cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retirement Replacement Rates and RetirementWealth Inequality Among Baby Boomer and OtherBirth Cohorts

The retirement readiness of baby boomers has been a topic of considerable but inconclusive research. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the authors evaluate the relative retirement readiness of five discrete birth cohorts: Depression babies (born 1926–1935); World War II babies (born 1936–1945); two halves of the baby boom generation (older, born 1946–1955, and younger, born 1956–1965); and Gen-Xers (born 1966–1975). They construct a comprehensive measure of retirement wealth that combines both accumulated private net worth and the annuity values of Social Security and defined-benefit pensions at age 65. The authors then calculate replacement rates as the ratio of annuitized wealth at age 65 to average preretirement income. They find that median replacement rates decline steadily over the four birth cohorts from World War II babies to Gen-Xers and that younger generations appear to be considerably less well situated for retirement than baby boomers and earlier cohorts. By comparing ratios of replacement rates at the 99th and 50th percentile, the authors determine that retirement wealth inequality in the top half of the wealth distribution increases steadily across the five birth cohorts, reaching a peak among Gen-Xers.
Prairie strips as a mechanism to promote land sharing by birds in industrial agricultural landscapes

Abstract Reserving large patches of perennial vegetation has been shown to facilitate biodiversity conservation in industrial agricultural landscapes, but high demand for agricultural products challenges their establishment. Responding to this situation, in 2007, we experimentally integrated diverse native perennial vegetation (i.e., prairie) within annual row crops as a part of the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) project in Iowa, USA. Four treatments were applied to small (0.47–3.19 ha) watersheds and included: 100% row crops (0% prairie) farmed on a soybean ( Glycine max )—maize ( Zea mays ) rotation, and three treatments with prairie strips comprising 10% or 20% of the watershed area with the remaining area in row crops. This study evaluated bird response to these treatments between 2007 and 2012. We observed a total of 52 species using the experimental sites across six years of study, with 16 species comprising 99% of the observations. Bird abundance, species richness, and diversity positively responded to prairie within row-crop fields: we specifically recorded 1.53–2.88 times more birds, 1.53–2.13 times more bird species, and 1.40-1.98 times greater diversity in treatments with prairie compared to the 0% prairie control. Several generalist species – Eastern kingbird ( Tyrannus tyrannus ), American robin ( Turdus migratorius ), and common yellowthroat ( Geothlypis trichas ) – were statistically more abundant in treatments with prairie, and song sparrow ( Melospiza melodia ) were more abundant in one specific prairie treatment, whereas no species was statistically more abundant in the 0% prairie control. We found few differences between 10% and 20% prairie treatments, but recorded increases in bird abundance, richness, and diversity from 2007 to post-establishment years. This experiment suggests that incorporating prairie strips into annual row crops has the potential to increase agricultural land sharing by birds.
The French Enlightenment and the Emergence of Modern Cynicism: Disenchanted Democracy and the Ineradicability of Cynicism

Contemporary commentary on democracy, both inside and outside the academy, frequently warns against the corrosive impact of cynicism. Cynicism is depicted as a growing plague, threatening the health and proper functioning of democratic institutions and civic relations. Contrary to such alarmist rhetoric, this paper suggests that cynicism is likely a constitutive and ineradicable element of democracy. Through an examination of eighteenth-century theories of sociability, often construed as proto-democratic theories, I demonstrate that hypocrisy, deceit, and manipulation are built into the very structure of human social relations, thus providing a foundation for inevitable cynicism. Rather than attempt to eradicate cynicism from contemporary democracies, then, a more effective engagement with cynicism will require citizens to manage it and mobilize it in democratically hospitable ways.
Regulating Emotions during Difficult Multiattribute Decision Making: The Role of Pre-Decisional Coherence Shifting

Almost all real-life decisions entail attribute conflict; every serious choice alternative is better than its competitors on some attribute dimensions but worse on others. In pre-decisional “coherence shifting,” the decision maker gradually softens that conflict psychologically to the point where one alternative is seen as dominant over its competitors, or nearly so. Specifically, weaknesses of the eventually chosen alternative come to be perceived as less severe and less important while its strengths seem more desirable and significant. The research described here demonstrates that difficult multiattribute decision problems are aversive and that pre-decisional coherence shifting aids individuals in regulating that emotional discomfort. Across three studies, attribute conflict was confirmed to be aversive (Study 1), and skin conductance responses and ratings of decision difficulty both decreased in participants who coherence shifted (Study 2). Coherence shifting was also diminished among decision makers who were depleted of regulatory resources, known to be required for common emotion regulation mechanisms. Further, coherence shifting was shown to be relatively common among people who reported strong suppression tendencies in everyday emotion regulation (Study 3). Overall, the data suggest that, at least in part, coherence shifting serves as a tool that helps decision makers manage the pre-decisional discomfort generated by attribute conflict. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
We Will Rock You: Music Branding in Sports

An essay on how the use of music at sporting events not only inspires fans and motivates athletes, but sonic branding represents a way to create an emotional connection with the audience through the use of music. This essay, and accompanying audio documentary, explores how the branding of sports music has become big business.
Bone-marrow mimicking biomaterial niches for studying hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

The bone marrow (BM) niche of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is critical for maintaining homeostasis of the hematopoietic system in vivo. It also plays a critical role in many diseases, from cancer metastases to immune dysfunctions. While this microenvironment is well studied, we still do not have a full understanding of bone marrow functions and the HSPC niche. Reconstructing the bone marrow microenvironment in vitro using biomaterials has the potential to further our understanding of the complex HSPC niche, provide new insights on how various cells function within these niches, how complex disease processes happens within the BM, and also serve as a tool for more efficient generation of high quality, therapeutic hematopoietic and mesenchymal cells. Many synthetic and natural materials have been used to replicate the known physical and biochemical properties of bone marrow. Here we review key components and considerations for designing materials to engineer bone marrow niches and study HSPC behavior and disease pathologies. We also provide future perspectives on areas where new knowledge must be gained to achieve the scientific and clinical potential of materials-driven bone marrow niche development.
Antihistamine-Induced Hepatitis: 2 Cases Involving Loratidine

Antihistamine-induced hepatitis is rare. We present 2 cases of antihistamine-induced hepatitis with autoimmune features, caused by loratidine. One case was confirmed by rechallenge. Identifying and discontinuing the offending agent are essential for treatment.
Fire Prevention Evaluation and Research of University Dormitory

Based on the analytic hierarchy process science way to evacuate the fire prevention safety of one College dormitory in Heifei.Uses the analytic hierarchy process science to assign each factor the weight which occupies in the College dormitory fire prevention security,and carries on the synthesis judgment allocation using the fuzzy synthesis method to the College dormitory's security present situation to obtain the science,the objective measure results,organic each bad safety factor and the system present situation's security unifies College dormitory,obtains the College dormitory the overall safety rate,gives the appraisal to its fire safety rate.To propose the reasonable suggestion and the improvement program,From?College dormitory in alarm and?extinguishing systems,fire safety management,fire fighting and rescue force and?other factors,the status quo as the starting point,made a research on the College dormitory fire risk analysis of the College dormitory,proposed methods of strengthen fire prevention measures.
Effects of protein restriction and acute refeeding on leucine and lysine kinetics in young men.

To explore the effects of altered protein intake on the uptake and utilization of dietary amino acids in human subjects, six healthy male Massachusetts Institute of Technology students were studied during three dietary periods each of 9 days, with tracer infusion studies conducted on days 8 and 9. During one period the diet provided a generous protein intake (1.5 g.kg-1.day-1) and during the other two a low-protein intake (0.1 g.kg-1.day-1). Tracer infusions (fed state) were given while subjects received either a liquid formula, supplying the prior protein intake or (on day 9) a generous intake. Combinations of [2H3]Leu and [13C]Leu and of [15N]Lys and [2H4]Lys were given via continuous intravenous or intragastric infusion for 4 h to estimate leucine kinetics and the first-pass splanchnic uptake of tracer. Dietary-induced changes in leucine flux and oxidation were similar irrespective of the tracer and/or route of administration and sampled pool (leucine or KIC) used for calculation. Estimates of absolute changes in the rates of leucine disappearance via nonoxidative metabolism (protein synthesis) and of appearance via protein breakdown depended on the route of [13C]Leu administration. However, it appears that both altered rates of protein synthesis and breakdown contribute to the adaptations required in the body nitrogen economy when protein intakes are restricted and subsequently resupplied. From the intragastric [13C]Leu protocol, the first-pass splanchnic uptake of tracer was the same (approximately 30%) for generous, low-protein, and refed conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Privacy Enforcement in Search of Its Base

The 20 chapters of this book attest to the formidable forces eroding privacy in today’s personal-data-rich world. The informed actions of enforcement professionals are necessary to confront these forces, but not sufficient. Needed as well is a political and cultural base of support for privacy values and practices. To this end, privacy advocates need to popularise a handful of concise principles that are widely understandable and emblematic of their concerns. Some suggestions for such privacy manifestoes include: (1) No commerce in personal data without notice and consent; (2) No government personal data systems without legislative responsibility and accessibility; and (3) Property rights for ordinary citizens over commercial exploitation of their data.
Thermal injury to corticospinal tracts and postoperative motor deficits after laser interstitial thermal therapy.

OBJECTIVE Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) has been increasingly used to treat deep-seated tumors. Despite its being minimally invasive, there is a risk of LITT damaging adjacent critical structures, including corticospinal tracts (CSTs). In this study, the authors investigated the predictive value of overlap between the hyperthermic field and CSTs in determining postoperative motor deficit (PMDs). METHODS More than 140 patients underwent an LITT procedure in our institution between April 2011 and June 2015. Because of the tumor's proximity to critical structures, 80 of them underwent preoperative diffusion tensor imaging and were included in this study. Extent of the hyperthermic field was delineated by the software as thermal-damage-threshold (TDT) lines (yellow [43°C for 2 minutes], blue [43°C for 10 minutes], and white [43°C for 60 minutes]). The maximum volume and the surface area of overlaps between motor fibers and the TDT lines were calculated and compared with the PMDs. RESULTS High-grad...
Effects of recipient size and allograft type on pediatric liver transplantation for biliary atresia

The majority of pediatric patients with end-stage liver disease receive a transplant with a whole liver (WL) allograft. However, smaller recipients with biliary atresia (BA) may have improved outcomes with deceased donor partial liver (DDPL) or living donor allografts. This study compares the national outcomes for liver transplantation in BA, with attention to the interaction between liver allograft type and recipient size. From January 2, 2002 to December 30, 2014, 2123 pediatric patients underwent a primary liver transplant for BA. The majority of transplants (53%) were performed with a WL allograft. Utilization of a WL allograft increased from 42% of recipients weighing ≤ 7 kg to 74% of recipients weighing > 14 kg. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year graft survival in recipients weighing ≤7 kg was significantly superior for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) (91%, 88%, 84%) and DDPL allografts (90%, 84%, 77%) compared with WL allografts (79%, 75%, 74%; P = 0.005). The 1-, 5-, and 10-year graft survival in recipients weighing >14 kg trended toward being inferior in recipients of DDPL allografts (85%, 85%, 71%) compared with WL allografts (96%, 91%, 86%; P = 0.06). Furthermore, the incidence of vascular thrombosis was highest in WL (13%) compared with LDLT (6%) and DDPL (5%) recipients ≤ 7 kg (P = 0.002). Liver retransplantation was also highest in WL (16%) compared with LDLT (9%) and DDPL (9%) recipients ≤ 7 kg (P = 0.02). In conclusion, strong consideration should be given to the use of technical variant allografts in small recipients with BA requiring liver transplantation. Liver Transplantation 23 221–233 2017 AASLD
Dreams of a quantum pioneer

Born in 1900, Wolfgang Pauli's debut as a physicist came in 1921 with the publication of a review paper on relativity so thorough and incisive that Einstein wrote of it "No-one studying this mature, grandly conceived work would believe the author is a man of twenty-one". Three years later, Pauli formulated the exclusion principle that bears his name, and that forms the basis of atomic and molecular structure; this work earned him the 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics. In 1930 he introduced the concept of the neutrino, which is central to modern elementary particle physics. By then, he had already become the key arbiter in the year-long discussions held in Copenhagen between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr that had led to the modern formulation of quantum mechanics. He was also the holder of a prestigious professorship in Zurich, Switzerland, where young physicists from around the world – including Felix Bloch, Max Delbruck, Lev Landau, J Robert Oppenheimer, Rudolf Peierls and Victor Weisskopf – were flocking to work with him. Hence, by the age of just 30, Pauli had already established himself as one of the 20th century's great physicists.
Burn mortality in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease.

Abstract Introduction Burn shock, a complex process, which develops following burn leads to severe and unique derangement of cardiovascular function. Patients with preexisting comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases may be more susceptible. We therefore sought to examine the impact of preexisting cardiovascular disease on burn outcomes. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients admitted to a regional burn center from 2002 to 2012. Independent variables analyzed included basic demographics, burn mechanism, presence of inhalation injury, TBSA, pre-existing comorbidities, and length of ICU/hospital stay. Bivariate analysis was performed and Poisson regression modeling was utilized to estimate the incidence of being in the ICU and mortality. Results There were a total of 5332 adult patients admitted over the study period. 6% (n = 428) had a preexisting cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease patients had a higher mortality rate (16%) compared to those without cardiovascular disease (3%, p Conclusion Preexisting cardiovascular disease significantly increases the risk of intensive care unit admission and mortality in burn patients. Given the increasing number of Americans with cardiovascular diseases, there will likely be a greater number of individuals at risk for worse outcomes following burn. This knowledge can help with burn prognostication.
Just-in-Time Urbanization? Managing Migration, Citizenship, and Schooling in the Chinese City:

In this article I argue that the Chinese state is responding to tensions wrought by high-speed growth by attempting to develop a form of technocratic biopolitics I refer to as ‘just-in-time (JIT) urbanization’. Mirroring techniques of the Toyota Production System (of which JIT is a constituent element), large Chinese cities have sought to avoid the costs associated with the production and warehousing of surplus populations. Under this system, migrants are granted access to local citizenship and public education for their children if they fulfill a specific, state-determined, need in the labor market. The hope is to be able to precisely deploy specific kinds of labor power as needed, at as low a cost as possible, while avoiding waste, overpopulation, and (presumed) attendant political chaos. The social consequence of this approach is that nominally public resources such as education have been funneled to elites in what I term an ‘inverted means test’.
Management of Postoperative Infections Following the Minimally Access Repair for Pectus Excavatum

Infectious complications associated with the minimal access technique for repair of pectus excavatum can be a challenge in diagnosis and management. Prevention strategies should begin in the perioperative period with the use of prophylactic antibiotics and strict sterile technique. In the postoperative period, skin and soft tissue infections associated with the substernal bar can have variable presentations, and management will be determined by the extent of the infection. Most of these infections can be managed conservatively with a combination of intravenous and oral antibiotics. More advanced or complex cases may require treatment by incision and drainage, or removal of one of the lateral stabilizers. Bar removal should be reserved for recurrent or complicated infections that do not respond to conservative management. Additionally, providers must be aware of the potential for metal allergies to the stainless steel pectus bar that may have a similar presentation of erythema and rash.
Cardiac pacemakers: Principles and practices

Abstract The fact that prolonged electrical treatment for complete heart block and other arrhythmias is possible cannot be disputed. There is, however, a continuing need to define the parameters of long-term stimulation in precise terms which include current, voltage, stimulus duration, electrode surface area, and a specific need to relate these to the levels and conditions where pacing can be hazardous. The electrodes for permanent pacing may, at the discretion of the surgeon, be placed at thoracotomy or passed transvenously. In the case of the latter a unipolar system utilizing a stainless steel or Elgiloy cathode and a monophasic wave form are preferred. Synchronous pacing, although it is based on an impressive body of experimental evidence and numerous clinical studies, has not yet been proved clearly beneficial. Demand or standby pacing is probably the most significant and promising of recent modifications. Paired and coupled pacing, although hazardous, may have increasing usefulness in certain acute situations. Future development may lead to refinements in hardware or possibly to a completely new approach to the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias.
Real-world outcomes of surgery for native mitral valve endocarditis.

Abstract Background Consensus guidelines recommend repair over replacement for the surgical treatment of active native mitral valve infective endocarditis. However, contemporary practice and long-term outcome data are limited. Methods Multivariable Cox regression was used to compare outcomes of 1970 patients undergoing isolated primary mitral valve repair (n = 367, 19%) or replacement (n = 1603, 81%) for active infective endocarditis between 1998 and 2010 in New York and California states. The primary outcome was long-term survival. Secondary outcomes were recurrent endocarditis and mitral reoperation. Median follow-up time was 6.6 years (range 0-12), and last follow-up date was December 31, 2015. Results Mitral valve repair rates increased from 10.7% to 19.4% over the study period ( P P = .005), less likely to have congestive heart failure (46.3% vs 57.1%, P P P = .002). Mitral repair was associated with lower rate of recurrent endocarditis at 12 years than replacement (4.7% [95% CI, 2.8%-7.2%] vs 9.5% [95% CI, 8.0-11.1%]; P = .03), and similar rate of reoperation (9.1% [95% CI, 6.2%-12.8%] vs 8.6% [95% CI, 7.1%-10.4%]; P = .12). Conclusions In active endocarditis, mitral valve repair is associated with better survival and lower risk of recurrent infection compared with valve replacement and should be the surgery of choice when feasible.
Applying Item Response Theory to the Development of a Screening Adaptation of the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-Second Edition.

Purpose Item response theory (IRT) is a psychometric approach to measurement that uses latent trait abilities (e.g., speech sound production skills) to model performance on individual items that va...
Opening the World with Active Words and Concept Triggers

In this paper we present a proposal to help bypass the bottleneck of knowledge-based NLP systems having to work under a closed world assumption. We propose ways of reinterpreting static sources as active ones, by allowing a system to create new lexical entries on the fly, and investigate how to create new concepts on the fly. We argue that a computational lexical semantic approach is a sine qua non to work under an open world assumption. More specifically, we show how to create new lexicon entries using lexico-semantic rules and investigate how to create new concepts for unknown words, building a new model to trigger concepts in context.
High Resolution Imaging

“High resolution SEM imaging” refers to the capability of discerning fine-scale spatial features of a specimen. Such features may be free-standing objects or structures embedded in a matrix. The definition of “fine-scale” depends on the application, which may involve sub-nanometer features in the most extreme cases. The most important factor determining the limit of spatial resolution is the footprint of the incident beam as it enters the specimen. Depending on the level of performance of the electron optics, the limiting beam diameter can be as small as 1 nm or even finer. However, the ultimate resolution performance is likely to be substantially poorer than the beam footprint and will be determined by one or more of several additional factors: (1) delocalization of the imaging signal, which consists of secondary electrons and/or backscattered electrons, due to the physics of the beam electron specimen interactions; (2) constraints imposed on the beam size needed to satisfy the Threshold Equation to establish the visibility for the contrast produced by the features of interest; (3) mechanical stability of the SEM; (4) mechanical stability of the specimen mounting; (5) the vacuum environment and specimen cleanliness necessary to avoid contamination of the specimen; (6) degradation of the specimen due to radiation damage; and (7) stray electromagnetic fields in the SEM environment. Recognizing these factors and minimizing or eliminating their impact is critical to achieving optimum high resolution imaging performance. Because achieving satisfactory high resolution SEM often involves operating at the performance limit of the instrument as well as the technique, the experience may vary from one specimen type to another, with different limiting factors manifesting themselves in different situations. Most importantly, because of the limitations on feature visibility imposed by the Threshold Current/Contrast Equation, for a given choice of operating conditions, there will always be a level of feature contrast below which specimen features will not be visible. Thus, there is always a possible “now you see it, now you don’t” experience lurking when we seek to operate at the limit of the SEM performance envelope.
Social structure, opportunistic punishment and the evolution of honest signaling

Honest signaling is generally taken to be a necessary pre-condition for a stable signaling system, because deceptive signaling at a high enough rate should cause receivers to ignore the signal, which in turn undermines the utility of sending signals. Deception is normally thought to occur because of benefits it has to the deceiver. This raises the question of why signaling systems should exist and persist over time, especially in cases in which the interests of the senders and receivers are not well aligned. Punishment has been seen as a way of imposing costs on deceptive signalers. We investigate the effects of opportunistic-that is, non-altruistic punishment-on the evolution of an honest signaling system. Our model is based on research done on social insects. We model a society of agents, divided into three castes differing in aggressiveness. Under severe punishment deception is indeed asymptotically eliminated. Under somewhat less severe punishment, deception persists and the rates of deception correlate with social structure. We find that social structure robustly mediates the level of deception under regimes of punishment and that this is evident except in the most stringent of punishment regimes.
Safety and efficacy of wireless capsule endoscopy in patients with surgically altered upper gastrointestinal anatomy

Abstract Background Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is an effective, minimally invasive tool used for evaluation of the small intestine. To date, there are no studies evaluating the diagnostic yield of WCE in patients with surgically altered upper gastrointestinal anatomy. Aim To evaluate the diagnostic yield, technical success and safety of WCE in patients with surgically altered upper gastrointestinal anatomy. Methods Retrospective chart review of all patients with surgically altered upper GI anatomy who underwent WCE between 2006 and 2016 at the Medical University of South Carolina. Technical success, diagnostic yield, adverse events and therapeutic yield data was collected. Results Thirty-one cases met inclusion criteria. Two were excluded as they did not undergo WCE due to failed patency capsule. The mean age was 58 (69% female). The capsule was ingested in 18 cases and endoscopically placed in 11. The most common surgical anatomy was Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 13). Technical success, defined as the capsule reaching the cecum, was achieved in 89.7% of cases. The diagnostic yield was 44.8%, with the most common finding being angioectasia. No intra- or post-procedural adverse events were noted. Discussion Capsule endoscopy in patients with surgically altered upper GI anatomy appears to show no elevated risk of adverse events and shows similar technical success and diagnostic yield as in patients with native anatomy.
Longitudinal Examination of the Bullying-Sexual Violence Pathway across Early to Late Adolescence: Implicating Homophobic Name-Calling

The Bully-Sexual Violence Pathway theory has indicated that bullying perpetration predicts sexual violence perpetration among males and females over time in middle school, and that homophobic name-calling perpetration moderates that association among males. In this study, the Bully-Sexual Violence Pathway theory was tested across early to late adolescence. Participants included 3549 students from four Midwestern middle schools and six high schools. Surveys were administered across six time points from Spring 2008 to Spring 2013. At baseline, the sample was 32.2% White, 46.2% African American, 5.4% Hispanic, and 10.2% other. The sample was 50.2% female. The findings reveal that late middle school homophobic name-calling perpetration increased the odds of perpetrating sexual violence in high school among early middle school bullying male and female perpetrators, while homophobic name-calling victimization decreased the odds of high school sexual violence perpetration among females. The prevention of bullying and homophobic name-calling in middle school may prevent later sexual violence perpetration.
UDE-based robust boundary control for an unstable parabolic PDE with unknown input disturbance

A novel control strategy, named uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE)-based robust control, is applied to the stabilization of an unstable parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) with a Dirichlet type boundary actuator and an unknown time-varying input disturbance. The unstable PDE is stabilized by the backstepping approach, and the unknown input disturbance is compensated by the UDE, which constructs an estimation of the disturbance by filtering the system input and measurable state signals. The proposed UDE-based robust boundary control only requires the spectrum information of the disturbance signal and one boundary output measurement. Stability analysis of the closed-loop systems is carried out, and a numerical example is provided to validate the proposed method.
Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction at Low Temperature

Summary Electrochemical nitrogen reduction to ammonia (NH3) is proposed as a favored alternative for the Haber-Bosch process since it can be powered by renewable electricity at ambient conditions. In light of this, electrochemical nitrogen fixation has gathered increasing attention in the scientific community. This Perspective discusses recent efforts devoted to nitrogen fixation in electrochemical systems operating at low temperatures, and the challenges confronting high selectivity for NH3 production as a result of the competition between the nitrogen reduction reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction. A variety of recent approaches have the potential to overcome this challenge for a selective, efficient, and practical electrochemical reaction for nitrogen fixation.
Policy Responses to Global Financial Crises

In October 1998, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the International Monetary Fund sponsored a conference focusing on lessons from the Asian crisis for the international financial system. That conference came at a time of unusual fragility for the system, as the financial crisis that first erupted in Asia in 1997 became truly global in nature, embroiling both Russia and Brazil and threatening the stability of global financial markets. I commented at the time that it was premature to distill lessons from the Asian crisis that was still underway. Today, we are somewhat better placed to look back to this period of extraordinary turbulence, but in my view humility is still required.
Nonequilibrium phases and segregation for skyrmions on periodic pinning arrays

Using particle-based simulations, we examine the collective dynamics of skyrmions interacting with periodic pinning arrays, focusing on the impact of the Magnus force on the sliding phases. As a function of increasing pinning strength, we find a series of distinct dynamical phases, including an interstitial flow phase, a moving disordered state, a moving crystal, and a segregated cluster state. The transitions between these states produce signatures in the skyrmion lattice structure, the skyrmion Hall angle, the velocity fluctuation distributions, and the velocity-force curves. The moving clustered state is similar to the segregated state recently observed in continuum-based simulations with strong quenched disorder. The segregation arises from the drive dependence of the skyrmion Hall angle, and appears in the strong pinning limit when the skyrmions have nonuniform velocities, causing different portions of the sample to have different effective skyrmion Hall angles. We map the evolution of the dynamic phases as a function of the system density, the ratio of the Magnus force to the dissipative term, and the ratio of the number of skyrmions to the number of pinning sites.
Characterizing Hydrogen-Bond Interactions in Pyrazinetetracarboxamide Complexes: Insights from Experimental and Quantum Topological Analyses

Experimental and topological analyses of dipalladium(II) complexes with pyrazinetetracarboxamide ligands containing tetraethyl (1), tetrahexyl (2), and tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl) ethyl ether (3) are described. The presence of two very short O---O distances between adjacent amide carbonyl groups in the pincer complexes revealed two protons, which necessitated two additional anions to satisfy charge requirements. The results of the crystal structures indicate carbonyl O---O separations approaching that of low barrier hydrogen bonds, ranging from 2.413(5) to 2.430(3) A. Solution studies and quantum topological analyses, the latter including electron localization function, noncovalent interaction, and Bader’s quantum theory of atoms in molecules, were carried out to probe the nature of the short hydrogen bonds and the influence of the ligand environment on their strength. Findings indicated that the ligand field, and, in particular, the counterion at the fourth coordination site, may play a subtle role in deter...
Simulation and experimental studies on microstructure evolution of resolidified dendritic TiCx in laser direct deposited Ti-TiC composite

Abstract This paper describes the formation process of resolidified dendritic TiCx in laser direct deposited (LDD) Ti-40 vol%TiC composite via a combination of a thermodynamic consistent phase field (PF) model and an LDD model. The LDD model simulated the LDD process of this composite and provided the temporal and spatial temperature fields in the molten pool for the PF model, which predicted the solidification process of TiCx dendrites at different zones in the molten pool. The improved PF model introduced a grain index to link different crystallographic orientations for polycrystalline growth, which improved the computational efficiency by solving one PF equation instead of multiple phase variables. A two-sublattice model was utilized to establish the thermodynamic database of TiCx. The predicted temperature history, deposition geometry as well as the morphology of polycrystalline TiCx dendrites matched the experimental observation. As the temperature decreases, microsegregation occurred to the distribution of carbon over the dendrite where dendrite tips had a higher carbon concentration. Due to the increased undercooling, TiCx dendrites grew at an increased speed from top to bottom of the molten pool. Within 0.007 s, the dendrites were fully developed and inhibited further growth of each other.
Results of TachoSil® associated with fibrin glue as dural sealant in a series of patients with spinal intradural tumors surgery. Technical note with a review of the literature

Abstract A major problem of surgery for intradural spinal tumors (IST) is the occurrence in the post-operative period of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. To the best of our knowledge, here we report on the largest series of IST patients in whom the TachoSil® associated to fibrin glue was used as dural sealant in this kind of surgery. Moreover, we extensively reviewed the literature reporting the results of TachoSil® in spine surgery. The data of 35 consecutive surgically treated IST patients were reviewed. In all cases TachoSil® associated with fibrin glue was used as dural sealant. Mean age was 58.14 ± 15.56 years and mean follow-up (FU) was 23.20 ± 9.76 months. The Modified McCormick Scale (MMS) was used to assess the functional status of patients pre-operatively and at latest FU. All article dealing with the use of TachoSil® in spine surgery were included in the literature review. A CSF collection (treated conservatively with needle aspiration and bed rest with no consequence) was observed only in 1 out of 35 cases. No wound infection nor adverse reaction to the TachoSil® occurred during the FU. At latest FU we observed an improvement of MMS grade in 23 patients (65.71%) and a stable functional status in 12 cases (34.28%). According to our experience and the literature review using the TachoSil® after dural closure is safe and effective in IST surgery. Better standardized studies are needed to establish the usefulness of TachoSil® for incidental dural tear in degenerative spine surgery.
We're Halfway There? A Closer Look at When, Why, and How Task Groups Transition

Advancing current understanding of Gersick's (1988, 1989) punctuated equilibrium model, we examined when, why, and how small task groups experience transitions. Specifically, our purpose was threef...
Comparative Study of Conflict Identification and Resolution in Heterogeneous Datasets

In the world of today, combining data from various sources is necessitated to infer, acquire information and make informed decision making. Heterogenity of data sources is a significant challenge in the process of data integration and the same is considered as a scope of this research. A comparative analysis has been done between the conflict resolution techniques as to identify the proximity of the techniques on various parameters.
In reply: Metformin for type 2 diabetes January 2019

We thank Dr. Moskowitz for his kind comments. We agree about the need for assessing vitamin B12 levels during chronic metformin use. Secondary analysis of patients in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study showed a higher incidence of combined low and low-normal vitamin B12 deficiency in
The challenges impeding traffic safety improvements in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract Due to the stability and economic development in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) relative to its neighbors after 2005, the density of the population and number of vehicles have increased dramatically. This situation produced certain undesirable consequences socially, administratively, legislatively, technically, and economically. An increase in the number of traffic crashes was one of the serious challenges that local authorities faced. The objective of this study is to address the challenges of traffic safety improvement in the region. Based upon existing traffic-related situations in the KRI, some fundamental and priority recommendations are proposed such as improving traffic regulations and guidelines, creating a traffic crash database, and starting traffic safety training and education. It is crucial to address the challenges of impeding traffic safety improvement in the KRI.
Resistance From Within: Power and Defiance in Montesquieu’s Persian Letters:

Montesquieu reflects on the intricacies of government, social customs, and identity in his epistolary novel titled Persian Letters (1721). For many of these topics, Montesquieu addresses the themes...
De-gendered Processes, Gendered Outcomes: How Egalitarian Couples Make Sense of Non-egalitarian Household Practices:

Despite widespread support for gender-egalitarianism, men’s and women’s household labor contributions remain strikingly unequal. This article extends prior research on barriers to equality by close...
Furthering the Advancement of School Behavioral Health in Your Community

Distills ideas from each chapter in this book reflecting stakeholder recommendations for advancing school behavioral health (SBH) in a community related to major critical themes (collaboration, school-wide approaches, cultural humility, program quality, implementation support) and priority populations (juvenile justice, child welfare, military families). Reflecting ideas from the eight focus groups, and the experiences of contributors to the book, 34 specific recommendations for advancing SBH in a community are presented. This concluding chapter also underscores the importance of the community of practice approach, discusses the COVID-19 interface, and presents a number of pragmatic resources for this work.
Place Branding and Its Discontents: The Politics and Management of Neighborhood Governance Systems:

Since the 1990s, urban planners in the United States have developed systems of neighborhood governance as a way to better involve citizens in decision making. Simultaneously, place branding emerged...
Generating Synthetic Data in Finance: Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls

Financial services generate a huge volume of data that is extremely complex and varied. These datasets are often stored in silos within organisations for various reasons, including but not limited to, regulatory requirements and business needs. As a result, data sharing within different lines of business as well as outside of the organisation (e.g. to the research community) is severely limited. It is therefore critical to investigate methods for synthesising financial datasets that follow the same properties of the real data while respecting the need for privacy of the parties involved in a particular dataset. This introductory paper aims to highlight the growing need for effective synthetic data generation in the financial domain. We highlight three main areas of focus for the academic community: 1) Generating realistic synthetic datasets. 2) Measuring the similarities between real and generated datasets 3) Ensuring the generative process satisfies any privacy constraints. Although these challenges are also present in other domains, the extra regulatory and privacy requirements add another dimension of complexity and offer a unique opportunity to study the topic in financial services. Finally, we aim to develop a shared vocabulary and context for generating synthetic financial data using two types of financial datasets as examples.
Overview of CT Colonography

Colorectal cancer is associated with high mortality and morbidity and is currently the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Early detection and treatment of colorectal carcinoma can significantly improve the prognosis. Although optical colonoscopy has been the gold standard for the diagnosis of this condition, computed tomography colonoscopy is increasingly playing an important role in the diagnosis and staging of colorectal carcinoma.
The Wigner–Eckart Theorem and Other Applications

Chapter 6 applies the material of the previous chapters to some particular topics, specifically the Wigner–Eckart theorem, selection rules, and gamma matrices and Dirac bilinears. We begin by discussing the perennially confusing concepts of vector operators and spherical tensors, and then unify them using the notion of a representation operator. We then use this framework to derive a generalized selection rule, from which the various quantum-mechanical selection rules can be derived, and we also discuss the Wigner–Eckart theorem. We conclude by showing that Dirac’s famous gamma matrices can be understood in terms of representation operators, which then immediately gives the transformation properties of the ‘Dirac bilinears’ of QED.
Biophysics of Gap Junction Channels

All multicellular organisms require a means for long distance intercellular communication for the purpose of tissue homeostasis, coordinated body movements, and receiving sensory input about its environment. Signals are transmitted long distances primarily by electrical impulses through nerve or muscle tissues, whereas chemical signaling is more localized since it is spatially and temporally limited by the constraints of aqueous diffusion within either the extracellular or intracellular fluid compartments of the organism. Signals arising within the cytoplasm of a cell require a mechanism for transmembrane signal transduction if the message is to be received by neighboring cells. The most direct means of intercellular communication between cells is to form cytoplasmic connections with its neighbors thereby permitting the rapid signaling carried by ions and the more specialized chemical signaling provided by intracellular second messengers. The existence of gap junction channels was first proposed in 1964 by Werner Loewenstein (reviewed in Loewenstein, 1981) and are now know to occur by the expression of at least 16 cloned connexin proteins (Beyer and Willecke, 2000). The ability of many of the connexins to facilitate intercellular communication has been clearly demonstrated by electrical coupling assays in a variety of expression systems (White and Bruzzone, 1996; Willecke and Haubrich, 1996). To date, some of the elementary channel properties (e.g. unitary conductance, yi) of at least six of these connexins are known (Verselis and Veenstra, 2000).With so many connexin channels in the mammalian body, we must now begin to discern the unique characteristics of each type of gap junction channel in order to determine the physiological consequences of each connexin and their interactions with other connexins. With this in mind, I want to review the essential theories of channel permeability as it pertains to ion channels and relate this body ofknowledge to our developing understanding of connexin channel permeability. A more rigorous review of permeability theory and its implications to the study of connexin gap junction channels appears elsewhere (Veenstra, 2000).
A Review of “Practice and Profile: Christian Formation for Vocation”

In Practice and Profile, authors Johan Hegeman, Margaret Edgell, and Henk Jochemsen make the claim that Christian educators are responsible for the moral formation, in addition to the academic form...
The Council on Chiropractic Education's New Wellness Standard: A call to action for the chiropractic profession

The chiropractic profession has long considered itself to be a preventive science. Recently the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) has defined a set of standards that must be implemented at all US chiropractic colleges as of January of 2007. These are specific to wellness measures and health promoting efforts that should be performed by chiropractors. This will mandate traditional health promotion and prevention methods be taught to students at accredited colleges and to practicing chiropractors. To present the idea of performing traditional health promotion and wellness-concepts in chiropractic practice as a call to action for clinicians and generate discussion on the topic. This manuscript discusses relevant topics of health promotion and prevention for chiropractors and other practicing clinicians that should be made priorities with patients in order to enhance both patient health and community and population health. All practicing chiropractors, as well as other clinicians should take these new standards from the CCE as a call to action to begin helping patients address the removable causes of morbidity, disability and premature mortality where they exist, in addition to treating their painful spinal conditions.