cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Ceramic Vacuum Chamber for a Fast-Cycling Proton Synchrotron

Alumina ceramic vacuum chambers are proposed in the area of the magnets for the 8-GeV injector synchrotron of the 200-GeV accelerator. The chambers cannot be made in one piece, and the only acceptable joint involves metal, which has a perturbing effect on the magnetic field. For this reason it was proposed that the longest possible ceramic be used to keep the joints to a minimum, but long ceramics require wider tolerances, and this becomes costly in magnet gap. Sample ceramics produced by industry were examined, and from the results the overall cost of ceramics and magnet gap were related to ceramic length. Installing and locating the chambers in the magnet gap is difficult due to the restrictions of shape and size of the gap.
Comprehensive proteomics analysis reveals new substrates and regulators of the fission yeast Clp1/Cdc14 phosphatase

The conserved family of Cdc14 phosphatases targets cyclin-dependent kinase substrates in yeast, mediating late mitotic signaling events. To discover substrates and regulators of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cdc14 phosphatase Clp1, TAP-tagged Clp1, and a substrate trapping mutant (Clp1-C286S) were purified from asynchronous and mitotic (prometaphase and anaphase) cells and binding partners were identified by 2D-LC-MS/MS. Over 100 Clp1-interacting proteins were consistently identified, over 70 of these were enriched in Clp1-C286S-TAP (potential substrates) and we and others detected Cdk1 phosphorylation sites in over half (44/73) of these potential substrates. According to GO annotations, Clp1-interacting proteins are involved in many essential cellular processes including mitosis, cytokinesis, ribosome biogenesis, transcription, and trafficking among others. We confirmed association and dephosphorylation of multiple candidate substrates, including a key scaffolding component of the septation initiation network called Cdc11, an essential kinase of the conserved morphogenesis-related NDR kinase network named Shk1, and multiple Mlu1-binding factor transcriptional regulators. In addition, we identified Sal3, a nuclear β-importin, as the sole karyopherin required for Clp1 nucleoplasmic shuttling, a key mode of Cdc14 phosphatase regulation. Finally, a handful of proteins were more abundant in wild type Clp1-TAP versus Clp1-C286S-TAP, suggesting that they may directly regulate Clp1 signaling or serve as scaffolding platforms to localize Clp1 activity.
Thalamic-Evoked Synaptic Interactions in Barrel Cortex Revealed by Optical Imaging

We used optical imaging of voltage-sensitive dye signals to study the spatiotemporal spread of activity in the mouse barrel cortex, evoked by stimulation of thalamocortical afferents in an in vitro slice preparation. Stimulation of the thalamus, at low current intensity, results in activity largely restricted to a single barrel, and to the border between layers Vb and VI. Low concentrations of the GABA A receptor antagonist bicuculline increase the amplitude of the optical signals, without affecting their spatiotemporal propagation. Higher concentrations of bicuculline result in paroxysmal activity, which propagates via intracolumnar and intercolumnar excitatory pathways. Enhancing the activity of NMDA receptors, by removing Mg 2+ from the extracellular solution, dramatically alters the spatiotemporal pattern of excitation: activity spreads to supragranular and infragranular layers and adjacent barrel columns. This enhanced propagation is suppressed by the NMDA receptor antagonist AP5. A similar enhancement of activity propagation can be produced by stimulating the thalamus with a short, high-frequency pulse train. Application of AP5 suppresses the frequency-dependent spread of activity. These findings indicate that the spatiotemporal spread of activity in the barrel cortex is altered by varying the temporal patterns of thalamic inputs, via an NMDA receptor-mediated mechanism, and suggest that a similar process occurs during repetitive whisking activity.
A Linguistic Analysis of Student-Generated Paraphrases.

Paraphrase identification is a core Natural Language Processing task that involves assessing the semantic similarity of two texts. To foster systematic studies of this task, standardized datasets were created on which various approaches could be compared more fairly. However, a better understanding and more precise operational definition of a paraphrase are needed before any further datasets or systematic evaluations of the task of paraphrase identification are proposed. This study develops the concept of paraphrasing as a writing strategy. Six types of paraphrases are defined through the creation of a relatively large corpus of student-generated paraphrases. These paraphrases are analyzed along several dozen linguistic dimensions ranging from cohesion to lexical diversity. The most significant indices from these dimensions were then used to build a prediction model that could identify true and false paraphrases and each of the six paraphrase types.
Firm/Employee Matching An Industry Study of U.S. Lawyers

The authors study the sources of match-specific value at large U.S. law firms by analyzing how graduates of law schools group into law firms. They measure the degree to which lawyers from certain schools concentrate within certain firms and then analyze how this agglomeration can be explained by “natural advantage’’ factors (such as geographic proximity) and by productive complementarities across graduates of a given school. Large law firms tend to hire from a select group of law schools, and individual offices within these firms are substantially more concentrated in terms of hires from particular schools. The degree of concentration is highly variable, as there is substantial variation in firms’ hiring strategies. Two main drivers of variation in law school concentration occur within law offices. First, geography drives a large amount of concentration, as most firms hire largely from local schools. Second, school-based networks (and possibly productive complementarities) appear to be important because p...
Safety, Media Coverage and Provincial SOEs: Explaining Ownership Variation in Chinese Coal-Industry Restructuring

This paper looks at regional variation in industrial restructuring and ownership change in China’s coal industry. A growing literature exists on Chinese industrial policy, state efforts to carry out industrial restructuring, and “Chinese state capitalism”. Coal mining presents an interesting case for this research agenda. Contrary to what the literature would suggest, the industry has undergone extensive and from the Center’s perspective, successful, state-led restructuring and has also seen large-scale changes to ownership structures, at least in some provinces. I argue that three variables are key to explaining these changes. Two – geology and path-dependent legacies qua presence or absence of provincial-owned SOEs – are unsurprising. The third – political pressure over mining accidents and the Chinese media’s role in generating this pressure – is unexpected. Restructuring only happened after extensive media coverage of mining accidents converted the industry’s structural problems from a technical, industrial-policy problem into a political problem of wider significance, and restructuring went furthest and ownership changes were most drastic and conflictual where media coverage of accidents and thus political pressure thereover was greatest. In the rest of this paper I first look at the question of restructuring and private ownership in China’s strategic industries. Secondly, I lay out the structural changes coal mining underwent in the past 20 years and lay out the provincial variation. Third, I discuss the interests of local (subprovincial) governments that have led them to take a fairly protective stance towards the private mines. Fourth, I explain how media pressure over accidents reshaped these interests in the 2000s. Fifth, I lay out how these pressures and interests led to varying restructuring patterns in different provinces.
Database Distributed Semantic Caching Based on Agent

With the application of large-scale database in the background,a distributed database accessing platform based on multi-Agent is constructed.Distributed semantic caching is studied,and an intelligent pre-fetching algorithm in Agent-based platform is proposed.A new blackboard model is designed to realize the communication between Agents.The test on large-scale database system shows that the statistic query performance has been improved markedly.
The Effect of TMP on the UFR of Haemodialysers in Vitro Testing

Objective To discuss the effect of TMP on the UFR of haemodialysers in vitro testing. Methods According to the sequence of TMP from minimum to maximum,the haemodialysers of four specifications selected were used to measure the UFR,and the UFR was compared and analyzed. Results With the increase of TMP,the decrease rate of UFR of high-through haemodialysers(membrane area 2.1 m2) was 53.0 ml/mmHg/hr,the decrease rate of UFR of high-through haemodialysers(membrane area 1.5 m2) was 40.2 ml/mmHg/hr,the decrease rate of UFR of low-through haemodialysers(membrane area 2.1 m2) was 6.4 ml/mmHg/hr,the decrease rate of UFR of low-through haemodialysers(membrane area 1.3 m2) was 3.1 ml/mmHg/hr. Conclusion The increase of TMP makes the results of UFR in vitro testing present the decline of different degree.
OR fire virtual training simulator: design and face validity

Background The Virtual Electrosurgical Skill Trainer is a tool for training surgeons the safe operation of electrosurgery tools in both open and minimally invasive surgery. This training includes a dedicated team-training module that focuses on operating room (OR) fire prevention and response. The module was developed to allow trainees, practicing surgeons, anesthesiologist, and nurses to interact with a virtual OR environment, which includes anesthesia apparatus, electrosurgical equipment, a virtual patient, and a fire extinguisher. Wearing a head-mounted display, participants must correctly identify the “fire triangle” elements and then successfully contain an OR fire. Within these virtual reality scenarios, trainees learn to react appropriately to the simulated emergency. A study targeted at establishing the face validity of the virtual OR fire simulator was undertaken at the 2015 Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons conference.
Using a Positive Psychology and Family Framework to Understand Mexican American Adolescents' College-Going Beliefs.

Positive psychology is a useful framework to understand Mexican American adolescents’ academic experiences. We used a quantitative, predictive design to explore how presence of meaning in life, sea...
From ‘Intersex’ to ‘DSD’: a case of epistemic injustice

The 2005 International Consensus Conference on Intersex resulted in a substantive revision of the lexicon and guidelines for treating intersex conditions. The speed with which the new treatment protocol has been adopted by healthcare practitioners and providers is considered unprecedented. However, a number of intersex people and advocacy groups have complained that the recommended revisions are inadequately informed by the testimony of intersex people. In this paper, I argue that such complaints are valid and that, despite the conference conveners stated intention, the revisions perpetuate the epistemic injustice long endured by intersex people. By analyzing the Consensus Conference and its results as a failed attempt to redress the epistemic marginalization of intersex patients and advocacy groups, I am able to identify lingering institutional hurdles to cultivating the virtue of epistemic justice in biomedical practice.
The modified rapid emergency medicine score: A novel trauma triage tool to predict in-hospital mortality.

Abstract Background Trauma systems currently rely on imperfect and subjective tools to prioritize responses and resources, thus there is a critical need to develop a more accurate trauma severity score. Our objective was to modify the Rapid Emergency Medicine (REMS) Score for the trauma population and test its accuracy as a predictor of in-hospital mortality when compared to other currently used scores, including the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), the Injury Severity Score (ISS), the “Mechanism, Glasgow Coma Scale, Age and Arterial Pressure” (MGAP) score, and the Shock Index (SI) score. Methods The two-part study design involved both a modification step and a validation step. The first step incorporated a retrospective analysis of a local trauma database (3680 patients) where three components of REMS were modified to more accurately represent the trauma population. Using clinical judgment and goodness-of-fit tests, systolic blood pressure was substituted for mean arterial pressure, the weighting of age was reduced, and the weighting of Glasgow Coma Scale was increased. The second part comprised validating the new modified REMS (mREMS) score retrospectively on a U.S. National Trauma Databank (NTDB) that included 429,711 patients admitted with trauma in 2012. The discriminate power of mREMS was compared to other trauma scores using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve. Results Overall the mREMS score with an AUC of 0.967 (95% CI: 0.963–0.971) was demonstrated to be higher than RTS (AUC 0.959 [95% CI: 0.955–0.964]), ISS (AUC 0.780 [95% CI 0.770–0.791]), MGAP (AUC 0.964 [95% CI: 0.959–0.968]), and SI (AUC 0.670 [95% CI: 0.650–0.690]) in predicting in-hospital mortality on the NTDB. Conclusion In the trauma population, mREMS is an accurate predictor of in-hospital mortality, outperforming other used scores. Simple and objective, mREMS may hold value in the pre-hospital and emergency department setting in order to guide trauma team responses.
Silicon Based BioMEMS: Micromachining Technologies

This chapter discusses silicon based bioMEMS-micromachining technologies. BioMEMS, or Bio-Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems, integrates microsystems technology with applications in biology and the life sciences. Disposable and miniature clinical diagnostic systems are mechanisms to increase patient throughput in point-of-care clinical settings. In addition to being painful and causing patient discomfort, syringe injection can potentially release high concentrations of the drug to the entire body. This can cause unintended systemic effects that are correlated with drug side effects. A new class of transdermal devices is a microstructured array of hollow microneedles. When applied to the skin, these microneedles pierce the topmost layer of the skin, opening micropores. The current brain-computer interface (BCI) approaches, including those using surface electroencephalogram, lack functional stability due to cell and tissue reactive responses that occur around implanted devices. The body's response results in the formation of a dense cellular sheath around the implanted electrode arrays, which increases the device impedance and leads to a loss of device functionality. Many types of biosensors have been proposed for detection of biological molecules. The ability to detect small amounts of materials, including biological entities such as pathogenic bacteria, is important for medical diagnostics, detection of infectious agents, mass based flow cytometry, and sizing of colloidal particles. Engineered micro- and nano-mechanical systems serve as multifunctional, highly sensitive, immunospecific biological detectors. Overall, there are four key issues that dominate the development of silicon BioMEMS devices—delivery, performance, complexity of fabrication, and costs.
Bloodied Kansas: Nazi Retribution in a Kansas POW Camp

Fear! Raw, naked, animal fear! Kameraden! Kameraden! Help! Help! Someone, please! Anyone, please? Faces, a blur of faces. Some sneer. Some laugh! Others look down, look away. Run! Where? The gate, they will help. They must help! No! Where are they going? This can't happen, not here!Blows--fists, boots, hammerlike blows! Exhaustion. Silence. Acceptance. And finally ... darkness.In Nazi-occupied Europe this scenario played out for thousands of victims. But this wasn't Europe. This tragedy occurred in the United States, in Kansas. The victim was Captain Felix Tropschuh, Afrika Korps veteran, and a prisoner of war under the charge of the U.S. Army. His tormentors were his fellow prisoners and his ordeal was endured right under the noses of his American captors and under conditions existing with American acquiescence.
Review Richness: How Online Consumer Review Information Content Shapes Persuasion Through Review Richness: An Abstract

Online reviews are a critical electronic word-of-mouth source: firms with helpful reviews are thought of as providing better value, and consumers trust and use reviews to make purchase decisions. Accordingly, research has explored how review features, such as length and valence, influence how persuasive a review is. However, an implicit assumption in the literature is that review length can be used to proxy for how much information is in a review. Yet, two reviews of equal length may contain different amounts of information. To relax this assumption, we conceptualize and propose a new measure of review information content termed “review richness” and an ancillary review complexity measure, constructed based on Shannon’s entropy. These measures rely on constructing a lexicon that represents the distribution of words consumers most often use in a category, which reveals words that are often repeated (and thus carry little new content) and words that are more uncommon, providing review readers with more information. Results indicate that review richness is a significant predictor of review helpfulness, particularly for purchases with high expected risk. In terms of predictive ability, adding review richness to a helpfulness model is equivalent to half the predictive ability of review length. Therefore, review richness is a metric that should be included in predictive models of review helpfulness to identify which reviews are most persuasive to review readers.
Teaching an old dog new TRICS: re-evaluating transfusion triggers in high-risk cardiac surgery.

Use of a restrictive or liberal red blood cell (RBC) transfusion trigger in cardiac surgery (CS) has been the subject of intense debate in the last decade (1-4). Multiple co-morbidities present in CS patients often necessitate perioperative transfusion of RBCs and other allogeneic blood products. CS procedures utilize over 20% of the blood supply in the United States (5). It is well known that allogeneic blood transfusion is associated with increased rates of hospital acquired infection, immunosuppression, circulatory overload, and mortality (6-8). On the other hand, there is some concern that restricting RBC transfusion may result in inadequate oxygen delivery to ischemic tissues, adversely affecting clinical outcomes (9).
Biological transformation of solar energy.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a description of a hypothetical solar energy conversion plant in which an algal culture pond, algal digester, and a thermal power generator are combined to transform solar energy into electrical power. Description, specifications, and cost estimates are provided for designing, maintaining, and operating each of the units. The cost of line power as a function of latitude and photosynthetic efficiency is estimated in the chapter. According to the data and information presented, the cost of line power in the lower latitudes of the earth would be from 15 –20 mills/kw.-hr. This compares with the estimated 16.7 mills/kw.-hr. For a fission plant of equivalent capacity, but is about three times the cost of present day thermal power in the U. S. By increasing the efficiency of the solar energy collecting ponds and improvements in digester design, power costs could be decreased to the extent that solar energy would compare favorably in cost with other sources of energy in special areas of the world.
Two-Stage Clustering with k-Means Algorithm

k-means has recently been recognized as one of the best algorithms for clustering unsupervised data. Since the k-means depends mainly on distance calculation between all data points and the centers then the cost will be high when the size of the dataset is big (for example more than 500MG points). We suggested a two stage algorithm to reduce the cost of calculation for huge datasets. The first stage is fast calculation depending on small portion of the data to produce the best location of the centers. The second stage is the slow calculation in which the initial centers are taken from the first stage. The fast and slow stages are representing the movement of the centers. In the slow stage the whole dataset can be used to get the exact location of the centers. The cost of the calculation of the fast stage is very low due to the small size of the data chosen. The cost of the calculation of the slow stage is also small due to the low number of iterations.
Distrust in Dependence: The Ancient Challenge of Superior-Subordinate Relations

The oldest surviving advice about management practices concerns leaders’ deceptions of followers. Tension-filled, distrustful relations between leaders and followers pervade the ancient texts. Drawing on the oldest surviving documents, this chapter reviews these common issues and people’s responses to them. The issues encompass: (a) how much leaders and followers should trust each other and speak forthrightly to each other, (b) how leaders manipulate followers and followers manipulate leaders, (c) how much followers respect leaders and leaders respect followers, (d) whether status differences are just, and (e) when leaders act appropriately.
Congestion Control Techniques for Packet Networks

Congestion control mechanisms are needed for store-and-forward packet networks to maintain a high level of throughput. The basic requirements of network congestion control and some specific control techniques are examined. The use of input buffer (IB) limits for network congestion control is introduced. The rationale for the effectiveness of IB limits is discussed. Strategies for the design of IB limits have been investigated using both queueing analysis and simulation experiments. Some of our preliminary findings are presented.
Modeling Molten Fuel-Moderator Interactions for the CANDU Flow Blockage Accident

CANDU reactors are pressurized heavy water― moderated and heavy water―cooled reactor designs. During commissioning of nuclear power plants, a range of possible accidents must be considered to assure a plant's robust design. Consider a complete channel blockage in the CANDU reactor. Such an extreme flow blockage event would result in fuel overheating, pressure tube failure, partial melting of fuel rods, and possible molten fuel— moderator interactions (MFMIs). The MFMI phenomenon would occur immediately after the pressure tube rupture and would involve a mixture of steam, hydrogen, and molten fuel being ejected into the surrounding moderator water in the form of a high-pressure vapor bubble mixture. This bubble mixture would accelerate the surrounding denser water, causing interfacial mixing due to hydrodynamic instabilities at the interface. As a result of these interfacial instabilities, water is entrained into the growing two-phase bubble mixture with attendant mass and heat transfer, e.g., water vaporization and fuel oxidation. A comprehensive model has been developed to investigate these complex phenomena resulting from a postulated complete flow blockage and complete pressure tube failure. This dynamic model serves as a baseline to characterize the pressure response due to a pressure tube rupture and the associated MFMI phenomena. Theoretical modeling of these interrelated complex phenomena is not known a priori, and therefore, a semiempirical approach is adopted.
The Conception of a Pragmatic Social Cognitive Psychology

As the turn of the nineteenth century approached, the new president of the American Psychological Association (APA) stood before his colleagues and admonished them to join theory and research to social practice. His concerns included the hostility of experimental psychologists to applied psychologists and practitioners as well as the latter’s indifference to research. He also had great hopes for practice to be scientifically grounded. He feared the consequences of segregation into two camps: an irrelevant basic psychology fashioned from the artificialities of the laboratory and an unscientific practice reflecting suspect traditions and intuition. His own work demonstrated the value of ongoing cross-fertilization between these two perspectives. He used new theory and research in child development to guide his educational innovations; experiences emerging from them challenged theory and research for explanations.
A pilot feasibility study of definitive concurrent chemoradiation with pencil beam scanning proton beam in combination with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-c for carcinoma of the anal canal.

733Background: Definitive chemoradiation (CRT) with concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/mitomycin C (MMC) for anal cancer yields high rates of long term survival. However, CRT has significant acute an...
How to Write a Legal Mapping Paper

A legal mapping paper (sometimes called a “50 state survey”) reports the results of research to identify the key provisions of law on a particular issue, identifies patterns in the nature and distribution of laws, and defines important questions for evaluation research, legal analysis and policy development. The 50-state survey has a long history in public health law, but scientific legal mapping papers now set the standard for legal mapping work. This paper, aimed particularly at students of law and/or health policy evaluation, describes the standard elements of a mapping paper following the conventions of writing in the health and social sciences. It assumes the reader has collected and coded legal text into data according to accepted methods. A scientific legal mapping paper reporting these results should be concise, typically between 1200-3000 words of primary text. It should be organized into conventional sections, including Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Limitations, and Conclusion, as specified by the target journal. It should be written in an objective tone, with opinion or commentary confined to the Discussion section. The paper includes illustrations from published mapping studies and a checklist of elements.
Correlated factors with filial piety expectations of older Koreans and Korean-Americans

ABSTRACTChanging filial piety expectations have been examined from the viewpoint of younger generations. However, research on older adults’ perspective of this cultural phenomenon is virtually abse...
Deforestation, Malaria and Infant Mortality in Indonesia

Factors expected to change concurrently with forest loss—such as income and air pollution— shape human health in different ways, making it difficult to ex ante predict the net impact of deforestation. This paper investigates the infant mortality effects of prenatal exposure to high biomass forest loss in Indonesia, a country that has rich forest reserves that are being subjected to high levels of deforestation. The analysis uses a fixed effects approach on district-level panel data, essentially tracking how mortality responds to forest cover changes over time within districts. Results suggest that forest loss favors survival among all infants. However, there is variation in the forest loss-infant mortality relationship by gravidity or pregnancy order—while children born from women’s higher order pregnancies are less likely to die when exposed to deforestation, children born from first pregnancies experience an increase in their risk of death. Potential mechanisms such as air pollution, economic activity and perinatal health care do not appear to explain the gravidity-specific effects of deforestation. However, the observed pattern of results suggests that effects are being channeled through malaria—the disease, which is likely to increase with forest loss, tends to disproportionately infect women during their first pregnancy, thus causing greater harm to the children born from these pregnancies.
Total Synthesis of (-)-Ambiguine P.

Described is a concise total synthesis of (−)-ambiguine P, a cycloheptane-containing member of the hapalindole alkaloids. The challenging pentacyclic framework of the natural product was assembled rapidly via a [4 + 3] cycloaddition reaction-inspired strategy, and the tertiary hydroxy group was introduced by an NBS-mediated bromination–nucleophilic substitution sequence.
Are testicular cortisol and WISP2 involved in estrogen-regulated Sertoli cell proliferation?

Abstract The number of Sertoli cells has a major effect on adult testis size and sperm production capacity. Mechanisms that regulate the number of Sertoli cells in livestock are at best nebulously understood; however, with lesser testicular estrogen production, proliferation of Sertoli cells is prolonged compared with vehicle-treated littermates. Decreased WISP2 gene expression in testes as a result of less endogenous estrogen is similar to altered WISP2 gene expression following corticosteroid treatment of some cultured cells. Taken together, these findings indicate decreased testicular cortisol might be in the signaling pathway between reduced endogenous estrogens and the prolonged interval of Sertoli cell proliferation. Hence, in these studies, potential actions of testicular corticosteroid on Sertoli cell numbers were evaluated. Testicular cortisol concentrations were reduced at 6.5 weeks of age (P 0.05). In summary, testicular glucocorticoid concentration was inversely correlated with Sertoli cell numbers during the first wave of Sertoli cell proliferation.
Comparison of Methods to Teach Magnetic Declination

Compasses continue to be essential equipment for outdoor navigation; however, it is challenging for some students to learn how to use a map and compass effectively and efficiently. Perhaps one of the most challenging issues is understanding and applying magnetic declination. There are multiple methods of accounting for declination; however, most sources of printed instruction and likely many individuals stick to one method of working with declination. The purpose of this article was to present four methods of accounting for magnetic declination. The intention of systematically presenting these methods was to increase awareness, facilitate a comparison, and spur further investigation into the efficacy of the different methods.
Intermetallic Nanoparticles: Synthetic Control and Their Enhanced Electrocatalysis

Intermetallic nanoparticles (NPs) described in this Account are a class of metallic alloy NPs within which metal atoms are bonded via strong d-orbital interaction and ordered anisotropically in a specific crystallographic direction. Compared to the common metallic alloy NPs with solid solution structure, intermetallic NPs are generally more stable against chemical oxidation and etching. The strict stoichiometry requirement, well-defined atom binding environment and layered atomic arrangement also make intermetallic NPs an ideal model for understanding their physical and catalytic properties. This account summarizes the synthetic principles and strategies developed to obtain monodisperse intermetallic NPs, especially tetragonal L10-NPs. The thermodynamics and kinetics involved in the conversion between disordered and ordered structures are briefly discussed. The synthetic methods are grouped into two slightly different categories: solution-phase synthesis followed by solid state annealing and direct solution-phase synthesis. In the former method, high-surface-area supports are often needed to disperse NPs and to prevent them from aggregation, while in the latter method such supports are not required since the structure conversion temperature is lowered to a level that the conversion can proceed in the solution reaction condition. In any of these two synthetic approaches, various factors influencing intermetallic structure formation should be carefully controlled to ensure more complete structural transition within NPs. Using representative synthetic examples, we highlight the strategies explored to facilitate the formation of intermetallic structure, including the introduction of vacancies/defects within NP structures and the control of atom addition rate/seed-mediated diffusion to lower the energy barrier. These strategies illustrate how the concept of thermodynamics and kinetics can be used to design the synthesis of intermetallic NPs. Additionally, to correlate NP structure and catalysis, we introduce briefly the d-band theory to explain how the electronic, strain and ensemble effects can be used to tune NP catalysis. We focus specifically on Pt-, Pd-, and Au-based L10-NPs and demonstrate how these L10-NPs could be prepared to show much enhanced catalysis for electrochemical reactions, including oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR), and thermo-oxidation reaction of CO. Due to the enhanced metal atom stability in the "sandwich"-type structure, the roles of the first-row transition metal atoms in catalysis are better understood to achieve catalysis optimization. This concept can be extended to other alloy NPs, demonstrating great potentials in using intermetallic structures to control NP reduction and oxidation catalysis for important chemical and energy applications.
Light-front wave functions of mesons, baryons, and pentaquarks with topology-induced local four-quark interaction

We calculate light-front wave functions of mesons, baryons and pentaquarks in a model including constituent mass (representing chiral symmetry breaking), harmonic confining potential, and four-quark local interaction of 't Hooft type. The model is a simplified version of that used by Jia and Vary. The method used is numerical diagonalization of the Hamiltonian matrix, with a certain functional basis. We found that the nucleon wave function displays strong diquark correlations, unlike that for the Delta (decuplet) baryon. We also calculate a three-quark-five-quark admixture to baryons and the resulting antiquark sea parton distribution function.
Particle separation in xanthan gum solutions

Label-free separation of particles by an intrinsic property can be implemented in microfluidic devices through either an externally imposed field or an inherent flow-induced force. Among the latter type of passive techniques, elastic or elasto-inertial lift-based particle separation in non-Newtonian fluids has received a rapidly growing interest in the past decade. However, current demonstrations of particle separation in non-Newtonian fluids have all taken place in viscoelastic polymer or biological solutions. We demonstrate for the first time a continuous sheath-free separation of polystyrene particles in the flow of weakly elastic xanthan gum (XG) solution through a simple straight rectangular microchannel. This separation is fundamentally different from that in the flow of viscoelastic solutions. We explain the observed particle migrations in XG solutions using the competition of a strong wall-directed (because of the strong shear thinning effect) and a small center-directed (because of the weak elasticity effect) lateral force induced by normal stresses in a Poiseuille flow.
Firm Actions to Develop an Ambidextrous Sales Force

While research on employee ambidexterity is growing, there is little investigation on what firms can do to enhance their competitiveness in this space. Leveraging a human resource lens, we advance ...
Review: Haunthenticity: Musical Replay and the Fear of the Real by Tracy McMullen

Tracy McMullen, Haunthenticity: Musical Replay and the Fear of the Real . Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2019. 256 pp. A delightfully ambitious and thought-provoking book, Tracy McMullen's Haunthenticity gives us so much more than a critique of twenty-first century musical
Barriers to effective EMS to emergency department information transfer at patient handover: A systematic review.

Abstract Background Handovers of care are necessary, yet a vulnerable time for patient safety. They can either reduce the risk of medical error during transitions of care or cause direct medical or financial harm to patients due to poor communication. Objective To review (1) observational studies that quantify the frequency of transfer of specific data points or clinician retention of information provided in prehospital verbal handoff to assess the state of EMS-to-ED handoffs; (2) surveys and interviews of prehospital and ED staff perceptions of the handover process and any perceived barriers to optimal handover found therein; (3) interventional studies that have aimed to improve the quality of EMS to ED handoffs. Methods A systematic review of the literature was performed using Pubmed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and by hand-searching references of relevant articles. Articles were selected that focused on verbal and/or written handover of patient care from EMS to ED providers and that addressed the above goals. Qualitative data was extracted from the articles and assessed using thematic synthesis. Results 78 articles were identified for full text review, 60 of which met inclusion criteria. Four categories of barriers emerged on thematic synthesis: educational, operational, cultural, and cognitive. Within these categories, 12 initial descriptive themes and 9 suggested interventions were identified. Conclusions Descriptive themes of disrespect & disinterest, environmental factors, redundancy, poor recall, conflicting goals and perspectives, technological issues, information degradation, information loss, lack of standardization, lack of training, delays, and lack of feedback were identified as barriers to effective EMS to ED handovers. Three categories of interventions were identified across the included interventional studies, namely technological, educational, and changes to cultural customs.
National Estimates of Financial Hardship From Medical Bills and Cost-related Medication Nonadherence in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in the United States.

BACKGROUND Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are associated with substantial health care needs. We estimated the national burden and patterns of financial toxicity and its association with unplanned health care utilization in adults with IBD in the United States. METHODS Using the National Health Interview survey (2015), we identified individuals with self-reported IBD and assessed national estimates of financial toxicity across domains of financial hardship due to medical bills, cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) and adoption of cost-reducing strategies, personal and health-related financial distress (worry about expenses), and health care affordability. We also evaluated the association of financial toxicity with emergency department (ED) utilization. RESULTS Of the estimated 3.1 million adults with IBD in the United States, 23% reported financial hardships due to medical bills, 16% of patients reported CRN, and 31% reported cost-reducing behaviors. Approximately 62% of patients reported personal and/or health-related financial distress, and 10% of patients deemed health care unaffordable. Prevalence of financial toxicity was substantial even in participants with higher education, with private insurance, and belonging to middle/high-income families, highlighting underinsurance. Inflammatory bowel disease was associated with 1.6 to 2.6 times higher odds of financial toxicity across domains compared with patients without IBD. Presence of any marker of financial toxicity was associated with higher ED utilization. CONCLUSIONS One in 4 adults with IBD experiences financial hardship due to medical bills, and 1 in 6 adults reports cost-related medication nonadherence. These financial determinates of health-especially underinsurance-have important implications in the context of value-based care.
Assessing the Clinical Safety Profile of Computer-Assisted Navigation for Posterior Cervical Fusion: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of 30-Day Outcomes.

Background Computer-assisted navigation (CAN) has been shown to improve accuracy of screw placement in procedures involving the posterior cervical spine, but whether the addition of CAN affects complication rates, neurologic or otherwise, is presently unknown. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of spinal CAN on short-term clinical outcomes following posterior cervical fusion. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from 2011 to 2018. Patients receiving posterior cervical fusion were identified and separated into CAN and non-CAN cohorts on the basis of a propensity score matching algorithm to select similar patients for comparison. Rates of 30-day unplanned readmission, reoperation, and other complications were evaluated. A separate matching algorithm was used to generate a subgroup of patients undergoing C1-C2 or occiput-C2 fusion for comparison of the same outcomes. Results A total of 12,578 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 689 received CAN and 11,889 did not. After adjusting for baseline differences, patients receiving CAN experienced longer operations and had higher total relative value units associated with care. There were no significant differences in 30-day complication, readmission, or revision rates. At the occipitocervical junction, there were more hardware revisions in the non-CAN group, but this effect did not reach statistical significance (2 vs. 0; P = 0.155). Conclusions Surgeons should embrace navigation in the cervical spine at their own discretion, as use of CAN does not appear to be associated with increased rates of surgical complications or readmissions despite longer operative time.
Introduction to Computational Materials Science: Fundamentals to Applications

Emphasising essential methods and universal principles, this textbook provides everything students need to understand the basics of simulating materials behaviour. All the key topics are covered from electronic structure methods to microstructural evolution, appendices provide crucial background material, and a wealth of practical resources are available online to complete the teaching package. Modelling is examined at a broad range of scales, from the atomic to the mesoscale, providing students with a solid foundation for future study and research. Detailed, accessible explanations of the fundamental equations underpinning materials modelling are presented, including a full chapter summarising essential mathematical background. Extensive appendices, including essential background on classical and quantum mechanics, electrostatics, statistical thermodynamics and linear elasticity, provide the background necessary to fully engage with the fundamentals of computational modelling. Exercises, worked examples, computer codes and discussions of practical implementations methods are all provided online giving students the hands-on experience they need.
A look at linkage disequilibrium.

The extent of linkage disequilibrium critically determines the efficiency of strategies to identify genetic variants that predispose to human disease. New data indicate that the extent of disequilibrium is highly variable across the genome, and that differences in disequilibrium levels between isolated and mixed populations are modest.
Acquiring general iterative concepts by reformulating explanations observed examples

Abstract In explanation-based learning, a specific problem's solution is generalized into a form that can be later used to solve conceptually similar problems. Most research in explanation-based learning involves relaxing constraints on the variables in the explanation of a specific example, rather than generalizing the structure of the explanation itself. However, this precludes the acquisition of concepts where an iterative process is implicitly represented in the explanation by a fixed number of applications. Such explanations must be reformulated during generalization. The fully implemented BAGGER system analyzes explanation structures and detects extensible, repeated, interdependent applications of rules. When any are found, the explanation is extended so that an arbitrary number of repeated applications of the original rule are supported. The final structure is then generalized and a new rule, which embodies a crucial shift in representation, is produced. An important property of the extended rules is that their preconditions are expressed in terms of the initial state—they do not depend on the results of intermediate applications of the original rule. BAGGER's generalization algorithm is presented and empirical results that demonstrate the value of generalizing to N are reported. To illustrate the approach, the acquisition of a plan for building towers of arbitrary height is discussed in detail.
AFM Methods for DNA Analysis

Applications of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to imaging of DNA with various structures, topologies, and complexes with proteins are reviewed. The emphasis is given to methods utilizing chemical functionalization of mica, enabling AFM visualization of different DNA structures. Special attention is given to the possibility of AFM to image the dynamics of DNA at the nanoscale. The capabilities of time-lapse AFM in aqueous solutions are illustrated by imaging of dynamic processes as transitions of local alternative structures (transition of DNA between H and B forms). The application of AFM to studies of protein–DNA complexes is illustrated by a few examples of imaging site-specific complexes, as well as such systems as chromatin. The time-lapse AFM studies of protein–DNA complexes including very recent advances with the use of high-speed AFM are reviewed.
Microheterogeneous Cytosolic High-Mobility Group Proteins from Broccoli Co-Purify with and Are Phosphorylated by Casein Kinase II

A group of low molecular weight protein substrates was found to co-purify with casein kinase II from broccoli (Brassica oleracea var italica). These substrates showed very high affinity toward casein kinase II and were efficiently phosphorylated even in the presence of an excess of exogenous substrates. The broccoli substrates were purified from cytosolic extracts as a double band of related proteins migrating at 18.7 and 20 kD. Further microheterogeneity was revealed by anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The actual molecular masses of the three major components identified by mass spectroscopy were determined to be 12,691, 13,256, and 14,128 D. The substrates showed characteristic amino acid composition with a high content of polar amino acids, including about 20% each of acidic and basic amino acids. They were soluble in 2% trichloroacetic acid. The substrates cross-reacted with an antibody against wheat high-mobility group protein d (HMGd) but not HMGa. The isolated broccoli HMGs showed general DNA-binding activity without preference for AT-rich DNA. The presence of these HMG proteins in the cytosolic fraction is similar to the distribution characteristics of the animal HMG-1 subgroup. On the basis of amino acid composition and DNA-binding specificity, the isolated broccoli HMGs resemble other plant HMGs homologous to the HMG-1 subgroup.
Using COBIT 5 for Risk to Develop Cloud Computing SLA Evaluation Templates

The use of cloud services as a business solution keeps growing, but there are significant associated risks that must be addressed. Despite the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing, service integration and alignment with existing enterprise architecture remains an ongoing priority. Typically, quality of services provided is outlined in a service level agreement (SLA). A deficient template for evaluating, negotiating and selecting cloud SLAs could result in legal, regulatory, and monetary penalties, in addition to loss of public confidence and reputation. This research emphasizes (or advocates) the implementation of the proposed SLA evaluation template aimed at cloud services, based on the COBIT 5 for Risk framework. A gap analysis of existing SLAs was done to identify loopholes, followed by a resultant template where identified gaps were addressed.