cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bifactional Rivalry as an Alternative to Two-Party Competition in Louisiana.

As the panacea for their political ills, Southern states frequently have been counseled to develop competitive two-party systems. Presumably the very demonstration of the superiority of the bipartisan system in itself would go a long way toward achieving that desideratum. Not the least of the unhappy consequences of this uncritical approach was the accompanying tendency to lump non-two-party Southern states into the single category of "the one-party South." Fortunately, the rich diversity of Southern political processes recently has been uncovered and subjected to systematic analysis.' For those states of the South which lack an effective opposition party, it has been shown that Democratic politics runs the gamut from multifactional chaos to a structured and disciplined bifactionalism. Louisiana is properly classified in the latter camp, which attests to at least some beneficial by-products of charismatic demagogy. In the absence of any reasonable expectation of the imminent rejuvenation of the Republican party in Louisiana, a realistic appraisal of the state's politics must eschew exhortation and concentrate upon an empirical examination of the operation of Democratic bifactionalism. This paper proposes to examine the extent to which Louisiana's bifactionalism has given durable structure and meaning to its state and parish (county) politics and the degree to which it approximates the workings of a two-party system. The analysis is limited, however, by the fact that no systematic investigation as yet has been undertaken which attempts to measure the extent to which the assumptions and claims made on behalf of the two-party system in the United States have been realized in the actual operation of the varieties
Analysis of insect chemosterilants

Background information concerning the concept of insect chemosterilization and analytical methods for determining trace levels of 19 P- and/or S- containing chemicals of current interest are presented. GC retention times of the compounds on 6 different columns and their p-values in 11 solvent systems are tabulated. The utility of the flame photometric detector for determining subnanogram levels of the sterilants in biological substrates is illustrated.
Direct-methods structure determination of a trypanosome RNA-editing substrate fragment with translational pseudosymmetry

Using direct methods starting from random phases, the crystal structure of a 32-base-pair RNA (675 non-H RNA atoms in the asymmetric unit) was determined using only the native diffraction data (resolution limit 1.05 A) and the computer program SIR2014. The almost three helical turns of the RNA in the asymmetric unit introduced partial or imperfect translational pseudosymmetry (TPS) that modulated the intensities when averaged by the l Miller indices but still escaped automated detection. Almost six times as many random phase sets had to be tested on average to reach a correct structure compared with a similar-sized RNA hairpin (27 nucleotides, 580 non-H RNA atoms) without TPS. More sensitive methods are needed for the automated detection of partial TPS.
Syntheses and structural characterization of the (OCnOPor) capped porphyrins: Co(OC2OPor).CH2Cl2, Co(OC2OPor)(NO)out.0.46CHCl3, Co(OC3OPor).CHCl3, and Co(OC3OPor)(MeIm).3C7H8.

The compounds Co(OC2OPor)·CH2Cl2 (1), Co(OC2OPor)(NO)out·0.46CHCl3 (2), Co(OC3OPor)·CHCl3 (3), and Co(OC3OPor)(MeIm)·3C7H8 (4) (OC2OPor = 5,10,15,20-(benzene-1,2,4,5-tetrakis(2-phenyloxy)ethoxy)-2‘,2‘ ‘, 2‘ ‘‘,2‘ ‘‘ ‘-tetraylporphyrinato dianion; OC3OPor = 5,10,15,20-(benzene-1,2,4,5-tetrakis(2-phenyloxy)propoxy)-2‘,2‘ ‘,2‘ ‘‘,2‘ ‘‘ ‘-tetraylporphyrinato dianion; MeIm = 1-methylimidazole), have been synthesized, and their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods at T = −120 °C: 1, a = 8.824(1) A, b = 16.674(1) A, c = 16.836(1) A, α = 104.453(1)°, β = 92.752(1)°, γ = 90.983(1)°, P1, Z = 2; 2, a = 9.019(1) A, b = 16.588(2) A, c = 16.909(2) A, α = 103.923(2)°, β = 92.082(2)°, γ = 93.583(2)°, P1, Z = 2; 3, a = 13.484(3) A, b = 14.404(3) A, c = 14.570(3) A, α = 105.508(3)°, β = 100.678(3)°, γ = 93.509(4)°, P1, Z = 2; 4, a = 16.490(1) A, b = 22.324(2) A, c = 17.257(1) A, b = 92.437(1)°, P21/n, Z = 4. These compounds are the first structurally characterized Co-bound members...
50 ATYPICAL PRESENTATION OF A CARDIAC MYXOMA.

Cardiac myxomas are rare and their location in the left atrial appendage is even rarer. Most left atrial appendage masses have been reported to be thrombus, particularly in the presence of atrial fibrillation, although asymptomatic atrial fibrillation can also present with thrombus. This report presents the case of a 69-year-old woman with a history of limited scleroderma with a 1-year history of exertional dyspnea and no history of atrial fibrillation who was found to have on transesophageal echocardiogram a 5 3 5 cm mass that was attached to the base of the left atrial appendage at its junction with the left atrium. The diagnosis was based on the transesophageal echocardiography characteristics of the mass and confirmed by histologic examination after operation. The importance of considering other possibilities with regard to left atrial appendage masses is emphasized.
Investigation on Plague Foci in Panzhihua,Sichuan

Objective To understand the level of antibody against influenza A H1N1 virus in Nanchong residents.Methods A total of 800 serum samples were collected from 2 frist class hospitals,central blood bank and the Third People's Hospital in Nanchong.Serum samples was processed overnight using receptor destroying enzyme(RDE),Hemagglutination antigen detected by hemagglutination(HA) method,Hemagglutination inhibition was used to detect the influenza A H1N1 antibody levels.Results Among the 800 samples collected in 2010,124 were A/H1N1 virus antibody possitive.The 6-17 years group and 18-55 years group had the highest positive rate of A/H1N1 virus antibody,accounted for 17.50% and 15.63% respectively;The male to female ratio was 1.4∶1.The possitive rates in those 2 frist class hospitals were 16.25% and 18.33%,in central blood bank and the Third People's Hospital were 13.13% and 12.15%.Conclusion Residents aged 6-55 years in Nanchong are the high risk population of influenza A H1N1 virus infection.The total possitive rate of the 2 frist class hospital in Nanchong is high.
Increased mTORC1 signaling in the vasculature of diet-induced obese mice and obese humans

Obesity-induced hypertension is associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction. Recently our laboratory has implicated the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling in the regula...
A case for information theory-based modelling of human multitasking performance

ABSTRACTTechnological advances have led to increased prevalence of human multitasking. Traditionally, multitasking performance is measured for each individual task, utilising multiple performance metrics. Recently, the human operator informatic model (HOIM) has been developed as a quantitative model of human–machine interaction capable of measuring multitasking performance with a single metric. In this study, we investigated the performance effects of both a different number of tasks and five different task combinations while maintaining a constant level of overall difficulty. Results indicate that, at a constant difficulty level, neither number of tasks nor task combination significantly affects multitasking performance, indicating the reliability of input baud rate as a measure of system complexity. No task interaction effects were found among the different tasks. This study demonstrates the application of information theory for modelling of human multitasking performance and makes a case for the use of...
Approaches to diuretic therapy and electrolyte imbalance in congestive heart failure.

Sodium retention remains the hallmark of congestive heart failure, in terms of physical findings and symptoms. Diuretic therapy continues to be the primary approach to the management of these findings, despite well-controlled studies to define appropriate end points of therapy. For optimal use of diuretics, a better understanding of the altered pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of diuretics, as well as the judicious use of combined diuretic therapy is required. This approach minimizes the occurrence of ‘refractory’ sodium retention. Until better therapeutic approaches are identified, electrolyte imbalance is a frequent adverse effect of diuretics, and appropriate electrolyte replacement is necessary to avert arrhythmias and other manifestations of electrolyte imbalance.
ECONOMIC VOTING AND POSTCOMMUNIST POLITICS

In this final chapter, I return to the original motivations for the study by assessing the degree to which the findings from the previous chapters can contribute both to our understanding of postcommunist politics and the more general economic voting literature. To do so, I focus in the first half of this chapter on the implications of three of the most significant findings from the study: the consistently stronger empirical support for the Transitional Identity Model than for the Referendum Model; the numerous insights added by theorizing about the conditions in which economic conditions are likely to have more or less of an effect on election results (or what I have labeled conditional economic voting hypotheses); and the apparent “stickiness” of the Transitional Identities of both New Regime and Old Regime parties, at least insofar as they pertain to regional economic voting. In the second half of the chapter, I address three related questions raised by the overall findings: the appropriate duration for testing hypotheses based on transitional circumstances; the contributions of the study to specific debates in the postcommunist politics literature; and the potential implications of regional-level findings for understanding variation in national-level election results. I conclude with some brief final observations. Economic Voting and Empirical Support for the Transitional Identity Model As illustrated throughout the previous chapters, the most important empirical conclusion of this book is that there is consistently stronger evidence supporting the predictions of the Transitional Identity Model than the predictions of the Referendum Model.
Glycoform analysis of alpha1-acid glycoprotein by capillary electrophoresis.

Abstract A relatively fast and reproducible CE separation was developed for the glycoform analysis of α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). Factors that were considered included the pH for this separation and various techniques for coating the capillary and/or to minimize electroosmotic flow and protein adsorption. Optimum resolution of the AGP glycoforms was obtained at pH 4.2 with a running buffer containing 0.1% Brij 35 and by using static and dynamic coatings of PEO on the capillary. These conditions made it possible to separate nine AGP glycoform bands in about 20 min. The limit of detection (based on absorbance measurements) ranged from 0.09 to 0.38 μM for these AGP glycoform bands, and the linear range extended up to a total AGP concentration of at least 240 μM. The migration times for the glycoform bands had typical within-day and day-to-day precisions of ±0.16–0.23% or less, respectively, on a single treated capillary and the variation between capillaries was ±0.56% or less. A charge ladder approach was employed to examine the mass or charge differences in the glycoforms that made up these bands, giving a good fit to a model in which the neighboring bands differed by one charge (e.g., from a sialic acid residue) and had an average mass difference of approximately 0.7–0.9 kDa. The approaches used to develop this separation method are not limited to AGP but could be extended to the analysis of other glycoproteins by CE.
Teaching the foundations of thermodynamics with PYro

One of the key skills developed in foundational thermodynamics courses is obtaining property and state data for various substances of interest. Typically, students are instructed to perform this task through the use of tables or computer software. In this paper, we present and evaluate modules for teaching the foundations of thermodynamics using free open-source software intended to port to students' professional lives. The approach introduces the PYro thermodynamic property calculator. PYro is implemented in Python, which is free and available on most widely used platforms. PYro is clearly documented, and all data are readily traceable to reputable sources. Most of the data describe ideal gases from the NIST JANAF database, but there is also support for mixtures (such as air) and multiphase substances (such as steam). The interface design makes the software appropriate to most tasks in introductory and intermediate thermodynamics courses without requiring proficiency in the Python language. While the idea of using software to teach thermodynamics is far from new, commercial software usually comes at a substantial price and places the implementation burden on the instructor. On the other hand, educational software rarely transitions into students' professional lives. This paper proposes a model for productively separating the development of skills (like table look-ups) from knowledge and concepts. In addition to an introduction of the tool, this paper provides results of preliminary evaluation conducted within a thermodynamics classroom. The authors developed a learning module demonstrating the use of PYro to compute states for an ideal Brayton cycle. Students were tasked with performing parametric analysis on the cycle, by varying various limiting factors (e.g. combustor pressure, turbine inlet temperature). Students were asked to compare power produced and cycle efficiency computed under these conditions. At the end of the module, students were surveyed about the experience of working with the software. Evaluation is provided in the form of instructor and student feedback from a classroom implementation. We propose that this utilization of the tool demonstrates its ability to promote higher-level cognitive thinking in problem solving, removing the time intensive task of performing table look-ups and allowing them to focus on more holistic questions of cycle performance.
Scalable Text Analysis

Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is an extremely popular probabilistic topic model used for a diverse class of appications. While highly effective, one important limitation of LDA is the high memory footprint of its inferencing algorithm, making it difficult to scale to a large dataset. In my thesis, I propose sdLDA, a highly-scalable disk-based LDA that (1) leverages the plentiful space available in disk to reduce its main-memory footprint and (2) preserves the sparsity of the extracted topics during sampling to improve both memory efficiency and sampling complexity of the inferencing algorithm. Our extensive experiments show that sdLDA scales to datasets that are two orders of magnitude larger than what existing main-memory-based algorithms can handle. Furthermore, sdLDA exhibits similar (or even better) performance compared to main-memory-based LDAs in terms of running time.
Language recovery in aphasia following implicit structural priming training: a case study

ABSTRACTBackground: Individuals with aphasia show difficulty producing sentences as a result of impaired syntactic production. Studies of structural priming in healthy speakers show that long-term ...
Evaluating the impact of obesity on safety and efficacy of weight-based norepinephrine dosing in septic shock: A single-center, retrospective study

Abstract Objective Norepinephrine is the first-line vasopressor recommended for patients in septic shock. Weight-based dosing may increase drug exposure and the risk of adverse effects in obese patients. The objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of weight-based norepinephrine dosing using actual body weight in the morbidly obese compared with normal weight patients. Methods This was a single centre, retrospective study of adult patients admitted with septic shock requiring norepinephrine for at least 12 hours. The primary endpoint was the incidence of tachycardia within 48 hours after norepinephrine initiation. Secondary endpoints included timing and dosing of norepinephrine when adjunctive agents were added. Results The incidence of tachycardia was similar between groups. Total norepinephrine exposure was significantly greater in obese patients on day 1 (p = 0.02). Obese patients were more likely to be started on vasopressin (p Conclusions Weight-based norepinephrine dosing using actual body weight did not result in more tachycardia in the morbidly obese compared to normal weight patients, despite greater total exposure. These results were limited by the low doses used and a small cohort. However, use of actual body weight in morbidly obese patients appears to be safe.
Integration of Construction Mobile Technologies into Construction Management Curriculum: A Case Study☆

Abstract Construction management education programs must endeavor to provide students with instruction on cutting edge technologies to ensure that these students are prepared for entry level positions into the construction industry today. The use of mobile technology is rapidly growing throughout the United States design and construction industry. Based on a review of accredited programs in the United States, construction management students receive little exposure to the vast amount of mobile technologies used in industry. This paper provides a framework for how the McWhorter School of Building Science at Auburn University proposes to integrate mobile technology into the construction management curriculum. A search and filter process of the Apple™ iTunes App Store was completed to discern which apps were most applicable to construction management. The learning objectives for professional program core construction management courses taught in the McWhorter School of Building Science were reviewed and compiled. App capabilities were analyzed and tied to the appropriate course learning objectives. The conclusions of the analysis showed that there is vast opportunity to integrate mobile technologies into construction management curricula. Future research includes the development of course specific exercises to assess the improvement of student learning through use of mobile technologies, as well as how this framework could extend beyond the programs in the United States into other countries.
Evaluation of Two-Atmosphere Thermogravimetric Analysis for Determining the Unburned Carbon Content in Fly Ash

The unburned carbon (UC) content of fly ash impacts the performance (e.g., air entrainment, rheology) of concrete mixtures. The loss on ignition (LOI) test is commonly used to estimate the UC content; however, this may be inaccurate, as the weight change upon igniting fly ash is also due to calcination of carbonates, desorption of bound water, and oxidation of sulfur and iron minerals. In this study, a two-atmosphere thermogravimetric analysis (2A-TGA) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) was performed to evaluate the chemical reactions that occur upon heating of fly ash and to measure the true UC content. 2A-TGA was performed under two distinct atmospheres: (i) in non-oxidizing helium gas, to measure weight loss due to decomposition of carbonates and loss of bound water and (ii) in oxidizing air, to measure weight loss due to conversion of UC to carbon dioxide (CO2). The method was applied to five class F fly ashes with LOI in the range 1.89 % to 7.66 %, a class C fly ash (LOI = 3.86 %), and a fluidized bed combustion (FBC) ash (LOI = 8.10 %). The results were also compared with the total carbon (TC) of each fly ash measured using infrared (IR) spectroscopy via a commercial Laboratory Equipment Corporation (LECO) carbon analyzer. The results show that there is no one-to-one relationship between the LOI and the TC or UC contents of fly ash. LOI overestimated TC by up to 2.5 times and overestimated UC by up to 6.4 times.
New-onset diabetes after kidney transplantation: can the risk be modified by choosing immunosuppression regimen based on pretransplant viral serology?

Background This study aimed to analyze adult kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) for the risk of new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) associated with viral serologies and immunosuppression regimens [tacrolimus (Tac) + mycophenolate (MPA), cyclosporine (CSA) + MPA, sirolimus (SRL) + MPA, SRL + CSA or SRL +Tac]. Methods Cox regression models were used to examine the risk of NODAT in the first posttransplant year associated with: (i) CSA + MPA, SRL + MPA, SRL + MPA or SRL + Tac versus reference, Tac + MPA; (ii) pretransplant viral serology [+ or -; hepatitis B core (HBc), hepatitis C (HCV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) or Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)]; and (iii) interactions between immunosuppression regimens and the viral serology found significant in the main analysis. Results Adult KTRs (n = 97 644) from January 1995 through September 2015 were studied. HCV+ [hazard ratio (HR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-1.68] or CMV+ (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.06-1.19) serology was a risk factor and HBc+ (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.95-1.15) or EBV+ (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.97-1.15) serology was not a risk factor for NODAT. Regardless of associated HCV or CMV serology, risk of NODAT relative to the reference regimen (Tac + MPA) was lower with CSA + MPA [HCV-: HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65-0.85; HCV+: HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28-0.78; CMV-: CSA + MPA HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.54-0.86; CMV+: (CSA + MPA) HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.63-0.85] and similar with SRL + CSA or SRL + MPA. In KTRs with HCV- or CMV+ serology, SRL + Tac was associated with a higher risk of NODAT relative to reference [HCV- (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.17-1.74) and CMV+ (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.14-1.81), respectively]. The risk for NODAT-free graft loss was lower with Tac + MPA than the other regimens. Conclusions Tailoring immunosuppression regimen based on HCV or CMV serology may modify the risk of developing NODAT in KTRs.
Introduction: International Public Health: Morality, Politics, Poverty, War, Disease

This chapter has four main points. First, I argue that the human rights approach to public health ethics, championed by Jonathan Mann and others, needs to engage with philosophical accounts of moral human rights. Second, I argue that, while both interest-based and agency accounts of moral human rights are defensible as philosophical accounts of human rights, and both have advantages as the foundation for a human rights approach to public health ethics, the interest-based approach is a natural fit for this approach. Third, I illustrate how engagement with the philosophical accounts of the structure of moral rights can help respond to the criticism that certain rights underpinning the human rights approach to public health ethics, such as the right to health, cannot be justified. Finally, I argue that the human rights approach to public health ethics promises to contribute to our understanding of both health and human rights.
A modern approach to malignant hilar biliary obstruction.

Abstract Management of patients with malignant hilar biliary obstruction is challenging for all specialists involved in their care. Evaluation should focus on potential surgical resection, which offers the principal chance of cure; liver transplantation is offered as an experimental treatment at a few centers. Attempt at curative surgical resection is appropriate for selected tumors and often requires partial hepatectomy. Diagnosis and staging is now facilitated by the use of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), spiral computed tomography, and endoscopic ultrasonography, which should largely supplant invasive cholangiography. Use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography should be limited primarily to palliation of jaundice in patients with unresectable tumors and to establish tissue diagnoses in ambiguous cases. Palliation of jaundice is optimal with self-expanding metallic stents. Safe and effective drainage can be achieved by using MRCP for targeted endoscopic placement of unilateral metal stents in most cases, with bilateral stents rarely required unless undrained ducts are contaminated. Other palliative modalities for bile duct tumors include surgical bypass, intraluminal and external beam radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and photodynamic therapy.
Detection and Management

In this section, there will be a discussion of the general principles of screening and their application to colorectal neoplasia. This will be followed by a description of the various methods of examining the colon, including for each technique the extent of accessible bowel, the sensitivity and specificity for detection of neoplastic lesions, and the complication rates of the procedures.
Bicyclists' Uptake of Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Effects of the Urban Transportation System

Bicyclists and other active travelers obtain health benefits from physical activity, but also risk uptake of traffic-related air pollution. Existing literature on bicyclists’ uptake of pollution suffers from a lack of direct measurements and insufficient analysis of the determinants of exposure and ventilation (breathing) while riding. As a result, pollutionconscious planning, design, and analysis for bicycle transportation facilities are hindered by limited quantitative guidance.
Hierarchical microstructure for improved fatigue properties in a eutectic high entropy alloy

Abstract Microstructural hierarchy can enable enhanced properties in high entropy alloys. A unique microstructure was observed in 50% cold-rolled and heat-treated eutectic high-entropy alloy (EHEA). Formation of recrystallized FCC grains and B2 precipitates in FCC lamellae with different microstructural length scale constitute the hierarchy in cold-rolled and heat-treated EHEA. Monotonic loading and high cycle fatigue properties of both microstructures were compared. In as-cast microstructure, the fatigue crack originated in FCC lamellae with the formation of persistent slip bands. The B2 precipitates in cold-rolled and heat-treated alloy delayed the crack initiation and improved fatigue properties.
Combustible and Electronic Tobacco and Marijuana Products in Hip-Hop Music Videos, 2013-2017.

Importance Hip-hop is the leading music genre in the United States and its fan base includes a large proportion of adolescents and young adults of all racial and ethnic groups, particularly minorities. The appearance of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products, especially brand placement and use by popular and influential artists, may increase the risk of tobacco and marijuana use and decrease perceptions of harm. Objective To assess the prevalence of the appearance and use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products, including brand placement, in leading hip-hop songs. Design, Setting, and Participants Analysis of top 50 songs from 2013 to 2017 ofBillboardmagazine’s weekly Hot RB appearance of exhaled smoke or vapor without an identifiable source product; appearance or use of electronic tobacco and marijuana products (eg, electronic cigarettes); tobacco or marijuana brand placement; appearance or use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana by main or featured artist. Data were collected from December 6, 2017, to June 4, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence of (1) appearance or use of combustible tobacco and marijuana products, (2) appearance of smoke or vapor, (3) appearance or use of electronic tobacco and marijuana products, (4) tobacco or marijuana brand placement, and (5) appearance or use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana by main or featured artist. Probability of appearance or use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products by quartile of viewership of videos. Results The proportion of leading hip-hop videos containing combustible use, electronic use, or smoke or vapor ranged from 40.2% (76 of 189) in 2015, to 50.7% (102 of 201) in 2016. For each year, the leading category of combustible use was hand-rolled products. The appearance of branded products increased from 0% in 2013 (0 of 82) to 9.9% in 2017 (10 of 101) for combustible products, and from 25.0% in 2013 (3 of 12) to 87.5% in 2017 (14 of 16) for electronic products. The prevalence of combustible or electronic product use or exhaled smoke or vapor increased by quartile of total number of views: 41.9% (8700 to 19 million views) among songs in the first quartile of viewership and 49.7% among songs in the fourth quartile of viewership (112 million to 4 billion views). Conclusions and Relevance Combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana use frequently occurred in popular hip-hop music videos. The genre’s broad appeal, use of branded products by influential artists, and rise of electronic product and marijuana use may contribute to a growing public health concern of tobacco and marijuana use.
Modeling Hydro Power System Frequency Dynamics for Virtual Inertia Emulation

Under high renewable penetration, the reliability and resiliency of low-inertia microgrids depends on the system transient performance parameters, such as frequency nadirs and/or maximum rate-of-change-of-frequency (ROCOF). As such, mathematically tractable models are needed that can be used to analytically derive these performance parameters to facilitate control design. In this paper, model reduction techniques for a dynamic model of a hydro system (e.g., Routh-Pade and Schur approximation) are used to obtain reduced order models to ensure the transient performance indicators are properly captured. The analytically derived transient performance parameters are then empirically verified using a MATLAB/Simulink test environment. The accuracy of these transient parameters will have a critical role in determining the reliability of microgrids and designing controllers for dispatching fast-frequency services.
Fault Diagnosis of Lubrication System in Internal Combustion Engine

Continuous Variable Displacement Oil Pumps (cV-DOP) are increasingly employed in internal combustion engines to reduce parasitic losses, thereby increasing the overall efficiency. These pumps work on the principle of closed loop control to deliver just the right amount of oil flow and pressure that is required to prevent metal to metal contact of various rotating and reciprocating components within the engine. We exploit the shift in closed loop control gains of cVDOP, as various failures manifest themselves across the lubrication system in an internal combustion engine, to identify and isolate the associated failure modes. Essentially, we highlight how change is closed loop control adaptation can be employed to identify degradation in a system that is defined by time invariant dynamics. Early identification of an imminent failure within the lubrication system can help avoid a complete engine failure and a customer walk-home as a consequence. General Motors (GM) launched OnStar™ Proactive Alerts service on selected vehicle programs and select vehicle components in MY16 under it’s strategic initiative to develop Vehicle Health Management (VHM) technologies that positively impact customer ownership experiences. The research reported here furthers this initiative by developing VHM technologies for the engine lubrication system.
Characterization of a chloroquine-induced canine model of pruritus and skin inflammation.

Background Chloroquine (CQ) is a prototypical systemic and intradermal pruritogen for histamine-independent (nonhistaminergic) itch in mice and humans. The predictive validity of this model is poorly documented in dogs. Hypothesis/objective To determine pruritogenic and inflammatory effects of systemic and i.d. CQ injections in healthy dogs. Animals Ten healthy purpose-bred laboratory beagles. Methods and materials All dogs were randomized to receive i.d. (200 and 400 µg/site), intravenous (2 mg/kg) and subcutaneous (3 mg/kg) CQ injections. Dogs were video-recorded for 30 min after i.d. injections and for 300 min after i.v. and s.c. injections. Buffered saline injections served as controls for each route. Global wheal scores were evaluated at 30 min post-i.d. injection by a blinded investigator. Results All dogs showed wheal and erythema at the CQ i.d. injection sites; global wheal scores of each CQ concentration were significantly increased compared to placebo (P ≤ 0.05). Blinded evaluation revealed no significant increase in generalized pruritic behaviour (pruritic seconds) after i.v. or s.c. administration of CQ. Intradermal injections induced mild localized acute pruritic behaviours at the site of injections at 200 µg (P = 0.06) and 400 µg (P = 0.27) CQ in dogs. Conclusion and clinical significance To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report which shows that i.d. CQ injections may induce acute inflammation in healthy dogs. By contrast to the systemic CQ-induced pruritus reported previously in healthy mice and dogs, no significant pruritic behaviours were observed after CQ injection, regardless of the route of administration.
Chapter 11 – Cellular Network Security

In recent years, cellular networks have become open public networks to which end subscribers have direct access. This has greatly increased the number of threats to cellular networks. Though cellular networks have vastly advanced in their performance abilities, the security of these networks still remains highly outdated. As a result, they are one of the most insecure networks today – so much so, that using simple off-the-shelf equipment, any adversary can cause major network outages affecting millions of subscribers. In this chapter, we address the security of cellular networks. We also educate readers on the current state of security of cellular networks and their vulnerabilities. In addition, we outline a cellular network specific attack taxonomy–also called the three-dimensional attack taxonomy. Furthermore, we also discuss the vulnerability assessment tools for cellular networks. Finally, we provide insights as to why cellular networks are so vulnerable and why securing them can prevent communication outages during emergencies.
Eastern equine encephalitis and use of IV immunoglobulin therapy and high-dose steroids.

Objective To determine the clinical presentation and patient outcomes after treatment with IV immunoglobulin (IVIG), high-dose steroids, or standard of care alone in Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne viral infection with significant neurologic morbidity and mortality. Methods A retrospective observational study of patients admitted to 2 tertiary academic medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts, with EEE from 2005 to 2019. Results Of 17 patients (median [IQR] age, 63 [36–70] years; 10 (59%) male, and 16 (94%) White race), 17 patients had fever (100%), 15 had encephalopathy (88%), and 12 had headache (71%). Eleven of 14 patients with CSF cell count differential had a neutrophil predominance (mean = 60.6% of white blood cells) with an elevated protein level (median [IQR], 100 mg/dL [75–145]). Affected neuroanatomic regions included the basal ganglia (n = 9/17), thalamus (n = 7/17), and mesial temporal lobe (n = 7/17). A total of 11 patients (65%) received IVIG; 8 (47%) received steroids. Of the patients who received IVIG, increased time from hospital admission to IVIG administration correlated with worse long-term disability as assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) (r = 0.72, p = 0.02); steroid use was not associated with the mRS score. The mortality was 12%. Conclusions Clinicians should suspect EEE in immunocompetent patients with early subcortical neuroimaging abnormalities and CSF neutrophilic predominance. This study suggests a lower mortality than previously reported, but a high morbidity rate in EEE. IVIG as an adjunctive to standard of care may be considered early during hospitalization.
Dirac equation perspective on higher-order topological insulators

In this Tutorial, we pedagogically review recent developments in the field of non-interacting fermionic phases of matter, focusing on the low-energy description of higher-order topological insulators in terms of the Dirac equation. Our aim is to give a mostly self-contained treatment. After introducing the Dirac approximation of topological crystalline band structures, we use it to derive the anomalous end and corner states of first- and higher-order topological insulators in one and two spatial dimensions. In particular, we recast the classical derivation of domain wall bound states of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) chain in terms of crystalline symmetry. The edge of a two-dimensional higher-order topological insulator can then be viewed as a single crystalline symmetry-protected SSH chain, whose domain wall bound states become the corner states. We never explicitly solve for the full symmetric boundary of the two-dimensional system but instead argue by adiabatic continuity. Our approach captures all salient features of higher-order topology while remaining analytically tractable.
Decomposing County-Level Working-Age Mortality Trends in the United States Between 1999–2001 and 2015–2017

Studies have documented significant geographic divergence in U.S. mortality in recent decades. However, few studies have examined the extent to which county-level trends in mortality can be explained by national, state, and metropolitan-level trends, and which county-specific factors contribute to remaining variation. Combining vital statistics data on deaths and Census data with time-varying county-level contextual characteristics, we use a spatially explicit Bayesian hierarchical model to analyze the associations between working-age mortality, state, metropolitan status and county-level socioeconomic conditions, family characteristics, labor market conditions, health behaviors, and population characteristics between 2000 and 2017. Additionally, we employ a Shapley decomposition to illustrate the additive contributions of each changing county-level characteristic to the observed mortality change in U.S. counties between 1999–2001 and 2015–2017 over and above national, state, and metropolitan–nonmetropolitan mortality trends. Mortality trends varied by state and metropolitan status as did the contribution of county-level characteristics. Metropolitan status predicted more of the county-level variance in mortality than state of residence. Of the county-level characteristics, changes in percent college-graduates, smoking prevalence and the percent of foreign-born population contributed to a decline in all-cause mortality over this period, whereas increasing levels of poverty, unemployment, and single-parent families and declines manufacturing employment slowed down these improvements, and in many nonmetropolitan areas were large enough to overpower the positive contributions of the protective factors.
SACHETS: Semi-Autonomous Cognitive Hybrid Emergency Teleoperated Suction

Blood suction and irrigation are among the most critical support tasks in robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RMIS). Usually, suction/irrigation tools are controlled by a surgical assistant to maintain a clear view of the surgical field. Thus, the assistant’s contribution to other emergency support tasks is limited. Similarly, when the surgical assistant is not available to perform the blood suction, the leading surgeon must take over this task, which in a complex surgical procedure can result in an unnecessary increment in the cognitive load. To alleviate this problem, we have developed a semi-autonomous robotic suction assistant, which was integrated with a Da Vinci Research Kit (DVRK). At the heart of the algorithm, there is an autonomous control based on a deep learning model to segment and identify the location of blood accumulations. This system provides automatic suction allowing the leading surgeon to focus exclusively on the main task through the control of key instruments of the robot. We conducted a user study to evaluate the user’s workload demands and performance while doing a surgical task under two modalities: (1) autonomous suction action and (2) a surgeon-controlled-suction. Our results indicate that users working with the autonomous system completed the task 161 seconds faster than in the surgeon-controlled-suction modality. Furthermore, the autonomous modality led to a lower percentage of bleeding in the surgical field and workload demands on the users (p-value<0.05). These results show how leveraging state-of-the-art AI algorithms can reduce cognitive demands and enhance performance.
Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Model M4

Glaucoma drainage devices are helpful in the management of intractable glaucoma, which does not respond well to conventional medical and surgical therapies. Surgeons also may choose to use glaucoma drainage devices for primary surgery for glaucoma. The Ahmed Glaucoma Valve is a glaucoma drainage device that has a flow-resistive valve mechanism. This valve is helpful in minimizing postoperative hypotony and complications associated with hypotony, including flat anterior chamber, choroidal effusions, and suprachoroidal hemorrhage.
Reductions in Dietary Lead Exposure in the United States

(1991). Reductions in Dietary Lead Exposure in the United States. Chemical Speciation & Bioavailability: Vol. 3, No. 3-4, pp. 31-36.
All-pole modeling of speech based on the minimum variance distortionless response spectrum

We develop more fully all-pole modeling of speech based on the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) spectrum. It is shown that MVDR modeling provides a class of all-pole models that are flexible for tackling a wide variety of speech modeling objectives. In particular the high order MVDR spectrum provides a robust model for all types of speech including voiced speech, unvoiced speech, and mixed spectra. Furthermore, it is simply obtained, and is always superior to the linear prediction (LP) spectrum. With its high quality modeling, the high order MVDR spectrum is suitable for use as a high quality reference spectrum, or for applications like speech recognition. In addition, the MVDR model possesses flexibility for developing low order all-pole models suitable for compression applications. In particular; reduced order MVDR all-pole models are shown to often outperform conventional LP filters in modeling all types of speech spectra. For more accurate modeling of a set of speech spectral samples in the frequency domain, MVDR modeling facilitates the development of superior weighted all-pole filters.
The Purported and Actual Meanings of Richard Wright’s “Big Black Good Man”

As Richard Wright’s last short story, “Big Black Good Man” has received modest but not very detailed attention from scholars, who often use it to hypothesize about how his fiction might have developed had he lived longer. But while opinions differ on this score and on the story’s merits, all assume that the black American sailor Jim is a gentle giant who represents Wright’s triumphant rebuttal of white fantasies about black violence like those harbored by the Danish hotel clerk Olaf. However, careful analysis suggests that Olaf’s supposed racism is somewhat exaggerated while Jim’s behavior is much more questionable morally than critics have assumed. The story resembles others by Wright flawed by a compulsive preoccupation with violence that the author seems not fully aware or in control of. Now, more than half a century after its initial publication, altered political and social circumstances invite a juster appreciation of Wright’s virtues and faults as displayed in this story.
Quantitative grading of preretinal neovascularization in adult rats

. Purpose: To quantify photodynamic venous occlusion-induced preretinal neovascularization with fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-dextran) angiography in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Argon green laser was used to ablate retinal veins in the experimental group (24 rats), and applied between the vessels in the control group (10 rats) after systemic injection of rose bengal. Animals were systemically infused with FITC-dextran and killed 14 days after laser treatment. Retinal flat-mounts were observed under a fluorescence microscope. The number and area of neovascular tufts were measured. Confocal microscopy and histological study were performed to rule out possible artifacts, and to confirm FITC-dextran angiography findings. Results: Out of the entire group of 34 albino rats, no preretinal neovascularization was found in the control group (total 20 eyes, 10 rats). In the experimental group (total 48 eyes, 24 rats) 43 eyes (90%) developed well demarcated neovascular tufts revealed by FITC-dextran angiography. This well demarcated boundary of neovascular tufts was reconfirmed by confocal microscopy and histological study. There were no significant differences in the number or area of neovascular tufts between the right and left eyes. Conclusion: FITC-dextran angiography provides a time- and labour-efficient basis for quantifying both the number and area of preretinal neovascularization induced by photodynamic venous occlusion in adult rats. This model is suitable for angiostatic study in the adult animals.
Growth of heavily C-doped {GaAs}/{AlGaAs} MQW structures by MOVPE for 2-3 μm normal incidence photodetectors

The growth and intersubband optical properties of high quality heavily doped p-type GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) structures are reported. The MQWs were fabricated by the atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy process using liquid CCl 4 to dope the wells with C acceptors (N a 2 x 10 19 cm -3 ). A constant growth temperature was maintained for the entire structure while different V/III ratios were used for the well and barrier regions. By this process it is possible to achieve both high C doping densities in the wells and to simultaneously obtain good quality AlGaAs barriers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements on heavily doped 10-period MQW structures reveal a new absorption peak at ∼ 2 μm with an effective normal incidence absorption coefficient of 4000 cm -1 . Photocurrent measurements on mesa-shaped diodes show a corresponding peak at 2.1 μm. The photodiodes exhibit a symmetrical current-voltage characteristic and a low dark current, which are indicative of a high quality MQW structure and a well-controlled C doping profile. The 2 μm absorption represents the shortest wavelength ever reported for any GaAs/AlGaAs or InGaAs/AlGaAs MQW structure and should be very useful for implementing multicolor infrared photodetectors.
Public Utility Pricing, Investment, and Reliability under Uncertainty: A Review

During the last decade, considerable work has been done to develop rules for optimal public utility pricing and capacity investment in the presence of uncertainty and/or nonhomogeneous technology; a variety of different results have geen obtained. This article reviews this literature with the purpose of reconciling apparent differences and synthesizing a consistent set of results. One of the principal contributions of this literature is that it emphasizes that the reliability of supply should be jointly optimized with prices and capacities. However, it is suggested here than an adequate framework for accomplishing this objective has not appeared in the literature. The specific weakness is in the measurement of the costs associated with supply interruptions. Finally, suggestions for improvements in the approach to optimizing price, capacity, and reliability are offered; important topics for future research are outlined.