cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infallibility, the American Way, and Catholic Apologetics

The proclamation of papal infallibility by the Vatican Council of 1870 provided a new complication for Catholic apologists defending the Church against the familiar charge of being a threat to American institutions. Comments from the secular and religious press in the United States reveal serious misgivings concerning the possible political implications of the authority newly ascribed to the Pope. Catholic spokesmen hence felt called upon to explain infallibility so as to prevent its becoming a new weapon in the arsenal of the Church's enemies. The Vatican Council's definition of infallibility stated as a divinely revealed dogma that "the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in the exercise of his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians he defines, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, a doctrine of faith and morals, to be held by the whole Church—is, by reason of the Divine assis tance promised him in blessed Peter, possessed of that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer wished His Church to be endowed in defining doctrines of faith and morals; and conse quently that such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreform able of their own nature and not by reason of the Church's consent."1
Orienting Rational Beings in a Sensible World

Human beings are strange creatures. Perhaps no one recognized this more than Kant, whose first two Critiques can be seen as attempts to understand how we know and act given this unique nature. Because of the dual character of our nature, there is for us a supersensible realm in addition to the sensible realm in which we function as sensible rational beings. The first two Critiques establish the supersensible realm and show the ways in which we are limited with respect to it because of our sensible nature. But there are also limitations in the way that reason functions in the sensible realm. Although theoretical reason provides the pure categories of experience and thus guarantees that the structure of the world will be compatible with the structure of our understanding, there is no guarantee that phenomenal events will bear enough similarity to one another that we will be able to organize laws of nature and reach our goal of systematizing experience. On the side of practical reason, pure reason has difficulty in determining the sensible will because of possible conflicts with sensible desires. In addition, as sensible beings, to reach the final end of pure practical reason we must love the law, and it is unclear how reason alone could produce love.
Warrants pricing based on GJR-GARCH model with Levy processes adjusting:An empirical analysis between Mainland and Hongkong

GARCH models with filtered historical innovations in option pricing gain a large number of important researches,we introduce asymmetric GARCH and non-normal Levy into this model based on "fat tail",skewness and other statistical characteristic of financial data.We build several GARCH models with Levy random numbers under physical measure,and then we transform heteroscedasticity sequence into risk neutral measure.Through the empirical Monte-Carlo pricing method in Mainland warrants market and Hong Kong warrants market,we demonstrate this method can improve pricing precision significant,the "leverage effect" and "clustering effect" of volatility are well reflected,by comparing pricing results between these two warrant markets,we demonstrate Hong Kong warrant market is more effective.
Altered Expression of Conventional Calpains Influences Apoptosis

Calpains are non-lysosomal, cysteine proteases ubiquitously expressed in animal cells. Most cells also express an inhibitor protein, calpastatin, that is highly specific for calpains. Among many proposed functions, calpains are thought to participate in apoptosis signaling through various pathways. Most studies of calpain function in apoptosis have relied on methodologies that cannot separate the influence of the conventional calpains (μ- and m-calpains) from other calpain family members, or non-calpain proteases in some cases. The present investigation addresses this issue by unambiguously altering the abundance of conventional calpains in cultured cells, and determining the effect on various models of apoptosis. Overexpression of μ-calpain enhanced apoptosis of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in response to the calcium ionophore A23187, the sarcolemma Ca2+-pump inhibitor, thapsigargin, or serum deprivation. Overexpression of calpastatin had the opposite effect. Altered expression of calpain or calpastatin had no detectable influence on apoptosis caused by expo-sure to H2O2, ultraviolet light, or the protein kinase inhibitor, staurosporine. Increased expression of μ-calpain protected against TNF-alpha triggered apoptosis. These results demonstrate that calpain/calpastatin balance is important in some forms of apoptosis in CHO cells, but not in others. Moreover, in the TNF-alpha apoptosis pathway calpains had a protective effect, as previously proposed (Han, Y., et al., 1999).
Event-based clustering for composite event detection in wireless sensors networks

Wireless sensor networks have been widely used in many applications, such as climate monitoring systems, fire detection, ocean activity monitoring, and smart cities. These networks can be homogeneous or heterogeneous, depending on the types of wireless devices used. Changes in the values of the attributes measured are known as events. We distinguish atomic and composite events. Atomic events measure changes of a single attribute in the environment, for example the temperature, while composite events consist of groups of atomic events. In this paper we propose a distributed algorithm for composite event detection and reporting that uses an event-based clustering mechanism. We compare the performance of our algorithm with another related work, the Cluster-based Energy efficient Composite event detection (CEC) protocol, where clusters are formed before the sensing starts. We analyze the performance of our mechanism using WSNeT simulator, which is specially designed for event based wireless sensor networks. This simulator is a free open source tool and runs using Linux operating system. We measure various metrics such as average residual energy, number of packets received by the sink and cluster heads, average number of hops, and average number of clusters. Based on the results of the simulations, we conclude that our event-based clustering mechanism outperforms the CEC mechanism.
SLA Education Division: the Future

The problem when we think about the future is that it is the supreme unknown. This leads to a tendency to wonder what the future will bring, but to conclude that what will be, will be, and that we will simply take what comes and adapt as best we can. [...]
Polysaccharide matrices used in 3D in vitro cell culture systems.

Polysaccharides comprise a diverse class of polymeric materials with a history of proven biocompatibility and continual use as biomaterials. Recent focus on new matrices appropriate for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture offers new opportunities to apply polysaccharides as extracellular matrix mimics. However, chemical and structural bases for specific cell-polysaccharide interactions essential for their utility as 3-D cell matrices are not well defined. This review describes how these naturally sourced biomaterials satisfy several key properties for current 3D cell culture needs and can also be synthetically modified or blended with additional components to tailor their cell engagement properties. Beyond their benign interactions with many cell types in cultures, their economical and high quality sourcing, optical clarity for ex situ analytical interrogation and in situ gelation represent important properties of these polymers for 3D cell culture applications. Continued diversification of their versatile glycan chemistry, new bio-synthetic sourcing strategies and elucidation of new cell-specific properties are attractive to expand the polysaccharide polymer utility for cell culture needs. Many 3D cell culture priorities are addressed with the portfolio of polysaccharide materials available and under development. This review provides a critical analysis of their properties, capabilities and challenges in 3D cell culture applications.
Monitoring by Affiliated Bankers on Board of Directors: Evidence from Corporate Financing Outcomes

Using a hand-collected data set on boards of directors of large US nonfinancial companies, this paper investigates the effects of the presence of a creditor on a company's board. The results suggest that the presence of a creditor: 1) increases the amount of debt in a company's capital structure via an increase in private debt, 2) decreases the sensitivity of debt financing to the amount of tangible assets that a company holds, 3) decreases the cost of borrowing, and 4) reduces the pledge of collateral and financial covenants in debt contracts.
Parameters Affecting Microbial Oil Mobilization in Porous Media

Abstract Prior work at NIPER has defined some of the key mechanisms responsible for improved oil mobilization by microbial formulations; the development of simulation models capable of predicting reservoir and production behavior of MEOR technology also has been started. The simulator development and laboratory testing aspects were integrated, so that a feedback loop existed. Mechanisms considered to be important for oil recovery include changes in properties such as interfacial tension, wettability, and adsorption/retention that govern oil mobilization and affect fractional flow and relative permeabilities. Other oil recovery mechanisms traditionally associated with fluid flow changes include polymer and biomass production by microorganisms. Laboratory experiments were conducted to obtain input data for the simulator regarding adsorption, clogging/declogging, and wettability alteration. Computer tomography (CT) studies demonstrated that fluid and gas distributions altered by microorganisms can reduce residual oil saturation in porous media. This paper describes ongoing laboratory investigations conducted to evaluate microbial mechanisms for improved oil recovery in porous media, and to further improve the simulator.
Sleep disturbance may impact treatment outcome in bipolar disorder: A preliminary investigation in the context of a large comparative effectiveness trial.

Abstract Background Bipolar patients experience sleep disturbances during and between mood episodes. Yet the impact of sleep on treatment with different medications has not been fully explored. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential impact of poor sleep at baseline on outcomes in a randomized effectiveness trial of quetiapine and lithium. Methods The Bipolar CHOICE study was a 6-month, parallel group, multisite randomized controlled trial. Participants with bipolar disorder (N = 482; 59% female and age 18–70 years) received quetiapine or lithium. Patients were allowed to also receive adjunctive personalized treatments, which were guideline-informed, empirically-based medications added to treatment as needed. Medication changes were recorded as necessary clinical adjustments (NCA). Fisher's exact tests, mixed-regression models, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess demographic and clinical characteristics as well as whether sleep disturbance would predict outcomes. Results 63% of patients had baseline sleep disturbance. Individuals with sleep disturbance had worse bipolar illness severity, greater severity of depression, mania, anxiety, irritability, and psychosis, were less likely to have sustained response (17% vs. 29%; adjusted RR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.38–0.78, p = 0.0006) and had more NCAs (median 0.71 vs. 0.59, p = 0.03). Limitations Our findings were limited by how we defined sleep disturbance, and by how severity of sleep disturbance was assessed with one item with a non-sleep specific measure. Conclusions Baseline sleep disturbance was associated with more severe bipolar symptoms and worse 6-month outcomes. Further research is warranted on improving sleep in bipolar disorder, especially the role of psychosocial interventions.
Visualizing Physical Activity

In this chapter, we will go over some of the body sensors available on smartwatches and wearable devices in general, and the techniques we have at our disposal to read and use data from these sensors in real-time.
Supermicrosurgery: History, Applications, Training and the Future.

Supermicrosurgery, a technique of dissection and anastomosis of small vessels ranging from 0.3 to 0.8mm, has revolutionized the fields of lymphedema treatment and soft tissue reconstruction. The technique offers several distinct benefits to microsurgeons, including the ability to manipulate small vessels that were previously inaccessible, and to minimize donor-site morbidity by dissecting short pedicles in a suprafascial plane. Thus, supermicrosurgery has become increasingly popular in recent years, and its applications have greatly expanded since it was first introduced 20 years ago. While supermicrosurgery was originally developed for procedures involving salvage of the digit tip, the technique is now routinely used in a wide variety of microsurgical cases, including lymphovenous anastomoses, vascularized lymph node transfers and perforator-to-perforator anastomoses. With continued experimentation, standardization of supermicrosurgical training, and high quality studies focusing on the outcomes of these novel procedures, supermicrosurgery can become a routine and valuable component of every microsurgeon’s practice.
Rare Earths and Life Unseen

Speculation that alien life might be found on other worlds can be traced to ancient times. Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo fed those thoughts by showing that the Earth is not the center of the universe. Once it was understood that our planet is just one of several rotating around a solar center, thoughts of other solar systems naturally arose. By 1584, Giordano Bruno was asserting that there must be “ … countless suns, and countless earths all rotating around their suns.” The next conceptual step - that on some of those “countless earths” there might be life - was easy to take.
A clinical study of the "open sandwich" technique in pediatric dental practice.

Purpose This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of the "open sandwich" restoration for pediatric dental practice. Methods Three pediatric dentists used a standardized preparation and restorative technique to place the restorations. The prepared tooth was etched with a phosphoric acid semigel and rinsed. A resin modified glass ionomer (Fuji II LCor Photac-Fil) was placed short of the margins and then light cured. The resin modified glass ionomer was covered with an occlusal layer of a microhybrid flowable composite (Aeliteflo or Flow-it). The same preparation for the experimental restorations was used for the control conventional amalgam (Tytin) restorations. The restorations were evaluated at 6-month intervals and ranked with a modified United States Public Heath Survey (USPHS) scale as follows: Alfa: No discernible marginal opening or stain; Beta: Slight opening of margin discernible with dental explorer, but without stain; Charlie: Open margin and stain; Delta: Recurrent caries or restoration failure. Restoration failures were categorized according to etiology, pulpal necrosis, bruxism, marginal leakage, isthmus fracture, or adhesive failure. Results All recalled experimental restorations, except 8, were rated as either Alpha or Beta. Six failed due to isthmus fracture and 2 due to pulpal necrosis. Fifteen restorations had delaminating of the flowable composite from the resin modified glass ionomer. The use of the "open sandwich" technique compared favorably with a similar study using adhesive amalgam restorations. Conclusions The "open sandwich" technique can be successfully used in a pediatric dental practice.
Would a high resolution cardiac-dedicated PET system improve quantification of myocardial blood flow?

1414 Objectives The myocardial wall thickness is comparable to the spatial resolution of most clinical whole-body PET systems. The quantitative accuracy of both myocardial and blood pool activity concentrations, respectively, are affected from partial volume and spillover effects. Our goal is to investigate if a cardiac-dedicated high-resolution PET system is able to improve the quantitative accuracy of myocardial blood flow compared to the standard clinical systems. Methods A simplified heart phantom image was generated and was convolved with Gaussian kernels which have FWHM values ranging from 1 to 12 mm. A set of activity concentration ratios between the myocardium (Cm) and blood pool (Cb) compartments were studied, for both the accumulation and washout periods. The ratio between the myocardium activity concentrations after (Cafter) and before (Cbefore) the resolution blurring was characterized. Gaussian random noise was added to the raw data and 10 trials were performed to estimate the variations of parameters. An un-weighted nonlinear, least square algorithm was implemented to derive the K1, k2 and k3. Results The quantitation of Cm depends on both spatial resolution and activity concentration ratio. In the uptake period, the limited spatial resolution results in ~30%underestimation of the myocardial activity. While in the washout period, the limited spatial resolution results in ~20% overestimation of the myocardium activity with the exception for the low activity concentration ratios 2:1 and 1:1. The linear dependence of K1 on spatial resolution is observed. The estimated K1 (ml/g/min) is 0.96 , 0.53, and 0.38 at spatial resolution FWHM of 1 mm, 8 mm, and 12 mm, respectively. No strong dependency is found for k2 and k3 on spatial resolution. Conclusions The results indicate that a cardiac-dedicated high resolution PET system has the potential to significantly reduce the bias in myocardium blood flow quantification. Such quantitation improvements translate into more accurate estimation of coronary flow reserve and more reliable prediction of cardiac death
Noble Gases in Seawater as Tracers for Physical and Biogeochemical Ocean Processes

Noble gases are biologically and chemically inert, making them excellent tracers for physical processes. There are 5 stable noble gases: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe, with a range of physicochemical properties; the diffusivities of the noble gases in seawater differ by approximately a factor of 5 and the solubilities of the noble gases in seawater differ by approximately a factor of 10. This broad range in physicochemical characteristics leads to differing response to physical forcing. Thus, measurements of multiple noble gases made concurrently allow quantification of many physical processes. In seawater studies, noble gas measurements have been used to investigate air-sea gas exchange, allowing explicit separation of the bubble component from the diffusive gas exchange component, and to study equilibration during deep water formation. Argon has been used to quantify diapycnal mixing and the heavier noble gases could be useful in such studies as well. Helium, Ne, and Ar have yielded insights on ocean-cryospheric processes such as sea ice formation and basal melting of glaciers. The isotope3 He has been used extensively in studies of ocean circulation, and also for quantifying ocean-lithospheric interactions. Additionally, noble gases can be combined with biologically active gases, such as O2 or N2, in order to quantify rates of biological production and denitrification.
Computerized Blood Gas Interpretation and Reporting

At LDS Hospital the HELP system is used to order blood gases and to calculate, interpret, and report the results. Orders are entered into the system on the nursing division and are automatically transmitted to the blood gas laboratory. When technicians enter the blood gas results into the HELP system, HELP’S decision logic present is activated and interpretations of the test are generated. The computerized interpretation requires previous blood gas results and other data present in the computerized patient file. The raw blood gas results, along with the computerized interpretation, are reported automatically and promptly to the nursing unit and are included in a variety of summary reports.
Applications of Singularity Theory to the Solutions of Nonlinear Equations

The past twenty-five years has seen major strides in our understanding of the solutions to nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations. This progress has built on earlier foundational work which was often concerned with, for example, establishing the existence of at least one solution for a nonlinear equation or determining the parameter values at which a solution bifurcates. These questions have been refined to ones involving more precise information about the solutions. This includes the precise properties of the set of solutions such as: the exact description of the bifurcation of equilibrium points and limit cycles for ordinary differential equations, the multiplicity of solutions to nonlinear elliptic equations, the number of periodic solutions appearing from perturbations of Hamiltonian systems, and the nature of the branching of such solutions. At the same time, the methods lead to increased knowledge about the nature of the solutions to nonlinear equations, including symmetry properties of solutions to nonlinear PDE’s as well as properties of steady state solutions to evolution equations such as reaction-diffusion equations.
Converting a Slip Table Random Vibration Test to a Fixed Base Modal Analysis.

Validation of finite element models using experimental data with unknown boundary conditions proves to be a significant obstacle. For this reason, the boundary conditions of an experiment are often limited to simple approximations such as free or mass loaded. This restriction means that vibration testing and modal analysis testing have typically required separate tests since vibration testing is often conducted on a shaker table with unknown boundary conditions. If modal parameters can be estimated while the test object is attached to a shaker table, it could eliminate the need for a separate modal test and result in a significant time and cost savings. This research focuses on a method to extract fixed base modal parameters for model validation from driven base experimental data. The feasibility of this method was studied on an Unholtz-Dickie T4000 shaker and slip table using a mock payload and compared with results from traditional modal analysis testing methods.
Enhanced attenuation due to lattice resonances in a two-dimensional plasma photonic crystal

We describe the experimental generation of a deep attenuation band in a finite size (7 × 7) two-dimensional photonic crystal constructed from an array of gaseous plasma columns. The attenuation band, centered at approximately 6 GHz, is due to the lattice resonance between the localized surface plasmon modes at the edge of the plasma columns and the internal Bragg fields of the photonic crystal. The attenuation band has a nearly 40 dB floor with Q ≈ 1. Enhancements are seen in the extinction of normal incidence transverse electric waves when the localized surface plasmon modes of the plasma columns are shifted into the vicinity of the photonic crystal Bragg resonances. Simulations and experiments are in reasonable agreement and confirm the appearance of a Fano-like profile with deep and broad extinction bands. The broadening of the spectra as surface plasmon modes come into coincidence with Bragg gaps suggests that the Bragg fields couple strongly into the radiating dipoles to drive enhanced damping of the photonic crystal resonance.
Possibility Rule-Based Classification Using Function Approximation

When dealing with real-world problems, uncertainty in information is inevitable. Uncertainty can result from different sources such as noise, ambiguity or lack of knowledge. A category of problems withing the supervised learning framework in which the class membership of the training data is assessed by an expert and expressed in the form of a possibility distribution is considered in this paper. The problem is handled using the possibility theory framework. An accuracy-based learning classifier system designed for function approximation, namely XCSF is employed to model the possibility distribution of different classes. For unseen instances, the predictions from a set of matching rules are fused using an information fusion technique of possibility theory to create an aggregated distribution of possible classes. This distribution may then be either interpreted by a human operator to support decision-making or processed to obtain a final class prediction by selecting the class with the highest possibility. The experimental study with synthetic data reveals the ability of the proposed method to make efficient use of available information in the possibilistic labels of training data compared to conventional classification methods.
Energy and emissions saving potential of additive manufacturing: the case of lightweight aircraft components

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) holds great potential for improving materials efficiency, reducing life-cycle impacts, and enabling greater engineering functionality compared to conventional manufacturing (CM), and AM has been increasingly adopted by aircraft component manufacturers for lightweight, cost-effective designs. This study estimates the net changes in life-cycle primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with AM technologies for lightweight metallic aircraft components through the year 2050, to shed light on the environmental benefits of a shift from CM to AM processes in the U.S. aircraft industry. A systems modeling framework is presented, with integrates engineering criteria, life-cycle environmental data, aircraft fleet stock and fuel use models under different AM adoption scenarios. Estimated fleet-wide life-cycle primary energy savings at most reach 70-173 million GJ/year in 2050, with cumulative savings of 1.2–2.8 billion GJ. Associated cumulative GHG emission reductions were estimated at 92.1–215.0 million metric tons. In addition, thousands of tons of aluminum, titanium and nickel alloys could be potentially saved per year in 2050. The results indicate a significant role of AM technologies in helping society meet its long-term energy use and GHG emissions reduction goals, and highlight barriers and opportunities for AM adoption for the aircraft industry.
Analytical Tools for Physicochemical Characterization and Fingerprinting

In this chapter, a broad overview of available tools for complex drug characterization will be provided. The focus will be on application of existing high-resolution and high-sensitivity tools to complex drugs as fully validated tools for quality assessment of multiple product attributes needed to assure drug safety and efficacy. In addition, an overview of emergent technologies that could possibly provide improved data streams to judge the quality and safety of complex drug molecules will be provided. The chapter will present analytical methods that can be applied to complex drugs of many classes. Only selected literature is cited where needed to provide examples of concepts described in the text; the chapter is not intended to be an exhaustive review of this wide topic area.
The confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit in patients with cirrhosis

In the intensive care unit (ICU), delirium is routinely measured with the widely-used, validated Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), but CAM-ICU has not been studied in patients with cirrhosis. We studied a group of patients with cirrhosis to determine the relationship between delirium measured by CAM-ICU and clinical outcomes. Consecutive patients with cirrhosis admitted to the ICU from 2009 to 2012 were included in a retrospective cohort study. Patients were screened twice daily for coma and delirium during their ICU stay using the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) and CAM-ICU. The association between delirium/coma and mortality was determined using multiple logistic regression. RASS and CAM-ICU were also compared to a retrospective assessment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Of 91 patients with cirrhosis, 26 (28.6 %) developed delirium/coma. RASS/CAM-ICU had fair agreement with the HE assessment (κ 0.38). Patients with delirium/coma had numerically greater mortality in-hospital (23.1 vs. 7.7 %, p = 0.07) and at 90 days (30.8 vs. 18.5 %, p = 0.26), and they also had longer hospital length of stay (median 19.5 vs. 6 days, p < 0.001). Delirium/coma was associated with increased inpatient mortality, independent of disease severity (unadjusted OR 3.6; 95 % CI, 0.99–13.1; MELD-adjusted OR 5.4; 95 % CI, 1.3–23.8; acute physiology score-adjusted OR 2.2; 95 % CI, 0.53–8.9). Delirium/coma was also associated with longer length of stay after adjusting for disease severity. In critically ill patients with cirrhosis, delirium/coma as measured by the RASS and CAM-ICU is associated with increased mortality and hospital length of stay. For these patients, these measures provide valuable information and may be useful tools for clinical care. RASS and CAM-ICU need to be compared to HE-specific measures in future studies.
Challenges and opportunities facing wildlife conservation and cultural sustainability in the Paphos Forest, Cyprus: Historical overview and contemporary perspective

In light of the increasing loss of species diversity and human cultural diversity and the pressure topdown nature conservation has often placed on local cultures around the world, understanding the linkages between conservation and cultural sustainability and finding ways to address them in an integrated way have become critically important. The potential for linking conservation and cultural sustainability is examined through the case of the Paphos Forest in Cyprus. In the Paphos Forest, the Cyprus mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion), an endangered subspecies of wild sheep, faces an uncertain future, while small village communities are experiencing decline and are struggling to sustain their way of life. This paper describes the historical context that has guided conservation policy in Cyprus and presents the findings of a preliminary qualitative inquiry conducted in the summer of 2000 in four village communities in the Paphos Forest. The inquiry revealed that local people are greatly concerned about the future of their villages and find intolerable the agricultural damages caused by mouflon, which place an additional strain on local agriculture. Despite these problems, there is potential for linking conservation with efforts to enhance the viability of the village communities. Local people value the forest and generally support the conservation of the Cyprus mouflon, which is considered an element of the local culture. Furthermore, people would welcome opportunities to participate in conservation programs, with the hope that this would benefit both mouflon and their communities.
Stellar engines: Design considerations for maximizing acceleration

Abstract Stellar engines, megastructures used to control the motion of a star system, may be constructible by technologically advanced civilizations and used to avoid dangerous astrophysical events or transport a star system into proximity with another for colonization. This work considers two designs for stellar engines, for both human applications in the solar system and for advanced civilizations around arbitrary stars more generally, and presents analytic calculations of the maximum acceleration and deflection of a star in its galactic orbit. The first is a large ‘passive’ solar sail, similar to that proposed by Shkadov, which we find produces accelerations of order 10 − 12 m / s 2 for sun-like stars. The second ‘active’ engine uses a thermonuclear driven jet, as in a Bussard ramjet, which collects matter from the solar wind to drive He fusion. This engine requires additional mass to be lifted from the sun, beyond what is provided by the nascent solar wind, but may achieve accelerations up to 10 − 9 m / s 2 producing deflections of 10 pc in as little as 1 Myr for a sun-like star. While passive engines may be insufficient for catastrophe avoidance on short timescales, they can produce arbitrary deflections of a star in its galactic orbit over a stellar lifetime. Active engines are sufficient for retrograde galactic orbits or galactic escape trajectories, which we argue are useful to expansionist civilizations. These populations of stars may be candidates for observationally detecting megastructures.
Interneurons of the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus Shape the Responses of Principal Cells to Complex Sounds

ABSTRACT Pinna filtering introduces notches into the spectra of broadband sounds. Notches between 5 and 18 kHz change frequency systematically with sound location. The center frequencies of the notch produced by each pinna determine a two dimensional coordinate system that maps uniquely onto the location of a sound in the cat's frontal field ( Rice et al., 1989 ). If such cues are used, then the brain must contain neural circuitry to determine the frequency of spectral notches. In this report we describe physiological properties in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) that suggest a neural circuit sensitive to the frequencies of spectral notches. In this circuit, the behavior of principal cells of the DCN (called type IV cells) is determined by the activity of inhibitory interneurons (called type II cells), which can be dramatically altered by small changes in spectral features of the stimulus.
Survey of assessment and intervention practices for students who speak African American English.

Abstract Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) working with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to be “familiar with nondiscriminatory testing and dynamic assessment procedures” (ASHA, 2003). Little is known, however, about the extent to which SLPs implement these methods into their clinical practice. The current study explores the assessment and intervention practices used by SLPs in two states in the US for students who speak African American English (AAE), including the types and frequency of clinical practices. 247 SLPs completed an online survey regarding clinical practices for students who speak AAE as well as a questionnaire regarding their knowledge of the linguistic features of AAE. Half of SLPs reported using modified or alternative assessment practices the majority of the time or some of the time for students who speak AAE; however, SLPs reported using modified or alternative treatment practices less often. Modified scoring of standardized assessments and selecting different intervention strategies were the most commonly reported clinical practices. Knowledge of linguistic features of AAE was a significant predictor of the frequency with which SLPs report implementing modified or alternative assessment and intervention practices and SLPs with the highest levels of knowledge of AAE utilize different clinical practices than those with lower levels of knowledge of AAE. Additional information is needed about the most effective clinical practices for students who speak AAE and the barriers SLPs face to implementing nondiscriminatory clinical practices.
Review: Barbara Ravelhofer (ed), James Shirley and Early Modern Theatre: New Critical Perspectives .

This review considers Barbara Ravelhofer (ed.), James Shirley and Early Modern Theatre: New Critical Perspectives (2017).
Tense Bullae and Pruritus.

A 72-year-old man presents with a two-month history of worsening pruritic rash and painful blisters on his trunk, bilateral upper and lower extremities, face, and groin.
Fast multipole solvers for three-dimensional radiation and fluid flow problems

A number of physics problems can be modeled by a set of N elements, which have pair-wise interactions with one another. The use of such elements for the evolution of vorticity in fluid flows and the calculation of the velocity field from the evolving vorticity field is well known. Fast multipole methods for fluid flow problems have been developed in the past to reduce computational effort to something less than O(N 2). In this paper we develop a fast multipole solver with application to both 3-D radiation problems (calculation of the heat flux from the evolving temperature field in an absorbing medium) and 3-D fluid flow. This is accomplished by using a more general kernel for the associated volume integrals. This kernel also encompasses other applications such as gravitational fields, electrostatics, scattering, etc. The present algorithm has been designed to have a very high "parallel efficiency" when used on massively parallel computers. This feature comes at the expense of computational effort, which is less than O(N 2) but greater than O(N) or O(NlnN).
Detailed description of Division I ice hockey concussions: Findings from the NCAA and Department of Defense CARE Consortium

Abstract Objective Since concussion is the most common injury in ice hockey, the objective of the current study was to elucidate risk factors, specific mechanisms, and clinical presentations of concussion in men's and women's ice hockey. Methods Ice hockey players from 5 institutions participating in the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education Consortium were eligible for the current study. Participants who sustained a concussion outside of this sport were excluded. There were 332 (250 males, 82 females) athletes who participated in ice hockey, and 47 (36 males, 11 females) who sustained a concussion. Results Previous concussion (odds ratio (OR) = 2.00; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.02‒3.91) was associated with increased incident concussion odds, while wearing a mouthguard was protective against incident concussion (OR = 0.43; 95%CI: 0.22‒0.85). Overall, concussion mechanisms did not significantly differ between sexes. There were specific differences in how concussions presented clinically across male and female ice hockey players, however. Females (9.09%) were less likely than males (41.67%) to have a delayed symptom onset (p = 0.045). Additionally, females took significantly longer to reach asymptomatic (p = 0.015) and return-to-play clearance (p = 0.005). Within the first 2 weeks post-concussion, 86.11% of males reached asymptomatic, while only 45.50% of females reached the same phase of recovery. Most males (91.67%) were cleared for return to play within 3 weeks of their concussion, compared to less than half (45.50%) of females. Conclusion The current study proposes possible risk factors, mechanisms, and clinical profiles to be validated in future concussions studies with larger female sample sizes. Understanding specific risk factors, concussion mechanisms, and clinical profiles of concussion in collegiate ice hockey may generate ideas for future concussion prevention or intervention studies.
Dual-Transduction Electromechanical Receiver for Near-Field Wireless Power Transmission

We report the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of a chip-sized electromechanical micro-receiver for low-frequency, near-field wireless power transmission that employs both electrodynamic and piezoelectric transductions to achieve a high power density and high output voltage while maintaining a low profile. The 0.09 cm3 device comprises a laser-micro-machined titanium suspension, one NdFeB magnet, two PZT-5A piezo-ceramic patches, and a precision-manufactured micro-coil with a thickness of only 1.65 mm. The device generates 520 μW average power (5.5 mW•cm-3) at 4 cm distance from a transmitter coil operating at 734.6 Hz and within safe human exposure limits. Compared to a previously reported piezoelectric-only prototype, this device generates ~2.5x higher power and offers 18% increased normalized power density (6.5 mW•cm-3•mT-2) for potential improvement in wirelessly charging wearables and bio-implants.
Reputational Risk Impact of Internal Frauds on Bank Customers in Nigeria

Fraud in the financial sector is a growing business for fraudsters using increasingly innovative and creative ways of targeting any perceived weaknesses in the banks and credit granting systems. Fraudsters have become ever more sophisticated, which means that fraud prevention measures need to constantly evolve to ensure they are capable of handling the threat. The fight against fraud is of crucial importance to financial service institutions. Not only does it affect their business, but it also has a significant impact on consumers in particular and the economy at large. Using a case study and historical approach and relying heavily on secondary sources of information, this study among others found a horde of laxity, inconsistencies and knowledge gaps among practitioners, thereby creating loopholes with which the fraudsters commit their nefarious deeds. There is also the absence of the right policy framework and laws to coherently safeguard lenders and borrowers. The study recommends a stiffer control measures within all financial organizations in the country as well as the enactment of enabling laws by the government to checkmate these ugly incidences.
Deconstructing the Statutory Landscape of 'Revenge Porn': An Evaluation of the Elements that Make an Effective Nonconsensual Pornography Statute

This Article examines these issues by deconstructing the regulatory schema of the jurisdictions that criminalize NCP into fundamental elements. Part I addresses background facts, representative incidents, and damages to victims. Part II analyzes the general construction of criminal statutes into actus reus and mens rea elements. Part III sets forth a review of the statutory schemes that criminalize NCP. Part IV reviews the circumstances of jurisdictions without NCP statutes. Part V considers some sources of differences in the elements included in the various NCP statutes. This analysis reveals that the more numerous the essential elements of an NCP statute, the more likely the statute will allow substantial NCP conduct to escape prosecution. Conversely, statutes that focus on the issue of the victim’s lack of consent for the defendant to distribute the intimate image and that have fewer additional essential elements allow fewer perpetrators of NCP to escape prosecution. This Article also examines the underlying factors that resulted in these disparities, including the rigors and compromises inherent in the political process under-lying the enactment of such statutes, and the influence of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As described herein, the twenty-first century is characterized by constant technological innovation and an increased pace of change in social values. The shortcomings of these NCP regulatory schema raise the prospect that the U.S. legal system is struggling to protect the general public from bad actors that exploit these techno-logical and social developments.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hours lost by self-employed racial minorities: evidence from Brazil

Drawing on minority enclave theory and resilience theory in entrepreneurship, we test whether, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the self-employed lost more hours than the employed and whether traditionally disadvantaged self-employed racial minorities faced harsher penalties in the form of reduced hours of work. Though spatially concentrated ethnic minority colocations could improve business outcomes in the non-crisis period, with the pandemic affecting all the members in the enclave, the very dependencies in minority enclaves could be a liability. Using a large-scale survey during the COVID-19 pandemic conducted by the Brazilian government, we draw on a one-to-one nearest neighbor matched pair sample of 19,626 employed (public or private sector) and self-employed individuals, and control for industry-sector-interview-location fixed effects. The results show that self-employed people, compared to employed, reported a greater loss of hours. At the sample level, black self-employed people on aggregate lost 9,051 hours per month, and mixed race self-employed people on aggregate lost 27,880 hours per month. The disproportionate loss of work hours by the self-employed from racial minority groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in a developing country context calls for a closer examination and assessment of the long-term impact of COVID-19 on racial minorities. Large-scale evidence from Brazil: racial minorities lost more hours per month than other groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Racial minorities face systemic discrimination in setting up and developing their businesses, especially in developing countries. We test whether during the COVID-19 pandemic self-employed racial minorities in Brazil lost more hours of work relative to employed racial minorities. We create a matched sample of employed and self-employed individuals based on age, sex, education categories, COVID-19 self-reported symptom index, income deciles, house ownership categories, week of the interview, state of the interview, and industry. We find that across racial minority groups, the hours lost by the self-employed were substantive during the pandemic, signaling that Brazilian policymakers should pay greater attention to the relief funds allocated to and policies geared towards self-employed racial minorities.
Risk of Early and Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia among Adults with Congenital and Acquired Disabilities

Research Objectives Adults with congenital (cerebral palsy or spina bifida (CP/SB)) or acquired disabilities (spinal cord injury (SCI) or multiple sclerosis (MS)) have higher incidence of age-related health conditions. There is a gap in the literature about the risk of dementia among adults living with these disabilities. This study aimed to examine time to incidence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) among these disability cohorts. Design Incidence of ADRD was compared at 4-years. Cox Regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for incident early and late onset ADRD. Setting Using national private payer claims data from 2007-2017, we identified adults (45+) with diagnosis of CP/SB (n=7,226), SCI (n=6,083), and MS (n=6,025). Adults without disability diagnosis were included as controls. Using age, sex, race/ethnicity, cardiometabolic, psychologic, and musculoskeletal chronic conditions, and socioeconomic variables, we propensity score matched persons with and without disabilities. Participants We identified adults (45+) with diagnosis of CP/SB (n=7,226), SCI (n=6,083), and MS (n=6,025). Adults without disability diagnosis were included as controls. Interventions The exposure variable was diagnosis with either congenital or acquired disability. Main Outcome Measures Main outcome variable was incident Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Results Incidence of early and late onset ADRD were substantially higher among people with disabilities compared to their non-disabled counterparts. Adults with CP, SCI, and MS had higher risk for early [CP/SB: aHR= 3.35 (95% CI: 2.18-5.14); SCI: aHR=1.93 (95% CI:1.06-3.51); and MS: aHR=4.49 (95% CI:2.62-7.69)] and late [CP: aHR=1.68 (95% CI:1.38-2.03); SCI: aHR: 1.77 (95% CI:1.55-2.02); and MS: aHR=1.26 (95% CI:1.04, 1.54)] onset ADRD. Conclusions Risk of ADRD was higher among adults with CP/SB, SCI, and MS compared to their matched cohort without disability. Investment in early screening and use of therapeutic or rehabilitative services that may help preserving cognitive function among these patient cohorts is warranted. Author(s) Disclosures There is no conflict of interest to disclose.