cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The segregation of elements in high-refractory-content single-crystal nickel-based superalloys

Nickel-based superalloys are complex alloys that contain ten to 15 elements that are widely used in industries where high-temperature strength and corrosion resistance are required. Alloy additions commonly include Cr, Co, W, Ta, Al, Ti, Re, Mo, and, in some alloys, Ru. Each of these additions can affect the as-cast microstructure due to differences in elemental segregation. A better understanding of the effects of typical additions to nickel-based superalloys on the segregation of the elements in the alloy can help identify potential improvements in the processing of current alloys and the development of new alloys. Therefore, the effects of several common alloying additions on solidification segregation and defects were evaluated. In general, an increase in the degree of elemental segregation was observed with increases in each of the elements listed except cobalt and molybdenum. Increased levels of cobalt and molybdenum resulted in reductions in the segregation of most of the elements in the alloy.
Experimental verification of stability analysis of closed-loop signal shaping controllers

Input shaping is a vibration control technique that operates by filtering reference commands so that the modified (or shaped) command does not excite the system's natural frequencies. Usually, input shaping is implemented as a filtering operation outside of any feedback loops. However, this prevents input shaping from effecting some vital control issues including disturbance rejection, initial condition response, etc. Therefore, some research has studied the use of input shapers within feedback loops. The paper presents some investigations toward the fundamental understanding of how input shapers utilized within feedback loops affect closed-loop stability. Experimental results on a large bridge crane illustrate the key results
Increasing Rates of Vibriosis in the United States, 1996–2010: Review of Surveillance Data From 2 Systems

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitors vibriosis through 2 surveillance systems: the nationwide Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance (COVIS) system and the 10-state Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). COVIS conducts passive surveillance and FoodNet conducts active surveillance for laboratory-confirmed Vibrio infections. Methods We summarized Vibrio infections (excluding toxigenic V. cholerae O1 and O139) reported to COVIS and FoodNet from 1996 through 2010. For each system, we calculated incidence rates using US Census Bureau population estimates for the surveillance area. Results From 1996 to 2010, 7700 cases of vibriosis were reported to COVIS and 1519 to FoodNet. Annual incidence of reported vibriosis per 100,000 population increased from 1996 to 2010 in both systems, from 0.09 to 0.28 in COVIS and from 0.15 to 0.42 in FoodNet. The 3 commonly reported Vibrio species were V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, and V. alginolyticus; both surveillance systems showed that the incidence of each increased. In both systems, most hospitalizations and deaths were caused by V. vulnificus infection, and most patients were white men. The number of cases peaked in the summer months. Conclusions Surveillance data from both COVIS and FoodNet indicate that the incidence of vibriosis increased from 1996 to 2010 overall and for each of the 3 most commonly reported species. Epidemiologic patterns were similar in both systems. Current prevention efforts have failed to prevent increasing rates of vibriosis; more effective efforts will be needed to decrease rates.
Horizontal impedances for radially inhomogeneous viscoelastic soil layers

A study of the dynamic impedances of horizontally excited, radially inhomogeneous, infinite viscoelastic soil layers with a circular hole, and of piles embedded in a medium represented by such layers is made considering the shear modulus of the material to increase radially within a narrow annular boundary zone. Unlike a previous study in which the boundary zone was presumed to be massless, in the present study the inertia effects of this zone are taken into account. The impedances are evaluated over wide ranges of the parameters involved and the sensitivity of the results is assessed. The results are also compared with those obtained for similarly excited homogeneous layers and for vertically excited inhomogeneous layers. For purposes of analysis, the inhomogeneous boundary zone is represented by a series of concentric rings of constant properties, and the transfer matrix technique is used to evaluate the results. The analysis and the computer program used to implement it are applicable to layers of arbitrary radial variation of material properties.
Is Populism an Ideology? A Refutation and a New Perspective:

The dominant theoretical paradigm originating in the work of Cas Mudde conceives of populism as a thin-centered ideology that focuses on the antagonism between people and elites against the backdrop of popular sovereignty. While this framework has contributed significantly to an improved scientific analysis of populism, it is argued in this article that its ideological connotations are ill-conceived both conceptually and methodologically, and that its normative implications and failure to acknowledge the graded nature of populist behavior hinder the further evolution of the field of populism studies. Combining insights from the work of Ernesto Laclau and the proponents of frame theory, the article suggests dropping the ideological clause and simply conceiving populism as a discursive frame. The article contends that frame analysis reveals a strong fit between discursive elements and cognitive features of populism, furnishing solid methodological foundations to conduct empirical research and encouraging cooperation with neighboring fields of social science.
Theories of Practical Reason

Leading theories of practical reason can be grouped into one of four families: psychologism, realism, compatibilism, and Aristotelianism. Although there are many differences among the theories within each family, I ignore these in order to ask which family is most likely to deliver a satisfactory philosophical account of reasons for action. I articulate three requirements we should expect any adequate theory of practical reason to meet: it should account for (1) how reasons explain action, (2) how reasons justify action, and (3) how an agent can act for the reason that justifies her action. Only the Aristotelian theory, however, can meet all three requirements. It avoids the problems that plague the other theories by grounding reasons neither in psychological states nor in facts totally independent of the agent in question, but in the nature of the kind of creature the agent is. Our explanations of action need descend to the biographical only when explaining why a human being does not act in ways characteristic of her kind. The Aristotelian view of practical reason, then, appears to be the most promising program for future work.
Multi-vehicle dynamics and control for aerial recovery of micro air vehicles

This paper presents a method for recovering Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) in flight using a mothership and towed drogue. A method for modelling the dynamics of the mothership-cable-drogue system, based on Gauss's principle, is presented. The differential flatness property of the system is exploited to calculate mothership trajectories from desired drogue orbits, and a Lyapunov based controller is proposed that enables accurate mothership trajectory tracking. A drag-based controller for the drogue is also described. Methods to enable the MAV to estimate and track the drogue orbit are discussed. The modelling and control methods are illustrated through simulation and flight results.
PLANT DIVERSITY CONTRIBUTIONS OF RIPARIAN AREAS IN WATERSHEDS OF THE NORTHERN LAKE STATES, USA

In most forested watersheds, riparian areas constitute a small proportion of the total land area, yet their contributions to overall plant diversity can be significant. However, little information is available on which portion of riparian areas (defined as functional ecotones comprising all fluvial landforms, including floodplains, terraces, and connecting hillslopes) contribute the most to plant species richness and at what scale these contributions are most evident. In order to better understand the contributions riparian areas provide to plant species richness in forested watersheds, we examined herbaceous ground-flora richness and similarity from 56 reaches in eight different valley types (defined as unique combinations of stream order, surficial geology, and stream-valley constraint) across the northern Lake States, USA. We analyzed these data at two scales: (1) at the individual reach scale; and (2) at the watershed scale by pooling individual reaches by valley type. At the reach scale and regardless of valley type, there is not significant (
SQUAMOUS CARCINOMA OF THE STOMACH AFTER LUETIC LINITIS PLASTICA

This report illustrates many of the long term complicatio of syphilis involving the stomach. A 49-year-old woman with diffuse squamous metaplasia of the gastric mucosa developed invasive pure squamous cell carcinoma. The literature is reviewed and the probable pathophysiology is discussed.
Signed distance fields for polygon soup meshes

Many meshes in computer animation practice are meant to approximate solid objects, but the provided triangular geometry is often unoriented, non-manifold or contains self-intersections, causing inside/outside of objects to be mathematically ill-defined. We describe a robust and efficient automatic approach to define and compute a signed distance field for arbitrary triangular geometry. Starting with arbitrary (non-manifold) triangular geometry, we first define and extract an offset manifold surface using an unsigned distance field. We then automatically remove any interior surface components. Finally, we exploit the manifoldness of the offset surface to quickly detect interior distance field grid points. We prove that exterior grid points can reuse a shifted original unsigned distance field, whereas for interior cells, we compute the signed field from the offset surface geometry. We demonstrate improved performance both using exact distance fields computed using an octree, and approximate distance fields computed using fast marching. We analyze the time and memory costs for complex meshes that include self-intersections and non-manifold geometry. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm by using the signed distance field for collision detection and generation of tetrahedral meshes for physically based simulation.
The Influence of the Path of Corner Gussets Weld Seam over the Stress Concentration Factors of the Tubular T Joints

The joints of the tubular welded structures are stiffened with gussets in order to decrease the stress concentration factors and to increase the rigidity. The experience from field concluded that the tangent placed gussets bring the biggest improvement to the fatigue and dynamic behaviour as well as the weight saving of joints. The path of the weld seam influences the stress distribution in the joint members, gusset and in the weld itself. The paper proposes different types of weld ending path to investigate the changes in the stress distribution in all components of the joint. Using the FE analysis, the stress concentration factors were determined in three load cases. Both the numerical and preliminary experimental results indicated different joint behaviours according to the loading type. An assessment of the proposed weld paths was done, together with FE model approach and design recommendations.
A Fatigue Life Prediction Method for Tensile-Shear Spot Welds

Modele empirique en 3 etapes d'amorcage et propagation des fissures de fatigue sous charge d'amplitude constante. 1ere etape: amorcage et croissance initiale des fissures. 2eme etape: propagation de la fissure a travers l'epaisseur de la tole. 3eme etape: propagation a travers le noyau de soudure. Ce modele montre que, en plus de la geometrie de la soudure, les contraintes residuelles dans le site d'amorcage influent considerablement sur la resistance a la fatigue
Absence of cytotoxicity towards microglia of iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanorhombohedra

Understanding the nature of interactions between nanomaterials, such as commercially ubiquitous hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanorhombohedra (N-Rhomb) and biological systems is of critical importance for gaining insight into the practical applicability of nanomaterials. Microglia represent the first line of defense in the central nervous system (CNS) during severe injury or disease such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease as illustrative examples. Hence, to analyze the potential cytotoxic effect of N-Rhomb exposure in the presence of microglia, we have synthesized Rhodamine B (RhB)-labeled α-Fe2O3 N-Rhomb, with lengths of 47 ± 10 nm and widths of 35 ± 8 nm. Internalization of RhB-labeled α-Fe2O3 N-Rhomb by microglia in the mouse brain was observed, and a dose-dependent increase in the cellular iron content as probed by cellular fluorescence was detected in cultured microglia after nanoparticle exposure. The cells maintained clear functional viability, exhibiting little to no cytotoxic effects after 24 and 48 hours at acceptable, physiological concentrations. Importantly, the nanoparticle exposure did not induce microglial cells to produce either tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) or interleukin 1-beta (IL1β), two pro-inflammatory cytokines, nor did exposure stimulate the production of nitrites and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are common indicators for the onset of inflammation. Finally, we propose that under the conditions of our experiments, i.e. in the presence of RhB labeled-α-Fe2O3 N-Rhomb maintaining concentrations of up to 100 μg mL−1 after 48 hours of incubation, the in vitro and in vivo internalization of RhB-labeled α-Fe2O3 N-Rhomb are likely to be clathrin-dependent, which represents a conventional mechanistic uptake route for most cells. Given the crucial role that microglia play in many neurological disorders, understanding the potential cytotoxic effects of these nanostructures is of fundamental importance if they are to be used in a therapeutic setting.
The Expression and Significance of Caspase-3,8,9 Related to Apoptosis in Neuroblastoma

Objective: To explore the expression and clinical significance of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 in neuroblastoma. Methods: Fifty-six patients with paraffin embedded specimens were collected from Tianjin Children's Hospital which included 25 cases of neuroblastoma (NB), 10 cases of paraganglioma (GN), and 10 cases of ganglio-neuroblastoma (GNB), at same time, we also collected 11 cases of normal adrenal tissues served as control. Immunohistochemistory S-P method was adopted for detection of expression of Caspase-3, 8, 9 in each group. Results: The expression of Caspase-3 in NB was higher than those in GN and normal adrenal tissue (P 0.05), the expression of Caspase-8 in GN and normal adrenal tissue were higher than those in GNB and NB (P 0.01), and the expression of Capase-9 in GN was higher than that in NB (P 0.05). The expression of Caspase-3,8 was related to clinical stage in NB, the stage(Ⅰ+Ⅱ+Ⅳs) was higher than stage(Ⅲ+Ⅳ). The positive relationship was noted between the expression of caspase-8 and caspase-9 in NB (rs =0.528, P= 0.007). Conclusion: Expression of Caspase-3, 8, 9 can be related to the clinical stage of NB. It plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis in NB, and can be used as markers to evaluate the prognosis and indicate the clinical chemotherapy in NB.
Law Enforcement Fusion Centers: Cultivating an Information Sharing Environment while Safeguarding Privacy

The national network of fusion centers, of which there are currently 78 nationwide, was created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and continue to play an integral role in contemporary law enforcement. Their mission, put simply, is to facilitate information sharing across disparate agencies and organizations. Despite a significant presence within the law enforcement landscape, fusion centers have received relatively minimal scholarly attention. This limited literature alludes to operational challenges and public concerns that inhibit fusion center effectiveness. More specifically, little information is known about how fusion centers develop relationships with external partners as well as institute mechanisms to safeguard against violations of individual privacy. The present research employs a combination of national survey data and three in-depth case studies of fusion centers in Florida, Nevada, and Michigan to provide initial answers to these questions. Implications for improved policy and practice are discussed.
Autonomic nervous system pulmonary vasoregulation after hypoperfusion in conscious dogs

We investigated the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the pulmonary vascular response to increasing cardiac index after a period of hypoperfusion (defined as reperfusion) in conscious dogs. Base-line and reperfusion pulmonary vascular pressure-cardiac index (P/Q) plots were generated by stepwise constriction and release, respectively, of an inferior vena caval occluder to vary Q. Surprisingly, after 10-15 min of hypoperfusion (Q decreased from 139 +/- 9 to 46 +/- 3 ml.min-1.kg-1), the pulmonary vascular pressure gradient (pulmonary arterial pressure-pulmonary capillary wedge pressure) was unchanged over a broad range of Q during reperfusion compared with base line when the ANS was intact. In contrast, pulmonary vasoconstriction was observed during reperfusion after combined sympathetic beta-adrenergic and cholinergic receptor block, after beta-block alone, but not after cholinergic block alone. The pulmonary vasoconstriction during reperfusion was entirely abolished by combined sympathetic alpha- and beta-block. Although sympathetic alpha-block alone caused pulmonary vasodilation compared with the intact, base-line P/Q relationship, no further vasodilation was observed during reperfusion. Thus the ANS actively regulates the pulmonary circulation during reperfusion in conscious dogs. With the ANS intact, sympathetic beta-adrenergic vasodilation offsets alpha-adrenergic vasoconstriction and prevents pulmonary vasoconstriction during reperfusion.
Self-protection from stress. Its meaning for medical groups.

Seth Allcorn, Ph.D., M.B.A., associate dean for fiscal affairs at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, writes how self-protection can initially reduce stress in the individual but is detrimental to the group. He investigates self-protective behavior from a psychological view and offers his analysis on the nature of self-protection, its impact on others and how to minimize the effects.
Probability Plots: Introduction and Examples

Probability plots are most often used to assess the shape of a distribution of data. Probability–probability plots display the cumulative percentage of the distribution against the cumulative percentages of a reference distribution (often the normal distribution). Quantile–quantile plots display the obtained and expected quantiles of the distribution. Keywords: P–P plot; Q–Q plot; distribution functions
Heart Failure's Dark Secret: Does Anyone Really Care About Optimal Medical Therapy?

Today, most heart failure physicians focus on devices and transplantation; hospital-based management teams devoted only to achieving optimal medical therapy are scarce. The financial demands on heart failure specialists are enormous. A viable business plan can no longer be based on the misguided hope that payers will reimburse generously for prescriptions of digitalis and diuretics; in contrast, cardiac procedures generate meaningful revenues. A growing advocacy now encourages the use of ventricular assist devices in ambulatory patients on the basis of the dual misconceptions that the hazards are readily managed and that the clinical responses to medical therapy are poor. The biases in favor of performing procedures are so great that a National Institutes of Health–sponsored randomized trial comparing left ventricular assistance and optimal medical therapy in ambulatory patients was closed because of slow recruitment. In its place, a nonrandomized study of 200 patients (ROADMAP [Risk Assessment and Comparative Effectiveness of Left Ventricular Assist Device and Medical Management]) was carried out and reported major advantages in patients who chose to receive a left ventricular assist device compared with those who chose to receive optimal medical management.1 The numerous limitations of the study are beyond the scope of this article, but it is intriguing that the authors failed to identify optimal medical therapy. Patients not electing a device were prescribed guideline-based …
An instructor dashboard for real-time analytics in interactive programming assignments

Many introductory programming environments generate a large amount of log data, but making insights from these data accessible to instructors remains a challenge. This research demonstrates that student outcomes can be accurately predicted from student program states at various time points throughout the course, and integrates the resulting predictive models into an instructor dashboard. The effectiveness of the dashboard is evaluated by measuring how well the dashboard analytics correctly suggest that the instructor help students classified as most in need. Finally, we describe a method of matching low-performing students with high-performing peer tutors, and show that the inclusion of peer tutors not only increases the amount of help given, but the consistency of help availability as well.
Monitoring proteolytic processing events by quantitative mass spectrometry.

Introduction: Protease activity plays a key role in a wide variety of biological processes including gene expression, protein turnover and development. misregulation of these proteins has been asso...
Elastic Scattering of He 3 at 20 MeV

Absolute differential elastic scattering cross sections were measured for the scattering of 20-MeV ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ particles from V, Ni, Cu, Rh, ${\mathrm{Sn}}^{118}$, Sm, Yb, and Pb. Where practical the measurements were made at laboratory angles extending from 20 to 170 deg. The diffraction-like oscillations exhibited by the elastic-to-Coulomb cross-section ratios are not highly pronounced. A preliminary optical-model analysis was carried out using the hunter automatic search code of Drisko and Bassel. A Woods-Saxon potential with Thomas-type spin-orbit coupling was considered. Reasonable fits to the data were obtained.
Probing Dynamic Heterogeneity in Aggregated Ion Channels in Live Cells

N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is a crucial ion channel requiring the concurrent binding of both agonists glycine and glutamate along with the membrane depolarization for its opening and mediates calcium influx, which triggers the signal transduction important for synaptic transmission and plasticity. The efficiency and regulations of such cellular physiological processes are crucially relying on inherent molecular spatial organization and interactions of these channels with ligands as well as trafficking in the confined local environment. To decipher their organization, we have combined two imaging microscopic approaches, photobleaching step counting and single particle tracking analysis, that allow detection of unique organized patterns of NMDA receptor ion channel in the cell membrane. A broad range of photobleaching steps is observed ranging from 1 to 16. Single particle tracking analysis is performed to see the surface mobility of NMDA receptors and measured diffusion coefficient for all the tr...
Image-guided Biopsy of Mesenteric, Omental, and Peritoneal Disease

The peritoneum, omenta, and mesenteries can be affected by a myriad of disease processes, but many common pathologies cannot be definitively distinguished based on clinical history and imaging characteristics alone. Percutaneous image-guided biopsy is a safe, well-tolerated procedure with high diagnostic accuracy, which has supplanted more invasive means of obtaining tissue and is increasingly essential in directing patient care. An understanding of the indications, pre-procedural evaluation, technical considerations, and potential complications is essential for the radiologist who performs these procedures, and more broadly for any clinician who may request them.
The Effects of Pre-Exercise Conditions on Heart Rate and Oxygen Uptake during Exercise and Recovery

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of four pre-exercise conditions—cold shower, hot shower, exercise warm-up, and rest—on heart rate and oxygen uptake. Five subjects rode a bicycle ergometer at 1080 kgm/min. for 5 min. Heart rate and O2 uptake during exercise and recovery were measured. Exercise heart rate and recovery oxygen uptake were found to be significantly lower after a cold shower than after the other conditions. There was a significant interaction between subjects and pre-exercise conditions on recovery heart rate.
The Lomonosov Theorem

Compact operators (on a complex Banach space of dimension greater than 1) have a nontrivial invariant subspace; a nontrivial hyperinvariant subspace, actually, if it is nonscalar. The definitive result in this line is due to Lomonosov [40]: An operator has a nontrivial invariant subspace if it commutes with a nonscalar operator that commutes with a nonzero compact operator. In fact, every nonscalar operator that commutes with a nonscalar compact operator (itself, in particular) has a nontrivial hyperinvariant subspace. Recall that on an infinite-dimensional formed space the only scalar compact operator is the null operator; on a finite-dimensional formed space every operator is compact.
Experimental Test of a Scaling Law in Low-Temperature, Fast-Neutron-Irradiated Nb 3 Sn and V 3 Ga Superconductors

The large critical current in type-II superconductors is due to the pinning of the flux line lattice (FLL) by the crystal lattice defects. The interaction between crystal lattice defects and the FLL has been directly demonstrated by decorating the FLL in a thin-foil superconductor with ferromagnetic particles and then observing the FLL arrangement together with the lattice defects in the foil with transmission electron microscopy [1]. When a transport current is passed through the superconductor, the FLL experiences a body force F = B × J, where B is the externally applied magnetic induction and J is the current density. Under the influence of this force, the FLL would move, and a voltage would be generated if it were not for the pinning effect of the crystal lattice defects. Measurements of the critical current density then provide information on the maximum pinning-force density.
Secrets in the bedroom: Adolescents' private use of media

This essay discusses the functions of solitary media use within the ongoing daily emotional lives of adolescents. I review evidence suggesting that adolescents find in solitary TV watching and especially music listening, the opportunity, first, to cultivate a newly discovered private self: teens use media to explore numerous possible selves including those that are desired and feared. Second, I propose that solitary media experiences provide adolescents an important context for dealing with stress and negative emotion. Popular music listening allows adolescents to internalize strong emotional images around which a temporary sense of self can cohere.
Object focused q-learning for autonomous agents

We present Object Focused Q-learning (OF-Q), a novel reinforcement learning algorithm that can offer exponential speed-ups over classic Q-learning on domains composed of independent objects. An OF-Q agent treats the state space as a collection of objects organized into different object classes. Our key contribution is a control policy that uses non-optimal Q-functions to estimate the risk of ignoring parts of the state space. We compare our algorithm to traditional Q-learning and previous arbitration algorithms in two domains, including a version of Space Invaders.
Steroid-responsive Encephalopathy Associated with Autoimmune Thyroiditis: A Case Report (P1.154)

Objective: NA Background: Steroid-responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT) is a rare condition, with less than 300 cases reported in the literature. Design/Methods: We present a case of a patient with weakness, encephalopathy, seizures, hyperthermia and elevated anti-thyroperoxidase (anti-TPO) antibody which was successfully treated with steroids. Results: A 55-year-old male was admitted to an outside hospital with headache and possible focal seizure. Subsequently, he developed progressive worsening of mental status, transient episodes of shifting hemiparesis and fevers. Plain CT brain and MRI brain with and without contrast were unremarkable. Upon arrival to our hospital, the patient was febrile and somnolent with nuchal rigidity, right gaze deviation, and mild right-sided spasticity with normal strength and left-sided flaccid hemiparesis. Mild resting tremor was present on the right hand as well as generalized hyporeflexia. Lumbar puncture revealed increased WBC (1200) with neutrophilic predominance (81%), increased protein (133 mg/dl) and normal glucose. Patient was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics and antivirals for suspicion of meningoencephalitis, however CSF cultures were negative and patient did not have significant improvement with antimicrobial therapy. Further infectious work-up, autoimmune panels, and paraneoplastic studies were negative except for elevated anti-TPO antibody levels (864 iu/ml). A diagnosis of SREAT was suspected and IV methylprednisolone was given for 5 days, followed by oral prednisone taper, with improvement of neurological exam. Upon discharge, the patient’s mental status was at baseline with only mild residual left hemiparesis on exam. Three weeks later, level of anti-TPO antibody was 566 iu/ml. Conclusions: Our case provides a classic description of a rare and underdiagnosed encephalitis. The clinical presentation of encephalopathy in the setting of anti-thyroid antibodies and improvement with immunosuppressive therapy are to date the accepted criteria necessary to diagnose SREAT. Obtaining an early diagnosis is of paramount importance, as most of its features may be reversible with immunosuppressive therapy. Disclosure: Dr. De Leon Benedetti has nothing to disclose. Dr. Di Luca has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mannava has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kottapally has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tornes has nothing to disclose.
Femtosecond Laser Ablation of Implantable Materials

Femtosecond laser ablation is a powerful tool for the fabrication of medical devices, especially with materials commonly used in implantable micro devices as these materials are often incompatible with traditional machining techniques. Laser machining quality is highly dependent not only on the laser parameters, but also on the material that is being machined and so the process must be characterized for each material of interest. In this work, process characterization is presented for two materials commonly used in implantable micro devices — polyimide and silicon. The ablation threshold and etch rate were determined for femtosecond laser machining with a UV wavelength.Copyright © 2019 by ASME
Characterization of plexinA and two distinct semaphorin1a transcripts in the developing and adult cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Guidance cues act during development to guide growth cones to their proper targets in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Experiments in many species indicate that guidance molecules also play important roles after development, though less is understood about their functions in the adult. The Semaphorin family of guidance cues, signaling through Plexin receptors, influences the development of both axons and dendrites in invertebrates. Semaphorin functions have been extensively explored in Drosophila melanogaster and some other Dipteran species, but little is known about their function in hemimetabolous insects. Here, we characterize sema1a and plexA in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. In fact, we found two distinct predicted Sema1a proteins in this species, Sema1a.1 and Sema1a.2, which shared only 48% identity at the amino acid level. We include a phylogenetic analysis that predicted that many other insect species, both holometabolous and hemimetabolous, express two Sema1a proteins as well. Finally, we used in situ hybridization to show that sema1a.1 and sema1a.2 expression patterns were spatially distinct in the embryo, and both roughly overlap with plexA. All three transcripts were also expressed in the adult brain, mainly in the mushroom bodies, though sema1a.2 was expressed most robustly. sema1a.2 was also expressed strongly in the adult thoracic ganglia while sema1a.1 was only weakly expressed and plexA was undetectable.
Measurement Challenges in Dynamic and Nonequilibrium Nanoscale Systems.

Biological systems exhibit strikingly sophisticated properties, including adaptability, directed motion, regulation, and self-organization. Such systems are often described as being “nonequilibrium...
The culture problem: How the honor/shame issue got the wrong end of the anthropological stick:

The honor/shame issue is an important topic in mission, as portrayed in Georges’s The 3D Gospel for example. Proponents of the shame–guilt distinction draw on the popular culture concept of the ear...
From Passport to Pennies: Theorizing the Effects of Dual Citizenship on Migrant Remittances

Migrant remittances are critical elements of the economic development agenda in many parts of the world. Extending dual citizenship to emigrants has been suggested as government policy to encourage and stabilize migrants’ financial transfers. This essay theorizes the causal relationship between passports and pennies, or between citizenship policies and transnational economic activities, such as remittances. It reads the conceptualizations from a grounded theory study on the effects of status passages related to citizenship, as well as findings from economic sociology into the micro-economic literature on the determinants of remittances. Based on a study of India’s diasporic membership status, the Overseas Citizenship of India, the essay shows that four principal effects—the rights, identity, naturalization and good-will effect—affect various populations differently. The conceptualizations serve to generate empirically grounded hypotheses about the relationship between economic transfers and citizenship status, as well as to understand the underlying (and sometimes competing) mechanisms.
Vaccination Rates and Family Barriers Among Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background Many children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are taking immunosuppressant medications that place them at risk for vaccine preventable diseases. Despite national guidelines, children with IBD have low vaccination rates. Adult data suggest that there is concern about the safety of vaccines. There are no current studies addressing perceived safety about vaccinations among families of children with IBD. Methods A total of 108 caregivers of children (ages 10-25 years) were surveyed during their outpatient visit, with approximately half having a diagnosis of IBD. The survey consisted of validated questions regarding vaccine safety and opinions. After enrollment, state-wide vaccine registry data was collected. Demographics between the two groups were compared using Ch-square and the Wilcoxon rank-sum tests to analyze Likert scale questions. Results The majority of children followed for IBD were Caucasian males, had Crohn's disease (68%) and were immunosuppressed. Results from the survey revealed a concern about vaccine safety (40% vs. 16%, p=0.03) and overall effectiveness (34% vs. 12%, p<0.01) in the IBD group compared to the non-IBD. Furthermore, more IBD families were worried that vaccines would worsen their child's symptoms (36% vs. 10%, p=<0.01). The majority of children were missing the flu and/or HPV vaccine. Finally, 96% of the children on a biologic for their IBD were missing the PPSV23 booster. Conclusions Caregivers of children with IBD are more concerned about vaccine safety and effectiveness than those with non-IBD diagnosis. Despite being on immunosuppressant medications, many patients were missing recommended vaccines.
Decreased HLA-C1 alleles in couples of KIR2DL2 positive women with recurrent pregnancy loss.

Abstract Specific killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and HLA ligands in couples invoke a susceptibility to RPL. However, the relationship between KIR2DL2 and its cognate ligand HLA-C1 has not been explored. In this prospective cohort study, 160 Caucasian women with RPL and 99 partners were included. KIR/HLA-C typing, NK assay, Th1/Th2 intracellular cytokine ratios, 25-(OH)-vitamin D level, and the presence of autoantibodies were analyzed. KIR2DL2 positive women (P = 0.023) and their partners (P = 0.017) had lower allele frequencies of HLA-C1 than those of KIR2DL2 negative women. KIR2DL2 positive women had significantly lower genotype frequency of HLA-C1C1 as compared to the North American Caucasian population controls (P
Integration of Time-Lapse Seismic and Production Data: Analysis of Spatial Resolution

An analysis of spatial resolution is incorporated into an efficient model calibration approach with multi-scale data integration to examine the reliability of the estimated solution. The resolution is a measure of the degree of averaging of the local-scale (grid block) permeabilities during parameter estimation via inverse modeling. For a given set of data, it indicates the regions where our estimate is well constrained. By examining the spatial resolution in time-lapse seismic data integration, we can quantitatively evaluate the relative contribution of pressure and saturation changes on the calibrated permeability field. We illustrate this concept using synthetic and field applications. The synthetic example is a 5 spot pattern, where the time-lapse seismic data are incorporated as inferred pressure and saturation changes. The field example involves waterflooding of a North Sea reservoir with multiple seismic surveys. The results demonstrate that the analysis of spatial resolution provides quantitative information on our ability to estimate the subsurface heterogeneity. It is found that integration of seismic data based on inferred pressure changes better determine the barriers to the flow (e.g., low permeability areas), while calibrating the model based on saturation changes provides complementary information to identify the channels (e.g., high permeability regions).
Arthroscopic Lysis of Adhesions With Manipulation for Management of Late-Presenting Stiffness After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Arthrofibrosis is a known complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Closed manipulation is the treatment of choice for arthrofibrosis within 90 days of TKA. Treatment for arthrofibrosis that has failed prior interventions remains controversial, and the role for arthroscopic lysis of adhesions has not been examined for late-presenting arthrofibrosis. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent arthroscopic lysis of adhesions (LOAs) with manipulation for post-TKA arthrofibrosis was performed. Chart review included patient characteristics, time from TKA, prior interventions, and range of motion (ROM) data. Knee extension, flexion, and total ROM were recorded preoperatively, intraoperatively, and throughout follow-up. Knee ROM was compared at the different time intervals using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results A total of 13 patients (6 male and 7 female) with a mean age of 66.3 years were included. Average time since index TKA was 57.2 months (3.7-209.5). Ten of 13 patients had undergone prior interventions for arthrofibrosis, which included closed manipulation under anesthesia, open LOA, and revision arthroplasty. The mean preoperative knee flexion and extension values for the cohort were 76.5 ± 17.4 and −4.6 ± 6.1 degrees, respectively. Postoperative improvements in knee ROM were significant at all time points, with mean improvements of 17.2 ± 16.3 degrees at 1 week (P = .022), 17.2 ± 13.2 degrees at 4 weeks (P = .001), 19.2 ± 16.0 degrees at 8 weeks (P = .004), and 25.2 ± 13.1 degrees at 12 weeks (P = .005). No complications were recorded. Conclusions Arthroscopic LOAs with manipulation achieves significant improvements in knee ROM for late-presenting arthrofibrosis after TKA.
Forget the phosphorus: A case of hypervitaminosis D-induced symptomatic hypercalcemia

Hypercalcemia is a frequently encountered electrolyte abnormality with a well-described differential diagnosis and classic algorithm for evaluation. The treatment for hypercalcemia is dependent on the underlying etiology. Hypervitaminosis D is an uncommon cause of hypercalcemia, but the use of vitamin D supplementation has expanded and case reports of supplemental vitamin D induced hypercalcemia have become more frequent. We present a case of hypervitaminosis D-induced altered mental status where diagnosis was delayed and additional invasive testing was performed due to an assumption regarding phosphatemia.
Tobin’s Q, non-constant returns to scale, and imperfectly competitive product markets

This study explores the impact of non-constant returns to scale and imperfectly competitive product markets on the empirical performance of the q-model of investment. We present an econometric specification linking the unobserved shadow price of capital to financial market data when returns-to-scale are not necessarily constant and product markets are not necessarily competitive. Furthermore, unlike most Q-studies, we work within a discrete-time framework, and give explicit attention to the relations between inventories, sales, and production. Our new specification allows us to recover parameters characterizing returns-to-scale, product market, and adjustment cost elasticities. Estimates are reported for 12 mature industries in the United States drawn from VALUELINE.
The Journey Continues

We have traveled together on the terrain of social systems design, and our journey has been long. As your guide, I introduced to you what I have learned from exploring the work of others, what I have learned from the many design conversations I have had over the years, what I have learned from my students, and what I have learned from my own design experiences. You have done a great deal of work as you have tried to make sense from the material, reflected on it, constructed your own meaning from it, defined core ideas of design, and formulated perspectives that helped you to organize your thinking and prepared you for design actions as you applied what you have learned in the functional context of systems of your interest.
A Bad Man's Guide to Private Equity and Pensions

Modern corporate bankruptcy law has been shaped, and some of it written, by special interests. Even so, the law is rooted in American ideals of renewal, and of viewing failure in the marketplace as a sign of effort and gumption, not moral collapse. It’s a powerful idea - shedding the past to begin anew. But for decades, Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code has also been used strategically - to destroy union contracts, edge out competitors, and limit product liability lawsuits.More recently, some private equity firms have honed Chapter 11 as an efficient financial engineering tool for insider sales - and for dumping pensions. Based on partial data from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., at least 51 companies have abandoned pension plans in bankruptcy at the behest of private equity firms since 2001. They’ve dumped $1.592 billion in pension bills onto a government-backed agency that insures private defined benefit plans. Because pension insurance doesn’t cover all benefits, their actions have left some of the nearly 102,000 workers or retirees with lost benefits amounting to at least $128 million. And they've contributed to the chronic deficits at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.Other types of businesses, including publicly held companies, have also abandoned pension plans in bankruptcy. But the business model and practices of some private equity firms can make pension-dumping in bankruptcy especially attractive.The legal and regulatory environments in the U.S. combine with those practices to add up to a form of institutional corruption. In this working paper, I explain how Oliver Wendell Holmes’ hypothetical “bad man” can use bankruptcy as a strategy to profit. So, here is a bad man’s guide to ditching pensions in bankruptcy - legally.
SemView: a semantic-sensitive distributed image retrieval system

State-of-the-art image retrieval techniques have been developed to support high-level (semantics) querying and browsing of images. For certain user queries, it is also very important to know about the information about the remote image databases on the Internet so that the queries can be guided toward the most relevant databases. In this paper, we introduce a novel system, Sem View, which supports both visual and semantic queries and intelligently ranks the distributed image databases for the queries. Our system summarizes the visual and semantic contents of each database in a metadatabase, which is a collection of automatically generated visual, semantic and statistical metadata. With the metadatabase, our system can effectively guide the user queries toward the most relevant image databases in a distributed environment for better retrieval performance.
LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS ON THE LOW PATHOGENIC POTENTIAL OF PLESIOMONAS SHIGELLOIDES

The pathogenic properties of 16 Plesiomonas shigelloides strains recovered from humans with extraintestinal and intestinal illnesses, infected animals, and environmental sources were investigated. Most strains possessed a high cell charge and low surface hydrophobicity analogous to those of Shigella spp.; additionally, serogroup O:17 strains reacted with Shigella group D antisera. However, unlike the shigellae, P. shigelloides strains did not universally bind Congo red, were noninvasive in HEp-2 cell assays, and did not produce a Shiga-like toxin on Vero cells. On HEp-2, Y1, and possibly Vero cells, a low-level cytolysin was consistently produced by all 16 P. shigelloides strains when grown in either Evan Casamino Acids-yeast extract or Penassay broth. The median 50% lethal dose for all 16 P. shigelloides strains in outbred Swiss Webster mice was 3.5 x 10(8) CFU (range, 3.2 x 10(7) to greater than 1 x 10(9) CFU). Animal pathogenicity did not correlate with cytolysin expression, possession of a greater than or equal to 120-MDa plasmid, protein profile, or resistance to complement-mediated lysis. No strain analyzed produced siderophores or a heat-stable enterotoxin. The results suggest that members of the genus Plesiomonas have an overall low pathogenic potential, irrespective of the site of isolation or phenotypic, serologic, or surface properties shared with other traditional enteropathogens. Images
Java: An Eventful Approach

As many have learned over the past several years, teaching a CS1 course in Java requires an entirely new approach. Because it is an object-oriented language, it is difficult to teach in the style used for imperative languages like Pascal, C, and even C++. Many have proposed teaching Java in an objects-first way, but others have complained that too many concepts must be introduced before students can understand the construction of classes and objects. The objective of this workshop is to introduce an approach to teaching Java that we have developed at Williams College that overcomes these problems. Our approach is supported by materials developed with NSF funding. These include extensive course notes, laboratory exercises, the Objectdraw library, and a textbook to be published in 2004.