cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Global System of Work, A Global System of Regulation?: Crowdwork and Conflicts of Law

On-demand platforms are changing and reshaping our conceptions of both the firm and the work relationship in far-reaching and critical ways, allowing companies to hire workers and to seek customers across national boundaries. Confronted with low pay, wage theft, and other problematic working conditions, gig workers around the world have turned to the courts, attempting to invoke the protections of traditional labor and employment law. While some commentators believe existing forms of labor and employment regulations can stretch to cover on-demand work, others have called for new legal initiatives specifically crafted for online platforms. The goal of this paper is to provide a global framework for thinking about the on-demand business model and these assorted conflicts of law and jurisdictional issues. The Maritime Labor Convention is discussed as an analogous regulatory scheme. Throughout, the paper emphasizes the need for further coordinated multilateral study, discussion, and regulatory action to assist both crowdworkers and businesses as they navigate the on-demand model of production.
Detoxification-related gene expression accompanies anhydrobiosis in the foliar nematode (Aphelenchoides fragariae).

The foliar nematode (Aphelenchoides fragariae) is a quarantined pest that infects a broad range of herbaceous and woody plants. Previous work has demonstrated its remarkable ability to survive rapid and extreme desiccation, although the specific molecular mechanisms underlying its anhydrobiotic response have not been characterized. The authors used RNA sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly to compare patterns of gene expression between hydrated and 24-hr desiccated nematodes. In total, 2,083 and 953 genes were significantly up- and downregulated, respectively, in desiccated nematodes. Of the 100 annotated genes with the largest positive fold-changes, more than one third encoded putative detoxification-related proteins. Genes encoding enzymes of Phase I and Phase II detoxification systems were among the most strongly upregulated in the transcriptome, including 35 cytochrome p450s, 23 short chain dehydrogenase/reductases, 5 glutathione-S-transferases, and 22 UDP-glucuronosyltransferases. Genes encoding heat shock proteins, unfolded protein response enzymes, and intrinsically disordered proteins were also upregulated. Anhydrobiosis in A. fragariae appears to involve both strategies to minimize protein misfolding and aggregation, and wholesale induction of the cellular detoxification machinery. These processes may be controlled in part through the activity of forkhead transcription factors similar to Caenorhabditis elegans' daf-16, a number of which were differentially expressed under desiccation. The foliar nematode (Aphelenchoides fragariae) is a quarantined pest that infects a broad range of herbaceous and woody plants. Previous work has demonstrated its remarkable ability to survive rapid and extreme desiccation, although the specific molecular mechanisms underlying its anhydrobiotic response have not been characterized. The authors used RNA sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly to compare patterns of gene expression between hydrated and 24-hr desiccated nematodes. In total, 2,083 and 953 genes were significantly up- and downregulated, respectively, in desiccated nematodes. Of the 100 annotated genes with the largest positive fold-changes, more than one third encoded putative detoxification-related proteins. Genes encoding enzymes of Phase I and Phase II detoxification systems were among the most strongly upregulated in the transcriptome, including 35 cytochrome p450s, 23 short chain dehydrogenase/reductases, 5 glutathione-S-transferases, and 22 UDP-glucuronosyltransferases. Genes encoding heat shock proteins, unfolded protein response enzymes, and intrinsically disordered proteins were also upregulated. Anhydrobiosis in A. fragariae appears to involve both strategies to minimize protein misfolding and aggregation, and wholesale induction of the cellular detoxification machinery. These processes may be controlled in part through the activity of forkhead transcription factors similar to Caenorhabditis elegans’ daf-16, a number of which were differentially expressed under desiccation.
Extending the Person-Case Constraint to Gender: Agreement, Locality, and the Syntax of Pronouns

In many languages with clitic or other weak pronouns, a Person-Case Constraint (Perlmutter 1971, Bonet 1991) prohibits certain combinations of these pronouns on the basis of their person features. ...
Improving Digital Libraries' Provision of Digital Humanities Datasets: A Case Study of HTRC Literature Dataset

This paper investigates the limitations and challenges of the curated datasets provided by digital libraries in support of digital humanities (DH) research. Our presented work provides a use case utilizing an English literature dataset of 178,381 volumes curated by the HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC) for measuring the change of three literature genres. These volumes were selected from over 17 million digitized items in the HathiTrust Digital Library. We demonstrate our methods and workflow for improving the representativeness and scholarly usability of the existing datasets. We analyzed and effectively overcame three common limitations: duplicate volumes, uneven distribution of data and OCR errors. We suggest that stakeholders of digital libraries should flag and address these limitations to improve their provisions' usability in the context of digital humanities research.
Sexually dimorphic effects of forkhead box a2 (FOXA2) and uterine glands on decidualization and fetoplacental development

Glands of the uterus are essential for pregnancy establishment. Forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) is expressed specifically in the glands of the uterus and a critical regulator of glandular epithelium (GE) differentiation, development, and function. Mice with a conditional deletion of FOXA2 in the adult uterus, created using the lactotransferrin iCre (Ltf-iCre) model, have a morphologically normal uterus with glands, but lack FOXA2-dependent GE-expressed genes, such as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Adult FOXA2 conditional knockout (cKO; Ltf iCre/+ Foxa2 f/f ) mice are infertile due to defective embryo implantation arising from a lack of LIF, a critical implantation factor of uterine gland origin. However, intraperitoneal injections of LIF can initiate embryo implantation in the uterus of adult FOXA2 cKO mice with pregnancies maintained to term. Here, we tested the hypothesis that FOXA2-regulated genes in the uterine glands impact development of the decidua, placenta, and fetus. On gestational day 8.5, the antimesometrial and mesometrial decidua transcriptome was noticeably altered in LIF-replaced FOXA2 cKO mice. Viable fetuses were reduced in FOXA2 cKO mice on gestational days 12.5 and 17.5. Sex-dependent differences in fetal weight, placenta histoarchitecture, and the placenta and metrial gland transcriptome were observed between control and FOXA2 cKO mice. The transcriptome of the placenta with a female fetus was considerably more altered than the placenta with a male fetus in FOXA2 cKO dams. These studies reveal previously unrecognized sexually dimorphic effects of FOXA2 and uterine glands on fetoplacental development with potential impacts on offspring health into adulthood.
Evaluation of a multivariate analysis modeling approach identifying sources and patterns of nonpoint fecal pollution in a mixed use watershed

Abstract Surface waters listed on impaired waters (303 d) lists due to pathogen contamination pose a significant environmental and public health burden. The need to address impairments through the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process has resulted in method developments that successfully identify nonpoint fecal pollution sources by maximizing available resources to improve water quality. However, the ability of those methods to effectively and universally identify sources of fecal pollution requires further evaluation. The objective of this research was to assess the usefulness of a previously described multivariate statistical approach to identify common patterns influencing fate and transport of fecal pollutants from sources to receiving streams using the Tuckasegee River watershed in Western North Carolina as a test watershed. Two streams were routinely monitored using a targeted sampling approach to assess fecal pollution extent and identify nonpoint sources using canonical correlation and canonical discriminant analyses. Fecal pollution in the watershed varied spatially and temporally with significantly higher fecal coliform concentrations observed in Scott Creek (f = 9.49, p = 0.002) and during the summer months (f = 14.8, p
Red blood cell classification in lensless single random phase encoding using convolutional neural networks

Rapid cell identification is achieved in a compact and field-portable system employing single random phase encoding to record opto-biological signatures of living biological cells of interest. The lensless, 3D-printed system uses a diffuser to encode the complex amplitude of the sample, then the encoded signal is recorded by a CMOS image sensor for classification. Removal of lenses in this 3D sensing system removes restrictions on the field of view, numerical aperture, and depth of field normally imposed by objective lenses in comparable microscopy systems to enable robust 3D capture of biological volumes. Opto-biological signatures for two classes of animal red blood cells, situated in a microfluidic device, are captured then input into a convolutional neural network for classification, wherein the AlexNet architecture, pretrained on the ImageNet database is used as the deep learning model. Video data was recorded of the opto-biological signatures for multiple samples, then each frame was treated as an input image to the network. The pre-trained network was fine-tuned and evaluated using a dataset of over 36,000 images. The results show improved performance in comparison to a previously studied Random Forest classification model using extracted statistical features from the opto-biological signatures. The system is further compared to and outperforms a similar shearing-based 3D digital holographic microscopy system for cell classification. In addition to improvements in classification performance, the use of convolutional neural networks in this work is further demonstrated to provide improved performance in the presence of noise. Red blood cell identification as presented here, may serve as a key step toward lensless pseudorandom phase encoding applications in rapid disease screening. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of lensless cell identification in single random phase encoding using convolutional neural networks.
Diffusion kurtosis imaging of gray matter in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

Prior ex vivo histological postmortem studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have shown gray matter microstructural abnormalities, however, in vivo examination of gray matter microstructure in ASD has remained scarce due to the relative lack of non-invasive methods to assess it. The aim of this work was to evaluate the feasibility of employing diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) to describe gray matter abnormalities in ASD in vivo. DKI data were examined for 16 male participants with a diagnosis of ASD and IQ>80 and 17 age- and IQ-matched male typically developing (TD) young adults 18-25 years old. Mean (MK), axial (AK), radial (RK) kurtosis and mean diffusivity (MD) metrics were calculated for lobar and sub-lobar regions of interest. Significantly decreased MK, RK, and MD were found in ASD compared to TD participants in the frontal and temporal lobes and several sub-lobar regions previously associated with ASD pathology. In ASD participants, decreased kurtosis in gray matter ROIs correlated with increased repetitive and restricted behaviors and poor social interaction symptoms. Decreased kurtosis in ASD may reflect a pathology associated with a less restrictive microstructural environment such as decreased neuronal density and size, atypically sized cortical columns, or limited dendritic arborizations.
Quasi-static Optical Parametric Amplification

We use dispersion-engineered PPLN nanowaveguides to demonstrate opti- cal parametric amplification without either temporal walk-off or group velocity dispersion. These quasi-static devices achieve large gains (>145 dB/cm) across >900 nanometers using picojoules of pump pulse energy.
Exclusive Breastfeeding Protective for Growth Trajectory to 5 Years in a WIC Cohort

OBJECTIVE. The impact of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) on child body mass index (BMI) from birth through 60 months of age was investigated. METHODS. 60,190 mothers and children attending Women, Inf...
Chronic neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment following transient global cerebral ischemia: role of fractalkine/CX3CR1 signaling (877.1)

Although neuroinflammation has been studied extensively in animal models of cerebral ischemia, their contrasting functions are still not completely understood. A major participant in neuroinflammation is microglia and microglial activation usually regulated by the chemokine CX3CL1 (fractalkine) and its receptor, CX3CR1. Here, we examined the involvement of CX3CR1 on ischemia-induced chronic neuroinflammation and cognitive function using small interfering RNA (siRNA). Forty adult male Wistar rats were included in the study and received either ischemia or sham surgery then were randomized to receive either CX3CR1 siRNA or scrambled RNA as control starting at 7 days after reperfusion. Behavioral testing commenced 28 days after siRNA delivery and all rats were euthanized after behavioral testing. Our data showed that: (i) transient global cerebral ischemia significantly decreased fractalkine/ CX3CR1 signaling in the hippocampus; (ii) inhibition of CX3CR1 function exacerbated the ischemia-induced chronic increase in microglial activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels; (iii) inhibition of CX3CR1 function worsened ischemia-induced chronic cognitive impairment; (iv) inhibition of CX3CR1 function in sham rats resulted in increased IL-1β expression and impaired behavioral performance. However, no significant effect of CX3CR1 on ischemia-induced neurodegeneration was seen. The present study provides important insight to understanding the involvement of CX3CR1 in chronic neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment.
When a Young Child Must be Hospitalized.

(1976). When a Young Child Must Be Hospitalized. Health Education: Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 22-24.
Sustained Petascale: The Next MPI Challenge

The National Science Foundation in the USA has launched an ambitious project to have a sustained petaflop computer in production by 2011. For applications to run at a sustained petaflop, the computer will need to have a peak performance of nearly 20 PF and millions of threads. This talk will address the challenges MPI must face to be used in sustained petascale applications. The first significant challenge for MPI will be the radical change in supercomputer architectures over the next few years. The architectures are shifting from using faster processors to using multi-core processors. It is also speculated that the processors will be heterogeneous with the cores on a single processor having different functions. This change in architecture is as disruptive to software as the shift from vector to distributed memory supercomputers 15 years ago. That change required complete restructuring of scientific application codes and gave rise to the message passing programming paradigm that drove the popularity of PVM and MPI. Similarly, will these new architectures drive the creation of a new programming paradigm or will MPI survive? Or perhaps MPI becomes part of a new hybrid paradigm. These questions will be addressed in this talk. The configuration of these sustained petascale systems will require applications to exploit million-way parallelism and significant reductions in the bandwidth and amount of memory available to a million cores. Most science teams have no idea how to efficiently scale their applications to this level and those teams that have thought about it believe that MPI may not be the right approach. Several talks at this conference describe potential features and capabilities that may allow MPI to be more effective for the reduced bandwidth and increased parallelism. The talk will point out these features and their associated talks. The third significant challenge for MPI will be fault tolerance and fault recovery. The amount of memory in sustained petascale systems makes writing out checkpoints impractical. While the need to restart an application when 900,000 CPUs are still working fine but one has failed is an inefficient use of resources. This talk will describe the latest ideas for fault recovery in MPI and will describe a new idea called holistic fault tolerance that is being investigated. Finally the talk will describe productivity issues for sustained petascale application performance and their implications for MPI. The productivity of scientists and engineers is based on how easy and how fast they can solve a new science problem. Issues such as debugging, performance tuning, scalability, validation, and knowledge discovery all play a part. The talk will address the challenges MPI has in these areas.
XML in the CS curriculum: pointers and pitfalls

This paper introduces an XML seminar that our computer science department offered for the first time in the fall of 2000. XML is an important technology that appears to be HTML's successor. HTML is not the most elegant markup language in that: (1) it does not allow the user to extend the language and (2) it does not force the user to separate logical data from formatting data. XML overcomes these limitations.There are two major contributions of this paper. First, the paper provides a starting point for other computer science departments that might wish to develop an XML seminar. The seminar described here was taught and developed by the author when he had no prior experience with XML. As is always the case with a first time seminar, certain aspects of the course went very well, while other aspects can be improved upon. The paper will share both pieces of knowledge with the reader.Second, the paper discusses how XML might move out of the "special seminar" status and into the mainstream part of a computer science curriculum. Ultimately, this is what we want to do at the author's university because it means that we do not have to add a course using our already stretched resources.
New insights into Fragile X syndrome

Lack of functional Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is the primary cause of the Fragile-mental retardation syndrome in humans. In most cases, the disease results from transcriptional silencing of fragile mental retardation gene 1, fmr1, which encodes FMRP. However, a single missense mutation (I304N) in the second KH domain of FMRP gives rise to a particularly severe case of Fragile X syndrome. A Drosophila homolog of FMRP has been identified, Drosophila Fragile X related protein (dFXRP). The corresponding missense mutation in dFXRP, the I307N, has pronounced effects on the in vivo activity of the protein. The effect of the point mutation on the structure and function of FMRP is unclear, and published data are contradictory. No in vitro structural or stability studies have been performed on dFXRP. Here we show that a construct that contains only the tandem KH1-KH2 domains is a stable, well-folded unit suitable for detailed structural and functional characterization. Using this KH1-KH2 construct we explicitly test a hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the effect of the Ile-->Asn mutation: that it causes complete unfolding of the protein. Here we show that the I307N point mutation does not completely unfold the KH domain. The KH1-KH2 construct bearing I307N substitution is stable in isolation and adopts a native-like fold. Thus our data favor alternative explanations for the in vivo observed loss of dFXRP activity associated with I307N mutation: (a) the point mutation might affect intra and/or inter-molecular interactions of dFXRP; or (b) it might impair dFXRP's interactions with its RNA target(s).
Explaining Russian military quiescence

Abstract This paper seeks to explain the Russian military's unexpected quiescence—particularly the absence of a widely-predicted military coup—during the past several years of political and economic turbulence. It specifically asks why the military has not carried out a coup d'etat even though it has had a powerful motive to do so; why, despite substantial social unrest and weak political and economic institutions—the casebook description of a “praetorian” society—has the military not acted against the government? Through the use of military survey data and Russian press reports, this paper argues that the military's quiescence is due not to lack of motive, but to Russian officers' weak assessment of their capabilities to carry out a coup. This assessment has resulted from the military's steady organizational decline and disintegration over the past several years. This disintegration has provided officers with a formidable motive to carry out a coup, while at the same time presenting substantial barriers to doing so—a phenomenon I have labeled the “paradox of disintegration.” While particular attention is paid to 1992 and 1993, the period of greatest unrest and potential intervention, the implications of this analysis are still relevant today. The danger of a military coup has been, and essentially remains, largely a myth, perpetuated by panicky publics and politicians, both Western and Russian alike.
How do caregivers know when to take their child for immunizations

Background Childhood vaccinations help reduce and eliminate many causes of morbidity and mortality among children. The objective of this study was to compare 4:3:1:3:3 (4+ doses of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccine, 3+ doses of poliovirus vaccine, 1+ doses of measles-containing vaccine, 3+ doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine, and 3+ doses of hepatitis B vaccine) coverage among children whose caregivers learned by different methods when their child's most recent immunization was needed.
Power remote input output ASIC (PRIO)

The ability to monitor a variety of voltages and currents is a basic need for spacecraft and other complex systems. Although this function can be performed with a handful of components (FPGA, ADC, op-amps, etc), it is at the expense of board area, mass and power. The power remote I/O (PRIO) ASIC is a single chip, multi-channel monitoring device. The PRIO has internal buffers with externally programmable attenuation to allow the PRIO to safely monitor voltages in the range of -40 V to +40 V DC. The current monitoring is accomplished with an external toroid pickup. The ASIC operates from a 5 V supply and communicates with the spacecraft via the I/sup 2/C bus.
Retrospective on Richard Kluger's Simple Justice

Five or so years ago, I sat down to write a proposal to fund the writing of a history of school desegregation. This was not easy to write, since I had to account for the legal history of the process since the Brown decision, as well as the actual amount and kind of school desegregation that had taken place in that period, and come up with a definitive, overarching theme by which these two accounts would be tied together. Though the proposal was finished and submitted for funding, I was dissatisfied with my ability to say anything thematically novel or convincing about what had transpired in the forty-five or so years since the decision had been rendered. The funding agency evidently agreed with my own view of the proposal as it was not approved. So, I put my interest in school desegregation on the back burner, where it has rested until now. Once again, I get to confront the issue of whether or not I have anything interesting to say about Brown and its aftermath. Of course, that task is mediated now by the medium of Richard Kluger's book Simple justice.' I will comment generally on Kluger and then highlight a few interesting aspects of his analysis, including his interpretation of the actions of then clerk and later justice and still later Chief Justice William Rehnquist and his interpretations of the value of historians as expert witnesses. Finally, on the basis of my rereading of Kluger, I will reconsider my initial inability to find something important to say about desegregation and arrive at what I hope is a meaningful conclusion that can be related to further historical work on the topic. Before considering Kluger directly, I want to make sure that I am not misunderstood. My lack of ability thematically to deal with school desegregation since 1954 does not mean that it is not an important topic. The
HELM: Conflict-free active measurement scheduling for shared network resource management

Network resource measurement is a key functionality for large scale network management. Intelligent, network-aware applications may benefit from access to detailed representations of network resources, including multi-layer topologies and real-time traffic measurement, and shared resources may obtain better overall utilization by identifying performance bottlenecks. In this study, we describe a network measurement framework, which includes a network topology analysis mechanism as well as agent tools for running active probes and collecting data from end hosts. The system includes a centralized coordinator, which abstracts network elements into annotated network graphs and applies scheduling algorithms to calculate conflict free measurement probes over shared links. Our evaluation integrated perfSONAR services into our framework and included deployment scenarios on research and education networks such as Internet2 and ESnet. The data presented in this study offers compelling evidence that supports a method by which to measure the performance of real world networks.
Effects of processing depth on memory for the alcohol warning label

The experiment examined: (1) the effects of different types of processing of the alcohol beverage warning label on memory for the label content, (2) potential measures of memory for the alcohol warning label, and (3) whether cues to the alcohol warning label increase memory for the content of the label. We hypothesized that the warning label may be processed in three ways: (1) persons may read the label, (2) persons may read the label and describe its content to others, and (3) persons may see the label but not cognitively process the label. Processing effects were operationalized as three orienting tasks to the label (read, paraphrase, and count) which were compared to a control condition (no experimental exposure to the warning label). Four tests (free recall, recognition, word-stem completion, and controlled association) were compared. In one additional condition, subjects were cued to the warning label without prior experimental exposure. The free recall test was the most sensitive measure to differen...
Sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy of water surface covered by an organic monolayer: Structure and interaction

Summary form only given. Sum-frequency generation (SFG) has been demonstrated to be a powerful and versatile tool for vibrational spectroscopy of surfaces and interfaces. Its high surface specificity permits spectroscopic studies of surfaces even in the presence of strong bulk resonant absorption. The technique therefore finds unique applications in interface studies where normal spectroscopic methods would fail because the spectrum would be overwhelmed by bulk contribution. Presented here is an example showing how SFG vibrational spectroscopy can be used as a unique tool to probe the structure of an organic monolayer on water, depending on its interaction with water.
Race, Ethnicity, Marital Status, Literacy, and Prostate Cancer Outcomes in the United States

There are persistent and consistent disparities in screening, treatment, and survival among African-American men, as well as Hispanic men to a lesser degree, compared to Caucasian men. Additionally, men with low socioeconomic status and men with inadequate social support experience adverse outcomes. Treatment disparities remain the most significant determinant of prostate cancer survival, but marital status, genetic abnormalities, and literacy/numeracy play a smaller, but important, role. In this chapter, we present the pertinent data describing the sources of disparity, and strategies to reduce or eliminate these differences.
Spatial Proximity and Dependency to Model Urban Travel Demand

AbstractLink level annual average daily traffic (AADT) or travel demand is used in several urban planning, roadway design, operational, and safety analyses by transportation planners and engineers. Existing AADT estimation methods do not adequately account for spatial proximity, variations, and dependency to address modeling needs. The primary focus of this paper, therefore, is to incorporate these aspects and develop a method to estimate link level AADT by the urban road functional class. Geospatial analytical techniques were explored to capture spatial data within proximal areas of selected roadway links and develop statistical models to estimate link level AADT. Polygon-based network buffers were generated within the proximal roadway distance of each study link to account for actual connectivity and capture off-network data instead of Euclidean distance-based buffers. On-network characteristics of the study links and upstream, downstream, and cross-street network links were considered to account for th...
Hearing sensitivity in two black bass species using the auditory brainstem response approach

Recently, several bioacoustic studies have focused on the red eye bass (Micropterus coosae). One of these studies documented sound production, while the other played back sounds produced by prey items in order to determine their attractiveness to M. coosae. Surprisingly, the hearing ability of fishes in the genus Micropterus has received very little attention. The need for audiograms describing hearing in Micropterus is apparent. This study utilized the auditory brainstem response (ABR) approach to determine hearing sensitivity in terms of both sound pressure level (SPL) and particle acceleration in two black bass species, the red eye bass (M. coosae) and the Alabama bass (M. henshalli). Audiograms produced in this study expressed in both SPL and particle acceleration showed a positive relationship between hearing threshold and frequency. Micropterus coosae was most sensitive to frequencies that overlap with the peak frequencies of their vocalizations, and the vocalizations of a prey species, Cyprinella trichroistia. Bass hearing sensitivities at lower frequencies, measured in terms of particle acceleration, were similar to several sciaenid species.
Diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide through blood flowing in a channel.

The numerical solutions of diffusion equations have been obtained for the cases of oxygen and carbon dioxide diffusing through blood flowing between two porous parallel planes. It is assumed that at the entrance to the channel the concentration profiles are uniform and the velocity profile is fully developed. The rheological characteristics of blood are described by the Casson equation. The computations have been made employing the explicit finite-difference forward-marching procedure. The results have been obtained for a wide range of yield numbers, inlet partial pressures, pH, membrane resistances and haemoglobin concentrations.
Countable connected Hausdorff and Urysohn bunches of arcs in the plane

Abstract In this paper, we answer a question by Krasinkiewicz, Renska and Sobolewski by constructing countable connected Hausdorff and Urysohn spaces as quotient spaces of bunches of arcs in the plane. We also consider a generalization of graphs by allowing vertices to be continua and replacing edges by not necessarily connected sets. We require only that two “vertices” be in the same quasi-component of the “edge” that contains them. We observe that if a graph G cannot be embedded in the plane, then any generalized graph modeled on G is not embeddable in the plane. As a corollary we obtain not planar bunches of arcs with their natural quotients Hausdorff or Urysohn. This answers another question by Krasinkiewicz, Renska and Sobolewski.
Complex Deformation of Cretaceous Trench Deposits, Southwestern Alaska

A Cretaceous turbidite sequence, a probable trench deposit, forms the central portion of a Triassic to early Tertiary deep-water sedimentary and igneous sequence exposed along the Shumagin-Kodiak shelf, southwestern Alaska. The Cretaceous turbidite sequence was deformed initially in a partially lithified state with the development of axial plane slaty cleavage. Fold axes parallel the existing continental shelf edge, trending northeast and west-northwest in the outer Shumagin and Sanak Islands, respectively. Folds are predominantly overturned seaward, axial surfaces dipping landward. Locally, units may be described as broken formations, though no melanges were observed. The style of this early folding is consistent with, but not diagnostic of, gravity gliding. Alternatively, the rocks may have been deformed by underthrusting at the trench inner wall. At strain rates of 10 −13 to 10 −14 per sec (calculated assuming underthrusting), the trench sediments may have undergone “strain hardening” (caused by increasing internal grain friction and cementation during dewatering) allowing transmission of an externally applied stress. Thick homoclinal sections dip toward the continent, suggesting tilting independent of folding. This tilting was probably associated with uplift along major high-angle faults trending parallel to the continental margin. The early folding, tilting, and uplift was followed by a second, minor, brittle deformation apparently associated with regional granodiorite and quartz diorite intrusions 60 m.y. ago.
Long-time behavior of a non-Markovian Brownian oscillator

Abstract A study is made of the relaxation process of a Brownian harmonic oscillator based upon the generalized Langevin equation (GLE). A non-Markovian damping term appears in the GLE in order to satisfy a fluctuation-dissipation relation when the stochastic force is not delta-correlated. If the force auto-correlation function is assumed to be approximated by a decaying exponential, then an equivalent Markovian Fokker-Planck equation may be written down in terms of an extended variable set. The extra variable is eliminated by a projection operator technique to obtain a modified Fokker-Planck equation with correction terms in successive powers of the correlation time that are different from those found by van Kampen and by San Miguel and Sancho. In the limit of small damping rate, an energy transport equation is derived which indicates a systematic increase in relaxation time as the force auto-correlation time increases from zero up to about one-third of the oscillation period. The expansion breaks down for longer correlation times.
Center Volume Impacts Survival in Pediatric Lung Transplantation

Purpose The effect of center volume on adult lung transplantation (LTx) survival has been reported. Although other institutional and patient factors play a role in determining the overall survival rates, the center volume as a surrogate of experience has also been shown to directly impact the outcomes of LTx. However, this effect has not been demonstrated for pediatric LTx. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of center volume on pediatric LTx using a national database. Methods and Materials Query of United Network of Organ Sharing database through 06/2012 yielded 1044 pediatric (≤18y) LTx. Multiorgan Tx were excluded. The effect of center volume was analyzed as cumulative experience and yearly median number of LTx, and divided into high and low volume centers ensuring equal division of LTx in both groups. For excluding the era-effect, a sub-analysis of LTx was also performed (2000-2012). Cox-regression was used to calculate the risk of failure related to center volume. Results The graft and patient LTx survival was better in high-volume centers (3 centers, 517 LTx) than the low-volume centers (59 centers, 527 LTx) (p figure ). The 1y-conditional graft and patient survival was also better for high-volume centers (p Conclusions Center volume has an impact on patient and graft survival in pediatric lung transplantation. Further detailed risk-factor analysis will help in determining the extent of this impact.
Should we increase the ratio of plasma/platelets to red blood cells in massive transfusion: what is the evidence?

Introduction Based on relatively recent clinical work, considerable enthusiasm has been generated for the increased use of plasma and platelet in the earlier resuscitation of massively transfused patients. The aim of this review was to examine the currently available evidence for the increase in plasma/platelet to red cell transfusion ratio during massive transfusion. Methods In May of 2009, a systematic review of studies reporting the effects of plasma and platelet to red cell component transfusion ratio on mortality outcome was performed. Results There were no prospective randomized controlled trials on this topic. Eleven retrospective studies were identified evaluating the effects of plasma : red cell ratio on mortality in massive transfusion after trauma. Most studies demonstrated a survival advantage of increased plasma ratio in massive transfusion. While the majority of the studies suggested the optimal plasma : red cell ratio to be 1 : 2 or higher, others demonstrated the optimal ratio to be lower. Three of these studies also demonstrated a survival advantage with increased platelet : red cell transfusion ratio. Conclusion Although there is some evidence to support the increase use of plasma and platelets in massive transfusion, the true efficacy of such practice has not yet been proven by prospective randomized controlled trials. The available retrospective studies raise many important questions that need to be addressed in future clinical trials.
Integrating authentic learning into a software development course: an experience report

This paper describes our experience integrating an authentic learning project into a junior-level software development course. During the course, students applied full software development life cycle processes to meet a campus need -- providing classroom clicker support without purchasing additional hardware. The paper provides the motivation for this approach, summarizes relevant developments in classroom response systems, details the design of the class project, and shares our results. Finally, we offer reflections describing both intended and unintended outcomes of this experiment.
On the number of minimal two-spheres of small area in manifolds with curvature bounded above*

A beautiful application of the Morse theory of closed geodesics is provided by Klingenberg's [K 1] study of the number of short smooth closed geodesics in sufficiently pinched spheres, together with subsequent contributions in this direction by many authors. A particularly striking result (see Ballmann, Thorbergsson, and Ziller [BTZ]) states that a generic metric on a compact simply connected Riemannian manifold whose sectional curvatures satisfy 1/4 < K(a)< 1
Superconductivity and the d-Shell.

The various isotope effects on the superconducting transition temperature of Mo2B and W2B have been measured. Together with resistivity data they indicate that the d-shell forms a highly stable electron configuration for molybdenum and tungsten. This leads to an understanding of high superconducting transition temperatures.
First-line Treatment: A Critical Appraisal of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Developments and Alternatives

In this article, the authors assess the successes, remaining challenges, and new developments in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. They define CBT, examine treatment components, review treatment efficacy, and discuss the challenges of attrition, long-term follow-up, co-occurring/comorbid disorders, limited treatment comparisons, treatment mediators, and broader implementation. In addition, they present recent developments in cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders, including linking exposure therapy to basic science, mindfulness and acceptance-based treatments, and unified or transdiagnostic treatment protocols.
On logarithmic solutions to the conformal Ward identities

A general discussion of the conformal Ward identities is presented in the context of logarithmic conformal field theory with conformal Jordan cells of rank two. The logarithmic fields are taken to be quasi-primary. No simplifying assumptions are made about the operator-product expansions of the primary or logarithmic fields. Based on a very natural and general ansatz about the form of the two- and three-point functions, their complete solutions are worked out. The results are in accordance with and extend the known results. It is demonstrated, for example, that the correlators exhibit hierarchical structures similar to the ones found in the literature pertaining to certain simplifying assumptions.
Contingent Chicago: Restructuring the Spaces of Temporary Labor

Hiring-halls, specializing in the placement of day-laborers in temporary jobs, have in recent years been proliferating along major transport arteries in Chicago's low-income neighborhoods. This article examines the phenomenon of low-wage temporary work in Chicago from the perspective of the principal institutional actors in these highly ‘flexibilized’ or ‘contingent’ labor markets – the ‘temp’ agencies. Particular emphasis is placed on the labor-market effects of temp-agency strategies, both in respect to patterns of labor segmentation and in terms of the spatial (re)constitution of urban job markets. It is suggested that temp agencies are actively engaged in both the exploitation and facilitation of contingent labor-market conditions. In this sense, they are assuming important new roles as privatized ‘labor-market intermediaries’, with apparently deleterious effects for job security and social segregation in the lower reaches of urban labor markets. Their strategies can also be related to the social and geographic restructuring of these job markets, because the growth and polarization of temp employment has been associated with a ‘hardening’– and indeed ‘stretching’– of extant ethnic, gender and spatial inequalities. Des bureaux d'embauche, specialises dans le placement de journaliers sur des postes temporaires, ont recemment prolifere le long des grands axes de transport dans les quartiers defavorises de Chicago. Cet article etudie le phenomene du travail temporaire a faible revenu dans cette ville, et ce, du point de vue des principaux acteurs institutionnels sur ces marches du travail hautement ‘flexibilises’ ou ‘aleatoires’: les agences de travail temporaire. Il insiste sur les consequences des strategies de ces agences pour le marche de l'emploi, a la fois au niveau des schemas de segmentation du travail et en termes de (re)constitution spatiale des marches du travail urbains. Aussi peut-on suggerer que ces agences sont activement impliquees dans l'exploitation et la facilitation des conditions aleatoires du marche du travail. En ce sens, elles jouent un role important et nouveau comme ‘intermediaires du marche du travail’ privatises, avec des effets apparemment nefastes pour la securite de l'emploi et la segregation sociale dans les circuits inferieurs des marches urbains. Leurs strategies peuvent aussi etre liees a la restructuration sociale et geographique de ces marches, la croissance et la polarisation de l'emploi temporaire ayant ete associees a un ‘durcissement’, et assurement a une ‘extension’, des inegalites existantes au plan ethnique, spatial et des sexes.
The nitrofurans as sperm immobilising agents: their tissue toxicity and their clinical application.

The efficacy of the nitrofurans (nitrofurantoin sodium and nitrofurazone) as sperm immobilizing agents their tissue toxicity and their clinical application were studied. 1 mg/ml nitrofurazone and 20 mg/ml nitrofurantoin sodium completely immobilized human spermatozoa in vitro. Histological examination of the vasa of treated guinea pigs did not reveal any toxic effects on the vas deferens with doses up to 3 times greater than required for sperm immobilization. The drugs were employed as an intraoperative flush during 24 vasectomy operations. There were no undesirable reactions to the vas irrigation and no evidence of vasitis. Vas irrigation with the agents minimizes the number of postoperative sperm analyses which could lessen the problem of postoperative follow-up examinations in developing countries.
A Child with Benign Acute Childhood Myositis After Influenza

Background: Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is a rare transient muscle syndrome classically occurring in children after a viral upper respiratory infection (URI). BACM causes difficulty walking due to severe bilateral calf pain. The incidence of this well-described phenomenon is uncertain but infrequent, and it is typically appreciated during times of large influenza outbreaks and epidemics. The URI symptoms that precede BACM are consistent with an uncomplicated viral influenza infection and include fever, malaise, cough, sore throat, headache, and rhinitis. Objectives: Little is written in the Emergency Medicine literature regarding this clinical entity. In this report, a brief review of BACM from the current literature is provided, as well as tools to aid in differentiating it from more severe but similar disorders such as rhabdomyolysis and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Case Report: We present a case of BACM in a 7-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department after a resolving URI with the acute onset of calf pain causing alarming difficulty in his ability to walk. His presentation was typical for BACM and his condition improved with supportive treatment. Conclusions: Although quite alarming and potentially puzzling to the physician who is not familiar with BACM, this syndrome is self limited and spontaneously resolves with no specific intervention. Recognition of this rare but distinct clinical entity by the emergency physician can spare a patient from potentially unneeded invasive testing and hospital admission.
Optimum trapezoidal frame with rigid members and flexible joints

Abstract A loaded trapezoidal frame with rigid members and flexible joints is studied. An exact solution method is used to find buckling and non-linear post buckling characteristics. In most cases a snap through phenomenon occurs. There exists an optimum trapezoidal shape for stability.
Through the looking glass: what is on the horizon for the mask maker?

The future of mask industry technology is in flux. While the requirements for current and near-term lithographic capability is well understood, advanced lithography options pose a completely new set of challenges to the mask maker. Challenges are not only process and materials related, but also include more fundamental concerns dealing with how to afford the necessary capability development. This paper identifies the issues and attempts to propose solutions to the industry's growing concerns.