cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designed Experiments: Statistical Approach to Energy- and Exergy-Based Optimization

We extend the energy and exergy-based methodology presented in previous work 1,2 from analysis to preliminary design. Therein, a three-component system was modeled in which heat transfer from the energy source was allowed, while the other devices were considered to be reversible. Those single-parameter studies yielded many results which were physically impossible, clearly suggesting that the analysis/design paradigm be changed from energybased to exergy-based. Here, we extend the analysis to preliminary design applications. A steam turbine with fixed inlet conditions was modeled thermodynamically and simulated in MATLAB using three design variables: turbine exit quality, turbine exit pressure, and turbine heat transfer. A statistically generated test matrix was developed using Design of Experiments (DOE) for three test cases. For the first test case, only the quality was varied while exit pressure and heat transfer remained constant. For the second test case, both quality and exit pressure were varied while heat transfer remained constant. The last case allowed all three design variables to vary simultaneously. The test matrix was analyzed using a 1 st Law as well as combined 1 st and 2 nd Law methodology to determine turbine specific work and exergy destruction for the system. Results from the test cases were analyzed to generate surrogate models used for turbine optimization.
RadCases: Neuro Imaging

When I picked up RadCases: Neuro Imaging, my first thought was, “Wow, this really ought to be a smartphone/tablet app.” Don’t get me wrong: It’s not that the material is poorly presented as a book. It’s just that the organizational scheme is simple, straightforward, and so app-like that the reader feels like swiping, pinching, and tapping their way through it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an electronic version of the book anywhere, except for the material on the publisher’s website. The book contains 100 neuroradiology cases and is basically laid out as a bound set of giant flash cards, in which each case is described in two pages (or one sheet of paper). The odd-numbered pages contain a very brief description of the clinical presentation (e.g., “A 30-year-old man with a history of headaches”) along with three to four slices from MRI and/or CT scans pre-selected to allow the reader to develop a diagnosis. Once the reader formulates a diagnosis, he can refer to the even-numbered side of the page, which has several sections explaining the case in greater detail. The slices shown on the previous page are re-presented in a smaller size, with annotations on each image that describe points of interest for diagnosis. The book then presents three differential diagnoses for each case (the correct one, plus two alternatives) and a short paragraph summarizing the properties of each condition. There’s also a section of “essential facts” (a list of several bullet points about the correct diagnosis) and sometimes a section of “other imaging findings” that may occur with the diagnosed condition. The text also provides a few “pearls and pitfalls” to be wary of when making a diagnosis. This basic format is repeated to ultimately describe 100 cases. As the authors admit, the text is hardly exhaustive, but the cases included are intended to be as comprehensive as possible. Plus, a subscription code inside gets you access to a Flash-based version of the book on the publisher’s website with an additional 150 additional cases. The online organization is a little odd and the information is definitely laid out better in the book, but the Flash site is usable enough. Unfortunately, buying the book only gets the reader access for a year, after which he is expected to pay $29.97 to renew his subscription to the online cases for another year. Obviously, Neuro Imaging isn’t a casual read or even a textbook. The bullet points on each case are helpful, but the text presumes that the readers are getting the bulk of their knowledge elsewhere and need only a few succinct reminders of the key elements of each diagnosis. The images are well-selected and are of high quality, so individuals who are brushing up for their radiology boards may well find this a helpful study aid. If you’re not preparing for these boards, you’re probably not in the book’s target demographic.
Effect of Narrowband Ultraviolet B Phototherapy on Chemokine Receptor 6 in Peripheral blood of Psoriasis

Objective To evaluate the impact of the narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) on CCR6 expression of T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of psoriasis vulgaris. Methods Use the flow cytometric analysis to detect the expression rate of peripheral blood Peripheral T lymphocytes on CCR6 of 24 cases of psoriasis vulgaris before and after treatment in patients with NB-UVB and 24 healthy people. Results The expression rate of peripheral blood Peripheral T lymphocytes on CCR6 of 24 cases of psoriasis vulgaris in patients before treatment was(42.10±11.08)%, compared with the normal control group of(11.03±1.01)%, and difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P0.05). After NB-UVB treatment of 12 weeks, the expression rate of peripheral blood Peripheral T lymphocytes on CCR6 of psoriasis patients was not significantly decreased with the level of(40.05±4.52)%, compared with the group before treatment, and the difference was not statistically significant (P0.05). Conclusion The expression rate of Peripheral T lymphocytes on CCR6 in peripheral blood is significantly higher than that of normal people. CCR6 may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, but it does′t change with patient′s conditions, so it can not be used as the reference index of psoriasis condition changes.
Protect the Immaterial Heritage according to the Law of the Cultural Construction——Take the Protection of Quyi for Example

As we discuss the protection of the immaterial heritage,we should pay more attention to the law of the cultural construction and carry out scientific protections systemically according to this work's own characteristics.It means that we should pay close attention to the questions of "how to protect"when we know the problems of "why to protect"and "what to protect",which are very urgent and important.
Blood Gas Analyzers

Acid-base and respiratory disturbances are common in sick and hospitalized veterinary patients; therefore, blood gas analyzers have become integral diagnostic and monitoring tools. This article will discuss uses of blood gas analyzers, types of samples that can be used, sample collection methods, potential sources of error, and potential alternatives to blood gas analyzers and their limitations. It will also discuss the types of analyzers that are available, logistical considerations that should be taken into account when purchasing an analyzer, and the basic principles of how these analyzers work.
Catalytic Conversion Reactions in Nanoporous Systems with Concentration-Dependent Selectivity: Statistical Mechanical Modeling

Statistical mechanical modeling is developed to describe a catalytic conversion reaction A→B^{c} or B^{t} with concentration-dependent selectivity of the products, B^{c} or B^{t}, where reaction occurs inside catalytic particles traversed by narrow linear nanopores. The associated restricted diffusive transport, which in the extreme case is described by single-file diffusion, naturally induces strong concentration gradients. Furthermore, by comparing kinetic Monte Carlo simulation results with analytic treatments, selectivity is shown to be impacted by strong spatial correlations induced by restricted diffusivity in the presence of reaction and also by a subtle clustering of reactants, A.
IL1α and TNFα Induction of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1/JE) in Bone Marrow Stromal Cells: The Role of Protein Kinase C (PKC) and Protein Tyrosine Kinase (PTK) Activity.

Chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) have been shown to influence myelopoiesis. Bone marrow stromal cell line +/+-1. LDA11 expresses MCP-1/JE chemokine upon stimulation with ILlα and TNFα. We have examined the role of PKC and PTK dependent protein phosphorylation in induction of MCP-1/JE by using PKC and PTK specific inhibitors. PKC inhibitors staurosporine and H-7, as well as PTK inhibitors herbimycin A and genistein suppressed MCP-1/JE expression (mRNA and protein) in a dose dependent manner. The suppression of MCP-1/JE by both classes of inhibitors was partially to completely reversible. While PKC only regulated gene expression posttranscriptionally (mRNA stability), transcription of MCP-l/JE gene by ILlα and TNFα depends both upon PKC and PTK activity, as demonstrated by nuclear run-on analyses. Furthermore, treatment of cells with IL1a and TNFα involved NF-kB mobilization. There was no effect of PKC inhibitors on NF-kB mobilization by either ILlα or TNFα. In contrast, mobilization of NF-kB was negatively affected by PTK inhibitors in a stimulus selective manner (e.g., herbimycin A and genistein inhibited IL1α and TNFα induced NF-kB mobilization, respectively). We conclude from these findings that while both PKC and PTK inhibitors suppress MCP-1/JE gene transcription, only PTK inhibitors do so by suppressing NF-kB activation.
Citizen-Protectors: The Everyday Politics of Guns in an Age of Decline

Citizen-Protectors: The Everyday Politics of Guns in an Age of Decline, by Jennifer Carlson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. 248 pp. $29.95 cloth. ISBN: 9780199347551. It is easier for an average citizen in Dodge City or Tombstone to carry a concealed firearm in public today than it was in the nineteenth century, the heyday of the "Wild West." The expansion of "shall issue" concealed carry laws in the United States over the past three decades represents the greatest liberalization of gun laws in the nation's history. Consequently, many more ordinary citizens are legally permitted to carry firearms for self-defense in public. Reasonable estimates suggest 8 to 12 million Americans have permits to carry concealed weapons nationally, with over 10 percent of the population licensed to carry in some states. Jennifer Carlson calls this a "gun carry revolution," and she is right. And yet sociologists have been oddly silent about it. Carlson steps into this void with a case study of individuals who legally carry guns, either openly or concealed, in southeastern Michigan. In addition to interviews with 60 mostly white, middle-aged male gun carriers, Carlson did 150 hours of participant observation at shooting ranges, activist events, and gun training classes. In the process she also obtained a concealed carry license, carried a gun during her fieldwork, and became a National Rifle Association (NRA) certified firearms instructor. In the best tradition of ethnography, Carlson is a critical observer analyzing this aspect of American gun culture from the inside out. Carlson begins Citizen-Protectors with the stories of two individuals that illustrate the complex race, class, gender, and other social dynamics that influence gun carry. The first involves Corey, a white clerk at a corner store in Flint, who shoots and kills a black man in self-defense during … Language: en
An Alternative Technique for Youth Risk Surveillance Outside of the School System.

Abstract Purpose When school districts choose not to participate in adolescent health behavior surveys, tracking adolescent health indicators can be challenging. We conducted a countywide youth behavior survey outside of the school system. Our purpose is to describe alternative methods used for gathering these data reliably and ethically. Methods We implemented two parallel surveys with youth ages 14–19 residing in a mid-sized county with urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods. An anonymous phone-based survey used computer-assisted telephone interviewing with a live interviewer in conjunction with an interactive voice response system to survey youth via random digit dialing of landlines and cell phones. A concurrent in-person anonymous survey was conducted with marginalized youth (from juvenile detention centers, shelters, and residential facilities), using audio computer-assisted self-interviewing technology. The survey measures included the Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and additional questions about social supports, neighborhood, and adverse childhood experiences. Results Data were collected between February and December 2014. The phone-based sample recruited 1813 participants; the marginalized sample included 262 youth. Several strategies ensured anonymity and reduced coercion. The final phone-based sample was similar to demographics of the county population. The marginalized youth sample captured out-of-home youth who may have been missed with phone-based sampling alone. Conclusions We review alternative strategies for obtaining population-based adolescent health data without the cooperation of schools. These techniques can provide a basis to collect data that may help direct resources and policies relevant to needs of local youth.
Communication Effort in Teams and in Games

Quick and cheap communication networks may strengthen the case for the dispersal of organizations from one central site to many local ones. The case may be weakened if the dispersed persons behaved like members of a team before the dispersal but become self- interested players of a game after dispersal. To obtain some insight into these matters, the paper explores one very simple class of models. Each of N persons observes a signal that partly identifies the “week’s” (finite) game and then sends a chosen action (strategy) to a Center. Following the receipt of all N chosen actions, the Center puts them into force. Each person’s net payoff for the weak is the gross payoff determined for the week’s game minus a communication cost. Personi’s cost depends on the probabilities with which i sends alternative messages to the Center. We use the “information content” measure of classic Information Theory, multiplied by θ, the time required to transmit one bit. We study the “rule game” in which i chooses a rule that assigns a probability mixture over actions to each of i’s signals; in that gamei’s payoff is z’s average weekly gross payoff minus i’s communication cost. We find that (i) if an equilibrium N-tuple of rules exists, then it has to be an N- tuple in which true mixtures are not used; (ii) the existence of an equilibrium N-tuple is not guaranteed and the usual appeal to mixing over the possible N-tuples does not help, since such mixing has no meaning in our setting; (iii) even under the strong assumption that the gross payoff is identical for every person, there may be equilibria in which the dispersed persons communicate “too little” (from the team point of view) as well as equilibria in which they communicate “too much”; (iv) for very small θ and very large θ, equilibria exist in the identical-gross-payoff case. A great deal remains to be learned.
Comments on 'Rapid pulsed microwave propagation'

Giakos and Ishii (1991) claim conclusive experimental evidence that microwave pulse propagation in waveguides and in air occurs at velocities exceeding the free-space speed of light, and assert that it is possible to transmit both energy and information in a non-TEM waveguiding medium at the lightspeed-exceeding phase velocity. The present analysis of their results reveals several significant potential sources of error in both their laboratory findings and those findings' interpretation. Giakos and Ishii reply that the accuracy of the propagation measurements presented in their study exceeds 0.2 percent.
Nonlinear Filtering Schemes for Continuous-time Stochastic Hybrid Systems

Abstract Hybrid systems arc used to represent systems that switch their dynamic behavior inresponse to failures or external and internal variations. This paper considers stochastic hybrid systems in continuous-time which switch among a finite number of known stochastic models based on an underlying finite-state Markov process. The transition probabilities of the process are assumed to depend on the system states. The representation of the optimal filtering equations for the system observed in white Gaussian noise is derived. Approaches to suboptimal implementation of the filters are then considered.
Vitamin D supplementation in bipolar depression: A double blind placebo controlled trial.

Abstract Objective Bipolar depression is difficult to treat. Vitamin D supplementation is well tolerated and may improve mood via its neurotransmitter synthesis regulation, nerve growth factor enhancement and antioxidant properties. Vitamin D adjunct reduces unipolar depression, but has not been tried in bipolar depression. Methods 18-70yos with DSM IV bipolar depression and Vitamin D deficiency ( 3 po qday supplementation versus placebo for twelve weeks. Change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), medication, and tolerance were assessed q2weeks. Results 16 VitD vs 17 placebo subjects did not differ in baseline characteristics (mean = 44 yo, SD = 13), VitD level (19.2 ± 65.8 g/ml vs 19.3 ± 5.5 ng/ml respectively) or mood ratings (MADRS 21.3 ± 6.4 vs 22.8 ± 6.9 respectively). At 12wks, the placebo group VitD levels remained unchanged, while the VitD group levels increased to 28 ng/ml. MADRS score decreased significantly in both placebo (mean = 6.42 (95% CI [2.28 to 10.56]) and VitD groups (mean = 9.54 (95% CI[3.51 to 15.56]) (p = 0.031), but there were no differences between treatment groups (time by treatment interaction estimate: 0.29, t (23) = 0.14, p = 0.89); VitD and placebo groups had similar reductions in YMRS and HAM-A. Vitamin D 3 was well tolerated. Conclusions In this small study, despite a greater rise in Vitamin D levels in the VitD supplementation group, there was no significant difference reduction in depressive symptoms. However both groups’ VitD levels remained deficient. Vitamin D 3 supplementation vs placebo did not improve reduction in mood elevation or anxiety symptoms.
Adverse Events Following Immunization: Will It Happen Again?

* Abbreviations: AEFI — : adverse event following immunization HHE — : hypotonic-hyporesponsive episode “Vaccines save lives.” “Vaccines are safe.”1⇓–3 These are critical concepts that pediatricians everywhere seek to convey to parents. However, for many reasons, primarily because of the successes in reduction of vaccine-preventable diseases, parents are increasingly concerned about the safety of and need for vaccines.4,5 Parents may come to well-child checkup appointments equipped with lists of questions about vaccine safety and effectiveness. In this context, pediatricians may struggle to explain the value of vaccines when confronted with a difficult situation: an actual untoward event after administration of childhood vaccines. Often referred to as an adverse event following immunization (AEFI),6 these events range from mild and uncommon to rare but serious. There are few experiences more challenging for a pediatrician than trying to convince a parent to continue vaccinating their child after they have witnessed a febrile seizure or a hypotonic-hyporesponsive episode (HHE) not long after a vaccination. Although … Address correspondence to Sean T. O’Leary, MD, MPH, Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13199 East Montview Blvd, Suite 300, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail: sean.oleary{at}ucdenver.edu
Development and optimization of alumina fine fibers utilizing a centrifugal spinning process

Abstract Aluminum isopropoxide and poly(vinylalcohol) fine fibers were successfully fabricated and optimized utilizing the response surface methodology. The optimized composite fibers showed mean fiber diameter of 304 nm. The fiber samples were calcined at different temperatures to attain both gamma and alpha phases of alumina. Various characterization methods including scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis were conducted. The BET analysis revealed a surface area of 261 m2g-1 for the mesoporous gamma alumina structure. Statistical analysis of electron microscopy micrographs showed a mean fiber diameter of 272 nm for the crystalline alpha alumina fine fibers, calcined at 1200 °C.
Never Too Old, Cold or Dry to Watch the Sky: A Survival Analysis of Citizen Science Volunteerism

CoCoRaHS is a multinational citizen science project for observing precipitation. Like many citizen science projects, volunteer retention is a key measure of engagement and data quality. Through survival analysis, we found that participant age (self-reported at account creation) is a significant predictor of retention. Compared to all other age groups, participants aged 60-70 are much more likely to sign up for CoCoRaHS, and to remain active for several years. We also measured the influence of task difficulty and the relative frequency of rain, finding small but statistically significant and counterintuitive effects. Finally, we confirmed previous work showing that participation levels within the first month are highly predictive of eventual retention. We conclude with implications for observational citizen science projects and crowdsourcing research in general.
An algorithm for efficient specification analysis in large-scale dynamic process simulation

An efficient algorithm is presented whose is the Jacobian occurrence matrix for a dynamic (or steady state) problem, and the subset of columns (variables) which are free (the others are considered to be fixed). Using very little CPU time, the algorithm recommends a new set of specifications for the colums in such a way that the resulting Jacobian becomes structurally nonsingular. A problem with 138000 equations can be solved in less than 17 CPU seconds on a Pentium600 PC. This specification analysis algorithm is available in the commercial dynamic simulation package Aspen Custom Modeler™.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: effect of altitude correction and role for the Neonatal Research Network Prediction Algorithm

To determine the effect of altitude correction on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) rates and to assess validity of the NICHD “Neonatal BPD Outcome Estimator” for predicting BPD with and without altitude correction. Retrospective analysis included neonates born <30 weeks gestational age (GA) between 2010 and 2016. “Effective” FiO2 requirements were determined at 36 weeks corrected GA. Altitude correction performed via ratio of barometric pressure (BP) in our unit to sea level BP. Probability of death and/or moderate-to-severe BPD was calculated using the NICHD BPD Outcome Estimator. Five hundred and sixty-one infants were included. Rate of moderate-to-severe BPD decreased from 71 to 40% following altitude correction. Receiver-operating characteristic curves indicated high predictability of BPD Outcome Estimator for altitude-corrected moderate-to-severe BPD diagnosis. Correction for altitude reduced moderate-to-severe BPD rate by almost 50%, to a rate consistent with recent published values. NICHD BPD Outcome Estimator is a valid tool for predicting the risk of moderate-to-severe BPD following altitude correction.
Optimal and Heuristic Solutions for the Spare Parts Inventory Control Problem

One inventory problem that has not changed much with the advent of supply chains is the control of spare parts which still involves managing a very large number of parts that face erratic demand which occurs far in between. For most items it has not been feasible to establish a control system based on the individual item’s demand history. Hence either the parts have beenbundled into one group as Wagner did and only one demand distribution has been used for all or they have been divided into different groups and group distributions have been used as in Razi. We picked two popular rules by Wagner and extensively tested their performance on data obtained from a Fortune 500 company. Comparisons were made with the optimal solution and optimal cost obtained from our procedure based on the Archibald and Silver’s optimizing algorithm. For some problems with very small mean demand and small average number of demand occurrences, finding the optimal solution required an inordinate amount of CPU time, thus justifying the need to use heuristics.
Surgical conditions in the llama.

Various surgical conditions of llamas are discussed, based on the author's experience, that of colleagues at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospiand what little information is available in the literature. Some surgery is described for the correction of congenital abnormalities, some of which may be inherited. Sterilization of affected animals should be performed to prev,ent further occurrence of such defects. Many of the surgical techniques used in llamas are adaptations of methods used in other domestic species. Knowledge of the anatomical differences (especially in the gastrointestinal tract) as well as the other idiosyncracies of this species is essential for a successful surgical outcome. In time, refinements of these techniques as well as reports on the use of different or newer techniques will appear in the literature.
Vibrational spectroscopic study of 2-methoxyethyl ether complexed with lithium and sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate

A comparative vibrational spectroscopic study of 2-methoxyethyl ether solutions containing dissolved LiCF3SO3 and NaCF3SO3 is reported. The strong, infrared active metal oxygen stretching mode was observed as a broad band at 400 cm-1 in the LiCF3SO3 solution and at 180 cm-1 in the NaCF3SO3 solution. Several low-frequency modes originating in intramolecular CF3SO3- motions are reported and assigned. The relative concentrations of the various ionic species present are described as a function of salt concentration in both systems. Finally, changes in the local conformation of the 2-methoxyethyl ether backbone due to interactions of the ether oxygens with the cations are discussed.
Flip Posets of Bruhat Intervals

In this paper we introduce a way of partitioning the paths of shortest lengths in the Bruhat graph $B(u,v)$ of a Bruhat interval $[u,v]$ into rank posets $P_{i}$ in a way that each $P_{i}$ has a unique maximal chain that is rising under a reflection order. In the case where each $P_{i}$ has rank three, the construction yields a combinatorial description of some terms of the complete $\textbf{cd}$-index as a sum of ordinary $\textbf{cd}$-indices of Eulerian posets obtained from each of the $P_{i}$.
When is helping behavior unhelpful? A conceptual analysis and research agenda

Abstract Popular parlance, several organizational literatures (e.g., feedback, mentoring, and organizational citizenship behavior), and research literatures in other academic disciplines (e.g., social psychology, judgment and decision-making) have recognized that help can sometimes be unhelpful. The current paper organizes and extends the extant research in this area using a momentary, relational, person-person complementary fit (i.e., need-fulfillment) conceptual model that it applies to: (1) targets' motives for seeking help and actors' motives for providing it, (2) the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) needed by targets and those possessed by actors, and (3) the types of help needed by targets and those provided by actors. As a part of this, the paper develops review-based taxonomies of motives relevant to helping, KSAs relevant to helping, and types of help. The paper additionally delineates further extensions of the conceptual model, important avenues for future research, and practical implications associated with the effective giving and seeking of help in organizational settings.
Natural Language Processing for the Identification of Silent Brain Infarcts From Neuroimaging Reports.

Background: Silent brain infarction (SBI) is defined as the presence of 1 or more brain lesions, presumed to be because of vascular occlusion, found by neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography) in patients without clinical manifestations of stroke. It is more common than stroke and can be detected in 20% of healthy elderly people. Early detection of SBI may mitigate the risk of stroke by offering preventative treatment plans. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques offer an opportunity to systematically identify SBI cases from electronic health records (EHRs) by extracting, normalizing, and classifying SBI-related incidental findings interpreted by radiologists from neuroimaging reports. Objective: This study aimed to develop NLP systems to determine individuals with incidentally discovered SBIs from neuroimaging reports at 2 sites: Mayo Clinic and Tufts Medical Center. Methods: Both rule-based and machine learning approaches were adopted in developing the NLP system. The rule-based system was implemented using the open source NLP pipeline MedTagger, developed by Mayo Clinic. Features for rule-based systems, including significant words and patterns related to SBI, were generated using pointwise mutual information. The machine learning models adopted convolutional neural network (CNN), random forest, support vector machine, and logistic regression. The performance of the NLP algorithm was compared with a manually created gold standard. The gold standard dataset includes 1000 radiology reports randomly retrieved from the 2 study sites (Mayo and Tufts) corresponding to patients with no prior or current diagnosis of stroke or dementia. 400 out of the 1000 reports were randomly sampled and double read to determine interannotator agreements. The gold standard dataset was equally split to 3 subsets for training, developing, and testing. Results: Among the 400 reports selected to determine interannotator agreement, 5 reports were removed due to invalid scan types. The interannotator agreements across Mayo and Tufts neuroimaging reports were 0.87 and 0.91, respectively. The rule-based system yielded the best performance of predicting SBI with an accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.991, 0.925, 1.000, 1.000, and 0.990, respectively. The CNN achieved the best score on predicting white matter disease (WMD) with an accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 0.994, 0.994, 0.994, 0.994, and 0.994, respectively. Conclusions: We adopted a standardized data abstraction and modeling process to developed NLP techniques (rule-based and machine learning) to detect incidental SBIs and WMDs from annotated neuroimaging reports. Validation statistics suggested a high feasibility of detecting SBIs and WMDs from EHRs using NLP.
Three-dimensional virtual reality: Applications to the 12 grand challenges of social work

The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) identified 12 Grand Challenges of Social Work to unify the profession with focused research, practice and policy applications for the...
Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results obtained in a preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results obtained in a preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico are presented. The most appropriate conceptual model for performance assessment at the WIPP is believed to include gas generation due to corrosion and microbial action in the repository and a dual-porosity (matrix and fracture porosity) representation for solute transport in the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation. Under these assumptions, complementary cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs) summarizing radionuclide releases to the accessible environment due to both cuttings removal and groundwater transport fall substantially below the release limits promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the case even when the current estimates of the uncertainty in analysis inputs are included. Performance assessment results are dominated by cuttings removal. The releases to the accessible environment due to groundwater transport make very small contributions to the total release. The variability in the distribution of CCDFs that must be considered in comparisons with the EPA release limits is dominated by the rate constant in the Poisson model for drilling intrusions. The variability in releases to the accessible environment due to cuttings removal is dominated by drill bit diameter.
An Efficient Direct Ammonia Fuel Cell for Affordable Carbon-Neutral Transportation

Summary Alternative carbon-neutral synthetic fuels are needed to decarbonize the transportation sector, bridging the gap between batteries and biofuels. Herein, we analyze the economics of hydrogen-, nitrogen-, and carbon-based fuels made by carbon-neutral pathways in a post-fossil world where only water, air, and renewable electricity are available for fuel synthesis. We find that ammonia has the lowest source-to-tank energy cost by a significant margin. With this technoeconomic analysis as motivation, we demonstrate a direct ammonia fuel cell (DAFC) prototype with a peak power density of 135 mW cm−2. The DAFC employs an ammonia-tolerant precious-metal-free cathode catalyst and a high-temperature-stable hydroxide exchange membrane.
Effect of prepartum exercise on lying behavior, labor length, and cortisol concentrations.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to assess the effect of exercise and pasture turnout on lying behavior, labor length, and cortisol concentrations around the time of parturition in dairy cows. Twenty-nine primiparous and 31 multiparous, pregnant, nonlactating Holstein (n = 58) and Jersey × Holstein cross (n = 2) dairy cows were assigned to control (n = 20), exercise (n = 20), or pasture (n = 20) treatments at dry-off using rolling enrollment. Control cows remained in the dry cow group pen. Exercise cows were removed from the dry cow group pen 5 times per week and walked for 1.4 ± 0.1 h at 1.88 ± 0.58 km/h. Pasture cows were moved to an outdoor paddock 5 times per week for 1.8 ± 0.3 h/d. Cows were housed in deep-bedded sand freestalls in a naturally ventilated, 4-row freestall barn. Cows were moved into maternity pens on the day of projected calving or when cows displayed signs that calving was imminent (restlessness, raised or lifted tail, ruptured amniotic sac, or swollen vulva), and treatments were discontinued. Cameras continuously recorded cows from entry into the pen until farm staff noted a calf, and one observer continuously watched video for two visually observable periods throughout the calving process: time from initial observation of amniotic sac to initial observation of calf's feet, and time from initial observation of calf's feet to full expulsion of calf. Assisted calvings were excluded. Accelerometers were attached to the rear fetlocks of cows 3 d before dry-off and removed 14 d postpartum. Activity was summarized by day for the 7 d before and after delivery time recorded from video observation into lying time (hours per day), lying bout frequency (bouts per day), lying bout duration (minutes per bout), and steps (number per day). Plasma total cortisol concentration was measured on d 0 and 3 postpartum and determined by a radioimmunoassay procedure using a commercially available kit. Data were analyzed using mixed linear model. During calving, time from appearance of the amniotic sac to appearance of the calf's feet was longer for pasture cows compared with control. Control cows engaged in fewer lying bouts and less overall lying time compared with pasture and exercise cows. Cortisol concentrations were higher on the day of calving compared with 3 d later, regardless of treatment. Understanding the effects of lying alterations around calving and increases in labor period length may allow for physical activity recommendations for late-gestation dairy cows.
ESD protection Diode with Guard Ring Layout Optimized for Latch-up Immunity Enhancement in FinFET technology

A novel ESD dual diode with stronger latch-up robustness has been proposed in FinFET technology. By inserting PW/NW straps, the proposed ESD diode can be built without changing DC-IV and ESD characteristics of conventional ESD diode. The experimental and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed structure has been successfully verified in FinFET CMOS platform.
A wait‐and‐see approach to investments: Do elections play a role?

Unlike previous studies on electoral investment cycle—the tendency for firms to reduce investment expenditure during an election year relative to nonelection years—that have primarily focused on developed countries, this study documents cycles in private investments in relation to the timing of national elections across a broader set of African countries. The estimation results indicate that during election years, private investment decreases by an average of 16% relative to nonelection years. The results also reveal that private investment falls in the year leading up to an election and increases in the immediate year after an election, consistent with the view that electoral uncertainty deters investments. These findings suggest that electoral investment cycles apply strongly to African countries.
PCR ribotypes of Clostridioides difficile across Texas from 2011 to 2018 including emergence of ribotype 255.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most prevalent healthcare-associated infection in the United States and carries a significant healthcare system burden. As part of an ongoing, active...
Thermal stability of oxidized ultrathin Li films on TZM for plasma facing components

Abstract For improved understanding of the behavior of Li plasma facing components (PFCs) in the presence of oxygen impurities, we report on the thermal stability of ultrathin (up to 1.0 nm) LiOx films on a titanium-zirconium-molybdenum (TZM) alloy substrate over the temperature range of 310–1400 K. LiOx films were prepared by either post-oxidation of Li films or Li films deposited on an oxygen-precovered TZM surface. Thermal stability of these films was studied using a combination of temperature programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and low-energy ion scattering (LEIS). For post-oxidized Li films, TPD showed that no Li desorption occurred until temperatures above 620 K, and then Li desorbed from the surface via at least three desorption peaks. The O 1s XPS spectra on the post-oxidized films at 310 K indicate the formation of lithium oxide (Li2O) and peroxide/hydroxide (Li2O2/LiOH). The peroxide/hydroxide converts to oxide after heating to 680 K with no desorption of Li or O2, and then this film decomposes to liberate Li into the gas phase while leaving oxygen at the TZM surface. Heating the LiOx films to 1070 K led to a solid-state reaction with surface Mo atoms of the substrate to form a condensed binary lithium molybdenum oxide (LixMoOy) phase, which upon further heating decomposed to liberate gas phase binary lithium molybdenum oxide species. Li deposition on an oxygen-precovered TZM surface formed a complex, highly stable, oxygen rich, Li-O-Mo interfacial oxide. Li desorption from multilayer Li films on oxygen-precovered TZM surfaces occurred in a metallic Li multilayer peak and three other oxide-derived peaks. These results support the improved thermal stability of oxidized lithium as compared to metallic Li and have implications for Mo impurity transport into the plasma at high temperatures.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics: Fundamental Concepts and Sample Problem

The material presented in this lecture is adapted from Chapter 4 of T&M. As we saw in Lectures 3 and 4, the First Law of Thermodynamics is simply a restatement of the “Principle of Energy Conservation” in a given process, where heat, Q, and work, W, can be converted into Energy, E. Recall that if the system is open, then, enthalpic contributions need to be included in the formulation of the First Law of Thermodynamics (see Lectures 5 and 6). In this lecture, first, we will show that the First Law of Thermodynamics does not provide any information about the directionality of the process! Second, we will stress that nevertheless, from experience, there are processes which always occur spontaneously in a unique, well-defined direction and are referred to as natural processes. Third, to rationalize the directionality of natural processes, which are inherently irreversible, we will need to introduce a new thermodynamic function of state called entropy, which will provide a mathematical criterion in the context of what is known as the Second Law of Thermodynamics to ascertain if a process can occur in a particular direction. Fourth, we will introduce a heat engine, define its efficiency, and discuss under what conditions a process is reversible. Finally, we will solve Sample Problem 7-1, which will help us crystallize the material taught.
The evolution of habitat construction with and without phenotypic plasticity

Habitat construction and phenotypic plasticity are alternative responses to variable environments. We explored evolution along an environmental gradient of habitat construction alone and in combination with phenotypic plasticity using individual-based simulations that manipulated the fitness benefit of construction and whether construction maintained or eliminated that gradient. Construction was favored when its benefits were more likely to flow to the immediate offspring of the constructing individuals. Habitat construction and phenotypic plasticity traded off against each other or plasticity was selected against, depending on how the optimum environment varied and with the fitness value of construction. When selection favored differences in the amount of construction along the environmental gradient, genetic differentiation for habitat construction increased as the fitness value of construction increased. The degree to which each adaptive response was likely to evolve also depended on the precise ordering of life history events. Adaptive habitat construction does not always occur and may be selected against.
“Blacks Can’t Jump”: The Racialization of Transit Police Responses to Fare Evasion:

This study demonstrates that racially disparate fare evasion citation outcomes are the product of racialized social systems that allow transit police officers to determine the belongingness of Blac...
Disentangling reward processes underlying payoff maximization from individual differences in gain frequency bias and reinforcement learning

Abstract Humans make choices based on both reward magnitude and reward frequency. Probabilistic decision making is popularly tested using multi-choice gambling paradigms that require participants to maximize task payoff. However, research shows that performance in such paradigms suffers from individual bias towards the frequency of gains as well as individual differences that mediate reinforcement learning, including attention to stimuli, sensitivity to rewards and risks, learning rate, and exploration vs. exploitation based executive policies. Here, we developed a two-choice reward task, implemented in 186 healthy human subjects across the adult lifespan, to understand the cognitive and neural basis of payoff-based performance. We controlled for individual gain frequency biases using experimental block manipulations and modeled individual differences in reinforcement learning parameters. Simultaneously recorded electroencephalography (EEG)-based cortical activations showed that diminished theta activity in the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as well as diminished beta activity in the right parsorbitalis region of the inferior frontal cortex (IFC) during cumulative reward presentation correspond to better payoff performance. These neural activations further associated with specific symptom self-reports for depression (greater ACC theta) and inattention (greater IFC beta), suggestive of reward processing markers of clinical utility.
Spatial Epidemiology: Challenges and Methods in COVID-19 Research

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most serious global public health threats in over a century. The impacts, however, are unequally distributed, as evident by highly variable incidence rates in different places. Spatial epidemiology can inform our understanding of the distribution and diffusion of the disease over space and time. This chapter first introduces the unique characteristics of COVID-19 that warrant investigation through a spatial lens. These characteristics include the disease dynamics, especially the long spatial and temporal lag between exposure and detection, the potential for asymptomatic transmission, and the implications of a spatially fragmented public health response. Core spatial epidemiology theories and methods are discussed to address these challenges for analyzing COVID-19 spread and disease burden. These include an explicit incorporation of place-based contextual mechanisms, local models that account for spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence, and consideration of novel geo-referenced data such as anonymized cell phone records. The chapter ends with an empirical example that demonstrates the utility of a spatial approach for measuring geographic and racial disparities in access to COVID-19 testing in North Carolina. This spatial epidemiology study demonstrates the importance of understanding the spatial drivers of COVID-19 disease.
Cell-free expression and synthesis of viruses and bacteriophages: applications to medicine and nanotechnology

Abstract The efficacy of cell-free gene expression (CFE) has been considerably improved in the last decade. As a consequence, CFE systems have now the capacity to express DNAs composed of tens of genes encoding for complex self-assembly processes. A recent example is a demonstration that infectious bacteriophages can be synthesized in one-pot CFE reactions from their genomes. This landmark result opens new perspectives for producing in vitro large biological systems from natural or synthetic DNA. In this article, we review the recent progress in the synthesis and self-assembly of viruses in one-pot CFE reactions, primarily covering bacteriophages. We discuss the advantages and potential of producing virus-like particles and phages in CFE systems for biomedical applications. Because they are the most abundant and diverse life forms on Earth, dynamically synthesizing whole or parts of bacteriophages in test tubes could facilitate uncovering novel biological functions and exploiting their self-assembly properties for material sciences applications.
Investigating Sub-bandgap Spectral Effects in GaInP-on-Ge Solar Cells

There is a fundamental understanding in photo-voltaics that sub-bandgap light will not be absorbed in the solar cell and therefore will not affect the power generation. We have shown a novel phenomenon in which sub-bandgap illumination is required for good electrical performance in III-V solar cells on heterosubstrates. We investigate this effect in GaInP cells on Ge substrates with current-voltage measurements under varying spectra and irradiances. This has implications for device characterization, the development of solar cells both on heterosubstrates and for conditions lacking long-wavelength light, and the prediction of device performance under spectra that differ from the test conditions.
Heterogeneous Peer Effects on the Federal Appellate Courts

In this paper, I present evidence of heterogeneous peer effects in the federal appellate courts. Prior work on judicial decision-making offers convincing evidence that federal appellate judges are influenced by both personal ideology and the ideologies of the judges with whom they sit to decide cases. It is likely that such peer effects are heterogeneous: that is, that peer influence is not uniform across all judges and all cases. This work uses a random sample of roughly 10,000 federal appellate opinion published over four decades to examine heterogeneity in peer effects across several dimensions. In particular, I find that peer effects are heterogeneous by workload (stronger in court-years with more caseload constraints), by previous experience (stronger among appellate judges with no prior judicial experience), by tenure (stronger among judges in the middle of their careers), and by case type (stronger in cases that are more ideologically-charged). The results paint an incomplete picture of the reasons for panel effects and suggest that many mechanisms might be at play.