cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying Local Hot Spots of Pediatric Chronic Diseases Using Emergency Department Surveillance.

Abstract Objective To use novel geographic methods and large-scale claims data to identify the local distribution of pediatric chronic diseases in New York City. Methods Using a 2009 all-payer emergency claims database, we identified the proportion of unique children aged 0 to 17 with diagnosis codes for specific medical and psychiatric conditions. As a proof of concept, we compared these prevalence estimates to traditional health surveys and registry data using the most geographically granular data available. In addition, we used home addresses to map local variation in pediatric disease burden. Results We identified 549,547 New York City children who visited an emergency department at least once in 2009. Though our sample included more publicly insured and uninsured children, we found moderate to strong correlations of prevalence estimates when compared to health surveys and registry data at prespecified geographic levels. Strongest correlations were found for asthma and mental health conditions by county among younger children (0.88, P = .05 and 0.99, P P P = .05), and depression estimates had a nonsignificant, but strong negative correlation with suicide attempts (−0.88, P = .12). Using SaTScan, we also identified local hot spots of pediatric chronic disease. Conclusions For conditions easily identified in claims data, emergency department surveillance may help estimate pediatric chronic disease prevalence with higher geographic resolution. More studies are needed to investigate limitations of these methods and assess reliability of local disease estimates.
Perineal Sensation Predictive of Spina Bifida Outcome

Neurologic examination, including perineal sensation, was conducted in a prospective cohort study of 117 consecutive patients with open spina bifida at St George's, University of London, and Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Validity of proximity sensor-based wear-time detection using the ActiGraph GT9X

ABSTRACTOur study investigated the performance of proximity sensor-based wear-time detection using the GT9X under laboratory and free-living settings. Fifty-two volunteers (23.2 ± 3.8 y; 23.2 ± 3.7 kg/m2) participated in either a laboratory or free-living protocol. Lab participants wore and removed a wrist-worn GT9X on 3–5 occasions during a 3-hour directly observed activity protocol. The 2-day free-living protocol used an independent temperature sensor and self-report as the reference to determine if wrist and hip-worn GT9X accurately determined wear (i.e., sensitivity) and non-wear (i.e., specificity). Free-living estimates of wear/non-wear were also compared to Troiano 2007 and Choi 2012 wear/non-wear algorithms. In lab, sensitivity and specificity of the wrist-worn GT9X in detecting total minutes of wear-on and off was 93% and 49%, respectively. The GT9X detected wear-off more often than wear-on, but with a greater margin of error (4.8 ± 11.6 vs. 1.4 ± 1.4 min). In the free-living protocol, wrist and ...
Parameters impacting accuracy of ARFI-derived stiffness ratios: A simulation study with implications on measurement of dynamic myocardial stiffness

Measurement of myocardial stiffness using ultrasound-based transient elastography has received significant attention in recent years. The mechanical properties of myocardium not only undergo cyclic dynamic changes over the cardiac cycle but also change on a slower scale with physiological factors. They are also closely tied to several cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure, cardio-toxicity and transplant rejection. SWEI allows for quantitative assessment of tissue mechanical properties. However, in the context of cardiac imaging it has only been shown to be feasible in diastole. ARFI, on the other hand, provides a relative estimate of tissue mechanical properties and has been shown to be viable over the entire cardiac cycle. ARFI-derived myocardial stiffness ratios have been investigated as a potential clinical metric of myocardial function. While this ratio is indicative of the change in stiffness of the myocardium over the cardiac cycle, its quantitative relationship to absolute material properties has yet to be thoroughly investigated.
White science and indigenous maize: the racial logics of the Green Revolution

ABSTRACTIndigenous maize from Mexico has become crucial for a wave of contemporary agricultural development initiatives seeking to cultivate a ‘Green Revolution for Africa’. Plant breeders developing disease-resistant hybrid maize for Africa use cutting edge technologies like CRISPR-Cas9 to mine the genomes of maize collected in Mexico 75 years ago, during the Green Revolution’s earliest incarnation. Historicizing this transnational linkage, this paper argues that Green Revolution science appropriates indigenous maize through racial logics rooted in whiteness. In the 1940s, American scientists sent by the Rockefeller Foundation to improve Mexico’s agriculture negotiated their own racial subjectivity through their encounters with Mexico’s indigenous people. In the process, they constructed a racial hierarchy that equated whiteness with scientific superiority and indigeneity with underdevelopment. This racialization undergirded a maize program led by E.J. Wellhausen that collected and catalogued hundreds of...
The Third World Perspective on the Cold War: Making Curriculum and Pedagogy Relevant in History Classrooms

American and global history curriculum frameworks for high schools across the fifty states generally present the topic of the Cold War from the Western political perspective and contain material about the impact of the US-Soviet ideological rivalry on American society. This article argues that since the Cold War impacted the lives of the people in the Third World as well, their stories deserve a place in the history curriculum. Also, the article suggests that since the American society is now culturally diverse, it is imperative for history educators to teach history in the learners' social and cultural contexts. Therefore, both the Cold War history content and pedagogy should include perspective from the Third World so that the past is relevant and meaningful for the students learning about the global Cold War.
Categories of Music Description and Search Terms and Phrases Used by Non-Music Experts

Previous research has demonstrated that people listen to music for various reasons. The purpose of this study was to investigate people’s perception of music, and thus their music information needs. These ideas were examined by presenting 22 participants with 7 classical musical pieces, asking one-half of them to write words descriptive of each piece, and the other half words they would use if searching for each piece. All the words used by all subjects in both tasks were classified into 7 categories. The two most frequently appearing categories were emotions and occasions or filmed events regardless of the task type. These subjects, none of whom had formal training in music, almost never used words related to formal features of music, rather using words indicating other features, most of which have not been considered in existing or proposed music IR systems. These results suggest that music IR research should be extended to consider needs other than finding known items, or items identified by formal characteristics, and that understanding music information needs of users should be prioritized to design more sophisticated music IR systems.
DIVERSITY AND SPATIAL EFFECTS ON COMPETITIVE SYSTEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on diversity and spatial effects on competitive systems. Competition is a mechanism that is often used to explain certain structural and organizational features of ecosystems. This chapter describes modification of the two-dimensional models of the traditional Lotka–Volterra–Gause type to include effects of diversity and spatial heterogeneity. It reviews the outcomes of competition between two species with a central theme of survival of species. It presents some persistence–extinction results obtained when a third competitor is added to the system. The chapter explores discrete spatial effects and presents an ordinary differential equation model of two competitors in two patches. This model includes a new parameter that measures species perception of patch occupancy. This leads to a wider solution behavioral spectrum than is possible in its absence. The chapter also discusses a new model of continuous diffusion for competitive systems. It presents a comparison of some preliminary results on two-dimensional competitive systems with directed diffusion and those available for the widely utilized random diffusion model.
Abstract SY05-02: Polycomb dysregulation by oncohistones

Covalent modifications to both the DNA and the histone proteins allow chromatin to act as a dynamic information hub that integrates diverse biochemical stimuli to regulate genomic DNA access to the transcription machinery and ultimately establish and maintain cellular phenotypes. Moreover, there is increasing appreciation that chromatin alterations per se, including DNA and histone modifications, are involved in the pathogenesis of cancer. Nowhere is this better supported than with the groundbreaking discoveries of high-frequency, somatic mutations in histones that are drivers of oncogenesis. These mutations (collectively called "oncohistones") cause amino acid substitutions that localize to conserved residues in the N-terminal tail of histone H3 and all seem to be linked, either directly or indirectly, to disruption of normal levels and distribution of histone H3 methylation and thus genomic regulation. Specifically, oncohistones directly or indirectly promote aberrant genome-wide distribution of lysine 27 methylation on histone H3. H3K27 methylation, catalyzed by the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), is mechanistically linked to establishment and maintenance of gene repression. We are currently using a combination of biochemical and genomic approaches to investigate how oncohistone-driven changes in histone H3 K27 methylation lead to altered chromatin states that profoundly influence gene expression patterns. I will discuss some of our recent mechanistic and functional work on various oncohistone mutations. Citation Format: Peter W. Lewis. Polycomb dysregulation by oncohistones [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr SY05-02.
Integrating clients' religion and spirituality within psychotherapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis.

Some religious or spiritual (R/S) clients seek psychotherapy that integrates R/S values, while others may be reticent to disclose R/S-related aspects of struggles in a presumably secular setting. We meta-analyzed 97 outcome studies (N = 7,181) examining the efficacy of tailoring treatment to patients' R/S beliefs and values. We compared the effectiveness of R/S-tailored psychotherapy with no-treatment controls, alternate secular treatments, and additive secular treatments. R/S-adapted psychotherapy resulted in greater improvement in clients' psychological (g = 0.74, p < 0.000) and spiritual (g = 0.74, p < 0.000) functioning compared with no treatment and non R/S psychotherapies (psychological: g = 0.33, p < 0.001; spiritual: g = 0.43, p < 0.001). In more rigorous additive studies, R/S-accommodated psychotherapies were equally effective to standard approaches in reducing psychological distress (g = 0.13, p = 0.258), but resulted in greater spiritual well-being (g = 0.34, p < 0.000). We feature several clinical examples and conclude with evidence-based therapeutic practices.
New developments in tube shunt surgery.

Purpose of reviewThis article reviews recent studies related to tube shunt surgery.Recent findingsMedical claims data and surveys of glaucoma surgeons demonstrate that tube shunts are being selected with increasing frequency as an alternative to trabeculectomy. A 5-year pooled analysis of the Ahmed
Nutrient export and elemental stoichiometry in an urban tropical river.

Nutrient inputs to surface waters are particularly varied in urban areas, due to multiple nutrient sources and complex hydrologic pathways. Because of their close proximity to coastal waters, nutrient delivery from many urban areas can have profound impacts on coastal ecology. Relatively little is known about the temporal and spatial variability in stoichiometry of inorganic nutrients such as dissolved silica, nitrogen, and phosphorus (Si, N, and P) and dissolved organic matter in tropical urban environments. We examined nutrient stoichiometry of both inorganic nutrients and organic matter in an urban watershed in Puerto Rico served by municipal sanitary sewers and compared it to two nearby forested catchments using samples collected weekly from each river for 6 yr. Urbanization caused large increases in the concentration and flux of nitrogen and phosphorus (2- to 50-fold), but surprisingly little change in N:P ratio. Concentrations of almost all major ions and dissolved silica were also significantly higher in the urban river than the wildland rivers. Yield of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was not increased dramatically by urbanization, but the composition of dissolved organic matter shifted toward N-rich material, with a larger increase in dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) than DOC. The molar ratio of DOC:DON was about 40 in rivers draining forested catchments but was only 10 in the urban river. Inclusion of Si in the assessment of urbanization's impacts reveals a large shift in the stoichiometry (Si:N and Si:P) of nutrient inputs. Because both Si concentrations and watershed exports are high in streams and rivers from many humid tropical catchments with siliceous bedrock, even the large increases in N and P exported from urban catchments result in delivery of Si, N, and P to coastal waters in stoichiometric ratios that are well in excess of the Si requirements of marine diatoms. Our data suggest that dissolved Si, often neglected in watershed biogeochemistry, should be included in studies of urban as well as less developed watersheds due to its potential significance for marine and lacustrine productivity.
“Assurance that the world holds far more good than bad”:The Pedagogy of Memory at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum

The Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum (OKCNMM) must balance respectful remembrance with broad education about the 1995 terrorist attack that killed one hundred and sixty-eight people. Epideict...
PRESENCE OF PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN PATIENTS ADMITTED WITH ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: AN INSIGHT FROM MOST RECENT NATIONAL INPATIENT DATABASE (2016)

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease. In patients having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) it has shown to be associated with worse prognosis. In this National inpatient sample (NIS) study, we aimed to evaluate impact of PAD on mortality and morbidity for
Conclusions and General Principles of a Critical Realist Approach to Gangs

The thesis presented in this monograph argues that on the one hand our approach towards UK gangs must not become too comfortable with the pre-suppositions of knowledge (particularly from other places and countries), however, on the other hand to agree that our knowledge of gangs is socially constructed and fallible does not mean we cannot have rational and empirical grounds for making judgements that have a genuine purchase on reality (Bhaskar in The possibility of naturalism: A philosophical critique of the contemporary human sciences. Harvester Wheat-sheaf, Hemel Hempstead, UK, 1989). In short, the chapter provides some of the tenets of a Critical Realist approach to gangs. Moreover, in order to achieve a more inclusive process of policy-making, we must constantly seek to redefine our perceptions of the truth in order to reach an ethical consensus. This process can be carried out by theory testing with stakeholders. The approach is based on empirical observations of gang related issues, which are informed by unavoidable partial pre-suppositions, which are then tested against other evidence and experiences. This process, which combines a critical realist approach to cycles of action research potentially, provides for a more justifiable and democratic decision-making process in policy and practice.
Molecular Electrocatalysts for Alcohol Oxidation: Insights and Challenges for Catalyst Design

The implementation of a sustainable energy economy based on renewable but intermittent energy sources necessitates the efficient electrogeneration of chemical fuels and the efficient utilization of...
Precision medicine, genetics and genomics in a community cancer clinic.

e13511Background: With advances in technology and the decreasing cost of next generation sequencing (NGS) to identify both germline and somatic pathogenic variants, there is a critical need for cur...
Do Voters Appreciate Responsive Governments? Evidence from Indian Disaster Relief

Using rainfall, public relief, and election data from India, we examine how governments respond to adverse shocks and how voters react to these responses. The data show that voters punish the incumbent party for weather events beyond its control. However, we find evidence that fewer voters punish the ruling party when the party responds vigorously to the crisis. Moreover, severe crises are associated with increased voter sensitivity to disaster assistance. These results are consistent with models of government accountability, and provide an explanation for Amartya Sen's claim that democratic governments respond better to salient emergencies than to less conspicuous ones. Even so, the results suggest that even the most responsive government will fare worse in the subsequent election than had there been no disaster.
Assurer reputation for competence in a multiservice context

We experimentally examine determinants of the transferability and durability of an assurer’s flagship-service reputation for competence in a multi-service context. Economic and psychology theories agree that transferability will increase when a new service and a flagship service require relatively similar, as opposed to relatively dissimilar, competencies. These theories disagree, however, regarding the durability of an assurer’s flagship-service reputation following a performance failure in a new service. Economic theory requires some reciprocity for transferability and durability, and, accordingly, predicts that a new-service failure will inflict more damage on a flagship-service reputation when the new and flagship services require relatively similar, as opposed to relatively dissimilar, competencies. Psychology theory, in contrast, predicts that a new-service failure will tend not to damage the flagship-service reputation, even when the new and flagship services require relatively similar competencies. Thus, unlike economic theory, psychology theory predicts that relatively similar competencies between a new and a flagship service can improve the transferability of an assurer’s flagship-service reputation for competence without reciprocally threatening its durability. Experimental findings indicate that reputation transferability increases when the new and flagship services require relatively similar, as opposed to relatively dissimilar, competencies. They also indicate that a newservice failure damages the flagship-service reputation only when, and to a greater degree when, the new and flagship services require relatively dissimilar, as opposed to relatively similar, competencies. Thus, empirically, greater similarity in the competencies required by a new and flagship service simultaneously enhances the transferability and durability of the assurer’s flagship-service reputation. These empirical findings are better explained by psychology theory than by economic theory.
Abstract 16145: Reduced Ejection Fraction at Diagnosis is an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: The prevalence of reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in transthyretic cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) and its prognostic implications have not been well studied. Hypothesis: We hypothesi...
Teaching Values, Teaching Stereotypes: Sex Ed and Indoctrination in Public Schools

Many sex education curricula currently used in public schools indoctrinate students in gender stereotypes. As expressed in the title of one article: “If You Don’t Aim to Please, Don’t Dress to Tease,” and Other Public School Sex Education Lessons Subsidized by You, the Federal Taxpayer (Jennifer L. Greenblatt, 14 TEX. J. ON C.L. & C.R. 1 (2008)). Other lessons pertain not only to responsibility for sexual activity but to lifelong approaches to family life and individual achievement. One lesson, for example, instructs students that, in marriage, men need sex from their wives and women need financial support from their husbands. This Article first describes the ways in which teaching sex stereotypes may affect children, highlighting the need for further empirical research in this area. Second, it critiques the extant feminist legal response to gender-biased Sex Ed curricula, particularly the use of precedent dealing with governmental perpetuation of stereotypes; those precedents cannot be incorporated wholesale into this context. Finally, to correct this analytical gap, this Article connects the Sex Ed issue to the existing scholarly literature on indoctrination of schoolchildren, a literature that has hooks in both equal protection and the first amendment. The first amendment principles developed in this literature provide the missing link to explain the constitutional flaw in sex stereotyping at school. The result is an endorsement standard, based on a blending of equal protection and first amendment doctrine. Public school students should not be inculcated in values whose entrenchment by government is contrary to constitutional principles.
21st Century Dreidel

This article describes the traditional Chanukah gambling game of dreidel and suggests how it might be reshaped to make it more interesting in the 21st century.
Dexter Buys a Surfboard: An Exploratory Study of the Impact of a Classroom Activity and Reflection Paper on Student Perceptions of the First AIS Course

ABSTRACT In most accounting curricula, students enroll in the first accounting information systems (AIS) course after they have completed at least two accounting principle courses and are familiar with accounting fundamentals. However, these courses tend to teach topics as discrete subjects so many students have a poor understanding of how the data they are journalizing actually flow through an AIS. Because they have not previously thought about the concept of a system, most students also have trouble linking material in AIS textbooks to prior learning. To help students relate prior learning to AIS concepts, an in-class activity titled “Dexter Buys a Surfboard” was developed. This in-class activity was combined with a textbook reading and a required reflection paper. Statistical analyses found that the combination of a textbook reading, the in-class project, and a structured reflection paper did positively affect students' perceptions of the importance of learning about AIS. Further analyses found that GP...
Chlamydia trachomatis interrupts an exocytic pathway to acquire endogenously synthesized sphingomyelin in transit from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane.

Chlamydia trachomatis acquires C6-NBD-sphingomyelin endogenously synthesized from C6-NBD-ceramide and transported to the vesicle (inclusion) in which they multiply. Here we explore the mechanisms of this unusual trafficking and further characterize the association of the chlamydial inclusion with the Golgi apparatus. Endocytosed chlamydiae are trafficked to the Golgi region and begin to acquire sphingolipids from the host within a few hours following infection. The transport of NBD-sphingolipid to the inclusion is energy- and temperature-dependent with the characteristics of an active, vesicle-mediated process. Photo-oxidation of C5-DMB-ceramide, in the presence of diaminobenzidine, identified DMB-lipids in vesicles in the process of fusing to the chlamydial inclusion membrane. C6-NBD-sphingomyelin incorporated into the plasma membrane is not trafficked to the inclusion to a significant degree, suggesting the pathway for sphingomyelin trafficking is direct from the Golgi apparatus to the chlamydial inclusion. Lectins and antibody probes for Golgi-specific glycoproteins demonstrate the close association of the chlamydial inclusion with the Golgi apparatus but do not detect these markers in the inclusion membrane. Collectively, the data are consistent with a model in which C.trachomatis inhabits a unique vesicle which interrupts an exocytic pathway to intercept host sphingolipids in transit from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane.
Associations among aspects of meaning in life and death anxiety in young adults.

This investigation explored the relationship between two aspects of meaning in life, presence of meaning in life and search for meaning in life, and the fear of death and dying in young adults. A community sample of participants (N=168) completed measures of meaning in life and death anxiety. A multivariate analysis of variance was performed using the search for meaning and presence of meaning as independent variables and fear of death and dying as dependent variables. Results indicated that only the search for meaning in life was significantly associated with fear of dying and death in young adults.
Molecular structure of the NADH/UDP-glucose abortive complex of UDP-galactose 4-epimerase from Escherichia coli: implications for the catalytic mechanism.

UDP-galactose 4-epimerase is one of three enzymes in the metabolic pathway that converts galactose into glucose1-phosphate. Specifically this enzyme catalyzes the interconversion of UDP-galactose a...
THE VALUE OF A FORWARD CONTRACT IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES

Under some assumptions a valuation model for a forward contract in foreign currencies is developed. The model produces the value of the contract which is consistent with the value of other types of forward contract; the initial value is zero, and subsequent values are the present values of the differences between the forward rate when the contract is written and current forward rates.
Block of the stretch reflex of vastus lateralis during vertical jumps

Abstract To determine if stretch reflex feedback contributes to enhanced performanceof vertical jumps of various types, partial block of the stretch reflex of vastus lateralis was accomplished using perineural injections of 1% Novocain (procaine) at the muscle's motor point. Jumps by six male athletes were done on a computerized force platform system before and after block. Block was assessed using an average EMG response to tendon tap. Stretch reflexes were reduced by 58–87%. Variables analyzed were jump height, digitized rectified EMG in the eccentric phase, and vertical velocity. A squat jump from a chair was used as a control for motor strength. A squat jump from flexed knees (with tonic prestretch) was a control for a jump without elastic contributions; jumps with elastic contributions have been seen only with fast prestretch. Jumps done with two legs (i.e. countermovement jump, drop jump) did not show consistent reductions because the unblocked leg may have compensated for the blocked leg. Significant decreases occurred in jumps done with one leg and having tonic (squat jump hop) or phasic (countermovement hop) prestretch phases. The decreases were greater in the jumps with phasic prestretch phases. Stretch reflex feedback seems to contribute to enhanced jump height. This may be either due to development of enhanced elastic storage capability or to EMG activation and force development, depending on whether feedback effects occur in the eccentric or concentric phases, respectively.
The Influence of Semantic Processing on Phonological Decisions in Children and Adults: A Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Study.

Purpose To examine the behavioral effects and neural activation patterns associated with implicit semantic processing influences on phonological judgments during reading in children and adults. Met...
Fine needle aspiration cytology of clear cell "sugar" tumor (PEComa) of the lung: Report of a case

PEComa (clear cell “sugar” tumor) of the lung is a rare benign tumor of the lung probably arising from the perivascular epithelioid cells (PECs). We report a case of pulmonary PEComa arising from the periphery of the right lobe of a 64-year-old male. To our knowledge, this is the second case in the English literature diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy. In this case report, the clinical, cytologic and immunohistochemical features clear cell “sugar” tumor of the lung are discussed and compared with the previously published literature. The differential diagnosis and methods for distinguishing the various clear cells lesions in the lung are discussed. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:89–93. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Characterization of Chrysaora quinquecirrha (sea nettle) nematocyst venom collagenase

Abstract 1. 1. The collagenase isolated from Chrysaora quinquecirrha (sea nettle) nematocyst venom was purified 237 fold using three sequential ion exchange chromatographic steps. 2. 2. The collagenase had optimal activity at physiological pH and temperature ranges. 3. 3. The enzyme was activated by Ca 2+ and Na + and reversibly inhibited by EDTA. 4. 4. The enzyme was not inhibited by phenylmethyl-sulfonyl fluoride but a number of chelating agents, cysteine, and many metal ions inhibited the collagenase.
Benchmarking ISA reliability to intermittent errors

Silicon scaling has led to accelerated wearout, which results in increased number of intermittent errors. Of the various factors that can lead to intermittent errors, device utilization is a major contributor to wearout. Every device on a chip is activated in response to either control signals or data movement resulting from instruction execution. This research proposes a systematic methodology for benchmarking the vulnerability of instruction set architecture (ISA) toward intermittent errors. By following each instruction during its execution through the processor pipeline, we quantify how many devices each instruction activates during its execution. We propose Vulnerability to Intermittent Failures (VIF) as a metric to quantify the stress imposed on circuits by an instruction. We show how VIF varies from instruction to instruction and how different inputs can affect VIF.
Medical Home Disparities Are Not Created Equal: Differences in the Medical Home for Children from Different Vulnerable Groups

Abbreviations: AAP—American Academy of Pediatrics, CSHCN—children with special health care needs, NSCH—National Survey of Children's Health Abstract: Objective. To identify components of the medical home that contribute to medical home disparities for vulnerable children. Methods. Cross- sectional analysis of 2007 Na- tional Survey of Children's Health. Prevalence of components of the medical home were estimated by special health care needs (SHCN), race/ethnicity, primary language, and health insurance. Results. Medical home disparities for children with SHCN were driven by diff erences in getting help with care coordination, when needed (71% vs. 91% children without SHCN, p<.001). Medical home disparities for other groups were largely attribut- able to less family- centered care (Hispanic 49% and African American 55% vs. White 77%, p<.001; non- English primary language 37% vs. English 72%, p<.001; uninsured 45% and publicly insured 57% vs. privately insured 75%, p<.001). Conclusions. The components of the medical home that contribute to medical home disparities diff er between groups of vulnerable children. Medical home implementation may benefi t from focusing on the specifi c needs of target populations.
The Cost of Tax Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from the Municipal Swap Market

Using the implied marginal forward tax rate and limited empirical data, the author estimates the tax risk premium at roughly 60 basis points, translating into a current market price of tax policy uncertainty of approximately $8 billion per year in the form of a burden imposed on the tax-exempt market. This additional cost also represents potential lost tax revenues to the federal government. The research extracts the market price of tax policy risk embedded in municipal swaps data, using tax-exempt and taxable swap rates. The implied marginal forward tax rate is useful for both municipal finance directors seeking to establish optimal debt policy and researchers seeking to explain the term structure of municipal interest rates. Bond market investors, tax-exempt issuers, and government policymakers may also find the implied marginal forward tax rate useful.
Contact electrification using force microscopy.

One of the oldest unresolved problems in physics is the mechanism of charge exchange between contacting surfaces when at least one of them is insulating. We describe a new technique, using force microscopy, for studying this problem with greater lateral resolution than has been previously possible. The force microscope is shown to have 0.2 \ensuremath{\mu}m lateral resolution and the sensitivity to detect 3 electronic charges. In contact-charging experiments between the microscope tip and polymethyl methacrylate, the charged region was much larger than the expected contact area and bipolar charge exchange was observed.
Selection of monoclonal antibodies for probing of functional intermediates in incision of UV-irradiated DNA by Uvr(A)BC endonuclease from Escherichia coli.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated that recognize UvrA and UvrB proteins. These proteins are components of the Uvr(A)BC endonuclease, which initiates nucleotide excision repair in Escherichia coli. mAbs, which can be used for probing of structural intermediates of Uvr(A)BC endonuclease functioning, were selected for their ability to: (i) recognize different epitopes; (ii) have a high-affinity for native antigenic protein; (iii) preserve functionality of the Uvr protein in immunocomplex. The adherence of anti-Uvr mAbs with these criteria was verified by additivity and competition tests, and by their influence on the ATPase activities of UvrA and UvrB*, the functionally active proteolytic fragment of UvrB. Two out of twelve anti-UvrA and seven out of thirteen anti-UvrB/anti-UvrB* hybridoma lines were shown to satisfy these criteria. Recognition of UvrA and UvrB deletion mutant proteins by mAbs was used to map their epitopes. Epitopes of A2D1 and A2B1 mAbs were mapped to regions of amino acids 230–281 and 560–680 of UvrA, respectively. Epitopes of anti-UvrB/UvrB* mAbs were assigned to the following amino acid regions of UvrB: B2A1, 8–61; B2C5 and B*2E3, 171–278; B2E2, 631–673; B3C1, 1–7 and/or 62–170; B*2B9, 473–630; B*3E11, 379–472. The ability of selected mAbs to neutralize the incision function of Uvr(A)BC was analyzed. The results are discussed in terms of the applicability of these mAbs to probe the structures of intermediates in the functioning of Uvr(A)BC.
Earnings Expectations, Revisions, and Realizations

During the spring and the fall of 1993, respondents to a national household survey were asked to report expectations of spring 1994 weekly earnings. Elicited in the form of subjective probabilities, these data are potentially much more informative than are typical reports of economic expectations. Subjective probability distributions of future weekly earnings are estimated for each respondent, based on his or her reports of a series of subjective probabilities. This paper analyzes the cross-sectional variation in expectations, revisions of expectations between the spring and the fall of 1993, and the relationship between 1993 expectations and the distribution of spring 1994 earnings realizations. Generally positive findings on the validity of the data bode well for the prospects of eliciting expectations in future surveys.
Multiple Sampling Raman Cold Cell

Recently a low temperature sample cell for a laser excited Raman spectrophotometer was described1 in which the laser beam was positioned in the horizontal plane of the optic axis, and the incident beam entered the side of the sample chamber (Fig. 2 of Ref. 1). This variable temperature cryostat could be used with other types of spectrophotometers provided that the sample compartment was open at the top. Such a cold cell is unsuitable for the more recent Raman spectrophotometers such as the Jarrell-Ash model 25–300 in which the sample compartment is enclosed as a part of the instrument. In the model 25–300, the distance from the optic axis to the top of the sample compartment (measured to the upper optical bench) is about 8.5 in. Thus, a cryostat of the size described in Ref. 1 could not be mounted vertically without removing the upper optical bench and cutting a hole in the top of the compartment. In addition, optimum use of the light collecting system consisting of an f/0.95 camera lens which collects and collimates the scattered light requires a distance of no more than 12 mm between the sample and the rear element of the lens. This places a severe requirement on the allowed maximum distance between the sample and outer surface of the exit window of a cryostat.
Recognition and management of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor fetopathy

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are extensively used for the treatment of hypertension, to decrease proteinuria, and to mitigate hyperfiltration. These drugs now have been shown to be fetotoxic causing profound fetal hypotension, renal tubular dysplasia, anuria-oligohydramnios, growth restriction, hypocalvaria, and death when used in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. We recommend that ACE inhibitors not be used in pregnancy. However, if a child is born with ACE inhibitor fetopathy, aggressive therapy with dialysis to remove the inhibitor may mitigate the profound hypotensive effects. Therapy will depend on the specific ACE inhibitor, and care recommendations cannot be generalized for the entire class of drugs as their protein binding and volume of distribution differ substantially.
The reactivity of a nucleophilic nickel acylate complex

Abstract The reactivity of a nucleophilic nickel acylate complex with a tungsten carbene complex, Fe(CO) 5 , Cr(CO) 6 , PPh 3 , and CO was investigated. With the tungsten carbene complex, a methyl transfer occurred. With the metal carbonyl complexes, the acylate group on the nickel and a carbonyl on the iron or chromium traded places. With the PPh 3 and CO, the acylate anion was replaced by the phosphine or CO ligand.
Beta power in the EEG of alcoholics.

Abstract Background In this study, the magnitude and spatial distribution of beta power in the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) were examined to address the possibility of an excitation–inhibition imbalance in the central nervous system of alcoholics. Methods Log transformed absolute power in the Beta 1 (12.5–16 Hz), Beta 2 (16.5–20 Hz), and Beta 3 (20.5–28 Hz) bands in the eyes-closed EEG of 307 alcohol-dependent subjects and 307 unaffected age- and gender-matched control subjects were compared using a multivariate repeated measures design. Effect of gender, age, and drinking variables was examined separately. Results Increased Beta 1 (12.5–16 Hz) and Beta 2 (16.5–20 Hz) absolute power was observed in alcohol-dependent subjects at all loci over the scalp. The increase was most prominent in the central region. Increased Beta 3 (20.5–28 Hz) power was frontal in the alcoholics. Age and clinical variables did not influence the increase. Male alcoholics had significantly higher beta power in all three bands. In female alcoholics the increase did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Beta power in all three bands of resting EEG is elevated in alcoholics. This feature is more prominent in male alcoholics. The increased beta power in the resting EEG may be an electrophysiological index of the imbalance in the excitation–inhibition homeostasis in the cortex.
Illusory possibilities and imagining counterparts

Given Kripke’s semantic views, a statement, such as ‘Water is H2O’, expresses a necessary a posteriori truth. Yet it seems that we can conceive that this statement could have been false; hence, it appears that we can conceive impossible states of affairs as holding. Kripke used a de dicto strategy and a de re strategy to address three illusions that arise with respect to necessary a posteriori truths: (1) the illusion that a statement such as ‘Water is H2O’ possibly expresses a falsehood, (2) the illusion that conceivability can fail to latch on to a genuine metaphysical possibility, and (3) the illusion that one can access a real metaphysical possibility by conceiving that water is not H2O. In this paper I argue that while Kripke’s de dicto strategy dispels (1), his strategies do not enable him to dispel (2) and (3).
Epitaxial thin films for hyperbolic metamaterials

Recent progress in the area of hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) has sparked interest in transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) that behave as plasmonic media in the near-IR and at optical frequencies for imaging and sensing applications. It has been shown that by depositing alternating layers of negative-epsilon/positive-epsilon materials, a medium can be created with unusual index values such as near zero. HMMs support high-k waves corresponding to a diverging photonic density of states (PDOS), the quantity determining phenomena such as spontaneous and thermal emission. Also, modeling such structures allows evanescent fields containing sub-wavelength information to be coupled to propagating radiation. We investigate the optical, electronic, and physical properties of radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxial (RF-MBE) growth of alternating layers of ZnO and TCO of uniform thickness for HMM applications. Preliminary work creating HMMs with ZnO and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) has shown a negative real part of the permittivity at near-IR whose modulus is proportional to the number density of Al dopant. However, increasing the Al content of the AZO increases the transmission losses to unacceptable levels for device applications at industry standard wavelengths. A TCO with conductivity and physical structure superior to that of AZO is gallium-doped ZnO (GZO). Uniformly grown GZO has been demonstrated to possess improved crystal quality over AZO due to the higher diffusivity of Al in the ZnO. AZO and GZO HMM structures grown by RF-MBE are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Hall effect, four-point probing, deeplevel transient spectroscopy (DLTS), ellipsometry, visible and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED).
Energy conservation programmes A review of state initiatives in the USA

Abstract In the USA states have initiated four types of non-utility programmes to promote energy conservation and renewable energy: tax incentives, grant and loan programmes, regulations and standards, and research and development programmes. Based on a survey, there is a wide variation among the states in the extent to which these programmes have been initiated and implemented. The states have conducted few evaluation studies assessing the effectiveness of their programmes. There appear to be two factors influencing a state's involvement in these programmes: the dependence of the state on outside energy sources and the political nature of the state.
Development and Validation of a Simple Protocol To Rapidly Determine the Performance of Biofilters for VOC Treatment

A protocol has been developed for the rapid determination of complete elimination characteristics of target pollutants in waste air biofilters. The protocol involves the determination of two pollutant concentration profiles along the height of a three-segment biofilter under carefully chosen conditions. The combination of the data results in 12 points on the elimination capacity vs load curve which is sufficient to fully characterize a system. The protocol conditions were chosen to enable characterization of biofiltration systems with VOC elimination capacities ranging from 20 to 120 g m-3 h-1. The protocol was then applied to 18 different VOCs, and the results compared well with previously published data, when available. Maximum removal performance of classes of compounds in the biofilter followed the sequence alcohols > esters > ketones > aromatics > alkanes. An attempt was made to correlate the pollutant elimination with Henry's coefficient, and the octanol/water partition coefficient and trends were o...
MicroRNA Modulation of RNA-Binding Protein Regulatory Elements

We propose that microRNAs could modulate RNA-binding protein binding sites in a dynamic manner. We suggest that the cis-regulatory code targeted by microRNAs is at least in part, the same as that read by mRNA-binding proteins. Our hypothesis predicts that microRNAs indirectly or directly bind to RNA-binding protein binding sites. Alternatively, the microRNA-mRNA interactions can themselves be the target of an mRNA-binding protein. Lastly, we envision examples where multiple mRNA regulatory elements are simultaneously influenced by microRNA-mRNA interactions such that the binding of one or more microRNA results in conformational changes in the structure of the mRNA, thereby, either revealing or masking a second regulatory element.
Dissipative N-point-vortex Models in the Plane

A method is presented for constructing point vortex models in the plane that dissipate the Hamiltonian function at any prescribed rate and yet conserve the level sets of the invariants of the Hamiltonian model arising from the SE (2) symmetries. The method is purely geometric in that it uses the level sets of the Hamiltonian and the invariants to construct the dissipative field and is based on elementary classical geometry in ℝ3. Extension to higher-dimensional spaces, such as the point vortex phase space, is done using exterior algebra. The method is in fact general enough to apply to any smooth finite-dimensional system with conserved quantities, and, for certain special cases, the dissipative vector field constructed can be associated with an appropriately defined double Nambu–Poisson bracket. The most interesting feature of this method is that it allows for an infinite sequence of such dissipative vector fields to be constructed by repeated application of a symmetric linear operator (matrix) at each point of the intersection of the level sets.
Corporate-Level Strategy, Business-Level Strategy, and Firm Performance

Corporate-level strategy and business-level strategy are operationalized in terms of interindustry and intra-industry variation, respectively. Variables representing both levels of strategy are use...
Degradation of aqueous piperazine in carbon dioxide capture

Abstract Concentrated, aqueous piperazine (PZ) is a novel solvent for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture by absorption/stripping. One of the major advantages of PZ is its resistance to thermal degradation and oxidation. At 135 and 150 °C, 8 m PZ is up to two orders of magnitude more resistant to thermal degradation than 7 m monoethanolamine (MEA). After 18 weeks at 150 °C, only 6.3% of the initial PZ was degraded, yielding an apparent first order rate constant for amine loss of 6.1 × 10 −9 s −1 . PZ was the most resistant amine tested, with the other screened amines shown in order of decreasing resistance: 7 m 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, 7 m Diglycolamine ® , 7 m N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine, 7 m MEA, 8 m ethylenediamine, and 7 m diethylenetriamine. Thermal resistance allows the use of higher temperatures and pressures in the stripper, potentially leading to overall energy savings. Concentrated PZ solutions demonstrate resistance to oxidation compared to 7 m MEA solutions. Experiments investigating metal-catalyzed oxidation found that PZ solutions were 3–5 times more resistant to oxidation than MEA. Catalysts tested were 1.0 mM iron (II), 4.0–5.0 mM copper (II), and a combination of stainless steel metals (iron (II), nickel (II), and chromium (III)). Inhibitor A reduced PZ degradation catalyzed by iron (II) and copper (II).