cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of learning opportunity rates: correlation with radiologist assignment, patient type and exam priority

Common cause analysis of learning opportunities identified in a peer collaborative improvement process can gauge the potential risk to patients and opportunities to improve. To study rates of learning opportunities based on radiologist assignment, patient type and exam priority at an academic children’s hospital with 24/7 in-house attending coverage. Actively submitted peer collaborative improvement learning opportunities from July 2, 2016, to July 31, 2018, were identified. Learning opportunity rates (number of learning opportunities divided by number of exams in each category) were calculated based on the following variables: radiologist assignment at the time of dictation (daytime weekday, daytime weekend and holiday, evening, and night) patient type (inpatient, outpatient or emergency center) and exam priority (stat, urgent or routine). A statistical analysis of rate differences was performed using a chi-square test. Pairwise comparisons were made with Bonferroni method adjusted P-values. There were 1,370 learning opportunities submitted on 559,584 studies (overall rate: 0.25%). The differences in rates by assignment were statistically significant (P<0.0001), with the highest rates on exams dictated in the evenings (0.31%) and lowest on those on nights (0.19%). Weekend and holiday daytime (0.26%) and weekday daytime (0.24%) rates fell in between. There were significantly higher rates on inpatients (0.33%) than on outpatients (0.22%, P<0.0001) or emergency center patients (0.16%, P<0.0001). There were no significant differences based on exam priority (stat 0.24%, urgent 0.26% and routine 0.24%, P=0.55). In this study, the highest learning opportunity rates occurred on the evening rotation and inpatient studies, which could indicate an increased risk for patient harm and potential opportunities for improvement.
Analysis of Low-Time Pilot Attitudes in University Aviation Association Member Flight Schools

Hazardous attitudes, such as antiauthority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation, may increase the risk of accident or incident in aviation. Hazardous attitudes is an overarching term, based on different perceptions and behaviors, which may negativity affect decision making in pilots. The Aviation Safety Attitudes Scale, which addresses attitudes in three areas (Self-Confidence, Risk Orientation, and Safety Orientation), was give to 302 low-time pilots (fewer than 250 hours of flight time). The purpose of this quantitative, survey research was to determine the potential hazardous attitudes of flight school students. Factorial Analysis revealed differences in three areas among the sample: Certification by Number of hours flown in previous 90 days interaction on Safety Orientation was overall statistically significant, F (2,296)=6.333, p=0.002; Certification by Gender integration on Risk Orientation was overall statistically significant, F (1,294)=4.48, p=0.035; and Gender by Certification interaction on Self-Confidence was overall significant, F (1,294)=10.324, p=0.01. The researchers concluded that although the overall hazardous attitudes of pilots are appropriate, there may be additional opportunities for instructors and curriculum developers to continually reinforce hazardous attitude awareness.
Determinants of 90-day readmission following ventral hernia repair with and without myocutaneous flap reconstruction: a National Readmissions Database analysis.

Readmission status is an important clinical component of healthcare outcomes. 90-day readmission following complex open ventral hernia repair has not been well studied with national level data. This study aims to compare readmission rates for patients undergoing standard vs. complex (myocutaneous flap-based) ventral hernia repair. We hypothesize that complexity of reconstruction will be an independent predictor of readmission after ventral hernia repair. A retrospective cohort study was performed with 1:1 matching of hernia repair type using the National Readmissions Database. Patients were selected using ICD-9 codes corresponding to ventral hernia repair with or without myocutaneous flap. 90-day readmissions were determined on patients within the first through third quarters of each year. After matching, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed using confounding variables including hospital setting, comorbidities, type of repair, urgency of repair, sociodemographic status, and payer. Likelihood of 90-day readmission was calculated from odds ratios. Readmission rates were 19.1% (38,313 out of 200,266) and 22.5% (692 out of 3075) at 90-day for standard ventral hernia repair and complex ventral hernia repair, respectively. 3116 standard ventral hernia repair patients were matched with 3074 complex ventral hernia repair patients. After matching there was a significantly increased readmission rate for repairs involving myocutaneous flaps, with odds ratio (OR) 1.30 (95% CI 1.22–1.60). Payer status (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.21–2.74), teaching hospital status (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.23–1.64) and income quartile (OR 1.35; CI 1.10–1.65) were independent predictors of readmission. Patients undergoing myocutaneous flap-based reconstruction have higher readmission rates than those undergoing less complex ventral hernia repair. Socioeconomic disparity as reflected in payer status is a particularly strong predictor of readmission. The data support the concept that focused efforts are needed to optimize patient outcomes for patients requiring more complex repair, including socioeconomically disadvantaged patient populations.
Development of Current-Source-Inverter-based Integrated Motor Drives using Wide-Bandgap Power Switches

The miniaturization of power electronics is made possible by using wide-bandgap (WBG) power switches that can operate at high switching frequencies and high temperatures. Thus, WBG devices open the door for promising opportunities for the development of integrated motor drives (IMDs) that places the power electronics and the electric machine in the same enclosure. The concept of IMDs can replace traditional adjustable speed drives consisting of motor and inverter connected by a cable. However, WBG-based IMDs still faces many challenges regarding electromagnetic interference, cooling, reliability, and packaging. Nowadays, the majority of IMDs use voltage-source-based inverters since this topology is naturally compatible with conventional silicon-based power devices. Nevertheless, major advances in the development of new types of power semiconductor switches made from WBG semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride create new competitive alternatives for the development of reverse-voltage blocking (RVB) switches that are well-suited for use in current-source inverters (CSIs). This paper investigates the use of WBG power devices in CSIs for use in IMD applications. A 3-kW concept demonstrator CSI is successfully built and tested exciting an RL load that emulates a surface permanent-magnet (PM) synchronous motor. This CSI-IMD achieves appealing efficiency values >97.6% at both half- and full-load conditions with a PWM switching frequency of 125 kHz and an inverter power density of 9.84 kW/L.
The Relationship Between Education and Policing Skill Sets

College education and its benefits to policing have been studied for several decades. These studies included the effects of college education upon a broad range of police behaviors within police work. Police officers must have a myriad of special skills as they interact with the public. The skills that are most commonly studied are: the propensity to use force, professionalism, acceptance of diversity, conceptual skills, and communication skills. The responsibilities in policing grew substantially in 2001, after the first major terrorist event that then put police officers at the forefront of combating terrorism. Changes in technology, as well as technological crimes, have also added additional issues in policing, society and crime, not necessarily representative of the past. Policing and police officers are expected to overcome and effectively handle these issues in accordance with the changes in law and also changes in society as well. To compare the current effectiveness of policing to former eras is problematic because expectations and duties of officers have changed drastically. Because of this, longitudinal studies are often challenged with the vast number of changes in law and society that police officers must adapt to. Furthermore, studies often measure these skills collectively by police officer satisfaction ratings and police conduct related lawsuits, which also fluctuate in accordance with societal changes. This adds to the difficulty in analyzing the conduct of police, however researching changes in influencing factors is essential.
On incentives and optimal effort to improve bus transit performance

This paper studies incentive-based subsidy to transit systems to improve performance. It derives a formula for optimal effort that equalizes marginal cost and marginal benefit and derives some prin...
Pulmonary Consequences of Prenatal Inflammatory Exposures: Clinical Perspective and Review of Basic Immunological Mechanisms

Chorioamnionitis, a potentially serious inflammatory complication of pregnancy, is associated with the development of an inflammatory milieu within the amniotic fluid surrounding the developing fetus. When chorioamnionitis occurs, the fetal lung finds itself in the unique position of being constantly exposed to the consequent inflammatory meditators and/or microbial products found in the amniotic fluid. This exposure results in significant changes to the fetal lung, such as increased leukocyte infiltration, altered cytokine, and surfactant production, and diminished alveolarization. These alterations can have potentially lasting impacts on lung development and function. However, studies to date have only begun to elucidate the association between such inflammatory exposures and lifelong consequences such as lung dysfunction. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of and fetal immune response to chorioamnionitis, detail the consequences of chorioamnionitis exposure on the developing fetal lung, highlighting the various animal models that have contributed to our current understanding and discuss the importance of fetal exposures in regard to the development of chronic respiratory disease. Finally, we focus on the clinical, basic, and therapeutic challenges in fetal inflammatory injury to the lung, and propose next steps and future directions to improve our therapeutic understanding of this important perinatal stress.
Measuring Semantic Similarity across EU GDPR Regulation and Cloud Privacy Policies

Data protection authorities formulate policies and rules which the service providers have to comply with to ensure security and privacy when they perform Big Data analytics using users Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The knowledge contained in the data regulations and organizational privacy policies are typically maintained as short unstructured text in HTML or PDF formats. Hence it is an open challenge to determine the specific regulation rules that are being addressed by a provider’s privacy policies. We have developed a semantically rich framework, using techniques from Semantic Web and Natural Language Processing, to extract and compare the context of a short text in real-time. This framework allows automated incremental text comparison and identifying context from short text policy documents by determining the semantic similarity score and extracting semantically similar key terms. Additionally, we also created a knowledge graph to store the semantically similar comparison results while evaluating our framework across EU GDPR and privacy policies of 20 organizations complying with this regulation associated with various categories apply to Big Data stored in the cloud. Our approach can be utilized by Big Data practitioners to update their referential documents regularly based on the authority documents.
Prevalence and Outcomes of Multi-Drug Resistant Blood Stream Infections Among Nursing Home Residents Admitted to an Acute Care Hospital:

Objective:The prevalence of multi-drug resistant organism (MDRO) colonization in nursing home residents has been well documented, but little is known about the impact of MDRO bloodstream infections...
African Americans and Trayvon Martin: Black Racial Identity Profiles and Emotional Responding

Public opinion polls suggest that many African Americans viewed the death of Trayvon Martin as a race-related event (Gabbidon and Jordan 2013; Pew Research Center 2013). This exploratory online investigation examined African Americans’ general reactions to the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin as well as the link between Black racial identity cluster profiles and race-related stress reactions (i.e., anger and sense of safety). Participants had a range of reactions, including questioning whether the shooting was racially motivated as well as self-reporting anger and sadness. Three Black racial identity profile groups were identified. Profile group 1 consisted of individuals with each of the different Black racial identity attitude types being below the mean (i.e., undifferentiated). Group 2 consisted of individuals with lower levels of centrality and nationalist ideologies with all other racial identity types being above the mean (i.e., integrationist). Finally, group 3 consisted of individuals with a positive African American identity as indicated by greater levels of centrality, private regard, and nationalist ideology (i.e., race focused). Only their public regard, assimilationist and humanist ideology attitudes fell below the mean. Further analysis indicated that individuals with a race focused Black racial identity cluster profile specifically self-reported higher levels of anger and were more likely to indicate feeling unsafe after learning about Trayvon Martin’s death.
Development of an environmentally friendly halogen-free phosphorus-nitrogen bond flame retardant for cotton fabrics: ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FLAME RETARDANT FOR COTTON

A novel flame retardant diethyl 4-methylpiperazin-1-ylphosphoramidate (CN-3) containing phosphorous and nitrogen was prepared. Its chemical structure was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-, 13C-, and 31P-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Print cloth and twill fabrics were treated with CN-3 to achieve different levels of add-on (7–22 wt% add-ons for print cloth and 3–18 wt% add-ons for twill). Thermogravimetric analysis, vertical flame test, and limiting oxygen index (LOI) were performed on the treated cotton fabrics and showed promising results. When the treated print cloth and twill fabric samples were tested using the vertical flame test (ASTM D6413-08), we observed that the ignited fabrics self-extinguished and left behind a streak of char. Treated higher add-ons fabrics were neither consumed by flame nor produced glowing ambers upon self-extinguishing. LOI (ASTM 2863–09) was used to determine the effectiveness of the flame retardant on the treated fabrics. LOI values increased from 18 vol% oxygen in nitrogen for untreated print cloth and twill fabrics to maximum of 28 and 31 wt% for the highest add-ons of print cloth and twill, respectively. The results from cotton fabrics treated with CN-3 demonstrated a higher LOI value as well as a higher char yield because of the effectiveness of phosphorus and nitrogen as a flame retardant for cotton fabrics. Furthermore, FT-IR and SEM were used to characterize the chemical structure on the treated fabrics as well as the surface morphology of char areas of treated and untreated fabrics. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
A Dopamine/D1 Receptor/Protein Kinase A/Dopamine- and cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein (M r 32 kDa)/Protein Phosphatase-1 Pathway Regulates Dephosphorylation of the NMDA Receptor

We have investigated the mechanism by which activation of dopamine (DA) receptors regulates the glutamate sensitivity of medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens. Our results demonstrate that DA regulates the phosphorylation state of the NR1 subunit of NMDA-type glutamate receptors. The effect of DA was mimicked by SKF82526, a D1-type DA receptor agonist, and by forskolin, an activator of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and was blocked by H-89, a PKA inhibitor. These data indicate that DA increases NR1 phosphorylation through a PKA-dependent pathway. DA-induced phosphorylation of NR1 was blocked in mice bearing a targeted deletion of the gene for dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of Mr 32 kDa (DARPP-32), a phosphoprotein that is a potent and selective inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1, indicating that the effect of PKA is mediated, in part, by regulation of the DARPP-32/protein phosphatase-1 cascade. In support of this interpretation, NR1 phosphorylation was increased by calyculin A, a protein phosphatase-1/2A inhibitor. A model is proposed in which the ability of DA to regulate NMDA receptor sensitivity is attributable to a synergistic action involving increased phosphorylation and decreased dephosphorylation of the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor.
Phase estimation algorithm for frequency hopped binary PSK and DPSK waveforms with small number of reference symbols

In military satellite communication systems that use frequency hopped waveforms, it is difficult to coherently detect phase shift keying (PSK) (binary or M-ary) signals unless many reference symbols are used to aid with phase estimation of the received signal. For this reason, many systems use differential phase modulations, such as differential phase shift keying (DPSK), which can be detected noncoherently without the use of phase information. However, the use of DPSK over PSK results in reduced power efficiency. This paper presents a novel approach to phase estimation that provides improved power efficiency through coherent detection of phase modulated signals (with and without differential encoding) using few reference symbols. More specifically, the algorithm presented herein uses signal processing techniques to estimate the phase of each hop by using both reference and information symbols in a hop. This paper focuses on binary PSK and DPSK waveforms where data is transmitted in blocks with only one or two reference symbols per block. The performance of this algorithm was evaluated for the case of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channels via Monte Carlo simulations. At bit error rates (BER) of interest, the results indicate that, depending on the environment and modulation used, performance gains of up to 3 dB were realized when hops contain as few as two reference symbols. The results also show that coherent detection of binary phase shifting keying (BPSK) and DPSK modulated waveforms containing one reference symbol per hop performed more efficiently than noncoherent detection in all channels considered
SOME KEY THINGS ENTREPRENEURS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAW AND LAWYERS

New business formation is a powerful economic engine that creates jobs. Diverse legal issues are encountered as a start-up entity approaches formation, initial capitalization and fundraising, arrangements with employees and independent contractors, and relationships with other third parties. The endeavors of a typical start-up in the United States will likely implicate many of the following areas of law: intellectual property; business organizations; tax laws; employment and labor laws; securities regulation; contracts and licensing agreements; commercial sales; debtor-creditor relations; real estate law; health and safety laws/codes; permits and licenses; environmental protection; industry specific regulatory laws and approval processes; tort/personal injury, products liability, and insurance laws; antitrust and other unfair competition laws; import/export laws; immigration laws; laws related to the internet, privacy and e-commerce; and possibly many other federal, state and/or local laws, and, for many businesses these days, international laws. Company founders need to develop familiarity with the effects of such laws and need to access qualified legal talent to address legal issues in the planning and implementation of their venture. This article is designed to provide entrepreneurs with an overview of several areas of law that commonly arise in for-profit start-up ventures and offer them some important tips on working with lawyers.
Skew effects due to optical path length variation in iterative neural processors

Little attention is normally given to the effects on processor performance of the different optical path lengths required within an iterative processor. The resulting clock skew can have significant degrading effects on the predicted accuracy, stability, and speed of the processor. A similar problem occurs in iterative asynchronous artificial neural networks when, for example, the time delay between two neurons is proportional to their physical separation. The authors have shown that, in the absence of temporal dispersion, certain iterative algorithms have stable steady-state solutions that are independent of clock skew. An analysis is made of the stability criterion for skewed systems and the skew obtained in some commonly used optical processors. >
Comparison of Atmospheric Aerosols between Two Sites over Golden Triangle of Texas

Speciated samples of PM2.5 were collected at the Hamshire and Orange sites in Golden Triangle of Texas by US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) from July of 2003 to August of 2005. A total of 269 samples for the Hamshire site and 293 samples for the Orange site with 52 species were measured; however, 22 species were excluded because of too many below-detectionlimit data. Among the 22 species excluded, 20 species are common to both sites. Due to the laboratory change about November 1st of 2004 and possible analytical artifacts, phosphorous was excluded as well. The two data sets were analyzed by positive matrix factorization (PMF) to infer the sources of PM observed at the two sites. The analysis identified nine common source-related factors: sulfaterich secondary aerosol, cement/carbon-rich, wood smoke, motor vehicle/road dust, metal processing, nitrate-rich secondary aerosol, soil, sea salt, and chloride depleted marine aerosol. Sulfate and nitrate mainly exist as ammonium salts. The sulfate-rich secondary aerosol accounts for 42% and 43% of the PM mass concentrations at the Hamshire and the Orange sites, respectively. The factor containing highest concentrations of Cl and Na was attributed to sea salt due to the proximity of the monitoring sites to the Gulf of Mexico. The chloride depleted marine aerosol was related to the sea salt aerosol but was identified separately due to the chlorine replacement reactions. Basically, the factors of sulfate, motor vehicle/road dust, nitrate, soil, sea salt, and chloride depleted marine aerosol at the two sites showed similar chemical composition profiles and seasonal variation reflecting these six factors were likely to be Golden Triangle regionally related sources. Cement/carbon-rich, wood smoke, and metal processing factor were likely to be the local sources.
Parametric Stability Margin for Multilinear Interval Control Systems

Recently, a necessary and sufficient condition to determine the robust stability of a multilinear interval control system has been reported in [1,2] as an extension of the well-known Box theorem [3] which deals with the linear affine case. This paper introduces a simple but computationally efficient algorithm, based on the above result, to check the robust stability of such systems. The method is also extended to find the parametric stability margin of such a system.
Cooperative attachment of cross bridges predicts regulation of smooth muscle force by myosin phosphorylation.

Serine 19 phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) appears to be the primary determinant of smooth muscle force development. The relationship between MRLC phosphorylation and for...
The investigational agent MLN2238 induces apoptosis and is cytotoxic to CLL cells in vitro, as a single agent and in combination with other drugs

Summary Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common haematological malignancy in the U.S. The course of the disease has been shown to be negatively impacted by increased levels of BCL2. Strategies to downregulate BCL2 and shift the balance towards cellular demise are actively being explored. Therefore, we examined whether the investigational agent MLN2238 could inhibit the proteasomal machinery and induce CLL cell death while also downregulating BCL2. MLN2238-induced cell death was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 28 CLL patients. MLN2238 produced a dose-dependent reduction in BCL2 and CLL cell viability with maximum cell death observed at a 50 nmol/l concentration by 48 h. Annexin-V staining, PARP1 and caspase-3 cleavage along with an increase in mitochondrial membrane permeability were noted after cells were treated with MLN2238; however, apoptosis was only partially blocked by the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD.fmk. Furthermore, we observed enhanced anti-CLL effects in tumour cells treated with either a combination of MLN2238 and the BH3 mimetic AT-101 or MLN2238 and fludarabine. Together, our data suggest the potential for proteasome inhibitor based therapy in CLL and the rationale design of drug combination strategies based on CLL biology.
Removal of stacking faults in Ge grown on Si through nanoscale openings in chemical SiO2

Abstract Nucleation and eventual coalescence of Ge islands, grown out of 5 to 7 nm diameter openings in chemical SiO 2 template and epitaxially registered to the underlying Si substrate, have been shown to generate a low density of threading dislocations (≪10 6 cm − 2 ). This result compares favorably to a threading dislocation density exceeding 10 8 cm − 2 in Ge films grown directly on Si. However, the coalesced Ge film contains a relatively high density of stacking faults (5 × 10 7 cm − 2 ), and subsequent growth of GaAs leads to an adverse root-mean-square roughness of 36 nm and a reduced photoluminescence intensity at 20% compared to GaAs grown on Ge or GaAs substrates. Herein, we find that annealing the Ge islands at 1073 K for 30 min before their coalescence into a contiguous film completely removes the stacking faults. However, the anneal step undesirably desorbs any SiO 2 not covered by existing Ge islands. Further Ge growth results in a threading dislocation density of 5 × 10 7 cm − 2 , but without any stacking faults. Threading dislocations are believed to result from the later Ge growth on the newly exposed Si where the SiO 2 has desorbed from areas uncovered by Ge islands. The morphology and photoluminescence intensity of GaAs grown on the annealed Ge is comparable to films grown on GaAs or Ge substrates. Despite this improvement, the GaAs films grown on the annealed Ge/Si exhibit a threading dislocation density of 2 × 10 7 cm − 2 and a minority carrier lifetime of 67 ps compared to 4 to 5 ns for GaAs on Ge or GaAs substrates. A second oxidation step after the high temperature anneal of the Ge islands is proposed to reconstitute the SiO 2 template and subsequently improve the quality of Ge film.
WHAT DO OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS MEASURE?

Open-ended questions are frequently used by survey researchers to measure public opinion. Some scholars, however, have doubts about how accurately these kinds of questions measure the views of the public. A chief concern is that the questions tap, in part, people's ability to articulate a response, not their underlying attitudes. This paper tests whether this concern is warranted. Using open-ended questions from the Center for Political Studies, I show that almost all people respond to open-ended questions. The few individuals who do not respond appear uninterested in the specific question posed, not unable to answer such questions in general. These findings should increase our confidence in work of scholars who have relied on open-ended questions. Different methods have been used by survey researchers to measure the political attitudes of the American public. One commonly used method is the open-ended question, which allows individuals to respond to the query in their own words. Many scholars contend that by allowing citizens to respond freely to the inquiry, the question is better able to measure their salient concerns than the close-ended format that forces people to choose among a fixed set of responses (see, for instance, RePass, 1971; Kelley, 1983; Wattenberg, 1984).1 While there are advantages to the open-ended format, criticisms have also been made against it. Among these is the belief that some citizens fail to JOHN G. GEER teaches at Arizona State University. The author thanks Pat Kenney and Tom Rochon for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper. Data used in this article were made available by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. The author bears sole responsibility for the analyses and interpretations
Trans‐System Social Ruptures: Exploring Issues of Vulnerability and Resiliency1

This essay takes up a recently introduced term, trans-system social ruptures (TSSRs), and demonstrates its applicability to understanding ruptures to transnational systems. Using the relationship between Canada and the United States as a focus point, the article differentiates national from transnational system social ruptures. The article goes on to explore national and transnational system vulnerability to and resiliency from TSSRs. The distinction between the two types of TSSRs poses empirical, operational, and policy implications. The objective and subjective emergence of TSSRs as a social problem has much to offer to our understanding of disaster events and future crises. The article closes with several recommendations for theoretical development.
ANALYTICAL-SCALE SEPARATIONS OF THE LANTHANIDES: A REVIEW OF TECHNIQUES AND FUNDAMENTALS

Separations chemistry is at the heart of most analytical procedures to determine the rare earth content of both man-made and naturally occurring materials. Such procedures are widely used in mineral exploration, fundamental geology and geochemistry, material science, and in the nuclear industry. Chromatographic methods that rely on aqueous solutions containing complexing agents sensitive to the lanthanide cationic radius and cation-exchange phase transfer reactions (using a variety of different solid media) have enjoyed the greatest success for these procedures. In this report, we will briefly summarize the most important methods for completing such analyses. We will discuss in some detail the basic aqueous (and two-phase) solution chemistry that accounts for separations that work well and offer explanations for why others are less successful.
Web-based psychosocial assessment for caregivers of persons with dementia: a feasibility study.

Purpose and Design Most of the 5.4 million Americans with dementia are cared for by family members who experience care needs and time constraints. This quasi-experimental study examined the experience of using a psychosocial assessment instrument to understand caregiver needs delivered in an interview versus a self-administered web-based format. Methods Ten family caregivers were randomized to an interview group or a web-based group with two advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Surveys captured the caregivers' and APRNs' assessment experiences. Findings There were no statistically significant differences between the two caregiver groups. Both groups rated the assessment instrument as excellent or good, finding it easy to complete capturing real needs they frequently denied or ignored. The APRN reported the web-based format was easier to use. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance Healthcare providers could use web-based caregiver assessment as an effective, efficient method for identifying care needs and planning interventions that promote balance/congruence in caregivers' lives.
Sperm loss by remating Drosophila melanogaster females

Abstract As in many other insect species, sperm from the second male take precedence over those of the first when Drosophila melanogaster females remate. Two hypotheses have been proposed to account for sperm precedence in this species: (1) first male sperm are released from storage after remating, then restored along with second male sperm: (2) first male sperm remain in storage when females remate and second male sperm are added to them. The primary distinction between these hypotheses is that after remating, sperm are lost from storage in the first, but not in the second. To differentiate between these hypotheses, females initially mated to fertile males were remated within 6 h to XO sterile males, which do not transfer sperm and the subsequent progeny counted. Progeny production decreased significantly as a consequence of remating, indicating that first male sperm are lost from storage when females remate within 6 h. A significant but less pronounced decrease in productivity was also observed when females remated with fertile males. Previous results have indicated that sperm loss does not occur when females wait more than one day to remate, so the phenomenon appears to be limited to a relatively short time after initial mating.
Driving an individual vortex in the presence of a periodic pinning array

Recently it has been demonstrated experimentally that it is possible to manipulate an individual vortex in a type-II superconductor using a magnetic force microscope tip. Using numerical simulations, we investigate the dynamics of a single driven vortex in the presence of a periodic pinning array and other vortices. Remarkably, we find that the effective drag on the driven vortex is reduced at the matching fields, which is opposite from the behavior of the critical current when all the vortices are driven. We discuss this effect in the context of the type of dynamics that occur at matching and nonmatching fields.
Main sequence models for massive Zero-metal stars

Zero-age main-sequence models for stars of 20, 10, 5 and 2M⊙ with no heavy elements are constructed for three different possible primordial helium abundances:Y=0.00,Y=0.23, andY=0.30. The latter two values ofY bracket the range of primordial helium abundances cited by Wagoner. With the exceptions of the two 20M⊙ models that contain helium, these models are found to be self-consistent in the sense that the formation of carbon through the triple-alpha process during pre-main sequence contraction is not sufficient to bring the CN cycle into competition with the proton-proton chain on the ZAMS. The zero-metal models of the present study have higher surface and central temperatures, higher central densities, smaller radii, and smaller convective cores than do the population I models with the same masses. If galaxies containing the zero-metal stars were formed as recently as one third the Hubble time, they would likely appear very blue today — perhaps bluer even that most known quasars — and their redshifted effective temperatures could range as high as 3×104 K to 4×104 K.
A web-based programming environment for LEGO mindstorms robots

In this paper, we present briefly an approach that provides simple, inexpensive access to a mobile telerobot in order to facilitate team-based problem solving for introductory programming students.
Detection of Internet scam using logistic regression

Internet scam is fraudulent or intentionally misleading information posted on the web, usually with the intent of tricking people into sending money or disclosing sensitive information. We describe an application of logistic regression to detection of Internet scam. The developed system automatically collects 43 characteristic statistics about websites from 11 online sources and computes the probability that a given website is malicious. We present its empirical evaluation, which shows that its precision and recall are about 98%.
The “Heatline” Visualization of Convective Heat Transfer

Proposition d'une nouvelle methode de visualisation du transfert de chaleur dans un ecoulement de fluide. Application a la convection naturelle dans une enceinte carree chauffee lateralement
Substance Abuse and Dependence Treatment in Outpatient Physician Offices, 1997–2004

Objective: To examine patient, physician, and visit characteristics associated with treatment for substance abuse during outpatient physician visits. Methods: Secondary data was obtained from the 1997–2004 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Results: A substance abuse diagnosis was recorded in. 9% of general and family practice visits,. 8% of internal medicine visits, and 5.1% of psychiatry visits. Multivariable logistic regression found that women, elderly, non-White, and established patients were less likely to be given a substance abuse diagnosis. Conclusion: Increased screening, particularly of existing patients, may lead to decreased gender, age, and racial disparities in diagnosis and treatment.
Appendiceal mass in children

A total of 198 were diagnosed to have an appendiceal mass between 1982 and 1991;9 underwent appendicectomy immediately following diagnosis. One developed a wound infection. Of the remaining 189 patients 162 (85.7%) had unevenful resolution of the mass. The mean duration of hospital stay was 9.7 days. Twenty-seven patients failed to respond to initial non-operative management; 16 developed an appendix abscedd and required drainage. One patient had percutaneous drainage under ultrasound control. One of these 16 patients developed a wound infection after interval appendicectomy. Four other patients underwent appendicectomy during the initial admission because of clinical deterioration and all of them were found to have an appendix mass at operation. Three of these 4 patients developed postoperative complications (wound infection 1, intra-abdominal abscess 1, small-bowel obstruction 1). Seven other patients required admission and appendicectomy while waiting for interval appendicectomy. At operation, 5 still had an appendiceal mass/ abscess and 2 had acute appendicitis. The child with an appendiceal abscess continued to have a discharging wound for 19 days. All others, except 3 patients who were lost to follow-up, underwent interval appendicectomy. Mean duration of hospital stay for interval appendicectomy was 301 days. Two patients who did not return for elective appendicectomy developed acute appendicitis and required appendicectomy 65 days and 8 months after discharge. Three (1.9%) of 161 patients (all in the first half of the series) developed postoperative complications following interval appendicectomy (wound hematoma 1, wound infection 1. pneumonia 1). Evidence of inflammation was present on histological examination in 47.2% of the cases. These data support the belief that initial non-operative management of an appendiceal mass followed by interval appendicectomy is a safe and effective method of management.
Identifying Pathogenicity Islands in Bacterial Pathogenomics Using Computational Approaches

High-throughput sequencing technologies have made it possible to study bacteria through analyzing their genome sequences. For instance, comparative genome sequence analyses can reveal the phenomenon such as gene loss, gene gain, or gene exchange in a genome. By analyzing pathogenic bacterial genomes, we can discover that pathogenic genomic regions in many pathogenic bacteria are horizontally transferred from other bacteria, and these regions are also known as pathogenicity islands (PAIs). PAIs have some detectable properties, such as having different genomic signatures than the rest of the host genomes, and containing mobility genes so that they can be integrated into the host genome. In this review, we will discuss various pathogenicity island-associated features and current computational approaches for the identification of PAIs. Existing pathogenicity island databases and related computational resources will also be discussed, so that researchers may find it to be useful for the studies of bacterial evolution and pathogenicity mechanisms.
Experts in Their Own Lives: Emphasizing Client-Centeredness in a Homeless Program

This paper presents a case study of a homeless organization in Burlington, Vermont that is dedicated to the principles of client-centeredness. Originated by psychologist Carl Rogers as a therapeutic philosophy, this approach has been applied in numerous social service and organizational settings. For this Vermont agency, client-centered practice entails the promotion of client empowerment and the responsible use of staff authority. Client participation in homeless programming is identified as one tool that may facilitate both client autonomy and a balance of staff-client power. Clients, staff, and administrators of this agency were interviewed to help explain the philosophy and practice of client-centeredness, as well as pitfalls of the client-centered approach. Hypotheses and future questions for research are also suggested.
Rupture of the thoracic aorta following blung trauma

Six patients underwent emergency surgery for descending aortic injury following blunt trauma to the chest; three survived. Associated injury was a critical factor in two of the three patients who died. In the third patient, prolonged ischemia of the lower half of the body due to total aortic distraction with a distal aortic flap produced irreversible changes that were manifest during reperfusion of the body. Angiography is recommended if the patient's condition is stable and other injuries demanding immediate surgical attention are not present. If, however, there are other serious injuries and adequate distal perfusion, then these other injuries should be corrected before aortic repair is undertaken.
Compound-gene interaction mapping reveals distinct roles for Staphylococcus aureus teichoic acids

Staphylococcus aureus contains two distinct teichoic acid (TA) polymers, lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and wall teichoic acid (WTA), which are proposed to play redundant roles in regulating cell division. To gain insight into the underlying biology of S. aureus TAs, we used a small molecule inhibitor to screen a highly saturated transposon library for cellular factors that become essential when WTA is depleted. We constructed an interaction network connecting WTAs with genes involved in LTA synthesis, peptidoglycan synthesis, surface protein display, and D-alanine cell envelope modifications. Although LTAs and WTAs are synthetically lethal, we report that they do not have the same synthetic interactions with other cell envelope genes. For example, D-alanylation, a tailoring modification of both WTAs and LTAs, becomes essential when the former, but not the latter, are removed. Therefore, D-alanine–tailored LTAs are required for survival when WTAs are absent. Examination of terminal phenotoypes led to the unexpected discovery that cells lacking both LTAs and WTAs lose their ability to form Z rings and can no longer divide. We have concluded that the presence of either LTAs or WTAs on the cell surface is required for initiation of S. aureus cell division, but these polymers act as part of distinct cellular networks.
Effect of Zn, Sr, and Y Addition on Electrical Properties of PZT Thin Films

We have investigated methods to increase the efficiency of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs). pMUTs are driven by a thin piezoelectric layer on a Si membrane. The efficiency of pMUTs can be increased using a film with better ferroelectric properties. We have used Zn, Sr, and Y doping on PZT-based thin films along the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) composition to increase their piezoelectric properties. The results obtained were then extended to compositions on both sides of the MPB. The sol–gel method was used to prepare precursor solutions, which were then spin coated on a Pt(100)/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate to prepare the PZT thin films. It was found that Zn and Sr together had the most significant effect on the ferroelectric properties in which a saturation polarization of 108 μC/cm2 and remanent polarization of 54 μC/cm2 were achieved.
Increased risk of cancer among azoospermic men

Objective To determine whether men with azoospermia are at an elevated risk of developing cancer in the years following an infertility evaluation. Design Cohort study. Setting United States andrology clinic. Patient(s) A total of 2,238 men with complete records were evaluated for infertility at a single andrology clinic in Texas from 1989 to 2009. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Cancer incidence was determined by linkage to the Texas Cancer Registry. Result(s) In all, 451 men had azoospermia, and 1,787 were not azoospermic, with a mean age at infertility evaluation of 35.7 years. Compared with the general population, infertile men had a higher risk of cancer, with 29 cases observed compared with 16.7 expected (standardized incidence rate [SIR] 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–2.5). When stratifying by azoospermia status, azoospermic men had an elevated risk of cancer (SIR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4–5.4). Infertile men without azoospermia had a trend toward a higher rate of cancer (SIR 1.4, 95% CI 0.9–2.2). The Cox regression model revealed that azoospermic men had 2.2-fold higher cancer risk compared with nonazoospermic men (hazard ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.0–4.8). Conclusion(s) Men with azoospermia have an increased risk of subsequently developing cancer, suggesting a possible common etiology between azoospermia and cancer development. Additional follow-up of azoospermic men after reproductive efforts end may be warranted.
Non-Fermi liquid effects in QCD at high density

We study non-Fermi liquid effects due to the exchange of unscreened magnetic gluons in the normal phase of high density QCD by using an effective field theory. A one-loop calculation gives the well-known result that magnetic gluons lead to a logarithmic enhancement in the fermion self-energy near the Fermi surface. The self-energy is of the form {sigma}({omega}){approx}{omega}{gamma}log({omega}), where {omega} is the energy of the fermion, {gamma}=O(g{sup 2}), and g is the coupling constant. Using an analysis of the Dyson-Schwinger equations we show that, in the weak coupling limit, this result is not modified by higher order corrections even in the regime where the logarithm is large, {gamma}log({omega}){approx}1. We also show that this result is consistent with the renormalization group equation in the high density effective field theory.
Modeling the winning seed distribution of the NCAA Division I men׳s basketball tournament ☆

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) men's Division I college basketball tournament is an annual competition that draws widespread attention in the United States. Predicting the winner of each game is a popular activity undertaken by numerous websites, fans, and more recently, academic researchers. This paper analyzes the 29 tournaments from 1985 to 2013, and presents two models to capture the winning seed distribution (i.e., a probability distribution modeling the winners of each round). The Exponential Model uses the exponential random variable to model the waiting time between a seed's successive winnings in a round. The Markov Model uses Markov chains to estimate the winning seed distributions by considering a seed's total number of winnings in previous tournaments. The proposed models allow one to estimate the likelihoods of different seed combinations by applying the estimated winning seed distributions, which accurately summarize aggregate performance of the seeds. Moreover, the proposed models show that the winning rate of seeds is not a monotonically decreasing function of the seed number. Results of the proposed models are validated using a chi-squared goodness of fit test and compared to the frequency of observed events.
Oscillatory behavior of nth-order neutral differential equations with continuous deviating arguments

Oscillatory behavior of the n^t^h-order neutral functional differential equation of the form ddt[a(t){x(t)|x(t)|^@a^-^1+p(t)x(@t(t))}^n^-^1]+@d@!"c^dq(t,@x)f(x(@s(t,@x)))d@x=h(t),@d=+/-1, is established. Sufficient conditions are provided for the above differential equation to be almost oscillatory in the sense that every solution x(t) of this differential equation is either oscillatory or else lim"t"->"~ |x(t)| = ~, or lim inf"t"->"~ |x(t)| = 0.