cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From Information to Simulation: Improving Competency in ECT Training Using High-Fidelity Simulation.

This study was intended to develop a new educational model that supplements ECT didactics with simulation-based procedural training and to evaluate the learning gains conferred by such a curriculum. Two types of curricula were evaluated for educational efficacy in this prospective randomized controlled trial. Psychiatry residents (n = 35) completed surveys to ascertain their baseline experience, knowledge, and proficiency with the ECT procedure. They were then block-randomized to receive either a didactic ECT curriculum (non-SIM) or one augmented by simulation training (SIM). Three months post-completion of the two types of instruction, all residents were re-administered the surveys and a procedural post-assessment. The median number of ECTs performed prior to the study was similar between the two groups (SIM group = 3, non-SIM group = 4.) The SIM group showed significant improvement on pre- and post- survey theoretical knowledge scores: 51% (95% CI = 41 to 61%) and 69% (95% CI = 64 to 74%), respectively, p = .02; this difference was not significant in the non-SIM group, p = .2. Improvement between pre- and post- proficiency scores were seen in the SIM group: 22% (95% CI = 13 to 32%) and 51% (95% CI = 53 to 59%), p < .001 while the effect was less pronounced in the non-SIM group. Inter-rater agreement for the proficiency assessment was excellent: k, = .9. Residents showed significant improvement in knowledge, comfort, and skills following ECT simulation training. With the proposed curriculum, residents would receive comprehensive education not only in the theory behind ECT but also in procedural skills. This curriculum can be modeled in other programs that do not have extensive ECT facilities.
Home Appliance Energy Disaggregation Using Low Frequency Data and Machine Learning Classifiers

Home appliance monitoring provides useful information about appliance usage, which can be used to better inform users about their consumption habits and promote energy conservation. However, metering all loads is cost prohibitive. Instead, many have tried to disaggregate loads from aggregate power measurements. Existing approaches that require submetering high resolution power signals of individual appliances during training and testing, are impractical and economically infeasible. In this paper, we introduce a low-cost approach for home appliance monitoring based on observations made on a single circuit. Our approach consists of three steps. First, we apply a neural network classifier to segment the input power signals. Then, we apply another classifier to label each segment as an individual appliance or multiple appliances. Finally, we iteratively disaggregate the multi-appliance segments with the classifier in the previous step. Our proposed approach is evaluated in two experiments. The first experiment uses a fully labeled public dataset consisting of 1,211 segments from 25 student bedrooms on a university campus. The second experiment uses 1,563 segments from the REDD public dataset. The evaluation shows that our approach can accurately detect those appliances that dominate energy consumption (overall accuracy of 86.6% and 91.2%, respectively). We also present an in-depth analysis of the failures and conjecture why they are harder to detect.
Acitretin for the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Case Report of Long-Lasting Alopecia:

Acitretin has been associated with alopecia and hair shaft abnormalities such as hair kinking, hair curling, poliosis, and re-pigmentation of hair color. In the majority of patients, these side effects are dose-dependent, mild, and only temporary, with hair growth reoccurring after cessation of treatment. A 65-year-old male developed severe hair loss over his entire body seven weeks into treatment. He presented to us more than six months after discontinuation of acitretin without evidence of substantial hair regrowth. Here we report one of the rare cases of long-lasting alopecia after therapy with acitretin that we believe to be a case of generalized telogen effluvium.
Du feu, des cendres. Sur le nom de Sybille et le Requiem de Pascal Quignard

En 2006, Pascal Quignard publie, aux editions Galilee, Requiem, fruit d’une collaboration avec Thierry Lancino. Requiem, dit le compositeur, « c’est une fresque epique ou l’on souffle l’encens et le soufre ». Pour l’ecrivain, il s’agit de ne pas choisir entre le desir d’eternite, auquel aspire le roi David, et le desir d’aneantissement, que reclame la Sibylle de Cumes. D’evidence, ces « enfers » (infera) que Pascal Quignard veut « trouver » ne sont pas des lieux neutres. C’est meme tout le contraire : ils sont un choc bouleversant, un entremelement entre violence et meditation, une presence de forces antagonistes. Autre facon de lire l’oeuvre de l’ecrivain : comme leur inscription a vif, en ce que la mort y est toujours imminente. Cet article propose de (re)lire le Requiem de Pascal Quignard en pretant d’abord une attention plus particuliere au personnage de la Sibylle. Il s’agit de penser le personnage en son retrait, dans sa crypte, dans son desir de mourir. Et de voir, du meme coup, les liens supplementaires qui se tissent avec d’autres textes, notamment a travers les motifs du feu, de l’incendie, du suicide (La haine de la musique, Pour trouver les enfers, Critique, Lycophron, Quartier de la transportation). Est exploree, alors, une autre question : comment dire tout ce qui brule ?
Lambl’s excrescences and a review of therapeutic strategies

Background: Lambl’s excrescences (LEx) are thin, filiform structures that arise on the lines of closure of heart valves. Although rare, we have come across various case reports in the literature describing thromboembolic events associated with LEx. We report the case of a 63-year-old female who presented with TIA-like symptoms and was found to have a LEx on the aortic side of native aortic valve. We conducted a comprehensive literature review with emphasis on different therapeutic strategies utilized to provide insight for future encounters. Case presentation: A 63-year-old female with a past medical history significant for hypertension and hyperlipidemia presented to the emergency room with symptoms of dysarthria and unsteady gait. While in the hospital, the patient returned to her baseline gait and speech without intervention. Work-up for including computed tomography of the head, magnetic resonance imaging, and carotid doppler, as well as prolonged telemetry monitoring was negative. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed a 0.81 cm linear echodensity attached to the aortic side of the aortic valve, highly suggestive of LEx that was later confirmed on transesophageal echocardiogram. Patient was placed on clopidogrel alone for antiplatelet therapy due to an aspirin allergy and she was subsequently discharged home. Discussion: No standard management for LEx currently exists. We aim to add to the evidence of effective management and explore the literature of patients who have experienced TIA/CVA symptoms secondary to LEx.
Afferent Input from Peripheral Chemoreceptors in Response to Hypoxia and Amino Acid Neurotransmitter Generation in the Medulla

The ventilatory response to acute hypoxia is biphasic with an initial hyperventilatory response followed by a fall in ventilation within a few minutes (roll-off) to levels above the pre-hypoxic values, but below the peak. The physiological sequence of events underlying the biphasic ventilatory response to hypoxia has not been completely elucidated. Different experimental approaches suggest that both local (i.e., neurochemical activity) and global (i.e., metabolic) mechanisms may very well be crucial during this transient phase of ventilatory hypoxic response. Numerous investigations (Bianchi et al, 1995; Weil, 1994), as well as work in our own laboratory (Kazemi et al, 1989; Hoop et al, 1990; Kazemi & Hoop, 1990), have directed attention to a possible central locus of the phenomenon in the ventrolateral medullary surface (VMS). The excitatory amino acid glutamate and the inhibitory amino acids γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine appear to have special roles to play in the response. Namely, afferent stimuli from peripheral chemoreceptors lead to release of excitatory glutamate in the intermediate area of the VMS which cause the increase in central ventilatory output (Soto-Arape et al, 1995). Brain hypoxia also causes a rise in inhibitory GABA and glycine which then diminishes respiratory neuronal output.
Recovery and Prevention

Recovery and prevention are among the two most sought after achievements in the treatment of any disorder. Recovery from autism continues to be a controversial topic, receiving everything from total acceptance in some circles to complete denial in others. Recovery is talked about widely in the community of families affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as amongst practitioners of complementary and alternative medical treatments (CAMs), but little has been written on the topic in peer-reviewed scientific publications. The unfortunate result is that families of individuals with ASD are left primarily with unsubstantiated claims that are propagated on the World Wide Web. In the first half of this chapter, we will review definitions of recovery from autism, elaborate our working definition, review existing scientific evidence on the topic, and discuss directions for future research on recovery.
Biomechanical characterization of slipping on pervious and traditional concrete walking surfaces

Pervious concrete is a porous material that may provide superior slip resistance due to its ability to exfiltrate melted ice and other slippery surface contaminants. The purpose of this study was to analyze slip-related biomechanical characteristics during gait on pervious and traditional concrete in dry and icy conditions. The hypothesis tested was that pervious concrete, compared to traditional, would exhibit improved frictional characteristics that are less likely to cause slipping events. Both pervious and traditional concrete slabs were manufactured, and misted water was frozen on the surface of the icy slabs. Ten participants completed walking trials across traditional and pervious concrete in both dry and icy conditions. Ground reaction forces were captured by a force platform beneath each concrete surface and used to determine friction usage, which was defined as the ratio of peak utilized shear to normal force normalized to static coefficient of friction. An analyses of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the resulting data. A statistically significant decrease in friction usage was found for pervious concrete compared to traditional. Pervious concrete exhibited significantly smaller levels of friction usage for icy conditions, suggesting its potential utility in reducing slipping events.
Optimal sampling and spatial distribution of Ixodes pacificus, Dermacentor occidentalis and Dermacentor variabilis ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

A common method for sampling tick populations is flagging, which is a method of dragging a white cloth over a plant substrate for a fixed distance along a transect. Flagging over rough physical surfaces or using long subtransect lengths could lead to the underestimation of tick densities. Using estimates of the drop-off rates of adult Ixodes pacificus in flag sampling, optimal sampling schemes (the length and number of subtransects) were examined using the relationships between the tick drop-off rates (c), the tick density and distribution patterns and the roughness of the sampled plant substrate. It was found that the optimal number of subtransects and Lmax, the longest subtransect length which did not significantly underestimate the tick density from c, were affected by the tick density, substrate roughness and tick distribution pattern. This study also showed that the density and distribution of I. pacificus and Dermacentor occidentalis varied greatly over time in the populations sampled, while the Dermacentor variabilis densities were low and showed no significant changes over time. Both I. pacificus and D. occidentalis had clumped distributions along trails and these clumps were aggregated. However, the clump sizes (or individual clump areas) changed significantly over time because of density fluctuation or the movement of ticks. Finally, a positive association between the number of I. pacificus and D. occidentalis adults was observed from 2 m subtransect flag collections in March 1995; no relationship was found in 1994. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998
The Roles of Teachers, Classroom Experiences, and Finding Balance: A Qualitative Perspective on the Experiences and Expectations of Females Within STEM and Non-STEM Careers

In this article we explore the factors associated with women’s choices to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. Two 20-year longitudinal studies that were conducted in the United States surveyed adolescents on their educational and career aspirations. Interviews were conducted with a special subset of women when they were in their mid-30s and 40s to understand their decisions to (1) aspire to STEM careers if they initially had non-STEM career aspirations, or (2) leave or not pursue a STEM career if they initially had STEM career aspirations. Findings from semi-structured interviews uncovered three themes that participants used in explaining their career decisions: (1) the importance of family and work/life balance; (2) the importance of teachers and classroom experiences; and (3) interest in, and perceived value of, STEM subjects. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to initiatives to encourage more women to pursue and persist in STEM careers.
Metal complexes of the perfluoroalkyl substituted Tpn-C3F7,Me ligand

The synthesis of the perfluoroalkyl substituted tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand Tp n-C 3 F 7 ,Me Tp n - C 3 F 7 ,Me (tris(3-(1,1,2,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropyl)-5-methyl-pyrazolyl)borate) is reported. Its Tl, Na, and Cs salts as well as a series of transition metal complexes of the type Tp n-C 3 F 7 ,Me Tp n - C 3 F 7 ,Me M II NO 3 (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) and the carbonyl complex Tp n-C 3 F 7 ,Me Tp n - C 3 F 7 ,Me Cu(CO) have been prepared and characterized spectroscopically as well as by X-ray diffraction. While the ligand is expected to provide an oxidatively stable binding pocket, its utility may be compromised by its pronounced leaving group ability, causing it to be readily displaced from the metal.
Moving Forward with Disability Health Education Innovation

Educational systems recognize disability and necessary accommodations within a legal, procedural context. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are established with inclusive environments. However, the programs are plagued by false positives as well as human variation in physical and psychological development. Furthermore, emphases on school-based protocols incrementalize education, thereby inhibiting individual learning flexibility, especially with respect to alternative physical education programs. Innovation and overall system buy-in to the urgency for access to sport and universal access to inclusive exercise require a shift in social/organizational leadership and systems thinking.
OcularNet: Deep Patch-based Ocular Biometric Recognition

Deep learning played a major role in many recent advancements in mobile ocular biometrics. However, many of the experiments are conducted on models which are large in the number of parameters and are inefficient to deploy on mobile devices. In this paper we propose OcularNet, a convolutions neural network(CNN) model, using patches from the eye images. In OcularNet model, we extract six registered overlapping patches from the ocular and periocular region and train a small convolutions neural network(CNN) for each patch named PatchCNN to extract feature descriptors. As the proposed method is a patch-based technique, one can extract features based on the availability of the region in the eye image. We compare verification performance of the proposed Ocular- Net which has 1.5 M parameters with the popular ResNet-50 model which has 23.4 M parameters. On popular large-scale mobile VISOB dataset, the proposed OcularNet model not only outperformed ResNet-50 with at least 11% GMR at 1-4, FMR in subject independent verification setting but also has 15.6 X less number of parameters. Further, experimental evaluations were performed on UBIRIS-I, UBIRIS-II, and CROSS-EYED datasets to evaluate the performance of OcularNet over ResNet-50.
Epidemiology of Thyroid Cancer: A Review of the National Cancer Database, 2000-2013.

Objective To show the recent trends in thyroid cancer in the United States, elucidate the characteristics of stage IV thyroid cancer, and consider the effects of diagnostic testing on the rising incidence of thyroid cancer. Design A retrospective population-based study conducted using the National Cancer Database from 2000-2013 (NCDB). Demographics of patients presenting with stage IV thyroid cancer were compared to patients presenting with all other stages using the chi-square testing. The incidence rates were examined with the trend graphs. Results When compared to stages I-III, there was an increased incidence of stage IV thyroid cancer in: Medicare, lower level of education, lower income, advanced age, male sex, increased number of comorbidities, further distance from a treatment facility, and medullary/anaplastic histology. The incidence of thyroid cancer increased from 7.1 per 100,000 in 2000 to 17.6 per 100,000 in 2013. During this same time period, stage IV disease increased 1 per 100,000. The increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer was almost entirely due to an increase in papillary cancer. Conclusions The United States has continued to see a rise in the incidence of thyroid cancer over the last decade, largely due to the detection of papillary cancers. During this same time, the incidence of stage IV thyroid cancer increased as well. Because early diagnosis and treatment of an increasing number of potentially lethal cancers should lead to a decrease in metastatic disease, we suggest that the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States is due to overdiagnosis and that more aggressive disease is not being removed by early detection.
Sexual Risk and Criminal Justice Involvement Among Women Who Use Drugs

Criminal justice system involvement among US women is associated with increased risk for HIV/sexually transmitted infections, yet effects of different forms of criminal justice involvement on intimate relationships are not well understood. This study examined associations between arrest, probation, and jail incarceration on the number of sexual partners, sexual concurrency, and consistent condom use for drug-using women (n = 631) in Oakland, California. We used logistic and negative binomial regression and adjusted for demographics, sex exchange and drug use. Probation was associated with higher rates of sexual partnership and concurrency (IRR 1.87, 95% CI [1.11, 3.15]; OR 3.64, 95% CI [1.08, 12.20]). Incarceration lasting over 12 weeks was associated with higher rates of sexual partnership (IRR 2.23, 95% CI [1.41, 3.51]). Women incarcerated once in the past year had higher odds of concurrency (OR 2.15, 95% CI [1.01, 4.57]). Our results reinforce the need for risk-reduction interventions and criminal justice diversion for women who use drugs.
On the Standardization of the Functional Analysis.

The functional analysis procedures described in the seminal Iwata et al. (1982/1994) study are prominent in the applied behavior analytic literature, having been replicated hundreds of times over the past 30 years (Beavers, Iwata, & Lerman, 2013; Hanley, McCord, Iwata, 2003). However, the extent to which particular components of this functional analysis model have become more or less prominent over time is not clear from these literature reviews. We therefore conducted a review of the functional analysis literature between the years of 1965 and 2016 to determine the trends in the usage of particular components over time and to determine if the published literature reflects a standardization of the manner in which functional analyses of problem behavior are conducted. Furthermore, we discuss whether or not this standardization of a functional analysis model is currently necessary.
The impact of a musculoskeletal training program on residents’ recognition and treatment of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is inadequately treated in primary care settings. Under-recognition of the condition among male Veterans may contribute to this problem. In order to improve understanding of bone health in older male patients, we developed the “Musculoskeletal (MSK) Education Week”, a multidisciplinary clinical training initiative within a primary care ambulatory rotation for internal medicine (IM) residents at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of this program on trainees’ recognition of osteoporosis or treatment of this condition following the training experience. We examined several clinical behaviors of post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) IM trainees following their participation in the MSK Education Week between July 1–April 30, 2014. To determine the prevalence of these clinical behaviors, we conducted an observational study of patients age 50 and older enrolled at the Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System from July 1, 2013 to May 31, 2014. We used time-dependent multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the impact of the training program on 4 osteoporosis-related outcomes: (1) completion of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, (2) diagnosis of osteopenia, (3) diagnosis of osteoporosis, and (4) initiation of osteoporosis medications. Twenty-six PGY-1 IM residents participated in the MSK Education Week, and 43,678 Veterans were identified over these periods of observation. In the Veterans cohort, 1154 had an encounter with a provider who had completed the training (and were therefore “exposed” to the training) and 42,524 Veterans did not. After adjusting for confounders, the effect of the provider training program was significant for DXA (HR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.11, 2.87), osteoporosis diagnosis (HR = 3.90, 95% CI: 2.09, 7.29), and initiation of medications (HR = 2.87, 95% CI: 2.02, 4.09) outcomes. We have shown that IM residents’ participation in the MSK Education Week was associated with significantly improvements in their completion of DXA scans, diagnosis of osteoporosis, and initiation of fracture-reducing medications in a population of US Veterans. Long-term follow up is needed to determine whether these initial results are followed by actual reductions in osteoporotic fractures.
WORDS AND NUMBERS

The differences between words and numbers—and our personal preferences for one or the other—tell us a great deal about our difficulties in communicating with each other. The different ways we use numbers and words also tell us much about “the cultural wars” so often publicized by the news and entertainment media. C. P. Snow’s Two Cultures serves quite well as the starting point in the latest round of cultural hostilities. And the careless manner in which we use words and numbers without regard for their significance and meaning can be blamed for most of the academic squabbles that denigrate human intelligence and the intellectual climate of universities. More often than not, we take for granted the observable differences between the sciences and humanities, between images and symbols, between quantities and qualities, and among the various academic disciplines and professional specialties that typify the contemporary research university. When we discuss those differences, however, our preference for words can lead us into the quagmires of literary or philosophical analysis while the preference of other discussants for numbers will leave most of us at our lowest common level of mathematical competence. In many discussions the best we can hope for is an amiable agreement not to disagree too strongly. And with later opportunities to think about our discussions
Frailty as a Predictor of Neurosurgical Outcomes in Brain Tumor Patients

Background Preoperative risk assessment is important, but inexact because physiologic reserves are difficult to measure. When assessing quality of life for patients with brain tumors, having a better predictor of postsurgical outcome would be beneficial in counseling these patients. Frailty is thought to estimate physiologic reserves, and it has been found to predict postoperative complications, length of stay, and discharge to a skilled nursing facility or assisted living facility in patients undergoing various types of surgery. Frailty as an adjunct to preoperative assessment of neurosurgical patients has never been evaluated. This study aimed to determine whether frailty predicts neurosurgical complications in patients with brain tumors and enhances current perioperative risk models. Methods Frailty was preoperatively assessed in 260 patients undergoing surgery for brain tumor resection using a validated scale that assessed weakness, weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, and slowed walking speed. Patients were classified as nonfrail (score of 0–1), moderately frail (score of 2–3), or frail (score of 4–5). Moderately frail and frail patients were combined for analysis. Results Preoperative frailty was associated with an increased risk for discharge to a location other than home (10.36; 95% confidence interval, 3.6–30.1), postoperative complications (2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–3.98), and a longer length of stay (1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–2.21). Conclusions Frailty independently predicts discharge disposition, postoperative complications, and length of stay in patients undergoing surgery for brain tumor resection. Preoperative assessment of frailty can help neurosurgeons and patients make more informed decisions about pursing surgical treatment.
Visual Evoked Potentials

This chapter discusses flash-induced visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PRVEPs), their clinical utility, method of acquisition, and standard recording protocol. It describes the major components of flash VEP and PRVEP, their common morphologic variations, and influence of various subject-related and technical factors on these responses. Detail descriptions are provided of common PRVEP abnormalities and their interpretation and correlation with dysfunction at specific levels of visual pathways. Even though hemifield PRVEPs are less frequently performed clinically, they are adequately covered for those who may like to pursue them further. Major neurological and ophthalmological conditions associated with VEP abnormalities are also described with a detailed discussion on the abnormal patterns seen in multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, and traumatic and anoxic coma. The methodology to differentiate between organic versus functional types of blindness is discussed. More than 30 figures and 10 tables illustrate various PRVEP and flash VEP characteristics and abnormalities. Six clinical cases are included at the end of this chapter and are discussed under the following headings: reason for study, technical summary, VEP findings, interpretation, and discussion. The chapter provides the referring physician a recommended method of writing VEP reports.
Tyrosine phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor subunit GluA2 gates homeostatic synaptic plasticity

Hebbian plasticity, comprised of long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), allows neurons to encode and respond to specific stimuli; while homeostatic synaptic scaling is a counterbalancing mechanism that enables the maintenance of stable neural circuits. Both types of synaptic plasticity involve the control of postsynaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor (AMPAR) abundance, which is modulated by AMPAR phosphorylation. To address the necessity of GluA2 phospho-Y876 in synaptic plasticity, we generated phospho-deficient GluA2 Y876F knock-in mice. We show that, while GluA2 phospho-Y876 is not necessary for Hebbian plasticity, it is essential for both in vivo and in vitro homeostatic upscaling. Bidirectional changes in GluA2 phospho-Y876 were observed during homeostatic scaling, with a decrease during downscaling and an increase during upscaling. GluA2 phospho-Y876 is necessary for synaptic accumulation of glutamate receptor interacting protein 1 (GRIP1), a crucial scaffold protein that delivers AMPARs to synapses, during upscaling. Furthermore, increased phosphorylation at GluA2 Y876 increases GluA2 binding to GRIP1. These results demonstrate that AMPAR trafficking during homeostatic upscaling can be gated by a single phosphorylation site on the GluA2 subunit.
The Evidence Rules that Convict the Innocent

Over the past decades, DNA testing has uncovered hundreds of examples of the most important type of trial errors: innocent defendants convicted of serious crimes like rape and murder. The resulting Innocence Movement spurred reforms to police practices, forensic science, and criminal procedure. This Article explores the lessons of the Innocence Movement for American evidence law. Commentators often overlook the connection between the growing body of research on convictions of the innocent and the evidence rules. Of the commonly identified causes of false convictions, only flawed forensic testimony has received sustained attention as a matter of evidence law. But other important contributors, like mistaken identifications and unreliable confessions, also pass through evidence rules. These pathways to admission go unquestioned today but are the result of long-forgotten policy choices that were once controversial precisely because they increase the likelihood of convicting the innocent. This Article highlights these, and other, overlooked implications of the Innocence Movement. It argues that the discovery and ongoing chronicle of hundreds of false convictions presents a unique opportunity to reevaluate American evidence law. This reevaluation could lead to innocence-protective changes to existing evidence rules and a welcome infusion of energy into evidence policymaking and commentary.
HFSS and CST Simulations of a GW-Class MILO

A magnetically insulated line oscillator (MILO) was studied using the simulation software packages high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) and Computer Simulation Technology-Particle Studio (CST-PS). HFSS was used to find dispersion characteristics of the slow-wave structure and predict resonant-mode frequencies. CST-PS was used to analyze the operation of the device with space charge included. At an applied voltage of 500 kV, CST-PS predicted 1.25-gigawatt (GW) microwave generation at 1.2 GHz while drawing 57 kA. These simulations are consistent with previously published experimental results for a similar MILO. The CST-PS model was used to predict MILO operation as a function of injected voltage, and a separate study was performed to evaluate the effects of an independent, externally applied axial magnetic field. These simulation efforts are in support of upcoming experiments at the University of Michigan, where the MILO investigated in this article will be tested on a new linear transformer driver facility.
Local Outbreak of COVID-19 in Shunyi District Attributed to an Asymptomatic Carrier with a History of Stay in Indonesia — Beijing Municipality, China, December 23, 2020

What is known about this topic? Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can be categorized by severity: asymptomatic infection, mild illness, moderate illness, severe illness, and critical illness. The rate of transmission to a specific group of contacts (the secondary attack rate) may be 3–25 times lower from people who are asymptomatically infected than from those with symptoms. The incubation period is 2–14 days. What is added by this report? An individual with asymptomatic infection shed live virus that started a 42-case outbreak in Shunyi District of Beijing in December 2020. The individual had been quarantined for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel in Fuzhou after entering China from Indonesia. During quarantine, he had 5 negative throat swab tests and 2 negative IgM serum tests. The investigation team determined that the incubation periods of 31 confirmed cases ranged from 2 to 23 days. What are the implications for public health practice? The frequency of nucleic acid testing should be increased for international entrants and people who are close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The investigation team recommend expanding sample types for nucleic acid testing to include anal swabs and residential environmental sampling; serum antibody testing can be used as a reference indicator. Parallel testing by two institutions at key points in time, such as the end of isolation, should be implemented.
Implementation and impact of the first two years of a systemwide molecular tumor board at Henry Ford Health System (HFHS).

e19266Background: HFHS implemented clinically-oriented Precision Medicine Program (PMP) in 2016. As part of the program, multidisciplinary molecular tumor board (MTB) was created to review complex ...
Examining the relationship between student attitude and academic cheating

Academic cheating has long been persistent and pervasive on college campuses. Informed by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we studied how factors collectively influence academic cheating among...
Political relationships, global financing, and corporate transparency: Evidence from Indonesia

Abstract This study examines the role of political connections in firms’ financing strategies and their long-run performance. We view political connections as an example for domestic arrangements which can reduce the benefits of global financing. Using data from Indonesia, we find that firms with strong political connections are less likely to have publicly traded foreign securities. As a result, estimates of the performance consequences of foreign financing are severely biased if value-creating domestic arrangements such as political relationships are ignored. Connections not only alter firms’ financing strategies, they also influence long-run performance. Tracking returns across several regimes, we show that firms have difficulty re-establishing connections with a new government when their patron falls from power, leading closely connected firms to underperform under the new regime and subsequently to increase their foreign financing.
Ethics versus Ethos in US and UK Megabanking

Company law in the US and UK fails to acknowledge that authorities’ propensity to rescue giant banks from the consequences of insolvency creates an implicit contract that assigns taxpayers a coerced and badly structured equity stake in too-big-to-fail institutions. The entrenched managerial norm of maximizing stockholder value abuses this stake. It does so by lending an undeserved moral legitimacy to efforts by TBTF managers to take on dangerous levels of tail risk because their bank’s deep downside is effectively eliminated by the prospect of unlimited taxpayer support. Conventional tools of prudential regulation constrain but do not de-legitimate this behavior. To accomplish that end, this paper calls for: (1) a formal recognition of the fiduciary duties and dividends that TBTF firms owe to taxpayers and (2) criminalizing aggressive pursuit of safety-net subsidies as a form of public endangerment.
Reproducing kernel Hilbert space compactification of unitary evolution groups

Abstract A framework for coherent pattern extraction and prediction of observables of measure-preserving, ergodic dynamical systems with both atomic and continuous spectral components is developed. This framework is based on an approximation of the generator of the system by a compact operator W τ on a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). A key element of this approach is that W τ is skew-adjoint (unlike regularization approaches based on the addition of diffusion), and thus can be characterized by a unique projection-valued measure, discrete by compactness, and an associated orthonormal basis of eigenfunctions. These eigenfunctions can be ordered in terms of a Dirichlet energy on the RKHS, and provide a notion of coherent observables under the dynamics akin to the Koopman eigenfunctions associated with the atomic part of the spectrum. In addition, the regularized generator has a well-defined Borel functional calculus allowing the construction of a unitary evolution group { e t W τ } t ∈ R on the RKHS, which approximates the unitary Koopman evolution group of the original system. We establish convergence results for the spectrum and Borel functional calculus of the regularized generator to those of the original system in the limit τ → 0 + . Convergence results are also established for a data-driven formulation, where these operators are approximated using finite-rank operators obtained from observed time series. An advantage of working in spaces of observables with an RKHS structure is that one can perform pointwise evaluation and interpolation through bounded linear operators, which is not possible in L p spaces. This enables the evaluation of data-approximated eigenfunctions on previously unseen states, as well as data-driven forecasts initialized with pointwise initial data (as opposed to probability densities in L p ). The pattern extraction and prediction framework is numerically applied to ergodic dynamical systems with atomic and continuous spectra, namely a quasiperiodic torus rotation, the Lorenz 63 system, and the Rossler system.
Measuring Vegetation Density in Marsh Grass Photographs Using Deep Neural Networks (Student Abstract)

To protect the world’s marshlands, it is of utmost importance to be able to monitor their vegetation composition and coverage. This currently is accomplished by large teams of researchers and volunteers manually looking at the marsh images and labeling randomly selected pixels by what species (or lack thereof) is present at the pixel. This task, however, is extremely labor intensive, limiting the amount of quality environmental monitoring that can be done in the field. If the task was automated, teams would be able to monitor larger swaths of land. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for such automation using deep neural networks. Then, we focus on the key component of this framework: a binary classifier to decide whether a pixel is vegetated or not. To this end, we create a dataset of labeled snippet images out of publicly available photoquadrats of the marshlands in Florida. Finally, we construct LeNet-5 and AlexNet, adjusted to our input snippets, faster training time, networks and experiment to learn them on our dataset for the binary classification task. Our results show that the AlexNet model achieves higher accuracy on the test set than the LeNet-5 model, with 92.41% for AlexNet and 91.34% for LeNet-5.
Performance Modeling and Tuning for DFT Calculations on Heterogeneous Architectures

Tuning scientific code for heterogeneous computing architecture is a growing challenge. Not only do we need to tune the code to multiple architectures, but also we need to select or schedule computations to the most efficient compute variant. In this paper, we explore the tuning and performance modeling question of one of the most time computing kernels in density functional theory calculations on systems with a multicore host CPU accelerated with GPUs. We show the problem configuration dictates the choice of the most efficient compute engine. Such choice could alternate between the host and the accelerator, especially while scaling. As such, a performance model to predict the execution time on the host CPU and GPU is essential to select the compute environment and to achieve optimal performance. We present a simple model that empirically carry out such tasks and could accurately steer the scheduling of computation.
Protesting White supremacy: race and the status quo in news coverage of anti-segregation rallies in Forsyth County, Georgia

A pair of anti-segregation marches held in Georgia in 1987 provides an opportunity for historical analysis of the role of race in mainstream news coverage of social protest. These protests were som...
Ground testing of the LISA telescope

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a large-scale space mission design to directly measure gravitational waves using laser interferometry techniques. The constellation of three spacecraft, each separated by 2:5 Gm, will follow a heliocentric orbit with a constant distance from Earth (~20°). Light exchanges between the spacecraft will be enabled by 300mm telescopes used to simultaneously transmit and receive. Each telescope is part of the interferometer, and each must meet tight requirements on its dimensional stability; below 1pm= pHz in the LISA band, μm-length stability over 10 years of mission duration, and below ppb backscatter of the transmitted light. Here, we present our progress in developing ground support equipment for the LISA telescope ground verification. We also report on recent experimental results of the dimensional stability for the telescope test structure; a key part of the ground support equipment, and simulations of the optical design and internal and external alignment tolerances of the test structure and the telescope within it.
Urgent COVID-19 Vaccination of Healthcare Workers via a Quality Improvement Initiative.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant threat to US healthcare workers' mental and physical health. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for Emergency Use Authorization on December 11, 2020. High-risk healthcare workers were determined to be Phase 1a. Goal: Complete the two-dose vaccine series in all interested phase 1a staff immediately after the COVID-19 vaccine was available and distributed to our institution, December 14, 2020. Methods A multidisciplinary team involving key stakeholders performed process mapping to develop four key drivers for vaccination success: rapid vaccine procurement, proper storage and handling, well-defined vaccine administration and follow-up plan, and system preparation. We tested interventions using plan-do-study-act cycles. We included employees and providers with direct patient care responsibilities, age 18 years or older, employed at the children's health system, or the affiliated academic medical center. We examined the total number of dose 1 and dose 2 vaccines administered for our primary outcome, and the balancing measure included the percent of wasted vaccines. Results Three thousand nine-hundred twenty-one healthcare personnel completed the survey, and 73% reported intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine immediately or at a later time. After 57 clinic days, we vaccinated 83% (n = 5,231) of healthcare personnel at our institution, and 99% completed the two-dose series. Due to surplus vaccines, we vaccinated an additional 1,258 community members with 99% completion of the two-dose series. Vaccine waste was minimal 0.1%. Conclusion We describe the development and implementation of a successful COVID-19 employee and community vaccination program.
Wide-field calcium imaging of cortex-wide activity in awake, head-fixed mice.

Summary Characterizing cortex-wide neural activity is essential for understanding large-scale interactions among distributed cortical regions. Here, we describe a protocol using wide-field calcium imaging to monitor the cortex-wide activity in awake, head-fixed mice. This approach provides sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and spatiotemporal resolution to capture large-scale neural activity in behaving mice on a moment-by-moment basis. The use of genetically encoded calcium indicators allows longitudinal imaging over months and can achieve cell-type specificity. We also describe a pipeline to process the imaging data. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Makino et al. (2017) and Liu et al. (2021) .
Connectivity Theorems for q-Defective Pairs

The four results in this chapter are generalizations of Theorems 1.1, 1.1*, 1.2, and 1.2*. We will replace the pair (ℂℙ N , L) = (projective space, linear subspace) by the pair (Y, A) = (complex manifold, compact complex submanifold) in the statement of these four theorems. We define the notion of a “q-defective pair”, which implies that the Lefschetz theorem holds for (Y, A) in a range of dimensions which is smaller (by q) than for the pair (ℂℙ N , ℂℙ N−1 ).
Economic Explanations for Opposition to Immigration: Distinguishing between Prevalence and Conditional Impact

What explains variation in individuals’ opposition to immigration? While scholars have consistently shown cultural concerns to be strong predictors of opposition, findings regarding the labor-market competition hypothesis are highly contested. To help understand these divergent results, we distinguish between the prevalence and conditional impact of determinants of immigration attitudes. Leveraging a targeted sampling strategy of high-technology counties, we conduct a study of Americans’ attitudes toward H-1B visas. The plurality of these visas are occupied by Indian immigrants, who are skilled but ethnically distinct, enabling us to measure a specific skill set (high technology) that is threatened by a particular type of immigrant (H-1B visa holders). Unlike recent aggregate studies, our targeted approach reveals that the conditional impact of the relationship in the high-technology sector between economic threat and immigration attitudes is sizable. However, labor-market competition is not a prevalent source of threat and therefore is generally not detected in aggregate analyses.
Fundamentals of atmospheric modeling

Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Atmospheric structure, composition and thermodynamics 3. The continuity and thermodynamic energy equations 4. The momentum equation in Cartesian and spherical coordinates 5. Vertical-coordinate conversions 6. Numerical solutions to partial differential equations 7. Finite-differencing the equations of atmospheric dynamics 8. Boundary-layer and surface processes 9. Radiative energy transfer 10. Gas-phase species, chemical reactions and reaction rates 11. Urban, free-tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry 12. Methods of solving chemical ordinary differential equations 13. Particle components, size distributions and size structures 14. Aerosol emission and nucleation 15. Coagulation 16. Condensation, evaporation, deposition and sublimation 17. Chemical equilibrium and dissolution processes 18. Cloud thermodynamics and dynamics 19. Irreversible aqueous chemistry 20. Sedimentation, dry deposition and air-sea exchange 21. Model design, application and testing Appendix A. Conversions and constants Appendix B. Tables References Index.
The State of Data for Services Productivity Measurement in the United States

In this article, we present a brief history of the development of services industry data in the United States, review the substantial progress that has been made over the past decade and a half, and present recommendations for needed additional improvements. We conclude that the state of U.S. data for services industry productivity measurement is far better than it was even around 1990. However, our list of more than 40 suggested improvements indicates that, despite the substantial progress the U.S. statistical agencies have made in a relatively brief time, much more work needs to be done. The size of the services sector in GDP and its importance as a contributor to recent productivity advance justifies a further expansion of resources to bring the measurement of services industries fully up to the standard met by the goods-producing industries.
Inferior vena cava syndrome in late pregnancy

Abstract A brief historical review of the inferior vena cava syndrome in late pregnancy has been presented. Reference has been made to its occurrence in certain operative positions. The syndrome has been described and discussed. An illustrative case report is presented and a simple remedy is offered for the treatment of this syndrome.