cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thick-film thermoelectric microdevices

Miniaturized thermoelectric devices integrated into thermal management packages and low power, high voltage, electrical power source systems are of interest for a variety of space and terrestrial applications. In spite of their relatively low energy conversion efficiency, solid-state microcoolers and microgenerators based on state-of-the-art materials offer attractive solutions to the accelerating trend towards miniaturization of electronic components and "system on a chip" concepts where the functions of sense, compute, actuate, control, communicate and power are integrated. The miniaturization of state-of-the-art thermoelectric module technology based on Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ alloys is severely limited due to mechanical and manufacturing constraints. Compared to bulk technology, the key advantages of integrated microdevices designed with thousands of thermocouples are their ability to handle much higher heat fluxes (thus resulting in high power densities), their much faster response time as well as the possibility of generating high voltages under small temperature differentials. We are currently developing novel microdevices with a conventional vertically integrated configuration combining high thermal conductivity substrates such as diamond or silicon, integrated circuit technology, and electrochemical deposition of thick thermoelectric films. We report here on our progress in developing techniques for obtaining 10-50 /spl mu/m thick films of p- and n-type Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ alloys by electroplating through a thick photoresist template on top of patterned multilayer metallizations. This microdevice fabrication technology is now being developed for several applications, including a high cooling power density microcooler (200 W/cm/sup 2/) for thermal management of power electronics and a 100 mW autonomous hybrid thermoelectric-rechargeable batteries generator using low grade waste heat. Future directions of research are also discussed.
Entrepreneurs and Laborers: Two Sides of Self-Employment Activity in the United States

Annual data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) are used to highlight the distinct character of self-employment in the United States.Following an outline of the regulatory frameworks in which self-employment takes place and a discussion of the inequalities that flourish in the absence of economic safeguards, the data, which span the period between 1980 and 1992 and are based on the self-employment histories of respondents between the ages of 18 and 60, are described and analyzed. Findings suggest that U.S. self-employment is marked by a duality that mirrors the growing economic polarization in the larger society. On the one hand, self-employment leads to the generation of small firms and relative occupational and financial stability, and on the other hand, unskilled self-employment is the fastest-growing self-employment category.These unskilled positions are often unstable and poorly paid. Results also indicate that men and women whose fathers are self-employed are more likely to enter self-employment.In general, increased educational attainment is related to a greater likelihood of entry into professional self-employment, although the effects of education vary by gender.Although the rate of female self-employment is increasing, men have significantly higher self-employment rates. (SAA)
Strategies and Approaches of Targeting STAT3 for Cancer Treatment.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of genes related to cell cycle, cell survival, and immune response associated with cancer progression and malignancy in a number of cancer types. Once activated, STAT3 forms a homodimer and translocates to the nucleus where it binds DNA promoting the translation of target genes associated with antiapoptosis, angiogenesis, and invasion/migration. In normal cells, levels of activated STAT3 remain transient; however, STAT3 remains constitutively active in approximately 70% of human solid tumors. The pivotal role of STAT3 in tumor progression has promoted a campaign in drug discovery to identify small molecules that disrupt the function of STAT3. A range of approaches have been used to identify novel small molecule inhibitors of STAT3, including high-throughput screening of chemical libraries, computational-based virtual screening, and fragment-based design strategies. The most common approaches ...
Measuring Economic Abuse in the Lives of Survivors Revising the Scale of Economic Abuse

Recent attention has been given by researchers to understanding how abusers use economic abuse strategies. Unfortunately, limited measures are available to accurately understand the prevalence of economic abuse in the lives of survivors. Recently, researchers created the 28-item Scale of Economic Abuse (SEA) but further validation is needed. This article describes the psychometric evaluation of the SEA through confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses using data collected with 120 survivors of abuse. The findings provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the SEA-12 as a shorter instrument to measure economic abuse as a distinct form of abuse.
Nanoscale spectroscopic imaging with photo-induced force microscopy

Photo-induced force microscopy produces images with spectroscopic contrast at nanometer scale resolution. In this presentation, the basic principles of the photo-induced force microscope are described and application examples of this technique are highlighted.
Alterations to chromatin in intestinal macrophages link IL-10 deficiency to inappropriate inflammatory responses

Intestinal macrophages (IMs) are uniquely programmed to tolerate exposure to bacteria without mounting potent inflammatory responses. The cytokine IL-10 maintains the macrophage anti-inflammatory response such that loss of IL-10 results in chronic intestinal inflammation. To investigate how IL-10-deficiency alters IM programming and bacterial tolerance, we studied changes in chromatin accessibility in response to bacteria in macrophages from two distinct niches, the intestine and bone-marrow, from both wild-type and IL-10-deficient (Il10(-/-) ) mice. We identified chromatin accessibility changes associated with bacterial exposure and IL-10 deficiency in both bone marrow derived macrophages and IMs. Surprisingly, Il10(-/-) IMs adopted chromatin and gene expression patterns characteristic of an inflammatory response, even in the absence of bacteria. Further, when recombinant IL-10 was added to Il10(-/-) cells, it could not revert the chromatin landscape to a normal state. Our results demonstrate that IL-10 deficiency results in stable chromatin alterations in macrophages, even in the absence of bacteria. This supports a model in which IL-10-deficiency leads to chromatin alterations that contribute to a loss of IM tolerance to bacteria, which is a primary initiating event in chronic intestinal inflammation.
Clinical Predictors of 30-Day Emergency Department Revisits for Patients with Ureteral Stones.

Purpose: Patients with ureteral stones frequently present to the emergency department for an initial evaluation with pain and/or nausea. However, a subset of these patients subsequently return to the emergency department for additional visits. We sought to identify clinical predictors of emergency department revisits.Materials and Methods: We reviewed emergency department visits at our institution with an ICD-9 diagnosis of urolithiasis and an associated computerized tomography scan between 2010 and 2013. Computerized tomography studies were independently reviewed to confirm stone size and location, and degree of hydronephrosis. The primary outcome was a second emergency department visit within 30 days of the initial visit for reasons related to the stone. Patient characteristics and stone parameters at presentation were recorded. Univariable and multivariable analyses were done to identify factors associated with emergency department revisits.Results: We reviewed the records of 1,510 patients 18 years ol...
Studies on Agromyzidae (Diptera) from The Gangetic Basin. Part III. Descriptions of Seven New Species of Cerodontha rondani

AbstractDescriptions of seven new species of Agromyzidae belonging to the genus Cerodontha Rondani are given.
Venous thromboembolism in patients with hematologic malignancy and thrombocytopenia.

The optimal management of hematologic malignancy-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with moderate-to-severe thrombocytopenia is unclear. This is a retrospective study of 128 adult patients with hematologic malignancies who were diagnosed with VTE. The outcome of patients with significant thrombocytopenia (≤50,000/µL) was compared with those without. Forty-seven patients (36.7%) had a platelet count ≤50,000/µL during a period of time of perceived need for new or continued anticoagulation. The median nadir platelet count in those with significant thrombocytopenia was 10,000/µL (range 2,000-45,000/µL) versus 165,000/µL (50,000-429,000/µL) in those without (P < 0.001). The median duration of significant thrombocytopenia in the first group was 10 days (1-35 days). Therapy during the period of significant thrombocytopenia included prophylactic-dose low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) (47%), therapeutic-dose LMWH or heparin (30%), warfarin (2%), inferior vena cava filter (2%), and observation (17%). Patients without thrombocytopenia were managed with the standard of care therapy. At a median follow-up of more than 2 years, the risk of clinically significant bleeding (11% vs 6%, P = 0.22) including major bleeding (6% vs 2%) and clot progression or recurrence (21% vs 22%, P = 1.00) were similar in patients with or without significant thrombocytopenia. In a multivariate analysis, the risk of recurrence/progression (hazard ratio, HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.21-1.66, P = 0.31) and hemorrhage rate (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.05-1.56, P = 0.15) did not differ based on the presence of significant thrombocytopenia. Within the limits of this retrospective study, cautious use of prophylactic-dose LMWH may be safe in thrombocytopenic patients with hematologic malignancy-associated VTE. Am. J. Hematol. 91:E468-E472, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Motivation is Important in Game-Based Memory Recall:

Motivation has been found to direct our attention across a number of studies. In the literature, this phenomenon is referred to as motivated cognition. The present study seeks to extend the work on...
THE EFFECTS OF HEAD START DURATION ON THE BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCE OF SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

This study examined the influence of Head Start duration on teacher-reported children's approaches to learning, behavioral problems, and cooperative classroom behaviors at the end of kindergarten. Propensity score matching was used to create comparable samples of children who experienced different durations of Head Start. Analysis of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey showed that children who attended 2 years of Head Start showed a higher level of approaches to learning (effect size [ES] = .53), cooperative classroom behaviors (ES = .35), and fewer problematic behaviors (ES = -.43) in kindergarten. The effects of 2 years of attendance of Head Start were most prominent for children raised in families with high-risk factors and for Black children, particularly with improvement in approaches to learning. This finding supports the argument that a longer exposure from an earlier age to a preschool program may contribute to improving school readiness for children from economically disadvantaged families.
Interferometry With ALOS-2 Full-Aperture ScanSAR Data

Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) is designed to routinely acquire both scanning synthetic aperture radar (ScanSAR) and stripmap data. In this paper, we present a special multiband bandpass filter (MBF) to remove azimuth nonoverlap spectra for the interferometric processing of ALOS-2 full-aperture ScanSAR product. As required by the MBF, we estimate the important ScanSAR system parameters and the start times of raw bursts using ALOS-2 full-aperture ScanSAR image. The resulting MBF can remove the nonoverlap spectra caused by both Doppler centroid frequency difference and burst misalignment. It can be used in ScanSAR–ScanSAR interferometry, as well as ScanSAR–stripmap interferometry. Based on the MBF, we propose a single processing workflow that is able to implement both ScanSAR–ScanSAR interferometry and ScanSAR–stripmap interferometry. Finally, we present example interferograms of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal processed using the proposed processing workflow. The interferograms are greatly improved after applying the MBF to remove the significant amount of nonoverlap spectra in the data.
Using matrix population models to inform biological control management of the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus

Abstract Demographic models are a powerful means of identifying vulnerable life stages of pest species and assessing the potential effectiveness of various management approaches in reducing pest population growth and spread. In a biological control context, such models can be used to focus foreign exploration or conservation efforts on enemies that attack life stages identified to have the greatest impact, and determine target levels of predation or parasitism that would be necessary to suppress population growth. In this study, we constructed a matrix population model to assess the potential effectiveness of biological controls against the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus , a major pest of wheat in North America. We calculated the sensitivity of C. cinctus population growth to changes in stage-specific survivorship, to identify the stage at which parasitoid attack would have the largest impact on pest population growth. We also calculated the stage-specific rate of mortality needed to reduce C. cinctus population growth rate to zero, to set targets for conservation biological control approaches. Our model indicates that C. cinctus populations are growing (λ = 1.022), and are predicted to triple in a year in the absence of added control measures. The winter larval stage had the highest elasticities, suggesting this stage is the weakest link in the pest life-cycle, in part reflecting the much longer average duration of the winter compared with the summer larval stage (45 versus 5 weeks). Parasitism levels by native Bracon spp. parasitoids necessary to suppress C. cinctus population growth were the same for summer and overwintering stages (68%). These target parasitism levels far exceeded those typically observed in the field, and conservation measures employed to date suggest that single actions do not bolster parasitism to target thresholds. Thus multiple conservation measures (e.g. reduced tillage, increased cutting height and the provisioning of floral resources) will likely need to be complemented by other management approaches (e.g., host plant resistance), to suppress C. cinctus populations. Our results reinforce previous work demonstrating the utility of matrix models for evaluating the potential efficacy of biological control agents, and further illustrates how they can be used to evaluate, and set targets for, conservation management approaches using specific natural enemies.
“I'm very Good at and maybe that's Why I'm Center Stage…”: Pronominal Deixis and Trump

Researchers have noted that when delivering speeches, politicians tend to evoke solidarity through the use of linguistic forms such as personal pronouns. This article presents an analysis of pronominal choices (e.g., person deixis I, you, we, they ) issued by Donald Trump during 10 presentations (e.g., town halls, victory speeches). The study uses a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework in analyzing his speeches using mixed methods. The findings suggest that redundant uses and shifts in deitic expressions were employed as persuasive tools to identify, garner support, and polarize audiences.
FSEM: Functional Structural Equation Models for Twin Functional Data

The aim of this article is to develop a novel class of functional structural equation models (FSEMs) for dissecting functional genetic and environmental effects on twin functional data, while chara...
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Clinical Correlates and Impact on Psychosocial Treatment Outcomes.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in childhood is not well documented, especially among youth with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). The current study evaluated prevalence and correlates of NSSI, and its impact on intervention response, in a randomized trial of Child- and Family-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CFF-CBT) versus Treatment As Usual (TAU), adjunctive to pharmacotherapy. This study included 72 children ages 7–13 (58% male) with PBD. NSSI and correlates were assessed at baseline; mood and psychiatric severity were measured longitudinally. NSSI was common: 31% endorsed NSSI behaviors; 10% reported thoughts of NSSI, in the absence of behaviors. Children engaging in NSSI reported higher depression, psychosis, suicidality, and hopelessness; lower self-esteem; and reduced family help-seeking in univariate analyses. In a multivariate logistic regression, high child depression and psychosis, and low family help-seeking, remained significantly associated with baseline NSSI. In mixed-effects regression models, presence of NSSI at baseline did not influence the response of depressive symptoms to treatment. Children who endorsed NSSI experienced steeper response trajectories for psychiatric severity, regardless of treatment group. Youth who denied NSSI showed poorer response to TAU for manic symptoms; mania trajectories in CFF-CBT were similar across youth. Thus, NSSI in PBD is common and associated with impairment. As children might engage in NSSI for different reasons, the function of NSSI should be considered in treatment. Since children without NSSI fared worse in TAU, it may be important to ensure that youth with PBD receive structured, intensive interventions. CFF-CBT was efficacious regardless of NSSI, and thus shows promise for high-risk children with PBD.
STUTTGART: The Zoological Collections of the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History

Emerging from the sixteenth century “Cabinet of Arts and Natural Curiosities” of the Dukes of Wurttemberg, the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History (SMNS) ranks among the oldest and most prominent natural history museums in Europe. With its collections, libraries, laboratories, and other research facilities, the museum comprises two building complexes both with extensive exhibition and storage areas. The permanent exhibitions at Museum Schloss Rosenstein and Museum am Lowentor are tightly interwoven in form and content. Today, the SMNS collections hold more than 12 million specimens and other natural objects as well as numerous associated data on taxonomy, genetics, ecology, and geography. Together these comprehensive records and archives of life on Earth and its history constitute a large-scale research infrastructure used by research scientists and the international community. Characteristic of the SMNS is the tight collaboration between its paleontologists and researchers working on extant fauna.
Usage and performance of bellwether polls for election forecasting

A non-traditional methodology of polling in small areas, called bellwethers, improves the accuracy of forecasts drawn from a large area. Bellwether areas are small government units (such as cities ...
Tackling Uncertainty in US Local Climate Adaptation Planning

Climate adaptation presents some new forms of planning uncertainty. We identified thirteen types of climate change uncertainty and grouped these into four categories. Next, we summarized eleven pla...
Treatment strategies for drug-exposed neonates.

Although the precise dimensions of intrauterine drug exposure are not known, the problem seems to be of major proportions. This article discusses the assessment of neonates bom following intrauterine exposure to opiates, such as heroin and methadone, and cocaine, and other drugs capable of causing either neonatal abstinence or neurotoxicity. Management strategies include use of techniques to optimize neurobehavioral integration and specific pharmacotherapy to clinically stabilize neonates who show moderate to severe symptomatology based on semiobjective, scientifically validated examination of those infants.
Base Belief Change and Optimized Recovery

Optimized Recovery (OR) adds belief base optimization to the traditional Recovery postulate---improving Recovery adherence without sacrificing adherence to the more accepted postulates or to the foundations approach. Reconsideration and belief liberation systems both optimize a knowledge base through consolidation of a chain of base beliefs; and recovered base beliefs are returned to the base. The effects match an iterated revision axiom and show benefits for pre-orders, as well. Any system that can resolve an inconsistent belief base can produce these results.
Cost and Fee Allocation in Civil Procedure

This report considers principles and rules governing costs and fees in civil litigation. The law of costs and fees is a significant factor in the decision whether a commercial dispute will result in litigation. In transboundary cases, legal counsel compare rules of litigation costs in choosing forum and applicable law. Based on reports from 33 countries, the author considers cost shifting mechanisms, the components of three major items of litigation costs (lawyer fees, evidence expenses, court costs), and mechanisms for distributing financial risk (legal aid, litigation insurance, collective actions, success-oriented fees, and third party investment in lawsuits). The report groups systems by regional and culture clusters in detailing the degree to which a regime embraces a loser-pays principle, implements fee shifting caps, or permits judicial discretion in allocating costs and fees. It also notes characteristics of regimes explained by civil versus common law tradition. Lawyer fees for litigation are higher in common law systems and the amount of lawyer fees is more predictable in civil law jurisdictions.
Tuning the Metal-Insulator Transition in N-Type Silicon with a Magnetic Field

Since the classic calculation of Yafet, Keyes, and Adams1 demonstrating the shrinkage of shallow donor wave functions in large static magnetic fields, it has been widely recognized that a magnetic field could be used to tune a metallic sample through the Metal-Insulator (MI) transition. Several experimental groups2–5 have successfully tuned n-type InSb through the MI transition with modest magnetic fields. For InSb it is easy to bring the magnetic length λ=(hc/eH)1/2 to a value much less than the donor Bohr radius (aD *~600A) with reasonable fields since λ=81A (10/H(T.))1/2. One thereby readily achieves the strong field limit (λ<<aD*) for InSb. For n-type Si and Ge the donor Bohr radii are very much smaller (aD*<20A for Si and aD*<47A for Ge) and one remains in the weak field limit (intermediate regime for Ge) for the largest static laboratory fields (H~30T.) available. As a result there have been no reported successful efforts in tuning the MI transition in Si with a magnetic field to compare with the remarkably successful tuning of the critical density Nc for Si :P by Paalanen et al.6 utilizing uniaxial stress. Below some new experimental evidence is presented, for both barely insulating and barely metallic samples, which can be interpreted in terms of tuning of Nc by a large static magnetic field.
Interrogating the sarcoma immune microenvironment (iME) using multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC).

11536Background: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a heterogeneous malignancy including more than 50 molecularly distinct subtypes. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and leiomyosarcoma (LMS) ar...
Edge-on adsorption of multi-chain functional alkanes stabilizes noncovalent monolayers on MoS2

Modified long-chain alkanes are often used to functionalize graphene and MoS2 noncovalently, with the goal of controlling the substrate electronic structure or interactions with the environment. Alkyl chain adsorption enthalpy is lower on MoS2 than on graphite; the decreased molecule-substrate interaction strength suggests utility for monolayer structures that increase stability through other means. Previously, we have found that diyne phospholipid monolayers on HOPG are more stable toward solution processing than monolayers of single-chain amphiphiles. Here, we show that this is also true for assembly on MoS2, but that the additional stability appears to arise from edge-on adsorption, producing monolayers in which alkyl chains form two stacked layers on the substrate.
Impact of chloroform exposures on reproductive and developmental outcomes: A systematic review of the scientific literature.

AIMS We assessed the animal and epidemiological data to determine if chloroform exposure causes developmental and/or reproductive toxicity. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Initial scoping identified developmental toxicity as the primary area of concern. At levels producing maternal toxicity in rats and mice, chloroform caused decrements in fetal weights and associated delays in ossification. In a single mouse inhalation study, exposure to a high concentration of chloroform was associated with small fetuses and increased cleft palate. However, oral exposure of mice to chloroform at a dose 4 times higher was negative for cleft palate; multiple inhalation studies in rats were also negative. Epidemiologic data on low birth weight and small for gestational age were generally equivocal, preventing conclusions from being drawn for humans. The animal data also show evidence of very early (peri-implantation) total litter losses at very high exposure levels. This effect is likely maternally mediated rather than a direct effect on the offspring. Finally, the epidemiologic data indicate a possible association of higher chloroform exposure with lower risk of preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation). CONCLUSIONS The available animal data suggest that exposures lower than those causing maternal toxicity should be without developmental effects in the offspring. Also, most studies in humans rely on group-level geographic exposure data, providing only weak epidemiologic evidence for an association with development outcomes and fail to establish a causal role for chloroform in the induction of adverse developmental outcomes at environmentally relevant concentrations.
The New One-Drop Rule: Challenging the Persistence of White Supremacy with In-Service Teachers.

The one-drop rule refers to the process of being racialized Black when someone contains any amount of Black ancestry, i.e. one drop of Black blood. In this article, I use what I call ‘the new one-d...
Incorporating Attitudinal Factors to Examine Adoption of and Willingness to Pay for Autonomous Vehicles

Results from a recent consumer survey were thoroughly analyzed in relation to willingness to adopt and willingness to pay (WTP) for different autonomous vehicle (AV) features. Four different levels...
The Joint Effect of Aging and HIV Infection on Microstructure of White Matter Bundles

Recent evidence suggests the aging process is accelerated by HIV. Degradation of white matter (WM) has been independently associated with HIV and healthy aging. Thus, WM may be vulnerable to joint effects of HIV and aging. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was conducted with HIV-seropositive (n = 72) and HIV-seronegative (n = 34) adults. DWI data underwent tractography, which was parcellated into 18 WM tracts of interest (TOIs). Functional Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Tract Statistics (FADTTS) regression was conducted assessing the joint effect of advanced age and HIV on fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) along TOI fibers. In addition to main effects of age and HIV on WM microstructure, the interactive effect of age and HIV was significantly related to lower FA and higher MD, AD, and RD across all TOIs. The location of findings was consistent with the clinical presentation of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. While older age is related to poorer WM microstructure, its detrimental effect on WM is stronger among HIV+ relative to HIV- individuals. Loss of WM integrity in the context of advancing age may place HIV+ individuals at increased risk for brain and cognitive compromise.
Care Management Theories versus Realities in Health Care

Mixed evidence of care management effectiveness raises questions about how these services are provided in practice. This study evaluates care management in nine provider settings using elements fro...
Association of Longitudinal Change in High-Sensitivity Troponin with All-Cause Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease: The Heart and Soul Study.

BACKGROUND Serial increases in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTnT) have been associated with death in community-dwelling adults, but the association remains uninvestigated in those with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS We measured hs-cTnT at baseline and after 5 years in 635 ambulatory Heart and Soul Study patients with CAD. We also performed echocardiography at rest and after treadmill exercise at baseline and after 5 years. Participants were subsequently followed for the outcome of death. We used a multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate the association between 5-year change in hs-cTnT and subsequent all-cause mortality. RESULTS Of the 635 subjects, there were 386 participants (61%) who had an increase in hs-cTnT levels between baseline and year 5 measurements (median increase 5.6 pg/mL, IQR 3.2-9.9 pg/mL). There were 182 deaths after a mean 4.2-year follow-up after the year 5 visit. After adjusting for clinical variables, a >50% increase in hs-cTnT between baseline and year 5 was associated with a nearly 2-fold increased risk of death from any cause (hazard ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.7). When addition of year 5 hs-cTnT was compared to a model including clinical variables and baseline hs-cTnT, there was a modest but statistically significant increase in C-statistic from 0.82 to 0.83 (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION In ambulatory patients with CAD, serial increases in hs-cTnT over time are associated with an increased risk of death.
MY COVID-19 DIARY

Written in weekly instalments, Michelle Munyikwa's Covid-19 diary reflects upon the experience of an unfolding pandemic from her dual role as a medical trainee and anthropologist living in the United States. Her observations centre on everyday encounters with scenes or objects that reflect the growing crisis, from the absence of masks outside patient rooms to emergent forms of care through telemedicine. The diary follows the author as she experiences grief, ambivalence and disorientation in the first weeks of the pandemic.
Choose Your Own Adventure: Fabrication of Monolithic All-Perovskite Tandem Photovoltaics

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have transfixed the photovoltaic (PV) community due to their outstanding and tunable optoelectronic properties coupled to demonstrations of high-power conversion efficiencies (PCE) at a range of bandgaps. This has motivated the field to push perovskites to reach the highest possible performance. One way to increase the efficiency is by fabricating multijunction solar cells, which can split the solar spectrum, reducing thermalization loss. Low-cost all-perovskite tandems have a real chance to soon exceed 30% PCE, which could transform the PV industry. Achieving this goal requires the identification of perovskite sub-cells that are both highly efficient and can be effectively integrated. Herein, it is discussed how to navigate the multiple-choice adventure in choosing between the myriad of options and considerations present when deciding what perovskite materials, contact layers, and processing tools to use. Some of the potential fabrication pitfalls often encountered in MHP based tandem PVs are highlighted, so that they can hopefully be avoided in the future.
Comparative in vivo activity of human-simulated plasma and epithelial lining fluid exposures of WCK 5222 (cefepime/zidebactam) against KPC- and OXA-48-like-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in the neutropenic murine pneumonia model.

Objectives This was a comparative assessment of WCK 5222 (cefepime/zidebactam 2/1 g as a 1 h infusion every 8 h) efficacy using human-simulated plasma and ELF exposures against serine-carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in the neutropenic murine pneumonia model. Methods Ten clinical isolates were utilized: eight were serine-carbapenemase-producing (KPC, n = 4; OXA-48-like, n = 4) Enterobacterales with WCK 5222 MICs (1:1) ranging from 1 to 4 mg/L; and two were previously studied MDR isolates serving as quality controls. Lungs of mice were inoculated with 50 μL of 107 cfu/mL. Treatment mice received human-simulated regimens of cefepime, zidebactam or WCK 5222 derived from plasma or epithelial lining fluid (ELF) profiles obtained from healthy subjects. Lung bacterial densities resulting from the humanized exposures in plasma and ELF were compared. Results Initial lung bacterial densities ranged from 6.06 to 6.87 log10 cfu/lungs, with a mean bacterial burden increase to 9.06 ± 0.42 after 24 h. Human-simulated plasma and ELF exposures of cefepime and zidebactam monotherapy had no activity. Human-simulated WCK 5222 plasma exposures resulted in a >1 log10 cfu/lungs reduction in bacterial burden for all isolates. Humanized WCK 5222 ELF exposures achieved a >1 log10 cfu/lungs reduction for all isolates. While statistically significant differences in bacterial burden reduction were observed between the plasma and ELF exposures for WCK 5222 in 5/8 isolates, all treatments achieved the translational kill target of a >1 log10 cfu reduction. Conclusions Clinically achievable WCK 5222 plasma and ELF exposures produced in vivo killing of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales in the neutropenic murine pneumonia model that is predictive of efficacy in humans.
Arterial vasodilation drives convective fluid flow in the brain: a poroelastic model

The movement of fluid into, through, and out of the brain plays an important role in clearing metabolic waste. However, there is controversy regarding the mechanisms driving fluid movement, and whether the movement metabolic waste is primarily driven by diffusion or convection. The dilation of penetrating arterioles in the brain in response to increases in neural activity (neurovascular coupling) is an attractive candidate for driving fluid circulation, as it drives deformation of the brain tissue and of the paravascular space around arteries, resulting in fluid movement. We simulated the effects of vasodilation on fluid movement into and out of the brain using a novel poroelastic model of brain tissue. We found that arteriolar dilations could drive convective flow through the brain radially outward from the arteriole, and that this flow is sensitive to the dynamics of the dilation. Simulations of sleep-like conditions, with larger vasodilations and increased extracellular volume in the brain showed enhanced movement of fluid from the paravascular space into the brain. Our simulations suggest that both sensory-evoked and sleep-related arteriolar dilations can drive convective flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the paravascular space into the brain tissue around arterioles.
Residential time-of-use pricing as a load management strategy

Abstract Innovative electricity pricing is increasingly used as a load management strategy by Western utilities. The most common type fall into the general class of time-of-use (TOU) tariffs, which are used alone or in conjunction with other demand-side programmes for load management: to shave peak load and/or shift load from peak to offpeak periods. Although they are more widely applied to higher-voltage users, TOU tariffs have proven to be cost-effective for certain types of residential loads. This paper addresses TOU pricing and the residential sector, discussing customer response to the tariffs, costeffectiveness, and applicability for implementation by utilities outside of the industrialized world.
Seeing is not believing: cognitive bias and modelling in collaborative planning

Planners making groundwater plans often use scientific hydrological forecasts to estimate long term the risk of water depletion. We study a group of Chicago planners and stakeholders who learned to use and helped develop agent-based models (ABM) of coupled land-use change and groundwater flow, to explore the effects of resource use and policy on future groundwater availability. Using discourse analysis, we found planners learned to play with the ABM to judge complex interaction effects. The simulation results challenged prior policy commitments, and instead of reconsidering those commitments to achieve sustainability, participants set aside the ABM and the lessons learned with them. Visualizing patterns of objections and agreements in the dialogue enabled us to chart how clusters of participants gradually learned to grasp and interpret the simulated effects of individual and policy decisions even as they struggled to incorporate them into their deliberations.
Is π Normal

The nature of the number π has intrigued mathematicians since the beginning of mathematical history. The most important properties of π are its irrationality and transcendence, which were established in 1761 and 1882, respectively. In the twentieth century the focus has been on a different sort of question, namely whether π, despite being irrational and transcendental, is normal.
Incentives Versus Standards: Properties of Accounting Income in Four East Asian Countries, and Implications for Acceptance of IAS

The East Asian countries of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand provide a rare opportunity to study the interaction between the accounting standards under which financial statements are prepared and the incentives of managers and auditors who prepare them. Their accounting standards are largely derived from common law sources [UK, US and International Accounting Standards (IAS)], which are widely viewed as higher quality than code law standards. However, economic and political influences on preparers' incentives predict low quality financial reporting. We show that reported earnings in these countries generally are no higher in quality than in code law countries. We define quality as timeliness in incorporating economic income (particularly economic losses). Countries frequently are classified in terms of accounting standards, or standard-setting institutions. Examples include international accounting literature and texts; compilation of transparency indexes; advocacy of financial reporting reform; and advocacy of International Accounting Standards (IAS). Our results imply this is incomplete and misleading without adequate consideration of preparer incentives.
Endovascular retrieval of an irrigation cannula from the thoracic aorta following cardiac surgery: A case report

Abstract Introduction Endovascular techniques to retrieve intravascular foreign bodies are a necessary component of the Vascular surgeon's skill set. We report the successful retrieval of an embolized irrigation cannula from the thoracic aorta following aortic valve replacement. Presentation of case The patient is an 81 year old male who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement. Prior to closure, the aortotomy was irrigated with heparinized saline using a syringe with an olive tip irrigation cannula. When the syringe was handed back to the nursing staff, the tip was noted to be missing but could not be found. Prior to closure of the sternum, the field was searched again for the tip and thus the chest was closed. The missing instrument then prompted an intraoperative chest radiograph that demonstrated a metal irrigation cannula superimposed on the cardiac silhouette. Additionally, a transesophageal echocardiogram was performed, which demonstrated the irrigation cannula within the descending thoracic aorta. Right common femoral artery was accessed and a thoracic aortogram was performed demonstrating the cannula to be lodged in the descending thoracic aorta. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed to exclude an aortic abnormality preventing the caudad migration of the cannula. No aortic pathology was identified. A tri-lobed snare was used to grasp the cannula at its tip and withdrawn into the right external iliac artery. The cannula was successfully removed through a transverse arteriotomy in the distal right external iliac artery. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Conclusion Endovascular retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies is minimally invasive, relatively simple, and carries minimal morbidity compared to conventional open surgical techniques. This unusual case demonstrates the importance of a working knowledge of techniques and instruments requisite for retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies
On the assessment and use of cross-national income inequality datasets

Researchers should ensure the data they employ are fit for their purpose, and they should maximize the quality of the data they choose. In this paper, I review how this advice applies to broadly cross-national research on income inequality. I demonstrate that the guidance offered in Jenkins (J. Econ. Inequal., 2015) to those pursuing cross-national research runs completely counter to the recommendations found in Atkinson and Brandolini (J. Econ. Lit. 39(3), 771–799, 2001, 2009), the source of the aforementioned advice and the works upon which Jenkins (J. Econ. Inequal., 2015) claims its own is based. I then show how the Standardized World Income Inequality Database (SWIID) incorporates Atkinson and Brandolini’s recommendations to provide the most comparable data available for those engaged in broadly cross-national research on income inequality.
New languages for numerical software

Existing languages for numerical software are not altogether satisfactory. Fortran, even preprocessed, has troublesome limitations. Unfortunately, proposed replacements have been discouragingly large, or omit essential features like variably dimensioned arrays and Fortran compatibility.A new language has been designed to include such crucial features, but otherwise be as small as possible. This language, called T, includes: indention to indicate block structure, novel loop syntax, and engineering format for real constants. By preprocessing into PL/I, implementation cost was kept low.But this language can only be regarded as a stopgap. The next step is to deal with more fundamental issues, by more fully exploiting arrays, by making pointers available in a controlled way, and by arranging for better declaration and syntax for using subroutine libraries.
Cardiac Myxoma Causing Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Pediatric Patient and a Review of Literature

Abstract Background Ischemic stroke in the pediatric population is a rare occurrence, and its possible causes span a wide differential that includes atrial myxomas. Myxomas are friable cardiac tumors that produce "showers" of emboli resulting in transient neurological deficits, cutaneous eruptions, and ophthalmologic deficits. Patient We present an 11-year-old boy with a months-long history of an intermittent spotted "rash" who presented with acute ischemic stroke caused by a left atrial myxoma. We also review clinical features in all 16 other cases of cardiac myxoma causing pediatric stroke reported in the literature. Results Our case, along with the review of the literature, highlights the fact that myxomas often initially present as stroke with acute hemiplegia and transient cutaneous eruptions due to fragmentation of the tumor. Conclusions Cardiac myxoma should be considered in any child presenting with ischemic stroke, and transient skin findings may provide an important diagnostic clue prior to onset of neurological symptoms.
Crack propagation in piezoelectric ceramics under pure mechanical loading

Abstract The crack propagation behavior in piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics is studied. The crack propagation in piezoelectric ceramics under pure mechanical loading is considered in which a mode I mechanical loading is applied by means of Vickers indentation. Anisotropy in crack propagation is characterized by measuring the length of cracks in two mutually orthogonal directions. Residual stresses in the PZT are also characterized by an indentation technique. The results indicate that as-fired and unpoled piezoelectric ceramics are isotropic in properties and under compressive state of residual stress. Poling introduces an anisotropy in crack propagation and changes the residual stress state. A compressive state of residual stress in the poling direction and a tensile stress state perpendicular to the poling direction are measured. This change in the residual stress state is related to the 90° domain reorientation and associated dimensional change induced by the applied electric fields...
Patterning of the mammalian kidney

The mature mammalian kidney is composed of thousands to hundreds of thousands of nephrons, the basic functional unit responsible for physiologic control of water/salt balance and the removal of toxic bioproducts of metabolism from the body. The nephron is a composite structure composed of a highly organized, physiologically regionalized tubular epithelium, the renal tubule, a vascular supply and an epithelial collecting duct system that removes urine from the kidney. Our principal interest lies in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the formation and patterning of the renal tubule. I will discuss recent data that highlight the importance of Wnt signaling in the regulation of a mesenchymal-to-epithelium transition that generates the renal vesicle, the primordium of the renal tubule. I will also describe a new effort we have launched, the Kidney Molecular Atlas Project (KMAP) that is aimed to provide a resource for the community. We propose to map in detail the expression of all transcriptional regulators, signaling factors, and their receptors in the developing mouse kidney to provide a detailed molecular anatomy of kidney development. Further, we will generate a number of novel transgenic strains to clarify the relationships among cell populations in the developing kidney and to facilitate rapid genetic manipulations in specific cell populations.
Immunologic enhancement of experimental metastasis in the rat.

Using a series of immunologically cross-reactive metastatic tumor variants, we demonstrate that serum from animals bearing pulmonary tumor colonies possesses enhancing properties in the experimental metastasis (lung colony) assay. Enhancement is produced by chronic serum administration and promotes the growth of tumor cells arrested in the lungs which would not otherwise proliferate to form grossly detectable lung nodules. Tumor-bearer serum from animals with lung colonies derived from the most highly metastatic variant examined is shown to possess enhancing properties in both BD-IX(H-1d) and BD-IV(H-1d) rat strains, while tumor-bearer serum from animals with lung colonies derived from the less metastatic parent tumor cell line possesses enhancing properties in the BD-IX rat strain only. Removal of immunoglobulin from enhancing serum by affinity column chromatography simultaneously removes the enhancing factor(s), and enhancing activity correlates with the presence of increased levels of Clq-binding immune complexes in the serum. Serum levels of immune complexes are shown to be more elevated in serum from animals bearing lung colonies derived from the most highly metastatic variant. The enhancing moieties are shown to bind to concanavalin A, but not to staphylococcal protein A, and the active fraction elutes from concanavalin A-Sepharose with α-methyl-mannoside. Consideration of immunoprecipitation studies on whole and fractionated enhancing sera, along with studies on affinity purified isotype fractions reveals that the activity resides with antibodies of IgG2b subclass.
The role of fear of crime in donating and volunteering: a gendered analysis

Extensive empirical studies have established that women fear crime more than men and theoretical arguments have suggested this difference produces consequences ranging from increased medical and ps...