cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability of superficial surgical site infections as a hospital quality measure.

Background Although rates of superficial surgical site infection (SSI) are increasingly used as measures of hospital quality, the statistical reliability of using SSI rates in this context is uncertain. We used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data to determine the reliability of SSI rates as a measure of hospital performance and to evaluate the effect of hospital caseload on reliability. Study Design We examined all patients who underwent colon resection in hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program in 2007 (n = 18,455 patients, n=181 hospitals). We first calculated the number of cases and the risk-adjusted rate of SSI at each hospital. We then used hierarchical modeling to estimate the reliability of this quality measure for each hospital. Finally, we quantified the proportion of hospital-level variation in SSI rates due to patient characteristics and measurement noise. Results The average number of colon resections per hospital was 102 (SD 65). The risk-adjusted rate of superficial SSI was 10.5%, but varied from 0 to 30% across hospitals. Approximately 35% of the variation in SSI rates was explained by noise, 7% could be attributed to patient characteristics, and the remaining 58% represented true differences in SSI rates. Just more than half of the hospitals (54%) had a reliability >0.70, which is considered a minimum acceptable level. To achieve this level of reliability, 94 cases were required. Conclusions SSI rates are a reliable measure of hospital quality when an adequate number of cases have been reported. For hospitals with inadequate caseloads, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program sampling strategy could be altered to provide enough cases to ensure reliability.
On the structure of sets of large doubling

We investigate the structure of finite sets A@?Z where |A+A| is large. We present a combinatorial construction that serves as a counterexample to natural conjectures in the pursuit of an ''anti-Freiman'' theory in additive combinatorics. In particular, we answer a question along these lines posed by O'Bryant. Our construction also answers several questions about the nature of finite unions of B"2[g] and B"2^@?[g] sets, and enables us to construct a @L(4) set which does not contain large B"2[g] or B"2^@?[g] sets.
Description of a set-theoretic data structure

The overall goal, of which this paper is a part, is the development of a machine-independent data structure allowing rapid processing of data related by arbitrary assignment such as: the contents of a telephone book, library files, census reports, family lineage, graphic displays, information retrieval systems, networks, etc. Data which are non-intrinsically related have to be expressed (stored) in such a way as to define the way in which they are related before any data structure is applicable. Since any relation can be expressed in set theory as a set of ordered pairs and since set theory provides a wealth of operations for dealing with relations, a set-theoretic data structure appears worth investigation.
The Making of the Black Family: Race and Class in Qualitative Studies in the Twentieth Century

AbstractThis article reviews the history of qualitative research on the black family during the twentieth century. Most qualitative studies on black family life focused on social class differences among blacks and between blacks and whites until the mid-1960s. In the final third of the last century, attention largely turned to the study of low-income black families, a fact I attribute in part to the publication of the Moynihan report.
Invertibility of symmetric random matrices

We study n×n symmetric random matrices H, possibly discrete, with iid above-diagonal entries. We show that H is singular with probability at most exp-nc, and ||H-1||=On. Furthermore, the spectrum of H is delocalized on the optimal scale on-1/2. These results improve upon a polynomial singularity bound due to Costello, Tao and Vu, and they generalize, up to constant factors, results of Tao and Vu, and Erdos, Schlein and Yau.Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 44, 135-182, 2014
Political Institutions and Economic Policies: Lessons from Africa

Many assert that the economic problems of Africa possess political origins. In particular, they point to a lack of political accountability and argue that economic reform and the renewal of growth depend upon political reform and in particular upon the promotion of competitive electoral politics. Summarizing these arguments, this article formalizes and tests them, using both an African and global sample of data. While it finds support for the view that within Africa – and globally – competitive institutions are associated with less extractive policies, it finds no evidence that these institutions have facilitated the implementation of Washington consensus policies.
Filtration of the classical knot concordance group and Casson-Gordon invariants

It is known that if any prime power branched cyclic cover of a knot in the 3-sphere is a homology sphere, then the knot has vanishing Casson-Gordon invariants. We construct infinitely many examples of (topologically) non-slice knots in the 3-sphere whose prime power branched cyclic covers are homology spheres. We show that these knots generate an infinite rank subgroup of F_(1.0)/F_(1.5) for which Casson-Gordon invariants vanish in Cochran-Orr-Teichner's filtration of the classical knot concordance group . As a corollary, it follows that Casson-Gordon invariants are not a complete set of obstructions to a second layer of Whitney disks.
New naphthopyranone based fluorescent thiol probes

Abstract We report five newly synthesized naphthopyranone based thiol reactive probes and compare their photophysical properties with those of their parent naphthopyranones and their glutathione adducts.
Gamma-ray astronomy

Cosmic gamma rays, the physical processes responsible for their production and the astrophysical sites from which they were seen are reported. The bulk of the observed gamma ray emission is in the photon energy range from about 0.1 MeV to 1 GeV, where observations are carried out above the atmosphere. There are also, however, gamma ray observations at higher energies obtained by detecting the Cerenkov light produced by the high energy photons in the atmosphere. Gamma ray emission was observed from sources as close as the Sun and the Moon and as distant as the quasar 3C273, as well as from various other galactic and extragalactic sites. The radiation processes also range from the well understood, e.g. energetic particle interactions with matter, to the still incompletely researched, such as radiation transfer in optically thick electron positron plasmas in intense neutron star magnetic fields.
Altered Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Responses to Provocative Challenge Tests in Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse

OBJECTIVE: Early adverse life events may predispose individuals to the development of mood and anxiety disorders in adulthood, perhaps by inducing persistent changes in corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuronal systems. The present study sought to evaluate pituitary-adrenal responses to standard hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis challenge tests in adult female survivors of childhood abuse with and without major depressive disorder. METHOD: Plasma ACTH and cortisol responses to the administration of 1 μg/kg ovine CRF and plasma cortisol responses to the administration of 250 μg ACTH1–24 were measured in healthy women without early life stress (N=20), women with childhood abuse without major depressive disorder (N=20), women with childhood abuse and major depressive disorder (N=15), and women with major depression but no early life stress (N=11). RESULTS: Abused women without major depressive disorder exhibited greater than usual ACTH responses to CRF administration, whereas abused women with major de...
Address and traffic dynamics in a large enterprise network

Despite the centrally-managed nature of and critical infrastructure provided by enterprise networks, analyses of their characteristics have been limited. In this paper we examine the dynamics of enterprise networks from two distinct perspectives, namely traffic and addressing. Using a large packet trace spanning approximately 3.5 weeks coupled with diverse other data sources, we pose and answer a series of questions pertinent to understanding the aforementioned aspects of todaypsilas enterprise networks. Our analysis results reveal characteristics regarding the geographical spread of traffic observed at a site in the enterprise network, the validity of the client-server model and mobility patterns within the Enterprise. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for tasks such as network management and dimensioning.
External Balance Sheets as Countercyclical Crisis Buffers

The external balance sheets of many emerging market countries are distinguished by their holdings of assets primarily in the form of foreign debt and foreign exchange reserves, while their liabilities are predominantly equity, either foreign direct investment or portfolio equity. We investigate the claim that this composition served as a buffer for the emerging markets during the global financial crisis of 2008–09. We use data from a sample of 67 emerging market and advanced economies, and several indicators of the crisis are utilized: GDP growth rates in 2008–09, the occurrence of bank crises and the use of IMF credit. Our results show that those countries that issued FDI liabilities had higher growth rates, fewer bank crises and were less likely to borrow from the IMF. Countries with debt liabilities, on the other hand, had more bank crises and were more likely to use IMF credit. We conclude that the “long debt, short equity” (hold debt assets, issue equity liabilities) strategy of emerging markets did mitigate the effects of the global financial crisis.
Cerebral Dominance in Musicians and Nonmusicians

Musically experienced listeners recognize simple melodies better in the right ear than the left, while the reverse is true for naive listeners. Hence, contrary to previous reports, music perception supports the hypothesis that the left hemisphere is dominant for analytic processing and the right hemisphere for holistic processing.
Controllability and Observability of Systems of Linear Delay Differential Equations Via the Matrix Lambert W Function

During recent decades, controllability and observability of linear time delay systems have been studied, including various definitions and corresponding criteria. However, the lack of an analytical solution approach has limited the applicability of the existing theory. Recently, the solution to systems of linear delay differential equations has been derived in the form of an infinite series of modes written in terms of the matrix Lambert W function. The solution form enables one to put the results for point-wise controllability and observability of systems of delay differential equations to practical use. We derive the criteria for point-wise controllability and observability, obtain the analytical expressions for their Gramians in terms of the parameters of the system, and develop a method to approximate them for the first time using the matrix Lambert W function-based solution form.
Enumeration of Rota-Baxter words

We describe results on enumerations of sets of Rota-Baxter words in a finite number of generators and a finite number of unary operators. Rota-Baxter words are words formed by concatenating generators and images of words under Rota-Baxter operators. Under suitable conditions, they form canonical bases of free Rota-Baxter algebras and are studied recently in relation to combinatorics, number theory, renormalization in quantum field theory, and operads. Enumeration of a basis is often a first step to choosing a data representation in implementation. Our method applies some simple ideas from formal languages and compositions (ordered partitions) of an integer. We first settle the case of one generator and one operator where both have exponent 1 (the idempotent case). Some integer sequences related to these sets of Rota-Baxter words are known and connected to other combinatorial sequences, such as the Catalan numbers, and others are new. The recurrences satisfied by the generating series of these sequences prompt us to discover an efficient algorithm to enumerate the canonical basis of certain free Rota-Baxter algebras. More general sets of Rota-Baxter words are enumerated with summation techniques related to compositions of integers.
Repeated Games with Long-run and Short-run Players

This paper studies the set of equilibrium payoffs in repeated games with long- and short-run players and little discounting. Because the short-run players are unconcerned about the future, each equilibrium outcome is constrained to lie on their static reaction (best-response) curves. The natural extension of the folk theorem to games of this sort would simply include this constraint in the definitions of the feasible payoffs and minmax values. In fact, this extension does obtain under the assumption that each player's choice of a mixed strategy for the stage game is publicly observable but, in contrast to standard repeated games, the set of equilibrium payoffs is different if players can observe only their opponents' realized actions.
Performance Limitations of Si Bulk CMOS and Alternatives for future ULSI

Diminishing improvement in the on current (ION) and increase in off current (IOFF) may limit the scaling of bulk Si CMOS. There are several technical issues that make proper device scaling increasingly difficult. Various techniques like ultra-thin gate dielectrics, shallow source/drain junctions and high channel doping are used to mitigate the short channel effects and improve the device performance. Most of these approaches however directly conflict with the goal of obtaining high carrier mobility, low subthreshold swing, low series resistance, and therefore large ION and low IOFF at low supply voltage. To continue scaling beyond the 22 nm node, various architectural and material changes in the traditional MOSFET would be required for efficient operation of the transistor as a switch. A channel material with high mobility and therefore high injection velocity can increase on current and reduce delay. Currently, strained-Si bulk CMOS is the dominant technology and increasing the strain provides a viable solution to scaling. However, looking into future scaling of nanoscale MOSFETs it becomes important to look at higher mobility materials, like Ge and III-V materials together with innovative device structures, like the multi-gate FETs (MuGFETs) with high- dielectrics, metal gate and Schottky source/drain. For both Ge and III-V devices problems of leakage need to be solved. Novel heterostructures will be needed to exploit the promised advantages of Ge and III-V based devices.
Catalytic C−C Bond Formation via Capture of Hydrogenation Intermediates

Although catalytic hydrogenation has been practiced for over a century, use of hydrogen as a terminal reductant in catalytic C-C bond formation has been restricted to processes involving migratory insertion of carbon monoxide, e.g., alkene hydroformylation and related Fischer-Tropsch-type reactions. In an effort to develop hydrogenation as a new method for catalytic cross-coupling, a catalytic system enabling capture of hydrogenation intermediates was recently developed in our lab. These results support the feasibility of developing a broad new family of hydrogen-mediated C-C bond formations.
Designing New Chiral Ketone Catalysts. Asymmetric Epoxidation of cis-Olefins and Terminal Olefins

This paper describes a new class of chiral oxazolidinone ketone catalyst for asymmetric epoxidation. High ee values have been obtained for a number of cyclic and acyclic cis-olefins. The epoxidation was stereospecific with no isomerization observed in the epoxidation of acyclic systems. Encouragingly high ee values have also been obtained for a number of terminal olefins. Mechanistic studies show that electronic interactions play an important role in stereodifferentiation.
A real-time expert system for computer network monitor and control

SEMACS is a continuous, real-time expert monitor and control system that actively and passively monitors a computer network. It detects and diagnoses hardware and software problems with the network and provides advice and solutions to anoperator in his domain of influence. It was developed jointly by Sperry and one of its customers during an Expert Systems Apprenticeship with the Sperry Knowledge Systems Center. The prototype system, which includes all major components of the final, operational system, was developed over a period of six weeks, and an operational system was put on-line within 3 months of starting the project.
Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of Baylis-Hillman acetate adducts with bis(pinacolato)diboron: an efficient route to functionalized allyl borates.

The cross-coupling of Baylis−Hillman acetate adducts and bis(pinacolato)diboron proceeds readily in high yields in the presence of palladium catalyst to produce 3-substituted-2-alkoxycarbonyl allylboronates. These allylboronates can be transformed to stable allyl trifluoroborate salts by addition of excess aqueous KHF2. Both the allylboronate and allyltrifluoroborate derivatives react with aldehydes to afford functionalized homoallylic alcohols stereoselectively.
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ON AIR POLLUTION IN CHINA AND THEIR IMPACT ON INFANT MORTALITY

Abstract This study explores the impact of environmental regulations in China on infant mortality. In 1998, the Chinese government imposed stringent air pollution regulations, in one of the first large-scale regulatory attempts in a developing country. We find that the infant mortality rate fell by 20 percent in the treatment cities designated as “Two Control Zones.” The greatest reduction in mortality occurred during the neonatal period, highlighting an important pathophysiologic mechanism, and was largest among infants born to mothers with low levels of education. The finding is robust to various alternative hypotheses and specifications. Further, a falsification test using deaths from causes unrelated to air pollution supports these findings.
Focused Meeting Summarization via Unsupervised Relation Extraction

We present a novel unsupervised framework for focused meeting summarization that views the problem as an instance of relation extraction. We adapt an existing in-domain relation learner (Chen et al., 2011) by exploiting a set of task-specific constraints and features. We evaluate the approach on a decision summarization task and show that it outperforms unsupervised utterance-level extractive summarization baselines as well as an existing generic relation-extraction-based summarization method. Moreover, our approach produces summaries competitive with those generated by supervised methods in terms of the standard ROUGE score.
Efficient epimerization of pyrene and other aromatic C-nucleosides with trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane☆

Trifluoroacetic acid has been found to be an efficient and non-oxidative catalyst for the epimerization of pyrene and other C-nucleosides in dichloromethane at ambient temperature. Aspects of the epimerization mechanism are also elucidated.
Surface transportation: the case for growth

This paper reviews the history and background of the development of our surface transportation system, and the salient issues surrounding investment in the system. Surface transportation investments have demonstrable economic and social benefits that go well beyond the sums invested. These benefits include net increases in economic output and productivity, improved national security and disaster response, and equitable access to economic and social opportunities for our citizens. There is widespread consensus that public investments in surface transportation have been lagging needs for several decades, to the point where our crumbling and congested infrastructure threatens our economic and social well being and our competitiveness in world markets. While some gains can be made through better use of existing revenue, rehabilitating the existing system and investing in our future will require spending that is tens of $billions per year above recent levels. How to raise the required revenue is a more complex and controversial issue. Federal and state revenues are primarily derived from liquid fuel taxes, and the combined effects of greater vehicle fuel efficiency and the tax structure have severely eroded purchasing power in real dollar terms. Over the long term we must face up to the inevitable conclusion that the fuel taxes, by themselves, are not sustainable as our primary revenue source. The pending shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund has forced the issue. It is urgent that we get on with the process of identifying and analyzing acceptable alternative or supplemental funding methods.
A multiple parallel-plate avalanche counter for fission-fragment detection

Abstract A new low-mass multiple gas-filled parallel-plate avalanche counter for the fission-fragment detection has been developed to mark the fission occurrence in measurements of the prompt fission neutron energy spectrum as a function of incident neutron energy. It was used successfully for the neutron-induced fission of 235U and 239Pu with a total mass near 100 mg each and the spontaneous fission of 252Cf. Both the incident neutron energy and the prompt fission neutron energy are measured by using the time-of-flight method. The design and performance of this avalanche counter are described.
Economic Feasibility of Table Grape Production in Kentucky

The local foods movement and alternatives to traditional agriculture are gaining considerable interest, not only in Kentucky, but throughout the country. This research provides information that may aid farmers in the decision to invest or not in the alternative agricultural enterprise of viticulture. The primary objective of the research was to determine the expected profitability for a 1-acre table grape vineyard in Kentucky. Data on production relationships, costs, and returns came from the Western Kentucky University demonstration vineyard, published enterprise budgets, and market observations. Annual pro-forma budgets were estimated for a 20-year planning horizon. It was assumed that the vineyard would not yield until the third year and that full production would begin in the fourth year and continues through the 20th year. It was further assumed that the farmer would market production via local farmers’ markets, school districts, and wholesale markets. Two pre-tax net present values were estimated using a 5% discount rate. The first assumed no compensation to family labor, which indicated a break-even point in the 4th year, a benefit-cost ratio of 2.39, and net present value of $91,059. The second analysis assumed compensation for family labor and indicated a break-even point in the 6th year, a benefit-cost ratio of 1.54, and a net present value of $54,724. Excluding taxation, the results indicate that table grape production in Kentucky is potentially economically viable.
A Facile and Selective Procedure for Oxidation of Hydroquinones using Silica Gel Supported Catalytic Cerium(IV) Ammonium Nitrate

A new procedure for oxidation of hydroquinones to quinones using a silica gel supported cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate-NaBrO3 reagent has been developed. This simple, easy to prepare and use, heterogeneous reagent is highly selective towards oxidation of 1,4-dihydroxybenzenes and produces high yields of quinones. Waste generated by using this procedure is minimal.
The Medieval Law Merchant: The Tyranny of a Construct

The story of a medieval law merchant has a strong hold on scholars interested in private ordering. Despite numerous historical works demonstrating the falsity of the myth, it continues to be discussed regularly in scholarship as if it were an accurate portrayal of the past. This article tests the law merchant story against evidence about the mechanisms of medieval trade. It suggests that medieval commerce had little space for a specialized law, and that merchants had little need for it because of both the well-developed trading infrastructure and the actions of local governments to ensure the protection of legal rights. Everyone knows that feudalism provided the social and economic structure for Europe during the period from roughly the 9th to the 11th centuries. We learned in school about fiefs and vassals and homage. Serious historians have written books explaining and describing feudalism. We see references, both historical and modern, to feudalism. Therefore, it must have existed.
Optimal estimation with limited measurements and noisy communication

This paper considers a sequential estimation and sensor scheduling problem with one sensor and one estimator. The sensor makes sequential observations about the state of an underlying memoryless stochastic process, and makes a decision as to whether or not to send this measurement to the estimator. The sensor and the estimator have the common objective of minimizing expected distortion in the estimation of the state of the process, over a finite time horizon, with the constraint that the sensor can transmit its observation only a limited number of times. As opposed to the prior work where communication between the sensor and the estimator was assumed to be perfect (noiseless), in this work an additive noise channel with fixed power constraint is considered; hence, the sensor has to encode its message before transmission. For some specific source and channel noise densities, we obtain the optimal encoding and estimation policies in conjunction with the optimal transmission schedule. The impact of the presence of a noisy channel is analyzed numerically based on dynamic programming. This analysis yields some rather surprising results such as a phase-transition phenomenon in the number of used transmission opportunities, which was not encountered in the noiseless communication setting.
Direct Observation of Large Flexoelectric Bending at the Nanoscale in Lanthanide Scandates

There is a growing interest in the flexoelectric effect, since at the nanoscale it is predicted to be very large. However, there have been no direct observations of flexoelectric bending consistent with current theoretical work that implies strains comparable to or exceeding the yield strains of typical materials. Here we show a direct observation of extraordinarily large, two-dimensional reversible bending at the nanoscale in dysprosium scandate due to the converse flexoelectric effect, with similar results for terbium and gadolinium scandate. Within a transmission electron microscope, thin features bend up to 90° with radii of curvature of about 1 μm, corresponding to very large nominal strains. Analysis including independent experimental determination of the flexoelectric coefficient is semiquantitatively consistent with interpreting the results as due to flexoelectricity. These results experimentally demonstrate large flexoelectric bending at the nanoscale.
Using SKOS to Create a Legal Subject Ontology for Defense Agency Regulations

This article describes a linked data project of the Rutgers University Law Library. The library uses Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) to provide subject indexing and enhance information retrieval of military department regulations from disparate systems. This article will give readers a detailed description of how Rutgers University Law Library used SKOS to describe subject classification systems used by military agencies, including how specific tags were selected and the technologies used to convert the data for easier and more consistent retrieval.
Personal Identity, Direction of Change, and Neuroethics

The personal identity relation is of great interest to philosophers, who often consider fictional scenarios to test what features seem to make persons persist through time. But often real examples of neuroscientific interest also provide important tests of personal identity. One such example is the case of Phineas Gage – or at least the story often told about Phineas Gage. Many cite Gage’s story as example of severed personal identity; Phineas underwent such a tremendous change that Gage “survived as a different man.” I discuss a recent empirical finding about judgments about this hypothetical. It is not just the magnitude of the change that affects identity judgment; it is also the negative direction of the change. I present an experiment suggesting that direction of change (improvement or deterioration) also affects neuroethical judgments. I conclude we should consider carefully the way in which improvements and deteriorations affect attributions of personal identity. This is particularly important since a number of the most crucial neuroethical decisions involve varieties of cognitive enhancements (improvements) or deteriorations.
Evaluation of Natural Colorants and Their Application on Citrus Fruit as Alternatives to Citrus Red No. 2

Warm field temperatures can often result in poor peel color of some citrus varieties, especially early in the harvest season. Under these conditions, Florida oranges, temples, tangelos, and K-Early citrus fruit are allowed to be treated with Citrus Red No.2 dye (CR2) to help produce a more acceptable peel color.Unfortunately, CR2, the commercial colorant used in Florida, has been listed as a group 2B carcinogen by the European Union (EU) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Although not likely dangerous at levels used on citrus, and on a part of the fruit that is not ingested, there is a negative health perception, and thus, a need for natural or food grade alternative colorants to replace CR2 for use on citrus. This research demonstrated that three out of five oil-soluble natural red/orange colorants resulted in peel colors somewhat similar to the industry standard CR2. These three (annatto extract, paprika extract, and paprika oleoresin) were selected for further in vivo studies. The stability of the natural colorants along with CR2 was evaluated by applying them on test papers and then on fresh ‘Hamlin’ oranges. All natural colorants were found to be easily oxidized and faded when applied on test papers. However, coating the colored surfaces with carnauba wax apparently inhibited oxidation and the subsequent discoloration of the surface. When applying the natural colorants to ‘Hamlin’ oranges before waxing, the treatments retained the improved color after storage in the dark at 5 °C, simulating cold storage. However, only annatto extract maintained a stable color when subsequently stored in a simulated market condition, at 23 °C exposed to 300 lx of standard fluorescent white light.
Hydropower Plant Frequency Control Via Feedback Linearization and Sliding Mode Control

This paper presents a new nonlinear controller design approach for a hydraulic power plant focusing on Load Frequency Control aspect. It is based on input state feedback linearization and sliding mode/H∞ control. Simulation results for a nonlinear dynamic model of entire hydropower plant are presented and compared to those from the classical linear PI controller. A novel two-stage scheme for the nonlinear controller design with integral feedback is presented for a fast transient response and zero steady state error.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Performance and Degradation of A Lithium-Bromine Rechargeable Fuel Cell Using Highly Concentrated Catholytes

Abstract Lithium-air batteries have been considered as ultimate solutions for the power source of long-range electrified transportation, but state-of-the-art prototypes still suffer from short cycle life, low efficiency and poor power output. Here, a lithium-bromine rechargeable fuel cell using highly concentrated bromine catholytes is demonstrated with comparable specific energy, improved power density, and higher efficiency. The cell is similar in structure to a hybrid-electrolyte Li-air battery, where a lithium metal anode in nonaqueous electrolyte is separated from aqueous bromine catholytes by a lithium-ion conducting ceramic plate. The cell with a flat graphite electrode can discharge at a peak power density around 9 mW cm−2 and in principle could provide a specific energy of 791.8 Wh kg−1, superior to most existing cathode materials and catholytes. It can also run in the regenerative mode to recover the lithium metal anode and free bromine with 80-90% voltage efficiency, without any catalysts. Degradation of the solid electrolyte and the evaporation of bromine during deep charging are challenges that should be addressed in improved designs to fully exploit the high specific energy of the liquid bromine. The proposed system offers a potential power source for long-range electric vehicles, beyond current Li-ion batteries yet close to envisioned Li-air batteries.
Superconducting proximity effect in inverted InAs/GaSb quantum well structures with Ta electrodes

We present our recent electronic transport results in top-gated InAs/GaSb quantum well hybrid structures with superconducting Ta electrodes. We show that the transport across the InAs−Ta junction depends largely on the interfacial transparency, exhibiting distinct zero-bias behavior. For a relatively resistive interface, a broad conductance peak is observed at zero bias. When a transparent InAs−Ta interface is achieved, a zero-bias conductance dip appears with two coherent-peak-like features forming at bias voltages corresponding to the superconducting gap of Ta. The conductance spectra of the transparent InAs−Ta junction at different gate voltages can be fit well using the standard Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk theory.
High Temperature Infrared Photon Detector Performance

The combined effects of suppressing Auger recombination by band structure engineering strained-layer superlattices (SL), suppressing radiative recombination by photon recycling, and suppressing both Auger and radiative recombination with carrier depletion are calculated quantitatively for long-wavelength and mid-wavelength InAs/ InxGa1-xSb SL-based infrared detectors operating at temperatures between 200 and 300K. The results are compared to their HgCdTe counterparts. The SL performance is better in all cases. However, the carrier concentrations required for typical background limited performance (300K, 2fy field of view), ranging between about 1 × 1013 and 4 × 1013 cm-3 at 300K in long-wavelength to mid-wavelength SLs, are seen to be impractically low. The carrier concentration in a 11 Ωm photon detector yielding equivalent performance to an ideal 300K thermal detector is about 1014 cm-3. Large performance enhancement using carrier depletion therefore appears impractical even in optimized SLs.
Catalytic C–N Bond-Forming Reactions Enabled by Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Activation of Amide N–H Bonds

Over the past three years, our group has become interested in the ability of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) to facilitate direct homolytic bond activations of common organic functional groups that are challenging substrates for conventional hydrogen atom transfer catalysts. This perspective details our efforts to develop oxidative PCET platforms for activating the strong N–H bonds of amides, providing catalytic access to synthetically useful amidyl radicals. We successfully identified compatible combinations of one-electron oxidants and Bronsted bases that, although unable to activate the amide substrates independently, act concomitantly with the requisite energetics to selectively homolyze the N–H bond via concerted PCET. The resulting amidyls were utilized in the development of new catalytic protocols for alkene carboamination and hydroamidation. We also highlight our efforts to develop a PCET-based bond-weakening protocol for the catalytic conjugate aminations using amide substrates. In this w...
Ligand-Controlled Regioselective Copper-Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation To Generate (Trifluoromethyl)allenes.

“Cu–CF3” species have been used historically for a broad spectrum of nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reactions. Although recent advancements have employed ligands to stabilize and harness the reactivity of this key organometallic intermediate, the ability of a ligand to differentiate a regiochemical outcome of a Cu–CF3-mediated or -catalyzed reaction has not been previously reported. Herein, we report the first example of a Cu-catalyzed trifluoromethylation reaction in which a ligand controls the regiochemical outcome. More specifically, we demonstrate the ability of bipyridyl-derived ligands to control the regioselectivity of the Cu-catalyzed nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reactions of propargyl electrophiles to generate (trifluoromethyl)allenes. This method provides a variety of di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted (trifluoromethyl)allenes, which can be further modified to generate complex fluorinated substructures.
The Caregiver's Role Across the Bone Marrow Transplantation Trajectory.

Background Approximately 50 000 people undergo bone marrow transplants (BMTs) each year worldwide. With the move to more outpatient and home care, family caregivers are playing an ever-increasing role. However, there is little information regarding the needs and well-being of caregivers of individuals undergoing BMT. Objective The study purpose was to gain a better understanding of the BMT experience across the trajectory from the perspective of the family caregiver. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 family caregivers during and 4 months after BMT. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a content analysis approach. Results Uncertainty and need for more information were 2 major underlying themes noted across the early BMT trajectory. Caregivers reported feeling overwhelmed and juggling multiple roles, including (a) "interpreter," which included obtaining and translating medical information to their partner, family, and social network; (b) "organizer," which included arranging and coordinating medical appointments (pre- and post-BMT) for the patient, but also juggling the needs of immediate and extended family members; and (c) "clinician," which included assessing and identifying changes in their significant other, with many reporting that they had to be "vigilant" about or "on top of" any changes. Caregivers also reported the most challenging aspects of their role were to "be strong for everyone" and "finding balance." Conclusions Our results underscore the unique needs of family caregivers as a consequence of BMT. Implications for practice A greater understanding of the adaptation of caregivers will lead to the development of effective interventions for families going through BMT.
META-ANALYSIS OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES WITH DIPEPTIDYL PEPTIDASE 4 INHIBITORS: VALIDATION OF THE CURRENT FDA MANDATE

Background Earlier meta-analyses have demonstrated a significant reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with dipeptidyl peptidase 4-inhibitor (DPPI) use, as compared with placebo or alternative anti-diabetic therapies. However, the large phase III/IV trials, namely SAVOR-TIMI 53 and the EXAMINE trials, failed to demonstrate any significant differences in MACE between DPPI and placebo. We aimed to perform an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate the differences in cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke between DPPI and placebo/alternative agents.
Permeability of Elastic Polymers to Hydrogen

Abstract The permeabilities to hydrogen of natural rubber, Perbunan, Neoprene G, Vistanex, Thiokol DX, and Pliofilm diminished in the order mentioned. The increase in rate of permeation with increasing temperature was exponential in all cases. Values for the activation energies or permeability for hydrogen were found to be 6,800 calories per mole for natural rubber and 8,400 to 9,500 calories per mole for the synthetic materials. The greater magnitude of the energy requirements of the latter indicates that their lower permeability may be attributed to differences in their molecular structure.
Synthesis, Properties, and Complex Crystal Structure of Th2Se5

The compound Th2Se5 has been synthesized and its structure determined by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The subcell of Th2Se5 is in the tetragonal space group P42/nmc and is isostructural to Np2Se5. The modulated structure of Th2Se5 has been solved in the monoclinic super space group P2(α0γ)0. The structure features parallel infinite Se–Se chains with minimum and maximum Se–Se distances of 2.477(5) and 2.967(5) A, respectively. Th2Se5 is a semiconductor with an electrical resistivity that shows thermally activated Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy of 0.40(1) eV. From spectroscopic measurements, the band gap of Th2Se5 is 0.37(2) eV. That the Th2Se5 structure is modulated whereas the Np2Se5 structure appears not to be implies that the formal oxidation state of Np in Np2Se5 is 4+.
Individual attitudes and social influences on college students’ intent to participate in study abroad programs

ABSTRACTParticipation in study abroad programs (SAPs) is widely viewed as offering important professional and personal benefits for college students. This study applies the Theory of Reasoned Action [Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.] as a theoretical framework to better understand how undergraduate students’ individual attitudes and subjective norms from three social groups (family, friends and professors) impact their intent to participate in SAPs. Surveys were conducted at three public and private universities in the USA and Taiwan. The results suggest that both individual attitudes and subjective norms are influential factors for college students, and the effects are dependent on the type of SAPs. The current research offers several additions to the SAPs literature. Also, the results offer new insights for higher education and other institutional managers for increasing student participation in SAPs.
A mild and efficient approach to enantioenriched α-hydroxyethyl α,β-unsaturated δ-lactams

A straightforward approach toward enantioenriched α-substituted α,β-unsaturated δ-lactams is described. Although a considerable number of approaches toward α,β-unsaturated δ-lactams have been reported, there are relatively few examples of enantioenriched α,δ-disubstituted α,β-unsaturated δ-lactams formation. The δ-stereocenter was formed by addition of allylmagnesium bromide to an N-tert-butylsulfinyl imine. The α,β-unsaturated δ-lactam was furnished by ring-closing metathesis. Although Baylis–Hillman chemistry failed on this cyclic compound, introduction of the hydroxyethyl group prior to ring-closing metathesis was successful. A Baylis–Hillman reaction was used to introduce the substituent at the α-position of the α,β-unsaturated lactam.
Evolution of Autonomous Hierarchy Formation and Maintenance

Hierarchy among social animals is ubiquitous, and affects the social structures of gregarious species not only by interaction among species within the population, but also through other social forces such as mating, nesting location, amount and the quality of food they receive, or reproductive success. Since T. Schjelderup-Ebbe developed the structural definition of dominance and hierarchy in 1922 (see, e.g., Drews (1993)), different aspects of this social behavior have been addressed. However, exactly how hierarchies can emerge and be maintained among social species is still a conundrum. To investigate this issue, here we analyze a population of autonomous agents (”animates”) through the course of evolution. The results of our experiments demonstrate the importance of memory and brain plasticity for the emergence of hierarchy and dominance behavior.
Perceptual Losses for Real-Time Style Transfer and Super-Resolution

We consider image transformation problems, where an input image is transformed into an output image. Recent methods for such problems typically train feed-forward convolutional neural networks using a per-pixel loss between the output and ground-truth images. Parallel work has shown that high-quality images can be generated by defining and optimizing perceptual loss functions based on high-level features extracted from pretrained networks. We combine the benefits of both approaches, and propose the use of perceptual loss functions for training feed-forward networks for image transformation tasks. We show results on image style transfer, where a feed-forward network is trained to solve the optimization problem proposed by Gatys et al. in real-time. Compared to the optimization-based method, our network gives similar qualitative results but is three orders of magnitude faster. We also experiment with single-image super-resolution, where replacing a per-pixel loss with a perceptual loss gives visually pleasing results.
MR of Craniopharyngiomas: Tumor Delineation and Characterization

MR imaging and CT (with and without contrast enhancement) were performed in 20 patients with an established or clinically suspected diagnosis of craniopharyngioma. Fifteen had biopsy-proven craniopharyngioma and five had presumed craniopharyngioma based on clinical and CT findings. In two cases MR was superior to contrast-enhanced CT in demonstrating the tumor. A variable appearance on T1-weighted MR images reflecfed the pathologic appearance of craniopharyngiomas. High intensity on T1-weighted images corresponded to high cholesterol content or presence of methemoglobin. MR was e preferred method in the evaluation of tumor extent, especially in the cavernous sinus and posterior clival region. CT was superior to MR in detecting the presence of calcification, which with the clinical history correctly suggested the diagnosis of cranloparyngloma. Both MR and CT studies are desired Initially to establish the diagnosis and to evaluate tumor extent. MR was the preferred method in detecting the presence of recurrent tumor.
The Heavy Photon Search Experiment

In recent years much interest has been given to new physics models which have hidden sectors with massive extra U(1) gauge bosons, so-called heavy photons (or dark photons). Such theories could account for Dark Matter annihilation and explain excess electrons and positrons in cosmic rays. The Heavy Photon Search Experiment (HPS) at Jefferson Lab is a new experiment designed to look for these heavy photons in the mass range 20-1000 MeV that couple to electrons through kinetic mixing with couplings α ′/α in the range 10−5 to 10−10. The HPS will search for the e+e− or μ+μ− decay of the heavy photon, possibly with a displaced vertex, using a compact forward spectrometer, which employs silicon microstrip detectors for vertexing and tracking, and a PbWO4 electromagnetic calorimeter for fast triggering and electron identification, and a muon detector for muon identification. The design, performance, and results from the test run apparatus will be discussed, along with the collaboration’s plans for future construction and data taking.