cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Four Roles of a Master Toddler Teacher

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: This case study of an experienced toddler teacher resulted in the identification of 4 roles that the teacher played in mediating a culture of respect and participation in the classroom. These 4 roles contrast the roles discussed in Leavitt’s (1994) ethnographic study Power and Emotion in Infant-Toddler Day Care. I used a series of data collection methods, including field observations, reflective collaboration with the teacher, and interviews with an assistant teacher, to discover the themes that emerged: (a) Liberator, (b) Curriculum Organizer, (c) Chief Historian, and (d) Learner. The role of Liberator was by far the most substantial of the themes that emerged from the data. The other 3 roles overlapped with the Liberator role, although each demonstrated some distinct characteristics. Practice or Policy: The findings of this study cannot be applied directly to other classrooms because of the limitations of the specific culture, history, and lived experiences of the participants...
Vehicular sensing networks efficiency, security & privacy

The increasing integration of sensors and wireless communication devices into highly mobile platforms such as automobiles makes vehicular sensing networks one of the most promising platforms for many applications. The performance of applications such as traffic reporting, environmental monitoring and distributed surveillance can be improved by using the new techniques developed in vehicular sensing networks. Several distinct features such as highly mobile and predictable movement patterns make vehicular sensing networks different from general computer networks. Therefore, unique solutions for vehicular sensing networks are necessary. In this thesis, we show our efforts on three aspects of vehicular sensing networks: efficiency, security and privacy. The efficiency issue is most critical when there is no central infrastructure or when vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication bandwidth is a precious resource. Keep uploading every piece of sensor data to a remote server is obviously inefficient. Local data aggregation is required to reduce the communication cost and improve the efficiency. However, how and when to perform the aggregation is not trivial. In this work, a GeoCache concept and Boomerang anchoring protocol are proposed to address this issue. Our work in security is focused on building secret keys for both vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and the V2I communication modes. Many applications require secure V2V and V2I communications and two sets of secret keys need to be created independently. Based on the special characteristics existing in vehicular sensing networks, we develop two key agreement algorithms to achieve the target. In many of the applications developed within vehicular sensing networks, GPS data has to be submitted to the central server continuously, which results in serious privacy violation. We have three contributions under the privacy domain. First, we develop a privacy preserving algorithm which protects user privacy without filtering too many location traces. Second, we study the possible privacy leakage due to the detailed location information available. At last, we extend the privacy system design under the assumption that there is no location proxy server and the information available is limited.
Second looks: archival aesthetics and historical representation in American Postcard (1975)

ABSTRACTThis essay concerns the work of Gabor Body, a filmmaker central to the development of experimental film culture in Hungary throughout the 1970s. In looking at Body's 1975 film Amerikai anzix/American Postcard, a feature length narrative work markedly shaped by formal experimentation, it outlines the foremost aesthetic and thematic concerns of Body's cinema, which was centrally preoccupied with issues of cinematic vision and modes of representation. The paper focuses on the ways in which narrative and experimental modes intersect in the film, and discusses how Body simultaneously deploys fictional as well as non-fictional elements to reflexively probe questions of visual and historical representation. In discussing these elements through a close reading of the film, the essay highlights some of the key issues at stake in Hungarian cinema during the 1970s.
Clinical Manifestations of Infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Women in Louisiana

To better understand the clinical manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in women in Louisiana, we conducted a retrospective review of the records of HIV-infected women who presented to the largest HIV outpatient clinic in Louisiana as well as to a tertiary care university hospital in New Orleans between January 1987 and December 1991. A total of 224 women were evaluated. Gynecologic examinations revealed that 17.5% had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and that 35% had evidence of candidal vulvovaginitis or colonization. The following conditions were diagnosed among indicated percentages of patients: syphilis, 22.2%; Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection, 7.2%; Chlamydia trachomatis infection, 12.3%; pelvic inflammatory disease, 5.3%; trichomonal vulvovaginitis, 26.9%; genital ulcers due to herpes simplex virus, 16.5%; and clinically evident genital human papillomavirus infections, 16.5%. Both trichomonal vulvovaginitis and syphilis were more common among intravenous drug users. A total of 82 opportunistic processes were observed in 55 women. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was the most frequent complication of AIDS, followed by candidal esophagitis and wasting syndrome. Over 85% of women had received a diagnosis of AIDS before death. Gynecologic diseases occurred often in this population; the frequency of AIDS-defining events was similar to that reported previously in the literature.
Total body irradiation and Budd-Chiari syndrome

Two patients with end-stage acute myeloid leukaemia were treated with high dose cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation. Both developed pneumonia and obstructive jaundice. The first patient, a 9-yr-old girl, was irradiated at 18.3 rads/min to a total dose of 1000 rads, given over 13 h. She developed increasing obstructive jaundice from day 8 following transplantation and died on day 13 with bacterial pneumonia. Histology at post mortem showed widespread lobar pneumonia and fatty infiltration of the liver. The second, a 37-yr-old male, was irradiated at 20 rads/min to a total dose of 1000 rads given over 5 h. He developed increasing obstructive jaundice from day 7 and died on day 11 with mild hepatic precoma and pneumonia. Histology showed endothelial proliferation of the hepatic veins (veno-occlusive) and bronchopneumonia (no bacteria seen). Both patients had other clinical evidence of excessive radiation effects as seen by excessively severe mucositis and diarrhoea. The histological findings in the second patient are similar to those seen following radiation damage to the liver in different clinical settings. Following irradiation of a further patient at 7 rads/min to a total dose of 1000 rads these problems were not seen. Since these patients were transplanted Graw, giving irradiation at 20 rads/min, reported seeing similar problems in 6 of 7 patients. These data are in keeping with the growing body of evidence indicating that faster irradiation rate produces greater biological effect.
The Investigation of a Decision-Making Technique Using the Loss Function

In aircraft design, the decisions made during the conceptual or preliminary design phases play a large role in determining the success of the design. Supporting decision makers in these early design phases require a decision making technique with the capability of managing multiple conflicting criteria and capturing the associated uncertainties. The Joint Probability Decision making technique, which incorporates a multi-criteria and a probabilistic approach to systems design, is such a technique. This technique uses Probability of Success as the objective function, which is obtained by integrating the Joint Probability Density Function of the criteria over the area of criterion values that are of interest to the customer. However, the calculation of probability of success does not take the deviation of the solutions from the target values into account, which may be often important for concept selection. Also, this technique employs weighting coefficients to indicate the importance of each criterion when calculating the probability of success. However, representing the decision maker's preference by using the numerical weights is considered ineffective and usually involves a largely undefined trial-and-error weight-tweaking process. The study presented in this paper was done with the intention of enhancing the joint probability decision making technique so as to make it useful for concept selection through the utilization of Loss Function. The impact of the loss function in the decision making process is investigated in this paper, and an advanced rotorcraft concept selection problem employing the joint probability decision making technique with and without the loss function is performed in order to demonstrate the improved technique.
Intercalation Of Layered V2O5 Xerogel With Polymers

The intercalation properties of the layered V2O5 xerogel towards conductive polymers are described. The systems intercalated with polyaniline show post-intercalative redox polymerization caused by ambient oxygen to give products with enhanced conductivity. For the first time the role of oxygen in this intercalation reaction has been unequivocally identified. We also report the synthesis and some properties of a new intercalation compound in which the guest species is poly(ethylene oxide), an insulating polymer.
Narrow mass extraction of time-of-flight data for quantitative analysis of proteins: determination of insulin-like growth factor-1.

Methods for quantitative analysis of proteins by mass spectrometry have progressed dramatically. While isotope-dilution approaches using selected reaction monitoring of tryptic peptides (also known as bottom up) have become common, the potential to use narrow mass extraction of high-resolution mass spectra provides a compelling alternative. We investigated the relationships between instrument performance and data processing with the aim of determining whether this approach can lead to robust bioanalytical assays for proteins. Our approach utilized off-line sample preparation combined with online sample extraction coupled to HPLC with the effluent from the analytical column directed to a high-resolution, high-mass accuracy quadrupole time-of-flight (qTOF) mass spectrometer operated in full scan mode. Narrow mass extraction of a single isotope from IGF-1 in the 7+ charge state (m/z 1093.5209) was used to generate extracted ion chromatograms. We found that with appropriate attention to instrument performance...
Analysis of myosin isoform transitions during growth and development in diverse chicken genotypes

The temporal expression of chicken skeletal fast myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in pectoralis major muscle was characterized in 3 commercial broiler lines at embryonic d 19 and at 7, 14, and 21 d posthatch. Lines A and B have been selected for breast yield, and line C is a fast' growing commercial line with limited selection for carcass traits. The isoform transitions in breast muscle samples were compared with samples from Single Comb White Leghorns (line D) using a semiquantitative immunoassay. The hypothesis was that selection for growth and carcass development in broilers would be accompanied by changes in the temporal expression of one or more of the chicken fast MyHC isoforms. Embryos from all lines were sampled at 19 d of incubation, and chicks were randomly sampled at 7, 14, and 21 d post-hatch. Myosin was extracted from pectoralis major muscle and assayed for purity and total protein concentration by SDS-PAGE and bincinchoninic acid protein analyses, respectively. The relative concentration of MyHC isoforms was evaluated by semiquantitative ELISA with 3 monoclonal antibodies specific for chicken skeletal fast embryonic and adult (eMyHC, aMyHC; EB165), neonatal (nMyHC; 2E9), and adult (aMyHC; AB8) myosin, respectively. The overall temporal expression of the myosin isoforms, eMyHC, nMyHC, and aMyHC, was similar in all lines. With eMyHC, at 19 d of incubation, line B had lower expression than lines A, C, and D. Expression of nMyHC, in lines C and D was similar with expression being highest at 7 d and lower at 14 d and 21 d. In lines A and B, however, nMyHC expression was higher at hatch than lines C and D. In line D, aMyHC was expressed at 14 d and increased through 21 d, whereas in lines A, B, and C, aMyHC isoform was expressed and was higher at 7 d and increased through 21 d. The results of this experiment support our hypothesis that commercial broilers have different temporal expression patterns of the developmental chicken fast MyHC isoforms.
Chiral Redox-Active Isosceles Triangles.

Designing small-molecule organic redox-active materials, with potential applications in energy storage, has received considerable interest of late. Herein, we report on the synthesis, characterization, and application of two rigid chiral triangles, each of which consist of non-identical pyromellitic diimide (PMDI) and naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based redox-active units. 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic investigations in solution confirm the lower symmetry (C2 point group) associated with these two isosceles triangles. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal their rigid triangular prism-like geometries. Unlike previously investigated equilateral triangle containing three identical NDI subunits, both isosceles triangles do not choose to form one-dimensional supramolecular nanotubes by dint of [C–H···O] interaction-driven columnar stacking. The rigid isosceles triangle, composed of one NDI and two PMDI subunits, forms—in the presence of N,N-dimethylformamide—two different types of intermolecular NDI–NDI ...
Bone Health: Sound Suggestions for Stronger Bones

Bone is a complicated organ made of collagen, proteins, calcium, phosphate, and cells that remodel and maintain bone. It requires many nutrients obtained from the diet for remodeling and maintaining the bony structure. Nutrition science has identified a select few of these nutrients as particularly important for bone health. We will highlight those here. But remember that in food, these nutrients do not occur in isolation; they are present in nature packaged in various combinations of fat, protein, minerals, etc. Only in the past few decades has it been possible to consume these nutrients in isolation in the form of supplements. As is often the case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and in making recommendations for bone health we will emphasize obtaining these nutrients from food sources whenever possible.
From Cities to Suburbs: Intrametropolitan Location and Growth of Ethnic Enterprises

This study traces the geographic evolution of minority-owned businesses in sub-metropolitan areas across the United States and investigates potential factors that underlie their intra-metropolitan location shift. Using data from the 2002 and 2007 Survey of Business Owner, this study addresses these questions for Asian-, Black- and Hispanic-owned enterprises in 19 selected large metropolitan areas in the U.S. It is found that ethnic enterprises have a stronger presence in the cities versus the suburbs but have experienced faster growth in the suburbs. The rate and direction of this spatial shift varies by ethnic business type, region, and metropolitan context.
Defining reliability specifications for consumer electronic devices

With the continuous march towards building thinner, lighter and faster consumer electronic devices, building affordable and reliable hardware that continues to meet customer expectations is becoming challenging. This is particularly challenging for cost sensitive portable devices such as tablets where time to market is critical and consumer usage conditions vary vastly. Unlike semiconductor, automotive or aerospace industries where widely accepted reliability standards exists, there are no industry reliability standards exists for consumer electronics devices. A deep understanding of consumer usage conditions and environments is critical in deriving appropriate system level reliability specifications and test methods in order to build cost effective devices that surpass customer expectations. This talk will provide an overview of system level reliability test methods for consumer electronic devices and will cover various approaches in deriving reliability specifications based on product usage conditions.
Implementation of 2000A Class High-Tc Current Leads for the Superconducting Compact SR Ring “NIJI-III”

We implemented the 2000A class current leads using the High-Tc superconductor for our superconducting compact SR ring “NIJI-III” built in our Harima Laboratory. They are composed of the part of copper at the temperature above 77K and the part of silver-sheathed High-Tc superconducting tape below 77K. In order to reduce the heat leak, a larger number of the High-Tc tapes are stacked for the higher temperature part and a fewer number of them are used for the lower temperature part. We measured the heat leak of these current leads operating at 2000A and obtained the result that the heat leak is 0.7 W/lead. This value corresponds to 1/3 of the heat leak of the conventional copper leads. We installed these current leads and developed a lead monitoring system for “NIJI-III ”. These current leads are now under operation for a year.
Monotonic and Non-monotonic Embeddings of Anselm’s Proof

A consequence relation $$\vdash $$ is monotonic iff for premise sets $$\Gamma , \Delta $$ and conclusion $$\varphi $$ , if $$\Gamma \vdash \varphi $$ , $$\Gamma \subseteq \Delta $$ , then $$\Delta \vdash \varphi $$ ; and non-monotonic if this fails in some instance. More plainly, a consequence relation is monotonic when whatever is entailed by a premise set remains entailed by any of its supersets. From the High Middle Ages through the Early Modern period, consequence in theology is assumed to be monotonic. Concomitantly, to the degree the argument formulated by Anselm at Proslogion 2–4 is taken up by later commentators, it is accepted or rejected in accordance with a monotonic notion of consequence. Examining Anselm’s use of parallelism in the Proslogion, I show Anselm embeds his famous argument in Proslogion 2–4 in a non-monotonic context. The results here presented challenge some deeply ingrained ideas governing the historiography of the long twelfth century, particularly concerning how the theology of the later eleventh through the twelfth century relates to the scholasticism of the thirteenth.
Hepatic decompensation associated with hepatitis B e antigen clearance in chronic type B hepatitis

To examine hepatic decompensation associated with acute exacerbation preceding hepatitis B e antigen clearance in chronic type B hepatitis, 376 patients with chronic hepatitis who were hepatitis B e antigen-positive were prospectively studied for up to 7 yr (mean 25 mo). Among the 165 patients who underwent hepatitis B e antigen clearance, 4 patients experienced hepatic decompensation and one of them eventually developed hepatic encephalopathy and died. The incidence of hepatic decompensation associated with hepatitis B e antigen clearance was 2.4%. We suggest that such an event in previously unrecognized chronic hepatitis B carriers could have been erroneously interpreted as acute or subacute hepatic failure, and that it might have been the result of a stronger enhancement of the host immune response.
High-speed coating of optical fibers at a rate greater than 5 m/sec

Progress in fabrication of a larger preform size (>2 cm in diameter) with various techniques such as VAD or LMCVD1,2 will necessitate high-speed drawing and coating of optical fibers. To this end, there are three crucial items required to be investigated separately3,4: (1) control of fiber temperature entering a coating cup; (2) minimizing shear occurring inside a coating applicator: and (3) a curing system which is capable of delivering sufficient energy for a coating material applied at high speed.
Self-Powered, Paper-Based Electrochemical Devices for Sensitive Point-of-Care Testing

This work describes the fabrication of self-powered, paper-based electrochemical devices (SPEDs) designed for sensitive diagnostics in low-resource settings and at the point of care. SPEDs are inexpensive, lightweight, mechanically flexible, easy to use, and disposable by burning. The top layer of the SPED is fabricated using cellulose paper with patterned hydrophobic domains that delineate hydrophilic, wicking-based microfluidic channels for accurate colorimetric assays, and self-pipetting test zones for electrochemical detection. The bottom layer of the SPED is a triboelectric generator (TEG) fabricated on hydrophobic paper and capable of harvesting electric energy from the user's interaction with the SPED. An inexpensive and rechargeable handheld potentiostat is fabricated to interface with the SPED, enabling the accurate quantitative electrochemical detection of glucose, uric acid, and l-lactate. The battery powering the potentiostat can be recharged by the user, using the sequential discharge of a capacitor previously charged with the TEG built into the SPED. A machine-vision diagnostic application is created to automatically identify and quantify each of the colorimetric tests from a digital image of the SPED, taken under a wide range of ambient light conditions, in order to provide fast diagnostic results to the user as well as to facilitate remote expert consultation.
Direct quantification of protein glycan phosphorylation

Phosphorylation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins and a critical quality attribute for protein therapeutics, especially if it is required for protein function or sub-cellular targeting. Most current methods to quantify phosphorylation are time-consuming, indirect, or require specific instrumentation and technical skills. Here, we report the adaptation of a phosphate-specific binding dye and common laboratory instruments for quantification of relative amounts of phosphorylated glycans as well as phosphorylation of amino acid residues on the backbones of proteins. Our results show that quantification of phosphorylation using the new method agrees with published data on the number of phosphorylated glycosylation sites for two lysosomal enzymes: β-glucuronidase (GUS) and cathepsin D.
Room-Temperature Electron–Hole Liquid in Monolayer MoS2

Excitons in semiconductors are usually noninteracting and behave like an ideal gas, but may condense to a strongly correlated liquid-like state, i.e., electron–hole liquid (EHL), at high density and appropriate temperature. An EHL is a macroscopic quantum state with exotic properties and represents the ultimate attainable charge excitation density in steady states. It bears great promise for a variety of fields such as ultra-high-power photonics and quantum science and technology. However, the condensation of gas-like excitons to an EHL has often been restricted to cryogenic temperatures, which significantly limits the prospect of EHLs for use in practical applications. Herein we demonstrate the formation of an EHL at room temperature in monolayer MoS2 by taking advantage of the monolayer’s extraordinarily strong exciton binding energy. This work demonstrates the potential for the liquid-like state of charge excitations to be a useful platform for the studies of macroscopic quantum phenomena and the devel...
Alexander Disease: A Guide for Patients and Families

Abstract This book offers a comprehensive overview of Alexander disease, a rare and devastating neurological disorder that often affects the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. Its distinctive neuropathology consists of abundant Rosenthal fibers within astrocytes (one of the four major cell types of the central nervous system). Nearly all cases are caused by variants in the gene encoding the intermediate filament protein GFAP, but how these changes in GFAP lead to the widespread manifestations of disease is poorly understood. Astrocytes, while discovered over a century ago, are themselves still much of a mystery. They exhibit considerable diversity, defy precise definition, and yet actively regulate many aspects of nervous system functioning. We also have incomplete understanding of Rosenthal fibers, odd structures that contain GFAP as just one of many components. Whether they are toxic or protective is unknown. Moreover, Rosenthal fibers are not absolutely unique to Alexander disease, and are seen...
The Earth-System Crisis and Ecological Civilization: A Marxian View

The Holocene epoch in geological history of the last 10,000–12,000 years has given way to a new geological epoch which natural scientists are calling the Anthropocene, marked by humanity’s emergenc...
A first-time exploration into sequenced multimodality saves big data for high-quality wafer-manufacturing

The sequenced multimodality has been for the first time proposed and explored for effectively identifying the problematic tools in wafer processing. To demonstrate the merits and values of practicing this new concept, two case studies in product yield and in inline reliability were provided in detail. This new methodology can help save big data for enhancing the quality of wafer manufacturing.
Does Speaker Race Affect the Assessment of Children's Speech Accuracy? A Comparison of Speech-Language Pathologists and Clinically Untrained Listeners

Purpose Some pronunciation patterns that are normal in 1 dialect might represent an error in another dialect (i.e., [koʊl] for cold, which is typical in African American English [AAE] but an error ...
Approximation and Interpolation

The present chapter is basically concerned with the approximation of functions. The functions in question may be functions defined on a continuum – typically a finite interval –or functions defined only on a finite set of points. The first instance arises, for example, in the context of special functions (elementary or transcendental) that one wishes to evaluate as a part of a subroutine. Since any such evaluation must be reduced to a finite number of arithmetic operations, we must ultimately approximate the function by means of a polynomial or a rational function. The second instance is frequently encountered in the physical sciences when measurements are taken of a certain physical quantity as a function of some other physical quantity (such as time). In either case one wants to approximate the given function “as well as possible” in terms of other simpler functions.
Beyond ISA: structures for plausible inference in semantic networks

We present a method for automatically deriving plausible inference rules from relations in a knowledge base. We describe two empirical studies of these rules. First, we derived approximately 300 plausible inference rules, generated over 3000 specific inferences, and presented them to human subjects to discover which rules were plausible. The second study tested the hypothesis that the plausibility of these rules can be predicted by whether they obey a kind of transitivity. The paper discusses four sources of variance in subjects' judgments, and concludes that relatively little knowledge is needed to achieve moderately accurate predictions of these judgments.
A Simple Method for Detection of Erythrocyte Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (G-6-PD Spot Test)

A method is described for detection of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, based upon the reduction of the tetrazolium dye, MTT, by reduced triphosphopyridine nucleotide. The method is highly reliable and correlates well with established methods of enzyme assay. The test is sufficiently simple to perform that it may be done in any routine clinical laboratory or physician’s office. The reagents may be prepared in mailable, stable form at minimal expense.
What Is the Rural Cultural Perspective

An article by Lally et al. (2018) in the current issue describes the process of collecting end-user feedback from a sample of rural Nebraskan women with breast cancer regarding a web-based, psychosocial distress management program, CaringGuidance™. The current article uses that study to inform discussion on future work in the realm of interventions for rural cancer survivors.
Functional Neuroimaging in the Presurgical Workup

Abstract Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography are noninvasive neuroimaging methods that can provide “roadmaps” of the brain regions that subserve behaviors that may be critically affected when resected. Clinical neuropsychologists are well suited to perform these tasks, given their knowledge of the brain–behavior relationship and their understanding of the methodological considerations of these techniques. This chapter addresses the technical and practical issues associated with acquiring and analyzing fMRI and DTI data to help the neuropsychologist to produce accurate and meaningful results for the neurosurgical team.
Menstrual cycle phase modulates responses to smoking cues in the putamen: Preliminary evidence for a novel target

Abstract Background The preclinical literature identifies the ventral striatum (VS) as a key player in drug-conditioned responses, guiding hypotheses examining neural substrates involved in human drug cue reactivity, including the study of sex differences. Men show a replicable response that includes the VS, while women’s responses have been weaker and variable. New evidence suggests that the hormonal milieu modulates women’s responses to drug cues in the dorsal striatum (DS), specifically, in the putamen. Here we tested the hypothesis that the hormonal milieu affects neural responses to smoking cues (SCs) in the putamen in women cigarette smokers. Methods We re-examined our three previous neuroimaging studies of the influence of sex and menstrual cycle (MC) phase effects on SC neuroactivity, incorporating the DS as a region of interest. Results As previously shown, men exhibited increased ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and VS/V pallidum responses, and women showed increased vmPFC responses that were greater in women during the follicular phase (high estradiol), compared to the luteal phase (high progesterone). Reducing the statistical threshold within luteal phase women revealed select deactivation of the putamen. Conclusions These preliminary findings shed light upon factors that may modulate drug cue reactivity in women, specifically the influence of hormones on DS responses. Emerging literature suggests that manipulating the hormonal milieu may open a fundamental window into sex-specific treatment targets. More rigorous study of the brain substrates involved in drug cue reactivity and other reward-related behavior that may be influenced by sex and the hormonal milieu is imperative.
The first metal-rich binary chalcogenides of the lanthanides: Dy(2)Te and Gd(2)Te.

Two new tellurides have been synthesized in Ta with particular attention to the use of finely divided Dy (Gd) and a sequence of reactive sintering reactions of pressed pellets up to approximately 1060 degrees C. Both phases disproportionate to Ln and LnTe at only slightly higher temperatures so that arc-melting procedures are relatively unproductive. The two compounds crystallize with a Sc(2)Te-type structure. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction results for Dy(2)Te were detailed in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62), Z =12, a = 21.922(4) A, b = 4.0650(6) A, and c = 11.428(2) A (Guinier data). There is good evidence for the existence of additional metal-rich binary chalcogenides of the heavy lanthanides. Extended Huckel calculations were performed within the tight binding approximation to aid the understanding of the metal-metal bonding in this system. In terms of metal-metal overlap populations, the isotypic Sc(2)Te is more 1D in aggregation, while the larger atoms and orbitals and stronger bonding in Dy(2)Te make it somewhat more 3D. Electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements on polycrystalline Dy(2)Te indicate it is metallic and ferromagnetic (T(c)= 161.3 K) with an effective moment at higher temperatures close to that of ground-state Dy(3+). The connections between heavy lanthanide-rich chalcogenide chemistry and that of the early transition metals seem significant.
Novel chemotherapeutic agent, FND-4b, activates AMPK and inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US with the majority of deaths due to metastatic disease. Current chemotherapeutic regimens involve highly toxic agents, which limits their utility; therefore, more effective and less toxic agents are required to see a reduction in CRC mortality. Novel fluorinated N,N’-diarylureas (FND) were developed and characterized by our group as potent activators of adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) that inhibit cell cycle progression. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a lead FND compound, FND-4b, either alone or combined with PI-103 (a dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor) or SN-38 (active metabolite of irinotecan) on cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of CRC cell lines (both commercially-available and novel lines established from our patient population). Treatment with FND-4b for 24h resulted in a marked induction of phosphorylated AMPK expression and a concomitant reduction in markers of cell proliferation, such as cyclin D1, in all CRC cell lines. Apoptosis was also notably increased in CRC cells treated with FND-4b. Regardless of the genetic profile of the CRC cells, FND-4b treatment alone resulted in decreased cell proliferation. Moreover, the combination of FND-4b with PI-103 resulted in increased cell death in all cell lines, while the combination of FND-4b with SN-38 resulted in increased cell death in select cell lines. Our findings identify FND-4b, which activates AMPK at micromolar concentrations, as a novel and effective inhibitor of CRC growth either alone or in combination with PI-103 and SN-38.
Differential Analgesia From Vibratory Stimulation During Local Injection of Anesthetic: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND Inadequate pain reduction during anesthetic injection is a significant medical and surgical problem. Vibratory distraction reduces this pain; however, there are minimal data identifying those who respond best. OBJECTIVE To quantify analgesia from vibration before anesthetic injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this partially blinded, single-institution trial, adult participants were randomized to intervention (vibratory anesthetic device, VAD ON) or placebo (VAD OFF). Pain was assessed using the 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS). Relative reduction in NRS between VAD OFF and ON was used to identify minimum clinically important and substantially clinically important difference in pain. RESULTS One hundred one tested sites from 87 subjects were assessed. Sixty-three percent were men with a median age of 66 years. From univariate analysis, males, subjects aged <60, and head and neck (HN) treated subjects had a significant reduction in NRS (p < .05). Multivariate analysis identified NRS reductions in females <60 (p = .012), males ≥70 (p = .002), females and males treated on HN (p = .048 and p = .035, respectively), and males ≥70 treated on HN (p = .012). Substantially clinically important difference (≥57% NRS reduction) included subjects <60, females <70, HN treatment aged 60 to 69, males ≥70, and females treated on HN. CONCLUSION Vibratory anesthetic device reduces pain during anesthetic injection, primarily for HN treatments and older male subjects.
Ophthalmic Drug Discovery in the United States over the past Two Decades.

Pharmaceutical development has slowed since the turn of the century and there has been recent legislation passed that aims to accelerate drug approval. Ophthalmic drug discovery has unique challeng...
National Trends in Drug Payments for HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis in the United States, 2014 to 2018 : A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background Use of HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has increased nationwide, but the magnitude and distribution of PrEP medication costs across the health care system are unknown. Objective To estimate out-of-pocket (OOP) and third-party payments using a large pharmacy database. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Prescriptions for tenofovir disoproxil fumarate with emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) for PrEP in the United States in the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescriptions database, which covers more than 90% of retail pharmacy prescriptions. Measurements Third-party, OOP, and total payments were compared by third-party payer, classified as commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, manufacturer assistance program, or other. Missing payment data were imputed using a generalized linear model to estimate overall PrEP medication payments. Results Annual PrEP prescriptions increased from 73 739 to 1 100 684 during 2014 to 2018. Over that period, the average total payment for 30 TDF-FTC tablets increased from $1350 to $1638 (5.0% compound annual growth rate) and the average OOP payment increased from $54 to $94 (14.9% compound annual growth rate). Of the $1638 in total payments per 30 TDF-FTC tablets in 2018, OOP payments accounted for $94 (5.7%) and third-party payments for $1544 (94.3%). Out-of-pocket payments per 30 tablets were lower among Medicaid recipients ($3) than among those with Medicare ($80) or commercial insurance ($107). Payments for PrEP medication in the IQVIA database in 2018 totaled $2.08 billion; $1.68 billion (80.7%) originated from prescriptions for persons with commercial insurance, $200 million (9.6%) for those with Medicaid, $48 million (2.3%) for those with Medicare, and $127 million (6.1%) for those with manufacturer assistance. Limitation The IQVIA database does not capture every prescription nationwide. Conclusion Third-party and OOP payments per 30 TDF-FTC tablets increased annually. The $2.08 billion in PrEP medication payments in 2018 is an underestimation of national costs. High costs to the health care system may hinder PrEP expansion. Primary funding source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Improved Radiation Sensing with Methylammonium Lead Tribromide Perovskite Semiconductors

Abstract Recently, organometallic halide perovskites (OMHPs) have attracted much interest as a potential medium resolution detector for ionizing radiation sensing applications. Despite moderate success in the development of OMHP radiation detectors to date, efforts to optimize bulk carrier properties are often hindered by device degradation caused by surface recombination, ionic conductivity, environmental instability, and interface phenomena. In this study, methods of improving the interfacial and surface properties, detector stability, and responsivity of methylammonium lead tribromide (MAPB) semiconductor radiation detectors were investigated. We demonstrated that chemomechanical polishing with dimethylformamide (DMF) as a finishing step decreased surface roughness, removed surface trap states, and greatly enhanced device stability compared to mechanical polishing. Further, using a tin oxide (SnO2) interface layer as hole blocking/electron transporting layer greatly increased the device fabrication success rate and helped mitigate the effect of ion migration reactions with metallic contacts. These post-growth processing techniques resulted in the first electron response of a MAPB detector exposed to alpha particles.
Simulation of reactive power regulation of DFIG

Doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) wind power generation system is widely used in wind farm all over the world. Reactive power can be generated both in grid-side converter and generator-side converter of DFIG. In this paper, working principle and control method of DFIG are introduced, and the reactive power limit of DFIG is derived, finally reactive power regulation is simulated in Simulink.
Recent advances in direct synthesis of 2-deoxy glycosides and thioglycosides

Abstract 2-Deoxy sugars exist in numerous bioactive molecules and exert significant influences on their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Due to the absence of directing group at C-2 and the labile nature of glycosidic linkages, stereoselective construction of 2-deoxy glycosides is rather challenging. Despite the fact that remarkable success in the synthesis of 2-deoxy sugars were achieved using indirect routes, direct synthesis of 2-deoxy glycosides has been extensively explored in order to improve overall synthetic efficiency through eliminating extra pre- and post-glycosylation steps. In this account, we have summarized advances in direct synthesis of 2-deoxy glycosides reported in the last decade, with an emphasis on those efforts published in last five years. In addition, some recent reports in stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy thioglycosides have also been discussed.
Extending the influence of presumed influence hypothesis: Information seeking and prosocial behaviors for HIV prevention.

The influence of presumed influence hypothesis (IPI hypothesis) explains that people have biased perceptions of media influence and they change their behavior based on such perceptions. This study ...
Can Value Pluralism Support Liberalism?: The Problem of Priority and What to Do About it

This paper offers a new, revised understanding of value pluralism that clarifies its political implications. Value pluralism is now regarded as one of Berlin's most important and interesting ideas. But it remains an open question whether it has any relationship to the liberalism he so vigorously defended. The task of linking liberalism to value pluralism is a difficult one because of a serious problem concerning the priority of certain norms in liberalism. It is hard to specify a recognizable version of liberalism that does not involve the priority of some values over others (e.g. liberty, rights, toleration, etc.). The problem for value pluralists is that they deny the possibility of general priority rules in principle, so it becomes difficult to see how they could endorse liberalism. In this paper, I give a critique of current approaches to this question, and argue for a weaker connection between liberalism and value pluralism than the foundational link currently sought in the literature. I argue that instead of grounding liberalism on value pluralism, value pluralists might more fruitfully seek to revise and improve upon liberal institutions and practices from a pluralist perspective.
Reputation and Portfolio Management Contracts

Empirical research in finance has documented a strong positive and convex relationship between investment performance and flows in and out of managed portfolios such as mutual funds. It is also well-known that fee contracts for portfolio managers give the manager a fixed-fraction of assets under management so the manager's compensation grows with flows into the fund. Berk and Green (2004) was an attempt to create a model which is consistent with these observations. However that paper suffers from serious flaws. In this paper I explain the flaws as well as develop a model of optimal contracting between managers and investors in a world where investors update about managerial skill. The model implies a convex performance/flow relationship such as is found in the data..
Equity Analysts' Earnings Forecasts and Information Asymmetry in Private Lending

We provide evidence of a non-intuitive link between equity analysts and bank loans. We hypothesize and find that the precision of the private information in sell-side equity analysts’ earnings forecasts is associated with price and non-price characteristics of private debt. Using a measure of the precision of analysts’ private information following Barron et al. (1998) for a sample of loans issued to US firms between 1994 and 2012, we find that higher precision is associated with lower interest rates and a lower likelihood of requiring collateral, especially when the borrower has low accounting or credit quality. We isolate the two sources of analysts’ private information (i.e., information-processing ability and information directly from management) and find that both are associated with preferable loan terms. We investigate the effects of one regulatory shock (i.e., Regulation Fair Disclosure) and one economic shock (i.e., the recent financial crisis). After Reg FD, the association between the precision of analysts’ private information and loan terms declines, and during the financial crisis, analysts’ precision is no longer associated with loan terms. Overall, our empirical results suggest that analysts’ forecasts are useful to private lenders when designing debt contracts.
A novel concept for subsonic inlet boundary-layer control

A self-bleeding method for boundary layer control is described and tested for a subsonic inlet designed to operate in the flowfield generated by high angles of attack. Naturally occurring surface static pressure gradients are used to remove the boundary layer from a separation-prone region of the inlet and to reinject it at a less critical location with a net performance gain. The results suggest that this self-bleeding method for boundary-layer control might be successfully applied to other inlets operating at extreme aerodynamic conditions.
Increasing positive patient outcome in pediatric nuclear medicine imaging using child life and distraction techniques

2645 Objectives It is quite challenging to optimize pediatric imaging protocols while simultaneously ensuring positive experiences for patients and their families. Following the North American guidelines and the Image-Gently initiative in pediatric imaging, the overall exam times have increased while the tracer doses have decreased. This poses additional challenges due to patient’s difficulty to be still for prolonged time periods. Patient cooperation and parent participation is the key to a successful exam without the use of sedation. By using individualized patient comfort plans and multisensory distraction techniques, we have increased the number of successful exams while providing a positive patient/family experience without the use of sedation. Methods Our department utilizes numerous innovative techniques to increase positive patient and family experiences including the following: emotional Support, opportunities for mastery through developmentally appropriate distraction, kid-friendly language and environment, individualized comfort and care plans, multisensory inputs like aromatherapy, audio-visual distraction and cohesive story lines. Results Patient and family participation, various innovative distraction techniques, and collaboration with child life set the foundation for positive patient family experiences in our pediatric nuclear medicine department. We individualize distraction techniques to provide the best possible experience for the patient and family when they arrive for their exam. Individualized patient care plans, child life collaboration, multisensory inputs, our cohesive storyline reduce patient/family fear and anxiety during and after the imaging procedure. By using this multifaceted team approach we are able to achieve images with better quality without the need for sedation. Conclusions The use of holistic and innovative distraction techniques to help the pediatric patient during nuclear medicine imaging increases the likelihood of better imaging results and more content patient/family experience.
Diagnosing multiple sclerosis

Making an accurate and expeditious diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is important to allow the timely institution of disease-modifying therapy. Accurate diagnosis also removes uncertainty, and allows informed career and family planning. However, with the push to make the diagnosis early, there is increased risk of misdiagnosis.