cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of Wireless Propagation for Body Area Networks Inside Space Suits

Future NASA plans include launching manned interplanetary missions to Mars and lunar destinations. These missions present new challenges that require rethinking of the extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suit design and associated communication systems. For example, there is a desire to collect more biomedical information from the astronaut to enhance safety and efficiency of EVA activities. Replacing the current wired biosensing within the suit with a wireless network would provide benefits such as the ability to monitor multiple vital signs and easily reconfigure the sensors to suit particular mission goals. In this paper, we study the propagation environment in a special domain of body area networks. In particular, within a space-suit where the outer cover-layer materials may be radio-opaque, containing the radio signals predominantly within the suit. This intrasuit wireless propagation environment is studied in various frequency bands, including 350 MHz, 433 MHz, 916 MHz, and 2.4 GHz, with signal attenuation used as the performance criterion. In all the frequencies studied, the intrasuit environment is shown to be conducive to wireless signal propagation, as the path loss is never more than 87 dB for a wide range of transmit-receive locations. Our findings suggest that ultrahigh frequency bands are the best candidate bands since there is interplay between the body conductivity favoring lower frequencies, and the difficulty of coupling RF energy into and out of the channel using suitably sized antennas favoring higher frequencies. The overall results suggest that deploying a wireless body area network inside the space suit is a promising solution for next generation missions.
Abstract 422: Early growth response 1 is required for radiation-induced apoptosis in normal tissues.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Although radiation therapy is a mainstay of cancer treatments, it can have deleterious effects on normal tissues, leading to poor quality of life for cancer survivors. Radiation can cause depletion of stem cells in normal tissues that can result in late sequelae, including poor learning, cognitive disorders, intestinal malabsorption, infertility, and skin injuries. Our laboratory has shown that low doses of radiation can induce apoptosis selectively in undifferentiated normal stem cells compared to adjacent differentiated cells in multiple niches including the brain and intestine. To elucidate the molecular basis underlying stem cell sensitivity to radiation, we performed discovery research to detect genomic differences between stem cells and differentiated cells. Among the candidates, the Early growth response 1 (Egr1) gene was expressed at high levels in stem cells, but not in isogenic differentiated cells. Egr1 is a zinc-finger transcription factor that is rapidly induced in response to radiation and activates the transcription of pro-apoptotic genes. Since cancer survivors can suffer from cognitive difficulties and intestinal malabsorption, we investigated the role of Egr1 in neuronal and intestinal cell death following irradiation. Knockdown of Egr1 using shRNA increased clonogenic survival in irradiated HT-22 hippocampal neuronal cells and IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells. This increased radioprotection was largely due to reduced apoptosis in Egr1 knockdown cells. Additionally, suppression of Egr1 promoter binding by mithramycin A and chromomycin A3 also conferred radioprotection to HT-22 and IEC-6 cells. Mouse models further supported Egr1’s role in radiation-induced apoptosis. Egr1 null mice had significantly fewer apoptotic cells in the hippocampus and small intestinal crypts following irradiation, as compared to their wild-type littermates. Finally, we examined mechanisms by which Egr1 regulates radiation-induced apoptosis. Irradiation of HT-22 and IEC-6 cells led to a G2/M cell cycle arrest, which was abrogated by the knockdown of Egr1. Also, knockdown of Egr1 by shRNA and inhibition of Egr1 promoter binding both attenuated radiation induction of the pro-apoptotic factors p53, Bim, and Bax, and upregulated the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Thus, this study establishes a crucial role for Egr1 in the radiation-induced apoptosis of hippocampal and intestinal tissues. Egr1 could be a potential molecular target to minimize the normal tissue complications associated with radiation therapy. Citation Format: Yi D. Zhao, Keith M. Jacobs, Rowan M. Karvas, Dennis E. Hallahan, Dinesh Thotala. Early growth response 1 is required for radiation-induced apoptosis in normal tissues. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 422. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-422
Semantic-based approach for predicting venous thromboembolism using Kohonen self organized map neural network

This paper presents a novel semantic-based approach to analyze clinical documentation in order to predict the first occurrence of symptomless unprovoked venous thrombo-embolism (VTE) in patients. The goal of this work is the attempt to save lives in cases of symptomless unprovoked VTEs that could be fatal from first occurrence. Using the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) and MetaMap API, our semantic approach extracts hidden factors from unstructured text that might be very critical in the diagnosis or identification of potential risks of having a VTE. We use Kohonen self-organizing map to predict a patient's potential to develop VTE based on the similarity between the identified hidden risk factors in the clinical notes section from their medical records and the clinical notes used in the learning phase. Our system achieved 80% accuracy with 50% precision in prediction.
Symmetric matrix perturbation for differentially-private principal component analysis

Differential privacy is a strong, cryptographically-motivated definition of privacy that has recently received a significant amount of research attention for its robustness to known attacks. The principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm is frequently used in signal processing, machine learning and statistics pipelines. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for differentially-private computation of PCA and compare the performance empirically with some recent state-of-the-art algorithms on different data sets. We intend to investigate the performance of these algorithms with varying privacy parameters and database parameters. We show that our proposed algorithm, despite guaranteeing stricter privacy, provides very good utility for different data sets.
C60 Rotational Dynamics in the Solid State

The rotational dynamics of C60 in the solid state are probed using 13C NMR. The unique dependence of the relaxation rate due to chemical shift anisotropy \( (1/Tf^{SA} ) \) on the square of the magnetic field enables us to separate this rate contribution from those due to other relaxation mechanisms and precisely determine its value. From \( (1/Tf^{SA} ) \) and the measured values of the chemical shift tensor for Cthe reorientational correlation time, τ, for the molecule can be calculated. At 283 K τ = 9.1 ± 2 ps, corresponding to a rotational diffusion constant D= 1.8 ± 0.4 ×1010 s−1. This value of τ is only 3 times longer than the value expected for completely unhindered rotation, and is shorter than the time found for C60 in solution (15.5 ps) at the same temperature. Below 260 K a second phase appears, characterized by significantly slower reorientation. The temperature dependence of τ for both the high temperature (rotator) and low temperature (ratchet) phases can be fit by Arrhenius expressions with activation energies 1.4 and 4.2 kcal/mol and pre-exponential factors τ0 = 0.81 and 0.08 ps, respectively. The higher degree of hindrance of rotation indicated by the increased activation energy of the low temperature phase is consistent with recent reports of a phase transition involving orientational ordering in solid C60 and with the arrest of the reorientation found by NMR below 100 K.
Mogollon Agrarian Ecology

ABSTRACTThe conditions which govern agricultural productivity in the Mogollon area of east central-Arizona are substantially different than those which have been described for the historic Western Pueblos. There is little evidence for how and where the Mogollon were farming in an environment that is marginal for agriculture. A new model of Mogollon agriculture, based on the ecological effects of low-intensity burning of a coniferous forest floor, is presented. It is argued that in comparison to Western Pueblo agricultural strategies, the burn-plot technique was far more likely to have been employed by the Mogollon.
The electrical properties of select fractions of cellulose pulps

The electrical properties of papers made from woodpulp prepared by different processes are known to differ. These differences have been attributed to differences in the quantities of residual pentosans, cooking salts, lignin and hemi-celluloses, as well as to the degree of attrition to which the fibers have been subjected. The study reported here is concerned with the variations in electrical properties observed on sheets of paper made from different lengths of fiber taken from the same pulp. It is concerned furthermore with differences in the electrical properties of sheets of paper made from the same size fibers taken from different pulps.
An improved, scalable synthesis of bis-amino acids

trans-4-Hydroxy-l-proline derived bis-amino acids are chiral, cyclic building blocks that display two alpha-amino acids that are differentiated from each other with protecting groups. They are assembled into spiroligomers—rigid, shape-programmable spirocyclic oligomers that are both stereochemically and functionally diverse. The synthesis presented here focuses on recent improvements that allow for a convenient, large-scale synthesis of twelve stereochemically pure bis-amino acids from inexpensive trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline. The bis-amino acids differ in stereochemistry as well as the amine protecting group, one of which (para-nitrobenzyl carbamate) has not been previously incorporated into bis-amino acids.
Abstract P080: Bestrophin: A Potential Mediator of Cardiac Calcium Handling

Bestrophins are a family of transmembrane proteins expressed in heart. We reported that Bestrophin 1 and 3 cloned from mouse heart function as calcium-activated chloride channels. We hypothesized that bestrophin channels may function in a macromolecule complex similar to other cardiac ion channels. To identify proteins that bind Bestrophin 3 channel, we screened a mouse heart cDNA library using 4 different cytosolic cDNA fragments as bait. Yeast two-hybrid assays were performed with the GAL4 system. Using bait consisting of C-terminus amino acid residues 386 to 669 of the Best3 channel (Best3-C2), we obtained positive interactions with the histidine-rich calcium binding protein (hrc). Hrc is a component of the SR complex involved in calcium handling in the heart. Eleven independent clones represented a fragment encoding the cysteine rich domain of hrc previously shown to interact with triadin. To further map the interaction sites between Best3-C2 and hrc, we subdivided this region into three fragments and tested these baits for interaction with hrc. Two Best3 fragments (residues 541–600 and residues 601–669) displayed strong interaction with hrc, while Best3 bait (residues 386–540) failed to interact. This region of Best3 contains a KEKE protein binding motif. In a similar manner C-terminal Best 1 fragments were confirmed to also interact with hrc. In this study we report that Bestrophin channels interact with hrc, a cardiac calcium handling protein. Calcium-activated chloride channels play a critical role in excitation-contraction coupling in the SR by balancing charge movement during calcium release and reuptake. Recent evidence confirms Bestrophin 1 is located in the ER membrane in association with Stim1 and facilitates calcium cycling. Future in vivo investigations will examine the role of bestrophins as potential mediators of calcium handling in heart.
Differences in genomic patterns and clinical outcomes between African-American and White patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

African-American (AA) patients have a younger age at diagnosis and worse outcomes compared to Whites (WTs) across many cancers, including acute myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukemias.1, 2, 3 Although inferior outcomes for AAs compared to WTs may be related to differential access to medical care or socioeconomic status, disease biology and genetic fingerprint may have a role. A recent study from the Cancer Genome Atlas has shown that WT and AA women with stage I to III breast cancer have differences in the genomic landscape that is correlated with a higher incidence of TP53 mutations, fewer PIK3CA mutations and greater intratumor genetic heterogeneity for AA compared to WTs. This finding suggests that the poor outcome of AA women with breast cancer is not only driven by the disease characteristics such as younger age at diagnosis and a higher incidence of triple-negative disease, but also related to differences in the genomic landscape of their disease.
Measuring Dynamic Shear Force and Vibration With a Bioinspired Tactile Sensor Skin

There is a need to measure dynamic tactile information to enhance robotic hand performance during haptic exploration and object manipulation. Here, we report on the dynamic characterization of a flexible, bioinspired, and resistive microfluidic shear force sensor skin. When the skin is subjected to shear force, one side of the skin experiences tension while the other side experiences compression, both of which are measured by liquid metal strain gauges embedded in polydimethylsiloxane. The sensor can measure dynamic shear forces during stepwise unloading, incipient slip, and controlled vibration tests. The sensor can quantify vibration up to 800 Hz with an average minimum displacement of $0.43~\mu \text{m}$ , which is equivalent to or better than human fingertips. We demonstrate the utility of the sensor skin by performing experiments with a robotic hand and arm. The shear sensing skin senses tactile events while a robotic arm performs several manipulation tasks including pick and place, drop, and handover. The skin is robust when used on a robot manipulator and shows promise in providing rich and dynamic tactile information that is beneficial to robotic and prosthetic applications.
A pilot trial of text-delivered peer network counseling to treat young adults with cannabis use disorder.

Abstract Approximately 1.8 million young adults aged 18 to 25 had a Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) in the past year. Unfortunately, engaging young adults in treatment is very challenging. Creative approaches to treat cannabis disorders such as integrating mobile technology with evidence-based treatments are warranted. In light of these challenges, we developed a text message-delivered version of Peer Network Counseling (PNC-txt), which is a substance use intervention that focuses on peer relations. PNC-txt engages participants in 16 automated, personalized text interactions over 4 weeks. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of PNC-txt against a waitlist control group with 30 treatment seeking young adults (ages 18–25) who met DSM-5 criteria for CUD. Self-report and urine analyses were used to test outcomes at the three-month follow-up. The PNC-txt group significantly reduced their cannabis use related problems as well as cannabis cravings, compared to the control group. PNC-txt participants also had a significantly greater percentage with urines negative for cannabis metabolites compared to controls. Moderation analysis showed that CUD severity level moderated treatment, suggesting that PNC-txt is more effective for participants with medium and high levels of CUD severity. All effect sizes ranged from medium to large. Results from this pilot trial are promising and warrant further research on PNC-txt for addressing cannabis use disorder.
Quantum extension of the Kruskal spacetime

Loop quantum gravity---a theory that extends general relativity by quantizing spacetime---predicts that black holes evolve into white holes.
Tracking Nemo: Help Scientists Understand Zebrafish Behavior

The advent of automated tracking software has significantly reduced the time required to record movement trajectories, thereby facilitating behavioral studies of zebrafish. However, results are substantially influenced by tracking errors, such as loss and misidentification of individuals. In this study, we present the development of an online citizen science platform, Tracking Nemo, to improve data accuracy on swimming trajectories of zebrafish groups. As an online extension of software for tracking the position of zebrafish from video recordings, Tracking Nemo offers volunteers the opportunity to contribute to science by manually correcting tracked trajectory data from their personal computers. Researchers can upload their videos that require human intervention for correcting and validating the data. Citizen scientists can monitor their contributions through a leaderboard system, which is designed to strengthen participant retention and contribution by tapping into intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Tracking Nemo is expected to help scientists improve data accuracy through the involvement of citizen scientists, who, in turn, engage in an authentic research activity and learn more about the behavior of zebrafish.
Experimentation as Communication with Nature

There is an obvious analogy between experimentation and communication over a noisy channel. The parameter space of an assumed model plays the role of source or message ensemble from which the input, the true state of nature, is selected. The latter is transmitted by the experiment to the target, the experimenter, who then decodes the message. Noise enters in the form of sampling error, the masking effects of hidden variables, and uncontrolled variation in the experimental materials.
Cross-Compiling Android Applications to Windows Phone 7

Android is currently leading the smartphone segment in terms of market share since its introduction in 2007. Android applications are written in Java using an API designed for mobile apps. Other smartphone platforms, such as Apple’s iOS or Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, differ greatly in their native application programming model. App developers who want to publish their applications for different platforms are required to re-implement the application using the respective native SDK. In this paper we describe a cross-compilation approach, whereby Android applications are cross-compiled to C# for Windows Phone 7. We describe different aspects of our cross-compiler, from byte code level cross-compilation to API mapping. A prototype of our cross-compiler called XMLVM is available under an Open Source license.
Diet in Early Hominin Species: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective

Unraveling the dietary adaptations of early hominin species has become a very important question in the paleobio- logical studies of extinct taxa. For long, dentognathic morpho- logical studies have been used to infer diet. More recently new systematic and quantitative approaches have been developed to explore this issue. In the present study a paleoenvironmental approach is used to infer possible dietary adaptation of two hominin genera: Paranthropus and Homo. Our results show that both genera likely depended on all types of available resources in diverse types of habitats but differed on how they exploited fallback resources. Homo exploited resources that were found in more wooded conditions, probably meat, and Paranthropus fell back on those common in open environments such as abrasive and hard diet. We think that there is no compelling evidence for the claim that Paranthropus was more specialized than Homo, at least as far as habitat preference is concerned. Studies that posited that the cause for the demise of Paranthropus was that it was too specialized and was not able to compete with the more versatile hominin species of Homo warrant revision as it is clear from our study and that of others that the two species fell back on different resources during scarcity, thus were not in direct competition when resources were inadequate.
Medical Student Personality Factors and Test Anxiety

Test anxiety limits the performance of some medical students, and whether baseline personality factors affect students’ test anxiety and exam performance is not known. We performed a repeated measures study of test anxiety among 20 second-year medical students, comparing results with historical controls, baseline personality assessment, and examination scores. We measured test anxiety using the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and personality using the Big Five Inventory (BFI). These instruments were highly reliable in our sample, and moderate correlations were seen among personality factors and test anxiety. Test anxiety scores were similar to a historical cohort of medical students, and the personality factor Neuroticism was highly correlated with the Worry component of test anxiety. There was a significant negative correlation between test anxiety and scores on standardized examinations. Our study was limited by a small sample yet provides evidence to support the use of the BFI and TAI in modern medical students. This study also suggests that test anxiety affects student performance on written examinations.
Statistical Inference as Severe Testing: How to Get Beyond the Statistics Wars

Mounting failures of replication in social and biological sciences give a new urgency to critically appraising proposed reforms. This book pulls back the cover on disagreements between experts charged with restoring integrity to science. It denies two pervasive views of the role of probability in inference: to assign degrees of belief, and to control error rates in a long run. If statistical consumers are unaware of assumptions behind rival evidence reforms, they can't scrutinize the consequences that affect them (in personalized medicine, psychology, etc.). The book sets sail with a simple tool: if little has been done to rule out flaws in inferring a claim, then it has not passed a severe test. Many methods advocated by data experts do not stand up to severe scrutiny and are in tension with successful strategies for blocking or accounting for cherry picking and selective reporting. Through a series of excursions and exhibits, the philosophy and history of inductive inference come alive. Philosophical tools are put to work to solve problems about science and pseudoscience, induction and falsification.
A Framework for the Development of Healthcare Provider Education Programs on Human Trafficking Part Three: Recommendations

Human Trafficking (HT) also known as Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is increasingly recognized as a public health problem. This increased awareness has prompted healthcare providers (HCP), healthcare...
The Great Convergence: Information Technology and the New Globalization

The latest book by Richard Baldwin, professor of international economics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, offers not only an original overview of the tr...
Navigating the Shores: Troubling Notions of the Teacher as Researcher

This article examines how graduate students in a semester-long research course, a capstone experience in a master’s program in teaching and learning, came to redefine what counts as educational research. The students were challenged to conduct a research project, while also exploring how their ideas about teaching and research delimited their work. This inquiry revealed a central paradox in education research—that by calling for more teacher voice in research we may liberate teachers and students to do their work differently, while also perpetuating narrow colonial conceptions of what it means to be a teacher and conduct teacher research. The author argues that in order to decolonize teaching and research, students need opportunities to develop a political analysis that will help expose the contradictions that abound in schools, universities, and society.
Factors influencing postmortem disposition of cryopreserved sperm in men undergoing fertility preservation.

Objective To study the factors that influence men’s disposition toward postmortem disposition of their cryopreserved gametes. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Large academic health center. Patient(s) All patients ≥18 years of age who underwent sperm cryopreservation from June 2016 to January 2020 were included. Samples intended for donation or records with an unspecified reason for preservation were excluded. Interventions(s) Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s) Patients’ reasons for undergoing sperm cryopreservation, method of retrieval, and whether they chose to have the sample preserved or discarded postmortem. Result(s) A total of 217 participants were included, with a mean age of 35.8 ± 10.8 years. Of these, 176 (81.1%) decided to preserve their sperm for a spouse and 41 (18.9%) elected to have the sample discarded when choosing the fate of their cryopreserved sample after their death. There was no significant difference in disposition toward sample fate based on age or method of collection. However, there was a significant difference based on the “reason for cryopreservation.” We found that compared with patients who underwent sperm cryopreservation because of cancer-related treatments, the patients who underwent sperm banking before vasectomy were more inclined to discard the sample. Men whose sperm was collected as in vitro fertilization backup were less willing to discard the sample. Conclusion(s) It appears that men’s dispositions toward postmortem disposition of their cryopreserved sperm are influenced by reason for cryopreservation, rather than age or method used for collection. As cryopreservation has become more common and affordable, understanding the factors that affect men’s disposition toward the postmortem disposition of the cryopreserved gametes is imperative, because this knowledge has the potential to influence institutional policies and legislation, and may help in resolving future legal conflicts and ethical dilemmas.
Hexagonal Fracture Patterns On Navajo Sandstone Crossbeds At Yellow Knolls, Washington County

At this geosite, the main features of interest—remarkably uniform and beautiful fracture patterns dominantly composed of linked hexagons—are present on outcrops of the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. The Navajo was deposited by large, southward-migrating desert dunes about 200 million years ago, but the fractures that define the hexagons here are just a surficial veneer less than 20 inches (half a meter) deep. The fractures are a weathering phenomenon that developed under climate conditions similar to today’s. Steep thermal gradients develop in the sandstone because it is exposed to solar radiation and changing air temperature. Polygonal fracturing is present in other Navajo exposures in southern Utah, but only in non-bedded (homogeneous) rock. The beautiful, bedding-parallel fracture pattern developed here is very rare; it developed because the bedding planes in the rock at Yellow Knolls are unusually wide-spaced.
Impact of Electro-Optical Noises and Quality Hindrances in Satellite Imagery

The focus of this presentation is on various Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) noises and Quality Hindrances (QHs) that impact the detection of a slow-moving spatially-unresolved object captured by EO/IR sensor system. We have reserved the term, noises to mean degradation factors due to EO/IR system and QHs to mean degradations due to environmental factors outside EO/IR such as clouds, fixed pattern noise (FPN), etc. The goal is to apply various noises/QHs to a slow-moving spatially-unresolved object and measure/report the degree to which detection of the object is hindered. The measuring is accomplished through statistical methods. The data representative of images containing the object and various noises/QHs are generated with a simulated software that emulates Landsat8 EO/IR sensor system with the atmospheric conditions where a dim (low SNR) and spatially unresolved object moves in wide field of view (WFOV). The object detection and the accuracy prediction model is accomplished using a U-Net neural networks. The current work is the continuation of a previously published work that has used the same neural networks architecture with a relatively high accuracy albeit without considering noise/QHs. The intent of the spiral-up compendium works is to outline a sensitivity (robustness) analysis and their limits thereof.
Generating Region of Interests for Invasive Breast Cancer in Histopathological Whole-Slide-Image

The detection of the region of interests (ROIs) on Whole Slide Images (WSIs) is one of the primary steps in computer-aided cancer diagnosis and grading. Early and accurate identification of invasive cancer regions in WSI is critical in the improvement of breast cancer diagnosis and further improvements in patient survival rates. However, invasive cancer ROI segmentation is a challenging task on WSI because of the low contrast of invasive cancer cells and their high similarity in terms of appearance, to non-invasive region. In this paper, we propose a CNN based architecture for generating ROIs through segmentation. The network tackles the constraints of data-driven learning and working with very low-resolution WSI data in the detection of invasive breast cancer. Our proposed approach is based on transfer learning and the use of dilated convolutions. We propose a highly modified version of U-Net based auto-encoder, which takes as input an entire WSI with a resolution of 320x320. The network was trained on low-resolution WSI from four different data cohorts and has been tested for inter as well as intra-dataset variance. The proposed architecture shows significant improvements in terms of accuracy for the detection of invasive breast cancer regions.
A Review of Strategic Use of Scientific Evidence

This is a bad book, a book which I nevertheless review with much hesitancy and considerable trepidation. In this hesitance, there is only a seeming paradox. Reviewing a bad book can be akin to picketing an objectionable movie. It can give currency, notoriety, and a false prominence to a book that should, by all rights, be consigned to the abyss.
VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY ASTROMETRIC OBSERVATIONS OF THE CASSINI SPACECRAFT AT SATURN

The planetary ephemeris is an essential tool for interplanetary spacecraft navigation, studies of solar system dynamics (including, for example, barycenter corrections for pulsar timing ephemerides), the prediction of occultations, and tests of general relativity. We are carrying out a series of astrometric very long baseline interferometry observations of the Cassini spacecraft currently in orbit around Saturn, using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). These observations provide positions for the center of mass of Saturn in the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) with accuracies {approx}0.3 mas (1.5 nrad) or about 2 km at the average distance of Saturn. This paper reports results from eight observing epochs between 2006 October and 2009 April. These data are combined with two VLBA observations by other investigators in 2004 and a Cassini-based gravitational deflection measurement by Fomalont et al. in 2009 to constrain a new ephemeris (DE 422). The DE 422 post-fit residuals for Saturn with respect to the VLBA data are generally 0.2 mas, but additional observations are needed to improve the positions of all of our phase reference sources to this level. Over time we expect to be able to improve the accuracy of all three coordinates in the Saturn ephemeris (latitude, longitude,more » and range) by a factor of at least three. This will represent a significant improvement not just in the Saturn ephemeris but also in the link between the inner and outer solar system ephemerides and in the link to the inertial ICRF.« less
Enhancement of Dielectric Properties of Photosensitive Composites Based on Perfluorosilane-modified BaTiO3Nanoparticles

Dielectric functionally gradient materials (d-FGM) provide a new strategy for the uniform distribution of electric field in insulators. The fabrication and application of d-FGM are based on the adjustable dielectric constant of composites, while the composite materials have excellent electrical insulation performance. The interfacial interactions between nanoparticles and matrix play a key role in the above issue. Herein, perfluorosilane (FAS-17) was adopted to modify the surface of nano-BaTiO 3 particles, and BaTiO 3 /UV-cured resin composites were prepared. The modified particles were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, TGA and water contact angle. The effects of surface-treated BaTiO 3 particles on the dielectric constant, dielectric loss and volume resistivity of photosensitive composites were systematically studied. The results show that the molecule of silane coupling agent (FAS-17) is chemically grafted on the surface of BaTiO 3 . Compared with the unmodified composite, the improvement of interface adhesion may be responsible for the effective enhancement of electrical insulation properties of the modified composites, which makes this material a promising potential to be d-FGM based on stereolithography (SLA).
Factors associated with prompt recovery among hospitalised patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: Patients who survived hospitalisation for COVID-19 experienced varying durations of illness but the factors associated with prompt recovery are unknown. This study identifies factors differentiating hospitalised patients who recovered promptly versus survived a prolonged course of illness because of COVID-19. METHODS: This was a retrospective study from March-August 2020 of hospitalised adults with COVID-19 which were grouped based on time to recovery: short (≤3 days), intermediate (4-10 days) and prolonged (>10 days). Recovery was defined as resolution of fever, tachypnea, hypotension, extubation and return of mental status at baseline. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with prompt recovery. RESULTS: Among 508 patients hospitalised for COVID-19, 401 (79%) survived. Of those, prompt recovery (within 3 days) was achieved in 43% (174/401), whereas 23% (92/401) recovered after a prolonged period of >10 days. Overall, median age was 64 years with 73% admitted from home and 25% from a skilled nursing facility. Predictors for prompt recovery upon admission included female sex (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-2.7; P = .01), no fever (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.6; P = .03), longer time from symptom onset to hospitalisation (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.1; P = .001), no supplemental oxygen (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.0; P = .004), no direct ICU admission (OR, 41.7; 95% CI, 2.4-740.4; P = .01) and absence of bacterial co-infections (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5-4.0, P = .0003). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides relevant data that could help clinicians triage competing resources in health systems that are challenged by the ebb and flow of COVID-19 cases by identifying clinical features of COVID-19 patients who may require less intensive management including avoidance of unnecessary antibacterial therapy.
Time-Efficient Characterization of Time-Dependent Gate Oxide Breakdwon Using Tunable Ramp Voltage Stress (TRVS) Method for Automotive Applications

Reliability test efficiency and accuracy are both important to technology development. In this study, we develop a new gate oxide reliability test method, called tunable ramp voltage stress (TRVS). It can perform a quick gate oxide reliability test like breakdown voltage (VBD) though a ramp voltage stress (RVS) method, and also receive the data accuracy similar to conventional TDDB, which is a constant voltage stress (CVS) method. Moreover, we exploit this method to enable large-sample-size measurement. More samples imply lower projection error. This greatly benefits TDDB lifetime projection of devices for automotive applications.
High-contrast osteochondral junction imaging using a 3D dual adiabatic inversion recovery-prepared ultrashort echo time cones sequence.

While conventional MRI sequences cannot visualize tissues from the osteochondral junction (OCJ) due to these tissues' short transverse T2 /T2 * relaxations, ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequences can overcome this limitation. A 2D UTE sequence with a dual adiabatic inversion recovery preparation (DIR-UTE) for selective imaging of short T2 tissues with high contrast has previously been developed, but high sensitivity to eddy currents and aliased out-of-slice excitation make it difficult to image the thin layer of the OCJ in vivo. Here, we combine the DIR scheme with a 3D UTE cones sequence for volumetric imaging of OCJ tissues in vivo, aiming to generate higher OCJ contrast compared with a recently developed single IR-prepared UTE sequence with a fat saturation module (IR-FS-UTE). All sequences were implemented on a 3-T clinical scanner. The DIR-UTE cones sequence combined a 3D UTE cones sequence with two narrow-band adiabatic IR preparation pulses centered on water and fat spectrum frequencies, respectively. The 3D DIR-UTE cones sequence was first applied to a phantom, then to the knees of four healthy volunteers and four patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis and compared with the IR-FS-UTE sequence. In both phantom and volunteer studies, the proposed DIR-UTE cones sequence showed much higher contrast for OCJ imaging than the IR-FS-UTE sequence did. The 3D DIR-UTE cones sequence showed a significantly higher contrast-to-noise ratio between the OCJ and subchondral bone fat (mean, standard deviation [SD]: 25.7 ± 2.3) and between the OCJ and superficial layers of cartilage (mean, SD: 22.2 ± 3.5) compared with the IR-FS-UTE sequence (mean, SD: 10.8 ± 2.5 and 16.3 ± 2.6, respectively). The 3D DIR-UTE cones sequence is feasible for imaging of the OCJ region of the knee in vivo and produces both high resolution and high contrast.
Situated Ethics in Development: STS Insights for a Pragmatic Approach to Development Policy and Practice:

Technology has played a central role in development programming since the inception of development assistance. Recent development organizations, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, believe ...
Business jet approach noise abatement techniques - Flight test results

Operational techniques for reducing approach noise from business jet aircraft were evaluated in flight by measuring the noise generated by five such aircraft during modified approaches. Approaches with 4-deg glide slopes were approximately 4.0 EPNdB quieter than approaches with standard 3-deg glide slopes. Noise reductions for low-drag 3-deg approaches varied widely among the airplanes tested; the fleet-weighted reduction was 8.5 EPNdB. Two-segment approaches resulted in noise reductions of 7.0 EPNdB to 8.5 EPNdB 3 nautical miles and 5 nautical miles from touchdown. Pilot workload increased progressively for the 4-deg, low-drag 3-deg, and two-segment approach.
PDR: A Prevention, Detection and Response Mechanism for Anomalies in Energy Control Systems

Prevention, detection and response are nowadays considered to be three priority topics for protecting critical infrastructures, such as energy control systems. Despite attempts to address these current issues, there is still a particular lack of investigation in these areas, and in particular in dynamic and automatic proactive solutions. In this paper we propose a mechanism, which is called PDR, with the capability of anticipating anomalies, detecting anomalous behaviours and responding to them in a timely manner. PDR is based on a conglomeration of technologies and on a set of essential components with the purpose of offering situational awareness irrespective of where the system is located. In addition, the mechanism can also compute its functional capacities by evaluating its efficacy and precision in the prediction and detection of disturbances. With this, the entire system is able to know the real reliability of its services and its activity in remote substations at all times.
Polarization dependent electromagnetic band-gap surfaces: characterization, designs, and applications

Electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures have been widely explored in recent years. Due to their unique electromagnetic features, various antenna and device applications have been reported. One important feature of EBG structures is the in-phase reflection coefficient, which enables one to design low profile antennas without losing radiation efficiency. However, most research is focused on square unit EBG surfaces that are independent on polarization states. In this paper, polarization dependent EBG (PDEBG) surfaces are investigated. A numerical model, various EBG surface designs, and potential antenna applications are presented.
Recent Results from NA49

NA49 is a large acceptance charged particle spectrometer at the CERN SPS, designed to study collisions of lead ions at beam energies up to 160 GeV/nucleon. Central collisions of heavy nuclei at these energies produce multiplicities that are unprecedented in accelerator-based nuclear and high energy physics experiments: over 1000 charged particles may be produced in a single collision. To image these enormously complex events, NA49 is based upon four large Time Projection Chambers (TPCs), two Vertex TPCs (VTPCs) placed sequentially along the beamline within large dipole magnets, and two Main TPCs (MTPCs) placed side-by-side downstream of the magnets. Particle identification over wide phase space is carried out via the measurement of specific ionization ( ) in the TPC gas, and via Time of Flight over a narrower acceptance where the technique does not have sufficient resolution. The principal trigger for heavy ion collisions is forward-going energy (E VETO ), measured by a calorimeter with a narrow apperture placed 25 m downstream of the target.
How research on child maltreatment has informed the study of child development: Perspectives from developmental psychopathology.

Introduction Throughout the past decade, a growing number of investigators have focused their theoretical formulations and empirical research on the normal processes of ontogenesis in the social, emotional, social-cognitive, cognitive, and linguistic domains and on the relation between functioning in childhood and later developmental outcome (Lewis, Feiring, McGuffog, and Jaskir, 1984; Main, Kaplan, and Cassidy, 1985; Sroufe, 1979a, 1983). Much of this work has been guided by the organizational perspective on development (Cicchetti and Schneider-Rosen, 1984, 1986; Cicchetti and Sroufe, 1978; Sroufe, 1979b; Sroufe and Waters, 1976; Werner, 1948) and has been conducted in order to expand our knowledge of the normal developmental process. The study of children who are at high risk for developmental deviation and psychopathology can contribute greatly to our extant theories of normal development (Cicchetti, 1984; Werner, 1948). For example, the empirical investigation of populations where divergent patterns of socioemotional, cognitive, linguistic, and social-cognitive development may be expected as a consequence of the pervasive and enduring influences that characterize the transaction between the child and the environment, such as is the case with maltreated children and their families, provides the appropriate basis for affirming and challenging current developmental theories. Additionally, the study of the developmental organization of high risk children simultaneously allows for the formulation of a more integrative theory of development that can account for the nature of the interrelations among the social, emotional, linguistic, and cognitive/social-cognitive domains (Cicchetti and Schneider-Rosen, 1984; Hesse and Cicchetti, 1982).
Evaluation of a New Commercial TaqMan PCR Assay for Direct Detection of the Clostridium difficile Toxin B Gene in Clinical Stool Specimens

The ProGastro Cd assay (Prodesse, Inc., Waukesha, WI) is a new commercial TaqMan PCR assay that detects tcdB. The ProGastro Cd assay was compared to the Wampole Clostridium difficile toxin B test (TOX-B test; TechLab, Blacksburg, VA), a cell culture cytotoxicity neutralization assay (CCCNA), and to anaerobic toxigenic bacterial culture, as the "gold standard," for 285 clinical stool specimens. Assays were independently performed according to manufacturers' directions. A 1.0-ml sample was removed from the stool specimen, of which 20 microl was used for extraction on the NucliSENS easyMAG platform (bioMerieux, Inc., Durham, NC) for the Prodesse ProGastro Cd assay and 200 microl of the stool filtrate was used for the TOX-B CCCNA. Anaerobic toxigenic culture was done by heating an additional 1.0 ml of the stool sample to 80 degrees C for 10 min before inoculation onto modified cycloserine, cefoxitin, and fructose agar with horse blood (Remel, Lenexa, KS) and into a prereduced chopped meat glucose broth (BBL, BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD). The prevalence of toxin-producing strains of C. difficile was 15.7% (n = 44) as determined by anaerobic toxigenic culture. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the Prodesse ProGastro Cd assay compared to the TOX-B test were 83.3%, 95.6%, 69.4%, and 98%, respectively. Compared to toxigenic culture, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the Prodesse ProGastro Cd assay were 77.3%, 99.2%, 94.4%, and 95.9%, respectively, and those of the TOX-B test were 63.6%, 99.2%, 93.3%, and 93.6%, respectively. Although no statistical difference (Fisher's exact test) was detected (P = 0.242) between the sensitivities of the Prodesse ProGastro Cd assay and a standard CCCNA compared to anaerobic culture for the detection of toxigenic C. difficile, the Prodesse ProGastro Cd assay did detect more toxigenic C. difficile isolates than the CCCNA.
A study of the frequency dependence of the dielectrophoretic effect in thermoset polymers

Ceramic-polymer composites with a 1–3 connectivity can be created via a novel process called dielectrophoretic assembly. The process involves an electric field which is applied to a suspension of ceramic particles in an uncured thermoset polymer matrix. Under appropriate conditions, the applied electric field acts to induce a spatial redistribution of the particles into a chained or fibril structure. It was shown previously that the electrorheological response and fibril microstructure are dependent on both the frequency and magnitude of the applied alternating electric field.3 This paper will show that the frequency dependence of the uncured thermoset polymer suspensions results from the complex electrical phenomena specific to each thermoset system. Specifically, it will be shown through low field dielectric measurements and high field current-voltage analysis that the dielectrophoretic effect can be limited by electrode polarization, ionic conductivity, and space charge relaxation. It is the frequency dependence of these limiting phenomena that gives rise to the observed frequency dependence in the dielectrophoretic force of attraction being utilized to drive particulate assembly.
Research vistas in chronic otitis media

Research vistas in chronic otitis media In spite of recent major advances in our knowledge of the basic factors in diseases of bone and mucosa the mechanisms responsible for the development of cholesteatoma are still not known for certain. The role of connective tissue in determining the histologic character of the overlying epithelium deserves more attention. It is possible that more radical removal of connective tissue from the mastoid would result in a lower incidence of post operative cholesteatoma. A study of human temporal bones provides little evidence that retraction pockets are caused by underlying scar tissue. Although a vast weight of suspicion indicts malfunction of the Eustachian tube as the primary cause of chronic middle ear disease, the proof is lacking providing a supreme challenge for otologists of the future.