cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the Optimum Rate of Transmitting Information

The present paper is partly expository and does not assume any previous knowledge of information theory or coding theory. It is meant to be the first in a series of papers on coding theory for noisy channels, this series replacing the report [12] which was widely circulated. A few of the results were reported in [11], [27] and [28]. In Sections 2 and 3 we present certain refinements and generalizations of known methods of Shannon, Fano, Feinstein and Gallager. A discussion of some other methods may be found in the surveys by Kotz [15] and Wolfowitz [28] such as those of Khintchine [14], McMillan [18] and Wolfowitz [25], [26]. Section 4 contains a number of applications. Most of this section is devoted to a certain memoryless channel with additive noise. Some of the proofs have been collected in Section 5. Finally, Section 6 describes some new results on the relative entropy $H(\mu_1\mid\mu_2),$ of one measure $\mu_1$ relative to another measure $\mu_2$, and its relation with the total variation $\|\mu_1 - \mu_2\|$.
Multi-objective optimization for bridge retrofit to address earthquake hazards

Protecting infrastructures against natural hazards is a pressing national and international problem. Given the current budgetary climate, the ability to determine the best mitigation strategies with highly constrained budgets is essential. This papers describes a set of computationally efficient techniques to determine optimal infrastructure investment strategies, given multiple user objectives, that are consistent with an underlying earthquake hazard. These techniques include: optimization methods for developing representative events to characterize the hazard and the post-event condition of infrastructure components, a simulation model to characterize post-event infrastructure performance relative to multiple user objectives, and a multi-objective optimization algorithm for determining protection strategies. They are demonstrated using a case study of the highway network in Memphis, Tennessee.
Stomatal sensitivity of six temperate, deciduous tree species to non-hydraulic root-to-shoot signalling of partial soil drying

The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize stomatal response of six deciduous tree species to non-hydraulic, root-sourced signals of soil drying, and (2) test whether species sensitivity to non-hydraulic signalling is allied with their drought avoidance and tolerance profiles. Saplings were grown with roots divided between two pots. Three treatments were compared: one half of the root system watered and half droughted (WD), one half of the root system watered and half severed (WS), both halves watered (WW). Drying about half of the root system caused non-hydraulic declines in stomatal conductance (g s ) in all species, with g s of WD plants reduced to from 40% to 60% of WS controls. Declines in stomatal conductance were closely related to declining soil matric potential (Ψ m ) between -0.01 and -0.10 MPa. Soil Ψ m required to cause declines in g s of WD plants to 80% of WS controls varied from a high of -0.013 to a low of -0.044MPa. Stomatal inhibition varied somewhat with leaf age in half of the species. Leaf osmotic potentials during soil drying were mostly similar among treatments. Although stomatal sensitivity to the non-hydraulic, root-sourced signal (characterized as decline in g s per unit decline in soil Ψ m ) was not closely correlated with previously identified lethal leaf water potentials or capacity for osmotic adjustment, species having the highest stomatal sensitivity also had the least dehydration tolerance. This suggests that stomatal sensitivity to non-hydraulic root signals may be mechanistically linked to a limited extent with other characteristics defining relative species drought tolerance.
Plesiomonas and human disease

Abstract A number of antimicrobial agents are available to treat either intestinal or extraintestinal infections. If deemed necessary, appropriate antimicrobial agents shorten the clinical course of diarrhea (5, 6). Suitable oral agents for treating Plesiomonas intestinal disease could include the quinolones or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Aminoglycosides, except for netilmicin, are not considered first-line drugs for therapy. The broad-spectrum penicillins alone should never be used to treat an extraintestinal infection unless appropriate testing indicates susceptibility to these agents. Although considerable progress in understanding the role of P. shigelloides as a gastrointestinal pathogen has been made over the past several years, a number of hurdles remain. Foremost, an animal model to reproduce this disease needs to be developed. Secondly, reports on potentially new toxins and virulence factors need to be confirmed, and then their relationship to intestinal and extraintestinal disease needs to be defined. It is also unclear whether all P. shigelloides are equally virulent or whether strain-to-strain variation occurs. When there obstacles are circumvented, we will have a more accurate picture of the role of these gram-negative bacilli in human disease.
Corrosion of Nickel-Based Alloys in Acidified Lithium Chloride Solutions

Abstract Immersion tests were performed on nickel (Ni)-based alloys in acidified 2 M lithium chloride (LiCl) solutions as a function of temperature and pH. Results indicated alloy C-22 (UNS N06022)...
Tools and techniques for investigating impacts of habitat complexity on biological control

Across the globe, landscapes are becoming altered as natural habitats are converted to agriculture or development. Consequently, a critical question is how changes in habitat complexity and composition might influence ecosystem services such as biological control. Although the development of new statistical, molecular, and digital technologies offers exciting opportunities to explore this issue, the appropriate usage of these tools is crucial to any successful study. This review examines the tools and techniques employed to investigate relationships between habitat complexity and biological control, and their appropriateness in different contexts. We examine various definitions of the explanatory variable, habitat complexity, and methods to experimentally measure the response variable, biological control. We conclude with a summary of the different statistical techniques available to assess linkages between habitat complexity and biological control. This review will facilitate future research on habitat complexity and biological control and will thus aid in the conservation of this valuable ecosystem service.
Isolated two-inductor boost converter with one magnetic core

This paper presents a new isolated two-inductor boost converter. All magnetic components are integrated into one magnetic core. The circuit has the two inductor windings intrinsically coupled. The operation principle of the new circuit is presented. A prototype 100 W DC/DC boost converter has been built. Experimental and simulation results are both presented.
Dispositions Toward (Collective) Struggle and Educational Resilience in the Inner City: A Case Analysis of Six African-American High School Students

For more than 20 years, researchers have shown that the recognition of a limited opportunity structure on the part of marginal youth circumscribes their optimism toward the future and hence increases their likelihood of disengaging from school. This article, however, focuses on six, low-income, African-American adolescents who expected to realize their ambitions and were high achieving, all the while articulating an acute recognition of how race and class (and, in two cases, gender) operated to constrain the life chances of people like themselves. These students’ familiarity with struggle, including collective struggle, was the only biographical factor which distinguished them from the other respondents in the larger project of which they were a part. Thus, in contrast to the findings of some, their knowledge of struggle did not curtail their academic success but may have contributed to their sense of human agency and facilitated their academic motivation. Because this knowledge derived from their interac...
GEO-SEED: A Metadata Repository for Geosciences Web Service Discovery

We propose a framework, which blends Web 2.0 and Semantic Web technologies, to collect semantic descriptions of Web services and other software that enables their automatic discovery, invocation, composition, and interoperation. The pilot project, called GEO-SEED, aims to support Web services annotation and discovery for the geosciences. GEO-SEED provides both human and machine friendly interfaces represented by a structured wiki and a knowledge management system, respectively. While the former serves as the collaborative services annotation environment for geoscientists, the latter delivers acquired knowledge via RDF, OWL, OWL-S, SPARQL, and geosciences-based ontologies to powerful automated agents, such as scientific workflow management systems.
Is Channel Fragmentation/bonding in IEEE 802.22 Networks Secure?

We address a unique security threat that arises due to channel fragmentation (or aggregation or bonding) in dynamic spectrum access (DSA) based IEEE 802.22 networks. Typically, channel fragmentation, aggregation and bonding have been studied in the literature as a means to enhance the spectrum utilization. However, the loss of orthogonality between the spectrum bands due to channel fragmentation, aggregation or bonding can be exploited by malicious attackers to cause a cognitive service disruption. We present an analysis of such a threat. We determine the optimal transmit powers a malicious attacker transmits on each fragment, so as to create maximum service disruption. Numerical results indicate that a malicious attacker can cause up to about 16% loss in the capacity of the system as a consequence of fragmentation. Detailed analysis is presented for channel fragmentation and can be easily applied to channel aggregation and bonding. To the best of our knowledge,this is the first analysis of such cognitive service disruption threats due to fragmentation.
Seedling growth of catawba rhododendron. I.Temperature optima, leaf area, and dry weight distribution

Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense Michx.) seedlings of two provenances, Johnston County, N.C. (35 o 45'N, 78 o 12'W, elevation=67 m), and Yancey County, N.C. (35 o 45'N, 82 o 16'W, elevation=1954 m), were grown in controlled-environment chambers for 18 weeks with days at 18, 22, 26, or 30C in factorial combination with nights at 14, 18, 22, or 26C. Shoot and root dry weights and total leaf areas of seedlings of the Yancey County provenance (high elevation) exceeded (P≤0.05) those of the Johnston County (low elevation) provenance at all temperature combinations. Leaf area was maximal at 22/22C, 18/26C, and 22/26C and minimal at 30/14C (day/night)
Thioredoxin overexpression prevents NO-induced reduction of NO synthase activity in lung endothelial cells

We recently reported that nitric oxide (NO) induces posttranscriptional modulation of lung endothelial cell NO synthase (ecNOS) that results in loss of activity. The loss of activity can be reverse...
AutoStyle: Toward Coding Style Feedback At Scale

While large-scale automatic grading of student programs for correctness is widespread, less effort has focused on au-tomating feedback for good programming style: the tasteful use of language features and idioms to produce code that is not only correct, but also concise, elegant, and revealing of design intent. We hypothesize that with a large enough (MOOC-sized) corpus of submissions to a given program-ming problem, we can observe a range of stylistic mastery from naive to expert, and many points in between, and that we can exploit this continuum to automatically provide hints to learners to improve their code style based on the key stylistic differences between a given learner's submission and one that is stylistically slightly better. We present a sys-tem with two key interfaces. The first is an instructor-facing GUI that allows an instructor to browse student submis-sions clustered by stylistic patterns and view chains from a particular submission to a canonical one. The second is a student-facing GUI that allows a student to submit a solu-tion and receive instantaneous style feedback.
The Theory of Loans

(1962). The Theory of Loans. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 69, No. 9, pp. 860-866.
Laboratory evaluation of two slow-acting toxicants against formosan and eastern subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Topical toxicity, lethal time, and bait acceptance of two slow-acting toxicants, mirex and sulfluramid, were determined for the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, and the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). When topically applied to C. formosanus , mirex was slightly less toxic (LD50 = 9.14 μ/g) than sulfluramid (LC50 = 6.95 μ/g). but mirex was approximately 34 times more potent (LD50 = 1.78 μ/g) against R. flavipes than sulfluramid (LD50 = 60.64 μ/g). Mortality of R. flavipes as a function of time was fastest for mirex and slowest for sulfluramid. Lethal time (time to kill 90% of test insects) was similar when C. formosanus was treated with either mirex or sulfluramid. Results of a choice bioassay indicated that concentration thresholds of 10 or 30 ppm in wood treated with sulfluramid were acceptable to C. formosanus and R. flavipes , respectively. These treatments also produced significant mortality (≥68% mortality at ≥4 ppm for C. formosanus , ≥80% mortality at ≥18 ppm for R. flavipes ) after an 8-wk exposure. Wood blocks treated with ≤90 ppm mirex were accepted by C. formosanus . Mirex concentrations of ≥10 ppm produced ≥68% mortality. R. flavipes accepted blocks treated with up to 15 ppm of mirex and were killed at significantly higher rates (≥80%) when exposed to blocks treated with ≥9 ppm of mirex.
Solvation Dynamics of Formylperylene Dissolved in Methanol–Acetonitrile Liquid Mixtures: A Molecular Dynamics Study

The solvation dynamics of formylperylene in methanol/acetonitrile liquid mixtures have been experimentally observed to slow down with increasing concentration of methanol. We present results from equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations that relate the slowdown to the formation of a hydrogen-bonded methanol oligomer, which is hydrogen-bonded to the carbonyl group of formylperylene.
Alteration of dehydrated schoepite and soddyite to studtite, [(UO2)(O2)(H2O)2](H2O)2

The oxidation of used nuclear fuel in a geologic repository has important implications for the mobility of radionuclides and fission products in the environment. Hexavalent uranium (uranyl) minerals, including oxyhydroxides and silicates, form as alteration phases on the surface of fuel pellets in laboratory simulations. However, alpha-radiolysis of water forms hydrogen peroxide in solution, which may favor the alteration of these secondary phases to the uranyl peroxide mineral studtite. This study investigates the alteration of dehydrated schoepite, UO3(H2O), and soddyite, [(UO2)2(SiO4)](H2O)2, in the presence of aqueous solutions containing hydrogen peroxide. Crystalline samples were reacted with various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and the resulting material was analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction. Both dehydrated schoepite and soddyite readily convert to studtite in the presence of hydrogen peroxide following the reaction stoichiometry. These results indicate that the possible impact of peroxide buildup on the stability of alteration phases in a repository setting should not be overlooked.
Brief Discussing the Measures About How to Put the Library As the Platform,Building the Learning Hospital

It is necessary to set up a learning organization for modern hospitals to realize sustainable development,and it is also a focus area that many hospital managers are probing into and pay high attention to.Through enumerating the statistic data of library of Hunan Children's Hospital from 2002 to 2006,The article introduced the measures about how to put the library as the platform,to spark plug the individual to study,to construct a learning environment,etc.So as to set up the learning hospital progressively.
Effects of Reverse Micellar Structure on the Particle Charging Capabilities of the Span Surfactant Series.

This paper investigates the effects of reverse micellar core size on the particle charging behavior of a series of acidic surfactants in apolar media. A series of Span surfactants was dissolved in deuterated decane at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration. The structures of the reverse micelles were measured using small-angle neutron scattering. It was determined that as the tail length of the surfactant increased, the size of the polar reverse micellar core decreased. Tritailed surfactants formed reverse micelles with the smallest polar cores, with radii of ∼4 A. The sizes of the polar cores were correlated with the particle charging behavior of the Span surfactant series, as measured in a previous study. It was found that reverse micelles with intermediate core sizes imparted the largest electrophoretic mobilities to the particles. Reverse micelles with very small cores did not offer a large enough polar environment to favor charge stabilization, while very large polar cores favored di...
Attosecond transient absorption of argon atoms in the vacuum ultraviolet region: Line energy shifts versus coherent population transfer

Author(s): Cao, W; Warrick, ER; Neumark, DM; Leone, SR | Abstract: Using attosecond transient absorption, the dipole response of an argon atom in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region is studied when an external electromagnetic field is present. An isolated attosecond VUV pulse populates Rydberg states lying 15 eV above the argon ground state. A synchronized few-cycle near infrared (NIR) pulse modifies the oscillating dipoles of argon impulsively, leading to alterations in the VUV absorption spectra. As the NIR pulse is delayed with respect to the VUV pulse, multiple features in the absorption profile emerge simultaneously including line broadening, sideband structure, sub-cycle fast modulations, and 5-10 fs slow modulations. These features indicate the coexistence of two general processes of the light-matter interaction: the energy shift of individual atomic levels and coherent population transfer between atomic eigenstates, revealing coherent superpositions. An intuitive formula is derived to treat both effects in a unifying framework, allowing one to identify and quantify the two processes in a single absorption spectrogram.
Fate and freedom in developing neocortical circuits.

Proper functioning of the neocortex – the center of higher-order brain functions – depends on the correct assembly of neocortical neural circuits during development. Here the author discusses how cell-intrinsic developmental programs and activity-dependent signals togethe…
Patterns of Systemic Treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis in the US: 2004-2015.

OBJECTIVE To examine trends in the use of systemic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the US. METHODS Using claims data (2004-2015) from a large US commercial health plan, we identified patients with PsA who initiated DMARD therapy. We examined baseline patient characteristics and initial treatment patterns. We then assessed changes in the DMARD regimen over the 12-month period after the first DMARD initiation date. Using Poisson regression, we estimated age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates of treatment changes in each calendar year. RESULTS We identified 9,222 PsA patients who initiated DMARD therapy (42.8% biologic DMARDs [bDMARDs] and 57.2% conventional synthetic DMARDs [csDMARDs]). Initiators of bDMARDs were younger than those initiating csDMARDs (mean ± SD age 48 ± 13 versus 52 ± 14 years) and generally had fewer comorbidities, but a higher proportion of bDMARD initiators received nonsystemic treatments for psoriasis at baseline. Methotrexate was the most frequently used DMARD, constituting 80.6% of csDMARD initiations. Etanercept (49.1%) was the most commonly prescribed bDMARD, followed by adalimumab (34.4%). During the 12-month followup after the first DMARD initiation, 20.1% of bDMARD initiators and 31.1% of csDMARD initiators had their initial DMARD regimen modified, with an increasing trend in treatment modifications over the 11-year study period (P = 0.03). Overall, 5.3% of patients discontinued treatment, but the rates of discontinuation decreased over time (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION In this large cohort of PsA patients with DMARD initiation, more than 40% were treated with a bDMARD. We found an increasing trend in treatment modification after use of the initial DMARD and a decreasing trend in complete DMARD discontinuation over the past decade.
Combination Therapy With Rituximab and Cyclophosphamide for Remission Induction in ANCA Vasculitis.

Introduction Remission induction in antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) vasculitis may be complicated by slow response to treatment and toxicity from glucocorticoids. We describe outcomes with a novel remission induction regimen combining rituximab with a short course of low-dose, oral cyclophosphamide and an accelerated prednisone taper. Methods Patients were included in this retrospective study if they had newly diagnosed or relapsing ANCA vasculitis with a Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score for Wegener Granulomatosis (BVAS-WG) ≥3 and received a standardized remission induction regimen. The primary outcome was complete remission, defined as a BVAS-WG of 0 and a prednisone dose of ≤7.5 mg/d. Results We identified 129 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 31% of whom also received plasma exchange (PLEX) for rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) or diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Seventy percent of patients had myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA and 9% had relapsing disease. Median time to complete remission was 4 months (interquartile range [IQR] 3.9–4.4), and by 5 months 84% of patients were in complete remission. Prednisone was tapered to discontinuation as tolerated, such that the median prednisone dose at 8 months was 0 mg/d (IQR 0–2.5). In patients with RPGN, proteinase 3–ANCA was associated with a greater increase in eGFR at 6 months compared with MPO-ANCA (16 vs. 5.6 ml/min per 1.73m2; P = 0.028). During the year following remission, 1 major relapse occurred over 122 patient-years. Serious infections occurred more frequently in patients receiving PLEX and were associated with increasing age and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Four deaths occurred, 3 of which were associated with serious infections. Conclusion Combination therapy was efficacious, allowed for rapid tapering of high-dose glucocorticoids and was well tolerated.
Equation of state, phase stability, and phase transformations of uranium-6 wt. % niobium under high pressure and temperature

In-situ time-of-flight neutron diffraction experiments were conducted on the uranium-niobium alloy with 6 wt. % Nb (U–6Nb) at pressures up to 4.7 GPa and temperatures up to 1073 K. Upon static compression at room temperature, the monoclinic structure of U–6Nb (α″ U–6Nb) remains stable up to the highest experimental pressure. Based on the pressure-volume measurements at room temperature, the least-squares fit using the finite-strain equation of state (EOS) yields an isothermal bulk modulus of B0 = 127 ± 2 GPa for the α″-phase of U–6Nb. The calculated zero-pressure bulk sound speed from this EOS is 2.706 ± 0.022 km/s, which is in good agreement with the linear extrapolation of the previous Hugoniot data above 12 GPa for α″ U–6Nb, indicating that the dynamic response under those shock-loading conditions is consistent with the stabilization of the initial monoclinic phase of U-6Nb. Upon heating at ambient and high pressures, the metastable α″ U–6Nb exhibits complex transformation paths leading to the diffusional phase decomposition, which are sensitive to applied pressure, stress state, and temperature-time path. These findings provide new insight into the behavior of atypical systems such as U-Nb and suggest that the different U-Nb phases are separated by rather small energies and hence highly sensitive to compositional, thermal, and mechanical perturbations.
Probing Axial Water Bound to Copper in Tutton Salt Using Single Crystal 17O-ESEEM Spectroscopy

Electron spin–echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) signals attributed to axial water bound to Cu2+ have been detected and analyzed in Cu(II)-doped 17O-water-enriched potassium zinc sulfate hexahydrate (Tutton salt) crystals. The magnetic field orientation dependences of low frequency modulations were measured to fit hyperfine and quadrupole coupling tensors of a 17O (I = 5/2) nucleus. The hyperfine tensor (Axx, Ayy, Azz: 0.13, 0.23, −3.81 MHz) exhibits almost axial symmetry with the largest value directed normal to the metal equatorial plane in the host structure. Comparisons with quantum chemical calculations position this nucleus about 2.3 A from the copper. The isotropic coupling (−1.15 MHz) is small and reflects the weak axial water interaction with a dx2-y2 unshared orbital of copper. The 17O-water quadrupole interaction parameters (e2qQ/h = 6.4 MHz and η = 0.93) are close to the average of those found in a variety of solid hydrates. In addition, the coupling tensor directions correlate very closely with...
Signed Measures and Indefinite Integrals

A real (finite) valued function f on X is locally μ integrable iff μ is a measure on a δ-ring A of subsets of X and f χ A ∈ L 1 (μ)for all A in A. In this case f.μ, the indefinite integral of f with respect to μ, is the function A↦∫ A A for A in A. This function is always countably additive and hence f.μ is a measure if f is non-negative. Consequently f.μ is the difference of two measures, f + .μ and f - .μ. These two measures have little to do with each other: one of them “lives on” the set {x:f(x) ≧ 0} and the other lives on {x:f(x) < 0}.
Practice Variation in Emergency Department Management of Children With Sickle Cell Disease Who Present With Fever.

OBJECTIVES Urgent medical evaluation is recommended for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and fever. Clear recommendations exist regarding certain aspects of treatment, but other areas lack evidence. We determined practice variation for children with SCD presenting with fever to the emergency department (ED). METHODS Retrospective chart review of children ages 3 months to 21 years with SCD presenting to the ED with fever greater than or equal to 38.5°C in the ED or preceding 24 hours. Visits from 3 sickle cell centers were included. Outcomes included blood culture, complete blood count, antibiotic treatment, chest x-ray, urinalysis, electrolytes, and hospital disposition. Differences greater than 10% were considered clinically meaningful. RESULTS The population included 14,454 visits, of which 4143 (29%) were febrile and met all inclusion criteria. A complete blood count and blood culture were obtained at 94% of visits, and antibiotics were given at 91%, with no differences among sites. Meaningful differences existed for disposition, with 52%, 43%, and 99% of patients admitted to the inpatient units at hospitals A, B, and C, respectively. Differences were seen in obtaining a urinalysis (33%, 17%, and 21%), electrolytes (2%, 50%, and 12%), and chest x-rays for patients 2 years and older (78%, 77%, 64%) for hospitals A, B, and C, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Significant variation exists in the proportion of children who receive a urinalysis, electrolytes, chest x-ray, and, most importantly, admission to the hospital. These examples of practice variation represent potential opportunities to define best care practices for children with SCD presenting to the ED for fever.
The Association Between the Functional Status Scale and the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure in Children Who Survive Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objectives:To determine the association between the Functional Status Scale and Pediatric Functional Independence Measure scores during the rehabilitation stay in children who survive traumatic brain injury.Design:Secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study.Setting:Tertiary care c
Assessing the implications of online mass media for citizens’ evaluations of government

When assessing the potential of information and communications technology (ICT) to improve relationships between citizens and their government, public management research tends to focus on governme...
Incidence of self-inflicted burn injury in patients with Major Psychiatric Illness.

Abstract Introduction Psychiatric disorders are mental illnesses that impair judgment, thought process and mood that can result in physical and emotional disability. According to DSM-IV, mental disorders increases risk of traumatic injury, particularly burn [1] (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, there are few studies that look at patients with pre-existing major psychiatric disorders and burn outcomes. We aim to assess the incidence and intentionality of burn injury in patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders. Methods This is a retrospective study of patients admitted to the UNC Jaycee Burn Center from 2002 to 2015 and entered in the burn registry. Variables analyzed include basic demographics, insurance status, total body surface area (TBSA) of burn, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), burn etiology, presence of inhalation injury, burn circumstance, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality. Chi-square, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Kruskal–Wallis test and Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Results 11,650 adult and pediatric patients were entered in the burn registry from 2002 to 2015 and 494 (4.2%) adult and pediatric patients had preexisting major psychiatric illness (MPI). Within the large cohort of admitted burn patients, 90 (0.8%) patients presented with self-inflicted burn injuries. 41% of patients with SIB (n = 37/90) had MPI. The incidence of self-inflicted burn injury (SIB) within the MPI (n = 494) cohort was 7.5% (n = 37). Mean age of patients with and without self-inflicted burn injury was 35.3 (±11.6) vs. 41.8 (±17.3), respectively. Mean TBSA was significantly higher in patient with SIB at 18.6 (±16.5) vs. 8.5(±12.2) p Conclusion The incidence of self-induced burn injury in patients with MPI is low and of all the self-inflicted burn patients, 60% did not have a major psychiatric illness identified. Our findings emphasize the importance of identifying patients with MPI with or without self-induced injury that may benefit from more extensive psychiatric screening after burn and counseling, particularly minority patients as they may benefit from additional mental health counseling following severe burn.
Detection of hot spot defects for crystalline solar cell

Detection of hot spot defects for c-Si solar cell module is studied by a high-resolution infra-red (IR) system with a resolution of 200 m in minimum. To compare the temperature effect generated by the hot spot defects, different types of damages were imposed in the solar cells while a non-damaged counterpart was studied as a control sample. The solar cell module was applied with forward and reverse current with a bias of 10xVoc. According to the test results, the forward current of 6 A generally heat up the solar cells for both damaged and non-damaged samples. For the reverse current test, the defected locations were heated up significantly with the testing time. To record the heating condition of different location, it is shown that the damaged location heated in various thermodynamic law, while the others stayed in a condition at room temperature. The temperature of local defects increased with the testing time, and heating profile follows a linear equation with a constant heating rate. To study the thermal behavior of the heating spot, a long tern monitoring was operated to detect the temperature kept around 125 °C since 90 s. The reverse-biased testing method is approved to distinguish the solar of hot spot risks and further to classify the solar cells.
Changes in Scaphoid and Lunate Position and Loading at Two Wrist Pushup Positions.

BACKGROUND Scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) injury following a fall on an outstretched hand may lead to carpal instability and in some cases require long-term rehabilitation following repair. Rehabilitation, especially in athletes, may include pushups, but little is known as to what type of pushup may be safer. OBJECTIVE To determine biomechanical differences between two pushup positions (neutral or extended). METHODS Six fresh cadaver wrists with pre-existing SLIL damage were uni-axially loaded in neutral and extension in order to simulate two different pushup styles. The motions of the scaphoid and lunate in relation to the radius were measured. The dorsal, proximal, and volar insertion sites of the SLIL were identified and, using the collected kinematic data, gap distances were calculated for each site. RESULTS Gap distance between the proximal SLIL insertion points was significantly greater in neutral than in extension. There was a trend that the dorsal and volar SLIL insertion points were also greater in neutral than in extension. After the wrist was extended 90o, the scaphoid extended 70.1o and the lunate extended 28.6o compared to their positions with the wrist in neutral. CONCLUSION The larger gap distances between the scaphoid and lunate in neutral suggest that a neutral style pushup could put higher forces on a wrist with pre-existing SLIL damage and may thus hinder recovery for a person with a repaired SLIL. A pushup in extension, in these injured wrists, may be less detrimental.
“The sacred idiom shorn of its referents”: An Apophatic Reading of The Road

With some parallels to current postsecular interpretations of literature, this apophatic reading examines The Road ’s negations, hints, and images to point out that even in the novel’s bleak world,...
Inkjet printing enabled rapid prototyping and model verification processes

Advances in printed electronics have allowed for the proliferation of rapid prototyping systems in many labs and corporations across the world. These technologies allow for on-demand electronics manufacturing in low volume situations with turnaround times less than 1/5th of conventional electronics fabrication. Additionally, new processes and structures can be tested without requiring retooling, allowing for cheaper process experimentation. Various places in a conventional electronics workflow where these capabilities can be integrated to great effect will be proposed, including model verification, prototype production and special material integration. Furthermore, the possibility of moving towards a software style “agile” workflow for hardware devices will be examined, with the goal of providing a framework for integrating printed electronics techniques in electronics fabrication.
Concepts and Techniques in Postbariatric Body Contouring: A Primer for the Internist.

Abstract Following weight loss after bariatric surgery, many people seek body contouring to help with troublesome excess skin. The care of these patients frequently involves a primary practitioner. Understanding the basic concepts of body contouring can help patients with these disorders. We review commonly performed body-contouring procedures that treat excess skin of the abdomen, arms, and thighs in the patient experiencing massive weight loss postbariatric procedures. Key concepts and techniques are highlighted with visual aids to help with understanding.
Differences in wage earnings between psoriasis patients on biologics versus those on oral therapies: a population-based study in the United States.

INTRODUCTION A critical gap exists in determining how various systemic treatments may differentially impact patients' wage earnings. METHODS We compared personal economic indicators (annual and hourly wages, weekly hours worked, and disability days) between psoriasis patients on biologic therapies versus those on oral medications. Using the 2003-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we performed multivariate linear regression analyses to investigate the relationship between personal economic indicators and psoriasis treatment. RESULTS The number of U.S. respondents with psoriasis who reported using biologic or oral therapies between 2003 and 2015 was 2,638,681 (weighted). The mean annual wage among patients on biologics ($52,141.34 [95% CI 40,976-63,306]) was significantly higher than that of patients on oral therapies ($33,584.87 [95% CI 27,687-39,483]) (p=.019). The mean weekly hours worked among patients on biologics (43.7 h [95% CI 40.01-47.47]) was significantly higher than that of patients on oral therapies (40.6 h [95% CI 39.66-41.59]) (p = .003). Hourly wage and disability days were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Psoriasis patients on biologics earned higher annual wages compared to those on oral therapies, and this is primarily due to the increased number of work hours by those on biologic therapies.
A Process of Acceptance of Patient Photographs in Electronic Medical Records to Confirm Patient Identification

Appropriate patient identification is a critical component of safe health care delivery. With increasing reliance on electronic medical records (EMRs), errors of test ordering and documentation have become commonplace. Incorporating patients' photograph in the EMR has considerably decreased error frequency and improved health care delivery by making it easier for physicians to identify a patient. We conducted a survey of all 35 physicians working in the Executive Health Program to determine the importance of having patient photographs in the EMR. Of the 35 physicians who received the survey, 26 (74.3%) responded, 24 (92.3%) of whom agreed that it was important to improve patient identification, care, and safety. Based on these data, we implemented a quality improvement project to increase the percentage of new patients having a photograph included in the EMR. Our goal was to increase photograph inclusion by more than 20% from baseline within 6 months without any unintended consequences (ie, not slowing down any of the workflow during the intake process). The intervention took place between June 1, 2015, and February 8, 2016. Using Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control models, the baseline rate of photographs in the EMR was 49.5% (302 of 607). We initiated 3 Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles targeting awareness and data sharing campaigns. After the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, the weekly rate of patient photographs incorporated into the EMR was at 71.4%, which was significantly improved compared with baseline (F test, P<.001). No unintended consequences were identified. Increased inclusion of patient photographs in the EMR aided in patient identification and improved staff satisfaction with minimal interruption to workflow.
Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke During New York City's COVID-19 Outbreak: Clinical Characteristics and Paraclinical Findings.

Background and Purpose: The 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak and its associated disease (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) have created a worldwide pandemic. Early data suggest higher rate of isc...
Development of Resident-Sensitive Quality Measures for Inpatient General Internal Medicine.

Graduate medical education (GME) training has long-lasting effects on patient care quality. Despite this, few GME programs use clinical care measures as part of resident assessment. Furthermore, there is no gold standard to identify clinical care measures that are reflective of resident care. Resident-sensitive quality measures (RSQMs), defined as “measures that are meaningful in patient care and are most likely attributable to resident care,” have been developed using consensus methodology and piloted in pediatric emergency medicine. However, this approach has not been tested in internal medicine (IM). To develop RSQMs for a general internal medicine (GIM) inpatient residency rotation using previously described consensus methods. The authors used two consensus methods, nominal group technique (NGT) and a subsequent Delphi method, to generate RSQMs for a GIM inpatient rotation. RSQMs were generated for specific clinical conditions found on a GIM inpatient rotation, as well as for general care on a GIM ward. NGT participants included nine IM and medicine-pediatrics (MP) residents and six IM and MP faculty members. The Delphi group included seven IM and MP residents and seven IM and MP faculty members. The number and description of RSQMs generated during this process. Consensus methods resulted in 89 RSQMs with the following breakdown by condition: GIM general care—21, diabetes mellitus—16, hyperkalemia—14, COPD—13, hypertension—11, pneumonia—10, and hypokalemia—4. All RSQMs were process measures, with 48% relating to documentation and 51% relating to orders. Fifty-eight percent of RSQMs were related to the primary admitting diagnosis, while 42% could also be related to chronic comorbidities that require management during an admission. Consensus methods resulted in 89 RSQMs for a GIM inpatient service. While all RSQMs were process measures, they may still hold value in learner assessment, formative feedback, and program evaluation.
Neuropsychological Assessment in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery

Anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) is an effective treatment for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy, but it is not without risk. Declines in verbal memory and naming abilities following dominant hemisphere ATL are well documented, and declines in visual memory following non-dominant ATL are also reported, although less reliably so. Stereotactic laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is an alternative to surgical resection and is thought to reduce collateral damage to temporal neocortical tissue and in doing so preserve language functions. Assessing risk and identifying those patients at greatest risk for cognitive decline following these interventions are important, and neuropsychological assessment during the pre-surgical stage can provide valuable information toward this goal. Higher preoperative memory and language performance, later age at seizure onset, language dominance in the surgical hemisphere, and larger extent of surgical resection have been found to be strong predictors of cognitive decline following ATL. Although the aim of LITT is to minimize cognitive decline, cognitive outcomes following LITT are not well studied.
Roadmaps for Robot Motion Planning with Groups of Robots

Autonomous robotic systems require the core capability of planning motions and actions. Centralized motion planning exhibits significant challenges when applied to multi-robot problems. Reasoning about groups of robots typically cause an exponential increase in the size of the search space that an algorithm has to explore. Moreover, each robot by itself might be an articulated mechanism with a large number of controllable joints, or degrees of freedom which can pose its own difficulties in planning. Roadmaps have been a popular graph-based method of representing the connectivity of valid motions in such large search spaces including specialized variants for multi-robot motion planning. This article primarily covers recent algorithmic advances that are based on roadmaps for motion planning, with specific optimizations necessary for the multi-robot domain. The structure of the multi-robot problem domain leads to efficient graphical decomposition of the problem on roadmaps. These algorithms provide some desired theoretical properties of being guaranteed to find a solution, as well as optimality of the discovered solution. Extensions to richer planning applications are also discussed. The design of efficient multi-robot planning algorithms like the roadmap-based ones discussed in this article provides the cornerstone for the deployment of large-scale multi-robot teams to solve real-world problems.
Abundance–suitability relationships for invasive species: Epiphyas postvittana as a case study

Prediction of the geographic distribution of an exotic species in a new environment is an important element of risk assessment as it provides an assessment of the spatial scale of potential impacts and the range of ecosystems affected by the establishment of an exotic species. For a more complete risk assessment, however, information on how abundant the species is likely to become at specific locations within the predicted geographic distribution would allow a more detailed analysis of potential environmental and economic impacts. In this study an improved species distribution model for Epiphyas postvittana, an Australian leafroller, is developed and used to test for an abundance–suitability relationship based on survey data on its relative abundance in coastal California where it has become established as an exotic species. To better assess the current status of this exotic leafroller as a quarantine pest in California, the potential geographic distribution and its relative abundance are predicted for the conterminous United States. These analyses predict that E. postvittana would primarily be limited to the Pacific coastline with small pockets of less suitable environment supporting lower relative abundance on the east coast and in the southwest. This study also highlights the potential value of the core distribution from the CLIMEX species distribution model as a more informative metric of environmental suitability with respect to relative abundance, based on surveys of larval populations of E. postvittana at 30 different locations in coastal California.
Automated error log resolution: a case study

Debugging and error resolution has become increasingly time-consuming and difficult for all domains of software development. Error logs have become very important when it comes to debugging and error resolution. To remedy the problems presented in the logs, typically, a search on online forums would shed light on the solution. We present a novel approach to utilizing these logs in conjunction with external Question and Answer forums to compute and expedite resolution by suggesting a solution to runtime errors. Since log format is non-standard and use cases can vary widely, our architecture allows for extreme customization for the intended ecosystem as well as a great degree of fine-tuning. We evaluated our solution in a case study and made our implementation open-source for the community.
A transport level unequal error protection mechanism for wireless interactive video

We propose an end-to-end unequal error protection mechanism for interactive video in wireless networks by extending retransmission-based error control with redundant retransmissions on diverse paths between the sender and receiver. The mechanism factors in the importance of the packets as well as the end-to-end latency constraints to minimize the overhead and maximize the quality at the receiver. We implemented the mechanism as a reliability mode extension to load sharing-stream control transmission protocol (LS-SCTP) to leverage its support for simultaneous transmission of data on multiple paths as well as other useful features for media streaming. We refer to the reliability mode as reliability mode load sharing-SCTP (RLS-SCTP). Simulation results show that RLS-SCTP can significantly increase the robustness of video transmission in wireless networks, such as in future combat systems (FCS) networks, with less overhead compared to mechanisms that depend on reference frame updates.