cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Braincase of an Early Cretaceous titanosauriform sauropod from Texas

The first braincase belonging to an Early Cretaceous sauropod from North America is described. The diagnostic characters of this well preserved partial braincase are: prominent supraoccipital crest, with a distinct median ridge extending almost to the foramen magnum; short, ventrally directed basitubera, divided by a deep groove extending to the basipterygoid; single foramen for cranial nerve XII; accessory foramen for cranial nerve XI. A lack of juvenile characters suggests this specimen, although quite small, belongs to an adult individual. Comparison of this specimen with other sauropod crania indicates strong similarities with brachiosaurids and titanosaurids.
Resolving Dynamic Properties of Polymers through Coarse-Grained Computational Studies

Coupled length and time scales determine the dynamic behavior of polymers and underlie their unique viscoelastic properties. To resolve the long-time dynamics it is imperative to determine which time and length scales must be correctly modeled. Here we probe the degree of coarse graining required to simultaneously retain significant atomistic details and access large length and time scales. The degree of coarse graining in turn sets the minimum length scale instrumental in defining polymer properties and dynamics. Using linear polyethylene as a model system, we probe how the coarse-graining scale affects the measured dynamics. Iterative Boltzmann inversion is used to derive coarse-grained potentials with 2-6 methylene groups per coarse-grained bead from a fully atomistic melt simulation. We show that atomistic detail is critical to capturing large-scale dynamics. Using these models we simulate polyethylene melts for times over 500 μs to study the viscoelastic properties of well-entangled polymer melts.
Miniature circulators

Recent work on moderate-bandwidth and broadband miniature circulators is reviewed. The lumped-element design approach is the basis of a discussion of the size-bandwidth tradeoff. It is pointed out that a tradeoff situation exists with respect to size and insertion loss because ohmic losses in the coupling structure become dominant as the size of the circulators is reduced. The problems of achieving circulator performance over very broad frequency bands in circulators of moderate size are discussed for coplanar and microstrip circulators. The lumped-element approach is primarily applicable to circulators operating at relatively low frequencies and for relatively small bandwidths (up to 50%, for instance). The distributed-field approach has broader validity since it is not restricted by any assumption about the size of the ferrite disk. The application of this approach to broadband miniature circulators operating over the 6- to 18-GHz band is discussed. >
Finding Potent Sirt Inhibitor in Coffee: Isolation, Confirmation and Synthesis of Javamide-II (N-Caffeoyltryptophan) as Sirt1/2 Inhibitor

Recent studies suggest that Sirt inhibition may have beneficial effects on several human diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Coffee is one of most popular beverages with several positive health effects. Therefore, in this paper, potential Sirt inhibitors were screened using coffee extract. First, HPLC was utilized to fractionate coffee extract, then screened using a Sirt1/2 inhibition assay. The screening led to the isolation of a potent Sirt1/2 inhibitor, whose structure was determined as javamide-II (N-caffeoyltryptophan) by NMR. For confirmation, the amide was chemically synthesized and its capacity of inhibiting Sirt1/2 was also compared with the isolated amide. Javamide-II inhibited Sirt2 (IC50; 8.7 μM) better than Sirt1(IC50; 34μM). Since javamide-II is a stronger inhibitor for Sirt2 than Sirt1. The kinetic study was performed against Sirt2. The amide exhibited noncompetitive Sirt2 inhibition against the NAD+ (Ki = 9.8 μM) and showed competitive inhibition against the peptide substrate (Ki = 5.3 μM). Also, a docking simulation showed stronger binding pose of javamide-II to Sirt2 than AGK2. In cellular levels, javamide-II was able to increase the acetylation of total lysine, cortactin and histone H3 in neuronal NG108-15 cells. In the same cells, the amide also increased the acetylation of lysine (K382) in p53, but not (K305). This study suggests that Javamide-II found in coffee may be a potent Sirt1/2 inhibitor, probably with potential use in some conditions of human diseases.
An Adaptive Solution Procedure for Rotorcraft Aerodynamics

An adaptive refinement procedure is developed for computing vortical flows encountered in rotor aerodynamics. For this purpose, an error indicator based on interpolation error estimate is formulated and coded into an adaptive finite element framework. It is shown that the error indicator is effective in resolving the global features of the flow-field. Furthermore, for efficiency and problem size considerations, once the interpolation errors are reduced to acceptable levels, the adaptive refinement is done only in regions effected by vortical flows. To do this, a novel vortex core detection technique is used to capture vortex tubes. The combination of interpolation error estimate and vortex core detection technique proved to be very effective in computing vortical flow-field of rotor blades. Using this adaptive solution method two rotor systems, namely Caradonna-Tung and UH-60A BlackHawk, were analyzed in subsonic hover flow conditions. For these two rotors adaptively computed results are in close agreement with the experimental data.
Abstract SY31-03: Inflammatory mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling side effects of cancer treatment and may persist for months or years after successful treatment completion, causing significant impairment in quality of life. Basic research on neural-immune signaling has demonstrated that proinflammatory cytokines signal the central nervous system to trigger a constellation of behavioral changes that include fatigue as well depression, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment. This presentation will review the evidence linking proinflammatory cytokines and fatigue in cancer patients and survivors. In addition, we will consider host factors that influence inflammation and associated symptoms of fatigue, focusing on genetic mechanisms. There is considerable variability in the experience of post-treatment fatigue that cannot be explained by treatment exposure, suggesting that host factors play an important role in symptom severity and persistence. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that influence quantitative gene expression have been identified in the promoter regions of several genes that encode proinflammatory cytokines and examined individually in relation to breast cancer susceptibility and prognosis as well as behavioral symptoms. Here, we will present findings linking SNPs in the promoter regions of three proinflammatory cytokine genes (IL-1β -511 C>T (rs16944), IL6 -174 G>C (rs1800795), and TNF -308 G>A (rs1800629)) to fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Further, we will consider how alterations in glucocorticoid signaling pathways may contribute to persistent cancer-related fatigue. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr SY31-03. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-SY31-03
Experimental Evaluation of StRATUS

Steel Reinforced Advanced Thin Unitized Structure (StRATUS) is a new hybrid laminate concept composed of carbon fiber composite sandwiched between thin layers of stainless steel. As a hybrid composite laminate combining layers of monolithic steel alloy and a graphite reinforced polymer matrix composite, StRATUS exhibits the potential advantages of both materials. The inherent stiffness and strength advantages versus traditional GLARE materials of comparable weight, especially at higher operating temperatures, give this material system the potential for much broader airframe application.
Simple Tools to Facilitate Project Management of a Nursing Research Project

Highly organized project management facilitates rigorous study implementation. Research involves gathering large amounts of information that can be overwhelming when organizational strategies are not used. We describe a variety of project management and organizational tools used in different studies that may be particularly useful for novice researchers. The studies were a multisite study of caregivers of stroke survivors, an Internet-based diary study of women with migraines, and a pilot study testing a sleep intervention in mothers of low-birth-weight infants. Project management tools were used to facilitate enrollment, data collection, and access to results. The tools included protocol and eligibility checklists, event calendars, screening and enrollment logs, instrument scoring tables, and data summary sheets. These tools created efficiency, promoted a positive image, minimized errors, and provided researchers with a sense of control. For the studies described, there were no protocol violations, there were minimal missing data, and the integrity of data collection was maintained.
Climate Change and Fisheries Education

Climate change is predicted to affect aquatic ecosystems in diverse ways with implications for management of inland fishes and fisheries. For example, the frequency of weather events that alter the...
Full-Body Analysis of Age-Adjusted Alignment in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients and Lower-Limb Compensation.

Study Design.Single-center retrospective review.Objective.The present study evaluates the effect of increasing spinal deformity deviation from age-adjusted alignment ideals on lower extremity compensation.Summary of Background Data.Although current understanding of compensatory mechanisms in adult s
Awareness of and reactions to mammography controversy among immigrant women

Background There is substantial expert disagreement about the use of mammography to screen for breast cancer, and this disagreement routinely plays out in the media. Evidence suggests that some women are aware of the controversy over mammography, but less is known about whether immigrant and other underserved women have heard about it and, if so, how they react to it. Objective To explore immigrant women's awareness of and reactions to mammography controversy. Design Community-engaged qualitative study: we conducted six focus groups with 53 women aged 35–55 from three immigrant communities (Somali, Latina and Hmong) in a major US metropolitan area. A grounded theory approach was used to identify themes; NVivo 10 was used to enhance analyses. Results Several themes emerged: (i) low awareness of mammography controversy across groups, despite self-reported attention to health information; (ii) high intentions to be screened, even after being told about the controversy; (iii) few reported discussions of mammography's risks and benefits with clinicians; (iv) substantial interest in learning more about mammography and breast cancer, but some low self-efficacy to obtain such information; and (v) questions about whether health recommendations matter and what qualifies as evidence. Conclusion Given on-going expert disagreement about mammography screening, it is important for clinicians to help women understand mammography's risks and benefits so they can make an informed choice. This is particularly critical for immigrant and other underserved women, who may be less able to access, attend to, process, retain and act on health information (a phenomenon known as communication inequality).
The Hypoxia Response Pathways — Hats Off!

This year's Lasker Award for basic medical science recognizes the work of investigators who uncovered a pathway that has a central role in effecting the myriad cellular responses to hypoxia.
Visualization of raw 3D list-mode PET and TOFPET data without tomographic reconstruction using virtual space

Progress in Positron emission tomography (PET) data-acquisition hardware and reconstruction/correction software has been tremendous in recent years; however, image visualization technology has not advanced as rapidly. We address this by proposing a new system for visualization of 3D PET and time-of-flight TOF-PET scans. The system is based on a fundamentally novel approach to emission data handling that does not require tomographic reconstruction. Our system directly links acquired data with a binocular human visual system with a minimal intermediate processing. A virtual reality environment is constructed on the fly during interactive visual examination of the raw data. Users view three-dimensional virtual scene in an interactive manner by modifying the virtual viewpoint location, zoom, contrast, and other viewing parameters. For every viewing frame, the raw data are analyzed using a massively parallel computing system to extract two views that, presented in stereoscopy, create a virtual reality environment. Binocular stereoscopic vision is used to enhance visual perception of the data by providing stereoscopic depth and to naturally reduce apparent noise by stereoscopically fusing the left- and right-eye views in the visual cortex of the brain. We used computer simulation of the 3D list-mode PET acquisition to test basic characteristics of the proposed system. We implemented binocular viewing using stereoscopic monitor. We found that system performs very well in terms of computational efficiency achieving 5 frames per second for 10 mln events using CPU. Number of displayable events varied from 2,000 to 200,000 per frame depending on a parameter that controls resolutionnoise trade-off in the virtual image and position of the viewing point. We found that the stereoscopic fusion in the brain of resulting images was feasible using stereoscopic display system. Further studies of the new visualization system and the evaluation of diagnostic task performance are needed.
Persistence in Coil-Embolized Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations with Feeding Artery Diameters of 3 mm or Less: A Retrospective Single-Center Observational Study

Abstract Purpose To assess persistence in coil-embolized pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) with feeding artery diameters ≤ 3 mm. Materials and Methods Fifty-eight patients (21 male, 37 female; mean age, 43 y; range, 13–71 y) with 141 simple-type PAVMs treated from 2004 to 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Inclusion criteria were one or more PAVMs with feeding artery diameters ≤ 3 mm ("small PAVMs"), treatment with coil embolization, and presence of a follow-up chest computed tomographic (CT) angiogram at approximately 6 months. Feeding artery diameter, total coil length, and coil nest–to–PAVM sac distance were measured on arteriographic images. Coil packing density was estimated. Persistence was defined as less than 70% reduction in PAVM sac size and was assessed for each PAVM with respect to previous arteriogram or CT angiogram. Each variable was statistically tested for association with persistence. Results On follow-up CT arteriography, 111 of 141 PAVMs (79%) showed a 70% or greater reduction in size of the sac and were deemed not persistent. The remaining 30 (21%) with unchanged or minimally reduced sac sizes were classified as persistent. Feeding artery diameter, coil size, quantity of coils, shape of coils, coil nest length, compaction, and visible packing density did not affect persistence, but coil nest–to–sac distance was directly correlated with persistence ( P Conclusions Small PAVMs have a high persistence rate after coil embolotherapy. Most previously described risk factors for PAVM persistence do not seem to apply to these PAVMs, with the exception of coil nest–to–sac distance.
An accidental datahound: Transitioning skills to experience and application

I didn’t set out to become a data-driven librarian. The concept was still new when I was in library school, and smitten as I was with the human element of information structures and information seeking, the idea seemed detached, focused on mere numbers divorced from the daily face-to-face reality of a reference librarian. Well.
An intelligent parallel scheduling method for optimal transmission switching in power systems with batteries

Daily load variation and intermittence of renewable generation may sometime cause transmission congestion in modern power system. As a result, cheap generation cannot be fully dispatched and in extreme condition involuntary load shedding will be enforced. In this paper, an intelligent parallel scheduling method using optimal transmission switching (OTS) and batteries is proposed to mitigate transmission congestion and therefore reduce operational cost. OTS and batteries are embedded in AC optimal power flow (ACOPF) with binary variables used, which is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. To solve the MINLP problem efficiently for multi-hour case, a two-stage optimization scheme is proposed based on developed knowledge. A multi-hour case first is calculated in stage one with OTS disabled to obtain the knowledge of estimated the optimal charging/discharging strategy for batteries. Then, the multi-hour case is decoupled into several subproblems and solved simultaneously in parallel computing. Numerical results on modified IEEE-118 bus system shows the usefulness of the proposed intelligent parallel scheduling method.
Event-Specific Cannabis Use and Cannabis Use Motives

Background Specific events such as Mardi Gras (MG) and St. Patrick's Day (SPD) have been identified as high-risk events for cannabis use. Further, some campuses may have traditions that are associated with more event-specific cannabis use. Objectives Campus A has specific traditions regarding MG whereas Campus B has specific traditions regarding SPD and these campuses are differentially related to event-specific cannabis use (Buckner, Henslee, & Jeffries, 2015 ). Yet, little work has identified individual difference variables related to high-risk cannabis use events. Methods Current cannabis using undergraduates (N = 154) at two campuses completed an online survey of event-specific cannabis use motives, cannabis use, and cannabis-related problems. Results Campus A endorsed more MG-specific social and enhancement motives than Campus B. Campus A reported more socially, enhancement, coping, conformity, and expansion motivated cannabis use on MG than on SPD, whereas Campus B reported more socially and enhancement motivated cannabis use on SPD than on MG. Campus A was indirectly related to more MG-specific cannabis use through MG-specific social and enhancement motives. Conclusions/Importance: Event-specific cannabis motives are differentially related to specific high-risk cannabis use events and may be important therapeutic targets.
Controls on O2 Production in Cyanobacterial Mats and Implications for Earth's Oxygenation

Cyanobacterial mats are widely assumed to have been globally significant hot spots of biogeochemistry and evolution during the Archean and Proterozoic, but little is known about their quantitative contributions to global primary productivity or Earth’s oxygenation. Modern systems show that mat biogeochemistry is the outcome of concerted activities and intimate interactionsbetween various microbial metabolisms. Emerging knowledge of the regulation of oxygenic and sulfide-driven anoxygenic photosynthesis by versatile cyanobacteria, and their interactions with sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria, highlights how ecological and geochemical processes can control O2 production in cyanobacterial mats in unexpected ways. This review explores such biological controls on O2 production. We argue that the intertwined effects of light availability, redox geochemistry, regulation and competition of microbial metabolisms, and biogeochemical feedbacks result in emergent properties of cyanobacterial mat...
APPRAISAL as a framework for understanding multimodal electronic feedback: Positioning and purpose in screencast video and text feedback in ESL writing

Given the multimodal nature of new modes of electronic feedback, such as screencasting, there is a need for the application of robust, theoretically grounded frameworks to capture linguistic and functional differences in feedback across modes. The present study argues that the appraisal framework, an outgrowth of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) that focuses on evaluative language and interpersonal meaning, can provide understanding of and discernment between technology-mediated modes of feedback. The study demonstrates this potential through an appraisal analysis of a small corpus of 16 screencast video and 16 text (MS Word comment) feedback files given to eight students over four assignments in an intermediate ESL writing class. The results suggest possible variation between the video and text feedback in reviewer positioning and feedback purpose. Specifically, video seems to position the reviewer as one of many possible perspectives with feedback focused on possibility and suggestion, while the text feedback seems to position the reviewer as authority with feedback focused on correctness. The findings suggest that appraisal can aid in the understanding of multimodal feedback and identifying differences between feedback modes.
The GS-nitroxide JP4-039 improves intestinal barrier and stem cell recovery in irradiated mice.

Total body irradiation (TBI) leads to dose- and tissue-specific lethality. In the current study, we demonstrate that a mitochondrion-targeted nitroxide JP4-039 given once 24 hours after 9–10 Gy TBI significantly improves mouse survival, and the recovery of intestinal barrier, differentiation and stem cell functions. The GI-protective effects are associated with rapid and selective induction of tight junction proteins and cytokines including TGF-β, IL-10, IL-17a, IL-22 and Notch signaling long before bone marrow depletion. However, no change was observed in crypt death or the expression of prototypic pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 or IL-1β. Surprisingly, bone marrow transplantation (BMT) performed 24 hours after TBI improves intestinal barrier and stem cell recovery with induction of IL-10, IL-17a, IL-22, and Notch signaling. Further, BMT-rescued TBI survivors display increased intestinal permeability, impaired ISC function and proliferation, but not obvious intestinal inflammation or increased epithelial death. These findings identify intestinal epithelium as a novel target of radiation mitigation, and potential strategies to enhance ISC recovery and regeneration after accidental or medical exposures.
Policy Schemes and Trade in Dairy Products | Agricultural Policy Schemes: United States’ Agricultural System

The United States arguably has the most heavily regulated dairy sector in the world. Policies are in place to enforce minimum farm and processor milk prices, maintain price floors on manufactured dairy products, provide income support to dairy farmers through deficiency payments, restrict imports of dairy products that compete with domestic products, and subsidize exports of certain dairy products.
Attitude Strength and Structure Regarding Privatization of Local Public Park and Recreation Services

As tax-based funding for local public park and recreation services becomes increasingly scarce, alternative funding strategies have received increased attention. Privatization, any activity that reduces the public’s role in the financing and delivery of such services, has garnered particular scrutiny. Privatization is simultaneously a promising tool for public park agencies, and a potentially controversial and contentious issue. However, existing research has provided an incomplete picture of privatization in the local public park and recreation context. Previous studies are limited by the localized nature of their samples, as well as their emphasis on dichotomous attitude measurements, which do not fully address attitude strength and structure. To address these gaps, this study used a nationally representative sample to examine cognitive factors that relate to attitudes toward the concept of park privatization as a whole, and toward specific privatization practices. Results indicate only a modest level of attitudinal ambivalence among respondents, indicating that privatization of park and recreation services may not be a highly controversial topic among the general public. Attitudes toward privatization as a whole were moderately positive across the entire sample; however, there were significant variations in acceptability among individual practices (i.e., corporate sponsorship, outsourcing, and the outright sale of public park facilities). Social ideology, attitudinal ambivalence, and knowledge about privatization were shown to be consistent predictors of attitudes toward privatization, while economic ideology was less consistently significant. Social conservatives with greater attitudinal ambivalence and knowledge of privatization were generally more positive toward privatization as a whole, and toward individual privatization practices. Privatization practices in the delivery of park and recreation services are likely to be part of the new reality for many public agencies. As such, a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the acceptability of these practices will be crucial. This study illustrated that several cognitive factors are significantly related to attitudes toward privatization. For practitioners and decision makers considering implementing one or more of these practices, as well as national professional groups advocating for public parks and recreation, such information may be of significant value. Future research should continue to explore and refine the concept of attitudinal ambivalence as it applies to park privatization practices. Based on the influence of social ideology found in this study, future research must also examine additional factors such as personal value orientation for any potential relationship to attitudes and support for privatization. Subscribe to JPRA
Explicit derivation of the completeness condition in pseudoscalar meson photoproduction

By exploiting the underlying symmetries of the relative phases of the pseudoscalar meson photoproduction amplitude, we provide a consistent and explicit mathematical derivation of the completeness condition for the observables in this reaction. In particular, we determine all the possible sets of four double-spin observables that resolve the phase ambiguity of the amplitude in transversity basis up to an overall phase. The present work substantiates and corroborates the original findings of Chiang and Tabakin [Phys. Rev. C 55, 2054 (1997)]. It is found, however, that the completeness condition of four double-spin observables to resolve the phase ambiguity holds only when the relative phases do not meet the condition of equal magnitudes. In situations where this condition occurs, it is shown that one needs extra chosen observables, resulting in the minimum number of observables required to resolve the phase ambiguity reaching up to eight, depending on the particular set of four double-spin observables considered. Furthermore, a way of gauging when the condition of equal magnitudes occurs is provided.
Fording the Stream of Conscience: Peter Handke’s River Journeys

The last play about the Yugoslav wars performed while these conflicts were still happening was Peter Handke’s Voyage by Dugout, or the Play of the Film of the War, which opened in Vienna’s Burgtheater under Claus Peymann’s direction on June 9, 1999, the day when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia signed a peace accord with NATO. This ended the air bombing campaign, which turned out to be the last in a series of armed conflicts that had started almost a decade earlier in Slovenia. This paper follows the metaphor of the dugout which emerged in this play and reappeared in a number of fiction and nonfiction pieces that Handke subsequently published. It takes the reader to some of the key locales of the Yugoslav conflict: the international war crime tribunal in The Hague, Bosnian villages, the streets of Belgrade, and enclaves in Kosovo. This journey reveals that Slobodan Milosevic’s regime waged a war not only against its neighbors, but also against its own citizens, and suggests Handke’s complicity in this warfare.
Mössbauer analysis of compositional tuning of magnetic exchange interactions in high entropy alloys

We measured the change in the average hyperfine field strength of several high entropy alloys in relation to small compositional deviations from the equiatomic alloy, FeCoNiCuMn. Mossbauer spectra of four psuedo-binary systems, in which Mn content is increased and another element was decreased in equal measure, reveal several discrete peaks in the hyperfine field distribution that show evidence of the discrete exchange interactions between magnetic elements in the alloy. A simple linear regression modelling the perturbation of the average hyperfine field when the composition is altered calculates the contribution of each atom to the overall average. The average hyperfine field is linear with Tc, so these values allow us to estimate Tc for alloys with more complex compositional variation within the window of linearity (<24% Mn based on other alloys). The results were confirmed experimentally by calculating Tc of two new alloys, Fe19Co20Ni19Cu19Mn23 and Fe19Co20Ni19Cu20Mn22.We measured the change in the average hyperfine field strength of several high entropy alloys in relation to small compositional deviations from the equiatomic alloy, FeCoNiCuMn. Mossbauer spectra of four psuedo-binary systems, in which Mn content is increased and another element was decreased in equal measure, reveal several discrete peaks in the hyperfine field distribution that show evidence of the discrete exchange interactions between magnetic elements in the alloy. A simple linear regression modelling the perturbation of the average hyperfine field when the composition is altered calculates the contribution of each atom to the overall average. The average hyperfine field is linear with Tc, so these values allow us to estimate Tc for alloys with more complex compositional variation within the window of linearity (<24% Mn based on other alloys). The results were confirmed experimentally by calculating Tc of two new alloys, Fe19Co20Ni19Cu19Mn23 and Fe19Co20Ni19Cu20Mn22.
Tele-monitored tDCS rehabilitation: feasibility, challenges and future perspectives in Parkinson’s disease

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a modality of non-invasive brain stimulation involving the application of low amplitude direct current via surface electrodes on the scalp. tDCS has been studied in healthy populations and in multiple brain disorders and has the potential to be a treatment for several neuropsychiatric conditions by virtue of its capability of influencing cognitive, motor and behavioral processes. tDCS is a generally safe technique when performed within standardized protocols in research or clinical settings. Furthermore, tDCS portability, high acceptability and user-friendly interface makes it highly appealing for telemedicine practices. The term “telemedicine” refers to the procedures, educational strategies, and care services that are remotely administered by means of different communication technologies, with the final goal of increasing access to care for individuals and for improving public health. The use of telemedicine combined with tDCS protocols is increasing, although the safety of this approach in different clinical settings awaits further assessment. While “do-it-yourself” tDCS should be discouraged due to the unknown risk of adverse events, the implementation of tele-monitored tDCS (tele-tDCS) within standardized frameworks ensuring safety, tolerability, and reproducibility may allow this technology to reach larger clinical populations and bypass some of the common barriers preventing access to health services and clinical trials. This review will discuss the current evidence supporting the feasibility of tele-tDCS paradigms and their therapeutic potential, with particular emphasis on the implications for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Correlating the mass and mechanical property changes during the degradation of PEG‐based adhesive

Change in mechanical property of a degrading adhesive is critical to its performance. However, characterization of degradation behavior is often limited to tracking its mass loss. 4-armed PEG end modified with dopamine (PEG-DA) was used as a model bioadhesive to correlate its change in mass with change in mechanical property. Shear modulus (G) was calculated based on the mass and average molecular weight between crosslinks ( M ¯ c ) of PEG-DA, while the storage modulus (G') was determined by oscillatory rheometry. G decreased slowly within the first week of degradation (10% reduction by week 2), while G' decreased by 60% during the same period. This large discrepancy is due to the partially disconnected and elastically ineffective PEG polymer, which is trapped within the adhesive network. This resulted in minimal mass change and higher calculated G value during the earlier time points. Therefore, tracking mass loss profile alone is inadequate to completely describe the degradation behavior of an adhesive. Additionally, PEG-DA was coated onto magnetoelastic (ME) sensors, and the change in the resonance amplitude of the sensor corresponded well with dry mass loss of PEG-DA. ME sensing provide a non-destructive method to track the mass loss of the coated adhesive.
Prior restraint stress inhibits habituation to novel objects in the European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).

Animals often avoid novel objects, a behavior known as neophobia. We examined behavioral responses of captive European starlings to novel objects placed at their food dishes. Exposure occurred concurrently to food reintroduction following overnight fasting. Behavior was analyzed for 10 min via video recording. We expected an increase in avoidance behavior compared with trials in which food was reintroduced without a novel object. Seven of 10 novel objects increased latency to approach the dish. In contrast to our expectations, neither prior restraint nor exogenous corticosterone changed the neophobic response to novel objects. While exposure to a novel object increased approach latency, there was no additional effect of restraining animals in a cloth bag for 15 min before food reintroduction. Furthermore, the subcutaneous injection of corticosterone did not affect approach latency by itself, nor did it affect the response to a novel object. Finally, we expected repeated exposure to the same object to extinguishing the neophobic response, and that restraint stress would prevent habituation. Our results show that European starlings habituate rapidly to exposure to a novel object, as approach latency returned to baseline within three repeated exposures to the same object. When the repeated presentation of the object was combined with prior restraint, however, the latency to approach never returned to baseline. These results reveal that neophobia in starlings is object-specific and that, while neither acute stress nor corticosterone directly affects the behavioral response to a novel object, acute stress appears to have a permissive effect on neophobia by inhibiting habituation.
Optimizing Time to Antibiotic Administration in Children with Possible Febrile Neutropenia through Quality Improvement Methodologies.

Febrile neutropenia is a potentially life-threatening complication of chemotherapy in pediatric oncology patients. Prompt initiation of antibiotic therapy may minimize morbidity and mortality associated with this condition, and time to antibiotic (TTA) administration 80% of eligible patients in the pediatric emergency department. Methods After collecting baseline data, we employed consecutive PDSA cycles to (i) reduce time to antibiotic order after patient arrival; (ii) expedite the preparation of antibiotic by pharmacy; and (iii) enable antibiotic ordering before patient arrival. Statistical process control methodologies were used for key outcome measures to compare pre-intervention, post-intervention, and maintenance periods. Results Comparing pre-intervention and post-intervention years, mean TTA decreased from 64 to 53 minutes and the percentage of patients receiving antibiotics in <60 minutes increased from 59% to 84%. Improvements were sustained in the maintenance period of the project, with mean TTA administration of 44 minutes and 85% of patients receiving antibiotics within our stated goal. Conclusion Through a series of PDSA cycles, we decreased TTA and increased the percentage of febrile neutropenia patients receiving antibiotics in <60 minutes.
Cost-Aware Optimal Filter Assignment Policy Against Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack

In a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, the attacker sends out a huge number of requests to exhaust the capacity of a server. The victim cannot serve incoming requests and then DoS occurs. When the attacker stops sending requests, the victim gets back to working state. The most devastating distributed DoS attack is performed by bots, malicious programs that reside on the affected user computers. By using a special type of router called filter router (FR), the victim can protect itself. A server needs to send filters to FR for blocking attack traffic. A filter blocks both attack and user traffic which are destined for the victim at the FR. The victim needs to select a subset of FRs wisely to minimize the blockage of users. The victim's operation is not hampered if the total incoming traffic does not exceed its capacity. In this paper, we formulate a problem for selecting FRs given a budget on the number of filters. The problem considers that the victim has limited incoming bandwidth and we provide an optimal dynamic programming solution. We conduct extensive simulation in different settings. Our simulation results strengthen support for our solutions.
Revisiting same day administration of pegfilgrastim in the age of biosimilars: A review of literature.

PurposeSince 2018, several pegfilgrastim biosimilars were approved, which may affect insurance reimbursement. Guidelines recommend pegfilgrastim be administered the days following chemotherapy to p...
Bridging sensory and language theories of dyslexia: Toward a multifactorial model

Competing theories of dyslexia posit that reading difficulties arise from impaired visual, auditory, phonological, or statistical learning mechanisms. Importantly, many theories posit that dyslexia reflects a cascade of impairments emanating from a single "core deficit". Here we report two studies evaluating core deficit and multifactorial models. In Study 1, we use publicly available data from the Healthy Brain Network to test the accuracy of phonological processing measures for predicting dyslexia diagnosis and find that over 30% of cases are misclassified (sensitivity = 66.7%; specificity = 68.2%). In Study 2, we collect a battery of psychophysical measures of visual motion processing and standardized measures of phonological processing in 106 school-aged children to investigate whether dyslexia is best conceptualized under a core-deficit model, or as a disorder with heterogenous origins. Specifically, by capitalizing on the drift diffusion model to analyze performance on a visual motion discrimination experiment, we show that deficits in visual motion processing, perceptual decision-making, and phonological processing manifest largely independently. Based on statistical models of how variance in reading skill is parceled across measures of visual processing, phonological processing, and decision-making, our results challenge the notion that a unifying deficit characterizes dyslexia. Instead, these findings indicate a model where reading skill is explained by several distinct, additive predictors, or risk factors, of reading (dis)ability.
The Non-Revolving Door

For decades, commentators have warned about the “revolving door” between the SEC and the regulated industry. So far, however, the debate has overlooked a different “door” SEC attorneys might walk through. Joining a plaintiffs’ side securities litigation firm would seem to be an appealing option for SEC attorneys looking to continue pursuing the same core mission of protecting investors and holding companies accountable for fraud and misconduct. Courts, Congress and SEC leaders consistently describe private litigation as a vital “complement” to the SEC’s own work. There is substantial overlap between the legal regimes, types of cases, and legal skills relevant to both SEC enforcement and private securities litigation. As to compensation, I estimate the revenues per lawyer at one elite plaintiffs’ firm and find that this figure compares very favorably with the RPL of leading defense firms. And, in at least some other areas, attorneys seem to move easily between public and private enforcement. Given all this, one might expect that SEC attorneys regularly make their way to the plaintiffs’ bar, and vice versa. But it is not so. This paper shows that the door between the SEC and the plaintiffs’ bar does not revolve. Among other things, I show that none of the ten leading plaintiffs’-side firms employ anyone with recent SEC experience doing plaintiffs’ side litigation; none of the enforcement attorneys I identified as working for the agency in 2015 left to do plaintiffs’ side litigation; none of the current upper- and middle-managers in the SEC’s enforcement division have any prior plaintiffs’ side experience; and only five of the enforcement attorneys I identified as working for the agency in 2019 had prior plaintiffs’ side experience. This “non-revolving door” between the SEC and the plaintiffs bar is an intriguing, overlooked feature of the securities enforcement in the United States. Among other things, it raises the prospect that SEC attorneys might have come to embrace the defense bar’s hostile and skeptical view of the social value of securities class action litigation, with significant consequences for the securities enforcement landscape.
Analysis of Impacts of Compensation Networks on Characteristics of Piezoelectric Transformers

Piezoelectric transformers (PTs) work based on electro-mechanical coupling, whose equivalent circuit is the integration of a resonant tank and an ideal transformer. When used in real applications, with the assistance of additional compensation component(s), PTs can provide better performance. This work derives the impacts of the input and output inductors on gain and efficiency characteristics of a PT. Effects of the input and output capacitors are also analyzed. Particularly, the combination of the input and output inductors, which provides the PT constant-voltage-gain characteristic, is discussed. Based on the studies in this work, proper compensation components can be selected to get desired properties when designing PT-based converters.
Energy performance analysis of a membrane dehumidification system

Abstract In warm and humid climates, a primary source of building energy consumption is dehumidification of conditioned air supplied to the building spaces. The system analyzed utilizes a selective membrane to remove water vapor from ambient air instead of a vapor compression cycle or a desiccant. This work analyzed a membrane dehumidification system with a focus on the system energy performance. A system performance goal was set by the project sponsor for an inlet air condition of 32.2 °C and 90% relative humidity, an outlet condition of 12.8 °C and 50% relative humidity and a total cooling load of 3.52 kW resulting in a target COPlatent for the system of 3.34. Models of the basic system components were used to develop the system, analyze operating parameters and predict performance. The results indicate that the system requires two optimizations to meet the target performance: condenser pressure optimization and the use of multiple membrane segments operating at different pressures. Subsequently, a model was developed to analyze the performance of the final system configuration under a variety of operating conditions and yielded a maximum COPlatent of 4.37 for membrane properties comparable to those of the earliest membrane module tested. This may be compared with a COP of about 3.5 for current refrigeration technology at these conditions. The best small membrane sample produced to date would increase the COPlatent of the membrane system to well above 8, suggesting that the membrane system has high promise. Uncertainty analysis was also performed to assess the simulation results.
Mode-resolved Cavity-enhanced Vernier Spectroscopy Using an Interband Cascade Laser Frequency Comb

We demonstrate a mid-IR mode-resolved Vernier optical frequency comb spectrometer with an interband cascade laser source. The free-running system provides 35 meters of effective path length for monitoring 1-THz-broad spectra at 3.63 µm.
NASA's Participation in the AVE-SESAME ‘79 Program

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center participated with its AVE (Atmospheric Variability Experiment) in a large interagency mesoscale and severe storms experiment identified herein as AVE-SESAME '79 (Atmospheric Variability Experiment-Severe Environmental Storms and Mesoscale Experiment 1979). A primary objective of NASA was to support an effort to acquire carefully edited sets of rawinsonde data during selected severe weather events for use in correlative and diagnostic studies with satellite and radar data obtained at approximately the same times. Data were acquired during six individual 24-h experiments on both the regional and storm scales over a network in the central United States that utilized approximately 20 supplemental rawinsonde sites meshed among 23 standard National Weather Service sites. Included among the six experiments are data obtained between 1200 GMT on April 10 and 1200 GMT on April 11, encompassing the formation and development period for the tornado-producing systems that devastated Wichita Falls, Texas, and other sections of Oklahoma and Texas. The other dates for which data sets are available are April 19-20 and 25-26, May 9-10 and 20-21, and June 7-8, 1979.
Lesbian and Gay Couples Considering Parenthood

When Americans reflect on what matters most to them, they often point to relationships with families and children. Historically, lesbian and gay Americans have faced legal, economic, and other forms of discrimination against their family relationships in general, and against their relationships with children in particular. Despite this history of discrimination, however, lesbians and gay men continue to form families, and many either are or wish to become parents. In this paper, I discuss special needs of lesbian and gay couples that are considering parenthood describe innovative services that have been developed to meet these needs, and identify directions for future research, service, and advocacy. Much work remains to be done before lesbian and gay Americans will be able to seek parenthood unencumbered by the burdens of prejudice, discrimination, and institutionalized heterosexism.