cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Levetiracetam: A Different Approach to the Pharmacotherapy of Epilepsy

OBJECTIVE:To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and adverse effects of levetiracetam in the treatment of epilepsy.DATA SOURCES:A MEDLINE search restricted to English-language publications was conducted (January 1993–October 2000). Unpublished data provided by the manufacturer and information found in proceedings of professional meetings were also included.DATA EXTRACTION/STUDY SELECTION:Information regarding basic pharmacology was collected from studies in animals. Pharmacokinetic data were collected from human trials. Only randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials were included to describe the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam.DATA SYNTHESIS:Levetiracetam is a new antiepileptic drug (AED) that appears to work by a unique mechanism. Animal studies have shown that levetiracetam may prevent epileptogenesis. Levetiracetam is rapidly and completely absorbed, minimally bound to plasma proteins, eliminated through the kidneys, and has a half-life of 6–8 hours. Doses must be adjusted fo...
Diversity and Distribution of DNA Sequences with Affinity to Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria of the β Subdivision of the Class Proteobacteria in the Arctic Ocean

The spatial distribution and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria of the β subdivision of the class Proteobacteria (hereinafter referred to as ammonia oxidizers) in the Arctic Ocean were determined. The presence of ammonia oxidizers was detected by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes using a primer set specific for this group of organisms (nitA and nitB, which amplifies a 1.1-kb fragment between positions 137 and 1234, corresponding to Escherichia coli 16S rDNA numbering). We analyzed 246 samples collected from the upper water column (5 to 235 m) during March and April 1995, September and October 1996, and September 1997. Ammonia oxidizers were detected in 25% of the samples from 5 m, 80% of the samples from 55 m, 88% of the samples from 133 m, and 50% of the samples from 235 m. Analysis of nitA-nitB PCR product by nested PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that all positive samples contained the same major band (band A), indicating the presence of a dominant, ubiquitous ammonia oxidizer in the Arctic Ocean basin. Twenty-two percent of the samples contained additional major bands. These samples were restricted to the Chukchi Sea shelf break, the Chukchi cap, and the Canada basin; areas likely influenced by Pacific inflow. The nucleotide sequence of the 1.1-kb nitA-nitB PCR product from a sample that contained only band A grouped with sequences designated group 1 marine Nitrosospira-like sequences. PCR-DGGE analysis of 122 clones from four libraries revealed that 67 to 71% of the inserts contained sequences with the same mobility as band A. Nucleotide sequences (1.1 kb) of another distinct group of clones, found only in 1995 samples (25%), fell into the group 5 marine Nitrosomonas-like sequences. Our results suggest that the Arctic Ocean β-proteobacterial ammonia oxidizers have low diversity and are dominated by marine Nitrosospira-like organisms. Diversity appears to be higher in Western Arctic Ocean regions influenced by inflow from the Pacific Ocean through the Bering and Chukchi seas.
Modulation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation by ENSO: Inferences from Observations and GCM Simulations

The impact of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is studied, based on reanalysis data and output from an ensemble general circulation model (GCM) exper- iment. Observed monthly sea surface temperature variations over the period of 1950-99 are imposed in the deep tropical eastern/central Pacific in the course of the SST experiment. Both GCM, and reanalysis data, indicate that intraseasonal activity of the low-level zonal wind is enhanced (reduced) over the cen- tral (western) Pacific during El Nino events. The propagation and growth/decay characterisitcis of the MJO in different phases of ENSO is also examined, based on a lag correlation technique. During warm events there is an eastward shift in the locations of strong growth and decay, and the propagation of the MJO becomes slower in the warm ENSO phase. These changes are reversed during La Nina epsiodes. Using output from the GCM experiment, the effects of ENSO on the circulation and convection during the MJO lifecycle are studied in detail. Further eastward penetration of MJO-related convection is si- mulated during warm events over the central Pacific. An instability index related to the vertical gradient of the moist static energy is found to be useful for depicting the onset of MJO convection along the equator. During warm events, the stronger magnitudes of this index over the central Pacific are condu- cive to more eastward penetration of convective anomalies in the region. These changes are mainly due to the intensified moisture accumulation at low levels. Analysis of the moisture budget suggests that the stronger moisture accumulation can be related to the increased low-level humidity over the central Pa- cific during warm events.
The immune system and developmental programming of brain and behavior

The brain, endocrine, and immune systems are inextricably linked. Immune molecules have a powerful impact on neuroendocrine function, including hormone-behavior interactions, during health as well as sickness. Similarly, alterations in hormones, such as during stress, can powerfully impact immune function or reactivity. These functional shifts are evolved, adaptive responses that organize changes in behavior and mobilize immune resources, but can also lead to pathology or exacerbate disease if prolonged or exaggerated. The developing brain in particular is exquisitely sensitive to both endogenous and exogenous signals, and increasing evidence suggests the immune system has a critical role in brain development and associated behavioral outcomes for the life of the individual. Indeed, there are associations between many neuropsychiatric disorders and immune dysfunction, with a distinct etiology in neurodevelopment. The goal of this review is to describe the important role of the immune system during brain development, and to discuss some of the many ways in which immune activation during early brain development can affect the later-life outcomes of neural function, immune function, mood and cognition.
Controlling Racial Prejudice: Social-Cognitive Goals Affect Amygdala and Stereotype Activation

The malleability of stereotyping matters in social psychology and in society. Previous work indicates rapid amygdala and cognitive responses to racial out-groups, leading some researchers to view these responses as inevitable. In this study, the methods of social-cognitive neuroscience were used to investigate how social goals control prejudiced responses. Participants viewed photographs of unfamiliar Black and White faces, under each of three social goals: social categorization (by age), social individuation (vegetable preference), and simple visual inspection (detecting a dot). One study recorded brain activity in the amygdala using functional magnetic resonance imaging, and another measured cognitive activation of stereotypes by lexical priming. Neither response to photos of the racial out-group was inevitable; instead, both responses depended on perceivers' current social-cognitive goal.
Polarization-independent array configurations based on Michelson interferometer networks

Passive birefringence compensation using Faraday rotator and mirror combinations in Michelson interferometer systems has been shown to produce an interferometric output signal which is free of the effects of polarization induced fading. This technique promises to have a strong impact on the development of practical interferometric sensor systems, and is particularly important in the area of multiplexed sensors where the problem of polarization fading in conventional arrays is a serious technical issue. In this paper we describe various topologies for implementing passive birefringence compensation to achieve polarization independent operation in multiplexed sensor arrays. Results obtained on a time-division multiplexed system with 4 sensor elements are presented.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Follow-up for Clinically Localized Renal Neoplasms: AUA Guideline

Purpose: The purpose of this guideline is to provide a clinical framework for follow-up of clinically localized renal neoplasms undergoing active surveillance, or following definitive therapy.Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review identified published articles in the English literature between January 1999 and 2011 relevant to key questions specified by the Panel related to kidney neoplasms and their follow-up (imaging, renal function, markers, biopsy, prognosis). Study designs consisting of clinical trials (randomized or not), observational studies (cohort, case-control, case series) and systematic reviews were included.Results: Guideline statements provided guidance for ongoing evaluation of renal function, usefulness of renal biopsy, timing/type of radiographic imaging and formulation of future research initiatives. A lack of studies precluded risk stratification beyond tumor staging; therefore, for the purposes of postoperative surveillance guidelines, patients with localized renal canc...
A Block-Structured Adaptive Mesh Refinement Solver for Morphodynamic Modeling

ABSTRACT Cowles, G.W., 2013. A block-structured adaptive mesh refinement solver for morphodynamic modeling. An adaptive solver for two-dimensional horizontal morphodynamic modeling studies is presented. The method employs an established augmented Riemann solver to compute unsteady, two-dimensional flows over arbitrary topography. An Exner equation is used to model the evolution of the bed using several common load formulas. The morphodynamic coupling is stabilized using an upwind approach. The scheme is implemented in a highly scalable block-structured adaptive mesh refinement framework. The resulting solver is well balanced and resolves the dry state while maintaining nonnegative depth. Idealized tests include comparison with exact Riemann solutions for dam break problems and an analytical solution for the migration of a one-dimensional sinusoidal bedform. Practical tests include the migration of a Gaussian perturbation and the evolution of flood and ebb shoals in a tidal inlet. The solver is benchmarked...
Impact of imperfect estimators on W-CDMA receiver performance with MIMO antenna systems

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems have been proposed to enhance the capabilities of the high-speed downlink-shared channel (HS-DSCH) of WCDMA. To date, link simulations have been used to demonstrate the performance of this system. However, these studies have generally relied upon ideal solutions for determining the channel impulse response, minimum mean-squared-error (MMSE) filter coefficients, and SINR. In this paper, we present practical solutions for estimating the channel, MMSE filter coefficients, and SINR, and then compare the link level performance using ideal solutions to that with estimated solutions.
A novel method to address ILD CMP non-uniformity issue for advanced memory device integration

CMP non-uniformity has been an increasingly critical issue that needs to be addressed as memory device geometries continue to shrink. This issue is more prominent for ILD oxide CMP due to its poor controllability as compared to other CMP processes that can rely on stopping layers for effective endpoint detections and non-uniformity control. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to address the ILD oxide CMP non-uniformity issue by introducing a dual film polish concept. Experimental results show that this approach improves wafer non-uniformity and reduces scratches. Final device probe yield suggests that the approach is valid. A rate model is also proposed to elucidate the dual film CMP process.
Strategic problems in North–South climate finance: creating joint gains for donors and recipients

Abstract Carbon dioxide emissions are growing rapidly in the developing world, and industrialized countries have access to resources that could fund additional mitigation in the global South. In this article, I examine the political economy of North–South climate finance. Building on previous research, I develop a game-theoretic model that includes three key issues in climate finance: incentives for recipient participation, capacity building, and leveraging private finance. The game-theoretic analysis shows how these factors interact and produces several interesting empirical implications. For example, improvements in recipient quality can decrease the donor's capacity building efforts and the probability of successful project implementation.
Dispersion polymerization of methyl methacrylate: Effect of stabilizer concentration

In dispersion polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA), little difference was found in the polymerization kinetics with varying stabilizer (PVP K-30) concentration, indicating that in contrast to emulsion polymerization, the kinetics of these dispersion polymerizations are independent of the number of particles. Comparing MMA precipitation and dispersion polymerizations revealed that nuclei formation in the latter results from precipitation polymerization occurring in the continuous phase, which can contribute significantly to the kinetics, and especially to the molecular weight distributions. No change was found in the molecular weight distribution of the PVP during a dispersion polymerization, nor was there any measurable difference between using fresh and recycled stabilizer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
A General Method for Compiling Event-Driven Simulations

We present a new approach to event-driven simulation that does not use a centralized run-time event queue, yet is capable of handling arbitrary models, including those with unclocked feedback and nonunit delay. The elimination of the event queue significantly reduces run-time overhead, resulting in faster simulation. We have implemented our algorithm in a prototype Verilog simulator called VeriSUIF. Using this simulator we demonstrate improved performance vs. a commercial simulator on a small set of programs.
Age Invariant Regime for Multi-Source Content Update in Mobile Opportunistic Networks

In the multi-source content update scenario where each mobile node can be both a publisher and subscriber and opportunistic contacts are used for spreading out up-to-date contents, the age of contents would be the main interest in performance evaluation. We can simplify the overall age dynamics in this scenario by two parameters, which are content update rate and contact rate among mobile users. In this paper, we analyze how the age of time-evolving contents changes in publish/subscribe scenario when Poisson update and contact are assumed, and show that there exists an age-invariant regime where the average age does not depend on content update rate or contact rate. We also compare the age-invariant regime in publish/subscribe scenario with that of service provider content update case, and show a stark contact in those regimes. Then, we extend our study into existing mobility models that generate non-Poisson contacts, show that there still exists an age-invariant regime where Poisson assumptions suffice to capture the age dynamics, and specify a general rule of thumb that decides the scope of this regime. Our work that shows the existence of an age-invariant regime is in sharp contact to previous works that highlighted the impact of mobility models under single message scenario.
Simple integral-action controllers for SISO and MIMO systems

A simple low order controller synthesis is developed for certain classes of linear, time-invariant, multi-input multi-output plants. The order of these controllers depends on the number of right-half plane plant poles rather than the order of the plant to be stabilized. Furthermore, the controller's poles and zeros are all in the stable region with the exception of one pole at the origin for the integral-action design requirement. The integral-action in the controller achieves asymptotic tracking of step input references with zero steady-state error. The freedom available in the design parameters may be used for additional performance objectives although the only goal here is stabilization and tracking of constant references.
Learned helplessness in goldfish under conditions of low shock intensity.

Summary Goldfish which received inescapable shock presentations during a first experimental phase made significantly fewer responses and had significantly longer response latencies during a subsequent avoidance-learning phase than did Ss which had not received the inescapable shocks.
The Hydrophobic Effect Contributes to the Closed State of a Simplified Ion Channel through a Conserved Hydrophobic Patch at the Pore-Helix Crossing.

Ion selectivity-filter structures are strikingly similar throughout the large family of K+ channels and other p-loop-like receptors (i.e., glutamate receptors). At the same time, the triggers for opening these channels, or gating, are diverse. Two questions that remain unanswered regarding these channels are: 1) what force(s) stabilize the closed non-conducting channel-pore conformation? And 2) what is the free energy associated with transitioning from a closed (non-conducting) to an open (conducting) channel-pore conformation? The effects of charge and hydrophobicity on the conformational states of a model tetrameric biological ion channel are shown utilizing the amino acid sequence from the K+ channel KcsA as the model “channel”. Its widely conserved hydrophobic bundle crossing located adjacent to the lipid head-groups at the intracellular side of the membrane was calculated to have a 5 kcal/mol free energy difference between modeled open and closed conformations. Simulated mutants of amino acids within the hydrophobic region significantly contribute to the size of this difference. Specifically for KcsA, these residues are part of the pH sensor important for channel gating and our results are in agreement with published electrophysiology data. Our simulations support the idea that the hydrophobic effect contributes significantly to the stability of the closed conformation in tetrameric ion channels with a hydrophobic bundle crossing positioned in proximity to the lipid head groups of the biological membrane.
Explicitness in science discourse: a Gricean account of income-related differences

Highly explicit language use is prized in scientific discourse, and greater explicitness is hypothesized to facilitate academic achievement. Studies in the mid-twentieth century reported controversial findings that the explicitness of text differs by the income and education levels of authors’ families. If income-related differences in explicitness persist today, this may be one of the mechanisms by which parent income currently affects academic achievement. Therefore, this study reexamines the relationship between parent income and reliance on deictic terms, one proxy for explicitness, in the science writing of 100 5th grade students. Findings suggest that income-related differences in reliance on deictic terms persist in the twenty-first century, that students from low-income families are more ‘novle’ or assume a relatively less knowledgeable reader than students from higher income families, and that this novility is inversely related to science achievement. Implications for instruction are discussed.
How Does Household Income Change in the Ten Years Around Age 65

This paper analyzes the post-65 to pre-65 income ratio of two groups of households observed over a period of 10 years, from 2000 to 2010. It shows how these ratios vary across income groups and analyzes the change in income composition to explain the variation in these ratios. The results suggest that people in the bottom half of income distribution did not experience any drop in income after they reached 65. In fact, due to Social Security, the bottom-income quartile actually experienced an increase in average household income after 65. However, the top half of the income distribution experienced a drop in income as they crossed 65. But this did not change the relative position of the households in the income distribution, which is to say that the lowest-income households in 2000 remained in that category in 2010, while households with the highest income in 2000 also remained there a decade later. The average post-65 to pre-65 income ratio dropped steadily with income -- which is to say that higher-income groups had less post-65 income as a percentage of their pre-65 income than did the lower-income groups. The bottom-income quartile experienced an average post-65 to pre-65 income ratio in excess of 150 percent, compared with about 60 percent for the top-income quartile. The primary reason that the bottom-income quartile did not experience any post-age-65 drop in household income was income from Social Security, which replaced most of the lost earnings from labor. However, this was not the case for the top-income quartile: Prior to age 65, that quartile’s income was highly concentrated in labor and capital earnings, and the loss in these categories after 65 was not fully offset by an increase in any other income component. This difference in post-65 to pre-65 income ratios can be explained to a large extent by the progressivity of Social Security benefits and helps underline the significance of the program in providing a secure retirement income foundation -- especially for the low-income groups, though not just for those groups. The policy implication of the study is that since higher-income households experience a significant drop in household income in retirement, they should be prepared to make necessary spending adjustments when they leave the work force.The PDF for the above title, published in the September 2013 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the full text of another September 2013 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “2013 Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey: Nearly 90% of Workers Satisfied With Their Own Health Plan, But 55% Give Low Ratings to Health Care System.”
asthma 101 for schools: successes and challenges in Transitioning to Online Delivery

Florida Asthma Program (FAP) staff worked with evaluators from the Florida State University College of Medicine (FSU) to assess participation and quality of the American Lung Association’s (ALA) Asthma 101 asthma management education program for school faculty and staff between 2011 and 2014. This included transitioning the program to an online training format for the 2013-2014 school year. Asthma 101 helps school personnel master the basics of asthma physiology and management, with content tailored specifically for K-12 educational settings. The program is assessed with questionnaires at multiple timepoints, yielding a quasi-experimental evaluation design. Evaluators reviewed quantitative data from pre-tests and qualitative and quantitative data from post-program satisfaction questionnaires. Program spreadsheets listing the dates for delivery and number of attendees were also reviewed. Overall, evaluation findings were positive. In the 2011-2012 program year, 16 different course sessions were offered, and more than half of enrolled participants came from Title I schools. A total of 228 people were trained. In the 2012-2013 program year, 19 different course sessions were offered. Enrollment totals (638) and matching pre and posttest totals (562) soundly exceeded the target metric of 425. At least 170 (27%) of a total of 638 participants could be verified as coming from the target demographic of Title I school faculty and staff. In the 2013-2014 program year, the course was offered online on a rolling basis via the Florida TRAIN course management system. Enrollment remained high, and learner outcomes remained consistently strong across all content areas for knowledge and satisfaction. A total of 406 people participated in the training; complete pre and posttest data were available for 341 of these individuals; and satisfaction data were available for 325. Of the 406 trainees, 199 (49%) reported working for Title I schools. Evaluation yielded very positive results. An overwhelming majority of participants reported finding the course consistently strong across the board, and highly impactful for their own ability to help students manage their asthma effectively. Most participants also reported that they would change/improve their asthma management behaviors in the workplace. Recommendations were developed to help expand future program reach.
Imaging the inner core under Africa and Europe

Abstract The inner core under Africa is thought to be a region where the nature of inner core texture changes: from the strongly anisotropic ‘western’ part of the inner core to the weakly anisotropic, or isotropic ‘eastern’ part of the inner core. Additionally, observations of a difference in isotropic velocity between the two hemispheres have been made. A very large new dataset of simultaneous PKPdf and PKPbc observations, on which differential travel times have been measured, is used to examine the upper 360 km of the inner core under Europe, Africa and the surrounding oceans. Inversion of the differential travel time data for laterally varying inner core anisotropy reveals that inner core anisotropy is stronger under central Africa and the Atlantic Ocean than under the western Indian Ocean. No hemispherical pattern is present in Voigt isotropic velocities, indicating that the variation in anisotropy is due to differing degrees of crystal alignment in the inner core, not material differences. When anisotropy is permitted to change with depth, the upper east-most part of the study region shows weaker anisotropy than the central and western regions. When depth dependence in the inner core is neglected the hemisphere boundary is better represented as a line at 40°E than one at 10°E, however, it is apparent that the variation of anisotropy as a function of depth means that one line of longitude cannot truly separate the more and less anisotropic regions of the inner core. The anisotropy observed in the part of the inner core under Africa which lies in the ‘western’ hemisphere is much weaker than that under central America, showing that the western hemisphere is not uniformly anisotropic. As the region of low anisotropy spans a significant depth extent, it is likely that heterogeneous heat fluxes in the core, which may cause variations in inner core anisotropy, have persisted for several hundred million years.
Defective Structures and Economic Loss in the United States: Law and Policy

This article surveys the recent development of contractor liability for defective construction. The "economic loss rule" that precludes damages for economic losses from defective construction remains relatively firm in the U.S. for commercial construction, but has eroded in some jurisdictions for home construction. A variety of judicial and legislative approaches have caused this erosion, which allows recovery in tort rather than in contract in most cases, and can extend liability to owners other than the first buyer. Some courts have simply imposed a common law duty of care on home builders, while others have legislated such liability, while still others have not deviated from the economic loss rule. The variety of approaches mirrors that in England, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The effects of imposing liability for economic loss in these cases is reflected in higher liability premiums and reduced coverage for contractors' insurance in this market, which has made conventional liability insurance unaffordable by some smaller homebuilders, who are required either to form or participate in a captive insurance company to obtain affordable coverage. Insurers are working with the building industry to reduce risks, evidence that liability rules do affect levels of care taken. Finally, the article examines the policy concerns that might underlie a distinction in liability rules for commercial and home construction, noting the greater ability of commercial buyers to obtain contractual protections due to awareness of the risk, a distinction not made in judicial opinions.
Screen-based analysis of magnetic nanoparticle libraries formed using peptidic iron oxide ligands.

The identification of effective polypeptide ligands for magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) could considerably accelerate the high-throughput analysis of IONP-based reagents for imaging and cell labeling. We developed a procedure for screening IONP ligands and applied it to compare candidate peptides that incorporated carboxylic acid side chains, catechols, and sequences derived from phage display selection. We found that only l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-containing peptides were sufficient to maintain particles in solution. We used a DOPA-containing sequence motif as the starting point for generation of a further library of over 30 peptides, each of which was complexed with IONPs and evaluated for colloidal stability and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast properties. Optimal properties were conferred by sequences within a narrow range of biophysical parameters, suggesting that these sequences could serve as generalizable anchors for formation of polypeptide–IONP complexes. Differences...
Effect of land use of lake sediments on lead and copper fractionation in soil

Field experiment was conducted to investigate the evolution of lead(Pb) and copper(Cu) fractionation in soils and the enrichments in wheat organs with the application of lake sediment in wheat production. Results showed that the concentrations of soil Cd and Pb in the forms of the exchangeable, carbonate, iron-manganese oxides, organic, residual increased with the application rate of the lake sediment. The concentration ranges of Pb in the forms of exchangeable, carbonate, iron-manganese oxides, organic and residual was 0.02-0.10 mg·kg-1, 0.04-0.24 mg·kg-1, 0.41-1.88 mg·kg-1, 1.23-4.92 mg·kg-1, and 4.82-23.66 mg·kg-1, respectively.In comparison with the control, the increases of exchangeable Cu, carbonate Cu, iron-manganese oxides Cu, organic Cu and residual Cu were 40.00%-200.00%, 36.84%-363.16%, 7.17%-45.15%, 7.98%-62.61% and 0.12%-9.69%, respectively. In addition, the contents of Pb and Cu in roots, stems and leafs and grains all increased with the application rate of lake sediment, where the enrichments were in an order of roots stem and leafs grains. Meanwhile, wheat yield, biomass of stems and leafs as well as above ground biomass responded to the application rate of sediment in a parabolic curve. The contents of Pb and Cu in wheat grains of maximum yield production met the regarding standards in China and thus a safe application rate of 3051.29 t·hm-2was provided.
Investigation on Peasant Workers' Knowledge,Attitude and Practice of Occupational Health

[Objective] To investigate the knowledge,attitude and practice of occupational health of the migrant rural workers with exposure to occupational hazards,so as to provide prevention and control advice to reduce or avoid the occurrence and development of occupational diseases.[Methods] The questionnaire survey was applied,respondents filled the questionnaire voluntarily and the results were analyzed by SPSS statistical software.[Results]Of 309 valid questionnaires,the accuracy of occupational health knowledge,occupational Health attitude and occupational health behavior was 60.9%,88.0% and 62.9% respectively.There was unbalancedness between high correct rate of attitude and low correct rate of behavior.The accuracy of the responsion in the aspects of knowledge and attitude increased with the enhancement of the culture degree,position and length of service,and the difference of occupational health behavior accuracy was not significant.[Conclusion] Vocational training of occupational health knowledge should be strengthened,health education should be conducted to different population at different level,network of occupational disease control should be built,and multiple organization's connection among government,employer,employee themselves and occupational health services should be made full utilization.
Secretion and electrical activity of a unilateral in vitro gastric mucosa.

An in vitro unilateral preparation of gastric mucosa is described in which only the serosal side is bathed with a nutrient solution. The preparation permits direct measurement of secretory flow rate and ionic concentration and a continuous recording of transmucosal potential difference. Analysis of amphibian secretion obtained in this manner disclosed striking similarities to the in vivo mammalian secretion. Thus, [Na] and [H] varied inversely, while [K] and [H] varied directly. Secretion became hypo-osmotic at intermediate acidities, but tended to osmotic equilibrium at high flow rates. Neither the early [K] transients nor the late decline in [K] were observed in vitro. The transmucosal potential difference, after correction for junction potentials, was shown not to have altered with the development of secretion. With recent developments in the study of mammalian gastric secretion in vitro, this technique can now be adapted to the direct study of mammalian active and passive secretory mechanisms.
Justice-Involved Adults With Substance Use Disorders: Coverage Increased But Rates Of Treatment Did Not In 2014

More than one-third of US adults in the criminal justice system have substance use disorders, which contribute to health problems and recidivism. Health insurance and criminal justice reforms initiated in the last decade offer opportunities for increasing treatment access among justice-involved individuals. Using national survey data, we examined trends in treatment of substance use disorders from 2004 to 2014 among adults who reported past-year criminal justice contact and met screening criteria for substance use disorders. We found that the uninsurance rate was relatively unchanged in that population from 2004 to 2013. In 2014, the first year of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, the uninsurance rate among justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders declined from 38 percent to 28 percent. Although overall treatment rates did not increase in 2014, individuals receiving treatment were more likely to have their care paid for by Medicaid than in the prior decade. Medicaid reimbursemen...
Three-dimensional printed miniaturized spectral system for collagen fluorescence lifetime measurements.

Various types of collagens, e.g., type I and III, represent the main load-bearing components in biological tissues. Their composition changes during processes such as wound healing and fibrosis. When excited by ultraviolet light, collagens exhibit autofluorescence distinguishable by their unique fluorescent lifetimes across a range of emission wavelengths. Here, we designed a miniaturized spectral-lifetime detection system as a noninvasive probe for monitoring tissue collagen compositions. A sine-modulated LED illumination was applied to enable frequency domain fluorescence lifetime measurements under three wavelength bands, separated via a series of longpass dichroics at 387, 409, and 435 nm. We employed a lithography-based three-dimensional (3-D) printer with <50 μm resolution to create a custom designed optomechanics in a handheld form factor. We examined the characteristics of the optomechanics with finite element modeling to simulate the effect of thermal (from LED) and mechanical (from handling) strain on the optical system. The geometry was further optimized with ray tracing to form the final 3-D printed structure. Using this device, the phase shift and demodulation of collagen types were measured, where the separate spectral bands enhanced the differentiation of their lifetimes. This system represents a low cost, handheld probe for clinical tissue monitoring applications.
Widespread adoption of organic farming practices: Estimated impacts on U.S. agriculture

ABSTRACT: According to a national, interregional linear programming model, widespread adoption of organic farming methods in the United States would increase national net farm income and satisfy domestic demand for agricultural products. However, consumer food costs would increase, export levels would decline, regional shifts in production would occur, and the large reserve of potential crop production would disappear.
Applying military gaming to secure the waterside

This paper briefly discusses how a branch of the United States Army's Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center leverages video game technology in order to support the Warflghter; and how this same approach can be applied to assist in securing the waterside. Examples of past and current projects will be cited and relationships to protecting ports, waterways, and critical infrastructure will be examined.
Introduction: The Nature of Legal Interpretation: What Jurists Can Learn about Legal Interpretation from Linguistics and Philosophy

Language shapes and reflects how we think about the world. It engages and intrigues us. Our everyday use of language is quite effortless — we are all experts on our native tongues. Despite this, issues of language and meaning have long flummoxed the judges on whom we depend for the interpretation of our most fundamental legal texts. Should a judge feel confident in defining common words in the texts without the aid of a linguist? How is the meaning communicated by the text determined? Should the communicative meaning of texts be decisive, or at least influential? To fully engage and probe these questions of interpretation, this volume draws upon a variety of experts from several fields, who collectively examine the interpretation of legal texts. In The Nature of Legal Interpretation, the contributors argue that the meaning of language is crucial to the interpretation of legal texts, such as statutes, constitutions, and contracts. Accordingly, expert analysis of language from linguists, philosophers, and legal scholars should influence how courts interpret legal texts. Offering insightful new interdisciplinary perspectives on originalism and legal interpretation, these essays put forth a significant and provocative discussion of how best to characterize the nature of language in legal texts.
Tube Thoracostomy Complications Increase Cost

Tube thoracostomy (TT) can be an effective therapy for thoracic pathologies. Ineffective placement of TT is common and associated with significant complications. Complications require additional interventions to repair damaged tissues or replace dysfunctional TT. We hypothesize that complicated TT insertion increases cost to the hospital system. Adult trauma patients requiring TT at a level 1 trauma center (2012–2013) were reviewed. Intraoperative or image-guided TT placements were excluded. Baseline demographics and TT insertion cost (normalized and assigned by hospital billing records) were recorded. Costs included initial TT equipment, radiographs, and subsequent operative or radiologic intervention to correct TT complications. Complications were categorized using previously validated method. Secondary outcomes included: number of TT inserted, number of chest radiographs performed, and TT dwell time utilizing a standardized TT discontinuation protocol. A total of 154 patients with 246 TT were included. Ninety TT (37%) had complication. Complication categories are postremoval (n = 15, 16.7%), insertional (n = 13, 14.4%), positional (n = 62, 68.9%). Overall median complicated TT cost was 9 times greater than uncomplicated TT insertion, p = 0.001. Insertional complications median cost 21 times greater than an uncomplicated, due to operative and radiologic interventions (p = 0.0001). Positional and postremoval complication rates increased median cost by 3 times compared to uncomplicated TT (p = 0.03). Operative or radiologic interventions (n = 10) were performed for organ injury or uncontrolled hemo-/pneumothorax. Increased dwell time median [IQR] was associated with complicated TT compared to uncomplicated 3 [1–5] versus 2 [1–3], p = 0.01. TT is a common procedure. TT complications are often considered benign. However, patients with a complicated TT insertion, especially related to insertional subtypes, have markedly increased hospitalization costs due to need for operative or radiologic repair. Level V—retrospective study. This is a retrospective single-institution study.
Evaluating the Use of Indoor Residential Wipe Samples Following a Wildfire

The Las Conchas wildfire that burned in New Mexico between 26 June and 3 August, 2011 was one of the largest in state history. In addition to burning nearly 160,000 acres, smoke from the fire significantly impacted downwind communities. In an effort to quantify the extent of smoke exposure to indoor environments, wipe samples were collected inside of 64 homes located throughout the north/central region of New Mexico. These wipe samples were analyzed for char and ash (indicators of biomass smoke) using Polarized Light Microscopy, with the results plotted in Google Maps. Out of the 64 residences that were investigated, char was detected from within 78% of the homes. Ash was not measured from any of the wipe samples. Mapping of these results demonstrates the far-reaching impact that smoke from the Las Conchas wildfire had on downwind communities, as indoor wipe samples from homes up to 50 kilometers from the fire tested positive for char. This project also demonstrated the usefulness of collecting wipe samples to retrospectively assess wildfire smoke impacts on indoor environments in lieu of expensive indoor air sampling campaigns
On stochastic control in immunology

After a brief review of mathematical immunology, a simplified stochastic model is developed for antibody response to infection or disease. Wiener noise is introduced to approximate certain unknown or neglected dynamical components. A preliminary optimization analysis is presented to select the best model via a new filter theory.
Vedolizumab in Patients With Common Variable Immune Deficiency and Gut Inflammation.

To the Editor: We present three patients with common variable immune deficiency (CVID) and gut inflammation treated with vedolizumab (IgG1 monoclonal antibody to α4β7 integrin).
Mixing of t 2 g − e g orbitals in 4 d and 5 d transition metal oxides

Using exact diagonalization, we study the spin-orbit coupling and interaction-induced mixing between ${t}_{2g}$ and ${e}_{g}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}d$-orbital states in a cubic crystalline environment, as commonly occurs in transition metal oxides. We make a direct comparison with the widely used ${t}_{2g}$-only or ${e}_{g}$-only models, depending on electronic filling. We consider all electron fillings of the $d$ shell and compute the total magnetic moment, the spin, the occupancy of each orbital, and the effective spin-orbit coupling strength (renormalized through interaction effects) in terms of the bare interaction parameters, spin-orbit coupling, and crystal-field splitting, focusing on the parameter ranges relevant to $4d$ and $5d$ transition metal oxides. In various limits, we provide perturbative results consistent with our numerical calculations. We find that the ${t}_{2g}\ensuremath{-}{e}_{g}$ mixing can be large, with up to 20% occupation of orbitals that are nominally ``empty,'' which has experimental implications for the interpretation of the branching ratio in experiments, and can impact the effective local moment Hamiltonian used to study magnetic phases and magnetic excitations in transition metal oxides. Our results can aid the theoretical interpretation of experiments on these materials, which often fall in a regime of intermediate coupling with respect to electron-electron interactions.
Viking Economics: how the Scandinavians got it right – and how we can, too

In an era when so much economic news focuses on growing inequities, George Lakey has written a hopeful and inspiring book of what might be possible to address such problems, not through some theore...
Development of reliable future climatic projections to assess hydro-meteorological implications in the Western Lake Erie Basin

Abstract. Modeling efforts to simulate hydrologic processes under different climate conditions rely on accurate input data; inaccuracies in climate projections can lead to incorrect decisions. This study aimed to develop a reliable climate (precipitation and temperature) database for the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) for the 21st century. Two statistically downscaled bias-corrected sources of climate projections (GDO and MACA) were tested for their effectiveness in simulating historic climate (1966–2005) using ground-based station data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). MACA was found to have less bias than GDO and was better in simulating certain climate indices, thus, its climate projections were subsequently tested with different bias correction methods including the power transformation method, variance scaling of temperature, and Stochastic Weather Generators. The power transformation method outperformed the other methods and was used in bias corrections for 2006 to 2099. From the analysis, maximum one-day precipitation could vary between 120 and 650 mm across the basin, while the number of days with no precipitation could reduce by 5–15 % under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. The number of wet sequences could increase up to 9 times and the conditional probability of having a wet day followed by wet day could decrease by 25 %. The maximum and minimum daily air temperatures could increase by 2–12 % while the annual number of days for optimal corn growth could decrease by 0–10 days. The resulting climate database will be made accessible through an open-access platform.
DeepFreeze: A management interface for ISEAGE

DeepFreeze is a framework designed to provide a unified command and control interface for the ISEAGE project. Besides being a graphical interface, it includes an extensive API and methodology for authoring and controlling applications executing within ISEAGE. It utilizes a wide array of technologies in the computing field to provide functions such as power management, efficient one-to-many communication, and fault tolerance for executing processes. A concept application designed to aid in file distribution is presented. Also discussed are the modifications that were necessary to migrate the Traffic Mapper, a foundational component of ISEAGE, to the DeepFreeze environment.
Oral semaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are highly potent antihyperglycemic drugs that impose low risk of hypoglycemia and also result in body weight reduction. Currently, a...
The Use of Anterior Lumbosacral Interbody Fusion in Spinopelvic Stabilization After High Partial Sacrectomy.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE Traditionally, when a patient presents with a midline chordoma with extension to the mid-S1 body where neither S1 nerve roots can be spared, the recommendation would be to perform a total sacrectomy for en bloc resection. This procedure, however, results in a large bony defect that makes it difficult to achieve fusion across the lumbosacral and sacroiliac junction (SIJ). To help prevent this challenge in the situation described above, we propose performing a high sacrectomy for en bloc resection with placement of an anterior L5-S1 graft instead in specific situations where the tumor extends to the mid-S1 body leaving the superior aspect of S1 unaffected. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 56-yr-old female presented to our clinic with back pain, leg pain, urinary incontinence, and perineal numbness. She was found to have a chordoma that extended to the mid-S1 body superiorly. Her S1 nerve roots were involved extraforaminally. We performed the operation described above with no signs of hardware malfunction or tumor recurrence at 5 mo. CONCLUSION In patients where the sacral tumor that involves the S1 nerve roots but does not involve the superior portion of the S1 body, there continues to be unaffected SIJ to allow for arthrodesis, and an anterior approach is necessary for other indications, we recommend performing a high partial sacrectomy with placement of an anterior L5-S1 graft rather than a total sacrectomy as long as the bony resection offers ability to obtain tumor margins.