cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use the Worksheets and PIO MM Figure

This chapter briefly reviews Part I of the book and offers an overview of Part II. The heart of Part II is a series of worksheets that are designed to guide you through each major phase of your project. Chapters 10– 16 give detailed instructions for completing each worksheet along with examples of completed worksheets.
Coupled THMC models for bentonite in an argillite repository for nuclear waste: Illitization and its effect on swelling stress under high temperature

Abstract Subsurface manipulations such as those expected from the disposal of heat-emanating radioactive waste in deep repositories can induce strongly coupled Thermal (T), hydrological (H), mechanical (M) and chemical (C) processes. Adequate coupled THMC models are highly desirable or even indispensable for performance assessment of such repositories, for examples for the analysis of bentonite-based engineered barrier system (EBS) surrounding the emplaced waste. In this study, we present coupled THMC model simulations of a generic nuclear waste repository in an argillite with a bentonite-based buffer. The objective is to evaluate the chemical changes in the EBS bentonite and their effect on mechanical behavior under high temperature, attempting to shed light on whether EBS bentonite can sustain temperatures higher than 100 °C without significant impact on barrier's performance. Two scenarios were simulated for comparison: a case in which the temperature near the waste canister peaks at 200 °C and a case in which the temperature at the same spot culminate with about 100 °C. Simulations for a generic case with Kunigel-VI bentonite as backfill and Opalinus Clay as host rock were conducted for 1000 years and reported in the previous study (Zheng et al., 2015). In this paper, simulations for 100,000 years have been done for two types of bentonite-based buffer materials: Kunigel-VI and FEBEX bentonite. This enables us to evaluate how different types of bentonite behave in terms of the illitization and its impact on swelling stress and whether we can generalize these results to support decision making. The simulations show the occurrence of illitization in the bentonite buffer and the enhancement of illitization under high temperature. However, FEBEX bentonite undergoes less illitization mainly due to the higher ion concentration in pore water and the lower content of K-feldspar in the bentonite mineral composition. Moreover, the reduction of swelling stress by chemical changes is more pronounced for Kunigel-VI bentonite than for FEBEX bentonite. Overall, the results of our model simulations suggest that an argillite repository with a bentonite-based EBS that is similar to FEBEX bentonite could sustain temperatures much higher than 100 °C as far as illitization concerns. Model results also reveal that illitization is stabilized after about 2000 years in bentonite near the waste package, but continues in bentonite near the bentonite-argillite interface, which manifests the strong effect of geochemical interaction between EBS bentonite and host rock on long term illitization in bentonite.
E-Band 4-Bit Phase Shifter using SP4T Flip Chip Switches

Abstract A 4-bit millimeter-wave switched delay line phase shifter is presented. The phase shifter is designed using commercially available SP4T flip-chip millimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs) attached to an alumina substrate. The module operates in the E-Band from 82 – 84 GHz and has an average insertion loss of 20 dB. The size of the module is 10 mm × 7.5 mm. This paper presents a cost effective 4-bit E-Band phase shifter.
Bruch's membrane opening on optical coherence tomography in pediatric papilledema and pseudopapilledema

Purpose To determine whether the diameter of Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) can distinguish mild papilledema from pseudopapilledema using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods The medical records of pediatric patients with pseudopapilledma due to optic nerve head (ONH) drusen, patients with papilledema, and normal control subjects were retrospectively reviewed. All eyes underwent OCT imaging of the BMO and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). Transverse horizontal diameter of the BMO and papillary height were measured. Mean BMO, papillary height, and RNFL were compared and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) and determine BMO and RNFL cut-offs for papilledema and pseudopapilledema. Results A total of 90 eyes of 90 subjects were included: 58 with pseudopapilledema, 19 with papilledema, and 13 controls. In eyes with papilledema, mean BMO, papillary height, and RNFL decreased as papilledema resolved (1893.8 vs 1582.2 [P = 0.0003], 193.0 vs 108.9 [P Conclusions The horizontal transverse diameter of BMO is enlarged in eyes with mild papilledema and narrows as papilledema resolves. BMO and RNFL can be used together to help distinguish mild papilledema from pseudopapilledema in children.
Mitigating stealthy collision attack in energy harvesting motivated networks

Energy harvesting motivated networks (EHNets) are rapidly emerging as a major part of ubiquitous computing and communication infrastructure in the presence of Internet-of-Things (IoT). A set of self-sustainable nodes equipped with energy harvesting capabilities can effectively exploit ambient energy and convert it into electric energy, but it is admittedly vulnerable to a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack that primarily targets service availability, often witnessed in wireless multi-hop networks. In this paper, we propose an adaptive acknowledgment-based approach, called AAA, to detect the stealthy collision attack caused by multiple malicious nodes in the realm of EHNets, where two malicious nodes coordinate their packet transmissions simultaneously to create the packet collision at a legitimate node. In the AAA, each node forwards a Data packet, monitors the subsequent packet transmission of its one-hop downstream node and waits for an explicit acknowledgment (Ack) packet from its two-hop downstream node, and then detects the stealthy collision attack in EHNets. We conduct extensive simulation experiments using OMNeT++ for performance evaluation and comparison. The simulation results indicate that the proposed countermeasure can provide higher detection rate and packet delivery ratio but lower detection latency compared to the existing scheme, MCC.
Involuntary weight loss in elderly outpatients: recognition, etiologies, and treatment

Weight loss appears to occur frequently in older adults and has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, the significance of weight loss per se and the optimal clinical approach to older outpatients who are losing weight is not completely understood. This article reviews the existing literature on weight loss in older people and outlines a basic approach for the clinician faced with the common, but often difficult, diagnostic and management issues presented by an elderly patient with weight loss.
An Integrated View of Geometrical Product Specification and Verification

ISO/TC 213 is a technical committee that standardizes tolerancing and related metrological practices. During the past five years it has focused its attention on harmonizing and integrating these two areas. In that process it recognized the need for linking these two areas to product functionality and has published a vision for directing its future efforts towards it. This paper presents an integrated view of tolerancing and metrology, and describes the new vision of ISO/TC 213.
Hepatic insulin signalling is dispensable for suppression of glucose output by insulin in vivo

Insulin signalling and nutrient levels coordinate the metabolic response to feeding in the liver. Insulin signals in hepatocytes to activate Akt, which inhibits Foxo1 suppressing hepatic glucose production (HGP) and allowing the transition to the postprandial state. Here we provide genetic evidence that insulin regulates HGP by both direct and indirect hepatic mechanisms. Liver-specific ablation of the IR (L-Insulin Receptor KO) induces glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and prevents the appropriate transcriptional response to feeding. Liver-specific deletion of Foxo1 (L-IRFoxo1DKO) rescues glucose tolerance and allows for normal suppression of HGP and gluconeogenic gene expression in response to insulin, despite lack of autonomous liver insulin signalling. These data indicate that in the absence of Foxo1, insulin signals via an intermediary extrahepatic tissue to regulate liver glucose production. Importantly, a hepatic mechanism distinct from the IR-Akt-Foxo1 axis exists to regulate glucose production.
Sr(M,Te)2O6 (M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni): A Magnetically Dilute Family of Honeycomb Tellurates.

We report the synthesis and characterization of five new honeycomb tellurates with the PbSb2O6 structure type. These materials, SrM2/3Te4/3O6 (M = Cr, Mn, Fe) and SrM1/2Te3/2O6 (M = Co, Ni), are prepared by conventional solid state synthesis. Rietveld refinements of powder X-ray and neutron diffraction data reveal that these materials crystallize in the P31 m space group, in which M and Te are octahedrally coordinated and randomly distributed over the honeycomb sublattice. In three of these materials (M = Cr, Mn, Fe), the transition metal takes a 3+ oxidation state, and hence, charge neutrality necessitates that the honeycomb sublattice is 66% occupied by nonmagnetic Te. In the remaining two of these materials (M = Co, Ni), the transition metal takes a 2+ oxidation state, requiring that 75% of the honeycomb lattice is occupied by nonmagnetic Te. Thus, the honeycomb sublattice is highly diluted, as only 33% or 25% of the sites are occupied by a magnetic ion. These occupation values fall well-below the percolation threshold for the honeycomb lattice, p c = 70%. Accordingly, magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal no magnetic order or spin freezing down to 1.8 K.
Auditory System I

The auditory system allows animals to detect different frequencies of sounds (pitches) and to localize sounds in space. These two functions underlie a wide variety of behaviors. Sounds allow animals to recognize and evade predators, recognize and capture prey, and communicate with conspecifics. Indeed, the perception of sound underlies what is certainly one of the most important functions for humans: language. For this reason, disorders of auditory function interfere with the most important of human functions, the ability to communicate. Communicative disorders are among the most common disorders affecting the nervous system and can be among the most debilitating if they occur before the development of language.
Re-modeling of foliar membrane lipids in a seagrass allows for growth in phosphorus deplete conditions

Abstract We used liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the lipidome of turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) leaves with extremely high phosphorus content and extremely low phosphorus content. Most species of phospholipids were significantly down-regulated in phosphorus-deplete leaves, whereas diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine (DGTS), triglycerides (TG), galactolipid digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), certain species of glucuronosyldiacylglycerols (GlcADG), and certain species of sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG) were significantly upregulated, explaining the change in phosphorus content as well as structural differences in leaves of plants growing under diverse phosphate concentrations. These data suggest that seagrasses are able to modify the phosphorus content in leaf membranes dependent upon environmental phosphorus availability.
A Timely Intervention: Tracking the Changing Meanings of Political Concepts with Word Vectors

Word vectorization is an emerging text-as-data method that shows great promise for automating the analysis of semantics—here, the cultural meanings of words—in large volumes of text. Yet successes with this method have largely been confined to massive corpora where the meanings of words are presumed to be fixed. In political science applications, however, many corpora are comparatively small and many interesting questions hinge on the recognition that meaning changes over time. Together, these two facts raise vexing methodological challenges. Can word vectors trace the changing cultural meanings of words in typical small corpora use cases? I test four time-sensitive implementations of word vectors (word2vec) against a gold standard developed from a modest data set of 161 years of newspaper coverage. I find that one implementation method clearly outperforms the others in matching human assessments of how public dialogues around equality in America have changed over time. In addition, I suggest best practices for using word2vec to study small corpora for time series questions, including bootstrap resampling of documents and pretraining of vectors. I close by showing that word2vec allows granular analysis of the changing meaning of words, an advance over other common text-as-data methods for semantic research questions.
Entrepreneurial ecosystems and social network centrality: the power of regional dealmakers

Networks of serial entrepreneurs, investors, and their affiliated companies play a critical role in driving entrepreneurial behavior, investor focus, and innovation hot spots within specific industry sectors and are critical for shaping the character of robust regional economies. This research explores the impact of “dealmakers” Zoller ( 2010; Senor and Singer 2009) who are actors that have founded, managed, or invested in multiple private entrepreneurial firms, and hold concurrent equity ties to multiple firms. By studying the scope and connectivity of the dealmaker network within the Tampa area metropolitan statistical area, this study attempts to move the literature beyond aggregate analyses of social capital Feldman & Zoller (Regional Studies, 46: 23–37, 2012) to focus on the individuals within a specific regional ecosystem who drive entrepreneurial performance. The results of this study are influential for scholars of social network theory and for private individuals searching for strategic partners, targeting serial investors, performing competitive analysis, and gaining access to investor and entrepreneur networks. For the economic development community, this dealmaker analysis delivers fresh insight for strategic implementation of cluster and sector development and for the stimulation of inter-regional marketing, recruitment, and business development efforts.
A Study on Head Flexion During Mobile Device Usage: An Examination of Sitting, Standing, and Lying Down Positions:

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mobile device screen size and different positions on head posture. Participants’ angle of head flexion was measured when they were sitting, l...
Promoting the Resiliency of African American Teens Experiencing Ambiguous Loss

A disproportionate number of African American youth experience childhood adversity and situations of loss, including parental incarceration and divorce, while navigating racial discrimination. Ambi...
23 – ASSESSING THERMOSTABILITY

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on assessing thermostability. Knowledge of the thermostability of a given virus can predict if a given procedure will result in destruction or preservation of viral activity. The standard test uses constant exposure in a 56°C water bath. Samples are removed at given time points and all the samples thus obtained are titrated. When this data is plotted as a function of time, a heat-inactivation curve is obtained for this virus. When present in high concentrations, monovalent and divalent cations stabilize certain viruses to heat-inactivation. Other viruses are not stabilized and, thus, quickly inactivated. The chapter also presents an experiment to determine the thermostability of EMC virus and NDV and to obtain a thermal inactivation curve for each virus.
Draft Genome Sequences of Three Fusarium circinatum Isolates Used To Inoculate a Pedigreed Population of Pinus elliottii Seedlings

Here, we announce the draft genome sequences of three Fusarium circinatum isolates that were used to inoculate slash pines (Pinus elliottii) at the U.S. Forest Service Resistance Screening Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The genomes of these isolates were similar to other publicly available genomes, with average nucleotide identity values of >0.98.
Family-school partnerships: Promoting family participation in K-3 teacher professional development

Sixty-three teachers in a K–3 mathematics specialist certi cate program conducted family projects in order to improve their skills in partnering with families around mathematics. Past studies have indicated that family involvement in children’s education has many positive in uences on academic achievement; however, parents’ discomfort with math, and teachers’ discomfort with working with parents, may be obstacles. The purpose of the present study was to examine 2 years of teachers’ mathematical family projects and describe the types of projects chosen, the risks and bene ts of these projects, and the quality of the parent–child interaction. It was found that the teachers implemented a variety of projects that promoted parent participation in mathematics. Teachers were also able to utilize a cycle of inquiry to examine the progress of their project. The results showed that teachers were able to create a strong connection between the math classroom and the home environment of the child, as shown, for example, by ndings related to the themes of home–school connections and mathematics curriculum of the home.
Alternative migratory strategies are widespread in subyearling Chinook salmon

Variation in life history traits within and across species is known to reflect adaptations to different environmental drivers through a diversity of mechanisms. Trait variation can also help buffer species and populations against extinction in fluctuating environments and against anthropogenic disturbances. Here, we examine the distribution and drivers of Ocean‐type Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) juvenile migratory life histories. We defined alternative migratory strategies according to whether individuals reared in the stream (natal rearing) or left shortly after hatching to rear elsewhere (non‐natal rearing). We then evaluated the frequency of migratory strategies across 16 populations with time series extending up to 25 years and evaluated the environmental variables that influenced variation in migration strategy. We found bimodal migration patterns and abrupt transitions in migrant sizes across all populations, supporting the widespread nature of alternative migratory strategies. Additionally, we found that the amount of freshwater rearing habitat available to juveniles, relative juvenile density and spring flow patterns significantly influenced the overall migration pattern for populations. Smaller streams and higher conspecific densities generally produced more non‐natal rearing migrants and larger streams and lower conspecific densities producing more natal rearing migrants. Our results shed light on previously unexplored patterns of juvenile migratory strategies and encourage broader consideration for how current conservation actions perform at protecting juvenile migratory diversity.
A Platonic Kind-Based Account of Goodness

Robert Adams defends a platonic account of goodness, understood as excellence, claiming that there exists a platonic good that all other good things must resemble, identifying the Good with God. Mark Murphy agrees, but argues that this platonic account is in need of Aristotelian supplementation, as resemblance must take into account a thing’s kind-membership. While this article will accept something like Murphy’s account of goodness (but without claiming the platonic good is God), it will further develop its details and support. Without relying on theistic premises, I show that the metaphysical status of an individual’s goodness consists in resemblance with the platonic good. As for the distinct question of what that goodness holds in virtue of, I conclude it holds in virtue of exactly: the thing’s own properties, those properties being such as to satisfy its kind-based standards (K-standards), and those K-standards resembling the platonic good. I then develop an account of how K-standards resemble the platonic good: The K-standards resemble it firstly with respect to requiring activities, as the platonic good will be posited to be active, and must resemble it secondly also at the level of what teleology those activities are directed towards. I also motivate the need for a third respect of resemblance, to be developed in future work. The article ends with a discussion of the nature of the platonic good.
Reckoning with COVID, racial violence, and the perilous pursuit of transparency

This essay reflects on the many upheavals of the past year and their implications for critical scholarship on surveillance. The COVID-19 pandemic, anti-science policies, radicalized white supremacists, police killings of people of color, and the resurgence of the racial justice movement all inflect surveillance practices in the contemporary moment. In particular, todays polarized political landscape makes it difficult to condemn surveillance in the service of the public good, but irrespective of ones goals or intentions, the embrace of transparency carries its own risks. Transparency, and scientific vision more broadly, is an extension of the Enlightenment and subsequent scientific revolution, which from the start sought to advance knowledge and consolidate white power through the violent subjugation of nature, women, and racial minorities. One fundamental risk of valorizing transparency is that doing so occludes the ways that relations of domination are indelibly encoded into surveillance systems and practices. Given this, I argue that the project of decolonizing surveillance inquiry should now be our primary focus as a field.
Does Geography Matter? A Study of Technological Learning and Innovation in the Solar Photovoltaic Balance-of-Systems Industry

Technologies whose future development trajectory depends significantly on local factors (e.g., administrative codes, user preferences, etc.) exhibit interactive feedback between geographical factors and technological learning. However, in such a context it is unclear which factors influence the degree of localized learning and the extent to which and at which geographic level localized learning is important for innovation. To empirically investigate firms’ learning and innovation processes in relation to geography, in this paper we use patent citation analysis on a unique database of PV balance-of-system (BOS) patents in the U.S. issued between 2000 to 2014. The PV BOS industry offers an excellent empirical opportunity to examine the linkages between geography and learning in the context of technologies in the deployment process, wherein features of such technologies are associated with the locations in which they are applied and deployed. We find that localized learning is more important for technologies that are more associated with the local context. We also find that extra-local knowledge significantly contributes to the quality of patents. Overall, our findings suggest that for technological learning and innovation in PV BOS technologies, neither local learning nor extra-local learning is uniformly superior in its importance. Thus policies to support deployment technologies should pay explicit attention to the local vs. extra-local knowledge needs of local firms. For example, local demand-pull policies may be more helpful in earlier phases of market development, while helping firms build bridges to extra-local knowledge networks may be more helpful later on.
Error Prevention in Transcription and Report Distribution

Historically, surgical pathology reports have been manually transcribed following dictation. More recently, voice recognition technology has been employed with or without the use of templates for common specimens. Required cancer reporting protocols are often combined with both manual transcription and voice recognition technology approaches. Errors observed in both approaches are discussed. Concurrently, there has been an evolution from manual/paper pathology report distribution into the patient’s physical chart to inclusion of the report in the patient’s comprehensive electronic health record. Data that crosses an electronic interface between a laboratory information system and an electronic health record is subject to loss of fidelity or formatting alterations which may render a final product different from what the pathologist originally intended. Inclusion of diagrams and/or photomicrographs with surgical pathology reports is possible in some systems, but can add a layer of complexity to successful electronic report distribution. Finally, some thought must be applied to the distribution of information within an individual pathology report for maximum interpretability. This chapter discusses errors that can arise in the transcription and distribution of diagnostic data in pathology reports. Strategies for assessment and prevention of these errors in real practice situations are provided.
INCOLOY 800: ENHANCED RESISTANCE TO RADIATION DAMAGE.

Tensile and creep-rupture data have been obtained at 700 and 760°C for several experimental heats of lncoloy 800 that were irradiated in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) at elevated temperature...
In defense of the net migrant

This paper discusses the benefits and weaknesses of net migration as a theoretical concept and as a measure of population movement in the United States. Net migration refers to the difference between the number of in-migrants and out-migrants for a geographic area during a specified period. Net migration is useful in population estimation forecasting and analysis. Net migration is faulted for not being as true a measure of population movement as gross migration since net migration is not a process itself but the difference between two processes. Large migration streams are obscured by net migration figures. Net migration is not useful in identifying populations at risk. Net migration as a dependent variable may lead to misspecified causal models. When net migration is calculated as a residual or total population change minus births plus deaths all the measurement errors in population data are reflected in the net migration figure. These errors could reach levels as large as 50%. Models with net migration cannot account for differences in demographic structure and rate of growth of origin and destination populations. Wide differences may appear in projections based on gross migration rates compared to net migration rates. Net migration is beneficial in supplying a summary measure of one component of population change and the effects of interregional population movements. Net migration is the major factor in population change within states counties and cities. Rates of population growth and natural increase are less meaningful among small subunits than net migration rates. Net migration is a measure of the attractiveness of areas. Net migration is useful when gross migration data are not available. Gross migration data are generally not available on areas smaller than the county may not include low income populations and may be unreliable. Estimates of net migration are used for producing reliable state and local population estimates and multiregional migration models and demographic projections.
Comparative Studies on Specific and Nonspecific Binding of Transfer Ribonucleic Acid to Ribosomes

Abstract The binding of aminoacyl transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) to ribosomes in the presence of corresponding messenger RNA (specific binding) is compared with that in the absence of messenger RNA (nonspecific binding). Specific binding is much more sensitive to tetracycline than nonspecific binding, and the former is similar to, but not identical with, the latter in its response to changes in Mg++ concentration. On the other hand, trypsin treatment of ribosomes abolishes both nonspecific and specific binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the ribosomes in a parallel fashion, indicating that ribosomal proteins are involved in the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA in general. Aminoacyl-tRNA bound in the absence of messenger RNA can be partially, but not totally, chased from ribosomes by the addition of messenger RNA which does not contain the code word for the amino acid. For this removal of aminoacyl-tRNA by unrelated messenger RNA, unbound, specific aminoacyl-tRNA coded for by the messenger must be present. Thus, the removal is an exchange reaction with the incoming specific aminoacyl-tRNA, and the addition of messenger alone in the absence of incoming specific aminoacyl-tRNA does not remove the nonspecifically bound aminoacyl-tRNA.
Conjugated Graetz Problems. I : General Formalism and a Class of Solid-Fluid Problems

Abstract Conjugated Graetz problems arise where two (or more) phases, with at least one phase in fully developed flow, exchange energy or mass across an intervening surface. In these problems the temperature or concentration fields are coupled through the conjugating conditions which express the continuity of fluxes and the rate of transfer. A general formalism is presented first for the analysis of these problems, employing a matrix differential operator with respect to the radial variable and following the decomposition technique of [1–3]. The aforementioned operator is shown to be symmetric in its domain, possessing a denumerable set of eigenvalues and a complete set of eigenvectors. A class of solid-fluid problems, involving the removal of heat from a heated solid cylinder by a surrounding annular-flow fluid, is then discussed in detail; analytical solutions are obtained by expansion in terms of the above eigenvectors. These solid-fluid problems may be viewed as extensions of the extended, one-phase, Graetz problem with prescribed wall flux [2].
Ontology management in an event-triggered knowledge network

This paper presents an ontology management system and ontology processing techniques used to support a distributed event-triggered knowledge network (ETKnet), which has been developed for deployment in a national network for rapid detection and reporting of crop disease and pest outbreaks. The ontology management system, called Lyra, is improved to address issues of terminology mapping, rule discovery, and large ABox inference. A domain ontology that covers the concepts related to events, rules, roles and collaborating organizations for this application in ETKnet was developed. Terms used by different organizations can be located in the ontology by terminology searching. Services that implement knowledge rules and rule structures can be discovered through semantic matching using the concepts defined in the ontology. A tableau algorithm was extended to lazy-load only the needed instances and their relationships into main memory. With this extension, Lyra is capable of processing a large ontology database stored in secondary storage even when the ABox cannot be entirely loaded into memory.
Transcartilaginous ear piercing and infectious complications: A systematic review and critical analysis of outcomes

Objectives/Hypothesis The purpose of this systematic review was to critically analyze infectious complications and treatment following transcartilaginous ear piercing. Data Sources MEDLINE Pubmed database. Review Methods A MEDLINE PubMed database search using free text, including “ear chondritis,” “ear perichondritis,” “ear cartilage piercing,” and “auricle piercing,” yielded 483 titles. Based on set inclusion and exclusion criteria, the titles, abstracts, and full text articles were reviewed for inclusion and underwent data extraction. Pooled outcomes are reported. Results A total of 29 articles met inclusion criteria, including 66 patients. The mean age of the patients was 18.7 ± 7.6 years (range: 11–49), 87.5% female. Ear deformity was more likely to occur following postpiercing perichondritis of the scapha 100% versus the helix 43% (P = 0.003). Mean duration of symptoms prior to patients seeking medical attention was 6.1 ± 4.1 days. Greater than 5 days of symptoms prior to seeking treatment was significantly more likely to result in hospitalization. Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounted for 87.2% infections. Of the patients with Pseudomonas, 92.3% were hospitalized versus 75% of the patients infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Initial oral antibiotics prescribed did not target the cultured bacterium in 53.3% of cases; of these, 87.5% were hospitalized. Conclusions Transcartilaginous postpiercing infection may lead to ear deformity and hospitalization. Patients (customers) and practitioners must be aware of optimal treatment strategies to minimize associated morbidity. Scapha piercing and delay in presentation are associated with poorer outcomes. Pseudomonas is the most common bacterial infection. Initial antibiotic selection must be optimized accordingly. Laryngoscope, 125:1827–1834, 2015
Too early is too soon: lessons from the Montana Department of Corrections early release program

Intheir seminal work,Reaffirming Rehabilitation, Cullen andGilbert (1982: 176) issued a warning that “in the face of teeming penitentiaries, alternative release procedures could and undoubtedly will be evolved. Yet these adaptations are likely to be hastily instituted and to create new inefficiencies and inequalities in the administration of justice.” Nearly three decades later, their premonition has proved to be correct as state correctional administrators have struggled in efforts to combat the “incompatible and powerful forces” (Cullen, Wright, and Applegate, 1996: 70) of underfunding and overcrowding (see, e.g., Lane, 1986). Indeed, by year-end 2009, 19 states and the federal government had prison systems operating at more than 100% of their highest inmate capacity with 27 operating at more than 100% of their lowest capacity (West, Sabol, andGreenman, 2010).1 Additionally, the current economic crisis has led to significant, across-the-board cuts in the seemingly untouchable sphere of state correctional budgets (Engel, Larivee, and Luedeman, 2009). The task, then, is for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to find ways to alleviate these strains without compromising the goals of corrections or the safety of the general public.
Ultra-low time jitter pulse source using mode-locked fiber laser as a high-Q resonator

Coupled optoelectronic oscillator (COEO) is a combination of a mode-locked fiber laser and an optoelectronic oscillator. The mode-locked laser (MLL) within the COEO acts like a narrow-band microwave resonator. Its input port is the electro-optic modulator input, and the output is the photodetector output. We used simple microwave oscillator model to show how it applies to the coupled optoelectronic oscillator, modeling the MLL as a microwave resonator. The phase noise measurement with injected microwave phase noise and direct measurement of the Leeson frequency using phase shift demonstrated that a quality factor of >2times106 is achieved with MLL. We are currently investigating the dependence of the quality factor on the MLL parameters, such as optical filter bandwidth, loop length, and loop loss as well as fundamental noise limits
Synthesis using extended resource control nets for modeling shared-resource automated systems

The authors adopt the concept of modular composition to model a shared-resource automated system. This method partitions the system into modules and then merges the modules. Extended resource control nets (ERCNs) are proposed to model the modules. ERCNs are generalized from resource control nets to represent certain parallel activities. The interactions among the modules are described by using the common transitions and common transition subnets conforming to two restrictions. A net synthesized in this fashion is proven to be conservative and thus bounded. In addition, an algorithm for checking two sufficient conditions for structural liveness of the net is developed. This algorithm examines only the net structure without resorting to state enumeration. >
Arenediazonium salts : New probes of the interfacial compositions of association colloids. 5.1-4 Determination of hydration numbers and radial distributions of terminal hydroxyl groups in mixed nonionic CmEn micelles by chemical trapping

An aggregate-bound long tail arenediazonium ion, 4-hexadecyl-2,6-dimethylbenzenediazonium ion, 16-ArN2+, was used as a chemical trapping reagent to estimate the hydration state and terminal hydroxyl, OH, group distributions within the interfacial region of sets of binary mixed nonionic micelles of oligooxyethylene alkyl monoether, CmEn, surfactants: C10E4/C12E6, C10E4/C16E8, C10E5/C16E8, C12E6/C16E8, and C10E5/C12E5. 16-ArN2+ decomposes spontaneously to generate an aryl cation that is trapped by water and by the terminal OH groups of the two nonionic surfactants to give phenol and alkyl aryl ethers as products. Quantitative analyses of product yields by HPLC were used to estimate the hydration numbers and relative number densities of the terminal OH groups of the two surfactants in the two inner layers of the interfacial region adjacent to the micellar core. The thickness of one layer is set equal to the length of one ethylene oxide unit. The radial distributions of terminal OH groups and ethylene oxide ...
SU-D-BRD-05: Decision Opportunities in Radiation Therapy Treatments

Purpose: A method to reveal tradeoffs in radiation therapy treatments is introduced in order to aid in clinical, patient-specific decision making. Methods: A clinically acceptable treatment plan was varied for two patients, a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) lung cancer case and a pituitary case, in order to reveal decision opportunities. Plans were optimized such that non-zero dose-volume objectives were defined for all organs at risk (OARS). At fixed planning target volume (PTV) dose, a single OAR is sacrificed, i.e. the weight of the dose volume objective is deceased, and potential dosimetric benefits in other regions of interest are identified. If tradeoffs are identified, plans are stored and presented as decision opportunities. Results: Clinically relevant tradeoffs were revealed by sacrificing individual OARs. The SBRT lung case was planned according to the Radiotherapy-Oncology Group (RTOG) 0813 protocol, but by violating the high-dose protocol objective (>2 cm from the PTV) in the patient's lung, mean heart dose was reduced by 1.7 Gy and the great vessel V20 was reduced from 42% to 2%. Tradeoffs in dose to the chestwall and heart were also revealed, an increase of 6 Gy in chestwall-Dmax reduces heart mean dose by 0.9 Gy and mean dose tomore » the great vessels by 2.6 Gy. For the pituitary tumor, sacrificing the right parotid gland (increasing mean dose from 7.8 Gy to 14.1 Gy) spares the temporal lobes bilaterally (V20 is reduced by 4%) and left parotid mean dose is reduced from 6.4 Gy to 5.2 Gy. Conclusion: Clinical tradeoffs in radiation therapy treatment planning are revealed by sacrificing individual OARS. By revealing these tradeoffs, decision making in plan selection is simplified and can be considered in the context of patient-specific quality of life.« less
Foreign acquisitions in the United States: Effect on shareholder wealth of foreign acquiring firms

Abstract This paper examines shareholder wealth gains for 195 foreign firms that acquired U.S. target firms during 1983–1992. We find that foreign acquirers experience positive and significant abnormal returns of nearly two percent over days (−10, +10) when they acquire targets in the United States; however, U.S. acquiring firms do not gain at all from their purchases of foreign firms over the same period. Analysis of abnormal returns reveals that Japanese, British, Australian and Dutch acquirers gain significantly from purchases of U.S. firms. Bidder abnormal returns are not related to relative size of target to bidder, or to the extent of their overseas exposure, or to the target's RD they do not exhibit an industry factor nor are they affected by the value of foreign currency. There is support for the hypothesis that competition among bidding firms for the same target decreases the returns to the acquirers; we find that the 1986 Tax Act has led to no gains to foreign buyers of U.S. firms.
Sensitivity of the Surface Equatorial Ocean to the Parameterization of Vertical Mixing

Abstract This study investigates the sensitivity of the dynamics of the surface equatorial ocean to the parameterization of vertical mixing. A new high-resolution, numerical model of a zonally independent equatorial channel helps to explore this question and includes three parameterizations, all of which increase mixing for decreasing Richardson numbers. It compares the smooth increase of eddy coefficients traditionally used in general circulation models, the dramatic increase of the eddy coefficients for small Richardson numbers recently observed in the equatorial Pacific, and the combination of a mixing mechanism based on the diagnostic adjustment of the water column to noncritical Richardson numbers and of a bulk mixed layer model. The meridional and vertical velocity fields in the surface layer are very sensitive to the strength of mixing implied by the different parameterizations. For the smooth Richardson number dependence of the eddy coefficients, equatorial upwelling due to easterly winds reaches ...
Modeling sensor position uncertainty for robust target localization in wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks, sensor position uncertainty degrades the accuracy of the energy-based target localization achieved using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methods. In this paper, we developed a new MLE approach that incorporates a model of sensor position uncertainty. Simulations demonstrated that our new MLE approach outperformed an MLE approach that does not account for sensor position uncertainty. Root-mean-square (RMS) estimation errors for target localization were close to the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB).
Development of diagnostic tests for computer literacy

Abstract A set of 16 diagnostic tests for computer literacy was developed based upon a content analysis of 22 computer-literacy curriculum guides. Objectives for the tests and the test items were reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness by 35 educators.
A probabilistic voting-based filtering scheme in wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we study the fabricated report with false votes attack and the false votes on real reports attack in wireless sensor networks. Since most of the existing works addresses the first attack while leaving an easy way for the attackers to launch the second attack, we propose a probabilistic voting-based filtering scheme (PVFS) to deal with both of them simultaneously. On the basis of the en-route filtering scheme, PVFS combines cluster-based organization, probabilistic key assignment, and voting methods. Through both analysis and simulation, we demonstrate that PVFS could achieve strong protection against both attacks while maintaining a sufficiently high filtering power.
Association between Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Pericardial Fat in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Introduction Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis and a strong predictor of stroke. Pericardial fat (PF), the fat depot around the heart, has been associated with several atherosclerosis risk factors. We sought to examine the association between carotid IMT and PF, and to examine whether such an association is independent from common atherosclerosis risk factors including measures of overall adiposity. Methods Unadjusted and multivariable-adjusted linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between common carotid artery (CCA) IMT and internal carotid artery (ICA) IMT with PF in a random sample of 996 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) who underwent carotid ultrasound and chest computed tomography at baseline examination. Results A significant positive correlation was observed between PF and CCA-IMT (r = 0.27, P Conclusions In the general population PF is associated with carotid IMT, an association that possibly is not independent from markers of overall adiposity or common atherosclerosis risk factors.
Partial rescue of herpes simplex virus neurovirulence with a 3.2 kb cloned DNA fragment.

A herpes simplex virus (HSV) intertypic recombinant (RE6) has been previously shown to be non-neurovirulent following direct intracranial inoculation of mice. An in vitro recombination/in vivo selection strategy was employed to further characterize the gene or genes responsible for the avirulence of this mutant. It was found that RE6 could be converted to a lethal virus by incorporation of wild-type HSV-1 sequences mapping between 0.698 and 0.721 map units. Restriction endonuclease and Southern blot analysis revealed that viral recombinants which incorporated at least part of the cloned 17syn+ sequences were selected by passage in mouse brains in vivo. The recombinants generated with this fragment were at least 50-fold more neurovirulent than RE6, as determined by the plaque forming unit to lethal dose 50% assay. Further, they displayed a significant increase in ability to replicate in mouse brain tissue following intracranial inoculation. However, these recombinants did not display a replication advantage over RE6 in cultured mouse cells at 38.5°C. Thus, the defect present within this region of the RE6 genome specifically affects replication in the nervous system. In the accompanying paper we analyze the RNA transcription and DNA sequence in this portion of the RE6 and parental strain genomes.
Mesoporous γ-Alumina Formed Through the Surfactant-Mediated Scaffolding of Peptized Pseudoboehmite Nanoparticles

Mesoporous gamma-alumina with precisely controlled mesoporosity is synthesized through the scaffolding of pseudoboehmite nanoparticles in the presence of a nonionic surfactant as the porogen. In the initial step of the synthesis, a colloidal suspension of pseudoboehmite is prepared by peptizing pseudoboehmite in dilute acidic solution. The nanoparticles in the peptizate are then assembled into a scaffold structure using nonionic Tergitol 15-S-7 (C(15)H(33)(OC(2)H(4))(7)OH) as the surfactant porogen. Calcination of the resulting surfactant-containing composites at 500 degrees C removes the surfactant and concomitantly converts the pseudoboehmite crystallites to gamma-alumina through topochemical transformation with the retention of the scaffold structure. Depending on the surfactant to alumina ratio used to form the scaffold structures, the average pore size can be precisely controlled over the range of 3.5-15 nm. Also, the BET surface areas of the scaffold structures are substantially larger in comparison to the gamma-alumina formed from pseudoboehmite at the same calcination temperature in the absence of surfactant (296-321 vs 238 m(2) g(-1)). The substantial improvement in surface area provided by the scaffold structures, together with the ability to provide narrow pore size distributions over a wide range of average pore sizes by simply adjusting the surfactant content, should substantially improve the effectiveness of this oxide as an adsorbent and as a catalyst or catalyst support.