cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Instantaneous Frequency and Damping from Transient Ring-Down Data

Broadband impact excitation in structural dynamics is a common technique used to detect and characterize nonlinearities in mechanical systems since it excites many frequencies of a structure at once. Non-stationary time signals from transient ring-down measurements require time-frequency analysis tools to observe variations in frequency and energy dissipation as the response evolves. This work uses the short-time Fourier transform to estimate the instantaneous parameters from measured or simulated data. By combining the discrete Fourier transform with an expanding or contracting window function that moves along the time axis, the resulting spectra are used to estimate the instantaneous frequencies, damping ratios and complex Fourier coefficients. This method is demonstrated on a multi-degree-of-freedom beam with a cubic spring attachment. The amplitude-frequency dependence in the damped response is compared to the undamped nonlinear normal modes. A second example shows the results from experimental ring-down measurements taken on a beam with a lap joint, revealing how the mechanical interface introduces nonlinear frequency and damping parameters.
Solidarity with the People: Organizing to Disrupt Teacher Alienation

ABSTRACTAlthough research on teacher alienation and isolation has demonstrated the importance of developing collegial relationships, mentoring, and induction programs, there is limited research examining the ways to support critical educators with combatting their feelings of alienation and isolation as it relates to the larger sociopolitical dynamics they must endure. Within teacher education and teacher in-service development we must engage in research and approaches to learning that acknowledge the possibilities and potential of teachers to lead their development toward becoming critical and culturally relevant practitioners. Using an internal colonial framework where schooling is articulated as an extension of the colonial project, this article explores the reflections of ten educators, from the elementary to high school level, as they worked to create spaces for learning within a teacher-led, community based organization. Drawing from participant observations and interviews with organization members,...
Skeletal Fragility, a Common Menopausal Burden: Risk Assessment, Diagnosis, and Management

Osteoporosis and fracture are common in postmenopausal women. This chapter provides review of the magnitude of the problem, risk factors, and causes for this insidious bone disease. It provides guidelines for calcium and vitamin D intake and exercise strategies to maximize bone health throughout life. It provides guidance for how to make the diagnosis of osteoporosis both clinically and with various technologies including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) along with fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) analysis. For patients with osteoporosis, pharmacotherapy may be indicated. This chapter reviews the medications approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis including approved treatment indications, side effects, and how and when to institute their use.
Environmental services auctions under regulatory threat

This paper examines how strategic responses of bidders and efficiency properties are impacted in auctions for the procurement of environmental services when a threat of regulation is levied. Laboratory experiments reveal characteristics of bidder behavior in different regulatory environments. Experimental results provide insight into efficiency and equity tradeoffs inherent in regulatory policy applications with respect to environmental services auctions. While it is possible to reduce the amount of public funds necessary to purchase a given level of environmental services, adverse selection costs and equity considerations may outstrip the benefits gained from threat implementation.
Social Constructivism and the Role of Place for Immigrant Language Learners

This chapter follows contemporary work by introducing what is known as the “social turn” in second language acquisition theory. We argue that older immigrant language socialization is shaped by the social bonding and cooperation present between the novice learner and other interlocutors. We recognize that functioning in English-dominant spaces may generate cognitive and social challenges for older immigrant language learners and isolate them from positive socialization encounters with English-dominant interlocutors. In this context, age-related beliefs, behaviors, and self-representations emerge from the backdrop of recurrent social interactions. From this perspective, we emphasize that safe places of interaction promote linguistic resocialization for otherwise culturally isolated older immigrants. We argue that research is needed that identifies that practical ways places of language resocialization mediate and reduce these risks and limitations.
Influence of permeate from domestic reverse osmosis filters on lead pipes corrosion and plastic pipes leaching

Abstract Reverse Osmosis (RO) filters are gaining popularity in domestic water supply system to meet the increasing demand for pure and improved drinking water. The focus of this research was on the corrosive effect of the permeate water on the leaching of lead metal pipes and the leaching of organic carbon from common plastic plumbing materials. Three commercially available RO filters with varying treatment stages—two, five and seven, were chosen for the tests. As the number of treatment stages increased, the pH, conductivity, hardness and alkalinity of the finished water were better balanced. The results show that the two-stage filter had the highest corrosion effect among the three filters with a lead corrosion rate of 0.382 mpy, followed by the five-stage filter with a corrosion rate of 0.064 mpy, and the seven-stage filter had the least corrosion rate of 0.007 mpy. From the migration test, it was found that the PEX and PVC pipes were more prone to organic carbon leaching as compared with the CPVC pipes. The two-stage filter showed the highest extraction of organic compounds, and the seven-stage filter showed the least. In all the samples, including the control, the initial TOC leaching during the first three-day period was higher than the subsequent leaching periods of three days.
Long-term care and pay-for-performance programs

Pay‐for‐performance programs are gradually spreading across Asia. This paper builds on the longer experience in the United States to offer lessons for Asia. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has introduced several pay‐for‐performance programs since 2012 to encourage hospitals to improve quality of care and reduce costs. Some state Medicaid programs have also introduced pay‐for‐performance for nursing homes. Long‐term care providers play an important role in hospital pay‐for‐performance programs because they can affect the readmission rate and also total episode payments. A good pay‐for‐performance program will focus on improving quality of care that affects health outcomes. In addition, that quality must vary across providers and be measurable. Furthermore, it is important that the measures be reported in a timely way, that both demand and supply respond to the measures, and that the measures be risk adjusted. Empirical data from Medicare beneficiaries in the state of Michigan show that mean episode payments and readmission rates in skilled nursing facilities vary widely and are sensitive to the number of observations. These practical matters create challenges for implementing pay‐for‐performance in practice. There is an extensive literature review of pay‐for‐performance in long‐term care in the United States and in Asia.
Chaos and Organization in Health Care

The contemporary United States health system lacks effective care coordination mechanisms and is fraught with perverse economic incentives. In fact, the problems are so severe that many say health ...
Differentiating Occupational Change Versus Organizational Change

In this study, we seek to understand why some employees leave organizations based on a decision to change occupations instead of either changing organizations while staying in the same occupation o...
Covariation between local and landscape factors influences the structure of ground-active arthropod communities in fragmented metropolitan woodlands

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized, with more than half of the global population now living in cities. Understanding the factors impacting natural communities in fragmented landscapes is therefore crucial for predicting how the remaining ecosystems will respond to global change. Ground-active arthropods, which are important in nutrient cycling, are likely sensitive to habitat changes resulting from urbanization. We addressed two questions: (1) What is the relative importance of local and landscape factors in shaping ground-active arthropod communities in urban woodlands? (2) How does body size (as a surrogate for dispersal ability) affect sensitivity to landscape-level factors? In the summers of 2010 and 2011, we sampled ground-active arthropod communities in 19 woodlands in the Chicago metropolitan region using pitfall traps. We also assessed local plant and soil characteristics, as well as landscape-level variables using GIS. Redundancy analyses and variation partitioning revealed that local factors, particularly invasive woody-plant cover and soil nitrate, had the most influence on arthropod communities, explaining 12% of the total variation. Of the landscape-level variables, landscape richness, which is one measure of landscape fragmentation, explained the most variation; however, the shared variance between landscape and local variables was responsible for half (16%) of the total explained variation (32%). Landscape factors alone explained only 4% of variation. No relationship between arthropod body size and landscape variables was observed, but several groups (e.g. ants and ground beetles) were correlated with landscape-level factors. Our research shows that both local and landscape variables are important in influencing ground-active arthropods, but the majority of explained variance is attributed to the covariation between landscape richness, invasive woody-plant cover, and soil nitrate. We therefore conclude that landscape fragmentation is likely affecting the ground-active arthropods through its positive influence on invasive woody plants and soil nitrogen.
Yes, and … : continuing the scholarly conversation about freedom of speech at colleges and universities*

“I’m not sure I want to be a teacher anymore…Actually, I am sure. I definitely don’t want to be a teacher anymore.”Earlier in the seminar, a colleague from university counsel gave a presentation on...
Permanent-temporary pacemakers in the management of patients with conduction abnormalities after transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Damage to the cardiac conduction system requiring permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation is a known adverse outcome of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). A permanent-temporary pacemaker (PTPM) is a device that involves an active-fixation lead attached to an external pulse generator taped to the skin. We reviewed the utility of PTPMs as a temporary bridge measure after TAVR in patients with conduction abnormalities that do not meet conventional criteria for PPM placement. Between January 01, 2013 and December 31, 2015, we analyzed 67 patients who received PTPM after TAVR. Baseline demographics, comorbidities, type and size of the valve, pre-TAVR electrocardiograms (ECGs), post-TAVR ECGs at 1 day, 1 month, and 6 months, and pacemaker interrogation results were reviewed for each patient if available. The mean age of patients was 80.5 ± 9.1 years. PTPM were placed for 2.3 ± 2.4 days. Among these patients, 44.8% (n = 30) received a PPM prior to discharge. Male gender (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.05–7.69, p = 0.05) and an increase in QRS duration post-TAVR (p = 0.01) were associated with PPM placement. Pacemaker interrogation data of 11 patients with PPM revealed that 27% (n = 3) had < 1% V-pacing requirements and < 10% A-pacing requirements. In post-TAVR patients who develop conduction abnormalities that do not meet conventional PPM implantation indications, PTPM safely provides a time period for further assessment and may prevent unnecessary PPM implantation. Male gender and an increase in QRS duration post-TAVR are associated with PPM implantation. Additionally, some patients may recover from their conduction disturbances and demonstrate low pacemaker utilization.
Illustrating the Evaluation of System Feedback Mechanisms Using System Evaluation Theory (SET)

This article describes how system evaluation theory (SET) guided the evaluation of cardiac care response systems efficiency in seven rural United States. Specifically, the article focuses on the ap...
Release of actinides from defense waste glass under simulated repository conditions

The release behavior of uranium, plutonium, and neptunium from a defense waste reference glass was studied at 90/sup 0/C, alone and in the presence of ductile iron. Deionized water and simulated groundwaters for repositories in basalt and salt were used as test solutions. The initial surface area of glass to volume of solution was 10 m/sup -1/; the surface area of iron, where included, was equal to that of the glass sample. Solution samples were removed at regular intervals over 56 days, and actinide concentrations in unfiltered and 1.8-nm filtered (i.e., dissolved) portions were analyzed. The release behavior of uranium, plutonium, and neptunium did not show any consistent relationship to each other in any of the solutions, casting doubt on the use of uranium as a ''master'' indicator of actinide release. The presence of iron increased the initial rate of actinide release from the glass for all solutions, although the concentration of truly soluble actinides decreased. The difference is attributable to the formation of colloidal actinides. The actinide concentration in the filtered samples closely approaches the known solubility concentrations for hydrate oxides of these elements, suggesting a solubility-limiting control to the release of actinides from glass for time periods greatermore » than several months.« less
Inhibition of DNA methyltransferase-1 instigates the expression of DNA methyltransferase-3a in angioplasty-induced restenosis.

Increased expression of DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1) associates with the progression of many human diseases. Because DNMT1 induces cell proliferation, drugs that inhibit DNMT1 have been used to ...
Family and Caregiving Issues

Due to long care hours and physically demanding caregiving, several family members often share caregiving responsibilities for community-dwelling persons with dementia (PwD). Yet, little is known about the types of informal care provided and impact of caregiving on informal caregivers by relationship to care recipients using a national sample in United States. We studied a nationally representative sample of 679 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia and their informal caregivers (n=1,467) using the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and National Study on Caregiving (NSOC) survey. We examined total hours of care per month and the types of care provided. Impact of caregiving was measured as emotional or physical difficulties, and work productivity loss (WPL). Generalized linear and logistic regression models controlling for PwD’s age, gender, and impairment were used. With analytical weights, 5.7 million informal caregivers provided care to 4.0 million PwD. Despite spousal and children caregivers were equally likely to provide help in medical care, transportation, and mobility, spousal caregivers provided the most care hours per month, followed by daughters (96 and 59 more hours per month than sons, respectively). Compared to spousal caregivers, daughters were more likely to report emotional difficulty (aOR=3.8, p<0.01); whereas sons were less likely to report physical difficulty (aOR=0.1, p<0.01). Daughters had the greatest WPL (8.1%). Daughters provided the second most care hours and were more likely to have a negative impact from informal caregiving than spouses and sons. Policymakers need to allocate resource to alleviate negative caregiving impacts to daughters.
An Occam's Razor Approach to Hedonic Pricing Theory

In the wake of the present criticism of p value as a reliable statistical tool, then most work on implicit pricing using hedonic regression confronts a serious debacle. We argue that since proper interpretation of the set of implicit prices in a hedonic regression determines the utility of a commodity. Therefore, using unreliable instrument is counterproductive and defeats the theory of hedonic pricing. The analysis of the hedonic pricing model is the focus of this study. Hedonic pricing theory explains the value of a differentiated commodity as a function of its composite attributes. An improved model simplifies the decision-making of an economic actor. Empirical analysis was based on the principle of parsimony and plurality of Occam’s razor approach using correlation matrix, marginal cost, significance test, Bayesian information criterion and variance inflation factor.
Early post-Humanitarian Device Exemption experience with the Neuroform Atlas stent

Introduction The low-profile Neuroform Atlas stent received FDA Humanitarian Device Exemption status (HDE) in January 2018 for stent-assisted coil embolization of wide-necked saccular aneurysms. We review and report our results with the Atlas stent in our institution within the first year after its HDE approval. Methods Our retrospective chart review identified patients treated with the Atlas stent. We analyzed the patient demographics, aneurysm characteristics, stent parameters and configuration, complications, angiographic, and clinical outcomes at discharge. Results From January to December 2018, 76 Atlas stents were deployed in 58 patients (average 1.3 stents/patient). Median patient age was 63.5 (IQR 56–71) years. Fifty-six (96.6%) patients had elective embolization of unruptured aneurysms, while two (3.4%) patients underwent embolization of a ruptured aneurysm within 2 weeks of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Forty (69.0%) patients were treated with a single stent, 15 (25.9%) with a Y-stent, and three (5.2%) with X-stent configuration. All stent deployments were technically successful. Most stents (82.9%) were the smallest 3 mm diameter devices. Procedural complications included transient stent-associated thrombosis in three (5.2%) patients and aneurysm rupture in one (1.7%). None had distal embolization, associated cerebral infarction, or permanent neurological deficits. Immediate Raymond–Roy 1 occlusion was achieved in 41 (70.7%) patients. Median hospital length of stay for elective aneurysm embolization was 1 day. Excellent outcomes with median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score 0 (IQR 0–0) and modified Rankin Score 0 (IQR 0–1) were seen for elective patients at discharge. Conclusion The Neuroform Atlas stent provided a reliable technical and safety profile for the treatment of intracranial wide-neck aneurysms. Further experience is needed to determine long-term durability and safety of this device.
A study of noise reduction mechanisms of jets with fluid inserts

Abstract The fluid insert technology is an active noise reduction technique that has been shown to successfully reduce supersonic jet noise in model scale nozzles. The goal of this paper is to better understand the noise reduction mechanisms of fluid insert jets using Doak's Momentum Potential Theory and Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition applied to an LES database. It is found that the use of fluid inserts results in a lower convection speed of the wavepacket-like coherent structures in the jet shear layer resulting in a shallower Mach wave radiation angle. It is also shown that the use of fluid inserts results in a reduction of length scales of the turbulent fluctuations in the shear layer, which correlates correctly with the observed noise reductions.
Partial equilibration of anti-Pfaffian edge modes at ν = 5 / 2

The recent thermal Hall conductance measurement of $K\ensuremath{\approx}2.5{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}{k}_{B}\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}T/3h$ of the $\ensuremath{\nu}=5/2$ quantum Hall state provides strong evidence for the realization of a topological ground state whose quasiparticles exhibit non-Abelian statistics. However, the precise identity of the state depends on the degree of edge-mode equilibration. Here, the authors show that in the limit of strong Coulomb interaction and approximate spin degeneracy, the anti-Pfaffian state admits low-temperature edge phases that exhibit fully equilibrated electrical transport coexisting with partially equilibrated thermal transport, consistent with current experimental measurements.
Abstract A40: Protein disulfide isomerases in the endoplasmic reticulum promote anchorage-independent growth of breast cancer cells

Metastatic breast cancer cells are exposed to stress of detachment from the extracellular matrix (ECM). Cultured breast cancer cells that survive this stress and are capable of anchorage-independent proliferation form mammospheres. The purpose of this study was to explore a link between mammosphere growth, ECM gene expression, and the protein quality control system in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We compared the mRNA and protein levels of ER folding factors in SUM159PT and MCF10DCIS.com breast cancer cells grown as mammospheres versus adherent conditions. Publicly available gene expression data for mammospheres formed by primary breast cancer cells and for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were analyzed to assess the status of ECM/ER folding factor genes in clinically relevant samples. Knock-down of selected protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family members was performed to examine their roles in SUM159PT mammosphere growth. We found that cells grown as mammospheres had elevated expression of ECM genes and ER folding quality control genes. CTC gene expression data for an index patient indicated that upregulation of ECM and ER folding factor genes occurred at the time of acquired therapy resistance and disease progression. Knock-down of PDI, ERp44, or ERp57, three members of the PDI family with elevated protein levels in mammospheres, in SUM159PT cells partially inhibited the mammosphere growth. Thus, breast cancer cell survival and growth under detachment conditions require enhanced assistance of the ER protein folding machinery. Targeting ER folding factors, in particular members of the PDI family, may improve the therapeutic outcomes in metastatic breast cancer.
Temperature-Dependent Material Property Databases for Marine Steels—Part 1: DH36

Integrated computational materials engineering (ICME)-based tools and techniques have been identified as the best path forward for distortion mitigation in thin-plate steel construction at shipyards. ICME tools require temperature-dependent material properties to achieve accurate computational results for distortion and residual stress. However, the required temperature-dependent material property databases of U.S. Navy-relevant steels are not available in the literature. Therefore, as part of a Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow program, a comprehensive testing plan for some of the most common marine steels used in the construction of US naval vessels was completed. This testing plan included DH36, HSLA-65, HSLA-80, HSLA-100, HY-80, and HY-100 steel with a nominal thickness of 4.76 mm (3/16-in.). This report is part of a seven-part series detailing the pedigreed steel data. The first six reports will report the material properties for each of the individual steel grades, whereas the final report will compare and contrast the measured steel properties across all six steels. This report will focus specifically on the data associated with DH36 steel.
Landscaping on or near Septic Drain Fields

Septic systems are common throughout most rural areas, and their care and maintenance are essential to the health of people, wildlife, livestock, agricultural commodities, and water resources. One way to ensure optimal performance of your septic system is to landscape appropriately near the drain field. The purpose of this new 3-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Soil and Water Sciences is to provide landscape management guidance for septic system drain fields. Information presented here will be useful for homeowners, landscape management professionals, and Extension agents who work in horticulture, natural resources, agriculture, and family services. Written by Whitney C. Elmore, William Lester, James Moll, Andrea Albertin, and Mary Lusk.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss687
Research on Various Software Development Lifecycle Models

Software development life cycle models define a guideline for the design, development and testing of the software. These models ensure that software meets the customer requirements and is developed within the given timeframe and budget. There are various SDLC models used for software development. This paper describes various types of traditional SDLC models like waterfall mode, v model and spiral model. It also describes contemporary models like agile model and RAD model. The paper also highlights the importance of security procedures in software development life cycle process. The basic motive of this paper is to study variety of models and make a relative study of them to understand their advantages and disadvantages.
Universal spin wave damping in magnetic Weyl semimetals

We analyze the decay of spin waves into Stoner excitations in magnetic Weyl semimetals. The lifetime of a mode is found to have a universal dependence on its frequency and momentum, and on a few parameters that characterize the relativistic Weyl spectrum. At the same time, uniform Gilbert damping by Weyl electrons is absent. The decay rate of spin waves is calculated perturbatively using the s-d model of itinerant Weyl or Dirac electrons coupled to local moments. We show that many details of the Weyl spectrum, such as the momentum-space locations, dispersions, and sizes of the Weyl Fermi pockets, can be deduced indirectly by probing the spin waves of local moments using inelastic neutron scattering.
Emotion Regulation with Parents and Friends and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior.

This study examined adolescents’ self-reported use of emotion regulation strategies with parents and friends in relation to internalizing and externalizing behavior. A total of 185 children aged 13–14 years old (91 girls, 94 boys) completed three surveys to assess their emotion regulation strategies with mothers, fathers and best friends. Parents completed surveys assessing adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing behavior. Regression analysis revealed that adolescents’ self-reported ER with mothers and fathers and friends made independent contributions to parent reports of youth internalizing and externalizing behavior. Adolescents who reported engaging in more emotion suppression with friends had higher internalizing scores, whereas adolescents who reported more affective expression with friends had lower internalizing scores. Self-reported emotion regulation strategies with mothers and fathers were unrelated to internalizing behavior. Adolescents who reported engaging in higher levels of affective suppression and cognitive reappraisal with their mothers and fathers had lower parental ratings of externalizing behavior. Emotion regulation strategies with best friends were unrelated to externalizing behavior.
Electronic scattering off a magnetic hopfion

We study scattering of itinerant electrons off a magnetic hopfion in a three-dimensional metallic magnet described by a magnetization vector $\mathbit{S}(\mathbit{r})$. A hopfion is a confined topological soliton of $\mathbit{S}(\mathbit{r})$ characterized by an emergent magnetic field ${B}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}(\mathbit{r})\ensuremath{\equiv}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\gamma}}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathbit{S}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}({\ensuremath{\nabla}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}\mathbit{S}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\ensuremath{\nabla}}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}\mathbit{S})/4\ensuremath{\ne}0$ with vanishing average value $\ensuremath{\langle}\mathbit{B}(\mathbit{r})\ensuremath{\rangle}=0$. We evaluate the scattering amplitude in the opposite limits of large and small hopfion radius $R$ using the eikonal and Born approximations, respectively. In both limits, we find that the scattering cross section contains a skew-scattering component giving rise to the Hall effect within a hopfion plane. That conclusion contests the popular notion that the Hall effect in noncollinear magnetic structures necessarily implies $\ensuremath{\langle}\mathbit{B}(\mathbit{r})\ensuremath{\rangle}\ensuremath{\ne}0$. In the limit of small hopfion radius $pR\ensuremath{\ll}1$, we expand the Born series in powers of momentum $p$ and identify different expansion terms corresponding to the hopfion anisotropy, toroidal moment, and skew scattering.
Diabetes and Risk of Sudden Death in Coronary Artery Disease Patients Without Severe Systolic Dysfunction.

Abstract Objectives This study sought to determine the absolute and relative associations of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) with sudden and/or arrhythmic death (SAD) versus other modes of death in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who do not qualify for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Background Patients with CAD and DM are at elevated risk for SAD; however, it is unclear whether these patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter-defibrillators given competing causes of death and/or whether HbA1c might augment SAD risk stratification. Methods In the PRE-DETERMINE study of 5,764 patients with CAD with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of >30% to 35%, competing risk analyses were used to compare the absolute and relative risks of SAD versus non-SAD by DM status and HbA1c level and to identify risk factors for SAD among 1,782 patients with DM. Results Over a median follow-up of 6.8 years, DM and HbA1c were significantly associated with SAD and non-SAD (P Conclusions In patients with CAD and LVEF of >30% to 35%, patients with DM and/or elevated HbA1c are at much higher absolute risk of dying from non-SAD than SAD. Clinical risk markers, and not HbA1c, were associated with SAD risk in patients with DM. (PRE-DETERMINE: Biologic Markers and MRI SCD Cohort Study; NCT01114269 )
Trauma and PTSD in Children Who Are Refugees or Immigrants

Children who experience disasters may experience a range of trauma including displacement from their homes and possessions, loss of family members, threats from soldiers, injuries from accidents or from physical or mental abuse. Most children and adolescents will have a transitory period of psychological symptoms, and 20–50% of them will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Early identification of children at risk and appropriate interventions can reduce this number. Recovery and resilience can be facilitated by the provision of daily necessities on a predictable schedule, provisions for recreation, programs to facilitate a sense of control, resumption of school, empathetic adults and psychotherapy when needed.
Understanding and Correcting the Unfavorable Results After Otoplasty

Many patients seek otoplasty for cosmetic as well as emotional reasons. Post otoplasty complications can result from technical error or failure to recognize the underlying baseline etiology of the prominent ear. A thorough analysis of the anatomy and the determination of over- and undercorrection is necessary to adequately repair the problem. Realistic expectations for repair and outcome require in-depth communication with the patient. We recommend an algorithm-based method for reconstruction of post otoplasty complications. While cases of undercorrection are fairly straightforward, techniques for otoplasty revision in cases of overcorrection require patience and often times multiple stages. Skin shortage and cartilage destruction pose significant challenges and must be addressed separately.
Nuclear morphology of cells in human amniotic fluid in relation to sex of infant

Abstract Smears were prepared from the cells in amniotic fluid at delivery of 40 patients, 20 of whom had normal female and 20 normal male infants, and stained with a modified Feulgen technique. Many of the nuclei of the intermitotic cells from all of the fluids in which female infants developed contained the characteristic sex chromatin mass; i was not observed in any of the nuclei of cells from amniotic fluids associated with male offspring.
Resizing procedure for structures under combined mechanical and thermal loading

The fully-stressed design (FSD) appears to be the most widely used approach for sizing of flight structures under strength and minimum-gage constraints. Almost all of the experience with FSD has been with structures primarily under mechanical loading as opposed to thermal loading. In this method the structural sizes are iterated with the step size, depending on the ratio of the total stress to the allowable stress. In this paper, the thermal fully-stressed design (TFSD) procedure developed for problems involving substantial thermal stress is extended to biaxial stress members using a Von Mises failure criterion. The TFSD resizing procedure for uniaxial stress is restated and the new procedure for biaxial stress members is developed. Results are presented for an application of the two procedures to size a simplified wing structure.
Convergence of the Kiefer-Wolfowitz algorithm under arbitrary disturbances

The Kiefer-Wolfowitz algorithm (1952) for function minimisation under arbitrary deterministic disturbances is studied and necessary and sufficient conditions on the noise sequence are obtained for convergence of the algorithm. We use a notion of persistently disturbing noise sequences, and show that this characterizes convergence of the algorithm under each fixed noise sequence. The results obtained are stronger than previous results and the proof techniques are simpler, involving only basic notions of convergence.
FET‐Based Biosensors for The Direct Detection of Organophosphate Neurotoxins

Recent world-wide terrorist events associated with the threat of hazardous chemical agent proliferation, and outbreaks of chemical contamination in the food supply has demonstrated an urgent need for sensors that can directly detect the presence of dangerous chemical toxins. Such sensors must enable real-time detection and accurate identification of different classes of pesticides (e.g., carbamates and organophosphates) but must especially discriminate between widely used organophosphate (OP) pesticides and G- and V-type organophosphate chemical warfare nerve agents. Present field analytic sensors are bulky with limited specificity, require specially-trained personnel, and, in some cases, depend upon lengthy analysis time and specialized facilities. Most bioanalytical based systems are biomimetic. These sensors utilize sensitive enzyme recognition elements that are the in-vivo target of the neurotoxic agents which the sensor is attempting to detect. The strategy is well founded; if you want to detect cholinesterase toxins use cholinesterase receptors. However, this approach has multiple limitations. Cholinesterase receptors are sensitive to a wide range of non-related compounds and require lengthy incubation time. Cholinesterase sensors are inherently inhibition mode and therefore require baseline testing followed by sample exposure, retest and comparison to baseline. Finally, due to the irreversible nature of enzyme-ligand interactions, inhibition-mode sensors cannot be reused without regeneration of enzyme activity, which in many cases is inefficient and time-consuming. In 1996, we pioneered a new “kinetic” approach for the direct detection of OP neurotoxins based on agent hydrolysis by the enzyme organophosphate hydrolase (OPH; EC 3.1.8.2; phosphotriesterase) and further identified a novel multi-enzyme strategy for discrimination between different classes of neurotoxins. The major advantage of this sensor strategy is it allows direct and continuous measurement of OP agents using a reversible biorecognition element. We also investigated incorporation of enzymes with variations in substrate specificity (e.g., native OPH, site-directed mutants of OPH, and OPAA (EC 3.1.8.1), based upon preferential hydrolysis of PO, PF and PS bonds to enable discrimination among chemically diverse OP compounds. Organophosphate hydrolase enzymes were integrated with several different transduction platforms including conventional pH electrodes, fluoride ion-sensitive electrodes, and pH-responsive fluorescent dyes. Detection limit for most systems was in the low ppm concentration range. This article reviews our integration of organophosphate hydrolase enzymes with pH sensitive field effect transistors (FETs) for OP detection.
Policing the Imperial Periphery: The Philippine-American War and the Origins of U.S. Global Surveillance

Using a methodology that inserts the current controversy over NSA surveillance into its historical context, this essay traces the origins of U.S. internal security back to America’s emergence as a global power circa 1898. In the succeeding century, Washington’s information infrastructure advanced through three technological regimes: first, the manual during the Philippine War (1898–1907); next, the computerized in the Vietnam War (1963–75); and, recently, the robotic in Afghanistan and Iraq (2001–14). While these military missions have skirted defeat if not disaster, the information infrastructure, as if driven by some in-built engineering, has advanced to higher levels of data management and coercive capacity. With costs for conventional military occupations now becoming prohibitive, the U.S. will likely deploy, circa 2020, its evolving robotic regime—with a triple-canopy aerospace shield, advanced cyberwarfare, and digital surveillance—to envelop the earth in an electronic grid capable of blinding entire armies on the battlefield or atomizing a single insurgent in field or favela .
Qualitative Methods, History of

The history of qualitative methodological practices concerns development of research practices, objects of inquiry, and analytic strategies in relation to archival, observational, and interview data. There are three unevenly autonomous and connected streams: (1) historical inquiry and historical social science (especially historical sociology), (2) ethnographic research in anthropology, and (3) social science methodologies of interviewing and field research. Despite the diverse domains, qualitative methods have often converged in shared analytic issues, logics of comparison, and epistemological issues. Recently, qualitative methods have been pushed in two contradictory directions: toward increasingly powerful logical formalization and toward ‘postmodern’ emphasis on historicity and reflexivity.
Integrated Model for the Acoustics of Sediments

Abstract : LONG-TERM GOALS: Physically sound models of acoustic interaction with the ocean floor including penetration, reflection and scattering in support of MCM and ASW needs. OBJECTIVES: The objectives are: (1) Integration of phenomenological components of the Biot plus grain contact physics models, to reconcile the physical constants and processes, with a view to reducing the number of input variables, (2) a comprehensive model for all sediment types and improved modeling of grain contact physics, and (3) the development and testing of sediment acoustic models through a series of at-sea experiments.
Riley v. California: Privacy Still Matters, But How Much and In What Contexts?

Private information is no longer stored only in homes or other areas traditionally protected from warrantless intrusion. The private lives of many citizens are contained in a digital device no larger than the palm of their hand — and carried in public places. But that does not make the data within a cell phone any less private, just as the dialing of a phone number does not voluntarily waive an individual’s right to keep their call log or location private. We are not talking about individuals suspected of committing violent crimes. The Government is recording the calls and locations of citizens who have done nothing wrong, who are driving to work while talking to their spouses, or who are using their cell phones to call a loved one in the hospital. And the Government has the power to know where you are — and record the numbers you are calling. Unless it has a good reason for doing so — often referred to as probable cause or reasonable suspicion — this practice should have no place in a society that values civil liberties. Do the Government’s surveillance practices make us safer? Maybe. Should that matter? No. Assurances that we are ‘safer’ come at too high a price if the cost is to our personal freedom. That may make us safer, but it also makes every citizen less secure — and a little hesitant before dialing a number or downloading a YouTube video. If the Court were permit these and other warrantless intrusions into a person’s private life, the Fourth Amendment’s place on the constitutional hierarchy might be just a notch above the Third Amendment’s prohibition against the quartering of soldiers, or slightly below the often discussed but never-used Privileges and Immunities Clause. Simply put, Riley came at the right time, and hopefully is the beginning of enhanced protections for privacy rights.
Regional distribution of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-like, β-endorphin-like, and methionine-enkephalin-like immunoreactivities in the central nervous system of the goat

Regional distribution of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-like-, beta-endorphin (beta-end)-like-, and methionine-enkephalin (met-enk)-like-immunoreactivity was quantified across various regions of the central nervous system (CNS) of male and female goats by using highly specific radioimmunoassays. All the animals were sacrificed during the months of March through June (non-breeding season). Although the distribution of these three neuropeptides was similar to other mammalian species, species-specific gender differences in the levels of neuropeptides were noticed in the goat CNS. Highest levels of GnRH-like immunoreactivities were found in the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus of male goats exhibited significantly higher levels of GnRH-like immunoreactivities compared to female goats. Other regions exhibiting GnRH-like immunoreactivities included olfactory bulbs, preoptic and supraoptic regions, and mamillary bodies. Both beta-end- and met-enk immunoreactivities were detected in all selected regions of goat CNS, but highest levels of these opioid peptide-like immunoreactivities were limited to the forebrain regions of the goat. The supraoptic area of the female goats contained significantly higher levels of beta-end-like immunoreactivities than that of the male goats. Met-enk-peptide-like immunoreactivity also exhibited gender-specific differences in its content in some regions of the CNS. The male goats exhibited significantly higher levels of met-enk-like immunoreactivity in both the striatal and hypothalamic regions of the brain.
Leaf Vein and Contour Extraction from Point Cloud Data

Venation and contour of plant leaves are significant for many agronomic applications, such as the identification of plant species, the exploration of genetic relationship among plants and the 3D shape reconstruction of leaves. This paper presents a method for extracting leaf vein and contour from point cloud data. Firstly, leaf veins were extracted by using the curvature information of the point cloud, then the mesh model of plant leaf was constructed and the leaf contour was also extracted using mesh algorithm. The final leaf vein and contour can be obtained after a process combined fitting and repairing to the above extracted leaf veins and edges. The experimental results demonstrate that this method could extract the leaf veins and contour from laser scanned point cloud data.
The chimpanzee and other non-human-primate models in HIV-1 vaccine research

Animal models are of great importance for the study of disease pathogenesis, particularly non-human-primate models of infectious diseases. The role of non-human primates in HIV-1 research is continually discussed and debated. Here, we examine three primate models: chimpanzee-HIV-1, rhesus macaque-simian immunodeficiency virus and rhesus macaque-SHIV, and discuss immunological similarities and differences, safety and monetary issues, and ethical concerns.
Agricultural Policy under a Republican Administration

If a Republican administration is elected for 1989-93, I expect it to advocate continuation of the trends established in the 1985 farm bill. The main innovations in policy would come in the context of a GATT agreement in which the United States could negotiate a phased reduction in the level of agricultural subsidies to all commodities in all countries simultaneously. Only in that situation would I expect any radical changes in U.S. farm policy-under either a Democratic or a Republican administration. In addition to the trade negotiations in Geneva, the other important influence on the next farm bill will be the pressure for deficit reduction which will be hanging over the next administration, again regardless of who is president. The next farm bill is not likely to be written in 1990, when the Food Security Act of 1985 expires. In 1989, when Congress addresses the federal budget deficit, agricultural programs are likely to suffer some cuts. Nobody in Congress wants to write a farm bill in an election year, so I would expect an extension of current law next year with modest modifications in levels of several policy instruments to meet the budget target. The first time Congress will consider writing an omnibus farm bill likely will be in 1991.
An “all-organic” battery: Single electron transfer in an electrochemical cell

Abstract A simple glass cell with a carbocation salt solution in one leg and a carbanion salt solution in the other generates an electrical current as expected from the redox potentials of the separate solutions.
Midazolam does not inhibit association formation, just its storage and strengthening.

Rationale Although there have been many studies examining the effects of benzodiazepines on memory performance, their effects on working memory are equivocal and little is known about whether they affect the efficacy of practice of already learned material.
Applications of fiber-optics-based nanosensors to drug discovery

Background: Fiber-optic nanosensors are fabricated by heating and pulling optical fibers to yield sub-micron diameter tips and have been used for in vitro analysis of individual living mammalian cells. Immobilization of bioreceptors (e.g., antibodies, peptides, DNA) selective to targeting analyte molecules of interest provides molecular specificity. Excitation light can be launched into the fiber, and the resulting evanescent field at the tip of the nanofiber can be used to excite target molecules bound to the bioreceptor molecules. The fluorescence or surface-enhanced Raman scattering produced by the analyte molecules is detected using an ultra-sensitive photodetector. Objective: This article provides an overview of the development and application of fiber-optic nanosensors for drug discovery. Conclusions: The nanosensors provide minimally invasive tools to probe subcellular compartments inside single living cells for health effect studies (e.g., detection of benzopyrene adducts) and medical applications...