cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Natural History, a Master Class

​ManyMany people think we're entering a golden age of genomics, with technological breakthroughs yielding an explosion of data along with unprecedented insights into the genes and molecules that underlie life. Personally, I find it all a bit dull and uninspiring. Perhaps this cynicism stems from a conversation I once had with a fanatical, eye-popping cladist who proudly told me, “We don't need to save those tropical forests, we've already got samples of most of their DNA in the museums!” This perspective is slowly giving rise to the significantly deranged belief that we don't need to worry about the loss of biodiversity: we'll simply recreate it from stored DNA. The current cult of genomics and its ominous trickle-down effects on high-school biology teaching means it's sometimes easy to lose sight of the biology that surrounds us. Even so, there's something about the natural world and its creatures that still sparks a deep fascination and likely inspired many of us to study biology in the first place. Field Notes on Science and Nature reminds us why we find nature so appealing and just how much fun getting into the field can be.
A multilevel parasitic interconnect capacitance modeling and extraction for reliable VLSI on-chip clock delay evaluation

This paper describes fringing and coupling interconnect capacitance models which include the nonlinear second-order effects of field interactions among multilevel parasitic interconnects for accurate circuit simulations. They are fitted well with numerical solutions by using a Poisson equation solver. A reliable parasitic distributed resistance-inductance-capacitance (RLC) extraction method is identified by using the solver with the bounded local three-dimensional (3-D) numerical analysis to reduce excessive central processing unit (CPU) time compared to full 3-D numerical simulation. We investigate the impact of input slew variations on the traversal clock delay within the slow ramp region of the driver gate as well as in the extracted parasitic interconnect networks. Input slew is found to be a dominant factor affecting clock delay sensitivity. In addition, we use indirect on-chip electron beam probing to confirm that the simulated clock delays are in reasonable agreement with the measured delays.
The goals of communicating bad news in health care: do physicians and patients agree?

Background Communicating bad news serves different goals in health care, and the extent to which physicians and patients agree on the goals of these conversations may influence their process and outcomes. However, we know little about what goals physicians and patients perceive as important and how the perceptions of physicians and patients compare. Objective To compare physicians’ and patients’ perceptions of the importance of different communication goals in bad news conversations. Design Survey-based descriptive study. Participants Physicians in California recruited via a medical board mailing list (n = 67) and patients (n = 77) recruited via mailing lists and snowball recruitment methods. Measurements Physicians reported their experience communicating bad news, the extent to which they strive for various goals in this task and their perceptions of the goals important to patients. Patients reported their experience receiving bad news, the goals important to them and their perceptions of the goals important to physicians. Main results Physicians and patients were quite similar in how important they personally rated each goal. However, the two groups perceived differences between their values and the values of the other group. Conclusions Physicians and patients have similar perceptions of the importance of various goals of communicating bad news, but inaccurate perceptions of the importance of particular goals to the other party. These findings raise important questions for future research and clinical practice.
The Electoral Impact of Unexpected Inflation and Economic Growth

This article supports two theoretical changes to models of comparative economic voting. The first is that the distinction between expected and unexpected components of inflation and economic growth is important. We posit that voters are primarily concerned with unexpected inflation and unexpected growth since these changes have real income effects and serve as better indicators of government competence. Empirical analyses of data from nineteen industrialized nations in 1970–94 reveal stronger electoral effects for the unexpected components of inflation and growth than for their overall levels. The second innovation is the relaxation of the assumption of homoscedasticity, which led to the finding that the relationship between economic factors and incumbent vote has become more volatile over time and is less volatile when policy-making responsibility is more obscured.
Ulcerative type of colitis associated with the use of high strength pancreatic enzyme supplements in cystic fibrosis

A 2 1/2-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis, who presented with hematochezia, developed an inflammatory ulcerative type of colitis with mild interstitial fibrosis and colonic narrowing while being treated with high strength pancreatic enzyme supplements. Findings of contrast enema, endoscopy, and colonic biopsy are described. The spectrum of colonic disease associated with the use of high strength pancreatic enzyme supplements in cystic fibrosis patients is discussed.
Scenario-based test case generation for state-based embedded systems

To reduce testing cost and effort, the paper proposes a systematic approach to generate test cases for state-based embedded systems. This process first derives a state/event tree based on a scenario specification, with a node of the tree representing a state, and a link a transition between two states. Once the tree is obtained, it is possible to generate test inputs based on partition testing, random testing and boundary value testing. It is also possible to perform various analyses such as completeness and consistency analysis, dependency analysis and relationship analysis. An XML-based tool has been developed to automate many of the steps in the process. Whenever there is a change to the system, the tester needs to modify the state/event tree, and the tool automatically re-generates the new test cases to test those changed parts as well as perform selective regression testing to test those affected parts. To illustrate the ideas, the paper uses a wireless mobile phone system as an example. The system consists of three parts: a mobile station center server, several base station servers, and clients.
The Joint Association of Physical Activity, Blood-Pressure Control, and Pharmacologic Treatment of Hypertension for All-Cause Mortality Risk

background We conducted a study to determine the joint association of physical activity, pharmacologic treatment for hypertension, and the control of blood pressure (BP) on all-cause mortality risk. methods The study subjects were 10,665 adults from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and the Continuous NHANES survey (1999–2000 and 2000–2001). Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to estimate differences in mortality risk according to physical activity, pharmacologic treatment for hypertension, and BP control, with physically active, treated, and controlled as the referent category. results The average follow-up time in the study was 8.6 ± 4.8 years. The main effect of physical activity was significant independently of pharmaco logic treatment and BP control (P < 0.001). Physically inactive adults with hypertension had a higher risk of mortality than did physically active adults with treated and controlled hypertension (inactive, treated and controlled hypertension: HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.17–1.72; P < 0.01; inactive, treated, and uncontrolled hypertension: HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.30–1.84; P < 0.01; inactive, untreated, and uncontrolled hypertension: HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07–1.52, P < 0.01). However, the risk of mortality for physically active adults with hypertension did not differ significantly with or without treatment for hypertension if their hypertension remained uncontrolled (active, treated and uncontrolled hypertension: HR, 1.17; 95% CI 0.98–1.40; P = 0.08; active, untreated and uncontrolled hypertension: HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.76–1.08; P = 0.25). Physically active, normotensive individuals had a lower all-cause mortality risk than did the referent group of physically active individuals being treated with antihypertensive medication and who had controlled hypertension (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60–0.86; P < 0.01), whereas physically inactive, normotensive individuals had a risk of mortality similar to that of the referent group (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.90–1.30; P = 0.42). conclusion Physical activity may be as or even more important than pharmacotherapy for reducing the risk of mortality in adults with hypertension. However, the risk of mortality remained higher for physically active adults with treated and controlled hypertension than did the risk of mortality for physically active normotensive populations. Prevention of hypertension is therefore imperative for reducing the all-cause risk of premature mortality in adults.
PS1-21: Developing New Products to Support Patient-Centered Cancer Communication: A Case Example from the Cancer Communication Research Center

Background/Aims The Cancer Research Network Cancer Communication Research Center (CCRC), one of five National Cancer Institute-funded Centers of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research, had the unique opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to conduct real world testing of an NCI-developed decision aid. This abstract describes the feasibility and small scale implementation testing of the NCI-developed cancer prognostic tool, the Cancer Survival Query System (CSQS).
Role of Buckminsterfullerene, C60, in organic photoelectric devices

Abstract In this review we discuss the photophysical properties of the supramolecular composites of two π-electron semiconductors; conjugated polymers as electron donors and Buckminsterfullerene as electron acceptor. Conjugated, polymeric semiconductors have been found to be effective donors upon photoexcitation of the valence band electrons across the bandgap into the conduction bands. The Buckminsterfullerene, C60, acts as a strong acceptor upon photoexcitation. Thus, the supramolecular composite of these two conjugated materials exhibit ultrafast, reversible, metastable photoinduced electron transfer and charge separation. This process, similar to the primary steps of photosynthesis, has been utilized in conjugated polymer/C60 based heterojunction as well as in metal-semiconductor-metal tunnel devices for effective conversion of the solar photon energy into electricity. Other related applications of the photophysics, including photolithographic and xerographic processes, are reviewed. Furthermore, recent developments on light emitting diodes and solar cells with anomalous behavior based on Buckminsterfullerene are critically reviewed. Quantum well-like heterostructures based on organic donor-acceptor layers are proposed to exhibit interesting photoinduced phenomena.
RasGRF1 regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis specifically in early-adolescent female mice.

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in the induction and prolongation of a variety of psychiatric disorders. As such, much effort has been made to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in its control. However, the vast majority of the studies on the HPA axis have used adult animals, and among these the majority has used males. Here we show that in knockout mice lacking the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, RasGRF1, habituation to 30 min/day of restraint stress is markedly accelerated, such that these mice do not display elevated corticosterone levels or enhanced locomotion after 7 days of stress exposure, like WT mice do. Strikingly, this phenotype is present in early-adolescent female RasGRF1 knockout mice, but not in their early-adolescent male, mid-adolescent female, adult female or adult male counterparts. Moreover, not only is there a clear response to restraint stress in early-adolescent female RasGRF1 knockout mice, their response after one, three and five exposures is magnified approximately threefold compared to WT mice. These findings imply that distinct mechanisms exist to regulate the HPA axis in early-adolescent females that involves RasGRF1. A full understanding of how RasGRF1 controls the HPA axis response to stress may be required to design effective strategies to combat stress-associated psychiatric disorders initiated in young females.
The early days of information theory

Shannon's communication (information) theory cast about as much light on the problem of the communication engineer as can be shed. It reflected or encompassed earlier work, but it was so new that it was not really understood by many of those who first talked or wrote about it. Most of the papers published on information theory through 1950 are irrelevant to Shannon's work. Later work has given us useful information and encoding schemes as well as greater rigor, but the wisdom of Shannon's way of looking at things and his original theorems are of primary importance.
Universal failure model for multi-unit systems with shared functionality

Abstract A Universal Failure Model (UFM) is proposed for complex systems that rely on a large number of entities for performing a common function. Economy of scale or other considerations may dictate the need to pool resources for common purpose, but the resulting strong coupling precludes the grouping of those components into modules. Existing system-level failure models rely on modularity for reducing modeling complexity, so the UFM will fill an important gap in constructing efficient system-level models. Conceptually, the UFM resembles cellular automata (CA) infused with realistic failure mechanisms. Components’ behavior is determined based on the balance between their strength (capacity) and their load (demand) share. If the load exceeds the components’ capacity, the component fails and its load share is distributed among its neighbors (possibly with a time delay and load losses). The strength of components can degrade with time if the load exceeds an elastic threshold. The global load (demand) carried by the system can vary over time, with the peak values providing shocks to the system (e.g., wind loads in civil structures, electricity demand, stressful activities to human bodies, or drought in an ecosystem). Unlike the models traditionally studied by CA, the focus of the presented model is on the system reliability, and specifically on the study of time-to-failure distributions, rather than steady-state patterns and average time-to-failure characteristics. In this context, the relationships between the types of failure distributions and the parameters of the failure model are discussed.
A Comparative Study of Student Engagement, Satisfaction, and Academic Success among International and American Students.

This study examines the relationship between student engagement, student satisfaction, and the academic success of international and American students using 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data. It was found that international students scored slightly higher than American students on enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment/institutional emphases during their senior year benchmarks. Further, international and American students similarly evaluated their entire educational experience at this institution between good and excellent; however, American students evaluated it slightly higher than international students. Additionally, academic success measured by grades was between B+ and A- for both groups of students; however, international students evaluated it slightly higher than American students. Finally, it was found that the best predictors of satisfaction with the entire experience at this institution and academic success measured by grades were the five benchmarks of effective educational practice.
Electrophoretic Deposition of Carbon Nanotubes into Device Structures: An Approach to Integrate Nanostructures into Micro devices

Charged particles in suspension tend to move when an electric field is applied. This simple phenomenon of migration of charged particles in a liquid medium and their subsequent deposition onto an oppositely charged electrode is called electrophoretic deposition (EPD), and is used in assembly of nanoparticles into microfabricated devices. This work reports the application of the EPD process for deposition of commercially available purified single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) onto microfabricated device structures. A direct current EPD in aqueous medium was used to position CNTs into two different microfabricated device structures: gold electrodes of 100nm thickness and gold microcantilevers. Control of the mass of CNTs deposited using EPD process is addressed in this work.
Chronic ethanol increases N-methyl-D-aspartate-stimulated nitric oxide formation but not receptor density in cultured cortical neurons.

The effects of prolonged ethanol exposure on excitatory amino acid receptor stimulated nitric oxide (NO) formation were examined in primary rat cortical neuronal cultures. Chronic ethanol (4 days, 100 mm) potentiatedN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-stimulated NO formation as determined by measuring the conversion of [3H]arginine to [3H]citrulline. In contrast, chronic ethanol had no effect on NO formation stimulated by kainate, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxalonepropionic acid, or the calcium ionophore ionomycin. Potassium chloride-stimulated NO formation was also enhanced by chronic ethanol treatment, but this effect was not seen in the presence of the ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists MK-801 and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione. Immunoblot analysis of expression of NR1, NR2A, and NR2B receptor subunits showed no difference between control and chronic ethanol-treated cultures. In support of this apparent lack of change in receptor density, there was no difference in the specific binding of125I-MK-801 between control and chronic ethanol-treated groups. These results demonstrate that prolonged ethanol exposure selectively enhanced NMDA receptor-stimulated NO formation, which may play an important role in alcohol dependence, withdrawal, and alcohol-associated brain damage. These results also suggest that chronic ethanol-induced increases in NMDA receptor function may not be due to a simple increase in the number of NMDA receptors or change in NMDA receptor subunit composition but may instead reflect more complicated and subtle changes.
Phyllotaxis: Some progress, but a story far from over

Abstract This is a review article with a point of view. We summarize the long history of the subject and recent advances and suggest that almost all features of the architecture of shoot apical meristems can be captured by pattern-forming systems which model the biochemistry and biophysics of those regions on plants.
External Compression of Right Coronary Cleft Resulting From ECMO Cannula Causing Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation: An Unusual Adverse Event

72-year old man with severe left main disease and ischemic cardiomyopathy presented with ventricular tachycardia (VT) and cardiac arrest, and underwent emergency coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve repair. He required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support through the ascending aorta and right atrium. The chest was left open by use of a metal bridge and a vacuum dressing. On the second postoperative day, he experienced refractory VT and ventricular fibrillation, requiring urgent catheterization, which showed that the vein graft to the right coronary artery (RCA) had 80% smooth narrowing in the proximal third (Fig 1, white arrow), and appearance that was consistent with external compression. On urgent reexploration, there was external compression of the RCA graft because the heart was significantly distended and was pushing the vein graft against the venous cannula (Fig 1, black arrow), leading to delayed stenosis. The patient’s rhythm was stabilized by tacking the venous cannula away from the vein graft, with good flows down the graft on measurement. The patient had no VT over the next few days. Although rare, ECMO cannulas can cause myocardial ischemia either by malposition [1] or by external compression, and this possibility should be considered in relevant clinical scenarios. Reference
The Dedekind Zeta Function and the Class Number Formula

We will use the results of chapter 6 to define and establish properties of the Dedekind zeta function of a number ring R. This is a generalization of the familiar Riemann zeta function, which occurs when R = ℤ. Using this function we will determine densities of certain sets of primes and establish a formula for the number of ideal classes in an abelian extension of Q.
On-Scene Intravenous Line Insertion Adversely Impacts Prehospital Time in Rural Vehicular Trauma

Fatality rates from rural vehicular trauma are almost double those found in urban settings. Increased emergency medical services (EMS) prehospital time has been implicated as one of the causative factors for higher rural fatality rates. Advanced Trauma Life Support guidelines suggest scene time should not be extended to insert an intravenous catheter (IV). The purpose of this study was to assess the association between intravenous line placement and motor vehicle crash (MVC) scene time in rural and urban settings. An imputational methodology using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System permitted linkage of data from police motor vehicle crash and EMS records. Intergraph GeoMedia software permitted this linked data to be plotted on digital maps for segregation into rural and urban groups. MVCs were defined as rural or urban by location of the accident using the U.S. Bureau of Census Criteria. Linked data were analyzed to assess for EMS time on-scene, on-scene IV insertion, on-scene IV insertion attempts, and patient mortality. Over a 2-year period from January 2001 through December 2002, data were collected from Alabama EMS patient care reports (PCRs) and police crash reports. A total of 45,763 police crash reports were linked to EMS PCRs. Of these linked crash records, 34,341 (75%) and 11,422 (25%) were injured in rural and urban settings, respectively. Six hundred eleven (1.78%) mortalities occurred in rural settings and 103 (0.90%) in urban settings (P < 0.005). There were 6273 (18.3%) on-scene IV insertions in the rural setting and 1,290 (11.3%) in the urban setting (P < 0.005). Mean EMS time on-scene when single IV insertion attempts occurred was 16.9 minutes in the rural setting and 14.5 minutes in the urban setting (P < 0.0001). When two attempts of on-scene IV insertion were made, mean EMS time on-scene in the rural setting (n = 891 [2.6%]) was 18.4 minutes and 15.7 minutes in the urban setting (n = 142 [1.2%; P < 0.005). Excluding dead on-scene patients, mean EMS time on-scene when mortalities occurred in rural and urban settings was 18.9 minutes and 10.8 minutes, respectively (P < 0.005). On-scene IV insertion occurred with significantly greater frequency in rural than urban settings. This incurs greater EMS time on-scene and prehospital time that may be associated with increased vehicular fatality rates in rural settings.
High-efficiency, kilowatt 1034 nm all-fiber amplifier operating at 11 pm linewidth

We present power scaling results of a monolithic Yb-doped 1034 nm fiber amplifier well-suited for beam combining applications. Stimulated Brillouin scattering suppression is achieved through optical linewidth broadening, and results were compared for both white noise source (WNS) and pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) phase modulation schemes. Notably, through PRBS modulation at a clock rate of 3.5 GHz, 1 kW of output power with a slope efficiency of 81% was demonstrated. Beam quality measurements indicated near diffraction-limited operation with no sign of modal instability. At a comparable linewidth and fiber length, power scaling via WNS modulation yielded only 470 W. The kilowatt-class output at a linewidth of 11 pm is the highest power reported for a spectrally narrow all-fiber amplifier operating at the short wavelength end of the high gain range in Yb-doped silica.
Phase II Trials of Interferons-α and -β in Advanced Sarcomas

ABSTRACT Interferons (IFNs)-α and -β were administered to patients with metastatic sarcomas in two different Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group studies. In one study, patients received IFN-α2b, 20 million units/m2 i.v. 5 days/week × 4, then 10 million units s.c. t.i.w. In the second study, patients received IFN-βser 180 million units t.i.w. Of 87 patients evaluable for response, there were three responses in 64 patients (5%) treated with IFN-α-2b and no responses in 23 patients treated with IFN-βser. Severe or life-threatening fatigue with decline in performance status complicated treatment of 37% of patients receiving IFN-α2b and 17% of patients receiving IFN-βser Further investigation of IFNs in sarcomas should depend on evidence from preclinical studies demonstrating synergistic effects of IFNs combined with a cytoreductive modality which has proven activity in these malignancies.
Technetium Getters to Improve Cast Stone Performance

A cementitious waste form known as Cast Stone is the baseline waste form for solidification of aqueous secondary wastes, including Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) secondary liquid effluents to be treated and solidified at the Hanford Site Effluent Treatment Facility. Cast Stone is also being evaluated as a possible supplemental immobilization technology to provide the necessary low activity waste (LAW) treatment capacity to complete the Hanford tank waste cleanup mission in a timely and cost effective manner. Two radionuclides of particular concern in these waste streams are technetium-99 (99Tc) and iodine-129 (129I). These radioactive tank waste components are predicted to contribute the most risk to groundwater – the most probable pathway for future environmental impacts associated with the cleanup of the Hanford site. A recent environmental assessment of Cast Stone performance, which assumes a diffusion controlled release of contaminants from the waste form, calculates groundwater in excess of the allowable maximum permissible concentrations for both contaminants. There is, therefore, a need and an opportunity to improve the retention of both 99Tc and 129I in Cast Stone. One method to improve the performance of Cast Stone is through the addition of “getters” that selectively sequester Tc and I, therefore reducing their diffusion out of Cast Stone. In this paper, we present results of Tc and I removal from solution with various getters. Batch sorption experiments were conducted with deionized water (DIW) and a highly caustic LAW simulant with a 7.8 M average Na concentration. In general, the data show that the selected getters are effective in DIW but their performance is compromised when experiments are performed with the 7.8 M Na Ave LAW simulant. The diminished performance in the LAW simulant may be due to competition with Cr present in the 7.8 M Na Ave LAW simulant and to a pH effect that may create a negatively charged surface that can repel negatively charged species.
A flexible numerical model of a multistage active magnetocaloric regenerator

Abstract A flexible one-dimensional model was created in Python to determine the periodic steady state cooling power of an active magnetocaloric regenerator. Several features of the model provide advantages when performing large parametric studies. Geometry, material properties, and operation parameters are read in as input. Fluid flow and magnetization profiles are parameterized, and thermodynamic consistency is forced in magnetocaloric material properties. A dynamic time step is used, and three associated model constants are set to work over a wide range of input parameter combinations. Derivative gain is adjusted to minimize convergence time resulting in an average convergence time reduction of approximately 50%.
The Preparation and Optical Properties of ZnO/Au Nanocomposites

We synthesized ZnO/Au nanocomposites by reducing Au+on the surface ZnO nanocrystal, and focused on optical properties of the nanocomposites.
Valgus deformity of the ankle: a sequel to acquired or congenital abnormalities of the fibula.

The ankle joint is formed by the tibia, fibula, and talus. The tibia and fibula grow at different rates, but despite rather complex growth patterns, after the age of ten years, the ankle joint normally remains horizontal. There is thus a very delicate balance and any growth disturbance may affect the normal horizontal status of the joint. Removing a segment of fibula with resultant non-union will produce a valgus deformity if done in a young child. If non-union of the fibula occurs in the young child, a bone-grafting procedure should be done to restore a stable fibula. Such a graft maintains length and may even stimulate growth of the fibula. If a bone graft to restore the continuity of the bone does not seem feasible, then grafting the upper end of the lower fragment of the fibula to the distal tibial metaphysis will stabilize the distal end of the fibula so that no further valgus will occur. However, existing valgus deformity will not be corrected by this procedure. The horizontal status of the ankle joint can be restored by stapling the medial side of the distal tibial epiphysis if sufficient growth potential remains. If growth is almost completed, osteotomy of the tibia and fibula is the best solution and should be done by the procedure illustrated in Figure 6-B to minimize deformity. The degree of valgus depends largely on how many years of growth are left. If the fibula is resected after the age of twelve (and probably even after the age of ten) there appears to be no danger of an excessive valgus deformity developing.
Origin and Mechanism of Postnatal Deformities

Some of the causes of deformities that develop after birth are reviewed, with emphasis on mechanisms rather than on specific deformities.
Three-Dimensional Problems

This chapter deals with the three-dimensional heat transfer problems. The axisymmetric problems are the types of three-dimensional problems. These problems are modeled and solved by using ring elements. The chapter presents the solution of axisymmetric problems using triangular ring elements and tetrahedron elements. The linear interpolation functions in terms of natural conditions are used for simplicity. The finite element solution of axisymmetric problem involves five steps. The first step is to replace the solid body of revolution by an assembly of triangular ring elements. The second step is to assume linear variation of temperature inside an element by using a natural coordinate system. Third step involves the derivation of element matrices and vectors. Once the element matrices and vectors are available, the overall or system equations are derived in the fourth step. Finally, the equations are solved after incorporation of the known boundary conditions. The chapter also presents a computer program called HEATAX for the solution of axisymmetric heat transfer problems.
The Writing Life

Sylvia Plath trained all her life for her art. She read because, like many word people, she loved words and the arrangements of them. But before she was very old, she read to learn how to make those arrangements for herself. Her first small poem was published when she was eight; from that time on, she worked diligently — almost voraciously — to hone in on what made writers writers.
Substrate independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening

Inorganic phosphate release, [Pi], is often measured in an enzymatic reaction in a high throughput setting. Based on the published mechanism, we designed a protocol for our screening for inhibitors of SAICAR synthetase (PurC), and we found a gradual increase in [Pi] in positive control samples over the course of the day. Further investigation indicated that hydrolysis of ATP catalyzed by PurC, rather than substrate-related phosphate release, was responsible for a partial contribution to the signals in the control samples. Thus substrate-independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening.
Education of computer simulation for control system in Internet

The paper presents the developed novel software package of education of computer simulation for control system in Internet. The construction of the software package is described. The main page, the education interface, the exchange interface and the simulation experiments interface are given. The education for the simulation of the power electronics converter is also made.
Leveraging simulation to evaluate system performance in presence of fixed pattern noise

The development of image simulation techniques which map the effects of a notional, modeled sensor system onto an existing image can be used to evaluate the image quality of camera systems prior to the development of prototype systems. In addition, image simulation or `virtual prototyping' can be utilized to reduce the time and expense associated with conducting extensive field trials. In this paper we examine the development of a perception study designed to assess the performance of the NVESD imager performance metrics as a function of fixed pattern noise. This paper discusses the development of the model theory and the implementation and execution of the perception study. In addition, other applications of the image simulation component including the evaluation of limiting resolution and other test targets is provided.
Assessing the value of short-term study abroad programmes to students

For many universities, students participating in short-term faculty-led programmes make up a large portion of the total study abroad population. In this article, we report the results of a ...
Health Informatics Research and Innovations in Chronic Care Management: An Experimental Prospectus for Adopting Personal Health Records

This chapter focuses on the use of patient-centric care management technology, utilizing personal health record (PHR) as a facilitator for improving patient-provider communication, the continuity of care, medication management, and the adoption of health information technology in care management at community health centers. A randomized trial is proposed to evaluate how patient-centric care management technology may yield beneficial effects on a series of health-care outcome measures.
Real-time QRS detector using Stationary Wavelet Transform for Automated ECG Analysis

In this paper, we propose an online QRS detector algorithm using Stationary Wavelet Transforms (SWT) for real time beat detection from single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Daubechies 3 (â€˜db3â€™) wavelet is chosen as the mother wavelet for SWT analysis. The information from the first ten seconds of the ECG signal is used as a learning template by the algorithm to initialize thresholds for beat detection. These thresholds are then modified every three seconds, thereby quickly adapting to changes in heart rate and signal quality. Hence false beat detections are vastly suppressed in this approach, while identifying true beats with a high degree of accuracy. Our algorithm yields a sensitivity (SE) of 99.88% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 99.84% on the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database, SE of 99.80% and PPV of 99.91% on the AHA database and an SE of 99.97% and PPV of 99.90% on the QT database.
The Energy Pillars of Society: Perverse Interactions of Human Resource Use, the Economy, and Environmental Degradation

To meet the COP21 2 °C climate target, humanity would need to complete a transition to renewable energy within the next several decades. But for decades, fossil fuels will continue to underpin many fundamental activities that allow modern society to function. Unfortunately, net energy yield from fossil fuels is now falling, and despite substantial growth in renewable energy, total global energy demand and fossil fuel consumption are still increasing. Recent studies document promising trends in net energy yield from new renewable energy, particularly wind and solar. However, most studies do not fully consider the complexities of multiple factors including production intermittency, storage, the need to replace a massive infrastructure network, and lack of fungibility of different energy sources. Also, oft-overlooked, is that human impacts have caused widespread degradation of natural ecosystems and the provisioning of ecosystem goods and services, especially affecting vulnerable areas like coastal zones and arid regions. An accelerated renewable energy transition to meet climate targets and replace declining stocks of high net yielding fossil fuels will compete with resources needed for crucial investments to mitigate already locked in climate change and environmental degradation impacts. Integrative approaches that include all costs can help balance interdependent factors such as net energy dynamics, resource allocation, and ecosystem degradation. Energy-climate investment pathways produce economic output and quality of life tradeoffs that must be considered. Accordingly, developing future energy policy requires a systems approach with global boundaries and new levels of appreciation of the complex mix of interrelated factors involved.
Provocative test occlusion or the Matas test: Who was Rudolph Matas?

Temporary occlusion of large vessels (the Matas test) to test the adequacy of collateral circulation is part of daily clinical practice. Nevertheless, only a few clinicians are aware of Rudolph Matas and his pioneering work in different fields of medicine. A legendary New Orleans surgeon, Rudolph Matas (1860-1957) lived nearly a century. During that time he witnessed enormous progress in medicine and greatly contributed to its evolution. He is unanimously recognized as the father of modem vascular surgery for his creation and popularization of aneurysmorrhaphy, a technique for the definitive treatment of aortic and peripheral aneurysms. He also made significant contributions to the then burgeoning fields of anesthesia, critical care, and infectious disease (yellow fever in particular). In 1911, he wrote a landmark article in which he described a challenge test to assess the degree and efficacy of the collateral circulation in patients under consideration for permanent occlusion of a major vessel. Matas studied the feasibility of such a test by temporarily occluding the carotid and femoral arteries in dogs for variable periods of time. In the introduction to his seminal article on the subject, he stated that "the chief object of this inquiry has been to determine whether the large arteries can be occluded long enough to make it possible to observe the effect of the arrested circulation in the territory supplied by the occluded vessel, without irreparably damaging the artery during the period of observation." He definitively achieved his stated goal: the Matas test, although greatly modified by contemporary endovascular techniques to be safer and more reliable, is in essence still routinely performed worldwide 90 years after its initial description.
Children of Alcoholics: How Patterns and Perceptions of the Past Affect the Future

Parental alcoholism and its effects on children has been a problem widely researched for years. This thesis seeks to find the patterns and roles that are established for children living with parental alcoholism and if/why these patterns are maintained into the individual’s adulthood. In doing so, parental alcoholism and its effects on children and adult children will be examined through the lenses of symbolic interactionism and family systems theory. Several concepts that affect roles and patterns are discussed, some of the more prominent being: a) symbols, b) circular causality c) feedback loops, and d) roles. Through an in depth theoretical analysis, the implications that these findings have on families and those working with families in a professional setting are discussed. Introduction The Problem: Parental Alcoholism Over the past few decades, the problem of parental alcoholism has been widely researched, and countless consequences have been found for those who abuse alcohol in a family setting. Alcoholism in the family is not only harmful physiologically for the user, but has many psychological and emotional effects surrounding the user’s spouse, children, extended family, parents, friends, coworkers, and so on. Alcohol is extremely easy to obtain in the United States, as it carries only an age requirement and is widely available. Alcohol can be purchased at a variety of venues, for a relatively reasonable price, and is advertised almost everywhere we look. People drink alcohol for many different reasons, whether it be at a party with friends, or just to “unwind” after a long day at work. The issue of alcoholism is social, legal, emotional, and physical, and affects more people than the user is likely aware.
A Novel Approach to the Prevention of Atherosclerosis

Studies in recent years have shown that the immune system plays a greater role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis than previously recognized. These findings open new possibilities of treatment or prevention of this disease, and approaches using antibodies are especially promising. Future studies should aim at further characterizing the fine specificities of beneficial antibodies and at optimizing the means of their delivery (active immunization versus passive administration).
RESTFul: Resolution-Aware Forecasting of Behavioral Time Series Data

Leveraging historical behavioral data (e.g., sales volume and email communication) for future prediction is of fundamental importance for practical domains ranging from sales to temporal link prediction. Current forecasting approaches often use only a single time resolution (e.g., daily or weekly), which truncates the range of observable temporal patterns. However, real-world behavioral time series typically exhibit patterns across multi-dimensional temporal patterns, yielding dependencies at each level. To fully exploit these underlying dynamics, this paper studies the forecasting problem for behavioral time series data with the consideration of multiple time resolutions and proposes a multi-resolution time series forecasting framework, RESolution-aware Time series Forecasting (RESTFul). In particular, we first develop a recurrent framework to encode the temporal patterns at each resolution. In the fusion process, a convolutional fusion framework is proposed, which is capable of learning conclusive temporal patterns for modeling behavioral time series data to predict future time steps. Our extensive experiments demonstrate that the RESTFul model significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art time series prediction techniques on both numerical and categorical behavioral time series data.
Digital Alloy Growth of Low-Noise Avalanche Photodiodes

We describe the molecular beam epitaxial growth, characterization, and device performance of conventional, staircase, and photoconductive avalanche photodetectors grown with AlInAsSb digital alloys. In particular, this is the first low-noise III-V avalanche photodiode alloy family and offers the band engineering flexibility necessary to achieve staircase avalanche photodiode operation.
Random Spatial Network Models for Core-Periphery Structure

Core-periphery structure is a common property of complex networks, which is a composition of tightly connected groups of core vertices and sparsely connected periphery vertices. This structure frequently emerges in traffic systems, biology, and social networks via underlying spatial positioning of the vertices. While core-periphery structure is ubiquitous, there have been limited attempts at modeling network data with this structure. Here, we develop a generative, random network model with core-periphery structure that jointly accounts for topological and spatial information by "core scores'' of vertices. Our model achieves substantially higher likelihood than existing generative models of core-periphery structure, and we demonstrate how the core scores can be used in downstream data mining tasks, such as predicting airline traffic and classifying fungal networks. We also develop nearly linear time algorithms for learning model parameters and network sampling by using a method akin to the fast multipole method, a technique traditional to computational physics, which allow us to scale to networks with millions of vertices with minor tradeoffs in accuracy.
The importance of early peanut ingestion in the prevention of peanut allergy.

Introduction: Peanut allergy appears to have increased in prevalence, is often severe and is typically life-long. Therefore, reducing its incidence through a primary prevention strategy is a priori...
Impact of Health Insurance Policy on Diabetes Management

This chapter summarizes recent evidence on insurance policy as a tool to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes. We note several key findings. First, recent availability of insurance coverage for diabetes prevention programs could have a significant impact on the diabetes epidemic, if coverage leads to adoption of these effective programs. Second, expansions in insurance coverage for low-income adults appear to accelerate diabetes diagnosis; in turn, diagnosis increases doctor visits for diabetes management. Third, expansions in insurance coverage and reduction of co-pays for essential diabetes medicines are associated with increased treatment of diabetes; these patterns have been found across studies of Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and private insurance and, if the effects persist, could improve diabetes outcomes. Finally, provider-side financial incentives to improve diabetes care for insured patients have not been shown to consistently improve diabetes management, but several large ongoing investigations may soon provide additional evidence. Together, the current evidence suggests that policies designed to improve access to and affordability of insurance coverage for diabetes prevention, screening, and treatment can play a key role in determining population-level diabetes management outcomes.
Electroweak couplings of the Higgs boson at a multi-TeV muon collider

We estimate the expected precision at a multi-TeV muon collider for measuring the Higgs boson couplings with electroweak gauge bosons, $HVV$ and $HHVV(V={W}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}},Z)$, as well as the trilinear Higgs self-coupling $HHH$. At very high energies both single and double Higgs productions rely on the vector-boson fusion (VBF) topology. The outgoing remnant particles have a strong tendency to stay in the very forward region, leading to the configuration of the ``inclusive process'' and making it difficult to isolate $ZZ$ fusion events from the $WW$ fusion. In the single Higgs channel, we perform a maximum likelihood analysis on $HWW$ and $HZZ$ couplings using two categories: the inclusive Higgs production and the 1-muon exclusive signal. In the double Higgs channel, we consider the inclusive production and study the interplay of the trilinear $HHH$ and the quartic $VVHH$ couplings, by utilizing kinematic information in the invariant mass spectrum. We find that at a center-of-mass energy of 10 TeV (30 TeV) with an integrated luminosity of $10\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{ab}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ($90\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{ab}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$), one may reach a 95% confidence level sensitivity of 0.073% (0.023%) for $WWH$ coupling, 0.61% (0.21%) for $ZZH$ coupling, 0.62% (0.20%) for $WWHH$ coupling, and 5.6% (2.0%) for $HHH$ coupling. For dim-6 operators contributing to the processes, these sensitivities could probe the new physics scale $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ in the order of 1--10 (2--20) TeV at a 10 TeV (30 TeV) muon collider.