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BACKGROUND: To conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and reduce exposure to potentially infected COVID-19 patients, several Californian facilities independently implemented a method of acquiring portable chest radiographs through glass barriers that was originally developed by the University of Washington. METHODS: This work quantifies the transmission of radiation through a glass barrier using six radiographic systems at five facilities. Patient entrance air kerma (EAK) and effective dose were estimated both with and without the glass barrier. Beam penetrability and resulting exposure index (EI) and deviation index (DI) were measured and used to adjust the tube current-time product (mAs) for glass barriers. Because of beam hardening, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was measured with image quality phantoms to ensure diagnostic integrity. Finally, scatter surveys were performed to assess staff radiation exposure both inside and outside the exam room. RESULTS: The glass barriers attenuated a mean of 61% of the normal X-ray beams. When the mAs was increased to match EI values, there was no discernible degradation of image quality as determined by the CNR. This was corroborated with subjective assessments of image quality by chest radiologists. The glass-hardened beams acted as a filter for low energy X-rays, and some facilities observed slight changes in patient effective doses. There was scattering from both the phantoms and the glass barriers within the room. CONCLUSIONS: Glass barriers require an approximate 2.5 times increase in beam intensity, with all other technique factors held constant. Further refinements are necessary for increased source-to-image distance and beam quality in order to adequately match EI values. This does not result in a significant increase in the radiation dose delivered to the patient. The use of lead aprons, mobile shields, and increased distance from scattering sources should be employed where practicable in order to keep staff

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that affects as many as 12.5% of children aged 0-17 years and 3% of the adult population. In the United States, 31.6 million children and adults are estimated to be living with AD.ObjectiveTherapeutic patient education (TPE) has proven its value in the management of chronic diseases for which adherence to therapy is suboptimal. This article explores experts' opinions and treatment practices to determine if TPE is a recommended and effective method for treating AD.MethodsForty-two (51%) of 82 Councilors and Associates of the International Eczema Council (IEC), an international group with expertise in AD, responded to an electronic survey on TPE and AD.ResultsMost respondents (97.5%) agreed that TPE should play an important role in the management of AD. Many respondents (82.9%) believed that all patients with AD, regardless of disease severity, could benefit from TPE.LimitationsThe International Eczema Council survey lacks specific information on AD severity.ConclusionsPublications have shown the positive effect of TPE on the course of the disease, the prevention of complications, and the autonomy and quality of patient life. Survey respondents agreed that TPE can improve the quality of patient care and patient satisfaction with care.

This is a modern horror story about an innocently misbehaving projector, and why we beseech everyone to report minimal col- orimetric data about stimulus displays. We present anecdotal experience of configuring a projector to display video stimuli in a high-tesla MRI room, along with all the gotchas, (broken) technical assumptions, and theoretical rehashings that should be considered by every scientist who uses computers to dis- play visual stimuli. The moral of our story is: (1) check that your monitor/projector is actually showing the colors and lu- minances that you think it is, (2) make explicit assumptions regarding the physical/perceptual space of your stimuli and how they relate to any model analysis you will perform. This is especially important when modeling non-human animals, since most equipment and data formats implicitly assume hu- man perception. We show that innocent changes to display settings such as brightness reduction can cause dangerously unexpected results. Understanding and reporting colorimetric data in scientific publications is important for two reasons: (1) reproducibility, and (2) model fidelity.

This dissertation presents three empirical studies on topics in labor market and globalcommodity prices. The first chapter analyzes how consumption, spending and labor market decisions vary across the life-cycle, and their implications for the aggregate economy. The second chapter discovers the dynamic adjustments of 49 world commodity prices in response to innovations in the nominal and real shocks, and the third chapter reveals how commodity prices are affected by information from the news in high-frequency trading.The first chapter studies the effect of aging on service consumption quantity and pricein the United States. In particular, I ask, do older households consume more service goods? Can aging explain the rise of service price? I investigate the impact of age profile on service consumption and service price in the U.S. using household survey data and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) level variations, respectively. The results show that after controlling for household income, as people age, they consume progressively more health insurance and medical services and less food away from home. Furthermore, there is a positive correlation between service price and old-age dependency ratio1 in the long run across MSAs. I then build a two-period two-sector OLG model with an education entry cost to explain these results. In this model, age affects service price through two channels: 1) on the demand side, labor markets with older populations tend to demand more services; 2) on the supply side, the education friction would cause worker mobility from the service sector to the manufacturing sector, which further increases the service price.The second chapter is a group project with Professor Hyeongwoo Kim. We studydynamic adjustments of 49 world commodity prices in response to innovations in the nominal exchange rate and the world real GDP. After we estimate the dynamic elasticity of the prices with respect to these shocks, we obtain the kernel density of our estim

This is a modern horror story about an innocently misbehaving projector, and why we beseech everyone to report minimal col- orimetric data about stimulus displays. We present anecdotal experience of configuring a projector to display video stimuli in a high-tesla MRI room, along with all the gotchas, (broken) technical assumptions, and theoretical rehashings that should be considered by every scientist who uses computers to dis- play visual stimuli. The moral of our story is: (1) check that your monitor/projector is actually showing the colors and lu- minances that you think it is, (2) make explicit assumptions regarding the physical/perceptual space of your stimuli and how they relate to any model analysis you will perform. This is especially important when modeling non-human animals, since most equipment and data formats implicitly assume hu- man perception. We show that innocent changes to display settings such as brightness reduction can cause dangerously unexpected results. Understanding and reporting colorimetric data in scientific publications is important for two reasons: (1) reproducibility, and (2) model fidelity.

This dissertation presents three empirical studies on topics in labor market and globalcommodity prices. The first chapter analyzes how consumption, spending and labor market decisions vary across the life-cycle, and their implications for the aggregate economy. The second chapter discovers the dynamic adjustments of 49 world commodity prices in response to innovations in the nominal and real shocks, and the third chapter reveals how commodity prices are affected by information from the news in high-frequency trading.The first chapter studies the effect of aging on service consumption quantity and pricein the United States. In particular, I ask, do older households consume more service goods? Can aging explain the rise of service price? I investigate the impact of age profile on service consumption and service price in the U.S. using household survey data and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) level variations, respectively. The results show that after controlling for household income, as people age, they consume progressively more health insurance and medical services and less food away from home. Furthermore, there is a positive correlation between service price and old-age dependency ratio1 in the long run across MSAs. I then build a two-period two-sector OLG model with an education entry cost to explain these results. In this model, age affects service price through two channels: 1) on the demand side, labor markets with older populations tend to demand more services; 2) on the supply side, the education friction would cause worker mobility from the service sector to the manufacturing sector, which further increases the service price.The second chapter is a group project with Professor Hyeongwoo Kim. We studydynamic adjustments of 49 world commodity prices in response to innovations in the nominal exchange rate and the world real GDP. After we estimate the dynamic elasticity of the prices with respect to these shocks, we obtain the kernel density of our estim

Are voters as polarized as political leaders when it comes to their preferences about how to cast their ballots in November 2020 and their policy positions on how elections should be run in light of the COVID-19 outbreak? Prior research has shown little party divide on voting by mail, with nearly equal percentages of voters in both parties choosing to vote this way where it is an option. Has a divide opened up this year in how voters aligned with the Democratic and Republican parties prefer to cast a ballot? We address these questions by presenting the findings of an online survey of a nationally diverse sample of 5,612 eligible voters, fielded from April 8-10, with an embedded experiment providing treated respondents with scientific projections about the COVID-19 outbreak. We find an eight-percentage point difference between Democrats and Republicans in their preference for voting by mail in the control group, but this party divide doubles in the treatment group. We also find that exposure to scientific projections about the outbreak increases support for vote-by-mail legislation and confidence in vote-by-mail election integrity for both Democrats and Republicans.

The four papers in this dissertation examine the relationship between demographic context and mass and elite political behaviors. The first paper leverages a demographic shock---the movement of massive numbers of African Americans from the American south to California during the ``Second Great Migration'' in the early 20th century---to assess the impact of proximity to demographic change on voting for a racial ballot proposition in 1964. The second paper argues that racial threat can also operate prospectively before demographic shifts occur, what I call ``potential outgroup entry.'' To study this, I examine how a vote for a bond funding the expansion of the BART train in the Bay Area in 1962 was partially shaped by the fear of the potential outgroup entry of a sizable number of black riders from the East Bay into San Francisco. In the third paper I apply theories of demographic change and racial threat to contemporary voting by looking at how both symbolic attitudes and contexts were correlated with vote-switching toward and away from Donald Trump in 2016. Finally, in the fourth paper, I examine the role that context plays in shaping elite behavior. More specifically, I examine how both stable and changing demographics in a state shape electoral incentives and thus the content of campaign appeals by U.S. Senatorial candidates in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Scholars and dance artists attempt to define, situate, and categorize the ethnographically and aesthetically complex arena of contemporary dance in Malaysia. Through an analysis of the existing literature, interviews with relevant experts, and the creation of PAPER, a new choreographic work, this thesis investigates the nature of contemporary dance in Malaysia, how it defies narrow characterization, and how I identify as a transnational Malaysian choreographer living abroad. Interviews with Malaysian contemporary dance artists, Mavin Khoo, Ramli Ibrahim, Anthony Meh, and Aman Yap, as well as Malaysian dance scholars, Joseph Gonzales and Leng Poh Gee, reveal the broad scope of contemporary dance in Malaysia and its unique cultural roots. With the creation of my thirty-minute contemporary concert dance work – PAPER, the connections between my personal heritage and contemporary dance aesthetics were further revealed. PAPER investigated the themes of power, creation, time, and destruction symbolized through the literal and imaginative use of shredded paper.

ObjectiveTo highlight noteworthy papers that are representative of 2019 developments in the fields of sensors, signals, and imaging informatics.MethodA broad literature search was conducted in January 2020 using PubMed. Separate predefined queries were created for sensors/signals and imaging informatics using a combination of Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms and keywords. Section editors reviewed the titles and abstracts of both sets of results. Papers were assessed on a three-point Likert scale by two co-editors, rated from 3 (do not include) to 1 (should be included). Papers with an average score of 2 or less were then read by all three section editors, and the group nominated top papers based on consensus. These candidate best papers were then rated by at least six external reviewers.ResultsThe query related to signals and sensors returned a set of 255 papers from 140 unique journals. The imaging informatics query returned a set of 3,262 papers from 870 unique journals. Based on titles and abstracts, the section co-editors jointly filtered the list down to 50 papers from which 15 candidate best papers were nominated after discussion. A composite rating after review determined four papers which were then approved by consensus of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook editorial board. These best papers represent different international groups and journals.ConclusionsThe four best papers represent state-of-the-art approaches for processing, combining, and analyzing heterogeneous sensor and imaging data. These papers demonstrate the use of advanced machine learning techniques to improve comparisons between images acquired at different time points, fuse information from multiple sensors, and translate images from one modality to another.

Scholars and dance artists attempt to define, situate, and categorize the ethnographically and aesthetically complex arena of contemporary dance in Malaysia. Through an analysis of the existing literature, interviews with relevant experts, and the creation of PAPER, a new choreographic work, this thesis investigates the nature of contemporary dance in Malaysia, how it defies narrow characterization, and how I identify as a transnational Malaysian choreographer living abroad. Interviews with Malaysian contemporary dance artists, Mavin Khoo, Ramli Ibrahim, Anthony Meh, and Aman Yap, as well as Malaysian dance scholars, Joseph Gonzales and Leng Poh Gee, reveal the broad scope of contemporary dance in Malaysia and its unique cultural roots. With the creation of my thirty-minute contemporary concert dance work – PAPER, the connections between my personal heritage and contemporary dance aesthetics were further revealed. PAPER investigated the themes of power, creation, time, and destruction symbolized through the literal and imaginative use of shredded paper.

The four papers in this dissertation examine the relationship between demographic context and mass and elite political behaviors. The first paper leverages a demographic shock---the movement of massive numbers of African Americans from the American south to California during the ``Second Great Migration'' in the early 20th century---to assess the impact of proximity to demographic change on voting for a racial ballot proposition in 1964. The second paper argues that racial threat can also operate prospectively before demographic shifts occur, what I call ``potential outgroup entry.'' To study this, I examine how a vote for a bond funding the expansion of the BART train in the Bay Area in 1962 was partially shaped by the fear of the potential outgroup entry of a sizable number of black riders from the East Bay into San Francisco. In the third paper I apply theories of demographic change and racial threat to contemporary voting by looking at how both symbolic attitudes and contexts were correlated with vote-switching toward and away from Donald Trump in 2016. Finally, in the fourth paper, I examine the role that context plays in shaping elite behavior. More specifically, I examine how both stable and changing demographics in a state shape electoral incentives and thus the content of campaign appeals by U.S. Senatorial candidates in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

ObjectiveTo highlight noteworthy papers that are representative of 2019 developments in the fields of sensors, signals, and imaging informatics.MethodA broad literature search was conducted in January 2020 using PubMed. Separate predefined queries were created for sensors/signals and imaging informatics using a combination of Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms and keywords. Section editors reviewed the titles and abstracts of both sets of results. Papers were assessed on a three-point Likert scale by two co-editors, rated from 3 (do not include) to 1 (should be included). Papers with an average score of 2 or less were then read by all three section editors, and the group nominated top papers based on consensus. These candidate best papers were then rated by at least six external reviewers.ResultsThe query related to signals and sensors returned a set of 255 papers from 140 unique journals. The imaging informatics query returned a set of 3,262 papers from 870 unique journals. Based on titles and abstracts, the section co-editors jointly filtered the list down to 50 papers from which 15 candidate best papers were nominated after discussion. A composite rating after review determined four papers which were then approved by consensus of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook editorial board. These best papers represent different international groups and journals.ConclusionsThe four best papers represent state-of-the-art approaches for processing, combining, and analyzing heterogeneous sensor and imaging data. These papers demonstrate the use of advanced machine learning techniques to improve comparisons between images acquired at different time points, fuse information from multiple sensors, and translate images from one modality to another.

The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) is an open source data format public transportation agency use to share information about routes and vehicle arrival and departure times. A variety of trip-planning applications, including Google Maps, rely on GTFS feeds to incorporate public transit information. In April 2020, the California Integrated Travel Project conducted a Feasibility Study that called for the widespread adoption of GTFS-static (GTFS-s) and GTFS-realtime (GTFS-r) to make transit simpler for California residents; however, there is little research on patterns of information sharing across transit agencies. This background paper highlights findings from an analysis of GTFS use among agencies that report to the National Transit Database (NTD) in California. The prevalence of transit service modifications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were also studied.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 3.0 million people worldwide and killed more than 200,000 as of April 27, 2020. In this White Paper, we address the cardiovascular co-morbidities of COVID-19 infection; the diagnosis and treatment of standard cardiovascular conditions during the pandemic; and the diagnosis and treatment of the cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19 infection. In addition, we will also address various issues related to the safety of healthcare workers and the ethical issues related to patient care in this pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has important implications for the safety of participants in clinical trials and the research staff caring for them and, consequently, for the trials themselves. Patients with heart failure may be at greater risk of infection with COVID-19 and the consequences might also be more serious, but they are also at risk of adverse outcomes if their clinical care is compromised. As physicians and clinical trialists, it is our responsibility to ensure safe and effective care is delivered to trial participants without affecting the integrity of the trial. The social contract with our patients demands no less. Many regulatory authorities from different world regions have issued guidance statements regarding the conduct of clinical trials during this COVID-19 crisis. However, international trials may benefit from expert guidance from a global panel of experts to supplement local advice and regulations, thereby enhancing the safety of participants and the integrity of the trial. Accordingly, the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology on 21 and 22 March 2020 conducted web-based meetings with expert clinical trialists in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and Asia. The main objectives of this Expert Position Paper are to highlight the challenges that this pandemic poses for the conduct of clinical trials in heart failure and to offer advice on how they might be overcome, with some practical examples. While this panel of experts are focused on heart failure clinical trials, these discussions and recommendations may apply to clinical trials in other therapeutic areas.

The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) is an open source data format public transportation agency use to share information about routes and vehicle arrival and departure times. A variety of trip-planning applications, including Google Maps, rely on GTFS feeds to incorporate public transit information. In April 2020, the California Integrated Travel Project conducted a Feasibility Study that called for the widespread adoption of GTFS-static (GTFS-s) and GTFS-realtime (GTFS-r) to make transit simpler for California residents; however, there is little research on patterns of information sharing across transit agencies. This background paper highlights findings from an analysis of GTFS use among agencies that report to the National Transit Database (NTD) in California. The prevalence of transit service modifications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were also studied.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has important implications for the safety of participants in clinical trials and the research staff caring for them and, consequently, for the trials themselves. Patients with heart failure may be at greater risk of infection with COVID-19 and the consequences might also be more serious, but they are also at risk of adverse outcomes if their clinical care is compromised. As physicians and clinical trialists, it is our responsibility to ensure safe and effective care is delivered to trial participants without affecting the integrity of the trial. The social contract with our patients demands no less. Many regulatory authorities from different world regions have issued guidance statements regarding the conduct of clinical trials during this COVID-19 crisis. However, international trials may benefit from expert guidance from a global panel of experts to supplement local advice and regulations, thereby enhancing the safety of participants and the integrity of the trial. Accordingly, the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology on 21 and 22 March 2020 conducted web-based meetings with expert clinical trialists in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and Asia. The main objectives of this Expert Position Paper are to highlight the challenges that this pandemic poses for the conduct of clinical trials in heart failure and to offer advice on how they might be overcome, with some practical examples. While this panel of experts are focused on heart failure clinical trials, these discussions and recommendations may apply to clinical trials in other therapeutic areas.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 3.0 million people worldwide and killed more than 200,000 as of April 27, 2020. In this White Paper, we address the cardiovascular co-morbidities of COVID-19 infection; the diagnosis and treatment of standard cardiovascular conditions during the pandemic; and the diagnosis and treatment of the cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19 infection. In addition, we will also address various issues related to the safety of healthcare workers and the ethical issues related to patient care in this pandemic.

Culture is often proposed as a determinant factor in the decision to use paper as a material support for medieval manuscripts. Specifically, scholars frequently assert that European Jews were more willing to adopt paper as a support than Christians. However, the scholarly field has yet to consider an exhaustive quantitative comparison to support this claim. This study utilizes a quantitative codicological method to infer whether paper usage was truly influenced by cultural factors in Medieval Italy and Iberia. In so doing, this paper also evaluates the extent to which quantitative research can be done using digital resources from cultural institutions with holdings relevant to the geographic and temporal areas of interest to this research. Finally, the data gathered is compared to two online databases of medieval manuscripts to extrapolate the accuracy of the results.

The flexibility and insulating nature of polymeric dielectric materials are widely used in robotic and wearable electronic devices like electrical insulation, capacitive sensors, and electromechanical actuators. When combined with a phase transition-induced shape memory property, the resultant bistable electroactive polymer (BSEP) opens up new applications due to the rigid-to-rigid actuation of BSEP tremendously reducing the energy consumption for device operation while providing desirable strength for external loads. This dissertation focuses on investigating insulating, electroactive, and phase transition properties of BSEP, and adapting each aspect of the properties in the pursuit of innovative devices, such as rewritable photonic paper, smart windows with whole solar spectrum modulation, and wearable pressure sensors. An ink-free rewritable photonic paper has been invented through the interdisciplinary combination of photonic crystals, shape memory and electroactive properties of BSEP. The rewritable paper consists of a ferroferric oxide-carbon (Fe3O4@C) core–shell nanoparticle (NP)-based photonic crystal embedded in a BSEP. The nanocomposite can be repeatedly triggered to change into different shapes and colors due to the z-directional deformation that is induced by an electric field. The actuated shape and color can be maintained for a long term without energy input, and the stored images can then be rewritten over 500 times without noticeable degradation. Low energy consumption and simple erasing/rewriting are features that match the benefits of conventional paper as a zero-energy and long term data storage medium, but provide the additional advantage of rewritability. With pixelated electrode arrays, user-defined information can be actuated and erased at will which has been demonstrated through a seven-segment numerical display. A smart window with wide-band light modulation is designed solely based on the phase transition property of BSEP. One component of

The development of patterning high-resolution microfluidic circuits onto cellulose paper in 2007 initiated widespread research into the use of the paper as a low-cost, easy-to-use alternative substrate over the glass and plastics of traditional microfluidics. Paper, as a porous hydrophilic material, naturally wicks fluid through itself, without the need for external pumps or power sources. The simplest paper-based devices are lateral flow devices, where liquid wicks in one direction along the paper strip. These are suitable for simple detection chemistries; however, for more complex reactions, devices that are more complicated are required, and this frequently entails the sequential delivery of different liquids or reagents to reaction zones. To achieve sequential delivery, one can manually deposit reagents at different times, or deposit them simultaneously and have them arrive at times dictated by their travel paths. Modifying channel lengths and widths is the easiest method, but is constrained by the device's footprint and available sample volume, as longer and wider channels will require larger volumes. Alternatively, one can attempt to modify the speed at which liquid wicks through the paper itself. This is predominantly dictated by the pore size of the paper and is typically modified by adding material to block the pores, slowing flow. Further, one can have the liquid flow outside the paper altogether in some kind of external capillary. This work, on the other hand, investigated the use of a CO2 laser to uniformly etch the surface of the paper. Depending on the degree of etching, this was able to both increase and decrease the wicking speed of water through paper channels. The simplest lateral flow devices are typically colorimetric, giving qualitative results. However, getting quantitative data can be quite a bit more difficult. Distance-based devices provide a user-friendly means of obtaining quantitative data without the need for any additional equipment, si

The flexibility and insulating nature of polymeric dielectric materials are widely used in robotic and wearable electronic devices like electrical insulation, capacitive sensors, and electromechanical actuators. When combined with a phase transition-induced shape memory property, the resultant bistable electroactive polymer (BSEP) opens up new applications due to the rigid-to-rigid actuation of BSEP tremendously reducing the energy consumption for device operation while providing desirable strength for external loads. This dissertation focuses on investigating insulating, electroactive, and phase transition properties of BSEP, and adapting each aspect of the properties in the pursuit of innovative devices, such as rewritable photonic paper, smart windows with whole solar spectrum modulation, and wearable pressure sensors. An ink-free rewritable photonic paper has been invented through the interdisciplinary combination of photonic crystals, shape memory and electroactive properties of BSEP. The rewritable paper consists of a ferroferric oxide-carbon (Fe3O4@C) core–shell nanoparticle (NP)-based photonic crystal embedded in a BSEP. The nanocomposite can be repeatedly triggered to change into different shapes and colors due to the z-directional deformation that is induced by an electric field. The actuated shape and color can be maintained for a long term without energy input, and the stored images can then be rewritten over 500 times without noticeable degradation. Low energy consumption and simple erasing/rewriting are features that match the benefits of conventional paper as a zero-energy and long term data storage medium, but provide the additional advantage of rewritability. With pixelated electrode arrays, user-defined information can be actuated and erased at will which has been demonstrated through a seven-segment numerical display. A smart window with wide-band light modulation is designed solely based on the phase transition property of BSEP. One component of

The development of patterning high-resolution microfluidic circuits onto cellulose paper in 2007 initiated widespread research into the use of the paper as a low-cost, easy-to-use alternative substrate over the glass and plastics of traditional microfluidics. Paper, as a porous hydrophilic material, naturally wicks fluid through itself, without the need for external pumps or power sources. The simplest paper-based devices are lateral flow devices, where liquid wicks in one direction along the paper strip. These are suitable for simple detection chemistries; however, for more complex reactions, devices that are more complicated are required, and this frequently entails the sequential delivery of different liquids or reagents to reaction zones. To achieve sequential delivery, one can manually deposit reagents at different times, or deposit them simultaneously and have them arrive at times dictated by their travel paths. Modifying channel lengths and widths is the easiest method, but is constrained by the device's footprint and available sample volume, as longer and wider channels will require larger volumes. Alternatively, one can attempt to modify the speed at which liquid wicks through the paper itself. This is predominantly dictated by the pore size of the paper and is typically modified by adding material to block the pores, slowing flow. Further, one can have the liquid flow outside the paper altogether in some kind of external capillary. This work, on the other hand, investigated the use of a CO2 laser to uniformly etch the surface of the paper. Depending on the degree of etching, this was able to both increase and decrease the wicking speed of water through paper channels. The simplest lateral flow devices are typically colorimetric, giving qualitative results. However, getting quantitative data can be quite a bit more difficult. Distance-based devices provide a user-friendly means of obtaining quantitative data without the need for any additional equipment, si

Culture is often proposed as a determinant factor in the decision to use paper as a material support for medieval manuscripts. Specifically, scholars frequently assert that European Jews were more willing to adopt paper as a support than Christians. However, the scholarly field has yet to consider an exhaustive quantitative comparison to support this claim. This study utilizes a quantitative codicological method to infer whether paper usage was truly influenced by cultural factors in Medieval Italy and Iberia. In so doing, this paper also evaluates the extent to which quantitative research can be done using digital resources from cultural institutions with holdings relevant to the geographic and temporal areas of interest to this research. Finally, the data gathered is compared to two online databases of medieval manuscripts to extrapolate the accuracy of the results.

This manuscript is the result of the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society consensus conference on the surgical management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors from July 19 to 20, 2018. The group reviewed a series of questions of specific interest to surgeons taking care of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and for each, the available literature was reviewed. What follows are these reviews for each question followed by recommendations of the panel.

Allowing the voices of the subjects shine through, this book succeeds due to its clarity and empathy."—Roberto G. Gonzales, Author of Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America "By highlighting the ways U.S. immigration ...

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

Between the more established media ‘epochs’ of mechanical drafting, on the one hand, and computerization on the other, there exists a short but decisive period during which architectural production was technologized in new and understudied ways. An array of graphic ‘supplies’ found their way onto the architects working surface, from the draftsman’s table to the principal’s desk. These supplies, neither instruments nor tools, were the temporal, replaceable and refillable items that joined the many other machines that came to typify the office landscape. Despite a growing literature on the architect’s toolkit, the graphic supplies chain of the postwar office remain overlooked because of their ephemerality and often gizmo scale. As such their omission risks maintaining the historical binaries between conceptual designers and technicians and autonomous and bureaucratic architectures, intrinsic to the introduction of computation. In order to refute these false oppositions and fill the historiographical gap they have produced I argue that the architect’s desk in this period must be recognized as a technologized theater of production. This dissertation bridges the divide and examines how the toolkit became a theoretical problem of authorship, shaped by the longer distinctions between models of authorship and anonymity. Rather than focus on one to the exclusion of the other, this dissertation looks in between, and simultaneously examines one of the most formidably entrenched models of authorship of the period, the one constructed by Peter Eisenman, but also the great network of anonymous supplies, actions, and agents with which he is never associated. The dissertation reveals multiple points of contact between architectural drawing practices and a previously unrecognized network of material research laboratories, tool manufacturers and distributors, trade journals and advertising. Not only were these supplies intrinsic to the development and organization of the bureaucratic

Providing effective healthcare to underrepresented populations is a major challenge worldwide due to environmental, economic, and social disparities. Both developing countries and low income rural/urban areas in the US tend to have reduced healthcare access which limits the frequency and quality of medical screenings as well as treatment options. This has led to an increased effort in the development of point-of-care devices which emphasize, immediate and onsite results. One device that has the potential to fulfill these requirements is the lateral-flow immunoassay (LFA). While the LFA has been successful in the form of the over-the-counter pregnancy test, it still does have some disadvantages that limit its ability to fully replace sophisticated laboratory-based assays. Throughout this thesis, I will be discussing the development of cutting-edge technologies to address the two major disadvantages of the LFA which are its poor quantitative characteristics and low sensitivity.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are a common complication of numerous procedures in Otolaryngology. These leaks are relatively difficult to diagnose and the current laboratory-based tests to do so have a turn-around time that is unacceptable for rapid clinical decision making. We addressed this problem by developing the first rapid diagnostic test kit for the detection of CSF leaks. In Chapter 2, we describe the development of a barcode-style LFA for the semi-quantitative detection of beta-trace protein, which is present in CSF at high concentrations. This work was expanded upon in Chapter 3, where we created a complete, standalone rapid diagnostic test kit composed of our barcode-style LFA, a collection swab, dilution buffers, disposable pipettes, and instructions. Clinical studies demonstrated excellent predictive capabilities of this kit in distinguishing patient samples containing CSF from those that did not. In some cases, a more quantitative readout than what the barcode-style LFA can achi

Allowing the voices of the subjects shine through, this book succeeds due to its clarity and empathy."—Roberto G. Gonzales, Author of Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America "By highlighting the ways U.S. immigration ...

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

Between the more established media ‘epochs’ of mechanical drafting, on the one hand, and computerization on the other, there exists a short but decisive period during which architectural production was technologized in new and understudied ways. An array of graphic ‘supplies’ found their way onto the architects working surface, from the draftsman’s table to the principal’s desk. These supplies, neither instruments nor tools, were the temporal, replaceable and refillable items that joined the many other machines that came to typify the office landscape. Despite a growing literature on the architect’s toolkit, the graphic supplies chain of the postwar office remain overlooked because of their ephemerality and often gizmo scale. As such their omission risks maintaining the historical binaries between conceptual designers and technicians and autonomous and bureaucratic architectures, intrinsic to the introduction of computation. In order to refute these false oppositions and fill the historiographical gap they have produced I argue that the architect’s desk in this period must be recognized as a technologized theater of production. This dissertation bridges the divide and examines how the toolkit became a theoretical problem of authorship, shaped by the longer distinctions between models of authorship and anonymity. Rather than focus on one to the exclusion of the other, this dissertation looks in between, and simultaneously examines one of the most formidably entrenched models of authorship of the period, the one constructed by Peter Eisenman, but also the great network of anonymous supplies, actions, and agents with which he is never associated. The dissertation reveals multiple points of contact between architectural drawing practices and a previously unrecognized network of material research laboratories, tool manufacturers and distributors, trade journals and advertising. Not only were these supplies intrinsic to the development and organization of the bureaucratic

Providing effective healthcare to underrepresented populations is a major challenge worldwide due to environmental, economic, and social disparities. Both developing countries and low income rural/urban areas in the US tend to have reduced healthcare access which limits the frequency and quality of medical screenings as well as treatment options. This has led to an increased effort in the development of point-of-care devices which emphasize, immediate and onsite results. One device that has the potential to fulfill these requirements is the lateral-flow immunoassay (LFA). While the LFA has been successful in the form of the over-the-counter pregnancy test, it still does have some disadvantages that limit its ability to fully replace sophisticated laboratory-based assays. Throughout this thesis, I will be discussing the development of cutting-edge technologies to address the two major disadvantages of the LFA which are its poor quantitative characteristics and low sensitivity.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are a common complication of numerous procedures in Otolaryngology. These leaks are relatively difficult to diagnose and the current laboratory-based tests to do so have a turn-around time that is unacceptable for rapid clinical decision making. We addressed this problem by developing the first rapid diagnostic test kit for the detection of CSF leaks. In Chapter 2, we describe the development of a barcode-style LFA for the semi-quantitative detection of beta-trace protein, which is present in CSF at high concentrations. This work was expanded upon in Chapter 3, where we created a complete, standalone rapid diagnostic test kit composed of our barcode-style LFA, a collection swab, dilution buffers, disposable pipettes, and instructions. Clinical studies demonstrated excellent predictive capabilities of this kit in distinguishing patient samples containing CSF from those that did not. In some cases, a more quantitative readout than what the barcode-style LFA can achi

PURPOSE:To assess time requirements for patient encounters and estimate after-hours demands of paper-based clinical workflows in ophthalmology. DESIGN:Time-and-motion study with a structured survey. METHODS:This study was conducted in a single academic ophthalmology department. A convenience sample consisted of 7 attending ophthalmologists from 6 subspecialties observed during 414 patient encounters for the time-motion analysis and 12 attending ophthalmologists for the survey. Outcome measurements consisted of total time spent by attending ophthalmologists per patient and time spent on documentation, examination, and talking with patients. The survey assessed time requirements of documentation-related activities performed outside of scheduled clinic hours. RESULTS:Among the 7 attending ophthalmologists observed (6 men and 1 woman), mean ± SD age 43.9 ± 7.1 years, during encounters with 414 patients (57.8 ± 24.6 years of age), total time spent per patient was 8.1 ± 4.8 minutes, with 2.8 ± 1.4 minutes (38%) for documentation, 1.2 ± 0.9 minutes (17%) for examination, and 3.3 ± 3.1 minutes (37%) for talking with patients. New patient evaluations required significantly more time than routine follow-up visits and postoperative visits. Higher clinical volumes were associated with less time per patient. Survey results indicated that paper-based documentation was associated with minimal after-hours work on weeknights and weekends. CONCLUSIONS:Paper-based documentation takes up a substantial portion of the total time spent for patient care in outpatient ophthalmology clinics but is associated with minimal after-hours work. Understanding paper-based clinical workflows may help inform targeted strategies for improving electronic health record use in ophthalmology.

How, and how effectively, different electric vehicle (EV) related policies will work is an immediate and important question for California as the state updates its EV policies. Adding urgency, Assembly Bill (AB) 615, which was signed by the Governor, requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to produce a report by December 2018 on related topics, in consultation with the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS). Senate Bill (SB) 498, also signed, also requires CARB reporting with somewhat different but overlapping topics. The need is to define the state of the research on policies to support EV deployment in a manner that is directly usable by California in updating policies. The specific need for CARB is material estimates of these factors (called out in AB 615): "impact of income caps, increased rebates for low-income consumers, and increased outreach on the electric vehicle market, as well as a quantification of emissions reductions attributable to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project."This white paper is one in a series summarizing recent research findings for the state of California. The topic of the series is evaluating the important components of electric vehicle adoption and its effects. The goals of these white papers are to: 1. Synthesize the best published and on-going research available on each topic; 2. Highlight important research gaps and propose areas for future research; 3. Provide the reader with a framework for understanding the various dimensions of each topic; 4. Make a clear link between research findings and policy implications, if possible; and 5. Be accessible to an informed and interested, but non-technical audience.