cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloud point extraction studies on recovery of nickel(II) from highly saline sulfate medium using salicylideneaniline mono-Schiff base chelating extractant

Abstract A novel cloud point extraction process (CPEP) has been developed for recovery of nickel(II) from saline sulfate medium via the use of the lipophilic chelating extractant, salicylideneaniline (SAN), and the nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100. Surfactant solutions are employed in conjunction with SAN to form nickel complexes, which are subsequently entrapped in the micelles of the surfactant-rich phase, upon increase the temperature above the cloud point temperature. The effects of the main experimental parameters such as pH, extractant concentration, non-ionic surfactant concentration and temperature on the cloud point extraction process of nickel(II) with SAN were studied and optimized. The use of the SAN/TritonX-100 system led to very good extraction efficiency and concentrating ability for Ni(II) pollutant. Indeed, nearly 90% extraction efficiency with a minimal volume fraction of surfactant-rich phase ( ϕ s = 0.1), and a high concentration factor ( C F ≈ 35) was achieved at pH 8.8, in one step. The analysis of the extraction data revealed that the cloud point process of nickel proceeds via a cation exchange mechanism. The stoichiometry of the complex extracted into the surfactant-rich phase was ascertained by the slope analysis method to have a composition of 1:2 [Ni:SAN]. Under the similar conditions, a higher extraction constant was determined for CPE compared with classical solvent extraction, illustrating the feasibility and utility of CPE for Ni(II) recovery. The optimum conditions of the extraction-recovery have been established as the following: (1) 5.1 × 10 −3 mol/L ligand; (2) 5 wt.% surfactant; (3) pH of 8.8 and (4) temperature of 65 °C.
Bacteriology of otitis media: a review.

This article reviews the microbiology of acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion. Emphasis is given to the method of specimen collection and the technique of office bacteriology. Several long-held beliefs are reexamined in the light of current information, particularly the expanded role of Haemophilus influenzae in older children and the diminished role of Mycoplasma in bullous myringitis. Information is presented on anaerobes and Chlamydia trachomatis as pathogens in otitis media.
Clinical Writing About Patients

Abstract The author discusses her experience in seeking consent from 16 patients to use clinical material for publication. Sharing narrative case examples from her practice, she elucidates her process with patients and focuses on the beneficial and detrimental effects on the therapeutic relationship. Seeking consent raises issues of confidentiality and stimulates wide-ranging, layered and linked emotions and meanings for patients, including feelings of closeness, envy, and shame, which in some cases may lead to treatment interruptions. If the analyst actively employs this process as a therapeutic tool, across time, with openness to unexpected meanings, it may advance the therapeutic conversation and developmental possibilities. When there is a negative effect on the patient or the process, analysts' shame and guilt may be invoked and consultation is recommended.
Observational studies and the natural history of screen-detected prostate cancer.

Purpose of reviewTo review the recent observational studies and clinical trials that guide our understanding of the natural history of screen-detected prostate cancer.Recent findingsData from observational studies and clinical trials have been updated during the past year. The most important include
Introduction to the Special Issue on Disparities

This special issue focuses attention on physical and mental health disparities within the Asian American community and the work done by researchers and affiliates of the Asian American Center for Disparities Research (AACDR) to understand and alleviate these disparities. The collection of articles in this special issue covers a range of topics related to health disparities, such as psychotropic medication adherence, quality of life, occupational health, and inpatient psychiatric care, and to sociocultural factors that may influence disparities, such as cultural competency, face concerns, and the model minority myth. A variety of methods and samples are used or suggested to answer questions related to Asian American health disparities, such as examining medical records, surveying service providers, using analogue and community samples, and involving community in research as equal partners.
Complex Motor Stereotypies in Non-Autistic, Non-Retarded Children

The records of 40 children (63% male) aged 9 months to 17 years with complex motor stereotypies seen between 1993 and 2003 were reviewed at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Organochlorine Isomer Analysis of the Pesticide Residues in Yingcheng City

[Objective]To understand the status of pesticide residue in Yingcheng City,and analyze the source of organochlorine pollution.[Methods]A total of 622 samples of 10 categories of agricultural products and their growing environmental samples,and 42 biological samples of the human body were collected in Yingchcng City during April 2007 to July 2008.DDT and HCH isomer content detection was based on the national standard methods.[Results]The detection rate of organochlorine isomer differed significantly in different kinds of samples.There were new sources of DDT,HCH input.In the biological samples of human body,the characteristic of organochlorine isomer presented the terminal state of degradation.[Conclusion]In order to safeguard human health,the examination system of pesticide residue of agricultural product must be managed well,as well as the supervision of pesticide.
Longitudinal residency training: a survey of family practice residency programs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Most family practice residency training consists of 2-4-week block rotations in specific curricular areas, supplemented by training in the family practice center. An alternative model, longitudinal residency training, emphasizes training in curricular areas over a 3-year time period. This study determined the frequency of longitudinal training in family practice residency programs. METHODS We conducted a survey of 477 residency program directors listed in the American Academy of Family Physicians 2000 Directory of Family Practice Residency Programs. RESULTS Sixty-eight percent (n=320) of program directors responded to the survey. A total of 3.6% of program directors described their program as "mostly longitudinal," and 14.2% described their program as "half block/half longitudinal." An additional 15% of program directors indicated interest in adopting or moving toward a longitudinal program in the next 2 wears. Responses suggest some inconsistencies in program directors' understanding of what constitutes a longitudinal curriculum. CONCLUSIONS Longitudinal residency training is reported in 18% of family practice residency programs. Further work is needed to develop a definition of longitudinal residency training.
Generalizing time-frequency importance functions across noises, talkers, and phonemes.

Listeners can reliably identify speech in noisy conditions, although it is generally not known what specific features of speech are used to do this. We utilize a recently introduced data-driven framework to identify these features. By analyzing listening-test results involving the same speech utterance mixed with many different noise instances, the framework is able to compute the importance of each time-frequency point in the utterance to its intelligibility. This paper shows that a trained model resulting from this framework can generalize to new conditions, successfully predicting the intelligibility of novel mixtures. First, it can generalize to novel noise instances after being trained on mixtures involving the same speech utterance but different noises. Second, it can generalize to novel talkers after being trained on mixtures involving the same syllables produced by different talkers in different noises. Finally, it can generalize to novel phonemes, after being trained on mixtures involving different consonants produced by the same or different talkers in different noises. Aligning the clean utterances in time and then propagating this alignment to the features used in the intelligibility prediction improves this generalization performance further.
How prior investments of time, money, and employee hires influence time to exit a distressed venture, and the extent to which contingency planning helps

Abstract Unfortunately, for many entrepreneurs there comes a time when they must exit their firms due to economic distress. While some exit quickly once they perceive the need to do so, others delay, and there are benefits and costs to both approaches. Using an escalation of commitment framework, we explore variation in exit speed, and find that time to exit after the firm experiences distress depends on the types and extent of investments made prior to that distress. Further, our data indicate that contingency planning moderates the relationships between certain types of investments and time to exit.
iPrivacy: Image Privacy Protection by Identifying Sensitive Objects via Deep Multi-Task Learning

To achieve automatic recommendation of privacy settings for image sharing, a new tool called iPrivacy (image privacy) is developed for releasing the burden from users on setting the privacy preferences when they share their images for special moments. Specifically, this paper consists of the following contributions: 1) massive social images and their privacy settings are leveraged to learn the object-privacy relatedness effectively and identify a set of privacy-sensitive object classes automatically; 2) a deep multi-task learning algorithm is developed to jointly learn more representative deep convolutional neural networks and more discriminative tree classifier, so that we can achieve fast and accurate detection of large numbers of privacy-sensitive object classes; 3) automatic recommendation of privacy settings for image sharing can be achieved by detecting the underlying privacy-sensitive objects from the images being shared, recognizing their classes, and identifying their privacy settings according to the object-privacy relatedness; and 4) one simple solution for image privacy protection is provided by blurring the privacy-sensitive objects automatically. We have conducted extensive experimental studies on real-world images and the results have demonstrated both the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed approach.
High Performance, 3D-Printable Dielectric Nanocomposites for Millimeter Wave Devices.

The creation of millimeter wave, 3D-printable dielectric nanocomposite is demonstrated. Alumina nanoparticles were combined with styrenic block copolymers and solvent to create shear thinning, viscoelastic inks that are printable at room temperature. Particle loadings of up to 41 vol % were achieved. Upon being dried, the highest-performing of these materials has a permittivity of 4.61 and a loss tangent of 0.00298 in the Ka band (26.5–40 GHz), a combination not previously demonstrated for 3D printing. These nanocomposite materials were used to print a simple resonator device with predictable pass-band features.
Telehealth is a Viable Alternative for the Treatment and Assessment of Home Peritoneal Dialysis, Stroke and Chronic Care and as Such Should be Reimbursable by Medicare

Telehealth has been shown as an effective method to improve access to care for rural patients who often travel long distances for their care. Medicare reimbursement however has been restricted to care provided through synchronous communication at a Medicare approved designated site. Proposed legislation that seeks to expand the use of this proven technology will offer respite to persons requiring chronic care, frequent home peritoneal dialysis as well as expedited assessment and treatment for those experiencing stroke sign and symptoms. In addition, to the improved quality of care, the cost saving associated with reduced readmissions for this population, makes it a viable option to be supported.
Sodium naphthalenide reduction of 1,3–diphenyl–6–(tert-butyl) fulvene: Stabilizing Eu2+ with a sterically demanding ansa–ligand framework

Abstract Stereoselective syntheses of three new rac di–(tert–butyl)ethano bridged metallocene compounds of Yb, Eu and Sm were carried out by a unique strategy involving hydrocarbon radical anion coupling of a trisubstituted pentafulvene followed by incorporation of the metal by K+ salt metathesis reactions. Reductive coupling of 1,3–diphenyl–6–(tert-butyl) fulvene with sodium naphthalenide gave the corresponding bis(cyclopentadiene) ansa–ligand precursor rac–[(CHBut)2(Ph2C5H3)2] HL. Subsequent reaction of HL with KN(SiMe3)2 afforded the corresponding di–potassium salt complex [(CHBut)2(Ph2C5H2)2]K2(THF)3 1. Reactions of 1 with LnI2 (Ln = Yb, Eu, Sm) afforded new lanthanide ansa–metallocenes, [(CHBut)2(Ph2C5H2)]2Yb(DME) 2, [(CHBut)2(Ph2C5H2)]2Eu(DME)2 3 and [(CHBut)2(Ph2C5H2)]2Sm(DME)2 4 in good yields. The ansa–europocene 3 is the first example of a Eu2+ ion complexed by an ethano–bridged cyclopentadienyl ligand. This work underscores the usefulness of hydrocarbon radical anion coupling in the construction of sterically demanding Ph2Cp based ansa–ligand frameworks for d- and f-block metallocenes.
Basics Revisited: Kinetics of Iron Carbonate Scale Precipitation in CO2 Corrosion

Glass cell experiments were conducted to understand kinetics of iron carbonate scale formation in pure carbon dioxide (CO2) corrosion of mild steel. Weight gain and loss (WGL) method was used as a direct approach to investigate kinetics of scale formation. The experiments were done at the temperatures of 60C to 90C, and an iron carbonate supersaturation range of 12 to 350. It is found that the calculated results obtained by the previous kinetics expressions using the traditional dissolved ferrous ion concentration method are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the experimental precipitation rates obtained in the present study by the WGL method. The results show that the main source of the ferrous ions which are involved in formation of the protective iron carbonate scale is the iron dissolution process. It has been clearly demonstrated that the precipitation rate of iron carbonate is directly related to the conditions at the steel surface which can frequently be very different from the one in the bulk fluid.
Lifespan Environmental Influences on Species Typical Behavior of Meriones Unguiculatus

There are many experiments in which effects of environment during development were studied. For instance, it is well known that laboratory rodents that are housed in large environments for a month or so during development will have larger neocortical areas of the brain than those housed in small cages (Diamond et al., 1965; Levine et al., 1967). More recently, changes in brain size following enrichment have been shown in rats over 900 days of age (Diamond et al., 1985). Thus, it is known that brain plasticity is not limited to developing animals. The present research project was planned to further elucidate the effects of environmental influences on life and death. That is, we wished to ask whether environmental changes affect growth and behavior throughout life and whether they influence time of death. The gerbil, Meriones unquiculatus, was chosen as a model because the gerbil is small, active, relatively short-lived, and meets many of the criteria of an animal model for aging research (Cheal, 1986).
Is Theoretical Pluralism Necessary in Psychology

There is no phenomenon in contemporary psychology more striking and puzzling than its theoretical pluralism. Not only is there a plethora of quite different and apparently irreconcilable theories in different subdomains of psychology—physiological psychology, learning, cognition, motivation, personality, developmental psychology, social psychology, psychotherapy—but even within a single field such as psychotherapy, for example, there is a steady increase in the number of new theories. When I was a graduate student in psychology there were already 36 systems of psychotherapy and by now the number may well have doubled. I have lost count.
The QCD machine

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the QCD machine, a special-purpose parallel supercomputer that was designed and built to solve the lattice QCD problem that arises in particle physics. The chapter presents the architecture of the QCD Machine and relates important features of its design to properties of the problem that it was built to solve. The issues involved in programming the computer are discussed. The chapter also presents measurements of the computer's performance and its construction history. The central activities within the discipline of high-energy physics are the discovery of the basic constituents of matter and the description of the interactions between them. As with the simulation of most continuous systems, the numerical analysis of QCD begins with the formulation of a discrete version of the theory. As the calculations intrinsically involve time and space, the lattice version of QCD is denned on a four-dimensional grid. However, unlike other continuum simulations, the degrees of freedom are associated with the edges of the grid and with the vertices.
Programming support for data intensive distributed mobile applications at the edge

Mobile, IoT, and wearable devices have been transitioning from passive consumers of remote data to active generators of massive amounts of data. Mobile apps often need to move data, generated on one device, to other nearby devices for processing. For example, when reading its wearer's health vitals, a health monitoring app on a wearable device needs to transfer the data to the wearer's smartphone for display and analysis. This local processing of data by means of nearby computing resources has been promoted as a solution to network bandwidth bottlenecks, and commonly referred to as edge computing. Despite the critical dependence of edge computing on the device-to-device data sharing functionality, its mainstream implementations introduce low-level and hard-to-maintain code into the mobile codebase. To address this problem, this research introduces Remote ICC (RICCi), a novel middleware framework that provides programming support for data-intensive mobile applications at the edge, thereby reconciling programming convenience and performance efficiency. RICCi builds upon the native Android Inter-Component Communication (ICC) to simultaneously support seamless and efficient inter-device data sharing via a convenient and familiar programming model. To reach these design objectives, RICCi innovates in the middleware space by offering distributed programming abstractions that are data-oriented rather than procedure-oriented, thereby elevating latency into a first-class design concern for developing distributed mobile apps.
Cardiopulmonary effects and recovery characteristics of horses anesthetized with xylazine-ketamine with midazolam or propofol.

Abstract Objective To evaluate cardiopulmonary and recovery characteristics of horses administered total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with xylazine and ketamine combined with midazolam or propofol. Study design Randomized crossover study. Animals A group of eight adult horses, aged 7–22 years, weighing 493–740 kg. Methods Horses were administered xylazine (1 mg kg−1) intravenously (IV), and anesthesia was induced with ketamine (2.2 mg kg−1) IV. Anesthesia was maintained for 45 minutes via IV infusion of xylazine (0.016 mg kg−1 minute−1) and ketamine (0.03 mg kg−1 minute−1) combined with midazolam at 0.002 mg kg−1 minute−1 (MKX), propofol at 0.05 mg kg−1 minute−1 (PKXlow) or propofol at 0.1 mg kg−1 minute−1 (PKXhigh). Additional ketamine was administered if a horse moved spontaneously. Cardiopulmonary variables, blood gases, lactate concentration, packed cell volume and total solids were recorded before sedation (baseline), at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes during TIVA and 10 minutes after standing. Recovery variables and quantitative recovery scores were compared. Significance was set at p Results Additional ketamine was required for 50% of MKX horses. Systolic arterial pressure was elevated in MKX at 20 minutes compared with baseline (p = 0.043), at 10 and 20 minutes compared with PKXhigh (p = 0.007, p = 0.024) and at 20 and 30 minutes compared with PKXlow (p = 0.009, p = 0.02). MKX horses (5/8) were hypertensive compared with PKXlow (1/8; p = 0.017). All horses became hypoxemic (PaO2 ≤80 mmHg; 10.7 kPa) during TIVA. Recovery variables did not differ among treatments. Conclusions and clinical relevance PKXlow and PKXhigh had similar cardiopulmonary and recovery performance compared with MKX. PKX combinations provided superior quality of anesthesia to that of MKX. A combination of propofol, ketamine and xylazine administered as TIVA can be used in horses to provide anesthesia for short procedures. Supplemental oxygen is recommended.
A Software-Defined Radio Analysis of the Impact of Dynamic Modulation Scaling within Low-Power Wireless Systems

Dynamic Modulation Scaling (DMS) is a well-known mechanism that can effectively exploit the tradeoff between communication time and energy consumption. In recent years a number of studies have suggested that DMS techniques can reduce energy consumption while maintaining performance objectives in low-power wireless transmission technologies such as those defined in IEEE 802.15.4. These studies tend to rely on theoretical or simulation DMS models to predict network performance metrics. However, there is little, if any, work that is based upon empirically verified network performance outcomes using DMS. This paper fills that gap. Our contribution is four-fold; first, using GNU~Radio and SDR hardware we show how to emulate DMS in low power wireless systems. Second, we measure the impact of varying Signal-to-Noise levels on throughput and delivery rates for different DMS control strategies. Third, using DMS we quantify the impact of distance and finally, we measure the impact of different elevations between sender and receiver on network performance. Our results provide an empirical basis for future work in this area.
Effect of Wireless Communication Delay on DC Microgrids Performance

This paper investigates the effect of wireless communication technologies latency on the converters and the bus voltage of centrally communication based controlled DC microgrids (MGs) during islanding. A DC microgrid with its communication based control scheme was modeled to show the impact of latency. Simulation results show that the impact may be severe depending on the design, and the operational condition of the microgrid before latency occurs.
Visualization of all-sky polarization images referenced in the instrument, scattering, and solar principal planes

Sunlight becomes partially linearly polarized when scattered from atmospheric gas molecules and can be quantified using the linear Stokes parameters S0 , S1 , S2 and the derived degree of linear polarization and angle of polarization (AoP). The angle-dependent Stokes parameters S1 and S2 and the AoP require a reference plane. Commonly used reference planes for polarimetric applications include the instrument, scattering, and solar principal planes, each of which provides unique insights when analyzing sky polarization data. Methods to transform the parameters between each frame of reference are known; however, previous publications have not shown the results of transforming a time series of all-sky polarization images into these different reference planes clearly showing how this alters the image visualization. We review two methods used to rotate all-sky polarization images from the instrument to the scattering plane and the solar principal plane, and for the first time shows all-sky polarization image sequences recorded from sunrise to sunset of Stokes S1 and S2 and AoP for each reference frame.
A Systematic Review of Methods to Improve Attitudes Towards Childhood Vaccinations.

Although measles was eradicated in the United States in 2000, there has been an increasing number of cases. As of April 4, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 465 cases of measles as compared to 372 in 2018. Pockets of unvaccinated communities and travelers bringing measles from countries with large outbreaks are attributed to the rise in cases in the United States. With the increasing anti-vaccine sentiment, it’s imperative to take preventative measures to avoid the proliferation of deadly diseases. The objective of this study was to determine effective techniques to decrease vaccine refusal and increase the childhood vaccination rate. To this effect, a systematic review of English peer-reviewed articles published in the years 2000 to 2019 using Arizona State University’s online database was conducted. The titles, abstracts, and discussions for each journal article were screened for methods that promote vaccination. Any articles that included vaccine development, promoting vaccination coverage rate in developing countries, pregnant women, healthcare workers, and animals, and promoting the uptake of vaccines that aren’t part of CDC’s seven-vaccine series were excluded. A total of nine journal articles were identified, including five systematic reviews, one case study, a randomized controlled trial, a literature review, and a quasi-experimental study. The methods discovered pertained to three themes: technological, mass marketing or campaigning, and direct communication. The Guide to Tailored Immunization Programme (TIP) in conjunction with visually enhanced educational materials and storytelling articles were found to be effective tools in encouraging vaccination coverage. The basis of any strategy is determining the perspective and needs of the target population and tailoring the approaches to match them to alleviate barriers that hinder vaccination uptake. The use of technology perpetuates the efficacy of social marketing strategies, further promoting vaccines and their benefits.
Automated Classification of Variable Stars for ASAS Data

With the advent of surveys generating multi-epoch photometry and their discoveries of large numbers of variable stars, the classification of the obtained time series has to be automated. We have developed a classification algorithm for the periodic variable stars using a Bayesian classifier on a Fourier decomposition of the light curve. This algorithm is applied to ASAS (AII Sky Automated Survey, Pojmanski, 2000). In ASAS 85% of the variables are red giants. A remarkable relation between their period and amplitude is found for a large fraction of those stars.
Effect of pyrolysis on basic functional groups of hydrochars

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermochemical process, where biomass is treated in the presence of water at subcritical condition to produce functionalized carbon-rich solid materials known as hydrochar. Hydrochar has a core and shell structure which contains both acidic and basic functional groups but has very small surface area. Pyrolysis is often performed to expose pores and corresponding functional groups of amorphous carbon materials like hydrochar. The aim of this work was to quantify the basic functional groups on hydrochars and the effect of pyrolysis temperature on these basic functional groups. Hydrochars were produced from cellulose and wood at 220 and 260 °C followed by pyrolysis on the corresponding hydrochars at 400, 500, and 600 °C under N2 environment. Afterward, FTIR and Boehm titration (direct method) were performed to identify and quantify the basic functional groups, respectively. HTC treatment reduced the basic groups on the cellulose from 89.3 ± 3.0 to 13.6 ± 6.0 μmol/g and the wood surface from 160.0 ± 10.0 to 64.7 ± 6.5 μmol/g mainly due to the dehydration reaction and formation of a condensation layer. Pyrolysis resulted in a continuous increase of basic groups on cellulose hydrochar produced at 220 °C, while a significant increase from 13.6 ± 6.0 to 55.3 ± 9.8 μmol/g was observed during low temperature pyrolysis and remains similar at high temperature for cellulose hydrochar produced at 260 °C. In contrast, the basic functional groups increased from 59.6 ± 10.8 to 214.9 ± 8.8 μmol/g and from 64.7 ± 6.5 to 154.0 ± 8.5 μmol/g with pyrolysis temperature of wood hydrochars produced at 220 and 260 °C, respectively. The significant difference between wood and cellulose-derived pyrolyzed hydrochars could be due to the presence of lignin in wood.
Whiteness and the Postracial Imaginary in Disney’s Zootopia

Drawing from strategic whiteness and postracism as critical frames, and utilizing critical rhetorical analysis, this manuscript argues that the 2016 Disney animated hit film Zootopia is a postracia...
Evidence of ridge propagation in the eastern Gulf of Mexico from integrated analysis of potential fields and seismic data

Abstract Integrated analysis of gravity, magnetic, and seismic data reveals two phases of spreading in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) including two distinct spreading centers, suggesting a major ridge reorganization during the opening of the eastern part of the GOM. Ridge propagation between the two spreading episodes explains the following observations: 1) the drastic asymmetry in the oceanic domain of northeastern GOM, 2) the presence of two distinct crustal zones with dramatically different thickness and physical properties, and 3) the observed seismicity within the oceanic domain that is not aligned with any known tectonic structure. The initial Late Jurassic spreading center (~160 Ma) resulted in thin (~5 km) and uniform oceanic crust with a fast compressional velocity (7 km/s). Based on our analysis, the estimated full spreading rate of this older spreading event is less than 1 cm/yr. The spreading regime changed in Early Cretaceous around 150 Ma, resulting in a propagation (i.e., jump) of the spreading center. The new spreading episode was characterized by a change in spreading direction and increased magma supply as it produced thicker (up to 9 km) oceanic crust with a typical two-layered structure. Despite the increase in magmatic material, the full rate of this younger spreading event estimated from our analysis is only slightly faster (1.1 cm/yr assuming that spreading ceased at 137 Ma). The later conclusion is consistent with the morphology of the spreading centers mapped by seismic data. Our analysis shows that recent deep crustal earthquakes in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico are aligned with the boundary between the two identified distinct oceanic zones, referred here as a pseudofault.
MOOC Videos in Project MANEUVER

Project MANEUVER (Manufacturing Education Using Virtual Environment Resources) is developing an affordable virtual reality (VR) framework to address the imminent demand for well-trained digital manufacturing (DM) technicians. MANEUVER project has a set of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) video contents that provides a process of setting up local VR server, navigating inside 3D environment, interacting with 3D objects, simulating CNC machines and different 3D printer models. The previously stated topics are the list of successfully created MOOC videos that have been deployed on the project MANEUVER website. MANEUVER is developing an innovative multi-modal VR framework for DM instruction. Using a "train-the-trainers" approach, a replicable faculty development model is being developed for secondary and post-secondary institutions. By addressing regional and national entry-level needs of the workforce, the project benefits society and contributes to national economic progress and prosperity.
Cosmetic treatment in patients with autoimmune connective tissue diseases: Best practices for patients with morphea/systemic sclerosis

Morphea and systemic sclerosis are inflammatory, sclerosing disorders. Morphea primarily affects the dermis and subcutaneous fat, while systemic sclerosis typically involves the skin and internal organs. Functional impairment and cosmetic disfigurement are common in both diseases. Treatment options to mitigate disease progression remain limited. Both functional impairment and cosmetic deficits negatively impact quality of life and psychological well-being in this patient population. While the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States continues to rise each year, limited data exist regarding best practices for correcting aesthetic deficits caused by autoimmune conditions. There is scarce information to guide safety decisions regarding laser parameters, soft tissue augmentation, treatment intervals, and the concurrent use of immune-modifying or immune-suppressing medications. Given the fears of disease reactivation and exacerbation from postprocedural inflammation along with limited data, it is difficult for clinicians to provide evidence-based cosmetic treatment with realistic expectations with regard to short- and long-term outcomes. In the first article in this continuing medical education series, we attempt to address this practice gap.
Multidisciplinary Approach to Malignant Biliary Obstruction

Treatment of malignant biliary obstruction (MBO) requires the coordination of multiple specialties, including oncologists, surgeons, gastroenterologists, and interventional radiologists. If the tumor is resectable, surgical candidates can usually proceed to surgery without preoperative biliary drainage. For patients who undergo biliary drainage, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) combined with biliary stenting are techniques with comparable technical success and mortality, each with distinct advantages and risks. Advances in endoscopic ultrasound allow drainage in patients with challenging anatomy. There are a multitude of devices used for biliary decompression. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS), with longer patency rates, are in most instances preferred over plastic stents for MBO, especially in patients with life expectancy more than 3 to 4 months. Advantages of covered SEMS versus uncovered SEMS remain controversial as covered stents can prevent tumor ingrowth but at the expense of potential increase in stent migrations. Extra-anatomic biliary drainage using lumen-apposing metal stents is an emerging technique which shows promise when conventional ERCP fails. It is imperative to understand these techniques when tailoring a treatment strategy. The goal of this article is to discuss a multidisciplinary approach for MBO to promote comprehensive care using case examples to highlight essential principles.
RF Energy Harvesting System for GSM900 and GSM1800 Bands

In this paper we design an RF-EH system to harvest RF signals between 900 MHz and 6 GHz. However, the harvesting is not of the same high efficiency for all bands due to resonance reasons. The system is designed to harvest efficiently the GSM-900 and GSM-1800. This paper proposes for our RF-EH system a novel Antenna which is a modified PCMA to harvest the RF signals, plus the Rectifier circuit to which is a 2-stage Dickson voltage multiplier, to transform AC to DC, and an LC matching circuit to match the Antenna impedance to that of the Rectifier. The Antenna is being simulated using the ADS software. Our Antenna achieved resonance at the 1.8 GHz with S11 = -27 dB and S11= -13 dB for the 900MHz. The efficiency for both bands was above 80%. The simulation results also showed a 10dB bandwidth from 700 MHz to 6 GHz. The Matching circuit is designed to match the Antenna’s Impedance to that of the rectifier at the 1.8 GHz which also showed return loss of -25 dB in addition to high output voltage of 5V desirable for low power applications.
Does the Federal Reserve Obtain Competitive and Appropriate Prices in Monetary Policy Implementations

The Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy implementations often involve extremely large trades within a short time frame and exclusively transact with primary dealers at pre-committed time and quantities. We show that dealers exert market power against the Fed, which is remarkably stronger than that against regular customers. In the agency MBS market, we find that (1) dealers accumulate MBS inventory before Fed purchases and several large dealers acquire most inventory; (2) the same dealer charges discriminatorily higher prices to the Fed than to non-Fed buyers when selling from the same inventory; (3) the Fed's large purchase amount relative to dealers' inventory capacity and operational inflexibility account for half of the uncompetitive pricing each; (4) large dealers extract higher rents and sell more quantities to the Fed than small dealers do.
A Cramér-Rao Bound Analysis for mmWave PMCW MIMO Radar with Quantized Observations

We consider parameter estimation in mmWave phase modulated continuous wave (PMCW) radar with quantized observations. We derive the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) for jointly estimating targets’ amplitudes, time delays, Doppler shifts, and directions. Our analysis provides an efficient method to compare the estimation performance achieved by different quantization schemes. We show that when the targets’ amplitudes are similar, quantization does not severely affect the estimation performance. However, if the targets’ amplitudes are different, the estimation performance will deteriorate rapidly due to quantization. Finally, we provide numerical results to evaluate the CRB.
Structure and Tectonic History of Alaska

The major trends of the Cordilleran backbone of North America can be traced through the conterminous United States and Canada into Alaska, where they form a distinctive arcuate pattern bending sharply near the border and flaring out to the west. The origin and pattern of the dominant tectonic elements of Alaska can be traced back to geanticlines and geosynclines that developed from Middle Jurassic to early Tertiary time. The Brooks Range geanticline forms Alaska's northernmost mountain barrier, a counterpart of the Rocky Mountain system. The range is thrust north over the edge of the west-trending Colville geosyncline. Subsurface data indicate that this geosyncline deepens beneath the Arctic foothills and coastal plain to at least 20,000 feet and then rises to within 2,50 feet of the surface near Point Barrow. South of the Brooks Range and extending to the Alaska Range is an irregular array of low mountains, uplands, and flat lowlands, the Alaska counterpart of the intermontane area between the Rocky Mountain system and the Pacific Mountain system of the conterminous United States. Although several tectonic elements have been traced, some trends are oblique or normal to the major Mesozoic and Cenozoic arcuate pattern. The Pacific Mountain system is extended into Alaska by two major mountain chains divided by a line of depressions that bend in a great arc around the North Pacific Ocean. These mountains consist primarily of tightly folded graywacke, argillite, conglomerate, and basaltic and andesitic lava flows and tuffs. The greatest igneous activity has been in the Pacific Mountain system, and includes a belt of granitic batholiths and a chain of recently active volcanoes. Though numerous, granitic intrusive masses between the Alaska and Brooks Ranges are small, except a few in the southeastern part of the Yukon-Tanana upland. Relatively few igneous rocks are known within and north of the Brooks Range. The Paleozoic and much of the Mesozoic tectonic history of Alaska involving a broad geosynclinal tract that lay between the Pacific Ocean to the south and west and a stable platform region to the north and east, can be considered conveniently in three major stages--Cambrian through Silurian, Middle Devonian through Permian, and Triassic through Early Cretaceous. The mobile belt encroached northward at the expense of the stable region, until by mid-Mesozoic time eugeosynclinal conditions extended over most of Alaska. In mid-Jurassic time in southern Alaska, and in Early Cretaceous time in central and northern Alaska, Alaska became differentiated into positive and negative tracts of erosion and deposition that were maintained through the rest of the Mesozoic Era. Basins of known Tertiar marine deposition are limited to the northern and southern borders of Alaska. Inland, Tertiary basins were sites of accumulation of continental sediments.
Native American Child Foster Care Disparity: Applying the Lens of Critical Race Theory

Abstract The critical race theory (CRT) concentrates on issues regarding the current disproportionate placement of Native American children into foster care. Specifically, 2% of all children in foster care are Native American, even though Native American children only make up 1% of the total number of children in the United States. Additionally, the placement often results in a loss of ethnic culture, heritage, spirituality, values, traditions, and language of Native Americans. The result of foster care placement extends into a loss of self-identity, and possible extinction of this minority population. Social work educators work to empower oppressed populations by reforming culturally inappropriate decision-making practices. Social work students receive instruction to become self-aware of biases, values, beliefs, and attitudes of the social paradigm. This increased understanding of cultural diversity could create a more philosophical worldview. Delving into the critical race tenets and cultural competence explores the role of the social work profession calling for knowledge application and skill needed when working with Native American populations. Keywords: Native American children, culture, foster care, decision-making, cultural competence
Self-Advocacy and Ally-Advocacy for Disability Justice: Organisational, Psychosocial, and Political Resources

The world of today sees more persistent, collective work of marginalised people resisting structural oppression rooted in racism and misogyny through newly-organised multinational movements like Black Lives Matter, #IamSpeaking, and Me Too. This has led to a rapid rise in public consciousness and activism about social injustices across many sectors of society. Ableism and other types of discrimination in education, employment and community-living experienced by people with a disability have both similarities to, and differences from, the indignity and impact of racism and misogyny. The activist disability community is working hard to have their advocacy agendas gain more public awareness and support. The common ground among all oppressed groups is their demand to have their human rights honoured. This requires two societal value shifts: (1) listening to voices outside the dominant culture and power structures through the involvement of insiders, based on their lived experience as members of the marginalised groups, and (2) collaborative advocacy to achieve milestones on their journey towards social justice. Applying these principles, this article aims to elevate and amplify the historical and current activities of self-advocates from the disability community to affirm and secure their human rights. The article provides explanations and examples of: (1) the complexities of disability-based discrimination; (2) political activism by the disability rights and independent living movements in the United States; (3) the psychosocial dimensions of embracing disability identity, culture, and pride; and (4) various outstanding consumer-driven artistic and organisational resources that are shaping the evolution of equal opportunity and disability justice.
Molecular divergence among Yellow-spotted Barbet Buccanodon duchaillui populations suggests unrecognised diversity

Recently described vocal variation within the monotypic Yellow-spotted Barbet Buccanodon duchaillui has been used to suggest the presence of two allopatric species separated by the Dahomey Gap in western Africa. Using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences from two genes, we investigated molecular patterns of divergence across the species' range, in light of the published vocal variation. We found support for a genetic break at the Dahomey Gap, but also identified much deeper divergence among other populations in the eastern part of the species' range. Deep genetic divergence, and geographic variation in the species' vocalisations, suggest a greater degree of diversity in this species than currently recognised.
Interest in Improving Access to Pediatric Trauma Care Through Telemedicine

Despite improved outcomes at pediatric trauma centers (PTC), 90% of injured children are not treated at PTCs. Telemedicine may play a role in ensuring patients are transferred to the appropriate level of care. We aimed to determine the level of interest in trauma telemedicine with our PTC among referring facilities. A survey was conducted with the trauma program directors of 45 hospitals in Utah, which consisted of four multiple choice questions designed to determine interest in pediatric trauma telemedicine support, projected frequency of use, anticipated uses of telemedicine, and perceived barriers to implementation. Forty-one directors (91%) responded. 88% of directors were interested in developing a pediatric trauma telemedicine network. 20% estimated their center would use telemedicine more than once a week, 17% once a week, 24% once a month, and 37% a few times a year. The most frequently cited uses of a telemedicine program were triage/transfer decisions and provider support. Inadequate volume and insufficient funding were the most common perceived barriers. These data show there is a strong interest amongst hospitals in our state in pediatric trauma telemedicine. Inadequate volume to warrant a program and insufficient facility funding remain concerns for development of a program.
Policing and Shaping

This chapter looks at the fundamental mechanics of policer and shaper tools. Policers are implemented using the concept of a token bucket, while shapers use leaky buckets. The chapter explains both and compares the two in terms of applicability and differences regarding how to use them to deal with traffic burstiness and excess traffic. A token bucket operates using the concept of credits. The chapter considers that the traffic crosses the policer at a perfect flat rate, without any bursts, and also that the traffic rate is always below the policer bandwidth limit parameter. Dual‐rate policers are popular and are commonly implemented together with the metering tool. The existence of excess traffic is commonly associated with the oversubscription phenomenon, the concept of having a logical interface with a certain bandwidth value that during some periods of time may receive more traffic than it can cope with.
Problem-Solving Negotiation: Northern Ireland's Experience with the Women's Coalition

This paper is part of a Symposium that considered the relevance of domestic conflict resolution theories in broader cultural contexts. The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (Women's Coalition) participated in the negotiations leading up to the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement. Members of the Woman's Coalition responded to thirty years of sectarian violence with a negotiation process based on accommodation, inclusion, and relationship building, concepts that resonate with American-style problem-solving negotiation. Using the Women's Coalition as a case study, this Article suggests that there are procedural aspects of problem-solving negotiation theory that may work across domains, specifically in multi-party, intractable conflict situations, where not all players share the same end game. Topics discussed include: (i) background of the conflict in Northern Ireland, the "Troubles", (ii) problem-solving negotiation theory, (iii) strategic approaches of the Women's Coalition during the multi-party negotiations leading to the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, (iv) perspectives on comparative dispute resolution, and (v) relevance of inclusion, trust and relationship building.