cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implantable imaging system for automated monitoring of internal organs

An implantable miniaturized imaging device can be attractive in many clinical applications. They include automated, periodic, high-resolution monitoring of susceptible internal organs for early detection of an anomalous growth. Early diagnosis of various diseases and health problems is extremely important in ensuring better efficiency of treatment, prevention, or delay of associated complications and, even in certain scenarios, the difference between ­survival and death. In this chapter, we discuss an implantable ultrasonic imager capable of online ­high-resolution imaging of a region inside the body. A feasibility analysis is presented, with respect to design of such a system and its application to online monitoring of tumor growth in deep internal organs. We use ultrasound (US) imaging technology, as it is safe, low-cost, can be easily miniaturized, and amenable for long-term, point-of-care (POC) monitoring. The design space of the proposed system has been explored including form factor, transducer specifications and power/energy requirements. The chapter has analyzed the effectiveness of the system in timely detection of anomalous growth in a case study through software simulations using a widely-accepted ultrasonic platform (Field II). Finally, through experimental studies using medical grade phantoms and an ultrasound scanner, the system has been evaluated with respect to its major imaging characteristics. It is observed that interstitial imaging under area/power constraints would achieve significantly better imaging quality in terms of contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution than existing techniques in deep, internal body parts, while maintaining the automated monitoring advantages for early detection of malignant growths.
Synagoga and Ecclesia In Our Time: A Transformative Sculptural Statement in Traditional Form

On September 25, 2015, a new bronze sculpture near the chapel of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia was dedicated to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 declaration, Nostra Aetate, its “Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions.” 1 Two days later, Pope Francis blessed the statue of two similar female figures seated side by side, one holding a Torah scroll, the other holding a Bible (figures 1 and 7). The title of the work, Synagoga and Ecclesia In Our Time, points backwards and forwards chronologically: “Synagoga and Ecclesia” refers to the long-standing Christian tradition, born in thirteenth-century Europe, of depicting the Church as a confident and victorious female figure in contrast to the defeated and broken female figure of Synagogue; 2 “In Our Time” translates the declaration’s opening Latin words, “nostra aetate.” This declaration’s fourth paragraph redirected Catholic discourse on Judaism. The sculpture also attempts to embody ideas that have emerged in the half-century since the council and that, in December 2015, found their most recent official articulation in the Pontifical Council for Religious Relations with the Jews’ publication of “The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29): A Reflection on Theological Questions Pertaining to Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Occasion of the 50 th Anniversary of “Nostra Aetate” (No.4). 3
Analysis and simulation of anode heating due to electron field emission

This paper considers the effect of anode heating from energetic electrons produced by field emission. Large electric fields accelerate emitted electrons as they traverse the vacuum gap toward the anode. Electron energy is transferred to the anode by collisions with the lattice. The nonequilibrium transfer of electron kinetic energy to anode thermal energy is examined quantitatively. Results demonstrate that the energy distribution of impinging electrons affects the transmission and dissipation of thermal energy. A Monte Carlo technique is used to resolve the thermalization of electrons and accounts for electron beam strength and spatial distribution. The results indicate that local heat fluxes of the order 10 kW/cm/sup 2/ occur at the anode surface and that heating is a strong function of field strength because of the exponential relationship between applied voltage and current. Under practical conditions, temperature increases of 10/spl deg/C are predicted from a single point emission source.
A preliminary randomized controlled trial of contingency management for alcohol use reduction using a transdermal alcohol sensor.

AIMS We tested the efficacy of daily contingent reinforcement for reducing alcohol use compared with (yoked) non-contingent reinforcement (NR) using a transdermal alcohol sensor to detect alcohol use. DESIGN Pilot randomized controlled design with 1 baseline week, 3 intervention weeks and 1-month follow-up. SETTING New England, USA. PARTICIPANTS Heavy drinking adults (46.7% female) not seeking treatment were randomized to (1) an escalating schedule of cash reinforcement (CR; n = 15) for days on which alcohol was neither reported nor detected or (2) yoked NR (n = 15). INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR Reinforcement for CR participants started at $5 and increased $2 every subsequent day on which alcohol was not detected or reported, to a maximum of $17. Participants received no reinforcement for days on which alcohol use was detected or reported, and the reinforcer value was re-set to $5 the day after a drinking day. NR participants were yoked to the daily reinforcer value of an individual in the CR condition, in order of enrollment. Paired participants in CR and NR therefore received the same amount of money, but the amount for the NR participant was not behavior-related. MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome was percentage of days without sensor-detected drinking. Secondary outcomes were number of consecutive days with no detected drinking, peak transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC), self-reported drinks per week and drinking below NIH low-risk guidelines. FINDINGS Controlling for baseline, CR had a higher percentage of days with no drinking detected (54.3%) than NR (31.2%) during intervention weeks [P = 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.007-1.47]. The longest period of consecutive days with no drinking detected was 8.0 for CR versus 2.9 for NR (P = 0.03, d = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.08-1.61). Peak TAC during intervention showed a non-significant group difference (P = 0.20; d = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.00-1.18); a similar result was found for drinks per week (P = 0.12; d = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.00-1.30). Four times more participants in CR drank below NIH low-risk drinking guidelines during intervention than did participants in NR: 31.1 versus 7.1% (P = 0.07; d = 0.71; 95% CI = -0.04 to 1.46). At 1-month follow-up, the highest number of consecutive days without drinking (self-report) did not differ significantly between conditions (P = 0.26), but showed a medium effect size (d = 0.44; 95% CI = -0.32 to 1.18). CONCLUSIONS Cash incentives linked to a transdermal alcohol sensor can reduce heavy alcohol consumption while the incentives are in operation.
Synergy between next generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and miR-34a in the inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Objectives EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are widely used to treat NSCLC, primarily patients with activating mutations, with more limited response in wild-type disease. However, even with EGFR-mutated disease, many patients fail to respond, most who initially respond fail to respond completely, and almost all develop resistance and inevitably progress. New therapeutic options that improve these outcomes could provide substantial clinical benefit. We previously demonstrated strong synergistic effects between erlotinib and the tumor suppressor microRNA miR-34a, sensitizing NSCLC cells with primary resistance (EGFR wild-type) and restoring sensitivity in cells with acquired resistance. Here, we report results of further research combining miR-34a with newer generation EGFR-TKIs in similar experiments. Materials and methods Human NSCLC cell lines with varying degrees of primary and acquired resistance to erlotinib were assessed for sensitivity to a broad set of combined doses of miR-34a mimic and afatinib, rociletinib or osimertinib. Multiple analytical approaches were used to characterize effects on cancer cell proliferation as additive, antagonistic or synergistic. Results Mimics of miR-34a synergized with afatinib, rociletinib or osimertinib in all EFGR-mutant cells tested. Best and consistently strong synergy was observed in cell models with acquired resistance. Synergy was also evident in most EGFR wild-type cells with miR-34a combined with rociletinib and osimertinib, but not with afatinib. The effects were observed across a broad range of dose levels and drug ratios, with maximal synergy at doses yielding high levels of inhibition beyond those possible to be induced by the single agents alone. Conclusion Combined miR-34a and EGFR-TKIs synergistically sensitize both EGFR wild-type and mutant NSCLC cells, supporting clinical investigation of these combinations as a strategy to overcome both primary and acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC, possibly with an improved therapeutic index.
Digital Historicism: Archival Footage, Digital Interface, and Historiographic Effects in Call of Duty: World at War

Historical videogames offer the promise of a new relationship between the reader of history and the account of an historical event, potentially transforming the “reader” of history into the active “user” or even “maker” of history. Indeed, the concept of historical videogames suggests that the user may play an active part in the construction of historical narratives and, thereby, in the implications of these historical events for the present. In this paper, I examine the appropriation of indexical archival documents into two instances of what I call “digital historicism” – the videogame Call of Duty: World at War (Activision, 2008) and the database narrative Tracing the Decay of Fiction: Encounters with a Film by Pat O’Neill (Pat O’Neill, Rosemary Comella, and Kristy H.A. Kang, 2002) – and their respective historiographic effects. I argue that the appropriations of indexical archival footage in each of these two digital media works produce in the user a phenomenological experience of the documentary “real,” but at the same time shape and limit the meanings that may be attributed to this footage. Indeed, I suggest that Call of Duty, while at the cutting edge of game design, imports and reinforces a conservative and even reactionary historiographic model into the emergent genre of digital history. Moreover, I argue that although Tracing the Decay of Fiction offers a less teleological and more open-ended encounter with the historical past, it is precisely its lack of a singular narrative that may ultimately (and paradoxically) undermine the user’s sense of historiographic agency as she is confronted with the unruly indexical traces of the past.
A single-chip wireless microelectrode array for neural recording and stimulation

A single-chip ultra-low power wireless microelectrode array (MEA) for neural recording and stimulation is implemented. The device is fabricated in GlobalFoundries 45 nm CMOS SOI technology and post processed without using additional lithography to achieve a thin fully functional and flexible system. The design occupies a volume of 0.008 mm3 and integrates a 2D MEA with 9 active neural field potential channels and a miniaturized antenna for wireless powering and communication. The system consumes 15 μW of power per channel at a sensing rate of 26 kS/s. System measurement and in-vitro tests with live mouse brain cells have been conducted.
Die Abstammung des Menschen

Hominiden-Fossilien sowie genetische Daten verdeutlichen, dass die Evolution von kognitiven und sprachlichen Kapazitaten beim modernen Menschen nicht auf eine einzelne massive Mutation zuruckgefuhrt werden kann. Seitdem sich die Gattung Homo von der Gattung Pan abgespalten hat, trat offensichtlich eine graduelle Evolution kognitiver und sprachlicher Fahigkeiten ein. Die kraniale Kapazitat, die vermutlich mit der kognitiven Kapazitat korreliert, erhohte sich systematisch im Verlauf der menschlichen Abstammungsgeschichte, wenn die Arten H. floresensis und Paranthropus nicht berucksichtigt werden. Zahlreiche externe und intrinsische Faktoren durften die kognitive Evolution ausgelost haben, wobei soziale Faktoren offensichtlich eine entscheidende Rolle gespielt haben. Entsprechend wird geschlussfolgert, dass die Evolution der „biologischen Disposition fur Sprache“ im Einklang mit der Evolution anderer kognitiver Kapazitaten erfolgte und auf graduellen Mutationen beruht.
Single Ultra-High-Dose Cholecalciferol to Prevent Vitamin D Deficiency in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among childhood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients and associated with inferior survival at 100 days after transplantation. Achieving and maintaining therapeutic vitamin D levels in HSCT recipients is extremely challenging in the first 3 to 6 months after transplantation due to poor compliance in the setting of mucositis and the concomitant use of critical transplantation drugs that interfere with vitamin D absorption. We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single, ultra-high-dose of vitamin D given before childhood HSCT to maintain levels in a therapeutic range during the peritransplantation period. Ten HSCT recipients with pretransplantation 25-OH vitamin D (25OHD) level 30 ng/mL. Mean vitamin D levels were sustained at or above 30 ng/mL during the 8-week observation window. There were no electrolyte abnormalities attributed to the ultra-high-dose of vitamin D. Most patients had mildly elevated urine calcium/creatinine ratios during treatment, but none showed clinical or radiologic signs of nephrocalcinosis or nephrolithiasis. Our findings indicate that single ultra-high-oral dose vitamin D treatment given just before HSCT is safe and well tolerated in the immediate peritransplant period in children. Patients in our study were able to achieve and sustain therapeutic vitamin D levels throughout the critical period during which vitamin D insufficiency is associated with decreased overall survival. Larger prospective studies are needed to address the impact of single ultra-high-dose vitamin D treatment on HSCT outcomes.
Chapter 8 – Communities of Practice, Social Capital and Organizational Knowledge*

Communities of practice play a critical role as the building blocks for creating, sharing, and applying organizational knowledge. Lesser and Prusak propose that communities of practice are “formed by individuals who need to associate themselves with others facing similar issues and challenges within the organization. They exist without formal charters or operational mandates.” As these informal organizations become recognized by organizations, both knowledge and human capital can be leveraged. Addressing this potential, Lesser and Prusak point to social capital as “the web of social relationships that influences individual behavior and thereby affects economic growth.” The authors propose that communities of practice serve as the primary vehicle for building social capital. This is illustrated by exploring the structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of communities of practice and their implications for managers attempting to bridge the gap between creating, sharing, and applying knowledge.
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Legislation: The Subprime Mortgage Crisis Also Hits Renters

This article discusses the National Housing Trust Fund, created as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). The Housing Trust Fun represents a new federal housing development policy. The Fund is designed to serve the approximately 18.5 million households who make less than $30,000 per year, roughly half the national median income in 2005. After a review of the housing affordability concerns of extremely low-income households (annual income 30% or less than area median income) and the impact the subprime mortgage foreclosure has had on such households, the article summarizes HERA's regulatory reform and foreclosure relief provisions and reviews the Housing Trust Fund provision.The Article concludes that the Fund's focus on the extremely low-income cohort (households making, on average, less than $18,000 per year) is the appropriate focus for federal housing development policy. The Housing Trust Fund responds to the housing concerns of persons who have the least ability to compete for affordable and decent housing in the private market and for whom homeowneship may be an unrealistic dream. The creation of a dedicated source of funds, while modest in amount at the outset, acknowledges the great difficulty that supporters of housing programs for extremely-low income persons have had in the give-and-take of the legislative process, and it makes a strong policy statement - that the federal government has an important role to play in improving the housing conditions of this segment of the populace.
Modeling of Soil Densification by Vibroflotation

A model probe was constructed and a series of densification tests run in a laboratory test bed. The model probe was 2.6 in (66 mm) in diameter and 0.305 m long, powered by a 1/2-hp motor. The primary soil used in the tests was a poorly graded beach sand, maximum density=115.7 pcf. A gravelly sand, maximum density=113.8 pcf was used mainly as a backfill soil. Five separate tests were performed using these two soils in various combinations and at various initial densities. Details of the tests are outlined and the results and conclusions are presented. The final relative density at a given distance from the probe is a function of the initial relative density. The gravelly sand is a better backfill than that achieved at several probe radii from the center. The amount of backfill accepted was seen to be a function of depth, decreasing with increasing depth. It was observed that while the probe is working to densify the soil maximum input power is required and once maximum density is finally achieved at a given depth, the power input required goes to a minimum. At shallow depths, however, this phenomenon was not observed as large input powers are required and the soil appears to fail via heaving at the surface.
Use of a Rapid Microbial ATP Bioluminescence Assay to Detect Contamination on Beef and Pork Carcasses

A new microbial ATP bioluminescence assay was shown to be an accurate and rapid method to determine the levels of generic bacterial contamination on beef (n = 400) and pork (n = 320) carcasses sampled in commercial processing plants. Based on in vitro fecal dilution studies, the rapid microbial ATP (R-mATP) assay is as accurate as the standard plate count method for estimating bacteria in bovine or porcine fecal samples. The correlations (r) between the R-mATP assay and the standard aerobic plate count for beef and pork carcasses sampled in commercial processing were 0.91 and 0.93, respectively. A segmented-model statistical approach to determine the lower limits of assay sensitivity was developed. By using this model to analyze the in-plant data, the R-mATP test responded in a linear fashion to levels of microbial contamination of >log 10 2.0 aerobic CFU/cm 2 on beef carcasses and of > log 10 3.2 aerobic CFU/cm 2 for pork carcasses. The R-mATP assay requires approximately 5 min to complete, including sampling. Given the rapidity and accuracy of the assay, processors interested in monitoring critical control points in the slaughter process could potentially use the R-mATP assay to monitor microbiological prevention and intervention procedures for minimizing carcass contamination.
The Use of the Child Fatality Review Committee to Contribute to a Longitudinal Quality Improvement Project on Safe Sleep.

As sudden unexpected infant death rates have plateaued in the United States over the last decade, the rate of sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed has revealed an upward trend.1 There has been much focus on infant safe sleep over the last few years to reduce these preventable deaths. The American Academy of Pediatrics revised its sudden infant death syndrome reduction recommendations to include safe sleep environments. These recommendations advise that infants sleep on separate sleep surfaces designed for infants to prevent accidental suffocation, strangulation, layover, or entrapment that could occur in the adult bed, chair, or couch. In addition, the sleeping surface should be free of any loose objects, such as blankets, pillows, or toys, that could obstruct an infant’s airway.2 Some of the efforts to reduce deaths have included public service campaigns,3 community programs and initiatives, safe sleep education and modeling in the hospital setting, and identifying and addressing barriers to safe sleep.4,5 The direct impact of individual …
The Transformative Potential of Experience: Learning, Group Dynamics, and the Development of Civic Virtue in a Mobile Soup Kitchen

Civic engagement has long been understood as a transformative activity, conducive to the reformation of individual interests, beliefs, and preconceptions. Prior research suggests that such transformation occurs when individuals encounter and process novel and challenging experiences through the course of their work. Yet, as the literature on experiential learning shows, the lessons of such experiences are neither obvious nor self-evident. The challenges experienced through civic engagement do not necessarily lead individuals to change their perspectives on, or understandings of, the world. Rather, these experiences may serve to reify prior beliefs. This article seeks to explain how groups of civic participants collectively experience and interpret their civic encounters. It argues that collective sensemaking and the variety of alternative perspectives available within the group play an important role in determining whether novel information provokes inquiry and search for new understandings or if such information is assimilated into well-worn perspectives. I illustrate this argument through a case study of a mobile soup kitchen. I find that, even though volunteers regularly encounter potentially transformative experiences, their collective processing of these events helps to reinforce prior convictions rather than provoke new understandings.
A Novel Integer Linear Programming Based Optimal PMU Placement Model

State estimator is the foundation of system awareness as well as a variety of other widely deployed applications. Indeed, the deployment of phasor measurement units (PMU) has highly advanced the accuracy and granularity of state estimators. However, deploying PMUs to all buses is neither physically necessary nor financially viable for granting full observability of the system. Consequently, by leveraging system observability and capital costs of PMUs, PMUs could be optimally placed in a system that would minimize total investment costs while also satisfying observability requirements. This paper proposes a novel integer linear programming (ILP) based optimal PMU placement (OPP) model, in which detailed PMU installation costs are considered. More importantly, different from existing OPP models that are based on network connectivity matrix, the proposed model defines bus observability indicators to explicitly describe how individual buses achieve their observability, namely propagation of the observability from one bus to another. In addition, contributions of zero injection buses for providing extra observability and consequently reducing total investment cost are accurately formulated via carefully crafted constraints. Numerical studies illustrate effects of the proposed approach.
Cross-Cultural Examination of Arts Sector Governmental Policies and Development of Standardized Economic Analyses: An Abstract

This special session presentation is designed to explore and discuss cross-cultural arts/culture sector governmental policies, development of comparable statistics, and economic analysis. Baumol and Bowen’s (1966) analysis of the performing arts was the first in-depth exploration of the sector from a cultural economics standpoint, and it made a powerful case for the economic necessity and rationale for public support (economic welfare) of the arts.
The effect of sensation seeking on alcohol use among middle school students: a latent state-trait analysis.

Sensation seeking has been implicated as a major risk factor for underage alcohol use, however little research into this personality trait has been conducted among children. The current study exami...
Mean-Variance Analysis of the Newsvendor Problem with Price-Dependent, Isoelastic Demand

Abstract We present a mean-variance analysis of the single-product, single-period newsvendor problem with two decision variables, price and stock quantity. The demand is price-dependent, multiplicative, and isoelastic, and the product sold is price-elastic. The main goal of this paper is to completely characterize a framework where most risk sensitivities can be studied and find conditions under which the unimodality of this mean-variance performance measure is guaranteed. We aim at presenting these conditions in terms of a metric that can capture managerial attention. To this end we use the lost sales rate (LSR) elasticity, as it relates directly to the retailer’s level of service. The main contribution of this paper is that, with very few and mild assumptions, we complement currently existing results for the uniqueness of the solution in the presence of price-inelastic products by extending the applicability of the LSR elasticity to the problem with price-elastic goods and assess its unimodality when the decision maker is risk-neutral or risk-sensitive. Finally, we compare the results under this model with others previously obtained for additive demand models, and we emphasize the reasons that make it difficult to attain similar results with an isoelastic demand model.
Revisiting the Late Cretaceous Parataxodium wigginsii flora from the North Slope of Alaska, a high-latitude temperate forest

Abstract Reinvestigation of a Late Cretaceous plant assemblage from along the Colville River on the North Slope of Alaska reveals both that the flora is far more diverse than previously suspected, and that many specimens are anatomically preserved. The flora includes one moss, an osmundaceous fern, one species of Ginkgo, the putative conifer leaf Pityophyllum, five species of cupressaceous conifers, five dicot leaf morphotypes, and one monocot. The cupressaceous remains heretofore have been interpreted as a single taxodioid/sequoioid conifer species, Parataxodium wigginsii Arnold and Lowther. However, reexamination of the fossils reveals five different morphologies of cupressaceous ovuliferous cones, and a wide range of intergrading leafy shoot morphologies. Peel sections show excellent internal anatomy for many of the cupressaceous conifer organs, as well the moss. These fossils characterize a high-latitude deciduous flora dominated by cupressoid conifer trees, with less common dicot and Ginkgo trees, and with ground cover that includes osmundaceous ferns, monocots, and dicranalean mosses. The increased diversity of disarticulated plant parts in the assemblage demonstrates that Parataxodium wigginsii is not nearly as well understood as widely believed, and that the genus and species concepts as currently defined may be based on organs from several cupressaceous conifers. This assemblage is an outstanding example of an unusual Late Cretaceous, high-latitude, Northern Hemisphere, mixed dicot-coniferous, cool temperate, deciduous forest that existed in total darkness for a significant period each year.
Comparison of Borderline Ultrasound and Nerve Conduction Studies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

BackgroundChoosing cutoff values for nerve conduction studies (NCS) and ultrasound cross-sectional area (CSA) in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is critical in determining the diagnos...
Genetic Architecture Underlying the Metabolites of Chlorogenic Acid Biosynthesis in Populus tomentosa

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) plays a crucial role in defense response, immune regulation, and the response to abiotic stress in plants. However, the genetic regulatory network of CGA biosynthesis pathways in perennial plants remains unclear. Here, we investigated the genetic architecture for CGA biosynthesis using a metabolite-based genome-wide association study (mGWAS) and expression quantitative trait nucleotide (eQTN) mapping in a population of 300 accessions of Populus tomentosa. In total, we investigated 204 SNPs which were significantly associated with 11 metabolic traits, corresponding to 206 genes, and were mainly involved in metabolism and cell growth processes of P. tomentosa. We identified 874 eQTNs representing 1066 genes, in which the expression and interaction of causal genes affected phenotypic variation. Of these, 102 genes showed significant signatures of selection in three geographical populations, which provided insights into the adaptation of CGA biosynthesis to the local environment. Finally, we constructed a genetic network of six causal genes that coordinately regulate CGA biosynthesis, revealing the multiple regulatory patterns affecting CGA accumulation in P. tomentosa. Our study provides a multiomics strategy for understanding the genetic basis underlying the natural variation in the CGA biosynthetic metabolites of Populus, which will enhance the genetic development of abiotic-resistance varieties in forest trees.
“We Can Be Our Best Alliance”: Resilient Health Information Practices of LGBTQIA+ Individuals as a Buffering Response to Minority Stress

This article examines the resilient health information practices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals as agentic forms of buffering against minority stressors. Informed by semi- structured interviews with 30 LGBTQIA+ community leaders from South Carolina, our findings demonstrate how LGBTQIA+ individuals engage in resilient health information practices and community-based resilience. Further, our findings suggest that LGBTQIA+ communities integrate externally produced stressors. These findings have implications for future research on minority stress and resiliency strategies, such as shifting from outreach to engagement and leveraging what communities are doing, rather than assuming they are lacking. Further, as each identity and intersecting identities under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella has unique stressors and resilience strategies, our findings indicate how resilience strategies operate across each level of the socio-ecological model to better inform understanding of health information in context.
Validation of the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) assessment in a sample of nursing homes using Item Response Theory (IRT) methods.

OBJECTIVES To validate and test the dimensionality of six constructs from the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) assessment, an instrument that assesses the extent to which organisations implement integrated systems approaches for protecting and promoting worker health, safety and well-being, in a sample of nursing homes in the USA. DESIGN Validation of an assessment scale using data from a cross-sectional survey. SETTING Nursing homes certified by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare services in three states of the USA: Ohio, California and Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS 569 directors of nursing from nursing homes serving adults and with more than 30 beds participated in the study. RESULTS Graded response Item Response Theory (IRT) models showed that five out of six constructs were unidimensional based on balanced interpretation of model fit statistics-M2 or C2 with p value >0.05, Comparative Fit Index >0.95, lower bound of the root mean squared error of approximation 90% CI <0.06 and standardised root mean square residual <0.08. Overall measure and construct reliability ranged from acceptable to good. Category boundary location parameters indicated that items were most informative for respondents in lower range of latent scores (ie, β1, β2, β3 typically below 0). A few items were recommended to be dropped from future administrations of the instrument based on empirical and substantive interpretation. CONCLUSIONS The WISH instrument has utility to understand to what extent organisations integrate protection and promotion of worker health, safety and well-being; however, it is most informative in organisations that present lower scores.
Effect of Li metal addition on corrosion control of Hastelloy N and stainless steel 316H in molten LiF-NaF-KF

Abstract Molten fluoride salts are used in various energy harvesting applications such as solar collectors and molten salt nuclear reactors (MSRs). Thermodynamically driven selective dissolution of alloying elements due to impurities present within the fluoride salts have been identified to be the main corrosion mechanism for structural alloys in molten fluoride salts. Impurities in these salts, during salt preparation as well as during operation, can be difficult to control. One way to prevent the selective dissolution of active alloying elements is to make the molten salt reducing by either purifying it to remove impurities or to add some reactive metal that will react with the impurities and make the salt reducing. This study is focused on the corrosion behaviour of Hastelloy N and 316H stainless steel in molten LiF-NaF-KF eutectic mixture (FLiNaK) at 700°C and how this behaviour changes with the addition of Li metal as a reducing impurity. Our results indicate that the active metal addition like Li can be very effective in controlling the redox behaviour of salt, which in-turn can mitigate corrosion. Even the addition of small quantities of Li metal can mitigate the selective dissolution of active alloying elements for the tested structural materials in FLiNaK. Our results also suggest that the presence of excess amounts of Li, above the minimum concentration required to react with the impurities in FLiNaK, does not have any detrimental effect in terms of formation of new intermetallic phases at the surface of the selected alloys under tested conditions.
Application of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Facilitate Delivery of Trauma-Informed HIV Care.

Background: The high prevalence of trau­ma and its negative impact on health among people living with HIV underscore the need for adopting trauma-informed care (TIC), an evidence-based approach to address trauma and its physical and mental sequelae. However, virtually nothing is known about factors internal and external to the clinical environment that might influence adoption of TIC in HIV primary care clinics. Methods: We conducted a pre-implemen­tation assessment consisting of in-depth interviews with 23 providers, staff, and ad­ministrators at a large urban HIV care center serving an un-/under-insured population in the southern United States. We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementa­tion Research (CFIR) to guide qualitative coding to ascertain factors related to TIC adoption. Results: Inner setting factors perceived as impacting TIC adoption within HIV primary care included relative priority, compatibility, available resources, access to knowledge and information (ie, training), and networks and communications. Relevant outer setting factors included patient needs/resources and cosmopolitanism (ie, connections to external organizations). Overall, the HIV care center exhibited high priority and compatibility for TIC adoption but displayed a need for system strengthening with regard to available resources, training, communica­tions, cosmopolitanism, and patient needs/ resources. Conclusions: Through identification of CFIR inner and outer setting factors that might influence adoption of TIC within an HIV primary care clinic, our findings begin to fill key knowledge gaps in understand­ing barriers and facilitators for adopting TIC in HIV primary care settings and highlight implementation strategies that could be employed to support successful TIC imple­mentation. Ethn Dis. 2021;31(1):109-118; doi:10.18865/ed.31.1.109
A Preliminary Investigation of School Counselors’ Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Research and Professional Information Seeking:

To investigate what school counselors read for professional information seeking and how they engage with research, we surveyed practicing school counselors about their behaviors, attitudes, and bel...
Exercise 18: Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry is an important and essential laboratory technique used to sort and analyze cell populations bound to antibodies reacting with cell surface and intracellular antigens. The cell surface proteins, commonly referred to as cell surface markers are recognized by specific antibodies against the markers known as cluster of differentiation (CD) antigens. Antibodies used for detection are fluorescently labeled, and different antibodies conjugated to different colored fluorochromes can be used to identify different subpopulations of cells. Monoclonal antibodies are typically used for antigen detection. In the process of identifying fluorescently labeled cells, individual cells can be sorted on the basis of size, volume, intracellular structures, cytoplasmic granularity, intensity of fluorescence and light scattering properties. The cell soring characteristics of the flow cytometer are similar to the process of cell sorting by fluorescence activated cell sorters (FACs). The flow cytometer measures light scattered by each cell in a population of thousands to millions of cells. Light scattered in the forward direction of the laser light beam provides information about the size of the cell. Side scattered light perpendicular to the laser light beam provides information about the cytoplasmic granularity and intracellular membranous structures (Fig. 42.1). Granulocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes can be sorted and distinguished based on size, granularity and cytoplasmic contents. The granulocyte population can be gated and analyzed (Fig. 42.2a, b). The method employed for detecting cell surface antigens on leukocytes and identifying phenotypic differences in subpopulations of cells is known as immunophenotyping. Cell lineages, progenitor cells, differentiation stage and maturation of cells can be identified. Immunophenotyping can identify phenotypic changes in neoplastic cells, thereby aiding diagnosis, identifying malignant cells, also quantitating hematopoietic cell progenitors. Lymphocyte populations can also be identified and quantitated. For example antibodies against CD3 identify T lymphocytes. The use of antibodies against CD4 and CD8 will identify helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells, respectively. The molecules CD19 and CD20 identify B lymphocytes and CD16 and CD56 identify natural killer (NK) cells. The lymphocyte population can be separated from other leukocytes with the use of antibodies against CD14 and CD45 and hematopoietic cells can be identified using antibodies against CD34. The first objective of this exercise is to perform flow cytometry for the identification of B and T cells in a lymphoid cell suspension. The second objective is to identify T helper and cytotoxic T cells from the T cell population.
Bedeutung von Planungsrechnungen für das Krankenhaus-Controlling

Planungsrechnungen im Krankenhaus sind als Controlling-Instrumente zur wirtschaftlichen Betriebssteuerung unerlaslich. Den kommunalen Krankenhausern sind infolge ihrer haushaltsmasigen Koppelung an die Gebietskorperschaften bestimmte monetar orientierte Planungsrechnungen vorgegeben. Bedarfswirtschaftliche Planungsrechnungen, kurzfristige Erfolgsrechnungen auf der Basis von Kosten und Leistungen sowie kurzfristige Liquiditatsrechnungen sind nicht vorgesehen, obwohl sie fur eine „geplante“ rationale Betriebssteuerung wichtige Hilfsmittel sein konnten. Den verantwortlichen Krankenhausfuh-rungskraften kommunaler Krankenhauser stellt sich daher auf lange Sicht die Aufgabe, ihr Planungsinstrumentarium entsprechend zu erganzen, um eine koordinierte Planung und Kontrolle unter Verwendung der Informationen des Rechnungswesens zu gewahrleisten.
Mechanisms of corticosteroid action on lymphocyte subpopulations: V. Effects of in Vivo hydrocortisone on the circulatory kinetics and function of naturally occurring and mitogen-induced suppressor cells in man

Abstract The present study evaluated the effect of in vivo administration of hydrocortisone (OHC) to normal subjects on the kinetics and function of naturally occurring and mitogen-induced suppressor cells (SC). It was demonstrated that in vivo OHC abrogates the function of naturally occurring SC and converts normal nonresponder peripheral blood (PB) cells to responder status. However, 4 hr following OHC administration at the point of maximal lymphocytopenia, the cells remaining in the circulation could still be activated by Con A to suppress. In addition, unstimulated cells obtained 4 hr after OHC administration markedly enhanced PFC responses when cocultured with fresh autologous cells. It was demonstrated that this enhanced PFC response was independent of 48-hr incubation, monocyte depletion, or changes in B-cell numbers and most likely represented a manifestation of in vivo OHC-induced changes in the circulatory kinetics of immunoregulatory cell populations.
A 6-bit 50 MHz current-subtracting two step flash converter

The design of it 6-bit 50 MHz CMOS-current-subtracting two-step flash A/D converter in 1.2 /spl mu/m CMOS technology is described. The two-step current-subtracting technique reduces the number of current comparators and their resolution requirements thus reducing both area and power. A new design for a high speed current subtracter is presented. A differential positive feedback technique is used in the current comparators to increase speed while maintaining high resolution. The complete A/D converter, including encoding logic, operates at 50 MHz and dissipates a maximum of 25 mW. >
The stability of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes in simulated field conditions on the HAPSITE® ER

Due to the growing need to monitor aircraft cabin, cockpit and breathing-line air quality, functional assessment of sampling equipment for the specialised field conditions of flight need to be established for both in-flight and ground safety. In this article, we assess the reliability of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes to perform under various relevant field sampling conditions, such as storage temperature, loading temperature, vibrational velocity, gravitational force (G Force) and altitude pressure with semi-real-time gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis on the field portable HAPSITE® ER (Hazardous Air Pollutants on Site Extended Range) instrument. First, we show that Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes can handle storage under extreme environmental conditions, 4–77°C, over numerous analytical test cycles. Next, we confirm that extreme loading temperature, both hot (77°C) and cold (4°C), does not affect the analytical reliability of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes. Then, we illustrate ...
Primate Comparative Anatomy

Daniel. L. Gebo 2014. Primate comparative anatomy. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, xii+190 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-1489-8, price (hardbound), $84.95. For the last 25 years, I have been teaching an advanced undergraduate course emphasizing the comparative functional morphology of the musculoskeletal system in living primates. There are very limited options for textbooks that cover this topic broadly and at a level accessible to undergraduates (e.g., Aiello and Dean 1990; Whitehead et al. 2005; Ankel-Simons 2007; Fleagle 2013). As a result, I have awkwardly pieced together readings from various sources over the years; so I was very excited to see this new book published by Daniel Gebo. I usually assign portions of his edited volume, Postcranial Adaptation in Nonhuman Primates (Gebo 1993) in my class, but have often felt that some of the chapters were too detailed even for the advanced undergraduate. As Gebo notes in the preface of Primate Comparative Anatomy , he has tried to simplify the material, and the intended audience is undergraduates and early graduate students. Understandably, the book does not attempt to cover all aspects of primate anatomy, but focuses on the skeletal system, with some attention to soft tissues such as muscles, brains, eyes, reproductive anatomy, and the digestive tract. The emphasis on the skeletal system fits well with the books’ evolutionary approach and intermittent examples of the anatomy of fossil primates. Chapter 1 provides a nice overview of primate phylogeny and adaptation, including a short but informative … — Liza Shapiro, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2201 Speedway, Stop 3200, Austin, TX 78712, USA; e-mail: liza.shapiro{at}austin.utexas.edu.
Model verification and documentation are needed

Trust, but verify—this is what editors ask for, and what readers expect, from reviewers of technical articles. As a reviewer, I am growing concerned with the level of trust requested by authors of submitted manuscripts, and the frequent lack of verifiable data and methods. Negative reports in the press [e.g., New York Times, 2005] attest to the worst-case outcomes of such shortcomings. Certainly novelty and merit must be present in a manuscript, but authors should also include the empirical and theoretical technical bases used to support their findings and conclusions. Where fundamental elements of the scientific analysis are alluded to but are not included either explicitly or by reference, the reviewer should recommend that the article be accepted for publication only after those shortcomings have been remedied.
Measurement of relative adhesion and surface properties of polyimide films using a surfce acoustic wave sensor

Abstract A surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor is used to study the relative-humidity response of thin polyimide films on quartz, where interfacial and surface properties are varied. The results show differences in the comparative SAW humidity response for films applied with and without adhesion promoter and with and without a chromium interface layer deposited between the substrate and the polyimide film after temperature and humidity aging. Polyimide films were examined that were both sputter cleaned and non-sputter cleaned. The humidity response is particularly sensitive to the surface treatment of the polyimide film. A theoretical analysis has been done to obtain information on the physical mechanisms responsible for the SAW sensor humidity response. The analysis identifies three primary film properties that can influence this response. These properties are changes in density, elastic constants and stress of the film as a function of humidity. The more dominant of these factors appear to be density and elstic-constant changes.
The Current-Voltage Relationship Of Galvanic Anode Arrays in Cathodic Protection

Abstract The current output of full-scale arrays of several anode sizes in use by the U. S. Navy for the cathodic protection of ship hulls were determined. Impressed-current anodes formed from sheet steel were substituted for conventional galvanic anodes to reduce the weight and number of arrays necessary to obtain the desired information. Five anode sizes were investigated. A 1500-foot steel sea wall located in water with a resistivity of 34 to 38 ohm-cm acted as an un-polarizable cathode. The output currents were determined for driving potentials of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 between the cathode and the anode arrays; hence the data can be used to estimate for any galvanic material both the initial current output of an anode array, and the continuing current output against a cathode polarized to a known potential. The anodes in all arrays investigated suffered mutual interference as indicated by decreased current outputs from individual anodes as the number of anodes in the array increased. It was found...