cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Diabetic Retinal Screening and Factors for Ophthalmology Referral in a Telemedicine Network.

Importance Retinal telescreening for evaluation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the primary care setting may be useful in reaching rural and underserved patients. Objectives To evaluate telemedicine retinal screenings for patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes and identify factors for ophthalmology referral in the North Carolina Diabetic Retinopathy Telemedicine Network. Design, Setting, and Participants A preimplementation and postimplementation evaluation was conducted from January 6, 2014, to November 1, 2015, at 5 primary care clinics serving rural and underserved populations in North Carolina among 1787 adult patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes who received primary care at the clinics and obtained retinal telescreening to determine the presence and severity of DR. A total of 1661 patients with complete data were included in the statistical analysis. Intervention Nonmydriatic fundus photography with remote interpretation by an expert. Main Outcomes and Measures Number of patients recruited, level of detected DR, change in rates of screening, rate of ophthalmology referral, percentage of completed referrals, and patient characteristics associated with varying levels of DR. Results Of the 1661 patients (1041 women and 620 men; mean [SD] age, 55.4 [12.7] years), 1323 patients (79.7%) had no DR, 183 patients (11.0%) had DR without a need for an ophthalmology referral, and 155 patients (9.3%) had DR with a need for an ophthalmology referral. The mean rate of screening for DR before implementation of the program was 25.6% (1512 of 5905), which increased to 40.4% (1884 of 4664) after implementation. A total of 93 referred patients (60.0%) completed an ophthalmology referral visit within the study period. Older patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.11-1.48) and African American patients (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.24-2.73) or other racial/ethnic minorities (OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.16-4.11) had greater odds of requiring an ophthalmology referral compared with white and/or younger patients. Patients with higher hemoglobin A 1c levels (OR, 1.19 per unit change; 95% CI, 1.13-1.25 per unit change) and longer duration of diabetes (OR, 1.76 per decade; 95% CI, 1.53-2.02 per decade) had greater odds of DR requiring an ophthalmology referral. History of stroke (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.10-2.48) and kidney disease (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.10-2.31) were strongly associated with DR and ophthalmology referral. Conclusions and Relevance When implemented in the primary care setting, retinal telescreening increased the rate of evaluation for DR for patients in rural and underserved settings. This strategy may also increase access to care for minorities and patients with DR requiring treatment.
Fabrication and electrical characterization of multi-layer capacitive touch sensors on flexible substrates by additive e-jet printing

Abstract Current consumer electronics, in particular touch displays and flexible electronics, were limited by the properties of existing commercial transparent conductor materials used as electrodes both in flat panel display and capacitive touch sensors. In this paper, an alternative fabrication technique using silver nanoink that can be used for rapid prototyping of high-resolution electrode arrays to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) for flexible electronics was presented. By direct printing silver nanoparticles on flexible substrates, capacitive touch sensors were fabricated onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Experiments were conducted to study the feasibility of electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing (e-jet printing) of high-resolution electrodes for touch sensors. Sensitivity of sub-20 μm capacitance sensor array was investigated in the study for droplet and humidity detection applications. The rapid prototyping method makes a significant impact in enabling simultaneously (1) customized and flexible touch sensors, (2) cost-effective manufacturing, and (3) high resolution and good sensitivity. The presented techniques can be used for the on-demand fabrication of customized conductive patterns for flexible and wearable electronics.
The Role of Nonlinear Models in Neurophysiological System Analysis

Abstract The use of nonparametric modeling methods for the analysis of nonlinear neurophysiological systems is discussed. The obtained models are in the form of Volterra-Wiener functionals or equivalent block-structured models (whenever appropriate). The latter are more compact representations and lend themselves to easier physiological interpretation. A particular class of block-structured models, containing a threshold-trigger operator, is presented and shown to be suitable for studies of spike generating neural systems. This class of models may offer a general framework for the study of information processing in the nervous system. Illustrative examples from actual applications are presented, and the role of nonlinear models in enhancing our understanding of Some aspects of nonlinear neurophysiological function (viz., rectification, amplitude compression, nonlinear inhibition and spike encoding) is discussed.
Humanistic Art in Broad Perspective: A Reconstruction of the Literature

On the formalist view of art, we concern ourselves with the art object itself separate from other possible contexts. On the expression theory, art is related to the emotions. The perspective is still a narrow one. We may also relate art to all of one’s cognitions, perceptions and contexts.1 Our responses have the full range of all language and perception. We may, then, view art from a broad rather than a narrow perspective. Instead of formalism versus expressionism, we may substitute broad versus narrow, holistic versus disconnected, adequate versus partial, contextual versus atomistic.
L1000FWD: fireworks visualization of drug-induced transcriptomic signatures

Motivation As part of the NIH Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures program, hundreds of thousands of transcriptomic signatures were generated with the L1000 technology, profiling the response of human cell lines to over 20 000 small molecule compounds. This effort is a promising approach toward revealing the mechanisms-of-action (MOA) for marketed drugs and other less studied potential therapeutic compounds. Results L1000 fireworks display (L1000FWD) is a web application that provides interactive visualization of over 16 000 drug and small-molecule induced gene expression signatures. L1000FWD enables coloring of signatures by different attributes such as cell type, time point, concentration, as well as drug attributes such as MOA and clinical phase. Signature similarity search is implemented to enable the search for mimicking or opposing signatures given as input of up and down gene sets. Each point on the L1000FWD interactive map is linked to a signature landing page, which provides multifaceted knowledge from various sources about the signature and the drug. Notably such information includes most frequent diagnoses, co-prescribed drugs and age distribution of prescriptions as extracted from the Mount Sinai Health System electronic medical records. Overall, L1000FWD serves as a platform for identifying functions for novel small molecules using unsupervised clustering, as well as for exploring drug MOA. Availability and implementation L1000FWD is freely accessible at: http://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/L1000FWD. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Evaluating the effectiveness of a community-based forgiveness campaign

Forgiveness interventions have been employed in individual, couple, family, and group psychotherapy. Few attempts have been made to deliver forgiveness interventions via community-based campaigns. ...
Suffering in God's presence: the role of lament in transformation.

Lament is a Christian practice modeled for us by Jesus. In this article, I argue that lament is a spiritual discipline that assists the sufferer to reconstruct meaning after the disorienting effect...
Therapeutic relevance of homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway variants in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

677Background: Intact HRR pathway genes play a critical role in repairing double-stranded DNA breaks. Genomic alterations (GA) in several HRR pathway genes have been well characterized, demonstrati...
The Immigrant-Native Gap in Subjective Well-Being in Western European Countries: Assessing the Role of Social Capital:

Immigrants in Western Europe typically exhibit lower levels of subjective well-being than their native-born counterparts. We argue that because of disruptions in social networks and linguistic and ...
Social Networks and Happiness

Recognizing the importance of socializing for public welfare, Jones examines how Americans of different sex, race, and education levels engage with their social networks. Across the decades, American men have averaged more social evenings with friends than American women, and the reverse has been true for visiting with kin. While there is no significant difference between the races in friendship socializing, black Americans visit more with kin than do white Americans. College Americans spend many more social evenings with friends and neighbors than do non-college Americans, but non-college Americans have historically visited kin much more. Overall, Americans are spending more social evenings with friends and fewer with neighbors, while kin socializing dropped in the 1980s and rose to its highest recent level in the 2000s.
Classification of complex musical structures by Grassmann schemes

The precise understanding of complex musical structures has made considerable progress in the last 50 years. On the one hand, such structures have been described in a unified way by the use of modern mathematics, in particular by conceptual tools developed in the algebraic geometry of schemes and more generally in topos theory. Both fields were essentially created by Alexander Grothendieck and allow for a conceptual elegance that can capture rather subtle features in music-theoretic thinking.
The Correlation Between Patient Comprehension of Their Reason for Hospital Admission and Overall Patient Satisfaction in the Emergency Department

Objectives (1) To determine the patient's comprehension of the reasons for admission in the emergency department and (2) to examine what, if any, correlation there is between patients' understanding and satisfaction with care. Methods Using a convenience sample over a 6-month period, patients from an urban, level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center were interviewed by research fellows in a patient care area. A total of 287 patients were given the Emergency Department Quality Study (EDQS) survey in either English or Spanish. Only patients 18 years or older, who were able to consent, spoke English or Spanish, and were medically stable were included in the study. The study was approved by the institutional review board. An analysis of variance was used to determine if any significant difference exists between patient understanding and satisfaction with care. In order to determine which of these variables could predict patient satisfaction levels, a log linear regression was used. Results The majority (90%) of patients rated their care as good to excellent, and 78% of them did understand why they were being admitted. A total of 22%, however, did not understand their test results and the cause for their being admitted to the hospital. There was a significant negative finding among the patient not having an understanding of tests, reason for admission, returning to the emergency department for care, and their overall patient satisfaction. Conclusions Successful communication between doctors and patients around the reasons for admission and test results can be an important predictor of patient satisfaction. Medical information not communicated in an understandable way to patients can lead to lower levels of patient satisfaction.
Progressive vision loss after pneumonia.

(1999). Progressive Vision Loss After Pneumonia. Hospital Practice: Vol. 34, No. 11, pp. 150-158.
Association between hospital volume, treatment patterns, and overall survival (OS) of patients with stage 3A non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

8543Background: There is significant heterogeneity in the treatment of stage IIIA NSCLC. We evaluated the therapeutic and survival disparities in IIIA NSCLC patients based on the hospital volume us...
Statistical Inference of Ranked Set Sampling Via Resampling Methods

Abstract We consider testing the equality of the means of two groups of observations under unbalanced random sampling (URSS) when the groups have different rank sizes. We also explore tests and confidence intervals for the mean of one group under URSS. Both the parametric and bootstrap tests of means are studied. We show that the parametric test is overly conservative and nonrobust. We do not recommend it to test the mean with small sample sizes. Theoretical results are augmented with some numerical studies to show how an accurate p -value can be obtained using the bootstrap method.
Audio and visual distance perception of familiar and unfamiliar objects using Wave Field Synthesis and a stereoscopic display

Object distance perception can be influenced both by auditory and visual cues. This work seeks to examine the influence of both perceptual domains for familiar and unfamiliar auditory and visual stimuli. For example, an alarm clock is a familiar object and a generic vibrating sphere is an unfamiliar object because the distance cannot be estimated from known dimensions. A Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) system and a stereoscopic large screen display using shutter glasses was used to create the virtual objects. Utilizing WFS allowed for sources to be placed virtually behind and in front of the speaker array. Cues were presented audio only, visual only or audio and visual simultaneously. Participants were asked for the estimated depth of the object while randomizing the above scenarios. This work expands upon a previous study [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 137, 2374] that suggested that the visual cues tend to dominate perception even when auditory cues are available. One goal of the new study is to investigate if finding holds true and if the listener is presented with more salient cues that also allow for head movements. In the previous study, the virtual environment was based on static Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs).
An Optimization framework for Nonspiking Neuronal Networks and Aided Discovery of a Model for the Elementary Motion Detector

We present a general optimization procedure that given a parameterized network of nonspiking conductance based compartmentally modeled neurons, tunes the parameters to elicit a desired network behavior. Armed with this tool, we address the elementary motion detector problem. Central to established theoretical models, the Hassenstein-Reichardt and Barlow-Levick detectors, are delay lines whose outputs from spatially separated locations are prescribed to be nonlinearly integrated with the direct outputs to engender direction selectivity. The neural implementation of the delays---which are substantial as stipulated by interomatidial angles---has remained elusive although there is consensus regarding the neurons that constitute the network. Assisted by the optimization procedure, we identify parameter settings consistent with the connectivity architecture and physiology of the Drosophila optic lobe, that demonstrates that the requisite delay and the concomitant direction selectivity can emerge from the nonlinear dynamics of small recurrent networks of neurons with simple tonically active synapses.
The synthesis of novel polycyclic heterocyclic ring system via photocyclization. 18. Benzo[h]naphtho-[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinoline and benzo[h]naphtho-[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c] [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline†‡§

The synthesis of two previously unknown polycyclic ring systems, benzo[h]naphtho[1′2′:4,5]-thieno[2,3-c]quinoline (1) and benzo[h]naphtho[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline (2), was achieved via oxidative photocyclization of 1-chloro-N-(1-naphthyl)naphtho[2,1-b]thiophene-2-carboxamide (5). The total assignment of their 1H and 13C nmr spectra was determined by the concerted use of two-dimensional nmr methods.
Wnd/DLK Is a Critical Target of FMRP Responsible for Neurodevelopmental and Behavior Defects in the Drosophila Model of Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading heritable cause of intellectual disability and commonly co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder. Silencing of the Fmr1 gene leads to the absence of the protein product, fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which represses translation of many target mRNAs. Excess translation of these targets is one cause of neuronal dysfunction in FXS. Utilizing the Drosophila model of FXS, we identified the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) Wallenda/dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) as a critical target of FMRP. dFMRP binds Wallenda mRNA and is required to limit Wallenda protein levels. In dFmr1 mutants, Wallenda signaling drives defects in synaptic development, neuronal morphology, and behavior. Pharmacological inhibition of Wallenda in larvae suppresses dFmr1 neurodevelopmental phenotypes, while adult administration prevents dFmr1 behavioral defects. We propose that in dFmr1 mutants chronic Wallenda/DLK signaling disrupts nervous system development and function and that inhibition of this kinase cascade might be a candidate therapeutic intervention for the treatment of FXS.
Profiling Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Specificity with Self-Assembled Monolayers for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Peptide Arrays

The opposing activities of phosphatases and kinases determine the phosphorylation status of proteins, yet kinases have received disproportionate attention in studies of cellular processes, with the roles of phosphatases remaining less understood. This Research Article describes the use of phosphotyrosine-containing peptide arrays together with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to directly profile phosphatase substrate selectivities. Twenty-two protein tyrosine phosphatases were characterized with the arrays to give a profile of their specificities. An analysis of the data revealed that certain residues in the substrates had a conserved effect on activity for all enzymes tested, including the general rule that inclusion of a basic lysine or arginine residue on either side of the phosphotyrosine decreased activity. This insight also provides a new perspective on the role of a R1152Q mutant in the insulin receptor, which is known to exhibit a lower phosphorylation level an...
Measuring Security Practices and How They Impact Security

Security is a discipline that places significant expectations on lay users. Thus, there are a wide array of technologies and behaviors that we exhort end users to adopt and thereby reduce their security risk. However, the adoption of these "best practices" --- ranging from the use of antivirus products to actively keeping software updated --- is not well understood, nor is their practical impact on security risk well-established. This paper explores both of these issues via a large-scale empirical measurement study covering approximately 15,000 computers over six months. We use passive monitoring to infer and characterize the prevalence of various security practices in situ as well as a range of other potentially security-relevant behaviors. We then explore the extent to which differences in key security behaviors impact real-world outcomes (i.e., that a device shows clear evidence of having been compromised).
A missed opportunity: birth registration coverage is lagging behind Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) immunization coverage and maternal health services utilization in low- and lower middle-income countries

Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems lay the foundation for good governance by increasing the effectiveness and delivery of public services, providing vital statistics for the planning and monitoring of national development, and protecting fundamental human rights. Birth registration provides legal rights and facilitates access to essential public services such as health care and education. However, more than 110 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have deficient CRVS systems, and national birth registration rates continue to fall behind childhood immunization rates. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data in 72 LMICs, the objectives are to (a) explore the status of birth registration, routine childhood immunization, and maternal health services utilization; (b) analyze indicators of birth registration, routine childhood immunization, and maternal health services utilization; and (c) identify missed opportunities for strengthening birth registration systems in countries with strong childhood immunization and maternal health services by measuring the absolute differences between the birth registration rates and these childhood and maternal health service indicators. We constructed a database using DHS and MICS data from 2000 to 2017, containing information on birth registration, immunization coverage, and maternal health service indicators. Seventy-three countries including 34 low-income countries and 38 lower middle-income countries were included in this exploratory analysis. Among the 14 countries with disparity between birth registration and BCG vaccination of more than 50%, nine were from sub-Saharan Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Gambia, Mozambique, Djibouti, Eswatini, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana), two were from South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal), one from East Asia and the Pacific (Vanuatu) one from Latin America and the Caribbean (Bolivia), and one from Europe and Central Asia (Moldova). Countries with a 50% or above absolute difference between birth registration and antenatal care coverage include Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Mozambique, Nepal, Tanzania, and Uganda, in low-income countries. Among lower middle-income countries, this includes Eswatini, Ghana, Moldova, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, and Zambia. Countries with a 50% or above absolute difference between birth registration and facility delivery care coverage include Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Moldova, and Zambia. The gap between birth registration and immunization coverage in low- and lower middle-income countries suggests the potential for leveraging immunization programs to increase birth registration rates. Engaging health providers during the antenatal, delivery, and postpartum periods to increase birth registration may be a useful strategy in countries with access to skilled providers.
Dipole modeling of multispectral signal for detecting metallic biopsy markers during MRI-guided breast biopsy: a pilot study.

Purpose During MRI-guided breast biopsy, a metallic biopsy marker is deployed at the biopsy site to guide future interventions. Conventional MRI during biopsy cannot distinguish such markers from biopsy site air, and a post-biopsy mammogram is therefore performed to localize marker placement. The purpose of this pilot study is to develop dipole modeling of multispectral signal (DIMMS) as an MRI alternative to eliminate the cost, inefficiency, inconvenience, and ionizing radiation of a mammogram for biopsy marker localization. Methods DIMMS detects and localizes the biopsy marker by fitting the measured multispectral imaging (MSI) signal to the MRI signal model and marker properties. MSI was performed on phantoms containing titanium biopsy markers and air to illustrate the clinical challenge that DIMMS addresses and on 20 patients undergoing MRI-guided breast biopsy to assess DIMMS feasibility for marker detection. DIMMS was compared to conventional MSI field map thresholding, using the post-procedure mammogram as the reference standard. Results Biopsy markers were detected and localized in 20 of 20 cases using MSI with automated DIMMS post-processing (using a threshold of 0.7) and in 18 of 20 cases using MSI field mapping (using a threshold of 0.65 kHz). Conclusion MSI with DIMMS post-processing is a feasible technique for biopsy marker detection and localization during MRI-guided breast biopsy. With a 2-min MSI scan, DIMMS is a promising MRI alternative to the standard-of-care post-biopsy mammogram.
Reliability of the Styku 3D Whole-Body Scanner for the Assessment of Body Size in Athletes.

Anthropometry is important for predicting sports performance. While 3-dimensional (3D) body scanners increase the feasibility of anthropometric assessment, reliability data on athletes are lacking....
Thermal Hall conductance and a relative topological invariant of gapped two-dimensional systems

We derive a Kubo-like formula for the thermal Hall conductance of a 2d lattice systems which is free from ambiguities associated with the definition of energy magnetization. We use it to define a relative topological invariant of gapped 2d lattice systems at zero temperature. Up to a numerical factor, it can be identified with the difference of chiral central charges for the corresponding edge modes. This establishes the bulk-boundary correspondence for the chiral central charge. We also show that for any local commuting projector Hamiltonian, the relative chiral central charge vanishes, while for free fermionic systems, it is related to the zero-temperature electric Hall conductance via the Wiedemann-Franz law.
Feasibility and safety of robot-assisted bariatric conversions and revisions.

Abstract Background Conversions and revisions after bariatric procedures are inevitable and associated with longer operative time and higher complication rates. Because robot-assisted procedures allow better dissection, robotic conversions and revisions may be more beneficial to the patients than laparoscopic ones. Objectives This study aimed to compare the feasibility and safety of robot-assisted conversions and revisions to laparoscopic procedures. Setting Academic Hospital, United States. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on 94 consecutive patients who underwent a bariatric conversion or revision (revision of gastrojejunostomy, conversions of vertical sleeve gastrectomy to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding to sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass to sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass to duodenal switch, and adjustable gastric banding to duodenal switch) between January 1, 2017, and February 28, 2019. Of these, 30 underwent a robot-assisted conversion or revision. Results Patients who underwent a robot-assisted approach were more likely to be older (45.4-versus 38.8-yr old) and lighter (44.6 versus 50.3 kg/m2) than patients who underwent a laparoscopic approach. The mean operative time was longer in the robot-assisted group (155.5 min) than in the laparoscopic group (113.3 min). No difference was observed between the 2 groups in the mean length of hospital stay, 30-day readmission rate, or 30-day reoperation rate. Results were similar when the baseline difference in age and body mass index were accounted for. Conclusions Robot-assisted conversions and revisions were as feasible and safe as laparoscopic procedures. However, operative time was longer in robot-assisted conversions.
Leukocyte telomere length and its interaction with germline variation in telomere-related genes in relation to pancreatic adenocarcinoma risk

Background: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been associated with risk of multiple cancers, but its association with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is unclear. We investigated the association between peripheral blood LTL and PDAC risk, and examined effect modification by candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously reported to be associated with variation in LTL. Methods: A case-control study of 1460 PDAC cases and 1459 frequency-matched controls was performed using biospecimens and data from the Mayo Clinic Biospecimens Resource for Pancreas Research. Quantitative PCR was used to measure LTL and then categorized into tertiles based on sex-specific control distribution. Eleven telomere-related SNPs were also genotyped. Logistic regression was used to calculate multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Shorter peripheral blood LTL was associated with a higher risk of PDAC (ORT1vsT3=1.26, 95%CI=1.03-1.54, Ptrend=0.02, ORcontinuous=1.14, 95%CI=1.02-1.28), but the association was restricted to cases with treatment-naive blood samples (OR T1vsT3=1.51, 95%CI=1.16-1.96, Ptrend=0.002; ORcontinuous=1.25, 95%CI=1.08-1.45) and not cases whose blood samples were collected after initiation of cancer therapy (OR T1vsT3=1.10, 95%CI=0.87-1.39, Ptrend=0.42; ORcontinuous=1.08, 95%CI=0.94-1.23). Three SNPs (TERC-rs10936599, ACYP2-rs11125529, and TERC-rs1317082) were each associated with inter-individual variation in LTL among controls, but there was no evidence of effect modification by these SNPs. Conclusions: Treatment-naive short LTL is associated with higher risk of PDAC, and the association does not differ by germline variation in the candidate telomere-related SNPs examined. Impact: Peripheral blood LTL might serve as a molecular marker for risk modeling to identify persons at high-risk of PDAC.
A multiscale compact model of low noise p-i-n avalanche photodiodes (Conference Presentation)

Some III-V digital alloy avalanche photodiodes demonstrate very low excess noise making them suitable for single photon detection applications. This behavior is attributed to the presence of minigaps in the valence band and high hole effective mass which reduce hole impact ionization. In this work, we present a physics based SPICE compatible compact model for these low noise avalanche photodiodes built from parameters extracted from Environment-Dependent Tight Binding model, that is calibrated to ab-initio Density Functional Theory, and Monte Carlo methods. Using this approach, we can accurately capture the physical characteristics of APDs in integrated photonics circuit simulation.
Reverse Plane Partitions and Tableau Hook Numbers

This chapter discusses the generating function of Stanley for reverse plane partitions by a direct method that shows the combinatorial significance of the hook numbers, while generalizing the hooks into zigzag paths. A reverse plane partition (rpp) of n on S is a mapping P from S to N such that n is the sum of all the entries P (i,j) and P is a nondecreasing function of i for j fixed and of j for i fixed. The unique rpp of zero on S is called the null rpp. An rpp P of n on S determines a sequence P, P’, P ”,…, P (d) where P (k +1) is the derived rpp for P (k) and P (d) is null.
Brief of Amicus Curiae in Support of Respondents, Return Mail, Inc. v. U.S. Postal Service, et al. (No. 17-1594) (U.S. Jan. 17, 2019)

Through various review proceedings, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may reconsider its decision to grant a patent application and may rescind a patent that it concludes was awarded erroneously. Such patents — ones that never should have been granted — can have significant obstructive effects on private enterprise and government programs alike. The question presented in this case asks whether federal agencies, like private parties, can ask the Patent Office to review potentially invalid patents. The answer must be yes.
#QuarantineChallenge2k20: Leisure in the Time of the Pandemic

The purpose of this essay is two-fold. First, it examines constraints on leisure imposed by the global pandemic, how people responded to them, and the lessons it taught us about the place of leisur...
Lignin-Based Solid Polymer Electrolytes: Lignin-Graft-Poly(ethylene glycol).

Lignin is an aromatic-rich biomass polymer that is cheap, abundant, and sustainable. However, its application in the solid electrolyte field is rare due to challenges in well-defined polymer synthesis. Herein, the synthesis of lignin-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and its conductivity test for a solid electrolyte application are demonstrated. The main steps of synthesis include functionalization of natural lignin's hydroxyl to alkene, followed by graft-copolymerization of PEG thiol to the lignin via photoredox thiol-ene reaction. Two lignin-graft-PEGs are prepared having 22 wt% lignin (lignin-graft-PEG 550) and 34 wt% lignin (lignin-graft-PEG 2000). Then, new polymer electrolytes for conductivity tests are prepared via addition of lithium bis-trifluoromethanesulfonimide. The polymer graft electrolytes exhibit ionic conductivity up to 1.4 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 35 °C. The presence of lignin moderately impacts conductivity at elevated temperature compared to homopolymer PEG. Furthermore, the ionic conductivity of lignin-graft-PEG at ambient temperature is significantly higher than homopolymer PEG precedents.
Reproducibility of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the Postpartum Period

Objective This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in the immediate postpartum period, which we defined as between 3 and 24 hours postpartum for the purpose of this research. This is such that if it can predict scores obtained at the postpartum visit, it will be an opportunity to access psychiatric services for the patient that may otherwise be more difficult to access in the outpatient setting. Study design Longitudinal observational study, which included an analysis of 848 consecutive participants screened with the EPDS in the hospital and at the 6-week postpartum visit. Results Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve suggested >3 at delivery as a more optimal score to predict depression at the postpartum visit with sensitivity 76.5% and specificity 65.9%. The commonly accepted EPDS cutoff value of >9 was far less sensitive at 28.8% but reasonably specific at 93.2% for predicting elevated scores (>9) 6 weeks postpartum. In subgroup analysis, only a prior mental health disorder was found to be predictive of elevated scores at the postpartum visit (relative risk: 1.97, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-3.32, p = 0.01). Conclusion The EPDS, originally designed to screen for postpartum depression (PPD) in the outpatient setting, does not predict the development of PPD, as determined by the EPDS (validated at the 6-week postpartum time interval) when administered during hospitalization shortly after delivery. Key points · EPDS is a validated screening tool for PPD that is validated in the outpatient setting, but various guidelines are presently unclear on the exact timing for PPD screening.. · EPDS scores from 3 to 24 hours postpartum does not reliably predict elevated scores 6 weeks later.. · EPDS scores >3 from 3 to 24 hours postpartum may identify need to "rule out" PPD 6 weeks later..
MiniMedTM780G Insulin pump system with smartphone connectivity for the treatment of type 1 diabetes: overview of its safety and efficacy

Introduction: Despite significant advances in diabetes care over the last three decades, the majority of people living with T1D are not meeting established metabolic goals. Automated insulin delive...
Calculation of radius of plastic zone in surrounding rock of roadway

Morh-Coulomb yield criterion and Drucker-Prager yield criterion are two commonly used strength criteria in geotechnical analysis. The former is considered to be more suitable for geotechnical media. In this paper, the plastic zone radius of roadway surrounding rock is compared with two yield criteria under different influence factors. Finally, the different characteristics of two yield criteria and the application in engineering design are obtained.
Sources of interferences in GMDSS

In this paper the external and internal interferences which may disturb proper operation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System are discussed. All potential sources of the interferences are specified and classified. To find appropriate remedies an analysis of mechanisms of the generation of interferences is still needed.
Parametric Vibration Response of Columns

Existing analysis techniques for lateral column vibrations under time pendent axial loads neglect the dynamic amplification caused by these loads. Respon to one type of dynamic load is investigated, and the basic linear differential equation motion is developed. Maximum transient displacements at midspan of initially curve. columns on simple supports under static plus sinusoidal dynamic axial load are found by an analog computer. Results are plotted in the form of response spectra, and an example of their use is shown. Regions of instability are seen to be in agreement with published analytical solutions. Even numbered instable regions are found to be of greater significance than odd numbered regions. Interpretation of the spectra to represent axial support movement is shown.
Demand Homotopies for Computing Nonlinear and Multi-Commodity Spatial Equilibria

This paper examines the problem of computing nonlinear and multi-commodity spatial equilibria. With mild assumptions on excess demand functions (neither differentiability nor convexity assumptions need hold), we show that a direct pivoting procedure will compute an equilibrium.
Supplementary Measures of Eating-Related Characteristics: Temperament Correlates

The studies in Chapters 5 and 6 yielded the Eating-Related Characteristics Questionnaire (ECQ) detailed in Appendix A of this volume. The latter studies and questionnaire dealt in large part with eating behaviors relating to predispositions to obesity, anorexia, and/or bulimia. The distinctive quality of the ECQ is that its items and measures were derived from a study of unselected members of the general population so that the resulting measures could be used to characterize eating habits in both the normal and extreme ranges. Thus, one focus of the ECQ was the identification of general dimensions of eating-related characteristics for the normal population. A second focus, however, was to study certain delimited aspects of eating-related characteristics that when manifested in extreme forms would relate to the phenomena of obesity, anorexia, and bulimia.
Exposure of the developing brain to polychlorinated biphenyls influences the susceptibility of the adult brain to stress

Neonatal factors can cause latent functional changes that increase susceptibility to disease and/or dysfunction later in life. This hypothesis of the developmental origins of adult disease, also known as the Barker hypothesis [1], was originally derived from studies conducted by Barker and colleagues who demonstrated that infants with low birth weight, small head circumference, and low ponderal index at birth are at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, insulin resistance, and diabetes as adults [2,3]. Reduced fetal growth and impaired development during infancy were associated with increased mortality from cardiovascular disease in both men and women, independent of social class and other confounders such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity [4, 5]. Barker and colleagues concluded that inadequate nutrition during critical periods of vulnerability in early development leads to persistent changes in hormone levels and in altered tissue sensitivity to hormones, permanently altering metabolism and body structure [1]. The plausibility of extending the Barker hypothesis to encompass brain development was formally explored at the 2003 Mount Sinai Conference on Early Environmental Origins of Neurological Degenerations. The conferees generally supported the hypothesis that exposure of the developing brain to toxic environmental contaminants could increase susceptibility to neurodegenerative disease [6]. This consensus was
The Power of Student Teams

"It often happens that two schoolboys can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. When you took the problem to a master, as we all remember, he was very likely to explain what you understood already, to add a great deal of information which you didn't want, and say nothing at all about the thing that was puzzling you. . . . The fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less." As C.S. Lewis tells us in this quotation, teachers can try too hard: they can focus on teaching rather than learning, on control rather than guidance, on the material rather than the student. Lewis argues, in effect, that too much Teacher can crowd out other important avenues of learning. Finding the Goldilocks mixture of neither too much nor too little Teacher Presence is one of the subtle challenges confronting the instructor and program designer. Here is where using peer-based teaching tactics can help immensely.
Thermal challenges in the next generation of computer, telecommunication, and military electronic equipment

The electronic design community is facing a new phase of thermal challenges in the present and future electronic and optical packaging. It is very common to have localized high-heat-flux components located within the system in direct proximity to other components, which are very sensitive to temperature. This is especially true when the system contains both optical and electronic devices. The current trend of using system-on-chip packaging often results in high-heat-flux devices within the system. On the other hand, the present and next generation of civilian and military electronic equipment needs to be able to accommodate high- heat-fluxes in the same given physical space as equipment developed in the 1990s. Appropriate thermal management techniques need to be introduced, which will satisfy the reliability, maintainability, and availability of the system. In addition, these techniques must be economically acceptable. This panel will address the limitations of the air-cooling, the extension of the air-cooling limits through unique air-cooling technologies, refrigeration cooling, liquid cooling, liquid immersion cooling, and two-phase cooling.
Unexpected genotype-phenotype associations in bone dysplasias driven by whole exome sequencing (213.2)

Over the past three decade the study of Mendelian forms of skeletal dysplasias best represented by Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) has led to the identification of disease mechanisms that affect both the quality and quantity of bone. This has been revolutionized by next generation sequencing and whole exome analysis. They have led to the discovery of enormous genetic heterogeneity that is becoming the rule for genetic phenotypes. In the case of OI, structural mutations in the most abundant components of matrix type I collagen, protein complexes that modify and chaperone collagen, and most recently components of signaling pathways have all been implicated. Together they underscore the factors the regulate mineralization of extracellular matrix and the differentiation and function of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes. In so doing they have also pointed to novel therapeutic strategies that may also need to be customized based on nature and consequence of mutation. Finally, the most recent data on the mut...
On-chip networks: a scalable, communication-centric embedded system design paradigm

As chip complexity grows, design productivity boost is expected from reuse of large parts and blocks of previous designs with the design effort largely invested into the new parts. More and more processor cores and large, reusable components are being integrated on a single silicon die but reuse of the communication infrastructure has been difficult. Buses and point to point connections, that have been the main means to connect components on a chip today, will not result in a scalable platform architecture for the billion transistor chip era. Buses can cost efficiently connect a few tens of components. Point to point connections between communication partners is practical for even fewer components. As more and more components are integrated on a single silicon die, performance bottlenecks of long, global wires preclude reuse of buses. Therefore, scalable on-chip communication infrastructure is playing an increasingly dominant role in system-on-chip designs. With the super-abundance of cheap, function-specific IP cores, design effort will focus on the weakest link: efficient on-chip communication. Future on-chip communication infrastructure will overcome the limits of bus-based systems by providing higher bandwidth, higher flexibility and by solving the clock skew problem on large chips. It may, however, present new problems: higher power consumption of the communication infrastructure and harder-to-predict performance patterns. Solutions to these problems may result in a complete overhaul of SOC design methodologies into a communication-centric design style. The envisioning of upcoming problems and possible benefits has led to intensified research in the field of what is called NoCs: Networks on Chips. The term NoCs is used in a broad meaning, encompassing the hardware communication infrastructure, the middleware and operating system communication services, and a design methodology and tools to map applications onto a network on chip. This paper discusses trends in system-on-chip designs, critiques problems and opportunities of the NoC paradigm, summarizes research activities, and outlines several directions for future research.
BCiC: A System for Code Authentication and Verification

We present BCiC, a system for verifying and authenticating code that combines language-based proof methods with public-key digital signatures. BCiC aims to augment the rigor of formal proofs about intrinsic properties of code by relying on authentication and trust relations. BCiC integrates the Binder security language with the Calculus of (Co)Inductive Constructions (CiC). In this respect, it is a descendant of our previous logic BLF, which was based on LF rather than CiC. This paper focuses on the architecture and implementation of BCiC. In addition to a logical inference engine, the design most notably includes a network communication module for the efficient exchange of logical facts between hosts, and a cryptography module for generating and checking signatures. The implementation cooperates with the Open Verifier, a state-of-the-art system for proof-carrying code with modular checkers.
Stephen C. Angle: Sagehood: The Contemporary Significance of Neo-Confucian Philosophy

Let me start by identifying an important sense in which Angle’s book sets a new precedent. Described in the broadest of terms, the aim of Sagehood is to explore the central features of Neo-Confucian thought and see how they can both improve, and be improved by, contemporary ethics and political thought. To be sure, many who write on Neo-Confucianism also aim to draw out its implications for contemporary philosophy and thought, but many—or at least the author of this review—take the latter task less seriously (or do it less ably and systematically) than does Angle. Sagehood not only compares Neo-Confucian views with those of philosophers like Martha Nussbaum and Iris Murdoch, it also spells out many of the concrete implications for ethical practices and political institutions. Moreover, it is more dialogical than much work on Neo-Confucianism, availing itself of what Angle calls (following Aaron Stalnaker) “bridge concepts,” which are open to specification from both sides (51–53). On these grounds alone it already qualifies as a major contribution to the current literature on Neo-Confucianism. Described more narrowly, Angle’s book attempts to answer the question, “What happens if we take Neo-Confucianism and its ideal of sagehood seriously as contemporary philosophy?” (3). Taking sagehood seriously appears to require at least two things of us. First, that we subject core features of the sage ideal to some of the rigors of contemporary philosophy, especially (a) the ability to carry out virtuous behavior with ease and (b) forms of moral perception that consist in identifying ways of making systems harmonious or coherent. Second, taking sagehood seriously requires that we regard these two features (and their necessary equipment) as relatively continuous with the more realistic features of moral agency that the rest of us should aspire to (27). It is not hard to imagine ways in which trying to be a sage might lead to disaster, as when an Dao (2011) 10:231–235 DOI 10.1007/s11712-011-9217-2