cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical usefulness of an intraoperative “quick parathyroid hormone” assay

Blackground. Intraoperative assays of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the surgical management of hyperparathyroidism have been limited by an extended turnaround time, making it impratial for the operating surgeon. With our modification a standard immunoradiometric assay for intact PTH, results are reported in 12 minutes. The operative usefulness and the ability of this quick PTH assay to predict postoperative serum calcium levels are reported here
New Insights and New Conundrums in Neonatal Hypoglycemia: Enigmas Wrapped in Mystery

Dysregulated secretion of insulin, genetically determined and mediated by biochemical (e.g., phosphorylation) or biophysical (e.g., opening/closing of ion or voltage-gated channels) mechanisms is responsible for disorders of glucose homeostasis at both hyper- and hypo extremes of the glycemic spectrum (1–3). For hyperglycemia, the discoveries relating to genetic control of the development of the pancreas and the regulation of insulin secretion have revolutionized understanding of the etiology of rare and more common forms of diabetes. In addition, these insights enable rational treatments as best exemplified by the use of sulfonylureas to restore endogenous insulin secretion and ameliorate neurological impairment in neonatal diabetes caused by mutations in the ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP) channel (3). For hypoglycemia, the current model recognizes nine genes involved in syndromes associated with dysregulated and excessive insulin secretion and hypoglycemia in infancy (HI), presenting, with some exceptions, mostly in the first year of life (Fig. 1) (1,2). An identical clinical (macrosomia) and biochemical (hypoglycemia, hypoketonemia, and hypo-fatty acidemia) phenotype, but with virtually undetectable insulin concentrations in serum, can result from activating mutations in AKT2, part of the insulin receptor signal transduction cascade (4). In this syndrome there is asymmetrical growth, as also occurs with activating mutations in AKT1 (5) (Proteus syndrome) and AKT3 (6), indicating that each isoform has a specific role in growth and metabolism, rather than representing evolutionary redundancy. The most common mutations involved in excessive insulin secretion are in the KATP genes, predominantly ABCC8 specifying the protein SUR-1 and occasionally the KCNJ11 gene, which specifies the inward rectifying potassium channel itself (KIR 6.2) (Fig. 1). Although autosomal recessive and some autosomal dominant forms of KATP channel defects result in diffuse involvement of the pancreatic islets, about 50% of neonatal HI caused by KATP mutations …
TRUST: A General Framework for Truthful Double Spectrum Auctions

We design truthful double spectrum auctions where multiple parties can trade spectrum based on their individual needs. Open, market-based spectrum trading motivates existing spectrum owners (as sellers) to lease their selected idle spectrum to new spectrum users, and provides new users (as buyers) the spectrum they desperately need. The most significant challenge is how to make the auction economic-robust (truthful in particular) while enabling spectrum reuse to improve spectrum utilization. Unfortunately, existing designs either do not consider spectrum reuse or become untruthful when applied to double spectrum auctions. We address this challenge by proposing TRUST, a general framework for truthful double spectrum auctions. TRUST takes as input any reusability-driven spectrum allocation algorithm, and applies a novel winner determination and pricing mechanism to achieve truthfulness and other economic properties while significantly improving spectrum utilization. To our best knowledge, TRUST is the first solution for truthful double spectrum auctions that enable spectrum reuse. Our results show that economic factors introduce a tradeoff between spectrum efficiency and economic robustness. TRUST makes an important contribution on enabling spectrum reuse to minimize such tradeoff.
Note on the Absorption of Nitrogen and Oxygen by Charcoal

Discussion of Previously Published Results on the Adsorption of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and their Mixtures in Activated Charcoal at Liquid Air Temperatures.---This paper is based on experimental data recently set forth in this Review, "Studies in the Adsorption of Gases by Charcoal, II.," by Lemon and Blodgett.Definite Relationship between Mols of Oxygen, Nitrogen, or Mixtures Adsorbed.---Attention is called to the surprising fact, hitherto not mentioned, that the number of mols of oxygen adsorbed to any given final pressure is almost exactly 1.30 times the number of mols of nitrogen adsorbed to the same final pressure. The pressure vs. volume adsorbed curve for pure oxygen and for mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen can, therefore, be very accurately calculated from the results obtained with nitrogen alone. Furthermore, it is also possible to reproduce all the curves representing the rate of adsorption from the results obtained with nitrogen alone.Bearing of Foregoing Relationship on Theory of Adsorption; Nature of Forces by which Gas Molecules are Held.---By a mathematical treatment of the foregoing data, it can be demonstrated that neither Langmuir's one layer adsorption theory (which undoubtedly applies to that portion of the gas held with the greatest tenacity) nor the "capillary condensation theory" (which applies to loosely held liquid in capillaries of moderate size) are applicable to the intermediate range of pressures covered by Lemon and Blodgett's data. Their results can, however, be explained on the basis of the following hypotheses: (1) the ratio of the molecular volume of adsorbed nitrogen to that of adsorbed oxygen is the same as for the free liquids (1.31 at - 192\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} C.); (2) the gases are held in layers several molecules deep primarily by the attractive force of the charcoal surface; (3) the stray field around oxygen and nitrogen molecules is substantially the same at any given distance.
Modeling Norms of Turn-Taking in Multi-Party Conversation

Substantial research effort has been invested in recent decades into the computational study and automatic processing of multi-party conversation. While most aspects of conversational speech have benefited from a wide availability of analytic, computationally tractable techniques, only qualitative assessments are available for characterizing multi-party turn-taking. The current paper attempts to address this deficiency by first proposing a framework for computing turn-taking model perplexity, and then by evaluating several multi-participant modeling approaches. Experiments show that direct multi-participant models do not generalize to held out data, and likely never will, for practical reasons. In contrast, the Extended-Degree-of-Overlap model represents a suitable candidate for future work in this area, and is shown to successfully predict the distribution of speech in time and across participants in previously unseen conversations.
Granular cell myoblastomas in successive generations.

Two cases of benign granular cell myoblastoma in a mother and daughter are reported. The mother had multiple lesions in sites including stomach, larynx, and breast. Review of the literature for familial patterns of granular cell myoblastoma is given.
Molecular genetic analysis of tumors in von recklinghausen neurofibromatosis: Loss of heterozygosity for chromosome 17

Funded by: National Institutes of Health; Grant Number: CA38685, National Neurofibromatosis Foundation, American Cancer Society Institutional Research; Grant Number: IN-18-31, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation
Selenium supplementation does not improve vascular responsiveness in healthy North American men.

Selenium is an essential trace nutrient required for the synthesis of selenoproteins such as glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase, the major forms of selenium in the endothelium that ha...
Overexpression of CCL-21/secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine in human dendritic cells augments chemotactic activities for lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells.

Ex vivo generated dendritic cells (DC) genetically modified to express secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (CCL-21/SLC) have been shown to stimulate potent antitumor responses in murine models. When injected intratumorally, CCL-21 colocalizes DC and lymphocyte effector cells at the tumor site. This may improve tumor antigen presentation and T cell activation by utilizing the tumor as an in vivo source of antigen for DC. In order to develop DC-based cancer therapies for intratumoral injection that could promote tumor antigen uptake and presentation in situ, we constructed and characterized an adenoviral vector that expresses human CCL-21 (AdCCL-21). Human monocyte derived DC were cultured in GM-CSF and IL-4 for 6 days. Following AdCCL-21 transduction, CCL-21 protein production was assessed by ELISA on day 8. DC transduced with AdCCL-21 at multiplicities of infection (MOIs) of 50:1 or 100:1 produced up to 210 ± 9 ng/ml and 278 ± 6.5 ng/ml /106 cells/48 hours, respectively. Following transduction, an immature DC phenotype was maintained and an upregulation of the costimulatory molecule, CD86 was noted. In addition, supernatant from AdCCL-21-DC caused significant chemotaxis of peripheral blood lymphocytes and mature DC. These studies demonstrate that AdCCL-21-DC generate functional levels of CCL-21 without adversely altering DC phenotype. These findings strengthen the rationale for further investigation of AdCCL-21-DC as a DC-based therapy in cancer treatment.
Acetone Photophysics atear Critical to Supercritical Conditions

The photophysics of vapor and liquid acetone are experimentally examined from subcritical to supercritical conditions with 266 nm excitation, motivated by an interest in using acetone to study transcritical fuel injection and mixing. The fluorescence quantum yield for acetone vapor is measured, and the values are compared to the models of Thurber and Braeuer. The measured fluorescence yields are found to be similar to the model predictions. In addition, the two models are found to converge as the excitation wavelength or pressure increases. For 266 nm excitation, the difference between the model predictions is approximately 2% for pressures above 30 atm. Liquid acetone fluorescence and phosphorescence data are obtained at various pressures and temperatures. The liquid fluorescence signals do not change with pressure and temperature. In addition, liquid fluorescence is not affected by oxygen quenching, as compared to vapor fluorescence. It was found that the oxygen saturation concentration in liquid acetone is extremely small compared to the concentration needed to affect the fluorescence signal. The liquid phosphorescence is also found to be invariant with pressure, but it decreases exponentially as the temperature of the liquid is raised. A corresponding decrease in the measured phosphorescence lifetimes indicates that the phosphorescence yield is reduced asymptotically with temperature, with little change above ~375 K. This is likely due to acetone-acetone quenching of the excited triplet state. Most of the liquid acetone photophysics can be explained as a high density limit of the vapor photophysics models.
A unified method for nonlinear noise analysis of all-pole RF MEMS tunable filters

A simple, unified approach is presented to theoretically calculate the effect of nonlinear noise in all-pole RF MEMS tunable filters. The proposed admittance-based calculation in the bandpass domain allows easy estimation of filter phase noise while considering the effect of nonlinearity, finite resonator quality factor, and frequency-dependence of inverter networks in Butterworth and Chebyshev tunable filters. Filter phase noise is calculated as a function of input power, tuning state, mechanical frequency offset, and filter order, and comparison of the results with previously published work shows excellent agreement.
Power Series and Complex Differentiability

DEFINITION 1.1 A path in a set G⊂C is a continuous function p defined on a closed interval [ti, tf] with values in G. The points a = p(ti) and b = p(tf) are the initial and final points of the path, and the path is said to join a and b, or to go from a to b.
Empirical Study on Market Value Balance Sheet (MVBS)

This paper presents the results of an empirical study on Market Value Balance Sheet (MVBS). The model thoroughly explained the relationship between market value of assets and market value of liabilities. This paper takes compustat stocks universe as sample size and conducted a series of cross-section studies on the Enterprise Value (EV) in the MVBS model. The results show great significance and illustrate that the MVBS Enterprise Value (EV) is consistent with market efficiency. This paper further concludes that an investor can outperform market with a higher Sharpe Ratio than market with a replica by holding a portfolio that buys the stocks with the largest increase of Enterprise Value (EV) and sells the stocks with the smallest increase (or largest decrease) of Enterprise Value (EV), which can be implemented in practice.
Current practices in corrosion, surface characterization, and nickel leach testing of cardiovascular metallic implants

In an effort to better understand current test practices and improve nonclinical testing of cardiovascular metallic implants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a public workshop on Cardiovascular Metallic Implants: corrosion, surface characterization, and nickel leaching. The following topics were discussed: (1) methods used for corrosion assessments, surface characterization techniques, and nickel leach testing of metallic cardiovascular implant devices, (2) the limitations of each of these in vitro tests in predicting in vivo performance, (3) the need, utility, and circumstances when each test should be considered, and (4) the potential testing paradigms, including acceptance criteria for each test. In addition to the above topics, best practices for these various tests were discussed, and knowledge gaps were identified. Prior to the workshop, discussants had the option to provide feedback and information on issues relating to each of the topics via a voluntary preworkshop assignment. During the workshop, the pooled responses were presented and a panel of experts discussed the results. This article summarizes the proceedings of this workshop and background information provided by workshop participants. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1330-1341, 2017.
HEMODYNAMICS OF STENOTIC AORTIC VALVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CONTRACTILITY, PRELOAD, AND AFTERLOAD

Assessing the severity of aortic stenosis (AS) remains challenging, especially for low-flow, low-gradient AS. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of left ventricular (LV) contractility, compliance, preload, and afterload on hemodynamics of AS. A computer model was used to
Seeding HPT in the High Desert

A passing comment at a chance meeting led to students from the University of New Mexico's (UNM) Organization, Information, and Learning Sciences (OILS) program participating in the University Case Study Competition (CSC) at the 2013 ISPI international conference. The teams’ involvement in the contest resulted in many lessons learned and in the transformation of an academic program. This article discusses the benefits accrued from CSC participation by a student team, one of the team's professors, and the OILS program. The article also illustrates the impact that a single individual can have on others, a program, and a community.
Lost by Design

In some common uses metals are lost by intent–copper in brake pads, zinc in tires, and germanium in retained catalyst applications being examples. In other common uses, metals are incorporated into products in ways for which no viable recycling approaches exist, examples include selenium in colored glass and vanadium in pigments. To determine quantitatively the scope of these “losses by design”, we have assessed the major uses of 56 metals and metalloids, assigning each use to one of three categories: in-use dissipation, currently unrecyclable when discarded, or potentially recyclable when discarded. In-use dissipation affects fewer than a dozen elements (including mercury and arsenic), but the spectrum of elements dissipated increases rapidly if applications from which they are currently unrecyclable are considered. In many cases the resulting dissipation rates are higher than 50%. Among others, specialty metals (e.g., gallium, indium, and thallium) and some heavy rare earth elements are representative o...
Tissue complications during endothelial keratoplasty

Purpose To report 6 cases of apparently inseparable corneal lamellae during intraoperative preparation of tissue for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). Method Collection of clinical case reports from an e-mail survey of The Cornea Society and endothelial keratoplasty discussion group participants and Eye Bank Association of America member eye banks. Results Five cases involved eye bank precut tissue. Surgery was aborted in 4 of these cases. In the fifth case, a free anterior cap was identified and the posterior lamella was successfully transplanted. In 1 case, in which an incomplete lamellar cut was made in the operating room, the surgery was continued after manual completion of the lamellar dissection. Conclusions The most likely causes of inability to separate the lamellae after punching a DSAEK donor cornea are a decentered or incomplete lamellar cut and unsuspected premature separation of the lamellae. Premature separation can occur with an anterior cap that detaches before the central trephination or a posterior lamella that is inadvertently removed from the field after the central trephination. Careful inspection of the donor cornea under the operating microscope can reduce the risk of a decentered cut and can identify the presence of both lamellae. DSAEK may be completed successfully with an intact posterior lamella.
Displacement of valine from intact sea-urchin eggs by exogenous amino acids.

SUMMARY Unfertilized and fertilized eggs of the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus were preloaded with [ 14 C]valine and exposed to individual solutions of each of the twenty 'coded' [ ll C]amino acids in artificial sea water. After 1 h incubation the amount of radioactivity in the medium was determined. The radioactivity was effectively displaced by most of the other neutral [ 11 C]amino acids that are known to compete with valine for uptake. A chromatographic test with fertilized eggs showed the displaced radioactivity to be [ 14 C]valine and not some metabolic product. Addition of acidic, basic or some neutral amino acids that are known to be poor inhibitors of valine uptake did not cause significant quantities of label to appear in the medium. For the unfertilized eggs, the concentration of acid-soluble label remained many hundreds of times greater in the egg fluid than in the sea water. Tests indicated that efflux of [ 14 C]valine and subsequent competition for re-entry is a primary factor responsible for the displacement phenomenon. That this may not be the sole factor is suggested by the fact that some amino acids that are known to be powerful inhibitors of valine uptake were found to be only weak displacers of [ 14 C]valine. Neither [ 14 C]arginine nor [ 14 C]glutamic acid were displaced in significant amounts from preloaded unfertilized or fertilized eggs by any of the tested [''CJamino acids. Attempts were made to utilize the displacement of ['"CJvaline to elevate the incorporation
Transition Metal Activation of Aldehydes: Models for the Homogeneously Catalyzed Reactions

From a fundamental perspective, homogeneous catalysts are superior to their heterogeneous counterparts in being mechanistically more tractable. Nonetheless, the details of many homogeneously catalyzed processes remain obscure because of the rapidity of the reactions and the transient nature of the associated intermediates. One can, however, precisely define the nature of these processes by the examination of their stoichiometric analogues. Herein we describe such an approach for the elucidation of the mechanistic features of a group of related homogeneously catalyzed processes.
Conservation and Behavior

Conservation behavior provides tools for understanding and possibly manipulating animal behavior to further conservation goals. Keeping animals in captivity can help to preserve endangered species, conserve genetic resources, or obtain populations of animals for reintroduction. This requires research on mating systems, territoriality, and foraging behavior. The introduction of captive animals into natural habitats must be informed by knowledge of dispersal behavior and of how animals obtain critical information for survival. Neophobia, the fear of new situations, protects animals from risky situations and can be manipulated to keep human and animal populations apart. Lack of neophobia is a key element of success in invasive animals and contributes to negative human–wildlife interactions. Activities such as hunting, feeding birds, and leaving pet food outdoors have behavioral effects that often result in public pressure to relocate or kill wildlife. Human activities in conservation areas also affect wildlife behavior and it is necessary for future design of reserves to take these effects into account.
Histamine Production in Low-Salt Cheddar Cheese.

To assess the potential for histamine production in low-salt Cheddar cheese, pasteurized milk was inoculated with Lactobacillus buchneri St2A at levels of 102, 103, and 104 microorganisms per ml of milk. One additional vat was uninoculated and served as a control. Milk was then manufactured into low-salt (0.40%) Cheddar cheese. After 180 d of aging at 7°C, levels of L. buchneri St2A had increased approximately 100-fold in the inoculated cheese. Proteolysis, expressed as μmoles free glycine per g cheese, increased from 40 to 150 (trichloroacetic acid soluble) and from 25 to 130 (phosphotungstic acid soluble) during the ripening period. Histamine levels, however, remained low in the inoculated cheeses (<5 mg/100 g), suggesting that the potential for histamine formation may be minimal in low-salt Cheddar cheese. It was concluded that the relatively low levels of proteolysis and low temperature of storage were primarily responsible for inhibiting histamine production.
Gamma-ray photoconductivity in polyethylene, polystyrene, amd an epoxy formulation

The photoconductivity properties of polyethylene, polystyrene, and an epoxy formulation have been measured at gamma-ray intensities in the range 1.0 rad (H 2 O)/min to 3.0 × 105 rads (H 2 O)/min. The source of gamma radiation has been the fission product inventory of reactor fuel elements. Measurements of the photoconductivities have been made at controlled temperatures.
Keeping Faith with the Fourth Amendment: Why States Should Require a Warrant for Breathalyzer Tests in the Wake of Birchfield v. North Dakota

Over the past few decades, the Supreme Court has been increasingly willing to dispense with the Fourth Amendment’s warrant clause. In Birchfield v. North Dakota, the Supreme Court continued this pattern and created yet another exception to the already deteriorating warrant requirement. In Birchfield, the Court held that a warrant is required for blood tests but that warrantless breathalyzer tests are permissible under the search incident to arrest exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement. In doing so, the Court reached the wrong conclusion. This Article is the first to urge states to provide greater Fourth Amendment protections than the low standard set forth in Birchfield. States should not adopt Birchfield and instead should impose a warrant requirement for breathalyzer tests for four reasons. First, the Majority in Birchfield relied on an arbitrary dividing line between breath and blood tests to justify its reasoning, and traditional search incident to arrest doctrine does not justify a warrantless breathalyzer test. The search incident to arrest exception applies only where it is necessary to either preserve evidence or promote officer safety, and the search incident to arrest may not extend beyond the body’s surface and must be contemporaneous with the arrest.Second, requiring police to obtain warrants for breathalyzer tests would not impose a sufficiently significant burden on state resources to justify the elimination of the warrant requirement. With new advancements in technology, warrant applications are more expeditious to process, and studies have shown that warrants are more effective in obtaining drunk-driving convictions.Third, requiring a warrant for breathalyzer tests is practical in light of the exigent circumstances exception to the Fourth Amendment. In the rare case where officers are truly faced with a “now or never” situation, the exigency exception may allow a warrantless breath test. Further, a case-by-case exigency analysis offers better constitutional safeguards.Fourth, there is a risk of further deterioration of the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement and, consequently, an individual’s right to privacy and personal liberty. The Fourth Amendment is becoming unrecognizable, and it seems as if exceptions to the warrant requirement are becoming the rule. As guardians of our civil liberties, state courts of last resort should reject the Majority’s holding in Birchfield and instead offer greater individual privacy protections under their state constitutions and Fourth Amendment analogs.
Degree of cure of epoxy/acrylic photopolymers: Characterization with raman spectroscopy and a modified phenomenological model

This study characterizes the degree of cure c, of a two-part epoxy/acrylic photopolymer used in stereolithography, SLA. The use of solid free form fabrication has added a whole new list of thermosets with a chemical reaction—curing reaction—targeted for these specific manufacturing processes. The studied thermosetting system exhibits a fast curing reaction triggered by a UV-light source. An innovative stepwise method to quantify the degree of cure using Raman spectroscopy is reported. This method abates the Raman noise and compensates for the weak signal of fast measurements. The Raman data processing algorithm BEADS was implemented. The technique presented here was capable of following the degree of cure of the individual components of the photopolymer. Based on the epoxy/acrylic monomers concentration (75%/25%), the degree of cure for the whole system was quantified. The experimental results were modeled using a modified phenomenological kinetics equation. This model includes the dependency of the rate of cure on the light intensity, and cure state. Based on the analysis reported here, the proposed model accurately fits the initiation, propagation, and termination phases of the cure cycle. The technique and methods presented here can potentially be integrated to in situ process monitoring with instant parameter feedback, and numerical modeling of residual stresses in additive manufacturing of thermosets. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Chapter 4 – Perimortal Muscle Metabolism and its Effects on Meat Quality

Muscle tissue experiences profound changes during its conversion to meat. Indeed, these changes are necessary and requisite for meat to assume those unique properties are keenly coveted by consumers of this highly nutritious and palatable food source. However, when this process is perturbed, the resulting quality is dramatically impacted. Therefore, understanding those reactions forming the basis of postmortem metabolism is incumbent to those interested in meat animal production. Initially, the biochemistry responsible for postmortem metabolism is simply an extension of those processes responsible for supplying energy to functioning skeletal muscle, responsible for locomotion. However, at some yet-to-be defined point, muscle tissues broach the physiological threshold where they begin to die and at this juncture, biochemical reactions dysregulate according to physiological normalcy. Even with the seemingly dearth of information available on the topic, our intent is to outline the biochemical processes responsible for postmortem metabolism and the conversion of muscle to meat as currently known.
EXFed: Efficient Cross-Federation with Availability SLAs on Preemptible IaaS Instances

Private IaaS clouds offer the benefits of cloud computing on-site but their efficiency is limited by capacity constraints during peak times. We present EXFed, an efficient cross-federation system for IaaS clouds that "ships" jobs between clouds and provides ahead-of-time certainty about resource availability despite retaining individual clouds' ability to preempt foreign workload after admission. Clouds participating in the federation remain in control of their local resources at all times and exclusively use a predictable tier of preemptible instances to run federated jobs. This predictable tier is enabled through a new method that provides an SLA on the preemption probability of groups of instances. The SLA is learned statistically from cloud utilization and data transfer rates in the recent past. We deploy EXFed across multiple data centers and evaluate its robustness under realistic and adverse scenarios with production traces recorded from industrial "big data" clouds.
10 – Testing, product evaluation and quality control of polyolefins

This chapter focuses on the testing, product evaluation and quality control of polyolefins, polyolefin nanocomposites, and auxetic fabric structures. Important physical and chemical tests that impact the raw materials and facilitate the evaluation of the products for various end uses and quality control regimes are presented. In recent years, the trends and developments in metrology have had their underpinnings on automation, speed, and advanced instrumentation. However, differences between test results may still arise because of variations in test specimens and test conditions.
The impact of parental employment trajectories on the children's early adulthood education and employment trajectories in the Finnish birth cohort 1987

The Finnish Birth Cohort 1987 grew up during the recession that hit Finland in the early 1990s, which had an impact on their parents’ activity in the labour market. In this paper we use Finnish register data to build employment and education sequences for all young people born in Finland in 1987 for the period 2005–2012 and employment sequences for all their parents for the entire length of their children’s lives from 1987 until 2012. The sequences were analysed and clustered, and four multinomial logistic regression models were used to find how parents’ trajectories connect to their children’s early adulthood trajectories. Most parents had been on a stable employment trajectory, but we found mothers and fathers who were absent from the labour market during the recession of the 1990s and after it – and some parents never entirely returned to work during this 1987–2012 follow-up. Likewise, most children were either on an employment or education trajectory, but we found groups of children who were on very early child care trajectories, unemployment trajectories, or on a trajectory with no records in the Finnish registers, which in the Finnish context implies that those young people are not employed, not in education and not receiving any of the various benefits. Disadvantageous trajectories were mostly very lasting. We found strong connections between parents’ disadvantages in the labour market and children’s disadvantageous early adulthood trajectories, even when adjusting for strong background variables. The strongest connections arise from parents’ long absences from the labour market.
Minimalinvasives Herausfischen von abgebrochenen Kathetern

Ein 53-jahriger Mann stellte sich in der Notfallaufnahme vor mit seit vier Stunden intermittierend auftretenden, wahrend jeweils ca. drei Minuten andauernden linksthorakalen Schmerzen und Palpitationen. Die Schmerzen seien nicht atemabhangig, nicht auf Druck auslosbar, ohne Ausstrahlung und er verspure keine Dyspnoe. Es bestand ein Zustand nach abgeschlossener Therapie eines Adenokarzinoms des Magens. Fur die Chemotherapie war vor drei Jahren ein Port-a-Cath eingelegt worden.
Use of the Sonicguide and Laser Cane in Obtaining or Keeping Employment.

When a questionnaire was sent to 28 Laser Cane and 106 Sonicguide™ owners to determine whether these devices were used in employment situations, 94 (70 percent) returned it. The questionnaire yield...
Political Effectiveness in Science and Technology

Scientific understanding and technological intervention may provide two different paths for addressing complex social problems. More scientific understanding is commonly prescribed as necessary to guide appropriate policy interventions and behavior. Technologies in contrast may offer a direct solution to a problem that does not demand policy or behavioral change. While solving a problem through better scientific understanding and changed behavior may seem more ethically or operationally satisfying than solving it through appropriate technological intervention, it is also often much more difficult. Drawing on several examples such as childhood vaccines and climate change, I argue that scientific knowledge has a tendency to exacerbate value disputes that impede action, whereas appropriate technological interventions have a capacity to sidestep or resolve such disputes. I end with the suggestion that some notion of pragmatic technological progressivism needs to be resurrected as part of any hopeful agenda for enhancing justice, equality, freedom, and mutual understanding the world.
Design and Analysis of Dynamic Processes: A Stochastic Approach (Invited Paper)

Past research in theoretical computer science has focused mainly on static computation problems, where the input is known before the start of the computation and the goal is to minimize the number of steps till termination with a correct output. Many important processes in today’s computing are dynamic processes, whereby input is continuously injected to the system, and the algorithm is measured by its long term, steady state, performance. Examples of dynamic processes include communication protocols, memory management tools, and time sharing policies. Our goal is to develop new tools for the design and analyzing the performance of dynamic processes, in particular through modeling the dynamic process as an infinite stochastic processes.
The many levels of inquiry

Elementary teachers often struggle with how to design and implement inquiry instruction with their students. For many, just understanding what inquiry is can be difficult--let alone designing activities that support high levels of inquiry. In this article, the authors present a continuum by which to evaluate an activity's level of inquiry. Then, using a fifth-grade unit exploring sinking and floating, they describe examples of each type of inquiry from low-level structured inquiry to high-level open inquiry. (Contains 1 figure and lists 1 online resource.) (http://www.nsta.org/publications/browse_journals.aspx?action=issue&thetype=all&id=10.2505/3/sc08_046_02)
15.7 An 8.3MHz GaN Power Converter Using Markov Continuous RSSM for 35dBμV Conducted EMI Attenuation and One-Cycle T ON Rebalancing for 27.6dB V O Jittering Suppression

GaN power switches have gained fast-growing popularity in power electronics. With a similar $\mathrm {R}_{\mathrm {D}\mathrm {S}_{-}0\mathrm {N}}$ resistance, they boast 2-to-3-order lower gate capacitance than silicon counterparts, making them highly desirable in high-frequency (f sw ), high-performance power converters. However, at high f sw , switching transitions have to be completed in much shorter times, creating much larger d i /d t and d v /d t changes in power stage, which directly link to electromagnetic-interference (EMI) emissions [1]. To suppress EMI, spread-spectrum-modulation (SSM) techniques [2–5] have been proposed. As depicted in Fig. 15.7.1, a periodic SSM (PSSM) is straightforward and easy to implement. However, its EMI suppression is not effective [2]. A randomized SSM (RSSM) can outperform the PSSM, with lower peak EMI and near-uniform noise spreading, but its performance highly relies on the random clock design. In [3], an N-bit digital random clock was reported to achieve a discrete RSSM (D-RSSM). However, the bit number N has to be large in order to achieve satisfying EMI attenuation, significantly increasing circuit complexity, chip area, and power consumption. To overcome this, a thermal-noise-based random clock was proposed [4]. Unfortunately, thermal noise is very sensitive to temperature and is hard to predict. To apply this approach to a practical implementation requires additional signal processing with periodic signals to confine its range of randomization, which, in turn, reduces the benefits of the RSSM. To achieve a near ideal RSSM, a continuous RSSM (C-RSSM) with a cost-effective implementation is highly preferable. Meanwhile, another challenge of applying SSM schemes lies in the fact that the schemes deteriorate V o voltage regulation. As shown in Fig. 15.7.1, as an SSM scheme continuously or periodically modulates f sw , a converter switching period fluctuates cycle by cycle, causing random errors on the duty ratio and thus jittering effect on V o . This is difficult to correct by a feedback control loop, as the duty-ratio error changes randomly between switching cycles. Due to a limited loop-gain bandwidth, the loop response usually lags far behind. Although a ramp compensation scheme was reported to resolve this [5], the improvement is very limited, and the scheme only works for voltage-mode converters.
Exploring Diversity and Inclusion in the Professional Formation of Engineers through Design Sessions

This Research Work-in-Progress paper builds on previous literature related to the professional formation of engineers and issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion within engineering though a comparative analysis of two different disciplines. These issues are complex, interrelated and challenging to untangle, and thus require innovative strategies to explore them. Our larger study utilizes design thinking with an embedded mixed-methods research approach to investigate foundational understandings of professional formation and diversity and inclusion in engineering. Herein, we describe preliminary findings from co-design sessions we conducted in Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Purdue University. We compare the design solutions generated by stakeholders and discuss insights regarding the unique contexts and needs of each program, as well as the impacts of the different activities and contexts of the design sessions themselves.
Abstract 3292: Prevalence and socio-behavioral determinants of psychological distress among cancer patients and survivors in the United States, 2010-2015

Background: Cancer patients face many unique physical and mental health challenges that directly affect their cancer outcome and quality of life. As cancer treatment improves, the prevalence of long-term cancer survivors increases. However, the psychological well-being of cancer survivors has been largely understudied, which may lead to missed opportunities to improve cancer survivorship. Methods: Using 2010-2015 National Health Interview Surveys (N=194,757), we examined the prevalence of psychological distress among 17,657 adult cancer patients and survivors and identified the socio-demographic and behavioral correlates in the United States. Differentials in serious psychological distress (SPD, defined by a 6-item scale) and factor-based psychological distress scores (a composite index with a mean of 100 to measure levels of psychological distress) were analyzed by multivariate linear and logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of SPD among cancer patients was 4.7% (95% CI: 4.2, 5.1), compared with 3.3% (95% CI: 3.1, 3.4) for the general population without a cancer history or diagnosis. The SPD prevalence was significantly higher among patients diagnosed with stomach, ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers than the non-cancer population (age-adjusted odds ratio: 3.2, 3.1, 2.9, 2.7, respectively). Patients diagnosed with lung, colorectal, and thyroid cancer also reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress. SPD prevalence and distress index scores were substantially higher among American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic (NH) Black cancer patients, compared with NH whites with cancer. Prevalence and levels of psychological distress were significantly greater among cancer patients with low education and income levels, non-professional occupations, unmarried status, functional limitation, and among smokers and physically inactive patients. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the importance of addressing the psychological well-being of cancer patients and survivors, particularly among the high-risk groups, in order to achieve the best treatment outcome and quality of life among the increasing number of cancer survivors. Citation Format: Gopal K. Singh, Lihua Liu, Audrey L. Chai, Alexander Ung, Michelle Allender. Prevalence and socio-behavioral determinants of psychological distress among cancer patients and survivors in the United States, 2010-2015 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3292.
Drug Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome in Older Adults

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) has a high prevalence in the elderly and can impact sleep quality and sleep quantity, reduce quality of life (QoL), and increase the risk of falls during episodes of night-time ambulation. In patients unable to verbalize their sensory symptoms, certain behavioral cues may help with the diagnosis. A state of brain iron deficiency could play a central role in the pathophysiology of RLS and be upstream to a series of dysfunctions that are not limited to the dopaminergic system. Management should initially emphasize lifestyle modifications and reduction of all possible iatrogenic contributors while maintaining a state of normal–high peripheral iron stores. Oral iron, in patients with ferritin levels < 75 μg/dL, appears to be effective, although iron infusions should be considered when more immediate benefit or oral iron have not been effective. When other attempts fail and patients continue to experience chronic RLS symptoms substantially interfering with QoL, pharmacological agents may present a favorable benefit versus risk profile. Such agents may include α-2-δ drugs or dopaminergic agents, after careful consideration of the risk of RLS augmentation with the latter class. In patients with established RLS augmentation from the use of dopaminergic drugs, the addition of α-2-δ agents or low-dose opioids, with subsequent slow tapering of dopaminergic agents, is recommended. With any of these agents, caution should be made with regard to the risk of drug–drug interactions and altered pharmacokinetics in this fragile population. Although showing excellent long-term safety data in non-elderly adults with RLS, studies are needed to ascertain that such treatments are effective and well tolerated in older adults.
Flavors of e-Cigarettes Used by Youths in the United States.

This national survey study characterizes JUUL e-cigarette flavors (mint, mango, fruit, and others) most often used by US middle school and high school students in 2019.
A system-view of B. pertussis booster vaccine responses in adults primed with whole-cell vs. acellular vaccine in infancy

Whole-cell inactivated vaccine against Bordetella pertussis (wP) was substituted in many countries by an acellular subunit vaccine (aP) to reduce side effects. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that aP vaccination in infancy induces less durable immunity than wP vaccination. To determine immunological differences associated with aP vs. wP priming, we performed system-level profiling of the immune response in adults primed with aP vs. wP vaccine in infancy following the Tdap booster vaccination as a surrogate to antigen encounter in vivo. Shared immune responses across cohorts were identified, including an increase of the blood monocyte frequency on day 1, and strong antigen-specific IgG response seven days after boost. Comparing aP and wP primed individuals, we found a subset of aP-primed individuals with higher levels of expression for several genes including CCL3 on day 3 and NFKBIA and ICAM1 on day 7 post immunization. These observations were supported by increased CCL3 concentrations in plasma of aP primed individuals. Contrary to the wP individuals, the CCL3-high aP subset presented boosted PT-specific IgE responses. Furthermore, higher antigen specific IgG4 and IgG3 antibodies against specific vaccine antigens at baseline and post boost of aP individuals was observed, suggesting a long term maintained difference in the IgG subtype response. Overall our findings demonstrate that, while broad immune response patterns to Tdap boost overlap between aP and wP primed individuals, a subset of aP primed individuals present a divergent response. These findings provide candidate targets to study the causes and correlates of waning immunity after aP vaccination.
Supervised learning algorithms for controlling underactuated dynamical systems

Abstract Control of underactuated dynamical systems has been studied for decades in robotics, and is now emerging in other fields such as neuroscience. Most of the advances have been in model based control theory, which has limitations when the system under study is very complex and it is not possible to construct a model. This calls for data driven control methods like machine learning, which has spread to many fields in the recent years including control theory. However, the success of such algorithms has been dependent on availability of large datasets. Moreover, due to their black box nature, it is challenging to analyze how such algorithms work, which may be crucial in applications where failure is very costly. In this paper, we develop two related novel supervised learning algorithms. The algorithms are powerful enough to control a wide variety of complex underactuated dynamical systems, and yet have a simple and intelligent structure that allows them to work with a sparse data set even in the presence of noise. Our algorithms output a bang-bang (binary) control input by taking in feedback of the state of the dynamical system. The algorithms learn this control input by maximizing a reward function in both short and long time horizons. We demonstrate the versatility of our algorithms by applying them to a diverse range of applications including: switching between bistable states, changing the phase of an oscillator, desynchronizing a population of synchronized coupled oscillators, and stabilizing an unstable fixed point. For most of these applications we are able to reason why our algorithms work by using traditional dynamical systems and control theory. We also compare our learning algorithms with some traditional control algorithms, and reason why our algorithms work better.