cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Child and parent attributions in chronic pediatric conditions: phenylketonuria (PKU) as an exemplar.

Background: Attribution theory, self-regulation, self-handicapping and sick role theories all suggest that children with chronic disease may be held to different standards. This study assesses child and parent attributions in pediatric chronic health conditions and addresses how attributional style may be related to treatment adherence. Methods: Four different vignettes were utilized to compare the attributional style of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) and parents of children with PKU to two comparison groups: children with other chronic medical conditions and medically healthy children. In addition, the relationship between metabolic control and attribution ratings was assessed in the PKU sample. Results: Parents of children with medical conditions provided attributions of less child control and more stability as well as more positive affective reactions when compared to parents of healthy children. Children without a medical condition viewed childhood problems as less controllable and more stable. Mothers were more disturbed affectively by behavioral dysregulation and fathers were more disturbed by academic difficulties. In the PKU sample, the higher the phenylalanine level in the child, the more likely the parent and child alike were to attribute childhood problems to external loci of control. Conclusions: Attributional styles appear not to be diagnosis-specific in pediatric populations. Attributional style may be an important variable to consider when targeting treatment adherence.
Sensitization Prediction and Validation for Al 5xxx Alloys Exposed to Long-Term Cyclical and Constant Heating at Low Temperatures

A number of Al 5xxx alloys were aged at constant temperatures (40, 50, 60, 70°C) and cyclic temperatures (40 to 45, 30 to 70, 50 to 70°C) for as long as 57.5 months. ASTM G67 nitric acid mass loss test (NAMLT) results of Al 5050-H32, 5052-H32, 5154-H32, 5083-H116, 5083-H131, and 5456-H116 alloys were obtained to evaluate the degree of sensitization. An intergranular β-phase growth model that considers nucleation, growth, and coarsening processes was developed to predict the formation and continuity of the β phase that leads to sensitization. Results obtained from scanning transmission electron microscopy were used to verify the model. A linear relationship between continuity and mass loss was adopted to predict the mass loss of Al 5083-H116 and -H131 aged at constant and cyclical temperature, and the modeling results agree well with experimental mass loss data.
Historical Description of the Vegetation of the Boston Harbor Islands: 1600-2000

Historical accounts and descriptions of the Boston Harbor Islands were searched for references to the islands' vegetation. They indicate dra- matic changes in vegetation structure and composition since 1600. Many of the islands were wooded prior to European settlement, although Native American use is evident before 1600. Forests were cleared for agriculture, building materials, and firewood. Through the centuries since European settlement, the islands have variously supported municipal and military fa- cilities, some of which have since been abandoned. As use of the islands changed, the vegetation of the islands also changed; in some cases native trees and other species returned to abandoned areas, while in others new, exotic species became established or were planted. By the end of the 20 th
Nonlinear localization, passive wave arrest and traveling breathers in two-dimensional granular networks with discontinuous lateral boundary conditions

Abstract We study nonlinear pulse propagation, breather formation and nonlinear localization leading to passive wave arrest in an impulsively forced two-dimensional granular network composed of two geometrically coupled ordered granular chains of spherical (heavy) beads with interstitial spherical (light) intruders, possessing discontinuous lateral boundary conditions. A striking feature of this network is that it completely lacks any linear acoustics, and, hence, it sustains zero speed of sound (as defined in classical acoustics). We show that this system possesses strongly nonlinear dynamics and acoustics that depend on the stiffness and mass ratios between the heavy beads and the light intruders. Moreover, polydispersity and nonlinearity within this granular network lead to complex phenomena, such as pulse propagation, motion localization, and formation of propagation and attenuation zones. In particular, depending on the design of this network the applied impulsive energy is either axially transmitted to its far field, or it is heavily scattered and localized close to the point of its generation by means of low-to-high energy transfers in its intrinsic dynamics. Such passive motion localization phenomena are due to nonlinear on-site potentials caused by the discontinuous lateral boundary conditions of the network, as well as to strongly nonlinear interactions between the heavy beads and the interstitial intruders, and, to the authors’ knowledge, are reported for the first time in the field of granular networks. These results demonstrate the high tunability of the nonlinear response of this system to energy and material properties.
Christianity and Democracy: Past Contributions and Future Challenges

Christianity and democracy complement each other. Christianity provides democracy with a system of beliefs that integrates its concerns for liberty and responsibility, individuality and community. Democracy provides Christianity with a system of government that balances its concerns for human dignity and depravity, social pluralism and progress. This complementarity has brought Christianity and democracy together, and has placed Christianity in the vanguard of early modern democratic revolutions in the West, and the new wave of democratic revolutions breaking around the world. Christianity and democracy, however, also challenge each other. Democracy's commitment to religious freedom opens new opportunities to Christianity and challenges the church to extend its mission and ministry. Democracy’s commitment to religious equality forces Christianity to stand on its own feet and on an equal footing with all other religions. Its survival and growth must turn on the cogency of its word, not the coercion of the sword, on the faith of its members, not the force of the law. Christianity, in turn, must challenge democracy to extend its regime against tyrants and autocrats, and to vindicate its inherent promise for peace, justice, and a better life for all. Christianity must also challenge democracy to reform itself. Democracy has stored up many idols in its short life -- the proud cults of progress and freedom, the blind beliefs of materialism and technologism, the desperate faiths of agnosticism and nihilism. Democracy has done much to encourage a vulgar industrialization that reduces both human beings and natural resources to fungible and expendable economic units. It has done much to impoverish the already poor, to marginalize the already marginal, to exploit the already exploited -- all along promising them a better life. Christianity must work to exorcise the idols of democracy and to continually drive democracy to purge and reform itself.
Accelerating computed tomography on commodity graphics hardware

The task of reconstructing an object from its projections via tomographic methods is a time-consuming process due to the vast complexity of the data. For this reason, manufacturers of equipment for medical computed tomography (CT) rely mostly on special ASICs to obtain the fast reconstruction times required in clinical settings. Although modern CPUs have gained sufficient power in recent years to be competitive for 2D reconstruction, this is not the case for 3D reconstructions, especially not when iterative algorithms must be applied. The recent evolution of commodity programmable PC computer graphics boards (GPUs) has the potential to change this picture in a very dramatic way. In this thesis, we first show that many types of CT algorithms, both iterative and non-iterative, can greatly benefit from the high degree of SIMD (Same Instruction Multiple Data) parallelism these platforms provide. By doing so, results of high-fidelity can be obtained at speedups of over an order of magnitude. In addition to describing theories and implementation details, we further show dedicated solutions for resolving various challenges presented in cone-beam reconstruction using Feldkamp’s method on GPU. We also propose optimization techniques specifically targeting the latest GPU architecture that enables the implementation of our streaming-CT notion. Next, we use electronic microscopy tomography as an example to demonstrate the power of GPU’s computational capability which is even more important here due to EMT’s extensive usage of iterative algorithms. Here a sinogram-based method was designed to achieve the maximum speedup and system scalability. Last, a new rendering method D2VR that can produce higher visualization quality than traditional volume rendering algorithms but suffers from high computational complexity, is accelerated by our rendering-driven rapid-CT framework to obtain near-interactive framerates.
Adult Cancer Patient Recruitment and Enrollment into Cell Phone Text Message Trials

Abstract Introduction: Text messaging (TMs) on cell phones is emerging as an effective means of delivering behavioral interventions. However, little is known about TM use in adult cancer patients. The present study aimed to extend knowledge on acceptability of a TM intervention in adult cancer patients; examine factors of those screened and enrolled; and compare recruitment at a large national specialty pharmacy versus community-based cancer clinics. Materials and Methods: Screening, enrollment, and baseline data collected in two randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of TMs on medication adherence or symptom severity in adults prescribed oral anticancer agents were linked. Chi-square, Fisher's exact, t-tests, and generalized linear modeling were used to examine sociodemographics, cancer type and stage, depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, social support, and symptoms. Results: The cancer clinics screened 293 patients, 43% were eligible, and 56% consented. The specialty pharmacy screened 169 p...
Heavily Phosphorus Doped Silicon Junctions for nMOS Applications

Epitaxially grown Silicon Carbon (Si:C) in recessed junction regions has been shown to induce tensile stress in the nMOS channel and thereby enhance the transistor performance. In addition to the stress induced in the channel, this technology also needs to achieve low resistivity junctions for widespread use. This work discusses epitaxially grown heavily doped Si/ Si:C layers which can be used in nMOS junctions and can address both these requirements. Si:C epitaxial layers are shown to have phosphorus concentrations as high as 1.25 X 10^21 cm^-3 with resistivities as low as 0.3 mOhm.cm. Applications of these layers can range from Si:P cap layers for low series resistance to Si:PC layers for inducing stress in the nMOS channel.
Lack of p53 expression in human myeloid leukemias is not due to mutations in transcriptional regulatory regions of the gene.

Lack of p53 expression in human myeloid leukemias is not due to mutations in transcriptional regulatory regions of the gene
Physical Families in the Gravitational Field of Force

(1951). Physical Families in the Gravitational Field of Force. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 226-232.
The assessment of cognitive function after brain injury

The revised Halstead Reitan Neuropsychology Battery,Wescler Adult Intelligence Scale, Brunnstrom Rocovery stage of stroke and Barthel Index were used to assess cognitive function,intelligence,degree of hemiplegia and ability of daily living in brain injury patients. It was found that most patients had cognition and intelligence disturbance.Movement functions were mildly impaired.The method of cognition assessment and its significance were discussed.
Sequential Determination of Arsenic,Tin and Antimony in Beverage by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry

[Objective] To establish a method for sequential determination of arsenic,tin and antimony in beverage by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry.[ Methods] In a sample digestion,the content of arsenic,tin and antimony were determined by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry using L-Cysteine as the prereduction agent.[Results]Under the best conditions(1%HCI,2.0%KBH4,2.0%L-Cysteine)for the given method,there was no interference when determining the content of arsenic,tin and antimony in the presence of 40 mL/L Fe3+,Pb2+,50 mg/L Cu2+,Mn2+,Zn2+,Se4+, Hg+,Bi3+,and 10 mg/L Cr6+,and Cd2+.The recovery rates were in the ranges of 91.3%-97.0%,92.5%-106.1%,and 90.0%-106.2% respectively.The detection limits were 0.35,0.35,and 0.31 μg/L respectively.[ Conclusion] This method is of characteristic that less reagent,less pollution,lower detection limit,wider linear range and less interference,therefore it is applicable to the determination of arsenic,tin and antimony in beverages.
Analysis on Routine Blood Test and Urine Test Among Long-lived Persons,Laizhou City

Objective To understand the long-lived persons' blood and urine routine test rating examination condition and discuss characteristics of blood and urine routine test rating change of the long-lived persons. Methods According to the requests of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Implementation Plan of the Health Investigation on the Elderly Population in Longevity Area,Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention carried out a survey on Laizhou centenarians in July,2009.Now analysis was made on the results of blood test,partial blood biochemistry and routine urine test,and comparison was made on the results with the people aged 80-99and 40-59. Results A total of 196 blood samples were tested(including 67centenarians,35people aged 80-99,and 94people aged 40-59),in eight blood routine tests,the proportion of the abnormal index was no less than one among the three groups respectively was 73.13%, 48.576%,and 30.85%(P 0.01).In the abnormal rate of red cell counting,the white blood cell counting,the platelet count,the hemoglobin,the red blood cell average pressure accumulate the volume and the average red blood cell hemoglobin content rate of abnormality,there was no difference between the centenarians and people aged 80-99(P0.05),but it was higher than the results of people aged 40-59(P 0.01or0.05);in eight items of blood biochemistry target,the proportion of abnormal index which had no less than 1item among the 3groups,respectively was 76.12%,74.29%,and 38.30%(P 0.01),in which the rate of abnormaltotal cholesterol,triglyceride,high density lipoprotein cholesterol and the low density lipoprotein cholesterol of the persons ageed no younger than 100years old was the same as that of the other 2groups(P0.05),but the abnormal rate of blood serum myo and the blood serum urea nitrogen was higher than the other 2groups(P0.01).192urine specimens were tested(including 64centenarians,34people aged 80-99,and 94people aged 40-59),the proportion,pH,the bilirubin,the urine gallbladder were all in the normal range,the abnormal proportion of other which had more than one item among the 3groups was respectively 71.88%,52.94%,and 15.96%(P 0.01),in which the abnormal proportion of nitrite,dives blood,protein and the red blood cell of the centenarians was the same as that of those persons aged 80-99(P 0.05),but different from that of the people aged 40-59(P 0.01).Conclusion Compared with the persons aged 80-99and the persons aged 40-59,the routine blood test,the blood biochemistry,the routine urine test rate,the centenarians are higher,but there are no differences in the total cholesterol,the triglyceride,the high density lipoprotein and the low density lipoprotein.
CONSTRUCTION OF WATER RESOURCES CIRCULARLY REUSE MODEL IN NAN TUN AREA OF YANZHOU GROUP OF COAL INDUSTRY

Water resources circularly reuse is an effective approach to resolve the lack of waterbased on water resources actuality of Nan-Tun area,the area circular reuse model was constructed and the benefit was analyzed in this paper,set a good example for the analogous area to follow.
How Victoria's fishes were knocked from their perch

Intuition can be a powerful force in science, but more often proves to be an unreliable guide to reality. This point is beautifully brought home in the report by McGee et al. ( 1 ) on page 1077 of this issue. The study concerns evolutionary innovations that enable members of an evolving lineage to exploit resources in ways inaccessible to their ancestors. Most biologists view such innovations as opening the evolutionary door to species proliferation and the longer persistence of lineages with the novel traits. This expectation is often realized. But, as McGee et al. show in their study of cichlid fishes in East Africa's Lake Victoria, this is not always the case.
Tunable Negative Thermal Expansion in Layered Perovskites from Quasi-Two-Dimensional Vibrations.

We identify a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) phonon mode in the layered-perovskite Ca_{3}Ti_{2}O_{7}, which exhibits an acoustic branch with quadratic dispersion. Using first-principles methods, we show this mode exhibits atomic displacements perpendicular to the layered [CaTiO_{3}]_{2} blocks comprising the structure and a negative Gruneisen parameter. Owing to these quasi-2D structural and dynamical features, we find that the mode can be utilized to realize unusual membrane effects, including a tunable negative thermal expansion (NTE) and a rare pressure-independent thermal softening of the bulk modulus. Detailed microscopic analysis shows that the NTE relies on strong intralayer Ti-O covalent bonding and weaker interlayer interactions, which is in contrast to conventional NTE mechanisms for perovskites, such as rigid-unit modes, structural transitions, and electronic or magnetic ordering. The general application of the quasi-2D lattice dynamics opens exciting avenues for the control of lattice dynamical and thermodynamic responses of other complex layered compounds through rational chemical substitution, as we show in A_{3}Zr_{2}O_{7} (A=Ca, Sr), and by heterostructuring.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF AERIAL STEREO VISUAL ODOMETRY

Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles normally rely on GPS to provide pose information for navigation. In this work, we examine stereo visual odometry (SVO) as an alternative pose estimation method for situations in which GPS in unavailable. SVO is an incremental procedure that determines ego-motion by identifying and tracking visual landmarks in the environment, using cameras mounted on-board the vehicle. We present experiments demonstrating how SVO performance varies with camera pointing angle, for a robotic helicopter platform. Our results show that an oblique camera pointing angle produces better motion estimates than a nadir view angle, and that reliable navigation over distances of more than 200 meters is possible using visual information alone.
Mutational Profiling of Multiple Myeloma Bone Marrow Aspirates As a Clinical Tool for Personalized Treatment of Myeloma

Abstract 3990 Introduction: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is increasingly being recognized as a heterogeneous disease. Previous studies have reported various oncogenic mutations in myeloma. Recent genome sequencing studies have revealed activating mutations of BRAF kinase in 4% of patients, a potentially druggable target, underscoring the importance of identifying these and other potential oncogenic mutations. However, a validated methodology for clinical assessment of mutation profiles is lacking. Applying such technologies will be increasingly important to accelerate development of targeted therapies toward tumor-specific oncogenic pathways. Utilizing a high-throughput genotyping platform we evaluated the commonly described somatic mutations in bone marrow aspirates in patients diagnosed with MM. Methods: We developed a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) validated, highly sensitive multiplexed PCR-based assay (SNaPshot) to simultaneously identify 70 genetic loci frequently mutated in 15 cancer genes. This assay has been used at our institution for over 3 years for tumor genotyping and to help guide therapeutic decisions for patients with solid malignancies. To test the value of this approach in patients with MM, we first validated the methodology on MM cell lines followed by testing patient derived bone marrow samples. Results: The detectable mutations in the 8 MM cell lines tested include: MMIR: KRAS 35G>C, G12A mutation; MMIS: KRAS 35G>C, G12A mutation; H929: NRAS 38G>A, G13D mutation; LR5: KRAS 35G>C, G12A mutation; RPMI8226: TP53 743G>A, R248Q mutation;U266: no mutations identified; OPM2: NRAS 182A>T, Q61L mutation; OPM1: TP53 524G>A, R175H mutation. Thirty six bone marrow aspirates from patients with MM have been analyzed to date. Tweny five percent of patients had a detectable mutation, with KRAS mutation in 17%, NRAS in 5% and TP53 in 3%. Additional data in a larger cohort is currently being analyzed and will be presented. Conclusion: Oncogenic driver mutations can be detected by SNaPshot from routinely-collected bone marrow aspirate samples. Experience from lung and breast cancer studies indicates that while the type and frequency of mutation varies somewhat by tumor phenotype, the common oncogenic mutations are often found in isolation. Broad tumor mutational analysis will be helpful to efficiently tailor personalized therapies based on individual tumor genetic profiles. Disclosures: Dias-Santagata: Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc.: Consultancy. Borger: Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc: Consultancy. Iafrate: Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc: Consultancy. Raje: Eli-Lilly: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Acetylon: Research Funding; Millennium: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Onyx: Consultancy.
Feasibility of Second Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Collection Followed by a Second Cycle of High Dose Melphalan (HDM) in Patients Relapsing after an Initial Course of HDM for the Treatment of AL Amyloidosis.

High-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplant (HDM/SCT) can induce complete hematologic responses (CR), defined as disappearance of the underlying monoclonal gammopathy from serum and urine by immunofixation electrophoresis, and of the clonal plasma cell dyscrasia by bone marrow immunohistochemistry, and extend survival in patients with AL amyloidosis. HDM/SCT results in a CR in 40% of patients, and leads to clinical improvements in organ function in >70% of those who achieve a CR. However, hematologic and clinical relapses occur in ~5% of patients who initially achieve a CR. Tandem cycles of HDM/SCT, for which sufficient PBSC collected during the initial cycle are saved for the second cycle of treatment, have been shown to achieve a higher ultimate CR rate of >60%. Among patients who do not achieve a CR following a single cycle of HDM/SCT, 30% nonetheless experience improvements in organ function. However, in this latter group, clinical improvements are not durable. Because there is limited experience with second PBSC collections in patients who have undergone prior myeloablative chemotherapy and because of the potential benefits of repeated cycles of HDM/SCT, we designed a study to explore the feasibility, and efficacy, of a second PBSC mobilization and collection followed by a second cycle of HDM/SCT in patients who relapse after initially responding to a first cycle of HDM/SCT. Results: Five patients, median age 52 (range 43–59), M:F 1.5:1.0, who had achieved hematologic and clinical responses after an initial cycle of HDM/SCT, were treated with a second cycle of HDM/SCT when a hematologic and/or clinical relapse occurred after a median time interval of 39 mo.(range 16–63 mo.). After G-CSF mobilization a mean of 5.2 million CD34 cells/kg was collected in a median of 3 days (range 2–4 days). The yields were not significantly different from those of the first cycle of HDM/SCT. Engraftment occurred at a median of 10 days for neutrophils, and 13 days for platelets (two days without platelet transfusion support); this engraftment timing is similar to that following initial transplants (11 and 12 days respectively). There was no treatment-related mortality, but toxicity was moderate; all patients experienced grade III/IV non-hematologic toxicities. For the 3 patients evaluable at 1 year, no hematologic CR was observed; these patients expired at 38, 37 and 15 mo. Two patients are alive at 5 and 11 mo. post transplant. Conclusion: Patients with AL amyloidosis who experience a hematologic or clinical relapse after responding to an initial course of HDM/SCT can successfully be re-mobilized, and undergo a second cycle of HDM/SCT, with prompt hematopoietic recovery. Clinical benefits of second cycles of HDM/SCT in this setting have yet to be determined. Patient data
Efforts to Privatize the United States Postal Service: Labor’s Response:

The United States Postal Service (USPS), the second largest employer of civilians in the United States, has been the focus of attempts to restructure the workforce and privatize its activities. The...
Constructing Clifford quantum P3s with finitely many points

Abstract We present an algebro-geometric technique for constructing regular Clifford algebras A of global dimension four with associated point scheme consisting of a prespecified finite number of points. In particular, if A has more than one point in its point scheme, then the number of points in the point scheme can be obtained from the number of intersection points of two planar cubic divisors; these cubic divisors correspond to regular Clifford subalgebras of A of global dimension three. If A has exactly a finite number, n, of distinct points in its point scheme, then n ∈ { 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , … , 13 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 } and all these possibilities occur. We also prove that if a regular Clifford algebra R of global dimension d ⩾ 2 has exactly a finite number, n, of distinct isomorphism classes of point modules, then n is odd if and only if R is an Ore extension of a regular Clifford subalgebra of R of global dimension d − 1 .
Outcomes after chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer (EBC) patients who underwent a 21-gene expression assay.

559Background: A recent report from the Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment (TAILORx) study showed that EBC patients who had hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2-negative (HER2-), axillary lymph node-negative (LN-) tumors with a recurrence score (RS) of 0-10 in a 21-gene expression assay, had a high rate (93.8%) of invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) at 5 years when treated with endocrine therapy alone. However, outcomes after chemotherapy among patients with a RS of 11-25 were not reported. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of women with HR+ HER2- LN- EBC who received treatment at MD Anderson from 2005-2014 and had a 21-gene expression assay performed at diagnosis. We used a Kaplan-Meier method to estimate the IDFS rate at 5 years, and a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model to calculate a hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), assessing the effect of chemotherapy for IDFS, recurrence-free survival (RFS), distant-r...
Computational and Experimental Studies on Novel Materials for Fission Gas Capture

Materials in nuclear power system can suffer from thermal/hydrothermal, radiation and chemical degradation due to the high-temperature, high-pressure operation condition along with the presence of water steam and radiation. One particular topic we are addressing is understanding and optimizing materials for fission gas capture. Computational modeling is an efficient tool to investigate materials behaviour in such extreme environment. Westudied a number of materials. One of these is mesoporous silica. We used a combination of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation which were validated by detailed experiments. MD simulations reveal the porous structure transformation under high-temperature treatment up to 2885 K, suggesting the pore closure process is kinetically dependent. Based on this mechanism, we predict with the presence of water, the pore closure activation energy will be decreased due to the high reactivity between water and Si-O bond, and the materials become more susceptible to high temperature. A fundamental improvement of the material hydrothermal stability thus lies in bond strengthening. MC simulations then were used to study the the adsorption and selectivity for thermally treated MCM-41, for a variety o f gases in a large pressure range. Relative to pristine MCM-41, we observe that high temperature treated MCM 41 with its surface roughness and decreasing pore size amplifies the selectivity of gases. In particular, we find that adsorption of strongly interacting molecules can be enhanced in the low-pressure region while adsorption of weakly interacting molecules is inhibited. We have also investigated alumina as an example of a ceramic material that can be directly incorporated into the nuclear fuel itself. Unlike uranium oxide fuel, certain phases of alumina have appreciable capacity for gas absorption. The limited diffusion distance of helium and other fission product gases in the fuel may be addressed by coating micron-sized fuel particles with alumina, prior to sintering, using a unique atomic layer deposition process suitable for particles. We have investigated the feasibility of this approach using a combination of helium-focused experiments on fuel surrogate particles, together with analytical calculations of gas production rates and diffusion distances in uranium oxide. Additional studies of nanotubes of carbon and boronitride elucidated fundamental mechanisms of the influence of curvature on gas adsorption.
Bayesian estimation of true prevalence, sensitivity and specificity of three diagnostic tests for detection of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle feces

Cattle are a reservoir for Escherichia coli O157 and they shed the pathogen in their feces. Fecal contaminants on the hides can be transferred onto carcasses during processing at slaughter plants, thereby serving as a source of foodborne infection in humans. The detection of E. coli O157 in cattle feces is based on culture, immunological, and molecular methods We evaluated the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of one culture- and two PCR-based tests for the detection of E. coli O157 in cattle feces, and its true prevalence using a Bayesian implementation of latent class models. A total of 576 fecal samples were collected from the floor of pens of finishing feedlot cattle in the central United States during summer 2013. Samples were enriched and subjected to detection of E. coli O157 by culture (immunomagnetic separation, plating on a selective medium, latex agglutination, and indole testing), conventional PCR (cPCR), and multiplex quantitative PCR (mqPCR). The statistical models assumed conditional dependence of the PCR tests and high specificity for culture (mode=99%; 5th percentile=97%). Prior estimates of test parameters were elicited from three experts. Estimated posterior sensitivity (posterior median and 95% highest posterior density intervals) of culture, cPCR, and mqPCR was 49.1% (44.8-53.4%), 59.7% (55.3-63.9%), and 97.3% (95.1-99.0%), respectively. Estimated posterior specificity of culture, cPCR, and mqPCR were 98.7% (96.8-99.8%), 94.1% (87.4-99.1%), and 94.8% (84.1-99.9%), respectively. True prevalence was estimated at 91.3% (88.1-94.2%). There was evidence of a weak conditional dependence between cPCR and mqPCR amongst test positive samples, but no evidence of conditional dependence amongst test negative samples. Sensitivity analyses showed that overall our posterior inference was rather robust to the choice of priors, except for inference on specificity of mqPCR, which was estimated with considerable uncertainty. Our study evaluates performance of three diagnostic tests for detection of E. coli O157 in feces of feedlot cattle which is important for quantifying true fecal prevalence and adjusting for test error in risk modeling.
Impacts and implications of climatic extremes for resilience planning of transportation energy: A case study of New York city

Abstract An integrated alternative planning can control climate change drivers and mitigate or neutralize the adverse impacts of the changing climate on the transportation energy sector. In this article, we introduced an infrastructure of alternative fuel as a synergistic approach to climate-adaptation and -mitigation, and advanced a quantitative method to simulate the dependency of travel behavior on fuel availability when the infrastructure of transportation energy is stressed or under attack. Our approach allows both commuters traveling behavior and properties of transportation energy system to interact. Featuring a multi-stage mathematical program, the proposed model was used to study the resilience of New York City's transportation energy sector in the face of a range of climatic extremes. We found the impact of the changing climate on energy sector is major and worsening over time. The modeling results also reveal spatial distribution of vulnerable elements in both transportation and fueling infrastructures, the system's overall resilience in time of disaster, and the daily-commuters impact of vulnerable energy infrastructure. The modeling results are crucial to successful integrated planning response to climate-adaptation and -mitigation.
The World KLEMS Initiative

The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the World KLEMS Initiative, which brings together EU KLEMS, Latin America KLEMS, and Asia-KLEMS. This project generates KLEMS data sets, consisting of inputs of capital (K) and labour (L) at the industry level, together with inputs of energy (E), materials (M) and services (S), for countries around the world. Growth of output, inputs, and productivity at the industry level is critical to understanding changes in the structure of an economy, especially the relative importance of different industries and different inputs. The article illustrates the insight into the growth process provided by the KLEMS framework by analyzing the sources of economic growth in the United States over the 1947-2010 period, including contributions to growth from ITproducing and IT-using and non-IT-using industries as well as college and non-college labour.
Effect of Fuel Unsaturation on Emissions in Flames and Diesel Engines

Due to the emergence of a new generation of renewable fuels and the need to accurately model the combustion chemistry of multi-component fuels, there is growing interest in examining the effect of fuel molecular structure on fuel reactivity. This book chapter provides an overview of research dealing with the effects of fuel unsaturation on the ignition, combustion, and emission characteristics. Results from both laboratory-scale configurations, such as shock tube, rapid compression machine, and laminar flames, as well as from high-pressure sprays in compression ignition engines are discussed. Experimental and kinetic modeling studies of homogeneous mixtures provide clear evidence that depending upon the number and position of C = C double bonds, and the reactivity of long-chain hydrocarbons is significantly affected by fuel unsaturation, especially at low to intermediate temperatures. Ignition data for saturated and unsaturated components indicate that the presence of double bond inhibits low-temperature reactivity, modifies the NTC behavior, and leads to reduction in CN number in diesel engines. This has important consequences regarding the effect of unsaturation on combustion and emission in practical systems. High-pressure spray simulations under diesel engine conditions indicate longer ignition delays for 1-heptene compared to those for n-heptane. In addition, the n-heptane spray flame contains two reaction zones, namely a rich premixed zone (RPZ) and a nonpremixed reaction zone (NPZ). In contrast, 1-heptene flame is characterized by three reaction zones, i.e., a lean premixed zone (LPZ) in addition to NPZ and RPZ. Simulations of laminar partially premixed flames (PPF) indicate higher amounts of NOx and soot precursor species (C2H2, C6H6, and C16H10) formed in 1-heptene flames than those in n-heptane flames. Consequently, the soot emission is higher in 1-heptene flames than that in n-heptane flames. Simulations of turbulent n-heptane and 1-heptene spray flames in diesel engines lead to similar conclusions, i.e., higher NOx and soot emissions in 1-heptene flames. The increased formation of PAH species can be attributed to the significantly higher amounts of 1,3-butadiene and allene formed due to β scission reactions resulting from the presence of double bond in 1-heptene.
Patents and Patent Licenses

Patents and licensing play a critical role in the process of converting scientific discoveries into products capable of having tangible, measurable effects on public health. Scientists and physicians engaged in research have many reasons for learning the basic principles and procedures of patenting and licensing. Part One of this chapter discusses the fundamentals of patents and the process for securing a patent. Part Two of the chapter discusses patents in the context of federal technology transfer, including how federal funding agreements affect patent rights, and how federal agencies, particularly the National Institutes of Health (NIH), patent and license their own inventions.
John Milnor’s Work in Dynamics

This survey overviews selected themes in real and complex dynamics that have been strongly influenced by Milnor’s work over the past 40 years.
Multiple Combined Write-Read Peripheral Assists in 6T FinFET SRAMs for Low-VMIN IoT and Cognitive Applications

Battery-operated or energy-harvested IoT and cognitive SoCs in modern FinFET processes prefer the use of low-VMIN SRAMs for ultra-low power (ULP) operations. However, the 1:1:1 high-density (HD) FinFET 6T bitcell faces challenges in achieving a lower VMIN across process variation. The 6T bitcell VMIN improves either by increasing the size of the bitcell or by using combinations of peripheral assists (PAs) since a single PA cannot achieve the best VMIN across process variation. State-of-the-art works show some combinations of write and read PAs that lower the VMIN of 6T FinFET SRAMs. However, the better combinations of PA for 14nm HD 6T FinFET SRAMs are unknown. This work compares all the possible dual combinations of PAs and reveals the better ones. We show that in a usual column mux scenario the combination of negative bitline with VDD boosting and VDD collapse with VDD boosting in a proportion of 14% and 6% (total 20%), respectively, maximize the static VMIN improvement close to 191mV for ULP IoT and cognitive applications. We also show that a combination of wordline boosting with negative bitline and wordline boosting with VSS lowering achieve a 150mV and 25mV of dynamic VMIN improvement at the 5GHz frequency for the worst-case write and read corners, respectively, beating other combinations.
HORSESHOE CRAB TRACE FOSSILS AND ASSOCIATED ICHNOFAUNA OF THE PONY CREEK SHALE LAGERSTÄTTE, UPPER PENNSYLVANIAN, KANSAS

The uppermost Pennsylvanian Pony Creek Shale Lagerstatte (Pony Creek Shale Member, Wood Siding Formation, Wabaunsee Group) near Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas, contains exceptionally preserve...
How to be a maker: Your robot butler

In the final project of this series, Hannah Joshua teaches you how to make a line-following, biscuit-carrying robot
Delineating the Heinous: Rape, Sex, and Self-Possession

In this Essay, Professor Ramachandran examines Professor Rubenfeld’s concept of self-possession, which Rubenfeld presents as a helpful way to define the harm of rape. She argues that if the concept represents exclusive physical control over one’s body, it is an elusive and undesirable ideal, and as problematic as the sexual autonomy concept that Rubenfeld critiques. Alternately, if it represents the narrower concept of mind-body integration, it makes a principled distinction between rape and battery impossible. The solution is to acknowledge that rape is a sex crime, unique because sex carries distinctive risks and meanings.
Characterization of Acid–Base Interactions Using Interface-SensitiveSum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

Interfacial interactions govern a number of macroscopic behaviors including adsorption and self-assembly. Acid–base interactions have previously been shown to comprise a significant portion of the ...
Phenotypic Manifestations of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy in Children and Adolescents

Abstract Background Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a variably penetrant disease increasingly identified in young patients. Objectives This study sought to describe the diverse phenotype, genotype, and outcomes in pediatric and adolescent patients. Methods Records from 1999 to 2016 were reviewed for individuals age Results Manifest disease was evident in 32 patients (age 15.1 ± 3.8 years), of whom 22 were probands, including 16 RV, 7 LD, and 9 biventricular ACM. Nondiagnostic features were seen in 5 of 15 family members. RV disease was associated with cardiac arrest and ventricular tachycardia (p = 0.02) and prevalence of PKP2 variants (p Conclusions ACM in the young has highly varied phenotypic expression incorporating life-threatening arrhythmia, heart failure, and myocardial inflammation. Increased awareness of early onset, aggressive disease has important implications for patient management and familial screening.
Advice and Advisers in the Clinton Presidency: The Impact of Leadership Style

This chapter explores how President Bill Clinton structured his advisory system in the initial months of his presidency. It places Clinton in a framework built from previous studies that suggest how a president’s leadership style influences the way he organizes and coordinates his advisory system. Presidents appear to differ in how they coordinate the policymaking process. Coordination among advisers typically takes one of two forms— either a focus on building concurrence among relevant advisers or a focus on accomplishing a task. Translated to the presidential advisory system, presidents with a focus on group satisfaction and organizational survival will want advisers who feel empowered, who believe that their opinions and interests count, but who function best in a climate of cooperation and trust. An examination of Clinton’s terms as governor, his presidential campaign, and his early days in the presidency suggests that he has had to learn each time not to trust his predispositions when it comes to advisory systems.
Teaching the biological relevance of chemical kinetics using cold-blooded animal biology

Author(s): Ramachandran, Roshini | Abstract: This lesson plan was created to support non-chemistry major students in making connections between chemical kinetics and biological systems. Chemical kinetics is often viewed by students as an abstract topic, and one that is limited only to chemical reactions that occur in a laboratory. The subtopics of chemical kinetics can be challenging for students to apply in a different context, and students often learn the topic as remote tidbits of knowledge without a clear indication of its application. The lesson involves an activity utilizing real-life case studies with biological applications of chemical kinetics to enhance student understanding and improve interest and engagement in the topic. The case studies detail the immobilization of cold-blooded animals at very low temperatures and enlightens students about the unfortunate situation that iguanas and sea turtles faced as consequences of a particularly cold spell in in Florida during winter 2018. This activity allows students to view chemical kinetics in a new light and to brainstorm on methods to solve such problems faced in real-life.
Somatosensory changes associated with motor skill learning.

Somatosensory processing has been implicated in motor adaptation, where performance recovers from a perturbation such as a force field. We investigated somatosensory function during motor skill lea...
Cash Versus Incentive Compensation: Lawsuits and Director Pay

The role of the board of directors is to oversee managerial decisions and to protect the interests of shareholders. While director pay historically is a small cash fee, many corporations now use both stock and option grants as a part of a director's compensation. This paper examines whether this incentive pay aligns the interests of directors with those of the shareholders. We study the special case of shareholder lawsuits that specifically name the board of directors. These lawsuits indicate a breakdown in the trust and therefore the relationship between shareholders and directors. We find that when directors are paid with high incentive pay (designed to align their interests with shareholders) there is a greater incidence of lawsuits. Interestingly, greater cash compensation actually reduces the likelihood of a lawsuit.
Global Environmental Equilibrium

The transpiration mechanism has been proposed to reroute in order to convert this transpired water vapor into clean energy and potable water to balance the global environmental equilibrium ultimately. Since electrostatic force has the tendency to tug down the water, a static electricity force creating plastic tank has been proposed to be installed at the bottom of plants to capture the transpiration water vapor and treat it in situ by applying UV technology to meet the domestic water demand. A given amount of collected water (H2O) is also decomposed into oxygen (O2) and energy-state hydrogen gas (H2) by implementing electrolysis (anode oxidation: 2H2O(l) = O2(g) + 4H+(aq) + 4e− e° = +1.23 V; cathode reduction 2H+(aq) + 2e− = H2(g) e° = 0.00 V) to produce clean energy. Since the ideal potential at the water electrolysis cell (\( {e}_{\mathrm{cell}}^{{}^{\circ}}={e}_{\mathrm{cathode}}^{{}^{\circ}}-{e}_{\mathrm{anode}}^{{}^{\circ}} \) ) is −1.23 V at 77 °F and pH 0 ([H+] = 1.0 M) at 77 °F with pH 7 ([H+] = 1.0 × 10−7 M), the thermodynamic level of cell potential is to be acquired from ideal condition of free energy calculations by employing the formula ΔG° = −nFe° to collect the activated hydrogen energy for domestic use to meet the energy demand.
Takayasu’s Arteritis

Takayasu’s arteritis is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory large vessel vasculitis affecting mostly young adults. The disease process predominantly involves the aorta and its main branches such as the carotid and subclavian arteries. Vessel wall inflammation leads to stenosis, occlusion, or aneurysmal dilation of involved arteries and subsequent end-organ damage. Clinical presentations vary and range from nonspecific constitutional symptoms to symptoms associated with vascular injury, such as pulselessness, limb claudication, renovascular hypertension, angina, carotidynia, and strokes. In addition to comprehensive clinical assessment, imaging techniques, such as ultrasound, Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) play a critical role in establishing diagnosis and monitoring disease progression and response to treatment. Therapeutic strategies consist of medical therapy focused on immunosuppressive therapy and more recently, biological-targeted therapy. Endovascular and surgical interventions will also be discussed.