cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A physical short-channel threshold voltage model for undoped symmetric double-gate MOSFETs

A compact, physical, short-channel threshold voltage model for undoped symmetric double-gate MOSFETs has been derived based on an analytical solution of the two-dimensional (2-D) Poisson equation with the mobile charge term included. The new model is verified by published numerical simulations with close agreement. Applying the newly developed model, threshold voltage sensitivities to channel length, channel thickness, and gate oxide thickness have been comprehensively investigated. For practical device designs the channel length causes 30-50% more threshold voltage variation than does the channel thickness for the same process tolerance, while the gate oxide thickness causes the least, relatively insignificant threshold voltage variation. Model predictions indicate that individual DG MOSFETs with good turn-off behavior are feasible at 10 nm scale; however, practical exploitation of these devices toward gigascale integrated systems requires development of novel technologies for significant improvement in process control.
VHF/UHF ultra-wideband SAR imaging of scattering targets in foliage

The radar response of foliage at selected narrow band has been studied and statistically modeled, while the wideband response behavior is not as well known. Measurements were taken of a medium-sized woodlands with a basal area of 106 ft/sup 2//acre, in a bandwidth from 200 MHz to 2000 MHz. The woodland was located in a temperature climate, and consisted of 100% deciduous vegetation. The data were taken in both summer and autumn. The autumn measurements were done with an estimated 10% of leaf coverage. Corner reflectors were placed into the target range to study absorption. Coherent focused images are generated using an adaptation of a projection slice algorithm. Since the resolution is on the same order as the effective center frequency, the polarity of the focussed image is meaningful. Waterfall plots and synthetic aperture radar images have been obtained. >
Fast PLL simulation using nonlinear VCO macromodels for accurate prediction of jitter and cycle-slipping due to loop non-idealities and supply noise

Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are widely used in electronic systems. As PLL malfunction is one of the most important factors in re-fabs of SoCs, fast simulation of PLLs to capture non-ideal behavior accurately is an immediate, pressing need in the semiconductor design industry. In this paper, we present a nonlinear macro model based PLL simulation technique that is considerably more accurate than prior linear PLL simulation techniques. Our method is able to accurately capture transient behavior and faithfully estimate timing jitter in noisy PLLs. We demonstrate the proposed technique on ring and LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) based PLLs, and compare results against linear PLL macromodels and full SPICE-level simulation. We show that, unlike prior linear macromodel based approaches, the proposed nonlinear technique captures the dynamics of complex phenomena such as locking, cycle slipping and power supply noise induced PLL jitter, replicating qualitative features from full SPICE simulations accurately while providing speedups of over two orders of magnitude.
Metabolism and Disposition Kinetics of Nicotine

Nicotine is of importance as the addictive chemical in tobacco, pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, a potential medication for several diseases, and a useful probe drug for phenotyping cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6). We review current knowledge about the metabolism and disposition kinetics of nicotine, some other naturally occurring tobacco alkaloids, and nicotine analogs that are under development as potential therapeutic agents. The focus is on studies in humans, but animal data are mentioned when relevant to the interpretation of human data. The pathways of nicotine metabolism are described in detail. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of nicotine and related compounds are reviewed. Enzymes involved in nicotine metabolism including cytochrome P450 enzymes, aldehyde oxidase, flavin-containing monooxygenase 3, amine N-methyltransferase, and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases are represented, as well as factors affecting metabolism, such as genetic variations in metabolic enzymes, effects of diet, age, gender, pregnancy, liver and kidney diseases, and racial and ethnic differences. Also effects of smoking and various inhibitors and inducers, including oral contraceptives, on nicotine metabolism are discussed. Due to the significance of the CYP2A6 enzyme in nicotine clearance, special emphasis is given to the effects and population distributions of CYP2A6 alleles and the regulation of CYP2A6 enzyme.
Culex restuans (Diptera: Culicidae) Oviposition Behavior Determined by Larval Habitat Quality and Quantity in Southeastern Michigan

Oviposition is a critical stage in the mosquito lifecycle, and may determine population levels, distribution, biting behavior, and pathogen transmission. Knowledge of the oviposition behavior of Culex restuans Theobald has become particularly important with the emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America. Laboratory and field studies have examined some factors that contribute to oviposition choice in Culex spp., but few studies have investigated responses to cues of future competition and breeding habitat availability in the field. We hypothesized that female Cx. restuans mosquitoes avoid laying eggs in habitats containing cues of larval competition, and that increased availability of larval habitat decreases egg density. To test these hypotheses, a series of field experiments were conducted in southeastern Michigan during summer 2002. We found that female mosquitoes prefer nutrient-enriched containers and decrease ovipositing in containers with conspecific larvae. In addition, greater habitat abundance decreased egg clutch density per container, although there was considerable aggregation of egg clutches. These results support our hypotheses and have potentially important implications for pathogen transmission by mosquitoes.
“An Urgent Need for Hygiene”Cremation, Class, and Public Health in Mexico City, 1879–1920

In 1909, the Mexico City Department of Public Works installed two crematory ovens in the capital’s municipal cemetery, the Panteon de Dolores, in culmination of a late nineteenth-century campaign by officials that advocated cremation as a modern and hygienic form of burial for all Mexicans. In practice, all classes rejected cremation and only the very poor were cremated. This essay examines the arguments for and against cremation and the implementation and daily practice surrounding cremation in Mexico City from the 1870s–1920. The establishment of cremation was part of the Porfirian project to modernize and sanitize Mexico that targeted the poor as an obstacle to progress. En 1909, el Departamento de Obras Publicas de la ciudad de Mexico instalo dos hornos crematorios en el cementerio municipal de la capital, el Panteon de Dolores, en culminacion de una campana a finales del siglo XIX por los funcionarios que defendian la cremacion como una forma moderna e higienica de entierro para todos los mexicanos. En practica, todas las clases rechazaron cremacion y solo los muy pobres fueron cremados. Este ensayo examina los argumentos a favor y en contra de la cremacion y la implementacion y la practica diaria que rodea la cremacion en la ciudad de Mexico entre 1870–1920. El establecimiento de la cremacion era parte del proyecto porfiriano de modernizar y desinfectar Mexico que apunto a los pobres como un obstaculo al progreso.
Reidemeister torsion of a 3-manifold obtained by a Dehn-surgery along the figure-eight knot

Let M be a closed 3-manifold obtained by Dehn surgery along the figure-eight knot. We give a formula of the Reisdemeisiter torsion of M for any irreducible SL(2;C)-representation. It is described as a rational expression of the trace of the image of the meridian.
The Disintegration of Scandium 46 , Gold 198 , and Tungsten 1 8 5 , 1 8 7

A survey of the nature and energies of the radiations of some radioactive isotopes of Sc, Au, and W has been made with a small 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} spectrometer of fair resolution. Samples were produced by neutron and deuteron activation.The 85-day isotope of Sc is found to decay by the emission of two groups of beta-rays of maximum energies 0.36 and 1.49 Mev. The low energy group constitutes 98 percent of the total number of electrons. The residual ${\mathrm{Ti}}^{46}$ nucleus returns to the ground state by the cascade emission of two gamma-rays with energies 0.89 and 1.12 Mev. The gamma-rays are converted with $K$ conversion coefficients of 0.0008 and 0.0004, respectively.The decay scheme of ${\mathrm{Au}}^{198}$ is found to be simple. The emission of a beta-ray of a single group, ${E}_{max}=0.97$ Mev, leads to an excited state of ${\mathrm{Hg}}^{198}$ which returns to the ground state by the emission of a 0.408-Mev gamma-ray. The gamma-ray is converted with ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{k}=0.25$.The radiations of 24-hour ${\mathrm{W}}^{187}$ are complex. Two groups of beta-rays are present which have end points at 0.63 and 1.33 Mev. Five gamma-rays are noted with energies of 0.14, 0.21, 0.48, 0.62, and 0.69 Mev. The decay of the 77-day isotope, ${\mathrm{W}}^{185}$, seems simple. A single beta-ray is found with an end point at 0.43 Mev.
Toward a Contingency Theory of Organizational Control

The association between three organizational control variables and measures of effectiveness is examined. The findings indicate that organizational performance at the first level of management is e...
Public Ideology, Minority Threat, and Felony Collateral Sanctions: A State-Level Analysis

Federal and state felony collateral sanctions directly impact the opportunities and resources available to ex-felons and in turn their ability to successfully reenter society after conviction and p...
Immunoregulation of hepatic fibrosis in murine schistosomiasis japonica.

Cette etude a demontre que les 2 mecanismes immunoregulateurs d'apparition naturelle dans l'infection par S. japonicum exercent des effets differents sur la fibrose hepatique. Les anticorps IgG d'apparition naturelle peuvent modifier la fibrose hepatique et l'inflammation granulomateuse in vivo et ainsi ameliorer la maladie clinique
Clinical Effects of Biologic Response Modifiers

The clinical use of the biologic response modifiers filgrastim, sargramostim, and regramostim is reviewed. All circulating blood cells are derived from totipotent hematopoietic stem cells. Various biologic response modifiers, including lymphokines and colony-stimulating factors, regulate and activate the lymphoid and myeloid cells of the blood. One of the more important types of blood cell for fighting infection is the neutrophil. Patients with low neutrophil concentrations are at high risk of developing neutropenic fevers and infections. The colony-stimulating factors filgrastim, sargramostim, and regramostim increase the production of circulating neutrophils, and this action is clinically useful in patients undergoing myelosuppressive antineoplastic therapy or bone marrow transplantation and in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Clinical studies of these agents in comparison with antimicrobial prophylaxis or placebo have shown a decreased rate of neutropenic-associated hospitalizations and infections. These agents are also under study for dose intensification of antineoplastics in patients with various solid tumors and for augmenting patient responses to antimicrobial therapy in situations where there is high risk of morbidity and mortality. Sargramostim and regramostim are both granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors that differ in their degree of glycosylation and source of production, and at high doses they can cause life-threatening adverse effects because they stimulate the production of a broad range of leukocytes. Filgrastim, which stimulates only the production of neutrophils, has been better tolerated, especially at higher doses. Biologic response modifiers hold much promise for improving therapy of certain clinical conditions by decreasing myelosuppressive complications and enhancing responses to other drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Microsatellite Analysis to Assess Chromosome 18q Status in Colorectal Cancer

Loss of the long arm of chromosome 18 (18q) is one of the most common genetic changes in colorectal cancer. This chapter describes the method to determine chromosome 18q status using microsatellite markers. Specifically, tumor and normal tissue are separated by microdissection of routine formalinfixed paraffin embedded tissues obtained from surgical resection. Total genomic DNA are isolated and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using polymorphic microsatellite markers located on the long arm of chromosome 18 (1).
Fault - tolerant design of the IBM POWER6™ microprocessor

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation on IBM's Power6 microprocessor. Some of the specific topics discussed include: the special features, architecture and system design of Power6; system core and processing capabilities; new RAS features; the validation of resilience with proton beam accelerated testing facilities; and future areas of product improvement.
Kinetic Effects on Radionuclide Transport of Groundwater

A realistic description of the fluid transport of nuclides through complex stratified geomedia is needed to evaluate the risk associated with the underground storage and disposal of radioactive wastes. In the current approach by others to the problem (1–4), groundwater flow is treated separately from contaminant transport since it is assumed that radionuclides would be present only in trace quantities and, therefore, not alter bulk fluid properties. The transient flow of groundwater through porous media is generally understood (1, 5) and descriptions of fluid velocity can be found. Retardation of the movement of a dissolved radionuclide by a porous medium relative to groundwater flow is then approximated by using well established theories of ion exchange separation processes.
Activation of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway leads to prostate cancer progression

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 2324 Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and its downstream target Akt/PKB are important signaling molecules and key survival factors involved in the control of cell proliferation, apoptosis and oncogenesis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the involvement of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway during prostate cancer progression. Using specimens obtained during transurethral prostatic resection of benign and malignant prostate tissue, we analyzed levels of PI3K and native/activated Akt; evaluated their significance and the downstream signaling events that lead to prostate cancer progression. Compared to benign tissue, cancer specimens exhibited increased protein levels of catalytic (p110α/β) and regulatory (p85) subunits of PI3K. Similar observations were noted for Akt/PKB, which was constitutively activated in cancer tissue; and high-grade cancers showed higher levels of these proteins than low-grade cancers. Immunohistochemical analyses on paraffin-embedded sections further confirmed a progressive increase in activated Akt expression (phosphorylation at Ser473) but not of native-Akt (Akt1/2) in cancer tissues compared to benign specimens. Similar results were obtained in studies with prostate cancer cells. Interruption of PI3K-Akt activation by PI3K pharmacological inhibitors (LY294002 and wortmannin) and dominant-negative approach in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells, exhibiting high constitutive p-Akt levels, resulted in significant inhibition of cell growth, increased G0/G1-phase arrest and induction of apoptosis. Similar effects of lower magnitude were observed in DU145 cells expressing low constitutive p-Akt levels. Down-regulation of PI3K-Akt kinase by LY294002 and wortmannin reversed cellular resistance and increased TNFα-induced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis in both types of prostate cancer cells. Down-regulation of PI3K-Akt kinase was associated with inhibition of protein expression of PI3K, activated-Akt, endogenous p-Akt levels, and transcriptional activity of PI3K-Akt effector genes (p21/Waf1, p27/Kip1, BAD, and Bcl-XL). Further, treatment of cells with PI3K inhibitors abrogated phosphorylated levels of caspase-9 at Ser196 which correlated with increase in the cleaved product of caspase-9 in these cells. Taken together, these results suggest that PI3K-Akt activation provides essential cell survival signals that facilitate prostate cancer progression by activating critical pathways that influence cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. (Supported by USPHS grants NIH RO1 CA108512, RO3 CA094248, RO3 CA099049, and RO3 CA107806)
Use of imaging studies for early-stage breast cancer at Cleveland Clinic.

e18217Background: Use of staging imaging (SI), including CT, PET and bone scans, is not routinely recommended in stage I-IIA breast cancer patients (ESBCP) in the absence of signs or symptoms of me...
Message partitioning and limited auxiliary randomness: Alternatives to Honey Encryption

In a symmetric-key cryptography system, it is often required to transmit a nonuniform message from a very large set. In this case, a computationally unbounded adversary can take advantage of the non-uniformity of the posterior to recover the message. Recently an encryption scheme called Honey Encryption has been proposed to increase the information-theoretic security of the system, i.e., guaranteed level of security regardless of the computational power of the adversary. In this paper, we present a technique called message partitioning which can be used to accomplish the same goal. We analyze the overall security of the combination of this technique with Honey Encryption, which uses a Distribution Transforming Encoder (DTE) block. We propose a new DTE which has an acceptable performance under limited amount of available auxiliary randomness. Achievable bounds are presented for both cases, which under certain conditions, are close to the lower bounds on the level of the success of the adversary.
Psychological Assessment and Therapy for the Spinal-Cord-Injured Patient

Disorders of sexual function occur frequently in patients with spinal cord injury, but have not until very recently been studied in a systematic fashion. The frequent occurrence of this disorder is clearly related to the fact that the sexual organs are directly controlled by components at all levels of the nervous system, ranging from the peripheral nerves to the cerebral hemispheres. In addition, it must be emphasized that sexuality is not just a biologic function, but also has complex psychological and social aspects. The work of ethnologists, such as Lorenz (25), has shown this to be true for most animal species. In humans, this aspect of sexuality appears to be particularly important. Small children, when asked to identify themselves, often respond by saying, “I’m a boy” or “I’m a girl,” their gender providing a source of personal identification. Frequently, how well individuals perform sexually determines how much of a “man” or a “woman” they see themselves to be. Given this system of beliefs with respect to the emphasis on sexuality and sexual performance, a great deal of anxiety becomes attached to situations in which sexual behavior is expected. These added meanings and expectations impart considerable importance to sexual behavior and have contributed to the fact that human sexuality consists of much more than reproductive function. These factors may help explain why sexual functions are highly vulnerable to all types of severe and chronic diseases, particularly diseases of the nervous system, which so frequently disrupt motor behavior.
Controlling Nonsequential Double Ionization in Two-Color Circularly Polarized Femtosecond Laser Fields

Atoms undergoing strong-field ionization in two-color circularly polarized femtosecond laser fields exhibit unique two-dimensional photoelectron trajectories and can emit bright circularly polarized extreme ultraviolet and soft-x-ray beams. In this Letter, we present the first experimental observation of nonsequential double ionization in these tailored laser fields. Moreover, we can enhance or suppress nonsequential double ionization by changing the intensity ratio and helicity of the two driving laser fields to maximize or minimize high-energy electron-ion rescattering. Our experimental results are explained through classical simulations, which also provide insight into how to optimize the generation of circularly polarized high harmonic beams.
Preoperative radiotherapy in the management of retroperitoneal liposarcoma

Background Histological subtype influences both prognosis and patterns of treatment failure in retroperitoneal sarcoma. Previous studies on the efficacy of neoadjuvant radiotherapy (NRT) have incorporated multiple histological types with heterogeneous tumour biology. The survival impact of NRT specifically for patients with retroperitoneal liposarcoma is poorly defined. Methods Patients who underwent resection with curative intent for retroperitoneal liposarcoma and who received NRT or surgery alone were identified in the US National Cancer Data Base (2004–2013). Cox regression was used to identify co-variables associated with overall survival. NRT and surgery-alone cohorts were matched 1 : 1 by propensity scores based on the survival hazard on Cox modelling. Overall survival was compared by Kaplan–Meier estimates. Results A total of 2082 patients with retroperitoneal liposarcoma were identified; 1908 underwent surgery alone and 174 received NRT before surgical resection. Median tumour size was 22·0 cm and 34·9 per cent of tumours were high grade. In the unmatched cohort, NRT was not associated with improved overall survival (χ2 = 3·49, P = 0·062). In the propensity score-matched cohort, NRT was associated with an improvement in survival (median overall survival 129·2 versus 84·3 months; P = 0·046; hazard ratio (HR) 1·54, 95 per cent c.i. 1·01 to 2·36). This effect appeared most pronounced for tumours with adjacent organ invasion (median overall survival not reached versus 63·8 months; P = 0·044; HR 1·79, 1·01 to 3·19). Conclusion NRT improved survival in patients undergoing surgery for retroperitoneal liposarcoma, particularly those with high-risk pathological features.
Evaluating opportunities to improve material and energy impacts in commodity supply chains

When evaluated at the scale of individual processes, next-generation technologies may be more energy and emissions intensive than current technology. However, many advanced technologies have the potential to reduce material and energy consumption in upstream or downstream processing stages. In order to fully understand the benefits and consequences of technology deployment, next-generation technologies should be evaluated in context, as part of a supply chain. This work presents the Materials Flow through Industry (MFI) supply chain modeling tool. The MFI tool is a cradle-to-gate linear network model of the US industrial sector that can model a wide range of manufacturing scenarios, including changes in production technology and increases in industrial energy efficiency. The MFI tool was developed to perform supply chain scale analyses in order to quantify the impacts and benefits of next-generation technologies and materials at that scale. For the analysis presented in this paper, the MFI tool is utilized to explore a case study comparing three lightweight vehicle supply chains to the supply chain of a conventional, standard weight vehicle. Several of the lightweight vehicle supply chains are evaluated under manufacturing scenarios that include next-generation production technologies and next-generation materials. Results indicate that producing lightweight vehicles is more energy and emission intensive than producing the non-lightweight vehicle, but the fuel saved during vehicle use offsets this increase. In this case study, greater reductions in supply chain energy and emissions were achieved through the application of the next-generation technologies than from application of energy efficiency increases.
Abstract 507: Genetic Correlates of Cognitive Change in Patients Undergoing Carotid Interventions

OBJECTIVES Carotid interventions have been shown to decrease stroke risk and improve cerebral perfusion. However, nearly 40% of patients who undergo carotid revascularization procedures experience cognitive deterioration. We have demonstrated that subclinical microembolization is associated with memory decline, but whether genetic factors plays a role in post-procedural cognitive change is unclear. We herein seek to assess genetic determinants as potential risk factors for these procedures. METHODS Over one year period, patients undergoing carotid interventions at a single academic institution were recruited to participate. Patients underwent neuropsychological testing two weeks prior to and at one month following their procedure and MRI prior to and within 48 hours following their procedure. Saliva samples were collected for genetic testing and demographics were recorded. Logistic regressions were used to search for associations. RESULTS 34 patients were included (18 CAS, 16 CEA); all were male with a mean age of 68. The majority of patients exhibit hypertension (94%) and have a history of smoking (76%). Other co-morbidities included diabetes (47%), obesity (35%), and CAD (44%). Consistent with previous findings, CAS was associated with higher incidence of microemboli (p=.0005) and with susceptibility to memory decline (p=.0085). Negative univariate associations were found for 5-HTT (serotonin transporter) short alleles with memory decline (p=.016) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphism with incidence of microemboli (p=.018). After adjusting for apolipoprotein E (ApoE) risk alleles, incidence of microemboli trended with memory decline (p=.099). CONCLUSIONS Despite a small number of patients, our study showed that genetic polymorphisms such as 5-HTT, BDNF, and ApoE may provide additional insight on post-operative changes in cognition. Further investigation of these polymorphisms is warranted to understand and potentially prevent cognitive deterioration following carotid revascularization procedures.
L'ús d'un llenguatge amenaçador fora del campus als EUA. Fins a quin punt poden les escoles públiques restringir la parla dels seus estudiants en l'era de Facebook?

This paper seeks to clarify the extent to which public-school officials in the United States can discipline their students for their off-campus expressions, with an emphasis on allegedly threatening language. The United States Supreme Court —the nation’s highest judicial body— has held that officials can restrict on-campus student speech that disrupts or interferes materially and substantially with school activities. However, the Court has not ruled on the limits of student speech originating off-campus, an important issue due to the prevalence of networking platforms —such as Facebook— in the students’ lives. Furthermore, the issue is compounded by the Court’s insufficient guidance on how to review allegedly threatening language. As a result, lower courts are grappling with the difficult task of establishing a standard to cover the many contextual variables surrounding student speech in the Facebook era. Predictably, courts have differed over which standard to apply —if any— to off-campus speech that schools deem as threatening. The paper analyzes these approaches so that officials may continue training the nation’s youth without abridging their right to free speech.
Neuromyelitis Spectrum Disorders

The understanding of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has evolved substantially since its initial description over a century ago. The discovery in 2004 of a pathogenic autoantibody biomarker targeting aquaporin 4 IgG revolutionized diagnosis and therapeutic development. Although NMOSD resembles multiple sclerosis (MS), differences were identified and articulated in the late 1990s. New diagnostic criteria incorporating the biomarker as well as better understanding of the clinical and radiologic features of NMOSD now permit accurate diagnosis and differentiation from MS. Aquaporin 4 IgG-associated NMOSD is now regarded as an immune astrocytopathy with lytic and nonlytic effects on astrocytes. A second autoantibody, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein IgG, which targets myelin rather than astrocytes, leads to an NMOSD syndrome with clinical and radiologic features that overlap but are distinct from those of aquaporin 4 IgG-associated NMOSD and MS. We review current understanding of the clinical aspects, pathophysiology, and treatment of NMOSD.
Self-Esteem and Alcohol Use: Implications for Aggressive Behavior

Previous research has revealed an intimate connection between alcohol use and aggression. However, it is also clear that alcohol use has a stronger association with aggression for some individuals than it does for others. As a result, researchers have become interested in examining how individual differences may influence the association between alcohol use and aggression. The purpose of the present work is to provide a review of the literature that focuses on the separate connections that self-esteem has with alcohol use and aggression as well as provide some ideas about the role that self-esteem may play in the link between alcohol use and aggression. We review the most prominent explanations for the links that self-esteem has been found to have with alcohol use and aggression (e.g., the vulnerability model which argues that alcohol use is a consequence of low self-esteem). Recent advancements in the self-esteem literature concerning distinctions between secure and fragile forms of self-esteem are discussed in terms of their potential implications for understanding the links that self-esteem has with alcohol use and aggression. Finally, we speculate about the possible role that fragile high self-esteem may play in the connection between alcohol use and aggression.
The Highland Health Advocates: a preliminary evaluation of a novel programme addressing the social needs of emergency department patients.

Objectives Patients commonly come to the emergency department (ED) with social needs. To address this, we created the Highland Health Advocates (HHA), an ED-based help desk and medical-legal partnership using undergraduate volunteers to help patients navigate public resources and provide onsite legal and social work referrals. We were able to provide these services in English and Spanish. We aimed to determine the social needs of the patients who presented to our ED and the potential impact of the programme in resolving those needs and connecting them to a ‘medical home’ (defined as a consistent, primary source of medical care such as a primary care doctor or clinic). Methods ED patients at a US safety net hospital were enrolled in a 1:2 ratio in a quasi-experiment comparing those who received intervention from the HHA during a limited access rollout with controls who received usual care on days with no help desk. We collected a baseline social needs evaluation, with follow-up assessments at 1 and 6 months. Primary outcomes were linkages for the primary identified need and to a medical home within 1 month. Other outcomes at 6 months included whether a patient (1) felt helped; 2) had a decreased number of ED visits; (3) had the primary identified need met; (4) had a primary doctor; and (5) had a change in self-reported health status. Results We enrolled 459 subjects (intervention=154, control=305). Housing (41%), employment (23%) and inability to pay bills (22%) were participants’ top identified needs. At baseline, 32% reported the ED as their medical home, with the intervention cohort having higher ED utilisation (>1 ED visit in the prior month: 49% vs 24%). At 1 month, 185 (40%) subjects were reached for follow-up, with more HHA subjects linked to a resource (59% vs 37%) and a medical home (92% vs 76%). At 6 months, 75% of subjects felt HHA was helpful and more subjects in the HHA group had a doctor (93% v 69%). No difference was found in ED utilisation, primary need resolution or self-reported health status. Conclusions Health-related social needs are common in this US safety net ED. Our help desk is one possible model for addressing social needs.
Design of a power-asymmetric actuator for a transtibial prosthesis

This paper presents the design and characterization of a power-asymmetric actuator for a transtibial prosthesis. The device is designed to provide the combination of: 1) joint locking, 2) high power dissipation, and 3) low power generation. This actuator functionality allows for a prosthesis to be designed with minimal mass and power consumption relative to a fully-powered robotic prosthesis while maintaining much of the functionality necessary for activities of daily living. The actuator achieves these design characteristics while maintaining a small form factor by leveraging a combination of electromechanical and hydraulic components. The design of the actuator is described herein, and results of an experimental characterization are provided that indicate that the actuator is capable of providing the functional capabilities required of an ankle prosthesis in a compact and lightweight package.
Association Between Treatment by Locum Tenens Internal Medicine Physicians and 30-Day Mortality Among Hospitalized Medicare Beneficiaries.

Importance Use of locum tenens physicians has increased in the United States, but information about their quality and costs of care is lacking. Objective To evaluate quality and costs of care among hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries treated by locum tenens vs non–locum tenens physicians. Design, Setting, and Participants A random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries hospitalized during 2009-2014 was used to compare quality and costs of hospital care delivered by locum tenens and non–locum tenens internal medicine physicians. Exposures Treatment by locum tenens general internal medicine physicians. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included inpatient Medicare Part B spending, length of stay, and 30-day readmissions. Differences between locum tenens and non–locum tenens physicians were estimated using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for beneficiary clinical and demographic characteristics and hospital fixed effects, which enabled comparisons of clinical outcomes between physicians practicing within the same hospital. In prespecified subgroup analyses, outcomes were reevaluated among hospitals with different levels of intensity of locum tenens physician use. Results Of 1 818 873 Medicare admissions treated by general internists, 38 475 (2.1%) received care from a locum tenens physician; 9.3% (4123/44 520) of general internists were temporarily covered by a locum tenens physician at some point. Differences in patient characteristics, demographics, comorbidities, and reason for admission between locum tenens and non–locum tenens physicians were not clinically relevant. Treatment by locum tenens physicians, compared with treatment by non–locum tenens physicians (n = 44 520 physicians), was not associated with a significant difference in 30-day mortality (8.83% vs 8.70%; adjusted difference, 0.14%; 95% CI, −0.18% to 0.45%). Patients treated by locum tenens physicians had significantly higher Part B spending ($1836 vs $1712; adjusted difference, $124; 95% CI, $93 to $154), significantly longer mean length of stay (5.64 days vs 5.21 days; adjusted difference, 0.43 days; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.52), and significantly lower 30-day readmissions (22.80% vs 23.83%; adjusted difference, −1.00%; 95% CI −1.57% to −0.54%). Conclusions and Relevance Among hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries treated by a general internist, there were no significant differences in overall 30-day mortality rates among patients treated by locum tenens compared with non–locum tenens physicians. Additional research may help determine hospital-level factors associated with the quality and costs of care related to locum tenens physicians.
An Integrative Synthesis of Literature on Disproportionality in Special Education

Research studies have historically indicated that students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds are overidentified for special education, suggesting bias in referral, assessment, and pl...
Barriers to Healthcare Participation in Persons With Disabilities in Appalachia: A Qualitative Pilot Study.

Objectives:A study exploring facility-related barriers to healthcare participation (the level to which an individual is engaged or involved in their own healthcare activities from simply keeping ap...
Some Factors Limiting the Applicability of Applied Behavioral Research

Despite recent controversy about the status and goals of applied behavior analysis research (e.g., Azrin, 1977; Baer, 1981; Deitz, 1978; Hayes, Rincover, & Solnick, 1980), most researchers hope that applied behavioral research might prove directly or indirectly applicable to the prevention and/or remediation of human problems. Thus, there is at least some expectation that research findings or conceptual understandings derived from that research will be applicable beyond the subjects, settings, and behaviors of the original research. The purpose of this article is to discuss some factors that may limit effective application of applied behavior analysis research and to suggest how these limitations might be overcome.
Topical tofacitinib solution for the treatment of alopecia areata affecting eyelashes.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common and often emotionally devastating condition that may affect any hair-bearing site on the body. Therapeutic options are particularly limited when AA affects the eyelashes, as the use of traditional modalities such as topical corticosteroids and topical immunotherapy carry with them risk of serious adverse effects in this location.
Toxicities of CAR T-Cell Therapy and the Role of the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist

Abstract Introduction Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a promising novel T-cell immunotherapy in cancer treatment that has shown clinical efficacy in treating refractory CD19+ B-cell malignancies. However, its use is associated with severe immune-mediated toxicities, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and CAR T-cell-related encephalopathy syndrome (CRES). CRS is a systemic inflammatory immune response resulting in symptoms ranging from constitutional to profound organ dysfunction; CRES is a neurotoxicity that can occur concurrently or separately from CRS. Objective This case report and discussion provide an overview of CRES and CRS and highlight special considerations for consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatrists. Method We describe a case of a woman treated with CAR T-cell therapy who developed CRES and CRS, including neuropsychiatric manifestations. We reviewed the literature using “Pubmed” search terms of “CAR T-cell therapy” and “CRS” or “CRES”. Discussion We provide an overview of CRS and CRES. We also highlight special considerations for the CL psychiatrist including completing a delirium workup, weighing risks/benefits of psychotropic agents to treat neuropsychiatric manifestations of CRES, and recognizing the potential for long-term behavioral health symptoms related to CRES, CRS, or their treatments. Conclusion CAR T-cell immunotherapy is becoming more prevalent. It is imperative that CL psychiatrists become familiar with this immunotherapy's toxicities including pathophysiology, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and evaluation and management to ensure optimal patient care. Finally, since immune activation, inflammation, and cytokine activation - as occurs with CRES - are known to affect cognitive and/or emotional functioning, CL psychiatrists must remain vigilant for these potential long-term psychiatric complications.
The peculiar genetics of the ribosomal DNA blurs the boundaries of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.

Our goal is to draw a line—hypothetical in its totality but experimentally supported at each individual step—connecting the ribosomal DNA and the phenomenon of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of induced phenotypes. The reasonableness of this hypothesis is offset by its implication, that many (or most) (or all) of the cases of induced-and-inherited phenotypes that are seen to persist for generations are instead unmapped induced polymorphisms in the ribosomal DNA, and thus are the consequence of the peculiar and enduringly fascinating genetics of the highly transcribed repeat DNA structure at that locus.
Water relations of an insular pit viper

Colonization of novel habitats often requires plasticity or adaptation to local conditions. There is a critical need to maintain hydration in terrestrial environments having limited water. Atypical populations of Florida cottonmouth snakes, Agkistrodon conanti, inhabit continental islands with no permanent sources of fresh water. Here, we report investigations related to how these insular snakes maintain water balance considering the mainland conspecifics are semi-aquatic and typically associate with freshwater mesic habitats. We tested three hypotheses related to water relations of insular populations of cottonmouth snakes compared with those on the mainland. (1) Voluntary drinking of fresh water in free-ranging insular snakes should reflect a relationship to recency of rainfall more strongly than in mainland snakes. (2) Insular snakes will tolerate greater dehydration before drinking than will mainland snakes. (3) Insular snakes will avoid drinking seawater more strongly than will those from the mainland. Between 2001 and 2018, we quantitatively estimated the hydration status of 337 individual cottonmouth snakes from insular populations and 30 cottonmouth snakes from mainland Florida, as judged by the tendency of wild-caught snakes to drink fresh water immediately following capture. We found that insular cottonmouth snakes had a higher incidence of dehydration than did mainland cottonmouth snakes (64% versus 23%), and the hydration status of the insular snakes correlated with patterns of precipitation. We also determined experimentally the dehydration threshold for drinking fresh water in insular (mean±s.d. -5.64±4.3%, n=34) and mainland cottonmouth snakes (-5.74±4.5%, n=21), and these were not significantly different. Discrimination tests for drinking serially from a graded series of brackish water showed that mainland snakes did not discriminate against the highest brackish value (10.5 ppt or 30% seawater), whereas insular snakes showed a preference for <15% seawater. Naive neonates from insular and mainland cohorts behaved similarly. The preference of insular snakes for fresh water represents an important aspect of the maintenance of water balance that differs from the mainland conspecifics and is likely a habituated or adaptive response to dependence on rainfall.
Sensitivity to reward and punishment and alcohol outcomes: Metacognition as a moderator.

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to examine associations between inhibitory (sensitivity to punishment [SP], adaptive metacognition) and facilitatory (sensitivity to reward [SR], maladaptive metacognition) factors of alcohol consumption and problems among young adults. Methods Three hundred fifty-five young adults (ages 18–25, 61% female) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and a large public midwestern university in the United States self-administered a Web survey. Two multiple regression models were tested. Results SR significantly moderated the effects of SP and the maladaptive metacognition (MC) subscale Uncontrollability/Danger on alcohol consumption. Alcohol problems were also significantly predicted by SR and Uncontrollability/Danger. The interaction between SR and SP on alcohol problems was conditional upon levels of the maladaptive MC subscale Lack of Cognitive Confidence, with a significant moderating effect only at high levels of Lack of Cognitive Confidence. Conclusions Consistent with the literature, individuals with high levels of SR coupled with low SP are at risk for increased alcohol consumption. This effect on drinking behaviors is further influenced by maladaptive MC, such that individuals characterized by high SR and low SP are significantly more likely to report more alcohol-related problems if they believe that worrying is dangerous and uncontrollable or lack cognitive confidence; however as SP increases, this effect significantly diminishes.
Prime-Time Television’s First White, Female U.S. President: Gender and Race Discourses of a Feminist Media Artifact:

Commander in Chief is the first prime-time television drama to have a protagonist and an entire plot dedicated to a female U.S. president. Through a transversal discourse analysis, we explain how t...
MultiLock: biometric-based graded authentication for mobile devices

While traditionally smartphones have relied on methods such as a passcode or pattern-based authentication, biometric authentication techniques are gaining popularity. However current biometric methods are heavily dependent on various environmental factors. For example, face authentication methods depend on lighting conditions, camera shake and picture framing, while fingerprint scanning relies on finger placement. All of these variables can result in these systems becoming time-consuming for the user to use. To remedy these problems, we propose MultiLock, a passive, graded authentication system, which uses face authentication as a case study to propose a system that gives users access to their devices without requiring them to manually interact with the lock screen. Multi-Lock allows a user to categorize applications into various security bins based on their sensitivity. By doing so MultiLock can grant users access to different sensitivity applications, based on varying degrees of sureness that the device is being used by its rightful owner. Thus, allowing the device to be used even in adverse lighting conditions without hampering user experience. In our tests, MultiLock was able to grant access to users for 88% of the interactions on average, while passively running in the background. While we use face authentication as an example to demonstrate and propose MultiLock, our system can be used with any confidence based biometric system.
Interaction of SAUR53 and Its Close Homologs with Calmodulin May Play a Role in Early Development in Arabidopsis

Auxin plays crucial roles in modulating various aspects of plant growth and development throughout the plant life cycle. At the molecular level, auxin rapidly upregulates the expression of many genes, including those belong to three primary auxin-responsive (PAR) gene families. Small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) family is the largest among the three PAR gene families and contains 81 genes; however, molecular and physiological functions of most of them are yet to be discovered. Recently, we showed that the ectopic expression of SAUR53 causes hyper-elongation of cells and organs and alters apical hook development in Arabidopsis. Here we show that SAUR53 and its three close homologs, SAUR42, SAUR52, and SAUR69, physically interact with calmodulin (CaM) through their N-terminal CaM-binding domains. Additionally, seedlings of all four SAUR overexpression (SAUR-OX) transgenic lines are less sensitive to CaM inhibitor mediated inhibition of primary root elongation. We also show that CaM inhibitors accelerate the apical hook opening in dark-grown, wild-type seedlings, similar to dark-grown SAUR53-OX seedlings. Collectively, our present work reveals molecular and physiological relationships between SAURs and CaM proteins.