cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large refrigeration capacities near room temperature in Ni2Mn1−xCrxIn

Abstract We report on the observation of large refrigeration capacities near room temperature in Ni 2 Mn 1−x Cr x In Heusler alloys. The alloys exhibit the L2 1 cubic crystal structure and undergo a second order ferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition. The respective Curie temperatures vary with Cr concentration from 315 K to 290 K. Net refrigerant capacities of up to 60 J/kg and 168 J/kg are observed in the alloys for applied magnetic fields of 20 kOe and 50 kOe, respectively. Due to the second order phase transition, the materials do not exhibit any hysteresis loss or other problems usually associated with materials exhibiting first order phase transitions. The observed refrigeration capacities in Ni 2 Mn 1−x Cr x In are higher than those observed in many Heusler alloys with first order magnetic transitions.
The impact of feral horses on pronghorn behavior at water sources

Abstract Feral horses ( Equus callabus ) occur throughout the world on all continents except Antarctica. In North America, feral horses occupy 31.6 million acres throughout western North America. Throughout their range, feral horses often share habitat with American pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana) . Since horses are larger and more aggressive than pronghorn, they are considered socially dominant. In the Great Basin of western North America, pronghorn often access water sources where horses occur since habitat preferences are similar. If pronghorn are excluded where water is used by both species, pronghorn fitness may be impaired, especially during dry or droughty periods. The purpose of this study was to investigate interference competition between pronghorn and feral horses at water sources within the Great Basin. We observed horses and pronghorn at high-use water sources and recorded all occurrences and outcomes of pronghorn/horse interactions. We assessed differences in pronghorn behavior in the presence or absence of horses. Pronghorn invested more time on vigilance behavior and less time foraging or drinking in the presence of horses than in their absence. Nearly half of pronghorn/horse interactions resulted in pronghorn exclusion from water. We conclude that as feral horse numbers increase, competition for water will subsequently increase.
Chapter 15 The mediator of thyroidal iodide accumulation: The sodium/iodide symporter

Publisher Summary The Na+/I- symporter (NIS) is a key plasma membrane protein that catalyzes the active accumulation of iodide (I-) in the thyroid gland, that is, the first and critical rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the thyroid hormones. NIS is located in the basolateral membrane of the hormone-producing thyroid follicular cells or thyrocytes. NIS is one of at least four major proteins that appear to be distinctively thyroidal, the other three being Tg, TPO and the TSH receptor. Each of these four proteins mediates a crucial step in thyroid hormogenesis. Each of them also plays an important role in thyroid function. They are also considered thyroid-specific markers. This chapter presents the rat NIS cDNA clone and discusses a secondary structure model for the NIS molecule. The product of the NIS cDNA clone is sufficient to elicit Na+/I- symport activity in both oocytes and mammalian cells, suggesting that NIS probably functions as a single subunit or as an oligomer of identical subunits. The role of NIS as the mediator of I- accumulation is consistent with its placing alongside other Na+-dependent anion transporters based on clustering relationships between its deduced amino acid sequence and the deduced sequences of other transporters. A comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of NIS with those of other cloned Na+-dependent cotransporters revealed the highest degree of homology.
Conservation, development and the management of infectious disease: avian influenza in China, 2004–2012

There is growing evidence that wildlife conservation measures have mixed effects on the emergence and spread of zoonotic disease. Wildlife conservation has been found to have both positive (dilution) and negative (contagion) effects. In the case of avian influenza H5N1 in China, the focus has been on negative effects. Lakes and wetlands attracting migrating waterfowl have been argued to be disease hotspots. We consider the implications of waterfowl conservation for H5N1 infections in both poultry and humans between 2004 and 2012. We model both environmental and economic risk factors. Environmental risk factors comprise the conditions that structure interaction between wild and domesticated birds. Economic risk factors comprise the cost of disease, biosecurity measures and disease risk mitigation. We find that H5N1 outbreaks in poultry populations are indeed sensitive to the existence of wild-domesticated bird mixing zones, but not in the way we would expect from the literature. We find that risk is decreasing in protected migratory bird habitat. Since the number of human cases is increasing in the number of poultry outbreaks, as expected, the implication is that the protection of wetlands important for migratory birds offers unexpected human health benefits. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications’.
Abstract P299: A Multi-Method Approach for the Formative Evaluation of the Heart Failure Provider Network

Objectives Heart failure (HF) is associated with high mortality and poor quality of life. Moreover, it is the most common medical reason for admission within and outside of the VA health care system. In July 2006 the Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) formed the HF Network - a network of VA providers interested in improving HF care. Over 510 providers from 150 facilities are members of the network. However, the participants9 views of the network are poorly understood. Method A multi-method approach was used for the formative evaluation of the HF Network. Quantitative data were gathered from members who completed a web-based survey. Responses were obtained pertaining to helpfulness with activities, whether participation influenced them, benefit of participating, etc. Qualitative in-depth interviews with members from non-participating, low-participating and high-participating facilities provide in-depth understanding of goals, influence patterns, barriers and facilitators. Results The response rate to the web-based survey was 32%. Respondents reported the HF Network helped them understand facilitators and barriers in setting up or running HF clinic/program (92%), validated own current practice in taking care of HF patients (91%), provided names of contacts from HF Network for networking and potential problem solving (91%), and helped solve implementation-related problem at their facility (66%). Interestingly, respondents who reported that they considered their participation in the network as beneficial also perceived themselves as influential in making changes at own facility to improve care (r=.859, p Conclusions The multi-method approach provides deep insight in understanding the perceptions of members of the HF Network pertaining to their involvement in the network9s activities as helpful and beneficial to them. Impact Through such social networks providers get unique opportunities to implement changes for improved care of patients.
Pediatric Nontraumatic Musculoskeletal Lesions: Imaging Pitfalls

Nontraumatic pitfalls in the pediatric musculoskeletal system may arise due to unfamiliarity with the appearance of normal development or variants in the growing child. They may also arise because the imaging features between benign and malignant lesions frequently overlap in children. Pitfalls occurring in the long bones and the axial skeleton, as well as some individual bones, will be addressed. Problems related to the assessment of bone age, bone marrow development, cystic-appearing bone lesions, infection, juvenile inflammatory arthritis, and soft tissue masses will also be discussed.
The curious case of cuprous chloride: Giant thermal resistance and anharmonic quasiparticle spectra driven by dispersion nesting

Strongly anharmonic phonon properties of CuCl are investigated with inelastic neutron-scattering measurements and first-principles simulations. An unusual quasiparticle spectral peak emerges in the phonon density of states with increasing temperature, in both simulations and measurements, emanating from exceptionally strong coupling between conventional phonon modes. Associated with this strong anharmonicity, the lattice thermal conductivity of CuCl is extremely low and exhibits anomalous, nonmonotonic pressure dependence. We show how this behavior arises from the structure of the phonon dispersions augmenting the phase space available for anharmonic three-phonon scattering processes, and contrast this mechanism with common arguments based on negative Gr\"uneisen parameters. These results demonstrate the importance of considering intrinsic phonon-dispersion structure toward understanding scattering processes and designing new ultralow thermal conductivity materials.
The promise of single-cell RNA sequencing for kidney disease investigation

Recent techniques for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) at high throughput are leading to profound new discoveries in biology. The ability to generate vast amounts of transcriptomic data at cellular resolution represents a transformative advance, allowing the identification of novel cell types, states, and dynamics. In this review, we summarize the development of scRNA-seq methodologies and highlight their advantages and drawbacks. We discuss available software tools for analyzing scRNA-Seq data and summarize current computational challenges. Finally, we outline ways in which this powerful technology might be applied to discovery research in kidney development and disease.
How does local partners network embeddedness affect international joint venture survival in different subnational contexts

Do local partners' network attributes affect the survival of high-tech international joint ventures (IJV)? How does the effect of network attributes vary in different subnational institutional environments? While the classic economic explanation for IJV formation and subsequent performance draws from the resource-based view (RBV), we add the relational dimension to explain that IJV survival may be affected by local partners’ relation-specific assets within the local network. We test the effect of the local partners’ network attributes as calculated by UCINET (centrality, network status, and structural hole position) on IJV survival. We additionally assert that this relationship is moderated by subnational institutional heterogeneity. Using our sample of 125 IJV dyadic pairs of US multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in high-tech industries and their local partners in China, we find partial support for our claims.
Criteria for Selecting a Red Blood Cell Product to Transfuse Anaemic Infants

Many preterm infants, particularly those with birth weight ≥1.0 kg, are given multiple red blood cell (RBC) transfusions during the early weeks of life. Many controversial questions regarding the practice of neonatal RBC transfusion therapy exist, so that practices and policies vary widely — including the clinical indications and physiological basis for RBC transfusions, the choice of RBC product to be transfused, and the need for RBC product modifications such as leukocyte-reduction and gamma-irradiation. This manuscript will critically assess information pertaining to one of these issues — namely, the selection of RBCs stored for up to 42 days after collection in extended-storage preservative solutions for transfusing infants vs the transfusion of fresh RBCs (ie, those stored ≥7 days after donation).
The History of Maltose-active Disaccharidases.

The history of maltose-active disaccharidases is closely related to the history of the sugar and starch industry. It began in the 19th century, when a shortage of cane sugar occurred in continental Europe, because Napoleon Bonaparte decreed that no goods could be imported from England to the countries he occupied. Other sugar sources had to be found, and it led to the identification of sugar beets as alternative source of sugar by Marggraf in 1774, to the detection of starch hydrolysis by diluted sulfuric acid by Kirchhoff in 1812, and to the starch digestion enzyme, α-amylase, by Payen in 1833. In the 20th century, Borkstrom's group in Sweden investigated the absorption of nutrients in human adults by transintubation techniques and found that the luminal concentration of invertase was small compared to that of α-amylase. They speculated that the major locus of this enzyme activity must be in the intestinal cells. Borkstrom's coworker, Dahlqvist, investigated the maltose-active enzymes in pig intestine, and a second group around Semenza studied the maltase-active enzymes in rabbit intestine. After the first descriptions of congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency in 1960 and 1961, the research on disaccharidases increased. Dahlqvist published the first quantitative method to measure these enzymes. Consecutive research led to the discovery of 4 maltases, which were later identified as 2 complex enzymes: the sucrase-isomaltase complex and the maltase-glucoamylase complex. The homology of the 2 enzyme complexes was later determined when the cDNA sequences of the 2 complexes in human intestine were identified.
Environmental Justice: The Experience of the United States

The environmental justice literature has shown that poor people and minorities live in more polluted neighborhoods than other groups. This literature has sparked a broad activist movement and several federal policy reforms. This article considers five possible explanations for the observed correlation between pollution and demographics, the evidence in support of each, and their implications. The first is pure discrimination, in which firms pollute based on their preferences for local demographic groups. Second, firms may be attracted to areas where poorer households live for entirely different reasons, such as low land prices and access to transportation corridors. Third, the correlation may arise ex post from households’ locational decisions. In particular, if pollution drives down real estate values, disadvantaged households, prioritizing inexpensive housing, may move to polluted neighborhoods. Fourth, firms may find it easier to make bargains with some communities, those which require lower compensation to host polluting facilities. Finally, poorer citizens tend to have less political power and, as renters, may not have an incentive to protect property values. Consequently, they may be less successful at lobbying government agencies to protect their communities from pollution. The strongest evidence supports the second and third hypotheses. This article also considers ways that environmental justice considerations may be incorporated into benefit–cost analysis and related planning tools.
Netflix Switches Channels

Reed Hastings found himself in the middle of a customer and social media firestorm in the fall of 2011 when Netflix announced a plan to reinvent itself as a streaming media access provider—to the disadvantage of its DVD rental customers. Netflix intended to spin out its original DVDs-by-mail subscription business into a separate company called Qwikster while the Netflix brand would offer only streaming video options. The company’s most popular $9.99 per month subscription plan for combined streaming plus DVDs-by-mail would be eliminated. Customers would have to choose between subscribing to DVD titles through Qwikster and accessing streaming media titles from Netflix—or be forced to pay monthly fees to each company to maintain both types of access. It seemed that Hastings had decided to test the boundaries of his theory that companies “rarely die from moving too fast” by pushing Netflix customers to immediately adopt his vision for the future of streaming media.
Test d = µ1 — µ2, Matched Pairs

We begin following Chapter 9. Let x 1, ..., x n be the values of a random sample from a population Pop I. Let object i , or person i ,belong to Pop I which produced measurement x i in the random sample, 1 ≤ i ≤ n. Then, at possibly some later time, we take a second measurement on object i , (person i ) and get value y i , 1 ≤ i ≤ n. Then (x 1,y 1),...,(x n,y n) are n pairs of dependent measurements. For example, when testing the effectiveness of some treatment for high blood pressure, the x i are the blood pressure measurements before treatment and the y i are these measurements on the same person after treatment. The two samples are not independent.
Comparing Pharmacovigilance Outcomes Between FAERS and EMR Data for Acute Mania Patients

Evaluation of premarketing drug safety in clinical trials is often limited, due to the relatively small/moderate sample size and short follow-up time. The data collected in the post market spontaneous reporting systems such as FAERS as well as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems provide crucial information to evaluate post-marketing drug safety. In this paper, we assess the strengths and limitations of FAERS and EMR data in studying the post-marketing pharmacovigilance outcomes for 12 selected antidepressant drugs, and compare the results obtained from these two data sources, and describe key challenges in evidence integration.
Investigating Generation Y Men's Clothing Behaviors: The Role of Body Dissatisfaction

This study aims to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and body dissatisfaction and how body dissatisfaction impacts clothing image avoidance and appearance management among men in Generation Y. Menswear market has been growing recently which suggests that more men have become interested in clothing; however, most studies focused on women's body-related issues and their clothing behaviours, with little inclusion of the male population. Also, Generation Y consumers have spent considerable money on buying clothing compared to other generations. In this study, Three factors emerged from the body dissatisfaction measure, including body dissatisfaction-weight (BD-weight), body dissatisfaction-muscle (BD-muscles), and body dissatisfaction-height (BD-height). Results showed that self-esteem negatively influenced BD-weight, BD-muscles, and BD-height. All the three factors also positively influenced clothing image avoidance; however, only BD-muslces and BD-height influenced appearance management.
Pope Francis’s Preferential Option for Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers:

Pope Francis’s consistent advocacy for the human dignity and rights of migrants in his official pronouncements and actions reveals a pope who not only cares deeply about the existential challenges ...
Beach, Dune, and Nearshore Analysis of Southern Texas Gulf Coast Using Chiroptera LIDAR and Imaging System

ABSTRACT Caudle, T.L.; Paine, J.G.; Andrews, J.R., and Saylam, K., 2019. Beach, dune, and nearshore analysis of southern Texas Gulf Coast using Chiroptera LIDAR and imaging system. Journal of Coast...
The Effect of Shared Decisionmaking on Patients’ Likelihood of Filing a Complaint or Lawsuit: A Simulation Study

Study objective Shared decisionmaking has been promoted as a method to increase the patient-centeredness of medical decisionmaking and decrease low-yield testing, but little is known about its medicolegal ramifications in the setting of an adverse outcome. We seek to determine whether the use of shared decisionmaking changes perceptions of fault and liability in the case of an adverse outcome. Methods This was a randomized controlled simulation experiment conducted by survey, using clinical vignettes featuring no shared decisionmaking, brief shared decisionmaking, or thorough shared decisionmaking. Participants were adult US citizens recruited through an online crowd-sourcing platform. Participants were randomized to vignettes portraying 1 of 3 levels of shared decisionmaking. All other information given was identical, including the final clinical decision and the adverse outcome. The primary outcome was reported likelihood of pursuing legal action. Secondary outcomes included perceptions of fault, quality of care, and trust in physician. Results We recruited 804 participants. Participants exposed to shared decisionmaking (brief and thorough) were 80% less likely to report a plan to contact a lawyer than those not exposed to shared decisionmaking (12% and 11% versus 41%; odds ratio 0.2; 95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.31). Participants exposed to either level of shared decisionmaking reported higher trust, rated their physicians more highly, and were less likely to fault their physicians for the adverse outcome compared with those exposed to the no shared decisionmaking vignette. Conclusion In the setting of an adverse outcome from a missed diagnosis, use of shared decisionmaking may affect patients' perceptions of fault and liability.
Who Does Aid Help? Examining Heterogeneity in the Effect of Grant Aid on Achievement

Does grant aid impact achievement differently for low- and high-income students? I exploit the eligibility requirements of a state scholarship program that awards additional funds to merit aid recipients majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields. A triple difference design, using administrative data from the University of South Carolina and exploiting differences over time by merit aid recipient status and by major type (STEM or non-STEM), shows that grant aid increases the GPAs and graduation prospects of low-income students by 0.169 GPA points and 10.7 percentage points, respectively, but has little impact on high-income students. Additional analysis suggests that the reduction in work-study among low-income students may be a potential mechanism for the heterogeneous achievement effects of grant aid by income. These results suggest that merit aid programs could be targeted more effectively than most currently are.
Prisoners of Age: The Women

Aging men and women are the most rapidly growing group in U.S. prisons. Older women in particular seem to be forgotten in this population. “Prisoners of Age” is a series of photographs and interviews with elderly inmates and corrections personnel conducted in prisons both in the United States and Canada. “Prisoners of Age” offers a microcosmic glimpse of what lies ahead in this new millennium. The photos in the Prisoners of Age_The Women (ages 52–81) serve to capture the complexity of a subject that is seldom contemplated – aging women offenders in the correctional system. The purpose of this article is to put a face to the women aging in prison, share their story, consider the human dimension of doing time while growing old in prison and address issues of social justice and human dignity through the images and interviews.
Neurofibromatosis-1 and Rhabdomyosarcoma: An Unusual Recurrence

Neurofibromatosis-1 has a known increased risk of malignancy with rhabdomyosarcoma occurring in up to 6% of patients. Here we report on an 8-year-old male with a history of Neurofibromatosis-1 and previously treated stage 3, group III bladder/prostate embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (diagnosed at 18 months old) who presented with penile swelling concerning for priapism. Imaging and subsequent biopsy confirmed embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the penile corporal bodies. Penile rhabdomyosarcoma is exceedingly rare, with less than 15 case reports in the literature. Our patient received chemoradiation per D9803 with organ preserving local control and is doing well 3 months after treatment.
Convolutional Neural Network for Second Metacarpal Radiographic Osteoporosis Screening.

Purpose Osteoporosis and osteopenia are extremely common and can lead to fragility fractures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a computer learning system could classify whether a hand radiograph demonstrated osteoporosis based on the second metacarpal cortical percentage. Methods We used the second metacarpal cortical percentage as the osteoporosis predictor. A total of 4,000 posteroanterior (PA) radiographs of the hand were standardized through laterality correction, vertical alignment correction, segmentation, proxy osteoporosis predictor, and full pipeline. Laterality was classified using a LeNet convolutional neural network (CNN). Vertical alignment classification used 2,000 PA x-rays to determine vertical alignment of the second metacarpal. We employed segmentation to determine which pixels belong to the second metacarpal from 1,000 PA x-rays using the FSN-8 CNN. The full pipeline was tested on 265 previously unseen PA x-rays. Results Laterality classification accuracy was 99.62%, with a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 99.3%. Rotation of the hand within 10° of vertical was accurate in 93.2% of films. Segmentation was 94.8% accurate. Proxy osteoporosis predictor was 88.4% accurate. Full pipeline accuracy was 93.9%. In the testing data set, the CNN had a sensitivity of 82.4% and specificity of 95.7%. In the balanced data set, 6 of 39 osteoporotic films were classified as nonosteoporotic; sensitivity was 82.4% and specificity, 94.3%. Conclusions We have created a series of CNN that can accurately identify osteoporosis from non-osteoporosis. Furthermore, our CNN is able to make adjustments to images based on laterality and vertical alignment. Clinical relevance Convolutional neural network and computer learning can be used as an adjunct to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans or to screen and make appropriate referrals for further workup in patients with suspected osteoporosis.
Leveraging Technology to Improve Health in Adolescence: A Developmental Science Perspective

As technologies continue to evolve at exponential rates, online platforms are becoming an increasingly salient social context for adolescents. Adolescents are often early adopters, savvy users, and innovators of technology use. This not only creates new vulnerabilities but also presents new opportunities for positive impact-particularly, the use of technology to promote healthy learning and adaptation during developmental windows of opportunity. For example, early adolescence appears to represent a developmental inflection point in health trajectories and in technology use in ways that may be strategically targeted for prevention and intervention. The field of adolescent health can capitalize on technology use during developmental windows of opportunity to promote well-being and behavior change in the following ways: (1) through a deeper understanding of the specific ways that developmental changes create new opportunities for motivation and engagement with technologies; (2) by leveraging these insights for more effective use of technology in intervention and prevention efforts; and (3) by combining developmental science-informed targeting with broader-reach technologic approaches to health behavior change at the population level (e.g., leveraging and changing social norms). Collaboration across disciplines-including developmental science, medicine, psychology, public health, and computer science-can create compelling innovations to use digital technology to promote health in adolescents.
Supporting trans people in libraries

Transphobia and malice are sometimes the cause of library disservice to trans and gender variant people, but more often the problems can be traced to simple ignorance, writes Stephen G. Krueger. Wi...
Text-Based Identification of Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus With Ocular Involvement in the Electronic Health Record: A Population-Based Study.

Background Diagnosis codes are inadequate for accurately identifying herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO). Manual review of medical records is expensive and time-consuming, resulting in a lack of population-based data on HZO. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study, including 87 673 patients aged ≥50 years who had a new HZ diagnosis and associated antiviral prescription between 2010 and 2018. We developed and validated an automated natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to identify HZO with ocular involvement (ocular HZO). We compared the characteristics of NLP-identified ocular HZO, nonocular HZO, and non-HZO cases among HZ patients and identified the factors associated with ocular HZO among HZ patients. Results The NLP algorithm achieved 94.9% sensitivity and 94.2% specificity in identifying ocular HZO cases. Among 87 673 incident HZ cases, the proportion identified as ocular HZO was 9.0% (n = 7853) by NLP and 2.3% (n = 1988) by International Classification of Diseases codes. In adjusted analyses, older age and male sex were associated with an increased risk of ocular HZO; Hispanic and black race/ethnicity each were associated with a lower risk of ocular HZO compared with non-Hispanic white. Conclusions The NLP algorithm achieved high accuracy and can be used in large population-based studies to identify ocular HZO, avoiding labor-intensive chart review. Age, sex, and race were strongly associated with ocular HZO among HZ patients. We should consider these risk factors when planning for zoster vaccination.
P114 A New Method for Self-Collection of Blood Specimens for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Laboratory Monitoring

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing is an important component of PrEP care. Home-based PrEP monitoring (HBPM), consisting of STI sample self-collection and remote follow-up, could improve PrEP access and retention rates, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic. However, existing fingerstick methods for collecting blood often result in too little specimen for quantitative rapid plasma reagin (RPR) testing, limiting the ability to distinguish between old and new syphilis infections. We evaluated the Tasso OnDemand™ device, designed to collect 300 μg of capillary blood, for self-collecting blood specimens for PrEP monitoring, including quantitative syphilis testing. From July 2020 – January 2021, we enrolled 46 clients who were either on PrEP, had known/suspected new syphilis infection or were living with HIV and seeking STI care at a sexual health clinic in Seattle, WA, USA. After brief instruction, clients used the Tasso device in the clinic to self-collect blood from the upper arm. We compared HIV antigen/antibody, quantitative RPR and creatinine assay results using paired Tasso and venipuncture serum specimens. Most clients were cisgender men (42/46, 91%) and currently using PrEP (33/37, 89%). Of 46 participants, 40 (87%) collected a blood sample sufficient to complete ≥1 test. Percent positive agreement and negative percent agreement (PPA and NPA, respectively) for 34 HIV specimens was 100% (7/7 HIV positive). Of 30 paired qualitative RPR specimens, PPA was 100% (10/10 samples) and NPA was 95% (19/20 samples). Differences between 9 paired quantitative RPR titers were all ≤1 dilution. Paired creatinine results (n=9) were strongly and positively correlated (r²=0.84, p=0.008) with a median difference of 0.05 mg/dL (range: -0.01–0.20). Self-collection of blood specimens adequate for recommended PrEP laboratory testing is feasible and results show high levels of agreement with venipuncture samples. The Tasso device shows promise for use in mailed sampling kits for HBPM.
Impact of film densification on UV-ns laser damage performance for MLD coatings

We compare the 355 nm, 45o AOI p-pol 8 n-s laser damage performance of standing-wave hafnia single layers fabricated using argon and xenon as working gas. A suite of metrology tools has been employed to understand the structural, chemical and paramagnetic defect states in the two films. The resultant films from the xenon deposition process are highly dense and have high 3w laser damage performance.
Research on Abnormal Heating Alarm Technology of Conductor Strain Clamp Based on Thermal Steady State Principle

With the continuous development of domestic power grid construction, coupled with the serious air pollution in some areas, the transmission line has been put into operation for a long time, resulting in the increasing phenomenon of abnormal heating of the tension clamp of the transmission line, which not only affects the safe operation and reliability of the power grid, but also restricts the improvement of the carrying capacity of the transmission line. Therefore, this paper studies the abnormal heating state of strain clamp in transmission line, and proposes an abnormal heating alarm technology of strain clamp based on online monitoring technology and thermal stability principle.
Validating the use of stochastic models for power electronic converters

One of the drawbacks of using averaging models in the analysis and design of power electronic systems has been the uncertainty in determining the stability of the system since these techniques necessitate a small-signal restriction and thus cannot account for nonlinearities. This paper addresses this problem. It presents the replacement of the averaging models by stochastic models. The stochastic models for pulse-width modulated (PWM) converters are developed based on recent techniques employed from the theory of stochastic differential equations. An important feature of these stochastic models is the representation of perturbations in the duty ratio of switching converters as Gauss-Markov processes (or colored noises) keeping the nonlinear model intact. In these type of studies, the dynamics of the electronic system (switching converters) are modeled as a diffusion process, indicating that the system will exhibit transitions between stable states. This has lead to the introduction of the mean first passage time (MFPT) of the dynamic electronic system from a certain domain of attraction which can be used as an index of system stability. >
Isolation of Current Components and Partial Reaction Cycles in the Glial Glutamate Transporter EAAT2

The kinetic properties of the excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT2 were studied using rapid applications of l-glutamate to outside-out patches excised from transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells. In the presence of the highly permeant anion SCN−, pulses of glutamate rapidly activated transient anion channel currents mediated by the transporter. In the presence of the impermeant anion gluconate, glutamate pulses activated smaller currents predicted to result from stoichiometric flux of cotransported ions. Both anion and stoichiometric currents displayed similar kinetics, suggesting that anion channel gating and stoichiometric charge movements are linked to early transitions in the transport cycle. Transporter-mediated anion currents were recorded with ion and glutamate gradients favoring either unidirectional influx or exchange. Analysis of deactivation and recovery kinetics in these two conditions suggests that, after binding, translocation of substrate is more likely than unbinding under physiological conditions. The kinetic properties of EAAT2, the dominant glutamate transporter in brain astrocytes, distinguish it as an efficient sink for synaptically released glutamate.
A Tale of Two Trajectories

I will begin this essay with a personal reflection. I became interested in the questions motivating this Symposium issue of the Fordham Law Review over ten years ago while in practice at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City. One of Cravath’s long-time clients is the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. In 1993, Cravath was asked by the Lawyers’ Committee to represent Barbara Landgraf in the U.S. Supreme Court in a case involving the potentially retroactive application of the damages provisions added in 1991 to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Prior to 1991, damages for a violation of Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination, were limited to the equitable remedies of two years’ back pay and possible reinstatement. After the amendments, a successful plaintiff can also seek compensatory and punitive damages, albeit subject to fairly stringent limits.1 Although Mrs. Landgraf was found to have been the victim of intentional (and egregious) sexual harassment by her supervisor, she quit her job under circumstances that the district court did not find to constitute constructive discharge. As a result, she was entitled to no monetary relief unless the newly enacted damages provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (the Act) were available in her case, which was in litigation when the Act became law. (I must admit, we lost the case brilliantly, in an 8-1 opinion in which only Justice Harry Blackmun agreed with our position.)2
The Learning Science in Informal Environments Study in Context

Abstract The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the National Research Council report Learning Science in Informal Environments to synthesize the growing body of diverse research underlying informal science learning. Intended outcomes were to establish a base for future research, to provide evidence-based guidance for those developing and delivering informal learning experiences, to broaden the definition of “learning” beyond that typically used in formal education, to encourage knowledge sharing across the heterogeneous informal science education field, and to provide a measure of external validation for the value of learning in informal settings. NSF investment in this study is part of a larger ongoing effort by the Informal Science Education program to advance knowledge and practice and build capacity in the field.
Two Wrongs Make a Right: Hybrid Claims of Discrimination

This Note reinterprets and recontextualizes the pronouncement in Employment Division v. Smith (Smith II) that exemptions from generally applicable laws will not be granted unless claims of free exercise are accompanied by the assertion of another constitutional right. It argues that when Arab American Muslims, and others who are of minority race and religion, bring claims for exemption from generally applicable laws on the basis of free exercise and equal protection principles, they ought to be able to invoke Smith II's hybridity exception, thus meriting heightened judicial scrutiny and increased solicitude from courts.
Spectroscopic studies of Lewis acid-base complexes : Part V. Raman and infrared spectra, assignments and normal coordinate analysis for difluorophosphine borane

Abstract Raman spectra of five isotopic species of HPF 2 BH 3 have been obtained in the liquid and solid states together with infrared spectra of the same species in the gaseous and solid states. Vibrational assignments have been made with the aid of a normal coordinate analysis utilizing compliance constants. Both compliance and force constants are reported. The force field is quite similar to that of PF 3 BH 3 despite the marked difference in stability of the two compounds.
Perils and Pragmatics of Critique: Reading Barack Obama Sr's 1965 Review of Kenya's Development Plan

Barack Obama Sr's 1965 critique of the Kenya government's Sessional Paper number 10: ‘African Socialism and Its Application to Planning in Kenya’ reads today as remarkably shrewd and prescient – shrewd in its efforts to navigate the perilous political differences among the major figures and forces of the day including Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya and Oginga Odinga, as well as the false securities of ideologies, in this case the messy, irresolvable debates over the relative values of African socialism, African tradition, and capitalism … prescient in its warnings regarding gratuitous privatisation of productive resources and public goods; excessive disparities in wealth; and uneven regional development. Indeed, he makes an almost forgotten case for the African state (and for good governance, progressive taxation, and effective regulation of private investment). The 1965 article is an improbable yet extraordinarily acute rehearsal of the best critiques of structural adjustment (and its privileging of the privat...
Findings on H- and H 2 -based methods for integral-equation-based electrically large analysis

The H- and H2-based methods with a minimal-rank representation and an optimized H-partition have been recently developed for large-scale electrodynamic analysis. In this paper, we report a few important findings that help advance our traditional understandings of the H- and H2-based methods for electrically large analysis. These findings can also be used to accelerate other fast solvers for dense matrix computations.
Building a chain of success in marketing higher education: the alumni connection

Purpose – Alumni provide a valuable marketing conduit for educational institutions to not only share program highlights but to illustrate the competencies learned that are positively impacting organizations. Alumni who are interested in giving back need a vehicle through which they can remain connected to their alma maters. Institutions can benefit greatly from building such bridges. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Capella University has created a virtual chapter affiliated with the International Society for Performance Improvement where alumni, learners, and faculty can network in meaningful ways to address the interests and needs of all parties. Five key considerations and 12 purposeful activities that have proven to be critical to the success of the collaborative, virtual chapter site are presented. Findings – Providing a virtual site where collaborative partners can work on meaningful projects that address mutual needs has proven to be beneficial to all parties in...
Liquid encapsulant stress variations as measured with the ATCO4 assembly test chip

We have examined the use of the ATCO4 piezoresistive Assembly Test Chip to measure the mechanical surface stresses produced by liquid encapsulation of die mounted directly on ceramic substrates. In our experiment, two groups of parts, each with about 70 samples, were encapsulated with two different materials, one a standard and one a low stress formulation. Results are presented for the measured stress components; /spl sigma//sub xx/-/spl sigma//sub zz/, /spl sigma//sub xy/, and /spl sigma//sub xx/-/spl sigma//sub yy/. We observe an /spl ap/20% reduction in the compressive stress between the normal stress and low stress materials, and a small but measurable difference in the average in-plane shearing stress. This experiment demonstrates the ability to resolve stress differences produced by different encapsulants and provides guidelines for selecting appropriate sample sizes.
Recent advances in genomic DNA sequencing of microbial species from single cells

The vast majority of microbial species remain uncultivated and, until recently, about half of all known bacterial phyla were identified only from their 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence. With the advent of single-cell sequencing, genomes of uncultivated species are rapidly filling in unsequenced branches of the microbial phylogenetic tree. The wealth of new insights gained from these previously inaccessible groups is providing a deeper understanding of their basic biology, taxonomy and evolution, as well as their diverse roles in environmental ecosystems and human health.
Effect of ethanol treatment on indices of cumulative oxidative stress

The effect of ethanol exposure upon several parameters relating to oxidative stress has been examined in brain and liver. A single administration of either acetaldehyde or ethanol was able to enhance rates of generation of reactive oxygen species in liver but this effect was not apparent in the cerebral cortex. Glutamine synthetase is especially sensitive to inactivation by free radicals and evidence for cumulative oxidative damage to this enzyme was found in liver and to a lesser extent in cerebral cortex. This enzyme was depressed in liver after both a single injection of acetaldehyde or ethanol, or after more extended dosing. The liver was also more susceptible than cerebral cortex, to pro-oxidant effects as judged by depression of glutathione after acute dosing with either solvent. Enzyme inhibition representing temporally summated oxidative events may be a more sensitive procedure than direct measurement of rates of formation of active oxygen species and may find especially utility in the detection of prolonged low level pro-oxidant activity.
Effects of potato virus S and two strains of potato virus X on yields of Russet Burbank, Kennebec, and Katahdin cultivars in Maine

Yields of cultivars Russet Burbank, Kennebec, and Katahdin, as affected by potato virus S (PVS) alone and combined with either a mild or a moderate strain of potato virus X (PVX), were compared with yields from virus-free (VF) stocks in each of three years. Over all cultivars, yield weights from PVS-infected seed averaged about 3% lower than those of VF seed. When PVS was combined with mild PVX or moderate PVX, additional reductions of 2 and 5% respectively were obtained. Significant interactions between cultivar and virus were absent but a year by virus interaction was detected. An increase in numbers of large tubers and total tubers was found over all cultivars when mild PVX was present, though not significantly so for VF seed. This trend was evident in all cultivars and especially pronounced in Kennebec. Specific gravity differences, based on data from the 1975 test, were small. Mosaic mottle symptoms were observable only in plants infected with moderate PVX plus PVS. Plants from VF seed often appeared darker green than those carrying virus, and this was most noticeable near season’s end. It was more difficult to maintain seed free of PVS than of PVX. Results of this study and those of others are discussed relative to commercial seed improvement programs.
Anti-fat Prejudice: The Role of Psychology in Explication, Education and Eradication

The field of psychology’s explication of anti-fat prejudice and its impact on psychological practice in the U.S. is reviewed. The medical perspective that obesity is itself a disease or a psychological disorder and that fat is the cause of various physical or mental health conditions is challenged and viewed as contributing to weight-based prejudice in the U.S. The role of psychology in educating students and future practitioners about anti-fat bias and research on the ineffectiveness of dieting is examined. Research documenting anti-fat bias in the diagnosis and treatment of fat female clients in the U.S. is reviewed, and potential solutions for eradicating anti-fat prejudice in the clinical practice of psychology, including alternatives to dieting for women, are described.
Band structure of polyacetylene, (CH)x

The one-electron energy bands and densities of states of polyacetylene in both cis- and trans-conformations have been investigated. The principal issue addressed is whether the itinerant picture alone is sufficient to explain the experimental properties of this material. We conclude that the one-electron model provides an excellent zeroth-order explanation of current observations of optical and transport effects in both pure and doped forms of this unusual polymer.
Refraction Operators and Ray Tracing through Cones of Constant Index

A dyadic representation for Snell’s law of refraction is derived and its properties discussed. Alternate forms are given. The problem of ray tracing through a cone of constant refractive index is formally solved in terms of the refraction dyadic. The class of rays which only pierce the cone once is exhaustively discussed.
Quantum Theory of Radiation. II. Statistical Aspects of Laser Light

We have solved a master equation to obtain the diagonal elements of the density matrix for laser light. The master equation represents a generalization of a master equation derived earlier for a single radiation mode interacting with $N$ stationary two-level atoms. The generalization takes into account the pumping scheme which characterizes a three-level laser. For positive temperatures and a lossless cavity, the equilibrium solution of the master equation gives the correct statistical-mechanical description of the atoms and radiation. For negative temperatures, the distribution function for the number of photons in the mode is either exponential or peaked, depending on whether the laser is operating below or above threshold. The calculated intensity fluctuations are in good agreement with semiclassical results for lasers operating slightly above threshold.