cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Texture-preserved penalized weighted least-squares reconstruction of low-dose CT image via image segmentation and high-order MRF modeling

In this paper, we proposed a low-dose computed tomography (LdCT) image reconstruction method with the help of prior knowledge learning from previous high-quality or normal-dose CT (NdCT) scans. The well-established statistical penalized weighted least squares (PWLS) algorithm was adopted for image reconstruction, where the penalty term was formulated by a texture-based Gaussian Markov random field (gMRF) model. The NdCT scan was firstly segmented into different tissue types by a feature vector quantization (FVQ) approach. Then for each tissue type, a set of tissue-specific coefficients for the gMRF penalty was statistically learnt from the NdCT image via multiple-linear regression analysis. We also proposed a scheme to adaptively select the order of gMRF model for coefficients prediction. The tissue-specific gMRF patterns learnt from the NdCT image were finally used to form an adaptive MRF penalty for the PWLS reconstruction of LdCT image. The proposed texture-adaptive PWLS image reconstruction algorithm was shown to be more effective to preserve image textures than the conventional PWLS image reconstruction algorithm, and we further demonstrated the gain of high-order MRF modeling for texture-preserved LdCT PWLS image reconstruction.
CONSTITUENT TRANSPORT IN ESTUARIES

During the last two decades considerable progress has been made in analyzing the diffusion process in estuaries. Unfortunately, certain difficulties (e g prediction of diffusion coefficients) still prevent common application of the diffusion method An old technique, related to the diffusion concept, can however, frequently give useful information regarding constituent mixing and transport velocities in natural estuaries.
Electrochemical Charge-Transfer Resistance in Carbon Nanotube Composites

Using a model system of single, isolated carbon nanotubes loaded with high-capacitance metal-oxide films, we have quantitatively investigated electrochemical composites on the single-nanotube scale. Electrochemical charging and discharging of a model MnO2 storage material was used to probe interfacial charge transfer and surface impedances at the nanotube interface. We found that one single-walled carbon nanotube has an apparent surface resistivity of 30 mΩ cm2, approximately 4 times smaller than for a multiwalled carbon nanotube and 50 times smaller than the 1.5 Ω cm2 resistivity of Pt or graphite films. The improvement originates in the electrochemical-transport properties of microelectrodes shrunk to a nanotube’s dimensions rather than any unique nanotube property like curvature, bandstructure, or surface chemistry. In explaining the enhanced performance of certain nanotube-containing composites, the results overturn widely held assumptions about nanotubes’ roles while also providing guidelines for opt...
Many-Body Techniques: Some Simple Applications

As a first simple application, let us construct all allowed states of a configuration of identical fermions. The fermions could be electrons in a valence shell of an atom for which the j − j coupling scheme is valid, or they could be identical nucleons, either all protons or all neutrons, in. a nuclear shell model valence orbit of a nucleus. Let us first consider the possible states for a system of three distinguishable particles, each with a single-particle angular momentum with j = 5/2. They could be distinguishable because they are different particles, e.g., one proton, one neutron, and one electron, or they could be identical particles, say, all neutrons in a nucleus, but with different principal and orbital angular momentum quantum numbers; i.e. n 1 l 1≠ n 2 l 2 ≠ n 3 l 3.
Analysis of Transient Temperature Field of Horizontal Grounding Electrode

In order to analyze the temperature characteristics of horizontal grounding electrode,the electric thermal dynamical coupling model of a 9mhorizontal grounding electrode is integrated to simulate its transient temperature rise with ANSYS software.And then it obtains distribution law of transient temperature field and temperature rise curves.Comparison of calculation and test results show that the current divergence and temperature distribution of horizontal grounding electrode present obvious end effect,which vary in a U-shape manner;the ends of horizontal grounding electrode get the highest value rapidly.The influence of coke bed section on transient temperature field in grounding electrode is simulated and it shows that the temperature rise of grounding electrode can significantly decrease by increasing coke bed section,and the highest temperature is in the soil beside coke bed ends.
Cardiac Axis: Calculation and Interpretation

During a cardiac cycle, the vectors of cardiac forces change in both direction and magnitude. The mean vector, which is the average of the direction and magnitude of the various vectors that exist in any instant at any point in the cardiac cycle, can be calculated using a 12-lead ECG. Abnormal axis can indicate aberrant heart structure, chamber hypertrophy/hypoplasia, or abnormal electrical conduction. The mean vector demonstrate the general direction of depolarization. The “axis” used to determine the position of the vector is centered at the AV node. The P wave, QRS complex, and T wave are the most commonly calculated mean vectors due to their clinical relevance [1].
Exploring Trajectories and Predictors of Depressive Symptoms Among Young Couples During Their Transition to Parenthood

Objectives Young parents may be particularly vulnerable to poor mental health during the postpartum period. Little research exists, however, to adequately describe trajectories of depressive symptoms during their transition to parenthood, particularly among young fathers. Therefore, we aim to explore trajectories of depressive symptoms from pregnancy through 1 year postpartum among young expectant mothers and their partners. Methods Data are derived from a longitudinal cohort of pregnant adolescent females (ages 14–21; n = 220) and their male partners (n = 190). Multilevel regression models examined the impact of time on depressive symptoms, and generalized linear regression models examined predictors of experiencing elevated depressive symptoms. Results Depressive symptoms significantly decreased from pregnancy through 1 year postpartum among young females. Overall, depressive symptoms did not significantly change over time among young males. Predictors of elevated depressive symptoms common across genders included social support and relationship satisfaction. Marijuana use resulted in almost twice the odds of experiencing elevated depressive symptoms among young fathers (OR 1.82; 95 % CI 1.04, 3.20). Conclusion for Practice Providing strategies for strengthening social support networks among young parents may be an effective way to improve mental health among young parents, particularly during this period of potential social isolation. Additionally, providing tools to strengthen relationships between partners may also be effective for both young mothers and fathers. Substance use may be a marker for depressive symptoms among young fathers and thus screening for substance use could be important to improving their mental health. Future research is needed to better understand how IPV affects mental health, particularly among young fathers.
Growth of Cu(In, Ga)(S, Se) 2 films: Unravelling the mysteries by in-situ X-ray imaging

In-situ investigations of Cu(In, Ga)(S, Se) 2 (CIGS) absorber layers during growth have the potential to provide insight into the origin behind elemental segregation and defect formation at grain boundaries and in grain cores. Our study focuses on CIGS films grown by an industrially relevant precursor reaction process. An in-situ stage developed for these synchrotron studies is used to image the growth of CIGS layers with nanoscale resolution. Utilizing synchrotron based x-ray fluorescence, we are able to rapidly monitor changes in elemental distribution and particle diffusion, with better than 200 nm spatial resolution throughout the 25 minute process. In this work, we highlight some challenges associated with this type of measurements and discuss solutions identified to overcome them.
The Tuvaaluk and Torngat archaeological projects: Review and assessment

In the late 1970s, two large, multi-disciplinary, multi-year archaeological programs were initiated along the coasts of northern Labrador and Ungava in northern Quebec. Both envisioned a new model for Arctic archaeology that integrated archaeology, ethnography, environmental studies, earth sciences, and informatics. The Tuvaaluk research program was directed by Patrick Plumet at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal, and the Torngat Archaeological Project (TAP) by William Fitzhugh at the Smithsonian Institution and Richard Jordan at Bryn Mawr College. Project periods lasted roughly five years and included researchers and students from several institutions. The Tuvaaluk project concentrated on Paleoeskimo and Thule cultures, while TAP included research on Maritime Archaic and later Indian cultures as well as Paleoeskimo and Inuit cultures. This paper reviews and compares Tuvaaluk and TAP goals, methods, results, lessons learned, and legacies.
Sharing Information on Environmental Effects of Wind Energy Development: WREN Hub

As the need for clean low carbon renewable energy increases worldwide, wind energy is becoming established in many nations and is under consideration in many more. Technologies that make land-based and offshore wind feasible, and resource characterizations of available wind, have been developed to facilitate the advancement of the wind industry. However, there is a continuing need to also evaluate and better understand the legal and social acceptability associated with potential effects on the environment. Uncertainty about potential environmental effects continues to complicate and slow permitting (consenting) processes in many nations. Research and monitoring of wildlife interactions with wind turbines, towers, and transmission lines has been underway for decades. However, the results of those studies are not always readily available to all parties, complicating analyses of trends and inflection points in effects analyses. Sharing of available information on environmental effects of land-based and offshore wind energy development has the potential to inform siting and permitting/consenting processes. WREN Hub is an online knowledge management system that seeks to collect, curate, and disseminate scientific information on potential effects of wind energy development. WREN Hub acts as a platform to bring together the wind energy community, providing a collaborative space and an unbiased information source for researchers, regulators, developers, and key stakeholders to pursue accurate predictions of potential effects of wind energy on wildlife, habitats, and ecosystem processes. In doing so, WREN Hub ensures that key scientific uncertainties are identified, tagged for strategic research inquiry, and translated into effective collaborative projects.
The impact of a multi-epitope melanoma helper peptide vaccine on Th1 cytokine production by responding lymphocytes.

e19028 Background: Melanomas produce soluble and cell-associated molecules that can suppress or alter antitumor immunity. Preclinical studies suggest the disease burden may alter the cytokine profile of helper T cell responses to cancer antigens. To describe the vaccine-induced production of Th2 or Th1 responses to helper peptides in the setting of advanced melanoma, we measured cytokine production of helper T cells responding to vaccination by 6 melanoma helper peptides (6MHP). We then analyzed results by measurable disease status. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with stage IIIB-IV melanoma received a 6MHP vaccine as a part of the UVA Mel41 clinical trial. For analysis of this correlative endpoint, antigen-reactive T cells were exposed to antigen, and supernatants (days 2 and 5) were assayed by cytokine bead arrays for Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Results: The dominant Th1 and Th2 cytokines detected were IFN-g and IL-5, respectively, though high levels of IL-2 were also produced early by sentinel lymph node lymp...
Test Anxiety and the Americans With Disabilities Act

Test anxiety leads to requests for accommodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), but many testing entities have expressed skepticism about whether test anxiety qualifies as a disability. This article addresses three legal issues raised by the inclusion of test anxiety under ADA: whether test anxiety is a mental impairment, whether test-taking is a major life activity, and whether test anxiety substantially limits test-taking. The article then turns to questions of policy: How should ADA claims for test anxiety be handled by educational institutions, independent testing agencies, and employers? A review of scientific research and legal authorities are used to answer these questions. Most individuals with high test anxiety levels will not qualify as disabled under ADA, although there will be exceptions to that general rule, and testing entities should always conduct an individualized inquiry into each claim.
Important Care and Activity Preferences in a Nationally Representative Sample of Nursing Home Residents.

Abstract Objectives Person-centered care (PCC), which considers nursing home resident preferences in care delivery, has been linked to important outcomes such as improved quality of life, resident satisfaction with care, and mood and reduced behavioral symptoms for residents with dementia. Delivery of PCC fundamentally relies on knowledge of resident preferences. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Preference Assessment Tool (PAT) is a standardized, abbreviated assessment that facilitates systematic examination of preferences from a population of nursing home residents. However, it is unknown how well the PAT discriminates preferences across residents or items. The purpose of this study was to use MDS 3.0 PAT data to describe (1) overall resident preferences, (2) variation in preferences across items, and (3) variation in preferences across residents. Data Data from admission MDS assessments between October 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011 were used for this study. Sample A nationally representative sample of 244,718 residents over the age of 65 years who were able to complete the resident interview version of preference, cognition, and depression assessments were included. Measurements Importance ratings of 16 daily care and activity preferences were the primary outcome measures. Resident factors including function (MDS Activities of Daily Living-Long Form), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), cognitive impairment (Brief Interview for Mental Status), and sociodemographics (age, race, sex, and marital status) were used as predictors of important preferences. Analysis Overall preferences were examined using descriptive statistics. Proportional differences tests were used to describe variation across items. Logistic regression was used to describe variation in preferences across residents. Results The majority of residents rated all 16 preferences important. However, there was variation across items and residents. Involvement of family in care and individualizing daily care and activities were rated important by the largest proportion of residents. Several resident factors including cognitive impairment, depression, sex, and race were significant predictors of preferences. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the PAT captures variation in preferences across items and residents. Residents with possible depression and cognitive impairment were less likely to rate preferences important than residents without those conditions. Non-Caucasian and male residents reported some preferences differently than Caucasian and female residents. Additional assessment and care planning may be important for these residents. More research is needed to determine the factors that influence preferences and the ways to incorporate them into care.
Adaptive error recovery in MEDA biochips based on droplet-aliquot operations and predictive analysis

Digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) are being increasingly used in biochemistry labs for automating bioassays. However, traditional DMFBs suffer from some key shortcomings: 1) inability to vary droplet volume in a flexible manner; 2) difficulty of integrating on-chip sensors; 3) the need for special fabrication processes. To overcome these problems, DMFBs based on micro-electrode-dot-array (MEDA) have recently be-en proposed. However, errors are likely to occur on a MEDA DMFB due to chip defects and the unpredictability inherent to biochemical experiments. We present fine-grained error-recovery solutions for MEDA by exploiting real-time sensing and advanced MEDA-specific droplet operations. The proposed methods rely on adaptive droplet-aliquot operations and predictive analysis of mixing. Experimental results on three representative benchmarks demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed error-recovery strategy.
The upgrade to the OMEGA laser system

We report on fusion research at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics. We describe the configuration of the upgrade to the OMEGA laser system—a 30-kJ, 351-nm, 60-beam, Nd:gl...
Allele-Specific Competitive Blocker-PCR Detection of Rare Base Substitution

Methods that detect rare base substitutions within populations of DNA molecules are valuable tools for studying the DNA-damaging effects of chemicals and for pool screening for single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Allele-specific competitive blocker-polymerase chain reaction (ACB-PCR) uses a mutant-specific PCR primer with more 3'-terminal mismatches to an abundant or wild-type sequence than to a rare or mutant sequence in order to amplify specifically an allele that differs from the wild-type by a single base pair. ACB-PCR reactions include a blocker primer to reduce the amount of background signal generated from the abundant wild-type template. The nonextendable blocker primer preferentially anneals to the wild-type DNA sequence, thereby excluding the annealing of the extendable mutant-specific primer to the wild-type sequence. Inclusion of single-strand DNA binding protein in the ACB-PCR reaction and use of the Stoffel fragment of Taq DNA polymerase both significantly increase allele discrimination. The concurrent analysis of mutant fraction standards and equivalent PCR products amplified from genomic DNA samples makes ACB-PCR a quantitative method that can detect a base pair substitution in the presence of a 105-fold excess of wild-type DNA. Methods for the ACB-PCR measurement of the mouse H-ras codon 61 CAA --> AAA mutation are presented.
Modeling Spatial and Structural Uncertainty in the Subsurface

Whether subsurface modeling is performed on a laboratory or reservoir scale, uncertainty is inherently present due to lack of data and lack of understanding of the underlying phenomena and processes taking place. We highlight several issues, techniques, and practical modeling tools available for modeling spatial and structural uncertainty of complex subsurface models. We pay particular attention to the method of training images, since this is a recent and novel approach that we think can make significant advances in uncertainty modeling in the subsurface and other application areas. The subsurface is a difficult area of modeling uncertainty: porosity and permeability of subsurface rock can vary orders of magnitude on a variety of scales, fractures or faults may exist, and the available data can be sparse. Modeling of uncertainty in the subsurface is of much interest to society, because of, for example, the exploration and extraction of natural resources including groundwater, fossil fuels, and geothermal energy; the storage of nuclear material; and sequestration of carbon dioxide. Although we focus on the subsurface, many of the techniques discussed are applicable to other areas of uncertainty modeling in engineering and the sciences.
Inducing hierarchical process models in dynamic domains

Research on inductive process modeling combines background knowledge with time-series data to construct explanatory models, but previous work has placed few constraints on search through the model space. We present an extended formalism that organizes process knowledge in a hierarchical manner, and we describe HIPM, a system that carries out constrained search for hierarchical process models. We report experiments that suggest this approach produces more accurate and plausible models with less effort. We conclude by discussing related research and directions for future work.
Health-Related Quality of Life Following Concussion in Collegiate Student-Athletes With and Without Concussion History

The purpose of this study was to compare global and specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) throughout concussion recovery between those with and without concussion history. Student-athletes diagnosed with concussion completed global (Short Form-12v2; SF-12) and specific (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: HADS) HRQOL assessments at baseline, 24–48 h, asymptomatic, return-to-play, and 6-months post-injury. Baseline scores were compared to post-injury time points for SF-12 subscores (physical and mental; PCS-12, MCS-12) and HADS subscores (depression and anxiety; HADS-D, HADS-A). We conducted a 2 × 5 mixed model ANOVA for group (with and without concussion history) and time (four post-injury assessments compared to baseline). We did not observe interaction or main effects for group, except those with concussion history had worse HADS-D subscores than those without concussion history. PCS-12 subscores were worse at 24–48 h, asymptomatic, and return-to-play compared to baseline, but returned to baseline 6-months post-injury. MCS-12 subscores did not differ at any time points. HADS-D subscores worsened 24–48 h post-injury, but improved for additional assessments compared to baseline. HADS-A improved post-injury compared to baseline at asymptomatic, return-to-play, and 6-month assessments, but was similar to baseline 24–48 h post-injury. HRQOL physical aspects slightly worsened post-injury and restored to baseline after returning to play.
Shockley-Queisser Triangle: An Elegant Analytical Tool for Predicting the Thermodynamic Efficiency Limits of Multi-junction Tandem and Bifacial Cells with Arbitrary Concentration and Series Resistance

As monofacial, single junction solar cells approach their fundamental limits, there has been significant interest in tandem solar cells in the presence of concentrated sunlight or tandem bifacial solar cells with back-reflected albedo. The bandgap sequence and thermodynamic efficiency limits of these complex cell configurations generally require complicated numerical calculation. The analysis of specialized cases are scattered throughout the literature. In this paper, we show that a powerful graphical approach called the normalized “Shockley-Queisser Triangle (i.e. i mp = 1 – v mp ), is sufficient to calculate the bandgap sequence and efficiency limits of arbitrary complex PV topologies. The results are validated against a wide variety of specialized cases reported in the literature and are accurate within a few percent. We anticipate that widespread use of the SQ-triangle will illuminate the deeper physical principles and design trade-offs involved in the design of tandem solar cells under arbitrary concentration and series resistance.
Spinors: Clifford Algebra

This lecture contains an introduction to Clifford algebra and a discussion of its relationship to the Lorentz, Poincare, and conformai groups. Here the Dirac spinor is defined to be an element of the carrier space of the representation of the Clifford algebra. We will consider the relationship of the various Clifford algebra spinors to the Lorentz spinors including the Dirac (reducible complex), Weyl (irreducible complex = chiral), and Majorana (irreducible real) cases. This will serve to make these relationships clear as well as suggesting some possible generalizations of General Relativity.
Influenza vaccination coverage of Vaccine for Children (VFC)-entitled versus privately insured children, United States, 2011-2013.

Background The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines at no cost to children who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), or underinsured and vaccinated at Federally Qualified Health Centers or Rural Health Clinics. The objective of this study was to compare influenza vaccination coverage of VFC-entitled to privately insured children in the United States, nationally, by state, and by selected socio-demographic variables.
Attaining meaningful use of health information technology in a residency program: challenges and rewards.

The US Federal Government has offered financial incentives to physicians and hospitals for using health care technology in ways that may improve the quality of patient care, via the use of an electronic health record. Although many barriers exist to achieving the health care technology requirements necessary to capture these incentives, several strategies were employed by the University of Hawai‘i Family Medicine Residency Program at the Physician Center at Mililani to overcome these barriers, in order to register and attest for these financial rewards. The rewards are substantial, and may total up to $44,000/eligible provider over 5 years, and $63,750/eligible provider over 6 years, for Medicare and Medicaid respectively. Both programs have different incentive payment schedules for hospital facilities. This article intends to outline the process and challenges involved in meeting the specific requirements necessary to qualify for this funding, and to assist others in this endeavor, particularly (but not limited to) residency training programs, which face a unique set of challenges.
Where Does It Go?: Refining Indirect-Call Targets with Multi-Layer Type Analysis

System software commonly uses indirect calls to realize dynamic program behaviors. However, indirect-calls also bring challenges to constructing a precise control-flow graph that is a standard pre-requisite for many static program-analysis and system-hardening techniques. Unfortunately, identifying indirect-call targets is a hard problem. In particular, modern compilers do not recognize indirect-call targets by default. Existing approaches identify indirect-call targets based on type analysis that matches the types of function pointers and the ones of address-taken functions. Such approaches, however, suffer from a high false-positive rate as many irrelevant functions may share the same types. In this paper, we propose a new approach, namely Multi-Layer Type Analysis (MLTA), to effectively refine indirect-call targets for C/C++ programs. MLTA relies on an observation that function pointers are commonly stored into objects whose types have a multi-layer type hierarchy; before indirect calls, function pointers will be loaded from objects with the same type hierarchy "layer by layer". By matching the multi-layer types of function pointers and functions, MLTA can dramatically refine indirect-call targets. MLTA is effective because multi-layer types are more restrictive than single-layer types. It does not introduce false negatives by conservatively tracking targets propagation between multi-layer types, and the layered design allows MLTA to safely fall back whenever the analysis for a layer becomes infeasible. We have implemented MLTA in a system, namely TypeDive, based on LLVM and extensively evaluated it with the Linux kernel, the FreeBSD kernel, and the Firefox browser. Evaluation results show that TypeDive can eliminate 86% to 98% more indirect-call targets than existing approaches do, without introducing new false negatives. We also demonstrate that TypeDive not only improves the scalability of static analysis but also benefits semantic-bug detection. With TypeDive, we have found 35 new deep semantic bugs in the Linux kernel.
A Comparison of OCT Parameters in Identifying Glaucoma Damage in Eyes Suspected of Having Glaucoma.

Purpose To compare retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) and Bruch’s membrane opening (BMO) minimum rim width (MRW) measured by spectral-domain (SD) OCT for diagnosing glaucoma in those suspected of having the disease. Design Observational cohort study. Participants One hundred thirteen eyes from 81 patients suspected of having glaucoma based on optic nerve appearance. Methods Participants were imaged using SD OCT, and RNFLT and BMO MRW were measured. All participants showed normal visual fields at the time of imaging but were considered suspects based on the appearance of the optic disc during clinical examination. Eyes were classified as glaucomatous or nonglaucomatous based on documented stereophotographic evidence of progressive glaucomatous change in the appearance of the optic nerve or retinal nerve fiber layer occurring before the imaging session. For each parameter, we calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) and the sensitivity with fixed specificities of 80% and 95%. Main Outcome Measures Areas under the ROC curves. Results Of the 113 eyes suspected of having glaucoma, 52 eyes (46.0%) showed progressive glaucomatous optic nerve changes and were classified as having preperimetric glaucoma and 61 eyes (54.0%) did not show progressive glaucomatous optic nerve changes (followed up untreated for an average of 9.4±3.2 years) and were classified as normal. The AUCs were 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84–0.95) for global RNFLT and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.65–0.85) for global BMO MRW (P = 0.006). The sensitivity at 95% specificity was 60% for the global RNFLT parameter and 40% for the global BMO MRW parameter. The RNFLT parameters that achieved AUCs of 0.80 or more were global (AUC, 0.89), superotemporal (AUC, 0.80), inferotemporal (AUC, 0.87), and superonasal (AUC, 0.81). The only BMO MRW parameter that achieved an AUC of 0.80 or more was inferotemporal (AUC, 0.82). Conclusions Our findings suggest that RNFLT parameters may be better able to identify preperimetric glaucomatous damage in glaucoma suspects than BMO MRW.
Three-Dimensional Quantum Transport Simulations of Transmission Fluctuations in a Quantum Dot

Semiconductor nanostructures exhibiting reduced dimensionality, such as quantum wells, wires and dots, have recently drawn much attention. With characteristic dimensions comparable to the electron de Broglie wavelength, these structures operate in the quantum regime and are sensitive to atomic scale variations in geometry and composition. Defect impurities and interface roughness, for example, can alter transport properties (e. g. Mitin, 1990; McEuen et al., 1990; Eugster et al., 1992; Bagwell, 1991; Nixon and Baranger, 1991). In this paper we employ the planar supercell stack method (Kirby et al., 1993, Ting et al., 1993) to study sample to sample transmission resonance fluctuations resulting from variations in interface roughness and neutral impurities in a quantum dot electron waveguide.
Influence de la densité de bandes sous-lamaires dans le traitement des scolioses idiopathiques Lenke 1 de l’adolescent

Resume Introduction La densite optimale de vis pediculaires pour le traitement des scolioses idiopathiques de l’adolescent (SIA) reste inconnue. L’augmentation de la densite d’implants n’est pas systematiquement associee a de meilleurs resultats cliniques. Une large variabilite de densite d’implants existe selon les montages par vis pediculaires ou hybrides. Une heterogeneite significative existe entre le nombre de bandes sous-lamaires (BSL) utilisees et l’influence de la densite des BSL sur la correction des deformations des SIA. Hypothese L’augmentation de la densite de BSL n’ameliore pas les corrections des courbes dans les plans sagittal et coronal. Methode Il s’agit d’une etude monocentrique retrospective portant sur 131 patients (118 filles) atteints d’une SIA Lenke 1 et operes entre 2012 et 2015 par deux chirurgiens realisant la meme technique chirurgicale avec le meme montage hybride avec BSL. La densite de BSL correspondait au nombre de BSL rapporte au nombre de vertebres instrumentees. Les mesures radiographiques comprenaient la flexibilite preoperatoire thoracique, l’index de reduction de Cincinnati (IRC) et les corrections postoperatoires des angles de cyphose (CPCyp) et de Cobb thoracique (CPCobb) a partir de radiographies realisees en postoperatoire immediat et a 2 ans. Resultats L’âge median des patients etait de 15,6 ans (EIQ, 12–18). La mediane de densite des BSL etait de 0,4 (EIQ, 0,4–0,5). Aucune correlation significative n’a ete identifiee entre la densite de BSL et l’IRC (p = 0,71), le CPCobb (p = 0,55), et le CPCyp (p = 0,61) a 2 ans postoperatoire. La flexibilite preoperatoire avait un effet significatif sur les corrections en postoperatoire immediat (r = −3,02, p Discussion Les BSL utilisees pour les montages hybrides chez les patients avec une SIA Lenke 1 flexible ont permis des corrections satisfaisantes des deformations quelle que soit la densite de BSL. Une faible densite de BSL est appropriee pour les patients avec une SIA Lenke 1 flexible.
Broadband Vector Potential Dyadic Green’s Function and Normal Modes in 3-D Cavity of Irregular Shape

A hybrid spatial–spectral method for rapid and broadband calculation of the vector potential normal modes and dyadic Green’s function (GF) inside the cavity of irregular shape is presented. In the broadband method of simulation, the normal modes of the irregular cavity, which are independent of operation frequency, are first computed through a linear eigenvalue problem based on a hybrid representation of the regular (rectangular) cavity. The method is based on the extraction of the singularity of the GF that results in a rapidly convergent hybrid spatial–spectral expansion of the GF. The method is applied to a V-grooved cavity to obtain the vector potential GF inside the cavity, and the results are shown over a broad range of frequencies. The results of the hybrid method are in good agreement with that of direct method of moment (MoM), while the hybrid method is much more efficient than direct MoM as the latter requires the computation at one frequency at a time.
Molecular Origins and Mechanisms of Fish Antifreeze Evolution

Independent evolution of distinctive types of antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) and peptides (AFP) in various polar and subpolar bony fish lineages bespeaks the breath of evolutionary ingenuity in converging on a similar life-preserving solution under extreme selective pressures from lethal, icy freezing marine conditions. Fish AF(G)Ps represent clear examples of a single adaptive genotype conferring a crucial fitness phenotype in a clear causal manner, which are exceptionally rare in evolutionary biology. Studies of the antifreeze function have richly enhanced our understanding of this new form of biochemical and physiological adaptation to extreme cold in marine vertebrate ectotherm. Additionally, the diverse AF(G)P genotypes are genetic novelties, and studies of their evolution have richly informed the field of molecular evolution on the array of innovative processes by which new genes arose, from classical evolution through gene duplication, to creating protein-coding gene from entirely noncoding DNA. This chapter reviews the origins and molecular mechanisms of fish AF(G)P genes that have been deduced in the past three decades and outstanding uncertainties, narrated as a historical account, with relevant environmental, organismal, physiological, and evolutionary considerations.
Implementation of a Hospital-Wide Protocol Reduces Time to Decompression and Length of Stay in Patients with Stone-Related Obstructive Pyelonephritis with Sepsis.

Introduction and Objectives: Patients with obstructive pyelonephritis (OPN) require urgent decompression through retrograde ureteral stent (RUS) or percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN). In 2016, the urol...
Targeted Delivery of Antibiotic Therapy to Inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa Using Lipid-Coated Mesoporous Silica Core–Shell Nanoassembly

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is an opportunistic pathogen, which causes serious lung infections in immunocompromised patients. Traditional oral intake of large quantities of small-molecule antibioti...
The Association of the Parent-Child Language Acculturation Gap with Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk in Hispanic/Latino Youth: Results from the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth)

BACKGROUND Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionately burdened by obesity and have a high prevalence of prediabetes and dyslipidemia. Differences in parent and child acculturation related to language use and preference (i.e., language acculturation) are associated with adverse cardiometabolic health behaviors, but no study has examined associations with cardiometabolic markers. PURPOSE To determine whether discordance in parent-child language acculturation (parent-child acculturation gap) was associated with poor youth cardiometabolic health. METHODS Hispanic/Latino 8-16-year-olds (n = 1,466) and parents from the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth) were examined. Mean scores for the Brief ARSMA-II's Anglo (AOS) and Latino (LOS) Orientation Scales represented language acculturation. Cardiometabolic markers included youth body mass index (BMI) percentile, blood pressure percentiles, and dysglycemia and hyperlipidemia measures. Missing data were imputed. Survey-weighted multivariable linear regression examined the association of youth, parent, and youth × parent (the acculturation gap) AOS and LOS scores separately with each cardiometabolic marker. RESULTS Youth reported greater English and lower Spanish use than parents. Greater discordance in AOS scores was associated with elevated BMI percentile only (p-for-interaction < .01). The LOS acculturation gap was not associated with any outcome. Adjustment for acculturative stress, family functioning and closeness, parenting style, and youth's diet and physical activity did not alter findings. Removal of nonsignificant acculturation gaps did not indicate an association between individual youth or parent AOS or LOS scores and any cardiometabolic marker. CONCLUSIONS Discordance in Hispanic/Latino parent-child dyads' English use may relate to increased risk for childhood obesity. Future studies should identify mediators of this association.
Evaluating Important Factors and Effective Models for Twitter Trend Prediction

Trend prediction for social media has become an important problem that can find wide applications in various domains. In this work, we investigate two basic issues in Twitter trend prediction, i.e., what are the important factors and what may be the appropriate models. To address the first issue, we consider different content and context factors by designing features from tweet messages, network topology, and user behavior, etc. To address the second issue, we investigate several prediction models based on combinations of two fundamental model properties, i.e. (non-)linearity and (non-)state-space. Our study is based on a large Twitter dataset with more than 16 M tweets and 660 K users. We report some insightful findings from comparative experiments. In particular, it is found that the most relevant factors are derived from user behavior on information trend propagation and that non-linear state-space models are most effective for trend prediction.
PARTIAL DISCHARGE INCEPTION AND BREAKDOWN STUDIES ON MODEL SHEET-WOUND, COMPRESSED SF6 GAS-IMPREGNATED POLYMER FILM-INSULATED WINDINGS

An investigation was made of advanced concepts for gas-insulated power transformers and experimental studies have been made on model turn-to-turn insulation structures comprised of sheet aluminum conductors insulated with two sheets of polymer film impregnated with compressed SF/sub 6/ gas. Precautions were taken to eliminate particles using electrostatic techniques during winding of the models. Partial discharge inception and breakdown measurements were made at 60 Hz applied voltages and room temperature; the effect of polymer film thickness was also investigated.
Assessing Reviewer's Performance Based on Mining Problem Localization in Peer-Review Data.

Current peer-review software lacks intelligence for responding to students' reviewing performance. As an example of an additional intelligent assessment component to such software, we propose an evaluation system that generates assessment on reviewers' reviewing skills regarding the issue of problem localization. We take a data mining approach, using standard supervised machine learning to build classifiers based on attributes extracted from peer-review data via Natural Language Processing techniques. Our work successfully shows it is feasible to provide intelligent support for peer-review systems to assess students' reviewing performance fully automatically.
Modeling heat transfer from a convecting, crystallizing, replenished silicic magma chamber at an oceanic spreading center

[1] Most hydrothermal systems at oceanic spreading centers are underlain by basaltic magma bodies; however, some are underlain by higher-silica magmas such as andesite or dacite. The different viscosity of the latter magmas, which results from their higher SiO2 content, lower liquidus and solidus temperatures, and higher water contents, affects the rate of heat transport from these magmas, and the behavior of the overlying hydrothermal system. We construct viscosity models for andesite and dacite melts as a function of temperature and water content and incorporate these expressions into a numerical model of thermal convective heat transport from a high Rayleigh number, crystallizing, replenished axial magma chamber (AMC) beneath a hydrothermal circulation system. Simulations comparing the time-dependent heat flux from dry basalt, 0.1 wt.% H2O andesite, 3 wt.% H2O andesite, and 4 wt.% H2O dacite indicate that higher-viscosity magmas convect less vigorously, resulting in lower heat flux, possibly lower vent temperatures, and a slower decay rate of the heat flux. Hydrothermal systems driven by unreplenished high-silica melts may have slightly longer lifetimes than those driven by basalt; however, vent temperature and heat output decay on decadal time scales. Magma replenishment at a rate of ∼10−8–10−7 m/s across the base of the AMC can maintain relatively stable heat output between ∼107–109 Watts and typical hydrothermal vent temperatures. Such replenishment rates are not likely to result from buoyancy-driven melt transport by porous flow through the lower crust, especially for high-viscosity magmas such as andesite and dacite.
Choral Performance Assessment: An Overview of Research to Date

Reliability of adjudicators responsible for choral performance assessment has long concerned music educators. For example, Radocy (1989) argued, “any measure that involves human judgment is inherently subjective because it involves human impressions (p. 30).” He concluded music educators must recognize that all measurement procedures are inherently subjective, either in construction, application, or interpretation. To address such matters, numerous assessment forms have been employed to enhance consistency and reliability of performance adjudication. Recently, performance assessment rubrics, which contain narrative descriptions of various categories, have come into use. The purpose of this study was to longitudinally investigate the validity and reliability of one such rubric employed in the Large Group Choral Festivals in a Midwestern state in the United States. This paper/presentation will report choral adjudicator reliability and validity findings from 45 different adjudicators assessing 350 different choral performances, which occurred over two years. To that end, the following research questions will be addressed: (a) What was the level of agreement among choral adjudicators in assigning the global rating (that is, I, II, III, IV, V) when utilizing this rubric? (b) What was the level of agreement among choral adjudicators in assigning scores for individual performance categories (that is, tone, interpretation, rhythm, and so on) when utilizing this rubric? (c) What was the level of correlation between individual performance categories and global ratings, or specifically, which performance category tended to be the best indicator of the global score? And (d) what is the perceived efficacy of this performance assessment rubric among both adjudicators and directors?
Programming language concepts and Perl

Perl is sometimes overlooked in high-level courses in programming languages. Recent versions of Perl come equipped with an array of features that can in fact be helpful in demonstrating programming language principles and design choices. Higher-order, functional style programming is fully supported by Perl. As a language designed for purely practical as opposed to theoretical purposes, it offers a contrast as well as a companion to languages such as Scheme and ML, which are traditionally used in programming language courses.
Scaling Limits of MEMS Beam-Steering Switches for Data Center Networks

Transparent optical circuit switching can improve the aggregate bandwidth, scalability, and cost of data center networks provided, it can meet the performance requirements on switching speed, port count, and optical efficiency. Here, we examine the theoretical scaling limits of transparent nonblocking optical switches based on MEMS electrostatic tilt mirror devices. Using physical optics and electromechanics, we present a first principles analysis of how the response speeds of a set of canonical devices scale as a function of switch port count, crosstalk, and insertion loss. Our model indicates that the optimal actuator design (parallel plate versus vertically offset comb) and actuation method (digital versus analog) changes as a function of switch port count. It also suggests that conventional switch topologies do not allow a favorable tradeoff between switching speed and optical efficiency or crosstalk. However, high switching speeds can be achieved by multistage switch architectures such as the two examples we describe, a multiport wavelength switch and a wavelength-independent space switch.
Microflora changes with an acute high fat diet (1037.13)

Activation of NF-κB signaling and ensuing protective gene transcription in the heart is the basis for cardioprotection in the murine heart following an acute (24h) high fat diet (HFD). This protection is strongest after 2wks of high fat feeding and declines thereafter. The exact connection between acute high fat feeding and NF-κB activation is not yet fully understood. Long-term fat absorption in the intestine is associated with increased vascular permeability, decreased numbers of gram-positive bacteria, and cytokine release into lymphatic circulation. We considered the novel hypothesis that an acute HFD affects the intestinal microflora. Bacterial DNA from stool samples, luminal flushes, and mucosal scrapings were isolated from 24h high fat fed mice and changes in the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Y-Proteobacteria measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Our data indicates a significant increase in Actinobacteria in stool post high fat feeding. No statistically signific...