cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The time-delay graph and the delayogram - new visualizations for time delay

For about 60 years, the spectrogram has been an excellent visualization tool for observing the acoustic and prosodic features of a speech signal. However, a visual tool has been lacking for information that is typically represented by the speech signal's phase. When a talker is remote from one or more microphones, the times of arrival of the direct wave and those of reflections become important. In this letter, we introduce two visualizations that have proven to be quite useful for us in understanding phasic behaviors of microphone arrays. A time delay versus frequency plot for a window of time is called the time-delay graph, and an ensemble of projected time-delay graphs is called the delayogram. These visualizations are introduced, and simulated and real-speech data examples of both displays are presented. The time-delay graph is compared to the phase transform generalized cross-correlation (GCC-PHAT) for two real-data examples.
Gene flow and geographically structured coevolution

Many of the dynamic properties of coevolution may occur at the level of interacting populations, with local adaptation acting as a force of diversification, as migration between populations homogenizes these isolated interactions. This interplay between local adaptation and migration may be particularly important in structuring interactions that vary from mutualism to antagonism across the range of an interacting set of species, such as those between some plants and their insect herbivores, mammals and trypanosome parasites, and bacteria and plasmids that confer antibiotic resistance. Here we present a simple geographically structured genetic model of a coevolutionary interaction that varies between mutualism and antagonism among communities linked by migration. Inclusion of geographic structure with gene flow alters the outcomes of local interactions and allows the maintenance of allelic polymorphism across all communities under a range of selection intensities and rates of migration. Furthermore, inclusion of geographic structure with gene flow allows fixed mutualisms to be evolutionarily stable within both communities, even when selection on the interaction is antagonistic within one community. Moreover, the model demonstrates that the inclusion of geographic structure with gene flow may lead to considerable local maladaptation and trait mismatching as predicted by the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Early Intervention Trial (Lung Health Study): Baseline characteristics of randomized participants

The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Early Intervention Trial, or Lung Health Study, is a multicenter randomized clinical trial sponsored by the Division of Lung Diseases of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The hypothesis being tested is that over a 5-year period, a comprehensive intervention program can reduce both the rate of decline in pulmonary function and the rates of respiratory morbidity and mortality in middle-aged smokers with mild to moderate airflow obstruction. The primary outcome variable of the trial is the annual rate of decline of maximum postbronchodilator FEV 1 . Secondary outcomes are the development of respiratory and nonrespiratory morbidity and mortality. After screening 73,694 cigarette smokers, aged 35 to 60 years, 5,887 participants were randomized into three equal groups: usual care, smoking intervention with daily use of a metered-dose inhaler with ipratropium bromide, and smoking intervention with inhalation of placebo. Eligible participants had a ratio of FEV, to forced vital capacity (FVC) of 70 percent or less, were free of known life-limiting conditions, expressed willingness to enter the intervention program if so randomized, and gave written informed consent prior to entry into the trial. Spirometry, methacholine challenge, and questionnaires were strictly standardized within and across centers. The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of randomized participants at the time of entry into the study. For both sexes, three measures of lung function—average cross-sectional FEV 1 /FVC ratio, FEV 1 , and FEV, percentage of predicted normal—showed slight downward trends for each successively older 5-year age cohort. The increase in FEV, after isoproterenol was 15 percent or more in only 2.4 percent of men and 2.8 percent of women. A positive response to methacholine (defined as a fall in FEV, of >20 percent from baseline at concentrations up to 25 mg/ml) occurred in 63 percent of men and 87 percent of women. The cross-sectional prevalences of cough, phlegm, wheeze on most days or nights, and shortness of breath were 49 percent, 43 percent, 32 percent, and 43 percent, respectively. Respiratory symptoms were reported by a higher proportion of participants in the younger age groups than in the older age groups. Participants who reported cough, phlegm, and/or wheeze averaged lower FEV, percent predicted and higher probability of positive response to methacholine than participants who did not. Shortness of breath appeared to be significantly associated with lower lung function and higher reactivity in men but not in women. The initial goal of identifying a population of men and women at elevated risk for development of COPD appears to have been attained. (Chest 1993; 103:1863-72)
Compensation of Nonlinearities Using Neural Networks Implemented on Inexpensive Microcontrollers

This paper describes a method of linearizing the nonlinear characteristics of many sensors and devices using an embedded neural network. The neuron-by-neuron process was developed in assembly language to allow the fastest and shortest code on the embedded system. The embedded neural network also requires an accurate approximation for hyperbolic tangent to be used as the neuron activation function. The proposed method allows for complex neural networks with very powerful architectures to be embedded on an inexpensive 8-b microcontroller. This process was then demonstrated on several examples, including a robotic arm kinematics problem.
Manoeuvres used by flying male oriental fruit moths to relocate a sex pheromone plume in an experimentally shifted wind‐field

In a wind-field experimentally shifted in direction by 35O, flying male Grapholita molesta (Busck) zigzagging upwind either main- tained contact with a pheromone plume and followed it across during the shift or lost it and commenced casting at c 90' across the shifting windline to locate it eventually in its new position Males accomplished both of these results by integrating the previously described systems of optomotor anemotaxis and self-steered counterturning, but with faster reaction-times to pheromone on and off than heretofore calculated for this species. We found no evidence that males following the plume across used chemotaxis as proposed for another species Rather, the sawtoothed-shaped tracks were a result of the anemotactic and counterturning systems responding rapidly and reiteratively to each loss and gain of pheromone along the plume in the shifting wind The response to an increase or decrease in pheromone concentration by males was to change their course angle to more upwind or more crosswind, respectively, on the very first reversal (within c 0 15 s) after the concentration changed Because males adjusted their airspeeds more slowly to changes in concentration, the groundspeeds along the more upwind-orientated legs were lower than those along cross- wind legs, contributing to the sawtoothed shape of tracks of plume- followers. The self-steered counterturning programme also reacted quickly to concentration changes, the reversal intervals tending to be shorter following each contact with pheromone than after each excursion into cleaner wind. Following casting after losing the plume, males relocat- ing the pheromone plume exhibited an upwind 'surge' of narrow zigzag- ging flight because on the first leg in the plume they steered a course more directly upwind than on the previous leg and increased the frequency of counterturning to its highest value while maintaining the relatively high airspeed acquired while casting.
Smart pumpless loop for micro-channel electronic cooling using flat and enhanced surfaces

Two-phase cooling of a square simulated electronic device surface of 21.3 mm side was successfully carried out without the need for a pump. This smart, passive cooling system incorporates a self-enhancing and self-sustaining mechanism, wherein the system inherently enhances its cooling capacity by increasing the velocity of the two-phase mixture along the boiling surface when an increase in heat flux is sensed. Other practical attributes of this pumpless loop are small liquid inventory requirements and absence of the incipient boiling temperature drop. It is shown small surface tension and contact angle render dielectric coolants such as FC-72 ideally suited for flow in narrow gaps. These unique properties are responsible for very small bubble size, precluding any appreciable blockage of the replenishment liquid flow even in narrow gaps. Critical heat flux (CHF) was found to generally increase with decreasing boiler gap. CHF for flat, micro-channel (with 0.2 mm rectangular fins) and mini-channel (with 1.98 mm rectangular fins) surfaces was 4.5, 5.9, and 5.7 times greater than for pool boiling from a flat surface for corresponding gaps. A pressure drop model was formulated to predict coolant mass flow rate, boiling surface inlet and exit velocities, and pressure drop components throughout the loop. The model predictions illustrate the pumpless loop's self-sustaining and self-enhancing attributes, and relate CHF trends to those of the two-phase mixture acceleration along the boiling surface.
Solvent Extraction with Two Immiscible Organic Solvents Separation of Thallium(iii)

Abstract A methylisobutyl ketone/formamide two-phase organic solvent system was utilized for the separation of thallium(III) from the elements Ga, In, Fe(III), Sn(II) and Sn(IV). The procedure involves a semi-selective extraction of the elements from an aqueous 2M HBr solution with methylisobutyl ketone followed by the complete separation of thallium from the other elements enumerated by stripping the ketone phase with a 1.5M HBr-formamide solution. Thallium was determined at 3776 A by flame emission spectrometry.
Public Open Access and Private Timber Harvests: Theory and Application to the Effects of Trade Liberalization in Mexico

A common popular assertion is that trade liberalization encourages deforestation. But whether this is true depends on how trade policies affect the allocation of land among competing uses and how they influence illegal cutting of public forests. A model is presented that allows for forests to be either public or private, and public forests are divided into protected (or managed) and threatened categories. Effects of price changes are shown on each part of the forest. An empirical version of the model is applied to the case of Mexico with NAFTA. Most scenarios considered show that NAFTA will have positive long-run effects on forest cover in Mexico but that this is net of losses on private lands.
THE MEANING AND END OF FUNDAMENTALISM

Book reviewed in this article: HOLY TERRORS: THINKING ABOUT RELIGION AFTER SEPTEMBER 11 By Bruce Lincoln STRONG RELIGION: THE RISE OF FUNDAMENTALISMS AROUND THE WORLD By Gabriel A. Almond, R. Scott Appleby, and Emmanuel Sivan UNDERSTANDING FUNDAMENTALISM: CHRISTIAN, ISLAMIC AND JEWISH MOVEMENTS By Richard T. Antoun Walnut THE BATTLE FOR GOD By Karen Armstrong THE CLASH OF FUNDAMENTALISMS: CRUSADES, JIHADS AND MODERNITY By Tariq Ali
SET: Detecting node clones in sensor networks

Sensor nodes that are deployed in hostile environments are vulnerable to capture and compromise. An adversary may obtain private information from these sensors, clone and intelligently deploy them in the network to launch a variety of insider attacks. This attack process is broadly termed as a clone attack. Currently, the defenses against clone attacks are not only very few, but also suffer from selective interruption of detection and high overhead (computation and memory). In this paper, we propose a new effective and efficient scheme, called SET, to detect such clone attacks. The key idea of SET is to detect clones by computing set operations (intersection and union) of exclusive subsets in the network. First, SET securely forms exclusive unit subsets among one-hop neighbors in the network in a distributed way. This secure subset formation also provides the authentication of nodes’ subset membership. SET then employs a tree structure to compute non-overlapped set operations and integrates interleaved authentication to prevent unauthorized falsification of subset information during forwarding. Randomization is used to further make the exclusive subset and tree formation unpredictable to an adversary. We show the reliability and resilience of SET by analyzing the probability that an adversary may effectively obstruct the set operations. Performance analysis and simulations also demonstrate that the proposed scheme is more efficient than existing schemes from both communication and memory cost standpoints.
Functions and Convergence

A piecewise continuous function f(x) defined on an interval I is bounded (or L ∞) on I if there is a number M > 0 such that |f(x)| ≤ M for all x ∊ I.
Coverage Of Ethics In The Undergraduate AIS Course(s)

The potential for misuse of information due to proliferation of information technolo-gies and reduced control over information makes the inclusion of ethics in the AIS course extremely important. This study provides information about faculty perceptions on the importance of incorporating ethics in the AIS course(s). Results show that faculty rate internal control issues and financial reporting systems topics in the AIS course as most relevant topics for incorporating ethics. The results also show that respondents perceive the auditing course as most important in covering ethics with AIS ranked fourth after auditing, tax, and financial accounting. Additionally, about 34% of AIS faculty do not currently incorporate ethics in their AIS course. These results point to a need for increased awareness of the importance of incorporating ethics in the AIS course(s). Faculty limitations in covering ethics are also presented.
Mobilization Forum: Response to McAdam, Tarrow, and Tilly. Contentious Cartography

The duke's response to his king was not "Non, Sire, c'est une rebellion," or, evincing an impressive prescience, "c'est un cycle de protestation" or "c'est un mouvement social" nor even "c'est un ensemble de fous qui descendent dans la rue."2 Mindful, no doubt, of his own maxim that "there is a kind of revolution of so general character that it changes the tastes as well as the fortunes of the world" (La Rochefoucauld 1896:
Growth and migration of Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes ticks during blood feeding

We have studied the growth of Borrelia burgdorferi in nymphal ticks (Ixodes scapularis) feeding on mice using confocal fluorescence microscopy to follow the distribution of spirochetes. In starved nymphs, the bacteria were only detected in the midgut and each nymph had a mean of 496 spirochetes. Upon attachment of nymphs to the host, the bacteria grew with a doubling time close to 4 hr and reached a mean of 7,848 spirochetes per nymph 15 hr after attachment. During this initial period (36 hr) of rapid growth, the bacteria appeared to be restricted to the gut, but after 48 hr, the spirochetes had disseminated to the salivary glands in the majority of nymphs examined. Thus, a critical event that allows the spirochetes to disseminate and infect the salivary glands takes place 36-48 hr after attachment. A maximum number of 166,575 spirochetes per nymph was noted 72 hr after attachment. Soon after completion of feeding and detachment from the host (96 hr), the mean number of spirochetes decreased to 95,410 per nymph and the spirochetes appeared to be cleared from organs other than the midgut. Thus, dissemination of spirochetes within the vector appears to be a transient phenomenon. These results provide strong evidence in favor of a salivary route of disease transmission while also demonstrating the utility of confocal microscopy to study vector-pathogen interactions in general.
Backbone-assisted reactions of polymers. 4. Preparation and Structural Rearrangement of Poly(3-Chlorothietane)

The homopolymerization of 3-chlorothietane was accomplished using a variety of cationic initiators. Most successful was bulk polymerization at 0°C with ethyl trifiuoromethanesulfonate as initiator and with rapid stirring of the polymerizing mixture. Poly(3-chlorothietane) undergoes a facile structural rearrangement at 35°C in CD2Cl2, giving at equilibrium a copolymer containing 3-chlorothietane and (chloromethyl)thiirane repeating units in a ratio of approximately 6 to 4.
Childhood malignancies and decision making.

Abstract Failure to obtain "adequate" medical care for a child constitutes child neglect, which may be used as the basis for prosecution of parents, removal of the child from the home, or court-ordered medical treatment. "Adequate" care is usually construed as that which is given by a licensed physician, but, in case of dispute, courts almost never engage in choosing one medical approach over another. The principle that parents may not refuse medical care, however, is made very difficult when children have malignancies--the long-term nature of the treatment means that, if the child is left at home, court order or not, the parents may flee with their child. Removing the child from the home, however, adds that trauma to the ill child's burdens. Questions should be asked before making a request to a court to order a therapy which will prolong but not save a child's life if the parents would prefer to spare their child the side effects. Parents, however, may always refuse to permit their child to participate in research studies, no matter how promising. Adolescents are increasingly believed to be capable of medical decision making; most courts, however, would not allow an adolescent to refuse life-saving treatment.
The Role of the Public and Private Sectors in China’s Health Care System

In 1949, China established a government-run health system with an emphasis on primary care and prevention. The economic reforms of the 1970s led to a dramatic reduction in public expenditures and undermined the public health and health care systems of the country. In 2009, the government reversed course yet again and established several social health insurance schemes. The country has expanded social health insurance to the vast majority of its 1.3 billion citizens, but public spending remains low. The continued reliance on private financing generates inequalities in access to health care. The delivery system is “mixed” with a dominant role for public sector institutions, but the reliance on private financing means that public hospitals and clinics are insufficiently attentive to public goods and addressing the needs of vulnerable patients.
“Saving Korean Women from (Im)migrant Muslim Men”: Islamophobia

Chapter 4 examines the ways in which Islamophobia is inscribed in the Protestant Right’s discourse on Islam and Muslims and their implications for a multiethnic, subimperial society. The Protestant Right has reinforced Islamophobia by discursively constructing Islam and Muslims based on the interpretative framework of rescue Korean women from violent and incompetent Muslim men and evil Islam. The Protestant Right discourse that relies on this framework perpetuates the gendered racialized stereotypes of Muslim men as violent, deceitful, incapable, and non-monogamous. It also generates ethnonationalist view of Korean women as hapless victims who are desperately in need of being rescued by fellow Korean men from their violent and incapable (im)migrant Muslim spouses. Implied in this depiction of Muslim men is that Korean men are, in contrast, “responsible,” “reliable,” “capable,” “faithful,” and, thus, “manly.”
Determinants of contraceptive use among Nigerian couples: evidence from the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey.

Nigeria remains a focus for increasing contraceptive use, as it is one of the most populous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of the current study was to investigate determinants of contraceptive use in Nigeria couples. Using the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, we estimated the likelihood of contraceptive use based on concordance with male partner desire for family size, male and female fertility preferences, female decision making power, and male partner attitudes toward contraceptive use. Male partner perception that decisions regarding health should be made jointly or primarily by women was positively associated with use. Women were less likely to use contraceptives in couples in which male partners had greater earning power. Finally, men who viewed contraceptives as an enabler for promiscuity had female partners less likely to use contraceptives. These findings highlight the importance of male partners in women’s contraceptive decision making.
Cross-Cultural Privacy Prediction

Author(s): Li, Yao; Kobsa, Alfred; Knijnenburg, Bart P; Carolyn Nguyen, M-H | Abstract: Abstract The influence of cultural background on people’s privacy decisions is widely recognized. However, a cross-cultural approach to predicting privacy decisions is still lacking. Our paper presents a first integrated cross-cultural privacy prediction model that merges cultural, demographic, attitudinal and contextual prediction. The model applies supervised machine learning to users’ decisions on the collection of their personal data, collected from a large-scale quantitative study in eight different countries. We find that adding culture-related predictors (i.e. country of residence, language, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions) to demographic, attitudinal and contextual predictors in the model can improve the prediction accuracy. Hofstede’s variables - particularly individualism and indulgence - outperform country and language. We further apply generalized linear mixed-effect regression to explore possible interactions between culture and other predictors. We find indeed that the impact of contextual and attitudinal predictors varies between different cultures. The implications of such models in developing privacy-enabling technologies are discussed.
External radiation or ablation for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma: A survival analysis of the SEER database.

Background and Objectives Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are often not candidates for resection. This study hypothesized that external beam radiation (XRT) could be equally effective compared to ablation therapy (AT) for selected HCC patients. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify HCC patients (2004-2012) undergoing XRT or AT for solitary HCC lesions. Propensity score modeling was utilized to adjust for baseline characteristics. Results Propensity matching identified 784 patients: 157 (20%) XRT and 627 (80%) AT. Median OS for XRT and AT was 22, and 32 months (P 5 cm (25 vs 9 m, P 3 were identified as negative predictors of survival. Conclusions Similar survival for solitary HCC lesions 3 cm. This 3 cm reference point may serve as a valuable metric to guide treatment decisions and future investigations.
High levels of maternally transferred mercury disrupt magnetic responses of snapping turtle hatchlings (Chelydra serpentina)

The Earth's magnetic field is involved in spatial behaviours ranging from long-distance migration to non-goal directed behaviours, such as spontaneous magnetic alignment (SMA). Mercury is a harmful pollutant most often generated from anthropogenic sources that can bio-accumulate in animal tissue over a lifetime. We compared SMA of hatchling snapping turtles from mothers captured at reference (i.e., low mercury) and mercury contaminated sites. Reference turtles showed radio frequency-dependent SMA along the north-south axis, consistent with previous studies of SMA, while turtles with high levels of maternally inherited mercury failed to show consistent magnetic alignment. In contrast, there was no difference between reference and mercury exposed turtles on standard performance measures. The magnetic field plays an important role in animal orientation behaviour and may also help to integrate spatial information from a variety of sensory modalities. As a consequence, mercury may compromise the performance of turtles in a wide variety of spatial tasks. Future research is needed to determine the threshold for mercury effects on snapping turtles, whether mercury exposure compromises spatial behaviour of adult turtles, and whether mercury has a direct effect on the magnetoreception mechanism(s) that mediate SMA or a more general effect on the nervous system.
Determination of Aerobic Capacity via Cycle Ergometer Exercise Testing in Alzheimer's Disease.

Background:Older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be unable to perform treadmill testing due to balance issues. We investigated whether older adults with AD could successfully complete a pe...
Latent Classes of Maltreatment: A Systematic Review and Critique:

This article reviews and critically evaluates available research on latent classes of maltreatment. Three major databases (PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, and Academic Search Complete) were used to identify studies on latent classes of maltreatment published before June 1, 2016. Of 365 potentially relevant studies, 14 met inclusion criteria for review. Our analysis was guided by the following questions: (a) What observed indicators are being used to model classes of maltreatment? (b) What are the most commonly identified classes of maltreatment? and (c) What are the predictors and outcomes of classes of maltreatment? Across the studies, findings demonstrated how person-centered methods (i.e., latent class/profile analysis) may facilitate the study of maltreatment by concurrently addressing several methodological limitations common to the study of maltreatment, while also addressing heterogeneity in experiences of maltreatment. After providing an account of existing trends within the literature employing person-centered methodology in the study of maltreatment, we offer a critique of extant research, note recent methodological developments, and make numerous recommendations for future research using person-centered approaches to understanding maltreatment.
Comparative Perioperative Outcomes in Septuagenarians and Octogenarians Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer-Do Outcomes Differ?

Abstract Background Treatment choice for muscle invasive bladder cancer continues to be radical cystectomy. However, radical cystectomy carries a relatively high risk of morbidity and mortality compared with other urological procedures. Objective To compare surgical complications following radical cystectomy in septuagenarians and octogenarians. Design, setting, and participants The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2009–2013) was used to identify patients who were 70 yr and older and underwent radical cystectomy. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The data were analyzed for demographics and comorbidities, and compared for complications, including pulmonary, thromboembolic, wound, and cardiac complications. Patients who were 70–79 yr of age were compared with those 80 yr and older. Univariate and multivariate analyses were completed. Results and limitations A total of 1710 patients aged ≥70 yr met our inclusion criteria. Of them, 28.8% ( n =493) were 80 yr and older, while 71.2% ( n =1217) were between 70 and 79 yr old. Operative time (338.4 vs 307.2min, p =0.0001) and the length of stay (11.9 vs 10.4 d, p =0.0016) were higher in the octogenarian group. The intra- and postoperative transfusion rates, reoperative rates, wound dehiscence rates, and pneumonia, sepsis, and myocardial infarction rates were similar between the two groups. The wound infection rate (7.3% vs 4.1%, p =0.01) was higher in the septuagenarians and mortality rate (4.3% vs 2.3%, p =0.04) was higher in the octogenarian group. Conclusions Radical cystectomy can safely be performed in octogenarians without increased cardiac, pulmonary, and thromboembolic complications when compared with septuagenarians. These patients need to be counseled that the mortality rate is slightly higher compared with that in septuagenarians. Chronological age alone should not be used to decide on offering radical cystectomy. Patient summary We looked at complications following radical cystectomy in patients aged 80 yr and older. We found that there was no significant difference for wound, cardiac, or pulmonary complications, but there was an increased risk of mortality in this age group.
Increased Reoperation Rate in Surgical Treatment of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment with Coexistent Macular Hole

Purpose To examine the surgical outcomes in patients with coexistent macular hole (MH) and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Design Retrospective case series. Participants All patients who underwent surgical repair of concomitant MH and retinal detachment (MHRD) between January 2014 and December 2016 in our facility were examined. At least 1 retinal break was noted in all MHRD cases. Exclusion criteria included MHRD related to high myopia without peripheral retinal tears. Methods Retrospective chart review. Main Outcome Measures Data collected included presence of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and classification at time of surgical repair, details of surgical repair including whether internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling was achieved, type of ILM staining used, presence of retinal detachment (RD) in the fellow eye, and duration of follow-up. Outcomes evaluated included visual acuity comparisons, reoperation rate, final anatomic success, and MH closure rate. Results Over the study period, MHRD cases accounted for 17 of 745 (2.3%) of all repaired RDs in our practice. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy was present in 53% of MHRD cases. Reoperation rates for MHRD were significantly higher than our practice average for all RD repairs (29% vs. 9.7%; P = 0.01). Final anatomic success with RD was achieved in 100% of patients. Internal limiting membrane peeling was performed in 15 of 17 patients. Macular hole closure rate was 71% after initial surgery. Although 82% of patients experience equal or improved vision, only 24% of patients achieved visual acuity better than 20/80. Retinal detachment in the contralateral eye was noted in 3 of 16 patients (19%) included before initial presentation or during the follow-up period. Conclusions Visual outcomes in MHRD cases were underwhelming because of high rates of presentation with PVR macula-off RRD, high reoperation rates, and relatively low MH closure rates. We suggest aggressive surgical techniques to repair MHRD.
Quantifying the learning curve for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is an effective treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), but is a technically challenging operation for cardiothoracic surgeons. Starting a new program allows an opportunity to define a learning curve for PTE. A retrospective case review was performed of 134 consecutive PTEs performed from 1998 to 2016 at a single institution. Outcomes were compared using either a two-tailed t-test for continuous variables or a chi-squared test for categorical variables according to experience of the program by terciles (T). The 30-day mortality was 3.7%. The mean length of hospital stay, length of ICU stay, and duration on a ventilator were 12.6 days, 4.6 days, and 2.0 days, respectively. The mean decrease in systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was 41.3 mmHg. Patients with Jamieson type 2 disease had a greater change in mean sPAP than those with type 3 disease (p = 0.039). The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 180 min (T1–198 min, T3–159 min, p = <0.001), and the mean circulatory arrest time was 37 min (T1-44 min, T3-31 min, p < 0.001). Plotting circulatory arrest times as a running sum compared to the mean demonstrated 2 inflection points, the first at 22 cases and the second at 95 cases. PTE is a challenging procedure to learn, and good outcomes are a result of a multi-disciplinary effort to optimize case selection, operative performance, and postoperative care. Approximately 20 cases are needed to become proficient in PTE, and nearly 100 cases are required for more efficient clearing of obstructed pulmonary arteries.
Classical and Quantum, Lattice and Continuum Percolation

The concepts of percolation theory have been useful in describing the transport of matter or energy in condensed matter.1 Both lattice and continuum models have received considerable attention. For lattice problems, Monte Carlo simulation has been quite effective in determining critical thresholds and exponents. Alternatively, real-space renormalization group methods have also been successful.2 We have devised a renormalization group method, which is based on the finite-size scaling hypothesis,3 and which can be generalized easily to study quantum percolation (to be described below).
Cumulenes with Aromatic Terminal Groups

As is well known, the cumulenes (in German, “Kumulene”) possess n double bonds attached to n + I carbon atoms, the simplest representatives being allenes (propadienes) C=C=C and butatrienes C=C=C=C. They can be converted into cis polyenes (pp. 58, 62,188).
A Case for Behavior-Preserving Actions in Separation Logic

Separation Logic is a widely-used tool that allows for local reasoning about imperative programs with pointers. A straightforward definition of this ”local reasoning” is that, whenever a program runs safely on some state, adding more state would have no effect on the program’s behavior. However, for a mix of technical and historical reasons, local reasoning is defined in a more subtle way, allowing a program to lose some behaviors when extra state is added. In this paper, we propose strengthening local reasoning to match the straightforward definition mentioned above. We argue that such a strengthening does not have any negative effect on the usability of Separation Logic, and we present four examples that illustrate how this strengthening simplifies some of the metatheoretical reasoning regarding Separation Logic. In one example, our change even results in a more powerful metatheory.
A Combined Selected Configuration Interaction and Many-Body Treatment of Static and Dynamical Correlation in Oligoacenes.

We have combined our adaptive configuration interaction (ACI) [J. B. Schriber and F. A. Evangelista, J. Chem. Phys. 2016, 144, 161106] with a density-fitted implementation of the second-order pertu...
Microbial Community Composition and Predicted Functional Attributes of Antarctic Lithobionts Using Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics Tools

Abstract This chapter focuses on the rationale and implementation of a suite of software in the data management, processing, and statistical analysis used towards establishing reliable microbial community compositions, predictive functions, and other useful downstream bioinformatics analyses, using NGS data generated by the Illumina Miseq targeted metagenomics approach. This chapter also emphasizes the importance of using multiple taxonomic databases and software to obtain a comprehensive microbial community composition and associated functional profiles. We have used previously unpublished 16S rRNA amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) dataset of lithobiont communities (rock-dwelling microorganisms) of the Untersee Oasis, Antarctica, as an example of microbial communities in an atypical environment. The bioinformatics workflow includes “Module A”, which describes obtaining the NGS files from purified lithobiont metacommunity DNA; “Module B” elaborates the steps involved in processing and assessing the sequence quality, and subsequent sequence alignment against publicly available microbial taxonomic databases (i.e. Greengenes and SILVA), to designate identities to a list of operational taxonomic units representing the microbial communities. Lastly, “Module C” presents the microbial community compositions at the highest taxonomic levels, diversity within and between samples, predictive functional attributes, and Co-Occurrence Network (CoNet) analysis of microbial communities. The results generated from this example demonstrated that the lithobiont communities from Lake Untersee had high abundances of Aliihoeflea and Sphingomonas, whereas Acinetobacter and Paenibacillus were dominant in Lake Obersee. Predictive functional profiles of both communities showed high abundances of genes designated for membrane transport and bacterial secretion systems, amino acid metabolism, and UV tolerance.
A flow separation model for hydrofoil, propeller and duct sections with blunt trailing edges

The panel method does not apply to hydrofoils, propellers and ducts with blunt trailing edges due to the flow separation downstream. In this paper, a model is proposed to represent the flow separation with an extension, and a low-order panel method coupled with a boundary layer solver is used. The criteria of zero lift and zero moment are adopted to determine the end of the extension zone, and flow separation criteria are used to determine the starting points on either side of the section. The model is applied to hydrofoil, bare duct and ducted propeller sections with blunt trailing edges. The pressure distributions and skin frictions along the hydrofoils and ducts correlate well with those from the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes method. The thrust and torque of the propeller agree much better with experimental measurements when the extension is determined from this model rather than choosing random locations. This model requires much less computational effort while preserving high accuracy, and thus can be used reliably in designing and analysing hydrofoils and propeller ducts with blunt trailing edges.
Sandwich components in a single shot

The “Dolphin” process of manufacturing interior components with soft touch surfaces, using a combination of injection molding and foaming, which was presented for the first time in the spring of 2006, is close to series production. Initial tests with prototype components from Johnson Controls are very encouraging.
Poincaré-Birkhoff theorems in random dynamics

We propose a generalization of the Poincare-Birkhoff Theorem on area-preserving twist maps to area-preserving twist maps F that are random with respect to an ergodic probability measure. In this direction, we will prove several theorems concerning existence, density, and type of the fixed points. To this end first we introduce a randomized version of generalized generating functions, and verify the correspondence between its critical points and the fixed points of F , a fact which we successively exploit in order to prove the theorems. The study we carry out needs to combine probabilistic techniques with methods from nonlinear PDE, and from differential geometry, notably Moser’s method and Conley-Zehnder theory. Our stochastic model in the periodic case coincides with the classical setting of the Poincare-Birkhoff Theorem.
Youth dialogue and design for educational possibility: eliciting youth voice in community development

Working with a community-based organization, we engaged middle school youth in mapping the realities of and dreams for their neighborhoods. We document the process we used to guide youth reflection...
A Critical Needs Assessment for Research in Companion Animals and Livestock Following the Pandemic of COVID-19 in Humans.

Problem: The emergence of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China, in November 2019 and a growing body of information compel inquiry regarding the transmissibility of infection between humans and certain animal species. Although there are a number of issues to be considered, the following points are most urgent: The potential for domesticated (companion) animals to serve as a reservoir of infection contributing to continued human-to-human disease, infectivity, and community spread. The ramifications to food security, economy, and trade issues should coronavirus establish itself within livestock and poultry. The disruption to national security if SARS-CoV-2 and its fairly well-established effects on smell (hyposmia/anosmia) to critical military service animals including explosive detector dog, narcotics detector dog, specialized search dog, combat tracker dog, mine detection dog, tactical explosive detector dog, improvised explosive device detector dog, patrol explosive detector dog, and patrol narcotics detector dog, as well as multipurpose canines used by special operations such as used by the U.S. customs and border protection agency (e.g., Beagle Brigade). This article presents in chronological order data that both individually (as received independently from multiple countries) and collectively urge studies that elucidate the following questions. 1.What animal species can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the likely sources of infection, the period of infectivity, and transmissibility between these animals and to other animal species and humans? 2.What are the best diagnostic tests currently available for companion animals and livestock? 3.What expressions of illness in companion and other animal species can serve as disease markers? Although it is recognized that robust funding and methodology need to be identified to apply the best scientific investigation into these issues, there may be easily identifiable opportunities to capture information that can guide decision and study. First, it may be possible to quickly initiate a data collection strategy using in-place animal gatekeepers, such as zookeepers, veterinarians, kennel owners, feed lots, and military animal handlers. If provided a simple surveillance form, their detection of symptoms (lethargy, hyposmia, anosmia, and others) might be quickly reported to a central data collection site if one were created. Second, although current human COVID-19 disease is aligning around areas of population density and cluster events, it might be possible to overlay animal species density or veterinary reports that could signal some disease association in animals with COVID-19 patients. Unfortunately, although companion animals and zoo species have repeatedly served as sentinels for emerging infectious diseases, they do not currently fall under the jurisdiction of any federal agency and are not under surveillance.
Catalytic behavior of hexaphenyldisiloxane in the synthesis of pyrite FeS2.

Functional small molecules afford opportunities to direct solid-state inorganic reactions at low temperatures. Here, we use catalytic amounts of organosilicon molecules to influence the metathesis reaction: FeCl2 + Na2S2 → 2NaCl + FeS2. Specifically, hexaphenyldisiloxane ((C6H5)6Si2O) is shown to increase pyrite yields in metathesis reactions performed at 150 °C. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) paired with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveals that diffusion-limited intermediates are circumvented in the presence of (C6H5)6Si2O. Control reactions suggest that the observed change in the reaction pathway is imparted by the Si–O functional group. 1H NMR supports catalytic behavior, as (C6H5)6Si2O is unchanged ex post facto. Taken together, we hypothesize that the polar Si–O functional group coordinates to iron chloride species when NaCl and Na2S4 form, forming an unidentified, transient intermediate. Further exploration of targeted small molecules in these metathesis reaction provides new strategies in controlling inorganic materials synthesis at low-temperatures.
Influence of Ga content and high temperature annealing on the short range order and magnetostriction of Fe–Ga single crystals

Large magnetostriction observed in Fe–Ga alloys makes them a very important class of alloys for use in a wide range of actuation and sensing applications. This study of quantitative measurements of short-range order (SRO) in a series of Fe–Ga alloys provides valuable insights into the correlations of magnetostrictive responses with an increase in the Ga concentration and annealing. A quantitative assessment of SRO in the first seven shells around an atom in as-grown and high-temperature annealed [001]-oriented Fe–Ga alloy single crystals with Ga contents in the range of 5–20 at. % was carried out using the diffuse peaks in the forbidden (100) peak region of the θ–2θ high-resolution x-ray diffraction pattern. The SRO parameter values obtained indicate that very little short-range ordering occurs in Fe–Ga alloys with low Ga concentrations and ordering is limited to the first few shells. With an increase in Ga content, SRO increases with ordering occurring out to further shells. High temperature annealing decreases SRO parameters to levels approaching random solid solution. The decrease in short-range ordering with high-temperature annealing correlates with the increase in magnetostriction and confirms the hypothesis that the difference in the extent of ordering is the source of the observed high sensitivity of magnetostriction to changes in thermal history.
The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research.

The Enneagram is a typology that many clients use to understand their personality and interpersonal patterns, despite some concerns about its validity. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive and clinician-friendly review of the extant empirical work on the Enneagram. After reviewing 104 independent samples, we found mixed evidence of reliability and validity. In terms of strengths, some factor analytic work has shown partial alignment with prior theorizing, and subscales show theory-consistent relationships with other constructs such as the Big 5. Also, several studies found the Enneagram was helpful for personal/spiritual growth. However, factor analytic work has typically found fewer than nine factors, and no work has used clustering techniques to derive the nine types. Also, there is little research supporting secondary aspects of Enneagram theory, such as wings and intertype movement. We conclude by highlighting directions for future research and implications for clinical practice.
"Alexa, Am I pregnant?": A content analysis of a virtual assistant's responses to prenatal health questions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Objective To elucidate whether Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, provides evidence-based support as a supplement to provider-facilitated prenatal care, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Using a conceptual content analysis approach, a query of 40 questions, relating to all phases of pregnancy, was collected from Alexa by two independent investigators, using two unique devices, over a one-week period between May 20, 2020 and May 27, 2020. Alexa’s responses were matched to the evidence-based content from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and reviewed by a Certified Nurse Midwife for completeness and currency. Results Of the 40 questions asked of Alexa, it was unable to answer 14 questions (35%). A total of 21 out of the 40 responses (52%) were not evidence-based and three COVID-specific questions (about 1%) were answered incorrectly or insufficiently. Four questions (10%) were answered accurately. Conclusion Alexa was largely unable to provide evidence-based answers to commonly asked pregnancy questions and, in many cases, supplied inaccurate, incomplete, or completely unrelated answers that could further confuse health consumers. Practice Implications Ensuring that mobile health (mhealth) tools, such as Amazon Alexa, are evidence-based and credible in answering common prenatal questions has important implications for this pandemic and future consumer needs.
Surface-Induced Deprotonation of Thiol Ligands Impacts the Optical Response of CdS Quantum Dots

Cadmium chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) passivated by thiol-based ligands exhibit several advantages in their applications in lighting, sensing, and imaging technologies. However, their emission is...