cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AGU Chapman Conference on Perovskites

October 30 to November 2, 1987, an international group of 75 physicists, chemists, geophysicists, and materials scientists met in Bisbee, Ariz., for an AGU Chapman Conference on the interdisciplinary topic Perovskites: A Structure of Great Interest to Geophysics and Materials Science. The meeting, which followed the annual Geological Society of America convention in Phoenix, Ariz., was organized by Alexandra Navrotsky (Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.).
Novel integration technologies for improving reliability in NAND flash memory

NAND flash has been scaled down intensively to 2Y nm generation to satisfy the increasing demand for high-density memories. However, as technology node advances, various scaling barriers newly appeared and reliability characteristics of NAND flash such as endurance and data retention deteriorated. Maximum Vth of a programmed cell becomes lower with scaling down, resulting in insufficient program window for MLC operation. Floating gate (FG) and inter-poly dielectric (IPD) structure must be carefully optimized to maximize saturated level of programmed Vth. The tight control of Vth distribution is one of the main issues in scaling for reliability margin. By decreasing depletion in floating gate and control gate (CG), widening of cell Vth distribution width can be efficiently suppressed. The effect of traps in gate oxide to reliability increases with the decrease in cell dimension. To lower interface trap of gate oxide, hydrogen reducing back-end-of line (BEOL) process is introduced. By using new BEOL process, endurance and data retention characteristics are drastically enhanced. In this paper, we will present the major scaling issues and integration technologies for improving reliability in NAND flash memory for 2Ynm generation and beyond.
Coordinated Expression of Dopamine Receptors in Neostriatal Medium Spiny Neurons

In recent years, the distribution of dopamine receptor subtypes among the principal neurons of the neostriatum has been the subject of debate. Conventional anatomical and physiological approaches have yielded starkly different estimates of the extent to which D1 and D2 class dopamine receptors are colocalized. One plausible explanation for the discrepancy is that some dopamine receptors are present in physiologically significant numbers, but the mRNA for these receptors is not detectable with conventional techniques. To test this hypothesis, we examined the expression of DA receptors in individual neostriatal neurons by patch-clamp and RT-PCR techniques. Because of the strong correlation between peptide expression and projection site, medium spiny neurons were divided into three groups on the basis of expression of mRNA for enkephalin (ENK) and substance P (SP). Neurons expressing detectable levels of SP but not ENK had abundant mRNA for the D1a receptor. A subset of these cells (approximately 50%) coexpressed D3 or D4 receptor mRNA. Neurons expressing detectable levels of ENK but not SP had abundant mRNA for D2 receptor isoforms (short and long). A subset (10-25%) of these neurons coexpressed D1a or D1b mRNAs. Neurons coexpressing ENK and SP mRNAs consistently coexpressed D1a and D2 mRNAs in relatively high abundance. Functional analysis of neurons expressing lower abundance mRNAs revealed clear physiological consequences that could be attributed to these receptors. These results suggest that, although colocalization of D1a and D2 receptors is limited, functional D1 and D2 class receptors are colocalized in nearly one-half of all medium spiny projection neurons.
Review of streptococcal bloodstream infections at a comprehensive cancer care center, 2000–2011

Summary Objectives To determine the comparative rates, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of invasive infections due to specific streptococcal types in patients with cancer. Methods Review of electronic medical records of patients with non-viridans group streptococcal bloodstream infection (BSI) at the MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2000 to 2011. Results 550 streptococcal BSI were identified. The largest number of cases were caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (251), group B Streptococcus (147), and gamma-hemolytic streptococci (55). Risk factors for developing a severe streptococcal infection included older age, being neutropenic at onset of BSI, and having a respiratory source of infection. Between 2000–2001 and 2010–2011, the rates of S. pneumoniae BSI and penicillin non-susceptibility decreased by 55% and 100%. In contrast the rate of group B streptococcal (GBS) BSI increased 34% over the same time period. GBS accounted for >80% of the recurrent infections following streptococcal BSI. Patients with breast cancer and those with soft-tissue/bone BSI sources were at increased risk for recurrent GBS infection but had lower rates of severe GBS disease. Conclusions From 2000 to 2011, our comprehensive cancer center observed a significant decrease in the rates of S. pneumoniae BSI and a significant increase in the rates of GBS BSI.
Career Education for Older People.

Though they need help, most people who are over 60 have an aversion to welfare as such and want to work. Most older persons find their pensions and/or social security benefits rapidly eroded by inflation and need some supplemental income. Similarly, many need to be sought out, assisted, and counseled back into active involvement in their own lives and that of their community. Career education, particularly directed at training older people to work in human services, the work of helping others, is viewed as a plausible, viable concept. It can help many older adults “retire to” rather than “retire from” and help them help themselves, their peers, and others. This paper encourages new and/or second careers for many older people.
Moving Past Picket Fences: The Meaning of “Home” for Public Housing Residents

The literature on the meaning of “home” has generally focused on creating lists without giving much attention to the context that shapes meanings. Recently, scholars have argued that to understand “home” it is important to know the range of meanings that different people in different contexts give it. In this article, we focus on the meaning of “home” for public housing residents and consider how they construct the meaning of “home” and if they find that meaning in public housing. Our findings suggest that respondents consider their public housing residences to be “home,” and they construct this meaning using the dimensions of home identified in the literature. However, how respondents used these dimensions were, in some ways, different because of the context of living in public housing. Respondents emphasized the social dimension, and this dimension appeared to organize the other dimensions. As such, our findings support arguments that context matters to the meaning of “home.” They also suggest that policymakers need to broaden their understandings of public housing, as places that can be “home,” and use this understanding when making decisions about housing transformations.
Development of a system for remotely monitoring vaginal implant transmitters and fawn survival

Vaginal implant transmitters (VITs) are commonly used to determine the time of birth for ungulates to enable the capture and marking of their offspring. However, the use of VITs requires frequent monitoring and hence, high manpower and/or aviation costs. Similarly, offspring equipped with traditional telemetry transmitters necessitate large efforts for effective monitoring. The alternative described here uses communication between the VIT or offspring's transmitter and the parent's collar to monitor the status of the VIT or offspring's transmitter (Vectronic Aerospace, Berlin, Germany). The parent's collar uses its satellite communication capabilities to forward this information to the investigator when appropriate. I describe the development and successful deployment of this system in a study of black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus.
Biaxial Extension Studies Using Inflation of Sheets of Unimodal Model Networks

Abstract Measurements of uniaxial extension and compression were made on model poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) [−Si(CH3)2−O−]x networks to examine the molecular theories of rubber elasticity. The stress-strain isotherms showed that the Flory-Erman theory of rubber elasticity is in good agreement with experimental data from extension to compression (α−1: 0.3–13), while the Mooney-Rivlin relation is useful only in a specific region of extension ratio (α−1: 0.3–0.8). The experimental results strongly support the theory of Flory-Erman, rather than those of phantom and affine networks. It is thus evident that the Flory-Erman theory of rubber elasticity is the more nearly correct.
The Insect Collection of the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University

The insect collection of Texas A&M University is a relatively young one compared to many university-affiliated collections in the United States. According to Little (1960), this collection was started by E. D. Sanderson sometime during the period from 1902 to 1904. Although this beginning at developing a collection was made at a fairly early date, there was no immediate follow-up on the activity after Sanderson's departure. Many years passed before a serious attempt was made to build a comprehensive collection of insects at Texas A&M.
Feedback inhibition of purine biosynthesis in adenine-excreting mutant of Salmonella typhimurium.

SummaryThe mechanism of excretion of adenine by the mutant dap-r-3 of Salmonella typhimurium selected for resistance to DAP was studied. The mechanism for control of purine biosynthesis by feedback inhibition is unaffected in this mutant as indicated by (1) inhibition of AICA synthesis in sulfadiazineinhibited prototrophic strains dap-r-3 and LT-2 by hypoxanthine and adenine; and (2) inhibition of AICA synthesis by adenine and its nucleoside in nonproliferating suspensions of Escherichia coli B 96/1/dap, a DAP-resistant mutant derived from a purine requiring auxotroph B 96/1 resembling dap-r-3 mutant in its properties. In general, more adenine was required for feedback inhibition in the resistant mutant than in the parent strain. The differences have been ascribed to poor utilization of adenine by the resistant strain.
Comparison of Two Scales Measuring Attitudes toward Persons with Physical Disabilities

30 nondisabled college students completed the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale and the Disability Factor Scale G. Correlations of factors in the two scales ranged from .10 to .64.
Further Evaluations of Functional Communication Training and Chained Schedules of Reinforcement to Treat Multiple Functions of Challenging Behavior

We evaluated functional communication training (FCT) combined with a chained schedule of reinforcement procedure for the treatment of challenging behavior exhibited by two individuals diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and autism. Following functional analyses that suggested that challenging behavior served multiple functions for both participants, we implemented FCT in which mands for a discriminative stimulus (S(D); wristband) were reinforced with access to the S(D) and all three functional reinforcers. Next, we modified the procedure by incorporating delays to increase ease of implementation and promote toleration of delays to reinforcement. Last, we made additional modifications to the procedure by incorporating a chained schedule of reinforcement such that (a) mands for the wristband were reinforced with access to the wristband and (b) specific mands for respective functional reinforcers were reinforced in the presence of the wristband. The results showed that the procedure successfully treated challenging behavior with multiple functions. Future directions in the evaluation and development of treatments that simultaneously address multiple functions are discussed.
Quantum Mind and Social Science: Non-local experience in time

No model of human beings is complete that does not have room for the experience of being human, of what it is like to be you or me. This feeling, consciousness, is such an essential feature of the human condition that a life without it would be hardly worth living at all. Yet as suggested in Chapter 1, for fear of Cartesian dualism the main currents of twentieth-century social theory, both mainstream and critical, have run away from experience, seeking to reduce, displace or otherwise marginalize it in their models of man. Human beings are rendered instead into machines or zombies, both ultimately material systems which are able to think and behave but not to feel – transformed, in short, from subjects into objects. Recently there has been more pushback against these materialist tendencies, in the form of sustained efforts to “bring the subject back in.” Scholars in the continental tradition have drawn on insights from German idealism and phenomenology to critique critical theory, for failing to place the experiencing subject at the center of its ontologies. Feminist theorists have brought experience to the fore by arguing that women's experiences differ from men's. And in the analytic tradition the founding of Journal of Consciousness Studies and the work of David Chalmers and many others has given subjective experience a mainstream philosophical standing that it has not had in a long time. If there is still no consensus on what to do positively with experience, the taboo on subjectivity has at least finally been broken. This book seeks to contribute to this subjectivist revival by giving consciousness a quantum basis in wave function collapse, understood as a process of temporal symmetry-breaking driven by will. As such, “part of what it is like to be a thinking human being is to have direct experience of the effects of quantum theory.”
Percutaneous U-loop nephrostomy.

AbstractSingle-tube nephrostomy drainage can be converted to U-loop drainage using percutaneous methods. Because only local anesthesia is required the technique can be used for patients who are poor operative risks.
Solid-state NMR of flavins and flavoproteins.

Why apply solid-state NMR (SSNMR) to flavins and flavoproteins? NMR provides information on an atom-specific basis about chemical functionality, structure, proximity to other groups, and dynamics of the system. Thus, it has become indispensable to the study of chemicals, materials, catalysts, and biomolecules. It is no surprise then that NMR has a great deal to offer in the study of flavins and flavoenzymes. In general, their catalytic or electron-transfer activity resides essentially in the flavin, a molecule eminently accessible by NMR. However, the specific reactivity displayed depends on a host of subtle interactions whereby the protein biases and reshapes the flavin's propensities to activate it for one reaction while suppressing other aspects of this cofactor's prodigious repertoire (Massey et al., J Biol Chem 244:3999-4006, 1969; Muller, Z Naturforsch 27B:1023-1026, 1972; Joosten and van Berkel, Curr Opin Struct Biol 11:195-202, 2007). Thus, we are fascinated to learn about how the flavin cofactor of one enzyme is, and is not, like the flavin cofactor of another. In what follows, we describe how the capabilities of SSNMR can help and are beginning to bear fruit in this exciting endeavor.
Physiological and pathophysiological significance of hemorheology

The biophysical principles and the Theological properties of blood cells presented in Chapters 2 (Matrai et al) and 3 (Brooks and Evans) form the basis for the discussion on flow behavior of blood in the circulation in vivo in Chapter 4 (Gaehtgens et al). In this Chapter, we shall further apply the above information to analyze the role of blood rheology in affecting circulatory dynamics, nutrient transport, and transcapillary exchange under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The aim is to provide a common background for the specific discussions on blood rheology in various clinical disorders in the subsequent chapters.
Long-term oncological outcomes of apical positive surgical margins at radical prostatectomy in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital cohort.

BACKGROUND Approximately 29-38% of all positive surgical margins (PSMs) at radical prostatectomy (RP) involve the apex. The prognostic significance of apical PSM remains unclear. We therefore compared the long-term oncologic outcomes of men with apical PSMs to those with negative PSMs, apical and other PSMs, and other PSMs at RP. METHODS The SEARCH (Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital) database was used to identify 4031 men with prostate cancer (PCa) managed with RP with complete pathologic grade and stage data. Margin status was categorized as negative, apex only, or other positive. Multivariable Cox regression models adjusted for pathologic stage and grade were developed to test the relationship between margin status and biochemical recurrence (BCR), metastases and PCa death. RESULTS In the final cohort, 34.3% had PSMs, whereas 65.7% had negative margins. Univariable analysis showed that compared with negative margins, apex-only PSM was associated with BCR (hazard ratio (HR): 1.4 [1.1-1.8]), but not metastases or PCa death, whereas apex and other PSMs were associated with BCR (HR: 3.3 [2.8-4]) and metastases (HR: 1.8 [1.02-3.1]) but not PCa death. Nonapical PSMs were associated with BCR (HR: 2.7 [2.4-3.1]), metastases (1.7 [1.2-2.5)] and PCa death (1.8 [1.05-3]). On multivariable analysis, apex-only, apex and other, and nonapical PSMs were associated with BCR but margin status was not associated with metastases or PCa death. CONCLUSIONS In a large cohort of men undergoing RP, those with PSMs at the prostatic apex had lower BCR, metastases, or PCa death compared with those with PSMs at other locations. When adjusted for pathologic stage and grade, however, PSMs were associated with BCR but not long-term oncologic outcomes. These data confirm that men with apex-only PSMs may not be ideal candidates for adjuvant therapy after RP.
Hypercalcemia and Calcium Metabolism in the Elderly

Hypercalcemia in an elderly patient can be a challenging diagnostic problem. Hyperparathyroidism and malignancy account for 95% of the cases of hypercalcemia.1 Hyperparathyroidism is especially common in asymptomatic patients discovered to be hypercalcemic on biologic screening. In hospitalized patients malignancy is probably the most frequent cause of hypercalcemia. Assays for parathyroid hormone have improved over the last several years, and the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism is easier to confirm than has been possible previously. Primary hyperparathyroidism also coexists with malignancy, and this possibility should always be considered. Other causes of hypercalcemia include sarcoidosis, vitamin D intoxication, thyrotoxicosis, immobilization, and hypocalciuric hypercalcemia. Even mild hypercalcemia may be a clue to a serious underlying disease so that definitive evaluation is usually warranted.
Teacher-child verbal interactions in preschool science teaching

The purpose of this study was to examine preschool teachers' verbal interactions with children during morning self-selection time. Naturalistic (Day 1) and experimental (Day 2) designs were used to provide empirical evidence of the availability of science activities and accessible science materials in preschool classrooms. The participants were 20 head teachers of 3to 5-year-old preschoolers employed in central Iowa child care centers. Each teacher was videotaped for two consecutive days during morning self-selection time. The most frequent preschool teachers' verbal interaction for Day 1 and Day 2 combined was giving learning guidance, and they used more verbal statements than questioning statements. Teachers tend to interact with children mostly in the art area. During the pre-planned science activity, the most frequent teacher statement was giving learning guidance (M = 2.07) and the most frequent questioning statement was closed questions (M = 1.00). On Day 2 teachers used more learning guidance and information talk statements and more attention-focusing questions as well. On Day 1, teachers used more praise and acknowledge statements and closed questions. Teachers' use of the science-related questions (i.e., attention-focusing, problem-posing, measuring and counting, comparing, and reasoning questions) was significantly related to the classroom areas. The study showed that preschool teachers tended to use more measuring and counting questions in the block and manipulative areas and used more reasoning questions in the dramatic area. These findings suggest that children's science process skills (e.g., observing, predicting, classifying, collecting, and recording data) relate to the activity settings/materials in the classrooms. Involving a science activity seemed to increase teachers' verbal interactions, both verbal and questioning statements.
An asymptotic and numerical analysis of the vibration spectrum of two Timoshenko beams coupled by general linear dissipative joints

Abstract An asymptotic analysis, using the Wave Propagation Method of Keller and Rubinow, was performed on the problem of two identical Timoshenko beams coupled end to end via a so called Type I energy-dissipative joint in 2010. This paper generalizes those results by employing the same method to treat the problem involving any of the four standard types of dissipative joint. A numerical analysis also is performed, and a comparison of the results shows a good match, once one is far enough along the spectrum. In addition, it is found that numerical results for increasing values of the aspect ratio approach the corresponding Euler-Bernoulli beam results, and the asymptotically undamped Timoshenko modes are found to play a lesser role as the aspect ratio increases.
Whole-Genome Sequencing Overrules a Suspected Case of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacter cloacae Transmission.

Enterobacter cloacae is an important nosocomial bacterium that is prevalent in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) ([1][1][–][2][4][3]). The presence of carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamases, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) encoded by the bla KPC gene, underlies multidrug
Incremental value of right heart metrics and exercise performance to well-validated risk scores in dilated cardiomyopathy.

Aims Risk stratification in heart failure (HF) relies on several established clinical risk scores, however, myocardial deformation, right heart metrics, and exercise performance have not usually been considered. This study sought to assess the incremental value of advanced echocardiographic and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) parameters to validated risk scores in HF. Methods and results The Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) and Metabolic Exercise Test Data Combined with Cardiac and Kidney Indexes (MECKI) scores were applied to 208 ambulatory patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) who completed echocardiography in conjunction with CPX as part of the Stanford Exercise Testing registry. Patients were followed for the composite end point of death, heart transplant, left ventricular device implantation, and hospitalization for acute HF. Mean age, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) were 47 ± 13 years, 33 ± 13%, and -10.6 ± 4.4%, respectively, while right ventricular free-wall longitudinal strain was -18.8 ± 5.5%. Partial correlation mapping identified strong correlations between LVEF, LVGLS, and LV systolic strain rate, with a moderate correlation between these metrics and peak VO2. Over a median follow up of 5.3 years, the composite end point occurred in 60 patients. Cox proportional hazards identified MAGGIC score [hazard ratio (HR) (2.04 [1.39-3.01], P < 0.01], peak VO2 HR (0.52 [0.28-0.97], P = 0.04), and right atrial volume indexed (RAVI) HR (1.31 [1.07-1.61], P < 0.01) as independent correlates of outcome. RAVI remained an independent correlate when combined with the MECKI score (2.21 [1.59-3.07]), P < 0.01, RAVI, 1.33 [1.06-1.67], P = 0.01). Conclusion Our study demonstrates that RAVI is complementary to well-validated HF risk scores and highlights the importance of exercise performance in DCM.
Ultrafast Spectroscopic Dynamics of Quinacrine-Riboflavin Binding Protein Interactions

Redox active cofactors play a dynamic role inside protein binding active sites because the amino acids responsible for binding participate in electron transfer (ET) reactions. Here, we use femtosecond transient absorption (FsTA) spectroscopy to examine the ultrafast ET between quinacrine (Qc), an antimalarial drug with potential anticancer activity, and riboflavin binding protein (RfBP) with a known Kd = 264 nM. Steady-state absorption reveals a ∼ 10 nm red-shift in the ground state when QcH32+ is titrated with RfBP, and a Stern–Volmer analysis shows ∼84% quenching and a blue-shift of the QcH32+ photoluminescence to form a 1:1 binding ratio of the QcH32+–RfBP complex. Upon selective photoexcitation of QcH32+ in the QcH32+–RfBP complex, we observe charge separation in 7 ps to form 1[QcH3_red•+–RfBP•+], which persists for 138 ps. The FsTA spectra show the spectroscopic identification of QcH3_red•+, determined from spectroelectrochemical measurements in DMSO. We correlate our results to literature and report...
Temporally Steered Gaussian Attention for Video Understanding

Recent advances in video understanding are enabling incredible developments in video search, summarization, automatic captioning and human computer interaction. Attention mechanisms are a powerful way to steer focus onto different sections of the video. Existing mechanisms are driven by prior training probabilities and require input instances of identical temporal duration. We introduce an intuitive video understanding framework which combines continuous attention mechanisms over a family of Gaussian distributions with a hierarchical based video representation. The hierarchical framework enables efficient abstract temporal representations of video. Video attributes steer the attention mechanism intelligently independent of video length. Our fully learnable end-to-end approach helps predict salient temporal regions of action/objects in the video. We demonstrate state-of-the-art captioning results on the popular MSVD, MSR-VTT and M-VAD video datasets.
Early Educational Practices in Canada and the United States

In this introduction, we provide an overview of the landscape of ECE in the United States and Canada and then discuss contested beliefs about practices and curriculum within ECE. In the United States and Canada, ECE policy and practice is the result of contentious debate in the political sphere over whether mothers should be working, whether “disadvantaged” children “deserve” or “require” early care, and whether the children of undocumented immigrants should receive human services, and in the professional sphere about whether ECE “belongs” to education, child development, or developmental science, whether child care is the same as education, and whether infants and toddlers are to be included in ECE. Perhaps, as a result, the quality of care and education provided in ECE programs is low, and the wages of ECE teachers and caregivers place them at the poverty level. We draw on our own work on attachment and parent involvement, the importance of play both for children’s learning and sense of belonging in school communities, and the critical role of teacher-child relationships to discuss how these debates influence the care and education provided for children.
Influence of metal ions intercalation on the vibrational dynamics of water confined between MXene layers

Two-dimensional (2D) carbides and nitrides of early transition metals (MXenes) combine high conductivity with hydrophilic surfaces, which make them promising for energy storage, electrocatalysis, and water desalination. The effects of intercalated metal ions on the vibrational states of water confined in ${\mathrm{Ti}}_{3}{\mathrm{C}}_{2}{T}_{x}$ MXenes have been explored using inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and molecular-dynamics simulations to better understand the mechanisms that control MXenes' behavior in aqueous electrolytes, water purification, and other important applications. We observe an INS signal from water in all samples, pristine and with lithium, sodium, or potassium ions intercalated between the 2D ${\mathrm{Ti}}_{3}{\mathrm{C}}_{2}{T}_{x}$ layers. However, only a small amount of water is found to reside in ${\mathrm{Ti}}_{3}{\mathrm{C}}_{2}{T}_{x}$ intercalated with metal ions. Water in pristine ${\mathrm{Ti}}_{3}{\mathrm{C}}_{2}{T}_{x}$ is more disordered, with bulklike characteristics, in contrast to intercalated ${\mathrm{Ti}}_{3}{\mathrm{C}}_{2}{T}_{x}$, where water is more ordered, irrespective of the metal ions used for intercalation. The ordering of the confined water increases with the ion size. This finding is further confirmed from molecular-dynamics simulation, which showed an increase in interference of water molecules with increasing ion size resulting in a concomitant decrease in water mobility, therefore providing guidance to tailor MXene properties for energy and environmental applications.
Multilevel cervical laminectomy and fusion with posterior cervical cages

Context: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a progressive disease that can result in significant disability. Single-level stenosis can be effectively decompressed through either anterior or posterior techniques. However, multilevel pathology can be challenging, especially in the presence of significant spinal stenosis. Three-level anterior decompression and fusion are associated with higher nonunion rates and prolonged dysphagia. Posterior multilevel laminectomies with foraminotomies jeopardize the bone stock required for stable fixation with lateral mass screws (LMSs). Aims: This is the first case series of multilevel laminectomy and fusion for CSM instrumented with posterior cervical cages. Settings and Design: Three patients presented with a history of worsening neck pain, numbness in bilateral upper extremities and gait disturbance, and examination findings consistent with myeloradiculopathy. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multilevel spondylosis resulting in moderate to severe bilateral foraminal stenosis at three cervical levels. Materials and Methods: The patients underwent a multilevel posterior cervical laminectomy and instrumented fusion with intervertebral cages placed between bilateral facet joints over three levels. Oswestry disability index and visual analog scores were collected preoperatively and at each follow-up. Pre- and post-operative images were analyzed for changes in cervical alignment and presence of arthrodesis. Results: Postoperatively, all patients showed marked improvement in neurological symptoms and neck pain. They had full resolution of radicular symptoms by 6 weeks postoperatively. At 12-month follow-up, they demonstrated solid arthrodesis on X-rays and computed tomography scan. Conclusions: Posterior cervical cages may be an alternative option to LMSs in multilevel cervical laminectomy and fusion for cervical spondylotic myeloradiculopathy.
Social Support and Mental Health in LGBTQ Adolescents: A review of the literature

LGBTQ adolescents experience higher rates of mental health disorders than their heterosexual peers. The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to examine studies evaluating social support and its effects on mental health in the LGBTQ adolescent population. Higher levels of social support were associated with positive self-esteem. Lack of social support (or low social support) was associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, alcohol or drug misuse, risky sexual behaviors, shame, and low self-esteem. Interdisciplinary research teams from multiple and diverse professions could provide valuable insight supporting the development of inclusive and comprehensive interventions programs for this population.
High Resolution Ion Scattering Analysis of Semiconductor Surfaces and Interfaces

Medium Energy Ion Scattering, combined with the effects of channeling and blocking, is a powerful technique for the non-destructive analysis of the structure of surfaces and interfaces with high depth resolution (typically 3–5 A). This paper discusses the principles of the technique and illustrates these with recent experimental results obtained on UHV prepared clean silicon surfaces and silicon-metal interfaces.
Mitigating Risk while Complying with Data Retention Laws

Data breaches represent a significant threat to organizations. While the general problem of protecting data has received much attention, one large (and growing) class has not - data that must be kept due to mandatory retention laws. Such data is often of little use to an organization, is rarely accessed, and represents a significant potential liability, yet cannot be discarded. Protecting such data entails an unusual combination of practical constraints (such as providing verification to a party that may be unknown) and thus requires functionality that is not well addressed by traditional cryptographic primitives. We propose to mitigate the risk to such data through a new system called Dragchute, which creates a time window during which locked data cannot be accessed by anyone. Based on a verifiable non-interactive, non-parallelizable, time-delay key escrow mechanism, Dragchute is novel in that it requires that no cryptographic material capable of providing early access to the data be retained, yet provides verification for multiple properties. We define a base construction for Dragchute, show possible extensions that help meet additional verification requirements, and characterize its performance. Our results show that Dragchute systems offer verifiable, customizable, computational protection against data exposure for encryption costs similar to traditional methods (e.g., less than 6% overhead compared to AEAD). We thus show that Dragchute systems provide a critical new means for protecting data that must be retained long term due to mandatory retention laws.
Trends in Hospital Utilization for Acute Illness in a Large Population-Based Cohort of Children and Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): 2010–2017

Abstract Disease severity and healthcare utilization varies widely among persons with sickle cell disease (SCD). Hydroxyurea (HU) has been demonstrated to reduce rates of pain and acute chest syndrome, the leading causes of inpatient utilization in patients with Hb SS and S β°-thalassemia in clinical trials. We recently reported that HU was clinically effective in reducing rates of pain and acute chest syndrome in patients who initiate treatment. Use of hydroxyurea in SS/S β°-thalassemia has increased markedly since 2010. Thus we sought to detemine trends of hospital utilization for acute illness during an 8 yr in which HU utilization increased markedly (2010-2017). Data from years 2010-201 were obtained from the SCD database and patient records at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Utilization data were restricted to acute care admissions. Admissions for elective procedures, non-SCD related discharge diagnoses, rare SCD genotypes, and patients who had undergone bone marrow transplant were excluded. Patients were compared based on number of hospitalizations, age, sex, SCD genotype (SS/S β°-thalassemia vs Hb SC/S β+thalassemia), and discharge diagnosis. A total of 3,116 patients had at least one encounter between 2010 and 2017; 2,947 patients met inclusion criteria. From 2010-2017 the total number of active patients per year increased from 1,546 patients to 1,789 patients (+16%), while the total number acute care admissions increased from 1,295 admissions to 1,609 admissions (+24%). There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with genotypes SS/S β° thalassemia genotypes (67.0% vs 63.9%, p=0.06). Overall patients with SS/S β° thalassemia had higher admission rates compared to SC/S β+ thalassemia patients (0.94 vs 0.57 admissions per patient per year). During the study period. overall admission rates in SCD (acute illness hospitalizations/patient/yr) increased from a low of 0.74 in 2011 to a high of 0.90 in 2017. The proportion of admissions attributed to SS/S β°-thalassemia patients decreased (79.2% in 2010 vs 72.3% in 2017, p 90% of patients over age 8 years), and had greater percentages of admissions for pain and acute chest syndrome then non-SHHU. In conclusion, during a period in which HU utilization in SS/S β°-thalassemia increased significantly, hospital utilization for acute illness in SS/S β° thalassemia decreased as expected. However, during the same period there was an unexpected increase in overall hospital utilization for acute illness in SCD. This increase in hospital utilization was the result of 1) a marked increase in SHHU and 2) an overall increased utilization in SC/S β+ thalassemia. Disclosures Dampier: Pfizer: Research Funding.
Adjuvant chemotherapy following stereotactic body radiotherapy for early stage non-small-cell lung cancer is associated with lower overall: A National Cancer Database Analysis

Abstract Objectives Adjuvant chemotherapy is routinely offered post-surgical resection for early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ≥4 cm; however, its role following definitive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has not been well defined. We investigated the association between receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy post-SBRT and overall survival (OS) for patients with T1-T3N0M0 NSCLC in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Materials and Methods The NCDB was queried for patients with T1-T3N0M0 NSCLC treated with definitive SBRT from 2004 to 2014. The association between non-randomized receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy and OS was analyzed for all patients (n = 24,011) and a propensity-matched cohort (n = 608) using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazard models. A subset analysis was performed for patients with tumors ≥4 cm (n = 2,323). Results There were 24,011 patients in the cohort with a median follow-up of 32.5 months. Of these, 322 (1.3%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. Three-year OS was 41.3% with adjuvant chemotherapy compared to 50.6% without adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy was independently associated with higher overall mortality (hazard ratio:1.22, 95% confidence interval:1.06–1.40, p = 0.005). For tumors ≥4 cm, 3-year OS was 38.2% with adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 80) compared to 33.0% without adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.81). After propensity-score matching, there was a persistent association between lower OS and adjuvant chemotherapy with those receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 322) having 3-year OS of 41.3% compared to 60.9% without adjuvant chemotherapy (p Conclusion Adjuvant chemotherapy following definitive SBRT for T1-3N0M0 NSCLC is associated with lower OS and is not associated with a survival benefit for patients with tumors ≥4 cm.
Comparison of Local-Only Anesthesia Versus Sedation in Patients Undergoing Staged Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Release: A Randomized Trial.

Purpose: Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common disease treated operatively. During the operation, the patient may be wide-awake or sedated. The current literature has only compared separate cohorts. W...
Study of instability of the Fourier split-step method for the massive Gross--Neveu model

Abstract Stability properties of the well-known Fourier split-step method used to simulate a soliton and similar solutions of the nonlinear Dirac equations, known as the Gross–Neveu model, are studied numerically and analytically. Three distinct types of numerical instability that can occur in this case, are revealed and explained. While one of these types can be viewed as being related to the numerical instability occurring in simulations of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation, the other two types have not been studied or identified before, to the best of our knowledge. These two types of instability are unconditional, i.e. occur for arbitrarily small values of the time step. They also persist in the continuum limit, i.e. for arbitrarily fine spatial discretization. Moreover, one of them persists in the limit of an infinitely large computational domain. It is further demonstrated that similar instabilities also occur for other numerical methods applied to the Gross–Neveu soliton, as well as to certain solitons of another relativistic field theory model, the massive Thirring.
Development of a Remote Laboratory Diffusion Experiment Module for an Enhanced Laboratory Experience

This Innovative Practice Work-In-Progress paper describes an ongoing effort to develop a remote laboratory version of the “Diffusion in Liquid” experiment. Providing undergraduate students with a seamless practical experience in the laboratory is often challenging for reasons ranging from limited equipment to the geographical constraints imposed on lab time scheduling. Unlike the traditional lab that requires a physical space, technological advances make it possible to develop lab modules that can be accessed remotely, and without the same time constraints as traditional laboratories. Laboratory modules that are accessible remotely could make the lab experience available to students even when physical equipments are unavailable - cutting down on scheduling bottlenecks or downtime. The project reported in this study describes an on-going effort to develop a remote laboratory replica of the “Diffusion in Liquid” experiment. This report describes preliminary developmental efforts and the educational research plan proposed in evaluating the equivalence of students’ learning in the remote laboratory environment compared to traditional laboratory.
Towards Data Auctions with Externalities.

The design of data markets has gained in importance as firms increasingly use predictions from machine learning models to make their operations more effective, yet need to externally acquire the necessary training data to fit such models. A property of such markets that has been given limited consideration thus far is the externality faced by a firm when data is allocated to other, competing firms. Addressing this is likely necessary for progress towards the practical implementation of such markets. In this work, we consider the case with $n$ competing firms and a monopolistic data seller. We demonstrate that modeling the utility of firms solely through the increase in prediction accuracy experienced reduces the complex, combinatorial problem of allocating and pricing multiple data sets to an auction of a single digital (freely replicable) good. Crucially, this is what enables us to model the negative externalities experienced by a firm resulting from other firms' allocations. We obtain forms of the welfare-maximizing and revenue-maximizing auctions for such settings. We highlight how the form of the firms' private information -- whether they know the externalities they exert on others or that others exert on them -- affects the structure of the optimal mechanisms. We find that in all cases, the optimal allocation rules turn out to be single thresholds (one per firm), in which the seller allocates all information or none of it to a firm. We note the framework and results introduced hold more broadly for the auction of digital goods with externalities.
Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Function-Based Interventions Using a Systematic, Feasible Approach.

Although functional assessment-based interventions have produced desired outcomes in student behavior in applied settings, most of those interventions involved strong, sustained participation with ...
Vitamin D Status and Vitamin D-Dependent Apoptosis in Obesity

The role of vitamin D in obesity appears to be linked to vitamin D insufficient/deficient status. However, mechanistic understanding of the role of vitamin D in obesity is lacking. We have shown earlier that the vitamin D hormonal form, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), induces cell death by apoptosis in mature adipocytes. This effect of the hormone is mediated by the cellular Ca2+ signaling pathway: a sustained increase of intracellular (cytosolic) Ca2+ concentration followed by activation of Ca2+-dependent initiators and effectors of apoptosis. In recent animal studies, we demonstrated that low vitamin D status is observed in diet-induced obesity (DIO). High intake of vitamin D3 in DIO decreased the weight of white adipose tissue and improved biomarkers related to adiposity and Ca2+ regulation. The anti-obesity effect of vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) in DIO was determined by the induction of Ca2+-mediated apoptosis in mature adipocytes executed by Ca2+-dependent apoptotic proteases (calpains and caspases). Thus, a high intake of vitamin D in obesity increases vitamin D nutritional status and normalizes vitamin D hormonal status that is accompanied by the reduction of adiposity. Overall, our findings imply that vitamin D may contribute to the prevention of obesity and obesity-related diseases and that the mechanism of the anti-obesity effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 includes induction of Ca2+-mediated apoptosis in adipocytes.
Sleep loss drives brain region- and cell type-specific alterations in ribosome-associated transcripts involved in synaptic plasticity and cellular timekeeping

Abstract Sleep and sleep loss are thought to impact synaptic plasticity, and recent studies have shown that sleep and sleep deprivation (SD) differentially affect gene transcription and protein translation in the mammalian forebrain. However, much less is known regarding how sleep and SD affect these processes in different microcircuit elements within the hippocampus and neocortex - for example, in inhibitory vs. excitatory neurons. Here we use translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) and in situ hybridization to characterize the effects of sleep vs. SD on abundance of ribosome-associated transcripts in Camk2a-expressing (Camk2a+) pyramidal neurons and parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) interneurons in mouse hippocampus and neocortex. We find that while both Camk2a+ neurons and PV+ interneurons in neocortex show concurrent SD-driven increases in ribosome-associated transcripts for activity-regulated effectors of plasticity and transcriptional regulation, these transcripts are minimally affected by SD in hippocampus. Similarly we find that while SD alters several ribosome-associated transcripts involved in cellular timekeeping in neocortical Camk2a+ and PV+ neurons, effects on circadian clock transcripts in hippocampus are minimal, and restricted to Camk2a+ neurons. Taken together, our results indicate that SD effects on transcripts destined for translation are both cell type- and brain region-specific, and that these effects are substantially more pronounced in the neocortex than the hippocampus. We conclude that SD-driven alterations in the strength of synapses, excitatory-inhibitory balance, and cellular timekeeping are likely more heterogeneous than previously appreciated. Significance Statement Sleep loss-driven changes in transcript and protein abundance have been used as a means to better understand the function of sleep for the brain. Here we use translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) to characterize changes in abundance of ribosome-associated transcripts in excitatory and inhibitory neurons in mouse hippocampus and neocortex after a brief period of sleep or sleep loss. We show that these changes are not uniform, but are generally more pronounced in excitatory neurons than inhibitory neurons, and more pronounced in neocortex than in hippocampus.
Social Media Research and the Methodological Problem of Harassment: Foregrounding Researcher Safety

Abstract As interest in online harassment rises in writing studies, so too does the need for new methodologies that account for the unique challenges that online harassment poses to social media researchers. Drawing from a research experience that left her vulnerable to harassment, the author presents three methodological concerns that harassment gives rise to: researcher safety, trauma and emotional fatigue, and publishing on online harassment. Throughout, the author provides actions social media researchers can take to prepare for potential harassment experiences during a research process. Ultimately, the author argues that researcher safety is a necessary prerequisite to other research concerns, such as participant and data safety, and should thus be foregrounded in research designs.