cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential selection bias associated with using geocoded birth records for epidemiologic research

Abstract Purpose There is an increasing use of geocoded birth registry data in environmental epidemiology research. Ungeocoded records are routinely excluded. Methods We used classification and regression tree analysis and logistic regression to investigate potential selection bias associated with this exclusion among all singleton Florida births in 2009 ( n = 210,285). Results The rate of unsuccessful geocoding was 11.5% ( n = 24,171). This ranged between 0% and 100% across zip codes. Living in a rural zip code was the strongest predictor of being ungeocoded. Other predictors for geocoding status varied with urbanity status. In urban areas, maternal race (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] ranging between 1.08 for Hispanic and 1.18 for black compared to white), maternal age [aOR: 1.16 (1.10–1.23) for ages 20–34 compared to Conclusions Geocoding status is not random. Women with certain exposure-outcome characteristics may be more likely to be ungeocoded and excluded, indicating potential selection bias.
A-ZIP/F-1 mice lacking white fat: a model for understanding lipoatrophic diabetes

The A-ZIP/F-1 mouse is lacking virtually all white adipose tissue. Like humans with extensive deficiencies of adipose tissue, the A-ZIP/F-1 mice develop a severe form of insulin resistant diabetes. We have studied the physiology of the A-ZIP/F-1 mice. Their adaptation to fasting is notable for its rapidity and the use of torpor, a hibernation-like state, to minimize energy needs. Transplantation of adipose tissue reversed the metabolic manifestations in the mice, demonstrating that the lack of adipose tissue is the cause of the insulin resistance. Leptin replacement is not very effective in reversing the diabetes of the A-ZIP/F-1 mice, which contrasts with its efficacy in the aP2-SREBP-1c mouse.
Laboratory Testing and Analysis of Microbiological Contamination of Seafood in Loudi City

Objective To understand microbial pollution of seafood in Loudi City. Methods Totally 120 samples selected from the seafood market were detected according to GB/T4789-2003 and the Job Manual(2008) of National Foodborne Diseases Monitoring Network. Results Thirty-six strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected from the samples,with the total detection rate of 30.00%,including 16 strains of Salmonella,with the detection rate of 13.33%,12 Vibrio parahaemolyticus(10.00%),and 8 Listeria monocytogenes(6.67%). Conclusions Microbial contamination in seafood is serious in Loudi,so reinforced supervision is required to avoid such foodborne diseases.
Modulation Spectrum Analysis for Recognition of Reverberant Speech.

Recognition of reverberant speech constitutes a challenging problem for typical speech recognition systems. This is mainly due to the conventional short-term analysis/compensation techniques. In this paper, we present a feature extraction technique based on modeling long segments of temporal envelopes of the speech signal in narrow sub-bands using frequency domain linear prediction (FDLP). FDLP provides an all-pole approximation of the Hilbert envelope of the signal by linear prediction on cosine transform of the signal. We show that the FDLP modulation spectrum plays an important role in the robustness of the proposed feature extraction. Automatic speech recognition (ASR) experiments on speech data degraded with a number of room impulse responses (with varying degrees of distortion) show significant performance improvements for the proposed FDLP features when compared to other robust feature extraction techniques (average relative reduction of 40% in word error rate). Similar improvements are also obtained for far-field data which contain natural reverberation in background noise.
Stability of cytokines, chemokines and soluble activation markers in unprocessed blood stored under different conditions

Background Biomarkers such as cytokines, chemokines, and soluble activation markers can be unstable when processing of blood is delayed. The stability of various biomarkers in serum and plasma was investigated when unprocessed blood samples were stored for up to 24 h at room and refrigerator temperature.
Production of Pseudotyped Retrovirus and the Generation of Proviral Transgenic Zebrafish

This chapter describes a method for generation of the high-titer pseudotyped Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) that efficiently infects zebrafish embryos (i.e., more than 25 retroviral copies per cell). Injection techniques are also described for production of the retrovirus-infected mosaic "founder" fish. We describe a quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based assay as a quick way to assess the infectivity after each round of viral production and injection. Most of the required equipment is commercially available and commonly present in most research laboratories.
Socialization of Doctoral Students to Academic Norms

Using the framework for graduate and professional student socialization developed by Weidman, Twale, and Stein (2001), this study addresses socialization of doctoral students to the academic norms of research and scholarship. Data are presented about the perceptions doctoral students in a social science discipline (sociology) and in educational foundations at a major research university have of the scholarly and collegial climates of their departments. Data on students' social relationships with faculty and peers as well as their reported participation in scholarly activities are also reported. A multivariate analysis provides support for the framework, affirming the importance of social interaction among both students and faculty as well as collegiality among faculty for creating a supportive climate for doctoral study that also has the potential to provide a strong foundation for subsequent academic and/or research careers by stimulating students' research and scholarly productivity.
A new variant of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency hereditary hemolytic anemia, G6PD Cornell: erythrocyte, leukocyte, and platelet studies.

A variant of glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency associated with chronic hereditary hemolytic anemia was discovered in a 9-yr-old white male. The erythrocytes contained 5% of normal enzyme activity, the Km NADP was two to three times normal, the pH optimum was decreased, and the heat stability was markedly decreased. The Km G6PD, electrophoretic mobility (B), and utilization of substrate analogues 2-deoxy-G6P and deamino-NADP were normal. The activity of G6PD in the leukocytes and platelets was 15% and 28% of normal values, respectively, but bactericidal activity and platelet function were unaffected by the deficiency of G6PD.
GROUP ITERATIVE METHODS

This chapter discusses several group iterative methods, which can be effectively carried out. With group iterative methods, the equations are first assigned to subsets or groups, such that each equation belongs to one and only one group. The groups of equations for the corresponding unknowns u i are solved, treating the other values of U j as known. The chapter focuses on convergence properties and applications to problems arising from partial differential equations. It also presents a comparison of point and group iterative methods.
The Traditional Measurement of Productivity Growth: Theoretical Issues

The word “productivity” has widely varying connotations for different people because the word is used so extensively and loosely. Although it is generally understood that increased productivity is somehow advantageous, most people would find it difficult to define clearly the notion of productivity.
pyMAP: a Python package for small and large scale analysis of Illumina 450k methylation platform

PyMAP is a native python module for analysis of 450k methylation platform and is freely available for public use. The package can be easily deployed to cloud platforms that support python scripting language for large-scale methylation studies. By implementing fast parsing functionality, this module can be used to analyze large-scale methylation datasets. Additionally, command-line executables shipped with the module can be used to perform common analysis tasks on personal computers.
Beyond Recidivism: Investigating Comparative Educational and Employment Outcomes for Adolescents in the Juvenile and Criminal Justice Systems:

While the relationship between juvenile transfer and recidivism has received much scholarly attention, the effect of transfer on other outcomes has largely been ignored. This study examined the eff...
Putting Their Money Where Their Mouth Is: The Case for Denying Qualified Immunity to University Administrators for Violating Students’ Speech Rights

This article argues that the courts should deny qualified immunity to public college and university officials who are sued in their personal capacity for violating a student’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Qualified immunity shields public officials from personal liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for the violation of a federal constitutional or statutory right insofar as the right in question is not “clearly established” by the law. The article argues that the expressive rights of students at public colleges and universities are clearly established for purposes of qualified immunity, and that, therefore, courts should reject qualified immunity for two broad categories of First Amendment violations on campus: the enactment of facially unconstitutional speech codes, which chill campus dialogue and the free exchange of ideas by their very existence, and the censorship and punishment of particular instances of constitutionally protected student speech and expressive activity. The article argues that student plaintiffs would then be able to use Section 1983 suits to vindicate their right to freedom of speech by pursuing monetary damages from individual administrators. Faced with the prospect of paying damages out of their own pockets, administrators would be forced to rethink their policies and practices toward student expression and would be more likely to respect student speech rights, thus allowing a true “marketplace of ideas” to flourish on campus.
Patients' perceptions and attitudes on recurrent prostate cancer and hormone therapy: Qualitative comparison between decision-aid and control groups

Abstract Objective To compare patients' attitudes towards recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) and starting hormone therapy (HT) treatment in two groups—Decision-Aid (DA) (intervention) and Standard-of-care (SoC) (Control). Methods The present research was conducted at three academic clinics—two in the Midwest and one in the Northeast U.S. Patients with biochemical recurrence of PCa (n=26) and follow-up oncology visits meeting inclusion criteria were randomized to either the SoC or DA intervention group prior to their consultation. Analysts were blinded to group assignment. Semi-structured phone interviews with patients were conducted 1-week post consultation. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Qualitative analytic techniques were used to extract salient themes and conduct a comparative analysis of the two groups. Results Four salient themes emerged—1) knowledge acquisition, 2) decision-making style, 3) decision-making about timing of HT, and 4) anxiety-coping mechanisms. A comparative analysis showed that patients receiving the DA intervention had a better comprehension of Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an improved understanding of HT treatment implications, an external locus-of-control, participation in shared decision-making and, support-seeking for anxiety reduction. In contrast, SoC patients displayed worse comprehension of PSA testing and HT treatment implications, internal locus-of-control, unilateral involvement in knowledge-seeking and decision-making, and no support-seeking for anxiety-coping. Conclusions The DA was more effective than the SoC group in helping PCa patients understand the full implications of PSA testing and treatment; motivating shared decision-making, and support-seeking for anxiety relief. DA DVD interventions can be a useful patient education tool for bringing higher quality decision-making to prostate cancer care.
Selective Checkpointing for Minimizing Recovery Efforts of Smartphone Apps

Unintended smartphone rebooting and unexpected shutdown (due to reasons like battery run outs, overheating, or automatic app upgrades) is annoying. What can be even worse is that a phone user commonly has to restart, from the very beginning, the apps he or she is using when the phone gets rebooted, because all the app states would be lost, especially when the number of apps in use is large. Hence, a recovery service is sorely needed for today's smartphones where apps are becoming increasingly complex. While checkpointing has long been used for desktop and laptop computers, such whole-system state preserving techniques cannot be applied to smartphones directly, due to the constraints of smartphones on energy, delay, and storage space. In this paper, we propose SmartCP, an intelligent checkpointing methodology, in order to significantly reduce the amount of work needed from a user to recover the app states after the smartphone restarts. We prototype SmartCP on Android and evaluate it using real-world traces as well as real user feedback. The results show that SmartCP outperforms two alternative app selection schemes by saving 39.13% more recovery effort on average.
Red and Near-Infrared III-Nitride Quantum Dot Lasers

InGaN/GaN self-organized quantum dots and similar dots in GaN nanowires are formed by strain relaxation and the luminescence from these nanostructures extends to longer wavelengths than generally obtained with quantum wells. We have exploited this advantage by incorporating these nanostructures in the gain region of edge-emitting diode lasers. Here, we describe the characteristics of 650 nm self-organized quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on GaN and 1.3 μ m dot-in-nanowire array lasers grown on (001) Si by molecular beam epitaxy. The devices are characterized by relatively low threshold currents, excellent temperature stability ( T 0 > 200 K), and differential gain ∼10–16 cm2. The highest measured small-signal modulation bandwidth of the dot-in-nanowire laser is 3.3 GHz. The experiments have been complemented by theoretical modeling of the self-organized quantum dots and lasers made with them. These new classes of devices open up new opportunities in applications such as displays, optical data storage, heads-up displays in automobiles, plastic fiber communication, and silicon photonics.
Impact of chronic kidney disease on mortality in adults undergoing balloon aortic valvuloplasty

Abstract Background Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is often utilized as a bridge prior to surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is commonly present in patients with aortic stenosis, however, its association with outcomes following BAV has not been well studied. Accordingly, we sought to assess the impact of CKD on mortality in adults undergoing BAV. Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was screened for hospitalizations involving adults undergoing BAV from 2006 to 2012. Demographic data and clinical history were recorded. Patients were divided into those with and without CKD as a documented comorbidity and were compared for adjusted in-hospital mortality risk. Results Among a national cohort of 10,845 adults undergoing BAV, 3842 (35.4%) adults had CKD while 7003 (64.6%) did not. Patients with CKD were older, more often male, and had higher rates of coronary disease, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral artery disease, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation. Adults with CKD undergoing BAV had significantly higher in-hospital mortality rates (10.2% vs 6.3%, p = 0.0005). In multivariable analysis, CKD was independently associated with a nearly 2-fold higher odds of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.98, 95% confidence interval 1.45–2.70, p Conclusions CKD was independently associated with a nearly 2-fold higher odds of in-hospital mortality in adults undergoing BAV. Further studies are warranted to determine whether preventive interventions can improve outcomes in this high-risk population.
Abstract 19276: Skeletal Muscle Index and Malnutrition in Children With End-Stage Heart Failure Awaiting Heart Transplant

Introduction: Malnutrition is an important complication of end-stage heart failure (HF) but is difficult to assess reliably in children because of fluid overload. In adults, CT has been used to measure muscle mass to assess muscle loss (sarcopenia), a method that is independent of fluid status. Hypothesis: Skeletal muscle index as defined by CT is lower for children with end-stage HF compared to age, gender and race-matched healthy controls. Methods: All children undergoing formal evaluation for heart transplant (HT) at Stanford University between 2013 and 2016 were identified using a hospital database. Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI) was calculated using a single CT plane at L-3 where the cross sectional area of the psoas muscle is measured. Malnutrition severity was defined using criteria adapted from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN). The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare SMI between paired subjects and healthy controls matched for age, gender and race. Results: A total of 36 children who met the study eligibility criteria were included for analysis. Patients had a median age of 9 years (IQR, 4.7-13.4), a median weight of 21.6 kg (IQR, 13.9-34.4); and 86% had congenital heart disease (CHD). Overall, 17% met criteria for mild malnutrition, 33% for moderate malnutrition, 25% for severe malnutrition, while 25% were categorized as non-malnourished. Among those who were malnourished, SMI was significantly lower for children with HF than their matched non-malnourished normal controls (27 pairs, p Conclusions: Malnourished children with end-stage heart failure appear to have significantly lower skeletal muscle mass than healthy controls. Evaluation of sarcopenia using the skeletal muscle index appears to be a promising method to evaluate nutritional status objectively in children with end-stage heart failure that is independent of volume status.
A PC-Based Evaluation and Monitoring System For Rotating Machinery

Using a data acquisition system controlled by a personal computer to monitor rotating machinery has the benefits of improved accuracy, consistency in analysis procedure and fast performance. The Virginia Tech Rotor Dynamics Laboratory has developed such a system in the Windows 3.0 operating environment; it is called the Intelligent Monitoring System (IMS). This data acquisition system has a modular software design in which specific tasks are controlled by independent and interchangeable software modules. The system has been successfully used to read vibration data from a small test rig and evaluate the rig’s performance.
P073The common uncommon extended HLA haplotype: Do two weak associations make it strong?

Aim Genetic recombination occurs at specific hotspots within the MHC, leading to widely dispersed block-like structures; the alpha block containing HLA-A, beta block (HLA-C and HLA-B) and delta block (HLA-DR and HLA-DQ). Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is much stronger within than across these blocks. The HLA-A locus (most telomeric) has weaker LD with extended HLA haplotypes. Additionally, a recombination hotspot exists between HLA-DP genes and other class II loci, which leads to an HLA-DPB1 match rate of only 10–15% in 10/10 HLA-matched donor/recipient pairs. This report describes an extended 9 locus HLA haplotype found in 2 HCT and 1 kidney transplant recipients and their potential donors (8, 2 and 1 donors, respectively). Methods 1. Case review of 2 unrelated HCT recipients, both European Caucasian (CAU) and their related and unrelated potential donors. 2. Family study of HCT recipient and a sibling to identify the haplotype by segregation. 3. Determine frequency of observed haplotype in different populations through Haplostats.org (6 locus at 2 field resolution could yield higher estimate than the 9 locus 3 field resolution haplotype described here). 4. Searching lab database for incidence of this haplotype. Results All identified cases shared the following haplotype HLA-A*31:01:02∼C*07:02:01∼B*07:02:01∼DRB5*01:01:01∼DRB1*15:01:01∼DQA1*01:02:01∼DQB1*06:02:01∼DPA1*01:03:01∼DPB1*04:01:01. Although most alleles in this haplotype are fairly common, with HLA-A*31:01 least common (∼5%), Haplostats indicated that the haplotype HLA-A*31:01∼C*07:02∼B*07:02∼DRB5*01:01∼DRB1*15:01∼DQB1*06:02 ranks 61898th & 170477th in CAU & African Americans (AFA), respectively and is not seen in other populations. Searching our laboratory database for subjects A31 positive, 382 subjects out of 8340 typed between 2015 & 2017 were identified. Of those, 40 were positive for the haplotype HLA-A*31:01∼C*07:02∼B*07:02∼DRB5*01:01∼DRB1*15:01∼DQB1*06:02 and of these 17 were typed for HLA-DPB1. All were positive for the entire extended 9 locus haplotype and were either CAU (n = 6) or of unknown ethnicity (n = 11). Conclusions Although the 6 locus haplotype portion of this extended haplotype seems fairly uncommon, the extended 9 locus subset of that haplotype seems to be conserved especially in Caucasians.
Ultra-compact metallic interface for NV spin readout (Conference Presentation)

The spin-optical properties of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been demonstrated to enable a plethora of applications ranging from nanoscale sensing to quantum information technologies. The conventional design of NV-based devices requires separate infrastructures for delivering microwave (MW) excitation and guiding/collecting fluorescence signals. Typically, one fabricates dielectric waveguides or lenses next to metallic MW antennae. Here we showed that the device compactness can be substantially improved by the integration of NV centers with channel plasmonic waveguides milled in an optically thick metal layer that simultaneously acts as a MW antenna. The use of highly conductive plasmonic materials allows to fabricate monolithic ultra-compact structures supporting propagation of both MW and optical signals. We demonstrated optical readout of spin resonance by collecting channel plasmon polaritons scattered from the waveguide end.
New Frontiers in Cardiovascular Research: Microfluidic Modeling of Cardiovascular Diseases and Applications for Hypertension Research

Microfluidic organ-on-chips are rapidly emerging as viable and informative platforms for disease modeling and drug development. A central advantage of these platforms is the integration of biophysical stimuli with biological components to aid in recreating the microenvironment of cells, tissues, and organs. By doing so, microfluidic organ-on-chips may more closely approximate (patho)physiological events and drug responses in humans than traditional cell cultures and animal models. This chapter provides a general overview of microfluidic organ-on-chips for cardiovascular research, and discusses current and future applications to hypertension research. This chapter is intended as a primer for clinicians interested in basic science/translational research of CVDs.
Infectious insanities, surgical solutions: Bayard Taylor Holmes, dementia praecox and laboratory science in early 20th-century America. Part 2:

Part I of this article on Bayard Taylor Holmes (1852–1924), a Chicago physician and surgeon, detailed his laboratory research on dementia praecox and his presumed discovery in 1915 of evidence in support of a focal infection theory of its aetiology. In May 1916 he began to experiment with a rational therapy based on this theory: abdominal surgery and daily irrigations of the colon. He operated first on his own son, who had been afflicted with dementia praecox since 1905, but he died four days later. Part II deals with Holmes' continued surgical treatment of dementia praecox patients and the outcomes of the operations. It also describes how Holmes set up the short-lived Psychiatric Research Laboratory of the Psychopathic Hospital at Cook County Hospital in 1917, and discusses the dismissal of a key research colleague, H. M. Jones, whose experimental results directly contradicted those of Holmes.
An Introduction to Reed–Solomon Codes

Reed-Solomon codes were the first widely used codes that can correct multiple errors in transmitted information words. They remain useful in many contexts because they can correct bursts of errors to adjacent bits. They do this by turning words made up of bits into sequences of elements of a finite field with q elements where q is large, and working in that finite field. By contrast, Hamming codes work directly with individual bits and are defined over the field of 2 elements. This chapter introduces coding and decoding in a Reed-Solomon code, using Reed and Solomon’s original encoding procedure and the Welch-Berlekamp decoding procedure. The latter reduces to finding solutions of a system of n linear equations in \(n + 1\) unknowns. The theoretical discussion of why decoding works relies on D’Alembert’s Theorem from Chap. 6, and the decoding method requires some elementary knowledge of matrices and solving systems of linear equations, not all of which is found in Sect. 7.1.
High-Resolution Topology Optimization with Stress and Natural Frequency Constraints

Topology optimization tools offer the potential to design novel aerospace structures that are subject to demanding strength and natural frequency requirements. However, algorithms for stress- and f...
Sites of metastasis and association with clinical outcome in advanced stage cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

Selecting the appropriate patients to receive immunotherapy (IO) remains a challenge due to the lack of optimal biomarkers. The presence of liver metastases has been implicated as a poor prognostic factor in patients with metastatic cancer. We investigated the association between sites of metastatic disease and clinical outcomes in patients receiving IO. We conducted a retrospective review of 90 patients treated on IO-based phase 1 clinical trials at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University between 2009 and 2017. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were measured from the first dose of IO to date of death or hospice referral and clinical or radiographic progression, respectively. Clinical benefit (CB) was defined as a best response of complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD). Univariate analysis (UVA) and Multivariate analysis (MVA) were carried out using Cox proportional hazard model or logistic regression model. Covariates included age, whether IO is indicated for the patient’s histology, ECOG performance status, Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) risk group, number of metastatic sites, and histology. The median age was 63 years and 53% of patients were men. The most common histologies were melanoma (33%) and gastrointestinal cancers (22%). Most patients (73.3%) had more than one site of distant metastasis. Sites of metastasis collected were lymph node (n = 58), liver (n = 40), lung (n = 37), bone (n = 24), and brain (n = 8). Most patients (80.7%) were RMH good risk. Most patients (n = 62) had received 2+ prior lines of systemic treatment before receiving IO on trial; 27 patients (30.0%) received prior ICB. Liver metastases were associated with significantly shorter OS (HR: 0.38, CI: 0.17–0.84, p = 0.017). Patients with liver metastasis also trended towards having shorter PFS (HR: 0.70, CI: 0.41–1.19, p = 0.188). The median OS was substantially longer for patients without liver metastases (21.9 vs. 8.1 months, p = 0.0048). Liver metastases may be a poor prognostic factor in patients receiving IO on phase 1 clinical trials. The presence of liver metastases may warrant consideration in updated prognostic models if these findings are validated in a larger prospective cohort.
Using the Fossil Record to Evaluate Timetree Timescales

The fossil and geologic records provide the primary data used to established absolute timescales for timetrees. For the paleontological evaluation of proposed timetree timescales, and for node-based methods for constructing timetrees, the fossil record is used to bracket divergence times. Minimum brackets (minimum ages) can be established robustly using well-dated fossils that can be reliably assigned to lineages based on positive morphological evidence. Maximum brackets are much harder to establish, largely because it is difficult to establish definitive evidence that the absence of a taxon in the fossil record is real and not just due to the incompleteness of the fossil and rock records. Five primary methods have been developed to estimate maximum age brackets, each of which is discussed. The fact that the fossilization potential of a group typically decreases the closer one approaches its time of origin increases the challenge of estimating maximum age brackets. Additional complications arise: 1) because fossil data actually bracket the time of origin of the first relevant fossilizable morphology (apomorphy), not the divergence time itself; 2) due to the phylogenetic uncertainty in the placement of fossils; 3) because of idiosyncratic temporal and geographic gaps in the rock and fossil records; and 4) if the preservation potential of a group changed significantly during its history. In contrast, uncertainties in the absolute ages of fossils are typically relatively unimportant, even though the vast majority of fossil cannot be dated directly. These issues and relevant quantitative methods are reviewed, and their relative magnitudes assessed, which typically correlate with the age of the group, its geographic range, and species richness.
Dynamic Tuning of a Thin Film Electrocatalyst by Tensile Strain.

We report the ability to tune the catalytic activities for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by applying mechanical stress on a highly n-type doped rutile TiO2 films. We demonstrate through operando electrochemical experiments that the low HER activity of TiO2 can reversibly approach those of the state-of-the-art non-precious metal catalysts when the TiO2 is under tensile strain. At 3% tensile strain, the HER overpotential required to generate a current density of 1 mA/cm2 shifts anodically by 260 mV to give an onset potential of 125 mV, representing a drastic reduction in the kinetic overpotential. A similar albeit smaller cathodic shift in the OER overpotential is observed when tensile strain is applied to TiO2. Results suggest that significant improvements in HER and OER activities with tensile strain are due to an increase in concentration of surface active sites and a decrease in kinetic and thermodynamics barriers along the reaction pathway(s). Our results highlight that strain applied to TiO2 by precisely controlled and incrementally increasing (i.e. dynamic) tensile stress is an effective tool for dynamically tuning the electrocatalytic properties of HER and OER electrocatalysts relative to their activities under static conditions.
Fluid Infusion Through Chest Tube to Facilitate Pleural Procedures: A Feasibility Study.

Background Most pleural procedures need the presence of a moderate effusion to allow safe access to the pleural space. We propose a technique to allow safe access in patients with a drained pleural space who require further pleural evaluation or treatment during the same hospital stay. Methods This was a retrospective study. All patients who underwent any pleural intervention with a prior infusion of fluid in the pleural space using a pre-existing chest tube (≤14 Fr) were included. Before the pleural intervention, warm saline was infused into the pleural space through the small-bore chest tube until enough fluid was detected on thoracic ultrasound to allow pleural access. Data on patient demographics, indication for the pleural procedure, and patient outcome was analyzed. Results A total of 22 patients with pleural disease underwent definitive pleural procedure facilitated by fluid infusion. Median volume of fluid infused was 1000 mL (850, 1500 mL). The median time between the initial chest tube insertion and the subsequent definitive pleural procedure was 3 days (2, 7 d). All procedures were completed successfully. One patient had a hemothorax secondary to fluid infusion. Conclusion Fluid infusion through a chest tube is a feasible technique for patients that require a pleural procedure and have minimal fluid after initial pleural drainage. This approach may facilitate pleural procedures, reduce incidence of complications, and expedite the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pleural diseases. Pressure infusers should not be used during this procedure as there is a theoretical increased risk of complications.
The Concept of a Global Legal System

An enduring contribution of Philip Jessup’s Transnational Law, published in 1956, is his critique of “international law” and his case for a functionalist concept of “transnational law” defined as rules—international, national or private—that offer solutions to transnational problems. Extending Jessup’s argument, this chapter critiques the concept of the “international legal system,” proposes an alternative concept of the “global legal system,” and offers an analytical framework for understanding that system. The global legal system consists of not only rules, but also courts and other institutions, that provide legal solutions to transnational problems. These institutions are national, international, private, and sometimes hybrid. Among the solutions provided are three generic governance functions: prescription, adjudication and enforcement. More than one institution may provide solutions to a given transnational problem, creating a need for choice across three dimensions: national-national, national-international and public-private. The global legal system uses three types of principles to guide these choices: principles of authority, allocation and party autonomy. This chapter’s concept of a global legal system aims to provide a coherent way of thinking about the multiple transnational problem-solving functions of legal systems and the multiple levels at which those functions are performed.
A supply-side approach to corporate political activity: Performance consequences of ideologically driven CPA

Abstract Corporate political activity (CPA) is an important area of research due to the high level of CPA in which many firms engage. Prior research has focused on the demand side of the political market. In this paper, we consider how choices made by CEOs regarding their interaction with the supply side of the political market can have performance implications for the firm. In particular, we argue that where CPA focuses less on supporting extreme ideologies, these investments in CPA will be positively associated with higher performance, and thus are more effective. Next, relying on agency theory, we argue that firms in which top managers are less likely to behave opportunistically will engage in such effective CPA. We test our theory on a panel of archival data generated by combining business data with political records, and we find strong support for our arguments.
Virtual reality interventions to enhance upper limb motor improvement after a stroke: commonly used types of platform and outcomes.

Introduction: Virtual Reality (VR) based platforms are useful in enhancing post-stroke sub-optimal upper limb (UL) motor improvement. A variety of options are available from expensive highly customizable platforms to low cost turnkey solutions. Clinical outcomes primarily help assess the effects of VR-based platforms. These outcomes mainly quantify how much improvement has occurred. Very few outcomes characterize the type (i.e. how) of recovery. We categorized the types of VR-based platforms and outcome measures commonly used for post-stroke UL motor improvement.Methods: We reviewed the published literature in English from 2000-2019. Different types of VR-based platforms were grouped into those available commercially and those developed by the various research groups. We initially classified outcomes from the retrieved studies under the appropriate International Classification of Functioning categories. Then, we divided the outcomes as those quantifying the type or extent of improvement.Results: We found a total of 125 studies. Majority of the studies used commercially available platforms. A total of 42 different outcome measures were used. Seventeen different outcomes were used to assess body structure and functions as well as in activity limitations. Eight outcomes assessed the effects of contextual factors and participation restrictions. The Fugl Meyer Assessment, Wolf Motor Function Test and Stroke Impact Scale were most often used across the three categories. Of the 125 studies, 52 used outcomes characterizing the type of recovery. Although a smaller proportion, 24 studies included movement patterns outcomes.Conclusion: A standardized set of outcomes can promote better comparisons between studies using different VR-based platforms for post-stroke UL motor improvement.Implications for RehabilitationA wide variety of commercially available systems are present from expensive customizable systems to low-cost turnkey systems.The Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function Test along with the Stroke Impact Scale-Social Participation subscale were used most often across all studies as assessments of body structure and function, activity limitations and participation restriction.It is essential to include movement pattern outcomes addressing whether recovery of compensation occurs with the use of VR-based platforms.
Dostoevsky and the Literature of Process: What Open Time Looks Like

This essay examines two images of time that have persisted in Western thought: one pictures time as closed, the other as open. Time is open if, at least at some moments, more than one event could take place. The essay looks especially at examples of intention and temporality in Dostoevsky’s writings, which represent time in an open and processual way.
Magnetic exchange interactions in the van der Waals layered antiferromagnet Mn P Se 3

Two-dimensional van der Waals compounds with magnetic ions on a honeycomb lattice are hosts to a variety of exotic behavior. The magnetic interactions in one such compound, $\mathrm{Mn}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$, are investigated with elastic and inelastic neutron scattering. Magnetic excitations are observed in the magnetically ordered regime and persist to temperatures well above the ordering temperature, ${T}_{\text{N}}=74\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, consistent with low dimensional magnetic interactions. The inelastic neutron scattering results allow a model spin Hamiltonian to be presented that includes dominant intralayer interactions of ${J}_{1ab}=0.45$ meV, ${J}_{2ab}=0.03$ meV, ${J}_{3ab}=0.19$ meV, consistent with theoretical predictions. Despite the quasi-2D behavior, appreciable interlayer interactions of ${J}_{c}=0.031(5)$ meV are required to model the data. No evidence for anisotropy in the form of a spin gap is observed in the data collected. The measurements on $\mathrm{Mn}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ are contrasted with those on $\mathrm{Mn}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ and reveal a large increase in the interlayer exchange interaction in $\mathrm{Mn}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ that may stabilize the similar ordering temperatures in the bulk compounds.
Voting Error across Multiple Ballot Types: Results from Super Tuesday (2020) Experiments in Four American States

This paper reports findings on voting error from online experiments involving real presidential candidates on hypothetical ballots. Over 6,000 respondents in four American states in February and March of 2020 were given the opportunity to vote in a simulated Democratic Party presidential primary and a simulated blanket (all-party) presidential primary. Experimental subjects were randomly assigned one of three different voting methods for each contest: a traditional single-mark (a.k.a. “exclusive” or “categorical”) ballot, a ranking (a.k.a “ordinal”) ballot, and a grading (a.k.a. “evaluative” or “range”) ballot. Results show that, on the most basic and widespread measure of voting error, the traditional ballot produced more void (a.k.a. “residual” or “rejected”) votes than the reform alternatives. At the same time, the rates of mismarked votes, or those with at least one violation of the ballot’s instructions, were higher for the reform alternatives than for the traditional ballot. Though the opportunity to mark each and every candidate on ranking and grading ballots generated more violations of the instructions, it also enabled more voters to express a clear, countable judgment of at least one candidate. Other results suggest that group-based inequalities in voting error – measured by the discrepancies in void rates across age, gender, and race cohorts – are smaller with reform ballots. These findings cast doubt on the conventional wisdom that single-mark voting is inherently “natural” or “intuitive” for all voters, irrespective of personal traits, group identities, or socialization. They also defy the presumed theoretical trade-off, or zero-sum game, between more expressive ballot types and more accessible (easy-to-use) ones.
Deep learning enabled prediction of 5-year survival in pediatric genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma.

Abstract Background Genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma (GU-RMS) is a rare, pediatric malignancy originating from embryonic mesenchyme. Current approaches to prognostication rely upon conventional statistical methods such as Cox proportional hazards (CPH) models and have suboptimal predictive ability. Given the success of deep learning approaches in other specialties, we sought to develop and compare deep learning models with CPH models for the prediction of 5-year survival in pediatric GU-RMS patients. Methods Patients less than 20 years of age with GU-RMS were identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (1998–2011). Deep neural networks (DNN) were trained and tested on an 80/20 split of the dataset in a 5-fold cross-validated fashion. Multivariable CPH models were developed in parallel. The primary outcomes were 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). Variables used for prediction were age, sex, race, primary site, histology, degree of tumor extension, tumor size, receipt of surgery, and receipt of radiation. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted, and DNN models were tested for calibration. Results 277 patients were included. The area under the curve (AUC) for the DNN models was 0.93 for OS and 0.91 for DSS. AUC for the CPH models was 0.82 for OS and 0.84 for DSS. The DNN models were well-calibrated: OS model (slope = 1.02, intercept = −0.06) and DSS model (slope = 0.79, intercept = 0.21). Conclusions A deep learning-based model demonstrated excellent performance, superior to that of CPH models, in the prediction of pediatric GU-RMS survival. Deep learning approaches may enable improved prognostication for patients with rare cancers.
Growing racial/ethnic disparities in buprenorphine distribution in the United States, 2007-2017.

Abstract Objective To assess whether per capita buprenorphine distribution varies by regional racial/ethnic composition, Medicaid expansion status, and time period. Methods Our unit of analysis -- three-digit ZIP codes (“ZIP3s”) -- was classified into quintiles based on percentage of White residents. A weighted linear regression model of buprenorphine distribution -- including White resident quintile, waivered prescriber rate, overdose rate, sociodemographic factors, and year fixed effects -- was estimated using national buprenorphine distribution data from 2007 to 2017. We report predictive margins of the buprenorphine distribution rate by quintile, as well as average marginal effects of waivered prescriber rate on buprenorphine distribution rate for each quintile. Analyses were stratified by Medicaid expansion status and time period (2007−2010, 2011−2014, 2015−2017). Results Buprenorphine distribution increased nationally during 2007–2017, yet growth was disproportionately greater for ZIP3s with higher percentages of White residents. Medicaid expansion states exhibited significant differences in buprenorphine distribution across ZIP3 quintiles during 2007−2010, the magnitude of which increased across time periods. Non-expansion states exhibited significant quintile differences during 2011−2014 and 2015−2017. The average marginal effect of increasing the waivered prescriber rate on the distribution rate was consistently smaller in ZIP3s with lower percentages of White residents, particularly in expansion states. Conclusions We find ecological evidence consistent with racial/ethnic disparities in buprenorphine distribution. Our finding that increasing the waivered prescriber rate had differential effects by ZIP3 racial/ethnic composition suggest that broad initiatives to increase the number of waivered prescribers are likely insufficient to achieve equitable buprenorphine access. Rather, targeted and tailored policy efforts are warranted.
Accessible Prime Ideals in Commutative Banach Algebras

A non-maximal closed prime ideal P in a commutative unital Banach algebra B is said to be accessible if P equals to the intersection of all closed ideals of B properly containing it. In this paper it is shown that a non-maximal closed prime ideal P is accessible if there exists a sequence {I n } of ideals properly containing P is such that ∩I n =P. Some non-trivial examples of accessible prime ideals are given.
Flight Demonstration of a Hybrid Battery/Supercapacitor Energy Storage System in an Earth Orbiting CubeSat

The development and demonstration of a hybrid battery/supercapacitor energy storage system (ESS) onboard the Earth-orbiting CubeSat JPL/CSUNSat1 is described. The ESS is capable of supporting high power pulse currents (>10C-rate) at low temperature (<–40 °C). The primary operational phase of the technology demonstration mission includes the performance characterization of the ESS at various discharge rates (1–15 A) at moderate to low temperatures. The internal resistances obtained from JPL/CSUNSat1 telemetry under battery-only, supercapacitor-only, and hybrid operating modes of the ESS were consistent with ground test data. Despite the loss of telemetry downlinks due to the failure of a memory storage card in the later stages of the mission, ten charge/discharge cycles were performed successfully to validate an impedance-based performance model developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This flight demonstrates the first use of supercapacitors within a hybrid energy storage subsystem in a space environment.
Innovative DNA Array Technology Detection of Pharmaceuticals Reclaimed Water

Numerous pharmaceutical substances and their metabolites have been identified in the aquatic environment. Due to their unique environmental fate and lack of appropriate biomonitoring techniques, the potential risk of these compounds to public and environmental health has largely been undetermined. Recent interest in quantifying pharmaceuticals in waste effluents and aquatic environments has identified the need to develop bioanalytical assays that will accurately reflect presence of these compounds. The goal of this research was to investigate the use of DNA microarrays as a bioanalytical tool for analysis of pharmaceutical contamination in re-use waters. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series ISBN: 9781843397373 (Print) ISBN: 9781780403861 (eBook)