cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chyle Leak Following Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Rare Complication of a Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator Flap.

BACKGROUND While complications of deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flaps are known and well documented, a thorough literature review revealed no other reports of a patient developing a chyle leak following the use of the internal mammary vessels for recipient vessels in autologous breast reconstruction. CASE A 55-year-old woman underwent free autologous breast reconstruction. She developed a chyle leak during the postoperative period. This was verified through a computed tomography scan and fluid analysis demonstrating a high triglyceride count and the presence of chylomicrons. The leak resolved with conservative measures including compression and a low-fat, high-protein diet. DISCUSSION The presence of chyle leak following dissection of the internal mammary vessels is a unique complication of autologous breast reconstruction. There have been reports of lymph leaks following mastectomy, but these are mostly reported in the axilla. A history of radiation to the contralateral breast and aberrant anatomy may have contributed to the complication. Treatment of chyle leaks ranges from conservative management to the use of total parenteral nutrition and somatostatin analogs to surgical intervention. CONCLUSION While altering practice patterns based on a single case is not usually suggested, this complication does intimate that dealing with lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes in the chest should be done deliberately to prevent lymphatic leaks.
Cybervictimization and Suicide Risk in Adolescence: An Integrative Model of Social Media and Suicide Theories

Accumulating research suggests that cybervictimization is associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. However, the means by which cybervictimization may influence suicide risk remain unclear. This lack of knowledge is concerning, given widespread use of online communication among youth and the devastating public impact of suicide in adolescence. One reason for this gap in the literature is that relevant frameworks have emerged from disparate academic traditions. Contemporary social media researchers have drawn on computer-mediated communication and media effects theories to characterize the impact of social media on peer processes. Traditional suicide researchers have identified factors contributing to suicide risk. However, these frameworks have never been synthesized to demonstrate how adolescent cybervictimization influences suicide risk. Thus, the purpose of this review is twofold. First, existing research on adolescent cybervictimization and suicidal thoughts and behaviors is summarized. Then, the social media “transformation framework” and interpersonal suicide theories are integrated to provide a new model of the impact of cybervictimization on adolescent suicide risk. The proposed model describes how unique features of the social media environment (e.g., publicness, availability, quantifiability) shape the experience of cybervictimization and associated interpersonal risk factors for suicide. This framework may serve as a theoretical guide for future interdisciplinary approaches to the study of adolescent cybervictimization and suicide.
Ultrathin 2D Sheets of Graphene and WS2 for Energy Storage Applications

Ultrathin 2D-nanomaterials are currently being exploited and employed for energy storage applications. Graphene nanosheets (GNS) are the most favorable candidate for energy storage and charge transfer due to its extraordinary novel properties. Other than graphene, various 2D materials like transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are used in charge storage applications too. In this article, ultrathin 2D sheets of various 2D materials like graphene and TMDs like WS 2 were being prepared by liquid phase exfoliation method. The exfoliated 2D sheets were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis spectrometer, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). SEM and AFM being used to determine the morphology and dimensional aspects of prepared exfoliated sheets, respectively. The exfoliated sheets were coated over PET membranes in single layer and layer by layer assembly for evaluating their supercapacitance, respectively. The prepared films were tested with galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 1 M Na 2 SO 4 as electrolyte. Results obtained from layer by layer assembly of WS 2 -GNS showed a high efficiency of 96% charge retention after 1000 cycles. The WS 2 /GNS multilayer films can exhibit a high value of specific capacitance about 800 F kg−1 and area calculated for this capacitance was 70 F m−2 under 10 mVs−1 scan rate. And the film exhibits good cycle stability over 1000 cycles. The results suggest that the WS 2 -GNS layer by layer assembly is quite suitable as well as favorable electrode materials for high performance energy storage devices like supercapacitors.
272) An 8 Week Modified Yoga Program for Chronic Pain

The utilization of complementary care is on the rise for patients with chronic pain, partly due to the opioid epidemic and recent guidelines stating opioids are ineffective for chronic pain. Physical activity is a primary recommendation for various types of chronic pain. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that U.S. adults are choosing yoga as one of the top 10 complementary approaches. Stemming from ancient Indian philosophy, yoga is a mind-body practice that typically combines physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation. Yoga has been shown to have neuroprotective effects on the brain, possibly even reversing the effects of chronic pain. Patients with chronic pain can be hesitant to start yoga due to the public's view of needing to be flexible and fit in order to do yoga. People with chronic pain may also fear exercise due to past experiences that flared their pain. There are many different schools and types of yoga available, making it confusing to choose a class to attend. Therefore, we developed an 8 week “yoga for chronic pain” program to introduce the benefits of yoga and modify the yoga practice for patients with chronic pain. There is a weekly didactic on how yoga can be helpful for various aspects of chronic pain-fatigue, sleep, improved mood. This is followed by a gentle guided posture, breathing and meditation practice. Participants are given a variety of resources, encouraged to start a home practice and log their minutes of practice each week. In 2018, we had two groups of patients complete our 8-week yoga program and we measured their pain interference, sleep, mood, and pain medication usage at the start, end and 3 months following completion of our program. In this poster, we will present our findings (currently under analysis). (Villemure, et al, Cerebral Cortex 2014)
Quadcopter propeller noise and its control

Simple scaling analysis is used to show that truly significant reductions in propeller noise are possibly by increasing the propeller diameter while reducing its rotational speed, thereby reducing its blade tip speed, while maintaining a given level of static thrust. The scaling analysis is also used to show that efficiency improvements accompany the reductions in radiated noise. The significant reductions in noise and the increase in efficiency predicted were verified experimentally by measuring the radiated noise and power requirements for both large, slowly rotating propellers and small, high speed propellers, at equivalent static thrusts, where the large propellers serve as possible replacements for the small propellers in typical quadcopter applications. The bulk of the noise reductions offered by large and slowly rotating propellers compared with small, high speed propellers is shown to be maintained at equivalent net force (thrust minus weight conditions), as required for practical implementation into a quadcopter, even using readily available hobby grade components. Further significant noise reductions are possible with lightweight and custom engineered components.
Preserving Biological Diversity: Coastal Ecosystem Restoration Not In Balance

Distinguished Harvard University Professor of Biology E. O. Wilson has projected that one-quarter of all living things will be lost forever by the end of the present century (Wilson 2006). He has recently proposed that only by preserving half of the Earth can we possibly stem the extinction tide from cataclysmic proportions (Wilson 2017). Based on total extinction rates today, Elizabeth Kolbert (2015) noted in her book The Sixth Extinction, that possibly one-half of all the living things alive today will disappear by the year 2100 even without global nuclear war or catastrophic destruction of the ozone layer. Overstating the issue? The problem: What is the scope and depth of endangered species’ concerns or the general global loss of biodiversity, and what should we do about it? Thomas Lovejoy (1989), formerly of the Smithsonian Institution and today with The World Wildlife Fund, has noted that simplification of ecosystems and the subsequent loss of biodiversity contributes to human poverty, overexploitation of natural resources, degradation of water and soil, and “the basic desecration of all of Earths’ life-support systems.” As he noted, “It is difficult to comprehend the level of disconnectedness our global population has developed with the ecosystems around them and support their everyday lives.”
Case study: Post-earthquake model updating of a heritage pagoda masonry temple using AEM and FEM

Abstract This paper presents a linear applied element method (AEM) modeling approach for investigating the effects of the Mw 7.8 2015 Gorkha Nepal earthquake on a historical Pagoda temple. The impact of the earthquake is also investigated using linear FEM models and the results from both modeling approaches are compared. The numerical models are developed and calibrated using pre- and post-earthquake data collected from ambient vibration testing, lidar scans and data processing, and visual damage assessment. The numerical results indicate that the linear AEM models are as reliable as the finite element method (FEM) models to predict the modal response of the case study temple. In addition, the AEM models can potentially be further developed to estimate the damage from future earthquakes through nonlinear analyses. The present study not only informs the present health status of the masonry temple, but it also estimates how acceleration at the base of the temple is propagated through the height of the temple through comparison of floor response spectra, which could provide valuable insights into the force distribution over the height of the temple for the design of future retrofits.
Assessing effects of oxytocin on alcohol consumption in socially housed prairie voles using radio frequency tracking

Alcohol use disorder affects millions of people each year. Currently approved pharmacotherapies have limited success in treating this disorder. Evidence suggests that this lack of success is partly due to how these pharmacotherapies are tested in preclinical settings. The vast majority of preclinical studies assessing the effects of pharmacotherapies on alcohol or drug self-administration are done in individually housed animals. However, it is known that alcohol and drug intake are heavily influenced by social settings. Here, we adapted radio frequency tracking technology to determine the effects of oxytocin, a potential therapy for alcohol use disorder, on alcohol consumption in socially housed male and female prairie voles. Voluntary alcohol consumption in these animals resulted in high daily alcohol intakes, blood ethanol concentrations that are considered intoxicating, and central changes in FosB immunoreactivity, indicative of changes in neural activity. Prairie voles that received oxytocin temporarily reduced alcohol consumption but not alcohol preference, compared with control prairie voles regardless whether their cagemates received a similar treatment or not. Our results demonstrate that oxytocin can decrease consummatory behaviors in the presence of peers that are not receiving this treatment, and therefore, its potential use in clinical trials is warranted. Moreover, effectiveness of other pharmacotherapies in preclinical studies can be tested in mixed-treatment socially housed animals similarly to clinical studies in humans.
Introduction: what Confucianism is and what Confucianism is not

Confucianism is China's oldest and most revered philosophy. In imperial times, Confucius's standing was so great that the few writers who questioned his teachings became notorious for that reason alone. But in his own day, Confucius was taken as a wise but iconoclastic and potentially dangerous teacher of young men, and for many generations after his death, Confucians still struggled with exponents of other philosophies for primacy in the intellectual world of the so-called Warring States period (453–221 BCE). In keeping with the orientation of the Ancient Philosophies series, this book will focus on Confucianism as it was conceived and moulded by the earliest masters – in an age when Confucianism was regarded as but one of many viable philosophies, and did not yet enjoy the cultural supremacy that would come in later centuries. That later story will be reviewed briskly in the final chapter, along with a consideration of the standing of Confucianism today. An exacting yet workable definition of Confucianism is crucial because the boundaries have been drawn both too broadly and too narrowly in the past. In this book, I shall use the term “Confucianism” to refer to the philosophy of Confucius (551–479 BCE), his disciples, and the numerous later thinkers who regarded themselves as followers of his tradition.
Insurance Status and Socioeconomic Factors Affect Early Mortality After Cardiac Valve Surgery.

Objective To characterize the effects markers of socioeconomic status (SES), including race and ethnicity, health insurance status, and median household income by zip code on in-patient mortality after cardiac valve surgery. Design Retrospective cohort study of adult valve surgery patients included in the State Inpatient Databases and Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The primary outcome was mortality during the index admission. Bivariate analyses and multivariate regression models were used to assess the independent effects of race and ethnicity, payer status, and median income by patient zip code on in-hospital mortality. Design Multistate database of hospitalizations from 2007 to 2014 from New York, Florida, Kentucky, California, and Maryland. Participants In total, 181,305 patients ≥18 years old underwent mitral or aortic valve repair or replacement and met the inclusion criteria. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Mortality rates were higher among black (5.59%) than white patients (4.28%, p Conclusions Markers of low SES, including race/ethnicity, insurance status, and household income, are associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality following cardiac valve surgery. Further research is warranted to understand and help decrease mortality risk in underinsured, less-wealthy and non-white patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery.
Dosimetric parameters associated with radiation-induced esophagitis in breast cancer patients undergoing regional nodal irradiation.

Abstract Background/Purpose Rates of acute esophagitis in breast cancer patients undergoing regional nodal irradiation (RNI) are under-reported. We set to identify esophageal dose–volume constraints associated with grade 2 esophagitis (G2E). We hypothesized that the G2E rate was higher with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) vs. 3D conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT). Materials/Methods We identified patients that received RNI (50 Gy/25 fractions) from 1/2013 to 6/2019. We retrospectively contoured the esophagus in a consistent manner and recorded esophageal mean dose, max dose, and V10–V50. Our primary endpoint was the G2E rate. Receiver operating characteristics curves analysis (e.g., Youden’s J statistic) were used to determine the cutpoints for the dosimetric parameters which were then tested in logistic regression models. Results We identified 531 patients (50% left-sided; 41% IMRT; 16.2% G2E). G2E was significantly higher in IMRT vs. 3DCRT patients (23.6% vs. 10.9%, p Conclusion In patients receiving RNI with modern techniques, we found that G2E occurs in >15%, and more frequently with IMRT. These data strongly support the routine contouring of the esophagus in RNI planning, and our constraints should be incorporated in future prospective protocols of RNI.
Patient-Specific iPSCs Carrying an SFTPC Mutation Reveal the Intrinsic Alveolar Epithelial Dysfunction at the Inception of Interstitial Lung Disease

The incompletely understood pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and lack of reliable preclinical disease models have limited development of effective therapies. An emerging literature now implicates alveolar epithelial type 2 cell (AEC2) dysfunction as an initiating pathogenic event in the onset of a variety of PF syndromes, including adult idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and childhood interstitial lung disease (chILD). However, inability to access primary AEC2s from patients, particularly at early disease stages, has impeded identification of disease-initiating mechanisms. Here we present an in vitro reductionist model system that permits investigation of epithelial-intrinsic events that lead to AEC2 dysfunction over time using patient-derived cells that carry a disease-associated variant, SFTPCI73T, known to be expressed solely in AEC2s. After generating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and engineering their gene-edited (corrected) counterparts, we employ directed differentiation to produce pure populations of syngeneic corrected and mutant AEC2s, which we expand >1015 fold in vitro, providing a renewable source of cells for modeling disease onset. We find that mutant iPSC-derived AEC2s (iAEC2s) accumulate large amounts of misprocessed pro-SFTPC protein which mistrafficks to the plasma membrane, similar to changes observed in vivo. These changes result in marked reduction in AEC2 progenitor capacity and several downstream perturbations in AEC2 proteostatic and bioenergetic programs, including a late block in autophagic flux, accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria with consequent time-dependent metabolic reprograming from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis, and activation of an NF- κ B dependent inflammatory response. Treatment of SFTPCI73T expressing iAEC2s with hydroxychloroquine, a medication commonly prescribed to these patients, results in aggravation of autophagy perturbations and metabolic reprogramming. Thus, iAEC2s provide a patient-specific preclinical platform for modeling the intrinsic epithelial dysfunction associated with the inception of interstitial lung disease.
Sociology of Multiracial Identity in the Late 1980s and Early 1990s: The Failure of a Perspective

Sociologists largely failed to comprehend the emergence of multiracial identities in the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was due, in part, to hypodescent and the monoracial imperative. These social devices, respectively, categorize offspring of interracial unions between Whites and people of color based exclusively on the background of color, and necessitate single-racial identification. This has prohibited the articulation and recognition of multiracial identities. Hypodescent and the monoracial imperative are so normative that they have been taken for granted by sociologists across the monoracial spectrum, much as the larger society. Sociology’s espoused objectivity blinded sociologists to the standpoint of their own monoracial subjectivity. They provided little critical examination of hypodescent and the monoracial imperative in terms of their impact on multiracial identity formations. Some sociologists challenged theories of marginality, which stressed the psychological dysfunction of multiracials. Yet multiracial identities were considered symptomatic of mainly isolated psychological concerns with personal identity. Sociologists were absent from analyses of collective identity and agency speaking to mixed-race concerns. Consequently, they remained on the periphery of social scientific theorizing of multiracial identities in terms of their wider-ranging implications.
Predicting human touch sensitivity to single atom substitutions in surface monolayers for molecular control in tactile interfaces

The mechanical stimuli generated as a finger interrogates the physical and chemical features of an object form the basis of fine touch. Haptic devices, which are used to control touch, primarily focus on recreating physical features, but the chemical aspects of fine touch may be harnessed to create richer tactile interfaces and reveal fundamental aspects of tactile perception. To connect tactile perception with molecular structure, we systematically varied silane-derived monolayers deposited onto surfaces smoother than the limits of human perception. Through mechanical friction testing and cross-correlation analysis, we made predictions of which pairs of silanes might be distinguishable by humans. We predicted, and demonstrated, that humans can distinguish between two isosteric silanes which differ only by a single nitrogen-for-carbon substitution. The mechanism of tactile contrast originates from a difference in monolayer ordering, as quantified by the Hurst exponent, which was replicated in two alkylsilanes with a three-carbon difference in length. This approach may be generalizable to other materials and lead to new tactile sensations derived from materials chemistry.
Mutation Analysis of NGAC Policies

The NGAC (Next Generation Access Control) standard for attribute-based access control (ABAC) allows for run-time changes of the permission and prohibition configurations through administrative obligations triggered by access events. It makes access control more fine-grained and dynamic. However, it raises challenges for assuring the correctness of NGAC policies. As policy testing is an important technique for quality assurance, this paper presents an approach to mutation analysis of NGAC policies. It can evaluate the effectiveness of a testing method and reveal potential faults in an inadequately tested policy. The mutation analysis covers various types of potential faults in the assignments, associations, prohibitions, and obligations of NGAC policies. This paper also proposes an incremental testing approach that first validates the initial configuration of a policy and then the policy as a whole. It helps determine whether faults appear in the configuration or the obligations. To evaluate the work, we have developed four working policies and their test suites based on the current NGAC reference implementation. The empirical studies show that the mutation analysis can shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of the test suites. They also demonstrate the need for developing more cost-effective testing methods.
Accelerating Matrix Processing for MIMO Systems

Massive Multiple In and Multiple Out (MIMO) is being used in the fifth generation of wireless communication systems. As the number of antennas increases, the computational complexity grows dramatically, and this involves matrix calculations with complex numbers. We have designed and implemented a general matrix arithmetic processor to accelerate these calculations, including matrix multiplication, Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), and QR decomposition, on an FPGA. The design can be implemented in fixed-point or single-precision floating-point depending on the requirements of the application. The system behavior can be controlled by instructions such as elementary multiplication, rotation and vector projection, which allows the system to work as a coprocessor in a baseband System on a Chip (SoC). Latency for changing from one matrix computation to another is just a few clock cycles, providing the low latency required for edge processing. The design is implemented and verified on the Xilinx RFSoC development board using fixed point and single precision floating point numbers and matrix sizes of 8 × 8 and 16 × 16.
Development and Proliferation of Flexible and Wearable Electronics: Opportunities and Challenges for National Security

The United States dominance in science and technology is under threat due to large foreign investment in the development of dual-use technologies with a primary civil-commercial use but which could be directly misapplied to pose a significant threat with broad potential consequences to national security. In the last two decades, rising powers like China have increased their spending in domestic research activities. In late 2017, China diverted millions of dollars to finance applied research at universities based in Australia, a traditionally strong U.S. ally in the South Pacific. Among the disruptive technologies the Chinese investment aims to develop, “flexible and wearable technologies” (FWEs) stand out given the limited U.S. efforts to dominate an industry where there is no clear leader. To invert the current trend, to control proliferation of FWEs, and to maintain the technological advantage the U.S. economy and the military enjoy, the prevailing scholarship suggests the creation of U.S. based consortia linking universities, companies, and the federal entities. However, the hypotheses that consortia are the ideal institutions to favor diffusion of FWEs technologies and primarily confine diffusion domestically rest on empirical arguments. Analysis of more than 9000 patent records shows consortia promote FWEs diffusion if the countries involved are strong innovators, but it is not possible to prove that FWEs will diffuse locally. The U.S. could adopt a second mover strategy and acquire intellectual property (IP) developed by consortia to establish leadership in FWEs. Last, there is need for more effective international agreements to regulate IP developed through consortia.
Eyes Toward Tomorrow Program Enhancing Collaboration, Connections, and Community Using Bioinspired Design

The goal of our i4's Toward Tomorrow Program is to enrich the future workforce with STEM by providing students with an early, inspirational, interdisciplinary experience fostering inclusive excellence. We attempt to open the eyes of students who never realized how much their voice is urgently needed by providing an opportunity for involvement, imagination, invention, and innovation. Students see how what they are learning, designing, and building matters to their own life, community, and society. Our program embodies convergence by obliterating artificially created, disciplinary boundaries to go far beyond STEM or even STEAM by including artists, designers, social scientists, and entrepreneurs collaborating in diverse teams using scientific discoveries to create inventions that could shape our future. Our program connects two recent revolutions by amplifying Bioinspired Design with the Maker Movement and its democratizing effects empowering anyone to innovate and change the world. Our course is founded in original discovery. We explain the process of biological discovery and the importance of scaling, constraints, and complexity in selecting systems for bioinspired design. By spotlighting scientific writing and publishing, students become more science literate, learn how to decompose a biology research paper, extract the principles, and then propose a novel design by analogy. Using careful, early scaffolding of individual design efforts, students build the confidence to interact in teams. Team building exercises increase self-efficacy and reveal the advantages of a diverse set of minds. Final team video and poster project designs are presented in a public showcase. Our program forms a student-centered creative action community comprised of a large-scale course, student-led classes, and a student-created university organization. The program structure facilitates a community of learners that shifts the students' role from passive knowledge recipients to active co-constructors of knowledge being responsible for their own learning, discovery, and inventions. Students build their own shared database of discoveries, classes, organizations, research openings, internships, and public service options. Students find next step opportunities so they can see future careers. Description of our program here provides the necessary context for our future publications on assessment that examine 21st century skills, persistence in STEM, and creativity.
Optical design of centered-receiver trough-based CPV system

Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems require less area of the solar cell while achieving a high efficiency. One of the development factors in the CPV includes the irradiance uniformity over the solar cell. To overcome this issue, a parabolic trough-based optical design is proposed using two nonimaging secondary reflectors: reflective grooves and compound parabolic concentrator (CPC). The reflective grooves convert the line focus to a square shape irradiance distribution, and the CPC is used for redirecting the rays to the receiver. The proposed system delivers the concentrated light over the solar cell having a size of 30 × 30 mm2 at the center of the trough. The CPV system reduces the number of cells compared with conventional trough-based CPV systems by attaining the concentration ratio of 285. The results indicate that the system has achieved an optical efficiency of 60% at an acceptance angle of ±2 deg. The detailed optical design and raytracing simulation are presented showing that the proposed concentrator can achieve significantly higher overall concentration while maintaining irradiance uniformity.
Properties of Mutable Alleles Recovered from Mutator Stocks of Zea Mays L.

The study of transposable elements and the highly mutable alleles they create allows recognition of the fluid nature of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Mutations at particular alleles have been instrumental in dissecting the spatial and temporal patterns of gene expression in maize (Zea mays L.) and Drosophila. And with the advent of molecular cloning, the mutable alleles containing a particular insertion element can be isolated by virtue of the transposon “tag” they contain. Recently we have begun studying the genetic and molecular properties of mutable alleles derived from maize lines containing Mutator activity. In this paper we review the properties of unstable alleles of maize and the genetic properties of Mutator lines of maize. A new transposable element family has been discovered and isolated from an unstable allele recovered from a Mutator line (Barker, et al., 1984). The molecular properties of this element called Mu-l will be reviewed.
Rare Earth Element Cycling in a Sandy Subterranean Estuary in Florida, USA

Abstract Rare earth element (REE) analyses were performed on 77 water samples and 5 sediment samples from the Indian River Lagoon system along the east coast of Florida. Groundwater samples were collected using nine multi-level piezometers installed along a shore-normal transect of the sandy subterranean estuary. Surface water samples were collected from Eau Gallie River and Crane Creek, the water column of the Indian River Lagoon above each piezometer, and the coastal Atlantic Ocean at Canova Beach. The REE concentrations of lagoon surface and subterranean estuary waters indicate that geochemical reactions within the subterranean estuary play a substantial role in the local REE cycle. The submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) flux of REEs calculated by using a modified form of the 1-dimensional vertical-flow equation is comprised of a nearshore heavy REE (HREE) enriched advective source chiefly composed of terrestrial SGD, and a light REE (LREE) and middle REE (MREE) enriched source that originates from reductive dissolution of Fe(III) oxides/oxyhydroxides in the subterranean estuary and subsequent transport by bioirrigation to the overlying lagoon. The total SGD flux of REEs reveals that this sandy subterranean estuary is a source for light and middle REEs and a sink for the heavy REEs to coastal waters. The SGD Nd flux is estimated at 7.69 ± 1.02 mmol day − 1 , which is roughly equivalent to the effective local river flux to the Indian River Lagoon. Although our re-evaluated SGD flux of Nd to the Indian River Lagoon is lower than an earlier estimate, it represents a substantial input to the coastal ocean and thus provides additional insights into the global oceanic Nd budget and the “Nd Paradox”.
Autonomous mobile agent based intrusion detection framework in wireless body area networks

Wireless body area networks (WBAN) are revolutionizing healthcare with their great potential to perform cost-effective, unobtrusive and constant real-time monitoring of health applications. Since wearable, implantable medical and mobile devices in WBAN often control life critical data, it is important to ensure security in these networks. Severe resource constraints pose significant challenges in providing security to these systems. In this paper, we propose an autonomous mobile agent based intrusion detection architecture to address security in wireless body area networks. We provide a comparison of mobile agent based IDS proposed in other domains with WBAN systems and highlight the unique benefits of the proposed architecture.
Patient Appointments in Ambulatory Care

Outpatient appointment system design is a complex problem because it involves multiple stakeholders, sequential booking process, random arrivals, no-shows, varying degrees of urgency of different patients’ needs, service time variability, and patient and provider preferences. Clinics use a two-step process to manage appointments. In the first step, which we refer to as the clinic profile setup problem, service providers’ daily clinic time is divided into appointment slots. In the second step, which we refer to as the appointment booking problem, physicians’ offices decide which available slots to book for each incoming request for an appointment. In this chapter, we present formulations of mathematical models of key problems in the area of appointment system design. We also discuss the challenges and complexities of solving such problems. In addition, summaries of prior research, particularly advanced models related to the examples shown in this chapter are also presented.
The holocene lake plain of north rudolph, east africa

During most of the early and middle Holocene, Lake Rudolf was 75m deeper than today, flooding the Kibish Lake Plain as much as 60–100km north and northwest of the modern shore, with periodic overfl...
A high speed VLSI chip for data compression

The authors describe a high-speed VLSI chip that implements the LZ technique for data compression. The LZ technique for data compression involves two basic steps, parsing and coding. The LZ-based compression method is a powerful technique and gives high compression efficiency for text and image data. The architecture is systolic and uses the principles of pipelining and parallelism in order to obtain high speed and throughput. Hardware schemes are proposed for decompressing data that has been compressed using the LZ method. The data compression hardware can be integrated into real-time systems so that data can be compressed and decompressed on-the-fly. A prototype CMOS VLSI chip has been designed and fabricated using CMOS 2-micron technology implementing a systolic array of nine processors. The proposed hardware can yield compression rates of about 20 million characters per second. >
Control of cerebral metabolite levels: II. Amino acid uptake and levels in various areas of the rat brain

Abstract The distribution of the free amino acid pool was determined in several areas of the rat brain. The regional heterogeneity of the level of amino acids was compared with the regional heterogeneity of amino acid uptake by the same brain areas. The distribution pattern of the free pool varied with the amino acid and with the area analyzed. The regional variation of amino acid uptake in living animals was fairly similar to the variations in the physiological pool. Uptake of amino acids by brain slices also showed regional heterogeneity, with similar behavior within a transport class. It was concluded that regional differences in uptake by slices were due to differences in transport mechanisms rather than differences in cell distribution or available energy. Transport mechanisms seem to have an important, but not exclusive role in determining the regional distribution of the amino acids in the living brain.
Prevalence and Risk Profile Of Unread Messages To Patients In A Patient Web Portal.

Background: Excitement around the adoption of electronic communication between physicians and patients is tempered by the possibility of increased clinical and legal risk. If patients do not read messages in a timely fashion, duplicative communication efforts may be required and patient safety may be jeopardized. Objective: We sought to assess the prevalence and risk profile of unread messages in a mature patient portal. Methods: We analyzed six years of messages (2005–2010) from physicians to patients to determine the prevalence and associated characteristics of unread messages in a patient portal. We focused on clinical messages, and excluded announcements. Because some physicians sent clinical messages to groups of patients, we labeled messages sent to more than 5 patients as “outreach” messages and excluded them from general analyses. We performed a chart review of 75 clinical messages to assess for harm. Results: We found that 3% of clinical messages were unread after 21 days. Messages arriving outside of business hours were slightly more likely to go unread (RR 1.15 95% CI 1.11–1.19). Patients who were male (OR 1.14 CI 1.04–1.26) African American (OR 1.69 CI 1.29–2.22) or Hispanic (OR 1.74 CI 1.17–2.59), or in the lowest income group (OR 1.72 CI 1.19–2.49) were more likely to have unread messages. Chart review showed no evidence of harm, but 13% of sampled unread messages were associated with potential delays in care. Incidentally, we found 50% of the physician-initiated outreach messages were unread. Conclusions: Overall, secure messaging appears a safe form of communication, but systems to notify senders when messages are unread may have value. While most clinical messages were read, many outreach messages were not, providing caution for relying on such systems for information dissemination. Similar to other studies, differences by race and income were observed and require further study.
In-hospital mortality risk for total shoulder arthroplasty: A comprehensive review of the medicare database from 2005 to 2011.

Introduction: The in-hospital mortality rate after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is unknown. The purpose of this study is to quantify the in-patient mortality rates and associated demographic risk factors for patients undergoing a TSA from 2005 to 2011 using a comprehensive Medicare registry database. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the Medicare database within the PearlDiver database. The PearlDiver database is a publicly available Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant national database that captures 100% of the Medicare hospital data for TSA between 2005 and 2011. Using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for TSA we identified a dataset of patients undergoing TSA as well as a subset of those for whom there was a death discharge (i.e., in-patient death). Risk for this outcome was further quantified by age, gender and year. Linear regression was performed to identify risk factors for the primary outcome. Results: A total of 101,323 patients underwent 125,813 TSAs between 2005 and 2011. There were 113 in-patient mortalities during this period. Thus the incidence of death was 0.09%. Increasing age was a significant risk factor for mortality ( P = 0.03). Gender and year of procedure were not significant risk factors for mortality. Conclusion: The incidence of in-patient mortality for Medicare patients undergoing TSA between 2005 and 2011 was Level 4: Retrospective analysis
Intercept system to edit, control, and analyze packets (ISECAP)

ISECAP is an advanced packet filtering framework designed for use with the Internet Scale Event and Attack Generation Environment (ISEAGE) at Iowa State University. ISEAGE is a network security test bed where cyber attacks can be carried out for security research. ISECAP functions as a FreeBSD-based general purpose packet control system designed to alter ISEAGE network data as it is being transmitted. Scripts are interpreted by ISECAP to modify network data in real-time, assisting in the simulation and obfuscation of various network attacks tested at the ISEAGE facility. The ISECAP system is developed as a flexible tool with a forward focus on ease of extensibility to meet the future needs of ISEAGE.
Few-layer, large-area, 2D covalent organic framework semiconductor thin films

In this work, we synthesize large-area thin films of a conjugated, imine-based, two-dimensional covalent organic framework at the solution/air interface. Thicknesses between ∼2–200 nm are achieved. Films can be transferred to any desired substrate by lifting from underneath, enabling their use as the semiconducting active layer in field-effect transistors.
Rupture velocity and radiation efficiency

So long as there is some finite specific fracture energy involved in earthquake rupture, the rupture velocity cannot exceed the Rayleigh-wave velocity CR in the direction of mode II extension, or the S -wave velocity β in the direction of mode III extension. The radiation efficiency ηR, which is the fraction of available energy that goes into seismic waves, depends upon the rupture velocity. It is zero if the crack grows quasi-statically, increases with rupture velocity, and tends to unity as the velocity approaches the limiting value appropriate to the mode of extension. A model involving a semi-infinite crack in antiplane shear (mode III) which accelerates rapidly to a velocity v , and runs at this velocity until it is arrested by a barrier of higher fracture energy, yields a formula for estimating the specific fracture energy γ , γ 0 = L T 0 2 μ π β − V β + V where L is the length of extended rupture, T is the traction and μ is the rigidity of the elastic medium. This agrees, within a factor of 2 for 0 < V /β < 0.9, with the formula deduced by Husseini et al . (1975) for a model involving the “seismic gap” mode of arrest, γ 0 = L T 0 2 2 μ π . This formula therefore provides a reasonable estimate of the specific fracture energy involved in an earthquake that is insensitive to the mode of arrest of the rupture.
Ban the ban: A scientific and cultural analysis of the FDA’s ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men

In recent years, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual Queer (LGBTQ) community has experienced a number of triumphs. From the end of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the political and social landscape in the United States is becoming more inclusive of homosexuality. While 1
A model to explain the posterior limit of the bite point in reptiles

A biomechanical model of the jaw mechanism in some reptiles is presented. Symmetrical muscle activity that produces equal forces on both sides of the head is assumed. The model predicts the position of the most posterior bite point and offers a functional explanation for this prediction. Turtles are used to illustrate the idea.
Nanostructured Hydrogels via Photopolymerization in Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Systems

Much research has focused on the control of material structure on the nanometer size scale. The self assembled, highly organized solutions inherent to lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) have recently...
Optimal weighting function for the invariant imbedding estimator

Abstract One of the problems in using the invariant imbedding estimator is to find the optimal or near optimal initial conditions for the weighting functions. Computational experiences indicate that these initial conditions influence the convergence rate tremendously. This problem is further complicated by the fact that the number of weighting functions increases quadratically with the number of parameters or variables to be estimated. It is not a simple matter to estimate the initial conditions to be used for a large number of interconnected weighting functions. In this work, least squares criterion combined with various optimization schemes is used to obtain the optimal initial conditions. It is shown that the convergence rate can be improved tremendously. These improved convergence rates should be very useful for off-line estimations with a limited number of experimental data.
Methoxyflurane (Penthrane) anesthesia effect on histamine simulated gastric secretion in the chicken.

SummaryIn four White Leghorn hens with chronically implanted gastric cannulas, a step-dose-response was done with histamine (75-1500 μg base/kg hr) given by subcutaneous infusion. The dose-response was repeated under Penthrane anesthesia. Vmax for gastric juice volume calculated from linear transformation of the data was reduced from 10.7 ml/kg hr to 5.6 ml/kg hr but S50 was only slightly increased.
Inpatient insulin orders: Are patients getting what is prescribed?

BACKGROUND: In-hospital insulin administration is associated with many medication errors, but the frequency and reasons for insulin administration errors are poorly described. To document types and frequency of errors related to insulin administration, an examination of 4 units was conducted. METHODS: Using snapshot methodology, 4 non-intensive care unit (ICU) areas (medicine, cardiology, transplant, and surgery) were examined in an observational, prospective manner for 4 weeks. Each patient on insulin on the first day was followed for 7 days. Definitions and error categories were defined prior to data collection. Error types and numbers were collected and quantified on per-day or per-patient basis. RESULTS: A total of 116 patient audit periods covering a total of 378 inpatient hospital days were examined. Inpatient insulin regimens on day 1 included correctional insulin only (51.7% of cases), neutral protamine Hagedorn ([NPH] 12%), and glargine (28.4%). A total of 199 administration errors occurred at a rate of 1.72 errors/patient-period and 0.53 errors/patient day. Missing documentation of doses (15.5% of all patients) and insulin being held without an order (25% of patients) were the most frequently occurring events. Other errors include transcription (7.5%), timing errors (22.7%), and lack of documentation of physician notification of hypoglycemia (12.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Errors associated with insulin in the hospital are common and reveal a number of system errors that should be addressed. These data provide a foundation for future performance improvement. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2011;. © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine