cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Respiratory health, indoot air-pollution and asthma burden in school age children

Strong evidence is reported on risk factors from the indoor and outdoor environment on respiratory health in children. The European Commission, funded the study on Schools Indoor Pollution and Health (SINPHONIE) carried out in 25 different European countries in winter season 2011/2012, during the heating season. The aim of the study was to measure indoors and outdoors air-quality and level of pollutants and to correlate it with respiratory health. Since children spend a large part of their time at school, the initiatives to evaluate such indoor air quality (IAQ) were developed. The study protocol included:questionnaire on school characteristics and IAQ policy; questionnaires derived from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, one filled in by the pupils and the other by their parents; school environmental assessments; and noninvasive clinical tests on a subsample of pupils. Noninvasive clinical tests - spirometry, break-up time and tear film analysis, exhaled nitrogen oxide were performed. The selected schools were in urban and rural area. Results: The pupils exposed to an elevated level of indoor pollutants showed higher prevalence of nonspecific respiratory symptoms. The exacerbation of asthma definitely correlates with higher levels of indoor pollution particularly during the winter season unrelated to school location, characteristics. Conclusion: The indoor air quality directly affects the respiratory health of pupils in general while in asthmatic children may be a risk factor for the exacerbations and asthma attacks in school. Brunekref B. Indoor environment. In:Annesi-Maesano I, Gulsvik A, Viegi G, eds. Respiratory Epidemiology in Europe. Eur Respir Mon 2000; 5: 384–399.
Teaching and Emphasizing Proper Landing Technique

Teaching youths how to land properly may sometimes be overlooked. It is important to minimize the risk of injury during the developmental stages by teaching the proper way to land in order to absorb the impact from landing. This article will first highlight some techniques that are commonly observed when landing and will then provide safer alternatives for such techniques. The article will also provide options for feedback (verbal and visual) and methods for progressing students and athletes as they refine their technique.
Towards a Theory of Sustained Cooperation

The literature on "governing the commons" has profoundly influenced our understanding of collective action. However, longitudinal studies of comparable detail across time have been elusive despite the breadth of evidence documenting local institutions. Using a longitudinal dataset created by replicating a canonical study of irrigation canal governance institutions, I find that sustained cooperation over decades in the face of challenging circumstances appears to be a consequence of how fair users perceive their institutions to be.
Oviposition preference of two Bemisia species (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

Adult females of the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, and the sweetpotato whitefly, B. tabaci (Gennadius), were given access to three different host plants in choice and no-choice experiments to determine if oviposition preference could account for field observations of host use. The experimental host plants were zucchini, which is a preferred host for both species; sugar beet, which is not favored by either species; and cabbage, which is preferred by B. argentifolii and rarely used by B. tabaci . In choice trials, both whitefly species laid the greatest proportion of eggs on zucchini. The lowest proportion of eggs laid by B. argentifolii was on sugar beet, whereas B. tabaci laid its lowest proportion on cabbage. The proportion of eggs laid on cabbage by B. argentifolii was significantly greater than th.at laid by B. tabaci . In bihourly counts, females of both whitefly species were found on each host in approximate proportion to their oviposition choice. In no-choice trials both whitefly species laid approximately the same numbers of eggs on zucchini; yet on cabbage and sugar beet, B. argentifolii laid significantly more eggs. An additional experiment revealed that B. tabaci would oviposit on cabbage to the same degree as B. argentifolii if the leaf surface was rubbed smooth.
Characteristic Sets and Gröbner Bases in Geometry Theorem Proving

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how Grobner basis method can be used to prove geometry theorems. One of the important applications of the Grobner basis method is to decide ideal membership for polynomial ideals. The computation of the Grobner basis is very sensitive to the variable ordering. The chapter discusses the relationship between geometry and algebra to show that the Cartesian product of the field of real numbers is not the only realistic geometry. There are two approaches for defining geometry. These are the algebraic approach and the axiomatic geometry approach. For each model of a theory of geometry, one can prove the existence of a number system inherent to that model. The chapter discusses possible formulations on the algebraic formulation of certain geometry statements and related issues. The discussion is confined to a metric geometry whose associated field E is algebraically closed.
The growth of mathematics and reading skills in segregated and diverse schools: An opportunity-propensity analysis of a national database

Abstract The goal of the present study was to continue to build and refine the Opportunity-Propensity (O-P) model of achievement by using it to explain well-known achievement disparities between schools that differ in terms of their racial and ethnic composition. The O-P model categorizes predictors into antecedent factors (e.g., family SES, parent educational aspirations), opportunity factors (e.g., content coverage and teaching style), and propensity factors (e.g., prior knowledge and motivation). To refine the model further, the authors did the following: (a) added predictors in each category that have not been examined to date; (b) used hierarchical linear modeling to explain growth in knowledge between two assessment points; (c) identified similarities and differences in the models for two content areas (i.e., math and reading); and (d) identified similarities and differences in the models for two age levels (i.e., 3rd grade and 8th grade). Results showed that the combination of new and established predictors accounted for approximately 50% of the variance in the rate at which knowledge grew in both math and reading at both age levels. In addition, the variance explained by the racial and ethnic composition of schools when this variable was entered as the sole predictor of achievement was substantially reduced after antecedent, opportunity, and propensity factors were entered in subsequent models. However, the coefficients for certain school compositions remained significant even after such controls, and the models differed somewhat between content areas (math and reading), and age levels (3rd and 8th grade). Findings are discussed in terms of the implications of these results for building and refining the O-P model further.
Tailoring a Web-based Weight Maintenance Intervention for Northern Plains American Indian Public University Students

Objective:High levels of obesity-related health disparities are common among US American Indian (AI) populations. AI public university students often face unique challenges that may contribute to weight gain and related consequences. Few weight maintenance interventions have been developed that meet the needs of AI public university students. The goal of this study was to determine how to tailor Project Y.E.A.H. (Young Americans Eating and Active for Health), a web-delivered, weight maintenance tool developed for college students to make it culturally relevant for AI public university students.Methods:Three mini focus groups (N = 15) and five in-depth interviews (N = 11) were conducted with self-identified AI college students on the campus of South Dakota State University. Participants were recruited with assistance from the American Indian Education and Cultural Center and through campus publicity. Recorded sessions were transcribed and multistep coding was used to assess the aesthetic appeal of the webs...
Improvements to the HITS-CLIP protocol eliminate widespread mispriming artifacts

High-throughput sequencing of RNA isolated by crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) allows for high resolution, genome-wide mapping of RNA-binding proteins. This methodology is frequently used to validate predicted targets of microRNA binding, as well as direct targets of other RNA-binding proteins. Hence, the accuracy and sensitivity of binding site identification is critical. We found that substantial mispriming during reverse transcription results in the overrepresentation of sequences complementary to the primer used for reverse transcription. Up to 45 % of peaks in publicly available HITS-CLIP libraries are attributable to this mispriming artifact, and the majority of libraries have detectable levels of mispriming. We also found that standard techniques for validating microRNA-target interactions fail to differentiate between artifactual peaks and physiologically relevant peaks. Here, we present a modification to the HITS-CLIP protocol that effectively eliminates this artifact and improves the sensitivity and complexity of resulting libraries.
Bi-convex Optimization to Learn Classifiers from Multiple Biomedical Annotations

The problem of constructing classifiers from multiple annotators who provide inconsistent training labels is important and occurs in many application domains. Many existing methods focus on the understanding and learning of the crowd behaviors. Several probabilistic algorithms consider the construction of classifiers for specific tasks using consensus of multiple labelers annotations. These methods impose a prior on the consensus and develop an expectation-maximization algorithm based on logistic regression loss. We extend the discussion to the hinge loss commonly used by support vector machines. Our formulations form bi-convex programs that construct classifiers and estimate the reliability of each labeler simultaneously. Each labeler is associated with a reliability parameter, which can be a constant, or class-dependent, or varies for different examples. The hinge loss is modified by replacing the true labels by the weighted combination of labelers’ labels with reliabilities as weights. Statistical justification is discussed to motivate the use of linear combination of labels. In parallel to the expectation-maximization algorithm for logistic-based methods, efficient alternating algorithms are developed to solve the proposed bi-convex programs. Experimental results on benchmark datasets and three real-world biomedical problems demonstrate that the proposed methods either outperform or are competitive to the state of the art.
Stool testing for Helicobacter pylori infection: yet another noninvasive alternative

A prospective, multicenter study was performed in 11 European centers to evaluate the accuracy of stool testing for active Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, using the HpSA ELISA antigen assay. The accuracy of this test was assessed in a large number of patients both before and after treatment by comparing results with a rigidly defined gold standard consisting of gastric antral and body biopsies with normal and special stains, as well as culture and rapid urease testing. The accuracy of the stool test was also compared with the currently accepted best noninvasive test, the carbon-13 urea breath test. Five hundred and one treatment naive patients (276 men, mean age 52 yr) were tested after endoscopy (491 patients had evaluable results). The sensitivity and specificity of the stool test were 94.1% (the 95% confidence interval was 90.6-96.6%) and 91.8% (87.3-95.1%), respectively. Pretreatment sensitivity and specificity for breath testing were similar (95.3% [92.2-97.5%] and 97.7% [94.8-99.3%], respectively). One hundred and seven infected patients were reassessed 4 wk after undergoing therapy for H. pylori infection. The posttreatment sensitivity and specificity of the HpSA assay was also excellent, although the confidence intervals were significantly wider because of the smaller number of patients (90% [68.3-98.9%], and 95.3% [88.5-98.7%], respectively). Posttreatment sensitivity and specificity for urea breath testing were also similar (90% [68.3-98.8%] and 98.9% [93.8-100%], respectively). Intercenter variability of test results did not reach statistical significance with either testing method. The authors concluded that HpSA stool testing is a reliable and easy-to-use method for diagnosing H. pylori infection in both treatment naive and posttreatment patients that compares well with carbon-13 urea breath testing. They site specific advantages of the HpSA assay to include: 1) a more simple sampling method (only one stool specimen is required); 2) the lack of a requirement for trained personnel at the testing site; and 3) there is no need for expensive equipment.
Pulmonary and Systemic Vascular Resistances After Cardiopulmonary Bypass: Role of Hemolysis

Objectives Prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with hemolysis, resulting in increased plasma oxyhemoglobin and vascular nitric oxide depletion. The authors hypothesized that hemolysis associated with CPB would reduce nitric oxide bioavailability, resulting in high pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances that after CPB would normalize gradually over time, due to clearance of plasma oxyhemoglobin. The authors also investigated whether prolonged CPB (≥140 min) produced increased levels of hemolysis and greater pulmonary and systemic vasoconstriction. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Single-center university hospital. Patients The study comprised 50 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery requiring CPB. Interventions Plasma hemoglobin and plasma nitric oxide consumption were measured before surgery and after CPB. Pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics were measured after CPB. The effects of short ( Measurements and Main Results Pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances and plasma hemoglobin and nitric oxide consumption were highest at 15 minutes after CPB and then decreased over time. Pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances and plasma hemoglobin and plasma nitric oxide consumption were higher in patients requiring prolonged CPB. The reduction in plasma nitric oxide consumption from 15 minutes to 4 hours after CPB was correlated independently with the reductions in pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances. Conclusions Prolonged CPB was associated with increased plasma hemoglobin and plasma nitric oxide consumption and pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances. The reduction in plasma nitric oxide consumption at 4 hours after CPB was an independent predictor of the concomitant reductions in pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances.
Destruction of cytochrome P-450 by ethylene and other olefins.

Hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 from phenobarbital-pretreated rats is destroyed in vitro, in the presence of NADPH, by terminal (monosubstituted) olefins such as 4-ethyl-1-hexene and 1-heptene. The destructive interaction apparently depends on no other factor than the presence of a carbon-carbon double bond, since ethylene gas is an effective destructive agent. Hepatic "green" pigments are formed on the administration of terminal olefins to phenobarbital-pretreated rats. These pigments are essentially identical, by electronic absorption spectroscopy, to that previously reported to be formed on the administration of 2-isopropyl-4-pentenamide. Although cis- and trans-2-nonene exhibit marginal destructive activity, no abnormal pigments were found after in vivo administration. No cytochrome P-450 loss is observed after incubation with styrene, cyclohexene, 2-methyl-1-heptene, and 3-hexene, a result which suggests that steric and electronic factors can suppress the destructive interaction. The epoxides of three of the terminal olefin substrates have been synthesized and shown not to intervene in destruction of the enzyme by the parent olefins. Mechanistic and physiological implications of these observations are discussed.
Comparison of Factor VIII-Related von Willebrand Factor Proteins Prepared From Human Cryoprecipitate and Factor VIII Concentrate

Both commercial factor VIII concentrate and cryoprecipitate have factor VIII coagulant activity and factor VIII antigen (VIIIR:Ag), but the concentrate lacks the von Willebrand activity (VIIIR:WF) found in the cryoprecipitate. In an effort to find a possible cause for this anomaly we compared the structures of VIIIR:WF proteins responsible for the VIIIR:Ag and VIIIR:WF activities obtained from the two sources. Samples of cryoprecipitate and concentrate were chromatographed on agarose gel, and the resultant VIIIR:WF protein-rich void volume fractions were analyzed by first- and second-dimension sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Proteins were first separated on a 1.5% polyacrylamide–0.5 % agarose gel and then reduced and electrophoresed into a 3% polyacrylamide-0.5 % agarose gel. VIIIR:WF protein from both cryoprecipitate and concentrate was multimeric, with polymers composed of Mr = 2.4 × 10 5 subunits. However, the multimers of the VIIIR:WF proteins from the two sources differed in average molecular weight and structure. Cryoprecipitate VIIIR:WF multimers were predominantly in the molecular weight range above 5 × 10 5 d and were uniformly separated from each other by increments of Mr = 6.5 × 10 5 . In contrast, concentrate VIIIR:WF multimers were relatively smaller, predominantly in the molecular weight range from 1.4 × 10 6 d to 5 × 10 6 d. The polymeric bands were separated from each other by spaces equivalent to approximately Mr = 5 × 10 5 alternating with distances of Mr = 2.5 × 10 5 . These differences in molecular weight and structure are possible causes for the functional property demonstrated here that VIIIR:WF protein from cryoprecipitate had 2.6 times more VIIIR:WF activity par Mr = 2.4 × 10 5 subunit than VIIIR:WF protein from concentrate.
The science of computing

Sparse distributed memory was proposed be Pentti Kanerva as a realizable architecture that could store large patterns and retrieve them based on partial matches with patterns representing current sensory inputs. This memory exhibits behaviors, both in theory and in experiment, that resemble those previously unapproached by machines - e.g., rapid recognition of faces or odors, discovery of new connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, continuation of a sequence of events when given a cue from the middle, knowing that one doesn't know, or getting stuck with an answer on the tip of one's tongue. These behaviors are now within reach of machines that can be incorporated into the computing systems of robots capable of seeing, talking, and manipulating. Kanerva's theory is a break with the Western rationalistic tradition, allowing a new interpretation of learning and cognition that respects biology and the mysteries of individual human beings.
Risk Reduction Strategies: Medical Oncology

In the United States it is estimated that in 2012 more than 40,000 women will die of breast cancer and 229,060 women will be diagnosed with the disease [1]. Although early detection strategies, such as mammograms, have been successfully implemented, 10 % of women will be diagnosed with four or more lymph nodes involved [2]. It has long been thought that the steps leading to cancer development in the breast take place during a long period of time. Support of this notion comes from data in women exposed to radiation. Among patients who received chest radiation for Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymph nodes, as well as the survivors of the atomic bombing, it has been found that the greatest risk of developing breast cancer is when the radiation exposure took place during the early teen years [3]. However breast cancer in those individuals occurred at least 10–15 years later. Additional data come from infants undergoing radiation to the thymic gland, a gland located in the chest, [4] and girls in puberty who received radiation during a procedure for the diagnosis of tuberculosis [5].
REGULATION OF TUBEROINFUNDIBULAR DOPAMINE NEURONS

Procedures which elevate serum concentrations of prolactin selectively increase the α-methyltyrosine-induced decline of dopamine in tuberoinfundibular neurons in the rat median eminence; these same procedures do not alter the concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in this same region.
Post-Fight Respect Signals Valuations of Opponent's Fighting Performance.

The current research explores whether humans process inputs about combat (e.g., assessments of formidability) that produce outputs of post-fight respect (e.g., shaking an opponent’s hand when the fight ends). Using an online questionnaire (Study 1, n = 132), an in-person questionnaire (Study 2, n = 131), and an in-lab fight simulation (Study 3, n = 58), we investigated whether participants were more likely to receive (Studies 1 and 3) and display (Studies 2 and 3) post-fight respect as a function of the fight outcome (Hypothesis 1), use of fight tactics (Hypothesis 2), fighter asymmetries (Hypothesis 3), fighter ranking (Hypothesis 4), and the presence of witnesses (Hypothesis 5). The results support Hypotheses 1 to 4 concerning expectations of receiving post-fight respect, and support only Hypotheses 2 and 3 concerning displays of post-fight respect. We suggest that post-fight respect signals positive valuations of fighting performance that may function to maintain valuable relationships within the socia...
Prevalence, Patterns, and Predictors of Depression Treatment among Community-Dwelling Elderly Individuals with Dementia in the United States

Objectives Co-occurring dementia and depression exerts a substantial burden on the elderly. This study utilizes data from a nationally representative cohort of community-dwelling individuals 65 years and older to examine the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of depression treatment among elderly individuals with co-occurring dementia and depression. Design Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Setting Multiple years of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012) data. Participants The study sample consisted of elderly (age ≥65 years) individuals who 1) had dementia, 2) were alive during the calendar year, and 3) had co-occurring depression. Measurements The dependent variable of this study was depression treatment, identified by antidepressant medication with or without psychotherapy use. Individual level factors associated with depression treatment among elderly individuals with dementia and co-occurring depression were evaluated by conducting multinomial logistic regression. Results Co-occurring depression prevalence among community-dwelling elderly individuals with dementia was approximately 22%. An overwhelming majority (nearly 88%) of the study sample reported receipt of depression treatment. Antidepressants only and combination therapy (antidepressant with psychotherapy) was reported by 75% and 13%, respectively, of the study sample. Age, race/ethnicity, marital status, limitations of instrumental activities of daily living, perceived mental health status, and pain were significantly associated with the reporting of receipt of depression treatment. Conclusions An overwhelming majority of the study sample received depression treatment and several subgroup differences (such as in terms of age) existed in terms of reporting the use of depression treatment was observed.
Recommendations for Use of Adaptive Tutoring Systems in the Classroom and in Educational Research

The current paper and presentation provide background on the different uses of intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) in context of course instruction, discusses specific instructor considerations that are associated with their use, and ways to use ITSs for educational research. Instructor considerations include the time necessary to plan prior to constructing an ITS, the process of constructing ITS lessons for use by students, the method in which students will interact with the ITS, approaches to incorporating ITS use into classes, and the information that instructors would find useful to be output from the ITS. Specifically, the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), an open-source, domain independent ITS framework will be discussed as an approach to creating adaptive tutoring content for classroom use. GIFT includes straightforward authoring tools for instructors and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These authoring tools are powerful, do not require a background in computer science to use, and result in fully adaptive computer-based lessons. Additionally, GIFT provides the flexibility for instructors to bring their pre-generated and already existing instructional material to the system and use it to create ITS lessons. The authoring tools allow the instructor to determine the path of their lesson and the components that their students will experience (i.e. surveys, quizzes, lesson materials, videos). The paper includes details about the development of an instructor dashboard in GIFT, ways for an instructor to use GIFT for educational research, and a discussion of general output information from ITSs that would be relevant to instructors.
The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL): Rationale and Design of a Large-Scale Randomized Controlled Trial

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the background and potential of supplemental vitamin D 3 as an agent for cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and provides details on how VITAL (VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL) will test this hypothesis. VITAL is a large-scale randomized controlled trial of vitamin D for primary prevention of cancer and CVD. The goal of the VITAL trial is to evaluate the role of vitamin D and long-chain marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements in the primary prevention of cancer and CVD. VITAL will be conducted among 20,000 apparently healthy, community-dwelling participants. It features a 2X2 factorial design, and each of the active agents—vitamin D 3 and fish oil (1 g/d omega-3 fatty acids as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in a 1:1 ratio)—has a matching inert placebo. Thus, 5000 participants will be randomized to—active vitamin D and fish oil placebo, vitamin D placebo and active fish oil, both active vitamin D and fish oil, and both vitamin D and fish oil placebos. Consequently, VITAL will test the individual effects of vitamin D as well as joint effects on the primary outcomes over a 5-year treatment and follow-up period. This trial provides for sufficient dosing and trial duration for convincing hypothesis testing of health effects of vitamin D. Thus, VITAL will make a major contribution to knowledge on the role of both vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in cancer and CVD prevention.
Trajectory Computation and Optimization

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on trajectory computation and optimization. The motion of an artificial satellite is comparable to that of the moon about the earth or to that of a planet about the sun. However, the differences between the motions of the natural and artificial satellites are enormous, such as: (1) the time scale is different; an artificial satellite will make as many revolutions about the earth in a week as Jupiter will make about the sun in 4,000 years, and (2) near-earth satellites are greatly affected by drag. The chapter presents several of the classical astronomical procedures for orbital computation, and gives a presentation of direct numerical integration techniques. A presentation of several new methods developed specifically for the artificial satellites is also given. The forces acting on any satellite rotating about some principal body give rise to a set of differential equations which describe the motion of the satellite.
SLEEP APNEA | Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy

Obstructive sleep apnea is a fairly common condition with significant adverse health outcome. The treatment of choice is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which restores upper airway patency by increasing intraluminal pressure and hence acting as a ‘pneumatic splint’ maintaining patency throughout the entire upper airway. Determination of the optimal CPAP pressure requires ‘titration’ during polysomnography. The criteria for initiating nasal CPAP therapy are continuously evolving. Nasal CPAP can be delivered as a CPAP, as bi-level positive pressure therapy (BPAP) or as an auto-titrating device. While these modalities improve comfort; there is no evidence that adherence with therapy is enhanced. An area of controversy is whether patients with mild disease would benefit from CPAP therapy. Effectiveness of therapy requires adherence to therapy; unfortunately, adherence with anal CPAP remains suboptimal. Intensive support may improve adherence with potential improvement in patient outcome.
Asymptotic Series and Expansions

The method of perturbations can be used to develop approximate solutions to differential equations, which have nonlinearities or variable coefficients so that an exact solution cannot be constructed. Questions of convergence of the perturbation expansion in terms of a suitable small parameter are abandoned if such an expansion can provide a useful representation of the exact solution. However, the perturbation expansions are usually not uniformly valid and various techniques have been developed to render them uniformly valid.
„Just War or just War?“ Die Lehren der Libyenintervention und ihre Konsequenzen für die Schutzverantwortung

Mit der Libyenintervention hat die UN erstmalig ihre Schutzverantwortung (responsibility to protect, R2P) gegenuber einer bedrohten Zivilbevolkerung mit militarischen Mitteln ausgeubt. Der Einsatz demonstriert, dass die R2P als Norm inzwischen etabliert ist, aber konzeptionelle Unklarheiten bei der konkreten Umsetzung verbleiben. Die Frage ist daher nicht blos ob, sondern auch wie Massenverbrechen an Zivilsten kunftig verhindert werden konnen und welche politischen und militarischen Grenzen hierbei zu beachten sind.
Strain Energy Driven and Curvature Driven Grain Boundary Migration in 3D-IC Cu Vias

We use grain-focused models to study grain boundary (GB) migration (GBM) in polycrystalline Cu vias that interconnect MLM layers in 3D ICs. Curvature-driven GB velocities are calculated by PLENTE [1]–[3] using the local mean curvature of the GBs, as described in Ref. 2. We use Comsol Multiphysics [4] to calculate GB velocities due to thermally induced strain energy jumps across GBs [5]. The thermo-mechanical calculations needed for this are made using model structures that combine continuum models and grain-continuum (GC) models (see [1]–[3], [5]); we call these ‘hybrid’ grain-continuum (HGC) models. Curvature driven GB dominates in this work; however, there are uncertainties in the absolute stress values used and how the relative magnitudes of these phenomena will change as the structure evolves.
Exploring Silver Contact Morphologies in Printed Carbon Nanotube Thin-Film Transistors

Demand for ubiquitous and flexible electronics to facilitate the rapid growth of Internet- of- Things (IoT) technologies has driven the advancement of printed electronics for low-cost and high-throughput manufacturing. The carbon nanotube thin-film transistor (CNT-TFT) is one of the most promising options for printed electronics due to its mechanical flexibility, compatibility with low-temperature fabrication, and relatively high mobility [1]. Meanwhile, Ag nanoparticles remain the most widely used conductive material in printed inks due to their superb dispersion stability, high conductivity, and relatively low cost [2]. However, limited studies have explored the impact of different printed metallic contacts in CNT-TFTs [3], even though the contact interfaces are one of the leading factors limiting performance. In this work, the impact of Ag contact morphology is studied for the first time by fabricating hundreds of CNT-TFTs using an aerosol jet printer to systematically investigate three morphologies (nanoparticle (NP), nanoflake (NF), and nanowire (NW), as seen in Fig. 1) and their impact on device performance. Using what is learned from the contact morphology results, the first CNT-TFTs printed without removal of the substrate from the printer (full “print-in-place” additive devices) are also demonstrated.
Mothers and Fathers, Sons and Daughters: Parental Knowledge and Quality of the Parent‒Child Relationship as Predictors of Delinquency in Same- and Cross–Sex Parent‒Child Dyads

This study tested two putative mechanisms for the perceived parental knowledge‒delinquency relationship using a longitudinal cross-lagged research design. The first mechanism tested in this study proposed that a positive parent‒child relationship enhanced parental knowledge, which, in turn, inhibited delinquency. The second mechanism started with parental knowledge, which then led to improved parent‒child affiliation, which, in turn, reduced delinquency. These two pathways were evaluated in 5102 mothers (2631 sons, 2471 daughters) and 3999 fathers (2117 sons, 1882 daughters) of adolescent members of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97). Causal mediation analysis revealed that both pathways (positive relationship → parental knowledge; parental knowledge → positive relationship) were significant in all four dyads (fathers‒sons, fathers‒daughters, mothers‒sons, and mothers‒daughters). Findings from this study indicate that the relationship between parental knowledge and quality of the parent‒child relationship is bidirectional in its effect on future delinquency.
Transboundary hydro-governance: from conflict to shared management

The waterThis review has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the review. sector has long benefited from the prodigious scholarly output of Jacqu...
Wide-Area Imaging of Ultrasonic Fields by Digital Phase-Stepping Shearography

Shearography, introduced in 1973 by both Hung & Taylor [1] and Leendertz & Butters [2], was developed from speckle pattern interferometry. Both methods are full- field optical techniques which generate interference patterns by combining a reference beam with the reflected light from a diffusive surface. However, a significant difference exists between the manner in which these two methods form their resulting interferograms. Shearography is a common path intereferometer; the reference beam is derived from the same beam as that used to probe the object. This distinction has a number of advantages including tolerance to rigid body motions, reduced laser coherence requirements, compact design, convenient sensitivity adjustment, and direct measurement of differential displacement. The advent of modern video cameras has allowed designers to build upon these intrinsic advantages producing a portable low-cost sensor. In this configuration, (electronic) shearography has gained acceptance as a nondestructive inspection technique [3–5], which is commonly used on aerospace structures and materials [6–10].
How Airline Dispatchers Manage Flights: A Task Analysis in Distributed and Heterogeneous Network Operations:

Equipped with technology, airline dispatchers interact with multiple entities to maximize the safety and efficiency of flights. How well the overall airline system performs is influenced by dispatc...
The Approach to the Pediatric Patient

Pediatric autoimmune hepatitis is an inflammatory progressive liver disease characterized by inflammatory liver histology, elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG), and autoantibodies in the absence of a known etiology. Untreated, the condition often progresses rapidly to cirrhosis.
Generalized and Mechanistic PV Module Performance Prediction From Computer Vision and Machine Learning on Electroluminescence Images

Electroluminescence (EL) imaging of photovoltiac (PV) modules offers high-speed, high-resolution information about device performance, affording opportunities for greater insight and efficiency in module characterization across manufacturing, research and development, and power plant operations and management. Predicting module electrical properties from EL image features is a critical step toward these applications. In this article, we demonstrate quantification of both generalized and performance mechanism-specific EL image features, using pixel intensity-based and machine learning classification algorithms. From EL image features, we build predictive models for PV module power and series resistance, using time-series current–voltage ( I–V ) and EL data obtained stepwise on five brands of modules spanning three Si cell types through two accelerated exposures: damp heat (DH) (85 $^\circ$ C/85% RH) and thermal cycling (TC) (IEC 61215). In total, 195 pairs of EL images and I–V characteristics were analyzed, yielding 11 700 individual PV cell images. A convolutional neural network was built to classify cells by the severity of busbar corrosion with high accuracy (95%). Generalized power predictive models estimated the maximum power of PV modules from EL images with high confidence and an adjusted- $R^2$ of 0.88, across all module brands and cell types in extended DH and TC exposures. Mechanistic degradation prediction was demonstrated by quantification of busbar corrosion in EL images of three module brands in DH, and subsequent modeling of series resistance using these mechanism-specific EL image features. For modules exhibiting busbar corrosion, we demonstrated series resistance predictive models with adjusted- $R^2$ of up to 0.73.
Modelling anti-vaccine sentiment as a cultural pathogen

Culturally transmitted traits that have deleterious effects on health-related traits can be regarded as cultural pathogens. A cultural pathogen can produce coupled dynamics with its associated health-related traits, so that understanding the dynamics of a health-related trait benefits from consideration of the dynamics of the associated cultural pathogen. Here, we treat anti-vaccine sentiment as a cultural pathogen, modelling its ‘infection’ dynamics with the infection dynamics of the associated vaccine-preventable disease. In a coupled susceptible–infected–resistant (SIR) model, consisting of an SIR model for the anti-vaccine sentiment and an interacting SIR model for the infectious disease, we explore the effect of anti-vaccine sentiment on disease dynamics. We find that disease endemism is contingent on the presence of the sentiment, and that presence of sentiment can enable diseases to become endemic when they would otherwise have disappeared. Furthermore, the sentiment dynamics can create situations in which the disease suddenly returns after a long period of dormancy. We study the effect of assortative sentiment-based interactions on the dynamics of sentiment and disease, identifying a tradeoff whereby assortative meeting aids the spread of a disease but hinders the spread of sentiment. Our results can contribute to finding strategies that reduce the impact of a cultural pathogen on disease, illuminating the value of cultural evolutionary modelling in the analysis of disease dynamics.
Interviews and Inference: Making Sense of Interview Data in Qualitative Research

The paper outlines different modes of inference that researchers are able to make from interview data. Rather than championing one correct mode of inference, I argue that most open-ended and semi-structured interviews contain (a) open contexts in which we can cautiously infer about other situations from the interview; (b) contexts that we should treat as hermetically closed; and (c) refracted contexts in which the relationship between the interview and other situations is patterned but not direct. Having outlined these contexts, the paper focuses on two forms of refracted relations between interviews and other contexts of action, analyzing interviews as refracted images of both people’s landscapes of meaning and talk’s promissory aspect. In doing so, the article makes two contributions. First, it seeks to clarify how researchers should think about the inferences they can make from in-depth interviews. Second, it is also meant as a contribution to our understanding of the relationship among situations by stressing how actors’ talk sets up collective action in ways that often end up supporting the projects they narrate.
Lessons Learned From Recruiting Latino Fathers in Child Health Research

Latinos are the largest minority population group in the United States, and Latino children currently account for one fourth of U.S. children under age 18. Family is a core value in the Latino cult...
Emergent conformal symmetry in nonunitary random dynamics of free fermions

This work explores random quantum circuit models for non-unitary quantum dynamics of free fermions in one spatial dimension and show that this model is critical and has space-time conformal symmetry.
Treatment of Severe COVID-19 with Convalescent Plasma in the Bronx, NYC

Convalescent plasma with severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies (CCP) may hold promise as treatment for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We compared the mortality and clinical outcome of patients with COVID-19 who received 200mL of CCP with a Spike protein IgG titer ≥1:2,430 (median 1:47,385) within 72 hours of admission to propensity score-matched controls cared for at a medical center in the Bronx, between April 13 to May 4, 2020. Matching criteria for controls were age, sex, body mass index, race, ethnicity, comorbidities, week of admission, oxygen requirement, D-dimer, lymphocyte counts, corticosteroids, and anticoagulation use. There was no difference in mortality or oxygenation between CCP recipients and controls at day 28. When stratified by age, compared to matched controls, CCP recipients <65 years had 4-fold lower mortality and 4-fold lower deterioration in oxygenation or mortality at day 28. For CCP recipients, pre-transfusion Spike protein IgG, IgM and IgA titers were associated with mortality at day 28 in univariate analyses. No adverse effects of CCP were observed. Our results suggest CCP may be beneficial for hospitalized patients <65 years, but data from controlled trials is needed to validate this finding and establish the effect of ageing on CCP efficacy.
Is Project Management a Job or a Profession? The Business-Oriented Outlook

We challenge the traditional view of project management. It is no longer sufficient to deliver a project on time, cost, and scope. A business-focused mindset is needed.
Donor group influence on dye-sensitized solar cell device performances: Balancing dye loading and donor size

Abstract Four high photocurrent near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing metal-free organic sensitizers (ND1, ND2, ND3, and AP25) with varying nitrogen-based donor groups are examined for use in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) devices. One of the highest photocurrent generating organic dyes based on a triarylamine donor reported in the literature (AP25 at 19 mA/cm2) is compared to dyes varying the donor group with constant intramolecular charge transfer π-bridge-acceptor systems. Specific popular donor groups include the bulky Hagfeldt donor (ND1), a carbazole donor (ND2), and an indoline donor (ND3) which varies a large range of sizes (maximum width varies between 8 A and 26 A). Computational analysis, dye energetics, absorption profiles (in solution and on TiO2), device incident photon-to-current conversion efficiencies (IPCEs), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, small modulated photovoltage transient spectroscopy, and device current-voltage curves are used to probe dye behavior based on donor group selection. Balancing donor size and dye loadings was found to be critical for higher performances with the DSC dyes accessing low energy photons near 900 nm.
Tracking the origin of ultralow velocity zones at the base of Earth's mantle.

Origins of the ultralow velocity zones may be classified by their velocity-reduction-ratio, R = δ lnVS/δ lnVP, which ranges from 1.2-1.5 for iron oxides or iron-enriched magnesium oxides, 1.6-2.0 for pyrite-type FeO2Hx, 2.3-2.8 for the eutectic melt of Fe + C, 2.7-3.1 for partial melt of (Mg, Fe)SiO3 + Fe to 3.5-4.5 for iron-rich post-perovskite.
Evaluating Immediate and Short-Term Postoperative Clinical Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Ulnar Shortening for Ulnar Impaction Syndrome Using PROMIS.

Background The early recovery trajectory of patients undergoing ulnar shortening for ulnar impaction syndrome using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is unknown. Questions/Purposes Using PROMIS Upper Extremity (UE), Physical Function (PF), Pain Interference (PI), and Depression, we asked (1) do patients undergoing operative management for ulnar impaction syndrome present at their preoperative visit with notable impairment?; (2) At immediate follow-up, do patients present with a clinically appreciable change in symptom severity?; and (3) At short-term follow-up, do patients present with a clinically appreciable change in symptom severity? Patients and Methods We identified patients from 01/2017 to 12/2019 at our institution undergoing ulnar shortening for ulnar impaction syndrome who completed all PROMIS domains at a preoperative visit and at least one postoperative time point (i.e., less than 4 weeks and/or greater than 12 weeks). Distribution- and anchor-based minimal clinically important difference estimates were used to evaluate clinically appreciable changes in symptoms over time. Results A total of 38 patients met our inclusion criteria. The average change in PROMIS UE, PF, PI, and Depression scores from preoperative to immediate postoperative follow-up were –3.8, –4.3, 3.2, and 0.5, respectively. However, by short-term follow-up, the average change in PROMIS UE, PF, PI, and Depression scores were 3.7, 3.2, –4.7, and –3.9, respectively. Conclusions Patients have worsening function at the immediate postoperative follow-up. By short-term postoperative follow-up, functional status and PI levels improve. Our findings can help hand surgeons provide evidence-based guidance on expected initial recovery following operative management for ulnar impaction syndrome. Level of Evidence This is a level II, prognostic study.
Blockchain-based Secure Coordination for Distributed SDN Control Plane

Software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) is an emerging and advanced networking platform extending software-defined networking (SDN) across multiple networking domains. Because SD-WAN manages the data plane in the networking domains separated by the public Internet, SDWAN provides a distinct environment and challenges from SDN, including greater risks for the security threats injecting control plane communications from attackers residing outside of the SDN domain. We design and build blockchain-coordinating controllers (BCC) to secure control communications of the SD-WAN controller network formed by the distributed controllers spread across multiple domains. BCC provides resiliency against the security threats in the control plane where an attacker compromises controller communications to manipulate the coordination and the operations of the other controllers. More specifically, BCC provides secure control communications even when up to n controllers’ networking credentials are compromised. BCC is also designed for modularity so that it applies generally across the controller implementations. We prototype BCC using Ethereum and smart contract on CloudLab to validate its effectiveness and efficiency. We experiment on geographically separate nodes on CloudLab and show that BCC achieves the distributed consensus at sub-second level for certificate/key distribution and for network-wide control communication synchronization.