cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Situated Analysis of Special Education Disproportionality for Systemic Transformation in an Urban School District

The disproportionate representation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in special education programs is a complex issue that has long troubled practitioners, educational leaders, and researchers. This article reports on a mixed-method collaborative case analysis that examined local patterns of disproportionality in an urban school district and the district’s systemic transformation effort to address disproportionality. In a close collaboration with the district’s special education leadership team, we utilized student-level quantitative data from 2006 through 2010 to examine temporal patterns of disproportionality along with qualitative data on the leadership team’s perceptions and actions. Our analyses showed that risk of overidentification was greatest for African American, American Indian, low-income, and male students. The study illustrates a method of collaborative analysis and the importance of such analyses for understanding and addressing variously localized patterns...
Nonlinear control of an electrohydraulic velocity servosystem

Addresses the analysis and control of an electrohydraulic velocity servosystem in the presence of flow nonlinearities and internal friction. Two different nonlinear design procedures are employed: feedback linearization and backstepping. It is shown that both these techniques can be successfully used to stabilize any chosen operating point of the system. Additionally, invaluable new insights are gained about the dynamics of the system under consideration. This illustrates that the true potential of constructive nonlinear design lies far beyond the mere task of achieving a desired control objective. All derived results are validated by computer simulation of a nonlinear mathematical model of the system.
Group therapies for rheumatoid arthritis: A controlled study of two approaches

An important unanswered question about rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is how the patient's psychological or emotional state relates to disease activity and functional status. No controlled studies of psychothera-peutic interventions in RA have been reported. To test the hypothesis that a psychosocial intervention would lead to improvement in functional status or disease activity, 57 RA patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups, which received: 1) conventional group psychotherapy; 2) group assertion/relaxation training; or 3) no treatment (control group). Patient and physician questionnaires collected at baseline, immediately after the interventions, and 12 months after baseline provided outcome data on functional status, social and psychological adaptation, psychological symptoms, and disease activity. There were few outcome measures for which either treatment resulted in significantly higher scores than were seen in controls, though more improvement did occur among patients who received conventional group psychotherapy.
Limitations of Constitutional Protections in Jackson v. Indiana Pertaining to Charges With No Statute of Limitations

There has been a long-standing link between the civil and criminal commitment procedures for individuals found incompetent to stand trial (IST). In the criminal system, when restoration of competency fails to be realized in a reasonable time, the civil commitment process becomes the default system for commitment. While there have been recent calls for improved mechanisms for predicting competence restorability, there has been little attention paid to individuals who can oscillate indefinitely between commitment in both the criminal and civil systems. We provide an example of one such case where an individual falls into the legal space that sits outside of the judicial guidance outlined in the landmark case Jackson v. Indiana. This review of Oregon public documents surrounding an ongoing murder case highlights the potential for indefinite detention of individuals who have been charged with serious crimes that do not have a statute of limitations, who are unlikely to be restored to competency to stand trial, and who are inconsistently found to be dangerous under civil commitment standards.
Integration of multiple DICOM webservers into an enterprise-wide web-based electronic medical record

ABSTRACTPurpose - To integrate multiple DICOM image webservers into the currently existing enterprise-wide web-browsableelectronic medical record (MlNDscape). Over the last six years the University of Washington has created a clinical datarepository combining in a distributed relational database information from multiple departmental databases (MIND). Acharacter cell-based view of this data called the Mini Medical Record (MMR) has been available for four years. MlNDscape,unlike the text-based MMR, provides a platform independent, dynamic, web browser view of the MIND database that can beeasily linked with medical knowledge resources on the network, like PubMed and the Federated Drug Reference. There areover 10,000 MlNDscape user accounts at the University of Washington Academic Medical Centers. The weekday averagenumber of hits to MlNDscape is 35,302 and weekday average number of individual users is 1252. DICOM images frommultiple webservers are now being viewed through the MlNDscape electronic medical record (EMR).Methods -
Priority effects: natives, but not exotics, pay to arrive late

Summary Assembly history can determine ecosystem structure and function by influencing the relative abundances of species. Priority effects (impacts associated with early arrival) likely promote the success of exotic invaders, which often arrive at larger propagule sizes and germinate earlier than native species and tend to grow more quickly. However, the potential for exotic species to tolerate late arrival is unknown. Using a suite of native and exotic old-field plant species, we established a mesocosm experiment varying the order of species arrival to address the following question: Does plant origin influence a species' response to priority effects? We found that, while all plant groups benefited from arriving early to a similar extent, arriving late came at a lower cost for exotic species. Synthesis. We suggest that, when exploring assembly mechanisms in community ecology, the costs associated with late arrival may be as important as the benefits of arriving early. These priority effects may ultimately play a role in promoting the local success and overall distribution of exotic invaders.
A polymorph of K4Ge4Se10

A new monoclinic polymorph, β-K4Ge4Se10 (tetra­potassium deca­selenidotetra­germanate), that crystallizes in space group P21/c has been isolated. The structure contains isolated super-tetra­hedral adamantane [Ge4Se10]4− clusters identical to those in the known K4Ge4Se10 polymorph (P21/m), held together in in the crystal structure by ionic inter­action with the K+ ions. The adamantane unit, [Ge4Se10]4−, is formed by corner-sharing of four GeSe4 tetra­hedra, with average Ge—Se distances of 2.378 and 2.281 A for (Ge—Se)endo and (Ge—Se)exo, respectively. There are four crystallographically distinct K+ ions in β-K4Ge4Se10 having coordination numbers of 5, 7 and 8 (× 2), with K—Se distances in the range 2.986 (2)–3.888 (1) A, while the coordination numbers of the three unique K+ ions in the known K4Ge4Se10 (P21/m) vary between 5 and 7. Besides the differences in coordination numbers of K+ ions, the two polymorphs also exhibit a different packing of the adamantane units.
It takes two: the effect of child characteristics on U.S. parents’ motivations for allowing electronic media use

AbstractExtant research on parents’ choices for child media consumption focuses exclusively on parental beliefs and motives along with demographic variables. However, given parental choices are made within the context of the parent–child relationship, this study investigates how perceived child characteristics influence parents’ motives for allowing their children to consume screen media. One hundred and fifty-one parents of children between 6 months and 6 years of age were surveyed regarding their beliefs and motives for using screen media for their child as well as their perceptions of their child’s temperaments as energetic or detached. Results revealed a child’s energetic temperament predicted parental media use motives beyond that of parental media beliefs in ways consistent with expected relational management goals. These results extend the uses and gratifications perspective by supporting the idea that media choices made within a relational context are best understood by considering both members wi...
Light harvesting by carotenoids incorporated into the B850 light-harvesting complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26.1: Excited-state relaxation, ultrafast triplet formation, and energy transfer to bacteriochlorophyll

Spirilloxanthin and spheroidene were reconstituted into the carotenoidless B850 light-harvesting (LH) complex from the Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides R-26.1 mutant with the aim to obtain new insights in energy transfer, triplet formation, and other relaxation phenomena in photosynthetic light harvesting. Resonance Raman measurements showed that spirilloxanthin and spheroidene are bound to the B850 complex in the same planar configuration, whereas spirilloxanthin in its native LH1 complex of Rhodospirillum (Rs.) rubrum assumes a twisted configuration. Ultrafast transient absorption measurements with excitation of the carotenoid molecules to their S2 state enabled us to identify, in both reconstituted B850 complexes, the recently found S* carotenoid singlet excited state and the direct generation of carotenoid triplet states within picoseconds through the singlet fission mechanism [Gradinaru, C. C., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2001, 98, 2364−2369]. Global analysis has allowed us to quantify the form...
CLAP-NET

While the number of processing cores placed on individual silicon dies climbs towards hundreds, and even thousands of cores, there is growing demand for efficient and scalable on-chip interconnects. Offering many advantages over metallic interconnects, nanophotonic interconnects enable new design possibilities, however, nanophotonic interconnects also require an off-chip laser source, which is often wasted to insertion losses and periods of low network activity. We present a new optical crossbar architecture that leverages capabilities of nanophotonics to provide high-performance inter-core communication while maximizing utilization of the laser power by means of dynamic bandwidth and laser power reconfiguration schemes. We compare our architecture with other proposed optical crossbar designs according to power consumption, throughput, and latency. We evaluate the network using synthetic patterns to show approximately a 13% improvement in throughput can be achieved compared to other optical crossbar designs, and a 92% improvement compared to a conventional electrical flattened butterfly architecture. A unique optical network architecture with a decomposed crossbar design is proposed.Dynamic bandwidth reconfiguration achieves higher network throughput.Dynamically reconfiguring the laser source at runtime reduces power dissipation.The proposed architecture excels on multiple metrics of power, area, and throughput.
A computer-assisted approach to meal patterning.

A computer program is described which makes possible precise analysis of actual meal patterns, their relationships to socioeconomic characteristics and to nutrient intakes.
‘What’ Is Happening in the Dorsal Visual Pathway

The cortical visual system is almost universally thought to be segregated into two anatomically and functionally distinct pathways: a ventral occipitotemporal pathway that subserves object perception, and a dorsal occipitoparietal pathway that subserves object localization and visually guided action. Accumulating evidence from both human and non-human primate studies, however, challenges this binary distinction and suggests that regions in the dorsal pathway contain object representations that are independent of those in ventral cortex and that play a functional role in object perception. We review here the evidence implicating dorsal object representations, and we propose an account of the anatomical organization, functional contributions, and origins of these representations in the service of perception.
You Hear Stories About What They Did and It Makes You Go “Wow” Adolescents Narrate and Interpret Caregiver Stories About a Difficult Time

This study examined how adolescents recall and interpret caregivers’ personal stories about a difficult time. Respondents were 49 ethnically diverse adolescents (M = 15.76 years; 63% girls; 53% from immigrant families). Analyses examined story features (topic, narrator, elaboration, and meaning) and variations due to gender, age, and immigrant background. Four overarching topic categories were identified: family hardship (39.5%), caregiver’s personal problems (25.6%), family interactions and dynamics (20.9%), and interpersonal situations outside family (14%). Youth extracted a variety of personal lessons from caregiver stories, with meanings differing across some topic categories (e.g., stories about family hardship typically emphasized that youth should persevere/work hard). Story features differed based on characteristics of storyteller and listener, particularly gender and immigrant background. For example, adolescents (particularly girls) were most likely to narrate a story heard from their mother, an...
Generation of large-area tunable uniform electric fields in microfluidic arrays for rapid DNA separation

Control of electric fields over large areas is crucial for the accurate delivery and manipulation of biologically important molecules in microfluidic systems. In this paper we present a novel method for generating tunable uniform electric fields over large microfluidic arrays in two dimensions, and its application to a microfabricated device that separates genomic DNA. The device fractionates large DNA molecules over three orders of magnitude faster than conventional methods.
The meaning of livable streets to schoolchildren: An image mapping study of the effects of traffic on children's cognitive development of spatial knowledge

Abstract While much focus has been placed on the physical activity and environmental benefits of providing safe and livable streets for children, few studies look at the mental health and cognitive development benefits from lowering children׳s exposure to threats from traffic. In response, this study uses innovative cognitive mapping methods through a series of focus-group interviews with nine and ten-year schoolchildren to uncover important ways traffic exposure limits children׳s cognitive development of their spatial knowledge. To test for these effects, this study focuses on schoolchildren in two similar suburban neighborhoods and schools in suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area, but differing in the volume and speed of traffic the students are exposed to during their journeys to and from school. The Cognitive mapping exercises and methods used in this research reveal multi-dimensional effects, including how exposure to traffic, as determined by volume, speed, and the adequacy of walking and bicycling infrastructure, limits children׳s progression along a cognitive development continuum of spatial knowledge. Specifically, the results show that without adequate pedestrian and bicycle facilities to provide sanctuary from automobile traffic, children are overcome by the negative senses of danger and dislike, commensurate with a limited ability to identify qualities of their neighborhood that are memorable, special, or even positive. In contrast, this study finds that children allowed to have higher levels of interaction with the environment, through independent, active travel modes improve their spatial knowledge development. By making neighborhood streets safe, comfortable, and livable, this research establishes some key psychological cognitive benefits associated with lowering a child׳s exposure to automobile traffic by providing adequate pedestrian and bicycle Safe Routes to School (SR2S) infrastructure. Download : Download high-res image (260KB) Download : Download full-size image
￼Cinemas de Niterói em revista: por uma historiografia das salas de exibição cinematográfica na antiga capital fluminense

Resenha de: FREIRE, Rafael de Luna. Cinematographo em Nictheroy: historia das salas de cinema de Niteroi. Niteroi, RJ: Niteroi Livros; Rio de Janeiro: INEPAC, 2012. 264 p.
Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease in Aging Populations

Alcohol consumption is common in both young and older populations. In the United States, 65 % of the adult population reports current alcohol consumption and about 5 % report heavy drinking. While moderate alcohol drinking has been associated with cardiovascular benefits in both younger and older populations, heavy alcohol use is associated with adverse metabolic and cardiovascular effects. In this chapter, we summarize known effects of alcohol consumption on the cardiovascular system overall and among elderly populations.
Face Processing Measures of Social Cognition: A Dimensional Approach to Developmental Psychopathology.

Abstract Background Social cognition impairments in neurodevelopmental disorders impact functioning. Face processing is the most extensively studied aspect of social cognition, commonly indexing this construct in neuropsychiatric disorders compared with typically developing youths. Applying social cognition measures as a Research Domain Criteria concept in the clinical arena requires establishing cutoffs for intervention and identifying vulnerability for psychopathology across disorders. This can be accomplished by comparing extreme performers across multiple clinical symptom features. Methods The Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort ( N = 9498), a community sample of youths (8–21 years old), was assessed with a structured interview (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia). The Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery was administered measuring accuracy and response time on Executive, Episodic Memory, Complex Cognition, and Social Cognition domains. We parsed participants by performance on social cognition into tertiles and examined their neurocognitive and clinical profiles. Results The top social cognition group outperformed the bottom group in face memory and complex reasoning. Concerning symptoms, the top performing group did not differ from the middle group, but the bottom performing group had higher externalizing and psychosis symptoms. There were sex differences in social cognition and symptom profiles but no sex × performance or sex × diagnosis × domain interactions. Conclusions Social cognition is supported by strong face memory and complex reasoning skills. Poor performance portends more severe externalizing and psychosis symptoms. That average performance is sufficient for normative symptomatology suggests that interventions aimed at ameliorating social cognition deficits, as measured here, could be effective in normalizing level of symptoms.
SOX11 holds mantle cell lymphoma’s key to home

In this issue of Blood , Balsas et al define a SOX11-driven program supporting key cellular processes (cell adhesion, homing, and invasion) underlying some of the aggressive clinical and biological features of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). 1
The indelible effects of legal liminality among Colombian migrant professionals in the United States

Building on Menjivar's (Am J Sociol 111(4):999–1037, 2006) concept of legal liminality, this article examines the negative effects of the transition from a temporary to a permanent legal status for Colombian migrant professionals. Drawing from thirty-one in-depth interviews with Colombian computer engineers who migrated in the 1990s, this study reveals how legal status adjustment stipulations invalidate the credentials and professional experience of these migrants, delay their economic and professional advancement and deeply affect their life-course decisions. I demonstrate that Colombian migrant professionals tolerate these repercussions in order to avoid returning to the political violence and economic crises of their home country. By comparing these findings with the experiences of Central American migrants, I argue that, regardless of their migration motivations and educational backgrounds, immigration law negatively affects the incorporation of different Latino/a migrants in similar ways.
The effect of cultivar and processing method on the stability, flavor, and nutritional properties of winter melon juice

Abstract Two major winter melon (Benincasa hispida) cultivars, waxy ‘Large Round’ and non-waxy ‘Southern Dark Skin’ were used for comparison of the physical, chemical and sensory properties of processed juice. Two types of juice were processed by using non-waxy fruits: non-waxy juice without peel (NW) and non-waxy juice with peel (NWP). For waxy fruit, the juice was prepared without peel (W) only. Peel tissues contributed firm particles, and more primary and secondary metabolites. The total tyrosine, phenylalanine, and dietary fiber content in NWP were 12.14 mg L−1, 11.78 mg L−1 and 1.04% respectively, which were significantly higher than in W and NW. However, NWP had more off-flavor, such as hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal, less stability, and higher pulpy mouthfeel. W samples were more stable than NW and NWP during storage without visible sedimentation. The glucose, fructose and TA content of W were 0.58%, 0.58 and 0.23% respectively, which were significantly lower than in NW and NWP. The W juice also had less dimethyl disulfide, and hexanal, and was better rated by the sensory panel for having lower sour, salty, bitter, grassy and cooked vegetable characteristics. The results indicate that the waxy ‘Large Round’ melons are a viable candidate for juice processing.
The Role of the Golgi Apparatus in the Biosynthesis of Natural Polymer Systems with Particular Reference to Cellulose

In its accepted role as the site of glycosylation and sulfation, the Golgi apparatus is involved in the biosynthesis of most natural polymers (for reviews, see Whaley, 1975; Northcote, 1979). Synthesis occurs in the context of a directed membrane flow throughout the endomembrane system (Mom? et al, 1971; Whaley et al., 1971; Northcote, 1974) —from the nuclear envelope to the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane—and is accompanied by membrane differentiation that can be observed as changes in the thickness (Grove et al., 1968) and composition (Keenan and Morre, 1970) of the membrane (see Morre, 1977). Consequently, the Golgi apparatus is a site for the synthesis and modification of membrane as well as a site for the synthesis of sugar-containing polymers. These two functions typically occur simultaneously, as illustrated in the formation of the cell plate from Golgi-derived vesicles: the contents of the vesicles form the middle lamella of the new transverse wall, while the vesicle membrane itself becomes the new plasma membrane of the daughter cells (see Whaley, 1975).
Safety Evaluation of Roundabouts in Georgia

U.S. roundabout growth has been significant in recent years and many published studies have documented significant safety benefits of roundabouts. However, the safety benefits for a roundabout may ...
Protein Splicing of Yeast TFP1: Evidence for a New Class of Mobile Genetic Elements

The TFP1 gene of the yeast S. cerevisiae has been found to encode two proteins, the 69 kDa subunit of the vacuolar H+-ATPase, and a 50 kDa ‘spacer’ protein. The 50 kDa spacer protein is encoded by the central 454 codons of TFP1, whereas the first 283 and last 334 amino acids are post-translationally connected by a peptide bond to form the 69 kDa polypeptide. Because the reaction involves excision of an intervening protein domain and the religation of the N- and C-terminal regions of the Tfpl protein, the process was named protein splicing. The Tfpl precursor has been found to undergo efficient protein splicing even when expressed in E. coli, suggesting that this reaction occurs by a self-splicing mechanism. The spacer protein has been found to undergo protein splicing independent of its insertional context, indicating that all the information necessary for protein splicing is contained within the spacer protein. The Tfpl spacer protein is an endonuclease that specifically cleaves the TFP1DNA lacking the intervening sequence, leading to gene conversion of the allele lacking the intervening sequence by the wild-type TFP1 allele. These data indicate that the TFP1 spacer DNA defines a new class of mobile genetic elements, which move at the DNA level and excise by protein splicing to remain phenotypically silent.
Microplastic deposition velocity in streams follows patterns for naturally occurring allochthonous particles.

Accumulation of plastic litter is accelerating worldwide. Rivers are a source of microplastic (i.e., particles <5 mm) to oceans, but few measurements of microplastic retention in rivers exist. We adapted spiraling metrics used to measure particulate organic matter transport to quantify microplastic deposition using an outdoor experimental stream. We conducted replicated pulse releases of three common microplastics: polypropylene pellets, polystyrene fragments, and acrylic fibers, repeating measurements using particles with and without biofilms. Depositional velocity (vdep; mm/s) patterns followed expectations based on density and biofilm ‘stickiness’, where vdep was highest for fragments, intermediate for fibers, and lowest for pellets, with biofilm colonization generally increasing vdep. Comparing microplastic vdep to values for natural particles (e.g., fine and coarse particulate organic matter) showed that particle diameter was positively related to vdep and negatively related to the ratio of vdep to settling velocity (i.e., sinking rate in standing water). Thus, microplastic vdep in rivers can be quantified with the same methods and follows the same patterns as natural particles. These data are the first measurements of microplastic deposition in rivers, and directly inform models of microplastic transport at the landscape scale, making a key contribution to research on the global ecology of plastic waste.
Reversing conventional site-selectivity in C(sp 3)-H bond activation

One of the core barriers to developing C-H activation reactions is the ability to distinguish between multiple C-H bonds that are nearly identical in terms of electronic properties and bond strengths. Through recognition of distance and molecular geometry, remote C(sp2)-H bonds have been selectively activated in the presence of proximate ones. Yet achieving such unconventional site selectivity with C(sp3)-H bonds remains a paramount challenge. Here we report a combination of a simple pyruvic acid-derived directing group and a 2-pyridone ligand that enables the preferential activation of the distal γ-C(sp3)-H bond over the proximate β-C(sp3)-H bonds for a wide range of alcohol-derived substrates. A competition experiment between the five- and six-membered cyclopalladation step, as well as kinetic experiments, demonstrate the feasibility of using geometric strain to reverse the conventional site selectivity in C(sp3)-H activation.
Development of High-Level Echinocandin Resistance in a Patient With Recurrent Candida auris Candidemia Secondary to Chronic Candiduria.

Objective Candida auris is a globally emerging pathogen associated with significant mortality. This pathogen frequently is misidentified by traditional biochemical methods and is resistant to commonly used antifungals. The echinocandins currently are recommended as the first-line treatment for C. auris infections. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the challenges associated with C. auris in the real-world setting. Methods A 54-year-old male presented to our institution for concerns of sepsis on multiple occasions over a 5-month period. Eleven urine cultures were positive over this timeframe for yeast (9 unidentified Candida isolates and 2 C. lusitaniae isolates). On day 27, the patient developed echinocandin-susceptible candidemia, which was initially identified as C. haemulonii but later accurately identified as C. auris at an outside mycology reference laboratory. Approximately 10 weeks later, the patient had a recurrence of candidemia, this time caused by an echinocandin-resistant C. auris strain. Results Genomic DNA sequencing performed at the outside mycology reference laboratory identified a single serine to proline base pair change at position 639 (S639P) in the hotspot 1 region of the FKS1 gene of the echinocandin-resistant strain. Conclusions Our experiences highlight 4 major concerns associated with C. auris: misidentification, persistent colonization, infection recurrence despite the receipt of appropriate initial therapy, and development of resistance.
Kinetic Statistics of Scalar Conservation Laws with Piecewise-Deterministic Markov Process Data

In 2010 Menon and Srinivasan published a conjecture for the statistical structure of solutions $$\rho $$ to scalar conservation laws with certain Markov initial conditions, proposing a kinetic equation that should suffice to describe $$\rho (x,t)$$ as a stochastic process in x with t fixed, or as a stochastic process in t with x fixed. In this article we largely resolve this conjecture.
Using NJOY99 and MCNP4B2 to estimate the radiation damage displacements per atom per second in steel within the boiling water reactor core shroud and vessel wall from reactor-grade mixed-oxide/uranium oxide fuel for the nuclear power plant at Laguna Verde, Veracruz, Mexico

The government of Mexico has expressed interest in utilizing the Laguna Verde boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plant for the disposition of reprocessed spent uranium oxide (UOX) fuel in the form of reactor-grade mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. MOX fuel would replace spent UOX fuel as a fraction in the core from 18 to 30% depending on the fuel loading cycle. MOX fuel is expected to increase the neutron fluence, flux, fuel centerline temperature, reactor core pressure, and yield higher energy neutrons.There is concern that a core with a fraction of MOX fuel (i.e., increased {sup 239}Pu wt%) would increase the radiation damage displacements per atom per second (dpa-s{sup -1}) in steel within the core shroud and vessel wall as compared to only conventional, enriched UOX fuel in the core. The evaluation of radiation damage within the core shroud and vessel wall is a concern because of the potentially adverse affect to personnel and public safety, environment, and operating life of the reactor.The primary uniqueness of this paper is the computation of radiation damage (dpa-s{sup -1}) using NJOY99-processed cross sections for steel within the core shroud and vessel wall. Specifically, the unique radiation damage results are several orders of magnitude greatermore » than results of previous works. In addition, the conclusion of this paper was that the addition of the maximum fraction of one-third MOX fuel to the LV1 BWR core did significantly increase the radiation damage in steel within the core shroud and vessel wall such that without mitigation of radiation damage by periodic thermal annealing or reduction in operating parameters such as neutron fluence, core temperature, and pressure, it posed a potentially adverse affect to the personnel and public safety, environment, and operating life of the reactor.« less
Stress Urinary Incontinence post-Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate: a Single-Surgeon Experience.

Purpose To identify incidence and predictors of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Materials and methods We performed a retrospective review of 589 HoLEP patients from 2012-2018. Patients were assessed at pre-operative and post-operative visits. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of SUI. Results 52/589 patients (8.8%) developed transient SUI, while 9/589 (1.5%) developed long-term SUI. tSUI resolved for 46 patients (88.5%) within the first six weeks and in 6 patients (11.5%) between 6 weeks to 3 months. Long-term SUI patients required intervention, achieving continence at 16.4 months on average, 44 men (70.9%) with incontinence were catheter dependent preoperatively. Mean prostatic volume was 148.7mL in tSUI patients, 111.6mL in long-term SUI, and 87.9mL in others (p Conclusion Post-HoLEP SUI occurs in ~10% of patients, with 1.5% continuing beyond six months. Most patients with tSUI recover within the first six weeks. Prostate size >100g and catheter dependency are associated with increased risk tSUI. Larger prostate volume is an independent predictor of any SUI, and tSUI.
Chapter 2 – Information Visualization

Publisher Summary Computation provides the most plastic representational medium and for that it can be employed to mimic successful mechanisms of earlier media and also enables novel techniques that were not previously possible. Computation-based information presentations promise to dramatically enrich the understandings as well as assist in navigating and effectively exploiting rapidly growing and increasingly complex information collections. This chapter surveys a sample of recent information visualization research. Information visualization has a long history, dating to the earliest forms of symbolic representation, and can be approached from multiple perspectives, ranging across psychology, epistemology, graphic design, linguistics, and semiology to newer perspectives emerging from cognitive science. The goal of this chapter is to provide a glimpse of current research as it attempts to communicate the exciting potential of new dynamic representations. To accomplish this, profiling is done for selected recent work from the research group. This chapter further discusses the beginnings of a paradigm shift for thinking about information, one that starts viewing information as being much more dynamic and reactive to the nature of people's tasks, activities, and even relationships with others.
Effect of food drying methods on fluoride content in maize and pepper in coal-burning type of fluorosis regions

Objective To explore the effect of different processing and drying methods of corn and hot pepper on fluorine content in coal-burning type of the endemic fluorosis areas, and to screen food processing and drying methods which meet the quality requirements of grain drying and able to effectively reduce the total fluoride intake of local population. Methods Farmers of endemic fluorosis area in Bijie, Guizhou province were divided into 3 groups: sun-baked drying group, stove drying group with air-tight cover and stove drying group with no cover, 10 households in each group. Corn and fresh hot pepper and samples dried for 2 weeks, or 1, 3, 6-month were collected, and water and fluoride content were detected, and the total daily fluoride intake were calculated in accordance with the "Determination of Water in Food" (GB/T 5009.3-2003) and "Determination of Fluorine in Foods"(GB/T 5009.18-2003). Results Fluoride content in fresh corn and dried for 2 weeks, or 1, 3, 6-month [of sunbaked drying group: (1.40 ± 0.16), (1.56 ± 0.14), (2.15 ± 0.47), (2.70 ± 0.64), (4.06 ± 1.75)mg/kg, stove drying group with air-tight cover: (1.41 ± 0.16), (2.39 ± 0.56), (4.60 ± 0.97), (8.46 ± 5.55), (11.36 ± 3.60)mg/kg,stove drying group with no cover: (1.40 ± 0.13), (4.69 ± 3.97), (4.47 ± 2.77), (9.65 ± 6.47), (26.12 ± 14.52)mg/kg] and pepper[sun-baked drying group: (5.41 ± 1.61), (16.60 ± 7.62), (32.60 ± 7.88), (50.26 ± 17.60),(240.20 ± 272.49)mg/kg, stove drying group with air-tight cover: (754 ± 2.95), (3238 ± 11.50), (119.18 ± 156.45),(224.00 ± 196.58), (495.70 ± 417.29)mg/kg, stove drying group with no cover: (4.82 ± 1.25), (44.30 ± 13.48),(122.89 ± 66.43), (334.23 ± 166.05), (531.01 ± 397.40)mg/kg] increased with elongation of drying time, and the group difference was significant(F = 44.77, 128.71, 126.87, 41.61, 53.63, 170.63, all P ＜ 0.05), with the largest rate of increase in stove drying group with no cover, and the lowest in sun-baked drying group;fluoride was significantly lower (t = 7.93,63.07,5.36,11.98,55.76,7.45, all P ＜ 0.05) after sample washing;total fluoride intake per person per day was 2.57 mg in local adult when ate washed and sun-baked corn, peppers, the total fluoride intake were 5.92, 8.14 mg when ate the food processed by other two drying methods and washed corn, peppers,respectively. Conclusions In the coal-burning type of fluorosis endemic area, should take appropriate health education measures, and instruct local residents to use sun bake their edible corn and pepper for human consumption, and cultivate a habit of washing corn and pepper before cooking, which can reduce the population total fluoride intake, and control endemic fluorosis. Key words: Coal; Air pollution,indoor; Fluoride poisoning; Food preservation
Congenital absence of small bowel with anorectal malformation

Abstract We report a unique case of congenital absence of small bowel with associated anorectal malformation and duodenal atresia. Currently, there is no report of a similar case in a live infant in the literature. On initial exploration, the patient was thought to have colonic atresia with an anorectal malformation, and an ostomy proximal to the atretic segment was created. However, postoperative imaging revealed that the stoma was a duodenostomy. The patient subsequently underwent duodenostomy takedown and colostomy creation. He has been doing well and will undergo posterior sagittal anorectoplasty in the future.
Academic and Gender Differences Among U.S. Otolaryngology Board Members.

OBJECTIVES To determine the representation of women in leadership positions within otolaryngology societies and to compare their academic rank and research productivity to men. METHODS The leadership positions of all U.S. otolaryngology societies were compiled. The Medicare Physician Compare database was used to obtain gender and medical school graduation year for all otolaryngologists. An online search was used to determine board member's academic faculty rank. The Scopus database was used to determine an individual's number of publications, citations, and h-index. All websites were accessed from July 2019 to October 2019. RESULTS Of the 200 leadership positions, there were 160 unique individuals available for analysis. Of those, 23% were female. In comparison, 18% of all otolaryngologists in the United States are female. The average medical school graduation year was significantly more recent for female leaders (1997 vs. 1990, P < .001) than males, which is similar to all otolaryngologists (2001 vs. 1993, P < .001). Stratifying by gender alone, women averaged significantly fewer publications, citations, and h-indices compared to men (P < .05), and were also less likely to be professors (P < .01). When considering both gender and graduation year, significant differences among academic productivity were only noted for those graduating between 1990 to 1999. Among all board members who graduated after 2000, women comprised a majority of those in leadership positions (52%). CONCLUSION Leadership positions in otolaryngology societies reflect the changing demographic of otolaryngologists in the United States. There is proportionate representation, and the more recently graduated female physicians show the same research productivity as their male counterparts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:731-736, 2021.
My take on System Dynamics

System Dynamics is an alternative calculus that is intuitive and can be implemented on modern computers – models built with it are not abstract and can be verified. Using this alternative calculus, it proposes an alternative economics, whose actors are not rational agents, but managers. It is thus a gateway to operational policy that can rectify problematic behavior in firms, markets, regions and national economies.
Application of the ACMG/NSGC genetic referral guidelines for hereditary renal cell carcinoma at the University of Miami, from 2014 to 2017

Identifying hereditary syndromes among patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is essential for surveillance of affected individuals and their at-risk family members and for treatment optimization. We conducted a chart review to determine the percentage of patients with RCC who were seen at the University of Miami Health System (UHealth), and met the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) genetic referral criteria at the University of Miami. Subsequently, we determined the percentage of those who went on to receive genetic evaluation. Patients selected by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9/10 codes corresponding to kidney cancer who were at least 18 years of age at the time of diagnosis were included in the study. We included a total of 1443 patients in the final analysis, and after exclusion of charts with incorrect ICD codes, insufficient clinical data, unknown pathology, and patients who were not seen. We used chi-square analysis, ANOVA, and t-test. Of 1443 charts reviewed, 65.7% were male and 34.3% were female. 47.7% self-identified as White, 39.2% as Hispanic, 9.1% as Black, and 4.0% as "other." The mean age of RCC diagnosis was 60.0 ± 12.4 years old. In total, 47.0% of patients met ACMG/NSGC referral criteria for genetic evaluation. Of those, only 4.2% had documented genetic assessment. This study showed a low adherence to ACMG/NSGC genetic referral guidelines at our institution and a need for increasing patients' and practitioners' awareness about the significance of genetic assessment for RCC patients and their family members.
Processing polymer dielectrics for improved performance of organic field-effect transistors

The charge carrier mobility in organic field-effect transistors (FETs) may be enhanced by a few orders of magnitude by an appropriate choice of the dielectric layer. Polymer ferroelectric dielectrics with their high dielectric constants are attractive for low-operating voltage FETs. However, due to the dynamic coupling of the charge carriers to the electronic polarization at the semiconductor-dielectric interface, polymer ferroelectric based organic FETs may result in low carrier mobilities. Selective electrical poling of the ferroelectric dielectric, poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluorethylene) (PVDF-TrFE), is seen to greatly improve the performance of small molecule and donor-acceptor copolymer based FETs [1]. A combination of vertical and lateral poling of the PVDF-TrFE layer, which reduces the gate leakage current as well as mitigates polarization fluctuation driven transport, yields carrier mobilities upwards of 1 cm2/Vs in TIPS-pentacene and 0.5 cm2/Vs in diketopyrrolopyrrole based FETs under ambient conditions [2]. Other strategies for improving the performance of FETs involve dissolving the ferroelectric polymer in high dipole moment solvents and adding thin polymer buffer layers. The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles in non-ferroelectric dielectrics is yet another approach for enhancing the dielectric constant. Ferrite nanoparticles with biomimetic peptide nanostructures as gate dielectrics have ramifications in low-operating voltage organic FETs [3]. This work was supported by National Science Foundation under Grant No. ECCS-1707588 [1] Laudari et al. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 6, 1801787 (2019). [2] Laudari et al. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12, 26757 (2020). [3] Khanra et al. ACS Appl. Nano Mater 1, 1175 (2018).
Fields of Lymphatic Drainage

This section is an extension of chapter 17, which introduced you to the descriptive, functional, and clinical anatomy of the lymphatic system. We now continue that discussion by examining vessels and nodes engaged in the lymphatic drainage of the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis, and conclude with the general plan of lymphatics draining upper and lower limbs.
Bile Acid (BA), Lithocholic Acid (LCA), Reverses Chenodeoxycholate (CDCA)- and Cytokine-Induced Loss in Epithelial Barrier Function in Human Colon Carcinoma T84 Cells

Epithelial apoptosis and tight junction (TJ) changes contribute to intestinal barrier dysfunction in Crohn's disease and colitis. We have reported that in T84 monolayers, CDCA decreased transepithelial resistance (TER) and caused dose- and time-related cytotoxicity. CDCA increased cascade blue 10kDa dextran (CB10D) flux from apical to basal surfaces and this was enhanced by pro-inflammatory cytokines (PiC: TNFα+IL-1s+IFNγ; FASEB J:28, 1113.3, '14). In this study we examined if LCA, a dehydroxylated product of CDCA, had similar effects. Confluent T84 cells (TER >1000 Ω.cm2) were treated with 5-500µM LCA for 1 and 24 hr ± PiCs. Cell viability and apoptosis (Accuri flow cytometry), toxicity (lactate dehydrogenase), and paracellular permeability (TER and CB10D fluxes) were assessed. One hour or overnight (O/N) LCA (5 – 500μM) exposure neither affected cell viability nor apoptosis. LCA (1 Hr or O/N) did not increase LDH release and therefore was not cytotoxic. Time-dependent studies (0.5 – 18 Hr) show that LCA...
100 Gb/s optical word generation using a 1.5 um direct space-to-time pulse shaper

We demonstrate optical pulse sequence generation at rates of 100 Gb/s using a novel direct space-to-time pulse shaping technique. The pulse sequences are generated by parallel-to-serial conversion of the spatial profile of the short input pulse to the pulse shaper.
Pressure dependence of proton glass freezing in Rb 1 − x ( N H 4 ) x H 2 P O 4

Studies of the frequency-dependent dielectric properties of a ${\mathrm{Rb}}_{0.52}$${({\mathrm{ND}}_{4})}_{0.48}$${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$P${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ (72% deuterated) crystal have shown that the deuteron glass-freezing temperature ${T}_{g}$ is suppressed by hydrostatic pressure at a rate of -2.0 K/kbar. This is explained in terms of the influence of pressure on the hydrogen-bond potential. It is suggested that the glassy state should be completely suppressed (i.e., ${T}_{g}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ K) at a pressure of less than 10 kbar in undeuterated crystals of similar composition.
Today's clinical application of scanning laser technologies.

Scanning laser technology has been embraced primarily by clinical researchers. Their work has been critical to the development and clinical adoption of scanning laser methodology. The ultimate goal of all this work is to improve patient care, which will require widespread deployment of scanning lasers in eye clinics of all kinds. Although progress has been impressive, the rate of real integration of scanning laser methods into the clinical setting needs to be increased.
Big Bang Baryosynthesis

Grand Unified Theories predict the instability of the proton, and therefore the eventual demise of matter in an open universe; however, they may also explain the existence of matter in the first place. It has been suggested that B, C, and CP violating interactions allow an initially baryon symmetrical universe to evolve a baryon asymmetry which, after most of the baryons and essentially all the antibaryons annihilate, leaves only matter in the universe. Detailed calculations are discussed which show that the observed baryon-to-photon ratio of 10-9.4 ± 0.3 could have been produced by the actions of a superheavy gauge boson with mass ~3 × 1014 GeV if C and CP are violated in its decays by ~10-5.3, or by a superheavy Higgs boson with mass ≳ 3 × 10 GeV if C and CP are violated in its decays by ~10-8. The effects of many superheavy species on the evolution of the baryon asymmetry are also discussed. At present, progress in the understanding of the C and CP violations in the superheavy boson system is sorely needed.