cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pain Assessment for Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department

OBJECTIVE. To examine the relationship between pediatric patient visit characteristics and pain score documentation in the emergency department (ED) and determine whether documentation of a pain score is associated with increased analgesic use. METHODS. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of ED visits for pediatric patients from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1997–2000). Survey weighted regression first was used to assess the association between patient visit characteristics and pain score documentation. The regression then was repeated to determine the association between documentation of a pain score and analgesic use, adjusting for visit characteristics. RESULTS. A total of 24707 visits were included. Only 44.5% of visits had documented pain scores. In the regression analysis, younger age, self-pay, visits to pediatric facilities, and visits that were not designated as injury related were associated with decreased pain score documentation. Documentation of pain score was associated with increased odds of an analgesic prescription and opioid prescription. When no pain score was documented, the odds of receiving any analgesic was similar to visits with pain documented as mild. CONCLUSION. ED pain score documentation is suboptimal in the pediatric population. Infants and toddlers are at particular risk for not having a pain score documented. There is a significant association between pain score documentation and the use of any analgesic, particularly opioids. Improvements in pain documentation for acutely ill and injured children are needed to improve pain management.
Optic neuritis and palatal dysarthria as presenting features of post-infectious GQ1b antibody syndrome.

A 31-year-old man had optic neuritis 2 weeks after a diarrheal illness, followed by several deficits including palatal dysarthria, diplopia, ataxia, sensory dysfunction, and mild dysautonomia. Brain MRI and CSF were normal. Nerve conduction studies were initially normal and subsequently showed mild reduction in sensory amplitudes. Anti-GQ1b IgG titer was positive. Deficits resolved after treatment with IVIg. This clinical constellation represents an overlap between Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) and the pharyngeal–cervical–brachial (PCB) variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), along with the infrequently reported central feature of optic neuritis. Campylobacter jejuni enteritis may have triggered the syndrome by molecular mimicry. GQ1b antibodies are associated with MFS, GBS, Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis and PCB; they form an overlapping spectrum of features, hence the anti-GQ1b syndrome.
Energy efficient distributed algorithms for sensor target coverage based on properties of an optimal schedule

A major challenge in Wireless Sensor Networks is that ofmaximizing the lifetime while maintaining coverage of a set of targets,a known NP-complete problem. In this paper, we present theoretically-grounded, energy-efficient, distributed algorithms that enable sensors toschedule themselves into sleep-sense cycles. We had earlier introduceda lifetime dependency (LD) graph model that captures the interdependenciesbetween these cover sets by modeling each cover as a node andhaving the edges represent shared sensors. The key motivation behindour approach in this paper has been to start with the question of whatan optimal schedule would do with the lifetime dependency graph. Weprove some basic properties of the optimal schedule that relate to theLD graph. Based on these properties, we have designed algorithms whichchoose the covers that exhibit these optimal schedule like properties. Wepresent three new sophisticated algorithms to prioritize covers in thedependency graph and simulate their performance against state-of-art algorithms. The net effect of the 1-hop version of these three algorithmsis a lifetime improvement of more than 25-30% over the competing algorithmsof other groups, and 10-15% over our own; the 2-hop versionshave additional improvements, 30-35% and 20-25%, respectively.
Determining Grade Boundaries on Classroom Tests

A procedure and a computing diagram for assigning score boundaries to grading categories on classroom tests are described. The procedure takes both the median ability level of the class and the test performance of the class relative to that of other classes into account.
The Galactic center pulsar SGR J1745–29

The discovery of the Galactic center pulsar SGR J1745–29 has provided an important new window into plasma processes in the Galactic center (GC) interstellar medium, the population of compact objects in the GC, and the prospects for probing general relativistic effects through timing of a Sgr A* pulsar companion. We discuss here radio observations of the pulsar and how they are providing fresh insights. In particular, our results show that recent pulsar surveys had the sensitivity to detect many pulsars in the GC region without significant losses due to interstellar scattering. This raise the question of why only this pulsar close to Sgr A* has been detected.
Methods for finding globally maximum-efficiency impedance matching networks with lossy passives

Impedance transformation using on-chip passive elements is ubiquitously used in RF and mm-Wave circuits and systems for optimal power matching, interstage and noise matching, and high-efficiency power delivery to the antenna by power amplifiers. While conjugate matching gives optimal efficiency for lossless passives, the results are markedly different when constituent passives have finite quality factors. Given the load and source impedances, there may be infinite ways to achieve the transformation, albeit each incurring different loss. In this paper, we investigate the methods to deduce the global maximum efficiency of power transfer between two arbitrary impedances with lossy passives. This paper also proposes methods to combine this with nonlinear load-pull simulations for optimal efficiency combiner and matching network for integrated PAs. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first comprehensive analysis of globally optimal impedance transformation networks between arbitrary impedances with lossy passives.
Focus on User Experience: Moving from a Library-Centric Point of View

Academic libraries gain information about their users in many ways. Long a standard practice in the technology industry, studies in the form of usability tests and other user-centered methods seek to determine if software products meet end user needs. Libraries have availed themselves of user-centered techniques borrowed from technology to test webpage interfaces and other library technologies. This article aims to describe the technology foundations of user-centered techniques and their evolution in libraries. Snapshots of position postings, user experience departments, comparisons of methods, library-centric thinking, and service design efforts illustrate libraries’ status in addressing user experience for their patrons.
Effects of Coarse Aggregates on the Corrosion of Steel Bars in Cement Paste

AbstractTesting steel in concrete pore solution has the advantage of avoiding the long time necessary for chlorides to penetrate the concrete cover. However, the time to corrosion of steel immersed in pore solution is different from that in actual concrete. The objective of this work was to study the impact of the presence of the steel and the distance between coarse aggregates and steel bars on the corrosion of the steel bars. Three distances between steel and the coarse aggregates were investigated in this study. Results clearly showed that the presence and the position of coarse aggregates with respect to the steel bars can significantly affect the access of steel to chloride ions and consequently, corrosion initiation on the surface of steel. It was determined that decreasing the distance between the coarse aggregates and steel had adverse impact on the corrosion initiation on the steel.
Nanorings, Nanopillars and Nanospikes on Si(111) by Modified Nanosphere Lithography: Fabrication and Application

Uniform arrays of nanopillars, nanospikes, nanorings and rings atop nanopillars were fabricated using modified nanosphere lithography on the Si(111) surface and observed using AFM and SEM. A self-assembled monolayer mask which utilized 450±10nm polystyrene spheres were used as an etch mask during a fabrication process of physical Ar+ ion bombardment followed by SF 6 RIE to produce nanopillars with flat tops that could be as large as 210nm in height and 175nm in diameter. Nanospikes of approximately the same height were fabricated made with a FWHM of 250nm. The initial Ar + ion bombardment step was varied to achieve up to 4 times faster etch rates and narrowed widths in the nanospikes. Both types nanostructures systems were “self-wired” which is an intrinsic result of this fabrication process. Self-wired nanorings and rings atop nanopillar structures were also fabricated using a two step etching process along with sonication. The nanorings had inner and outer diameters of 225±5nm and 175±5 nm, respectively and were up to 20nm in height and their nanowire connectivity could be made optional by a judicious choice of solvent for sonication. The self-wired Si nanostructures were also “dressed” with self-assembled Ge quantum dots. These Ge/Si nano-architectured structures possess the basic framework for fabricating novel nanoelectronic and nano-optoelectronic devices in the foreseeable future.
Low-Temperature Synthesis of AMoO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) Scheelite Nanocrystals

An extension of the vapor diffusion sol–gel method to the synthesis of the AMoO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) scheelite family of materials is reported. Sub-30 nm quasispherical nanocrystals were obtained after vapor diffusion at room temperature, followed by thermal aging at 80 °C. Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction data, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy demonstrated that the vapor diffusion sol–gel method affords crystalline and phase-pure AMoO4 nanocrystals with excellent compositional control. The potential lithium storage capacity of the CaMoO4 nanocrystals versus Li at a rate of C/4 was also investigated. The nanocrystals exhibited an extremely large first discharge capacity of 1300 mA h g–1, which stabilized at 250 mA h g–1 after 25 cycles.
Uncertainty of delay caused by emergency of queuing up phenomenon in buffer of substation main unit

Based on the standard of IEC61850,the paper constructed the mathematical model of SMU(Substation Main Unit) processing delay by using the multi-server queuing theory,researched into the uncertainty delay caused by the emergency of queuing up phenomenon in the buffer of SMU to derive the analytical expression between buffer size,packet loss rate and delay,and proposed the method verified by examples,which can determine the buffering area suitable for packet loss rate and delay.The research overcomes the limitation in the previous studies based on the SMU of single CPU and constructs the model by taking SMU of multi CPU and IEDs as a whole,which can improve the delay certainty effectively and provides theoretical evidence for the buffering sizes design of communication module of SMU.
Dealing with a Grading Ring Fracture Failure

The Gansu Hexi 750 kV power transmission project, which is located in heavy wind-load area,has suffered some grading ring fracture failures on the 750 kV main transformer high-voltage side,surge arresters,post insulators,330 kV isolating switches,and so on. In this paper,the causes of grading ring fracture on a 330 kV substation isolating switch is analyzed comprehensively on account of the actual situation of Gansu power grid,and several schemes are proposed for improving the grading ring structure. Experiments are conducted to verify these schemes. Preventive solutions to the fracture problem are hence put forward concerning design,structure,processing technology,operation,and maintenance,such as increasing stainless steel plate,stainless steel hoop and supporting tendons.
Protein name tagging guidelines: lessons learned: Conference Papers

Interest in information extraction from the biomedical literature is motivated by the need to speed up the creation of structured databases representing the latest scientific knowledge about specific objects, such as proteins and genes. This paper addresses the issue of a lack of standard definition of the problem of protein name tagging. We describe the lessons learned in developing a set of guidelines and present the first set of inter-coder results, viewed as an upper bound on system performance. Problems coders face include: (a) the ambiguity of names that can refer to either genes or proteins; (b) the difficulty of getting the exact extents of long protein names; and (c) the complexity of the guidelines. These problems have been addressed in two ways: (a) defining the tagging targets as protein named entities used in the literature to describe proteins or protein-associated or -related objects, such as domains, pathways, expression or genes, and (b) using two types of tags, protein tags and long-form tags, with the latter being used to optionally extend the boundaries of the protein tag when the name boundary is difficult to determine. Inter-coder consistency across three annotators on protein tags on 300 MEDLINE abstracts is 0.868 F-measure. The guidelines and annotated datasets, along with automatic tools, are available for research use. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ABO and Rh blood type errors on Air Force identification cards.

Our study is intended to determine if the blood types recorded on identification cards carried by U.S. Air Force personnel contain significant errors. We studied 262 active duty Air Force personnel. Eleven errors in blood type information were identified, including seven Rh type errors and six ABO typing errors. Such errors may arise when self-reporting of blood type is relied upon to create identification cards. The significance of these findings for wartime transfusion practices is discussed in light of current United States and NATO policy. Suggestions to reduce the error rate are offered.
Shiftwork and decline in endothelial function among police officers.

Background Our objective was to assess the influence of shiftwork on change in endothelial function. Methods This longitudinal study was conducted in 188 police officers (78.2% men). Shiftwork status (day, afternoon, night) was assessed objectively using daily Buffalo, NY payroll work history records. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was assessed using ultrasound. Mean change in FMD% between 2004–2009 and 2010–2015 was compared across shiftwork using analysis of variance/covariance. Results Overall, mean FMD% decreased from 5.74 ± 2.83 to 3.88 ± 2.11 over an average of 7 years among all officers; P < 0.0001. Effect modification by gender was significant. Among men (but not women), those who worked day shifts had a smaller mean (±SE) decrease in FMD% (−0.89 ± 0.35) compared with those who worked the afternoon (−2.69 ± 0.39; P = 0.001) or night shifts (−2.31 ± 0.45; P = 0.020) after risk factor adjustment. Conclusions Larger declines in endothelial function were observed among men who worked afternoon or night shifts. Further investigation is warranted. Am. J. Ind. Med. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA
A transform domain communication and jamming waveform

A multi-function waveform is proposed which is able to avoid transmitting on frequencies used by other users. It is also able, with prior knowledge, to jam enemy communications while creating little interference for friendly users and no interference for itself.
A greedy algorithm to construct sparse graph by using ranked dictionary

$$\mathcal {L}_1$$ graph is an effective way to represent data samples in many graph-oriented machine learning applications. Its original construction algorithm is nonparametric, and the graphs it generates may have high sparsity. Meanwhile, the construction algorithm also requires many iterative convex optimization calculations and is very time-consuming. Such characteristics would severely limit the application scope of $$\mathcal {L}_1$$ graph in many real-world tasks. In this paper, we design a greedy algorithm to speed up the construction of $$\mathcal {L}_1$$ graph. Moreover, we introduce the concept of “Ranked Dictionary” for $$\mathcal {L}_1$$ minimization. This ranked dictionary not only preserves the locality but also removes the randomness of neighborhood selection during the process of graph construction. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm, we present our experimental results on several commonly used datasets using two different ranking strategies: One is based on Euclidean distance, and another is based on diffusion distance.
DESIGN OF A PN CODED DOPPLER SYSTEM FLOWMETER

Publisher Summary This chapter describes an approach that makes the use of pseudo-random noise (PN) codes to achieve both improved range resolution and signal to noise ratio. To increase the bandwidth of the transmitted signal, the RF carrier is phase modulated by a sequence of random binary codes known as PN codes. This artificial noise sequence is generated by a shift register with some of its stages fed back through a mod-2 adder to the input stage. The number of stages of the shift register determines the total length of the code. The chapter presents a block diagram of a PN coded Doppler system. In this system, a carrier signal with a frequency equal to the resonant frequency of the transducer used is phase modulated by the PN code. The resulting spectrum, centered at the carrier frequency, is spread over a wide range of frequencies to include the total bandwidth of the transducer. This signal excites a large-fractional-bandwidth transducer. In PN coded Doppler systems, the only limitation on the range resolution improvement is imposed by the bandwidth of the transducer.
Influence of wing morphological and inertial parameters on flapping flight performance

Here we experimentally quantify the effects of wing morphological and inertial parameters on flapping flight performance. Through running at-scale, passive pitching experiments with different wing designs, we compare the relative importance of wing inertia, wing shape, and wing-actuation pairing. We find wing inertia strongly influences the coupling between stroke and pitch dynamics, which directly impacts lift production and efficiency. Flapping resonance frequency is reduced as wing aspect ratio or area moment increases. Further, wing leading edge design strongly influences chordwise center of pressure, which further impacts pitching dynamics. Based on our experimental results we propose a new wing design and measure 37% increase in mean lift relative to a previous work [1].
Dr. Moses Cousins Jr.: The mysterious Iowa contributor to Alphonso Wood’s Class-book of Botany

Thirty-eight plant names were explicitly ascribed to Iowa in Alphonso Wood’s Class-book of Botany. Fourteen represented the first report from the state for their species, while eight reports were likely erroneous. In the preface, Wood acknowledged “Dr. Cousens,” not otherwise identified, as the source of his specimens from Iowa. Circumstantial evidence suggests that this was Moses Cousins Jr., born in Vermont in 1827, who practiced medicine at Albia in Monroe County, Iowa, from 1850 until his death in 1868.
Nickel‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Conjunctive Cross‐Coupling of 9‐BBN Borates

Catalytic enantioselective conjunctive cross-coupling between 9-BBN borate complexes and aryl electrophiles can be accomplished with Ni salts in the presence of a chiral diamine ligand. The reactions furnish chiral 9-BBN derivatives in an enantioselective fashion and these are converted to chiral alcohols and amines, or engaged in other stereospecific C-C bond forming reactions.
Pictures of the prologue to neurotransmitter release.

Membrane fusion and fission determine compartmentalization in eukaryotic cells and uptake or secretion of various molecular species. For example, a very rapid, tightly regulated, Ca2+-triggered fusion event releases neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft (1). A long history of identifying and characterizing its essential components has allowed in vitro reconstitution, as modeled by fusion of two liposomes: one bearing the components of the fusion machinery associated with a synaptic vesicle and the other, those associated with the plasma membrane (2). Gipson et al., in a paper in PNAS entitled “Morphologies of synaptic protein membrane fusion interfaces,” visualize steps in the fusion process directly, by applying recent advances in electron cryotomography (cryo-ET) (3). The authors find that productive fusion proceeds through point contacts between membranes created by a small number (probably just two) of fusion-protein complexes. Lipid bilayers repel each other through a so-called “hydration force” when they approach each other more closely than about 15–20 A (4). To overcome this barrier, fusion requires a counteracting force, either from a bulk effect, such as pressure by polymer exclusion, or from a localized fusion facilitator, such as the presynaptic fusion complexes Gipson et al. (3) describe. Computational studies have suggested that formation of a localized contact would minimize the hydration force by minimizing the area of closely apposed membranes, and hence reduce the kinetic barrier, leading to a “hemifusion stalk” as a likely fusion intermediate (5). The cryo-ET images of Gipson et al. (3) are in accord with those proposals. The fusogens for synaptic-vesicle fusion are the “neuronal SNAREs”: synaptobrevin-2 (also known as VAMP2), anchored in the membrane of the synaptic vesicle; syntaxin-1, anchored in the plasma membrane; and SNAP-25, associated with the plasma membrane by palmitoylated cysteine residues. The Ca2+ sensor, synaptotagmin-1, anchored in the vesicle, completes a minimal, … [↵][1]1Email: harrison{at}crystal.harvard.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Foundations of Immunometabolism and Implications for Metabolic Health and Disease

Highly ordered interactions between immune and metabolic responses are evolutionarily conserved and paramount for tissue and organismal health. Disruption of these interactions underlies the emergence of many pathologies, particularly chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Here, we examine decades of research identifying the complex immunometabolic signaling networks and the cellular and molecular events that occur in the setting of altered nutrient and energy exposures and offer a historical perspective. Furthermore, we describe recent advances such as the discovery that a broad complement of immune cells play a role in immunometabolism and the emerging evidence that nutrients and metabolites modulate inflammatory pathways. Lastly, we discuss how this work may eventually lead to tangible therapeutic advancements to promote health.
Percolation and related systems in equilibrium statistical mechanics

We review the relations of percolation and related geometrical models to equilibrium statistical mechanical models. These relations are of two sorts: 1) Percolation and related geometrical models have been shown to be equivalent to limits of models in equilibrium statistical mechanics in many cases. 2) Many models exist in which a field subject to thermal disorder is added to the geometrically disordered model so that the two kinds of disorder compete. Throughout this review we attempt to point out places where mathematically exact results might be useful.
Relación entre demografía y crecimiento económico desde la perspectiva de los organismos internacionales

Este articulo intenta explicar el rol de los organismos internacionales frente a la relacion de la demografia con el crecimiento economico, desde la agenda, pero tambien desde sus mandatos y como se articulan con los estados en la construccion de la politica publica. Refiere, caracteriza y evalua las iniciativas de los organismos internacionales y su interaccion con la sociedad civil y los demas actores del sistema internacional, indagando por sus metodologias, pero tambien explorando su agenda pendiente e identificando las motivaciones, preocupaciones y avances de temas de investigacion y centros de pensamiento existente, asi como la sostenibilidad del crecimiento economico y su vulnerabilidad frente a las nuevas coyunturas que se convierten en retos desde lo cultural, social, ambiental, etc. Este Articulo es Producto Parcial de la Investigacion en curso titulada Desarrollo regional en Colombia: Una lectura desde la Politica Comercial 2002-2014 y su impacto en las regiones, del Grupo de Investigacion Desarrollo y Equidad de la Universidad de America.
Variations on a Simple Dice Game.

I begin my introductory astronomy course with a unit on critical thinking that focuses on, among other things, the differences between the “scientific method” as frequently presented in textbooks and actual scientific practice. One particular classroom activity uses a simple dice game to simulate observation of a natural phenomenon and the process of figuring out the framework, which we have previously defined as the rules that allow us to make predictions, governing the simulated phenomenon. Using games to teach scientific methodology is not new (see Maloney and Masters and Smith and references therein). I have experimented with Maloney and Masters’ games and discovered that my students found them too difficult to figure out and therefore they did not learn what I hoped they would from them. I also experimented with other card games and found that too many students already knew the rules of both well-known and obscure card games. I even tried inventing my own games with, at best, mediocre results.
Potentially curable gastric adenocarcinoma treated without surgery

Abstract Background Surgery is the best option for cure of localised gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). When surgery is not possible due to comorbidities or patient choice, definitive chemoradiation is an option. We report on one of the largest cohorts of localised GAC patients who did not have surgery. Methods We identified 71 patients with localised GAC who received chemo/chemoradiation therapy but did not have surgery. We assessed various end-points: overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and clinical complete response (cCR; negative post therapy biopsy and no evidence of cancer by imaging). Results The median follow-up time was 1.8 years (range; 0.4–10.6). Most of the patients were men (64.8%), and the median age was 73 years (range; 30–96). Reason for not having surgery included comorbidities in 34 (47.9%), poor performance status 14 (19.7%), and patient refusal 23 (32.4%). Of all 71 patients, a complete restaging evaluation with endoscopy and imaging could be performed for 50, and 32 (45.1%) achieved a cCR. For the entire cohort, the median OS was 2.1 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78–2.55). The estimated OS rates at 2 and 5 years were 54% and 18%, respectively. Female gender (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16–0.98, p = 0.045) and chemoradiation (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.06–1.01; p = 0.05) were independently associated with longer OS in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion Our data show that patients with localised GAC treated with chemotherapy and/or chemoradiation, who do not undergo surgery, have a 5-year OS rate of 18%.
Spatiotemporal mode-locking: what it is, and different types

We describe, in general terms, what spatiotemporal mode-locking is and how it happens. Then we describe several recent new developments, including qualitatively distinct kinds of 3D pulses and mode-locking physics.
Anomalous Redistribution of Ion-Implanted Dopants

Based on our studies to date, the redistribution of implanted Al in Si can, in general, be placed into 3 regions which are fluence and damage dependent: (1) little diffusion at anneals as great as 900°C; (2) enhanced diffusion; and (3) structured redistributions. We have extended out studies on the anomalous diffusion of implanted dopants and have noted general trends. Recent observations of implanted Be into Si show some similarities to implanted Al in Si. Studies made on the ion implantation of Be into GaAs over an extensive range of fluences also showed the same general redistribution behavior as Al in Si. A wide range of data has been obtained for Si and GaAs on the anomalous redistribution effects and we will discuss these data in the context of generalized models. In this paper, we will present an overview of the atomic profiles of implanted dopants as a function of implant fluence, damage and anneal treatment. Atomic profiles and electrically active profiles will be compared and discussed.
Problems of Aromatic Copolymer Structure

Nuclear magnetic resonance has become a very powerful, versatile tool for studying the structures of polymers and copolymers. The value of this technique is that it enables one to measure the relative concentrations of nuclei in particular environments in polymer chains. The technique is very discriminating and can be used, for example, to determine the relative concentrations of groups in triadic (e.g., B\( \mathop{\text{B}}\limits^{ * } \)B vs. A\( \mathop{\text{B}}\limits^{ * } \)A) or pentadic (e.g., BB\( \mathop{\text{B}}\limits^{ * } \)BB vs. AB\( \mathop{\text{B}}\limits^{ * } \)BB) environments in A — B copolymers. In addition, nuclear magnetic resonance can measure the relative amounts of various monomer junctions (diads, e. g., B — B or A — B) or of particular monomer sequence junctions (tetrads, e. g., BB — AB, or hexads, e. g., BBB — AAA), provided the junctions contain nuclei that can be studied.
Symmetries and mass splittings QCD2 coupled to adjoint fermions

Abstract Two-dimensional QCD coupled to fermions in the adjoint representation of the gauge group SU(N), a useful toy model of QCD strings, is supersymmetric for a certain ratio of quark mass and gauge coupling constant. Here we study the theory in the vicinity of the supersymmetric point; in particular we exhibit the algebraic structure of the model and show that the mass splittings as one moves away from the supersymmetric point obey a universal relation of the form Mi2(B)−Mi2(F) = Miδm + O(δm3). We discuss the connection of this relation to string and quark model expectations and verify it numerically for large N. At least for low lying states the O(δm3) corrections are extremely small. We also discuss a natural generalization of QCD2 with an infinite number of couplings, which preserves SUSY. This leads to a Landau-Ginzburg description of the theory, and may be useful for defining a scaling limit in which smooth worldsheets appear.
Subfoveal choroidal thickness as a prognostic factor in exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Aims To investigate the relationship between subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), visual acuity (VA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) features and total anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments to determine whether SFCT serves as a prognostic factor in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods This is a retrospective case series of 62 consecutive treatment-naive patients with exudative AMD followed for 1 year and treated with treat-and-extend or pro re nata anti-VEGF protocols. SFCT was measured at three locations using Cirrus HD-OCT (the foveal centre and 500 um nasal and temporal to the fovea) at presentation, 3, 6 and 12 months. Demographic characteristics, OCT imaging biomarkers and VA were recorded. Results Mean SFCT at baseline was 187 µm (range: 70–361 µm). There was a trend of decreasing SFCT at 1 year (173 µm) compared with 3 months (175 µm) and baseline (188 µm) (p=0.2). There was no correlation between baseline SFCT and presence of subretinal fluid (p=0.2), intraretinal fluid (p=0.6) or subretinal hyper-reflective material (p=0.4) at baseline. The mean number of injections at 1 year was 6.6 (range: 2–12). Increased SFCT at baseline showed statistically significant correlation with a higher number of intravitreal injections at 1 year (p=0.004). Eyes with SFCT>1 SD above the mean required 50% more injections compared with others. There was no association between SFCT on presentation with baseline and 1 year VA (p=0.7 and p=0.2). Conclusions SFCT in naive patients with exudative AMD may be an important prognostic tool in determining treatment burden. Patients with thicker subfoveal choroid may require increased intravitreal injections.
Socioeconomic "Distressed Communities Index" Improves Surgical Risk-adjustment.

OBJECTIVE We hypothesize the Distressed Communities Index (DCI), a composite socioeconomic ranking by ZIP code, will predict risk-adjusted outcomes after surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Socioeconomic status affects surgical outcomes; however, the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database does not account for these factors. METHODS All ACS NSQIP patients (17,228) undergoing surgery (2005 to 2015) at a large academic institution were paired with the DCI, which accounts for unemployment, education level, poverty rate, median income, business growth, and housing vacancies. Developed by the Economic Innovation Group, DCI scores range from 0 (no distress) to 100 (severe distress). Multivariable regressions were used to evaluate ACS NSQIP predicted risk-adjusted effect of DCI on outcomes and inflation-adjusted hospital cost. RESULTS A total of 4522 (26.2%) patients came from severely distressed communities (top quartile). These patients had higher rates of medical comorbidities, transfer from outside hospital, emergency status, and higher ACS NSQIP predicted risk scores (all P < 0.05). In addition, these patients had greater resource utilization, increased postoperative complications, and higher short- and long-term mortality (all P < 0.05). Risk-adjustment with multivariate regression demonstrated that DCI independently predicts postoperative complications (odds ratio 1.1, P = 0.01) even after accounting for ACS NSQIP predicted risk score. Furthermore, DCI independently predicted inflation-adjusted cost (+$978/quartile, P < 0.0001) after risk adjustment. CONCLUSIONS The DCI, an established metric for socioeconomic distress, improves ACS NSQIP risk-adjustment to predict outcomes and hospital cost. These findings highlight the impact of socioeconomic status on surgical outcomes and should be integrated into ACS NSQIP risk models.
Wartime Planning, Postwar Response

This chapter traces the history that helped pave the way for UNESCO, beginning in the late nineteenth century and focusing on the interwar years. It explores the intensive planning undertaken by the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education in London throughout the war years. Their wartime efforts, and especially those of the Conference’s Books and Periodicals Commission, culminated with the establishment of UNESCO and its Libraries Section. The flurry of interwar and wartime activity prepared the Libraries Section to take immediate action at the war’s end, delivering books and launching book and library reconstruction and rehabilitation projects to countries as they were liberated, and to evolve and expand as the overwhelming scope of damage and needs increasingly came to light.
P81 Modification of a Preschool Nutrition Education Curriculum for Use in Special Education Classrooms

Background Special education (SPED) classrooms may be overlooked when nutrition interventions are implemented because of the potential for numerous modifications to meet the need of children with diverse developmental needs. Objective This study presents the process for modification of We Inspire Smart Eating (WISE), a classroom-based nutrition education curriculum, for use in preschool SPED classrooms. Study Design, Settings, Participants As part of an agency-wide adoption of WISE, SPED teachers (N = 4) were trained in the WISE core components and given freedom to adapt the curriculum to their needs while keeping the core components. After two year of implementation, four focus groups were held with the SPED teachers to solicit the types of modifications made by SPED teachers. Measureable Outcome/Analysis WISE modifications were coded using Wilstey-Stirman and colleagues’ (2013) coding system. The coding focused on (a) By WHOM are the modification made; (b) WHAT is modified (content, context, and/or, training); (c) (If yes to content) at what LEVEL OF DELIVERY and (d) the NATURE of the content modification; and (e) to what AREAS are context modifications made. Results Teachers made both content and context modifications. The majority of WHAT was modified was content at the group/classroom LEVEL OF DELIVERY. The NATURE of the majority of the modifications were coded as tailoring/tweaking/refining, shortening/condensing, and lengthening/extending. For example, in typically developing classrooms, WISE is implemented in short sessions once per week across the month. In SPED, WISE is shortened to be implemented across one week/month with lessons lengthened and extended to better meet children's developmental needs. Many WISE lessons are also tailored (e.g., follow the recipe for making applesauce but then give ready-made applesauce for instant gratification due to cognitive delays). Conclusion This study illustrates the application of the Wilstey-Stirman framework to capture the adaptations to a classroom-based nutrition curriculum for use with children in SPED. In addition, the captured adaptations provide examples for how SPED classrooms can be included in nutrition promotion interventions. Funding NIH Lincoln Health Foundation.
Femtosecond Laser Ablation for Mesoscale Specimen Evaluation

Focused ion beam machining revolutionized the way samples are studied in materials science. The introduction of this tool enabled researchers to break into new frontiers of research. While this method focused on the nanometer length scale, the mesoscale manufacturing of samples has not seen such advances. It remains a challenge to manufacture sample geometries too large for focused ion beam milling yet too small for conventional machining. Femtosecond laser ablation opens this length scale of sample space and allows the fabrication of numerous useful geometries. This paper outlines a state-of-the-art femtosecond laser machining system that can be used for rapid, micro- and mesoscale sample preparation. To illustrate the utility of this system, stress–strain data are presented for single-crystal Cu micropillars and three microscale tensile test specimens prepared from physical-vapor-deposited Cu and Ni foils.
Trinucleotide-Expansion Diseases

Many diseases, most with a strong neurodegenerative component, are now known to result from an expansion of a trinucleotide repeat sequence within the genome. In many cases, the longer the repeat the earlier the onset, and the more rapid and severe is the disease progression. Almost all of these diseases may be divided into three groups. In the first group, the expansion is either in an untranslated region/intron of the gene (e.g., fragile X syndrome, myotonic dystrophy type 1 (MD1), Friedreich ataxia, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 12 (SCA12)), or is in a DNA stretch that does not code for a protein (spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA8)). In group 1, with the exception of SCA12, the repeat triplet is not CAG. Generally, the mutations in group 1 result in low or absent levels of the protein corresponding to the affected gene and/or altered message RNA metabolism. In the second group, caused by (CAG) n expansions, the mutation is in an exon of the gene and each protein is expressed with an expanded polyglutamine (Q n ) domain. At least nine neurodegenerative diseases belong in this second group. The most common of these diseases is Huntington disease (HD). Others are dentatorubralpallidoluysian atrophy (DPLA; Haw River syndrome), spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA; Kennedy disease) and seven forms of spinocerebellar ataxia [SCA1, SCA2, SCA3 (Machado–Joseph disease), SCA6, SCA7, and SCA17]. The mutated genes appear to be unrelated except for the fact that each possesses a (CAG) n /Q n expansion. These diseases are characterized by insoluble protein aggregates in the affected areas. The aggregates contain the mutated protein. The CAG-expansions are widely thought to confer a pathological gain of function to the mutated protein, although in some cases a pathological decrease of function may also contribute. In eight of the Q n -expansion disorders, the disease phenotype occurs when n is greater than about 36. Disease expansions may result in n values up to about 80, but larger values may sometimes occur. In the third group, the nucleotide expansion is in a coding exon and gives rise to an elongation of a polyalanine (A n ) stretch in the mutated expressed protein. At least nine diseases have been shown to be due to an A n expansion. Eight of the mutations are in transcription factors, and in one case the mutation is in the polyadenylate-binding protein. The disease phenotypes variably include mental retardation and malformations of the brain, genitourinary tract, skull, and digits. Both the normal size of the amino acid repeat and the pathological length of the repeat tend to be smaller in the A n -expansion diseases than in the Q n -expansion diseases. Although many of the trinucleotide-expansion diseases are rare (some exceedingly rare), they offer insights into pathophysiological processes that may pertain to the more common neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD).
Slaving a Highly Multi-Mode Laser to an On-Chip Single Mode Microresonator

We demonstrate transverse and longitudinal modal collapse of a highly multi-mode Fabry-Perot laser coupled to a silicon-nitride resonator, via self-injection locking. We show coupling to single transverse mode with more than 50% efficiency and sub-MHz linewidth.
Dirty Money: How Banks Influence Financial Crime

On September 21st, 2020, a consortium of international journalists leaked nearly 2,500 suspicious activity reports (SAR) obtained from the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, exposing nearly $2 trillion of money laundering activity. The event raises important questions regarding what role banks play in facilitating financial crime and the effectiveness of SAR reporting. In this study, we examine the incentives that banks face to report money laundering activity via SAR reports, and the implications of a bank’s reporting strategy for criminal activity. We first analyze banks' SAR reporting decisions using a stylized model, which predicts that banks facing depressed revenues from their routine business lines and more profit-seeking pressure adopt more lax reporting policies. These reporting policies help to attract criminals, thus increasing the underlying amount of suspicious activities that banks need to examine and report. Empirically, we test the relation between risk-taking incentives and SAR volume at the county level. We find that counties in which banks face higher competition and lower profitability generate higher volumes of SAR activity. To provide further support for the underlying mechanism, we incorporate a maximum likelihood estimation that uncovers a highly elastic demand from criminal customers with respect to banks' reporting stringency. We establish causality using shale gas expansion in unrelated states. Consistent with risk-taking incentives influencing SARs, we find that banks experiencing higher (lower) shale growth generate fewer (more) SAR reports. Overall, our results provide important insights regarding the role of banks in influencing financial crime, and suggest that a bank’s reporting policy has indirect implications for local criminal activity.
The remote laboratory VISIR - Introducing online laboratory equipment in electrical engineering classes

This innovative practice full paper is displaying research results on implementing a ready-to-use remote lab in the area of electronics called Virtual Instrument Systems In Reality (VISIR) in several electrical engineering classes at the University of Georgia (UGA) over three consecutive terms. The displayed research data has been generated during the spring, summer, and fall terms in 2019. This paper discusses existing research contexts and results concerning VISIR in general and the VISIR integration at UGA in particular. Furthermore, the students’ feedback and educational research results from the focused three semesters will be displayed. It is evident, that the use of remote labs does exclude segments of reality and context during the experimental procedure. The question is instead, if and to what extent this is beneficial for the learning experience, e.g. by looking at collaboration and learning outcomes.
Provably space-efficient parallel functional programming

Because of its many desirable properties, such as its ability to control effects and thus potentially disastrous race conditions, functional programming offers a viable approach to programming modern multicore computers. Over the past decade several parallel functional languages, typically based on dialects of ML and Haskell, have been developed. These languages, however, have traditionally underperformed procedural languages (such as C and Java). The primary reason for this is their hunger for memory, which only grows with parallelism, causing traditional memory management techniques to buckle under increased demand for memory. Recent work opened a new angle of attack on this problem by identifying a memory property of determinacy-race-free parallel programs, called disentanglement, which limits the knowledge of concurrent computations about each other’s memory allocations. The work has showed some promise in delivering good time scalability. In this paper, we present provably space-efficient automatic memory management techniques for determinacy-race-free functional parallel programs, allowing both pure and imperative programs where memory may be destructively updated. We prove that for a program with sequential live memory of R*, any P-processor garbage-collected parallel run requires at most O(R* · P) memory. We also prove a work bound of O(W+R*P) for P-processor executions, accounting also for the cost of garbage collection. To achieve these results, we integrate thread scheduling with memory management. The idea is to coordinate memory allocation and garbage collection with thread scheduling decisions so that each processor can allocate memory without synchronization and independently collect a portion of memory by consulting a collection policy, which we formulate. The collection policy is fully distributed and does not require communicating with other processors. We show that the approach is practical by implementing it as an extension to the MPL compiler for Parallel ML. Our experimental results confirm our theoretical bounds and show that the techniques perform and scale well.
ObGyn Delivered: Social Media Serving Medical Students’ Learning Needs

The availability of social media in biomedical education is rapidly expanding. However, there is little information comparing the utility of different social media platforms. The authors sought to describe and evaluate a student-led medical education tool, ObGyn Delivered, that uses three social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) in order to understand each platform’s potential roles, benefits, and barriers and describe their advantages and limitations. Medical educators utilizing social media tools may benefit from focusing their efforts on the strengths of each platform to communicate different messages, provide unique content, and to reach a maximal number of potential users.