cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mean age theory in multiphase systems

Abstract Conventional residence time distributions reveal system mixing and dispersion characteristics but are limited to discrete sampling locations, typically at the exit. Mean age theory extends the usefulness of the concept by providing spatial distributions of the mean age of material inside a system using an innovative steady-state approach that incorporates time as a passive scalar, but has been limited to single phase systems. Mean age theory was extended here to multiphase systems by defining the scalar tracer concentration independently for individual phases, which allows mean age to be solved at steady-state for each phase independently within a multiphase system. The theory was well validated by comparing residence time distributions extracted from spatial mean age distributions determined computationally at two locations where RTDs were experimentally measured in a water–oil flow system. Mean residence times from MMA theory were within 1–3% of experimental values and variances were within 3–11%. Means and variances derived from MMA theory matched experimental values more closely than did values derived from the conventional transient solutions, indicating better accuracy due to the steady-state solution. This technique is widely applicable to multiphase systems of any phase type (liquids, solids, and gases), and since it can be solved at steady-state, is advantageous for applications with extraordinary long residence times or ages.
Teaching Video NeuroImages: Myokymia and nerve hyperexcitability as components of Morvan syndrome due to malignant thymoma

A 50-year-old woman with a history of metastatic malignant thymoma presented with diffuse neuropathic pain involving the extremities and torso prior to chemotherapy and radiation. She also developed episodic diarrhea, diaphoresis, fevers, insomnia, and encephalopathy. Examination revealed rippling muscles (video on the Neurology® Web site at www.neurology.org). Prolonged afterdischarges were noted in motor nerve studies, suggestive for nerve hyperexcitability (figures 1 and 2). Electromyography (approximately 8 years after mediastinal radiation) revealed fasciculations, doublets, triplets, and myokymic discharges. Elevated serum antibodies for voltage-gated potassium channel (0.30 nmol/L, normal <0.02) and striational muscle (1:30,720, normal <1:60) were suggestive of paraneoplastic Morvan syndrome, which includes all of the features noted in our case.(1,2) The CNS features of Morvan syndrome differentiate it from Isaac syndrome, which is most often due to an autoimmune etiology. A substantial proportion of Morvan syndrome cases are paraneoplastic, the majority of which are due to thymomas.(1).
How One State Reduced Both Crime and Incarceration

I. INTRODUCTIONt Franklin Zimring, author of The Great American Crime Decline, has described the dramatic reductions in New York's crime and incarceration rates over the last two decades as "one of the most remarkable stories in the history of urban crime."' One aspect of this story is perhaps not as well known: how the state court system's pioneering reliance on drug treatment as an alternative to prison or jail for many non-violent criminal offenders contributed to improved public safety and a smaller prison population. At the American Bar Association's ("ABA") 2009 annual meeting, Attorney General Eric Holder spoke of his vision for the future of the Justice Department. 2 When he turned his attention to innovative approaches to fighting crime, he had this to say: New York has been a leader ... diverting some non-violent offenders into drug court programs and away from prison, and extending early release to other non-violent offenders who participate in treatment programs. And while national prison populations have consistently increased, in New York the state prison population has dropped steadily in the past decade and has 12,000 fewer inmates now than it did in 1999. And since 1999, the overall crime rate in New York has dropped 27%.
GREMA: graph reduction based efficient mask assignment for double patterning technology

Double patterning technology (DPT) has emerged as the most hopeful candidate for the next technology node of the ITRS roadmap [1]. The goal of a DPT decomposer is to decompose the entire layout on each layer onto two masks. It assigns two features to different masks if their spacing is less than a predefined threshold. Besides, some features must be sliced and put onto two masks so that there would be a feasible solution for mask assignment. Such slicing will cause stitches that affect yield. So decomposer needs to minimize their number. In this paper, we formulate the DPT decomposition problem as a maximum cut problem. We propose an extremely efficient two-stage decomposition algorithm called GREMA. The first stage of GREMA generates a set of candidate stitches to ensure that feasible solutions exist for DPT decomposition. The second stage uses maximum cut to find the minimal set of stitches. Our decomposer is able to solve much larger realistic design problems. Experiments demonstrated that GREMA achieved great performance on resolving conflicts with greatly reduced runtime.
Information dissemination in distributed systems with faulty units

Consider a network consisting of units connected by links in which some units could be faulty. Suppose each unit has a message which must be transmitted to all other (fault-free) units. We present an algorithm for doing this in a network operating in a fully distributed manner that requires at most 3n logn+O(n) message transmissions by fault-free units. Among other things, our result can be used to devise an algorithm for distributed system level diagnosis which is more efficient than the best currently known algorithm for this purpose. >
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND RACIAL GROUP INTERESTS AMONG BLACK AMERICANS

ABSTRACT This study assesses predictions from the dominant ideology thesis and theory of group interest concerning the relationship between socioeconomic status and racial solidarity across three domains of racial ideology. Findings from a local area sample (N = 184) in Cleveland, Ohio, provide considerable support for the theory of group interest. Racial solidarity indicators, such as the perception of discrimination, transcend individual socioeconomic status in constructing a group-based racial viewpoint. Conversely, traditional measures of class position, such as income and education, fail to induce attitudinal variation across the analyzed domains, namely causal attributions, racial politics, and attitudes toward interracial intimacy. In fact, the subjective social class measure, occupational prestige, tends to promote differences favorable to racial solidarity. These findings undermine the long-established conclusion that increased socioeconomic status exerts a conservatizing influence over racially/...
A Structurally Motivated Constitutive Model for Bat Wing Skin

Unique among animal flyers, bats have highly flexible and stretchable thin wing membranes. The connection between the structural constituents of bat wing skin, its material behavior, and flight abilities is not yet known. In this work we propose a structurally motivated constitutive model for the wing skin. Within a continuum mechanics framework, the proposed strain energy function for the wing skin is the sum of contributions due to the matrix and two mesoscopic fiber families, one oriented primarily spanwise consisting of elastin fiber bundles and the other family oriented chordwise consisting of muscle fibers. While the fibers are flat and straight when the wing is somewhat open, the matrix exhibits corrugations due to compressive loading from the pre-stretched spanwise fibers. This mismatch in the natural configurations of components is accounted for in the model by a decomposition of the deformation gradient of the spanwise fibers. The material parameters are fit with a procedure motivated by the underlying deformation mechanisms of the tissue corresponding to the regions of the j-shaped constitutive curves. The proposed model is fit to the first set of biaxial experimental stress-strain data for bat wing skin and captures the general features of the tissue response well.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Abstract T MP106: Nursing Acceptance of a Novel Care Coordination Application to Reduce Time to Thrombolysis in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Pilot Study

Background: STOP STROKE© is a novel medical application (app) developed to improve care coordination in acute ischemic stroke and was previously demonstrated to improve door to thrombolytic times. The app captures stroke benchmarking data in real time for quality assurance/improvement. Current literature reports that successful adoption of new health care technologies is not decided by hospital administration, but determined on the work floor. Purpose: We seek to determine the feasibility of an instrument used to measure end users’ intent to use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use of STOP STROKE© and to capture the determinants of these constructs. Methods: We administered a 74-question, on-line survey to a convenience sample of 16 end users involved in acute stroke care after STOP STROKE© was instituted at our level II trauma center with annual emergency department volumes of 90,000. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) employs constructs including: perceived usefulness, ease of use, self-efficacy, external control, enjoyment, subjective norm, computer anxiety, voluntariness, image, job relevance, output quality, result demonstrability, and intent to use. Participants included emergency department charge nurses, cardiac catheterization lab nurses, house supervisors, and stroke coordinator. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and crosstabs. Results: Our sample consisted of 62% women, mean age 41 with an average of 10 years in their current role. Respondents had an average 4.8 years experience using smart phone technology. Overwhelmingly, nurses indicated they intended to use the app (93%), that it had usefulness (81.3%) and was easy to use (87.5%). Additionally, when comparing the app to the traditional stroke activation system, nurses felt that the app improved patient outcomes (86.7%), fit with current protocols and practice (93.3%), and that positive results were demonstrable (100%). Determinants were congruent with TAM theory. Conclusions: The use of TAM can measure acceptance and intent to use the app. Our findings will allow a fully-developed instrument to identify pre-implementation concerns and then measure intervention success in post-implementation surveys.
Got LiZnP? Solution phase synthesis of filled tetrahedral semiconductors in the nanoregime

We report the synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline LiZnP. The reaction proceeds through a zinc metal intermediate followed by rapid incorporation of lithium and phosphorus. We demonstrate flexibility in the selection of Li, Zn, and P precursors, as well as extension of this method to other half-Heusler phases.
Effect of milking and ambient temperature on thyrotropin concentration in serum of cattle.

SummaryNeither milking nor changes in ambient temperature affected TSH concentrations in serum of cattle. On the other hand, serum PRL concentration increased 10-fold after milking and was positively correlated with ambient temperature. These results do not support the premise that endogenous TRH releases both TSH and PRL in cattle.
Transporting slurry for the production of seawater magnesia

Hydrated magnesium oxide slurry produced from vacuum filters is unsatisfactorily handled by transportation with belt conveyers and augers.
Flux Pinning in Artificial Layered Oxide Superconductors

Multilayered YBa2Cu3O6.8/YBa2(Cu1-xNix)3O7-y and YBa2Cu3O6.8/Bi2Sr2Can-1CunOx (n=1, 2, 3) superconducting films have been grown by laser deposition technique. Critical currents were measured in the external magnetic field up to 5 tesla with different thicknesses of the interlayers. Results show that control of the number of layers as well as the thickness in multilayer structures could provide an effective means for improving the critical current in magnetic fields.
Case-note on Esso/BHP v. Plowman (Supreme Court of Victoria)

CONFIDENTIALITY is often touted as one of the advantages of arbitration over litigation. But what confidentiality means in this context, what its legal basis is, and to what it extends, have rarely been the objects of penetrating analysis. The decision in Plowman v. Esso Australia Resources Ltd 1 marks a promising change. After a detailed analysis, the Court held that, in a contemplated arbitration between a state-owned utility and purveyors of gas, the parties would not be restricted from disclosing to the Minister for Energy and Minerals information obtained in the course of the arbitration. Although its actual holding is appropriately narrow, the case did prompt a wide-ranging discussion of the concept of confidentiality in arbitration. In light of an apparently rather general, although undifferentiating, assumption that arbitration is confidential, it is perhaps surprising that the confidentiality of arbitration, such as it is, normally does not rest on a statutory basis. Neither the applicable Australian arbitration law, nor the laws prevailing in most leading commercial nations, provide that arbitration is confidential. To the extent that confidentiality is an attribute of arbitration, it must therefore be found in the applicable arbitration rules or arbitration agreement. In the case at hand, there was no explicit contractual provision providing for confidentiality. The question was therefore …
Design of Automatic Voltage Controller in Power Plants

Automatic voltage control(AVC)was one of the important measures to ensure safety,dependability,economical and high quality operation of the power system.This paper introduced the principle of AVC in plant site,enumerating three realization methods,and making a comparision between them.An automatic voltage controller was designed which could be suitable for thermal power plant.The application result and analysis illustrate that automatic voltage controller in plant site can substitute operating personnel to deal with manual adjustment generator excitation system with high evaluation in practical application.
Experiment on Fatigue Damage Characteristics of Epoxy Asphalt Mixture

To obtain fatigue characteristics of epoxy asphalt mixture paved on steel deck bridges,the tensile strain of pavement was calculated firstly under standard tire pressure,50% and 100% overload respectively,with composite structure model of orthotropic steel deck and concrete pavement.Secondly,four-point bending fatigue tests were conducted under three different temperatures and three strain levels under each temperature.Finally,fatigue lives and load cycles at crack propagating were predicted with Weibull formula.The results show that initial modulus of epoxy asphalt mixture is determined by temperature but not by strain level;epoxy asphalt mixture is in good condition at five million load cycles when the tire pressure is less than 1.38 MPa at 10 ℃ and 20 ℃,and 0.7 MPa at 30 ℃;fatigue damage happens at 66 833 and 35 480 cycles under 1.1 and 1.38 MPa tire pressure at 30 ℃ respectively;under the same strain level,fatigue life of epoxy asphalt mixture decreases with temperature decreasing;fatigue curves of epoxy asphalt mixture can be divided into equipment warm-up,initial cracking and crack propagating stage.The findings provide theory foundation for fatigue predication and preventive maintenance of epoxy asphalt mixture pavement.
Grain Quality of New Indica Rice

According to the industrial standard,NY/T593-2013,11 quality traits of the milled grains from 248 indica rice,including early-,mid-and late-season varieties,collected from Fujian Regional Test on Cultivars from2011 to 2013were evaluated.The results showed that a high percentage of the brown rice from the cultivars met or exceeded the standards on quality,gelatinization temperature,gel consistency and amylase content.However,lessthan-desirable quality traits on the percentage of unbroken milled grains and the degree of chalkiness and translucency also existed.Among the varieties,6.9% of the late-season indica rice met the high quality standards,while none of the early-and mid-season rice did.Based on the test results,it was recommended that,in order to develop a desirable,high quality rice,it would be necessary to achieve the characteristics of minimized grain chalkiness,maximized wholesomeness on the milled grains,and desirable translucency of the cooked rice.
Game Relation Modelling and the Optimal Solution Analysis

Aiming at the complicated and systematic model of investment bank and investment risks, this paper carried out the systematic and dynamic modelling. Rushing the proof of the model analysis and the optional solution, the next conclusion can be drawn: when game appears conflicts and hard in harmony, the both parties should change the function index in the system to make the system solution optimal.
Predicting Ovarian Cancer Patients’ Clinical Response to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy by Their Tumor Proteomic Signatures

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy in the United States with most patients diagnosed in the advanced stage of the disease. Platinum-based antineoplastic therapeutics is indispensable to treating advanced ovarian serous carcinoma. However, patients have heterogeneous responses to platinum drugs, and it is difficult to predict these interindividual differences before administering medication. In this study, we investigated the tumor proteomic profiles and clinical characteristics of 130 ovarian serous carcinoma patients analyzed by the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), predicted the platinum drug response using supervised machine learning methods, and evaluated our prediction models through leave-one-out cross-validation. Our data-driven feature selection approach indicated that tumor proteomics profiles contain information for predicting binarized platinum response (P < 0.0001). We further built a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox proportional hazards model that stratified patients into early relapse and late relapse groups (P = 0.00013). The top proteomic features indicative of platinum response were involved in ATP synthesis pathways and Ran GTPase binding. Overall, we demonstrated that proteomic profiles of ovarian serous carcinoma patients predicted platinum drug responses as well as provided insights into the biological processes influencing the efficacy of platinum-based therapeutics. Our analytical approach is also extensible to predicting response to other antineoplastic agents or treatment modalities for both ovarian and other cancers.
Detection of the Wenchuan aftershock sequence using waveform correlation with a composite regional network

Using template waveforms from aftershocks of the Wenchuan earthquake (12 May 2008, M s 7.9) listed in a global bulletin and continuous data from eight regional stations, we detected more than 6000 additional events in the mainshock source region from 1 May to 12 August 2008. These new detections obey Omori’s law, extend the magnitude of completeness downward by 1.1 magnitude units, and lead to a more than fivefold increase in number of known aftershocks compared with the global bulletins published by the International Data Centre and the International Seismological Centre. Moreover, we detected more M >2 events than were listed by the Sichuan Seismograph Network. Several clusters of these detections were then relocated using the double‐difference method, yielding locations that reduced travel‐time residuals by a factor of 32 compared with the initial bulletin locations. Our results suggest that using waveform correlation on a few regional stations can find aftershock events very effectively and locate them with precision.
HPM: a computational formalism for heuristic procedure modification

The HPM (Heuristic Procedure Modification) system is a model of strategy learning and optimization, implemented as a processing environment within the PRISM production system package [4]. This paper describes progress in getting HPM to emulate children's discoveries about basic addition procedures. HPM s goal-trace and production trace formalisms allow it to maintain a history of its actions which is both goal ordered and time ordered. Heuristics about meaningful patterns in these traces guide the construction of new productions, which modify procedures by replacing or circumventing preexisting productions.
Grüneisen parameter studies on heavy fermion quantum criticality.

The Gruneisen parameter, experimentally determined from the ratio of thermal expansion to specific heat, quantifies the pressure dependence of characteristic energy scales of matter. It is highly enhanced for Kondo lattice systems, whose properties are strongly dependent on the pressure sensitive antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between f- and conduction electrons. In this review, we focus on the divergence of the Gruneisen parameter and its magnetic analogue, the adiabatic magnetocaloric effect, for heavy-fermion metals near quantum critical points. We compare experimental results with current theoretical models, including the effect of strong geometrical frustration. We also discuss the possibility of using materials with the divergent magnetic Gruneisen parameter for adiabatic demagnetization cooling to very low temperatures.
Mechanical Characterization of the HIV-1 RNA Hairpin using an Atomic Force Microscope

Pioneering single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) studies of RNA structures used a custom-built optical trap, which continues to be the preferred measurement platform due to its exquisite stability and force precision. Here, we developed a rapid and precise SMFS assay to characterize the dynamics and energetics of RNA structures using a commercial atomic force microscope (AFM) equipped with a temperature-regulated closed-fluidic sample chamber. To do so, we integrated several technical improvements: (i) focused-ion beam modified cantilevers to provide sub-pN stability in conjunction with fast temporal response (∼40 µs); (ii) site-specific attachment to covalently couple RNA hairpins to PEG-coated coverslips and to reversibly attach such hairpins to PEG-coated AFM tips via a streptavidin-biotin bond; and (iii) an automated centering routine to achieve a vertical pulling geometry. By leveraging these improvements, we resolved the unfolding and refolding of single RNA hairpins in both dynamic and equilibrium assays, including repeatedly measuring the same individual molecule over >1 h. Initial studies focused on the HIV-1 RNA hairpin, which leads to a −1 programmed ribosomal frameshift. Dynamic force spectroscopy analysis of the HIV-1 hairpin yielded ΔG‡ (= 36 kBT), Δx‡ (= 7.1 nm), and k0 (= 1.3×10−9 s−1). Looking forward, the rapid data acquisition demonstrated here on a commercial AFM facilitates SMFS studies of macromolecular folding over a broader a range of physiochemical conditions (pH, temperature, denaturant).
Curriculum Issues: The Importance of Selecting Literature for Gifted Learners:

This column describes criteria for selecting literature for gifted and advanced students in English-language arts. Some of the criteria considered relate to reading level, advanced use of language ...
Relative wage structure in chile, 1957-1992 : changes in the structure of demand for schooling

It has traditionally been hypothesized that moving from Protectionist to liberalized trade in developing countries (LDCs) will decrease the relative wages of skilled versus unskilled labor (or “relative wages”). Trade liberalization causes “between-industry” shifting of the composition of output across industries towards goods intensive in unskilled labor, decreasing the demand for skilled relative to unskilled labor and relative wages.
Predicting high taxi demand regions using social media check-ins

The supply and demand of taxis in a city sometimes can be highly imbalanced. In some regions, passengers are unable to get rides even after a long wait, while in other regions many taxis are loitering without any passengers. Therefore, an intelligent taxi demand forecasting system is desired to not only allow the taxi drivers to meet passengers needs, but also reduce their futile roaming. In this paper, we attempt to forecast the high taxi demand regions in NYC by using social media check-ins. Our approach includes four primary steps. First, we locate the popular venues in NYC and then cluster these venues into high geo-resolution regions that cover most of the popular areas in NYC. Second, we further refine these regions into functional zones via their internal venue distributions. Third, we inspect how temporal and geo-spatial factors impact the taxi demand in different zone types. Finally, we try several ways to improve the forecast accuracy, and our best way achieves 82% validating accuracy and 80% testing accuracy.
Understanding many-to-many matching relationship and its correlation with joint response

Abstract Many-to-many matching relationship in a two-sided market has been widely observed in today's transportation activities. Observation of such matching relationship raises some interesting questions: what factors drive the matching of two agents? Is the formation of matching relationship related with joint behavior which may lead to different understandings of planning and operation? To answer these questions, econometric models may be the best methodology. However, to the authors’ best knowledge, there lacks a well-established econometric model to explain the observed data that contains matching relationship in a two-sided transportation market. Therefore, this paper proposes an innovative ordinal joint response model to bridge the gap. The proposed model consists of two regression equations: the first uses a latent dependent variable to disentangle the many-to-many matching relationship; the second specifies an ordered probit equation to investigate the ordinal outcome of joint behavior. Error terms of the two equations are assumed correlated to capture the correlation of the matching process and joint behavior. An example of airline-airport matching is used to demonstrate the proposed model.
Linking Knowledge with Action: Applied Social Science Considerations to Improve Woody Bioenergy Research and Development Effectiveness

As discussed in earlier chapters, the forest and agricultural lands in the Northeast are poised to have a significant role in meeting societal demands for energy independence and renewable energy. Woody biomass, harvested and processed sustainably, can be converted into a diverse set of energy and bioproducts. In particular, woody bioenergy holds promise as a way of augmenting or replacing petroleum- or coal-based energy sources. However, additional research is needed to encourage widespread establishment of the woody bioenergy in this region. Research can reduce barriers across the entire supply chain, from plant genetics and production, to harvesting and logistics, to processing and marketing. However, there is a long recognized gap between knowledge creation through science, and action through application of that research into practice. In order to match research “supply” provided by researchers with research “demand” by stakeholders in industry, government, and communities, new models of linking researchers and bioenergy stakeholders are currently being tested. This chapter summarizes the findings of a social considerations study conducted with stakeholders who were invited to participate in the development of a multi-state sustainable bioenergy research proposal. The study was designed to gather information from stakeholders through an online survey and three stakeholder workshops. This information was used in developing a follow-on study, currently underway, to demonstrate stakeholder involvement and improve the quality of stakeholder interactions.
Activation studies with a precipitated iron catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. II. Reaction studies

Effects of pretreatment conditions on catalyst performance (activity, selectivity, and stability with time) during Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis were studied in a fixed-bed reactor using a commercial precipitated iron catalyst (100 Fe/5 Cu/4.2 K/25 SiO2 on a mass basis). The catalyst activity increased slightly with time-on-stream after hydrogen reductions, which was accompanied with conversion of metallic iron and part of iron oxides to ϵ′-carbide (ϵ′-Fe2.2C). Initial activity of the H2-reduced catalyst at 280°C for 8 or 24 h was markedly lower than that obtained in other tests. This is attributed to slow carburization of large oxide particles and partial poisoning of catalyst sites by migration of sulfur from the bulk to the surface of the catalyst during the reduction. Pretreatments with carbon monoxide and syngas resulted in partial conversion of Fe2O3 to χ-carbide (χ-Fe5C2). During FT synthesis the CO- and the syngas-pretreated catalyst deactivated slowly with time-on-stream, due to partial conversion of χ-carbide to less active iron oxide phases and buildup of carbonaceous deposits which block the active sites. The hydrogen-reduced catalyst at 280°C, for 1-24 h, produced more methane and gaseous hydrocarbons than the CO- or the syngas-pretreated catalyst and favored secondary reactions (1-olefin hydrogenation, isomerization, and readsorption).
Immunoglobulin clonality analysis : resolution of ambiguities in immunofixation electrophoresis results by high-resolution, two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of paraprotein bands eluted from agarose gels

This article describes evaluation of the clonality of origin of immunoglobulin (Ig) chains by strategies that include qualitative analysis of paraproteins with high-resolution, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and silver staining. This approach is helpful in evaluating specimens in which standard immunoelectrophoresis or immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) techniques do not provide definitive Ig typing results. One method the authors developed involves a "band elution" procedure, in which proteins present in high-resolution agarose gel electrophoresis bands are cut from the agarose gel, eluted with a denaturing buffer, and subjected to 2DE. The microheterogeneity patterns of the Ig light chains, heavy chains, or both are evaluated for their relationship regarding mass, charge, and, by inference, number of genes of origin. When necessary, determination of charge relationships may be aided by urea-mediated carbamylation of lysine residues, which introduces single-charge shifts to the individual protein subunits. Overall, these adjunctive techniques are particularly useful in cases with multiple bands of identical immunologic types (eg, several IgG1 bands) on IFE before and after sulfhydryl reduction (with dithiothreitol or 2-mercaptoethanol). The authors present procedural details and examples of the 2DE band elution patterns of serum and urine samples from four patients with B-cell dyscrasias, including the first reported case of POEMS syndrome with biclonal gammopathy, to the best of their knowledge.
Service, Ethnography, and the “Leap of Faith”: A Spiritan Catholic Perspective on Service Learning

This article considers the state of service and experiential learning initiatives in higher education, especially in Catholic universities. Concluding that the Catholic mission of service, education, moral values, world concerns, and ecumenism can be integrated into student experience, the essay offers a model of service ethnography. Service ethnography is a research method wherein ethnographers undertake service with the intercultural community as a central component of their learning. The model is explored via a case study, demonstrating the experiences of students at a Catholic university and uses their reflections to describe a new vision of ethnography as a “leap of faith.”
Models of aldosterone action on sodium transport: emerging concepts.

This article will detail models of aldosterone action in target epithelia such as kidney and toad bladder with respect to Na transport. The renal target cell responsible for aldosterone-dependent Na reabsorption is considered to be the cortical collecting tubule (CCT), while that responsible for acid secretion is characterized by the inner strip of the outer medullary collecting duct.1 An analogous situation is found in toad bladder, with one cell type (granular cell) responsible for aldosterone-dependent Na reabsorption while another (mitochondrial-rich cell) modulating acid secretion in response to steroid.2 With respect to K transport, these two tissues differ, in that aldosterone does not modify the secretory rate of K in the toad bladder due to a vanishingly small apical membrane K permeability, while in the mammalian kidney, aldosterone both increases the urinary excretion of K and the secretion of K by CCTs under steady-state conditions.3–5 With regard to the Na reabsorbing cell, the following paragraphs will both detail existing data and the various working hypotheses currently being evaluated to interpret that data with respect to the means by which aldosterone alters (a) luminal membrane Na permeability, and (b) NaK ATPase activity. In addition, the possible roles of energy and phospholipid metabolism in this process will be discussed. Since some actions of aldosterone parallel those of ADH (antidiuretic hormone), data on both hormones will be contrasted as appropriate in order to help narrow the possible explanations into a cohesive model for the Na reabsorbing cell.
The Modern Hunter–Gatherer Hunts Aliens and Gathers Power-Ups: The Evolutionary Appeal of Violent Video Games and How They Can Be Beneficial

Video game violence has been the focus of much recent concern among politicians, activists, and some social scientists. Evolutionary psychology can help explain the origins of fascination of many individuals, particularly males, with violent games. Interest in violent video games can be viewed as an extension of normal and adaptive aggression instincts, in which video games provide a safe arena in which individuals can express aggression and manage mood without actually causing harm to others. An evolutionary model of violent game interest, the Catalyst Model , is presented and contrasted with traditional social learning models of video game violence use. It is argued that the harmful effects of violent game exposure on the majority of players are negligible whereas violent games may provide a useful platform for positive development in education, visuospatial cognition, and social networking .
How Population Decline Can Impact Genetic Diversity: a Case Study of Eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Morro Bay, California

Seagrass populations are in decline worldwide. Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), one of California’s native seagrasses, is no exception to this trend. In the last 8 years, the estuary in Morro Bay, California, has lost 95% of its eelgrass. Population bottlenecks like this one often result in severe reductions in genetic diversity; however, this is not always the case. The decline of eelgrass in Morro Bay provides an opportunity to better understand the effects of population decline on population genetics. Furthermore, the failure of recent restoration efforts necessitates a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of the population. Previous research on eelgrass in California has demonstrated a link between population genetic diversity and eelgrass bed health, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to disturbance and extreme climatic events. The genetic diversity and population structure of Morro Bay eelgrass have not been assessed until this study. We also compare Morro Bay eelgrass to Bodega Bay eelgrass in Northern California. We conducted fragment length analysis of nine microsatellite loci on 133 Morro Bay samples, and 20 Bodega Bay samples. We found no population differentiation between the remaining beds in Morro Bay and no difference among samples growing at different tidal depths. Comparisons with Bodega Bay revealed that Morro Bay eelgrass contains three first-generation migrants from the north, but Morro Bay remains considerably genetically differentiated from Bodega Bay. Despite the precipitous loss of eelgrass in Morro Bay between 2008 and 2017, genetic diversity remains relatively high and comparable to other populations on the west coast.
Patterns of weight change associated with disease diagnosis in a national sample.

Background The incidence and/or diagnosis of a major disease may activate weight change. Patterns of weight change associated with diagnoses have not been systematically documented. Methods We use data on adults ages 30+ in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999–2014. Self-reported current weight and weight one year prior are used to estimate percent weight change in the last year. We use self-reported data on arthritis, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver conditions, and respiratory disease diagnoses to compare weight change among individuals never diagnosed with these conditions, individuals diagnosed 0–1 years ago, and individuals diagnosed 2+ years ago. Multinomial logistic regressions adjust for the presence of multiple conditions. Results 17.7% of the adult population experienced weight loss of 5.0% or more in the year prior to survey. Individuals diagnosed with any of the conditions were less likely to maintain their weight than those without a diagnosis. Arthritis, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and liver conditions were associated with net weight loss, whereas respiratory diseases were associated with higher probabilities of both losing and gaining weight. Among those losing 10% or more, 56.7% had been diagnosed with one of the conditions. Cancer was associated with the highest probability of unintentional weight loss and diabetes with the highest probability of intentional weight loss. Conclusions Disease-associated weight changes leave a distinct imprint on patterns of weight change in the population. Individuals losing at least 10% of their weight in the last year have likely been diagnosed with one of the six conditions.
Table algebras

This article surveys table algebras as algebraic abstractions of association schemes and other structures. Various definitions are compared; some basic properties are developed; and some theorems and applications are presented.
Competing Risk of Death in Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Stage I Breast Cancer

Background The majority of newly diagnosed breast cancers in the US are in women aged older than 65 years who can have additional comorbidities. Balancing the risks and benefits of treatment should take into account these competing risks of death. Study Design The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program-Medicare database was used to identify women with stage I breast cancer undergoing operations from 2004-2012. Using neural network analysis, comorbidities associated with mortality were grouped into clinically relevant categories. Cumulative incidence graphs and Fine and Gray competing risk regression analyses were used to study the association of age, race, comorbidity groupings, and tumor variables with 3 competing mortality outcomes: dead of disease (DOD), dead of other cancers (DOC), and non-cancer death (NCD). Results The overall cumulative incidence of mortality was 4.9% for DOD, 3.7% for DOC, and 21.3% for NCD for the 47,220 patients studied. For all patients, the 5- and 8-year probability of DOD was 3% and 4.7%, for DOC 1.9% and 3.5%, and for NCD 9.8% and 18.9%, respectively. The presence of any major comorbidity (eg cardiovascular or neurologic disorders) significantly increased the probability of NCD, and estrogen receptor status was the strongest predictor of DOD. Given patient age, comorbidity, and estrogen receptor status, an estimate of competing risks of death from DOD, DOC, and NCD can be calculated. Conclusions To aid clinical decision making, we quantify competing risks of death in patients with stage I breast cancer by taking into account patient age, comorbidity, and estrogen receptor status.
A Short History of Nuclear Medicine

Roentgen’s discovery of x-rays in 1895 began the rapidly expanding uses of radiation and radioactivity in medicine. Becquerel discovered radioactivity the following year, and Marie Curie coined the term “radioactivity” shortly thereafter. These pioneers laid the groundwork for scientific principles we now take for granted, such as atomic structure. The first few decades of the twentieth century were a hotbed of discoveries, including artificial radioactivity by Irene and Frederic Joliot-Curie and the invention of the cyclotron by Lawrence, leading to the production of radionuclides for medical applications (e.g. I-131, Tc-99m). de Hevesy presented the “radiotracer principle,” which states that radiopharmaceuticals can participate in biological processes but do not alter or perturb them. Kamon and Rubin’s discovery of carbon-14 was critical for its role in life science research. After World War II, nuclear science research used for destruction was quickly channeled for medicine. Iodine-131 was successfully applied to treating Graves’ disease and thyroid cancer. The Mo-99/Tc-99m generator was developed by scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The invention of the gamma camera, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation boomed during the 1950s through the 1970s. Fluorine-18-labeled 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (or [18F]FDG) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 and is now the primary tracer for PET scans throughout the world. Novel research in developing instrumentation, radionuclide production, radiochemistry strategies, and radiotracers continues in the quest to improve human health.
The effect of local therapy on breast cancer-specific mortality of women with occult breast cancer and advanced nodal disease (N2/N3): a population analysis

Current NCCN guidelines for occult breast cancer (OBC) recommend modified radical mastectomy, with the option for breast preservation with radiation instead of mastectomy for N1 patients. Our aim was to compare the effect of local therapy—mastectomy versus breast radiation—on breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) in a contemporary cohort of OBC patients of all nodal stages. Competing risk analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of local therapy, nodal stage, and other demographic and clinical prognostic variables on risk of BCSM for women registered in the SEER database with T0N+M0 breast cancer from 2004 to 2015. Of the 353 women with OBC who underwent axillary nodal dissection, 152 received breast radiation and 201 underwent mastectomy. Overall, 57.5% had N1 disease, 54.4% had estrogen receptor (ER) positive tumors, 80.7% were white, and 88.1% received chemotherapy. Women treated with radiation were older (p < 0.001). The two groups were comparable with respect to all other variables analyzed. During a median follow-up of 66 months, 32 women died from breast cancer (radiation: 11, mastectomy: 21). Five-year cumulative incidence of BCSM was 8.0% ± 2.6% with radiation versus 10.9% ± 2.6% with mastectomy (p = 0.309). On multivariate analysis, independent predictors of BCSM included older age, higher N stage, and ER negativity, but the type of local therapy was not significantly associated with outcome. These results suggest that breast preservation is a reasonable alternative to mastectomy for OBC patients, regardless of nodal stage.
Theory of Alfvén-slow frequency gaps and discovery of Alfvén-slow eigenmodes in tokamaks

An analytical theory based on the MHD model is presented for understanding the coupling between the shear Alfven wave and the slow magnetosonic wave (or the so called slow mode) in the frequency range below the Toroidal Alfven Eigenmode (TAE) continuum spectrum gap. In tokamak plasmas, coupling of the Alfven m poloidal harmonic and the slow mode m ± 1 harmonics causes the Alfven m harmonic continuous spectrum to be uplifted from the uncoupled Alfven spectrum by an amount related to the plasma pressure and the geodesic magnetic field curvature. However, the frequency of one of the slow mode m ± 1 harmonics is reduced by the same pressure-curvature coupling effect. But the frequency of the other slow mode harmonic is relatively unaffected. As a result, the Alfven-slow (AS) mode continuous spectrum is broken up into two Alfven-Slow (AS) gaps below the TAE continuum gap. Coupling of the Alfven m harmonic with the slow mode m ± 2 harmonics also creates additional AS gaps if their frequencies cross each other. The AS gap widths increase with the plasma pressure. The creation of AS gaps allows the existence of several new types of Alfven-Slow Eigenmodes (ASEs). The radial structure of these new ASEs does not intersect with the continuous spectrum and thus does not suffer from continuum damping. The Beta-induced Alfven-Acoustic Eigenmode (BAAE) is one type of ASEs with frequency in the lowest AS frequency gap. However, the BAAE usually interacts with the Alfven-Slow continuum and suffers from continuum damping. The existence of ASEs is ubiquitous for normal and reserve safety factor profiles, broad range of plasma β values, different plasma shapes, and many different toroidal mode numbers. The newly discovered ASEs provide explanation for the experimentally observed Beta-induced Alfven Eigenmodes destabilized by fast ions with frequencies below the TAE frequency gap.
Development or Rent Seeking? How Political Influence Shapes Public Works Provision in India

How do politicians with influence over public works programs balance their incentives to gain electoral support with their proclivities for rent seeking? This article argues that government elites in parliamentary systems manage this trade-off by concentrating rent-seeking opportunities in their own hands while facilitating efficient public goods provision in the constituencies of their more junior partisan colleagues. Analyses using fine-grained data on road construction in India based on a variety of causal inference strategies support the argument. While ruling party legislators showed higher levels of road provision in their constituencies regardless of ministerial status, road projects in ministers’ constituencies showed higher levels of rent seeking than those in the constituencies of other ruling party legislators. Moreover, consistent with the mechanism, ruling party legislators’ diminished access to rent-seeking opportunities appears to be largely driven by the influence of co-partisan ministers. The findings illuminate how politicized distribution can sometimes mitigate inefficiencies in infrastructure provision.
Carbon Nanotube Coated Textile Sensors with Ultrahigh Sensitivity for Human Motion Detection

Highly sensitive stretch sensors are developed by coating knitted fabrics with carbon nanotubes. An innovative electrophoretic deposition approach is used to deposit a thin and conformal carbon nanotube coating on a nylon-polyesterspandex knitted fabric. The carbon nanotube coating is chemically bonded on the surface of the fibers and creates an electrically conductive network. As a result, these sensors display piezoresistivity; that is, the resistance of the sensor changes due to mechanical deformation. First, the sensing response under tension is characterized using mechanical testing equipment. The sensors are then integrated into compression knee sleeves to investigate sensing response due to knee flexion. When the sensing fabric is stretched, an increase in electrical resistance is observed due to change in the microstructure of the knitted fabric and because of the piezoresistivity of the coating. Under knee flexion, a resistance change of over three thousand percent is detected. The carbon nanotube coated knitted fabrics as flexible stretch sensors have wide-ranging applications in human motion analysis.