cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Injury grade is a predictor of aortic-related death among patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury

Objective The current Society for Vascular Surgery Clinical Practice Guidelines suggest urgent ( Methods We reviewed imaging variables of prospectively collected BTAI patients between 1999 and 2014. We used computed tomographic angiography to classify BTAIs into four categories: G I, intimal tear; G II, intramural hematoma; G III, aortic pseudoaneurysm; and G IV, free rupture. Specific examination of G III injuries was undertaken in an effort to predict aortic-related mortality (ARM) before repair. For this subset, we examined pseudoaneurysm size, lesion/normal aortic diameter ratio, and mediastinal hematoma location and size. Results Among 331 patients with BTAIs, 86 died before imaging. Admission computed tomographic angiography was available for 205 patients (71.2% male; mean age, 39.3 years) with BTAIs (24 G I, 49 G II, 124 G III, 8 G IV). The mean Injury Severity Score was 35.6, and 22.4% had hypotension ( P = .02). ARM was 2.4% (G I/G II, 0%; G III/G IV, 3.8%; P = .09). ARM was significantly greater in G IV (3 of 8 [37.5%]) than G III (2 of 124 [1.6%]) vs G I/II (0 of 73 [0%]) injuries ( P Conclusions Injury grade is a predictor of ARM among patients with BTAIs. Aggressive use of the current Society for Vascular Surgery Clinical Practice Guidelines at a busy level I trauma center resulted in low rates of ARM. In this setting, identification of additional physiologic and radiographic criteria indicating the need for emergency (vs urgent) repair of aortic pseudoaneurysms remains elusive.
A High-Speed Data Acquisition Technique with Particle Image Velocimetry to Study Steam Bubble Collapse

The use of a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method (which uses digital cameras for data acquisition) for studying high speed fluid flows is usually limited by the camera frame acquisition rate. The velocity of the fluid under study must be limited to insure that particles suspended in the flow field remain in the camera’s focal plane in successive images. However, the use of digital cameras for data acquisition is desirable to simplify and expedite the data analysis. A method is presented which will allow the measurement of fluid velocities with PIV techniques using two successive digital images and different framing rates, simultaneously. The first part of the method measures changes in the flow field which occur at the relatively slow framing rate of 53. 8 ms. The second part measures changes which occur in the same flow field at the relatively fast framing rate of 100 to 320 μs. The effectiveness of this technique was tested by studying the collapse of steam bubbles, a relatively high-speed phenomena.
Sexual Reproduction in Leptosphaeria Avenaria f. sp. Triticea Induced by Wave Lengths of Light Greater than 560 Mμ

Consistent and abundant sexual reproduction of Leptosphaeria avenaria f. sp. triticea (imperfect state Septoria averne f. sp. triticea) was induced by 50 days exposure to 1,200 ft-c of light filter...
Design and Fabrication of Graded Bandgap Solar Cells in Amorphous Si and Alloys

In this paper, we discuss the appropriate design conditions and fabrication technology for graded bandgap solar cells in a-Si:H and a-(Si, Ge):H. In particular, we show that by carefully designing the buffer layers and the placement of the graded gap in the i layer of a p-i-n cell, one can fabricate a-Si:H solar cells which are more stable than standard design solar cells. Similarly, appropriate considerations of device physics and electric field profiles in devices made from a-(Si, Ge):H alloys can result in high performance a-(Si,Ge):H cells. We also show that using significant H dilution during growth of a-(Si, Ge):H layers and cells results in both films and devices of high quality and reproducibility.
Teaching of college English writing course

In view of the problems existing in teaching college English writing,this paper analyzed the relation ship between language essential skills and writing techniques,emphasized the necessity of strengthening srudents' English essential skills to improve their writing abilities.
The Language Question in Africa

This introductory chapter surveys theoretical approaches to language planning to provide the background against which the language question in Africa may be examined. It reviews, in particular, language planning models in Africa as previously discussed in, for instance, Bamgbose (Language and Exclusion: The Consequences of Language Policies in Africa. LIT Verlag Munster, 2000), Brock-Utne (International Journal of Educational Development in Africa (IJEDA) 30:636–645, 2010), Brock-Utne and Qorro (Multilingualism and Language in Education—Sociolinguistic and Pedagogical Perspectives from Commonwealth Countries. Cambridge University Press, 2015), Djite (The Sociolinguistics of Development in Africa. Multilingual Matters, 2008), Fardon and Furniss (African Languages, Development and the State. Routledge, 1994), Koffi (Paradigm Shift in Language Planning and Policy—Game Theoretic Solutions. De Gruyter Mouton, 2012), Laitin (Transition 54:131–141, 1991), Organization of African Unity (OAU) (Language Plan of Action for Africa. Council of Ministers, 1986), Mazrui (Language Policies in Education—Critical Issues. Routledge, 2013), Prah (Language and Education in Africa: A Comparative and Transdisciplinary Discussion. Symposium Books, 2009), Qorro (Language and Education in Africa: A Comparative and Transdisciplinary Discussion. Symposium Books, 2009), Weinstein (Language Policy and Political Development. Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1990), and Wolfson and Manes (Language of Inequality. Mouton Publishers, 1985). It also shows the relation of the proposed Prestige Planning model to theoretical developments in language economics (Coulmas, Language and the Economy. Blackwell, 1992; Dustmann, Journal of Population Economics 7:133–156, 1994, Grin et al., The Economics of the Multilingual Workplace. Routledge, 2010) and in game theory (Harsanyi, Rational Behavior and Bargaining Equilibrium in Games and Social Situations. Cambridge University Press, 1977; Myerson, Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict. Harvard University Press, 1991). These two theoretical frameworks—language economics and game theory—are particularly relevant to this book, as they offer insights into why language planning for the indigenous languages of Africa has failed: language planning in this part of the world has never linked education through the medium of the indigenous languages with economic outcomes.
On the Problem of Similar Motions of a Chain of Coupled Heavy Rigid Bodies

This chapter contributes to the study of dynamic properties of a chain of n heavy Hess tops coupled by ideal spherical joints by constructing a new class of particular solutions of the equations of chain’s motion. The new class describes the chain’s motions under which all bodies move similar to each other. We establish conditions for existence of the new solutions and show how the equations of motion can be reduced to quadratures in the case when these conditions are fulfilled.
Repeatability of 18F-FLT PET in a multicenter study of patients with high-grade glioma

Quantitative 3'-deoxy-3'-18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) PET has potential as a noninvasive tumor biomarker for the objective assessment of response to treatment. To guide interpretation of these quantitative data, we evaluated the repeatability of 18F-FLT PET as part of a multicenter trial involving patients with high-grade glioma. Methods:18F-FLT PET was performed on 10 patients with recurrent high-grade glioma at 5 different institutions within the Adult Brain Tumor Consortium trial ABTC1101. Data were acquired according to a double baseline protocol in which PET examinations were repeated within 2 d of each other with no intervening treatment. On each of the 2 imaging days, dedicated brain PET was performed at 2 time points, 1 and 3 h after 18F-FLT administration. Tumor SUVs and related parameters were measured at a central laboratory using various volumes of interest: isocontour at 30% of the maximum pixel (SUVmean_30%), gradient-based segmentation (SUVmean_gradient), the maximum pixel (SUVmax), and a 1-mL sphere at the region of highest uptake (SUVpeak). Repeatability coefficients (RCs) were calculated from the relative differences between corresponding SUV measurements obtained on the 2 d. Results: RCs for tumor SUVs were 22.5% (SUVmean_30%), 23.8% (SUVmean_gradient), 23.2% (SUVmax), and 18.5% (SUVpeak) at 1 h after injection. Corresponding data at 3 h were 22.4%, 25.0%, 27.3%, and 23.6%. Normalizing the tumor SUV data with reference to a background region improved repeatability, and the most stable parameter was the tumor-to-background ratio derived using SUVpeak (RC, 16.5%). Conclusion: SUV quantification of 18F-FLT uptake in glioma had an RC in the range of 18%-24% when imaging began 1 h after 18F-FLT administration. The volume-of-interest methodology had a small but not negligible influence on repeatability, with the best performance obtained using SUVpeak Although changes in 18F-FLT SUV after treatment cannot be directly interpreted as a change in tumor proliferation, we have established ranges beyond which SUV differences are likely due to legitimate biologic effects.
Collected, Cut and Recreated Dress

The purpose of this design was to create an eco-friendly dress made out of recycled materials, American Spirit cigarette boxes; the design was inspired by the concept of sustainability and motifs of Native American textiles.
Hebbian learning and the LMS algorithm

Hebbian learning is one of the fundamental premises of neuroscience. The LMS (least mean square) algorithm of Widrow and Hoff is the world's most widely used learning algorithm. Hebbian learning is unsupervised. LMS learning is supervised. However, a form of LMS can be constructed to perform unsupervised learning and to implement Hebbian learning. Combining the two paradigms creates a new unsupervised learning algorithm that has practical engineering applications and provides insight into learning in living neural networks. A fundamental question is, how does learning take place in living neural networks? The learning algorithm practiced by nature at the neuron and synapse level may well be the Hebbian-LMS algorithm.
America's Teenagers--Myths and Realities: Media Images, Schooling, and the Social Costs of Careless Indifference

The media's presentation suggests that American teenage culture today is the most violent, sexual, and amoral youth culture in history. In this book, Nichols and Good deconstruct the negative images held by large numbers of adults. Recognizing that many teenagers are left by adults to socialize themselves and the consequences of this "careless indifference," the authors' goal is to influence a more positive view leading to stronger social policies and better services, resources, and programs to meet the needs of America's youth. Unique features of America's Teenagers--Myths and Realities: Media Images, Schooling, and the Social Costs of Careless Indifference include:*powerful analytic lenses used to revisit typical depictions of youth;*a wealth of information brought to bear on understanding teenagers' behavior; and*consideration of a broad range of adolescent behaviors across critical socializing settings. The book begins with a discussion of the continuing myth of adolescence--how and why youth are devalued, and an overview of current beliefs about youth drawn from two 1990s Public Agenda Polls. This is followed by chapters on youth and the media, and the pressures that youth face in various dimensions of their lives. Topics include youth violence; the sex lives of teenagers; tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and teens; healthy living and decision making; working teens; and youth and education. The concluding chapter pulls together themes generated throughout the book and provides examples of policies that would underscore the value of viewing youth as a social investment. General guidelines are provided for teachers, parents, policymakers, and citizens to facilitate responding to youth in meaningful, proactive ways that improve the quality of life for teenagers and the broader society.
“Filial Piety” and Cultural Difference

This chapter situates the study in theoretical terms. It argues that anthropology’s distinguishing object—“culture”—although essential, has evolved in the direction of an essentializing, idealist construct. This case is made with particular reference to Chinese patriliny. Across the disciplines, studies of China have approached patriliny as an irreducible mark of cultural difference—in effect, as the explanation for that which distinguishes China from other societies. This culturalist essentialism or particularism thus forecloses inquiry into how patriliny might be understood to manifest common human concerns. Cultural difference or distinctiveness cannot be comprehended in the absence of discerning what is common to cultural processes in general.
In Conversation with Sindre Bangstad and Bjørn E. Bertelsen About Anthropology, the Cold War and the “War on Terror”. House of Literature, May 20, 2014

This chapter features a conversation between Prof. David H. Price of St. Martin’s University (Lacey, Washington), Sindre Bangstad and Associate Professor Bjorn Enge Bertelsen (University of Bergen) about Price’s seminal work on anthropology, the Cold War and the “War On Terror”. Recorded at the House of Literature in Oslo in May 2014, Price talks about how his working under the supervision of the late Prof. George W. Stocking spurred a professional interest in the history of anthropology, with a particular emphasis on anthropological thought and practice in the context of the Cold War. The conversation also pursues Price’s interest in and publications on the attempts of various US intelligence agencies and the US army to “weaponise” anthropology thought and practice in the context of the so-called “Global War On Terror” (2001–2008).
Law and Social Movements: An Interdisciplinary Analysis

This chapter explores the growing interdisciplinary exchange between law and social science that has led to the emergence of “law and social movements” as a distinctive scholarly field. Its main goal is to examine why this exchange has occurred, what vision of law and social movements it has produced, and what it means for the underlying disciplines. Toward this end, the chapter analyzes how American scholars have seized onto social movements as key actors in legal theory and what this says about ongoing debates within legal scholarship over the role of law as a tool of progressive social change. The chapter then traces the parallel development of legal mobilization within social movement theory, emphasizing the particular construction of law as a resource valued for its indirect effects on movement activism. Doing so reveals how the creation of law and social movements is not simply an interdisciplinary synthesis, but responds to different problems in law and sociology. In law, movements have been used by scholars to present a model of progressive legal reform that promises to reclaim the transformative potential of law while preserving traditional roles for courts and lawyers. In sociology, law has provided a link between movements and institutional politics that helps to explain the professional character and durability of movement organizations without undercutting their claim to outsider status. Both visions, the chapter argues, ultimately respond to barriers to progressive social transformation in democratic societies erected by conservative countermobilization and depend on conceptions of law as a flexible resource deployed to build power and shift culture. The chapter ends by exploring the challenges and opportunities of this interdisciplinary project—pointing out intellectual gaps, while suggesting how greater exchange between legal scholarship and social science might produce deeper understanding of core theoretical concepts and enrich empirical inquiry.
Understanding the impact of support for iteration on code search

Sometimes, when programmers use a search engine they know more or less what they need. Other times, programmers use the search engine to look around and generate possible ideas for the programming problem they are working on. The key insight we explore in this paper is that the results found in the latter case tend to serve as inspiration or triggers for the next queries issued. We introduce two search engines, CodeExchange and CodeLikeThis, both of which are specifically designed to enable the user to directly leverage the results in formulating the next query. CodeExchange does this with a set of four features supporting the programmer to use characteristics of the results to find other code with or without those characteristics. CodeLikeThis supports simply selecting an entire result to find code that is analogous, to some degree, to that result. We evaluated how these approaches were used along with two approaches not explicitly supporting iteration, a baseline and Google, in a user study among 24 developers. We find that search engines that support using results to form the next query can improve the programmers’ search experience and different approaches to iteration can provide better experiences depending on the task.
Is the moral domain unique? A social influence perspective for the study of moral cognition

The nature of the cognitive processes that give rise to moral judgment and behavior has been a central question of psychology for decades. In this paper, we suggest that an often ignored yet fruitful stream of research for informing current debates on the nature of moral cognition is social influence. We introduce what we call the “social-moderation-of-process” perspective, a methodological framework for leveraging insights from social influence research to inform debates in moral psychology over the mechanisms underlying moral cognition and the moral domains in which those mechanisms operate. We demonstrate the utility of the social-moderation-of-process perspective by providing a detailed example of how research on social influence in behavioral ethics can be utilized to test a research question related to a debate between two prominent theories in moral psychology. We then detail how researchers across the field of moral psychology can utilize our social-moderation-of-process perspective.
Assembly and metrology of NIF target subassemblies using robotic systems

With European Laser Facilities such as the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) and the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF) scheduled to come online within the next couple of years, General Atomics, as a major supplier of targets and target components for the High Energy Density Physics community in the United States, is gearing up to meet their demand for large numbers of low cost targets. Using the production of a subassembly for the National Ignition Facility’s fusion targets as an example, we demonstrate that through automation of assembly tasks, the design of targets and their experimental setup can be fairly complex while keeping the assembly time and cost as a minimum. A six-axis Mitsubishi robot is used in combination with vision feedback and a force–torque sensor to assemble target subassemblies of different scales and designs with minimal change of tooling, allowing for design flexibility and short assembly setup times. Implementing automated measurement routines on a Nikon NEXIV microscope further reduces the effort required for target metrology, while electronic data collection and transfer complete a streamlined target production operation that can be adapted to a large variety of target designs.
Messenger RNA and RNA transcription time.

The properties of unstable RNA in Bacillus subtilis have been studied under a variety of conditions. It was found that: (1) The unstable fraction constitutes approximately 8% of the total RNA in Bacillus subtilis. The corresponding proportions in two strains of Bacillus megaterium are 6 and 9% of the total RNA. (2) After short pulses of radioactive uracil, most of the labeled RNA is distinguished from 16 and 23 s ribosomal, and from soluble RNA, by its sedimentation properties. (3) Completed 16 and 23 s ribosomal RNA molecules are stable in the presence of actinomycin. If there are ribosomal RNA molecules which are unfinished at the time actinomycin is added, they are degraded. (4) After a 20 to 30-second pulse of radioactive uracil, about 50% of the incorporated label is found to sediment with 70 s ribosomes and polysomes. When actinomycin is added to the medium, the degradation of the unstable RNA is accompanied by the disappearance of polyribosomal structures. (5) If the polysomes are separated by shearing forces, the unstable RNA originally associated with polysomes sediments with 70 s ribosomes. Using this technique, it has been estimated that in polyribosomes there are, on the average, 150,000 daltons or 500 nucleotides of messenger RNA per 70 s ribosomes. (6) After a 30-second pulse of radioactive uracil and subsequent incubation in actinomycin. the radioactivity stable to degradation is found entirely in 30 and 50 s ribosomal subunits and in soluble RNA. The specific activity of the 50 s particle is less than that of the 30 s particle and of soluble RNA. If the length of the pulse of radioactive precursors is increased to three minutes, then all the stable fractions have approximately the same specific activity after incubation in actinomycin. Possible explanations of this result are discussed. It is suggested that the transcription of RNA on the DNA template may be a slow process requiring 1 min to synthesize 1·5 to 2·0 x 106 daltons of RNA.
Links between sleep and daytime behaviour problems in children with Down syndrome.

Background In the general population, sleep problems have an impact on daytime performance. Despite sleep problems being common among children with Down syndrome, the impact of sleep problems on daytime behaviours in school-age children with Down syndrome is an understudied topic. Our study examined the relationship between parent-reported and actigraphy-measured sleep duration and sleep quality with parent and teacher reports of daytime behaviour problems among school-age children with Down syndrome. Method Thirty school-age children with Down syndrome wore an actigraph watch for a week at home at night. Their parent completed ratings of the child's sleep during that same week. Their parent and teacher completed a battery of measures to assess daytime behaviour. Results Parent reports of restless sleep behaviours on the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, but not actigraph-measured sleep efficiency, was predictive of parent and teacher behavioural concerns on the Nisonger Child Behaviour Rating Form and the Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scales. Actigraph-measured sleep period and parent-reported sleep duration on the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was predictive of daytime parent-reported inattention. Actigraph-measured sleep period was predictive of parent-reported hyperactivity/impulsivity. Conclusion The study findings suggest that sleep problems have complex relationships to both parent-reported and teacher-reported daytime behaviour concerns in children with Down syndrome. These findings have implications for understanding the factors impacting behavioural concerns and their treatment in school-age children with Down syndrome.
Interviewer effects in food acquisition surveys.

OBJECTIVE To understand the effects of interviewers on the responses they collect for measures of food security, income and selected survey quality measures (i.e. discrepancy between reported Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) status and administrative data, length of time between initial and final interview, and missing income data) in the US Department of Agriculture's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS). DESIGN Using data from FoodAPS, multilevel models with random interviewer effects were fitted to estimate the variance in each outcome measure arising from effects of the interviewers. Covariates describing each household's socio-economic status, demographics and experience in taking the survey, and interviewer-level experience were included as fixed effects. The variance components in the outcomes due to interviewers were estimated. Outlier interviewers were profiled. SETTING Non-institutionalized households in the continental USA (April 2012-January 2013). SUBJECTS Individuals (n 14 317) in 4826 households who responded to FoodAPS. RESULTS There was a substantial amount of variability in the distributions of the outcomes examined (i.e. time between initial and final interview, reported values for food security, individual income, missing income) among the FoodAPS interviewers, even after accounting for the fixed effects of the household- and interviewer-level covariates and removing extreme outlier interviewers. CONCLUSIONS Interviewers may introduce error in food acquisition survey data when they are asked to interact with the respondents. Managers of future surveys with similarly complex data collection procedures could consider using multilevel models to adaptively identify and retrain interviewers who have extreme effects on data collection outcomes.
Collaborative Learning in Industrial Design

This paper discusses the benefits of collaborative learning in design education, arguments for why it should be implemented in university curriculums and will include interviews with students and educators from different programs. Collaborative Learning is a powerful tool that has the potential to increase the quality of students entering the design workforce. Students have more success–after graduation when they have real-world experience and in turn are satisfied with their involvement in the classroom. Collaborative Learning lays a foundation for students to learn from the industry and apply the knowledge into their work and creative process. It is a necessary paradigm for schools to adapt in order to prepare students to enter the competitive world of design.
A Comparative Study of the Structural and Kinetic Properties of Papain Immobilized on Modified Polysulfone and Modified Cellulose Acetate Membranes

In order to determine if the chemical nature of the polymeric membrane were a factor in the conformation of bound enzymes, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin labeling techniques using a short, active-site specific spin label have been employed to study the properties of a model enzyme, papain, immobilized on fully-hydrated modifiied polysulfone membranes, hydrophobic, or modified cellulose acetate membranes, hydrophilic. The properties of the immobilized enzymes are compared with that of the free enzyme in solution. Both polysulfone and cellulose acetate membranes provide some stability for papain, but in general hydrophoilic cellulose acetate membranes give papain properties more similar to those of papain in aqueous solution.
Synthesis and Characterization of trans-Dichlorotetrakis(imidazole)cobalt(III) Chloride: A New Cobalt(III) Coordination Complex with Potential Prodrug Properties

Numerous therapies for the treatment of cancer have been explored with increasing evidence that the use of metal-containing compounds could prove advantageous as anticancer therapeutics. Previous works on Ru(III) complexes suggest that structurally similar Co(III) complexes may provide good alternative, low-cost, effective prodrugs. Herein, a new complex, trans-[Co(imidazole)4Cl2]Cl (2), has been synthesized in high yields utilizing ligand exchange under refluxing conditions. The structure of 2 has been characterized by elemental analysis, 1H and 13C·NMR, ESI-MS, CV, and UV-Vis. The ability of 2 to become reduced in the presence of ascorbic acid was probed demonstrating the likely reduction of the Co(III) metal center to Co(II). In addition, preliminary cell line testing on 2 shows a lack of cytotoxicity.
Rotor Dynamic Analysis of Ultra-high Speed Switched Reluctance Machines over 1 Million rpm

Ultra-high speed machines have drawn more and more interest for researchers in recent times. Switched reluctance machines (SRMs) are of particular interest due to their simple rotor geometry. For ultra-high speed machines, rotor dynamics are a major component and must be considered in the design stage. In this paper, a rotor dynamic study of an ultra-high speed SRM with a rated speed of 1 million rpm is presented. First, different rotors built with isotropic and orthotropic materials are studied, using both analytical and numerical methods. Then, the impact of using a laminated stack versus a solid stack is studied. Finally, three different geometries of single, tandem, and bilateral rotor shafts are proposed, analyzed and compared based on their cost, torque density, manufacturing complexity, and rotor dynamic stability.
Proceedings of Human Language Technologies: The 2009 Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics

We welcome you to NAACL HLT 2009! The NAACL HLT program continues to include high-quality work in the areas of computational linguistics, information retrieval, and speech technology. This year, 260 full papers were submitted, of which 75 papers were accepted (giving a 29% acceptance rate); and 178 short papers were submitted, of which 71 were accepted (giving a 40% acceptance rate).
Analysis of chemical constituents in mainstream bidi smoke.

Bidi, an indigenous form of cigarette in South Asian countries, is popular because of its low cost and multi-flavored variants. Although recent studies have shown that bidi smokers suffer from various adverse health effects including cancer, research on bidi smoke composition and exposure levels is still very limited. In this research, the vapor and particulate phases of bidi were characterized using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The amounts of nicotine, cotinine, indole, substituted phenols, substituted pyridines, and phytol found in different size fractions of the particulate matter collected using a cascade impactor were reported. Due to the low combustibility of the tendu leaf in bidi, a six-second puff interval was used to sample the smoke constituents for analysis. Significant levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrocarbons like ethylene, methane and 1, 3-butadiene were detected in the mainstream bidi smoke. In addition, 3-methylpyridine, cotinine, α-amyrin, and β-amyrin were also present at high levels in bidi smoke. Despite having less tobacco compared to conventional cigarette, bidi smokers are potentially exposed to significantly higher concentrations of nicotine due to the greater puffing frequency. The non-porous nature and higher moisture content of tendu leaf in bidis compared to cigarette wrapping paper led to higher levels of carbon monoxide and tar in bidi smoke compared to regular cigarette smoke. Results of this study indicate the presence of harmful and carcinogenic chemicals in the mainstream bidi smoke that could be harmful to human health.
Postponing sexual involvement among adolescents: An alternative approach to prevention of sexually transmitted diseases

Over 1,000 teenagers participated in the field test of an educational series designed to help them resist the social and peer pressures than can lead to early sexual involvement. A companion program for parents was designed to help adults better understand the pressures experienced by adolescents and aid the parents in reinforcing the information given to their children. Initial findings indicate skill building may be an important addition to the knowledge-based curriculum commonly used to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted disease among teenagers today.
Measuring two-photon microscopy ultrafast laser pulse duration at the sample plane using time-correlated single-photon counting.

Two-photon microscopy (2PM) has revolutionized biomedical imaging by allowing thin optical sectioning in relatively thick biological specimens. Because dispersive microscope components in 2PM, such as objective lens, can alter temporal laser pulse width (typically being broader at the sample plane), for accurate measurements of two-photon absorption properties, it is important to characterize pulse duration at the sample plane. We present a simple modification to a two-photon microscope light path that allows for second-harmonic-generation-based interferometric autocorrelation measurements to characterize ultrafast laser pulse duration at the sample plane using time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC). We show that TCSPC can be used as a simple and versatile method to estimate the zero time delay step value between two adjacent ultrafast laser pulses for these measurements. To demonstrate the utility of this modification, we measured the Coherent Chameleon-Ultra II Ti:sapphire laser pulse width at the sample plane using a 10 × air, 40 × air, or 63 × water-immersion objective lens. At 950-nm two-photon excitation, the measured pulse width was 154 ± 32, 165 ± 13, and 218 ± 27 fs (n = 6, mean ± standard deviation), respectively.
Research on Frequency Control and Evaluation of Various Power Disturbances

Frequency control is one of concerning issues for interconnected power grid. In accordance with new demand of frequency control under UHV transmission system, the frequency control thought, which is combined with the five level dispatching management model of "Unified Dispatch, Hierarchical Management" in China power grid, is divided based on the dimensions of disturbance severity. The performance evaluation method of disturbance control is suitable to integral frequency control under high-power loss fault as well as the three level scheduling schemes for state grid. Regional grid and provincial grid are designed on the basis of in-depth analysis of North America reliability standard set. The simulation results show that the frequency control performance evaluation method of interconnected power grid oriented to various power disturbances is with better effectivity than the North American disturbance control method, which can effectively improve the anti-disturbance capability of the system.
Digitale Transformation in der Produktionsplanung und -steuerung

Kurzfassung Fuhrende deutsche produktionstechnische Institute haben sich zum vierten Mal zur Durchfuhrung einer Studie zusammengeschlossen, um die aktuellen Entwicklungen der Produktionsplanung und...
The NLRP3 inflammasome in progressive multiple sclerosis.

This scientific commentary refers to ‘NLRP3 inflammasome as prognostic factor and therapeutic target in primary progressive multiple sclerosis patients’, by Malhotra et al. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa084 ).
How to Develop a Fair Revision Arthroplasty Bundle? Using Perioperative Complications and Readmissions to Investigate.

Abstract Background The next frontier for value-based health care in total joint arthroplasty is revision surgery. Although the disparity in health care utilization between revision procedures compared with primary total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) procedures is recognized, no agreement regarding the risk adjustment necessary to make revision bundles fair to both payors and providers exists. The purpose of this study is to use the risk of perioperative complications and readmissions of patients undergoing revision THA/TKA to establish the foundations of a fair revision arthroplasty bundle. Methods We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of 484 aseptic THA/TKA revisions performed at our institution over a 12-month period and compared complications, length of stay, reoperations, and 90-day readmissions to a group of 802 consecutive patients undergoing primary THA/TKA. Results 169 (34.9%) patients experienced major complications after revision THA/TKA compared with 176 (21.9%) patients undergoing primary THA/TKA (P Conclusion For a revision bundle to be fair and widely adopted, either significant financial incentive must be instituted or the latitude given to exclude outliers from the final reconciliation. This must be adjusted to not disincentivize institutions from providing care for failed hip and knee arthroplasties.
Risk factors for severe illness in hospitalized Covid-19 patients at a regional hospital.

Background The Covid-19 pandemic threatens to overwhelm scarce clinical resources. Risk factors for severe illness must be identified to make efficient resource allocations. Objective To evaluate risk factors for severe illness. Design Retrospective, observational case series. Setting Single-institution. Participants First 117 consecutive patients hospitalized for Covid-19 from March 1 to April 12, 2020. Exposure None. Main outcomes and measures Intensive care unit admission or death. Results In-hospital mortality was 24.8% and average total length of stay was 11.82 days (95% CI: 10.01 to 13.63 days). 30.8% of patients required intensive care unit admission and 29.1% required mechanical ventilation. Multivariate regression identified the amount of supplemental oxygen required at admission (OR: 1.208, 95% CI: 1.011-1.443, p = .037), sputum production (OR: 6.734, 95% CI: 1.630-27.812, p = .008), insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (OR: 11.873, 95% CI: 2.218-63.555, p = .004) and chronic kidney disease (OR: 4.793, 95% CI: 1.528-15.037, p = .007) as significant risk factors for intensive care unit admission or death. Of the 48 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit or died, this occurred within 3 days of arrival in 42%, within 6 days in 71%, and within 9 days in 88% of patients. Conclusions At our regional medical center, patients with Covid-19 had an average length of stay just under 12 days, required ICU care in 31% of cases, and had a 25% mortality rate. Patients with increased sputum production and higher supplemental oxygen requirements at admission, and insulin dependent diabetes or chronic kidney disease may be at increased risk for severe illness. A model for predicting intensive care unit admission or death with excellent discrimination was created that may aid in treatment decisions and resource allocation. Early identification of patients at increased risk for severe illness may lead to improved outcomes in patients hospitalized with Covid-19.
On the conditioning of basis materials and its impact on multimaterial decomposition-based spectral imaging in photon-counting CT

Purpose Material-specific imaging and virtual monochromatic imaging/analysis are the two forms of spectral imaging in CT implemented via either energy-integration or photon-counting data acquisition. Aimed at further understanding the fundamentals and providing guidelines on its design and implementation, we quantitatively investigate the conditioning (sufficiency in dimensionality, well-posedness in basis functions, and matching of K-edge materials) of basis materials and its impact on the performance of spectral imaging in photon-counting CT. Materials and methods Initially, singular value decomposition (SVD) is employed to investigate the dimensionality of material space for multimaterial decomposition-based spectral imaging in photon-counting CT over the energy range [18 150] keV. Then, the SVD is extended to study the well-posedness of basis functions, its relationship with the dimensionality of materials to be imaged, and its impact on imaging performance. A number of phantoms are designed to mimic the soft and bony tissues in the head and contrast enhancement materials (iodine and gadolinium). Simulation studies, in which the geometry of photon-counting CT is similar to a clinical CT, are carried out to evaluate and verify the proposed approach of conditioning analysis and the relationship between the conditioning of basis materials and the performance of spectral imaging in photon-counting CT. Results The preliminary data show that the dimensionality of biological tissues, including both soft and bony tissues, is effectively equal to two. The dimensionality increments with inclusion of K-edge materials into the materials to be imaged. The well-posedness of basis functions depends on the correlation between the functions and impacts the noise in material decomposition substantially, but affects the noise in virtual monochromatic imaging/analysis moderately. If a K-edge material is in the materials to be imaged, the same K-edge material has to be one of the basis materials, but its concentration does not affect the accuracy of material decomposition significantly. Moreover, inclusion of K-edge material into the basis material makes the tuning of correlation among the basis functions feasible and thus improves the performance of spectral imaging in photon-counting CT. Conclusion The extension of SVD for systematic analysis of multimaterial decomposition-based spectral imaging in photon-counting CT is of innovation and significance. In addition to providing more information on the fundamentals, the approach used in this study and the data obtained so far may provide guidelines on the implementation of spectral imaging in either photon-counting or energy-integration CT, as well as other x-ray-related imaging modalities such as radiography and tomosynthesis.
The Speluncen Cave Explorer Opinion, Natural Law, and Posner's Law and Economics.

The Speluncen Cave Explorers Judicial Opinion address whether murder is permitted by the need for survival. The paper addresses Judge Posner's Law and Economics theory which holds that the defendants were justified by the need for survival to undertake the killing. Posner's opinion is rebutted by natural law which holds that the murder cannot be justified in the case because the right to life is an inalienable right not a matter of economic determinism.
Monetary policy and credit flows

Abstract The paper assesses the impact of monetary policy shocks on credit reallocation and evaluates the importance of theoretical monetary policy transmission mechanisms. Compustat data covering 1974 through 2017 is used to compute quarterly measures of credit flows of borrowing firms. I find that expansionary monetary policy is associated with positive long-term credit creation and credit destruction (i.e. credit reallocation). This impact is larger for financially constrained firms and those that are perceived as relatively risky to the lender. This is predicted by the balance sheet channel of monetary policy and mechanisms that reduce lenders’ risk perceptions and increase the tendency to search for yield.
Sexual Minority Status, Bullying Exposure, Emotion Regulation Difficulties, and Delinquency Among Court-Involved Adolescent Girls.

Sexual minority adolescent girls are overrepresented in the justice system. This study used the minority stress model and psychological mediation framework to investigate a pathway for this disparity among court-involved girls ages 14–18 (N = 226; mean age: 15.58; 48% sexual minority). The hypotheses were that sexual minority status would be associated with delinquency, bullying exposure would be associated with delinquency indirectly via emotion regulation difficulties, and the relationship between bullying exposure and emotion regulation difficulties would be stronger for sexual minority girls. Bullying exposure and emotion regulation difficulties were not related. Sexual minority status was related to delinquency, and emotion regulation difficulties mediated this relationship. The findings suggest interventions to build emotion regulation skills may reduce delinquency for sexual minority girls.
A detailed field study of direct correlations between ground truth crop water stress and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from small unmanned aerial system (sUAS)

Aerial images with high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution were used to detect water stress based on canopy level normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We attempted to determine the correlation between stem water potential (SWP) and canopy NDVI with and without shade. Results indicated that removing the shade from the canopy improved the correlation between the NDVI of canopy and SWP with coefficient of determination (R2) from 0.001 to 0.0052. We further compared SWP and the NDVI of the canopy without shade over a period of one week to four weeks. The correlation between NDVI with SWP was highest in the time range of three weeks. However, both cases show that there is no obvious relationship between NDVI of canopy and SWP. Therefore, canopy level NDVI does not indicate water stress. Further research is needed beyond pretty pictures.
Efficient excitation of Ne-like calcium and titanium ions for collisionally excited soft X-ray lasers in a fast capillary discharge

We report the generation of dense calcium and titanium plasma channels with an abundance of neon-like ions by very fast capillary discharges. Only modest currents (40-70kA) are required to ionize these plasma columns to the neon-like state. The first observation of line emission at wavelengths corresponding to the 3p-3s and 3d-3p transitions of neon-like ions in a capillary discharge is reported. >
Self-association of the plasma membrane-associated clathrin assembly protein AP-2.

Abstract A self-association reaction involving the plasma membrane-associated clathrin assembly protein AP-2 has been detected by incubating AP-2 alone under solution conditions that would favor the assembly of complete coat structures if clathrin were present. Self-association was rapid, unaffected by nonionic detergents, readily reversible, and gave rise to sedimentable aggregates. Only the AP subtype AP-2 exhibited self-association: the structurally or functionally related assembly proteins AP-1 and AP-3 and unrelated proteins neither self-associated nor were incorporated into the AP-2 aggregate. AP-2 interactions responsible for self-association were of high affinity, with an apparent Kd of approximately 10(-8)M. By proteolytic dissection, the self-association domain was localized to the core of the molecule containing the intact 50- and 16-kDa polypeptides in association with the truncated 60-66-kDa moieties of the parent alpha/beta polypeptides. Self-association of the intact AP-2 molecule was pH-dependent, exhibiting an apparent pKa approximately 7.4. While it is unlikely that the large AP-2 aggregates formed in solution are themselves biologically relevant structures, the AP-2 interactions involved in their formation have properties consistent with their occurrence in intact cells and thus may be important in cellular functions of the plasma membrane-localized assembly protein.
Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Abuse

Abstract This article describes clinical guidelines for implementing the Seeking Safety therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. The rationale for the treatment, key features, empirical evidence, and implementation suggestions are offered. The latter include how to select clients and clinicians for the treatment, application to a variety of treatment formats, how to make the skills most useful to clients, typical difficulties of clinicians, diversity issues, group modality suggestions, and how to involve staff who are not directly conducting the treatment. A website, http://www.seekingsafety.org, provides additional information.