cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A low-temperature IC-compatible process for fabricating surface-micromachined metallic microchannels

In this paper, a low-temperature integrated-circuit (IC)-compatible process for fabricating metallic microchannels is described. Arrays of 1-100 metallic microchannels have been fabricated on silicon and glass substrates. The process can be extended to many planar substrate materials including polymers and ceramics. The microchannels are formed using microelectro-formed metals. The microchannels demonstrated in this paper use nickel as the structural material and gold as the surface coating on the inside walls of the microchannels. The inner dimensions of the individual microchannels fabricated to date range from 30 /spl mu/m to 1.5 mm in width, 0.5 mm to several centimeters in length, and 5-100 /spl mu/m in thickness. The wall thickness ranges from 5 to 50 /spl mu/m. The microchannel fabrication technology enables the fabrication of surface microchannels with a relatively large cross-sectional area. The metallic microchannels can be fabricated to extend from the substrate edge. Interfacing schemes are given for attaching external pressure feeds.
Recursive parameter estimation for the dynamic packet loss system

Provisioning QoS enabled MPLS VPN services is increasingly important for network service providers. A series of studies investigate the application of control theoretic frameworks to measure and control the QoS parameters, especially the packet loss probability. The plant model is one of the key issues to be solved in the control system. This paper will try to identify the dynamic model of packet loss probability using the system identification methods, where the traffic rates are inputs and packet loss probability is the output. The experiments are designed on the live NCIT*net2. The numeric results are evaluated to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Semi-individual wire-length prediction with application to logic synthesis

A new concept for wire-length prediction, the semi-individual wire-length prediction, is introduced. Structural metrics, such as mutual contraction and net range, are used to predict which interconnects have a tendency to be long or short in the final layout. The very good correlation of the prelayout measures with the postlayout interconnect lengths is demonstrated. The prelayout wire-length-prediction techniques are applied in logic synthesis, targeting wiring cost, and congestion minimization. This paper focuses on technology mapping and fan-out optimization. Experiments on LGSyn93 and ITC'99 benchmark suites show that the wire-length-prediction-based technology mapping and fan-out-optimization algorithms produce layout-friendly netlists. After placement and global routing, the netlists yield smaller total wire length, are more routable, and achieve better timing than the netlists obtained using traditional logic-synthesis flow in SIS.
Anabolic–Androgenic Steroids

The anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS) are a family of hormones that includes the natural male hormone, testosterone, together with a group of synthetic derivatives of testosterone. These drugs are widely abused by men (and rarely, women) to gain muscle mass and lose body fat. Prior to about 1980, abuse of AAS was confined largely to elite competitive athletes, but in recent decades, AAS abuse has broken out of the athletic community and into the general population. Many modern AAS users have no specific athletic aspirations at all, but simply want to become bigger and more muscular. About 2–6% of men in many Western industrialized countries have used AAS, but AAS use is rare in Asian societies. Individuals with body image concerns, such as “muscle dysmorphia,” appear more prone to abuse AAS. Male muscularity is more strongly emphasized and rewarded in industrialized Western cultures than in Asia, and this difference likely explains the geographic distribution of AAS abuse. AAS cause few serious short-term medical effects, but over the long term may cause suppression of hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal function, adverse effects on serum lipids, and cardiomyopathy. The most common psychiatric effects of AAS are mood disorders (typically hypomanic or manic syndromes during AAS exposure and depressive symptoms during AAS withdrawal); these are idiosyncratic, affecting a minority of AAS users, but are occasionally severe. A growing literature describes syndromes of AAS dependence, where individuals use AAS almost continuously despite adverse medical or psychiatric effects. Individuals displaying AAS abuse or dependence may also exhibit other forms of substance dependence. Unfortunately, AAS users rarely seek treatment, but this situation may change as the first large wave of illicit AAS users—those who first began AAS as youths in the 1980s—now reaches middle age and enters the age of risk for long-term cardiac, neuroendocrine, and psychiatric complications from these drugs.
Gambling, Crime, Binge Drinking, Drug Use, and Hiring Prostitutes

Psychologists and medical researchers publish an enormous amount of research on the diagnosis and treatment of “pathological” gambling. This term is used to describe gambling that is far beyond recreational gambling. It represents gambling, for the person involved, to such an extent that it causes problems in their personal and/or professional life. Pathological gambling is a specific condition included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), which is the “primary classification system for diagnosing mental disorders in the United States” (Petry 2010).
Living in a Material World: A Critique of ‘Normative Power Europe’

The concept of the EU as a “normative power” combines two fundamental claims. The first of these claims is about the EU’s preferences, the idea that the EU is normatively different from other international actors and constituted by a commitment to certain constitutional norms. The second claim is about the nature of EU power, which is determined not by material power resources (military or economic), but primarily by the ability to define what passes for “normal” in world politics. While this perspective has proven influential in recent years among both scholars and practitioners, it has also been challenged by a growing body of scholarship questioning the heroic depiction of the Union as an inherently normative power, pure in motivation and noncoercive in its behavior. Across a range of issue-areas frequently considered to be “normative” in character, these scholars suggest that material interests, and material power resources, are at least as significant as normative factors in shaping the EU's foreign policy and its influence in global politics.
A fish-eye view of riverine hydropower systems: the current understanding of the biological response to turbine passage

One-way connectivity maintained by fish passing through hydropower turbines in fragmented rivers can be important to population dynamics, but can also introduce a new and significant source of mortality. Sources of mortality during turbine passage can come from several sources including blade strike, shear forces, cavitation, or pressure decreases and parsing the contributions of these individual forces is important for advancing and deploying turbines that minimize these impacts to fishes. We used a national hydropower database and conducted a systematic review of the literature to accomplish three goals: (1) report on the spatial distribution of turbine types and generation capacities in the USA, (2) determine fish mortality rates among turbine types and fish species and (3) examine relationships between physical forces similar to those encountered during fish turbine passage and fish injury and mortality. We found that while Francis turbines generate 56 % of all US hydropower and have the highest associated fish mortality of any turbine type, these turbines are proportionally understudied compared to less-common and less injury-associated Kaplan turbines, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. While juvenile salmonid species in actual or simulated Kaplan turbine conditions were the most commonly studied, the highest mortality rates were reported from percid fishes passing through Francis turbines. Future studies should focus on understanding which species are most at-risk to turbine passage injury and mortality and, subsequently, increasing the diversity of taxonomy and turbine types in evaluations of turbine injury and mortality.
Scintigraphic and computed tomographic imaging of isolated peripancreatic nodal gastrinomas.

Gastrinomas may be multiple, arising exclusively from peripancreatic lymph nodes. Their extraintestinal and extrapancreatic location and their small size may be difficult to detect by conventional cross-sectional imaging, surgery, and pathologic evaluation. The author presents a case of peripancreatic nodal gastrinomas, which were convincingly demonstrated by somatostatin receptor scintigraphy with indium-111 octreotide and nearly overlooked on contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography.
Infection Prevention in the Hospital from Past to Present: Evolving Roles and Shifting Priorities

Hospital epidemiologists are vital components of integrated health centers. This central place in the healthcare landscape has rapidly evolved over a half century. Early hospital epidemiologists possessed a visionary focus on patient safety many decades prior to the quality revolution of the 1990s. A systematic and scientific approach to infection prevention has facilitated the evolution of hospital epidemiology, along with advances in technology, and increasing public attention to infectious complications in the hospital. Currently, the growing expansion of tasks and moving regulatory targets strain existing resources. These challenges threaten to limit the effectiveness of some infection-prevention activities, while also providing important opportunities for improving care. It will be increasingly important to advocate for appropriate resources to address a diverse set of changing infection prevention priorities.
Butting heads: patients who refuse necessary procedures.

A patient's refusal to undergo a medical procedure may be life threatening and also may lead to feelings which damage the doctor-patient relationship. Efforts to engage in a direct struggle against...
French Economic Policy After March 1986

In March 1986 a new majority was elected under the flag of economic liberalism and Jacques Chirac took over the reins of the government from Laurent Fabius. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the record of the new government in the first year of its existence.
Postgraduate training in occupational medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center.

Almost every physician devotes some professional time and attention to industrially connected conditions. The University of Michigan Medical Center has developed a comprehensive postgraduate training program in occupational medicine which includes seminars, conferences and short postgraduate courses as well as graduate courses for qualification for examination by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Both for specialty training in occupational medicine and for the educational needs of part-time industrial physicians, the facilities of a large medical center are a great advantage, and the program at the University of Michigan utilizes the knowledge and skills of many different components of the Medical Center and of other schools and departments.
Ultra-low energy security circuits for IoT applications

Low-area energy-efficient security primitives are key building blocks for enabling end-to-end content protection, user authentication, and consumer confidentiality in the IoT world that is estimated to surpass 50billion smart and connected devices by 2020. This paper describes design approaches that blend energy-efficient circuit techniques with optimal accelerator microarchitecture datapath, and hardware friendly arithmetic to achieve ultra-low energy consumption in security platforms for seamless adoption in area/battery constrained and self-powered systems. Industry leading energy-efficiency is demonstrated with three designs, fabricated and measured in advanced process technologies: 1) A 2040-gate arithmetically optimized composite-field Sbox based AES accelerator achieves 289Gbps/W peak energy-efficiency while offering 432Mbps throughput in 22nm tri-gate CMOS, 2) Hybrid Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) circuit leverages burn-in induced aging to reduce bit-error, followed by temporal-majority-voting, dark-bit masking, and error-correction conditioning techniques to generate a 100% stable full-entropy key with 190fJ/bit energy consumption in 22nm tri-gate CMOS. 3) A light-weight all digital TRNG uses in-line correlation suppressor and entropy-extractor circuits to achieve >0.99 min-entropy with 3pJ/bit measured energy-efficiency while operating down to 300mV in 14nm tri-gate CMOS.
Chapter 21 – Experimental study and fabric tensor quantification of microcrack distributions in composite materials

Publisher Summary This chapter experimentally measures the microcrack distributions of samples of a metal–matrix composite material (titanium aluminide) reinforced with continuous silicon carbide. The laminated composite material samples have two layup configurations: [0/90]s and [±45]s. These samples were tested under uniaxial tension up to different levels of loads, to show how microcrack distributions develop with applied loads. The [±45]s samples were shown to have more microcracks and a wider range of orientations of microcracks than the [0/90]s samples. This chapter discusses two categories of microcracks: fiber microcracks and fiber-interface microcracks. Distributions of both types were shown to be similar in shape, but different in orientation. In addition, microcrack distributions weighted by the microcrack lengths are presented. Fabric tensors of zero, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth order are used to approximate these microcrack distributions. Fabric tensors gave a good approximation when eighth or tenth order fabric tensors were used for both fiber and fiber interface microcrack distribution types.
Retirement and Healthy Lifestyle: A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Data Report.

Background The objective of this study was to compare the rates of healthy lifestyle adherence among retired late-middle-aged adults with rates among those who are still working. Methods A national cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES). The main outcome was the proportion of retires versus nonretirees who were adherent to ideal or intermediate goals of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7, cardiovascular factors including physical activity, healthy diet, healthy weight, smoking status, total cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure. Results Retirees were more likely than nonretirees to have poorly controlled blood pressure (23.9% vs 15.1%; P = .05). However, there were no differences in healthy weight, smoking rates, healthy diet, or glucose or cholesterol control (P > .05). In controlled logistic regression analyses, retirees were more likely to be physically active than nonretirees (odds ratio, 1.85; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-3.09), but were not more likely to be following any other Life's Simple 7 factors. Conclusions Retired adults were more likely to be physically active but were not more likely to be adhering to most of the Life's Simple 7 lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors. More public health attention to encouraging healthy lifestyles during the transition into retirement may be warranted.
EARLY DETECTION OF RETINAL HEMANGIOBLASTOMAS IN VON HIPPEL-LINDAU DISEASE USING ULTRA-WIDEFIELD FLUORESCEIN ANGIOGRAPHY.

Purpose To study the use of ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography (UWF FA) in the detection and management of retinal capillary hemangioblastomas in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease. Methods This is a retrospective study of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease who underwent UWF FA using the Optos camera at a single center from June 2009 to May 2015. The clinical use of UWF FA was reviewed, and the number of hemangioblastomas identified on UWF FA was compared with ophthalmoscopy and a simulated seven standard field (7SF) FA montage. Results Twenty eyes of 10 patients were identified. Only 33% of lesions seen on UWF FA were also found on ophthalmoscopy, and 88% of lesions visualized on UWF FA were located outside the 7SF overlay. In 5 eyes that had gaze steering, 18% of lesions could be visualized only on gaze-steered images. For the 14 eyes with data available, 6 had procedures recommended and 8 eyes observed based on data from UWF FA. One of 20 eyes had a lesion on ophthalmoscopy that was missed by imaging. Conclusion Ultra-widefield FA using the Optos camera is helpful for the evaluation and management of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease. The UWF FA with gaze steering appears to detect more hemangioblastomas than ophthalmoscopy and conventional angiography.
Updated Data on Linkage to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care and Antiretroviral Treatment Among Men Who Have Sex With Men—20 Cities, United States

We examined differences in prevalence of linkage to care and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) between 2008 and 2014 in National HIV Behavioral Surveillance. Prevalence of linkage to care increased from 79% in 2008 to 87% in 2014 (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.07). ARV treatment increased from 69% in 2008 to 88% in 2014 (adjusted PR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.12-1.18). Despite these increases, a large disparity in ARV treatment between white and black MSM remains. Increased resources are needed to support immediate referrals for ARV treatment for all MSM newly diagnosed with HIV.
Physical Activity Preferences of Overweight Fourth and Fifth Grade Students.

The purpose of this research was to contribute to the childhood obesity mitigation literature by determining the PA preferences of obese/overweight (o/o) elementary students who participated in Club Fit!, a school-based PA program designed to engage the students in developmentally appropriate, moderate-vigorous PA and enhance their regard for PA participation. An o/o intervention typically features PA engagement, but little is known about this population’s preference tendencies. Because preference is a key motivator of PA participation, understanding preference parameters is valuable to intervention design. Each program session concluded with journaling, during which the students offered written responses to questions pertaining to that day’s session. Journaling was an intentional program component for its ability to solicit information from the students that enabled the program directors to track their physical and emotional progress. Standard interpretive strategies were used to analyze the 1,396 journal entries produced over 1 academic year of program delivery that pertained to activity preference (e.g., What activity did you like? What activity do you want to do at home?). The top five most preferred activities were soccer, tag, PACER, basketball, and football. Further analysis indicated the students mostly preferred traditional team sport activities and those that involved object control skills. The results suggest that o/o elementary students are similar to normal weight peers in their activity preference and WANT to participate in mainstream, traditional team sport and exercise activities. The results also indicate this population’s preference to be treated like normal children vis-a-vis engagement in normal activities. Further investigation ought to delve more deeply into the nuances of preference (e.g., exploring different qualities of team sports), but these results can be useful toward informing the design of o/o intervention.Subscribe to TPE
“Hands-on” plus “inquiry”? Effects of withholding answers coupled with physical manipulations on students' learning of energy-related science concepts

Abstract A recent discussion on science teaching has been focusing on questions of whether it is necessary to withhold answers from learners until inquiry activities are completed and whether learners develop high-level science learning when they are physically involved in scientific investigations. To contribute to this topic, the present study examined the effects of withholding answers from learners coupled with involving them in physical manipulations on their learning of energy transfer in three domains, knowing, reasoning, and applying. The study compared students' learning outcomes in the hands-on inquiry condition that incorporated the two instructional elements, with learning in the explicit investigation condition that only involved learners in manipulations, and in direct instruction condition that excluded the two instructional elements. The results showed that the instructional conditions affected students' learning of energy transfer in knowing and reasoning, but not in applying. After controlling for students' prior knowledge, participants in the hands-on inquiry condition gained less class content and demonstrated a lower ability of reasoning than those in the direct instruction condition. Students did not differ in their ability to apply the learned content to real-life situations across conditions.
Alzheimer's disease development in adults with Down syndrome: Caregivers' perspectives

Research about Alzheimer's disease (AD) in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) has predominantly focused on the underlying genetics and neuropathology. Few studies have addressed how AD risk impacts caregivers of adults with DS. This study aimed to explore the perceived impact of AD development in adults with DS on caregivers by assessing caregiver knowledge, concerns, effect on personal life, and resource utilization via a 40-question (maximum) online survey. Survey distribution by four DS organizations and two DS clinics resulted in 89 caregiver respondents. Only 28 caregivers correctly answered all three AD knowledge questions. Caregivers gave an average AD concern rating of 5.30 (moderately concerned) and an average impact of possible diagnosis rating of 6.28 (very strong impact), which had a significant negative correlation with the age of the adult with DS (p = .009). Only 33% of caregivers reported utilization of resources to gain more information about the AD and DS association, with low levels of perceived usefulness. Our data reveal caregivers' misconceptions about AD development in DS, underutilization of available resources, and substantial concerns and perceived impacts surrounding a possible AD diagnosis. This study lays the foundation for how the medical community can better serve caregivers of aging adults with DS.
A Dedicated Satellite Trauma Orthopaedic Program Operating Room Safely Increases Capacity.

Background Providing high-value care for urgent orthopaedic trauma patients requires effective and timely treatment. Herein, we describe the implementation of an innovative program utilizing the operating room (OR) capacity of a satellite campus to decrease stress on a pediatric tertiary care center without jeopardizing patient safety. Methods In addition to the daily emergency surgical room on the main campus, a dedicated orthopaedic trauma surgery OR was established in a satellite hospital location for 3 days per week in the summer and for 2 days per week for the rest of the year. Nonemergency, non-multitrauma operative fracture cases presenting to our tertiary care facility emergency department or orthopaedic clinic were considered for satellite referral. Eligible patients required clearance for transfer via orthopaedic, emergency department, and anesthesia checklists. An opt-out policy was established for provider judgment or patient family concern to overrule transfer decisions. Selected patients were discharged home with satellite OR scheduling or approved for same-day satellite location admission. Short elective cases were performed when openings existed in the schedule. Results From June 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, 480 cases (372 trauma, 108 elective) were completed in our satellite OR. The most common trauma cases that were treated in the satellite OR were type-II supracondylar humeral fractures (n = 76). Summer months averaged 41.75 trauma cases and 11.25 elective cases per month, with 3.15 trauma cases and 0.85 elective cases per day. Nonsummer months averaged 22.78 trauma cases and 7.00 elective cases per month, with 2.93 trauma and 0.90 elective cases per day. Of the 17 postoperative issues, the greatest number (n = 7 [41%]) involved symptomatic hardware. The remaining complications were not surgeon or geographic-site-specific. There were no intraoperative complications, compartment syndrome episodes, or patients who required transfer back to our tertiary care facility for unexpected or serious medical issues. Conclusions With the proper screening protocols in place for appropriate patient selection, the use of a dedicated satellite orthopaedic trauma OR can increase capacity without compromising patient safety.
It Was a Different Time: Law & Order , White Rabbits, and the Decline of Sixties Radicalism

In the nineties, America seemed a less fertile ground for dissent than it was in the sixties and seventies. The nation prefers peace and quiet, and Law & Order affirms that desire and reassures its audience that the police and the courts are hard at work maintaining order. This chapter examines an episode of the series that guest stars radical attorney William Kunstler and deals with the lingering effects of a decades-old crime committed by anti-Vietnam War radicals. Ultimately, the series promotes a vision of a justice system that may be relied upon to deal with disorder. The effectiveness of the system depicted on the show reassures viewers that they may go about their lives confident in their own security and safety.
Variance Lower Bounds

This chapter gives some tools for proving lower bounds on the variance of Gaussian functionals. The methods are applied to understand chaotic behavior in the Edwards-Anderson model of lattice spin glasses.
Mass selection for increased 70-day weight in a closed line of Landrace pigs

Mass selection for increased weight at 70 d of age was practiced for six generations in a line of Landrace pigs. It was desired to have the next generation sired by the heaviest nine boars and out of the heaviest 27 gilts. A contemporaneous, randomly selected (by pedigree) control line was maintained in which the next generation was sired by five boars and out of 10 gilts. Inbreeding coefficients were .208 and .214 for the selected and control line litters and .177 and .189 for the selected and control line dams in the sixth generation, respectively. A total of 1,906 pigs was farrowed with 70-d weights collected on 1,267 pigs. These pigs were sired by 88 boars and out of 190 gilts. The generation interval was 13 mo. Six traits were studied: birth, 21-d, 35-d and 70-d weights and preweaning (from birth to 35 d) and postweaning (from 35 to 70 d) daily gains. Direct and correlated responses per generation and per weighted cumulative selection differential (WCSD) were estimated. Total WCSD for 70-d weight was 30.3 kg. This corresponds to a standardized WCSD of 6.11 phenotypic standard deviations. The response per generation for 70-d weight was .65 +/- .29 kg. The realized heritability for 70-d weight was .13 +/- .06. Nearly all the increased weight at 70 d was the result of more rapid growth in the postweaning period, with little difference in growth in the preweaning period; birth, 21-d and 35-d weights and preweaning daily gains remained unchanged by selection for 70-d weight.
The Noncompliance Problem

The Frezzo, Distler, Inmont, and Chrysler cases help introduce the problem of gaining compliance with the nation’s environmental laws.
Team splitting and the ‘borderline personality’: a relational reframe

The discussion of splitting within mental health treatment teams emerged from British object relations theory, a movement concerned with understanding the interplay between individuals in terms of ...
Endocrine Perturbations in Critical Illness

Acute illness results in an increase in circulating concentrations of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which impair insulin action, thereby leading to hyperglycemia. Extensive evidence from observational studies reveals a strong correlation between hyperglycemia during critical care and patient outcomes, including mortality. Even when controlling for other markers of severity of illness, the degree of blood glucose elevation appears to be independently associated with adverse events. Importantly, the relationship between glucose and mortality appears to be more tightly linked in patients without a prior history of diabetes—i.e., in those with newly identified hyperglycemia. It remains debated, however, as to whether hyperglycemia during critical illness is a marker for or a mediator of patient outcomes.
Methodology for Adaptive Active Message Coalescing in Task Based Runtime Systems

Overheads associated with fine grained communication in task based runtime systems are one of the major bottlenecks that limit the performance of distributed applications. In this research, we provide methodology and metrics for analyzing network overheads using the introspection capabilities of HPX, a task based runtime system. We demonstrate that our metrics show a strong correlation with the overall runtime of our test applications. Our aim is to eventually use these metrics to tune, at runtime, parameters relating to active message coalescing. This method improves on the postmortem analysis techniques that are currently employed to tune network settings in distributed applications.
Conversion of wastewater-originated waste grease to polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich algae with phagotrophic capability

Grease balls collected from a municipal wastewater treatment plant were melt-screened and used for cultivation of microalga Ochromonas danica, which could phagocytize droplets and particles as food. After autoclaving, the waste grease (WG) separated into two (upper and lower) phases. O. danica grew well on both, accumulating 48–79% (w/w) intracellular lipids. Initial WG contained approximately 50:50 triglycerides and free fatty acids (FFAs); over time, almost only FFAs remained in the extracellular WG presumably due to hydrolysis by algal lipase. PUFAs, mainly C18:2n6, C18:3n3, C18:3n6, C20:4n6, and C22:5n6, were synthesized and enriched to up to 67% of intracellular FAs, from the original 15% PUFA content in WG. The study showed feasibility of converting wastewater-originated WG to PUFA-rich O. danica algae culture, possibly as aquaculture/animal feed. WG dispersion was identified as a major processing factor to further improve for optimal WG conversion rate and cell and FA yields.
Hydrolytic degradation of PCL-PLLA semi-IPNs exhibiting rapid, tunable degradation.

Accelerating the rate of polyester hydrolytic degradation is of interest for numerous biomedical applications. Poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) have been extensively studied as thermoplastic homo- and copolymers as well as PCL-PLLA blends. PCL-PLLA semi-interpenetrating networks (semi-IPN) prepared with thermoplastic PLLA embedded in a cross-linked PCL diacrylate (PCL-DA) network were previously shown to exhibit uniquely accelerated degradation behavior that increased with PLLA content. Herein, their properties before and during degradation were further investigated to reveal the origin of this behavior and to better understand the semi-IPNs' degradation mechanism. Initially, semi-IPNs exhibited restricted spherulite size and irregularity, as well as a phase-separated morphology and PLLA-rich surface. Under accelerated conditions (1 M NaOH, 37 °C), degradation was revealed to be initiated in PLLA regions. It was also found that the PCL-DA crosslinking and PCL-PLLA phase separation played the largest roles in degradation rates and that semi-IPNs underwent faster rates of degradation than an analogous blend largely due to the reduced crystallinity of PCL-DA. Non-accelerated conditions (PBS [pH = 7.4], 37 °C) up to 56 weeks, which had never before been studied for polyester semi-IPNs, revealed similar trends in degradation rates.
Close your eyes or open your mind: Effects of sleep and mindfulness exercises on entrepreneurs' exhaustion

Abstract Exhaustion is a prominent problem in entrepreneurship because it inhibits cognitive functioning, opportunity identification and evaluation, decision-making, and perseverance. We examine the possible benefits of sleep and mindfulness exercises in reducing the exhaustion experienced by entrepreneurs in the course of launching and growing ventures. Across two studies, we find that both sleep and mindfulness exercises provide avenues for entrepreneurs to combat exhaustion. More interestingly, we find that these two factors compensate for one another; as the usage of one increases, the efficacy of the other decreases. This has important implications for reducing exhaustion and improving cognitive functioning and motivational energy among entrepreneurs.
Applications of the thermal-pulse flowmeter in the hydraulic characterization of fractured rocks

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a thermal-pulse flowmeter capable of detecting borehole flows to as small as 0.04 L/min. This new flowmeter provides much greater sensitivity to slow vertical flow than that available using conventional spinner flowmeters. This paper describes five applications of the thermal-pulse flowmeter in the characterization of the hydrology of fractured rocks. These applications include measurement of flows in boreholes driven by ambient hydraulic-head differences, identification of fractures contributing flow during production tests, inference of fracture interconnections during aquifer tests, interpretation of water-quality contrasts in boreholes, and identification of fractures affected by hydraulic stimulation procedures. Each of the five applications is illustrated by specific examples selected from ongoing research activities at various fracture hydrology study sites.
Improved energy reconstruction in NOvA with regression convolutional neural networks

In neutrino experiments, neutrino energy reconstruction is crucial because neutrino oscillations and differential cross-sections are functions of neutrino energy. It is also challenging due to the complexity in the detector response and kinematics of final state particles. We propose a regression convolutional neural network (CNN) based method to reconstruct electron neutrino energy and electron energy in the NOvA neutrino experiment. We demonstrate that with raw detector pixel inputs, a regression CNN can reconstruct event energy even with complicated final states involving lepton and hadrons. Compared with kinematics-based energy reconstruction, this method achieves a significantly better energy resolution. The reconstructed to true energy ratio shows comparable or less dependence on true energy, hadronic energy fractions, and interaction modes. The regression CNN also shows smaller systematic uncertainties from the simulation of neutrino interactions. The proposed energy estimator provides improvements of 16% and 12% in RMS for ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}$ CC and electron, respectively. This method can also be extended to solve other regression problems in High Energy Physics, taking over kinematics-based reconstruction tasks.
THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MOSAIC AND FINANCIAL REPORTING QUALITY

The purpose of this paper is to review research on corporate governance and its impact on financial reporting quality. This review will serve three purposes: (1) to suggest a corporate governance mosaic(i.e., the interactions among the actors and institutions that affect corporate governance) that encompasses a broader view of governance than has been considered in prior accounting research; (2) to provide an overview of the principal findings of prior research; and (3) to identify important gaps in the research that represent promising avenues for future study.
Clinical and Dosimetric Implications of Intrafractional Cylinder Movement During Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy.

Introduction To quantify the dosimetric and clinical effects of intrafractional cylinder movement in patients receiving high-dose-rate vaginal cuff brachytherapy (VBT) without a formal immobilization device and the implication of motion on institutional clinical outcomes. Methods From 2013-2018, 119 patients were treated with VBT with no formal immobilization device at a single institution. As a quality assessment study, pre-and post-cylinder brachytherapy kilovoltage (kV) images were acquired for 37 fractions in nine consecutive patients who underwent VBT and clinical care representative of institutional practice standards. The D90 and D90 EqD2 were calculated according to each patient's average intrafractional movement throughout the treatment course. The D2cc for organs-at-risk (OARs) were also re-evaluated following the simulated movements. The survival outcomes and toxicity were recorded from the 119 patients. Toxicity was graded as per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0. Results The measured mean ± standard deviation movement was 5.0 mm ± 3.5, with 62% moving caudad. The D90 from each patient's maximum and average movements were lower than the pre-planned doses: 71%, and 89%, respectively. The doses to the OARs were lower than the pre-planned doses. After a median follow-up of 20 months, there were three local recurrences with a median time of 14.5 months (range: 10-31). There were two acute grade 3+ toxicities and one late grade 3+ toxicity. There was a moderate correlation (r = 0.40) between body mass index (BMI) and intrafraction movement with caudad being more common in smaller BMIs (p = 0.0216). Conclusions Intrafractional vaginal cylinder movement without a table fixation device is about 5.0 mm, with the majority of movements moving caudad. While institutional outcomes suggest that local control may not be compromised, consideration of more formal immobilization devices is warranted, especially for those patients with lower BMIs.
Transcriptomic Profiling Identifies Differentially Expressed Genes in Palbociclib-Resistant ER+ MCF7 Breast Cancer Cells

Acquired resistance to cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibition in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer remains a significant clinical challenge. Efforts to uncover the mechanisms underlying resistance are needed to establish clinically actionable targets effective against resistant tumors. In this study, we sought to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with acquired resistance to palbociclib in ER+ breast cancer. We performed next-generation transcriptomic RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and pathway analysis in ER+ MCF7 palbociclib-sensitive (MCF7/pS) and MCF7 palbociclib-resistant (MCF7/pR) cells. We identified 2183 up-regulated and 1548 down-regulated transcripts in MCF7/pR compared to MCF7/pS cells. Functional analysis of the DEGs using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database identified several pathways associated with breast cancer, including ‘cell cycle’, ‘DNA replication’, ‘DNA repair’ and ‘autophagy’. Additionally, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed that resistance to palbociclib is closely associated with deregulation of several key canonical and metabolic pathways. Further studies are needed to determine the utility of these DEGs and pathways as therapeutics targets against ER+ palbociclib-resistant breast cancer.
New Species of Malleastrum (Meliaceae) from Madagascar

Three new species of Malleastrum (Baill.) J.-F. Leroy are described from Madagascar and compared to the most similar of the 22 other accepted species in the genus. Malleastrum acuminatum V. Perez & J. S. Mill., M. longifoliolatum V. Perez & J. S. Mill., and M. obovatum V. Perez & J. S. Mill. are described, differences from the most similar species are presented, and their conservation status is discussed.
Structural and biochemical characterization of the class II fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase from Francisella tularensis

The crystal structure of the class II fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPaseII) from the important pathogen Francisella tularensis is presented at 2.4 A resolution. Its structural and functional relationships to the closely related phosphatases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtFBPaseII) and Escherichia coli (EcFBPaseII) and to the dual phosphatase from Synechocystis strain 6803 are discussed. FBPaseII from F. tularensis (FtFBPaseII) was crystallized in a monoclinic crystal form (space group P21, unit-cell parameters a = 76.30, b = 100.17, c = 92.02 A, β = 90.003°) with four chains in the asymmetric unit. Chain A had two coordinated Mg2+ ions in its active center, which is distinct from previous findings, and is presumably deactivated by their presence. The structure revealed an approximate 222 (D2) symmetry homotetramer analogous to that previously described for MtFBPaseII, which is formed by a crystallographic dyad and which differs from the exact tetramer found in EcFBPaseII at a 222 symmetry site in the crystal. Instead, the approximate homotetramer is very similar to that found in the dual phosphatase from Synechocystis, even though no allosteric effector was found in FtFBPase. The amino-acid sequence and folding of the active site of FtFBPaseII result in structural characteristics that are more similar to those of the previously published EcFBPaseII than to those of MtFBPaseII. The kinetic parameters of native FtFBPaseII were found to be in agreement with published studies. Kinetic analyses of the Thr89Ser and Thr89Ala mutations in the active site of the enzyme are consistent with the previously proposed mechanism for other class II bisphosphatases. The Thr89Ala variant enzyme was inactive but the Thr89Ser variant was partially active, with an approximately fourfold lower Km and Vmax than the native enzyme. The structural and functional insights derived from the structure of FtFBPaseII will provide valuable information for the design of specific inhibitors.
Effect of surgical approach on risk of recurrence after vaginal brachytherapy in early-stage high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer

Abstract Objective The objective was to determine if surgical approach affects time to recurrence in early-stage high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer (HIR-EC) treated with adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (VBT). Methods In this retrospective cohort study, HIR-EC patients treated with VBT between 2005 and 2017 were identified and those who received open or minimally invasive hysterectomies (MIS) were included. Clinical and surgical variables were analyzed and time to recurrence was compared between surgical groups. Results We identified 494 patients, of which 363 had MIS hysterectomies, 92.5% had endometrioid histology, 45.7% were stage IA and 48.0% stage IB. Open hysterectomy patients had higher BMIs (p = 0.007), lower rates of lymph node sampling (p Conclusions Patients with HIR-EC treated with VBT after MIS hysterectomy have a shorter time to recurrence and higher risk of recurrence when compared to open hysterectomy patients. Further studies into the safety of MIS in high-intermediate risk patients are required.
The Low-Column Density Lyα Forest

We develop an analytical method to compute the column density distribution of the Lyα forest in the low-column density limit. We compute the column density distributions for six different cosmological models and found that the standard, COBE-normalized CDM model cannot fit the observations of the Lyα forest at z = 3. The amplitude of the fluctuations in that model has to be lowered by a factor of almost 3 to match observations. However, the currently viable cosmological models like the slightly tilted COBE-normalized CDM+Λ model, the CHDM model with Ων = 0.2, and the low-amplitude standard CDM model are all in agreement with observations for the value of the cosmological baryon density at or higher than the old standard big bang nucleosynthesis value of Ωbh2 = 0.0125 for the currently favored value of the ionizing radiation intensity. With the low value for the baryon density inferred by Rugers & Hogan, the models can only marginally match observations.
Antiviral Activities of Group I Innate Lymphoid Cells

Abstract Even before the adaptive immune response initiates, a potent group of innate antiviral cells responds to a wide range of viruses to limit replication and virus-induced pathology. Belonging to a broader family of recently discovered innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), antiviral group I ILCs are composed of conventional natural killer cells (cNK) and tissue-resident ILCs (ILC1s) that can be distinguished based on their location as well as by the expression of key cell surface markers and transcription factors. Functionally, blood-borne cNK cells recirculate throughout the body and are recruited into the tissue at sites of viral infection where they can recognize and lyse virus-infected cells. In contrast, ILC1s are poised in uninfected barrier tissues and respond not through lysis but with the production of antiviral cytokines. From their frontline tissue locations, ILC1s can even induce an antiviral state in uninfected tissue to preempt viral replication. Mounting evidence also suggests that ILC1s may have enhanced secondary responses to viral infection. In this review, we discuss recent findings demonstrating that ILC1s provide several critical layers of innate antiviral immunity and the mechanisms (when known) underlying protection.
UNBALANCED BIDDING MODELS - THEORY

A class of unbalanced bidding problems appropriate for unit price proposals is indentified. Using the present worth of future revenue as an objective, several models are constructed for optimal unbalancing of a bid. A linear programming formulation is found to emerge in a natural way. The implications of unbalanced bidding to both the bidder and the sponsor are considered.
On the role of behaviorism in clinical psychology.

This discussion presents the viewpoints of five well-known psychologists on the role of behaviorism in clinical psychology. The article is a condensed version of a symposium presented at the 1978 annual APA convention.
MR Molecular Imaging of Tumor Vasculature and Vascular Targets

Tumor angiogenesis and the ability of cancer cells to induce neovasculature continue to be a fascinating area of research. As the delivery network that provides substrates and nutrients, as well as chemotherapeutic agents to cancer cells, but allows cancer cells to disseminate, the tumor vasculature is richly primed with targets and mechanisms that can be exploited for cancer cure or control. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of tumor vasculature, and the heterogeneity of response to targeting, make noninvasive imaging essential for understanding the mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis, tracking vascular targeting, and detecting the efficacy of antiangiogenic therapies. With its noninvasive characteristics, exquisite spatial resolution and range of applications, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have provided a wealth of functional and molecular information on tumor vasculature in applications spanning from “bench to bedside”. The integration of molecular biology and chemistry to design novel imaging probes ensures the continued evolution of the molecular capabilities of MRI. In this review, we have focused on developments in the characterization of tumor vasculature with functional and molecular MRI.
On the Nature and Origin of Life

Biology, hitherto, did not contribute considerably to the foundations of physics. On the other hand it expects its basic problems to be solved by physics.1 Biology, being essentially the study of life, sιοσ, its main problem is: what is life? The question must have been asked innumerable times without finding a satisfactory answer. This is an unusual situation, experimental science being based on the experience that Nature answers intelligent questions intelligently. If she is silent, something may be wrong about the question. The question is wrong, because science rarely asks what things are, and is mostly contented with working on how they behave. Newton never asked what gravitation was.