cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-destructive altruism in a synthetic developmental program enables complex feedstock utilization

Stochastic differentiation and programmed cell death are common developmental processes in microbes, driving diverse altruistic behaviors that promote cooperation. Utilizing cell death in developmental programs requires control over the rate of differentiation to balance cell proliferation against the utility of sacrifice. However, the regulatory networks that control these behaviors are often complex and have yet to be successfully harnessed as biotechnology. Here, we engineered a synthetic developmental gene network that couples stochastic differentiation with programmed cell death to implement a two-member division of labor. Progenitor cellobiose consumer cells were engineered to grow on cellobiose and differentiate at a controlled rate into self-destructive altruists that release an otherwise sequestered cellulase enzyme payload through autolysis to form a developmental Escherichia coli consortium that utilizes cellulose for growth. We used an experimentally parameterized model of task switching, payload delivery and cellulose conversion to nutrients to set key parameters to achieve overall population growth supported by cellulase release, liberating 14-23% of the available carbon. An inevitable consequence of engineering altruistic developmental behaviors is the emergence of cheaters that undermine cooperation. We observed cheater phenotypes for consumers and altruists, identified mutational hotspots and constructed a predictive model of circuit longeivity based on mutation rate estimates for each mode of evolutionary escape. This work introduces the altruistic developmental program as a new tool for synthetic biology, demonstrates the utility of population dynamics models to engineer complex phenotypes and provides a testbed for probing the evolutionary biology of self-destructive altruism.
Variable modulus orthodontics advanced through an auxiliary archwire attachment

Abstract Reducing the load deflection rates of orthodontic springs is important, for it provides relative constancy of the moment-to-force ratio applied to the teeth with concomitant, forecastable dental movement. Increasing patient comfort and reducing the number of office visits while lowering potential tissue damage are additional features of lower load deflection rate springs. A simple auxiliary attachment, which can be crimped into position on an archwire or onto segments of an archwire, is described. This attachment permits the clinician to incorporate a relatively high rate stiff wire to enhance the anchorage of the reactive teeth in one area of the dental arch, while allowing the use of wire of lesser stiffness (lower load deflection rate spring) to engage teeth targeted for movement. The auxiliary allows the clinician to choose various stiffnesses through the use of wire of one modulus (stainless steel, for example) in one area of the arch, and wire of a differing modulus (NiTi, for example) in a...
A retrospective review comparing two-year patient-reported outcomes, costs, and healthcare resource utilization for TLIF vs. PLF for single-level degenerative spondylolisthesis

The purpose of this study was to compare patient-reported outcomes (PROs), morbidity, and costs of TLIF vs PLF to determine whether one treatment was superior in the setting of single-level degenerative spondylolisthesis. Patients undergoing TLIF or PLF for single-level spondylolisthesis were included for retrospective analysis. EQ-5D, ODI, SF-12 MCS/PCS, NRS-BP/LP scores were collected at baseline and 24 months after surgery. 90-day post-operative complications, revision surgery rates, and satisfaction scores were also collected. Two-year resource use was multiplied by unit costs based on Medicare payment amounts (direct cost). Patient and caregiver workday losses were multiplied by the self-reported gross-of-tax wage rate (indirect cost). Total cost was used to assess mean total 2-year cost per QALYs gained after surgery. 62 and 37 patients underwent TLIF and PLF, respectively. Patients in the PLF group were older (p < 0.01). No significant differences were seen in baseline or 24-month PROs between the two groups. There was a significant improvement in all PROs from baseline to 24 months after surgery (p < 0.001). Both groups had similar rates of 90-day complications, revision surgery, satisfaction, and similar gain in QALYs and cost per QALYs gained. There was no significant difference in 24-month direct, indirect, and total cost. Overall costs and health care utilization were similar in both the groups. Both TLIF and PLF for single-level degenerative spondylolisthesis provide improvement in disability, pain, quality of life, and general health.
A Procedural, Contextual, Action-Focused Understanding: Response to Renn and Westerman

In this reply to comments by Paul Renn and Michael Westerman, I discuss the nature of relational discourse and the various meanings of multiplicity in the relational literature. In further discussi...
Abstract TP46: A Support Vector Machine Approach for Prediction of Subclinical Language Deficit using Post-Stroke White Matter Tracts

Post-stroke neuropsychological evaluation can take a long time to assess motor, cognitive, language impairments, etc. in subjects with no overt clinical deficits. A ten-minute non-invasive diffusio...
Mother’s Observations of Biased Self-Perceptions in Children with ADHD

A large body of research suggests that children with ADHD tend to overestimate their functioning across multiple domains. This overestimation, termed a positive illusory bias (PIB), is most often examined in controlled research settings in which child ratings are compared to ratings from an adult. We sought to advance our understanding of how a PIB presents in daily life for children with ADHD by using mixed methodology to assess mothers’ (N = 12) perceptions of their child’s self-awareness. Information was gathered from mothers of children with ADHD using surveys and an interview protocol. A grounded theory approach was used to identify themes that emerged through interview data and discrepancy methodology to confirm the presence of the PIB. Qualitative and quantitative data suggested that children with ADHD displayed limited self-awareness, with mothers reporting overestimation of competence across domains. However, some children were reported to be aware of their areas of difficulty, with variability in self-awareness based on domain, feedback, and setting. Mothers reported that children responded to evidence of their impairment both with apathy and frustration. Results help to clarify past evidence of heterogeneity in PIB levels and provide examples of how limited self-awareness and denial of difficulties are manifested in the family context for children with ADHD, according to mother’s observations. These results demonstrate the value of using mixed methodology to better understand the self-perceptions of children with ADHD in their daily lives.
Customizing the computation capabilities of microprocessors

Designers of microprocessor-based systems must constantly improve performance and increase computational efficiency in their designs to create value. To this end, it is increasingly common to see computation accelerators in general-purpose processor designs. Computation accelerators collapse portions of an application's dataflow graph, reducing the critical path of computations, easing the burden on processor resources, and reducing energy consumption in systems. There are many problems associated with adding accelerators to microprocessors, though. Design of accelerators, architectural integration, and software support all present major challenges. This dissertation tackles these challenges in the context of accelerators targeting acyclic and cyclic patterns of computation. First, a technique to identify critical computation subgraphs within an application set is presented. This technique is hardware-cognizant and effectively generates a set of instruction set extensions given a domain of target applications. Next, several general-purpose accelerator structures are quantitatively designed using critical subgraph analysis for a broad application set. The next challenge is architectural integration of accelerators. Traditionally, software invokes accelerators by statically encoding new instructions into the application binary. This is incredibly costly, though, requiring many portions of hardware and software to be redesigned. This dissertation develops strategies to utilize accelerators, without changing the instruction set. In the proposed approach, the microarchitecture translates applications at run-time, replacing computation subgraphs with microcode to utilize accelerators. We explore the tradeoffs in performing difficult aspects of the translation at compile-time, while retaining run-time replacement. This culminates in a simple microarchitectural interface that supports a plug-and-play model for integrating accelerators into a pre-designed microprocessor. Software support is the last challenge in dealing with computation accelerators. The primary issue is difficulty in generating high-quality code utilizing accelerators. Handwritten assembly code is standard in industry, and if compiler support does exist, simple greedy algorithms are common. In this work, we investigate more thorough techniques for compiling for computation accelerators. Where greedy heuristics only explore one possible solution, the techniques in this dissertation explore the entire design space, when possible. Intelligent pruning methods ensure that compilation is both tractable and scalable.
The embodiment of time estimation

In this essay, we explain time estimation on the basis of principles of self-organization. Timing behavior can be seen as an outcome of the coupling and coordination across physiological events, overt behavior, and task demands. Such coupling reveals itself in scaling relations known as fractal patterns. The self-organization hypothesis posits a coherent relation between frequency and amplitude of change, as a single coordinated unity, that possess fractal features. Empirical data lend support of this hypothesis, initiating a discussion on how fractal properties of time estimation can be altered by the interplay of voluntary and involuntary control of behavior.
Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy and Urinary Diversion in Bladder Cancer

The potential advantages of robot-assisted surgery can be utilized in complex and advanced uro-oncologic surgery. The technique of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RRC) for patients with bladder cancer in males and females was developed based on principles of open and laparoscopic surgery with modifications using the daVinci system. This procedure employs precise and rapid radical cystectomy with minimal blood loss. Urinary diversions such as orthotopic neobladder or ileal conduit can be performed totally intracorporeally, or the bowel segment is exteriorized from the incision used to deliver the specimen and the orthotopic neobladder or ileal conduit is reconstructed. At this point in time, performing urinary diversion extracorporeally reduces operative time in comparison to performing the procedure totally intracorporeally.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)

This chapter presents a brief overview of the OFDMA technique used in 4G WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) cellular system. It is shown that OFDMA is an extension of FDMA, where each frequency band is placed at the null of the adjacent frequency band. This is governed by the well-known “Fourier transform,” so that adjacent frequency bands are orthogonal to each other. OFDMA is a full-duplex communication system. The communication link is maintained in both directions in the time domain known as time division duplex (TDD). Numerous illustrations are used to bring students up to date in key concepts, underlying principles, and practical applications of “Fourier transform,” spectrum, and orthogonal properties of spectrum, leading to OFDMA. Construction of OFDMA channels from the FCC-allocated band is presented to illustrate the concept.
REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF COSTA RICAN OLDER ADULTS

According to the WHO (2015), Costa Rica (CR) has the highest healthy life expectancy of the Central American region, being just second to Chile among all Latin American countries. However, important cultural and economic region disparities within the country exist (Human Development Index, 2017). Poverty, low education and other social determinants pose a risk factor for rural older adults’ health. In this study, we compared rural (Guanacaste) and urban (San Jose) older adults on different health indicators: reported chronic illnesses, BMI, sleep quality (PSQI), and community participation. Participants were part of the Epidemiology and Development of Alzheimer’s Disease (EDAD) study, which used a convenience sample of 311 cognitively healthy older adults (65 years and older). Results show that rural older adults had significantly more chronic conditions for (M = 4.80, SD =2.38) compared to urban dwellers (M = 4.20, SD = 2.28), p < .03. Specifically, rural older adults had significantly higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, chronic back pain, kidney problems, musculoskeletal conditions, and sleep disturbances (for all, p < .05). Urban older adults indicated higher frequencies of participation in community health activities compared to their rural counterparts (p = .02). No significant differences in BMI were found between the groups. These findings suggest that the study of healthy aging in Costa Ricans should be analyzed considering region as a social determinant of health. Public health policies in CR should aim at improving the social conditions associated to the poorer health status of rural older adults.
Using Nearpod Mobile Technology to Maximize Active Learning

Nearpod, a web 2.0 tool, breathes new life into existing PowerPoint and multimedia slideshows. This tool enables instructors to incorporate activities that promote student engagement within their existing materials. Students are able to answer open ended questions, participate in quizzes, draw and diagram responses using any web-enabled mobile device. Additionally, students can participate in VR experiences, 3D simulations, and other types of multimedia immersive opportunities through the use of this resource. Nearpod lessons can be teacher or student paced, which is ideal for in-person, hybrid, or online instruction. When students engage in the content and respond to questions, quizzes, or polls, instructors are provided immediate feedback. In turn, instructors can share with the class and provide feedback with the students.Once lessons are created, instructors can share content with colleagues, building content-based libraries for future use. Nearpod integrates well with a plethora of technologies like Google Apps for Education and Microsoft. Nearpod partners with curriculum content providers to offer a myriad of lessons that already exist for instructor use. Instructors can preview the material and remix to meet the needs of their students.Nearpod also provides detailed reports and analytics which can be used ideally to drive instruction and make sound data driven decisions. One can take a holistic view of the data and drill down information by question or by student. Instructors can download reports and share them with others if necessary.
Abstract 160: Comparison of Baseline Characteristics Among World Health Organization Groups in Pulmonary Hypertension

Background: The epidemiology of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is changing with increasing numbers of patients diagnosed with non-group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The average age of pati...
Improvising identities: Comparing cultural roles and dialogic discourse in two lessons from a US elementary classroom

Education researchers agree on the value of classroom interac- tions in which students develop and reﬁne their ideas in relation to what others have already written or said. Such “dialogic” interac- tions can help students learn to consider multiple interpretations, and even to disagree. Dialogic interactions can also shape stu- dents’ notions of themselves and their learning in ways that prepare them for participation in a literate, democratic society. Moreover, dialogic interactions, according to several national studies, have been associated with student literacy achievement
Toxicokinetics of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane-1-sulphonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in male and female Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD rats after intravenous and gavage administration.

Abstract Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent contaminants that have been detected in the environment and in humans. With the PFAS chemical class, there are perfluorinated alkyl acids, many of which have been associated with certain toxicities. Because toxicity testing cannot feasibly be conducted for each individual PFAS, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) designed studies to compare toxicities across different subclasses of PFAS and across PFAS of different chain lengths to better understand the structure-toxicity relationship. Pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in parallel to these toxicity studies to facilitate comparisons across PFAS and to provide context for human relevance. Here, the toxicokinetic parameters of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane-1-sulphonic acid (PFHxS), or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) after a single intravenous or gavage administration in male and female Hsd:Sprague-Dawley rats are reported. Concentrations of these PFAS were measured in the liver, kidney, and brain. Plasma half-life increased with longer chain length after gavage administration: PFBS- males averaged 3.3 h, females 1.3 h; PFHxS- males averaged 16.3 days, females 2.1 days; PFOS- males and females averaged ˜ 20 days. There were dose-dependent changes in clearance and systemic exposure for all administered chemicals and the direction of change was different in PFOS compared to the others. Liver:plasma ratios of PFOS were the highest followed by PFHxS and PFBS, while brain:plasma ratios were low in all three sulfonates. Sex differences in plasma half-life and tissue distribution were observed for PFBS and PFHxS, but not PFOS. These data provide a direct comparison of the kinetics of three different perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids and allow for the contextualization of toxicity data in rats for human risk assessment of this chemical class.
Is College Still Worth It? the New Calculus of Falling Returns

The college income premium is the extra income earned by a family whose head has a college degree over the income earned by an otherwise similar family whose head does not have a college degree. This premium remains positive but has declined for recent graduates. The college wealth premium (extra net worth) has declined more noticeably among all cohorts born after 1940. Among families whose head is White and born in the 1980s, the college wealth premium of a terminal four-year bachelor?s degree is at a historic low; among families whose head is any other race and ethnicity born in that decade, the premium is statistically indistinguishable from zero. Among families whose head is of any race or ethnicity born in the 1980s and holding a postgraduate degree, the wealth premium is also indistinguishable from zero. Our results suggest that college and postgraduate education may be failing some recent graduates as a financial investment.
Visualization and Quantification of Phagocytosis by Neutrophils

Phagocytosis by phagocytes such as neutrophils is a crucial part of the host innate immune response against invading pathogens. Phagocytosis is a complex process that initiates with the binding of the particles on the cell surface of the phagocytes through the interaction of pattern recognition receptors with ligands on the surface of the pathogens. During this process, phagocytes undergo extensive membrane reorganization and cytoskeleton rearrangement at their cell surface. To gain better insight about the molecular mechanisms of this dynamic cellular process, visualization and quantification in a high-throughput manner is essential. Here, we describe a microscope-based method to visualize and quantify phagocytic uptake of pathogens (such as bacteria and fungi) and model particulates that are larger than 0.5 μm (such as Zymosan A and IgG-coated beads).
Transformation of Prostaglandin D2 to 11-Dehydro Thromboxane B2 by Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation

Prostaglandin D2 is one of five chief prostanoids formed in the cyclooxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid oxidation. Except for a single oxygen atom, PGD2 is structurally identical to 11-dehydro thromboxane B2 (11d-TxB2 ), a urinary metabolite of the pro-aggregatory platelet activator, thromboxane A2 . The close structural relationship suggested that one might be transformed to the other. Accordingly, we tested whether the cyclopentanone of PGD2 can be expanded to the δ-lactone of 11d-TxB2 in a Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. Oxidation of PGD2 with two standard oxidants showed that 11d-TxB2 was formed only with H2 O2 but not with peracetic acid. Byproducts of the H2 O2 -mediated oxidation were hydroperoxide derivatives and isomers of PGD2 . Chemical oxidation of PGD2 to 11d-TxB2 may be a model for an equivalent enzymatic transformation, suggesting a possible link in the metabolism of PGD2 and thromboxane A2 .
Surface functionalization of automated fiber placement manufactured composites by atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Abstract This work is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Advanced Composite Project (ACP) focused on reducing the timeline to certification and directly follows guidelines provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, Advisory Circular 20-107B, 2010) on improved process controls for adhesively bonded airframe structures. High performance airframe composite structures require reliable fabrication and high fidelity bonding for assembled components. However, a low inherent surface energy and happenstance of surface contamination in multiple manufacturing steps, both contribute to poor adhesive properties in composite materials. Proper surface preparation of pre-bond composite surfaces is, therefore, an active research topic focused on improving fidelity of adhesive bonding. This work discusses application of air driven atmospheric pressure plasma discharge device to mitigate detrimental effects of contaminants on adhesive bonds between carbon fiber composite surfaces. The experimental results indicate that contaminated surfaces treated with Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet (APPJ) exhibited higher adhesive retention, resulting in higher fracture toughness in double cantilever beam tests.
Situating Hegel: From Transcendental Philosophy to a Phenomenology of Spirit

This chapter contextualizes G.W.F. Hegel’s work by tracing the pathway of thought from Immanuel Kant’s transcendental philosophy, through G.E. Schulze’s post-Kantian skepticism, through J.G. Fichte’s “Bold philosophy of freedom,” and then finally to the Spinozistic thinking of F.W.J. Schelling and Hegel himself. In the early 1790s, Schulze argued that Kant’s “transcendental” account of the a priori conditions of knowing had failed to live up to the principles of Kant’s own philosophy. According to Schulze, Kant made illicit use of the concept of “substance” by supposing that the human mind is a kind of “substrate” which, though unknowable “in itself,” somehow underlies and makes possible our knowledge of objects of experience. Relatedly, critics argued that Kant made illicit use of the concept of “cause” by implying that the human mind (unlike God’s mind) does not create everything that it knows but depends on the givenness of an independent “transcendental object” which, though unknowable “in itself,” somehow affects human knowing and renders it finite. In response to such criticisms, Fichte argued that it is possible to defend the Kantian system, but only if one recognizes that our activity as knowers is rooted in our radical freedom as agents and therefore can never become an object that one experiences or represents to oneself, and indeed can never become an object of any theoretical knowing at all. For Fichte, the knower’s radical ability to doubt (that is, its non-representational awareness that no given content can ever be the determining cause of one’s own knowing) is an indicator of the knower’s radical freedom as an agent. In the 1790s, the young Schelling and Hegel became avid proponents of Fichte’s philosophy of freedom; but, like their friend Friedrich Holderlin, they had doubts about whether Fichte had adequately explained how human knowing is free (that is, unbounded by anything simply “given” to it from the outside) yet also finite (that is, distinguishable from divine knowing). Relying on the work of Spinoza, they argued that freedom (or the “I” or “mind”) and nature (or the “not-I” or “world”) are not simply discontinuous with one another, but are really just two aspects of one and the same unbounded whole. This unbounded whole, Schelling argued, can be apprehended only through art which alone can serve as philosophy’s true organ. Resisting Schelling’s romantic tendencies, Hegel argued that this unbounded whole could be apprehended through philosophical, speculative reason, but only by means of the indirect, stepwise approach of “determinate negation” as shown in the Phenomenology of Spirit.
Biomarkers of Bone Turnover Identify Subsets of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients at Higher Risk for Fracture.

Background We sought to identify biomarkers that indicate low turnover on bone histomorphometry in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, and subsequently determined whether this panel identified differential risk for fractures in community-dwelling older adults. Methods Among CKD patients who underwent iliac crest bone biopsies and histomorphometry, we evaluated candidate biomarkers to differentiate low turnover from other bone disease. We applied this biomarker panel to 641 participants in the Health Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC) study with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 who were followed for fracture. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated the association of bone mineral density (BMD) with fracture risk and determined whether biomarker-defined low bone turnover modified fracture risk at any level of BMD. Results In 39 CKD patients age 64 ± 13 years, 85% female, with mean eGFR 37 ± 14 mL/min/1.73 m2 who underwent bone biopsy, lower fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23, higher ɑ-Klotho, and lower parathyroid hormone (PTH) indicated low bone turnover in accordance with bone histomorphometry parameters (individual area under the curve = 0.62, 0.73, and 0.55 respectively; sensitivity = 22%, specificity = 100%). In Health ABC, 641 participants with CKD were age 75 ± 3 years , 49% female, with mean eGFR 48 ± 10 mL/min/1.73 m2. For every SD lower hip BMD at baseline, there was an 8-fold higher fracture risk in individuals with biomarker-defined low turnover (hazard ratio 8.10 [95% CI, 3.40-19.30]) vs a 2-fold higher risk in the remaining individuals (hazard ratio 2.28 [95% CI, 1.69-3.08]) (Pinteraction = .082). Conclusions In CKD patients who underwent bone biopsy, lower FGF-23, higher ɑ-Klotho, and lower PTH together had high specificity for identifying low bone turnover. When applied to older individuals with CKD, BMD was more strongly associated with fracture risk in those with biomarker-defined low turnover.
Coupled influences of particle shape, surface property and flow hydrodynamics on rod-shaped colloid transport in porous media.

Abstract Hypothesis Natural or engineered colloidal particles are often non-spherical in shape. In contrast to the widely-used “homogeneous sphere” assumption, the non-spherical particle shape is expected to alter particle–fluid-surface interactions, which in turn affect particle transport and retention. Experiments and Simulations Polystyrene microspheres were stretched to rod-shaped particles of two aspect ratios (2:1, 6:1). The transport and retention behaviors of rods versus spheres were investigated in packed quartz sand columns and impinging jet systems. In parallel, a 3D trajectory model was employed to simulate particle translation and rotation, and to elucidate the role and underlying mechanisms of particle shape impact on transport. Findings Rods were observed to undergo rotating and tumbling motions in response to fluid shear from experiments and simulations. However, no distinct retention trends between rods and spheres were observed from column studies, despite BSA-coating on particles, Fe-coating on sand or velocity change. This was primarily due to the super-hydrophobic nature of colloid surfaces acquired from stretching process, which in hydrophilic sand columns, dominated particle–surface charge interactions. Simulations using colloids with randomly distributed charge patches qualitatively produced the observed insensitivity in retention respecting aspect ratio under low charge coverage (
Cost optimization of high recovery single stage gap membrane distillation

Abstract Estimating the cost of membrane distillation (MD) processes at scale is confounded by the vast array of possible process configurations, module configurations, and operating conditions and the extreme sensitivity of MD costs to these parameters. This work develops a comprehensive MD cost optimization framework for minimizing the levelized cost of water (LCOW) as a function of feed salinity and temperature. Our single stage gap MD model fully captures solution properties, heat transfer, and mass transfer relationships in the modules to determine the cost optimal design as a function of multiple decision variables, including process configuration (feed location and connectivity between the hot and cold-side), the gap type (air, permeate, conductive), equipment sizes (membrane, heater, chiller, and heat exchanger units), and operating conditions (flow rates, hot and cold side temperatures, and heating and cooling duties). We estimate that the minimum LCOW of conductive gap MD ranges between $10 and $16 per m3 for feed salinities of 25 g/L to 200 g/L and water recoveries of 30%–75%. We update several heuristic assumptions for cost optimal system operation, including: increased thermal conductivity of the gap decreases system costs; cost optimal MD operates at the highest allowable temperature; and the LCOW is a strong function of brine salinity. Finally, we find that improving membrane properties and lowering heating and cooling costs will provide only modest reductions in costs (
Identifying Patients With Axial Spondyloarthritis in Large Datasets: Expanding Possibilities for Observational Research

Objective Observational research of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is limited by a lack of methods for identifying diverse axSpA phenotypes in large datasets. Algorithms were previously designed to identify a broad spectrum of patients with axSpA, including patients not identifiable with diagnosis codes. The study objective was to estimate the performance of axSpA identification methods in the general Veterans Affairs (VA) population. Methods A patient sample with known axSpA status (n = 300) was established with chart review. For feasibility, this sample was enriched with veterans with axSpA risk factors. Algorithm performance outcomes included sensitivities, positive predictive values (PPV), and F1 scores (an overall performance metric combining sensitivity and PPV). Performance was estimated with unweighted outcomes for the axSpA-enriched sample and inverse probability weighted (IPW) outcomes for the general VA population. These outcomes were also assessed for traditional identification methods using diagnosis codes for the ankylosing spondylitis (AS) subtype of axSpA. Results The mean age was 54.7 and 92% were male. Unweighted F1 scores (0.59–0.74) were higher than IPW F1 scores (0.48–0.65). The full algorithm had the best overall performance (F1IPW 0.65). The Early Algorithm was the most inclusive (sensitivityIPW 0.90, PPVIPW 0.38). The traditional method using ≥ 2 AS diagnosis codes from rheumatology had the highest PPV (PPVIPW 0.84, sensitivityIPW 0.34). Conclusion The axSpA identification methods demonstrated a range of performance attributes in the general VA population that may be appropriate for various types of studies. The novel identification algorithms may expand the scope of research by enabling identification of more diverse axSpA populations.
Outcomes of a Medical Preparedness Survey: A Utah Valley University Respiratory Therapy Student Research Study

Background: We sought to determine if the general population is prepared in regards to prescription medications (RXM) in the event of an emergency. Pharmacies, physicians and insurance companies contribute to the problem by limiting the availability and quantities. Recent disasters, quick evacuations and quarantine have contributed to RXM unpreparedness. Methods: The questions on the Medical Preparedness Survey were created to gauge the preparedness of the general population of one Utah county. We sought to determine: 1) 3-day RX preparedness in general, 2) gender dependence on RXMs, 3) preparation by gender, 4) Utah County, UT preparedness with RX meds, 5) preparedness of home oxygen (O2) where applicable, 6) the role of education in readiness with RXMs, and 7) age dependency and preparedness. Additional questions included: patient demographics including age, gender, zip code, ethnicity and highest level of education, 5-minute access to RXMs, pet dependency on RXMs, and if access could be accomplished in 5 minutes, and patient identification of emergency outside designated meeting spots. Data were collected via a Qualtrics template survey distributed via Facebook. Two hundred twenty-five surveys were returned and analyzed. Results: Survey results are reported in Table One. Other outcomes of note include: 1) 2.2 % of the respondents indicated they were dependent on RXMs but would not be able to access their medications in under 5 minutes, 2) 42% of respondents indicated they owned pets that rely on medications but did not have an available emergency supply, 3) 25% of respondents with RXMs would rely on their local pharmacy, and 4) 66% of respondents did not have a pre-designated emergency meeting spot. Conclusions: It is our impression most are prepared with RXMs for 3 days but not beyond that. A gender gap in preparedness was noted. More respondents 60 despite comorbid conditions which emerge with advancing age. Higher levels of education did not equate with level of preparedness. This seems inversely related; however, this result warrants further investigation. Community education regarding the need for RXM preparedness and planned emergency meeting location may impact preparedness and decrease potential burdens. It is our impression community services, hospitals, medical supply and insurance companies should coordinate processes to assure oxygen dependent patients have adequate RXM and oxygen sources. The authors acknowledge Kira Zabriskie, Esau Jared Moreno Cordova, and Taylor Hale.
Teachers making sense of undocumented status and their responsibilities to undocumented students: A critical perspective

Abstract This interpretive qualitative study explores how teachers’ socialization contributes to their sensemaking of undocumented status and their responsibilities to undocumented students. Analyses of interview data revealed three key themes in teachers’ socialization (early experiences with diversity, preparation experiences, and professional development) influencing whether their sensemaking reflected what we identified as status-negative, status-blind, or status-allied perspectives. Findings indicate without formal learning opportunities surrounding immigration and undocumented students, these issues are likely to be ignored or left to teachers’ individual, and possibly problematic, efforts. Implications for teacher education and professional development are discussed.
The Faces of Poverty in North Carolina: Stories from Our Invisible Citizens.: By Gene R. Nichol. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2018. 240 pp. ISBN: 9781469646527 (Hardbound) $26.00; ISBN: 9781469646534 (E-book) $19.99.

Writing about the United States, author Gene R. Nichol argues that “in every meaningful sense, we’ve become the richest, the poorest, and the most unequal advanced nation in the world” (2). The Fac...
Data Needs in Opioid Systems Modeling: Challenges and Future Directions.

Introduction The opioid crisis is a pervasive public health threat in the U.S. Simulation modeling approaches that integrate a systems perspective are used to understand the complexity of this crisis and analyze what policy interventions can best address it. However, limitations in currently available data sources can hamper the quantification of these models. Methods To understand and discuss data needs and challenges for opioid systems modeling, a meeting of federal partners, modeling teams, and data experts was held at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2019. This paper synthesizes the meeting discussions and interprets them in the context of ongoing simulation modeling work. Results The current landscape of national-level quantitative data sources of potential use in opioid systems modeling is identified, and significant issues within data sources are discussed. Major recommendations on how to improve data sources are to: maintain close collaboration among modeling teams, enhance data collection to better fit modeling needs, focus on bridging the most crucial information gaps, engage in direct and regular interaction between modelers and data experts, and gain a clearer definition of policymakers’ research questions and policy goals. Conclusions This article provides an important step in identifying and discussing data challenges in opioid research generally and opioid systems modeling specifically. It also identifies opportunities for systems modelers and government agencies to improve opioid systems models.
Additional Materials for Macro-Finance Decoupling: Robust Evaluations of Macro Asset Pricing Models

This note contains additional technical details of Cheng, Dou, and Liao (2020). Section A provides the proofs of several lemmas on the asymptotic convergence of the random components in the test statistic and the conditional critical value. Section B verifies the bounded Lipschitz properties of the test statistic and the conditional critical value, which are used to show their weak convergence in large sample. Section C includes some auxiliary lemmas. Section D derives the Euler equations that serve as the asset pricing moment conditions in the long-run risk model and the disaster risk model. Section E considers the long-run risk model and shows that the Gaussian limit is an innocuous assumption. Section F provides derivations for the time-varying disaster risk model in the empirical application of the paper. The full-text version of this paper can be found at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3609627.
A CMOS 21 952-Pixel Multi-Modal Cell-Based Biosensor With Four-Point Impedance Sensing for Holistic Cellular Characterization

This article presents a fully integrated multi-modal CMOS cellular sensor/stimulator array chip with 21 952 pixels and 1568-pixel concurrent readouts, while each array pixel can be independently reconfigured to support three sensing and one stimulation modalities: cellular potential recording, optical-point impedance sensing, and bi-phasic current stimulation. The CMOS sensor/stimulator array chip provides 3.6 mm $\times $ 1.6 mm active field-of-view (FoV). Each pixel contains one 8 $\mu \text{m}\,\,\times $ 8 $\mu \text{m}$ gold deposited electrode, one 6 $\mu \text{m}\,\,\times $ 6 $\mu \text{m}$ photodiode, and in-pixel circuits within 8 $\mu \text{m}\,\,\times $ 11 $\mu \text{m}$ pixel area, while the pixel-to-pixel pitch is 16 $\mu \text{m}\,\,\times $ 16 $\mu \text{m}$ . As a proof of concept, the CMOS array is implemented in a standard 130-nm BiCMOS process. Comprehensive electrical testing (potential/optical/four-point impedance/stimulation) and biological measurements (potential/optical/four-point impedance) with on-chip rat cardiomyocytes demonstrate the functionalities and unique advantages of this multi-modality cellular array. With high throughput multi-modal cellular sensing supported at the pixel level, this array chip enables holistic characterization of on-chip cellular samples with single-cell resolution.
Bounded model checking of analog and mixed-signal circuits using an SMT solver

This paper presents a bounded model checking algorithm for the verification of analog and mixed-signal (AMS) circuits using a satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver. The systems are modeled in VHDL-AMS, a hardware description language for AMS circuits. In this model, system safety properties are specified as assertion statements. The VHDL-AMS description is compiled into labeled hybrid Petri nets (LHPNs) in which analog values are modeled as continuous variables that can change at rates in a bounded range and digital values are modeled using Boolean signals. The verification method begins by transforming the LHPN model into an SMT formula composed of the initial state, the transition relation unrolled for a specified number of iterations, and the complement of the assertion in each set of state variables. When this formula evaluates to true, this indicates a violation of the assertion and an error trace is reported. This method has been implemented and preliminary results are promising.
Manganese, Iron and Lipid Interactions in Rats

The interactive effects of manganese, iron and lipid on mineral status, manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity and lipoprotein composition were investigated by feeding weanling rats two levels of manganese (0.4 or 56 micrograms Mn/g diet), two levels of iron (29 or 109 micrograms Fe/g diet) and either 12% high-linoleic acid safflower oil or 12% high-oleic acid safflower oil for 8 wk. Rats fed the manganese-deficient diets had decreased heart MnSOD activity; depressed tibia and kidney manganese concentrations; lowered plasma and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, HDL protein and HDL apo E concentrations; and elevated HDL protein/cholesterol ratios. Ingestion of supplemental iron slightly decreased heart MnSOD activity and tibia and kidney manganese concentrations but had no effect on hematocrits or on plasma and HDL cholesterol levels. Rats fed the linoleic acid-rich rather than the oleic acid-rich oil had increased heart MnSOD activity but had unchanged plasma and HDL cholesterol levels. The decrease in plasma and HDL cholesterol levels with manganese deficiency appeared not to be a result of increased lipid peroxidation but may have resulted from decreased cholesterol synthesis and/or secretion.
Effects of Corn Crop Residue Grazing on Soil Physical Properties and Subsequent Soybean Production in a Corn- Soybean Crop Rotation (A Progress Report)

Beginning in 1999, two locations in Iowa (Chariton, Atlantic) were used to study the effects of corn residue grazing by beef cows on soil characteristics and soybean yields the following growing season. Cows were allowed to graze inside selected paddocks at monthly periods throughout the fall and winter. For a grazed and ungrazed comparison, grazing exclosures were used inside the grazed paddocks, while one paddock was left ungrazed for a control. Also, the following year, equal portions of the fields went to no-tillage and disked soil prior to soybean planting so that effects of corn residue grazing on tillage treatments could be compared. The use of this design was to determine whether grazing had adverse effects on soil characteristics and, if so, at what date and weather conditions they occurred. Soil was analyzed for soil bulk density, moisture, penetration resistance, roughness, texture, and type. Corn crop residues were collected for yield, cover, and composition. Precipitation and soil temperature also were recorded throughout the grazing season. The following year, soybeans were harvested using a combine equipped with a yield monitor and global positioning system (GPS). After two years of study at both locations, some grazing fields with corn crop residue have shown effects on soil and crop residue characteristics. Organic matter (OM) yield of crop residue generally decreases at the faster rate in grazed fields than organic matter of ungrazed fields. However, corn crop residue composition was the same in grazed and ungrazed fields except for the 1999-2000 season at Chariton where crude protein decreased but acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) increased with no difference in fiber content between grazed and ungrazed paddocks. Corn crop residue cover and soil roughness both can be greatly affected by the interaction of grazing and weather conditions. When the temperature is above freezing and precipitation is adequate, cattle traffic can cause roughness, while reducing residue cover by working it into the soil. Even though grazing corn residue by cattle can increase the surface roughness, it has not yet caused any increase in bulk density measurements or any reduction in soybean yields. Penetration resistance ratios have shown some significant difference between grazed and ungrazed paddocks, but the reason is unclear.
Simultaneous H 2 /H ∞ optimal control with state feedback

In this paper we consider a mixed H2/H∞-optimal control problem. It is assumed that the plant as well as the feedback controller are finite-dimensional and linear time-invariant, and that the plants state is available for feedback. More specifically, among all the state-feedback controllers that minimize the H2-norm of a closed loop transfer matrix, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a controller that also satisfies a prescribed H∞-norm bound on some other closed loop transfer matrix. When these conditions are satisfied, the solution to the above problem is also a global solution to the constrained optimization problem of minimizing an H2-norm performance measure subject to an H∞-norm constraint. We also give state-space formulae for computing the solutions. An example is given in which all solutions to the constrained optimization problem are necessarily dynamic, i.e, there is no static gain solution even though plant state is available for feedback. A conclusion of this work is that a priori assumptions on the structure of the solutions to mixed H2/H∞ problems could turn out to be conserative.