cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Graphics for Illustrations

Microcomputer programs that generate graphic images on paper come in many forms including ones that produce statistical plots, maps, and drawings for illustrations. Generally speaking, statistical plots are best produced with statistics packages, although relatively simple ones can be generated with business oriented programs such as Harvard Graphics. Business graphics software is also sometimes used to improve the appearance of images produced by statistics packages. Some also contain drawing modules. Maps, typically containing shaded boundaries to characterize data distributions, are usually best done with dedicated mapping programs such as ATLAS*GRAPHICS and MapInfo, but a few powerful statistics packages such as SYGRAPH and SASGRAPH can also be used.1 This article deals with software used for the production of graphics for such purposes as high quality illustrations for articles, book chapters, reports, and professional presentations, as well as transparencies and handouts for classroom use. The programs we examine generate three major categories of images: flow and organization charts; drawings; and paintings.
Squeezed vacuum profile control via pump field shaping

A vortex beam profile of squeezed vacuum is generated in Rb vapor cell with the beam shape by placing a phase mask in the input pump field. Effect of self-focusing on observed squeezing is investigated.
Training Professional Citizens: Getting beyond the Right Answer to the Wrong Question in Public Affairs Education

Keynote address dettvered at the NASPAA Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 22, 2004. I am deeply honored by the invitation to speak to you today, and also deeply gratefiil.This presentation has given me an opportunity to reflect on my long association with public affairs education, stretching back to my undergraduate years in the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, my engagement in the debates that led to the formation of the Kennedy School at Harvard, the years I spent at the Institute for Policy Sciences at Duke, my experiences in the Office of Management and Budget, and finally, the effort I made to fashion what we like to think is the first of a second generation of policy programs at Johns Hopkins. I have titled my remarks "Training Professional Citizens: Getting Beyond the Right Answer to the Wrong Question in Public Affairs Education." The touchstone for my comments is the extraordinary wave of governmental reform that has swept the world over the past two decades. From the United States and Canada to Malaysia and New Zealand, governments are being reinvented, downsized, privatized, devolved, decentralized, deregulated, delayered, subjected to performance measurement, and contracted out, all in an effort to improve public sector performance.1 As the United Nations Development Programme (1997, 1) noted in a report,uThe discourse on the role of government" has moved to "the center of international and national debate." "The question is no longer how to shrink government " the report notes, "but how to improve governance." What better time, therefore, to be reflecting on the structure and content of the education needed to achieve this objective. My message to you today, however, may be a bit unsettling, for I am convinced that much of the recent public sector reform movement has advanced the right answer, but to the wrong question. What is more, I believe that public affairs education bears a partperhaps a significant J-PAE 11 (2005): 1:7-1 9
Intergenic Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Polymorphism Upstream of rocA Alters Toxin Production and Enhances Virulence in Streptococcus pyogenes

Variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms are ubiquitous in bacteria. However, only a small fraction of them has been functionally studied. Here, we report an intergenic VNTR polymorphism that confers an altered level of toxin production and increased virulence in Streptococcus pyogenes The nature of the polymorphism is a one-unit deletion in a three-tandem-repeat locus upstream of the rocA gene encoding a sensor kinase. S. pyogenes strains with this type of polymorphism cause human infection and produce significantly larger amounts of the secreted cytotoxins S. pyogenes NADase (SPN) and streptolysin O (SLO). Using isogenic mutant strains, we demonstrate that deleting one or more units of the tandem repeats abolished RocA production, reduced CovR phosphorylation, derepressed multiple CovR-regulated virulence factors (such as SPN and SLO), and increased virulence in a mouse model of necrotizing fasciitis. The phenotypic effect of the VNTR polymorphism was nearly the same as that of inactivating the rocA gene. In summary, we identified and characterized an intergenic VNTR polymorphism in S. pyogenes that affects toxin production and virulence. These new findings enhance understanding of rocA biology and the function of VNTR polymorphisms in S. pyogenes.
Passive heat therapy improves cutaneous microvascular function in sedentary humans via improved nitric oxide-dependent dilation.

We showed for the first time that passive heat therapy improves cutaneous microvascular function in humans via improved nitric oxide (NO)-dependent dilation. This is the first study to investigate ...
Prospective prediction of first lifetime suicide attempts in a multi-site study of substance users

Although considerable empirical work has been devoted to identifying risk factors for suicide attempts, most longitudinal research has studied recurrent attempts rather than first lifetime attempts. The present study sought to examine prospective predictors of first lifetime suicide attempts among adults receiving treatment for substance use. Data were drawn from the National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study, a study of addiction treatment programs. Data were collected at treatment intake, treatment exit, and one year post-treatment. Patients (n = 3518) with no lifetime history of suicide attempts at treatment intake were followed at treatment exit and one year post-treatment, when they reported on the occurrence of suicide attempts since the prior assessment. Prospective suicidal behavior was assessed using logistic regression in relation to sociodemographic variables, health-related work impairment, history of psychiatric treatment utilization, history of suicidal ideation, history of depressive symptoms, substance use, and childhood abuse, assessed at intake. Health-related work impairment, history of suicidal ideation, and childhood physical abuse significantly predicted first lifetime attempts in a multivariate analysis. Suicidal ideation, health-related functional impairments, and childhood physical abuse may be particularly important in assessing risk for first lifetime suicide attempts. Findings suggest that future clinical work and research would benefit from considering these factors when identifying individuals at heightened risk of making a first suicide attempt.
Propionibacterium acnes Host Inflammatory Response During Periprosthetic Infection Is Joint Specific

BackgroundPropionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) has become increasingly recognized as a cause of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).Questions/PurposesIt is not currently known if the clinical presen...
A mixed integer linear programming approach for optimal DER portfolio, sizing, and placement in multi-energy microgrids

Abstract Optimal microgrid design is a challenging problem, especially for multi-energy microgrids with electricity, heating, and cooling loads as well as sources, and multiple energy carriers. To address this problem, this paper presents an optimization model formulated as a mixed-integer linear program, which determines the optimal technology portfolio, the optimal technology placement, and the associated optimal dispatch, in a microgrid with multiple energy types. The developed model uses a multi-node modeling approach (as opposed to an aggregate single-node approach) that includes electrical power flow and heat flow equations, and hence, offers the ability to perform optimal siting considering physical and operational constraints of electrical and heating/cooling networks. The new model is founded on the existing optimization model DER-CAM, a state-of-the-art decision support tool for microgrid planning and design. The results of a case study that compares single-node vs. multi-node optimal design for an example microgrid show the importance of multi-node modeling. It has been shown that single-node approaches are not only incapable of optimal DER placement, but may also result in sub-optimal DER portfolio, as well as underestimation of investment costs.
Growth with Abundant Resources

An examination of the different factors that can contribute to growth: increased capital, abundant resource supplies, a larger labor force, and innovation, though the effect of different types of innovation will depend on the ease with which resource supplies can be expanded. A distinction is made between the things that physically have to happen for growth to occur and the social arrangements that make those physical outcomes more likely. The question of convergence between rich countries and poor is considered by means of the diminishing marginal product of capital. The end of the chapter introduces “conditional equivalence,” describing what has to be true for the conventional model and this book’s model to provide the same view of growth. An appendix goes through the algebra of the steady state.
What Does a Magma Reservoir Look Like? The “Crystal's-Eye” View

Crystals within volcanic rocks contain records of the changing chemical and thermal conditions within the magma reservoirs in which they resided before eruption. Observations from these crystal records place fundamental constraints on the processes operating within the reservoirs. Data from volcanic crystals are in accord with recent conceptual models of magma reservoirs being composed dominantly of crystal mushes, with small volumes and/or small fractions of melt present. The implication is that magma reservoirs have differing modes of behavior: magmas are stored over the long term in largely crystalline, quiescent, conditions, punctuated by brief episodes of intense activity during the decades to centuries immediately prior to an eruption.
Asymptomatic Pericardial Cyst: Observe or Resect?

Pericardial cysts are congenital lesions of the mediastinum that are usually detected using chest imaging in the absence of symptoms. Historically referred to as spring-water cysts due to their clear fluid content, the majority of published literature has suggested that surgical resection, traditionally via thoracotomy, be utilized only in symptomatic cases, with observation being sufficient for incidental, asymptomatic lesions.
Static Analysis and Dimensional Optimization of a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot

A cable-driven parallel manipulator has been chosen to suspend and navigate instruments over a phenotyping research facility at the University of Nebraska. This paper addresses the static analysis and dimensional optimization of this system. Analysis of the system was performed with catenary simplification to create force equilibrium equations and define a mathematical model. The model incorporates flexibility due to catenary sag of the cables. Cable axial stiffness was not included because stiffness is dominated by catenary flexibility for the expected cable tensions. The model was used to optimize system dimensions, and a twelfth-scale system was constructed to verify the model as well as enable dynamic and control system experimentation during full-scale system construction. Miniature end-effectors were used to obtain end-effector orientation and cable tension measurements which were comparable to model predictions. The mathematical model was thereby shown to be accurate for the purpose of system static analysis.
A variety of negative-order integrable KdV equations of higher orders

We develop a variety of negative-order integrable KdV equations of higher orders. We use the inverse recursion operator to construct these new equations. The complete integrability of each established equation is investigated via the Painleve test, where each equation shows distinct branch of resonances. We use the simplified form of the Hirota’s direct method to obtain multiple soliton solutions for the generalized negative-order KdV equation.
Abstract 9905: Nitrative Modification of Caveolin-3 and Subsequent Dissociation From AdipoR1 Occurs in Failing Heart and Contributes to Adiponectin Resistance

Cardiac response to adiponectin (APN), a cardioprotective molecule, is significantly reduced during heart failure (HF), due to unknown underlying mechanisms. We recently reported Caveolin-3 (Cav3) plays an essential role in APN signaling by holding AdipoR1 in close proximity with its downstream signaling molecules. The current study investigated whether Cav3/AdipoR1 expression and/or their interaction are altered in the failing heart, thereby contributing to APN resistance and HF progression. Adult male mice were subjected to MI. Molecular, biochemical, and functional assays were performed 2 weeks post-MI, a time point during which significant APN resistance develops. Expression (mRNA and protein) of Cav3, AdipoR1, and known intracellular APN signaling molecules remained unchanged. However, Cav3/AdipoR1 complex formation significantly decreased. Among multiple post-translational modifications observed in the failing heart, Cav3 nitrative modification was the most significant (3.57±0.4-fold, P - ) decomposition catalyst reduced Cav3 nitration and restored Cav3/AdipoR1 association. In vitro exposure of adult cardiomyocytes (CM) to SIN-1 (an ONOO - donor) or authentic chemical ONOO - caused significant Cav3 nitration, reduced Cav3/AdipoR1 association, and blocked APN-induced AMPK phosphorylation (P
A case of acute liver failure due to carfilzomib in multiple myeloma.

What is known and study objective Carfilzomib is a newer drug approved for the treatment of relapsing and refractory multiple myeloma. It has been rarely associated with acute liver failure (ALF). Case summary We present a case of 58-year-old man presenting with abnormal liver function tests and subsequently diagnosed with ALF due to carfilzomib. Liver enzymes improved significantly after discontinuation of the drug. What is new and conclusion Even though ALF due to carfilzomib has been documented rarely in clinical studies, no detailed case report has been published so far. Patients on carfilzomib should be monitored for ALF, and prompt discontinuation of drug is necessary in such cases.
Nanosphere-mediated delivery of vitamin E increases its efficacy against oxidative stress resulting from exposure to amyloid beta

Oxidative stress is an early hallmark of affected neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The antioxidant vitamin E provided limited neuroprotection in AD, which may have derived from its lipophilic nature and resultant inability to quench cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS), including those generated from antecedent membrane oxidative damage. We examined herein whether or not encapsulation into polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based nanospheres, which can enter the cytosol, improved the efficacy of vitamin E against amyloid-beta(Abeta)-induced ROS. Unexcapsulated vitamin E prevented Abeta-induced ROS in cultured SH-SY-5Y human neuroblastoma cells only if present prior to, or applied simultaneously with, Abeta treatment. By contrast, encapsulated vitamin E was equally effective if administered 1 hr after Abeta exposure. These findings suggest suggests that nanosphere-mediated delivery methods may be a useful adjunct for antioxidant therapy in AD.
Bioethics and the Pentecostal Traditions: Christianity as an Alternative Healing System

In a manner not too dissimilar from the rise of early Christianity, Pentecostalism began as a fringe movement, largely among the lower socioeconomic strata and the racially ostracized ([7],[39]). It then rapidly spread, becoming one of the largest Christian movements, and the fastest growing [42].2 Understood broadly, it includes not only “Classical Pentecostals” such as the Assemblies of God, United Pentecostals, and the Church of God in Christ, but also large, nondenominational churches referred to as “Charismatic” (from the Greek word for gifts of grace, charismata) and a major “Neopentecostal” renewal movement within mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches.3
Trafficking of presynaptic PMCA signaling complexes in mouse photoreceptors requires Cav1.4 α1 subunits.

The pore-forming Cav1.4 α1 subunit of the L-type Ca2+ channel plays a critical role in voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx and transmitter release at mammalian photoreceptor and bipolar synapses. Here we ask whether loss of Cav1.4 protein in the nob2 (“no b-wave”) Cacna1f mutation affects expression and localization of Ca2+ extrusion machinery at retinal ribbon synapses. Analysis of PMCA1, PMCA2, and pan-PMCA immunoreactivity in nob2 retinas showed pronounced mislocalization of presynaptic proteins in rod photoreceptors but not in bipolar neurons. PMCA1 transporters were displaced into juxtanuclear pockets across the outer nuclear layer (ONL) whereas little change was observed in localization of the high affinity Ca2+ extruder PMCA2. Our results therefore implicate Cav1.4 subunits in proper development and trafficking of signaling complexes to the photoreceptor synapse.
Effective Information Extraction with Semantic Affinity Patterns and Relevant Regions

We present an information extraction system that decouples the tasks of finding relevant regions of text and applying extraction patterns. We create a self-trained relevant sentence classifier to identify relevant regions, and use a semantic affinity measure to automatically learn domain-relevant extraction patterns. We then distinguish primary patterns from secondary patterns and apply the patterns selectively in the relevant regions. The resulting IE system achieves good performance on the MUC-4 terrorism corpus and ProMed disease outbreak stories. This approach requires only a few seed extraction patterns and a collection of relevant and irrelevant documents for training.
The cercopid genus Pseudomachaerota Melichar (Hemiptera: Cercopidae)

The genus Pseudomachaerota Melichar, 1915 is heretofore known from its original descriptionption and from a unique female specimen from Madagascar. Its systematic status has long been problematical. An examination of Melichar's type disproves his assumption that it stood very close ("" steht sehr nahe"") to Apomachaerota E. Schmidt, 1907, a Malaysian genus of the family Machaerotidae, subfamily Enderleiniinae.
Transmission of resistant Gram-negative bacteria to healthcare personnel gowns and gloves during care of residents in community-based nursing facilities.

ObjectiveTo estimate the risk of transmission of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (RGNB) to gowns and gloves worn by healthcare personnel (HCP) when providing care to residents of community-based nursing facilities to identify the types of care and resident characteristics associated with transmission.DesignProspective observational study.Settings and participantsResidents and HCP from 13 community-based nursing facilities in Maryland and Michigan.MethodsPerianal swabs were collected from residents and cultured to detect RGNB. HCP wore gowns and gloves during usual care activities, and at the end of each interaction, these were swabbed in a standardized manner. Transmission of RGNB from a colonized resident to gowns and gloves was estimated. Odds ratios (ORs) of transmission associated with type of care or resident characteristic were calculated.ResultsWe enrolled 403 residents and their HCP in this study. Overall, 19% of enrolled residents with a perianal swab (n=399) were colonized with at least 1 RGNB. RGNB transmission to either gloves or gowns occurred during 11% of the 584 interactions. Showering the resident, hygiene or toilet assistance, and wound dressing changes were associated with a high risk of transmission. Glucose monitoring and assistance with feeding or medication were associated with a low risk of transmission. Residents with a pressure ulcer were 3 times more likely to transmit RGNB than residents without one (OR, 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–11.1).ConclusionsGown and glove use in community nursing facilities should be prioritized for certain residents and care interactions that are deemed a high risk for transmission.
Intensity and Phase Modulators at 1.55 μm with InAs/InGaAs Quantum Dots Epitaxially Grown on Silicon

InAs quantum dot core electro-optic modulators are fabricated on (100) silicon substrates opening up large-scale III-V photonic integration. Mach-Zehnder modulator with 8 mm long electrode has 2.2V $V \pi$ and less than 3 dB/cm propagation loss.
Monitoring the shape of weather, soundscapes, and dynamical systems: a new statistic for dimension-driven data analysis on large datasets

Dimensionality-reduction methods are a fundamental tool in the analysis of large datasets. These algorithms work on the assumption that the "intrinsic dimension" of the data is generally much smaller than the ambient dimension in which it is collected. Alongside their usual purpose of mapping data into a smaller-dimensional space with minimal information loss, dimensionality-reduction techniques implicitly or explicitly provide information about the dimension of the dataset.In this paper, we propose a new statistic that we call the kappa-profile for analysis of large datasets. The kappa-profile arises from a dimensionality-reduction optimization problem: namely that of finding a projection that optimally preserves the secants between points in the dataset. From this optimal projection we extract kappa, the norm of the shortest projected secant from among the set of all normalized secants. This kappa can be computed for any dimension k; thus the tuple of kappa values (indexed by dimension) becomes a kappa-profile. Algorithms such as the Secant-Avoidance Projection algorithm and the Hierarchical Secant-Avoidance Projection algorithm provide a computationally feasible means of estimating the kappa-profile for large datasets, and thus a method of understanding and monitoring their behavior. As we demonstrate in this paper, the kappa-profile serves as a useful statistic in several representative settings: weather data, soundscape data, and dynamical systems data.
Wind and Wave Environments that Lead to Extreme Loads on Offshore Structures

Large wind gusts and rare wave groups create design issues that wind turbines must overcome. These design level gusts and waves generate bending moments on the tower which may lead to failure, or at least accelerated failure. The loads on the wind turbines that lead to failure are not necessarily the result of an extreme gust or a design wave, but may be from a rare combination of the two that leads to an extreme response. To investigate the relationship between wind and wave loading, the stochastic gaussianization iteration method was used in conjunction with the Design Loads Generator to investgate extreme values of the tower base bending moment of a reference floating wind turbine. The response was investigated under three different conditions: Monte Carlo simulations; the Design Loads Generator with a gaussian mask; and the stochastic gaussianization iteration method using the Design Loads Generator to estimate extremes from waves. It was determined that the stochastic gaussianization iteration method with the DLG to maximize the bending moment due to waves resulted in the largest predicted bending moments in a given exposure period.
Lexically dependent estimation of acoustic information in speech III: Cross-splicing verification of cue weights

In two prior studies (Redmon and Jongman, 2018, 2019, JASA), results of open- and closed-class word recognition tasks on items drawn from a large single-speaker database (Tucker et al., 2018) were used to train a model where acoustic cue weights were optimized to distinguish words in the lexicon, rather than a balanced inventory of phones. From that work, cues were identified that had a greater weight when considering the lexicon as a whole than when studying a symmetric set of contrasts in controlled syllable productions. To verify the causal role of such cues in word recognition, two new cross-splicing versions of the open- and closed-class tasks were run with a subset of items in each prior experiment. In each, an enhancement condition was created by cross-splicing diphones from items in the database with more distinct values on a given cue dimension, and consequently greater model-predicted accuracy. For each such item, a parallel reduction condition was created wherein accuracy was predicted to decrease due to the cross-splicing of a diphone with a more ambiguous value of a given cue. Results will serve to validate the relative role of the different cues in a manner that is external to the model-fitting procedure.In two prior studies (Redmon and Jongman, 2018, 2019, JASA), results of open- and closed-class word recognition tasks on items drawn from a large single-speaker database (Tucker et al., 2018) were used to train a model where acoustic cue weights were optimized to distinguish words in the lexicon, rather than a balanced inventory of phones. From that work, cues were identified that had a greater weight when considering the lexicon as a whole than when studying a symmetric set of contrasts in controlled syllable productions. To verify the causal role of such cues in word recognition, two new cross-splicing versions of the open- and closed-class tasks were run with a subset of items in each prior experiment. In each, an enhancement condition was created by cross-splicing diphones from items in the database with more distinct values on a given cue dimension, and consequently greater model-predicted accuracy. For each such item, a parallel reduction condition was created wherein accuracy was predicted to decre...
Timing is Not the Enemy

The conservative members of the Supreme Court desire to radically reshape the status quo of administrative law. To achieve this goal, members of the Court have drawn their attention to time preclusion statutes that provide pre-enforcement judicial review of an agency action but closes off review once the time period expires. Congress included these preclusion provisions in order to assure finality, certainty, and efficiency for both agencies and regulated entities. But a recent concurring opinion in PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic, Inc., written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, reflects the conservative justices’ desire to limit the reach of these time limiting statutes in favor of more judicial review. At issue in PDR Network was the Hobbs Act, which provides pre-enforcement review, but does not explicitly close review unlike other variations of time preclusion statutes. Justice Kavanaugh posited statutes like the Hobbs Act should be read as allowing for both pre-enforcement and enforcement review of an agency action. This Essay will argue that such statutes should not be read in accord with Justice Kavanaugh’s view. Rather, statutes like the Hobbs Act should be read as closing off review once the time period has lapsed. This view both comports with the intentions of Congress and alleviates the burdens of ossification on the administrative process. In addition, this Essay will argue that these time preclusion statutes should be read as providing an implied exemption in instances where a party’s claim is not ripe for review during the pre-enforcement time period but become ripe outside of the time period. As many circuit courts have recognized, parties should be allowed to bring a suit once the circumstances are such that a party’s claim becomes ripe. This Essay will argue that such an exemption, if recognized by the Court, will alleviate the concerns of the conservative members of the Court but yet still respect the will of Congress.
Synthesis and mechanistic investigations of pH-responsive cationic poly(aminoester)s

The synthesis and degradation mechanisms of a class of pH-sensitive, rapidly degrading cationic poly(α-aminoester)s are described. These reactive, cationic polymers are stable at low pH in water, but undergo a fast and selective degradation at higher pH to liberate neutral diketopiperazines. Related materials incorporating oligo(α-amino ester)s have been shown to be effective gene delivery agents, as the charge-altering degradative behavior facilitates the delivery and release of mRNA and other nucleic acids in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we report detailed studies of the structural and environmental factors that lead to these rapid and selective degradation processes in aqueous buffers. At neutral pH, poly(α-aminoester)s derived from N-hydroxyethylglycine degrade selectively by a mechanism involving sequential 1,5- and 1,6-O→N acyl shifts to generate bis(N-hydroxyethyl) diketopiperazine. A family of structurally related cationic poly(aminoester)s was generated to study the structural influences on the degradation mechanism, product distribution, and pH dependence of the rate of degradation. The kinetics and mechanism of the pH-induced degradations were investigated by 1H NMR, model reactions, and kinetic simulations. These results indicate that polyesters bearing α-ammonium groups and appropriately positioned N-hydroxyethyl substituents are readily cleaved (by intramolecular attack) or hydrolyzed, representing dynamic "dual function" materials that are initially polycationic and transform with changing environment to neutral products.
The Voice: non-disclosure agreements and the hidden political economy of reality TV

When aspiring recording artists audition for NBC’s The Voice, they sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for the opportunity to audition. Part of this NDA stipulates that they will pay a 500,000 US...
Evaluating the actual and perceived effectiveness of E-cigarette prevention advertisements among adolescents

Abstract Background The efficacy of e-cigarette prevention ads among adolescents has seldom been studied. We examined the impact of ads from the The Real Cost vaping prevention media campaign on what adolescents think and believe about vaping. We also sought to test whether perceived message effectiveness (PME) served as a proxy for ad impact. Methods Participants were 543 U.S. adolescents ages 13–17. In an online experiment, we randomized participants to either: 1) persuasive e-cigarette prevention video ads from the Food and Drug Administration's The Real Cost campaign that was targeted to adolescents or 2) information-only e-cigarette harms control videos (control condition). Participants in each condition viewed 2 videos in a random order. After ad exposure, the survey assessed PME (message and effects perceptions), risk beliefs about vaping, attitudes toward vaping, and intentions to vape. Results The FDA’s The Real Cost ads led to higher beliefs about the harms of vaping (p Conclusions Exposure to The Real Cost vaping prevention ads gave adolescents a more negative view of vaping and lowered their intentions to vape compared to control videos. Effects perceptions may be superior to message perceptions as a proxy for e-cigarette prevention ad impact.
Mignolo, W. D., & Walsh, C. E. (2018). On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics, Praxis . Durham: Duke University Press. Paperback: $27.95

Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh illustrate the theory and praxis of decoloniality through this text. By drawing upon examples of decolonial movements in South America, On Decoloniality challenges the reader to question assumptions of Western epistemological predicates from perspectives that challenge the epistemic limitations imposed by the hegemony of Western and modern/colonial epistemology. These questions contribute to the process of “delinking,” or decolonial thinking, advanced by On Decoloniality. However, the text continues a legacy of white settler scholarship that has not gone far enough in addressing concerns raised by indigenous thinkers like Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui and Eve Tuck, whose epistemic, political and territorial sovereignty is at the center of the decolonial project.
Constructing Polynomial Block Methods.

The recently introduced polynomial time integration framework proposes a novel way to construct time integrators for solving systems of first-order ordinary differential equation by using interpolating polynomials in the complex time plane. In this work we continue to develop the framework by introducing several additional types of polynomials and proposing a general class of construction strategies for polynomial block methods with imaginary nodes. The new construction strategies do not involve algebraic order conditions and are instead motivated by geometric arguments similar to those used for constructing traditional spatial finite differences. Moreover, the newly proposed methods address several shortcomings of previously introduced polynomial block methods including the ability to solve dispersive equations and the lack of efficient serial methods when parallelism cannot be used. To validate our new methods, we conduct two numerical experiments that compare the performance of polynomial block methods against backward difference methods and implicit Runge-Kutta schemes.
Abstract 13935: Steroids Wean Failures After Heart Transplantation - Does It Lead to Mortality?

Introduction: It is estimated that approximately 90% of heart transplant (HTx) patients who are low risk can be weaned off steroids after 6 months post-transplant. However, for those 10% who fail w...
Instrument development with infrared APD arrays

NRC has been involved in the ongoing development of the SAPHIRA infrared APD arrays from Leonardo MW. We present results from our characterization testing on the original 320x256 pixel device, including response speed at frame rates up to 1 kHz. We have also been working on the support electronics, including cryogenic preamplifiers and a readout system that is capable of operating a new 512x512 pixel, 64-output SAPHIRA device at 10 Mpx/s.
Lincoln's Lessons

Abraham Lincoln’s first Message to Congress is his most underappreciated address. Other speeches mattered more in terms of persuading, inspiring, or shaping the course of events. But few explain so clearly and so thoroughly Lincoln’s conception of the Common-Wealth: its legal structure, its place in history, and its distributions and concentrations of power. At more than 6,000 words, his message was long. It reads like a cross between an academic lecture, an appellate brief, and a religious sermon. And its topics are among those that remain the most divisive and consequential facing our common-wealth today: federalism; race; liberty versus security; executive power; American exceptionalism; and the style of a common-wealth’s leader. In this essay, we use Abraham’s Lincoln’s message, delivered on July 4, 1861, to explore what Kentucky’s most famous son thought America meant and should mean with regard to many of his era’s most vital issues, as important now as they were then.
Transdermal Buprenorphine Use for Pain Management in Palliative Care.

Purpose: Cancer and associated therapies often cause pain, beginning at treatment initiation and potentially continuing after curative treatment. Opioids, which have a theoretical lack of analgesic...
The effect of data aggregation on estimations of nurse staffing and patient outcomes

OBJECTIVE To examine how estimates of the association between nurse staffing and patient length of stay (LOS) change with data aggregation over varying time periods and settings, and statistical controls for unobserved heterogeneity. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Longitudinal secondary data from October 2002 to September 2006 for 215 intensive care units and 438 general acute care units at 143 facilities in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. RESEARCH DESIGN This retrospective observational study used unit-level panel data to analyze the association between nurse staffing and LOS. This association was measured over both a month-long and a year-long period, with and without fixed effects. DATA COLLECTION We used VA administrative data to obtain patient data on the severity of illness and LOS, as well as labor hours and wages for each unit by month. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Overall, shorter LOS was associated with higher nurse staffing hours and lower proportions of hours provided by licensed professional nurses (LPNs), unlicensed personnel, and contract staff. Estimates of the association between nurse staffing and LOS changed in magnitude when aggregating data over years instead of months, in different settings, and when controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS Estimating the association between nurse staffing and LOS is contingent on the time period of analysis and specific methodology. In future studies, researchers should be aware of these differences when exploring nurse staffing and patient outcomes.
Exact solution of two simple non-equilibrium electron-phonon and electron-electron coupled systems: The atomic limit of the Holstein-Hubbard model and the generalized Hatsugai-Komoto model

One of the challenges in many-body physics is determining the effects of phonons on strongly correlated electrons. The difficulty arises from strong correlations at differing energy scales---for band metals, Migdal-Eliashberg theory accurately determines electron-phonon coupling effects due to the absence of vertex corrections, but strongly correlated electrons require a more complex description, and the standard Migdal-Eliashberg approach does not necessarily apply. In this work, we solve for the atomic limit Green's function of the Holstein-Hubbard model with both time-dependent electron-electron and electron-phonon couplings. We then examine the photoemission spectra of this model in and out of equilibrium. Next, we use similar methods to exactly solve an extended version of the Hatsugai-Komoto model and examine its behavior in and out of equilibrium. These calculations lead us to propose using the first moment of the photoemission spectra to signal non-equilibrium changes in electron-electron and electron-phonon couplings.
Entre la urdimbre de lo íntimo y la trama de lo político. Representaciones sobre la escritura en redes sociales virtuales

This paper expands on doctoral research and aims to understand the subjective representations that some young university students have about writing in virtual social networks. It is based on the understanding of subjectivity as a singular structural framework involving cultural features, conscious choices and unconscious knowledge. In methodological terms, the present investigation was guided by a case study as a method that relates cultural position to unique features. The findings allow us to examine subjective representations from two uses of writing on virtual social networks: the first, ‘writings of the self’ that from confessional genres expose their own intimacy to the gaze of all; and de second, ‘writing of us’ sensitive to the social realities of the country and politically engaged.
Accepting New Technology: Community Relations for Mobile Incineration in Illinois

New technologies, such as incineration and biodegradation, are being used to respond to environmental problems caused by hazardous waste. Rather than being welcomed by the affected community, some proposed remedies, especially those involving incinerators, are being met with resistance and even outrage. How risk communication is conducted can determine whether the community accepts the remedy. This paper describes two case studies and several issues that can make risk communication more effective and, consequently, obtain community acceptance.
Cavafy and His Heirs in America

Among early 20th century poets on the far side of the Atlantic who require translation into English, the Alexandrian Greek poet C.P. Cavafy is now one of the major figures that an American poet is likely to consider essential reading at some point, if not today, than maybe next month or maybe next summer, someday soon. But if this statement is true, it is only fairly recently true. Though Cavafy, who was born in 1863 and died in 1933, had his devotees in England well before and during the Second World War?E.M. Forster, TE. Lawrence, and Arnold Toynbee, among others?and though John Mavrogordato's translation of his poems appeared in the United States in 1952, it was not until the next decade that American readers of poetry began to take an interest in the Alexandrian's work in significant numbers. The first source of this growing interest was the publication in 1961 of the American edition of Lawrence Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet in which Cavafy appeared as "the Poet of the city" and "the old man," in both instances identified by the novelist in an endnote and celebrated by Durrell's free translations of Cavafy's "The City" and "The God Abandons Antony" in the "Consequential Data" addendum to the first novel of the quartet, Justine. Durrell's work became an immediate and enduring best-seller in the United States, as it previously had been in England, and Cavafy's reputation began to prosper to a degree as a consequence. But the principal source of his increasingly central standing in the minds of American poets was surely the introduction that W.H. Auden provided for the 1961 publication of Rae Dalven's English translation of Cavafy's poems. Auden, then living in the United States and the dean of poets for many younger American writers, revealed, at the start of his commentary, that for over thir ty years Cavafy had "remained an influence on my own writing; that is to say, I can think of poems which, if Cavafy were unknown to me, I should have written quite differently or perhaps not written at all." And he added that this influence was exercised not by way of Modern Greek, which he did not know, but by way of English and
Use of optical fiber thermometers in high temperature environments

Radiation thermometry refers to the techniques and devices used to estimate the temperature of an object by measuring the radiative flux leaving the object. When properly implemented, radiation thermometry provides an accurate, precise and non-intrusive method for measuring temperature. Optical fiber thermometers (OFT) are a type of a radiation thermometer. Commonly used OFT are blackbody OFT and lightpipe radiation thermometers (LPRT). When a significant portion of the fiber is exposed to elevated temperatures, the temperature measurements are corrupted due to emission from the fiber. This paper describes a method that may be used to infer the temperature at the tip of the fiber and to estimate the temperature profile along the fiber when the fiber is exposed to a high temperature environment. Planned improvements for this method are also discussed.
Effects of surface area, polymer char, oxidation, and NiO additive on nitridation kinetics of silicon powder compacts

The oxidative stability of attrition-milled silicon powder under reaction-bonding processing conditions has been determined. The investigation focused on the effects of surface area, polymer char, preoxidation, nitriding environment, and a transitional metal oxide additive (NiO) on the nitridation kinetics of attrition-milled silicon powder compacts tested at 1250 and 1350°C for 4 h. Silicon powder was wet-attrition-milled from 2 to 48 h to achieve surface areas (SAs) ranging from 1.3 to 63 m2/g. A silicon powder of high surface area (63 m2/g) was exposed for up to 1 month to ambient air or for up to 4 days to an aqueous-based solution with the pH maintained at 3, 7, or 9. Results indicated that the high-surface-area silicon powder showed no tendency to oxidize further, whether in ambient air for up to 1 month or in deionized water for up to 4 days. After a 1-day exposure to an acidic or basic solution, the same powder showed evidence of oxidation. As the surface area increased, so did the percentage nitridation after 4 h in N2 at 1250 or 1350°C. Adding small amounts of NiO significantly improved the nitridation kinetics of high-surface-area powder compacts, but both preoxidation of the powder and residual polymer char delayed it. Conversely, the nitridation environment had no significant influence on the nitridation kinetics of a high-surface-area powder. Impurities present in the starting powder, and those accumulated during attrition milling, appeared to react with the silica layer on the surface of silicon particles to form a molten silicate layer, which provided a path for rapid diffusion of N2 and enhanced the nitridation kinetics.
Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (SCL‐90‐R)

The Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) is a self-report instrument designed to assess psychological symptomatology and distress in adolescents and adults. Overall, the SCL-90-R is considered a valid measurement of general psychological distress, with high internal consistency and test–retest reliability in both clinical and nonclinical populations. The SCL-90-R is most frequently used by mental health professionals to assess psychological symptoms and monitor patient progress during and after treatment. The SCL-90-R is also widely employed for research purposes with normative samples as well as inpatient and outpatient populations experiencing a range of mental health and medical conditions. Despite the instrument's clinical and research utility, findings suggest that the subscales do not adequately discriminate among clinical diagnoses. Thus, the consensus recommendation is that the SCL-90-R be used as a measure of general distress, rather than as an assessment of individual types of psychopathology. Keywords: measurement in psychology; psychopathology; assessment; checklist; distress; symptom
Is Bankruptcy the Answer for Troubled Cities and States

The financial crisis that has afflicted America’s cities and states for the past decade is far from over. Under existing U.S. law, distressed municipalities can file for bankruptcy if their state permits this, as roughly half do. The states themselves do not have a bankruptcy option, however, no matter how bleak their circumstances may be. There have recently been dramatic developments in the handling of municipal distress. Several cities have filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 9, which, although adequate for sewer and water districts or a very small town, has conventionally been deemed irrelevant for real cities and municipalities. Additionally, several states have enacted or amended their laws to give the state greater control over the finances of troubled municipalities. Other recent developments that might initially seem unrelated may also have important implications for municipal and state distress: (1) the Supreme Court reinvigorated its jurisprudence on federal “commandeering” of the states and (2) the recent crisis in Europe raises questions about the internal dynamics of a federalist framework that also are highly relevant for the U.S. situation. In this 17th Annual Frankel Lecture, Professor David Skeel proposes to take stock of each of these developments, focusing in particular on the lessons they offer about the role of formal restructuring rules in a federal system.