cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation on the Utilization of Children's Immunization Certificate in Qinghai Province

Objective To investigate and analyze the status of children's immunization certificate utilization in Qinghai Province.Methods 2 760 guardians were selected randomly from three areas in Qinghai Province,they were guardians of the children among 0~7 years age groups,these children were immunization target in Qinghai Province,the investigations were made on every guardians with a questionnaire contains guardians' knowledge,attitude,behavior,and so on.Results Among the families investigated,the percentage of families that keeps the children's immunization certificate is 68.12%;The families in Xining City and Haidong agriculture areas is the best immunization certificate keepers,the ratio of families that keeps the certificate is 82.74%,but in semi-pasturing area round the Qinghai lake and southern Qinghai's pasturing area the percentage are 76.94% and 49.95%.Conclusion The percentage of families that keeps the children's immunization certificate in Qinghai Province is still very low,especially in southern Qinghai's pasturing area.It turns out that medical workers still have lots of work to do in these areas.
Environmental Effects on CNF/Polymer Composites

A crucial factor that affects all composite materials exposed to typical service conditions is environmental degradation . It has been shown that over time the combination of moisture and fluctuating temperatures degrades the structure of polymeric composites through chemical and morphological degradation mechanisms. Experimental investigations have not only demonstrated degradation of the polymeric matrix but also of the CNF–matrix interface due to surface morphology variation caused by weathering. This chapter aims to focus on the moisture effects on the structure and mechanical properties of CNF/polymer composites in an effort to offer insight into the mechanisms of degradation and failure under load after moisture exposure. However, information on this aspect of CNF/polymer composites is in the nascent stage and extensive future work is required.
Breaking Up in Emerging Adulthood: A Developmental Perspective of Relationship Dissolution

Using a unique sample of individuals who have and have not attended college, the present mixed-methods study examined narratives of 113 (47% women) emerging adults’ motivations for initiating break...
The Republican Sisters of Sudan

Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, known as al-Ustadh (teacher), his a Muslim reformist who advocated an interpretation of Islam that is fit for our time. His interpretation depended on reviving the Meccan verses of the Qur’an as the original and basic ideals and ideas in Islam. One of his major endeavors was how Islam addresses equality in Islam; equality of men and women and equality of Muslims and non-Muslims, as citizens of the same state and have equal rights. This paper discusses the Republican thought as a social movement and how equality of women was practiced in that movement.
Pressure-Induced Phase Transformations In Semiconductors Under Contact Loading

A combination of indentation testing and Raman microspectroscopy was used to study phase transformations in semiconductors under contact loading. Metastable high-pressure phases were observed in the nanoindents on Si and Ge, suggesting indentation-induced transformation to a metallic phase. GaAs was shown to deform by plastic flow at room temperature. The peculiarities in the indentation load-displacement behavior of Si (“pop-out” events) were assigned to a phase transformation upon pressure release. Raman imaging was successfully used to visualize phase distributions and stress fields around the hardness imprints on Si. Possible applications of the proposed technique are in the area of mechanical surface nanomachining of semiconductors, and selective 2D surface patterning with amorphous material or metastable high-pressure phases having attractive electronic properties.
Quality of Random Number Generators

Ziff (1992) describes a simulation requiring a total of 6 × 1012 random numbers and using a few months computing time on about a dozen workstations running simultaneously. Research work like this that depends so heavily on random numbers emphasizes the need for high-quality random number generators. Yet, as we have seen, not all random number generators are good ones (Park and Miller, 1988, and Ripley, 1988).
Pitfalls of police reform in Costa Rica: insights into security sector reform in non-military countries

AbstractAgainst the background of increasing illegal immigration and organised crime in Central and Latin America, this article analyses the Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Costa Rica, with particular emphasis on police reform. Costa Rica is a very unique country, as it is the first one in the world to abolish its national army. The abolition of the military led to an overstretched police organisation, which is responsible for both law enforcement and external security. Therefore, Costa Rica provides a fascinating case study for exploring SSR in non-military countries, an understudied topic in the literature. Drawing on archival research and 26 elite interviews conducted in Costa Rica, this article examines the organisational, cultural, and material problems with regards to police reform in Costa Rica. It concludes by a discussion of the implications on SSR in other non-military countries in the world and the effectiveness of the Costa Rican SSR.
Evaluation of GeneXpert MTB/RIF for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis at peripheral tuberculosis clinics.

Tuberculosis is one of the most common infectious diseases in China, while delayed patient finding obstructed disease control, especially for smear-negative patients. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert MTB/RIF compared with conventional methods in the detection of pulmonary tuberculosis patients. A total of 295 spot sputum samples from confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis patients were evaluated from September 2014 to June 2015. Each sample was examined by acid-fast bacillus smear microscopy, culture and GeneXpert MTB/RIF. The sputum culture on Lowenstein-Jensen (L-J) was considered as the gold-standard. After testing by smear, 68.81% (203/295) was negative and 31.19% (92/295) was positive. As the gold-standard, L-J culture detected 37.97% (112/295) positive of all specimens, while the positivity for GeneXpert MTB/RIF was 46.44% (137/295). Compared with L-J culture, the combined sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for GeneXpert MTB/RIF were 94.64%, 82.97%, 77.37% and 96.18% respectively. For smear-negative specimens, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for GeneXpert MTB/RIF were 96.00%, 83.05%, 44.44% and 99.32%; while for smear-positive specimens, the corresponding accuracy values were 94.25%, 80.00%, 98.80% and 44.44%. The findings of study indicated that GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay demonstrated a high sensitivity in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis compared to smear method and a high NPV among smear negative patients.
Modularly Constructed Synthetic Granzyme B Molecule Enables Interrogation of Intracellular Proteases for Targeted Cytotoxicity

Targeted therapies promise to increase the safety and efficacy of treatments against diseases ranging from cancer to viral infections. However, the vast majority of targeted therapeutics relies on the recognition of extracellular biomarkers, which are rarely restricted to diseased cells and are thus prone to severe and sometimes-fatal off-target toxicities. In contrast, intracellular antigens present a diverse yet underutilized repertoire of disease markers. Here, we report a protein-based therapeutic platform—termed Cytoplasmic Oncoprotein VErifier and Response Trigger (COVERT)—which enables the interrogation of intracellular proteases to trigger targeted cytotoxicity. COVERT molecules consist of the cytotoxic protein granzyme B (GrB) fused to an inhibitory N-terminal peptide, which can be removed by researcher-specified proteases to activate GrB function. We demonstrate that fusion of a small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO1) protein to GrB yields a SUMO-GrB molecule that is specifically activated by th...
Q-Learning-Based Damping Control of Wide-Area Power Systems Under Cyber Uncertainties

The installation of phasor measurement units brings about system-wide synchronized real-time measurements, which makes advanced closed-loop control of wide-area power systems (WAPSs) possible. In addition to uncertainties with the physical system, network imperfections are also critical for control performance and even stability of the system. This paper targets at wide-area damping control of WAPS under both physical and cyber uncertainties. The cyber uncertainties addressed in this paper include both communication delay and package dropout. First, a linearized WAPS model is developed with considerations of random control signal arrivals. Then, a ${\boldsymbol Q}$ -learning-based control algorithm is designed to learn the optimal control under both physical and cyber uncertainties. Finally, to further counteract the communication uncertainties between the control center and actuators, a novel control law is designed based on the statistical analysis to make the long-term control performance approach that under ideal communications. The designed control algorithm is tested with both simplified linear model and detailed nonlinear model of WAPSs. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the designed algorithm.
Malignant melanoma in the printing industry.

In an occupational mortality surveillance study, cause-specific mortality patterns by occupation and industry, among Rhode Island residents who died during the period 1968-78, were examined using the age-standardized proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) method. A noteworthy finding was an elevated PMR for malignant melanoma among white males in the printing industry (PMR = 460, observed deaths = 6, p less than .01). When the results of other epidemiologic studies are reviewed in aggregate, they are consistent with this finding. A wide variety of chemicals, some of which are known or suspected human or animal carcinogens, are used in the printing industry. There is also potential exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The hypothesis of a relationship between malignant melanoma and occupational exposures in the printing industry should be investigated further.
Evaluation of Continuous Monitoring as a Tool for Municipal Stormwater Management Programs

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the uncertainty attributable to inadequate temporal sampling of stormwater discharge and water quality, and understand its implications for meeting ...
CIGARETTE SMOKING AND CORONARY HEART DISEASE: Risks and Management

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and an important cause of CHD. The effect of smoking on the cardiovascular system and coronary risk factors is pervasive. Unfavorable effects include acute increases in blood pressure and coronary vascular resistance, reduction in oxygen delivery, enhancement of platelet aggregation, increased fibrinogen, and depression of HDL cholesterol. Smoking cessation reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates relatively rapidly, even among individuals who stop smoking only after the age of 65 or after developing the clinical manifestations of CHD including myocardial infarction. Behavioral smoking-cessation programs and nicotine-replacement therapy each have been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of smoking. The most effective treatment currently available is to combine the two. Nicotine-replacement therapy is safe and effective in patients with stable coronary heart disease. Although the threat or diagnosis of CHD is a powerful stimulus to spontaneous smoking cessation, many smokers continue to smoke after events such as myocardial infarction or CABG surgery. Studies have demonstrated that physician advice to stop smoking, supplemented by brief counseling by a nurse and follow-up, dramatically increases the smoking-cessation rate of patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction and is highly cost effective. In the outpatient setting, physician advice and counseling is also effective in helping smokers with or without CHD to stop smoking. This article outlines a simple protocol that has been demonstrated to be effective for counseling smokers.
Thermomechanical Fatigue Evaluation of Haynes ® 230 ® for Solar Receiver Applications

Haynes® 230® is a Ni–Cr–W–Mo alloy commonly used in aerospace and chemical process industries because of its excellent oxidation resistance, fatigue and creep performance at very high temperatures. In this study, the alloy was evaluated as a candidate for its use as tubing material in solar receivers, where coupled thermal-mechanical cycling is imposed in-use by heating imposed during diurnal cycles. The effect of temperature, 425 and 677 °C, and hold times on isothermal fatigue was evaluated and fatigue-life curves were developed for the alloy in its as-received condition and after aging at 677 °C for 3 months. Experimental apparatus and techniques were developed to apply thermomechanical cycles, between 425 and 677 °C, in an expedited manner to determine fatigue life at low strain ranges, again for both material conditions. The influence of stress ratio, R = −1 and R = ∞, was also assessed. The experimental techniques developed and resulting data and findings will be presented.
The Weighted Bergman Spaces

In this section we study some basic tools of analysis such as integration in various versions of polar coordinates and certain fundamental functions which appear in all later investigations.
Modeling CDC Data for Real Time Feature Estimation

Despite the fact that the main objective of an Emergency Department (ED) is to treat seriously ill patients, quality of care degrades due to prolonged waiting time. This paper investigates overcrowding as the main bottleneck in healthcare system performance and addresses patients' dissatisfaction and low quality of EDs' services on wait time. In this paper, we present empirical study, data analytics and application towards answering whether there is a significant correlation between medical immediacy and the length of wait time. This research is based on a series of feature estimation on 27 features extracted from publicly available dataset from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to find the extent of their correlation to prolonged wait time. The results suggest that in 2015 more than 63% of EDs visits were related to non-urgent medical issues. Our findings indicate that overcrowding occurs due to the presence of very large number of patients with non-urgent medical problems.
A Qualitative Case Study of Field-Based Teacher Education: One Candidate’s Evolving Expertise of Science Teaching for Emergent Bilinguals

ABSTRACTTeacher education programs are responsible for preparing science teachers for today’s culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, which includes preparing them to support students’ science learning and language development. Given the rapid growth in linguistic diversity across the country, science teacher preparation for English learners, referred to here as emergent bilinguals, is particularly critical. Although research-based pedagogical practices have been established for both science learning and language development, the fields remain separated in preparatory programs, which makes it unlikely that teachers will merge the 2 in future practice. To date, research has begun to explore professional development efforts with in-service teachers focused on science education for emergent bilinguals, but studies involving preservice science teachers are scant. Working within a sociocultural paradigm, this single-case study uses narrative methods to explore the following question: How does field-b...
Endothelin Receptor Antagonism: A New Era in the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Abstract The endothelin system has been extensively studied over the last several years. It is clear that endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a key mediator in pulmonary vascular biology and physiology. Abnorma...
Ethics, Markets, and the Legalization of Insider Trading

In light of recent doctrinal changes, we examine the confused state of U.S. insider trading law, identifying gaps that permit certain market participants to trade on the basis of material nonpublic information, and contrast U.S. insider trading doctrine with the European approach. We then explore the ethical implications of the status quo in the U.S., explaining why the dominant legal justifications for prohibiting classical insider trading and misappropriation—the fiduciary duty and property rights theories—fail to account for the wrongfulness of insider trading by eavesdroppers and certain tippees. We refute common arguments for legalizing insider trading, including arguments that insider trading is a victimless crime and that the practice promotes efficiency. We explain why insider trading constitutes the moral wrong of cheating, grounding our theory in the legitimate expectations of market participants. Having considered Kantian deontology in other work, we find that virtue ethics theory offers a helpful albeit rough framework for assessing the morality of insider trading independent of its legality. We also find that social contract theories, with norms of equality of opportunity and moral desert, provide a compelling ethical basis for retaining, clarifying and broadening current legal prohibitions against insider trading.
Impact of the Economic Crisis on Health Indicators in Greece and the Need for Primary Health Care Services

According to literature, economic crisis has had a direct effect on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and personal income. This situation impacted negatively on health indicators and increased demand for public health care. Due to the overall public expenditure reduction, the health care system is unable to meet the needs of the population, leading to a vicious cycle. This paper aims to investigate the impact of the economic crisis on key health care indicators in Greece and to provide suggestions on the organization of primary health care services. Socio-economic data for Greece spanning the period of 2007–2017 were obtained and analyzed from the Eurostat database. Correlations were observed between public health expenditure and self-reported unmet need for medical care (r = −0.918), self-perceived health as being good/very good (r = 0.789) and self-perceived long-standing limitations in usual activities due to some/severe health problem (r = −0.954). Public health expenditure has been reduced by 41% between 2009 and 2016 in Greece. However, it is noted that 38.7% of overall health expenditures are private payments, when in 2009 was 31%, where the largest share is for outpatient services. Additionally, the hospital central orientation of the Greek public health care system causes obstacles to the access and continuity of care; secondary and tertiary health care is overburdened as it also provides primary health care services. Thus, the health care system needs to be more patient-centric, providing services in the local community through primary health care networks and improving home care services.
Proteoglycans in the Werner Syndrome and Aging: A Review and Perspective

The Werner syndrome (WS), like several other “segmental progeroid syndromes,” provides a valuable system for investigating the genetic control of longevity and age-related pathology (Martin, 1978). In WS, except for short stature, symptoms develop in adult life and include graying and generalized loss of hair, juvenile cataracts, scleroderma-like changes in the skin, and high incidence of neoplasms. Epstein et al. (1966) noted that many of the changes in WS in vivo were suggestive of an impairment in the development and metabolism of connective tissue. Clinically, a prominent feature is atrophy of the skin over areas in which the subcutaneous adipose tissue is depleted, resulting in a shiny smooth skin which cannot be lifted or is actually adherent to the underlying tissue. There is usually atrophy of the underlying connective tissue, musculature and fat, and development of hyperkeratoses over the bony prominences. The hyperkeratoses often become ulcerated. WS patients show an increase in occurrence of mesenchymal type tumors such as fibroliposarcomas, osteogenic sarcomas, hemangiolipomas and menigiomas. Japanese researchers (Tonkunaga, et al., 1975; Goto and Murata, 1978; Zebrower et al., 1984) have identified another connective tissue-related clinical characteristic: excessive excretion of hyaluronic acid in urine. Although these clinical manifestations are reminiscent of the aging process, there is still uncertainty as to whether this syndrome is truly a caricature of aging. Part of this uncertainty arises from the paucity of information concerning the molecular events associated with aging at the tissue and cell level. More specifically, little is known about those changes that take place within specific connective tissues of patients with the Werner syndrome.
Using clinical reasoning ontologies to make smarter clinical decision support systems: a systematic review and data synthesis

Objective The study sought to describe the literature describing clinical reasoning ontology (CRO)-based clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) and identify and classify the medical knowledge and reasoning concepts and their properties within these ontologies to guide future research. Methods MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched through January 30, 2019, for studies describing CRO-based CDSSs. Articles that explored the development or application of CROs or terminology were selected. Eligible articles were assessed for quality features of both CDSSs and CROs to determine the current practices. We then compiled concepts and properties used within the articles. Results We included 38 CRO-based CDSSs for the analysis. Diversity of the purpose and scope of their ontologies was seen, with a variety of knowledge sources were used for ontology development. We found 126 unique medical knowledge concepts, 38 unique reasoning concepts, and 240 unique properties (137 relationships and 103 attributes). Although there is a great diversity among the terms used across CROs, there is a significant overlap based on their descriptions. Only 5 studies described high quality assessment. Conclusion We identified current practices used in CRO development and provided lists of medical knowledge concepts, reasoning concepts, and properties (relationships and attributes) used by CRO-based CDSSs. CRO developers reason that the inclusion of concepts used by clinicians' during medical decision making has the potential to improve CDSS performance. However, at present, few CROs have been used for CDSSs, and high-quality studies describing CROs are sparse. Further research is required in developing high-quality CDSSs based on CROs.
SSRI Prescribing Rates and Adolescent Suicide: Is the Black Box Hurting or Helping?

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in younger (10- to 14-year-old) adolescents in the United States and the leading cause of death in this age group in other countries, including China, Sweden, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Is perceived neighbourhood physical disorder associated with muscle strength in middle aged and older men and women? Findings from the US health and retirement study.

Background Research documenting the relevance of neighbourhoods for the health of older adults has focused on global physical functioning outcomes, such as disability, rather than physiologic impairments that lead to disability. Muscle weakness is an age-related impairment and a central mechanism of disability. Evaluating neighbourhood effects on muscle weakness may offer insight into physiologic mechanisms of disability. We examined the association between perceived neighbourhood disorder and muscle strength in a nationally representative sample of US adults aged 51+. Methods Among 11 277 participants (57% women; mean age: 66.6 years) in the Health and Retirement Study (2012–2014), we investigated whether self-reported neighbourhood physical disorder (1–7 scale, mean=2.61, SD=1.45); presence of vandalism/graffiti, litter, deserted houses, feeling safe walking alone) was associated with mean hand grip strength using linear regression models with sampling weights. We tested whether the association between neighbourhood disorder and grip strength differed by age and gender. Results After adjusting for demographic characteristics, marital status, education and household wealth, residence in neighbourhoods with high perceived physical neighbourhood disorder was associated with lower muscle strength for men (β=−1.95 kg; 95% CI, 2.68 to –1.22) and to a lesser extent, for women (β=−0.64 kg, 95% CI, −1.11 to –0.19), (p for interaction Discussion Perceived neighbourhood disorder was associated with lower muscle strength. Future studies should more rigorously evaluate causality and evaluate potential interventions.
De Novo Thrombotic Microangiopathy in Two Kidney Transplant Recipients From the Same Deceased Donor: A Case Series

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a recognized and serious complication of renal transplantation. Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), a subset of TMA, occurs in the setting of dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway and can cause disease in native kidneys as well as recurrence in allografts. De novo TMA represents a classification of TMA post-transplant in the absence of clinical or histopathological evidence of TMA or aHUS in the native kidney. De novo TMA is a more heterogeneous syndrome than aHUS and the pathogenesis and risk factors for de novo TMA are poorly understood. The association between calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) and de novo TMA is controversial. Anti-complement blockade therapy with eculizumab is effective in some cases, but more studies are needed to identify appropriate candidates for therapy. We present two cases of de novo TMA occurring immediately in recipients from the same deceased donor and provoking the question of whether deceased donor-related factors could represent risks for developing de novo TMA.
Solving the auroral-arc-generator question by using an electron beam to unambiguously connect critical magnetospheric measurements to auroral images

Abstract An active mapping mission is described that unambiguously connects measurements in the Earth's magnetosphere to visible aurora in the atmosphere. The core of the mission is an electron-beam source operated on a spacecraft in the equatorial magnetosphere, with the electron beam traveling along the Earth's magnetic-field lines to the atmosphere, depositing its energy to create an optical beam-spot in the atmosphere at the footpoint of the spacecraft's magnetic-field line. This optical spot can be imaged by ground-based cameras, putting the location of the spacecraft's magnetic footpoint into the context of the optical aurora. Scientific instruments carried on the spacecraft make critical measurements of the properties of the magnetosphere at the locations where the magnetosphere powers the aurora, allowing the determination of the plasma-physics mechanisms by which the magnetosphere drives the aurora, in particular answering the outstanding question of how the magnetosphere drives low-latitude auroral arcs. Long-standing questions in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling that have not been answered because we could not unambiguously connect locations in the magnetosphere with their image in the ionosphere will finally be addressed. In this paper the properties of a “standard” growth-phase auroral arc are collected, theories of the magnetospheric generation of auroral arcs are reviewed, and critical magnetospheric measurements to discern the mechanisms that drive auroral arcs are determined. Further, the plasma physics of the experiment is investigated, including spacecraft-charging mitigation, beam stability, beam scattering, and electron orbit theory. Tradeoffs (keV versus MeV) concerning the energy of the electron beam are enumerated.
Residency and reproductive patterns of the green porcelain crab, Petrolisthes armatus, on an intertidal oyster reef in its non-native range

Abstract The green porcelain crab Petrolisthes armatus is an abundant invader on intertidal oyster reefs along the southeastern coast of the United States. Its range expansion appears to be thermally limited and is predicted to shift poleward as water temperatures rise. Little is known about how P. armatus' seasonal residency patterns affect its reproductive potential near its northern range limit. To study these factors, P. armatus was collected every two weeks over a 20-month period (April 2017 to November 2018) on an intertidal oyster reef within its non-native range in Charleston, SC. Crab abundance, size, sex, and ovigery status were recorded. In addition, a laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the time elapsed between broods for large vs. small adult females. Petrolisthes armatus abundances varied seasonally and were highest in the summers of both years. Adults were collected in April after a mild winter (2017), indicating overwintering occurred, but after a harsh winter (2018), no crabs were collected on the reef the following spring, with adults first collected in July. Peak ovigery rates reached 95% of adult female crabs in some summer months. Juvenile recruits matured and contributed to the reproductive population 6–8 weeks after first being collected in the intertidal oyster habitat. In the laboratory experiment, the median time between broods was 6 days (range 2–22 days). Females were observed with new broods immediately post-molt and also several days following their molt, suggesting mating occurs for females in intermolt and post-molt states. Study results indicate that overwintering success affects the timing of the start of the reproductive season, its duration, and total annual brood production. The laboratory observations suggest rapid sequential brood production occurs for this species in the non-native range. Brood production rates and evidence that females mate in intermolt and post-molt states are new information for this species and are consistent with previous observations of high reproductive output in the non-native range. Further poleward range expansion seems likely, in part due to high reproductive output and rapid recovery following harsh winters.
Spectroscopic factors, overlaps, and isospin symmetry from an R -matrix point of view

$R$-matrix theory has long been used for phenomenological analyses of data from low-energy nuclear reactions, by connecting the interior nuclear structure to the exterior asymptotic continuum at a specified boundary channel radius. This paper reviews relationships of such quantities as interior spectroscopic amplitudes and single-particle wave functions with their physical counterparts such as asymptotic normalization coefficients and widths. The author provides examples in light nuclei including isospin and mirror symmetry applications to nucleosynthesis that suggest an enhanced ${}^{17}$F($p$,$\ensuremath{\gamma}$)${}^{18}$Ne reaction rate in novae.
Are Our School-Aged Students With Gifts and Talents Struggling With Their Psychological Well-Being to a Greater Extent Than in the Past?:

Over the past 10-15 years, parents, educators, counselors and others who work with or care for students with gifts and talents have expressed increasing concerns about the students’ psychological w...
Multipactor Near the Cavity Equator

Multipactor in accelerating RF cavities remains a phenomenon that is difficult to predict quantitatively by theory. Especially sensitive to multipacting are superconducting cavities when their main advantage, high quality factor, is spoiled by parasitic electron loading. Early superconducting RF (SRF) cavities suffered from multipacting, which was the dominant limitation of their performance [3]. The invention of round-wall cavities (spherical [4] and elliptical [5]) alleviated the problem, allowing for a significant cavity performance improvement. However, even with the rounded shape of the equator as, for example, in the TESLA cavities [6], multipactor appears sometimes and requires certain time for processing.
An ecological study of the association between neighborhood racial and economic residential segregation with COVID-19 vulnerability in the United States' capital city.

ABSTRACT Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on American life. However, the burden of the pandemic has not been distributed equally. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether racial and economic residential segregation were associated with COVID-19 related factors in the nation's capital, Washington D.C., during the first year of the pandemic. Methods Racial, economic, and racialized economic segregation were assessed using the Index of Concentration at the Extremes measure and data from the 2014–2018 American Community Survey. COVID-19 related factors (i.e., incidence, testing rate, and percent positivity) were assessed using data from the Washington D.C. government. Spearman rank correlation was used to assess the relationship between each segregation measure and each COVID-19 related factor. Results Washington D.C. neighborhoods with a higher concentration of African Americans, lower income residents, and African Americans with low income had a higher incidence of COVID-19 and greater percent positivity, but lower testing rates compared to their counterparts. Conclusions There is a geographic mismatch between neighborhoods most vulnerable to COVID-19 and the neighborhoods where the testing resources are being used. More resources should be allocated to the most vulnerable neighborhoods to address the COVID-19 pandemic in an equitable manner.
Humanitarian Training with Virtual Simulation during a Pandemic.

There is an ongoing and established need for humanitarian training and professionalization. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted training programs designed to accomplish this goal, including the Humanitarian Response Intensive Course, which includes a 3-d immersive simulation to prepare humanitarian workers for future field work. To provide program continuity, the 3-d simulation was quickly adapted to a virtual format using a combination of video conferencing, short messaging service, and cloud-based file storage software. Participants were geographically dispersed and participated virtually. Learning objectives were preserved, while some components not amenable to a virtual format were removed.A virtual humanitarian training simulation is a feasible, acceptable, and affordable alternative to an in-person simulation. Participants were engaged and experienced minimal technological disruptions. The majority of students believed the format met or exceeded expectations. However, feedback also emphasized the importance of providing sufficient time for team collaboration and deliverable preparation in the simulation schedule. The virtual format was more affordable than the traditional in-person simulation, and diverse expert faculty who could not have attended in-person were able to participate. This format could be used to overcome other barriers to in-person simulation training, including geographic, financial, time, or security.
Les amants du Pont-Neuf (1991) and City Lights (1931)

Leos Carax’s Lovers on the Bridge updates Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. The physicality of his star and alter ego, Denis Lavant, along with admiration for the imagery of silent cinema, turned Carax’s attention to Chaplin’s Tramp. Lovers, like City Lights, is an allegory of class difference, recast because of the sixty-year temporal distance between the films. Cynicism replaces Chaplin’s naive embrace of human goodness, and the media environment of human society has greatly changed. Lovers on the Bridge especially reflects the expanded range of stylistic options over the long arc of cinema history: Carax’s narrative no longer contains its characters and ideas but rather is roiled from within, moving beyond any definition of realism in the relationship among story, characters, events, and their representation.
Pains and Gains of Peer Reviewing in Software Engineering: A Journal-Centric Perspective

A young software engineering researcher is invited to be an associate editor (AE) of a major journal in our field. The researcher is very excited. By this point, she has amassed a nice career track-record. She has also been recognized via a number of invitations to serve on our conferences' program committees. But this somehow feels different and more important: there are multiple conferences each year, and all of them have PCs staffed with dozens of members (not uncommonly over 100 in recent years), while there are comparatively fewer journals and, at any point in time, the sizes of their editorial boards are a fraction of a typical conference PC. This is a major additional sign of recognition of the young researcher's expertise and stature in the community. So, the researcher quickly and enthusiastically accepts the invitation.
Importance of the legacy effect for assessing spatiotemporal correspondence between interannual tree-ring width and remote sensing products in the Sierra Nevada

Abstract Carbon uptake and tree growth are important factors for assessing productivity and long-term carbon storage. Measurements of radial stem growth are mainly performed at the individual tree scale and can be used to infer ecosystem net primary productivity (NPP). However, these measurements are spatially limited, and remote sensing provides a promising tool to track vegetation function and productivity across spatial scales, making it a viable technique for assessing variation in interannual tree growth and carbon storage. In this study we examined the correspondence between in-situ annual tree-ring width across four dominant evergreen species in the Sierra Nevada and a wide range of remotely sensed products linked to carbon uptake including NPP, gross primary productivity (GPP), net photosynthesis (PSN), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), near infrared reflectance of vegetation index (NIRV), and chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI) from MODIS (Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) as well as downscaled solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) products, using a 14 year dataset (2000–2014) across 62 forest sites. We show that variation of annual tree-ring width was best captured by the annual sum of MODIS GPP, with a legacy effect (5-month backwards shift). Across all forest sites, MODIS GPP with a 5-month legacy effect showed moderate correspondence with tree-ring width (r = 0.60). Within each individual site, however, the interannual correspondence between MODIS GPP with a legacy effect and tree growth was stronger (median r = 0.70 vs 0.14 without a legacy effect). The importance of legacy effects in explaining tree growth variation within sites indicates that tree growth each year is influenced by carbon uptake during the latter part of the previous growing season. Additional local environmental factors also explained annual variation in tree-ring width, including (in descending order of importance) local tree density, latitude, slope, DBH, elevation and aspect.
CAR T-cell Therapy in Indolent Lymphoma

Introduction CD19 directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has had a transformative impact on the natural history of chemotherapy refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), inducing long-term remissions in 40–50% of patients.1–5 It does this, however, at the expense of both financial and clinical toxicity. But the cost and risk of care in the absence of CAR T-cells in these instances outweighs the risk of the therapy itself, and so it has broadly been accepted as a standard of care for these patients. Moving CD19 directed CAR T-cell therapy into the slower growing, but historically incurable, indolent B-NHLs has the potential to challenge this balance between risks and benefits. Will CAR T-cells offer definitive therapy for these otherwise incurable diseases? If not, will CAR T-cells positively affect long-term survival over alternative therapies? The answer to these questions will determine how oncologists weigh the financial and clinical costs against the therapeutic benefits.
Observations on the Status of Russia's Workers

A noted American specialist on the social structures of Soviet-type and post-Soviet systems reviews the altered status of blue-collar workers in the economy of the Russian Federation. The paper covers changes in branch and socio-occupational differentials, the impact of the pay arrears problem, unemployment, and labor militancy. A central question is whether Russia's workers have fared as poorly as have most other categories of the population, given inhibitions on large-scale release of redundant labor in uncompetitive industries. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: J21, J24, J31, O52. 1 table, 15 references.
Introduction to Portland Cement Concrete

The performance of concrete depends on the quality of the ingredients, their proportions, placement, and exposure conditions. The cement type, nature of fine and coarse aggregates, water, temperature of mixing, admixture, and the environment determines the physical, chemical, and durability aspects of concrete. According to ASTM C-150, portland cement is a hydraulic cement produced by pulverizing clinker consisting essentially of hydraulic calcium silicates, usually containing one or more types of calcium sulfate as an inter-ground addition. The raw materials for the manufacture of portland cement contain, in suitable proportions, silica, aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, and ferric oxide. The raw materials also contain small amounts of other compounds such as magnesia, alkalis, phosphates, fluorine compounds, zinc oxide, and sulfides. The cement clinker is produced by feeding the crushed, ground, and screened raw mix into a rotary kiln and heated at a temperature of about 1300.1450°C. The chapter also focuses on major phases of portland cement: tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate, and ferrite phase of an average composition.
VARIATION IN METATARSAL MORPHOLOGY AMONG SUBGROUPS OF NORTH AMERICAN MOOSE (Alces alces)

The objectives of this study were to characterize variation in dimensional data from the metatarsus of 4 different subpopulations of North American moose ( Alces alces ) that are known to differ in stature, and to determine if specific metatarsal width measurements (proximal, middle, distal) can be used to accurately predict metatarsal length in these subpopulations. We found that subpopulations differ in the dimensions of their metatarsal bones. Alaskan moose ( A. a. gigas ) are significantly larger in the length and width of the metatarsus than non-Alaskan moose. Moose from Isle Royale have significantly shorter metatarsal bones than the other groups which is associated with a proportional reduction in the middle metatarsal width; the ratio of middle width:length was similar across groups in contrast to the proximal: and distal width:length ratios. These dimensions were not reduced proportionally in Isle Royale specimens as these ratios were greater in the Isle Royale moose than in other groups. Predictive equations for estimating metatarsal length from each of the 3 width measurements were developed. The length could be predicted accurately from each of the width measurements if separate predictive equations were developed for specimens collected from Isle Royale versus the other subgroups. These data indicate that considerable variation exists in the dimensions of a single bone, the metatarsus, in subgroups of the same species. Valid predictive equations developed using data sets from one subgroup may not provide accurate predictions when applied to other subgroups of the same species.
An overview of the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS)

Florida is the United States' fourth most populous state, with 80% of the population living in a coastal county. Several storms have brought large, unpredicted flooding to Florida's West Coast. The coastal sea level response to tropical and extra-tropical storms results from wind forcing over the entire continental shelf. For example, during the March 1993 no-name "Storm of the Century", residents of West Florida's Pasco County experienced storm surge flooding of 6-9 feet along the coast in the early morning hours when most people were asleep. 8,009 units received some level of damage. 2,266 homes received minor damage, 5,506 received major damage and storm surge flooding destroyed 237 homes. In contrast, local response may actually be due to storm winds quite distant from the local area of concern; a case in point being Tropical Storm Josephine, a modest storm that nevertheless brought large, unpredicted flooding in the spatially distant Tampa Bay, Florida area. This overview briefly describes the University of South Florida/College of Marine Science's (USF/CMS) Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS). COMPS operates along the Gulf of Mexico's west Florida coast and was implemented in 1997 as a State of Florida legislative initiative. Data and model products are disseminated in real-time to federal, state, and local emergency management officials by various means including the Internet (URL http://comps.marine.usf.edu). The COMPS overall program goal is to provide real-time data for emergency management use and to improve description and understanding of the relevant physical processes that control shelf circulation, hydrography, and coastal flooding caused by storm surges. COMPS provides an example of the practical value of university research.
Vascular endothelial growth factor, CD68, and epidermal growth factor receptor expression and survival in patients with Stage II and Stage III colon carcinoma: a role for the host response in prognosis.

BACKGROUND The elucidation of new therapeutic targets of prognostic significance in colon carcinoma is necessary to improve outcomes. In the current study, the authors examined the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in primary colon carcinoma cases and VEGF in tumor-associated macrophages (TAM)/stroma, and their correlation with survival. METHODS The authors identified 131 consecutive American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage II and Stage III colon carcinoma patients seen at the University of Rochester between 1990–1995. Expression of VEGF, EGFR, and CD68 were examined by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded primary colon tumors and graded as the percentage of cells stained. Data were analyzed using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS VEGF expression in tumor was not found to be significantly associated with survival. However, 42% of the patients expressed VEGF in TAM/stroma. The median survival in this group was 9.7 years versus 4.3 years in the VEGF-negative (TAM/stroma) group (hazards ratio of 0.57, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.34–0.95; P = 0.03). Although TAM infiltration alone was not found to be significant in multivariate analysis, the presence of both CD68 and VEGF (TAM/stroma) was predictive of improved survival (hazards ratio of 0.48, 95% CI, 0.28–0.83; P = 0.006). High grades of EGFR expression (≥ Grade 2) were found to be associated with a trend toward worsened survival. CONCLUSIONS The greater than twofold increase in median survival associated with VEGF-expressing TAM suggests a hitherto unknown role for this subset of cells in the host response to colon carcinoma and requires further investigation. Overexpression of EGFR may be associated with worsened survival, providing a rationale for trials of anti-EGFR agents as adjuvant therapy. Cancer 2003;97:960–8. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11152