cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laser speckle photography for surface tampering detection

It is often desirable to detect whether a surface has been touched, even when the changes made to that surface are too subtle to see in a pair of before and after images. To address this challenge, we introduce a new imaging technique that combines computational photography and laser speckle imaging. Without requiring controlled laboratory conditions, our method is able to detect surface changes that would be indistinguishable in regular photographs. It is also mobile and does not need to be present at the time of contact with the surface, making it well suited for applications where the surface of interest cannot be constantly monitored. Our approach takes advantage of the fact that tiny surface deformations cause phase changes in reflected coherent light which alter the speckle pattern visible under laser illumination. We take before and after images of the surface under laser light and can detect subtle contact by correlating the speckle patterns in these images. A key challenge we address is that speckle imaging is very sensitive to the location of the camera, so removing and reintroducing the camera requires high-accuracy viewpoint alignment. To this end, we use a combination of computational rephotog-raphy and correlation analysis of the speckle pattern as a function of camera translation. Our technique provides a reliable way of detecting subtle surface contact at a level that was previously only possible under laboratory conditions. With our system, the detection of these subtle surface changes can now be brought into the wild.
The ACR Computed Tomography Dose Index Registry: the 5 million examination update.

The ACR opened the Computed Tomography Dose Index Registry (DIR) for general participation by all facilities in May 2011. Just over 2 years after its launch, the registry has more than 750 registered facilities, 465 of which were actively contributing data at the end of August 2013. The registry has dose index information on 5.5 million CT examinations, which in turn include 9.4 million irradiation events. Participating facilities receive semiannual reports that provide comparisons of dose indices for each procedure relative to all other facilities in the registry and to facilities similar by type and location. The purpose of the registry is to provide facilities a tool to allow them to compare their dose indices with those at peer facilities and make improvements where appropriate. Data on dose indices for all CT examinations are collected and transmitted automatically from each facility to the DIR, after anonymization of data at the site. For each examination, dose indices are compared using volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product, and, for body examinations, size-specific dose estimate (SSDE). Fair and meaningful comparison required us to standardize data collection and estimation, procedure nomenclature, and reporting. This article describes the current state of the registry and the implementation of these standards.
Spectroscopic evidence for uranium bearing precipitates in vadose zone sediments at the Hanford 300-area site.

Uranium (U) solid-state speciation in vadose zone sediments collected beneath the former North Process Pond (NPP) in the 300 Area of the Hanford site (Washington) was investigated using multi-scale techniques. In 30 day batch experiments, only a small fraction of total U (∼7.4%) was released to artificial groundwater solutions equilibrated with 1% pCO2. Synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy analyses showed that U was distributed among at least two types of species: (i) U discrete grains associated with Cu and (ii) areas with intermediate U concentrations on grains and grain coatings. Metatorbernite (Cu[UO2]2[PO4]2·8H2O) and uranophane (Ca[UO2]2[SiO3(OH)]2·5H2O) at some U discrete grains, and muscovite at U intermediate concentration areas, were identified in synchrotron-based micro-X-ray diffraction. Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analyses revealed 8−10 μm size metatorbernite particles that were embedded in C-, Al-, and Si-rich coatings on quartz and albite grains....
Marfan syndrome is not associated with intracranial aneurysms.

Background and Purpose—It has been proposed that patients with Marfan syndrome have an increased prevalence of intracranial aneurysms. This proposition is based on 10 clinical reports, 1 pathology case, and an autopsy series of 7 patients. By contrast, 5 clinical series of Marfan patients have failed to document any such relationship. We present our institution’s autopsy and clinical experience with Marfan syndrome and analyze in our patient population the purported association between this condition and intracranial aneurysms. Methods—The results of an autopsy series at the Johns Hopkins Hospital of 25 confirmed Marfan syndrome patients from 1939 to the present were reviewed retrospectively. The prevalence of intracranial aneurysms in this Marfan syndrome autopsy series was compared with that in the autopsy population at this institution and with that in the general autopsy population as reported in the literature. In addition, the prevalence of Marfan syndrome in a recent neurosurgical series of 710 con...
RscS Functions Upstream of SypG To Control the syp Locus and Biofilm Formation in Vibrio fischeri

Two-component signal transduction systems, composed of sensor kinase (SK) and response regulator (RR) proteins, allow bacterial cells to adapt to changes such as environmental flux or the presence of a host. RscS is an SK required for Vibrio fischeri to initiate a symbiotic partnership with the Hawaiian squid Euprymna scolopes, likely due to its role in controlling the symbiosis polysaccharide (syp) genes and thus biofilm formation. To determine which RR(s) functions downstream of RscS, we performed epistasis experiments with a library of 35 RR mutants. We found that several RRs contributed to RscS-mediated biofilm formation in V. fischeri. However, only the syp-encoded symbiosis regulator SypG was required for both biofilm phenotypes and syp transcription induced by RscS. These data support the hypothesis that RscS functions upstream of SypG to induce biofilm formation. In addition, this work also revealed a role for the syp-encoded RR SypE in biofilm formation. To our knowledge, no other study has used a large-scale epistasis approach to elucidate two-component signaling pathways. Therefore, this work both contributes to our understanding of regulatory pathways important for symbiotic colonization by V. fischeri and establishes a paradigm for evaluating two-component pathways in the genomics era.
A pilot test of a new stated preference valuation method: Continuous attribute-based stated choice

Abstract A new stated preference nonmarket valuation technique is developed. In an interactive computerized survey, respondents move continuous sliders to vary levels of environmental attributes. The total cost of the combination of attributes is calculated according to a preprogrammed cost function, continuously updated and displayed as respondents move the sliders. Each registered choice reveals the respondent's marginal willingness to pay for each of the attributes. The method is tested in a museum exhibit on global climate change. Two construct validity tests were conducted. Responses are sensitive to the shape of the cost function in ways that are consistent with expectations based on economic theory. Implied marginal willingness to pay values were similar to those estimated using a more traditional paired comparisons stated choice format. However, responses showed range effects that indicate potential cognitive biases.
Contraceptive options for women with SLE: response to Mansour letter

We thank Dr Mansour for her interest in our article1 and for her provocative questioning of the recommendations for use of progestogen-only contraceptives by women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who test positive for anti-phospholipid antibodies.2 We are sensitive to any reductions in choice of contraceptive methods, particularly for women in whom pregnancy has significant health consequences, such as women with SLE. As mentioned in our article, any considerations of contraceptive use in women with SLE must be weighed against the alternative of pregnancy, which brings many risks, particularly in women with active disease or those with positive anti-phospholipid antibodies. We would first like to clarify an apparent misunderstanding by Dr Mansour that we believe that use of progestogen-only methods by women with SLE and positive anti-phospholipid antibodies is “unsafe”. The recommendations included in our article are those included in the World Health Organization (WHO) Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive …
Phase-matched sum frequency generation in strained silicon waveguides using their second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility.

Using analysis and numerical simulation, we have investigated near-infrared and mid-infrared second-harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG) in crystal silicon (SOI) waveguides that possess a strong second-order nonlinear susceptibility by virtue of a Si3N4 straining layer applied directly to the top surface of the waveguide. This layer induces anisotropic compressive strain in the waveguide core. Using the technique of TE/TM mode birefringence, we have derived waveguide geometries for both slab and strip channel waveguides that offer perfect phase matching of three lightwaves for SHG/SFG along a uniform waveguide, thereby offering the prospect of efficient wavelength conversion in monolithic silicon photonics.
Methane and Ethane Decomposition in an Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet

This paper reports on studies obtained from RF-driven atmospheric-pressure plasma-jet excitation of methane and ethane. Differentiation with other works is achieved in that others have considered hydrocarbon decomposition at either low pressure or high temperature. In our experiments, we can clarify the effect of pure-plasma treatment of hydrocarbons, as opposed to the thermal effect of gas heating that results in pyrolysis. Gas-chromatography analysis was used to detect and quantify the main decomposition products. Kinetic modeling of the pertinent chemistry was performed by dividing the reactive system in two main parts: a plasma region where the electron impact processes leading to decomposition are considered and a postplasma region where recombination of nonstable species occurs. A reasonable qualitative agreement between the experimentally measured by-product concentrations and the calculations was achieved. It is observed that our proposed recombination mechanism correctly predicts ethane and ethylene formation from a discharge and methane, ethylene, propane, and acetylene formation from the discharge. By means of calculations, the main role of radicals in the pertinent hydrocarbon chemistry under nonthermal plasma conditions is confirmed.
Direct cloning of DNA that interacts in vivo with a specific protein: application to RNA polymerase II and sites of pausing in Drosophila

A new method is described for cloning DNA sequences occupied by a specific protein on chromatin in vivo . The approach uses UV cross-linking to couple proteins covalently to DNA and the resulting complexes are then purified under stringent conditions. Particular adducts are immunoprocipitated with antibody to the protein of interest. The resulting DNA (iDNA) is amplified by PCR, cloned and characterized. The model system used was RNA polymerase II (Pol II), whose density on particular DNAs under various conditions is well documented. Pol II can exist in several states on DNA. While Pol II can simply be bound to DNA, the bulk of DNA-associated Pol II is transcriptionally engaged in either the transcribing or paused states. Paused Pol IIs that have previously been characterized are found at promoters and have the distinctive property that their transcription in isolated nuclei is stimulated by sarkosyl or high salt. Here we isolate and sequence DNAs that cross-link to Pol II molecules. We identify by nuclear run-on assays those DNAs that have Pol II engaged in transcription. Twenty one percent of the iDNA clones that have detectable transcriptionally engaged Pol II appear to be paused, in that they display sarkosyl-stimulated trancription in a nuclear run-on transcription assay. At least some of these map to the 5'-ends of genes. These results suggest that transcriptional pausing of Pol II is a general phenomenon in vivo.
Advanced Clustering With Frequency Sweeping Methodology for the Stability Analysis of Multiple Time-Delay Systems

A new methodology, advanced clustering with frequency sweeping (ACFS), is introduced for the stability analysis of the most general class of linear time-invariant time-delay systems with multiple delays. ACFS is a cross fertilization of algebraic geometry, frequency sweeping technique and the root clustering paradigm, and it can directly extract the 2-D cross sections of the stability views in any two-delay domain. In this domain, ACFS can also test the delay-independent stability based on necessary and sufficient conditions, and can compute, for the delay-dependent case, the precise lower and upper bounds of the only parameter, the frequency, that ACFS sweeps. Case studies that are prohibitive to analyze with the existing analytical methods are presented to demonstrate the strengths of the method.
ALTERNATIVE (NON–P-GLYCOPROTEIN) MECHANISMS OF DRUG RESISTANCE IN NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA

Drug resistance remains a significant obstacle to improving therapeutic outcome following treatment for malignant lymphoma. Eliminating P-glycoprotein as one mechanism of drug resistance may select for alternative, non-P-glycoprotein mechanisms of drug resistance. Understanding these alternative forms of drug resistance is imperative in order to improve therapy for NHL.
Incorrect Lower Bounds for Path Consistency and More

In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm for verifying path-consistency on a binary constraint network. The complexities of our algorithm beat the previous conjectures on the lower bounds for verifying path-consistency. We therefore defeat the proofs for several published results that incorrectly rely on these conjectures. Our algorithm is motivated by the idea of reformulating path-consistency verification as fast matrix multiplication. Further, for a computational model that counts arithmetic operations (rather than bit operations), a clever use of the properties of prime numbers allows us to design an even faster variant of the algorithm. Based on our algorithm, we hope to inspire a new class of techniques for verifying and even establishing varying levels of local-consistency on given constraint networks.
Mindfulness and the Addictive Process: Psychological Models and Neurobiological Mechanisms

Few conditions cause as much suffering on a personal and societal level as addictions. Though efforts have helped to delineate the neurobiological mechanisms of the addictive process, treatment strategies have lagged behind. Mindfulness training, which is based on ancient Buddhist psychological models of human suffering, has recently shown promise in the treatment of addictions. Interestingly, these early models are remarkably similar to modern-day models, namely in their overlap with positive and negative reinforcement (operant conditioning). Remarkably, the early Buddhist models may take it one step further, both in explaining the psychological mechanisms of mindfulness and importantly also pointing to key elements of the addictive process, such as craving as essential targets of treatment. In this chapter, we describe the overlap and similarities between early and contemporary models of the addictive process, review studies of mindfulness training for addictions and their mechanistic effects on the relationship between craving and behavior, and discuss recent neuroimaging studies that help to inform our understanding of underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness.
CAUSES OF FAILURE IN THE TREATMENT OF CONGENITAL DISLOCATION OF THE HIP

A study has been made of 129 patients with congenital dislocation of the hip, with the object of determining the causes of failure in the treatment of this condition. The cases were divided into the following three groups: 1. Prenatal dislocations, where the dislocation is present at birth; 2. Postnatal dislocations, where the patient presents a predislocation at birth, which slowly progresses during the first year of life until it becomes a well-established dislocation when the patient begins to walk. The bilabiation of the acetabular roof shown on the roentgenogram is characteristic of most of these cases. 3. Doubtful cases, where both the primary and secondary acetabula are well developed, but where the roentgenogram shows them to be separated by a bony ridge. In these cases, it was impossible to determine how and when the dislocation took place. Treatment in the prenatal cases generally resulted in failure. Putti's abduction splint is indicated only during the predislocation stage of the postnatal dislocations. The anteversion of the femoral neck plays an important role in the maldevelopment of the hip after immobilization. Two types of lesions indicative of the changes that take place in the femoral head after reduction are cystic atrophy and fragmentation. A flat or an irregular head may result from such lesions. Osteosclerosis and cystic atrophy may be observed in the acetabular roof. An evaluation is made of the type of dislocation, and of the results obtained with different treatments. The causes of failure in the treatment were studied at the time of reduction, during the period of immobilization, and after immobilization. Except for the prenatal dislocations, which have a poor prognosis under any treatment, the main causes of failure were found in: (1) the epiphysitis of the femoral head, (2) the tendency toward subluxation, which occurs at the beginning of the walking exercises, and (3) the osteosclerosis of the acetabular roof. To improve the treatment, the author proposes to limit the period of immobilization in a plaster cast to from five to six months, this to be followed by a prolonged period of functional after-treatment, controlled with an abduction bar. The abduction bar was devised with the object of avoiding adduction and outward rotation of the hips, but allowing them free motion in other directions.
The Use of a Service-Learning to Teach About Conflict

While service-learning has established itself as a significant pedagogical practice in political science for enhancing civic engagement experiential learning for students, this paper examines the use of service-learning in the teaching of conflict studies in an undergraduate, liberal arts based curriculum. This paper uses the term “conflict studies” to include courses that address drivers for conflict from local to global settings. It presents two case studies: one involving communities experiencing resource conflicts and the second involving a community involved in ethnic conflict. The paper considers the impact of integrating service-learning on curriculum design, department and faculty resource, and student learning outcomes.
Characterization of Ribavirin Aerosol With Small Particle Aerosol Generator and Vibrating Mesh Micropump Aerosol Technologies

BACKGROUND: Ribavirin is an antiviral drug that can be administered by inhalation. Despite advancements in the oral delivery of this medication, there has been a renewed interested in delivering ribavirin via the pulmonary system. Although data are not conclusive that inhaled ribavirin improves outcomes, we set out to determine whether delivery by a newer generation nebulizer, the vibrating mesh micropump, was as effective as the recommended small-particle aerosol generator system. METHODS: We compared the physicochemical makeup and concentrations of ribavirin before and after nebulization with 0.9% NaCl and sterile water. An Andersen cascade impactor was used to determine particle size distribution and mass median aerodynamic diameter, and an absolute filter was used to measure total aerosol emitted output and inhaled dose during mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing. Ribavirin was analyzed and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection. RESULTS: Ribavirin was found to be stable in both 0.9% aqueous NaCl and sterile water with an r2 value of 0.96 and identical coefficients of variation with no difference in drug concentration before and after nebulization with the vibrating mesh micropump. The small-particle aerosol generator produced a smaller mass median aerodynamic diameter (1.84 μm) than the vibrating mesh micropump (3.63 μm, P = .02); however, there was no significant difference in the proportion of drug mass in the 0.7–4.7-μm particle range. Total drug delivery was similar with the small-particle aerosol generator and vibrating mesh micropump in both spontaneously breathing ( P = .77) and mechanical ventilation ( P = .48) models. CONCLUSIONS: The vibrating mesh micropump nebulizer may provide an effective alternative to the small-particle aerosol generator in administration of ribavirin using NaCl or sterile water, both on and off the ventilator. Further clinical studies are needed to compare efficacy.
On criticizing identity thinking as the ideological premise of Modernism

What we have here started out as an attempt to characterize Marxain thinking as critique essentially deconstructing the post-modernism. As is generally acknowledged, the mode of thinking that took form in the aftermath of structuralism has enjoyed primacy undeservedly in journalistic terms, with the result that it found a way into the academic circles, seemingly overshadowing the Marxian legacy as critique, together with the ill-born Marxism that proved to misrepresent Marx at crucial point.As it is, the post-structuralism in its ideologized form is to be found typical in its emphasis on difference as against identity and is seen as being caught again in the dualistically-oriented thinking, on a further plane, which it identified as typically modernistic and set out to overcome, ironically.And it is here that Marxian thinking takes over and begins to deconstruct the very mode of thinking where difference and identity tend to form a static duality. And it goes on to deconstruct even the Hegelian premise of coherence that presupposes quite circularly antagonism between identity and difference, amounts at best to yet another form of metaphysics.And it remains for us to see in the following thesis how Marxian thinking as critique holds valid in the present situation which has come to be referred to as post-modern.
Environmental Exposures and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Infection with hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C virus is a well-established risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is now clear that certain occupational, environmental, and lifestyle factors also play a role in cancer development. Among these factors are smoking, alcohol consumption, workplace exposure to vinyl chloride, and exposure to polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons and aflatoxins. There is also evidence that several other chemical and infectious agents have a role in inducing HCC in humans. Epidemiologic studies and the use of biomarkers have provided essential data to demonstrate the importance of some of these factors in human risk, while animal studies have suggested that other chemicals may also play a role. Although immunization against hepatitis B virus infection remains the primary method of preventing HCC in regions of the world where this virus is a primary etiologic agent, there is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C virus. Thus, limiting exposure to other known risk factors remains an important mechanism in preventing HCC.
Candidate Elastic Quantum Critical Point in LaCu6-xAux

The structural properties of LaCu_{6-x}Au_{x} are studied using neutron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, and heat capacity measurements. The continuous orthorhombic-monoclinic structural phase transition in LaCu_{6} is suppressed linearly with Au substitution until a complete suppression of the structural phase transition occurs at the critical composition x_{c}=0.3. Heat capacity measurements at low temperatures indicate residual structural instability at x_{c}. The instability is ferroelastic in nature, with density functional theory calculations showing negligible coupling to electronic states near the Fermi level. The data and calculations presented here are consistent with the zero temperature termination of a continuous structural phase transition suggesting that the LaCu_{6-x}Au_{x} series hosts an elastic quantum critical point.
The prevalence of diseases caused by lysosome-related genes in a cohort of undiagnosed patients

Lysosomal diseases (LD) comprise a group of approximately 60 hereditary conditions caused by progressive accumulation of metabolites due to defects in lysosomal enzymes and degradation pathways, which lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations. The estimated combined incidence of LD is between 1 in 4000 to 1 in 13,000 live births, with recent data from pilot newborn screening studies showing even higher incidence. We aimed to determine the prevalence of the classical LD and other diseases caused by lysosome-related genes in our cohort of diagnostic odyssey patients. The Individualized Medicine Clinic at Mayo Clinic is increasingly utilizing whole exome sequencing (WES) to determine the genetic etiology of undiagnosed Mendelian disease. From September 2012 to April 2017, WES results from 350 patients with unexplained symptoms were reviewed. Disease-causing variants were identified in MYO6, CLN6, LRBA, KCTD7, and ARSB revealing a genetic diagnosis of a LD in 8 individuals from 5 families. Based on our findings, lysosome-related disorders may be collectively common, reaching up to 1.5% prevalence in a cohort of patients with undiagnosed diseases presenting to a genetics clinic.
Access to Medical Records' Impact on Community Pharmacist-Delivered Medication Therapy Management: A Pilot From the Medication Safety Research Network of Indiana (Rx-SafeNet).

Background:Medication therapy management (MTM) may be optimized if pharmacists engaged in health information exchange (HIE) by reviewing unedited medical records.Methods:In this nonblinded, randomi...
Improving hand hygiene performance in a surgical ICU: a novel method for data collection to change physician behavior

ICU-acquired infection is directly related to hospital mortality. Hand hygiene is an effective, low-cost intervention that can prevent the spread of bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant organisms. Historical compliance with hand hygiene guidelines by physicians, nurses and other care providers is poor.
Perspectives on surgery for scoliosis in mentally retarded patients.

Summary The goals of surgery in the retarded patient with spinal deformity are to maximize function (for example, free the hands, decrease the occurrence of pressure sores, and so forth). Concomitantly, the goal while treating the patient should be to minimize the interference with social, intellectual, and general development while counting on no cooperation by the patient. The new tools of internal fixation available to the surgeon have made spinal surgery possible in these patients despite their lack of cooperation and their other medical problems, seizures, and spasticity. Although combined Dwyer instrumentation with subsequent posterior Harrington instrumentation or posterior fusion and Harrington instrumentation alone have been used most commonly, recent favorable experience suggests a larger role for segmental stabilization of the spine because of the greater purchase on the spine and the lack of need for prolonged external mobilization.
Temporality and the Structure of Physics as Human Endeavor

Those philosophers who, over the last two decades, have been studying scientific discovery, the history of physics and its themata, research traditions, “scientific revolutions”and, in general, the temporal aspects of physics, should not be seen, I think, as turning aside from the more rigorous and difficult domain of philosophy itself. Rather, the degree to which physics changes in time and, perhaps especially, its penchant for holding onto and continuing to use outmoded theories, though knowing them to be in contradiction to newer ones, has become an increasingly serious problem for philosophy. Such changes and contradictions seem incompatible with any claims which physics might make to truth, even to the lower-level truths of consistency and of accuracy of the data-base called for by logical positivism. Given the temporal flux which is physics, can one still speak meaningfully about knowledge, through physics, of the empirical world? And if physics gives no truth, can any science do so?
Effects of Infant Feeding

The possibility that the beginnings of adult disease occur silently in infancy and early childhood, and that the potential for primary prevention exists, creates a challenge to all health-care providers dealing with infants and children. Examination of early nutritional experiences, both under- and over- nutrition in the antenatal period, the neonatal period, infancy, and early childhood, in relation to later health outcomes may furnish clues for prevention and early intervention. The physical and mental development of a child can be greatly influenced by the way in which a mother eats during pregnancy and the quality and quantity of the food received by the infant and child.
Statistical Characterization of Single PPTA Fiber Tensile Properties from High Strain Rate Tests

Single [poly (p-phenylene terephalamide)] PPTA fiber tensile strengths were measured under quasi-static and high strain rate loading conditions, and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and rubber as gripping materials were used to investigate gripping effects for the tests. To incorporate the strength distributions of single PPTA fibers into a rate dependent stochastic strength model, it is important to estimate uncertainties of the model parameters as well as the best-fitting-distribution for the parameter estimation. We demonstrated the appropriateness of a Weibull model for the tensile strengths obtained by the quasi-static test and preliminary results for the corresponding Weibull shape parameters with approximately ±20 % parameter confidence intervals. These results will be used to characterize of the strengths obtained by the high strain rate test using the Weibull model.
Chapter 5 – Time-Frequency Representations

Time- and frequency-domain characterizations of a signal are not only important in filter design but also dictate the nature of signal processing (speech, image, video, etc.). Often signal operations, such as compression, excision, modulation, and feature extraction, can be performed more efficiently in one domain than the other. Nonstationary signals are signals whose salient features change with time and the traditional Fourier analysis is inadequate to deal with these signals. This chapter focuses on the description and evaluation of techniques for achieving time-frequency localization on discrete-time signals. The chapter reviews the classical analog uncertainty principle and the short-time Fourier transform. The chapter defines, calculate, and compare localization features of filter banks and standard block transforms; and it explores the role of tree-structured filter banks in achieving desired time-frequency resolution. The chapter discusses the way to achieve arbitrary “tiling” of the time-frequency plane using block transforms and the applications of this approach to signal compaction and to interference excision in spread spectrum communications systems.
A Microprocessor Approach to a Clock Design

Throughout the evolution of the electronic digital clock several approaches have been used in specifying, designing, and developing the integrated circuits. This paper reviews a recent approach which utilizes a low-end microprocessor for timekeeping and highlights some interesting events in the development of the component.
Patient experience of head and neck lymphedema therapy: a qualitative study

Lymphedema is a common late effect from head and neck cancer and/or its treatment. Guidelines recommend that patients with lymphedema should be referred for therapy in a timely manner to maximize control of lymphedema-related symptoms. However, there is paucity of information regarding treatment outcomes in the head and neck cancer population. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study to gain understanding of head and neck cancer patients’ experience pertaining to lymphedema therapy, barriers to treatment, perceptions concerning physical and psychological benefits, opinions about therapists, and suggestions to enhance outcomes. Twenty head and neck cancer patients who underwent lymphedema therapy completed semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, and verbatim transcriptions were completed. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview data. A majority of the participants (n = 15, 75%) completed a full course of lymphedema treatment. Most participants expressed physical (n = 18, 90%) and psychological (n = 14, 70%) benefits about the lymphedema therapy, e.g., decreased swelling, increased swallowing function, and multi-faceted healing. More than one third of the participants described barriers hampering their lymphedema therapy, e.g., insurance coverage, return to work, and availability of lymphedema therapy. Many participants proposed suggestions for improvement of lymphedema therapy, e.g., personalized education, longer treatment time, and caregiver education. The study has underscored the potential benefit of lymphedema therapy in the head and neck cancer population. Substantial barriers to therapy were reported and need to be addressed. Opportunities to improve lymphedema therapy outcomes were suggested. Personalized strategies should be considered for ensuring optimal patient outcomes.
Characterization of AlN-based Ceramic Composites for Use as Millimeter Wave Susceptor Materials at High Temperature: High Temperature Thermal Properties of AlN:Mo with 0.25% to 4.0% Mo by Volume

In order to begin to evaluate and model the suitability of high temperature ceramic composites, such as AlN:Mo, as susceptor materials for power beaming applications, the electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical properties of the material must be known at elevated temperatures. Work reported here focuses on the development of thermal property datasets for AlN:Mo composites ranging from 0.25% to 4.0% Mo by volume. To calculate thermal conductivity of the AlN:Mo composite series, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and density data were acquired. The calculated specific heat capacity, Cp, of the set of AlN:Mo composites was, on average, found to be approximately 803 J/kgK at 100 °C and to increase to approximately 1133 J/kgK at 1000 °C, with all values to be within +/- 32 J/kgK of the average at a given temperature. These calculated specific heat capacity values matched values derived from DSC measurements to within the expected error of the measurements. Measured thermal diffusivity, α, of the set of AlN:Mo composites was, on average, found to be approximately 3.93 × 10-1 cm2/s at 100 °C and to increase to approximately 9.80 × 10-2 cm2/s at 1000 °C, with all values within +/- 1.84 × 10-2 cm2/s of the average at a given temperature. Thermal conductivity, k, for the set of AlN:Mo composites was found to be approximately 108 W/mK at 100 °C and to decrease to approximately 38 W/mK at 1000 °C, with all values within +/- 5.3 W/mK of the average at a given temperature. Data trends show that increasing Mo content correlates to lower values of of Cp, α, and k at a given temperature.
Martensitic Transformations and Mechanical Behavior

ABSTRACT Martensitic transformations are diffusionless, displacive, and shear-like in nature. This being the case, they are substantially influenced by an applied stress. Here, it is convenient to distinguish between stress-assisted and strain-induced transformations. Many alloys which exhibit a thermoelastic type of martensitic transformation show a shape memory effect, and related phenomena such as two-way shape memory, supereiasticity and martensite-to-martensite transformations. In these alloys the mode of deformation of the martensite is quite unusual. Certain martensite orientations grow at the expense of others, resulting in a single crystal of martensite, which upon heating reverts to its parent phase in a unique manner. These, and other topics are considered.
Risk of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients With Prior Hematologic Malignant Tumors.

Importance More than 1.3 million people in the United States have a hematologic malignant tumor currently or in remission. Previous studies have demonstrated an increased risk of secondary neoplasms in patients with hematologic malignant tumors, but research specifically on the risk of head and neck solid tumors in patients with prior hematologic malignant tumors is limited. Objectives To examine a possible association between prior hematologic malignant tumors and risk of head and neck cancer and to assess the overall survival (OS) among these patients. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective analysis used the Veterans Affairs (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) to identify patients with diagnoses of hematologic malignant tumors and head and neck cancers. All patients in the VA CDW with a birthdate between January 1, 1910, and December 31, 1969, were included, for a cohort of 30 939 656 veterans. Data analysis was performed from August 15, 2018, to January 31, 2019. Exposures Outpatient problem lists were queried for diagnoses of hematologic malignant tumor and associated malignant tumors usingInternational Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9)andInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes to categorize patients by history of hematologic malignant tumors. Main Outcomes and Measures Presence of head and neck cancer was determined fromICD-9andICD-10codes of outpatient problem lists, and cancers were grouped by subsite. The OS was determined from date of death or last outpatient visit date. Results Of 30 939 656 patients (27 636 683 [89.3%] male; 13 971 259 [45.2%] white), 207 322 patients had a hematologic malignant tumor, of whom 1353 were later diagnosed with head and neck cancer. A history of hematologic malignant tumors was significantly associated with overall aerodigestive tract cancer, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.6 (95% CI, 1.5-1.7), as well as oral cavity (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.5-1.9), oropharynx (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.5-1.9), larynx (RR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2-1.5), nasopharynx (RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.1-3.9), sinonasal (RR, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.2-4.1), salivary gland (RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.4-3.3), and thyroid (RR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.9-2.4) tumors on subsite analysis. A prior hematologic malignant tumor was also negatively associated with 2-year and 5-year OS for multiple subsites. Conclusions and Relevance A prior diagnosis of hematologic or associated malignant tumors was associated with an increased risk of solid head and neck cancers in a range of subsites. In addition, for several head and neck cancer subsites, patients with prior hematologic malignant tumors had worse 2-year and 5-year OS. These results indicate that a prior hematologic malignant tumor may be an adverse risk factor in the development and progression of head and neck cancer.
The Pedagogies of Sex Trafficking Postcolonial Fiction: Consent, Agency, and Neoliberalism in Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street

"where mass media largely relies on victimizing and disempowering tropes echoing abolitionist imagery ... postcolonial literary analyses tend to showcase and privilege moments of agency akin to pro-sex work rhetoric.... This article seeks to intervene precisely here by pointing to the inadequacy of traditionally invoked concepts such as “consent” and, tightly associated to it, “agency” as primary foci of analysis when explaining contexts that can allow for extreme exploitation such as transnational sex trafficking.... the anti-prostitution/abolitionist model has become emblematic of the mainstream fight against sex trafficking in the US.... In response, postcolonial scholars who are apprehensive about abolitionist policies that generally construct trafficked individuals as unable to act or speak in their best interest have tended to embrace the opposing camp’s rhetoric.... the latter position is not unproblematic either and needs to be examined, as it maintains the binary by only inverting hierarchies: where one stresses victimhood, the other highlights agency, sometimes at the expense of overlooking appallingly oppressive contexts.... In her award-winning novel On Black Sisters’ Street, the Nigerian-born writer Chika Unigwe clearly shows the pitfalls of transferring the analytical model that currently dominates the pro-sex work/anti-prostitution debates into, to borrow Homi Bhabha’s famous phrase, a similar but not quite framework."
Social capital, gender, and health: an ethnographic analysis of women in a Mumbai slum.

Objective:Quantitative studies have demonstrated that social capital can positively impact community health, but qualitative explorations of the factors mediating this relationship are lacking. Fur...
Precise parallel volumetric comparison of molecular surfaces and electrostatic isopotentials

Geometric comparisons of binding sites and their electrostatic properties can identify subtle variations that select different binding partners and subtle similarities that accommodate similar partners. Because subtle features are central for explaining how proteins achieve specificity, algorithmic efficiency and geometric precision are central to algorithmic design. To address these concerns, this paper presents pClay, the first algorithm to perform parallel and arbitrarily precise comparisons of molecular surfaces and electrostatic isopotentials as geometric solids. pClay was presented at the 2019 Workshop on Algorithms in Bioinformatics (WABI 2019) and is described in expanded detail here, especially with regard to the comparison of electrostatic isopotentials. Earlier methods have generally used parallelism to enhance computational throughput, pClay is the first algorithm to use parallelism to make arbitrarily high precision comparisons practical. It is also the first method to demonstrate that high precision comparisons of geometric solids can yield more precise structural inferences than algorithms that use existing standards of precision. One advantage of added precision is that statistical models can be trained with more accurate data. Using structural data from an existing method, a model of steric variations between binding cavities can overlook 53% of authentic steric influences on specificity, whereas a model trained with data from pClay overlooks none. Our results also demonstrate the parallel performance of pClay on both workstation CPUs and a 61-core Xeon Phi. While slower on one core, additional processor cores rapidly outpaced single core performance and existing methods. Based on these results, it is clear that pClay has applications in the automatic explanation of binding mechanisms and in the rational design of protein binding preferences.
Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Gradient Is Associated With Coronary Artery Obstruction in Children With Williams-Beuren Syndrome.

Objectives Patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome are associated with a high risk of hemodynamic collapse during sedation and/or anesthesia, presumably due to occult coronary obstruction. The objective of this study was to determine the association between transthoracic echocardiogram findings and the presence of coronary obstruction to examine if coronary obstruction can be predicted by transthoracic echocardiogram before anesthesia. Design Retrospective data analysis of patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome who underwent transthoracic echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization, and/or surgical interventions to determine the correlation between echocardiogram findings and the presence of coronary obstruction determined by cardiac catheterization and/or surgery. Setting Single-center university teaching hospital. Participants The study included 49 patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome who underwent transthoracic echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization, and/or surgical interventions. Measurements and Main Results The only variable associated with coronary artery obstruction was the maximum instantaneous gradient (MIG) across the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) on a transthoracic echocardiogram. LVOT MIG ≥ 75 mmHg as the optimal cutoff value was associated with coronary artery obstruction (area under the curve 0.659, odds ratio 6.71, 95% CI 1.31-34.35, p = 0.022). Conclusion LVOT gradient can serve as a good predictor of the presence of coronary obstruction in patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome.
A Parametric Study for the Effect of Dip on Stone Mine Pillar Stability Using a Simplified Model Geometry

In this study, a parametric study was conducted using FLAC3D numerical models to examine the impact of oblique loading, generated from seam dip, on the strength and the failure propagation pattern of a stone pillar using two simplified geometry types. In type 1, the sidewalls of the pillars were assumed to be perpendicular to the roof and the floor, while in type 2, the sidewalls of pillars were assumed to be vertical. The complex pillar geometry in dipping mines was frequently modeled using these two geometries. To capture a complete picture of the effect of seam dip on pillar stability, the modeled width-to-height (W/H) ratio of the pillars, in situ stress field, and pillars roof/floor interfaces were systematically varied to account for the potential distribution of values for these parameters across the underground stone mines in USA. Results from the numerical modeling indicate that dipping pillars have reduced strength compared with horizontal pillars. Also, an asymmetric failure propagation pattern could be obtained depending on an interaction between the W/H ratio, seam dip, in situ stresses, and pillar geometry.