cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient satisfaction with residents vs attending following fluoroscopy-guided pain injections.

Objective. Patient satisfaction has been the object of interest in health care for some time and is now increasingly used as the basis for quality management and improvement. This study compares patient satisfaction between residents and attending in a pain clinic setting following fluoroscopy-guided steroid injections. Design. This is a retrospective cohort design study. Setting. The study was performed at an academic university pain management center. Subjects. A total of 242 patients (119 female and 123 male) presenting with low back pain were evaluated and offered fluoroscopically guided steroid injections as part of a conservative care treatment plan. Interventions. All injections were performed consecutively over a 4-month period by one attending and three senior residents (two anesthesia and one psychiatry resident). A staff member specifically asked each participant about their satisfaction following the procedure. Answers were documented as “Expected,”“Better,” or “Worse” than expected. Outcome Measures. Two main outcome measures were recorded: 1) table and fluoroscopy time for residents and attending, and 2) patient satisfaction through subjective reporting. Results. Overall, residents had longer mean table time and mean fluoroscopy time as compared with the attending physician ( P < 0.05). Patients treated by residents were more often likely to rate their experience as “worse” compared with those treated by the attending ( P < 0.05). Otherwise, the proportion of patients rating their experience “as expected” or “better” was not significantly different statistically between the two groups. In addition, as table time increased, satisfaction level decreased in both resident and attending groups. Conclusion. Patients treated by residents are more likely to rate their experience as worse compared with the attending. However, majority of patients in both groups were satisfied in that they perceived their procedure as expected or better than expected.
Long‐distance downstream movements by homing adult chinook salmon

Unusually long downstream movements totalling several hundred kilometres to >1100 km were observed during upstream homing migrations of radio-tagged spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Columbia and Snake Rivers, U.S.A. Downstream migrants, identified by their repeated ascension and fallback over a series of large hydroelectric dams within the migration corridor, were primarily hatchery-origin males.
Assigning Blame: The Restoration of the “Sentimental Order” following an Accidental Death

Two drowning incidents in large municipal swimming pools were studied. In both, a similar process was observed in which an attempt was made to restore the “sentimental order” which had been fractured by the drownings. This was accomplished through discussion by staff members. This continued until a consensus was reached that generally absolved staff of blame and assigned it elsewhere. Two factors may have influenced this process in the incidences observed; the degree of outside validation, and the social value of the victims.
Influences of Model Parameterization Schemes on the Response of Rainfall to Soil Moisture in the Central United States

Abstract The sensitivities of soil moisture impacts on summer rainfall in the central United States to different commonly used cumulus parameterization and surface flux schemes are examined using the PSU-NCAR MMS under different atmospheric and soil moisture conditions. The cumulus convection schemes used are the Kuo and Grell parameterization schemes, while the surface-moisture flux schemes used are the aerodynamic formulation and the Simple Biosphere (SiB) Model. Results show that a transient increase in soil moisture enhanced total rainfall over the simulation domain. The increase in soil moisture enhanced local rainfall when the lower atmosphere was thermally unstable and relatively dry, but it decreased the rainfall when the atmosphere was humid and lacked sufficient thermal forcing to initiate deep convection. Soil moisture impacts were noticeably stronger for the Kuo scheme, which simulated lighter peak rainfall, than those for the Grell scheme, which simulated heavier peak rainfall. The greater se...
Abstract 19114: Ultrasound-targeted Destruction of Nucleic-acid Loaded Microbubbles Enhances Payload Delivery at the Treatment Site: A Quantitative Comparison of Delivery Strategies

Background: Custom designed microbubbles (MB) can carry therapeutic agents to target tissues. It has been posited, but not proven, that when MB are exposed to ultrasound (US) directed at the target, therapeutic agents are locally released and concentrated at the target site. Accordingly, we studied local delivery using MB and US, utilizing STAT3 transcription factor decoy as a model therapeutic, which has previously been shown to suppress tumor growth by inhibiting STAT3 signaling. Methods: Cationic MB loaded with P 32 labeled STAT3 decoy (8 μg per 1х10 9 MBs) were intravenously infused into mice bearing squamous cell carcinoma (n=6). US was delivered to the tumor with a clinical scanner (MI setting 1.6; 4 frames/burst, burst interval 2 s, f=1.3MHz) during a 20 min MB infusion and 5 min thereafter. Tumors were harvested at 5 min or 8 hrs after therapy and analyzed for decoy content. Intact decoy was isolated by ethanol precipitation, quantified by scintillation counting, and expressed as percent input signal/gram tissue. Controls (no US) received decoy alone or decoy-loaded MB (decoy-MB). Results: 5 min after treatment, total decoy in the tumor was higher in the decoy-only group (0.74±0.20%/g) compared to decoy-MB (0.24±0.08%/g) or decoy-MB+US groups (0.46±0.15%/g; p intact decoy were 2-3 fold higher in decoy-MB+US treated mice (0.26±0.16%/g) compared to decoy-MB (0.09±0.08%/g) or decoy alone (0.09±0.02%/g). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first comparative quantification of molecular therapeutic delivery to target tissue resulting from directed US-induced destruction of circulating MBs. Decoy-MB + US treatment enhanced transcription factor decoy deposition in target tissue at 8 hours compared to control groups subjected to non-US targeted delivery strategies. These data substantiate the rationale for targeted therapeutics using US and loaded MBs.
Emerging techniques and efficacy of endoscopic esophageal reconstruction and lumen restoration for complete esophageal obstruction

Background and study aims: Complete esophageal obstruction (CEO) is a rare occurrence characterized by progressive esophageal stricture, which eventually causes lumen obliteration. With recent advances in flexible endoscopy, various innovative techniques exist for restoring luminal continuity. The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of patients undergoing combined antegrade-retrograde endoscopic dilation for CEO at our institution. The secondary aim was to review and highlight emerging techniques, outcomes, and adverse events after endoscopic treatment of CEO. Patients and methods: Our electronic endoscopy database was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients who underwent combined antegrade and retrograde endoscopy for CEO. Patient and procedural data collected included gender, age, technical success, pre- and post-dysphagia scores, and adverse events. Results: Six patients (67 % male, mean age 71.6 years [range 63 – 80]) underwent technically successful esophageal reconstruction with combined antegrade-retrograde endoscopy. All patients noted improvement in dysphagia with mean pre-procedure dysphagia score of 4 reduced to 1.33 (range 0 – 3) post-procedure. There were no adverse events and mean follow-up time was 17.3 months (range 3 – 48). Conclusions: Combined antegrade and retrograde endoscopic therapy for CEO is feasible and safe. We present our experience with endoscopic management of complete esophageal obstruction, and highlight emerging techniques, outcomes and adverse events related to this minimally invasive modality.
The North, the South, and the American Revolution

THE historiography of the War for Independence during the half century following the close of the struggle can hardly be regarded as notable. The onerous task of gathering and publishing the official documents was pursued with commendable industry. Soldiers of every rank dutifully undertook to record their recollections of the conflict. Before the end of the century at least one enterprising historian had attempted to write the history of his own colony's role in the war.' A few had even essayed a comprehensive history of the war, but not even the contemporary critics viewed these accomplishments with pride. Neither the highly colored and blissfully inaccurate lives of the Founding Fathers nor the new nationalistic writings following the War of 1812 succeeded in inspiring any of the nation's writers to focus their attention on the days of glory when the nation won its independence. As late as 1826, fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, Jared Sparks could assert with accuracy that no complete history of the Revolution had yet appeared.3 The observation by Sparks was a call for increased study of the Revolutionary years as well as a recognition of what had not yet been accomplished. He would set the example by publishing The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, The Life and Writings of George Washington, and numerous other works bearing on the Revolutionary era.
Role of alveolar recruitment in lung inflation: influence on pressure-volume hysteresis.

The behavior of terminal lung units (alveoli) with changes in lung volume is controversial. For example, different investigators using similar techniques have suggested that alveoli expand homogene...
School Community Relations

A new interest in the local community, called the new localism, has developed in education, despite a top-down initiative with much federal government involvement focused on standards and accountability. A central objective of the new localism is improved learning and enhanced student achievement. This article examines four aspects of the new localism: (1) the concept of place and a new pedagogy of place in education; (2) the importance of community capacity and social capital in children’s development and learning; (3) key roles of communities and families as instructional resources; and (4) a new politics of partnership and empowerment in education. The article argues that efforts to resituate learning in the context of the community and engage actively in the development of the community represent powerful forces toward school improvement.
Implementation of a Turn-Key Raman Lidar for Profiling Atmospheric Water Vapor and Aerosols at the US Southern Great Plains Climate Study Site

There are clearly identified scientific requirements for continuous profiling of atmospheric water vapor at the DOE ARM SGP CART site (Department of Energy, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, Southern Great Plains, Cloud and Radiation Testbed site). The suitability of Raman lidar for providing measurements that are an excellent match to those requirements has been demonstrated at several laboratories. We have developed and installed a ruggedized Raman lidar system that resides permanently at the CART site, and that is computer automated to eliminate the requirements for operator interaction. In addition to profiling water vapor through most of the troposphere during nighttime and through the boundary layer during daytime, the lidar provides quantitative characterizations of aerosols and clouds, including depolarization measurements for particle phase studies.
A Poor Clare's Legacy: Catherine Magdalen Evelyn and New Directions in Early Modern Women's Literary History

AbstractThis essay seeks to recover the literary legacy of Catherine Magdalen (Elizabeth) Evelyn (1596/7‐1668), an English Poor Clare previously known for her published translations of Franciscan t...
A Preliminary Investigation of a Beta-Particle Transmission Gauge for Seam Quality Determination:

Automation of assembly operations throughout the textile industry requires the development and implementation of new quality monitoring systems. A beta-particle transmission gauge using a 90Sr source is investigated as a potential on-line seam inspection technique. The fundamentals of beta-particle transmission radio gauges are discussed in the context of their applicability to textile materials, and preliminary results are obtained with a laboratory prototype device. Unknown sample thicknesses for a variety of woven and knit fabrics are determined from the counting rate intensities of radiation transmitted through the fabric and the experimentally derived areal density. Single-fold knit hems and felled denim seams are evaluated by the gauge system. Results indicate that the number of layers present within the hem or seam can be rapidly and accurately determined to assess seam quality.
Massage and postexercise recovery: the science is emerging

Athletes use a variety of postexercise recovery techniques with the belief that they are effective at enhancing return to competition and training. Common modalities include massage, cold water immersion, compression, electrical stimulation, vibration therapy and a combination of one or more of these strategies. Other approaches include diet and hydration protocols, active recovery and sleep. Despite their popularity, the evidence for the effectiveness of most of these modalities is rather limited, although recent efforts are advancing their science which should help in the recommendation of optimal indications and protocols. The scientific literature on postexercise massage has accelerated in the last decade. A number of clinical and animal studies have addressed biological plausibility. Clinical studies have investigated the long-held claims that massage mediates leucocyte migration and attenuates the inflammatory response to exercise,1 as well as decreases pain, muscle tone and hyperactivity.2 These reports suggest that massage mediates molecular processes linked to inflammation, specifically by …
Benefits of Campus Recreational Sports: A Rasch Calibration

The purpose of this study is to introduce Rasch analysis as a methodological advance in recreational sports research. Specifically, the Rasch technique is illustrated through its application to an empirical investigation of college students’ perceived benefits from recreational sports participation. This study seeks to develop and calibrate sources of the Perceived Benefit Scale (PBS) for recreational sports participants at the college level using the Rasch model. Survey data from 940 students at a large public university in the southwestern United States were used in the study. The Rasch analysis results demonstrated that the 15 items were confirmed a unidimensional structure with any biased items, and the four-category response format functioned well. This research shows that the PBS is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in the campus recreational sport setting to evaluate the benefit to students and develop management strategies.
On the coordination non-innocence of antimony in nickel(II) complexes of the tetradentate (o-(Ph2P)C6H4)3Sb ligand

In a continuation of our investigations into the unusual properties of antimony-based ligands, we have decided to investigate the structure of the complexes formed by the tetradentate ligands (o-(Ph2P)C6H4)3E (E = P (1), As (2), Sb (3)) with NiCl2. We observed that the structure of the resulting complexes depends on the nature of the central pnictogen atom E, with the phosphorus- and arsenic-based systems adopting ionic structures of the type [ClNi(o-(Ph2P)C6H4)3E][Cl] (E = P ([4][Cl]), As ([5][Cl])) while the known antimony complex ClNi(o-(Ph2P)C6H4)3SbCl (6-Cl) is molecular, with a chloride anion bound to the antimony atom trans from the nickel atom. Using both structural and computational arguments, we propose that the Lewis acidic behavior of the antimony atom in the cation [ClNi(o-(Ph2P)C6H4)3Sb]+ ([6]+) which as been structurally characterized as its [BPh4]- salt, originates in part from the steric compression imposed by the rigid ligand buttresses and the larger size of antimony. This steric compression pushes the antimony atom of [6]+ toward a geometry that is closer to that of a trigonal-base pyramid, setting the stage for the coordination of a ligand trans from the nickel atom as in 6-Cl. Coordination of the chloride ligand also benefits from an accumulation of positive character at the antimony atom of [6]+ which is a assigned to the polarizable and electron-releasing nature of this heavy pnictogen.
Software and computer interface

In this chapter, we provide guidance on the choice of computer software for the budget-impact analysis calculations. In general, we recommend the use of simple spreadsheet software so that the model is readily accessible to budget holders and other decision-makers. We also discuss user interfaces and the importance of transparency and ease of use. A typical budget-impact analysis interface includes introductory information, input parameters, results, and background calculations. The introductory information should describe the model structure and provide instructions on using the model. The input parameters should be clearly laid out, documented, and easy to customize. The model calculations and results should be transparent and simply presented. We recommend selecting a visually appealing layout and color scheme, opting for worksheet equations rather than Visual Basic for Applications code to perform model calculations, and using Microsoft Excel’s available features, such as buttons and drop-down boxes, to help simplify user interactions with the model. Screenshots of a sample budget-impact model programmed in Excel are presented, and a link to the full Excel model is provided.
“You Shouldn’t Use Facebook for That”: Navigating Norm Violations While Seeking Emotional Support on Facebook:

Facebook users who choose to seek emotional support publicly via Facebook Timeline posts must balance their needs for emotional comfort with norms for appropriate behavior within the Facebook conte...
Two Cooperative Glycosyltransferases Are Responsible for the Sugar Diversity of Saquayamycins Isolated from Streptomyces sp. KY 40-1

Glycosyltransferases are key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of valuable natural products providing an excellent drug-tailoring tool. Herein, we report the identification of two cooperative glycosyltransferases from the sqn gene cluster directing the biosynthesis of saquayamycins in Streptomyces sp. KY40-1: SqnG1 and SqnG2. Gene inactivation of sqnG1 leads to 50-fold decrease in saquayamycin production, while inactivation of sqnG2 leads to complete production loss, suggesting that SqnG2 acts as dual O- and C-glycosyltransferase. Gene inactivation of a third putative glycosyltransferase-encoding gene, sqnG3, does not affect saquayamycin production in a major way, suggesting that SqnG3 has no or a supportive role in glycosylation. The data indicate that SqnG1 and SqnG2 are solely and possibly cooperatively responsible for the sugar diversity observed in saquayamycins 1–7. This is the first evidence of a glycosyltransferase system showing codependence to achieve dual O- and C-glycosyltransferase activit...
Current models of death, dying, and bereavement

This article reviews recent task-based models in the field of death, dying, and bereavement. An argument is made for the importance of theoretical models that emphasize individual tasks in coping with dying and bereavement. Such models seek to shift perspective from passive victimization to an opportunity for active processes, whereby one can regain some measure of control and meaning in living with loss. The appropriateness of task-based models for nurses in general and for critical care nurses in particular is suggested.
Using collaborative autoethnography to explore online doctoral mentoring: Finding empathy in mentor/protégé relationships

We used collaborative autoethnography (CAE) to investigate how we, in our prior work as doctoral mentors at an online institution that assigned students to dissertation chairs, navigated the challenges associated with relationship deterioration with some of our student proteges. We explored how the process of reflection and interrogation might shape our future responses to conflict so that we might improve our strategies for successful and satisfying mentoring outcomes. We applied Rusbult, Zembrodt, and Gunn’s (1982) framework, with constructs Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect (EVLN), to examine specific cases from our work as dissertation mentors. Originally created to help explain responses to romantic relationship deterioration, we applied this framework to the dissertation mentor-protege relationship in order to reflect on ways to improve student progress. Two themes from our analysis of each case emerged from the data. Each theme tied to the student’s behavior and the impact that behavior had on our collective perception. Implications are provided for mentoring students in online doctoral programs.
Optimal Contract Design for an Efficient Secondary Spectrum Market

In this paper we formulate a contract design problem where a primary license holder wishes to profit from its excess spectrum capacity by selling it to potential secondary users/buyers, but needs to determine how to optimally price it to maximize its profit, knowing that this excess capacity is stochastic in nature and cannot provide deterministic service guarantees to a buyer. We address this problem by adopting as a reference a traditional spectrum market where the buyer can purchase exclusive access with fixed/deterministic guarantees. We consider two cases; in one the seller has full information on the buyer, including its service requirement and quality constraint, and in the other the seller only knows possible types and their distribution. In the first case we fully characterize the nature of the optimal contract design. In the second case, we find the optimal contract design when there are two possible types and determine a design procedure and show that it is optimal when the nature of the stochastic channel is common to all possible types.
Informal Education: The Decisive Decade – How Informal Jewish Education Was Transformed in Its Relationship with Jewish Philanthropy

Informal Jewish education in North America was transformed by its interaction with Jewish philanthropy during the decade of 1997–2007. This is one participant’s account of that decade based on available literature and interviews. This account raises the key question of how powerful philanthropists and Jewish educational leaders can learn to better understand one another’s differing perspectives on the purposes of educational innovation. Two case studies – from Birthright Israel and the Foundation for Jewish Camp – are examined for illustrative ways in which philanthropists and educational leaders have attempted to share mutual perspectives in creating more productive partnerships. Without effective communication, the danger is of two sides that end up working at cross-purposes with one another.
The Liver and Insulin Resistance: The Important Convergence of Endocrinology and Hepatology

Recognition of a link between insulin resistance (IR) and liver disease dates back at least 100 years to the term “hepatogenous diabetes,” which describes the association between cirrhosis and development of diabetes, and more recently to the term “diabetic fatty liver,” which antedated the now more common terms “nonalcoholic steatohepatitis” (NASH) and “nonalcoholic fatty liver disease” (NAFLD). The ever-rising prevalence of obesity has brought increased attention to these disorders as the hepatic manifestation of “metabolic” or “insulin resistance” syndrome. Indeed, IR appears to be the common link among metabolic syndrome, obesity, and nonalcoholic fatty liver. Metabolic alterations and hepatic steatosis can develop in the insulin-resistant state in the absence of and prior to diabetes mellitus. Moreover, it is now known that IR correlates with increasing fibrosis in other liver diseases including hepatitis C.
Uninstalled Performance Predictions of a Magnesium-Fueled Ramjet Cycle in Carbon Dioxide Atmospheres

Evaluation of alternative propulsion cycles for planetary space exploration applications is motivated by ongoing emphasis of robotic science and human exploration missions and concepts. Atmosphere-breathing propulsion systems operating on their own or in a combined cycle with other engines offer the potential to increase overall propulsion efficiency and reduce the amount of propellant that must be carried on board the vehicle. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the idealized uninstalled performance characteristics of metal-fueled ramjet systems operating in carbon dioxide atmospheres. Physics-based predictions are presented for critical and a range of supercritical conditions of the propulsion cycle.
Mathematical Modeling of Breaking Wave Statistics

The breaking wave criterion concept is briefly reviewed and a general approach to parametrizing statistics of steep waves is formulated based on the theory of random field’s high overshoots. Although no preliminary limitations are imposed on the wave spectrum width, some partial averaging of the original field is found necessary. An averaging procedure is then introduced, which yields an effective solution to the problem of high-order spectral moments.
Contemporary Patterns of Marijuana Use and Attitudes Among High School Seniors: 2010-2016.

Abstract Purpose The goal of this study was to examine changes in contemporary patterns of marijuana use and attitudes over time. Given shifts in state-by-state marijuana legislation, there is a reason to believe that the patterns of high school seniors’ marijuana use behavior and attitudes about use have changed from 2010 to 2016. Methods Data are from high school seniors in the 2010–2016 waves of Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey in the United States. Latent class analysis was used to determine underlying patterns of marijuana use and related attitudes. Differences in latent class membership were examined across years, and gender and race/ethnicity were also examined. Results Five latent classes were identified: Intolerant Nonusers (49% of the sample), Tolerant Nonusers (12%), Disapproving Users (7%), Experimenters (6%), and Marijuana Enthusiasts (26%). Class prevalences remained relatively stable from 2010 to 2013; beginning in 2014 a significant decrease in prevalence was observed for Intolerant Nonusers and significant increases in prevalence were observed for Tolerant Nonusers and Marijuana Enthusiasts. Membership in the Marijuana Enthusiasts class was consistently more likely for males; Hispanic and black adolescents were more likely to be Disapproving Users. Conclusions Contemporary patterns of marijuana use and attitudes have remained consistent over time, however, significant shifts in class prevalence emerged in 2014. Findings also suggest that a substantial subgroup of adolescents would benefit from prevention and intervention efforts targeting marijuana use and attitudes.
Perspectives from Hmong-American women about the first-generation college student experience in higher education

While the research regarding Hmong-American women as first-generation college students (FGCS) has grown, it emphasizes cultural and individual factors, neglecting institutional and systemic factors...
She’s Got a Ticket to Ride: The Ninth Circuit’s Determination in Sachs v. Republic of Austria That a Ticket Sale by a Common Law Agent Abrogates a Foreign State-Owned Common Carrier’s Sovereign Immunity

On December 6, 2013, in Sachs v. Republic of Austria, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sitting en banc, held that a foreign state-owned common carrier carries on commercial activity in the United States when it sells rail passes through a United States ticket agent. In so holding, the court expanded the scope of jurisdiction over foreign state-owned entities to include claims arising from transactions with common law agents of foreign states. This Comment argues that the Ninth Circuit correctly applied principles of agency law to foreign state-owned common carriers acting through domestic ticket agents, and that, on review, the U.S. Supreme Court should hold the same. Further, this Comment urges Congress to articulate a uniform standard to avoid inconsistencies between the common law in various states.
Modified frailty index predicts medical complications, length of stay, readmission, and mortality following total shoulder arthroplasty.

Hypothesis The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) as a predictor of postoperative complications in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for patients undergoing TSA between the years 2005 and 2017. The mFI-5 score, which includes the presence of comorbid diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and functional status, was calculated for each patient. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between the mFI-5 and postoperative complications. Results A total of 18,957 patients undergoing TSA were identified. The mFI-5 was a strong predictor of serious medical complications (cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, septic shock, pulmonary embolism, postoperative dialysis, reintubation, and prolonged ventilator requirement), discharge to a facility, and readmission (odds ratio ≥ 1.309, P ≤ .001). Length of stay also increased as the mFI-5 score increased ( P P Conclusion The mFI-5 predicts serious medical complications, increased length of stay, discharge to a facility, hospital readmission, and mortality in patients undergoing TSA. All of the variables within the mFI-5 are easily obtained through the patient history, allowing for a practical clinical tool that hospitals and surgeons can use to identify high-risk surgical candidates, inform preoperative counseling, and guide perioperative care to optimize patient outcomes.
A numerical solution method for boundary value problems containing an undetermined parameter

A number of physical problems can be described by a complex differential equation with an undetermined coefficient appearing as an explicit term. The problem is usually encountered in diffusion-reaction systems and in these cases the unknown parameter is the gradient at the diffusing interface. The problem is stiff and difficult to solve. This paper describes a new method for the solution of such problems. The procedure is based on the boundary integral element concepts where both the dependent variable and its gradient become the primary variables. This permits a direct iterative solution to this problem. Numerical studies presented here show that the proposed solution method is very accurate and rapidly convergent. Two cases studies involving gas absorption with chemical reaction are also presented.
Creolization on screen: Guy Deslauriers’s The Middle Passage as Afro-Diasporic Discourse [Le passage du milieu]

ABSTRACTLe passage du milieu (France, 1999) or The Middle-Passage (US version, 2001) proposes in theoretical and conceptual cinematic language a visual and aural translation of the Creolization pro...
Fundamentals, strengths, and future directions for Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Abstract Devices for a range of uses from chemical purification to analytical instrumentation have exploited the constant relationship between a confining magnetic field and its captured charged particle. The path to mass spectrometry from particle physics was clearly evolutionary containing key and bit players along the development pathway. Modern Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometers retain notable characteristics of many stepwise advancements dating back to the simple copper cyclotron of Lawrence. Common themes among these milestones were flexibility and performance that seemingly transcended the sum of parts of a simple device that relied on a simple physical relationship. Recent advances to this simplistic concept have enabled dramatic increases in analytical figures-of-merit beyond what could be imagined even a decade ago. The emerging instrumentation has a core competence for separation of complex mixtures to include isotopologue masses of individual isotopic peaks in those very mixtures. With this routine capability comes new ideas for analysis of biomolecules and effectively supplements the advantage of selectivity for complex mixtures with specificity of their composition or heteroatom content.
Estimation of Parameter Variability for High Dimensional Microwave Problems via Partial Least Squares

This paper deals with the uncertainty quantification applied to the analysis of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) efficiency. It considers the development of a surrogate model based on Partial Least Squares (PLS) Regression, in order to estimate statistical quantities of an output with relatively low computational cost in comparison with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The method is extendable to other microwave problems as well.
Effect of cardiac arrest with aortic cross-clamping during left ventricular assist device implantation.

OBJECTIVES Some patients who undergo continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation require concomitant procedures that can be performed with or without cardiac arrest under aortic cross-clamping (AXC). Procedures normally performed with cardiac arrest are sometimes avoided or performed without cardiac arrest because it may be detrimental to right heart function. However, the effects of cardiac arrest on patients with advanced heart failure necessitating CF-LVAD support have not been thoroughly studied. We examined our single-centre experience to determine whether cardiac arrest during CF-LVAD implantation was associated with worse patient outcomes. METHODS From November 2003 to March 2016, a total of 526 patients with chronic end-stage heart failure underwent primary CF-LVAD implantation. Preoperative demographics, postoperative complications and mortality rates were compared between patients who required cardiac arrest with AXC (n = 50) and those who did not (n = 476). RESULTS The most frequently performed procedure requiring AXC was aortic valve closure (n = 23, 26.1%). Although the AXC group had longer cardiopulmonary bypass times (P < 0.01), long-term (5-year) survival was similar in AXC and non-AXC patients (P = 0.13). Also, postoperative right heart failure (P = 0.15) and neurological dysfunction (P = 0.89) rates were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that cardiac arrest with AXC was not an independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.89; P = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS Cardiac arrest with AXC during CF-LVAD implantation did not negatively affect long-term survival or the incidence of right ventricular failure or stroke. These findings should be considered in deciding surgical strategies. Additional investigation may be warranted to further understand the effects of cardiac arrest during LVAD implantation.
Paternal transgenerational epigenetic mechanisms mediating stress phenotypes of offspring

Depression and anxiety risk are highly influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recently, it has been proposed that epigenetic mechanisms may also contribute to the transmission of both depression- and anxiety-related behaviors across multiple generations. This review highlights long-lasting epigenetic alterations observed in offspring of fathers, including some distinct effects on male and female offspring, in animal models. Available evidence emphasizes how both the developmental time point and the type of paternal stress (social vs. asocial) influence the complex transmission patterns of these phenotypes to future generations. This research is critical in understanding the factors that influence risk for depression and anxiety disorders and has the potential to contribute to the development of innovative treatments that can more precisely target vulnerable populations.
Field Implementation of a Real-time Battery Control Scheme for a Microgrid at the University of California, Riverside

This study demonstrates a real-time battery control scheme which consists of off-peak, mid-peak and on-peak period operation of a microgrid system at the University of California, Riverside. Using limited system historical information, the control scheme minimizes demand peak and energy consumption from the grid under a time of use (TOU) rate schedule. The off-peak operation mode fully charges the battery system while keeping low building demand by autonomously adjusting the demand threshold based on the real-time building load. The mid-peak operation mode maximizes self-consumption of onsite renewable energy by consuming surplus energy stored in the battery system. As previous reported, on-peak operation mode minimizes the building net load by optimally discharging the battery system based on real-time solar generation and building load consumption.
Models for Pulsed Polarographic Electrodes

The proposed application of this work is to the measurement of both tissue perfusion and tissue p02 with the same Polarographic probe. It is anticipated that membrane characteristics will markedly affect the overall flow sensitivity or insensitivity of a particular probe when operated under pulsed conditions. Moreover operation with very short pulse times requires consideration of the rapid development of the “double layer” as the double layer current can be significantly larger than the current due to the Polarographic reaction. The effect of the double layer formation is specifically considered below along with the incorporation of convective phenomena in the model.
Health disparities and determinants of health: A glance at Healthy People 2020 goals

Introduction: Adverse health outcomes are often used as indicators of the health of a nation and are generally better in developed countries. According to the World Health Organization, every day, about 800 women died due to complications of pregnancy and child birth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented. Maternal mortality ratio in the United States in 2015 was 14 maternal deaths per 1000 live births, range, significantly higher than most developed countries including Sweden (4 per 1000 live births), Switzerland (4 per 1000 live births), Austria (4 per 1000 live births), Japan (5 per 1000 live births), Germany (6 per 1000 live births), Canada (7 per 1000 live births), France (8 per 1000 live births), United Kingdom (9 per 1000 live births). Methods: Health outcomes were collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while socio-economic related indicators were extracted from the US Census Bureau. Selected health outcomes in the study are: infant and fetal mortality, maternal mortality, life expectance and cancer. Socio-economic indicators such as poverty and health insurance coverage were also analyzed. An evaluation of health disparities among racial and ethnic groups was performed. Correlation analyses were conducted to explore the potential strength of the relationship between health outcomes and socioeconomic factors in the US at the state level. Conclusion: Health disparities are still a major public health problem in US. A strong correlation at the state level between health outcomes and poverty and health insurance coverage at the state level was identified.
Self-similar orbit-averaged Fokker-Planck equation for isotropic spherical dense star clusters (i) accurate pre-collapse solution

Abstract This is the first paper of a series of our works on the self-similar orbit-averaged Fokker-Planck (OAFP) equation to model distribution function for stars in isotropic dense spherical star clusters. At the late stage of the relaxation evolution of the clusters, standard stellar dynamics predicts that the clusters evolve in a self-similar fashion forming collapsing cores. However, the corresponding mathematical model, the self-similar OAFP equation, has never been solved on the whole energy domain ( − 1 E 0 ) . Existing works based on kinds of finite difference methods provide solutions only on the truncated domain − 1 E ⪅ − 0.2 . To broaden the range of the truncated domain, the present work resorts to a (highly accurate and efficient) Gauss-Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method. We provide a spectral solution accurate to four significant figures on the whole domain. The solution can reduce to a semi-analytical form whose degree of polynomials is only eighteen holding three significant figures. We also provide the new eigenvalues c 1 = 9.0925 × 10 − 4 , c 2 = 1.1118 × 10 − 4 , c 3 = 7.1975 × 10 − 2 , and c 4 = 3.303 × 10 − 2 , corresponding to the core-collapse rate ξ = 3.64 × 10 − 3 , scaled escape energy , χ esc = 13.881 and power-law exponent α = 2.2305 . Since the solution is unstable against the degree of Chebyshev polynomials on the whole domain, we also provide spectral solutions on truncated domains ( − 1 E E max , where − 0.35 ≤ E max ≤ − 0.03 ) to explain how to handle the instability. By reformulating the self-similar OAFP equation in several ways, we improve the accuracies of the spectral solutions and reproduce an existing self-similar solution, which infers that the existing solutions are accurate up to only one significant figure.
Thermal prefunctionalization of SiO2 and SiNx surfaces to influence the etch per cycle in atomic layer etching (Conference Presentation)

Due to ever decreasing device dimensions and the introduction of 3D device architectures, it is challenging to operate within a narrow processing window using conventional plasma etching. One method to address the demands of the next-generation of devices is atomic layer etching (ALE) which provides high fidelity, selectivity, and directionality, and layer-by-layer removal. Plasma-assisted ALE has been extensively studied for a variety of materials, including Al2O3, HfO2, Si, and Si based dielectrics. Plasma-assisted ALE of SiO2 or SiNx typically uses two sequential steps in a cyclic fashion: CFx deposition from a C4F8/Ar plasma followed by an Ar plasma activation step. However, the surface chemistry during plasma ALE is not well understood. In this study, we used in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FTIR) spectroscopy and in situ four-wavelength ellipsometry during ALE to monitor the surface reactions, film composition, as well as the net film thickness. Similar to area-selective atomic layer deposition, we show that surface functionalization prior to ALE can be used to alter the etch per cycle. Using this methodology, we will discuss how selective functionalization of SiO2 or SiNx can be used to alter the selectivity during plasma-assisted ALE. Acknowledgement: We would like to acknowledge our collaborators at Lam Research for funding this work.
Home-Based Palliative Care: Perspectives of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients and Their Caregivers.

Background Home-based palliative care (HBPC) is an important aspect of care for patients with moderate to advanced stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their caregivers. HBPC provides symptom management, advanced care planning and goals of care conversations in the home, with the goal of maximizing quality of life and minimizing health care utilization. There is a gap in the knowledge of how the patients with COPD and their caregivers experience HBPC. The overall purpose of this study is to describe which aspects of HBPC were the most meaningful to patients with COPD, and their caregivers. Methods Through a descriptive design with narrative analysis methodology, we interviewed COPD patients and their caregivers to investigate their experience of HBPC received in the 30 days post hospitalization for a COPD exacerbation. A thematic analysis was conducted and the patient and caregiver interviews were analyzed in dyad using thematic analysis. Results A total of 10 dyads were interviewed. Patients and their caregivers perceived 3 times as many facilitators as barriers of receiving home-based palliative care in the 30 days post hospitalization for a COPD exacerbation. The outcomes of this study provide information that describes the aspects of HBPC that patients and their caregivers found most meaningful. Conclusion An understanding of the most meaningful aspects of HBPC from the perspectives of the patients with COPD and their caregivers can be used to inform the development of the best model for HBPC for this patient population.
Ionomers for electrochemical energy conversion & storage technologies

Abstract Ionomers, which are used as polymer electrolyte membranes as well as catalyst binders in membrane electrode assemblies, are a key component of electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and flow batteries. The use of ionomers in these clean energy technologies has a long history and there has been considerable progress in developing low-cost, high-performance ionomers in recent years. In this review article, we discuss some highlights from recent developments of ionomers with emphasis on chemically stable, mechanically durable, high-performance hydrocarbon ionomers and their state-of-the-art performance in electrochemical energy conversion devices. Future directions of ionomer research that are important to enhance our understanding and the remaining challenges related to device level applications are addressed.
'Learning to code in a virtual world': A Preliminary Comparative Analysis of Discourse and Learning in Two Online Programming Communities

Software programming is increasingly becoming a community-driven effort, with online discussion channels becoming vital resources for learning and knowledge sharing. This study explores differences in the discourse patterns of two popular online programming communities (Stack Overflow and r/Askprogramming) to provide preliminary insights into the type of learning practices these collectives support and scaffold. A three-step content analysis framework that investigates a sample of 8639 and 6126 contributions from Stack Overflow and r/Askprogramming respectively is presented. Preliminary results indicate that differences emerge in the scope of topics and the nature of responses the communities provide. While Stack Overflow is more task-specific, r/Askprogramming supports a greater sense of bonding and camaraderie among community members in addition to task-specific discussions. These results provide insights into the type of practices these communities support, which can be essential in considering how online communities that support learning activities should be designed.
Single Device Characterization by Nano-probing to Identify Failure Root Cause

In general failure analysis cases, a less invasive fault isolation approach can be utilized to resolve a visual root cause defect. In the case of nano technology, visual defects are not readily resolved, due to an increase in non-visible defects. The non-visible defects result in a lower success rate since conventional FA methods/tools are not efficient in identifying the failure root cause. For the advanced nanometer process, this phenomenon is becoming more common; therefore the utilization of advanced techniques are required to get more evidence to resolve the failure mechanism. The use of nanoprobe technology enables advanced device characterization in order to obtain more clues to the possible failure mechanism before utilizing the traditional physical failure analysis techniques.
Stability of Discrete-Time Coupled Oscillators via Quotient Dynamics

We examine a discrete-time version of the Kuramoto Model for coupled oscillators. Phase-locked states of N coupled oscillators correspond to invariant circles on \(\mathbb {T}^N\), and can be viewed as fixed points of a quotient dynamical system. We will discuss how to define and classify the stability of these phase-locked states via the corresponding equilibria in the quotient system, and give some examples where the quotient mapping helps identify the phase-locked families and their stability.