cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Testing equality of two functions using BARS.

This article presents two methods of testing the hypothesis of equality of two functions H0:f1(t)=f2(t) for all t, in a generalized non-parametric regression framework using a recently developed generalized non-parametric regression method called Bayesian adaptive regression splines (BARS). Of particular interest is the special case of testing equality of two Poisson process intensity functions λ1 (t)=λ2 (t), which arises frequently in neurophysiological applications. The first method uses Bayes factors, and the second method uses a modified Hotelling T2 test. Both methods are applied to the analysis of 347 motor cortical neurons and, for certain choices of test criteria, the two methods lead to the same conclusions for all but 7 neurons. A small simulation study of power indicates that the Bayes factor can be somewhat more powerful in small samples. The T2-type test should be useful in screening large number of neurons for condition-related activity, while the Bayes factor will be especially helpful in assessing evidence in favour of H0. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selectivity Mechanisms in Low Temperature (<950°C) Selective Silicon Epitaxy

Low temperature selective silicon epitaxy was studied over a range of process pressures and HCI flows using a SiH2Cl2/HCl/H2 based chemistry. Thermodynamic modelling was carried out with the aid of the SOLGAS program to investigate the effect of process pressure, HCI flow rate, and leaks on the distribution of gas phase species. Selectivity results are interpreted in terms of the defect microchemistry on SiO2 surfaces.
Elements of style: analyzing a software design feature with a counterexample detector

We illustrate the application of Nitpick, a specification checker, to the design of a style mechanism for a word processor. The design is cast, along with some expected properties, in a subset of Z. Nitpick checks a property by enumerating all possible cases within some finite bounds, displaying as a counterexample the first case for which the property fails to hold. Unlike animation or execution tools, Nitpick does not require state transitions to be expressed constructively, and unlike theorem provers, operates completely automatically without user intervention. Using a variety of reduction mechanisms, it can cover an enormous number of cases in a reasonable time, so that subtle flaws can be rapidly detected.
A Non-Linear Flash Analog to Digital Architecture for Sinusoidal Input Signals

We hypothesize that we can improve the footprint by using a static non-linear flash encoding scheme for Analog to Digital (A/D) converters for an important set of functions. This architecture can reduce the number of comparators and resisters in a flash converter by 25%..
Creating and using non-kinetic effects: training joint forces for asymmetric operations

US military forces now face asymmetric military operations. Management of relationships with civilians is often crucial to success. Local population groups can provide critical intelligence or be sources of increasingly violent insurgent activity. A variety of organizations that are neither citizens nor military forces complicate the scenario. Mission readiness and rehearsal training are evolving to respond to this new operating environment. In particular, the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC) adds the Joint Non-kinetic Effects Model (JNEM) and the Independent Stimulation Module (ISM) to any of several combat models. JNEM models the non-kinetic effects of joint military operations on the attitudes and reactions of civilian population groups. ISM manages the flow and delivery of information. All components of JLCCTC communicate in real time during training. Commanders learn that appropriate actions improve the situation (e.g., better cooperation) and inappropriate actions make things worse (e.g., increased numbers of insurgents).
The use of minocycline-rifampin coated central venous catheters for exchange of catheters in the setting of staphylococcus aureus central line associated bloodstream infections

Central venous catheters (CVC) removal and reinsertion of a new CVC in the setting of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) is not always possible in septic patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with Staphylococcus aureus-CLABSI (SA-CLABSI) who had their CVCs exchanged over guidewire for minocycline/rifampin-coated (M/R)-CVC within seven days of bacteremia. Each case was matched with two control patients who had SA-CLABSI and had their CVC removed within seven days and two control patients who had their CVC retained beyond seven days. In addition, an in vitro model was developed for exchange of catheters. We identified 40 patients with SA-CLABSI. Eight patients had their CVC exchanged over guidewire with M/R-CVC and were compared to 16 patients who had their CVC removed and 16 other patients who had their CVC retained. Patients who had their CVC exchanged over guidewire had a similar clinical response and relapse rates compared to patients whose CVC was removed or retained. However the rate of overall mortality was higher in patients who retained their CVC compared to those whose CVC was exchanged or removed (p = 0.034). The in vitro catheter exchange model showed that catheter exchange over guidewire using M/R-CVC completely prevented biofilm colonization compared to exchange using uncoated CVC (p < 0.0001). In the setting of SA-CLABSI, exchanging the CVC over guidewire with M/R-CVC could be an alternative to removing the CVC and reinserting another CVC at a different site and may be associated with a lower rate of overall mortality. Further large prospective randomized clinical trials are warranted.
Approximate fluid substitution for vertical velocities in weakly anisotropic VTI rocks

Despite the prevalence of elastic anisotropy in rocks, most models used routinely for wave propagation, imaging, and rock physics assume an isotropic Earth. The main reason for using isotropic approximations is that we seldom measure enough parameters to characterize the stiffness tensor of a rock completely. Fluid substitution is an important example: because of an incomplete knowledge of the stiffness tensor, often we choose isotropic equations over their anisotropic form. Assuming weak anisotropy, we derive an approximate form of the anisotropic fluid-substitution equation for seismic waves propagating along the symmetry axis of a transversely isotropic medium. The approximation takes the form of the usual isotropic calculation, with a simple first-order correction proportional to the Thomsen anisotropic parameter δ , thus requiring only three elastic constants. Because δ can be either greater than or less than zero in a VTI medium, we can explain why isotropic fluid substitution sometimes overpredicts...
Identification of genes controlled by quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacteria communicate with each other to coordinate expression of specific genes in a cell density-dependent fashion, a phenomenon called quorum sensing and response. Although we know that quorum sensing via acyl-homoserine lactone (HSL) signals controls expression of several virulence genes in the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the number and types of genes controlled by quorum sensing have not been studied systematically. We have constructed a library of random insertions in the chromosome of a P. aeruginosa acyl-HSL synthesis mutant by using a transposon containing a promoterless lacZ. This library was screened for acyl-HSL induction of lacZ. Thirty-nine quorum sensing-regulated genes were identified. The genes were organized into classes depending on the pattern of regulation. About half of the genes appear to be in seven operons, some seem organized in large patches on the genome. Many of the quorum sensing-regulated genes code for putative virulence factors or production of secondary metabolites. Many of the genes identified showed a high level of induction by acyl-HSL signaling.
The gap-tooth method in particle simulations

We explore the gap-tooth method for multiscale modeling of systems represented by microscopic physics-based simulators, when coarse-grained evolution equations are not available in closed form. A biased random walk particle simulation, motivated by the viscous Burgers equation, serves as an example. We construct macro-to-micro (lifting) and micro-to-macro (restriction) operators, and drive the coarse time-evolution by particle simulations in appropriately coupled microdomains (“teeth”) separated by large spatial gaps. A macroscopically interpolative mechanism for communication between the teeth at the particle level is introduced. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a “closure-on-demand” approach to solving some hydrodynamics problems.
Application of FGF-2 to modulate herpetic stromal keratitis.

Purpose: Herpetic stromal keratitis (SK) is a tissue destructive eye lesion caused by infection of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1). One step by which HSV-1 enters the cell is through binding to surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), a process that can be inhibited by fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2). The current study examined the effect of FGF-2 application on the outcome of ocular HSV infection. Methods: Vero cells were infected with HSV-1 after preincubation with FGF-2 protein, and viral infectivity was determined by plaque reduction assay. In an in vivo study, mice were ocularly treated with FGF-2 before (plasmid DNA) or after (recombinant protein) HSV-1 infection, and SK lesion severity was observed. Results: Whereas FGF-2 had excellent antiviral effects in vitro, it was without significant inhibitory effects when given as plasmid DNA encoding FGF-2 (100 μ g/application) onto the cornea of the susceptible mouse (BALB/c) before virus infection. Only minor antiviral effects of FGF-2 in vivo wer...
The Structure of Opportunity in School

Official school records are used to analyze the opportunity structure and selection mechanisms within a school. Critics' charges that tracking systems preclude choice and mobility are not entirely supported, but more complex and subtle mechanisms for restricting opportunity are found to operate. Moreover, the analysis discovers that even if college admissions committees wished to admit high-achieving lower-track students, the use by many high schools of a grade-weighting procedure by which lower-track students' achievements are belittled reduces their post-graduate opportunities. These findings suggest that customary assumptions about the influence of choice and achievement may be too simple and customary conceptual models of contest and sponsored mobility may be less appropriate for describing actual track systems than a tournament model. Even after a decade of great progress in understanding the educational and occupational attainment process, we still know very little about the structure of opportunity within schools and its influence on youths' opportunities in society. Researchers have looked at school-wide effects, and they find much greater variance in educational attainment within schools than among different schools (Coleman et al.; Jencks et al.). This suggests that it is important to study selection systems within schools. Turner and S0rensen have proposed models of the opportunity structure within schools, but no research has looked at such structures directly. A number of recent studies have considered the effects of high school curriculum tracks on post-school attainment, but they have been largescale studies unable to examine selection processes within schools in detail (Alexander and Eckland; Alexander and McDill; Hauser et al.; Heyns; Jencks et al.). Cicourel and Kitsuse investigated in detail how a single school selects students for track placements, but they did not look at what kind of track mobility was permitted within the school. *This research was supported by the Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University. Lee Rainwater and Paul V. Smith contributed many ideas throughout this work. I am also indebted to Wendell Bell, Goeffrey Bock, David Cohen, Christopher Jencks, Alan Kerckhoff, John Low-Beer, Rosemary Morazzini, Virginia Warcholik, Harold Wechsler, and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
Theory and applications of quartz resonators as sensors for viscous conductive liquids

Results are reported on the use of quartz-crystal resonators as a conductivity and/or viscosity sensor in dilute-liquid chromatography. A general theory is presented for AT-cut crystal with one surface exposed to a viscous conductive liquid. A characteristic equation which described the resonance condition and accounts for all acoustoelectric interactions was obtained in terms of crystal and liquid parameters. For viscous nonconductive liquids, the resonance condition is reduced to a simple relationship for the frequency change of the crystal in terms of the liquid density and viscosity. For dilute conductive liquids, the change in resonant frequency is derived in terms of the solution conductivity and dielectric constant. A miniature liquid cell containing an 11 MHz quartz crystal was designed and fabricated. Several viscous and conductive solutions were tested, resulting in frequency-shift data which are in excellent agreement with the theoretical model. >
Intelligent output interface for intelligent medical search engine

To facilitate ordinary people to search medical information, we have built an intelligent medical Web search engine called iMed. iMed uses medical knowledge and an interactive questionnaire to find multiple diseases serving as queries. The search results of these queries are combined together and returned to the searcher in a traditional sequential order. Nevertheless, searchers still frequently miss desired information, because the traditional search result output interface cannot capture the internal structures of medical search results. This paper presents a new, intelligent search result output interface devoted to intelligent medical search. The new output interface automatically offers searchers what they want instead of waiting until they ask explicitly. It structures all the search results into a multi-level hierarchy with explicitly marked medical meanings. In this way, searchers can efficiently navigate among all the search results and quickly obtain desired information. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques through an evaluation using USMLE medical exam cases.
A Concise Method for Storing and Communicating the Data Covariance Matrix

The covariance matrix associated with experimental cross section or transmission data consists of several components. Statistical uncertainties on the measured quantity (counts) provide a diagonal contribution. Off-diagonal components arise from uncertainties on the parameters (such as normalization or background) that figure into the data reduction process; these are denoted systematic or common uncertainties, since they affect all data points. The full off-diagonal data covariance matrix (DCM) can be extremely large, since the size is the square of the number of data points. Fortunately, it is not necessary to explicitly calculate, store, or invert the DCM. Likewise, it is not necessary to explicitly calculate, store, or use the inverse of the DCM. Instead, it is more efficient to accomplish the same results using only the various component matrices that appear in the definition of the DCM. Those component matrices are either diagonal or small (the number of data points times the number of data-reduction parameters); hence, this implicit data covariance method requires far less array storage and far fewer computations while producing more accurate results.
A Real Estate Fundamentals Project to Enhance Learning

The business imperative for higher education is to sharpen written communications and critical thinking skills, including decision-making, of students graduated from AACSB accredited schools of bus...
Tibiofemoral contact area--determination and implications.

We have presented a roentgenographic method of determining the area of contact of the femur on the medial and lateral tibial plateaus. The area of contact on both tibial plateaus decreases throughout the first 35 degrees of flexion. The average area of contact on the medial plateau was 1.6 times greater than the area on the lateral plateau. This relationship remained constant through the first 35 degrees of flexion. The ratio of the medial and lateral contact areas is applicable to the study of clinical problems.
Initial Attack and Brood Production by Females of Ips grandicollis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Field observations of attacks on pine bolts by Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) revealed that females frequently initiated attacks. The percent of solitary female attacks in association with “attraction centers” increased from about 36 to 80% from early June through September. Many females that initiated attacks on logs in the field also produced broods, whereas virgin females did not reproduce.
Employment, mental health, internalized stigma, and coping with transphobia among transgender individuals

Transgender individuals encounter stigma related to nonconforming gender identity, contributing to elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Stigma toward transgender individuals (i.e., transphobia) poses significant barriers to employment and other areas of functioning. Transgender
Gold and Rhodium Transmetalation: Mechanistic Insights and Dual-Metal Reactivity

A transmetalation reaction between rhodium(III) and sp2- and sp3-hybridized organogold(I) compounds proceeds rapidly at ambient temperature (15 min to 6 h). Mechanistic experiments demonstrate that ligand dissociation on rhodium(III) precedes transmetalation; synthetic applications of the gold/rhodium transmetalation are highlighted by linking rhodium-mediated C−H activation, conjugate addition, and reductive elimination to transmetalation from organogold compounds.
Consistency of My Bisexual Self

abstractThis brief narrative account focuses on the meaning of ‘bisexuality,’ and the individual bisexual identity development of the author. In the sharing of this journey another voice and related narrative is added to not only the larger bisexual communities, but also potentially to the larger dominant societal context as a whole. In addition, an opportunity to decrease bisexual invisibility and increase bisexual visibility is attained through the telling of stories such as the one presented. The author concludes with an invitation to empower and support fellow bisexual-identifying persons.
Process tracing and the causal identification revolution

The essays in this special issue of New Political Economy are welcome contributions to growing debates about the logic and methods of process tracing in the social sciences. The introductory essay,...
Transamniotic Stem Cell Therapy (TRASCET)

Trans-Amniotic Stem Cell Therapy (TRASCET) is a novel therapeutic paradigm for the treatment of congenital anomalies. It is based on the principle of harnessing and enhancing the biological role of select population of stem cells that either naturally occur in the amniotic fluid or are present therein in the setting of disease for therapeutic benefit. It has been recently shown that amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (afMSCs) play a central role in the widely known enhanced ability of the fetus to repair tissue damage. This germane finding was not only the first demonstration of a biological role for any amniotic cell, it has also provided validation for the use of afMSCs in regenerative strategies, in that these cells already play a regenerative role in nature. More recently, it has also first been shown experimentally that the intra-amniotic delivery of afMSCs in large numbers can either elicit the repair, or significantly mitigate the effects associated with major congenital anomalies by boosting the activity that these cells normally have. For example, concentrated amounts of these cells injected into the amniotic cavity can induce partial or complete coverage of experimental spina bifida, the most prevalent neural tube defect compatible with life, by promoting the local formation of host-derived skin, thus protecting the spinal cord from damage. In another example, intra-amniotic administration of afMSCs in large numbers can also significantly alleviate the bowel damage associated with gastroschisis, one of the most common major abdominal wall defects. Other applications involving different congenital anomalies and/or other stem cells present in the amniotic fluid in diseased pregnancies are currently under investigation in this still very young facet of fetal stem cell therapy. Combined, these discoveries point to simple, easily accessible intra-amniotic administration of afMSCs and/or other cells as practical, minimally invasive alternatives for the management of different congenital anomalies, with significant therapeutic gain at minimal to no risk to the mother and fetus.
Frank Midvale and the Casa Grande Canal

The last words Dave [Hannah] spoke to me before embarking across the nation were of his deep respect for Ranger Frank Midvale, whom he regards as the greatest authority on the Gila River Valley Hoh...
Neonatal Respiratory Distress Due to Possible Obstruction

A 31-year-old gravida 3 para 2 mother has abnormal triple screen results that suggest increased risk of trisomy 21 at 1:180. Ultrasonography is performed at 19 weeks estimated gestational age. The image shows enlarged lungs bilaterally and gross ascites. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is performed at 23 weeks estimated gestational age. The MRI reveals a single intrauterine pregnancy with a posteriorly located placenta. At the level of the vocal cords, there is a V-shaped termination of the trachea. The tracheobronchial tree is severely dilated and fluid filled. The lungs are severely enlarged, the diaphragm is inverted, and the …
β2-Integrin and L-Selectin Are Obligatory Receptors in Neutrophil Aggregation

We have recently found that antibodies to L-selectin, the homing receptor on neutrophils, are as effective as those to beta 2-integrin at blocking formyl peptide-stimulated aggregation. Therefore, we investigated the requirements for expression of L-selectin and beta 2-integrin on adjacent cells during aggregation. Fluorescence flow cytometry allowed characterization of aggregates on the basis of size and color, as well as antibody binding to these two adhesive molecules. Formyl peptide-stimulated aggregate formation was measured for individual populations fluorescently labeled red (LDS-751) or green (CD44-FITC), and interpopulation red-green cell conjugates. Blocking either the beta 2-integrin or L-selectin adhesive epitope with monoclonal antibody on individual cell populations resulted in an approximately 50% reduction in two-color aggregation as compared with that in unblocked samples. Shedding the L-selectin on a cell population by preincubation with complexes of lipopolysaccharide and its plasma membrane binding protein also decreased aggregation to a control population by approximately 50%. We examined the aggregation of neutrophils from patients genetically deficient in beta 2-integrin and clinically leukocyte adhesion deficient (LAD). LAD adhesion to normal neutrophils was dependent on the expression of L-selectin on LAD cells and beta 2-integrin on normal cells. Thus, the minimum requirement for adhesion between two mixed populations of neutrophils was that one population expressed the beta 2-integrin and the other expressed the L-selectin adhesive epitope.
Albumin-Bilirubin Score: Predicting Short-Term Outcomes Including Bile Leak and Post-hepatectomy Liver Failure Following Hepatic Resection

Post-operative bile leak (BL) and post hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) are the major potential sources of morbidity among patients undergoing liver resection. We sought to define the incidence of BL and PHLF among a large cohort of patients, as well as examine the prognostic impact of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) scores to predict these short-term outcomes. Patients who underwent a hepatectomy between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 were identified using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) liver-targeted database. Risk factors for BL and PHLF were identified using multivariable logistic regression. Among the 3064 patients identified, median age was 60 years (IQR 50–68). Most patients underwent surgery (78.9 %) for malignant lesions. Post-operatively, 250 (8.5 %) patients experienced a BL while PHLF occurred in 149 cases (4.9 %). Both MELD (MELD <10 4.9 %; MELD ≥10, 10 %; P = 0.001) and ALBI (grade 1, 4.0 %; grade 2, 7.2 %; grade 3, 10.0 %; P = 0.001) were associated with PHLF occurrence, while only ALBI predicted PHLF severity (P = 0.008). Moreover, ALBI was associated with BL (grade 1, 7.1 %; grade 2, 11.5 %; grade 3, 14.0 %; P < 0.001), whereas MELD was not (MELD <10, 8.4 %; MELD ≥10, 11.2 %; P = 0.13). On multivariable analysis, ALBI grade 2/3 was associated with PHLF (OR 1.57, 95 % CI 1.08–2.27; P = 0.02), PHLF severity (OR 3.06, 95 % CI 1.50–6.23; P = 0.003), and the development of a BL (OR 1.35, 95 % CI 1.02–1.80; P = 0.04). The ALBI score was associated with short-term post-operative outcomes following hepatic resection and represents a useful pre-operative risk-assessment tool to identify patients at risk for adverse post-operative outcomes.
Health System in Nigeria: From Underperformance to Measured Optimism.

Fifty-five years after independence, indicators of Nigeria's health outcomes and coverage of basic health services show underperformance, both in absolute terms and relative to other countries at s...
Building First Semester Nursing Student Confidence for Test Taking: A STARS Pilot Project

Abstract This quasi-experimental pilot study implemented a relaxation technique in first semester registered and practical nursing students enrolled in a nursing fundamentals course. Data were collected and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the Confidence Training for Tests intervention in reducing test anxiety levels. The study demonstrated clinical significance, showing a difference in mean test anxiety scores. Findings revealed that there was a 5.8 point difference in the mean sum of the item responses pre- and postintervention.
Comparison of VRB and VRB-2 agars for recovery of stressed coliforms from stored acidified half-and-half.

Half-and-half was acidified with delta-gluconolactone, inoculated with three species of coliform bacteria, stored for 31 days at 5 °C, and examined for numbers of viable coliforms on VRB and VRB-2 agars. Loss of culture viability was logarithmic with recovery of 50 and 10% of initial numbers on days 7 and 30, respectively. Escherichia coli had significantly more recoverable injured cells than did Enterobacter aerogenes or Klebsiella pneumoniae . As time of storage increased, the proportion of injured to noninjured cells also increased. However, the maximal number of injured cells was on the thirteenth day of storage of E. coli -inoculated product. VRB-2 agar averaged 20% higher in productivity than VRB agar.
Complex governance and the new interdependence approach (NIA)

ABSTRACTExisting models that aim to explain the effects of economic interdependence on global politics do not adequately capture transnational politics and the production of new modes of governance. The new interdependence approach (NIA), defined and illustrated in this symposium, exemplifies new modes of cross-border complex governance. Complex governance is defined by its disruption of the dominant role of national governments in global and regional governance. National governments have become only one set of actors in among a heterogeneous group of participants in global governance, agents who collaborate across type to produce more informal and less legalized governance outcomes. Complex governance and the NIA approach appear to have both functional limits (more apparent in issue-areas new to the global agenda) and spatial limits (gradually extending beyond the industrialized countries to the developing world). National governments and politics remain influential in a world of complex governance. A fi...
Staging Life in an Early Warm ‘Seltzer’ Ocean

The stage for the origin of life may have been set during a period that was as short as 20 million years within the first 100 million years after the formation of the Moon (at ~4.5 Ga). The atmosphere at that time contained more carbon dioxide than at any other period thereafter. Carbon dioxide sustained greenhouse conditions, accelerated the weathering of a primitive crust, and may have led to conditions conducive to forming the building blocks of life. The conversion of inorganic carbon and nitrogen to the essential building blocks of life may have been facilitated by clays, zeolites, sulfides, and metal alloys that had been formed as the crust reacted with a warm and carbonated (seltzer) ocean. Geochemical modeling constrains the conditions favorable for the formation of these potential mineral catalysts.
Warming temperatures will likely induce higher premium rates and government outlays for the U.S. crop insurance program

Likely climate change impacts include damages to agricultural production resulting from increased exposure to extreme heat. Considerable uncertainty remains regarding impacts on crop insurance programs. We utilize a panel of U.S. corn yield data to predict the effect of warming temperatures on the mean and variance of yields, as well as crop insurance premium rates and producer subsidies. While we focus on corn, we demonstrate that the subsidy impacts are likely to carry over to other major program crops. We find that warming decreases mean yields and increases yield risk on average, which results in higher premium rates. Under a 1°C warming scenario, we find that premium rates at the 90% coverage level will increase by 39% on average; however, there is considerable statistical uncertainty around this average as the 95% confidence interval spans from 22% to 61%. We also find evidence of extensive cross‐sectional differences as the county‐level rate impacts range from a 10% reduction to a 63% increase. Results indicate that exposure to extreme heat and changes in the coefficient of variation are large drivers of the impacts. Under the 1°C warming scenario, we find that annual subsidy payments for the crop insurance program could increase by as much as $1.5 billion, representing a 22% increase relative to current levels. This estimate increases to 3.7 billion (57%) under a 2°C warming scenario. Our results correspond to a very specific counterfactual: the marginal effect of warming temperatures under current technology, production, and crop insurance enrollments. These impacts are shown to be smaller than the forecasted impacts under a commonly used end‐of‐century general circulation model for even the most optimistic CO₂ emissions projection.
Towards an implementation of superdense teleportation in space

In our effort to implement superdense teleportation (SDT) from space to earth, we have incorporated Doppler compensation methods and we installed 4 superconducting nanowire detectors so our system can operate efficiently with high loss, showing that we retain the ability to efficiently perform SDT.
Elevating Learner Achievement Using Formative Electronic Lab Assessments in the Engineering Laboratory: A Viable Alternative to Weekly Lab Reports

A laboratory pedagogy interweaving weekly student portfolios with onsite formative electronic laboratory assessments (ELAs) is developed and assessed within the laboratory component of a required core course of the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) undergraduate curriculum. The approach acts to promote student outcomes, and neutralize academic integrity violations, while refocusing instructor and teaching assistant roles toward high-gain instructional activities, such as personalized student tutoring. A mixed-method study evaluated the learning effectiveness and student satisfaction using biweekly ELAs versus traditional laboratory reports in a large-enrollment ( ${N}=68$ ) undergraduate computer engineering laboratory course. The results of the evaluation indicate statistically significant effects on both learning outcomes and student satisfaction from the use of formative assessments in laboratory delivery, which were corroborated by the instructor’s reflections. Students in the ELA with tutoring enabled delivery cohort performed better on the post-test and were more satisfied with the laboratory assessment design and assistance received in laboratory than those in the control cohort. The findings offer a promising alternative for ECE and engineering laboratory instruction that fosters gains in practical skills and content mastery.
AMPK: Mechanisms of Cellular Energy Sensing and Restoration of Metabolic Balance

AMPK is a highly conserved master regulator of metabolism, which restores energy balance during metabolic stress both at the cellular and physiological levels. The identification of numerous AMPK targets has helped explain how AMPK restores energy homeostasis. Recent advancements illustrate novel mechanisms of AMPK regulation, including changes in subcellular localization and phosphorylation by non-canonical upstream kinases. Notably, the therapeutic potential of AMPK is widely recognized and heavily pursued for treatment of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, but also obesity, inflammation, and cancer. Moreover, the recently solved crystal structure of AMPK has shed light both into how nucleotides activate AMPK and, importantly, also into the sites bound by small molecule activators, thus providing a path for improved drugs.
Feasibility and acceptability of shared decision-making to promote alcohol behavior change among women Veterans: Results from focus groups.

Background. Although rates of unhealthy drinking are high among women Veterans with mental health comorbidities, most women Veterans with mental comorbidities who present to primary care with unhea...
Is thromboelastography (TEG)-based resuscitation better than empirical 1:1 transfusion?

Thomboelastography (TEG) is a whole blood measure of coagulation which was originally described in the 1950s. However, it has only been in the last few decades that assays have become accessible and viable as a point-of-care test. Following the observation that hemorrhagic shock is associated with an intrinsic coagulopathy, TEG has been used as a method of diagnosing specific coagulation defects in order to direct individualized blood products resuscitation. An alternative transfusion strategy is the administration of fixed ratio products, a paradigm borne out of military experience. It is unknown which strategy is superior and this topic was debated at the 36th Annual Point/Counterpoint Acute Care Surgery Conference. The following article summarizes the discussants points of view along with a summary of the evidence. Level of evidence Level III.
Cervical myelopathy causing numbness and paresthesias in lower extremities: A case report identifying the cause of a false positive Sharp-Purser test.

Introduction: The patient was referred to an outpatient physical therapy clinic for lumbar radiculopathy by a primary care physician and subsequently referred for imaging due to suspicion of cervic...
The Usable Past: The Imagination of History in Recent Fiction of the Americas

Preface Part I. Anxiety of Origins: 1. The Usable Past: History as Idea in the Americas 2. For the record: novels, newspapers, narration 3. Ancestral presences: magical romance/magical realism Part II. Intertextuality and Tradition: 4. Synchronic structures, Mario Vargas Llosa, The Conversation in the Cathedral Julio Cortazar, 62: A Model Kit 5. Fragmentary fictions 6. Cliches and community Comparative conclusions: Baroque new worlds.
Predicting progressions of cognitive outcomes via high-order multi-modal multi-task feature learning

Many existing studies on complex brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's Disease, usually employed regression analysis to associate the neuroimaging measures to cognitive status. However, whether these measures in multiple modalities have the predictive power to infer the trajectory of cognitive performance over time still remain under-explored. In this paper, we propose a high-order multi-modal multi-mask feature learning model to uncover temporal relationship between the longitudinal neuroimaging measures and progressive cognitive output scores. The regularizations through sparsity-induced norms implemented in the proposed learning model enable the selection of only a small number of imaging features over time and capture modality structures for multi-modal imaging markers. The promising experimental results in extensive empirical studies performed on the ADNI cohort have validated the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Identification of sleep-disordered breathing in children: variation with event definition.

Study Objectives: To determine the effect of varying approaches to the measurement of the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) on identification of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children Design: Cross-sectional study of SDB in a well-characterized birth cohort (stratified for term and preterm birth) participating in longitudinal studies of cognition and behavior Setting: Community-based; overnight studies conducted in participant's homes Participants: 433 children, ages 8-11 years, un-referred for clinical assessment of SDB Interventions: N/A Measurements and Results: Participants underwent unattended overnight in-home recording of respiratory inductance plethysmography, pulse oximetry, body position, and heart rate. The relationships among RDIs derived from various definitions of apnea and hypopneas and thresholds for frequency of events were assessed. Median RDI varied by more than 20-fold for definitions using the more liberal criteria for event definition (all respiratory events; i.e., central or obstructive events and hypopneas with no requirement for associated desaturation) to the most conservative definition (using obstructive apneas only or obstructive apnea and hypopneas requiring a 5% associated desaturation). Prevalence estimates for SDB based on RDIs that included central apneas were 40% to 140% higher than those that excluded central apneas. Conclusions: Different approaches for quantifying RDI contribute to substantial variability in identification and classification of SDB in children and will lead to discrepant estimates of its presence and severity.
BLOCKING FACTORS IN TUMOR IMMUNITY AND ALLOGRAFT TOLERANCE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the blocking factors in tumor immunity and allograft tolerance. Sera from tumor-bearing animals and human patients and rats operationally tolerant to skin allografts, contain factors that can prevent lymphocytes from specifically destroying cultivated cells carrying the relevant antigens and which appear most often to be antigen–antibody complexes. The blocking factors seem to play an important role in facilitating tumor growth in vivo, and the ability of tumors to induce the formation of such factors may be of fundamental importance for their escape from immunological control. The role of blocking factors in maintaining allograft tolerance is less clear.
More on Fundamental Solutions for Systems

The issue of identifying fundamental solutions for homogeneous constant coefficient systems of arbitrary order is a central topic here. As particular cases of the approach developed, fundamental solutions that are tempered distributions for the Lame and Stokes operators are derived. The fact that integral representation formulas and interior estimates hold for null-solutions of homogeneous systems with non-vanishing full symbol is also proved. As a consequence, null-solutions are real-analytic and shown to satisfy reverse Holder estimates. Finally, layer potentials associated with arbitrary constant coefficient second order systems in the upper-half space, and the relevance of these operators vis-a-vis to the solvability of boundary value problems for such systems in this setting, are discussed.
Hematological Effects of Aging

In 1951, a standard textbook of hematology reported the virtual absence of satisfactory information about the blood in old age.1 Although many studies of the effects of aging on peripheral blood cells and bone marrow have been carried out in the intervening years, a great deal of uncertainty and controversy about the nature of these effects remains. Well-designed gerontological studies are difficult to perform. Conclusions have frequently been drawn on the basis of data generated by studies in which methodology has been insufficient to distinguish between specific hematological effects of aging and effects of disease states that are prevalent in old age. This chapter will critically review the reported effects of aging on the structure and function of the peripheral blood and bone marrow, discuss the effects of drugs on the blood and bone marrow in old age, and present considerations for investigators who plan and carry out clinical trials in the elderly.
Distress and Therapeutic Outcomes Among Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People of Color

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) People of Color experience stressors unique to both TGNC and racial and/or ethnic minority communities, resulting in disparities in mental health. Guided...
A Novel PWM Technique for MMCs with High Frequency Link and Natural Capacitor Balancing for Grid-Interfacing of Renewables

This paper presents a new pulse width modulation (PWM) technique for a high-frequency link Modular Multilevel Converter topology for grid-integrated renewables. The topology generates a multilevel output voltage with low harmonic distortion, increased reliability, and design flexibility due to the modular nature of the converter. A central full-bridge converter is connected to multiple High Frequency Link modules via high frequency transformers. Each module produces its own isolated DC voltage, and modules are inserted or bypassed to synthesize large AC voltages. The proposed PWM technique equalizes module utilization without increasing losses, and retains inherent capacitor voltage balancing. Simulation results using SIMULINK models show that the proposed modulation scheme results in better performance than conventional schemes such as level-shifted carrier PWM, phase-shifted carrier PWM, hybrid schemes or nearest-level modulation.
Two-Phase Interleaved Resonant Switched-Capacitor DC-DC Converter with Coupled Inductors and Custom LC Resonator

This work explores the design and implementation of a hybrid-resonant switched-capacitor (SC) dc-dc converter based on the stacked-ladder architecture. A particular focus is on improving eﬃciency and power-density through the use of coupled magnetics and a merged LC resonant structure that can reduce overall size and power loss. A two-phase interleaved 3-to-1 converter is implemented with 97.1% eﬃciency for both a coupled inductor and an integrated LC resonator with output power up to around 180 W. A study of resonant tank configurations is presented along with loss modeling, coupling effects, and design strategies.
Crowdsourcing Controls: A Review and Research Agenda for Crowdsourcing Controls Used for Macro-tasks

Crowdsourcing—the employment of ad hoc online labor to perform various tasks—has become a popular outsourcing vehicle. Our current approach to crowdsourcing—focusing on micro-tasks—fails to leverage the potential of crowds to tackle more complex problems. To leverage crowds to tackle more complex macro-tasks requires a better comprehension of crowdsourcing controls. Crowdsourcing controls are mechanisms used to align crowd workers’ actions with predefined standards to achieve a set of goals and objectives. Unfortunately, we know very little about the topic of crowdsourcing controls directed at accomplishing complex macro-tasks. To address issues associated with crowdsourcing controls for macro-tasks, this chapter has several objectives. First, it presents and discusses the literature on control theory. Second, this chapter presents a scoping literature review of crowdsourcing controls. Finally, the chapter identifies gaps and puts forth a research agenda to address these shortcomings. The research agenda focuses on understanding how to employ the controls needed to perform macro-tasking in crowds and the implications for crowdsourcing system designers.
Determinants of Securities Crowdfunding Success Under SEC Regulation Crowdfunding

Under SEC Regulation Crowdfunding effective in May 2016, early-stage private companies are permitted to conduct securities crowdfunding offerings—low-dollar securities offerings on Internet platforms—to a large number of non-accredited investors. Using SEC filings and hand-collected data, this study first documents that 63 percent of companies that conducted securities crowdfunding campaigns from 2016 to 2018 successfully raised capital. Ventures with higher revenue, larger management teams, and greater firm age; those operating social media accounts; those that have previously raised capital from accredited investors; along with those located in California or New York are more likely to receive funds from crowdfunding investors. Furthermore, analysis reveals that 47 percent of companies did not comply with Regulation Crowdfunding’s requirement to file offering outcomes with the SEC. The likelihood of noncompliance is significantly higher for companies that fail to raise funds and varies substantially with Internet platforms that facilitate the offerings. This work is the first to provide large-sample evidence on the determinants of securities crowdfunding success as well as the factors associated with regulatory noncompliance, thus offering new insights into the nascent market of capital formation for startups.
Addressing the Stigma of Epilepsy in Saudi Arabia for Co-Design

People with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia confront prejudice against their disease, which results in secrecy, misunderstandings, and social exclusion. While there is significant merit in adopting current technologies for individuals with epilepsy and their caregivers to monitor seizure patterns and notify caregivers of epileptic episodes, little effort has been made to address the user requirements of such technologies in relation to stigma-related concerns. This poster describes the preliminary stages of a co-design study that seeks to design a seizure-monitoring and notification device. This stage of the exploratory study addressed several concerns relating to the stigma of epilepsy in the Saudi Arabian community, particularly the visibility of the device and social power. The poster also presents several considerations to be taken into account for the co-design session planned for the future.
Spatially Organized Nanopillar Arrays Dissimilarly Affect the Antifouling and Antibacterial Activities of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Bacterial attachment and proliferation on surfaces threaten human health and negatively impact the medical, food processing, and marine industries. In this study, we synthetically produced bioinspi...
Hegel on the Normativity of Animal Life

My aim in this paper is to show that and how animal organisms are appropriate subjects of normative evaluation, on Hegel's view. I contrast my reading with the interpretive positions of Sebastian Rand and Mark Alznauer. I disagree with Rand and agree with Alznauer that animal organisms are normatively evaluable for Hegel. I substantiate my disagreement with Rand, and supplement Alznauer's interpretation, by spelling out the role that the ‘generic process’ or ‘genus process [Gattungsprozess]’ plays within Hegel's account of animal organisms and their normative evaluability. In the course of my discussion, I highlight the main differences that Hegel purports to identify between animal and vegetable organisms and suggest that the upshot of those differences is that some but not all plants are normatively evaluable, by his lights. I also situate Hegel's discussion of the Gattungsprozess within the debate on biological functions in the philosophy of biology over the last few decades.