cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Silicate diagenesis in the Salado Formation, southeastern New Mexico

ABSTRACT In the Salado Formation, a thick evaporite sequence in the Permian Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico, primary detrital silicates such as feldspars, quartz and clay minerals have undergone significant diagenetic alteration. Seventy-five samples were collected from argillaceous partings in the lower Salado Formation halite facies, at the stratigraphic level of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These were compared with twenty-eight samples from cores of the Vaca Triste member of the Salado, a thin clastic unit at the top of the McNutt potash zone, and with a clay-rich sample from the lower contact of the Culebra Dolomite (in the overlying Rustler Formation). The purpose of this comparison was to evaluate the influence of brine chemistry (i.e., halite and potash facies, norm l to hypersaline marine conditions) and sediment composition (clays, sandy silt, dolomitized limestone) on diagenetic processes. X-ray diffraction analyses and electron microscopy identified a clay similar to corrensite from all three stratigraphic horizons. Authigenic quartz and potassium feldspar were found in both Vaca Triste samples and in those from the WIPP. The feldspar occurred in greater abundance in the Vaca Triste samples than in those from the WIPP horizon. Fluid inclusion compositions from halite in the Vaca Triste were compared with those from the WIPP repository horizon. The solution speciation/mineral solubility code EQ3NR was used to calculate ionic activities of relevant species in WIPP and Vaca Triste brines. For these high ionic strength Salado Formation brines, the activity coefficients calculated by this code must be qualified. However, the assumed pH and the computed activities of K+ /SUP> and Mg+2 correctly predict a mineralogy that is consistent with our observations of mixed-layer, Mg-rich, corrensite-like clays and microcline. EQ3NR predicts that the WIPP horizon fluid compositions are at or above saturation with respect to minerals characteristic of the halite facies: halite, aragonite, dolomite, magnesite, and huntite. Application of EQ3NR to the Vaca Triste fluid inclusions indicates saturation or supersaturation for these phases plus those typical of potash-facies mineralization (including kainite, sylvite, carnallite, syngenite, and polyhalite). We propose that the original, detrital clays reacted with magnesium-rich brines to produce a suite of Mg-rich, mixed-layer species and another brine depleted in Mg relative to K. By-products of these reactions were authigenic quartz and K-feldspar. The dissolution of plagioclase, kaolinite, and fine-grained, detrital illite probably contributed components precipitated in the authigenic phases. To summarize, a generalized reaction is suggested: brine1 + detrital silicates brine2 ± Mg-clays ± K-spar ± quartz where the K:Mg ratio in brine2 is greater than K:Mg in brine1.
Insights into post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans in children

New information contributing to our understanding of risk factors predisposing to bronchiolitis obliterans in children
EFFECTIVE AND FAIR IDENTIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS

The two fundamental objectives of a safety management system are to prevent as many crashes as possible and to reduce the difference in risk faced by individual road users. An index of crash frequency and an index of crash cost are proposed to address these two criteria in the hazard identification phase of safety management. An index of crash cost is used to incorporate severity in identification criteria. Safety performance functions based on negative binomial distribution are used to predict the typical crash frequency at the location. The proposed methods can be used to rank locations and to evaluate the degree of hazard at an individual location without referring to other locations. These methods determine the evidence of hazard at all types of locations (intersections and segments), and they can use crash data from periods shorter than 1 year. Indices of crash frequency and cost were evaluated and found helpful for safety management that reduces the number of crashes and risk variability across a road network.
Optical-pump THz-probe spectroscopy of P3HT

We measured the photoconductivity in P3HT excited above and below the band gap using OPTP spectroscopy and extracted values consistent with the intrinsic mobility. We have also investigated the advantages of broadband (≫5 THz) spectroscopy.
Copy Number Variants Associated with 14 Cases of Self-Injurious Behavior

Copy number variants (CNVs) were detected and analyzed in 14 probands with autism and intellectual disability with self-injurious behavior (SIB) resulting in tissue damage. For each proband we obtained a clinical history and detailed behavioral descriptions. Genetic anomalies were observed in all probands, and likely clinical significance could be established in four cases. This included two cases having novel, de novo copy number variants and two cases having variants likely to have functional significance. These cases included segmental trisomy 14, segmental monosomy 21, and variants predicted to disrupt the function of ZEB2 (encoding a transcription factor) and HTR2C (encoding a serotonin receptor). Our results identify variants in regions previously implicated in intellectual disability and suggest candidate genes that could contribute to the etiology of SIB.
Abstract 15: Quantifying Teamwork at Hospital Discharge for Readmissions Reduction: A Network Analytics Approach

Background: The vulnerable period for hospital readmission begins upon hospital discharge, a complex, interdisciplinary process that necessitates close teamwork for accurate execution of the discharge plan. Thus, better understanding of the quality of teamwork throughout the discharge process may inform strategies to reduce hospital readmissions rates. Novel methods using a network analytics approach to quantify teamwork may better characterize this critical clinical process, facilitate quality improvement (QI), and become an important tool in learning healthcare systems. Methods: We extracted three years of patient, provider, and activity data related to discharge planning for an inpatient cardiology unit from Northwestern Medicine’s Enterprise Data Warehouse. We then created a provider-patient network to identify providers who shared patients and calculated readmissions rates for provider pairs. Using these data, we calculated a novel parameter, the Shared Positive Outcome Ratio (SPOR), an objective composite measure that quantifies the concentration of positive outcomes over a set of shared patients. To identify significant low-readmission and high-readmission collaborative relationships, we compared the observed network to 1000 sample networks containing randomized readmission values. Results: We identified 133,927 actions distributed among 38 discharge activity types performed during 13,720 patient encounters. The collaborative network was composed of 1,542 providers including 503 nurses, 432 residents, 207 physicians, 111 physical and occupational therapists, 59 medical students, 32 dieticians, and other medical and administrative staff. The average encounter involved 4 providers performing 10 discharge-related actions. After pruning the network to include only provider pairs with 6 or more shared patients, we found that 6% of collaborative interactions had a significantly low SPOR, indicating lower than expected readmission rates. Conversely, 12% of collaborative interactions had a significantly high SPOR, indicating higher than expected readmission rates. We identified 21 providers who had a low SPOR for a significant percentage of their collaborations, indicating potential top performers in the teamwork domain. Conclusions: Readmission rates appear to vary across different teams of providers. Team collaboration can be quantified using a composite measure of collaboration across provider pairs. Tracking provider pair outcomes over a sufficient set of shared encounters may inform various QI strategies, such as optimizing team staffing, identifying high-performing teams who can share their best practices, and redesigning discharge care processes. Ongoing work on this model is focused on accurately risk-adjusting outcomes, which will increase the robustness of this method.
Determination of 19 metals in soaking solution of water pipes by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Objective To establish inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS) for determination of lead,arsenic,copper,zinc and other metal elements in soaking solution of water pipes. Methods According to"Hygienic Safety Evaluation Specification for Transportation Equipment and Protective Materials of Drinking Water"( 2001),multiple water pipes samples were pretreated for direct injection with 6Li,45Sc,72Ge,115In,209Bi as internal standard elements,then the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS) method was used for simultaneous determination of 19 kinds of metal elements. Results The instrument parameters were optimized to effectively overcome various disturbances,making the precision,the linear range and regression coefficients and other indicators of the method were in line with national health standards. The relative standard deviation was 1. 8% ~ 6%,spiked recoveries of samples were 91% ~ 108%,the detection limit was 0. 007 μg / L ~ 3. 871 μg / L. Conclusion The method is accurate,sensitive,rapid,simple and it can be characterized as a reliable method for detection of a variety of trace metals in water pipe soaking solution.
Wear resistance of laser cladding coating onto titanium alloy substrate

In order to improve wear resistance of titanium alloy,a CO2 laser was used to clad coating onto TC4 alloy substrate with pre-placed nickel-coated graphite powder.An MXP-2000 type pin-on-disc wear tester was used to test the dry sliding friction behavior of titanium alloy and laser cladding coating.The morphology of worn surface was examined using a scanning electron microscope.The results of experiments indicate that the friction coefficient of laser cladding coating is 0.56,which is close to that of titanium alloy.Worn loss of the coating is one tenth of that of titanium alloy.It means that laser cladding coating can greatly improve wear resistance of titanium alloy.The wear mechanism of titanium alloy is adherence wear and the wear mechanism of laser cladding coating is particle wear.High hardness with TiC strengthen phase in it make the coating possess high wear resistance.
Study on Measurement Method of Surface Errors Using Multiple Fiber-optic Sensors with Data Fusion

A surface errors (surface roughness, flatness and parallelism) measuring method that employs multiple fiber-optic sensors with data fusion is proposed, and a measurement system based on the method is developed. The measure principle of surface roughness、flatness and parallelism errors is described. The design of the circuit of optic-electronic detection is presented. The related measuring experiment shows that this surface errors measurement method has a advantage of simultaneous and fast measurement of multiple surface errors and provides a new approach for measuring surface errors.
Robust spatiotemporally integrated fractionation in radiotherapy

Spatiotemporally integrated fractionation involves finding a fluence-map and a number of treatment sessions that maximize tumor-kill subject to dose-limits on organs-at-risk (OAR). This problem was recently formulated using the linear-quadratic dose-response model. Owing to the uncertainty in dose-response parameters, however, a solution presumed optimal might be infeasible in practice. We address this via a robust counterpart and its convex reformulation wherein the price of robustness is small and robust solutions are less infeasible than nominal even outside our uncertainty sets.
Thank You for Participating in Security Engaging Airport Security Checkpoints via Participatory Critical Rhetoric

Airport security procedures enact a performative repertoire of security policies and procedures that govern airport security. Using my own body to register the affective modes of airport security, I engage participatory critical rhetoric as a method to assess airport security’s repertoire of rhetorical performances. Affect is a particularly valuable concept for understanding the ways travelers are conditioned to comply with Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) directives as they move through security checkpoints. The screening processes perform acts of security that stand in tension with the resistive politics they enable. In this essay, I argue that security and resistance are performative modes (security performative and resistance performative) enacted in TSA’s airport security checkpoints. These modes produce a secured airport and a defiant public. Bodies that TSA “secures” enact affective states of security (and anxiety).
Geopolitical Landscape and Regional Bilateral Issues

A complex set of national interests of South Korea, North Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia converge or clash on the Korean Peninsula, creating multifaceted international relations, including alliances, trade, investments, shared histories, and war. The collapse of North Korea and subsequent Korean unification would alter the geostrategic landscape and profoundly affect the national interests. Korea will need support from the international community in a collapse situation, especially from the regional powers, for stabilization and reconstruction. This chapter examines the national interests and concerns of each major player, ongoing bilateral issues, and areas for possible cooperation in the event of a North Korea’s collapse.
Active Viewership and Ethical Representation: Responsible Spectatorship in Alfredo Jaar’s “Real Pictures” and Gil Courtemanche’s Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali

In its discussion of Gil Courtemanche’s Un dimanche a la piscine a Kigali and Alfredo Jaar’s installation of “Real Pictures,” both of which are representations of the Rwandan Genocide, this analysis contributes to a larger discussion on ethical representations of violence. Generally the discussion of the ethics of representation analyzes the ways in which the author or artist portrays the violent events. It focuses on the importance of the historical and political context when describing the events, as well as on the ways in which the author or artist avoids the potential objectifying or dehumanizing effects of representations on the victims, as well as, the perpetrators. This article highlights another important element to be considered in the study of ethical representations- that of how the reader is engaged in the representation and as a result may or may not contribute to stereotypes, objectification, and other negative consequences possible when representing violence. Those who represent violence must not only consider ethical implications with their own interactions with the event and text or image, but also how they encourage their audience to interact with them.
A Year to Learn It All: A Call-to-Action for a Comprehensive, Yet Not Longer, Training of the Next Generation of Interventional Cardiologists

Two recent fellows in training (just graduated) express their views on the structure and duration of training. We welcome other opinions.—Spencer King III, MDA year to learn it all. In the United States, the duration of interventional cardiology fellowship is 12 months as mandated by the
Jetstream: A Cloud System Enabling Learning in Higher Education Communities

Jetstream is the first production cloud funded by the NSF for conducting general-purpose science and engineering research as well as an easy-to-use platform for education activities. Unlike many high-performance computing systems, Jetstream uses the interactive Atmosphere graphical user interface developed as part of the iPlant (now CyVerse) project and focuses on interactive use on uniprocessor or multiprocessor. This interface provides for a lower barrier of entry for use by educators, students, practicing scientists, and engineers. A key part of Jetstream's mission is to extend the reach of the NSF's eXtreme Digital (XD) program to a community of users who have not previously utilized NSF XD program resources, including those communities and institutions that traditionally lack significant cyberinfrastructure resources. One manner in which Jetstream eases this access is via virtual desktops facilitating use in education and research at small colleges and universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Tribal colleges, and higher education institutions in states designated by the NSF as eligible for funding via the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Jetstream entered into full production in September 2016 and during the first six months it has supported more than a dozen educational efforts across the United States. Here, we discuss how educators at institutions of higher education have been using Jetstream in the classroom and at student-focused workshops. Specifically, we explore success stories, difficulties encountered, and everything in between. We also discuss plans for increasing the use of cloud-based systems in higher education. A primary goal in this paper is to spark discussions between educators and information technologists on how to improve using cloud resources in education.
Mechanical Properties of U. S./USSR Al-Mg Plate and Welds for LNG Applications

Aluminum-magnesium alloys have an excellent combination of weldability, strength, and corrosion resistance, as well as exceptionally high toughness at room and low temperatures [1–11]. For these reasons, Al-Mg alloys are widely used for critical cryogenic applications, including the storage and ocean transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) [12–15].
Medication adherence by Palestine refugees living in Jordan who have diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract Background The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimated that in 2016, 11% of Palestine refugees older than 40 years living in Jordan were diagnosed with diabetes and that the disease is controlled in only 45% of Palestine refugees with diabetes. As medication adherence is one of the most important modifiable self-care behaviours to achieve adequate metabolic control, the aims of this study were to measure medication adherence and to review the factors associated with different levels of medication adherence in patients with diabetes. Methods This cross-sectional study was a survey of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who attended medical care at the UNRWA Amman New Camp health centre in Jordan. Medication adherence was measured using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), and results were used as outcome variable. Data on factors associated with adherence were collected using a pre-tested patient questionnaire and patients' electronic records, and these factors were used as explanatory variables. Logistic regression analysis of each explanatory variable against the outcome variable was done to estimate crude odds ratios. Data were analysed using STATA version 13.0. Findings 763 patients were included in the study. 557 (73%) patients did not adhere to their diabetes drug therapy. Univariate analysis showed that the factors associated with non-adherence were: the use of multiple providers for diabetes care (crude odds ratio 0·51, 95% CI 0·28–0·91) and diabetes drugs (0·22, 0·09–0·56); satisfaction with the quality of UNRWA's diabetes care (4·51, 1·05–19·45) and with the explanation of the disease and treatment presented by UNRWA's health professionals (2·72, 1·24–5·29); and trust in UNRWA's health staff (3·61, 1·4–9·32). Interpretation Decreased odds of adherence was associated with the use of multiple providers of care and diabetes medication, whereas increased odds of adherence correlated with full satisfaction with the quality of care, explanation of the disease, and treatment and trust in UNRWA health-care staff. These findings show the importance of health-system-related factors in affecting adherence to drug therapy in a population of Palestinian refugees with diabetes who accessed UNRWA health care in Jordan. Funding UNRWA.
United States—Commentary

There are more than 4700 institutions of higher education in the United States. These include technical institutes, community colleges, state colleges and universities, a landgrant university in each state, private liberal arts colleges, private research universities, and, more recently, for-profit degree-granting companies. While distance education was once primarily the purview of land grant universities and, later, community colleges, online learning has greatly broadened the diversity of institutions that provide programs to students away from campus. One factor that makes it difficult to discuss a “national system” of distance education in the United States is that higher education tends to be organized at the state level rather than nationally. At the national level, distance education innovations tend to be shared within families of institutions through their own professional associations (American Association of Community Colleges, University Professional and Continuing Education Association, etc.). One major exception is the Online Learning Consortium, which was formed when the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation brought together institutions that it had funded through its “asynchronous learning networks” grants program in the 1990s. That said, there is a long tradition of institutional collaboration that cuts across many distance education technologies and governance boundaries.
Hyperactivity and Learning Disorders: Review and Speculation

Research on hyperactive children was reviewed in order to define and clarify relationships and interactions between hypractivity and learning disorders. Despite agreement on maladaptive social and behavioral characteristics associated with hyperactivity, findings specifying the nature of educational deficits are inconsistent and inconclusive. Three hypotheses are proposed to explain learning problems of hyperactive children. The first represents the medical-neurological syndrome explanation; the second suggests that activity disrupts attention and the information acquisition stages of learning; the third implicates impulsivity in decsion making. Although neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, the hypotheses differ in remedial and treatment implications. Evidence is reviewed under each hypothesis.
Evaluation of Patients on Thyroxine (T 4 ) Replacement with a Highly Sensitive Commercial TSH Immunoradiometric Assay (TSH-IRMA)

Current strategies for the optimal management of patients requiring thyroid hormone replacement or suppression therapy are limited by the nonspecificity and insensitivity of clinical symptoms and by the impracticality of frequent or extensive laboratory evaluation of thyroid status (e.g., TSH testing, radioiodine uptake). The recent introduction of highly sensitive TSH assays which distinguish suppressed from normal TSH levels offers a practical means for applying more precise assessment of basal TSH secretion. This study was conducted to illustrate the potential for under- or over-medication of patients receiving T4 replacement or T4 suppression when managed conventionally and to suggest a practical strategy for improved management employing sensitive TSH measurement.
NikR Repressor: High-Affinity Nickel Binding to the C-Terminal Domain Regulates Binding to Operator DNA

E. coli NikR repressor binds operator DNA in a nickel-dependent fashion. The pM affinity of NikR for nickel is mediated by its C-terminal 86 residues. Nickel binding induced additional secondary structure, decreased the compactness, and increased the stability of NikR. Tetramer formation by the C-terminal domain and intact NikR did not require nickel. High-affinity nickel binding decreased the NikR concentration needed to half maximally protect operator DNA from undetectable levels to 30 nM. The intracellular concentration of NikR in E. coli is high enough that saturation of the high-affinity nickel sites should lead to substantial occupancy of the nik operator. Nickel binding to a set of low-affinity NikR sites resulted in an additional large increase in operator affinity and substantially increased the size of the NikR footprint on the operator.
Designing Data & Dashboard Visualizations for Future UAV Systems

Technology advancements in unmanned aerial systems have provided greater levels of autonomy to the extent that it has fundamentally changed the operator’s task and information requirements. This research has applied a task analysis driven approach to identify these information requirements and generated new information visualizations to more effectively present mission critical information to the operators. Experimental results will show the performance benefits across both accuracy and response time to retrieve information and lessons learned related to task driven design and information visualizations.
Measurements of slit-width effects in Young’s double-slit experiment for a partially-coherent source

We provide measurements of Young’s double-slit experiment using a partially-coherent light source consisting of a helium-neon laser incident on a rotating piece of white paper. The data allow a quantitative comparison with both the standard theory that does not account for the width of the slits, and a full, analytic model that does. The data agree much more favorably with the full calculation.
Fast computing for dynamic screening systems when analyzing correlated data

ABSTRACTIn practice, we often need to identify individuals whose longitudinal behaviour is different from the behaviour of those well-functioning individuals, so that some unpleasant consequences (e.g. stroke) can be avoided or early detected. To handle such applications, a new statistical method, called dynamic screening system, has been developed in the literature. A recent version of this method can analyze correlated data. However, the computation involved is intensive. In this paper, we suggest a fast computing algorithm for the dynamic screening system. The algorithm can improve the effectiveness of the conventional dynamic screening system in certain cases. Numerical results show that the new algorithm works well in different cases.
A Diet-Sensitive Commensal Lactobacillus Strain Mediates TLR7-Dependent Systemic Autoimmunity.

Summary Western lifestyle is linked to autoimmune and metabolic diseases, driven by changes in diet and gut microbiota composition. Using Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7)-dependent mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we dissect dietary effects on the gut microbiota and find that Lactobacillus reuteri can drive autoimmunity but is ameliorated by dietary resistant starch (RS). Culture of internal organs and 16S rDNA sequencing revealed TLR7-dependent translocation of L. reuteri in mice and fecal enrichment of Lactobacillus in a subset of SLE patients. L. reuteri colonization worsened autoimmune manifestations under specific-pathogen-free and gnotobiotic conditions, notably increasing plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and interferon signaling. However, RS suppressed the abundance and translocation of L. reuteri via short-chain fatty acids, which inhibited its growth. Additionally, RS decreased pDCs, interferon pathways, organ involvement, and mortality. Thus, RS exerts beneficial effects in lupus-prone hosts through suppressing a pathobiont that promotes interferon pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of human autoimmunity.
The nonhomogeneous frog model on ℤ

We examine a system of interacting random walks with leftward drift on ℤ, which begins with a single active particle at the origin and some distribution of inactive particles on the positive integers. Inactive particles become activated when landed on by other particles, and all particles beginning at the same point possess equal leftward drift. Once activated, the trajectories of distinct particles are independent. This system belongs to a broader class of problems involving interacting random walks on rooted graphs, referred to collectively as the frog model. Additional conditions that we impose on our model include that the number of frogs (i.e. particles) at positive integer points is a sequence of independent random variables which is increasing in terms of the standard stochastic order, and that the sequence of leftward drifts associated with frogs originating at these points is decreasing. Our results include sharp conditions with respect to the sequence of random variables and the sequence of drifts that determine whether the model is transient (meaning the probability infinitely many frogs return to the origin is 0) or nontransient. We consider several, more specific, versions of the model described, and a cleaner, more simplified set of sharp conditions will be established for each case.
CommunityRx: a real-world controlled clinical trial of a scalable, low-intensity community resource referral intervention.

Objectives. To test the effect of CommunityRx, a scalable, low-intensity intervention that matches patients to community resources, on mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) (primary outcome...
Maternal diabetes and hypertensive disorders in association with autism spectrum disorder

Previous studies have shown complications of pregnancy, often examined in aggregate, to be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Results for specific complications, such as maternal diabetes and hypertension, have not been uniformly consistent and should be investigated independently in relation to ASD in a large community-based sample. The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), a US multisite case-control study, enrolled children born in 2003-2006 at 2-5 years of age. Children were classified into three groups based on confirmation of ASD (n = 698), non-ASD developmental delay (DD; n = 887), or controls drawn from the general population (POP; n = 979). Diagnoses of any diabetes or hypertensive disorder during pregnancy were identified from prenatal medical records and maternal self-report. Logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking during pregnancy, and study site. Models for hypertension were additionally adjusted for parity and plurality. Among 2,564 mothers, we identified 246 (9.6%) with any diabetes and 386 (15.1%) with any hypertension in pregnancy. After adjustment for covariates, any diabetes during pregnancy was not associated with ASD (aOR = 1.10 [95% CI 0.77, 1.56]), but any hypertension was associated with ASD (aOR = 1.69 [95% CI 1.26, 2.26]). Results were similar for DD, and any diabetes (aOR = 1.29 [95% CI 0.94, 1.78]) or any hypertension (aOR = 1.71 [95% CI 1.30, 2.25]). Some pregnancy complications, such as hypertension, may play a role in autism etiology and can possibly serve as a prompt for more vigilant ASD screening efforts. Autism Res 2019, 12: 967-975. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: We studied if common complications in pregnancy are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a large sample of mothers and children. Our results show an association between conditions marked by high blood pressure and ASD, but no association with conditions marked by high blood sugar and ASD. Associations were similar for children who had a developmental disorder that was not ASD, suggesting that this relationship may not be specific to ASD.
Laser ion acceleration studies at BELLA center (Conference Presentation)

Ion acceleration is considered to be one of the main applications of high power laser systems that are being projected, have been built, or are already operational around the world. Laser driven ion acceleration is not only attractive from the point of view of potential applications of high energy ion beams, but also from the point of view of investigations of fundamental aspects of laser-matter interaction and advanced concepts of particle acceleration. In this talk we, first, discuss an experimental study of ion acceleration using the BELLA petawatt laser, and, second, the results of 3D PIC modeling of laser ion acceleration from near critical density (NCD) targets. We report on parameter scans with >100 shots that were enabled by the high repetition rate (1 Hz) of the laser, targetry and diagnostic. The experiments were conducted in the large laser spot size regime, where we found that the geometry of the interaction plays an important role in providing uniform plasma heating across the focal plane. The laser pulse duration scans (35 - 600 fs) were instrumental in revealing this geometric effect. Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations were used to gain insight into the dynamics of the interaction and field structure. Laser-driven ion acceleration via the Magnetic Vortex Acceleration (MVA) scheme was explored using 3D Warp+PICSAR and WarpX PIC simulation codes. We discuss the properties of the Magnetic Vortex Acceleration mechanism revealed through the 3D PIC simulations and its optimization through matching of laser pulse focusing and target density. The work was supported by the US DOE Office of Science (HEP, FES, and LDRD) under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.
A Large Discrepancy between Oral versus Rectal Temperatures as an Early Warning Sign in a Patient with Acute Infrarenal Aortic Occlusion

Abstract Background Acute aortic occlusion is a rare condition that requires early diagnosis to help prevent considerable morbidity and mortality. Typical clinical findings, such as acute lower extremity pain, acute paralysis, and absent pedal pulses, may be masked by a variety of underlying medical conditions. Case Report We present a patient with altered mental status, hypothermia, and a large discrepancy between oral and rectal temperature measurements, who was ultimately diagnosed with aortic occlusion. This case report describes a marked difference between oral and rectal temperatures in a case of acute aortic occlusion. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Acute aortic occlusion is a true vascular emergency that, without early intervention, can lead to limb ischemia, bowel necrosis, paralysis, or death. Emergency physicians should consider acute aortic occlusion in a patient with a marked difference between oral and rectal temperature measurements who otherwise has a limited clinical evaluation.
Popular mental health apps (MH Apps) as a complement to telepsychotherapy: Guidelines for consideration

With the increasing need to minimize in-person contact as a way to stem the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus across the world, many clinicians are now providing mental health care exclusively through telepsychotherapy. Mental health mobile applications (MH apps) offer clients complementary therapeutic resources available outside of the telepsychotherapy session and have the potential to enhance the quality of care. However, not all mental health apps are created equal and clinicians lack guidance on how best to evaluate MH apps. This article discusses several ethical and practical considerations involved in using MH apps as an adjunct to telepsychotherapy, proposes recommendations for app evaluation, and provides a summary table of 28 popular English-language MH apps to assist clinicians in evaluating the manyMHapps available on the market today. The authors conducted a review of recent literature in EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and included 10 peer reviewed, English language meta-analyses and systematic reviews on the efficacy of MH apps. The emerging literature suggests that the MH apps that have been studied in randomized control trials provide some benefit for targeted problems (e.g., depression) over waitlist control groups and under some circumstances are comparable to active intervention groups, although effect sizes tend to be small. However, of the 28 popular MH apps featured in this article, only 5 were found to have empirical support. Of note, few empirical studies reference any harmful effects, although risks have been posited.
Reconfigurable All-Pass-to-Bandstop Acoustic-Wave-Lumped-Element Resonator Filters

Acoustic-wave lumped-element resonator (AWLR)-based filters with reconfigurable all-pass-to-bandstop transfer function are reported. They are based on in-series cascaded resonant stages that comprise two parallel RF signal paths, namely: 1) a thru-line and 2) an AWLR-based resonant section. Reconfigurability is achieved by altering the phase of the thru-line through varactors. In this manner, the filter response can be reconfigured from an all-pass to an enhanced fractional bandwidth (FBW)—i.e., wider than the electromechanical coupling coefficient $k_{t}^{2}$ —bandstop one. For practical validation, two prototypes were designed and tested. They include 1) a single-stage prototype with insertion loss (IL) $2.4~k_{t}^{2}$ ), and a stopband isolation of 21.2 dB and 2) a two-stage prototype that exhibits an all-pass mode with IL $3.8~k_{t}^{2}$ ) and a tunable isolation between 20 and 43 dB.
The Effect of Stock Exchange Demutualization on Liquidity and Transparency of Listed Firms

This study investigates the association between changes in the operating structure of stock exchanges in recent decades, from mutually owned (broker/dealer-owned) to demutualized (for-profit, shareholder-owned), and stock liquidity and transparency of listed firms. We focus on de facto demutualized exchanges, i.e., exchanges that went public and became owned by multiple shareholders following demutualization. For these exchanges, we find that liquidity improves post-demutualization, consistent with prior literature in finance. Next, we examine whether these improvements in liquidity are attributable to changes in the quality of listed firms and regulatory oversight, or whether they are more likely due to other causes (e.g., an increase in technological spending by the exchange). Our results indicate that reporting quality of listed firms declines post-demutualization, supporting the second explanation. In supplemental analyses focusing on new listings and trading suspensions, we find that the changes in reporting quality are driven primarily by already listed firms and not by new listings. Overall, our results point to declining reporting quality of listed firms after demutualization, which highlights the concern of market participants, academics, and regulators that the demutualization of stock exchanges may lead to a decline in regulatory oversight of listed firms.
Surface-water/groundwater boundaries affect seasonal PFAS concentrations and PFAA precursor transformations.

Elevated concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking-water supplies are a major concern for human health. It is therefore essential to understand factors that affect PFAS concentrations in surface water and groundwater and the transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) precursors that degrade into terminal compounds. Surface-water/groundwater exchange can occur along the flow path downgradient from PFAS point sources and biogeochemical conditions can change rapidly at these exchange boundaries. Here, we investigate the influence of surface-water/groundwater boundaries on PFAS transport and transformation. To do this, we conducted an extensive field-based analysis of PFAS concentrations in water and sediment from a flow-through lake fed by contaminated groundwater and its downgradient surface-water/groundwater boundary (defined as ≤100 cm below the lake bottom). PFAA precursors comprised 45 ± 4.6% of PFAS (PFAA precursors + 18 targeted PFAA) in the predominantly oxic lake impacted by a former fire-training area and historical wastewater discharges. In shallow porewater downgradient from the lake, this percentage decreased significantly to 25 ± 11%. PFAA precursor concentrations decreased by 85% between the lake and 84–100 cm below the lake bottom. PFAA concentrations increased significantly within the surface-water/groundwater boundary and in downgradient groundwater during the winter months despite lower stable concentrations in the lake water source. These results suggest that natural biogeochemical fluctuations associated with surface-water/groundwater boundaries may lead to PFAA precursor loss and seasonal variations in PFAA concentrations. Results of this work highlight the importance of dynamic biogeochemical conditions along the hydrological flow path from PFAS point sources to potentially affected drinking water supplies.
Importance of Groove Spacing in Tunnel Boring Machine Operations

One of the more important and yet easily modified parameters in the performance of tunnel boring machines is the spacing between two neighboring grooves created by the travel of the cutters. This spacing affects the interaction between the grooves and thus the advance rate and overall efficiency of the tunnel boring machine. Selecting the correct spacing for each specific job requires a thorough understanding of the cutting characteristics of the rock material. Results of cutting experiments with a 7-in. (180-mm) rolling disk cutter in marble, limestone, granite, and quartzite are presented and examined. The values of muck weight per unit length, groove depth, cutting coefficient, and specific energy are taken as indicators of the cutter performance for each test condition. Determination of the optimum and critical groove spacing for field operations can easily be performed with values of any one of the performance indicators based on the interrelation between rock strength indices and cutter performance indicators.
Mass Tort Liabilities

This article has no abstract. Keywords: mass tort; latent claims; asbestos; pollution; environmental; construction defect; bankruptcy; class action
CAD for low power: status and promising directions

Low power design is gaining increasing attention as the market for battery powered portable products expands and as power consumption becomes the stumbling block for further system integration. This paper examines strategies to minimize power consumption of digital circuits by reducing the supply voltage, by using power-conscious design methodologies and tools at the behavioral, logic and circuit levels, and by dynamic power management. The paper highlights some of the more effective and promising approaches for achieving ultra low power VLSI circuits and systems.
Is sexual behavior healthy for adolescents? A conceptual framework for research on adolescent sexual behavior and physical, mental, and social health.

Although research has increasingly emphasized how adolescent sexual behavior may be associated with aspects of health beyond unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, no current theoretical or conceptual model fully explains associations between sexual behavior and multiple facets of health. We provide a conceptual model that explicates possible processes of how adolescent sexual behavior may influence physical, mental, and social health. Next, we review the current literature consistent with this conceptual model, demonstrating that although early sexual behavior can be associated with some negative outcomes, sex may be, on average, a positive experience in late adolescence. Finally, we discuss important future directions for research in these areas, including how individuals’ attitudes about and perceptions of sexual behavior influence outcomes of sex. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mutation and evolution of microsatellites in Drosophila melanogaster

Levels of nucleotide polymorphism in the Drosophila melanogaster genome are correlated with rates of recombi nation. This relationship may be due to hitchhiking of advantageous mutations (selective sweeps) or to continual removal of deleterious mutations from the genome (background selection). One test of the relative contributions of selective sweeps and background selection to the observed levels of variation in the genome of D. melanogaster is to compare levels of nucleotide variability (with a mutation rate on the order of 10−9 per nucleotide per gener ation) with more rapidly evolving DNA loci such as microsatellites. This test depends critically on details of the mutational process of microsatellites. In this paper, we summarize our studies of microsatellite characteristics and mutation rates in D. melanogaster. We find that D. melanogaster microsatellites are short and have a mutation rate (6.5 x 10−6 per locus per generation) several orders of magnitude lower than mammals studied to date. We further show that genetic variation at 18 dinucleotide repeat microsatellites in a population of D. melanogaster from Maryland is correlated with regional rates of recombination. These and other microsatellite data suggest that both background selection and selective sweeps may contribute to the correlation between DNA sequence variation and recombination in Drosophila.
Experiment on the Demand for Encompassment

The idea of political community is appealing on a gut-level. Hayek suggested that certain genes and instincts still dispose us toward the ethos and mentality of the hunter-gatherer band, and that modern forms of political collectivism have, in part, been atavistic reassertions of such tendencies. Picking up on Hayek, Klein (2005) has suggested a combination of yearnings: 1) a yearning for coordinated sentiment (like Smithian sympathy); and 2) a yearning that the sentiment encompass the whole group. This paper reports on an experiment designed to explore the demand for encompassment by having subjects sing together. In each trial, one person in the room was designated not to sing unless every one of the others in the room had made a payment sufficient so as to have that person sing. Subjects chose to sacrifice money to achieve encompassment 47.4 percent of the time, with 59.6 percent of the subjects doing so in at least one trial. An exit questionnaire showed that subjects' chief reason for making such a sacrifice was a belief that the singing would be more enjoyable if it encompassed the whole group, and reported enjoyment is significantly higher with encompassment. We discuss the experiment as a parable for a penchant toward political collectivism.
'Big Data' collaboration: Exploring, recording and sharing enterprise knowledge

As data sources and data size proliferate, knowledge discovery from 'Big Data' is starting to pose several challenges. In this paper, we address a specific challenge in the practice of enterprise knowledge management while extracting actionable nuggets from diverse data sources of seemingly related information. In particular, we address the challenge of archiving knowledge gained through collaboration, dissemination and visualization as part of the data analysis inference and decision-making lifecycle. We motivate the implementation of an enterprise data discovery and knowledge recorder tool called SEEKER based on a real-world case study. We motivate the implementation of an enterprise data discovery and knowledge recorder tool called SEEKER Schema Exploration and Evolving Knowledge Entity Recorder based on the queries and the analytical artifacts that are being created by analysts as they use the data. We show how the tool serves as a digital record of institutional domain knowledge and as documentation for the evolution of data elements, queries and schemas over time. As a knowledge management service, a tool like SEEKER saves enterprise resources and time by 1 avoiding analytic “silos” i.e., a separate set of data that is not included in an enterprise's data administration, 2 expediting the process of multi-source data integration and 3 intelligently documenting discoveries from collaborating analysts.
A Dermal Vascular Hamartoma in a Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis)

Abstract A 19-month-old sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis) of undetermined sex was examined for feather picking of the cranial ventral thoracic region and a lump on the right shoulder. An irregular dermal mass present on the dorsal aspect of the bird's right shoulder was surgically removed. On the basis of histopathologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical examination, the mass was determined to be a cutaneous vascular hamartoma.