cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
KeV Ion Beam Induced Surface Modification of SiC Hydrogen Sensor

Silicon carbide, a wide-bandgap semiconductor, is currently used to fabricate an efficient high temperature hydrogen sensor. When a palladium coating is applied on the exposed surface of silicon carbide, the chemical reaction between palladium and hydrogen produces a detectable change in the surface chemical potential. Rather than applying a palladium film, we have implanted palladium ions into the silicon face of 6H, n-type Sic samples. The implantation energies and fluences, as well as the results obtained by monitoring the current through the sample in the presence of hydrogen are included in this paper.
When is Difference a Disability

ABSTRACT In considering when a difference is a disability, two important perspectives are recognized: the functionalistic which verifies “presence of difference” and the nativistic which establishes “limitation of adaptive potential.” Both perspectives must be kept in focus if accommodations for disabilities are to be helpful and fair and if a growth process is to be supported.
Experimental investigation of the streaming potential hypothesis for ionic polymer transducers in sensing

Ionic polymer transducers (IPTs) are ionomers that are plated with conductive media such as metals, leading to capacitive behavior. IPTs exhibit bending deformation when a voltage difference is applied across the surfaces of the transducer, thus displaying actuation. A current is generated when they are deformed, thus exhibiting sensing. However, the mechanisms responsible for actuation and sensing differ; research to date has focused predominantly on actuation, while identification of the dominant mechanism responsible for IPT sensing remains an open topic. The goal of this work is to initiate experimental investigations of the streaming potential hypothesis for IPT sensing. This hypothesis argues that the presence of unbound counter-ions within the hydrophilic phase of an ionic polymer behaves as an electrolyte in the presence of the electrode. Thus, as per classic streaming potential analyses, relative motion of the electrolyte with respect to the electrode will result in the evolution of a streaming potential. According to this hypothesis, the extent of communication between the electrode and electrolyte becomes important in the evolution of an electrical signal. This study experimentally explores the effect of electrode architecture on the sensing response where the IPTs are prepared via the direct assembly process (DAP). The DAP is selected because it enables control over the fabrication of the electrode structure. In this study, cantilevered IPT samples having different electrode composition are tested under several step input tip displacements. The experimental outcomes are consistent with predicted trends via streaming potential theory. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
The Concept of Mood

One of the popular catchphrases associated with the “encounter-group” movement of the 1960s and the 1970s was “getting in touch with your feelings.” The general idea seemed to be that we were so oversocialized, inhibited, and precariously tilted toward rationality that we were becoming alienated from the emotional side of our nature. As sensitivity to our most primitive and fundamental reactions deteriorated, we supposedly risked an existence driven by logic and social norms, a cold and robotic prospect. But as observers of the “touchy-feely” scene know, the yin to this yang was equally unpalatable. Ranging from self-absorption to mind-altering drugs and sexual experiment, the goal of augmenting the sensuous opportunities in life left little time (and patience) for the mundane problems of existence.
Development and emergence of the orchard pollinator Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

Abstract The solitary bee Osmia lignaria Say has been developed as an orchard pollinator in the western United States. Immatures develop through the spring and summer. By late summer, bees become adults and remain in this stage inside their cocoons throughout the winter. In this study, we reared O. lignaria at various temperature regimes in the laboratory and outdoors. Developmental rates increased with temperature: bees reared at 18°C took >120 d to complete development, whereas bees reared at 29°C took half that long. Bees reared outdoors under fluctuating ambient conditions took ≈95 d. At 18°C, some bees were unable to complete prepupal dormancy. Different developmental stages responded differently to the various temperature regimes. Fluctuating temperatures averaging 22°C significantly shortened the dormant prepupal stage, and, as a result, bees developed faster than at the equivalent constant temperatures. Bees that developed faster (29°C and fluctuating temperatures) could be wintered as early as Au...
"A moral being is an accountable being": Adam Smith and the Ethical Foundations of Accountable Governance

In this paper I argue that among the "lost legacies" of Adam Smith's work was a perspective on human moralilty that warrants his consideration as the first modern theorist of accountable governance. I elaborate on my rationale for that claim after reviewing the particular writings in Smith’s principal work (in this case TMS rather than WN) which I believe establish his foundational role in such a theory and discussing the factors behind its “lost” status.
Consequences of life history switch point plasticity for juvenile morphology and locomotion in the Túngara frog

Many animals with complex life cycles can cope with environmental uncertainty by altering the timing of life history switch points through plasticity. Pond hydroperiod has important consequences for the fitness of aquatic organisms and many taxa alter the timing of life history switch points in response to habitat desiccation. For example, larval amphibians can metamorphose early to escape drying ponds. Such plasticity may induce variation in size and morphology of juveniles which can result in carry-over effects on jumping performance. To investigate the carry-over effects of metamorphic plasticity to pond drying, we studied the Tungara frog, Physalaemus pustulosus, a tropical anuran that breeds in highly ephemeral habitats. We conducted an outdoor field mesocosm experiment in which we manipulated water depth and desiccation and measured time and size at metamorphosis, tibiofibula length and jumping performance. We also conducted a complimentary laboratory experiment in which we manipulated resources, water depth and desiccation. In the field experiment, metamorphs from dry-down treatments emerged earlier, but at a similar size to metamorphs from constant depth treatments. In the laboratory experiment, metamorphs from the low depth and dry-down treatments emerged earlier and smaller. In both experiments, frogs from dry-down treatments had relatively shorter legs, which negatively impacted their absolute jumping performance. In contrast, reductions in resources delayed and reduced size at metamorphosis, but had no negative effect on jumping performance. To place these results in a broader context, we review past studies on carry-over effects of the larval environment on jumping performance. Reductions in mass and limb length generally resulted in lower jumping performance across juvenile anurans tested to date. Understanding the consequences of plasticity on size, morphology and performance can elucidate the linkages between life stages.
Antibiotic penetration of experimental bone hematomas.

An experimental model for the study of antibiotic penetration and persistence in skeletal hematomas has been described. The highest levels of penicillin in the hematoma and the longest persistence of penicillin in the hematoma occurred when the drug was given before and after the operation. With this regimen, bacteriocidal levels of penicillin were maintained in the hematoma for ten to eleven hours after the last dose. While penetration of a hematoma with inhibitory levels of penicillin administered within four days of operation has been demonstrated, no conclusions concerning the value of antibiotics in the prophylaxis of operative wound infection are warranted from this study. Further studies on infected hematomas are being done to elucidate that question.
Invited editorial on "Pennes' 1948 paper revisited".

h. h. pennes’ study of tissue heating in the human forearm, which appeared in volume 1, issue 2 of the Journal of Applied Physiology ([10][1]), is a landmark work that has the curious attribute of a higher citation frequency today than when first published fifty years ago.[1][2]It is the inception
The Diagnostic Significance of a Prolonged Erythrocytic Glycerol Lysis Time (GLT50)

The predictive value of a prolonged glycerol lysis time (GLT50) was assessed by analysis of case records of 100 consecutive subjects with values greater than 73 seconds (normal = 26--73 seconds) reported by the clinical laboratory of The New York Hospital. There were 72 cases of hemoglobinopathy: 65 thalassemia trait, four sickle-thalassemia, and one each of Hb D-thalassemia, sickle-C disease, and sickle-cell anemia. Nine of the remaining subjects had iron-deficiency anemia, three had chronic renal disease, and seven had miscellaneous disorders. Four subjects were apparently normal, and in five cases there was insufficient information for a diagnosis. Of 78 patients who had both a prolonged GLT50 and microcytosis, 67 (86%) had thalassemia trait and seven (9%) had iron-deficiency anemia. In 74 patients with GLT50 greater than 100 seconds, thalassemia trait was found 16 times as often as uncomplicated iron-deficiency anemia. All 31 subjects with GLT50 greater than 180 seconds had hemoglobinopahy. A prolonged GLT50 strongly suggests thalassemia trait, especially when greater than 100 seconds or associated with microcytosis.
Report of detection of H5N1 RNA from leiothrix lutea clinical specimens in Lishi city

Objective:To detect of H5N1 RNA from Leiothrix lutea clinical specimens in Lishi city.Methods:The typing and sub-typing were detectioned according to H5N1 and H7 and H9 gene respectively,and the real-time PCR were used by these gene primers.Results:RNA samples positive for H5N1,and H7/H9 subtypes negative.Conclusion:Avian influenza in winter and spring is a common season.Presence of migratory birds of avian influenza in Lishi city.Migratory birds infected with avian influenza indicate the bird flu is no longer a regional phenomenon.
Laboratory workers and musculoskeletal disorders--examining ergonomic risk factors and solutions.

EK. has worked in the clinical laboratory of a large medical center for 14 years. Her duties include processing and testing specimens, and entering results into a computer. She uses a variety of eq...
Opportunistic fungal infection. What the clinician, pathologist, and mycologist can accomplish if they work together

Major pitfalls in the diagnosis of opportunistic fungal respiratory infection are illustrated by case examples. Open and frequent communication among the clinician, the pathologist, and the mycologist ensures the pooling of expertise that is necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis and to promote better patient care.
Oxygen uptake kinetics in trained athletes differing in $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$

Previous work has shown that when $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ kinetics are compared for endurance trained athletes and untrained subjects, the highly trained athletes have a faster response time. However, it remains to be determined whether the more rapid adjustment of $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ toward steady state in athletes is due to $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ differences or training adaptation alone. One approach to this problem is to study the time course of $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ kinetics at the onset of work in athletes who differ in $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ but have similar training habits. Therefore, the purpose of these experiments was to compare the time course of $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ kinetics at the onset of exercise in athletes with similar training routines but who differ in $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ . Ten subjects ( $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ range 50–70 ml · kg−1 · min−1) performed 6-minutes of cycle ergometer exercise at ∼50% $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ . Ventilation and gas exchange were monitored by open circuit techniques. The data were modeled with a single component exponential function incorporating a time delay, (T D ); $$\Delta \dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2}}f} } = \Delta \dot V_{{\text{O}}_{2ss} } {\text{ (1}} - e^{ - t - T_D /_{\tau )} }$$ , where Τ is the time constant $$\Delta \dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2}}f} }$$ is the increase in $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ at time t and $$\Delta \dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2ss}}} }$$ is the steady-rate increment above resting $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ . Kinetic analysis revealed a range of $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ half times from 21.6 to 36.0 s across subjects with a correlation coefficient of r=−0.80 (p<0.05) between $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ and $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ half time. These data suggest that in highly trained indicivuals with similar training habits, those with a higher $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }$$ achieve a more rapid $$\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ adjustment at the onset of work.
Sub-30ps ECL circuits using high-f/sub T/ Si and SiGe epitaxial base SEEW transistors

A high-performance bipolar technology is presented which involves Si and SiGe epitaxial base formation in a selective epitaxy emitter window (SEEW) structure. Si transistors have cut-off frequencies (f/sub T/) of 35-53 GHz while the f/sub T/ of SiGe devices ranges from 45 GHz to 63 GHz. The SEEW structure allowed emitter width reduction to 0.35 mu m using optical lithography with 0.8 mu m minimum linewidth to operate the device at high current density near maximum f/sub T/. The ECL (emitter coupled logic) gate delay is examined as function of the trade-off between f/sub T/ and intrinsic base resistance and of the main device parasitics, i.e., base resistance and collector-base capacitance. A minimum ECL gate delay of 24.3 ps was realized in an unloaded ECL ring oscillator. >
Impact of pancreatectomy on long-term patient-reported symptoms and quality of life in recurrence-free survivors of pancreatic and periampullary neoplasms.

Background Long term patient-reported symptoms and quality of life (QOL) are important outcome metrics following cancer operations, but have been poorly described in patients who have previously undergone pancreatectomy. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of recurrence-free survivors of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, periampullary carcinomas, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors who had undergone prior pancreatectomy. QOL and symptom burden were measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Hepatobiliary Questionnaire, and psychosocial distress was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results Of 331 eligible patients surveyed, 217 (66%) participated at a median of 53.3 (range, 7.6–214.8) months following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD, n = 165) or distal pancreatectomy (DP, n = 52). Among all patients, overall QOL scores were favorable and influenced by race, histology, and type of surgery. The most common significant symptoms reported were fatigue (82%), back pain (32%), and difficulty with digestion (31%). In general, PD survivors reported better QOL, lower levels of anxiety/depression, greater levels of diarrhea, and improved appetite, constipation, fatigue, anxiety, and depression (P < 0.05) than DP survivors. On both univariate and multivariate regression analysis, DP was negatively associated with QOL. Conclusions Most disease-free survivors of pancreatic neoplasms report favorable QOL, but gastrointestinal and psychosocial symptoms may exist long after pancreatectomy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2017;115:144–150. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Improving global detection of volcanic eruptions using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

Abstract. Volcanic eruptions pose an ever-present threat to human populations around the globe, but many active volcanoes remain poorly monitored. In regions where ground-based monitoring is present the effects of volcanic eruptions can be moderated through observational alerts to both local populations and service providers, such as air traffic control. However, in regions where volcano monitoring is limited satellite-based remote sensing provides a global data source that can be utilised to provide near-real-time identification of volcanic activity. This paper details a volcanic plume detection method capable of identifying smaller eruptions than is currently feasible, which could potentially be incorporated into automated volcanic alert systems. This method utilises daily, global observations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite. Following identification and classification of known volcanic eruptions in 2005–2009, the OMI SO2 data, analysed using a logistic regression analysis, permitted the correct classification of volcanic events with an overall accuracy of over 80 %. Accurate volcanic plume identification was possible when lower-tropospheric SO2 loading exceeded ∼ 400 t. The accuracy and minimal user input requirements of the developed procedure provide a basis for incorporation into automated SO2 alert systems.
Assessment of Discussion in Learning Contexts

This chapter reports on our efforts to develop automated assessment of collaborative processes, in order to support effective participation in learning-relevant discussion. This chapter presents resources that can be offered to this assessment community by machine learning and computational linguistics. The goal is to raise awareness of opportunities for productive synergy between research communities. In particular, we present a three-part pipeline for expediting automated assessment of collaborative processes in discussion in order to trigger interventions, with pointers to sharable software and other opportunities for support. The pipeline begins with computational modeling of analytic categories, motivated by the learning sciences and linguistics. It also includes a data infrastructure for uniform representation of heterogeneous data sources that enables association between process and outcome variables. Finally, it includes supportive technologies that can be triggered through real-time, automated application of that analysis in order to achieve positive impact on outcomes.
Postglacial recolonization shaped the genetic diversity of the winter moth (Operophtera brumata) in Europe.

Changes in climate conditions, particularly during the Quaternary climatic oscillations, have long been recognized to be important for shaping patterns of species diversity. For species residing in the western Palearctic, two commonly observed genetic patterns resulting from these cycles are as follows: (1) that the numbers and distributions of genetic lineages correspond with the use of geographically distinct glacial refugia and (2) that southern populations are generally more diverse than northern populations (the "southern richness, northern purity" paradigm). To determine whether these patterns hold true for the widespread pest species the winter moth (Operophtera brumata), we genotyped 699 individual winter moths collected from 15 Eurasian countries with 24 polymorphic microsatellite loci. We find strong evidence for the presence of two major genetic clusters that diverged ~18 to ~22 ka, with evidence that secondary contact (i.e., hybridization) resumed ~ 5 ka along a well-established hybrid zone in Central Europe. This pattern supports the hypothesis that contemporary populations descend from populations that resided in distinct glacial refugia. However, unlike many previous studies of postglacial recolonization, we found no evidence for the "southern richness, northern purity" paradigm. We also find evidence for ongoing gene flow between populations in adjacent Eurasian countries, suggesting that long-distance dispersal plays an important part in shaping winter moth genetic diversity. In addition, we find that this gene flow is predominantly in a west-to-east direction, suggesting that recently debated reports of cyclical outbreaks of winter moth spreading from east to west across Europe are not the result of dispersal.
Blood Pressure and Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability Among Individuals With Primary Proteinuric Glomerulopathies

Hypertension and blood pressure variability (BPV; SD and average real variability) in primary proteinuric glomerulopathies are not well described. Data were from 433 participants in the NEPTUNE (Ne...
Five-Year Visit

Mina Asad is coming to the pediatric clinic with her mother Mrs. Asad and her paternal grandmother. They live in a small urban city around the corner from the local mosque. They immigrated to America when Mina was 3 years old. Mina has been attending a preschool at the mosque and her mother is concerned about Mina starting kindergarten at the public school a few blocks away in the fall. Mina weighs 16 kg (35.2 lb) (25th percentile) and stands 108 cm (43.2 in.) in the 50th percentile. Her blood pressure is 91/53. Her BMI is 13.7 (in the 3rd percentile). Mina is a quiet girl at home with her older brothers. Her grandmother is concerned that in the public school Mina will be encouraged to speak up to boys, not only girls. This would not be considered respectful for a woman’s behavior in their culture. Mina wears a head veil, like her mother and grandmother. Mina can tell a story in full sentences, count to ten, and name six colors. She can draw a person with six body parts and can copy squares and triangles. She also can hop, skip, and likes to climb in the playground. Recently a fire erupted in Mina’s building and she has become fearful of noises. The grandmother is also concerned that Mina does not eat enough foods. She eats fruits and vegetables and dairy products but she is a very picky eater. She doesn’t like meat, fish, or eggs. She eats only white pita bread with humus for many meals, but won’t eat the falafel balls her grandma fries especially for her.
Pollution of Aquatic Ecosystems II: Hydrocarbons, Synthetic Organics, Radionuclides, Heavy Metals, Acids, and Thermal Pollution

Inland waters can be negatively impacted by pollution from industry, transportation, agriculture, mining, power generation, nuclear energy, weapons production, and other activities. Aquatic pollution can result of human use, misuse, and improper disposal of chemical products and by-products. Fossil fuel-related industries are potential sources of pollutant aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, inorganic compounds, and metals. Inland waters can become polluted with synthetic organic chemicals, including plastics and plasticizers, flame retardants, pesticides, surfactants, and pharmaceuticals from waste water effluent, spills, and runoff from landfills. Some pollutants are both persistent and toxic and can bioaccumulate in biota in aquatic systems. Heavy metals and other toxic elements emitted by industrial and agricultural activity can negatively impact fish and wildlife populations. Metal mining operations can produce toxic acidic conditions in streams, rivers, and lakes. Accidental releases of radionuclides from nuclear activities have polluted inland waters. Warm industrial effluents negatively alter the habitat of aquatic organisms.
Acoustoelectric amplification of surface acoustic waves on ZnO deposited on AlGaN/GaN Epi

The integration of surface acoustic wave devices with GaN HEMT technology is an area that has generated significant interest from the long-range radio and radar community. Reported devices rely on accessing the underlying epitaxial layer and then releasing it from the substrate to minimize mechanical losses [1,2]. Due to reliability concerns that arise from strain resulting from bowing, the GaN layer is grown from 1.3μm–1.7μm. This limitation can lead to less then desirable electromechanicial coupling and acoustic velocity due to the dispersion relation between the wavelength and the thickness of the piezoelectric material. Recently, amplification of surface acoustic waves by a two-dimensional electron gas in GaN has been demonstrated in [3]. This is a promising result that can compensate for high insertion loss, however, the ability to tune the thickness of the piezoelectric layer to a particular frequency is still desirable. To address this, we propose the utilization of thin-film ZnO deposited on GaN to serve as a piezoelectric. ZnO has been demonstrated to have a high electromechanical coupling and a acoustic wave velocity suitable for microwave frequencies on several substrates [4, 5]. Furthermore, acoustic gain is also achievable in this structure and its merits can be investigated by revisiting the models for gain and noise developed in [6, 7]. Figure 1 shows that the ZnO/AlGaN/GaN structure is capable of high frequency gain and lower noise figure then it's InSb/SiO 2 /LiNbO 3 predecessor. In this work, we report the observation of acoustoelectric gain in an experimental device with a greater power ratio then previously reported. We believe this structure can be a pathway that leads to the union of the versatility and signal processing power of SAW devices with the high-power high-speed III-V technology.
Multilevel acceleration of scattering-source iterations with application to electron transport

Abstract Acceleration/preconditioning strategies available in the SCEPTRE radiation transport code are described. A flexible transport synthetic acceleration (TSA) algorithm that uses a low-order discrete-ordinates (S N ) or spherical-harmonics (P N ) solve to accelerate convergence of a high-order S N source-iteration (SI) solve is described. Convergence of the low-order solves can be further accelerated by applying off-the-shelf incomplete-factorization or algebraic-multigrid methods. Also available is an algorithm that uses a generalized minimum residual (GMRES) iterative method rather than SI for convergence, using a parallel sweep-based solver to build up a Krylov subspace. TSA has been applied as a preconditioner to accelerate the convergence of the GMRES iterations. The methods are applied to several problems involving electron transport and problems with artificial cross sections with large scattering ratios. These methods were compared and evaluated by considering material discontinuities and scattering anisotropy. Observed accelerations obtained are highly problem dependent, but speedup factors around 10 have been observed in typical applications.
Justice System Bias Perceptions of the Dually Marginalized: Observations from a Sample of Women Ex-offenders

ABSTRACTSocial constructions of race, gender, and class are known to shape stereotypes that condition interaction and behavior across various contexts, including the criminal justice system. From an intersectional framework emphasizing dual marginalization, this study relates in-depth interviews with women ex-offenders regarding their justice system experiences to explore perceived race and gender themed discrimination. Findings of reported pejorative language and degrading behavior reaffirm a well-documented generalized assumption by women of color that disparate treatment is normative. Discussion centers on how these views are detrimental to rehabilitation enrollment, related implications for offender programming objectives, and the utility of intersectionality theory for analyzing related justice topics.
Secure Information Transfer Between Nearby Wireless Devices

Securely transferring data between two devices that have never previously met nor shared a secret is a difficult task. Previous solutions to the problem are susceptible to well-known attacks or may require extensive infrastructure that may not be suitable for wireless devices such as Internet of Things sensors that do not have advanced computational capabilities. We propose a new approach: using jamming to thwart adversaries located more than a few centimeters away, while still allowing devices in close physical proximity to securely share data. To accomplish this secure data transfer we exploit MIMO antennas and the Inverse-Square Law.
Intraoperative costs of video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy can be dramatically reduced without compromising outcomes

Abstract Objective To determine whether surgeon selection of instrumentation and other supplies during video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy (VATSL) can safely reduce intraoperative costs. Methods In this retrospective, cost-focused review of all video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery anatomic lung resections performed by 2 surgeons at a single institution between 2010 and 2014, we compared VATSL hospital costs and perioperative outcomes between the surgeons, as well as costs of VATSL compared with thoracotomy lobectomy (THORL). Results A total of 100 VATSLs were performed by surgeon A, and 70 were performed by surgeon B. The preoperative risk factors did not differ significantly between the 2 groups of surgeries. Mean VATSL total hospital costs per case were 24% percent greater for surgeon A compared with surgeon B ( P = .0026). Intraoperative supply costs accounted for most of this cost difference and were 85% greater for surgeon A compared with surgeon B ( P P Conclusions The costs of VATSL differ substantially among surgeons and are heavily influenced by the use of disposable equipment/devices. Surgeons can substantially reduce the costs of VATSL to far lower than those of THORL without compromising surgical outcomes through prudent use of costly instruments and technologies.
The City-Logic of Resistance: Subverting Urbicide in the Middle East City

AbstractMost armed conflict today takes place within urban terrain or within an urbanised context. An extreme variant of such armed conflict is violence perpetrated by external state and non-state forces within the city, known as urbicide. Urbicidal violence deliberately strives to kill, discipline or deny the city to its inhabitants by targeting and then reordering the sociomaterial urban assemblage. Civil resistance within urbicidal violence seeks to subvert the emerging alternative sovereign order sought by such forces. It does so by using the inherent logic of the city in order to maintain/restore the community’s social cohesion, mitigate the violence, affirm humanity, and claim the right to the city. This paper investigates the city-logic of civil resistance through examples drawn from the recent urbicidal experiences of Middle East cities such as Gaza, Aleppo, Mosul, and Sana’a. Theoretical insights from the conflict resolution literature, critical urban theory, and assemblage thinking inform the ar...
An Interdisciplinary Academic Detailing Approach to Decrease Inappropriate Medication Prescribing by Physician Residents for Older Veterans Treated in the Emergency Department.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of an academic detailing intervention delivered as part of a quality improvement project by a physician–pharmacist pair on (1) self-reported confidence in prescribi...
Hidden Costs of Free Patents

A growing number of companies, including some of the world’s largest patent holders, appear to be giving patent rights away for free. These companies are making patent pledges, defined here as voluntary unilateral promises to the public to limit the enforcement of their patents. While these pledges are widely celebrated as socially beneficial efforts to mitigate the negative impact of patents on open innovation, this article challenges the conventional wisdom. Just as there is no free lunch, there is no free patent. The article shows that patent pledges can sometimes create hidden costs for innovation that the law is not currently equipped to deal with. It identifies three ways in which patent pledges can create social costs: (1) enhanced opportunities for patent hold-up; (2) foreclosure of alternative technology paths; and (3) use of pledges to create entry barriers. These costs arise where patent holders exploit limitations in the legal framework governing patent pledges along with private information about their intellectual property and business strategies to act opportunistically. Drawing from other areas of law in which similar problems of opportunism occur, the article applies Professor Henry Smith’s theory of equity as a second-order safety valve for law to show how these costs could be mitigated through limited expansion of equitable doctrines within patent law.
Normalized CES supply-side system approach: How to replicate Klump, McAdam, and Willman (2007)

This paper lays out a replication plan for the influential paper by Klump et al. (Factor Substitution and Factor-augmenting Technical Progress in the United States: a Normalized Supply-side System Approach 2007) on using a normalized CES supply-side system approach to estimate the value of the elasticity of substitution between factors of production and identify the growth patterns for biased technical progress. The authors begin with a general discussion of basic principles on carrying out a replication study. Further, they outline key steps to follow to replicate the chosen paper and establish criteria that can be used to determine if the replication confirms or disconfirms the original findings. This paper contributes to the increased interest in improving replications in economics research.
Novel Immunotherapy Options for Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma.

Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) is a highly aggressive mature NK/T-cell neoplasm marked by NK-cell phenotypic expression of CD3e and CD56. While the disease is reported worldwide, there is a significant geographic variation with its highest incidence in East Asian countries possibly related to the frequent early childhood exposure of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and specific ethnic-genetical background, which contributes to the tumorigenesis. Historically, anthracycline-based chemotherapy such as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone) was used, but resulted in poor outcomes. This is due in part to intrinsic ENKTCL resistance to anthracycline caused by high expression levels of P-glycoprotein. The recent application of combined modality therapy with concurrent or sequential radiation therapy for early stage disease, along with non-anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens consisting of drugs independent of P-glycoprotein have significantly improved clinical outcomes. Particularly, this neoplasm shows high sensitivity to l-asparaginase as NK-cells lack asparagine synthase activity. Even still, outcomes of patients with advanced stage disease or those with relapsed/recurrent disease are dismal with overall survival of generally a few months. Thus, novel therapies are needed for this population. Clinical activity of targeted antibodies along with antibody-drug conjugates, such as daratumumab (naked anti-CD38 antibody) and brentuximab vedotin (anti-CD30 antibody conjugated with auristatin E), have been reported. Further promising data have been shown with checkpoint inhibitors as high levels of programmed death-ligand 1 expression are observed in ENKTCL due to EBV-driven overexpression of the latent membrane proteins [latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and LMP2] with activation of the NF-κB/MAPK pathways. Initial case series with programmed death 1 inhibitors showed an overall response rate of 100% in seven relapsed patients including five with a complete response (CR). Furthermore, cellular immunotherapy with engineered cytotoxic T lymphocytes targeted against LMP1 and LMP2 have shown encouraging results with durable CRs as either maintenance therapy after initial induction chemotherapy or in the relapsed/refractory setting. In this paper, we review this exciting field of novel immunotherapy options against ENKTCL that hopefully will change the treatment paradigm in this deadly disease.
Transcriptional Changes in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, affecting millions of aging people worldwide with no known cure. Pathological analyses have identified extracellular β-amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau as core features, but the key causal biochemical pathways remain elusive. In fact, functional genomic analyses suggest a number of other cellular changes occurring early in the disease, including synaptic and bio-energetic dysfunction, as well as a role for neuron–glia interactions. Given the complexity of AD and the limitations of our current knowledge, the field of AD research would benefit from taking hypothesis-independent approaches that allow one to view the data in a systems biology framework. This paradigm shift in AD transcriptional research would permit consolidation of the large body of often-conflicting transcriptional, proteomic, and other screening results into testable theories of AD progression. In this chapter, we will first review transcriptional studies of AD that use postmortem human brain, animal model systems, and peripheral human tissue, addressing the biological pathways that these studies suggest degrade with AD progression. Next, we will discuss recent studies with more multifaceted designs, and how results from such studies lend support to some of these theories. Finally, we will suggest how using a more systems-level approach to the study of AD could help scientists further clarify what goes wrong in the brain at various stages of AD progression and be beneficial for the development of more targeted therapies.
Modeling Complex Contacts Involving Deformable Objects for Haptic and Graphic Rendering

Haptic rendering involving deformable objects has seen many applications, from surgical simulation and training, to virtual prototyping, to teleoperation, etc. High quality rendering demands both physical fidelity and real-time performance, which are often conflicting requirements. In this paper, we simulate contact force between a held rigid body and an elastic object and the corresponding shape deformation of the elastic object efficiently and realistically based on a nonlinear physical model and a novel beam-skeleton model, taking into account friction, compliant motion, and multiple contact regions. Our approach is able to achieve a combined update rate of over 1 kHz in realistic, smooth, and stable rendering, as demonstrated by our implemented examples.
Sex and Stones: Sex and Stones May Break Your Bones, but Water Will Not Harm You!

While stones are common among men and women there are stone-related factors that vary between the sexes. Certain disease states are gender specific and gender neutral. Various disease states are associated with nephrolithiasis. This chapter addresses some of the gender barriers that exist between men and woman regarding nephrolithiasis.
Bilateral pulmonary nodules and intravascular pulmonary histiocytosis: A rare presentation of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to Epstein-Barr Virus infection

Abstract A 61-year-old male presented with worsening dyspnoea and constitutional symptoms for few weeks followed by bloody diarrhoea and loss and fever. Physical exam revealed tachycardia, respiratory distress, and splenomegaly without lymphadenopathy. Work up showed pancytopenia, hypofibrinogenemia, acute kidney injury requiring haemodialysis, high ferritin level, positive IgG and IgM for EBV and positive soluble CD25. Chest CT scan showed bilateral pulmonary nodules. Lung biopsy showed intravascular pulmonary histiocytosis while bone marrow biopsy was negative for hemophagocytes. A diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) was made based on fulfilling the diagnostic criteria and systemic steroids were initiated, which improved the patient's condition gradually with resolution of dyspnoea, AKI and pancytopenia. Repeat chest CT scan showed resolution of bilateral pulmonary nodules. The patient was transferred to a tertiary centre to receive HLH-specific therapy. We present a rare presentation of HLH with steroid-responsive bilateral pulmonary nodules and a rare histopathologic finding of pulmonary intravascular histiocytosis, which has never been described in HLH or the lung tree.
Getting off on the right foot: The role of openness to experience in fostering initial trust between culturally dissimilar partners

Abstract Cross-cultural partnerships can provide a competitive edge for organizations, but also hinder trust between individuals, and thus the flow of diverse knowledge that facilitates positive organizational outcomes. We investigate whether openness to experience (openness, in short) protects against lower trust in cross-cultural partnerships by weakening the effect of cultural diversity on trust formation processes (defined by perceived similarity and trustworthiness, serially). We randomly assigned White, American participants to partners from either the same or different (i.e., Chinese) cultural background. After introductions, participants rated their partner’s similarity and trustworthiness, and played a game assessing behavioral trust. Openness was measured 3–7 days prior. People high (versus low) on openness were more trusting towards culturally dissimilar partners because they perceived them as more similar, and thus more trustworthy.
Corrosion prevention prospects of polymeric nanocomposites: A review:

Corrosion is a serious problem for implementing metallic components and devices in industrial zones. Considerable effort has been made to develop corrosion prevention strategies. Initially, paints,...
Short Communication: Viral Genetic Linkage Analysis Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (HIV Prevention Trials Network 061).

Abstract Analysis of viral genetic linkage can reveal generalized transmission patterns within a population. The HIV Prevention Trials Network 061 study evaluated HIV incidence among black men who ...
Inclusion of the first cervical nerve does not influence outcomes in upper airway stimulation for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Upper airway stimulation (UAS) has demonstrated efficacy in the management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Branches of the hypoglossal nerve that selectively activate tongue protrusor and stiffener muscles are included within the stimulation cuff electrode. The first cervical nerve (C1) is often also included to stimulate additional muscles contributing to tongue protrusion and stabilization. The purpose of this study was to determine whether inclusion of the C1 translates into treatment efficacy, decreased voltage requirement, and improved outcomes in patients utilizing UAS. STUDY DESIGN Single-center, retrospective cohort study. METHODS One hundred fourteen patients who received a UAS implant at our institution and underwent posttreatment polysomnography were evaluated. Stimulation cuff electrodes in 87 patients included the C1; those in the remaining 27 patients did not include the C1. Demographic data, voltage data, and pre- and posttreatment apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), O2 nadir, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) data were collected for all patients. RESULTS There was no significant difference in stimulation voltage, or posttreatment AHI, O2 nadir, and ESS between the two cohorts. Treatment success, as measured by posttreatment AHI < 20 with a 50% reduction, was similar regardless of C1 inclusion. The same was seen for the percent of patients with AHI < 15 and AHI < 5 after treatment. The distributions of age and body mass index, as well as pre-treatment AHI, O2 nadir, and ESS were also not significantly different between treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS The current study has demonstrated that inclusion of the C1 in the stimulation cuff electrode of the upper airway stimulator may not provide any additional benefit in therapy for OSA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E382-E385, 2020.
Clicker Implementation Styles in STEM

Although clickers are often invoked as a simple strategy for incorporating active learning into STEM classrooms, actual clicker implementations are complex and highly varied. This chapter sheds light on the spectrum of clicker implementation styles that have been observed in STEM classrooms at our institution and elsewhere and explores the decision-making processes that underlie those styles. In service of these goals, we draw on a combination of sources, including the education research literature, a mixed-methods study conducted by our research group, and professional experience as instructors, researchers, and faculty developers. The chapter concludes with guiding principles to help STEM practitioners make informed choices about how and when to incorporate clickers into their courses.
Nussbaum, Anger, and Racial Justice: On the Epistemological and Eschatological Limitations of White Liberalism

Martha Nussbaum argues that anger is a threat to democratic institutions, but she also concedes that a nonviolent version of anger remains necessary for motivating reform. This reversal from the mo...
Shaken not strained

Experiments show how the magnetic order in antiferromagnets can be manipulated through lattice vibrations excited by a laser. This induces a large and reversible magnetic moment at very high speed.
Abstract 66: Causal Associations Between Genetically-determined Smoking and Risk of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Introduction: Animal and observational studies indicate that smoking is a risk factor for aneurysm formation and rupture, leading to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, a definitive causal rela...
Reinforcement Learning with Safe Exploration for Adaptive Plasma Cancer Treatment

Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) jet is an ionized gas with a rich combination of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, charged particles, and photons. By both in vitro and in vivo experiments, it has been demonstrated that CAP can be successfully utilized in cancer treatments. However, the therapeutic effects of CAP depend on various factors such as plasma discharge voltage, gas composition, treatment duration, and type of cancer cells. This paper presents an adaptive plasma system, where the CAP treatment conditions are adjusted online depending on the actual cancer cell response. In particular, we utilize safe Q-learning to schedule CAP cancer treatment autonomously while prohibiting excessive treatments caused by large uncertainties. As it is capable of learning the dynamic characteristics of the particular cancer cell under treatments in situ, we can treat cancer successfully without the complete prior knowledge of cancer characteristics, where the uncertainties of the learned dynamics are carefully accounted. The efficacy of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by numerical examples with an empirical cancer dynamic model constructed from in vitro experiments.