cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combating Substandard Housing Through Medical-Legal Partnership

The traditional legal service model assumes that clients know when they need legal assistance. This assumption is problematic, particularly for vulnerable clients. For example, a low-income client living in a mold infested apartment is at risk for developing a bronchial condition. However, unless the client is particularly litigious, he is more likely to discuss mold exposure with this doctor than with this lawyer. This is because clients generally don't realize they require the assistance of an attorney until they are in a legal crisis. For the client living in the mold-infested apartment, this is typically an eviction proceeding for non-payment of rent. Therefore, our profession's challenge is to develop a model that allows us to prevent these crises, rather than merely respond to them. A model that develop to prevent crises is the medical-legal partnership (MLP). This article discusses how MLP can be used to combat substandard housing conditions.
Doxil, Vincritine, Reduced Frequency Dexamethasone in Combination with Thalidomide (DVd-T) Is Associated with Higher Overall and Progression Free Survival as Compared to DVd in Patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM).

Background: Although initially responsive to chemotherapy, multiple myeloma ultimately relapses. Replacing Adriamycin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in the VAD regimen results in a regimen with better safety profile (less neutropenia, alopecia, fewer hospital and clinic visit). DVd resulted in normalizing the angiogenic process however this did not improve PFS or OS. Thalidomide because of its antiangiogenic, immunomodulatory effects and chemo-sensitizing activity through modulating integrins was added to the DVd regimen. Adding the thalidomide to the DVd regimen resulted in an overall response rate of 89% with a CR/NCR rate of 49 % as compared to 60% and 18 % respectively for the DVd. At this stage it is not clear if the quality of response affects outcome in multiple myeloma patients receiving conventional dose therapy. To better assess the prognostic implication of improved quality responses and to define the role of up front Thalidomide, we compared the DVd to the DVd-T regimen by retrospectively reviewing the two trial data, the follow up for both trials is mature. It is still not clear whether thalidomide is more appropriately used up front or in the management of relapse. Methods: we recruited a total of 68 patients in our DVd trial versus 105 patient in the DVd-T trial. A total of 155 patients in both groups were evaluable for follow-up and response (58 received DVd and 97 received DVd-T). Patients were matched for age, disease prognosticators, disease stage, and bone marrow involvement. The newly diagnosed patients were comparable in both groups except for the b 2 microglobulin which was higher in the DVd-T group as compared to the DVd (3.2 vs. 5.0; respectively. p0.05). In the relapsed/refractory group of patients, all variables were comparable. Results: The median follow up was 5 years for the DVd group and 2 years for the DVd-T group. Median age for the DVd was 62 years, which was similar to the DVd-T. For the DVd vs. the DVd-T group of patients achieving complete and near complete remission was 17% vs. 49.5% respectively with a p value of 0.001. Progression free survival was significantly longer for the DVd-T regimens vs. the DVd (28 vs. 13 months p= 0.0002) Figure 1., and for over all survival the median is not reached for the DVd-T vs. 28 months for he DVd (p=0.006). Conclusion: we conclude that the addition of thalidomide significantly improved the quality of response and this appears to translate in to a PFS and OS benefit. While, recently published SWOG data suggests that the overall survival is determined by the duration of the PFS and not the quality of the response, this discrepancy could be related to the small number of patients in our study or the lack of use of biologic immune modulators among SWOG patients.
How Configural Is the Configural Superiority Effect? A Neuroimaging Investigation of Emergent Features in Visual Cortex

The perception of a visual stimulus is dependent not only upon local features, but also on the arrangement of those features. When stimulus features are perceptually well organized (e.g. symmetric or parallel), a global configuration with a high degree of salience emerges from the interactions between these features, often referred to as emergent features. Emergent features can be demonstrated in the Configural Superiority Effect (CSE): presenting a stimulus within an organized context relative to its presentation in a disarranged one results in better performance. Prior neuroimaging work on the perception of emergent features regards the CSE as an “all or none” phenomenon, focusing on the contrast between configural and non-configural stimuli. However, it is still not clear how emergent features are processed between these two endpoints. The current study examined the extent to which behavioral and neuroimaging markers of emergent features are responsive to the degree of configurality in visual displays. Subjects were tasked with reporting the anomalous quadrant in a visual search task while being scanned. Degree of configurality was manipulated by incrementally varying the rotational angle of low-level features within the stimulus arrays. Behaviorally, we observed faster response times with increasing levels of configurality. These behavioral changes were accompanied by increases in response magnitude across multiple visual areas in occipito-temporal cortex, primarily early visual cortex and object-selective cortex. Our findings suggest that the neural correlates of emergent features can be observed even in response to stimuli that are not fully configural, and demonstrate that configural information is already present at early stages of the visual hierarchy.
DOES ROBOTIC ASSISTANCE IN TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY BETTER RESTORE NATIVE COMBINED ANTEVERSION

Combined acetabular and femoral anteversion (CA) of the hip following total hip arthroplasty (THA) is critical to the hip function and longevity of the components. However, no study has been reported on the accuracy in restoration of CA of the hip after operation using robotic assistance and conventional free-hand techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if using robotic assistance in THA can better restore native CA than a free-hand technique. Twenty three unilateral THA patients participated in this study. Twelve of them underwent a robotic-arm assisted THA (RIO® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System, Stryker Mako., Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA) and eleven received a free-hand THA. Subject specific 3D models of both implanted and non-implanted hips were reconstructed using post-operative CT scans. The anteversion and inclination of the native acetabulum and implanted cup were measured and compared. To determine the differences of the femoral anteversion between sides, the non-implanted native femur was mirrored and aligned with the remaining femur of the implanted side using an iterative closest point algorithm. The angle between the native femoral neck axis and the prosthesis neck axis in transverse plane was measured as the change in femoral anteversion following THA. The sum of the changes of the acetabular and femoral anteversion was defined as the change of CA after THA. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed to test if the anteversion of the navigation and free-hand THAs were different from the contralateral native hips (α = 0.05). The acetabular anteversion were 22.0°±7.4°, 35.9°±6.5° and 32.6°±22.6° for the native hips, robotic assisted THAs and free-hand THAs, respectively, and the corresponding values of the acetabular inclinations were 52.0°±2.9°, 35.4°±4.4° and 43.1°±7.1°. The acetabular anteversion was increased by 12.2°±11.1° (p=0.005) and 12.5°±20.0° (p=0.102) for the robotic assisted and the free-hand THAs. The femoral anteversion was increased by 6.3°±10.5° (p=0.077) and 11.0°±13.4° (p=0.014) for the robotic assisted and free-hand THAs, respectively. The CA were significantly increased by 18.5°±11.7° (p This study is the first to evaluate the changes in acetabular and femoral anteversions of the hips after robotic assisted and free-hand THAs using the contralateral native hip as a control. The results demonstrate that both the navigation and free-hand THAs significantly increased the CA compared to the contralateral native hips, but the changes of the robotic assisted THAs (18.5°±11.7°) were smaller and varied less than those of the free-hand THAs (23.5°±26.5°). These data suggest that the robotic assisted THA can better restore the native hip CAs with higher repeatability than the free-hand technique. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of the hip anteversion changes on the in-vivo function of the hip and the long-term outcomes in THA patients.
Aging, Getting Older, and the Good Life

I distinguish between aging as merely getting chronologically older and aging as a process involving change. I then consider some prominent theories of value (hedonism, desire-satisfaction theory, and objective state theory) and examine how each theory evaluates the value or lack thereof involved in aging in either sense. I also discuss people’s subjective attitudes toward aging and show how the facts of such attitudes will play a role in each theory in determining the actual value of aging. I conclude by suggesting that everyone, young and old alike, would benefit from a cultural shift away from our current obsession with youth.
A Cautious Look at Robustness in Residual Generation

Abstract Various robust residual generation methods are reviewed and shown to suffer from limitations. Exact decoupling from disturbances and single parameter uncertainties is restricted by design freedom. Approximate decoupling methods are optimal in some sense but there is no guarantee as to acceptable performace. Bounded uncertainty methods lead to conservative design which may be very restrictive on fault and disturbance sizes
Sexuality Education and the School District of Philadelphia

I remember going to see the movie Mean Girls (Lorne & Waters) in 2004 and thinking the aforementioned quote was one of the funniest in the film. A witty commentary on the multitude of abstinence-only programs that permeated public education during the second Bush administration, the filmmakers offered audiences a parodied view of what was actually taking place in public schools across the nation. And while at the time, I was amused by the coach’s threats to his students concerning premarital sex, the implication is anything but funny.
Das Ganze sehen: Räumliche Analysen zur Ermittlung des Zusammenhangs zwischen Umsatz- und Nachfragepotenzial

Unternehmen des stationaren Einzelhandels sehen sich nahezu taglich mit raumbezogenen Fragestellungen konfrontiert. Dabei geht es um vielfaltige Bereiche des unternehmerischen Handelns, wie etwa die Planung und Durchfuhrung von Marketingkampagnen, die Platzierung neuer Produkte oder die Sortimentsgestaltung.
Probing semiconductor interfacial carrier dynamics through time-resolving the photo-induced electric fields (Conference Presentation)

Isolating spectral signatures and/or the carrier dynamics that are specific to semiconductor junctions and not just the interface or bulk is challenging. Junctions that form between a semiconductor surface and a contacting layer are the key to their function. Equilibration of chemical potential at such junctions creates an internal electric field and establishes a region where mobile charges are driven away (depletion region). Absorption of light produces electrons and holes within the depletion region where the charges are separated. We developed transient photoreflectance (TPR) as an innovative time-resolved spectroscopic probe that can directly monitor carrier dynamics within and across such junctions. In the TPR method, the change in reflectance (ΔR) of a broadband probe from a specific interface is monitored as a function of pump-probe delay. The spectral nature of the reflected beam provides quantitative information about the built-in field; thus, TPR is a non-contact probe of the electric field at that interface. We applied TPR to study charge transfer at p-type gallium-indium phosphide (p-GaInP2) and n-type gallium-arsenide (n-GaAs) interfaces. We monitored the formation and decay of transient electric fields that form upon photoexcitation within bare p-GaInP2, p-GaInP2/platinum (Pt), and p-GaInP2/amorphous titania (TiO2) interfaces. A field at both the p-GaInP2/Pt and p-GaInP2/TiO2 interfaces forms that drives charge separation, however, recombination at the p-GaInP2/TiO2 interface is significantly reduced compared the p-GaInP2/Pt interface. On the other hand, n-GaAs forms an ohmic contact with TiO2 while only a small field forms at the n- GaAs/NiO interface that promotes hole transfer to nickel oxide (NiO).
Injectable trace-mineral supplementation improves sperm motility and morphology of young beef bulls

ABSTRACT This experiment evaluated effects of supplemental s.c. trace-mineral injections on growth and breeding soundness of bull calves. Weaned bulls (n = 488; initial BW = 308 ± 45 kg, initial age = 203 ± 17 d) of 2 breeds (Angus and Charolais) and originating from 13 ranches in the Great Plains were transported to a common confinement facility and assigned randomly to 2 treatments: (1) s.c. injections of trace mineral (TM) containing 15 mg/mL Cu, 5 mg/mL Se, 10 mg/mL Mn, and 60 mg/mL Zn or (2) s.c. injections of physiological saline (control). Treatments were administered at arrival (d −2 or −1; 1 mL per 45 kg of BW) and on d 90 ± 1 (1 mL per 68 kg of BW). On d 0, bulls were stratified by treatment, breed, and ranch of origin and assigned randomly to 8 pens in which they were fed a growing diet for 225 d. The diet was formulated to promote a 1.5-kg ADG at a DMI of 2.6% of BW and to meet or exceed NRC (2000) requirements for Ca, Co, Cu, I, Mg, Mn, Na, P, K, Se, and Zn. Initial BW were measured and pretreatment blood plasma samples were collected on d −2 or −1. Breeding soundness examinations (BSE) were conducted and BW were measured at 10 and 12 mo of age (d 90 ± 1 and d 150 ± 1, respectively). Scrotal circumference was measured and semen samples were collected via electro-ejaculation. Motility and morphology of sperm were evaluated via light microscopy. Scrotal circumference, BW, and ADG did not differ (P ≥ 0.16) between treatments at any time. Proportions of control- and TM-treated bulls achieving minimal satisfactory BSE classifications did not differ at 10 mo of age (P = 0.98; 50 ± 3.8% for both TM and control) or at 12 mo of age (P = 0.43; 89 and 86 ± 2.2% for TM and control, respectively). Conversely, improved (P = 0.05) sperm motility was detected in TM-treated bulls compared with control-treated bulls at 12 mo of age; moreover, TM-treated bulls had greater (P ≤ 0.05) improvements in sperm morphology and motility between 10 and 12 mo of age than control-treated bulls. Among bulls that failed BSE at 10 mo of age, more TM-treated bulls tended (P = 0.10) to pass BSE at 12 mo of age than control-treated bulls (98 and 94 ± 1.6% for TM and control, respectively). Under the conditions of this experiment, sperm motility and morphology at 12 mo of age were improved in bulls treated with injectable TM at 7 and 10 mo of age compared with bulls treated with saline.
Recombination of Oxygen and Nitrogen on Silica-Based Thermal Protection Surfaces: Mechanism and Implications

A number of papers, see for example [1], have pointed out the importance of being able to model the catalytic recombination of oxygen and nitrogen on silica-based materials because of the role that these reactions play in re-entry heating. Because the energies of molecular oxygen and nitrogen are less than that of two atoms of oxygen and nitrogen, respectively, when these species recombine, the excess energy can be transferred directly to the surface, representing an additional heat load [2]. Silicon dioxide is the principal material making up the Space Shuttle thermal-protection-tile surface; to be more precise, the surface is a borosilicate reaction-cured glass (RCG) [3]. This paper describes a kinetic approach to modeling the recombination of oxygen and nitrogen on Reaction-Cured Glass (RCG). The paper is meant to present only a brief review of these models; more detail on these models can be found in [4–7].
Associated Injuries Complicating the Management of Acetabular Fractures: Review and Case Studies

The treatment of acetabular fractures has evolved considerably in the past three decades. Associated injuries to the femoral head, proximal femur, or femoral shaft can complicate the initial management of the acetabular fracture, and mandate a careful treatment strategy for optimal treatment of both the acetabular fracture and associated injury. These injuries may have a large impact on the clinical outcome. The surgeon must consider surgical approaches, timing, and alternative modes of fixation. A discussion with case illustrations is provided.
Update on Vaccinating the Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of infectious diseases independent of their immunosuppression status, and yet, studies suggest that this population is not receiving standard vaccinations at the same rate as the general population. This review seeks to understand why IBD patients may not be receiving recommended immunizations and to provide guidelines on vaccinating this vulnerable population. Inactive vaccines are recommended for patients with IBD regardless of immunosuppression status due to the increased risk for many vaccine-preventable illnesses. Certain live vaccines can be administered to the immunocompromised patient with IBD. Additionally, many patients with IBD will be immunosuppressed some time in their disease course, further increasing their risk for infection. Despite this understanding, patients with IBD have poor vaccination rates. Inadequate knowledge, limited time with patients, and lack of consensus as to who is responsible for identifying and administering vaccinations are some of the most important barriers to vaccinating the patient with IBD. In this review, we discuss guidelines for vaccinating both the immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patient with IBD as well as provide vaccine-specific recommendations. The evidence suggests that patients with IBD are not receiving recommended vaccinations because of misconceptions on the part of patients as well as a paucity of knowledge by their health care team. Educational programs can be successfully implemented to increase knowledge about appropriate vaccinations and can ultimately increase vaccine uptake among patients with IBD. In the end, gastroenterologists and primary care physicians must work together with their patients with IBD to ensure that recommended vaccinations are administered.
A Unified Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux Approach for Modeling Atmospheric Convection

AbstractA fully unified parameterization of boundary layer and moist convection (shallow and deep) is presented. The new parameterization is based on the stochastic multiplume eddy-diffusivity/mass...
A Systems Thinking Perspective of Medication Adherence for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Medication adherence affects the management of diabetes mellitus as a chronic disease. Due to the significant economic and health system burden, it is imperative to understand the complex dynamics related to diabetes mellitus and medication adherence and to use this knowledge to make informed decisions to ensure positive outcomes. This objective may be advanced by understanding the complex system factors and associated relationships in a holistic manner. System dynamics, a systems thinking approach, is applied to explore important factors and factor relationships associated to medication adherence for patients with diabetes mellitus. This paper discusses important factors related to medication adherence and presents a causal model that graphically illustrates key factor relationships.
Outcome analysis and negative predictive value of the "unsatisfactory/nondiagnostic" category of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology.

Introduction The Paris System (TPS) for Reporting Urinary Cytology (UCyto) was published in 2016, but to date, no study addressing the unsatisfactory (UNSAT) category has been published. We aimed to identify the negative predictive value (NPV) for UNSAT UCyto after the implementation of TPS at our institution. Method For the period from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019, we identified all cases with UNSAT diagnosis on UCyto specimens and available cytologic and/or surgical pathology follow-up within 6 months from the UNSAT diagnosis. Cases were deemed true negative (TN) if the follow-up was “negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma” (NHGUC). Information regarding previous medical history, clinical indications, and specimen type were tabulated and analyzed. Results From 6348 UCyto specimens, there were 230 (3.6%) UNSAT diagnoses made on 209 patients (112 [53.6%] men and 97 [46.4%] women) with a median age of 64 years. Of these, 116 UCyto specimens from 106 patients, which had cytologic and/or surgical pathology follow-up within 6 months, were further studied. Most UNSAT UCyto specimens were bladder washing/barbotage (BW/BB), and the most common indication for UCyto was cancer surveillance. The main cause of UNSAT UCyto was low cellularity. There were 5 false-negative (FN) results for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC), which corresponds to an overall NPV of 84.4%. NPV was highest for patients with UCyto for hematuria, and for patients with BW/BB as UCyto specimen type. Conclusions Our results show that UNSAT diagnoses have a lower NPV than that typical of NHGUC diagnoses, and should be managed accordingly.
Top-loaded 60:1 Wideband Direction-Finding Sensor

A wideband, four element array is designed to create suitable radiation patterns for angle of arrival estimation over a field of view of 0° to 80° in elevation and 360° in azimuth, using the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) as the figure of merit. The antenna elements are truncated monocones over a circular ground plane and operate over 100 MHz to 6 GHz. A study of the antenna geometry was performed to meet size constraints while minimizing the reflection losses at the input for frequencies up to 1 GHz. A method is presented to find the ideal loading impedance required for each frequency using multiport S-parameters derived from field simulations. The loading improves the maximum return loss from 0.4 dB to 6 dB. The study reveals a trade-off between minimal reflection losses and direction finding (DF) performance evaluated using the CRLB over the operating frequency. For the best investigated geometry using top loading the maximum root mean square error of the azimuth DF estimate remains below 13°.
Voice onset time in two French dialects

Abstract: Caramazza, Yeni-Komshian, Zurif & Carbone (1973), have shown that voice onset time is not sufficient as a phonological cue for Canadian French speakers to make a categorical distinction between the voiced and voiceless forms of stop consonants. The present study was an attempt to determine if this fact could be generalized to other French dialects or if the particular nature of Canadian French could be ascribed to the peculiar development of a language in contact (with Canadian English in this case). The obtained results suggest that, unlike the case of Canadian French, voice onset time is phonemic in French. Further the pattern of results obtained for French, Canadian French and Canadian English could be explained in terms of an hypothesis of linguistic change.
The fish body functions as an airfoil: surface pressures generate thrust during carangiform locomotion

Abstract The anterior body of many fishes is shaped like an airfoil turned on its side. With an oscillating angle to the swimming direction, such an airfoil experiences negative pressure due to both its shape and pitching movements. This negative pressure acts as thrust forces on the anterior body. Here, we apply a high-resolution, pressure-based approach to describe how two fishes, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill), swimming in the carangiform mode, the most common fish swimming mode, generate thrust on their anterior bodies using leading-edge suction mechanics, much like an airfoil. These mechanics contrast with those previously reported in lampreys – anguilliform swimmers – which produce thrust with negative pressure but do so through undulatory mechanics. The thrust produced on the anterior body of these carangiform swimmers through negative pressure comprises 28% of the total thrust produced over the body and caudal fin, substantially decreasing the net drag on the anterior body. On the posterior region, subtle differences in body shape and kinematics allow trout to produce more thrust than bluegill, suggesting that they may swim more effectively. Despite the large phylogenetic distance between these species, and differences near the tail, the pressure profiles around the anterior body are similar. We suggest that such airfoil-like mechanics are highly efficient, because they require very little movement and therefore relatively little active muscular energy, and may be used by a wide range of fishes since many species have appropriately-shaped bodies. Significance Statement Many fishes have bodies shaped like a low-drag airfoil, with a rounded leading edge and a smoothly tapered trailing region, and move like an airfoil pitching at a small angle. This shape reduces drag but its significance for thrust production by fishes has not been investigated experimentally. By quantifying body surface pressures and forces during swimming, we find that the anterior body shape and movement allows fishes to produce thrust in the same way as an oscillating airfoil. This work helps us to understand how the streamlined body shape of fishes contributes, not only to reducing drag, but also directly to propulsion, and, by quantitatively linking form and function, leads to a more complete understanding fish evolution and ecology.
YAP Non-cell-autonomously Promotes Pluripotency Induction in Mouse Cells

Summary Yes-associated protein (YAP) is known to promote the stemness of multiple stem cell types, including pluripotent stem cells, while also antagonizing pluripotency during early embryogenesis. How YAP accomplishes these distinct functions remains unclear. Here, we report that, depending on the specific cells in which it is expressed, YAP could exhibit opposing effects on pluripotency induction from mouse somatic cells. Specifically, YAP inhibits pluripotency induction cell-autonomously but promotes it non-cell-autonomously. For its non-cell-autonomous role, YAP alters the expression of many secreted and matricellular proteins, including CYR61. YAP's non-cell-autonomous promoting effect could be recapitulated by recombinant CYR61 and abrogated by CYR61 depletion. Thus, we define a YAP-driven effect on enhancing pluripotency induction largely mediated by CYR61. Our work highlights the importance of considering the distinct contributions from heterologous cell types in deciphering cell fate control mechanisms and calls for careful re-examination of the co-existing bystander cells in complex cultures and tissues.
Alternative splicing controls teneurin-latrophilin interaction and synapse specificity by a shape-shifting mechanism

The trans-synaptic interaction of the cell-adhesion molecules teneurins (TENs) with latrophilins (LPHNs/ADGRLs) promotes excitatory synapse formation when LPHNs simultaneously interact with FLRTs. Insertion of a short alternatively-spliced region within TENs abolishes the TEN-LPHN interaction and switches TEN function to specify inhibitory synapses. How alternative-splicing regulates TEN-LPHN interaction remains unclear. Here, we report the 2.9 A resolution cryo-EM structure of the TEN2-LPHN3 complex, and describe the trimeric TEN2-LPHN3-FLRT3 complex. The structure reveals that the N-terminal lectin domain of LPHN3 binds to the TEN2 barrel at a site far away from the alternatively spliced region. Alternative-splicing regulates the TEN2-LPHN3 interaction by hindering access to the LPHN-binding surface rather than altering it. Strikingly, mutagenesis of the LPHN-binding surface of TEN2 abolishes the LPHN3 interaction and impairs excitatory but not inhibitory synapse formation. These results suggest that a multi-level coincident binding mechanism mediated by a cryptic adhesion complex between TENs and LPHNs regulates synapse specificity. The trans-synaptic interaction of the cell-adhesion molecules teneurins (TENs) with latrophilins (LPHNs) promotes excitatory synapse formation. Here authors report the high resolution cryo-EM structure of the TEN2-LPHN3 complex, describe the trimeric TEN2-LPHN3-FLRT3 complex and show how alternative-splicing regulates the TEN2-LPHN3 interaction.
Chapter 1 – Physical Properties

Publisher Summary This chapter presents results for physical property data for major hydrocarbons and organic chemicals. The results are presented in an easy-to-use, tabular format, which is especially applicable for rapid engineering usage with the personal computer or hand calculator. The tabulation is based on both experimental data and estimated values. In the data collection, a literature search was conducted to identify data source publications. The publications were screened, and copies of appropriate data were made. These data were then keyed into the computer to provide a data base of critical properties for compounds for which experimental data are available. The data base serves as a basis to check the accuracy of the estimation methods. The physical properties include molecular weight; freezing point; boiling point; critical constants like temperature, pressure, and volume; acentric factor; and density. A wide range of compounds are covered, including oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, fluorine, bromine, sulfur, silicon and other chemical types.
Internal I/O Testing: Definition and a Solution

Many semi-conductor manufacturing companies use 3D interconnect technology to flexibly combine smaller heterogeneous designs in a system-on-package. Internal I/O (IIO) are placed at two ends of the inter-die interconnect. Small dimension of IIOs prohibits tester probing. This, along with the very large number of inter-die interconnects poses a serious challenge to robustly test these interconnects. This is a hindrance to adopting 3D interconnect technologies. This paper discusses the difference between IIO testing and GPIO, HSIO testing. A novel IIO BIST solution, which removes a major obstacle for adopting 3D-interconnect technology, is presented.
Evaluating Pediatric Sepsis Definitions Designed for Electronic Health Record Extraction and Multicenter Quality Improvement

Objectives To describe the Children's Hospital Association's Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes sepsis definitions and the identified patients; evaluate the definition using a published framework for evaluating sepsis definitions. Design Observational cohort. Setting Multicenter quality improvement collaborative of 46 hospitals from January 2017 to December 2018, excluding neonatal ICUs. Patients Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis was defined by electronic health record evidence of suspected infection and sepsis treatment or organ dysfunction. A more severely ill subgroup, Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Critical Sepsis, was defined, approximating septic shock. Interventions Participating hospitals identified patients, extracted data, and transferred de-identified data to a central data warehouse. The definitions were evaluated across domains of reliability, content validity, construct validity, criterion validity, measurement burden, and timeliness. Measurements and main results Forty hospitals met data quality criteria across four electronic health record platforms. There were 23,976 cases of Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis, including 8,565 with Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Critical Sepsis. The median age was 5.9 years. There were 10,316 (43.0%) immunosuppressed or immunocompromised patients, 4,135 (20.3%) with central lines, and 2,352 (11.6%) chronically ventilated. Among Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis patients, 60.8% were admitted to intensive care, 26.4% had new positive-pressure ventilation, and 19.7% received vasopressors. Median hospital length of stay was 6.0 days (3.0-13.0 d). All-cause 30-day in-hospital mortality was 958 (4.0%) in Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis; 541 (6.3%) in Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Critical Sepsis. The Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis definitions demonstrated strengths in content validity, convergent construct validity, and criterion validity; weakness in reliability. Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis definitions had significant initial measurement burden (median time from case completion to submission: 15 mo [interquartile range, 13-18 mo]); timeliness improved once data capture was established (median, 26 d; interquartile range, 23-56 d). Conclusions The Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Sepsis definitions demonstrated feasibility for large-scale data abstraction. The patients identified provide important information about children treated for sepsis. When operationalized, these definitions enabled multicenter identification and data aggregation, indicating practical utility for quality improvement.
The psychic life of consumer power: Judith Butler, Ernest Dichter, the American marketing reception of Freud, and the rituals of consuming religion:

First, a close reading of Judith Butler’s The Psychic Life of Power underscores the ways in which Butler’s account of power liquidates issues of political economy and problematically ontologizes Fr...
A real-time, transient kinetic study of Drosophila melanogaster Dicer-2 elucidates mechanism of termini-dependent cleavage of dsRNA

SUMMARY Drosophila melanogaster Dicer-2 (dmDcr-2) differentially processes dsRNA with blunt or 2 nucleotide 3’-overhanging termini. We investigated the transient kinetic mechanism of these reactions using a rapid reaction stopped-flow technique and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We found that ATP binding to dmDcr-2’s helicase domain impacts the kinetics of dsRNA binding and dissociation in a termini-dependent manner, emphasizing the termini-dependent discrimination of dsRNA on a biologically-relevant time-scale. ATP-hydrolysis mediates local unwinding of dsRNA, and directional translocation on unwound single-stranded RNA, which is concurrent with a slow rewinding prior to dsRNA cleavage. Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy reveals a nucleotide-dependent change in conformational dynamics of the helicase and Platform•PAZ domains in the nanosecond timescale that is correlated with termini-dependent dsRNA cleavage. Our study delineates kinetic events and transient intermediates for a Dicer-catalyzed reaction, thus establishing a framework for understanding other Dicers and how accessory factors modulate the reaction.
High-speed in-line optical angular scatterometer for high-throughput roll-to-roll nanofabrication

Roll-to-roll and other high-speed printing manufacturing processes are increasingly being extended to micro- and nano-electronics and photonics due to cost and throughput advantages as compared with traditional wafer-scale manufacturing. The extra degrees of freedom associated with a moving web require high speed, in-line metrology to control the manufacturing process. Many state-of-the-art metrology approaches have sub-10 nm resolution but cannot be implemented during real-time fabrication processes because of environmental constraints or contact/cross sectional requirements. Optical angular scatterometry is a non-contact metrology approach that can be implemented at high speed. We demonstrate a system that uses 45° off-axis parabolic mirrors and an 8kHz resonant scanner to vary the incident/reflected angle from ~17° to ~67°, suitable for nanoscale metrology at web speeds of up to 350 cm/s, well-beyond the speed of current manufacturing tools. Scatterometry is sensitive not only to gross defects (missing pattern sections) but also to variations in nanoscale pattern details, offering a pathway to feedback control of the manufacturing process.
Effects of Outdoor Stocking Density on Growth, Feather Damage and Behavior of Slow-Growing Free-Range Broilers

Access to pasture is a main benefit of free-range broiler housing systems, yet the level of outdoor stocking density on broiler animal welfare remains unsettled. The growth, feather damage, pasture ranging and behaviors were assessed for 150 mixed-sex, slow-growing Freedom Rangers from 5 to 11 weeks of age of with free access to either a high outdoor stocking density pasture (0.5 m2 per bird) or a low outdoor stocking density pasture (2.5 m2 per bird). The probability (mean, 95% CI) of tail feather damage was greater for the high-density (23.1%, 16.3 to 31.7%) compared to the low-density group (11.9%, 7.1 to 19.3%). The percent of observations resulting in sunbathing and aggressive attacks (i.e., pecking and fighting behaviors) were greater for the high-density (1.0%, 0.6 to 1.8% and 0.5%, 0.2 to 1.3%, respectively) compared to the low-density group (0.3%, 0.1 to 0.7% and 0.1%, 0.0 to 0.4%, respectively). Furthermore, an interaction between treatment and age indicated that birds in the high-density group displayed greater stretching (during weeks 7 to 10) and panting (during weeks 6 and 9). Results of this study suggest that additional outdoor pasture space may be positively associated with broiler welfare.
Receding Horizon Reference Governor for Implementable and Optimal Powertrain-Aware Eco-Driving

Abstract This paper presents an adaptive, two-level control structure that makes it possible to implement a numerical optimization algorithm for eco-driving in real time. The reference governor in the higher level is characterized by a low, flexible sampling rate and adopts a receding horizon for preview and optimization. The optimization algorithm thereby finds the energy-minimizing solution, based on Pontryagin’s minimum principle (PMP), for traveling the selected route segments without colliding with the preceding vehicle. The tracking control in the lower level compensates for errors due to modeling inaccuracies and unmodeled disturbances. The hierarchical structure can accommodate different types of numerical solvers and control schemes that apply to various vehicle powertrain configurations. A large-scale simulation study using real-world route data with high-fidelity powertrain models validates the proposed control structure and its online implementation.
Disaster Management and School Nutrition: A Qualitative Study of Emergency Feeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract Background School nutrition programs mitigate child food insecurity across the United States. With the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, kindergarten through grade 12 physical school campuses closed, which led to those programs transitioning to emergency feeding. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has 4 action priorities that guided the assessment of school nutrition employees’ emergency response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective Our aim was to explore the experience of school nutrition employees as they provided emergency feeding services during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate their actions based on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction . Design A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews (n = 34) was conducted via videoconferencing software. A purposive sample of school nutrition employees across all 7 US Department of Agriculture regions who were involved in the COVID-19 emergency feeding response participated during April and May 2020. Participants/setting School nutrition employees were selected randomly for participation from those indicating willingness to be interviewed during their participation in a related survey. Recruitment continued until all 7 US Department of Agriculture regions were represented. Participants held various roles, ranging from state agency leaders to front-line supervisors, although most were district-level directors or assistant directors. Analysis Data were analyzed using a phenomenological qualitative analytic approach. Results Four themes emerged. First, participants described the progression of the initial shock associated with the pandemic and service disruption, the flexibility they practiced, and the development of new routines. Second, keeping people (children, coworkers, and the community) safe was highlighted. The next theme captured participants’ feeling that they came “out of the shadows” as communities and stakeholders recognized their important contribution to children’s food security. Finally, they shared insight on communication and accountability during the emergency feeding response. Conclusions These programs demonstrated flexibility, resilience, and commitment to children during this crisis. As the pandemic continues and future disasters are considered, school nutrition programs and leaders can use the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction’s “build back better” concept to refine disaster preparedness plans and advocate for changes that will continue to combat child food insecurity in the United States.
Journalists with undisclosed conflicts mispresent research on COVID-19, confuse it with tobacco harm reduction and make false allegations about conflicts in a BMJ article

A featured article in the BMJ, authored by journalists from the Investigative Desk, criticize research about COVID-19 and the cholinergic system by confusing it with tobacco harm reduction and non-pharmaceutical nicotine products. Their criticism is not based on an assessment of the studies content, analysis and presentation, but on allegations about undisclosed conflicts. I present the case that such allegations are false, and I provide documents showing that the journalists have conflicts of interest relevant to their article content that have not been disclosed. Additionally, I present evidence on the link between COVID-19 and the cholinergic system, which forms the basis for clinical trials to examine the effect of pharmaceutical cholinergic agonists in COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Despite repeatedly submitting a response, presenting the false allegations made in the article and providing documentation that the journalists have undisclosed conflicts of interest, the BMJ has not published my response. The evidence provided justifies a call for retraction of the article, the content of which should have been investigated by the BMJ before publication.
Modeling Triaxial Testing with Flexible Membrane to Investigate Effects of Particle Size on Strength and Strain Properties of Cohesionless Soil

A 3D DEM model using Particle Flow Code (PFC3D) software was developed utilizing a bonded-ball flexible membrane approach to study cohesionless soil as a discontinuous discrete material. This approach is not yet widely used because of its complexity and high computational cost, but it allowed the authors to observe the stress-strain curves of triaxial specimens, to single out effects of individual factors on the strength and strain properties, and to observe the formation of the shear band and failure surface. The 3D model was calibrated and verified with experimental data, and a sensitivity analysis was carried out for the microparameters. Triaxial tests were simulated to observe the stress-strain curves and volumetric changes, as well as the strength parameters of soils consisting of spherical particles with different gradations but the same porosity. The authors investigated the effects of mean particle size, larger particle size, smaller particle size, and soil gradation on three soil parameters: peak deviatoric stress, internal friction angle, and dilatancy angle. Four different cases with different soil gradations and particle sizes were studied: a uniform soil, a soil with randomly created particle sizes, and two soils each contains two particle sizes. For two out of the four cases studied, peak deviatoric stress, internal friction angle, and dilatancy angle increased when the mean particle size D50 increased. For the other two cases, the parameters decreased when the mean particle size D50 increased. One important finding is that the relationships between particle size and deviatoric stress, internal friction angle, and dilatancy angle were found to be linear. These relationships can provide predictions on soil strength and strain properties when the particle size changes. Observations and discussions on the formation of shear bands during shear testing are also presented. A step-by-step delineation of the DEM model development is also presented with the development process of a flexible membrane carefully described.
Efficient Trajectory Options Allocation for the Collaborative Trajectory Options Program

The Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP) is a Traffic Management Initiative (TMI) intended to control the air traffic flow rates at multiple specified Flow Constrained Areas (FCAs), where demand exceeds capacity. CTOP allows flight operators to submit the desired Trajectory Options Set (TOS) for each affected flight with associated Relative Trajectory Cost (RTC) for each option. CTOP then creates a feasible schedule that complies with capacity constraints by assigning affected flights with routes and departure delays in such a way as to minimize the total cost while maintaining equity across flight operators. The current version of CTOP implements a Ration-by-Schedule (RBS) scheme, which assigns the best available options to flights based on a First-Scheduled-First-Served heuristic. In the present study, an alternative flight scheduling approach is developed based on linear optimization. Results suggest that such an approach can significantly reduce flight delays, in the deterministic case, while maintaining equity as defined using a Max-Min fairness scheme.
'The Stepford Justices': The Need for Experiential Diversity on the Roberts Court

For the first time in history every Supreme Court justice has come directly from the same job: judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals. For the first time in history no justice has ever served in a legislature at any level of government. For the first time in history no justice has ever run for political office. For the first time in history seven of the nine justices have graduated from the same three Ivy League law schools.This narrowness of experience on the Supreme Court is unprecedented. Our current Supreme Court can indeed be called The Stepford Justices.This article traces this homogeneity to the failure of the Robert Bork nomination in 1987. Since Bork, Presidents have tried to sell their nominees as non-ideological legal technicians. At the same time, justices are actually being selected for the same reason they always have been - the hope that their decisions will reflect the political beliefs of the President and his party.The result? An ideologically split Court that decided one-third of last Term's cases by 5 to 4 votes.This article contends that Presidents - and the legal community - must be more honest about the role of ideology in the work of the Supreme Court. It draws from the work of the mathematician Kurt Godel to argue that the nature of the Supreme Court docket leads to decisions that are both true and at the same time unprovable. Technical legal skill is not as important as values and intuition. The article recommends a return to the policies of presidents such as Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. While they certainly tried to choose nominees who shared their political beliefs, they nominated not just individuals with judicial experience, but also lawyers who had been Senators, Governors, cabinet members, heads of regulatory agencies, professors, and even private practitioners. This mix of justices with wide legal and governmental experience is vital for the effective functioning of the nation's highest collegial court.