cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Readmissions of children with diabetes mellitus to a children's hospital.

The characteristics of children with diabetes readmitted to Children9s Hospital during a 5-year period, 1984 to 1989, were compared with those characteristics of new-onset patients admitted for stabilization and education and to outpatients in the Children9s Hospital diabetes program to determine which characteristics were associated with patients who were readmitted. Changes in the frequency of readmissions were examined to determine whether the introduction of a diabetes team and a program that emphasizes the importance of ensuring that patients at risk of readmission consistently received insulin injections resulted in a reduction of readmissions. Readmissions occurred more frequently in patients who were black (71% compared with 38% of new-onset patients and 31% of outpatients) (P
The analysis of missing data in public use survey databases : a survey of statistical methods.

THE ANALYSIS OF MISSING DATA IN PUBLIC USE SURVEY DATABASES: A SURVEY OF STATISTICAL METHODS Ping Xu November 20, 2004 Missing data is very common in survey research. However, currently few guidelines exist with regard to the diagnosis and remedy to missing data in survey research. The goal of the thesis was to investigate properties and effects of three selected missing data handling techniques (listwise deletion, hot deck imputation, and multiple imputation) via a simulation study, and apply the three methods to address the missing race problem in a real data set extracted from the National Hospital Discharge Survey. The results of this study showed that multiple imputation and hot deck imputation procedures provided more reliable parameter estimates than did listwise deletion. A similar outcome was observed with respect to the standard errors of the parameter estimates, with the multiple imputation and hot deck imputation producing parameter estimates with smaller standard errors. Multiple imputation outperformed the hot deck imputation by using larger significant levels for variables with missing data and reflecting the uncertainty with missing values. In summary, our study showed that employing an appropriate imputation technique to handling missing data in public use surveys is better than ignoring it.
The Genetic Structure of Subdivided Human Populations

Much of the theory of population genetics is based on the assumption that populations are panmictic. While this may be nearly true in some instances, most populations of interest (particularly in man) exhibit some form of subdivision. Most often, spatial subdivision is observable, and population geneticists have studied subdivisions ranging in magnitude from villages to continents. Other types of subdivisions exist as well. Linguistic differences often define barriers to random mating, as do differences in social class, clan or caste membership, and religious affiliation. In addition, various cultural regulations, such as taboos or prescribed mating systems, result in subdivision.
Applications of NMR spectroscopy to systems biochemistry.

The past decades of advancements in NMR have made it a very powerful tool for metabolic research. Despite its limitations in sensitivity relative to mass spectrometric techniques, NMR has a number of unparalleled advantages for metabolic studies, most notably the rigor and versatility in structure elucidation, isotope-filtered selection of molecules, and analysis of positional isotopomer distributions in complex mixtures afforded by multinuclear and multidimensional experiments. In addition, NMR has the capacity for spatially selective in vivo imaging and dynamical analysis of metabolism in tissues of living organisms. In conjunction with the use of stable isotope tracers, NMR is a method of choice for exploring the dynamics and compartmentation of metabolic pathways and networks, for which our current understanding is grossly insufficient. In this review, we describe how various direct and isotope-edited 1D and 2D NMR methods can be employed to profile metabolites and their isotopomer distributions by stable isotope-resolved metabolomic (SIRM) analysis. We also highlight the importance of sample preparation methods including rapid cryoquenching, efficient extraction, and chemoselective derivatization to facilitate robust and reproducible NMR-based metabolomic analysis. We further illustrate how NMR has been applied in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo in various stable isotope tracer-based metabolic studies, to gain systematic and novel metabolic insights in different biological systems, including human subjects. The pathway and network knowledge generated from NMR- and MS-based tracing of isotopically enriched substrates will be invaluable for directing functional analysis of other ‘omics data to achieve understanding of regulation of biochemical systems, as demonstrated in a case study. Future developments in NMR technologies and reagents to enhance both detection sensitivity and resolution should further empower NMR in systems biochemical research.
The Evolution of Technology: Selection (1): Economic and Military Factors

Introduction Because there is an excess of technological novelty and consequently not a close fit between invention and wants or needs, a process of selection must take place in which some innovations are developed and incorporated into a culture while others are rejected. Those that are chosen will be replicated, join the stream of made things, and serve as antecedents for a new generation of variant artifacts. Rejected novelties have little chance of influencing the future shape of the made world unless a deliberate effort is made to bring them back into the stream (Figure V. 1). If these remarks recall the notion of evolution by natural selection, they are meant to do so. There are, however, crucial differences between artifactual and organic evolution that must be mentioned before any further use is made of the selection analogy. Central to organic evolution is the variability that arises from mutation and from the recombination of the parental genes in sexual reproduction. The resulting variant offspring are subject to natural selection, which permits some, but not all, of the variants to survive, reproduce, and pass on their genetic information. The offspring, which have the potential to move in many different evolutionary directions, are selected by the totality of conditions — environmental, biological, social — that prevail at the time of their appearance.
Update on anesthetic management for esophagectomy.

Purpose of reviewThe article highlights the current important issues surrounding the anesthetic care of patients presenting for esophagectomy.Recent findingsWith the decline in mortality from esophagectomy in high-volume centers over the last 30 years, focus may now be on decreasing morbidity. Impro
Respiratory influence on skin potential and sweating.

SummaryThe D-C potential at the surface of human skin has been measured in sweating and nonsweating subjects. In non-sweating skin a steady D-C potential was present which changed to a rapidly fluctuating pattern when the skin began to sweat actively. These fluctuating potentials occurred synchronously in the skin of both arms. The potential changes were independent of local hemodynamic events and could be abolished by atropine; which suggests they are a manifestation of sweat gland activity. An influence of breathing on skin potential and the rate of sweating was also found. In response to deep breathing, skin potential transiently became more positive while sweat output increased. These respiration-induced changes were not caused by a transient hypocapnia and could be observed only in skin that was already sweating actively.
A New Software for Reconstituting Mass Spectra Imaging Data

Reconstituting mass spectra data into virtual image is necessary for imaging mass spectrometry.There is a lack of special wizard style interface software to realize this processing.A software named imgGenerate is developed to guide users to edit parameters according to mass spectra raw data,and step by step to reconstitute them into Analyze 7.5 image format,which can be read by image analysis softwares,such as BioMap and IMSview.ImgGenerate is successfully used to reconstitute mass spectral raw data of rat brain section and writing analyzing into images,this indicates the wizard style interface software is specially useful for reconstituting mass spectra imaging data.
Inferring multi-dimensional ideal points for US Supreme Court Justices

In Supreme Court parlance and the political science literature, an ideal point positions a justice in a continuous space and can be interpreted as a quantification of the justice's policy preferences. We present an automated approach to infer such ideal points for justices of the US Supreme Court. This approach combines topic modeling over case opinions with the voting (and endorsing) behavior of justices. Furthermore, given a topic of interest, say the Fourth Amendment, the topic model can be optionally seeded with supervised information to steer the inference of ideal points. Application of this methodology over five years of cases provides interesting perspectives into the leaning of justices on crucial issues, coalitions underlying specific topics, and the role of swing justices in deciding the outcomes of cases.
Prevention, recognition, and treatment of perinatal asphyxia

Management of perinatal asphyxia is one of those rare opportunities in clinical medicine when death or life-long disability can be prevented with several minutes of skillful and judicious action. Fetal and neonatal asphyxia is approached most successfully as a joint obstetric, pediatric, and anesthetic effort. This article reflects the team approach to perinatal asphyxia.
Bleeding ‘downhill’ esophageal varices associated with benign superior vena cava obstruction: case report and literature review

Proximal or ‘downhill’ esophageal varices are a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Unlike the much more common distal esophageal varices, which are most commonly a result of portal hypertension, downhill esophageal varices result from vascular obstruction of the superior vena cava (SVC). While SVC obstruction is most commonly secondary to malignant causes, our review of the literature suggests that benign causes of SVC obstruction are the most common cause actual bleeding from downhill varices. Given the alternative pathophysiology of downhill varices, they require a unique approach to management. Variceal band ligation may be used to temporize acute variceal bleeding, and should be applied on the proximal end of the varix. Relief of the underlying SVC obstruction is the cornerstone of definitive treatment of downhill varices. A young woman with a benign superior vena cava stenosis due to a tunneled internal jugular vein dialysis catheter presented with hematemesis and melena. Urgent upper endoscopy revealed multiple ‘downhill’ esophageal varices with stigmata of recent hemorrhage. As there was no active bleeding, no endoscopic intervention was performed. CT angiography demonstrated stenosis of the SVC surrounding the distal tip of her indwelling hemodialysis catheter. The patient underwent balloon angioplasty of the stenotic SVC segment with resolution of her bleeding and clinical stabilization. Downhill esophageal varices are a distinct entity from the more common distal esophageal varices. Endoscopic therapies have a role in temporizing active variceal bleeding, but relief of the underlying SVC obstruction is the cornerstone of treatment and should be pursued as rapidly as possible. It is unknown why benign, as opposed to malignant, causes of SVC obstruction result in bleeding from downhill varices at such a high rate, despite being a less common etiology of SVC obstruction.
Rates of change in climatic niches in plant and animal populations are much slower than projected climate change

Climate change may soon threaten much of global biodiversity. A critical question is: can species undergo niche shifts of sufficient speed and magnitude to persist within their current geographic ranges? Here, we analyse niche shifts among populations within 56 plant and animal species using time-calibrated trees from phylogeographic studies. Across 266 phylogeographic groups analysed, rates of niche change were much slower than rates of projected climate change (mean difference > 200 000-fold for temperature variables). Furthermore, the absolute niche divergence among populations was typically lower than the magnitude of projected climate change over the next approximately 55 years for relevant variables, suggesting the amount of change needed to persist may often be too great, even if these niche shifts were instantaneous. Rates were broadly similar between plants and animals, but especially rapid in some arthropods, birds and mammals. Rates for temperature variables were lower at lower latitudes, further suggesting that tropical species may be especially vulnerable to climate change.
Making It All Work: Qualitative Descriptions of Hispanic Adults Managing Type 2 Diabetes With Limited Resources

The greater prevalence of type 2 diabetes is a critical issue among the U.S. Hispanic population. This study examined the struggles of Hispanic adults managing type 2 diabetes with limited resources. Ten Hispanic adults (enrolled in a larger study to determine the effects of diabetes self-management intervention), 25 to 80 years of age and living in a rural West Texas county in the United States, were selected. Three categories of challenges emerged: (a) diabetes self-care behaviors and challenges, (b) challenges with limited resources, and (c) challenges with support mechanisms. “Making it all work” was the overarching theme that tied all the categories together. This study offers lessons for health care providers and policymakers on how to maximize the availability of resources for Hispanic individuals with type 2 diabetes living within the constraints of limited resources.
Worms, bugs and drugs: Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for host-microbe-drug interactions

Abstract The microbiota plays a critical role in human health and disease. For instance, the gut microbiota aides in the digestion of foods, thereby contributing to our ability to metabolize compounds from our diet. Recently, it has become clear that the microbiota can also play an important role in the response to medications. However, several limitations in utilizing mammalian model systems, such as complex microbiota, high cost, and limited scalability, have constrained our ability to systematically test which bacteria affect the drug response and the mechanisms involved. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its bacterial diet provide a facile interspecies model system to identify and characterize host-microbe-drug interactions. Two recent studies highlight the power of this model system. In brief, these studies identified two roles for bacteria in modulating the host drug response: (1) metabolic drug activation, and (2) supplementation of vitamins or nucleotides that affect the host's drug response. This review will summarize the main findings of both studies, as well as provide some perspective into the advantages and limitations of the C. elegans -bacteria model for the detailed characterization of host-microbiota-drug interactions.
Assessing the joint behaviour of species traits as filtered by environment

Understanding and predicting how species traits are shaped by prevailing environmental conditions is an important yet challenging task in ecology. Functional trait-based approaches can replace potentially idiosyncratic species-specific response models in learning about community behaviour across environmental gradients. Customarily, models for traits given environment consider only trait means to predict species and functional diversity, as intra-taxon variability in traits is often thought to be negligible. A growing body of literature indicates that intra-taxon trait variability is substantial and critical in structuring plant communities and assessing ecosystem function. We propose flexible joint trait distribution models given environment and across species that incorporate intra-taxon variability as well as inter-site/plot variability. Using a Bayesian framework, our joint trait distribution models allow for mixed continuous, binary and ordinal trait variables and incorporate dependence among traits enabling both joint and conditional trait prediction at unobserved sites. The models can be used to inform about the well-known fourth-corner problem, which attempts to interpret trait-by-environment matrices. We demonstrate the utility of our methodology through joint predictive trait distributions for individual species as well as joint community-weighted trait distributions for environments while incorporating intra-taxon trait variability. Explicit details on the probabilistic interpretations of the random trait-by-environment matrices obtained arising under our model are also provided to address the fourth-corner problem. Finally, our joint trait distribution model is applied to simulated and real vegetation data collected from the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. The proposed methodology places a fully model-based foundation on explaining intra-taxon trait variation given environment. It extends the utility and interpretability of commonly applied techniques for investigating community-weighted traits and illuminates randomness in the fourth-corner problem.
First foods: Why improving young children's diets matter

Globally, only 52% of children aged 6–23 months meet the minimum meal frequency and a mere 29% meet the minimum dietary diversity, with large disparities across and within regions. With most of the stunting occurring during the first thousand days—from conception to age 2 years—improving complementary feeding in children 6–23 months old is an urgent priority. With this evidence in mind, UNICEF collaborated with the governments of India and Maharashtra to convene a global meeting in Mumbai, India, under the theme: First Foods: A Global Meeting to Accelerate Progress on Complementary Feeding in Young Children (November 17–18, 2015). The global meeting provided a platform that aimed to (a) synthesize the biological and implementation science on complementary feeding; (b) review the practice and experience in improving access to nutritious complementary foods and good complementary feeding practices; and (c) consolidate a strong evidence base that can inform the development of strategies and approaches to improve complementary feeding that are fit to context. This overview paper summarizes the rationale on why improving complementary foods and feeding for infants and young children matters and what it takes to improve them. It builds on the papers presented at the First Foods Global Meeting and those commissioned as a follow on to it.
Property directed reachability with word-level abstraction

SAT-based Property Directed Reachability (PDR) has become the key algorithmic development for unbounded model checking of gate-level sequential circuits, but it can be inefficient when applied to word-level problems with heavy arithmetic logic. To address this issue, word-level abstraction is often performed by replacing a whole set of signals with unconstrained new primary inputs. This paper introduces PDR-WLA, a wordlevel abstraction-refinement algorithm integrated into a modified PDR implementation. The algorithm uses efficient refinement and re-uses reachability information across iterations of refinement. PDR-WLA was implemented in ABC and evaluated on a large set of industrial Verilog designs. Experimental results show significant speedups on hard problems compared to the original PDR and to a naive word-level abstraction-refinement method.
Tuberculosis and lung damage: from epidemiology to pathophysiology

A past history of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a risk factor for long-term respiratory impairment. Post-TB lung dysfunction often goes unrecognised, despite its relatively high prevalence and its association with reduced quality of life. Importantly, specific host and pathogen factors causing lung impairment remain unclear. Host immune responses probably play a dominant role in lung damage, as excessive inflammation and elevated expression of lung matrix-degrading proteases are common during TB. Variability in host genes that modulate these immune responses may determine the severity of lung impairment, but this hypothesis remains largely untested. In this review, we provide an overview of the epidemiological literature on post-TB lung impairment and link it to data on the pathogenesis of lung injury from the perspective of dysregulated immune responses and immunogenetics.
Gambling on Bodies: Assembling Sport and Gaming in Japan’s Keirin Bicycle Racing

Keirin – fixed-gear bicycle racing – is one of four forms of state-sponsored sports gambling in Japan. Originally started in 1948 as a way for prefectural governments to generate income for post-wa...
Red state, purple town: Polarized communities and local journalism in rural and small-town Kentucky:

As the United States grapples with increasingly partisan media and affective polarization, how do cultural and political fault lines filter into residents’ daily lives, and how are they navigated? ...
An Introduction to Statistical Issues and Methods in Metrology for Physical Science and Engineering

This article provides an overview of the interplay between statistics and measurement. Measurement quality affects inference from data collected and analyzed using statistical methods while appropriate data analysis quantifies the quality of measurements. This article brings material on statistics and measurement together in one place as a resource for practitioners. Both frequentist and Bayesian methods are discussed.
The Importance of Governmental and Nongovernmental Investments in Public Health and Social Services for Improving Community Health Outcomes.

Objective To explore whether health outcomes are influenced by both governmental social services spending and hospital provision of community health services. Design We combined hospital provision of community health services data from the American Hospital Association with local governmental spending data from the US Census Bureau. Longitudinal models regressed community health outcomes for 2012-2016 on local government spending on health, social services, and education from 5 years previously, controlling for sociodemographic and hospital marketplace characteristics, spatial autocorrelation, and state-level random effects. For counties with hospitals, models also included county-level data on hospitals' provision of community health services. Setting All analyses were performed at the county level for US counties between 2012 and 2016. Participants Complete spending, hospital, and health outcomes data were available for a total of 2379 counties. Main outcome measures We examined relationships between governmental spending, hospital service provision, and 5 population health outcome measures: years of potential life lost prior to age 75 years per 100 000 population, percentage of population in fair or poor health, percentage of adults who are physically inactive, deaths due to injury per 100 000 population, and percentage of births that are of low birth weight. Results Governmental investments in health, social services, and education positively impacted key health outcomes but mainly in counties with 1 or more hospitals present. Hospitals' provision of community health services also had a significant positive impact on health outcomes. Conclusions Hospital provision of community health services and increases in local governmental health and social services spending were both associated with improved health. Collaboration between local governments and hospitals may help ensure that public and private community health resources synergistically contribute to the public's health. Local policy makers should consider service provision by the private sector to leverage the public investments in health and social services.
Character Modeling with Maya and ZBrush: Professional polygonal modeling techniques

Create believable CG character models with this unique book and downloadable resource package. The stunning color images show just what you can achieve, and the detailed step-by-step tutorials show exactly how to achieve them. Every technique and tip is backed up with practical tutorials, using the models, textures and video on the downloadable resources to offer a crash course to this vital skill. Jason Patnode takes you from low to high-resolution modeling - helping you span the gap between game and film industry skills. Based on Maya 2008 and ZBrush 3.0.You'll learn: Pipeline and modeling guidelines . Overview of Maya . Introduction to ZBrush modeling . Concept art . Anatomy . Creating a video game character . Creating a hyper-real character . Creating a photo-real character . UVs and texturing . How to create a demo reel
Numerical evaluation of coupled galloping of slender towers in boundary-layer winds based on a nonlinear analytical model

Abstract Slender towers with certain shapes of cross-section can exhibit galloping that involves coupling between the oscillation components about the principal structural axes. This study presents a nonlinear analytical model of this type of galloping for towers subjected to winds in the atmospheric boundary layer. The formulation of the model adopts the assumption of quasi-steady wind loading. However, this formulation differs from those for the classical across-wind galloping in that it does not require the wind to be along the direction of a principal structural axis. In addition, it considers the oscillation components about both structural axes, instead of only the across-wind oscillation, to enable the evaluation of the coupling between the components. Further, because the formulation does not linearize the wind-induced force acting on the structure based on the assumption of small vibration amplitude, the resultant model can be used as a basis to numerically assess the amplitudes and frequencies of large-amplitude coupled galloping oscillations. In an illustrative application, the model is used to evaluate the wind-induced vibration of a full-scale slender tower. The wind fields are simulated using the spectral representation method, and the responses of the structure to the simulated wind excitation are obtained by numerically solving the nonlinear differential equations representing the model. The results of the numerical evaluation are compared with the corresponding field observations to validate the effectiveness of the model, and the validated model is used to investigate the effects of the structural damping and the turbulence intensity of wind on the characteristics of the coupled galloping of the tower.
Advances in numerical methods under wiggler period averaging for free electron laser simulation

Advances in numerical methods for free-electron-laser (FEL) simulation under wiggler period averaging (WPA) are presented. First, WPA is generalized using the perturbative Lie map method. The conventional WPA is identified as the leading order contribution. Next, the shot-noise model under WPA is improved along with a particle migration scheme across the numerical mesh. The artificial shot noise arising from particle migration is suppressed. The improved model also allows using arbitrary mesh size, slippage resolution, and integration step size. These advances will improve modeling of longitudinal beam profile evolution for fast FEL simulation.
Comparative Anatomy and Epithelial Cell Biology of the Nose

Abstract As the portal of entry for the respiratory tract, the nose serves as an important sentinel to protect the lower airways and lungs from inhaled xenobiotics. In addition, this olfactory organ provides the host with the sensory ability to smell its environment. This unique and complex organ of the respiratory system varies considerably among mammalian species. This chapter provides a comparative overview of nasal anatomy, histology, and cell biology among laboratory rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans. Special emphasis is placed on the surface epithelial cells that line the nasal airways and are often the first cellular contacts with inhaled air. In general, mice and other rodents have much more complex gross nasal anatomy than do primates, including humans. Rodents also have relatively more olfactory epithelium. The composition of epithelial cells lining the nasal cavity is dependent not only on the animal species but also on the intranasal airway location within a given species.
Plea Discounts or Trial Penalties? Making Sense of the Trial-Plea Sentence Disparities

AbstractThere is a consensus that defendants who plead guilty generally receive less harsh sentences than similarly-situated defendants convicted at trial. However, there is less consensus on how t...
Spezifika der Komponentenauslegung des Ladungswechsels und der Emissionierung für die Fahrzeugintegration

Das Packaging heutiger Fahrzeuge, insbesondere im Bereich des Motorraums und der Abgasanlage, ist eine komplexe Aufgabe. Das Maskonzept ist abhangig von Aufbauform, Antriebsart, Aggregateumfang und Randbedingungen wie zum Beispiel Fahrkomfort oder Fahr- und Bediensicherheit. Jedes Bauteil muss seine vorgegebenen raumlichen Grenzen einhalten, um Konflikte mit angrenzenden Bauteilen zu vermeiden.
Abstract P393: Current and Future Perceptions of Well-being are Associated With General Health Status in Adults: Results From the Gallup National Health and Well-being Index, 2018

Background: Growing evidence exists indicate that subjective perceptions of well-being (i.e. life satisfaction) are favorably associated with overall health status. Few reports are available that e...
NEW ONSET AF CAN BE PREDICTED WITH HIGH RELIABILITY IN HCM: A CLINICAL PREDICTIVE MODEL

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is associated with worsening symptoms and high risk for embolic stroke, with 25% of strokes in HCM occurring at initial AF episode. Risk factors for AF onset in HCM remain unresolved, thus
Targeting Acidic Diseased Tissues by pH-Triggered Membrane-Associated Peptide Folding

The advantages of targeted therapy have motivated many efforts to find distinguishing features between the molecular cell surface landscapes of diseased and normal cells. Typically, the features have been proteins, lipids or carbohydrates, but other approaches are emerging. In this discussion, we examine the use of cell surface acidity as a feature that can be exploited by using pH-sensitive peptide folding to target agents to diseased cell surfaces or cytoplasms.
Tolerance of uncertainty: a unifying theme in pregnancy care.

High-risk obstetricians are accustomed to uncertainty-in fact, we have limited ability to predict the outcomes of even the most common clinical scenarios we encounter. For example: when will a short cervix lead to a periviable delivery? When will delivery occur following preterm premature rupture of membranes? Which macrosomic infants will experience a shoulder dystocia during vaginal birth? When will a term patient go into spontaneous labor?
Intrinsic thermal interfacial resistance measurement in bonded metal-polymer foils.

Heat conduction through bonded metal–polymer interfaces often limits the overall heat transfer in electronic packaging, batteries, and heat recovery systems. To design the thermal circuit in such systems, it is essential to measure the thermal interfacial resistance (TIR) across ∼1 µm to 100 µm junctions. Previously reported TIR of metal–polymer junctions utilize ASTM E1530-based two-block systems that measure the TIR by applying pressure across the interface through external heating and cooling blocks. Here, we report a novel modification of the ASTM-E1530 technique that employs integrated heaters and sensors to provide an intrinsic TIR measurement of an adhesively bonded metal–polymer junction. We design the measurement technique using finite element simulations to either passively suppress or actively compensate the lateral heat diffusion through the polymer, which can minimize the systematic error to ≲5%. Through proof-of-concept experiments, we report the TIR of metal–polymer interfaces made from DuPont’s Pyralux double-side copper-clad laminates, commonly used in flexible printed circuit boards. Our TIR measurement errors are <10%. We highlight additional sources of errors due to non-idealities in the experiment and discuss possible ways to overcome them. Our measurement technique is also applicable to interfaces that are electrically insulating such as adhesively joined metal–metal junctions and sputter-coated or welded metal–polymer junctions. Overall, the technique is capable of measuring TIR ≳10−5 m2 KW−1 in bonded metal–polymer foils and can be tailored for in situ measurements in flexible electronics, circuit packaging, and other hybrid metal–polymer systems.
Undue Deference to States in the 2020 Election Litigation

This Essay provides the first comprehensive analysis of the numerous election law cases that the Supreme Court and the federal appellate courts decided in 2020. The picture is bleak. Instead of protecting the constitutional right to vote, the Supreme Court and lower federal appeals courts unduly deferred to state legislatures in how to run the election, with little concern for the difficulties voters faced during a pandemic. In at least twenty-eight cases the Supreme Court and federal appellate courts espoused this undue deference standard. Appellate courts reversed at least 18 cases where the district courts had issued pro-voter decisions. The courts did not explicitly overrule the familiar Anderson-Burdick test for the right to vote, but it applied it unfaithfully and without any rigor, failing to require states to identify the “precise interests” that their laws promote or why it was “necessary” to burden voters’ rights. This mode of analysis devalues the right to vote, the most fundamental right in our democracy. Several justices and one appellate court also reinvigorated the “independent state legislature” doctrine to defer to states’ election rules, without regard for the right to vote. If the courts do not alter their jurisprudence, then the only solution may be robust federal legislation or a constitutional amendment that enshrines the right to vote in the U.S. Constitution and requires states to justify, with specificity, any infringements on that right.
Transdermal Patch Administration and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)—2020:

This is an update to the 2010 article published in Hospital Pharmacy on safety concerns involving transdermal patches and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Since publication of the original article...
The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West: by David Kilcullen, New York, Oxford University Press, 2020, 325 pp., $27.95 (hardback), ISBN: 9780190265687

At Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered a speech, “The Sinews of Peace,” that gained renown for its reference to the “Iron Curtain.” 1 In it, the fo...
Bad Hands and Big Black Dots: Dissensual Politics in the Kindergarten Classroom

In this article, I explore politics in children’s art practices that divert from normalized accounts of children’s art and lives, especially those that seek to compartmentalize the child, children,...
Assessment of Semiochemical Repellents for Protecting Walnut Trees From Walnut Twig Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Attack in a Commercial Orchard Setting in California

The walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman, the vector of thousand cankers disease (TCD), poses a significant threat to North American walnut (Juglandaceae Juglans) trees. Despite discovery of TCD-related tree mortality over a decade ago, management options are lacking. This study represents the culmination of several years of investigating the chemical ecology of P. juglandis in hopes of developing a semiochemical repellent to disrupt the beetle's host colonization and aggregation behaviors. Numbers of P. juglandis landing on semiochemical-treated Juglans regia L. trees in a commercial walnut orchard were compared based on captures on sticky traps. Two repellent combinations were tested: R-(+)-limonene and trans-conophthorin (LimeCon), and R-(+)-limonene, trans-conophthorin, and R-(+)-verbenone (LCV). Both repellents reduced P. juglandis aggregation (captures) equally; thus, we proceeded with the LimeCon combination to reduce potential treatment cost. Subsequent trials included a 2× dose (Dual) of LimeCon. Both LimeCon and Dual significantly reduced the number of P. juglandis caught compared with the baited control, however, only for the lower of two trap positions. Beetle landings were modeled by trap distance from repellent placement on each tree. Beetle responses to the pheromone lure were surprisingly localized and did not bring the whole tree under attack. LimeCon, LCV, and Dual treatments averaged fewer than a single beetle caught for all trap distances; however, performance of the repellents beyond 150 cm is not clear due to the localized landing response of P. juglandis to pheromone lures. Further testing is required to fully analyze the zone of inhibition of the LimeCon repellent.
Revision periarterial sympathectomy for recurrent digital ischaemia: a report with 11 patients.

Following periarterial sympathectomy, patients with recurrent digital ischemia due to vasospastic or vaso-occlusive disease have few remaining treatment options. We performed a retrospective review...
Timescales of excited state relaxation in α − Ru Cl 3 observed by time-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopy

The nonequilibrium properties of strongly correlated materials present a target in the search for new phases of matter. It is important to observe the types of excitations that exist in these materials and their associated relaxation dynamics. We have studied the photoexcitations in a spin-orbit assisted Mott insulator $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{Cl}}_{3}$ using time-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopy and transient reflection spectroscopy. We find that photoexcited carriers (doublons) in the upper Hubbard band rapidly relax to Mott-Hubbard excitons on a timescale of less than 200 fs. Subsequently, further relaxation of these lower-energy quasiparticles occurs with an energy-dependent time constant of that ranges from 370 to 600 fs due to exciton cooling. The population of Mott-Hubbard excitons persists for timescales up to several microseconds.
Age and sex differences in primary microglia culture: A comparative study

Abstract Background Microglia play a central role in neuroinflammation in various CNS diseases.Neonatal microglial culture has been extensively used to in vitro study microglial activation; however, as many neuroinflammatory diseases occur in the elderly, the neonatal microglial culture may not fully replicate the aged microglial activity seen in these diseases. New method Primary microglia from both 18–24-month-old and P0-P4 C57BL/6 mice were cultured simultaneously. Morphology and activation profiles of the two age groups of microglia were examined following ischemic stimulation, by ELISA, RT-PCR, live microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and Western blotting. Results We showed that aged microglia had larger cell bodies, more cytoplasmic inclusions, and enhanced phagocytosis than neonatal microglia. Cytokine production in these cells exhibited heterogeneity either after or before ischemic stimulation. The baseline expression of microglial marker CD11b was significantly higher in aged vs. neonatal cells; ischemic stimulation increased the expression in neonatal vs. aged microglia only in males but not in females. Comparison with existing methods Previous primary microglia cultures have been limited to using neonatal/adult cells. This method is complementary to exiting methods and works for aged microglia, and does not suffer from potential limitations due to filtering artifacts. The protocol renders microglial culture no need for meningeal/hippocampal removal prior to brain tissue dissociation, and compares microglia between males vs. females, and between the aged vs. neonates. Conclusions We concluded that neonatal microglial culture is not appropriate for those in vitro studies that mimic the neuroinflammatory central nervous system disorders occurring in the elderly, in which case the aged microglial culture should be applied, and sex differences should be considered.
Empirical tool development for prairie pothole management using AnnAGNPS and random forest

Abstract Watershed models are robust tools that inform management and policy in a variety of sectors, but these models are often neglected through time due to economic or technical constraints. Additionally, they are not readily accessible tools for key decision makers. Conversely, machine learning models are robust alternatives to common hydrologic modeling frameworks. The random forest algorithm specifically is an interpretable predictive tool. We couple Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source (AnnAGNPS) model output, an abstract, anthropogenic flood risk metric, and develop a random forest model to provide an empirical tool that benefits decision makers in the Des Moines Lobe of the Prairie Pothole Region in north-central Iowa. The developed model has the capacity to predict our flood risk metric (calibration: R2 > 0.9, validation: R2 > 0.7) for individual farmed prairie potholes across a variety of morphologic and management conditions and can be used iteratively to assess alternative actions.
Advances in Decision Analysis: Defining a Decision Analytic Structure

ABSTRACT . This chapter is a revision and update of the chapter “Structuring for Decision Analysis” of our book Decision Analysis and Behavioral Research (von Winterfeldt and Edwards 1986). More than 20 years have passed since we wrote this chapter and during this time we gained substantial experience with applying decision analysis to many different government, business, and personal problems. The one lesson that has not changed is that structuring decision problems is the most important and, at the same time, least well understood task of a decision analyst. The three-step structuring process (identifying the problem; selecting an appropriate analytical approach; refining the analysis structure) also has survived the test of time. However, more than 20 years of applying decision analysis have taught us many new lessons, some new tools, and a variety of refinements when it comes to structuring decision problems. We liberally use the text of the 1986 chapter and weave in new materials and ideas as we go along. This chapter focuses on progressing from an ill-defined problem, articulated often vaguely by decision makers and stakeholders, to a clear definition of the problem and the associated analysis framework. Other chapters in this volume discuss specific structuring techniques using objectives hierarchies (Chapter 7), and belief networks and influence diagrams (Chapter 10). We therefore will touch only briefly on the specifics of structuring problems with these tools and will focus on the general ideas and principles guiding the decision analyst's structuring task.
The History and Critique of Modernity: Dewey with Foucault against Weber

In bringing the philosophical traditions of pragmatism and genealogy to bear upon contemporary debates regarding modernity, the work of both John Dewey and Michel Foucault has been subjected to misinterpretations that portray both traditions in a way that depletes them of the full force of their critical insight. The source of these misinterpretations is in many cases an attempt to squeeze the philosophical projects of pragmatism and genealogy into the mold that shapes the thought of most participants on both sides of the modernity debates. This mold can usually be traced back to the work of the influential sociologist, political economist, and philosopher Max Weber. One unfortunate residue of the subtle dominance of Weberian concepts in contemporary debates over modernity is that many thinkers who operated largely outside of these concepts cannot be brought into these debates without filtering their thought through this conceptual prism. In the case of Dewey and Foucault, their contributions to our understanding of the basic problems of modernity are widely misunderstood due to being filtered through Weberian concepts that simply were not central in Dewey's or Foucault's thinking. By distancing Dewey and Foucault from Weber as concerns their interpretations of modernity a significant point begins to emerge: a hitherto unnoticed convergence between pragmatism and genealogy. This convergence is significant because comparative analyses of pragmatism and genealogy, like those of these two traditions and Weber described above, generally tend to miss the important points of resonance which prove these traditions much closer than is commonly thought. After explicating Weber, Dewey, and Foucault I will conclude my discussion by considering briefly the attractive philosophical possibilities of combing Dewey's work on inquiry as reconstructive problem-solving with Foucault's work on critique as genealogical problematization.
Microburst Nowcasting Applications of GOES

ABSTRACT Recent testing and validation have found that the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) microburst products are effective in the assessment and short-term forecasting of downburst potential and associated wind gust magnitude. Two products, the GOES sounder Microburst Windspeed Potential Index (MWPI) and a new bi-spectral GOES imager brightness temperature difference (BTD) product have demonstrated capability in downburst potential assessment. In addition, a comparison study between the GOES-R Convective Overshooting Top (OT) Detection and MWPI algorithms has been completed for cases that occurred during the 2007 to 2009 convective seasons over the southern Great Plains. Favorable results of the comparison study include a statistically significant negative correlation between the OT minimum temperature and MWPI values and associated measured downburst wind gust magnitude. The negative functional relationship between the OT parameters and wind gust speed highlights the importance of updraft strength, realized by large CAPE, in the generation of heavy precipitation and subsequent intense convective downdraft generation. This paper provides an updated assessment of the GOES MWPI and GOES BTD algorithms, presents case studies demonstrating effective operational use of the microburst products, and presents results of a cross comparison study of the GOES-R overshooting top (OT) detection algorithm over the United States Great Plains region.
Effect of self-magnetic field on large pulsed insulators operated at 4 megavolts and 5 megaamperes

Experiments on a large, high voltage pulsed insulator will be described. The goal was investigation of the effect of the self-magnetic field associated with current flow toward the load, on the insulator voltage hold-off capability. In principle, the self-magnetic field could improve insulator hold-off by deflecting electrons away from the insulator surface. However, it appears that no controlled experiments have been done to measure the effect of magnetic flashover-inhibition (MFI) on a 45-degree insulator. Most modern insulator stacks, including the one used here, have the insulators at 45 degrees to the power flow direction, often with reduced electric field at the cathode triple point. Results from the experiments presented in this paper do not show a significant beneficial effect from current flow in this situation. This paper will also show calculations on the effect of magnetic field on electrons emitted from the capacitively- coupled grading rings in the insulator stack