinal prospective study

The population-based Seattle Longitudinal Prospective Study on Alcohol and Pregnancy unites the fields of developmental psychopathology and behavioral teratology. Examining prenatal biological influences on childhood learning problems, this report is the first to extend earlier findings of alcohol-related deficits into late childhood. This follow-up study of 458 singletons assesses the degree to which children's classroom behavior and achievement difficulties at age 11 are predicted by prenatal alcohol exposure across the full spectrum of maternal use. Partial least squares statistical techniques are used to summarize complex multiple measures of exposure and outcome as latent variables. Accounting for many factors potentially important in development, analyses reveal a significant and subtle dose-response relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and children's school performance a decade later. Maternal binge drinking (five or more drinks per occasion) and drinking during very early pregnancy are particularly salient for children's poorer school performance. A wide variety of problematic classroom behaviors, including attentional, activity, information-processing, and academic difficulties, are salient for prenatal alcohol exposure. Considered within the body of data on alcohol teratogenesis, these findings suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure has an enduring and predictable relationship with developmental difficulties through late childhood. Clinical, research, and public health implications are discussed.
Bearing Capacity of Spread Footings on Aggregate Pier Reinforced Clay

AbstractAggregate piers, also known as stone columns, are a commonly used ground improvement technique to stiffen existing soils for the support of structure foundations. This paper presents an evaluation of existing analytical expressions for the bearing capacity of spread footings supported on aggregate pier reinforced clay. The accuracy of these models was investigated using a database of high-quality footing load test data. The existing models were compared using the bias (i.e., the ratio of measured and calculated bearing capacity), and they produced a wide range in predicted bearing capacities. Selected analytical models were empirically modified using the load test database, and this resulted in improved accuracy and reduced variability. Back-calculated aggregate pier bearing capacity and cavity expansion factors are shown to be inversely proportional to undrained shear strength, and therefore to the ultimate confining pressure available at failure. This finding is attributed to the curved failure ...
Hard Time Meets a Soft World - Management of Time Concepts in Software-Defined Radios

Many military, government and civil radio communications waveforms rely on a precise concept of time for proper operation. Without proper time coordination, frequency hopping, time-division multiplexing, synchronous data passing or precise positioning waveforms will be unable to properly align data in time, find peers on the proper frequency / time, or will interfere with other station's communications. Such time dependencies can either be between the platform hardware and the waveform, between local and remote nodes, between a node and a central time server or any combination of the above. Commercial and military radio hardware has in the past twenty years undergone an evolution in technology, and with that evolution the means of handling time-based concepts has changed as well. The present generation of software-defined radios strongly emphasizes waveform-platform independence and cross-vendor waveform portability between diverse platforms. This has necessitated a re-examination on how time concepts are communicated and used by waveforms and platforms alike. In this paper, several techniques for representing platform time, and communicating / using that time for precise frequency hopping and TDMA waveforms are discussed, as well as considerations when communicating time between SDRs and external equipment. These methods can be used to implement platforms and waveforms that support the cause of portability, while retaining the performance of the past proprietary implementations.
FDA MAUDE data on complications with lasers, light sources, and energy-based devices.

Background and Objective It is essential for physicians to be fully informed regarding adverse events and malfunctions associated with medical devices that occur in routine practice. There is limited information on this important issue in the medical literature, and it is mostly based on initial studies and case reports. More advanced knowledge regarding device adverse events is necessary to guide physicians towards providing safe treatments. The FDA requires that manufacturers and device users submit medical device reports (MDRs) for suspected injuries from device use or malfunction. The database of MDRs, entitled Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) enables the FDA to monitor device performance and identify potential safety issues. Study Design/Materials and Methods We employed the following search strategy to identify reported adverse events. We searched the MAUDE electronic database on the FDA website in December 2013: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfmaude/search.cfm We collected all reported cases between 1991 and December 2013. The search terms utilized included a comprehensive list of device manufacturers, specific product names, and the wavelengths/technology of the devices used in the field of dermatology. Results Our search yielded 1257 MDRs. Forty-five MDRs were excluded due to insufficient data. The data is broken down into the adverse events observed, such as, but not limited to: blistering, burns, scarring, dyschromia, fat loss, and nerve palsy. The MDRs describe the adverse event and attempt to determine if it was related to device malfunction versus operator error. Radiofrequency devices, diode lasers, and intense pulsed light devices were the most commonly reported devices related to injuries. Conclusion 1257 MDRs, from a myriad of devices used in dermatology, have been reported to the FDA as of December 2013. Despite the underreporting of adverse events, the MAUDE database is an untapped resource of post-market surveillance of medical devices. The database can offer additional information, which combined with the initial device studies and published case reports from our colleagues, will help raise awareness and improve patient safety. Lasers Surg. Med. 47:133–140, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Strategic Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations

It has recently been suggested that the potentially dynamic and proactive role of employers in industrial relations be recognized (Kochan, McKersie, & Cappelli, 1984). Because incorporating the notion of strategic human resource management appears consistent with that suggestion, it is done here integrating frameworks of competitive strategy and human resource management practices using the rationale of needed employee role behaviors and cost and market conditions. This is then merged with business life-cycles stages creating a contingency framework for understanding the impact of strategic human resource management on industrial relations. This is done also using the rationale of cost and market conditions and needed employee role behaviors. The integrated competitive strategy-human resource management model is extended by inclusion of strategic targets and industry chain. The implications for industrial relations are laced throughout the discussion along with three sets of propositions. Implications for...
A Critically Conscious Approach to Fostering the Success of College Students from Underrepresented Groups

AbstractOver the past decade, many student affairs professionals have turned their attention to non-cognitive factors that can play a role in supporting students from underrepresented groups in making it to and through college. The work in this area that has gotten the most attention in recent years has focused on students’ sense of belonging and efficacy. In this article, the authors begin by acknowledging the numerous strengths of belonging-centered and efficacy-centered approaches to fostering college student success but also argue that these approaches are incomplete. They posit that a more critically conscious approach to fostering college-going success can deepen participating college students’ sense of purpose and, in so doing, increase their likelihood of successful college completion.
Radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy with and without preoperative radiotherapy for cervical cancer: A report of 265 patients followed 10 to 22 years

Abstract This report presents 265 patients with cervical cancer operated upon between the years 1944–1956 with 169 patients now surviving 10 to 22 years. Of the 96 deaths, 58 were caused by cancer and an additional 18 were treatment related, giving a corrected cancer salvage of 70 per cent. This salvage increases to 90 per cent 10 to 22 years survival when only Stage I cancers without node metastases are considered. Of the 168 patients with Stage I disease, 21 (13 per cent) had node metastases and 10 (48 per cent) have survived 10 to 22 years. Causes of deaths, methods of radiotherapy, sites of node metastases, and complications of the treatment are discussed. The radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy have a definite place in the treatment of cervical cancer, and their value will substantially increase with earlier detection of malignancy and tumor radioresistance.
Mechanism of the antihypertensive: effects of diuretics: possible role of salt in hypertension

In 1957, Freis was the first to announce the treatment of hypertension with the diuretic chlorothiazide. Especially when taken in conjunction with other drugs, chlorothiazide proved extremely effective at lowering blood pressure. In this follow-up to a paper on chlorothiazide Freis presented with Ilse Wilson in 1959, he further discussed the drug's effectiveness as well as the role salt plays in hypertension.
Reliability of Differences Between Data Obtained in Cotton Insect Investigations

A statistical comparison is made of methods used in taking cotton insect infestations and methods used in obtaining data on the growth of cotton plants in experimental plats.
Learning Analytics Development and Challenges—— A Review on the Fourth International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge

The Fourth International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge( LAK 14) was successfully held on March 24- 28,2014 in Indianapolis,Indiana,the United States of America. The conference focuses on the intersection of research,theory,and practice on learning analysis related on learning technologies in educational psychology,educational management,education,engineering,education data mining,computerized algorithms,data visualization and its research development and their intersection. This paper introduces the background of the conference,and then describes the keynotes presentations by Art Graesser,Nancy Law and Scott Klemmer. Next,the authors reviewed and analyzed those reports and papers systematically from the aspects of mathematics education,curriculum and instructional design,mining and evaluation of teaching and learning process,learning resources,text mining and semantic analysis,integration of education,as well as learning analysis diversification. At the end,the authors conclude and point out the hot research and development directions of learning analytics in the future such as gradually clearing analysis system concepts and theories of learning,research versatility of algorithms and models,development of technical standards on learning analytics,supporting data- driven learning and assessment,application of information technology in the education and practice,promoting the deep development of education and accelerating diversified process. We hope that this article can promote systematic research of learning analytics and deep application in education.
SU-F-J-81: Evaluation of Automated Deformable Registration Between Planning Computed Tomography (CT) and Daily Cone Beam CT Images Over the Course of Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy

Purpose: To compute daily dose delivered during radiotherapy, deformable registration needs to be relatively fast, automated, and accurate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of commercial deformable registration software for deforming between two modalities: planning computed tomography (pCT) images acquired for treatment planning and cone beam (CB) CT images acquired prior to each fraction of prostate cancer radiotherapy. Methods: A workflow was designed using MIM Software™ that aligned and deformed pCT into daily CBCT images in two steps: (1) rigid shifts applied after daily CBCT imaging to align patient anatomy to the pCT and (2) normalized intensity-based deformable registration to account for interfractional anatomical variations. The physician-approved CTV and organ and risk (OAR) contours were deformed from the pCT to daily CBCT over the course of treatment. The same structures were delineated on each daily CBCT by a radiation oncologist. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) mean and standard deviations were calculated to quantify the deformable registration quality for prostate, bladder, rectum and femoral heads. Results: To date, contour comparisons have been analyzed for 31 daily fractions of 2 of 10 of the cohort. Interim analysis shows that right and left femoral head contours demonstrate the highest agreement (DSC: 0.96±0.02) with physician contours. Additionally, deformed bladder (DSC: 0.81±0.09) and prostate (DSC: 0.80±0.07) have good agreement with physician-defined daily contours. Rectum contours have the highest variations (DSC: 0.66±0.10) between the deformed and physician-defined contours on daily CBCT imaging. Conclusion: For structures with relatively high contrast boundaries on CBCT, the MIM automated deformable registration provided accurate representations of the daily contours during treatment delivery. These findings will permit subsequent investigations to automate daily dose computation from CBCT. However, improved methods need to be investigated to improve deformable results for rectum contours.
Integration in Higher Dimensions

Integration of functions in higher dimensions is much more difficult than it is in one dimension. The basic reason is that in order to integrate a function, one has to know how to measure the volume of sets. In one dimension, most sets can be decomposed into intervals (cf. Exercise ), and we took the length of an interval to be its volume.
Data on genetic analysis of atherosclerosis identifies a major susceptibility locus in the major histocompatibility complex of mice

The data presented here are related to the research article, entitled Genetic analysis of atherosclerosis identifies a major susceptibility locus in the major histocompatibility complex of mice, published in Atherosclerosis 2016;254:124 (A.T. Grainger, M.B. Jones, J. Li, M.H. Chen, A. Manichaikul, W. Shi, 2016) [1]. The supporting materials include original genotypic and phenotypic data obtained from 206 female F2 mice derived from an intercross between BALB and SMJ inbred mice. The F2 mice were fed 12 weeks of Western diet, starting at 6 weeks of age. Atherosclerotic lesion size in the aortic root of each mouse is the sum of the top 8 lesion areas. The data is provided in the format required for determining QTLs using two independent programs, J/QTL and PLINK.
Diagnostic Challenges in a Case of IgG4-RD Affecting the Temporal Bone.

Introduction:Immunoglobulin G4–related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently described fibroinflammatory condition with a characteristic histology. While IgG4-RD can affect a great variety of anatomical sites, it has been seldom described in the temporal bone.Methods:Herein, a case IgG4-RD occurring in the temporal bone of a 35-year-old woman is reported.Discussion:This case of IgG4-RD of the temporal bone proved a uniquely challenging diagnosis due to slightly atypical histology falling outside of “highly suggestive” criteria.Conclusions:We suggest that IgG4-RD remains a challenging diagnosis to reach despite increased awareness of the condition. We further suggest that clinicopathologic correlation remain the cornerstone of diagnosis as the spectrum of presentations of this newly described disease may be wider than previously anticipated.
A portable and cost-effective upper extremity rehabilitation system for individuals with upper limb motor deficits

Long-term rehabilitation opportunities are critical for millions of individuals with chronic upper limb motor deficits striving to improve their motor performance through self-managed rehabilitation programs. However, there is minimal professional support of rehabilitation across the lifespan. In this paper, we introduce an upper extremity rehabilitation system, the Quality of Movement Feedback-Oriented Measurement System (QM-FOrMS), by integrating cost-effective portable sensors and clinically verified motion quality analysis towards individuals with upper limb motor deficits. Specifically, QM-FOrMS is comprised of an eTextile pressure sensitive mat, named Smart Mat, a sensory can, named Smart Can, and a mobile device. A personalizable and adaptive upper limb rehabilitation program is developed, including both unilateral and bilateral functional activities which can be selected from a list or custom designed to further tailor the program to the individual. Quantitative evaluation of the motor performance from the QM-FOrMS is derived from fine-grained kinematic measurements. We ran a pilot study with three groups, including five baseline subjects (i.e., healthy young adults), six older adults and four individuals with movement impairment. The experimental results show that QM-FOrMS can provide the detailed feature during the unattended rehabilitation exercise, and proposed metrics can distinguish the evaluation results across group.
A silicon carbide differential output pressure sensor by concentrically matched capacitance

This work describes a silicon-carbide (SiC) based, micromachined harsh-environment pressure sensor that utilizes concentrically matched differential capacitance output (DCO) to transfer relatively small capacitance changes through very long cables and reduce signal noises. By utilizing the concentrically matched capacitance (CMC) design, sensors with DCO can be fabricated by a newly developed SiC surface micromachining process. Experimentally, the sensor has measured pressure diaphragm output of 1.4 pF and 1.2 pF under 1.4 MPa at temperatures of 20 □ and 180□, respectively, while the reference ring diaphragm stays as a constant at 0.14 pF. As such, this sensor could be mounted along long cables to transfer small capacitance changes without any active electronics for harsh-environment applications, such as geothermal wells, engines, and turbines.
Series, Limits, and Residues

Let a function F(w) be analytic at all points in a region R of the w-plane. Let R contain the point z0 and let C be a circular contour in R centered at z0.
Pragmatic Everyday Life

The key form of spontaneity for everyday life is “working,” that pursuit of projects through bodily movement, centered about my self as the 0-point of all my coordinates, operating on various levels from the simplest bodily movement to higher level projects, and exercising mastery through typified patterns by which I have the recurrent sense that “I can do it again.” The pragmatic self, though, runs up against imposed relevances, such as death, ageing, or illness and other upsetting powers, events, or persons that disrupt my ability to master my situation and that require me to resort to my scheme of relevances, or intrinsic relevances, which are modified or adapted or called upon to provide interpretation in the face of such disruptions. Often to protect what they have already achieved and mastered and what is satisfying to their current relevance schemes, individuals or groups can resort to legitimate projects of “hyper-mastery,” such as constructing security mechanisms to protect against terrorism or defense-mechanisms to cope with potential personal risks. These projects of hyper-mastery can easily result in heightened and crippling anxieties or social pathologies—from which, so the rest of this book will argue—religion and humor can emancipate us.
Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) histogram biomarkers for prediction of neoadjuvant treatment response in breast cancer patients

Abstract Objective To examine the prognostic capabilities of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) metrics and their ability to predict response to neoadjuvant treatment (NAT). Additionally, to observe changes in IVIM metrics between pre- and post-treatment MRI. Methods This IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant retrospective study observed 31 breast cancer patients (32 lesions). Patients underwent standard bilateral breast MRI along with diffusion-weighted imaging before and after NAT. Six patients underwent an additional IVIM-MRI scan 12–14 weeks after initial scan and 2 cycles of treatment. In addition to apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) from monoexponential decay, IVIM mean values (tissue diffusivity D t , perfusion fraction f p , and pseudodiffusivity D p ) and histogram metrics were derived using a biexponential model. An additional filter identified voxels of highly vascular tumor tissue (VTT), excluding necrotic or normal tissue. Clinical data include histology of biopsy and clinical response to treatment through RECIST assessment. Comparisons of treatment response were made using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Results Average, kurtosis, and skewness of pseudodiffusion D p significantly differentiated RECIST responders from nonresponders. ADC and D t values generally increased (∼70%) and VTT% values generally decreased (∼20%) post-treatment. Conclusion D p metrics showed prognostic capabilities; slow and heterogeneous pseudodiffusion offer poor prognosis. Baseline ADC/D t parameters were not significant predictors of response. This work suggests that IVIM mean values and heterogeneity metrics may have prognostic value in the setting of breast cancer NAT.
Racializing Experiences of Foreign-Born and Ethnically Diverse Black Male Engineering Graduate Students: Implications for Student Affairs Practice, Policy, and Research

Despite a growing body of work on the experiences of Black collegians, the higher education knowledge base lacks scholarship focused on Black men in graduate programs who are foreign-born and/or identify ethnically as other than African American. In this article, we provide a domain-specific investigation (i.e., based on students’ field of study), centering on nine Black men in engineering graduate programs. Three themes emerged regarding students’ racialized experiences and effects of racialization: (1) racialization as a transitional process; (2) cultural identity (dis)integrity; and (3) racialized imposter syndrome. We conclude with implications for developing and implementing promising practices and activities that aid students throughout graduate school. Such targeted efforts might also improve the likelihood of students remaining in the engineering workforce.
Clustering by k-means

Clustering techniques are used for finding suitable groupings of samples belonging to a given set of data. There is no knowledge a priori about these data. Therefore, such set of samples cannot be considered as a training set, and classification techniques cannot be used in this case. The k-means algorithm is one of the most popular algorithms for clustering [103]. It is one of the most used algorithms for data mining, as it has been placed among the top 10 algorithms for data mining in [237].
An improved authenticated key exchange protocol based on chaotic maps for wireless sensor networks

In all the security issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), session key exchange is fundamental one with a great challenge. Owning to the semi-group property and one-way trapped characteristic of Chebyshev polynomials, an enhanced key exchange scheme based on Chebyshev chaotic map for WSNs was proposed in this paper. Our scheme aims at increasing the security of the session key between nodes. According to our analysis, the proposed protocol guarantees mutual authentication, and also resists different attacks in the wireless sensor network.
Problems Related to Eating, Nutrition, and Body Image

This chapter seeks to arm the psychiatric/mental health (P/MH) nurse with contemporary empirical and theoretical knowledge pertinent to working with individuals who present with eating problems—for some eating “disorders.” The chapter begins with a brief examination of the definition and diagnosis of eating disorders, followed by reviewing the relevant literature regarding the prevalence and incidence of eating disorders. The various theoretical explanations of the origins of these problems are examined. Then, the chapter explores current theoretical models and effectiveness: cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, family psychotherapy, medication/pharmacology, and nutritional counseling. The chapter closes by considering current developments and future directions for this area of mental health practice.
Prosodic Grouping and Relative Clause Disambiguation in Mandarin

The study discusses the role of prosodic grouping in the Mandarin Relative Clause attachment disambiguation. The grouping effect is explored under the Implicit Prosody Hypothesis (IPH) from four aspects of sentence processing experiments: default production, contrast production, online processing, as well as offline processing. It is found that (1) the length of RC greatly impacts ambiguity resolutions offline; (2) Prosodic grouping can well reflect the different attachment readings and is consciously used to produce contrastive meanings (3) Online processing can be affected by manipulating the grouping cues: Prominence and pause. The findings support the IPH, and contribute to our understanding about prosodic grouping in Mandarin, which can be applied in spoken language processing. Index Terms: prosodic grouping, disambiguation, Mandarin
Signal Analysis: Acquisition, Storage, and Analysis of Physiological Signals

The clinical environment is filled with various types of physiological signals, and with the current rapid pace of advances in medical technology, there is a demand for an organized way to analyze these signals. Physiological signals have evolved from just periodic recording of absolute values from the patient. Signals now include predictive trends and clinical decision support, waveform analysis, and continuous monitoring. There are numerous physiological signals needing to be recorded from one patient, and just organizing how to record the data is only the first step. A meaningful physiological signal database needs to also be created and cannot contain just “data dumps” but needs to be organized in a robust manner for ease of future retrieval and clinically significant analysis. The appropriate understanding and management of physiological signals is necessary for future research purposes as well as the quality and efficiency of modern healthcare.
Pinning beetles, biobanking futures: practices of archiving life in a time of extinction

Museums have been apparatuses for articulating knowledges, power and natures into an ordered whole for centuries, practices that have extended through to contemporary museums and their genetic coll...
European Commission Proposes Expanding the European Defence Fund—A Major Potential Barrier to Transatlantic Defense Procurement

The European Commission (EC) has proposed expanding the European Defence Fund, an initiative to fund defense technology developed in Europe. As a general matter, only European firms would have access to the fund for development, and participating European nations would need to commit themselves to purchasing the defense materiel developed under the fund. In effect, this could lock U.S. firms out of billions of euros worth of European defense procurement over the coming years—despite long-standing reciprocal agreements under which the U.S. and its European allies agreed to open their defense markets. The fund was announced quietly last year and now, in the shadow of a trade war launched by the Trump administration, has evolved into a substantial potential barrier in the transatlantic defense market, and potentially another brick in a rising wall of protectionism between the U.S. and Europe.
Laser propagation in a subcritical foam: Ion and electron heating

We develop a model for laser propagation and heating in a subcritical foam (homogeneous electron density as a fraction of critical ne,0/nc<1). Our model describes the partition of energy between ions and electrons in an expanding foam element irradiated by a laser, and we solve for the plasma conditions generated by burning down the foam microstructure. We find that a substantial fraction of laser energy goes into breaking down and homogenizing the foam microstructure, which slows down the laser heat front. We also find that the ion temperature in a plasma generated by burning down a foam can exceed the electron temperature. This is because laser energy is deposited into the expansion kinetic energy of ions as the foam microstructure burns down explosively. The higher ion temperature increases ion-acoustic wave damping which reduces stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). We test our model against data from an experiment that shot a subcritical foam with a high intensity laser pulse on the Janus laser facility at LLNL. We find that by modeling the effect of the foam microstructure, we can explain both the experimentally measured laser propagation velocity and the backscattered SBS power.
Pediatric Traumas and Paradigm Shifts: The Necessary Adaption of the Steerable Microcatheter in Pediatric Interventional Radiology

The use of traditionally available intra-arterial devices have historically been designed with the adult patient population in mind. Currently, there are not manufactured devices specifically tailored for use during pediatric interventional procedures, pressuring interventional operators to adapt commonplace and readily available devices for interventional management. Experienced interventional operators understand that pediatric and adult interventions can entail vastly different management, affecting patient care and outcomes. To address the pitfalls in pediatric interventional management, an accredited fellowship specifically for pediatric interventional radiology is available. However, devices must equally evolve with the training available in order to adequately address interventional management of the pediatric patient population. Interventional device innovation can be considered the initial step towards bridging the technical and procedural gaps necessary for refining pediatric intervention. The introduction of steerable microcatheters in interventional radiology has innovated procedural protocols, but has never been documented in pediatric patients until this time.
Alpha-enolase staining patterns in the renal tissues of cats with and without chronic kidney disease.

Abstract Renal α-enolase has variable expression in inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. Therefore, in order to define the distribution of α-enolase in renal tissues of cats, an immunohistochemistry assay was validated and described here. Tissues from 29 cats with IRIS Stage 2–4 CKD, 8 control cats 10 years of age were assessed. Interstitial nephritis was the predominant histopathological finding in the CKD group. The control cats 10 years of age. In cats with CKD, α-enolase was decreased in tubules that were degenerative or atrophic, similar to normal tubules in control groups, and moderate to high in glomeruli. When compared between the study groups, the results suggest that alpha-enolase decreases in damaged tubules and increases in the glomeruli of older cats prior to the development of detectable CKD. Further studies will be required to determine whether these findings relate to the pathogenesis or could be used in the diagnosis of feline CKD.
Heme oxygenase-2 protects against ischemic acute kidney injury: influence of age and sex

Heme oxygenase (HO) activity is exhibited by inducible (HO-1) and constitutive (HO-2) proteins. HO-1 protects against ischemic and nephrotoxic acute kidney injury (AKI). We have previously demonstr...
Theorizing diverse economies in the context of racial capitalism

Abstract This paper engages geographic literature on diverse economies by foregrounding an analysis of racial capitalism. Prevailing conversations on diverse economies aptly point out that there exist economic formations that do not adhere to capitalist modes of production. However, these same conversations lack an explicit engagement with the ways in which establishing non-capitalist economies entails attending explicitly to the question of race. Ignoring how racialization underlies capitalism runs the risk of inadequately understanding the role that race plays in configuring alternatives to capitalist formations. Thus, the authors argue that analysis of diverse economies must explicitly attend to the fact that both capitalism and its alternatives are shaped by racial difference. After discussing prominent geographical work on diverse economies, the authors explore racial capitalism as an analytic for interrogating present-day capitalism. They argue that racial capitalism shows how the marginalization of racialized populations is a central component of capitalist reproduction. The second half of the paper draws on empirical examples from Canada and the United States to demonstrate how Black and Indigenous communities both recognize the role that their oppression plays in capital accumulation and find ways to create economic alternatives to those forms of accumulation. Specifically, the authors discuss public housing initiatives among Indigenous communities in Winnipeg and Minneapolis and the creation of urban commons by Black communities in Detroit and Jackson. By emphasizing the racialized nature of capitalism and showing how racialized communities create economic alternatives to capitalism, this paper offers a nuanced approach to discussing the possibilities of diverse economies.
Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) for Scleroderma: outcomes from a multicenter US-based systemic sclerosis registry.

The Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) for Scleroderma is a multicenter US-based longitudinal study of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) within 5 years of first non-Raynaud’s symptom. The data collection methodology incorporates successful models from other SSc registries. The cohort is designed to provide linked bio-specimen and clinical outcomes data on a longitudinal cohort of SSc patients for validation of hypothesis-driven research and to provide a platform for studying patient-reported outcomes in scleroderma. The CONQUER registry was developed using the guidelines of the International Society for Biological Repositories, and was an iterative process between physicians with an expertise in SSc, patient stakeholders, and information technology experts. Enrollment commenced in June 2018. During the first 6 months of the CONQUER Scleroderma study, 151 SSc patients with less than 5 years of disease duration (from first non-Raynaud’s symptom) have been recruited. The mean age is 51 ± 14 years, 83% are female, and 60% of patients have diffuse disease. Survey completion rates are above 88% for all patient-reported outcome surveys. Bio-specimen collection rates are over 97%, and disease severity score completion rates are over 98%. Pulmonary function test data is available on 91% of patients, and echocardiography is available 80%. The CONQUER scleroderma study provides a unique and growing resource for studying scleroderma in a longitudinal, US-based population. • The Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) for Scleroderma is a multicenter US-based longitudinal study of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) within 5 years of first non-Raynaud’s symptom. • The CONQUER scleroderma study provides a unique and growing resource for studying scleroderma in a longitudinal, US-based population. • CONQUER is innovative in its design in that it is focused on prospective collection of paired clinical and patient outcome data with bio-specimens.
Supporting Beginning Music Teachers: The Development of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Mentorship Program:

In the fall of 2016, leadership in the Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OkMEA) recognized the need for a formal, music mentorship program for beginning educators. I provide a detailed descript...