cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decalcification and bond failure: A comparison of a glass ionomer and a composite resin bonding system in vivo.

Decalcification during orthodontic treatment is a serious problem. A glass ionomer agent is now available to bond orthodontic brackets as an alternative to composite resins. This prospective study was a clinical trial to determine if a glass ionomer bonding system (Fuji Ortho LC) decreases the incidence of decalcification without increasing the amount of bonding failures. A prospective clinical trial with 16 patients encompassing a total of 298 teeth was conducted. The 149 control teeth were bonded with a light-cured composite resin (Reliance Light Bond) whereas the 149 experimental teeth were bonded with the light-cured glass ionomer agent. Patients were followed for a period of 12 to 14 months. All teeth were evaluated for breakage (bonding failure rate), and all maxillary anterior teeth (96) were evaluated for decalcification on a graded scale. The glass ionomer failure rate was 24.8%, and was higher than the composite resin failure rate of 7.4% (P < .001). There were more glass ionomer bond failures in 12 of 16 patients (P < .001). Enamel decalcification was similar in the 2 bonding systems. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 1999;116:518-21)
Poly(arylsulfone imide) as E‐beam resist: Synthesis and radiolysis

Aromatic diamines containing SO2 and S moieties have been used to prepare soluble polyimides with ditrifluoromethyl methane bis(phthalic anhydride) (F-series polyimides) and polyamic acid with pyromellitic dianhydride (P-series). Gamma radiolysis gave G(S) values for scission between 1 to 2 with no crosslinking. Significant weight loss occurred with radiolysis is attributable to efficient SO2 bond scission for the F-series polyimides, as well as imidization in the cases of P-series polyamic acids.
The neural career of sensory-motor metaphors

The role of sensory-motor systems in conceptual understanding has been controversial. It has been proposed that many abstract concepts are understood metaphorically through concrete sensory-motor domains such as actions. Using fMRI, we compared neural responses with literal action (Lit; The daughter grasped the flowers), metaphoric action (Met; The public grasped the idea), and abstract (Abs; The public understood the idea) sentences of varying familiarity. Both Lit and Met sentences activated the left anterior inferior parietal lobule, an area involved in action planning, with Met sentences also activating a homologous area in the right hemisphere, relative to Abs sentences. Both Met and Abs sentences activated the left superior temporal regions associated with abstract language. Importantly, activation in primary motor and biological motion perception regions was inversely correlated with Lit and Met familiarity. These results support the view that the understanding of metaphoric action retains a link to sensory-motor systems involved in action performance. However, the involvement of sensory-motor systems in metaphor understanding changes through a gradual abstraction process whereby relatively detailed simulations are used for understanding unfamiliar metaphors, and these simulations become less detailed and involve only secondary motor regions as familiarity increases. Consistent with these data, we propose that anterior inferior parietal lobule serves as an interface between sensory-motor and conceptual systems and plays an important role in both domains. The similarity of abstract and metaphoric sentences in the activation of left superior temporal regions suggests that action metaphor understanding is not completely based on sensory-motor simulations but relies also on abstract lexical-semantic codes.
Security visualization: Cyber security storm map and event correlation

Efficient visualization of cyber incidents is the key in securing increasingly complex information infrastructure. Extrapolating security-related information from data from multiple sources can be a daunting task for organizations to maintain safe and secure operating environment. However, meaningful visualizations can significantly improve decision-making quality and help security administrators in taking rapid response. The purpose of this work is to explore this possibility by building on previously gained knowledge and understanding of weather maps used in meteorology, assessing the gaps, and applying various techniques and matrices to quantify the impacts of cyber incidences in an efficient way.
Critical Reflectivity and the Development of New Culturally Relevant Teachers.

Three case studies present how preservice teachers use reflections while learning to teach. Interviews and document analysis reveal that critical reflections evidence greater understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy and offer a platform for critical consciousness. Using critical reflectivity to develop teachers' understandings of culturally relevant pedagogy is discussed.
Are Better Problem-Solvers Better People?

It is a pleasure to write this essay to honor K. Danner Clouser, my longtime friend and colleague. He has influenced us all by his advice, kindness, writings, and sense of humor. Dan is master of the one-liner, the king of repartee, and the champion spinner of wonderful tales. At his retirement party from Hershey in 1996, he invited some of us to his home where we were mesmerized by his stories. He told of leaving his home when the near-by Three-Mile Island had a partial melt-down; only Dan could make that horrific event both extremely funny and deeply moving. In what follows, I will examine Clouser’s philosophy of education. He has written extensively about integrating humanities into professional education in general and medical education in particular. I want to show that Clouser’s stated goals are largely epistemological, and like those of John Dewey, concern the development skills and dispositions to make students more aware of problems and better able to solve them. After briefly discussing the goals, teaching techniques, skills, and dispositions that Clouser recommends to make students better problem-solvers, I critically examine his views. I suggest that there is a tension in Clouser’s work, primarily because he seems committed to two different, possibly incompatible, lines of argument about the proper goal of teachers of medical ethics or other humanities in medical education.’ Clouser seems to waffle on whether our goal as humanities teachers should be to try to make students not only better problem-solvers but better people. I will argue that he is either inconsistent, or he presupposes his own moral theory, without argument, in his philosophy of education. If this is correct, then Clouser has not argued for a key assumption and left his position open to misunderstanding.
A Comparison of Short-Period and Broadband Seismograph Systems in the Context of the Seismology of the Eastern United States

The study compares the capabilities of modern short-period seismograph systems with those using broadband sensors. The results indicate that dual-gain recording using 1-Hz seismometers will capture essentially all of the available information in the seismic wavefield generated by moderate magnitude shocks ( M 4.0–6.0) at regional distances, with dynamic range sufficient to record on-scale a magnitude 6.0 event at approximately 55 km. Short-period instrument operation in seismically active areas remains an effective means of collecting weak-motion data for basic seismological research relevant to public safety in the eastern United States.
The Empowerment Puzzle: In Pursuit of a New Dimension in Governing the City

City politics has shifted from the era of redevelopment led mainly by a business-city hall alliance (what Robert Salisbury once termed a “new convergence of power.” For governing, the logic of the situation continues to call for a fit between resource capacity and issue scope. A very large-scale mobilization of resources and skills was required to pursue the outsized and highly consequential agenda of urban redevelopment in the years following World War II. Today, with diminished engagement by corporate business, foundations and the “ed & med” sector (universities, hospitals, and professional schools) are now prime prospects for supplying vital resources needed for addressing the challenges faced by cities and their marginal groups. While there is no “new convergence of power” capable of setting priorities commensurate in scope with those of the redevelopment era, foundations and “ed & med” institutions can interact with disadvantaged communities to form significant policy alliances. As a Baltimore example illustrates, such hybrid arrangements between unequals form an important area for inquiry into the politics of today’s cities.
The State and Life Chances in Urban China: Redistribution and Stratification Dynamics Under State Socialism

The Chinese Revolution is for the latter half of the twentieth century what the Russian Revolution was for the first half. By transforming Chinese society, it has brought a great power into being which proclaims itself the revolutionary and developmental model for the poor countries of the world. Franz Schurmann (1968, p. xxxvi) In state socialist societies social inequalities are basically created and structured by redistributive mechanisms. Ivan Szelenyi (1978, p. 1) INTRODUCTION One evening in 1985, I found myself at a dinner table in Palo Alto, California, with Professor Arthur Wolf, a distinguished anthropologist of China studies, and several students of his. During that conversation, Professor Wolf asked this question: “How can we explain the phenomenon that, ever since population data have been recorded in China's history, the Chinese population continued to rise, but there was a sharp drop in the late 1950s and early 1960s?” My heart sank as I followed Professor Wolf's waving arm and visualized the long and upward trajectory and then a sudden, deep slump. Many images and stories rushed into my mind – the recollections of the so-called “Great-Leap-Forward” episode and the subsequent famine period that I heard about over and over as I grew up, from my parents, grandparents, my friends' parents, and from the peasants in the village where I once worked.
Interaction of 16 epi-estriol and estradiol 17 beta on uterine growth.

SummaryThe adult, ovariectomized rat was used to ascertain the effects of a new estrogen, 16 epi-estriol, on the activity of estradiol 17β. These results indicate that when 3 daily doses of 5 to 25 νg of 16 epi-estriol are subcutaneously injected into rats receiving 0.1 νg estradiol 17β daily for the 3-day period, the response of the uterus to estradiol is restricted. Normally, 3 daily doses of 0.1 νg estradiol 17β increase the uterine wet weight from the value of the ovariectomized rat from approximately 116 mg to 227 mg. The simultaneous administration of 5, 10, or 25 νg of 16 epi-estriol in addition to the estradiol treatment reduces the response to 191 down to 173 mg. The inhibitory action is likewise reflected in the dry weight data. No apparent modification of the vaginal cornifying action of estradiol could be induced by 16 epi-estriol.
New and Improved Test Technologies to Validate and Analyze High-Response Aerodynamic Test Data

The continued demand to reduce the time and cost of developing modern aerospace systems combined with the ever-increasing volume of test data and the constant challenge of providing test customers with more accurate, near-real-time test results mandates the development of new and improved test technologies to validate and analyze test data. This paper focuses on the application of these test technologies to internal and external aerodynamic high-response test data acquired in the Arnold Engineering Development Center 16-foot Transonic Wind Tunnel for a sub-scale jet engine inlet and full-scale components of a space vehicle.
Effects of physical stress on adolescents with normal or abnormal cardiovascular function.

• What physical deficits not apparent during a resting physical examination are brought out by exercise testing?• How can you use exercise electrocardiograms in assessing severity of aortic stenosis?• How can you use exercise testing in detecting and evaluating cardiac arrhythmias?
Choice between delayed food and immediate oxycodone in rats

The choice to seek immediate drug effects instead of more meaningful but delayed rewards is a defining feature of addiction. To develop a rodent model of this behavior, we allowed rats to choose between immediate intravenous delivery of the prescription opioid oxycodone (50 μg/kg) and delayed delivery of palatable food pellets. Rats preferred food at delays up to 30 s, but they chose oxycodone and food equally at 60-s delay and preferred oxycodone over food at 120-s delay. Comparison of food-drug choice, food-only, and drug-only conditions indicated that food availability decreased drug intake, but drug availability increased food intake. In the food-only condition, food was effective as a reinforcer even when delayed by 120 s. Pre-session feeding with chow slowed acquisition of food and drug self-administration, but did not affect choice. To establish procedures for testing potential anti-addiction medications, noncontingent pre-treatment with oxycodone or naltrexone (analogous to substitution and antagonist therapies, respectively) were tested on a baseline in which oxycodone was preferred over delayed food. Naltrexone pre-treatment decreased drug intake and increased food intake. Oxycodone pre-treatment decreased drug intake, but also produced extended periods with no food or drug responding. These findings show that the contingencies that induce preference for drugs over more meaningful but less immediate rewards in humans can be modeled in rodents, and they suggest that the model could be useful for assessing the therapeutic potential of treatments and exploring the underlying behavioral and neural mechanisms involved in addiction.
Urgency traits moderate daily relations between affect and drinking to intoxication among young adults

Abstract Background Young adults with higher trait urgency (i.e., a tendency to act rashly in response to heightened affect) may be especially vulnerable to heavy drinking. The current study examined 1) the influence of urgency on daily relations between affect and drinking to intoxication, and 2) whether urgency influenced the effectiveness of naltrexone (vs. placebo) for reducing alcohol use. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of data from 126 (n = 40 female) heavy drinking young adults, ages 18–25, enrolled in a double-blind, 8-week clinical trial comparing brief motivational intervention and either naltrexone or placebo. Multilevel models examined whether trait urgency moderated daily relations between positive and negative affect and drinking to intoxication, measured by an estimated blood-alcohol concentration (eBAC) at or above the legal limit (≥0.08 g%). Person-level interactions examined whether naltrexone was more effective than placebo at reducing the odds of eBAC ≥ 0.08 g% for individuals with higher vs. lower trait urgency. Results On days of greater within-person positive or negative affect, young adults with higher urgency were more likely to drink to intoxication than those with lower urgency. Naltrexone reduced the odds of drinking to intoxication significantly more than placebo, independent of positive or negative urgency. Conclusions Although naltrexone treatment reduced drinking overall, young adults with higher trait urgency were still at increased risk for hazardous drinking following times of strong positive or negative mood. Targeted interventions are needed to reduce the risk of heavy drinking among young adults with high trait urgency.
Status of the Shortnose Sturgeon Population in the Savannah River, Georgia

AbstractThe federally endangered Shortnose Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum was once abundant in all major coastal river systems from the Saint John River, Canada, to the St. Johns River, Florida. During much of the 20th century, however, populations suffered major declines throughout their range from the combined effects of overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. Although the species was a charter member of the Endangered Species Act, quantified population assessments are still lacking for many river systems throughout their range. Because river-specific assessments are critical for evaluating species recovery, the objective of this study was to quantify abundance and annual recruitment of Shortnose Sturgeon occupying the Savannah River, Georgia. Anchored gill nets and trammel nets fished during slack tides were used to sample juvenile and adult Shortnose Sturgeon in their summer holding areas during 2013–2015. Huggins closed-capture models in RMark were used to derive abundance estimates for each demog...
The Risk Continuum of Atherosclerosis and its Implications for Defining CHD by Coronary Angiography.

Patients undergoing coronary angiography for suspected coronary heart disease who are found to have coronary atherosclerotic disease with <50% diameter stenosis may carry a risk of adverse cardiac events similar to that in patients with single-vessel obstructive disease. Yet clinical practice guidelines offer no direction for managing symptomatic patients with nonobstructive coronary atherosclerosis because current diagnostic criteria for coronary heart disease are not met. Accordingly, secondary preventive measures are not endorsed, and their role is not defined in this setting. Available data suggest that we are missing the opportunity to provide effective preventive measures in millions of patients with nonobstructive coronary heart disease. The emergence of noninvasive coronary angiography in patients with suspected coronary heart disease provides the opportunity to transition from a categorical perspective on the presence or absence of coronary heart disease to accepting the risk continuum from atherosclerosis and its implications for diagnosis and management.
Right-Sided Cardiac Dysfunction in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Worsening Renal Function.

In urban populations, worsening renal function (WRF) is well established in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, the mechanisms for development of WRF in the setting of acute HF in HFpEF are unclear. In the present study, we sought to characterize conventional echocardiographic measures of right ventricular (RV) chamber size and function to determine whether RV dysfunction and/or adverse RV remodeling is related to WRF in patients with HFpEF. Our study included 104 adult patients with HFpEF (EF ≥ 55%) with technically adequate 2-dimensional echocardiograms performed during their hospitalization for acute decompensated HF to determine echocardiographic predictors of WRF, defined as a serum creatinine (Cr) increase of ≥ 0.3 mg/dl within 72 hours of hospitalization. Thirty-eight of the 104 patients (36%) developed WRF (mean Cr increase = 0.9 ± 0.1 mg/dl) during the hospitalization (mean age ± SD of 64 ± 12 years, 27 women [71%], 29 black [76%]). There were no significant differences in LV medial E/e' ratio and RV systolic pressure by WRF status or in linear dimensions of RV and right atrial size. RV fractional area change, a measure of RV function, however, was significantly decreased in HFpEF patients with WRF compared with the no WRF group (p = 0.003), whereas RV free wall thickness (p = 0.001) was increased. In conclusion, linear and volumetric measures of dimensions of right atrial and RV chamber size did not distinguish HFpEF patients with and without WRF. However, in HFpEF patients with WRF during acute HF hospitalization, there was a significant decrease in RV function and a significant increase in RV free wall thickness compared with matched patients with no WRF. These findings suggest that adverse RV remodeling and RV dysfunction occur in HFpEF patients with WRF.
Evaluation of peanut skin and grape seed extracts to inhibit growth of foodborne pathogens

Peanut skin extract (PSE) and grape seed extract (GSE) are derived from waste products in the wine and peanut industries, respectively. Both have high concentrations of polyphenols, known to possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. PSE primarily contains “A-type” procyanidins, while GSE primarily contains “B-type” procyanidins. These differ structurally, but are both isomers of epicatechin dimers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of PSE containing A-type procyanidins and GSE containing B-type procyanidins against select foodborne pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella Typhimurium). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the two extracts on L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and S. Typhimurium was determined using the pour plate method. GSE had a significantly lower MIC (p ≤ .05) than PSE for L. monocytogenes (GSE = 60.6 ppm, PSE > 68.2 ppm) and S. Typhimurium (GSE = 45.7 ppm, PSE = 60.6 ppm), but no difference in inhibition of E. coli O157:H7. Since GSE contributed to greater inhibition, GSE extract was fractionated into monomer-rich (consisting primarily of catechins, epicatechins, and epicatechin gallates) and oligomer-rich (consisting of dimers, trimers, tetramers, up to decamers) components. Growth curves of all three pathogens in the presence of full extract, monomer and oligomer fractions were compared separately. None of the extracts inhibited S. Typhimurium growth. Generally, the extract containing greater oligomer components inhibited growth of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 when compared to the control. Results indicate that an extract with type B procyanidins higher in oligomers may have greater antimicrobial properties.
The ontology life cycle: Integrated tools for editing, publishing, peer review, and evolution of ontologies.

Ontologies have become a critical component of many applications in biomedical informatics. However, the landscape of the ontology tools today is largely fragmented, with independent tools for ontology editing, publishing, and peer review: users develop an ontology in an ontology editor, such as Protege; and publish it on a Web server or in an ontology library, such as BioPortal, in order to share it with the community; they use the tools provided by the library or mailing lists and bug trackers to collect feedback from users. In this paper, we present a set of tools that bring the ontology editing and publishing closer together, in an integrated platform for the entire ontology lifecycle. This integration streamlines the workflow for collaborative development and increases integration between the ontologies themselves through the reuse of terms.
Important Concepts in Economics

Ask yourself if there is something that you would like to have but have not been able to afford? Try asking your parents, friends, and even strangers. They will all agree that they have unsatisfied wants. Some of us may think that the very rich have everything. But we cannot be sure they have everything they want. They would probably say there are many things they want but have to do without. The message is simple. On the issues of aspirations, tastes, preferences, desires and feelings, we can only speak for ourselves. And speaking for ourselves, we all have unsatisfied wants.
Geographic Variation in Cystoscopy Rates for Suspected Bladder Cancer between Female and Male Medicare Beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVE To assess geographic variation in cystoscopy rates among women vs men with suspected bladder cancer, lending insight into gender-specific differences in cystoscopic evaluation. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries within 306 Hospital Referral Regions (HRRs) who received care in 2014. For each HRR, we calculated the age- and race-adjusted cystoscopy rate for women and men as our primary outcome. The rate was the number of beneficiaries who underwent cystoscopy for bladder cancer symptoms (using procedure and ICD-9 diagnosis codes) divided by all beneficiaries in the HRR. We used the coefficient of variation to compare relative variability of cystoscopy rates. RESULTS Overall, 173,551 women (n = 14.8 million) and 286,090 men (n = 11.5 million) underwent cystoscopy in 2014. While women received less cystoscopies compared to men (mean 11.0 vs 23.5 per 1000, P < .001), there was greater variation in cystoscopy rates among women (coefficient of variation 27.5 vs 23.5, P = .010). When restricting to ICD-9 codes for hematuria only, women continued to demonstrate greater variation in cystoscopy rates (coefficient of variation 27.8 vs 24.2, P = .022). Findings were robust across larger HRR sizes-thereby removing some random variation seen in smaller HRRs-as well as across years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. CONCLUSION Cystoscopy rates are lower in women than men, likely due to their lower bladder cancer incidence. However, there is greater variation in cystoscopy rates among women with symptoms of bladder cancer. This may reflect increased provider uncertainty whether to refer and work-up women with suspected bladder cancer.
Defatted Microalgae-Mediated Enrichment of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Chicken Muscle Is Not Affected by Dietary Selenium, Vitamin E, or Corn Oil.

Background We previously showed enrichments of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in broiler chicks fed defatted microalgae. Objectives The aims of this study were to determine 1) if the enrichments affected meat texture and were enhanced by manipulating dietary corn oil, selenium, and vitamin E concentrations and 2) how the enrichments corroborated with hepatic gene expression involved in biosynthesis and oxidation of EPA and DHA. Methods Day-old hatching Cornish Giant cockerels (n = 216) were divided into 6 groups (6 cages/group and 6 chicks/cage). Chicks were fed 1 of the 6 diets: a control diet containing 4% corn oil, 25 IU vitamin E/kg, and 0.2 mg Se/kg (4CO), 4CO + 10% microalgae (defatted Nannochloropsis oceanica; 4CO+ MA), 4CO+ MA - 2% corn oil (2CO+MA), 2CO+MA + 75 IU vitamin E/kg (2CO+MA+E), 2CO+MA + 0.3 mg Se/kg (2CO+MA+Se), and 2CO+MA+E + 0.3 mg Se/kg (2CO+MA+E+Se). After 6 wk, fatty acid profiles, DHA and EPA biosynthesis and oxidation, gene expression, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant status, and meat texture were measured in liver, muscles, or both. Results Compared with the control diet, defatted microalgae (4CO+MA) enriched (P < 0.05) DHA and EPA by ≤116 and 24 mg/100 g tissue in the liver and muscles, respectively, and downregulated (41-76%, P < 0.01) hepatic mRNA abundance of 4 cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes (CYP2C23b, CYP2D6, CYP3A5, CYP4V2). Supplemental microalgae decreased (50-82%, P < 0.05) lipid peroxidation and improved (16-28%, P < 0.05) antioxidant status in the liver, muscles, or both. However, the microalgae-mediated enrichments in the muscles were not elevated by altering dietary corn oil, vitamin E, or selenium and did not affect meat texture. Conclusion The microalgae-mediated enrichments of DHA and EPA in the chicken muscles were associated with decreased hepatic gene expression of their oxidation, but were not further enhanced by altering dietary corn oil, vitamin E, or selenium.
Fusion of Dependent Detection Systems Using Copula Theory

The US Air Force has multiple detection systems for specific applications that could be combined to work together to yield better accuracy than the individual systems. The amount of time and money used to design, build, simulate, test, validate and verify such combining can be long and expense. Also, there can be several ways to combine these multiple systems, thus, generating more time and cost to determine an optimal (or approximately optimal) combination rule. This paper considers a simple version of this greater problem posed as follows. Suppose we have two legacy detections system families that are designed to detect the same “target” and we conjecture that combining them would yield a new detection system with improved accuracy. Suppose we know the ROC functions of both detection system families, but do not know (or have access to) the data that produced them. Can we construct the ROC function of the combined systems from the individual ROC functions? Copula theory has been in existence since 1959. This theory produces the means to address the dependence between random variables. This paper takes copula and applies it to the fusion of detection systems. Examples will be given that demonstrate how the formulas are used.
Facilitating and Improving Environmental Research Data Repository Interoperability

Environmental research data repositories provide much needed services for data preservation and data dissemination to diverse communities with domain specific or programmatic data needs and standards. Due to independent development these repositories serve their communities well, but were developed with different technologies, data models and using different ontologies. Hence, the effectiveness and efficiency of these services can be vastly improved if repositories work together adhering to a shared community platform that focuses on the implementation of agreed upon standards and best practices for curation and dissemination of data. Such a community platform drives forward the convergence of technologies and practices that will advance cross-domain interoperability. It will also facilitate contributions from investigators through standardized and streamlined workflows and provide increased visibility for the role of data managers and the curation services provided by data repositories, beyond preservation infrastructure. Ten specific suggestions for such standardizations are outlined without any suggestions for priority or technical implementation. Although the recommendations are for repositories to implement, they have been chosen specifically with the data provider/data curator and synthesis scientist in mind.
Tango: The Beginning-A Semi-Synchronous Iota-Tangle Type Distributed Ledger with Periodic Pulsed Entries

A central problem with distributed ledger technologies involves the latency that must be incurred in processing and verifying transactions to be accepted as permanent records in the ledger. In many applications, high latency is simply not a tolerable aspect of the governance of the ledger. To help reduce latency, we offer a distributed ledger architecture, Tango, that mimics the Iota-tangle design as articulated by Popov [1] in his seminal paper. A main idea is the introduction of a semi-synchronous transaction entry protocol layer. We model periodic pulsed injections into the evaluation layer from the entry layer.
Numerical Study of a Random Gauge XY Model

An XY model with random gauge as a model for a superconducting glass is studied in two and three dimensions by a zero temperature domain wall renormalization group which allows one to follow the flows of both the coupling constant and the disorder strength with increasing length scale. Weak disorder is found to be marginal in two and probably irrelevant in three dimensions. For strong disorder the flow is towards a non-superconducting gauge glass fixed point in 2d and a superconducting glass in 3d. Our results are in agreement with recent analytic theory and are inconsistent with earlier predictions of a re-entrant transition to a disordered phase at very low temperature and with the loss of superconductivity for any finite amount of disorder.
UNIT 12.3 Preparation of Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Extracts from Mammalian Cells

Extracts prepared from the isolated nuclei of cultured cells have been instrumental in dissecting the mechanisms by which transcription and mRNA processing occur. These extracts are able to recapitulate accurate transcription initiation and splicing in vitro, which has been useful in direct functional studies. They also serve as the starting material for purification of proteins that can then be reassembled in functional studies or examined in more detail biochemically. This unit describes the preparation of nuclear extracts from cultured cells and optimized production of transcriptionally active extracts from HeLa cells. Additional protocols describe optimization of the method to increase the yield of specific proteins, adaptation of the method for downstream applications such as affinity purification, and preparation of the cytoplasmic (S-100) fraction. Keywords: Nuclear extract; cytoplasmic extract
Precise Tubular Braid Structures of Ultrafine Microwires as Neural Probes: Significantly Reduced Chronic Immune Response and Greater Local Neural Survival in Rat Cortex

Braided multi-electrode probes (BMEPs) for neural interfaces comprise ultrafine microwire bundles interwoven into tubular braids. BMEPs provide highly flexible probes and tethers, and an open lattice structure with up to 24 recording/stimulating channels in precise geometries, currently all within a $150 \sim 200~\mu \text{m}$ diameter footprint. This paper compares the long-term tissue effects of BMEPs ( $\textsf {12} \times \textsf {9.6}\,\,\mu \text{m}$ wires) versus single conventional 50- $\mu \text{m}$ wires, by testing nearby chronic immune response and neural survival in rat cortex. Four different types of electrodes were implanted in cortex in each of eight rats: 1) BMEP with tether; 2) tethered 50- $\mu \text{m}$ wire; 3) BMEP without a tether; and 4) untethered 50- $\mu \text{m}$ wire. Quantitative immunohistological statistical comparisons after eight weeks using GFAP, ED1, and NeuN staining clearly showed that both BMEP implants had significantly less tissue immune response and more neuronal survival than either of the 50- $\mu \text{m}$ wires ( $\textsf {p} ) in each of the eight rats. Data strongly indicate that BMEP tissue responses are superior, and that BMEP designs partly alleviate chronic tissue inflammatory responses and neural losses. The flexible body, tether and open braid lattice, and finer wire diameters of BMEP designs may all contribute to reducing the biological long-term response.
Evaluation of a Remote Diagnosis Imaging Model vs Dilated Eye Examination in Referable Macular Degeneration.

Importance In improving clinical outcomes, developing a sustainable, transformative care delivery model is important for accessible, efficient, low-cost, high-quality community-based imaging and diagnosis of retinal diseases. Objective To test the feasibility and accuracy of the remote diagnosis imaging model as a clinical screening tool to facilitate the identification of referable macular degeneration. Design, Setting, and Participants A nonrandomized study of 159 patients was conducted in sites with a relatively high disease prevalence (Duke University Health System endocrinology clinic and 2 Duke University Health System assisted living centers in North Carolina). All patients underwent remote diagnosis imaging, defined as color fundus photography (CFP) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) of nondilated pupils, acquired by nonexpert imagers using a retinal imaging device located at the point of service. The criterion standard examination was defined as a traditional dilated eye examination performed by retinal specialists. Deidentified remote diagnosis images were graded for interpretability and presence of referable macular degeneration, defined as any condition requiring a retinal specialist attention. Data analysis was performed from November 20, 2015, to February 10, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome was feasibility of the remote retinal imaging. Secondary outcomes were operational characteristics and diagnostic and referral accuracy. Results Of the 159 patients included in the study, the mean (SD) age of enrolled participants was 65 (17) years, with a female to male ratio of 1.3 to 1. Most patients were white (111 [69.8%]), 44 were black patients (27.7%), approximately 1% were Asian patients and Hispanic patients, and 2 patients declined to disclose their race/ethnicity. Thirty-five eyes (22.0%) were determined to require referral to the retinal specialist by criterion standard examination. Remote diagnosis image interpretability was better when OCT was used compared with CFP (241 [96.4%] vs 164 [65.6%]). Remote diagnosis had high diagnostic accuracy in identifying referable macular degeneration: OCT and CFP both had 94% sensitivity (95% CI, 84%-98%), and OCT had specificity higher than for CFP (93% [95% CI, 87%-96% ] vs 63% [95% CI, 53%-71%]). Substantial agreement was found between the criterion standard and OCT (κ = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76-0.91;P Conclusions and Relevance Remote diagnosis imaging and a standard examination by a retinal specialist appeared equivalent in identifying referable macular degeneration in patients with high disease prevalence; these results may assist in delivering timely treatment and seem to warrant future research into additional metrics.
On parameters affecting the propagation of hydraulic fractures from infill wells

Abstract In this article, several parameters that affect the propagation of hydraulic fractures initiated from a horizontal infill well are investigated. Infill wells are horizontal wells that are commonly drilled parallel to current producing (legacy) wells to ensure production from intact parts of the unconventional reservoirs. Production from legacy wells reduces the magnitude and changes the direction of the principal stresses in the depleted zone because of the poroelastic relationship between pore pressure and stress. The local stress redistribution has a significant impact on the topology of the hydraulic fracture that is created in infill wells. As a result of this redistribution, the child fracture asymmetrically propagates toward the depleted side of the infill well and might intersect the pre-existing hydraulic fractures or the legacy well. Each of these scenarios may negatively affect the performance of both wells. Therefore, several parameters should be considered while designing the drilling and stimulation processes of both legacy and infill wells. These parameters include production rate from legacy wells, timing of the infill drilling, legacy-infill well spacing, hydraulic fracture spacing in the legacy wells, rock permeability, fluid viscosity, etc. In this study, we investigate effects of some of these parameters on the propagation of an infill hydraulic fracture in the vicinity of a legacy well where the rock is partially depleted. A transient fully-coupled poroelastic displacement discontinuity model is developed for this purpose, and the maximum principal stress criterion (σ-criterion) is used to account for mixed mode (I & II) fracture propagation. The novelty of our model is that it can account for depletion of the legacy well and out of plane propagation of the child fracture in one run. This approach eliminates the routine exporting the pore pressure depletion and stress profile to a separate model. The parameters that we consider in this study are injection pressure, well spacing, legacy fracture spacing, and the difference between maximum and minimum horizontal stresses. It is observed that as the distance between the legacy hydraulic fractures reduces, the child fracture’s tendency to deviate away from their spacing area increases. Also, in the cases where the difference between the maximum and minimum horizontal stresses is large, refracturing can be postponed. We also provide suggestions for the optimum infill stimulation design for the studied impacting parameters.
Unintentional Symptom Intensification by Doctors

Physicians at times are confronted with patients who present with vague yet disabling, nonprogressive symptoms for which they can offer no concrete medical explanation despite extensive evaluation. Many individuals who present with abdominal complaints, musculoskeletal pain, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and other symptoms and/or their families believe that an undiscovered anatomic or biochemical aberration explains their symptoms despite having been informed that the symptoms may represent a “functional disorder.”1 They have difficulty believing that relatively common disorders such as functional abdominal pain,2 fibromyalgia,3 and chronic daily headache can cause the incapacitating symptoms that they or their children are experiencing. Their belief that a more specific “organic” explanation exists is rooted in the medical model, which implies that there is a specific cause for most symptoms that, when identified, will offer a path to cure.4 The faith in this conviction is reinforced by reports of miraculous cures in the press, in medical dramas on television, and by material on the Internet that allows patients to search for uncurated information that might explain their symptoms and communicate with others confronting similar issues. Pediatricians may be particularly vulnerable to experiencing this phenomenon because of intense parental desire for a diagnosis that captures the symptoms that their child is experiencing.5 As a result, many individuals believe that the solution to their or their child’s suffering exists around the next investigative corner, and they bring this expectation to each physician encounter. Unfortunately, at the end of these visits, if no organic diagnosis emerges, patients are often disappointed and unsatisfied and physicians are often frustrated. We perceive that physicians generally tend to fall into 1 of … Address correspondence to Neil L. Schechter, MD, Pain Treatment Service, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: neil.schechter{at}childrens.harvard.edu
Comparing the Effects of False Alarms and Misses on Humans' Trust in (Semi)Autonomous Vehicles

Trust in automated driving systems is crucial for effective driver-(semi)autonomous vehicles interaction. Drivers that do not trust the system appropriately are not able to leverage its benefits. This study presents a mixed design user experiment where participants conducted a non-driving task while traveling in a simulated semi-autonomous vehicle with forward collision alarm and emergency braking functions. Occasionally, the system missed obstacles or provided false alarms. We varied these system error types as well as road shapes, and measured the effects of these variations on trust development. Results reveal that misses are more harmful to trust development than false alarms, and that these effects are strengthened by operation on risky roads. Our findings provide additional insight into the development of trust in automated driving systems, and are useful for the design of such technologies.
What attributes of successful aging are important to older adults? The development of a multidimensional definition of successful aging.

Older adults’ experiences and perspectives have been missing in the quest to develop a unified definition of successful aging. Through an online survey using convenience sampling, respondents (N = ...
Using a Mobile Application for Evaluation of Procedural Learning in Neurosurgery.

Background Feedback is a major component of any educational process. Competency assessment and feedback are essential tools for teaching surgical skills. Most current systems of assessment within neurosurgical residency programs use evaluations aggregated over a period of time, which lead to significant bias, rather than case-specific feedback. We describe the use of a mobile device application called SIMPL (System for Improving and Measuring Procedural Learning) to allow for immediate surgical competency assessment and improve the quality of feedback after every operative experience. Methods We retrospectively assessed our use of this program and neurosurgery residents' response to the program. Institutional review board approval was not required, and no patients were involved in the study. This application has already been implemented within general surgery programs with promising results. We document its implementation in a neurosurgery program and the output of the program for residents and program directors. Results This is the first documentation of such an application within a neurosurgical residency program. In a 6-month period at a single institution, around 300 evaluations were completed by residents and faculty, with a >80% response rate within both groups. Furthermore, these evaluations were companied by a 60% dictation rate from faculty, which contains verbal feedback that is available to residents for playback at any time. Conclusions The telephone-based SIMPL application allows for assessment of surgical competency and remains quick and easy to use, giving it the potential to improve individual neurosurgical training experiences across the United States.
Coupling laser physics to radiation-hydrodynamics

Abstract In order to accurately model implosion hydrodynamics in a radiation-hydrodynamics code, it is essential to include accurate accounting for energy deposition physics. In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), where capsules are driven by lasers or laser-driven x-rays, energy deposition profiles and energy transport have a strong impact on the development and evolution of capsule dynamics and hydrodynamic instabilities. Nevertheless, accurately modeling laser beam propagation in radiation-hydrodynamics codes presents unique challenges associated with disparate resolution requirements, the potential to seed spurious noise in highly unstable systems, and computational expense. We discuss a new method for coupling laser ray-tracing physics to a radiation hydrodynamics code, developed in the process of implementing the Mazinisin laser ray-trace into the xRAGE radiation hydrodynamics code. In contrast to previous approaches, in which laser ray-tracing is performed on the radiation-hydrodynamics mesh, our method involves a mesh generation and evolution strategy that addresses the unique requirements of the laser ray-trace in a separate mesh, enabling performance enhancements and strategies to reduce noise seeded by the discretization of beams into computational rays. In addition, we have employed several methods to ensure that spurious mesh imprinting is minimized. These involved optimizing the laser and radiation-hydrodynamics meshes as well as interpolation between them and requires the use of an exact initialization method for the radiation-hydrodynamics mesh. These techniques have enabled efficient computation of laser-driven implosions and other experiments with minimal introduction of spurious noise.
In situ polymerization and polymer grafting to stabilize polymer-functionalized nanoparticles in polymer matrices

Control of nanoparticle dispersion within a polymer matrix is a critical consideration when designing solid state hybrid polymer/inorganic nanoparticle materials. Polymer-functionalized nanoparticles are effective hybrid components for increasing particle miscibility in polymer matrices. Entropic and enthalpic contributions to the dispersion state of polymer-functionalized nanoparticles are well-understood and have been used extensively to enhance nanoparticle miscibility in polymer matrices. However, systems of immiscible graft and matrix chains remain understudied, in part due to the challenges associated with mixing unlike components. Here, a new method for stabilizing polymer-functionalized nanoparticles in an immiscible matrix is reported. Poly(cyclooctadiene) (PCOD) functionalized nanoparticles are dispersed within poly(styrene) and poly(methyl methacrylate) matrices by an in situ polymerization and polymer grafting process in which polymer-grafted nanoparticles are initially well-solubilized in a monomer solution prior to monomer polymerization. The in situ polymerization arrests particle mobility as the matrix increases in chain length, and thermodynamic penalties to mixing are reduced by the in situ grafting of matrix chains from the PCOD segments on the nanoparticle surfaces. This method adapts commercially relevant free-radical polymerization processes for the development of well-dispersed hybrid polymer/inorganic nanoparticle materials. The reported method is a potential avenue to improve particle dispersion needed for solid state material reinforcement without relying on miscible particle and polymer components.
100th Anniversary of Macromolecular Science Viewpoint: Recent Advances and Opportunities for Mixed Ion and Charge Conducting Polymers

Macromolecules that exhibit both electron transport and ionic mass transport (i.e., mixed conducting polymers) are ascendant with respect to both emerging application spaces and the elucidation of ...