cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Method for Automatic Detection of Psychomotor Entrainment

Group interaction is an important aspect of human social behavior. During some group events, the activities performed by each group member continually influence the activities of others. This process of influence can lead to synchronized group activity, or the entrainment of the group. Understanding entrainment is important, because it can be a critical behavioral indicator of group cohesiveness, and can provide context for accurately understanding a group's affective behavior. In this paper, we present a novel method to automatically detect group psychomotor entrainment, which takes multiple types of discrete, task-level events into consideration. We experimentally validated the method on two synchronous rhythmic activities, “the cup game” and a marching task. We also compared its accuracy against two alternate synchrony detection methods in the literature. The results suggest our method can successfully measure group psychomotor entrainment, and is more accurate compared to other methods. This method will be useful to researchers interested in quantitatively and automatically measuring entrainment, and can also provide insight into understanding how groups interact socially.
Multimedia content creation using global network cameras: The making of CAM2

Mobile systems (smartphones and tablets) have become a major channel for consuming and creating multimedia content. Almost half of video-on-demand is watched on mobile systems. Many people use their mobile systems to capture video, and edit, upload, and share content. Using mobile systems to capture video, however, is restricted to users' locations. We believe that the global network cameras could change how multimedia is consumed and created. For example, a traveler may use network cameras to obtain live views of the destination. These cameras can also be rich sources for creating multimedia content — even though the content creator has never visited the locations. This paper presents a system that can retrieve visual data (images or videos) from more than 70,000 network cameras. A user may select cameras and set times for recording the data. It would be possible to make personalized contents around the world without visiting these locations. The paper explains how such a system may provide new opportunities for mobile users and in multimedia creation. The paper also describes some problems that must be solved before the system can be practically deployed.
Electronic Structure Boundary Value Problems Without All of the Atoms

A mixed atomistic/continuum technique, in the spirit of the quasicontinuum method, is formulated and used to solve boundary value problems in strained semiconductor structures in which the mechanical fields and the local electronic structure are fully coupled. The technique is implemented by means of a standard structural mechanics finite element package. Within each element in the mesh, tight binding calculations are made for mechanical properties based on the local electronic structure. The finite element program calculates equilibrium mechanical fields based on this atom-istic constitutive information; the underlying electronic properties can then be extracted at the element level. The technique is demonstrated by examining several simple plane strain boundary value problems for coherently strained silicon.
Tilt near an earthquake (ML = 4.3), Briones Hills, California

Three years of continuous records of surface tilt preceding a moderate earthquake (ML = 4.3) on January 8, 1977, have been obtained at a point 5.5 km from the earthquake epicenter. A possible short-term percursive tilt to the southwest started December 18, 1976 and reached a maximum amplitude of 2 /~radians relative to the tilt trend at this time. Other changes of this amplitude are evident, however, in the 3-year record. The sense of tilt changed abruptly following the earthquake, gradually returning to the general tilt trend. A substantial postseismic tilt of 10 /~rad~ans is consistent with aseismic slip of the Hayward fault, or on any of several other faults local to the tiltmeter in this region. The data are insufficient to discriminate between these possibilities, and accompanying surface displacements are apparently too small to be detected in the geodetic records. Short-term accelerated tilting just preceding the seismic events, as proposed by Wood and Allen (1971), are not apparent in these data. An observed coseismic tilt step of 0.14 #radians does not agree with that expected from current fault-failure models.
Analysis of public awareness rate and risk factors of key tuberculosis messages in Jiangxi province

【Objectives】 To understand the current status of awareness rate of tuberculosis and its risk factors,to provide baseline data for impacting health education and health promotion on tuberculosis control and prevention.【Methods】 One-on-one interview with questionnaire was carried out in 8 105 residents in the 5th tuberculosis epidemiology survey districts which were chosen by purposive sampling on awareness rate and risk factors of tuberculosis.Univariate analysis and multiple linear regressions were used to determine factors associated with tuberculosis messages score.【Results】 The public awareness rate of key tuberculosis messages was 63.9%,26.7% of respondents gave correct respondent to all the five key messages.Key tuberculosis messages scores were associated with age,distribution of rural and urban,gender and tuberculosis medical history.And distribution of rural and urban(β'=-0.332,P 0.05),age(β'=-0.236,P 0.05) were the most important risk factors on score.【Conclusion】 The awareness rate of key tuberculosis messages was lower in Jiangxi Province.It is necessary to impetus health education on elders,women and in urban.
Estrous cycle and ovarian changes in a rat mammary carcinogenesis model after irradiation, tamoxifen chemoprevention, and aging.

Purpose Variation in the effects of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) on the estrous cycle and reproductive organs during aging could play an important role in the observed heterogeneity of tamoxifen chemoprevention efficacy against breast cancer. Methods Of the 1,022 female Sprague Dawley rats enrolled in a long-term tamoxifen chemoprevention study, 87 were randomly chosen from four groups (irradiated, irradiated and tamoxifen treated, tamoxifen treated, and control). Vaginal smears were evaluated for determination of cycle stage, and vaginal pathologic changes. Correlation with the histologic features of reproductive tissues in 43 animals was made. Results More tamoxifen-treated (21.9%; 7/32) rats had irregular cycling than did control (9%; 3/23) rats. Ovarian granulosa cell hyperplasia was present in 50% (3/6) of tamoxifen-treated rats, and 20% (2/10) of control rats. Endometrial-type cells (ETCs) were present only in tamoxifen-treated (tamoxifen alone 6.25% [2/32]) and tamoxifen/ radiation-treated (28.6% [4/14]) rats. Conclusion The modified Papanicolaou stain used here provided excellent morphologic detail for evaluating the estrous cycle in rodents. Tamoxifen altered vaginal cytologic and ovarian histologic features during aging. Results indicated that tamoxifen had direct and indirect effects on the reproductive tract, causing disturbance of the estrous cycle, shedding of ETCs, and promoting granulosa cell hyperplasia. Understanding of the heterogeneous response to tamoxifen chemoprevention during aging in rodents may provide important insights into the basis for tamoxifen chemoprevention failures in humans.
Workplace Violence in Health Care--It's Not "Part of the Job".

ImportanceWhile health care workers comprise just 13% of the US workforce, they experience 60% of all workplace assaults. This violence is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury. Women comprise 45% of the US labor force but 80% of health care workers, the highest proportion of females
Cyclic di-AMP Released from Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Induces a Macrophage Type I Interferon Response.

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of community- and nosocomial-acquired infections, with a propensity for biofilm formation. S. aureus biofilms actively skew the host immune response toward an anti-inflammatory state; however, the biofilm effector molecules and the mechanism(s) of action responsible for this phenomenon remain to be fully defined. The essential bacterial second messenger cyclic diadenylate monophosphate (c-di-AMP) is an emerging pathogen-associated molecular pattern during intracellular bacterial infections, as c-di-AMP secretion into the infected host cytosol induces a robust type I interferon (IFN) response. Type I IFNs have the potential to exacerbate infectious outcomes by promoting anti-inflammatory effects; however, the type I IFN response to S. aureus biofilms is unknown. Additionally, while several intracellular proteins function as c-di-AMP receptors in S. aureus, it has yet to be determined if any extracellular role for c-di-AMP exists and its release during biofilm formation has not yet been demonstrated. This study examined the possibility that c-di-AMP released during S. aureus biofilm growth polarizes macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype via type I interferon signaling. DacA, the enzyme responsible for c-di-AMP synthesis in S. aureus, was highly expressed during biofilm growth, and 30 to 50% of total c-di-AMP produced from S. aureus biofilm was released extracellularly due to autolytic activity. S. aureus biofilm c-di-AMP release induced macrophage type I IFN expression via a STING-dependent pathway and promoted S. aureus intracellular survival in macrophages. These findings identify c-di-AMP as another mechanism for how S. aureus biofilms promote macrophage anti-inflammatory activity, which likely contributes to biofilm persistence.
Boosting spectrum-based fault localization using PageRank

Manual debugging is notoriously tedious and time consuming. Therefore, various automated fault localization techniques have been proposed to help with manual debugging. Among the existing fault localization techniques, spectrum-based fault localization (SBFL) is one of the most widely studied techniques due to being lightweight. A focus of existing SBFL techniques is to consider how to differentiate program source code entities (i.e., one dimension in program spectra); indeed, this focus is aligned with the ultimate goal of finding the faulty lines of code. Our key insight is to enhance existing SBFL techniques by additionally considering how to differentiate tests (i.e., the other dimension in program spectra), which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been studied in prior work. We present PRFL, a lightweight technique that boosts spectrum-based fault localization by differentiating tests using PageRank algorithm. Given the original program spectrum information, PRFL uses PageRank to recompute the spectrum information by considering the contributions of different tests. Then, traditional SBFL techniques can be applied on the recomputed spectrum information to achieve more effective fault localization. Although simple and lightweight, PRFL has been demonstrated to outperform state-of-the-art SBFL techniques significantly (e.g., ranking 42% more real faults within Top-1 compared with the most effective traditional SBFL technique) with low overhead (e.g., around 2 minute average extra overhead on real faults) on 357 real faults from 5 Defects4J projects and 30692 artificial (i.e., mutation) faults from 87 GitHub projects, demonstrating a promising future for considering the contributions of different tests during fault localization.
Successful stepdown treatment of pulmonary histoplasmosis with thrice-weekly liposomal amphotericin B in a hospital-associated, outpatient infusion centre: A case report.

SummaryWhat is known and objective Amphotericin is the preferred treatment for pulmonary histoplasmosis during pregnancy. The long half-life of amphotericin supports less than daily administration. Case summary A 28-year-old pregnant woman diagnosed with recurrent pulmonary histoplasmosis was initiated on liposomal amphotericin 250 mg (4 mg/kg) intravenously daily. After 2 weeks, the patient was discharged and successfully received 250 mg thrice weekly at a hospital-associated outpatient infusion centre. After 6 weeks of outpatient treatment, a chest X-ray demonstrated no remaining disease and therapy was discontinued. What is new and conclusion Administration of thrice-weekly liposomal amphotericin in a hospital-associated, outpatient infusion centre may be a promising option for stepdown treatment in patients unable to take itraconazole.
Gamification and The Design of Badges in Relation to Educational Achievement

Engaging students in learning has always been a difficult task for teachers. Gamification of education through badges is a new method for promoting student engagement that is quickly gaining popularity. For badges to effectively increase student engagement and reflect student learning, it is important to show different skills clearly, show the goals required to earn badges, have the ability to show the badges conveniently, and ensure that these badges can be used as valid representations of student skills. The literature reports that well-designed badges and badge systems promote self-regulated learning, increase quality of work, and provides multiple paths for education. Badges also were shown to promote teamwork, public displays of achievements, and provide more convenient but still valid ways of showing a student’s complete skill set. However, more research is required to go further in-depth on the design of badge systems to maximize their potential to promote motivational learning.
Leveraging Card-Based Collaborative Activities as Culturally Situated Design Tools

This paper describes two examples of virtual card games serving as Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs) for young people. CSDTs have promise in helping people to learn by connecting principles from computing with aspects of their heritage or gender. The development and deployment of card games on two cutting-edge platforms (mobile devices and multitouch tables) revealed novel ways to display information to users and important lessons for deploying them to young people.
Keeping reptiles and amphibians as pets: challenges and rewards

Reptiles and amphibians are, for many of us, the most fascinating animals on earth, with morphological, physiological, reproductive, behavioural and life style diversity far beyond anything found in mammals and birds, the typical focus of veterinary research and practice. When I started my career in reptile behaviour there was comparatively little interest in reptiles and amphibians in ethology, comparative psychology or veterinary medicine. This has changed dramatically in the last few decades due to several factors. Herptiles have become increasingly popular in the pet trade. While hatchling turtles and green anoles were an ever present dime store item, at least in the 1940s and 1950s when I came of age, they were cheap, disposable and the suggested housing and diet horrendous. Most died. I still remember when green anoles (chameleons) were sold at state fairs and other events harnessed to pins to be worn as living jewelry! Green iguanas were the first breakout pet species in the 1970s and since then there has been no looking back as they were overtaken in popularity by bearded dragons, ball pythons, boa constrictors, designer snakes of all types, tortoises and exotic salamanders and frogs. A second factor was the increased captive breeding of herptiles of major groups for the pet trade, as well as the meat and skin markets. They were often promoted as cash crops to wean people off exploiting locally threatened populations, including breeding farms for green iguanas in Central America. Such agribusiness raises health, reproduction and genetic concerns as overcrowding, nutritional deficiencies and domestication take place. Slaughter (for meat and skins), shipping and trafficking of both wild-caught and captive-reared animals often involve suffering due both to greed and ignorance of the psychological traits of animals to which crude anthropomorphism cannot be easily applied. Ignorance towards animals’ behaviour is thus a …
Blood Plasma Levels of Volatile Chlorinated Solvents and Metabolites in Occupationally Exposed Workers

Blood samples from 157 employees of two metal-working plants which make extensive use of degreasing solvents like trichloroethylene (TRI), tetra-chloroethylene (TETRA), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-) were analyzed for solvent content as well as total chloroform (CHCl3; underived plus derived) level. At one plant where an air contamination problem was suspected, 85% of the workers had trace (less than 1 ppb) to quantifiable amounts of one or more of the above mentioned solvents and total chloroform levels up to 2000 parts per billion (2 ppm). The average chloroform value for this group was 190 ppb, almost eight times the currently accepted value for the general population of Dade County, Florida. When the circulating CHCl3 was divided into underived and derived components by a mass-spectrometric technique, it was determined that between 75% and 90% of the chloroform was being derived from a precursor, presumably trichloroacetic acid (TCA), a known metabolite of both trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. A few residents living several miles from the plant of concern were sampled and found to have total chloroform levels similar to those found for many of the inhabitants of Dade County.
NMR Spectroscopy in Glass Science: A Review of the Elements

The study of inorganic glass structure is critically important for basic glass science and especially the commercial development of glasses for a variety of technological uses. One of the best means by which to achieve this understanding is through application of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which has a long and interesting history. This technique is element specific, but highly complex, and thus, one of the many inquiries made by non-NMR specialists working in glass science is what type of information and which elements can be studied by this method. This review presents a summary of the different elements that are amenable to the study of glasses by NMR spectroscopy and provides examples of the type of atomic level structural information that can be achieved. It serves to inform the non-specialist working in glass science and technology about some of the benefits and challenges involved in the study of inorganic glass structure using modern, readily-available NMR methods.
Retrospective Attention in Short-Term Memory Has a Lasting Effect on Long-Term Memory Across Age.

Objectives Declines in both short- and long-term memory are typical of healthy aging. Recent findings suggest that retrodictive attentional cues ("retro-cues") that indicate the location of to-be-probed items in short-term memory (STM) have a lasting impact on long-term memory (LTM) performance in young adults. Whether older adults can also use retro-cues to facilitate both STM and LTM is unknown. Method Young and older adults performed a visual STM task in which spatially informative retro-cues or noninformative neutral-cues were presented during STM maintenance of real-world objects. We tested participants' memory at both STM and LTM delays for objects that were previously cued with retrodictive or neutral-cues during STM order to measure the lasting impact of retrospective attention on LTM. Results Older adults showed reduced STM and LTM capacity compared to young adults. However, they showed similar magnitude retro-cue memory benefits as young adults at both STM and LTM delays. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate whether retro-cues in STM facilitate the encoding of objects into LTM such that they are more likely to be subsequently retrieved by older adults. Our results support the idea that retrospective attention can be an effective means by which older adults can improve their STM and LTM performance, even in the context of reduced memory capacity.
After the end: Linguistic predictors of psychological distress 4 years after marital separation

Divorce is a stressful life event that is associated with increased risk for poor mental and physical health. A key goal for research in this area is to understand individual differences in who far...
Loneliness and Telomere Length: Immune and Parasympathetic Function in Associations With Accelerated Aging.

Background Lonely people's heightened risks for chronic health conditions and early mortality may emerge in part through cellular aging. Lonelier people have more severe sympathetic responses to acute stress, increasing their risk for herpesvirus reactivation, a possible path to shorter telomeres. Parasympathetic function may modulate this risk. Purpose The current study aimed to examine the associations among loneliness, herpesvirus reactivation, and telomere length, with parasympathetic activity as a moderator, in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Methods A sample of 113 healthy men and women of ages 40-85 provided blood samples that were assayed for telomere length, as well as the latent herpesviruses cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). They also provided heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of parasympathetic activity, and reported on their feelings of loneliness. Results Lonelier people with lower HRV (i.e., lower parasympathetic activity) had greater CMV reactivation and shorter telomeres compared with their less lonely counterparts, above and beyond demographics, health behaviors, resting heart rate, and social network size. However, loneliness was not associated with viral reactivation or telomere length among those with higher HRV. In turn, greater CMV and EBV reactivation was associated with shorter telomeres. Conclusions Taken together, these data implicate parasympathetic function in novel links between loneliness and accelerated cellular aging.
The Language of Humor: An Introduction

Much of today's communication is carried out through various kinds of humor, and we therefore need to be able to understand its many aspects. Here, two of the world's leading pioneers in humor studies, Alleen and Don Nilsen, explore how humor can be explained across the numerous sub-disciplines of linguistics. Drawing on examples from language play and jokes in a range of real-life contexts, such as art, business, marketing, comedy, creative writing, science, journalism and politics, the authors use their own theory of 'Features, functions and subjects of Humor' to analyze humor across all disciplines. Each highly accessible chapter uses a rich array of examples to stimulate discussion and interaction even in large classes. Supplemental PowerPoints to accompany each of the 25 chapters are available online, taking many of the insights from the chapters for further interactional discussions with students.
Sonic colonizations, sound coalitions: analyzing the aural landscape of Standing Rock’s No-DAPL movement

This essay examines the soundscape of Standing Rock’s No-DAPL movement by analyzing the aural sites of Sacred Stone and Ochethi Sakowiŋ Camps to comment on the dynamics of coalition building and th...
Performance Assessment of Smart Meter Traffic over LTE Network Using SDR Testbed

In the smart grid, a variety of smart meters will be deployed to support diverse services, such as energy distribution management, grid monitoring and management, and the integration of renewable energy resources. On the power distribution side, regular Smart Meters (SMs) generate low-rate data traffic for system maintenance, billing, and more. In contrast, on the transmission side, a number of enhanced Smart Meters (eSMs), including Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), among others, are deployed and can generate much higher data rates. Naturally, monitoring the grid becomes much easier for utility providers using real-time information provided by eSMs for timely control of the grid. Nonetheless, how to deliver such large data volumes with high data rates generated by eSMs is a significant challenge. To address this issue, in this paper, we consider the transmission of eSM data over Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network as a potential solution and assess its viability through practical evaluation. Specifically, we design a Software Defined Radio (SDR) testbed that uses the srsLTE library to create an LTE network and conduct Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation to assess the effectiveness of transmitting the eSM data over LTE. In our experiments, we simulate data traffic from eSMs based on the IEEE C37.118.2 standard for streaming protocol and packet structure, as well as the IEC 61850 standard for data transmission rate and error rate. Our investigation demonstrates how sporadic eSM data traffic in a neighborhood area network (NAN) can challenge a real-world LTE network system, and additionally shows the effectiveness of transmission scheduling of eSM data traffic locally within the NAN.
Effect of video monitor size on polyp detection: a prospective, randomized, controlled trial

Background and Aims The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is the most important quality metric for colonoscopy. Numerous factors are known to influence ADR. However, no data on the effect of monitor size on ADR exist. The aim of this study was to compare the ADR and polyp detection rate (PDR) achieved using 2 different-size video monitors (19-inch diagonal and 32-inch diagonal). Methods In a single-center, prospective, randomized clinical trial, endoscopists were randomized on a daily basis to perform routine ambulatory colonoscopies with either a 32-inch diagonal or a 19-inch diagonal video monitor. Results The study was conducted between October 2013 and April 2014 in an outpatient center of a tertiary referral hospital. Fifteen endoscopists performed 1795 outpatient colonoscopies (mean age, 55 years; 56% women; screening, 56%). There was no substantial difference in baseline patient characteristics between the 2 arms. The overall ADR (27.4% vs 27.9%; P = .80) and PDR (32.8% vs 34.4%; P = .50) were not significantly different between the 32-inch and 19-inch monitor group, respectively. The findings were not significantly altered when stratified by indication, cecal intubation, bowel preparation, operator experience, and time of endoscopy as well as in a multivariable model that included these variables as potential confounders (all P > .05). Overall, the ADR and PDR for each individual endoscopist did not appear to be influenced by monitor size. Conclusions The results of this trial do not support the notion that larger video monitors improve ADR. Future efforts to increase ADR should focus on other aspects of colonoscopy. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT01952418.)
Synthesis and properties of new multinary silicides R5Mg5Fe4Al(x)Si(18-x) (R = Gd, Dy, Y, x ≈ 12) grown in Mg/Al flux.

Reactions of iron, silicon, and R = Gd, Dy, or Y in 1:1 Mg/Al mixed flux produce well-formed crystals of R5Mg5Fe4AlxSi18–x (x ≈ 12). These phases have a new structure type in tetragonal space group P4/mmm (a = 11.655(2) A, c = 4.0668(8) A, Z = 1 and R1 = 0.0155 for the Dy analogue). The structure features two rare earth sites and one iron site; the latter is in monocapped trigonal prismatic coordination surrounded by silicon and aluminum atoms. Siting of Al and Si was investigated using bond length analysis and 27Al and 29Si MAS NMR studies. The magnetic properties are determined by the R elements, with the Gd and Dy analogues exhibiting antiferromagnetic ordering at TN = 11.9 and 6.9 K respectively; both phases exhibit complex metamagnetic behavior with varying field.
Optoelectronic response of hybrid PbS-QD/graphene photodetectors

Lead sulfide quantum dots (QDs) have been widely used for various optoelectronic devices due to their high absorption coefficient and tunable bandgap. However, the low mobility of QD films results in poor charge collection and device performance. By combining QDs with graphene into hybrid graphene/QD photodetectors, photocarriers from QDs are transferred to graphene, improving charge collection and transport, drastically increasing the photoresponsivity. Herein, we carry a systematic analysis on how critical tuning parameters such as QD size and QD film thickness affect responsivity, spectral response, and time response. We report the absorption coefficient, refractive index (n, k), penetration depth, and energy bandgap of PbS QDs of different sizes. We study systematically how the photocurrent, photoresponsivity, time response, and power density dependence vary with QD size in hybrid Gr/QD. The bandgap of lead sulfide quantum dots was size-tuned between 0.86 and 1.39 eV. The time response shows that subsecond modulation can be achieved for different QD sizes with a responsivity up to 107 A/W at power densities of 10-5 mW/cm2. We also studied how the performance of the photodetectors is affected by the thickness, discussing the limitations on the thickness by the compromise between light absorption and charge collection. We describe how the optical response shifts toward the infrared as QD films get thicker. Time responses below 1 s are obtained for graphene/QD devices with thickness from 150 nm to 1 μm. This systematic study provides important guidelines to design hybrid graphene/QD photodetectors and tune their spectral response and performance.
Circumventing vs. Guiding: A Grounded Theory Study of Sexual Negotiation Among Hispanic Men Who Have Sex with Men

HIV infection continues to be a serious health concern, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM account for over one-half (57%) of the estimated 1.2 million cases in the United States...
Heterometallic Cu2Fe and Zn2Fe2 Complexes Derived from [Fe(CO)4]2– and Cu/Fe Bifunctional N2O Activation Reactivity

The synthesis and characterization of two heterometallic clusters, [(IPr)Cu]2Fe(CO)4 (1) and [(IPr)ZnFe(CO)4]2 (2), derived from Collman’s reagent are reported. Methylation of 1 with CH3I to produc...
Modeling the Spatial Factors of COVID-19 in New York City

You are viewing a publication from UT Affiliates that was in the Good Systems Network Digest in May 2020.
Effects of elevated pH and phosphorus fertilizer on soil C, N and P enzyme stoichiometry in an acidic mixed mesophytic deciduous forest

Abstract Long-term additions of lime and/or phosphate fertilizer caused an indirect and/or direct increase in the availability of P in mixed mesophytic deciduous forest soil on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau, southeast Ohio, USA. As expected, the activities of extracellular phosphatases declined across all treatments (by 23–65%), in both organic and mineral soil horizons. In contrast, there were few effects of P availability on either C or N acquiring extracellular enzyme activities. However, enzyme vector analysis showed the relative activity of phosphatases decreased with respect to N-acquiring enzymes (vector angles fell 4–30%) and the relative activity of C acquisition increased (vector lengths rose 9–51%) relative to the activities of both N and P acquiring enzymes. Thus, the overall ecoenzymatic stoichiometry of extracellular enzymes was altered by P availability. Also, the relative contribution of phosphodiesterase declined relative to phosphomonoesterase by an average of 16 ± 16% as overall phosphatase activity declined, suggesting a reduction in the relative contribution of the less efficient enzyme as P demand decreased. Finally, contrary to expectations, the relative contribution of leucine aminopeptidase to total N acquiring enzyme activity did not increase with pH, but showed a bimodal relationship to soil NH4+ concentration. In summary, phosphatase activity declined with increased P availability but with little response in C or N acquiring activity suggesting emerging co-limitations by C and/or N in this ecosystem.
Maternal Health Infrastructure and Interpersonal Quality of Care During Childbirth: An Examination of Facility Delivery in Malawi

The maternal health field has recently focused on the importance of interpersonal quality of care and continues to cite structural deficits as a contributor to poor interpersonal treatment. This hypothesis is supported by qualitative evidence. This study quantitatively tested the effect of maternal health structural inputs on interpersonal quality of care during childbirth. Analyses were conducted using data from the 2013 to 2014 Malawi Service Provision Assessment, which documented the availability and quality of health facility services and included the observation of laboring and delivering women. Maternal health structural inputs were measured using 26 facility infrastructure variables. The outcome, interpersonal quality of care, was measured as a sum score of 12 items collected during the observations. Crude and adjusted associations between maternal health structural inputs on interpersonal quality of care were assessed using linear regression with cluster robust standard errors. 345 Observations of delivering women in 174 health facilities were included in the analysis. 19.1% of women delivered in a facility with high maternal health structural inputs, and the mean interpersonal quality of care score was 8.9/12. Maternal health structural inputs had a small, non-meaningful association with interpersonal quality of care during childbirth (adjusted β − 0.19, 95% CI − 0.85, 0.47). These findings do not verify the quality of care frameworks or qualitative evidence that support the relationship between structure and interpersonal quality of care. While structural inputs are important for health system performance, the results suggest that they might not be necessary for a respectful childbirth experience.
Total ionizing dose effects on digital micromirror devices

There is interest in deploying digital micromirror devices (DMDs) in space for use in multi-object spectrometers, but the devices must first be qualified for space deployment. An environmental test campaign has been carried out on eXtended Graphics Array (XGA) DMDs to qualify the devices for space deployment. The campaign has included mechanical shock and vibration, low temperature, proton radiation, and heavy ion radiation testing. XGA DMDs have passed each test at a level suitable for space deployment. Our paper reports on gamma radiation testing of XGA DMDs, the final portion of the environmental test campaign. Gamma radiation causes total ionizing dose (TID). A total of 19 DMDs were irradiated to TIDs between 16 and 45 krad(Si) while biased and 24 and 76 krad(Si) while unbiased. The effects of TID on DMDs are similar to other electrostatically operated micro-electrical mechanical systems, and all irradiated DMDs were fully recovered by annealing. In addition to testing, radiation modeling of the space environment was performed to determine the expected TID for various space mission scenarios. DMDs have minimal susceptibility to TID effects, and the effects do not significantly compromise the use of the devices for space missions in orbit at L2 or low Earth orbit.
Rapid electrochemical detection of Escherichia coli using nickel oxidation reaction on a rotating disk electrode.

Abstract A standalone electrochemical method for detecting the bacterium Escherichia coli in water was developed using a nickel electrode and no biorecognition element. Electric current responses from different E. coli concentrations were recorded based on their interaction with a locally formed electrocatalyst. A rotating disk electrode was used to minimize the mass transport limitations at the interface. Results from experiments with the rotating disk electrode also paved the way for hypothesizing the detection mechanism. The operating conditions were established for sensing the electric current responses in the presence of E. coli. The least-squares linear regression model was fit to the data obtained from currents of some known E. coli concentrations. This probe had a detection limit in the order of 104 CFU/ml. The response time to detect the presence/absence of E. coli was less than half a second, while the total assay time, including quantification of its concentration, was 10 min. The electric current response from a solution mixed with E. coli and S. aureus showed current similar to E. coli only solution indicating the specificity of the sensor to respond to signals from E. coli. This electrochemical microbial sensor's uniqueness lies in its ability to rapidly detect E. coli by forming the catalyst locally on demand without the attachment of biorecognition elements.
Moderate temperature sintering of BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ protonic ceramics by A novel cold sintering pretreatment

Abstract The state-of-the-art protonic ceramic conductor BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ (BZY20) requires an extremely high sintering temperature (≥1700 °C) to achieve the desired relative density and microstructure necessary to function as a proton conducting electrolyte. In this work, we developed a cold sintering pretreatment assisted moderate-temperature sintering method for the fabrication of high-quality pure BZY20 pellets. BZY20 pellets with high relative density of ~94% were fabricated with a final sintering temperature of 1500 °C (200 °C lower than the traditional sintering temperature). A comparison with BZY20 control samples indicated that the proper amount of BaCO3 introduced on the BZY20 particle surface and the high green density achieved by cold sintering pretreatment were the main drivers for lowering the sintering temperature. The electrical conductivity measurement by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the as-prepared BZY20 pellets have a proton conductivity comparable to the state-of-the-art values. The cold sintering pretreatment outlined in this work has the potential to lower the sintering temperatures for similar types of protonic ceramic materials under consideration for a wide range of energy conversion and storage applications.
Exploring End of Life Care Education in Pediatric Critical Care: A Need to Improve Fellow Education

Purpose: End of life (EOL) care is a vital and inevitable aspect of pediatric critical care training. Efforts to provide EOL education to pediatric critical care fellows can aid in improving the quality of palliative care delivered in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). To date, limited research exploring the experiences and attitudes that have shaped critical care fellows’ perspectives of EOL care is available. Additionally, there are limited studies investigating methods to provide EOL education for PICU fellows. We aim to identify the current education …
Bovine Milk Protein-Induced Intestinal Malabsorption of Lactose and Fat in Infants

Summary A nonbovine, dextrose-containing formula was fed to 4 babies with lactose malabsorption in remission. Substitution of lactose for dextrose in the formula did not produce steatorrhea, flattening of the oral lactose tolerance curves, or acid, watery stools, but the prior feeding of selected bovine milk proteins, skim milk, or whole cow's milk did. Thus, it would seem that in certain human subjects, at least, it is the proteins, and not the carbohydrate, in cow's milk that can precipitate intestinal malabsorption.
Clefting, Parallelism, and Focus in Ellipsis Sentences

There are multiple ways to overtly indicate the position of contrastive focus in English, from pitch accents in prosody to clefting in syntax. But how comparable are these distinct focus indicators in their effects during processing? Ambiguous ellipsis sentences whose resolution is sensitive to focus provide a testing ground for this question, showing where perceivers choose to locate a contrast when given single or multiple focus indicators. In a self-paced reading experiment and an auditory questionnaire, syntactic and prosodic focus markers both influenced ellipsis interpretation. However, no single focus indicator fully disambiguated the sentences, illustrating the optionality of using focus-marked elements to resolve ellipsis structure. Further, the studies show a need for a detailed prosodic and semantic representation of noun phrase (NP) features to be held across clause boundaries.
A Method To Evaluate Human Factors/Ergonomics Design Variables of Distress Signals

The selection and use of distress signals is crucial for a boater in any emergency. This situation is intensified by the fact that boaters are usually not familiar with such devices. Therefore, incorporation of human factors/ergonomics variables into the design of distress signals can be an important element in boater survival. This report presents a systematic method to evaluate and confirm the effectiveness of human factors/ergonomics variables in the design of distress signals. The effects of several identified variables were tested individually in the lab and synergistically in a (simulated) on-water emergency. It was found that emergency signals that were designed according to human factors/ergonomics recommendations generally required less time to operate than devices that did not follow such guidelines.
The Legislature Versus the Constitution: Kentucky's Open Courts Provisions and Proposed Alterations to Kentucky's Tort System

Tort reform has been a nationally important political topic in recent years. On the state level, the controversy becomes even more intense. In Kentucky, because of the unique Open Courts provisions in the state's constitution, the legislature has taken up various proposals to amend Kentucky's Constitution to allow alterations to the state tort system. These attempts have been unsuccessful to date.This paper examines the history of the Kentucky Constitution, specifically considering the Open Courts provisions. It also examines past attempts at tort reform in Kentucky and discusses the current wave of proposed alterations. By considering the text of the Constitution and the jurisprudence interpreting the Open Courts provisions, this paper argues that it is Constitutionally impossible for the Kentucky legislature to make any alterations to the tort system, whether by Constitutional amendment or any other process.
Iu and Iur Signaling Procedures

This chapter contains sections titled: Iub‐Iu — Location Update Iub‐Iu — Mobile‐Originated Call Iub‐Iu — Mobile‐Terminated Call Iub‐Iu — Attach Iub‐Iu — PDPC Activation/Deactivation Streaming PS Service and Secondary PDP Context Iub‐Iu — Detach Iub‐Iur — Soft Handover (Inter‐Node B, Inter‐RNC) Iub‐Iu — RRC Re‐Establishment (Inter‐Node B, Inter‐RNC) SRNS Relocation (UE not Involved) SRNS Relocation (UE Involved) Short Message Service (SMS) in UMTS Networks
Wiring considerations in analog VLSI systems, with application to field-programmable networks

This thesis develops a theoretical model for the wiring complexity of wide classes of systems, relating the degree of connectivity of a circuit to the dimensionality of its interconnect technology. This model is used to design an efficient, hierarchical interconnection network capable of accommodating large classes of circuits. Predesigned circuit elements can be incorporated into this hierarchy, permitting semi-customization for particular classes of systems (e.g., photoreceptors included on vision chips). A polynomial-time programming algorithm for embedding the desired circuit graph onto the prefabricated routing resources is presented, and is implemented as part of a general design tool for specifying, manipulating and comparing circuit netlists. This thesis presents a system intended to facilitate analog circuit design. At its core is a VLSI chip that is electrically configured in the field by selectively connecting predesigned elements to form a desired circuit, which is then tested electrically. The system may be considered a hardware accelerator for simulation, and its large capacity permits testing system ideas, which is impractical using current means. A fast-turnaround simulator permitting rapid conception and evaluation of circuit ideas is an invaluable aid to developing an understanding of system design in a VLSI context. We have constructed systems using both reconfigurable interconnection switches and laser-programmed interconnect. Prototypes capable of synthesizing circuits consisting of over 1000 transistors have been constructed. The flexibility of the system has been demonstrated, and data from parametric tests have proven the validity of the approach. Finally, this thesis presents several new circuits that have become key components in many analog VLSI systems. Fast, dense and provably safe one-phase latches and hierarchical arbiters are presented, as are a low-noise analog switch, an isotropic novelty filter, a dense, active high-resistance element, and a subthreshold differential amplifier with a large linear input range.
Impacts of climate factors on yields for selected crops in the Southern Turkey

This study aims to identify therelationship between the climatic variablesand yields of three crops (wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), maize (Zeamays L.) and cotton (Gossypiumhirsitum L.) in the Cukurova region ofTurkey. In the study, time series data wereused to analyse crop yields across variousclimate factors for the period 1975 to1999. The climatic variables were arrangedaccording to phonological periods of theexamined crops such as planting, floweringand harvesting time. A linear perturbationmodel (LPM) was used for the identificationof the role of climate variables. 27climatic factors were considered asexplanatory variables in the model. Astepwise selection method in the selectionand introduction of independent variableswas used for regression equation for wheat,maize and cotton. The results of the linearperturbation model (LPM) showed that theR2 values for wheat, maize and cottonwere found 46.1%, 57.2% and 74.5%,respectively. The highest variationcoefficient (CV) was found in maizeproduction (43.4%) followed by cotton(23.14%) and wheat (15.29%). The mostsignificant climatic factor affectingdeviations in crop yields is related intemperature at planting, flowering andharvesting time. It is suggested thatfarmers would be better off with theapplying adaptation measurements. Therefore, policy makers should focusefforts on reducing production risksproviding climatic information anddeveloping risk management institutions.
Active flow control for complete elimination of fluid transients. I. Dynamic modeling and control

A real-time active flow control methodology for complete elimination of objectionable fluid transients is introduced. It was found that the fluid transients can be completely suppressed by optimally operating a device which closely resembles an air chamber except that its air pressure can be actively controlled. Properly operated, this transients suppressor acts as a temporary storage and supplier of fluid to regulate the flow conditions. To control the device a nonlinear partitioned optimal control system is developed. Based upon that, an optimal problem is formulated and solved to determine the control gains for control implementation. Control system modeling and computer simulation are presented to highlight the capacity of this methodology. >
Single-Chip GaN X-Band MMIC Dynamic Supply PAs

This paper discusses a fully integrated single- chip supply-modulated power amplifier (SM-PA) GaN PA for amplifying high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) signals at X-band carrier frequencies. Components of the MMIC are detailed. Specifically, 10-W MMIC GaN PAs with greater than 60% efficiency at 10GHz with efficient GaN supply modulators consisting of a 100-MHz switching dc-dc converter and a cascode UHF PA, for signals with envelope bandwidths of several 100 MHz and PAPR up to 10dB, are detailed. Other transmitter approaches for high PAPR broadband signals, such as outphasing transmitters and PAs with output harmonic injection are overviewed in the context of supply modulation, and the main technical challenges are discussed.