cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of Design Strategies for Creating Educational Experiences in Virtual Environments

The focus of this chapter is to analyze and compare design methodologies used in developing video games and e-learning. The purpose of this comparative exploration is to discover design strategies that have the potential to improve the quality and effectiveness of e-learning courses. The comparative perspectives are drawn from recommended instructional design practices, video game design practices, and video game analysis and theory. This reevaluation of the design methodologies and assumptions used in e-learning design suggests that these approaches could benefit by incorporating the proven successful design methods used in game design to increase learner engagement. However, to do so successfully, requires a significant conceptual shift in how instructional designers conceive, organize, and treat e-learning content. The shift away from traditional e-learning design methods includes viewing the e-learning course as a potential virtual environment and adopting the methods inherent in game design which support experiential learning.
Cu–Ga–In thermodynamics: experimental study, modeling, and implications for photovoltaics

Both experimental measurements and assessment of phase equilibria are reported in the Cu–Ga–In material system, which is an important constituent in growth of the thin film photovoltaic absorber Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS). Characterization of four different alloys using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry has been conducted, and high-temperature equilibration studies have been performed on 2 of those. The new data are qualitatively consistent with the previous nonequilibrium thin film Cu–Ga–In observations. A thermodynamic assessment of the ternary system has also been performed using a CALPHAD approach after re-assessing the Cu–In constituent. The model fits the ternary data well in addition to the Cu–Ga, Cu–In, and Ga–In binary data. Practical applications of the model to metal precursors in a CIGS selenization process are discussed. Using the assessed parameters, the model predicts that at temperatures typically used in CIGS processes, Cu–Ga–In films should undergo equilibrium phase transformations. Slight changes in composition are found to determine whether or not these transitions occur, and at what temperature. Equilibrated precursor films are calculated to have high γ-Cu9(Ga,In)4 phase content, where reducing equilibration and γ-Cu9(Ga,In)4 formation have previously been found to improve photovoltaic performance.
Situation Awareness: Its Applications Value and Its Fuzzy Dichotomies

This article provides a strong endorsement for the utility of the situation awareness (SA) construct in applications and agreement with the identification of fallacies on the construct cited by End...
Introducing CAD/CAM into a Predoctoral Dental Curriculum: A Case Study

This article describes the decision making and implementation process used at Indiana University School of Dentistry to incorporate a CAD/CAM system into the predoctoral curriculum and presents data regarding the opinions of students and faculty members after one year. Using a non-validated survey instrument, D1 students rated their experience fabricating a CAD/CAM-generated crown. Eighty-eight of the 105 D1 students (84 percent response rate) responded to the four multiple-choice questions, and a varying number provided written responses. Eighty percent of the responding students rated the overall learning experience as good or excellent, and 43 percent judged that they were prepared to fabricate a crown independently. Students' comments about the experience were generally positive. The twelve supervising faculty members were also surveyed after the first year. When asked to evaluate the initial quality of the crowns at placement, they rated 89 to 98 percent of them good or excellent on the measures of marginal fit, axial contours, proximal contacts, and occlusal contacts. In their judgment, CAD/CAM-generated crowns were as good as or better than those received from commercial labs. After one year, the school's experience has been that the performance of these crowns is consistent with the literature and that they are a viable option. Also, the students are enthusiastic about this addition to the curriculum.
Electrochemistry of viologen dications in cholate media and competition between the cholate assemblies and the cucurbit[7]uril host.

The cathodic voltammetric behavior of N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium (methylviologen, MV2+), N,N′-dipropyl-4,4′-bipyridinium (propylviologen, PV2+), N,N′-dibutyl-4,4′-bipyridinium (butylviologen, BV2+), and N-heptyl-N′-ethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium (heptyl-ethylviologen, HEV2+) was investigated in aqueous solution containing variable concentrations of sodium cholate. In general, the presence of cholate was found to solubilize the more hydrophobic forms of the viologen probes. Among the three accessible viologen oxidation states (V2+, V+•, and V), the intermediate cation radical (V+•) was preferentially stabilized by the cholate aggregates regardless of the nature of the N-alkyl substituents. This stabilization leads to anodic shifts in the first half-wave potential (V2+/V+•) and cathodic shifts in the second half-wave potential (V+•/V) for viologen reduction. Both potential shifts were considerably more pronounced as the hydrophobic character of the viologen probe increased. The presence of the cucurbit[7]uril...
Pediatric Urology for the General Surgeon

Pediatric urology spans the neonatal period through the transition into early adulthood. There are a variety of common pediatric urologic conditions that overlap significantly with pediatric surgery. This article reviews the pertinent pathophysiology of a few key disease processes, including the pediatric inguinal hernia and/or hydrocele, cryptorchidism, and circumcision. General surgeons may find themselves in the position of managing these problems primarily, particularly in rural areas that may lack pediatric subspecialization. An understanding of the fundamentals can guide appropriate initial management. Additional focus is devoted to the management of genitourinary trauma to guide the general surgeon in more acute, emergent settings.
Neurologic involvement of systemic cancer.

Neurologic complications of systemic cancer often represent neurologic emergencies. Nonneoplastic neurologic complications are common in cancer patients. Even the treatment of cancer often causes neurotoxicities. Nurses working in critical areas frequently care for these patients. Early diagnosis and treatment improves the patient’s outcome in most cases. It is imperative that nurses recognize the signs and symptoms of neurologic complications of systemic cancer.
Can Pictures Promote the Acquisition of Sight-Word Reading? An Evaluation of Two Potential Instructional Strategies.

Sight-word instruction can be a useful supplement to phonics-based methods under some circumstances. Nonetheless, few studies have evaluated the conditions under which pictures may be used successfully to teach sight-word reading. In this study, we extended prior research by examining two potential strategies for reducing the effects of overshadowing when using picture prompts. Five children with developmental disabilities and two typically developing children participated. In the first experiment, the therapist embedded sight words within pictures but gradually faded in the pictures as needed using a least-to-most prompting hierarchy. In the second experiment, the therapist embedded text-to-picture matching within the sight-word reading sessions. Results suggested that these strategies reduced the interference typically observed with picture prompts and enhanced performance during teaching sessions for the majority of participants. Text-to-picture matching also accelerated mastery of the sight words relative to a condition under which the therapist presented text without pictures.
Surgical Educational Research: Getting Started

Times have changed! Surgery departments at major medical institutions once found themselves with abundant resources and had deep financial pockets. A successful academic surgeon almost always was in charge of a laboratory; taught and mentored students, residents and fellows; and was a master surgeon – i.e., was a true triple threat.
Sown the seeds: An analysis of published trials in clinical oncology.

6068 Background: Competition in the pharmaceutical marketplace has resulted in “seeding trials” which appear to serve little scientific purpose other than to gain a financial hold in the marketplac...
Iterative Solution Algorithms for Nonlinear Optimization

Chapter 4 introduces optimality conditions to solve nonlinear programming problems (NLPPs). Optimality conditions have the benefit that they allow us to find all points that are candidate local minima, but can be quite cumbersome. For these reasons, in many practical cases NLPPs are solved using iterative algorithms that are implemented on a computer. In this chapter we begin by first introducing a generic iterative algorithm for solving an unconstrained NLPP. We also introduce two broad approaches to solving constrained NLPPs.
À travers les âges de la vie : Rabindranath Tagore – fils, père et éducateur (1861-1941)

Cadre de la recherche : Cet essai presente Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), « l’homme d’esprits innombrables » de l’Inde coloniale, a travers ses « âges de vie » – l’âge du fils, celui du pere, celui de l’educateur – et sa conception d’une education et d’une masculinite alternatives. La critique de Tagore de l’education coloniale, ses experiences aupres d’institutions, et son curriculum ou les arts et l’esthetique morale primaient sur le nationalisme muscle defiaient la culture masculine dominante. Son paternalisme saisissait une « virilite » qui placait la subsistance morale et spirituelle au-dessus de toute consideration economique ou politique. Objectifs : En etudiant Rabindranath Tagore, figure iconique de la modernite indienne, l’essai montre la relation entremelee de sa realite domestique avec son engagement public dans la justice sociale et l’education. Methodologie : L’article deploie la methode de l’analyse textuelle contextualisee et examine une variete de sources litteraires – narrations personnelles, correspondance, conferences, essais. Resultats : En mettant au premier plan l’importance pour Tagore de la famille, de par ses capacites habilitantes et restrictives, l’essai considere les liens entre la vie familiale du philosophe et la comprehension bengali de l’âge, du genre et de la classe a la fin de l’ere coloniale. Conclusions : L’essai affirme que la position de Tagore en tant que pere biologique et le transfert de son souci affectif sur un groupe plus large d’enfants, auquel il a inculque un nouveau sens de la liberte, etaient modules par un sens alternatif de la masculinite. Contribution : L’essai contribue a notre comprehension du fait que dans un contexte socioculturel et politicoeconomique precis, le role des « peres », biologiques et metaphoriques, a atteint une signification accrue en Inde coloniale. Tagore a articule une masculinite a travers une education reformee et laique. L’observation de la vie de penseurs influents comme Tagore remet en cause la separation entre prive et public, et fait ressortir la centralite de la sphere domestique dans la politique nationaliste indienne.
Interrupted Continuities: Transatlantic Relations during and after the Age of Revolutions (1775–1824)

This essay reviews the following works: Connections after Colonialism: Europe and Latin America in the 1820s. Edited by Matthew Brown and Gabriel Paquette. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2013. Pp. vii + 328. $54.95 cloth. ISBN: 9780817317768. Frontiers of Possession: Spain and Portugal in Europe and the Americas. By Tamar Herzog. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015. Pp. i + 377. $35.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780674735385. Imperial Portugal in the Age of Atlantic Revolutions: The Luso-Brazilian World, c. 1770–1850. By Gabriel Paquette. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Pp. vi + 445. $140.00 cloth. ISBN: 9781107028975. Revolutions without Borders: The Call to Liberty in the Atlantic World. By Janet Polasky. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016. Pp. 392. $25.00 paper. ISBN: 9780300219845. Crisis in an Atlantic Empire: Spain and New Spain, 1808–1810. By Barbara H. Stein and Stanley J. Stein. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2014. Pp. ix + 773. $89.95 cloth. ISBN: 9781421414249. Empire’s End: Transnational Connections in the Hispanic World. Edited by Akiko Tsuchiya and William G. Acree Jr. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2016. Pp. ix + 223. $34.95 cloth. ISBN: 9780826520777.
Congenital grouped albinotic spots of the retinal pigment epithelium in a patient with hemihypertrophy and café au lait spots.

To describe the finding of circularly grouped hypomelanotic spots in the central macula of a patient with syndromic characteristics. Case report of a patient with albinotic spots grouped within the macula, cafe au lait spots, and left-sided hemihypertrophy. A 15-year-old boy presented with hypomelanotic spots which were hyperautofluorescent on fundus autofluorescence imaging with no disruption of the retinal laminae or photoreceptor inner and outer segment (IS/OS) junction on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. His developmental history included hemihypertrophy, cafe au lait spots over his axilla and extremities, and surgically corrected left-sided cryptorchidism. Other ocular history included resolved convergence insufficiency and red–green color blindness. It is essential to recognize that circularly grouped hypomelanotic spots are a benign condition. The location and arrangement of the hypomelanotic spots were atypical for congenital grouped albinotic spots of the retinal pigment epithelium (CGAS) as they were grouped within the macula in addition to a more characteristic linear “bear track” formation in the periphery. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of CGAS present in a patient with hemihypertrophy, cafe au lait spots, and cryptorchidism and may represent a novel syndromic association.
Gender Stereotypes and the Policy Priorities of Women in Congress

Scholars find that women who run for Congress are just as likely to win as men are, yet women face considerable challenges related to their sex on the campaign trail. Women are more likely to face challengers than men are, the challengers they face are typically more qualified, and gender stereotypes paint women as less able to handle important issues like defense and foreign affairs. We examine how women succeed in the face of these obstacle, arguing that women are successful, in part, because they craft large, diverse legislative agendas that include bills on a mix of topics. These topics include district interests, women’s interests, and the masculine issues on which women are disadvantaged. We believe this balancing strategy allows women to develop reputations for competence on a wide range of issues, which in turn, helps them deter electoral challengers. We test our hypotheses by analyzing a comprehensive database of all bills introduced in the U.S. House between 1963 and 2009. We find that female MCs propose more bills, spread across more issues, than do men. Further, the topics of the bills women sponsor span a range of women’s issues, masculine issues, and gender-neutral topics—giving support to the idea that women balance their legislative portfolios. Finally, we examine the electoral benefits to women of this strategy by analyzing rates of challenger emergence in Congressional races. We find that women must introduce twice as much legislation as men to see the probability of challenger emergence decrease to a level that is indistinguishable from that of men. The added effort and staff hours female MCs typically devote to crafting legislation, vis-a-vis male MCs, only serves to put them on equal footing with men. It does not give them an advantage.
UNIT 9.7 Oxidative Metabolism

Peroxide production is detected using DCFH-DA, superoxide anion by hydroethidine; the methods can be combined for simultaneous detection. A support protocol describes calibration of the flow cytometer to permit calculation of the actual H2O2 production per cell. These protocols are applicable to many different cell types, but provide detailed information on using neutrophils, highly reactive cells that produce vast quantities of ROS.
Biostitutes and Biocultural Conservation: Empire and Irony in the Motion Picture Avatar

The motion picture Avatar, directed by James Cameron, metaphorically spotlighted the long processes on Earth wherein powerful societies invade territories inhabited by indigenous peoples, damaging or destroying their societies and environments. The film, which set box office records around the world, was beloved by theatergoers and passionately debated. Some averred that Hollywood productions including Avatar, despite expressing sympathy for indigenous peoples, actually denigrate them, sometimes in racist ways. Others argued that Avatar and some other films express an unwarranted romanticism toward aboriginal societies and erode an understanding of their diversity and, thus, promote an insidious homogenization and cultural erosion. Yet Cameron self-consciously chose the genre of the blockbuster Hollywood film to spotlight and condemn, and urge resistance to, colonial processes of cultural and biological simplification, which have, of course and tragically, often included genocides and extinctions. Cameron did so while implicitly raising the possibility of blending in salutary ways the knowledge systems of aboriginal peoples with those of the invaders. Thus and ironically, he deployed one of the world’s art forms that has been cited as an important instrument of cultural homogenization in an effort to promote respect for and political solidarity with aboriginal cultures and their putatively superior ecological practices.
Technology to Support Aging in Place: Older Adults' Perspectives

The U.S. population over 65 years of age is increasing. Most older adults prefer to age in place, and technologies, including Internet of things (IoT), Ambient/Active Assisted Living (AAL) robots and other artificial intelligence (AI), can support independent living. However, a top-down design process creates mismatches between technologies and older adults' needs. A user-centered design approach was used to identify older adults' perspectives regarding AAL and AI technologies and gauge interest in participating in a co-design process. A survey was used to obtain demographic characteristics and assess privacy perspectives. A convenience sample of 31 retirement community residents participated in one of two 90-min focus group sessions. The semi-structured group interview solicited barriers and facilitators to technology adoption, privacy attitudes, and interest in project co-design participation to inform technology development. Focus group sessions were audiotaped and professionally transcribed. Transcripts were reviewed and coded to identify themes and patterns. Descriptive statistics were applied to the quantitative data. Identified barriers to technology use included low technology literacy, including lack of familiarity with terminology, and physical challenges, which can make adoption difficult. Facilitators included an eagerness to learn, interest in co-design, and a desire to understand and control their data. Most participants identified as privacy pragmatics and fundamentalists, indicating that privacy is important to older adults. At the same time, they also reported a willingness to contribute to the design of technologies that would facilitate aging independently. There is a need to increase technology literacy of older adults along with aging literacy of technologists.
Theo-political Visions: Post-secular Politics and Messianic Discourse

This article examines the work Giorgio Agamben and other contemporary philosophers who profane theological and messianic discourses in their post-secular and post-political projects. These theorists examine, among other things, monastic discipline and rules, the life and witness of St. Francis, and the messianic discourses of St. Paul for their material and political potential in developing a post-secular politics. Their work does not seek simply to invert the theological so as to secularize it, but rather to move beyond it. Accompanying this philosophical turn to a post-secular retrieval and reshaping of theological discourses is a search for a new kind of community beyond the politics of the modern nation-state, and in Agamben’s case, even beyond law itself. The communities these theorists imagine often bear a strong resemblance to the ecclesiastical structures and community they seek to replace.
Medicaid payer status and other factors associated with hospital length of stay in patients undergoing primary lumbar spine surgery

Abstract Objective The Medicaid patient population and health care costs for spine surgeries among these patients have increased since 2010. Hospital length of stay (LOS) contributes appreciably to hospital costs for patients undergoing primary lumbar spine surgery (PLSS). The aim of this study was to identify independent risk factors for increased LOS in patients undergoing PLSS. Patients and methods In a single-center retrospective study, we reviewed demographic and clinical data from electronic medical records for 181 consecutive adult patients who underwent PLSS involving 1–3 levels from July 2014 to July 2017. We performed regression analyses to identify independent risk factors for increased LOS and to quantify their effects as percent changes in LOS. Results Among 181 patients who underwent PLSS, the mean LOS was 3.57 days. Based on the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) classification, patients with Medicaid insurance were healthier than non-Medicaid patients (mean CCI: 0.34 versus 0.65; p = 0.041, ASA: 1.71 versus 1.91; p = 0.046) yet Medicaid patients had a longer LOS compared with non-Medicaid patients (mean LOS: 4.03 versus 3.30 days; p = 0.047). There was no significant difference in discharge disposition between Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients (Home = 82.35 % versus 79.65 %; p = 0.855). Medicaid patients also had significantly less spinal levels involved in their surgery (1.44 versus 1.67; p = 0.027). Multivariable regression modeling identified independent risk factors positively associated with increased LOS as age (+1.0 % per year; p = 0.007), Medicaid insurance status (+28.7 %; p = 0.007), and CCI (10.1 % per increment in CCI; p = 0.030). Fusion surgery also was an independent risk factor for increased LOS when compared with laminectomy (−54.1 %; p Conclusions Increasing age, Medicaid insurance status, higher CCI, and fusion surgery were independently associated with increased LOS after PLSS. This information is useful for preoperative patient counseling, shared decision-making, and risk stratification and may help to further ongoing discussion regarding contributors to rising health care costs. Findings of increased LOS among Medicaid patients will help direct efforts to identify factors that contribute to this health care expense.
Variability and stability in child maltreatment risk across time and space and its association with neighborhood social & housing vulnerability in New Mexico: A bayesian space-time model.

Abstract Background Modeling the spatio-temporal characteristics of substantiated child maltreatment risk has significant implications for child welfare policy. Objective This study quantifies the spatiotemporal risk of child abuse and neglect in New Mexico at the census tract level over 9 years, identifies areas of increased risk, and evaluates the role of multiple measures of social and housing insecurity on substantiated child maltreatment referrals. Participants and Setting Child maltreatment substantiation data across 499 census tracts from 2007 to 2015 were obtained from the New Mexico Department of Public Health. Methods Substantiated referral counts were analyzed within census tracts with Bayesian hierarchical space-time models using Laplace approximation. Standardized incidence ratios, spatial risk, and probability exceedances were calculated and mapped. Results Multiple neighborhood structural factors were associated with an increased risk of substantiated child maltreatment, including the eviction rate (Incidence Density Ratio [IDR] = 1.09 [95 % CrI = 1.01–1.12]), rent burden (IDR = 1.11 [95 % CrI = 1.01–1.13]), urban tracts (IDR = 1.36 [95 % CrI = 1.05–1.77]), food desert tracts (IDR = 1.21 [95 % CrI = 1.04–1.41]), low income tracts (IDR = 1.27 [95 % CrI = 1.09–1.49]), percent of households with no vehicle access ([IDR] = 1.27 [95 % CrI = .247–6.47]), and percent of persons with a disability (IDR = 1.05 [95 % CrI = 1.03–1.06]). The racial/ethnic diversity ratio, however, was associated with lower incidence of child maltreatment allegation risk (IDR = .988 [95 % CrI = .982–.995]). Conclusions Population-based child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention efforts should be aided by the characteristics of neighborhoods that demonstrate strong spatial patterns of household and housing vulnerability, particularly in low income, racially segregated neighborhoods.
Working Together to Improve Accessibility: Consortial E-Resource Accessibility and Advocacy

In 2015, the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Libraries formed the BTAA Library E-Resource Accessibility Group. This group, which consists of members from each Big Ten library and the BTAA Library ...
Willingness of Adults in the United States to Receive HIV Testing in Dental Care Settings: Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 1 in 8 are estimated to be unaware of their serostatus. Little is known about whether individuals would consider being tested for HIV in nontraditional health care settings such as a dentist’s office. Studies in selected US cities have indicated high acceptability of receiving an HIV test among people attending dental clinics. However, we are not aware of studies that have assessed willingness to receive HIV testing in dental care settings at a national level. Objective: Using a web-based sample of adult residents of the United States, we sought to assess the self-reported willingness to receive any type of HIV testing (ie, oral fluid rapid testing, finger-stick blood rapid testing, or venipuncture blood testing) in a dental care setting and evaluate independent associations of willingness with the extent to which dental care providers were perceived as knowledgeable about HIV and how comfortable participants felt discussing HIV with their dental care providers. Methods: Participants were recruited using banner advertisements featured on social networking platforms (Facebook and Instagram) from December 2018 to February 2019. Demographic and behavioral data including information on sexual behaviors in the past 6 months, HIV testing history, and dental/health care–seeking history were collected using an anonymous web-based survey. Willingness to receive any type of HIV testing in a dental care setting was assessed on 4-point scale from very willing to very unwilling. Factors independently associated with participants’ willingness were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Of the 421 participants in our study aged 18 to 73 years, 271 (64.4%) reported having oral sex, 197 (46.8%) reported having vaginal sex, and 136 (32.3%) reported having anal sex in the past 6 months. Approximately one-third had never been tested for HIV (137/421, 32.5%), and the same proportion had not been tested in the past year (137/421, 32.5%). Most participants had dental insurance coverage (356/421, 84.6%), and more than three-fourths reported being very or somewhat willing (326/421, 77.4%) to receive any type of HIV testing in a dental care setting. Higher levels of willingness were associated with being 18 to 24 years versus ≥35 years (aOR 3.22, 95% CI 1.48-6.98), 25 to 34 years versus ≥35 years (aOR 5.26, 95% CI 2.52-10.98), believing that one’s dental care provider is knowledgeable about HIV (aOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.06-3.92), and feeling comfortable discussing HIV with one’s dental care provider (aOR 9.84, 95% CI 3.99-24.27). Conclusions: Our data indicate high acceptability of receiving HIV testing in a dental care setting, especially among those who report having a positive patient-provider relationship. Future research should focus on assessing dental care providers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and beliefs about whether HIV testing fits into the scope of dentistry.
Perceived Benefits From Participating in Content-Based Student Organizations

University students often seek affiliation with student-led, content-based organizations. We explored student expectations and perceived benefits from affiliation in terms of perceived cohesion. We...
Information and Communication Infrastructures in Modern Wide-Area Systems

Information and communication infrastructures (ICIs) in modern wide-area systems handle the transmitting, receiving, and storing of high-speed, large-volume synchrophasor data. Such infrastructures are important components in modern wide-area systems. Although power systems are becoming rather complex, with the introduction of synchrophasor technology, the highly accurate, high-speed, widely deployed, and time-synchronized phasor measurement units (PMUs) are providing operators and auditors an unprecedented way to understand the complex power systems. Consequently, these advanced PMUs challenge the current information and communication infrastructures. This chapter reviews the basics, challenges, and visions of the ICIs in wide-area monitoring systems (WAMS). We will first overview some important wide-area ICI topics and share our experience in building an efficient, reliable, and secure distribution-level WAMS, FNET/GridEye. We will introduce some key technologies that ensure the efficiency and reliability of such a WAMS. Finally, some outstanding challenges and future directions of the contemporary ICIs are discussed and envisioned.
Enhancing surface oxygen retention through theory-guided doping selection in Li1-xNiO2 for next-generation lithium-ion batteries

Layered lithium metal oxides have become the cathode of choice for state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries (LIBs), particularly those with high Ni content. However, the Ni-rich cathode materials suffer from extensive oxygen evolution, which contributes to the formation of surface rocksalt phases as well as thermal instability. Using first-principles calculations, we systematically evaluate the effectiveness of doping elements to enhance surface oxygen retention of Li1−xNiO2. The evaluation process includes (i) choosing the most stable surface facet from the perspective of equilibrium surface stability analysis of as-synthesized LiNiO2, (ii) determining the preferable atomic site and segregation behavior for each dopant, and (iii) evaluating the surface oxygen retention ability of doped-Li1−xNiO2 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 1) compared to the pristine material. We also discuss and rationalize the ability of these elements to enhance surface oxygen retention based on local environment descriptors such as dopant–oxygen bond strength. Overall, W, Sb, Ta and Ti are predicted as the most promising surface dopants due to their strong oxygen bonds and robust surface segregation behavior. Finally, Sb-doped LiNiO2 is synthesized and shown to present a surface enrichment of Sb and a significantly improved electrochemical performance, comparing with pristine LiNiO2. This work provides a generic approach that can lead to the greatly enhanced stabilization of all high-energy cathode materials, particularly the high Ni and low Co oxides.
Design of a Nonlinear Roll Mechanism for Airplanes Using Lie Brackets for High Alpha Operation

A nonlinear controllability analysis for fixed-wing aircraft has been performed in an earlier effort by the authors, which revealed a novel roll mechanism due to a nonlinear interaction between elevator and aileron control inputs. In this effort, we perform a detailed investigation of this novel roll mechanism, called Lie Bracket Roll Augmentation (LIBRA). First, we show the nonlinear flight physics associated with the LIBRA mechanism. Second, using the Fliess functional expansion, we perform a theoretical study of the effectiveness (degree of controllability) of the LIBRA mechanism in comparison to the conventional mechanism (using ailerons only). Third, to simulate the airplane response to a LIBRA input, we cast the problem of executing the LIBRA mechanism as a nonholonomic motion planning problem. In such a problem, a Lie bracket input is applied to generate motion along an unactuated direction. A Lie bracket input represents a nonlinear interaction between two (or more) control inputs to steer the system along a direction that is not directly actuated by any of these inputs (or their linear combinations). In this language, the LIBRA mechanism is simply a Lie bracket interaction between the elevator and aileron control inputs. We modify existing nonholonomic motion planning algorithms for systems with drift to be more feasible for flight control applications with bounded controls. We show that the LIBRA novel roll mechanism is superior compared to the conventional one during stall, where the aileron sensitivity degrades. In particular, the novel roll mechanism can provide an order of magnitude enhancement in the rolling capability over the conventional roll mechanism near stall.
Pediatric Thoracic Trauma Mortality in Iraq and Afghanistan Compared to the United States National Trauma Data Bank.

INTRODUCTION The authors compared pediatric thoracic patients in the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry (JTTR) to those in the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) to assess differences in patient mortality rates and mortality risk accounting for age, injury patterns, and injury severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients less than 19 years of age with thoracic trauma were identified in both the JTTR and NTDB. Multiple logistic regression, χ2, Student's t-test, or Mann-Whitney U test were used as indicated to compare the two groups. RESULTS Pediatric thoracic trauma patients seen in Iraq and Afghanistan (n = 955) had a significantly higher mortality rate (15.1 vs. 6.0%, P <.01) than those in the NTDB (n = 9085). After controlling for covariates between the JTTR and the NTDB, there was no difference in mortality (odds ratio for mortality for U.S. patients was 0.74, 95% CI 0.52-1.06, P = .10). The patients seen in Iraq or Afghanistan were significantly younger (8 years old, interquartile ratio (IQR) 2-13 vs. 15, IQR 10-17, P <.01) had greater severity of injuries (injury severity score 17, IQR 12-26 vs. 12, IQR 8-22, P <.01), had significantly more head injuries (29 vs. 14%, P <.01), and over half were exposed to a blast. DISCUSSION Pediatric patients with thoracic trauma in Iraq and Afghanistan in the JTTR had similar mortality rates compared to the civilian population in the NTDB after accounting for confounding covariates. These findings indicate that deployed military medical professionals are providing comparable quality of care in extremely challenging circumstances. This information has important implications for military preparedness, medical training, and casualty care.
Effective sea ice area based on a thickness threshold

As Arctic sea ice declines in response to climate change, a shift from thick multiyear ice to a thinner ice cover is occurring. With this transition, ice thicknesses approach a threshold below which ice no longer insulates the atmosphere from oceanic surface fluxes. While this is well known, there are no estimates of the magnitude of this threshold, nor of the proportion of sea ice area that is below this threshold as ice thins. We determine this threshold by simulating the atmospheric response to varying thicknesses, ranging from 0.0 to 2.0 m and determine that threshold to be 0.40–0.50 m. The resulting “effective” ice area is 4–14% lower than reported total ice area, as 0.39–0.97 × 106 km2 of the total ice area falls below the threshold throughout the twentieth century, including during notable ice minima. The atmosphere above large non-insulating ice-covered regions is susceptible to more than 2 °C of warming despite ice presence. Observed mean Arctic Ocean ice thickness is projected to fall below this threshold as early as the mid-2020s. Studies on ocean–atmosphere interactions in relation to sea ice area should focus on this insulating sea ice area, where ice is at least 0.40–0.50 m thick, and treat ice regions below 0.40–0.50 m thickness with caution.
Barra Ruatta, Abelardo (2019), Ética Erótica. Política, tecnología y gestión de los placeres

Se trata de una resena del libro de Barra Ruatta, Abelardo (2019), Etica Erotica. Politica, tecnologia y gestion de los placeres , Buenos Aires, Editorial Prometeo, 140 paginas. ARK: ark:/s18537960/td05t7sf1
Alternative medicine devices and the making of scientific herbal medicine in Ghana

Many herbal medicine clinics in the West African nation of Ghana employ alternative medicine diagnostic equipment to help them stand out within a competitive popular medical sector. These devices a...
Understanding Ethics and Compliance

This article provides a big-picture overview of the field of ethics and compliance, paying particular attention to the role and value of collaborating with human resources to achieving effective ethics and compliance programs. I hope this article will be useful to students of ethics and compliance, current and aspiring ethics and compliance practitioners, and professors who teach in the area. The article begins by exploring the historical milestones of ethics and compliance to establish the context and legal foundation of modern ethics and compliance practice. We go on to discuss the role of ethics and compliance teams in today’s companies, and the interplay of ethics and compliance, the general counsel’s office, and the human resources department. We then explore the critical function of the code of conduct in an effective ethics and compliance program, from which point we examine the importance of training and role modeling to achieving an ethical culture. We conclude by discussing internal investigations and whistleblowers. At every stop along the way, we look at the critical role of human resources and other key stakeholders in achieving effective ethics and compliance programs.
Hepatocellular carcinoma: metastatic pathways and extra-hepatic findings

Although a small portion of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have radiologically evident extrahepatic disease at the initial presentation, a larger number of them develop metastatic disease later during the course of treatment or after definitive treatment. Furthermore, early metastatic disease could be overlooked by imaging due to small size and non-specificity of findings. Extrahepatic spread of HCC occurs via different pathways and is directly fueled by tumor biology and its molecular characteristics. Early and accurate detection of extrahepatic disease in patients with HCC has significant impact on management and selection of treatment options. Additionally, precise staging of disease will allow for better prediction of survival and outcome. Different pathways of regional and systemic spread of HCC with their proposed mechanisms and relevant underlying molecular derangement will be discussed in this article. Potential roles in management of patients with HCC will be discussed and reviewed in this article.
Prephase rituximab/prednisone therapy and aging-related, pro-inflammatory cytokine milieu in older, vulnerable patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) predominantly affects older adults with suboptimal therapeutic outcomes due to increased treatment-related mortality and toxicities in vulnerable patients, clinically defined by geriatric impairments such as functional limitation, multimorbidity, or cognitive deficits. In this prospective pilot study, we evaluated a rituximab/prednisone prephase treatment strategy in 33 older, vulnerable patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL, defined by either age ≥70 years or age 60-70 years with Karnofsky performance scale (KPS).
Use of Antibacterials in Infancy

Evidence from experimental studies in rodents and results from epidemiologic studies with a retrospective design suggest a possible causal association between antibacterial use in early childhood and asthma. Such an association is thought to be mediated by antibacterial-induced alterations in the intestinal flora, leading to a skewing of the immune system of young children toward an atopic phenotype. However, results from recently conducted prospective studies suggest that the previously observed association between antibacterial use in early childhood and asthma is not one of ‘cause and effect’ but rather that frequent antibacterial use in early childhood may be a marker of an increased risk of being diagnosed with asthma later in childhood. Although antibacterials should not be used excessively in young children, their use in early childhood is not likely to explain the increased prevalence of asthma and allergies in children in industrialized countries.
An object-oriented real-time database system for multiprocessors

Complex real-time systems need databases to support concurrent data access and provide well-defined interfaces between software modules. However, conventional database systems and prior real-time database systems do not provide the performance or predictability needed by high-speed, hard real-time applications. To address this need, we have designed, implemented, and evaluated an object-oriented software system called MDARTS (Multiprocessor Database Architecture for Real-Time Systems). MDARTS avoids the client-server overhead of most prior real-time database systems and object-oriented real-time systems by moving transaction execution into application tasks. By eliminating these sources of overhead and focusing on basic data management services for hard real-time systems (data sharing, serializable transactions, and multiprocessor support), our MDARTS prototype provides guaranteed transaction times approximately three orders of magnitude faster than prior real-time database systems. Another contribution of MDARTS is that it supports explicit declarations of real-time requirements and semantic constraints within application code. The MDARTS library examines these declarations at database object initialization time and attempts to construct objects that are compatible with the requirements. MDARTS supports both local shared-memory transactions and remote transactions that use remote procedure calls. Except for variations in transaction time guarantees, the locations and implementations of MDARTS objects are transparent to applications. MDARTS provides a C++ interface rather than a query language interface. Our MDARTS prototype runs on VME-based multiprocessors and Sun workstations, and we have used MDARTS to implement a controller for an actual manufacturing machine.
NMR measurement of pore structure

Abstract Several different NMR experiments are described for obtaining information about pore sizes and the physical chemistry of molecules in restricted geometries. These methods include 129 Xe chemical shifts, 129 Xe freezing, 15 N 2 freezing, and 13 CO 2 freezing in pores. We conclude that care must be taken in the application of the mean free path model relating 129 Xe chemical shifts and pore diameters. The freezing experiments are interesting in providing information about the state of small molecules in pores but they do not yield quantitative pore size information in themselves.
Transition strength fluctuations and the onset of chaos

The maximum entropy formalism is used to examine the signature of classical chaos in the fluctuations of the transition strength in the corresponding quantum mechanical system.
Reinforcement-test sequences in paired-associate learning

Abstract : Learning of paired-associate items was studied in relation to different repetitive sequences of reinforced (R) trials and test (T) trials. One purpose was to obtain evidence as to whether either learning or forgetting occurs on unreinforced T trials; a second was to adduce principles bearing on the problem of optimal programming of R and T trials. The four training conditions were: (1) R T R T ...; (2) R R T R R T ...; (3) R T T R T T ...; (4) R R T T R R T T ... . Five items were assigned to each condition and the sequences were repeated till a criterion of learning was reached. Two groups of 50 subjects were run; one with nonsense syllable-number pairs and one with nonsense syllable-word pairs. Performance on tests given successively without intervening reinforcement showed no significant change in correct response probability--suggesting that neither learning nor forgetting occurred on T trials per se. The course of learning was, however, affected to a major extent by the ratio of Ts to Rs and by their arrangement in the various repetitive sequences. Learning curves plotted in terms of error proportion on the first T following the n(th) R trial lined up in the order: Condition 3 (lowest), 1, 4, 2. (Author)
Nonlinear two-dimensional velocity profile inversion in the time domain

The authors develop a time-domain method to solve the nonlinear inverse scattering problem for two-dimensional dielectric objects. The problem is formulated in terms of a time dependent volume integral equation using line sources with pulse excitations as transmitters. The unknown object is expressed as a finite summation of known functions, giving rise to an approximate representation of the original problem. The solution is obtained by performing Born-type iterations on the resulting integral. A variety of permittivity profile reconstructions is presented. The superresolution capability of this algorithm is demonstrated. It is concluded that the high-resolution feature, along with the feasible experimental setup, efficient computer run times, and rapid data acquisition, renders the present method an attractive candidate for practical applications. >
Theories, Constructs, and Applications in Working with LGBT Elders in Human Services

This chapter presents an overview of select theories of sexual orientation and gender identity. Traditional theories of life span development offer a general framework within which to understand issues and experiences common to persons in later stages of life. The intent of this chapter is to discuss theoretical constructs and models of sexual identity, counseling, public health, gerontology, and social work that can be applied with aging LGBT populations. These theories underscore the necessity of helping present and future professionals who understand differences among LGBT elders and the complex nature of identity, their psychosocial adjustment, and ways in which stigma of sexual identity and gender identity affects their well-being. Although the various theories and models in this chapter are presented according to discipline, theories are not mutually exclusive to disciplines.