cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OPTIMAL ENFORCEMENT OF NONCOMPETE COVENANTS

Noncompete covenants or covenant not to compete (CNC) are clauses in employment contracts in which the employee agrees not to gain employment with a competitor firm. In this article, we study the efficiency aspects of such contracts by incorporating the effect of labor mobility restrictions on knowledge transfer across firms, investment decisions by firms, and investment by workers. Following research that shows state-wise variations in the degree of CNC enforcement, we allow the strength of CNC enforcement to vary as a matter of regulatory policy and derive the optimal strength of enforcement. We also look at how regulations around CNCs should be optimally designed when employers can use collusive agreements, such as “no poaching” agreements, as an alternative to noncompete clauses. Given recent allegations of employer collusion among large Silicon Valley firms, we argue for a cautious approach in designing policies on CNC enforcement. (JEL J24, J41, J63, K31)
329 GROWTH FACTOR STIMULATION OF MIGRATION OF HUMAN RENAL PROXIMAL TUBULE CELLS AFTER OXIDANT STRESS

Proximal tubule cell migration is likely a critical early event in recovery from acute renal injury with spreading and migration of cells to cover denuded basement membrane. Growth factors (GFs), including epidermal (EGF), hepatocyte (HGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), may play an important role in repair. We have previously shown that each stimulates migration in immortalized human proximal renal tubule cells under control conditions. We now investigated the effect of GFs on migration of these cells after oxidant stress. The cells were cultured in serum- and growth factor-free medium. Confluent cultures were exposed to H2O2 for 1 hour, washed, then scraped with a pipette tip. GFs were added and the area of migration was measured over the next 6 hours. After oxidant stress with 750 μM peroxide, migration decreased to 60% of control (uninjured, no GFs) values. After EGF and HGF migration returned nearly to control values while IGF-1 actually stimulated migration to 131 ± 12 (SEM) % of control values. Adding EGF or HGF to IGF-1 further stimulated migration to 163 ± 16% and 166 ± 13% of control values respectively, representing an increase of ˜ 2.7× over peroxide injured cells (with no GFs). EGF and HGF were not additive. With more severe injury (1.2-1.5 mM H2O2), there was modest stimulation by HGF and IGF-1. There was still some additivity of EGF and HGF with IGF-1, averaging ˜ 1.5× peroxide alone, but values remained depressed compared to uninjured cells not treated with GFs. In summary, the GFs examined stimulated human proximal tubule cell migration after oxidant stress, with IGF-1 being the most potent, especially in combination with EGF or HGF. The stimulation was most pronounced with mild injury. We conclude that the stimulation of migration by growth factors may contribute to their beneficial effect after acute injury.
Hepatocellular resectability depends on the "Eye of the Beholder".

Background: Partial hepatectomy and liver transplantation are considered curative treatments for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) meeting the Milan criteria (solitary tumor <5 cm or up to 3 nodules<3 cm). This study was designed to clarify whether partial hepatectomy can be the first option in patients eligible for both treatments. Study Design: All patients (n = 152) underwent curative surgical operation for primary HCC during 2000 to 2005 at our hospital. Eighty-seven patients met Milan criteria and the remaining 65 did not. Outcomes were examined according to Milan criteria. Results: After partial hepatectomy, 3-year survival rate was 89.6% for the group that met Milan criteria, compared with 60.8% for the group that did not (P = 0.0044). Among patients with HCC who initially met the criteria, tumor recurrences were observed in 30 patients; 23 patients met criteria and 7 patients exceeded the criteria at first diagnosis of recurrence. Patients with recurrence within the criteria showed a higher 3-year survival rate compared with patients with recurrence exceeding the criteria (100% vs. 19.8%; P < 0.0001). Analysis of clinicopath-ologic variables to predict mode of recurrence revealed tumor size (P < 0.0001) and lower histologic differentiation (P = 0.0326) as positive factors for recurrence exceeding Milan criteria. Conclusions: Our results suggest that it is an appropriate strategy to treat HCC patients who meet Milan criteria with partial hepatectomy. It should be noted that approximately one-tenth of patients who initially met Milan criteria experienced postoperative recurrence that exceeded the criteria.
Sex Differences in the Relationship between Fitness and Obesity on Risk for Asthma in Adolescents

Objective To evaluate the relationship of fitness and obesity on asthma risk in adolescent girls and boys. Study design A cross-sectional assessment of participants 12-19 years of age was conducted by the use of data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants completed cardiorespiratory fitness testing, body composition measurements, and respiratory questionnaires. Results A total of 4828 participants were included. Overweight/obesity was associated with increased odds of history of asthma (aOR 1.63, 95% CI 1.16-2.30), current asthma (aOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.13, 2.64), and wheezing (aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.03-1.91) in girls. Overweight/obesity also was associated with increased odds of asthma attacks (aOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.56-4.65) and wheezing related to exercise (aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.07-2.38) in girls. High fitness was associated with lower odds of asthma-related visits to the emergency department (aOR 0.24, 95% CI 0.07-0.89), wheezing-related medical visits (aOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.75), wheezing-related missed days (aOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.06-0.33), and wheezing related to exercise (aOR 0.43, 95% CI 0.24-0.76) in boys. Conclusion Overweight/obesity is associated with increased asthma prevalence and morbidity in girls but not in boys, independent of fitness. High fitness is associated with decreased rates of asthma morbidity in boys but not in girls, independent of weight status. Obesity and fitness may each influence asthma onset and severity in different ways for girls compared with boys.
Is Vigorous Physical Activity Feasible for Blind Children in Public Schools

(1969). Is Vigorous Physical Activity Feasible for Blind Children in Public Schools? Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 97-98.
Questions for the Insurance Forms Manager

The impetus to obtain an in-house computer is often for the purpose of automatically completing certain types of insurance forms (Fig. 2.1). If the practice fills out 10 Medicare forms (Fig. 2.2) each month, buying a computer solely to perform this function would not be a wise investment. Conversely, if the practice sees no Medicaid patients because forms are too complex, seeing an extra 30 Medicaid patients each month, even at the reduced fees, could pay for a large part of the computer system. To put problems into perspective, you should count the number of each form that is filled out each month. If a specific software package cannot handle CHAMPUS claims but you use only two or three a month, you do not need software which can produce every possible form.
Ocular histopathology in Eastern equine encephalitis: A case report.

Abstract Purpose To describe the ophthalmic symptoms and histopathological findings in a human case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Observations The patient was a septuagenarian male whose presentation and clinical course were thought to be most consistent with viral meningoencephalitis. ELISA suggested recent infection with EEE virus. Microscopic analysis of the brain demonstrated perivascular lymphohistiocytic cuffing which was consistent with viral type encephalitis. Similarly, both eyes manifested a lymphohistiocytic infiltrate in the retina and optic nerve and a reduced number of ganglion cells. Conclusions and importance To our knowledge, this is the first report of ophthalmological and ocular pathology observations in an EEE patient. Interestingly, the inflammatory findings in the retina are reminiscent of the central nervous system effects of EEE virus. These findings are relevant given the recent epidemic of microcephaly and ophthalmic complications secondary to another arboviral virus, the Zika virus.
LLVM framework and IR extensions for parallelization, SIMD vectorization and offloading

LLVM has become an integral part of the software-development ecosystem for developing advanced compilers, high-performance computing software and tools. This paper presents a small set of LLVM IR extensions for explicitly parallel, vector, and offloading program constructs. The proposed LLVM IR extensions enable the lowering and transformation in the LLVM middle-end for the OpenMP® C/C++ and Fortran API, and any other explicitly parallel/simd constructs in high-level source languages. This paper discusses the rationale of the LLVM IR extensions to support OpenMP constructs and clauses, and presents the LLVM intrinsic functions, the framework for parallelization, vectorization, and offloading, and the sandwich scheme to model the OpenMP parallel, simd, offloading and data-attribute semantics under the SSA form. Examples are given to show our implementation in the LLVM middle-end passes, which paves the way to achieve a better interaction with scalar optimizations, vectorization, and loop optimizations, and thus resulting in higher performance.
Using a Bayesian Method to Assess Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia for ILI Surveillance

Objective To comparatively analyze Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia by evaluating how well change points detected in each web-based source correspond to change points detected in CDC ILI data. Introduction Traditional influenza surveillance relies on reports of influenza- like illness (ILI) by healthcare providers, capturing individuals who seek medical care and missing those who may search, post, and tweet about their illnesses instead. Existing research has shown some promise of using data from Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia for influenza surveillance, but with conflicting findings, studies have only evaluated these web-based sources individually or dually without comparing all three of them 1-5 . A comparative analysis of all three web-based sources is needed to know which of the web-based sources performs best in order to be considered to complement traditional methods. Methods We collected publicly available, de-identified data from the CDC ILINet system, Google Flu Trends, HealthTweets.org, and Wikipedia for the 2012-2015 influenza seasons. Bayesian change point analysis was the method used to detect change points, or seasonal changes, in each of the web-data sources for comparison to change points in CDC ILI data. All analyses was conducted using the R package ‘bcp’ v4.0.0 in RStudio v0.99.484. Sensitivity and positive predictive values (PPV) were then calculated. Results During the 2012-2015 influenza seasons, a high sensitivity of 92% was found for Google, while the PPV for Google was 85%. A low sensitivity of 50% was found for Twitter; a low PPV of 43% was found for Twitter also. Wikipedia had the lowest sensitivity of 33% and lowest PPV of 40%. Conclusions Google had the best combination of sensitivity and PPV in detecting change points that corresponded with change points found in CDC data. Overall, change points in Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia data occasionally aligned well with change points captured in CDC ILI data, yet these sources did not detect all changes in CDC data, which could indicate limitations of the web-based data or signify that the Bayesian method is not adequately sensitive. These three web- based sources need to be further studied and compared using other statistical methods before being incorporated as surveillance data to complement traditional systems. Figure 1. Detection of change points, 2012-2013 influenza season Figure 2. Detection of change points, 2013-2014 influenza season Figure 3. Detection of change points, 2014-2015 influenza season
Sodium rhodizonate induced formation of gold nanoparticles supported on cellulose fibers for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and organic dyes

Abstract We demonstrate sodium rhodizonate as a novel dual-functional reducing and stabilizing agent to form gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of controlled size based on temperature. At room temperature (ca. 23 °C), the method generates AuNPs with an average size of ∼11 nm, whereas at 80 °C, it forms AuNPs with an average size of ∼7 nm. The rhodizonate-stabilized AuNPs readily bind to cellulose fibers (CF) while maintaining a high catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of the CF-supported AuNPs nanocomposites is demonstrated by the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and organic dyes such as methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB) in water. A glass column-based continuous catalytic reduction and its recyclability is also demonstrated for practical applications.
General Problem-Solving Styles and Problem-Solving Approaches in Video Games.

Video game play is a pervasive recreational activity, particularly among college students. While there is a large research base focused on educational video game play and uses of games in the classroom, there is much less research focused on cognitive strategies and entertainment video game play. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential relationships between general problem-solving styles and problem-solving approaches in video games. One hundred and thirty-eight undergraduate college students completed online surveys about their video game play and also an assessment of general problem-solving style. A multivariate linear regression revealed relationships between general problem-solving styles and problem-solving preferences in video games, with a few differences when looking at specific genres of games. This study provides evidence that approaches to video game play can be a reflection of real-life problem-solving styles.
Synapse formation in the brain can be enhanced by co-administering three specific nutrients

The memory impairments of early Alzheimer's disease [AD] are thought to result from a deficiency in synapses within the hippocampus and related brain regions. This deficiency could result from an acceleration in synapse turnover - perhaps caused by an endogenous neurotoxin like A-beta oligomers - or from a decrease in the production of the synaptic membrane needed to form new synapses. An AD-associated decrease in synaptogenesis almost certainly does occur, inasmuch as major decreases are also observed in the numbers of hippocampal dendritic spines, the immediate cytologic precursor of glutamatergic synapses. The syntheses of new dendritic spines and synapses can, however, be increased by concurrently raising brain levels of three circulating nutrients - uridine, omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and choline. This could provide an additional strategy for restoring synapses and thereby memory. The three nutrients are rate-limiting precursors in the Kennedy Cycle, the pathway which forms the phosphatides that are the major component of synaptic membranes. Uridine also increases the production of synaptic proteins, the other major membrane constituent, and the outgrowth of neurites. Hence administering the three nutrients accelerates synapse formation. These actions of uridine are largely mediated by uridine triphosphate (UTP), which can be released as a neurotransmitter from presynaptic terminals and can then activate P2Y2 receptors. The UTP in neurons can also be converted to cytidylyl triphosphate, CTP, the intermediate utilized in the Kennedy Cycle.
Meta-analysis, Evidence-Based Medicine, and Clinical Guidelines

Meta-analysis refers to methods for the systematic review of a set of individual studies (either from the aggregate data or the individual patient data) with the aim to quantitatively combine their results. This has become a popular approach to attempt to answer questions when the results from individual studies have not been definitive. This chapter will discuss meta-analyses and highlight issues that need critical assessment before the results of the meta-analysis are accepted. Some of these critical issues include: publication bias, sampling bias, and study heterogeneity. Evidence-based medicine and clinical practice guidelines are dependent upon meta-analyses to guide their recommendations. Evidence-based medicine is an apt term to the extent that it advocates more reliance on clinical research than on personal experience or intuition; and, has led to a paradigm outlining the “level of evidence” that addresses a particular clinical question (also see Chap. 3). These “levels of evidence” are also utilized by clinical practice guidelines, but “as the number of available guidelines provided by a variety of sources has literally exploded, serious questions and controversies have arisen about how guidelines should be developed, implemented, and evaluated.”
Super-promoter:TEV, a Powerful Gene Expression System for Tobacco Hairy Roots

In order to identify a promoter system for high-level expression of transgenes in hairy roots, we characterized the chimeric super-promoter fused to the translational enhancer from tobacco etch virus (TEV). Transgenic tobacco plants and hairy roots were generated with the super-promoter:TEV sequence and a modified green fluorescence protein (mGFP5) as a reporter gene. To exploit the utility of hairy root cultures as a secretion-based expression system, the signal peptide of patatin was fused to mGFP5 to direct its secretion into the culture medium. Levels of mGFP5 RNA were on average sixfold higher in hairy roots than leaves. Likewise, GFP protein levels per gram of fresh weight were at least tenfold higher in hairy roots than leaves. Furthermore, more than 10% of the recombinant protein produced in the hairy root culture system was found in the medium. Immunoblotting with anti-GFP antibodies showed two products of 27.1 and 29.9 kDa in all leaf and hairy root tissue extracts, whereas a single 27.1-kDa product was detected in the medium. Inducibility of the promoter was studied with mature leaves and 14-day (midlog phase) hairy roots. A twofold increase in mRNA levels was found immediately after wounding in both mature leaves and hairy roots, with a corresponding increase in mGFP5 protein after 24 h. Our studies demonstrate the utility of the super-promoter:TEV system for high-level expression of recombinant proteins in hairy root bioreactors.
Side Effects as Influencers of Treatment Outcome

Research relative to the efficacy of a therapeutic agent commands a clinician's greatest interest, but treatment decisions are made based on optimizing efficacy and tolerability/safety considerations. Second-generation atypical antipsychotic drugs are a study in the importance of taking a careful look at the full benefit-risk profile of each drug. The disorders that atypical antipsychotics are approved to treat--schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder--are associated with an increased rate of certain medical comorbidities compared to the general population. Between-drug differences in efficacy are relatively modest for the atypicals, or between atypicals and conventionals, while differences in safety and tolerability are larger and more clinically relevant. The current article will provide a brief summary of safety-related issues that influence treatment outcome and choice of drug.
Channel Temperature Model for Microwave AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on SiC and Sapphire MMICs in High Power, High Efficiency SSPAs

A key parameter in the design trade-offs made during AlGaN/GaN HEMTs development for microwave power amplifiers is the channel temperature. An accurate determination can, in general, only be found using detailed software; however, a quick estimate is always helpful, as it speeds up the design cycle. This paper gives a simple technique to estimate the channel temperature of a generic microwave AlGaN/GaN HEMT on SiC or Sapphire, while incorporating the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity. The procedure is validated by comparing its predictions with the experimentally measured temperatures in microwave devices presented in three recently published articles. The model predicts the temperature to within 5 to 10 percent of the true average channel temperature. The calculation strategy is extended to determine device temperature in power combining MMICs for solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs).
The role of capital capacity, spatial competition, and strategic orientation to mergers and acquisitions by U.S. farmer cooperatives

Abstract U.S. farmer cooperatives are increasing in size but decreasing in number because of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. However, the empirical literature on cooperative M&A activity is scarce and has only considered capital structure characteristics as possible explanations. We contribute to the existing literature by exploring the relationship of capital capacity, spatial competition, and strategic orientation to M&A activity by the largest 1000 U.S. farmer cooperatives in the 2014–2016 period. Using probit and negative binomial regressions, we find equity constraints did not inform recent M&A activity in the U.S. farmer cooperative sector. Rather, we find M&A activity increased in size and decreased in leverage. In addition, we find farmer cooperatives with larger market shares are less likely to pursue M&A activity, but proximity to other farmer cooperatives in the same sector increases the probability of external growth behavior. Also, farmer cooperatives which pursue differentiation are less likely to grow externally, suggesting recent M&As have been motivated by tangible as opposed to intangible asset acquisitions.
Retrospective Review of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lumbosacral Spine: Are We Overinvestigating?

OBJECTIVE Lower back pain (LBP) is a worldwide health problem, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a common modality used to aid in its diagnosis. Although specific guidelines for assessing the necessity of MRI usage exist, the use of MRI as the initial imaging method for LBP seems to be more common than necessary in general practice. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of 313 patients who had undergone MRI of the lumbosacral spine during 2014-2015. We recorded and compared various factors, including age, sex, body mass index, current smoking status, race, symptoms, MRI findings, and progression to surgery within the next year. All rates were compared according to whether the MRI results showed radiographically significant findings (MRI-positive) or not (MRI-negative) using the chi-square or Fisher exact tests (if the expected cell count was <5). All analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of each symptom between the MRI-positive and MRI-negative groups, which accounted for 58.5% (183 of 313) and 41.5% (130 of 313) of the MRIs, respectively. The difference in the rate of surgery in the next year (18% among MRI-positive patients and 8.5% among MRI-negative patients) was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Based on our findings, 41.5% of patients underwent lumbar MRI unnecessarily and 81% of patients with positive MRIs did not have surgery within the next year. Further physician training is needed to avoid unnecessary investigations and expenditures.
Characterizing Elementary-School Students’ Epistemology of Science: Science as Collective Theory-Building Process

Building on Carey and Smith’s work on epistemology of science, this study characterized elementary students’ scientific epistemology from the role-of-idea and theory-building perspective. The participants included 102 elementary students in Hong Kong. Open-ended questions and coding schemes were developed to examine and characterize their epistemic understanding of science. Four key dimensions were identified: role of idea, theory-fact understanding, theory revision and creation, and social process of scientific progress. The general pattern showed that students’ views of scientific inquiry ranged from seeing it as a mechanical process involving concrete materials and sets of scientific skills, to viewing it as an idea-driven process comprising collective theory-building and knowledge creation. The analysis showed that these students generally had a limited understanding of the role-of-idea and theory-building in science. Quantitative analysis indicated that this conceptualized epistemology of science was an important predictor of students’ academic performance in science. Implications for science education and future research are discussed.
Identifying the Signatures of Missing Transcripts

In eukaryotes, alternative splicing (AS) is a fundamental mechanism of post-transcriptional regulation. AS occurs within the majority of multi-exon genes and has important implications for physiology, development, and diseases. AS might generate a plethora of different transcript isoforms from a single gene and lead to differential expression of transcript isoforms across tissues, developmental time points and disease-states. The increasing amount of available RNA-seq data has resulted in various transcript assembly algorithms. However, these algorithms are far from perfect, often yielding highly incomplete, and sometimes erroneous, transcriptome reconstructions. In our presentation we discuss how gene and alignment features, as well as other metrics, could be used to detect un-annotated alternative splicing events. The goal of our research is to identify genes that show reliable evidence for ‘missing’ splice variants in their transcript catalogue.
Pregnant Mares Grazing a Novel Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Foal Normally

Abstract These experiments were conducted to determine if pregnant mares grazing a novel endophyte tall fescue (NETF) pasture would have satisfactory foaling outcomes. The hypotheses tested were that mares grazing the NETF pasture or an orchardgrass/Kentucky bluegrass (OGBG) pasture would have statistically equivalent (1) serum progesterone, estradiol, and prolactin concentrations, (2) blood chemistry analyte concentrations, and (3) palmar artery sizes. In addition, foals born on the respective pastures would grow at comparable rates. Over 4.5 months, during each of two summers, 12 foaling mares were placed on either NETF or OGBG pastures (n = 6 mares/pasture/year). There were no differences in the blood sample concentrations of progesterone, estradiol, prolactin, and chemistry analytes between the groups. Combined uterine placental thickness and placental weights were not different between the two groups of mares, and foals grew at equivalent rates. The diameter of the palmar artery of each mare was measured via Doppler ultrasonography as a bioassay for consumption of ergot alkaloids of fescue pastures. Diameters were not different between mares grazing NETF versus OGBG pastures. However, palmar artery diameters of nonpregnant mares grazing a pasture of toxic Kentucky 31 tall fescue were reduced compared to mares on the NETF or OGBG pastures. Pasture analyses demonstrated that the NETF was endophyte infected but produced no or trace amounts of ergovaline. In summary, there were no differences in any variable tested between mares grazing the new, NETF fescue pasture, compared with mares grazing a standard OGBG pasture.
Characteristics of medical oncologists participating in the Oncology Care Model.

e18017Background: The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is Medicare’s first bundled payment program for patients with cancer. Because practices voluntarily enrolled in the OCM in 2016, there may be differe...
Chorioamnionitis and Infectious Complications after Vaginal Delivery.

Objective To estimate the incidence of and define risk factors for postpartum infectious complications after vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) complicated by chorioamnionitis. Study Design A secondary analysis of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit Cesarean Registry was performed. The primary outcome was a composite of postpartum infection: endometritis, sepsis, pelvic abscess, urinary tract infection, necrotizing fasciitis, and septic pelvic thrombophlebitis. Peripartum predictors were compared using parametric and nonparametric tests, as appropriate, and multivariate predictors assessed using logistic regression. Results A total of 559 subjects had chorioamnionitis in labor and a successful VBAC. Twenty-four (4.3%) subjects experienced the primary outcome, mainly due to endometritis (19/24). Significant factors included preterm delivery Conclusion Nearly 5% of women with chorioamnionitis had a postpartum infectious complication after vaginal delivery, with higher rates in those delivering at
The potential of additive manufacturing technologies and their processing parameters for the fabrication of all-ceramic crowns: A review.

OBJECTIVE This article aims to provide a review of the additive manufacturing technologies and the processing parameters that have been investigated for the fabrication of all ceramic crowns. OVERVIEW Additive manufacturing has crept its way into the field of dentistry for the fabrication of resin and metal prosthesis. To evaluate the current status of additive manufacturing for the fabrication of all ceramic crowns, literature review was targeted to include publications pertaining to the fabrication of dental ceramics and all ceramic crowns. With respect to the additive manufacturing of dental ceramics, five technologies have been investigated to date: stereolithography, material extrusion, powder based fusion, direct inkjet printing, and binder jetting. The processing parameters and experimental outcomes were collated and described for each of the aforementioned technologies. CONCLUSION Additive manufacturing has demonstrated promising experimental outcomes and corroborated to the fabrication all ceramic crowns. However, the technology is yet to witness a commercial breakthrough within this domain. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Additive manufacturing mitigates raw material wastage and tooling stresses that are associated with milling of ceramics. Continued research and development can lead to its approbation as an alternate technology for manufacturing all ceramic restorations.
Promoting political and civic engagement in a nonmajor sustainable chemistry course

Abstract A nonmajor chemistry course with a sustainability focus was developed as part of an effort to embed sustainability throughout the curriculum at Widener University. Using the American Chemical Society (ACS) textbook Chemistry in Context, we sought to reinforce the concept of chemistry as the “central science” in solving big issues related to energy and the environment. What distinguishes this course from traditional general education chemistry classes is the inclusion of a substantial civic engagement component. Students were introduced to sustainability issues at the local, state and national levels through field trips and advocacy activities. In preparation for a Lobby Day at the state capitol, students researched pending legislation, identified bills to support or refute, and (in collaboration with faculty and students in the Political Science and Communication Studies departments) prepared talking points or position papers to share with legislators. At the local level, students learned about environmental injustice in Chester from the perspective of a grassroots environmental advocacy group. A visit to Washington DC, allowed students to consider how sustainability relates to national politics and commerce, with a trip to government buildings and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. Student reflections indicated a positive experience with chemistry, a greater understanding of environmental issues that affect them, and better awareness of how they can effect change.
Estimating the Effect that Interactions Between Chemical Reactions and Environmental Influences Have on the Corrosivity of the Electrolyte

The properties of electrolytes formed from atmospheric processes, whether thin films or droplets, change in response to changes in the environment. Specifically, temperature and relative humidity changes can induce condensation or evaporation directly or indirectly alter the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, alter the solution conductivity, or speed up or slow down chemical reactions, which can alter the corrosivity of the electrolyte. In this work, we develop a numerical model of the galvanic couple between a stainless steel and aluminum alloy exposed to a thin film electrolyte equilibrating to different temperature and relative humidity conditions, and we examine how changes in solution resistivity, dissolved oxygen concentration, and chemical reactions in the electrolyte change the corrosion current in the galvanic couple. We then compare these results to some experimental measurements made on a similar galvanic couple in a controlled humidity and temperature chamber.
Cricoid chondritis: A rare and reversible etiology of airway stenosis

Abstract Objectives Chondritis of the cricoid cartilage is a rare cause of airway stenosis that may occur after endotracheal intubation, particularly in the setting of trauma. Patients may present with significant airway compromise that is reversible if recognized and treated promptly. We describe the radiological appearance of cricoid chondritis on computed tomography (CT) imaging as a possible adjunct for prompt diagnosis. Design Case series of two patients. Setting Tertiary referral center. Participants Twenty and seventeen year-old male patients. Main outcome measure Appearance on CT and clinical course. Results We report two cases of young gentlemen who presented with dyspnea, stridor, and dysphonia after prolonged endotracheal intubation for polytrauma. Both patients had findings of subglottic narrowing, vocal fold edema and erythema, and reduced vocal fold abduction on laryngoscopy. CT revealed sclerosis and destruction of the cricoid cartilage. Both patients underwent a single endoscopic airway surgery with steroid injection and balloon dilation, as well as oral antibiotic and steroid therapy. They reported subjective improvement in their symptoms and had near complete resolution of their glottic and subglottic abnormalities on laryngoscopy. Neither patient has had recurrence of their stenosis at most recent follow up. Conclusions Chondritis of the cricoid cartilage may occur following intubation and presents with airway compromise that is reversible with treatment. Prompt diagnosis with adjunctive CT imaging facilitates early intervention, possibly preventing maturation of airway stenosis and development of abscess. Antibiotics should be considered in addition to surgical management.
Tip-Enhanced Photoluminescence in Picocavity

Tip-enhanced photoluminescence (TEPL) of the picophotonic cavity formed by the plasmonic gold-coated AFM tip on the atomically flat gold substrate with < 1 nm gap. TEPL intensity increased for short time-sample distance and quenched In the quantum tunneling limit due to the hot electron injection.
Transfer Learning for Event Detection From PMU Measurements With Scarce Labels

Event detection in electrical grids is a challenging problem for machine learning methods due to spatiotemporally nonstationary systems and the inability to automate event labeling in high-volume data such as PMU measurements. As a result, the existing historical event logs created manually do not correlate well with the corresponding PMU measurements due to scarce and temporally imprecise labels. Trying to overcome this problem by extending event logs to a complete set of labeled events is very costly and often infeasible. We focused on utilizing a transfer learning model to reduce the need for additional data labeling by leveraging some labeled data instances available from a small number of well-defined event detection task. To demonstrate the feasibility, we tested our approach on a large dataset collected by 38 PMUs from the Western Interconnection of the U.S.A. over two years. The model evaluation performed based on varying percentages of labeled source data corresponding to $\sim 20$ -700 characteristic events on different sizes of time windows ranging from 2-seconds to 1-minute demonstrates that the developed method can significantly improve automated event detection based on PMU measurements when extensive labeling is costly or impossible to obtain. When compared to the state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms (unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised), the results show that the transfer learning method has significantly better performances when detecting events by learning from as low as 20 representative labeled data instances.
Frequent Gamblers' Reasons for and Against Completing a Problem Gambling Screener

Problem gambling screeners are easily accessible and potentially reduce harm for those individuals who engage in risky levels of gambling behavior. However, a recent study found that when frequent gamblers were offered the chance to complete a screener and receive feedback, most chose not to do so. In this paper, secondary analysis was completed on frequent gamblers' open-ended responses to questions regarding reasons for and against completing a problem gambling screener. Participants (N = 262) were individuals who gambled at least once per week and were not currently being treated for gambling problems. A qualitative open-coding procedure independently completed by multiple researchers revealed that the most common reasons for completing the screener were individuals having a desire to check in on their behavior, because they were curious about the screener, because they were experiencing gambling-related harm, or that they were already considering making changes to their gambling. The most common reasons against completing the screener were that they were either avoidant of the experience because they thought it might cause psychological distress, or because they believed that they did not have a problem. This study provides insight into why many individuals who engage in risky levels of gambling behavior do not seek out helping resources. In addition to creating practically accessible helping resources, researchers should focus on techniques that can make help-seeking a less distressing and more acceptable experience.
Realidad virtual como estrategia para disminuir el dolor en niños/as y adolescentes durante la venopunción

Objective To analyze the existing literature on the effectiveness of the use of virtual reality in reducing pain in children and adolescents undergoing venipuncture. Method: narrative review, using the LILACS, Web of science, Pubmed, Scopus and Ovid Medline databases. Articles from the last 5 years were included, in full text, in Spanish, English and Portuguese. As inclusion criteria, the title incorporated the use of virtual reality in children and adolescents between 4 and 19 years of age, undergoing venipuncture. The selection was limited to original articles, critically analyzed according to CASPE guidelines, obtaining 13 investigations. Results: The literature review included experimental, prospective and cohort studies, 38.4% conducted in Turkey and 15.3% in the United States. In 76.9% of the investigations, the use of virtual reality was effective in reducing the perception of pain. Conclusions: the use of virtual reality during venipuncture is an effective distraction intervention that significantly reduces the perception of self-reported pain in children and adolescents aged 4 to 19 years, obtaining lower scores on pain scales, compared to groups to which virtual reality was not applied.
Voltage stability and voltage recovery: effects of electric load dynamics

This paper discusses voltage stability and voltage recovery phenomena following typical faults on a power system. A modeling approach is proposed that combines the efficiency of power flow techniques and capabilities of transient stability models. The proposed methodology is based on a quadratic model of the electric power system, including generators and dynamic loads consisting mainly of induction motors. It is shown that the proposed method and model explains recent observed voltage stability and voltage recovery phenomena. Numerical experiments are presented for the purpose of quantifying the phenomena and identifying the major parameters affecting these phenomena.
NUTRITION IN SICKLE CELL ANEMIA (HB SS)

To evaluate the role of nutrition in Hb SS we performed anthropometric and laboratory measurements on 95 Hb SS patients and determined the effects of caloric supplementation on these parameters and on clinical course. Height and weight were both below the 5th percentile in 17% of patients. Laboratory studies included vitamin C (ng/108 cells), vitamin E (mg/dl), zinc (μg/ml), selenium (ng/ml), and lipids (mg/dl).
Efficient Allocation of Resources for Defense of Spatially Distributed Networks Using Agent-Based Simulation.

This article presents ongoing research that focuses on efficient allocation of defense resources to minimize the damage inflicted on a spatially distributed physical network such as a pipeline, water system, or power distribution system from an attack by an active adversary, recognizing the fundamental difference between preparing for natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or even accidental systems failures and the problem of allocating resources to defend against an opponent who is aware of, and anticipating, the defender's efforts to mitigate the threat. Our approach is to utilize a combination of integer programming and agent-based modeling to allocate the defensive resources. We conceptualize the problem as a Stackelberg “leader follower” game where the defender first places his assets to defend key areas of the network, and the attacker then seeks to inflict the maximum damage possible within the constraints of resources and network structure. The criticality of arcs in the network is estimated by a deterministic network interdiction formulation, which then informs an evolutionary agent-based simulation. The evolutionary agent-based simulation is used to determine the allocation of resources for attackers and defenders that results in evolutionary stable strategies, where actions by either side alone cannot increase its share of victories. We demonstrate these techniques on an example network, comparing the evolutionary agent-based results to a more traditional, probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) approach. Our results show that the agent-based approach results in a greater percentage of defender victories than does the PRA-based approach.
Skilled in the art of being idle: reducing energy waste in networked systems

Networked end-systems such as desktops and set-top boxes are often left powered-on, but idle, leading to wasted energy consumption. An alternative would be for these idle systems to enter low-power sleep modes. Unfortunately, today, a sleeping system sees degraded functionality: first, a sleeping device loses its network "presence" which is problematic to users and applications that expect to maintain access to a remote machine and, second, sleeping can prevent running tasks scheduled during times of low utilization (e.g., network backups). Various solutions to these problems have been proposed over the years including wake-on-lan (WoL) mechanisms that wake hosts when specific packets arrive, and the use of a proxy that handles idle-time traffic on behalf of a sleeping host. As of yet, however, an in-depth evaluation of the potential for energy savings, and the effectiveness of proposed solutions has not been carried out. To remedy this, in this paper, we collect data directly from 250 enterprise users on their end-host machines capturing network traffic patterns and user presence indicators. With this data, we answer several questions: what is the potential value of proxying or using magic packets? which protocols and applications require proxying? how comprehensive does proxying need to be for energy benefits to be compelling? and so on. We find that, although there is indeed much potential for energy savings, trivial approaches are not effective. We also find that achieving substantial savings requires a careful consideration of the tradeoffs between the proxy complexity and the idle-time functionality available to users, and that these tradeoffs vary with user environment. Based on our findings, we propose and evaluate a proxy architecture that exposes a minimal set of APIs to support different forms of idle-time behavior.
On the resilience of the dependability framework to the intrusion of new security threats

B. Randell has been instrumental, with others, in the definition of the dependability framework. Initially thought of with a strong emphasis on accidental faults, it has paid more attention over the years to intentional ones and, thus, to classical security concepts as well. Recently, a couple of incidents have received a lot of attention: the Hydraq and Stuxnet worms outbreaks. They have been used to highlight what is being presented as a new and growing security concern, namely the so-called advanced persistent threats (a.k.a. apts). In this paper, we analyse how resilient the historical dependability framework can be with respect to these sudden changes in the threats landscape. We do this by offering a very brief summary of the concepts of interest for this discussion. Then we look into the Hydraq and Stuxnet incidents to identify their novel characteristics. We use these recent cases to figure out if the existing taxonomy is adequate to reason about these new threats. We eventually conclude this chapter by proposing some future avenues for research in that space.
Viral Templated Palladium Nanocatalysts

Palladium (Pd) nanocatalysis plays key roles in many areas from environmental remediation, energy utilization to chemical synthesis. Viruses offer exciting opportunities and advantages as promising nanoparticle synthesis templates due to their controlled dimensions and structures, and the ability to confer precisely spaced functionalities by genetic modification to permit improved and/or tunable metal nanoparticle formation. We have utilized tubular tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as biologically derived nanotemplates for controlled synthesis of catalytically active Pd nanoparticles. Here we describe key findings and insights gained from our studies on the synthesis and characterization, as well as on both aqueous and organic phase catalytic reactions, dichromate reduction and the Suzuki-coupling reaction. We hope that the methodologies and results summarized here can spur further interdisciplinary collaboration, and expect that more discoveries and improved performances can be realized with future endeavors.