cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trophic accumulation of DDT in a terrestrial food web

Abstract DDT was aerially applied to a 13-ha plot adjacent to croplands at the low rate of 0·22 kg/ha (0·2 lbs/acre). Modular food-web relationships in this simplified agroecosystem were linked with DDT residues. Soils, vegetation and tissues of resident biota were analysed for total residues at regular intervals (up to 2 years) subsequent to application. Herbivores (orthopterans, homopterans, coleopterans and lepidopterans) showed an immediate uptake of DDT-R in tissue, followed by a precipitous decline and then stabilisation or slight long-term incline in concentrations. Carnivorous arthropods (arachnids and coleopterans) and birds (loggerhead shrikes) initially showed a similar pattern followed by unexpected trophic increase. However, the time-span of uptake was greatly extended. Results indicate a two compartment mode of uptake—one fast, one very slow—the latter dependent on trophic concentration alone. Time delay in carnivores must be related to both trophic factors and individual life histories within the feeding guild. Ecological hazard was exhibited in only one feeding group (shrews) after experimental treatment. Shrews were totally absent from the area after DDT application.
Acute complications of MammoSite brachytherapy: A single institution's initial clinical experience

Abstract Purpose To report the acute complications incurred by the initial 37 patients who underwent accelerated partial breast irradiation with the MammoSite balloon breast brachytherapy applicator at the Medical University of South Carolina. Methods and materials Between May 2002 and March 2003, 37 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma had MammoSite brachytherapy catheters successfully place after lumpectomy by one of four surgeons and were deemed eligible for high-dose-rate brachytherapy. An open technique was used in 32 implants and the scar entry technique was used in 5 implants. Patients had Stage pTis-pT2N1 with negative margins. A dose of 34 Gy was prescribed to 1 cm from the balloon surface using 192 Ir high-dose-rate brachytherapy and was delivered in 10 fractions twice daily. CT was used to confirm that the balloon surface was adherent to the lumpectomy cavity and to measure the balloon surface to skin surface distance. CT images and daily fluoroscopic simulations were used for treatment planning. Patients were assessed for acute toxicity on the day of therapy completion and 4 weeks after therapy by the radiation oncologist. In addition, all available data from radiation, surgical, and medical oncology were retrospectively reviewed for documentation of complications. All patients in this series had a minimal follow-up of 3 months; the mean follow-up for all patients was 7 months. Results The acute complications were categorized as operative wound complications, infections, skin toxicity, seromas, or catheter failures. Operative wound complications occurred in 3 patients (8%). Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Grade 2 and Grade 3 toxicity occurred in 2 (5.4%) and 1 (2.7%) patient, respectively. Six (16.2%) developed wound infections and 12 (32.4%) seromas. Catheter failures due to leak occurred in 2 patients (5.4%) and rupture in 3 (8%). Conclusion The types of complications in this experience were similar to those in the Phase I trial of the MammoSite brachytherapy applicator. However, catheter failure due to leak occurred in our experience and was not described in the Phase I trial. The incidence of complications was greater in our series than in the Phase I trial; however, differences in toxicity scoring and the length of follow-up between the two series impeded direct comparisons. The incidences of complications over time reflect the steep learning curve for accelerated partial breast irradiation using the MammoSite brachytherapy applicator. Finally, radiation recall dermatitis developed in 1 patient treated after this review was completed.
A Single Probe Transient Moving Line Source Method for Determining Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, and Superficial Flow Velocity of a Porous Material With Flow

This paper presents a method to determine the effective thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of a porous material, as well as the superficial flow velocity of fluid flowing through the porous matrix using a single probe transient moving line source method. The method transforms the transient analytical solution for a moving line source using differentiation to produce three independent equations to solve for the three unknowns. Empirical data are presented from a laboratory scale test apparatus for three test cases with known properties and flow rates to validate the method. The method is then applied to field data from a standing column well used in ground source heat pump systems to obtain the thermal and flow properties of the ground formation. The properties are inserted into the transient analytical solution for a moving line source and superimposed over the empirical data showing agreement between the model and the data. The method is more accurate than traditional methods for estimating thermal properties when flow conditions are present, and the implementation of the method does not require any additional thermal data.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Atlantic overturning responses to obliquity and precession over the last 3 Myr

This study analyzes 39 Atlantic and seven Pacific benthic δ13C records to characterize obliquity and precession responses in Atlantic overturning since 3 Ma. Regional benthic δ13C stacks are also analyzed. A major transition in orbital responses is observed at 1.5–1.6 Ma coincident with the first glacial shoaling of Northern Component Water. Since ∼1.5 Ma, the phases of Atlantic benthic δ13C records from 2300 to 4000 m depth lag maximum obliquity by 59° (6.7 kyr) and June perihelion precession forcing by 133° (8.5 kyr). Comparison with North Atlantic sea surface temperature suggests that these orbital responses (particularly precession) in middle deep Atlantic δ13C are associated with changes in ocean heat transport and overturning rates. The mid-Pleistocene transition had little effect on the obliquity and precession phases of benthic δ13C but did result in a ∼50% decrease in the obliquity power of middle deep Atlantic δ13C at 0.6 Ma.
THE PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF 14 C-5-BROMO-2‘-DEOXYURIDYLYL-(3’5‘)-THYMIDINE DETERMINATION OF QUANTUM YIELDS AS A FUNCTION OF pH

— Quantum yields for the formation of the major photoproduct of 2-14C-5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridylyl-(3‘5’)-thymidine (BrdUpT) have been determined by irradiation of the 2-14C-BrU-labeled dinucleotide at pH 2.3, 5.9, 7.05, 8.0 and 10.25 with U.V. light at 280nm. At acidic and neutral pH the quantum yield was 0.0063; the value decreased markedly above pH 8.0 to 0.0025 at pH 10.25. Some evidence of the formation of additional photoproducts at high and low pH was found. Some aspects of the mechanism of the reaction are discussed. Consideration of pKa values calculated for singlet and triplet excited states indicates that the decrease in the quantum yield of main photoproduct at high pH is due to dissociation of the excited bromodeoxyuridine moiety. It is suggested that the formation of BrdUpT photoproduct and the debromination of bromouracil-labeled DN A occur via different excited states.
Three new types of shear plane in the Al5CuLi3 crystal structure

Abstract Three new types of shear plane, namely the first and second types of the {100} shear plane family and the second type of the {110} shear plane family, have been found in the Al5CuLi3 crystal structure (R phase) during the phase transformation from an icosahedral phase to the Al5CuLi3 crystalline structure. All three shear planes are non-conservative in that the spacing will change after shearing. To accommodate the same number of double triacontahedra (DTs) as that of a normal lattice plane, the DTs on the shear plane should be truncated or elongated. Three different building blocks, namely elongated DT, duplex DT and triple DT, have been introduced. The three new non-conservative shear planes can be fitted perfectly by these three building blocks without any overlap or gap. The atomic densities of the shear planes are the same as that of the R-phase matrix.
Nucleic acid transport through carbon nanotube membranes.

We study the electrophoretic transport of single-stranded RNA molecules through 1.5-nm-wide pores of carbon nanotube membranes by molecular dynamics simulations. From ≈170 individual RNA translocation events analyzed at full atomic resolution of solvent, membrane, and RNA, we identify key factors in membrane transport of biopolymers. RNA entry into the nanotube pores is controlled by conformational dynamics, and exit by hydrophobic attachment of RNA bases to the pores. Without electric field, RNA remains hydrophobically trapped in the membrane despite large entropic and energetic penalties for confining charged polymers inside nonpolar pores. Differences in RNA conformational flexibility and hydrophobicity result in sequence-dependent rates of translocation, a prerequisite for nanoscale separation devices.
Blast phenomena associated with high-speed impact

Abstract An experimental, analytical, and numerical investigation was conducted in order to measure air pressure at the target surface near the point of normal impact into semi-infinite rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) of a high-speed, 10 mm diameter tungsten carbide sphere. Impact speeds varied from 0.9 to 3.8 km/s. Numerical simulations of the impact were conducted in which the crater lip and ejecta motion were successfully coupled with the surrounding air. An analytical model of the air blast field resulting from the impact has been developed employing the blast generated by a small explosive charge initiated at the time and point of impact. This is a one-dimensional solution in which all characteristics of the blast field are a function only of the radius from the charge center and the energy released by the charge. Thus, a single empirically derived parameter—the equivalent explosive charge energy—completely defines the blast field. For each test, this parameter was obtained from a least squares fit to the peak pressures measured as a function of distance from the impact (explosion) center. The model predicts the data well at all test speeds. The tests, analytical modeling, and numerical simulations resulted in the following conclusions: The air blast field contains about 0.7% of the kinetic energy of the impacting projectile and results from three sources: (1) the air entrained by the projectile which impinges upon the target plate; (2) the air accelerated by the radially expanding crater lip; and (3) the air entrained by the impact induced ejecta.
Analysis of Antibody Response to Invariable Regions of VlsE, the Variable Surface Antigen of Borrelia burgdorferi

VlsE, the variable surface antigen of Borrelia burgdorferi, consists of two invariable domains at the amino and carboxyl termini and one central variable domain. The latter contains six invariable regions, IR1 to IR6, and six variable regions. In the present study, the antigenicity of all of the invariable regions in B. burgdorferi-infected monkeys, humans, and mice was assessed by peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Only one invariable region, IR6, was antigenic in all animals of the three host species. IR2 and IR4 were also antigenic in mice.
Chief Justice Roberts's Health Care Decision Disrobed: The Microfoundations of the Supreme Court's Legitimacy

The 2012 challenge to the Affordable Care Act was an unusual opportunity for people to form or reassess opinions about the Supreme Court. We utilize panel data coupled with as-if random assignment to reports that Chief Justice Roberts's decision was politically motivated to investigate the microfoundations of the Court's legitimacy. Specifically, we test the effects of changes in individuals' ideological congruence with the Court and exposure to the nonlegalistic account of the decision. We find that both affect perceptions of the Court's legitimacy. Moreover, we show that these mechanisms interact in important ways and that prior beliefs that the Court is a legalistic institution magnify the effect of updating one's ideological proximity to the Court. While we demonstrate that individuals can and did update their views for multiple reasons, we also highlight constraints that allow for aggregate stability in spite of individual-level change.
New insights from optimality theory for acquisition

L'A. propose une comparaison entre les theories derivationnelles basees sur des regles et la theorie de l'optimalite basee sur des contraintes en se concentrant sur les predictions empiriques qu'elles etablissent a propos de l'occurrence et de l'interaction de patrons d'erreur au cours de l'acquisition phonologique chez l'enfant
Electromigration of Cu Interconnect Lines Prepared by a Plasma-based Etch Process

The electromigration performance of Cu lines patterned by a Cl 2 plasma-based etch process has been studied with the accelerated isothermal lifetime test. An electromigration activation energy of 0.6 eV and a current density acceleration exponent of 2.7 were obtained. Both the copper-silicon nitride cap layer interface and the copper grain boundary were active diffusion paths. The applied mechanical bending stress changed the electromigration void distribution in the film, which leaded to the shorter lifetime and lower activation energy.
Mathematics anxiety in young children: Concurrent and longitudinal associations with mathematical performance

This study explored mathematics anxiety in a longitudinal sample of 113 children followed from second to third grade. We examined how mathematics anxiety related to different types of mathematical performance concurrently and longitudinally and whether the relations between mathematics anxiety and mathematical performance differed as a function of working memory. Concurrent analyses indicated that mathematics anxiety represents a unique source of individual differences in children’s calculation skills and mathematical applications, but not in children’s geometric reasoning. Furthermore, we found that higher levels of mathematics anxiety in second grade predicted lower gains in children’s mathematical applications between second and third grade, but only for children with higher levels of working memory. Overall, our results indicate that mathematics anxiety is an important construct to consider when examining sources of individual differences in young children’s mathematical performance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that mathematics anxiety may affect how some children use working memory resources to learn mathematical applications.
Involvement of Histone Demethylase LSD1 in Short-Time-Scale Gene Expression Changes during Cell Cycle Progression in Embryonic Stem Cells

The histone demethylase LSD1, a component of the CoREST (corepressor for element 1-silencing transcription factor) corepressor complex, plays an important role in the downregulation of gene expression during development. However, the activities of LSD1 in mediating short-time-scale gene expression changes have not been well understood. To reveal the mechanisms underlying these two distinct functions of LSD1, we performed genome-wide mapping and cellular localization studies of LSD1 and its dimethylated histone 3 lysine 4 (substrate H3K4me2) in mouse embryonic stem cells (ES cells). Our results showed an extensive overlap between the LSD1 and H3K4me2 genomic regions and a correlation between the genomic levels of LSD1/H3K4me2 and gene expression, including many highly expressed ES cell genes. LSD1 is recruited to the chromatin of cells in the G(1)/S/G(2) phases and is displaced from the chromatin of M-phase cells, suggesting that LSD1 or H3K4me2 alternatively occupies LSD1 genomic regions during cell cycle progression. LSD1 knockdown by RNA interference or its displacement from the chromatin by antineoplastic agents caused an increase in the levels of a subset of LSD1 target genes. Taken together, these results suggest that cell cycle-dependent association and dissociation of LSD1 with chromatin mediates short-time-scale gene expression changes during embryonic stem cell cycle progression.
A New Challenge for Statistical Mechanics

Traditionally we understand the need for probability in statistical mechanics to arise primarily from insufficient knowledge regarding initial conditions. But nonlinearities in the equations of motion can introduce irregular behavior that may lead to new phenomena, so that it is necessary to investigate how the role of probability in statistical mechanics may be affected by this observation. We conclude that the important effects are related to macroscopic equations derived from statistical mechanics.
Performance Optimizations for Deploying VoIP Services in Mesh Networks

In the recent past, there has been a tremendous increase in the popularity of VoIP services as a result of huge growth in broadband access. The same voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) service poses new challenges when deployed over a wireless mesh network, while enabling users to make voice calls using WiFi phones. Packet losses and delay due to interference in a multiple-hop mesh network with limited capacity can significantly degrade the end-to-end VoIP call quality. In this work, we discuss the basic requirements for efficient deployment of VoIP services over a mesh network. We present and evaluate practical optimizing techniques that can enhance the network capacity, maintain the VoIP quality and handle user mobility efficiently. Extensive experiments conducted on a real testbed and ns-2 provide insights into the performance issues and demonstrate the level of improvement that can be obtained by the proposed techniques. Specifically, we find that packet aggregation along with header compression can increase the number of supported VoIP calls in a multihop network by 2-3 times. The proposed fast path switching is highly effective in maintaining the VoIP quality. Our fast handoff scheme achieves almost negligible disruption during calls to roaming clients
Carbonic anhydrase activity of human peripheral nerves: A possible histochemical aid to nerve repair

The return of usable function after injury of peripheral nerves depends upon the appropriate regeneration ofaxons to their end organs. Debridement trimmings of severed nerves harvested during surgery were stained to demonstrate carbonic anhydrase activity. This histochemical method can be accomplished within 3 to 4 hours of receiving the tissue. Nerve fascicles were readily discriminated from one another by the individual staining patterns of their constituent axons. Axoplasmic staining was predominantly a feature of sensory fibers, and myelin staining was characteristic of skeletal motor axons. Carbonic anhydrase histochemistry may provide a means of accurately matching fascicles in cut nerve ends.
Positive organizational psychology, behavior, and scholarship: A review of the emerging literature and evidence base

The positive psychology movement seems to have stimulated new research and applications well beyond the discipline of traditional psychology. Among the various areas of inquiry, research and scholarship about positive organizations have received considerable attention from both researchers and practitioners. The current review examined the scholarly literature published between 2001 and 2009 on positive organizational psychology to provide a detailed picture of the current state of the field. This review sought to discover the overall growth rate, trends, and prevalent topics in the literature. It also aspired to provide an understanding of the empirical evidence for each topic through in-depth reviews. The findings suggest that there is a growing body of scholarly literature and an emerging empirical evidence base on topics related to positive organizations. Strengths, limitations, and implications of building a practical knowledge base for making significant improvements in the quality of working life a...
Behavioral variation in Drosophila melanogaster: no evidence for common alleles of large- effect at the foraging gene in a population from North Carolina, USA

It has been postulated that natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster are comprised of two behavioral morphs termed "rover" and "sitter", and that this variation is caused mainly by large-effect alleles at a single locus. Contrary to common assertions, however, published support for the existence of common large effect alleles in nature is quite limited. To further investigate, we quantified the foraging behavior of 36 sequenced strains from a natural population, performed an association study, and described patterns of molecular evolution at the foraging locus. Though there was significant variation in foraging behavior among genotypes, this variation was continuously distributed and not significantly associated with genetic variation at the foraging gene. Patterns of molecular population genetic variation at this gene also provide no support for the hypothesis that for is a target of recent balancing selection. Though our data only apply to this specific population, we propose that additional data is required to support a hypothesis of common alleles of large effect on foraging behavior in nature.
Neonatal Hypoglycemia, Part II: Pathophysiology and Therapy

Contemporary research is elucidating both the molecular mechanisms of hypoglycemia-induced neuronal injury and its corresponding clinical manifestations. Recognizing and screening those neonates at highest risk of hypoglycemia-induced injury is an important skill for all physicians responsible for the care of newborns. Appropriate therapy, consisting of either oral or intravenous glucose, should never be delayed while one is awaiting laboratory confirmation of a "low" glucose level.
New dimensions of interneuronal specialization unmasked by principal cell heterogeneity

Although the diversity of neocortical and hippocampal GABAergic interneurons is recognized in terms of their anatomical, molecular and functional properties, principal cells are usually assumed to constitute homogenous populations. However, even within a single layer, subpopulations of principal cells can often be differentiated by their distinct long-range projection targets. Such subpopulations of principal cells can have different local connection properties and excitatory inputs, forming subnetworks that may serve as separate information-processing channels. Interestingly, as reviewed here, recent evidence has revealed specific instances where interneuron cell types selectively innervated distinct subpopulations of principal cells, targeting only those with particular long-distance projection targets. This organization represents a novel form of interneuron specialization, providing interneurons with the potential to selectively regulate specific information-processing streams.
Ocean acoustic reverberation tomography.

Seismic wide-angle imaging using ship-towed acoustic sources and networks of ocean bottom seismographs is a common technique for exploring earth structure beneath the oceans. In these studies, the recorded data are dominated by acoustic waves propagating as reverberations in the water column. For surveys with a small receiver spacing (e.g., <10 km), the acoustic wave field densely samples properties of the water column over the width of the receiver array. A method, referred to as ocean acoustic reverberation tomography, is developed that uses the travel times of direct and reflected waves to image ocean acoustic structure. Reverberation tomography offers an alternative approach for determining the structure of the oceans and advancing the understanding of ocean heat content and mixing processes. The technique has the potential for revealing small-scale ocean thermal structure over the entire vertical height of the water column and along long survey profiles or across three-dimensional volumes of the ocea...
Analisis Pengaruh Transfer Pemerintah Pusat Terhadap Upaya Pemungutan Pajak Kabupaten/Kota Di Indonesia

Tujuan utama studi ini adalah menganalisis dampak transfer pemerintah pusat kepada pemerintah daerahterhadap upaya pemungutan pajak kabupaten/kota selama periode 2005-2008. studi ini menggunakanpendekatan metode regresi untuk mendapatkan indeks upaya pemungutan pajak (local tax eort) sertametode regresi panel dalam menganalisis dampak dari transfer pemerintah pusat tersebut. Bukti empirismendukung bahwa secara umum transfer dari pemerintah pusat dalam bentuk dana perimbangan berelasipositif dengan indeks upaya pemungutan pajak lokal. Selanjutnya, analisis dengan menggunakan komponendana perimbangan menyatakan bahwa kenaikan transfer dalam bentuk block grants yaitu Dana AlokasiUmum (DAU) serta Dana Bagi Hasil (DBH) secara signikan mendorong pertumbuhan dari indeks upayapemungutan pajak lokal.
Sleep duration and risk of lung cancer in the physicians' health study.

Background and Objectives: Lung cancer is the most common cancer and cancer related cause of death worldwide. However, the association between sleep duration and incident lung cancer has not been investigated in a prospective cohort study. Methods: We prospectively examined the association between sleep duration and incident lung cancer in a cohort of 21,026 United States (US) male physicians. Self-reported sleep duration was ascertained during 2002 annual follow-up questionnaire. Incident lung cancer was ascertained through yearly follow-up questionnaires. Cox regression was used to estimate relative risk of incident lung cancer. Results: The average age at baseline was 68.3±8.8 yr. During a mean follow up of 7.5 (±2.2) yr, 150 cases of lung cancer occurred. Using 7 h of sleep as the reference group, multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (95%CI) for lung cancer were 1.18 (0.77-1.82), 1.0 (ref), and 0.97 (0.67-1.41) from lowest to the highest category of sleep duration (P for quadratic trend 0.697), respectively. In a secondary analysis, smoking status did not modify the sleep duration-lung cancer association (P=0.78). There was no evidence for an interaction between sleep duration and sleep apnea on the risk of lung cancer either (P=0.65). Conclusions: Our data failed to show a higher risk of lung cancer in association with altered sleep duration among US male physicians. DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2014.09.02
Kyrgyzstan: Quality Assurance—Do State Standards Matter?

The Kyrgyz Republic has been without a formal system for evaluating its higher education institutions since June 3, 2014, but neither educators nor the public seem to care very much. Specific circumstances make the lack of formal assessment mechanisms at the national level less critical than might be the case elsewhere. Nevertheless, since one factor is that some of the stronger institutions have degrees recognized elsewhere and others are pursuing international accreditation, educators elsewhere might want to keep an eye on Kyrgyzstan.
Charles Reis Felix's Through a Portagee Gate: Lives Parceled Out in Stories

The recent publication of Charles Reis Felix's Through a Portagee Gate (2004) is a unique addition to Portuguese American Literature, a still relatively small field but one that, in the last twenty-five years, has experienced what amounts to a flurry of critical and artistic activity.1 Both an autobiography of the author and a biography of the author's father, Through a Portagee Gate is remarkable because ideologically and thematically it blurs generic boundaries; further, it employs a highly creative mode of storytelling to articulate its autobiographical content. Although there are about a dozen Portuguese immigrant and ethnic autobiographies by US writers, none attain the level of literary sophistication and mastery of the representation of orality that Felix's work manifests.2 Through a Portagee Gate is comprised of two life stories or intercultural itineraries: that of the ethnic narrator Charles Felix, and that of the immigrant Joe Felix, Charles's father. The book does not have a subtitle or any other designation identifying it as an autobiography, a biography, or a combination of the two. As George Monteiro argues, the book is both an autobiography and a biography ("Preface" xii). What I would like to propose, however, is that Felix's work embodies several interrelated subjectivities: that of the immigrant father, who is allowed to tell his own life story in his own voice; that of the individual of Portuguese descent, who distanced himself from the ancestral culture and initially was
Structure-Activity Relationship for the 4(3H)-Quinazolinone Antibacterials.

We recently reported on the discovery of a novel antibacterial (2) with a 4(3H)-quinazolinone core. This discovery was made by in silico screening of 1.2 million compounds for binding to a penicillin-binding protein and the subsequent demonstration of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The first structure–activity relationship for this antibacterial scaffold is explored in this report with evaluation of 77 variants of the structural class. Eleven promising compounds were further evaluated for in vitro toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy in a mouse peritonitis model of infection, which led to the discovery of compound 27. This new quinazolinone has potent activity against methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains, low clearance, oral bioavailability and shows efficacy in a mouse neutropenic thigh infection model.
A 2 kW, single-phase, 7-level, GaN inverter with an active energy buffer achieving 216 W/in3 power density and 97.6% peak efficiency

High efficiency and compact single phase inverters are desirable in many applications such as solar energy harvesting and household appliances. This paper presents a 2 kW, 60 Hz, 450 VDC to 240 VRMS power inverter, designed and tested subject to the specifications of the Google/IEEE Little Box Challenge. The inverter features a 7-level flying capacitor multilevel converter, with low-voltage GaN switches operating at 120 kHz, the highest switching frequency to date at this power level. The inverter also includes an active buffer for twice-line-frequency power pulsation decoupling, which reduces the required capacitance by a factor of eight compared to conventional passive decoupling capacitor, while maintaining an efficiency above 99%. The inverter prototype is a self-contained box that achieves a high power density of 216 W/in3 and a peak overall efficiency of 97.6% while meeting the constraints including input current ripple, load transient, thermal and EMC specifications.
High Pressure Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Oysters

A high pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure is described for determining 13 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PNA) compounds in oysters at the 2 ppb level. These compounds are extracted from shellfish with acetonitrile and partitioned into petroleum ether; the petroleum ether is removed and the residue is saponified. The aromatic compounds are isolated by passing the saponifeid residue through silica gel and further purified and fractionated by muStyragel gel permeation chromatography. The in-ividual PNAs are then quantitatively determined by using a reverse phase HPLC column coupled to fluorescence, spectrophotometric, and 254 nm absorbance detectors in series. Recoveries from spiked samples generally were greater than 80%.
Environmental Contaminants and Reproductive Bodies: Provider Perspectives on Risk, Gender, and Responsibility.

Increasingly, leading health organizations recommend that women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy avoid certain toxic chemicals found in our products, homes, and communities in order to protect fetuses from developmental and future harm. In the contemporary United States, women’s maternal bodies have been treated as sites of exceptional risk and individual responsibility. Many studies have examined this phenomenon through the lens of lifestyle behaviors like smoking, drinking, and exercise. However, we know little about how environmental hazards fit into the dominant framework of gendered, individual responsibility for risk regulation. I draw on in-depth interviews with 19 reproductive healthcare providers in the United States to explore how they think about their patients’ exposure to environmental contaminants and sometimes subvert this gendered, individualized responsibility and adopt more collective frames for understanding risk.
Electrowetting-on-Dielectric Actuation of a Vertical Translation and Angular Manipulation Stage

Adhesion and friction during physical contact of solid components in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) often lead to device failure. Translational stages that are fabricated with traditional silicon MEMS typically face these tribological concerns. This work addresses these concerns by developing a MEMS vertical translation, or focusing, stage that uses electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) as the actuating mechanism. EWOD has the potential to eliminate solid-solid contact by actuating through deformation of liquid droplets placed between the stage and base to achieve stage displacement. Our EWOD stage is capable of linear spatial manipulation with resolution of 10 μm over a maximum range of 130 μm and angular deflection of approximately ±1°, comparable to piezoelectric actuators. We also developed a model that suggests a higher intrinsic contact angle on the EWOD surface can further improve the translational range, which was validated experimentally by comparing different surface coatings. The capabilit...
Reasons for faculty departures from an academic medical center: a survey and comparison across faculty lines

Faculty departure can present significant intellectual costs to an institution. The authors sought to identify the reasons for clinical and non-clinical faculty departures at one academic medical center (AMC). In May and June 2010, the authors surveyed 137 faculty members who left a west coast School of Medicine (SOM) between 1999 and 2009. In May and June 2015, the same survey was sent to 40 faculty members who left the SOM between 2010-2014, for a total sample size of 177 former faculty members. The survey probed work history and experience, reasons for departure, and satisfaction at the SOM versus their current workplace. Statistical analyses included Pearson’s chi-square test of independence and independent sample t-tests to understand quantitative differences between clinical and non-clinical respondents, as well as coding of qualitative open-ended responses. Eighty-eight faculty members responded (50%), including three who had since returned to the SOM. Overall, professional and advancement opportunities, salary concerns, and personal/family reasons were the three most cited factors for leaving. The average length of time at this SOM was shorter for faculty in clinical roles, who expressed lower workplace satisfaction and were more likely to perceive incongruence and inaccuracy in institutional expectations for their success than those in non-clinical roles. Clinical faculty respondents noted difficulty in balancing competing demands and navigating institutional expectations for advancement as reasons for leaving. AMCs may not be meeting faculty needs, especially those in clinical roles who balance multiple missions as clinicians, researchers, and educators. Institutions should address the challenges these faculty face in order to best recruit, retain, and advance faculty.
Wide band programmable true time delay block for phased array antenna applications

This paper describes a 6-bit programmable True Time Delay (TTD) system for 1-12GHz applications. The minimum delay resolution is 20ps, and maximum delay is 1.35ns, thus making it suitable for phased array antenna and imaging applications. The programmable TTD system simulation results show better than 9dB of input and output return loss across the entire frequency range. As a proof of concept, a 40ps unit cell delay is realized in the GlobalFoundries (GF) 180nm CMOS technology. The fabricated unit cell has less than 2.5dB insertion loss and better than 9dB return loss within the entire frequency range. The fabricated TTD unit cell occupies 0.3 X 0.35mm2.
Signature morphology of accelerating targets in squinted SAR imagery

This paper examines the signature morphology effects of surface targets that execute a transition from a lower speed to a higher speed during the collection interval for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) characterized by a non-zero squint angle. In general, moving target smears exhibit a residual defocus in the range direction that is less severe than that in the radar cross-range direction. This study examines the signature smear location, extent, and shape for surface targets that are transitioning to higher speed for squinted SAR collections. The SAR simulations give excellent agreement between the target signatures and the theoretically predicted contour shapes.
Infrared Classification of Young Stellar Objects

The radiative transfer equation for a dusty envelope as close as possible to an embedded central source possesses scaling properties. For a given dust chemical composition, the solution depends only on overall optical depth and the functional form of the radial dust distribution. All other physical parameters (luminosity, overall density, etc.) do not affect the solution independently, only through their effect on the overall optical depth.
Care or Neglect?: Corporal Discipline Reform in a Rural Moroccan Classroom

I examine parent, student, and teacher reactions in a rural Moroccan village to a national ban on corporal punishment in schools. I argue that although the ban has largely been ignored in the local primary school, talk about acts of corporal punishment are used to make claims about the relationship between rural citizen and state as represented by the teachers because of the way in which these practices index care and authority.
Assessing failure in epitaxially encapsulated micro-scale sensors using micro and nano x-ray computed tomography

Millions of micro electro mechanical system sensors are fabricated each year using an ultra-clean process that allows for a vacuum-encapsulated cavity. These devices have a multi-layer structure that contains hidden layers with highly doped silicon, which makes common imaging techniques ineffective. Thus, examining device features post-fabrication, and testing, is a significant challenge. Here, we use a combination of micro- and nano-scale x-ray computed tomography to study device features and assess failure mechanisms in such devices without destroying the ultra-clean cavity. This provides a unique opportunity to examine surfaces and trace failure mechanisms to specific steps in the fabrication process.
Strategy for Animalism

The central argument for animalism is the thinking animal problem (TAP): if you are not an animal, there are two thinkers within the region you occupy, i.e., you and your animal body. This is absurd. So you are an animal. The main objection to this argument is the thinking brain problem (TBP): animalism faces a problem that is structurally analogous to TAP. Specifically, if animalism is true, you and your brain both think. This is absurd. So animalism is false. The purpose of this paper is to propose strategies animalists can endorse to solve TBP. I first show that animalists can solve TBP by arguing that it is not sound. This solution to TBP raises questions about personal identity over time and the mereological relation between the person and the brain. I argue that animalists can answer the personal identity question by endorsing non-biological persistence conditions as well as biological ones. For the mereological question, I first show that animalism is incompatible with four-dimensionalism and eliminativism. I then argue that animalists should endorse the dominant sortal account to answer the mereological question.
Western Religion and the Patriarchal Family

The Judeo-Christian tradition has helped to shape, legitimate, and even sacralize the model of family characteristic of the western world: the patriarchal family. Though the Judeo-Christian tradition neither created nor exclusively controlled the patriarchal family — which both predated it and was manifested in areas outside the influence of both Judaism and Christianity — neither did the Judeo-Christian tradition merely passively accept the patriarchal family, but instead made it central to the religious tradition itself, and even based religious structures on patriarchal assumptions.
Multicenter phase 2 study of nintedanib in patients (pts) with advanced progressing carcinoid tumors.

4105Background: Serotonin is the cause of carcinoid symptoms and can signal the formation of fibroblasts via fibroblast growth receptors (FGFR). Nintedanib is an oral inhibitor of the FGFR pathway ...
Bias in meta-analyses using Hedges’ d

The type of metric and weighting method used in meta‐analysis can create bias and alter coverage of confidence intervals when the estimated effect size and its weight are correlated. Here, we investigate bias associated with the common metric, Hedges’ d, under conditions common in ecological meta‐analyses. We simulated data from experiments, computed effect sizes and their variances, and performed meta‐analyses applying three weighting schemes (inverse variance, sample size, and unweighted) for varying levels of effect size, within‐study replication, number of studies in the meta‐analysis, and among‐study variance. Unweighted analyses, and those using weights based on sample size, were close to unbiased and yielded coverages close to the nominal level of 0.95. In contrast, the inverse‐variance weighting scheme led to bias and low coverage, especially for meta‐analyses based on studies with low replication. This bias arose because of a correlation between the estimated effect and its weight when using the inverse‐variance method. In many cases, the sample size weighting scheme was most efficient, and, when not, the differences in efficiency among the three methods were relatively minor. Thus, if using Hedges’ d, we recommend using weights based upon sample size that do not involve individual study estimates of the effect size.
Understanding Patient Safety and Quality Outcome Data

The need for nurses to understand patient safety and quality outcome data is pressing in the current era of data transparency. Health care outcomes data are now publicly reported and readily accessible to consumers, are necessary for performance-based reimbursement, and are required by government and regulatory agencies. In order for nurses at all levels of practice to own their outcomes and be accountable for making improvements, they must possess skills in collecting, analyzing, evaluating, and acting on outcome data. This article provides basic tools and clinical examples for nurses to use in a focused application of outcome data and a structured process for improving nursing care outcomes.
HeteroEdge: taming the heterogeneity of edge computing system in social sensing

Social sensing has emerged as a new sensing application paradigm where measurements about the physical world are collected from humans or devices on their behalf. The advent of edge computing pushes the frontier of computation, service, and data along the cloud-to-IoT continuum. The merge of these two technical trends (referred to as Social Sensing based Edge Computing or SSEC) generates a set of new research challenges. One critical issue in SSEC is the heterogeneity of the edge where the edge devices owned by human sensors often have diversified computational power, runtime environments, network interfaces, and hardware equipment. Such heterogeneity poses significant challenges in the resource management of SSEC systems. Examples include masking the pronounced heterogeneity across diverse platforms, allocating interdependent tasks with complex requirements on devices with different resources, and adapting to the dynamic and diversified context of the edge devices. In this paper, we develop a new resource management framework, HeteroEdge, to address the heterogeneity of SSEC by 1) providing a uniform interface to abstract the device details (hardware, operating system, CPU); and 2) effectively allocating the social sensing tasks to the heterogeneous edge devices. We implemented HeteroEdge on a real-world edge computing testbed that consists of heterogeneous edge devices (Jetson TX2, TK1, Raspberry Pi3, and personal computer). Evaluations based on two real-world social sensing applications show that the HeteroEdge achieved up to 42% decrease in end-to-end delay for the application and 22% more energy savings compared to the state-of-the-art baselines.
Diagnostic performance of dual-energy CT and subtraction CT for renal lesion detection and characterization

To compare the effect of dual-energy CT (DECT) material density datasets on diagnostic performance, readers’ confidence, and interpretation time for renal lesion detection and characterization in comparison to subtraction CT (SCT). One hundred fourteen patients (69/45 = M/F, mean age = 67 years) who underwent contrast-enhanced DECT between January 2015 and February 2018 for suspected renal mass were included retrospectively. For each patient, three radiologists assessed three image datasets: group A, material density iodine (MDI) + material density water (MDW); group B, SCT only; and group C, SCT + true unenhanced phase + virtual monochromatic images at 65 keV. Readers evaluated image quality (4-point scale), the number of lesions, and likely diagnosis. Reading times were recorded. Quantitatively, iodine concentration (IC from MDI) and delta Hounsfield units (ΔHU) for all lesions were measured. Diagnostic accuracy was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Image quality and interpretation time were compared with Kruskal-Wallis and t tests. Study cohort (230 lesions; mean size = 23.63 mm (5–116 mm)) consisted of 60 enhancing, 158 non-enhancing, and 12 lipid-dominant angiomyolipoma lesions. Significantly higher image quality was demonstrated for MDI compared to SCT (mean score = 3.82 vs. 3; p < 0.05). Comparable diagnostic accuracy was observed for group A (AUC = 0.88) and group C (AUC = 0.87) and was higher compared to that for group B (AUC = 0.75). Group A was read faster than group C (41.49 s vs. 71.45 s per exam; p < 0.05). Both IC and ΔHU values had high accuracy (AUC = 0.97) for differentiating enhancing vs. non-enhancing lesions; however, IC enabled differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma from other enhancing lesions with moderate accuracy (AUC = 0.73). MDI images increase readers’ confidence for renal lesion detection and characterization while providing a more efficient radiologist workflow, irrespective of readers’ experience. • Material density iodine (MDI) images enable faster interpretation due to high image quality and potentially reduced need for quantitation. • MDI images increase diagnostic confidence of readers, irrespective of radiologists’ experience. • High accuracy with dual-energy CT (DECT) can potentially reduce healthcare costs by eliminating the need for additional investigations.
Liver, Biliary Tract, Pancreas, and Spleen

Pediatric patients have unique diseases in the liver, biliary tract, pancreas, and spleen, and it is important to approach pediatric disease systematically and multidisciplinarily, including clinical chemistry, hematology, radiology, histopathology, and microbiology. This chapter presents various imaging findings of the liver, biliary tract, pancreas, and spleen in children, including congenital anomalies, inflammatory or infectious diseases, metabolic or infiltrative diseases, and tumorous conditions.
Teaching Multiliteracies to Chinese Students: Challenges and Insights:

This article reports on a qualitative study of the graduate-level course “teaching multiliteracies.” At the time of the study, 24 of the 27 enrolled students were originally from China, and the exp...