cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ECMO in major burn patients: feasibility and considerations when multiple modes of mechanical ventilation fail.

We report two cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome in burn patients who were successfully managed with good outcomes with extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after failing multiple conventional modes of ventilation, and review the relevant literature. The two patients were a 39-year-old male and 53-year-old male with modified Baux Scores of 79 and 78, respectively, with no known inhalation injury. After the initial modified Parkland-based fluid resuscitation and partial escharotomy, both patients developed worsening hypoxemia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The hypoxemia continued to worsen on multiple modes of ventilation including volume control, pressure regulated volume control, pressure control, airway pressure release ventilation and volumetric diffusive ventilation. In both cases, the PaO2 ≤ 50 mm Hg on a FiO2 100% during the trial of mechanical ventilation. The deterioration was rapid (<12 h since onset of worsening oxygenation) in both cases. A decision was made to trial the patients on ECMO. Veno-Venous ECMO (V-V ECMO) was successfully initiated following cannulation-under transesophgeal echo guidance—with the dual lumen Avalon® (Maquet, NJ, USA) cannula. ECMO support was maintained for 4 and 24 days, respectively. Both patients were successfully weaned off ECMO and were discharged to rehabilitation following their complex hospital course. Early ECMO for isolated respiratory failure in the setting on maintained hemodynamics resulted in a positive outcome in our two burn patients suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Attractiveness, Responsiveness, Mating, and Flight of Irradiated Tarnished Plant Bug (Heteroptera: Miridae)

To further evaluate the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), as a candidate for sterile insect technique (SIT), adults were treated with doses of 10 or 20 krad gamma-irradia...
Verification and synthesis of embedded insertion functions for opacity enforcement

We investigate the enforcement of opacity, an information-flow privacy property, using insertion decisions that modify the output of the system by event insertions. Previous work considered the problem of enforcing opacity under the assumption that the insertion functions were based on the observed system strings. Now, we investigate the more powerful method of insertion decisions based on the exact system states and events. In this case, the insertion function would be embedded into the system itself, rather than being an output interface. In this paper we develop methods that (i) verify if a valid insertion function exists in this setting; and (ii) if one exists, synthesize one using a computationally effective algorithm.
Transient exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: First report of an unrecognized complication of cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC

Background As cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) are being increasingly adopted as the standard treatment for peritoneal surface malignancies, familiarity with this procedure's adverse events is also growing. Herein, we describe an unreported adverse event of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) following CRS and HIPEC. Patients and methods Patients who underwent CRS and HIPEC between 9/2016 and 9/2017 were prospectively recruited. Fecal elastase-1 (FE1) and Clostridium difficile toxins were tested in all patients in the immediate postoperative period. Patients with diarrhea who had low FE1 were started on oral pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and their symptomatic progression was followed. Results A total of 26 patients were included. Eleven patients (42.31%) developed postoperative refractory diarrhea, nine of whom had a low FE1 level. These patients were treated with PERT either directly or after completion of antibiotics course if C. difficile toxin was positive. Eight patients demonstrated symptomatic resolution of their diarrhea, and thus the diagnosis of EPI was established (30.77%). Patients with diarrhea had lower FE1 levels, and were more likely to have had a terminal ileum resection and had a longer hospital stay. Regression analysis identified the rapid rise of a patient's core temperature by >1°C within 15 minutes as the sole predictor of EPI occurrence. Conclusion EPI is a potential adverse event following CRS and HIPEC and might be largely responsible for refractory diarrhea. In our patients with refractory diarrhea and low FE1, PERT provided immediate symptomatic relief. The biological basis of this phenomenon remains unclear and warrants further investigation.
SIGCHI Social Impact Award Talk -- Making Privacy and Security More Usable

As an industry researcher in 1997, I dove head first into the world of privacy when I joined an international working group that was developing a web privacy standard called the Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P). Released in 2002, the P3P standard allowed websites to communicate about privacy in a computer-readable format that could be consumed by web browsers and other user agents to inform users and take actions on their behalf. I worked with (and eventually led) a team of technologists, lawyers, and policy makers, and became familiar with not only technologies for protecting and invading privacy, but also international privacy laws and self-regulatory privacy programs. As the working group debated details such as the precise definitions of data sharing and identifiable information, I came to the realization that we hadn't thought much about how to make P3P tools usable. Indeed, usability issues had been largely ignored in the development of most security and privacy tools at that time. At the end of 2003, I moved on to academia and focused my research on usable privacy and security. Along with my students and colleagues, I conducted empirical studies to evaluate privacy and security tools, and recommended ways to make these tools more usable. We asked study participants to make privacy sensitive purchases (condoms and sex toys), and conducted some of the first Mechanical Turk studies related to privacy. Our research papers provided empirical evidence about how long it would take people if they actually did read privacy policies (too long!), that ad-industry-driven privacy efforts were largely ineffective, that privacy "nutrition labels" could help people compare company privacy practices, and that many people care enough about privacy to actually pay for it. We presented our research at events at the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and on Capitol Hill. In 2016 I spent a year in Washington, DC as Chief Technologist at the FTC. Besides advising the chairwoman and staff, I organized an FTC workshop to discuss methods for evaluating the effectiveness of privacy policies and other disclosures. After having my mobile phone account hijacked, I investigated this form of identity theft, and ended up discussing it on a Today Show segment taped in my kitchen. I also wrote blog posts that raised awareness about privacy concerns associated with open police data, and explained why frequent password changes may not be beneficial. In this talk I will discuss my usable privacy and security research and how it has informed policy work. I will highlight empirical studies that provide insights into users' expectations about privacy and security, as well as their use of privacy and security tools. Finally, I will talk about my experiences at the FTC and ways that members of the CHI community can impact public policy.
Early Sierra Nevada

Relative Time Period: Follows the Late Paleolndian tradition, precedes the Late Sierra Nevada tradition.
Measurement of optical activity of isotropic compounds in suspension

A reliable method for the measurement of the optical activity of optically active isotropic solid substances in suspension was developed using two miscible liquids as media for suspending the fine solid powders. The optical rotation was measured after precise matching of the refractive index of the suspending media with that of the solid particles. Sodium chlorate and sodium bromate were used as optically active solids for the development of this method. The measurements were in complete agreement with the measurements of the optical rotation of the corresponding large crystals.
Illustrations or Graphs: Some Students Benefit from One over the Other

We examine whether there are differences between students regarding the utility of learning from visual representations (illustrations or graphs) within the context of a typed natural language-based conceptual physics tutoring system. Showing half of the students only illustrations and the other half only graphs, we found that novices benefited from illustrations, whereas non-novices showed no difference.
Photothermal trap utilizing solar illumination for ice mitigation

Ice buildup is an operational and safety hazard in wind turbines, power lines, and airplanes. Traditional deicing methods, including mechanical and chemical means, are energy-intensive or environmentally unfriendly. Superhydrophobic anti-icing surfaces, while promising, can become ineffective due to frost formation within textures. We report on a “photothermal trap”—a laminate applied to a base substrate—that can efficiently deice by converting solar illumination to heat at the ice-substrate interface. It relies on the complementing properties of three layers: a selective absorber for solar radiation, a thermal spreader for lateral dispersal of heat, and insulation to minimize transverse heat loss. Upon illumination, thermal confinement at the heat spreader leads to rapid increase of the surface temperature, thereby forming a thin lubricating melt layer that facilitates ice removal. Lateral heat spreading overcomes the unavoidable shadowing of certain areas from direct illumination. We provide a design map that captures the key physics guiding illumination-induced ice removal. We demonstrate the deicing performance of the photothermal trap at very low temperatures, and under frost and snow coverage, via laboratory-scale and outdoor experiments.
Application of Wireless Power Transfer in Totally Implantable Heart Pump

The top challenges for widespread application of ventricular assist device are infections of the driveline and pump thrombosis of the device. This project makes use of the powerful multiphysics computational simulation to improve the design of the left ventricular assist devices, by eliminating the driveline and streamlining the pump interior blood contacting surfaces. The design optimization involves balancing the wireless power transfer efficiency, implant miniaturization, and the regulatory compliance.
Event calculus

This paper presents Event Calculus, a model for representing the identifying characteristics of physical events in terms of changes in a scene and time-related combinations of other physical events. The model is used to construct a knowledge-based system for event recognition which forms a high-level description of changes in a scene, given a low-level description as input. Time-varying information is represented in the form of "GRAPHs", data structures which plot the elements of various domains against time. Several varieties of operations are presented which map GRAPHs into GRAPHs, and representations of physical events are formed as symbolic expressions involving these operations. The paper concludes with an overview of the event recognition system, as implemented in INTERLISP on a VAX 11/780, and an example of a session with this system.
Impact of Warming on Greenhouse Gas Production and Microbial Diversity in Anoxic Peat From a Sphagnum-Dominated Bog (Grand Rapids, Minnesota, United States)

Climate warming is predicted to increase heterotrophic metabolism in northern peatland soils leading to enhanced greenhouse gas emissions. However, the specific relationships between temperature and the greenhouse gas producing microbial communities are poorly understood. Thus, in this study, the temperature dependence of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) production rates along with abundance and composition of microbial communities were investigated in peat from a Sphagnum-dominated peatland, S1 bog (Minnesota, United States). Whereas CH4 production rates increased with temperature up to 30°C, CO2 production did not, resulting in a lower CO2:CH4 ratio with increasing temperature. CO2 production showed both psychrophilic and mesophilic maxima at 4 and 20°C, respectively, and appears to be mediated by two anaerobic microbial communities, one that operates under psychrophilic conditions that predominate for much of the year, and another that is more active under warmer conditions during the growing season. In incubations at 10°C above the ambient range, members of the Clostridiaceae and hydrogenotrophic methanogens of the Methanobacteriaceae dominated. Moreover, a significant negative correlation between temperature and microbial diversity was observed. Results indicate that the potential consequences of warming surface peat in northern peatlands include a large stimulation in CH4 production and a significant loss of microbial diversity.
Sensitivity of occupant comfort models to humidity and their effect on cooling energy use

Abstract Residential building energy consumption in the United States has decreased steadily during the last several decades largely because of advances in building codes as well as voluntary efficiency and labeling programs, which have resulted in the reduction in building sensible loads. Building latent loads have not decreased by the same amount, and field and analytical research studies have concluded that high-efficiency, low-load homes often have elevated indoor humidity levels, possibly leading to occupant discomfort. There are discrepancies in the literature on occupant comfort as it relates to indoor humidity and recommended upper humidity limits. The choice of humidity limit could potentially change results and conclusions on the energy impacts of a new air conditioner or dehumidifier technology, changing ventilation rates, or an improved building envelope. In this study, we use building simulations to explore the impact of humidity control on cooling energy use in efficient residential buildings for different humidity limits. We look at limits based on humidity ratio (or dew point temperature), wet-bulb temperature, relative humidity, and constant slope lines based on the popular comfort models of both Fanger and Gagge. We quantify the additional energy use required to control humidity below these limits. We look at the sensitivity of the results to different temperature and humidity set points, occupant internal gains, moisture buffering levels, evaporator airflow rates, and dehumidifier energy factors. High-efficiency home predicted energy savings are more sensitive to the assumed humidity limit and cooling and dehumidification set points than the other parameters investigated in this paper.
Miniature Non-thermal Plasma Induced Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Lung Carcinoma Cells

Non-thermal plasma has been a promising new cancer treatment modality in plasma oncology field. It generates extracellular and intracellular reactive species which are key factors for the treatment of cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the differential effect of non-thermal plasma on both A549 lung adenocarcinoma and MRC-5 lung fibroblast cells. Extracellular generation of reactive species in both A549 lung cancer and MRC-5 normal lung fibroblast cells were similar, whereas intracellular penetration of reactive species generated by plasma in A549 cancer cells were almost fourfold higher than the normal cells. Interestingly, A549 cancer cells treated for shorter (15 and 30 s) and longer durations (60 and 120 s) get arrested in S-phase (19%) and G2/M phase (28%) respectively. In a healthy MRC-5 cells, few cells arrested in S and G2/M phase in relative to A549 cells for all treatment time. Finally, we evaluated the expression of apoptosis-related genes, H2AX, BAX, P53, Caspase-8, and ATM on normal and cancer cells. There was a higher expression of BAX gene for 120 s plasma treated A549 cell samples at day 1 relative to MRC-5 cells. These findings demonstrate that non-thermal plasma generated reactive species creates intracellular stress, that arrests cell cycle and induces apoptosis in cancer cells. This study suggests that non-thermal plasma could be a potential therapy for lung cancer treatment.
The Paradox of Openness: Exposure vs. Efficiency of APIs

APIs are the building blocks of digital platforms, yet there is little quantitative evidence on their use. Do API adopting firms do better? Do such firms change their operating procedures? Using proprietary data from a major API tools provider, we explore the impact of API use on firm value and operations. We find evidence that API use increases market capitalization and lowers R&D expenditures. We then document an important downside. API adoption increases the risk of data breaches, a risk that rises when APIs are more open or place less emphasis on security. Firms reduce API data flows in the month before a hack announcement, consistent with a conscious attempt to limit breach scope. In the same period, however, the variance of API data flows increases, consistent with heterogeneity in firms' ability to detect and shut down unauthorized data access. Our findings highlight a fundamental paradox of openness: It increases upside value and downside risk at the same time. We document that firms respond to these trade-offs in logical ways and conclude that the benefits of opening APIs exceed the risks for firms situated to adopt a platform strategy.
Can Patient-Provider Interpersonal Interventions Achieve the Quadruple Aim of Healthcare? A Systematic Review.

Human connection is at the heart of medical care, but questions remain as to the effectiveness of interpersonal interventions. The purpose of this review was to characterize the associations between patient–provider interpersonal interventions and the quadruple aim outcomes (population health, patient experience, cost, and provider experience). We sourced data from PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycInfo (January 1997–August 2017). Selected studies included randomized controlled trials and controlled observational studies that examined the association between patient–provider interpersonal interventions and at least one outcome measure of the quadruple aim. Two abstractors independently extracted information about study design, methods, and quality. We characterized evidence related to the objective of the intervention, type and duration of intervention training, target recipient (provider-only vs. provider–patient dyad), and quadruple aim outcomes. Seventy-three out of 21,835 studies met the design and outcome inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of research was moderate to high for most included studies; 67% of interventions targeted the provider. Most studies measured impact on patient experience; improvements in experience (e.g., satisfaction, patient-centeredness, reduced unmet needs) often corresponded with a positive impact on other patient health outcomes (e.g., quality of life, depression, adherence). Enhanced interpersonal interactions improved provider well-being, burnout, stress, and confidence in communicating with difficult patients. Roughly a quarter of studies evaluated cost, but the majority reported no significant differences between intervention and control groups. Among studies that measured time in the clinical encounter, intervention effects varied. Interventions with lower demands on provider time and effort were often as effective as those with higher demands. Simple, low-demand patient–provider interpersonal interventions may have the potential to improve patient health and patient and provider experience, but there is limited evidence that these interventions influence cost-related outcomes.
Truth and Consequences

Ideas influencing teacher education and services to children with disabilities in schools have palpable, far-reaching consequences. Recently, several authors have taken special education to task for relying on practices established through the tenets of Western science, proposing the antidote of postmodern thought to redress the alleged positivistic failure of special education. While using the obtuse rhetoric of power relations, oppression, and the denial of disability, they offer little to address what teachers should do in classrooms. We briefly address and comment on some issues they raise and conclude that what these postmodernists have to offer is a regrettable step backward in the discourse surrounding what it means to educate and support people with disabilities.
Side-by-Side Stenting Repair of a Traumatic Pseudoaneurysm at a Venous Confluence.

Objectives:The incidence and prevalence of iatrogenic vascular trauma in the United States is staggering. This has led to the advent and implementation of more efficient and effective vascular repa...
Assessing uncertainty in the timing of energy use during cost-optimal distributed energy technology selection and sizing

This paper empirically derives uncertainty ranges in cost-optimal solar PV and storage sizing by comparing results from the REopt Lite optimization platform from metered data and a set of simulated Department of Energy Commercial Reference Building (CRB) profiles at 65 sites. We find load profile shape alone does not explain a site’s optimal configurations (i.e., PV, Storage, PV and Storage, No System). Still, load profile shape does introduce uncertainty to optimal PV and storage capacities. Across all cases where PV is part of an optimal configuration, we find the average ratio of power capacities derived from metered loads to capacities derived from CRB profiles to be 0.97 (and as high as 1463), where 1 would be a perfect match in system size. For storage, the ratio is 1.6 (and as high as 42). We also assess how, in the absence of complete metered data, a CRB profile can be selected that would be expected to yield the most similar solar PV and storage capacities. From those metrics that can be available from billing data (i.e., peak demand, monthly load totals), we find that uncertainty is most reduced by selecting the CRB’s with an annual peak occurring at the most similar time, or those with the lowest average root mean square error (RMSE) among monthly peak loads. This research can help improve the implementation and interpretation of results derived from simulated load profiles and is an important next step in advancing smart grid solutions.
Global Absolute Poverty: The Beginning of the End?

The first Sustainable Development Goal of “Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere” must be interpreted in light of an understanding of what “poverty in all its forms” means societally. It cannot be reduced to a narrow technical focus on official targets and indicators. There are reasons for concern that the official indicators are unsatisfactory, and that there is a considerable gap between the portrait they present and the societal understanding of poverty. Even if conventional approaches to global poverty estimation are used, considering a range of alternative poverty lines, demonstrates that the poverty identification criterion can significantly influence the conclusions drawn about how much poverty there is, where it is, how it is evolving over time, and what are the appropriate priorities and policies. While poverty is expected to be nearly “eliminated” in regions other than Sub-Saharan Africa at the lowest poverty lines, this is not true at higher poverty lines. The projected regional composition of future poverty is also greatly dependent on the choice of poverty line, as poverty in the other world regions increases markedly at higher lines. The elimination of poverty by 2030 was already unlikely but the world economic contraction due to Covid-19 has made it more difficult.
Multiplicity, Invariants and Tensor Product Decomposition of Tame Representations of U(\infty)

The structure of r-fold tensor products of irreducible tame representations of the inductive limit U(\infty) of unitary groups U(n) are are described, versions of contragredient representations and invariants are realized on Bargmann-Segal-Fock spaces.
Soluble Flt1 levels are associated with cardiac dysfunction in Black women with and without severe preeclampsia.

Background: We evaluate soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) levels and cardiac function during pregnancy and postpartum among Black women with and without preeclampsia. Study design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study from 2015 to 2017 of Black women with preterm severe preeclampsia and normotensive pregnant controls.We obtained echocardiograms and sFlt-1 levels during pregnancy and postpartum. Results: 93 Black women were included (43 cases, 50 controls). Higher sFlt1 levels were correlated with worse longitudinal strain, diastolic dysfunction, decreased ventricular-arterial coupling, and increased chamber and arterial elastance at the time of preeclampsia diagnosis and postpartum. Conclusions: Higher sFlt1 levels are associated with cardiovascular dysfunction during pregnancy and postpartum.
The Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Ovarian Cancer Survivors

Background: Very few studies have investigated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among ovarian cancer survivors in a population-based study. We aimed to estimate CVD risk among ovarian cancer survivors compared to women from the general population in a population-based study. Methods: A cohort of 1,271 patients with ovarian cancer diagnosed from 1996 to 2012 in the Utah Cancer Registry and 5,289 age-matched women from the general population in the Utah Population Database was identified. CVD outcomes were available in electronic medical records and statewide healthcare facilities data. Cox Proportional Hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD at 1-5 years and >5 years after the index date. Findings: Increased risks were observed 1-5 years after cancer diagnosis for ovarian cancer survivors in comparison with the general population for hypertension (HR=1·14, 95% CI, 1·01-1·29), cerebrovascular disease (HR=1·42, 95% CI, 1·06-1·89), and diseases of the heart (HR=1·81, 95% CI, 1·60-2·04), the arteries (HR=1·97, 95% CI, 1·67-2·33), and the veins and lymphatics (HR=2·75, 95% CI, 2·36-3·22). Elevated risks were still observed for diseases of the arteries (HR=1·31, 95% CI, 1·06-1·61) and the veins and lymphatics (HR=1·80, 95% CI, 1·48-2·18) >5 years after cancer diagnosis. Interpretation: Ovarian cancer survivors had higher risks of several CVD outcomes compared with women from the general population. The results support the consideration of monitoring and/or initiation of primary prevention for CVD outcomes among ovarian cancer survivors. Funding: This work was supported by a grant from the NCI (R21 CA185811), the Marian Bishop Award from the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah and the NCRR grant, “Sharing Statewide Health Data for Genetic Research” (R01 RR021746, G. Mineau, PI) with additional support from the Utah State Department of Health and the University of Utah. Declaration of Interests: None reported. Ethics Approval Statement: We obtained approval from the University of Utah’s Resource for Genetic and Epidemiologic Research (UPDB oversight committee) and the University of Utah Institutional Review Board.
PITCHING IN YOUTH SOFTBALL: HOW MUCH ARE PITCHERS THROWING?:

Background:Softball is a popular sport among youth female athletes. While multiple youth baseball studies have evaluated the relationship of injury to pitch counts, there is a paucity of literature...
The Well-Being of Working Women in Times of Economic Crisis and Recovery: Insights from the Great Recession

The Great Recession drew new attention to the importance of gender in the U.S. economy. Popular analyses of the recession’s impacts emphasized the higher rates of job loss among men than women, leading some to rename the Great Recession the “Great Mancession.” With the onset of a weak recovery the “Mancession” gave way to a “Mancovery,” where unemployment rates increased for women as they declined for men. Recently, women’s employment has increased, but in types of work that give rise to questions of job quality and the future economic prospects of women workers. This chapter provides a broad overview of the impacts of the Great Recession on the well-being of women workers in the United States, blending discussions of descriptive statistics with influential interpretative narratives of the recession’s impacts. Insights from emerging feminist economic analyses of the Great Recession and the well-being of women workers provide a framework for examining the changing positions of women in the recovery and developing questions for future research.
Vibronic analysis of TRSVL fluorescence spectra of glyoxal: Activity in ν6

Abstract Time-resolved single vibronic level (TRSVL) fluorescence spectra have been analyzed in order to identify the vibronic activity of the CH wagging mode, ν 6 , in glyoxal fluorescence. Four absorption bands can be assigned to transitions involving ν ′ 6 (6 0 1 7 0 1 , 6 0 2 , 8 0 1 6 0 1 7 0 1 , and 8 0 1 6 0 2 ) leading to a value for ν ′ 6 of 719 ± 3 cm −1 .
Portfolio Assessment: More Than ABCs and 123s

Demands for educational accountability are being called for at all levels: preschool through graduate school. Standardized tests are being widely utilized, but this measurement is not appropriate for young children. Portfolio assessment is a more promising approach to measure children's growth, development, and achievement. This paper outlines criteria that portfolios must have in order to be effective assessment tools. Methods of gathering information and tips for portfolio development are shared and several examples of children's work samples are included
Measured river leakages using conventional streamflow techniques: the case of Souhegan River, New Hampshire, USA

Multiple streamflow measurements were made at coupled discharge measurement stations to quantify rates of aquifer recharge and discharge on two reaches of the Souhegan River, New Hampshire, USA, flowing within a glacial-drift river-valley aquifer. The reaches included a predominantly losing (aquifer recharge) reach and a variable (aquifer recharge and discharge) reach located downstream of the former reach. River leakage, the differential between coupled upstream and downstream streamflow measurements along a reach, varied by almost 30 cubic feet per second (ft3/s) (0.85 m3/s) along the two reaches. The upper reach averaged 3.94 ft3/s (0.11 m3/s) loss whereas the lower reach averaged 4.85 ft3/s (0.14 m3/s) gain. At the upper reach, 13 losses were measured out of 19 coupled measurements. At the lower reach, ten out of 13 coupled measurements indicated gains in flow and suggest that this reach is primarily a gaining river reach. An important factor in river leakage appears to be antecedent trends in river stage. At the upper reach, gains were measured only during periods of declining river stage. Conversely, at the lower reach, streamflow loss was measured primarily during periods of rising river stage. Although some tendencies exist, several factors complicate the analysis of river leakage, most notably the inaccuracies in computed stream discharge.
Low power RF design for sensor networks

The design of RF circuits for short-range, low-power wireless communication is discussed. A derivation of optimum link range and transceiver power budget is presented based on simple models for indoor path loss and power vs. performance tradeoffs in a generic transceiver. Design techniques aimed at efficiently reaching these parameters are discussed for individual circuit blocks. Finally, some published transceivers are discussed with respect to the optimization and design techniques presented.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields and acrylamide toxicity recovery

This study considered the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on functional recovery from acrylamide-induced neuropathy in rats. A walking track analysis and a drop test analysis were used to assess function. Results showed no correlation between the applied magnetic field and functional recovery. The walking track analysis was also shown to be inadequate for the study of effects of acrylamide on nerve function. >
Public places, private lives: Balancing of privacy and freedom of expression in the United Kingdom

The rights of privacy and expression often conflict. Case law from the United Kingdom suggests that the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law has spurred the growth of domestic privacy law at the expense of the rights of the press to free expression and, in line with prior theory, has also granted greater political authority to courts and judges tasked with balancing privacy and expression in domestic legal disputes. These shifts in privacy case law may also suggest that incorporation has increased opportunities for participatory democratic governance by the citizenry, at least through enhanced access to judicial remedies for privacy violations and the enforcement of Convention rights, as interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights.
Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint methods for linear advection or advection-reaction equations and their convergence analysis

In this paper, we develop Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint methods (ELLAM) to solve the initial-boundary value problems for linear advection or advection-reaction equations. In contrast to many methods for advection-type problems, our ELLAM scheme naturally incorporates the inflow boundary conditions into its formulations and does not need an artificial outflow boundary condition. It does conserve mass. Moreover, optimal-order error estimates for ELLAM have been obtained. In contrast, many methods have only suboptimal-order estimates when applied to solve these problems. Furthermore, our ELLAM scheme provides a systematic approach to treat the interface problems of advection-type equations and can be naturally combined with domain decomposition and local refinement techniques to solve these problems. Numerical results in one and two dimensions are presented and discussed.
Endogenous levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, but not other sex hormones, are associated with depressed mood in older women: the Rancho Bernardo Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether endogenous steroid hormone levels are associated with depressed mood in community-dwelling older women. DESIGN: A cross-sectional population-based study. SETTING: Rancho Bernardo, California PARTICIPANTS: A total of 699 non-estrogen using, community-dwelling, postmenopausal women (aged 50 to 90 years) from the Rancho Bernardo cohort who were screened for depressed mood and had plasma obtained for steroid hormone assays in 1984–1987. MEASUREMENTS: Plasma levels of total and bioavailable (non-SHBG-bound) estradiol and testosterone, estrone, androstenedione, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEAS) were measured by radioimmunoassay. Mood and depression were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Only DHEAS levels were significantly and inversely associated with depressed mood, and the association was independent of age, physical activity, and weight change (P = .0002). Age, sedentary lifestyle, and weight loss were positively associated with depressed mood. Alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, marital status, type of menopause, and season of testing were unassociated with depressed mood. A subset of 31 women with categorically defined depression had lower DHEAS levels compared with 93 age-matched nondepressed women (1.17 ± 1.08 vs 1.57 ± .98 μmol/L; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: These results add to the evidence that DHEA/S is a neuroactive steroid and point to the need for careful long-term clinical trials of DHEA therapy in older women with depressed mood. J Am Geriatr Soc 47:685–691, 1999.
Comparative analysis of NLN NCLEX-RN readiness exam performance: BSN versus ADN

AbstractNursing schools are committed to improving the passing rate of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and to remain above acceptable levels. Therefore, ...
Self-Reconfiguration of Service-Based System for Service Level Agreements and Resource Optimization

The configuration of a service-based system has a significant impact on the non-functional requirements of the system as a whole. However, finding the best configuration is very challenging and sometimes impossible for administrators because so many factors have to be considered. More importantly, a service-based system has to be frequently reconfigured to adapt to rapid and continuous changes in user requirements and runtime environments. In this paper we propose an autonomic computing approach to the problem of reconfiguration, that is, enabling the service-based system to configure itself by means of a loop of monitoring, analyzing, planning and executing. We begin by formalizing the definition of reconfiguration. Then, we describe how to implement the autonomic computing mechanisms for reconfiguring service-based systems to satisfy Service Level Agreements with minimal resource consumption. The approach is demonstrated on a resilient service provisioning environment. Finally, the preliminary experiments are evaluated to determine the effectiveness of proposed approach.
Are Central Banks necessary

Two recent studies use history and theory to examine the likely consequences of eliminating government intervention in the provision of money. Such proposals would end the central bank monopoly over note issue and replace it with note issues by competing banks. Supervisory functions of central banks would be dispensed with. Accordingly, the proposals would free banks from all regulations on entry, disclosure, geographical limitations, and the products they may offer to customers. Monetary and banking arrangements would be left to the market. Unfortunately, the historical evidence does not speak as loudly in favor of free banking as its proponents claim.
Cell migration: Interactions among integrins, IGFs and IGFBPs

The migratory behaviour of cells is fundamental to diverse biologic processes such as tumor metastasis, development of atherosclerotic plaques, embryonic development and wound healing. We have examined the effects of IGF-I and IGFBPs on the migration of Chinese Hamster ovary (CHO) cells, smooth muscle cells (SMC) and human breast cancer cells (HBC) and have studied the involvement of integrin receptors in migration induced by IGF-I and by IGFBPs. Using a monolayer wounding assay, we determined the effect of IGFBP-1 on SMC to be qualitatively similar to its effect we reported earlier on CHO cells, in that there is a direct stimulation of migration mediated by the alpha 5 beta 1 integrin. IGFBP-2 has no direct effect on SMC migration, and although it also contains the Arg-Gly-Asp sequence, we can detect no integrin binding. Unlike CHO cells, SMC are stimulated to migrate by IGF-I. IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-1 both inhibit this IGF-I receptor-mediated stimulation. We have also studied the migration of HBC using a Boyden chamber apparatus and have shown a potent chemotactic effect of IGF-I. We have investigated the mechanisms for IGF-I stimulation of SMC and HBC migration. IGF-I stimulation of SMC migration requires the presence of either 0.2% serum or vitronectin, because of a requirement for ligand binding by the alpha V beta 3 integrin (vitronectin receptor). MCF-7 HBC migrate toward a concentration gradient of IGF-I, the only growth factor that was able to stimulate these cells to migrate. Integrin ligand binding was also necessary for MCF-7 cells to migrate in response to IGF-I; alpha V beta 5 integrin was required for migration on vitronectin and alpha 2 beta 1 was required on collagen. These studies demonstrate that the stimulation of cell migration by IGFBP-1 and IGF-I involves signaling by members of the integrin family of receptors. The mechanisms by which the IGF-I receptor and integrin receptors interact are not yet known.
Binding of 3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene to nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles

Abstract The binding of 3 H-3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene to various nuclear fractions from liver of rats administered with the dye was studied. The highest specific radioactivity was found in a nonhistone nuclear protein fraction which was extracted with 0.1 M Tris-HCl buffer,pH 7.6, and contained a large amount of proteins identical to those of nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles. The ribonucleoprotein particles isolated by the combination of extractions at different pH and sucrose gradient centrifugation also showed the highest specific radioactivity.
Teaching Electric Circuits using a modified flipped classroom approach

This paper describes our initial effort to implement a flipped classroom approach to teach an Electric Circuits course. Prior to each scheduled class meeting, students are required to watch a recorded short lecture, which covers the topics in details and includes simple worked out problems. We have used Tablet PC in combination with PowerPoint, OneNote, and Camtasia as the capturing software, to produce the short-recorded lectures. We have also produced a set of narrated dynamically worked-out problems, with different difficulty levels that students are encouraged to watch. These recorded worked-out problems will complement the recorded lectures and help students with their problem solving skills. A typical lecture consists of a quick review of the concepts followed by solving more challenging problems, related to the lecture material. A more detailed discussion of this approach and the advantages and disadvantages of such a scheme are presented. The preliminary evaluations of the proposed approach by a group of students have been encouraging.
Failure Analysis of Composite Bonded Joints

Abstract : Because of the ineffectiveness of the commonly used failure criteria, current analysis methods fail to accurately predict the strength of bonded composite joints. This analytical shortfall results in overly conservative joint designs. In a composite bonded joint, failure typically occurs in the first ply of the parent laminate near the stress singularity. In this study, and average strain approach is used to analyze this area and the first strain invariant failure Criterion, also called the J, failure criterion, is adopted to predict the failure load of composite bonded joints. The analysis is based on a plane strain two-dimensional finite element model, which includes both the effects of geometric and material nonlinearity. The predicted failure loads correlate well with reported test results. Utilizing existing test data for composite bonded joints, it was found that the critical J values in the first ply of the parent laminates are almost constant. The merit of the J failure criterion is that it is valid for various environmental conditions, loading conditions, and surface ply orientations.
Genotype–Phenotype Correlations for Infants and Children with ABCA3 Deficiency

Rationale: Recessive mutations in the ATP-binding cassette transporter A3 (ABCA3) cause lethal neonatal respiratory failure and childhood interstitial lung disease. Most ABCA3 mutations are private. Objectives: To determine genotype–phenotype correlations for recessive ABCA3 mutations. Methods: We reviewed all published and unpublished ABCA3 sequence and phenotype data from our prospective genetic studies of symptomatic infants and children at Washington and Johns Hopkins Universities. Mutations were classified based on their predicted disruption of protein function: frameshift and nonsense mutations were classified as “null,” whereas missense, predicted splice site mutations, and insertion/deletions were classified as “other.” We compared age of presentation and outcomes for the three genotypes: null/null, null/other, and other/other. Measurements and Main Results: We identified 185 infants and children with homozygous or compound heterozygous ABCA3 mutations and lung disease. All of the null/null infants presented with respiratory failure at birth compared with 75% of infants with null/other or other/other genotypes (P = 0.00011). By 1 year of age, all of the null/null infants had died or undergone lung transplantation compared with 62% of the null/other and other/other children (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Genotype–phenotype correlations exist for homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in ABCA3. Frameshift or nonsense ABCA3 mutations are predictive of neonatal presentation and poor outcome, whereas missense, splice site, and insertion/deletions are less reliably associated with age of presentation and prognosis. Counseling and clinical decision making should acknowledge these correlations.
Characterization of Crop Residue-Derived Biochars Produced by Field Scale Biomass Pyrolyzer

Application of biochar to soils is proposed as a significant, long-term, sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in terrestrial ecosystems. In addition to reducing emissions and increasing the sequestration of carbon, production of biochar and its application to soils will contribute improve soil quality and crop productivity. Objectives were i) to evaluate biochar productivity from crop residues using a low-cost field scale mobile pyrolyzer and ii) to evaluate characteristics of feedstocks and biochars from locally collected crop residues. Pyrolysis experiments were performed in a reactor operated at 400-500°C for 3-4 hours using biomass samples of post-harvest residues of corn (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium spp.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Feedstocks differed, but average conversion to biochar was 23%. Carbon content of biomass feedstock and biochar samples were 445 g kg -1 and 597 g kg -1 , respectively. Total carbon content of biochar samples was 34% higher than its feedstock samples. Significant increases were found in P, K, Ca, Mg, and micro-nutrients contents between feedstock and biochar samples. Biochar from corn stems and rice hulls can sequester by 60% and 49% of the initial carbon input into biochar respectively when biochar is incorporated into the soils. Pyrolysis conversion of corn and rice residues sequestered significant amounts of carbon as biochar which has further environmental and production benefits when applied to soils. Field experiment with crop residue biochar will be investigated the stability of biochars to show long-term carbon sequestration and environmental influences to the cropping systems.