cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mexican immigration, occupational clustering, and the local labor market adjustment of African-American workers

Since the 1970s, economic restructuring and shifts in industries have morphed the occupational path of workers, curbing socioeconomic mobility for many—wages of African-American workers which have trended upward in the 1960s and 1970s started stalling beginning in the 1980s. As Hispanic/Mexican immigrants were being absorbed in various industry sectors, researchers have questioned whether unfavorable trends in African-American wages and employment outcomes are tied to Mexican immigration. This paper examines the effect of Mexican immigrants on wages for African-Americans using various estimation methods and finds consistent negative estimates, pointing to an inverse relationship between Mexican immigrants and wages for African-Americans, which is consistent with crowding out and substitution effects. However, in addition, analyses also show that a heavier source of depression of wages for African-Americans stems not just from immigration. In fact, in some ways, occupation clustering and specialization of Mexican immigrants mitigates impact of immigration on African-Americans on a whole range of low-skill occupations. But, all else equal, there appears rather to be a tendency for African-Americans to face an even greater “wage penalty” in more predominantly black occupations. The findings suggest that the interplay of immigration policy and workforce development policies and initiatives should be better understood as part of the conversation to redress factors preventing occupational and wage mobility of disadvantaged minority groups in the labor force. JEL Classification: J61, J62
An investigation of restaurant food safety performance: A comparison between ethnic and nonethnic and chain and independent restaurants in Louisiana

This study examines health inspection data from casual dining restaurants and compares differences of food code violations between ethnic and nonethnic restaurants. A total of 7,415 violations were retrieved from the restaurant inspection reports of 769 restaurants. Ethnic restaurants have more violations than nonethnic restaurant in categories related to food time/temperature violations, cross contamination, and food condition/surface/labels. Nonethnic and chain restaurants had fewer behavioral violations than ethnic and independently operated restaurants. Ethnic restaurants were 1.74 times more likely than nonethnic restaurants to have critical violations. Meanwhile, independent restaurants were 1.64 times more likely than chain restaurants to have critical violations.
Using Critical Race Theory to Explore Race-Based Conversations Through a Critical Family Book Club:

Stemming from my personal encounter with what I consider a racial affliction imposed by a White female teacher, I provide a glimpse of my racial narrative as a young Black male to illustrate a refe...
Photocatalytic oxidation of methanol using porous Au/WO3 and visible light

Porous tungsten oxide (WO3) visible light photocatalysts were prepared via hard templating using mesoporous silica (SiO2). Nitrogen physisorption and powder XRD confirmed the greater surface area and smaller nanocrystallites of porous WO3 compared to bulk WO3 ((B)-WO3). Sonochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) was used to further modify the porous WO3 catalyst. The photocatalytic oxidation of methanol (MeOH) under continuous flow conditions was used to evaluate the activity of the porous photocatalysts. Porous WO3 exhibited significantly higher MeOH oxidation activity compared to (B)-WO3 due to its increased surface area. In separate experiments, WO3 and SiO2-supported Au NPs were highly selective MeOH photooxidation catalysts for the production of formaldehyde (HCHO, 60%) and methyl formate (MF), respectively. This indicated that two different photocatalytic mechanisms, namely band gap excitation (WO3) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR, Au NPs), were responsible for the two different oxidation products. When combined with Au NPs, WO3 showed higher rates of MeOH oxidation compared to pure WO3 due to more efficient electron and hole separation. In addition, the reduction of O2 to H2O by photoexcited electrons was more efficient in the presence of Au NPs compared to pure WO3. At higher Au NP loadings, however, selective oxidation of MeOH decreased at the expense of greater CO2 formation due to increased oxidation activity of the combined WO3–Au catalyst.
A Treatise on Grüss’ Inequality

We explore the possibility of proving Gruss’ type inequality for measures other than Lebesgue measure including signed measures. In addition, we give new proofs to some old results.
Introduction to medical biosensors for point of care applications

On a global scale, high mortality rates of various infectious diseases and cancers are symptomatic of inadequate diagnostic tools because of high cost of, and poor access to, medical care. The available assays at the moment may suffer from poor sensitivity, selectivity, as well as being time-consuming. Therefore, a large demand exists for the development of an efficient device that provides sensitive and selective results for early detection of said diseases, thus improving prognosis as well as lowering the mortality rate. Scientists have developed various medical biosensors which seek to address the aforementioned shortcomings. This chapter is an introduction to medical biosensors, but, more specifically, to point-of care (POC) biosensors. POC biosensors allow for the sensitive, selective, and rapid detection of diseases while remaining inexpensive. In this chapter, the general working principle of the POC device is presented including which POC devices have already been manufactured for commercial use.
An image resolution perspective on functional activity mapping

In this paper we apply techniques for numerical estimation of system resolution from imaging, to the regression problem of relating biological data to phenotypes. Our approach can be viewed as an extension of Backus-Gilbert theory, which attempts to find the most concentrated estimator that may be reliably computed in an inverse problem. Applied to a regression model, we estimate a minimal combination of collinear variables that may be found in a predictor, which gives a robust multivariable estimate of the network relationships in the data. Our extension of this approach incorporates a sparsity prior in order to adapt the concept to the high noise and small sample regime. The result is a compromise between the Backus-Gilbert and sparse regularized estimates, which may be adjusted to trade-off benefits of both and provide a result which we demonstrate to be more robust. This is applied to a dataset containing fMRI activity maps and SNP's for subjects with schizophrenia and related disorders. We find the resolution estimate identifies plausible modular behavior among neighboring variables and between regions. We further demonstrate the ability to find differences in these relationships using different response variables or additional data, providing a means to extract more specialized information.
The Secret Place of Literary Creativity in John Fowles’s Daniel Martin: A Phenomenological Perspective

The motto of John Fowles’s Daniel Martin is “Whole sight, or the rest is desolation.” The gaining of “whole sight” in this novel depends greatly upon attaining a sense of “place” in a way that the phenomenological perspective helps to explain. When Daniel Martin, the title character of John Fowles’s novel, wishes to regenerate himself, he decides to write an honest autobiographical novel. Accepting this task, Daniel concludes, gives him a greater chance at honesty than does the writing of film-scripts which he has been doing. Partly, Daniel feels that the film cannot be the medium of honesty in “a culture all of whose surface appearances mislead, and which has made such a psychological art of escaping present, or camera, reality” (DM 273). We “go elsewhere” for our private reality, and “above all to words” (DM 273). “With film-making,” Daniel continues, “our real `block’ is our secret knowledge that any true picture,” of our selves, “must express what the camera cannot capture” (DM 274). Daniel says that he might “reverse the proposition”: no novel “that can be successfully filmed” presents a true picture (DM 274).
Do Scaffolding Tools Improve Reflective Writing in Professional Portfolios? A Content Analysis of Reflective Writing in an Advanced Preparation Program

ABSTRACTReflective practice is an important skill that teachers must develop to be able to assess the effectiveness of their teaching and modify their instructional behavior. In many education programs reflective narratives, which are often part of teaching portfolios, are intended to assess students’ abilities in these areas. Research on reflectivity in writing indicates that students often need assistance to develop truly reflective narratives. This study explores the portfolio narratives of students in an advanced preparation program in Library Media Education over 3 years to determine the nature and quality of their reflective writing. Results of a content analysis indicate that the level of student reflectivity improved when a reflective writing scaffolding tool was used to assist students with their reflective writing tasks.
Abstract 3701: Health disparity characteristics on growth patterns of breast cancer mortality trends among the US Counties, 1989-2010

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Background: Group-based trajectory models are increasingly being applied to address questions related to the development of cancer mortalities over time and, more recently, there is a need to move away from the interpretation of trajectory groups as distinct entities. In this study, we aim to identify trajectory-patterns which have distinct epidemiologic disparity among US counties, and to assess whether health disparities in the socioeconomic characteristics are associated with a greater women health burden in breast cancer. Methods: Cases of breast cancer diagnosed between 1989 and 2010 were selected from Center for Disease Control's WONDER Online Databases using International Classification of Diseases for Malignant neoplasm of breast (ICD 10 - C50). Age-adjusted mortality rates of breast cancer between 1989 and 2010 were calculated by counties as well as race (African American and White). Growth patterns were identified using Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) method and disparity characteristics including socioeconomic attributes were investigated through National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) County Attributes Dataset. Results: We identified the following three growth sub-patterns in the trajectories of breast cancer mortality rates between 1989 and 2010 among US counties: (1) a majority (61%) following a gradual decreasing trajectories, (2) a non-decreasing trajectories (31%), and the remainder following a trajectory with relatively rapid decreasing (7%). We compared disparity characteristics of education level, median household income, poverty percentage, percentages of older ages (65+) and younger ages (<18), and rural-urban continuum among above three sub-patterns. Conclusions: There is heterogeneity of the socioeconomic characteristics that are highly associated with growth patterns in trajectories of breast cancer mortality rates. Growth mixture models are an effective tool to be able to capture health disparities in heterogeneity among counties in the trajectory of breast cancer mortality. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Wonsuk Yoo, George Rust, Shun Zhang, James Lillard. Health disparity characteristics on growth patterns of breast cancer mortality trends among the US Counties, 1989-2010. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3701. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3701
Nucleation, evolution, and growth dynamics of amorphous silica nanosprings

The initial phases of amorphous silica nanospring formation via a vapor–liquid–solid mechanism are reported. The low temperature eutectic of Au–Si results in the formation of an asymmetrical shaped catalyst at the early stages of nanospring formation. As solid silica is formed below the Au–Si catalyst the system lowers its surface free energy and forms multiple amorphous silica nanowires beneath a common catalyst, as opposed to a single nanowire. The diameter of one of the nanowires forming the nanospring ranges between 10–20 nm. The difference in growth rates of the individual nanowires creates an asymmetry in the interfacial surface tension on the boundaries of the Au–Si catalyst/nanowires interface. Using Stokes' theorem it is shown that there is a variable work of adhesion on the outer boundary of the Au–Si catalyst/nanowire interface of a nanospring, which is defined as an effective contact angle anisotropy. The anisotropic growth on the catalyst/nanowire boundary results in the nanowires coherently coiling into to a single, larger, helical structure with an overall diameter of 70–500 nm.
Multi-scale quantitative precipitation forecasting using nonlinear and nonstationary teleconnection signals and artificial neural network models.

Abstract Global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are observed to have a significant effect on terrestrial precipitation patterns throughout the United States. SST variations have been correlated with terrestrial precipitation via ocean–atmospheric interactions known as climate teleconnections. This study demonstrates how the scale effect could affect the forecasting accuracy with or without the inclusion of those newly discovered unknown teleconnection signals between Adirondack precipitation and SST anomaly in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Unique SST regions of both known and unknown telecommunication signals were extracted from the wavelet analysis and used as input variables in an artificial neural network (ANN) forecasting model. Monthly and seasonal scales were considered with respect to a host of long-term (30-year) nonlinear and nonstationary teleconnection signals detected locally at the study site of Adirondack. Similar intra-annual time-lag effects of SST on precipitation variability are salient at both time scales. Sensitivity analysis of four scenarios reveals that more improvements of the forecasting accuracy of the ANN model can be observed by including both known and unknown teleconnection patterns at both time scales, although such improvements are not salient. Research findings also highlight the importance of choosing the forecasting model at the seasonal scale to predict more accurate peak values and global trends of terrestrial precipitation in response to teleconnection signals. The scale shift from monthly to seasonal may improve results by 17% and 17 mm/day in terms of R squared and root of mean square error values, respectively, if both known and unknown SST regions are considered for forecasting.
Branch banking and the availability of banking offices in nonmetropolitan areas

The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence on the following question: Are there more banking offices available per person to furnish consumer and business ser? vices in branch banking states than in unit banking states? This question is a central part of a broader issue of what limitations should be placed on the ability of individual banks to branch. Indeed, in a recent review of the literature dealing with the branch? ing question, and prepared for the Senate Banking Committee (Mclntyre Committee), Guttentag [8] stated: "One of the most pervasive arguments for branch banking is that branch banks provide more office facilities than unit banking." Yet the available evidence on the question is sparse and existing research contains methodological difficulties which make the findings of questionable value. There are numerous reasons for expecting a greater number of banking offices in geographic areas where branching is allowed. It is often argued that the economies of scale associated with branch banking would allow a greater number of banking offices. Moreover, an individual branch, but not a separate bank, could be located in an area with large deposit potential but weak loan demand, or, conversely, in an area of weak deposit potential but heavy loan demand. In addition, the reduction in risk associated with a diversified portfolio might be reflected in a larger number of offices under branch banking. Certainly, simple classification of population per banking office for standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMASs) by branch banking law would suggest a greater availability of banking facilities in branching states. For example, there was an average of 11,495 people per banking office in unit banking SMSAs in 1970 while less than 6500 people per banking office in branch banking SMSAs. A number of studies ([6] [10] [11] [14]) have examined the association between branching restrictions and the availability of banking offices in individual market areas. The results have been conflicting; some have found that branching states have more of? fices than unit banking states, while others have discovered no association between branching restrictions and the availability of banking facilities. One problem common to
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Post-partum Risk and Follow Up.

Background Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at an increased risk for developing metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease. In this review, we will discuss postpartum cardiovascular and diabetes risk in women with a history of GDM and different ways to improve postpartum screening. Methods This review involves a comprehensive literature review on gestational diabetes and postpartum risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus as well as post-partum screening methods. Results Cardiovascular risk post-partum is potentiated by increased inflammatory markers leading to worsening atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events downstream. Decreased insulin sensitivity and β cell compensation, recurrent GDM, maternal factors such as pre and post-partum weight gain and lactation may contribute to T2DM risk. Postpartum glucose testing is essential in screening women as hyperglycemia in pregnancy has long term effects on both cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk on the mother. Conclusion Long and short term improvement to post-partum glucose testing is essential to decreasing cardiometabolic and diabetes risk in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.
Fentanyl-contaminated drugs and non-fatal overdose among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, MD.

The opioid crisis remains a major public health issue in the US and beyond. Despite rapid rises in fentanyl-related mortality nationally, little is known about the role of fentanyl in the occurrence of non-fatal overdose among people who use drugs. We examined the prevalence of non-fatal overdose and perceived fentanyl exposure among syringe services program (SSP) clients and modeled the correlates of non-fatal overdose. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey of 203 SSP clients in Baltimore, MD recruited in 2016. Logistic regression models were used to identify the correlates of experiencing non-fatal overdose in the past 12 months. The majority (65%) was male, 52% were black, 41% were white, and 37% were homeless. Almost all (97%) used heroin, 64% injected heroin with cocaine (i.e., speedball), and many used other types of drugs. Half (53%) perceived fentanyl presence in their drugs either half, most or all of the time. Lifetime and past 12 month prevalence of non-fatal overdose were 58 and 31%, respectively. Independent correlates of non-fatal overdose in the past 12 months were perceiving fentanyl in drugs more than half the time (aOR = 2.79; 95% CI = 1.00–4.68), speedball injection (aOR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.26–6.23), non-prescription buprenorphine use (aOR = 6.37; 95% CI = 2.86–14.17), and homelessness (aOR = 3.07; 95% CI = 1.28–7.39). These data demonstrate that SSP clients are at high-risk of overdose, some of which is likely attributable to fentanyl exposure. Addressing the rising fentanyl epidemic will require comprehensive and innovative strategies that attend to drug use patterns and structural factors such as homelessness.
Immune System, Adaptive; Overview

In this article, the role of adaptive immunity in neurological diseases is discussed. Adaptive immunity is designed to defend against bacterial and viral infections; however, when dysregulated, it can damage the host nervous system, leading to neurological syndromes. Here, it is discussed how adaptive immunity is involved in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases including multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, myasthenia gravis, and paraneoplastic neurological disorders. In addition, the therapeutic interventions as they are thought to modify the immune response are discussed.
Use of Organic Acid Salts to Control Listeria monocytogenes on Processed Meats

Four organic acid salts including sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, potassium benzoate and potassium sorbate were evaluated, alone and in all combinations, for inhibitory effectiveness against Listeria monocytogenes on ready-toeat (RTE) meats. Sodium diacetate alone, sodium diacetate+ potassium benzoate and sodium lactate + sodium diacetate + potassium benzoate were most effective for inhibiting growth during storage. These results indicate that sodium diacetate provides an effective means of improved control of L. monocytogenes on RTE meats.
A Modern Reaffirmation of Surgery as the Optimal Treatment for Solitary Fibrous Tumors of the Pleura

Background The objective of this study was to identify the most effective treatment for survival in patients with solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (SFTP). Methods The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with malignant SFTPs. Patients were divided into two groups, those who had surgical treatment and those who did not. The primary outcome was 5-year overall survival, which was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log rank test. Results There were 204 patients with SFTPs identified between 2004 and 2014. Of those, 65% of patients (133) had surgical intervention, whereas 18% (37) had no surgical intervention, and 17% (34) had unknown treatment information. Among patients who underwent resection, 42% (56) had sublobar resections, 45% (60) had lobectomies, and 13% (17) had pneumonectomies. The overall 5-year survival for SFTP patients was 56%. Patients who had surgical intervention had a relative survival of 64%, and patients with no surgical intervention had 22% (p Conclusions Patients with SFTP who were managed with surgical intervention have better overall survival than patients who are not managed with surgery. Furthermore, similar 5-year survival for sublobar resections compared with greater anatomic resections suggested that the former, when possible, is sufficient.
Association Between Antibiotic Use and Hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile Infection in US Acute Care Hospitals, 2006-2012: An Ecologic Analysis.

Background Unnecessary antibiotic use (AU) contributes to increased rates of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). The impact of antibiotic restriction on hospital-onset CDI (HO-CDI) has not been assessed in a large group of US acute care hospitals (ACHs). Methods We examined cross-sectional and temporal associations between rates of hospital-level AU and HO-CDI using data from 549 ACHs. HO-CDI was defined as a discharge with a secondary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code for CDI (008.45), and treatment with metronidazole or oral vancomycin > 3 days after admission. Analyses were performed using multivariable generalized estimating equation models adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. Results During 2006-2012, the unadjusted annual rates of HO-CDI and total AU were 7.3 per 10 000 patient-days (PD) (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.1-7.5) and 811 days of therapy (DOT)/1000 PD (95% CI, 803-820), respectively. In the cross-sectional analysis, for every 50 DOT/1000 PD increase in total AU, there was a 4.4% increase in HO-CDI. For every 10 DOT/1000 PD increase in use of third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins or carbapenems, there was a 2.1% and 2.9% increase in HO-CDI, respectively. In the time-series analysis, the 6 ACHs with a ≥30% decrease in total AU had a 33% decrease in HO-CDI (rate ratio, 0.67 [95% CI, .47-.96]); ACHs with a ≥20% decrease in fluoroquinolone or third- and fourth-generation cephalosporin use had a corresponding decrease in HO-CDI of 8% and 13%, respectively. Conclusions At an ecologic level, reductions in total AU, use of fluoroquinolones, and use of third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins were each associated with decreased HO-CDI rates.
Synthesis of 2,6,7-Trichloro-1-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole: A Linear Dimensional Analogue of the Antiviral Agent TCRB

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) remains a significant clinical problem in neonates and immunocompromised individuals such as those undergoing transplantation as well as individuals with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Recently in our laboratory, 2,5,6-trichloro-1-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)benzimidazole (TCRB, 1a) and 2-bromo-5,6-dichloro-1-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)benzimidazole (BDCRB, 1b) were found to have better activities in cell culture studies against HCMV than the clinically used agents ganciclovir and foscarnet. These benzimidazole compounds appear to act by a unique mechanism. However, as the biological target of TCRB and BDCRB has not been completely identified, 2,6,7-trichloro-1-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole (2) was designed as a linear dimensional analogue of TCRB for a study on the spatial limitation of the binding site in the target enzyme. In the synthesis, a convenient route was developed for the synthesis of 2-substituted 6,7-dichloronaphtho[2,3-d]imidazoles involving a Diels−Ald...
Learning Reduced Latent Representations of Protein Structure Data

The protein modeling community has long been interested in dimensionality reduction of structure data. Motivated by rapid progress in neural network research, we investigate autoencoders of various architectures on reducing the dimensionality of protein structure data generated by template-free protein structure prediction methods. We show that autoencoders that model nonlinear relationships among variables outperform linear dimensionality reduction. We evaluate various architectures and propose a better-performing one. We further show that the learned, low-dimensional latent representations capture inherent information useful for structure prediction. Given the ease with which open-source neural network libraries, such as Keras, which we employ here, allow constructing, training, and evaluating neural networks, we believe that autoencoders will gain in popularity in the structure biology community and open up further avenues of research.
Risk Factors, Incidence, and Outcomes of Cardiac Arrhythmia Among Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Recipients.

Introduction The incidence of arrhythmias during autologous or allogeneic transplant has been reported to be as high as 9–27%. We conducted a retrospective study of only autologous transplant recipients to determine the incidence of arrhythmia, predisposing factors and outcomes in the first 30 days post-transplant. Methods We reviewed 959 charts of autologous transplant recipients between the years 2010-2015 at the University of Kansas. Diagnosis included Multiple Myeloma, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Germ Cell Tumor, and CNS Lymphoma. Results Eighty patients (8%) developed an arrhythmia during the first 30 days of transplant. Atrial Fibrillation was most common accounting for 90% of the cases. Risk factors included age, 51% of patients were 60 years or older. Preexisting conditions included hypertension in 48% and a history of arrhythmia in 34% of the patients. Other precipitating factors included hypokalemia (41%) and neutropenic fever (46%) among those who developed arrhythmia. The was no association between underlying disease or conditioning regimen with the risk of cardiac arrhythmia in our cohort. The median length of hospital stay was prolonged among those with Cardiac arrhythmia which was 20 days compared to a median of 14 patients without arrhythmia, including 11 patients who required ICU transfer. We are working on calculating the overall cost including cardiology consultation incurred by patients with arrhythmia. Conclusion Our study confirms the persistent risk, increased morbidity, and prolonged hospital stay among autologous transplant recipients in the modern transplant era. The main risk factors include age, hypertension, electrolyte imbalance and neutropenic fever. Other studies have shown renal dysfunction as an additional risk factor. Prospective studies are warranted to establish risk models for arrhythmia and effective therapeutic interventions.
Large-Scale Constellation Design for the Internet of Space Things/CubeSats

The increasing popularity of CubeSats has given rise to the possibility of ubiquitous cyber-physical systems, known as the Internet of Space Things/CubeSats, serving a wide variety of applications that range from monitoring and reconnaissance to in-space backhauling. Expectedly, such systems are characterized by the need for global coverage and consistent connectivity, and, thus, optimal constellation design is of great importance to system architects. The significance of optimal constellation design comes from the fact that it has a direct impact on the cost, scalability, and effectiveness of the system. However, the constellation design methodologies present today do not scale well beyond a few dozen satellites, severely impacting the system's potential. To this end, a large-scale optimal constellation design framework is presented in this paper. The proposed framework is geared towards achieving global coverage with robust connectivity, and can scale well for several hundred CubeSats, making it a perfect fit for the Internet of Space Things/CubeSats. Further, a performance comparison is conducted with several state-of-the-art constellations to validate the efficacy of our constellation design.
The Effects of Vitamin D and Marine Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Chronic Knee Pain in Older US Adults: Results From a Randomized Trial

Objective Knee pain from osteoarthritis is frequent in the adult population. Prior trials have had conflicting results concerning the therapeutic effects of vitamin D on knee pain, and few trials have investigated marine Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA). Methods In the double-blind, placebo-controlled Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), 25,871 US adults were randomized in a 2-by-2 factorial design to receive vitamin D or n-3 FA. We identified a subgroup with chronic knee pain prior to randomization and assessed knee pain at baseline and annually during follow-up using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) (graded on a 0-100 scale, where 100 indicates worst symptoms). Repeated measures modeling was used to test the effect of randomized treatment on WOMAC pain scores over follow-up after adjustment for age and sex. Analyses were repeated for WOMAC function and stiffness. Results This study included 1,398 participants who returned at least one knee pain questionnaire. The mean age was 67.7 years, 66% were women, and the mean ± SD WOMAC pain score was 37 ± 19. The mean ± SD follow-up time was 5.3 ± 0.7 years. WOMAC pain did not differ between the active vitamin D group and the vitamin D placebo group or between the active n-3 FA group and the n-3 FA placebo group at any time point during follow-up. Linear time-by-treatment interactions were not significant for either treatment (vitamin D, P = 0.41; n-3 FA, P = 0.77). Vitamin D and n-3 FA supplementation did not significantly affect WOMAC function or stiffness scores over time. Conclusion Our findings indicate that vitamin D and n-3 FA supplementation for a mean of 5.3 years does not reduce knee pain or improve function or stiffness in a large sample of US adults with chronic knee pain.
Laboratory results and mathematical modeling of spore surface interactions in stormwater runoff

Abstract Development of numerical models to predict stormwater-mediated transport of pathogenic spores in the environment depends on an understanding of adhesion forces that dictate detachment after rain events. Zeta potential values were measured in the laboratory for Bacillus globigii and Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, two common surrogates used to represent Bacillus anthracis, in synthetic baseline ultrapure water and laboratory prepared stormwater. Zeta potential curves were also determined for materials representative of urban infrastructure (concrete and asphalt). These data were used to predict the interaction energy between the spores and urban materials using Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) modeling. B. globigii and B. thuringiensis kurstaki sourced from Yakibou Inc., were found to have similar zeta potential curves, whereas spores sourced from the U.S. military's Dugway laboratory were found to diverge. In the ultrapure water, the modeling results use the laboratory data to demonstrate that the energy barriers between the spores and the urban materials were tunable through compression of the electrical double layer of the spores via changes of ionic strength and pH of the water. In the runoff water, charge neutralization dominated surface processes. The cations, metals, and natural organic matter (NOM) in the runoff water contributed to equalizing the zeta potential values for Dugway B. globigii and B. thuringiensis kurstaki, and drastically modified the surface of the concrete and asphalt. All DLVO energy curves using the runoff water were repulsive. The highest energy barrier predicted in this study was for Dugway B. globigii spores interacting with a concrete surface in runoff water, suggesting that this would be the most challenging combination to detach through water-based decontamination.
Breast Augmentation for Early Ptosis

The treatment of the ptotic breast is a complex process with a variety of techniques utilized to achieve optimal results. When a mastopexy is recommended based on the breast ptosis and nipple position, it can be performed alone or in conjunction with placement of a breast implant. In an ideal world all patients who are candidates for a lift will undergo a lift to optimize their breast aesthetics. However, some patients may wish to forgo the breast lift for a myriad of reasons, most commonly being financial reasons or avoidance of the necessary scars as part of a mastopexy. Patients may also have risk factors that make a mastopexy less desirable, such as a smoking history, keloid scarring or obesity.
Neighborhood deprivation index is associated with weight status among long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Area deprivation index (ADI), a measure of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, has been linked to metabolic outcomes in the general population but has received limited attention in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a population with high rates of overweight and obesity. We retrospectively reviewed heights and weights of ≥ 5 year survivors of pediatric ALL (diagnosed 1990–2013). Residential addresses were geocoded using ArcGIS to assign quartiles of ADI, a composite of 17 measures of poverty, housing, employment, and education, with higher quartiles reflecting greater deprivation. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between ADI quartiles and overweight/obesity or obesity alone were calculated with logistic regression. On average, participants (n = 454, 50.4% male, 45.2% Hispanic) were age 5.5 years at diagnosis and 17.4 years at follow-up. At follow-up, 26.4% were overweight and 24.4% obese. Compared to the lowest ADI quartile, survivors in the highest quartile were more likely to be overweight/obese at follow-up (OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.23–4.44) after adjusting for race/ethnicity, sex, age at diagnosis, and age at follow-up. The highest ADI quartile remained significantly associated with obesity (OR = 5.28, 95% CI: 1.79–15.54) after accounting for weight status at diagnosis. This study provides novel insights into possible social determinants of health inequalities among survivors of childhood ALL by reporting a significant association between neighborhood deprivation and overweight/obesity. Survivors of childhood ALL residing in neighborhood with greater socioeconomic disadvantage may be at increased risk of overweight and obesity and candidates for targeted interventions.
Tendências do Cinema Documental na era digital

By introducing digital technologies in our everyday life, we witnessed significant changes in documentary filmmaking. The interaction adds complexity to the work’s production, distribution and reception processes,leading to the proposal of new modes of documentary considering the type of interactivity behind each work.Despite the different modes of interaction, in interactive documentary we may identify trends across various works released in the last years. The fragmentation of artworks led to multilinear narratives, allowing the audience to assume an active role in the selection of the film elements. Such characteristic represents a change in the role of audience, which becomes a work’s co-author. The narrative’s “gamification” and the use of virtual reality to create documentary films are also analysed in this text.
Researchers as inquirers

In this contribution, I put into practice what Bob Lake argues for: science as a conversational style. Grounded in Deweyan pragmatism and creative democracy, Lake’s critical urban scholarship on so...
Health Data Disparities in Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths From 1999 to 2018 in the United States.

Objectives. To examine temporal trends in the classification of opioid-involved overdose deaths (OODs) and racial variation in the classification of specific types of opioids used. Methods. We anal...
Treatment of Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris with Daily Low-Dose Methotrexate: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is a rare disease that is difficult to manage. Treatment options include corticosteroids, immunomodulatory drugs, and biologics. Available literature has primarily described the use of weekly dosing of methotrexate, but there is limited data investigating the effectiveness of daily low-dose methotrexate in PRP treatment. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from September 2010 to December 2019 to determine the effectiveness of daily low-dose methotrexate in treating PRP. Results: The average duration of follow-up was 13.5 months. 14 patients were treated with oral daily low-dose methotrexate. 13 patients (92.9%) showed improvement on oral daily low-dose methotrexate. Mean time to clinical response was 5.9 weeks. In seven patients (50%), complete response on methotrexate monotherapy occurred within an average of 11.9 months. 12 patients (85.7%) developed asymptomatic transaminitis that resolved in most patients (66.7%) after dose reduction. Conclusions: In this study, daily low-dose methotrexate was an effective treatment of PRP and may be considered in patients unresponsive to weekly dosing. Due to the high incidence of transaminitis, the authors recommend frequent lab monitoring and screening for risk factors. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the efficacy of daily low-dose methotrexate in the management of PRP.
Mapping circuit dynamics during function and dysfunction

Abstract Neural circuits can generate many spike patterns, but only some are functional. The study of how circuits generate and maintain functional dynamics is hindered by a poverty of description of circuit dynamics across functional and dysfunctional states. For example, although the regular oscillation of a central pattern generator is well characterized by its frequency and the phase relationships between its neurons, these metrics are ineffective descriptors of the irregular and aperiodic dynamics that circuits can generate under perturbation or in disease states. By recording the circuit dynamics of the well-studied pyloric circuit in C. borealis, we used statistical features of spike times from neurons in the circuit to visualize the spike patterns generated by this circuit under a variety of conditions. This unsupervised approach captures both the variability of functional rhythms and the diversity of atypical dynamics in a single map. Clusters in the map identify qualitatively different spike patterns hinting at different dynamical states in the circuit. State probability and the statistics of the transitions between states varied with environmental perturbations, removal of descending neuromodulation, and the addition of exogenous neuromodulators. This analysis reveals strong mechanistically interpretable links between complex changes in the collective behavior of a neural circuit and specific experimental manipulations, and can constrain hypotheses of how circuits generate functional dynamics despite variability in circuit architecture and environmental perturbations.
What can we learn from honey bees

The Western honey bee provides a model system for studying how closely related species of bacteria are able to coexist in a single community.
OBSIDIAN SOURCE CHARACTERIZATION AT LAS COLINAS: SHIFTING EXCHANGE PATTERNS DURING THE HOHOKAM SEDENTARY - CLASSIC TRANSITION

AbstractPrevious studies of the Hohokam have suggested that obsidian procurement and distribution practices were conducted differently between two subsequent intervals, the Sedentary and Classic periods. In the Sedentary period, obsidian may have changed hands at events associated with the ballcourt ritual. By the Classic period, obsidian is argued to have moved either through an elite-sponsored or kinship-based economy. However, the Sedentary and Classic periods are long temporal intervals, which, when used to describe changes in time, can mask short-term but significant temporal variation. Our research employs a refined dating scheme, standard lithic analysis, and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry on a sample of obsidian from the Hohokam village of Las Colinas to determine: (1) when the change in obsidian exchange patterns actually began, (2) if the transition was an immediate shift or a gradual trend, and more generally (3) the behavioral changes related to the Sedentary to Classic transition. The result...
Flexible Higher Education: Reflections from Expert Experience Elizabeth Burge, Editor

As this journal's book review editor, I have the opportunity to identify new titles among the many recent publications, and I have the privilege of inviting first-rate authors to review those we fe...
The Reaction Mass Biped: Equations of motion, hybrid model for walking and trajectory tracking control

Pendulum models have been studied as benchmark problems for development of nonlinear control schemes, as well as reduced-order models for the dynamics analysis of locomotion of humanoid robots. This work provides a generalization of the previously introduced Reaction Mass Pendulum (RMP), which is a multibody inverted pendulum model, to a bipedal model that can better model bipedal locomotion. The RMP consists of an extensible “leg” and a “body” with moving proof masses that give rise to a variable rotational inertia. The Reaction Mass Biped (RMB) introduced here has two legs, one of which takes the role of a stance leg and the other performs as a swing leg during bipedal locomotion. The bipedal walking dynamics model of the RMB is therefore hybrid, with the roles of stance leg and swing leg interchanged after each cycle. The dynamics model is developed using a variational mechanics approach, without using generalized coordinates for the rotational degrees of freedom. This dynamics model has thirteen degrees of freedom, all of which are considered to be actuated in the control design. A set of desired state trajectories that can enable bipedal walking in straight and curved lines are generated. A control scheme is then designed for asymptotically stable tracking of this set of trajectories with an almost global domain of attraction. Numerical simulation results confirm the stability of this tracking control scheme for different walking trajectories of the RMB.
Options for Tax Reform

President Bush has established an advisory panel to study federal tax reform options. The panel is headed by former senators Connie Mack of Florida and John Breaux of Louisiana. Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom Delay, have also pledged their support for reform. Enacting a major tax reform bill will be a challenge, but the president has been remarkably successful with his tax agenda so far. Income tax rates have been reduced, dividend and capital gains taxes have been cut, and the tax rules on retirement savings vehicles have been liberalized.However, the tax system remains terribly complex and inefficient. The number of pages of federal tax rules has increased 48 percent in the past decade. The complex alternative minimum tax will hit about 35 million households by the end of the decade if not repealed. The high-rate U.S. corporate income tax is under growing pressure as global investment capital has become more mobile.This study looks at possible changes to address those problems. It identifies three goals for tax reform: simplification, efficiency, and limited government. The latter goal focuses on tax code features such as visibility and equal treatment that cultivate an understanding of the high cost of government.This study examines reform options including a flat tax, a national retail sales tax, and a savings exempt tax in reference to those goals. It also proposes a new option: a 'dual-rate income tax.' This revenue-neutral option would convert the individual income tax to a two-rate system that eliminates most deductions and credits and allows nearly all families to pay tax at a low 15 percent rate. A 27 percent rate would kick in for earnings above $90,000 (single) and $180,000 (married).To promote growth, the maximum individual rate on dividends, interest, and capital gains would be 15 percent. The corporate tax rate would be dropped to 15 percent and interest made non-deductible. These changes would equalize and cut the combined top income and payroll tax rates on wages, dividends, interest, and small business income to just under 30 percent, compared with between 35 and 45 percent under current law.The dual-rate tax plan would retain the standard deduction, an expanded personal exemption, and the earned income tax credit. The plan would create a simpler and more efficient tax code within the structure of today’s system and may be just the type of tax plan that the president’s advisory panel is looking for.
Faculty and Academic Integrity: The Influence of Current Honor Codes and Past Honor Code Experiences

This survey of faculty at honor code and non-honor code institutions investigated the influence of honor codes on faculty attitudes and behaviors. As hypothesized, we found that honor code faculty have more positive attitudes toward their schools' academic integrity policies and are more willing to allow the system to take care of monitoring and disciplinary activities. Faculty in noncode institutions have less positive attitudes and are more likely to take personal actions designed to both catch and deal with cheaters. We also investigated the potential influence of a student honor code experience on faculty attitudes. We found that, in noncode environments, faculty who had an honor code experience as a student were more likely to believe that students should be held responsible for peer monitoring and to say that they deal personally with cheating. Implications for higher education institutions are discussed.