cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simple and Fast Interval Assignment Using Nonlinear and Piecewise Linear Objectives

Interval Assignment (IA) is the problem of assigning an integer number of mesh edges, intervals, to each curve so that the assigned value is close to the goal value, and all containing surfaces and volumes may be meshed independently and compatibly. Sum-even constraints are modeled by an integer variable with no goal. My new method NLIA solves IA more quickly than the prior lexicographic min-max approach. A problem with one thousand faces and ten thousand curves can be solved in one second. I still achieve good compromises when the assigned intervals must deviate a large amount from their goals. The constraints are the same as in prior approaches, but I define a new objective function, the sum of cubes of the weighted deviations from the goals. I solve the relaxed (non-integer) problem with this cubic objective. I adaptively bend the objective into a piecewise linear function, which has a nearby mostly-integer optimum. I randomize and rescale weights. For variables stuck at non-integer values, I tilt their objective. As a last resort, I introduce wave-like nonlinear constraints to force integrality. In short, I relax, bend, tilt, and wave.
Drug mules: women in the international cocaine trade

Drug economies have been historically described as gender-stratified labor markets that are dominated by men. When women are involved in drug trafficking they are believed to be unidimensional acto...
Diversity of human antibodies to TRIC agents (chlamydiae) detected by different serologic procedures.

SummaryThe serum antibody response in volunteers experimentally infected with 1 of 2 inclusion conjunctivitis strains (IC Cal 3 or IC Cal 8) was studied by the complement fixation (C'F) and indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) methods. In some sera the C'F-reactive antibodies were detected 1–2 weeks earlier than the IFA-reactive antibodies and peak titers, by either test, were attained about 4 weeks after infection.
Pheromone Trapping System for the Velvetbean Caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

A system was developed for monitoring adult populations of the velvetbean caterpillar (VBC), Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner, using pheromone-baited traps. A bucket-style trap that contained a small piece of insecticide strip to kill captured moths was the most effective of two trap designs evaluated. Bucket traps baited with rubber septa lures and impregnated with a total of 0.5 mg VBC pheromone [a 40:60 blend of (Z, Z, Z)-3,6,9-eicosatriene and (Z, Z, Z)-3,6,9-heneicosatriene] were most effective when positioned just above the canopy of the soybean crop. There was a positive relationship between quantity of pheromone loaded on rubber septa dispensers (range, 0.02–0.5 mg each) and number of male VBC moths captured in bucket traps; peak moth captures were recorded at the 0.5-mg load. Conversely, the number of VBC caught in traps baited with pheromone dosages ranging from 0.5 to 10 mg pheromone per septum declined rapidly from the optimum dosage (0.5 mg). Decline in moth captures at the higher dosage levels apparently was due to too high a release rate of one or both of the pheromone components. A method also is described for rapidly estimating moth captures in bucket traps.
Application of INTEGRATION to Develop Alternative Routes for Olympic Green Lane's Emergency

The paper develops a platform for evaluating alternative routes of Olympic Green Lanes(OGL) based on INTEGRATION.Using traffic accidents on OGLs in the road network surounding the Olympic Park in a case study,it analyzes the effects of whether hav-ing alternative routes on the traffic operations,by adopting the travel time and travel time reliability as the evaluation measures.
Serum lipids in children with phenylketonuria (PKU).

In this study, the effect of excess phenylalanine on lipid metabolism of PKU children was investigated.
An Approach to Interference Detection for Ultra Wideband Radio Systems

This paper presents an interference detection technique based on analog spectral decomposition for a multi-band Ultra Wideband (UWB) radio system. The architecture utilizes a cascade of image-rejecting single-sideband mixers with fixed LO frequencies. The proposed technique can rapidly detect portions of the spectrum with the largest interference levels and provide information to avoid transmission and reception in those bands. This information can be used to relax the dynamic range of the receiver and reduce the potential for interference-related signal degradation.
Strain-mediated 180° switching in CoFeB and Terfenol-D nanodots with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

A micromagnetic and elastodynamic finite element model is used to compare the 180° out-of-plane magnetic switching behavior of CoFeB and Terfenol-D nanodots with perpendicular magnetic easy axes. The systems simulated here consist of 50 nm diameter nanodots on top of a 100 nm-thick PZT (Pby[ZrxTi1-x]O3) thin film, which is attached to a Si substrate. This allows voltage pulses to induce strain-mediated magnetic switching in a magnetic field free environment. Coherent and incoherent switching behaviors are observed in both CoFeB and Terfenol nanodots, with incoherent flipping associated with larger or faster applied switching voltages. The energy to flip a Terfenol-D memory element is an ultralow 22 aJ, which is 3–4 orders more efficient than spin-transfer-torque. Consecutive switching is also demonstrated by applying sequential 2.8 V voltage pulses to a CoFeB nanodot system with switching times as low as 0.2 ns.
Absorption spectroscopy based on polarization-multiplexed dual-frequency femtosecond fiber laser combs

Coherent duel-frequency optical combs are generated using common-cavity approach based on polarization-multiplexing in an all-PM fiber laser configuration. We demonstrate the application of these optical combs in spectroscopy without the need of active phase synchronization.
Earl Warren's Last Civics Lesson: Powell V. McCormack

The legal opinions of Earl Warren were not such as to see the development of a well-grounded constitutional theory clearly established over the course of a judicial career. Typically, they present the basic facts of a case, usually within an ethical, rather than a legal, framework. 1 Warren's last opinion delivered on the Court, Powell v. McCormack, 2 can in that sense be viewed as an archetype opinion.
Branding the American Girl: The Making of Cultural Icons

American Girl brand dolls and narratives are a major part of the play landscape for millions of girls in the United States. Zaslow introduces readers to the world of American Girl and lays a solid foundation needed to analyze the brand’s representation of gender, race, ethnicity, and American identity. The text delves into the life and career of the company’s founder, Pleasant Rowland, and the serendipitous circumstances that lead her on the path to creating the dolls that would change the toy industry on a grand scale. From the development of the company’s line of historic dolls, their controversial partnerships, and their constant adaptation, the impact of American Girl is undeniable.
High power, high repetition rate, fast capacitor charging circuit

High power, high repetition rate capacitor charging circuit is presented. The circuit uses four SiC MOSFET switches in parallel in a modified boost converter configuration. Switching losses, already reduced due to the fast switching characteristics of the SiC devices are further mitigated by an auxiliary switch enforcing zero voltage turn-on of the main switches. The charging circuit is expected to enable a nanosecond range high-voltage pulse generator to operate at 100kHz repetition rate. The optimum number of main switches is determined by the available liquid cooling area of the SiC device packages and resulting power density for an acceptable junction temperature rise of approximately 85°C.
SOIL CATENAS, TROPICAL DEFORESTATION, AND ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY SOIL EROSION IN THE PETéN, GUATEMALA

The Petexbatun region of Guatemala's Peten tropical forest lowlands has been largely deforested since the early 1980s as landless peasants have turned even national parks into milpas. The soils of these tropical forest, karst landscapes are known mainly from small-scale maps and archaeological investigations. This paper investigates soil catenas and natural slope processes from the region's last virgin tropical forests and compares these with catenas and processes on slashed and burned slopes. Soils were sampled and analyzed for physical, fertility, and taxonomic measures. This primary forest toposequence forms a typical downward translocation catena, with the thickest soils (>200 cm) in depressions, the thinnest soils on shoulder slopes, and moderately thin soils on the crests and backslopes. Most crest and sloping soils are Lithic Rendolls and contain simple O-A-C horizon sequences, and most soils have little sign of either eluviation or illuviation. A few deeper soils on the slopes are Vertic Rendolls ...
Why Hydrogels Don't Dribble Water.

Hydrogels contain ample amounts of water, with the water-to-solid ratio sometimes reaching tens of thousands of times. How can so much water remain securely lodged within the gel? New findings imply a simple mechanism. Next to hydrophilic surfaces, water transitions into an extensive gel-like phase in which molecules become ordered. This “fourth phase” of water sticks securely to the solid gel matrix, ensuring that the water does not leak out.
Low-Density Lithic Scatter Sites and the Distribution of Toolstone on Santa Rosa Island, Alta California

Recent surveys on California’s northern Channel Islands have highlighted the ubiquity of small, low-density lithic scatters across coastal terraces and interior ridgelines. These sites typically la...
On the role of flow transition in laminar separation flutter

Abstract This work explores self-sustained pitching oscillations of a NACA0012 airfoil operating at low-to-moderate Reynolds numbers in which the aerodynamic flow is in a transitional regime. One-degree of freedom (DOF) pitching oscillations were explored over a range of Reynolds numbers ( 7 . 7 × 1 0 4 Re c ≤ 2 . 0 × 1 0 5 ) using high-order implicit large-eddy simulation coupled with structural dynamics. Limit-cycle oscillation is observed at all Reynolds numbers tested but requires a disturbance to initiate at the highest flow speeds identifying a bifurcation in possible solution states. In all cases, aerodynamic loading is dominated by primarily two features. Negative aerodynamic damping is largely provided by suction beneath a separation bubble located behind the elastic axis. This feature induces a moment that reinforces the pitch-rate at small angles of incidence and is directly influenced by flow transition at different Reynolds numbers. Open trailing edge separation on the opposite surface transitions and reattaches immediately preceding the largest angles of incidence. This process imparts a spike in the pitching moment that opposes the pitch-rate and briefly damps oscillations. Transition of the detached shear layer occurs at smaller angles of incidence as Reynolds number is increased, attenuating oscillation amplitude as Reynolds number is increased.
Brain Responses Underlying Anthropomorphism, Agency, and Social Attribution in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others, is frequently impaired in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and may result from altered activation of social brain regions. Conversely, Typically Developing (TD) individuals overextend ToM and show a strong tendency to anthropomorphize and interpret biological motion in the environment. Less is known about how the degree of anthropomorphism influences intentional attribution and engagement of the social brain in ASD. Objective This fMRI study examines the extent of anthropomorphism, its role in social attribution, and the underlying neural responses in ASD and TD using a series of human stick figures and geometrical shapes. Methods 14 ASD and 14 TD adults watched videos of stick figures and triangles interacting in random or socially meaningful ways while in an fMRI scanner. In addition, they completed out-of-scanner measures of ToM skill and real-world social deficits. Whole brain statistical analysis was performed for regression and within and between group comparisons of all conditions using SPM12's implementation of the general linear model. Results ToM network regions were activated in response to social movement and human-like characters in ASD and TD. In addition, greater ToM ability was associated with increased TPJ and MPFC activity while watching stick figures; whereas more severe social symptoms were associated with reduced right TPJ activation in response to social movement. Conclusion These results suggest that degree of anthropomorphism does not differentially affect social attribution in ASD and highlights the importance of TPJ in ToM and social attribution.
Obesity risk factors ranking using multi-task learning

Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death in the United States (U.S.). Risk factor analysis is a pro­cess to identify and understand the risk factors contributing to a particular disease, and is an imperative component in the de­velopment of efficient and effective prevention and intervention efforts. Most existing methods usually aim to build a one-size-fits-all model to identify the risk factors at the population-level. However, this type of methods does not take into consideration of heterogeneity in the population. To overcome this limitation, we formulate the subpopulation specific obesity risk factors ranking problem, under the framework of multi-task learning (MTL), to identify a ranked list of obesity risk factors for each subpopulation (task) simultaneously with utilizing appropriate shared information across tasks. By synchronously learning multiple related tasks, MTL provides a paradigm to rank risk factors both at the subpopulation and population-levels.
Shining a Light on Olfactory Circuits

How is odor information organized in the brain? In this issue of Neuron, Jeanne et al. (2018) pair optogenetics with electrophysiology to map functional connections between two olfactory brain regions. They suggest that lateral horn neurons encode "odor scenes" to represent biologically relevant odor environments.
The Dynamics of Intrinsic Motivation: A Study of Adolescents

Almost 700 years ago, William of Ockham proposed his famous rule that “entities should not be increased without necessity,” thereafter known as “Ockham’s razor”. During the heyday of behavioral psychology a generation ago, it was thought that “motivation” was one of those unnecessary entities that could be deleted from scientific vocabulary. If behavior was partly a direct function of some genetic programming and partly of some stimulus-response learning, then motivation was indeed a superfluous concept.
THE NIKODYM-HAHN-VITALE-SAKS THEOREM FOR STATES ON A QUANTUM LOGIC

Publisher Summary Nikodym–Hahn–Vitale–Saks theorem is one of the most important theorems in commutative measure theory. The noncommutative measure theoretic version states that the proposition-wise limit of a sequence of signed states on quantum logic is a signed state. Unfortunately, the technique used to generate a metric in the classical situation fails on quantum logic because the logic is, in general, non-distributive. In order to obtain Baire category theorem, this chapter reviews a well-known proposition characterizing the weakly compact sets of the Banach space. This approach eliminates the use of the Baire category theorem. These basic ideas were known in the early twenties but are rarely presented in present day versions of measure theory.
Response of Non–Dicamba-Resistant Soybean to Dicamba As Influenced by Growth Stage and Herbicide Rate

Introduction of the Roundup Ready® Xtend system (Monsanto Co., St. Louis, MO) provides an alternative weed management option for growers, but of concern is the risk of dicamba injury to sensitive crops, particularly soybean from off-target movement and tank contamination. Experiments were conducted to determine the response of soybean to low rates of dicamba over a wide range of application timings. Two glufosinate-resistant varieties (HBK 4950LL–indeterminate and HALO 5.45LL–determinate) commonly grown in Arkansas were chosen for these studies. Two rates of dicamba, 2.18 and 8.75 g ae ha-1 (1/256 × and 1/ 64 × of the POST labeled rate for dicamba-resistant soybean), were applied at two vegetative (V4, V6) and six reproductive (R1 to R6) growth stages. Compared to the nontreated control, dicamba applied during late vegetative and early reproductive growth of soybean caused leaf injury, plant height reduction, and seed yield loss for both soybean cultivars. Averaged across dicamba rates applied at R1, soybean seed yield was reduced 14% for the HBK 4950LL cultivar and 19% for the HALO 5.45LL cultivar. Averaged over rates, dicamba applied at R1 to the HALO 5.45LL and HBK 4950LL soybean resulted in 48% and 43% visible injury 4 wk after treatment, respectively. Grain yield was similar to that of the nontreated control when dicamba was applied at the later reproductive stages averaged across rates.Nomenclature: Glufosinate; dicamba; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr
Robustness-to-Noise Analysis of A Secure High Capacity Full-gray-scale-Image Information Hiding Via A New DCT-Moments-Based Scheme

In recent years, attacks by hackers against digital images traveling in the internet have risen drastically. Noise is one of the most popular and effective attacks against digital images and signals, in general. In this paper, unlike the old classical watermarking way of embedding moments into moments, we introduce a new scheme that allows hiding moments of a hidden image into intensities of a carrier image. This new scheme proves to be very resilient and effective against unpredicted noise, up to a certain level, applied by a foreign source. In this proposed scheme, we embed DCT moments of a hidden and watermark gray level images into the intensities of an arbitrary carrier image of the same size as of the hidden and watermark. A random noise, with different noise levels, is applied to the produced watermarked image to analyze its effect on the extracted hidden image. To have a better feel of the new scheme robustness to noise, we compare it to a classical watermark scheme that is based on hiding DCT moments of the hidden image into DCT moments of the carrier. As we show here, the new scheme enables to recover a highly accurate hidden image compared to the classical scheme, where most of the data is damaged or lost. We also analyze the effect of the block size on the accuracy of the hidden extracted information in the presence of noise. We show how a resulting optimum block size of 16×16 is found to work well for a large variety of images.
Positive Illusory Bias Still Illusory? Investigating Discrepant Self-Perceptions in Girls with ADHD.

Objective To examine whether girls with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demonstrate positive illusory self-perceptions during adolescence and young adulthood. Methods We tested, across a 5-year longitudinal span, whether self-perceptions versus external-source ratings were more strongly predictive of young adulthood impairment and depressive symptoms. Participants included an ethnically diverse sample of 140 girls with ADHD and 88 comparison girls, aged 11-18 years (M = 14.2) at adolescent and 19-24 years (M = 19.6) at young adult assessment. Results Although girls with ADHD rated themselves more positively than indicated by external ratings, their self-reports still did not differ significantly from external ratings in both scholastic competence and social adjustment domains. Comparison girls, on the other hand, rated themselves significantly less positively than indicated by external ratings in social adjustment. Positive discrepancy scores in adolescence did not significantly predict depressive symptoms in young adulthood and vice versa. Crucially, measures of actual competence in adolescence were more strongly associated with young adulthood impairments than were inaccurate self-perceptions for girls with ADHD. Conclusions Our findings continue to challenge the existence of a positive illusory bias among girls with ADHD, including any association of such bias with key indicators of impairment.
Low-Gradient Severe Mitral Stenosis: Hemodynamic Profiles, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes.

Background Optimal management of patients with severe mitral stenosis (MS) and low transmitral gradient is incompletely understood. Methods and Results We examined 101 consecutive patients with sev...
Keyhole threshold and morphology in laser melting revealed by ultrahigh-speed x-ray imaging

We used ultrahigh-speed synchrotron x-ray imaging to quantify the phenomenon of vapor depressions (also known as keyholes) during laser melting of metals as practiced in additive manufacturing. Although expected from welding and inferred from postmortem cross sections of fusion zones, the direct visualization of the keyhole morphology and dynamics with high-energy x-rays shows that (i) keyholes are present across the range of power and scanning velocity used in laser powder bed fusion; (ii) there is a well-defined threshold from conduction mode to keyhole based on laser power density; and (iii) the transition follows the sequence of vaporization, depression of the liquid surface, instability, and then deep keyhole formation. These and other aspects provide a physical basis for three-dimensional printing in laser powder bed machines.
NP29 The Family Check-Up 4 Health: A Health Maintenance Approach to Improve Nutrition and Prevent Early Childhood Obesity

Objective We will test the effectiveness of the Family Check-Up 4 Health (FCU4Health) intervention in a type I hybrid trial to simultaneously evaluate clinical effectiveness and the implementation process. Description FCU4Health is an adaptation of the Family Check-Up (FCU), an evidence-based family-centered intervention. The program targets parenting behaviors to improve child nutrition and other family health routines. It includes a brief initial interview, an assessment of the child and family, and a feedback and motivation session for all families, followed by family support intervention(s) that are individually-tailored in content and dosage based on needs identified in the assessment. Family support sessions are derived from Everyday Parenting, a 12-module skills-based curriculum focusing on relationship quality, positive behavior support, and monitoring and limit setting. FCU4Health has been tested in a randomized hybrid II trial conducted in partnership with three primary care clinics to address obesity for patients 6-12 years old with elevated BMI (≥ 85th percentile). The current study focuses on obesity prevention by improving childhood nutrition among 2-5-year-olds. Specifically, we will deliver the FCU4Health three times (annually) to diverse, low-income families. Each year, families will complete a comprehensive assessment, parent training modules that address their specific parenting needs, and referrals to community resources to address contextual needs (e.g., food insecurity). Evaluation We will conduct a type I hybrid effectiveness and implementation trial of FCU4Health in a population of predominantly low-income and Latino families. Families will be recruited from an integrated behavioral health and primary care clinic, preschool, and a family resource center and randomized to the intervention (n = 130) or usual care (n = 70). Multiple implementation outcomes, including acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, and reach will be assessed and the economic impact of FCU4Health will be evaluated. Conclusion and Implications The FCU4Health is unique in its approach to improving pediatric nutrition through a focus on parenting. It is also one of the first parenting interventions to be delivered in primary care.
Dynamic measurement of crack-tip opening displacement

Crack opening displacements were measured at two positions very close to the tip of a crack in three-point bend specimens that were loaded explosively. Indentations were placed across the fatigue precrack at locations 100μm and 200 μm behind the tip. These indentations, when illuminated with a laser, generate fringe patterns in space, and the motion of these fringes is proportional to the displacement between them. The fringe motion was monitored with photomultiplier tubes and an oscilloscope and converted to crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD). Explosive loading of the specimens generated stress-intensity factors increasing at a rate of 3 x 10 6 MPa m 1 / 2 /s. A soft tool steel was used as a prototype material for this technique development because its material response is similar to the tough materials that are to be studied in the future. Both CTOD and crack-tip opening angle were measured in a search for an appropriate measure of resistance to dynamic fracture. Quasi-static tests were also conducted using the same measurement techniques plus a clip gage. A dynamic critical stress-intensity factor (not plane strain) was determined using a slope reduction procedure based on the static tests. The results show little change in dynamic fracture toughness for this material with increasing loading rate. The experimental techniques show promise for further dynamic studies.
Computer support interactions: verifying a process model of problem trajectory in an information technology support environment

Observations in the information technology (IT) support environment and generalizations from the literature regarding problem resolution behavior indicate that computer support staff seldom store reusable solution information effectively for IT problems. A comprehensive model of the processes encompassing problem arrival and assessment, expertise selection, problem resolution, and solution recording has not been available to facilitate research in this domain. This investigation employed the findings from a qualitative pilot study of IT support staff information behaviors to develop and explicate a detailed model of problem trajectory. Based on a model from clinical studies, this model encompassed a trajectory scheme that included the communication media, characteristics of the problem, decision points in the problem resolution process, and knowledge creation in the form of solution storage. The research design included the administration of an extensive scenario-based online survey to a purposive sample of IT support staff at a medium-sized state-supported university, with additional respondents from online communities of IT support managers and call-tracking software developers. The investigator analyzed 109 completed surveys and conducted email interviews of a stratified nonrandom sample of survey respondents to evaluate the suitability of the model. The investigation employed mixed methods including descriptive statistics, effects size analysis, and content analysis to interpret the results and verify the sufficiency of the problem trajectory model. The study found that expertise selection relied on the factors of credibility, responsibility, and responsiveness. Respondents referred severe new problems for resolution and recorded formal solutions more often than other types of problems, whereas they retained moderate recurring problems for resolution and seldom recorded those solutions. Work experience above and below the 5-year mark affected decisions to retain, refer, or defer problems, as well as solution storage and broadcasting behaviors. The veracity of the problem trajectory model was verified and it was found to be an appropriate tool and explanatory device for research in the IT domain.
Onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in rural areas of the USA

Background In the USA, the epidemiologic features of type 1 diabetes are not well-defined across all 50 states. However, the advent of large nationwide insurance databases enables the investigation of where type 1 diabetes cases occur throughout the country. Methods An integrated database from a large nationwide health insurer in the USA (Clinformatics Data Mart Database) was used, from 2001 to 2017. The database contained longitudinal information on approximately 77 million people. Results The incidence of type 1 diabetes was greatest in areas of low population density across the 50 states. Individuals in the lowest population density areas had rates that were 2.28 times (95% CI 2.08 to 2.50) that of persons living in high-density areas. This association was consistent across various measures of rural status (p Conclusions The predilection of type 1 diabetes in rural areas provides clues to potential factors associated with the onset of this autoimmune disease.
eAP: A Scalable and Efficient In-Memory Accelerator for Automata Processing

Accelerating finite automata processing benefits regular-expression workloads and a wide range of other applications that do not map obviously to regular expressions, including pattern mining, bioinformatics, and machine learning. Existing in-memory automata processing accelerators suffer from inefficient routing architectures. They are either incapable of efficiently place-and-route a highly connected automaton or require an excessive amount of hardware resources. In this paper, first, we propose a compact, low-overhead, and yet flexible interconnect architecture that efficiently implements routing for next-state activation, and can be applied to the existing in-memory automata processing architectures. Then, we present eAP (embedded Automata Processor), a high-throughput and scalable in-memory automata processing accelerator. Performance benefits of eAP are achieved by (1) exploiting subarray-level parallelism in memory, (2) a compact memory-based interconnect architecture, (3) an optimal pipeline for state matching and state transition, and (4) efficiently mapping to appropriate memory technologies. Overall, eAP achieves 5.1× and 207× better throughput per unit area compared to Cache Automaton and Micron's Automata Processor, respectively, as well as lower power consumption and better scaling.
Value of Combining Patient and Provider Incentives in Humanitarian Health Care Service Programs

The below‐par progress toward the Millennium Development Goals in many developing countries has been attributed to the low availability of good quality health care services and to the demand‐side barriers to access. In this study, we analyze an incentive design problem faced by a budget‐constrained humanitarian organization managing a health care service program (e.g., maternal health or HIV services) with different emphasis on the two measures of quality—structural and process. Incentives offered to the health care provider (referred to as supply‐side incentives) are aimed at improving the availability of good quality services and demand‐side incentives are used to encourage patients to seek care. In many developing country health programs, incentive schemes tend to be purely supply‐side focused or purely demand‐side focused. However, our results suggest that by offering the right combination of incentives to the patients and the provider, program performance can be increased up to 20 times, on average, depending on the service offered. Even within the current practice of using one‐sided incentives, there is significant scope for improvement (as much as 14 times, on average) by ensuring that there is better alignment between the incentive scheme and the service offered. In particular, pure supply‐side incentive schemes perform better than pure demand‐side incentive schemes in programs where there is a higher emphasis on structural quality. The opposite result holds true for programs that place a higher emphasis on process quality.
Posting Sexually Explicit Images or Videos of Oneself Online Is Associated With Impulsivity and Hypersexuality but Not Measures of Psychopathology in a Sample of US Veterans.

Abstract Introduction Sending sexually explicit text messages (“sexting”) is prevalent among US adults; however, the mental health correlates of this behavior among adults have not been studied adequately. Furthermore, there are few studies examining the related but distinct behavior of posting sexually explicit photos or videos of oneself online (posting sexual images [PSI]) and the mental health correlates of this behavior. Aim To examine associations between sexting, PSI, impulsivity, hypersexuality, and measures of psychopathology. Methods Using a national convenience sample of 283 US post-deployment, post-9/11 military veterans, we evaluated the prevalence of 2 behaviors: sexting and PSI and the associations of these behaviors with psychopathology, suicidal ideation, sexual behaviors, hypersexuality, sexually transmitted infections, trauma history, and measures of impulsivity. Main Outcome Measure Measures of psychopathology including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, substance dependence, hypersexuality, and suicidal ideation, as well as measures of impulsivity, sexual behavior, and trauma. Results Sexting was found to be common among post-9/11 veterans (68.9%). A smaller number of veterans engaged in PSI (16.3%). PSI veterans were more likely to be younger, male, less educated, and unemployed. After adjusting for covariates, no associations were detected between PSI or sexting and the examined measures of psychopathology. However, PSI was associated with higher levels of impulsivity and hypersexuality, whereas sexting was not associated with these measures. Clinical Implications Results from this study suggest that not all digital sexual behaviors are associated with psychopathology. However, PSI was associated with hypersexuality and impulsivity. Those who engage with PSI may benefit from guidance on how to manage their impulsivity to prevent ego-dystonic sexual behaviors. Strengths & Limitations The strengths of this study include differentiating PSI from sexting broadly, highlighting that digital sexual behaviors are heterogeneous. Limitations include the study's cross-sectional design, which limits causal interpretations. More research is also needed in civilian populations. Conclusion PSI was less prevalent than sexting in our sample. This behavior was associated with impulsivity and hypersexuality but not with elevated levels of psychopathology. Sexting was not associated with any of these measures. Turban JL, Shirk SD, Potenza MN, et al. Posting Sexually Explicit Images or Videos of Oneself Online Is Associated with Impulsivity and Hypersexuality but Not Measures of Psychopathology in a Sample of US Veterans. J Sex Med 2020;17:163–167.
Computed Tomography-Based Modeling of Water Vapor-Induced Changes in Permittivity During Microwave Ablation

Objective: Measurements of tissue permittivity with small open-ended coaxial probes during microwave tissue heating have been plagued by high variability as tissue water becomes vaporized. Analysis of such variability has been hampered by a lack of direct visualization of the measurement volume. The objective of this study was to determine if X-ray computed tomography (CT) could be used to visualize the measurement volume and then predict dielectric permittivity based on the visualized tissue composition. Methods: CT attenuation at 120 kVp was measured at the end of an open-ended coaxial probe during microwave ablation of ex vivo liver (2.45 GHz at 50 W delivered for 5 minutes). Tissue composition was estimated from attenuation maps and used to predict dielectric properties based on established mixture equations. Predicted permittivity was then compared to measured values using error metrics and linear regression. Results: There was a good agreement between measured and modeled permittivity during 5-minute ablations at 2.45 GHz (r = 0.94, p Conclusion and significance: CT-based model predictions of dielectric properties are feasible in ex vivo liver. The models may facilitate real-time imaging-based permittivity mapping.
Delaware RNs' Reasons for Nonparticipation in Continuing Education

A descriptive study determined the reasons for nonparticipation in continuing education (CE) for RNs living in Delaware, where lack of CE results in loss of licensure. Subjects were asked to complete a 40-item Deterrents to Participation Scale with a 13-item demographic questionnaire. The sample (N = 94) identified disengagement as the primary factor for predicting nonparticipation in CE, with the primary reason being they had higher priorities than CE in their lives. Implications for nursing administrators and educators are discussed.
Impact of rapid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing on management of febrile young infants < 90 days of age with aseptic meningitis.

Diagnostic evaluation of febrile young infants is challenging. Empirical antimicrobial treatment is therefore common practice in this setting despite high percentage of causative viral infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of rapid enterovirus cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction (CSF EV PCR) test on hospital length of stay (LOS) and antimicrobial treatment duration in young febrile infants. Retrospective observational study comparing duration of antimicrobial treatment and hospital LOS before (May 1, 2014 - May 30, 2015, untested group) and after (June 1, 2015 - June 30, 2017, tested group) the introduction of rapid CSF EV PCR testing in infants < 90 days of age presenting with fever and CSF pleocytosis at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich. Additionally, the same variables were compared after test introduction between CSF EV PCR positive and negative children. One hundred twenty-eight children were enrolled in the study, 58 before and 70 after the introduction of rapid CSF EV PCR testing. Duration of antimicrobial treatment was significantly shortened in EV positive (n = 42) compared to both EV negative (n = 28) (median 18 h and 48 h, respectively, p < 0.001) and untested patients (n = 58) (median 18 h and 48 h, respectively, p < 0.001), and also in tested compared to untested group patients (median 36 vs 48 h, p < 0.001). Hospital LOS was significantly shortened in EV positive compared to EV negative patients (median 3 days and 4 days respectively, p = 0.013), while an overall reduction was not observed between tested and untested group patients. In this study we demonstrate that antimicrobial treatment duration could be significantly shortened in neonates and young infants < 90 days of age with aseptic meningitis after the introduction of a rapid CSF EV PCR test compared to untested patients before test introduction.
Primary Care Teams: Past, Present and Future.

Evidence is mixed on the effect of value-based payment models on access, quality, and care.[1][1][⇓][2]–[3][3] One reason may be that while a great deal of attention has been paid to redesigning care delivery and payment models, less focus has centered on redesigning the workforce to deliver
A/r/tography as Ritual and Dreaming in Matrixial Borderspace(s)

This chapter introduces a/r/tography as ritual and dreaming with the theory of Bracha Ettinger’s matrixial borderspace(s) to unfold the aesthetical and ethical healing practices of the woman artist. The performance art of Mary Beth Edelson offers a matrixial example of communicaring with the stranger. The chapter closes with an invitation into an arts practice of spontaneous creation-making.
Improving failure sub-models in an orthotropic plasticity-based material model

Theoretical details of two failure criteria implemented in an orthotropic plasticity model are presented. Improvements to the well-known Puck Failure criterion and a recently developed Generalized ...
Autism-Centered Therapy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (ACT4CAS): A Single-Case Experimental Design Study

Purpose A subset of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has speech sound disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). To date, virtually all speech treatment studies consider AS...
A time series forecasting of the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 N501Y lineage in North America

IntroductionThe outbreak of pneumonia known as SARS-COV-2 and newly-emerging South African (B.1.351), the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) and Brazil (P.1) variants have led to a more infectious virus and potentially more substantial loss of neutralizing activity by natural infection or vaccine-elicited antibodies. MethodsWe identified prevalent mutations using the spike receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 deposited in the Nextstrain global database and comparing them to the Wuhan-Hu-1/2019 genomic sequence as a reference. Then we calculated the percentages of mutant genomes from the total regional subsample isolates from December 2019 to the end of January 2021. We developed two separate time series forecasting models for the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant. The computational model used the structure of the S-RBD to examine its interactions with the neutralizing antibody, named CV30 (isolated from a patient), and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE-2), based on a hybrid algorithm of template-based modeling to predict the affinity of S protein to the neutralizing antibodies and hACE-2 receptor. ResultsThe proportion of the B.1.1.7 strain in North America is growing fast. From these computations, it seems that the S-RBD and hACE-2 proteins are less favorable for the South African strain (K417N, E484K, and N501Y) as compared to the wild type structure and more favorable for B.1.1.7 and P.1 variants. In the present of crystallized CV30 neutralizing antibodies, docking scores suggest antibodies can be partially neutralize the B.1.1.7 variant, and, less efficiently, the B.1.351 and P.1 variants. ConclusionThe rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to allow the newly-emerged B.1.351, and P.1 variants to escape from natural or vaccine-induced neutralizing immunity and viral spreading.
Prenuptial rituals in Scotland: Blackening the bride and decorating the hen: By Sheila M. Young. London: Lexington books, 2019. 208 pp. Illus. £65.00 (hbk). ISBN 978-1-7936-0386-9

Sheila Young has undertaken a study of two prenuptial rituals in Scotland, one of which is now peculiar to the north-eastern area and the other now common over the United Kingdom. The blackening ri...
Surface moisture budget of tundra and boreal ecosystems in Alaska: Variations and drivers

Abstract The trajectory of land surface wetness is one of the most consequential unknowns in the Arctic climate system. The present analysis is intended to (1) document seasonal and interannual variations of surface moisture fluxes, (2) clarify the drivers of P-ET variations among Arctic vegetative types, and (3) evaluate the effects of wildfire disturbance on ET. The analysis is based on field measurements from sites in boreal forest and tundra ecosystems of Alaska. The surface moisture budget at boreal forest sites in permafrost areas generally shows a moisture deficit in late spring and early summer, followed by a moisture surplus from late summer into autumn. The annual net P-ET is generally positive but can vary interannually by more than an order of magnitude. The primary drivers of variations in evapotranspiration over weekly to monthly timescales are radiative fluxes, air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. Overall, the ET at forest sites shows a stronger dependence on relative humidity and wind speed, while ET at tundra sites shows the stronger dependence on air temperature. These differences imply that tundra sites are more temperature-limited and forest sites are more humidity-dependent. Relative to a nearby unburned site, a burned forest site in interior Alaska shows an increase in ET for nearly a decade following the fire, while the recovery time for ET at a burned tundra site is only about three years.
La población aborigen de la Amazonía en 1492

En este articulo el autor hace un analisis exhaustivo y detallado de los datos demograficos historicos sobre las poblaciones nativas amazonicas en el momento del contacto y conquista europeos. El analisis se basa en varias consideraciones sobre el potencial ecologico de las diferentes regiones que conforman la gran Amazonia.
Efficacy of a stabilized liquid potassium sorbate preservative to reduce bacterial proliferation in colostrum or tank milk stored by refrigeration or at room temperature

Though critical to calf health and growth, colostrum exposure of dairy calves to infectious agents, potentially resulting in calfhood illness and/or reduced absorption of colostral antibodies. While FDA-approved preservatives such as potassium sorbate may represent 1 approach to reduce bacterial proliferation in stored colostrum or milk, efficacy studies are relatively limited. Objectives of this study were to describe the effect of a stabilized liquid potassium sorbate preservative product (Dam Fresh™, Solution BioSciences, Inc (SBS), Inc. Morristown, NJ) on 1) bacterial proliferation in bovine colostrum and milk when stored by refrigeration and at room temperature, and 2) immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in colostrum. We hypothesized that the preservative would reduce bacterial proliferation in stored milk and colostrum while having no negative effect on colostrum IgG levels.
Discriminative and Generative Transformer-based Models For Situation Entity Classification

We re-examine the situation entity (SE) classification task with varying amounts of available training data. We exploit a Transformer-based variational autoencoder to encode sentences into a lower dimensional latent space, which is used to generate the text and learn a SE classifier. Test set and cross-genre evaluations show that when training data is plentiful, the proposed model can improve over the previous discriminative state-of-the-art models. Our approach performs disproportionately better with smaller amounts of training data, but when faced with extremely small sets (4 instances per label), generative RNN methods outperform transformers. Our work provides guidance for future efforts on SE and semantic prediction tasks, and low-label training regimes.
Subpicosecond UV/IR Absorption Spectroscopy

An apparatus based on subpicosecond pulse amplification in excimer gain modules for simultaneously generating both ultrafast, energetic UV excitation pulses and ultrafast UV/IR probe continua is described. Subpicosecond pulses at both 308 and 248 nm, with energies of several millijoules at each wavelength, are available from this apparatus for purposes of excitation. A simultaneously generated UV probe continuum spans the range ~450 to ~23 5 nm. Both the UV probe continuum and the seed pulses for amplification at 248 nm are produced by focussing the 308-nm pulses into high-pressure gases (Ar and H2, respectively). Ultrafast IR continuum pulses, extending from 2.2–2.7µm, result from focussing the 308-nm pulses into Ba vapor. The IR continuum can be upconverted to the visible for ease of detection. Application of the apparatus is made to the measurement of the \( \tilde{B} \) to A internal conversion rate in DABCO vapor.
Bloch Electrons in Coherent Light: A New Type of Renormalization

In quantum theories which are concerned with the generation and propagation of light in crystals, one generally considers the physical picture in which the elementary single particle excitation is the Bloch electron, whose fundamental characteristics such as energy-momentum relations for different bands, band gaps, effective masses, charge and other coupling coefficients are not affected by the coherence of any field mode. Of course, under intense light excitations, many mobile carriers may be created in crystals, which in turn affect these fundamental parameters. However, such renormalizations are associated with incoherent processes involving nonequilibrium carrier populations and their relaxation via Coulomb scatterings, phonon emission and absorptions. For such processes, coherence of field modes is not relevant. What is relevant is their intensities. In the description of real transitions and nonequilibrium processes, one still uses to the basic Bloch electron picture.