cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temperature Dependence of the Magnetoresistance of Co/Re Superlattices

Abstract : Hcp (10.0) Co/Re superlattices were grown by dc magnetron sputtering on sapphire (11.0) substrates with the 00.1 direction of the superlattice in the film plane. The temperature-dependent magnetoresistance (MR) was measured on samples patterned by photolithography from 10 K to 300 K in a 5.5 T superconducting magnet. The pattern allows the measurement of the MR with the current (I) and the magnetic field (H) parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic easy axis (c, the 00.1 direction). Measurements at 5 K on an antiferromagnetically-coupled sample shows dips in the MR near H = 0 when H \\ c and H perpendicular to I, dips below the saturation value at H ^ 2.5 kOe for H \\ c and H \\ I configuration due to the competition between the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and the giant magnetoresistance (GMR). Since the AMR is dependent on the transport within the ferromagnetic layers, the temperature dependence yields information about the relative magnitudes of interface vs. bulk spin-dependent scattering. Our analysis shows that the GMR is anisotropic and that the spin-dependent scattering occurs predominantly at the interfaces only for certain configurations.
The Reality of the Moral Self

En etudiant la constitution morale du moi, l'A. critique a la fois l'egoisme ethique et l'ethique kantienne.
America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier

America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier. By Robert Vitalis. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2005. 392p. $29.95.Though formally a work of comparative politics, Robert Vitalis's book occupies the small niche of interesting if impressionistic social science works that includes Mike Davis's City of Quartz (1990) and James Scott's Seeing Like a State (1998). Insights abound, but this book is not designed to test a corpus of theory. The focus is Aramco's operations in Saudi Arabia, from their inception to the mid-1960s. Using corporate source documents in Saudi archives, Vitalis has created a window into the structural racism that pervaded Aramco's operations in Saudi Arabia in its early years.
The Polyoma Virus Large T Binding Protein p150 Is a Transcriptional Repressor of c-MYC

p150, product of the SALL2 gene, is a binding partner of the polyoma virus large T antigen and a putative tumor suppressor. p150 binds to the nuclease hypersensitive element of the c-MYC promoter and represses c-MYC transcription. Overexpression of p150 in human ovarian surface epithelial cells leads to decreased expression, and downregulation to increased expression, of c-MYC. c-MYC is repressed upon restoration of p150 to ovarian carcinoma cells. Induction of apoptosis by etoposide results in recruitment of p150 to the c-MYC promoter and to repression of c-MYC. Analysis of data in The Cancer Genome Atlas shows negative correlations between SALL2 and c-MYC expression in four common solid tumor types.
Antiproton Collection from a Production Target

We review several aspects of the production and the collection of antiprotons produced by high energy beams of high intensity. The goal is to optimize in cost the number of antiprotons of given momentum bite one can accumulate per unit of time. Aspects which are dealt with entail the antiproton production spectrum, proton beam emittance, multiple scattering, antiproton acceptance, and phase-space matching, including chromaticity. Several hardware alternatives are considered.
A comparative content analysis of student interaction in synchronous and asynchronous learning networks

Interaction plays an important role in the success of distance learning. As most distance learning environments mainly utilize asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems, interaction research that focuses on synchronous CMC is largely ignored. This study scrutinized the patterns of learner-learner interaction in a distance learning environment. Student interactions in synchronous and asynchronous CMC systems were compared. The results of the research suggest that constructivist-based instructional activities, such as student-moderated discussion and small-group cooperative learning, are conducive to interaction. Overall, a higher percentage of social-emotional interactions occurred in the synchronous mode than in the asynchronous mode. Students spent more time in task-oriented interaction in asynchronous discussions than they did in the synchronous mode. In moderating online seminars, student moderators who followed the guidelines of student-centered discussions (SCD) were able to encourage full participation in an online seminar. Recommendations for the design of instructional activities and interactive interfaces were also made in order to improve distance learning environments.
Individualizing hepatitis B infection prophylaxis in liver transplant recipients

Globally, chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a leading cause of liver related mortality [1]. Liver transplantation (LT) provides a life saving therapy for HBV-infected patients with complications of end stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although chronic HBV infection is a declining indication for LT in the United States, chronic HBV remains the leading indication for LT in Asia [2,3]. Prior to the early 1990’s, reinfection with HBV after transplantation occurred in greater than 80% of graft recipients and the 5-year graft and patient survival rates were only 50%. However, over the past two decades, significant advances in both prevention and treatment of recurrent HBV disease have resulted in improved survival, such that patients transplanted for chronic HBV now have comparable or superior outcomes compared to recipients transplanted for other chronic liver diseases [4]. Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) has been central to prevention strategies since the early 1990s. Although its mechanism of action is incompletely understood, HBIG likely acts by binding to andneutralizing circulating virions and by inhibiting cell-to-cell infection [5]. The landmark study by Samuel and colleagues in 1993 demonstrated that the use of prolonged high dose HBIG was associated with a significant reduction in HBV recurrence and improved survival [6]. This finding revolutionized post transplant outcomes for those with HBV infection. The next major advance camewith the approval of lamivudine, thefirst nucleoside analogue for HBV, with a safety and tolerability profile well-suited to cirrhotics and transplant recipients [7,8]. Lamivudine alone, however, was limited by a high rate of viral resistance and, consequently, prophylactic strategies rapidly evolved to a combination of HBIG and lamivudine. Although antiviral drugs have improved over the years, with current entecavir and tenofovir having very low rates of drug resistance, most transplant programs in North America and Europe still utilize a combination of HBIG and a nucleoside analogue for prophylaxis and this combination prevents HBV recurrence in P90% of transplant recipients [9,10]. The major shortcoming of HBIG therapy has been its prohibitive cost. For this reason alone, prophylactic strategies using lower doses or limited duration of HBIG have evolved. ‘‘HBIG minimiza-
Kinetic mechanism reduction based on an integer programming approach

An approach toward kinetic mechanism reduction, both in terms of reactions and species, is discussed. The driving force of the approach is to derive reduced kinetic models while maintaining the structural integrity of the detailed mechanisms. The mechanism reduction problem is defined as an integer optimization problem with binary variables denoting the existence/nonexistence of reactions or species. A Branch & Bound framework is implemented for the solution of the resulting mathematical programming problem. Several examples, utilizing a variety of kinetic networks, are presented and the results are analyzed.
Using boundary layer equilibrium to reduce uncertainties in transport models and CO 2 flux inversions

Abstract. This paper reexamines evidence for systematic errors in atmospheric transport models, in terms of the diagnostics used to infer vertical mixing rates from models and observations. Different diagnostics support different conclusions about transport model errors that could imply either stronger or weaker northern terrestrial carbon sinks. Conventional mixing diagnostics are compared to analyzed vertical mixing rates using data from the US Southern Great Plains Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility, the CarbonTracker data assimilation system based on Transport Model version 5 (TM5), and atmospheric reanalyses. The results demonstrate that diagnostics based on boundary layer depth and vertical concentration gradients do not always indicate the vertical mixing strength. Vertical mixing rates are anti-correlated with boundary layer depth at some sites, diminishing in summer when the boundary layer is deepest. Boundary layer equilibrium concepts predict an inverse proportionality between CO 2 vertical gradients and vertical mixing strength, such that previously reported discrepancies between observations and models most likely reflect overestimated as opposed to underestimated vertical mixing. However, errors in seasonal concentration gradients can also result from errors in modeled surface fluxes. This study proposes using the timescale for approach to boundary layer equilibrium to diagnose vertical mixing independently of seasonal surface fluxes, with applications to observations and model simulations of CO 2 or other conserved boundary layer tracers with surface sources and sinks. Results indicate that frequently cited discrepancies between observations and inverse estimates do not provide sufficient proof of systematic errors in atmospheric transport models. Some previously hypothesized transport model biases, if found and corrected, could cause inverse estimates to further diverge from carbon inventory estimates of terrestrial sinks.
Interactive and Extensible Framework for Execution and Monitoring of Wireless Sensor Networks

As sensor networks become more prevalent in complex and sophisticated application domains, there is need for a simple execution and monitoring environment for repeatable experimentation and for easy transfer to in-situ real world environments. We have developed an environment for the execution and monitoring of sensor network services. It supports the requirements for the verification and testing of sensor network services, whether simulated, emulated, or real. The running of simulated, emulated, and real sensor networks allows different levels of abstraction and virtualization necessary for the verification and performance evaluation of sensor network applications and protocols. ISEE is an interactive sensor network execution environment that allows for control and access to simulated, emulated, and real sensor networks. The control and access environment provides remote execution, logging, interaction, and analysis facilities independent of the implementation of the sensor network. This framework allows for extensibility, scenario creation, and experiment repeatability. This provides visibility and repeatability to sensor network experimentation that may not be otherwise available. The combination of our framework with our distributed service framework allows for reactive and language independent user and developer interaction to a sensor networks
Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? The problem of alternative explanations in psychobiography.

William McKinley RunyanUniversity of California, BerkeleyOne of the tasks of personality psychology is to explain the behavior of individualhuman beings. Vincent Van Gogh, for example, cut off the lower half of his leftear and gave it to a prostitute. More than a dozen different explanations of hisactions have been proposed. Is one of these explanations true, are all of themtrue, or, perhaps, are none of them true? And how can we know? This incidentis examined in order to explore some of the problems in applying personalitytheories to the life of a single individual. A sequential procedure for generatingand critically evaluating alternative explanatory conjectures is presented as apartial, although not a complete, solution to the problem of multiple interpre-tations.Late Sunday evening December 23, 1888,Vincent Van Gogh, then 35 years old, cutoff the lower half of his left ear and took itto a brothel, where he asked for a prostitutenamed Rachel and handed the ear to her,asking her to "keep this object carefully."How is this extraordinary event to be ac-counted for? Over the years, a variety ofexplanations have been proposed, and morethan a dozen of them will be sketched below.What sense can be made of such a varietyof interpretations? Is one of them uniquelytrue, are all of them true in some way, or,perhaps, are none of them true? And howcan we know? This incident is examined inorder to explore the problem of alternativeexplanations in the study of lives (Allport,1961, 1965; Hogan, 1976; Murray, 1938;Runyan, 1978, 1980a, 1980b; White, 1963,1975) and to contribute to a growing liter-ature on the logic and methodology of psy-chobiographical studies (e.g., Anderson,1981; Crosby, 1979; Elms, 1976; Gedo,1972; George, 1971; Glad, 1973; Izenberg,
Rash Associated with Piperacillin/Tazobactam Administration in Infectious Mononucleosis

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of piperacillin/tazobactam-induced rash in a patient with infectious mononucleosis.CASE SUMMARY:A 25-year-old white man developed a rash while receiving piperacillin/tazobactam 3.375 g intravenously every 6 hours and gentamicin for osteomyelitis complicating a left femur fracture secondary to a motorcycle accident. Due to progression of the rash following additional doses of piperacillin/tazobactam during hospitalization, the patient's antimicrobial regimen was changed to vancomycin and meropenem. Subsequently, a mononucleosis spot test was positive, and both Epstein—Barr virus (EBV) immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM antibodies were positive. The rash rapidly resolved with the discontinuation of piperacillin/tazobactam.DISCUSSION:Although the development of rash following the administration of several different antimicrobials, especially ampicillin, has been previously reported, this is the first report of piperacillin/tazobactam-induced rash in infectious mononucleosis. The rash is...
Knowledge Nurturing Reflexivity in the Lens of the Internal Conversation

Leveraging intellectual capital has become imperative to facilitate individuals’ innovativeness. However, little is known about the process of knowledge nurturing reflexivity where newborn ideas and newfound knowledge, which may be incomplete or ineffective in their infancy, are further developed instead of being criticised or discarded. Without proper nurturing, they may be abandoned prematurely and never be transformed into innovativeness. To fill the research gap, this study explores knowledge nurturing reflexivity drawn upon the theory of the internal conversation. Data collected from 368 knowledge workers were used to test the research framework. Empirical results show that sociability and solidarity are conducive to absorptive capacity that in turn influences knowledge nurture. In addition, innovativeness is significantly affected by knowledge nurture. This study contributes to overcoming the weakness of reflexivity modelling in the knowledge management (KM) literature. This study also provides important insights about the essential role of the internal conversation in building knowledge nurturing reflexivity.
Effect of pad surface micro-texture on removal rate during tungsten chemical mechanical planarization

This study investigated the effect of two conditioner discs (i.e. "Disc A" and "Disc B") during tungsten chemical mechanical planarization. Results showed that while pad temperature and removal rate increased with polishing pressure and platen velocity on both discs, "Disc B" generated consistently lower removal rates and coefficients of friction than "Disc A". To fundamentally elucidate the cause(s) of such differences, pad surface contact area and topography were analyzed using laser confocal microscopy. The comparison of the pad surface micro-texture analysis on pad surfaces conditioned by both discs indicated that "Disc A" generated a surface having a smaller abruptness (λ) and more solid contact area which resulted in a higher removal rate. In contrast, "Disc B" generated many large near-contact areas as a result of fractured and collapsed pore walls.
Embodying Authentic Leadership Through Popular Education at Highlander Research and Education Center: A Qualitative Case Study

In 2013 and 2014, workshops were held at Highlander Research and Education Center that explored the topics of authentic leadership and popular education. The participants shared their experiences t...
Systemic lupus erythematosus in males: a retrospective study with a review of the literature.

Objective To delineate the clinical pattern of a cohort of male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and compare it with previously reported data. Design Retrospective review of hospital records. Subjects Male patients (n = 11) who were diagnosed with SLE and admitted to a 500-bed university hospital between 1990 and 1998. Eight of the men were African-American and three were Latino. The mean age was 36 years (range, 29-46). Methods Clinical and laboratory data were collected according to a well-established protocol. Imaging and invasive studies (including aspirations and biopsies) were also recorded. Results Nine of the patients (82%) had renal involvement, with five needing dialysis within a year of presentation. Five patients had neurologic involvement: two presented with psychosis and three with seizures. Eight patients had hematologic involvement, and seven had serosal and articular involvement. Cutaneous lesions (discoid lupus) were noted in only one patient. A majority of the patients were noncompliant and were lost to follow-up; therefore, ultimate outcome could not be clearly delineated. Conclusion Renal, serosal, neurologic, articular, and hematologic involvement occurred frequently in our sample of male patients with SLE. The most striking finding was the high frequency of renal involvement with poor prognosis. A high index of suspicion for SLE in males may permit earlier diagnosis and may dictate the need for more aggressive therapy.
Compelled Costs Under CERCLA: Incompatible Remedies, Joint and Several Liability, and Tort Law

CERCLA’s two potential causes of action to recover costs associated with the cleanup of contamination — found in sections 107(a) and 113(f) — have created notable confusion. Questions such as “which one applies?” or “can both of them be used?” have been haunting practitioners over the years. To address this situation, the Supreme Court adopted what seemed to be a comprehensive test, which still regulates the interplay between both sections. A plaintiff who has voluntarily incurred cleanup costs may only bring a claim under section 107(a). However, if the purpose of the suit is to seek contribution from the defendant to ultimately reimburse a third party for his costs — which surfaced as a result of a suit or a specific type of settlement — the plaintiff’s only cause of action under CERCLA is a section 113(f) contribution claim. Some recent cases addressing these issues are revealing the complications that derive from the Supreme Court’s test. First, uncertainty over the applicable remedy still exists in certain situations. Second, permitting potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to bring section 107 suits could result, in some cases, in the circumvention of statutory protections for settling parties — the so-called “settlement bar,” and could allow PRPs to impose joint-and-several liability on other PRPs. Third, the argument advanced by the Court that only the current framework is consistent with the principles of tort is questionable. This article suggests an alternative approach, according to which PRRs suing another PRP can only do so under section 113(f). Adopting this alternative test would reduce uncertainty, would prevent the avoidance of the settlement bar and the imposition of joint-and-several liability by PRPs on other PRPs, and is in line with the principles of tort law.
New advances of high-level synthesis for efficient and reliable hardware design

Abstract The spectacular CMOS technology scaling will continue to evolve and dominate the semiconductor industry. This will lead to tens of billions of transistors integrated on a single chip by the year 2020. However, one significant problem is that the design productivity for complex designs has been lagging behind. In addition to several proposed techniques for dealing with the widening productivity gap, e.g., IP reuse and integration, virtual platform modeling, formal verification and others, high-level synthesis (HLS) has been touted as an important solution as it can significantly reduce the number of man-hours required for a design by raising the level of design abstraction. However, existing HLS solutions have limitations, and studies show that the design quality of HLS can be inferior compared to that of manual RTL design. In this paper, we will present a set of new techniques developed recently to drastically improve HLS solutions, which not only improve the traditional design metrics such as circuit performance and energy efficiency but also emerging metrics such as hardware security and robustness. We will also discuss how HLS can collaborate with other techniques to provide a holistic design methodology that can enable the delivery of high-quality designs with much less design cost and much faster time-to-market.
Lipid Raft Association of a Shared Factor X/Prothrombin Binding Site on Human Platelets Is Mediated by the Gla Domain.

Factor X (FX) initially binds to a high-capacity, low-affinity platelet binding site shared with prothrombin (FII) which then presents FX to a specific, high-affinity site consisting of FVIIIa bound to a high-affinity, low-capacity receptor on activated platelets. We have demonstrated the localization of FX in lipid rafts and shown that FX-raft association requires Ca2+ and is enhanced by saturating concentrations of FVIIIa. Here we investigate FII-raft association and define the domains through which shared FX and FII sites are mediated on the surface of human platelets. Activated (thrombin receptor peptide, SFLLRN, 25 μM) gel-filtered platelets (3.5 x 108/ml) were incubated with 125I-FII or 125I-FX to determine direct platelet binding and then they were lysed with Triton-X100 (0.025-0.25%) followed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. FII was localized to lipid rafts in SFLLRN stimulated (~25% total binding) but not to unactivated platelets. The optimal associations of FX and FII with lipid rafts required Ca2+ and were not affected by the presence of EGR-FIXa or FIX (45 nM). The association of FII with lipid rafts was completely abolished in the presence of FX (1.5 μM) whereas, Gla (des) FX was unable to compete with raft associated FII. Similarly, 125I-FII fragment 1 association with lipid rafts was inhibited by FX but not by Gla (des) FX. Prothrombin and FII fragment 1 (residues 1-155) were equipotent inhibitors of FX-raft association. FVIIIa (20 nM) had no effect on FII-raft association but significantly increased (~2-fold to ~45%) FX-raft association. In contrast, the presence of FVa (20 nM) had no effect on FX-raft association but significantly (~2-fold to ~45%) increased FII-raft association. The structural integrity of lipid rafts was completely disrupted by 10 mM methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD), a known cholesterol depleting drug, which completely prevented FII or FX association with lipid rafts, and this removal was reversed by cholesterol repletion. Furthermore, MβCD (up to 40 mM) had no effect on the amount of FII or FX bound to activated platelets, thus suggesting that neither platelet activation by SFLLRN nor the exposure of FII receptors was affected by MβCD treatment. These experiments demonstrate the localization of a shared FX/FII site in lipid rafts and support the hypothesis that these interactions are mediated by the Gla-domains of FX and FII and are specific and essential for the assembly of F-X activating complex on the activated platelet membrane.
Auditory adaptation testing as a tool for investigating tinnitus origin: two patients with vestibular schwannoma

AbstractObjective: To enhance the understanding of tinnitus origin by disseminating two case studies of vestibular schwannoma (VS) involving behavioural auditory adaptation testing (AAT). Design: R...
Piracy for ransom: the implications for situational crime prevention

Maritime piracy has been a worldwide problem for decades before starting gradual declines around 2011. Situational crime prevention (SCP) techniques have been shown to reduce successful pirate attacks (Shane and Magnuson 2014; Shane et al. 2015), suggesting that they may also be capable of reducing violent ransom hijackings. This study uses data from the International Maritime Bureau to examine (1) which vessels are most at risk of a pirate attack and ransom demand; (2) the relationship between attacks for ransom and violence; (3) which countries experience the most attacks for ransom; (4) the effect of SCP on injuries during attack; and (5) the effect of SCP on ransom demands. The findings show that SCP is a useful strategy for reducing episodes of ransom and injuries, highlighting how SCP techniques can be adapted in unique environments when other traditional crime control resources are unavailable.
Genome-Wide Associations of Global Electrical Heterogeneity ECG Phenotype: The ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) Study and CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study).

Background ECG global electrical heterogeneity (GEH) is associated with sudden cardiac death. We hypothesized that a genome‐wide association study would identify genetic loci related to GEH. Methods and Results We tested genotyped and imputed variants in black (N=3057) and white (N=10 769) participants in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study and CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study). GEH (QRS‐T angle, sum absolute QRST integral, spatial ventricular gradient magnitude, elevation, azimuth) was measured on 12‐lead ECGs. Linear regression models were constructed with each GEH variable as an outcome, adjusted for age, sex, height, body mass index, study site, and principal components to account for ancestry. GWAS identified 10 loci that showed genome‐wide significant association with GEH in whites or joint ancestry. The strongest signal (rs7301677, near TBX3 ) was associated with QRS‐T angle (white standardized β+0.16 [95% CI 0.13–0.19]; P =1.5×10 −26 ), spatial ventricular gradient elevation (+0.11 [0.08–0.14]; P =2.1×10 −12 ), and spatial ventricular gradient magnitude (−0.12 [95% CI −0.15 to −0.09]; P =5.9×10 −15 ). Altogether, GEH‐SNPs explained 1.1% to 1.6% of GEH variance. Loci on chromosomes 4 (near HMCN2 ), 5 ( IGF1R ), 11 (11p11.2 region cluster), and 7 (near ACTB ) are novel ECG phenotype‐associated loci. Several loci significantly associated with gene expression in the left ventricle ( HMCN2 locus—with HMCN2 ; IGF1R locus—with IGF1R ), and atria ( RP11‐481J2.2 locus—with expression of a long non‐coding RNA and NDRG4 ). Conclusions We identified 10 genetic loci associated with ECG GEH. Replication of GEH GWAS findings in independent cohorts is warranted. Further studies of GEH‐loci may uncover mechanisms of arrhythmogenic remodeling in response to cardiovascular risk factors.
“Cats Here, Cats There, Cats and Kittens Everywhere”: An Urban Extermination of Cats in Nineteenth-Century Cincinnati

In 1981 and 1982, Miami Purchase Association for Historic Preservation conducted a salvage excavation in Cincinnati’s Betts-Longworth neighborhood, a multiethnic community with both working class and upper-middle class residents. Excavations of a privy resulted in the recovery of an exceptionally large number of cat remains in a single depositional sequence dating to the late-19th century. A minimum of 57 cats and kittens were identified in the assemblage, with 47 of those individuals being kittens. While it is quite common to identify small numbers of animals such as cats, dogs, and rats in privy contexts, such a great number of individuals is largely unheard of. To explain why such large numbers of cats were exterminated, researchers explored several theories, including deviance, carcass disposal, population control, and urban sanitation concerns.
Virtual Organizations and E-Commerce

In a virtual organization, goods and services are accessible without face-to-face contact with other people. In such organizations, computers and telecommunications substitute for physical location. Virtual organizations are particularly suited for E-commerce because the contact between the customer and the vendor is a home page on the Internet. This chapter discusses the forces, dilemmas, issues, and implications of ongoing virtual organizations and their relation to E-commerce. It describes the four main driving forces (global economics, policies and politics, the enlightened population, and technologies) and the issues and complexities that these forces impose. Distributed organizations based on telecommuting and temporary alliance of multiple organizations are described as specific instances of virtual organizations.
Diagnostic Errors in Initial Misdiagnosis of Optic Nerve Sheath Meningiomas

Importance Diagnostic errors can lead to the initial misdiagnosis of optic nerve sheath meningiomas (ONSM), which can lead to vision loss. Objective To identify factors contributing to the initial misdiagnosis of ONSM. Design, Setting, and Participants We retrospectively reviewed 35 of 39 patients with unilateral ONSM (89.7%) who were seen in the tertiary neuro-ophthalmology practice at Emory University School of Medicine between January 2002 and March 2017. The Diagnosis Error Evaluation and Research taxonomy tool was applied to cases with missed/delayed diagnoses. Exposures Evaluation in a neuro-ophthalmology clinic. Main Outcomes and Measures Identifying the cause of diagnostic errors for patients who initially received a misdiagnosis who were found to have ONSM. Results Of 35 patients with unilateral ONSM (30 women [85.7%]; mean [SD] age, 45.26 [15.73] years), 25 (71%) had a diagnosis delayed for a mean (SD) of 62.60 (89.26) months. The most common diagnostic error (19 of 25 [76%]) was clinician assessment failure (errors in hypothesis generation and weighing), followed by errors in diagnostic testing (15 of 25 [60%]). The most common initial misdiagnosis was optic neuritis (12 of 25 [48%]), followed by the failure to recognize optic neuropathy in patients with ocular disorders. Five patients who received a misdiagnosis (20%) underwent unnecessary lumbar puncture, 12 patients (48%) unnecessary laboratory tests, and 6 patients (24%) unnecessary steroid treatment. Among the 16 patients who initially received a misdiagnosis that was later correctly diagnosed at our institution, 11 (68.8%) had prior magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results that were read as healthy; 5 (45.5%) showed ONSM but were misread by a non-neuroradiologist and 6 (54.5%) were performed incorrectly (no orbital sequence or contrast). Sixteen of the 25 patients (64%) had a poor visual outcome. Conclusions and Relevance Biased preestablished diagnoses, inaccurate funduscopic examinations, a failure to order the correct test (MRI brain/orbits with contrast), and a failure to correctly interpret MRI results were the most common sources of diagnostic errors and delayed diagnosis with worse visual outcomes and increased cost (more visits and tests). Easier access to neuro-ophthalmologists, improved diagnostic strategies, and education regarding neuroimaging should help prevent diagnostic errors.
Exploring Purpose as a Resource for Promoting Youth Program Engagement

Recent evidence that reflecting on one’s purpose in life increases engagement with academic tasks inspires questions about whether purpose interventions might enhance learning engagement more broadly. This potential may be particularly fruitful for programs serving youth from a wide range of ages wherein sustaining engagement may be challenging. Here, we explored whether a brief purpose writing intervention would increase adolescents’ engagement in 4-H programs. Participants (N = 130) were randomly assigned to write about either their sense of purpose or a control topic prior to the first day of a program, and they reported their level of program engagement at the end of that day. Regression analysis showed participant age was negatively associated with program engagement. However, writing about purpose halted this age-related decline in engagement. These preliminary findings situate purpose as a resource that can be leveraged to sustain older youths’ interest and engagement in youth programming.
Characterizing Dynamics of Additively Manufactured Parts

Additive manufacturing (AM) presents engineers and manufacturers with unprecedented design freedom compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. This freedom comes with its own challenges. The wide variety of AM techniques, machines, and design geometries introduces difficulties in building consistent parts with known material properties. Of particular interest is the anisotropic nature introduced in the AM process. While AM is being adopted for applications in a variety of industries, the uncertainties introduced in manufacturing are slowing its implementation for critical parts such as structural members and jointed elements. As part of the ongoing effort to alleviate these issues, this paper aims to quantify the dynamic response of AM parts built using a variety of build orientations and internal structures. Multiple parts with theoretically identical external geometries are excited by a shake table while high-speed data are collected using digital image correlation (DIC). A finite element model is developed and calibrated using the DIC data to characterize the material property changes due to selection of build orientation and internal structures.
Special Issue 2019: European and American Political Parties: Becoming More Similar?

ABSTRACTFor theories to be useful across systems requires a fundamental similarity of the things theorized about. In the 1980s, it was easy to question whether European and American political parti...
Persistent chromatin states, pervasive transcription, and sharedcis-regulatory sequences have shaped theC. elegansgenome

Abstract Despite highly conserved chromatin states and cis-regulatory elements, studies of metazoan genomes reveal that gene organization and the strategies to control mRNA expression can vary widely among animal species. C. elegans gene regulation is often assumed to be similar to that of other model organisms, yet evidence suggests the existence of distinct molecular mechanisms to pattern the developmental transcriptome, including extensive post-transcriptional RNA control pathways, widespread splice leader (SL) trans-splicing of pre-mRNAs, and the organization of genes into operons. Here, we performed ChIP-seq for histone modifications in highly synchronized embryos cohorts representing three major developmental stages, with the goal of better characterizing whether the dynamic changes in embryonic mRNA expression are accompanied by changes to the chromatin state. We were surprised to find that thousands of promoters are persistently marked by active histone modifications, despite a fundamental restructuring of the transcriptome. We employed global run-on sequencing using a long-read nanopore format to map nascent RNA transcription across embryogenesis, finding that the invariant open chromatin regions are persistently transcribed by Pol II at all stages of embryo development, even though the mature mRNA is not produced. By annotating our nascent RNA sequencing reads into directional transcription units, we find extensive evidence of polycistronic RNA transcription genome-wide, suggesting that nearby genes in C. elegans are linked by shared transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. We present data indicating that the sharing of cis-regulatory sequences has constrained C. elegans gene positioning and likely explains the remarkable retention of syntenic gene pairs over long evolutionary timescales.
Upper Limb Motor Improvement after TBI: Systematic Review of Interventions

Abstract Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of adult morbidity and mortality. Individuals sustaining a TBI have impairments in both cognitive and motor domains. Motor improvements post-TBI are attributable to adaptive neuroplasticity and motor learning. Majority of the studies focus on remediation of balance and mobility impairments. There is limited understanding on the use of interventions for upper limb (UL) motor improvements in this population. We examined the evidence regarding the effectiveness of different interventions to augment UL motor improvement after a TBI. We systematically reviewed the literature published in English from 1990-2020. The modified Down’s and Black checklist helped assess study quality (total score:28). Studies were classified as excellent:24-28, good:19-23, fair:14-18 and poor:≤13 in quality. Effect sizes helped quantify intervention effectiveness. Twenty-three studies were retrieved. Study quality was excellent (n=1), good (n=4) or fair (n=19). Interventions used included strategies to decrease spasticity [Botulinum toxin provision (n=2), serial casting, soft splinting, tizanidine and acupuncture (n=1 each)], constraint induced movement therapy (n=4), virtual reality gaming (n=5), noninvasive stimulation (n=3), arm motor ability training (n=1), stem-cell transplant (n=1); task-oriented training (n=2) and augmented feedback (n=1). Motor impairment outcomes included Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Modified Ashworth Scale and kinematic outcomes (error and movement straightness). Activity limitation outcomes included Wolf Motor Function Test and Motor Activity Log. Effect sizes for majority of the interventions ranged from medium (0.5-0.79) to large (≥0.8). Only ten studies included retention testing. Results suggest that using these interventions can reduce UL motor impairment and improve activity performance after a TBI.
Determination of g-Factor Ratios for Free 133 Cs and 87 Rb Atoms

The ratio of the nuclear $g$ factor to the electronic $g$ factor in the ground electronic state of free $^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$ atoms and the ratio of the electronic $g$ factors of $^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$ and $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms have been determined using optical-pumping techniques in a magnetic field \ensuremath{\le}50 G. The results are $\frac{{g}_{I}}{{g}_{J}}(^{133}\mathrm{Cs})=\ensuremath{-}1.9917400\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}(1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6})$; $\frac{{g}_{J}(^{133}\mathrm{Cs})}{{g}_{J}(^{87}\mathrm{Rb})}=1.0001044737\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}(1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9})$. Using these values together with results of other researches yields $\frac{{g}_{I}({\mathrm{Cs}}_{\mathrm{aq}}^{+})}{{g}_{I}(\mathrm{Cs})}=1+(344.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.5)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$, the ratio of the nuclear $g$ factor of the Cs ion in aqueous solution to that of the free Cs atom. Finally, the value for the shielded Cs nuclear moment in units of the Bohr magneton is found to be ${g}_{I}(^{133}\mathrm{Cs})=\ensuremath{-}0.39885395\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}(1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6})\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$.
Reachable Eigenanalysis

This letter devises a Reachable Eigenanalysis ( ReachEigen ) theory as a formal method to analyze uncertain eigenvalues in power systems. ReachEigen computes the set of the possible spectra, taking into account the changes of both the system operating points and the characteristic equations caused by uncertainties. The innovation of ReachEigen lies in: 1) a Newton-iteration-based eigensolver which tractably tackles the “random walk” of steady-state operating points and delineates the propagation of uncertainty effects in the system eigenvalues; and 2) a reachability method established on the Netwon's eigensolver, which bounds the set of uncertain eigenvalues through a single calculation and thus is immune to the combinatorial explosion issue under a large number of uncertain factors. Case studies on a networked microgrid verifies the efficiency of ReachEigen and its superiority over existing methods. The efficacy of ReachEigen of providing early warning information for small-signal stability under uncertainties is also illustrated.
New Noncentrosymmetric Tetrel Pnictides Composed of Square-Planar Gold(I) with Peculiar Bonding

Three novel isostructural equiatomic gold tetrel pnictides, AuSiAs, AuGeP, and AuGeAs, were synthesized and characterized. These phases crystallize in the noncentrosymmetric (NCS) monoclinic space group Cc (no. 9), featuring square-planar Au within cis-[AuTt2 Pn2 ] units (Tt=tetrel, Si, Ge; Pn=pnictogen, P, As). This is in drastic contrast to the structure of previously reported AuSiP, which exhibits typical linear coordination of Au with Si and P. Chemical bonding analysis through the electron localization function suggests covalent two-center two-electron Tt-Pn bonds, and three-center Au-Tt-Au and Au-Pn-Au bonds with 1.6 e- per bond. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies support the covalent and nonionic nature of Au-Pn and Au-Tt bonds. The title materials were found to be n-type narrow-gap semiconductors or semimetals, with nearly temperature-independent electrical resistivities and low thermal conductivities. A combination of the semimetallic properties with tunable NCS structure provides opportunities for the development of materials based on gold tetrel pnictides.
Antibiotic utilization for adult acute respiratory tract infections in United States Emergency Departments.

Abstract Background Antibiotic stewardship programs have been a major focus in recent years to curtail antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate antibiotic utilization for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) in the Emergency Department (ED) setting. Material and methods A retrospective analysis of adult ARTI visits to EDs utilizing 2011–2017 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey- Emergency Department (NHAMCS-ED) datasets was conducted. Included were all visits of adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with ARTI. Antibiotics were determined based upon NHAMCS-ED use of the Multum Lexicon Drug Database coding system. All significance tests were two-sided, P-value Results A total of 4632 unweighted ED visits, which represented more than 28 million US ED visits from 2011 to 2017, with 57.2% receiving a prescription for antibiotics. Antibiotic prescriptions for ARTI significantly declined from 65.8% in 2011 to 54.3% in 2017 (P = 0.046). Among all visits, patients were more likely to receive an antibiotic if they were over age 45 (33.0% vs 27.6%, P = 0.005), male (36.7% vs. 32.3%, P = 0.039), and presenting in a non-MSA ED (21.4% vs. 14.5%, P = 0.002). No association was found between antibiotic prescription and race (P = 0.076) insurance (P = 0.488), CBC (P = 0.148), x-ray (P = 0.278), and blood cultures (P = 0.182). Conclusion We found a significant reduction in the utilization of antibiotics among adult ARTI visits to U.S. EDs from 2011 to 2017. This is an improvement from previous studies which showed no change, suggesting that antimicrobial stewardship efforts may be impacting overall antibiotic use and should continue to be practiced.
Self-Management in the Workplace

Chronic diseases are multi-dimensional and affect numerous aspects of people’s lives, including work. Depending on the chronic condition(s) involved, between 22% and 49% of employees experience difficulties meeting physical work demands, and between 27% and 58% report that they have problems meeting psychosocial work requirements. Work organizations are acutely aware of this issue and the impact of unmanaged chronic conditions on productivity and costs. For employees of 18–64 years old with fewer than four conditions, the average annual health care claims have increased from $1700 to $2000 per person for each additional chronic condition. Given chronic disease management efforts may have the largest impact on employers’ health care costs, and in light of the aging workforce, it is clear why organizations are making self-management programs an important part of their workplace health promotion efforts. This chapter reviews the extent of and the rationale for self-management in the workplace. It describes the workplace context, how it differs from other settings, and how self-management fits into workplace programs. This chapter highlights legal and ethical issues and presents case descriptions of self-management programs conducted in workplaces. This chapter concludes by offering future directions for self-management programs in the workplace.
Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Surgical Skills of Urology Resident Applicants: Four-Year Experience

Objective To determine a) if surgical skills among urology resident applicants could be reliably assessed via crowdsourcing and b) to what extent surgical skills testing impacts resident selection. Design Interviewees completed the following surgical skills tasks during their interview day: open knot tying (OKT), laparoscopic peg transfer (LPT), and robotic suturing (RS). Urology faculty and crowd-workers evaluated each applicant's video-recorded performance using validated scoring and were assessed for agreement using Cronbach's alpha. Applicants’ USMLE scores, interview scores, and Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE-S) scores were assessed for correlation with skills testing scores and match rank. Additionally, a survey was distributed to interviewees assessing match outcomes. Setting University of California Irvine Department of Urology, Surgical Skills Laboratory Participants All 94 urology residency interviewees at the University of California Irvine Department of Urology from 2015-2018 were invited to complete the three surgical skills tasks on their interview day. Results Survey responses were received from all 94 interviewees (100%). Crowd and expert agreement was good (α=0.88), fair (α=0.67), and poor (α=0.32) for LPT, RS, and OKT scores, respectively. The skills testing scores did not correlate with match rank, USMLE score, or JSPE-S score. On multivariate analysis, only interview score (r= -0.723; p Conclusions Surgical skills overall did not significantly impact match rank. Expert assessment of laparoscopic peg transfer skills and interview performance among urology resident applicants correlated with match rank.
Demonstration of high efficiency cascaded blue and green micro-light-emitting diodes with independent junction control

We demonstrate efficient cascaded blue/green micro-size light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) with independent junction control. The cascaded μLEDs, consisted of blue μLEDs, a tunnel junction, and green μLEDs, were fully grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Blue, green, and blue/green emissions can be independently controlled in the same device. The blue μLEDs (60 × 60 μm2) and green μLEDs (40 × 40 μm2) exhibit a forward voltage of 4.1 and 3.1 V at 20 A/cm2 and a high peak external quantum efficiency of 42% and 14%, respectively. This demonstration paves the way for monolithic integration of full color cascaded μLEDs.