cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Refractory Cathode Investigation for Single-Step Co-fired Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

A single-step co-firing process for fabricating planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) requires refractory electrodes to prevent excessive sintering of the electrode while facilitating full-density sintering of the electrolyte. Single cell current-potential curves and impedance measurements indicate that the majority of the performance losses occur in the cathode and are due to activation polarization. A-site deficient calcium and cerium doped lanthanum ferrite cathode powders were synthesized and investigated as possible refractory cathode materials with low activation polarization losses. Four-probe conductivity measurements indicated that all compositions were suitable as cathodes. However, reactivity with YSZ reduced the conductivity by as much as two orders of magnitude. Future experiments will investigate the applicability of a doped- ceria barrier layer to prevent reaction of lanthanum ferrite cathodes with YSZ electrolyte.
Bell's Palsy

Bell's palsy is an idiopathic neuropathy of the facial nerve, meaning there is no known cause. It was first described in the medical literature in 1821 and is the most common cause of facial neuropathy. It usually presents as acute, weakness of one side of the entire face. This is in contrast to facial weakness from a cerebral hemisphere stroke which spares the forehead muscles of the face. Increased loudness and decreased taste on the affected side are also common, as are numbness and pain. Loss of hearing, ringing in the ears, problems with speech or swallowing or weakness elsewhere should provoke looking for another diagnosis than Bell's palsy. The chance of full recovery is excellent but the use of steroids within three days of onset, especially in patients with moderate or severe weakness, improves the chance of full recovery even further. The use of antiviral agents should probably be limited to those patients with severe weakness, or with evidence of herpes zoster infection in the ear or mouth (Ramsay Hunt syndrome). Key concepts Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial neuropathy. It is defined as idiopathic facial neuropathy. It has as excellent prognosis, with 85% of patients having recovery by 6 months. Steroids given within 3 days of onset improve the chance of recovery even further. The facial nerve travels a long and bending path, which is why so many diseases can affect it. Facial neuropathy causes weakness of the entire side of the face versus cerebral hemisphere stroke which spares the forehead muscles. There is mounting evidence to support the hypothesis that Bell's palsy in most patients is caused by reactivation of herpes simplex virus in the geniculate ganglion. Keywords: Bell's palsy; facial neuropathy; prednisolone; herpes simplex virus; seventh cranial neuropathy; synkinesis
Anchoring foot mechanisms for sampling and mobility in microgravity

An omni-directional anchoring mechanism is presented that can withstand forces greater than 100 N on natural rock surfaces. The anchor builds upon previous development of microspine toes for climbing robots. This work utilizes an opposed octagonal scissor configuration with rows of 30 toes on each lever arm, splayed around a central housing. This anchor design is being developed for the Lemur IIb mobile robot. The anchor can also be used to support a coring drill. The work enables both mobility and sampling in microgravity environments, like the surface of Near Earth Asteroids.
Dazl deficiency leads to embryonic arrest of germ cell development in XY C57BL/6 mice.

Abstract Genes of the DAZ family play critical roles in germ cell development in mammals and other animals. In mice, Dazl mRNA is first observed at embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5), but previous studies using Dazl-deficient mice of mixed genetic background have largely emphasized postnatal spermatogenic defects. Using an inbred C57BL/6 background, we show that Dazl is required for embryonic development and survival of XY germ cells. By E14.5, expression of germ cell markers (Mvh, Oct4, Dppa3/Stella, GCNA and MVH protein) was reduced in XY Dazl−/− gonads. By E15.5, most remaining germ cells in XY Dazl−/− embryos exhibited apoptotic morphology, and XY Dazl−/− gonads contained increased numbers of TUNEL-positive cells. The rare XY Dazl−/− germ cells that persisted until birth maintained a nuclear morphology that resembled that of wildtype germ cells at E12.5–E13.5, a critical developmental period when XY germ cells lose pluripotency and commit to a spermatogonial fate. We propose that Dazl is required as early as E12.5–E13.5, shortly after its expression is first detected, and that inbred Dazl−/− mice of C57BL/6 background provide a reproducible standard for exploring Dazl's roles in embryonic germ cell development.
Managing the operations of the TSU 2‐m Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope

Tennessee State University has built and is now operating a completely automatic 2-m telescope for highdispersion spectroscopy. This system consists of an alt-azimuth f/8 Cassegrain telescope, housed in an enclosure with a roll-off roof, coupled to a white-pupil echelle spectrograph through a fiber-optic cable. We discuss managing this facility over the Internet with emphasis on 1) the configuration of the control system, 2) logging, 3) troubleshooting and quality control, 4) updating the target lists, and 5) archiving and handling the data. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Digitally modeling, visualizing and preserving archaeological sites

Preserving cultural heritage and historic sites is an important problem. These sites are subject to erosion and vandalism, and, as long-lived artifacts, they have gone through many phases of construction, damage and repair. We believe that it is important to use 3D model building technology to create an accurate record of these sites, so preservationists can track changes and foresee structural problems. From a digital libraries perspective, 3D models also allow a much wider audience to "virtually" see and tour these sites. We have developed a suite of new methods that can reduce the time to build a model through automation. Our methods utilize range image segmentation and feature extraction algorithms. Once the 3D model is constructed, it is necessary to texture map it with imagery to create a geometrically and photometrically correct model. We are developing a 3D visualization environment to aid archaeologists in their post-excavation interpretation and analysis.
THE EFFECT OF SURGE, ADDED MASS, AND UNSTEADY LIFT ON THE MOTION OF A HYDROFOIL BOAT IN A SEAWAY,

Abstract : Due to the large amount of computations involved in solving the equations of motion of a hydrofoil craft in a seaway, various simplified methods have been used in the past. Most of the methods fol lowing aircraft motions analyses were neglecting surge and added mass. It is shown that surge has a large effect on the heave and pitch motions while added mass and unsteady lift do not have significant effect. Furthermore, a boat with fully submerged foils can, in fact, be controlled through regular and irregular waves in both ahead and following seas. A computer program enabling very rapid evaluation of the motions through various seaconditions was prepared for IBM 7090 computer and the results were displayed on the television scope attached to the computer. Repro ductions of the results are presented. (Author)
Performance Evaluations of Various Message Ferry Scheduling Schemes with Two Traffic Classes

Designing a routing scheme for partitioned ad-hoc networks is challenging since end-to-end connectivity may not exist. A Message ferrying (MF) scheme has been proposed recently for delivering non-real-time traffic. In this ferrying scheme, message ferries are used to collect and deliver packets. In the past, we have designed an elliptical zone forwarding (EZF) scheme for a ferry to deliver messages among partitioned nodes that are moving around. In this paper, we first discuss a weakness of the EZF scheme. Then, we describe three ferry route design with lookahead schemes that are capable of achieving higher delivery ratio, namely (a) the Minimum Weighted Sum First (MWSF) scheme, (b) the fixed K-lookahead scheme (FKLAS) and (c) the dynamic lookahead scheme (DLAS). We also present extensive simulation results that compare the different schemes in various scenarios e.g. with different node mobility models, message deadlines etc. Our results indicate DLAS provides the best delivery performance, followed by FKLAS and the MWSF scheme.
Generational Perspectives in the Workplace: Interpreting the Discourses That Constitute Women’s Struggle to Balance Work and Life

Employing the feminist interpretive focus group method, findings in this study demonstrate how different generational perspectives of professional women, socialized at different periods of time, in...
At-Site Based Evaluation of Rainfall Estimates for Indiana

An at-site based rainfall frequency analysis was performed using hourly precipitation data for 53 selected stations in Indiana. The combined use of generalized extreme value and extreme value type I distributions was found to provide the best statistics, and was applied to construct the at-site estimates. This at-site result was then compared to other commonly used regional rainfall estimates, including Indiana Department of Natural Resources rainfall, Huff and Angel rainfall, and National Weather Service Atlas 14. Non-negligible differences between at-site and regional estimates were found even though Indiana was previously reported as a homogeneous region for rainfall. Results suggest that discretion is necessary when using regional rainfall estimates for site-specific problems. The at-site estimate was also applied to compute the depth ratios between different durations. This ratio exhibited significant variability with increasing return period implying that the use of a constant depth ratio to estimat...
A New Approach to Outreach Services: Cable Television

This article describes delivery of counseling center presentations via cable television. Uses and production of tapes are detailed.
Potentiation of merocyanine 540-mediated photodynamic therapy by salicylate and related drugs.

— Simultaneous exposure to merocyanine 540 (MC540) and light of a suitable wavelength kills leukemia, lymphoma and neuroblastoma cells but is relatively well tolerated by normal pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. This differential phototoxic effect has been exploited in preclinical models and a phase I clinical trial for the extracorporeal purging of autologous bone marrow grafts. Salicylate is known to potentiate the MC540-mediated photokilling of tumor cells. Assuming that salicylate induces a change in the plasma membrane of tumor cells (but not normal hematopoietic stem cells) that enhances the binding of dye molecules it has been suggested that salicylate may provide a simple and effective means of improving the therapeutic index of MC540-mediated photodynamic therapy. We report here on a direct test of this hypothesis in a murine model of bone marrow transplantation as well as in clonal cultures of normal murine hematopoietic progenitor cells. In both systems, salicylate enhanced the MC540-sensitized photoinactivation of leukemia cells and normal bone marrow cells to a similar extent and thus failed to improve the therapeutic index of MC540 significantly. On the basis of a series of dye-binding studies, we offer an alternative explanation for the potentiating effect of salicylate. Rather than invoking a salicylate-induced change in the plasma membrane of tumor cells, we propose that salicylate displaces dye molecules from serum albumin, thereby enhancing the concentration of free (active) dye available for binding to tumor as well as normal hematopoietic stem cells.
First-Flight Adult European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Distribution in Roadside Vegetation Relative to Cropping Patterns and Corn Phenology

The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), is a serious pest of commercial maize throughout the U.S. Corn Belt. Adults in the central and eastern Corn Belt aggregate in grassy areas around and within the cornfield where they spend the daylight hours resting and where mating activity occurs at night. Mated females leave the aggregation sites at night to oviposit in cornfields, thus using the grass as a staging area. Flush samples were taken in borrow ditches in central Iowa during the first (spring) flight of moths in 2003 and 2004 to determine if cropping patterns and crop phenology influence moth distribution across the landscape. Significantly more moths were present in ditches with an adjacent cornfield on at least one side of the road than in those with no corn on either side. In contrast, effects of corn stubble from the previous year’s crop, tillage, and corn phenology were weak or not detectable. Evidence suggests that some moths emerging from corn stubble may aggregate in adjacent grass but that they redistribute themselves in the landscape within a short time. Thus, the presence or absence of adjacent corn was the overwhelming factor affecting spatial distribution of first-flight European corn borer moths among grassy roadside ditches.
Changes in ploidy level of epidermal cells during last larval instar of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta

The relative DNA content of Manduca sexta abdominal epidermal nuclei during the final larval instar was measured by cytophotometry of whole-mount preparations of the epidermis. In the middle intrasegmental region, epidermal cells showed a ploidy level of 4C to 32C on the day of ecdysis. During the subsequent period of feeding, the proportion of higher ploidy cells, such as 16C and 32C, increased. This situation remained until the day of apolysis preceding pupal cuticle formation when mitoses reduced the cells to 2C, 4C, 8C and 16C, except for the pupal pock-mark cells, which increased to 32C or 64C. Metaphase cells showed various ploidy levels, correlated with the size of their mitotic figures. By contrast, in the anterior and posterior margin of a segment where no mitoses occurred, the cells continued to increase in ploidy throughout the instar.
In search of a global model of cultivation: using remote sensing to examine the characteristics and constraints of agricultural production in the developing world

In most developing countries, people are heavily reliant on inexpensive, locally grown food. However, while dependence on cropping crosses national and continental boundaries, the selection of land for cropping has adapted to the available conditions. Recent analyses conducted by the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) show that the characteristics of cropped area differ in different countries, indicating that the critical variables influencing the selection of location for the establishment of agriculture also vary. This study looks at a selection of FEWS NET work using high resolution remotely sensed imagery to analyze cropped areas in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Guatemala, Haiti, Mali, Mozambique, South Sudan, Burkina-Faso and Tajikistan. This analysis identifies similarities and differences in the significant factors impacting cropped area in each country. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the application of high-resolution imagery to estimating cultivation is assessed. The results highlight the context-specific nature of cultivation and the effectiveness of very high-resolution satellite imagery for crop estimation. The results also suggest that a single, generally applicable model of cultivation will require complex interactions between economic, governmental and population characteristics in addition to local landscape/geophysical properties.
The role of abiotic and biotic factors in determining coexistence of multiple pollinators in the yucca-yucca moth mutualism.

The determinants of a species' geographic distribution are a combination of both abiotic and biotic factors. Environmental niche modeling of climatic factors has been instrumental in documenting the role of abiotic factors in a species' niche. Integrating this approach with data from species interactions provides a means to assess the relative roles of abiotic and biotic components. Here, we examine whether the high host specificity typically exhibited in the active pollination mutualism between yuccas and yucca moths is the result of differences in climatic niche requirements that limit yucca moth distributions or the result of competition among mutualistic moths that would co-occur on the same yucca species. We compared the species distribution models of two Tegeticula pollinator moths that use the geographically widespread plant Yucca filamentosa. Tegeticula yuccasella occurs throughout eastern North America whereas T. cassandra is restricted to the southeastern portion of the range, primarily occurring in Florida. Species distribution models demonstrate that T. cassandra is restricted climatically to the southeastern United States and T. yuccasella is predicted to be able to live across all of eastern North America. Data on moth abundances in Florida demonstrate that both moth species are present on Y. filamentosa; however, T. cassandra is numerically dominant. Taken together, the results suggest that moth geographic distributions are heavily influenced by climate, but competition among pollinating congeners will act to restrict populations of moth species that co-occur.
Return to an experiment as a function of need for social approval.

Using the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (M-C SDS) , Leipold and James (1962) found (at the .15 level of confidence) that male Ss who failed to show for an experiment had less need for social approval, as measured by the M-C SDS, than male Ss who showed. These authors also found trends of sex difference (p > .05) with the male no-shows showing less need for social approval than females. The present study attempted to investigate the hypothesis that Ss who scored high on the M-C SDS would tend to return to a relatively dull experiment more often than Ss who scored low, i.e., had a lower need for social approval. Thirty Ss (males and females were considered together since no previous srudy indicated any statistically significant difference between sexes) who volunteered from an incroduccory psychology class were selected from the group of Ss who scored higher than 15 on the M-C SDS, and 30 other volunteers from the same class who scored lower than 8 on this scale. The mean scores of each group were 19.7 (SD = 2.6) and 6.9 (SD = 3.2), respectively. Each S took part in an experiment on verbal conditioning which required him to emit verbs without reinforcement for 40 min. Following the experiment, an appointment was made with each S to return in approximately 1 mo. Upon his return, each S was told the experiment would not continue, but he was asked not to tell other students. This appeared to have been carried out. Of the High-scoring Group 22 Ss returned to the experiment, and 8 did not. Of the Low scoring Group, 13 Ss returned and 17 did not. A 2 X 2 chi square, corrected for continuity, yielded a value of 4.39 (p < .05, df = 1). Since this study not only required S to come to an experiment (as in the Leipold, James study) but also to remember for 1 rno. to return ro a boring experiment, the effects of the need for social desirability as a motivator for return were likely accentuated. The study supports the position of Frey and Becker ( 1958 j , Marlowe and Crowne ( 1961 ) , and Leipold and James ( 1962 ) , that need for social approval should be considered as a possible biasing factor in the r-lection of Ss who "volunteer" for experiments.
La Parte Chusca of a Pedagogical Here and Now: Oaxacan Teachers’ Heteroglossic Joking About State Repression and Educational Reform

ABSTRACTFaced with repression and reform, humor has become tactical for public school teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico, engaged in a decades-old movement that after 2006 involved intensified street- and school-based pedagogies. This piece explores how humor adds to a political project via mocking names, images, and dictates of elite leaders to bring a here and now to what is taken as inaccessible in the teachers’ political lives. Humor forms part of an (e)sc(h)atology in which critical practices are part eschatological, a call for definite transformation, and part scatological, embodied vulgarity. La parte chusca (the funny part), its (e)sc(h)atological contribution, angles toward critical literacies in Oaxaca and beyond.
Progress and Prospects of a Compton X-ray Source Driven by a High-Power CO 2 Laser

X-ray sources based on inverse Compton scattering provide high peak-brightness combined with their well-controlled beam properties. We review recent progress in three research areas: Demonstrating the source’s spatial coherence, so leading to single-shot, ultra-fast, phase-contrast tomography; high-average-brightness intra-cavity Compton source; and, exploring the relativistic regimes of electron oscillation within the laser field that produces multiple Compton harmonics. Next-generation Compton sources most likely will utilize all-optical schemes in which lasers serving as a virtual wiggler simultaneously will drive an electron beam from a plasma-wakefield accelerator. We address the possibility of reaching full coherency of all-optical Compton sources, analogous to free-electron lasers.
Minority threat and criminal sentencing: examining juveniles in the adult criminal justice system

AbstractRacial/ethnic threat has been researched regarding its impact on criminal sentencing. Past research has been fairly mixed, but a significant number of studies suggest that in areas of higher minority concentration, sentencing is generally harsher. Most of the existing research has utilized adult samples in testing this hypothesis. The current research adds to the existing research through the examination of juvenile offenders convicted in the adult criminal justice system. The data included a national sample of 3457 juveniles convicted in criminal court during 1998 across 40 counties within the United States. In this study, the racial/ethnic hypothesis was examined to assess its effect on sentencing among juveniles in the criminal system. The findings suggest some support for minority threat having an effect on sentencing decisions.
Clostridium difficile infection in patients hospitalized with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its impact on morbidity, mortality, and the costs of inpatient care

Abstract Aims Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is often complicated by infections leading to hospitalization, increased morbidity, and mortality. Not much is known about the impact of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) on health outcomes in hospitalized patients with T2DM. We estimated the prevalence and temporal trends of CDI; evaluated the associations between CDI and in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and the costs of inpatient care; and compared the impact of CDI with that of other infections commonly seen in patients with T2DM. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample among patients ⩾18years with T2DM and generalized linear regression was used to analyze associations and jointpoint regression for trends. Results The prevalence of CDI was 6.8 per 1000 hospital discharges. Patients with T2DM and CDI had increased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR, 3.63; 95% CI 3.16, 4.17). The adjusted mean LOS was higher in patients with CDI than without CDI ( 11.9 vs. 4.7days). That translated to average hospital costs of $23,000 and $9100 for patients with and without CDI, respectively. The adjusted risk of mortality in patients who had CDI alone (OR 3.75; 95% CI 3.18, 4.41) was similar to patients who had CDI in addition to other common infections (OR 3.25; 95% CI 2.58, 4.10). Conclusion CDI is independently associated with poorer health outcomes in patients with T2DM. We recommend close surveillance for CDI in hospitalized patients and further studies to determine the cost effectiveness of screening for CDI among patients with T2DM.
Study on Non-standard Employment Relationship

Non-standard employment relationship,with the characteristics of weak subordinate relationship,short-term employment etc.,is a labor relationship between employers and employees.Basically,it is attributed to labor relationship category,though with non-standards different from traditional labor relationship.This leads to the new type employment relationship to be beyond the rule of the current labor law,of which the regulation model is built on traditional labor relationship.To have non-standard labor relationship effectively regulated,it should be brought into major traditional regulation model.However,the collective and individual labor contract system,which is effective for traditional employment relationship,is unable to play its role for non-standard labor relationship regulation right now.Therefore,it is necessary to regulate non-standard employment relationship on macro-level.
The impact of cerium oxide nanoparticles on the salt stress responses of Brassica napus L.

Dwindling high quality water resources and growing population are forcing growers to irrigate crops with water of high salinity. It is well recognized that salinity negatively affects plant physiology and biochemistry, and represents one of the most serious threats to crop production and food security. Meanwhile, engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are increasingly detected in irrigation water and agricultural soils due to the rapid advancement of nanotechnology. Previous research has demonstrated that ENPs such as cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) exert significant impact on plant growth and production. However, almost all previous studies were conducted in well controlled environment. Knowledge on how ENPs affect plant development in a stressed condition is almost empty. The goal of the present study was to understand the physiological and biochemical changes in Brassica napus L. (canola) cv. 'Dwarf Essex' under synergistic salt stress and CeO2-NPs effects. Two salinity levels: 0 (control) and 100 mM NaCl, and three CeO2-NPs concentrations: 0 (control), 200 and 1000 mg kg-1 dry sand and clay mixture, were employed. As expected, 100 mM of NaCl significantly hindered plant growth and negatively affected the physiological processes of canola. Plants treated with CeO2-NPs had higher plant biomass, exhibited higher efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus and less stress in both fresh water and saline water irrigation conditions Overall, our results demonstrated that CeO2-NPs led to changes in canola growth and physiology which improved the plant salt stress response but did not completely alleviate the salt stress of canola.
Insurance as a tool for hazard risk management? An evaluation of the literature

This paper evaluates the literature about hazard insurance availability and purchase. Hazard insurance has the potential to help individuals and households to prepare for, mitigate risks of, and recover from hazard events, but only insofar as insurance is available to them, and they purchase it. Unfortunately, unique characteristics of hazard risks and evolving conditions caused by climate change limit the availability of hazard insurance, and a variety of factors make individuals and households unlikely to purchase hazard insurance. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Estimating Equations and Maximum Likelihood

Many estimators in statistics are specified implicitly as solutions to equations or as values maximizing some function. In this chapter we study why these methods work and learn ways to approximate distributions. Although we focus on methods for i.i.d. observations, many of the ideas can be extended. Results for stationary time series are sketched in Section 9.9.
Primary biliary cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterised by destruction of small intrahepatic bile ducts, leading to fibrosis and potential cirrhosis through resulting complications. The serological hallmark of primary biliary cirrhosis is the antimitochondrial antibody, a highly disease-specific antibody identified in about 95% of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. These patients usually have fatigue and pruritus, both of which occur independently of disease severity. The typical course of primary biliary cirrhosis has changed substantially with the introduoction of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Several randomised placebo-controlled studies have shown that UDCA improves transplant-free survival in primary biliary cirrhosis. However, about 40% of patients do not have a biochemical response to UDCA and would benefit from new therapies. Liver transplantation is a life-saving surgery with excellent outcomes for those with decompensated cirrhosis. Meanwhile, research on nuclear receptor hormones has led to the development of exciting new potential treatments. This Seminar will review the current understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and natural history of primary biliary cirrhosis, discuss management of the disease and its sequelae, and introduce research on new therapeutic options.
Research on the Quality of Life. Frank M. Andrews, ed.

(1987). Research on the Quality of Life. Frank M. Andrews, ed. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 236-237.
Nanophase Materials: Synthesis, Structure, and Properties

In the past few years, atom clusters with average diameters in the range of 5–50 nm of a variety of materials, including metals and ceramics, have been synthesized by evaporation and condensation in high-purity gases followed by consolidation in situ under ultrahigh vacuum conditions to create nanophase materials. These new ultrafine-grained materials have properties that are often significantly different and considerably improved relative to those of their coarser-grained counterparts. The property changes result from their small grain sizes, the large percentage of their atoms in grain boundary environments, and the interactions between grains. Since their properties can be engineered during the synthesis and processing steps, cluster-assembled nanophase materials appear to have great technological potential beyond the current scientific interest in their grain-size dependent properties. Recent research on nanophase materials is reviewed and their future is considered.
Prediction-based Adaptive Robust Compensation for Motion Control of Time-delayed Uncertain Linear Motors

The simultaneous presence of parameter variations, time-varying disturbances / uncertain nonlinearities, and the delayed signal in the control loop make the motion control of an iron core linear motor system difficult. Existing model-based control methodologies can handle only a subset of the above imprecisions and hence become insufficient to accurately track the desired motion. In this paper, a prediction-based adaptive robust control (PARC) design is developed for high performance motion control of linear motors subjected to above complexities. The proposed design, suited for a class of $n^{th}$ – order delayed uncertain dynamical system, comprises: i) prediction-based model compensation to attenuate the effect of input delay; ii) prediction-based projection type learning mechanisms to reduce the parameter uncertainties; iii) an improved robust prediction scheme that factors in both parameter and disturbance uncertainties; iv) and prediction-based nonlinear robust feedback to attenuate the effect of model approximation errors and disturbances. Performing all these simultaneously, the designed controller can successfully track a desired motion and achieve a guaranteed robust performance. The simulation results demonstrate improved performance of the proposed PARC scheme compared to conventional model reference adaptive robust control designs.
Quantifying and understanding land cover changes by large and small oil palm expansion regimes in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract With rapid increases in global food demand and production, oil palm expansion constitutes a major emerging challenge for forest conservation in Amazonia and other tropical forest regions. This threat is evident in the Peruvian Amazon, where local and national incentives for oil palm cultivation along with growing large-scale investments translate into accelerated oil palm expansion. Environmental sustainability of oil palm cultivation in the Peruvian Amazon is contingent on policy incentives for expansion onto already-cleared lands instead of biodiverse, high carbon primary rainforests. Previous research indicates that while industrial plantations use less land area than local smallholders, companies have a higher tendency to expand into primary rainforests. However, the motivations behind these differing expansion scenarios remain unclear. In this study we combine data from optical and radar satellite sensors with training information, field discussions, and review of public documents to examine the policy incentives and spatial patterns associated with oil palm expansion by smallholders and industries in one of Peru’s most rapidly changing Amazonian landscapes: the Ucayali region of the city of Pucallpa. Based on our satellite-based land cover change analysis, we found that between 2010 and 2016, smallholders utilized 21,070 ha more land area for oil palm than industries but industrial expansion occurred predominantly in old growth forests (70%) in contrast to degraded lands for smallholders (56%). Our analysis of national policies related to oil palm expansion reveal policy loopholes associated with Peru’s “best land use” classification system that allow for standing forests to undergo large-scale agricultural development with little government oversight. We conclude that both sectors will need careful, real-time monitoring and government engagement to reduce old-growth forest loss and develop successful strategies for mitigating future environmental impacts of oil palm expansion.
Analysis and Design of Memristor Crossbar Based Neuromorphic Intrusion Detection Hardware

Custom low power hardware for network intrusion detection is in great demand, as this would allow for efficient security in battery-powered network devices. This paper presents a memristor crossbar based Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) capable of performing network intrusion detection. The MLP is trained based on the Knowledge Discovery and Datamining (KDD) dataset. Once the network is trained, the weight values are programmed into a simulated memristor crossbar hardware system to show that custom circuitry can be designed to perform on-chip intrusion detection. We show the proposed memristor system is capable of achieving greater than 99% intrusion detection accuracy if the memristors utilized are able to store at least 4 unique values (essentially acting as 2-bit devices). Furthermore, we present a number of studies that quantify the amount of classification accuracy lost due to analog processing and amplification in the signal path. This circuit is capable of tolerating significant amplifier gain error (up to 30%) before classification accuracy drops below 99%.
Disease-Specific Advance Care Planning Interventions for Older Adults

Advance care planning is beneficial but underutilized for older patients with dementia, cancer, end-stage renal disease, lung disease, or heart failure. The purpose of this paper is to highlight recent disease-specific innovations aimed at improving the delivery of advance care planning for older adults. We highlight 13 studies within the last 5 years focusing on advance care planning models in older adults with the above diseases. Useful interventions include incorporation of non-physician facilitators, varying platforms of ACP delivery, surrogate participation, and written communication of patient preferences to other providers. Several existing models were applicable across disease types. Further research comparing advance care planning models in older adults is warranted.
Some Results on (E,βE)-Compactness

Publisher Summary Bernstein introduced the concept of D-compactness and H. Gonshor stated an alternate definition of it and presented a generalization (A,B)-compactness, observing that the interesting cases are those where A is completely regular (Hausdorff) and B is a subspace of βA. This chapter discusses the case in which B = βA. Consequently, all spaces are assumed to be completely regular (Hausdorff) unless otherwise stated and E will denote an arbitrary completely regular (Hausdorff) space. The chapter also discusses the technique in compactifications. One important technique in compactifications is the one used to construct a compactification for a space that is an upper bound for two or more given compactifications of the same space.
Structural recovery and fictive variables: The fictive electric field

Abstract In the field of calorimetry and in physical aging studies, the departure from equilibrium is commonly measured by the fictive temperature, T fic . For a quantity X , T fic is the temperature at which X ( T fic ) characterizes the nonequilibrium structure of a system, where X ( T ) reflects how the structure depends on T in equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate that the same concept can be applied to variables other than temperature. As an example, we discuss the case of introducing the fictive electric field for quantifying the process of structural recovery in response to removing the sample from its previous equilibrium state by the application of an electric field. The number of fictive fields required and the implications on nonlinear dielectric behavior are also discussed.
Novel and Practical Method to Quantify the Quality of Mobility: Mobility Energy Productivity Metric:

Recent technology innovations are enabling fundamental improvements in mobility systems, including options for new travel modes, methods, and opportunities to connect people with goods, services, a...
Enhancing the Cooperative Catalytic Effect in Ni/Co Hydr(oxy)oxide Porous Electrodes for Overall Water Splitting and Glucose Sensing

Application of non-noble metal electrocatalysts in energy conversion and electrochemical sensing is of utmost importance. Herein, the enhancement in the electrocatalytic water splitting and nonenzy...
Unimolecular HBr and HF Elimination Reactions of Vibrationally Excited C2H5CH2Br and C2D5CHFBr: Identification of the 1,1-HBr Elimination Reaction from C2D5CHFBr and Search for the C2D5(F)C:HBr Adduct.

Chemical activation experiments and computational methods have been used to study the unimolecular reactions of C2H5CH2Br and C2D5CHFBr with 90 and 93 kcal mol–1 of vibrational energy, respectively...
Validation of the Spanish version of the MD Anderson symptom inventory - heart failure (MDASI-HF-Spanish) module.

The lack of a validated symptom assessment instrument in Spanish for patients with cancer and heart failure (HF) can affect the care and impede the recruitment and participation of Spanish-speaking patients in clinical trials. Spanish is the second most common language spoken by the largest and most rapidly growing racial/ethnic minority group in the United States. To bridge the language barrier and improve symptom management in Spanish-speaking patients with cancer and HF, the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Heart Failure (MDASI-HF) was translated to Spanish (MDASI-HF- Spanish). To validate the MDASI-HF-Spanish symptom assessment instrument. Following standard forward and backward translation of the original and previously validated English version of the MDASI-HF, a cognitive debriefing with nine native Spanish speaking participants was conducted to evaluate the participants’ understanding and comprehension of the MDASI-HF-Spanish. To examine the comprehensibility, acceptability and psychometric properties of the translated instrument, the MDASI-HF-Spanish was tested in a convenience sample of 50 Spanish speaking patients with a diagnosis of cancer and HF. Evidence for the psychometric validity of the MDASI-HF-Spanish was demonstrated via its internal consistency reliability and known-group validity. Overall, the participants had no problems with the understandability, readability, or number of questions asked. The MDASI-HF-Spanish subscales showed good internal consistency reliability, with a Cronbach’s coefficient alpha of 0.94 (13 core cancer symptoms), 0.92 (8 heart failure symptoms), and 0.90 (6 interference items) respectively. The MDASI-HF-Spanish was able to differentiate the functional status between patients based on the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification. The MDASI-HF-Spanish is linguistically and psychometrically valid with ease of completion, relevance, and comprehensibility among the participants, and it can be a useful tool for clinical management and research purposes.
Objective Indirect Assessment of Transverse Ligament Competence Using Quantitative Analysis of 3-Dimensional Segmented Flexion-Extension Computed Tomography Scan

Objective Assessment of transverse ligament (TL) competence in patients with suspected atlantoaxial instability is performed via indirect radiograph measurements or direct TL visualization on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Interpretation of these images can be limited by unique patient anatomy or imaging technique variability. We report a novel technique for evaluating TL competence using flexion-extension computed tomography (feCT) scan with 3-dimensional (3D) segmentation and quantitative analysis. Methods feCT scans of 11 patients were segmented to create 3D surface models. Six patients with atlantoaxial pathology were evaluated for possible instability based on clinical examination and imaging findings. The other 5 patients had no clinical or imaging evidence of atlantoaxial injury. Dynamic atlantodental interval (ADI) was calculated using point-to-point voxel changes between flexion and extension 3D models. Magnitude and direction of ADI changes were quantified and compared with available cervical spine flexion-extension radiograph and/or MRI findings. Results In the 5 patients without evidence of atlantoaxial injury, 94.3% of ADI vector changes were Conclusions 3D segmentation and quantitative analysis of feCT scan allow objective indirect assessment of TL integrity. Results are consistent with MRI findings and offer additional biomechanical information regarding the direction and distribution of atlantoaxial motion.
A short chain fatty acid produced by the gut microbiota plays a role in blood pressure regulation and cardiac contractility

Recent studies by our laboratory and others have highlighted the important role played by short chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced by the gut microbiota and their effect on host physiology. Acetate,...
Abstract P337: Lifetime Burden of Traditional Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Incidence of Cancer: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer remain the leading causes of death globally. While these diseases have traditionally been regarded as separate entities, recent evidence points...
80-year-old man with dyspnoea and bilateral groundglass infiltrates: an elusive case of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a novel viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 virus, first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. COVID-19 has spread rapidly and is now considered a global pandemic. We present a case of a patient with minimal respiratory symptoms but prominent bilateral groundglass opacities in a 'crazy paving' pattern on chest CT imaging and a negative initial infectious workup. However, given persistent dyspnoea and labs suggestive of COVID-19 infection, the patient remained hospitalised for further monitoring. Forty-eight hours after initial testing, the PCR test was repeated and returned positive for COVID-19. This case illustrates the importance of clinical vigilance to retest patients for COVID-19, particularly in the absence of another compelling aetiology. As COVID-19 testing improves to rapidly generate results, selective retesting of patients may uncover additional COVID-19 cases and strengthen measures to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
Association of Sociodemographic Factors With Immunotherapy Receipt for Metastatic Melanoma in the US.

Importance Strides to improve survival in metastatic melanoma have been made with the use of immunotherapeutic agents in the form of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Objective To examine the factors associated with immunotherapy receipt in patients with metastatic melanoma in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data on 9882 patients with metastatic melanoma diagnosed from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016, from the National Cancer Database. Patients who did not have documentation regarding immunotherapy receipt were excluded. Data analysis was performed from July 1, 2019, to December 15, 2019. Exposure Receipt of immunotherapy. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the association of receipt of immunotherapy as first-line therapy with sociodemographic factors. The secondary outcome was overall survival by receipt of immunotherapy. Results A total of 9512 patients (mean [SD] age, 65.1 [14.4] years; 6481 [68.1%] male; 9217 [96.9%] White) met the criteria for treatment analysis. A total of 3428 (36.0%) received immunotherapy, and 6084 (64.0%) did not. Increasing age (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.98;P Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, patients who received immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma had improved overall survival. Residence in Medicaid expansion states, younger age, low comorbidity index, care at academic medical centers or integrated network cancer programs, and residence in zip codes within the highest quartile of high school graduation were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving immunotherapy. Recognizing sociodemographic associations with treatment receipt is important to identify potential barriers to treatment.
Sex differences in modifiable stroke risk factors: The next step in personalized stroke prevention

In this issue of Neurology ® , Peters et al.1 describe their findings of sex differences in the association between key modifiable stroke risk factors and incident stroke and provide overall sex-specific stroke incidence rates. The authors' findings of sex differences in the strength of association between modifiable risk factors and stroke offer critical insights as to the importance of a more personalized approach to stroke prevention. A major strength of this analysis is its size; 471,971 adult participants from the UK Biobank were prospectively followed for a median of 9 years. The large sample size enabled authors to evaluate associations between risk factors and stroke incidence overall and by stroke subtype, an important distinction given differences in pathophysiologic mechanisms between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
An Unexpected Education - Unclaimed Bodies in the Anatomy Lab.

An Unexpected Education For a medical student who discovers the cadaver she used in the anatomy lab was an unclaimed body, the class was a first lesson in the uncomfortable truth that people with l...
PRIMPOL ready, set, reprime!

DNA replication forks are constantly challenged by DNA lesions induced by endogenous and exogenous sources. DNA damage tolerance mechanisms ensure that DNA replication continues with minimal effect...