cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tem and X-Ray Investigation of Single Crystal-Like Zirconia Films Fabricated by Dual Ion Beam Deposition

Single crystal-like yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films have been deposited on amorphous quartz, polycrystalline zirconia, single crystal Si, and Hastelloy substrates using dual ion beam deposition (IBAD). These films are highly crystallographically aligned both normal to and within the film plane. The films are deposited at low substrate temperatures (< 200 C), and the film orientation is substrate independent. 0--20 X-ray diffraction, X-ray rocking curves, X-ray pole figures and X-ray phi scans are used to evaluate the film structure. High resolution cross-sectional TEM is used to examine the evolution of crystallographic film alignment on an amorphous quartz substrate. The data suggest that the evolution of biaxial alignment is nucleation controlled under these conditions.
The effect of unilateral corneal anesthesia on the Schirmer test.

Unilateral corneal anesthesia (or hypesthesla) caused by trigeminal nerve disease has an unknown effect on the Schirmer test. Using topical anesthesia, we found that unilateral corneal anesthesia reduces tearing bilaterally, with a greater decrease on the anesthetized side. Clinicians should be aware that trigeminal nerve deficit may alter Schirmer test results, and use bilateral topical corneal anesthesia or alternative methods to stimulate tearing in these cases.
Catalan Numbers and Interval Structures

There are many interesting families of intervals counted by the Catalan numbers. First, however, let us make a remark about antichains in the poset Int([n]) of intervals on [n]. If \( \mathcal{A} \) is such an antichain, then no two intervals in \( \mathcal{A} \) can share a common left endpoint or a common right endpoint. Moreover, if we order the intervals so that the left endpoints are strictly increasing, then the right endpoints must also be strictly increasing. In fact, a family $$ \mathrm{\mathcal{F}}=\left\{\left[{a}_i,{b}_i\right]\Big|1\le i\le n\right\} $$ of intervals in Int([n]) is an antichain if and only if both the left endpoint sequence \( {a}_1\cdots {a}_n \) and the right endpoint sequence \( {b}_1\cdots {b}_n \) can be ordered at the same time in strictly increasing order, in symbols, ℱ is an antichain if and only if (after reindexing if necessary) $$ {a}_1<\cdots <{a}_n, {b}_1<\cdots <{b}_n, {a}_i\le {b}_i $$ for all i.
Upconversion nanophotonics(Conference Presentation)

Infrared excited and visible emitting upconverting nanoparticles show potential applications in the fields of photovoltaics, and in single molecule bio-imaging. We show enhanced upconversion luminescence, of up to 50-fold, at the single particle level, via subwavelength interference of the infrared excitation and visible emission. Single particle upconverted spectra and time-resolved decay, correlated with AFM, show enhanced emission at 545nm and 650 nm, whereby the magnitude of the enhancement is dependent on the thickness of the interference layer, and on the excitation intensity. We correlate our experimental results with finite element modeling showing both enhanced excitation and emission as a function of the interference layer thickness.
Cognitive skills and the evolution of social systems.

ABSTRACT How do animal social skills influence evolution? Complex animal social behaviors require many cognitive skills including individual recognition and observational learning. For social systems to evolve, these abilities need to be transmitted genetically or culturally and supported by the evolution of underlying neural systems. Because animal skill sets are so varied, it seems best to describe animal cognitive behaviors as being a social calculus that can change with experience, which has evolved to match and facilitate the complexity of the social system where it arose. That is, acquiring and using social information in response to a rapidly changing complex world leads to social competence enabling success in essential behavioral interactions. Here, we describe the remarkable suite of social skills discovered in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni , including an attention hierarchy, male deception, transitive inference, the mechanistic bases of social dominance, female mate choice and the neural control of female reproductive behavior. The social calculus of this species is presented as an example of a potential causal factor in the evolution of sophisticated social behavior necessary for the evolutionary success of their social system.
Suicide Postvention in Schools: The Role of the School Counselor

Many school counselors may encounter the suicide of a student during their careers. In this article, the author discusses postvention planning in the event of student suicide. Specifically, the rol...
Lattice instability and soft phonons in single-crystal La2-xSrxCuO4.

The dispersion of the low-lying phonon branches of several doped and undoped single crystals of ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ has been investigated by using inelastic-neutron-scattering techniques. The zone-center modes are in reasonable agreement with Raman measurements. The reported peaks in the phonon density of states show up at energies that correspond to extrema in the dispersion curves of the transverse and longitudinal acoustic branches near the zone boundary. The tetragonal-to-orthorhombic phase transition is caused by a softening of a transverse-optic-phonon mode at the $X$ point. The rotational nature of the soft mode leads to moderate electron-phonon coupling and the mode is unlikely to enhance significantly conventional phonon mediated superconductivity. We did not observe any evidence for the predicted breathing-mode instability near the zone boundary.
Logic-Based Prediction Model for Air Traffic Control System

Anticipatory Reasoning-Reacting Systems can solve the accidents caused by human factors effectively, and reduce the casualties of the crash. Also it can make a difference in airport scheduling, airport flow control and weather forecast. This paper constructs an Air Traffic Control System prediction model which is based on qualitative reasoning and quantitative calculation. Because 3D-STDRL has many advantages in three-dimensional moving objects reasoning field, this prediction model adopts 3D-STDRL as the basis of reasoning. Meanwhile this prediction model takes some appropriate algorithms as reasoning theoretical basis. This paper describes each functional module of the model and uses a specific instance to describe how the model works. Finally it proves that this model can make effective and accurate predictions and get proper solutions.
A study of electronic cigarette use among youth

Currently electronic cigarettes are becoming popular, especially among youth (middle and high school students). Their usage is being debated concerning their role in smoking cessation. The electronic cigarette, also known as e-cigarette, is an electronic nicotine delivery system. It is a mechanical device designed to mimic regular cigarettes, looks like conventional cigarette, delivers nicotine through inhaling vapors without burning tobacco. Globally, as well as in the US, tobacco smoking has been the leading cause of preventable death. In 2015, an estimated 5 million middle and high school students were users of all kinds of tobacco products in the USA. Out of which, 3 million students have experimented with e-cigarettes. To assess the extent of e-cigarette experimenting among youth from 2011 to 2015 grade-wise and gender-wise. To analyze the 2015 data more extensively. National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data is used from CDC, USA. Peer-reviewed articles from 2000 to 2016 were identified through electronic database Medline and Pub-Med on the electronic cigarettes, were reviewed and analyzed. The trend of experimenting with e-cigarettes at different ages and grades has been increasing steeply among youth. In the year 2015, about 45% of 12th graders experimented with e-cigarettes. Also, about 24% of females and 29% of male students have reported experimenting with e-cigarettes. Significantly, more Mexicans and Native Hawaiians, and fewer Asians tried e-cigarettes compared to the rest. There was no significant difference in experimenting with e-cigarettes among whites versus non-whites and African Americans versus non-African Americans. Our findings emphasize the need to make policy makers and school administrators aware of the extent of usage of e-cigarettes, especially, among juniors and seniors. Since the prevalence of e-cigarette use is steeply increasing over the past years, proper intervention programs should be implemented in schools for the benefit of targeted youth.
Application of machine learning to the characterization of GPS L1 ionospheric amplitude scintillation

Ionospheric scintillation refers to the rapid fluctuation of the amplitude and phase of radio-frequency signals, such as GNSS, propagating through the ionosphere. Strong scintillation can severely impact signal acquisition and tracking in a GNSS receiver, resulting in a performance degradation in accuracy and continuity. Therefore, a thorough understanding of ionospheric scintillation effects on GNSS signals has drawn much attention in both the scientific fields and industry. Previously, the scintillation events were manually identified by human experts, which hampers the possibility of conducting a large batch processing. In this paper, we first implement an improved machine learning algorithm to automatically detect scintillation events. We also show that the improved version outperforms the previous implementation. Then we apply the trained machine learning algorithms to a large database of GPS L1C/A data collected in equatorial and high latitude areas to detect amplitude scintillation. Finally, the statistical characterization of the detected amplitude scintillation is presented and discussed.
Measurement of Viscoelastic Properties of Sediments Using a Torsionally Vibrating Probe

The torsional vibrations of a cylindrical probe immersed in a soft sediment generate shear waves which react upon the probe. Measurements of the radiation impedance due to this reaction provide a method for estimating the dynamic rigidity of the sediment. An experimental model of such an instrument, which is operable at frequencies in the range from 900 to 3300 Hz, is described.
The Impact of Massage and Reading on Children's Pain and Anxiety After Cardiovascular Surgery: A Pilot Study.

Objectives:The purpose of this pilot study was three-fold: 1) to evaluate the safety and feasibility of instituting massage therapy in the immediate postoperative period after congenital heart surgery, 2) to examine the preliminary results on effects of massage therapy versus standard of care plus t
Development of Zoledronic Acid-Based Nanoassemblies for Bone-Targeted Anticancer Therapy.

Bone metastasis occurs in the majority of cancer patients, which hampers quality of life and significantly decreases survival. Aggressive chemotherapy is a traditional treatment regimen that induces severe systemic toxicities. Therefore, bone-directed therapies are highly warranted. We report a novel nanoparticle formulation that is composed of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and tannic acid core nanoparticles (PVT NPs) that forms self-assembly with zoledronic acid (ZA@PVT NPs). The construction of ZA@PVT NPs was confirmed by particle size, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, and spectral analyses. An optimized bone-targeted ZA@PVT NPs formulation showed greater binding and internalization in in vitro with metastasis prostate and breast cancer cells. ZA@PVT NPs were able to deliver ZA more efficiently to tumor cells, which inhibited proliferation of human prostate and breast cancer cells. In addition, ZA@PVT NPs were capable of targeting mouse bones and prostate tumor microarray tissues (ex vivo) whi...
Ethical Considerations in Prescribing or Withholding Opioids for Chronic Pain

Pain is among the most common reasons that patients seek help from their physicians in the United States: it is estimated that chronic pain results in up to $635 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity.The management of chronic pain is complex and can be problematic for many clinicians, as pain is a subjective complaint. It may present out of proportion to the severity of a patient’s injury, or it can present without any objective findings at all. Based on past experiences, some clinicians may be overly restrictive in their prescribing of opioids, which may prevent some patients with legitimate pain from receiving appropriate therapy.As the number of people suffering from chronic pain has risen over the past few decades, so has the number of opioid prescriptions, and this has not come without consequences. Opioid dependence and addiction has increased, and poor opioid prescribing practices and opioid diversion has resulted in the non-medical use of pain relievers by an estimated 25 million people from 2002-2011.Despite the prevalence of patients that suffer from chronic pain, very few physicians are formally trained in pain management. A reasonable ethical approach for all physicians is to seek guidance from the 4 basic bioethical principles – beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and autonomy – in order to identify the ethical challenges of employing opioids in the management of chronic pain.
An examination of trauma narratives: Narrative rumination, self-reflection, and identity in young adulthood.

Abstract Introduction Trauma has the potential to challenge the self and identity development in ways unlike other personal experiences and, undoubtedly, necessitates meaning-making. The purpose of this study is to expand understanding of how young adults make meaning of traumatic experiences and how those processes, either adaptive self-reflection, meaning-making, or narrative rumination, relate to identity development. Methods Using qualitative methods and self-report measures, we examined reflective and ruminative narrative processes in 32 trauma narratives written by a sample of young adults. Narratives were examined as a function of identity status (measured by the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire; Balistreri, Busch-Rossnagel, & Geisinger, 1995) and level of identity distress (measured by the Identity Distress Survey; Berman, Montgomery, & Kurtines, 2004). Results and conclusion s: The narrative analysis suggested that young adults who constructed their narratives in adaptive self-reflective ways that were absent of rumination made meaning of their traumatic experience is ways that reflected an integrated sense of self. In contrast, those young adults who constructed their narrative in ruminative ways, characterized by brooding, self-doubt or criticism had unsuccessful meaning-making efforts. A combination of identity commitment (i.e., achieved and foreclosed) and low identity distress led to meaning-making and positive identity formation, whereas moratorium and diffused and high identity distress related to narrative rumination and either an absence of meaning-making or a fragmented sense of self. The findings suggest that narrative patterns differ across identity statuses and, more so, high and low reported identity distress. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Perineal schwannoma: A case report with novel genitourinary association and histopathology.

Abstract We describe a 39-year-old male patient who presented with a large perineal mass found to represent an entity rarely seen involving the genitourinary tract, a perineal schwannoma. We also provide a discussion regarding the common presentation, diagnostic approaches and treatment options for patients who present with this rare entity.
Wide area quantitative phase microscopy by spatial phase scanning digital holography

A new technique of digital holographic microscopy is introduced for large area quantitative phase microscopy, dubbed spatial phase scanning digital holography, where the object specimen in an interferometer is scanned across the tilted reference phase field, while acquiring camera frames at regular intervals. Both the large area scan and phase shift acquisition are achieved in one sweep, using a simple optomechanical system. The technique can be useful in diverse applications such as fast scans of blood smear, cell and tissue cultures, and microelectronic surface profiles.
Moderating the bullying perpetration-delinquency relationship with parental support and knowledge: a prospective analysis of middle school students

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether parental support and knowledge moderate the relationship between bullying perpetration and delinquency. A sample of 305 middle school students (141 boys, 164 girls; 10-12 years of age) served as participants in this study. The research hypothesis predicted that parental support and knowledge would moderate the prospective bullying-delinquency relationship. Testing this hypothesis with least squares regression parametric coefficients and percentile bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals, parental support received full support and parental knowledge no support as factors potentially capable of reducing risk for future delinquency by interacting with prior bullying perpetration. Whereas parental support decreased the odds of high bullying boys engaging in future delinquency-an outcome consistent with the view that parenting can serve a protective function against future offending by neutralizing the risk effect of bullying-parental knowledge failed to reduce future delinquency in children who bullied, although it did have a direct ameliorative effect on future delinquency. The protective effect was strongest when parental support was high and parental knowledge low, whereas the risk effect was strongest when parental support was low and parental knowledge was medium to high. These results suggest that protective and risk effects are limited to certain combinations of protective and risk factors.
Functions of paralogous RNA polymerase III subunits polr3g and polr3gl in mouse development

Mammalian cells contain two isoforms of RNA polymerase III (Pol III) that differ in only a single subunit, with POLR3G in one form (Pol IIIα) and the related POLR3GL in the other form (Pol IIIβ). Previous research indicates that POLR3G and POLR3GL are differentially expressed, with POLR3G expression being highly enriched in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and tumor cells relative to the ubiquitously expressed POLR3GL. To date, the functional differences between these two subunits remain largely unexplored, especially in vivo. Here, we show that POLR3G and POLR3GL containing Pol III complexes bind the same target genes and assume the same functions both in vitro and in vivo and, to a significant degree, can compensate for each other in vivo. Notably, an observed defect in the differentiation ability of POLR3G knockout ESCs can be rescued by exogenous expression of POLR3GL. Moreover, whereas POLR3G knockout mice die at a very early embryonic stage, POLR3GL knockout mice complete embryonic development without noticeable defects but die at about 3 wk after birth with signs of both general growth defects and potential cerebellum-related neuronal defects. The different phenotypes of the knockout mice likely reflect differential expression levels of POLR3G and POLR3GL across developmental stages and between tissues and insufficient amounts of total Pol III in vivo.
First-principles study and experimental characterization of metal incorporation in germanium telluride

Germanium telluride is a well-known phase change material (PCM) used in non-volatile memory cells and radio frequency switches. Controlling the properties of GeTe for improved PCM device performance has sometimes been achieved by doping and/or alloying with metals, often at concentrations greater than 10 at. % and using non-equilibrium methods. Since switching PCMs between the low-resistance crystalline and high-resistance amorphous states requires a heating cycle, the stability of metal-incorporated GeTe ( Ge 0.5 − x M x Te 0.5) films is also critical to practical implementation of these materials in electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this work, we use both density-functional theory and experimental characterization methods to probe the solubility and critical properties of Ge 0.5 − x M x Te 0.5 films. Using first-principles calculations, we determine the enthalpy of formation for GeTe with 2.08, 4.17, and 6.25 at. % of Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Ti and show trends between the stability of the Ge 0.5 − x M x Te 0.5 systems and the atomic position, composition, and distribution of the metal atoms in the GeTe matrix. Out of all the studied systems, Mo was the only metal to cluster within GeTe. Analysis of the Ge–Te bond lengths and volumes of the Ge 0.5 − x M x Te 0.5 supercells shows that increasing the atomic concentration (2.08, 4.17, 6.25 at. %) of the different metals causes varied distortions of the crystal structure of GeTe that are accompanied by significant changes in the projected density of states. Computational predictions concerning metal solubility and the effect of metal incorporation on critical properties of GeTe are compared to experimental results in the literature (Cu, Mn, Mo, and Ti) and to transmission electron microscopy and transport data from newly characterized co-sputtered Ge 0.5 − x Fe x Te 0.5 films. The computational predictions of decreasing solubility (Mn > Cu, Fe > Ti, Mo) shows good agreement with experimental observations (Mn, Cu > Fe > Ti, Mo), and Ge 0.5 − x Fe x Te 0.5 films exhibited increased crystallization temperatures from pure GeTe.
Coherence and Transfer of Complex Learning with Fourier Analysis Learning Trajectories for Engineering Mathematics Education

Fourier analysis learning trajectories are investigated in this full paper as a joint interdisciplinary construct for a scholarly collaboration among engineering and mathematics faculty. This is a dynamic and recursive construct for aligning, developing, and sharing research based innovative practices for engineering mathematics education. Towards building more coherence and transfer of learning between engineering and mathematics courses, these trajectories offer experimental practice templates for the interdisciplinary community of practice for engineering mathematics education. Conjectured learning trajectories for Fourier analysis thinking are here articulated and experimented in three courses - Trigonometry, Linear Algebra, and Signal Processing. Informed by the interdisciplinary perspectives from the team, these trajectories help to design instruction to support the complex learning of the mathematical, and engineering foundations for the advanced mathematical concepts and practices such as Fourier Analysis for engineers. The results highlight the impact of collaborative, interdisciplinary, and innovative practices within and across courses to purposefully build and refine instruction to foster coherence and transfer with learning trajectories across mathematics and engineering courses for engineering majors. This offers a transformative process towards an interdisciplinary engineering mathematics education. The valid assessment and measurement of complex learning outcomes along learning trajectories are discussed for engineering mathematics education, paving the pathway for our future research direction.
Influencing HIV Testing Intentions: Comparing Narrative and Statistical Messages

Narrative appeals are an effective way of shaping attitudes toward health-related topics. However, questions persist regarding the contexts in which narratives hold an advantage over other commonly...
Use of Mixed Amphetamine Salts in a Patient with Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

Depersonalization and derealization symptoms are common and often transient. Recurrent, persistent symptoms can result in a diagnosis of depersonalization/derealization disorder (DDD). This is a diagnosis with little evidence available regarding effective interventions, and there are currently no pharmacological treatments for DDD approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here, we reported a case of an adult female whose presentation was consistent with DDD. Her DDD symptoms notably reduced after treatment with mixed amphetamine salts. We also reviewed the limited research examining the efficacy of lamotrigine, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, naltrexone, and antipsychotics in DDD. Given the lack of evidence-based interventions for patients with DDD, additional research into the potential benefit of using psychostimulants might be warranted.
B7-H3 and PD-L1 Expression Are Prognostic Biomarkers in a Multi-racial Cohort of Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

Abstract Background Immunotherapy has emerged as an effective and durable treatment modality for solid cancers. However, its use in colorectal cancer (CRC) is limited to deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) tumors. As such, assessing immune regulatory proteins from the B7-CD28 family, other than PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4, is critical. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of novel protein regulators in a racially diverse population of patients with CRC. Methods A tumor microarray was created for 214 samples from a multiracial patient population with metastatic CRC, and expression of HHLA2, B7-H3, PD-L1, CK7, CK20, and CDX2 was determined. The expression pattern was scored as 0 to 12, based on tumor tissue prevalence and the intensity. Clinical information was obtained by chart review and vital statistics from the National Death Index. Associations between low and high expression groups for each protein by race/ethnic groups were assessed, and Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted to evaluate association with survival. Results The median age at diagnosis was 61 years, with a female predominance. The majority of the patients were diagnosed with de novo metastatic disease with left-sided, moderately differentiated tumors. There were no racial disparities in the expression of any protein. Overall, a high frequency of tumors had no expression of B7-H3 (62.5%) or PD-L1 (43.5%). Low expression of both PD-L1 and B7-H3 was a significant prognostic biomarker associated with better survival (median overall survival, 43.3 months vs. 24.6 months; P Conclusion In this multiracial tumor microarray of CRC samples, low PD-L1 and B7-H3 expression was associated with an improved prognosis. There was no significant variation among races with respect to the relevant CRC protein markers.
Graft Function Variability and Slope and Kidney Transplantation Outcomes

Introduction It is critical to identify kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) at higher risk for adverse outcomes, to focus on monitoring and interventions to improve outcomes. We examined the associations between graft function variability and long-term outcomes in KTRs in an observational study. Methods We identified 2919 KTRs in the Wisconsin Allograft Recipient Database (WisARD) who had a functioning allograft 2 years posttransplantation and at least 3 outpatient measurements of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from 1 to 2 years posttransplantation. Graft function slope was calculated from a linear regression of eGFR, and variability was defined as the coefficient of variation around this regression line. Associations of eGFR variability and slope with death, graft failure, cardiovascular events, and acute rejection were estimated. Results Compared to the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of eGFR variability was associated with a higher risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.23−2.76), but not with a higher risk of graft failure (subhazard ratio = 1.16; 95% CI = 0.85−1.58), independent of eGFR and slope of eGFR. Greater eGFR variability was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular- and infection-related death and cardiovascular events but not malignancy-related death or allograft rejection. Including variability of eGFR significantly improved prediction of mortality but not prediction of graft failure. Conclusion Variability of eGFR is independently associated with risk of death, especially cardiovascular disease−related death and cardiovascular events, but not graft failure. Variability of eGFR may help identify KTRs at higher risk for death and cardiovascular events.
ICD-10 Coding of Musculoskeletal Conditions in the Veterans Health Administration.

OBJECTIVE We describe the most frequently used musculoskeletal diagnoses in Veterans Health Administration care. We report the number of visits and patients associated with common musculoskeletal International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes and compare trends across primary and specialty care settings. DESIGN Secondary analysis of a longitudinal cohort study. SUBJECTS Veterans included in the Musculoskeletal Diagnosis Cohort with a musculoskeletal diagnosis from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2017. METHODS We obtained counts and proportions of all musculoskeletal diagnosis codes used and the number of unique patients with each musculoskeletal diagnosis. Diagnosis use was compared between primary and specialty care settings. RESULTS Of more than 6,400 possible ICD-10 M-codes describing "Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue," 5,723 codes were used at least once. The most frequently used ICD-10 M-code was "Low Back Pain" (18.3%), followed by "Cervicalgia" (3.6%). Collectively, the 100 most frequently used codes accounted for 80% of M-coded visit diagnoses, and 95% of patients had at least one of these diagnoses. The most common diagnoses (spinal pain, joint pain, osteoarthritis) were used similarly in primary and specialty care settings. CONCLUSION A diverse sample of all available musculoskeletal diagnosis codes were used; however, less than 2% of all possible codes accounted for 80% of the diagnoses used. This trend was consistent across primary and specialty care settings. The most frequently used diagnosis codes describe the types of musculoskeletal conditions, among a large pool of potential diagnoses, that prompt veterans to present to the Veterans Health Administration for musculoskeletal care.
Trends in Influenza Vaccine Uptake and Severe Influenza-Related Outcomes at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, 2007-2017.

INTRODUCTION Major efforts to increase influenza vaccine uptake among Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) members have been undertaken in recent years. However, whether these improvements translate to a decline in severe influenza-related outcomes has not been examined. We aimed to understand the impact of the influenza vaccination program at KPSC by examining influenza vaccine uptake and 3 severe influenza-related outcomes. METHODS We conducted an ecologic trend analysis to understand influenza vaccine uptake and influenza-related hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mortality for each influenza season (2007-2017). The same cohort was followed from the influenza season to the noninfluenza season immediately afterward while using the noninfluenza season as the comparison group. We also assessed the within-season correlation between influenza vaccine uptake and influenza-related outcomes. RESULTS Influenza vaccine uptake rose from 23.9% to 45.5%, and all 3 influenza-related outcome rates declined (hospitalization: 35.4-26.8/10,000 patients; ICU: 5.9-5.2/10,000 patients; and mortality: 3.4-2.3/10,000 patients). Influenza vaccine uptake was negatively correlated with hospitalization (-0.32, p < 0.001) and mortality (-0.29, p = 0.001). However, once we adjusted for the noninfluenza season, the results of the correlation analysis were no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSION Although we could not establish a statistically significant inverse relationship between influenza vaccination and severe influenza-related outcomes over the study period, our findings indicate an overall decline in influenza-related outcomes over the study period, suggesting improvements in both preventive and acute care quality at KPSC.
G-equation based ignition model for direct injection spark ignition engines:

To accurately model the Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI) combustion process, it is important to account for the effects of the spark energy discharge process. The proximity of the injected fu...
A heuristic approach to an interdependent restoration planning and crew routing problem

Abstract This study proposes efficient solution methods to solve interdependent restoration planning and crew routing problems. The solutions provide reliable restoration plans regardless of the size and structure of disrupted infrastructure networks. We propose a relaxed mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model and two heuristic algorithms to find efficient feasible initial solutions for the restoration routing problem. We also propose a local search heuristic algorithm to find a near-optimal solution using the results obtained from the proposed model. Using electric power, water, and gas infrastructure network instances from Shelby County, TN, the computational results corroborate the efficacy of the mathematical formulation and shows that the heuristic algorithm obtains optimal or near-optimal solutions. In particular, we apply the sequence of the relaxed model, initial solution algorithm, and the local search algorithm for 62 scenarios with different magnitudes of disruption and different numbers of restoration crews. Analyzing the performance of the local search algorithm, we confirm the advantages of using the initial solution algorithm in producing the restoration schedules with reliable and relatively low total restoration time, particularly for large size problems. The observations also reveal how the scattering intensity in the distribution of disrupted locations affects the performance of relaxed models, and consequently, the integrated heuristic.
An Investigation of Solar Trees for Effective Sunlight Capture Using Monte Carlo Simulations of Solar Radiation Transport

Solar photovoltaic cells arranged in complex three-dimensional leaf-like configurations — referred to as a solar tree — can potentially collect more sunlight than traditionally used flat configurations. It is hypothesized that this could be because of two reasons. First, the three-dimensional space can be utilized to increase the overall surface area over which the sunlight may be captured. Second, as opposed to traditional flat panel configurations where the capture efficiency decreases dramatically for shallow angles of incidence, the capture efficiency of a solar tree is hampered little by shallow angles of incidence due to the three-dimensional orientation of the solar leaves. In this paper, high fidelity Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport is conducted to gain insight into whether the above hypotheses are true. The Monte Carlo simulations provide local radiation flux distributions in addition to global radiation flux summaries. The studies show that except for near-normal solar incidence angles, solar trees capture sunlight more effectively than flat panels — often by more than a factor of 5. The Monte Carlo results were also interpolated to construct a daily sunlight capture profile both for mid-winter and mid-summer for a typical North American city. During winter, the solar tree improved sunlight capture by 227%, while in summer the improvement manifested was 54%.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Investigating people's uncertainty without changing it: non-numeric measurement and conceptualization of psychological uncertainty

iv GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 The Current State of Uncertainty Measurement and Conceptualization 4 Why has Psychological Uncertainty Been Treated Numerically? 6 Verbal Measures Might Assess Uncertainty Better Than Numeric Ones 11 Testing the Idea that Numeric Measures Prompt Atypical Processing 15 Using Verbal Measures to Investigate Factors Affecting Psychological 19 Uncertainty THE INFLUENCE OF REPRESENTATIVENESS INFORMATION 20 Experiment 1 23 Experiment 2 31 Conclusions About the Influence of Representativeness Information 38 THE INFLUENCE OF ALTERNATIVE OUTCOMES 41 Experiment 3 43 Experiment 4 51 Conclusions About the Influence of Alternative Outcomes 54 THE INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED CONTROL 59 Experiment 5 62 Conclusions About the Influence of Perceived Control 78 GENERAL DISCUSSION 82
Adaptive speech estimation for low SNR and cochannel FM

An adaptive method for estimating the speech message from low SNR and co-channel FM signals is described. A sinusoidal nonlinearity is introduced to provide some smoothness in the reconstruction of speech from noisy data. A saturating nonlinearity is introduced to reduce the effect of interfering co-channel signals. The unknown states and model parameters are learned via the expectation maximisation (EM) algorithm. The results of simulations are presented which demonstrate improvements in speech recovery compared to a conventional FM demodulator.
Size-based flow management prototype for dynamic DMZ

The dynamic demilitarized zone (DMZ) model considers both network performance and security, and dynamically responds to traffic demands in real-time. We realize this dynamic DMZ model based on an OpenFlow-enabled switch and controller. In our approach, the controller detects flows with bit rate greater than a given threshold (elephant flows) and controls the switch in order to reroute elephant flows bypassing the security device. Extensive experiments are performed to verify the feasibility of this approach and test how the threshold value influences network performance. Results indicate that our approach effectively increases network performance but does not significantly influence flow security. Finally, we perform theoretical calculation on the deep packet inspection (DPI) input data rate in order to guide selection of the threshold value with a given traffic flow distribution and maximum DPI processing rate.
Las Estrategias De Contratacion (Contract Strategies)

Rightsourcing is a business strategy that looks into the appropriate balance between the activities that take place internally and externally in an enterprise. An enterprise may insource activities that were formerly performed outside or outsource activities that are generally considered internal. This article defines these concepts, discusses their pros and cons, and offers a methodology to perform rightsourcing. It also discusses the effects of outsourcing on human resources. It includes an analysis of interpretations given to insourcing and outsourcing as privatization or nationalization. Even though rightsourcing is a tool for obtaining and maintaining competitive advantage, it can also be applied to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of public enterprises. This paper discusses rightsourcing in public and private contexts and uses examples from the Central Bank of Venezuela.
Collaborating to learn, learning to collaborate: finding the balance in a cross-disciplinary design course

We report on a four-year study of a cross-disciplinary design course. Using an action research model, we have designed and studied this course. In this paper we report on our study of the students' collaborations. We have found that, although students come to the class believing that they know how to collaborate, there is great variation in their collaborative experiences and outcomes. We outline four dimensions of collaboration that differentiate high and low performing groups, where performances is determined by project quality and student learning. These dimensions, 'teamness', communication, creation of a joint problem space and commitment to learning, have been defined through analysis of the ten groups of students who have taken this course. In this paper we use case studies to illustrate how these dimensions have differentially affected two groups who took the course. Finally, we describe our interventions and the parallels between this study and other research.
Defining, measuring, and predicting airspace capacity

One of the key problems facing the managers of the National Airspace System in the United States involves the defining, measuring, and predicting of airspace capacity. The difficulty surrounding this task is due primarily to the numerous variables that affect airspace capacity and the subjective nature of many of them. The problems surrounding the concept of airspace capacity are outlined, and some of the factors that must be recognized before one can hope to deal with the problem in a useful way are identified. >
Syntactic pattern recognition of discrete utterances

This paper describes a discrete utterance recognition technique which applies formal language theory to a symbol string derived from the speech input. Analysis is performed to obtain a representation of the input utterance in terms of acoustically consistent labeled regions. Syntactic pattern recognition is then used to parse this representation of the input word using stored context-free grammars for the allowed vocabulary. Preliminary results are reported.
Values and Economic Performance: Theory and some Evidence from Kenya

Policy, saving rates, human capital, etc. are possible explanations for poor economic performance, but while these factors are changeable, underdevelopment persists. Looking for an unchangeable factor, we construct a theory for the effect of values, such as moral values, risk-taking, and responsibility to others, on economic performance, and demonstrate it using a model in which responsibility for parents prevents development. We construct data of economic performance and values of seven tribes in Kenya by inferring values from children's stories, and verify the model. Thus, we open a door for the quantitative analysis of the effect of values over the economy.
Changing Marital Status and Desistance from Intimate Assault

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether the odds of subsequent domestic violence by married men are reduced when women file for divorce, and whether these odds are further influenced by the timing of divorce proceedings. METHODS: The sample included 703 married men arrested for misdemeanor assaults on spouses in Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio. Logistic regression models were estimated to determine whether men with divorces filed against them (after entry into the study) were less likely to be re-arrested during a fixed 24-month follow-up period. A survival analysis of differences in time to re-arrest for men with filed divorces versus those without was also conducted, as well as an analysis of the speed of divorce filings and re-arrest. RESULTS: Only 24% of all offenders had divorce papers filed in court during the study period. Divorce filings coincided with (1) lower likelihoods of re-arrest for intimate assault, (2) lower likelihoods of re-arrest during each month of follow-up, and (3) longer delays to re-arrest (for those who ultimately re-offended). Shorter delays to divorce filings (after initial arrest) were more effective for reducing likelihoods of subsequent assault, particularly within the first 11 months after entry into the study. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for victim support services offered through domestic violence courts. Evidence from this and future studies may provide additional incentives for support personnel to identify and overcome the barriers preventing many women from successfully filing for divorce. However, the study should be seen as offering preliminary findings on a potentially important issue. Language: en
The effects of visual granularity on indoor spatial learning assisted by mobile 3d information displays

There is growing interest in improving indoor navigation using 3D spatial visualizations rendered on mobile devices. However, the level of information conveyed by these visualization interfaces in order to best support indoor spatial learning has been poorly studied. This experiment investigates how learning of multi-level virtual buildings assisted by mobile 3D displays rendered at different levels of visual granularity effect subsequent unaided navigation tasks. The visual granularity levels include: a high fidelity model, low fidelity model, wireframe model and sparse model. Results showed that using the sparse model during learning led to the most accurate and efficient overall pointing and navigation performance and that between-floor judgments were less accurate when assistance during learning was unavailable. These findings demonstrate that more information is not necessarily better and provide new insights into the optimal information content to be included in mobile 3D visualization interfaces supporting indoor spatial learning and cognitive map development.
High-Energy Laser-Accelerated Electron Beams for Long-Range Interrogation

We are studying the use of 0.1–1.0 GeV laser‐accelerated electron beams as active interrogation probes for long‐standoff radiography or nuclear activation of concealed special nuclear material. Use of beams in this energy range is largely unexplored, but such beams could provide notable advantages over lower‐energy beams and x‐rays. High‐energy laser‐accelerated electrons exhibit large penetration range through air and solids, and low beam divergence for both direct beams and secondary Bremsstrahlung x‐rays. We present laboratory measurements of radiography and activation, using the high‐power Diodes laser system at the University of Nebraska, as well as MCNP and GEANT Monte Carlo simulation results used to aid experiment design and interpretation.
A Review of “Design and Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers”

Design and Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers, edited by M. Leclerc and J.-F. Morin, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co., Weinheim, 2010, ISBN 978-3-527-32474-3, xv +363 pp, $215.00. This volume is also avai...
A simulation framework for the analysis of multicast tree algorithms

Group communications in high speed networks require the development of efficient multicast algorithms. Finding the optimal multicast routing tree for a subset of a network nodes is an NP-complete problem known as the Steiner Minimal Tree (SMT). Several heuristics were developed to provide an approximate solutions for this problem. The analysis of these heuristics, however, have been limited to specific network topologies. This paper discusses a flexible simulation framework to study the performance of multicasting algorithms in different topologies, including dense and sparse networks. The framework is then used to provide a detailed analysis of the performance of a selected set of path distance heuristics frequently discussed in the literature. The performance of these heuristics as then compared to two new heuristics, namely Normalized Average Distance Heuristic (NADH) and Shared Average Distance Heuristic (SADH). The results show that, on average, NADH outperforms all other heuristics in dense network topologies. The results also show that SADH out-performs the selected set of path distance heuristics for most network topologies.
Communication, ambiguity and understanding

Abstract Operation of the major systems of society, particularly medical systems, involves extensive communications between people, between people and machines, and between machines and other machines. To facilitate this, a careful investigation of logical, mathematical and operational difficulties is required.
Urinary excretion of thiol conjugates of aflatoxin B1 in rats and hamsters.

Abstract After intraperitoneal injection of [ 3 H]aflatoxin B 1 in rats and hamsters, 24-h urinary excretion of aflatoxin B 1 metabolites was examined in these species. Total excretion was 10–15% of the injected dose with hamster excreting 50% more than the rat. In both species, 60% of the total excretion was due to glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of hydroxy metabolites. Striking differences were observed in the excretion of both aflatoxin B 1 -diol and various thiol conjugates. Aflatoxin B 1 -glutathione and aflatoxin B 1 -cysteinylglycine were major thiol conjugates in rats and hamsters, respectively. An unknown metabolite believed to be mercapturic acid ( N -acetylcysteine conjugate) of aflatoxin B 1 was excreted by both species, hamster excreting twice as much as the rat.