cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electromechanical properties of one dimensinal carbon chains

Carbon based nanostructures such as graphene and carbon nanotubes have received widespread attention due to their unique mechanical and electronic properties. This paper describes a quantum mechanics based study of the electronic band structures and transport properties of one-dimensional (1D) carbon chains, the thinnest nanowires available in nature. The study is based on the application of density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function where maximally localized Wannier functions and Landauer formalism are combined to compute the electronic band structures and quantum conductance of the 1D carbon chains. The simulation result indicates that the peak quantum conductance of 1D carbon chains is about five times smaller than that of carbon nanotubes. However, the quantum conductance is also a function of the length and chemical bonds of the carbon chains. When the carbon chains are mechanically strained at 3%, the quantum conductance is reduced by about 50%. This result suggests 1D carbon chains can provide ultra high-resolution electromechanical measurements of important biomolecules such as DNA.
Using the Talbot_Lau_interferometer_parameters Spreadsheet

Talbot-Lau interferometers allow incoherent X-ray sources to be used for phase contrast imaging. A spreadsheet for exploring the parameter space of Talbot and Talbot-Lau interferometers has been assembled. This spreadsheet allows the user to examine the consequences of choosing phase grating pitch, source energy, and source location on the overall geometry of a Talbot or Talbot-Lau X-ray interferometer. For the X-ray energies required to penetrate scanned luggage the spacing between gratings is large enough that the mechanical tolerances for amplitude grating positioning are unlikely to be met.
Influence of prolactin on the ultrastructure of the rat pinealocytes in vitro: a quantitative study

The results indicate that in vitro prolactin stimulate general cell activity as well as both putative pinealocyte secretory processes (i.e., neurosecretory-like and ependymal-like)
Hybrid Heroines and the Naturalization of Women’s Violence in Urban Fantasy Fiction

As the heroine of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, MacKayla “Mac” Lane, struggles with her discovery of supernatural elements both in the human world and within herself, she realizes that the gender roles that fairy tales communicated to her as a child have ill-equipped her to deal with the threat of real fae: “I waited for Barrons to come and rescue me, the product, I suppose, of growing up in a world where nearly all the fairy tales I’d heard as a child had a prince rushing to the rescue of the princess” (Moning, 2007, p. 55).
Recent Advances in Clinical Research that Impact the Office Management of Prostate Cancer

Abstract Introduction Researchers have published several studies during the last 2 years that impact office management of prostate cancer. These works deal with cancer screening, and new techniques for diagnosing, imaging and treating this disease, along with new insights into the genetics of prostate cancer. The key publications that impact urology practice are summarized. Methods English language articles published from 2013 to 2015 were selected, representing the author’s opinion concerning their relative importance. Results The selected articles address several aspects of prostate cancer management, including 1) prostate specific antigen screening, such as the USPSTF (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) report, along with the most recent updates of the ERSPC (European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer) and the Swedish arm of this study; 2) new tests to improve prostate specific antigen testing specificity, including the 4Kscore® (which involves 4 kallikrein markers) and the Prostate Health Index; 3) optimal prostate specific antigen screening modeling; 4) prostate cancer treatment including changes to the Gleason score system, along with recent updates of the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Study Number 4, the ProtecT (Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment) study and the Toronto active surveillance series; 5) the potential role of chemotherapy in men with localized disease; 6) the potential impact of new genetic markers, their validation and ability to direct local and systemic therapy; 7) advances in prostate magnetic resonance imaging; and 8) changes in the external practice environment. Conclusions Researchers have published several articles during the last 2 years that impact the office management of prostate cancer. Urologists must be conversant with these findings to keep abreast of new approaches to treating their patients.
Unresolved mourning and posttraumatic stress disorder in performing artists

A high percentage of performing artists suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ironically, performing arts are common therapeutic modalities to address and heal trauma. The psychological, physiological, and neurobiological effects of unresolved trauma are discussed in this chapter, along with treatment approaches appropriate for performers. The devastating effects of trauma, especially when early childhood adversity alters the stress systems in the body, are equally problematic for performing artists. PTSD symptoms are often misdiagnosed, and if left untreated, performance anxiety and injury frequency increases. Even with PTSD, performers are able to derive meaning from creativity, as well as sensing something more powerful and integrating during the creative experience.
A Provider-Based Survey To Assess Bereavement Care Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Pediatric Oncologists

Abstract Background: Bereavement support is a core tenet of palliative care that may prove difficult for clinicians as it is time-consuming, emotionally charged, and not emphasized in pediatrics training. This project is intended to describe the opinions, knowledge, and practice of bereavement care among pediatric oncologists to identify gaps in clinical care. Procedures: An internet-based survey instrument was pilot tested, refined, and distributed to pediatric oncologists in the United States. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.2. Results: Electronic surveys were distributed to 2,061 pediatric oncologists and 522 surveys (25%) were fully completed. Participants were asked how likely they are to engage in particular bereavement activities (phone calls, condolence cards, memorial services, family meetings, or referrals for counseling) following the death of a pediatric cancer patient. Eighty-two percent of participants, at least, sometimes engage in at least one of these activities. Being fema...
A New Statelessness? The Truman Doctrine, the Modern Latin American Mercenary, and the Economic Entrenchment of the Third World

During the Cold War, the Truman doctrine guided America towards extensive involvement throughout Latin America. Today, American private security companies recruit heavily from this region, drawing some of the same men who the CIA had covertly trained in the 1970s–1980s to fight in the modern manifestation of other Cold War conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, both American and foreign proxy conflicts continue to expand while relying heavily on Latin American mercenaries, raising important questions on the status of Latin American fighters in the world and their influence on the character of modern warfare.
Rheological and structural properties of tart cherry puree as affected by particle size reduction

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the effect of micronization techniques for particle size reduction from D (v, 0.9) ≥ 800 μm to D (v, 0.9) ≤ 100 μm on the rheological and structural characteristics of tart cherry puree. Commercially frozen cherry puree was thawed and micronized using Megatron MT5000 at 15000 rpm for three cycles (M1, M2, M3; 10 min each) followed by high-pressure homogenization at 200 MPa. The particle size distribution was measured using Malvern laser particle size analyzer and total soluble and insoluble solid contents by using the AOAC official method 20.5 or 30.2. All samples were further characterized for rheology, total solids content and particle morphology. Results showed a significant reduction in apparent viscosities (2.59 Pa s to 0.0144 Pa s) with a reduction in particle size (800 μm–100 μm) and this trend was consistent in different shear rate ranges. The change in serum viscosity followed the similar trend as observed in puree viscosity with micronization. Comparative analysis of the effect of shear rate (0–1000 s−1) on viscosity showed an inverse relationship, suggesting a shear thinning behavior of the fluid. This effect on serum viscosity (0.0119 Pa s to 0.0047 Pa s) was found to be higher in the shear rate range of 0–10 s−1, as opposed to a relatively less reduction from 0.0047 Pa s to 0.0022 Pa s and 0.0015 Pa s at higher shear rates in ranges of 20–100 s−1 and 20 to 1000 s−1 respectively. The viscosity–shear rate changes were approximated by Ostwald-de Waele model (power law relation) for serum and Herschel Bulkley model for puree. The total solid content (14.20 ± 1.10 °Brix) was not significantly affected by particle size reduction. Results of this study provide useful information about the rheological properties of fruit juices/purees, which are influenced by the interactions between the dispersed phase and the serum, and are critical indicators of textural properties, mouth-feel, commercial acceptability, requirements of mixing and transport equipment.
Judicial Review of Customs Service Actions

This article is based on a report prepared for the Administrative Conference of the United States in connection with its study of judicial review of actions taken by the U.S. Customs Service. The recommendations herein were adopted in substantially identical form by the Administrative Conference at its September 19, 1977, plenary session. The article examines the present availability and scope if review of administrative decisions of the U.S. Customs Service. The author analyzes the overall operation if the Customs Service, procedures for internal review of Customs ,decisions and for assessment of penalties and other sanctions, and the distribution if jurisdiction to review Customs decisions between the U.S. Customs Court and the U.S. district courts. His conclusion offers extensive recommendations for the reform if the existing system, addressing such matters as jurisdiction, standing, burden of proof, and assessment of penalties.
Phytochromes: Where to Start?

Phytochrome signaling allows plants to sense and respond to light through gene regulation. Ushijima et al. (2017) demonstrate a role for phytochromes in widespread regulation of alternative promoter usage, resulting in light-dependent protein isoforms with altered subcellular localization that help the plant respond metabolically to fluctuating light conditions.
Romance’s Rival: Familiar Marriage in Victorian Fiction

Talia Schaffer’s erudite, eloquent study of the nineteenth-century marriage plot asks “What’s love got to do with it?” and takes seriously the possibility that for much of Victorian fiction, passio...
Molecules as Biotic Messengers

Chemical ecology has grown as a scientific discipline from its earliest days of tracking the exquisitely potent chemistry of insect pheromones to a deep understanding of the molecular, physiological, and behavioral interactions governed by naturally occurring small molecules. The current practice of the field relies on knowledge of genomes and gene expression patterns, protein biology, and small-molecule chemistry, providing illustrations of ecological and evolutionary patterns in natural communities.
C-reactive protein in patients with COPD, control smokers and non-smokers: Thorax 2006;61:23–8

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have raised serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). This may be related directly to COPD and its associated systemic inflammation or secondary to other factors such as concomitant ischaemic heart disease (IHD) or smoking status. The aim of this study was to evaluate IHD and smoking as potential causes of raised CRP levels in COPD and to test the association between inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use and serum CRP levels. Methods Cross-sectional analyses comparing cohorts of 88 patients with COPD, 33 smokers (S), and 38 non-smoker (NS) controls were performed. Clinical assessments included a complete medical history, pulmonary function, 6-min walk test (6MWT), cardiopulmonary exercise test, and high-sensitivity serum CRP measurements. Results Serum CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with COPD (5.03 (1.51) mg/l) than in controls (adjusted odds ratio 9.51; 95% confidence interval 2.97–30.45) but were similar in the two control groups (S: 2.02 (1.04) mg/l; NS: 2.24 (1.04) mg/l). There was no clinical or exercise evidence of unstable IHD in any of the subjects. CRP levels were lower in COPD patients treated with ICS than in those not treated (3.7 (3.0) mg/l vs. 6.3 (3.6) mg/l); this association was confirmed in an adjusted regression model ( P 0.05 ). Conclusion CRP levels are raised in COPD patients without clinically relevant IHD and independent of cigarette smoking, and reduced in patients with COPD using ICS. CRP may be a systemic marker of the inflammatory process that occurs in patients with COPD. Reproduced with permission from the BMJ Publishing Group.
Calcium movements and intracellular calcium distribution in neoplastic GH3 cells.

Experiments were carried out to investigate the nature of the calcium homeostatic mechanisms in neoplastic GH3 rat pituitary cells. GH3 cells grown and maintained in Ham's F10 culture medium containd 35 nmoles calcium/mg cell protein. When stimulated by thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) or elevated K+ concentrations, only the latter caused cell calcium levels to rise although both resulted in hormone release. Then exposed to EGTA, the GH3 cells lost calcium. When the temperature was lowered to 4°C, the cells gained calcium and when rewarmed were able to extrude the previously accumulated calcium. The increased cell calcium following cold exposure could be blocked by prior treatment with rotenone. If rotenone was added subsequent to the cold exposure, it did not block the extrusion seen upon rewarming. In the absence of glucose in the medium, the GH3 cells took up more calcium upon exposure to 4° C, and upon rewarming the cells could not return to their previous low levels. There are thus significant differences in calcium homeostasis between the neoplastic GH3 cells and their normal pituitary counterparts. When intracellular calcium was localized with the potassium pyroantimonate technique, there was calcium found in/on mitochondria, membrane bound vesicles and plasma membrane. Nuclear staining was sparse, and nucleolar staining was virtually absent. Upon stimulation with TRH, there was a decrease in mitochondrial calcium along with increases in both plasma membrane and nucleolar calcium levels. Since total calcium is unchanged, this indicates a significant calcium redistribution in response to TRH. The increased nucleolar calcium may reflect a calcium dependent increase in mRNA synthesis as has been reported. Since TRH presumably acts at a surface receptor, the increased plasma membrane calcium might be functionally related to receptor activation.
Reasoning and Explanatory Talk: Learning in Everyday Settings

There are two approaches to children’s explanation: The first is philosophical and links scientific explanation with children’s reasoning. The second is sociocultural – focusing on the interaction between children and more knowledgeable others that allows the child to participate in the language of reasoning. Although the two approaches have distinct research and theoretical literatures, each perspective benefits the other by linking what a child learns and knows to what linguistic, social, and cultural contexts the child is exposed to and participates in. The first approach focuses on the child’s cognition, while the second focuses on child’s verbal interaction with others.
Acoustic Holographic Interferometry

Following the advent of holography, a multitude of applications were suggested arising from the ability to reconstruct wavefronts. In holographic interferometry the ability of holograms to reproduce three dimensional images was exploited to obtain for the first time interferograms which revealed displacements of rough surfaces. With recognition of its utility, the interest in holographic interferometry increased rapidly, and at present it is probably the most important application of holography.1–5
Beschäftigung, Innovation und Exportaktivität

Die mangelnde Wettbewerbsfahigkeit einiger westlicher Industrielander auf bedeutenden, wachstumsorientierten Weltmarkten, die zum Teil auch als eine Ursache fur die Wachstumsschwachen, die Handelsbilanzprobleme und die lang andauernde Arbeitslosigkeit in vielen europaischen Landern angesehen wird, hat aus industrieokonomischer Sicht die Frage aufgeworfen, welcher Zusammenhang zwischen Marktstruktur, Exportaktivitat und internationaler Wettbewerbsfahigkeit besteht. Eine optimistische Haltung hinsichtlich des Nutzens durch internationalen Wettbewerb vertreten Gray (1985) und Jacquemin (1982). Diese Vorteile werden jedoch durch die Existenz multinationaler Unternehmen relativiert. Kollusion uber die Grenzen hinweg verstarkt die Marktmacht von Unternehmen, so das Handelsstrome manipuliert werden und marktorientierter Handel reduziert wird (vgl. Zimmermann (1987)).
C-LACE2: computational risk assessment tool for 30-day post hospital discharge mortality

This paper describes a computational approach to assessing 30-day post-hospital discharge mortality risk. The idea of the constructed model is partially based on the popular LACE (Length of stay, Acuity, Comorbidities and Emergency visits) model, and combines elements of APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) and IPEC (Inpatient Evaluation Center of Veterans Health Administration) mortality models. The resulting C-LACE2 model includes length of stay, acuity, comorbidities, selected lab values and medications. The process of construction of the model and its validation are presented in details. The constructed final model consists of 101 attributes, and its minimum version of 20 attributes. C-LACE2 has been constructed by applying machine learning methods to MIMIC III inpatient EHR data. The model achieved accuracy (AUC) of 0.779. Detailed analysis of the C-LACE2 model has been performed to check its sensitivity to inputs.
Role of fatty acid oxidation in hyperoxia-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in lung endothelial cells

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease, which is characterized by alveolar dysplasia and impaired vascularization in premature infants. BPD can develop pulmonary hypertension (PH) in adolescence and adulthood. This is corroborated by previous reports showing that hyperoxic exposure in newborn mice caused PH in adult mice. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal cells (EndoMT), a biological process where endothelial cells (ECs) progressively lose their specific markers and gain mesenchymal phenotype, is one of the contributing factors for development of PH. It has been shown that inhibition of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) augments the magnitude of EndoMT in ECs. This was attenuated by enhancing FAO via overexpression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a), a rate-limiting step of the carnitine shuttle. However, no information is available on whether hyperoxic exposure reduces FAO, resulting in EndoMT in lung ECs. We hypothesized that hyperoxic exposure causes EndoMT by modulating FAO in lung ECs. To test this hypothesis, mouse fetal lung EC line (MFLM-91U) and primary lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMVECs) were exposed to hyperoxia (95% O2/5% CO2) for 24 h. Some cultures were placed in air for 1, 3, or 7 days post exposure (air recovery). We found that hyperoxic exposure followed by air recovery reduced FAO as determined by the Seahorse XF24 Analyzer. The levels of markers for mesenchymal cells (i.e., vimentin, CD44, Snail1, Snug, Twist1, and α-SMA) were increased, while the EC markers (i.e., vWF, PECAM-1/CD31 and CD34) were reduced in lung ECs exposed to hyperoxia followed by air recovery. Surprisingly, gene deletion of Cpt1a attenuated hyperoxia-induced reduction of CD34 and CD31 gene expression. In conclusion, hyperoxic exposure followed by air recovery causes EndoMT in lung ECs, and inhibition of FAO rescues this phenotype. These findings may provide therapeutic approach targeting Cpt1a to preventing PH in BPD patients.
Treatment integrity in psychotherapy research and implications for the delivery of quality mental health services.

OBJECTIVE Treatment integrity, or the degree to which an intervention is delivered as intended, serves a crucial function as an independent variable check in treatment outcome research. Implementation science focuses on understanding and improving the processes (e.g., training, supervision, monitoring) that establish and support treatment integrity in community settings. This review assessed the adequacy of treatment integrity procedures (i.e., establishing, assessing, evaluating, and reporting integrity) implemented in treatment outcome research with the goals of updating the review by Perepletchikova, Treat, and Kazdin (2007) and connecting findings to implementation science goals. METHOD Using the Implementation of Treatment Integrity Procedures Scale (Perepletchikova et al., 2007), 2 trained raters coded the treatment integrity procedures described by randomized controlled trials of psychosocial interventions published in 6 high-impact-factor journals from 2011 to 2015 (N = 188 studies describing 270 treatments). RESULTS Compared with Perepletchikova et al., current findings indicate significant improvement, but the frequency of adequate treatment integrity implementation remains low (10.7%). CONCLUSIONS Recommendations for future work include focus on conceptualization of treatment integrity, establishment of treatment integrity standards, and use of findings from implementation science to improve treatment integrity procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Virtual putty

Virtualization is a key technology underlying cloud computing platforms, where applications encapsulated within virtual machines are dynamically mapped onto a pool of physical servers. In this paper, we argue that cloud providers can significantly lower operational costs, and improve hosted application performance, by accounting for affinities and conflicts between co-placed virtual machines. We show how these affinities can be inferred using location-independent VM characterizations called virtual footprints, and then show how these virtual footprints can be used to reshape the physical footprint of a VM--its physical resource consumption--to achieve higher VM consolidation and application performance in a cloud environment. We also identify three general principles for minimizing a virtual machine's physical footprint, and discuss challenges in applying these principles in practice.
Cross-Leg Flaps for Lower Extremity Salvage: A Scoping Review

Background Lower extremity trauma with soft tissue loss presents a challenge to the reconstructive surgeon. Cross-leg flaps, first described by Hamilton in 1854, are still used to salvage traumatized lower extremities in patients not suitable for free tissue transfer, or those who are receiving care in locations with limited resources. Methods A scoping review methodology was used to examine the evidence supporting the use of cross-leg flaps in modern healthcare. Results There have been 409 cases of cross-leg flaps reported in the modern literature, with the majority of flap cases occurring outside the United States in Turkey, India and Japan. The most common indication was trauma, mentioned in 93.2% of patients (n = 353 of 379), and anatomic limitation, including inadequate vasculature, was the main reason for not performing free tissue transfer (52.8% of patients; n = 170 of 322). The majority are cross-leg fasciocutaneous flaps (85.8%, n = 273 of 318), based off the posterior tibial artery (27.5%, n = 50 of 182) and peroneal artery (26.9%, n = 49 of 182) and, covering defects of the distal third of the leg (55.5%, n = 151 of 272), or the foot (27.9%, n = 76 of 272). The pedicles are typically divided at three weeks (mean 20.9 days) after external fixation is used as the immobilization method (57.7%, n = 184 of 319). Flap survival was 100% across all publications except one (n = 349 of 350 patients), making cross-leg flaps a robust and reliable reconstructive option. Conclusion In resource limited environments or in patients who are unsuitable for microvascular free tissue transfer, the cross-leg flap remains an impactful and reliable option for limb salvage.
Translanguaging: a coda to the code?

ABSTRACTThis coda considers how translanguaging discourse is manifested in classrooms. Li Wei and Lin open up spaces of possibility for translanguaging by questioning the order of language. In so d...
Constructing Consistent Longitudinal Brain Networks by Group-Wise Graph Learning

Mounting evidence shows that many neuro-disorders can be understood as a dysfunction syndrome where the structural and functional connectivities of the large-scale network are progressively disrupted. In this regard, the subject-specific longitudinal pattern of network alterations is often more putative than other biomarkers discovered from cross-sectional network data. However, current computational approaches for brain network analysis are mainly designed for cross-sectional data, lacking the capability to accurately characterize the longitudinal brain network changes. To address this limitation, we propose to jointly estimate the brain networks at all time points by hierarchically regularizing temporal consistency in a local to a global manner, where we not only penalize the neurologically unreasonable longitudinal changes at each connection but also encourage maintaining the network geometry along time. By integrating this domain knowledge, we present a group-wise graph learning approach to construct longitudinal networks, which allows us to enhance the statistical power and replicability in network analyses. We present promising group comparison results in a longitudinal study of Alzheimer’s disease using structural neuroimaging data from the ADNI database, compared with the conventional cross-sectional network analysis approach.
Entropy stabilized single-phase (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 solid solution powders obtained via carbo/boro-thermal reduction

Abstract This report deals with the synthesis of entropy stabilized (ES) single-phase (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 powders, with specific surface area of about 1.6 m2/g, in a AlB2-type structure using individual transition metal (TM) oxides and, for the first time, elemental boron and carbon as precursors to feed the carbo/boro-thermal (CBT) reduction. Elemental B and C were intimately mixed into a mixture of five TM oxide powders, TM = Hf, Nb, Ta, Ti and Zr through an high energy planetary milling. ES single-phase TM diboride solid solution powders were obtained by a synthesis process consisting of a CBT reduction followed by solid solution formation. A B:C molar ratio = 1.27 (per 1 M mass of metals) was adjusted leading the CBT reduction to completion (i.e., full conversion of TM oxides), applying the synthesis temperature of 2123 K under vacuum. The micro-strain intended as deviation of some inter-planar distances of the entropy stabilized AlB2-type solid solution lattice, was analyzed by x-ray diffraction: a strong anisotropic micro-strain was found, and was attributed to the compositional disorder due to the coexistence of differing TM with different atomic radius.
Work in Progress: The PCC Task Group on Metadata Application Profiles

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) Task Group on Metadata Application Profiles was convened in May 2019 to help the PCC understand issues and practices associated with the management of m...
Current rates of publication for podium and poster presentations at the american society for surgery of the hand annual meetings.

Background: Research projects are presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). It is unknown how many achieve publication in peer-reviewed journals. We sought to determine current rates of publication of podium and poster presentations. Methods: All ASSH podium and poster presentations from 2000 to 2005 were reviewed, and an Internet-based search using PubMed and Google was conducted to determine whether the presented studies had been published. Times to publication and journal names were recorded. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Fisher’s exact test was conducted to compare current trends with previous trends. Results: Of 1127 podium and poster presentations reviewed, 46% were published in peer-reviewed journals. Forty-seven percent of published presentations (242 presentations) were in Journal of Hand Surgery , and 11% (59 entations) were in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery . Forty-five percent of presentations were published within 2 years and 66% within 3 years. The publication rate for podium presentations was significantly higher than that previously reported for Journal of Hand Surgery, at 54% compared with 44% (P=0.004). Conclusions: Currently, fewer than half of the studies presented at Annual Meetings of the ASSH achieve publication in peer-eviewed journals. Presentations are most likely to be published within 3 years, and almost half are published in Journal of Hand Surgery .
CHAPTER V – Metric Spaces

Publisher Summary This chapter describes metric spaces. One of the major areas of interest in modern and classical mathematics is known as “analysis;” calculus is a part of analysis. Pseudo-metric spaces occur in further applications than the metric spaces. There is a natural way to construct a metric space from a given pseudo-metric one. Pseudo-metric spaces are special, and mathematicians are interested in proving theorems in settings where no notion of distance is available. The chapter presents the theorems that formulate continuity of a function at a point and on a set.
Extended Abstract: How Hurricane Visualization Tools Affect the Public’s Perception of Risk and Preparedness

We discuss the design and preliminary findings of research conducted in Spring 2020 that seeks to understand the effect of hurricane visualization tools on individuals’ perceived risk and subsequent preparedness for incoming storms. We focus on the narrative elements in hurricane risk tools, exploring how these elements affect Central Florida residents’ levels of anxiety about and preparedness for incoming storms as a result of using visualization tools.
Speaking of Rights and Duties: Implying Mothers’ Citizenship in the US Congressional Welfare Reform Debate

Researchers have demonstrated that legislators did not explicitly recognize mothers’ parenting as an important citizenship duty in the 1994–1996 welfare reform debate. Despite this, some supportive parenting programs emerged from the debate, such as expanded child care. This study examined how legislators successfully supported some assistive programs within a predominantly punitive political discourse. Did legislators rather imply the citizenship value of mothering through allusions to rights and duties of citizenship? A critical discourse analysis of the entire welfare reform debate was conducted to determine if parenting as an important citizenship activity was implied by legislators through allusions to rights and obligations. All 66 relevant welfare reform debates and hearings of 1994–1996 were analyzed using a combination of grounded theory methods and content analysis within a critical discourse analysis framework. Legislators’ articulations of rights and benefits related to parenting were often favorable. Themes included that the government should support parenting, parenting is an important activity, and that no behavioral obligations should be placed upon parents to receive benefits. Including all themes, favorable parenting discourse was nearly 50%. However, legislators also used implicit citizenship messaging to diminish value and importance of parenting with themes related to gender order, parenting as non-work, and poor mothers’ parenting as dangerous. In the discourse, legislators overtly endorsed the personal responsibility ideology while often tacitly supporting poor mothers. The authors caution politically liberal legislators to carefully weigh policy gains won through implicit discourse against the overall costs to poor mothers’ citizenship construction.
Sleep Problems among Mothers of Youth Stopped by the Police.

Police stops are the most common form of criminal justice exposure in the USA, and are particularly common among urban youth, with 23% of them reporting a stop by the age of 15. While recent work has begun to illuminate the health impacts of police stops for these youth, little is known about the health consequences of youth police contact for the mothers of youth stopped by the police. The current study employs data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a sample of urban, at-risk youth and their families. Multivariate logistic regression models are conducted to examine the link between youth police stops and sleep difficulties among mothers. Additional analyses examine whether the features and consequences of police stops are associated with sleep difficulties among mothers. The findings indicate that mothers with youth who have experienced police stops are more than twice as likely to report both depression- and anxiety-related sleep difficulties compared to their counterparts. Furthermore, stops with certain features—including those characterized by intrusiveness, high trauma, and high stigma—emerged as consistently significant predictors of maternal sleep difficulties. The findings suggest that mothers who are vicariously exposed to police contact via their children are a vulnerable group. Given the non-random distribution of police contact across the population of youth, with police contact concentrated among children of color, the findings suggest that police contact may exacerbate racial inequalities in sleep, which may itself contribute to racial disparities in broader mental and physical health outcomes.
Social-emotional functioning in pediatric hydrocephalus: comparison of the Hydrocephalus Outcome Questionnaire to the Behavior Assessment System for Children.

Objective Hydrocephalus can impact all areas of health, including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional functioning. The social-emotional health of children who have had surgery for hydrocephalus is not well characterized. In this study, the authors sought to examine social-emotional functioning using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) and the Hydrocephalus Outcome Questionnaire (HOQ) in 66 children aged 5 to 17 years. Methods Caregivers of pediatric patients with hydrocephalus completed the BASC-3 and the HOQ. BASC-3 internalizing, externalizing, and executive functioning caregiver-reported scores were compared with the BASC-3 normative sample using one-sample t-tests to evaluate overall social-emotional functioning. BASC-3 scores were correlated with the social-emotional domain of the HOQ using Pearson's r to determine if the HOQ accurately captured the social-emotional functioning of children with hydrocephalus in a neurosurgery setting. BASC-3 and HOQ scores of children with different etiologies of hydrocephalus were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance to determine if differences existed between the following etiologies: intraventricular hemorrhage secondary to prematurity, myelomeningocele, communicating congenital hydrocephalus, aqueductal stenosis, or other. Results Children with hydrocephalus of all etiologies had more difficulties with social-emotional functioning compared with normative populations. Children with different hydrocephalus etiologies differed in executive functioning and overall HOQ scores but not in internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, or social-emotional HOQ scores. The social-emotional domain of the HOQ correlated more strongly with the BASC-3 than did the physical and cognitive domains. Conclusions These results have provided evidence that children who have had surgery for hydrocephalus may be at increased risk of social-emotional and behavioral difficulties, but etiology may not be particularly helpful in predicting what kinds or degree of difficulty. The results of this study also support the convergent and divergent validity of the social-emotional domain of the HOQ.
Event-level patterns of methamphetamine and poly-drug use among millennial sexual minority men: The P18 Cohort Study.

Abstract Introduction Knowledge on methamphetamine use among a new generation of sexual minority men (SMM) is limited. This study describes the event-level patterns of methamphetamine use and characteristics of methamphetamine users across time among Millennial SMM emerging into adulthood. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in two waves: 2009–2014 (Wave I) and 2014–2019 (Wave II) in the New York City metropolitan area. A total of 600 Millennial SMM ages 18–19 years were recruited for Wave I. A total of 665 SMM ages 22–23 years were recruited for Wave II, of which 41.2% (n = 274) were retained from Wave I. The Timeline Followback assessment was conducted every six months to record event-level drug use in the 30 days prior to the visit. Results A total of 5.4% of participants of between the ages of 18–27 reported methamphetamine use throughout the study period. The average number of days of methamphetamine use was significantly higher among racial/ethnic minority men in Wave II (F = 4.34, p = 0.0029). We found methamphetamine use occurred more often on weekend days and same-day use of methamphetamine occurred most often with cannabis and gamma-hydroxybutyrate. Usage of methamphetamine was significantly greater among SMM in Wave II who by design were older than Wave I. Conclusion We have identified differences in methamphetamine use by race/ethnicity. Weekend use and poly-drug use were common among methamphetamine-using SMM. Data indicate differential use in the population and that attempts to address this addictive behavior must be linked to other drug use and socialization among young SMM.
Abundant CpG-sequences in human genomes inhibit KIR3DL2-expressing NK cells

Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) comprise a diverse, highly polymorphic family of cell-surface glycoproteins that are principally expressed by Natural Killer (NK) cells. These innate immune lymphocytes fulfill vital functions in human reproduction and immune responses to viral infection. KIR3DL2 is an inhibitory NK cell receptor that recognizes a common epitope of the HLA-A3 and HLA-A11 class I glycoproteins of the major histocompatibility complex. KIR3DL2 also binds exogenous DNA containing the CpG motif. This interaction causes internalization of the KIR-DNA. Exogenous CpG-DNA typically activates NK cells, but the specificity of KIR3DL2-DNA binding and internalization is unclear. We hypothesized that KIR3DL2 binds exogenous DNA in a sequence-specific manner that differentiates pathogen DNA from self-DNA. In testing this hypothesis, we surveyed octameric CpG-DNA sequences in the human genome, and in reference genomes of all bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, with focus on medically relevant species. Among all pathogens, the nucleotides flanking CpG motifs in the genomes of parasitic worms that infect humans are most divergent from those in the human genome. We cultured KIR3DL2+NKL cells with the commonest CpG-DNA sequences in either human or pathogen genomes. DNA uptake was negatively correlated with the most common CpG-DNA sequences in the human genome. These CpG-DNA sequences induced inhibitory signaling in KIR3DL2+NKL cells. In contrast, KIR3DL2+NKL cells lysed more malignant targets and produced more IFNγ after culture with CpG-DNA sequences prevalent in parasitic worms. By applying functional immunology to evolutionary genomics, we conclude that KIR3DL2 allows NK cells to differentiate self-DNA from pathogen DNA.
Comets, Pollen and Dreams: Some Reflections on Scientific Explanation

The Newtonian synthesis, which provided the basis for all of classical physics, produced far-reaching changes in our ways of looking at the world. Laplace, who made significant contributions to the development of classical physics, was one of its most eloquent champions. Like Halley, he found the Newtonian explanation of comets an inspiring example of the power and value of modern science.
Economics or Culture? Motivations for Sub-State Nationalists in Europe

Why do some regions in Europe have sub-state nationalists actively seeking autonomy, and others lie dormant? Using a dataset of all regions within the EU from 1977-1997, I develop and test hypotheses regarding both the incidence and success of regionalist parties competing in national elections. In particular, I compare two forms of preference heterogeneity, economic and cultural, to determine which type of diﬀerence is more signiﬁcant for sub-state nationalists.
High-voltage semiconductor devices: status and trends

High-voltage semiconductor devices (>300V) are crucial components in a wide variety of applications, the most important of which include motor control, switch mode power supplies, and power factor correction (PFC). Traditionally this application space has been dominated by bipolar-type silicon devices such as the P-I-N diode, power bipolar transistor (BJT), and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). Recently, this dominance has been challenged by the commercial introduction of advanced high-voltage unipolar devices such as the silicon superjunction MOSFET (SJ/spl I.bar/MOSFET) and the silicon-carbide Schottky barrier diode (SiCSBD). In addition, there is increasing interest in unipolar high-voltage switching devices based on wide-bandgap materials. This paper reviews the current status and discusses future trends of these competing high-voltage semiconductor device technologies in terms of the fundamental physics, device electrical characteristics, and relevant manufacturing issues.
Domain Mismatch Compensation for Speaker Recognition Using a Library of Whiteners

The development of the i-vector framework for generating low dimensional representations of speech utterances has led to considerable improvements in speaker recognition performance. Although these gains have been achieved in periodic National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) evaluations, the problem of domain mismatch, where the system development data and the application data are collected from different sources, remains a challenging one. The impact of domain mismatch was a focus of the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) 2013 speaker recognition workshop, where a domain adaptation challenge (DAC13) corpus was created to address this problem. This paper proposes an approach to domain mismatch compensation for applications where in-domain development data is assumed to be unavailable. The method is based on a generalization of data whitening used in association with i-vector length normalization and utilizes a library of whitening transforms trained at system development time using strictly out-of-domain data. The approach is evaluated on the 2013 domain adaptation challenge task and is shown to compare favorably to in-domain conventional whitening and to nuisance attribute projection (NAP) inter-dataset variability compensation.
Detection of NGF-like activity in human brain tissue: increased levels in Alzheimer's disease

A two-site ELISA and a bioassay were used to detect NGF-like activity in human brain tissue. Both assays detected mouse NGF and recombinant human NGF with approximately equal sensitivity, whereas the antibodies showed little cross-reactivity with the recombinant human proteins NT-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. NGF-like activity was detected in fresh human cortical samples obtained from epileptic patients, with the highest activity observed in the right hemisphere of men. NGF-like activity was subsequently measured in autopsy samples of frontal and occipital cortex from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and from individuals with no history or pathological evidence of AD. Based on both the ELISA and the bioassay measurements, NGF-like activity was significantly elevated in both brain regions in AD. These results demonstrate the feasibility of detecting NGF-like activity in both fresh and postmortem human brain tissue and further suggest that AD is characterized by increased, rather than decreased, levels of cortical beta-NGF. The AD-related increase in NGF may be a consequence of degenerative changes in the basal forebrain cholinergic system.
The Impact of Municipal Governance on Cities' Audit Outcomes

The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of municipal governance on cities’ audit outcomes. While corporate governance has been studied at length, the structure and role of governance in a municipal setting is less explored. In this paper, five regression models are used to estimate the relationship between municipal governance and audit outcomes, measured by financial statement audit and single audit reportable conditions, comprised of internal control weakness disclosures and compliance deficiencies. Results show that governance factors are significant predictors of audit outcomes in a municipal setting. This study broadens existing municipal accounting theory as the first of its kind to explore the relationship between municipal governance and audit outcomes. Furthermore, significant evidence is found to extend results from the private sector to a municipal setting, and previously unexplored municipal governance variables are introduced.
Smart Substrate MCMs

This paper presents a cost-based assessment of the effectiveness of Smart Substrate MCM Systems. A Smart Substrate MCM System is one in which the substrate contains active circuitry for carrying out testing functions. The feasibility of using this approach is investigated. The Smart Substrate strategy is compared to an alternative approach based on the assumption that system components are perfect (“Known Good Die (KGD)” approach). The obtained results identify the domain of applicability of Smart substrate MCMs and point to limitations of the KGD approach.
Challenges in the network analysis of millimeter-wave overmoded and quasioptical components

The development of high power amplifiers and systems in the millimeter wave bands necessitates the extension of RF testing techniques beyond the traditional techniques used for single-moded systems. The objective of this paper is to describe the many techniques in use for the measurement of these overmoded systems, and to provide examples from the authors' efforts in the development of high power 94 GHz radar based on B.G. Danly et al. (1999) and B.G. Danly et al. (2002).
A high-speed RSD adaptive filter architecture with a fast carry-free SPT converter

Adopting a noncanonical structure, redundant signed digit (RSD) arithmetic, and fast radix-4 signed power-of-twos (SPT) conversion, we propose a high-speed LMS adaptive filter architecture with low hardware cost. With this architecture, good performance of adaptive filtering is still maintained.