cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Turbulence measurements in a constricted tube

Measurements of turbulent flow through a constricted tube with a contoured 75% constriction have been performed with a laser-Doppler anemometer. One motivation for these studies was the problem of flow through arterial stenoses and consequently a range of relatively low Reynolds numbers (5000–15000) was employed. Velocity profiles, r.m.s. turbulence velocities, and energy spectra were recorded along with determinations of the wall pressure variation and length of recirculation region. Results show extremely high levels of turbulence and considerable turmoil within the so-called recirculation region. A method for determining the reattachment point in an intensely turbulent flow is given which should offer improvement over flow visualization techniques. Similarity in turbulence energy spectra measured at various radial positions is found at several axial locations, but does not occur in the region immediately downstream of separation. The downstream recovery of the turbulence velocity to upstream values takes place slowly. A secondary motivation of providing experimental data useful in evaluating turbulence models for computational fluid dynamics led to extensive measurements of radial and axial r.m.s. turbulence velocity components at a Reynolds number of 15000.
Russian consuls and the Greek war of independence (1821–31)

Russian consular dispatches contain vivid descriptions of life in the nineteenth-century Ottoman Balkans. Besides war and diplomacy, Russian archival materials provide historians with insight on nationalism, religion, and society. The long-lasting struggle for Greek independence (1821–31) created unprecedented challenges for Russian officials in Ottoman domains. Tsarist envoys played a mediating role in issues over territories, prisoners of war, religious conversions, and refugee relief. In the context of Russian–Ottoman nineteenth-century relations, this article shows that Russian agents worked to protect the rights of Orthodox Christians and promote commercial, cultural, and political connections. It reveals the sometimes contradictory nature of tsarist policy, based on legitimism and reactionary conservatism, yet supportive of movements for independence among Orthodox Christians.
Femoral herniation of transplanted ureter after deceased-donor kidney transplantation

Introduction Herniation of the ureter after kidney transplant is a rare and under documented event. Many of these herniations are due to abdominal wall defects or ureteral redundancy. After an extensive review of available literature, there has not been a reported case of a femoral herniation of ureter after kidney transplant. We report a case of late allograft renal transplant failure due to ureteral obstruction secondary to femoral herniation of the ureter.
The impacts of a recycling surcharge to increase landfill tipping fees in Wisconsin

This paper presents an analysis of using a state-imposed recycling surcharge to increase landfill tipping fees in Wisconsin, thereby impacting the disposal of out-of-state waste. Illinois and Minnesota are by far the two largest contributors of out-of-state waste to Wisconsin landfills. Accordingly, a mathematical model was developed to holistically assess the transport and disposal costs for municipal solid waste between Illinois and Minnesota and Wisconsin. The results of this model were then used to predict the effects of various increases to the existing recycling surcharge on both the volume of waste flowing into Wisconsin and the amount of revenue that could be generated for the state recycling fund. It was concluded that, aside from constitutional issues, an increased recycling surcharge would work reasonably well to divert low percentages of out-of-state waste away from Wisconsin. However, the recycling surcharge is more effective as a revenue-generating tool when the goals of revenue generation and waste diversion are balanced appropriately. Generating revenue for state waste management and recycling programmes may be more valuable than actually diverting large amounts of waste away from Wisconsin.
Characterization of Hole Traps Generated by Electron Injection in Thin SiO2 Films

MOS device stability can be significantly affected by charge trapping in the gate oxide, which changes device parameters and causes serious reliability problems in transistors and memory cells. Hole traps, generated by high-field electron injection, are studied in this work in devices with thermal oxides less than 10 nm thick. PMOS transistors, after various doses of positive and negative Fowler-Nordheim injection and post-stress annealing, are subjected to substrate hot hole injection to investigate hole trapping kinetics. Parameters of hole traps, generated under the stress, are studied as a function of gate oxide thickness and electron injection dose.
Knights, Knaves, Truth, Truthfulness, Grounding, Tethering, Aboutness, and Paradox

Knights always tell the truth; Knaves always lie. Knaves for familiar reasons cannot coherently describe themselves as liars. That would be like Epimenides the Cretan accusing all Cretans of lying. Knights do not *intuitively* run into the same problem. What could prevent a Knight from truly reporting that s/he always tells the truth? Standard theories of truth DO prevent this, however, for such a report is self-referentially ungrounded. Standard theories have a problem, then! We try to fix it.
Feedback Error Learning by means of the Pre-filter State

This paper proposes a scheme for the Feedback Error Learning (FEL). Conventional FEL schemes apply a pre-filter to the reference signal, in order to compensate the delay (relative degree) of the plant. In this case, however, the pre-filter parameters, which is known, have to be learned as well as the plant parameters. The proposed method improves this redundancy by using the pre-filter state. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Characterizing the rovibrational distribution of CD2CD2OH radicals produced via the photodissociation of 2-bromoethanol-d4.

This work characterizes the internal energy distribution of the CD2CD2OH radical formed via photodissociation of 2-bromoethanol-d4. The CD2CD2OH radical is the first radical adduct in the addition of the hydroxyl radical to C2D4 and the product branching of the OH + C2D4 reaction is dependent on the total internal energy of this adduct and how that energy is partitioned between rotation and vibration. Using a combination of a velocity map imaging apparatus and a crossed laser-molecular beam scattering apparatus, we photodissociate the BrCD2CD2OH precursor at 193 nm and measure the velocity distributions of the Br atoms, resolving the Br(2P1/2) and Br(2P3/2) states with [2 + 1] resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) on the imaging apparatus. We also detect the velocity distribution of the subset of the nascent momentum-matched CD2CD2OH cofragments that are formed stable to subsequent dissociation. Invoking conservation of momentum and conservation of energy and a recently developed impulsive mod...
Comment on “New Limit on Lorentz-Invariance- and C P T -Violating Neutron Spin Interactions Using a Free-Spin-Precession He 3 − Xe 129 Comagnetometer”

A Comment on the Letter by F. Allmendinger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 110801 (2014). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
How to Chemically Tailor Metal-Porphyrin-Like Active Sites on Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene for Minimal Overpotential in the Electrochemical Oxygen Evolution and Oxygen Reduction Reactions

Density functional theory calculations are used to study the energetics of the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of water and the reverse oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on metal-porphyrin-like centers incorporated into graphene layers or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The objective is to explore the reductions in computational thermodynamic overpotential that can be achieved relative to catalysis on metal oxide surfaces (OER) or platinum (ORR) by varying the metal center and axial ligand. This permits a degree of simultaneous control over the free energy gap between the lowest energy OH and highest energy OOH intermediates, and the position of the oxo (O) intermediate in this gap. Optimal choice of metal toward the right of the first transition series largely controls the gap. Given a suitable metal such as Fe, the overpotential for OER can be tuned over a range greater than 0.35 V by choice of the axial ligand. For OER occurring within the SWCNTs, a minimum predicted overpotentia...
A New Species of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) from Tree Holes in Southern Arizona and a Discussion of the Varipalpus Complex (Diptera: Culicidae)

In August 1955 the junior author collected a small number of biting females and reared three females and one male of what appeared to be the common western tree-hole mosquito, Aedes varipalpus (Coquillett, 1902), in the Santa Rita Mountains, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Examination of this material by the senior author revealed that this form represents an undescribed species so remarkably similar to varipalpus in general facies that it had been reported as the latter species by Dyar (1922:86) from the Santa Catalina Mts. in Arizona. Apparently the same species was found by Ross (1943:86) in Baja California, Mexico. The discovery of this mosquito throws some light on the relationships of Aedes varipalpus and suggests that other forms exist in this complex. We are presenting at this time a detailed description of the new species together with a discussion of the complex, in order to call attention to the involved problem, with the full realization that its solution cannot be accomplished without much additional material. The descriptive terminology used is that of Belkin (1953a) except for corrections in the nomenclature of the larval and pupal chaetotaxy (Belkin, 1953b).
Uber-ized Corporate Law: Toward a 21st Century Corporate Governance for Crowdfunding and App-Based Investor Communications

This Article begins with a thought experiment about how corporate governance of small public companies trading on new platforms — like crowdfunding portals (or alternatively, “crowdfunding exchanges”) — might be expected to evolve to make corporate governance easier and more flexible for users. New opportunities could involve increased use of default rules whereby shareholders or owners defer direct participation in governance (in line with the Bainbridge director primacy argument), subject to default participation rules developed on crowdfunding platform apps (in a multitude of ways, including through open source methods). They could also include more shareholder empowering regimes. In examining the heterogeneous corporate governance needs that crowdfunded firms are likely to have, this Article will link contributions from the New Institutional Economics, or “Theory of the Firm” Literature, to corporate entity formation to provide a flavor for the range of “outside the box” innovations that may be possible in a new and more competitive corporate chartering race free from the federal overlay.Of all the claims made in this Article, the strongest is that increased use of arbitration — rather than litigation — to resolve shareholder claims against company defendants will be a necessary element to reinvigorated charter competition for crowdfunded firms. The SEC currently prohibits full use of arbitration of shareholder claims against companies. This Article argues that since antifraud actions under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and state corporate governance claims are now largely interchangeable, the SEC’s intransigence on arbitration, in spite of federal case law favoring arbitration generally, must be addressed to make state law arbitration a viable alternative means of adjudication for states that compete with Delaware as sources of business entity law.
Minimum Moment Aberration Majorization in Non-isomorphic Asymmetrical Saturated Designs

For distinguishing non-isomorphic orthogonal saturated designs,Fang and Zhang proposed the minimum aberration majorization approach to distinguish non-isomorphic symmetrical orthogonal saturated designs.However,their method can not distinguish the asymmetrical cases.In this paper,the authors consider the criterion of minimum moment aberration majorization(MMAM) and extend the results in.On the basis of this criterion,a new algorithm is given to detect the non-isomorphism of both symmetrical and asymmetrical designs. Examples show the MMAM approach is useful for distinguishing non-isomorphic saturated designs.
Comparative Opportunities: The Evolving Study of Political Behavior in Eastern Europe

As the theoretical rationale (and funding opportunities!) for considering Eastern Europe as a distinct region diminish as we move farther away from the momentous events of 1989, the value of includ...
LOLbot: Machine Musicianship in Laptop Ensembles.

This paper describes a recent addition to LOLC, a text-based environment for collaborative improvisation for laptop ensembles, incorporating a machine musician that plays along with human performers. The machine musician LOLbot analyses the patterns created by human performers and the composite music they create as they are layered in performance. Based on user specified settings, LOLbot chooses appropriate patterns to play with the ensemble, either to add contrast to the existing performance or to be coherent with the rhythmic structure of the performance. The paper describes the background and motivations of the project, outlines the design of the original LOLC environment and describes the architecture and implementation of LOLbot.
Nuclear science research with dynamic high energy density plasmas at NIF

Nuclear reaction measurements are performed at the National Ignition Facility in a high energy density plasma environment by adding target materials to the outside of the hohlraum thermo-mechanical package on an indirect-drive exploding pusher shot. Materials are activated with 14.1-MeV neutrons and the post-shot debris is collected via the Solid Radiochemistry diagnostic, which consists of metal discs fielded 50 cm from target chamber center. The discs are removed post-shot and analyzed via radiation counting and mass spectrometry. Results from a shot using Nd and Tm foils as targets are presented, which indicate enhanced collection of the debris in the line of sight of a given collector. The capsule performance was not diminished due to the extra material. This provides a platform for future measurements of nuclear reaction data through the use of experimental packages mounted external to the hohlraum.
Introduction: Explaining the Holocaust

In the Introduction, I briefly discuss the historical problem/challenge of explaining why the Holocaust happened, and I touch on the current historiographical debate on genocide, colonialism and the Holocaust. I also introduce the book’s main idea (the Holocaust is best understood as ‘colonial genocide’) and its main argument (Western-style colonialism/racial imperialism was the Holocaust’s single most important enabler/cause). And finally, I suggest the broader implications of my book for understanding the events we have come to call ‘the Holocaust’ (locating the Holocaust as part of a historical continuum, as well as part of a larger global history — rather than an ‘aberration’ or a ‘unique’ historical event).
Patient learning--segments from case histories.

By the manner in which a person most easily learns or can be motivated to learn, his educational characteristics can be “diagnosed.” Such diagnosis can lead to more effective approaches in counseling and teaching diabetic patients, as illustrated in the case histories reported here.
BRAIN CHOLINERGIC DEFICITS IN SENESCENT ANIMALS

Some of the mental symptoms that geriatric patients exhibit such as short-term memory loss, decreased arousal, and intolerance to muscarinic cholinergic antagonists like atropine suggest an alteration in their central cholinergic system. The purpose of this report is to summarize the literature which supports the hypothesis that there are brain cholinergic deficits in senescent animals. In addition, (+) amphetamine was studied in geriatric rats and gerbils. This psychomotor stimulant was shown to alter differently various physiologic parameters and brain acetylcholine. The senescent gerbils showed markedly exaggerated pharmacologic and toxic effects to (+) amphetamine. Senescent rats showed decreased brain acetylcholine levels following (+) amphetamine in contrast to young adult animals.
Owned and Operated: A Survey of StudentRun Advertising and Public Relations Agencies at ACEJMC Accredited Institutions

A student-run agency is a valuable opportunity for advertising, marketing, and communication students to build experience, add to resumes, and apply their classroom knowledge to real-life situations. The opportunity to work with clients outside of the classroom helps students to develop skills that will set them apart later in their career search. A student-run advertising agency essentially functions as a true advertising or PR agency does, with a few primary differences. Associated with a particular university, and usually under the guidance of one or more faculty advisors, the agency is owned and operated by students. Depending on the size and specific specializations of the agency, students provide clients with strategies and creative direction for specific projects, campaigns, or with branding as whole. Typical clients may include other entities on the university campus, small businesses, or local non-profits.
CRITERIA FOR DISTINGUISHING MICROBIAL MATS AND EARTHS

Microbial earths are communities of microscopic organisms living in well-drained soil. Unlike aquatic microbial mats and stromatolites, microbial earths are sheltered from ultraviolet radiation, desiccation, and other surficial hazards within soil cracks and grain interstices. Currently, such ecosystems are best known in small areas of unusually cold, hot, or saline soils unfavorable to multicellular plants and animals. During the Precambrian, microbial earths may have been more widespread, but few examples have been reported. This review outlines a variety of features of modern microbial earths that can be used to distinguish them from aquatic microbial mats and stromatolites in the fossil record. Microbial earths have vertically oriented organisms intimately admixed with minerals of the soil, whereas microbial mats are laminated and detachable from their mineral substrate as flakes, skeins, and rollups. Microbial earths have irregular relief, healed desiccation cracks, and pressure ridges, whereas microbial mats have flexuous, striated domes, and tufts. Microbial earths form deep soil profiles with downward variations in oxidation, clay abundance, and replacive nodular subsurface horizons, whereas microbial mats form as caps to unweathered, chemically reduced sedimentary layers. Microbial earths develop increasingly differentiated soil profiles through time, whereas microbial mats build upward in laminar to domed increments. Microbial earths are found in nonmarine sedimentary facies, whereas microbial mats form in lacustrine, floodplain, and marine sedimentary facies. Microbial mats and stromatolites are known back to the oldest suitably preserved sedimentary rocks in the 3458 Ma Apex Chert and 3430 Ma Strelley Pool Formation (respectively) of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The geological antiquity of microbial earths extends back to 2760 Ma in the Mount Roe paleosol of the Hamersley Group near Whim Creek, Western Australia.
Between the Profiles Pay Per View and the Protection of Personal Data: the Product is You

Perhaps in the past was difficult to imagine that the moment in which someone could register each purchase that has been made, each book that has been read or each thing that has been said would come. That there would be companies storing data about our physical activity, behaviors, preferences and choices all the time. Most of the personal data comes from acts as daily as installing an application, completing a form, purchasing a product or requesting a service. This information provided sometimes consciously, voluntarily and with relative knowledge of the destination that will have, contrasts with situations in which data are inferred, deduced, extracted and manipulated. In this sense, within a context in which the only access to the database has been left behind to give way to the creation of these by third parties, we wonder about the possible denaturation of the personal data and sensitive information that when get transformed in raw material through the analysis of existent connections and extraction of new data implicit in the multitude of information compiled in public or private databases, would convert people into an essential product for the market; while the development of citizen profiles pay per view would allow predicting behaviors, selections and multiple deployments in different aspects of our lives. It is probable that in the defenselessness condition where we are now for having passed from personal space to social one and from there to the market many times without our knowledge and consent makes necessary to reconsider the current forms of protection and mechanisms of legal protection around our personal data.
Flexible, Freestanding, and Functional SiO2 Nanofibrous Mat for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell and Photocatalytic Dye Degradation

In this work, we investigate the SiO2 nanofibrous nonwoven mat prepared by electrospinning as a porous and high-temperature durable substrate for preparation of the freestanding, flexible, and multifunctional composites. The neat SiO2 nanofibrous nonwoven mat (denoted as SiO2–NF) and the SiO2 mat functionalized with gold nanoparticles (denoted as Au@SiO2–NF) were readily prepared by electrospinning of spin dope containing precursors. Subsequently, a patterned layer of TiO2 nanoparticles was impregnated and transferred into the SiO2 or Au@SiO2–NF nonwoven mats. The freestanding composite mats of TiO2 nanoparticles and electrospun SiO2–NF or Au@SiO2–NF (denoted as TiO2–NP/SiO2–NF or TiO2–NP/Au@SiO2–NF, respectively) were demonstrated for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and photocatalytic dye degradation. By controlling the amount of TiO2, composite mats with only partially filled TiO2 nanoparticles on one side were used as photoanode and spacer in DSSCs; the device had an efficiency of 5.31%. Incorporati...
Prevalence and risk factors for venous thromboembolism in children with sickle cell disease: an administrative database study.

Abstract A hypercoagulable state resulting in increased venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been described in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), but similar data for children are lacking. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to describe the rate of VTE and risk factors associated with VTE in children with SCD across tertiary-care children's hospitals in the United States between the years 2009 and 2015. We used the Pediatric Health Information System database to investigate all pediatric patients with SCD admitted to 1 of 48 participating institutions between 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2015. International Classification of Disease, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify index thromboembolic events and chronic medical conditions known to be associated with VTE. Billing codes were used to identify central venous line (CVL) placement and pharmaceutical billing codes to identify estrogen containing oral-contraceptive use. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the association among unique patient characteristics, VTE, and death. 10 454 eligible subjects with SCD were identified. Median age (±interquartile range) of study cohort was 10 (±11) years. 181 subjects (1.7%) developed an index venous thromboembolic event during the study period. Median age at VTE diagnosis was 15.9 (±7.4) years. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, CVL placement, chronic renal disease, history of stroke, female sex, length of hospitalization, intensive care unit utilization, and older age were associated with VTE. After adjusting for other variables, VTE was independently associated with death. In summary, VTE can occur in pediatric patients with SCD. CVL placement is a modifiable risk factor for VTE development.
Seizure intractibility in geriatric and non-geriatric adult patients (P4.247)

Objective: To assess for seizure intractability in elderly patients with epilepsy as compared to adult non-geriatric patients Background: Seizures in elderly patients are presumed to be better controlled as compared to seizures in adult non-elderly patients. Few studies have looked at seizure freedom in geriatric epilepsy, with rates ranging from 62% to 84%. However, only one study has compared geriatric seizure freedom with their adult, non-geriatric counterparts within the same population. In this study, 84% of geriatric patients attained seizure freedom as compared to 53% adults, which was a statistically significant difference Design/Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all level-4 adult epilepsy center clinic visits staffed by two epileptologists in the calendar year 2014. Patients of age 60 and above were pooled into geriatric group (N=59) and the rest in the adult group (N=321). Seizure freedom was defined as being seizure-free for more than one year. We excluded patients with insufficient information regarding seizure freedom (7 in geriatric group, 25 in adult group) and also those with onset of seizures less than one year (4 in geriatric group and 11 in adult group). Results: Fisher’s exact test resulted in a non-significant (two-tailed) p-value of 0.51 suggesting that the slightly increased rate of seizure freedom in geriatric population is not statistically significant. Unknown etiology and trauma were most common etiologies for both controlled and uncontrolled seizures in geriatric group. 7/18 seizure free geriatric patients attained seizure freedom with one AED while 5/18 required trial of two AEDs. 24/30 of geriatric patients with uncontrolled seizures had tried at least 2 AEDs. Conclusions: Epilepsy in the elderly might not be as easy to control as previously thought. This data needs to be reproduced in a multicenter and prospective study. Disclosure: Dr. Marawar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bathe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Basha has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zutshi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Shah has received personal compensation from UCB Pharma and Lundbeck as a speaker.
Sneaking Mathematical Concepts Through the Back Door of the Introductory Geology Classroom

Students who are taking introductory geology courses only to fulfill a science requirement often cite the absence of math as a factor in their decision to take geology rather than chemistry, physics, or astronomy. Typically these students have poor high school backgrounds in math and science, and feel much more comfortable with a course that is perceived as a descriptive science rather than a quantitative one. In many introductory geology classrooms, unfortunately, this student perception is a true reflection of the way their course is being taught. Any overt introduction of mathematical concepts, therefore, is likely to be met with widespread resistance. Recent national initiatives in science education have emphasized the integration of concepts from mathematics as part of an interdisciplinary problem-solving approach to science. However, simply introducing mathematical formulae and plugging in proscribed numbers to get a predetermined answer does not meet this need. Mathematical concepts must be slipped in covertly, as geologically based steps in the problem-solving process, in such a way that a geologically relevant answer may be obtained without students ever realizing that they were working a math problem. The key to successfully integrating mathematical concepts into geology courses, without alienating students, is to emphasize deriving geologically significant results as opposed to calculating them. On a conceptual level, numerical estimates derived through sound mathematical reasoning often provide equally valid and much more palatable results than an insistence on precise answers with a certain number of significant figures. For students who likely will never take another math or science course, it is critical, from a scientific literacy standpoint, to gradually and painlessly bring them to an understanding that geology is indeed a quantitative science.
Natural numbers and integers

Counting is presumably the origin of mathematical thought, and it is certainly the origin of difficult mathematical problems. As the great Hungarian problem-solver Paul Erdős liked to point out, if you can think of an open problem that is more than 200 years old, then it is probably a problem in number theory.
Political Institutions and Education Policy: Virginia's Unique Transition to Elected School Boards

The politics of education in the United States are uniquely situated at the intersection of presumed importance and scarce evidence. In this paper, I provide a novel test of the claim that political institutions matter for education policy, comparing policy outcomes between school districts with elected vs. appointed school boards. In contrast to the (very) few existing studies on this topic, my research design takes advantage of the unique case of the state of Virginia, which had no elected school boards until 1992, when a state law gave local districts the ability to opt into an elected system via referendums. Combining a panel data set of switches between 1992 and 2009 with policy outcome data between 1987 and 2009, I estimate the average causal effect of elected school board members on spending, student-teacher ratios, and teacher salaries to be zero. I also provide preliminary evidence of an effect that varies based on school district characteristics, such as per capita income.
Topical Review: Basal Ganglia: Functional Anatomy and Physiology. Part 2

Advances in knowledge about basal ganglia function and circuitry are reviewed. Despite the voluminous available literature on this subject, the role of basal ganglia in health and disease remains controversial. Experimental data on the effects of stimulation and ablation of the basal ganglia are summarized. The roles of the basal ganglia in the preparation for and execution of cortically initiated movement are described. Newer roles ascribed to the basal ganglia in sensory-motor gating, cognition, emotion, and motivation are discussed. The old and current concepts of information flow between the cerebral cortex, striatum, pallidum, thalamus, and back to the cerebral cortex are reviewed. The "funnel" system of information flow has been discarded in favor of several parallel and largely segregated loops pertaining to motor, oculomotor, cognitive, and limbic functions. The anatomic substrate of each of these loops is described. The specific roles of the striatum, pallidum, substantia nigra, and thalamus in information flow as related to movement are described. The roles of the basal ganglia in reinforcing wanted behavior and suppressing unwanted behavior via direct and indirect striatal loops are discussed. The implications of these loops in the genesis of Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea are described. Alteration in basal ganglia neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in Huntington's chorea, Tourette's syndrome, and Parkinson's disease are described.
Impact of Concomitant Valvular Surgery on Patients Undergoing LVAD Implantation

Purpose Concomitant valvular surgery at the time of left ventricular device (LVAD) implantation remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate outcomes of these patients compared to the isolated-LVAD cohort. Methods We examined 309 adult LVAD patients (2009-2018) at Stanford and identified those who underwent concomitant aortic, mitral, or tricuspid valve surgery. Pre- and post-operative data were analyzed and compared with those who underwent LVAD implantation alone. We also performed a case-control study to compare the concomitant valve-LVAD patients to those with ≥ 3+ or 4+ regurgitation (moderate and severe, respectively) who only received an LVAD. Continuous variables were analyzed using student's t test and reported as mean ± standard deviation (SD), and Wilcoxon rank-sum test with median and 1st and 3rd quartile values (Q1 and Q3). Categorical variables were analyzed using Fisher's exact test (n, %). All p-values are two tailed with Results Twenty-two patients had valvular intervention at the time of LVAD placement: 10 aortic, 11 tricuspid, and 1 mitral. Preop demographics were similar across all groups. Expectedly, intraop data showed that patients with concomitant valve surgery had greater cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time than those without valve surgery. They also had higher rates of OR take-backs for bleeding, tracheostomy, dialysis, post-op stroke, and overall mortality. Furthermore, patients undergoing both LVAD-TVR and LVAD-AVR subsets had longer CPB time, but the LVAD-TVR group alone was at higher risk for bleeding, tracheostomy, dialysis, longer hospital stay, and lower overall survival. (Table 1 does not include LVAD-AVR and MVR data.) Conclusion Patients undergoing concomitant valve surgery at time of LVAD placement have higher risk for increased complications and mortality when compared to the isolated-LVAD cohort. However, these risks are more apparent only in patients undergoing LVAD-TVR and not in the LVAD-AVR or MVR cohorts.
The Great Ancestor: An African Conception of God

Within the Akan tradition, God is intangible, aloof, and mysterious. Practitioners of this indigenous African religion understand that everything we say about God is symbolic and unabashedly anthropocentric, since religion is a human enterprise that exists for practical purposes. The supreme God is often referred to as Nana Nyame (the Great Ancestor) emphasizing the significance placed on the role and function of the ancestor in Akan culture. The ancestor is a human being that fulfilled his/her destiny, or God-given purpose, in life and achieves metaphysical completion in death. An examination of the characteristics of Nana Nyame reveals a traditional African worldview that has respect for the plurality, mystery, and the relational nature of God, ultimate reality, and existence itself.
Investigating Fairness in Disaggregated Non-Volatile Memories

Many applications have growing demands for memory, particularly in the HPC space, making the memory system a potential bottleneck of next-generation computing systems. Sharing the memory system across processor sockets and nodes becomes a compelling argument given that memory technology is scaling at a slower rate than processor technology. Moreover, as many applications rely on shared data, e.g., graph applications and database workloads, having a large number of nodes accessing shared memory allows for efficient use of resources and avoids duplicating huge files, which can be infeasible for large graphs or scientific data. As new memory technologies come on the market, the flexibility of upgrading memory and system updates become major a concern, disaggregated memory systems where memory is shared across different computing nodes, e.g., System-on-Chip (SoC), is expected to become the most common design/architecture on memory-centric systems, e.g., The Machine project from HP Labs. However, due to the nature of such systems, different users and applications compete for the available memory bandwidth, which can lead to severe contention due to memory traffic from different SoCs. In this paper, we discuss the contention problem in disaggregated memory systems and suggest mechanisms to ensure memory fairness and enforce QoS. Our simulation results show that employing our proposed QoS techniques can speed up memory response time by up to 55%.
Visually Communicating Mathematical Knot Deformation

Mathematical knots are different from everyday ropes in that they are infinitely stretchy and flexible when being deformed into their ambient isotopic. For this reason, a number of challenges arise when visualizing mathematical knot's static and changing structures during topological deformation. In this paper we focus on computational methods to visually communicate the mathematical knot's dynamics by computationally simulating the topological deformation and capturing the critical changes during the entire simulation. To further improve our visual experience, we propose a fast and adaptive method to extract key moments where only critical changes occur to represent and summarize the long deformation sequence. We conduct evaluation study to showcase the efficacy and efficiency of our methods.
STIRPAT for marketing: An introduction, expansion, and suggestions for future use

Abstract Prior consumer research has emphasized the importance of understanding the macro impact of consumer consumption on the environment. However, at this time, no tool exists to quantify the level and/or trajectory of that impact. Therefore, the purpose of this research is threefold: first, to introduce the STIRPAT model to the marketing industry; second, to begin its expansion; and third, to provide suggestions for future use of the STIRPAT in the field of marketing. The STIRPAT model is traditionally defined as the stochastic (ST) estimation of environmental impacts (I) by regression (R) on population (P), affluence (A) and technology (T). We expand the PAT aspect of the model to include additional elements of consumer behavior such as consumer spending, consumption of material goods, and energy intensity of those goods. Our results and suggestions for future expansion of the STIRPAT for marketing are then given.
Anti-Psychiatry: The End of the Road?

The term “anti-psychiatry” was coined in 1912, but was popularized only in 1967 by psychiatrist David Cooper. The anti-psychiatry movement focused on the dangers and abuses of involuntary hospitalization and treatment, the pitfalls of labeling and diagnosis, and psychiatry’s narrow focus on the biomedical aspects of mental disorder. It deemed psychiatry’s primary task to be to punish or sequester deviants, rather than heal the fractured psyche, and called for its total abolition. When Cooper faded into obscurity, self-styled “anti-psychiatrists” continued to hail R.D. Laing, Michel Foucault, and Thomas Szasz as their preceptors. However, all three men rejected this label, and despite important similarities, differed starkly from one another on a variety of key issues. Moreover, today’s “anti-psychiatrists” seldom dismiss the medical model of mental disorder, but bemoan the total debasement of the medical model, as Big Pharma medicates the general (outpatient) population for the sake of corporate profits.
Elastofibroma Dorsi: A Rare Connective Tissue Tumor.

Elastofibroma dorsi (ED) is a benign connective tissue tumor that most commonly occurs on the inferior pole of the scapula. It can be found incidentally on radiologic imaging or due to clinical symptoms. Patients may become apprehensive due to it mimicking new malignancy or recurrence of prior malignancy. Treatment is only recommended in symptomatic cases and biopsy is usually unnecessary. We present a case of a 70-year-old female status-post lung cancer resection who was found to have a lump at the inferior pole of her right scapula. She was seen by multiple different specialties and subsequently, a biopsy confirmed her mass to be consistent with ED. Since ED is a benign soft tissue tumor, educating physicians is of utmost importance to avoid pursuing unnecessary diagnosis and to thereby decrease the cost of care to the patient. Therapeutic excision should only be performed in symptomatic patients and observing these lesions in asymptomatic patients would be sufficient.
Spectroscopic characterization of the first excited state and photochemistry of the HO3 radical.

We report the one-dimensional cuts of the six-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the ground and lowest doublet and quartet electronic states of trans-HO3 at the MRCI-F12/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. Theoretical calculations predict that the first excited state (A2A) presents a real minimum on its PES and possesses a nonplanar structure. The adiabatic excitation energy at the MRCI+Q and MRCI-F12 levels shows that the A2A state lies in the near-infrared region. Both the transition dipole moment and the oscillator strength were predicted to be weak, which suggests that photodissociation of HO3 to produce OH and O2 after UV-Vis absorption is not a plausible mechanism. The harmonic vibrational frequencies and rotational constants of the weakly bound complex OH–O2 in the two electronic states were predicted to help in its detection. Our PES shows that the reactions of H + O3 or HO2 + O in their ground states do not lead to trans-HO3 in its ground electronic state if one of the component fragments, i.e., HO2(A2A′) + O(3P) or H(2S) + O3(3B2), is excited.We report the one-dimensional cuts of the six-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the ground and lowest doublet and quartet electronic states of trans-HO3 at the MRCI-F12/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. Theoretical calculations predict that the first excited state (A2A) presents a real minimum on its PES and possesses a nonplanar structure. The adiabatic excitation energy at the MRCI+Q and MRCI-F12 levels shows that the A2A state lies in the near-infrared region. Both the transition dipole moment and the oscillator strength were predicted to be weak, which suggests that photodissociation of HO3 to produce OH and O2 after UV-Vis absorption is not a plausible mechanism. The harmonic vibrational frequencies and rotational constants of the weakly bound complex OH–O2 in the two electronic states were predicted to help in its detection. Our PES shows that the reactions of H + O3 or HO2 + O in their ground states do not lead to trans-HO3 in its ground electronic state if one of the component fragments, ...
Disruption of hepatocyte Sialylation drives a T cell-dependent pro-inflammatory immune tone

Through the catalysis of α2,6-linked sialylation, the enzyme ST6Gal1 is thought to play key roles in immune cell communication and homeostasis. Of particular importance, glycans with terminal α2,6-sialic acids are known to negatively regulate B cell receptor signaling and are associated with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that promotes T cell anergy, suggesting that α2,6-sialic acids are a key immune inhibitory signal. Consistent with this model, mice harboring a hepatocyte-specific ablation of ST6Gal1 (H-cKO) develop a progressive and severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease characterized by steatohepatitis. Using this H-cKO mouse, we have further discovered that loss of hepatocyte α2,6-sialylation not only increases the inflammatory state of the local tissue microenvironment, but also systemic T cell-dependent immune responses. H-cKO mice responded normally to innate and passively induced inflammation, but showed significantly increased morbidity in T cell-dependent house dust mite-antigen (HDM)-induced asthma and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) peptide-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We further discovered that H-cKO mice have a profound shift toward effector/memory T cells even among unchallenged mice, and that macrophages from both the liver and spleen expressed the inhibitory and α2,6-sialic acid-specific glycan binding molecule CD22. These findings align with previously reported pro-inflammatory changes in liver macrophages, and support a model in which the liver microenvironment sets a systemic immune tone that is regulated by tissue α2,6-sialylation and mediated by liver macrophages and systemic T cells.
Understanding of A-site deficiency in layered perovskites: promotion of dual reaction kinetics for water oxidation and oxygen reduction in protonic ceramic electrochemical cells

Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) are promising solid-state energy conversion devices which enable the conversion of energy between electricity and hydrogen at intermediate temperatures. Rapid conversion between chemical and electrical energy via PCEC technology will assist in overcoming grand challenges in energy storage. To achieve highly efficient reversible operation between hydrogen production and electricity generation, boosting water-oxidation and oxygen reduction activities of the oxygen electrode while maintaining the durable operation is one of the early-stage technical opportunities. In this study, an A-site deficient layered perovskite (PrBa0.8Ca0.2)0.95Co2O6−δ has been developed as an oxygen electrode for a PCEC which presents superior electrochemical performances. The electrolysis current density reached as high as −0.72 A cm−2 at 1.3 V, and a peak power density of 0.540 W cm−2 was obtained at 600 °C in electrolysis and fuel cell mode, respectively. The PCEC with the new electrode shows good durability under practical operating conditions for 160 hours in both operating modes with no observable degradation. The reversibility between the electrolysis and fuel cell mode is also successfully demonstrated.
Diagnostic accuracy of the PLASMIC score in patients with suspected thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The PLASMIC score was developed to identify patients with thrombotic microangiopathy who are most likely to have immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and benefit from therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). PLASMIC scores of 0-4, 5, and 6-7 are said to correspond to low, intermediate, and high probability of TTP, respectively. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the diagnostic accuracy of the PLASMIC score in adults with suspected TTP. We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value (NPV) of PLASMIC score thresholds of ≥5 and ≥6. Study quality was appraised using the QUADAS-2 tool. RESULTS We identified 13 eligible studies, which collectively enrolled 970 patients. The median prevalence of TTP among eligible studies was 35%. The sensitivity and specificity of a PLASMIC score ≥5 was 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91-1.00) and 0.57 (95% CI, 0.41-0.72), respectively. At a prevalence of 35%, the NPV of a PLASMIC score ≥5 was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.92-1.00). A PLASMIC score ≥6 was associated with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.67-0.94) and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.81-0.94), respectively. The NPV of a PLASMIC score ≥6 at a prevalence of 35% was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.82-0.97). CONCLUSION A PLASMIC score threshold of ≥5 is associated with high sensitivity and NPV and may be a useful screening tool for identifying patients who are unlikely to have TTP and do not require TPE, though prospective assessment is required. A PLASMIC score <6 appears to have insufficient sensitivity to rule out TTP and the need for TPE.
Genetic correlations in the rhesus macaque dentition.

Abstract Quantitative genetic analyses can indicate how complex traits respond to natural selection by demonstrating the genetic relationships between features that constrain their evolution. Genetic correlations between dental measurements have been estimated previously in baboons, humans, and tamarins and indicate variable patterns of modularity by tooth type across these taxa. Here, heritabilities of, and genetic correlations between, linear dental measurements were estimated from the Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Relationships between the genetic correlation matrix and matrices designed to test hypotheses of modularity by tooth type, region, function, and development were assessed using a random skewers approach. Dental measurements were found to be moderately to highly heritable, with 24 of 28 heritability estimates differing significantly (p