cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automating to-do lists for users: interpretation of to-dos for selecting and tasking agents

To-do lists have been found to be the most popular personal information management tools, yet there is no automated system to interpret and act upon them when appropriate on behalf of the user. Automating to-do lists is challenging, not only because they are specified as free text but also because most items contain abbreviated tasks, many do not specify an action to be performed, and often refer to unrelated (personal) items. This paper presents our approach and an implemented system to process to-do list entries and map them to tasks that can be automated for the user by a set of agents. Since the format of to-do entries is not very amenable to natural language processing tools that can parse and create a structured interpretation, our approach is to exploit paraphrases of the target tasks that the agents can perform and that specify how the free-text maps to the task arguments. As users manually assign to-do to agents for automation, our system improves its performance by learning new paraphrases. We show an evaluation of our approach in a corpus of 2100 to-do entries collected from users of an office assistant multi-agent system.
Unique factorization in Cayley arithmetics and cryptology

Let be the classical Cayley algebra defined over the reals with basis where gives a quaternion algebra ℋ4 with i0 = 1, i1i2i3 = −1, i1i4 = i5, i2i4 = i6 and i3i4 = i7. The multiplication table of the imaginary basic units follows:
Reliability of flexible packaging of radappertized beef under production conditions.

The flexible package for radappertized food must have the physical and chemical properties to withstand irradiation processing while frozen and retain its protective qualities during transportation and storage. In providing electron irradiated beef for wholesomeness studies, a concomitant study was performed to determine the reliability of the flexible package as a container for radappertized beef over a sinificant production and storage period. The data showed that it is feasible to fabricate preformed pouches on commercial equipment, to vacuum seal pouches of beef on a production scale, to irradiate and transport pouches of beef while frozen, and to store the radappertized beef over a 2-year period without refrigeration and without any adverse effects on the beef.
Plasma Arc Melting (PAM) and Corrosion Resistance of Pure NiTi Shape Memory Alloys

Plasma arc melting (PAM) as a suitable non-contaminating melting route for manufacturing high-quality NiTi alloy was successfully examined. The corrosion resistance of PAM Nitinol was evaluated by both potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests and compared with lower purity NiTi produced by vacuum induction melting (VIM). For the electro-polished surfaces, excellent corrosion resistance of NiTi comparable with the Ti alloys was found with no pitting up to 800 mV versus saturated calomel electrode in simulated body fluid at 37 °C. Potentiostatic results of PAM Nitinol indicate slightly better corrosion resistance than the lower quality VIM alloy.
Scale-Free networks: a discrete event simulation approach

This work is motivated by the need to reconsider the methods for the analysis and design of air transportation networks in order to meet increasing demands in the face of the current hub-and-spoke network near-saturation. In the late 1990s a number of researchers noticed that networks in biology, sociology, and telecommunications exhibited similar characteristics unlike traditional random networks. Three properties—small-world, power law, and constant clustering coefficient—describe what are now most commonly referred to as scale-free networks. How do scale-free networks form? It is well documented that a network generated by adding nodes and edges preferentially will be scale-free. Are there other mechanisms? Why do networks organize themselves in this way? What causes a scale-free network to degrade? The focus of our research is to understand what drives a collection of nodes to organize as a scale-free network. Furthermore, once a network is scale-free what disrupts this apparently natural structure. To answer these questions we build a discrete-event simulation, nominally of an air transport system. The simulation is written in C.
Video episodes and action cameras in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory: eliciting student perceptions of meaningful learning

A series of quantitative studies investigated undergraduate students' perceptions of their cognitive and affective learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. To explore these quantitative findings, a qualitative research protocol was developed to characterize student learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Students (N = 13) were observed and video recorded while performing one of their assigned laboratory experiments. Each student wore an action camera as well as a lapel microphone attached to a voice recorder to capture the experiment from the students' perspective. A tripod camera was also placed unobtrusively in the lab to record the student from a third person perspective. Students were interviewed within 48 hours of their video recording and asked to identify specific learning experiences in their laboratory experiment. The self-selected video episodes were shown to the students, and they were asked to describe what they were doing and why they were doing it. The students' descriptions were analyzed using Novak's theory of meaningful learning to characterize their cognitive and affective experiences. The self-identified learning experiences were dominated by descriptions of psychomotor learning with few students discussing cognitive experiences. The limited connections between cognitive and affective experiences revealed missed opportunities for meaningful learning.
Sports participation in patients with implantable cardioverter–defibrillators

The safety of sports participation for patients with implantable cardioverter–defibrillators (ICDs) is not yet defined, and current recommendations in both Europe and the US restrict these patients from competative sports more vigorous than golf or bowling. Postulated risks include increased frequency of arrhythmias, inability of the ICD to terminate ventricular arrhythmias during the metabolic changes accompanying extreme exercise, injury to the patient, or damage to the ICD system. However, survey data suggest that many ICD patients do participate in sports, and risks may be fewer than postulated. Ongoing research will better delineate the risks of sports for patients with ICDs.
Discussion on improvement of enrichment method for detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in aquatic products

[Objective]To study the highly efficient enrichment method for detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in aquatic products,so as to improve the detection rate.[Methods]Based on the national standard method,the improved method No.1 was adding the fish peptone in the enrichment broth,and the improved method No.2 was using the sodium chloride-polymyxin B broth for secondary enrichment.The artificially contaminated samples and actual aquatic samples were respectively detected for comparing the detection rate of different enrichment broths.[Results]The detection rate of improved method No.1 was higher than that of the national standard method(χ2=4.50,P0.05),and the detection rate of improved method No.2 was equivalent with that of the national standard method.[Conclusion]Improving the enrichment broth and establishing a highly efficient enrichment method can enhance the detection rate of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in aquatic products.
The relationship of the maintenance energy requirement to heifer production efficiency.

Thirty-three Hereford x Angus first-calf heifers were used to determine the relationship between production efficiency (PE = calf weaning weight/[12-mo dam+calf ME intake]) and nonlactating dam maintenance ME requirement/BW.75 (MEm) and its components, the efficiency of ME use for maintenance (km), and fasting heat production/BW.75 (FHP). Each heifer was kept in drylot from 19 mo of age until weaning of its first calf, during which time individual feed intakes were measured. After the PE phase, heifers were moved to the metabolism facility and indirect respiration calorimetry was used to determine maintenance energy metabolism. Maintenance metabolism of the dam, determined in controlled conditions, contributed little to explaining PE variation (r2 < or = .04). This may have been due to the high plane of nutrition provided and (or) to the physiological state of the heifers during metabolism measurements. Selection for lower MEm, as determined by the procedures used in this study, is unlikely to improve heifer PE if nutrition is not limited relative to requirements. Additionally, MEm was closely related to FHP (r2 = .73), suggesting that it could be used as an indicator of fed maintenance requirements when determined within defined conditions.
Comparison of the efficacy and safety of amcinonide lotion 0.1% with those of betamethasone valerate lotion 0.1% in patients with seborrheic dermatitis

The efficacy and safety of amcinonide lotion 0.1% were compared with those of betamethasone valerate lotion 0.1% in a randomized, blinded, parallel-group study of 54 adult patients with seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp. The lotions were applied to the scalp twice daily for three weeks, and the patients were examined once weekly for objective signs (erythema, crusting/scales, and excoriation), for pruritus, and for overall efficacy
Interaction effect of brooding rumination and interoceptive awareness on depression and anxiety symptoms

Abstract Awareness of the body (i.e., interoceptive awareness) and self-referential thought represent two distinct, yet habitually integrated aspects of self. A recent neuroanatomical and processing model for depression and anxiety incorporates the connections between increased but low fidelity afferent interoceptive input with self-referential and belief-based states. A deeper understanding of how self-referential processes are integrated with interoceptive processes may ultimately aid in our understanding of altered, maladaptive views of the self – a shared experience of individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine how negative self-referential processing (i.e., brooding rumination) relates to interoception in the context of affective psychopathology. Undergraduate students (N = 82) completed an interoception task (heartbeat counting) in addition to self-reported measures of rumination and depression and anxiety symptoms. Results indicated an interaction effect of brooding rumination and interoceptive awareness on depression and anxiety-related distress. Specifically, high levels of brooding rumination coupled with low levels of interoceptive awareness were associated with the highest levels of depression and anxiety-related distress, whereas low levels of brooding rumination coupled with high levels of interoceptive awareness were associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety-related distress. The findings provide further support for the conceptualization of anxiety and depression as conditions involving the integration of interoceptive processes and negative self-referential processes.
In Search of El Pueblo Unido: Childrenâ€™s Picture Books and Teaching about Community

I received my training at the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology before earning my doctorate in cultural anthropology at the University of Arizona in 1999. The various research projects in which I participated in were within the Anthropology and Education program. The program pioneered research in multicultural education by developing the â€œfunds of knowledgeâ€ approach where classrooms incorporate localized, bicultural forms of knowledge into the curriculum. Currently I hold an appointment at the University of Arizona in the Mexican-American Studies and Research Center where I teach and continue to be involved with education initiatives that help build partnerships between researchers and communities
Magnetic vortex dynamics in the non-circular potential of a thin elliptic ferromagnetic nanodisk with applied fields

Spontaneous vortex motion in thin ferromagnetic nanodisks of elliptical shape is dominated by a natural gyrotropic orbital part, whose resonance frequency $\omega_G=\overline{k}/G$ depends on a force constant and gyrovector charge, both of which change with the disk size and shape and applied in-plane or out-of-plane fields. The system is analyzed via a dynamic Thiele equation and also using numerical simulations of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equations for thin systems, including temperature via stochastic fields in a Langevin equation for the spin dynamics. A vortex is found to move in an elliptical potential with two principal axis force constants $k_x$ and $k_y$, whose ratio determines the eccentricity of the vortex motion, and whose geometric mean $\overline{k}=\sqrt{k_x k_y}$ determines the frequency. The force constants can be estimated from the energy of quasi-static vortex configurations or from an analysis of the gyrotropic orbits. $k_x$ and $k_y$ get modified either by an applied field perpendicular to the plane or by an in-plane applied field that changes the vortex equilibrium location. Notably, an out-of-plane field also changes the vortex gyrovector $G$, which directly influences $\omega_G$. The vortex position and velocity distributions in thermal equilibrium are found to be Boltzmann distributions in appropriate coordinates, characterized by the force constants.
Quantitative Analysis of Immune Cell Subset Infiltration of Supraspinatus Muscle After Severe Rotator Cuff Injury

Rotator cuff tears cause muscle degeneration that is characterized by myofiber atrophy, fatty infiltration, and fibrosis and is minimally responsive to current treatment options. The underlying pathogenesis of rotator cuff muscle degeneration remains to be elucidated, and increasing evidence implicates immune cell infiltration as a significant factor. Because immune cells are comprised of highly heterogeneous subpopulations that exert divergent effects on injured tissue, understanding trafficking and accumulation of immune subpopulations may hold the key to more effective therapies. The present study quantifies subpopulations of immune cells infiltrating the murine supraspinatus muscle after severe rotator cuff injury that includes tenotomy and denervation. Rotator cuff injury stimulates dramatic infiltration of mononuclear phagocytes, enriches mononuclear phagocytes in non-classical subpopulations, and enriches T lymphocytes in TH and Treg subpopulations. The combination of tenotomy plus denervation significantly increases mononuclear phagocyte infiltration, enriches macrophages in the non-classical subpopulation, and decreases T lymphocyte enrichment in TH cells compared to tenotomy alone. Depletion of circulating monocytes via liposomal clodronate accelerates supraspinatus atrophy after tenotomy and denervation. The study may aid in rational design of immunologically smart therapies that harness immune cells to enhance outcomes after rotator cuff tears.
Status of Target Injection and Tracking Studies for Inertial Fusion Energy

Recent target injection and tracking experimental results with simulated room-temperature indirect-drive targets are briefly discussed. Extensions of those experiments for improved timing accuracy ...
Conformational Changes in the 5′ End of the HIV-1 Genome Dependent on the Debranching Enzyme DBR1 During Early Stages of Infection

Previous studies in our laboratory showed that the RNA debranching enzyme (DBR1) is not required for early steps in HIV cDNA formation but is necessary for synthesis of intermediate and late cDNA products. To further characterize this effect, we evaluated the topology of the 5' end of the HIV-1 RNA genome during early infection with and without inhibition of DBR1 synthesis. Cells were transfected with DBR1 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) followed 48 h later by infection with an HIV-1-derived vector containing an RNase H-deficient reverse transcriptase (RT). RNA was isolated at several times postinfection and treated with various RNA-modifying enzymes prior to rapid amplification of 5' cDNA ends (5' RACE) for HIV-1 RNA and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). In infected cells, DBR1 knockdown inhibited detection of free HIV-1 RNA 5' ends at all time points. The difference in detection of free HIV-1 RNA 5' ends in infected DBR1 knockdown versus control cells was eliminated by in vitro incubation of infected cell RNAs with yeast or human DBR1 enzyme prior to 5' RACE and qRT-PCR. This was dependent on the 2'-5' phosphatase activity of DBR1, since it did not occur when we used the catalytically inactive DBR1(N85A) mutant. Finally, HIV-1 RNA from infected DBR1 knockdown cells was resistant to RNase R that degrades linear RNAs but not RNAs in circular or lariat-like conformations. These results provide evidence for formation of a lariat-like structure involving the 5' end of HIV-1 RNA during an early step in infection and the involvement of DBR1 in resolving it.IMPORTANCE Our findings support a new view of the early steps in HIV genome replication. We show that the HIV genomic RNA is rapidly decapped and forms a lariat-like structure after entering a cell. The lariat-like structure is subsequently resolved by the cellular enzyme DBR1, leaving a 5' phosphate. This pathway is similar to the formation and resolution of pre-mRNA intron lariats and therefore suggests that similar mechanisms may be used by HIV. Our work therefore opens a new area of investigation in HIV replication and may ultimately uncover new targets for inhibiting HIV replication and for preventing the development of AIDS.
The History of Racialized Citizenship

Racial categorizations have been used since antiquity as grounds for assigning and takingaway citizenship. This history includes cycles of racialization and deracialization. Theproto-racialization of citizenship in Athens was followed by a more open Roman model.The racialization of religious bigotry did not become formalized until the creation of anti-Jewish and anti-Moorish policies in sixteenth century Iberia. Examining the historicalrecord across diverse contexts suggests that jus sanguinis is not inherently racist. Whilein an abstract sense, jus soli might sustain a civic vision of nationality, in practice, theexamples of Western Hemisphere states, particularly the United States, shows that jussoli is fully compatible with racialized citizenship. The construction of nation-states fromempires is consonant with the racialization of policies while the consolidation of thenation-state system created barriers to racialization. Since the mid-twentieth century,citizenship has entered a deracializing phase, even as political entrepreneursaggressively test the strength of anti-racist institutions.
Offering the Influenza Vaccine in a Pediatric Hand Surgery Clinic Increases Vaccination Rates.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of providing immediate access to the influenza vaccination for patients seen in a pediatric hand surgery clinic. Our hypothesis was that providing access would increase the rate of vaccination. Methods This pilot study was a randomized, controlled, prospective clinical trial that included all patients seen by a single surgeon, on a single day each week, in a hospital-based pediatric hand surgery practice clinic from October 18, 2016, to March 14, 2017. All patients between 6 months and 18 years of age seen during their initial visit during the study period were included. All patients were questioned on their vaccine status. For the intervention group, the influenza vaccine was offered. If requested, after providing educational materials, written consent from the parent or guardian was obtained. The vaccine was given by the registered nurse ordinarily assigned to the clinic. Demographic information and vaccine status for both groups at the end of clinic, including the date of receiving the vaccine, were recorded. Results Similar proportions of patients in each group had received the vaccine prior to being seen in the clinic. In the intervention group, 80 children (67%) had received the vaccine by the end of clinic, compared with 29 (25%) in the control group. Patients who were offered the vaccine had a statistically significant higher vaccination rate. Of the 80 patients in the intervention group who received the vaccine, 47 (59%) received it in the hand clinic. Conclusions This project demonstrated that offering the influenza vaccine in a nontraditional setting, an outpatient hand surgery clinic, increased the proportion of patients receiving the vaccine. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic I.
Analysis of a crack emanating from a circular hole in a loaded plane

The problem of a linear elastic loaded plane containing a circular hole with an arbitrary positioned edge crack is considered. The formulation is based on consideration of the dislocational pile-up in order to represent the crack, and on a fictious dislocation in the hole in order to satisfy single valued displacement requirement for the resulting stress potentials.
The impact of dependent coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act on time to breast cancer treatment among young women.

INTRODUCTION Breast cancer in young women tends to be more aggressive, but timely treatment may not be always available, particularly to those without health insurance. We aim to examine whether the dependent coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA-DCE) implemented in 2010 was associated with changes in time to treatment among women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. METHODS A total of 7,176 patients diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2007-2009 (pre-ACA) and 2011-2013 (post-ACA) were identified from the National Cancer Database. A quasi-experimental design difference-in-differences (DD) approach was used, with patients aged 19-25 (targeted by the policy) considered as the intervention group, and patients aged 26-34 years (not affected by the policy) as the control group. Changes in the following treatment outcomes were examined: time from diagnosis to surgery, time from surgery to adjuvant chemotherapy, and time from adjuvant chemotherapy to radiation. RESULTS Compared with the control group of patients aged 26-34, young patients aged 19-25 experienced a statistically nonsignificant decrease of 2.7 percentage points (95% CI [-1.2, 6.5]) in the uninsured rate. This did not translate into more reduction in delays to surgery (DD = 2.7 days, 95% CI [-3.2, 8.3]), chemotherapy (DD = -1.0 days, 95% CI [-7.2, 5.2]) or radiation (DD = 5.3 days, 95% CI [-15.6, 26.3]) in the younger cohort than the older cohort. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE No significant changes in time to treatment were found among young women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer after the implementation of the ACA-DCE. Future studies examining impacts of health care policy reform on breast cancer care are warranted to include patients from low-income families and to consider effects from Medicaid expansion.
The extended Graetz problem at low Peclet numbers

The temperature profile in a circular tube of infinite extent through which a fluid is moving under conditions of small Peclet numberse is determined by means of an asymptotic analysis ine. The walls of the tube are heated forx>0 and are insulated whenx<0. It is shown that the heated region extends anO(e −1) distance — relative to the radius of the tube — upstream of the pointx=0, and that convective effects remain important even whene→0. These results apply to a wider class of problems in which the Peclet number is small.
Release of Bioactive Agents from Swellable Polymers: Theory and Experiments

In the past twenty years we have seen a considerable increase in the number of research studies, publications and patents in the area of controlled release systems for pharmaceutical applications. Langer and Peppas (1–3) and Peppas and Gurny (4) have reviewed various aspects of the preparation, structure and biocompatibility of polymers for pharmaceutical applications and have established methods for incorporation of drugs in and kinetic behavior from different types of controlled release devices. Other chapters in this book provide extensive analysis and experimental results of a variety of controlled release, drug-delivery polymeric systems.
MONTAGUE GRAMMAR, GENERATIVE SEMANTICS, AND INTERPRETIVE SEMANTICS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Montague grammar, generative semantics, and interpretive semantics. In Universal Grammar, Montague complains that work in transformational grammar is not yet rigorous enough to merit serious consideration. As an alternative, he gives a system of grammar that generates a fragment of English syntax and assigns meanings to the sentences so generated. The grammar generates only a portion of English, but it does so by means of a theory that meets the high standards of mathematical rigor and precision he advocates. Montague generates phrases of English by a many-claused recursive definition. Familiarity with this technique is presupposed here; for an exposition. Montague characterizes the translation relation as a particular relation between disambiguated languages. The syntax of the disambiguated language whose meaningful expressions are viably indexed trees consists of the following rules from the original C syntax. Both Montague's general approach and transformational grammar are capable of generating all recursively enumerable languages.
Fluoroscopic Cranial Radiation Exposure in Spine Surgery: A Prospective Single-Center Evaluation in Operating Room Personnel.

ABSTRACT Background: Cranial radiation exposure during instrumented spine surgery is not well documented. We set out to measure this risk to the patient, surgeon, surgical resident, and scrub technician during these procedures. Methods: Forty-seven individuals were enrolled during a 1.5-year period between October 2014 and March 2016 at the University of New Mexico Department of Neurosurgery. Radiation doses were obtained through electronic dosimeters placed on the surgical cap over the temporal scalp (bilaterally on surgeon and resident assist, unilaterally on surgical scrub on the side facing radiation source) and on the midline of the patient9s exposed cranium. Results: Of the 47 procedures, 39 (83%) were open and 8 (17%) were minimally invasive or percutaneous instrumented procedures. A total of 91 motion segments were treated, with a mean of 1.9 levels per case (57% lumbosacral, 34% cervical, and 2.1% thoracic). Total fluoroscopic time was 12.9 minutes. Mean dose per case (mrem/case) was calculated for the spine surgeon (1.4), resident assist (1.4), surgical scrub (1.2), and the patient (3.6). All doses were within federal safety guidelines. A spine surgeon would need to perform more than 1400 cases per year to reach the current federal maximum permissible dose for head exposure. Conclusions: There was no difference in cranial radiation exposure between operating room staff during spine surgeries. Moreover, the doses measured at the cranium were within national safety limits. Current protective technologies have significantly reduced the amount of ionizing radiation exposure during routine spine procedures; however, changes in behavior or equipment may further reduce radiation exposure to health care workers. Clinical Relevance: Radiation exposure to patients and hospital staff remains a major concern in the practice of modern spine surgery. Cranial exposure remains the only established environmental risk factor for brain tumors, such as gliomas and meningiomas. Our study shows that all those exposed to radiation during spine surgery had cranial doses well within the national safety limits.
KRAS Prenylation Is Required for Bivalent Binding with Calmodulin in a Nucleotide-Independent Manner

Deregulation of KRAS4b signaling pathway has been implicated in 30% of all cancers. Membrane localization of KRAS4b is an essential step for the initiation of the downstream signaling cascades that guide various cellular mechanisms. KRAS4b plasma membrane (PM) binding is mediated by the insertion of a prenylated moiety that is attached to the terminal carboxy-methylated cysteine, in addition to electrostatic interactions of its positively charged hypervariable region with anionic lipids. Calmodulin (CaM) has been suggested to selectively bind KRAS4b to act as a negative regulator of the RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway by displacing KRAS4b from the membrane. However, the mechanism by which CaM can recognize and displace KRAS4b from the membrane is not well understood. In this study, we employed biophysical and structural techniques to characterize this mechanism in detail. We show that KRAS4b prenylation is required for binding to CaM and that the hydrophobic pockets of CaM can accommodate the prenylated region of KRAS4b, which might represent a novel CaM-binding motif. Remarkably, prenylated KRAS4b forms a 2:1 stoichiometric complex with CaM in a nucleotide-independent manner. The interaction between prenylated KRAS4b and CaM is enthalpically driven, and electrostatic interactions also contribute to the formation of the complex. The prenylated KRAS4b terminal KSKTKC-farnesylation and carboxy-methylation is sufficient for binding and defines the minimal CaM-binding motif. This is the same region implicated in membrane and phosphodiesterase6-δ binding. Finally, we provide a structure-based docking model by which CaM binds to prenylated KRAS4b. Our data provide new insights into the KRAS4b-CaM interaction and suggest a possible mechanism whereby CaM can regulate KRAS4b membrane localization.
A CONTEXT-INTEGRATING SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION MODEL FOR RESOLVING AMBIGUOUS STIMULI

The brain uses contextual information to uniquely resolve the interpretation of ambiguous stimuli. An interdisciplinary effort which combines expertise in machine learning and neuroscience is used to formulate a generalized signal classification model that has the ability to integrate weighted bidirectional temporal or spatial context to effectively resolve the classification of ambiguous stimuli. The formulation of the model is quite general; consequently, it is not restricted to stimuli in any particular sensory modality nor to any type of classifier. Furthermore, the model parameters can be manipulated to simulate various context environments. The context-integrating model is implemented using a Gaussian multivariate classifier and a broad range of experiments are designed to demonstrate its effectiveness in classifying ambiguous visual stimuli in various contextual environments.
A review of literature on connections between engineering education and cognitive development in K-12 students

This paper reviews the current body of literature comprising studies connecting engineering education in K-12 with elements of cognitive development. The process of change towards engineering being taught in K-12 classrooms involves the establishment of developmentally appropriate standards that inform curriculum. Established standards such as those of the NGSS and ITEEA STLs provide a nationally applicable framework for curricula throughout the United States. Nevertheless, it is important to critically consider what the foundations of such standards are in terms of empirical research. The development of rigorous standards for K-12 engineering education is a continuous process. Without a foundation of understanding for how children think about and learn engineering, standards will not optimally inform curricula how to teach engineering. So, do these foundations exist? The National Research Council (NRC) delivered a recommendation in 2010 to engage in the development of better understanding for how students learn engineering concepts in K-12. The intention of this recommendation was to facilitate effective and developmentally appropriate integration of engineering in K-12. The context of discussion in this recommendation was determining the viability and necessity of standards for engineering education in K-12. At the time, the committee determined fundamental questions were yet to be answered that would properly inform developmentally appropriate standards. This indicates that progress towards better understanding of student cognition had not occurred quickly. It is worth exploring to what extent observations such as these are currently accurate. Such shortcomings, if they exist, may critically inform initiatives within the educational research community. This systematic literature review will seek to uncover to what level fundamental research across several major publications in the past eight years focuses on critically describing the facets of child cognition and cognitive development in relation to the context of engineering in education. The scope of the review will include empirical studies detailing the measurement of perceptions pertaining to engineering, critical assessment of knowledge transfer for and conceptual understanding of engineering content, use of language and communication by students in engineering activities, and study of systems of thinking and habits of mind affecting student performance in engineering activities.
Short-term comparison between preperitoneal and intraperitoneal onlay mesh placement in robotic ventral hernia repair.

The aim of this study was to compare perioperative results of robotic IPOM (r-IPOM) and robotic TAPP (r-TAPP) in ventral hernia repair, and to identify risk factors associated with postoperative complications. After obtaining balanced groups with propensity score matching, the comparative analysis was performed in terms of perioperative and early outcomes. All variables were also examined in a subset analysis in patients with and without complications. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors associated with the development of complications. Of 305 r-IPOM and r-TAPP procedures, 104 patients were assigned to each group after propensity score matching. There was no difference in operative times between two groups. Although postoperative complications were largely minor (Clavien–Dindo grade-I and II), the rate of complications was higher in the r-IPOM group within the first 3-weeks (33.3% in r-IPOM vs. 20% in r-TAPP, p = 0.039). At the 3-month visit, outcomes between groups were not different (p = 0.413). Emergency department re-visits within 30-days and surgical site events were also higher in the IPOM group (p = 0.028, p = 0.042, respectively). In regression analysis, the development of complications was associated with incisional hernias (p = 0.040), intraperitoneal mesh position (p = 0.046) and longer procedure duration (p = 0.049). Our data suggest r-IPOM may be associated with increased complication rates in the immediate postoperative period when compared to r-TAPP. However, at 3 months, outcomes are comparable. More investigation is needed in this area, specifically with regards to long-term follow-up and multicenter data, to determine the true value of extra-peritoneal mesh placement.
Different ways to be redundant.

The conserved ligand–receptor pair CLAVATA1–CLAVATA3, which maintains homeostasis in shoot apical meristems, responds differently to perturbation in tomato, Arabidopsis and maize. Active compensation occurs in CLE signaling peptides in tomato, but compensation is passive in Arabidopsis.
The propensity of invasive circulating tumor cells (iCTCs) in metastatic progression and therapeutic responsiveness.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important clinical indicators of metastatic progression and treatment efficacy. However, because of their low number and heterogeneity, reliable patient-derived CTC models are not readily available. We report here the isolation and characterization of the invasive population of CTCs, iCTCs, from blood of 10 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and one pancreatic cancer patient based on the avidity of tumor cells toward an artificial collagen-based adhesion matrix (CAM), in comparison with tumor progenitor (TP) cells isolated from tumor cell lines, tumors and ascites from EOC patients. CAM-avid cells identified to be iCTCs were indistinguishable with TP cells using either functional CAM uptake or surface markers (seprase and CD44). In addition, iCTCs were characterized using peritoneal and spontaneous metastasis models in vivo to evaluate their metastatic propensity and therapeutic response. TP cells and iCTCs had a doubling time of about 34-42 hours. TP cells were rare (<3.5%) in most patient-derived specimens, however, iCTCs emigrated into blood, at a high frequency, 64.2% (n = 49). Approximately 500 patient-derived iCTCs recapitulated formation of iCTCs in mouse blood and formed micrometastases in the liver and/or lung, a degree of metastatic spread equivalent to the inoculation of 5 × 105 bulk tumor cells isolated from ascites and tumors. iCTCs were shown to be novel therapeutic targets for blocking metastasis using the reduced formation of iCTCs and micrometastases by RNAi, peptides, and monoclonal antibodies against seprase.
Are homologies really natural kinds

The metaphysical nature of homologies has been variously characterized as natural kind, individualist, and pluralist-pragmatic. In this essay, I aim to build on the work of proponents of a natural kinds ontology for homologies using Richard Boyd’s influential HPC account of natural kinds. I aim to advance this position by showing the unique fit of extending the HPC account to homologies, deflecting individualist critiques, as well as the pluralist-pragmatic alternative, showing that homologies have a determinate metaphysical character as kinds. As an important extension of this position, I attempt to explain away how the mistaken metaphysics of the individualist, and derivatively the pluralist-pragmatic approach that contextually embraces it, can facilitate certain elements of biological practice.
Are Electronic Cigarettes Marketed Towards Youth? Results from a Descriptive Study

Introduction Electronic cigarette awareness and use has increased dramatically in recent years, though less is known about electronic cigarette advertising at the retail point-of-sale . Since 2014, more youth use electronic cigarettes than any other tobacco product, and this trend is thought to be related to advertising and marketing. Youth are particularly susceptible to point-of-sale marketing and the majority of youth visit convenience stores on a weekly basis. This study seeks to describe the retail electronic cigarette environment in an urban setting, particularly as it relates to …
Immunity of Permanent and Special Missions’ Members: Consent, Certification and Scope in the United Kingdom

Recent UK litigation has addressed questions concerning the immunity of staff of permanent and special missions representing foreign States in the United Kingdom and highlighted the importance of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s policies and processes in connection with the same. This chapter examines the role of consent in the establishment of diplomatic and special missions, the executive certification of facts which relate to questions of immunity and the extent of the immunity to which members of permanent and special missions are entitled, which have proven resilient in the face of challenges made on human rights and international criminal law grounds.
Association of COVID-19 Infections in San Francisco in Early March 2020 with Travel to New York and Europe

Real-time dissemination of epidemiological survey data from positive COVID-19 cases is critical to support efforts to contain or reduce spread of viral infection in the community. Here we detected a significant association between domestic travel or travel to Europe and the identification of new cases in San Francisco, California, USA. These findings suggest that domestic and European travelers may need to be prioritized for evaluation of acute infection from COVID-19 in the setting of limited testing capacity.
Estimation of metademographic rates and landscape connectivity for a conservation-reliant anuran

Amphibian conservation efforts commonly assume populations are tied to waterbodies that collectively function as a metapopulation. This assumption is rarely evaluated, and there is a need to understand the degree of connectivity among patches to appropriately define, manage, and conserve biological populations. Our objectives were to quantify local persistence, colonization, and recruitment (metademographic rates) in relation to habitat attributes, evaluate the influence of the spatial arrangement of patches on landscape-scale population dynamics, and estimate the scale at which metapopulation dynamics are occurring for Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa). We collected R. pretiosa detection/non-detection data and habitat information from 93 sites spread throughout the species’ extant range in Oregon, USA, 2010–2018. We developed a spatial multistate dynamic occupancy model to analyze these data. The proportion of sites occupied by R. pretiosa was relatively stable despite regular turnover in site occupancy. Connectivity was greatest when the distance between sites was within 4.49–7.70 km, and the results suggested that populations within 1 km are at the appropriate spatial scale for effective population management. Rana pretiosa metademographic rates were strongly tied to water availability, vegetation characteristics, and beaver dams. Our analysis provides critical information to identify the appropriate spatial scale for effective population management, estimates the distance at which populations are connected, and quantifies the effects of hypothesized threats to species at a landscape scale. We believe this model will prove to be useful to inform conservation and management strategies for multiple species.
Co-robotic harvest-aid platforms: Real-time control of picker lift heights to maximize harvesting efficiency

Abstract Harvest-aid platforms are used in modern orchards to improve manual harvesting efficiency, safety, and ergonomics. Typically, workers stand at pre-set heights on a platform’s multi-level deck, and each worker harvests fruits inside a canopy zone that is defined by the lowest and highest reach of the worker’s arms. However, fruit distributions are non-uniform, and worker picking speeds vary, thus generating a mismatch between labor demand (incoming fruit rates) and labor supply (fruit picking rates) in each zone; this mismatch limits platform-based harvesting efficiencies. To alleviate this problem, we transformed a conventional harvesting platform into a collaborative robot (co-robot) platform. As the co-robotic platform travels forward, it estimates the incoming fruit distribution using a vision system, it measures each worker’s picking speed using instrumented picking bags, and controls the heights of hydraulic lifts that move workers up and down. The model-based control algorithm maximizes the machine’s harvesting speed by changing the height at which each worker harvests as a response to incoming fruit load because it matches fruit-picking labor supply and demand. Simulation experiments with pre-recorded fruit distribution data validated the approach and provided efficiency gains under various conditions. Apple-harvesting experiments were also performed in a commercial orchard, where 2307 kg of apples were picked: 1045 kg in variable-height zone harvesting mode, and 1262 kg in fixed zone harvesting mode, with workers at fixed heights that were set by the grower. Variable-height zone harvesting mode throughput was 327.6 kg/h vs. 298.8 kg/h for fixed zone harvesting mode at human-controlled platform moving speed, resulting in an improvement of 9.5%.
MitraClip Implantation Guided by Volumetric Intracardiac Echocardiography: Technique and Feasibility in Patients Intolerant to Transesophageal Echocardiography

Transesophageal echo (TEE) guidance is essential for successful MitraClip implantation. In patients intolerant to TEE, options are limited. Three patients, with contraindications to TEE, underwent MitraClip implantation using volumetric intracardiac echo (vICE). All patients had severe symptomatic degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) and had successful implantation of at least one clip with reduction of MR to ≤2+ maintained at 30d follow-up. All patients had improvement in functional status without any adverse clinical, clip, or vICE related events. We discuss in detail the technical considerations and limitations to performing the MitraClip procedure with vICE guidance.
Does greater bank competition increase third-party guarantee loan default rates? evidence from U.S. interstate branching deregulation

Exploiting the interstate branching restrictiveness law that allowed states to erect barriers to branch expansion, we test whether increased interbank competition increases risk-bearing, proxied by...
An experimental study of objective pain measurement using pupillary response based on genetic algorithm and artificial neural network

Obtaining an objective measurement of the pain level of a patient has always been challenging for health care providers. The most common method of pain assessment in the hospital setting is asking the patients’ verbal ratings, which is considered to be a subjective approach. In order to get an objective pain level of a patient, we propose measuring pain level objectively using the pupillary response and machine learning algorithms. Thirty-two healthy subjects were enrolled in this study at Northeastern University. A painful stimulus was applied to healthy subjects by asking them to place their hands inside a bucket filled with iced water. We extracted 11 features from the pupil diameter data. To get the optimal subset of the features, a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to select features for the artificial neural network (ANN) classifier. Before feature selection, the f1-score of ANN was 54.0 ± 0.25% with all 11 features. After feature selection, ANN had the best performance with an accuracy of 81.0% using the selected feature subset, namely the Mean, the Root Mean Square (RMS), and the Pupillary Area Under Curve (PAUC). The experimental results suggested that pupillary response together with machine learning algorithms could be a promising method of objective pain level assessment. The outcomes of this study could improve patients’ experience of pain measurement in telehealthcare, especially during a pandemic when most people had to stay at home.
Characterization of antibacterial activities of hemolymph from the desert hairy scorpion, Hadrurus arizonensis

Treatment of bacterial cultures with hemolymph collected from desert hairy scorpions (Hadrurus arizonensis Ewing, 1928, Hadruridae) resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent inhibition of bacterial proliferation. The hemolymph proved effective in inhibiting growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial species. Incubation of E. coli bacteria with hemolymph at different temperatures (20–40°C) showed that the antibacterial effects increased from 20–30°C, but the hemolymph was largely ineffective in killing the bacteria at 35 and 40°C. Incubation of E. coli with hemolymph at 25°C for different time periods revealed that the antibacterial activities were extremely rapid and resulted in killing of bacteria within 1–2 minutes of contact. Interestingly, the hemolymph exhibited no phenoloxidase enzyme activity, hemolytic activity against sheep red blood cells, or melanization activity, which is a common mechanism of immunity among many diverse arthropods. This study is the first characterization of immune function of hemolymph from any scorpion species.
Enhancing SkyVision: Integrating UAS Flight Information with ATC Data

The SkyVision system was developed by the State of Ohio and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to promote the research and development of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technologies. With the goal and vision to deliver a ground-based detect and avoid (GBDAA) capability, SkyVision leverages Air Traffic Control (ATC) level radar data through the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). This paper details the research and development of a set of subsystems that integrate into SkyVision to provide the system with UAS flight information, seeking to enhance the system, enabling safe beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) UAS operations throughout the nation.