cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generation of Ideologically-Biased Historical Documentaries

Terminal Time is a machine that constructs ideologicallybiased documentary histories in response to audience feedback. The audience answers multiple-choice questions via an applause meter. The answers to these questions influence which historical events are chosen from a knowledge base, how these events will be slanted to embody the bias implied in the audience's answers, and how the events will be connected together to form a historical narrative. Terminal Time's architecture consists of a knowledge base and inference engine for querying the knowledge base, ideological goal trees and rhetorical devices which represent the current bias, a natural language generator to turn the constructed history into narrative prose, and an indexed multimedia database used to sequence video against the narration.
The impacts of political cues and practical information on climate change decisions

Adapting to climate change will require people to make measured decisions, informed by the science relevant to those choices. Communicating that science is complicated by the politicization of the topic. In two studies, we ask how political cues, designed to evoke individuals’ sense of identity as believers or nonbelievers in global warming, affect a hypothetical decision: buying a home vulnerable to coastal flooding exacerbated by global warming using the Zillow® real estate website. In both studies, we manipulate participants’ frame of reference by focusing them on risks due to ‘elevation’, ‘global warming’, or both, or mentioning neither. We also examine how immersion in practical details affects the power of these cues by manipulating whether participants have access to Risk Finder (http://sealevel.climatecentral.org), an interactive decision aid. Study 1 asks about global warming beliefs after their decision; Study 2 asks beforehand. Both find that immersion in practical information, using Risk Finder, overrode political identity cues. When framed in terms of both elevation and global warming and without explicit expression of global warming beliefs (Study 1), participants’ responses reflected their beliefs. The results suggest that communications should acknowledge political differences and then focus on practical decisions and the science that can inform them.
Neuroscience Workshops for Fifth-Grade School Children by Undergraduate Students: A University–School Partnership

The National Science Education Standards recommend that science be taught using inquiry-based approaches. Inspired by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, we examined whether undergraduate students could learn how to conduct field research by teaching elementary school children basic neuroscience concepts in interactive workshops. In an inquiry-based learning experience of their own, undergraduate psychology students working under the close supervision of their instructor designed and provided free, interactive, hour-long workshops focusing on brain structure and function, brain damage and disorders, perception and illusions, and drugs and hormones to fifth-graders from diverse backgrounds, and we assessed the effectiveness of the workshops using a pretest–post-test design. The results suggest that the workshops enhanced the children's knowledge of neuroscience concepts as measured using pre- and post-open-ended assessments. The undergraduates also found their learning experience engaging and productive. The article includes detailed descriptions of the workshop activities, procedures, the course in which the undergraduates implemented the workshops, and guidance for future university–school collaborations aimed at enhancing science literacy.
Transient Thermal Performance of Busways at High Values of Overload Current for Short Periods of Time

A useful method is presented for quickly evaluating the thermal performance of busways or other conductors for applications at high values of overload current for short periods of time. In many cases, such as resistance welder applications, the ampere rating required for the busway is equal to the overload current times the square root of the duty cycle, but sometimes a larger busway is required. It is important to evaluate the thermal performance by a method based on the thermal time constant of the busway such as the method presented in this paper.
Estimates of Signicant Post-Carrington Solar Particle Event Radiation Exposures on Mars

1864, 1878, 1894, 1895, and 1896), are made for male and female crew members located at the mean surface elevation and at an altitude of 8 km in the Martian atmosphere. The incident solar particle event proton energy distributions for these events are assumed to be similar to that of the Band function t of the February 1956 event. Radiation exposure estimates were performed using NASA’s On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space (OLTARIS). The HZETRN (High charge (Z) and Energy TRaNsport) space radiation transport code, which is incorporated into OLTARIS, was used to describe the transport of incident protons and any secondary particles generated by their interactions with the atmosphere of Mars, through spacesuit, surface lander, or permanent habitat shielding, and body organ self-shielding. Estimates of eective dose and organ dose are made using the Computerized Anatomical Male (CAM), Computerized Anatomical Female (CAF), Male Adult voXel (MAX), and Female Adult voXel (FAX) human geometry models. The predicted exposures are compared with current NASA Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs).
Predicting shock dynamics in the presence of uncertainties

We revisit the classical aerodynamics problem of supersonic flow past a wedge but subject to random inflow fluctuations or random wedge oscillations around its apex. We first obtain analytical solutions for the inviscid flow, and subsequently we perform stochastic simulations treating randomness both as a steady as well as a time-dependent process. We use a multi-element generalized polynomial chaos (ME-gPC) method to solve the two-dimensional stochastic Euler equations. A Galerkin projection is employed in the random space while WENO discretization is used in physical space. A key issue is the characteristic flux decomposition in the stochastic framework for which we propose different approaches. The results we present show that the variance of the location of perturbed shock grows quadratically with the distance from the wedge apex for steady randomness. However, for a time-dependent random process the dependence is quadratic only close to the apex and linear for larger distances. The multi-element version of polynomial chaos seems to be more effective and more efficient in stochastic simulations of supersonic flows compared to the global polynomial chaos method.
Gynecological Assessment Prior to Uterine Artery Embolization

Benign uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas, are the most common benign tumors found in women in a gynecologic practice. Approximately 50–80 % of women have fibroids. Most women with fibroids are asymptomatic. Women with symptomatic fibroids may present with heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, leukorrhea, pressure and bloating, increased abdominal girth, and severe dysmenorrhea. However, these symptoms can mimic other gynecologic and non-gynecologic conditions. It is imperative that physicians take an excellent history and perform a thorough pelvic examination prior to recommending uterine fibroid embolization for therapy. The patient’s desire for future pregnancy should be ascertained. As a part of the evaluation it is important that the patient does not have other indications for surgical intervention such as the presence of an adnexal mass, abnormal pap test, or endometrial malignancy/endometrial hyperplasia that would be treated with surgical intervention or other necessary therapy. Hysterectomy has long been utilized as a definitive method to treat fibroids in women. Medical therapy often requires long term use of single or multiple medical therapies to alleviate fibroid-related symptoms. Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) using particulate emboli to occlude the uterine arteries, thereby disrupting the blood supply to fibroids and leading to devascularization and infarction, has been reported to be effective in alleviating fibroid-related symptoms. Excellent gynecological assessment is essential prior to referring a patient for uterine fibroid embolization.
Reactance and the dynamics of disagreement: multiple paths from threatened freedom to resistance to persuasion

Many experiments show that threats to attitudinal freedom create reactance, but the underlying dynamics of reactance-based disagreement have not received much attention. The present experiments identified two paths from threats to disagreement. In one path, threats to attitudinal freedom directly motivate disagreement; in the other, negative cognitive responses mediate the threat’s effect on disagreement. Two experiments demonstrated the causes and consequences of each path from threat to persuasion. When a communicator threatened freedom at the beginning of the message, unfavorable cognitive responses (counterarguing, negative perceptions of the source’s credibility) fully mediated the effect of threat on disagreement. When the threat appeared at the end of the message, however, threat had a direct, unmediated effect on disagreement (Experiment 1). The two paths had different consequences for sleeper effects: disagreement rooted in negative cognitive responses persisted, whereas disagreement directly motivated by the threat declined when the threat was removed (Experiment 2). Implications for reactance and for threat-based sleeper effects are discussed.
Culturally embedded computing

In culturally embedded computing, we begin by examining how the technology is emblematic of its cultural context. Culturally embedded computing explicitly situates embedded computing in society, individual experience, culture, and history. Based on this new emphasis, five projects explore alternatives to traditional human-computer interaction design. Designing and building these new technologies requires more than simply building and understanding hardware and software. It also requires analyzing and incorporating the stories, meanings, and social networks that these devices engage.
Crystals and Life

The record of life×s emergence on Earth has been thoroughly obliterated by the remelting and turnover of the crust, soggy and pliable from the water, retained by the planet×s gravitational field. Provided that life existed on a smaller body such as Mars with an arrested crustal evolution, a protected sedimentary record there may give clues to the decisive events in the first 500 million years in the history of our solar system. Until such records become available, we have in our guesswork to rely on laboratory constructions that need to satisfy the demands both of chemical feasibility and environmental boundary conditions. The combination leaves few survivors among competing hypotheses. As life entails a decrease in entropy and creation of order, the origin and propagation of crystalline order has become a guiding theoretical concept. Recognizing Jack Dunitz×s fundamental contribution to this field of knowledge, I wish to dedicate my modest discourse to this great scientist upon his scoring of the fourth significant time mark on the staff of life.
Comparative Linkage-Disequilibrium Analysis of the β-Globin Hotspot in Primates

Recombination rates vary both across the genome and between different species, but little information is available about the temporal and physical scales over which such rates change. To shed light on these questions, we performed a high-resolution analysis of a genomic region within the β-globin gene cluster that is known to experience elevated recombination rates in humans. For this purpose, we developed new linkage disequilibrium–based methods that thoroughly search for subsets of the data with unusually high or unusually low estimated values of the population-recombination parameter (4Nr, where N is the effective population size and r is the crossover rate between adjacent base pairs). By resequencing a 15-kb segment in a human population sample, we were able to narrow the recombinational hotspot to a segment <2 kb in length that coincides with the β-globin replication origin. In addition, we analyzed the orthologous region in samples of rhesus macaques and common chimpanzees. Whereas the analysis of the chimpanzee data is complicated by the sample structure, the macaque data imply that this region may not be a hotspot in that species. These results suggest a time scale for the evolution of hotspots in primates. Furthermore, they allow us to propose diverged sequence elements that may contribute to the differences in the recombinational landscape in the two species.
A 10-day course of amoxicillin does not reduce symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis at day 3 of treatment.

Commentary on: Garbutt JM, Banister C, Spitznagel E, et al. Amoxicillin for acute rhinosinusitis: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2012;307:685–92[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3]. Despite the controversy regarding their clinical benefit and concerns about resistance, the use of antimicrobials for rhinosinusitis (RS) accounts for one in five prescriptions for adults in the USA. However, we lack a simple diagnostic or predictive tool for determining whether acute viral RS has progressed to secondary bacterial RS, and must therefore rely on a patient's history and limited physical findings to diagnose RS. Using guidelines recommended by a small expert panel and partially funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this study attempts to answer the question of whether amoxicillin is an effective treatment for acute RS? This was a randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-centre study undertaken between … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%26rft.stitle%253DJAMA%26rft.issn%253D0002-9955%26rft.aulast%253DGarbutt%26rft.auinit1%253DJ.%2BM.%26rft.volume%253D307%26rft.issue%253D7%26rft.spage%253D685%26rft.epage%253D692%26rft.atitle%253DAmoxicillin%2Bfor%2Bacute%2Brhinosinusitis%253A%2Ba%2Brandomized%2Bcontrolled%2Btrial.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjama.2012.138%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F22337680%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1001/jama.2012.138&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=22337680&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F18%2F1%2F25.atom
Moist Convective Velocity and Buoyancy Scales

Abstract Velocity, buoyancy, and fractional area scales for moist convection in statistical equilibrium with large-scale forcing are derived using the constraints of global energy and entropy conservation, and subcloud-layer thermodynamic equilibrium. The magnitudes of the velocity and buoyancy in moist convective clouds are shown to depend on cloud microphysical properties and on the vertical distribution, but not the magnitude, of the large-scale forcing. Comparisons of the theoretically derived scales with velocity and buoyancy values observed in a numerical ensemble cloud model and in a one-column radiative-convective model show good agreement.
Submucosal gland development in the airway is controlled by lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (LEF1)

Previous studies have demonstrated that transcription of the lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (Lef1) gene is upregulated in submucosal gland progenitor cells just prior to gland bud formation in the developing ferret trachea. In the current report, several animal models were utilized to functionally investigate the role of LEF1 in initiating and supporting gland development in the airway. Studies on Lef1-deficient mice and antisense oligonucleotides in a ferret xenograft model demonstrate that LEF1 is functionally required for submucosal gland formation in the nasal and tracheal mucosa. To determine whether LEF1 expression was sufficient for the induction of airway submucosal glands, two additional model systems were utilized. In the first, recombinant adeno-associated virus was used to overexpress the human LEF1 gene in a human bronchial xenograft model of regenerative gland development in the adult airway. In a second model, the LEF1 gene was ectopically overexpressed under the direction of the proximal airway-specific CC10 promoter in transgenic mice. In both of these models, morphometric analyses revealed no increase in the number or size of airway submucosal glands, indicating that ectopic LEF1 expression alone is insufficient to induce submucosal gland development. In summary, these studies demonstrate that LEF1 expression is required, but in and of itself is insufficient, for the initiation and continued morphogenesis of submucosal glands in the airway. Nomenclature: Lef1 (mouse and ferret lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 genes); LEF1 (human lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 gene); LEF1 (lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 protein) SUMMARY
Decision making of trucks purchase

This article analyses purchase of trucks in transport companies oriented both on specialized transport firms and transport units of firms, engaged in different manufacturing and services. The analysis is focused on factors determining rate of replacement and the article is a continuation of the investigation of 426 companies, also published in this Acta.
Biosynthesis of hemoglobin F Malta-I in culture by adult circulating erythropoietic precursors.

By using a methylcellulose clonal assay, we cultured peripheral blood erythropoietic precursors (BFU-E) from an adult couple whose child had HbF Malta-I(gamma 117 His leads to Arg), a G gamma variant, and measured the synthetic rates of HbA, HbF, and HbF Malta-I. Hemoglobin was labeled with 14C-amino acid in culture, separated by slab gel isoelectric focusing technique, and quantitated by autoradiographic or fluorographic method. Culture of BFU-E from both parents revealed significant HbF biosynthesis. HbF Malta-I was present in culture of the father9s cells and comprised about 24% of total HbF. When we analyzed Hb biosynthesis in individual bursts, all bursts contained HbA and HbF in varying ratios. The frequency distribution of the individual bursts differing in percentages of HbF biosynthesis approached normal distribution. While the relative ratio of HbF Malta-I to total HbF biosynthesis in individual bursts also revealed significant variation, its frequency distribution did not show a normal distribution. There was a positive correlation between the ratios of HbF/Hb and HbF Malta- I/HbF in individual bursts.
Role of aldosterone in angiotensin II-induced hypertension in rats

Initial experiments demonstrated that a 1-h infusion of 10 ng/min angiotensin II (ANG II) into rats causes an increase in plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and that chronic administration of aldosterone alone to rats on increased sodium intake causes hypertension. We therefore hypothesized that a portion of the hypertensive effect of chronic ANG II infusion is accompanied by and dependent on chronic release of aldosterone. To test this hypothesis, 10 ng/min ANG II or saline was infused into chronically instrumented rats housed in metabolism cages. Fifteen rats were maintained on a high sodium intake (6 meq/day); 10 received ANG II and 5 received saline. Ten other rats were maintained on a normal sodium intake (2 meq/day); five received ANG II and five received saline. PAC was measured using a commercial radio-immunoassay kit. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate, water intake, urine output, and urine electrolytes were measured daily during 3-day control, 16- or 28-day infusion, and 4-day recovery periods. Compared with saline-infused rats, ANG II-infused rats on high sodium intake had normal values for all variables except MAP, which was significantly elevated during ANG II infusion. In the normal sodium group, none of the variables were consistently different during ANG II infusion compared with control. These results suggest that ANG II-induced hypertension in the rat is sodium dependent, that plasma aldosterone does not play a major role in ANG II-induced hypertension in the rat, and that a small chronic increase in circulating ANG II does not necessarily lead to a detectable sustained increase in PAC.
Beyond the Organization: The Influence of Community and Personal Values on Street-Level Bureaucrats' Responsiveness

This article quantifies and explains differences that theoretically do not exist-intrastate differences in Medicaid spending in a state with a highly centralized program and few local discretionary decisions. The differences do exist-and they exist in large part because implementation takes place in different organizational and political settings, settings which affect potential participants' willingness to apply for the programs and the responsiveness of social service workers to their clients. This article links two research domains-interstate policy variation and street-level bureaucratic behavior-to understand why intrastate differences occur in Medicaid spending and participation. It first develops and tests a model to predict Medicaid generosity and participation in Michigan's counties based on supply, demand, and political factors. It then looks more closely at participation and spending in six counties to more fully understand differences in organizational, political, and task environ
Brood Rearing by Caged Honey Bees in Response to Inositol and Certain Pollen Fractions in Their Diet

Caged colonies of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., were unable to rear brood beyond a larval age of 3–4 days when fed an artificial diet containing proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. However, a final concentration of 4.5 mg inositol, a vitamin, in each gram of the artificial food, enabled bees to rear normal brood through the adult stage during a test period of 72 days. Furthermore, addition of 3.5 milligrams of pollen ash per gram of artificial diet also enabled bees to rear all stages of brood during a test period of 44 days. Additions of both pollen ash and inositol to the artificial diet gave no better results than either alone. Bees could rear all stages of brood when a concentrated aqueous extract of crushed pollen grains was mixed with the artificial diet. The concentrate could be prepared either by lyophilization or drying at 100°C in a laboratory oven. No further characterization of the active component(s) in the concentrate has been made. A completely liquid formulation failed to sustain brood rearing. Incorporation of several sterols in addition to cholesterol in artificial diet also failed to sustain brood rearing.
Unopposed phosphatase action initiates ezrin dysfunction: a potential mechanism for anoxic injury

Because extensive kinase inhibition during anoxia has previously been reported, we investigated the role of kinase inhibition in anoxic cell injury by studying the effects of kinase inhibitors on a membrane-microvillar cytoskeleton linker protein, ezrin, in rabbit renal proximal tubules. Like anoxia, kinase inhibitors caused ezrin dephosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner under normoxia. The kinase inhibitor chelerythrine also induced ezrin dissociation from the cytoskeleton, i.e., causing it to lose its membrane-cytoskeleton linker function. Blockage of kinase inhibitor-induced ezrin dephosphorylation by a phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, ameliorated ezrin dissociation. Stimulation of the kinase during anoxia did not improve ezrin phosphorylation, suggesting that anoxia-induced kinase inhibition might be due to the lack of the substrate ATP. Finally, in vitro study of ezrin phosphatase revealed no increase in its activity during anoxia, suggesting the principal role of kinase inhibition in the loss of the linker function of ezrin during anoxia. Our results provide, for the first time at the molecular level, a mechanistic insight into anoxic cell injury caused by unopposed phosphatase action.
Hodgkin's Disease Occurring in Monocytoid B-Cell Clusters

The authors report three cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) occurring in monocytoid B-cell (MBC) clusters within lymph nodes, a finding heretofore not published. MBC clusters were found mainly in a perisinusoidal and perifollicular distribution in all three cases. Within some of the MBC clusters of each case, small foci of overt necrosis were evident. Sternberg-Reed cells or their variants were found adjacent to all of these foci, as well as within some MBC clusters that were free of necrosis. These findings suggest that the presence of necrosis within MBC clusters has diagnostic utility. In two cases, evidence of HD was detected only within MBC clusters and nowhere else. In the third case, HD was found primarily within MBC clusters. These observations imply that HD arose within MBC clusters. Minimal involvement of lymph node by HD can occur within MBC clusters and should be recognized as such on the basis of morphologic features. The earlier a diagnosis of HD can be made, the better is the patient's outlook for survival.
The Epidemiological Features of Children's Measles in Kunmimg from 2005 to 2008

Objective Tounderstand the epidemiological feature and pathogenesis ofchildren's measles in Kunming and to provide scientific evidence for formulating monitoring and preventive strategy through the analysis on the measles cases in our hospital and their clinical features.Methods In order to understand the main causes and situation of child measles,we analyzed statistically all the measles cases and detective results of serologic samples collected between 2005 and 2008.Results We treated 4 367 measles cases from 2005 to 2008,including 1 400 inpatients and 2 487 cases treated in 2006.The incidence decreased sharply in 2007 because of a large scale imperative reinforced prevention inoculation,but it increased again in 2008.Most of the cases are those children who had no history of preventive inoculation.It spreaded all the year round because of the moderate climate in Kunming.The measles plateau was in October,November,April and May.The attack rate of little babies was relatively high and 9-month babies accounted for of 48%.Conclusions Kunming is a high measles infection region.The key point to prevent the spread of measles is to strengthen monitoring and immunization of recurrent population.
Investigation of tableware disinfection in catering units of Qingyang county in 2011

Objective To understand the tableware disinfection status in catering units of Qingyang county,and provide evidence for improving the tableware disinfection qualities.Methods Spot-check was used in the 107 large,medium and small catering units such as hotels,restaurants and other catering units,and disinfection efficacy was statistically analyzed.Results The qualified rate of tableware disinfection in the whole county was 36.3%.The qualified rate of tableware disinfection in comprehensive hotel was the highest(88.7%).The qualified rate of tableware disinfection in urban areas was higher than that in township.The qualified rate in spring and winter was higher than that in summer and autumn.There was significant difference in disinfection efficacy between using heat disinfection and chemical disinfection.Conclusion The qualified rate of tableware disinfection was low.Health supervision of catering sector,especially units of township,should be strengthened in summer and autumn.
Management of fibromyalgia syndrome in 2016

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic pain disorder and defies definitively efficacious therapy. In this review, we summarize the results from the early treatment research as well as recent research evaluating the pharmacological, interventional and nonpharmacological therapies. We further discuss future directions of fibromyalgia syndrome management; we specifically focus on the issues that are associated with currently available treatments, such as the need for personalized approach, new technologically oriented and interventional treatments, the importance of understanding and harnessing placebo effects and enhancement of patient engagement in therapy.
International efforts to improve access to water and sanitation in the developing world: a good start, but more is needed

Considerable international efforts are underway to address water and sanitation needs in developing countries. The 2003 G8 Action Plan on water sets the right tone, but more is needed. Three activities deserve additional support and greater cooperation between government and non-government organizations. These are: immediate steps to improve health and sanitation, multilateral efforts to foster good governance, and the development of innovative financial mechanisms to make local and investment capital available for water infrastructure development. Public understanding of these three approaches is often misunderstood, as evinced by the Stakeholder Dialogue at the 2003 World Water Forum. Achieving the Millennium goals on water and sanitation requires greater public and private sector cooperation in these three areas. A significant accomplishment for the next G8 meeting would be to strengthen partnerships between public and private sectors in these areas.
Long-term lamivudine therapy in chronic hepatitis B.

SummaryBackground One to 5 years of therapy of chronic hepatitis B with oral nucleoside analogues result in significant clinical improvements, but effects of more prolonged therapy are not well defined. Aim To describe outcomes of chronic hepatitis B with long-term lamivudine therapy. Methods Forty-two patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with lamivudine were followed for 3.2–19.5 (median = 16.1) years. Therapy was switched to other agents (n = 16) if patients developed lamivudine resistance and relapse of disease. Results Among 22 HBeAg-positive patients, 17 (77%) became HBeAg negative, of whom 5 (23%) subsequently cleared HBsAg. Among 20 HBeAg-negative patients, 10 (50%) cleared HBsAg. The time to HBsAg clearance ranged from 0.9 to 16.8 (median = 9.3) years. Lamivudine resistance arose in 24 patients (57%) of whom 6 (25%) lost HBsAg. HBsAg clearance was not always accompanied by seroconversion; anti-HBs appearing concurrently in only five patients (33%). Nevertheless, HBsAg loss allowed for stopping therapy in all patients, none re-developing HBsAg or suffering relapse; all having normal alanine aminotransferase levels and no (n = 13) or unquantifiable HBV DNA levels (n = 2) when last seen. In contrast, seven of 27 patients (26%) who remained HBsAg-positive died of liver disease or liver cancer or underwent liver transplantation, all of whom had cirrhosis. Conclusions Long-term viral suppression with nucleoside analogues leads to HBsAg loss in a substantial proportion of patients, particularly if HBeAg-negative. Serious outcomes during the first 10–20 years of treatment occur largely among patients with pre-existing cirrhosis who do not clear HBsAg with therapy.
Responding to Attacks on Industrial Control Systems and SCADA Systems

This chapter discusses potential active and military response to an attack on ICS performed by a nation state, something that rarely if ever enters the purview of a typical ICS stakeholder. However, because ICS attacks are so likely to be perpetuated by a nation state, and because any response to an ICS attack may touch on issues related to a hostile nation state, we feel that this book benefits from exploring this unusual topic.
Complete Genome Sequences of Curli-Negative and Curli-Positive Isolates of Foodborne Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strain 86-24.

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain 86-24 does not produce curli fimbriae, but gives rise to curli-positive isolates at a variable frequency. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of curli-negative and curli-positive isolates of strain 86-24.
Low-power smart passive REU for industrial IoT applications

Energy management at passive terminal nodes is a critical design goal in the industrial internet of things (IoT) network. This article introduces a programmable low power remote execution unit (REU) based on an 8051 instruction set architecture (ISA) for passive radio frequency identification (RFID) applications in industrial IoT. The REU acts as a passive device processor requiring the interrogator to transmit instructions to be executed over a wireless link. This paper investigates the proposed asynchronous REU implementation with respect to the power consumption, area and speed and also provides a performance comparison to an existing clocked REU implementation. Based on the post-layout simulation results, the proposed asynchronous REU has lower power consumption when compared to the clocked REU operating at higher frequencies. Such a low power REU in the context of passive processing has a significant impact on IoT, a ubiquitous industrial application of RFID technology.
An illustration of how program implementers can use population-specific analyses to facilitate the selection of evidence-based home visiting programs

Given that effective home visiting (HV) programs targeting at-risk families impact different outcomes and associations between risk factors and outcomes may vary across populations, program implementers should evaluate population-specific risk-outcome associations in order to select interventions that are most likely to benefit families in target communities. We used data collected in a rural community in upstate New York (i.e., Elmira) and three standard statistical methods (i.e., bivariate, multivariate, and cumulative risk analyses) to assess associations between maternal socio-demographic risk factors and outcomes typically targeted with HV interventions. With the results, we illustrated how program implementers could use population-specific analyses of data collected prior to the implementation of HV interventions to select interventions that may be most likely to benefit families in a target community. For example, our multivariate results suggested that lower socioeconomic families in Elmira were particularly at-risk for child maltreatment, poor family economic self-sufficiency, and poor child academic achievement, indicating that it may be particularly beneficial to implement HV programs that have been shown to affect these outcomes (e.g., Nurse Family Partnership and Parents as Teachers) in Elmira. We encourage program implementers to conduct similar population-specific analyses to help select evidence-based HV interventions for their target communities.
A Multifunctional Double Pulse Tester for Cascode GaN Devices

Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices with low switching and conduction losses can lead to superior power density in numerous power conversion applications. Their fast switching speeds, however, pose challenges in dynamic device characterization. The large parasitic inductances and contact impedances in conventional double pulse testers (DPTs) meant for Si devices, make them unsuitable for GaN characterization. GaN devices are directly soldered on to testers for minimizing parasitic effects. Furthermore, currently different testers are used for different types of device characterization, requiring the device under test to be repeatedly soldered to different boards. This paper proposes a multifunctional tester well suited for GaN devices and capable of completing all the dynamic characterization on the same board. The proposed tester is able to characterize: device turn on and off transition under hard and soft switching, dynamic Rdson, diode reverse recovery, and device reverse conduction voltage drop. The proposed tester has been implemented in hardware and the functions are validated with tests on a cascode GaN device. Some special properties of the cascode GaN device seen from these tests are highlighted. Detailed design procedures for selecting the critical components of the DPT are presented.
Computed Tomography Image Texture: A Noninvasive Prognostic Marker of Hepatic Recurrence After Hepatectomy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Background Recurrence after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) occurs in up to 75% of patients. Preoperative prediction of hepatic recurrence may inform therapeutic strategies at the time of initial resection. Texture analysis (TA) is an established technique that quantifies pixel intensity variations (heterogeneity) on cross-sectional imaging. We hypothesized that tumoral and parenchymal changes that are predictive of overall survival (OS) and recurrence in the future liver remnant (FLR) can be detected using TA on preoperative computed tomography (CT) images.
Optimizing coherence in 1-D noisy consensus networks with noise-free leaders

We study the problem of K-leader selection in ring networks and path networks where leader nodes dictate the desired system state and follower nodes are governed by noisy consensus dynamics. We measure the performance of a network by its coherence, an ℋ 2 norm that quantifies how closely the followers track the leaders' trajectory. By leveraging the connection between network coherence in leader-follower systems and the commute time of a simple random work, we derive analytical expressions for coherence in path and ring graphs in terms of the leader locations, and we identify the optimal leader placement. We then present distributed algorithms in which agents collaborate to identify and transfer leadership roles to these optimal leader locations, thus optimizing the coherence of the leader-follower system.
The Credibility of Power: Assessing Threats during the "Appeasement" Crises of the 1930s

became chancellor of Germany and immediately began breaking his country’s international agreements. From 1933 to 1938 Germany violated its treaty commitments by rearming, remilitarizing the Rhineland, and seizing Austria.1 Although Britain and France complained after each German violation, they refused to respond with force. In September 1938 Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia unless Germany was given a piece of Czech territory called the Sudetenland. Once again, the British and French acquiesced to German demands; at the infamous Munich conference, they agreed to pressure Czechoslovakia into surrendering the Sudetenland to Germany. Finally, in 1939, as Germany was preparing to invade Poland, Britain and France took a arm stand. They warned Hitler that if he attacked Poland, they would declare war on Germany. By this time, however, Hitler no longer believed their threats. As the German leader told a group of assembled generals, “Our enemies are worms. I saw them in Munich.”2 The lessons of Munich have been enshrined in international relations theory and in U.S. foreign policy. For deterrence theorists, the history of the 1930s shows that countries must keep their commitments or they will lose credibility.3 U.S. leaders have internalized this lesson; the most costly and dangerous moves undertaken by the United States during the Cold War were motivated by a desire to preserve credibility. Concerns about credibility led the United
Continuous directed evolution of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases

Directed evolution of orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) enables site-specific installation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins. Traditional evolution techniques typically produce AARSs with greatly reduced activity and selectivity compared to their wild-type counterparts. We designed phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE) selections to rapidly produce highly active and selective orthogonal AARSs through hundreds of generations of evolution. PACE of a chimeric Methanosarcina spp. pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) improved its enzymatic efficiency (kcat/KMtRNA) 45-fold compared to the parent enzyme. Transplantation of the evolved mutations into other PylRS-derived synthetases improved yields of proteins containing noncanonical residues up to 9.7-fold. Simultaneous positive and negative selection PACE over 48 h greatly improved the selectivity of a promiscuous Methanocaldococcus jannaschii tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase variant for site-specific incorporation of p-iodo-L-phenylalanine. These findings offer new AARSs that increase the utility of orthogonal translation systems and establish the capability of PACE to efficiently evolve orthogonal AARSs with high activity and amino acid specificity.
Benchmarking Approaches for the Multidisciplinary Analysis of Complex Systems Using a Taylor Series-Based Scalable Problem

In the practical use of multidisciplinary design optimization, the prevalent approach for the multidisciplinary analyses (MDA) is nonlinear block Gauss–Seidel iteration, which consists in solving each discipline in a sequential manner, and repeating this sequence until convergence. This approach is easy to implement but often exhibits slow convergence rates or does not converge at all. An alternative is to use approaches based on Newton’s method to solve the coupled system, also known as tightly coupled or monolithic approaches. Past work, especially in the field of fluid-structure interaction, shows that Newton-based tightly coupled approaches can be more efficient and robust than loosely coupled approaches for the analyses of coupled systems. With the computing power and methods currently available, it is expected that the application of MDA and MDO to systems of greater complexity in terms of coupling and number of disciplines will increase. This makes it important to compare loosely and tightly coupled approaches for complex systems. To address the lack of literature providing such comparisons, we use a novel and highly flexible Taylor series-based analytical scalable problem with OpenMDAO—an open-source framework for MDA and MDO—to compare coupled Newton and nonlinear block Gauss–Seidel approaches for complex systems. We find that assembly time of the linear systems involved, linear solver efficiency, and strength of coupling in the problem play a major role in determining which approach is more efficient for a given problem. We also observe that the coupled Newton approaches are more robust and scale better than the nonlinear block Gauss–Seidel approaches as the strength of coupling between components increases.
An Evaluation of Synthetic Data for Deep Learning Stereo Depth Algorithms

Stereo vision is a very active field in the realm of computer vision and in recent years Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have proven to be very competitive against the state-of-the-art. However, the performance of these networks are limited by the quality of the data that is used when training the CNNs. Data acquisition of high quality labeled images is a time-consuming and expensive process. By exploiting the power of modern-day powerful GPUs, we present a synthetic data-set with fully rectified stereo image pairs and accompanying accurate ground truth information that can be used for training and testing stereo algorithms. We provide validation of the quality of our dataset by performing quantitative experiments that suggest pre-training deep learning algorithms on synthetic data can perform competitively against networks trained on real life data. Testing on a real-world data-set, we found the accuracy performance difference between the real and synthetically trained networks was within a margin of 1.8%. We also illustrate the functionality synthetic data can provide, by conducting a key performance index on a selection of conventional and deep learning stereo algorithms available on embedded platforms and compared them under common metrics.
The Toulmin Model and the Syllogism

Toulmin's distinctions between backing and warrant, warrant and data, and data and rebuttal, are criticized, as is the Toulmin model's structure. The model should reflect the fact that a valid argu...
A Representative Trader Economy

To characterize the equilibrium and to facilitate existence proofs, this chapter introduces the notion of a representative trader. A representative trader is a hypothetical individual whose trades, in a sense to be made precise below, reflect the aggregate trades of all individuals in the economy. A representative trader is defined by her beliefs, utility function, and endowments.
Unusual case of hypocalcaemia

A 33-year-old woman presented with 1 week of dizziness and bilateral leg and hand cramps with associated numbness and tingling. She stated she was diagnosed with hypocalcaemia when she was approximately 8 years old, but could not elaborate further. She was a poor historian with learning disabilities and admittedly was non-compliant with treatment. Physical examination revealed a round face, short stature (4'10'') and obesity (body mass index 39) with no neck scars. Her extremities were notable brachydactyly of her feet (figure 1) as well as brachydactyly of her fourth and fifth fingers (figure 2) with a positive Archibald’s sign (figure 3). X-ray of her hands was significant for shortening of the fourth and …
Diagrammatic reasoning and cases

We believe that many problem domains that lend themselves to a case-based reasoning solution can benefit from an diagrammatic implementation and propose a diagrammatic case-based solution to what we term the n-queens best solution problem where the best solution is defined as that which solves the probfem moving the fewest queens. A working system, based on a novel combination of diagrammatic and case-based reasoning, is described.
Babylonian Arithmetical Astronomy

In late May 1857 a committee, appointed by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, met in London to compare four independent translations of an Assyrian text inscribed in cuneiform characters in duplicate on two well-preserved clay cylinders. Hormuzd Rassam had found them as foundation deposits in the ruins of ancient Ashur in 1853 when he was digging in Mesopotamia on behalf of the British Museum. W. H. Fox Talbot, the gentleman scientist, inventor of photography, and linguist, had been given a copy of the text by H. C. Rawlinson, the remarkable soldier, diplomat, and linguist, and sent his sealed translation of it to the Society with the suggestion that other scholars be invited to translate the same text so the results could be compared to test the validity of the decipherment of Assyrian for, as he writes, “Many people have hitherto refused to believe in the truth of the system by which Dr. Hincks and Sir H. Rawlinson have interpreted Assyrian writings, because it contains many things entirely contrary to their preconceived opinions.”
Emergency Department Visits by Children With Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract Background Data related to the epidemiology and resource utilization of congenital heart disease (CHD)–related emergency department (ED) visits in the pediatric population is limited. Objectives The purpose of this analysis was to describe national estimates of pediatric CHD-related ED visits and evaluate medical complexity, admissions, resource utilization, and mortality. Methods This was an epidemiological analysis of ED visit-level data from the 2006 to 2014 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Patients age Results A total of 420,452 CHD-related ED visits (95% confidence interval [CI]: 416,897 to 422,443 visits) were identified, accounting for 0.17% of all pediatric ED visits. Those with CHD were more likely to be Conclusions Children with CHD presenting to the ED represent a medically complex population at increased risk for morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization compared with those without CHD. Over 9 years, charges increased, but the mortality rate improved.
Use of Self-Service Holds in Maine Public Libraries

This study investigated self-service holds in Maine’s public libraries. Survey data were collected to assess the trend, evaluate patron privacy, and associate implementation with the director’s lev...