cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short Pulse Evolution Equation

We introduce short pulse evolution equation (SPEE), first derived in a non-optical context in the 80s, the universal equation describing the propagation of short pulses in media which have weak dispersion in the propagation direction. We show how it connects with the first canonical examples of nonlinear wave propagation, the Korteweg–de Vries and nonlinear Schrodinger equations and argue that, in contexts for which SPEE is most useful, modifications of the latter simply do not capture the correct pulse behavior. We discuss some of SPEE’s main properties and, in particular, look at its potential singular behaviors in which both the electric field gradient and its amplitude can become large. Finally, we address the practical challenge of whether very high intensity femtosecond pulses can travel significant distances in gases such as the earth’s atmosphere.
Carbon isotopes and water use efficiency in C4 plants

Drought is a major agricultural problem worldwide. Therefore, selection for increased water use efficiency (WUE) in food and biofuel crop species will be an important trait in plant breeding programs. The leaf carbon isotopic composition (δ13Cleaf) has been suggested to serve as a rapid and effective high throughput phenotyping method for WUE in both C3 and C4 species. This is because WUE, leaf carbon discrimination (Δ13Cleaf), and δ13Cleaf are correlated through their relationships with intercellular to ambient CO2 partial pressures (Ci/Ca). However, in C4 plants, changing environmental conditions may influence photosynthetic efficiency (bundle-sheath leakiness) and post-photosynthetic fractionation that will potentially alter the relationship between δ13Cleaf and Ci/Ca. Here we discuss how these factors influence the relationship between δ13Cleaf and WUE, and the potential of using δ13Cleaf as a meaningful proxy for WUE.
Application of Modbus Protocol in Distributed Servo Angle-measuring System

The systematic structure of the distributed servo angle-measuring system based on RS 485 bus and Modbus protocol is proposed in this paper. The method to realize serial communication class based on Modbus protocol by utilizing Win32 API function and multithread technology is discussed in detail. As an example, a communication between PC and FUJITSU POD (programmable operation display)using the serial communication class is also realized. The trial shows that the system is simple , easy to realize and has an enhanced real-time communication capability.
Nuclear roundness factor measurement for assessment of prognosis of patients with prostatic carcinoma. II. Standardization of methodology for histologic sections.

Abstract A nuclear shape descriptor, nuclear roundness factor, predicted outcome in patients with prostatic carcinoma whereas standard pathological grading by Gleason’s architectural pattern did not. The inability of others to duplicate those successes warranted a reevaluation of the technique for NRF measurement. We previously described our digitization system and measured the perimeter and area of a microscopic circle similar in size to prostatic carcinoma nuclei with a reproducibility and accuracy of greater than 95%. We have applied our improved system to nuclear contour digitization and standardized our method for NRF measurement. In order to calculate accurately the NRF for prostatic carcinoma, the histologic section must have been reviewed by a pathologist and 150 nuclei traced after random selection. NRF measurement reproducibility within and between observers exceeded 90%. This system for NRF measurement successfully predicted outcome in 13 of 15 patients with stages A2, B1, and B2 prostatic carcinoma. Our success with a carefully tested and improved system for NRF determination warrants further evaluation of NRF for assessment of prognosis of patients with prostatic carcinoma.
Management of Müllerian duct remnants in the male patient

AbstractWe evaluated 36 patients for mullerian duct remnants that were manifest in several forms. The most common type was an enlarged prostatic utricle communicating with the urethra in 22 younger patients, which was associated with hypospadias or intersex disorders in more than 90 per cent of the cases. A cystic mullerian duct remnant was the other configuration noted in 14 older patients who had normal external genitalia and often presented with a rectal mass.The diagnostic evaluation consists of voiding cystourethrography, retrograde urethrography and cystoscopy. Other useful imaging techniques are ultrasonography and computerized tomography. Careful delineation of the anatomy of the lower urinary and genital tracts will help to plan surgical therapy. Suprapubic excision was the most frequent operation and it was successful in all 18 patients in whom it was performed.
Electrostatic coupling between DNA and its counterions modulates the observed translational diffusion coefficients.

Free solution capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a useful technique for measuring the translational diffusion coefficients of charged analytes. The measurements are relatively fast if the polarity of the electric field is reversed to drive the analyte back and forth past the detection window during each run. We have tested the validity of the resulting diffusion coefficients using double-stranded DNA molecules ranging in size from 20 to 960 base pairs as the model system. The diffusion coefficients of small DNAs are equal to values in the literature measured by other techniques. However, the diffusion coefficients of DNA molecules larger than ∼30 base pairs are anomalously high and deviate increasingly from the literature values with increasing DNA molar mass. The anomalously high diffusion coefficients are due to electrostatic coupling between the DNA and its counterions. As a result, the measured diffusion coefficients vary with the diffusion coefficient of the counterion, as well as with cation concentr...
Forest Nursery Practices in the Southern United States

Over the past five decades, researchers in the southern United States have been working with nursery managers to develop ways to reduce the cost of producing seedlings. In this regard, the Southern Forest Nursery Management Cooperative (at Auburn University in Alabama) has helped reduce hand-weeding costs and losses due to nematodes and disease. As a result, nursery managers are able to legally use a variety of registered herbicides and fungicides for use in pine and hardwood seedbeds.Â Other changes over the last three decades include a reduction in the number of nurseries growing seedlings, a reduction in the number of seedlings outplanted per ha, an increase in the number of container nurseries, an increase in the average production per nursery, an increase in production by the private sector, growing two or more crops after fumigation, the development of synthetic soil stabilizers, applying polyacrylamide gels to roots and the use of seedling bags and boxes for shipping seedlings.
Stratigraphic Identification of Destructive Floods in Relict Canals: A Case Study from the Middle Gila River, Arizona

ABSTRACTIn this paper I provide stratigraphic descriptions of five historic canals in the Gila River Indian Community that have been damaged by floods. Stratigraphic evidence for uncontrolled flooding in canals includes deposits that extend laterally beyond the channel and textural sequences in the middle to upper strata in which coarse sediments have been deposited over fine ones. Sediment textural variability points to the complex nature of flooding and sedimentation in earthen canal systems. Such complexity precludes the creation of archetypal flood stratigraphy in canals. Despite this complexity, the geometry and granulometry of canal flood deposits in historic canals can be used as analogue data to identify evidence of past flooding in prehistoric canal systems. Such data are needed to improve stratigraphic interpretations of relict canals and test the hypothesis that floods played an important role in prehistoric culture change.
Continued Selenium Biofortification of Carrots and Broccoli Grown in Soils Once Amended with Se-enriched S. pinnata

Selenium (Se) biofortification has been practiced in Se-deficient regions throughout the world primarily by adding inorganic sources of Se to the soil. Considering the use of adding organic sources of Se could be useful as an alternative Se amendment for the production of Se-biofortified food crops. In this multi-year micro-plot study, we investigate growing carrots and broccoli in soils that had been previously amended with Se-enriched Stanleya pinnata Pursh (Britton) three and four years prior to planting one and two, respectively. Results showed that total and extractable Se concentrations in soils (0-30 cm) were 1.65 mg kg-1 and 88 µg L-1, and 0.92 mg kg-1 and 48.6 µg L-1 at the beginning of the growing season for planting one and two, respectively. After each respective growing season, total Se concentrations in the broccoli florets and carrots ranged from 6.99 to 7.83 mg kg-1 and 3.15 to 6.25 mg kg-1 in planting one and two, respectively. In broccoli and carrot plant tissues, SeMet (selenomethionine) was the predominant selenoamino acid identified in Se aqueous extracts. In postharvest soils from planting one, phospholipid analyses (PLFA) showed that amending the soil with S. pinnata exerted no effect on the microbial biomass, AMF (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi), actinomycetes and Gram-positive and bacterial PLFA at both 0-5 and 0-30 cm, respectively, three years later. Successfully producing Se-enriched broccoli and carrots three and four years later after amending soil with Se-enriched S. pinnata clearly demonstrates its potential source as an organic Se enriched fertilizer for Se-deficient regions.
Pancreatic cancer genetics: Fine-mapping and functional characterization of the chr5p15.33/ CLPTM1L/TERT risk locus

P cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. Through genome wide association studies (GWAS), we have identified multiple loci that significantly associate with risk of pancreatic cancer in individuals of European ancestry. One of these lies in a region on chromosome 5p15.33 that harbors the TERT and CLPTM1L genes, the former encoding the catalytic subunit of telomerase reverse transcriptase and the latter, which may play a role in apoptosis. This region has been identified in GWAS of at least nine cancers. To investigate the complex genetic architecture of this region, we have performed imputation and an agnostic subset based meta-analysis across 11 GWAS scans including 6 distinct cancers in over 60,000 subjects. We identified six independent risk loci in this region, five in the TERT gene and one in the neighboring CLPTM1L gene. Between 3-5 cancers mapped to each of the loci, with effects in both directions. Furthermore, we have investigated the CLPTM1L gene and its encoded protein and revealed a positive effect on growth in vitro and in vivo indicating a possible role in carcinogenesis. This effect was abrogated by deletion mutants of predicted functional domains of the protein. Through a proteomics screen we have identified protein partners for CLPTM1L and shown that it may play a role in cytokinesis. Our results provide strong support for extensive pleiotropy across this region of 5p15.33, at a level not previously observed in other cancer susceptibility loci and indicate that CLPTM1L may play a role in cancer. Laufey Amundadottir, J Data Mining Genomics Proteomics 2013, 4:5 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2153-0602.S1.004
Factors Affecting the Proteolytic Degradation of Elastin

Studies in our laboratory have been concerned with aspects of the interaction of elastin with pancreatic elastase in efforts to assess intrinsic and extrinsic factors which might be involved in the regulation of elastolysis in vivo. Previous studies by others have clearly shown that elastase-elastin interactions are principally governed by ionic forces distributed between the cationic enzyme and the presumably anionic substrate. Our studies have now shown that most of the dicarboxylic amino acids in elastin are amidated, rendering elastin a cationic protein containing very few negatively charged side chains. Further, we have demonstrated that elastin can be rendered highly anionic by complex formation with amphiphilic agents such as fatty acids, bile salts, and detergents. These complexes are much more susceptible to elastolysis than elastin, itself. Evidence has also been obtained that these agents induce conformational changes in insoluble elastin, reflected in losses in elasticity of elastic fibers. Additional studies have shown that the formation of sedimentable elastin-elastase complexes seem not only to be unrelated, but, possibly, counterproductive to peptide bond scission in elastin. Further, both elastolysis and enzyme binding relationships are markedly influenced by calcium ions and by amphiphilic elastin ligands.
The Hippocratic need for adequate supports while merging programs: at first do no harm

In response to a paper calling for the re-engagement of agricultural education with the sciences and science education, this essay is supportive but argues to proceed with caution: one that at first does no harm. I offer a supplementary lens and story of change at Cornell University as a cautionary and motivational tale. I concur with the authors who want to redirect faculty, departments, and societies of agricultural educators to become more tightly aligned with the sciences. The need for and ability to better contribute to the critical discussions on contemporary agriculture issues (e.g., urban farming, GMOs, sustainability, local economies) is timely and important. The trick, however, is to do this without weakening the agricultural education community to the point of extinction. Drawing on Institutional Theory, I offer an enhanced perspective highlighting the importance of resource, conformity, and legitimacy. I explore the nature of competing pressures: the strong and restrictive ties to isolated communities and the pressure to reengage a community with a more socially and intellectually central world. I want to emphasize how these strong ties are typically beneficial to the organizations of interest, despite what it may look like to others outside that sector. It is argued that agricultural education will become increasingly “vulnerable and isolated” should it not cross the street and at least partially connect with contemporary science, social science, and new policy and ethical concerns.
Early age noise exposure increases loudness perception - A novel animal model of hyperacusis.

The neural mechanisms that give rise to hyperacusis, a reduction in loudness tolerance, are largely unknown. Some reports suggest that hyperacusis is linked to childhood hearing loss. However, the evidence for this is largely circumstantial. In order to rigorously test this hypothesis, we studied loudness changes in rats caused by intense noise exposure (12 kHz narrow band noise, 115 dB SPL, 4 h) at postnatal 16 days. Rats without noise exposure were used as controls. The exposed noise group (n = 7) showed a mean 40-50 dB hearing loss compared to the control group (n = 8) at high frequencies (>= 8 kHz) and less hearing loss at lower frequencies. Loudness was evaluated using sound reaction time and loudness response functions in an operant conditioning-based behavioral task using narrow-band noise (40-110 dB SPL, centered at 2, 4 and 12 kHz). Interestingly, the sound reaction time of the noise group was significantly shorter than the control group at supra-threshold levels. The average reaction time was less than 100 ms in the noise group at 100 dB SPL, which was three times shorter than the control group. Our results indicate that early noise-induced hearing loss leads to a significant increase of loudness, a behavior indicative of hyperacusis. Our results are consistent with clinical reports suggesting that hearing loss at an early age is a significant risk factor for hyperacusis.
Bioinformatics of glycosaminoglycans

Summary Cell surface heparan sulfates modulate many signalling pathways by binding growth factors and growth factor receptors. Expressed in a spatially and temporally regulated manner, these highly sulfated polysaccharides play important roles in all aspects of animal physiology. To understand heparan sulfate-protein binding, it is necessary to develop instrumental sequencing methods. Towards this end, we and others have demonstrated the effectiveness of activated electron dissociation (ExD) tandem mass spectrometry. The value in the ExD approach is that extremely rich tandem mass spectra are produced. The challenge is that bioinformatics methods are needed to convert the raw data into HS saccharide sequences. In this article we describe HS–SEQ, an algorithm developed for this purpose.
Physicians’ Desk Reference MobilePDR Review

ABSTRACTMobilePDR is a platform and mobile application from the Physicians’ Desk Reference. Specifically focusing on diagnostic care, mobilePDR houses a collection of pharmaceutical and drug information. This article will explore the functionality and usability of the mobilePDR platform including how to access, browse, and search for pharmaceutical information. It will discuss management of privacy and data.
The Comparative Method: Two Decades of Change

Chapter 2 COMPARATIVE POLITICAL o DYNAMICS : Global qResearch Perspectives. Edited by by Dankwart A. Rustow City University of New York Graduate School and University Center Kenneth Paul Erickson Hunter College and City University of New York Graduate School and University Center Ha_rperCollins Publishers &#39; 1;991l7 lThe Comparative Method: Two Decades of Change David Collier “And what should they know of England who only England know? q Rudyard Kipling‘ &#39; qNations can be understood only in comparative perspective. q Seymour Martin Li_pset2- The idea that comparison is a “good thing” is built into our intuitive sense of how we understand the world. Comparison sharpens our powers of description and can be an invaluable stimulus to concept for- mation. It provides criteria for testing hypotheses and contributes to the inductive discovery of new hypotheses and to theory building.‘ Harold D. Lasswell, in the lead article of the first issue in 1968 of the journal Comparative Politics, argued that comparison is so central to good analysis that the scientiﬁc method is unavoidably comparative.3 Within the political science subﬁeld of comparative politics, a con—i p cern with techniques of comparison is very much alive and well, and the expression “comparative methodq is often used to refer to the partially distinctive methodological issues that arise in the systematic analysis of a small number of cases, or a “small-N.” This concern with analyzing few cases appears to derive in part from the types of large-scale political phenomena commonly studied by scholars of comparative politics—such as revolutions, national political regimes, and the evolution of nation- states. A small number of cases is studied‘ either because these phenomena occur relatively infrequently or because, even if they are more common, it is believed that they are best understood through the close analysis of relatively few observations.‘ The practice of focusing on ‘ T
Conclusion: Cultural Trauma—September 11, 2001, and Beyond

Popular culture affords sites for exploring how culturally traumatic events manifest and how readers, viewers, and other audiences negotiate their fallout. September 11, 2001, serves as one case study of cultural trauma, with its violation of traditionally dominant US beliefs in optimism and a just world which affirms and rewards self-determination. Yet the use of widely distributed, easily accessible forms of popular culture, such as the nonfiction, literary fiction, television, and film considered here, can similarly focalize evaluation of other moments of acute and profoundly troubling historical change.
The Standard Model and Alternative Perspectives

Part III made a connection between the short run and the long run, but only in a superficial way. The long run was just “given,” as if by some natural evolution of the economy’s productive inputs. The economy’s “actual” output then varied around the “potential” output, depending on whether we were in a booming or recessionary phase of the business cycle. This chapter looks at the ways that business cycles and the policy responses to them may affect the path of long-run growth and considers different ways that influence could run. The rest of the chapter looks at a small selection of alternatives to this neoclassical synthesis.
Nineteenth Century Review of Mental Health Care for African Americans: A Legacy of Service and Policy Barriers

The need to focus on service and policy barriers to mental health service delivery for African Americans remains critical. The purpose of this article is to review nineteenth century care as a method for understanding contemporary service and policy barriers. A case study strategy is used to compare the efforts of Pennsylvania and South Carolina using primary and secondary sources to document these developments through a political economy perspective. These findings suggest that the prevailing social, political and economic realities have created mental health disparities along racial lines. Existing barriers are likely rooted in this same reality.
Treatment to Enhance Cognition in Bipolar Disorder (TREC-BD): Efficacy of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Remediation Versus Active Control.

Objective Cognitive dysfunction is a core symptom dimension in bipolar disorder and a strong predictor of functional outcomes. Cognitive remediation (CR) produces moderate, durable effects on cognition in patients with schizophrenia; however, studies of CR in patients with bipolar disorder are sparse and findings have been mixed. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CR versus active control in patients with bipolar disorder with psychosis. Methods Patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder with psychosis (n = 75) were randomized to a 70-hour computerized CR program or a dose-matched computer control using a parallel design with 1:1 allocation between July 2011 and November 2015. Cognition (primary outcome) and clinical and community functioning (secondary outcomes) were assessed at baseline, at treatment midpoint (after 20-25 hours of training), posttreatment, and at durability (after 6 months of no study contact). Participants and assessment staff were blind to group membership. Results 75 participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group, and 72 participants initiated the active phase of treatment and were included in the primary, intent-to-treat analysis (CR: n = 39; Control: n = 33). Linear mixed effects models examining the effects of CR versus Control at posttreatment showed medium to large effects of CR on processing speed (d = 0.42), visual learning and memory (d = 0.92), and the composite (d = 0.80). Superiority of CR over Control on processing speed (d = 0.65) and composite (d = 0.83) was maintained or increased at durability. CR was not associated with change in community functioning, although cognitive change was associated with functional change across the sample. Conclusions Cognitive remediation produced significant improvements over an active control in several cognitive domains and the cognitive composite. While both groups improved on several domains relative to baseline, durability of gains was unique to CR. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01470781.
Exploring correlates of diabetes-related stress among adults with Type 1 diabetes in the T1D exchange clinic registry.

Abstract Aims To explore relations between diabetes-related stress and multiple sociodemographic, diabetes health, other health, and treatment-related variables among a large sample of adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Methods The sample consisted of 10,821 adults (over 18 years old) enrolled in the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry. The T1D Exchange clinic network consists of 67 diabetes clinical centers throughout the United States selected to broadly represent pediatric and adult patients with T1D. Variables were assessed through participant self-report and extraction of clinic chart data. Univariate and multiple linear regression (with simultaneous entry of all predictors) analyses were conducted. Results Robustly associated with increased diabetes-related stress across analyses were multiple sociodemographic (female [vs. male], native Hawaiian/other Pacific islander [vs. white/Caucasian], decreased age and diabetes duration), diabetes health (higher HbA1c), other health (lower general health, presence of major life stress and depression, less physical activity), and treatment related variables (use of injections/pen or combination injection/pen/pump [vs. pump], use of CGM, increased frequency of missing insulin doses and BG checking, decreased frequency of BG checking prior to bolus, receipt of mental health treatment). Conclusions We replicated and extended research demonstrating that diabetes-related stress among people with T1D occurs at higher levels among those with particular sociodemographic characteristics and is associated with a range poorer diabetes health and other health variables, and multiple treatment-related variables. The strong incremental prediction of diabetes-related stress by multiple variables in our study suggests that a multi-variable, personalized approach may increase the effectiveness of treatments for diabetes-related stress.
Wait time for permanent residency and the retention of immigrant doctoral recipients in the U.S.

Abstract More than 65% of foreign doctoral recipients remain and work in the U.S. after graduation. Using data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates, the Survey of Doctoral Recipients, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), this paper estimates the impact of wait time for permanent residency (Green Card status) on the migration decisions of foreign doctoral recipients graduating from U.S. universities. Results indicate that for a recent immigrant doctoral recipient, an additional year of wait time decreases the probability that he or she will remain in the U.S. by 5.5 percentage points. I also find that the negative impact of wait time on immigrant retention in the U.S. is temporary: Five years after graduation, there is no difference in retention between foreign doctoral recipients who faced long Green Card wait times and those who faced none.
Eluding Established Categories: Toward an Understanding of Pope Francis

Pope Francis overturns the applecart of many classificatory schemes. He genuinely confuses most political observers because his papacy does not fit neatly into any such scheme. To gain a deeper appreciation of Francis’s complicated papacy, this volume proposes that an interdisciplinary approach, fusing the concepts derived from the fields of moral theology and the social sciences, may properly situate Pope Francis. It starts with a brief literature review of both the popular and the scholarly work on Francis, and then moves on to a general overview of the key characteristics of his papacy in thought, word, and deed. First, in thought: in his encyclicals and his apostolic exhortations, Francis challenges Catholics and, indeed, all people of good will to morally engage and care for the poor, the environment, the neighbor, and the other. Second, in word: through speeches, twitter, and other social media, this pope has gone public and seeks out audiences beyond the global Catholic community. Finally, in deed: Francis is distinct in his actions, in terms of both his own placement and the political activism he calls for, perhaps best exemplified by his rejection of the world of consumerism, highlighted by his Fiat in lieu of a limousine.
Polydiacetylene functionalized with charged termini for device-free colorimetric detection of malathion.

We introduce 10,12-Pentacosadiynoic acid conjugated with pyridine-2-aldoxime (pralidoxime, PAM) as a positively charged amphiphilic molecule capable of forming a polymer with polydiacetylene (PDA-PAM) via 1,4-addition photopolymerization of self-assembled PAM-modified monomers. Colloidally stabilized vesicles formed by PDA-PAM and unmodified pentacosadiynoic acid via electrostatic interactions in a basic aqueous medium exhibit a colorimetric transition in the presence of malathion. The malathion detection limit, through color change observed by the naked eye, is in the mM range (liquid suspension) or at nmol/cm2 levels (solid membrane); the response to exposure to malathion was rapid, within seconds. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the PDA-PAM system before and after binding with the target molecule (malathion) demonstrate that the large blue absorption shift of 0.42 eV observed in the malathion-bound configuration of the polymer is due to the dissociation of the positive charge center on the pralidoxime functional group from the negative charge center on the carboxylic terminus.
Ambulatory Advanced Cancer Patients' and Oncologists' Estimates of Life Expectancy Are Associated with Patient Psychological Characteristics But Not Chemotherapy Use

Abstract Background: Patients with advanced cancer often face distressing decisions about chemotherapy. There are conflicting data on the relationships among perceived prognosis, psychological char...
Flow cytometry applications in pharmacodynamics and drug delivery

We highlight recent advances in flow cytometry that have potential applications in the pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in pharmacodynamics and drug delivery. These advances are discussed in the context of the preclinical development of anticancer agents, immunosuppressants and immunomodulators, and oligonucleotides and gene therapy.
Thermal Conductivity of Liquid – Inorganic Compounds

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the values of thermal conductivity of liquid (inorganic compounds) in tabulated format. For the tabulation, an equation is selected for thermal conductivity of gas as a function of temperature. The tabulation is arranged by alphabetical order such as Ag, Al, Ar, and Zr to provide ease of use in quickly locating the data by using the chemical formula. The compound name and chemical abstracts registry number (CAS No) are also provided in tabular form. Values for regression coefficients are given in the adjacent columns. The temperature range for use is also given in the columns (TMIN and TMAX). The equation should not be used for temperatures outside this range. The next column provides the code for the tabulation. The last three columns provide values for thermal conductivity of liquid at representative temperatures. In the absence of experimental data for inorganic compounds, estimates of liquids are primarily based on modified Missenard method and literature estimates. Experimental data and estimates are regressed to provide the same equation for all compounds. A comparison of calculated and data values is also shown for a representative compound. The graph shows favorable agreement of equation and data.
Robust wide-range control of nuclear reactors by using the feedforward-feedback concept

A robust feedforward-feedback controller is proposed for wide-range operations of nuclear reactors. This control structure provides (a) optimized performance over a wide operating range resulting f...
Compact Modeling of BTI for Circuit Reliability Analysis

The aging process due to Bias Temperature Instability (BTI) is a key limiting factor of circuit lifetime in contemporary CMOS design. Threshold voltage shift induced by BTI is a strong function of stress voltage and temperature. Furthermore, BTI consists of both stress and recovery phases, depending on the dynamic stress conditions. This behavior poses a unique challenge for long-term aging prediction for a wide range of stress patterns encountered in today’s circuits. Traditional approaches usually resort to an average, constant stress waveform to simplify the lifetime prediction. They are efficient, but fail to capture the reality of circuit operation, especially under Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) or in analog/mixed signal designs where the stress waveform is much more random. In this chapter, we present a suite of modeling solutions that enable aging simulation under all dynamic stress conditions. The key innovation of this chapter is to develop compact models of BTI when the stress voltage is varying. The results cover the underlying physics of two leading mechanisms, Reaction–Diffusion (R–D) and Trapping/Detrapping (T–D). Moreover, silicon validation of these models is performed at 45 and 65 nm technology nodes, at both device and circuit levels. Leveraging the newly developed BTI models under DVS and random input waveforms, efficient aging simulation is demonstrated in representative digital and analog circuits. Our proposed work provides a general and comprehensive solution to circuit aging analysis under random stress patterns.
Abstract IA44: Disparate exposures of Native Americans to metal mixtures in abandoned mine waste in the West: Implications for cancer risk

More than 160,000 abandoned hard rock mines are located in the Western United States that is home to the majority of Native American lands. These mines are estimated to result in more than 500,000 discrete contamination sources. More than 600,000 Native Americans live within 10 kilometers of these mines, which are known to have contaminated at least 40% of the headwaters of western U.S. watersheds. Abandoned gold mines and uranium mines dominate the inventory in proximity to tribal lands, with more than 4,000 abandoned uranium mines associated with more than 10,000 individual waste sites. The proximity of Native populations to these sources, and their greater reliance on local resources, creates a pattern of greater than anticipated exposures to the waste through multiple pathways including ingestion of unregulated drinking water, plant and animal products raised in contaminated soils, inhalation of windblown dusts containing waste metals, and direct contact with indoor dusts. Native communities have greatly reduced access to regulated drinking water sources, creating a reliance on unregulated sources potentially contaminated by waste. These waste sites all include a combination of heavy metals geologically collocated with the primary metal of concern, and often are combined with chemicals used in the extraction process. Data compiled by Indian Health Services illustrate significant health disparities within these communities, including a shorter life expectancy and double the mortality rate for those under 44 years of age. Cancer mortality rates for the Native American population increased over the 20-year period from 1990-2009, a period during which rates for the White population have decreased. Exposure to metals such as cadmium and arsenic has been directly linked to cancer mortality in Native populations, and epidemiologic data from one community proximal to an abandoned uranium mill report 4 of every 10 residents have died of cancer. Recent work in our laboratories has shown inhibition of DNA repair as well as dysregulation of immune function to be associated with exposures to these metal mixtures, providing possible pathways underlying increased cancer risk. Disparities do not end with exposures, but continue as patients seek care. With the closest treatment options often hundreds of miles away over extremely rough roads, using gasoline significantly more expensive than in many urban areas, the impact of increased risk continues to manifest throughout diagnosis and treatment. Citation Format: Johnnye Lewis. Disparate exposures of Native Americans to metal mixtures in abandoned mine waste in the West: Implications for cancer risk [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr IA44.
Restrictions on the Usage of Spatial Frames of Reference in Location and Orientation Descriptions: Evidence from Three Australian Languages

Spatial Frames of Reference (FoR) have been discussed from different angles including cross-linguistic variety, detailed individual language descriptions, considering the impact of landscape and co...
Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy in Infants and Children: A Population-Based Study.

Abstract Background Although the safety and benefits of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) have been clearly demonstrated in the adult population, studies evaluating the safety and describing the use of NPWT in the pediatric population have been limited. Given this paucity, the goals of this study were to (1) evaluate the literature dedicated to NPWT use in infants and children and (2) leverage a population-level analysis to describe the experience of NPWT use in the pediatric population. Materials and methods We performed a literature review and analyzed the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims Databases from 2006 to 2014 to identify infants and children treated with NPWT. We evaluated patient characteristics, indications, complications before and after NPWT placement, and health care utilization within 30 d of NPWT placement. Results We identified 457 articles, 11 of which fit our inclusion criteria. Most studies (65.2%) were case reports or series with less than 10 patients. In addition, we identified 3184 patients aged younger than of 18 y who were treated with NPWT between 2006 and 2014. Serious incident complications within 30 d after NPWT placement were rare (bleeding 0.6%, septicemia 0.5%, and sepsis 0.5%). Conclusions Despite the lack of robust studies, NPWT is widely used for many indications and across different ages and providers. Given the low incidence of serious complications, we conclude that NPWT use in infants and children is safe and can be effectively used by different providers spanning surgical and nonsurgical disciplines.
Previous Adverse Outcome of Term Pregnancy and Risk of Preterm Birth in Subsequent Pregnancy.

Objective Evaluate risk of preterm birth (PTB, < 37 completed weeks’ gestation) among a population of women in their second pregnancy with previous full term birth but other adverse pregnancy outcome. Methods The sample included singleton live born infants between 2007 and 2012 in a birth cohort file maintained by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The sample was restricted to women with two pregnancies resulting in live born infants and first birth between 39 and 42 weeks’ gestation. Logistic regression was used to calculate the risk of PTB in the second birth for women with previous adverse pregnancy outcome including: small for gestational age (SGA) infant, preeclampsia, placental abruption, or neonatal death (≤ 28 days). Risks were adjusted for maternal factors recorded for second birth. Results The sample included 133,622 women. Of the women with any previous adverse outcome, 4.7% had a PTB while just 3.0% of the women without a previous adverse outcome delivered early (relative risk adjusted for maternal factors known at delivery 1.4, 95% CI 1.3–1.5). History of an SGA infant, placental abruption, or neonatal death increased the adjusted risk of PTB in their second birth by 1.5–3.7-fold. History of preeclampsia did not elevate the risk of a preterm birth in the subsequent birth. Conclusions for Practice The findings indicate that women with previous SGA infant, placental abruption, or neonatal death, despite a term delivery, may be at increased risk of PTB in the subsequent birth. These women may be appropriate participates for future interventions aimed at reduction in PTB.
Tuning the interfacial and energetic interactions between a photoexcited conjugated polymer and open-shell small molecules

Design rules and application spaces for closed-shell conjugated polymers have been well established in the field of organic electronics, but the emerging class of open-shell stable radicals has not been evaluated in such detail. Thus, establishing the underlying physical phenomena associated with the interactions between both classes of molecules is imperative for the effective utilization of these soft materials. Here, we establish that Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is the dominant mechanism by which energy transfer occurs from a common conjugated polymer to various radical species using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. Specifically, we determined this fact by monitoring the fluorescence quenching of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in the presence of three radical species: (1) the galvinoxyl; (2) the 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-3-oxide-1-oxyl (PTIO); and (3) the 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) radicals. Both in solution and in the solid-state, the galvinoxyl and PTIO radicals showed quenching that was on par with that of a common fullerene electron-accepting derivative, due to the considerable overlap of their absorbance spectrum with the fluorescence spectrum of the P3HT species, which indicated that isoenergetic electronic transitions existed for both species. Conversely, TEMPO showed minimal quenching at similar concentrations due to the lack of such an overlap. Furthermore, computational studies demonstrated that FRET would occur at a significantly faster rate than other competing processes. These findings suggest that long-range energy transfer can be accomplished in applications when radicals that can act as FRET acceptors are utilized, forming a new design paradigm for future applications involving both closed- and open-shell soft materials.
Elastomer Composites with a Tailored Interface Networktoward Tunable Piezoresistivity: Effect of Elastomer Particle Size

Wearable strain sensors have significant potential applications for the development of the Internet of Things. As such, sensors based on conductive elastomer composites (CECs) for various sensing a...
Cultural Archipelagos and Immigrants’ Experiences:

In his essay in this issue of City & Community, Amin Ghaziani describes cultural archipelagos as providing a “conceptual framework” to explain “the unexpected emergence of new clusters for specific...
Transfer learning for diagnosis of congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract in children based on ultrasound imaging data

Classification of ultrasound (US) kidney images for diagnosis of congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) in children is a challenging task. It is desirable to improve existing pattern classification models that are built upon conventional image features. In this study, we propose a transfer learning-based method to extract imaging features from US kidney images in order to improve the CAKUT diagnosis in children. Particularly, a pre-trained deep learning model (imagenet-caffe-alex) is adopted for transfer learning-based feature extraction from 3-channel feature maps computed from US images, including original images, gradient features, and distanced transform features. Support vector machine classifiers are then built upon different sets of features, including the transfer learning features, conventional imaging features, and their combination. Experimental results have demonstrated that the combination of transfer learning features and conventional imaging features yielded the best classification performance for distinguishing CAKUT patients from normal controls based on their US kidney images.
Occupational Licensing Effects on Firm Location and Employment

Occupational licensing is the mechanism in which a government body imposes minimum requirements to work within a specific job classification. These requirements often include some combination of education credits, experience hours, mandatory fees, and examinations. The costs to firms of paying to license employees can be a substantial consideration when they are making location and hiring decisions since the licensure requirements are often determined at the state level. Using firm-level data, I analyze how these occupational licensing expenses affect firms by determining how differences in those expenses across state borders affect the likelihood of firms locating on a particular side of a border. I find that firms are less likely to locate in an expensive state if a substantially cheaper state is a short distance away. I also utilize a geographic regression discontinuity design and find that the more expensive side of a state border has approximately 2.3 fewer employees on average.
Preoperative Depression Is Associated With Increased Risk Following Revision Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background The incidence of revision total hip (rTHA) and knee (rTKA) arthroplasty continues to increase. Preoperative depression is known to influence outcomes following primary arthroplasty. Despite this, it remains unknown whether the same relationship exists for patients undergoing revision procedures. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to investigate this relationship. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study. Patients undergoing rTHA and rTKA were identified from the Truven MarketScan database. Patients with a diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection were excluded. Two cohorts were created: those with preoperative depression and those without. We included patients who were enrolled in the database for 1 year preoperatively and postoperatively. Demographic and complication data were collected, and statistical analysis was then performed comparing complications between cohorts. Results A total of 10,017 patients undergoing rTHA and 13,973 patients undergoing rTKA were included in this study. Of these, 1305 (13.1%) and 2012 (14.4%) had depression, respectively. Multivariate analysis found that, after rTHA, preoperative depression was associated with extended length of stay, nonhome discharge, 90-day readmission, 90-day emergency department visit, prosthetic joint infection, revision surgery, and increased costs (P Conclusion Depression before revision total joint arthroplasty is common and is associated with increased risk of complication and increased healthcare resource utilization following both rTHA and rTKA. Further research will be needed to delineate to what degree this represents a modifiable risk factor.
A family of contact-dependent nuclease effectors contain an exchangeable, species-identifying domain

In mixed-species communities, bacteria can deploy contact-dependent effectors to compete with other organisms, often directly injecting these proteins into neighboring cells. One current hypothesis is that the entire protein contains information specific for a single species; emergence of new effectors comes from acquiring genes. Here we characterize a family of DNA-degrading effectors that are nucleases which cause death. Like other families of chimeric nucleases, these effector toxins contain two domains. One is a PD-(D/E)XK-containing domain necessary for DNA cleavage. The other domain, which does not contain known DNA-binding structures encodes species-identifying information. By expanding current metagenomics methods, we capitalized on the species-identifying domain to differentiate among low-abundance species, as well as to reveal domain architectures within these proteins, in human gut and oral microbiomes. Emerging are questions about how low-abundance strains use toxins for survival and how strain-identifying toxins evolve.