cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Turnaround time and timeliness of physician interpretation in the vascular laboratory.

UNLABELLED The overall turnaround time (TAT) and the physician interpretation interval (PII) for vascular laboratory (VL) tests are not often reported in the literature. OBJECTIVE To audit the TAT and PI on weekdays (WDs) and weekends/holidays (WE). METHODS The first available wait time (WT), the type of test, and the PII for weekday versus weekends/holidays for all patients was noted. RESULTS The mean WT for inpatients between order and performance of the VL test was 12.48 and 9.81 hours for WD, respectively. The mean PII was 3.23 hours. There was a significant difference in PII between WD (mean 2.30 hours) and WE (16.60 hours; P < .0001). Ninety-nine percent of tests on WD were read within 24 hours compared to 76.5% on WE (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Process improvement of the TAT should lead to better customer satisfaction, improve access to test results, and be a part of quality assurance in the VL.
Loss of the matriptase inhibitor HAI-2 during prostate cancer progression.

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer progression is accompanied by increased levels of extracellular proteases that are capable of remodeling the extracellular matrix as well as cleaving and activating growth factors and their receptors that are critically involved in pro-cancerous signaling pathways. The membrane anchored serine protease matriptase (also known as MT-SP1, epithin, and TADG15) has been implicated in prostate cancer. Several studies have demonstrated that the expression of this protease, both on the RNA and protein level is significantly increased during prostate cancer progression. Hepatocyte activator growth factor inhibitor-2 (HAI-2) has recently been identified as a physiological inhibitor of matriptase. It has been proposed that the increase of matriptase with a concomitant loss of its inhibitors may play a critical role in cancer progression. METHODS In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to determine the expression of HAI-2 protein in 136 prostate cancer samples, 20 prostate benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) samples, and 31 normal or tumor-adjacent prostate samples. Specificity of detection was ensured by using two unrelated HAI-2 antibodies and corresponding non-immune IgG antibodies. RESULTS We demonstrate that HAI-2 protein is significantly decreased in malignant lesions as compared to normal and BPH lesions, and that the most poorly differentiated tumors (Gleason score 8–10) have the lowest level of HAI-2 expression. CONCLUSION These data suggest that the loss of HAI-2 may be actively involved in prostate cancer progression by causing a reduced inhibitory capacity of proteolysis possibly of the physiological target for HAI-2 matriptase. Prostate 70: 1422–1428, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Proactive Workload Management in Hybrid Cloud Computing

The hindrances to the adoption of public cloud computing services include service reliability, data security and privacy, regulation compliant requirements, and so on. To address those concerns, we propose a hybrid cloud computing model which users may adopt as a viable and cost-saving methodology to make the best use of public cloud services along with their privately-owned (legacy) data centers. As the core of this hybrid cloud computing model, an intelligent workload factoring service is designed for proactive workload management. It enables federation between on- and off-premise infrastructures for hosting Internet-based applications, and the intelligence lies in the explicit segregation of base workload and flash crowd workload, the two naturally different components composing the application workload. The core technology of the intelligent workload factoring service is a fast frequent data item detection algorithm, which enables factoring incoming requests not only on volume but also on data content, upon a changing application data popularity. Through analysis and extensive evaluation with real-trace driven simulations and experiments on a hybrid testbed consisting of local computing platform and Amazon Cloud service platform, we showed that the proactive workload management technology can enable reliable workload prediction in the base workload zone (with simple statistical methods), achieve resource efficiency (e.g., 78% higher server capacity than that in base workload zone) and reduce data cache/replication overhead (up to two orders of magnitude) in the flash crowd workload zone, and react fast (with an X^2 speed-up factor) to the changing application data popularity upon the arrival of load spikes.
Some Short-Run Microeconomic Effects of a Market Incentive Anti-Inflation Plan

This article examines the short-run effects of Abba Lerner and David Co-lander's Market Anti-Inflation Plan (MAP) with a microeconomic model of firm pricing and output. It proves that MAP assures a constant (Paasche)price level. For an economy in which all firms face downward-sloping demand, MAP increases output, as MAP acts as an economywide Ramsey pricing scheme, reducing firms' monopoly power. Perfectly competitive industries have reduced supply elasticity, which can either increase or reduce their output.
Optimization coaching: optimizers learn to communicate with programmers

Optimizing compilers map programs in high-level languages to high-performance target language code. To most programmers, such a compiler constitutes an impenetrable black box whose inner workings are beyond their understanding. Since programmers often must understand the workings of their compilers to achieve their desired performance goals, they typically resort to various forms of reverse engineering, such as examining compiled code or intermediate forms. Instead, optimizing compilers should engage programmers in a dialog. This paper introduces one such possible form of dialog: optimization coaching. An optimization coach watches while a program is compiled, analyzes the results, generates suggestions for enabling further compiler optimization in the source program, and presents a suitable synthesis of its results to the programmer. We present an evaluation based on case studies, which illustrate how an optimization coach can help programmers achieve optimizations resulting in substantial performance improvements.
Phylogenetic relationships of chemoautotrophic bacterial symbionts of Solemya velum say (Mollusca: Bivalvia) determined by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis

The protobranch bivalve Solemya velum Say (Mollusca: Bivalvia) houses chemoautotrophic symbionts intracellularly within its gills. These symbionts were characterized through sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rRNA coding regions and hybridization of an Escherichia coli gene probe to S. velum genomic DNA restriction fragments. The symbionts appeared to have only one copy of the 16S rRNA gene. The lack of variability in the 16S sequence and hybridization patterns within and between individual S. velum organisms suggested that one species of symbiont is dominant within and specific for this host species. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S sequences of the symbionts indicates that they lie within the chemoautotrophic cluster of the gamma subdivision of the eubacterial group Proteobacteria.
Preparing technical communicators for future workplaces: a model that integrates teaming, professional communication skills, and a software development process

This paper outlines a model that uses teaming as a framework to support professional communication and process to improve student performance, as measured by the quality of output. It describes a pedagogical approach used in a computer science undergraduate senior class that integrates teaming, professional communication and a software development process. The approach demonstrates the importance of team instruction and monitoring to the overall success of projects. It discusses how effective teaming strengthens process and professional communication which, in turn, lead to the creation of a high quality product; it is believed that this model may be applied to a variety of subject areas.
Power Conditioning Systems for High-Power, Airborne, Pulsed Applications

The power conditioning portion of the high-power study that was performed for the Air Force Aeropropulsion Laboratory by the State University of New York at Buffalo is summarized. This effort defines the power conditioning system and critical component developments which will be required to interface the airborne 10-MW to 50-MW sources defined under separate study efforts with certain loads. Power conditioning systems are considered for use with magnetohydrodynamic generators and turbine driven alternators, both conventional and superconducting. The critical components required for each of the power conditioning systems are identified and then analyzed. The component analyses include estimations of development efforts necessary and of specific weights and volumes for components. The primary components considered are transformers (for alternator as well as for inverter use), switches, capacitors, and inductors. Weight algorithms are developed for each of the components. Following the component analyses, subsystems such as inverters and rectifier and filter packages are considered. The data for the various components and subsystems are then utilized for a comparison of the power conditioning techniques to be used with the various power sources. The weights and volumes of power conditioning systems for 8-point designs (8 variations of power, voltage, duty cycle, and total run time) are derived.
Preparation of Polymer Antifriction Materials for Highly Loaded Oil Pump Friction Assemblies

Technological aspects are developed for preparing graded polymer composite materials for antifriction purposes based on epoxy resin by centrifugal molding, capable of operation without lubricant in oil pump ball friction assemblies.
Stressor and glucocorticoid-dependent induction of the immediate early gene kruppel-like factor 9: implications for neural development and plasticity.

Kruppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) is a thyroid hormone-induced, immediate early gene implicated in neural development in vertebrates. We analyzed stressor and glucocorticoid (GC)-dependent regulation of KLF9 expression in the brain of the frog Xenopus laevis, and investigated a possible role for KLF9 in neuronal differentiation. Exposure to shaking/confinement stressor increased plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration, and KLF9 immunoreactivity in several brain regions, which included the medial amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, anterior preoptic area (homologous to the mammalian paraventricular nucleus), and optic tectum (homologous to the mammalian superior colliculus). The stressor-induced KLF9 mRNA expression in the brain was blocked by pretreatment with the GC receptor antagonist RU486, or mimicked by injection of CORT. Treatment with CORT also caused a rapid and dose-dependent increase in KLF9 mRNA in X. laevis XTC-2 cells that was resistant to inhibition of protein synthesis. The action of CORT on KLF9 expression in XTC-2 cells was blocked by RU486, but not by the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone. To test for functional consequences of up-regulation of KLF9, we introduced a KLF9 expression plasmid into living tadpole brain by electroporation-mediated gene transfer. Forced expression of KLF9 in tadpole brain caused an increase in Golgi-stained cells, reflective of neuronal differentiation/maturation. Our results support that KLF9 is a direct, GC receptor target gene that is induced by stress, and functions as an intermediary in the actions of GCs on brain gene expression and neuronal structure.
Evaluation of the Natus ALGO 3 Newborn Hearing Screener

Objective To compare the ALGO 3 Newborn Hearing Screener (Natus Medical Inc.) to the ALGO 2e Newborn Hearing Screener (Natus Medical Inc.). Design A prospective evaluation. Setting Three maternity hospitals. Patients/Participants 199 newborns enrolled; 194 completed the study. Interventions Patients were tested using either the ALGO 3 screener or the ALGO 2e screener first, and then screened with the alternate device. Initial screens resulting in REFER outcomes were repeated using the same device. An ALGO 2e PASS result was accepted as adequate evidence of hearing. Two sequential ALGO 2e REFER results required further diagnostic testing to determine hearing status. Main Outcome Measures Average screening times and referral rates of both hearing screeners. Results The ALGO 3 screener averaged 70.8 seconds (95% confidence interval=34.5–107.1 seconds), or was 23% faster than the ALGO 2e screener (p = .0002). There were 48% fewer REFER results after initial screening with the ALGO 3 screener (5.7%) than with the ALGO 2e screener (10.9%) (p = .06). Faster screen times and fewer referrals were noted at each hospital. Conclusion The ALGO 3 screener can increase caregiver efficiency by accurately screening hearing in newborns faster and with fewer REFER results than the ALGO 2e screener.
On the Role of a Stock Market in the European Bank Loan Market: A Study of France, Germany, and the Euro Area

What factors cause banks to lend to the private sector in a bank-based financial system like the ones in place in Europe? In this paper we compare a traditional demand oriented model to a non-traditional capital budgeting model of bank lending based on movements in the equity cost of capital for banks in France, Germany, and the Euro area. Using non-nested hypothesis tests and omitted variables tests we find that we can reject the traditional demand oriented model of bank lending and fail to reject the capital budgeting model of bank lending for Monetary Financial Institutions in France and the Euro area. For Germany the evidence is mixed in that both models are rejected for Monetary Financial Institutions, but only the traditional demand oriented model is rejected for the commercial bank sector. Even though Europe may be a bank-based financial system, it appears the stock market plays a key role in the lending decisions of banks.
Molecular cloning and characterization of a gonococcal surface antigen common to pathogenic Neisseria spp.

A recombinant plasmid coding for a 28K gonococcal surface antigen has been constructed and used as a probe in DNA hybridization experiments. The plasmid insert shows strong DNA homology with all strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis tested as well as with N. lactamica, but only weak to intermediate homology with other commensal Neissera spp. Immuno-blotting has demonstrated the presence of the 28K antigen in the outer membrane of all strains of N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis tested. With the exception of N. lactamica and N. cinerea, the 28K antigen is not found in the commensal Neisseria spp.
Multiphysics analysis of frequency detuning in superconducting RF cavities for proton particle accelerators

Multiphysics analyses for superconducting cavities are essential in the course of cavity design to meet stringent requirements on cavity frequency detuning. Superconducting RF cavities are the core accelerating elements in modern particle accelerators whether it is proton or electron machine, as they offer extremely high quality factors thus reducing the RF losses per cavity. However, the superior quality factor comes with the challenge of controlling the resonance frequency of the cavity within few tens of hertz bandwidth. In this paper, we investigate how the multiphysics analysis plays a major role in proactively minimizing sources of frequency detuning, specifically; microphonics and Lorentz Force Detuning (LFD) in the stage of RF design of the cavity and mechanical design of the niobium shell and the helium vessel.
Treatment and Follow-Up of Patients with Long-Gap Esophageal Atresia: 15 Years' of Experience from the Western Region of Sweden

Objective This retrospective study aims to report treatment results in patients with long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA), gross A + B type, and discuss the value of different clinical findings and physiological tests in the follow-up. Methods This retrospective observational study comprises all patients with LGEA admitted to our department between 1995 and 2010. Results A total of 16 patients were included. Their mean gestational age was 35 +2 weeks and their mean birth weight was 1,945 g (−2.5 standard deviation scores). No catch-up growth in height could be seen and they remained smaller than the average population during the study period. Gastrostomy was performed as the first surgical procedure. Overall, 11 of the 16 patients had a delayed primary anastomosis. Elongation of the distal esophageal segment was required in 3 of the 16 patients and a colonic interposition in 2 of the 16 patients. The median age at definitive surgery was 150 days. All the patients had gastroesophageal reflux after their definitive surgery. Three of the 16 patients required surgery due to aspiration and all 3 had a pathological lung clearance index (LCI) at multiple-breath washout (MBW). At the age of 1 or 7 years, the LCI was pathological in 4 of the 14 patients, and spirometry showed an obstruction in 9 of the 14 patients. Conclusion LGEA is a severe congenital malformation, with severe morbidity. No mortality was seen. MBW could be a useful tool for the early detection of progressive pulmonary damage.
Studies in prebiotic synthesis. IV. Conversion of 4-aminoimidazole-5-carbonitrile derivatives to purines.

Abstract The synthesis of 4-aminoimidazole-5-carbonitrile and its derivatives from HCN has been discussed in a preceding paper. It is shown here that these imidazoles are readily cyclized to mono- and di-substituted purines. Since the photochemical synthesis of 4-aminoimidazole-5-carbonitrile from HCN is considered to be a particularly plausible prebiotic pathway, the conversion of 4-aminoimidazole-5-carbonitrile and of its hydrolysis product 4-aminoimidazole-5-carboxamide to adenine and guanine are examined in some detail
Coexistence of Native-Like and Non-Native Misfolded Ferricytochrome C on the Surfac of Cardiolipin Containing Liposomes

Cytochrome c, in spite of adopting a rather rigid structure around its prosthetic heme group, is rather diverse with regard to its function and structural variability. On the surface of the inner membrane of mitochondria it serves as an electron transfer carrier. However, at conditions which have not yet been unambiguously identified, cytochrome c can adopt a variety of non-native conformations, some of which exhibit peroxidase activity. Cardiolipin-containing liposomes have served as ideal model system to investigate the various modes of interaction between cytochrome c and the inner mitochrondrial membrane. We probed the binding of horse heart ferricytochrome c to liposomes formed with 20% tetraoleoyl cardiolipin (TOCL) and 80% dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) as a function of lipid/protein ratio by fluorescence and visible circular dichroism spectroscopy. The obtained binding isotherms suggest that they reflect reversible binding processes, which excludes the possibility of significant prote...
Toxicity of linear furanocoumarins toSpodoptera exigua: Evidence for antagonistic interactions.

The linear furanocoumarins psoralen, bergapten, and xanthotoxin were tested for toxicity to the beet armywormSpodoptera exigua (Hubner) under short ultraviolet (UVB) radiation. Increased dietary concentrations of each furanocoumarin significantly decreased insect larval weight, extended generation time, and induced higher mortality. Xanthotoxin was the most toxic, followed by psoralen and bergapten. Combining psoralen with bergapten, xanthotoxin, or both resulted in significantly antagonistic effects on insect mortality. The combination of bergapten and xanthotoxin, however, produced additive effects. The implications of these observations forS. exigua resistance in the wild plant accession ofApium prostratum and the enigma the findings represent for plant-insect relationships are discussed.
Output Synchronization for Teleoperation of Wheel Mobile Robot

The potential for use of robotic systems in remote applications arenas has long motivated development of robust and stable means of teleoperated control of slave systems. However, telerobotic systems face challenges stemming from the devices themselves, environmental factors, communication and control complexities. To address these challenges, we will adopt the passivity based synchronization framework [1] and study its applicability to safely synchronize two heterogeneous Lagrangian systems. Within this framework, an adaptive controller identifies and stabilizes the dynamics of the master and slave systems and renders the dynamics passive to a secondary coupling input. The passive mapping used to couple the output states of the master and slave systems and is made insensitive to lossy and delayed communication medium. Specifically, an adaptive passive synchronization teleoperation controller is developed between an Omni haptic device that serves as our master and a differentially driven nonholonomic Wheel Mobile Robot (WMR) as the slave system. A battery of hardware-in-the-loop simulations are used to verify the proposed controller.
A rare but important differential diagnosis in transient monocular blindness.

A 45-year-old man presented with transient episodes of monocular blindness. Physical examination, including full neurology and funduscopy examination was unremarkable. Head CT was negative for intracranial bleed. Carotid ultrasound with Doppler was unremarkable. A two-dimensional echocardiogram was performed and showed a mobile mass attached to the aortic valve. To further evaluate the mass, a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed which showed a multilobulated, mobile, pedunculated mass attached to the aortic surface of the non-coronary aortic cusp, measuring …
Possible Involvement of Arachidonate Products in Tumor Promoter Inhibition of Cell-Cell Communication

The complex, healthy multicellular organism is the ultimate product of a hierarchy of levels of organization, each interacting with each other and with the environment via different kinds of feedback or communicating mechanisms (1,2). Unless there is a functional hierarchical organization of the molecular, biochemical, cellular, physiological and psychological (in the case of human beings), this state of health cannot be maintained. Proper genetic information in the form of DNA molecules and normal expression of the genetic information are needed to affect the appropriate adaptive biochemistry. Normal regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation is necessary for healthy growth and function of organ systems (3). Proper function of organ systems, in turn, leads to adaptive responses on the whole organism level. Consequently, interference with any of these levels can influence the functions of levels above and below, because of interacting connections between the levels (1,2).
Design and Implementation of Multiplex Bus Interface Module

A concise structure,low cost and easy to use 1553B Multiplex Bus Interface module base on PCI is presented in this paper,which acquire functions of Integration,Simulation,and Development in 1553B production or system.The hardware structure and software development are also introduced.
Study on relationship between estrogen receptor gene polymorphism of precocious girls and environmental endocrine disruptors

Objective To study the relationship between estrogen receptor gene polymorphism of precocious girls and environmental endocrine disruptors,as well as,to clarify the molecular mechanisms of body's susceptibility to environmental endocrine disruptors differences. Methods The blood samples were collected from 123cases of precocious girls and 102 cases of normal girls.The concentrations of 4-nonylphend(4-NP),dibutyl phthalate(DBP),DEHP and P,P-DDE in serum samples were measured by using high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),the volume of the uterus and ovary,the bone density,the content of estradiol(E2)were determined at the same time.The contents of 4-NP,DBP,DEHP and P,PDDE in serum of precocious girls and the indices of the target organs were analyzed by using correlation.Further,estrogen receptorα(ERα)and estrogen receptorβ(ERβ)gene polymorphisms were analyzed by using PCR-RFLP between the precocious girls who can be detected 4-NP,DEHP,DBP and P,P'-DDE in serum and normal controls who can not be detected the above four kinds of EEDs respectively and the effect relationship between them were observed. Results In normal control group,4-NP,DEHP,DBP and P,P'-DDE,were detected in blood serum for 58%,37%,31% and 38.4%respectively,whereas,in precocious girls group,the four kinds of EEDs respectively were detected in blood serum for 89.7%,63.3%, 64.8%and 100%.The levels of 4-NP,DEHP,DBP and P,P'-DDE in serum in precocious girl group were notably increased than those in control group(Pall0.01).In precocious girls group,there was a positive correlations between the 4-NP in volume of uterus and the volume of ovary and the density of bone;P,P'-DDE and volume of uterus also showed a the positive correlation.Compared girls with precocious puberty who can be detected 4-NP,DEHP,DBP and P,P'-DDE in serum and normal controls who can not be detected the above four kinds of EEDs respectively,there were significant differences in geno-type distribution for the XbaⅠand the RsaⅠ polymorphism.Compared Xx with wild-type xx,the susceptibility to 4-NP,DEHP,DBP and P,P'-DDE was respectively 2.52,7.01,6.21and 2.63fold.Compared RR with wild-type rr,the susceptibility to 4-NP,DEHP,DBP and P,P'-DDE was respectively 7.36,9.61,8.67and 6.77fold. Conclusion Precocious girls are contaminated more severely than normal girls.Different kinds of EEDs might have different influencing extents to the target organs.Children exposed to EEDs haven't necessarily occurred precocious.One reason may be different genotypes expressed in different individuals.Xx and RR are susceptible genotypes to EEDs.
Indigenous Experience, Environmental Justice and Settler Colonialism

Environmental justice (EJ) commonly refers to the problem that people of color, Indigenous peoples, women and people with disabilities, among others, are more likely than privileged white populations to live in toxic environments that are bad for human health and community cohesion. The idea underlying this conception of EJ is that justice concerns how the distribution of certain environmental nuisances, such as pollution, or environmentally-related harms, such as asthma in children, burden populations who already face multiple forms of oppression, from structural racism to systemic poverty. Environmental nuisances and harms are treated as so many objects or states of affairs for which social institutions bear responsibility either to distribute equitably or to strive to lessen and, if possible, eliminate. The conception of EJ just outlined covers many important dimensions of the nature of injustice, especially the impact of social institutions on the distribution of environmental quality across different populations. Yet Indigenous peoples’ EJ movements and scholarly work focus on additional dimensions of injustice beyond the responsibility of social institutions for the distribution of nuisances, harms and goods. For many Indigenous peoples, I will argue, injustice also occurs when the social institutions of one society systematically erase certain social-ecological contexts, or horizons, that are vital for members of another society to experience themselves in the world as having responsibilities to other humans, nonhumans and the environment. Injustice, here, involves one society robbing another society of its capacities to experience the world as a place of collective life that its members feel responsible for maintaining into the future. I seek to show how this understanding of environmental injustice is highlighted in theories and research from the domain of Indigenous peoples and settler colonialism. Settler colonialism can be interpreted as a form of environmental injustice that wrongfully interferes with and erases the social-ecological contexts required for Indigenous populations to experience the world as a place infused with responsibilities to humans, nonhumans and ecosystems.
Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) Dilates Cerebellar Arteries Through Activation of Large-Conductance Ca 2+ -Activated (BK) and ATP-Sensitive (K ATP ) K + Channels

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a potent vasodilator of numerous vascular beds, including cerebral arteries. Although PACAP-induced cerebral artery dilation is suggested to be cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent, the downstream intracellular signaling pathways are still not fully understood. In this study, we examined the role of smooth muscle K+ channels and hypothesized that PACAP-mediated increases in cAMP levels and protein kinase A (PKA) activity result in the coordinate activation of ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) and large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels for cerebral artery dilation. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology, we observed that PACAP enhanced whole-cell KATP channel activity and transient BK channel currents in freshly isolated rat cerebellar artery myocytes. The increased frequency of transient BK currents following PACAP treatment is indicative of increased intracellular Ca2+ release events termed Ca2+ sparks. Consistent with the electrophysiology data, the PACAP-induced vasodilations of cannulated cerebellar artery preparations were attenuated by approximately 50 % in the presence of glibenclamide (a KATP channel blocker) or paxilline (a BK channel blocker). Further, in the presence of both blockers, PACAP failed to cause vasodilation. In conclusion, our results indicate that PACAP causes cerebellar artery dilation through two mechanisms: (1) KATP channel activation and (2) enhanced BK channel activity, likely through increased Ca2+ spark frequency.
Resonant and Multimode Switched Capacitor Converters for High-Density Power Delivery

A variety of modern applications spanning portable computing, communications, and even renewable energy demand low-cost, small form-factor power delivery solutions that remain efficient and reliable. This paper provides an overview of resonant and multimode switched capacitor DC-DC converters and discusses their prospects for meeting these challenges. An overview of the constraints that limit performance scaling of conventional magnetic and switched-capacitor converters is provided. A comparison and analytical framework for the resonant multimode approach is given that helps identify where the approach is most practical and effective. Implementation and performance details of recently published work is highlighted, both at the chip and board level.
Structure-Property Relationships and the Environmental Sensitivity of Epoxies

The structure, deformation and failure process, and the mechanical properties, of amine-cured epoxies are discussed, together with the question of how fabrication and environmental factors can affect resin behaviour.
An approach for modeling and analyzing dynamic software architectures

Software architectures define the overall structure of software systems as composition of interacting components connecting through connectors. As the foundation to the development of software systems, the correctness of the software architecture is critical to the quality of the final product. Formally modeling and analyzing software architectures is an effective way to ensure the correctness of the software architecture. Many formal specification and analysis approaches have been proposed during past three decades. However, the focus of the majority of the approaches is on the static software architecture, which doesn't change the composition of components during a computation. As cloud computing has been widely adopted as a new computing paradigm, the dynamic software architecture that changes the composition of components during a computation becomes an important research topic. Although research work on specification and analysis of dynamic software architectures was published 20 years ago, building current distributed systems requires better scalability and usability for the modeling and analysis approach. In this paper, the software architecture is modelled using a two-layer higher Petri nets extended with communication channels called CPrT. CPrT nets model static and dynamic software architectures using a uniform formal notation. Its graph notation is easy to use and its executable is necessary for developers to build complex models. Its communication channels that are used for modeling the dynamic composition of software architectures implement the channels in pi-calculus. The semantics of CPrT nets can be described through transforming them into regular Petri nets. The analysis of CPrT nets is conducted using model checking with its tool SPIN.
Enhancement of dielectrophoresis using fractal gold nanostructured electrodes

Dielectrophoretic motions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) cells and colloidal gold are investigated using electrochemically modified electrodes exhibiting fractal topology. Electrodeposition of gold on electrodes generated repeated patterns with a fern-leaf type self-similarity. A particle tracking algorithm is used to extract dielectrophoretic particle velocities using fractal and planar electrodes in two different medium conductivities. The results show increased dielectrophoretic force when using fractal electrodes. Strong negative dielectrophoresis of yeast cells in high-conductivity media (1.5 S/m) is observed using fractal electrodes, while no significant motion is present using planar electrodes. Electrical impedance at the electrode/electrolyte interface is measured using impedance spectroscopy technique. Stronger electrode polarization (EP) effects are reported for planar electrodes. Decreased EP in fractal electrodes is considered as a reason for enhanced dielectrophoretic response.
Service Learning Within a Secondary Math and Science Teacher Education Program: Preservice MAT Teachers’ Perspectives

Previous literature suggests that service learning may offer new opportunities to support the development of preservice science and math teachers, but few studies examine service learning beyond isolated teaching events. In this qualitative study, we attempt to improve upon this literature by following Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) students’ views of their service learning experiences throughout their MAT program and first two years teaching. Data sources included audiotaped individual interviews, focus group field notes, and surveys with seven preservice teachers over a three-year period. Three major findings emerged from the data analysis. First, participants identified characteristics of service learning teaching events that made them particularly useful, and these included the timing of events, targeted grade level, exposure to high-needs contexts, and opportunities to practice pedagogical skills. Second, participation in the service learning events improved preservice teachers’ confidence and comfort teaching in high-needs contexts, but several concerns and deficit perspectives about teaching in high-needs contexts remained. Third, participants indicated specific ways that the service learning teaching events impacted their readiness to teach in high-needs contexts. These findings may inform other science and math teacher educators seeking to embed service learning opportunities into their programs.
Estimating the permanent loss of groundwater storage in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California

In the San Joaquin Valley, California, recent droughts starting in 2007 have increased the pumping of groundwater, leading to widespread subsidence. In the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, vertical subsidence as high as 85 cm has been observed between June 2007 and December 2010 using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). This study seeks to map regions where inelastic (not recoverable) deformation occurred during the study period, resulting in permanent compaction and loss of groundwater storage. We estimated the amount of permanent compaction by incorporating multiple datasets: the total deformation derived from InSAR, estimated skeletal specific storage and hydraulic parameters, geologic information, and measured water levels during our study period. We used two approaches, one that we consider to provide an estimate of the lowest possible amount of inelastic deformation, and one that provides a more reasonable estimate. These two approaches resulted in a spatial distribution of values for the percentage of the total deformation that was inelastic, with the former estimating a spatially averaged value of 54%, and the latter a spatially averaged value of 98%. The former corresponds to the permanent loss of 4.14 × 108 m3 of groundwater storage, or roughly 5% of the volume of groundwater used over the study time period; the latter corresponds to the loss of 7.48 × 108 m3 of groundwater storage, or roughly 9% of the volume of groundwater used. This study demonstrates that a data-driven approach can be used effectively to estimate the permanent loss of groundwater storage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Modified Sagnac Loop Coherent Phase Modulated RF Photonic Link With an ACP-OPLL

The first Sagnac loop coherent phase modulated RF photonic link employing an ACP-OPLL linear phase demodulator was presented. This structure demonstrated stable signal transmission over a 1-km long coherent RF photonic link. Except for optical loss of the long optical fiber, no penalties in the noise and linearity performance were observed.
Heterojunction phototransistor for highly sensitive infrared detection

In this work, we have proposed a model for the ultimate physical limit on the sensitivity of the heterojunction bipolar phototransistors (HPTs). Based on our modeling we have extracted the design criteria for the HPT for high sensitivity application. HPT with the submicron emitter and base area has the potential to be used for the low number photon resolving in near-infrared (NIR) wavelength. However, in practice, the quality of materials, processing, and the passivation plays an important role in the realization of the highly sensitive HPT. For short wave infrared (SWIR) HPTs based on lattice matched InGaAs to InP is studied. For these devices, conditions to reach to the highest possible sensitivity is examined. We have made an HPT based on InGaAs collector and base on the InP substrate. After developing proper processing combination of wet and dry etching and the surface passivation for the device we made an imager with 320x256 pixels based with a 30m pixel pitch. The imager shows the sensitivity less the 30 photons for each pixel with the frame rate more than 1K frames per second.
Explaining Race Gaps in Policing: Normative and Empirical Challenges

This piece explores the many kinds of quantitative claims that researchers and commentators regularly make about race and policing. Everyone agrees that there are enormous racial gaps in U.S. rates of stops, arrests, searches, and use of force. But there are dramatically conflicting claims as to why. Policing is hard to study, but the problem isn’t just the data shortcomings with which the literature has long struggled. It’s confusion about what questions we should be asking. Different kinds of numerical comparisons and research designs often imply sharply differing conceptions of what racial equality in policing means. These normative premises often go unstated, such that readers may easily miss these differences. The overarching objective of this Article is to highlight the connection between the normative and the empirical. I identify plausible conceptions of racial equality in policing and assess which empirical methods can best test those conceptions. The Article gives particular attention to how researchers should address two important research questions. The first is whether criminal conduct differences explain policing disparities. Empirical researchers as well as casual commentators typically purport to address this question either by comparing racial groups’ shares of police interactions to their shares of crime, or by comparing two groups’ ratio of police interactions to their ratio of crimes. Using examples and mathematical proofs, I show that neither of these comparison types answers the key question whether people with like criminal conduct are being treated the same way. These comparisons generally overcorrect for racial differences in criminal conduct, misleadingly masking the size (or even reversing the apparent direction) of disparities in policing of people with the same conduct. Second, I examine how researchers should investigate the effects of racial discrimination — a morally important and legally central question, but one that poses serious causal inference challenges. I review several methods in the current literature, which offer useful insights but have substantial limitations, and critique the recently dominant “hit-rate” approach, which relies on faulty normative and empirical premises. Instead, I propose supplementing existing tools with a new approach: the use of “testers.”
Cerebral Blood Flow after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Associations between Symptoms and Post-Injury Perfusion

Abstract Arterial spin labeling (ASL) has emerged as a technique for assessing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), as it can noninvasively evaluate cerebrovascular physiology. To date, there is substantial variability in methodology and findings of ASL studies of mTBI. While both increased and decreased perfusion are reported after mTBI, more consistency is emerging when perfusion is examined with regard to symptomology. We evaluated 15 teenage athletes two and six weeks after sports-related concussion (SRC group) using pseudo-continuous ASL. We acquired comparison data from 15 matched controls from a single time point. At each time point, we completed whole-brain contrasts to evaluate differences between the SRC group and controls in relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Cluster-level findings directed region of interest (ROI) analyses to test for group differences in rCBF across the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left insula. Finally, we evaluated ROI rCBF and symptomology in the SRC gro...
Putting Pen to Paper

This article reflects on the recent Pen to Paper Writing Retreat hosted by Indiana Campus Compact at Nazareth University in Rochester, New York. It also describes an important phase of growth for The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education .
Multidomain Peptide Hydrogel Accelerates Healing of Full-Thickness Wounds in Diabetic Mice

In vivo, multidomain peptide (MDP) hydrogels undergo rapid cell infiltration and elicit a mild inflammatory response which promotes angiogenesis. Over time, the nanofibers are degraded and a natural collagen-based extracellular matrix is produced remodeling the artificial material into natural tissue. These properties make MDPs particularly well suited for applications in regeneration. In this work, we test the regenerative potential of MDP hydrogels in a diabetic wound healing model. When applied to full-thickness dermal wounds in genetically diabetic mice, the MDP hydrogel resulted in significantly accelerated wound healing compared to a clinically used hydrogel, as well as a control buffer. Treatment with the MDP hydrogel resulted in wound closure in 14 days, formation of thick granulation tissue including dense vascularization, innervation, and hair follicle regeneration. This suggests the MDP hydrogel could be an attractive choice for treatment of wounds in diabetic patients.
Efficient data-driven reduced-order models for high-dimensional multiscale dynamical systems

Abstract We present two data-driven reduced-order models for high-dimensional multiscale dynamical systems. The methodologies proposed assume that the observed high-dimensional dynamic response is generated from some hidden low-dimensional processes. We argue that a single hidden process may not have the representative capability to accurately approximate the dynamical system exhibiting multiple timescales. Hence, the concept of mixture of experts is used where we represent the high-dimensional response as a function of multiple low-dimensional processes. The weight associated with each low-dimensional process is again governed by a separate dynamical process. The primary difference between the two proposed models resides in the procedure adopted for computing the parameters associated with the hidden processes. The first algorithm proposed combines expectation propagation (EP) with expectation maximization (EM) for computing the unknown parameters associated with the latent processes. While some of the parameters are treated in a deterministic sense (point estimates), the others are treated in a Bayesian manner. On the contrary, the second algorithm proposed uses variational Bayes expectation maximization (VBEM) and treats all the parameters in a Bayesian sense. Within VBEM, EP is used as an inference engine. Both the algorithms presented are data-driven. Several numerical examples are presented to certify the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet in a rural Appalachian food desert.

Introduction Rural Appalachian food deserts have disproportionately high cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates. The Mediterranean diet, consisting of plant-based dishes prepared with unsaturated fatty acids, contributes to decreased risk of CVD. Several factors can affect dietary choices in rural food deserts. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors that affect eating a Mediterranean diet in a rural Appalachian food desert with disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was used as an assessment framework in this study. Methods Volunteers (n=43) were recruited from four churches in a rural Appalachian county to participate in this mixed methods convergent parallel design study. During each of four sessions with 8-12 participants each, a Mediterranean-style meal was prepared by a local caterer and included plant-based dishes prepared with unsaturated fatty acids. The nature of a Mediterranean diet was explained to participants using an illustrated pamphlet. Nominal group process was used to determine predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors that would affect adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Multivariate ANOVA and t-tests, using SPSS 18, were performed to determine factors associated with potential future adoption and adherence to a Mediterranean diet among a sample of rural residents and assess whether the factors varied based on age, gender and socioeconomic status. All p values of ≤0.05 were considered significant. Results Factors affecting future adherence to a Mediterranean diet included difficulty changing personal habits, limited access to healthy foods, cost, difficulty of preparation, limited knowledge of the health benefits of foods, family attitudes toward food and difficulty determining how to incorporate healthy foods into meals. Younger participants and those with lower incomes were more likely to identify food cost as a barrier to adherence compared to those who were older with higher incomes. Participants with lower educational levels were more likely to report family members would be hesitant to try a Mediterranean diet. Women were more likely than men to report an understanding of the health impact of certain foods as motivation to adopt and adhere to a Mediterranean diet. Conclusion Multiple factors were reported as influencing dietary habits in this sample of rural Appalachian residents. Several of the factors reported are amenable to behavioral interventions. Although Appalachia has more residents per square kilometer than the rest of the country, the population density is not uniform across the region. Because many Appalachians live in sparsely populated counties, rurality plays a significant role in factors that affect dietary choice. Interventions that address barriers related to limited knowledge of nutrition, ease of preparation and changing personal habits as well as promote locally available foods, while considering issues specific to a rural population, may lead to sustained dietary changes.