cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling Creep and Relaxation Caused by Phase Dissolution

Many materials are multiphasic, with an evolving, transient microstructure. If load-bearing phases within such a material dissolve while the material is under load, the stress being transmitted by those phases is handed off to neighboring phases, which leads to additional deformation. Thus, time-dependent dissolution results in creep or relaxation of the macroscopic material. To mechanistically model such dissolution-induced creep or relaxation, it is necessary to couple a model of the microstructure with the evolving states of stress and strain within the material. Here, we discuss a computationally-implemented model where creep or relaxation of an evolving composite is attributable to dissolution. Special care is taken in tracking the natural configuration of each voxel of the multiphasic material such that newly precipitated phases form in a stress-free state. The new model is utilized to model (1) relaxation of a porous material that has melting ice within its pore network and (2) relaxation due to hydration-induced dissolution within cement paste.
Transfer Effects of Prompted and Self-Reported Analogical Comparison and Self-Explanation

We compared types of transfer facilitated by instructions to engage in analogical comparison or self-explanation. Participants received learning materials and worked examples with prompts supporting analogical comparison, selfexplanation, or instructional explanation study. Learners also self-reported their use of analogical comparison and selfexplanation on a series of questionnaires. We evaluated condition effects on self-reports and transfer, and the relations between self-reports and transfer. Receiving materials with analogical-comparison support and reporting greater levels of analogical comparison were both associated with worse transfer performance, while reporting greater levels of selfexplanation was associated with better performance. Learners’ self-reports of analogical comparison and selfexplanation were not related to condition assignment, suggesting that the questionnaires did not measure the same processes promoted by the intervention, or that individual differences are robust even when learners are instructed to engage in analogical comparison or self-explanation.
The influence of reversible androgen deprivation on serum prostate-specific antigen levels in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia

This study was designed to investigate the relationship of serum prostate-specific antigen to prostatic size and hormonal stimulation. Seven patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia were treated for six months with nafarelin acetate and then followed for an additional six months. Nafarelin acetate is a potent luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone agonist which causes reversible testosterone deprivation resulting in involution of the prostate. During therapy and follow up, serum prostate-specific antigen correlated with: 1) serum testosterone (p less than 0.001); 2) quantity of prostatic epithelium (p less than 0.001); and 3) prostatic size (p less than 0.05). Before therapy, serum prostate-specific antigen (mean +/- SD) was 0.43 +/- 0.2 ng./ml. per gram of epithelium. This did not change significantly after six months of androgen deprivation (0.48 +/- 0.36), although the ratios of prostate-specific antigen to testosterone and to prostatic size each changed significantly. Despite testosterone levels in the castrate range at six months, five of seven patients had serum prostate-specific antigen concentrations above the female range and three of seven patients had prostatic biopsies containing columnar epithelium which stained positively for prostate-specific antigen. These results demonstrate that serum prostate-specific antigen is related to prostatic size, prostatic epithelial weight, and testosterone stimulation. However, prostatic size is not a good predictor of serum prostate-specific antigen because there is tremendous variation in the relative amount of epithelium in a prostate; in this study the ratio of prostatic size to epithelial weight varied threefold. Furthermore, although testosterone determines prostatic size and amount of prostatic epithelium, it may not totally control prostate-specific antigen production.
Pediatric Laparoscopy: Quo Vadis? A View from the Outside

AbstractThe impact of laparoscopy on all types of surgery has been revolutionary. The general surgeon, gynecologist, colorectal surgeon and urologist have all been affected by developments in this area. Until now, these advances have almost been uniformly limited to adults. However, the miniaturization of instrumentation, improvement of endoscopic visualization and camera technology, and recent pioneering efforts of a few individuals have made these same adult procedures possible in adolescents, children and infants. However, for each innovative procedure, the question must be answered whether this truly represents an advance or merely a technological marvel. In this regard, careful studies need to be conducted comparing the surgical and laparoscopic outcomes for each procedure in patients of similar age from the standpoint of efficacy, cost and patient morbidity. These objective data will provide the answer to the question: “It’s new, but is it better?”
Chorus for Community Integration and Recovery for Men with Psychiatric Disabilities in a Supportive Housing Community

ABSTRACTThis study reports the findings from a mixed-methods evaluation of the effectiveness of a choral program for 34 homeless men with substance abuse and mental illnesses. The evaluation focused on the chorus experience as one way to promote community integration and recovery. Fifteen residents (44.1%) were chorus members (CMs), and their responses were compared with those of 19 nonmembers (NCMs). When examining the quantitative data only, significant differences were not found between CMs and NCMs. However, narrative data and participant observation revealed that the choral program may have helped CMs improve their subjective experience of community integration by enhancing psychosocial components.
Correspondence Analysis: A Statistical Technique Ripe for Technical and Professional Communication Researchers

Correspondence analysis is a statistical method that allows researchers to explore relationships among complex categorical variables. This paper will provide researchers with the theoretical and practical foundations for understanding and applying correspondence analysis to their own research agendas. Problem: Technical communicators use a variety of research methods and collect a variety of types of data. Of particular interest to technical communicators is categorical data, or data that are not traditionally quantitative. For instance, technical communicators often collect and analyze language data from a variety of texts. Analyzing this type of data can be difficult using traditional statistical methods. Key concepts: Variable types, a priori versus exploratory research designs, contingency tables, and data visualization are central to understanding the foundations of correspondence analysis. Key lessons: To conduct correspondence analysis, a researcher must walk through a series of steps including: (1) determining whether correspondence analysis is appropriate, (2) choosing a statistical software package, (3) running the correspondence analysis, and (4) interpreting and applying the results. Implications for practice: While correspondence analysis provides many useful insights into categorical data, a researcher must consider several things when deciding to use correspondence analysis. These include the potential to misinterpret and misapply the results of a correspondence analysis.
Glucose Control and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus: Lessons Learned from the Megatrials

Glucose lowering should be approached by managing overall cardiovascular risk. Glycemic goals should be individualized based on duration of diabetes, preexisting cardiovascular disease, age, and life expectancy. Intensive glycemic control has consistently been shown to produce a substantial benefit for preventing long-term microvascular complications in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in patients with diabetes, microvascular complications cause substantial morbidity and disability. Thus, it is apparent that additional strategies on multimodal treatment options are necessary to promote effective management and prevention of diabetic complications.
The role of race/ethnicity in cerclage efficacy

Objective: To measure the impact of race/ethnicity on cerclage efficacy, as measured by the prevalence of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB), in a cohort of patients with history-indicated, ultrasound...
Throughput and energy efficiency under queueing and secrecy constraints

A broadcast model in which the transmitter sends confidential and common messages to two receivers is considered. It is assumed that the common and confidential data is stored in buffers prior to transmission and the transmitter operates under constraints on buffer violation probability. Under such constraints, effective capacity formulation is employed to determine the throughput. Moreover, energy per bit is used as the energy efficiency metric and energy efficiency is studied in the low-SNR regime. In particular, minimum energy per bit required for the reliable communication of common and confidential messages is determined and wideband slope regions are identified. The impact of buffer constraints, correlation between channels and secrecy requirements on the energy efficiency is investigated.
Distributed continuous-time online optimization using saddle-point methods

This paper introduces saddle-point methods for distributed continuous-time online convex optimization, where the system objective function varies arbitrarily over time subject to some global inequality constraints. The overall dynamics of the proposed saddle-point controller are described by a system of differential equations, coupled linearly through the network Laplacian. The controller pushes actions along the negative gradient direction of the objective, constraint violation, as well as network disagreement using only causal and locally available information, while dynamically adapting the Lagrange multipliers in a decentralized fashion. We define regret as the cost difference with the optimal action over time. We show that the proposed saddle-point controller achieves a regret of order O(√T) with the time horizon T. We also address the impact of the network topology, encoded in the spectrum of the network Laplacian, as a factor on the speed of convergence.
Transferring two grades I cleavage-stage embryo might not be a good protocol.

AbstractPurpose: The aim of this study was to explore whether transferring two grades I cleavage-stage embryo was suitable for the patients in the first fresh transfer.Methods: This study included 202 single grades I cleavage-stage, 229 single grades III cleavage-stage, 743 single excellent blastocyst, 522 double grades I cleavage-stage, and 596 double grades III cleavage-stage embryo transfers. Main clinical outcomes: clinical pregnancy and twin-pregnancy rate.Results: Among single excellent blastocyst, single grades I and single grades III group, the clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in single excellent blastocyst group than single grades I and grades III group (67.16% versus 42.08% versus 23.97%; p < 0.001). When transferred double grades I cleavage-stage embryos, the clinical pregnancy rate reached 68.20% which was no significant difference compared with the single excellent blastocyst group (67.16%). However, the twin-pregnancy rate was significantly higher in double grades I group tha...
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Osteoporosis: Translating Data to Patients?

The editorialist discusses the American College of Physicians' guideline on treatment of low bone density or osteoporosis to prevent fractures and believes that the recommendations provide a solid ...
Establishing the Validity and Reliability Evidence of Preceptor Assessment of Student Tool

Objective. To evaluate the validity and reliability evidence of the preceptor assessment of student tool (PAST) which was designed to assess doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) student rotation performance. Methods. Evaluation data were loaded into WINSTEPS software to conduct a Rasch rating scale analysis. Validity evidence was examined from construct and content validity perspectives, and reliability was assessed via student and item separation index and reliability coefficient. Data from 435 observations were included in the analysis. Results. All 19 items measured the same construct of interest and the five-point rating scale functioned appropriately and differentiated students' ability. However, the item/person map indicated an absence of items at the end of the measurement continuum. Conclusion. Although adding items at the end of the measurement continuum may be beneficial, PAST showed good validity and reliability evidence when used to evaluate PharmD student rotations and is suitable to assess mastery learning.
Building Internet policy on history: lessons of the forgotten 1981 network neutrality debate

The US-centric Internet history situates the start of the net neutrality debate around 2003, but a look at global Internet histories indicates otherwise. To wit: this case study of the forgotten ne...
Response-The sugar industry's influence on policy.

Kearns et al. suggest that our critique is based on news stories rather than their peer-reviewed papers, and they claim that they did not conclude that a sugar industry–backed review published by Harvard nutritionists in 1967 meaningfully shaped the course of dietary science and policy. Our Policy
Postpartum depression and resilience predict parenting sense of competence in women with childhood maltreatment history

This study examines the effect of a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) on parenting sense of competence, taking into account the influence of resilience and postpartum depressive symptoms as moderators of this relationship. Participants (N = 131) were a community sample of women recruited into a larger study of maternal childhood maltreatment. Women completed questionnaires over the phone at 4 months postpartum and parenting sense of competence (PSOC) was assessed during a home visit at 6 months postpartum. A three-way interaction emerged; women with low depression and high resilience factors maintained high levels of PSOC, even when they had a CM history. In contrast, among women with one postpartum risk factor (depression or low resilience) CM was associated with decreased PSOC. Results suggest that a mother’s well-being postpartum moderates the effect of a childhood maltreatment history on her parenting sense of competence. Reducing postpartum depressive symptoms and enhancing resilience may be important components for interventions that address parenting confidence with maltreated women.
Spermatogonial Stem Cells in Adult Mice and Men

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the resident stem cells in the testes of adult males and are responsible for maintaining near lifelong spermatogenesis in mammals. Yet, SSCs represent only a small fraction of adult germ cells. Due to the apparent paucity of SSCs, the authentic stem cell population within the adult testis has yet to be definitively identified. This chapter contrasts classical models of self-renewal and differentiation of mouse and human SSCs. Furthermore, we summarize recent findings, based on information now available through transplantation assays, that pertain to the molecular characterization and function of normal adult SSCs in rodent and human systems. We address both the intrinsic molecular mechanisms as well as the extrinsic stimuli that regulate SSC fate decisions. We also examine the composition and role of the spermatogonial stem cell niche. Finally, we discuss the unique ability of adult male germ cells to reprogram into embryonic-like stem cells in culture, resulting in the loss of lineage commitment and the acquisition of pluripotency.
A Comparison of Environmental Stressing Data and Simulation at the Corner of a Test Chip in a FC-BGA Package

Thermal expansion mismatches pose significant challenges to the reliability of flip chip-Ball grid array (FC-BGA) package technology. Technology advancement for FC-BGA packages drives towards thinner substrates, smaller bump pitch and high flow underfills. In this work, the risk of corner cracking is studied using two substrate thickness and underfill types. Environmental stressing is performed beyond the JEDEC recommended limits in order to drive the units to failure. It is observed substrates with a thinner core and underfill with higher CTE produced 5⨯ to 10⨯ more number of cracks in the underfill compared to other cases. Finite element modeling is used to compare the corner stresses to the observed cracking as a means to identify conditions with higher cracking risk. In order to understand if a potential material root-cause of cracking exists, nanoindentation is used to measure the hardness and elastic modulus of underfills before and after stressing.
Abstract 266: Is the Col4a3-/- Alport Mouse a Novel Model for Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction?

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for more than 50% of all HF cases. HFpEF patients manifest normal or mildly reduced left ventricle (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF), LV ...
Contagious Horror: Infectious Themes in Fiction and Film

Infectious diseases have been a preeminent part of literature since the earliest human writings. In particular, they have contributed greatly to the genre of horror-written or visual art intended to startle or scare. Horror fiction has emphasized infectious themes from the earliest Babylonian and Hebrew texts. In medieval times, stories of vampires and werewolves often had a contagious component, and pivotal works of Victorian horror centered around fear of infection and contamination. As film became prominent in the 20th Century, a strong emphasis on themes of plague and apocalypse developed. An analysis of the use of infection in horror fiction and film shows that it often represents a metaphor for societal concerns, and it is extremely useful in framing challenging issues for a wide audience.
ZIF 67 Based Highly Active Electrocatalysts as Oxygen Electrodes in Water Electrolyzer

Mitigating high overpotential losses originating from the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during water electrolysis is key to establishing a sustainable hydrogen generation technique. Here...
Changes in Left Ventricular Mass and Geometry in the Older Adults: Role of Body Mass and Central Obesity

Background Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes. There are limited data about modifiable factors associated with progression of LV hypertrophy in older adults. Our objective is to describe the changes in LV mass and geometry over time in a predominantly older multiethnic cohort and to identify possible predictors of changes over time. Methods We analyzed data from participants in the Northern Manhattan Study who underwent serial echocardiographic studies, comparing the baseline and the most recent echocardiograms. We recorded changes in LV mass and geometry and correlated them with baseline characteristics using linear regression models. Results There were 826 participants (mean age, 64.2 ± 8.0 years) included in the analysis (time between measurements, 8.5 ± 2.7 years). Overall, LV mass index increased from 45.0 ± 12.7 to 50.3 ± 14.6 g/m2.7 (P Conclusions Regardless of race/ethnicity, LV mass progressed over time in older adults. We also observed that worsening geometry was frequent. Assessment of central obesity in the older population is important because indicators of central obesity add prognostic value over body mass index for the risk of LV mass increase.
Environmental Impact Assessment of the Fabrication of Pipe Rehabilitation Materials

AbstractWith the consistent increase in the global population, sustainable construction has become a trend that will need to be practiced in perpetuity. The three main factors of sustainable constr...
CD45RB Status of CD8+ T Cell Memory Defines T Cell Receptor Affinity and Persistence.

Summary The identity of CD45 isoforms on the T cell surface changes following the activation of naive T cells and impacts intracellular signaling. In this study, we find that the anti-viral memory CD8+ T pool is unexpectedly comprised of both CD45RBhi and CD45RBlo populations. Relative to CD45RBlo memory T cells, CD45RBhi memory T cells have lower affinity and display greater clonal diversity, as well as a persistent CD27hi phenotype. The CD45RBhi memory population displays a homeostatic survival advantage in vivo relative to CD45RBlo memory, and long-lived high-affinity cells that persisted long term convert from CD45RBlo to CD45RBhi. Human CD45RO+ memory is comprised of both CD45RBhi and CD45RBlo populations with distinct phenotypes, and antigen-specific memory to two viruses is predominantly CD45RBhi. These data demonstrate that CD45RB status is distinct from the conventional central/effector T cell memory classification and has potential utility for monitoring and characterizing pathogen-specific CD8+ T cell responses.
Hippocampus segmentation on noncontrast CT using deep learning.

Purpose Accurate segmentation of the hippocampus for hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy currently requires high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to neuroanatomic expertise for manual segmentation. Removing the need for MR images to identify the hippocampus would reduce planning complexity, the need for a treatment planning MR imaging session, potential uncertainties associated with MRI-computed tomography (CT) image registration, and cost. Three-dimensional (3D) deep convolutional network models have the potential to automate hippocampal segmentation. In this study, we investigate the accuracy and reliability of hippocampal segmentation by automated deep learning models from CT alone and compare the accuracy to experts using MRI fusion. Methods Retrospectively, 390 Gamma Knife patients with high-resolution CT and MR images were collected. Following the RTOG 0933 guidelines, images were rigidly fused, and a neuroanatomic expert contoured the hippocampus on the MR, then transferred the contours to CT. Using a calculated cranial centroid, the image volumes were cropped to 200 × 200 × 35 voxels, which were used to train four models, including our proposed Attention-Gated 3D ResNet (AG-3D ResNet). These models were then compared with results from a nested tenfold validation. From the predicted test set volumes, we calculated the 100% Hausdorff distance (HD). Acceptability was assessed using the RTOG 0933 protocol criteria, and contours were considered passing with HD ≤ 7 mm. Results The bilateral hippocampus passing rate across all 90 models trained in the nested cross-fold validation was 80.2% for AG-3D ResNet, which performs with a comparable pass rate (P = 0.3345) to physicians during centralized review for the RTOG 0933 Phase II clinical trial. Conclusions Our proposed AG-3D ResNet's segmentation of the hippocampus from noncontrast CT images alone are comparable to those obtained by participating physicians from the RTOG 0933 Phase II clinical trial.
Addition of adjuvant hepatic artery infusion to systemic chemotherapy following resection of colorectal liver metastases is associated with reduced liver-related mortality.

Background After resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), recurrent disease in the liver is a major cause of death but may be reduced with the addition of adjuvant hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy to systemic chemotherapy (SYS). Objective This study investigates organ-specific causes of death in patients receiving adjuvant HAI and SYS compared to adjuvant SYS alone. Methods Between 2000 and 2007, patients undergoing complete CRLM resection were identified from a prospectively maintained liver resection database and categorized as receiving HAI + SYS or SYS only. Using newly constructed definitions, mortality was attributed to specific organs (liver, lung, peritoneum, and brain) or infection. Univariate models and cumulative incidence functions were generated using competing risk methods. Results Of 361 eligible patients, 208 (57.6%) received HAI + SYS and 153 (42.4%) received SYS. The median follow up among survivors was 142 months (range = 12-217 months). Ten-year overall survival was 50.6% in the HAI + SYS group compared to 30.9% in those receiving SYS (P = .004). The 5-year cumulative incidence of liver-related mortality was 6.8% in the HAI + SYS group compared to 14.3% in the SYS group (P = .007). Conclusion The addition of HAI to SYS after CRLM resection is associated with a 50% reduction in liver-related mortality at 5 years.
Analytic model of electron transport through and over non-linear barriers

Tunneling barriers are an essential component of electron sources, sensors, detectors, and vacuum nanoelectronics and a pivotal factor in their performance, but the barriers themselves routinely depart from the analytic models used to model their behavior. A new formalism is developed to analytically and accurately model emission through and over barriers associated with depletion layers, nanotip barriers, and metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structures. The transmission probability for depletion layers and MIM and metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) barriers is accurately modeled as the electron energy exceeds the barrier height using approaches designed for rapid implementation demanded by simulation codes and extensible to general barriers. The models supersede conventional thermal and field models in depletion and MIM/MOS barrier studies. Thermal-field methods are used to treat the transmission probability and shape factor methods to treat the tunneling factor. Analytic formulas for current density are obtained. The methods ease device simulation and characterization of current–voltage relations for emerging technologically interesting barriers with better accuracy.
An elliptical incised wound of the breast misinterpreted as a bite injury.

Bite injuries upon homicide victims are most often initially identified by the forensic pathologist during the course of the autopsy examination. Following such recognition, the injury or photographs of the traumatized site are then referred to a forensic odontologist for his or her examination, further characterization, and subsequent comparison with any suspect's dentition. However, if the pathologist misidentifies an injury caused by another mechanism as a human bite, this mistake can potentially be perpetuated by the dental consultant, since relatively few dentists regularly examine traumatic injuries other than those arising from bites. To illustrate such an event, a case is presented involving an incised wound of the breast, which was originally identified as an avulsive bite wound. Detailed examination by two odontologic consultants confirmed the wound as having been caused by human teeth, and further, they related the “bite injury” to a specific individual. The bite injury interpretation represented the only scientific evidence implicating the suspect at a subsequent trial for capital murder. Later examination of the tissues and photographs by a forensic pathologist and another dental consultant revealed that the injury was not due to human dentition, but rather resulted from a sharp-edged instrument. These consultants conducted a unique experiment to reduplicate the injury and prove its causation. This information was presented to the jury during the suspect's trial and resulted in his acquittal on all charges.
Part I: Theoretical predictions of preferential oxidation in refractory high entropy materials

Abstract High entropy materials, which include high entropy alloys, carbides, and borides, are a topic of substantial research interest due to the possibility of a large number of new material compositions that could fill gaps in application needs. There is a current need for materials exhibiting high temperature stability, particularly oxidation resistance. A systematic understanding of the oxidation behavior in high entropy materials is therefore required. Prior work notes large differences in the thermodynamic favorability between oxides formed upon oxidation of high entropy materials. This work uses both analytical and computational thermodynamic approaches to investigate and quantify the effects of this large variation and the resulting potential for preferential component oxidation in refractory high entropy materials including group IV-, V- and VI-element based alloys and ceramics. Thermodynamic calculations show that a large tendency towards preferential oxidation is expected in these materials, even for elements whose oxides exhibit a small difference in thermodynamic favorability. The effect is reduced in carbides, compared to their alloy counterparts. Further, preferential oxidation in high entropy refractory materials could result in possible destabilization of the solid solution or formation of other, competing phases, with corresponding changes in bulk material properties.
Clinical characteristics, comorbidities and outcomes among persons with HIV hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data describing the presenting characteristics and outcomes among US persons with HIV (PWH) requiring hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We performed a case series of all PWH sequentially admitted with COVID-19 from 8 March 2020 to 23 April 2020 at three hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia. Sociodemographic, clinical and HIV-associated characteristics were collected. RESULTS: Of 530 confirmed COVID-19 cases hospitalized during this period, 20 occurred among PWH (3.8%). The median age was 57 (Q1-Q3, 48-62) years, 65% were men, and 85% were non-Hispanic Black. Presenting median symptom duration was 5 (Q1-Q3, 3-7) days; cough (90%), fever (65%), malaise (60%) and dyspnea (60%) were most common. On admission, 40% of patients required oxygenation support and 65% had an abnormal chest radiograph. Median length of hospitalization was 5 (Q1-Q3, 4-12) days, 30% required intensive care, 15% required intubation, and 15% died. Median CD4 cell count prior to admission was 425 (Q1-Q3, 262-815) cells/µl and 90% of patients had HIV-1 RNA less than 200 copies/ml. Half of the patients had at least five comorbidities; hypertension (70%), dyslipidemia (60%) and diabetes (45%) were most prevalent. All three patients who died had CD4 cell count more than 200, HIV suppression and each had a total of five comorbidities. CONCLUSION: The multisite series in the Southern United States provides characteristics and early outcomes of hospitalized PWH with COVID-19. Nearly all patients had controlled HIV and a high comorbidity burden. Additional study of COVID-19 among PWH is needed to determine the role of age, comorbidities and HIV control in mediating COVID-19 presentation and its sequelae.
Investigation into fluid-fluid interaction phenomena during low salinity waterflooding using a reservoir-on-a-chip microfluidic model

Abstract Injection of modified salinity brines (MSB), i.e. brine with seawater-like salinity (SWS) and low salinity water (LSW) in oil-wet carbonate rocks has proven to be relevant to improved oil recovery operations. Many reports in the literature related the underlying mechanisms to rock-fluid interactions such as ionic exchange and electrical double layer expansions, which caused wettability alterations at the rock surface. Little attention appears to have been paid to fluid-fluid interactions as a potential mechanism in displacement processes. In this work, we investigated the role of fluid-fluid interactions in improved oil recovery using MSBs. Interfacial tension and surface elasticity calculations were correlated to visual observations of displacement processes in order to investigate the role of crude oil snap-off. Microfluidic devices featuring pore throats 50 μm in diameter were used to observe snap-off as a function of salinity of the displacing fluid. Flow experiments suggested that, in a water-wet constricted pore throat, SWS brines suppressed crude oil snap-off as compared to formation water brine (FWS) brine. This behavior was correlated to the higher surface elasticity of oil-SWS interfaces than that of oil-FWS interfaces. Higher surface elasticity suppressed the expansion of the thin water film coating pore throat walls and hence it increased the capillary number at which snap-off of the crude oil phase was expected to occur. Moreover, water interacted with the polar components to form reverse micelles called microdispersions. These microdispersions were observed in both aged and non-aged microfluidic devices near oil-brine interfaces in the pore-network. Similarly, in a vial test performed by Tetteh and Barati (2019), microdispersion formation was only observed very close to oil-brine interfaces, caused by transport of water molecules into the oil phase due to reduced intermolecular forces at oil-LSW interfaces. This microdispersion formation was visualized using environmental scanning electron microscopy. These microdispersions remobilized, redistributed the oil, and along with a slight change in wettability in the medium, they improved the observed recovery. In the pore-network flow experiments, the use of SWS brines resulted in the formation of relatively larger oil droplets, which is attributed to the suppression of crude oil snap-off and enhanced oil coalescence resulting from changes in oil-brine interfaces. The integrated experimental study presented in this work demonstrates the importance of fluid-fluid interactions in improved oil recovery using MSBs.
History, trauma, and narrative perspective in A Woman in Amber by Agate Nesaule

A Woman in Amber (1995), a memory book by the Latvian-American writer Agate Nesaule, makes readers ask questions about the relationship between memoir and fiction, as well as the credibility of a t...
A Time-Based Intra-Memory Computing Graph Processor Featuring A* Wavefront Expansion and 2-D Gradient Control

A mixed-signal, time-based 65-nm application-specific integrated circuit is developed for solving shortest-path problems. Digital circuits are collocated with the memory as intra-memory computing. The core follows similar principles from wave routing and, additionally, incorporates a gradient on the periphery of the core to implement the A* algorithm predicted distance heuristic. A leading pulse is propagated from start nodes and is asynchronously latched in neighboring vertex cells and pushed to its four neighbors. Applications include collision avoidance for self-driving cars, shortest path planning, and scientific computing, and are shown to be scalable across many cores. The chip achieves 559 million traversed edges per second at 105 $\times $ improved energy efficiency compared with existing platforms such as field-programmable gate array and CPU. The processor operates nominally at 1.79 ns per node with peak power consumption of 26.4 mW.
Thermal Modeling of 3D Polylithic Integration and Implications on BEOL RRAM Performance

This paper presents thermal evaluation of a back-end-of-line (BEOL)-embedded chiplet integration scheme for dense 3D heterogeneous integration, where custom chiplets are embedded into the BEOL of an application processor tier and a monolithic memory device tier. Dielectric thermal conductivity study suggests that 3D ICs might require heat-sinking from multiple sides and, potentially, advanced backend heat spreading using higher thermal conductivity dielectric materials. The impact of 3D integration and cooling architectures on resistive random access memory (RRAM) reliability is quantified by estimating image recognition accuracy over time for a deep neural network hardware model. The worst-case accuracy drop at 10 years was estimated as 82% for air-cooling compared to 2% for liquid cooling.
Unplanned Return to the Operating Room After Tube Shunt Surgery

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of unplanned returns to the operating room (OR) within 180 days and at any time postoperatively after valved and non-valved tube shunt surgery. Design Retrospective case-control study. Methods A review of 357 eyes that underwent tube shunt surgery (151 valved, 206 non-valved) was conducted at an academic glaucoma service between January 2014 and December 2016. A control eye was time matched for each eye that underwent reoperation. Results The reoperation rate within 180 days was 16 of 151 (10.6%) for valved and 25 of 206 (12.1%) for non-valved tube shunts and at any time postoperatively was 31 of 151 (20.5%) for valved, and 47 of 206 (22.8%) for non-valved tube shunts. Mean postoperative follow-up was 2.8 ± 1.1 years. The most common reoperations within 180 days and at any time postoperatively after valved tube shunt surgery were tube revisions (43.8% within 180 days, 38.7% any time) and external cyclophotocoagulation (CPC) (31.3% within 180 days, 38.7% anytime). The most common reoperations within 180 days after non-valved tube shunt surgery were tube revisions (32.0%), external CPC (12.0%), and vitrectomy with anterior chamber washout (12.0%) and at any time postoperatively were tube revision (34.0%), external CPC (31.9%), and tube explant (12.8%). At last follow-up, eyes that returned to the OR and controls were similar in terms of mean intraocular pressure (IOP), proportion of eyes meeting target IOP, and change in visual acuity. Conclusions More than 20% of eyes undergoing tube shunt surgery returned to the OR at any time postoperatively with a mean follow-up of nearly 3 years, with more than 10% of eyes undergoing reoperation within the first 180 days. Rates of reoperation were similar between valved and non-valved tube shunts.
Interacting drivers and their tradeoffs for predicting denitrification potential across a strong urban to rural gradient within heterogeneous landscapes.

Abstract Denitrification is a significant regulator of nitrogen pollution in diverse landscapes but is difficult to quantify. We examined relationships between denitrification potential and soil and landscape properties to develop a model that predicts denitrification potential at a landscape level. Denitrification potential, ancillary soil variables, and physical landscape attributes were measured at study sites within urban, suburban, and forested environments in the Gwynns Falls watershed in Baltimore, Maryland in a series of studies between 1998 and 2014. Data from these studies were used to develop a statistical model for denitrification potential using a subset of the samples (N = 188). The remaining measurements (N = 150) were used to validate the model. Soil moisture, soil respiration, and total soil nitrogen were the best predictors of denitrification potential (R2adj = 0.35), and the model was validated by regressing observed vs. predicted values. Our results suggest that soil denitrification potential can be modeled successfully using these three parameters, and that this model performs well across a variety of natural and developed land uses. This model provides a framework for predicting nitrogen dynamics in varying land use contexts. We also outline approaches to develop appropriate landscape-scale proxies for the key model inputs, including soil moisture, respiration, and soil nitrogen.
Toward a mechanically stable solid electrolyte interphase

The correlation between solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) mechanical properties and battery electrochemical performances is complex and remains poorly understood. Gao et al. recently proposed a new mechanical parameter to predict the SEI stability, bringing new insights onto future battery design.
Fatty Acid Oxidation Defects

Fatty acid oxidation disorders often present with intermittent symptoms triggered by prolonged fasting. Avoidance of fasting is a key component of treatment. Symptoms of cardiac or skeletal muscle dysfunction pose problems, particularly for patients with long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders.
Behavioral Selection and the Content of Curriculum

This chapter explains why and how the philosophy of behavior selection and the research in verbal behavior provide the means to improve curricula. The behavioral selection perspective is particularly important because the locus of the difficulty experienced by many students is associated with their curricular histories and curricular presentations. Engelmann — as the principal designer of the curriculum component of Direct Instruction — drew on the logic of the canons of science proposed by the English philosopher, John Stuart Mill, to the analysis of curriculum. There are at least four reasons the behavior selection perspective is more useful than the structuralist view. First, a behavioral selection approach allows the content of curriculum to include complex forms of human behavior as functions–functions made accessible to instruction. Second, a behavioral selection analysis of curriculum allows for viewing the traditional content of curriculum in terms of its operant functions. Third, the components of operations or constructs and the controlling variables of stimuli organize the contents of what is taught in new ways. Finally, the behavior selection perspective provides a basis of individual instruction for large or small groups of learners.
A role for Na+/Ca2+ exchange in the generation of superoxide radicals by human neutrophils.

Abstract A Na+/Ca2+ exchange mechanism has been recently described in human neutrophils that constitutes the principal pathway for Ca2+ influx into resting cells. The potential role of this system in regulating the respiratory burst in response to activation by the chemotactic tripeptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine was explored. In the presence of 1 mM Ca2+, a variety of di- and trivalent cations suppressed the generation of O(-2) radicals in a series of decreasing efficacy: La3+ approximately Zn2+ much greater than Sr2+ approximately Cd2+ greater than Ba2+ greater than Co2+ greater than Ni2+ approximately Mg2+. This sequence is similar to their rank order of activity in inhibiting 45Ca2+ influx via Na+/Ca2+ counter-transport. Benzamil, phenamil, and 2',4'-dichlorobenzamil, analogues of amiloride which selectively block Na+/Ca2+ exchange in neutrophils, likewise suppressed the release of O(-2) with apparent Ki values of approximately 30 microM. The effect of the cations was competitive with Ca2+, while the interaction between the benzamil derivatives and Ca2+ appeared to be noncompetitive in nature. Both the divalent cations and benzamil also inhibited the rise in cytoplasmic Ca2+ as monitored by fura-2 fluorescence: these agents reduced peak cytosolic Ca2+ levels after N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulation to values seen in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that the influx of Ca2+ via Na+/Ca2+ exchange contributes to the transient elevation in intracellular free Ca2+. The polyvalent cations block the entry of critical Ca2+ ions by competing with Ca2+ for binding to the translocation site on the exchange carrier, while benzamil acts by lowering the maximal transport rate. These studies emphasize that Na+/Ca2+ exchange through its effects on cytoplasmic Ca2+ plays a major regulatory role in activation of the respiratory burst in chemotactic factor-stimulated neutrophils.
Molecular Theory of Nucleation

The science of nucleation is briefly surveyed and many attendant challenges are noted. The emerging molecular-level theory of nucleation is discussed as is the importance of a diffusion-controlled reaction kinetic treatment in that theory. Experimental study of nucleation at the molecular level is discussed.
Outsourcing, Modularity and the Theory of the Firm

In recent years the practice of 'outsourcing' and 'offshoring' of production and services by firms in a wide range of industries has become quite common. This represents a change in the organization of production in many firms, from vertical integration to what has been called 'vertical specialization.' As such, it challenges theorists in management, economics, and the law to rethink some of the accepted explanations that theorists have offered about why individual firms exist at all. Why is it that some productive activity is organized through arms-length exchanges in markets, while some is governed by formal contracts, and other activities tend to be carried out within the boundaries of individual firms?
People, places, and things: multiple perspectives on learning opportunities for diverse populations

In this symposium four researchers offer interconnected perspectives on diversity in learning. Each conducts learning and teaching research with different audiences, in different learning settings, different disciplines, and, sometimes, different language. All four, however, share related theoretical perspectives, common videographic data collection and analysis methods for studying the nature of learning, and an emphasis on analyzing dialogic and gestural communication. They all work, too, with populations that are typically excluded from advancement in academic pursuits. Their research settings span elementary and middle school classrooms, after school settings, and museums. Their common goal is to move beyond mere description of learning in varied contexts, towards abstracting features common to all four research agendas, in order to discuss how these common features impact academic access for diverse populations.
Cholinergic enhancement of functional networks in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Objective The importance of the cholinergic system for cognitive function has been well-documented in animal and human studies. The objective of this study was to elucidate the cognitive and functional connectivity changes associated with enhanced acetylcholine (ACh) levels. We hypothesized older adults with mild memory deficits would show behavioral and functional network enhancements with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment (donepezil) when compared to a placebo control group.
The Abnormality of War: Dissecting the “Just War” Euphemisms and Building an Ethics of Peace

I dedicate this essay to a ten year old Afghan boy, Mohammed Noor. He was having his Sunday dinner when an American bomb struck. He lost both eyes and both hands. Who, with this child in mind, would dare sing “God bless America,” the hymn that would make God a co-conspirator with American war-makers? The sightless eyes of this child should haunt us to the end of our days and sear on our souls the absolute need to not just pray for peace, but to do something to make it happen.
Research note: Intellectual property in the services sector: Innovation and technology management implications ☆

Abstract Corporate innovation is the subject of several recent articles in the business press and of discussion in academic circles and international conferences. Recently, Business Week reported a study that identified “The World's Most Innovative Companies.” Ocean Tomo, an investment banking firm, developed a list of 300 companies that had major value in their patent portfolios, a surrogate for innovation. Using a technique called “Data Surface Mining” (DSM), these previously published data were further analyzed to characterize the similarities and differences between the Goods and Services Sectors; the results of these analyses are presented here. In addition, the issues of technology management especially relevant to the Services Sector are presented. These issues are of critical importance in light of the fact that the Services Sector represents 80% (Gross Domestic Product and/or employment) of the United States economy and is of increasing importance in the global economy. It is also important to note that technology management in the Services Sector has not been given proportionate attention in the academic literature.