cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imaging evaluation of the hip after arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement

Arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is increasingly frequently performed. Initial reports were that complications were very low, but as experience has increased, a number of long-term complications, in addition to factors related to poor clinical outcomes, have been identified. This review describes the normal and abnormal postoperative imaging appearance of the hip after arthroscopy for FAI. Abnormalities discussed include incomplete resection or over-resection of the impingement lesion, heterotopic ossification, cartilage damage, chondrolysis, instability and dislocation, recurrent labral tear, adhesions, psoas atrophy, infection, and avascular necrosis.
Genome-Wide Mutagenesis in Borrelia burgdorferi

Signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) is a functional genomics approach to identify bacterial virulence determinants and virulence factors by simultaneously screening multiple mutants in a single host animal, and has been utilized extensively for the study of bacterial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, and spirochete and tick﻿ biology. The signature-tagged transposon mutagenesis has been developed to investigate virulence determinants and pathogenesis of Borrelia burgdorferi. Mutants in genes important in virulence are identified by negative selection in which the mutants fail to colonize or disseminate in the animal host and tick vector. STM procedure combined with Luminex Flex®Map™ technology and next-generation sequencing (e.g., Tn-seq) are the powerful high-throughput tools for the determination of Borrelia burgdorferi virulence determinants. The assessment of multiple tissue sites and two DNA resources at two different time points using Luminex Flex®Map™ technology provides a robust data set. B. burgdorferi transposon mutant screening indicates that a high proportion of genes are the novel virulence determinants that are required for mouse and tick infection. In this protocol, an effective signature-tagged Himar1-based transposon suicide vector was developed and used to generate a sequence-defined library of nearly 4800 mutants in the infectious B. burgdorferi B31 clone. In STM, signature-tagged suicide vectors are constructed by inserting unique DNA sequences (tags) into the transposable elements. The signature-tagged transposon mutants are generated when transposon suicide vectors are transformed into an infectious B. burgdorferi clone, and the transposable element is transposed into the 5'-TA-3' sequence in the B. burgdorferi genome with the signature tag. The transposon library is created and consists of many sub-libraries, each sub-library has several hundreds of mutants with same tags. A group of mice or ticks are infected with a mixed population of mutants with different tags, after recovered from different tissues of infected mice and ticks, mutants from output pool and input pool are detected using high-throughput, semi-quantitative Luminex® FLEXMAP™ or next-generation sequencing (Tn-seq) technologies. Thus far, we have created a high-density, sequence-defined transposon library of over 6600 STM mutants for the efficient genome-wide investigation of genes and gene products required for wild-type pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, in vitro growth, in vivo survival, physiology, morphology, chemotaxis, motility, structure, metabolism, gene regulation, plasmid maintenance﻿ ﻿and replication, etc. The insertion sites of 4480 transposon mutants have been determined. About 800 predicted protein-encoding genes in the genome were disrupted in the STM transposon library. The infectivity and some functions of 800 mutants in 500 genes have been determined. Analysis of these transposon mutants has yielded valuable information regarding the genes and gene products important in the pathogenesis and biology of B. burgdorferi and its tick vectors.
Wireless detection of signals from excitation of macula by light pulses

A new approach is introduced for wireless detection of electromagnetic signals generated at low frequencies on macula by light pulses. The signal detection is based on a resonant condition created externally and no part of the device touches the patient. Since most biological signals are excited at low frequencies, the proposed method will be applicable to other wireless detection systems including electroretinography (ERG).
We’ll Remember in November: The Defense of Segregation in Frank Rizzo’s Philadelphia

On the morning of March 23, 1971, a group of furious white men and women, many carrying small children, left their homes and marched to a six-acre lot bound by Front, 2nd, and Oregon Streets in their South Philadelphia neighborhood. When they climbed atop bulldozers and physically blocked construction vehicles from entering the site, the Whitman Park community inserted themselves into one of the longest legal battles over public housing in United States history. The neighbors were protesting construction of the Whitman Park Townhouse Project because they feared that public housing would transform their community. In spite of, and in reaction to, recently passed federal anti-discrimination laws, the people of Whitman Park were determined to keep their neighborhood segregated. The protests violated federal mandates, but the residents felt entitled to this lawlessness, claiming a need for protection against alleged criminality in poor minority communities. "We'll Remember in November": The Defense of Segregation in Frank Rizzo's Philadelphia by Courtney DeFelice is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The Mismatch Myth in American Higher Education: A Synthesis of Empirical Evidence at the Law School and Undergraduate Levels

This paper presents a comprehensive examination of the empirical literature testing the academic mismatch hypothesis as it applies to affirmative action and students of color in U.S. higher education. The primary focus of this paper is the mismatch research addressing American legal education (Part II). This includes a detailed assessment of the empirical basis of claims made by Richard Sander and, more recently, by Doug Williams, showing flaws in their work, including questionable claims and methodological choices. In particular, this paper calls into question all research using the LSAC Bar Passage Study data that treats schools in tiers 2 and 3 in that study as separate and hierarchically ordered, arguing that this treatment is statistically unjustified and due to idiosyncrasies in the data and factors that in fact distinguish these tiers serves to enhance the odds of finding a mismatch effect while lowering the likelihood of finding reverse mismatch effects. The paper also reviews research on mismatch at the undergraduate level (Part III), specifically examining the outcomes of graduation rates and earnings and again finding that the mismatch hypothesis lacks empirical support and is, if anything, empirically less plausible than claims made for a reverse mismatch effect. In examining both legal and undergraduate education, this paper both critiques work that purports to find evidence of mismatch and references numerous studies that find no evidence of mismatch effects or evidence of reverse mismatch effects, including studies that use state of the art methods to control for selection bias. Overall the social science evidence points clearly in one direction: affirmative action as practiced today is not plagued by mismatch effects; indeed the evidence indicates that underrepresented minority students tend to do better over the life course if they attend the most selective school that will admit them.
Experimental and theoretical studies of the crystal structures of bis-isoxazole-bis-methylene dinitrate (BIDN) and bis-isoxazole tetramethylene tetranitrate (BITN) by x-ray crystallography and density functional theory

Abstract The determination of crystal structures plays an important role for model testing and validation, and understanding intra and intermolecular interactions that influence crystal packing. Here, we report the molecular structure of two recently synthesized energetic molecules, 3,3-bis-isoxazole-5,5′-bis-methylene dinitrate (C 8 H 6 N 4 O 8 , BIDN) and bis-isoxazole tetramethylene tetranitrate (C 10 H 8 N 6 O 14 , BITN) determined by single crystal x-ray diffraction and solid state density functional theory (DFT). BIDN is composed of two planar alkyl nitrate groups (r.m.s deviation = 0.0004 (1) A) bonded to two planar azole rings (r.m.s deviation = 0.001 (1) A, whereas BITN is composed of four planar alkyl nitrate groups (average r.m.s deviation = 0.002 (1) A) bonded to two planar azole rings (average r.m.s deviation = 0.002 (1) A). The theoretical calculations predict very well the planarity of both the alkyl nitrate groups and rings for both compounds. Furthermore, they predict well the bond lengths and angles of both molecules with mean deviation values of 0.018 A (BIDN) and 0.017 A (BITN) and 0.481° (BIDN) and 0.747° (BITN). Overall, the DFT determined torsion angles agree well with those determined experimentally for both BIDN (average deviation = 1.139°) and BITN (average deviation = 0.604°). The theoretical cell constant values are in excellent agreement with those determined experimentally for both molecules, with the BIDN a cell value and β angle showing the largest deviation, 2.1% and −1.3%, respectively. Contacts between the atoms N and H dominate the intermolecular interactions of BIDN, whereas contacts involving the atoms O and H dominate the BITN intermolecular interactions. Electrostatic potential calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G* level reveal BIDN exhibits a lower sensitivity to impact compared to BITN.
Who Is Presidential? Women’s Political Representation, Deflection, and the 2016 Election:

In 2016, Hillary Clinton was the first woman to gain the presidential nomination from a major political party in the United States, yet she was unsuccessful. The current study explores barriers to ...
Core group placement: allocation and provisioning of heterogeneous resources

We present a theoretical and empirical study on a recently introduced combinatorial optimization problem, namely core group placement problem. The problem arises from real-world business requirements as part of resource allocation in cloud management. In particular, it focuses on the allocation and provisioning of a set of heterogeneous resources serving multiple customers each with different service-level agreements. There exist certain business rules that govern the application stemming from privacy, performance, and capacity requirements. From a theoretical point of view, we prove that the problem is intrinsically hard, yet, from a practical point of view, we show how to formulate it as a constrained optimization program using constraint programming (CP), and alternatively, using mathematical programming (MP). Our experimental results demonstrate that the CP solution outperforms its MP counterpart. We then move toward a dynamic setting where the problem manifests itself in the real world. We show that CP model not only addresses the resource allocation problem but it also enables resource provisioning to take future considerations and system growth into account when making decisions. Overall, the CP solution stands out as a high-level, declarative solution that is efficient, easy to maintain and can address multiple scenarios.
CHAPTER 57 – Inhibitors and Uncouplers of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation

Oxidative phosphorylation (oxphos) is the primary process by which the energy derived from the catabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins is used to synthesize ATP in virtually every cell of eukaryotic organisms. Compounds that have a primary action on oxphos have a long history of use to control pests. Today, compounds that disrupt oxphos in the target species are widely used as fungicides and have important uses as insecticides and acaricides. This chapter discusses the toxicology of compounds that have their most important primary toxic effect on oxphos in vertebrates or have a primary effect on mitochondrial oxphos in target species with a probability of similar action in vertebrates. It describes the cell structures and mechanisms involved in oxphos and ATP synthesis, and the different ways by which pesticides can disrupt oxphos and hence cause damage to cells and tissues. Mechanisms by which oxphos is disrupted by pesticides include: inhibiting the operations of the electron transport chain; preventing the electrochemical potential gradient from being coupled to ATP synthesis; blocking the ATP synthase machinery; diverting electrons from the electron transport chain and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS); and arsenolysis. The chapter describes the toxicological consequences of disrupting oxphos by pesticide action and their relevance for toxicity, and provides details of the general properties, uses, and toxicological profiles of several pesticides.
Whole Proteome Clustering of 2,307 Genomes Reveals Remarkable Conservation of Four Proteins Among Proteobacteria While Revealing Significant Annotation Issues

To explore the concept of a minimal gene set, we clustered 8.76 M protein sequences deduced from 2,307 completely sequenced Proteobacterial genomes. To our knowledge this is the first study of this scale. Clustering resulted in 707,311 clusters of which 224,442 ranged in size from 2 to 2,894 sequences. The resulting clusters allowed us to ask the question: Is a set of proteins conserved across all Proteobacteria? We chose four essential proteins, the chaperonin GroEL, DNA dependent RNA polymerase subunits beta and beta' (RpoB/RpoB'), and DNA polymerase I (PolA), representing fundamental cellular functions, and examined their distribution in the clusters. We found these proteins to be remarkably conserved. Although the groEL gene was universally conserved in all the organisms in the study, the protein was not represented in all the deduced proteomes. The genes for RpoB and RpoB' were missing from two genomes and merged in 88 genomes, and the sequences were sufficiently divergent that they formed separate clusters for 18 RpoB proteins (seven clusters) and 14 RpoB' proteins (three clusters). For PolA, 52 organisms lacked an identifiable sequence, and seven sequences were sufficiently divergent that they formed five separate clusters. Interestingly, organisms lacking an identifiable PolA and those with divergent RpoB/RpoB' were almost all endosymbionts. Furthermore, we present a range of examples of annotation issues that caused the deduced proteins to be incorrectly represented in the proteome. These annotation issues represent a significant obstacle for high-throughput analyses.
Concordance between Goals of Care and Treatment Decisions for Persons with Dementia.

Abstract Background: Nursing home (NH) residents with dementia experience high rates of intensive treatment near the end of life. Limited research examines whether treatment is concordant with goal...
Exploring a Novel Inexpensive Tangible Interface for Non-visual Math and Science

Tangible interaction enables physical manipulation of digital data, making it ideal to support visually impaired students. Visually impaired students are frequently integrated in mainstream courses, collaborating with sighted peers and instructors. This paper describes a tangible block localization and tracking method, using small inexpensive sensor packages that detect color placed on an interaction surface—i.e., a standard flat-screen display. The system recursively subdivides the display surface into regions of distinct colors that the sensor package can distinguish. Once located, the sensor package can be tracked by moving the color pattern underneath to follow it, re-expanding the pattern as needed to capture the sensor package if it moves too fast. The novel tracking infrastructure supports novel approaches to teach a number of science and math concepts to visually impaired students.
Immunology of Chlamydial Infections

With its long recorded history, its high global prevalence, and its potential for causing partial or total blindness, trachoma ranks as one of the major afflictions of humanity (Bietti, 1974; Jones, 1975; Locatcher-Khorazo and Seegal, 1972; Nataf, 1952; Thygeson, 1971). The principal etiological agent of trachoma is an intracellular parasitic prokaryote, currently assigned to the genus Chlamydia (Becker, 1974, 1978; Moulder, 1964, 1966; Page, 1968; Storz, 1971; E. Weiss, 1971). The species designation of the trachoma organism is C. trachomatis (Page, 1968). Various serotypes of C. trachomatis also cause, besides trachoma-inclusion conjunctivitis (TRIC), some cases of nongonococcal Urethritis and Cervicitis (Dunlop, 1975; Fritsch et al., 1910; Hobson and Holmes, 1977; Jones et al., 1964; Lindner, 1910; Oriel et al., 1978; Richmond and Sparling, 1976; Schachter et al., 1976), some cases of infant pneumonia (Beem and Saxon, 1977; Frommell et al., 1977; Schachter et al., 1975), and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) (Abrams, 1968; Meyer, 1953; Rake and Jones, 1942; Willcox, 1975). Organisms assigned to the species C. psittaci are distinguished by their failure to store glycogen during growth (Becker, 1978; Gordon and Quan, 1965; Jenkin and Fan, 1971): divers strains cause ornithosis (Bedson, 1958) and various diseases in nonhuman mammals, such as pneumonia, encephalitis, conjunctivitis, enteritis, abortion, and polyarthritis (Storz, 1971).
Representational Similarity Analyses: A Practical Guide for Functional MRI Applications

Abstract Representational similarity analysis (RSA) is a multivariate method that can be used to extract information about distributed patterns of representations across the brain. It is related to population vector analysis, a staple in the single-unit recording tradition. RSA is a flexible method that can be applied to many types of neuroimaging data, although the focus here is on its application to human functional magnetic resonance imaging. It is well suited to designs where items can be related to one another in various ways, especially if these relationships are continuous, rather than discrete. In short, RSA involves designing a task where trials can be isolated from one another, relating pairs of trials from different conditions to one another with a similarity metric (e.g., correlation), and, finally, making comparisons between the summary values of these condition-wise similarity metrics and drawing conclusions. RSA has been particularly valuable in advancing our understanding of memory by allowing researchers to ask questions about how information is represented either when information is learned or retrieved.
Chemical Energy Storage

Abstract Energy storage has become necessity with the introduction of renewables and grid power stabilization and grid efficiency. In this chapter, first, need for energy storage is introduced, and then, the role of chemical energy in energy storage is described. Various type of batteries to store electric energy are described from lead-acid batteries, to redox flow batteries, to nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries as chemical storage systems. The electrochemical capacitors are then described. For each storage devices, chemistry, components, applications, and recent developments and challenges are explained. The chemical energy storage with second energy carriers is also presented with hydrogen, hydrocarbons, ammonia, and synthetic natural gas as storage and energy carriers. These energy storage systems can support grid power, transportation, and host of other large-scale energy needs including avionics and shipping. Chemical energy storage plays a vital role as an enabling technology for renewable and hybrid energy systems.
Has the role of EUS in rectal cancer staging changed in the last decade

The need for effective diagnosis, staging, and treatment of rectal cancer cannot be overstated. Accurate staging of rectal cancer has wide-ranging implications, including therapeutic strategy and prognosis. A change in stage may lead to the need for preoperative neoadjuvant therapy to decrease the risk of recurrence. The modalities commonly used for the primary staging of rectal cancer include EUS, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. EUS may be accompanied by the use of EUS-fine-needle aspiration to provide cytological confirmation. In this review, we take a deeper look into the role of EUS in the accurate staging of rectal cancer, how it compares to other modalities for the same, and how its role has changed in the last decade.
Racial differences in intervention rates in individuals with ALS: A case-control study.

Objective This study was conducted to determine whether longer lifespans in African Americans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), compared to white non-Hispanics, are secondary to higher rates of tracheostomy and invasive ventilation (TIV) in African Americans. Methods A retrospective case-control study was conducted with 49 African Americans with ALS matched by age, gender, and site of onset to 137 white persons with ALS. Results African Americans had longer survival than whites when the outcome was death (p = 0.016), but this was no longer significant when the outcome was death or TIV (p = 0.100). African Americans also had a lower rate of noninvasive ventilation use compared to whites (27 [55%] vs 96 [70%], p = 0.015) and a higher rate of TIV (8 [16%] vs 7 [5%], p = 0.016), but after controlling for baseline severity, only the noninvasive ventilation difference (p = 0.036), and not the TIV difference (p = 0.115), remained significant. Conclusion African Americans with ALS live longer than white persons with ALS, and this may be secondary to higher rates of TIV use among African Americans.
Experience, Prediction, Surviving

Holmes, Pragmatism and Nature, is a long and circuitous history with pragmatism. It begins first with something of the person, his influences, leading to the wider trajectory of American pragmatism.
The finger 2 tip loop of Activin A is required for the formation of its non-signaling complex with ACVR1 and type II Bone Morphogenetic Protein receptors

Activin A functions in BMP signaling in two ways: it either engages ACVR1B to activate Smad2/3 signaling or binds ACVR1 to form a non-signaling complex (NSC). Although the former property has been studied extensively, the roles of the NSC remain unexplored. The genetic disorder fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) provides a unique window into ACVR1/Activin A signaling because in that disease Activin can either signal through FOP- mutant ACVR1 or form NSCs with wild type ACVR1. To explore the role of the NSC, we generated 9agonist-only9 Activin A muteins that activate ACVR1B but cannot form the NSC with ACVR1. Using one of these muteins we demonstrate that failure to form the NSC in FOP results in more severe disease pathology. These results provide the first evidence for a biological role for the NSC in vivo and pave the way for further exploration of the NSC9s physiological role in corresponding knock-in mice.
Exponential convergence rates for stochastically ordered Markov processes under perturbation

Abstract In this technical note we find computable exponential convergence rates for a large class of stochastically ordered Markov processes. We extend the result of Lund, Meyn, and Tweedie (1996), who found exponential convergence rates for stochastically ordered Markov processes starting from a fixed initial state, by allowing for a random initial condition that is also stochastically ordered. Our bounds are formulated in terms of moment-generating functions of hitting times. To illustrate our result, we find an explicit exponential convergence rate for an M/M/1 queue beginning in equilibrium and then experiencing a change in its arrival or departure rates, a setting which has not been studied to our knowledge.
A cross-sectional study of the association between perfluorinated chemical exposure and cancers related to deregulation of estrogen receptors.

Abstract Background Environmental exposures acting through different mechanisms have been linked with a number of cancers. Perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) are endocrine disrupting chemicals affecting estrogen homeostasis. Objectives We examined the association between PFCs and a group of estrogen related cancers and explored if increased non-occupational exposure was associated with increased odds of developing these cancers. We also explored which of these chemical exposures was more correlated with each cancer. Methods Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we selected participants ≥ 20 years of age. Our outcome variable was presence or absence of breast, prostate, ovarian and uterine cancer (yes/no); our exposure variables were serum PFCs. Logistic regression models were used in investigating the association between PFCs and cancer types and between quartiles of PFCs exposure concentrations and presence or absence of cancer while adjusting for covariates. Discriminant analysis was used to assess the correlation between individual PFCs compounds and individual cancer types. Results PFCs were associated with increased odds of ovarian cancer; PFOA: 1.02(1.01, 1.02), PFOS: 1.01 (1.012, 1.013), PFHS 1.031 (1.030, 1.033), PFDE: 1.29(1.27, 1.30) and increased odds of breast cancer; PFOA: 1.089(1.089, 1.09), PFOS: 1.011(1.011, 1.011), PFNA: 1.031(1.030, 1.033), PFHS: 1.02 (1.02, 1.02), PFDE: 1.19(1.18, 1.19). PFCs were not associated with increased odds of prostate or uterine cancers. Comparing the odds in quartile 4 to quartile 1 for ovarian cancer, PFOA: 1.77(1.75,1.79), PFOS: 2.25(2.22, 2.28), PFHS: 1.86(1.84, 1.88), PFDE: 2.11(2.09, 2.14). For breast cancer, PFOA: 2.30(2.28, 2.31), PFOS: 1.47(1.46, 1.48), PFNA: 1.04(1.03, 1.05), PFHS:7.07(6.97,7.17), PFDE: 1.38(1.37, 1.39). PFOA was more correlated with breast cancer (0.7) and PFHS was more correlated with ovarian cancer (0.9). Discussion PFCs were associated with increased odds of ovarian and breast cancers with a positive dose-response relationship. PFOA was more correlated with breast cancer and PFHS more with ovarian cancer.
Consumer Confidence and Asset Prices: Some Empirical Evidence

We explore the time-series relationship between investor sentiment and the small-stock premium using consumer confidence as a measure of investor optimism. We estimate the components of consumer confidence related to economic fundamentals and investor sentiment. After controlling for the time variation of beta, we study the time-series variation of the pricing error with sentiment. Over the last 25 years, investor sentiment measured using consumer confidence forecasts the returns of small stocks and stocks with low institutional ownership in a manner consistent with the predictions of models based on noise-trader sentiment. Sentiment does not appear to forecast time-series variation in the value and momentum premiums. (JEL G10, G12, G14) In this article, we explore the time-series relationship between investor sentiment and stock returns using consumer confidence as a measure of investor optimism. Our goal is to assess the extent to which sentiment affects the prices of different stocks in times of optimistic or pessimistic assessment of market conditions by investors. Our analysis examines both behavioral and rational channels through which sentiment might be manifested in asset prices. The behavioral hypopthesis suggests that when arbitrage is limited,
Impulsive purchasing in grocery shopping: Do the shopping companions matter?

Abstract Impulsive purchasing occurs when consumers succumb to urges to make purchases without careful evaluation. Unlike research examining personal factors as the predictors of impulse purchase behavior, our study incorporates internal and external factors by exploring the interpersonal influences of different types of shopping companions. A survey was conducted with 791 participants who indicated the types of companions they accompany when grocery shopping and reported how each type influences their purchase decisions. Results show that parents and spouses are the most common shopping companions and the most influential on the shoppers' impulse purchase decisions compared to other types of companions (e.g., significant others, colleagues, children, friends, and other shoppers). Additionally, the effect of different shopping companions varies based on the shoppers' internal characteristics and the social distance between the shopper and the shopping companion. Finally, while individual factors (e.g., age, gender, income, education, impulsivity, and emotional susceptibility) significantly affect shoppers’ impulse purchase decisions, the magnitude and direction of the effect of these factors differ significantly based on the type of shopping companion.
Assessing produce freshness using hyperspectral imaging and machine learning

A method of monitoring produce freshness with hyperspectral imaging and machine learning is described as a way to reduce food waste in grocery stores. The method relies on hyperspectral reflectance images in the visible–near-infrared spectral range from 387.12 to 1023.5 nm with a 2.12-nm spectral resolution. The images were recorded in a laboratory with the imager viewing produce samples illuminated by broadband halogen lights, but we also recorded and discussed the implications of the illumination spectrum of lights found in a variety of grocery stores. A convolutional neural network was used to perform freshness classification for potatoes, bananas, and green peppers. Additionally, a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to determine the wavelengths carrying the most useful information for age classification, with an eye toward a future multispectral imager. Hyperspectral images were processed to explore the use of RGB images, GA-selected multispectral images, and full-spectrum hyperspectral images. The GA-based feature selection method outperformed RGB images for all tested produce, outperformed hyperspectral imagery for bananas, and matched hyperspectral imagery performance for green peppers. This feature selection method is being used to develop a low-cost multispectral imager for use in monitoring produce in grocery stores.
On-Wafer Microfabricated Test Structures for Characterizing RF Breakdown in Narrow Gaps

Plasmas formed in microscale gaps at DC and plasmas formed at radiofrequency (RF) both deviate in behavior compared to the classical Paschen curve, requiring lower voltage to achieve breakdown due to unique processes and dynamics, such as field emission and controlled rates of electron/ion interactions. Both regimes have been investigated independently, using high precision electrode positioning systems for microscale gaps or large, bulky emitters for RF. However, no comprehensive study of the synergistic phenomenon between the two exists. The behavior in such a combined system has the potential to reach sub-10 V breakdown, which combined with the unique electrical properties of microscale plasmas could enable a new class of RF switches, limiters and tuners.This work describes the design and fabrication of novel on-wafer microplasma devices with gaps as small as 100 nm to be operated at GHz frequencies. We used a dual-sacrificial layer process to create devices with microplasma gaps integrated into RF compatible 50 Ω coplanar waveguide transmission lines, which will allow this coupled behaviour to be studied for the first time. These devices are modelled using conventional RF simulations as well as the Sandia code, EMPIRE, which is capable of modelling the breakdown and formation of plasma in microscale gaps driven by high frequencies. Synchronous evaluation of the modelled electrical and breakdown behaviour is used to define device structures, predict behaviour and corroborate results. We further report preliminary independent testing of the microscale gap and RF behaviour. DC testing shows modified-Paschen curve behaviour for plasma gaps at and below four microns, demonstrating decreased breakdown voltage with reduced gap size. Additionally, preliminary S-parameter measurements of as-prepared and connectorized devices have elucidated RF device behaviour. Together, these results provide baseline data that enables future experiments as well as discussion of projected performance and applications for these unique devices.
Information Literacy Development of Undergraduate Political Science Student Researchers: The Instruction Librarian’s Role

It may be surprising to find a librarian’s perspective in this volume. Most librarians do not have teaching responsibility for credit-bearing courses, but many librarians and teaching faculty experience a professional partnership centered on student success. Teaching faculty are responsible for planning and executing lessons and developing assignments so that students can learn. Librarians are responsible not only for supplying academic resources that support course instruction, but also for training students to locate, evaluate, and effectively use those resources. Many librarians are also teachers of information literacy. This chapter examines current information literacy standards and frameworks for undergraduate political science programs as well as various teaching modalities employed by librarians to develop information literacy skills in students.
Comparison of Two Methods for Implementing Comfort Care Order Sets in the Inpatient Setting: a Cluster Randomized Trial

There is an ongoing need for interventions to improve quality of end-of-life care for patients in inpatient settings. To compare two methods for implementing a Comfort Care Education Intervention for Palliative Care Consultation Teams (PCCT) in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). Cluster randomized implementation trial conducted March 2015–April 2019. PCCTs were assigned to a traditional implementation approach using a teleconference or to an in-person, train-the-champion workshop to prepare PCCTs to be clinical champions at their home sites. One hundred thirty-two providers from PCCTs at 47 VAMCs. Both training modalities involved review of educational materials, instruction on using an electronic Comfort Care Order Set, and coaching to deliver the intervention to other providers. Several processes of care were identified a priori as quality endpoints for end-of-life care (last 7 days) and abstracted from medical records of veterans who died within 9 months before or after implementation (n = 6,491). The primary endpoint was the presence of an active order for opioid medication at time of death. Secondary endpoints were orders/administration of antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and scopolamine, do-not-resuscitate orders, advance directives, locations of death, palliative care consultations, nasogastric tubes, intravenous lines, physical restraints, pastoral care visits, and family presence at/near time of death. Generalized estimating equations were conducted adjusting for potential covariates. Eighty-eight providers from 23 VAMCs received teleconference training; 44 providers from 23 VAMCs received in-person workshop training. Analyses found no significant differences between intervention groups in any process-of-care endpoints (primary endpoint AOR (CI) = 1.18 (0.74, 1.89). Furthermore, pre-post changes were not significant for any endpoints (primary endpoint AOR (CI) = 1.16 (0.92, 1.46). Analyses may have been limited by high baseline values on key endpoints with little room for improvement. Findings suggest the clinical effectiveness of palliative care educational intervention was not dependent on which of the two implementation methods was used. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02383173
Network Games with Strategic Machine Learning

In this paper, we study the strategic machine learning problem with a planner (decision maker) and multiple agents. The planner is the first-mover, who designs, publishes, and commits to a decision rule. The agents then best-respond by manipulating their input features to obtain a desirable decision outcome so as to maximize their utilities. Earlier works in strategic machine learning assume that every agent’s strategic action is independent of others’. By contrast, we consider a different case where agents are connected in a network and can either benefit from their neighbors’ positive decision outcomes from the planner or benefit from their neighbors’ actions. We study the Stackelberg equilibrium in this new setting and highlight the similarities and differences between this model and the literature on network/graphical games and strategic machine learning.
Understanding and quantifying electron beam effects during in situ TEM nanomechanical tensile testing on metal thin films

Abstract Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging relies on high energy electrons for atomic scale resolution, however, the electrons themselves interact with and may alter the material being imaged. Using an in situ TEM MEMS-based nanomechanical testing technique, the effect of the electron beam (e-beam) on the deformation behavior of nanocrystalline Al and ultrafine-grained Au is investigated and quantified. We show that the e-beam enhances plastic deformation, leading to an increase in plastic strain rate and a decrease in true activation volume V* in Al (28 to 21b3, with b being the Burgers vector length). The e-beam has a much weaker effect on Au. The e-beam effect is not caused by knock-on damage, but rather an effective temperature increase due to additional atomic fluctuations provided by the e-beam. The effective temperature increase is larger for Al than Au. This e-beam effect does not change the deformation mechanisms, but instead accelerates the stress-driven, thermally activated plastic deformation. These experiments provide insight into the effects of the e-beam on plastic deformation in different metals and underscore the importance of understanding and quantifying these effects for proper interpretation of measured mechanical properties during in situ TEM experiments.
Effects of ambient conditions on film sensitivity

In practical use, photographic films are often subject to ambient conditions of temperature or humidity which are far from optimal, and which are difficult or almost impossible to avoid. Although efforts should always be made to follow film manufacturers' recommendations on handling films in good ambient conditions, it appears desirable to have available quantitative information on the effects of various departures from optimal conditions and on techniques for minimising adverse effects. Information based on practical experiences and on research studies in several Canadian organizations is reported. Data are provided, for certain samples of color and black and white film, on the sensitometric effects of storage for various times and at various elevated temperatures both before and after exposure. Low humidity in flight causes adverse effects on colour which are easily avoided. Problems can arise in transferring film from cold storage to camera and in handling between exposure and processing.
Chapter 7 Electrical Properties of Oxygen in Silicon

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a discussion on electrical properties of oxygen in silicon. Oxygen in its usual interstitial configuration in silicon is electrically inactive. For this reason, oxygen concentrations of 10 18 cm -3 in Czochralski-grown (Cz) silicon can be used for the production of integrated circuits without influencing the electrical performance of the devices. It was discovered that upon heat treatment in the temperature range of 300-550°C electrically active centers were formed in oxygen-rich silicon. These centers are donors and because of their generation under thermal treatment, were called Thermal Donors (TD). A second electrically active center in silicon was later associated with the presence of oxygen. The so-called New Donors (ND) are formed in the temperature range of 650–850°C. There has been extensive research on the formation kinetics, the properties and the structure of the TD. The chapter presents a review of this work and the limited information on the ND. After 30 years of intensive research, surprising new results, such as the bistability of TDs and the enhanced TD formation rate upon hydrogen plasma treatment, continue to be reported. The chapter presents a review of both established and controversial results, and presents an integrated framework for understanding TD phenomena.
Learning Orientation, Market Orientation, and Innovation: Integrating and Extending Models of Organizational Performance

Recent studies have demonstrated effects of learning orientation or market orientation on innovation-driven organizational performance. While these studies have enhanced our understanding of innovation processes in the firm, they have been unable to determine the relative contribution of learning orientation and market orientation to innovation. The integration of these two fundamental strategic orientations in this research enables such an assessment. The model in this research also measures the degree to which market orientation and learning orientation influence organizational performance, independent of their effect on product innovation. The most notable finding is the potential preeminence of learning orientation over market orientation. The implications are of critical importance to marketers because they provide insights into the type of organizational culture that is associated with high levels of performance.
Electron microscopic studies on rabbit ova

The ultrastructure of the rabbit follicular oocyte prior to maturation and the cytoplasmic changes that characterize oocyte development within the ovarian follicle have been considered. Particular emphasis has been given to the ultra-structure of oocyte meiotic chromosomes in some phases of the first reductional division. Release of the first polar body and the changes undergone by follicular and theca cells during follicular growth have also been evaluated.
A product-line approach to promote asset reuse in multi-agent systems

Software reuse technologies have been a driving force in significantly reducing both the time and cost of software specification, development, maintenance and evolution. However, the dynamic nature of highly autonomous agents in distributed systems is difficult to specify with existing requirements analysis and specification techniques. This paper offers an approach for open, agent-based distributed software systems to capture requirements specifications in such a way that they can be easily reused during the initial requirements phase as well as later if the software needs to be updated. The contribution of this paper is to provide a reusable requirements specification pattern to capture the dynamically changing design configurations of agents and reuse them for future similar systems. This is achieved by adopting a product-line approach for agent-based software engineering. We motivate and illustrate this work through a specific application, a phased deployment of an agent-based, distributed microsatellite constellation.
Supreme Court Police Civil Rights Litigation (1994 to 2004)

This five-page 2004 article is titled “Supreme Court Civil Rights Litigation Against Police.” It was published in The Trooper magazine. The article analyzes Supreme Court developments in constitutional civil rights litigation against police and other law enforcement officers. Topics include (1) allegations of violation of the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, (2) allegations of excessive force, (3) allegations of violation of Miranda rights and the Fifth Amendment, (4) police pursuit, and (5) governmental and qualified immunity.
Better bounds for threshold formulas

The computation of threshold functions using formulas over the basis (AND, OR, NOT) is considered. It is shown that every monotone formula that computes the threshold function T/sub k//sup n/2 >
Esophageal Cancer: Insights from Mouse Models:

Esophageal cancer is the eighth leading cause of cancer and the sixth most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite recent advances in the development of surgical techniques in combination with the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the prognosis for esophageal cancer remains poor. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer are still poorly understood. Hence, understanding these mechanisms is crucial to improving outcomes for patients with esophageal cancer. Mouse models constitute valuable tools for modeling human cancers and for the preclinical testing of therapeutic strategies in a manner not possible in human subjects. Mice are excellent models for studying human cancers because they are similar to humans at the physiological and molecular levels and because they have a shorter gestation time and life cycle. Moreover, a wide range of well-developed technologies for introducing genetic modifications into mice are currently available. In this review, we describe how different mouse models are used to study esophageal cancer.
Regulation of cardiac fibroblast cellular function by leukemia inhibitory factor.

Abstract F. Wang, J. Trial, J. A. Diwan, F. Gao, H. H. Birdsall, M. L. Entman, P. J. Hornsby, N. Sivasubramaniam and D. L. Mann, Regulation of Cardiac Fibroblast Cellular Function by Leukemia Inhibitory Factor. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2002) 34 , 1309–1316. Background: Previous studies have shown that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) provokes hypertrophic and cytoprotective effects in cardiac myocytes. However, the effects of LIF in cardiac fibroblasts are not known. Given that the cardiac fibroblast is the most abundant cell type in the heart, we sought to examine the functional effects of LIF on cardiac fibroblasts in vitro . Results: Short-term LIF stimulation (24 h) had no effect on fibroblast proliferation and/or cell differentiation. However, longer-term LIF stimulation (48–72 h) increased fibroblast proliferation, and significantly inhibited cardiac fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts. Moreover, 72 h of LIF stimulation significantly reduced collagen content in cardiac fibroblasts cultures, as well as decreased MMP activity in fibroblast culture supernatants. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that LIF stimulation down-regulates several key components of the remodeling process, including collagen content and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation, and thus suggest that LIF may play an important autocrine/paracrine role in preventing excessive extracellular matrix remodeling following acute myocardial injury.