cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Power minimization of a 433-MHz LC VCO for an implantable neural recording system

This paper presents a new random-search based integrated inductor optimization algorithm. The algorithm provides the designer with valuable information about design tradeoffs. It is used to design an inductor to minimize power dissipation in an LC VCO. The measured results show that a 53:1 power savings can be achieved over VCOs using inductors optimized only for maximum Q. Six 433-MHz VCOs were fabricated and measured. The VCO using the optimal inductor design has a measured minimum power dissipation of 1.2 mW in a 0.5-/spl mu/m three-metal CMOS process.
Media, mediation, religion

While the global proliferation of new electronic media forms in recent decades has had a profound impact on many arenas of knowledge and practice, the effects of this process on religious traditions have been particularly striking, as a growing body of scholarship on this topic attests. Anthropologists working within a variety of religious contexts have explored how adherents of diverse religious traditions rework and redefine some of the fundamental norms of those traditions as they accommodate to the technological forms, discursive protocols and market values of globalising media infrastructures. The increasing reliance on mass media by practitioners of religious traditions has also coincided with the growing salience of religion as a social and political force, what some have referred to as the ‘return of the religious’. For the purpose of this exchange, I would like to consider one provocative and influential argument concerning the relationship between media and the religious in the contextofcontemporaryglobalisedmodernity.IntheIntroductiontohis2001co-edited
A Developmental Switch in Transcription Factor Isoforms During Spermatogenesis Controlled by Alternative Messenger RNA 3'-End Formation

Spermatogeniccells elaborate a highly specialized differentiation program that is mediated in part by germ cell-enriched transcription factors. This includes a novel member of the sterol response element-binding factor family, SREBF2_v1/SREBP2gc. Somatic SREBFs are predominantly synthesized as precursor proteins and are critical regulators of cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis. In contrast, SREBF2_v1 bypasses the precursor pathway and has been directly implicated in spermatogenic cell-specific gene expression. During spermatogenesis, SREBF2 precursor transcripts predominate in premeiotic stages, while SREBF2_v1 is highly upregulated specifically in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids. In the present study, we demonstrate thatSrebf2_v1mRNAs are present in the testis of several mammalian species, including humans. The basis for the stage-dependent transition in SREBF2 isoforms was also investigated. A 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR analysis of the rat and human revealed thatSrebf2_v1transcripts are generated by alternative pre-mRNA cleavage/polyadenylation. This involves the use of an intronic, A(A/U)UAAA-independent poly(A) signal within intron 7 of theSrebf2gene. Developmentally regulated competition between germ cell factors that control RNA splicing and pre-mRNA cleavage/polyadenylation may underlie this process. These results define an important role for alternative polyadenylation in male germ cell gene expression and development by controlling a stage-dependent switch in transcription factor structure and function during spermatogenesis. TheSrebf2gene thus provides a useful model to explore the role of alternative polyadenylation in regulating stage-dependent functions of important protein regulators in spermatogenic cells.
Electronic Enhancement of the Exciton Coherence Time in Charged Quantum Dots.

Minimizing decoherence due to coupling of a quantum system to its fluctuating environment is at the forefront of quantum information and photonics research. Nature sets the ultimate limit, however, given by the strength of the system's coupling to the electromagnetic field. Here, we establish the ability to electronically control this coupling and enhance the optical coherence time of the charged exciton transition in quantum dots embedded in a photonic waveguide. By manipulating the electronic wave functions through an applied lateral electric field, we increase the coherence time from $\ensuremath{\sim}1.4$ to $\ensuremath{\sim}2.7\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{ns}$. Numerical calculations reveal that longer coherence arises from the separation of charge carriers by up to $\ensuremath{\sim}6\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}$, which leads to a 30% weaker transition dipole moment. The ability to electronically control the coherence time opens new avenues for quantum communication and novel coupling schemes between distant qubits.
MANAGEMENT OF LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE PUMP THROMBOSIS ASSISTED WITH THROMBOELASTOGRAPHY

Pump thrombosis is major complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and thromboelastography (TEG) may give us additional information besides conventional coagulation profiles to guide therapy. A 49-year-old man with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy and a left ventricular assist device
Reactions to Sounds by the Wood Nymph Butterfly, Cercyonis Pegala1

That some species of moths produce and receive sounds is now well established. Reaumur (1734, pp. 294-295; 1736, pp. 289-293) first called the attention of scientists to the sound produced by the Death's Head Moth, Acherontia atropos. Many papers on the sounds produced by this and other species of moths have since appeared (cf. Swinton, 1880, pp. 118-127; 205-206 for review of earlier work; Frings, 1955 for refs. to lit.). Moths are also known to receive sounds by means of an auditory organ first described by Swinton (1877, 1880, pp. 243-249). Experimental studies on sound reception by moths and the physiology of the tympanum have been fairly numerous also (cf. Eggers, 1925, 1928 for review of earlier work, Kennel and Eggers, 1933,. Schaller and Timm, 1949, 1950, and Treat, 1955 for more recent studies).
Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of heteroepitaxial growth: Wetting layers, quantum dots, capping, and nanorings

A new kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm that efficiently accounts for elastic strain is presented and applied to study various phenomena that take place during heteroepitaxial growth. For example, it is demonstrated that faceted quantum dots occur via the layer-by-layer nucleation of prepyramids on top of a critical layer with faceting occurring by anisotropic surface diffusion. It is also shown that the dot growth is enhanced by the depletion of the critical layer which leaves behind a wetting layer. Capping simulations provide insight into the mechanisms behind dot erosion and ring formation. The algorithm used for the simulations presented here is based on the observation that adatom and dimer motion is essentially decoupled from the elastic field. This is exploited by decomposing the film into two parts: the weakly bonded portion and the strongly bonded portion. The weakly bonded portion is taken to evolve independent of the elastic field. In this way the elastic field need only be updated infrequently. Extensive validation reveals that there is little loss of fidelity but the algorithm is fifteen to twenty times faster.
A New Single-Switch Isolated High-Gain Hybrid Boosting Converter

A new single-switch isolated hybrid boosting converter featuring low-component stress, simple control, high efficiency, high power density, and flexible gain extension is proposed in this paper. At the primary side, a new design of energy regenerative snubber is proposed to provide soft-switching condition, suppress voltage spike, and recycle leakage energy. At secondary side, a bipolar voltage multiplier (BVM) structure which enhances the gain boosting capacity, reduces the output ripple, and facilitates fly-back-forward operation of transformer is proposed. Based on this structure, the transformer can deliver energy to the output at both magnetizing and magnetic resetting stages. In addition, the bulky high-voltage-rated output filter capacitor can be eliminated due to the cascaded and autobalanced capacitors in the BVM structure. A 200-W 35- to 400-V prototype is built to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed topology. The peak efficiency of 93.8% is reached and 91.2% is achieved at rated power.
"This Too Shall Pass": A New Principal's Experience With School Improvement

The story of the past 15 years in U.S. education has been one of fundamental reform and transformation. These changes are felt most acutely in the daily lives of teachers and principals and often have lasting effects on the context of the school community. This case study explores the challenges facing a principal when attempting reform and improvement efforts set in a larger backdrop of social and economic change. This case involves issues related to understanding school context and improving communication skills for new principals and can be used for principal preparation and educational leadership courses.
Epidemiological survey of hypertension prevalence and related risk factors in Daishan county

Objective To study the hypertension prevalence and its related risk factors among the fishing village residents in Daishan county,Zhejiang.Methods A multistage randomized clustering sampling was used to investigate 1149 residents aged 18years and over.A face-to-face interview and physical examination were carried out to survey the prevalence of hypertension.Both single-factor and multiple-factors logistic regression analyses were used for the risk factor determination of hypertension.Results The prevalence rate of the hypertension was 21.58%in residents of fishing village in Daishan County,and the age-standardized rate was 14.43%.The prevalence of male was 20.56%,and the age-standardized rate was 13.23%.The prevalence of female was 22.38%,and the age-standardized rate was 15.52%.There was no significant difference between females and males(χ2=0.55,P0.05).The prevalence rate of the hypertension was increasing with age in all samples;The proportions of participants with hypertension awareness,treatment,and control rates were 60.48%,43.95%and 25.81%,respectively.A multiple-factor unconditioned logistic regression model suggested that the risk factors of hypertension included age,the family history of hypertension,hypertriglyceridemia,hypercholesterolemia,diabetes mellitus and overweight/obesity.Conclusions The prevalence rate of hypertension was lower in the fishing village residents of Daishan than the national basic prevalence.But hypertension awareness,treatment,and control rates were low.It is important to carry out a community based hypertension intervention focusing on the risk factors of the disease.
The gram-positive cocci: II. Staphylococci.

The elaboration of a single enzyme divides this genus into two broad classifications with markedly different pathogenic properties. Coagulase-positive organisms are commonly involved in severe dise...
Subject pronoun expression in Mexican Spanish: ¿Qué pasa en Xalapa?

This study is the first variationist analysis of subject personal pronoun expression (SPE) in the Spanish of Xalapa, Mexico. The overall pronominal rate (25%) – the highest such rate found in Mexican Spanish so far – also constitutes one of the highest in a mainland Spanish variety. Six predictors – four internal and two external – significantly condition SPE. The internal conditioning – congruent with what occurs elsewhere – reveals grammatical number and person of the subject as the strongest predictor. It also shows that verb class has tendencies similar to those found in other communities. However, further analysis uncovers that lexical frequency provides more definite answers regarding how verbs condition SPE, as within the copulative verb class category ser 'be' favors overt subjects but estar 'be' favors null subjects. Moreover, the unusually robust effect of age sets Xalapa Spanish apart from most other varieties. Interestingly, the pronominal rate among teenagers (11%) – below the lowest overall pronominal rate anywhere – is consistent with what occurs in other Spanish varieties such as Colombian, European, Dominican, and Mexican. These findings call for further research on the effects of verb semantics and age on SPE.
Esomeprazole: update and clinical review.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and Gastroenterological Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of omeprazole as an over-the-counter treatment of heartburn in patients who have at least two episodes of heartburn each week. The consumer studies that have been conducted indicate that the majority of patients understand the proposed labeling and could use the proposed label to determine if the omeprazole therapy was appropriate for them. Esomeprazole is an effective agent in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and erosive esophagitis. Newer studies continue to support its efficacy and safety in the treatment of these conditions. Several of the most recent studies have included comparisons with other proton pump inhibitors. The results of these studies indicate that all the proton pump inhibitors are effective in treating GERD and erosive esophagitis and that some patients would benefit from esomeprazole therapy.
Weighted W1,p estimates for weak solutions of degenerate elliptic equations with coefficients degenerate in one variable

Abstract This paper studies Sobolev regularity of weak solution of degenerate elliptic equations in divergence form div [ A ( X ) ∇ u ] = div [ F ( X ) ] , where X = ( x , y ) ∈ R n × R . The coefficient matrix A ( X ) is a symmetric, measurable ( n + 1 ) × ( n + 1 ) matrix, and it could be degenerate or singular in the one dimensional y -variable as a weight function in the A 2 Muckenhoupt class. Our results give weighted Sobolev regularity estimates of Calderon–Zygmund type for weak solutions of this class of degenerate/singular equations. As an application of these estimates, we establish global fractional Sobolev regularity estimates for solutions of the spectral fractional elliptic equation with measurable coefficients. This result can be considered as the Sobolev counterpart of the recently established Schauder regularity theory of fractional elliptic equations.
Specification of sensory neuron cell fate from the neural crest.

How distinct cell fates are generated from initially homogeneous cell populations is a driving question in developmental biology. The neural crest is one such cell population that is capable of producing an incredible array of derivatives.1 Cells as different in function and form as the pigment cells in the skin or the neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system are all derived from neural crest. How do these cells choose to migrate along distinct routes, populate defined regions of the embryo and differentiate into specific cell types?
Drawing the Line: Empirical Recidivism Results From a Natural Experiment Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility

Every state maintains some mechanism by which youths can be tried as adults in criminal courts. While scholars have long debated the inherent benefits or detriments of prosecuting youths as adults,...
Information seeking and organizational socialization: a review and opportunities for anticipatory socialization research

ABSTRACTEarly organizational socialization research focused primarily on the organization’s perspective, with individuals assumed to be passive recipients of information. In recent years, scholars began acknowledging individual organizational members as active participants in the process, voluntarily seeking information from multiple sources to help them acclimate to their roles, but information seeking during the anticipatory phase of socialization remains largely unexplored in the literature. This essay reviews existing organizational information-seeking research and its key contributions to socialization knowledge using two primary frameworks identified in the literature: feedback seeking and the model of newcomer information seeking. Potential applicability of findings to anticipatory socialization is discussed, revealing multiple promising directions for future information-seeking research.
Responses to peripheral neuropeptide Y in avian adipose tissue are diet, depot, and time specific.

Abstract The goal of this research was to determine the effect of dietary macronutrient composition on peripheral neuropeptide Y (NPY)-induced changes in adipose tissue dynamics in chicks. Chicks were fed one of three isocaloric diets from the day of hatch: high carbohydrate (HC), high fat (HF), or high protein (HP). On day 4 post-hatch, 0 (vehicle), 60, or 120 µg/kg BW of NPY was injected intraperitoneally, and subcutaneous, clavicular and abdominal adipose tissue samples were collected at 1 and 3 h post-injection. The effect of NPY was most pronounced in chicks fed the HF or HP diet. In the subcutaneous fat at 1 h post-injection, 60 µg/kg BW of NPY was associated with an increase in NPY receptor 2 (NPYR2) mRNA in chicks fed the HP diet and a decrease in 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 2 (AGPAT2) mRNA in chicks fed the HC diet. In response to 120 µg/kg BW of NPY, there was greater AGPAT2 mRNA in the clavicular fat of chicks that consumed the HP diet and less CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha in the abdominal fat of chicks that were provided the HF diet. There were no gene expression changes in the abdominal fat at 3 h post-injection, whereas there were decreases in AGPAT2, adipose triglyceride lipase, fatty acid binding protein 4 and NPY mRNA in the clavicular fat of chicks fed the HP diet. Results demonstrate that diet affects exogenous NPY-dependent physiological effects in a time- and depot-dependent manner in chick adipose tissue.
Granger Causality Testing with Intensive Longitudinal Data

The availability of intensive longitudinal data obtained by means of ambulatory assessment opens up new prospects for prevention research in that it allows the derivation of subject-specific dynamic networks of interacting variables by means of vector autoregressive (VAR) modeling. The dynamic networks thus obtained can be subjected to Granger causality testing in order to identify causal relations among the observed time-dependent variables. VARs have two equivalent representations: standard and structural. Results obtained with Granger causality testing depend upon which representation is chosen, yet no criteria exist on which this important choice can be based. A new equivalent representation is introduced called hybrid VARs with which the best representation can be chosen in a data-driven way. Partial directed coherence, a frequency-domain statistic for Granger causality testing, is shown to perform optimally when based on hybrid VARs. An application to real data is provided.
Reducing test time with FPGA accelerators using OpenCL

The cost of semiconductor test is often strongly related to the die test time. Reducing this time is always a goal for both the fab customer as well as the semiconductor test house. Techniques to achieve test time reduction have included the use of dedicated hardware to perform certain test functions. While these techniques are effective, they can be time consuming to develop and this effort is often a deterrent to their development and use. This paper describes how a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) accelerator can be used to process wafer test data. Historically, the use of FPGAs required a skilled digital designer to create the necessary logic to implement the intended test processing hardware. With OpenCL, however, the addition of hardware acceleration can be accomplished with traditional software coding. The amount of time required to deliver the test solution can be reduced from multiple weeks (or longer) to just a few days. With OpenCL, the ability to use hardware acceleration is brought to test engineers who do not have skills to designs FPGA logic.
Sexual Predators: Diversion, Civil Commitment, Community Reintegration, Challenges, and Opportunities

Despite the intense public focus on predatory sexual offenders today, they are not a new threat. Sex offenders have always existed, and have been vilified as “monsters,” “fiends,” “psychopaths,” and “predators” throughout this century (Jenkins, 1998). Several highly publicized cases of predatory sex offenders have saturated the media since the early 1990s, bringing forth an intense public, political, and academic interest. Many questions arise in regard to how to best manage this population: Should they be treated? Should they be chemically incapacitated? Can they be supervised effectively in the community? Do they have high levels of recidivism? Is it possible to predict who will reoffend? The reality is that sex offenders constitute a heterogeneous population of individuals and there is neither a single theory to explain their behavior nor one universal system of managing them. Most sex offenders do not live in prisons or hospitals. Those who are convicted are often sentenced to probation; almost all of those who are incarcerated are eventually released to live in the community; and, most importantly, many will never come to the attention of authorities. Because of this, it is important to understand the best ways in which the public can be educated about this population of individuals, hypotheses about why some individuals begin to commit sexually deviant behavior, how to best treat that behavior, which offenders should be incapacitated, and how to manage offenders once they are released to the community. Research on sexual offenses and offenders is generally discussed in the fields of criminal justice, law, sociology, and psychology, not in the arena of
Equating and Scaling

This article gives an overview of the existing methodologies for measuring and comparing skills in educational testing programs, when the scores are reported at the individual level. Observed-score equating, item-response-theory-based equating, and scaling are discussed. In a testing program, different test forms that are built to the same specifications are administered over time. The test forms can vary in difficulty depending on the degree of control available in the test development process. Examinees tested with the more difficult form will get lower scores than they would get had they been tested with the easier form. Test equating adjusts for the differences in difficulty across forms and allows the scores on different forms of the same test to be used and interpreted interchangeably.
UNIT 12.9 Production of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors

Recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors are capable of delivering genes to both dividing and nondividing cells. This property, along with the physical stability of the virions, permits transduction of cells both in tissue culture and in the whole animal. In this unit, protocols for the adenovirus-free production of rAAV vectors, their purification, and their quantitation are provided. The production and purification of the rAAV vectors are described, using two different methods. Two assays for determining rAAV titers are also presented: dot blot and in vitro infection with a transgene expression assay.
Spousal diabetes status as a risk factor for incident type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis.

It is unclear if the presence of type-2 diabetes in one spouse is associated with the development of diabetes in the other spouse. We studied the concordance of diabetes among black and white participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and summarized existing studies in a meta-analysis. We conducted a prospective cohort analysis of ARIC data from 8077 married men and women (mean age 54 years) without diabetes at baseline (1987–1989). Complementary log–log models that accounted for interval censoring was used to model the hazard ratio (HR) for the association of spousal diabetes status with the incidence of diabetes. For the meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for observational studies published through December 2018 that evaluated spousal concordance for diabetes. During a median follow-up of 22 years, 2512 incident cases of diabetes were recorded. In models with adjustment for general adiposity, spousal cardiometabolic factors and other diabetes risk factors, adults who had a spouse with diabetes had elevated risk for incident diabetes compared to those without a spouse diagnosed with diabetes (HR 1.20, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.41). This association did not differ by sex or race. Summarized estimates from the 17 studies (489,798 participants from 9 countries) included in the meta-analysis showed a positive association between spousal diabetes status and the development of diabetes (Pooled odds ratio 1.88, 95% CI 1.52–2.33). Results from this large prospective biracial cohort and meta-analysis provides evidence that spouses of persons with diabetes are a high-risk group for diabetes.
Identification of toxigenic fungal species associated with maize ear rot: Calmodulin as single informative gene

Accurate identification of fungi occurring on agrofood products is the key aspect of any prevention and pest management program, offering valuable information in leading crop health and food safety. Fungal species misidentification can dramatically impact biodiversity assessment, ecological studies, management decisions, and, concerning toxigenic fungi, health risk assessment, since they can produce a wide range of toxic secondary metabolites, referred to as mycotoxins. Since each toxigenic fungal species can have its own mycotoxin profile, a correct species identification, hereby attempted with universal DNA barcoding approach, could have a key role in mycotoxins prevention strategies. Currently, identification of single marker for species resolution in fungi has not been achieved and the analysis of multiple genes is used, with the advantage of an accurate species identification and disadvantage of difficult setting up of PCR-based diagnostic assays. In the present paper, we describe our strategy to set up a DNA-based species identification of fungal species associated with maize ear rot, combining DNA barcoding approach and species-specific primers design for PCR based assays. We have (i) investigated the appropriate molecular marker for species identification, limited to mycobiota possibly occurring on maize, identifying calmodulin gene as single taxonomically informative entity; (ii) designed 17 sets of primers for rapid identification of 14 Fusarium, 10 Aspergillus, 2 Penicillium, and 2 Talaromyces species or species groups, and finally (iii) tested specificity of the 17 set of primers, in combination with 3 additional sets previously developed.
Central Nervous System Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (CNS-SLE) Vasculitis Mimicking Lewy Body Dementia: A Case Report Emphasizing the Role of Imaging With an Analysis of 33 Comparable Cases From the Scientific Literature.

Introduction:Neuropsychiatric symptoms occur in 30% to 40% of patients living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Brain imaging may play a pivotal role in determining the etiology as it did fo...
1393-P: Residential Inequality and Birth Outcomes of Gestational Diabetes

Introduction: Clinical studies have found disparities in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) outcomes due to individual racial and economic differences. In contrast, this pilot study examines the association of structures variations with GDM outcomes by race. Methods: Data were obtained from a healthcare system for a study population of 2,189 women with GDM, 18 years and above, singleton births, who delivered between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2018. Clinical data were merged with structural measures of mothers’ census tracts of residence from the U.S. Census Bureau. Outcome variables are mother and infant birth complications. Data are analyzed using zero correlations by race. Results: Mother’s: white mothers tended to have fewer complications (r=-0.07, p Conclusion: Selected results show variations in complications among different races by neighborhood characteristics. The influence of race on GDM outcomes is linked to income and socioeconomic status. Income may be more important to GDM outcomes than race. Disclosure L. Thomas: None. M.R. Fawcett: None. C. Jurkovitz: None. J. Lenhard: Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Funding National Institutes of Health (U54GM104941)
Power in Agrarian and Feudal Societies

Individuals in agrarian societies are attached to the land, so those who control the land control the people who work it. Control over land was gained through military power, which gave them political power. Their control over land also gave them economic power, so political and economic power were held by the same people. This produced a feudal system of governance, and coordination among individuals was accomplished more by control than by voluntary cooperation. Those who held power used it to maintain their positions in the hierarchy of power. Political motives dominated economic motives, so agrarian societies are characterized by stagnation rather than progress. Because it is difficult for people to exit an agrarian society, rulers have more authoritarian political control.
The Application of Statistical Quality Control Methods in Predictive Maintenance 4.0: An Unconventional Use of Statistical Process Control (SPC) Charts in Health Monitoring and Predictive Analytics

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a technique of gauging and monitoring quality by closely observing a given manufacturing process. Appropriate quality data is collected in the form of product measurements or readings from various machines. This data is used in evaluating, monitoring and controlling the variability of the considered manufacturing process. This paper proposes the expansion of SPC methods to predictive maintenance. Applications of SPC techniques in various fields outside of basic production systems have been increasing in popularity. This paper investigates the practicality and viability of using Control Charts in predictive maintenance and health monitoring. Moreover, this study discusses numerous enabling technologies, such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), that help to advance real-time monitoring of industrial processes. This study also expands on the use of Naive-Bayes and other Machine Learning methods to identify strong (naive) dependencies between specific faults and special patterns in monitored measurements. Despite its idealistic independence assumption, the naive Bayes classifier is effective in practice since its classification decision may often be correct even if its probability estimates are inaccurate. Optimal conditions of naive Bayes will be also identified, and a deeper understanding of data characteristics that affect the performance of naive Bayes is analyzed.
Capillary-fed, thin film evaporation devices

Evaporation plays a critical role in a range of technologies that power and sustain our society. Wicks are widely used as passive, capillary-fed evaporators, attracting much interest since these devices are highly efficient, compact, and thermally stable. While wick-based evaporators can be further improved with advanced materials and fabrication techniques, modeling of heat and mass transport at the device level is vital for guiding these innovations. In this perspective, we present the design and optimization of capillary-fed, thin film evaporation devices through a heat and mass transfer lens. This modeling framework can guide future research into materials innovations, fabrication of novel architectures, and systems design/optimization for next generation, high-performance wick-based evaporators. Furthermore, we describe specific challenges and opportunities for the fundamental understanding of evaporation physics. Finally, we apply our modeling framework to the analysis of two important applications—solar vapor generation and electronics cooling devices.
Talk about Faith: How Debate and Conversation Shape Belief

How do people of faith use language to position themselves, and their beliefs and practices, in the contemporary world? This pioneering and original study looks closely at how Christians and Muslims talk to people inside and outside of their own communities about what they think are the right things to believe and do. From debates, to podcasts and YouTube videos, the book covers a range of engaging texts and contexts, showing how doctrine and beliefs are not nearly as fixed and static as we might think, and that people are prone to change what they say they believe, depending on who they are talking to. From abortion, to hell, to whether it's okay to sell alcohol, Pihlaja investigates how Christians and Muslims struggle with different elements of their own faith, and try to make decisions about what to do when there are so many different voices to believe.
On Equivalence Relations Between Interpreted Languages, with an Application to Modal and First-Order Language

I examine notions of equivalence between logics (understood as languages interpreted model-theoretically) and develop two new ones that invoke not only the algebraic but also the string-theoretic structure of the underlying language. As an application, I show how to construe modal operator languages as what might be called typographical notational variants of bona fide first-order languages.
Perceptual Connectivity Influences Toddlers' Attention to Known Objects and Subsequent Label Processing.

While recent research suggests that toddlers tend to learn word meanings with many “perceptual” features that are accessible to the toddler’s sensory perception, it is not clear whether and how building a lexicon with perceptual connectivity supports attention to and recognition of word meanings. We explore this question in 24–30-month-olds (N = 60) in relation to other individual differences, including age, vocabulary size, and tendencies to maintain focused attention. Participants’ looking to item pairs with high vs. low perceptual connectivity—defined as the number of words in a child’s lexicon sharing perceptual features with the item—was measured before and after target item labeling. Results revealed pre-labeling attention to known items is biased to both high- and low-connectivity items: first to high, and second, but more robustly, to low-connectivity items. Subsequent object–label processing was also facilitated for high-connectivity items, particularly for children with temperamental tendencies to maintain focused attention. This work provides the first empirical evidence that patterns of shared perceptual features within children’s known vocabularies influence both visual and lexical processing, highlighting the potential for a newfound set of developmental dependencies based on the perceptual/sensory structure of early vocabularies.
Navigating Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Support in Communicated Narrative Sense-making

Grounded in communicated narrative sense-making theory (CNSM), this study explored how women who were pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 21) communicatively made sense of their experience in light of their received social support. Interview data were inductively analyzed for emergent themes and deductively analyzed for type of social support and narrative tone. Findings uncovered themes of a) connecting to mitigate stress, b) drawing on others' knowledge, c) receiving socially distant instrumental support, and d) lacking medical professional support. Further, instances of informational, instrumental, and/or emotional support frequently occurred in stories with a positive narrative tone, whereas instances of insufficient support frequently appeared in stories with a negative tone. These results support previous research on the benefits and barriers of social support during pregnancy and extend theorizing about the implications of interpersonal interactions on CNSM. Practical applications are explored for medical professionals endeavoring to support pregnant women during a pandemic.
Consumer Demographics and Internet Based Health Information Search in the United States: The Intersectionality of Gender, Race, and Class

Prescriptions for the successful provision of e-health information must integrate the varying needs of individuals for maintaining their personal health. Research emanating from both individual differences and health information searching literature suggests that a person's characteristics influence the pursuit of online health information. This paper addresses the factors influencing variation in health information searching strategies based on demographic differences among healthcare information consumers in the United States of America. Specifically, the authors evaluate variation in health information searching about diabetes within a population that varies by race, gender, age, socio-economic status, and education. The theory utilized in this research was the Individual Differences Theory of Gender and IT. Findings from this interpretive, qualitative study showed that differences such as race, gender, age, socio economic class, and geographic location all have an influence on searching behavior. However, it was found that these factors work together to influence behavior, rather than independently.
A ALFABETIZAÇÃO ECOLÓGICA NAS POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS EDUCACIONAIS E AMBIENTAIS: FUNDAMENTO TEÓRICO E CONSTITUCIONAL

A educacao ambiental e importante protagonista da construcao da consciencia ecologica e do desenvolvimento de uma compreensao integrada do meio ambiente, firmada nos principios da ecologia profunda. A afirmacao da democracia ambiental, bem como de uma cultura preservacionista passa pela correta leitura e consideracao dos principios constitucionais ambientais e pela aplicacao irrestrita da concepcao da alfabetizacao ecologica. Desse modo, a alfabetizacao ecologica, como pratica pedagogica multidisciplinar, baseada na participacao, emerge como plataforma de auxilio a superacao da fragmentacao do saber, do cartesianismo e da filosofia da consciencia, que separa sujeito e objeto, facilitando a compreensao, por meio dos principios da ecologia, de como viver de maneira sustentavel, amparando as politicas publicas educacionais e o constitucionalismo ambiental.
Design of a low power impulse-radio ultra-wide band wireless electrogoniometer

In this paper, a wireless electrogoniometer is described using a pair of ultra-wide band (UWB) wireless smart sensor nodes that are interfaced to low power 3-axis accelerometers. A high resolution SAR ADC as well as a low power asynchronous continuous sampling event-driven ADC are integrated for the digitization of the input signal under different operation modes. An anti-self-locking circuit is included in the asynchronous event-driven ADC to improve the robustness. A tri-channel UWB transceiver is designed particularly for the data transmission of the 3-axis accelerometers. A power consumption of 4.6pJ/bit is achieved for the transmitter at 10Mbps while operating under 1.2V power supply. The receiver power consumption can be as low as 0.32nJ/bit at 10Mbps under 1.8V supply. To demonstrate one application of the device, the electrogoniometer was used to quantify the in-vivo response of a somatosensory neuron to joint angle changes.
Management of head injury. Posttraumatic seizures.

Posttraumatic seizures are relatively common among patients with severe head injuries, with major risk factors being penetrating head wound, hematoma, depressed skull fracture, and, for late seizures, early seizures. Management of late posttraumatic seizures, if they do develop, follows the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Their treatment should be determined by the type of seizure (i.e., partial or generalized) and the individual responsiveness of the patient to drug therapy. Prophylactic administration of antiepileptic drugs to prevent posttraumatic epilepsy has been frequently tried. The data supports a short-term but not a long-term effect of the most commonly used drug, phenytoin. A decision of whether to use prophylaxis, with what, and for how long needs to consider the likely benefit (i.e., the chance of seizures if untreated and the likelihood that the proposed treatment will substantially reduce that chance) and risk (i.e., medical or behavioral adverse effects) of this treatment strategy.
The Aging of the Heart and Blood Vessels: A Consideration of Anatomy and Physiology in the Era of Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Positron Emission Tomographic Imaging Methods With Special Consideration of Atherogenesis

Physicians have long told their patients that the doctor's job is to help patients "get as old as they can." As physicians, we have been aided in this objective by many other scientists in other disciplines. The entity of aging and its related changes blends imperceptibly with a variety of age-related diseases. However, these entities do appear to be separate though interrelated. Curing disease is important and a goal that we all work toward to add years to life expectancy. Here, we consider aging as it affects the heart and great vessels and as it serves to influence and support, if not cause, age-related cardiac diseases. This relationship is drawn as cardiac mechanics, hemodynamics, perfusion, metabolism and innervation, anatomy, and pathophysiology are each considered. The effects of aging are presented in 2 sections related to the early and recent "spikes" in aging related information. The latter is largely based in recent developments in chemistry, genetic engineering, molecular biology and the new imaging methods. The purpose of this manuscript is to present these new imaging methods, especially PET, and their impact on the second "spike." This is emphasized particularly in the second half of this review. As a method of demonstrating these imaging tools and their finest potential application, we decided to "showcase" atherosclerosis as the age-related disease for which these methods have made their greatest impact, for which yet more is promised, and for which the influence on longevity is most obvious. The application of positron emission tomography and other imaging methods to the characterization and image identification of atherosclerotic plaques and particularly the "vulnerable" plaque is emphasized. Yet, even with the eradication of coronary disease, the potential for very long life would not be likely. Only with the identification and eradication of the causative factors of aging can this possibility have a chance of becoming reality.
UNLV's Lied Library: a graphical time line

Purpose – To chronicle the planning, construction and subsequent operation of UNLV's Lied Library.Design/methodology/approach – Traces the critical milestones associated with the above.Findings – The history chronicled herein has been dynamic, to say the least, and has yet to slow down.Practical implications – Serves as a basis for similar developments still in the pipeline.Originality/value – Could be a model for anyone contemplating establishing a future modern technology‐centred academic library.
Enhanced long-term potentiation during aging is masked by processes involving intracellular calcium stores.

The contribution of Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores (ICS) for regulation of synaptic plasticity thresholds during aging was investigated in hippocampal slices of old (22–24 mo) and youn...
Implementation of a statistically based pattern-recognition system

ABSTRACT A generalized quadratic (Bayesian-like) classification system has been devel-oped for evaluating the performance of other classifiers, such as neural networks,in automatic target recognition (ATR). The system was tested using multispec-tral real data as well as computer generated data sets. The classifier employsthe covariance matrix and centroid of the feature set to describe each region.The system then calculates the likelihood associated with an unknown objectbelonging to a defined region. A multivariate normal distribution is assumed incalculating this likelihood. The system utilizes a learning algorithm to continu-ously upgrade performance and has shown near 100 percent accuracy even aftervery short training periods. 1. INTRODUCTION Recent research in pattern recognition is motivated by the desire to have aninsight into the pattern recognition capabilities in humans. The ultimate goalof this research is to develop machine vision systems of similar capabilities'. Inorder to develop an adaptive pattern recognition system modeled after the hu-man visual system, it is first necessary to thoroughly understand the statisticalnature of the input data sets.The intent of this work has been to develop a proven classifier against whichother classifier performance can be compared and upon which more sophis-ticated systems may be built.The maximum likelihood classifier implementedhere uses the estimated statistical parameters associated with training samplesin order to classify an unknown object2'3.
A range modulator to produce uniform 38K yield

Abstract A range modulator has been designed for use with a monoenergetic proton beam to achieve uniform yield of a nuclear reaction with depth in a tissue equivalent medium. Uniform yield to ±1.5% over a 10 cm depth for the reaction 40Ca(p, 2pn) 38K has been demonstrated using protons of 160 MeV initial energy. The modulator is a rotating stepped absorber made of stacked acrylic plastic sheets. The angular extent of eachsheet is determined by a computer program which also calculates the resultant depth dose curve. Peaks in the dose curve may be reduced with slight effect on the yield curve.
Sliding contacts on printed circuit boards and wear behavior

Automotive suppliers use since decades printed circuit boards (PCB) gold plating pads, as direct contact interface for low current sliding contacts. Several gold plating processes are available on the market, providing various wear behaviour. Some specific galvanic hard gold (AuCo or AuNi). plating was developed on PCB's. This specific plating generates extra costs due to the material quantity and also the process complexity. In a cost driven industry, the challenge is to use a standard low cost PCB for systems requesting high reliability performances. After a brief overview of standard PCB manufacturing processes and especially gold plating processes, the global experimental results of wear behaviour of three different gold plating technologies will be exposed and an explanation of the correlation between surface key parameters and wear out will be provided.
Heparin-associated antiplatelet antibodies increase morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Background Patients are frequently exposed to heparin during hemodialysis (HD) to prevent thrombosis of the extracorporeal circuit. Other groups with frequent heparin exposures have a high rate of development of heparin-associated antiplatelet antibodies (HAAb). We sought to define the prevalence of HAAb in HD patients and evaluate their effects. Methods A chart listing of all patients undergoing HD at our tertiary care institution during a six-year period was obtained. Charts of patients who tested positive for HAAb were reviewed. A cohort of randomly selected HD patients who tested negative for HAAb was analyzed as a control group. Results In our sample, 3.7% of HD patients were positive for HAAb. Morbidity, as defined by thromboembolic (TEC) or hemorrhagic complications, was higher in the HAAb-positive group compared with the control patients (60% vs 8.7%, P Conclusions Contrary to reports of HAAb in patients undergoing HD without increased morbidity and mortality, we found significant increases in both morbidity and mortality. The elevated morbidity and mortality may represent ongoing endothelial and platelet activation from repeated heparin exposures. Reduced morbidity and mortality will likely require early recognition of HAAb and alteration of anticoagulation in HD patients.