cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding Gender and Culture Within the Context of Spirituality: Implications for Counselors

This article examines roles that gender, culture, and spirituality play in elements of therapeutic process. It presents an initial literature review of gender, culture, and spirituality as these factors relate to shaping identities and defining one's behavior. Discussions on how these 3 dimensions influence the level of understanding and effective responsiveness that competent counseling professionals should consider in a culturally and spiritually diverse society are presented. Three case studies provide a framework to illuminate the complexity that professionals face when counseling issues are viewed through unique gender, cultural, and spiritual worldviews. Implications for counselors and the counseling profession are provided.
Blessing for the bleeder: bevacizumab in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a genetic disorder characterized by uncontrolled multisystem angiogenesis with epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, iron-deficiency anemia, and arteriovenous malformations, and is often associated with increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Bevacizumab, a VEGF inhibitor, reduces epistaxis, telangiectasias, and iron-deficiency anemia. We present the case of a woman with HHT and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding who required iron supplementation and multiple blood transfusions. Bevacizumab resulted in marked symptom improvement and transfusion-independence. Our report describes the dose schedule and calls for a randomized, controlled trial demonstrating the value of bevacizumab therapy.
`Exemplary Elders' Stigma, Stereotypes and Sexually Transmitted Infections among Older African Americans

The risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among older adults in the US has increased in recent years, especially in the southeast. Stigma is a known barrier to STI control, but is rarely a...
Electromagnetic interference shielding of carbon nanotube/ethylene vinyl acetate composites

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) composites were synthesized in an internal mixer by melt mixing. The electrical conductivity as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) over the X-band (8–12 GHz) and microwave (200–2,000 MHz) frequency ranges of these composites were investigated. It was observed that the electrical conductivity of composites increases with increasing SWCNT loading. A percolation threshold of about 3.5 wt.% was obtained and the electrical conductivity of EVA was increased by ten orders of magnitude, from 10−14 to 10−4 Ω−1 cm−1. The effect of sample thickness on SE was investigated. The correlation between SE and conductivity of the composites is discussed. The experimental data showed that the SE of the composites containing higher carbon nanotube loadings (above 10 wt.%) could be used as an EMI shielding material and lower SWCNT loadings could be used for the dissipation of electrostatic charge.
Examining the cost per caregiver of an intervention designed to improve the quality of life of spousal caregivers of stroke survivors.

Background and Purpose There is a growing consensus among healthcare researchers that, within the field of family caregiving, cost-effectiveness research is needed to determine which programs have the greatest benefit for family members. This study examines the cost per caregiver of an intervention designed to improve the quality of life of spousal caregivers of stroke survivors. Method Cost data from the CAReS study were analyzed to determine the cost of the intervention per caregiver. Results The cost of the intervention per caregiver was $2,500 at the 2009 median wage estimate. It was $1,700 at the 2009 10 percentile wage estimate and $3,500 at the 2009 90 percentile wage estimate. Conclusions This study provides a prototype cost analysis from which researchers can build. In future analyses, costs should be tracked at a participant level so uncertainty can be calculated using the bias-corrected percentile bootstrapping method and plotted to calculate cost-effectiveness acceptability curves, enabling cost-effectiveness comparisons between interventions.
Leveraging Laptops: Resources for Low-Cost Low-Level AI

The ubiquity and capability of off-the-shelf laptop computers offer AI educators remarkable opportunities to reach broadly across the subfields of AI. By leveraging student laptops, instructors can make so-called low-level subfields of artificial intelligence – for example, computer vision and robotics -- almost as accessible as investigations into higher-level topics that might rely less on sensors and actuators. At Harvey Mudd College we have developed two “lines” of laptop-controlled robots. The first, based on iRobot’s vacuums, provides an inexpensive and autonomous platform suitable for indoor, human-scale environments. The second, built atop PowerWheels toys, offers a capable, low-cost base for large, outdoor navigation and planning tasks. Both platforms enable cost- and time-effective undergraduate engagement in the ongoing community of robot- and vision-themed venues, exhibitions, contests, and conferences.
Selling Intervention and War: The Presidency, the Media, and the American Public

Selling Intervention and War: The Presidency, the Media, and the American Public. By Jon Western. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. 320p. $48.00 cloth, $18.95 paper. Jon Western's book joins an expanding list of studies on the sociopolitical context that shapes U.S. decisions to resort to force abroad. Most such studies reflect an appreciation that, core assumptions of realpolitik aside, these decisions are the resultant of various vectors of domestic power and preference, vectors that often point in different directions. Some of these studies directly address the incentives and constraints that public opinion places in the path of democratic leadership. Others analyze the manner in which actors within the higher echelons of the power structure interact to produce national policies. Western's study encompasses both levels of analysis, examining how the interaction of elites and public affect the likelihood that the United States would intervene militarily in other nations.
A new Hundred Years' War? The Affordable Care Act.

The continuing outright hostility of American ‘conservatives’ regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA aka Obamacare) must, for those of you in the NHS, call into question the overall sanity of the American people. The struggles to establish the NHS were not trivial, but it got sorted out, and the British got on with it. I remember GPs, during my year in the NHS 35 years ago, asking why it was that Americans could tolerate having so many people uninsured and, of course, I had no answer. I continue to have no answer now, despite the gap being closed dramatically by the ACA over the past 2 years. Last year, there were fewer uninsured people in the US than any time since 1965, when Medicare started to cover the elderly.1 Every cliche imaginable is applied to the current US legislative process, if indeed it is a process at all: gridlock, paralysis, confrontation, polarisation. And Americans not only seem to tolerate it, but we have reached the point that any behaviour that speaks to the mutual good, like universal healthcare coverage, is suspect and trumped by individualism. One might use the word ‘selfish’, but I won’t. The latest flap about a recent measles epidemic among unvaccinated children has not, for a change, focused on the poor but rather on educated parents who, despite their education, seem grounded in a fundamental mistrust of anything ‘the government’ recommends. They seem as convinced by pseudoscience about immunisation problems as the climate change deniers are convinced that global warming is a glitch rather than a trend. The irony is that the state with the highest percentage of vaccination …
Modern Weapons and the Law of Armed Conflict

This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the history of efforts to regulate permissible weapons and munitions. As the increasingly sophisticated nature of weapons law is inextricably linked to this history, Part II provides important context for understanding this component of the law of armed conflict. The framework of the law of weaponry and the principles for regulating the means of warfare are considered in Part III. Part IV discusses the process for determining whether a weapon is lawful and allowed in military operations. Part V concludes that, notwithstanding the claims of some critics, weapons law is sufficiently robust and pliable to regulate current and emerging means of war.
Usefulness of the Polypill for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the developed countries and is estimated to be the leading cause of death in the developing countries by the year 2030. The cause for this rise in CVD is the increase in the major CVD risk factors (CVRFs) like hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, which account for 80 % of all CVD deaths worldwide. In order to prevent the increase in CVD, it has been proposed to develop a low-cost polypill containing four to five generic drugs with known effectiveness in the reduction of the CVRFs. This polypill has now been tested in several recent studies for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD and stroke with fairly good results. A Medline search of the English language literature between 2011 and 2015 resulted in the identification of 15 studies with pertinent findings. These findings together with collateral literature will be discussed in this review.
The role of temperature and pressure in the formation of etch-resistant layers

1. Rapid surface heating of steel leads to the formation of a surface layer which consists of two zones with structures produced by rapid tempering and secondary quenching, respectively. The thickness of each of these zones and their constitution depend on the surface temperature attained. 2. The application of a pressure pulse side by side with rapid heating confers a stress state on the structure of the rapidly tempered zone and changes the constitution and properties of the secondary-quench zone:
Hot-wire method of determining the thermal conductivity of refractory materials

The advantages of the hot-wire method of determining the thermal conductivity of refractory products lie in the fact that it makes it possible to determine the true thermal conductivity directly in relation to a given temperature of the specimen. This fact distinguishes this method favorably from the methods based on the use of tablets and cylinders in which the thermal conductivity is related to the mean temperatures of the hot and cold sides on the specimen.
Large Eddy Simulation of Flow and Heat Transfer in an Internal Cooling Duct With High Blockage Ratio 45° Staggered Ribs

Numerical predictions of a hydrodynamic and thermally developed turbulent flow are presented for a unit period of a stationary duct with square ribs aligned at 45° to the main flow direction. The rib height to channel hydraulic diameter (e/Dh ) is 0.375 and the rib pitch to rib height (P/e) is 10. The domain under consideration is a rectangular passage of aspect ratio 1:2.5 with 45° ribs on the top and bottom walls arranged in a staggered fashion. The computations are carried out for a bulk Re of 27,000. The rib geometry introduces a strong secondary flow along the rib. A large helical vortex develops behind the rib which breaks down before it reaches the outer wall. This results in higher heat transfer at the inner wall as compared to the outer wall, which is in contrast to the trend observed in a square channel with low blockage ribs. In a square duct with low blockage ribs the secondary flow has two counter-rotating cells which do not change direction through the channel. However in this case only one rotating cell is observed in this case, which changes direction as it passes over successive ribs. The average friction and the heat transfer augmentation ratios are consistent with the experimental results [1], predicting values within 15% of the measured quantities.© 2005 ASME
Linearly Typed Dyadic Group Sessions for Building Multiparty Sessions.

Traditionally, each party in a (dyadic or multiparty) session implements exactly one role specified in the type of the session. We refer to this kind of session as an individual session (i-session). As a generalization of i-session, a group session (g-session) is one in which each party may implement a group of roles based on one channel. In particular, each of the two parties involved in a dyadic g-session implements either a group of roles or its complement. In this paper, we present a formalization of g-sessions in a multi-threaded lambdacalculus (MTLC) equipped with a linear type system, establishing for the MTLC both type preservation and global progress. As this formulated MTLC can be readily embedded into ATS, a fullfledged language with a functional programming core that supports both dependent types (of DML-style) and linear types, we obtain a direct implementation of linearly typed g-sessions in ATS. The primary contribution of the paper lies in both of the identification of g-sessions as a fundamental building block for multiparty sessions and the theoretical development in support of this identification.
Antesternal Brace Fixation Applied to Correct Funnel Chest

Objective To introduce a method of sternal elevation using chain-like costoto my and antesternal brace fixtion for correcting funnel chest (FC). Methods 58 FC patients under went the sternal elevation procedure by chain-like costotomy and antesternal intrafixation with self -made steel brace. Results The procedure had the advantages of less injury,faster recovery and no complications,the satisfying outcome have been obtained for 6 months to 8 years followed up. Conclusions Antesternal brace fixation is an effective procedure to FC, especially in suits charac teristics of physicoanatomy of infants.
Impact of large scale wind power transmission on system small signal stability

The small signal stability mathematical model of DFIG was derived, which include the model of shaft, pitch control, DFIG, rotor and grid converter. The impact of Tongliao network which has large scale of wind power on system oscillation modes and damping characteristic was analyzed. Some situations were systematically researched to ascertain the impact on system small signal stability, which included different operation modes, different generation load under the same mode, comparision between transporting wind and thermal power. The results show that wind power will have an impact on system damping characteristic. Different operation modes will vary damping level of inter-area modes and generate or obliterate inner-area modes which have a higher damping level.
Acute Kidney Injury in a Child Receiving Vancomycin and Piperacillin/Tazobactam.

Recent reports have described increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in adults receiving concomitant vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam, but few reports exist in children. We describe an 8-year-old girl who was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory distress secondary to pneumonia. She began treatment with vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam. She developed AKI, and piperacillin/tazobactam and vancomycin were discontinued. Following a furosemide infusion, her AKI resolved and serum creatinine returned to baseline. She later resumed piperacillin/tazobactam monotherapy for multidrug-resistant tracheitis with no evidence of AKI and was eventually discharged to a long-term care facility. The Naranjo probability scale supports a probable drug-related adverse event. Clinicians must be aware of the possibility of AKI with this combination and should monitor renal function and vancomycin concentrations vigilantly. Future prospective studies are needed to explore the incidence an...
Failure analysis of a large span longwall drift under water-rich roofs and its control techniques

Abstract In this study, failure analysis of a large span longwall drift under water-rich roofs was presented relying on field observations and numerical simulations. We had sought to find the key points that caused the drift roof collapse and water inrush. The numerical results were similar with that observed from field situations, and they both determined the origins of the roof failure problem. Wrong location selection and unreasonable excavation and support schemes were verified to be the most important factors that caused roof failure of the drift. Subsequently, a new excavation location with poor roof aquifer was recommended. A two staged excavation procedure was employed. Firstly, a small span roadway was excavated and reinforced, then the roadway was widened to the design width. After the first pass, boreholes were drilled to dewater the roof aquifer, and chemical glue material was grouted into the roof to cement the pre-existing discontinuities and induced fractures. Such control techniques had been undertaken in the new longwall drift. Both numerical modeling and field measurement verified that the proposed method could guarantee the large span drift stability during excavation and longwall preparation period. The interest of this study resides in combining the integrated methods to evaluate the state of failure in a highly detailed manner and determine simultaneously control techniques for the thorny problem under study.
The Challenge and the Issues

Worldwide, air travel can be expected to increase substantially in the decades ahead. Barring catastrophe, it quite possibly will be three to ten times greater by the end of the century than it is in 1976. These projections imply no more than an average annual rate of growth of 5–10 percent. A threefold increase in twenty years only requires that air travel keep pace with the historical expansion of national economies and international trade — a fairly conservative assumption. A tenfold increase in the same period, large as it seems, is comparable to the increase in the number of air travelers and shipments in air cargo in the generation after the Second World War.1 The larger rate of growth may even be the more likely one. It is, of course, quite impossible to know what the actual development will be, but that is not our concern for the moment. The immediate fact is that significant increases in air traffic will occur, and will require large investments in airports.
Alloy design for aircraft engines

Metallic materials are fundamental to advanced aircraft engines. While perceived as mature, emerging computational, experimental and processing innovations are expanding the scope for discovery and implementation of new metallic materials for future generations of advanced propulsion systems.
Outage-Optimized Multicast Beamforming With Distributed Limited Feedback

We consider a slowly fading multicast channel with one $T$ -antenna transmitter and $K$ single-antenna receivers with the goal of minimizing channel outage probability using quantized beamforming. Our focus is on a distributed limited feedback scenario where each receiver can only quantize and send feedback information regarding its own receiving channels. A classical result in point-to-point quantized beamforming is that a necessary and sufficient condition for full diversity is to have $\lceil \log _{2} T \rceil $ bits from the receiver with an appropriate quantizer. We first generalize this result to multicast beamforming systems and show that a necessary and sufficient condition to achieve full diversity for all receivers is to have $\lceil \log _{2} T \rceil $ bits from each receiver with an appropriate quantizer. Achievable diversity gains with a long-term power constraint are also discussed. Moreover, for a two-receiver system and with $R$ feedback bits per receiver, we show that the outage performance with quantized beamforming is within $O\left({2^{-\frac {R}{32T^{2}}}}\right)$ dBs to the performance with full channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT). This constitutes, in the context of multicast channels, the first example of a distributed limited feedback scheme whose performance can provably approach the performance with full CSIT. Numerical simulations confirm our analytical findings.
Making the Quick Diagnosis: A Case of Neonatal Shock

Abstract Background The work-up and initial management of a critically ill neonate is challenging and anxiety provoking for the Emergency Physician. While sepsis and critical congenital heart disease represent a large proportion of neonates presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) in shock, there are several additional etiologies to consider. Underlying metabolic, endocrinologic, gastrointestinal, neurologic, and traumatic disorders must be considered in a critically ill infant. Several potential etiologies will present with nonspecific and overlapping signs and symptoms, and the diagnosis often is not evident at the time of ED assessment. Case Report We present the case of a neonate in shock, with a variety of nonspecific signs and symptoms who was ultimately diagnosed with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy secondary to a resolved dysrhythmia. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? This case highlights the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to the critically ill neonate in the ED, and expands the differential diagnosis beyond sepsis and critical congenital heart disease. Knowledge of the potential life-threatening etiologies of shock in this population allows the Emergency Physician to appropriately test for, and empirically treat, several potential etiologies simultaneously. Additionally, we discuss the diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardia and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in the neonatal and pediatric population, which is essential knowledge for an Emergency Physician.
Increased Enoxaparin Dosing for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in General Trauma Patients.

Objective: To review the evidence regarding increased enoxaparin dosing for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in the general trauma patient population. Data Sources: A search of MEDLINE data...
Indicators of Lung Shunt Fraction Determined by Technetium-99 m Macroaggregated Albumin in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

To determine the correlation of pre-procedural and imaging characteristics with lung shunt fraction (LSF) measured by technetium-99 m macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) scan in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. A retrospective study was conducted of 428 subjects with hepatocellular carcinoma from 2004 to 2011 assessed for lung shunting by 99mTc-MAA scan. Baseline characteristics included age, gender, ethnicity, tumor burden, maximum dimension, number of lesions, presence of extrahepatic metastases, macrovascular (hepatic and portal vein) invasion, ascites on imaging, laboratory values, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to obtain sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), and positive likelihood ratios (LR+) of characteristics for low LSF (LSF 20%). Statistically significant (p < 0.05) independent indicators of low LSF included bilirubin <1.45 mg/dL (SN = 49.5%, SP = 69.1%, LR+ = 1.60), maximum tumor size <7.15 cm (SN = 66.0%, SP = 75.9%, LR+ = 2.74), AFP ≤200 ng/mL (SN = 64.6%, SP = 65.0%, LR+ = 1.85), and absent macrovascular invasion (SN = 73.9%, SP = 64.9%, LR+ = 2.11). Independent indicators of high LSF included albumin <2.65 g/dL (SN = 64.3%, SP = 64.1%, LR+ = 1.79) and macrovascular invasion (SN = 74.4%, SP = 67.4%, LR+ = 2.28). A combined risk factor model was constructed. If there is no macrovascular invasion: $${\text{LSF }} = {\text{ e}}^{ - 3.846} \times ({\text{Bilirubin}})^{0.303} \times {\text{AFP}}^{0.056} \times ({\text{Maximum dimension}})^{0.364}$$ . With macrovascular invasion, $${\text{LSF }} = {\text{ e}}^{ - 3.629} \times ({\text{Bilirubin}})^{0.303} \times {\text{AFP}}^{0.056} \times ({\text{Maximum dimension}})^{0.364}$$ (R 2 = 0.257). Since these factors all have LR+ between 2 and 5, they only reflect slight increase in LSF predictivity. Serum AFP, albumin, bilirubin, and portal/hepatic vein invasion on cross-sectional imaging are statistically significant but weak clinical indicators of LSF, as shown by low SN, SP, and LR+ for clinically relevant cutoff LSF values. Thus, these factors cannot be relied upon in clinical practice.
Insertion and deletion polymorphisms of the ancient AluS family in the human genome

Polymorphic Alu elements account for 17% of structural variants in the human genome. The majority of these belong to the youngest AluY subfamilies, and most structural variant discovery efforts have focused on identifying Alu polymorphisms from these currently retrotranspositionally active subfamilies. In this report we analyze polymorphisms from the evolutionarily older AluS subfamily, whose peak activity was tens of millions of years ago. We annotate the AluS polymorphisms, assess their likely mechanism of origin, and evaluate their contribution to structural variation in the human genome. Of 52 previously reported polymorphic AluS elements ascertained for this study, 48 were confirmed to belong to the AluS subfamily using high stringency subfamily classification criteria. Of these, the majority (77%, 37/48) appear to be deletion polymorphisms. Two polymorphic AluS elements (4%) have features of non-classical Alu insertions and one polymorphic AluS element (2%) likely inserted by a mechanism involving internal priming. Seven AluS polymorphisms (15%) appear to have arisen by the classical target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT) retrotransposition mechanism. These seven TPRT products are 3′ intact with 3′ poly-A tails, and are flanked by target site duplications; L1 ORF2p endonuclease cleavage sites were also observed, providing additional evidence that these are L1 ORF2p endonuclease-mediated TPRT insertions. Further sequence analysis showed strong conservation of both the RNA polymerase III promoter and SRP9/14 binding sites, important for mediating transcription and interaction with retrotransposition machinery, respectively. This conservation of functional features implies that some of these are fairly recent insertions since they have not diverged significantly from their respective retrotranspositionally competent source elements. Of the polymorphic AluS elements evaluated in this report, 15% (7/48) have features consistent with TPRT-mediated insertion, thus suggesting that some AluS elements have been more active recently than previously thought, or that fixation of AluS insertion alleles remains incomplete. These data expand the potential significance of polymorphic AluS elements in contributing to structural variation in the human genome. Future discovery efforts focusing on polymorphic AluS elements are likely to identify more such polymorphisms, and approaches tailored to identify deletion alleles may be warranted.
Game of Light: Modeling Diversity Through Participatory Interaction

Diversity is key to flourishing ecosystems. This paper describes Game of Light, an installation designed to encourage participatory interaction with crowds at CHI 2017. Extending Conway's classic Game of Life, this game adds support for multiple differentiated agents and continuous participant interaction during play. The interface is presented through the use of modular lanterns, which users can configure and install in a 6x6 grid. We developed various algorithms that govern how lanterns interact and animate based on their neighbours' configuration; and guided by this feedback, users work together to optimize the diversity of the space. A system on the backend simulates and drives the lantern animations, while controlling the actual physical grid. This installation consists of a tall wooden frame which suspends up to 36 lanterns. Through the use of this installation, we hope to encourage dialogue about the value of diversity in our daily lives.
“A river is not a boundary”: interplays of national and linguistic citizenship in Pulaar language activism

AbstractThis article examines the interplay of linguistic citizenship and national citizenship within a trans-border language movement. Since the late 1950s, language activists from among the Haalpulaar’en of Senegal and Mauritania have practiced forms of literacy teaching, literary production, theater and journalism in promoting their language, known as Pulaar. These activists’ trans-border collaborations and their emergence from two distinct national contexts – where, in both cases, Pulaar is spoken by a minority of the population – must be understood in relation to one another. Tracing the biographical itineraries of several key activists, this article illustrates how Senegalese and Mauritanian Pulaar militants have collaborated when it comes to language promotion yet frame their grievances within their respective national political arenas. More than a form of local resistance based on trans-border linguistic and cultural ties, Pulaar language activism has emerged thanks to opportunities presented by f...
Icelandic Object Extraposition Is Still a Problem for the Movement Theory of Control: A Reply to Drummond and Hornstein

In Wood 2012, I argued that object extraposition of infinitive clauses in Icelandic reveals a problem for the movement theory of control (MTC). Object extraposition involves a pronoun that, when present, prevents any movement out of the extraposed clause, but allows the control dependency. Drummond and Hornstein (2014) claim that the facts discussed in Wood 2012 are compatible with the MTC. In this reply, I show that their response is based on a misunderstanding of how Icelandic object extraposition works and that the problem observed in Wood 2012 remains. I also present a novel argument against the MTC by showing that Drummond and Hornstein’s account of ‘promise’ - type verbs cannot be extended to Icelandic.
Grit and two-year engineering retention

This work-in-progress paper describes an exploratory investigation of the relationship between Grit and retention of engineering students. Grit is a noncognitive trait that psychologists have used to predict success more accurately than cognitive traits like intelligence. We administered the Grit Scale in a first-year engineering design project course (n = 465). Using binary logistic regression, we found that Grit was not a significant predictor of retention, but one of Grit's subscales, Perseverance of Effort, was significant for both one- and two-year retention in engineering. Our results suggest that we may be able to improve retention by helping students develop persistence to overcome their challenges and difficulties.
Accessing unconventional biofuels via reactions far from local equilibrium

Abstract The thermochemical production of fuels from lignocellulosic biomass is constrained by equilibrium thermodynamics. However, low temperature plasma reactions are not governed by local equilibrium and involve the formation of unique radical and ion species. Thus, low temperature plasma can open pathways in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to products not observed in conventional thermochemical processing. In this effort, a novel radio-frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced fluidized bed reactor was utilized for the low temperature plasma deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass in a hydrogen background gas. Of the reacted biomass in the plasma, 35% of the carbon was converted into hydrocarbons. Specifically, 16.9, 8.2, 9.6, and 0.2% of the reacted carbon from the biomass was converted into CH4, C2Hx, C3Hx, and C4Hx, respectively. With increasing power input, more rapid conversion of biomass was achieved, while the total amount of carbon from the biomass converted into hydrocarbons was similar.
Recent Advances in Recommender Systems: Sets, Local Models, Coverage, and Errors

Recommender systems are designed to identify the items that a user will like or find useful based on the user's prior preferences and activities. These systems have become ubiquitous and are an essential tool for information filtering and (e-)commerce. Over the years, collaborative filtering, which derive these recommendations by leveraging past activities of groups of users, has emerged as the most prominent approach for solving this problem. This talk will present some of our recent work towards improving the performance of collaborative filtering-based recommender systems and understanding some of their fundamental limitations and characteristics. It will start by analyzing how the ratings that users provide to a set of items relate to their ratings of the set's individual items and, using these insights, will present rating prediction approaches that utilize distant supervision. It will then discuss extensions to approaches based on sparse linear and latent factor models that postulate that users' preferences are a combination of global and local preferences, which are shown to lead to better user modeling and as such improved prediction performance. Finally, the talk will conclude by discussing what can be accurately predicted by latent factor approaches and by analyzing the estimation error of sparse linear and latent factor models and how its characteristics impacts the performance of top N recommendation algorithms.
New Nonlinear Chromophores, Poled Polymers and Photorefractive Polymers

Abstract Selected issues concerning the design and optimization of second order nonlinear optical polymers are reviewed from the materials science viewpoint. A variety of new optically nonlinear chromophores have been prepared and their hyperpolarizabilities calculated and measured by the EFISH technique. Different epoxy polymers containing these chromophores have been prepared and examined by conventional analytical as well as appropriate linear and nonlinear optical techniques. These polymers are intended for ultimate evaluation and application in either SHG or modulator types of waveguide devices. In addition, some of these polymers doped with charge transport agents have been unambiguously demonstrated to possess photorefractive properties.
Threshold Defined Camouflaged Gates in 65nm Technology for Reverse Engineering Protection

Due to the ever-increasing threat of Reverse Engineering (RE) of Intellectual Property (IP) for malicious gains, camouflaging of logic gates is becoming very important. In this paper, we present experimental demonstration of transistor threshold voltage-defined switch [2] based camouflaged logic gates that can hide six logic functionalities i.e. NAND, AND, NOR, OR, XOR and XNOR. The proposed gates can be used to design the IP, forcing an adversary to perform brute-force guess-and-verify of the underlying functionality---increasing the RE effort. We propose two flavors of camouflaging, one employing only a pass transistor (NMOS-switch) and the other utilizing a full pass transistor (CMOS-switch). The camouflaged gates are used to design Ring-Oscillators (RO) in ST 65nm technology, one for each functionality, on which we have performed temperature, voltage, and process-variation analysis. We observe that CMOS-switch based camouflaged gate offers a higher performance (~1.5-8X better) than NMOS-switch based gate at an added area cost of only 5%. The proposed gates show functionality till 0.65V. We are also able to reclaim lost performance by dynamically changing the switch gate voltage and show that robust operation can be achieved at lower voltage and under temperature fluctuation.
Recovery of Pasture Forage Production Following Winter Rest in Continuous and Rotational Horse Grazing Systems

Abstract Winter rest is commonly recommended to aid in regrowth of spring forage in horse pastures. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of previous grazing method (continuous [CON] vs. rotational [ROT]) on recovery of pasture production following a period of winter grazing exclusion. Pasture forage yield, persistence, and quality were assessed monthly in two horse pastures, one CON and one ROT, from April to August 2017. Herbage mass was greater in ROT in May (ROT 2,701.8 ± 176.0; CON 1,439.0 ± 155.06 kg/ha; P = .0008), June (ROT 3,778 ± 21.59; CON 2,507.0 ± 274.7 kg/ha; P = .0007), and July (ROT 4,755.8 ± 263.1; CON 3,627.8 ± 318.66 kg/ha; P = .0053), while sward height only differed by grazing system in May (ROT 21.87 ± 0.68; CON 13.02 ± 0.68 cm; P P = .0009). Furthermore, there was an association between pasture forage composition and grazing management system at all sample points other than in August ( P P
Multicore and Many Core Integrated Circuits

Multicore ICs and systems are the future of computing and networking. Trend of multicore ICs is increasing due to many limitations in unicore systems including clock speed, heating issues and large size. A few years back the concept of multicore ICs was not a burning topic because developers were increasing the clock speed using single core. Then dual core processors were introduced and it was considered to be a revolutionary step in ICs' world. They were considered to be very fast processors and within a short time the concept of multicore ICs was introduced. But now these days the trend is shifting from multi core to many core integrated circuits due to a lot of reasons that prefer many core circuits over multicore circuits. However the difference is not a big one it lies just in the number of processing units. In this report the concept of multicore and many-core ICs and processors is discussed in detail with some of their advantages as well as disadvantages. Memory sharing in multi core system, Clock speed trends and protocols of memory sharing are also the part of this paper.
180 W picosecond green laser from a frequency-doubled rod fiber amplifier

We report on a 180 W picosecond green laser from a frequency-doubled rod fiber amplifier. An Ytterbium-doped fiber master-oscillator-power-amplifier is designed to generate 704 MHz, 2.3 ps, 270 W average infrared power. 2.1 picosecond, 180 W average green power with diffraction limited beam quality is produced through frequency doubling. To our knowledge, it is the highest picosecond average green power from a single fiber-based laser system.
Results of the 2005 AORN salary survey--trends for perioperative nursing.

ABSTRACT • AORN CONDUCTED ITS ANNUAL compensation survey for perioperative nurses in August 2005. • A MULTIPLE REGRESSION MODEL was used to examine how a variety of variables, including job title, education level, certification, experience, and geographic region, affect nursing compensation. • THIS SURVEY ALSO EXAMINES the effect of other forms of compensation (eg, on-call compensation, overtime, bonuses, shift differential) on average base compensation rates. AORN J 82 (December 2005) 965–972.
The Cas4-Cas1-Cas2 complex mediates precise prespacer processing during CRISPR adaptation

CRISPR adaptation immunizes bacteria and archaea against viruses. During adaptation, the Cas1-Cas2 complex integrates fragments of invader DNA as spacers in the CRISPR array. Recently, an additional protein Cas4 has been implicated in selection and processing of prespacer substrates for Cas1-Cas2, although this mechanism remains unclear. We show that Cas4 interacts directly with Cas1-Cas2 forming a Cas4-Cas1-Cas2 complex that captures and processes prespacers prior to integration. Structural analysis of the Cas4-Cas1-Cas2 complex reveals two copies of Cas4 that closely interact with the two integrase active sites of Cas1, suggesting a mechanism for substrate handoff following processing. We also find that the Cas4-Cas1-Cas2 complex processes single-stranded DNA provided in cis or in trans with a double-stranded DNA duplex. Cas4 cleaves precisely upstream of PAM sequences, ensuring the acquisition of functional spacers. Our results explain how Cas4 cleavage coordinates with Cas1-Cas2 integration and defines the exact cleavage sites and specificity of Cas4.
Opportunities for Cooperation between Landscape Contractors and Landscape Architects

Abstract Landscape architects identified the most common complaints they receive regarding plant material installed in the landscape. The 54 responses from a survey of landscape architects in Georgia were grouped into four categories relating to plant size, plant quality, site preparation and installation, and plant maintenance. Specific opportunities are identified for landscape contractors to help landscape architects address these customer concerns. In addition, landscape architects identified several areas for landscape contractors to assist them in supplying better products and services. These areas include plant material care and availability, close supervision of the installation process, and a closer working relationship between the two groups.
The Brain and the Soul

This poetic and vivid expression of Sherrington is a felicitous initial theme for my discourse, which will depend so much on his courageous but unsuccessful struggle to resolve the mystery of man (Man on his Nature, Sherrington, 1940). No criticism is implied by the word “unsuccessful.” All of us who attempt to wrestle with this most intractable of problems cannot expect success in a venture that has eluded all philosophers and scientists from Aristotle to this present age. But there have been notable advances in the exploration of this vast and perplexing problem. Certainly, with our rapidly advancing knowledge of science, and particularly of biology and the neural sciences, we can anticipate that the problems can be “seen with new eyes.” There is of course an entrenched materialist orthodoxy, both philosophic and scientific, that rises to defend its dogmas with a self-righteousness scarcely equalled in the ancient days of religious dogmatism. I, for one, derive much encouragement from this die-hard resistance. It is good to feel oneself battling against a discredited establishment ! But of course I derive much more encourage- ment from the eminent scientists and philosophers who each in his own way has dared to adventure in these excessively difficult and dangerous fields of thought.
Integrative analysis for prediction of process-induced, orientation-dependent tensile properties in a stochastic prepreg platelet molded composite

Abstract Prepreg platelet molded composite (PPMC) is derived from compression molded pieces of chopped unidirectional prepreg tape. The properties of a stochastic PPMC arise from the meso-structure that develops during processing. This paper describes an integrated methodology for analysis of stochastic PPMC to develop process-structure-property relationships. Flow-induced fiber orientation distributions were predicted using an anisotropic viscous constitutive model implemented in a nonlinear, explicit finite element (FE) solver. The predicted orientation state was validated by CT-based orientation measurements and optical microscopy. A computational framework for simulation of tensile property distributions of a stochastic PPMC by progressive failure analysis is presented. The probabilistic simulation results were statistically validated against experimental data. A FE analysis was developed with an explicitly modeled platelet meso-structure wherein the platelets are treated as a homogeneous orthotropic medium using continuum damage mechanics to model the intraplatelet failure and a cohesive zone model for interlaminar disbonding. Panels were molded using partial charge coverage to induce flow alignment of the fibers. Tensile coupons were excised from the molded panels both along (parallel) and transverse (perpendicular) to the preferential fiber direction to compare the composite effective properties with those reported in the literature for planar random orientation states. The composite tensile properties were found to be strongly dependent on the global orientation state.
Nucleobase Modifiers Identify TET Enzymes as Bifunctional DNA Dioxygenases Capable of Direct N-Demethylation

TET family enzymes are known for oxidation of the 5-methyl substituent on 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in DNA. 5mC oxidation generates the stable base 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), starting an indirect, multi-step process that ends with reversion of 5mC to unmodified cytosine. While probing the nucleobase determinants of 5mC recognition, we discovered that TET enzymes are also proficient as direct N-demethylases of cytosine bases. We find that N-demethylase activity can be readily observed on substrates lacking a 5-methyl group and, remarkably, TET enzymes can be similarly proficient in either oxidation of 5mC or demethylation of N4-methyl substituents. Our results indicate that TET enzymes can act as both direct and indirect demethylases, highlight the active-site plasticity of these FeII /α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases, and suggest activity on unexplored substrates that could reveal new TET biology.
Use of Multiensemble Track Clustering to Inform Medium-Range Tropical Cyclone Forecasts

AbstractTropical cyclone ensemble track forecasts from 153 initialization times during 2017-2018 are clustered using regression mixture models. Clustering is performed on a four-ensemble dataset (E...
Predicting a Single-Temperature Fit to Multicomponent Thermal Plasma Spectra

Observed X-ray spectra of hot gas in clusters, groups, and individual galaxies are commonly fit with a single-temperature thermal plasma model, although the beam may contain emission from components with different temperatures. Recently, Mazzotta et al. pointed out that thus derived Tspec can be significantly different from commonly used definitions of average temperature, such as emission-weighted or emission measure-weighted T, and found an analytic expression for predicting Tspec for a mixture of plasma spectra with relatively hot temperatures (T 3 keV). In this paper, we propose an algorithm that can accurately predict Tspec in a much wider range of temperatures (T 0.5 keV) and for essentially arbitrary abundances of heavy elements. This algorithm can be applied in the deprojection analysis of objects with the temperature and metallicity gradients, for correction of the point-spread function (PSF) effects, for consistent comparison of numerical simulations of galaxy clusters and groups with the X-ray observations, and for estimating how emission from undetected components can bias the global X-ray spectral analysis.
Surgical resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in octogenarians.

Abstract Background Localized gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare tumors typically managed with surgery, but outcomes among octogenarians remain less studied. Methods Octogenarian patients with stage I-III gastric GISTs were identified from the National Cancer Database and classified by resection status. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses analyzed 5-year overall survival (OS). Ninety-day mortality was analyzed following 1:1 propensity score matching. Results Identified octogenarians (N = 949) who underwent resection (N = 632) had improved adjusted OS (71% vs 59.6%, HR 0.75, p 0.049) as compared to non-resected patients. Following matching, 90-day mortality was 5.7% and 11% in resected and non-resected patients (p 0.052), respectively. After exclusion of patients with 90-day mortality, resected patients maintained an OS advantage (77.3% vs 71.1%, HR 0.64, p 0.028). Conclusions The majority of octogenarians with localized gastric GIST are treated with surgery portending improved survival but an appreciable mortality, suggesting a necessity for careful selection of older patients for surgery.