cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of religious and spiritual variables on outcomes in violent relationships.

OBJECTIVE: Religious and spiritual factors in intimate partner violence have received increasing attention. But are such factors related to outcomes in violent relationships? The purpose of this study was to assess the relative impact of spiritual symptoms and religious coping on attitudinal/behavioral and clinical outcomes among women in violent relationships. METHODS: Adult women with a recent history of husband-to-wife physical abuse were recruited from six primary care clinics. Once enrolled, 200 subjects completed a baseline interview and daily assessment of level of violence, using the Interactive Verbal Response for 12 weeks. At the completion of the study, contact with each participant was attempted to determine whether she had either sought professional help or left the relationship. Three religious/spiritual variables were assessed at baseline-number of visits to a religious/spiritual counselor, religious coping, and severity of spiritual symptoms. Stepped multiple linear regression was used to explain factor-analyzed outcomes (coping and appraisals, hope and support, symptomatology, functional status, readiness for change, and medical utilization), adjusting for demographic, marital, childhood, mental health, and violence variables. RESULTS: After controlling for duration, severity and dynamics of violence, the use of spiritual resources, and the level of spiritual symptoms were associated with most attitudinal/behavioral and clinical outcomes, while religious coping was only associated with staying in the relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Religious and spiritual factors were associated with most outcomes. Spiritual symptoms had a consistently negative effect on outcomes while use of spiritual resources had variable effects. Religious coping was only associated with refraining from leaving the relationship. Language: en
Characterization of Polysilicon films using atomic force microscopy

A simplified technique for characterizing crystallites in polysilicon films has been demonstrated based on use of the atomic force microscope (AFM). The crystallization of films deposited by two different techniques was examined.
Plasmonic piezoelectric nanomechanical resonator for spectrally selective infrared sensing

Ultrathin plasmonic metasurfaces have proven their ability to control and manipulate light at unprecedented levels, leading to exciting optical functionalities and applications. Although to date metasurfaces have mainly been investigated from an electromagnetic perspective, their ultrathin nature may also provide novel and useful mechanical properties. Here we propose a thin piezoelectric plasmonic metasurface forming the resonant body of a nanomechanical resonator with simultaneously tailored optical and electromechanical properties. We experimentally demonstrate that it is possible to achieve high thermomechanical coupling between electromagnetic and mechanical resonances in a single ultrathin piezoelectric nanoplate. The combination of nanoplasmonic and piezoelectric resonances allows the proposed device to selectively detect long-wavelength infrared radiation with unprecedented electromechanical performance and thermal capabilities. These attributes lead to the demonstration of a fast, high-resolution, uncooled infrared detector with ∼80% absorption for an optimized spectral bandwidth centered around 8.8 μm.
Monitoring Results of Iodized Salt in Zhenning County of Guizhou Province during 2004—2008

[Objective]To understand the consumption status of iodized salt of community residents in Zhenning County,ensure the qualified iodized salt consumption.[Methods]According to "Scheme for National Iodinated Salt Surveillance" and "Scheme for Iodinated Salt Surveillance of Guizhou Province ",the salt samples were selected from 9 townships(towns and streets)and 36 villages(neighborhood committee)randomly,and the content of iodine determined by oxidation-reduction method of GB/13025.7-1999.[Results]1440 iodized salt samples were tested with the qualified rate of 94.8%,in which the qualified rate of iodized salt in 2004,2005,2006,2007 and 2008 was 93.4%,93.1%,93.4%,96.5% and 97.6%,respectively.[Conclusion]The qualified rate of iodized salt consumption of community residents is good in this county.
On the Assessment of Acoustic Scattering and Shielding by Time Domain Boundary Integral Equation Solutions

Based on the time domain boundary integral equation formulation of the linear convective wave equation, a computational tool dubbed Time Domain Fast Acoustic Scattering Toolkit (TD-FAST) has recently been under development. The time domain approach has a distinct advantage that the solutions at all frequencies are obtained in a single computation. In this paper, the formulation of the integral equation, as well as its stabilization by the Burton-Miller type reformulation, is extended to cases of a constant mean flow in an arbitrary direction. In addition, a "Source Surface" is also introduced in the formulation that can be employed to encapsulate regions of noise sources and to facilitate coupling with CFD simulations. This is particularly useful for applications where the noise sources are not easily described by analytical source terms. Numerical examples are presented to assess the accuracy of the formulation, including a computation of noise shielding by a thin barrier motivated by recent Historical Baseline F31A31 open rotor noise shielding experiments. Furthermore, spatial resolution requirements of the time domain boundary element method are also assessed using point per wavelength metrics. It is found that, using only constant basis functions and high-order quadrature for surface integration, relative errors of less than 2% may be obtained when the surface spatial resolution is 5 points-per-wavelength (PPW) or 25 points-per-wavelength squared (PPW2).
Practical considerations on the use of preference learning for ranking emotional speech

A speech emotion retrieval system aims to detect a subset of data with specific expressive content. Preference learning represents an appealing framework to rank speech samples in terms of continuous attributes such as arousal and valence. The training of ranking classifiers usually requires pairwise samples where one is preferred over the other according to a specific criterion. For emotional databases, these relative labels are not available and are very difficult to collect. As an alternative, they can be derived from existing absolute emotional labels. For continuous attributes, we can create relative rankings by forming pairs with high and low values of a specific attribute which are separated by a predefined margin. This approach raises questions about efficient approaches for building such a training set, which is important to improve the performance of the emotional retrieval system. This paper analyzes practical considerations in training ranking classifiers including optimum number of pairs used during training, and the margin used to define the relative labels. We compare the preference learning approach to binary classifier and regression models. The experimental results on a spontaneous emotional database indicate that a rank-based classifier with fine-tuned parameters outperforms the other two approaches in both arousal and valence dimensions.
Necessity Is Contingency: The Analytic/Synthetic Distinction

A characteristic of metaphysical systems is that they purport to give a true account of “what is”. In doing so, they ascribe it necessity: “what is” is necessarily so and cannot be otherwise. In this manner, the Leibnizian account of the world describes it as necessary due to a combination of God’s goodness and omnipotence, despite the fact that from our human, finite perspective, truths of fact are racked with contingency. The Spinozist substance “exists from the necessity of its nature alone.”1 Regarding the absolute idea Hegel says of it that “its essential nature is to return to itself through its self-determination or particularization,” and in the Lectures on the History of Philosophy he asserts that to know it in its necessity is the present standpoint of philosophy. It would not seem uncharitable to establish a running metaphysical thread between Spinoza’s substance, Leibniz’s monad of monads, and Hegel’s absolute idea as attempts to reveal the necessity of “what is” or of reality. However, in Hegel’s case, the underpinning concept of necessity requires a closer look. Since it is in the Science of Logic where we find the exhibition and explanation of the concepts by means of which philosophical thinking has thought “what is,” this text will reveal what Hegel understands by necessity and what role it plays—what contradictions it resolves—in the attempt to think “what is.”
Coupled Bundle-Core Design Using Fuel Rod Optimization for Boiling Water Reactors

An optimization method has been developed to determine the optimal fresh fuel rod configurations, fresh streams, and fresh bundle design placements given a known exposed fuel loading pattern and operational strategy for boiling water reactors. The optimization method is based on a first-order approximation of various core parameters, such as hot excess reactivity and critical power ratio, using fuel rod perturbations to the reference fresh bundle designs. A simulated annealing optimization algorithm is shown to produce fresh bundle designs, consisting of rods selected from a user-defined set of rod types that optimize the core design with respect to its design constraints. The method utilizes a linear superposition method based upon sensitivity coefficients to approximate core parameters. A parallel computing system was implemented to decrease wall clock time for the numerous lattice physics and core simulator calculations. A periodic update of the reference bundle design, without the computational burden of updating the sensitivity coefficients, was introduced and is shown to significantly improve the accuracy of the approximation model. Application of the method demonstrates that improved core designs are achieved when a many-fresh bundle design (i.e., stream) solution is considered as part of the design space. Six-stream (and higher) core designs that increase fuel utilization while simultaneously reducing manufacturing costs through reduction of fuel rod types fabricated, previously unattainable with existing methodologies, are now possible.
Response to a market: Dating english underglaze transfer-printed wares

At the end of the 18th century, the Staffordshire pottery industry began transfer printing designs on refined earthenwares. Gaining immediate acceptance from both the British and American markets, printed earthenwares remained immensely popular until the mid-19th century. Hundreds of printed patterns were produced, and these patterns formed distinctive decorative styles based on central motifs and borders. Using characteristics of datable, marked vessels as a database, this study establishes a chronology for dating printed earthenwares based on decorative styles and color.
The “Mask of Masculinity”: Underreported Declines in Male Friendship and Happiness in the United States

Men suffer more as a result of contemporany social trends than is commonly known. A recent focus on women’s greater malaise may unnecessarily and inaccurately pathologize women’s emotional well-being. A widely cited study declares that women are less happy than they were thirty-five years ago and that their unhappiness is increasing at a faster rate than men’s. A closer examination of related research, however, indicates that men are faring at least as badly as women, especially due to trends in decreased social connections. In particular, the dissolution of marriage, one of the few institutions fostering social connections, may be particularly debilitating towards men. New technologies, increased pressures towards self-reliance, and extreme economic pressures are also linked to higher stress among men. This gender comparison, regarding whether men or women are less happy, occurs at a time when depression and anxiety are extremely high among American adults and youth; and happiness, according to several studies, is decreasing. In light of these concerns, future research must address these gaps in order to accurately assess men's well-being and social ties; and social change regarding efforts to increase well-being and community must be sensitive to needs more commonly associated with men (as well as women).
The Routinization of Liminality: The Persistence of Activism Among China’s Red Guard Generation

The long-term biographical consequences of political activism, raises two questions: What remains of the political passions after social movements subside and why does this occur? Scholars have pointed to the transformative power of participation in social movements. Some participants may experience a transformation in values and beliefs, while others have formed enduring social networks and sustained social activism (Rupp and Taylor 1987; Fantasia 1988; McAdam 1988, 1989; Calhoun 1994; Whittier 1995, 1997; Lichterman 1996; Robnett 1997). Such transformation is related to the liminal features of movement experience (Yang 2000). The greater the contrast between pre-participation structural embeddings and the leveling effects unleashed in collective action, the bigger the liminal effect, and the deeper the transformative power of participation. Similarly, the deeper the level of activist involvement, the stronger the liminal effect and the greater its transformative power (Yang 2000). In Griffin’s words, “highly charged events” shape consciousness and memory particularly strongly (2004, 544).
A Maximal Inequality

Let X be a uniformly integrable, cadlag non-negative regular supermartingale. Such a process X has the representation $$ {X_t} = E\left[ {{A_{{\infty + }}} - {A_t}\left| {{F_t}} \right.} \right] $$ (1) where At is continuous and increasing on the half open interval [0,∞), Ao = 0 and A may assign mass to ∞ which is just A∞+ - A∞ where \( {{\text{A}}_{\infty }} = \mathop{{\lim }}\limits_{{{\text{t}} \uparrow \infty }} {{\text{A}}_t} \). Then we have the maximal inequality.
Nutritional Considerations for Hispanics

Hispanics are the largest and the fastest-growing minority group. Almost half of Hispanics currently residing in the USA are foreign-born and come from different racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Hispanics in the USA face such health disparities as high rates of obesity and diabetes, low health literacy, and low access to health care. Several health outcomes and disparities are diet-related. Dietary behaviors are important to address, but because these behaviors vary within and between sub-populations health promotion and disease prevention and control are complex matters. Factors influencing dietary behavior within the different Hispanic groups include but are not limited to nativity, pre-migration diet and environment, post-migration environment, acculturation, gender, values, knowledge, and beliefs. Thus, a range of factors need to be considered when addressing dietary behaviors in this population to ensure interventions are culturally appropriate and effective. This chapter provides an overview of the Hispanic population in the USA, followed by a detailed description of dietary behaviors and influencing factors observed in the population, and finally, a discussion of dietary considerations and interventions.
Risk of Diabetic Ketoacidosis after Initiation of an SGLT2 Inhibitor.

A study that assessed the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis after the initiation of SGLT2 inhibitor therapy showed nearly twice the risk as with a DPP4 inhibitor.
Geophysical techniques applied to investigate underwater structures

The need to investigate underwater structures leads to study the capability of geophysical methods to analyze the physical behavior of the subsoil in water saturated conditions. Ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity methods are well suited to localize and identify underwater structures but these methods are affected by some limitations that are analyzed in laboratory where an underwater archaeological site was simulated. GPR and ERT are applied and the results with the two techniques are compared and discussed.
Patient feedback for acupuncture practice improvement: A survey from Mayo Clinic

To understand patient satisfaction with acupuncture appointment duration for the first and subsequent appointments in the plan of care, time spent with the acupuncture provider, willingness to pay for longer duration appointments, and lack of insurance coverage. Patients who were referred for an acupuncture consult to the Center for Integrative Medicine at Mayo Clinic were asked to participate in the survey in August 2014. Patients were given paper survey at time of appointment check-in and entered into Research Electronic Data Capture Survey database tool to reveal patient-reported outcomes. In total, 104 of 329 patients receiving acupuncture treatment responded to the survey with a 32% response rate. Insight and recommended changes to the duration of the initial and subsequent appointments were obtained. Most patients reported that time spent with the provider (76 cases, 74%) and appointment length (74 cases, 68%) were "just right". Seventy cases (70%) of respondents indicated that they wanted longer treatment. Patients reported return appointments with duration of 30 min was not enough. Fifty-three patients (62%) were willing to pay for additional costs not covered by insurance. We used patient feedback to assess the acupuncture practice in a complementary and integrative medicine program. Most patients referred for the acupuncture consult appeared to be satisfied with the current level of practice. These findings were used to establish a quality improvement plan that may be implemented to improve patient satisfaction with the acupuncture practice.
The Implementation of Mental Health Policies and Practices in Schools: An Examination of School and State Factors.

Background Poor mental health outcomes persist among adolescent youth. Secondary schools play a critical role in fostering positive mental health by implementing policies and practices grounded in evidence. The factors associated with implementation, however, are unclear. This study examines which school- and state-level factors are associated with improved implementation of mental health policies and practices at secondary schools across the United States. Methods US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data stemming from 3 datasets (School Health Policies and Practices, School Health Profiles, and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System) surveys were integrated and analyzed. Results Health educator certification, school use of data during school improvement planning, presence of a health/safety coordinator, presence of a health council and state-provided health educator professional development in mental health and suicide prevention were each significantly positively associated with schools' implementation of mental health policies and practices. Conclusions To promote improved implementation of mental health policies and practices in schools and provide better support for youth mental health outcomes, the use of certified health educators and health-related supports should be considered. State health and education agencies should undertake evaluations of its mental health practices to ensure the assistance they offer to schools is evidence based.
ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: dispensing and administration--2008.

Purpose. Results of the 2008 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings that pertain to dispensing and administration are presented. Methods. A stratified random sample of pharmacy directors at 1310 general and children’s medical–surgical hospitals in the United States were surveyed by mail. Results. The response rate was 40.2%. Most hospitals had a centralized medication distribution system; however, there is evidence of growth in decentralized models compared with data from 2005. Automated dispensing cabinets were used by 83% of hospitals and robots by 10%. The percentage of doses dispensed in unit dose form increased, as did the use of two-pharmacist checks for high-risk drugs and high-risk patient groups. Medication administration records (MARs) have become increasingly computerized over the past nine years, and the use of handwritten MARs has declined substantially. Technology implemented at the drug administration step of the medication-use process is continuing to increase. Bar-code technology was implemented in 25% of hospitals, and 59% of hospitals had smart infusion pumps. Only 6.8% of hospitals had a pharmacist practicing in the emergency department (ED). Pharmacists prospectively reviewed only a small percentage of ED medication orders before the first dose was administered, and only 40.7% of hospitals retrospectively reviewed ED medication orders for prescribing errors. Pharmacy hours of operation have been increasing, with 36.2% of hospitals providing around-the-clock services. Off-site medication order review was used in 20.7% of hospitals. Directors of pharmacy reported a vacancy rate of 5.9% for pharmacists and 4.7% for technicians and a turnover rate of 8.6% for pharmacists and 13.8% for technicians. Conclusion. Safe systems continue to be in place in most hospitals, but the adoption of new technology is rapidly changing the philosophy of medication distribution. Pharmacists are continuing to improve medication use at the dispensing and administration steps of the medication-use process.
Impact assessment of reinforced learning methods on construction workers' fall risk behavior using virtual reality

Abstract Given the nature of construction activities, construction workers usually work in a collaborative way. Thus, interpersonal influences among workers play a crucial role in forming and affecting construction workers' safety behaviors. The social learning literature indicates that interpersonal learning occurs in two opposing ways – positive reinforcement by demonstrating preferred behaviors, and negative reinforcement by demonstrating negative consequences of inappropriate behaviors. Amid theoretical disagreements in the social learning literature, it remains unclear in the construction safety literature how the two reinforced learning methods affect construction workers in safety training. To fill the gap, a human-subject experiment (n = 126) was conducted to investigate people's social learning behaviors in a hazardous construction situation – walking between two high-rise buildings. The experiment utilizes a multi-user Virtual Reality (VR) system with a motion tracking feature. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control group (no instruction was given), not-falling group (participants observed an avatar demonstrating appropriate walking behaviors), and falling group (participants watched an avatar quickly walking across a plank and falling off). Indicators, including walking time on the plank, walking speed, and gaze movement, were recorded and analyzed to quantify the effects of the two reinforced learning methods. The results indicate that demonstrating information with positive consequences (not-falling group) encourages people to follow the demonstration and maintain normal walking in a hazardous situation. Showing information with negative consequences (falling group) induced participants to walk faster and more irregularly, which further led to more mistakes and unsafe behaviors. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of using VR in safety studies and provides recommendations for better safety training programs.
Advertising Exposure and Portfolio Choice: Estimates Based on Sports Sponsorships

Product market advertising, by acting as a costly signal of quality, is thought to increase the demand for a company's stock as well as its products. I construct a dataset of publicly traded sports sponsors in the US and develop an instrument for investor exposure to advertising via these sponsorships. I show that investors living in a city where major professional sports teams are sponsored by a given company, local or non-local, are more likely to purchase stocks in that company. The portfolio effects from sports sponsorships are large and suggest that advertising is even more important than local bias.
Multi-Representation Multi-Heuristic A* Motion Planning for a Dual-Arm Underwater Vehicle Manipulation System

Abstract Recently, Intervention-Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (I-AUVs), started to grab researchers attention. While prior systems rely on variations of the task-priority redundancy control framework, our recent research demonstrated experimental results using search-based motion planning for a single arm floating-based intervention in known and unknown environments. In this work, we present a search-based motion planning algorithm applied to the coordinated manipulation problem of a dual-arm Intervention AUV, in an object transportation mission (e.g. pipe transportation). Two Challenges are considered: the high-dimensionality of the system, and the motion coordination between the mobile base and both working arms. The latter challenge is a major one if accurate execution is required, especially considering the floating nature of the AUV. Our approach relies on exploiting the loose coupling between the different system components. We show for the first time the use of a search-based planner on a dual-arm underwater manipulator. In addition, we support our claims with a simulated demonstration, successfully performing a coordinated dual-arm underwater intervention.
Answering recreational web searches with relevant things to do results

Abstract Recreational queries from users searching for places to go and things to do or see are very common in web and mobile search. Users specify constraints for what they are looking for, like suitability for kids, romantic ambiance or budget. Queries like “restaurants in New York City” are currently served by static local results or the thumbnail carousel. More complex queries like “things to do in San Francisco with kids” or “romantic places to eat in Seattle” require the user to click on every element of the search engine result page to read articles from Yelp, TripAdvisor, or WikiTravel to satisfy their needs. Location data, which is an essential part of web search, is even more prevalent with location-based social networks and offers new opportunities for many ways of satisfying information seeking scenarios. In this paper, we address the problem of recreational queries in information retrieval and propose a solution that combines search query logs with LBSNs data to match user needs and possible options. At the core of our solution is a framework that combines social, geographical, and temporal information for a relevance model centered around the use of semantic annotations on Points of Interest with the goal of addressing these recreational queries. A central part of the framework is a taxonomy derived from behavioral data that drives the modeling and user experience. We also describe in detail the complexity of assessing and evaluating Point of Interest data, a topic that is usually not covered in related work, and propose task design alternatives that work well. We demonstrate the feasibility and scalability of our methods using a data set of 1B check-ins and a large sample of queries from the real-world. Finally, we describe the integration of our techniques in a commercial search engine.
A synthesis of methane emissions from shallow vegetated coastal ecosystems

Vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCEs; i.e., mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses) play a critical role in global carbon (C) cycling, storing 10× more C than temperate forests. Methane (CH4 ), a potent greenhouse gas, can form in the sediments of these ecosystems. Currently, CH4 emissions are a missing component of VCE C budgets. This review summarizes 97 studies describing CH4 fluxes from mangrove, salt marsh, and seagrass ecosystems and discusses factors controlling CH4 flux in these systems. CH4 fluxes from these ecosystems were highly variable yet they all act as net methane sources (median, range; mangrove: 279.17, -67.33 to 72,867.83; salt marsh: 224.44, -92.60 to 94,129.68; seagrass: 64.80, 1.25-401.50 µmol CH4 m-2 day-1 ). Together CH4 emissions from mangrove, salt marsh, and seagrass ecosystems are about 0.33-0.39 Tmol CH4 -C/year-an addition that increases the current global marine CH4 budget by more than 60%. The majority (~45%) of this increase is driven by mangrove CH4 fluxes. While organic matter content and quality were commonly reported in individual studies as the most important environmental factors driving CH4 flux, they were not significant predictors of CH4 flux when data were combined across studies. Salinity was negatively correlated with CH4 emissions from salt marshes, but not seagrasses and mangroves. Thus the available data suggest that other environmental drivers are important for predicting CH4 emissions in vegetated coastal systems. Finally, we examine stressor effects on CH4 emissions from VCEs and we hypothesize that future changes in temperature and other anthropogenic activites (e.g., nitrogen loading) will likely increase CH4 emissions from these ecosystems. Overall, this review highlights the current and growing importance of VCEs in the global marine CH4 budget.
EchoWhisper: Exploring an Acoustic-based Silent Speech Interface for Smartphone Users

With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and mobile computing, intelligent speech interface has recently become one of the prevalent trends and has already presented huge potentials to the public. To address the privacy leakage issue during the speech interaction or accommodate some special demands, silent speech interfaces have been proposed to enable people's communication without vocalizing their sound (e.g., lip reading, tongue tracking). However, most existing silent speech mechanisms require either background illuminations or additional wearable devices. In this study, we propose the EchoWhisper as a novel user-friendly, smartphone-based silent speech interface. The proposed technique takes advantage of the micro-Doppler effect of the acoustic wave resulting from mouth and tongue movements and assesses the acoustic features of beamformed reflected echoes captured by the dual microphones in the smartphone. Using human subjects who perform a daily conversation task with over 45 different words, our system can achieve a WER (word error rate) of 8.33%, which shows the effectiveness of inferring silent speech content. Moreover, EchoWhisper has also demonstrated its reliability and robustness to a variety of configuration settings and environmental factors, such as smartphone orientations and distances, ambient noises, body motions, and so on.
Endocrine disrupting activities and geochemistry of water resources associated with unconventional oil and gas activity

The rise of hydraulic fracturing and unconventional oil and gas (UOG) exploration in the United States has increased public concerns for water contamination induced from hydraulic fracturing fluids and associated wastewater spills. Herein, we collected surface and groundwater samples across Garfield County, Colorado, a drilling-dense region, and measured endocrine bioactivities, geochemical tracers of UOG wastewater, UOG-related organic contaminants in surface water, and evaluated UOG drilling production (weighted well scores, nearby well count, reported spills) surrounding sites. Elevated antagonist activities for the estrogen, androgen, progesterone, and glucocorticoid receptors were detected in surface water and associated with nearby shale gas well counts and density. The elevated endocrine activities were observed in surface water associated with medium and high UOG production (weighted UOG well score-based groups). These bioactivities were generally not associated with reported spills nearby, and often did not exhibit geochemical profiles associated with UOG wastewater from this region. Our results suggest the potential for releases of low-saline hydraulic fracturing fluids or chemicals used in other aspects of UOG production, similar to the chemistry of the local water, and dissimilar from defined spills of post-injection wastewater. Notably, water collected from certain medium and high UOG production sites exhibited bioactivities well above the levels known to impact the health of aquatic organisms, suggesting that further research to assess potential endocrine activities of UOG operations is warranted.
Differences between cardiac implantable electronic device envelopes evaluated in an animal model.

Introduction Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) pocket related problems such as infection, hematoma, and device erosion cause significant morbidity and the clinical consequences are substantial. Bioabsorbable materials have been developed to assist in the prevention of these complications but there has not been any direct comparison of these adjunctive devices to reduce these complications. We sought to directly compare the TYRX absorbable antibacterial and CanGaroo extracellular matrix (ECM) envelopes in an animal model susceptible to these specific CIED-related complications (i.e., skin erosion and infection). Methods and results Sixteen mice undergoing implantation with biopotential transmitters were divided into three groups (no envelope = 4, TYRX = 5, and CanGaroo = 7) and monitored for device-related complications. Following 12 weeks of implantation, gross and histological analysis of the remaining capsules was performed. Three animals in the CanGaroo group (43%) had device erosion compared to none in the TYRX group. The remaining capsules excised at 12 weeks were qualitatively thicker following CanGaroo compared to TYRX and no envelope and histological evaluation demonstrated increased connective tissue with CanGaroo. Conclusion CanGaroo ECM envelopes did not reduce the incidence of device erosion and were associated with qualitatively thicker capsules and connective tissue staining at 12 weeks compared to no envelope or TYRX. Further studies regarding the use of these envelopes to prevent device erosion and their subsequent impact on capsule formation are warranted.
The Role of Intrapartum Sonography in Persistent Occiput Posterior Position and Prolonged Labor

Persistent occiput posterior in prolonged second stage of labor represents an important clinical challenge. Fetuses in occiput posterior position are associated with increases in perinatal complications such as cesarean delivery, failure of operative vaginal delivery, neonatal acidemia, and neonatal intensive care admission. The use of intrapartum ultrasound to asses fetal position and to predict and aid in decision-making regarding successful spontaneous vaginal or operative vaginal deliveries can aid in safe management decisions. Ultrasound can also be used for assistance in both manual rotation and also in guidance prior to forces rotation.
Embryonic requirements for Tcf12 in the development of the mouse coronal suture

A major feature of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is coronal craniosynostosis, the fusion of the frontal and parietal bones at the coronal suture. It is caused by heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in the basic HLH transcription factors TWIST1 and TCF12. While compound heterozygous Tcf12; Twist1 mice display severe coronal synostosis, the individual role of Tcf12 has remained unexplored. Here we show that Tcf12 controls several key processes in calvarial development, including the rate of frontal and parietal bone growth, and the boundary between sutural and osteogenic cells. Genetic analysis supports an embryonic requirement for Tcf12 in suture formation, as combined deletion of Tcf12 in the embryonic neural crest and mesoderm, but not in the postnatal suture mesenchyme, disrupts the coronal suture. We also detect asymmetric distribution of Grem1 + mesenchymal cells on opposing sides of the wild-type frontal and parietal bones, which prefigures later bone overlap at the sutures. In Tcf12 mutants, reduced asymmetry correlates with lack of bone overlap. Our results indicate a largely embryonic function of Tcf12 in controlling the rate and asymmetrical growth of calvarial bones and establishment of suture boundaries, which together ensure the proper formation of the overlapping coronal suture.
Bend, Don't Break: Small Business Financial Resilience after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

This report assesses the impact of hurricanes Harvey and Irma on small businesses’ cash inflows, outflows and balances. We leverage an anonymized sample of 40,000 firms who hold business banking deposit accounts with Chase to produce a daily view of small business cash flows from August 2017 to November 2017. We find that cash balances for the typical small business dropped by 7.4 percent after landfall in Houston and Miami, but recovered within two to three weeks. Moreover, inflows dropped by over 63 percent and recover in about a week, and outflows dropped by over 54 percent and recovered in two to three weeks. While balances and cash flows fell in all industries the week of landfall, construction, repair and maintenance firm balances increased the most in the weeks following landfall. These findings provide insight into the major financial disruption that small businesses experienced in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and the relative financial resilience of firms in the face of these impacts.
The assessment of the impact of induction spatial effects on magnetic flux measurements of toner-printed documents to the detection of forged or altered documents

Magnetic flux measurements of toners can aid in the rapid differentiation of toner-printed specimens in the context of investigations of forgeries or alterations of printed documents. However, some variables that may impact magnetic flux measurements, including hysteresis effects, are not currently well understood. This study assessed the impact of hysteresis and other induction spatial effects on magnetic flux measurements of toners analyzing five toner-printed samples produced from different devices. The samples were printed with controlled grids of square, rectangular, and elongated rectangular blocks with the same area. Thirty measurements were conducted on each sample, on each grid type. The measurements were repeated in planes of rotation 90°, 180°, and 270° counter to this original position. The values obtained for the square grids were evaluated using one-way ANOVA to assess the presence and impact of hysteresis effects. The values obtained for the rectangular grids were compared with those obtained for the square grids using a two-way ANOVA to determine potential induction current orientation effects. The results of both one-way and two-way ANOVA were significant with p < 0.05, indicating that both hysteresis effects and induction current spatial effects contribute significantly to variations in magnetic flux measurements. Results confirmed that sensor orientation is an important factor that must be accounted for in method protocols for the measurement of magnetic flux of toners. Controlling these variables is a step forward toward the development of a reliable screening method to be deployed in the context of investigations of document forgeries or alterations.
Corporate governance and the rise of integrating corporate social responsibility criteria in executive compensation: Effectiveness and implications for firm outcomes

Research Summary This study examines the integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) criteria in executive compensation, a relatively recent practice in corporate governance. We construct a novel database of CSR contracting and document that CSR contracting has become more prevalent over time. We further find that the adoption of CSR contracting leads to (a) an increase in long‐term orientation; (b) an increase in firm value; (c) an increase in social and environmental initiatives; (d) a reduction in emissions; and (e) an increase in green innovations. These findings are consistent with our theoretical arguments predicting that CSR contracting helps direct management's attention to stakeholders that are less salient but financially material to the firm in the long run, thereby enhancing corporate governance. Managerial Summary This paper examines the effectiveness and implications of integrating environmental and social performance criteria in executive compensation (CSR contracting)—a recent practice in corporate governance that is becoming more and more prevalent. We show that CSR contracting mitigates corporate short‐termism and improves business performance. Firms that adopt CSR contracting experience a significant increase in firm value, which foreshadows an increase in long‐term operating profits. Furthermore, firms that adopt CSR contracting improve their environmental and social performance, especially with respect to the environment and local communities. Overall, our findings suggest that CSR contracting directs management's attention to stakeholders that are less salient but financially material to the firm in the long run, thereby improving a firm's governance and its impact on society and the natural environment.
Multiple-Dose Dalbavancin Regimens as the Predominant Treatment of Deep-Seated or Endovascular Infections: A Scoping Review

Off-label use of dalbavancin for deep-seated and endovascular infections has been increasing. We performed a scoping review to evaluate the evidence for use of multiple-dose dalbavancin regimens as the predominant therapy for these indications. Predominant therapy was defined as use of dalbavancin without other concurrent antibiotics for more than half of the total treatment duration. Fifteen publications were identified; 2 were small, open-label randomized controlled trials and the remainder were retrospective observational studies or case reports. A total of 144 cases from these publications met eligibility criteria for inclusion in this review. Types of infections included osteoarticular infections, catheter-related or complicated bloodstream infections, and infective endocarditis. Overall, the evidence for use of multiple-dose regimens of dalbavancin for deep-seated and endovascular infections is limited by a paucity of data from controlled trials, heterogeneity of dosing regimens, and a lack of standardized clinical outcomes.
Bridge Backwater in Wide Valleys

A METHOD IS PRESENTED FOR CALCULATING THE LONGITUDINAL WATER SURFACE PROFILE IN THE REACH OF A RIVER IN FLOOD WHICH IS DISTRUBED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE BRIDGE AND EMBANKMENT FILL. A VARIETY OF PROFILES ARE FOUND TO BE POSSIBLE DEPENDING ON THE ABSTRACTION, OR ACCRETION, RATE AND THE RESISTANCE TO FLOW. BECAUSE THE FLOW ON THE FLOODPLAIN IS CONCENTRATED BY THE VALLEY CROSSING, BACKWATER IS POSSIBLE DOWNSTREAM FROM THE BRIDGE AS WELL AS UPSTREAM. THUS, THE FLOW MOVING TO AND FROM THE CHANNEL WELL UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE BRIDGE MUST BE CONSIDERED AND PROPERLY ANALYZED IN PREDICTING THE BACKWATER PROFILE THROUGH THE BRIDGE ALONG THE CENTER LINE OF THE CHANNEL. IMPROVEMENTS AND REFINEMENTS ON THE SIMPLE CALCULATION PROCEDURES PRESENTED WILL DEPEND ON FIELD MEASUREMENTS AND LABORATORY OBSERVATIONS. /AUTHOR/
MARINE REHEAT CYCLES AND SYSTEMS EVALUATION

In light of recent improvements in steam propulsion resulting from the application of the reheat cycle, it is the purpose of the paper to present general and accurate comparative data, to aid others in the proper application of reheat and to evaluate its gains. Schematic engine room arrangements for a symmetrical plant as well as one designed for improved economics are presented for possible application on twin-screw, high-utilization, fast-turnaround vessels. Various methods for specifying reheat performance are reviewed and reasons for a new method are given. A heat rate method is proposed and developed to help inprove standards of calculation and specification. Heat rate factors are provided on most engine room components to allow trade-off studies. Typical all-purpose fuel rate curves for five cycles are shown for 30,000 to 200,000 shp. Representative heat balance data are given to allow the marine designers to size or specify components by interpolation on a preliminary basis.
Numerical simulation of the effect of wind on the missile motion

The paper presents a model of the missile dynamics and the impact of the wind field thereon. Sample results of numerical simulation of the missile flight across the wind field are given and conclusions drawn.
A 12.4 mW CMOS front-end for a 5 GHz wireless-LAN receiver

This paper presents a 12.4 mW front-end for a 5 GHz wireless-LAN receiver fabricated in a 0.24 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. It consists of an LNA, mixers and an automatically tuned third-order filter controlled by a low-power PLL. The filter attenuates the image-signal by an additional 12 dB beyond what can be achieved by an image-reject architecture. The filter also reduces the noise contribution of the cascode devices in the LNA core. The LNA/filter combination has a noise figure of 4.8 dB and the overall noise figure of the signal path is 5.2 dB. The overall IIP3 is -2 dBm.
A Dynamical System for Plant Pattern Formation: A Rigorous Analysis

We present a rigorous mathematical analysis of a discrete dynamical system modeling plant pattern formation. In this model, based on the work of physicists Douady and Couder, fixed points are the spiral or helical lattices often occurring in plants. The frequent occurrence of the Fibonacci sequence in the number of visible spirals is explained by the stability of the fixed points in this system, as well as by the structure of their bifurcation diagram. We provide a detailed study of this diagram.
Representing and evaluating the landscape freeze/thaw properties and their impacts on soil impermeability: Hydrological processes in the community land model version 4

[1] Snow cover at high latitudes is an excellent natural insulator that can maintain the underlying ground at a higher temperature than the overlying atmosphere. Soil impermeability usually varies when snow cover accumulates, which is closely related to soil and landscape freeze/thaw status. How snow cover affects the landscape frozen fraction and soil impermeability and how this impermeability regulates hydrological processes in cold regions have not been fully assessed and quantified. In order to understand these processes, this study performed a series of experiments by using the Community Land Model version 4 (CLM4). We first simulated the top-soil-layer ice, snow ice, and canopy ice to calculate the landscape frozen fraction, which was evaluated based on the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) observed landscape freeze/thaw earth system data record (FT-ESDR) in two selected regions at high latitudes. Then two soil impermeability parameterizations were validated against various in situ and satellite observations. The results suggest the following: (1) compared to SSM/I FT-ESDR, CLM4 can capture the overall landscape freeze/thaw status in the regions north of 60°N in boreal winter and spring; (2) as the snow cover fraction approaches unity, the CLM4-simulated landscape frozen fraction is mainly controlled by the snow ice amount, resulting in step changes between SSM/I FT-ESDR observed and CLM4-simulated landscape frozen fractions; and (3) in most of the cold regions, the timing of the boreal spring runoff simulations is improved by reducing the impermeable area in high landscape frozen fraction regions.
The classical controller: a special case of the fuzzy logic controller

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the classical controller is equivalent to a special case of the fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The FLC is basically a piecewise linear controller. Analysis of a mathematical equation for an FLC shows that the resultant output equation is a linear combination of the inputs over different ranges of operations. If the linear combination is the same over all ranges of operation, then the FLC is equivalent to the classical controller. >
Impact of Quad Flat No Lead package (QFN) on automated X-ray inspection (AXI)

QFN is increasingly being used on wireless cards, handhelds etc. However, QFN unique solder joints pose great challenges for AXI. This paper discusses lack of industry specification for QFN inspection, how AXI methodology was improved to detect QFN solder joint defect, design for inspection and future work.