cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A dissipation inequality formulation for stability analysis with integral quadratic constraints

Integral quadratic constraints (IQCs) provide a general framework for robustness analysis of feedback inter-connections. The main IQC stability theorem by Megretski and Rantzer was formulated with frequency domain conditions that depend on the IQC multiplier. Their proof of this theorem uses a homotopy method and operator theory. An interesting aspect of this theory is that input/output stability (defined as uniformly bounded gain over all finite horizons) is established using integral constraints that only hold, in general, on infinite time horizons. The use of IQCs that only hold over infinite time horizons is related to the use of noncausal multipliers in absolute stability theory. This paper shows that if the conditions of the IQC stability theorem are satisfied by any rational IQC multiplier then a dissipation inequality is satisfied by a quadratic storage function. This provides a new interpretation for IQC analysis in terms of quadratic storage functions and a causal, finite-horizon dissipation inequality.
Posturing for Peace? Pakistan's Nuclear Postures and South Asian Stability

A probe of various regional power nuclear postures reveals that such postures, rather than simply the acquisition of nuclear weapons, can have differential effects on deterrence and stability dynamics. The India-Pakistan dyad is a useful candidate for exploring these various effects because the three regional power nuclear postures—catalytic, assured retaliation, and asymmetric escalation—have interacted with each other in South Asia. In particular, Pakistan's shift from a catalytic posture to an asymmetric escalation posture in 1998 against a continuous Indian assured retaliation posture allows the effects of nuclear posture to be isolated in an enduring rivalry in which many variables can be held constant. The asymmetric escalation posture may be “deterrence optimal” for Pakistan, suggesting that nuclear postures do have different effects on conflict dynamics, but it has also enabled Pakistan to more aggressively pursue longstanding revisionist preferences in India, triggering more frequent and intense ...
Metabolic Handling of Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Rats

SummaryThe metabolic fate of perfluorooctanoic acid administered by stomach intubation to female rats was investigated. The nonionic fluorine level in the serum was increased 200-fold after administration of the dose but returned to baseline levels by 52.5 hr. Although perfluorooctanoic acid is rapidly absorbed and bound to nonultrafilterable components in the serum, the entire dose of nonionic fluorine was recovered in the urine and feces after 96 hr. Neither the ionic fluoride level in the serum nor the rate of ionic fluoride excretion in the urine was significantly altered by the administration of perfluorooctanoic acid. Although perfluorooctanoic acid has not been identified in the urine, the available data suggest that it has been excreted intact or in possibly conjugated form.
Cloning and molecular characterization of two invertebrate-type lysozymes from Anopheles gambiae

We sequenced and characterized two novel invertebrate-type lysozymes from the mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis of these and a number of related insect proteins identified through bioinformatics strategies showed a high degree of conservation of this protein family throughout the Class Insecta. Expression profiles were examined for the two mosquito genes through semiquantitative and real-time PCR analysis. Lys i-1 transcripts were found in adult females in the fat body and Malpighian tubules, whereas Lys i-2 was detected only in fat bodies. Blood-feeding resulted in significantly increased transcript abundance for both genes in the midguts. Neither gene was upregulated following bacterial challenge.
A modular Clinical Decision Support System Clinical prototype extensible into multiple clinical settings

Traditionally, Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) collect patient data from physiological monitors and other sources, providing clinicians with derived instructions and information to aid treatment planning. With advancements in telecommunication networks, CDSS functionality can be extended over distances, and accessed remotely (e.g. by appropriate healthcare providers not available in the patient's immediate surroundings). This paper discusses a modular CDSS that features real-time continuous patient monitoring, high-fidelity analysis and incorporation of clinical guidelines for decision support. A modular CDSS prototype was designed, implemented and tested in a pediatric intensive care environment, by incorporating a guideline for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). System outputs show successful aggregation and analysis of continuous and periodic data, and automation of guidelines by recognizing deviation of patient's condition from normal states. The modular design will allow extension into pre-hospital treatment environments by taking advantages of advances in pervasive monitoring.
A quantitative framework for automated pre-execution thread selection

Pre-execution attacks cache misses for which address prediction driven prefetching fails. In pre-execution, copies of cache miss computations are isolated from the main program and launched as separate threads called p-threads whenever the processor anticipates an upcoming miss. P-thread selection is the task of deciding what computations should execute as p-threads and when they should be launched such that total execution time is minimized. It is central to the success of pre-execution. We introduce a framework for automated static p-thread selection, a static p-thread being one whose dynamic instances are repeatedly launched during the course of program execution. Our approach is to formalize the problem quantitatively and then apply standard techniques to solve it analytically. The framework has two novel components. The slice tree is a data structure that compactly represents a set of static p-threads and the relationships among them. Aggregate advantage is a formula that uses raw program statistics and computation structure to assign each candidate static p-thread a numeric score based on estimated latency tolerance and overhead aggregated over its expected dynamic executions. We use the framework to select p-threads that cover L2 misses and study its effectiveness under different conditions via detailed simulation. We measure the effect of constraining p-thread length, locally optimizing p-threads, using different program samples as a statistical basis for selection, and varying several machine parameters. Our framework responds to these changes in an intuitive way. We also validate that aggregate advantage correctly models actual pre-execution.
Importance of Log Size on Host Selection and Reproductive Success of Ips pini (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Ponderosa Pine Slash of Northern Arizona and Western Montana

Pine engraver, Ips pini (Say), often use thinning slash, and their populations are known to be insuenced by the condition of this material. In our study, we evaluated the importance of three log diameters (5, 10, and 20 cm) and three lengths (60, 120, and 240 cm) on various parameters of bark beetle host attack, development, and emergence. Evaluation of slash colonization in northern Arizona (near Flagstaff) and western Montana (near Missoula) over several years, during both spring and summer reproductive periods, indicated that the size of material selected by pine engraver differed by state, year, and season. However, within individual trials and over all trials, a trend in preference for larger diameter logs was apparent, whereas log length was of little effect. When evaluating only attacked logs, results indicated that the apparent preference for larger logs was not followed by signiÞcantly greater reproductive performance in the larger log sizes. Log origin was tested as a potential factor for the difference in attack densities between Arizona and Montana trials. Although male beetles in Montana and female beetles in Arizona seemed to distinguish between local-source and foreign-source logs during the attack phase, the gallery development and reproductive success of egg, larval, and new adult stages were not signiÞcantly different. Ultimately, differences among the trials both in host size selection and in reproductive success within attacked logs were closely tied to the overall population density of adult beetles. The implications of these Þndings for resource managers are discussed.
Multiple congenital abnormalities in the rat resulting from acute maternal niacin deficiency during pregnancy.

SummaryPregnant rats were given a purified niacin-deficient diet containing the niacinamide antimetabolite, 6-aminonicotinamide (100 mg/kg of diet), on days 7–9, 8–10, 9–11 or 10–13 of pregnancy. Days 8–10 appeared to be the period of greatest sensitivity as 80% embryonic mortality or abnormality was observed at autopsy on day 21 of pregnancy. A high incidence of embryonic mortality with resorption and a low incidence of abnormal young were observed, regardless of when the diet was first instituted. Malformations in 21-day fetuses from mothers consuming 1–2 mg of 6-AN included defects of the skeleton, central nervous system and eye, urinary system, trunk, thyroid and thymus glands.
Experimental investigation of wire array Z-pinches on the cobra accelerator

Summary form only given. Wire-array Z pinches have been studied on the 1.2 MA peak current, 100 ns rise time COBRA generator at Cornell University using a wide range of diagnostics. In addition to the X-ray and electrical diagnostics, two framing cameras with 5 ns temporal resolution, a three frame laser shadowgraphy system with 170 ps temporal resolution and optical and X-ray streak cameras have been used in the experiments. Wire-arrays made with Al, W and Invar wires with 16, 8 and 4 mm array diameters and interwire gaps from 4.6 mm to 0.8 mm have been studied. The investigations include dynamics of the wire-array implosion and hot spot formation in the on-axis stagnation plasma. The experiments showed that the wire-arrays with 4 mm diameter have an X-ray energy yield 1.5-2 times higher than larger diameter arrays for all wire materials studied. The study also shows a complicated structure of the hot spots in space and in time. Measurements with spatial and temporal resolution using the X-ray streak- camera have shown the beginning of the hot spot formation starts near the time of maximum compression of the arrays. Hot spots that last 1-5 ns are observed within a time interval of 30 - 40 ns. Energy measurements using filtered PCDs show that the hot spots radiate a major part of the wire-array energy yield for all wire materials and array diameters.
Comparison of MR and contrast venography of the cervical venous system in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MRV has been proposed as a possible screening method to identify chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, which may play a role in MS. We report our initial experience comparing MRV and CV in MS patients to evaluate venous stenosis and collateral venous drainage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Time-of-flight and time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics MRV and CV were performed in 39 MS patients. The presence and severity of both IJ vein caliber changes and non-IJ collaterals were graded by using a 4-point scale by 2 radiologists in an independent and blinded manner. RESULTS: Both studies frequently showed venous abnormalities, most commonly IJ flattening at the C1 level and in the lower neck. There was moderate-to-good agreement between the modalities (κ = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.45%–0.65%). For collaterals, agreement was only fair (κ = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.09%–0.50%). The prevalence of IJ segments graded mild or worse on CV was 54%. If CV was considered a standard, the sensitivity and specificity of MRV was 0.79 (0.71–0.86) and 0.76 (0.67–0.83), respectively. Degree of stenosis was related to the severity of collaterals for CV but not for MRV. CONCLUSIONS: IJ caliber changes were seen in characteristic locations on both MRV and CV in MS patients. Agreement between modalities was higher for stenosis than for collaterals. If CV is considered a standard, MRV performance is good but may require additional improvement before MRV can be used for screening.
Boron mimetics: 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborines bind inside a nonpolar cavity of T4 lysozyme.

with minimal perturbation oftheir structures. 1,2-Dihydro-1,2-azaborines (abbreviated as 1,2-azaborines) serve as aunique structural platform to accomplish this goal because of their isostructural relationshipwith arenes, a ubiquitous motif in living organisms and in pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, thebonding of arenes with cations and other arenes through cation-π
How Golden Parachutes Unfolded: Diffusion and Variation of a Controversial Practice

We contribute to a growing focus on variation in diffusion processes by examining the ways in which contested practices are modified as they spread among adopters. Expanding on prior diffusion accounts, we argue that the extensiveness and similarity of a practice will vary in response to both population-and organization-level mechanisms. To examine these issues, we study variation in “golden parachute” contracts, a controversial corporate governance practice that emerged and spread widely during the hostile takeover wave of the 1980s. Using a concept network approach to analyze the composition of parachute plans, we find evidence of mechanisms that both increase and decrease extensiveness and variation of golden parachutes. Our findings hold implications for accounts of practice diffusion over contested terrain by revealing substantial variation in the course of diffusion.
Insight in adults with obsessive–compulsive disorder

The present study examined the clinical correlates of insight among adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). One hundred and thirty treatment-seeking adults with a primary diagnosis of OCD, aged 18 to 68 years (mean 31.4 years) participated. Measures of clinical severity, obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and ability to resist and control OCD symptoms were obtained. Results indicated that poor insight was positively related to greater OCD symptom severity and poorer ability to resist and control OCD symptoms; this pattern of associations held when insight was examined continuously and categorically (i.e., high versus low insight). Insight was generally not associated with other clinical characteristics, except for a relationship with mental neutralizing behaviors. Insight did not mediate the relationship between the ability to resist and control OCD symptoms and obsessive-compulsive symptom severity. Overall, this study provides further information into the nature and role of insight in adults with OCD.
The Role of Investor Sentiment in theIPO Aftermarket

This article uses two price signals on the cusp of an IPO, price revision (change from pre-offer to offer price) and initial return (change from offer to market open price), as proxies of investor sentiment, which appears to have potent and lingering effects over a six-month aftermarket window. For instance, firms that rank high on our investor optimism scale exhibit considerable initial price momentum and sharp reversals. The article shows that a mechanical trading strategy designed to exploit aftermarket patterns generates economically significant risk-adjusted returns compared to a buy-andhold benchmark. Robustness checks indicate that it is important to implement the strategy as early as possible and the key driver is the serial dependence in aftermarket returns.
Distribution and Abundance of Leaf Galling and Foliar Sexual Morphs of Grape Phylloxera (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) and Vitis Species in the Central and Eastern United States

To better understand the host range and factors acting on the population structure of native grape phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (Fitch), Vitis species in 22 central and eastern U.S. states were surveyed for grape phylloxera presence and abundance. Data for frequency of attack and mean number of galled leaves per vine were compared among Vitis species and among six geographic regions defined according to topographic, ecological, and heuristic criteria. Four of the seven Vitis species that were identified had been attacked by grape phylloxera and both the frequency of vines that were attacked and the mean number of galled leaves differed among species and regions. In general, V. riparia (Michaux) and V. vulpina (L.) were attacked more frequently than expected and V. cinerea (Englemann) less than expected. The distributions of three of these species, V. vulpina, V. aestivalis (Michaux), and V. cinerea, were largely overlapping, but the distribution of V. riparia was not. It was found, to the near exclusion of other species in the northern United States, in the region formerly occupied by the Laurentide Icesheet. An increasing south to north gradient in phylloxera abundance was observed. Fourteen per cent of the surveyed vines were attacked in the Gulf Coast, 34% in the Central region, and 66 and 64% in the Northcentral and Northeastern regions. The mean number of galled leaves per vine conformed to this trend. In addition, sexual morphs were produced by apterous gallicolae in galls on V. cinerea but not on other Vitis species. This life cycle variant has previously been described only in the southwest United States. These data will be useful for future molecular phylogeographic studies and in the understanding, evaluation, and deployment of phylloxera resistant germplasm.
Jottings a Compendium of Antioch Notes

(1930). Jottings a Compendium of Antioch Notes. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 1, No. 6, pp. 362-362.
The fate of the triplet excitations in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex.

The fate of triplet excited states in the Fenna–Matthew–Olson (FMO) pigment–protein complex is studied by means of time-resolved nanosecond spectroscopy and exciton model simulations. Experiments reveal microsecond triplet excited-state energy transfer between the bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) pigments, but show no evidence of triplet energy transfer to molecular oxygen, which is known to produce highly reactive singlet oxygen and is the leading cause of photo damage in photosynthetic proteins. The FMO complex is exceptionally photo stable despite the fact it contains no carotenoids, which could effectively quench triplet excited states of (bacterio)chlorophylls and are usually found within pigment–protein complexes. It is inferred that the triplet excitation is transferred to the lowest energy pigment, BChl 3, within the FMO complex, whose triplet state energy is shifted by pigment–protein interactions below that of the singlet oxygen excitation. Thus, the energy transfer to molecular oxygen is blocked and ...
Limited efficacy of aerosolized recombinant alpha interferon against virulent influenza A/HK infection in mice.

AbstractHybrid recombinant human alpha interferon A/D (rIFN A/D) is unusual in that it has equivalent antiviral activity in in vitro assays using mouse or human tissue cells. This interferon was delivered to outbred Swiss mice in small particle aerosols before and/or after these mice were inoculated with virulent influenza A/HK/68 virus. Although rIFN A/D was effective in inhibiting influenza virus replication in vitro in primary mouse embryo cells, it had only a limited degree of effectiveness in the in vivo tests; only animals exposed to rIFN A/D for 4 hr and inoculated with influenza virus 4 hr later exhibited a significant decrease in mortality (approximately 25% reduction in deaths; P < 0.025) compared with that of the untreated control animals. The limited effectiveness of rIFN A/D seen in these studies indicated that the use of this or similar recombinant alpha interferons alone to prevent or treat influenza virus infection in humans is not promising.
Temporal Changes in Biological Responses and Uncertainty in Assessing Risks of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Insights from Intensive Time-Course Studies with Fish

Most toxicological testing focuses on defining concentration/dose-response relationships, with little consideration to temporal aspects of the expression of chemical effects. Yet, both dose and time are critical to evaluating potential risks. Our lab has generated an extensive amount of linked dose-response and time-course data for eight model endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) using adult fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Herein we conduct a meta-analysis of this novel dataset, with an emphasis on defining interactions between dose and time on several molecular and biochemical endpoints indicative of endocrine function, both during chemical exposure and recovery. Direct effects of the EDCs were very rapid, often occurring within 24 h or less. Recovery after removal of the chemical stressors was similarly rapid. All experiments provided evidence of system compensation. For example, measures of endocrine perturbation early in an experiment, especially in low-dose treatments, often recovered to control values while a chemical exposure was ongoing. In experiments with several of the EDCs, shortly after cessation of the chemical exposure there was an "overshoot" behavior, in which different measures of endocrine function exceeded control values. Overall, when an endpoint was measured was as an important determinant in identifying a chemical as endocrine-active, as the dose to which the animal was exposed. The compensatory responses during exposure and early recovery after removal of the chemical stressor also produced examples of nonmonotonic dose-response relationships. The types of interactions between time and dose observed in these studies have a number of important implications for screening, testing, and monitoring programs for EDCs.
Analysis of Deflagrative Combustion in a Wave-Rotor Constant-Volume Combustor

Initial testing of the wave-rotor constant-volume combustor (WRCVC) exhibited rapid deflagrative combustion of rich ethylene mixtures, with some evidence of ignition prior to alignment with ignition gas injector. Test data is analyzed to understand ignition and combustion behavior using a transient gas dynamics and combustion simulation code. Flow of hot gases from passages of the WRCVC and the ignition gas injector through the clearance gap between the rotor and the stationary end plates may be implicated as an occasional source of ignition. A representative test case is examined for a comprehensive discussion on ignition initiation location, ignition delay time, and flame propagation speed through the passages.
Rapid and sensitive detection of waterborne pathogens using machine learning on a smartphone based fluorescence microscope (Conference Presentation)

Abstract not available. © (2016) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of Thermal Stress and Dietary Crude Protein on Digestive and Physiological Responses in Selected Polled Dorset Sheep1

Twelve Polled Dorset ram lambs from selected parentage, six adapted (AD) and six nonadapted (NA) to a Mississippi subtropical environment, were used in a metabolism trial to investigate effects of environmental temperature (10 vs. 32 C), and dietary crude protein levels (10 vs. 20%) on selected responses. Response variables of dry matter digestibility (DMD), digestible energy (DE), grams nitrogen retention (NR), percent nitrogen retained (%NR), nitrogen digestion (NO), water consumption, rectal temperature, and respiration rate were analyzed as a completely random split-plot design with type as the whole-plot treatment and temperature and crude protein factorially arranged as sub plot treatments. There was no difference between AD and NA rams for DMD, DE, gNR, NO, water consumption, or rectal temperature and respiration rate. There was no difference in rectal temperature between AD (38.6 C) and NA (38.7 C) rams when compared at 10 C. When exposed to 32 C, NA rams (39.1 C) had higher (P<.05) rectal temperature than AD rams (38.7 C). Respirations per minute of AD (13.7) and NA rams (16.1) did not differ when subjected to 10 C. Respiration rate in NA rams (94.4) was higher (P<.05) than AD rams (83.5) when exposed to 32 C. There was an increase (P<.05) in DMD for rams exposed to 32 C (71.8%) vs. 10 C (70.4%). There was no difference in DE and NR for rams when exposed to either 32 C or 10 C. The DMD (73.7%), DE (72.9%), grams NR (47.3), and %ND (77.2) for rams fed 20% CP diets was higher (P<.05) than DMD (68.5%), DE (66.6%), gNR (23.1), and NO (61.3) for rams fed the 10% CP diet. Rams fed 20% CP diets had higher (P<.05) water consumption (3.4 vs. 2.8 L) than rams consuming 10% CP diets. These data suggest physiological differences in respiration and rectal temperature but not in digestive metabolism between AD and NA rams when exposed to heat stress.
A simple model for electron temperature in dilute plasma flows

In this short note, we present some work on investigating electron temperatures and potentials in steady dilute plasma flows. The analysis is based on the detailed fluid model for electrons. Ionizations, normalized electron number density gradients, and magnetic fields are neglected. The transport properties are assumed as local constants. With these treatments, the partial differential equation for electron temperature degenerates as an ordinary differential equation. Along an electron streamline, two simple formulas for electron temperature and plasma potential are obtained. These formulas offer some insights, e.g., the electron temperature and plasma potential distributions along an electron streamline include two exponential functions, and the one for plasma potential includes an extra linear distribution function.
Excited State Electron Transfer from Polyelectrolyte-Bound Chromophores

The transduction of light into chemical potential has been actively studied via a variety of mechanisms.
A Stackelberg Game and Markov Modeling of Moving Target Defense

We propose a Stackelberg game model for Moving Target Defense (MTD) where the defender periodically switches the state of a security sensitive resource to make it difficult for the attacker to identify the real configurations of the resource. Our model can incorporate various information structures. In this work, we focus on the worst-case scenario from the defender’s perspective where the attacker can observe the previous configurations used by the defender. This is a reasonable assumption especially when the attacker is sophisticated and persistent. By formulating the defender’s problem as a Markov Decision Process (MDP), we prove that the optimal switching strategy has a simple structure and derive an efficient value iteration algorithm to solve the MDP. We further study the case where the set of feasible switches can be modeled as a regular graph, where we solve the optimal strategy in an explicit way and derive various insights about how the node degree, graph size, and switching cost affect the MTD strategy. These observations are further verified on random graphs empirically.
Police Reform Through an Administrative Lens: Revisiting the Justice Department’s Pattern or Practice Initiative

The U.S. Department of Justice’s “pattern or practice” initiative has been used to address systemic police misconduct in cities like Ferguson, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. Despite its clear relevanc...
A review of the environmental parameters necessary for an optimal sleep environment

Abstract An appropriate sleep environment is critical to achieve adequate quality and quantity of sleep. General sleep hygiene recommendations suggest that individuals should maintain a cool, dark, quiet sleep environment. Our goal was to conduct a review of the evidence surrounding the optimal characteristics for the sleep environment in the categories of noise, temperature, lighting, and air quality in order to provide specific recommendations for each of these components. We found that all forms of noise in the sleep environment should be reduced to below 35 dB. The optimal ambient temperature varies based on humidity and the bedding microclimate, ranging between 17 and 28 °C at 40–60% relative humidity. Complete darkness is optimal for sleep and blue light should be avoided during the sleep opportunity. Sea level air quality, with ventilation is optimal for sleep and supplemental oxygen is a useful countermeasure for improving sleep quality at altitude. Architectural design that incorporates these elements into bedroom design may improve sleep quality among inhabitants of such environments.
An Examination of Social Cognitive Theory with Differences among Sexually Aggressive, Physically Aggressive and Nonaggressive Children in State Care

Three groups of boys in Washington State care (37 sexually aggressive, 17 physically aggressive, and 15 nonaggressive) are compared on measures of behavior and cognition. Bandura's Social Cognition theory is offered as a possible explanation for sexual aggression by children. Two theory-based hypothesis are tested. First, are sexually aggressive children cognitively deficient when compared to the other groups? Second, do the sexually aggressive children have cognitive distortions about their behavior and about sex? Similarities were found in the aggressive and sexually aggressive groups on several measures. Physically aggressive boys were found to have some sexual behavior problems. Sexually aggressive boys were also found to be physically aggressive. Physically aggressive boys were found to have the least severe and least frequent victimization history. No support was found for the first hypothesis, while some evidence of cognitive distortions regarding both social behavior and sex was found in the sexually aggressive children. Discussion and some implications for research and practice are offered. Language: en
Prospects for Numerical Simulation of Bluff-Body Aerodynamics

An improved understanding of the aerodynamics of bluff bodies such as road vehicles can lead to significant reductions in gasoline consumption and to increased safety and comfort. To achieve these goals improved theoretical and experimental techniques are urgently needed. This paper explores the potential of using numerical-simulation methods for predicting and interpreting aerodynamic phenomena affecting bluff bodies. As a basis for discussion, a prototype finite-difference method is described, and illustrated with sample calculations of air flow about simple bluff bodies. The limitations of this scheme are then discussed in detail, together with some suggestions for extensions that could be realized in the immediate future. The paper concludes with speculations on what could be achieved in the next five to ten years to produce a generally useful research tool for bluff-body aerodynamics.
Social functioning impairments in schizotypy when social cognition and neurocognition are not impaired.

Abstract The present study examined the social, cognitive, and emotional functioning of persons with schizotypy. Over 2000 undergraduate students were screened for schizotypy with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire – Brief over two consecutive semesters. Ninety-two persons with high schizotypy and 22 persons with low schizotypy completed measures of social functioning (Social Adjustment Scale, Social Functioning Scale, MOS Social Support Survey), working memory (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, Digit Span, Letter-Number Sequencing, Corsi Block Tapping Test) and empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Empathy Quotient). Persons with high schizotypy, when compared to their counterparts with low schizotypy, displayed deficits on many indices of social functioning even though differences in working memory and empathy were not observed. The social functioning deficits of persons with high schizotypy included impairments in friendship relations, family relations, interpersonal engagement, and recreational activities. These findings indicate that persons with high schizotypy experience broad deficits in social functioning even when their cognitive and emotional skills are unaffected.
Dual Alloying Strategy to Achieve a High Thermoelectric Figure of Merit and Lattice Hardening in p-Type Nanostructured PbTe

The introduction of an alkaline earth metal telluride as a second phase in PbTe can lead to very high thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, as a result of hierarchical structuring, e.g., in the PbTe–SrTe system. However, there are two roadblocks to this strategy: poor solubility and occurrence of incoherent nanoprecipitates in the PbTe matrix, e.g., the PbTe–BaTe system. Here we demonstrate a dual alloying approach by simultaneously alloying CaTe and BaTe in the p-type PbTe matrix to achieve ZTmax ranging up to ∼2.2 at high temperatures. Synergistic enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient via favorable band convergence gives rise to higher power factors up to 34 μW cm–1 K–2 and significant suppression of lattice thermal conductivity, κL, down to ∼0.6 W m–1 K–1 results from large multicenter phonon scattering. Additionally, co-inclusion of Ca and Ba causes unanticipated lattice hardening in otherwise brittle PbTe, essential for practical device applications.
The arts of refusal: tragic unreconciliation, pariah humour, and haunting laughter

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates Hannah Arendt’s writings on tragic unreconciliation and pariah humour as offering creative strategies for confronting the deadening of emotion that enables people to...
Slow scrambling and hidden integrability in a random rotor model

We analyze the out-of-time-order correlation functions of a solvable model of a large number $N$ of $M$-component quantum rotors coupled by Gaussian-distributed random, infinite-range exchange interactions. We focus on the growth of commutators of operators at a temperature $T$ above the zero temperature quantum critical point separating the spin-glass and paramagnetic phases. In the large $N,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}M$ limit, the squared commutators of the rotor fields do not display any exponential growth of commutators, in spite of the absence of any sharp quasiparticlelike excitations in the disorder-averaged theory. We show that in this limit, the problem is integrable and points out interesting connections to random-matrix theory. At leading order in $1/M$, there are no modifications to the critical behavior but an irrelevant term in the fixed-point action leads to a small exponential growth of the squared commutator. We also introduce and comment on a generalized model involving $p$-pair rotor interactions.
Allee effects and soil nutrient changes mediated by experimental plantings of a nonindigenous, temperate liana

Liana abundance worldwide has the potential to increase due to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations and continued anthropogenic forest disturbance. Temperate forests have relatively low liana diversity compared to tropical forests, and it is believed this discrepancy has allowed nonindigenous lianas to disrupt temperate native communities to a greater degree. Due to their nature as structural parasites upon trees, the influence of lianas on forest systems is disproportionately greater than their modest contributions to aboveground biomass, yet the establishment of lianas into temperate communities has not been well studied. We designed a fully factorial experiment to investigate how density (intraspecific competition) and growth orientation (climbing vs. creeping) would influence growth and biomass allocation in wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei, Celastraceae) an exotic evergreen liana. We also quantified soil nutrients prior to planting and after 17 months of soil conditioning to determine if wintercreeper influences nutrient availability. We found evidence of Allee effects, in which the highest density treatment yielded significantly greater total biomass (in both roots and shoots), longer stems, and higher specific stem length. Soil analyses indicated that wintercreeper significantly altered soil nutrients, increasing C, N, P, Ca, and Mg over the course of the experiment. These findings support previous studies, which found that wintercreeper tends to grow best in dense monoculture populations. While founder populations may be slow to establish, Allee effects combined with wintercreeper’s ability to modify nutrient cycling may help account for this species’ recent recognition as a serious plant-pest following a century of widespread cultivation.
Microcrystalline copper foil as a high performance collector for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract A novel ultrasonic peening technique was developed to obtain a special copper foil with microcrystalline morphology surface. The obtained microcrystalline Cu-graphite electrode displays better conductivity, higher bonding strength with graphite particles, and stronger corrosion resistance to the electrolyte than the pristine copper foil, which lead to its superior lithium storage performance. The initial charging capacities of Cu-graphite/Li electrodes with ultrasonic peening times of 9 s and 15 s are as high as 312.4 and 359.5 mAh g−1, respectively, which are much higher than those of a pristine Cu-graphite electrode (282.3 mAh g−1). After 380 cycles, the discharging capacities remain at 239.0 and 332.8 mAh g−1 with capacity retentions of 76.5% and 92.6%, respectively, which are also much higher than those of the pristine Cu-graphite electrode (187.6 mAh g−1 and 66.4% after 270 cycles, respectively). After ultrasonic peening on the copper foil surface, the capacity, cycling and rate performance of the Cu-graphite electrode are greatly improved in both a Cu-graphite/Li half battery and an LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1/Cu-graphite full battery, which would providing a new idea for the development of large-capacity and long-life electrode collector materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Wearables for health: developing designs for functional practicality

Wearables that combine practical functionality and physical functionality are part of a new and growing field. The main goal of wearables for health applications is to improve the quality of life overall by designing a usable, comfortable, and fashionable device with a purpose. Constructing wearables requires knowledge from a variety of different areas, which can result in a diversity of new ideas. Customization of wearables gives the user comfort and personalized style while also increasing health benefits. One major area for wearable opportunities is adaptive clothing for individuals with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Adaptive clothing is currently in limited supply and often tries to group multiple disabilities together, when different disabilities have distinctly different needs. Wearables, however, do have technical barriers when it comes to cleaning, cost, and analyzing qualitative data from research participants.
Anaplastic multiple myeloma resembling dysplastic megakaryocytes

Anaplastic multiple myeloma (AMM) is a very rare morphologic variant of multiple myeloma with extremely poor prognosis. The anaplastic morphology of AMM may pose a diagnostic challenge. A thorough workup is critical in reaching the correct diagnosis.
Finding lupus in the ANA haystack

Diagnosis of SLE in early stages is challenging due to the heterogeneous nature of presenting symptoms and the poor performance metrics of the screening ANA test. Even the more specific double-stranded DNA autoantibody has relatively low predictive value in early disease. A consequence is delayed referral, with the likelihood that some patients have progression of disease prior to specialist evaluation. Tests that might fill this diagnostic gap are therefore needed. The AVISE Connective Tissue Disease Test that uses a multiplex approach to detect autoantibodies and cell-bound complement products has shown utility in distinguishing SLE from other rheumatological conditions. Whether it might be useful in early disease stages to predict progression is addressed in a recent study by Liang and colleagues, who tested clinic patients who had non-specific findings with the objective of determining whether AVISE could predict onset of SLE. While this test provided more useful prognostic information than other available diagnostics, it had relatively low sensitivity, suggesting that significant numbers of patients with preclinical SLE would be missed by this screening. The need remains for development of diagnostics with robust sensitivity and specificity in early disease that would also deliver prognostic information about risk for SLE. Such tests would have great value as a tool for primary providers to more efficiently triage ANA-positive patients for appropriate specialty evaluation.
Implementation of a Transitional Care Model for Stroke: Perspectives From Frontline Clinicians, Administrators, and COMPASS-TC Implementation Staff.

Background and objectives Stroke is a chronic, complex condition that disproportionally affects older adults. Health systems are evaluating innovative transitional care (TC) models to improve outcomes in these patients. The Comprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) Study, a large cluster-randomized pragmatic trial, tested a TC model for patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack discharged home from the hospital. The implementation of COMPASS-TC in complex real-world settings was evaluated to identify successes and challenges with integration into the clinical workflow. Research design and methods We conducted a concurrent process evaluation of COMPASS-TC implementation during the first year of the trial. Qualitative data were collected from 4 sources across 19 intervention hospitals. We analyzed transcripts from 43 conference calls with hospital clinicians, individual and group interviews with leaders and clinicians from 9 hospitals, and 2 interviews with the COMPASS-TC Director of Implementation using iterative thematic analysis. Themes were compared to the domains of the RE-AIM framework. Results Organizational, individual, and community factors related to Reach, Adoption, and Implementation were identified. Organizational readiness was an additional key factor to successful implementation, in that hospitals that were not "organizationally ready" had more difficulty addressing implementation challenges. Discussion and implications Multifaceted TC models are challenging to implement. Facilitators of implementation were organizational commitment and capacity, prioritizing implementation of innovative delivery models to provide comprehensive care, being able to address challenges quickly, implementing systems for tracking patients throughout the intervention, providing clinicians with autonomy and support to address challenges, and adequately resourcing the intervention. Clinical trial registration NCT02588664.
Differentiation and De-differentiation: The Evolving Power Dynamics Between News Industry and Tech Industry:

This essay proposes a new theoretical framework, the differentiation/de-differentiation framework, to help understand the evolving power dynamics between news industry and tech industry from instit...
Consequences of Medical Hierarchy on Medical Students, Residents, and Medical Education in Otolaryngology

ObjectiveTo (1) review concepts of medical hierarchy; (2) examine the role of medical hierarchy in medical education and resident training; (3) discuss potential negative impacts of dysfunctional h...
Voluntary assignments during the pediatric clerkship to enhance the clinical experiences of medical students in the United States

Purpose Pediatric clerkships that utilize off-campus clinical sites ensure clinical comparability by requiring completion of patient-focused tasks. Some tasks may not be attainable (especially off-campus); thus, they are not assigned. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of providing a voluntary assignment list to third-year medical students in their pediatric clerkship. Methods This is a retrospective single-center cross-sectional analysis of voluntary assignment completion during the 2019–2020 academic year. Third-year medical students were provided a voluntary assignment list (observe a procedure, use an interpreter phone to obtain a pediatric history, ask a preceptor to critique a clinical note, and follow-up on a patient after the rotation ends). Descriptive statistics were used to assess the timing and distribution of voluntary assignment completion. Results In total, 132 subjects (77 on the main campus, 55 off-campus) were included. Eighteen (13.6%) main-campus and 16 (12.1%) off-campus students completed at least 1 voluntary assignment. The following voluntary assignments were completed: observe a procedure (15, 11.4%), use an interpreter phone (26, 19.7%), ask a preceptor to critique a clinical note (12, 9.1%), and follow-up on a patient after the rotation ends (7, 5.3%). Off-campus students completed the assignments more often (29.1%) than on-campus students (23.4%) Conclusion Our clerkship values specific patient-focused tasks that may enhance student development, but are not attainable at all clinical sites. When provided a voluntary assignment list, 34 out of 132 students (25.8%) completed them. Clerkships that utilize off-campus sites should consider this approach to optimize the pediatric educational experience.
“In Despair, Despair Not”: Ways to God for a Secular Age:

While theological reflection on the question of secularism has been illuminating, it has not always provided resources for those still seeking to encounter God. By responding to Karl Rahner’s parad...
A Taxing Feminism

Feminist perspectives are not new to tax law. The first academic piece bringing a feminist perspective to bear on tax law dates to the early 1970s, when Grace Blumberg published “Sexism in the Code: A Comparative Study of Income Taxation of Working Wives and Mothers.” Contemporaneously, none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg (along with her tax lawyer husband Marty Ginsburg) brought a feminist perspective to bear on tax law when she argued Moritz v. Commissioner before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, as depicted in the movie On the Basis of Sex. Since then, numerous other contributions have been made to the tax literature identifying ways in which a feminist perspective might influence tax reform debates. After sketching the rich history of feminist tax jurisprudence, this chapter reflects upon the historical intransigence of mainstream tax academics, legislators, and the public when it comes to recognizing tax law as something more than a form of applied economics with no relation to feminist (or, for that matter, any other “noneconomic”) concerns. After exploring why feminist perspectives have historically had little purchase in the tax arena, the chapter shines a light on recent attention from legislators, think tanks, public policy organizations, and the public on the relationship between gender and tax law, providing some evidence that feminist tax perspectives may finally be taking hold in, and may eventually exert some influence over, the general tax policy discourse in the United States.