cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metal electromigration induced by solder flux residue in hybrid microcircuits

Electrical failure due to excessive current-leakage was observed in a hybrid following burn-in. The current leakage was a result of extensive metal electromigration between substrate conductors, which has been correlated with flux residue in the device. It has been determined that water and other species are produced by thermal degradation of the flux during burn-in at 125 degrees C. Failure analysis results, along with associated materials and electronic testing, are reported. >
Improvement of Access to Carotid Ultrasound Testing in Outpatient Clinics

occurred at 0700. A checklist was developed to record information regarding the patients’ stays. Medication management and patient-care documentation was audited to assess accuracy and compliance. As documentation requirements and standards of care are uniquely different among patients still recovering from anesthesia versus patients released from anesthesia care and transitioned to divisional processes, multiple educational in-services were provided to staff regarding expectations. Night staff participated in rounding and provided information regarding successes and barriers to providing optimal care. Mechanisms were put into place to offer patients visitations with their families, nutritional meals and other comfort measures. Outcome: Collaboration of the clinical nurse specialist and clinical pharmacist in the PACU provided many processimprovement implementations in the management of patients who board in the PACU environment. A process was developed to streamline medication distributions from the pharmacy. Auditing of documentation offered an opportunity to in-service staff on specific standards required for these unique patients. A system of identifying which physician to call regarding patient concerns was implemented. Safe, quality care occurs through constant process review on daily rounds.
Shape of a nonaxisymmetric liquid solder drop constrained by parallel plates

A differential equation describing the shape of a nonaxisymmetric solder-gas interface in cylindrical coordinates is developed using the Euler-Lagrange method. This equation is solved numerically using the method of finite differences for the geometry of a liquid drop constrained by two parallel circular plates that are separated vertically at a fixed height and displaced in the horizontal direction. For passive alignment applications, the shapes obtained can be used to calculate the restoring force produced by a drop constrained by circular plates when displaced from equilibrium. >
Development of high performance surface mount conductive adhesives

Electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) are an environmentally friendly alternative to tin/lead (Sn/Pb) solders for surface mount applications. Compared to Sn/Pb solders, conductive adhesive technology offers numerous advantages. However, this new technology, still has limitations. Two critical ones are the unstable contact resistance on non-noble metals and the inferior impact performance. The ultimate goal of our study has been to develop conductive adhesives with stable contact resistance and superior impact performance. Our previous study indicated that electrochemical (galvanic) corrosion was the predominant mechanism for the unstable contact resistance during elevated temperature and humidity aging. In this study, the effects of several additives (oxygen scavengers and corrosion inhibitors) on contact resistance stability during elevated temperature and humidity aging have been investigated. Effective additives have been identified based on the evaluation results. The adsorption of the additives on Sn/Pb solder surface are studied and correlated to their effectiveness to prevent the electrochemical corrosion. In addition, several rubber-modified epoxy resins and epoxide-terminated polyurethane resins have been introduced into the adhesive formulations to determine their effects on impact strength. Tan /spl delta/ of each formulation was measured using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and impact strength was evaluated using drop test. Resins that improve the impact strength of adhesives have been identified. Finally, high performance conductive adhesives have been formulated by combining the identified resins with the effective additives. It is found that (1) the oxygen scavengers tested can delay the resistance increase of the adhesives; (2) the effectiveness of the best performing corrosion inhibitor is probably due to its strong adsorption to the metal surfaces; (3) some rubber modified epoxy resins and epoxide-terminated polyurethane resins provide the superior impact performance of conductive adhesives; and (4) conductive adhesives with both stable contact resistance and superior impact performance can be developed based on the above findings.
HYDROXYUREA AS TREATMENT FOR SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

Therapeutically induced increases in fetal hemoglobin synthesis should be associated with amelioration of clinical manifestations. Treatment with hydroxyurea can raise fetal hemoglobin to levels that might be clinically effective. Neither the long-term safety of such treatment nor the clinical efficacy are established.
The Role of Nicotinic Systems in the Cognitive Disorder of Alzheimer’s Disease

Interest in the role of nicotinic systems in the cognitive disorder of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) increased after the development of the ability to image and map central nervous system (CNS) nicotinic receptors (Schwartz, 1986). Subsequently, Whitehouse et al. (1986) and others (e.g. Aubert et al., 1992) have shown that there is a marked reduction in nicotinic receptor density in the brains of AD patients compared to age-matched controls. These results are in contrast to binding studies of muscarinic receptors, which have generally shown little change, unless subtypes are considered (Giacobini, 1990).
Seeking a Mexicana/Mestiza Critical Feminist Ethic of Care: Diana’s Revolución of Body and Being

ABSTRACTThis Chicana Critical Feminist Testimonio reveals a Mexican/Mexican-American Ethic of Care and Testimonios of struggle and survival informing curriculum and pedagogy of one Mexican/Mexican-American female educator of predominantly Mexican/Mexican-American students. This work is part of a larger ethnographic study conducted through multiple methods. Findings here reveal Diana’s Ethic of Care, a (re)framing of social justice revolution/Revolucion at the intersection of race, class, gender, language, and immigration status. As Diana (re)constructs and (re)claims her Mexican/Mexican-American identity, she likewise endeavors toward her students’ dignity and academic access. Findings have curricular, pedagogical implications for all educators serving marginalized youth and youth of color.
Electrocatalytic properties of an Sr0.25Bi0.5FeO3– δ/LSGM interface

Sr0.25Bi0.5FeO3– δ (SBF) has been studied as a cathode material for low- and intermediate-temperature (600–850 °C) solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on the La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.9Mg0.1O3 (LSGM) electrolyte. The observed cathodic current density passing through an SBF/LSGM interface at 840 °C in pure oxygen is about 1 A·cm–2 at an overpotential of 40 mV, much higher than that for an LaxSr1–xMnO3 electrode under similar conditions reported in the literature. Analysis indicates that the electrode kinetics is controlled primarily by mass transfer at high temperatures and by charge transfer at low temperatures. The inductive loops of the impedance spectra further suggest that the adsorption of intermediate species is involved in the interfacial reaction.
Controversial issues in visual cortex mapping: Extrastriate cortex between areas V2 and MT in human and nonhuman primates.

The visual cerebral cortex of primates includes a mosaic of anatomically and functionally distinct areas processing visual information. While there is universal agreement about the location, boundaries, and topographic organization of the areas at the earliest stages of visual processing in many primate species, i.e., the primary (V1), secondary (V2), and middle temporal (MT) visual areas, there is still ongoing debate regarding the exact parcellation of cortex located between areas V2 and MT. Several parcellation schemes have been proposed for extrastriate cortex even within the same species. With the exception of V1, V2, and MT, these schemes differ in areal borders, areal location, neighboring relations, number of areas, and nomenclature. As a result, most anatomical and physiological studies of these areas have been carried out following one or another scheme, in the absence of any general agreement. This situation is inevitably hampering our understanding of the function and evolution of these visual areas. The goal of this special issue is to provide a critical review and evaluation of the literature on the most controversial issues regarding the parcellation of extrastriate cortex, to identify the main reasons for the controversy, and to suggest critical future experimental approaches that could lead to a consensus about the anatomical and functional identity of these areas.
Compound Chinese Herb for Cancer Pain:A Systematic Review

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herb compared with an analgesic drug in the treatment of cancer pain.Methods We electronically searched CBM(1990 to 2008),CNKI(1990 to 2008),VIP(1990 to 2008),The Cochrane Library(Issue 3,2008),and MEDLINE(1990 to 2008).Relevant journals and conference proceedings were also handsearched.The quality of the included trials was assessed according to the criteria recommended by the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews of interventions and meta-analyses were performed for homogeneous studies using the Cochrane collaboration's review manager 4.2.2 software.Results Five randomized controlled trails(RCTs),all published in Chinese,involving 590 participants,were included.The quality of all RCTs was graded C(low).Metaanalyses were not performed due to heterogeneity.Instead,descriptive analyses were conducted.The results showed that as for the total effective rate in pain-relieving,Zhentongsan(RR=1.11,95%CI 1.00 to 1.24,P=0.05) and Xiaozhengzhitong paste(RR=1.35,95%CI 1.02 to 1.78,P=0.04) were more effective than Indometacin,with significant differences.There were no significant differences between Duyiwei capsule and Indometacin,and so were between Huajianbadumo as well as Shebingzhitong paste and Tramado.In terms of early potency,there were significant differences between Zhentongsan(SMD=-9.87,95%CI-10.84 to-8.89,P0.000 01) as well as Xiaozhengzhitong paste(SMD=-8.74,95%CI-10.164 to-7.32,P0.000 01) and Indometacin,and so were between Shebingzhitong paste and Tramadol(SMD=-2.24,95%CI-3.00 to-1.49,P0.000 01).There were no significant differences between Huajianbadumo and Tramodo.With regard to the durative effect on pain-relieving,there were significant differences between Xiaozhengzhitong paste and Indometacin(WMD=4.78,95%CI 2.99 to 6.57,P0.00001),but not between Shebingzhitong paste and Tramadol.Conclusion Because of low quality of the existing studies,the current evidence is insufficient to define the efficacy and safety of compound Chinese herb,and further large-scale and high-quality RCTs are needed.
Basic Concepts and Future Trends in Sperm Cryopreservation

The “New Guidelines for the Use of Semen Donor Insemination: 1986” prepared and published by the American Fertility Society endorsed the use of fresh semen for therapeutic insemination (TI). The report reflected the bias that, if appropriate guidelines are followed, the risk of contracting an infectious disease with the use of fresh semen is low enough to be tolerable. The incentive for using fresh semen reflects the bias that pregnancy rates following the use of frozen semen are inferior. In 1988, the revised guidelines were published recommending the exclusive use of quarantined frozen semen for TI (The American Fertility Society, 1988). Moreover, a six- rather than a three-month quarantine period was specified. These recommendations, along with other concerns, have catalyzed interest in perfecting sperm cryopreservation protocols.
Conditional perfection: the truth and the whole truth

Conditional Perfection is argued to arise when a sentence is silently conjoined with an exhaustivized version of the same string. The proposed account, the 'whole truth theory', is argued to not only capture Conditional Perfection but to also extend to upper-bounding inferences and exhaustive answers. A crucial piece of the analysis is the independently supported claim that bare conditionals are ambiguous between universal and existential readings.
THE RESPONSE OF THE GLYCOLYTIC SYSTEM OF ANAEROBIC FROG SARTORIUS MUSCLE TO ELECTRICAL STIMULATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the association between metabolism and function in muscle. The chapter presents an experiment in which the frog sartorius stimulated electrically without external load while immersed in anaerobic frog Ringer's bicarbonate solution at 20°C without the addition of glucose. The glycolytic response is related directly to the frequency of stimulation over an 80-fold increase in rate. The increase in flow rate over the glycolytic system was preceded by a lag period. The first reaction in the conversion of glycogen to lactate is catalyzed by the phosphorylase system. Electrical impulses are propagated through ion fluxes in muscle. The experiment suggested that events associated with the excitation–contraction sequence may be related to an increase in phosphorylase. The formation of end products lactate and α-glycero-P was proportional to the rate of stimulation up to flow rates many times higher than the resting rate.
Younger black patients have a higher risk of infection mortality that is mostly non-dialysis related: A national study of cause-specific mortality among U.S. maintenance dialysis patients

Author(s): Yu, Alison J; Norris, Keith C; Cheung, Alfred K; Yan, Guofen | Abstract: IntroductionWhile it has been well documented that in the U.S., black and Hispanic dialysis patients have overall lower risks of death than white dialysis patients, little is known whether their lower risks are observed in cause-specific deaths. Additionally, recent research reported that younger black patients have a higher risk of death, but the source is unclear. Therefore, this study examined cause-specific deaths among US dialysis patients by race/ethnicity and age.MethodsThis national study included 1,255,640 incident dialysis patients between 1995 and 2010 in the United States Renal Data System. Five cause-specific mortality rates, including cardiovascular (CVD), infection, malignancy, other known causes (miscellaneous), and unknown, were compared across blacks, Hispanics, and whites overall and stratified by age groups.FindingsAfter multiple adjustments, Hispanic patients had the lowest risk of mortality for every major cause in almost all ages. Compared with whites, blacks had a lower risk of death from CVD, malignancy and miscellaneous causes in most age groups, but not from infection. In fact, blacks had a higher risk of infection death than whites in ages 18-30 years (HR [95% CI] 1.94 [1.69-2.23]; P l 0.001), 31-40 years (HR 1.51 [1.40-1.63]; P l 0.001) and 41-50 years (HR 1.07 [1.02-1.12]; P = 0.009), which were partially attributed to their higher prevalence of AIDS nephropathy. For each race/ethnicity, more than two-thirds of infection deaths were due to non-dialysis related infections.DiscussionHispanics had the lowest risk for each major cause of death. Blacks were less likely to die than whites from most causes, except infection. The previously reported higher overall mortality rate for younger blacks is attributed to their two-fold higher infection mortality, which is mostly non-dialysis related, suggesting a new direction to improve their overall health status. Research is greatly needed to determine social and biological factors that account for the survival gap in dialysis among different racial/ethnic groups.
Evaluation of sensor materials for ultrasonic thermometry In coal gasification systems

The success of ultrasonic thermometry, in coal gasification systems depends on the selection of approprzate sensor materzal(s) that can withstand the hostile environment exhibit good. acoustic sen~...
The Association Between Breastfeeding and Length of Hospital Stay Among Infants Diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Population-Based Study of In-Hospital Births

Abstract Objective: The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdraw syndrome mainly associated with intrauterine opioid exposure, has increased considerably in the United States since 2000. Nonpharmacological options, including breastfeeding, may be effective at improving outcomes in this population. The objective of this population-based study was to examine the association between breastfeeding and length of hospital stay among infants diagnosed with NAS. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of singleton in-hospital births to resident mothers in Pennsylvania. Hospital discharge data from births occurring between 2012 through 2014 were linked with corresponding birth certificate data. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification discharge diagnosis codes were used to identify NAS neonates (N = 3,725). Breastfeeding at discharge was used to determine breastfeeding status. Infant and maternal characteristics were compared by breastfeeding st...
Modeling Of Hydrogen Uphill Diffusion In Dissimilar Titanium Welds

Hydrogen embrittlement has been known to cause degradation in titanium alloys. The absorption of hydrogen into titanium can lead to the formation of brittle titanium hydrides, which decrease the fracture toughness of the metal. Weldments of dissimilar titanium alloys can be especially susceptible to hydride cracking. Experimental tests and field experiences have shown that hydrogen can diffuse to and accumulate on one side of the weldment. It is possible for hydrogen to diffuse to one of the welded alloys, even against a concentration gradient. This process, known as uphill diffusion, can occur because the chemical activity of hydrogen in the two welding metals may be different. One cause of the different activity is a difference in aluminum concentration between the two welded titanium alloys. Because hydrogen can undergo uphill diffusion, it can concentrate on one side of the weld leading to the formation of titanium hydrides and decreased fracture toughness. It has been proposed that uphill diffusion may be minimized if a fillet weld is used between the two dissimilar titanium welds. The fillet weldment, or transitional titanium alloy, would contain an aluminum concentration between the two welding materials. The objective of this work is to gain an understanding of how different titanium weld configurations, corrosion rates, and temperatures affect the hydrogen uphill diffusion process. Initially, laboratory testing was conducted to measure the corrosion rates of representative titanium alloys with 6 wt% and 0 wt% aluminum. These rates were then used in an uphill diffusion model. Using the measured corrosion rates, it was determined that a transition titanium alloy successfully reduced hydrogen concentration, but only at high temperatures {>100 °C [212 °F]}. However, when the temperature was kept at 25 °C [77 °F], the transition titanium alloy led to a higher maximum hydrogen concentration in the weldment.
Self-Assembly in Heterogeneous Multi-agent System Using Constrained Matching Algorithm

We study the problem of self-assembly in heterogeneous multi-agent systems where a set of agents initially randomly located in the environment need to form a user-specified pattern. The agents are heterogeneous in nature, i.e., each agent can only become the neighbor of a specific set of agents in the target pattern. To solve the self-assembly problem, we propose a novel technique, based on a constrained bipartite graph matching algorithm which allocates the agents to unique spots in the target pattern and moreover the allocation is done in such a way that any two allocated neighboring agents are compatible with each other. After the allocation is done, agents move to their unique allocated spots to assume their positions and form the target pattern. Experimental results show that our approach takes very nominal time to execute (in order of milliseconds for 100 agents).
Assessment of the Obese Child or Adolescent

The evaluation of a child or adolescent for obesity begins with weight and height measurements to calculate body mass index percentile. A thorough medical evaluation should be done to screen for obesity-associated medical conditions, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, fatty liver disease, prediabetes and diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, polycystic ovary syndrome, and orthopedic conditions. Most of the obesity comorbidities known in adults also occur during childhood, and early recognition is an opportunity to protect long-term health. Obese youth seem to be at higher risk for serious mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. In addition, these children are vulnerable to psychological stress from teasing and from low self-esteem. Because intervention is primarily behavior based, evaluation of obese children and adolescents must include current, potentially modifiable lifestyle behaviors as well as an assessment of the strengths and barriers of the home and community environment.
Academic integrity in an emerging democracy: How university students in a former Soviet Republic balance achievement and success in education

After the fall of the Soviet Union, former Soviet Republics found themselves needing to revise and sometimes create systems affecting their emerging democracies. In education for example, the former Soviet system of teaching and learning was now open for new and different methods of instruction and evaluation. In countries like the Republic of Moldova, the revision and creation of an educational system was made even more problematic as a multi-lingual and multi-ethnic population saw opportunities in more open and accessible pathways through education and into business. These opportunities gave rise to the pressures of success, and at times, by any means necessary. This has created an environment where academic dishonesty has become prevalent at all levels of education especially in higher education. This paper examines the attitudes, beliefs and practices of university students surrounding academic integrity in the Republic of Moldova.
Pollakisurie und Polyurie

Polyurie oder tagliche Entleerung einer abnorm grosen Urinmenge ist naturlich etwas ganz anderes als haufiges Wasserlassen. Aber diese beiden Erscheinungen treten bei Krankheiten so oft miteinander auf, das es praktisch ist, sie auch in einem Kapitel zu behandeln.
Introduction: What Is Fantasy?

Understanding fantasy is a problem. That capitalism depends upon an overarching fantasy of disavowal makes capitalism a perverse system with fantasy operating on every level and at every scale of social practice. Fantasy might refer to dreams, or dreaming, a reverie, or a child’s pretending, to wishes and wishing, to the art of making-up, and to psychotic hallucination; it includes (and Freud reduces it to) sexual fantasy, but it also lies at the heart of creative potential, a literary genre, or an element that transcends genre in literature and film and seems to transport the subject away from reality; fantasy may subvert ideology and it may reinforce it. At its root, fantasy manifests desire by virtue of the signifying practices of the Symbolic order. Phantasy begets fantasy in terms of language, story, and image across time, appearing in iterative forms according to the material and technological capabilities of culture. Language precedes the procession of Fantasy. This chapter presents a conceptual hierarchy of fantasy broken down into four constituent but interdependent and interrelated parts, or orders of fantasy: first-order fantasy: language and the oral tradition second-order fantasy: the literary tradition of myth, religion, folk and fairy tale. third-order fantasy: filmic adaptations of second-order fantasy fourth-order fantasy: virtual experiences and adaptations of third-order fantasy.
Interactional Methods and Social Practices in VMT

Virtual math teams develop innovative methods of interacting within the synchronous text chat VMT environment. New competencies for communication, collaboration and mathematical reasoning emerge as the groups make sense of the complex features of their shared virtual worlds.
Friend Grouping Algorithms for Online Social Networks: Preference, Bias, and Implications

Managing friendship relationships in social media is challenging due to the growing number of people in online social networks (OSNs). To deal with this challenge, OSNs’ users may rely on manually grouping friends with personally meaningful labels. However, manual grouping can become burdensome when users have to create multiple groups for various purposes such as privacy control, selective sharing, and filtering of content. More recently, recommendation-based grouping tools such as Facebook smart lists have been proposed to address this concern. In these tools, users must verify every single friend suggestion. This can hinder users’ adoption when creating large content sharing groups. In this paper, we proposed an automated friend grouping tool that applies three clustering algorithms on a Facebook friendship network to create groups of friends. Our goal was to uncover which algorithms were better suited for social network groupings and how these algorithms could be integrated into a grouping interface. In a series of semi-structured interviews, we asked people to evaluate and modify the groupings created by each algorithm in our interface. We observed an overwhelming consensus among the participants in preferring this automated grouping approach to existing recommendation-based techniques such as Facebook smart lists. We also discovered that the automation created a significant bias in the final modified groups. Finally, we found that existing group scoring metrics do not translate well to OSN groupings–new metrics are needed. Based on these findings, we conclude with several design recommendations to improve automated friend grouping approaches in OSNs.
Vibrational Dynamics of Hydrogen Bonded Solids: Phonons and Optical Damage

In the last few years we have used picosecond time-resolved coherent Raman scattering to study vibrational relaxation in low temperature molecular crystals. In 1983 we made the very interesting observation that the optical phonons (w = 30–100 cm−1) of hydrogen bonded crystals had exceedingly long lifetimes, often in the nanosecond range [1]. We later studied a number of materials including amino acids, peptides, and acetanilide [2]. The long lifetimes imply extremely sharp Raman spectra with lorentzian linewidths in the range of .005 cm−1.
Identifying Rhizobia by Immunoblot

The immunoblot technique is an enzymatic immunoassay for the detection of antigens at picogram (10–12) levels. Like the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the method described here can be used with a commercially prepared secondary anti-body-enzyme conjugate. In principle, the ELISA and the immunoblot assay are similar. In the immunoblot assay, the antigens are immobilized on a nitrocellulose membrane and reacted with strain-specific (primary) antibodies. After a washing step, the fixed primary antibodies bound to the membrane are reacted with alkaline phosphatase conjugate of antibodies specific to the primary antibodies. Reaction with an enzyme substrate causes appearance of purple dots on a white background, indicating the presence of the rhizobial strain assayed. Like the ELISA, but unlike most other serological methods, the immunoblot assay can be used to analyze a large number of samples simultaneously. This makes this method especially useful for establishing strain occupancy in root nodules. In this chapter, the use of the immunoblot assay is demonstrated in a strain com-petition experiment between two strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum.
An air-spaced terahertz metamaterial perfect absorber

Abstract Metamaterial absorbers are typically comprised of a layer of split-ring resonators and a ground plane with a dielectric spacer layer that provides structural support and in which absorbed energy is deposited. We address the question “What happens to the absorption if the spacer layer is removed?” through the design, fabrication, and characterization of a terahertz metamaterial absorber with air as the spacer layer. Reflection based terahertz time-domain spectroscopy was employed to measure the absorption and interference theory was used to interpret the results. The surface current in the gold ground plane and split-ring resonator layer is solely responsible for the absorption in the form of joule heating. In comparison to dielectric spacer layer absorbers, the quality factor is increased by a factor of ∼3. The electric field is highly concentrated in the volume between split-ring resonator layer and the ground plane offering the potential for novel sensing application if materials can be incorporated into this region (e.g. with microfluidics). In the spirit of this possibility, simulations of the absorption have been performed. The variation of the real part of the permittivity of the spacer material results in an absorption peak frequency shift, while a change in the imaginary part affects the quality factor and amplitude. Ultimately, the high quality factor and the absence of the spacer material provide the air-spacer metamaterial absorber with unique advantages for sensing applications.
Functional Redundancy in the Hydroxycinnamate Catabolism Pathways of the Salt Marsh Bacterium Sagittula stellata E-37.

ABSTRACT The hydroxycinnamates (HCAs) ferulate and p-coumarate are among the most abundant constituents of lignin, and their degradation by bacteria is an essential step in the remineralization of vascular plant material. Here, we investigate the catabolism of these two HCAs by the marine bacterium Sagittula stellata E-37, a member of the roseobacter lineage with lignolytic potential. Bacterial degradation of HCAs is often initiated by the activity of a hydroxycinnamoyl-coenzyme A (hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA) synthase. Genome analysis of S. stellata revealed the presence of two feruloyl-CoA (fcs) synthase homologs, an unusual occurrence among characterized HCA degraders. In order to elucidate the role of these homologs in HCA catabolism, fcs-1 and fcs-2 were disrupted using insertional mutagenesis, yielding both single and double fcs mutants. Growth on p-coumarate was abolished in the fcs double mutant, whereas maximum cell yield on ferulate was only 2% of that of the wild type. Interestingly, the single mutants demonstrated opposing phenotypes, where the fcs-1 mutant showed impaired growth (extended lag and ∼60% of wild-type rate) on p-coumarate, and the fcs-2 mutant showed impaired growth (extended lag and ∼20% of wild-type rate) on ferulate, pointing to distinct but overlapping roles of the encoded fcs homologs, with fcs-1 primarily dedicated to p-coumarate utilization and fcs-2 playing a dominant role in ferulate utilization. Finally, a tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic (TRAP) family transporter was found to be required for growth on both HCAs. These findings provide evidence for functional redundancy in the degradation of HCAs in S. stellata E-37 and offer important insight into the genetic complexity of aromatic compound degradation in bacteria. IMPORTANCE Hydroxycinnamates (HCAs) are essential components of lignin and are involved in various plant functions, including defense. In nature, microbial degradation of HCAs is influential to global carbon cycling. HCA degradation pathways are also of industrial relevance, as microbial transformation of the HCA, ferulate, can generate vanillin, a valuable flavoring compound. Yet, surprisingly little is known of the genetics underlying bacterial HCA degradation. Here, we make comparisons to previously characterized bacterial HCA degraders and use a genetic approach to characterize genes involved in catabolism and uptake of HCAs in the environmentally relevant marine bacterium Sagittula stellata. We provide evidence of overlapping substrate specificity between HCA degradation pathways and uptake proteins. We conclude that S. stellata is uniquely poised to utilize HCAs found in the complex mixtures of plant-derived compounds in nature. This strategy may be common among marine bacteria residing in lignin-rich coastal waters and has potential relevance to biotechnology sectors.
Educational resources for vascular laboratory education in vascular surgery residencies and fellowships: Survey of Vascular Surgery Program Directors.

Abstract Objective The Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) credential is a prerequisite for certification by the Vascular Surgery Board of the American Board of Surgery. Of concern, as more current trainees and recent program graduates take the Physician Vascular Interpretation (PVI) examination, vascular surgery trainee pass rates have decreased. Residents and fellows have a lower PVI examination pass rates than practicing vascular surgeons. The purpose of this study was to assess current vascular laboratory (VL) training for vascular surgery residents and fellows and to identify gaps that residency and fellowship programs might address. Methods Program directors (PDs) of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited vascular surgery programs (107 fellowships, 53 integrated residency programs) were surveyed using a web-based tool. Responses were submitted anonymously. Data collected included information about the program, the PD, accreditation status of the VL, and the curriculum used to meet the PVI prerequisites. Concurrent data (June 2017) on the credentials of all PDs were obtained from the Alliance for Physician Certification and Advancement (APCA). Results Sixty-one of 117 PDs participated in the survey (52% response rate). Of these, 44 individuals (72% of responders) reported they held the RPVI and/or Registered Vascular Technologist credential. Records from APCA indicated that 51 of 117 PDs of accredited vascular surgery residencies and fellowships (44%) had an RPVI/Registered Vascular Technologist credential. Ninety-four percent reported that their VL was accredited. Practical VL experience for trainees was reported to be 20 hours or less by 62% of respondents. The use of a structured curriculum for practical experience was reported by only 15 programs. Programs with fellowships established for more than 10 years were more likely to have a structured program for didactic instruction (P = .03). Only 23 programs reported a dedicated VL rotation. Didactic instruction provided was 20 hours or less for 75% of the cohort. Conclusions In the absence of a standardized VL curriculum, there is variation in the VL instruction provided to trainees. Fellowship programs with longer histories have more structured instruction, but time allocated to VL education is substantially less than the 30 hours of didactic and 40 hours of practical experience recommended by the APCA. Programs and learners may benefit from the development of VL training guidelines and curriculum resources.
New Constitutive Model for Interface Elements in Finite-Element Modeling of Masonry

AbstractA new interface element constitutive model is proposed in this study for analyzing masonry using the simplified micromodeling (SMM) approach, in which mortar and two unit–mortar interfaces ...
Hearing Difficulty and Risk of Mortality

Objective:Investigate whether hearing difficulty has an influence on the risk of mortality.Methods:A nationally representative sample of individuals 18 years or older with data available for hearin...
A 142-Year Climatology of Northern California Landslides and Atmospheric Rivers

AbstractWe compare a novel dataset of San Francisco Bay Area landslides from 1871 to 2012 to corresponding atmospheric conditions commonly associated with Pacific winter storms and landfalling atmo...
Conditionality and Constitutional Change

The burgeoning field of Critical Romani Studies explores the persistent subjugation of Europe’s largest minority, the Roma. Within this field, it has become fashionable to draw parallels to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Yet the comparisons are often one-sided; lessons tend to flow from Civil Rights to Roma Rights more than the other way around. It is an all-too-common hagiography of Civil Rights, where our history becomes a blueprint for other movements for racial equality. To correct this trend, this Essay reveals what American scholars can learn from Roma Rights. Specifically, this Essay argues that the European Union’s Roma integration policies illuminate a relatively unexplored dynamic of America’s post-Civil War Reconstruction: the influence of the Reconstruction Act of 1867 upon the Fifteenth Amendment. The Reconstruction Act imposed conditions upon the readmission of former Confederate states that were out of step with laws governing incumbent states within the Union. Most prominently, Southern states had to uphold the suffrage rights of freedmen, even though Northern states denied African-Americans the vote at almost every opportunity. Similarly, when the European Union (“EU”) expanded into post-Communist Eastern Europe, the Union required that accession candidates adopt minority protections that were stricter than the obligations of incumbent members. This Essay begins by framing the readmission of ex-Confederate states as conditionality, the process of negotiation over conditions for membership. Conditionality is closely associated with the eastern enlargement of the EU, another federal system that demanded more of candidates than of members. At times, the conditions for readmission and accession elevated the racial equality standards for all states. The U.S. appeared to pass the Fifteenth Amendment, for example, which guarantees the vote to all male citizens, to put to rest the uneven imposition of suffrage. Similarly, the EU incorporated “respect for minorities” into its constitutional order in response to charges of hypocrisy. The conditionality framework therefore shows how the internal and external competences of a federal government can influence one another, illuminating whether bold demands upon candidates can lift up the standards for all member states. However, Reconstruction failed so spectacularly that a “Second Reconstruction,” as the Civil Rights Movement is sometimes known, was needed to give full effect to the meaning of freedom. This Essay concludes by showing how the incongruence between readmission conditions and the constitutional framework undermined the Reconstruction Amendments. While some scholars have explored the influence of the Northwest Ordinance on the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, none have ever cast this relationship between the U.S. federal government’s internal and external governance as conditionality, that concept which has come to embody the challenge of sustaining reforms once an applicant becomes a full-fledged member.
Pharmapreneur – Defining a Framework for Entrepreneurship in Pharmacy Education

Objective. To determine the role of entrepreneurism within the broader missions of schools of pharmacy and develop an educational framework to produce pharmacist entrepreneurs. Methods. Following a systematic review and six semi-structured interviews, a three-round Delphi process was conducted with an expert panel comprised of successful entrepreneurs, pharmacy faculty members and administrators, students, and community members. Participants were asked about the role of entrepreneurship in a pharmacy school's mission, how they would define a pharmacist entrepreneur, and to identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) expected to be successful as a pharmacist entrepreneur. A model for entrepreneur education was also developed in accordance with Bloom's taxonomy. Participant agreement and rankings were reported. Results. Based on the semi-structured interviews and the results from the Delphi process, the following framework for a pharmacist entrepreneur was proposed along with a list of KSAs: identifies, creates, and pursues new opportunities; successfully implements new ideas into practice; is willing to take risks; fills unmet needs; creates new value through innovation; is responsive to change; makes sacrifices; includes social and intrapreneurship; leverages existing knowledge, skills, and resources; goes beyond traditional roles for pharmacists; and improves patient care. Recommendations for entrepreneurship instruction, guided by Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive processes, were created. Conclusion. According to our expert panel, a pharmacist entrepreneur combines several characteristics identified with a more traditional entrepreneur construct with the characteristics of an individual devoted to achieving outcomes beyond one's personal gain. Additional research to inform implementation and assessment of entrepreneurship within pharmacy curricula would provide more specific guidance for instructional design and accreditation evaluations.
Equality Across Legal Cultures – The Role for International Human Rights

Other nations have grappled with the question of what it means to grant equality under the law. Looking at their struggles with equality demonstrates that the very word may be modified, and therefore understood, in many different ways. This paper looks at some of the various ways in which equality can be implemented through the lens of international legal documents. While the United States has stuck mostly to formal equality, where universal laws are applied equally to everyone. However, other countries, through their foundational documents and international treaties, have gone further, embracing substantive equality which focuses on objectives or goals to be attained, not one measuring the nature of treatment. Unlike many of the countries that have that have ratified the international human rights documents that provide for more substantive and qualitative equality, the United States has the wealth and economic wherewithal to accomplish a full sense of equality for all citizens. What we have lacked is the will to do so.
Relative Spectral Invariants of Elliptic Operators on Manifolds

Abstract We introduce and study new relative spectral invariants of two elliptic partial differential operators of Laplace and Dirac type on compact smooth manifolds without boundary that depend on both the eigenvalues and the eigensections of these operators and contain much more information about geometry. We prove the existence of the homogeneous short time asymptotics of the new invariants with the coefficients of the asymptotic expansion being integrals of some invariants that depend on the symbols of both operators. The first two coefficients of the asymptotic expansion are computed explicitly.
Metal–organic frameworks: A tunable platform to access single-site heterogeneous catalysts

Abstract Heterogeneous catalysts streamline industrial processes due to high stability and ease of separation. Efforts toward predictive catalytic activity and rational design of next-generation systems are impeded by structural ambiguity stemming from the presence of multiple irregular active sites within a catalyst. The uniformity of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) provides a platform on which to develop single site catalysts in order to delineate atomically precise design rules. In this critical review, we highlight the development and progress of MOF-based single site catalysts and provide an outlook for further advancement of the field.
Macrophage-decidual Cell Co-culture Promotes a Synergistic Inflammatory Response to Lipopolysaccharide

Purpose: Prematurity is a leading cause of death in children less than 5 years old. Chorioamnionitis occurs in 1-4% of all US births and complicates up to 70% of preterm births with premature rupture of membranes or spontaneous labor. Ascending bacterial infection of gestational membranes is the most common cause of chorioamnionitis. Decidual stromal cells (DSCs) located in the outer portion of gestational membranes are one of the initial …
Globocops, La Frontera, and America’s War on Drugs

Chapter 7 has American crimefighters crossing the border, with films such as Black Rain about exported rogue behavior made worse by culture clashes. The chapter also explores border breaches with Mexico—often treated as another frontier awaiting American intervention. The Netflix series, Narcos, features agents at the start of the War on Drugs and the shift after Reagan became convinced communists were involved. Also included is Sicario and its sequel, which examine the contemporary context of the drug war and attempts to link it to the War on Terror, also inviting CIA participation. Finally, a comparative analysis of Traffic—and a subsequent TV series—both contrasted with the original British series that reveal national differences along with a post-9/11 mindset.
Experiences in teaching computer architecture

Many methods exist for teaching computer organization and architecture. These include hardware kits, hardware emulation and logic simulation tools. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. It is important to understand the differences of each approach and the needs and interests of the students. Over a period of several years these methods have been used in sophomore level computer organization and senior level computer architecture courses. This paper explores the tradeoffs associated with each choice through a discussion of tools used.
Computational study of the water-driven graphene wrinkle life-cycle towards applications in flexible electronics.

The ubiquitous presence of wrinkles in two-dimensional materials alters their properties significantly. It is observed that during the growth process of graphene, water molecules, sourced from ambient humidity or transferred method used, can get diffused in between graphene and the substrate. The water diffusion causes/assists wrinkle formation in graphene, which influences its properties. The diffused water eventually dries, altering the geometrical parameters and properties of wrinkled graphene nanoribbons. Our study reveals that the initially distributed wrinkles tend to coalesce to form a localized wrinkle whose configuration depends on the initial wrinkle geometry and the quantity of the diffused water. The movement of the localized wrinkle is categorized into three modes—bending, buckling, and sliding. The sliding mode is characterized in terms of velocity as a function of diffused water quantity. Direct bandgap increases linearly with the initial angle except the highest angle considered (21°), which can be attributed to the electron tunneling effect observed in the orbital analysis. The system becomes stable with an increase in the initial angle of wrinkle as observed from the potential energy plots extracted from MD trajectories and confirmed with the DOS plot. The maximum stress generated is less than the plastic limit of the graphene.
CKRT Clotting and Cerebrovascular Accident in a Critically Ill Patient

### Case Description A 62-year-old man with a past medical history of diabetes mellitus presented to the hospital with shortness of breath and nonproductive cough. His vital signs revealed the following: BP, 83/52 mm Hg; heart rate, 119 beats per minute; respiratory rate, 28 breaths/min; oxygen saturation, 60% on room air; temperature, 103.3°F. Cardiopulmonary examination demonstrated sinus tachycardia and bilateral crackles. Initial basic laboratory values were as follows: white blood cells, 13.6 K/mm3 with neutrophil predominance; hemoglobin, 11.8 g/dl; platelets, 264 K/mm3; sodium, 135 mmol/L; potassium, 5.5 mmol/L; chloride, 97 mmol/L; bicarbonate, 21 mmol/L; BUN, 44 mg/dl; serum creatinine, 3.47 mg/dl; calcium, 7.4 mg/dl; albumin, 2.4 g/dl; normal liver function tests; lactate, 2.7 mmol/L; C-reactive protein, >300 mg/dl; D-dimer, 13,900 ng/ml; fibrinogen, 598 mg/dl; ferritin, 392 ng/ml; partial thromboplastin time, 73 seconds. Urinalysis was negative for hematuria or proteinuria. Urine sediment …