cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Gasification Parameters on Performance of Gasification Based on Two-stage Coal-slurry Gasification

Gasificatio island based on two-stage coal-slurry gasification is established using software "ThermoFlex".Gasification parameter that effects gasification performance of two-stage coal-slurry gasification are analyzed,and effect of two-stage coal ratio on gasification performance is studied.The results show that as two-stage coal ratio increases,effective gas content decreases,and cold gas efficiency firstly increases and then decreases.There is an optimal value of two-stage coal ratio.Considering gaqsification temperature and cold gas efficiency,the optimal two-stage coal ratio is 0.1 ~ 0.15.
Elbow problems in the athlete

Athletes expose their elbows to significantly high forces, in addition to multiple repetitive motions. Athletic injuries about the elbow include ligamentous, tendon, articular, and nerve injuries. The proper diagnosis requires a thorough knowledge of the anatomy, pathomechanics, and physical findings associated with these injuries. Treatment entails a methodical progression from nonoperative to operative intervention.
Engaged Leadership: Administrative Ethics

While many would find the terms administration and ethics to be an oxymoron, this column counters this position by proposing that ethics are a part of being a good administrator. However, ethics from the decision making perspective are different for administrators. Additionally, one may have to engage in a different way to provide transparency for others to understand what ethical conduct means for those in a titled leadership role.
Anxiety Disorders in Women

Evidence from clinical and community studies reveals a two-fold higher rate of anxiety disorders among women than men. This risk is evident across the lifespan. Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorder, with nearly one-third of women and one-fifth of men meeting lifetime criteria for one of the subtypes of anxiety. Women also experience a greater range of subtypes of anxiety than men. Anxiety disorders tend to co-occur with other classes of mental disorders, including mood disorders and substance use disorders across the lifespan. The onset of anxiety disorders typically occurs in childhood and the incidence rates remain fairly stable across adulthood. Anxiety disorders are highly familial, with both genetic vulnerability factors and environmental exposures contributing to the aggregation of these conditions. Furthermore, sex differences have been observed in various risk factors for anxiety disorders, ranging from psychosocial factors to temperament and biological factors. Although women are more likely than men to be affected by anxiety disorders, they may be less likely to obtain specialty mental health treatment for their conditions. This work highlights the need for more research that systematically examines sex differences in vulnerability, manifestation, causes and consequences of anxiety disorders.
Biomaterials for Dental Surgical Implants

The evolution and current concepts of restorative dental implants are briefly reviewed. With more than 90% of the dental implant devices remaining stable after 15 years, the interest of all involved in the development and applications of musculoskeletal materials manufactured devices has been growing steadily. The article concludes with a discussion of the current materials, their applications, and in vivo reactivities.
External validity of the chiari severity index and outcomes among pediatric chiari I patients treated with intra- or extra-Dural decompression

Chiari malformation type-1 (CM-1) may be treated by intradural (ID) or extradural (ED) posterior fossa decompression, although the optimal approach is debated. The Chiari Severity Index (CSI) is a pre-operative metric to predict patient-defined improvement after CM-1 surgery. In this study, we evaluate the results of ID versus ED decompression and assess the external validity of the CSI. We performed a retrospective cohort study of pediatric CM-1 patients undergoing decompression at a single academic children’s hospital. Characteristics of headache, syrinx, and myelopathy were collected to derive CSI grade. The primary outcome measure was pre-operative symptom resolution. The proportion of patients with favorable outcome was tabulated for each of the three CSI grades and compared to previously published results. From 2004 to 2014, 189 patients underwent ID (48%) or ED (52%) decompression at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 75 months. Rates of symptom resolution (58–64%) and reoperation (8%) were similar regardless of surgical approach. Although proportions of favorable outcomes differed between the CHOP and Washington University (WU) cohorts, the difference was not related to CSI grade (p = 0.63). Furthermore, there was no difference in the proportion of favorable outcomes between the two cohorts regardless of ID (p = 0.26) or ED approach (p = 0.11). Equivalent rates of symptom resolution and reoperation following ID and ED decompression support the ED approach as a first-line surgical option for pediatric CM-1 patients. In addition, our findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the generalizability of the CSI and its use in future comparative trials.
Gamma motor neurons survive and exacerbate alpha motor neuron degeneration in ALS

The molecular and cellular basis of selective motor neuron (MN) vulnerability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not known. In genetically distinct mouse models of familial ALS expressing mutant superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1), TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), and fused in sarcoma (FUS), we demonstrate selective degeneration of alpha MNs (α-MNs) and complete sparing of gamma MNs (γ-MNs), which selectively innervate muscle spindles. Resistant γ-MNs are distinct from vulnerable α-MNs in that they lack synaptic contacts from primary afferent (IA) fibers. Elimination of these synapses protects α-MNs in the SOD1 mutant, implicating this excitatory input in MN degeneration. Moreover, reduced IA activation by targeted reduction of γ-MNs in SOD1G93A mutants delays symptom onset and prolongs lifespan, demonstrating a pathogenic role of surviving γ-MNs in ALS. This study establishes the resistance of γ-MNs as a general feature of ALS mouse models and demonstrates that synaptic excitation of MNs within a complex circuit is an important determinant of relative vulnerability in ALS.
Continued Inpatient Care After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty Increases 30-Day Post-Discharge Complications: A Propensity Score-Adjusted Analysis.

Abstract Background Discharge destination, either home or skilled care facility, after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may be associated with significant variation in postacute care outcomes. The purpose of this study was to characterize the 30-day postdischarge outcomes after primary TKA relative to discharge destination. Methods All primary unilateral TKAs performed for osteoarthritis from 2011-2014 were identified in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Propensity scores based on predischarge characteristics were used to adjust for selection bias in discharge destination. Propensity-adjusted multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine associations between discharge destination and postdischarge complications. Results Among 101,256 primary TKAs identified, 70,628 were discharged home and 30,628 to skilled care facilities. Patients discharged to facilities were more frequently were female, older, higher body mass index class, higher Charlson comorbidity index and American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, had predischarge complications, received general anesthesia, and classified as nonindependent preoperatively. Propensity adjustment accounted for this selection bias. Patients discharged to skilled care facilities after TKA had higher odds of any major complication (odds ratio = 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.37) and readmission (odds ratio = 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-2.18). Skilled care was associated with increased odds for respiratory, septic, thromboembolic, and urinary complications. Associations with death, cardiac, and wound complications were not significant. Conclusion After controlling for predischarge characteristics, discharge to skilled care facilities vs home after primary TKA is associated with higher odds of numerous complications and unplanned readmission. These results support coordination of care pathways to facilitate home discharge after hospitalization for TKA whenever possible.
A community resource for exploring and utilizing genetic diversity in the USDA pea single plant plus collection.

Globally, pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important temperate legume crop for food, feed and fodder, and many breeding programs develop cultivars adapted to these end-uses. In order to assist pea development efforts, we assembled the USDA Pea Single Plant Plus Collection (PSPPC), which contains 431 P. sativum accessions with morphological, geographic and taxonomic diversity. The collection was characterized genetically in order to maximize its value for trait mapping and genomics-assisted breeding. To that end, we used genotyping-by-sequencing-a cost-effective method for de novo single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker discovery-to generate 66 591 high-quality SNPs. These data facilitated the identification of accessions divergent from mainstream breeding germplasm that could serve as sources of novel, favorable alleles. In particular, a group of accessions from Central Asia appear nearly as diverse as a sister species, P. fulvum, and subspecies, P. sativum subsp. elatius. PSPPC genotypes can be paired with new and existing phenotype data for trait mapping; as proof-of-concept, we localized Mendel's A gene controlling flower color to its known position. We also used SNP data to define a smaller core collection of 108 accessions with similar levels of genetic diversity as the entire PSPPC, resulting in a smaller germplasm set for research screening and evaluation under limited resources. Taken together, the results presented in this study along with the release of a publicly available SNP data set comprise a valuable resource for supporting worldwide pea genetic improvement efforts.
Liberty, Equality, Bribery, and Self-Government: Reframing the Campaign Finance Debate

Campaign finance law is often framed as a tension between liberty and equality. On one side is the freedom of speech, which the Supreme Court has interpreted to include the freedom to give and spend money in connection with elections. On the other is democratic equality and the idea that we are each entitled to an equal voice in choosing our representatives. If this is the tension that underlies the current jurisprudence, it would appear that liberty has won out and equality has been vanquished. But appearances can be deceiving. This facile contrast between liberty and equality overstates both what the relevant cases have held, and it ignores the ways in which different understandings of these values are present in other aspects of our constitutional jurisprudence. This chapter argues that the constitutional doctrine relevant to assessing campaign finance cases includes the equality-based doctrines governing political participation and the liberty-based commitment to self-government.
Big Data Science and Doctoral Education in Nursing

Knowledge and skill development ensuring that nursing scientists are optimally prepared to conduct big data research and that advanced practice nurses are prepared to use findings from big data research to optimize the health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities is a priority need in doctoral education. The purpose of this chapter is to identify critical issues involved in incorporating “big data” science into research- and practice-focused doctoral programs in nursing. The need for preparation of nurses in big data science, data science methods, and translation of findings from big data nursing research into practice will be summarized. Common core knowledge and skills and competencies specific to preparation of advanced practice nurses and nursing scientists will be emphasized. Resources for incorporating big data into doctoral curricula will be identified.
Matrix Topographical Cue-Mediated Myogenic Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derivatives

Biomaterials varying in physical properties, chemical composition and biofunctionalities can be used as powerful tools to regulate skeletal muscle-specific cellular behaviors, including myogenic differentiation of progenitor cells. Biomaterials with defined topographical cues (e.g., patterned substrates) can mediate cellular alignment of progenitor cells and improve myogenic differentiation. In this study, we employed soft lithography techniques to create substrates with microtopographical cues and used these substrates to study the effect of matrix topographical cues on myogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived mesodermal progenitor cells expressing platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA). Our results show that the majority (>80%) of PDGFRA+ cells on micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates were aligned along the direction of the microgrooves and underwent robust myogenic differentiation compared to those on non-patterned surfaces. Matrix topography-mediated alignment of the mononucleated cells promoted their fusion resulting in mainly (~86%⁻93%) multinucleated myotube formation. Furthermore, when implanted, the cells on the micropatterned substrates showed enhanced in vivo survival (>5⁻7 times) and engraftment (>4⁻6 times) in cardiotoxin-injured tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of NOD/SCID mice compared to cells cultured on corresponding non-patterned substrates.
Included, but Underserved: Rediscovering Special Education for Students with Learning Disabilities

Special education occurs in the context of public schools in the United States, where instruction is shaped by two often countervailing forces: the governance of educational policies, and the guidance of educational research. This chapter examines how these forces interact by reviewing descriptions of special education instruction for elementary and secondary school students with LD in recent research studies. The authors emphasize the importance of meeting the unique educational needs of students with LD and teaching them effectively in what for each is the least restrictive educational environment, using the most promising and proven practices. The authors assert that to do so means drawing on the respective expertise of general and special education teachers by clarifying, not blurring, their traditional distinctions.
Estimating floodwater depths from flood inundation maps and topography

Remote sensing analysis is routinely used to map flood inundation during flooding events or retrospectively for planning and research activities. Quantification of the depth of floodwater is important for emergency response, relief operations, damage assessment etc. The Floodwater Depth Estimation Tool (FwDET) calculates water depth based on topographic analysis using standard GIS tools within a Python script. FwDET’s low input requirements (DEM and inundation polygon) and high computational efficiency lend it as a useful tool for emergency response and large-scale applications. Operational use of FwDET is described herein as part of emergency response activation of the Global Flood Partnership (GFP) during the 2017 USA Hurricane Season and May 2018 flooding in Sri Lanka. Use of FwDET during Hurricanes Harvey (Texas and Louisiana), Irma (Florida) and Maria (Puerto Rico) demonstrated its utility by producing large-scale water depth products at near-real-time at relatively high spatial resolution. Despite FwDET’s success, limitations of the tool stemmed from bureaucratic disallowance of non-governmental remote sensing products by U.S. federal emergency response agencies, misclassified remotely sensed floodwaters and challenges obtaining global high resolution DEMs specifically for the aforementioned Sri Lankian flooding. While global-scale DEM products at 30m resolution are freely available, these datasets are of integer precision and thus have limited vertical resolution. This limitation is significant primarily in flat (e.g. coastal) locations and flooded domains comprised of relatively small patches of water.
Amiodarone Protocol Provides Cost-Effective Reduction in Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Background Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac operations results in a significant increase in morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Prophylactic amiodarone has been shown to reduce the incidence of POAF; however, the cost-effectiveness of a protocol-driven approach remains unknown. Methods All patients with a Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score enrolled in a prophylactic amiodarone protocol (n = 153) were propensity score matched 1:3 with patients before protocol implementation (n = 3,574). Multivariate logistic and linear regressions assessed the relative risks (POAF reduction and adverse medication effects) in the matched cohort of amiodarone therapy and costs, respectively. TreeAge cost-effectiveness software (TreeAge Software, Inc, Williamstown, MA) modeled the effects of prophylactic amiodarone costs, complication rates, and quality of life. Results Of patients eligible for the prophylactic amiodarone protocol, 94.3% (281 of 298) were enrolled. Prophylactic amiodarone significantly reduced the rate of POAF (25.7% vs 16.8%, p Conclusions Implementation of a prophylactic amiodarone protocol significantly reduced risk-adjusted rates of POAF, with a cost savings of $458 per patient. This analysis demonstrates how rigorous quantitative analysis can evaluate the benefits of quality improvement projects.
A three-dimensional self-assembled SnS2-nano-dots@graphene hybrid aerogel as an efficient polysulfide reservoir for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

Reliable sulfur cathodes hold the key to realizing high-performance lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, yet the electrochemical inefficiency and instability arising from the poor conductivity of sulfur and lithium sulfide together with polysulfide diffusion present challenges. We present here a new three-dimensional graphene aerogel embedded with in situ grown SnS2 nano-dots (SnS2-ND@G) as an efficient sulfur host. First, benefiting from a highly conductive, hierarchically porous, and mechanically self-supported architecture, the SnS2-ND@G aerogel enables the cathode to hold high sulfur content (75 wt%) and loading (up to 10 mg cm−2). Both values exceed most of the reported metal-compound-related cathode work (<60 wt% sulfur content and <3 mg cm−2 sulfur loading) in the literature. Second, this work takes advantage of a facile one-pot self-assembly fabrication, effectively guaranteeing a homogeneous deposition of SnS2 nano-dots in the graphene aerogel with a small amount of SnS2 (16 wt%). It greatly overcomes the shortcomings of physical incorporation methods to make metal-compound/carbon substrates reported in previous studies. More importantly, by rationally combining the physical entrapment from graphene and chemical adsorptivity from SnS2 nano-dots towards polysulfides, the SnS2-ND@G aerogel demonstrates remarkably improved polysulfide-trapping capability and electrochemical stability. As a result, a high peak capacity of 1234 mA h g−1, a high reversible capacity of 1016 mA h g−1 after 300 cycles, exceptional rate capability (C/10 – 3C rates), and impressive areal capacity (up to 11 mA h cm−2) are achieved. This work provides a viable path to integrate a conductive graphene network and nano-sized SnS2 as a promising cathode substrate for developing advanced Li–S batteries.
Sex selection by sperm separation and insemination

The Ericsson albumin filtration technique was used to collect a fraction rich in Y sperm for selective insemination in couples desiring a male infant. Of 35 conceptions in which sex was known at delivery or spontaneous abortion, there were 28 males (80%). Twelve pregnancies were achieved after separation of sperm in a Sephadex gel filtration system designed to allow for collection of a fraction enriched in X sperm. Seven pregnancies have resulted in females, two in males, and one in twins of each sex. One patient aborted, and one is still pregnant. While selection for either sex can be done electively, on the basis of sociologic preference, female selection has, as an additional indication, avoidance of male offspring to carriers of sex-linked diseases.
Modeling of Carrier Transport in the Finite Collision Duration Regime: Effects in Submicron Semiconductor Devices

Over the last two decades, the electronics industry has re sponded to market forces by producing less expensive, but more complex and sophisticated, integrated circuits by large-scale-integration (LSI). The growth of LSI has in fact been phenomenal, and the application of special integrated circuits and microprocessors has blossomed. In fact, the complexity of these circuits, where complexity is defined here by the number of individual devices on an integrated circuit chip, has approximately doubled each year over this time span. There are, of course, several factors which contribute to this increase in complexity, including major effects arising from increased die size, increased circuit cleverness, and reduced device size (Moore, 1975). This latter factor, reduction of the individual feature size in a device, is of paramount importance and dimensions are currently down to the 1–2 micrometer range. Progress in the micro-electronics industry is strongly coupled with the ability to continue to make ever increasing numbers of smaller, and more clever, devices on a single chip; i.e., the move toward very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) will be of paramount importance to this continued progress. It is apparent that extrapolation of today’s technology will produce individual devices whose dimensions are of the order of 0.2–0.5 micrometers (Ballantyne, 1978).
BALDINI: BALDI SPEAKS ITALIAN!

In this work, the development of Baldini, an Italian version of Baldi, a computer-animated conversational agent, is presented. Speech synthesis and facial animation examples are shown 1 .
APPLICATION OF MICROSEISMIC TECHNIQUES TO THE MONITORING OF STORAGE CAVERN STABILITY

This paper first discusses the importance of being able to evaluate the long-term mechanical stability of a rock cavern used for storage, considers the fact that at present very limited means are available for such stability monitoring, and suggests that microseismic (acoustic emission) techniques may be suitable for such purposes. The paper then briefly outlines the philosophy of the microseismic technique as applied to stability monitoring of geologic structures, and describes the associated microseismic field hardware normally utilized. The paper concludes with an outline of how microseismic techniques have already been applied to underground gas storage and mine stability in general, and discusses how microseismic techniques could be applied specifically to the stability monitoring of excavated rock storage caverns. Ce rapport discute d'abord l'importance de pouvoir evaluer la stabilite mecanique a long terme d'une caverne de roche servant de stockage, considere le fait qu'a present de moyens tres limites sont disponibles pour le control d'une telle stabilite, et suggere que ces techniques microseismiques (emission accoustique) pourraient appropieespour de tels objectifs. Le rapport ensuite decrit brievement les grandes lignes relatives a la conception de la technique microseismique appliquee au controle de la stabilitee des structures geologiques, et decrit l'outillage demicroseisme normalement utilise sur le chantier. En conclusion il donne un plan general sur la facon dont des techniques microseismiques ont ete deja appliquees au stockage des gaz souterrains et a la stabilite des mines en general, et discute comment des techniques microseismiques pourraient etre appliquees specifiquement au controle de la stabilite des cavernes de depot de roche. Die Arbeit diskutiert die Wichtigkeit der Answertumg der langzeitigen Stabilitat von Felsen betthohlen die als Speicher benutztwerden, sie zieht in Betracht, das zur Zeit solch eine Stebilitats uberwachung nur in boschranktem Mase moglich ist, und schlagt vor, das Mikroseismische Methoden (Akustische Emission) fur diesen Zweck brauchbar sind. Der Beitrag um reist dann Kurz die Grundlagen der Mikroseismischen Methode in ihrer Anwedung auf geologische Strukturen und beschreibt die notwendigen Gerate, die normalerweise im Feld benutzt werden. Die Arbeit schliest mit einem Abris, der zeigt wie weit im allgemeinen mikroseismische methoden zur Erhellung der Stabilitat von Erdgas speishern und Gruben bisher angewendet worden sind, und einer Diskussion uber die Anwendung der Mikroseismischen Methoden zur uberwachung der Stabilitat von engelegten Felsen bett hohlen speichein im speiziellen.
A Geomorphological Approach to Reconstructing Archaeological Settlement Patterns Based on Surficial Artifact Distribution

Physical and cultural landscapes evolve in response to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Therefore any attempt to understand landscape evolution requires the integration of anthropology and the physical sciences. As such, both landscape archaeology and geomorphology are interdependent and interdisciplinary endeavors. Unfortunately, we are hampered in our re-creation of past landscapes by the set of assumptions and the scientific language we bring to this endeavor. This chapter attempts to present a geomorphological approach to re-creating physical and cultural landscapes and in this process elucidates the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.
DNA Topology Review

DNA holds the instructions for an organism’s development, reproduction, and, ultimately, death. It encodes much of the information a cell needs to survive and reproduce. It is important for inheritance and coding for proteins, and contains the genetic instruction guide for life and its processes. But also, DNA of an organism has a complex and interesting topology. For information retrieval and cell viability, some geometric and topological features of DNA must be introduced, and others quickly removed. Proteins perform these amazing feats of topology at the molecular level; thus, the description and quantization of these protein actions require the language and computational machinery of topology. The use of tangle algebra to model the biological processes that give rise to knotting in DNA provides an excellent example of the application of topological algebra to biology. The tangle algebra approach to knotting in DNA began with the study of the site-specific recombinase Tn3 resolvase. This chapter is a summary of some basic knot theory and biology. We then describe the tangle model developed by Ernst and Sumners using the Tn3 resolvase as an example. We conclude with applications of the tangle model to other biological problems.
Small GTPases and Their Role in Vascular Disease.

Over eighty million people in the United States have cardiovascular disease that can affect the heart causing myocardial infarction; the carotid arteries causing stroke; and the lower extremities leading to amputation. The treatment for end-stage cardiovascular disease is surgical—either endovascular therapy with balloons and stents—or open reconstruction to reestablish blood flow. All interventions damage or destroy the protective inner lining of the blood vessel—the endothelium. An intact endothelium is essential to provide a protective; antithrombotic lining of a blood vessel. Currently; there are no agents used in the clinical setting that promote reendothelialization. This process requires migration of endothelial cells to the denuded vessel; proliferation of endothelial cells on the denuded vessel surface; and the reconstitution of the tight adherence junctions responsible for the formation of an impermeable surface. These processes are all regulated in part and are dependent on small GTPases. As important as the small GTPases are for reendothelialization, dysregulation of these molecules can result in various vascular pathologies including aneurysm formation, atherosclerosis, diabetes, angiogenesis, and hypertension. A better understanding of the role of small GTPases in endothelial cell migration is essential to the development for novel agents to treat vascular disease.
Live, virtual, and spectral: being present at the prison (tour)*

ABSTRACTDrawing on several years of bringing students on a tour of a maximum security prison, I posit the prison (tour) as a live performance that is only legible through distinct but interlocking ...
Learning in Context with Horizontally & Vertically Integrated Curriculum in a Smart Learning Factory

Abstract In this work we present the development of a Smart Learning Factory (SLF) at Purdue University for preparing students with the skills, capabilities, and technological experiences necessary to excel in an Industry 4.0 environment. Functionally, the SLF is a replica of an actual cyber-physical production factory designed to intentionally foster collaboration between courses from multiple disciplinary areas, particularly mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, and robotics. Our objective is to reduce course silos by deliberately fusing the interconnection between courses by using SLF as the common unifying platform. Activities in design, manufacturing processes, production, production management, automation, energy, information, and communications, teamwork and collaboration are integrated using a vertical and horizontal integration framework. Unifying project activities were designed and introduced into these courses using this framework. As a result, 22 courses were integrated and a total of 26 vertical and horizontal integrated projects developed. This integration also facilitated the development of an energy credential using the SLF. Students progressing from freshman through senior year in college will better understand the interconnection of content between different courses, apply their learning to a manufacturing environment, gain a holistic perspective of the interdependent structures of the cyber-physical system, the connected enterprise, and the manufacturing ecosystem.
Biking to Academic Success: A Study on a Bike Desk Implementation at an Academic Library

Sedentary behavior has increased over the last several decades, and this has led to major life-threatening health issues. Texas A&M University Libraries has introduced an innovative idea in three o...
Grounding TV’s Material Heritage: Place-based Projects That Value or Vilify Amateur Videocassette Recordings of Television

VCRs were once prized for their ability to allow amateurs to create material records of ephemeral television broadcasts. But what value do amateur video-recordings of television have at their late stage of obsolescence? This article outlines some of the discursive parameters surrounding the perceived use-value of amateur video-recordings of television, drawing on case studies of video collection projects that are divided on the question of whether amateur television video-recordings continue to have merit. It argues that both advocates and detractors of videocassette recordings of television tend to rely on place-based heritage discourses in order to value or vilify them.
TROPONIN I ELEVATION IN DUSCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disease characterized by muscle weakness, bone disease, and progressive cardiomyopathy. One study using cardiac MRI (cMRI) to screen patients in late adolescents found that 24/31 patients (77%) displayed late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and 13/24
Neuromuscular Emergencies in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Neuromuscular disorders portend various emergencies and require critical care management during the course of the disease. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) being an acute inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (AIDP) characterized by antibody production against the myelin sheath and the axon occurs following a viral or bacterial infection resulting in progressive ascending paralysis. Respiratory muscle paralysis and dysautonomia are life-threatening symptom of this syndrome. Central storming leading to cardio-pulmonary decompensation mandates intensive care admission. Treatment includes an inpatient airway watch, IV immunoglobulins or plasmapheresis, and symptomatic management of the dysautonomia. Steroids have no role in the treatment of the GBS and in fact can worsen the clinical picture.
Physical Punishment of Children in Urban African American Neighborhoods

Use and support of physical punishment are known to be elevated among individuals who are African American. Less is known about the association between a neighborhood’s racial composition and the frequency with which its children experience physical discipline. This study aims to (a) determine if children in mostly Black urban neighborhoods are subjected to spanking and other physical punishments more commonly than those living elsewhere and (b) assess the degree to which neighborhood characteristics (besides racial makeup) account for associations between neighborhood racial composition and physical punishment use therein. Ordinary least squares regression models are used to analyze data regarding 3-year-old children from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which is designed to be nationally representative of births in US cities with at least 200,000 residents. It is found that greater proportions of mothers in mostly Black neighborhoods than in other neighborhoods reported any past-year use of spanking, hitting with a hard object, and slapping, as well as more than 20 past-year occurrences of hitting with a hard object and slapping. Furthermore, a direct association is found between the percentage of African American residents in a neighborhood and an index of physical punishment usage, which is robust to controls for a variety of characteristics of the mother’s household and neighborhood. It is important to account for greater exposure to physical punishment as a factor that may disadvantage children growing up in mostly Black communities.
Co-linear chaining with overlaps and gap costs

MotivationCo-linear chaining has proven to be a powerful technique for finding approximately optimal alignments and approximating edit distance. It is used as an intermediate step in numerous mapping tools that follow seed-and-extend strategy. Despite this popularity, subquadratic time algorithms for the case where chains support anchor overlaps and gap costs are not currently known. Moreover, a theoretical connection between co-linear chaining cost and edit distance remains unknown. ResultsWe present algorithms to solve the co-linear chaining problem with anchor overlaps and gap costs in O(n) time, where n denotes the count of anchors. We establish the first theoretical connection between co-linear chaining cost and edit distance. Specifically, we prove that for a fixed set of anchors under a carefully designed chaining cost function, the optimal anchored edit distance equals the optimal co-linear chaining cost. Finally, we demonstrate experimentally that optimal co-linear chaining cost under the proposed cost function can be computed significantly faster than edit distance, and achieves high correlation with edit distance for closely as well as distantly related sequences. Implementationhttps://github.com/at-cg/ChainX Contactchirag@iisc.ac.in, daniel.j.gibney@gmail.com, sharma.thankachan@ucf.edu
SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARD AS A PRIMARY MODE OF DELIVERING MARKETING EDUCATION: RESPONDING TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND BEYOND

The research reported in this paper examined the use of synchronous online discussion board as the primary mode of teaching by one instructor teaching two sections of a senior-level undergraduate M...
Veil Politics in Liberal Democratic States

In this exciting and challenging account of the development and sustainability of the liberal democratic state, Ajume H. Wingo offers a completely new perspective from that provided by political theorists. Such theorists will typically argue for the basic values of liberal democracies by rationally justifying them. This book argues that it is non-rational factors - rhetoric, symbols, traditions - that more often than not provide the real source of motivation. Drawing from both historical and philosophical sources Ajume H. Wingo demonstrates that these 'veils', as he calls them, can play an essential role in a thriving, stable liberal democratic state. This theory of veil politics furnishes a conceptual framework within which we can reassess the role of aesthetics in politics, the nature and function of political myths in liberal democracies, and the value of civic education.
Clinical Characteristics of Infections in Humans Due to Staphylococcus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common cause of primary bacteremia and infections of indwelling medical devices. The ability to cause disease is linked to its natural niche on human skin and ability to attach and form biofilm on foreign bodies. This review focuses on the S. epidermidis clinical syndromes most commonly encountered by clinicians and future potential treatment modalities.
Averting a Legitimation Crisis and the Paradox of the War on Terror

Rarely in the war-on-terror literature do we get an attempt to capture a Gestalt understanding of the "War on Terror." This article brings together five books that, when examined collectively, create an opportunity to see the War on Terror as something beyond just a struggle against a particular form of terrorism or merely a politically controversial feature of the outgoing Bush Administration. The ambition here is to discover the function of the War on Terror within an emerging neo-liberal world order.Most useful in that discovery is Philip Bobbitt's Terror and Consent, perhaps the most comprehensive disquisition so far on terrorism and the War on Terror. It argues that Islamic terrorism is a product of the emerging new State. "Market states of consent," as he calls them, are emerging as the dominant states of our globalization age (often called "neo-liberalism"), and al Qaeda is a reaction to this global development. This article uses Bobbitt's thesis as a launching point for the claim that protecting civilians becomes the way a State averts what Jurgen Habermas terms, a "legitimation crisis." The threat of a Habermasian legitimation crisis, this article suggests, must be appreciated in order to understand how the War on Terror functions within a world order that the United States wishes to manage (and that Bobbitt fervently believes we must manage). This understanding takes two forms: one, terrorism seeks to provoke a "legitimation crisis" by communicating, through its dramatic violent acts, that the state cannot fulfill the limited obligation of sovereignty-to wit: protecting its own populace; and two, flipping the first point, the State uses "terrorism" to generate a War on Terror that exists to permit the State to overcome a legitimation crisis that otherwise would be provoked by the State's inability to deal with the crises generated by a ravaging (read: neo-liberal) form of globalization.Bobbitt's Terror and Consent may be the most important book on the scene, and so it anchors the discussion here. The other four under consideration, in crucial ways, allow us to unveil the hidden geopolitical agenda within Bobbitt's impressively scholastic disquisition on terrorism and the War on Terror. Fighting terrorism, the article concludes, is not so much a problem as it is a paradox, for terrorism and the War on Terror are caught in a self-contradiction. Only a deep reawakening of our national identity can resolve that self-contradiction. So, while Terror and Consent usefully situates the War on Terror within the realities of globalization (and on that basis offers proposals to improve that "war"), the other books examined here may provoke concern that Bobbitt's new and improved "War on Terror" keeps us on a road to catastrophe.
LTE Signaling: Troubleshooting and Performance Measurement

This chapter describes how the different interfaces of the evolved Universal terrestrial radio access network (E‐UTRAN) can be monitored and the measurement equipment that can be used. It outlines the important performance parameters required to troubleshoot and optimize the network and presents a set of counter‐based key performance indicators (KPIs) is proposed to check the performance of the most essential network functions. The chapter describes approaches of monitoring the Long Term Evolution (LTE) interfaces from the air interface through core network (Enhanced Packet Core ‐ EPC) interfaces. On the LTE radio interface, the most interesting aspect for radio quality is inter‐cell interference. A set of common performance counters for accessibility, retainability, and mobility KPIs is generated by network elements like eNB and mobility management entity (MME). Hence, these counters are also named network element counters or operation and maintenance center (OMC) counters.
Narrative Diversity and Sympathetic Abortion: What Online Storytelling Reveals About the Prescribed Norms of the Mainstream Movements

Social movement scholarship demonstrates the importance of formula stories in raising awareness for social causes. The stories put forth by the opposing sides of the abortion rights issue in the United States utilize sympathetic narratives in furthering their arguments for and against abortion rights respectively, but differences in each side's narrative strategies are instructive in understanding current reproductive debate discourse. This article is a qualitative examination of abortion narratives published on two websites, one pro-life and one pro-choice. Chief among my findings are that narratives for each cause support opposed views of women's appropriate contemporary social roles and that authors' reported approaches to pregnancy and abortion are instrumental in constructing these broader understandings. Narratives posted by pro-choice authors are confined by circumstantial norms surrounding unintended pregnancy (such as young age, student status, and first-time pregnancy) as well as by a requirement to attribute empowering outcomes to the abortion decision. Pro-life authors discuss a broader array of circumstances surrounding their pregnancies with narratives ultimately unified by themes of intense regret followed by atonement.
Ethics in Criminal Advocacy, ABA Criminal Justice Section

2009 was a remarkable year for significant public attention to ethics issues in criminal advocacy. Cases involving individual prosecutors and defense lawyers as well as institutional issues in the criminal justice system continue to make headlines. Judicial opinions imposing sanctions for failure to disclose key evidence are notable. The ones we have chosen to include below are those that have particularly piqued our interest this year.
Detection of Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs by Doppler Echocardiography

Background Echocardiographic prediction of congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs has not been prospectively evaluated. Hypothesis CHF can be predicted by Doppler echocardiographic (DE) variables of left ventricular (LV) filling in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (MVD) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Animals Sixty-three client-owned dogs. Methods Prospective clinical cohort study. Physical examination, thoracic radiography, analysis of natriuretic peptides, and transthoracic echocardiography were performed. Diagnosis of CHF was based upon clinical and radiographic findings. Presence or absence of CHF was predicted using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, multivariate logistic and stepwise regression, and best subsets analyses. Results Presence of CHF secondary to MVD or DCM could best be predicted by E:isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) (area under the ROC curve [AUC]=0.97, P Conclusion and clinical importance Various DE variables can be used to predict CHF in dogs with MVD and DCM. Determination of the clinical benefit of such variables in initiating, modulating, and assessing success of treatments for CHF needs further study.
Stable T2Sin (T=Fe,Co,Ni,1≤n≤8) cluster motifs

First principles studies on the geometry, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of neutral and anionic Fe2Sin, Co2Sin, and Ni2Sin (1≤n≤8) clusters have been carried out within a gradient corrected density functional framework. It is shown that these clusters display a variety of magnetic species with varying magnetic moment and different magnetic coupling between the two transition metal atoms. While Fe2Sin clusters are mostly ferromagnetic with large moments, Ni2Sin clusters are mostly nonmagnetic. Our studies of the variation of the binding energy upon addition of successive Si atoms and the gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital indicate that many of the motifs are quite stable and could be suitable as building blocks for generating magnetic cluster assembled materials. The studies also reveal motifs that could be used in molecular electronic devices to generate spin polarized currents or large magnetoresistance.
Cost‐Effectiveness Analyses Throughout the Drug Development Life Cycle

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a systematic, quantitative method for summarizing health benefits and health resources of various treatment options into single numbers or ratios so that policy makers can choose among them. Computer modeling of cost-effectiveness may play a significant role in informing the pharmaceutical decision-making process throughout a product's life cycle, increasing the likelihood of reimbursement and broad use. Keywords: cost-effectiveness; decision analysis; economics; modeling
Delayed onset of runaway and moist greenhouse climates for Earth

As the Sun slowly grows brighter over its main sequence lifetime, habitability on Earth's surface will eventually become threatened probably leading to moist and then runaway greenhouse climates. One-dimensional climate models predict that a catastrophic thermal runaway will be triggered by a 6% increase in the solar constant above its present level. However, here simulations using a three-dimensional climate model with fixed carbon dioxide and methane indicate that surface habitability may be maintained at significantly larger solar constants. A 15.5% increase in the solar constant yields global mean surface temperatures of 312.9 K, well short of moist and runaway greenhouse states. Numerical limitations prevent simulation of climates much warmer than this. Nonetheless, our results imply that Earth's climate may remain safe against both water loss and thermal runaway limits for at least another 1.5 billion years and probably for much longer.