cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chip package co-design of a heterogeneously integrated 2.45 GHz CMOS VCO using embedded passives in a silicon package

Phase Noise Performance of a Voltage Controlled Oscillator that determines spectral purity is dependent on the Quality Factor (Q) of the tank in LC Oscillators. On-chip inductors that are used to realize the LC tank have comparatively low quality factors and consume considerable die area. Here a Chip-Package Co-Design for a 2.45 GHz VCO is described using a high Q (/spl sim/30) inductor embedded in a silicon substrate. The heterogeneously integrated circuit has a phase noise of -110 dBc/Hz at a 100 kHz offset with power dissipation of 28 mW from a 2.5 V supply and has a tuning range of 6%. The resulting improvement in inductor coil quality factor, phase noise and area savings compared to a fully integrated VCO design is demonstrated.
The Time Value of Money: A Clarifying and Simplifying Approach

The concept of time value of money is critical for business students, financial managers, and anyone who deals with money. Financial managers must be able to employ TVM concepts competently in order to value both financial and real assets as they make decisions regarding capital budgeting, capital structure, and working capital management. Therefore business students must come to understand and apply correctly time value of money concepts. This brief note suggests a clarification and a simplification of the pedagogy of TVM, which will result in greater understanding for the student. These suggestions include redefining the variable "n" in two of the TVM equations; dispensing with the pointless and purely semantic discussion of whether payments occur "at the beginning" or "at the end" of each period; and emphasizing the use of multiple-step problems.
Melting the Glacier of Change: Part I of a Case Study in Higher Education

Change leadership and management has become an essential element in the DNA of organizations to establish and maintain in the competitive global market. However, higher education though preparing the future workforce and leaders does not face the security to consistency change, specifically within the two-year institutions. The recent climate of the higher education system reflects the utilization of performance metric to drive positive change. Literature has indicated that the lack of urgency has prompted comprehensive scaling or projects beyond pilot studies and projects. However, the recent shift in the climate associated with outcomes has required attention to this matter and thus promoted this case study. The case is sectioned into two parts, from developing a framework based on change models to drive movement (Part I) to applying and measuring the impact of the stagey (Part II).
Stable defects of minimizers of constrained variational principles

Abstract We prove energy and density bounds for minimizers of certain constrained variational problems, and we deduce limitations for their topological degree.
Classification of the Psychodini (Psychodidae: Diptera)

This tribe of the Psychodidae is denned and classified, with keys to and descriptions of six genera. The structure of the labellum is employed for the first time in classification, and other characters of the male and female genitalia, the wings, and the head are considered. It is postulated that the tribe arose from a Brunettia -like. ancestor, that one line of development led to Trichopsychoda and possibly to Lepidopsychoda, and that the main phylogenetic line gave rise to Philosepedon, Threticus, Psychoda, and the new genus Eurygarka (type, Psychoda helicis Dyar 1929). Species assigned to each genus (except Psychoda ) are listed, with bibliography and distribution for each species. Other new generic reassignments include 1 species to Trichopsychoda, 11 to Philosepedon, and 7 to Threticus.
Tips for Writing Papers

Mathews, David. 1991. "After Thoughts." Kettering Review, Fall 1991: 78. Polsby, Nelson W. 1984. Political Innovation in America: The Politics of Policy Initiation. New Haven: Yale University Press. Polsby, Nelson W. 1969. "Political Science and the Press: Notes on Coverage of a Public Opinion Survey on the Vietnam War." Western Political Quarterly 22 (March): 47-60. Polsby, Nelson W. 1960. "Towards an Explanation of McCarthyism." Political Studies 8 (October): 250-71. Stouffer, Samuel. 1955. Communism, Conformity and Civil Liberties. New York: Doubleday. U.S. Department of Labor. 1965. The Negro Family, The Case for National Action. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Verba, Sidney, Richard A. Brody, Edwin B. Parker, Norman H. Nie, Nelson W. Polsby, Paul Ekman, and Gordon S. Black. 1967. "Public Opinion and the War in Vietnam." American Political Science Review 61 (June): 317-33.
Components of the Functional Response of Perillus bioculatus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Fifth instars of the hemipteran predator Perillus bioculatus (F.) were observed as they attacked neonate Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) larvae on potato plants. Observations were conducted at prey densities ranging from one to 100 prey per plant, and standard functional response models were fit to the predation rates obtained. Neither the type II nor the type III functional response curves provided a satisfactory fit to the data. The observed attack rate was neither constant over all prey densities (as in the type II model), nor an increasing function of prey density (as in the type III model). Instead, it declined over prey densities from one to 25 and then increased substantially at the density of 50. A possible explanation for the observed pattern is that area-restricted search following prey consumption led to additional successful feeding events at high densities but not at low densities. The mean observed handling time was essentially equal to an estimate based on the type III model and prey density did not have a Significant influence on per-prey handling times.
Targeted therapy of animal eyes with tumors by laser-generated focused ultrasound(Conference Presentation)

Cavitation therapy based on high-amplitude focused ultrasound (e.g., Histotripsy) has shown great promise in clinical trials. The technique realizes localized treatments of tissues and diseased cells by controlling cavitation zones, which can be even smaller than its acoustic spot sizes. Also, the short pressure pulse used in the technique can minimize the unwanted heat accumulation, which the conventional piezoelectric transducers suffer from due to low operating frequencies and relatively long acoustic pulses. However, this modality requires bulky system composed of array of piezoelectric elements and electric amplifiers in order to obtain high pressure amplitude. Moreover, especially when treating an area much smaller than the acoustic spot size, this approach may be vulnerable to nucleation sites within the focal volume, which can potentially induce cavitation and thus enlarge the total treatment area. Here, we show targeted cell-level therapy by using laser generated ultrasound. By employing a concave lens coated by a carbon nanotube (CNT)-polymer composite, high-amplitude acoustic pressure can be obtained at a tight focal spot (<100 um). The small focal spot, comparable to cavitation zone, lead to controlled cavitation treatment. Such feature can be exploited for treating intraocular tumors but without harming other parts of the eye (e.g. healthy retina and choroid) and therefore preserve the vision of the patients. We demonstrate that the localized disruption effects can be used for cell-level surgery to remove cells and to kill cells. Some experimental examples are shown using animal eyeballs.
Correlation study of MRI and pathology findings of children with developmental dislocation of the hip

Objective:To assess the value of MRI in the diagnosis of developmental dislocation of hip(DDH).Methods:MRI findings of 63 children with DDH proved by surgery were retrospectively analyzed.The 63 cases were classified into TypeⅠ,TypeⅡ and TypeⅢ according to the standard of Dunn.The influential factors in embole of DDH including joint effusion,intra-articular fat hyperplasia,labrum,ligamentum teres,iliopsoas were studied.Results:Of the 63 cases,there were 53 normal hip joints and 73 dislocated hip joints including typeⅠ(n=30),typeⅡ(n=20)and type Ⅲ(n=23).Pathological changes such as labrum enstrophe or ecstrophy,thickened ligamentum teres,ilio-psoas contracture,joint effusion,fat hyperplasia could be observed in the dislocated hip joints of typeⅡandⅢ.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy of the affected labrum of MRI was 70.9%,75.0%,88.0%,50.0% and72.1%,respectively(Kappa=0.3986).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy of of MRI in displaying thickened ligamentum teres was 60.0%,66.7%,71.4%,54.5% and 62.7%,respectively(Kappa=0.2586).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy of MRI in showing ilio-psoas contracture was 80.0%,91.3%,88.9%,84.0% and 86.0%,respectively(Kappa=0.7177).The accuracy of the diagnosis of fat hyperplasia and joint effusion by MRI was 100%.Conclusion:MRI can accurately display joint effusion,intra-articular fat hyperplasia,labrum changes and ilio-psoas contracture,which can provide reliable information for surgery treatment.
B-lymphocyte-derived erythroid burst-promoting activity is distinct from other known lymphokines

Previously we have demonstrated that, in contrast to various panspecific or multilineage hematopoietic growth factors, lymphocyte- derived erythroid burst-promoting activity (BPA) is lineage specific, stimulating BFU-E proliferation in serum-free culture by up to 600% of control values while failing to enhance nonerythroid colony formation. To further determine the cellular source(s) of this important erythropoietic growth regulator, we have separated normal nonadherent peripheral blood and splenic lymphocytes by nylon wool fractionation, SRBC rosetting, and panning with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs). These unstimulated T- and B-lymphocyte-enriched populations were used as cell sources to produce conditioned media (CM) and to prepare plasma membranes (PM). When CM fractions or purified PM were assayed in serum- free human bone marrow culture, BPA was localized entirely to the B- lymphocyte-derived fractions. While CM or PM from unstimulated T lymphocytes failed to stimulate BFU-E proliferation, activation of T cells by either phytohemagglutinin-M (1%) or concanavalin A (Con A; 5 micrograms/mL) induced the expression of a factor on the PM and in the resultant CM that stimulated the formation of erythroid bursts. In addition to enhancing BFU-E proliferation, this T-cell factor stimulated the proliferation of CFU-GM and CFU-GEMM in serum-free culture. When compared biochemically (in terms of temperature stability, localization by ammonium sulfate fractionation, and sensitivity to dithiothreitol) or immunochemically (using antibodies specific for lymphocyte-derived BPA, GM-CSF, or interleukin-3 [IL-3]), as well as by lineage specificity, B- and activated T-lymphocyte- derived growth factors appeared to be distinct. The burst stimulatory activities expressed by recombinant human GM-CSF and IL-3 were immunologically distinct from that associated with octylglucoside extracts of plasma membranes from resting B lymphocytes. Our results suggest that the BFU-E-directed growth-promoting activity released from activated T lymphocytes is apparently due to GM-CSF, while both resting and mitogen-stimulated normal B lymphocytes express erythroid-specific BPA and neither GM-CSF nor IL-3.
Simulation and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program 7th Edition Curriculum

For almost 30 years, the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) has taught clinicians the cognitive, technical, and behavioral skills needed to resuscitate newborns. The use of simulation during the NRP course allows clinicians to solidify their cognitive skills, practice their technical skills, and improve their behavioral skills to optimize communication, teamwork, and patient safety. In this report, the authors review the past and current use of simulation in the NRP course, explore the new eSim ® program, examine methods of simulation debriefing, discuss the correlation between debriefing in the NRP course and at the bedside, and analyze the findings of the International Liaison Committee of Resuscitation on the required frequency of resuscitation training.
The Infinitude of the Primes

Euclid’s proof that the prime numbers are “more than any assigned multitude” (Elements, proposition IX, 20) has long been hailed as a model of elegance and simplicity. Yet, surprisingly, it has also been misrepresented in a great many accounts: The article Hardy and Woodgold (2009) gives a detailed list of sources, including many by eminent number theorists, that either erroneously describe the structure of Euclid’s proof or make false historical claims about it. It is wise, therefore, to begin by quoting Euclid’s argument directly, as it is given in Heath’s translation (Heath 1956, vol. II, p. 412).
Blake and the Queering of Jouissance

On the face of it, Blake is so queer that it is simply astonishing that it has taken so long to produce a collection of essays on queer Blake. Although Blake’s poetry lends itself to deconstructive analysis, and although queer theory is often indebted to de construction, his poetry is perhaps more resistant to certain forms of queer theory than we might expect. This chapter, therefore, examines the unexpected pressures Blake may be said to put upon queer theory. It does so by considering how Blake resists certain concepts in queer theory because he does not embrace the necessary dis- ruptiveness of jouissance, meaning enjoyment; rather, he insists upon the consequences of desire when he suspends reproduction yet demands that jouissance lead to self-annihilation.1 Building upon Jonathan Dollimore’s (2001) sense of queer theory as a form of wishful theory because desire is framed as disruptive, but rarely disrupts the critic, I argue that Blake insinuates a gap between jouissance and self-annihilation, and therefore, desire cannot be inherently radical or subversive if it contains desire back in forms of identity like gender or essentializes desire as disruption. By making jouissance not the end, but the means to self-annihilation, and by not granting jouissance the automatic power to shatter the self, even when that self embodies heteronormativity, Blake frames jouissance as a precondition for change, but one that does not in and of itself achieve meaningful change.2
MMSE Detector for OFDM-based UWB Systems

In this paper we propose the use of a minimum mean square error (MMSE) detector for multiuser OFDM-based ultra wideband (UWB) systems. Performance of the proposed multiuser detector is illustrated with numerical results obtained from simulations showing the bit error rate performance (BER) at the physical layer under various UWB channel scenarios that include additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), multipath, and narrowband interference.
183. Developing Strategies To Improve the Current Clinical Vector AAV1-CB-AAT for Alpha-One Antitrypsin Deficiency

Alpha-one antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic disorder that causes defective production of alpha-one antitrypsin (AAT), leading to decreased AAT activity in the blood and lungs, and deposition of excessive mutant Z-AAT protein in liver cells. There are several forms and degrees of deficiency, principally depending on whether the patient has one or two copies of the affected gene. Approximately 4% of the North American and Northern European populations possess at least one copy of a mutant allele.The current standard of care is protein replacement by frequent infusions, but gene replacement therapy could provide long-term correction of the serum levels after a one-time treatment only, which would offer a significant improvement in the quality of life of the patients. Towards this goal, a recent clinical trial tested injecting recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 1 expressing M-AAT intramuscularly. However the therapeutic AAT serum threshold of 11μμM was not reached. Future efforts to achieve therapeutic levels will revolve around dose escalation and more efficient physical delivery.While the next trial may achieve therapeutic levels with the current AAV1-CB-AAT vector, it is worth further optimizing as it may result in a more efficient vector requiring a lower dose to achieve therapeutic levels. Achieving therapy with a lower dose has substantial benefits in the long run in terms of cost of production and more importantly potential immune responses to capsid. The current AAV1-CB-AAT gene therapy vector will be optimized through four independent strategies hypothetically leading to an increase of alpha-one antitrypsin serum levels in mice: 1) replacement of the secretion signal by secretion signals from other human secreted proteins, 2) modification of the AAV capsid either by triple tyrosine mutation or DNA shuffling, 3) optimization of the transgene to create self-complementary vectors with a codon-optimized AAT sequence, 4) addition of a hepatocyte-specific cis-regulatory module allowing recruitment of liver-specific transcription factors.In vivo data will be presented for each strategy. Future work will combine the validated candidates into a single vector for further evaluation; the use of this optimized vector may translate into a therapeutic effect for the AATD patients.
Extreme Mutation Tolerance: Nearly Half of the Archaeal Fusellovirus Sulfolobus Spindle-Shaped Virus 1 Genes Are Not Required for Virus Function, Including the Minor Capsid Protein Gene vp3

Viruses infecting the Archaea harbor a tremendous amount of genetic diversity. This is especially true for the spindle-shaped viruses of the family Fuselloviridae, where >90% of the viral genes do not have detectable homologs in public databases. This significantly limits our ability to elucidate the role of viral proteins in the infection cycle. To address this, we have developed genetic techniques to study the well-characterized fusellovirus Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus 1 (SSV1), which infects Sulfolobus solfataricus in volcanic hot springs at 80°C and pH 3. Here, we present a new comparative genome analysis and a thorough genetic analysis of SSV1 using both specific and random mutagenesis and thereby generate mutations in all open reading frames. We demonstrate that almost half of the SSV1 genes are not essential for infectivity, and the requirement for a particular gene correlates well with its degree of conservation within the Fuselloviridae The major capsid gene vp1 is essential for SSV1 infectivity. However, the universally conserved minor capsid gene vp3 could be deleted without a loss in infectivity and results in virions with abnormal morphology.IMPORTANCE Most of the putative genes in the spindle-shaped archaeal hyperthermophile fuselloviruses have no sequences that are clearly similar to characterized genes. In order to determine which of these SSV genes are important for function, we disrupted all of the putative genes in the prototypical fusellovirus, SSV1. Surprisingly, about half of the genes could be disrupted without destroying virus function. Even deletions of one of the known structural protein genes that is present in all known fuselloviruses, vp3, allows the production of infectious viruses. However, viruses lacking vp3 have abnormal shapes, indicating that the vp3 gene is important for virus structure. Identification of essential genes will allow focused research on minimal SSV genomes and further understanding of the structure of these unique, ubiquitous, and extremely stable archaeal viruses.
Police Brutality and Black Health: Setting the Agenda for Public Health Scholars

We investigated links between police brutality and poor health outcomes among Blacks and identified five intersecting pathways: (1) fatal injuries that increase population-specific mortality rates; (2) adverse physiological responses that increase morbidity; (3) racist public reactions that cause stress; (4) arrests, incarcerations, and legal, medical, and funeral bills that cause financial strain; and (5) integrated oppressive structures that cause systematic disempowerment.Public health scholars should champion efforts to implement surveillance of police brutality and press funders to support research to understand the experiences of people faced with police brutality. We must ask whether our own research, teaching, and service are intentionally antiracist and challenge the institutions we work in to ask the same.To reduce racial health inequities, public health scholars must rigorously explore the relationship between police brutality and health, and advocate policies that address racist oppression.
Outcomes of Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Receiving Biologic Therapy

Background Treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is of particular concern in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) initiating biologic therapies to prevent tuberculosis (TB) reactivation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of LTBI treatment in IBD patients receiving biologic therapy. Methods There was a retrospective review of all IBD patients diagnosed with LTBI following a tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) and who received biologic therapy between 2002 and 2016. The primary outcome was tuberculosis reactivation after completion of LTBI treatment. Results Three-hundred twenty-nine IBD patients were identified, and 35 (27 Crohn's disease; 8 ulcerative colitis) met the study inclusion criteria. The mean age was 38.3 years, and 68.6% were male. The most common LTBI treatment regimen was isoniazid (INH) for 9 months (74%). Biologic therapies used were infliximab (40%), adalimumab (29%), vedolizumab (20%), and certolizumab pegol (11%). Combination therapy with an immunomodulator was administered in 57% of cases. The median time from initiation of LTBI treatment to biologics was 43 days. The mean duration of follow-up was 2.9 years. The estimated median annual risk of TB reactivation without treatment was 0.52% by a prediction formula. Only 1 patient taking adalimumab monotherapy developed reactivation of TB several years after completing 6 months of isoniazid therapy. The estimated TB reactivation rate was 0.98 cases per 100 patient-years of follow-up in our cohort. Conclusions Treatment for LTBI in patients with IBD treated with biologics is effective but does not eliminate the risk of reactivation. 10.1093/ibd/izy133_video1izy133.video15776720675001.
Durability of iliac artery preservation associated with endovascular repair of infrarenal aortoiliac aneurysms.

Abstract Objective This study evaluated and compared the long-term clinical outcomes of endovascular repair of infrarenal aortoiliac aneurysms (EVAR) vs EVAR with preservation of antegrade internal iliac artery (IIA) perfusion using iliac branched devices (EVAR-IBDs). Methods From October 1998 to August 2015, patients with infrarenal aortoiliac aneurysmal (AIA) disease at high risk for conventional open surgery were enrolled in a prospective physician-sponsored investigational device exemption trial. Clinical data of 75 patients treated with EVAR-IBD and 255 with standard EVAR were analyzed. Technical success, perioperative outcomes, mortality, device patency, endoleak rates, and reinterventions during a follow-up of 10 years were analyzed. Results There were 87 IBDs deployed in 75 patients. Technical success rate was 97%. Mortality at 30 days was 1.3%. Freedom from aneurysm-related mortality at 3, 5, and 10 years was 99%. Freedom from a type I or III endoleak at 3, 5, and 10 years was 99%. Freedom from secondary reinterventions at 3, 5, and 10 years was 86%, 81%, and 81%, respectively. Primary patency of the IBDs at 3, 5, and 10 years was 94%, 94%, and 77%, respectively. Twenty-four percent of patients underwent EVAR for concomitant AIA disease (EVAR-AIA), and 78% were managed by staged IIA embolization before EVAR. No statistically significant difference in freedom from aneurysm-related mortality, limb occlusions, or endoleak rates was identified in patients with EVAR-AIA vs EVAR-IBD ( P > .05). There were significantly more secondary reinterventions in the EVAR-AIA group compared with the EVAR-IBD group (hazard ratio, 0.476, 95% confidence interval, 0.226-1.001; P = .045). Conclusions EVAR of infrarenal AIAs with preservation of antegrade flow to the IIA using IBDs is feasible with long-term sustained durability. Serious considerations should be given to the use of IBDs in patients with infrarenal AIAs meeting appropriate anatomic criteria.
1 H‐ 19 F REDOR ‐filtered NMR spin diffusion measurements of domain size in heterogeneous polymers

Solid state NMR spectroscopy is inherently sensitive to chemical structure and composition and thus makes an ideal method to probe the heterogeneity of multicomponent polymers. Specifically, NMR spin diffusion experiments can be used to extract reliable information about spatial domain sizes on multiple length scales, provided that magnetization selection of one domain can be achieved. In this paper, we demonstrate the preferential filtering of protons in fluorinated domains during NMR spin diffusion experiments using 1 H-19 F heteronuclear dipolar dephasing based on rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) MAS NMR techniques. Three pulse sequence variations are demonstrated based on the different nuclei detected: direct 1 H detection, plus both 1 H➔13 C cross polarization and 1 H➔19 F cross polarization detection schemes. This 1 H-19 F REDOR-filtered spin diffusion method was used to measure fluorinated domain sizes for a complex polymer blend. The efficacy of the REDOR-based spin filter does not rely on spin relaxation behavior or chemical shift differences and thus is applicable for performing NMR spin diffusion experiments in samples where traditional magnetization filters may prove unsuccessful. This REDOR-filtered NMR spin diffusion method can also be extended to other samples where a heteronuclear spin pair exists that is unique to the domain of interest.
Tropical weathering of the Taconic orogeny as a driver for Ordovician cooling

Author(s): Swanson-Hysell, NL; Macdonald, FA | Abstract: The Earth's climate cooled through the Ordovician Period leading up to the Hirnantian glaciation. Increased weatherability of silicate rocks associated with topography generated on the Appalachian margin during the Taconic orogeny has been proposed as a mechanism for Ordovician cooling. However, paleogeographic reconstructions typically place the Appalachian margin within the arid subtropics, outside of the warm and wet tropics where chemical weathering rates are highest. In this study, we reanalyze the paleomagnetic database and conclude that Ordovician constraints from cratonic Laurentia are not robust. Instead, we use paleomagnetic data from well-dated volcanic rocks in the accreting terranes to constrain Laurentia's position given that the Appalachian margin was at, or equatorward of, the paleolatitude of these terranes. To satisfy these allochthonous data, Laurentia must have moved toward the equator during the Ordovician such that the Appalachian margin was within 10° of the equator by 465 Ma. This movement into the tropics coincided with the collision and exhumation of the Taconic arc system, recorded by a shift in neodymium isotope data from shale on the Appalachian margin to more juvenile values. This inflection in detrital neodymium isotope values precedes a major downturn in global seawater strontium isotopic values by more than one million years, as would be predicted from a change in weathering input and the relatively long residence time of strontium in the ocean. These data are consistent with an increase in global weatherability associated with the tropical weathering of mafic and ultramafic lithologies exhumed during the Taconic arc-continent collision. A Taconic related increase in weatherability is a viable mechanism for lowering atmospheric CO2 levels through silicate weathering contributing to long-term Ordovician cooling.
Transparent Flexible Active Faraday Cage Enables In Vivo Capacitance Measurement in Assembled Microsensor

Capacitive microsensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure sensors are increasingly used in the modern electronic world. However, the invivo use of capacitive sensing for measurement of pressure or other variables inside a human body suffers from significant errors due to stray capacitance. This article proposes a solution consisting of a transparent thin flexible Faraday cage that surrounds the sensor. By supplying the active sensing voltage simultaneously to the deformable electrode of the capacitive sensor and to the Faraday cage, the stray capacitance during invivo measurements can be largely eliminated. Due to the transparency of the Faraday cage, the top and bottom portions of a capacitive sensor can be accurately aligned and assembled together. Experimental results presented in this article show that stray capacitance is reduced by a factor of 10 by the Faraday cage when the sensor is subjected to full immersion in water.
Examining Differential Resilience Mechanisms by Comparing 'Tipping Points' of the Effects of Neighborhood Conditions on Anxiety by Race/Ethnicity.

Exposure to adverse environmental and social conditions affects physical and mental health through complex mechanisms. Different racial/ethnic (R/E) groups may be more or less vulnerable to the same conditions, and the resilience mechanisms that can protect them likely operate differently in each population. We investigate how adverse neighborhood conditions (neighborhood disorder, NDis) differentially impact mental health (anxiety, Anx) in a sample of white and Black (African American) young women from Southeast Texas, USA. We illustrate a simple yet underutilized segmented regression model where linearity is relaxed to allow for a shift in the strength of the effect with the levels of the predictor. We compare how these effects change within R/E groups with the level of the predictor, but also how the “tipping points,” where the effects change in strength, may differ by R/E. We find with classic linear regression that neighborhood disorder adversely affects Black women’s anxiety, while in white women the effect seems negligible. Segmented regressions show that the Ndis → Anx effects in both groups of women appear to shift at similar levels, about one-fifth of a standard deviation below the mean of NDis, but the effect for Black women appears to start out as negative, then shifts in sign, i.e., to increase anxiety, while for white women, the opposite pattern emerges. Our findings can aid in devising better strategies for reducing health disparities that take into account different coping or resilience mechanisms operating differentially at distinct levels of adversity. We recommend that researchers investigate when adversity becomes exceedingly harmful and whether this happens differentially in distinct populations, so that intervention policies can be planned to reverse conditions that are more amenable to change, in effect pushing back the overall social risk factors below such tipping points.
Preparing a Will for a Client with Communication Challenges

Published in Vol. 58, No.9 of Trusts and Estates, the newsletter of the Illinois State Bar Association's Section on Trusts and Estates
Map Generation and Path Planning for Autonomous Mobile Robot in Static Environments Using GA

In this paper, we present our initial idea of developing an integrated an autonomous mobile robot system that can explore an unknown environment. The proposed system consists of three components 1) a map generation 2) path planning and 3) path tracking. The proposed approach allows a mobile robot to navigate the unknown environment, avoiding obstacles and following a defined path to reach the target position without collision. Ultrasonic sensor data was collected via moving the robot along the perimeter of the environment while incrementally updating the occupancy grid using ultrasonic/laser sensor to measure the distance between the obstacles and the edge of the environment. This dataset will be converted to a map that is used by Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to create an optimal route from a pre-defined start and target points. The autonomous robot system will travel between these points by following a trajectory defined by waypoints estimated using GAs. The pure pursuit (PP) algorithm is used for trajectory following. The proposed system was tested in a real environment using LEGO robot and in simulation using GAZEBO software. The results indicate that the proposed integrated autonomous mobile robot system is promising
Clinical outcomes following prenatal diagnosis of asymmetric ventriculomegaly, interhemispheric cyst, and callosal dysgenesis (AVID).

Objectives When identified prenatally, the imaging triad of asymmetric ventriculomegaly, interhemispheric cyst, and dysgenesis of the corpus callosum (AVID) can indicate a more serious congenital brain anomaly. In this follow-up series of 15 fetuses, we present the neurodevelopmental outcomes of a single institution cohort of children diagnosed prenatally with AVID. Methods Our fetal ultrasound database was queried for cases of AVID between 2000 and 2016. All available fetal MR imaging studies were reviewed for the presence of (a) interhemispheric cysts or ventricular diverticula and (b) dysgenesis or agenesis of the corpus callosum. Clinical records were reviewed for perinatal management, postnatal surgical management, and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Results Fifteen prenatal cases of AVID were identified. Twelve were live-born and three pregnancies were terminated. Of the 12 patients, 11 underwent neurosurgical intervention. Of the eight patients surviving past infancy, seven of eight have moderate to severe neurodevelopmental delays or disabilities, encompassing both motor and language skills, and all have variable visual abnormalities. Conclusion In our cohort of 15 prenatally diagnosed fetuses with AVID, eight survived past infancy and all have neurodevelopmental disabilities, including motor and language deficits, a wide range of visual defects, craniofacial abnormalities, and medical comorbidities.
Novel CT Features of an Abdominal Gossypiboma in a Female Dog

Case Description. An eight-year-old Golden Retriever was presented with hypercalcemia and a complex abdominal mass. Clinical Findings. A well-defined, heterogeneously contrast-enhancing, cavitary, soft tissue attenuating, non-organ associated abdominal mass was identified caudal to the right kidney. This mass was confluent with the distal tip of the right limb of the pancreas. A connected large, rim enhancing, cystic subcutaneous mass was also present in the right lumbar subcutaneous tissues, and there were multiple fistulous tracts through the hypaxial musculature. Treatment and Outcome. The dog underwent a surgical exploratory laparotomy and a gossypiboma was removed from the intra-abdominal mass; the cystic extra-abdominal mass was drained percutaneously. Surgical recovery was uneventful and a follow-up CT after 3 months was consistent with resolving granulomatous inflammation and fibrosis. Clinical Relevance. The presence of multiple peripherally enhancing tracts extending from the abdominal mass through the hypaxial musculature is a CT feature which has not yet been described in the veterinary literature. Additionally, incorporation of the pancreas into the abdominal mass has also not yet been described in the veterinary literature.
The Treatment of Acne Scars, a 30-Year Journey

Over the past 30 years, the treatment of acne scars has undergone changes that have been significantly influenced by the concurrent development of new devices. The advent of fractional resurfacing lasers was a watershed moment for acne scarring therapy. The author recounts a career history of considerations of acne scarring treatments as well as the literature supporting the experiences causing changes in practice. Fractional ablative and nonablative lasers, sublative radiofrequency, picosecond lasers, microneedling with and without radiofrequency and fillers are the bulk of the treatments covered, along with a discussion of combination therapy. A practical algorithm for acne scarring for selection of treatment modalities is presented.
Internal quantum efficiency measurements in InAs/GaSb superlattices for midinfrared emitters

The internal quantum efficiency of a series of InAs/GaSb superlattices was investigated as a function of carrier generation rate through variable excitation, quasicontinuous-wave photoluminescence measurements. GaSb thicknesses were varied to maximize the internal quantum efficiency for midwave infrared emission. Internal quantum efficiencies were determined from measurements of the photoluminescence radiance and extraction efficiencies computed within a two-slab model. The peak internal quantum efficiencies varied from 15% to 29% at 77 K, which is in good agreement with expectations from InAs/GaSb superlattice light-emitting diode performance.
Fiber-grating based strain sensor with phase sensitive detection

A technique for the detection of dynamic strain inducedwavelength shifts in fiber Bragg grating sensors which is capable of highresolution sensing is described. The scheme is based on the use of anunbalanced-interferometer wavelength discriminator to transpose thewavelength shift of light reflected from a strained fiber grating into thephase shift of an electrical carrier signal.
Artificial Intelligence in Business

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science that is dedicated to developing software dealing with intelligent decisions, reasoning, and problem solving. Artificial intelligence is already part of our lives, slowly shaping our society and business. It is everywhere, in on your smartphones, laptops, and cars. AI can increase productivity, gain competitive advantage, compliment human intelligence. and reduce cost of operations. Businesses of all types and sizes are considering artificial intelligence to solve their problems. The scope of AI in business transformation is constantly growing. This paper provides an introduction on the applications of AI in business.
Universal Reduction in Dielectric Response of Confined Fluids.

Dielectric permittivity is central to many biological and physiochemical systems as it affects the long-range electrostatic interactions. Similar to many fluid properties, confinement greatly alter...
Dark energy and quantum gravity

Realizing dark energy and the observed de Sitter spacetime in quantum gravity has proven to be obstructed in almost every usual approach. We argue that additional degrees of freedom of the left- an...
Gold Alignment and Internal Dissipation

The measures of mechanical alignment are obtained for both prolate and oblate grains whose temperatures are comparable to the grain kinetic energy divided by k, the Boltzmann constant. For such grains, the alignment of angular momentum, J, with the axis of maximal inertia, a, is only partial, which substantially alters the mechanical alignment as compared with the results obtained by Lazarian and Roberge, Hanany, & Messinger under the assumption of perfect alignment. We also describe Gold alignment when the Barnett dissipation is suppressed and derive an analytical expression that relates the measure of alignment to the parameters of grain nonsphericity and the direction of the gas-grain drift. This solution provides the lower limit for the measure of alignment, while the upper limit is given by the method derived by Lazarian. Using the results of a recent study of incomplete internal relaxation by Lazarian & Roberge, we find measures of alignment for the whole range of ratios of grain rotational energy to kTs, where Ts is the grain temperature. To describe alignment for mildly supersonic drifts, we suggest an analytical approach that provides good correspondence with the results of direct numerical simulations by Roberge, Hanany, & Messinger. We also extend our approach to account for simultaneous action of the Gold and Davis-Greenstein mechanisms.
Early Academic Performance, Grade Repetition, and School Attainment in Senegal: A Panel Data Analysis

Little is known in developing country environments about how a child's cognitive skills manifested in the first years of schooling are related to later educational success, because the panel data needed to analyze this question have been lacking. This study takes advantage of a unique data set from Senegal that combines test score data for children from the second grade with information on their subsequent school progression from a follow-up survey conducted seven years later. Measures of skills from early primary school, corrected for measurement error using multiple test observations per child, are strongly positively associated with later school progression. A plausible interpretation is that parents invest more in a child's education when the returns to doing so are higher. The results point to the need for remedial policies to target lagging students early on to reduce early dropout. Grade repetition policies target poorly performing students and are pervasive in Francophone Africa. Using variation across schools in test score thresholds for promotion to identify the effects of second-grade repetition, the analysis shows that repeating students are more likely to leave school before completing primary school than students with similar ability who are not held back, pointing to the need for alternative measures to improve the skills of lagging children.
Enhanced mechanical properties of additive manufactured Grade 91 steel

Abstract High temperature stability of the mechanical properties, including creep behavior, are important factors to consider in certifying additive manufactured (AM) steels for reactor operation. AM-Grade 91 steel, tested at RT is shown to possess high yield strength, strain hardening and ductility even after high temperature aging for extended hours. Enhanced creep resistance at 650 ⁰C is also evident in the AM Grade 91 steel compared to wrought Grade 91 steel tested at the same conditions. The diverse and complex microstructure of this AM steel allows for both enhanced strength and ductility but increases the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature in these steels.
Library Liaison Services in US Community Colleges: Findings from a National Survey

Library liaison services have been shown to be a valuable component of higher education in the US. Despite this established value, however, liaison services specific to community colleges are rarely discussed in the scholarly literature, while such services from universities and research institutions are well researched. Though it is understandable that liaison services at universities and community colleges would have similarities such as collaboration and outreach with students and faculty, it is only logical that they would also have differences due to the differences in user groups they serve. However, performing any reasonable comparison is difficult due to the absence of scholarly discourse regarding liaison services at community colleges. This article fills this gap by presenting survey data on the state of liaison services in community college libraries in the US. The data shows that a range of liaison work is being performed by community college librarians; A number of opportunities for further inquiry are also identified.
Multivariate Model for Predicting Overall Survival in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma After Adjuvant Radiotherapy

Purpose/Objective(s) Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive cancer arising from the cells of the thoracic pleura. Its anatomic complexity, large surface area, and unique location pose challenges for target coverage while sparing adjacent organs at risk (OARs) during treatment planning for adjuvant radiotherapy after pleurectomy and decortication. We aimed to investigate the associations between patient/target characteristics and achievable dosimetric plan quality with overall survival. Materials/Methods Sixty patients with MPM patients who were treated on a tomotherapy unit between 2013-2018 at a single institution were included. All patients received helical IMRT with 45 Gy/25 fractions. Dosimetric quantities for the lungs, heart, and liver were systematically examined for 37 right-sided (RSM) and 23 left-sided mesothelioma (LSM) patients. Patient characteristics and/or planning dosimetric metrics were input into machine learning algorithms, e.g., LASSO regression, support vector machine (SVM), and multiple layer perceptron (MLP), in order to construct predictive models for overall survival. The performance of predictive models was evaluated with area under the curve (AUC) using 3-fold cross validation. Normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP) for selected OARs were estimated using the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model based on individual dose volume histograms. Results The achieved dosimetric endpoints were significantly different (P Conclusion We demonstrated correlations between patient specific characteristics and achieved planning dosimetric parameters for left- and right-sided MPM treatment planning endpoints. Combining patient characteristics and dosimetric endpoints, the multivariate predictive model achieved decent performance in predicting overall survival. The predictive model may guide treatment planning to achieve optimal planning dosimetry, and to improve clinical outcome via personalized treatment for MPM.
The Structure of International Taxation: A Proposal for Simplification

The article explains the structure of the international tax regime and offers suggestions for improvement.
Development of a Hamster Model for Chikungunya Virus Infection and Pathogenesis

Chikungunya virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes severe, debilitating infectious arthritis in humans. The need for an animal model to study the disease process and evaluate potential treatments is imminent as the virus continues its spread into novel geographic locations. Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are often used as outbred laboratory animal models for arboviral diseases. Here we demonstrate that hamsters inoculated with chikungunya virus developed viremia and histopathologic lesions in their limbs and joints similar to those seen in human patients. The virus disseminated rapidly and was found in every major organ, including brain, within a few days of infection. Hamsters did not manifest overt clinical signs, and the virus was generally cleared within 4 days, followed by a strong neutralizing antibody response. These results indicate that hamsters are highly susceptible to chikungunya virus infection and develop myositis and tenosynovitis similar to human patients followed by a complete recovery. This animal model may be useful for testing antiviral drugs and vaccines.
3 Evolution of Developmental Mechanisms: Spatial and Temporal Modes of Rostrocaudal Patterning

Publisher Summary Descriptive comparisons of morphology and development in different species indicate that the developmental changes during evolution can occur, either as terminal variations appended to highly conserved early processes or as modification of the intermediate steps, leading to relatively well-conserved endpoints. The chapter discusses the paradox posed by the fact that the segmented body plans of leeches and flies, while surely homologous, arise by dramatically different temporal and spatial modes of segmentation, respectively. But it is important to bear in mind that many or most of the other arthropods (short germ band insects and crustaceans) are intermediate between the long germ band insects and the annelids in that they utilize the aspects of both the spatial and temporal modes of segment formation, often in different regions of the embryo.