cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reconceptualizing the Nature and Consequences of Part-Time Work

This article presents a theoretical framework for understanding the impact of part-time work on employees' attitudes and behaviors. A series of hypotheses also are presented to explain the varying consequences that different types of part-time employment arrangements, work-context factors, and demographic variables have on the experiences of part-time workers. Future issues for theory development and research methodology are discussed as well.
Occupational Exposures to Respirable Crystalline Silica During Hydraulic Fracturing

This report describes a previously uncharacterized occupational health hazard: work crew exposures to respirable crystalline silica during hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing involves high pressure injection of large volumes of water and sand, and smaller quantities of well treatment chemicals, into a gas or oil well to fracture shale or other rock formations, allowing more efficient recovery of hydrocarbons from a petroleum-bearing reservoir. Crystalline silica (“frac sand”) is commonly used as a proppant to hold open cracks and fissures created by hydraulic pressure. Each stage of the process requires hundreds of thousands of pounds of quartz-containing sand; millions of pounds may be needed for all zones of a well. Mechanical handling of frac sand creates respirable crystalline silica dust, a potential exposure hazard for workers. Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health collected 111 personal breathing zone samples at 11 sites in five states to evaluate worker ex...
Life-sustaining treatment orders, location of death and co-morbid conditions in decedents with Parkinson's disease

Abstract Introduction End-of-life care in Parkinson's Disease (PD) is poorly described. Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms specify how much life-sustaining treatment to provide. This study aims to better understand end-of-life care in PD using data from the Oregon POLST and Death Registries. Methods Oregon death certificates from the years 2010–2011 were analyzed. Death certificates were matched with forms in the Oregon POLST Registry. Descriptive analyses were performed for both the full PD dataset as well as those with POLST forms. Results There were 1073 (1.8%) decedents with PD listed as a cause of death and 56,961 without. Three hundred and seventy three (35%) decedents with PD had a POLST form. POLST preferences were not significantly different between those with or without PD, however location of death was; hospital (13% PD vs 24% without p Conclusion Decedents with PD die less frequently at home than the general population. POLST forms mitigate some of this discrepancy. While not often thought to be terminal, PD and its complications are commonly recorded causes of death.
Characterization of heteroplasmy and hypervariable sites in HV1: critique of D’Eustachio’s interpretations

Characterization of heteroplasmy and hypervariable sites in HV1: critique of D’Eustachio’s interpretations Bruce Budowle, Marc W. Allard, Mark Wilson Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laboratory Division, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20535, USA Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy, Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit, Quantico, VA, USA
Tales from the Fields: Sources of Employee Identification in Agribusiness:

This grounded, interpretive study of an agricultural company contributes to the understanding of organizational identification by considering the various sources employees draw on and direct toward in forming relationships with their organizations. The conceptualization of identification “sources” supplants the identification terms targets and resources that are commonly used in identification literature, to address the less conscious and more emotional, integrative, self-referential facets of the identification process. Through written accounts, employees revealed multiple sources of identification, grounded in aspects both external and internal to the organization. An identity shift was also located in the narratives as some employees struggled with the tension between farming/family values and corporate philosophies embedded in the term agribusiness. A model demonstrating the role of sources in the identification process is proposed as a theoretical addition to organizational identification research. P...
Irradiation Sensitivity of Planktonic and Biofilm-Associated Escherichia coli O157:H7 Isolates Is Influenced by Culture Conditions

Ionizing radiation effectively inactivates Escherichia coli O157:H7, but the efficacy of the process against biofilm cells versus that against free-living planktonic cells is not well documented. The radiation sensitivity of planktonic or biofilm cells was determined for three isolates of E. coli O157:H7 (C9490, ATCC 35150, and ATCC 43894). Biofilms were formed on sterile glass slides incubated at 37°C for either 24 h, 48 h, or 72 h. The biofilm and planktonic cultures were gamma irradiated at doses ranging from 0.0 (control) to 1.5 kGy. The dose of radiation value required to reduce the population by 90% (D10) was calculated for each isolate, culture, and maturity based on viable populations at each radiation dose. For each of the times sampled, the D10 values of isolate 43894 planktonic cells (0.454 to 0.479 kGy) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those observed for biofilm cells (0.381 to 0.385 kGy), indicating a significantly increased sensitivity to irradiation for cells in the biofilm habitat. At the 24-h sampling time, isolate C9490 showed a similar pattern, in which the D10 values of planktonic cells (0.653 kGy) were significantly higher than those for biofilm cells (0.479 kGy), while isolate 35150 showed the reverse, with D10 values of planktonic cells (0.396 kGy) significantly lower than those for biofilm cells (0.526 kGy). At the 48-h and 72-h sampling times, there were no differences in radiation sensitivities based on biofilm habitat for C9490 or 35150. Biofilm-associated cells, therefore, show a response to irradiation which can differ from that of planktonic counterparts, depending on the isolate and the culture maturity. Culture maturity had a more significant influence on the irradiation efficacy of planktonic cells but not on biofilm-associated cells of E. coli O157:H7.
Selective oxidation of integrated optical elements

Summary form only given. Selective oxidation of AlGaAs compounds allows formation of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ layers embedded in unoxidised semiconductor material. It is known that the oxidation rate depends very strongly on the Al concentration. By vertically tailoring Al mole fraction in such a way that upon selective oxidation from the side of the exposed mesa, oxide-semiconductor interface penetration into the semiconductor follows a desired dependence in the vertical direction integrated optical elements can be formed.
Somatostatin negatively regulates parasite burden and granulomatous responses in cysticercosis.

Cysticercosis is an infection of tissues with the larval cysts of the cestode, Taenia solium. While live parasites elicit little or no inflammation, dying parasites initiate a granulomatous reaction presenting as painful muscle nodules or seizures when cysts are located in the brain. We previously showed in the T. crassiceps murine model of cysticercosis that substance P (SP), a neuropeptide, was detected in early granulomas and was responsible for promoting granuloma formation, while somatostatin (SOM), another neuropeptide and immunomodulatory hormone, was detected in late granulomas; SOM’s contribution to granuloma formation was not examined. In the current studies, we used somatostatin knockout (SOM−/−) mice to examine the hypothesis that SOM downmodulates granulomatous inflammation in cysticercosis, thereby promoting parasite growth. Our results demonstrated that parasite burden was reduced 5.9-fold in SOM−/− mice compared to WT mice ( ). This reduction in parasite burden in SOM−/− mice was accompanied by a 95% increase in size of their granulomas ( ), which contained a 1.5-fold increase in levels of IFN-γ and a 26-fold decrease in levels of IL-1β ( for both) compared to granulomas from WT mice. Thus, SOM regulates both parasite burden and granulomatous inflammation perhaps through modulating granuloma production of IFN-γ and IL-1β.
The effectiveness of sexual offender treatment for juveniles as measured by recidivism: a meta-analysis

Published and unpublished data from nine studies on juvenile sexual offender treatment effectiveness were summarized by meta-analysis (N=2986, 2604 known male). Recidivism rates for sexual, non-sexual violent, non-sexual non-violent crimes, and unspecified non-sexual were as follows: 12.53%, 24.73%, 28.51%, and 20.40%, respectively, based on an average 59-month follow-up period. Four included studies contained a control group (n=2288) and five studies included a comparison treatment group (n=698). An average weighted effect size of 0.43 (CI=0.33–0.55) was obtained, indicating a statistically significant effect of treatment on sexual recidivism. However, individual study characteristics (e.g., handling of dropouts and non-equivalent follow-up periods between treatment groups) suggest that results should be interpreted with caution. A comparison of odds ratios by quality of study design indicated that higher quality designs yielded better effect sizes, though the difference between groups was not significant.
Improved Result Ranking in P2P File-Sharing Systems by Probing for Metadata

One of the reasons that search performance of peerto- peer file-sharing systems is poor is that results are poorly described, hurting the clients ability to rank them. This is a consequence of the independent and distributed nature of servers in this architecture. We propose automatically probing the network for better descriptions to improve result ranking. Search performance improvements are demonstrated through extensive simulation results.
Species substitution of restaurant fish entrees

Fish species substitution has been a common problem in the retail markets. However, this problem has not been documented in restaurant-cooked fish entrees. This study investigated fish substitution in restaurant-cooked snapper and swordfish entrees from four major cities in the U.S. The species of 16 snappers including 13 red snapper and 21 swordfish samples were verified as presented on the menu using isoelectric focusing (IEF). Fish samples were cleaned and desalted by rinsing with distilled water before protein extraction. Protein separation was carried out in a polyacrylamide gel with a wide pH gradient range of 3.5-9.5. Distinctive IEF protein band patterns of unknown samples were compared with the authentic standards. Six out of 13 (46%) red snapper samples and two out of 21 (10%) swordfish samples were misrepresented. The method used in this study adequately and efficiently verified the species of restaurant-cooked snapper and swordfish samples.
Association of adverse drug reactions with drug–drug and drug–disease interactions in frail older outpatients

SIR—The most common type of medication-related adverse events in older adults is Type A (‘augmented’) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) [1–3]. Type A reactions are an exaggeration of the expected pharmacologic effect of a drug. These ADRs are more predictable, dose dependent and potentially preventable than Type B (‘bizarre’) ADRs (i.e. allergic reactions) [3, 4]. The relationship of different elements of suboptimal prescribing to ADRs in older outpatients has not been adequately explored. Recently, Chrischilles et al. [5] examined the association between multiple aspects of potentially inappropriate prescribing (defined by explicit criteria for drugs-to-avoid, drug–disease interactions, drug–drug interactions and therapeutic duplication) with self-reported adverse drug events (ADEs). A recent study used a modified weighting system for the medication appropriateness index (MAI), a validated measure that employs a standardised implicit approach to determining prescribing appropriateness, to examine the association of potentially inappropriate prescribing with self-reported ADEs [6, 7]. Neither of the above studies, however, had a specific focus on Type A ADRs. Given this background, the objective of this study was to determine whether incorrect dosage, incorrect directions, drug–drug interactions and drug–disease interactions, as measured by the MAI, are associated with the Type A ADRs among frail older veterans transitioning from the hospital to the community.
THE INVERSE SCATTERING PROBLEM FOR ANISOTROPIC MEDIA

The inverse electromagnetic scattering problem for anisotropic media is significantly different than the corresponding problem for isotropic media. Further problems arise when an anisotropic dielectric medium is coated by a thin layer of a highly conducting material. Since such problems increasingly occur in practice, it seems appropriate to us to provide a short survey of the salient features of inverse scattering problems of this type. The present paper is our attempt to do so. For the sake of simplicity we will restrict ourselves to the special case when the direct scattering problem can be reduced to a coupled set of scalar equations. In particular we will assume that the scattering object is an infinitely long cylinder with cross section D and that the incident time-harmonic plane wave is such that the electric field is polarized perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. We further assume that the scatterer is orthotropic, i.e. the index of refraction is given by
Bifurcation diagrams of population models with nonlinear, diffusion

We develop analytical and numerical tools for the equilibrium solutions of a class of reaction-diffusion models with nonlinear diffusion rates. Such equations arise from population biology and material sciences. We obtain global bifurcation diagrams for various nonlinear diffusion functions and several growth rate functions.
Functional Analysis of Rhomboid Proteases during Toxoplasma Invasion

Host cell invasion by Toxoplasma gondii and other apicomplexan parasites requires transmembrane adhesins that mediate binding to receptors on the substrate and host cell to facilitate motility and invasion. Rhomboid proteases (ROMs) are thought to cleave adhesins within their transmembrane segments, thus allowing the parasite to disengage from receptors and completely enter the host cell. To examine the specific roles of individual ROMs during invasion, we generated single, double, and triple knockouts for the three ROMs expressed in T. gondii tachyzoites. Analysis of these mutants demonstrated that ROM4 is the primary protease involved in adhesin processing and host cell invasion, whereas ROM1 or ROM5 plays negligible roles in these processes. Deletion of ROM4 blocked the shedding of adhesins such as MIC2 (microneme protein 2), causing them to accu- mulate on the surface of extracellular parasites. Increased surface adhesins led to nonproductive attachment, altered gliding mo- tility, impaired moving junction formation, and reduced invasion efficiency. Despite the importance of ROM4 for efficient inva- sion, mutants lacking all three ROMs were viable and MIC2 was still efficiently removed from the surface of invaded mutant parasites, implying the existence of ROM-independent mechanisms for adhesin removal during invasion. Collectively, these re- sults suggest that although ROM processing of adhesins is not absolutely essential, it is important for efficient host cell invasion by T. gondii. IMPORTANCE Apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii express surface proteins that bind host cell receptors to aid invasion. Many of these adhesins are subject to cleavage by rhomboid proteases (ROMs) within their transmembrane segments during invasion. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of adhesin cleavage for parasite invasion and proposed that the ROMs responsible for processing would be essential for parasite survival. In T. gondii, ROM5 was thought to be the critical ROM for adhesin shedding due to its robust protease activity in vitro and posterior localization on the parasite surface. Here, we knocked out all three ROMs in T. gondii tachyzoites and found that ROM4, but not ROM5, was key for adhesin cleavage. How- ever, none of the ROMs individually or in combination was essential for cell entry, further emphasizing that essential pathways such as invasion typically rely on redundant pathways to ensure survival.
Improving External and Internal Validity of a Model of Midlife Women's Maternal-Student Role Stress

This study's purpose was to improve both the external and internal validity of Gigliotti's model of maternal-student role stress in midlife women. It was found that the model is generalizeable to midlife women who are non-degreed undergraduate students of varied marital and immigration status and varied college major, thus improving external validity. It was also found that investigating particular types of children's situation-specific social support improved internal validity. These results support the propositions of the Neuman systems model as well as Meleis and others' transition framework. An interventional study is proposed as the next step in this program of research.
Resilience and challenges among staff of gulf coast nursing homes sheltering frail evacuees following Hurricane Katrina, 2005: implications for planning and training.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to: (1) explore experiences and responses of staff in caring for sheltered, frail, Hurricane Katrina evacuees; and (2) identify how planning and training can be enhanced for staff who may care for frail older populations during and after disasters. METHODS: Individual, in-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 staff members in four nursing homes in Mississippi, sheltering 109 evacuees in November 2005, nine weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Twenty-four were direct care staff, including certified nursing assistants, licensed nurses, dietary aides, and social workers; 14 were support staff, including maintenance and business managers. The number interviewed in each nursing home averaged 9.5 (range 6-15). Using a discussion guide and focusing on their experiences caring for nursing home evacuees, staff were asked to describe: (1) experiences; (2) problems; (3) what helped; and (4) what was learned. Data were processed using grounded theory and thematic analysis. Responses of direct care staff differed in emphasis from those of support staff in several areas; responses from these groups were analyzed separately and together. Three of the researchers identified recurring themes; two organized themes conceptually. RESULTS: Staff emphasized providing emotional reassurance to evacuees as well as physical care. Many described caring for evacuees as "a blessing," saying the experience helped them bond with residents, evacuees, and other staff. However, caring for evacuees was difficult because staff members were extremely anxious and in poor physical condition after an arduous evacuation. Challenges included communicating with evacuees' families, preventing dehydration, lack of personal hygiene supplies, staff exhaustion, and emotional needs of residents, evacuees, and staff. Teamwork, community help, and having a well-organized disaster plan, extra supplies, and dependable staff helped personnel cope with the situation. CONCLUSIONS: Staff of nursing homes that sheltered Katrina evacuees demonstrated resilience in the disaster's aftermath. Many placed the well-being of residents as their first priority. Results underscore the importance of planning, teamwork, and adequate supplies and staffing. Training for long-term care staff should emphasize providing emotional support as well as physical care for residents and evacuees during and following disasters. Nurses, social workers, and other staff members responsible for promoting emotional well-being for nursing home residents should be prepared to respond to disasters. Language: en
An interdisciplinary course on artificial intelligence designed for a liberal arts curriculum

This article introduces a course the author recently designed; and which was first taught in Fall 2006. The course provides an introduction to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) focused at non-majors as part of a liberal arts curriculum. The course provides an overview of the foundational science and philosophy at the heart of AI from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course largely focuses on the diverse applications to many fields of endeavor, and the impact AI is beginning to have on areas of society as well as the potential future impact. The course draws together topics from diverse fields including computer science, philosophy, psychology, game theory, among others. One of the goals of the course is to engage students from disciplines outside the computing sciences, while drawing on the strengths of their individual backgrounds. A secondary objective is to raise awareness among students outside of the computing sciences that there is more to computer science than programming and mathematics (e.g., that some CS topics are highly interdisciplinary). A key teaching element of this course is that of utilizing prior knowledge for discussion context.
Breast cancer margin detection with a single frequency terahertz imaging system

The ability to discern malignant from benign tissue in excised human breast specimens in Breast Conservation Surgery (BCS) was evaluated using a prototype single frequency terahertz radiation. Terahertz (THz) images of the specimens in reflection mode were obtained by employing a gas laser source and mechanical scanning. The images were correlated with optical histological micrographs of the same specimens, and a mean discrimination of 73% was found for five out of six samples using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. This result is similar to what has previously been obtained using Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) techniques. We will discuss the specific advantages of Single frequency THz imaging (SFTI) compared with TPI for potentially allowing the development of much faster, more compact and less expensive cancer imaging systems that could be adapted for employment in the operating room. The system design and characterization of the prototype SFTI system are discussed in detail. The initial results are encouraging but further development of the technology and clinical evaluation is needed to evaluate its feasibility in the clinical environment.
Halstead's Category Test and lateralized brain damage.

Summary.-Left-hemisphere-damaged (with Verbal IQ deficits) and right- hemisphere-damaged (with Performance IQ deficits) male, adult patients were compared on Halstead Category Test Performance. Deficits of approximately the same magnitude were found. These results and other evidence question the importance of language mediation on nonverbal, visual-spatial abstracting tests. The differential psychological effects of lateralized brain damage have been well documented (e.g., Parsons, 1970). One question of importance is whether abstracting behavior on non-verbal tasks is differentially affected by lateralicy of lesion. If, for example, left-hemisphere-damaged patients perform more poorly on a nonverbal test than right-hemisphere-damaged patients, importance of im- plicit language in abstracting behavior would be emphasized. Results with the Halstead Category Tesc, a nonverbal, visual-spatial abstracting test sensitive to brain damage, offers the opportunity to investigate the question. Shure and Halstead (1968) found that patients with left damage performed more poorly than those with right damage. Chapman and Wolff (1959) found a trend for the opposite relationships while Doehring and Reitan (1962) found no differ- ences in their lateralized lesion groups. Reitan (1960) also compared Ss with and without definite organic language deficits and found no inter-group differ- ences. In the course of a larger study of brain-behavior relationships (Parsons, Vega, & Burn, 1969) it was possible to re-examine this problem with several methodological improvements over previous studies. Thus, groups of brain- damaged Ss were studied who were equated for their general level of psychologi- cal impairment and in whom the left-hemisphere-damaged persons manifested significant deficit on the WAIS Verbal Scale than the Performance Scale and the opposite relationship was present for the right-hemisphere-damaged Ss. Ss have been previously described in detail (Parsons, Vega, & Burn, 1969). Clearly diagnosed male, middle-aged Ss were placed into four groups: primarily left-hemisphere damage (N = 21), primarily right-hemisphere damage (N = 19), bilateral or diffuse damage (N = 36), and non-brain-damaged Ss (N = SO). Ss were given Halstead's Category Test as part of the complete Halstead battery, and the WAIS. A detailed description of Halstead's Category Tesc is provided by Simmel and Counts (1957). Of the seven subrests, 1 and 2 are introductory and 7 is a review; therefore, data for subtests 3, 4, 5 and G were analyzed.
Extrema Reconstructions and Spline Smoothing: Variations on an Algorithm of Mallat & Zhong

The purpose of this note is to revisit the algorithm introduced by Mallat and Zhong to reconstruct a signal from the extrema of its wavelet transform. These authors construct an approximation of the wavelet transform of the signal via an alternate projection iteration procedure and they obtain an approximation of the original signal by inverting the approximate wavelet transform. We explain how to solve the same problem by directly constructing the approximation of the original signal as the critical point of a constrained optimization problem. This new approach is very elementaty. The numerical calculations are limited to the solution of aN xN linear system whereN is the number of extremas of the wavelet transform. Finally we explain how this reconstruction can be recast as a particular case of statistical spline smoothing.
O-Specific Side-Chain Toxin-Protein Conjugates as Parenteral Vaccines for the Prevention of Shigellosis and Related Diseases

Only indirect evidence has been cited to document that lipopolysaccharide-mediated virulence at the bacterial level and serum antibodies to the O-specific side chain of the lipopolysaccharide molecule may prevent shigellosis. Our proposed use of the B subunit of Shiga toxin as a carrier protein is based upon evidence (even more indirect) that serum antitoxin may reduce the severity of dysentery and diarrhea. Because animal models of disease may provide information inapplicable to the prediction of vaccine-induced protective immunity, we suggest that clinical trials in the population at risk should be started after successful completion of the safety and immunogenicity phases of vaccine development in laboratory animals and in the target population. Clinical studies of shigella vaccines are difficult because of the many causes of dysentery in a population with a high rate of intestinal disease. The component(s) of shigellae (and related bacteria) and of the host immune system that confer protection against enteric diseases caused by these microorganisms remain unclear. That prevention is a worthwhile objective in both developing and industrialized nations is clear from the high frequency, morbidity, and mortality associated with shigellosis in individuals of all ages [1]. Most investigators have concluded that shigellosis is confined to the intestinal tract, without systemic involvement. Efforts at inducing mucosal immunity with attenuated strains of Shigella are under way [2-4]. We are developing vaccines for the prevention of shigellosis that are composed of the O-specific side chains of Shigella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) covalently bound to Shigella toxins; these vaccines are to be administered by injection. This experimental approach has been derived from our experience with the Vi antigen of Salmonella typhi as a vaccine for typhoid fever [5-8]; from the studies by Svenson and Lindberg [9] and by Carlin et al. [10-12] with 0-specific side chains of S. typhimurium and S. flexneri; from the studies by workers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research on the genetics of shigellae [13, 14]; and from the experiments by Branham and her colleagues [15, 16] and by Morgan and Schiitze [17] on S. dysenteriae type 1 infection of mice.
Word2Vec inversion and traditional text classifiers for phenotyping lupus

Identifying patients with certain clinical criteria based on manual chart review of doctors’ notes is a daunting task given the massive amounts of text notes in the electronic health records (EHR). This task can be automated using text classifiers based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques along with pattern recognition machine learning (ML) algorithms. The aim of this research is to evaluate the performance of traditional classifiers for identifying patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in comparison with a newer Bayesian word vector method. We obtained clinical notes for patients with SLE diagnosis along with controls from the Rheumatology Clinic (662 total patients). Sparse bag-of-words (BOWs) and Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Concept Unique Identifiers (CUIs) matrices were produced using NLP pipelines. These matrices were subjected to several different NLP classifiers: neural networks, random forests, naive Bayes, support vector machines, and Word2Vec inversion, a Bayesian inversion method. Performance was measured by calculating accuracy and area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of a cross-validated (CV) set and a separate testing set. We calculated the accuracy of the ICD-9 billing codes as a baseline to be 90.00% with an AUC of 0.900, the shallow neural network with CUIs to be 92.10% with an AUC of 0.970, the random forest with BOWs to be 95.25% with an AUC of 0.994, the random forest with CUIs to be 95.00% with an AUC of 0.979, and the Word2Vec inversion to be 90.03% with an AUC of 0.905. Our results suggest that a shallow neural network with CUIs and random forests with both CUIs and BOWs are the best classifiers for this lupus phenotyping task. The Word2Vec inversion method failed to significantly beat the ICD-9 code classification, but yielded promising results. This method does not require explicit features and is more adaptable to non-binary classification tasks. The Word2Vec inversion is hypothesized to become more powerful with access to more data. Therefore, currently, the shallow neural networks and random forests are the desirable classifiers.
Pellets Preparation by Direct Briquetting for Silicothermic Magnesium Production

During the preparation process of the raw material in magnesium production with silicothermic method,about 5% fines are lost in the dolomite calcination process.In order to solve this problem,a new technology was proposed that dolomite is made into pellets first,and then calcined to prepare pellets with high reactivity and stability.The burning loss of dolomite,the ignition loss of the calcined dolomite and the hydration activity of pellets were investigated after calcination.The results indicated that calcined dolomite with good properties can be prepared via direct briquetting technology,and the calcination time is shortened effectively.When calcination time reaches 1h,the burning loss of briquetted dolomite can reach 45%,the ignition loss of calcined dolomite can reach 1.89%,the hydration activity can reach 35%.The moisture absorption of pellets in this process is much less than that in conventional calcination process.
Trends in Obesity Prevalence Among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 1988-1994 Through 2013-2014

Importance Previous analyses of obesity trends among children and adolescents showed an increase between 1988-1994 and 1999-2000, but no change between 2003-2004 and 2011-2012, except for a significant decline among children aged 2 to 5 years. Objectives To provide estimates of obesity and extreme obesity prevalence for children and adolescents for 2011-2014 and investigate trends by age between 1988-1994 and 2013-2014. Design, Setting, and Participants Children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years with measured weight and height in the 1988-1994 through 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Exposures Survey period. Main Outcomes and Measures Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the sex-specific 95th percentile on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI-for-age growth charts. Extreme obesity was defined as a BMI at or above 120% of the sex-specific 95th percentile on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts. Detailed estimates are presented for 2011-2014. The analyses of linear and quadratic trends in prevalence were conducted using 9 survey periods. Trend analyses between 2005-2006 and 2013-2014 also were conducted. Results Measurements from 40 780 children and adolescents (mean age, 11.0 years; 48.8% female) between 1988-1994 and 2013-2014 were analyzed. Among children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years, the prevalence of obesity in 2011-2014 was 17.0% (95% CI, 15.5%-18.6%) and extreme obesity was 5.8% (95% CI, 4.9%-6.8%). Among children aged 2 to 5 years, obesity increased from 7.2% (95% CI, 5.8%-8.8%) in 1988-1994 to 13.9% (95% CI, 10.7%-17.7%) ( P P = .03) in 2013-2014. Among children aged 6 to 11 years, obesity increased from 11.3% (95% CI, 9.4%-13.4%) in 1988-1994 to 19.6% (95% CI, 17.1%-22.4%) ( P P = .44). Obesity increased among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years between 1988-1994 (10.5% [95% CI, 8.8%-12.5%]) and 2013-2014 (20.6% [95% CI, 16.2%-25.6%]; P P = .02) and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (2.6% [95% CI, 1.7%-3.9%] in 1988-1994 to 9.1% [95% CI, 7.0%-11.5%] in 2013-2014; P P value range, .09-.87). Conclusions and Relevance In this nationally representative study of US children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years, the prevalence of obesity in 2011-2014 was 17.0% and extreme obesity was 5.8%. Between 1988-1994 and 2013-2014, the prevalence of obesity increased until 2003-2004 and then decreased in children aged 2 to 5 years, increased until 2007-2008 and then leveled off in children aged 6 to 11 years, and increased among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years.
Less Common Triple Negative Breast Cancers

This chapter encompasses four uncommon types of triple negative breast cancer, which include adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), apocrine carcinoma, metaplastic carcinoma, and medullary carcinoma. Also included in the discussion for differential diagnosis are three additional rare subtypes: acinic cell carcinoma, oncocytic carcinoma, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Most of these tumors are “basal-like cancers,” as defined by gene expression analysis. Although sharing the triple negative and basal-like phenotype, these tumors demonstrate remarkably different clinical behaviors, which range along a spectrum from indolent to aggressive, emphasizing the notion that triple negative or basal-like breast cancer comprises a heterogeneous group of diseases. While ACC has well-defined histopathologic features and unique molecular alterations, metaplastic carcinomas represent a morphologically and genetically diverse group of tumors. Furthermore, uniform agreement on diagnostic criteria is lacking for medullary carcinoma and apocrine carcinoma. Accordingly, diagnosis of these uncommon lesions can be challenging, especially in core needle biopsy (CNB) specimens.
Which startup to invest in: a personalized portfolio strategy

Recent years have witnessed a venture capital boom. By offering capitals and mentoring, venture investors would receive high returns if their portfolio companies successfully exit, namely being acquired or going Initial Public Offering. However, the screening and evaluation of startups for investment largely depends on the investors’ personal experiences, social relationships, and qualitative evaluation on firms. The entrepreneurial finance industry thus has a strong call for the methodologically sound, quantitative study of venture capital deals. Plus, more accessible data and more sophisticated analytics techniques signal the opportunity for methodical decision-making in investing the venture financing market. To this end, in this paper, we aim at developing a personalized portfolio strategy for assisting investors to target the right startups and determine the proper amount of capital to fund. Specifically, we first develop a Probabilistic Latent Factor model to estimate the investment preferences of all the investors in a collaborative way. The model is fitted with not only the historical investment records but also the profiles of the venture capitalists and the startups. Then, we assess the startups’ investment outcomes by regressing the potential returns and risks. We improve the regression performances by nonparametric methods. At last, we use modern portfolio theory to optimize the investment strategy over the startups recommended by the investment preference model. As a result, the investment strategy can yield maximized returns with suppressed potential risks, and meanwhile meet the investment preferences of the venture capitalists. The proposed method is evaluated using data from venture financing markets in USA, and the results show that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods on various metrics.
Spectral-encoded UWB communication systems

This paper considers a UWB communication system that uses spectral encoding as both the multiple access scheme and the interference suppression technique. The main advantage of this technology is that the transmitted signal spectrum can be conveniently shaped to suppress narrow-band interference. The implementation of such systems considering real-time devices is examined, and its performance is analyzed in the presence of narrow-band interference. Numerical results of the system performance are presented for a UWB channel model, and for two different multipath combining schemes.
Merleau-Ponty’s Hermeneutic Reflections on Certainty and Place: Science and Art

From behaviour to perception, including the artist’s consciousness of his art and its truth, of language and literature, signs and symbols, including his writings on the topic scientific truth but no less the question of humanism thought together with the question of terror, Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s style of hermeneutic pheno-menology articulates a scientific reflection on space, perception, but also bodily creativity that is simultaneously meditation, musing, poetising, reverie. Merleau-Ponty thus carries the Husserlian project of phenomenology through incarnate experience in time, attuned to levels of awareness and sense and a lived-world viscerality.
Fractures in calciphylaxis patients following intravenous sodium thiosulfate therapy.

Calciphylaxis is a highly fatal syndrome of small vessel calcification that results in skin ischemia and necrosis.[1] Affected patients present with extremely painful, violaceous skin lesions that progress to non-healing ulcers, and can be complicated by superimposed infections and sepsis.[2] The mortality rate from calciphylaxis is estimated at 60-80%.[2, 3] Sodium thiosulfate (STS), an increasingly popular treatment for calciphylaxis, is theorized to work through vasodilation, antioxidation, and calcium chelation. Known adverse effects include volume overload, metabolic acidosis, and hypotension.[2, 4] We report four patients who experienced unusual fractures during or following treatment with intravenous STS (IVSTS), an adverse effect that has not yet been reported in the literature. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
THE LARGEST MOVING OBJECT EVER BUILT

Almost exactly one-quarter of a century before the Hindenburg crash, at 11:40 pm on the night of Sunday 14th, April, 1912, the triple-screwed 46,328 ton, 882 foot White Star Liner ‘Titanic,’ the then largest moving object ever built by human hands, hit an iceberg south of Cape Race in the North Atlantic and sank in just over two and a half hours.
Mesotheliome nach beruflichem Asbestkontakt

Das Mesotheliom ist seit 1975 der haufigste Berufskrebs in der Schweiz (ca. 70 %). 1969 bis 1982 registrierte die SUVA 49 Falle, davon 10 mit Asbestose. Analysen der ersten 30 Beobachtungen bis 1980: 29 pleural, 1 peritoneal Kausaler Asbestkontakt bei: Asbestzementproduktion 9, Waggonbau und -reparaturen 6, Chemie (Isolationen) 5, diverse 10. Expositionsdauer O 21 Jahre. Latenzzeit zwischen Exposition und Diagnose O 35 Jahre. Ueberlebenszeit nach Diagnose O 1 Jahr. Technische Prophylaxe: Substitution, Feinstaubvermeidung bzw. -verminderung unter MAK. Medizinische Prophylaxe: Eignungs- und Nachuntersuchungen. Hinweis auf Meldung an Mesotheliom-Register in Zurich und an SUVA zwecks Abklarung beruflicher Ursache.
ULPs and Relative Error

The paper establishes several simple, but useful relationships between ulp (unit in the last place) errors and the corresponding relative errors. These can be used when converting between the two types of errors, ensuring that the least amount of information is lost in the process. The properties presented here were already useful in IEEE conformance proofs for iterative division and square root algorithms, and should be so again to numerical analysts both in 'hand' proofs of error bounds for floating-point computations, and in automated tools which carry out, or support deriving such proofs. In most cases, the properties shown herein establish tighter bounds than found in the literature. They also provide 'conversion' rules of finer granularity, at floating-point value level instead of binade level, and take into account the special conditions which occur at binade ends. For this reason, the paper includes a small, but non-negligible element of novelty.
Efficiency, Stability, and Reliability Implications of Unbalanced Current Sharing Among Distributed On-Chip Voltage Regulators

Power delivery networks with distributed on-chip voltage regulators (VRs) serve as an effective way for fast localized voltage regulation within modern microprocessors. Without careful consideration of the interactions among the distributed VRs and the power grid, unbalanced current sharing (CS) among those regulators may, however, lead to efficiency degradations, stability, and reliability issues, and even malfunctions of the regulators. This paper is a first attempt to investigate the efficiency, stability, and reliability implications of unbalanced CS among distributed on-chip VRs. Benefits of balanced CS are demonstrated with concrete examples, showing the necessity of an appropriate current balancing scheme. An adaptive reference voltage control method and the corresponding control algorithms specifically for distributed on-chip VRs are proposed to balance the CS among regulators at different locations. The proposed techniques successfully balance the CS among distributed VRs and can be applied to different regulator types. Simulation results based on practical microprocessor setups confirm the efficiency, stability, and reliability implications.
Generalized Synthesis of a Family of Highly Heteroatom-Doped Ordered Mesoporous Carbons

High concentrations of heteroatom can be doped into ordered mesoporous carbon by infiltration of molten dopants into silica-reinforced mesoporous cross-linked polymer (resol) and subsequent carbonization. The high concentration of dopants relative to polymer enables a high probability of heteroatoms to be dynamically integrated into the framework through carbonization, while the silica in the framework prevents loss of the ordered structure. This method is demonstrated to generate ordered mesoporous carbons with high heteroatom content (up to 26 atom % N, 15 atom % B, 7 atom % P, or 4 atom % S) for a wide variety of elements through melt infusion of the appropriate dopant (melamine, boric anhydride, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, or dibenzyl sulfide). The ratio of the solid dopants to mesoporous silica–resol in a physical mixture during the melt infusion provides a simple methodology to precisely tune the doping content in the carbonized material. Etching of the silica postcarbonization generates addition...
Procession, pride and politics in the Medicea hospes (1638): a Dutch festival book for a French Queen

In 1638, Caspar Barlaeus penned the Medicea hospes, a description of Amsterdam’s festive reception of French Queen Marie de Medicis in September of that year. The first of its kind in the Dutch Rep...
A cultura do controle vigilante e sua “etica” enganosa: globalizacao e neoliberalismo na fronteira Mexico/Estados Unidos

This paper examines narratives and questions interconnected with the phenomena of globalization and neo-liberalism relating these with the implications of an education based in standardization. The findings and analysis are mainly based in the reality of the border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas. This study focus on the culture of surveillance and its anti-ethical influence, inherited from a context of hegemony of the capitalist system, patriarchy, and whiteness. Finally, this paper proposes a curriculum with integrated education practices, which contextualize the learning experiences of the students in their daily life. This perspective offers an alternative to the position that generates oppressive practices and drafts an educational program that foments equality of opportunities and a democratic participation that leads to social justice
Cardiac Cath Labs: Their Origins and Their Future

More than 1 million diagnostic cardiac catheterizations (excluding percutaneous coronary intervention-only procedures) are performed each year in the nearly 2,000 cardiac catheterization laboratories in the United States.1.
Disorders of ECF Volume: Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the cardiac output is decreased due to heart disease. However, the kidney is intrinsically normal. Despite a normal kidney, CHF is characterized by Na+ retention and extracellular fluid (ECF) volume expansion. Decreased cardiac output in CHF is due to both “backward” and “forward” failure. In backward failure, accumulation of blood in the venous system causes increased hydrostatic pressure and filtration of fluid into the interstitium. This eventually leads to a decrease in plasma volume. In forward failure due to a decrease in cardiac contraction, enough blood is not supplied to the tissues due to which, the kidneys cannot excrete Na+ and water normally. In high-output CHF conditions such as A-V shunts and beriberi, there is a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance due to shunting of blood from arterial to venous side creating a situation similar to that of backward or forward failure. In both low-output and high-output cardiac failure, decreased effective arterial blood volume (EABV) persists, and this “underfilling” then activates salt-retaining mechanisms and nonosmotic release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). The effect of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on Na+ excretion is attenuated. The major site for Na+ reabsorption in CHF is the proximal tubule. Plasma volume increases and cardiac output improves. If these mechanisms persist despite excess plasma volume, edema is formed due to altered Starling forces. Figure 7.1 shows mechanisms that promote Na+ reabsorption in CHF.