cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A simulation study of interventions to reduce appointment lead-time and patient no-show rate

A problem in health care is the lengthy waiting time for patients to receive an appointment. Long appointment delays cause patient dissatisfaction with the health care clinic and also has clinical ramifications. Long appointment delays are also found to increase patient no-shows, which further wastes medical resources and leads to a decrease in clinical care. A model of the health care clinic is built to understand the casual relationships in the system contributing to the problem. The model is used to investigate two possible policies. A policy of eliminating multiple appointment types can be effective in reducing appointment delay and as a consequent no-shows. Using data from several clinics, our study also suggests that an effective policy is to segregate habitual no-show patients and double-book them whenever they make appointments. This policy is equally effective as general overbooking without penalizing the entire patient population.
Reviving Managed Health Care with Health Savings Accounts

Although health savings accounts (HSAs) and managed health care are often seen as antithetical, they can be integrated in fruitful ways. Moreover, combining these approaches will serve policy objectives by clarifying the payment responsibilities of patients, health plans, and premium payers, thus altering important perceptions about health care decision making. The availability in HSAs of funds that patients can use to pay for services found not covered under insurance contracts should help to re-legitimize predetermination of benefits and enable the public and the legal system to take a more benign view of corporate health plans as agents of their subscribers.
Dangerousness and the Civil-Criminal Distinction: Another Reason to Rethink the Indefinite Detention of Sex Offenders

This Essay builds upon the conclusions of Professor Vars in his Article, "Rethinking the Indefinite Detention of Sex Offenders." Focusing on the faultiness of an actuarial tool often used to assess dangerousness, Vars argues convincingly that the predictions of future dangerousness in sex offender civil commitment hearings are deeply flawed. This Essay contends that Vars’s findings also undermine the "civil" label attached to those proceedings. Without that label, it becomes much more difficult to justify lower procedural safeguards in sex offender civil commitment hearings than in criminal trials. This Essay also suggests that scholars such as Vars who focus on the scientific dimension of civil commitment would be well-served to bear in mind how legislatures and courts have long exploited the "civil" classification as part of a longstanding and problematic "legal labeling game."
Association of pentraxin 3 with insulin resistance and glucose response following maximal aerobic exercise in obese and normal-mass individuals.

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a cardioprotective protein, has recently been shown to be associated with improved insulin resistance (IR) and glucose metabolism. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine whether or not increased plasma PTX3 following maximal aerobic exercise would differ between obese and normal-mass subjects, and its association with the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glucose response. Twenty-five untrained obese (n = 13 [6 males and 7 females]) and normal-mass (n = 12 [5 males and 7 females]) subjects performed an acute bout of maximal aerobic exercise to assess maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). At baseline, plasma PTX3 concentrations are decreased in obese compared with normal-mass subjects and are negatively associated with plasma insulin and HOMA-IR values. In response to maximal exercise, plasma PTX3 responses were similar in obese and normal-mass subjects while the intensity of plasma PTX3 response as indicated by area under the curve ana...
Market Value Accounting

This paper analyzes the effects of market value accounting (MVA) on loan maturity. The author shows that in the presence of asymmetric information MVA introduces a bias into asset valuation against longer-term illiquid assets. This bias increases interest rates for long-maturity loans and induces a shift to short-term self-liquidating loans. With the liquidity production of banks curtailed, borrowers may face "excessive" liquidation. The desirability of MVA applied to loans is thus questionable.
A Model of the Relationship Between the Environment, Strategy, and Performance

For the past two decades, strategic management research has acknowledged the importance that adapting to the environment can have on the long-term success of the firm (cf. Miles and Snow 1978, Snow and Hambrick 1980, Chakravarthy 1982). However, marketing research has only recently began to acknowledge this critical relationship (McKee, Varadarajan, and Pride 1989). McKee, Varadarajan, and Pride (1989) present a framework which examines the relationship between environmental dynamism, the type of adaptive strategy utilized, and the resulting performance of the firm. This paper extends the environmental focus presented by McKee, Varadarajan, and Pride by considering how five different dimensions of the environment (complexity, dynamism, concentration, capacity, and interconnectedness) interact with the type of adaptive strategy chosen to ultimately impact the overall performance level of a firm.
A Ghost Fluid, Level Set Approach for Modeling Electrohydrodynamic Atomization

This paper presents the development of a sharp numerical scheme for simulating electrohydrodynamic (EHD) atomization. A ghost uid method (GFM) approach is employed to solve the electric potential Poisson equation in a sharp, accurate and robust manner. EHD boundary and jump conditions are implemented using a similar methodology, and subsequently used to solve the pressure Poisson equation. The methods detailed here are implemented within the NGA code, which employs a state-of-the-art interface transport technique coupled to a robust and accurate Navier-Stokes/Ghost uid solver. Validation cases with exact analytical solutions are used to assess the accuracy of the EHD numerical schemes. Preliminary results of a charged and uncharged liquid Kerosene jet are presented.
Effects of thyroxine and cold-acclimation on hepatic fatty acid metabolism in the hamster.

SummaryRelative concentrations of fatty acids from whole liver and liver mitochondria of cold-acclimated hamsters were analyzed by gas chromatography. Involvement of the thyroid gland was studied by the administration of PTU and thyroxine to both warm-and cold-acclimated animals. No change was observed in total unsaturation of either whole liver or mitochondrial fatty acids as a result of cold-acclimation but changes did occur in the composition of individual fatty acids. These were a decrease in palmitate and an increase in arachidonate in whole liver while mitochondria showed increases in stearate and arachidonate and decreases in palmitate and oleate. Injection of warm-acclimated animals with thyroxine also resulted in no change in whole liver unsaturation but did produce a decrease in the total unsaturation of mitochondria. Marked effects were also observed in individual fatty acids following thyroxine treatment as evidenced by increases in palmitate and stearate and a decrease in linoleate in mitocho...
Legal Avoidance and the Restructuring of Work

Abstract This paper posits that legal avoidance – employers’ search for forms of employment to which labor and employment laws do not apply – is an important driver of the restructuring of work. It examines three examples of restructuring that enable employers to avoid legal liability and compliance costs: the classification of workers as independent contractors; the use of part-time and variable-schedule work; and employers’ deskilling of jobs and reliance on vulnerable workers. None of these strategies is itself unlawful, but their impact is to limit workers’ legal protections and weaken the law itself. Employers may also experience unintended consequences of restructuring.
Designing Control Program of Moving Centroid Warhead in Vertical Planar Maneuvering Flight

In this paper,on the foundation of building up dynamic equations of the moving centroid,the dynamic equationgs are simplified and linearized,and the auto-pilot of moving centroid can be attained.If different control orders are inputed,the different trajectories and maneuvering ranges of moving centroid can be simulated,thus,we can obtain the relations between the maneuvering range of warhead in vertical plane and frequency and amplitude of control orders.This researching results provide necessary theoretic reference for designing control programs of moving centroid warhead in practice in vertical planar maneuvering flight
Clinical effect of chromium supplements on human health

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the clinical effect of chromium supplements on human health. The interest for chromium supplementation in patients with diabetes was heightened by the clinical observations made in the 1970s for patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN), demonstrating that chromium was an essential nutrient required for normal carbohydrate metabolism. Specifically, it was demonstrated that individuals receiving TPN over time may develop symptoms of diabetes which were refractory to increasing insulin dosing. Supplemental chromium was provided which resulted in markedly improved glycemic status and greatly reduced insulin requirements. Experts also state that “the existence of a relationship between chromium picolinate and either insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes was highly uncertain.” Furthermore, elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which chromium supplements affect carbohydrate metabolism in vivo is necessary before specific recommendations can be made regarding its routine use in the management of diabetes. Multiple studies that evaluated chromium supplementation in various populations reported considerable differences in efficacy on the various parameters assessing carbohydrate metabolism.
Chapter 2 – The Challenge of Developing a Roadmap from Microelectronics to Nanoelectronics

Publisher Summary This chapter overviews how one has come from the invention of the IC to its present state-of-the-art and then discusses collaborative efforts on creating a "roadmap to nanoelectronics technology". The challenges in developing such a roadmap are both organizational (e.g., consensus building) as well as technical. microelectronics is dominated by a device technology known as "complementary metal-oxide-silicon" (CMOS). Scaling CMOS devices to ever-smaller dimensions continues to be the major paradigm for advancing electronics capability and is the key focus of current efforts to roadmap technology development over the next decade. In fact, the amenability of CMOS to scaling is a primary reason (along with simple logic-gate implementation and low standby-power requirements) for its ascendance to becoming the technology of choice for most integrated circuits.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION OF RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE ACCOUNTING REVIEW, 1926–2005

In her presidential message to the American Accounting Association (AAA) in August 2005, Judy Rayburn discussed the issue of the relatively low citation rate for accounting research compared to finance, management, and marketing. Rayburn concluded that accounting's low citation rate was due to a lack of diversity in topics and research methods. In this paper, we provide a review of the AAA's flagship journal, The Accounting Review (TAR), following its 80 years of publication, and describe why some recent AAA leaders believe that significant changes should be made to the journal's publication and editorial policies. At issue is whether scholarly accounting research is overly focused on mathematical analysis and empirical research, or “accountics” as it has sometimes been called, at the expense of research that benefits the general practice of accountancy and discovery research on more interesting topics. We conclude from our review of TAR that after mostly publishing research about accounting practices for...
Why Teach? A Project-ive Life-world Approach to Understanding What Teaching Means for Teachers

Previous literature has examined teachers’ motivations to teach in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motives, personality dimensions, and teacher burnout. These findings have been cast in the rubric of differences between teachers and non-teachers and the linear relations between these measures among teachers. Utilizing a phenomenological approach (Giorgi, 1970) to analyze data generated in structured interviews with four tenured professors from small, liberal arts universities whose central mission is teaching, this paper presents the telic or project-ive horizons of teaching – those motives aimed at what is ‘not yet’ (Heidegger, 1927/1962). Results revealed that teaching is understood by teachers to be a dialogical enterprise between a teacher and learners across dimensions of transformation, knowledge, and personhood. This dialogue entailed an abiding tension between self and other, activity and passivity, giving and receiving, preparation and spontaneity, instructing and learning, leading and following, asserting and withdrawing. It comprised an orientation to a teachers’ vision for the possible future personhood of the teacher and their students and to the character of the world which teachers and learners inhabit together. These findings are discussed in terms of the reviewed literature and as a case in point for a vital complementarity of research approaches.
Persönlichkeitsstörungen und Hirnschädigung: Theoretische Grundlagen

Dieses und das vorangegangene Kapitel fassen das fur das 4. und 5. Prinzip relevante Datenmaterial zusammen. Beide Prinzipen beziehen sich darauf, dass neuropsychologische Rehabilitation Patienten und Angehorige unterstutzen muss, die Verhaltensveranderungen nach einer Hirnschadigung zu verstehen und ihre Verwirrung und Frustration zu reduzieren. Kognition und Emotion/ Motivation (im Sinne der Personlichkelt) stehen dabei in einem engen Zusammenhang.
Intellectual property and access to medicine for the poor.

Intellectual property laws promulgated by the World Trade Organization affect developing nations' access to life-saving medications. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Methods of Producing Ultrahigh Vacuums and Measuring Ultralow Pressures

Ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) or ultralow pressure is here defined as a pressure range below 10−9 Torr (1 Torr = 1 mm Hg = 133 Pa = 133 N m−2). The decade of the sixties saw ultrahigh vacuum technology develop from a field of active research whose outlines were only dimly visible to one whose major components became commercially available with an accompanying decline in fundamental research activity. Today, all the components necessary for producing and measuring UHV may be purchased. Systems in which UHV has been produced range from space simulation chambers the size of a small house,(1) through 2 km of 6-in. tubing in the CERN intersecting storage ring accelerator,(2) to small laboratory systems with a volume of a few liters.(3,4) The volume of the universe at UHV far exceeds the volume at higher pressures. Indeed, it has been suggested that the universe itself originated as a spontaneous event in vacuum(5)! The development of UHV has stimulated a rapid growth, both experimental and theoretical, in the fundamental study of solid surfaces.(6) The great bulk of the vacuum market still rests above the UHV range, but it may be expected that UHV will play an expanding role in the fabrication of surface-sensitive devices, where extreme purity is important.
Linear Analysis with Delay: The single link case

In the previous chapters, we have studied the relationship between congestion control and resource allocation, and studied the stability of congestion control algorithms in the absence of feedback delay. We will now study the stability of congestion control algorithms in the presence of delay. In this chapter, we restrict our attention to the case of a single link accessed by one or many sources to get acquainted with the tools and techniques used to study stability. In the next chapter, we will extend these results to the case of general topology networks, accessed by a set of heterogeneous sources.
Diffusion in White Dwarfs

Two decades ago it was realized (Schatzman, 1958) that metals should be rapidly removed from the atmospheres of white dwarfs by diffusion through the steep pressure gradients present. Yet metals are observed. Their presence thus prompts us to consider the diffusion process in greater detail and to seek mechanisms which might deposit metals in WD atmospheres.
Non-atomic refactoring and software sustainability

Sustainability is the ability of a project / codebase / organization to react to necessary changes over its expected lifespan. At a large enough scale, or with enough disconnect between dependencies, sustainability comes from application of both technical and non-technical approaches. On the technical side, I advocate for restraint among API providers on making arbitrary changes, and use of non-atomic refactoring techniques when more invasive changes are required; such techniques are employed in many Google projects, and in programming languages like Go and C++, to allow more flexible changes to language standards over time. On the non-technical side, I argue for a clear separation of responsibilities (providers need to do the bulk of the work for the update), as well as a growing need to document acceptable usage of an API, be it a library or programming language. In many languages, there are very few changes to an API that are provably safe without this idea: just because a user’s code currently works does not mean that it is supported and can be expected to continue to work indefinitely under maintenance. Taken together, these two approaches form what I believe to be a minimum set of requirements when approaching software sustainability.
Unsupervised Machine Learning for Analysis of Coexisting Lipid Phases and Domain Growth in Biological Membranes

Phase separation in mixed lipid systems has been extensively studied both experimentally and theoretically because of its biological importance. A detailed description of such complex systems undoubtedly requires novel mathematical frameworks that are capable to decompose and categorize the evolution of thousands if not millions of lipids involved in the phenomenon. The interpretation and analysis of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations representing temporal and spatial changes in such systems is still a challenging task. Here, we present a new unsupervised machine learning approach based on Nonnegative Matrix Factorization, called NMFk, that successfully extracts physically meaningful features from neighborhood profiles derived from coarse-grained MD simulations of ternary lipid mixture. Our results demonstrate that leveraging NMFk can (a) determine the role of different lipid molecules in phase separation, (b) characterize the formation of nano-domains of lipids, (c) determine the timescales of interest and (d) extract physically meaningful features that uniquely describe the phase separation with broad implications.
Root Pruning but not Irrigation in the Nursery Affects Live Oak Root Balls and Digging Survival

Abstract Irrigation placement and irrigation volume during field production of live oak (Quercus virginiana Mill.) in a sandy soil had no effect on trunk caliper [mean = 6.3 cm (2.5 in)] or tree height [mean = 3.8 m (12.4 ft)]. Root pruning had no impact on caliper and a slight (P < 0.06) impact on height. Irrigation placement and volume had little effect on number of cut roots at the edge of the root ball. Root pruning with a hand spade or in combination with root-pruning fabric placed under the liner at planting increased the number of roots at the edge of the root ball. Root pruning with fabric in combination with spade pruning increased the small-diameter (<5 mm) root weight: shoot ratio but reduced the total root weight: shoot ratio. Irrigation placement and volume during production did not affect summer nor winter digging survival. Trees that were not root pruned had poorer survival in the summer and winter digging seasons than those receiving either of the root-pruned treatments. In contrast, summe...
BASIC CONCEPTS IN TOPOLOGICAL SPACES

This chapter discusses the concepts in topological spaces (T-spaces). A T-space is a set with the concept of convergence introduced. The chapter discusses the methods for defining topological spaces with the concept of open sets, nbds , and closure. It discusses with the concept of open sets and presents the derivation of the other concepts from it. The Euclidean plane ( E 2 ) is one of the most popular examples of a topological space. A topological space with the strongest topology is called a discrete space. To make a topological space from a set, the totality of nbds may first be defined instead of defining open sets. The relationship between the two concepts, open sets and nbds , are reciprocal. There is no difference between the results whether an open sets or nbds is adopted to define a topological space. The definitions of open set and closed set are reciprocal; therefore, a topological space can be defined by means of closed sets as well.
Alignment of Food Processing Classification Systems with Nutrient Quality (OR14-01-19)

Objectives Processed foods are associated with energy-dense eating patterns among children, yet research using food processing classification systems has led to varying conclusions regarding the impact of processed foods on dietary quality. This study utilized three common classification systems to examine (a) agreement between systems for processing level assignment, and (b) relationships between processing level, as determined by each classification system, and individual nutrient concentrations for foods commonly consumed by children.
Protection Coordination for Assembly HVDC Breakers for HVDC Multiterminal Grids Using Wavelet Transform

A major challenge in a multiterminal high-voltage direct current (MT-HVdc) system is the detection and subsequent removal of dc faults, i.e., line–line or line–ground faults. This technology is crucial to make emerging MT-HVdc systems reliable and stable. Current detection solutions are either too sensitive to load variations causing false positives or are too slow to detect faults before the equipment is damaged. This paper proposes a framework and case examples for fault detection based on features derived from the wavelet transform of the grid current. The algorithm is intended to control new high-speed dc breakers (such as assembly HVdc breaker) for improved fault protection. This paper customizes the detection strategy to specific fault frequencies using multiresolution analysis, whose magnitudes are significant in the vicinity of the fault, and are attenuated at remote grid terminals. A model of a three-terminal MT-HVdc system is developed in power systems computer aided design/electromagnetic transients including dc. The results have been post processed in matrix laboratory and simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution for preventing dc faults on an HVdc system.
Temperature-Dependent Leakage Current Characteristics of Homojunction GaN p-i-n Rectifiers Using Ion-Implantation Isolation

We report vertical GaN p-i-n rectifiers grown on a bulk GaN substrate. These planar GaN p-i-n rectifiers were implemented with Schottky field plates and buried-junction field terminations using ion implantation as a mean of device isolation. The 1130- $\mu \text{m}$ -diameter GaN p-i-n rectifiers achieved a blocking voltage (BV) of 1.2 kV and an ON-state current drive of 10 A. A temperature-dependent OFF-state current study showed that the variable-range-hopping (VRH) conduction is dominant for devices operating at the temperature of less than 160 K, and multistep electron transition is responsible for the reverse-biased leakage at higher temperature. Further study suggested the leakage current arises from the deep centers formed through the ion-implantation damage that led to perimeter-dependent leakage currents in GaN p-i-n rectifiers using ion-implanted isolation approach.
Excitation Methods for a 60 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

A simple modal test to determine the first tower bending mode of a 60 kW (82 feet tall) vertical axis wind turbine was performed. The minimal response instrumentation included accelerometers mounted only at easily accessible locations part way up the tower and strain gages near the tower base. The turbine was excited in the parked condition with step relaxation, random human excitation, and wind excitation. The resulting modal parameters from the various excitation methods are compared.
FGFR4 does not contribute to progression of chronic kidney disease

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), elevated serum levels of the phosphate regulating hormone fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 23 have emerged as powerful risk factors for cardiovascular disease and death. Mechanistically, FGF23 can bind and activate fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 4 independently of α-klotho, the canonical co-receptor for FGF23 in the kidney, which stimulates left ventricular hypertrophy and hepatic production of inflammatory cytokines. FGF23 has also been shown to independently predict progression of renal disease, however, whether FGF23 and FGFR4 also contribute to CKD remains unknown. Here, we generated a mouse model with dual deletions of FGFR4 and α-klotho, and we induced CKD in mice with either global deletion or constitutive activation of FGFR4. We demonstrate that FGF23 is not capable of inducing phosphaturia via FGFR4 and that FGFR4 does not promote or mitigate renal injury in animal models of CKD. Taken together our results suggest FGFR4 inhibition as a safe alternative strategy to target cardiovascular disease and chronic inflammation in patients with CKD without interrupting the necessary phosphaturic effects of FGF23.
Robust Speech Filter and Voice Encoder Parameter Estimation Using the Phase–Phase Correlator

In recent years, linear prediction voice encoders have become very efficient in terms of computing execution time and channel bandwidth usage while providing, in the absence of impulsive noise, natural sounding synthetic speech signals. This good performance has been achieved via the use of a maximum likelihood parameter estimation of an auto-regressive model of order ten that best fits the speech signal under the assumption that the signal and the noise are Gaussian stochastic processes. However, this method breaks down in the presence of impulse noise, which is common in practice, resulting in harsh or non-intelligible audio signals. In this paper, we propose a robust estimator of correlation, the Phase-Phase correlator that is able to cope with impulsive noise. Utilizing this correlator, we develop a Robust Mixed Excitation Linear Prediction encoder that provides improved audio quality for voiced, unvoiced, and transition speech segments. This is achieved by applying a statistical test to robust Mahalanobis distances for identifying the outliers in the corrupted speech signal, which are then replaced with filtered signals. Simulation results reveal that the proposed estimator of correlator outperforms in variance, bias, and breakdown point compared to three other robust approaches based on the arcsin law, the polarity coincidence correlator, and the median-of-ratio estimator without sacrificing the encoder bandwidth efficiency and the compression gain while remaining compatible with real-time applications. Furthermore, in the presence of impulsive noise, the proposed speech encoder speech subjective quality outperforms the state-of-the-art in terms of mean opinion score.
Use of Nitrite-Embedded Packaging Film for Color Stability of Alternatively Cured, Fully Cooked Bologna

Nitrite-embedded packaging film was investigated for potential effects on the color stability of alternatively cured meats. The impact of nitrite-embedded film on color stability of large-diameter sandwich bologna was assessed over a 125-d lighted display period. Five treatments of large-diameter bologna were manufactured: (1) a conventionally cured control packaged with conventional film (“CON-CF”), (2) an alternatively cured formulation (cultured celery juice powder plus cherry powder) packaged with conventional film (“CJP-CF”), and (3) an alternatively cured formulation (cultured celery juice powder plus cherry powder) packaged with nitrite-embedded film (“CJP-NEF”). An additional alternatively cured formulation (4) Natpre T-10 EML Plus S was packaged with conventional film (“NT10-CF”) and (5) with nitriteembedded film (“NT10-NEF”). In-package surface a* values were significantly higher (P 0.05) by use of the packaging film and did not differ compared to the conventional film. Thus, nitrite-embedded film packaging technology can improve the color stability of alternatively cured meats without increasing the measurable nitrite concentration in the product.
Cutting-edge developments in mass spectrometry: A hands-on workshop

Abstract Mass spectrometry is increasingly being taught as a significant topic in undergraduate chemistry courses. However, most attention still goes to structure/spectrum correlations with a focus on particular well-established mass spectrometry techniques. Here we describe a workshop format designed to introduce upper-level undergraduate students to mass spectrometry through first-hand experience with novel instrumentation. The aim is to aid in conceptual understanding through hands-on experiments with a variety of types of instruments. The workshop was developed with contributions from three research groups, allowing the students to be part of several experiments during a single laboratory period, while having access to diverse facilities and multiple instruments. The experiments were led by expert graduate students who either use or developed the new techniques or instruments as part of their Ph. D. research projects. Additionally, the workshop attendees included not only undergraduate students, but also graduate students from multiple institutions as well as industrial scientists, with constant interaction between members of all the groups. The experience proved valuable for all attendees, as evaluated through anonymous surveys and questionnaires taken by the undergraduates, other attendees and the experiment leaders. It is anticipated that this written version of the workshop will also be effective in conveying mass spectrometry concepts and skills to readers, providing awareness of novel technologies and applications.
Is less more? Examining the relationship between food assistance benefit levels and childhood weight

Abstract Background The Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical lifeline for millions of low-income US families, but some studies suggests that it may inadvertently increase obesity risk. Building on research contesting the SNAP-obesity link, we examine the effect of SNAP participation on BMI among multiyear participants at varying levels of SNAP benefit levels to provide some of the first evidence on the relationship between SNAP participation, state-level SNAP resources, and body weight. We focus on children given the strong links between early-life obesity and later-life health. Methods Linking state-level data on SNAP benefit levels with three waves of longitudinal individual-level data from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we use child- and state-level fixed effects to examine whether exogenous differences in SNAP benefit allotments influence the relationship between SNAP participation and weight gain. Results Lower SNAP benefit levels were associated with only modest increases in BMI among children; higher benefit levels showed no association with BMI. Conclusions Although concerns that more food assistance promotes obesity have spurred calls for cuts in the SNAP program, we find the opposite — that SNAP participation is associated with an increase in childhood BMI only when benefit levels are low. This study adds to the mounting evidence suggesting that SNAP does not cause obesity. It also contributes to the literature on the political economy of health, especially that pertaining to social policy variation across US states.
Scalability of Cohesive Fatigue Analyses Using Explicit Solvers

A cohesive fatigue law has been integrated into a constitutive material model compatible with an explicit finite element solver. The cohesive fatigue model response is based on engineering approximations of the endurance limit and the Goodman diagram. This approach can predict stress-life diagrams for crack initiation, the Paris law regime, and transient effects of crack initiation and stable tearing. Simplified cyclic loading is utilized so that the applied load(or displacement) corresponds to the peak load of a fatigue cycle. Loads are held constant during fatigue while damage develops with increasing solution increments. An automatically-calculated ratio of fatigue cycles per solution increment controls the rate of damage growth, ensuring that damage growth is modeled with a sufficient minimum number of increments and damage growth advances to a minimum desired extent within the explicit analysis step time. The compatibility with an explicit finite element solver enables the analysis of structures that are computationally intractable for implicit finite element solvers. Scalability studies are conducted for geometrically nonlinear problems involving fiber-reinforced composite structures that exhibit fatigue damage growth of interacting matrix cracks and delaminations
Educating caregivers of persons with cerebral palsy in night-time postural care: A randomized trial comparing two online training programs.

Objective:Compare effectiveness of two differently formatted training programs in educating night-time postural care implementers.Design:Mixed-methods parallel-group double-blind design with random...
Questionnaires to Evaluate Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men and Women

To discuss the current state of questionnaires evaluating lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men and women. There exist numerous validated patient-reported outcome questionnaires that evaluate a variety of LUTS in men and women. Existing questionnaires tend to cover specific domains and populations, with variable scoring systems and limited applications. There has been a general lack of a standardized validated instrument to assess the spectrum of LUTS across both men and women. In recent years, the development of a standardized broad-spectrum symptom index by the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network offers the potential to fill this gap. Consistent reporting of LUTS across scientific studies may allow for more powerful and informative meta-analysis and comparison.
Trajectory Optimization for UAV-to-Device Underlaid Cellular Networks by Mean-Field-Type Control

In this paper, we consider a cellular Internet of UAVs with a massive number of UAVs, where the sensory data can be transmitted to the mobile devices by UAV-toDevice (U2D) communications, or to the base station (BS) by UAV-to-Network (U2N) communications. To improve the spectral efficiency, the U2D links can share the spectrum with U2N links. Since the sensing and transmission of the UAV are coupled by the trajectory, it is necessary to optimize the trajectory. Due to the underlay property, the trajectories of UAVs will have an impact on each other, which makes the trajectory optimization more challenging when the number of UAVs is large. To tackle this challenge, mean-field approximation is an efficient method to approximate the interactions among UAVs. Since the UAVs in the cellular Internet of UAVs are distinguishable, we propose a mean-field-type (MFT) control method to solve the trajectory optimization problem, where the interactions among. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Monitoring the metabolic activities of murine breast cancer cells in 2D and 3D cultures using nonlinear micro-spectroscopy of intrinsic NAD(P)H

Cellular metabolism and cell behavior are believed to be significantly different in two-dimensional (2D) cultures from that in vivo. Here, we investigate the environmental effects of the metabolic state of murine breast cancer cells line (4T1) in 2D monolayer and three-dimensional (3D) collagen matrix cultures using integrated two-photon (2P) micro-spectroscopy (FLIM) of intrinsic NAD(P)H autofluorescence. In addition, we examined the metabolic responses to two novel compounds, MD1 and TPPBr, that target cellular metabolism by disrupting monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) or oxidative phosphorylation, respectively, using 2P-FLIM of intracellular NAD(P)H in 2D and 3D cultures. Integrating nonlinear microscopy and spectroscopy of intrinsic NAD(P)H with refined 3D tumor-matrix in vitro models is a promising approach towards in-depth understanding of the roles of metabolism and metabolic plasticity in tumor growth and metastatic behavior.
The Impact of HIV on Non-AIDS defining gastrointestinal malignancies: A review.

Background Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH). Although gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are not associated with HIV, their incidence is rising among PLWH, and yet little is known about how HIV affects their presentation, treatment and outcomes. Methods We searched PubMed using "HIV" and "cancer", "esophageal cancer", "gastric cancer", "stomach cancer", "gastroesophageal cancer", "colorectal cancer", "colon cancer", or "rectal cancer". We included studies comparing an HIV-positive group (n ≥ 4) to an HIV-negative group, with respect to clinical presentation, treatment, or mortality of GI cancers. Results Of 18 articles that met inclusion criteria, 17 were retrospective, and 13 described patients in the United States. At diagnosis with colorectal, but not pancreatic, gastric, or esophageal cancer, PLWH were younger than patients who were HIV-negative. PLWH did not present with more advanced stage GI cancers than patients who were HIV-negative. Compared to HIV-negative controls, PLWH with colorectal cancer had a higher proportion of right-sided versus left-sided colon cancers and a higher proportion of rectal versus colon cancers. Among patients diagnosed with colorectal or pancreatic cancer, PLWH were less likely to receive cancer treatment than other patients; no studies examined the association of HIV status with treatment for esophageal or gastric cancer. PLWH with GI malignancies had higher all-cause mortality compared to patients who were HIV-negative, but evidence for cancer-specific mortality was limited and mixed. Conclusion PLWH with GI malignancies were less likely to receive cancer treatment and had higher all-cause mortality than patients who were HIV-negative. Most of the studies focused on colorectal cancer; more studies are needed in pancreatic, gastric and esophageal cancer. Future studies should investigate the effects of HIV on cancer-specific mortality, especially among patients in low- and middle-income countries, including those with high HIV prevalence.
Environmental Influences on the STEM Identity and Career Intentions of Latinx STEM Postdoctoral Scholars

This study employs an instrumental case study design to explore the environmental context of Latinx postdoctoral scholars in relation to their STEM identity and intended STEM career pathway. Interv...
Dictionaries Make Strange Bedfellows

Bouvier's Law Dictionary was very popular among U.S. lawyers for a century, from the publication of its first edition in 1839. It is useful today for historical researchers. And it is very highly regarded by a particular sort of legal researcher - tax protesters, Patriots, Freemen, and their ideological kin. This essay offers biographical information about John Bouvier and discusses its current use.
Nominal and Robust Loop Shaping

In this paper, classical frequency-response multivariable comnpensator design is studied. This problem consists of chosing a linear controller which gives the sensitivity and complementary sensitivity functions desirable properties. The problem is given two formulations as optimal multivariable stability margin (k m ) synthesis (or ?-synthesis, robustness margin synthesis) problems, thereby establishing the consistency with and unification of the present problem with modern robust control theory. These formulations are termed the nominal and the robust loop shaping problems. A quantitative assessment of how well the standard H?-theory performs in this context is given for the multivariable case, using new bounds. The primary conclusion is that the existing H?-theory does surprisingly well in handling multivariable problems with classical frequency response specifications.
Money Market Calculations

The money market is the market for short-term debt instruments. Short-term debt is traditionally defined as having original maturities of one year or less. Some of these instruments are interest bearing while others are discount instruments. Moreover, many of these securities calculate interest based on a 360-day year while others use a 365-day year. There are some essential money market calculations including day count conventions and basic formulas of price/yield one needs to know to understand how the money market works. Keywords: day count convention; day count basis; actual/actual; actual/360; 30/360; yield on a bank discount basis; CD equivalent yield; bond-equivalent yield; effective annual yield
Isolation and characterization of a polymerized prion protein

A polymerized form of recombinant mouse prion protein (mPrP) domain 23-231 [mPrP-(23-231)], designated mPrP-z, was generated at acidic pH (pH 2-5) in the presence of selected concentrations of denaturant (2 M guanidinium chloride or 5 M urea). This isoform of mPrP is stable in acidic solution after removal of denaturant. It can be isolated and purified using reversed-phase HPLC or size-exclusion HPLC. mPrP-z bears structural properties that partially resemble those of scrapie prion. Unlike the native mPrP-(23-231) (mPrP-N), mPrP-z exhibits a high content of beta-sheet structure, as shown by CD spectroscopy, and exists as an oligomer with an approximate molecular mass of 340000 Da, as measured by light scattering. However, similarly to mPrP-N, mPrP-z contains the intact disulphide bond and is sensitive to digestion by proteinase K.
E-Government Service Delivery Performance: An Adaptation of the Balanced Scorecard to the Public Sector

E-government service delivery performance has been discussed in literature as a way governments use information technologies (IT) to deliver valuable services to their citizens at a lower cost. This article examines the effectiveness of Web site-supported Balanced Scorecardâ€™s four dimensions (innovation and learning, internal process, veteran value proposition, and financial) in improving e-government service delivery performance. The study used content analysis to analyze the data obtained from a sample of 19 county veteran service officers (CVSOs) to test the hypotheses. CVSOs use Web sites to serve veterans on a Government-to-Citizen (G2C) basis.
The relation of interfacial tension to cytolysis of sea-urchin eggs by soaps

LAI~SON and his eoworkers 1 have shown that certain soaps have the power te detoxify bacterial toxins without destroying their antigenic properties. This principle has been utilized in the preparation of diphthœ and searlet 8 toxin-soap mixtures for immunization against these diseases. Soaps of the type o 9 sodium ricinoleate are particnlarly effective in this respect but soaps of the type of sodium oleate and sodium linoleate de net detoxify without destroying the antigenie p 9 LA~S0N has furthennore demonstrated that baeteria may be divided into two main groups with respect te their behavior toward surface tension depressants: one g 9 represented by the colon-typhoid organisms, grows well in media of low surface tension; while the other group, represented by pneumococci, streptoeocei and tuberele baeilli, is extremely sensitive te slight depression of surface tension. In fact, members of the latter group are rendered non-pathogenie by exposure for short periods of time te dilute solutions of soaps of the type of sodium 9 It has been shown by PAGE and AI~LEN ~ that, in the mammalian body, the soaps of rieinoleic acid, partieularly those of mono, di and
Identification of Interacting Hot Spots in the β3 Integrin Stalk Using Comprehensive Interface Design

Protein-protein interfaces are usually large and complementary surfaces, but specific side chains, representing energetic “hot spots,” often contribute disproportionately to binding free energy. We used a computational method, comprehensive interface design, to identify hot spots in the interface between the stalk regions of the β3 and the complementary αIIb and αv integrin subunits. Using the Rosetta alanine-scanning and design algorithms to predict destabilizing, stabilizing, and neutral mutations in the β3 region extending from residues Lys532 through Gly690, we predicted eight alanine mutations that would destabilize the αIIbβ3 interface as well as nine predicted to destabilize the αvβ3 interface, by at least 0.3 kcal/mol. The mutations were widely and unevenly distributed, with four between residues 552 and 563 and five between 590 and 610, but none between 565 and 589, and 611 and 655. Further, mutations destabilizing the αvβ3 and αIIbβ3 interfaces were not identical. The predictions were then tested by introducing selected mutations into the full-length integrins expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Five mutations predicted to destabilize αIIb and β3 caused fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3, whereas three of four predicted to be neutral or stabilizing did not. Conversely, a mutation predicted to destabilize αvβ3, but not αIIbβ3 (D552A), caused osteopontin binding to αvβ3, but not fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3. These results indicate that stability of the distal stalk interface is involved in constraining integrins in stable, inactive conformations. Further, they demonstrate the ability of comprehensive interface design to identify functionally significant integrin mutations.