cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the barrier lowering and ideality factor of ideal Al/GaAs Schottky diodes

Abstract Factors contributing to Schottky barrier lowering in ideal Al/GaAs Schottky diodes are discussed both theoretically and experimentally. The diodes used in this study were grown by molecular beam epitaxy with in situ Al deposition. Two different GaAs surface reconstructions (As-stabilized and Ga-rich) were used. The Schottky barrier heights of these diodes were measured by both the current-voltage (I-V), φBIV and capacitance-voltage (C-V), φBCV, methods, with φBCV larger by 47±10 meV in all the diodes. The barrier lowering effects observed in the I-V measurements are consistent with the measured ideality factor of 1.03±0.01. The experimental results coincide closely with theoretical values when the barrier lowering effects due to quantum mechanical tunneling calculated by the transfer matrix technique and image force are included. These two barrier lowering effects result in the observed larger than unity ideality factor. Simulations show that barrier lowering due to image force is reduced when tunneling occurs. The use of the effective mass approximation as opposed to the k·p method in obtaining the complex wave-vectors of the electrons does not lead to any significant change in the results. In view of these findings, the MBE grown diodes reported here are the closest to ideal ever reported in the literature.
Effects of age and estrogen on calcium absorption in the rat.

In order to differentiate the relative effects of age and estrogen on rates of calcium absorption and serum levels of parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, the effect of oophorectomy with and without estrogen replacement (2 weeks) was studied in rats for 30- or 120-day periods. Whereas oophorectomy for 30 days resulted in a significant decrease in serum calcium and an increase in serum phosphate, no change in either calcium or phosphate was observed in the 120-day oophorectomized animals. iPTH decreased in both the 30- and 120-day oophorectomized animals although these changes were not significant at the .05 level. Whereas no significant change in basal circulating calcitonin occurred in the 30-day oophorectomized rats, it decreased significantly in the older animals following the ablative procedure. Forty-five days following estrogen deprivation, calcitonin release to a calcium secretagogue was significantly blunted. Intestinal calcium absorption decreased with age, and unlike the increments in calcium absorption observed in the younger estrogen-repleted, 30-day oophorectomized rat, no change in calcium absorption was observed when estrogens were administered to the older, 120-day oophorectomized rat. The accumulated data suggest that the effects of estrogen loss on the hormonal control of bone metabolism and calcium absorption are age dependent, and that estrogen contributes significantly to changes in calcium homeostasis observed in the maturing rat.
Descriptor systems: Fundamental matrix, reachability and observability matrices, subspaces

This paper uses the fundamental matrix of a regular discrete descriptor system to derive expressions for descriptor reachability and observability matrices. Reachable and unobservable subspaces and a subspace of admissible boundary conditions are defined. It is shown that the natural space for analyzing descriptor system properties seems to be R2n (where n is the dimension of the system), not Rn as is the case for state-space systems. Solutions are provided for the descriptor open-loop control and estimation problems.
The IBM zEnterprise-196 Decimal Floating-Point Accelerator

Decimal floating-point Arithmetic is widely used in commercial computing applications, such as financial transactions, where rounding errors prevent the use of binary floating-point operations. The revised IEEE Standard for Floating-Point Arithmetic (IEEE-754-2008) defined standardized decimal floating-point (DFP) formats. As more software applications adopt the IEEE decimal floating-point standard, hardware accelerators that support it are becoming more prevalent. This paper describes the second generation decimal floating-point accelerator implemented on the IBM zEnterprise-196 processor. The 4-cycle deep pipeline was designed to optimize the latency of fixed-point decimal operations while significantly improving the bandwidth of DFP operations. A detailed description of the unit and a comparison to previous implementations found in literature is provided.
NASA'S NEXT GENERATION SPACE TELESCOPE: VISITING A TIME WHEN GALAXIES WERE YOUNG

NASA's next great endeavor, a space telescope to study the origin of galaxies, is in its formulative phase. Seery and Smith update readers on the paradigms, processes, and optical parameters of this project.
Deployment of Accountability Monitoring Agents in Service-Oriented Architectures

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) provides a flexible paradigm to compose dynamic service processes using individual services. However, service processes can be vastly complex, involving many service partners, thereby giving rise to difficulties in terms of pinpointing the service(s) responsible for problematic outcomes. In this research, we study efficient and effective mechanisms to deploy agents to monitor and detect undesirable services in a service process. We model the agent deployment problem as the classic weighted set covering (WSC) problem and present agent selection solutions at different stages of service process deployment. We propose the MASS (merit based agent and service selection) algorithm that considers agent cost during QoS-based service composition by using a meritagent_cost heuristic metric. We also propose the IGA (incremental greedy algorithm) to achieve fast agent selection when a service process is reconfigured after service failures. The performance study shows that our proposed algorithms are effective on saving agent cost and efficient on execution time.
Using SysML for Conceptual Representation of Agent-Based Models

Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a technique used to simulate systems consisting of autonomous interacting entities called agents. It has shown great advantages in modeling complex systems with independent but interacting actors. ABM has been successfully applied to a variety of systems. Despite the availability of a large number of tools for ABM, there is limited support for the conceptual design of agent-based models. Further, the currently available tools capture both the model information and the tool-specific execution information in an integrated manner. This limits model reusability, which is an impediment to systematic validation of models. In this paper, we use the systems modeling language (SysML) for building conceptual models of agent-based models. We discuss how the different diagrams in the SysML language can be used to represent different aspects of agent-based models. Further, we propose an approach for automatically generating executable agent-based models from their conceptual SysML representations. The proposed approach is illustrated using a model of mass-collaborative processes as an example. The proposed approach for conceptual representation of agent-based models in SysML and automatic extraction of executable models has the potential to greatly improve reuse, reconfiguration, and validation of agent-based models.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
On a non-linear theory of thin jets. Part 1

The injection of a two-dimensional jet into a uniform stream is considered, the fluids being assumed inviscid and incompressible. When the total head of the jet is much larger than that of the uniform flow, the motion is characterized by two disparate length scales, and uniformly valid asymptotic solutions can be found by the method of matched expansions. Inner and outer expansions are developed for the jet and the external flow. The first-order outer solution in the jet is the usual thin jet approximation which fails in the neighbourhood of the jet exit except for 90° injection, when it is uniformly valid. The basic non-linearity introduced by the pressure condition along the vortex sheet separating the jet from the external flow appears as a non-linear boundary condition for the first-order outer solution in the external flow. A novel feature of the analysis is the necessity of imposing a logarithmic singularity as an ‘inner’ boundary condition for the outer solution in the external flow. The first-order fluid speed and streamline deflection angle are shown to be given correctly to O(1) uniformly in the external flow (for all injection angles) by the first-order outer solution.
Application of a Rat Hindlimb Model: A Prediction of Force Spaces Reachable Through Stimulation of Nerve Fascicles

A device to generate standing or locomotion through chronically placed electrodes has not been fully developed due in part to limitations of clinical experimentation and the high number of muscle activation inputs of the leg. We investigated the feasibility of functional electrical stimulation paradigms that minimize the input dimensions for controlling the limbs by stimulating at nerve fascicles, utilizing a model of the rat hindlimb, which combined previously collected morphological data with muscle physiological parameters presented herein. As validation of the model, we investigated the suitability of a lumped-parameter model for the prediction of muscle activation during dynamic tasks. Using the validated model, we found that the space of forces producible through activation of muscle groups sharing common nerve fascicles was nonlinearly dependent on the number of discrete muscle groups that could be individually activated (equivalently, the neuroanatomical level of activation). Seven commonly innervated muscle groups were sufficient to produce 78% of the force space producible through individual activation of the 42 modeled hindlimb muscles. This novel, neuroanatomically derived reduction in input dimension emphasizes the potential to simplify controllers for functional electrical stimulation to improve functional recovery after a neuromuscular injury.
Biases of Parameter Estimates in Misspecified Structural Equation Models

We deal with the problem of quantifying the degree to which parameter estimates in a structural equation model can be biased when structural relationships were not specified correctly by the researcher. We propose a framework to relate moment residuals to biases of parameter estimates and the overall noncentrality of the model. For each parameter in the model, an impact of either particular moment residual or the overall model noncentrality can be evaluated, although the latter tends to give error bounds that are rather conservative. We provide illustrative analytical and empirical examples to demonstrate the steps in application of the proposed procedures. The first example is a mildly misspecified model with causal indicators mistaken to be effect indicators. The resulting biases can be approximated very accurately by accounting for the effect of a single misfitted residual moment. The second example is a grossly misspecified model in which a mediating latent variable was erroneously omitted. In this ca...
THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF NANOCOMPOSITES FROM ATOMIC PAIR DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION ANALYSIS: STUDY OF POLYANILINE AND (POLYANILINE)0.5V2O5.1.0H2O

The three-dimensional structures of emeraldine base polyaniline (PANI) and (polyaniline)(0.5)V(2)O(5) x 1.0 H(2)O have been determined by total X-ray scattering experiments. Atomic pair distribution functions (PDF) were measured to obtain experimental observables against which structural models were tested and refined. The PDF approach is necessary because of the limited structural coherence in these nanostructured materials. Polyaniline possesses a well-defined local atomic arrangement that can be described in terms of an 84-atom orthorhombic unit cell. The nanocomposite (PANI)(0.5)V(2)O(5) x 1.0 H(2)O too is locally well ordered and may be described in terms of a small number of structure-sensible parameters. The PDF approach allows the construction of structure models of PANI and (PANI)(0.5)V(2)O(5) x 1.0 H(2)O on the basis of which important materials' properties can be explained predicted and possibly improved.
Use of dynamic compression to probe semiconductor response at large strains

Large strains in semiconductors are expected to be more common in future electronic devices utilizing nanostructure components. Hydrostatic pressure (HP) and uniaxial stress (US) loading have inherent limitations for probing the desired strain conditions. Uniaxial strain loading, achieved in dynamic compression experiments, is particularly attractive for attaining well-defined, large strains and to complement HP and US loading. Recent dynamic compression studies on III–V semiconductors (GaN, GaP, and GaAs) are summarized to review notable findings ranging from improved deformation potentials to free carrier properties. These findings demonstrate the benefits of dynamic compression experiments for semiconductor research.
Changes in the total number of dentate granule cells in juvenile and adult rats: A correlated volumetric and 3H-thymidine autoradiographic study

The total number of granule cells in the dentate gyrus was estimated in 17 male rats, four each aged 30, 120, and 200 days, and five aged 365 days. There is a substantial 35–43% linear increase between 1 month and 1 year. Two parameters of the granular layer are involved in the numerical change. First, total granular layer volume grows linearly with age. Second, average volume of a single granule cell nucleus in the ventral dentate gyrus decreases with age. Older rats tend to have a larger granular layer filled with more and smaller cells. In another group of 21 male rats, 3H-thymidine injections were given on four consecutive days during juvenile (30–33, n = 6) and adult life (60–63, n = 5; 120–123, n = 6; 180–183, n = 4). All animals survived to 200 days of age. The proportion of labeled mature granule cells and labeled presumptive granule cell precursors were determined in anatomically-matched slices. With older ages at injection, there is a decline in labeled mature granule cells and a concurrent increase in labeled precursors. These data are compatible with the constant level of granule cell increase determined volumetrically. Most of the late granule cells originate nearly simultaneously along the base of the main bulk of the granular layer; very few are found in the dorsal tip (septal extreme) and ventral tip (temporal extreme). This study is the first demonstration of a net numerical gain in a neuronal population during adulthood in the mammalian brain. Since the granule cells play a pivotal role in hippocampal function, these data suggest that their influence grows with age.
Interstitial and Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis and Their Variants

INTRODUCTION, DEFINITION, INCIDENCE, AND CLASSIFICATION Interstitial pneumonitis (IP) in children is now being recognized earlier and with increased frequency as a cause of chronic respiratory symptoms. Confirmation of the diagnosis, histologic classification, and management depend on studies of tissues obtained from lung biopsy. Since physicians are reluctant to utilize invasive procedures such as lung biopsy in children, the exact incidence of this entity is not accurately known. There are no pathognomonic clinical or laboratory features of interstitial pneumonitis other than histologic findings on lung biopsy. Since therapy depends upon accurate diagnosis this procedure is justified when symptoms and findings suggest this diagnosis. The timing of the biopsy must be individualized depending on the severity and progression of the clinical and/or roentgenographic findings. The diagnosis of IP in the immunocompromised host calls for a prompt aggressive approach to differentiate infectious causes from drug-induced pulmonary disease. Recently a rapid and safe technique, thoracoscopy, has been reported to provide accurate histologic and bacteriologic diagnosis in immunosuppressed children (Rodgers et al). IP is a broad, inclusive term used to describe tissue response which takes place predominately in the supporting structures (interstitium) of the lung rather than within the alveoli. Multiple etiologies may result in similar clinical, histologic, and roentgenographic manifestations.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia-linked REEP1 modulates endoplasmic reticulum/mitochondria contacts

Objective Mutations in receptor expression enhancing protein 1 (REEP1) are associated with hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs). Although axonal degeneration is thought to be a predominant feature in HSP, the role of REEP1 mutations in degeneration is largely unknown. Previous studies have implicated a role for REEP1 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas others localized REEP1 with mitochondria. We sought to resolve the cellular localization of REEP1 and further elucidate the pathobiology underlying REEP1 mutations in patients. Methods A combination of cellular imaging and biochemical approaches was used to refine the cellular localization of REEP1. Next, Reep1 mutations associated with HSP were functionally tested in neuritic growth and degeneration assays using mouse cortical culture. Finally, a novel assay was developed and used with wild-type and mutant Reep1s to measure the interactions between the ER and mitochondria. Results We found that REEP1 is present at the ER-mitochondria interface, and it contains subdomains for mitochondrial as well as ER localization. Knockdown of Reep1 and expression of pathological Reep1 mutations resulted in neuritic growth defects and degeneration. Finally, using our novel split-RLuc8 assay, we show that REEP1 facilitates ER-mitochondria interactions, a function diminished by disease-associated mutations. Interpretation Our data potentially reconcile the current conflicting reports regarding REEP1 being either an ER or a mitochondrial protein. Furthermore, our results connect, for the first time, the disrupted ER-mitochondria interactions to a failure in maintaining health of long axons in HSPs. Finally, the split-RLuc8 assay offers a new tool to identify potential drugs for multiple neurodegenerative diseases with ER-mitochondria interaction defects. Ann Neurol 2015;78:Ann Neurol 2015;78:679–696
Analysis of Left-Turn Saturation Flow Rates and Capacity at Signalized Intersections:

This study investigated and developed left-turn saturation flow rate models by considering the operation characteristics of left-turn traffic and the arrival and departure types of the opposing traffic. Methodologies for measuring left-turn saturation flow rates and capacity were proposed for the protected-then-permitted phasing with an exclusive left-turn lane at signalized intersections. The permitted left-turn saturation flow rate was developed on the basis of the opposing nonplatoon flow rate during the unblocked (unsaturated) time instead of using average opposing flow rates during the entire green time. The results of simulation show that the protected left-turn saturation flow rate is about 0.97, 0.96, or 0.95 of the saturated through traffic flow rate when opposed by one, two, or three lanes, respectively. The permitted left-turn saturation flow rate depends not only on the opposing flow rate but also on the number of opposing lanes. For facing multiple opposing lanes, the leftturn saturation flow...
Acute ethanol administration modulates leukocyte actin polymerization in endotoxic rats.

The effects of acute ethanol intoxication with or without endotoxemia were studied on chemoattractant-initiated actin polymerization in circulating and liver-recruited neutrophils [polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs)] and Kupffer cells of age-matched male and female rats. In female rats, F-actin content in response to f-Met-Leu-Phe in circulating PMNs was significantly upregulated by ethanol + endotoxin (ET) treatment relative to saline + ET-treated animals. Male rats did not show this upregulated response. In liver-recruited PMNs, the F-actin response did not change significantly due to ethanol + ET treatment in cells of either gender. The actin polymerization response in Kupffer cells was smaller than in liver sequestered PMNs and also exhibited a gender difference. In Kupffer cells of female rats, only ethanol + ET treatment elicited an F-actin response to f-Met-Leu-Phe, whereas in cells of male rats similar increases in F-actin content were observed in both saline + ET and ethanol + ET groups. We conclude that ethanol-enhanced actin polymerization in rats is associated with gender differences. This may be one of the underlying mechanisms resulting in upregulated leukocyte activation in acutely ethanol-intoxicated endotoxic animals.
Monsoonal Influences on the Annual Variation of Tropical Cyclone Development over the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Abstract Except for parts of the northwest Pacific, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean hurricanes always begin to develop in troughs located at high enough latitudes for low-level westerly winds to be observed on their equatorial sides. These near-equatorial troughs coincide with axes of maximum sea surface temperature, and in this respect they resemble continental heat troughs. Oceanic near-equatorial troughs follow the march of the sun. Generally, the farther they are from the equator the more often do hurricanes begin to form in them. The meridional rate of trough movement depends on the rate of ocean surface heating. Seas east and equatorward of the continents. Through the spring, continental heating rapidly diminishes the equatorward winds of winter, reducing evaporational cooling of the sea surface and mixed-layer depth. The consequent sea surface temperature rise brings the near-equatorial troughs poleward and starts the hurricane season only. In the height of summer, monsoon winds by increasing evapor...
Effects of exposure duration on transfer of nonrepellent termiticides among workers of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

The potential for transfer of nonrepellent termiticide toxicants between workers of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, was examined using two commercially available pesticide formulations and a simple donor-recipient model modified from current methods in the literature. Pesticides used were imidacloprid, formulated as Premise 75 WP, and fipronil, formulated as Termidor SC, in concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 ppm (weight of active ingredient/weight of sand) in sand. The results of the first experiment showed a significant increase in recipient mortality over control mortality when donor workers were treated with 100 ppm imidacloprid or 100 ppm fipronil. Although all three colonies studied were affected, one colony (colony 3) was affected to a significantly greater extent than the other colonies. This effect was not correlated with termite body size (dry mass). In a second study, recipient mortality was evaluated after exposure of donors to 1 ppm insecticide for 3, 6, 12, or 24 h. Recipient mortality indicated that these exposures did not consistently lead to lethal transfer of the insecticides.
Trends in microcomputer-based CAD in the USA

Microcomputer-based CAD (microCAD) is gaining tremendous popularity in the U.S., to the point of surpassing conventional CAD systems. The reason for microCAD’s success is simple: high performance at a low price.
Playing the Odds: Decision Support and Risk Assessment in an Elastic Framework

Crowd sourcing is a paradigm where activities are outsourced to human actors (i.e. The crowd) with the aim of discovering and evaluating solutions. This paradigm can also be extended to develop a collective intelligence of large-scale crowd communities that when combined with traditional computing resources can derive solutions that neither humans nor machines can solve alone. Such hybrid systems, or elastic systems, could involve large numbers of people with varying expertise, skills, interests, and incentives and varied computing resources. Elastic frameworks have been proposed to improve the performance of these systems to make them more efficient, robust, and scalable. To meet these requirements, we investigate a novel approach that provides decision support and risk assessment in an elastic framework. In our approach, we infer a probabilistic framework of a hybrid system and use probabilistic odds as a quantitative measure of the capability of human and computing resources to execute a task. As new evidence becomes available, we propagate updated odds throughout our framework to update our prior belief and risks for computing elements. In this approach, the elastic framework can exploit this information in such a way that self-learning is coupled with the ability to extract actionable insights that optimize judgment under uncertainty.
Dynamic symmetries and quantum nonadiabatic transitions

Abstract Kramers degeneracy theorem is one of the basic results in quantum mechanics. According to it, the time-reversal symmetry makes each energy level of a half-integer spin system at least doubly degenerate, meaning the absence of transitions or scatterings between degenerate states if the Hamiltonian does not depend on time explicitly. We generalize this result to the case of explicitly time-dependent spin Hamiltonians. We prove that for a spin system with the total spin being a half integer, if its Hamiltonian and the evolution time interval are symmetric under a specifically defined time reversal operation, the scattering amplitude between an arbitrary initial state and its time reversed counterpart is exactly zero. We also discuss applications of this result to the multistate Landau–Zener (LZ) theory.
Alternative Tile Intake Design for Tile Drainage: A Case Study

The overall goal of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of an alternative tile intake (ATI) at reducing runoff, sediment, and nutrient loads from agricultural fields during extreme storm events through an ongoing demonstration project in the Clear Creek, IA watershed. An ATI is a best management practice (BMP) consisting of a modified gravel intake atop a layer of wood chips. Gravel intakes have been shown to be highly efficient at trapping sediment and sediment-bound particulates, like phosphorus, by enhancing settling through ponding and filtration, while the addition of the wood chips is to facilitate denitrification, similar to a bioreactor. Additionally, these intakes can help attenuate runoff relative to conventional intakes by reducing the flow rate of runoff into the subsurface. In this study, which will ultimately utilize a mixture of numerical, analytical, laboratory, and field methods, a three-part control volume is conceptualized consisting of the contributing hillslope, the ATI, and the subsurface pipe below the ATI. To date, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) has been used to simulate the field conditions at the demonstration site for calculating runoff volumes and sediment fluxes to the ATI for different magnitude events. A physical model of the installed ATIs at the demonstration site is currently being used in the laboratory to quantify the saturated hydraulic conductivity and filter efficiency of different combinations of pea gravel and wood chips. These laboratory experiments will also be complemented with analytical exercises and infield monitoring of the installed ATIs. Preliminary measurements suggest that ATIs have a filtering efficiency of about 80%.
Section 5. Deep Time: Some Pertinent Experimental Studies

Some of the basic underlying concepts about calcite-dolomite versus aragonite seas and seawater composition stem from a long series of experimental studies of calcite and aragonite nucleation and growth kinetics (for the most recent review of studies relevant to the marine environment see [Morse et
Grading Practices and Distributions Across Internal Medicine Clerkships

ABSTRACTTheory: Clerkship evaluation and grading practices vary widely between U.S. medical schools. Grade inflation continues to exist, and grade distribution is likely to be different among U.S. medical schools. Hypotheses: Increasing the number of available grades curtails “grade inflation.” Method: A national survey of all Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine members was administered in 2011. The authors assessed key aspects of grading. Results: Response rate was 76%. Among clerkship directors (CDs), 61% of respondents agreed that grade inflation existed in the internal medicine clerkship at their school, and 43% believed that it helped students obtain better residency positions. With respect to grading practices, 79% of CDs define specific behaviors needed to achieve each grade, and 36% specify an ideal grade distribution. In addition, 44% have a trained core faculty responsible for evaluating students, 35% describe formal grading meetings, and 39% use the Reporter-Interpreter-Manager-Educator (R...
Effect of Additives on YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) Superconductive Coatings Prepared by Electrophoretic Deposition

Due to its high in-field superconducting performance,high irreversible magnetic field,low AC loss and high transition temperature,YBa2Cu3O7- δ(YBCO) has been a hot research object.Suitable preparation technologies for industrial scale manufacturing of YBCO superconducting films have always been a hot issue in the last several decades.YBCO superconductive coatings were prepared on Hastelloy alloy with low-cost electrophoretic deposition technology.Additives have great influence on the stability of electrophoretic solution and coating property.The relationship between additives(types and contents of additives) and YBCO coating was studied.The results show that the samples prepared by adding 0.05 g PVB have good superconductivity,and the critical current density can reach up to 100 A/cm2(0 T,77 K).
National Citizenship and Civil Marriage: Ascriptive and Consensual Models

A contrast between the ascriptive and consensual models of citizenship allows for an interesting parallel between national citizenship and civil marriage as state institutions. First, ascriptive citizenship is based on birth or some immutable characteristic, while consensual citizenship is in varying degrees rooted in both the prospective member of the community and also the community itself. Second, although consensual citizenship is typically regarded as more compatible with liberal democratic values, I show that in marriage as in citizenship, the consensual model may facilitate exclusion as much as inclusion. Third, I examine the interface between the views of both enthusiasts and skeptics about same-sex marriage and relate these to conceptions of citizenship. Finally, because many still seek the formal statuses of national citizenship or civil marriage, greater attention to the ascriptive model will promote greater inclusiveness in a context of increasing diversity.
Neurocognitive functioning in an urban clinic-based sample of adults ages 50 and older living with HIV

ABSTRACTWe administered a battery of neurocognitive tests to 100 HIV-positive men and women ages 50 to 70 seeking care at a large Northeastern urban HIV care clinic. Performance on neurocognitive assessments varied by demographic states. Across all assessments, approximately 28% of participants reached the threshold for borderline performance while 13% reached the threshold for impairment. When tests were grouped by domain of neurocognitive functioning, 12% of the sample met the threshold for impairment on executive functioning and 19% for processing speed. The findings demonstrate that neurocognitive declines may vary by domains of functioning, that disparities may exist across subpopulations of the seropositive aging population, and that these challenges may exist even in those actively engaged in HIV care.
Embedding Career Readiness into Your Course Curriculum

The university's 10 year strategic plan charges us to produce 100,000 career-ready graduates. But, what does it mean to be career-ready?AÂ In 2015, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) released a comprehensive definition of career readiness and related competencies with the goal of providing higher education leaders, policy makers and employers shared language and understanding of the desired learning outcomes for today's college graduate.AÂ The NACE career readiness competencies are intentionally broad in order to be applied successfully by faculty across all disciplines to prepare students for entry into today's interdisciplinary workplace and academy.AÂ It is commonly accepted that students are more likely to be engaged in course content and achieve academic success necessary to graduate if they can identify and articulate the connection between what they are learning in the classroom and their desired post-graduate goal, whether to enter the workforce or go on for advanced study. In this presentation, representatives from University Career Services will provide an overview of the NACE career readiness competencies and ideas for how to more intentionally and explicitly tie them to classroom learning.AÂ Presentation attendees will be able to:1.AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ Map existing course assignments to the career readiness competencies2.AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ Identify low effort and high impact methods for adding or enhancing current assignments that map to the career readiness competencies3.AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ AÂ Help students articulate the career readiness competencies gained through courseworkAÂ
Antibody Development in Pediatric Sickle Cell Patients Undergoing Erythrocytapheresis: A 10 Year Review

Background: The formation of alloantibodies and/or autoantibodies in multitransfused pediatric sickle cell disease patients undergoing monthly erythrocytapheresis (RBCX) during a 10-year period was evaluated utilizing a retrospective patient chart review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical charts and transfusion services serological computer records of 32 patients were reviewed under an IRB approved protocol. All patients were seen in the Pediatric Sickle Cell Clinic, Kosair Children’s Hospital (KCH) between 1998 and 2008. Included in the data review were patient gender, ABO/Rh blood type, interval between RBCX start date and last RBCX, number of RBC components transfused, identity of existing antibody(ies) prior and subsequent to RBCX, and time interval for development of new antibody. All patients received C, E, and K antigen negative RBCs based on their phenotype at the start of their RBCX. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients received between 8 to 555 RBC transfusions (Table 1). An allo- or autoantibody developed in 5/15 patients (33.3%) receiving C-, E-, K- RBCX; 3/10 patients (33.3%) receiving E-, K- RBCX; 2/4 patients (50%) receiving C-K- RBCX. An autoantibody developed in 3/32 patients (9.4%) as did a low frequency antibody (Low) not otherwise identified. One patient each developed an anti-Kpa and anti-M. In the two patients receiving K- RBCX, no new antibody was identified. Three patients developed anti-E and one patient developed anti-K after receiving partially matched RBCs on an emergency basis. Table 1. Antibody (Ab) development following erythrocyapheresis (RBCX) of patients with sickle cell disease (n=32) | Transfused Phenotypes | Number Patients | New Ab | Ab ID | #RBC to New Ab (mean±SD) | Second Ab | Ab ID | #RBC to Second Ab (mean±SD) | |:---------------------:| --------------- | ------ | ------------------ | ------------------------ | --------- | ----- | --------------------------- | | *NA=Not applicable | | C- E- K- | 15 | 5 | E, K, M, Auto, Low | 34±67 | | NA* | NA | | C- K- | 4 | 2 | Auto, Low | 114±43 | 1 | Low | 203±0 | | | | | | | | | | | E- K- | 11 | 3 | E, Kpa, Auto | 22±17 | 1 | Auto | 69±0 | | K- | 2 | | NA | NA | | NA | NA | Conclusions: Performing RBCX using C, E, K antigen phenotypically matched RBCs prevented development of new alloantibodies in 75% of multitransfused patients. Development of autoantibody or antibody to a low frequency RBC antigen can still occur in any patient receiving RBCX. In this series, all patients, including those who developed RBC antibodies, were able to continue long term RBCX without additional complications. Routine use of C-, E-, K- RBCs is recommended in RBCX to prevent formation of clinically significant antibodies.
Privacy preserving event sequence data visualization using a Sankey diagram-like representation

Given the growing rates and richness of data being collected nowadays, it is non-trivial for data owners to determine a single best publishing granularity that presents the most value of the data while preserving its privacy. There have been extensive studies on privacy preserving algorithms in the data mining community, but relatively few have been done to provide a supervised control over the anonymization process. We present the design and evaluation of a visual interface that assists users to employ commonly used data anonymization techniques for making privacy preserving visualizations of the data. We focus on event sequence data due to its vulnerability to privacy concerns. Our visual interface is designed for data owners to examine potential privacy issues, obfuscate information as suggested by the algorithm, and fine-tune the results per their requests. Case studies using multiple datasets under different scenarios demonstrate the effectiveness of our design. These studies show that using visualization as an interface can help identify potential privacy issues, reveal underlying anonymization processes, and allow users to balance between data utility and privacy.
Variational inequality approach to enforcing the non-negative constraint for advection–diffusion equations

Abstract Predictive simulations are crucial for the success of many subsurface applications, and it is highly desirable to obtain accurate non-negative solutions for transport equations in these numerical simulations. To this end, optimization-based methodologies based on quadratic programming (QP) have been shown to be a viable approach to ensuring discrete maximum principles and the non-negative constraint for anisotropic diffusion equations. In this paper, we propose a computational framework based on the variational inequality (VI) which can also be used to enforce important mathematical properties (e.g., maximum principles) and physical constraints (e.g., the non-negative constraint). We demonstrate that this framework is not only applicable to diffusion equations but also to non-symmetric advection–diffusion equations. An attractive feature of the proposed framework is that it works with any weak formulation for the advection–diffusion equations, including single-field formulations, which are computationally attractive. A particular emphasis is placed on the parallel and algorithmic performance of the VI approach across large-scale and heterogeneous problems. It is also shown that QP and VI are equivalent under certain conditions. State-of-the-art QP and VI solvers available from the PETSc library are used on a variety of steady-state 2D and 3D benchmarks, and a comparative study on the scalability between the QP and VI solvers is presented. We then extend the proposed framework to transient problems by simulating the miscible displacement of fluids in a heterogeneous porous medium and illustrate the importance of enforcing maximum principles for these types of coupled problems. Our numerical experiments indicate that VIs are indeed a viable approach for enforcing the maximum principles and the non-negative constraint in a large-scale computing environment. Also provided are Firedrake project files as well as a discussion on the computer implementation to help facilitate readers in understanding the proposed framework.
Domesticating Deathcare: The Women of the U.S. Natural Deathcare Movement

This article examines the women-led natural deathcare movment in the early 21st century U.S., focusing upon the movement's non-coincidental epistemological and gender-political similarities to the natural childbirth movement. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach and drawing upon the author's intensive interviews with pioneers and leaders of the U.S. natural deathcare movement, as well as from the author's own participation in the movement, this article argues that the political similarities between the countercultural natural childbirth and natural deathcare movements reveal a common cultural provocation-one that spans the natal transition and the fatal transition.
Enhanced Resolution of Chiral Amino Acids with Capillary Electrophoresis for Biosignature Detection in Extraterrestrial Samples

Amino acids are fundamental building blocks of terrestrial life as well as ubiquitous byproducts of abiotic reactions. In order to distinguish between amino acids formed by abiotic versus biotic processes it is possible to use chemical distributions to identify patterns unique to life. This article describes two capillary electrophoresis methods capable of resolving 17 amino acids found in high abundance in both biotic and abiotic samples (seven enantiomer pairs d/l-Ala, -Asp, -Glu, -His, -Leu, -Ser, -Val and the three achiral amino acids Gly, β-Ala, and GABA). To resolve the 13 neutral amino acids one method utilizes a background electrolyte containing γ-cyclodextrin and sodium taurocholate micelles. The acidic amino acid enantiomers were resolved with γ-cyclodextrin alone. These methods allow detection limits down to 5 nM for the neutral amino acids and 500 nM for acidic amino acids and were used to analyze samples collected from Mono Lake with minimal sample preparation.
An Earth's Future Special Collection: Impacts of the coastal dynamics of sea level rise on low‐gradient coastal landscapes

Rising sea level represents a significant threat to coastal communities and ecosystems, including altered habitats and increased vulnerability to coastal storms and recurrent inundation. This threat is exemplified in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where low topography, marshes, and a prevalence of tropical storms have resulted in extensive coastal impacts. The ability to facilitate adaptation and mitigation measures relies, in part, on the development of robust predictive capabilities that incorporate complex biological processes with physical dynamics. Initiated in 2010, the 6-year Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise—Northern Gulf of Mexico project applied a transdisciplinary science approach to develop a suite of integrated modeling platforms informed by empirical data that are capable of evaluating a range of climate change scenarios. This special issue highlights resultant integrated models focused on tidal hydrodynamics, shoreline morphology, oyster ecology, coastal wetland vulnerability, and storm surges that demonstrate the need for dynamic models to incorporate feedbacks among physical and biological processes in assessments of sea level rise effects on coastal systems. Effects are projected to be significant, spatially variable and nonlinear relative to sea level rise rates. Scenarios of higher sea level rise rates are projected to exceed thresholds of wetland sustainability, and many regions will experience enhanced storm surges. Influenced by an extensive collaborative stakeholder engagement process, these assessments on the coastal dynamics of sea level rise provide a strong foundation for resilience measures in the northern Gulf of Mexico and a transferable approach for application to other coastal regions throughout the world.
False-positive Mammography Examinations

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the concept of false-positive test results in mammography covering definitions of false-positive examinations and false-positive rates in the United States and abroad. It also reviews factors that are associated with false-positive examinations, including characteristics of the patients, the radiologists, and the health-care system. A false-positive examination is a positive examination in an individual with no breast cancer. A woman can have either a positive or a negative interpretation, and she can have either a breast cancer diagnosed or no cancer, resulting in four possible outcomes, one of which is a false-positive outcome. A positive screening examination is defined in the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADSTM) atlas as “one for which a recall is initiated (BI-RADS category 0) or one that requires a tissue diagnosis (BI-RADS categories 4 and 5).” The BI-RADS atlas adds a cautionary note that their definition differs from the definition used in the final US Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). The MQSA limits the definition of a “positive” examination to those that recommend tissue diagnosis. Predictors of false-positive mammograms are noted at the level of the patient, the radiologist, and the system. Patient factors associated with a higher likelihood of a false-positive mammogram include younger age of the patient, a higher breast density on mammogram, and the use of hormone therapy at the time of mammogram. In addition, patient history and whether this is the first or subsequent mammogram are also important predictors. Factors associated with an increased risk of false-positive mammograms at the level of the radiologist include the younger age of the radiologist or having fewer years of clinical experience.
Campus High-risk Drinking Culture as a Social Justice Issue: A Commentary on the Potential Impact on the Mental Health and Well-being of Marginalized College Students

ABSTRACTHigh-risk drinking (HRD) is a public health priority on college campuses in order to decrease harm to individuals who engage in HRD, as well as others in their presence. We posit an underexplored impact of campus HRD culture: the exposure of marginalized students to instances of bias perpetrated by those under the influence. Therefore, our focus on the reduction of HRD is not just about the health of drinkers but is also about the dynamics of interpersonal factors and community-level factors that can be upstream determinants of chronic stress and illness, particularly for marginalized college students. We argue that more attention should be paid to the intersection of HRD and intersections with social justice violations. Furthermore, we propose a model based on existing research that connects HRD with incidents of bias that increase stress, thereby negatively impacting well-being and increasing risk for chronic mental and physical illness. We ask our colleagues to incorporate these effects into th...
Case 61: Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastatic to the Pancreas

76-year-old woman with a history of renal cell carcinoma and underwent radical left nephrectomy 15 years ago. A CT was performed for surveillance.
SOME STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF ECONOMIC MODELS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a few structural aspects of economic models. Identification concerns conditions under which one can work back from estimates of the reduced form coefficient matrix C to get some or all of the elements in the matrices A or B. Identification conditions typically involve the number and placement of zero elements posited in the structural matrices A and B. A complete analysis of sign stability is available only for the purely qualitative model. Computer assisted analysis, in the context of matricial forms, can provide a means of obtaining this unifying set of results. In a linear programming problem, the matricial form can keep track of the coefficients of the objective function and the constraints, and also the bounding values; however, the linear restrictions between variables must be handled in a separate system that supplements the matricial form analysis.