cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of η 0 , X 0 → π + π − γ with a Possible C Violation

The asymmetry of the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$, ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ energy spectra in ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{0}$, ${X}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays is analyzed under the assumption of a possible $C$ violation in electromagnetic interactions. It is assumed that the $P$- and $D$-wave pion-pion phase shifts satisfy an effective-range expansion whose parameters are determined by the position and width of the ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{0}$ and ${f}^{0}$ resonances. Within the validity of this assumption the upper limit for the asymmetry parameter in ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{0}$ decay is found to be 1.1%, corresponding to a ratio ${R}_{\ensuremath{\eta}}=\frac{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({\ensuremath{\eta}}_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}\ensuremath{\gamma})}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({\ensuremath{\eta}}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma})}=0.25$; the upper limit for the asymmetry parameter in ${X}^{0}$ decay is 18%, corresponding to a ratio $\ensuremath{\Gamma}({X}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma})=0.25$. For any given values of the "decay radius" and the ratio of the $C$-violating to $C$-conserving coupling constants, the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ asymmetry is much larger in ${X}^{0}$ decay than in ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{0}$ decay; hence the notion of maximal $C$ violation in electromagnetic processes can be suitably tested in this decay. This is, moreover, a more sensitive test than a search for the neutral mode ${X}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}\ensuremath{\gamma}$, since the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ asymmetry can be as large as 10% for low values of ${R}_{\mathrm{X}}=0.04$.
Initial Stages in the Growth of Oxide Thin Films by CVD

A technique has been developed for studying the early stages of heteroepitactic nucleation and growth of oxide thin films by TEM using direct deposition onto electron-transparent ceramic substrates. Observations of α-Fe2O3 island growth on four orientations of α-Al2O3 - (0001), {1102}, {1010}, and {1120} - are reported. Moire fringes and selected-area diffraction are used to show heteroepitactic growth. Island morphology is compared to known growth habits of hematite crystals. Preferential nucleation of islands at low-energy sites (e.g. surface steps) is also demonstrated.
Seasonal Variation in Caste Proportions of Field Colonies of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)

When seasonal variation of caste proportions was quantified in “nests” of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), workers comprised the most abundant caste, with a 2-year average of 84.0% of the individuals. Larvae comprised 8.7%, nymphs 5.0%, adult soldiers 2.1%, and presoldiers and neotenic reproductives 0.1% each. Alates and eggs were found infrequently. Caste proportions changed significantly with season, apparently varying according to the reproductive cycle. Larvae are most abundant in the summer and least abundant in the winter. Soldiers were most abundant immediately preceding alate flights, and least abundant immediately thereafter. Nymphs showed two peaks of abundance (early fall and early summer). Workers were most abundant during the spring and summer months.
Melon Fly Eradication by Overflooding with Sterile Flies

The melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett, was eradicated from the 33-sq-mile island of Rota, M. I., by the release of 257 million flies irradiated as pupae with 9.5 kr from a cobalt 60 source. Pupae were produced in Hawaii and air shipped 3800 miles. Releases were made from both air and ground at weekly intervals between September 1962 and July 1963. They were preceded by low-cost applications of concentrated protein hydrolyzate-malathion bait sprays, limited to about 20 of the principal flyproducing sites. Predators, off-island drift, and shorter life of boxed flies reduced the efficiency of the releases. Fruit infestations disappeared late in December 1962 and none occurred in 1963. Sterile eggs were found until the end of February 1963. Sterile flies of both sexes congregated in host plantings, the same as wild flies, but sting damage by females was far less per female than by wild individuals. Some sterile flies of each sex lived 4 months after the last release.
History of self-experimentation in dermatology: should we go first--sometimes?

Because of its availability, the skin has been used over the years for self-experimentation. Many examples can be cited, including the heroic self-experiments of Carrion of Peru with verruga peruana and those of Goldberger with pellagra and Pediculoides ventricosus. My personal self-experimentation began with sensitization to Japanese lacquer. From that starting point I experimented with chemical warfare agents, cortisone versus hydrocortisone, bites of various arthropods, and finally, experiments with lasers. Some dermatologists will continue to do self-experimentation when they acquire infections from their patients. I believe that sometimes, for their patients' benefit, they should go first.
Role of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP as modulators of platelet cytosolic calcium

Studies from our laboratory at the University of Minnesota as well as that of others have demonstrated that agonist-mediated receptor stimulation leads to the activation of phospholipase C and formation of second messengers, diacyl glycerol and inositol trisphosphate, and mobilization of cytosolic free calcium. Elevation in intracellular calcium activates phospholipase A2 and release of arachidonic acid. This fatty acid is further converted to active metabolites, prostaglandin endoperoxides, and thromboxanes (TXA 2 ). TXA 2 promote fibrinogen binding, irreversible aggregation, and the release of granule contents, including serotonin and ADP. Agents that promote irreversible aggregation, facilitate fibrinogen binding, and those drugs that dissociate this process do so by lowering the cytosolic calcium levels. Endogenous antagonists such as PGE 1 , PGI 2 , and NO exert their inhibitory effect on platelet function by the action of cyclic nucleotides, cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP. Epinephrine-induced modulation of alpha-adrenergic receptor restores the action of agonists in drug-induced refractory platelets. As far as the role of cyclic nucleotides is considered, the observations are consistent with the concept that cyclic nucleotides participation in the biologic regulation may be modulated by cytoplasmic cations, and that a change in intracellular cyclic nucleotides and appropriate cations serves to promote the participation of both regulatory effectors. Anti-platelet drugs such as aspirin, indomethacin, and PGE 1 do not inhibit platelet interactions with the vessel wall. Based on this collective knowledge, novel antiplatelet drugs should be developed for the prevention of acute vascular events.
Vibration localization in dual-span, axially moving beams: Part II: Perturbation analysis

Abstract An analytical study of the effect of small irregularities on the dynamics of nearly periodic, dual-span, stationary and axially moving beams with cyclic symmetry is presented. Emphasis is placed on utilizing a perturbation approach to extend and interpret the numerical results obtained in the companion paper (Part I). The perturbation approach provides additional insights into the phenomenon of vibration localization, i.e., into the sensitivity of the system dynamics to the tension disorder, the inter-span coupling, as well as the transport speed. Analytical perturbation results are obtained in the limiting cases of weak and strong inter-span coupling. Findings show that the degree of vibration localization depends primarily upon the relative strengths of disorder and inter-span coupling; namely, for strong inter-span coupling (i.e., for small axial band tension) the disordered system behavior is well predicted as a perturbation of that of the corresponding ordered coupled system, in which case a small tension disorder has a minimal effect on the dynamic response. On the other hand, for weak inter-span coupling (i.e., for large axial band tension), the disordered system behavior is well predicted as a perturbation of that of the disordered decoupled system, in which case the natural modes of the coupled system undergo large changes for small tension disorder.
Structure and dynamics of bacterial ribosome biogenesis

Bacterial ribosome biogenesis has been an active area of research for more than 30 years and has served as a test-bed for the development of new biochemical, biophysical and structural techniques to understand macromolecular assembly generally. Recent work inspecting the process in vivo has advanced our understanding of the role of ribosome biogenesis factors, the co-transcriptional nature of assembly, the kinetics of the process under sub-optimal conditions, and the rRNA folding and ribosome protein binding pathways. Additionally, new structural work enabled by single-particle electron microscopy has helped to connect in vitro ribosomal protein binding maps to the underlying RNA. This review summarizes the state of these in vivo studies, provides a kinetic model for ribosome assembly under sub-optimal conditions, and describes a framework to compare newly emerging assembly intermediate structures.This article is part of the themed issue 'Perspectives on the ribosome'.
Tunable single-frequency erbium fiber ring lasers

Lasers employing rare-earth doped fiber amplifiers have received a considerable amount of attention in recent years. We consider a subset of this growing class of devices: single-frequency, all-fiber lasers based on erbium fiber amplifiers. During the last two years, considerable progress has been made in this specific device class. Three research groups, including our own, have reported devices that exhibit stable single-frequency operation.1-3
Competing Visions of the Care of the Self in the Apocalypse of Peter, the Testimony of Truth, Fragments of Basilides and Valentinus, and the Gospel of Judas

This chapter juxtaposes the discourse of martyrdom in the texts discussed in Chap. 3 with an examination of this same topic in newly discovered works from Nag Hammadi and other places in Egypt. Irenaeus and others derisively dismissed the “Gnostics” as lacking in the courage of martyrs such as Ignatius. However, until recently, scholars have not been able to read the texts on which such claims were presumably based. These writings are now available and actually do not reflect Irenaeus’s and other opponents’ accusations. Rather, in various ways, the authors of these extracanonical writings disrupt a discourse involving the glorification of martyrdom. At the same time, these authors present alternatives for the care of the self for those in early Christ movements.
Image-Screening of Positive Ions at Metal Surfaces, and Electronically Stimulated Desorption of Noble Gas Atoms

Diabatic potential energy curves are reported for ions interacting with metal surfaces. The calculations are based on a local density functional approach, which fully accounts for screening by the electrons within the metal valence band. Results for Ar+ are used to predict yields and energy distributions for Ar atoms which desorb upon ionization of physisorbed Ar. The calculated potentials provide a substantially improved description of the desorption process compared to previous models based on a classical image potential for the ion-surface interaction. Classical and quantal treatments of desorption are compared, and quantum effects in the dynamics of desorption are discussed.
Nanosecond laser flash photolysis of a 6-nitroindolinospiropyran in solution and in nanocrystalline suspension under single excitation conditions.

Nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used to study the photochemical ring-opening reaction for a 6-nitroindolinospiropyran (SP1) in solution and in nanocrystalline (NC) suspension at 298 K. We measured the kinetics in argon purged and air saturated acetonitrile and found that the presence of oxygen affected two out of the three components of the kinetic decay at 440 nm. These are assigned to the triplet excited states of the Z- and E-merocyanines (3Z-MC* and 3E-MC*). In contrast, a long-lived growth component at 550 nm and the decay of a band centered at 590 nm showed no dependence on oxygen and are assigned, respectively, to the ground state Z- and E-merocyanines (Z-MC0 and E-MC0). Laser flash photolysis studies performed in NC suspensions initially showed a very broad, featureless absorption spectrum that decayed uniformly for ca. 70 ns before revealing a more defined spectrum that persisted for greater than 4 ms and is consistent with a mixture of the more stable Z- and E-MC0 structures. We performed quantum mechanical calculations on the interconversion of E- and Z-MCs on the S0 and S1 potential energy surfaces. The computed UV-vis spectra for a scan along the Z → E interconversion reaction coordinate show substantial absorptivity from 300–600 nm, which suggests that the broad, featureless transient absorption spectrum results from the contribution of the transition structure and other high-energy species during the Z to E isomerization.
Hematologic variables associated with brain failure in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

Abstract Background and purpose We sought factors associated with the development of brain metastases after treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in patients without brain involvement at diagnosis. Methods We analyzed 293 patients with SCLC without brain metastases who received chemotherapy, thoracic radiation therapy (TRT), or both in 2001–2015. Pretreatment hematologic markers (platelet count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and lactate dehydrogenase) and other clinical characteristics were evaluated for correlation with brain metastases–free survival (BMFS). Cutoffs were established with receiver operating characteristics curves. Factors significant in univariate analysis were used to build a multivariate Cox model for BMFS. Results Median follow-up time was 14.3 months. Brain metastases developed in 115 patients (39%)—32% of those with low pretreatment platelet counts (PPC) (≤270 × 109/L) and 46% of those with high PPC (>270 × 109/L). Median BMFS time for all patients was 27.9 months. Two-year BMFS rates were worse for patients with high PPC (14.6% vs. 22.1% low, P = 0.009). High PPC was independently associated with inferior BMFS (P = 0.038), as were receipt of TRT Conclusions High PPC was associated with increased rates of brain metastasis in patients with SCLC with no evidence of brain disease at diagnosis.
Hypertension and Hypertensive Heart Disease

Blood pressure in excess of 140/90 mm Hg is the accepted criterion for the diagnosis of hypertension. At first, this definition may appear somewhat arbitrary because of fluctuations of readings even in “normal” persons. Yet, persistent readings of 140/90 or more are associated with increased risk and this is therefore an acceptable cut-off point. So-called “labile hypertension” describes the condition in which blood pressure readings are occasionally greater than 90 mm Hg. Because of the natural variability in pressures, and uncertainty as to whether such individuals eventually become permanently hypertensive, they should be labeled “borderline hypertensive” and have readings checked annually. Diastolic blood pressure of 90 to 104 mm Hg is regarded as mild, 105 to 114 as moderate, and 115 or more, as severe hypertension.
Using Statistics to Shed Light on the Dynamics of the Human Genome: A Review

In this article we review a number of recent studies in which information derived from genomic alignments and data concerning composition, location and biochemical features of the nuclear DNA are used to investigate salient properties and determinants of change (mutations) in the human genome. The studies under review, all conducted by an interdisciplinary group of investigators at The Pennsylvania State University, required the use of a range of statistical techniques—from regression, to multivariate analysis, to the modeling of latent structures.
A Databased Time and Cost Estimation Algorithm for Piece Part Design and Manufacturing

To get a closer step for CAD/CAM integration in PC-based workstation, a timecost algorithm is developed to supplement commercially available pathtrace system, utilizing its existing database. The part-design-timing routine is just a simple program working together with DOS batch files that mark the starting and stopping times of using pathtrace CAD/CAM system. It shows and stores the time a user spent on the computer using the pathtrace software for designing part geometries and planning the machining processes up to the final accomplishment. The stored designing time can be used in the cost estimation algorithm. Time-cost estimation algorithm determine the specific machining time and production cost for each machining process of part manufacture by retrieving appropriate database files. Utility and usefulness of this algorithm demonstrated with practical examples.
Simulation of Atherosclerotic Plaque Delamination Using the Cohesive Zone Model

Arterial tissue failure leads to a number of potentially life-threatening clinical conditions such as atherosclerotic plaque rupture and aortic dissection, which often occur suddenly and unpredictably in vivo. Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is responsible for roughly 75 % of all newly developed and recurring myocardial infarctions. Mouse models of atherosclerosis are often used in research studies because plaque characteristics can be manipulated experimentally in a reproducible fashion. To simulate atherosclerotic plaque delamination in mouse abdominal aorta, we adopt the Holzapfel model for the bulk material behavior and the cohesive zone model (CZM) for the delamination behavior along the plaque-media interface. In the Holzapfel model, each artery layer is treated as a fiber-reinforced material with the fibers symmetrically disposed with respect to the axial direction of the aorta. In the CZM, delamination is governed by a traction-separation law. A proper set of Holzapfel parameter values and CZM parameter values is determined based on values suggested in the literature and through matching the simulation predictions of the load vs. load-point displacement curve with experimental measurements for one plaque delamination cycle. With the same set of Holzapfel parameter values and CZM parameter values, two more simulation predictions of the load vs. load-point displacement curve were obtained, which match well with experimental measurements, thus validating the CZM approach. Our approach can be readily modified to understand tissue failure processes in human pathologies, e.g. aortic dissection.
Viruses: Nipah Virus

Human Nipah virus infection characteristically causes severe encephalitis. Up to 73% of infected persons die. The virus is a zoonotic infection. Its wildlife reservoir are bats of the genus Pteropus , but because the virus attaches to the ephrin B-2 and B-3 receptor, which are widely distributed on mammalian epithelial cells, the virus can infect a wide range of hosts. Human outbreaks have occurred in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India. Nipah infection can be acquired by consumption of bat-contaminated food and from the passage of contaminated saliva from a sick animal or person to a susceptible one.
Kinetics of solidification of cross-linked polyethylene

In the production of extruded dielectric cables the molten polymer is invariably quenched following extrusion. During this process crystallization of the polymer occurs at a series of different temperatures depending on the thermal conductivity of the polymer in question. For cross-linked polyethylene the polymer is chemically cross-linked immediately after extrusion and prior to quenching. Separation of impurity molecules and of low molecular weight polyethylene molecules generally occur during the crystallization process. The rate at which such separation processes occur may have an influence on electric breakdown behavior. When in use the temperature of the cable may exceed the melting point resulting in re-crystallization under totally different thermal conditions from those under which crystallization occurred during manufacture. A different morphological structure may result under such circumstances. In this paper we wish to report studies of the crystallization behavior of chemically cross-linked polyethylene and to discuss the ways in which it differs from the uncross-linked polymer.
Effects of Freeze-Dried Grape Powder on High-Density Lipoprotein Function in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Abstract Background: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles are protective against atherosclerosis. However, HDL function is impaired in metabolic syndrome (MetS) due to low-grade inflammation an...
Motivators over Modes Diverse Student Team Drives Leading Automotive Company's Evolution to Mobility Platform

A diverse student team has collaborated to form a vision of a shared car or multimodal travel future, shared in this Work in Progress Innovative Practice Paper. This shift yields more financially efficient journeys, leaving people to sacrifice other benefits of travel perhaps without knowing it. The focus was to bring joy back to these unemotional journeys in three different ways: bringing a virtual reputation to physical spaces that lack it, visualizing explored and unexplored routes in commuter journeys, and creating more robust profiles of passenger preferences.
Veto cells for safer nonmyeloablative haploidentical HSCT and CAR T cell therapy

Haploidentical donors are a readily available source for mismatched hematopoietic bone marrow transplantation. The application of this regimen is constantly increasing with the advent of methods that overcome T-cell alloreactions that occur due to human-leukocyte-antigen disparity between host and donor. One successful method to overcome both graft rejection and graft-vs-host disease is transplantation of large numbers T-cell-depleted (TCD) haploidentical stem cell grafts (haploSCT), after myeloablative conditioning. The success of stem cell dose escalation is attributed to a unique immunoregulatory cell-property, termed "veto-activity." However, engraftment of mismatched hematopoietic stem cells following reduced-intensity conditioning still represents a major challenge. Here, we describe how the addition of post-transplant high-dose cyclophosphamide can promote immune tolerance induction after megadose TCD haploSCT, following nonmyeloablative conditioning. We also discuss ways of harnessing the immune regulatory properties of adoptively transferred "veto" cells to support mixed chimerism further and confer tolerance to cell-therapies, such as CAR-T cells. These approaches will soon be tested in phase 1-2 clinical studies and may prove to be a safe and efficacious treatment for many disorders such as hemoglobinopathies, autoimmune diseases, and as a prelude for organ tolerance. Moreover, this approach could pave the way for "off-the-shelf" cell-therapy agents, making them cheaper and easily obtainable.
Orbital pathways for Mn 2 + -carrier s p − d exchange in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots

Manganese-carrier magnetic exchange interactions in strongly quantum-confined Mn${}^{2+}$-doped CdSe quantum dots (QDs) having ${d}_{\mathrm{QD}}$ $=$ 1.52, 2.08, and 2.54 nm have been investigated using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) and perturbation theory calculations. Established perturbation expressions have been tested by comparing the exchange energies predicted from these expressions (using DFT results as input parameters) with those calculated directly by DFT. These comparisons allow the dominant orbital pathways responsible for Mn${}^{2+}$-carrier exchange to be identified and analyzed. The Mn${}^{2+}$-valence-band(VB)-hole exchange interaction is described well using the long-accepted antiferromagnetic (AFM) $p$-$d$ kinetic exchange pathway. The Mn${}^{2+}$-conduction-band(CB)-electron interaction is described well using the recently proposed ferromagnetic (FM) kinetic s-s exchange pathway. AFM kinetic s-d exchange interactions previously proposed to become dominant in quantum-confined diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) have been evaluated quantitatively by both DFT and perturbation theory and are found to be weak compared to the FM s-s interaction, even in these strongly confined QDs. The magnitudes of the mean-field exchange parameters are found to be nearly independent of quantum confinement over this range of QD diameters, and the dominant orbital pathways are not fundamentally altered by quantum confinement.
Impact of Patient Demographic Factors on Preoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function, Pain Interference, and Depression Computer Adaptive Testing Scores in Patients Undergoing Shoulder and Elbow Surgery:

Background:There has been a growing emphasis in orthopaedics on providing patient-centered care. The US National Institutes of Health launched the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information ...
Mistaking the subject of violence in scientific psychology

Barbara Held (2020) claims that critical and Indigenous psychologists are right to point out how scientific psychology has contributed to findings that do undue harm to racial groups, but are wrong...
Puberty and menarche in young females with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability: a qualitative study of caregivers' experiences.

Aim To explore experiences of parents of young females with cerebral palsy (CP) and intellectual disability at the onset of puberty. Method This was a phenomenological qualitative study. We conducted phone interviews of parents of young females with CP and intellectual disability who had been seen in the CP center at a freestanding children's hospital within the prior 2 years. Inclusion criteria were English-speaking parents of young females who had combined diagnoses of CP and intellectual disability. Interviews were coded and analyzed by the research team facilitated by Dedoose software. Results Nine interviews were conducted with parents of daughters aged 14 to 24 years. All daughters used wheelchairs for mobility and augmentative technology for communication. Despite homogeneity in functional ability, there was marked variation in parental perception of the significance of puberty for their daughters. Families often learned about reproductive health from informal social networks. Although families acknowledged the need for sexual abuse screening, there was little consensus about how to do it, and most denied that their own daughter could ever be abused. Interpretation Parents of young females with CP and intellectual disability have diverse reproductive health beliefs that health care providers must explore in order to provide appropriate recommendations for management of puberty. What this paper adds Parents of young females with cerebral palsy (CP) and intellectual disability have diverse reproductive health beliefs. Approaches to menstrual management in this population must be individualized. Families discounted the likelihood of abuse, despite acknowledging their daughters' risk.
Heartbeat: cardiovascular health in the time of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact population health by indirect effects on patient and healthcare systems, in addition to the direct effects of COVID-19 itself. Accurate and quantitative information about the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease (CVD) services and outcomes will allow better public health planning. Ball and colleagues1 aim to ‘design and implement a simple tool for monitoring and visualising trends in CVD hospital services in the UK’ and towards that end they present pilot data from a preliminary cohort of nine UK hospitals in this issue of Heart . Comparing 6 months in 2019–2020 (that include the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK) to the same time period in 2018–2019, there was a 57.9% decrease in total hospital admissions and a 52.9% decrease in emergency department visits (figure 1). In addition, there was a 31%–88% decline during lockdown in procedures for treatment of cardiac, cerebrovascular and other vascular conditions. Figure 1 Overall hospital activity (admissions, ED attendances and COVID-19 admissions) between 31 October 2019 and 10 May 2020 compared with the same weeks from 2018 to 2019. Lines describe the mean hospital activities in 2019–2020 (solid) and 2018–2019 (dotted). Shading represents 95% CI of the respective hospital activity. The first case of COVID-19 was on 31 January 2020 and lockdown started on 23 March 2020. ED, emergency department. From the other side …
A Brief Walk Through Noise: From Basic Concepts to Advanced Measurement Techniques

As the title suggests, I am inviting the reader to take a brief walk with me and discuss the interesting subject of microwave noise. My goal is to provide some highlights on this subject, from its basic pillars based on physics to the latest engineering publications. A solid understanding of noise cannot but stand on the shoulders of the physicists who have continually been looking at overcoming the limitations of any theoretical model to explain nature. Names like Brown, Einstein, and Nyquist must be mentioned before focusing on the applications of those ideas, which started more than 100 years ago: How do you describe noise when considering microwave circuits? How do you characterize noisy microwave circuits nowadays?
Two Mithila Artists Respond to Modi’s COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020

Summary In the spring and summer of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep through India, artists from the Mithila region began to paint about the new world in which they lived. Their thoughtful engagement with the changes they faced?changes in behavior, in social life, in nature?is reflected in their many paintings at the Syracuse University Art Museum, which I organized into an online exhibit, ?Mithila Art in the Time of Covid-19.? Several painters focused on the All-India Lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Modi on March 24, 2020. With millions of laborers stranded in India?s cities, lacking work, housing, or food, a massive human movement home began. Here I engage with four paintings of the Lockdown and journeys home, two by a Dalit male artist, himself at times a migrant day-laborer, and the other two by a middle-class/upper caste educated female artist. Representing social positions at the two ends of the social structure of the Mithila region, they present contrasting views of what the Lockdown meant. Both also focus on what they see as the failure of the Indian government in this time of crisis.
Opiate Abuse and Dependence Disorders

The purpose of this chapter is to describe, synthesize, and speculate on the complex relationships among opiate abuse behaviors and the phenomena labeled psychopathology. At this juncture in science, univariate, unidirectional models hold little promise, and multivariate interactional perspectives are required to study the factors that influence and are influenced by acute and chronic opiate abuse. This point has been reached because researchers of varied disciplines, working in diverse settings over the past four decades, are recognizing that single explanations are simplistic, if not utterly misleading. Hence, research from such disciplines as psychology, psychiatry, pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry, anthropology, and sociology will demand continued revisions and integration to yield a meaningful picture of opiate abuse and related phenomena. At present, however, the growing contributions of both psychosocial and biomedical researchers are impressive.
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street

I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more 15 than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers[e] histories, at which goodnatured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener of the strangest I ever saw or heard 20 of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel. 25
Fault Covers in Rectangular Arrays

The covering approach is used most frequently in rectangular arrays with spare rows and columns. Several examples of such architectures, including reconfigurable random access memories (RRAMs) and processor arrays, were described in Chapter 1. Recall that such architectures comprise an m × n array with S R spare rows and S C spare columns in which each faulty element is replaced by replacing the entire row in which it resides by a spare column. As we have mentioned in Chapter 1, the problem of finding a covering assignment for a faulty array is NP-complete [46]. Consequently, efforts in this area have been in the design of heuristics and exhaustive search algorithms. Heuristics can generally find solutions in a short amount of time, but may not always find solutions when they exist. In contrast, exhaustive search algorithms can always find solutions when they exist, but may require exponential running time in the worst case. In this chapter we propose new techniques that can significantly reduce the running time of exhaustive search algorithms for many of these problems.
Lower esophageal sphincter pressure during the normal menstrual cycle

Lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP), basal gastric pH, and plasma levels of gastrin, estradiol, and progesterone were determined in ten women known to have normal menstrual cycles. All determinations were performed both during the follicular phase (Days 2 to 8) and during the luteal phase (Days 20 to 30). In addition, an intraluminal pH probe placed 5 cm. above the lower esophageal sphincter was used to test for the presence of acid reflux in response to three provocative procedures. LESP during the follicular phase was 19.0 +/- 1.5 mm. Hg (mean +/- S.E.M.) and during the luteal phase 16.5 +/- 1.3 mm. Hg (p less than 0.01). Basal gastric pH and plasma gastrin levels were similar at both times. Plasma estradiol in the follicular phase (76.1 +/- 7.0 pg. per milliliter) increased twofold during the luteal phase (159.0 +/- 6.0) (p less than 0.01). Plasma progesterone increased from a level of 1.5 +/- 0.8 ng. per milliliter during the follicular phase to 19.2 +/- 4.2 during the luteal phase. Coincident with these changes in LESP and increases in steroid levels, acid reflux was detected in five women during the luteal phase but was present in only one during the follicular phase.
Doubly-Robust Estimators of Treatment-Specific Survival Distributions in Observational Studies with Stratified Sampling

Observational studies are frequently conducted to compare the effects of two treatments on survival. For such studies we must be concerned about confounding; that is, there are covariates that affect both the treatment assignment and the survival distribution. With confounding the usual treatment-specific Kaplan-Meier estimator might be a biased estimator of the underlying treatment-specific survival distribution. This article has two aims. In the first aim we use semiparametric theory to derive a doubly robust estimator of the treatment-specific survival distribution in cases where it is believed that all the potential confounders are captured. In cases where not all potential confounders have been captured one may conduct a substudy using a stratified sampling scheme to capture additional covariates that may account for confounding. The second aim is to derive a doubly-robust estimator for the treatment-specific survival distributions and its variance estimator with such a stratified sampling scheme. Simulation studies are conducted to show consistency and double robustness. These estimators are then applied to the data from the ASCERT study that motivated this research.
Active learning with the CyberCIEGE video game

Hands-on exercises promote active learning where student experience reinforces material presented in lectures or reading assignments [1]. Drawing the student into a meaningful context where student decisions have clear consequences strengthens the learning experience and thus improves the potential for internalization of knowledge. The CyberCIEGE video game was designed to confront students with computer security decision points within an environment that encourages experimentation, failure and reflection. The game includes over twenty scenarios that address a range of computer and network security concepts. CyberCIEGE is extensible through use of a scenario development language that allows instructors to create and customize game scenarios. The Naval Postgraduate School uses the game in our Introduction to Computer Security course, and it has been used by hundreds of educational institutions worldwide. The game's tools allow ongoing experimentation with the student's learning experience. Student assessment is facilitated by log generation, collection and analysis. These logs help the game's developers identify areas within scenarios that may be confusing or may require additional player feedback. Ongoing development is focused on ultimately adapting the game and its student assessment functions for deployment in a broader range of formal education environments.
Build a Great Team: One Year to Success by Catherine Hakala-Ausperk

Working as a team is not a passing management fad but a permanent fixture of organizational culture, structure, and leadership, as evidenced by the continued proliferation of literature on this top...
Graph-based terrain relative navigation with optimal landmark database selection

Terrain relative navigation (TRN) offers a means to constrain absolute vehicle position and attitude without using a GPS receiver or star camera, such as for unmanned aerial vehicles or planetary landing spacecraft, using a pre-computed terrain database of distinctive landmarks in the operational environment. However, depending on the length of the planned trajectory, these terrain landmark databases may grow prohibitively large for the onboard data storage, processing, and communication capabilities of these types of vehicles.
Inflammation and cancer: role of phagocyte-generated oxidants in carcinogenesis

We have reviewed some of the data that link the reactive oxygen species produced by inflammatory phagocytes to cancer development. While it is clear that these substances induce phenotypic changes characteristic of those produced by known carcinogens, the precise mechanisms by which these effects are produced require much further study. In vitro, it would appear that phagocyte-generated oxidants could be complete carcinogens, ie, could cause both tumor initiation and promotion. In vivo, however, these substances appear usually to function as tumor promoters or cocarcinogens perhaps because of high levels of endogenous antioxidant defenses. This suggests that there may be even more reason to be optimistic about the potential for positive results in cancer chemoprevention trials in humans, and provides further rationale for the continuing interest in the use of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory drugs in current and future trials. For example, the Chemoprevention Branch of the National Cancer Institute is currently sponsoring seven extramural human efficacy intervention trials testing whether the antioxidant beta carotene can prevent cancer.
Magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn

Jupiter and Saturn possess significant magnetic fields. The surrounding regions of space in which the forces on charged particles are due primarily to the magnetic field are their magnetospheres. These are similar, in certain respects, to that of Earth: large radiation belts, a compressed dayside field, an extended nightside magnetic tail with imbedded plasma sheet and detached bow shock wave around these obstacles to solar wind flow. However, differences with Earth are significant and relate to the large amount of entrapped low energy plasmas which form a magnetodisk and an Io associated torus at Jupiter while at Saturn there is a Titan torus and a substantial ring current. The interaction of the satellites and rings deep within these magnetospheres leads to many special phenomena tightly coupling the properties of the material forming the satellites and rings with the rapidly corotating planetary magnetospheres. This paper will review recent results obtained by the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.
Glucocorticoids and Hospital Length of Stay for Children with Anaphylaxis: A Retrospective Study

Objective To evaluate whether glucocorticoid administration is associated with improved outcomes in children with anaphylaxis. Study design We included children from the Pediatric Health Information System database who were diagnosed with anaphylaxis at 35 US children's hospitals between 2009 and 2013. Patients were stratified by disposition from the emergency department (ED), either hospitalized or discharged. We evaluated the association between glucocorticoid administration and prolonged length of stay (LOS), defined as hospital stay ≥2 days, and subsequent epinephrine administration among hospitalized children. Among discharged children, we assessed the association between glucocorticoid administration and ED revisits within 3 days. Analyses were adjusted for illness severity using ordering of laboratory tests, medications, oxygen, intravenous fluids, and admission to the intensive care unit. Results Among 5203 children hospitalized with anaphylaxis, 424 (8.2%) had prolonged LOS. Glucocorticoid administration was inversely associated with prolonged LOS (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.41-0.93) and with subsequent epinephrine use (aOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.43-0.84) among hospitalized children. Glucocorticoid administration was not associated with the odds of a 3-day revisit (aOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.50-2.05) among discharged patients. Conclusion The use of glucocorticoids was inversely associated with prolonged LOS among children hospitalized with anaphylaxis, but was not associated with 3-day ED revisits among discharged children. These findings support the use of glucocorticoids in children hospitalized with anaphylaxis.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Enhances Antimicrobial Peptide Expression and Killing of Staphylococcus aureus

Antimicrobial peptides such as human β-defensins (hBDs) and cathelicidins are critical for protection against infection and can be induced by activation of TLRs, a pathway that also activates cyclooxygenase(Cox)-2 expression. We hypothesized that Cox-2 is induced by TLR activation and is necessary for optimal AMP production, and that inhibitors of Cox-2 may therefore inhibit antimicrobial action. Normal human keratinocytes (NHEKs) stimulated with a TLR2/6 ligand, macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2, or a TLR3 ligand, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, increased Cox-2 mRNA and protein and increased PGE 2 , a product of Cox-2. Treatment with a Cox-2 selective inhibitor (SC-58125) or Cox-2 small interfering RNA attenuated hBD2 and hBD3 production in NHEKs when stimulated with macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, or UVB (15 mJ/cm 2 ), but it did not attenuate vitamin D3-induced cathelicidin. SC-58125 also inhibited TLR-dependent NF-κB activation. Conversely, treatment with Cox-derived prostanoids PGD 2 or 15-deoxy-Δ 12,14 -PGJ 2 induced hBD3 or hBD2 and hBD3, respectively. The functional significance of these observations was seen in NHEKs that showed reduced anti-staphylococcal activity when treated with a Cox-2 inhibitor. These findings demonstrate a critical role for Cox-2 in hBD production and suggest that the use of Cox-2 inhibitors may adversely influence the risk for bacterial infection.
Applications of Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes have attracted the fancy of many scientists worldwide. The small dimensions, strength and the remarkable physical properties of these structures make them a very unique material with a whole range of promising applications. In this review we describe some of the important materials science applications of carbon nanotubes. Specifically we discuss the electronic and electrochemical applications of nanotubes, nanotubes as mechanical reinforcements in high performance composites, nanotube-based field emitters, and their use as nanoprobes in metrology and biological and chemical investigations, and as templates for the creation of other nanostructures. Electronic properties and device applications of nanotubes are treated elsewhere in the book. The challenges that ensue in realizing some of these applications are also discussed from the point of view of manufacturing, processing, and cost considerations.
Inexpensive Time-Lapse Digital Cameras for Studying Transient Meteorological Phenomena: Dust Devils and Playa Flooding

Abstract The authors describe the design and performance of inexpensive and compact time-lapse cameras suitable for field deployment in remote locations for long periods and their application to studying two time-variable meteorological phenomena in arid regions: desert dust devils and transient flooding of playa lakes. The camera units (with a total parts cost of ∼$80) are based around commercial “point and shoot” digital cameras, storing ∼1500 images on a solid-state memory card over a period between an hour to several months powered by alkaline batteries. A microcontroller can trigger image acquisition based on sensor inputs or at regular intervals. Some example results are presented, showing an association of cumulus clouds with thermals from dust devils, a region of dust enhancement around a dust devil, and a dramatic range of conditions at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park. Alternative systems and applications are also discussed.
What does acquiring require; or, is there a librarian in the acquisitions department?

Cet article traite de la fonction d'acquisition dans les bibliotheques americaines. La question de savoir si un poste de bibliothecaire est encore necessaire au service des acqusitions est posee, et les consequences que cela peut avoir sur le mode de developpement des collection d'une biblitoheque sont etudiees. Apres une comparaison de differentes perceptions a ce sujet, le portrait du bibliothecaire specialise dans les acquisitions est dessine
Close confinement: John Thelwall and the Romantic prison

The prison was the central institutional means for silencing dissent in 1790s Britain. While attention to prisons was called for by John Howard in the 1770s, prison conditions commanded broad attention by the 1790s, when dozens of writers, editors, journalists, and booksellers lived through or were threatened with imprisonment. The 1790s saw the first systematic imprisonment of British literati, resulting in a flurry of poems, essays, broadsheets, drawings, and newspaper reports that introduced a wide range of readers to life inside a jail cell. The birth of “prison literature” is twin to the birth of British Romanticism: the prison plays an important role in the work of Thelwall, Coleridge, More, Wordsworth, Hays, Godwin, and Wollstonecraft, and of lesser‐known figures such as James Montgomery, John Augustus Bonney, and Charles Piggot. This essay examines the writing of prison poets such as Thelwall, Montgomery, and Bonney, arguing that the experience of confinement drew these writers to shape their poet...