cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initial operation of a wideband 140 GHz, 1kW confocal gyro-traveling wave amplifier

The initial experimental results of a zero-drive stable, short pulse 140 GHz gyro-traveling wave tube amplifier are presented. The amplifier has achieved a linear gain of 31 dB in experiment, and peak output powers up to 400 W have been observed at a beam voltage of 39.5 kV, beam current of 1.65 A, and beam pitch factor of 0.9 from a novel high order HE(0,6) operating mode of a quasi-optical confocal waveguide.
High-Latitude Forest Cover Loss in Northern Eurasia, 2000–2005

Timely updates of large area forest cover and change facilitate studies of biogeochemical cycling and climate modeling, forest management, and ecological integrity. Our method employed an internally consistent and efficient probability-based sampling approach that integrates low and high spatial resolution satellite data sets for high-latitude gross forest cover loss estimation in Northern Eurasia. Area of forest cover loss from 2000 to 2005 within the high-latitude forest zone is estimated to be 6.6 Mha (standard error ±2.1 Mha). Estimated forest cover loss represents a 2.8% reduction in year 2000 forest area. East Siberia is shown to have the largest total forest loss area of the Northern Eurasia regions. Of the total forest cover loss area, 51.7% was attributed to wildfires. Inter-annual forest cover loss trend shows significant increases of forest loss due to wildfires for years 2002 and 2003 in East Siberia, with a subsequent decrease in forest loss. Estimated gross forest cover loss within Northern Eurasia boreal forests exceeded the humid tropics on a percentage basis for the study period and brings into question the sustainability of high-latitude forests, given the long times required to re-establish forest cover.
Global approaches to regulating electronic cigarettes

Objectives Classify and describe the policy approaches used by countries to regulate e-cigarettes. Methods National policies regulating e-cigarettes were identified by (1) conducting web searches on Ministry of Health websites, and (2) broad web searches. The mechanisms used to regulate e-cigarettes were classified as new/amended laws, or existing laws. The policy domains identified include restrictions or prohibitions on product: sale, manufacturing, importation, distribution, use, product design including e-liquid ingredients, advertising/promotion/sponsorship, trademarks, and regulation requiring: taxation, health warning labels and child-safety standards. The classification of the policy was reviewed by a country expert. Results The search identified 68 countries that regulate e-cigarettes: 22 countries regulate e-cigarettes using existing regulations; 25 countries enacted new policies to regulate e-cigarettes; 7 countries made amendments to existing legislation; 14 countries use a combination of new/amended and existing regulation. Common policies include a minimum-age-of-purchase, indoor-use (vape-free public places) bans and marketing restrictions. Few countries are applying a tax to e-cigarettes. Conclusions A range of regulatory approaches are being applied to e-cigarettes globally; many countries regulate e-cigarettes using legislation not written for e-cigarettes.
Winning the Argument and Moving the Fight: The Legacy of a Grassroots Humanitarian

The author of this article argues that the two-decades-long litigation struggle was necessary to push the political actors in Mississippi into a more virtuous than vicious legal/political negotiation. The second and related argument, however, is that neither the 1992 United States Supreme Court decision in Fordice nor the negotiation provided an adequate riposte to plaintiffs’ claims. The author shows that their chief counsel for the first phase of the litigation wanted equality of opportunity for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), as did the plaintiffs. In the course of explicating the role of a legal grass-roots humanitarian, Coleman suggests lessons learned and trade-offs from that case/negotiation, describing the tradeoffs as part of the political vestiges of legal racism in black public higher education and the need to move HBCUs to a higher level of opportunity at a critical juncture in the life of tuition-dependent colleges and universities in the United States. Throughout the essay the following questions pose themselves: In thinking about the Road to Fordice and to political settlement, would the Justice Department lawyers and the plaintiffs’ lawyers connect at the point of their shared strength? Would the timing of the settlement benefit the plaintiffs and/or the State? Could plaintiffs’ lawyers hold together for the length of the case and move each piece of the case forward in a winning strategy? Who were plaintiffs’ opponents and what was their strategy? With these questions in mind, the author offers an analysis of how the campaign— political/legal arguments and political/legal remedies to remove the vestiges of de jure segregation in higher education—unfolded in Mississippi, with special emphasis on the initiating lawyer in Ayers v. Waller and Fordice, Isaiah Madison
The next frontier of plant–soil feedback research: unraveling context dependence across biotic and abiotic gradients

Question Plant–soil feedback (PSF) has emerged as a ubiquitous phenomenon and a potentially important predictor of plant community structure and dynamics. However, the predictive power of PSF in field contexts is mixed, and ecologists do not yet understand its relative importance compared to other factors that structure communities. Further progress requires a more nuanced understanding of how PSF interacts with other biotic and abiotic factors. Environmental factors (e.g. natural enemies, moisture, light, nutrients) are known to affect plant interactions with soil and soil organisms, leading to an expectation of environmental context dependence in plant–soil feedback. Such context dependence could explain when PSF is expected to be an important driver of community dynamics, and under what conditions PSF is likely to be positive (destabilizing) vs negative (stabilizing). Methods We conducted a literature review of studies that examined PSF across biotic and abiotic gradients. Results Although few relevant studies have been conducted in this emerging research area, results to date suggest that plant–soil feedback is sensitive to biotic factors, such as above- and below-ground herbivory, and abiotic factors, such as nutrients and light. Conclusions We develop a conceptual framework to predict variation in the direction and strength of PSF depending on the biotic or abiotic drivers of feedback (e.g. pathogens, nutrients) and the environmental context (e.g. intensity of herbivory, soil fertility). We explore the utility of our predictive framework through discussion of case studies from the literature on context dependence in PSF. We also consider how different experimental approaches might yield different insights about PSF–environment interactions, and suggest key future research directions.
Comparative Effectiveness Research: The Impact of Biologic Agents in Ethnic Minorities With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Abstract Background Biologic agents have improved the outcomes of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the clinical trials included a predominately white population (85%), with Hispanic and black patients underrepresented. Thus, the real world benefit for the latter remains unknown. Comparative effectiveness research is a tool allowing for this exploration. Patients and Methods The demographic and clinical characteristics of patients treated for mCRC from 2000 to 2011 were extracted from the medical records of Montefiore Medical Center. A semiparametric accelerated failure time model was used to assess the survival differences between patients receiving chemotherapy (CT) alone versus CT plus biologic agents (CBT). Results Of the 290 patients (black, 45.9%; Hispanic, 26.2%; and white, 27.9%), 53.8% received biologic agents. The median overall survival was 15.2 months in the CT-alone group and 25.6 months in CBT group ( P = .004). On univariate analysis, a lower number of metastatic sites, carcinoembryonic antigen P = .038). The results of the subgroup analysis suggested a survival benefit for white patients (2.01; 95% CI, 1.26-3.23; P = .031) but not for Hispanic (1.42; 95% CI, 0.91-2.20; P = .370) or black (1.12; 95% CI, 0.76-1.66; P = .596) patients. Conclusion In the present cohort, CBT was associated with longer survival, with the effect mainly driven by the outcomes for white patients, with black patients not appearing to benefit. These data are provocative and warrant further confirmation. Efforts to increase ethnic minority patients' enrollment in clinical trials is required to prospectively define the benefit from novel therapies.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Airway Disease

There is increasing appreciation that mitochondria serve cellular functions beyond oxygen sensing and energy production. Accordingly, it has become important to explore noncanonical roles of mitochondria in normal and pathophysiological processes that influence airway structure and function in the context of diseases such as asthma and COPD. Mitochondria can sense upstream processes such as inflammation, infection, tobacco smoke, and environmental insults important in these diseases and in turn can respond to such stimuli through altered mitochondrial protein expression, structure, and resultant dysfunction. Conversely, mitochondrial dysfunction has downstream influences on cytosolic and mitochondrial calcium regulation, airway contractility, gene and protein housekeeping, responses to oxidative stress, proliferation, apoptosis, fibrosis, and certainly metabolism, which are all key aspects of airway disease pathophysiology. Indeed, mitochondrial dysfunction is thought to play a role even in normal processes such as aging and senescence and in conditions such as obesity, which impact airway diseases. Thus, understanding how mitochondrial structure and function play central roles in airway disease may be critical for the development of novel therapeutic avenues targeting dysfunctional mitochondria. In this case, it is likely that mitochondria of airway epithelium, smooth muscle, and fibroblasts play differential roles, consistent with their contributions to disease biology, underlining the challenge of targeting a ubiquitous cellular element of existential importance. This translational review summarizes the current state of understanding of mitochondrial processes that play a role in airway disease pathophysiology and identifying areas of unmet research need and opportunities for novel therapeutic strategies.
The Age of Analogy: Science and Literature Between the Darwins

The theory of evolution was poetry before it became science, each time with a Darwin behind the pen. The relationship between Charles Darwin and his grandfather Erasmus has long proven a conundrum ...
Development of a dietary formulation of the SHetA2 chemoprevention drug for mice

Development of cancer chemoprevention compounds requires enhanced consideration for toxicity and route of administration because the target population is healthy. The small molecule drug, SHetA2 (NSC 726189), exhibited in vivo chemoprevention activity and lack of toxicity when administered by oral gavage. Our objective was to determine if a dietary formulation of SHetA2 could achieve effective tissue drug levels without toxicity. C57bl/6 J mice were monitored on modified American Institute of Nutrition (AIN)76A diet mixed with SHetA2 in a 3:1 ratio with Kolliphor HS15, a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) to deliver 37.5, 62.5, 125, 187 or 250 mg SHetA2/kg/day. Blood and tissues were evaluated after 1, 3 and 6 weeks. The 187 mg/kg/day dose was identified as optimal based on achievement of maximum blood and tissue drug levels in the effective micromolar range without evidence of toxicity. The 250 mg/kg/day group exhibited lower drug levels and the highest intestinal drug content suggesting that an upper limit of intestinal absorption had been surpassed. Only this highest dose resulted in liver and kidney function tests that were outside of the normal range, and significant reduction of cyclin D1 protein in normal cervical tissue. SHetA2 reduced cyclin D1 to greater extents in cancer compared to non-cancer cell cultures. Given this differential effect, optimal chemoprevention without toxicity would be expected to occur at doses that reduced cyclin D1 in neoplastic, but not in normal tissues. These findings support further development of SHetA2 as a chemoprevention agent and potential food additive.
Basidiobolomycosis: an unusual, mysterious, and emerging endemic fungal infection.

Entomophthoramycosis refers to subcutaneous chronic granulomatous infection caused by fungi of the order entomophthorales in tropical and subtropical countries. The two forms of entomophthoramycosi...
Robotic perception of material

In this paper, we develop a conceptual framework in which acts of manipulation are undertaken for the sake of perceiving material. Within this framework, we disambiguate different materials by actively contacting and probing them, and by sensing the resulting forces, displacements, and sounds. We report experimental results from four separate implementations of this framework using a variety of sensory modalities, including force, vision, and audition. For each implementation, we identify sensor-derived measures that are diagnostic of material properties, and use those measures to categorize objects by their material class. Based on the experimental results, we conclude that the issue of shape-in variance is of critical importance for future work.
Impact of the heart transplant waiting process on spouses.

Background : Practitioners working with candidates for heart transplants and their families know that the heart transplant waiting process is psychologically stressful and demanding. Spouses of heart transplant candidates struggle with multiple demands. Although many have studied the impact of heart transplantation on patients, only a few investigators have studied the impact of the heart transplant waiting period on spouses. Methods : Using survey research methods, we studied the impact of the heart transplant wait on the lives of 85 spouses of heart transplant candidates from three sites using the following : Spouse Transplant Stressor Scale, Jalowiec Coping Scale, Family Inventory of Resources for Management, Quality of Life Index, a six-item rating scale, and a demographic form. Results : One-third of the sample (30.6%) believed that the heart transplant waiting experience had a negative impact on their life, two-thirds (65.9%) believed it had a positive impact, and 3.5% believed that the heart transplant experience had no impact on their life. The longer the patient partner waited for a heart transplant, the more negative the impact was on the spouse's life (r = - 0.23, p = 0.04). Spouses experiencing a negative impact from the heart transplant experience reported higher stressor scores (F = 3.74, p = 0.03), used more negative coping strategies (F = 3.69, p = 0.03), and had a lower quality of life (F = 3.28, p = 0.04). Conclusions : Spouses who reported a more negative impact from the heart transplant waiting experience were under more stress, used negative coping strategies, reported a lower quality of life, and had patient partners who waited longer for a heart.
Interdisciplinary Team Perspectives on Mental Health Care in VA Home-Based Primary Care: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives This qualitative study describes the structure and processes of providing care to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) enrollees with mental health care needs; explains the role of the HBPC psychologist; and describes how mental health treatment is integrated into care from the perspective of HBPC team members. Design HBPC programs were selected for in-person site visits based on initial surveys and low hospitalization rates. Setting Programs varied in setting, geographic locations, and primary care model. Participants Eight site visits were completed. During visits, key informants including HBPC program directors, medical directors, team members, and other key staff involved with the HBPC program participated in semi-structured individual and group interviews. Measurements Recorded interviews, focus groups, and field observation notes. Results Qualitative thematic content analysis revealed four themes: 1) HBPC Veterans have not only complex physical needs but also co-occurring mental health needs; 2) the multi-faceted role of psychologists on HBPC teams, that includes providing care for Veterans and support for colleagues; 3) collaboration between medical and mental health providers as a means of caring for HBPC Veterans with mental health needs; and 4) gaps in providing mental health care on HBPC teams, primarily related to a lack of team psychiatrists and/or need for specialized medication management for psychiatric illness. Conclusions Mental health providers are essential to HBPC teams. Given the significant mental health care needs of HBPC enrollees and the roles of HBPC mental health providers, HBPC teams should integrate both psychologists and consulting psychiatrists.
Mutual Organizational Sustainability: Organizational Interdependence in the New Public Service

What enables sustainability in the U.S. Federal agencies given the dramatic expansion and reliance on private sector contracted relationships? Such pervasive and continuing reliance on private sect...
Revisiting the ESA model: a historical test

The energy–stability–area (ESA) model put forth by Lowery and Gray (Am J Polit Sci 39(1):1–29, 1995) focused scholarly attention on two factors critical to interest group mobilization: the density and diversity of groups within a population. Since that seminal publication, researchers have continued to refine the model and its applications. Yet, so far, these studies have been focused on modern interest groups. Here, we extend Lowery and Gray’s (1995) cross-sectional ESA model by studying the strength of state branches of three interest groups—the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Patrons of Husbandry (Grange), and the Grand Army of the Republic—in the mid-1910s. We find some support for the ESA model across all three groups, though density dependence, a key part of the Lowery and Gray story (1995), is not significant in our historical models. Our results further deviate from Lowery and Gray’s work by finding strong evidence for the role of government size on interest group mobilization. Ultimately, we conclude that the ESA model provides important insights on the development of membership associations during the early twentieth century, albeit with some important amendments for the period.
Facebook society: losing ourselves in sharing ourselves

While reading Roberto Simanowski's Facebook society, I could not help but be repeatedly reminded of the instructive #PlaneBae fiasco. In this veritable postmodern drama, an apparent serendipitous r...
Interparental conflict and gender moderate the prospective link between parents' perceptions of adolescents' weight and weight concerns.

Objective Parents' comments about their adolescents' weight have been linked with adolescents' disordered eating, but we know little about the personal and contextual conditions that promote or mitigate the effects of parents' perceptions on adolescents' weight concerns. This study examined whether the prospective association between parents' perceptions of adolescents' weight and adolescents' weight concerns differed as a function of exposure to interparental conflict or adolescent gender. Method Participants were 386 adolescents (52% female; ages 11-18 years; predominately Caucasian/European American) from 197 families (i.e., up to two adolescents per family) and their parents. Two-parent families with a firstborn child in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade and a secondborn child 1-4 years younger were recruited to participate in a short-term longitudinal study of adolescent development and family relationships. Annual home interviews were conducted with adolescents and parents. Multilevel models tested whether parents' perceptions of adolescents' weight predicted adolescents' weight concerns one year later and whether interparental conflict and youth gender moderated this prospective association. Results A significant three-way interaction revealed that when interparental conflict was low, increases in fathers' but not mothers' perceptions of daughters' overweight predicted increases in daughters' weight concerns the following year. In contrast, females exposed to high interparental conflict reported elevated weight concerns the following year regardless of parents' perceptions. Results for males were not significant. Discussion Findings highlight the role of personal and family context characteristics in the development of weight concerns and the value of addressing family processes within preventive interventions for adolescent females' weight concerns.
HIGH ORDER CONTROLLED STABILITY AND CONTROLLABILITY

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on high order controlled stability and controllability. It presents an assumption where M is an analytic n-dimensional manifold and D = {Xα : α ∈ U} is a collection of analytic tangent vector fields on M. The tangent space of M at p is denoted by TMp, and D(x) = {Xα(x) ∈ TMx: α ∈ U}. A solution of D is an absolutely continuous map φ taking a real interval I into M such that φ(t) = dφ/dt ∈ D(φ(t)) p.p. in I. For any t > 0, the set of points in M attainable at time t by solutions of D, which initiate from p at time 0, is denoted by A(t,p,D). The chapter discusses the concept of locally controllable system. An approach involving a high order Pontriagin maximum principle is also discussed in the chapter.
Functions of Geoengineering Research Governance

Author(s): Parson, Edward (Ted); Long, Jane | Abstract: Proposed geoengineering interventions, like other high-stakes and potentially disruptive technologies, present both a compelling case for expanded research to inform future decisions, and significant concerns about societal harms that may follow from this research, directly or indirectly. In response, there have been widespread calls to both expand research and govern this research with greater care and scrutiny than typical of the normal processes that govern all research areas. We propose that for geoengineering and similarly controversial issues, governance of research must fulfill three broad functions. First, processes are needed that enable reliable research, by providing the authorization, resources, and management necessary for research to proceed, together with the strategic planning and quality controls to ensure that research results are useful and relevant to inform societal choices. Second, processes are needed to assess potential harms or risks from research activities and ensure that these are appropriately managed. These potential harms may include both direct physical risks, and indirect risks mediated by social, economic, or political processes. Finally, processes are needed to support the legitimacy of the research program, by ensuring that the topics, methods, and conduct are compatible with relevant legal, political, and moral principles and are broadly acceptable to affected citizens. These requirements may interact closely with the processes that serve the first two functions, by requiring that research priorities, aims, conduct, participants, and results are transparently and promptly disclosed, that relevant citizen and stakeholder groups are consulted, and that broader implications of proposed research are acknowledged and addressed. Drawing on the concerns expressed in the current geoengineering debate, and on experience conducting and governing research in other areas, we discuss alternative concrete ways to provide these functions for geoengineering research. This paper was prepared as input to a workshop of senior state officials considering the implications of potential geoengineering research for California.
Catching up to the Colon: Time for an Adenoma Detection Rate Equivalent in Barrett's Esophagus?

Summary Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is the only known precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), a cancer associated with a dismal 5-year survival rate (Am J Gastroenterol 2017;112(7):1032-1048). Despite all the advances in this field, we have had minimal impact on the incidence, morbidity and mortality related to this lethal cancer. This has provided the impetus for major gastroenterology societies to propose quality indicators to guide diagnostic, surveillance and treatment strategies including endoscopic eradication therapies and ultimately improve outcomes associated with EAC (Gastroenterology 2015;149(6):1599-1606, Am J Gastroenterol 2017;112(7)1032-1048). Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a well-established quality indicator in colon cancer screening; a measure that not only has face validity but also associated with risk of interval colorectal cancer. Whether a similar quality indicator can be utilized in patients with BE undergoing their index screening endoscopy is the focus of this summary.
Geographically Targeted Place-Based Community Development Interventions: A Systematic Review and Examination of Studies’ Methodological Rigor

Targeted interventions to improve specific geographic areas have been a significant policy and intervention tool for the past 50 years. However, few reviews provide a comprehensive examination of s...
Fertility Options for the Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Patient

Comprehensive care for transgender and gender nonbinary patients has been a priority established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Because pubertal suppression, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and antiandrogen therapy used alone or in combination during medical transition can affect gonadal function, understanding the effects these treatments have on fertility potential is important for practitioners caring for transgender and gender nonbinary patients. In this review, we outline the impacts of gender-affirming treatments on fertility potential and discuss the counseling and the treatment approach for fertility preservation and/or family building in transgender and gender nonbinary individuals.
The Hermeneutic Implications of Constitutional Amendment

This paper explores the implications of applying a philosophical hermeneutic approach to the interpretation of constitutional texts, and more specifically to the interpretation of an amended constitutional text. My conclusion is that the exploration of this question leads to the conclusion that the fact of amendment (as opposed to mere amendability) has normative consequences for the way we read the constitutional text. Specifically, I will argue that an amended constitution should be read as a “palimpsest”, meaning the reading of the text as a coeherent whole despite the recognition that multiple elements have been added, removed, or overwritten over time. In this way, I will argue, application of the methods of philosophical hermeneutics to constitutional interpretation demonstrates the inadequacy of other familiar approaches such as clause-based textualism or historicism
Trump, Zuma, Brexit: anti-Black racism and the truth of the world

“Trump, Zuma, Brexit” aims to articulate a new theory of the “world historical” reversing the relationship of north and south – of “universal knowledge” and “raw fact” – instead establishing a theo...
Comparative Outcomes of Cap Assisted Endoscopic Resection and Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in Dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus.

Background & Aims Endoscopic resection is an important component of the endoscopic treatment of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) with dysplasia and intramucosal adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic resection can be performed by cap-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (cEMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We compared the histologic outcomes of ESD vs cEMR, followed by ablation. Methods We queried a prospectively maintained database of all patients undergoing cEMR and ESD followed by ablation at our institution from January 2006 to March 2020 and abstracted relevant demographic and clinical data. Our primary outcomes included the rate of complete remission of dysplasia (CRD): absence of dysplasia on surveillance histology, and complete remission of intestinal metaplasia (CRIM): absence of intestinal metaplasia. Our secondary outcome included complication rates. Results We included 537 patients in the study: 456 underwent cEMR and 81 underwent ESD. The cumulative probabilities of CRD at 2 years were 75.8% and 85.6% in the cEMR and ESD groups, respectively (P .05). The only independent predictor of CRIM was a shorter BE segment (HR, 1.16; P Conclusions BE patients with dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma undergoing ESD reach CRD at higher rates than those treated with cEMR, although CRIM rates at 2 years and complication rates were similar between the 2 groups.
Global Emergency Medicine Fellowships: Survey of Curricula and Pre-Fellowship Experiences.

Author(s): Klesick, Elise; Hakmeh, Wael | Abstract: Introduction: Lack of accreditation requirements affords global emergency medicine (GEM) fellowships the flexibility to customize curricula and content. A paucity of literature exists describing the state of GEM fellowship programs. We describe the current state of GEM fellowship curricula including which components are commonly included, and highlighting areas of higher variability.Methods: We identified GEM fellowships and invited them to participate in a web-based survey. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed.Results: Of the 46 fellowship programs invited to participate, 24 responded; one duplicate response and one subspecialty program were excluded. The 22 remaining programs were included in the analysis. Nineteen programs (86%) offer a Masters in Public Health (MPH) and 36% require an MPH to graduate. Additionally, 13 programs (59%) offered graduate degrees other than MPH. Fellows average 61 clinical hours per month (95% confidence interval, 53-68). Time spent overseas varies widely, with the minimum required time ranging from 2-28 weeks (median 8 weeks; interquartile range [IQR] 6,16) over the course of the fellowship. The majority of programs offer courses in tropical medicine (range 2-24 weeks, median 4 weeks) and the Health Emergencies in Large Populations course. Only 32% of programs reported offering formal ultrasound training. Fellows averaged 1.3 research projects prior to fellowship and median of 2.5 during fellowship (IQR 1,3). While the majority of GEM fellowship graduates worked at US academic centers (59%), 24% worked in US community hospitals, 9% worked for non-profit organizations, and 9% worked internationally in clinical practice.Conclusion: Our results highlight the wide variability of curricular content and experiences offered by GEM fellowships.
Smartphone-based human fatigue level detection using machine learning approaches

Human muscle fatigue is the main result of diminishing muscle capability, leading to reduced performance and increased risk of falls and injury. This study provides a classification model to identify the human fatigue level based on the motion signals collected by a smartphone. 24 participants were recruited and performed the fatiguing exercise (i.e. squatting). Upon completing each set of squatting, they walked for a fixed distance while the smartphone attached to their right shank and the gait data were associated with the Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (i.e. data label). Our machine-learning model of two (no- vs. strong-fatigue), three (no-, medium-, and strong-fatigue) and four (no-, low-, medium-, and strong-fatigue) levels of fatigue reached the accuracy of 91, 78, and 64%, respectively. The outcomes of this study may facilitate the accessibility of a fatigue-monitoring tool in the workplace, which improves the workers' performance and reduce the risk of falls and injury. Practitioner Summary: This study aimed to develop a machine-learning model to identify human fatigue level using motion data captured by a smartphone attached to the shank. Our results can facilitate the development of an accessible fatigue-monitoring system that may improve the workers' performance and reduce the risk of falls and injury. Abbreviations: WMSD: work-related musculoskeletal disorders; IMU: inertial measurement unit; RPE: rating of perceived exertion; SVM: support vector machine; IRB: institutional review board; SOM: self-organizing map; LDA: linear discriminant analysis; PCA: principal component analysis; FT: fourier transformation; RBF: radial basis function; CUSUM: cumulative sum; ROM: range of motion; MVC: maximum voluntary contractions.
Emergency preparation and mitigation for COVID-19 response in an integrated pharmacy practice model.

Purpose The purpose of this descriptive report is to share experiences in crisis response planning and risk mitigation at a university health system department of pharmacy with an integrated clinical practice model in the early months of the coronarvirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Summary The department of pharmacy's COVID-19 pandemic response included successful planning and implementation of measures to maintain pharmacy operations and minimize COVID-19 exposure of patients and staff. These measures included ensuring adequate personnel staffing using flexible staffing solutions, ongoing assessment of supply chain integrity, and continuation of integrated clinical pharmacy services 24/7 throughout the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Information technology (IT) and educational program modifications are also discussed. Conclusion This report describes successful crisis planning and risk mitigation in the setting of COVID-19, which was facilitated by the department of pharmacy's integrated clinical practice model. This model enabled uninterrupted personnel scheduling, supply chain integrity, continued provision of 24/7 integrated clinical services, adaptive use of IT tools, and continuation of educational programs. The experiences described may be instructive to other pharmacy departments in evaluating their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in planning for similar pandemic or other emergency scenarios.
Measuring a Six-hole Recorder Flute's Response to Breath Pressure Variations and Fitting a Model.

We propose the Siamese-flute method that measures the breath pressure and the acoustic sound in parallel. We fit a 6-DoF model to describe how the breath pressure affects the octave and the microtonal pitch bend, revealing the octave hysteresis. We release both our model parameters and our data analysis tools.
[Determination of quinoxalines veterinary drug residues in food products of animal origin by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE To establish a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)method for simultaneous determination of olaquindox, quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid in food products of animal origin. METHODS Samples were extracted with ethyl acetate-0.1 mol/L sodium dihydrogen phosphate(1∶9, V/V) solution in water bath at 40 ℃, purified by solid phase extraction column(olaquindox uses HLB SPE cartridge, quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid use MAX SPE cartridge), evaporated by concentrator, and dissolved by mobile phase. The supernatant was separated on Agilent ZORBAX SB-C_(18) column(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.8 m), using 0.2% formic acid solution methanol solution as mobile phase, and then detected by HPLC-MS/MS using multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) in positive ionization mode. RESULTS The linear range for olaquindox、quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid were 2.5-100 μg/L, r & gt; 0.9990.The average recoveries were 72.6%-90.5% and the precisions were 3.2%-13.1%(n=6). The detection limits for olaquindox、quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and 3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid were 0.08 μg/kg. CONCLUSION The method is specific, sensitive, easy, fast and suitable for the confirmation and quantification of olaquindox、quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid、3-methyl-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid in food products of animal origin.
Drivers of cost reduction in solar photovoltaics

Abstract Using a new dataset of costs, output, sales, technical characteristics, and capital expenditures of firms in the solar industry during 2005–2012, this paper investigates the factors that have contributed to the decline in the cost of producing solar panels. While previous studies have attributed learning-by-doing and economies of scale as important drivers of cost reduction, these do not have any significant effect on cost once four other factors are taken into account, namely, (i) reduction in the cost of a principal raw material, (ii) increasing presence of solar panel manufacturers from China, (iii) technological innovations, and (iv) increase in investment at the industry level. These findings suggest that the upstream industries that supply the solar panel industry with raw materials and capital equipment have been important contributors to the reduction in the production cost of solar panels.
Physiological and Psychological Foundations of Sensory Function

The oldest branch of experimental psychology is that of psychophysics, the study of relationships between physical stimuli and sensory experience. The first true psychophysical theorist was the 19th-century German physiologist, E. H. Weber. Building on earlier observations by Bernoulli and others, Weber noted that the amount a physical stimulus needed to be increased to be just perceivably different was a constant ratio. Thus, 14.5 ounces and 15 ounces could be told apart with great difficulty, and the same could be said of 29 and 30 ounces or 14.5 and 15 drams (Boring, 1942). This led to the formulation of Weber’s law, generally written nowadays as:
How Different Were Obama Donors in 2008?: the Importance of Resources, Solicitation, Selection and Stimulus

Why do individuals contribute to political campaigns? In this paper we investigate factors that affected whether individuals donated to presidential candidates in the 2008 elections. In particular, we investigate the extent that Obama donors differ from other donors. The Obama campaign reportedly mobilized many new donors, particularly small donors. Using data that includes a random sample of small donors from both the Obama and McCain campaigns, we find that (1) income affects the probability of donating to the McCain campaign more than the Obama campaign; (2) political interests affect the probability of donating to the Obama campaign more than the McCain campaign; (3) prior contributions matter more for McCain donors than Obama donors; and (4) controlling for direct solicitation, Obama donors were more "stimulated" to contribute than McCain donors. We also find that solicitation strongly affects the probability of contribution, and that this effect is roughly equal for McCain and Obama.
Attacking the Body in Mixed Martial Arts: Perspectives, Opinions and Perceptions of the Full Contact Combat Sport of Ultimate Fighting

This article explores the sensuous experience of full contact fighting through ethnographic research in mixed martial arts clubs. Presenting its first card in 1993 in Denver, Colorado, the Ultimate ...
Project connect online: user and visitor experiences of an Internet-based intervention for women with breast cancer

Objective This study's purpose was to characterize the experience of patients with breast cancer randomly assigned to the intervention arm of Project Connect Online (PCO), a randomized controlled trial of an Internet-based intervention, and to examine relationships between website use variables and psychosocial outcomes. Methods In the larger PCO trial, patients with breast cancer (n = 88) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a waiting-list control. This report pertains to the 46 women in the intervention arm, a 3-h workshop for creation of personal websites with a blog function to communicate with their interpersonal network and chronicle their breast cancer experience. Participants completed assessments at 1 and 6 months. Visitors to the websites (n = 66) completed an online questionnaire. Results Reactions to website use were positive, although lack of time was a barrier for some. Women with advanced cancer were more likely to use their websites. Women found the websites useful for telling the story of their experience and expressing emotions. Positive word use was associated with heightened positive mood at 6 months; negative word use was associated with improved depressive symptoms. Visitors were most commonly female friends of participants who valued the websites as a way to connect emotionally with participants and receive information about their health. Conclusions Specific aspects of patients' blogs predicted improvements in psychosocial functioning. Personal websites can help women with breast cancer construct a narrative of their experience, express emotions, and receive the social support they need, particularly from friends and extended family. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The perceptions of best mentoring practices in an early literacy intervention project: A case study of nine coaches

OF THE DISSERTATION THE PERCEPTIONS OF BEST MENTORING PRACTICES IN AN EARLY LITERACY INTERVENTION PROJECT: A CASE STUDY OF NINE COACHES by Magdalena Castaneda Florida International University, 2007 Miami, Florida Professor Gaetane Jean-Marie, Major Professor There is significant national evidence the language development of four year-olds is a critical area for later school success (Brooks-Gunn, Fuligni, & Berlin, 2003; Cunningham, & Stanovich, 1998). This study originated as part of Literacy Intervention X (LIX), a larger national study conducted to examine the effectiveness of early literacy curricula implemented in subsidized childcare centers. The professional development of childcare center providers is key to improving the quality of subsidized care. In exploring the mentoring practices of nine LIX literacy coaches, the researcher investigated the perceptions of what best mentoring practices facilitated the implementation of literacy curricula by childcare providers. A qualitative case study was conducted using a combination of participant observer notes, document analysis, and focus group semi-structured interviews. The researcher is a participant observer, one of the nine Literacy Coaches. The best mentoring practices from the perspective of the literacy coaches are related to building relationships including trust, mutual respect, support, empathy, and encouragement with the childcare providers, the center directors, and with fellow literacy
Women's Emancipation and the Ownership of Firearms

ABSTRACT Criminologists argue that the involvement of women in traditionally male forms of criminality has increased as a result of their increased economic and social liberation from patriarchal control. Although this argument remains controversial, it has been suggested that emancipated attitudes and behaviors can also be linked to women's gun ownership. Using data from the General Social Survey, we test an emancipation model of women's firearm ownership. Our analysis reveals that emancipation is related to the ownership of such weapons among married but not among unmarried women. Further analysis suggests that this finding reflects the power of culture to shape the action strategies through which attitudes are put into action.
MIAMI: A framework for application performance diagnosis

A typical application tuning cycle repeats the following three steps in a loop: performance measurement, analysis of results, and code refactoring. While performance measurement is well covered by existing tools, analysis of results to understand the main sources of inefficiency and to identify opportunities for optimization is generally left to the user. Today's state of the art performance analysis tools use instrumentation or hardware counter sampling to measure the performance of interactions between code and the target architecture during execution. Such measurements are useful to identify hotspots in applications, places where execution time is spent or where cache misses are incurred. However, explanatory understanding of tuning opportunities requires a more detailed, mechanistic modeling approach. This paper presents MIAMI (Machine Independent Application Models for performance Insight), a set of tools for automatic performance diagnosis. MIAMI uses application characterization and models of target architectures to reason about an application's performance. MIAMI uses a modeling approach based on first-order principles to identify performance bottlenecks, pinpoint optimization opportunities, and compute bounds on the potential for improvement.
Coastal Louisiana recent land loss and canal impacts

Annual coastal land loss in the sedimentary deltaic plain of southern Louisiana is 102 km2, which is correlated with man-made canal surface area. The relationships between land loss and canals are both direct and indirect and are modified by the deltaic substrate, distance to the coast, and availability of new sediments. Loss rates are highest in the youngest of the former deltas nearest the coast; they are lowest in the more consolidated sediments far from the coast. The average estimate for land loss at zero canal density in the six regression equations developed was 0.09%±0.13% annually, the present land loss rates approach 0 8% annually Although additional analyses are needed, we conclude that canals are causally related to a significant portion of the total coastal land loss rates The relation probably involves an interruption of local and regional hydrologic regimes. Reduction of the present acceleration in land loss rates is possible by managing present canals more effectively, by not permitting new ones, and by changing the design of new canals to allow more natural water flow
The Predictive Value of Accruals and Consequences for Market Anomalies

In this article, the authors revisit the role of the cash and accrual components of accounting earnings in predicting future cash flows using out-of-sample predictions and market value of equity as a proxy for all future cash flows. They find that, on average, accruals improve upon current cash flow from operations (CFO) in predicting future cash flows. In the cross-section, accruals’ contribution is positively associated with proxies for quality of accruals and governance. Next, the authors investigate the implications of accruals’ predictive value for accrual-based market anomalies. They find that portfolios formed on stock return predictions using information from current CFO and accruals yield significantly positive returns on average, as opposed to CFO alone. They also find that Sloan’s accrual anomaly is related to our accrual contribution anomaly. Indeed, when accruals’ contribution to future cash flow prediction is the highest, the accrual anomaly vanishes. Collectively, the results suggest that t...
Acellular dermal matrix compared with synthetic implant material for repair of ventral hernia in the setting of peri-operative Staphylococcus aureus implant contamination: a rabbit model.

ABSTRACT Background: Implant infection is a common clinical complication of abdominal hernia repair. Our objectives were to determine if acellular dermal matrix (ADM) grafts resisted Staphylococcus aureus infection better (as measured by ability to reduce or clear bacterial counts) than synthetic (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]) mesh when used in abdominal wall reconstruction, and to determine whether vascularization of the implant occurred. We hypothesized that the ability of the ADM grafts to vascularize and allow cellular ingrowth would allow the immune system to clear the infection better in these animals. Methods: In New Zealand White rabbits (average weight, 3.0 kg), a full-thickness 3 × 3 cm2 abdominal defect was created, then repaired with an interpositional implant (ADM, n = 62; PTFE, n = 57). Before skin closure, the epidermal surface of each implant was inoculated with 1 mL of S. aureus at various concentrations (104 colony-forming units [CFU]/mL, n = 82; 106 CFU/mL, n = 27; 109 CFU/mL, n = 10)...