cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RBS and TEM Analysis of Ta Silicides on GaAs

Electron-beam and sputter-deposited Ta silicides on GaAs were annealed in an As 2 overpressure ambient to temperatures as high as 920°C for 20mim. The films were then characterized with RBS, cross-sectional TEM and both electron and x-ray diffraction. The morphology of sputtered TaSi 2 /GaAs interfaces did not change, however, some interaction was detected at electron-beam deposited GaAs/silicide interfaces. Arsenic in-diffusion was detected at temperatures above 800°C and it was found to be dependent on the stoichiometry of the films. Arsenic diffusion into Si-rich electron-beam and sputter deposited films was low, whereas significantly more As diffused into the Ta-rich silicide. Some indium (3×l0 15 atoms/cm 2 ), from the InAs used as the source of As 2 overpressure, was observed to accumulate at all GaAs/silicide interfaces at temperatures above 800°C.
Determination of Urethane in Wines by Gas-Liquid Chromatography and Its Confirmation by Mass Spectrometry

A gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC)-mass spectral (MS) method for the determination and confirmation of urethane in wines has been developed. Analyses of domestic and imported wines indicated urethane to be present at levels ranging from 1 to 20 microng/L. Recoveries of urethane from wines fortified at 10 ppb (microng/L) ranged from 50 to 100% with an average value of 71%. GLC-MS was used to confirm the identity of urethane in wine extracts in which GLC indicated the presence of urethane.
The D-Day of ghrelin

Ghrelin has emerged as an important player in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. During caloric restriction, the presence of acyl ghrelin (the active isoform) is necessary for the defense against hypoglycemia and survival [1]. In fasted humans, ghrelin administration enhances growth hormone (GH) secretion, suppresses insulin release and promotes insulin resistance to maintain normoglycemia [2]. The exact mechanism for the insulinostatic effect of ghrelin is not known. Ghrelin is secreted primarily by gastric endocrine cells, although a novel endocrine cell type (ɛ cells) in the pancreatic islet [3] also produces ghrelin raising the possibility of intra-islet regulation. Ghrelin has been shown to activate its receptor, the GH secretagogue receptor (GHSR) 1a, on β cells to inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) through a Gαi2 signaling pathway [4] and acts directly on α cells to stimulate glucagon secretion by elevating intracellular calcium and promoting ERK phosphorylation [5]. Another major inhibitor of insulin secretion from β cells is somatostatin (SST) through the SST receptor subtype-5 (SSTR5). Park and colleagues reported collaborative actions between ghrelin and SST via their receptors in INS-1 β cells to modulate GSIS during low- and high-energy balance states [6]. The close proximity of islet cells makes it difficult to distinguish between direct and indirect effects of hormones on β cells. However, the recent advances in molecular genetic techniques and next-generation sequencing allows for unbiased evaluation of gene expression in individual cells and provides a unique opportunity to intercept cross talk between pancreatic islet cells. In this issue of Molecular Metabolism, DiBruccio et al. [7] report a novel insulinostatic mechanism of ghrelin by acting directly on δ cells to promote SST release.
Polychromatic Flow Cytometry

For nearly half a century, flow cytometry has been a tool used by biologists to study features of individual cells in a rapid and unbiased manner. The measurement of cellular features has relied upon intrinsic properties of the cells which can be examined by laser-light scattering or by the addition of extrinsic fluorescent probes, such as dyes or fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies that can make cellular features quantifiable. The early flow cytometers relied on only one or two lasers, or a mercury arc bulb, for excitation light, and generally measured only one fluorescent parameter. In the late 1970s, Stohr (1) and Dean and Pinkel (2) described dual-laser excitation for flow cytometry, which permitted the simultaneous use of two spectrally distinct fluorochromes, signaling the genesis of polychromatic flow cytometry. At roughly the same time, Loken and colleagues proposed a method to overcome the difficulties caused by the spectral overlap of fluorochromes excited off a single laser—a method we now refer to as “compensation” (3). These developments laid the foundation for future high-polychromatic flow cytometry, as the bases for both multi-laser excitations as well as exciting multiple fluorochromes off each laser had now been described.
Bradyarrhythmia Therapies: The Creation of Biological Pacemakers and Restoring Atrioventricular Node Function

In the USA, over 300,000 electronic pacemakers are implanted annually to treat slow heart rates resulting from abnormal sinus or atrioventricular (AV) node function. Although life-saving, limitations and problems with this hardware-based approach have led to interest in using gene and cell delivery methods to develop purely biological based therapies. The goal in creating a biological pacemaker or AV bypass is not to replicate the sinus or AV nodes at a cellular or molecular level, but rather to recreate their functionality. There has been more research on biological pacemakers than on AV bypasses, and the former has explored both implantation of endogenously automatic cells and genetic engineering methods, with the latter involving either direct gene delivery or gene delivery to stem cells that are subsequently implanted into the myocardium. This makes use of all the tools of bioinformatics and molecular biology to engineer custom channels with distinct biophysical properties that may be best suited for a specific patient population or implant site. Although various gene products have been targeted as the basis of a biological pacemaker, most recent efforts have focused on the HCN gene family of pacemaker current. These channels open on hyperpolarization, so they contribute current largely during diastole and have minimal impact on action potential duration. Further, these channels directly bind and respond to the adrenergic second messenger cyclic AMP, so autonomic responsiveness is integral to an HCN-based biological pacemaker. Although proof of principle has been demonstrated by a number of laboratories in several model systems, numerous challenges remain to achieve physiologically appropriate rates with sufficient robustness. Before clinical trials can begin, critical issues of safety and persistence of function must first be addressed in long-term animal studies. Even then, the appropriate patient population will be limited until a biological AV bypass is also developed to ensure AV synchrony. However, the possibility of implanting a biologically based bypass tract, perhaps containing a proximal pacemaker, is compelling, and provides the continuing motivation driving these research efforts.
Multi-defender strategic filtering against spear-phishing attacks

Spear-phishing attacks pose a serious threat to sensitive computer systems, since they sidestep technical security mechanisms by exploiting the carelessness of authorized users. A common way to mitigate such attacks is to use e-mail filters which block e-mails with a maliciousness score above a chosen threshold. Optimal choice of such a threshold involves a tradeoff between the risk from delivered malicious emails and the cost of blocking benign traffic. A further complicating factor is the strategic nature of an attacker, who may selectively target users offering the best value in terms of likelihood of success and resulting access privileges. Previous work on strategic threshold-selection considered a single organization choosing thresholds for all users. In reality, many organizations are potential targets of such attacks, and their incentives need not be well aligned. We therefore consider the problem of strategic threshold-selection by a collection of independent self-interested users. We characterize both Stackelberg multi-defender equilibria, corresponding to short-term strategic dynamics, as well as Nash equilibria of the simultaneous game between all users and the attacker, modeling long-term dynamics, and exhibit a polynomial-time algorithm for computing short-term (Stackelberg) equilibria. We find that while Stackelberg multi-defender equilibrium need not exist, Nash equilibrium always exists, and remarkably, both equilibria are unique and socially optimal.
The nature of empathy: An interview with Caryl Phillips

AbstractCaryl Phillips is widely regarded as a leading contemporary writer, particularly in the field of postcolonial, transnational, and diasporic literature. Born in St Kitts in 1958, he was four months old when he migrated with his parents to England, where he grew up in Leeds. He is now the author of ten novels, including Cambridge, The Nature of Blood, and A Distant Shore. In this interview he discusses his most recent novel, The Lost Child, which combines a number of different narratives, including a fictionalised account of Emily Bronte and the origins of Wuthering Heights. Other topics include Phillips's writing methods; the experience of being an outsider; the role of women in his novels; the relations between fiction, biography and autobiography; the nature and limits of empathy; and the example set by Chinua Achebe.
Textualism and Legislative Intent

This essay examines the contention that, contrary to standard textualist rhetoric of intent skepticism, textualists do care about legislative intent. This essay argues that the validity of that contention, as pressed by Professor Caleb Nelson, depends on the sense in which one describes legislative intent. In any system predicated on legislative supremacy, a faithful agent will of course seek the legislature's intended meaning at some level, and modern textualists situate themselves in that tradition. However, contrary to traditional intentionalists, leading textualists do not believe that the legislative majority as a whole possesses a subjective intention about the words it adopts. Indeed, to suggest that textualists practice intentionalism by other means is to understate their central belief that the cumbersome, chaotic, path-dependent, and opaque legislative process precludes identification of any “actual” or “genuine” legislative intent. Instead, textualists seek an “objectified intent” — the import that a reasonable person conversant with applicable social and linguistic conventions would attach to the enacted words. This essay also challenges Professor Nelson’s further claim that textualism is best explained by a preference for rules over standards. Although textualists may generally prefer rules to standards, this essay suggests that the key to understanding textualism is not such a preference. Rather, it argues that textualism, properly understood, rests on a straightforward conviction that faithful agents must treat rules as rules and standards as standards. Otherwise, legislators will have a difficult time expressing their compromises through the level of generality at which they articulate their policies.
An Evaluation of Adolescent and Young Adult (Re)Victimization Experiences: Problematic Substance Use and Negative Consequences

We investigated substance use and negative consequences in women who experienced an initial sexual assault (SA) in high school and subsequently in college. More than 650 participants completed questionnaires assessing substance use/consequences, SA history, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology. Revictimized women reported differential substance use/consequences relative to controls underscoring the need to conceptualize adolescence as a key developmental period with a unique pathway to a subsequent SA, especially in association with substance use. We propose that prevention interventions should begin no later than ninth grade to limit the risk for an initial experience of SA and any consequential substance use and abuse.
Snakes and Ladders: Asset Pricing with Household Disasters

Disaster models are typically agnostic as to what spawns tail events, but are often calibrated on labor shocks. Using a novel way to construct rare event factors using the CEX survey data, I study whether the type of idiosyncratic shock modeled matters empirically. I estimate an augmented consumption-based asset pricing model, and find that while labor shocks do come through, they surprisingly do not significantly improve the fit of the model when used on their own, compared to a standard model with no shock factors. I show that including labor shocks with other types of events, notably housing, health and demographic shocks, serves to enhance the goodness-of-fit, reduces the pricing error, and generates plausible parameters for the utility function. The results suggest that labor is indeed a channel of idiosyncratic tail risk for asset pricing models, but the variations of the risk premium are most effectively captured when demographic, housing and health shocks are also included.
Conjugation Dependent Interaction of Folic Acid with Folate Binding Protein.

Serum proteins play a critical role in the transport, uptake, and efficacy of targeted drug therapies, and here we investigate the interactions between folic acid–polymer conjugates and serum folate binding protein (FBP), the soluble form of the cellular membrane-bound folate receptor. We demonstrate that both choice of polymer and method of ligand conjugation affect the interactions between folic acid–polymer conjugates and serum FBP, resulting in changes in the folic acid-induced protein aggregation process. We have previously demonstrated that individual FBP molecules self-aggregate into nanoparticles at physiological concentrations. When poly(amidoamine) dendrimer–folic acid conjugates bound to FBP, the distribution of nanoparticles was preserved. However, the dendritic conjugates produced larger nanoparticles than those formed in the presence of physiologically normal human levels of folic acid, and the conjugation method affected particle size distribution. In contrast, poly(ethylene glycol)–folic a...
Aging effect on step adjustments and stability control in visually perturbed gait initiation.

Abstract Gait adaptability is essential for fall avoidance during locomotion. It requires the ability to rapidly inhibit original motor planning, select and execute alternative motor commands, while also maintaining the stability of locomotion. This study investigated the aging effect on gait adaptability and dynamic stability control during a visually perturbed gait initiation task. A novel approach was used such that the anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) during gait initiation were used to trigger the unpredictable relocation of a foot-size stepping target. Participants (10 young adults and 10 older adults) completed visually perturbed gait initiation in three adjustment timing conditions (early, intermediate, late; all extracted from the stereotypical APA pattern) and two adjustment direction conditions (medial, lateral). Stepping accuracy, foot rotation at landing, and Margin of Dynamic Stability (MDS) were analyzed and compared across test conditions and groups using a linear mixed model. Stepping accuracy decreased as a function of adjustment timing as well as stepping direction, with older subjects exhibited a significantly greater undershoot in foot placement to late lateral stepping. Late adjustment also elicited a reaching-like movement (i.e. foot rotation prior to landing in order to step on the target), regardless of stepping direction. MDS measures in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior direction revealed both young and older adults exhibited reduced stability in the adjustment step and subsequent steps. However, young adults returned to stable gait faster than older adults. These findings could be useful for future study of screening deficits in gait adaptability and preventing falls.
Signal-Detection Tradeoff-Analysis Of Optical Versus Digital Fourier Transform Computers

Signal Detection Theory models are developed which yield comparisons of optical and digital Fourier transform techniques in terms of detectability of power peaks obtained in their Fourier domains. A stochastic model is first given describing the quantization noise introduced by the finite register size in digital transform computers. The signal detection models are then developed describing the detectability of a transformed signal among this kind of noise, with models given for fixed-point and floating-point machines and for signal-known-exactly and signal-unknown detection problems. Signal Detection Theory provides a number of useful results here including the optimum detection statistic to be used, decision criteria for choosing cut-off points, the performance curve of the detector, and detection indexes which summarize detector performance. Once the digital transform computer and the type of detection has been specified, the resulting signal detectability can be used to specify requisite signal-to-noise ratios which the optical processor must achieve to obtain performance in optical Fourier domain equivalent to the digital processor. Alternately, the digital machine can be specified as to fixed-point or floating-point number representation, truncation or rounding of results, and register length to match the detection performance of a given optical processor. Results are given demonstrating these comparisons in which register length, array size, number-representation, and type of detection are the major independent variables.© (1977) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Hitting the Nail on the Head: Interdisciplinary Research in Computer Networking

This is an exciting time in computer networking. The Internet is one of the most influential inventions of all time--a research experiment that, within our own lifetimes, escaped from the lab to become a global communications infrastructure. We see seemingly non-stop innovation in compelling services delivered over the Internet, end-host devices connected to the Internet, and communication media underlying the Internet, constantly giving our networks new challenges to address. In turn, computer networks arise in increasingly diverse settings, including data-center networks, cellular networks, vehicular networks, ad hoc networks, overlay networks, and more. Designing and operating computer networks that offer good performance, reliability, security, and more lead to a wealth of fascinating and important research problems---"nails" in search of a good hammer. Yet, to solve these big, hairy problems we often need to look beyond the field of computer networking to other established disciplines-sources of good "hammers". In this talk, I share my experiences conducting interdisciplinary research in computer networking, through example collaborative projects with great colleagues and a few hard-won lessons along the way.
Novel on-body microwave antenna array testbed for highly-sensitive measurements of wrist bone signature

Osteoporosis represents a major health problem, resulting in substantial increases in national health care costs. Current methods to detect osteoporosis rely upon ionizing techniques such as Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and Quantitative Computed Tomography (QCT). The objective of this work is to create and validate a low-cost non-ionizing method, which uses modern RFID technology, and to construct the corresponding testbed.
Learnability of edge cost functions in routing games

We study the learnability of the edge cost functions in routing games from observations of the equilibrium flows, where the learnability is measured as the minimum number of samples needed to maintain a high consistency of the empirical risk, which is a statistical estimator for the quality of the learned model. To provide an upper bound on the minimum sample size, we motivate the analysis of the uniform laws of large numbers on a class of loss functions indexed over the space of parameters we want to estimate. On one hand, leveraging results on the complexity of function classes and in approximation theory, we investigate how the behavior of the empirical risk relates to a notion of complexity of the parameter space. On the other hand, using sensitivity analysis in optimization, we study how variations in the parameter space translate into variations in the class of loss functions. This allows us to show, independently of the sample distribution and of the edge costs parametrization, that the sample size required to maintain a high consistency grows quadratically with the number of edges in the network (or linearly if all the edge cost functions have the same shape), and grows linearly with the Lipschitz constant of the edge cost functions, and quadratically with the inverse of the strong monotonicity constant of the edge cost functions.
Optimal Evading Strategies for Two-Pursuer/One-Evader Problems

Pursuit–evasion problems involving two pursuers and one evader are presented and analyzed. Two distinct scenarios differing in the type of information that the pursuers have about the evader’s stra...
Differentiations in motivation and need satisfaction based on course modality: a self-determination theory perspective

Online education has grown exponentially over the past two decades, in large part due to its promise of flexibility and connectivity for students. However, this approach to pedagogy has remained re...
General Structure of Lie Algebras

Recall that in Chapter 2 we introduced the Levi decomposition, according to which every Lie algebra is the semi-direct sum of its radical (the largest solvable ideal) and a semi-simple subalgebra. This reduces the problem of finding all Lie algebras to the three problems of classifying the semi-simple algebras, the solvable algebras, and finding sthe ways these can fit together in a semi-direct sum. The first problem has been completely resolved by Cartan, and we shall discuss the classification of the semi-simple algebras in the next chapter. The classification of the solvable algebras is an open problem, even though their structure may appear simpler.
Bcl-2 and Bcl-2-Related Proteins in Apoptosis Regulation

Apoptosis is a form of cell death critical for the normal development of multicellular organisms (Kerr et al. 1972; Wyllie et al. 1980). It is characterized by morphological and biochemical criteria consisting of: nuclear shrinkage, chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic blebbing, and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation (Kerr et al. 1972; Wyllie et al. 1980; Cohen and Duke 1992). As opposed to other forms of cell death, apoptosis does not induce an inflammatory response. There are a number of ways by which cell death by apoptosis can be induced, including growth factor deprivation, cytokine treatment, antigen-receptor engagement, cell-cell interactions, irradiation, and glucocorticoids (Cohen and Duke 1992). Within the immune system, the regulation of cell death appears to be crucial for the prevention of autoimmune disease. Immature lymphocytes are particularly susceptible to apoptosis, as 95% of thymocytes die in situ during development. Self-reactive lymphocytes are eliminated from the immune repertoire following engagement of their antigen-specific receptors. Thus, the process of clonal deletion by apoptosis allows for the elimination of self-reactive lymphocytes without initiating an inflammatory response.
Transient Eutectics in Sintering of Sodium Beta Alumina

Sodium beta alumina solid electrolytes for use in the sodium/sulphur battery1 have been prepared by a wide variety of methods. Two different powders can be used: component oxides or other precursors to give a reactive sintering2–4, or prereacted powders5 with or without additives6. Fast heat-up rates and zone sintering2 seem now universally accepted as the preferred sintering schedule. Additional improvements in ionic conductivity and mechanical strength can be obtained by post-annealing treatments4. Generally, for prereacted s alumina powders, such as the Alcoa powder XB-2 “superground”, heat-up rates are between 50–100°C min-1, and time- at-temperature (~1750–1800°C) is between 5 to 10 minutes. The high sintering temperatures are not an absolute necessity, as was recently demonstrated by Cannon and Chowdry6 who obtained 97% dense s-alumina from the submicron agglomerate fraction of preconverted XB-2 powder sintered at 1530°C. Sintering times then get prohibitively long for commercial application, however. The high rates of densification during zone sintering led to the postulate that a transient liquid phase might be active during the densification of sodium beta alumina7. Additionally, preconverted beta alumina (Alcoa XB-2 “superground”) mixed with a small amount of metastable NaA1O2-s alumina eutectic showed improved sinterability8,9 lending further support to the hypothesis that transient liquid phases are present at one point during the zone sintering process. In this paper we explore further if indeed a transient euteqtic liquid phase is responsible for the improved sinterability of preconverted sodium beta alumina powders when mixed with a small amount of metastable eutectic additive.
re)Considering Bertin in the age of big data and visual analytics

ABSTRACTThis paper highlights a selection of core ideas articulated by Bertin and leveraged by many researchers over time, with particular attention to how the ideas relate to developments in carto...
Inclusive AI literacy for kids around the world

We observed how 102 children (7-12 years old), from four different countries (U.S.A, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden), imagine smart devices and toys of the future and how they perceive current AI technologies. Children outside of U.S.A were overall more critical of these technologies and less exposed to them. The way children collaborated and communicated while describing their AI perception and expectations were influenced both by their social-economical and cultural background. Children in low and medium SES schools and centers were better are collaborating compared to high SES children, but had a harder time advancing because they had less experience with coding and interacting with these technologies. Children in high SES schools and centers had troubles collaborating initially but displayed a stronger understanding of AI concepts. Based on our initial findings we propose a series of guidelines for designing future hands-on learning activities with smart toys and AI devices for K8 students.
A randomized pilot phase I study of modified carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) peptide (CAP1-6D)/montanide/GM-CSF-vaccine (CEA-vac) in patients (pts) with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC).

2561 Background: CEA is expressed in >90% of PC and may be an appropriate immunotherapy target. CEA is poorly immunogenic due to immune tolerance; CAP1-6D, an altered peptide ligand can help bypass...
Groundless Pleading and Certifying Attorneys in the Federal Courts

Pursuant to the August 1983 amendments to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the signature of an attorney on a pleading filed in federal district court constitutes a certification by the attorney that "to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief formed after reasonable inquiry [the pleading] is well grounded in fact." If an attorney signs a pleading in violation of this standard, the trial court shall impose "an appropriate sanction." Such a sanction is often levied directly on the attorney, and usually requires the payment of money that cannot be charged to or paid by the attorney's client. The signature requirement and the accompanying sanctioning authority were intended to alter both attorney and judicial conduct in order to "streamline the litigation process by lessening frivolous claims of defenses." The changes in the signature requirement were designed to make the attorney more responsible for shielding the federal courts from frivolous pleadings. The changes in attorney responsibility have made the certification standard for attorneys "more stringent," and have led to the expectation that "a greater range of circumstances will trigger" violations of the signature requirement. Changes in the sanctioning authority also make the trial judge more responsible for shielding the federal courts from frivolous pleadings. The changes in the sanctioning authority stress "a deterrent orientation in dealing with improper pleading," and were intended to focus "the court's attention on the need to impose sanctions for pleading abuses." The recent efforts toward imposing greater responsibility on both attorneys and judges for insulating and ridding the federal district courts of frivolous pleadings are commendable extensions of prior procedural reforms. The 1983 amendments to the federal civil rules were intended to stimulate more fair, prompt and affordable dispute resolutions by reducing the problems associated with frivolous pleadings. The rule changes, however, provide only an insufficient shield from frivolous pleadings. Further changes that impose additional responsibilities regarding groundless pleadings on both attorneys and judges are warranted. An attorney's additional responsibility should include a continuing duty to stand behind signed pleadings and a mandatory duty to amend pleadings on the substantial completion of discovery or on the initiation of pretrial conference preparation. The increased responsibility should also include the recognition that, pursuant to federal common law, an attorney may be held financially responsible to those injured as a result of filing and pursuing frivolous claims or defenses. The suggestions in this article reflect the view that pleading abusers can be deterred without significant harm to the policy favoring free access.
Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Comparison of Stereotactic Radiosurgery to Multiple Brain Lesions Using Single-Isocenter Versus Multiple-Isocenter Technique.

PURPOSE Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) historically has been used to treat multiple brain lesions using a multiple-isocenter technique-frequently associated with significant complexity in treatment planning and long treatment times. Recently, given innovations in planning algorithms, patients with multiple brain lesions may now be treated with a single-isocenter technique using fewer total arcs and less time spent during image guidance (though with stricter image guided radiation therapy tolerances). This study used time-driven activity-based costing to determine the difference in cost to a provider for delivering SRS to multiple brain lesions using single-isocenter versus multiple-isocenter techniques. METHODS AND MATERIALS Process maps, consisting of discrete steps, were created for each phase of the SRS care cycle and were based on interviews with department personnel. Actual treatment times (including image guidance) were extracted from treatment record and verify software. Additional sources of data to determine costs included salary/benefit data of personnel and average list price/maintenance costs for equipment. RESULTS Data were collected for 22 patients who underwent single-isocenter SRS (mean lesions treated, 5.2; mean treatment time, 30.2 minutes) and 51 patients who underwent multiple-isocenter SRS (mean lesions treated, 4.4; mean treatment time, 75.2 minutes). Treatment time for multiple-isocenter SRS varied substantially with increasing number of lesions (11.8 minutes/lesion; P < .001), but to a much lesser degree in single-isocenter SRS (1.8 minutes/lesion; P = .029). The resulting cost savings from single-isocenter SRS based on number of lesions treated ranged from $296 to $3878 for 2 to 10 lesions treated. The 2-mm planning treatment volume margin used with single-isocenter SRS resulted in a mean 43% increase of total volume treated compared with a 1-mm planning treatment volume expansion. CONCLUSIONS In a comparison of time-driven activity-based costing assessment of single-isocenter versus multiple-isocenter SRS for multiple brain lesions, single-isocenter SRS appears to save time and resources for as few as 2 lesions, with incremental benefits for additional lesions treated.
Immune Metabolism in Functional Aspects of the Brain

The brain interacts with the immune system in a highly regulated and restricted manner. Immune signals initiate pro- and anti-inflammatory activity in most body tissues in response to disease states and injury. An accumulation of inflammatory insults can disrupt immune metabolic homeostasis and give rise to pathology in sensitive areas. Here, we provide an overview of interactions between immune metabolism and the brain, with an emphasis on immune homeostatic regulation. We propose that an imbalance in immune activity can have a dose and time dependent effect on susceptible tissues. In the brain, this can contribute to neuronal injury and subsequent decline in function. We also discuss a specific pathology application involving the inflammation model of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). AD exemplifies the complexities of a disease etiology with multiple contributing factors, which has complicated the development of effective therapies. Patients could thus benefit from an individualized risk assessment and prevention approach that focuses on preservation of function and minimization of immune metabolic damage.
Social work, social science and the disease concept: new directions for addiction treatment

Aux Etats-Unis, le fait de considerer l'alcoolisme ou toute dependance a une drogue comme une maladie est devenu le point de vue majoritaire, aussi bien parmi les specialistes que dans le grand public ou chez les travailleurs sociaux eux-memes. L'A. souleve les problemes lies a la medicalisation de problemes d'ordre social, et il cite des travaux considerant les phenomenes de dependance comme des artefacts de l'internalisation de l'oppression due aux inegalites de la societe americaine. L'A. encourage les travailleurs sociaux a se rapprocher de solutions alternatives, basees sur une readaptation psycho-sociale de l'individu dependant
The Editor’s field – international, as in between nations

In that context, this journal encompasses that aim to fulfil that mission. To disperse the knowledge of the various disciplines, and branches, of the sciences involved with production, distribution...
OP34 Finding what matters: using natural language processing to identify patient care preferences within clinical notes

Background Delivering care that is consistent with patient preferences is considered the outcome of successful advance care planning interventions. However, patient preferences are often difficult to ascertain within clinical notes, and thus difficult to extract and utilize in clinical or evaluative settings. The objective of this study is to show the efficiency and accuracy of two natural language processing (NLP) methods in identifying documentation within the free-text of clinical notes. Methods Rule-based and machine learning NLP methods were developed and trained on a dataset of 449 clinical notes derived from Multi Parameter Intelligent Monitoring of Intensive Care (MIMIC) III database. Human annotators identified instances of code status limitation and patient care preference documentation in a second validation dataset of 192 clinical notes. We then assessed the performance of the rule-based and machine learning NLP mathods in identifying code status limitation and patient care preference documentation in the validation dataset. Results Machine learning NLP identified documentation with a sensitivity ranging from 85.1–98.3% and a specificity ranging from 91.0%-97.0%. Performance of rule-based NLP was comparable, identifying documentation of code status limitation with a sensitivity of 98.3% and a specificity of 97.7% and patient care preferences with a sensitivity of 81.5% and a specificity of 83.0%. Conclusions NLP methods are reliable tools for identifying information related to patient care preferences within clinical notes. Machine learning NLP may be better suited to identify documentation of conversations that vary in the way they are recorded, such as conversations related to goals of care.
Individualized vancomycin dosage regimens in children

As a glycopeptide antibiotic, vancomycin is the first choice for treatment of methicilin-resistant staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)infection.Because of the metabolic individual difference, if children were given the dose according to the instruction, few patients can achieve the valley concentration as recommended in the guideline.So it′s necessary for optimizing individual vancomycin dosage regimen with the help of therapeutic drug monitoring(TDM)and population pharmacokinetics model-nonlinear mixed effect model(NONMEM), in order to realiz the combination of effect and safety.This article will introduce the population pharmacokinetics model of vancomycin in children and discuss about major parameters influencing vancomycin metabolism, including age, body mass index, renal function, health condition, and drug combination.With rational therapeutic drug monitoring and optimizing parameters of NONMEM, we hope to realize area under concentration-time curve/ minimum inhibit concentration(AUC/MIC)ratio ≥400, and to provide the reference for safe and rational pediatric dosage regimen. Key words: Vancomycin; Nonlinear mixed effect model; Area under concentration-time curve/ minimum inhibit concentration; Individualized treatment
A single healthcare experience with Impella RP.

Objectives To understand the predictors of survival and indications for Impella RP in a single healthcare experience. Background The Impella RP can be used to temporarily support patients with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement or myocardial infarction (MI). However, recent postmarket approval data have raised concerns of higher than expected mortality with this device. Methods A retrospective chart review and analysis of all patients that underwent Impella RP placement in the Emory Healthcare system between January 2016 and December 2018 were performed. Patients were classified according to the indication. Results A total of 39 patients underwent Impella RP placement. Six patients were post-LVAD, 9 were implanted for massive pulmonary embolism with persistent shock, 8 for postcardiac surgery RV failure (non-LVAD), 11 for RV failure post-MI, and 5 for new or worsening nonischemic cardiomyopathy. The worst survival was noted in MI-related cardiogenic shock group and in patients who presented with cardiac arrest (3/12). All observed deaths were due to persistent refractory shock. There was no device related death. Survival improved during the last year of experience compared to the first 2 years. Conclusion This study supports the selective use of the Impella RP, with a higher than national reported survival rate (49% vs. 28.6%). Indication appears to be an important factor determining survival.
Three-Dimensional Printing of Ceramics through "Carving" a Gel and "Filling in" the Precursor Polymer.

Achieving a viable process for 3-dimensional printing of ceramics is a sought after goal in a wide range of fields including electronics and sensors for harsh environments, microelectromechanical devices, energy storage materials, and structural materials, among others. Low laser absorption of ceramic powders renders available additive manufacturing (AM) technologies for metals not suitable for ceramics. Polymer solutions that can be converted to ceramics (preceramic polymers) offer a unique opportunity to 3D-print ceramics, however, due to the low viscosity of these polymers, so far their 3D printing has only been possible by combining them with specialized light-sensitive agents and subsequently cross-linking them layer by layer by rastering an optical beam. The slow rate, lack of scalability to large specimens, and specialized chemistry requirement of this optical process are fundamental limitations. Here, we demonstrate 3D-printing of ceramics enabled by dispensing the preceramic polymer at the tip of a moving nozzle into a gel that can reversibly switch between fluid and solid states, and subsequently thermally cross-linking the entire printed part "at-once" while still inside the same gel. The solid gel, which is composed of mineral oil and silica nanoparticles, converts to fluid at the tip of the moving nozzle, allows the polymer solution to be dispensed, and quickly returns to a solid state to maintain the geometry of the printed polymer both during printing and the subsequent high temperature (160 °C) cross-linking. We retrieve the cross-linked part from the gel and convert it to ceramic by high temperature pyrolysis. This scalable process opens up new opportunities for low-cost and high-speed production of complex 3-dimensional ceramic parts, and will be widely used for high temperature and corrosive environment applications, including electronics and sensors, microelectromechanical systems, energy and structural applications.
[Comment] Health risks from radiofrequency radiation, including 5G, should be assessed by experts with no conflicts of interest

The fifth generation, 5G, of radiofrequency (RF) radiation is about to be implemented globally without investigating the risks to human health and the environment. This has created debate among concerned individuals in numerous countries. In an appeal to the European Union (EU) in September 2017, currently endorsed by >390 scientists and medical doctors, a moratorium on 5G deployment was requested until proper scientific evaluation of potential negative consequences has been conducted. This request has not been acknowledged by the EU. The evaluation of RF radiation health risks from 5G technology is ignored in a report by a government expert group in Switzerland and a recent publication from The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Conflicts of interest and ties to the industry seem to have contributed to the biased reports. The lack of proper unbiased risk evaluation of the 5G technology places populations at risk. Furthermore, there seems to be a cartel of individuals monopolizing evaluation committees, thus reinforcing the no-risk paradigm. We believe that this activity should qualify as scientific misconduct.
“We Need You to Listen to Us”: Youth Activist Perspectives on Intergenerational Dynamics and Adult Solidarity in Youth Movements

This study aims to surface youth perspectives on their own activism, their experiences of age-based power dynamics in activist spaces, and their understandings of adult allyship. Using semistructured interviews and innovative participatory visual methods that invite youth to create and discuss original memes, we investigate these questions from the perspective of 10 youth activists involved in counterhegemonic organizing movements in the United States. Our analysis reveals that youth activists feel fundamentally misunderstood along multiple dimensions, including the practice of activism in online and offline spaces, the meaning of young people’s participation in activism, and their desires or expectations in terms of intergenerational allyship. By highlighting the key frustrations experienced by youth organizers and the solidarity practices that they desire from adult allies, this research contributes to a bottom-up understanding of youth activist praxis in relation to larger cultural discourses and adultist systems, while identifying practical implications for intergenerational support.
Keynote: The Moon, the Ghetto and Artificial Intelligence: Enacting Digital Government

Artificial intelligence promises to offer powerful means, tools and applications to solve a range of problems many of which have long been considered in digital government research. Yet fears abound concerning machine learning, an area of AI that includes opaque algorithms that “learn,” and datasets that may include biases that could have serious implications for the outputs of automated decision making. These profound technological developments collide with troubling increases in social and income inequalities that have produced political destabilization and human suffering. In a prescient lecture, Richard Nelson asked why it is that public policy can put someone on the moon but cannot solve the problems that produce and sustain the ghetto. What should digital government researchers know at artificial intelligence, and what might digital government researchers interested in artificial intelligence applications learn from the metaphor of the moon and the ghetto as we continue to examine and influence the enactment of digital government?
Driving, Monitoring and Protection Technology for SiC Devices Using Intelligent Gate Drive: An Overview

This paper overviews the intelligent gate drive for silicon carbide (SiC) devices. Beyond the traditional isolation and amplification functionalities, the focus of this paper is the advanced driving, monitoring, and protection technology enabled by intelligent gate drive to enhance the SiC performance at the device level and converter level. Future research needs are also discussed.
Using First Principles for Deep Learning and Model-Based Control of Soft Robots.

Model-based optimal control of soft robots may enable compliant, underdamped platforms to operate in a repeatable fashion and effectively accomplish tasks that are otherwise impossible for soft robots. Unfortunately, developing accurate analytical dynamic models for soft robots is time-consuming, difficult, and error-prone. Deep learning presents an alternative modeling approach that only requires a time history of system inputs and system states, which can be easily measured or estimated. However, fully relying on empirical or learned models involves collecting large amounts of representative data from a soft robot in order to model the complex state space--a task which may not be feasible in many situations. Furthermore, the exclusive use of empirical models for model-based control can be dangerous if the model does not generalize well. To address these challenges, we propose a hybrid modeling approach that combines machine learning methods with an existing first-principles model in order to improve overall performance for a sampling-based nonlinear model predictive controller. We validate this approach on a soft robot platform and demonstrate that performance improves by 52\% on average when employing the combined model.
Multi-Threaded control of NAND Flash memory array

Flash memory devices operations like read, program and erase are performed by sequences called “algorithms”. An algorithm is mainly composed of phases where accurate voltages are computed and applied to the array cells and phases where data are moved through different latches in data buffers. The fast-increasing complexity of multi-bit NAND memory algorithms made it natural to realize control logic on a microprocessor, in the form of firmware routines. The HW/FW co-design enables a safer complexity management, allows development of algorithms in parallel with physical design and allows acceleration of development time to fit aggressive time-to-market requirements. Again, to follow the increasingly performance requirements different kind of multi-thread microprocessor solutions have been proposed in the years to get the best performance-power-area (PPA) trade-off. This article proposes one possible approach to performance optimization by a multi-threaded approach, without an immediate downside for area and power. The most innovative point of the new architecture is the deep adherence between intrinsic parallelizable physical processes inside a NAND Flash and the number of threads, busses and physical executors. As shown, this solution introduces tangible advantages in terms of performance.