cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disturbance and long-term patterns of rainfall and throughfall nutrient fluxes in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico

Summary Nutrient fluxes in rainfall and throughfall were measured weekly in a mature subtropical wet forest in NE Puerto Rico over a 15-year period that included the effects of 10 named tropical storms, several prolonged dry periods, and volcanic activity in the region. Mean annual rainfall and throughfall were 3482 and 2131 mm yr −1 , respectively. Average annual rainfall and throughfall fluxes of K, Ca, Mg, Cl, Na, and SO 4 –S were similar but somewhat larger than those reported for most tropical forests. Rainfall inputs of nitrogen were comparatively low and reflect the relative isolation of the airshed. More constituents had seasonal differences in rainfall fluxes (6 out of 12) than throughfall fluxes (4 out of 12) and all volume weighted throughfall enrichment ratios calculated for the 15-year period were greater than one. However, median weekly enrichment ratios were less than 1 for sea salts and dissolved organic carbon, between 1 and 2 for Mg, Ca, SiO 2 and SO 4 –S, and greater than 10 for NH 4 –N, PO 4 –P, and K. Droughts tended to reduce enrichment ratios of cations and sea-salts, but increased enrichment ratios of NH 4 –N, PO 4 –P, and K. In the weeks following hurricanes and tropical storms, relative throughfall tended to be higher and enrichment ratios tended to be lower. Saharan dust and the activity of Caribbean volcanoes can also be detected in the time series. Nevertheless, the impacts of particular events are variable and modified by the magnitude of the event, the pre- and post-event rainfall, and the time since the previous event. Rainfall, throughfall, rainfall pH, and rainfall fluxes of seven constituents had decreasing trends over the 15-year period. However, these decreases were small, less than inter-annual and annual variations, and not considered to be ecologically significant. These long-term observations indicate that physical and biological processes associated with water passing through the canopy act to buffer internal nutrient cycles from inter-annual and seasonal variations in rainfall inputs.
National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Management of Sport Concussion

Objective: To provide athletic trainers, physicians, and other health care professionals with best-practice guidelines for the management of sport-related concussions. Background: An estimated 3.8 ...
Nanoparticle-Assisted Scanning Focusing X-Ray Therapy with Needle Beam X Rays

In this work, we show a new therapeutic approach using 40–120 keV X rays to deliver a radiation dose at the isocenter located many centimeters below the skin surface several hundred times greater than at the skin and how this dose enhancement can be augmented with nanomaterials to create several thousand-fold total dose enhancement effect. This novel approach employs a needle X-ray beam directed at the isocenter centimeters deep in the body while continuously scanning the beam to cover a large solid angle without overlapping at the skin. A Monte Carlo method was developed to simulate an X-ray dose delivered to the isocenter filled with X-ray absorbing and catalytic nanoparticles in a water phantom. An experimental apparatus consisting of a moving plastic phantom irradiated with a stationary 1 mm needle X-ray beam was built to test the theoretical predictions. X-ray films were used to characterize the dose profiles of the scanning X-ray apparatus. Through this work, it was determined that the X-ray dose de...
Recombination of Optically Excited Carriers in a-Si:H at Low temperatures and Intermediate Times

Optically induced electron spin resonance (LESR) studies on time scales in between the previously published PL and LESR results (approximately 10 ms to 10 s) allow one to examine the cross over between energy-loss (downward) hopping of carriers and carrier recombination via tunneling. In addition, data in this time regime are directly compared in the same sample with NMR data on the dipolar spin-lattice relaxation of the bonded hydrogen where light induced electrons and holes are responsible for dipolar relaxation of bonded hydrogen. The LESR results confirm the interpretation of the NMR measurements.
Hearing difficulty and tinnitus among U.S. workers and non-workers in 2007.

Background Hearing loss and tinnitus are two potentially debilitating physical conditions affecting many people in the United States. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hearing difficulty, tinnitus, and their co-occurrence within U.S. populations. Methods Data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were examined. Weighted prevalence and adjusted prevalence ratios for self-reported hearing difficulty, tinnitus, and their co-occurrence were estimated and compared by demographic, among workers with and without occupational noise exposure, and across industries and occupations. Results Seven percent of U.S. workers never exposed to occupational noise had hearing difficulty, 5% had tinnitus and 2% had both conditions. However, among workers who had ever been exposed to occupational noise, the prevalence was 23%, 15%, and 9%, respectively (P < 0.0001). Conclusions Hearing difficulty and tinnitus are prevalent in the U.S.; especially among noise-exposed workers. Improved strategies for hearing conservation or better implementation are needed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:290–300, 2016. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
MAP training: combining meditation and aerobic exercise reduces depression and rumination while enhancing synchronized brain activity

Mental and physical (MAP) training is a novel clinical intervention that combines mental training through meditation and physical training through aerobic exercise. The intervention was translated from neuroscientific studies indicating that MAP training increases neurogenesis in the adult brain. Each session consisted of 30 min of focused-attention (FA) meditation and 30 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Fifty-two participants completed the 8-week intervention, which consisted of two sessions per week. Following the intervention, individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD; n=22) reported significantly less depressive symptoms and ruminative thoughts. Typical healthy individuals (n=30) also reported less depressive symptoms at follow-up. Behavioral and event-related potential indices of cognitive control were collected at baseline and follow-up during a modified flanker task. Following MAP training, N2 and P3 component amplitudes increased relative to baseline, especially among individuals with MDD. These data indicate enhanced neural responses during the detection and resolution of conflicting stimuli. Although previous research has supported the individual beneficial effects of aerobic exercise and meditation for depression, these findings indicate that a combination of the two may be particularly effective in increasing cognitive control processes and decreasing ruminative thought patterns.
Sleep Medicine in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

The medical study of sleep and its disorders in Western culture during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance drew heavily from the writings of Aristotle, Hippocrates, Galen, and other “ancients.” Most European texts devoted several pages to the topic of sleep, including discussions of its causes, functions, and disorders. Owing to illness, anxiety, and environmental annoyances, sleep deprivation was common, but treatments at best were primitive.
Sequencing of Simulation and Clinic Experiences in an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience.

Objective. To examine how the intrasemester sequencing of a simulation component, delivered during an ambulatory care introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE), affects student performance on a series of 3 assessments delivered during the second professional (P2) year.Design. At the Jefferson College of Pharmacy (JCP), P2 student pharmacists were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of simulation activities, followed by 6 weeks on site at an ambulatory care clinic or vice versa during either the fall or spring semesters. At the end of each semester, these students completed 3 skills-based assessments: answering a series of drug information (DI) questions; conducting medication adherence counseling; and conducting a medication history. The 2 groups’ raw scores on assessment rubrics were compared.Assessment. During academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, 180 P2 student pharmacists participated in the required ambulatory care IPPE. Ninety experienced simulation first, while the other 90 experienced the clinic...
Honing the Priorities and Making the Investment Case for Global Health.

In the aftermath of the Ebola crisis, the global health community has a unique opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned and apply them to prepare the world for the next crisis. Part of that preparation will entail knowing, with greater precision, what the scale and scope of our specific global health challenges are and what resources are needed to address them. However, how can we know the magnitude of the challenge, and what resources are needed without knowing the current status of the world through accurate primary data? Once we know the current status, how can we decide on an intervention today with a predicted impact decades out if we cannot project into that future? Making a case for more investments will require not just better data generation and sharing but a whole new level of sophistication in our analytical capability—a fundamental shift in our thinking to set expectations to match the reality. In this current status of a distributed world, being transparent with our assumptions and specific with the case for investing in global health is a powerful approach to finding solutions to the problems that have plagued us for centuries.
The power method for finding eigenvalues on a microcomputer

(1986). The Power Method for Finding Eigenvalues on a Microcomputer. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 93, No. 7, pp. 562-564.
The digital transformation of education

This essay explains how digital networks and digital media will affect education. The digitally networked environment frees education from traditional spatial and temporal limitations. In the process, however, new constraints and limitations emerge that were always present in the traditional model but now become newly salient.Digital media enable a "superbroadcasting" model of education, but this model is only appropriate for some kinds of learning. The remaining aspects of education do not scale well and remain labor and time-intensive. We have already seen hybrid models of education that attempt to combine scalable aspects of education with labor-intensive practices. Some of these hybrid models will improve the educational experience for many students and expand educational access for those who would not otherwise afford an education. But hybrid models may also produce winner-take-all effects and disrupt labor markets for new educators.While transcending older limitations, digital education faces new limitations -- because of limited Internet access, language barriers, disputes over standards and interoperability, fights over intellectual property, and, ironically, the very scalability that makes digital education so promising and attractive. The growth of digital educational enterprises will depend on the degree to which they can lower the cost of the labor-intensive elements of education that do not scale well or shift the cost or the responsibility for providing them to other actors.Digital education models threaten both traditional incumbents and professional educational norms. They blur distinctions between education and community service; between professionals and amateurs; between education and entertainment; between teaching and curation; between hierarchical and peer-based methods of learning; and between instructing specific students and speaking to the world at large. Digital networks disaggregate educational practices into multiple tasks that might be performed by many different actors, and, in the process, alter the tasks, norms, and identity of professional educators. Digital networks disrupt the traditional organization of education and make informal education increasingly salient. And just as digital networks challenge professional norms of education, they also challenge professional control over archives, and thus control over cultural memory itself. Digital networks, in short, cause us to rethink what education is, how we perform it, who participates in it, and what we want from it.
Studies on Rat Intestinal Absorption of the Total Flavones of Epimedium in Situ

OBJECTIVE To investigate the absorption characteristics and mechanism of the total flavones of epimedium for various intestinal segments.METHODS The intestine in rats was cannulated for in situ recirculation.RESULTS Icariin was metabolized quickly in the four intestinal segments.The permeability coefficients(Peff) were(5.25±0.17),(4.27±0.28),(1.99±0.09) and(0.80±0.03) at duodenum,jejunum,ileum and colon,respectively,and the permeability coefficients(Peff) of Icariin in the total flavones of epimedium were(3.65±0.18),(4.68±0.17),(1.64±0.08) and(0.58±0.26) at duodenum,jejunum,ileum and colon,respectively.CONCLUSION Some compositions of the total flavones of epimedium show metabolic transformation,and Icariin shows obviously metabolism.
Investigation on the carrying rate of enterovirus in healthy population and close contacts of HFMD cases

Objective:To study the carrying rate of enterovirus in healthy population and close contacts of HFMD cases in Guangdong Province.Methods: The samples from healthy population and close contacts of HFMD cases in Guangdong Province(Pearl River Delta region and non-Pearl River Delta region) were collected for identification and the detection data were analyzed by using statistical software.Results: There were significant differences in the positive rates of EV71(P0.05) and CoxA16(P0.01) between healthy population and close contacts;The positive rates of EV(P0.05)and CoxA16(P0.05) in close contacts in Pearl River Delta region were higher than those in non-Pearl River Delta region,and there was a significant difference in the positive rate of EV(P0.01) in healthy population between the two regions too.Conclusion: The infection rates of EV71 and CoxA16 in close contacts of HFMD cases were significantly higher than those in healthy population in Guangdong Province;The healthy population mainly carried the enterovirus of non-EV71 and non-CoxA16.
Research on Profit Distribution of Virtual Enterprise Based on Technical Exploitation Item

The reasonable profit distribution is central in the building virtual enterprise,and important to improve the performance of cooperate sides.Based on the profit distribution mix-model and the correlative game theory,the profit distribution model of virtual enterprise on the technical exploitation item was built to confirm the profit distribution coefficient in the agreement and implementation of cooperate sides,which will explode the elevation on the struggling level and resource devotion.
Mild cognitive impairment is prevalent in persons with severe obesity.

Objective This study examines the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a sample of adults with severe obesity and whether undergoing bariatric surgery reduces the frequency of MCI. Methods A total of 171 participants with severe obesity (mean age = 43.07 ± 11.21) completed computerized cognitive testing. A subset of participants underwent bariatric surgery as part of the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery project. MCI was operationalized using commonly used criteria to establish prevalence in the overall sample and to examine possible changes after bariatric surgery. Results More than half of the overall sample met criteria for MCI at baseline (53.8%), and MCI was prevalent even in young and middle-aged adults with severe obesity. Within the subset of participants who underwent bariatric surgery, the prevalence of MCI was reduced by 48.9% at 12-month follow-up (from 53.4% to 27.3%). Conclusions: Findings suggest that many individuals with severe obesity meet criteria for MCI and that prevalence rates decline after bariatric surgery. A better understanding of the mechanisms linking severe obesity to adverse neurological outcomes is much needed.
Trying to Float in a Sea of Regulation: Perception and Reality About Regulatory Overload

Most examinations of the effects of regulation examine individual regulations or policy areas. The same is true of most reforms to the regulatory process. This paper raises questions about this focus. We survey business-owners in five midwestern states about their attitudes toward regulation. We found widespread concern about the volume of requirements for compliance rather than any particular regulations. This finding is robust across numerous different survey questions. We also find however that concern over the volume of regulation varies by political party with Republican business owners much more concerned about regulatory volume than Democratic ones. This could be because Republicans have listened to political rhetoric blaming regulation for economic ills or it could be because business-owners with concerns about regulation flock to the political party that promises to curb government intervention in the economy. Further research is needed on why regulatory volume is a problem and the extent to which the perception it is a problem is politically driven.
The Changing Nature of Warfare: Thoughts Beyond World War II

World Politics and the Evolution of War is a well-written work that traces the changing character of warfare from medieval times to the present. In the preface Weltman takes on the three predominant approaches for explaining why states go to war when he contends that "the social, material, and intellectual context within which conflicts occur is far more influential" than either the structure of the international system, the "psychological pathologies" of the leaders involved, or their international ideological orientation and goals. "Rather, the propensity to war, and the effects of war, are largely products of the character of prevailing expectations about war: whether war offers a means for the cheap, easy, and decisive accomplishment of governmental objectives" (p. xi). Weltman asserts the importance of politics, ideology, and technology in the changing nature of warfare. He concludes that these factors have led civilization to the point where global conflict and the destruction of existing political systems are no longer threats. Having set forth this thesis, he proceeds throughout the book to present information supporting these contentions. The first few chapters of World Politics and the Evolution of War are devoted to discussions of the relationships among leaders, soldiers, and the populace from feudal times through the eighteenth century. Weltman argues that feudal lords did not have control over military forces, depending on vassals to supply military support as needed. There were no large standing armies, and serfs and city dwellers alike remained aloof from military clashes. Central governments gradually became stronger, and, during the eighteenth century, rulers collected funds for their own central treasuries and were, thus, able to hire full-time military professionals to train troops to protect national territories. Military men were no longer part-time soldiers and full-time aristocrats; they became paid servants of the government. Although military leaders were still drawn from the aristocracy, the troops came from the lower classes and had to be watched constantly lest they desert. The nature of war changed, Weltman contends, with the French Revolution, which imbued the public with a spirit of nationalism and gave them a reason to participate actively in wars that threatened their national territory or the political viability of the state. Shortly thereafter, however, the disastrous costs of the Napoleonic Wars caused leaders and military strategists alike to reexamine the price of becoming involved in war.
The effect of magnesium sulfate in lowering tetracycline blood levels.

Abstract When tetracycline and magnesium sulfate were given simultaneously to man or rhesus monkeys, the blood levels of tetracycline were found to be only about 25 per cent of those when the antibiotic was given alone. When tetracycline was given intramuscularly and magnesium sulfate by mouth, no lowering of the blood level occurred. Also, when castor oil was substituted for magnesium sulfate in the oral absorption experiments, there was no lowering of the tetracycline blood level.
Orthographic Knowledge and Lexical Form Influence Vocabulary Learning.

Many adults struggle with second language acquisition but learn new native-language words relatively easily. We investigated the role of sublexical native-language patterns on novel word acquisition. Twenty English monolinguals learned 48 novel written words in five repeated testing blocks. Half were orthographically wordlike (e.g., nish, high neighborhood density and high segment/bigram frequency), while half were not (e.g., gofp, low neighborhood density and low segment/bigram frequency). Participants were faster and more accurate at recognizing and producing wordlike items, indicating a native-language similarity benefit. Individual differences in memory and vocabulary size influenced learning, and error analyses indicated that participants extracted probabilistic information from the novel vocabulary. Results suggest that language learners benefit from both native-language overlap and regularities within the novel language.
The Dynamic between Knowledge Production and Faculty Evaluation: Perceptions of the Promotion and Tenure Process across Disciplines

This study sought to understand predictors of faculty satisfaction with promotion and tenure processes and reasonableness of expectations in the context of a striving institution. The factors we investigated included discipline (high-consensus [science and math] vs. low-consensus [humanities and social sciences]); demographic variables; and institutional support including mentoring, collegiality, work-life integration, and college commitment to faculty members’ fields. High-consensus faculty members were less satisfied with promotion and tenure processes than were low-consensus faculty members (p < .01). Faculty members who were more satisfied with collegiality (p < .001) and with college commitment to their fields (p < .05) were more satisfied with promotion and tenure processes. Faculty members who were more satisfied with work-life integration and mentoring were more satisfied with reasonableness of expectations (p < .05).
InAs single quantum dots in Wurtzite InP nanowires emitting at telecommunication wavelengths

Quantum dots (QDs) embedded in semiconductors nanowires are of great interest for photonic quantum technologies. We have previously reported that QDs in nanowires could be an efficient source for single photons [1] and entangled photon pairs [2] that is required for applications in quantum computation, quantum cryptography and quantum optics. For these later applications, the source has to meet requirements such as high symmetry, high brightness, high extraction efficiency, high-fidelity entanglement and a precise position control at the nanoscale level. The selective area vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth process is a very suitable technique to synthesize nanowires with high yield and homogeneity [3]. Moreover, the optical and electronic properties of these QD based sources are controllable by manipulating the nanowire dimension, dot size, and composition. We have been so far very successful in producing high optical quality single InAsP quantum dots in InP nanowire that are emitting in the range of 890–970 nm. The emission wavelength is controlled by the arsenic percentage in the InAsP dot which is about 25%.
THE ROLE OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (BI) IN SERVICE INNOVATION: AN AMBIDEXTERITY PERSPECTIVE

Advancement in information and communication technologies has been a key driver of the transition from a goods-based economy to a services-based economy where significant changes are occurring in the way that services are produced and consumed. There is tremendous opportunity to realize business value from service innovation by using the knowledge about services to develop and deliver new information services and business services. Organizations can seize this opportunity to use service innovation initiatives to set themselves apart from competitors. One of the means for organizations to achieve service innovation is to incorporate business intelligence (BI) both at the strategic and operational levels. A review of extant IS literature on service innovation and BI revealed that the strategic and operational role of BI in fostering service innovation from an organizational ambidexterity perspective is one that has not been explored. We address this gap in research by developing a theoretical model and hypotheses to examine the role of BI in service innovation. Our literature review revealed that firms use BI strategically and operationally for exploration and exploitation respectively to create opportunities for service innovations which have the potential to impact organizational performance.
Effect of scion and graft type on transpiration, hydraulic resistance and xylem hormone profile of apples grafted on Geneva®41 and M.9-NIC™29 rootstocks

Abstract New highly productive apple rootstocks resistant to fire blight and crown rot can improve orchard profitability. However, some of the most promising rootstocks appear to have weak or brittle graft unions that are susceptible to breakage in the nursery and in the field. Flexural strength of graft unions may be related to the amount of vascular connections between graft partners, and poor vascular connections may cause increased hydraulic resistance. We sought to determine if transpiration rate and hydraulic resistance were correlated with graft union strength by comparing Geneva® 41 with the strong graft-forming Malling 9 selection NIC™ 29. The primary goal of this study was to compare weak and strong graft unions between similarly vigorous rootstocks by measuring whole-tree transpiration, as well as hydraulic resistance using the pressure chamber method. The effects of rootstock and grafting method on xylem hormone concentrations were also compared. There was no correlation between graft union strength and whole tree transpiration rate or leaf area-specific transpiration rate. The hydraulic resistance of the weaker forming rootstock was not significantly different than the strong graft union rootstock and was more closely correlated with overall size of the root system. However, hydraulic resistance of the scion and graft union were small relative to root system resistance, making it difficult to detect differences in graft union resistance among scion-rootstock combinations. Conversely, we observed differences in the hormone profile of xylem exudate among rootstock genotypes and among graft types.
The Teaching, Scholarship, and Service Triathlon

How can legal writing faculty, who spend a significant amount of time and energy teaching, commenting on student papers, and working individually with students to explicitly teach the skills of legal analysis and communication, be successful in a discipline that requires the balancing of so many roles? For each professor, one part may be easier than the others or more enjoyable than the others. In addition, individual faculty members may be better at one part than at the others. But legal academia does not offer the luxury of choosing which core requirement or requirements to fulfill. Likewise, triathletes deal with the fundamental challenge of balancing three complementary but different core tasks. Swimming, cycling, and running each require different skills – yet the real difference between a successful and unsuccessful triathlete is how well one accomplishes all three components. The obvious analogy between the legal academy’s teaching, scholarship, and service requirements and triathlons suggests some of the advice offered by successful triathlon coaches might be helpful to faculty teaching in law schools. This advice is especially true for those in the field of legal writing, where all three requirements have not been traditionally imposed and the learning curve for some may still be steep. Seven key points emerge from the advice provided to triathletes: 1) plan; 2) focus on the weak sports; 3) stay close to home; 4) go short before going long; 5) smooth the transitions; 6) rely on support; and 7) rest. And, by following some of the advice that helps triathletes be more successful, legal writing faculty can be more successful.
131 Iodine in Thyroid Cancer: Use of 131I in the Diagnosis and Therapy of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

131 Iodine ( 131 I) has proven efficacy in the post-surgical management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Following definitive surgical resection of tumor, 131 I has a major role in the detection and treatment of persistent or recurrent disease. It is used for the post-surgical ablation of the normal gland remnant and for the diagnosis and therapy of sites of iodine-concentrating thyroid tumor. Beyond surgery there is no more effective treatment for iodine concentrating metastatic thyroid cancer. The acute and long-term side effects of 131 I are less severe than those of other systemic cancer therapies. The ablation of postsurgical thyroid remnants with 131 I has proven benefit for reduction of morbidity related to intermediate-stage thyroid tumors. Both pre and post-therapy 131 I WBS have the potential to provide clinically relevant information that is not available through other testing. After surgical resection, 131 I is the most effective means to deliver potentially curative radiation to sites of persistent or recurrent iodine-concentrating thyroid tumor. Optimized use of this radioisotope has the potential to improve outcome and greatly facilitates further management of this disease. Emerging treatment paradigms incorporating rhTSH may further reduce morbidity associated with radioiodine therapy of DTC. However, the therapeutic administration of 131 I is not entirely without risk.
El desempeño económico a lo largo del tiempo

I. La historia economica trata acerca del desempeno de las economias a lo largo del tiempo. El objetivo de investigacion en este campo no solo es arrojar nueva luz sobre el pasado, sino tambien contribuir a la teoria economica proporcionando un marco analitico que nos permite comprender el cambio economico. Una teoria de la dinamica economica comparable en presicion a la teoria del equilibrio general seria la herramienta de analisis ideal...
Gravitational radiation from distant encounters and from head-on collisions of black holes: The zero-frequency limit

The zero-frequency limit (ZFL) of the energy spectrum ($\frac{dE}{d\ensuremath{\omega}d\ensuremath{\Omega}}$) for the gravitational radiation emitted during the scattering or collision of two particles is investigated. If the asymptotic trajectories have constant velocities, at least one of which is nonzero, then the ZFL of the spectrum is flat and can be easily calculated. These calculations are made for the cases of distant encounters or head-on collisions of two compact objects, and comparisons to previous methods are made. It is found that the ZFL not only gives the exact low-frequency results, but that it provides an estimate of the total energy radiated, its polarization, and its angular distribution. Applied to the high-velocity collision (${V}_{\ensuremath{\infty}}\ensuremath{\sim}1$) of two equal-mass black holes it predicts an isotropic angular distribution of gravitational radiation with an efficiency of order unity.
Comparing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with Instillation and Conventional Dressings for Sternal Wound Reconstructions.

Background Muscle flap reconstruction has become a mainstay of therapy following treatment of sternal wound complications; however, success depends on removing wound exudate and infectious material from the wound before reconstruction and closure. Importantly, time to closure is a key factor affecting morbidity/mortality and cost-to-treat for this wound type. Methods A retrospective analysis of 30 patients who were treated for sternal wound complications between June 2015 and October 2017 was performed. After surgical debridement, group 1 patients (n = 15) received negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d), instilling 1/8-strength Dakin's solution with a 20-minute dwell time followed by 2 hours of NPWT (-125 mm Hg); group 2 patients (n = 15) were treated with wet-to-moist dressings soaked in 1/8-strength Dakin's solution. After muscle flap reconstruction and closure with sutures, group 1 patients received closed incision negative pressure therapy, and group 2 patients received Benzoin and wound closure strips. Data collected included time to closure, therapy duration, number of debridements/dressing changes, drain duration, and complications. Results There was a significantly shorter time to closure (P < 0.0001) for group 1 when compared with group 2. In addition, there were fewer therapy days (P = 0.0041), fewer debridements/dressing changes (P = 0.0011), and shorter drain duration (P = 0.0001) for group 1 when compared with group 2. Conclusions We describe a novel regimen consisting of adjunctive NPWTi-d, along with debridement and systemic antibiotics, followed by closed incision negative pressure therapy after muscle flap reconstruction and closure, to help manage preexisting sternal wounds that had failed to close following a previous cardiac procedure.
The tandem Michael-SN2 reaction for the construction of the 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane ring system

Abstract The 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]-hexane ring system was constructed in a convergent one-pot procedure starting from readily available starting materials, using the intramolecular tandem Michael-SN2 reaction. The methodology was also extended to the synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane ring system.
Use of SARS-CoV-2 infected deceased organ donors: Should we always "just say no?"

In the context of a rapidly evolving pandemic, multiple organizations have released guidelines stating that all organs from potential deceased donors with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection should be deferred, including from otherwise medically eligible donors found to have mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 discovered on routine donor screening. In this article, we critically examine the available data on the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through organ transplantation. The isolation of SARS-CoV-2 from nonlung clinical specimens, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in autopsy specimens, previous experience with the related coronaviruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and the vast experience with other common RNA respiratory viruses are all addressed. Taken together, these data provide little evidence to suggest the presence of intact transmissible SARS-CoV in organs that can potentially be transplanted, specifically liver and heart. Other considerations including ethical, financial, societal, and logistical concerns are also addressed. We conclude that, for selected patients with high waitlist mortality, transplant programs should consider accepting heart or liver transplants from deceased donors with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
People of Hindu Heritage

Hindi and English are India’s official languages, but there are also 17 regional languages that are considered official. India has capitalized on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services and software workers India has several cities that have undergone place name changes, such as Bombay being renamed Mumbai. These changes were mainly done in an effort to return the city names to local dialects instead of British translations. This chapter follows the dominant values and beliefs according to the 12 domains of the Purnell Model of Cultural Competence: overview/heritage, communication, family roles and organization, workforce issues, biocultural ecology, high-risk behaviors, nutrition, pregnancy, death rituals, spirituality, health-care practices, and health-care practitioners.
Improving sensitivity and imaging depth of ultrasound-switchable fluorescence via an EMCCD-gain-controlled system and a liposome-based contrast agent.

Background The ultrasound-switchable fluorescence (USF) technique was recently developed to achieve high-resolution fluorescence imaging in centimeters-deep tissue. This study introduced strategies to significantly improve imaging sensitivity and depth using an electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) camera-based USF imaging system and a newly developed USF contrast agent of indocyanine green (ICG)-encapsulated liposomes. For a quantitative study, a phantom of a sub-millimeter silicone tube embedded in centimeter-thick chicken breast tissue was adopted in this study as a model. Methods The synthesized ICG-liposome was characterized and compared with the previously reported ICG-nanogel. The exposure of the EMCCD camera was controlled via the MATLAB (The MathWorks, Inc. USA), instead of an external hardware trigger. The stability of the electron multiplying (EM) gain of the EMCCD camera was compared between two trigger modes: the MATLAB trigger mode and the external hardware trigger mode. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the USF imaging with different EM gain in various thick tissue was studied. Results The hydrodynamic size of the ICG-liposome was ~181 nm. The ICG-liposome had a sharper temperature switching curve and a better USF performance than the previously reported ICG-nanogel. The EM gain was more stable in MATLAB trigger mode than the external hardware trigger mode. Although, as usual, the SNR decreased quickly with the increase of the tissue thickness, the proposed strategies improved the SNR and the imaging depth significantly by adopting the novel contrast agent and controlling the EM gain. Conclusions We successfully imaged the sub-millimeter silicone tube with an inner diameter of 0.76 mm and an outer diameter of 1.65 mm in 5.5 cm-thick chicken breast tissue using 808 nm excitation light with a low intensity of 28.35 mW/cm2, the improved EMCCD camera-based USF imaging system and the novel ICG-liposomes.
Immigration and Crime in a Frictional Labor Market

This paper studies the relationship between immigration and crime in a frictional labor market. Immigration strengthens the labor market in the host country by reducing firms' labor costs. With more immigrants in this labor market, unemployed workers find a job faster, but employed workers receive lower value from their jobs. Therefore, employees commit more crimes, but unemployed workers prefer to stay unemployed. The different criminal behaviors of employed and unemployed workers explain the ambiguity regarding the effects of immigration. A more generous unemployment insurance system for immigrants increases both the unemployment rate and crime rates. An extended duration of incarceration and a deportation policy reduce crime rates but have no significant impact on labor market outcomes.
Acclimation of Photosynthesis to Water Deficits

Photosynthesis (Ps) is inhibited at low leaf water potentials (Ψ). Generally, both stomatal and chloroplast functions are affected such that the supply and utilization of CO2 are decreased. Although sto-matal closure generally occurs when plants are exposed to water deficits, in some cases Ps may be more limited by chloroplast capacity to fix CO2 than by increased diffusive resistance to CO2 (Boyer, 1971). Repeated water deficits decrease the sensitivity of Ps to subsequent water deficits. Although this acclimation of Ps to low Ψ has been correlated with altered stomatal response to Ψ (Ackerson, Hebert, 1981), the possibility of altered chloroplast response to Ψ has not been investigated. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of stomata and chloroplasts to the acclimation of Ps to low Ψ in plants receiving water deficit pretreatments.
Data Management Outreach to Junior Faculty Members: A Case Study

New tenure track faculty members are generally in positions as leaders of a research laboratory or group for the first time. In addition to building up the infrastructure of a research lab (whether space, equipment, funding, or personnel), the new faculty member is also setting the research process and expectations for the first time as well. This article highlights outreach to new faculty members assisting those individuals with developing a data management protocol that effectively supports the laboratory researchers to make quality data available internally to and externally from a research laboratory. Using a self-assessment tool and reflective conversation, junior faculty were offered insight and advice into creating a data management protocol for use in their research laboratory.
The interrelationship of blood lipids and estrogens

Summary A relationship appears to exist between the blood lipids and estrogenic hormones in control males and females and similar groups of patients having confirmed coronary artery disease. The control group of individuals with normal concentrations of serum lipids appear to have a higher concentration of 17 β -estradiol than estrone. Conversely, those individuals with coronary artery disease appear to have greater concentrations of estrone than 17 β -estradiol.
Designing a Mousetrap

This chapter illustrates the sequential use of hierarchies in the selection, design and marketing of a mouse trap. The project described in this chapter is not so much about building a better mousetrap as it is about a person’s hope to reach a higher state by engulfing oneself in the project. Not a higher state in the classical sense that is indicative of a great mind expanding, but a state that helps a person to grow through doing, always reminding one that there are numerous ways to see a problem. By reminding the student to be open and sensitive to new ideas and new creative processes, the professor can foster positive growth. Emphasizing that you never reach a state where you are all that there is, and your ways are the best, can lead to a healthy respect for continued growth buttressed by a positive attitude, and a striving for a more fulfilling life.
Managerial Insights on the Politics of Trade Policy and Economic Development: The Case of Madagascar

This paper examines the challenges faced by Madagascar, and its apparel and textile sector in particular, in light of its recent suspension from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) eligible countries, thereby ending duty free access of its products to the US. The paper provides a thorough analysis of the historic development of Madagascar‘s apparel and textile industry in the context of its creation of special economic zones or “Zones Franches” and examines other threats to its textile sector. The paper analyzes the short- as well as long-term prospects of the Zones Franches experiment, on which much hope for the development of Madagascar had been pinned and provides managerial recommendations and directions for future research.
Many Maybes Mean (Mostly) the Same Thing

At the core of soft computing is the intuition that from imprecise knowledge, we can still make reasonable inferences. This paper offers experimental and mathematical evidence for this intuition. Based on a literature review and a newly developed mathematics of “reachability”, it is argued that searches through a space containing uncertainties, most of the reachable conclusions will be reached via a small number of “master variables” in a “narrow funnel”. Such narrow funnels can be found using very simple randomized search methods.
Analyzing the benefits of domain knowledge in substructure discovery

Discovering repetitive, interesting, and functional substructures in a structural database improves the ability to interpret and compress the data. However, scientists working with a database in their area of expertise often search for predetermined types of structures, or for structures exhibiting characteristics specific to the domain. This paper presents a method for guiding the discovery process with domain-specific knowledge. In this paper, the SUBDUE discovery system is used to evaluate the benefits of using domain knowledge to guide the discovery process. The domain knowledge is incorporated into SUBDUE following a single general methodology to guide the discovery process. Results show that domain-specific knowledge improves the search for substructures which are useful to the domain, and leads to greater compression of the data. To illustrate these benefits, examples and experiments from the computer programming, computer aided design circuit, and artificially-generated domains are presented.
Changes in lipid composition of triton-filled lysosomes during lysis. Association with activation of acid-active lipases and phospholipases.

Abstract 1. 1. Triton-filled lysosomes were isolated from livers of rats by isopycnic centrifugation. Incubation of these organdies at 37 δC, pH 5.0, resulted in release of β-glucuronidase and a dramatic elevation of lysophospholipids and free fatty acids. At pH 6.4 only minimal changes of this type were seen. 2. 2. Soluble phospholipase A from hepatic lysosomes is inhibited by albumin, protein of the supernatant, heparin and protamine. 3. 3. Defatted albumin inhibits production of lysophospholipids and free fatty acids and the release of β-glucuronidase. 4. 4. Thus, acid-active lipases of lysosomes are activated by incubation at acid pH and appear to contribute significantly to the process of lysis of these organelles. Inhibition of these acid-active lipases results in a stabilization of the lysosomal membrane.
Effects of Plutonium on Soil Microorganisms

As a first phase in an investigation of the role of the soil microflora in Pu complex formation and solubilization in soil, the effects of Pu concentration, form, and specific activity on microbial types, colony-forming units, and CO/sub 2/ evolution rate were determined in soils amended with C and N sources to optimize microbial activity. The effects of Pu differed with organism type and incubation time. After 30 days of incubation, aerobic sporeforming and anaerobic bacteria were significantly affected by soil Pu levels as low as 1 ..mu..g/g when Pu was added as the hydrolyzable /sup 239/Pu(NO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ (solubility, <0.1% in soil). Other classes of organisms, except the fungi, were significantly affected at soil Pu levels of 10 ..mu..g/g. Fungi were affected only at soil Pu levels of 80 ..mu..g/g. Soil CO/sub 2/ evolution rate and total accumulated CO/sub 2/ were affected by Pu only at the 180 ..mu..g/g level. Because of the possible role of resistant organisms in complex formation, the mechanisms of effects of Pu on the soil fungi were further evaluated. The effect of Pu on soil fungal colony-forming units was a function of Pu-solubility in soil and Pu specific activity. When Pu was added inmore » a soluble, complexed from (/sup 238/Pu/sub 2/(diethylenetriaminepentaacetate)/sub 3/), effects occurred at Pu levels of 1 ..mu..g/g and persisted for at least 95 days. Toxicity was due primarily to radiation effects rather than to chemical effects, suggesting that, at least in the case of the fungi, formation of Pu complexes would result primarily from ligands associated with normal (in contrast to chemically-induced) biochemical pathways.« less
Visualization and Ontology of Geospatial Intelligence

Recent events have deepened our conviction that many human endeavors are best described in a geospatial context. This is evidenced in the prevalence of location-based services, as afforded by the ubiquitous cell phone usage. It is also manifested by the popularity of such internet engines as Google Earth. As we commute to work, travel on business or pleasure, we make decisions based on the geospatial information provided by such location-based services. When corporations devise their business plans, they also rely heavily on such geospatial data. By definition, local, state and federal governments provide services according to geographic boundaries. One estimate suggests that 85 percent of data contain spatial attributes.