cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional neuroimaging of emotional processing in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To explore how recipients’ preferences for their donor’s characteristics change from before they enter the program to after their child’s delivery. DESIGN: A prospective comparison study. Surveys were given prior to entering the program and again three to four months after delivery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 34-item survey utilizing Likert scale questions was developed based on clinical and literature review for recipients’ preference for donor characteristics and the top 3 preferences were rank ordered. Descriptive statistics on 18 female and 12 male recipients were derived on all characteristics. 20 subjects had no children, 24 had college or higher degrees. RESULTS: After delivery specific donor characteristics such as eye color, hair color and general attractiveness trended towards being less important although generally was considered moderately important. Significant shifts towards less importance were: sexual orientation (P<.02), education (P<.0006), ethnic background (P<.0005), no mental health problems (P<.0005), education (P<.0006), general attractiveness, skin tone and hair color (P<.04), and donor already had a child (P<.05). More important were: donor’s health (P<.0001) and family health (P<.0004). Overall, good personal health, mental health and family health history remains most important both before entering the program and after delivery. Least important were religion, willingness to meet offspring, willingness to be in a registry, if donor had a child, graduate education, and a financial motivation. CONCLUSION: Recipients expressed preferences for their donors’ characteristics tend to remain stable over time although may be felt less strongly after actually delivering their child(ren). Although individual characteristics are moderately important to most recipients, health concerns for the donor remains the most important preference. This information may reduce pressure on recipients when selecting characteristics.
Non-native species impacts on pond occupancy by an anuran

Non-native fish and bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) are frequently cited as contributing to the decline of ranid frogs in the western United States, so we hypothesized that non-native species, habitat, or a combination of these relate to the probability of local extinction for northern red-legged frogs (Rana aurora) in Oregon, USA. We also hypothesized that the probability of colonization relates to land use, wetland size, or riparian forest. In a 5-yr study, we found no support for an effect of non-native species on northern red-legged frogs. Instead, probability of local extinction decreased with the extent of emergent vegetation and riparian forest. This finding suggests that managers consider the role of habitat when confronting non-native species problems.
Resource allocation for distributed detection in sensor networks

In this paper we consider the problem of binary hypothesis detection in wireless sensor networks under power constraint. The objective is to solve the resource allocation problem for this distributed detection problem and find a suitable operating point for the network. We consider the Neyman-Pearson (NP) criteria and design suitable transmission schemes and a fusion center (FC) detector, so that subject to transmission power constraints, detection probability is optimized. It is shown that the corresponding optimization problem is convex, optimality conditions are derived, and solutions for transmit powers as well as overall detector are obtained. Numerical simulations verify our results.
Inward rectifier potassium channels in the basilar artery during chronic alcohol consumption.

Background The goals of this study were to determine whether chronic alcohol consumption alters potassium channel-mediated reactivity in the basilar artery and to determine a potential mechanism that might account for the effects of alcohol on the basilar artery. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were fed liquid diets with or without alcohol for 2 to 3 months. We measured diameter of the basilar artery in response to potassium channel inhibitors and activators. Protein level of inward rectifier potassium channel subunit Kir2.1 in the basilar artery was determined by Western blot. Results Topical application of glibenclamide (1 and 10 microM) significantly constricted the basilar artery at high dose; iberiotoxin (10 and 100 nM), 4-AP (0.1 and 1 mM), and BaCl2 (1 and 10 microM) produced dose-related constriction in both non-alcohol-fed and alcohol-fed rats. However, the magnitude of constriction in response to BaCl2 was significantly less in alcohol-fed rats compared with non-alcohol-fed rats. Topical application of KCl (1 and 3 mM), cromakalim (0.1 and 0.3 microM), and NS1619 (10 and 30 microM) induced dose-related dilation in non-alcohol-fed and alcohol-fed rats. However, the magnitude of vasodilation in response to KCl was significantly less in alcohol-fed rats compared with non-alcohol-fed rats. In addition, Kir2.1 protein level in the basilar artery was significantly reduced in alcohol-fed compared with non-alcohol-fed rats. Conclusions These findings suggest that chronic alcohol consumption reduces expression of inward rectifier potassium channels and inhibits KIR channel-mediated dilation in the basilar artery.
Scintillator gamma-ray detectors with silicon photomultiplier readouts for high-energy astronomy

Space-based gamma-ray detectors for high-energy astronomy face strict constraints of mass, volume, and power, and must endure harsh operating environments. Scintillator materials have a long history of successful operation under these conditions, and new materials offer greatly improved performance in terms of efficiency, time response, and energy resolution. The use of scintillators in space remains constrained, however, by the mass, volume, and fragility of the associated light readout device, typically a vacuum photomultiplier tube (PMT). Recently developed silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) offer gains and efficiencies similar to those of PMTs, but with greatly reduced mass and volume, high ruggedness, and no high-voltage requirements. We have therefore been investigating the use of SiPM readouts for scintillator gamma-ray detectors, with an emphasis on their suitability for space- and balloonbased instruments for high-energy astronomy. We present our most recent results, including spectroscopy measurements for lanthanum bromide scintillators with SiPM readouts, and pulse-shape discrimination using organic scintillators with SiPM readouts. We also describe potential applications of SiPM readouts to specific highenergy astronomy instrument concepts.
Some Factors Influencing the Ignition of Carbon Monoxide and Oxygen.

In a recent article Professor W. A. Bone has shown that combination can take place between carbon monoxide and oxygen when dried over phosphorus pentoxide for six months, provided sufficient energy is added to the explosive mixture. The condensed discharges used by Professor Bone to ignite the dry mixture were of the order of magnitude of the hot sparks used by Millikan and Bowen in their experiments on stripped atoms, and were amply sufficient to dissociate the gas in the path of the spark into atoms stripped of their valence electrons.
Emplacement and tectonic deformation of smooth plains in the Caloris basin, Mercury

Abstract MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury provided the first complete view of the Caloris basin and its interior smooth plains. Multispectral imaging shows that the interior plains are spectrally distinct from surrounding terrain, with a reflectance about 15–20% higher and a steeper spectral slope than the global average. The Caloris basin rim massifs and hummocky material, in contrast, have lower reflectance and a shallower spectral slope than the global average and extend around the entire basin. Isolated, relatively red patches along the margins of Caloris each surround irregularly shaped, scalloped-edged, rimless depressions that are interpreted to be volcanic vents, some with associated pyroclastic deposits. A nearly continuous annulus of smooth plains exterior to the basin displays spectral characteristics that contrast sharply with those of the basin-interior smooth plains. The exterior smooth plains are lower in reflectance and spectrally similar to the Caloris rim massifs and the hummocky materials. The rims and floors of larger impact craters in the interior plains expose low-reflectance material. There is widespread evidence of contractional and extensional tectonic deformation of the Caloris interior smooth plains. A set of linear radial graben, Pantheon Fossae, radiates outward from a zone near the basin center, and some of these graben extend to and intersect a set of generally basin-concentric graben distributed along the outer margin of the Caloris basin floor. The average areal extensional strain expressed by the mapped system of graben is ~ 0.08%. Wrinkle ridges also deform the interior smooth plains and predate both basin-radial and basin-concentric graben. The average areal contractional strain expressed by the mapped wrinkle ridges is ~ 0.07%. The density of wrinkle ridges on the western interior smooth plains is less than on the eastern interior plains, in contrast to the more even distribution of graben. A similar difference is seen between the density of wrinkle ridges on the western and eastern exterior smooth plains, with far fewer wrinkle ridges per unit area on the western annular plains. Superposition relations, spectral contrast, and the occurrence of volcanic vents and possible pyroclastic deposits all support a volcanic origin for the Caloris interior plains. Crater counts indicate that the Caloris exterior plains and hummocky material are younger than the Caloris rim and interior plains and are therefore also likely volcanic in origin. The contrast in spectral properties between the interior and exterior plains indicates a difference in the composition of the two expanses of volcanic material. Models for extensional tectonic deformation of the Caloris basin interior inferred from the distribution of graben viewed by Mariner 10 must be reevaluated to account for the discovery of Pantheon Fossae.
Phosphorylation of the Kv2.1 K+ Channel Alters Voltage-Dependent Activation

The voltage-gated delayed-rectifier-type K+ channel Kv2.1 is expressed in high-density clusters on the soma and proximal dendrites of mammalian central neurons; thus, dynamic regulation of Kv2.1 would be predicted to have an impact on dendritic excitability. Rat brain Kv2.1 polypeptides are phosphorylated extensively, leading to a dramatically increased molecular mass on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. Phosphoamino acid analysis of Kv2.1 expressed in transfected cells and labeled in vivo with 32P shows that phosphorylation was restricted to serine residues and that a truncation mutant, DeltaC318, which lacks the last 318 amino acids in the cytoplasmic carboxyl terminus, was phosphorylated to a much lesser degree than was wild-type Kv2.1. Whole-cell patch-clamp studies showed that the voltage-dependence of activation of DeltaC318 was shifted to more negative membrane potentials than Kv2.1 without differences in macroscopic kinetics; however, the differences in the voltage-dependence of activation between Kv2.1 and DeltaC318 were eliminated by in vivo intracellular application of alkaline phosphatase, suggesting that these differences were due to differential phosphorylation. Similar analyses of other truncation and point mutants indicated that the phosphorylation sites responsible for the observed differences in voltage-dependent activation lie between amino acids 667 and 853 near the distal end of the Kv2.1 carboxyl terminus. Together, these parallel biochemical and electrophysiological results provide direct evidence that the voltage-dependent activation of the delayed-rectifier K+ channel Kv2. 1 can be modulated by direct phosphorylation of the channel protein; such modulation of Kv2.1 could dynamically regulate dendritic excitability.
A model-based test approach for testing high speed PLLs and phase regulation circuitry in SOC devices

Future SOC devices make extensive use of phase locked loops to either generate gigahertz clocks on-chip or to adjust the phase of data signals in high speed IO links running at multiple gigabits per second. The high speed analog nature of the circuitry requires a dedicated test strategy to obtain fault coverage particularly for parametric defects affecting jitter performance. While traditional specification oriented test methods require a complex setup of additional instrumentation, This work describes a completely new model based approach using existing capture and compare equipment available with ATE. The methodology proposed in This work performs a test by verifying the frequency domain model of the phase regulation characteristic developed during the design phase of the circuit. The method scales in performance and accuracy with leading edge measurement equipment such as ATE and BERT.
Robust flux balance analysis of metabolic networks

Metabolic networks describe the set of biochemical reactions and regulatory interactions of metabolism that govern the phenotypical properties of a cell. Analysis of such networks is critical not only to promote biological knowledge, but also in drug discovery, where it can be used to identify and knockout the targeted pathways. Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) has been widely used to study metabolic networks. This powerful technique employs the reaction stoichiometries and reversibility constraints along with experimental measurements of phenotypical properties of the cell, e.g., biomass composition or ATP synthesis, to compute the fluxes of metabolites that are best manifested in the cell. Although FBA has been shown to satisfactorily capture cell behavior, its performance could be significantly improved if measurement uncertainty is introduced in the models. In this paper we propose Robust Flux Balance Analysis (RFBA) to determine optimal fluxes of metabolites for all phenotypical measurements in a given uncertainty set. We derive a least squares bi-criterion approximation of the uncertain problem and, using the S-procedure and tools from matrix analysis, we show that this is equivalent to a semidefinite program that can be solved optimally using available techniques. We illustrate our approach on synthetic metabolic networks and discuss the effect of regularization on the final solutions. Due to its convex nature, our approach can be applied to genome-scale networks.
Structural and Kinetic Characterization of Active-Site Histidine as a Proton Shuttle in Catalysis by Human Carbonic Anhydrase II

In the catalysis of the hydration of carbon dioxide and dehydration of bicarbonate by human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II), a histidine residue (His64) shuttles protons between the zinc-bound solvent molecule and the bulk solution. To evaluate the effect of the position of the shuttle histidine and pH on proton shuttling, we have examined the catalysis and crystal structures of wild-type HCA II and two double mutants: H64A/N62H and H64A/N67H HCA II. His62 and His67 both have their side chains extending into the active-site cavity with distances from the zinc approximately equivalent to that of His64. Crystal structures were determined at pH 5.1−10.0, and the catalysis of the exchange of 18O between CO2 and water was assessed by mass spectrometry. Efficient proton shuttle exceeding a rate of 105 s-1 was observed for histidine at positions 64 and 67; in contrast, relatively inefficient proton transfer at a rate near 103 s-1 was observed for His62. The observation, in the crystal structures, of a completed ...
Evolution of Novel Reassortant A/H3N2 Influenza Viruses in North American Swine and Humans, 2009–2011

Novel H3N2 influenza viruses (H3N2v) containing seven genome segments from swine lineage triple-reassortant H3N2 viruses and a 2009 pandemic H1N1 (H1N1pdm09) matrix protein segment (pM) were isolated from 12 humans in the United States between August and December 2011. To understand the evolution of these novel H3N2 viruses in swine and humans, we undertook a phylogenetic analysis of 674 M sequences and 388 HA and NA sequences from influenza viruses isolated from North American swine during 2009–2011, as well as HA, NA, and M sequences from eight H3N2v viruses isolated from humans. We identified 34 swine influenza viruses (termed rH3N2p) with the same combination of H3, N2, and pM segments as the H3N2v viruses isolated from humans. Notably, these rH3N2p viruses were generated in swine via reassortment events between H3N2 viruses and the pM segment approximately 4 to 10 times since 2009. The pM segment has also reassorted with multiple distinct lineages of H1 virus, especially H1δ viruses. Importantly, the N2 segment of all H3N2v viruses isolated from humans is derived from a genetically distinct N2 lineage that has circulated in swine since being acquired by reassortment with seasonal human H3N2 viruses in 2001–2002, rather than from the N2 that is associated with the 1998 H3N2 swine lineage. The identification of this N2 variant may have implications for influenza vaccine design and the potential pandemic threat of H3N2v to human age groups with differing levels of prior exposure and immunity.
Blind identification of out-of-cell users in DS-CDMA

In the context of multiuser detection for the DS-CDMA uplink, out-of-cell interference is usually treated as Gaussian noise, possibly mitigated by overlaying a long random cell code on top of symbol spreading. Different cells use statistically independent long codes, thereby providing means for statistical out-of-cell interference suppression. When the total number of (in-cell plus out-of-cell) users is less than the spreading gain, subspace identification techniques are applicable. If the base station is equipped with multiple antennas, then completely blind identification is possible via three-dimensional low-rank decomposition. This works with more users than spreading and antennas, but a purely algebraic solution is missing. In this paper, we develop an algebraic solution under the premise that the codes of the in-cell users are known. The codes of out-of-cell users and all array steering vectors are unknown. In this pragmatic scenario, we show that in addition to algebraic solution, better identifiability is possible. Our approach yields the best known identifiability result for three-dimensional low-rank decomposition when one of the three component matrices is partially known, albeit noninvertible. Simulations show that the proposed identification algorithm remains close to the pertinent asymptotic (symbol-independent) Cramer-Rao bound, which is also derived herein.
Identifying patients at risk: novel diagnostic techniques

Techniques that enable the accurate and reproducible detection and measurement of the pathophysiological changes that occur in atherosclerosis, particularly early on in the disease process, will help to identify those whoare at highest cardiovascular risk, and may, therefore, improve clinical outcome. It has become apparent that atherosclerosis begins much earlier in life than was previously thought. It is also now known that it is the extent and composition of atheromatous plaque, rather than the degree of stenosis, that determines the risk of plaque disruption and, therefore, has most impact on patient outcome. Traditional techniques that only provide information about lumen size, such as angiography, are thus of limited use in predicting clinical events. Improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying atherogenesis has resulted in the development of several potential techniques for assessing the disease process in humans. These include modalities that detect early structural changes in the coronary arteries, such as electron-beam-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and intra-vascular ultrasound; and those that detect surrogate markers for coronary atherosclerosis, such as the external vascular ultrasound measuremnt of carotid intima-media thickness).
Thrombin induces fibronectin-specific migration of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells: requirement of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease of excess vasoconstriction and vascular cell proliferation that results in increased pulmonary vascular resistance and right heart fai...
Rare cause of a common symptom: primary cardiac lymphoma.

Cardiac tumors may be symptomatic or found incidentally during evaluation for a seemingly unrelated problem or physical finding. Because symptoms may mimic other cardiac conditions, the clinical challenge is to consider the possibility of a cardiac tumor so that the appropriate diagnostic test(s) can be conducted. In this case, we describe an exceedingly rare cardiac tumor. Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is a rare tumor with nonspecific signs and symptoms that delay the diagnosis and management [1]. Primary cardiac lymphoma is found incidentally during evaluation for a seemingly unrelated problem. Primary cardiac tumors are extremely uncommon with all primary cardiac tumors of less than 5%, only 1.3 % is PCL [2,3]. Incidence is higher in immunocompromised hosts with B
The tactical disruptiveness of social movements: Sources of market and mediated disruption in corporate boycotts

This article examines factors associated with social movements’ abilities to disrupt corporate targets. I identify two kinds of disruption: market disruption and mediated disruption. Market disruption deters the ability of the corporate target to effectively accrue and use market resources, while mediated disruption occurs as a tactic communicates a movement's claims about the target through third party intermediaries, like the media, thereby disrupting the target's image and reputation. Using data on corporate boycotts in the United States from 1990 to 2005, the analyses assess the extent to which movement characteristics or target characteristics cause stock price declines of boycotted companies—i.e., market disruption—and the frequency of national media attention given to boycotts—i.e., mediated disruption. The analyses indicate that target characteristics matter more in shaping a boycott's initial market disruption; however, both movement and target characteristics affect mediated disruption. Certain movement characteristics, like social movement organization (SMO) formality, public demonstrations, and celebrity endorsements, enable mediated disruption but have no effect on market disruption. A firm's size makes it vulnerable to both market and mediated disruption, while slack resources help a firm avoid market disruption. A target's reputational ranking initially buffers it from market disruption but increases its vulnerability to mediated disruption. The results indicate that the two kinds of disruption are interrelated. Market disruption has a marginal effect on the intensity of subsequent media coverage and ongoing media attention accentuates further market disruption.
Rural Education As Rural Development: Understanding the Rural School–Community Well-Being Linkage in a 21st-Century Policy Context

Despite the significant proportions of rural Americans, schools, and public school students situated in the geographic peripheries of an increasingly urbanizing country, rural education in the United States has consistently occupied both scholarly and policy peripheries. This is to the detriment of rural America, especially to the extent that public policy and educational practice may work at cross-purposes with the vitality and well-being of rural communities. This paper examines these issues and, more specifically, considers the relationship between rural education and rural community development. I argue that rethinking the purposes of education, particularly within rural contexts, may help not only to more clearly articulate a sensible rural education policy, but, in the process, more clearly articulate broader rural development policy.
The Use of Echinacea to Improve Oxygen Transport Capacity

It is well established that an increase in circulating EPO can result in an increase in oxygen transport capacity and that an increase in oxygen transport capacity may result in an increase in the ability to perform endurance exercise. Echinacea has been used therapeutically in both oral and injected forms and is purported to enhance immune status through an increase in the activity of and/or the circulating concentration of components of the immune system.There is evidence that suggests Echinacea may stimulate the production of EPO and influence erythropoiesis through two separate mechanisms: 1) the activation of macrophages and subsequent production and release of PGE2 and 2) by increasing the activity level of T cells and subsequent production and release of erythroid progenitor growth factors. An increase in the circulating concentration of PGE2 is postulated to result in and increase in EPO production directly and indirectly through stimulation of CD4 and CD8 production from T cells. Evidence also exists to support the role of direct stimulation of T cells by Echinacea that may result in production and release of GM-CSF and IL-3. Thus, if Echinacea supplementation were shown to stimulate EPO production then an increase in [RBC] and oxygen transport capacity might also result. Finally, an increase in oxygen transport capacity with Echinacea supplementation may provide a therapeutic means by which to diminish the adverse effects caused by a decrease in oxygen availability and enhance endurance exercise performance through the same mechanism.
A comparison of the eigensystem realization algorithm and the Q-Markov COVER

Two time domain modal analysis methods, the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm and the QMarkov COVER, are compared and contrasted. It is shown that, under certain conditions, the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm and the QMarkov COVER yield similar realizations of structural systems. Both methods use different solutions for the system dynamic matrix (the "A" matrix). When applied to simulated data, the reconstruction error is nearly the same. But when applied to real data, the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm is consistently, but only marginally, more accurate. This may be due to the balanced realization used in the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm. However, the Q-Markov COVER can be implemented much faster for large order data sets because of the particular structure of the algorithm.
Effect of Protein-like Copolymers Composition on the Phase Separation Dynamics of a Polymer Blend: A Monte Carlo Simulation

We use kinetic Monte Carlo simulation based on the bond fluctuation model to investigate the dynamics of phase separation in immiscible 80/20 A/B binary polymer blends, comprising 80% and 20% of A and B components, respectively, in the presence of ≈4.92% 30-mer protein-like copolymer (PLC) made of C and D segments. The molecular interactions are chosen such that there is an attraction between A and C and between B and D segments and no interaction between like segments; all other interaction energies have been chosen to be repulsive. The PLC migration to and presence at the A/B interface effectively slow down the process of phase separation in binary blends, thereby minimizing the unfavorable A/B contacts and reducing the A/B interfacial tension. The ability of PLCs to effectively retard the process of phase separation depends sensitively on the PLC composition. PLCs with 0.3 ≤ xC ≤ 0.5, where xC is the mole fraction of C, are most effective in compatibilizing the 80/20 A/B binary blend. The growth of pha...
Research of Log Vectorization Based on SPCTR Algorithm and Semilog Coordinate System

The log identification is carried out with SPCTR algorithm.With the reference of the characteristics of various log interpretation achievement graph and precise analysis and large amount of experiments,a method of log vectorization based on semilog coordinate is realized.The experiments show that the method is very practical and accurate and it is feasible of SPCTR algorithm in semilog coordinate system.
ATP activates a cation-permeable pathway in rat parotid acinar cells.

Effects of several purinergic receptor agonists were examined on rat parotid acinar cells. Extracellular ATP stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake into isolated rat parotid acinar cells in a concentration-depen...
Quantification of Ca2(+)-dependent protease activities by hydrophobic and ion-exchange chromatography.

Hydrophobic and ion-exchange chromatography were compared for yield of Ca2(+)-dependent proteases and their inhibitor in studies designed to quantify Ca2(+)-dependent proteases activity for comparative purposes. Ion-exchange (DEAE-Sephacel) proved superior to hydrophobic chromatography (Phenyl-Sepharose). Under the proper conditions, DEAE-Sephacel effectively separated low-calcium-requiring form of Ca2(+)-dependent protease (CDP-I) and CDP inhibitor. Characterization of the assay system for components of the Ca2(+)-dependent proteolytic system separated by ion-exchange chromatography indicated that proteolytic degradation of casein by Ca2(+)-dependent proteases was linear with time for up to 60 min at 25 degrees C and that it was linear up to .4 to .45 units of activity. Therefore, we recommend that, after identification of fractions containing Ca2(+)-dependent protease (CDP-I or CDP-II), these fractions be pooled, and reassayed at a volume that yields values of less than .45 units of activity. Unlike CDP-I and CDP-II, CDP inhibitor lost its activity rapidly with frozen storage (frozen in liquid nitrogen, then stored at -70 degrees C); therefore, inhibitor should be assayed in fresh (unfrozen) samples only.
Emitter/absorber interface of CdTe solar cells

The performance of CdTe solar cells can be very sensitive to the emitter/absorber interface, especially for high-efficiency cells with high bulk lifetime. Performance losses from acceptor-type interface defects can be significant when interface defect states are located near mid-gap energies. Numerical simulations show that the emitter/absorber band alignment, the emitter doping and thickness, and the defect properties of the interface (i.e., defect density, defect type, and defect energy) can all play significant roles in the interface recombination. In particular, a type I heterojunction with small conduction-band offset (0.1 eV ≤ ΔEC ≤ 0.3 eV) can help maintain good cell efficiency in spite of high interface defect density, much like with Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) cells. The basic principle is that positive ΔEC, often referred to as a “spike,” creates an absorber inversion and hence a large hole barrier adjacent to the interface. As a result, the electron-hole recombination is suppressed due to an insufficie...
Injection-locked semiconductor laser-based frequency comb for modulation applications in RF analog photonics.

A linearized intensity modulator for periodic and pulsed light is proposed and demonstrated. The free carrier plasma effect has been used to modulate the refractive index of the phase section of a three-section mode-locked laser. If injection locked, the modulation induces an arcsine phase response on the three-section mode-locked laser. By introducing this mode-locked laser into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer biased at quadrature, one can realize a true linear intensity modulation. This novel laser suppresses any unwanted amplitude modulation and increases the performance of the linearized intensity modulator. Experimental results have provided a record low static Iπ of 0.39 mA and a spur-free dynamic range of 75 dB.Hz2/3.
An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship between Quality and Productivity

The traditional theory of quality and productivity hypothesizes an inverse relationship between quality and productivity whereas a more contemporary theory hypothesizes that quality and productivity are directly related. A production simulation game was..
Scheming textiles: End-user programming for wearables

This paper attempts to expand the landscape of wearable computing with button-schemer, an ldquoambient program readerrdquo that can be used to input program code directly from a computer screen or from specially bar-coded surfaces. The placement of programs for such a device can be made informal, creative, and practically ubiquitous, suggestive of ways to extend the traditional notions that wearables are to be worn, but not programmed away from a desktop computer.
Implementation of a multidisciplinary guideline improves preterm infant admission temperatures

Hypothermia is a common problem in preterm infants immediately following delivery. The rate of admission hypothermia in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was above the rate of comparable NICUs in the Vermont Oxford Network. To reduce the rate of preterm admission hypothermia, a quality improvement (QI) project was implemented, utilizing the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) methodology. A guideline for delivery room thermoregulation management in <35-week infants at the University of Virginia was created and put into practice by a multidisciplinary team. Clinical practice changes in the guideline included: increasing operating room temperatures, obtaining a 10-min axillary temperature, using an exothermic mattress for all infants <35 weeks, and using a polyethylene wrap for infants <32 weeks. The baseline rate of hypothermia (<36.5 °CC) was 63%. Three PDSA cycles data were completed on 168 consecutive preterm births. The post-implementation rate of hypothermia (<36.5 °C) was reduced to 30% (P<0.001). The incidence of moderate hypothermia (< 36 °C) was reduced from a baseline of 29% to a rate of 9% (P<0.001). Use of a multidisciplinary guideline to increase preterm NICU admission temperatures resulted in a decrease in hypothermic infants.
“We’ve Lost the Basics”: Perceptions of Journalism Education From Veterans in the Field:

This study examines the perceptions that veteran digital journalists working at news organizations, the people who traditionally have hiring power, hold concerning how new entrants into the news in...
Isolation, Liberalism, Biopower

This chapter introduces the cultural history of health governance and sketches the broad outline of how epidemic diseases were significantly transformed in Victorian London by a novel system of hospital isolation. The historiography of disease control in the nineteenth century tends to focus on how the fear and panic of contagious disease lends itself to authoritarian, emergency powers. This chapter, however, suggests directing attention to how modes of liberal rule and administration placed a significant amount of the burden for governing epidemics with the governed themselves. It argues that sanitary detention should be viewed as an expression of biopower, and that biopolitical mechanisms (as suggested by Foucault) are best understood as appropriate to liberal governmentality.
Homotopy continuation based observer for position sensorless PM synchronous machine drives

A novel unified position sensorless observer is proposed using homotopy continuation. A single observer is used to estimate the rotor position and speed at high speed, low speed, and standstill. The position and speed are treated as independent variables such that the PMSM dynamic equation is a parametrized algebraic function f where the zeros identify the position and speed estimate. A homotopy is identified that maps the zeros of f at sampling time instant k − 1 into the zeros of f at sampling time instant k. As the algebraic equation has multiple zeros, the homotopy is designed to identify the closest zero that, assuming reasonable sampling, identifies the correct position and speed. Benefits of the proposed method are instantaneous estimation and lack of convergence transients once a rough estimate is available through initial position estimation with polarity detection. The concept is validated at low and high speed using high-fidelity simulations.
In utero and lactational exposure of the male rat to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin impairs prostate development. 2. Effects on growth and cytodifferentiation

In the male Holtzman rat, in utero and lactational 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure decreases prostate weight without inhibiting testicular androgen production or decreasing circulating androgen concentrations. Therefore, the present study sought to characterize effects of TCDD exposure on prostate development, from very early outgrowth from the urogenital sinus (Gestation Day [GD] 20) until rapid growth and differentiation are essentially complete (Postnatal Day [PND] 32). Pregnant Holtzman rats were administered a single dose of TCDD (1.0 microgram/kg po) or vehicle on GD 15 and offspring were exposed via placental transfer (GD 20 euthanasia) or placental and subsequent lactational transfer until euthanasia (if before PND 21) or weaning. Results show that the prostatic epithelial budding process was impaired by in utero TCDD exposure, as evidence by significant decreases in the number of buds emerging from dorsal, lateral, and ventral aspects of the GD 20 urogenital sinus. Ventral prostate cell proliferation index was significantly decreased on PND 1 but was similar to or higher than control at later times, whereas apoptosis was an extremely rare event in ventral prostates from both control and TCDD-exposed animals. Delays were noted in the differentiation of pericordal smooth muscle cells and luminal epithelial cells. In addition, ventral prostates from approximately 40% of TCDD-exposed animals examined on PNDs 21 and 32 exhibited alterations in the histological arrangement of cell types that could not be explained by a developmental delay. Compared to controls, these ventral prostates exhibited a disorganized, hyperplastic epithelium containing fewer luminal epithelial cells and an increased density or continuous layer of basal epithelial cells, as well as thicker periductal smooth muscle sheaths. In addition, in ventral prostates from TCDD-exposed animals, the intensity of androgen receptor staining was relatively low in the central and distal epithelium, and the number of androgen receptor-positive cells was relatively high in the periductal stroma. These data suggest that in utero and lactational TCDD exposure interferes with prostate development by decreasing very early epithelial growth, delaying cytodifferentiation, and, in the most severely affected animals, producing alterations in epithelial and stromal cell histological arrangement and the spatial distribution of androgen receptor expression that may be of permanent consequence.
The valuation impact of carbon reporting: assessing firm-specific and extended supply chain carbon disclosures of S&P 500 firms

Prior corporate sustainability studies that examine the association between corporate environmental performance (CEP) and corporate financial performance (CFP) primarily focus on firm-specific environmental impacts, avoiding considerations of the much larger environmental impacts within firms' extended supply chains. In addition, prior literature has concentrated more on the performance of regulated pollutants, less on unregulated pollutants. This study focuses on these two gaps by examining three interrelated questions: 1) the association between firm-specific greenhouse gas (GHG) performance and valuation; 2) the association between GHG reporting in the extended supply chain and valuation; 3) the moderating effect of reporting GHG emissions in the extended supply chain on the association between firm-specific GHG performance and valuation. The results suggest that firm-specific GHG emission performance is positively associated with valuation and that reporting GHG emissions in the extended supply chain affords firms an incremental valuation premium.
Enhancing Effects of Check-in/Check-out with Function-Based Support:

Targeted interventions (also called Tier 2 interventions or secondary interventions) are implemented within a comprehensive three-tiered system of support consisting of universal interventions (for...
J-V Characteristics of Graded AlxGa1-xAs Heterojunction Barriers Using the Self Consistent Ensemble Monte Carlo Method

The properties of graded AlxGa1-xAs heterojunction barriers are investigated using the self consistent ensemble Monte Carlo method. The effect of barrier height and doping is determined by considering barrier heights of 100 meV and 265 meV, and doping levels in the barrier of 1 x 1015 cm -3 and 1 x 1017 cm -3. The lower doped barrier is shown to result in a smaller current both in the forward and reverse bias regions due to space charge effects. The barrier doping provides a mechanism by which the ideality factor of the barrier diode can be changed whereas the barrier height provides a mechanism by which the saturation current can be controlled effectively.
Free-Vibration and Damping Characterization of Composites

Many different applications have increased the demand for materials which can reduce fundamental frequencies and obtain high material damping. At present, composite materials offer the widest choice for designing lightweight space structures that can be effectively controlled. This study presents analytical/experimental results for natural frequencies of composite beams and plates. Finite element predictions for the fundamental frequency are checked against the experimental modal analysis results for all specimens. Optimum design parameters are sought for composites in terms of stacking sequence, fiber orientation, aspect ratio and boundary conditions. Effects of damage on damping and vibration is illustrated with the beam specimens.
Bridging the Gaps in the Care of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: the Role of Combined Clinics

Despite a robust therapeutic landscape, significant gaps exist in the quality of care of psoriatic disease. Thus, an improved understanding of the challenges in providing quality care and the implementation of effective strategies to overcome them is needed. In this review, we summarize the burden of psoriatic disease, discuss the challenges in the care of psoriatic patients, and outline how combined dermatology-rheumatology clinics bridge many of these gaps. Multiple challenges are faced in providing high-quality care to patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis from the pre-diagnosis phase of disease to the follow-up period. Challenges are mainly driven by lack of education of patients and healthcare providers, inefficient communication between specialists, lack of a holistic approach to patients, and limitations of available therapies. The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network (PPACMAN) is working on demonstrating the effectiveness of combined dermatology-rheumatology clinics in addressing some of these challenges. Recent findings show that combined clinic models may improve quality of care by raising awareness of psoriatic disease, fostering educational activities for both patients and physicians, and allowing for comprehensive evaluation and management of patients through improved communications between disciplines. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are complex diseases that often require an interdisciplinary approach. Thus, combined dermatology-rheumatology clinics and local-regional partnerships are potentially effective in improving quality of care in psoriatic disease.
Digitization of scalar fields for quantum computing

Qubit, operator, and gate resources required for the digitization of lattice $\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}$ scalar field theories onto quantum computers are considered, building upon the foundational work by Jordan et al. [Quantum Inf. Comput. 14, 1014 (2014); Science 336, 1130 (2012)], with a focus towards noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. The Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem, introduced in this context by Macridin et al. [Phys. Rev. A 98, 042312 (2018)] building on the work of Somma [Quantum Inf. Comput. 16, 1125 (2016)], provides a guide with which to evaluate the efficacy of two field-space bases, the eigenstates of the field operator, as used by Jordan et al., and eigenstates of a harmonic oscillator, to describe ($0+1$)- and ($d+1$)-dimensional scalar field theory. We show how techniques associated with improved actions, which are heavily utilized in lattice QCD calculations to systematically reduce lattice-spacing artifacts, can be used to reduce the impact of the field digitization in $\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}$, but are found to be inferior to a complete digitization improvement of the Hamiltonian using a quantum Fourier transform. When the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem is satisfied, digitization errors scale as $|log|log|{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\mathrm{dig}}|||\ensuremath{\sim}{n}_{Q}$ (number of qubits describing the field at a given spatial site) for the low-lying states, leaving the familiar power-law lattice-spacing and finite-volume effects that scale as $|log|{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\mathrm{latt}}||\ensuremath{\sim}{N}_{Q}$ (total number of qubits in the simulation). For localized (delocalized) field-space wave functions, it is found that ${n}_{Q}\ensuremath{\sim}4(7)$ qubits per spatial lattice site are sufficient to reduce theoretical digitization errors below error contributions associated with approximation of the time-evolution operator and noisy implementation on near-term quantum devices. Only classical computing resources have been used to obtain the results presented in this work.
Open-label pilot study of tofacitinib 2% for the treatment of refractory vitiligo.

Treatment options for vitiligo are limited and many cases remain refractory to first and second line treatments. Interferon-gamma signaling mediated by Janus kinase (JAK) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.1 Systemic administration of tofacitinib, a potent JAK1/3 inhibitor, has been effective in treating vitiligo in case reports,2 however, it is associated with infections, malignancies, cytopenias, gastrointestinal perforations, and hyperlipidemia in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Topical administration of tofacitinib may limit unintended systemic effects, and herein we present the experience with topical tofacitinib 2% cream in the treatment of patients with non-segmental vitiligo.
Revisiting terrain-following Boussinesq equations on a highly variable periodic bed

On re-deriving the Boussinesq-type equations in a terrain-following coordinate system based on the conformal map for an arbitrarily (submerged) periodic bed, it is pointed out that some aspects of the existing approach need to be clarified, specifically the use of velocity potential gradient in the mapped plane in connection with the transformation of velocity vector, and the appropriate frequency–wavenumber relation that is from the solution to the linearized Boussinesq equations. It is shown that as the bed undulation height increases, this relationship increasingly departs from the flat-bottom dispersion relation that has previously been assumed for the terrain-following Boussinesq systems. Over a highly variable periodic bed, the waveforms of linear time harmonic waves already have features reminiscent of nonlinear waveforms, which should be distinguished from the subsequent nonlinear evolution.