cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design approach using tunnel diodes for lowering power in differential comparators

Adding two clocked tunnel diode pairs to the output ports of a differential amplifier enables high-speed current-mode switching at a lower tail current than in a transistor-only differential pair. The addition of the tunnel diodes also lowers the output open-circuit time constant of the differential pair leading to faster switching speed. As a design example, a return-to-zero D flip-flop is simulated for use as the decision circuit in a single-bit oversampling digital-to-analog converter. Indium phosphide-based heterojunction bipolar transistors and resonant tunneling diodes are used in the model simulation; both conventional and tunnel-diode-augmented circuits are compared. Power dissipation of 3.5 mW/latch at 100-GHz clock frequency with 60-dBc spur-free dynamic range (SFDR) is obtained in the tunnel diode/transistor flip-flop. In comparison with the transistor-only approach, power is reduced by approximately 1.6/spl times/ at the same speed and SFDR.
D-FANNS (dynamical functional artificial neural networks)-a new avenue for intelligent analog signal processing

Summary form only given. Intelligent signal processing may be defined as the process of mapping a signal x into a binary vector or matrix y, so that y enables the detection, classification, or interpretation of an event present in x. (In the case of an interpretation in an appropriate language, y would represent a digitally coded relational structure.) We denote by f the input-output map of such an intelligent signal processing filter. In a number of applications, it is possible to naturally implement the nonlinear filter map f by an artificial neural network (ANN). We consider the case in which x is an analog signal (waveform) belonging to L2(I), where I is an appropriate interval of the real line R1 (i.e., L2(I) is the space of square integrable functions on I), and propose the realization of f by an artificial neural network in which the synaptic weight actions of the first layer are implemented by a filter bank. We call such a network a dynamical functional artificial neural network (D-FANN) to distinguish it from a conventional functional artificial neural network (FANN), where a synaptic weight action is implemented by a scalar product (integration) in L2(I), between the incoming waveform x and a "distributed" functional weight. Compared with conventional FANNs, D-FANNs permit simple and meaningful causal realizations of intelligent analog signal processors. A novel element in the present paper is the introduction of a "D-FANN gain equation", in a way analogous to that in Kalman filtering. Applications of D-FANNs to real and simulated data are now in progress and these results are discussed.
Data Mining Static Code Attributes to Learn Defect Predictors

The value of using static code attributes to learn defect predictors has been widely debated. Prior work has explored issues like the merits of "McCabes versus Halstead versus lines of code counts" for generating defect predictors. We show here that such debates are irrelevant since how the attributes are used to build predictors is much more important than which particular attributes are used. Also, contrary to prior pessimism, we show that such defect predictors are demonstrably useful and, on the data studied here, yield predictors with a mean probability of detection of 71 percent and mean false alarms rates of 25 percent. These predictors would be useful for prioritizing a resource-bound exploration of code that has yet to be inspected
A Diffusion MRI Tractography Connectome of the Mouse Brain and Comparison with Neuronal Tracer Data

Interest in structural brain connectivity has grown with the understanding that abnormal neural connections may play a role in neurologic and psychiatric diseases. Small animal connectivity mapping techniques are particularly important for identifying aberrant connectivity in disease models. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography can provide nondestructive, 3D, brain-wide connectivity maps, but has historically been limited by low spatial resolution, low signal-to-noise ratio, and the difficulty in estimating multiple fiber orientations within a single image voxel. Small animal diffusion tractography can be substantially improved through the combination of ex vivo MRI with exogenous contrast agents, advanced diffusion acquisition and reconstruction techniques, and probabilistic fiber tracking. Here, we present a comprehensive, probabilistic tractography connectome of the mouse brain at microscopic resolution, and a comparison of these data with a neuronal tracer-based connectivity data from the Allen Brain Atlas. This work serves as a reference database for future tractography studies in the mouse brain, and demonstrates the fundamental differences between tractography and neuronal tracer data.
Minimax estimation with intermittent observations

This paper considers a problem of minimax (or H ∞ ) state estimation with intermittent observations. In this setting, the disturbance in the dynamical system and the sensor noise are controlled by adversaries, and the estimator receives the sensor measurements only sporadically, with the availability governed by an independent and identically distributed Bernoulli process. We cast this problem within the framework of stochastic zero-sum dynamic games. We first obtain a corresponding stochastic minimax state estimator (SMSE) and an associated generalized stochastic Riccati equation (GSRE) whose evolutions depend on two parameters: one that governs the random measurement arrivals and another one that quantifies the level of H ∞ disturbance attenuation. We then analyze the asymptotic behavior of the sequence generated by the GSRE in the expectation sense, and its weak convergence. Specifically, we obtain threshold-type conditions above which the sequence generated by the GSRE can be bounded both below and above in the expectation sense. Moreover, we show that under some conditions, the norm of the sequence generated by the GSRE converges weakly to a unique stationary distribution. Finally, we prove that when the disturbance attenuation parameter goes to infinity, our asymptotic results are equivalent to the corresponding results from the literature on Kalman filtering with intermittent observations. We provide simulations to illustrate the results.
Explaining the excess morbidity of emergency general surgery: packed red blood cell and fresh frozen plasma transfusion practices are associated with major complications in nonmassively transfused patients

Abstract Background Intraoperative blood product transfusions carry risk but are often necessary in emergency general surgery (EGS). Methods We queried the American College of Surgery-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for EGS patients (2008 to 2012) at 2 tertiary academic hospitals. Outcomes included rates of high packed red blood cell (pRBC) use (estimated blood loss:pRBC 1:1.5). Patients were then stratified by exposure to high blood product use. Stepwise logistic regression was performed. Results Of 992 patients, 33% underwent EGS. Estimated blood loss was similar between EGS and non-EGS (282 vs 250 cc, P = .288). EGS patients were more often exposed to high pRBC use (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11 to 3.66) and high-FFP use (OR = 2.75, 95% CI: = 1.10 to 6.84). High blood product use was independently associated with major nonbleeding complications (high pRBC: OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.04 to 2.91; high FFP: OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.15 to 4.02). Conclusions Despite similar blood loss, EGS patients received higher rates of intraoperative blood product transfusion, which was independently associated with major complication.
Emerging operando and x-ray pair distribution function methods for energy materials development

Our energy needs drive widespread materials research. Advances in materials characterization are critical to this research effort. Using new characterization tools that allow us to probe the atomic structure of energy materials in situ as they operate, we can identify how their structure is linked to their functional properties and performance. These fundamental insights serve as a roadmap to enhance performance in the next generation of advanced materials. In the last decade, developments in synchrotron instrumentation have made the pair distribution function (PDF) method and operando x-ray studies more readily accessible tools capable of providing valuable insights into complex materials systems. Here, the emergence of the PDF method as a versatile structure characterization tool and the further enhancement of this method through developments in operando capabilities and multivariate data analytics are described. These advances in materials characterization are demonstrated by several highlighted studies focused on energy storage in batteries.
Detection of wine grape nutrient levels using visible and near infrared 1nm spectral resolution remote sensing

The grape industry relies on regular crop assessment to aid in the day-to-day and seasonal management of their crop. More specifically, there are six key nutrients of interest to viticulturists in the growing of wine grapes, namely nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc and boron. Traditional methods of determining the levels of these nutrients are through collection and chemical analysis of petiole samples from the grape vines themselves. We collected ground-level observations of the spectra of the grape vines, using a hyperspectral spectrometer (0.4–2.5um), at the same time that petioles samples were harvested. We then interpolated the data into a consistent 1 nm spectral resolution before comparing it to the nutrient data collected. This nutrient data came from both the industry standard petiole analysis, as well as an additional leaf-level analysis. The data were collected for two different grape cultivars, both during bloom and veraison periods to provide variability, while also considering the impact of temporal/seasonal change. A narrow-band NDI (Normalized Difference Index) approach, as well as a simple ratio index, was used to determine the correlation of the reflectance data to the nutrient data. This analysis was limited to the silicon photodiode range to increase the utility of our approach for wavelength-specific cameras (via spectral filters) in a low cost drone platform. The NDI generated correlation coefficients were as high as 0.80 and 0.88 for bloom and veraison, respectively. The ratio index produced correlation coefficient results that are the same at two decimal places with 0.80 and 0.88. These results bode well for eventual non-destructive, accurate and precise assessment of vineyard nutrient status.
Polymer and carbon nanotube composites for space applications

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with polymer and carbon nanotube (CNT) composite materials that are potentially useful for space applications because of their unique combination of electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Much of the research has focused on using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as electrically conductive additives for polymers to mitigate electrostatic charged build-up. This addresses a problem that is particularly relevant to large, deployable spacecraft composed primarily of polymer materials such as Gossamer structures. These spacecraft are constructed of compliant polymeric materials that can be folded into compact volumes for launch. Transparent, conductive coatings are needed, which can tolerate folding and subsequent deployment. Other concepts for polymer and CNT composites include lightweight, radiation shielding, high thermal conductivity matrices and coatings, and structural matrix systems. Space environment survivability is an important factor in the development of nano-composite materials. Polymer nanocomposites will suffer from environmentally induced degradation because of particulate radiation, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, thermal cling, micrometeoroid impacts, and synergistic effects because of combinations. Space environment, the effects of the space environment on polymer nanocomposites, and potential applications of polymer nanocomposites are also discussed in the chapter.
Enabling self-service BI: A methodology and a case study for a model management warehouse

The promise of Self-Service Business Intelligence (BI) is its ability to give business users access to selection, analysis, and reporting tools without requiring intervention from IT. This is essential if BI is to maximize its contribution by radically transforming how people make decisions. However, while some progress has been made through tools such as SAS Enterprise Miner, IBM SPSS Modeler, and RapidMiner, analytical modeling remains firmly in the domain of IT departments and data scientists. The development of tools that mitigate the need for modeling expertise remains the “missing link” in self-service BI, but prior attempts at developing modeling languages for non-technical audiences have not been widely implemented. By introducing a structured methodology for model formulation specifically designed for practitioners, this paper fills the unmet need to bring model-building to a mainstream business audience. The paper also shows how to build a dimensional Model Management Warehouse that supports the proposed methodology, and demonstrates the viability of this approach by applying it to a problem faced by the Division of Fiscal and Actuarial Services of the US Department of Labor. The paper concludes by outlining several areas for future research.
Comments to Article by Thoene M et al., Nutrients 2016, 8, 451.

To the Editor:I read with interest recent work published in your journal in July 2016 by Thoene et al. [1].These authors attempted to address which human milk fortiﬁer (HMF) is the optimal choice forpreterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). To do this they reported again data froma previous retrospective study published in Nutrients on January 2014 [2] using a powdered HMF(P-HMF) with an acidiﬁed liquid HMF (AL-HMF), and compared it with additional retrospective datausing yet a different non-acidiﬁed liquid HMF (NAL-HMF). The authors focused on relevant issues forneonatologists such as growth, impact of HMF’s in acid-base balance and the occurrence of necrotizingenterocolitis (NEC).Whenever readers attempt to compare studies and validate conclusions, it becomes of utmostimportance to understand the populations enrolled in such studies and how comparable was theintervention(s) of interest. Both retrospective studies by Thoene [1,2] selected a population of largerpreterm infants without excluding for acuity. Thus, they reported a vastly different population than inthe original prospective randomized trials by Moya et al. [3] evaluating the AL-HMF, which enrolledinfants less than 30 3/7 weeks of gestation and <1250 g at birth, and the trial by Kim et al. [4] examiningthe NAL-HMF, which enrolled infants <33 weeks and range 700–1500 g at birth. Not surprisingly,the populations enrolled in these randomized trials were between 1–3 weeks younger in gestationalage and about 200–400 g lighter in birth weight than in the retrospective studies of Thoene. Moreover,even though exclusion criteria differed between these randomized trials, both aimed to exclude infantswith low Apgar scores and in need of either high inspired oxygen concentrations [3] or ventilatorysupport [4]. These trials described in detail relevant demographic characteristics of their populationssuch as proportion of infants <1000 g, mode of delivery, Apgar scores, and provided descriptivestatistics of the range of gestational age and birth weight. Much of this information is missing in bothreports by Thoene, including ranges or standard deviations for many continuous variables, especiallyfor the new retrospective group of infants receiving the NAL-HMF from their most recent study [2].Moreover, there are multiple additional discrepancies in data between both studies by Thoene, whichmake it harder to reconcile their ﬁndings and conclude how representative is their population, i.e., “N”for AL-HMF group for gestational age, birth weight, length and head circumference at 36 weeks, death,number of infants with bronchoplumonary dysplasia. This is also the case for other data, such as dayof life when feedings were started, “N” for CO
Does shave biopsy accurately predict the final breslow depth of primary cutaneous melanoma

Shave biopsy (SB) is used for the diagnosis of suspicious skin lesions, including melanoma. Its accuracy for melanoma has not been confirmed. We examined our experience with SB to determine its ability to predict true Breslow depth (BD). We performed a retrospective review of the tumor registry for all patients diagnosed with melanoma by SB from 1995 to 2004. Site and depth of lesion, tumor stage, correlation of BD between SB and wide local excision (WLE), and changes in surgical management due to discordance were examined. Melanoma-in-situ was defined as a depth of 0 for this analysis. One hundred thirty-nine patients were diagnosed with melanoma by SB. Pathology after WLE were as follows: 54 (39%) patients had no residual disease, 67 (48%) had a BD equal to or less than the SB, and 18 (13%) had a thicker BD compared with the SB. For these 18 patients, the median BD by SB and WLE was 1.1 mm (range 0-6.5) and 3.5 mm (range 0.5-20.5), respectively (P = 0.0017). Upstaging of final BD from SB to WLE was significantly associated with increasing tumor depth and higher stage of melanoma (P < 0.0001). Only seven of the 139 patients (5%) required further surgery because of the increased depth of the WLE. SB underestimated the final BD of melanoma in 13 per cent of patients, but changed the management of few patients. SB is a valuable tool for practitioners in the diagnosis of melanoma. Nevertheless, patients diagnosed with melanoma by SB should be counseled about the rare need for additional surgery.
Who Did What to Whom? Children Track Story Referents First in Gesture

Children achieve increasingly complex language milestones initially in gesture or in gesture+speech combinations before they do so in speech, from first words to first sentences. In this study, we ask whether gesture continues to be part of the language-learning process as children begin to develop more complex language skills, namely narratives. A key aspect of narrative development is tracking story referents, specifying who did what to whom. Adults track referents primarily in speech by introducing a story character with a noun phrase and then following the same referent with a pronoun-a strategy that presents challenges for young children. We ask whether young children can track story referents initially in communications that combine gesture and speech by using character viewpoint in gesture to introduce new story characters, before they are able to do so exclusively in speech using nouns followed by pronouns. Our analysis of 4- to 6-year-old children showed that children introduced new characters in gesture+speech combinations with character viewpoint gestures at an earlier age than conveying the same referents exclusively in speech with the use of nominal phrases followed by pronouns. Results show that children rely on viewpoint in gesture to convey who did what to whom as they take their first steps into narratives.
Outcomes of a Mobile Phone Intervention for Heart Failure in a Minority County Hospital Population

Abstract Background: Chronic heart failure (HF) causes significant morbidity, mortality, and cost. Managing HF requires considerable self-management skills and self-efficacy. Little information exists about feasibility and potential impact of a mobile monitoring intervention to improve self-efficacy and quality of life (QoL) among minority patients with HF. Materials and Methods: We developed a mobile phone-assisted case management program and tested its impact on outcomes in minority patients with HF in a 2:1 randomized controlled trial. We evaluated self-care efficacy, knowledge, behavior, and QoL at baseline and 3 months. Results: We enrolled 61 participants: intervention 42, usual care 19; mean age ± SD: 55 ± 10 years; 64% male; 75% white Hispanic, 25% African American; and 56% high school education or less. Comparison of the two groups with respect to changes from baseline to 3 months showed significant differences for Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease (2.09 ± 2.32, p-value = 0.005); health ...
Solitary Discourse Is a Productive Activity.

Young adults received information regarding the platforms of two candidates for mayor of a troubled city. Half constructed a dialogue between advocates of the candidates, and the other half wrote a...
Tunable Expression Tools Enable Single-Cell Strain Distinction in the Gut Microbiome

Applying synthetic biology to engineer gut-resident microbes provides new avenues to investigate microbe-host interactions, perform diagnostics, and deliver therapeutics. Here, we describe a platform for engineering Bacteroides, the most abundant genus in the Western microbiota, which includes a process for high-throughput strain modification. We have identified a novel phage promoter and translational tuning strategy and achieved an unprecedented level of expression that enables imaging of fluorescent-protein-expressing Bacteroides stably colonizing the mouse gut. A detailed characterization of the phage promoter has provided a set of constitutive promoters that span over four logs of strength without detectable fitness burden within the gut over 14 days. These promoters function predictably over a 1,000,000-fold expression range in phylogenetically diverse Bacteroides species. With these promoters, unique fluorescent signatures were encoded to allow differentiation of six species within the gut. Fluorescent protein-based differentiation of isogenic strains revealed that priority of gut colonization determines colonic crypt occupancy.
Endogenous Cell-Surface Lectins: Evidence that They are Cell Adhesion Molecules

Publisher Summary A major function of the cell surface is to mediate specific cellular associations. This chapter focuses on cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) which are the molecules that bind cells to other cells or to extracellular materials. The first task in attempting to find CAMs is to establish criteria for their identification. The requirement that reagents that bind CAMs should block the adhesion reaction is subject to misinterpretations. The reagents, be they univalent antibodies or specific ligands, could produce a false positive by nonspecifically affecting cellular interactions. In many cell adhesion assays, a comparison is made of the rate of binding of cells to each other in gyrated suspension. In some cases, single cells prepared by dissociation of tissues are gyrated together and the rate of formation of clumps of cells is observed. Dissociation itself poses a major problem in that it might remove or destroy CAMs.
Safety of herpes zoster vaccination among inflammatory bowel disease patients being treated with anti‐TNF medications

SummaryBackground The risk of herpes zoster (HZ) is elevated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients treated with anti-TNF medications. While it is optimal to give herpes zoster vaccine prior to initiation of therapy clinical circumstances may not always allow this. Aim To determine the safety of giving herpes zoster vaccine while patients are on anti-TNF therapy. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving IBD patients who were followed in the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system between 2001 and 2016. Patients who received herpes zoster vaccine while on anti-TNF medication were identified through vaccination codes and confirmed through individual chart review. Our outcome of interest was development of HZ between 0 and 42 days after herpes zoster vaccine administration. Results Fifty-six thousand four hundred and seventeen patients with IBD were followed in the VA healthcare system. A total of 59 individuals were on anti-TNF medication when they were given herpes zoster vaccine, and amongst them, 12 (20%) were also taking a thiopurine. Median age at the time of herpes zoster vaccine was 64.9 years and 95% of patients had a Charlson Comorbidity Index of ≥2. Median number of encounters within 42 days after receiving herpes zoster vaccine was two. No case of HZ was found within 0-42 days of HZV administration. Conclusion Our data suggest that co-administering the herpes zoster vaccine to patients who are taking anti-TNF medications is relatively safe. This study significantly expands the evidence supporting the use of herpes zoster vaccine in this population, having included an elderly group of patients with a high Charlson Comorbidity Index who are likely at a much higher risk of developing HZ.
Evaluation of thermal process lethality for non-pathogenic Escherichia coli as a surrogate for Salmonella in ground beef

Abstract The United States Department of Agricultures’ Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has developed thermal lethality guidelines for non-typhoidal Salmonella inactivation in ready-to-eat (RTE) beef and poultry, but additional means of thermal processing validation are limited. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine if non-pathogenic Escherichia coli could be used as a surrogate for Salmonella as means to validate thermal processing parameters per Appendix A. To develop thermal death time curves, ground beef at varying fat contents (5, 10, 20, 25, and 30%) was inoculated with either Salmonella or E. coli and heat treated. At 54, 57, 60, and 63 °C across all fat levels, the E. coli surrogates had significantly greater (P .05). Greater reduction of E. coli surrogates in the ground beef post-lethality treatment suggest Salmonella inactivation at higher temperatures. The most appropriate use of the E. coli surrogates would be for predicting, ensuring, and validating thermal processing for Salmonella inactivation at lower temperatures. However, effects of meat product composition and processing facility variables need to be further assessed.
Boundary Blurring? Racial Identification among the Children of Interracial Couples.

This article uses data, pooled annually, from the 2008 to 2014 American Community Survey (ACS) to document (1) recent fertility patterns among interracially married couples and (2) the racial or et...
Serious mental illness and negative substance use consequences among adults on probation

Adults on probation are at greater risk of both using substances and having a mental disorder compared to the general population. Several theories explain the relationship between substance use and poor mental health. However, the interaction between substance use, mental health, and substance-related consequences is not well understood. A better understanding of this relationship may help treatment programs become more responsive to people with serious mental illness (SMI). The current study used interview data from 313 adults on probation who reported recent substance use. We examined associations between SMI risk, substance use, and substance use consequences. A substantial proportion of the sample (37.5%) screened at risk of having a SMI. Adjusting for type and amount of substance use, those who screened at risk of having a SMI reported more negative substance use consequences. Significant interaction effects were observed between use of alcohol or opiates and SMI risk. Alcohol use was associated with more negative substance use consequences among those at risk of SMI, while opiate use was associated with more consequences among those not at risk. Programs are sorely needed to identify and treat adults with comorbid substance use and mental health symptoms, particularly for adults in the justice system. Clinicians should carefully consider how mental health may interact with substance use to exacerbate consequences.
Carbon-Neutral Energy Sources

Among the main approaches to decarbonizing global economy, the switching to carbon-neutral energy sources such as nuclear and renewables (solar, wind, biomass, etc.) is mentioned most often. Nuclear energy is considered an important carbon mitigation option; despite the recent Fukushima accident, the majority of countries with nuclear power remain committed to its use. Renewables are no longer regarded immature technology; while the cost of some renewables has dropped significantly over the last decades (e.g., onshore wind, solar photovoltaic), the competition with fossil incumbents is still an uphill battle. There are a number of daunting technical and economic challenges and pitfalls associated with the expansion of the carbon-neutral energy sources in the energy market. This chapter analyzes the latest scientific, technological, and commercial developments in the area of carbon-neutral energy sources and fuels, as well as their carbon mitigation potential and outlook in the light of current technological trends.
Activity, Discourse, & Meaning Some Directions for Science Education

This chapter emerged from dialogues at the 2008 Springer forum held at Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The forum considered paradigms for research in science education. The conversations began by examining a prominent paradigm in science education, conceptual change theory, which was the subject of a recent special issue of Cultural Studies of Science Education (Roth and Tobin 2008). Conceptual change theory, and its relatives, cognitive constructivism and studies of student’s alternative frameworks, thus are a starting point for a thorough reconsideration of research on science learning. We have been asked to consider paradigms for research in science education and propose some future directions. In this chapter our contribution will be to try to take a long view of science education research based in conceptual change and constructivist perspectives and identify some alternatives for future directions. Since these theories have generally focused on student learning, and the various cognitive, social, and pedagogical contexts around learning, we limit the discussion to these areas. Through this consideration of learning in science, we identify a number of challenges and unresolved questions for the field. We do not presume to assess the entire field or offer a research agenda for science education. Rather, we note only some of the many promising areas, acknowledging that there are many others.
Sphingolipids’ Role in Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

There are several well-established mechanisms involved in radiation-induced cell death in mammalian cell systems. The p53-mediated apoptotic pathway is the most widely recognized mechanism (Lowe et al. Nature 362:847–849, 1993), although apoptosis has long been considered a less relevant mechanism of radiation-induced cell death (Steel, Acta Oncol 40:968–975, 2001; Brown and Wouters, Cancer Res 59:1391–1399, 1999; Olive and Durand, Int J Radiat Biol 71:695–707, 1997). We and others have recently focused instead on the emerging links between radiation, apoptosis, and ceramide and showed that ceramide is a sphingolipid-derived second messenger capable of initiating apoptotic cascades in response to various stress stimuli, including radiation.
Refusing to Wait: Just-in-Time Teaching

Shortly after the presidential election of 2016, a group of faculty and staff at Elon University committed to developing and offering a one-credit course designed to provide students with intellectual and practical skills that would be useful in facing contemporary social and political challenges. This article describes the process of developing the course, its structure and content, and its effects on the students, faculty, and staff who participated in it. The article also discusses strengths and weaknesses of the course design as a means of helping to ensure the success of any future endeavors. The course, which eventually came to be titled “Refusing to Wait: Intellectual and Practical Resources for Troubled Times,” is an example of how institutions of higher education can respond quickly and effectively to political developments, while keeping student learning at the center of their mission.
Language Sample Practices With Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Purpose In this study, we aimed to identify common language sample practices of professionals who work with children who are Deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) who use listening and spoken language as a me...
Pediatric Clinical Endpoint and Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers: Limitations and Opportunities

Medical research in children typically lags behind that of adult research in both quantity and quality. The conduct of rigorous clinical trials in children can raise ethical concerns because of children's status as a 'vulnerable' population. Moreover, carrying out studies in pediatrics also requires logistical considerations that rarely occur with adult clinical trials. Due to the relatively smaller number of pediatric studies to support evidence-based medicine, the practice of medicine in children is far more reliant upon expert opinion than in adult medicine. Children are at risk of not receiving the same level of benefits from precision medicine research, which has flourished with new technologies capable of generating large amounts of data quickly at an individual level. Although progress has been made in pediatric pharmacokinetics, which has led to safer and more effective dosing, gaps in knowledge still exists when it comes to characterization of pediatric disease and differences in pharmacodynamic response between children and adults. This review highlights three specific therapeutic areas where biomarker development can enhance precision medicine in children: asthma, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and pain. These 'case studies' are meant to update the reader on biomarkers used currently in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, and their shortcomings within a pediatric context. Current research on surrogate endpoints and pharmacodynamic biomarkers in the above therapeutic areas will also be described. These cases highlight the current lack in pediatric specific surrogate endpoints and pharmacodynamic biomarkers, as well as the research presently being conducted to address these deficiencies. We finally briefly highlight other therapeutic areas where further research in pediatric surrogate endpoints and pharmacodynamic biomarkers can be impactful to the care of children.
Non-Colluding Attacks Identification in Distributed Computing

This paper studies a distributed computing setting in which the computing task consists of multiplying a matrix by a vector. A number of worker machines are attacked, i.e., the result of their computation is maliciously perturbed by some adversaries. In particular, the focus is on the case where these adversaries are non-colluding and non-communicating and hence they cannot jointly perturb the results of all the attacked worker machines. First, a condition that ensures that the result of the computing task can be successfully recovered with high probability is derived as a function of the setting parameters. Then, a probabilistic mechanism inspired by group testing is proposed to identify the set of the attacked worker machines, and the corresponding probability of error is derived.
Plasmonically Enhanced Kerr Frequency Combs

By coating optical resonators with metal nanorods functionalized with small molecule coatings, we fabricate an efficient frequency comb generator in the near-IR. Additional nonlinear behaviors, e.g. Anti-Stokes/Stokes generation, are also observed.
Do home sellers know their market? Evidence from neighbourhood sober-living houses

We use a listing price hedonic model coupled with a standard selling price model to identify seller beliefs about how the housing market responds to refurbished formerly substandard properties serv...
Copulas ser and estar production in child and adult heritage speakers of Spanish

The present study examines the production of the Spanish copula verbs ser and estar among child and adult heritage speakers of Spanish born and raised in the United States. We investigate copula use in estar-favored and ser-favored adjectival predicates and in event locatives in which ser is required. We predicted overextension of estar with adjectives and with event locatives, following previous work. We also expected a relationship between language experience and target performance. Results showed ungrammatical use of copula estar in ser-favored adjectival contexts among the child heritage speakers. The adult heritage speakers, however, appear to overcome these divergences. Regarding event locatives, both experimental groups overextended estar significantly compared to child and monolingual baseline groups. We argue for protracted development in child and adult heritage Spanish stemming from input conditions, maturational development, and low patterns of language activation and use.
Identifying emerging predictors for adolescent electronic nicotine delivery systems use: A machine learning analysis of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Abstract Intervention strategies to prevent adolescents from using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) should be based on robust predictors of ENDS use that may differ from predictors of conventional cigarette use. Literature points to the need for uncovering emerging predictors of ENDS use. This study identified emerging predictors of adolescent ENDS use using machine learning (ML) techniques. We analyzed nationally representative multi-wave longitudinal survey data (2013–2018) drawn from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. A sample of adolescents (12–17 years) who never used any tobacco products at baseline and completed Wave 2 (n = 7958), Wave 3 (n = 6260) and Wave 4 (n = 4544) were analyzed. We developed a supervised ML prediction model using the penalized logistic regression to assess self-reported past-month ENDS use (i.e., current use) at Waves 2–4 based on the variables measured at the previous wave. We then extracted important predictors from each model. The penalized logistic regression models showed suitable capability to discriminate between ENDS uses and non-uses at each wave based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the precision-recall curve. Interestingly, social media use emerged as an important variable in predicting adolescent ENDS use. ML models appear to be a promising method to identify unique population-level predictors for U.S. adolescent ENDS use behaviors. More research is warranted to investigate emerging predictors of ENDS use and experimentally examine the mechanism by which these emerging predictors affect ENDS use behavior across different spectrum of populations.
Energy Balance Investigation of Close-Coupled Optimized-Pressure Gas Atomization Pour-Tube Design Geometry to Prevent Melt Freeze-Off

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is an evolving technology, and the supply of quality feedstock material needs to follow suit. Closed-coupled optimized-pressure gas atomization (CCOPGA) promises narrow size distribution, spherical powder, and optimized use of gas. However, pour-tube melt solidification is an obstacle to enabling a wider alloy palate. Many solutions involve adding melt superheat, but do not account for all cooling influences. While the Joule-Thomson effect and forced convection promotes high cooling rates for the powder, excessive heat loss can lead to freeze-off. Therefore, optimizing the melt delivery geometry is needed to reducefreeze-off and down time. Analytical and numerical models are employed to studythe heat transfer process between the pour tube and the surroundings for CCOPGA of both Ni and Ca melts. The effects of normalized length, radius, and thermal diffusivity are considered. Work supported by USDOE-EERE-AMO and USDOE-OE through Ames Laboratory Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358.
Incarnational Psychotherapy: Christ as the Ground of Being for Integrating Psychology and Theology

The integration of psychology and theology is often sought as a layering of intellectual abstractions from biblical and psychological sources. Though scriptural and scientific data may partially define the reality of God and human psychology, the Truth is an embodied act, God made incarnate among us as Christ. The common ground for integration of psychology and theology must then be this ground of being, the incarnate presence of Jesus Christ among us. The basis for integration is derived theologically from the relational nature of and God and the ongoing revelation of Christ to humankind through incarnational presence (i.e., social theology) and psychologically from the preeminence of relationships in shaping human development, well-being, and psychological distress (i.e., interpersonal psychology). This paper reviews both traditions in turn before then discussing the incarnation of Christ as the ground of being for their integration. Incarnational relational enactment is proposed to characterize the transformative presence of Christ in the healing work of a therapeutic relationship. This process is described as immediate, personal, unconditional, and dialectical, ultimately leading to a literal renewing of the mind.
Superchiral light generation on nanoimprinted achiral plasmonic substrates for chiral drug detection

Plasmonic nanostructures provide an excellent platform for label-free detection and manipulation of molecules based on their physical and spectral properties. Our recently discovered superchiral light on achiral plasmonic substrates was used to demonstrate enantioselective chiral molecule detection that are relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. The talk will focus on the detection of chiral drugs and biomolecules using a degenerate cavity-coupled plasmonic substrate. We also discuss advances made regarding the enantioselective separation of chiral molecules using plasmonic tweezers and prospective technical challenges that we aim to address in the future.
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Picture Books: Depictions of Housing and Home in Books for Young Children

While there is still much to be done, there have been tremendous strides made in increasing the diversity of children’s literature; however one area that is often overlooked in these conversations is social class. From years of providing picture book story time to young children living in homeless shelters, it became obvious that picture books being published in the U.S. privilege the experiences of middle- and upper-class people, especially in their depictions of home and housing. Based on analysis of 185 picture books published in the U.S. between 1999 and 2019, I argue that home as typically represented in children’s picture books presents a limited and privileged view that normalizes single-family homes, material possessions, and related middle-class experiences. Further, these books do not reflect the lived experience of the millions of American children in the United States experiencing homelessness and housing instability, as well as those who live in apartments, trailers and other types of homes that contemporary picture books would have us believe do not exist.
Factors Affecting Outcomes in Geriatric Traumatic Subdural Hematoma in a Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit.

ABSTRACT: Geriatric patients (age > 65 years) who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) have an increased risk of poor outcomes and higher mortality compared to younger cohorts. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for discharge outcomes in a geriatric traumatic subdural hematoma (SDH) population, stratified by age and pre-traumatic medical comorbidities. This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of geriatric patients (N = 207). Patient charts were evaluated for factors including patient characteristics, comorbidities, injury- and seizure-related factors and on neurosurgical intervention and patient disposition on discharge. Bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age was non-predictive of patient outcomes. Underlying vasculopathic comorbidities were the primary determinant of post-traumatic seizure (PTS), surgical, and discharge outcomes. Multifactor analysis (MFA) demonstrated that patients who went on to develop status epilepticus (N = 11) had a higher frequency of vasculopathic comorbidities with strong predictive power in poor patient outcomes. Our findings suggest a need to establish unique prognostic risk factors based on patient outcomes that guide medical and surgical treatment in geriatric patients.
Epigenetic Regulation of Endothelial Dysfunction and Inflammation in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Once perceived as a disorder treated by vasodilation, pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) has emerged as a pulmonary vascular disease with severe endothelial cell dysfunction. In the absence of a cure, many studies seek to understand the detailed mechanisms of EC regulation to potentially create more therapeutic options for PAH. Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by complex phenotypic changes including unchecked proliferation, apoptosis-resistance, enhanced inflammatory signaling and metabolic reprogramming. Recent studies have highlighted the role of epigenetic modifications leading to pro-inflammatory response pathways, endothelial dysfunction, and the progression of PAH. This review summarizes the existing literature on epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs, which can lead to aberrant endothelial function. Our goal is to develop a conceptual framework for immune dysregulation and epigenetic changes in endothelial cells in the context of PAH. These studies as well as others may lead to advances in therapeutics to treat this devastating disease.
Evolutionary Aspects of the Endocrine and Nervous Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates the evolutionary aspects of the endocrine and nervous systems. In mammals and other vertebrates, the major systems of intercellular communication are the endocrine and nervous systems. Intercellular communication is not unique to organisms which possess endocrine and nervous systems; rather it is essential to all forms of life including microbes. In the classic concept of the endocrine system the chemical messenger molecule, the hormone, is produced in a localized region, released into the general circulation, and acts on a target cell at a distance. In the nervous system, on the other hand, the secretory cell is a neuron and the messenger molecule a neurotransmitter. Many of the messenger molecules assigned to the endocrine or nervous systems reach their target tissues by other systems of intercellular communication such as exocrine and paracrine systems. Furthermore, a number of nonhormonal peptides which act on a target tissue have structural similarities to classic hormones and act on the target tissues in a manner almost identical to hormones. Interestingly, the biochemical elements necessary for the intercellular communication, that is, messenger molecules, their receptors, as well as post receptor intracellular components, are present in unicellular organisms and show distinct structural and functional similarities to their counterparts in vertebrate tissues.
Mobilizing Science: Movements, Participation, and the Remaking of Knowledge

Introduction 1. Democratizing Science Movements: Conditions for Success and Failure 2. The Environmental Breast Cancer Movement and the Scientific Basis for Contestation 3. Dam Impacts and Anti-dam Protest 4. Government Institutions and Corporate Interests: Instigating Movement Challenge 5. Democratizing Science 6. Democratizing Science as a Mechanismof Co-optation 7. Long- Term Struggles and Uncertain Futures 8. A Case for Making Science Accountable Contributors Appendix References Index