cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE) in the management of refractory hematuria of prostatic origin secondary to iatrogenic urological trauma: A safe and effective technique

Introduction Incidence of refractory hematuria of prostatic origin (RHPO) is extremely rare, with an iatrogenic etiology even rarer. When conservative methods fail to control bleeding, more invasive surgical methods are needed. In this article we describe our experience with prostatic artery embolization (PAE) as a minimally invasive alternative treatment option in patients with RHPO secondary to iatrogenic urologic trauma. Technical Considerations Three patients presented with RHPO. The etiologies were transurethral resection of prostate surgery, Foley catheter removal with a supratherapeutic international normalized ratio and self-traumatic Foley catheter removal respectively. Stepwise management with conservative and medical methods failed to control bleeding. Under local anesthesia and moderate sedation, bilateral PAE was performed via a right common femoral artery access and using cone beam computed tomography. An embolic mixture containing 300–500 um Embosphere® Microspheres (Biosphere Medical, Rockland, MA) was injected under fluoroscopic guidance until stasis was achieved. PAE using the described technique was a technical and clinical success in all three patients. Hematuria resolved within a period of 24 hours. There were no intra- or periprocedural complications. Conclusion PAE offers a reasonable option in treatment of RHPO, regardless of the cause and may be attempted prior to surgical techniques or sometimes in conjunction. Being minimally invasive and performed under local anesthesia, PAE is especially useful when excessive bleeding prevents adequate visualization of a bleeding source during cystoscopy and in the elderly age group with several comorbidities. An added advantage is the prostatic parenchymal ischemia leading to significant prostate volume reduction and alleviation of the obstructive symptoms.
Flourishing Independents or Languishing Interdependents: Two Paths from Self-Construal to Identification with Social Media

When do people consider their social media groups to be important to their identities? Despite the long history in social psychology of measuring importance of a particular group to one’s identity and the meteoric rise of social media usage, research has yet to address the relationship between social media usage and the value of group membership. Using a recently proposed approach to the estimation of conditional indirect effects, we demonstrate how peoples’ self-construal predicts identification with the groups they interact with when using social media (ISM). People with an interdependent self-construal who are low on psychological well-being achieve ISM by using social media to connect with other people, while people with an independent self-construal who are high on psychological well-being achieve ISM by using social media to interact with interest-relevant content. The path from both goals types to ISM is mediated by experienced positive affect from using social media. The conditional process, operating through interaction with content, explains how independents, ostensibly unconcerned with social roles, can achieve ISM. We discuss implications of ISM as well as how social media usage has the potential to change the way people relate to the groups to which they belong.
GPU formulated MLEM joint estimation of emission activity and photon attenuation in Positron Emission Tomography

We present image reconstruction results for Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM) based joint emission activity distribution- and photon attenuation map estimation from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) data. To our knowledge this is the first MLEM method for such joint estimation in PET. While the proposed MLEM method applies to a family of statistical data acquisition models, we propose a specific model which is appropriate for efficient Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) based implementation. The PET data was generated using a simulated two dimensional 64×64 pixel XCAT thorax phantom, and the joint emission activity- and photon attenuation root mean square reconstruction errors were 3.6% and 1.1% respectively. The typical reconstruction errors had negligible global influence on the quality and accuracy of the reconstructed images.
Computation of Vortex-Intensive Incompressible Flow Fields

The objective of this study is to use UNCLE, an unstructured, parallel, Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes solver, to compute vortex intensive flow fields and compare the results with experimental data. Vortex intensive flow fields arise under a variety of conditions. The ones considered in this study are those arising due to rotating propellers and due to flow past submarine hulls. The examples considered here involve computations at design as well as offdesign conditions for the propellers and the SUBOFF model at various angles of drift. Results are presented for propeller P-4381 (overall thrust and torque coefficients) as well as for propeller P-5168 (velocity profiles downstream of the propeller). Forces and moments are also compared for the SUBOFF hull at various angles of drift to experimental data. Good agreement with experimental data is obtained for the various cases.
Immutable Authentication and Integrity Schemes for Outsourced Databases

Database outsourcing enables organizations to offload their data management overhead to the external service providers. Immutable signatures are ideal tools to provide authentication and integrity for such applications with an important property called immutability. Signature immutability ensures that, no attacker can derive a valid signature for unposed queries from previous queries and their corresponding signatures. This prevents an attacker from creating his own de-facto services via such derived signatures. Unfortunately, existing immutable signatures are very computation/communication costly, which make them impractical for real-life applications. In this paper, we developed three new schemes called practical and immutable signature bouquets ( ${PISB}$ ) , which achieve efficient immutability for outsourced databases. ${PISB}$ schemes are simple, non-interactive, and computation/communication efficient. Our generic scheme can be constructed from any aggregate signature coupled with a standard signature. Our specific scheme is constructed from Condensed-RSA and Sequential Aggregate RSA. It has a low verifier computational overhead and compact signature. Our third scheme offers the lowest end-to-end delay among existing alternatives by enabling efficient signature pre-computability. We provide formal security analysis of ${PISB}$ schemes (in Random Oracle Model) and give a theoretical analysis on the relationship between signature immutability and signature extraction. We also showed that ${PISB}$ schemes are more efficient than previous alternatives.
Range-Free Localization Algorithm Based on Estimated Distances

Due to the large localization error of range-free localization algorithms,a range-free localization algorithm based on estimated distances was proposed.Firstly,a linear function was designed by analyzing the relation between the distance of two neighbor nodes and the intersection area of them.The output was a distance parameter which could represent the distance of neighbor nodes.Then,estimated distances between nodes were calculated based on distances of anchor nodes.Finally,the estimated positions of non-anchor nodes were calculated based on estimated distances.Simulation results showed that the localization error of the proposed algorithm is smaller than that of the current range-free algorithms in both regular and irregular areas.
A case-control study on association between individual risk factors and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

Objective To identify the personal risk factors associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB),and to find out high risk populations of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.Methods A case-control study was employed on 555 subjects including patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis,patients with mycobacterium tuberculosis but were sensitive to isoniazid and rifampin and health controls in 5 cities of Zhejiang.Results A total of 144 MDR-TB patients and 411 controls were included in the study.Multivariate analyses based on patient controls and health controls revealed that low per capita income(less than 2500 yuan)(OR: 2.039,95% CI: 1.325~4.024),male(OR: 2.634,95%CI: 1.098~6.319),acquiring health knowledge mainly from medical personnel(OR: 3.145,95% CI: 1.502~6.586) and long distance from home to local TB prevention institution(OR: 2.279,95% CI: 1.086~4.782) were found to be independent predictors of MDR-TB,while getting health knowledge from multimedia such as books or newspapers(OR: 0.519,95% CI: 0.310~0.869)could prevent individuals from suffering MDR-TB.Conclusions Gender,per capita income,the ways of getting health knowledge and the distance from home to the local tuberculosis prevention institution were risk factors associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
Occurrence,development and control of zoonosis

Among 1 145 infectious disease that have been recognized by the modern medicine,over 80% are zoonosis.With the outbreaks of zoonosis,as well as the new diseases and recurrent disease all over the world,people know more and more about zoonosis.There are several factors can lead to high incidence rate of zoonosis,such as changing of the ecological environment,animal migration,increasing of unsafe human behaviors,environment pollution and destruction,currency and improper treatment of animal products.Therefore,the principles of prevention and control measures include protecting animal,protecting enviroment,health education,protecting the susceptible population,strengthening surveillance and multi-sector cooperation.
Robust Geotechnical Design of Gravity Retaining Wall

A new design methodology,robust geotechnical design, was proposed to improve the design of gravity retaining wall.In which,the effect of uncertainty in statistics of soil parameters on the failure probability was investigated. Furthermore,two different robust design approaches based respectively upon the multi-objectives optimization and the confidence level of structural performance were introduced. To demonstrate the effectiveness and significance of the proposed robust design methodology,an illustrative example is followed.A comparative study was made of the design on the basis of the reliability-based design methodology and the proposed robust design methodology,and the significance of the proposed robust design methodology is presented through this example.
Health supervision and detection results analysis part of the 98 baby swimming pool of certain district in ZhengZhou City

Objective Learn baby swimming pool hygiene quality,provide the basis for further strengthening the supervision and management of health baby swimming pool. Methods Excel 2003 software were used to analyzed the monitoring data of ninety-eight baby swimming pool of Z city. Results Initial inspection and recheck to the public supplies and air of baby swimming pool,total bacteria,coliform,staphylococcus aureus bacteria pass rate of initial inspection and recheck pass rates were significantly different(P0.05). Initial inspection and recheck to the swimming pool water,total bacteria,coliform pass rate of initial inspection and recheck pass rates were significantly different(P0.05),staphylococcus aureus bacteria pass rate of initial inspection and recheck pass rates was no significant difference(P0.05). Conclusion Baby swimming pool in ZhengZhou city should be improved health status,health conditions have improved after the recheck,the relevant health administrative departments should establish appropriate baby swimming pool hygiene standards.
Study Progress of 2 Kinds of Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine in Different Population

This article]e gives an overview of study progress of 2 kinds of hepatitis B vaccine(HepB CHO) and HepB(yeast) in different population.3 researches among newborn,children and college students shows that after full dose immunization of 2 different kinds of HepB,the immune response of HepB(CHO) is stronger than HepB(yeast),2 researches among pupils shows different conclusion,2 research among adults shows no significant differences.In 3 researches among children after a supplementary dose of 2 kinds of HepB,the results are not the same.
Advances in eyelid reconstruction.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To describe the principles of eyelid reconstruction that must balance aesthetic and functional concerns of one of the most important areas of physical beauty on the human body. Our review seeks to give an overview of how to utilize a variety of techniques along the reconstructive ladder from direct closure to complex grafts and local flaps. RECENT FINDINGS We describe novel modifications of existing flaps that have been traditionally used in eyelid reconstruction along with analysis of many time honored techniques and current research in improving our understanding of the factors which allow a successful reconstruction. SUMMARY A familiarity with the variety of options for reconstruction will give the surgeon the fluidity to analyze a defect and choose the best possible method.
Multiple Myeloma Surveillance Counterpoint: USA

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by neoplastic proliferation of a single clone of plasma cells producing monoclonal immunoglobulin, causing bone marrow infiltration which results in the replacement of normal marrow elements. The plasma cell clone invades the adjacent bone, leading to skeletal destruction with osteolytic lesions, osteopenia, and pathological fractures. Multiple myeloma accounts for approximately 10 % of hematologic malignancies in the United States and 1 % of all cancers [1]. In Olmsted County, Minnesota, the incidence rate was 4.6/100,000 between 1945 and 2001. Although most of the studies have reported the incidence of MM to be increased, the apparent increase is actually because of improved diagnosis secondary to better diagnostic tools and availability of medical facilities [2].
Integrating Feminist Perspectives with the Religious Studies Curriculum: Setting the Question

My assignment is to set the question for our teaching workshop on integrating feminist perspectives into the religious studies curriculum. In reflecting on this assignment in light of the full program sketched in the brochure for the workshop, I found three journalistic questions coming to mind. The six specialized sub-workshops seemed to deal quite comprehensively with the question of how to effect the integration of feminist perspectives into the religious studies curriculum. Mary Jo Weaver's plenary address promised to treat from the perspective of American religious history where American women now are and may hope to arrive tomorrow. That left the matter of why we should be assembled here this evening, and though I'm sure that many of the other presenters will address it substantially, I have taken it as the proper focus for this kick-off presentation. Inevitably, speaking about why it is important to represent women's voices will imply how we may best accomplish this, but let us begin by reminding ourselves of the telos of our workshop—the prospective good that brings us together. My ruminations on this topic will have three sub-topics; students' needs, intellectual justice, and fidelity to God. This past semester I taught two typical courses: “Women and World Religions” and “The New Testament and Literature.” Both courses are part of the Tulsa Curriculum, our general education sequence. Each course had about thirty students, but only two of those in “Women and World Religion” were men, while “The New Testament and Literature” had about fifteen men. It is hard to say, though, which sex was more in need of feminist perspectives.
Neural Decomposition of Time-Series Data for Effective Generalization

We present a neural network technique for the analysis and extrapolation of time-series data called neural decomposition (ND) . Units with a sinusoidal activation function are used to perform a Fourier-like decomposition of training samples into a sum of sinusoids, augmented by units with nonperiodic activation functions to capture linear trends and other nonperiodic components. We show how careful weight initialization can be combined with regularization to form a simple model that generalizes well. Our method generalizes effectively on the Mackey–Glass series, a data set of unemployment rates as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, a time-series of monthly international airline passengers, the monthly ozone concentration in downtown Los Angeles, and an unevenly sampled time series of oxygen isotope measurements from a cave in north India. We find that ND outperforms popular time-series forecasting techniques, including long short-term memory network, echo-state networks, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), seasonal ARIMA, support vector regression with a radial basis function, and Gashler and Ashmore’s model.
Electric polarization control of magnetoresistance in complex oxide heterojunctions

Lorentzian magnetoresistance (L-MR) has been widely observed in three-terminal ferromagnet-nonmagnet (FM-NM) tunnel junctions. One possible explanation for this behavior is ensemble dephasing (Hanle effect) of a spin accumulation, potentially offering a powerful approach for characterizing the spin lifetime of emerging spintronics materials. However, discrepancies between the extracted spin parameters with known materials properties has cast doubt on this interpretation for most implementations. Here, we have developed a method to control band alignments in perovskite oxide heterostructures through the use of epitaxial interface dipoles, providing a highly effective method for manipulating the Schottky barrier height and contact resistance. Using these atomically engineered heterojunctions, we are able to tune key parameters relevant to various spin accumulation models, providing an experimental platform which can test their applicability. We find that the observed L-MR is inconsistent with an interpretation of spin accumulation in either the NM material or in interface states. Rather, we consider a mechanism analogous to Coulomb blockade in quantum dots, where spin-dependent tunneling through an ensemble of interfacial defect states is controlled by local and external magnetic fields.
Renal complications of immune checkpoint blockade

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for a variety of cancer species. Renal complications in use of these agents are not very common compared with other immune-related adverse events (irAE). However, it is crucial for physicians to recognize and manage renal manifestations of irAE. In this review, we will summarize the up-to-date knowledge of the clinical presentation, pathologic features, and management of renal irAE. In addition, we will discuss the safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with chronic kidney disease as well as in kidney transplant recipients.
Fast gated imaging of the collisionless interaction of a laser-produced and magnetized ambient plasma

Abstract The collisionless interaction between a laser-produced carbon plasma (LPP) and an ambient hydrogen plasma in a background magnetic field was studied in a high shot rate experiment which allowed large planar data sets to be collected. Plasma fluorescence was imaged with a fast-gated camera with and without carbon line filters. The resulting images were compared to high-resolution two dimensional (2D) data planes of measured magnetic field and electric potential. Several features in the fluorescence images coincide with features in the field data. Relative intensity was used to determine the initial angular velocity distribution of the LPP and the growth rate of instabilities. These observations may be applied to understand fluorescence images from similar experiments where 2D planes of field data are not available.
Characterizing communication inequalities and its determinants to understand and address cancer disparities

B20 Communication plays a central role in cancer prevention and health promotion through disseminating knowledge about risk factors, treatment options and preventive behaviors. Inequalities in communication offer one potential explanation for cancer disparities in health among social groups. Communication Inequality may be defined as the ability to generate, disseminate, and use information at the group level and to access, process and act on health information among individuals. Any differences along these dimensions, we argue, have significant implications for public health. The aim of our project was to better characterize communication inequalities and its determinants, and understand how they may contribute to cancer disparities. We conducted a series of four focus groups in Boston, MA drawing from people from lower SES groups attending Head Start and, recruited from a GED programs. The discussions focused on how people prioritize purchase of communication services, and the importance they attach to different services and channels. Emerging themes were entertainment, personal and social communication, diverse informational needs, barriers to access and use. Entertainment, personal and social communication needs influenced priority of purchases of communication services and the need for diverse informational sources influenced the importance attached to various services and channels. Barriers to access and use related to high cost and functionality of communication channels and services and mistrust of some informational channels such as newspapers, Internet, and television. The implications of the findings for health communications and public health research will be discussed.
Impaction Force Influences Taper-Trunnion Stability in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Abstract Background This study investigated the influence of femoral head impaction force, number of head strikes, the energy sequence of head strikes, and head offset on the strength of the taper-trunnion junction. Methods Thirty titanium-alloy trunnions were mated with 36-mm zero-offset cobalt-chromium femoral heads of corresponding taper angle. A drop tower impacted the head with 2.5J or 8.25J, resulting in 6 kN or 14 kN impaction force, respectively, in a single strike or combinations of 6 kN + 14 kN or 14 kN + 14 kN. In addition, ten 36-mm heads with −5 and +5 offset were impacted with sequential 14 kN + 14 kN strikes. Heads were subsequently disassembled using a screw-driven mechanical testing frame, and peak distraction force was recorded. Results Femoral head pull-off force was 45% the strike force, and heads struck with a single 14 kN impact showed a pull-off force twice that of the 6 kN group. Two head strikes with the same force did not improve pull-off force for either 6 kN (P = .90) or 14 kN (P = .90). If the forces of the 2 impactions varied, but either impact measured 14 kN, a 51% higher pull-off force was found compared to impactions of either 6 kN or 6 kN + 6 kN. Femoral head offset did not significantly change the pull-off force among −5, 0, and +5 heads (P = .37). Conclusion Femoral head impaction force influenced femoral head trunnion-taper stability, whereas offset did not affect pull-off force. Multiple head strikes did not add additional stability, as long as a single strike achieved 14 kN force at the mallet-head impactor interface. Insufficient impaction force may lead to inadequate engagement of the trunnion-taper junction.
Incentive and culture: shaping information and social dynamics in online information sharing systems

The most revolutionary power of the Internet lies in the way it changes people's collaborative work, aggregating social knowledge at an ever-increasing speed. This trend has been manifested in a variety of social information sharing and augmenting systems, such as Wikipedia, Question-and-Answer (Q&A) forums, and crowdsourcing websites. Understanding the information and social dynamics involved in these systems is crucial to improve their design and truly harness their power. This dissertation is devoted to investigating how two important factors, incentive and culture, significantly and interactively shaped users' information and social behavior in the information-sharing websites I studied. This dissertation is organized by four interlinked studies, which address incentive design in online information sharing systems from four perspectives: how users learn and adapt their behavior to an incentive design dynamically; how users' adaptation dynamics contribute to a positive feedback mechanism that sustains the community; how culture deeply influences information and social dynamics, even given with very similar virtual point incentive designs and system platforms; and how incentive design can interact with a particular community structure and cultural context in a very comprehensive and complex way, and how the interaction can lead to a co-evolution process between the users and the way users perceive and use the incentive design.
Ethical and Social Issues in Cyberspace

When William Gibson first coined the word cyberspace in his novel Neuromancer, he was describing the vision of a three-dimensional space of pure information consisting of networks of computers linking people, machines, and other objects as information sources and sinks. This space offered a high degree of movement, enabling users to navigate cyberspace, or to surf, as it is now commonly referred to. A cyberspace user is represented in the space as a packet of pure information moving from a source node to a destination node as needed.
Abstract 5647: Multivariant analysis to decipher the human pancreatic cancer proteome to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets

The microenvironment of a tumor plays a vital role in its development and progression. We hypothesized that the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumor microenvironment could elucidate proteins associated with patient survival. This project utilized a quantitative proteomics approach designed to: 1) Identify differentially expressed proteins in the tumor microenvironment of PDAC liver metastases that exhibited different levels of cancer cell differentiation; 2) Distinguish proteins associated with PDAC patient survival to build a predictive model for prognosis; and 3) Identify potential therapeutic targets to promote patient survival. A cohort of PDAC liver metastases from 60 patients was collected from the Pancreatic SPORE Rapid Autopsy Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The tissue samples were preserved within 1-3 hours to avoid post-mortem protein degradation. The tissues were divided into 7 batches and were lysed, digested and differentially labeled with isobaric Tandem Mass Tags. The tagged peptides were mixed, fractionated with C18 spin columns and analyzed by an Orbitrap Fusion Lumos LC-MS/MS system. 30811 peptides and 3960 proteins were identified from the analysis. 1842 of them were quantified and 917 proteins were submitted for principal component analysis. Tissue samples with similar protein expressions were grouped into 4 major clusters. Samples exhibit a tendency to cluster depending on similar histological features and tumor cell differentiation. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of the corresponding protein clusters suggests samples group according to tumor cellularity, the degree of differentiation and stroma involvement. The proteome data was then correlated to the survival days post diagnosis with partial least square analysis to identify PDAC prognostic markers. Thymidine phosphorylase (TYMP) was one of the highest scoring proteins in the model. This protein converts 59-deoxy-5-fluorouridine into 5-fluorouracil and is a known predictive marker for capecitabine treatment. Current data suggests patients with higher TYMP expressions tend to have longer survival after the diagnosis. One of the high scoring proteins identified in the model is endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1). ERAP1 is an enzyme which trims precursor peptides in the endoplasmic reticulum. Antigenic peptides from the cancer cells might be altered in the process. With further validation, the biomarkers identified with this methodology could provide insight into the design of personalized cancer treatment for PDAC patients. Citation Format: Henry Chun Hin Law, Dragana Lagundzin, Zachary S. Wagner, Nicholas Woods. Multivariant analysis to decipher the human pancreatic cancer proteome to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5647.
Inter-rater Agreement for Abstraction of the Early Management Bundle, Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock (SEP-1) Quality Measure in a Multi-Hospital Health System.

Abstract Background The Early Management Bundle, Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock (SEP-1) quality measure is complex to abstract, which may lead to discrepancies between abstractors. This study was designed to evaluate inter-rater agreement between abstractors at individual hospitals in a health system and a lead abstractor on abstraction elements and measure compliance for SEP-1. Methods Patient cases qualifying for abstraction for SEP-1 over a four-month period in 2016 were initially abstracted at a local hospital and then centrally by a lead abstractor. Abstraction results were retrospectively compared to determine inter-rater agreement. Results A total of 580 SEP-1 cases were abstracted locally and centrally. Each site contributed a median (interquartile range) of 63 (49, 86) cases. There was complete concordance of measure-related elements in 391 cases (67%) (inter-rater agreement: κ = 0.40, p Conclusions Concordance on SEP-1 abstraction elements between local and expert adjudicators was fair, and SEP-1 performance varied considerably from initial site-reported performance. The detailed nature of SEP-1 can lead to unreliable abstraction, which may lead to inaccurate reporting of compliance with the measure and affect comparability of performance between hospitals. Abstraction by a dedicated team for SEP-1 can reduce variability and improve efficiency.
The reaction of acetic acid 2‐selenoxo‐2H‐pyridin‐1‐yl esters with benzynes: A convenient route to Benzo[b]seleno[2,3‐b]pyridines

Benzyne and its 3,4,5,6-tetraphenyl, 3- and 4-methyl, 3-methoxy and 4,5-difluoro derivatives react with acetic acid 2-selenoxo-2H-pyridin-1-yl esters 4a-e to give benzo[b]seleno[2,3-b]pyridines 10–15 in modest yields. The benzynes were generated by one or more of the following methods: diazotization of anthranilic acids 5a-g with isoamyl nitrate; mild thermal decomposition of 2-diazoniobenzenecarboxylate hydrochlorides 6a-d treatment of (phenyl)[o-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]iodonium triflate (7) with tetrabutylammonium fluoride; and treatment of 2-trimethylsilylphenyl triflates 8a-c with cesium fluoride. In all the reactions, the corresponding 2-(methylselenenyl)pyridines 16a-d were also obtained suggesting that these reactions may involve selenium addition to benzyne via a SET (single electron transfer).
Resistivity and Thermoelectric Power of Silver-Palladium Alloys

The resistivity and the thermoelectric power of the entire system of silver-palladium alloys have often been studied by different authors.1 In fact, it is a system which, from the electronic point of view, is relatively simpler than the other alloys of noble metals with transition metals because it is free from ferromagnetism. The results of these studies are generally in good qualitative agreement with Mott’s theoretical computations.2 Nevertheless, the majority of the experimental results are given at relatively high temperatures, where influence of lattice vibrations is appreciable. We thought it might be interesting to make a study at very low temperature (between 0.1° and 4.2°K) of resistivity and thermoelectric power variations in these alloys as a function of concentration. These variations are caused by electron diffusion only. The Debye temperatures Θ D for silver and palladium are relatively high (223° and 270°K). Consequently, it is unlikely that the electron-phonon interaction is important at low temperature. Experimental results have confirmed this hypothesis. The thermoelectric power in relation to temperature is linear up to approximately 2°K.
Electrochemistry Broadens the Scope of Flavin Photocatalysis: Photoelectrocatalytic Oxidation of Unactivated Alcohols

Riboflavin-derived photocatalysts have been extensively studied in the context of alcohol oxidation. However, to date, the scope of this catalytic methodology has been limited to benzyl alcohols. In this work, mechanistic understanding of flavin-catalyzed oxidation reactions, in either the absence or presence of thiourea as a cocatalyst, was obtained. The mechanistic insights enabled development of an electrochemically driven photochemical oxidation of primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols using a pair of flavin and dialkylthiourea catalysts. Electrochemistry makes it possible to avoid using O2 and an oxidant and generating H2 O2 as a byproduct, both of which oxidatively degrade thiourea under the reaction conditions. This modification unlocks a new mechanistic pathway in which the oxidation of unactivated alcohols is achieved by thiyl radical mediated hydrogen-atom abstraction.
Using green chemistry to introduce research: Two mini-research projects for the organic laboratory

Abstract Green chemistry offers an accessible pathway to introduce research into undergraduate laboratories. This chapter describes two different mini-research projects on green chemistry that are appropriate for the sophomore organic chemistry laboratory. The objective of the first project is to find ways to make existing laboratory procedures greener. The second project focuses on the use of alternate chemical feedstocks. The steps taken to help students develop the requisite skills to complete each project are described.
Soil morphology of an alluvial chronosequence from the Little River, North Carolina Coastal Plain, USA

Abstract A soil chronosequence on terraces of the Little River in the North Carolina Coastal Plain was characterized to evaluate age-related trends in pedogenesis. Five representative pedons per landform were studied from six late Quaternary fluvial surfaces, and temporal trends were assessed by regression of morphological parameters against previously reported terrace optical age estimates. Solum, B horizon, and Bt horizon thickness, subsoil clay content, and Buntley-Westin Index rubification have strong, positive correlations with age and together distinguish between soils of the floodplain (≤200 yr BP), the first terrace (9.9 ± 2.0 ka), intermediate surfaces (T2, T3b, T4; 17.4 ± 4.2–74.6 ± 10.4 ka), and the oldest terrace (T5b, 94.0 ± 15.9 ka). Over time, soils develop from Entisols with respective A-C and A-E-Bw-C profiles on the floodplain and first terrace to Ultisols with increasing argillic horizon thickness, rubification, and clay content on T2-T5b. Solum thickness, Bt horizon thickness, and clay content display linear increases through time, with soil thickening reflective of downward pedogenesis through permeable, coarse-grained alluvium. Increasing argillic horizon clay content is attributable to illuviation, and possibly also to a combined bioturbation-translocation process, whereby clays scattered throughout sandy parent sediments are delivered to the surface by bioturbation, then concentrated in B horizons by eluviation-illuviation. Rubification increases with age and reflects transformation and subsoil concentration of inherited free iron, rather than iron oxide formation from primary mineral weathering. T5b pedons display morphologies comparable to those of 200 ka to >1 Ma soils along Coastal Plain rivers that also drain the Appalachian Piedmont, probably because sandy, Coastal Plain-derived Little River alluvium has a higher hydraulic conductivity that promotes faster rates of downward weathering, clay translocation, and rubification than the more finely-grained sediments of Piedmont-draining rivers. Thus, textural differences related to sedimentary provenance should be recognized when interpreting chronosequences from the region. Although rates of pedogenesis differ among Coastal Plain alluvial soils, linear trends in the ≤100 ka Little River chronosequence may nonetheless correspond to the early, more linear phases of development in studies from the region that span much longer intervals of time.
Searches for Electroweak SUSY: Motivation and Models

Even though there is no deviation in the standard model measurement and the theory prediction, as shown in Chap. 5, there are still open questions to the SM that SUSY can answer. In order to search for SUSY, the production cross sections of the various SUSY production modes must be calculated, as shown in Fig. 6.1.
Efficacy of a Brief Biofeedback Intervention on Mood, Arousal, Mental Workload, Movement Time, and Biofeedback Device Preference

Biofeedback (BF) training has been utilized with performers for years. Previous literature highlights the effectiveness of multi-week intervention protocols, but there is a lack of evidence for abbreviated interventions using portable devices and the performer’s preference of these devices. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a brief BF intervention on mental workload, mood, arousal, and movement time and BF device preference. Participants (N = 40) were randomly assigned to one of two heart rate variability (HRV) BF interventions or a control group. Although the brief intervention did not have a significant effect on mood, movement time, or mental workload, it did significantly and positively impact perceived arousal. Overall, 12 participants (48%) preferred the EmWave™ desktop device, eight (32%) preferred the Inner Balance™ device, and five (20%) preferred the EmWave2™ portable device. Results support limited effectiveness of a brief HRV BF protocol, although the dose–response effectiveness should continue to be explored.
A Systematic Review of Reading Engagement Research: What Do We Mean, What Do We Know, and Where Do We Need to Go?

Motivation and engagement play a crucial role in literacy development and achievement. However, the construct of reading engagement has become blurred and ambiguous, both in research and in discuss...
A dynamic Dab2 keeps myosin VI stably on track.

Myosins are actin-based motor proteins known to perform a variety of different mechanical tasks in cells including transporting cargo, generating tension, and linking the cytoskeleton and membrane. Myosins that function as transporters often form complexes with adaptor proteins and vesicular membranes, making it unclear how they transport their cargo through the actin cytoskeletal network. Rai et al. now use single-molecule kinetics, FRET, and DNA origami scaffolds that mimic motor–adaptor complexes to reveal that the myosin VI-Dab2 complex, which is held together weakly and turns over rapidly, can facilitate processive transport without disruption of the cytoskeleton.
Counter-storytelling: toward a critical race praxis for participatory action research

As university-based educational researchers who have engaged in participatory methods with marginalized populations, we have rising concerns about how interpersonal and institutional power dynamics...
Effect of Tail Docking on Udder Hygiene and Milk Quality

Pre-milking udder hygiene can affect the rate of intramammary infection and bacterial numbers in milk. A study which monitored 413 dairy cows for two months to determine effects of tail docking on cow cleanliness and udder health reported no significant effect, but the study's ability to detect differences was low. This study looked at the specific effect of tail docking on somatic cell count (SCC), intramammary infection (MI) and udder and leg cleanliness in commercial dairy herds.
Hemoglobinuria in the Early Poststem-Cell–Transplant Period: Risk Factors and Association with Outcomes

Background: Information on risk factors of hemoglobinuria after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and its association with acute kidney injury (AKI), mortality, and engraftment is limited. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on all consecutive adults that underwent HSCT from January 6, 1999, to November 6, 2017. The study included 6039 patients that underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT), umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Results: Early post-HSCT, AKI occurred in 393 (6.5%) patients, and 52 (0.9%) patients had post-HSCT hemoglobinuria. Post-HSCT hemoglobinuria was associated with graft type (BMT+Cord), underlying disease (lymphoma, acute leukemia) and fludarabine-based conditioning regimen. Post-HSCT hemoglobinuria was associated with early (48-72h) post-HSCT AKI. Graft type (BMT+Cord) was associated with AKI among patients with hemoglobinuria. AKI in patients with hemoglobinuria was associated with delayed platelet engraftment, delayed WBC engraftment but not 100-day mortality. Conclusion: Close monitoring is recommended in this patient group to facilitate a good engraftment outcome.
Introducing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Others (LGBTQIA+) Patient Care Through Laboratory-Based Exercises

Objective. To assess the impact on first-, second-, and third-year pharmacy students' confidence and knowledge in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Others (LGBTQIA+) patient care in a novel skills laboratory setting.Methods. Students were provided an LGBTQIA+ lecture containing pronouns, common terminology, health disparities, health screenings, and gender-affirming hormone therapy. During laboratory sessions, students engaged in a learning level-specific activity to apply lecture topics. Students completed a pre- and post-survey assessing their knowledge, confidence, and activity experience.Results. All students (n=348) completed pre- and post-surveys, with a response rate for both of 79%. Overall increase in knowledge scores was statistically significant, with improvement in four out of six questions among each cohort. Students' understanding of the role of the pharmacist and confidence in caring for LGBTQIA+ patients showed a statistically significant increase, as did their comfort with using appropriate terminology. Most students (92%) agreed or strongly agreed that learning about the care of LGBTQIA+ patients was a positive experience, while 74% agreed additional education on LGBTQIA+ patients is still needed within their pharmacy curriculum.Conclusion. From this brief exposure within a skills laboratory course, students' knowledge and confidence in caring for LGBTQIA+ patients improved, however, students agreed that more exposure is necessary. Future studies will follow students as they progress through the curriculum to determine the impact of exposure across all three didactic years.
Changes in the Protein Profile of Porcine Liver in Response to Immune System Stimulation

Immune system function has a direct influence on swine growth. Using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to stimulate the immune system of pigs provides insight on how they handle immunological stress. Several proteins were shown to be part of the liver’s response to LPS. These proteins included heat shock protein (HSP) 60, HSP70, and peroxiredoxin-2. Changes in the abundance of these proteins indicate the extent to which an animal can respond to this immune system stimulation (ISS). Proteins responsible for cellular rescue were found to be increased in abundance in pigs with stimulated immune systems.
Formally Verifying Graphics FPU

Verification of a Floating Point Unit FPU has always been a challenging task and its completeness is always a question. Formal verification FV guarantees 100% coverage and is usually the sign-off methodology for FPU verification. At Intel®, Symbolic Trajectory Evaluation STE FV has been used for over two decades to verify CPU FPUs. With the ever-increasing workload share between core-CPU and Graphics Processing Unit GPU and the augmented set of data standards that GPU has to comply with, the complexity of graphics FPU is exploding. This has made use of FV imperative to avoid any bug escapes. STE which has proved to be the state of the art methodology for CPU's FPU verification was leveraged in verifying Intel® Graphics FPU. There were many roadblocks along the way because of the extra flexibility provided in graphics FPU instructions. This paper presents our experience in formally verifying the graphics FPU.
Intrawire absorption and emission spectroscopies of individual CdSe nanowires

Concerted absorption and emission spectroscopies have been used to measure intrawire band edge absorption/emission energy variations along the length of individual CdSe nanowires (NWs). An effective mass model, previously used to explain the size-dependent linear absorption as well as Stokes shift of single CdSe NWs, has been used to rationalize the origin of observed absorption/emission heterogeneities. Associated intrawire Stokes shifts have likewise been used to estimate local exciton trap state densities as well as most probably trap depths. Mean densities of the order of 1020 and 1017 cm−3 have been obtained for small and large radii NWs, respectively, and represent the first exciton trap state density estimates for CdSe NWs. These concerted intrawire measurements broaden the scope of existing single wire microscopies and provide greater insight into the effects of size- and dielectric environment-induced inhomogeneities on the optical/electrical response of individual NWs.
Two lower bound arguments with “inaccessible” numbers

We present lower bound arguments for two general computational models: linear decision trees (LDT's) and random access machines (RAM's). Both proofs use (besides combinatorial and geometrical arguments) the method of constructing "hard" instances (x1, ..., xn) of the considered problems, where the distances between some of the xi are chosen so large that from the point of view of a fixed computational model the larger numbers are "inaccessible" from the smaller ones. In §2 we further refine this technique: there we have to satisfy at the same time equalities between certain sums of input numbers in order to allow a "fooling argument". The mentioned techniques allow us to derive sharper lower bounds for a variety of computational problems, including KNAPSACK, SHORTEST PATH and ELEMENT DISTINCTNESS.
Microstructures and surface step-induced antiphase boundaries in epitaxial ferroelectric Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin film on MgO

Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin films were epitaxially grown on (001) MgO substrates using pulsed laser ablation. Cross-sectional and plan-view transmission electron microscopy have been employed to study the microstructures and the interface behavior of the as-grown thin films. The 110-nm-thick Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin films have a flat surface and sharp interface. The entire thin film has a single-crystal cubic structure with an interface relationship of (001)Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3//(001)MgO and 〈100〉Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3//〈100〉MgO with respect to the substrate. The 6.4% lattice mismatch between Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 and MgO was completely released at the interface by forming equally spaced misfit dislocations with a distance of ∼3.2 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigation shows that the initial grown layer of the film is the TiO2 monolayer. The growth models of “substrate surface-terrace induced defects” for perovskite on a rock-salt system have been developed to understand the as-grown features where the conserva...