cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-value remote sensing for the geosciences: Opportunistic use of navigation satellite signals

It is now recognized that the enormous challenge of scientifically understanding the Earth system requires careful strategic decisions on what missions are deployed. In a recent report, the National Research Council developed a “value framework” for Earth observing systems with a focus on prioritizing NASA observations that merit long-term continuity. In this paper, we refer to this framework to discuss how high value observations arise from opportunistic use of signals generated by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS. The increasing number of GNSS constellations internationally, likely to be permanently deployed, suggests that the geosciences community will benefit by adopting these signals for a variety of remote sensing needs. We describe recent progress in using these observations scientifically and developing technology to exploit them. We conclude that dedicated constellations of GNSS science instruments in low Earth orbit capable of receiving both direct and reflected GNSS signals will provide excellent science return in a broad range of areas, and constitute a high value Earth observing system.
Distinguishing Petroleum (Crude Oil and Fuel) From Smoke Exposure within Populations Based on the Relative Blood Levels of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes (BTEX), Styrene and 2,5-Dimethylfuran by Pattern Recognition Using Artificial Neural Networks.

Studies of exposure to petroleum (crude oil/fuel) often involve monitoring benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX), and styrene (BTEXS) because of their toxicity and gas-phase prevalence, where exposure is typically by inhalation. However, BTEXS levels in the general U.S. population are primarily from exposure to tobacco smoke, where smokers have blood levels on average up to eight times higher than nonsmokers. This work describes a method using partition theory and artificial neural network (ANN) pattern recognition to classify exposure source based on relative BTEXS and 2,5-dimethylfuran blood levels. A method using surrogate signatures to train the ANN was validated by comparing blood levels among cigarette smokers from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with BTEXS and 2,5-dimethylfuran signatures derived from the smoke of machine-smoked cigarettes. Classification agreement for an ANN model trained with relative VOC levels was up to 99.8% for nonsmokers and 100.0% for ...
A wide range 60 GHz VCO using back-gate controlled varactor in 22 nm FDSOI technology

This paper presents a 60 GHz, 34% tuning range mm-wave voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The VCO is fabricated in GLOBALFOUDRIES 22 nm FDSOI (22FDXTM) process. Switched capacitor based tuning array covers frequency range from 51 GHz to 72 GHz. A novel back-gate controlled varactor is used to achieve a low Kv of 680 MHz at 57 GHz carrier frequency. The power dissipation of VCO core is 7.5 mW from a 0.7 V supply when it operates at 60 GHz. The phase noise at 60 GHz carrier frequency is −84 dBc/Hz and −109 dBc/Hz, at 1MHz and 10MHz offset frequency, respectively.
The Safety and Efficacy of Low-Dose Naltrexone in the Management of Chronic Pain and Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, and Other Chronic Pain Disorders

Chronic inflammatory diseases are complex to treat and have an impact on a large number of patients. Due to the difficulty of treating these diseases and the great impact on quality of life, patients often seek off-label, complimentary, or alternative medicines to gain relief from symptoms. Low-dose naltrexone has been used off-label for treatment of pain and inflammation in multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, and other diseases. Naltrexone is a mu-opioid receptor antagonist indicated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for opioid and alcohol dependence. It is hypothesized that lower than standard doses of naltrexone inhibit cellular proliferation of T and B cells and block Toll-like receptor 4, resulting in an analgesic and antiinflammatory effect. It is the purpose of this review to examine the evidence of the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of low-dose naltrexone for use in chronic pain and inflammatory conditions. Currently, evidence supports the safety and tolerability of low-dose naltrexone in multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and Crohn's disease. Fewer studies support the efficacy of low-dose naltrexone, with most of these focusing on subjective measures such as quality of life or self-reported pain. These studies do demonstrate that low-dose naltrexone has subjective benefits over placebo, but evidence for more objective measures is limited. However, further randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the efficacy of low-dose naltrexone due to insufficient evidence supporting its use in these disease states. This review provides practitioners with the extent of low-dose naltrexone evidence so that they can be cognizant of situations where it may not be the most appropriate therapy.
Agritourism: Toward a Conceptual Framework for Industry Analysis

Visiting farms and ranches to experience agricul­ture and celebrate harvests is an age-old tradition. In the U.S. and many other countries, this tradition is the basis of an emerging industry known as “agritourism.” Although agritourism appears to be growing in many parts of the U.S., confusion about agritourism limits the ability of researchers and agricultural interests to fully understand this sector’s economic importance and to support its performance over time. A universal understanding of agritourism is needed for clear communication, reliable and consistent measurement, informed policies, and programs that support farms and ranches and their communities. To that end, the authors present a conceptual framework that incor­porates core and peripheral tiers, as well as five categories of activities, including direct sales, edu­cation, hospitality, outdoor recreation, and enter­tainment. The goal of this viewpoint is to stimulate commentary and debate that furthers our collective understanding of agritourism as it becomes an increasingly important industry in the U.S. COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK on this proposed framework are welcome at JAFSCD's Facebook page !
Care of the Postoperative Pulmonary Resection Patient

Patients undergoing pulmonary resection all exhibit, to some degree, a level of pulmonary dysfunction. This is due to the physiologic stress of the procedure performed, the patient’s comorbidities, and preexisting cardiopulmonary reserve. Although prognostic factors for intensive care requirement exist, to date, there is no consensus for postoperative admission. Institutional practices vary across the country, with patients often admitted to intensive care for surveillance. Guidelines published from the American Thoracic Society in 1999 emphasize that admission to the ICU be reserved for those patients requiring care and monitoring for severe physiologic instability. Admissions following pulmonary resection are typically due to respiratory complications and are an independent predictor of mortality. The following chapter will review the indications for admission to the ICU and common issues encountered following pulmonary resection and conclude with a discussion of the management of patients undergoing pulmonary transplantation.
Concept for a passive multistatic UAV-borne weather radar

Multistatic weather radar systems have previously been explored as a means to obtain highly accurate 3-dimensional wind field retrievals. However, previous implementations of this concept have been limited by their need for a dedicated trans­mitter and communications infrastructure linking the transmit and receive sites. A system concept is proposed that increases flexibility and decreases cost by utilizing a direct-path signal from the transmitter to process the received weather echoes. Such a system could be used in conjunction with any coherent transmitter that operates within its frequency band and is capable of supplying accurately timestamped pointing angle information. It will also allow for receivers that are light enough to be mounted on small UAVs, greatly mitigating the practical difficulty of finding suitable sites for mobile radar deployments. In order to demonstrate the advantages and feasibility of such a system, a simulation framework has been developed and implemented. Illustrative results from the simulator are presented.
Regulation of Dendritic Cell Development by STATs

Dendritic cells (DCs) serve as a critical link between the innate and adaptive immune responses due to their ability to sense pathogens and respond by activating adaptive immune cell types. Delineating the molecular control of DC development will provide important information about the generation of natural immunity as well as approaches to regulate DCs in clinical settings. DCs are generated from hematopoietic stem cells through specialized progenitor subsets in response to cytokine and transcriptional cues, with FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) and Flt3L receptor (Flt3) signaling providing a major pathway supporting homeostatic DC generation. Recent work has indicated that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and type I interferons (IFNs) also play important roles in regulating DC subset production. Here we review new insight into the mechanisms by which cytokine-activated STAT proteins control the DC developmental process.
The Library Is for Studying: Student Preferences for Study Space

Systematic observation of non-computer seating areas in library and non-library spaces on an urban campus showed an important role for the library in individual and group study area choices. The study provides data on important points to consider in library design, including laptop needs and gender preferences.
Enhancing Crop Acreage Estimation within a Semiarid Watershed via Statistical Assessments and Techniques

It is necessary to examine if the statistical methods designed to improve Cropland Data Layer (CDL) acreage estimates at a national level improve estimates at the county level. This study determined whether the calibration of CDL by statistical techniques increased the accuracy of crop estimates on a semiarid West Texas watershed. Since there is a substantial amount of agriculture and farming in areas like West Texas, accurate crop estimates of datasets at smaller scales become important. We compared three methods: the pixel counting method of the CDL, linear regression of the CDL against the MODIS Land Cover Type Product (MLCT), and the Bayesian method (posterior probability) on the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) against the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) Quick Stats. Four crops [corn (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)] were analyzed at state and county levels during two growing seasons (2009 and 2011). Prediction errors were estimated by comparing computed acreage with the appropriate NASS Quick Stats values. The total error for each assessment method was estimated for all acreage values in that particular assessment category. We found that the Bayesian method improved the estimates of sorghum and winter wheat and linear regression improved acreage estimates for cotton and corn in 2011 and 2009, respectively. Our results indicate that county-level adjustments are very sensitive. Therefore, one must carefully select the method that best fits the type of crop, geographical location, and growing season being considered.
New evidence for the determinants of foreign investment in an Asian market

This paper examines foreign investment in Vietnamese stock markets from 2013 to 2016. Previous studies for sample periods prior to 2013 find that foreigners invested relatively more in low liquidity shares. In contrast, this paper shows that foreigners now invest relatively more in high liquidity stocks. This study also investigates the investment determinants of foreign blockholders who own at least 5% of shares outstanding separately from those of the other foreign investors. The results show that foreign blockholders are more available to assume certain types of risk than the other foreign investors. Further, the investment preferences are similar between foreign blockholders and local blockholders. The results of the paper suggest that the availability of investors to assume risk, which is dependent on their wealth levels, is a possible explanation of equity home bias.
Multilevel interventions to prevent and reduce obesity

Abstract The complex, multilevel causes of the ongoing obesity epidemic necessitate multilevel approaches to address the problem. Accordingly, interest in multilevel obesity interventions has expanded rapidly in recent years. We conducted an updated literature review of multilevel interventions for obesity prevention and reduction. We identified six protocols and six articles on completed studies that were published between January 2016 and September 2018. Of the completed studies, four found significant intervention effects on body mass index and/or waist circumference. Two showed significant improvements in diet and two showed significant improvements in physical activity. These studies highlight the promise multilevel interventions offer for addressing obesity at the population level.
Off-Label Use of Topical Minoxidil in Alopecia: A Review

Topical minoxidil is a well-known and often-utilized drug in dermatological practice for the treatment of alopecia. It was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in 1988. Since its approval, minoxidil has been used off-label for the treatment of many other types of alopecia, with minimal formal evidence of efficacy. Conditions for which the use of topical minoxidil has been reported include telogen effluvium, alopecia areata (AA), scarring alopecia, eyebrow hypotrichosis, monilethrix, and chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). The evidence for the use of minoxidil in each condition is derived from a variety of studies, including clinical trials, case series, and case reports. A comprehensive review of the literature indicates that while minoxidil is routinely used in the management of many alopecic conditions, there is mixed evidence for its efficacy. For certain conditions, including AA and most scarring alopecias, the evidence seems to be inconclusive. For others, such as eyebrow hypotrichosis, monilethrix, early traction alopecia, and CIA, there is more support for the efficacy of minoxidil. Although the favorable safety profile of minoxidil is established in adults, its use in the treatment of pediatric alopecia may require heightened monitoring and patient education.
Phase transition of the two-dimensional classical XY-model

The two dimensional classicalXY-model, representative for two dimensional models with continuous symmetry, is shown to undergo a phase transition of continuous order in a low temperature region. In particular: 1. The correlation functions decay with a power law at large distance in a temperature range belowT′ with a characteristic singular exponentη which varies continuously between 0 and ∞; 2. For magnetic fieldB → 0 the free energy develops a singular part in the form of a power with a singular exponentκ which varies continuously between 1 and ∞ atT ∞ (<T′); 3. The singular exponentsκ, η, and a correlation length exponent are related to one another by scaling laws and are determined by a dispersion coefficient for low lying excitations.
Associations between neighborhood, family factors and symptom change in childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Abstract Transactional theories view development as partly shaped by processes proximal to a child, which in turn interact with more distal neighborhood and societal contexts. Here we apply this theory to parse the interplay between neighborhood and familial factors on age-related change in symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity (ADHD). A cohort of 190 children (96 with ADHD) had a range of neighborhood and familial factors ascertained and had repeated clinical assessments over an average of 2.5 years at a U.S. research center. Using mixed model regression, we found an association between neighborhood wealth, but not the built environment, and the annual rate of change of inattentive but not hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Following the transactional model, we asked if familial processes explain (mediate), modify (moderate), or act alongside this effect of neighborhood wealth on the change in a child's symptoms of inattention with age. We found evidence for moderation. Specifically, several family level variables – parental economic/education status and degree of family conflict and order moderated the effects of neighborhood wealth on the change in a child's inattentive symptoms. Children living in relatively affluent neighborhoods showed improvement with age in inattention, largely independent of variation in a wide range of familial factors. By contrast, children living in less affluent neighborhoods showed clinical deterioration only if the family had high levels of conflict or if the parents were of lower economic/educational status. Such work might help identify children whose familial and neighborhood contexts place them at risk of having ADHD symptoms persist or increase with age.
Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.

Metastatic Uveal Melanoma A 59-year-old woman presented with inflammation and pain in the right eye. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a right orbital mass. A diagnosis of metastatic uveal melanoma...
Site-Programmable Transposition: Shifting the Paradigm for CRISPR-Cas Systems

Discoveries by Klompe et al. (2019) and Strecker et al. (2019) elucidate distinct CRISPR-Cas mechanisms for site-specific programmable transposition in prokaryotic organisms.
Synthesis of Tetrahydroisoquinolines Through an Iron-Catalyzed Cascade: Tandem Alcohol Substitution and Hydroamination.

Rapid assembly of saturated nitrogen heterocycles—the synthetically more challenging variants of their aromatic relatives—can expedite the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules. Starting fro...
1957 Robotic Assisted Mesh Removal: Posterior Vaginal Mesh Kit and Perivesical Mesh Invading Obturator Internus

Video Objective This video depicts a surgical approach in a patient with both a complicated and unclear surgical history, with inability to obtain complete surgical record. It demonstrates a robotic assisted laparoscopic approach to removal of mesh in a patient with persistent pelvic pain with an unclear or unknown mesh location. Setting This is a 60 year old woman with a remote history of hysterectomy for benign indications. Per patient, she subsequently developed symptomatic prolapse for which she underwent a “bladder sling” and two “hernia repairs” which necessitated suprapubic catheter post-operatively. She then experienced worsening pelvic pain since that time, now years later, and with constant rectal pressure and more recent post-coital bleeding. The patient is adamant on complete mesh removal. This was performed as an ambulatory surgery within a hospital setting. Interventions Pelvic examination revealed noticeable tenderness of anterior vaginal wall, with no exposed mesh or bleeding. The video itself depicts a robotic assisted laparoscopic removal of bilateral posterior vaginal mesh kit and left perivesical mesh invading obturator internus. Careful surgical technique involving bladder dissection off vaginal cuff, ureterolysis, and dissection throughout the space of Retzius down to the obturator internus muscle is carried out with complete removal of multiple mesh components. Conclusion Avoiding transection of the mesh along with meticulous dissection aides in traction and greatest chance of complete removal. Maintenance of hemostasis is critical for adequate visualization, especially within the space of Retzius. Knowledge of pelvic anatomy is paramount, as scarring, fibrosis, and mesh migration can distort normal anatomical planes.
Economic Policy: Planned Economy or Free Market?

Concurrently with the personal and regional power struggles which preoccupied the CDU during much of 1946–7, there was being conducted a critical re-examination of the programs put out by the various zonal and Land parties. For if some form of unified party organizaton was to be created, the CDU would eventually have to issue a program valid for the party as a whole. It required no expert in textual exegesis to recognise the acute differences between CDU programs then valid in the major party centers; Cologne, Berlin and Frankfurt. Some had been clearly exposed by the Adenauer-Kaiser clash over socialization proposals.
Rhodamine 123 Labelling of Mitochondria in Sieve Elements I. Localization with Confocal Microscopy in Plant Tissue Culture Phloem

Phloem sieve elements are the specialized cells of higher plants responsible for conducting photoassimilates from regions of production (sources) to regions of utilization or storage (sinks). The translocation of photoassimilates is believed to be the result of the A'Tf'-dependent membrane transport of sugars across the plasma membrane-lined sieve elements or associated companion cell and the subsequent generation of hydrostatic pressure due to osmosis. During the development of the sieve element, many cellular organelles are lost from the cell, including the nucleus and the vacuole. Mitochondria, however, are retained in the mature sieve element. Here we show that many of the particles visible in the sieve and develops from a plant tissue culture are strongly labelled by Rhodamine 123, a probe that is specifically accumulated by mitochondria in plant and animal cells. These observations suggest that sieve element mitochondria are metabolically active and that they may contribute to the generation of the ATP required for phloem loading.
Excluded-volume model for quarkyonic matter. II. Three-flavor shell-like distribution of baryons in phase space

We extend the excluded-volume model of isospin symmetric two-flavor dense quarkyonic matter [Phys. Rev. C 101, 035201 (2020)] including strange particles and address its implications for neutron stars. The effective sizes of baryons are defined from the diverging hard-core potentials in the short interdistance regime. Around the hard-core density, the repulsive core between baryons at short distances leads to a saturation in the number density of baryons and generates perturbative quarks from the lower phase space, which leads to the shell-like distribution of baryons by the Pauli exclusion principle. The strange-quark Fermi sea always appears at high densities but the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ hyperon shell only appears when the effective size of the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ hyperon is smaller than the effective size of nucleons. We find that the pressure of strange quarkyonic matter can be large enough to support neutron stars with two times solar mass and can have a large sound speed, ${c}_{s}^{2}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.7$. The fraction of the baryon number carried by perturbative quarks is about 30% at the inner core of most massive neutron stars.
Sequential versus Simultaneous Aging of XLPE Nuclear Cable Insulation Subjected to Elevated Temperature and Gamma Radiation

Electrical cables constitute a critical component of nuclear power generation. The aging behavior of electrical cable insulation under combined exposure to thermal and radiation stress is not additive, complicating lifetime prediction of cable performance based on sequential accelerated aging. In this work we explore the relative effects of simultaneous and sequential thermal and gamma radiation aging on cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), which is commonly found in commercial nuclear power plants in the United States. Samples of XLPE were subjected to up to 320 kGy of gamma irradiation at a dose rate of 300 Gy/hr in two heating scenarios. In the first, simultaneously-aged samples were heated at 150°C during irradiation. In the second, sequentially aged samples were heated at 150°C for designated durations followed by corresponding periods of irradiation without heating. The mass, total color difference, and density were characterized to quantify aging of the insulation polymer. Sequential aging is hypothesized to be more damaging to XLPE insulation due to an increased trend in mass gain, total color difference, and density.
An in-plane, mirror-symmetric visualization tool for deep brain stimulation electrodes*

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat a range of neurologic conditions. Determining the anatomic location of the DBS lead and inferring the microelectrode recording track from co-registered pre-operative and post-operative scans is important for stereotactic surgery and neurophysiology research. Reslicing images with the DBS lead in-plane while maintaining mirror symmetry is not possible with current clinical navigation software. Therefore, we developed an open source software tool in Matlab for visualizing DBS lead placement and anatomic segmentation with computed tomography and magnetic resonance images. The code and graphical user interface are available at: github.com/camplaboratory/DBS_reslice.
Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-derived porous carbon materials for supercapacitors: an overview

The present analysis focuses on the synthetic methods used for the application of supercapacitors with various mysterious architectures derived from zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs). ZIFs represent an emerging and unique class of metal–organic frameworks with structures similar to conventional aluminosilicate zeolites, consisting of imidazolate linkers and metal ions. Their intrinsic porous properties, robust functionalities, and excellent thermal and chemical stabilities have resulted in a wide range of potential applications for various ZIF materials. In this rapidly expanding area, energetic research activities have emerged in the past few years, ranging from synthesis approaches to attractive applications of ZIFs. In this analysis, the development of high-performance supercapacitor electrodes and recent strategies to produce them, including the synthesis of various heterostructures and nanostructures, are analyzed and summarized. This analysis goes via the ingenuity of modern science when it comes to these nanoarchitecture electrodes. Despite these significant achievements, it is still difficult to accurately monitor the morphologies of materials derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) because the induction force during structural transformations at elevated temperatures is in high demand. It is also desirable to achieve the direct synthesis of highly functionalized nanosized materials derived from zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and the growth of nanoporous structures based on ZIFs encoded in specific substrates for the construction of active materials with a high surface area suitable for electrochemical applications. The latest improvements in this field of supercapacitors with materials formed from ZIFs as electrodes using ZIFs as templates or precursors are discussed in this review. Also, the possibility of usable materials derived from ZIFs for both existing and emerging energy storage technologies is discussed.
Who’s the Boss?: The Need for Thoughtful Identification of the Client(s) in Special Education Cases

This Article explores the various models of representation used by attorneys in special education cases and advocates for thoughtful identification of the client or clients through a contextualized, individualized decision made collaboratively by the lawyer and client(s), with considerations of a panoply of factors. Part I attempts to unpack these models. While clear advantages exist with each of the models, the Article presents case examples and questions that illustrate some of the challenges that may be presented by each model. Part II includes a discussion of the factors that an attorney should consider in each case in determining the appropriate model of representation. These factors reveal the legal, ethical, and practical challenges in selecting a model of representation. The rights of parents, including their rights to make decisions on behalf of their children more generally and in relation to their children’s special education needs in particular, affect the decision to select a particular model of representation. Challenges related to identification of the “parent” or educational decision-maker under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) also play a role. Questions as to whether administrative hearing officers and courts view a minor child as having the capacity to bring an administrative due process complaint or civil action in a special education case should also factor into an attorney’s assessment, as should expectations regarding the attorney-client relationship by the child, parents, and other individuals, such as school officials. Other factors such as the characteristics, capacity and age of the child, potential conflicts of interest between the parent and child, and the implications for attorney client confidentiality should be considered in selecting a model of representation for each case. Similarly, involvement by the family in child welfare proceedings or by the youth in delinquency proceedings influences the model of representation that is used. This section includes an analysis of these factors and the roles they should play in an attorney’s evaluation of the appropriate model of representation in a particular case. In Part III, the Article provides several recommendations to facilitate the effective identification of the client or clients in a special education case. The Article recommends that attorneys, in partnership with their potential clients, thoughtfully identify the client or clients in a special education matter, clearly communicate the chosen model to all family members, and remain aware of any potential or existing conflicts among clients where joint representation is used. Finally, the Article emphasizes the importance of clear communication about the role of each person and ultimate loyalty to the identified client, but also advocates for the involvement and empowerment of both parent and child in the representation, wherever possible.
Cooperative monitoring for detecting adversarial communication

In this paper, we propose an energy efficient cooperative monitoring algorithm for detecting and localizing adversarial communications in the presence of malicious reporting, Our solution is based on a combination of a game theory formulation for distributivity managing the monitoring-energy tradeoffs and a novel recursive trilateration algorithm which provides robustness to measurement errors and malicious reporting. Our results show that the energy consumption for monitoring is significantly reduced for our proposed solution compared to the all monitoring benchmark, and that the algorithm shows high robustness to malicious reporting. Our proposed method was able to still correctly localize the adversarial source within a specified tolerance error, and within a prescribed number of monitoring epochs, 83% of the time, when 25% of the monitoring nodes were compromised, reporting maliciously.
Herd-level Management and Biosecurity Factors associated with Measures of Reproductive Success in California Beef Cow-calf Herds

A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the relationship between herd-level management and biosecurity practices in a sample of California's beef cow-calf operations, and the estimated within-herd prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum , Anaplasma marginale, and the persistent carrier state of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV PI). Serum samples were collected from 917 adult beef cows from 29 herds. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were created to predict calving season length and the probability of a cow weaning a calf using selected herd-level management and biosecurity factors and the seroprevalence data. The overall seroprevalence of A. marginale , N. caninum and BVDV PI was 47.4% (435/917), 8.9% (82/917) and 0.1% (1/917), respectively. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed no significant associations between management variables and calving season length. A logistic regression model found that the probability that a cow weaned a calf was associated with the number of first-calf heifers in the herd, whether the bulls were semen tested, whether the herd had a history of epizootic bovine abortion, and if the cow herd was vaccinated against Clostridium spp. Based on these findings, we conclude that herd-level management and biosecurity factors may be associated with reproductive success in beef cow-calf farms in California through their effect on the probability that a cow weans a calf.
Perceptions of Bereaved Caregivers and Clinicians About End-of-Life Care for Patients With Destination Therapy Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Background Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) implanted as destination therapy may receive suboptimal preparation for and care at the end of life, but there is limited understand...
Thermo-economic analyses of solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrids considering thermal cell gradients

Abstract The thermodynamic performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)-gas turbine (GT) hybrid system has been investigated at steady state operating conditions considering overall cell temperature differences and local thermal gradients inside the SOFC. The obtained simulation results served as input for the thermo-economic evaluation of the SOFC-GT hybrid. The system has been studied at two different operating voltages, various operating pressures, and fuel utilization factors. The results show that operating the system at higher fuel utilization factors and higher pressure ratios results in a substantially increased air flow requirement to maintain acceptable temperature differences and thermal gradients. The highest efficiency is obtained at the higher operating voltage of the two studied scenarios, a moderate pressure ratio of 5 bar and a moderate fuel utilization of 87.6%. However, the lowest cost of electricity is obtained at the lower operating voltage, the same pressure ratio and a lower fuel utilization compared to the highest efficiency case.
Invisibility of Triangular Anti-Isorefractive DNG Prisms Illuminated by Multiple Incident Plane Waves

The two-dimensional boundary-value problem of scattering by structures containing sharp edges allows for an exact geometrical optics (GO) solution only in particular cases, which usually involve restrictions on one or more of the following parameters: the number of plane incident waves; their polarization, phase and direction of incidence; the relationships between wavelength and dimensions of the scattering object; the electromagnetic properties of the scattering materials. An exact GO solution under incidence by a single plane wave is not known and presumably is not possible for wedge structures made of perfect electric or perfect magnetic materials [1], [2]. For penetrable wedges, the only known exact GO solution for a single wedge under incidence by a single plane wave is the scattering by a right-angle wedge made of anti-isorefractive DNG metamaterial [3]. The result obtained in [3] has been applied to obtain the exact GO scattering of two plane waves propagating in opposite directions by a DNG prism of rectangular cross section [4].
The Health Care Resource Utilization and Costs Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Either Cardiovascular Disease or Cardiovascular Risk Factors An Analysis of a US Health Insurance Database

ABSTRACT Purpose Health care costs and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes were evaluated among US patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or CV risk factors. Methods Patients with ≥24 months of continuous enrollment were selected from the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare databases from January 1, 2014, to September 30, 2018. For the first qualifying 24-month period, months 1 to 12 defined the baseline period and months 13 to 24 defined the follow-up period. All patients had ≥2 T2D diagnoses during baseline. Two cohorts were created: (1) patients with ≥1 CVD diagnosis during baseline (“CVD cohort”); and (2) patients with ≥1 CV risk factor (“CV risk cohort”) and no diagnosed CVD during baseline. The percentage of patients with subsequent CVD diagnoses and annual all-cause, T2D-related, and CV-related costs in baseline and follow-up periods were reported. Findings In total, 1,106,716 patients met inclusion criteria: CVD cohort, 224,018 patients; CV risk cohort, 812,144 patients; and no diagnosed CVD or CV risk factors, 70,554. During baseline, 40.2% of the CVD cohort had 2 or more CVD diagnoses. During follow-up, 10.5% of the CV risk cohort had evidence of CVD (ie, emergent CVD). During baseline, the CVD cohort had mean (SD) all-cause costs of $38,985 ($69,936); T2D-related costs, $16,208 ($34,104); and CV-related annual costs, $18,842 ($44,457). The CV risk cohort had mean all-cause costs of $13,207 ($27,057); T2D-related costs, $5226 ($12,268); and CV-related costs, $2754 ($10,586). During follow-up, the CV risk cohort with emergent CVD had higher mean all-cause, T2D-related, and CV-related annual costs than costs among patients without CVD (all-cause, $39,365 [$67,731] vs $13,401 [$27,530]; T2D related, $18,520 [$37,256] vs $5732 [$12,540]; and CV related, $18,893 [$43,584] vs $2650 [$10,501], respectively). Implications Costs for patients with T2D and either CVD or CV risk are substantial. In this analysis, ∼10% of patients with CV risk were diagnosed with emergent CVD. All-cause costs among patients with emergent CVD were nearly 3 times higher than those among patients with CV risk only. Because costs associated with CVD in the T2D population are high, preventing CVD events in patients with T2D has the potential to decrease overall health care costs and avoid additional disease burden for these patients.
Investigating the Effect of Multilevel Inverters on Motor Stator Insulation Stress

This paper investigates the dielectric stress and leakage current density as seen by medium-voltage motor stator ground-wall insulation when the stator winding is excited by 3-, 5-, and 7-level multilevel inverter output waveforms. Effect of firing angle on insulation stress is also studied for a 3-level multilevel inverter. Results show that in addition to the number of output voltage levels, PWM wave shape is also important. Both these factors work together to aid or inhibit the effect on the insulation health. Strong correlation is shown between the increase in the voltage RMS value and increase in dielectric stress when ignoring the dv/dt impact for a fixed DC input voltage and operating frequency of the inverter. Similarly, the dielectric stress in the stator insulation increased with an increase in firing angle, since larger firing angles led to higher RMS voltage values.
Kinetic Analysis of the Processivity of Human Cytochrome P450 17A1

Human cytochrome P450 (P450) 17A1 is one of several P450 monoxygenases involved in the biosynthesis of steroids. Notably, P450 17A1 is responsible for 17α-hydroxylation of the 21-carbon steroids pr...
Working with Children and Adolescents

This chapter focuses on the various issues affecting the psychotherapy of children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are persons who have not yet grown to adulthood. They are still in the early stages of the life cycle and due to their level of mental development, as a special subpopulation, they need certain specific attention in therapy. Strictly speaking, children are younger than adolescents and they are artificially subdivided by the developmental landmark of puberty. The psychological lives of children and adolescents need to be comprehended from cultural perspectives in addition to those of development, family, and social environment. The relationship between children and their parents, adolescents and adults, is much more tightly interwoven so that they are almost inseparable, which cannot be ignored when clinicians are working with children. Despite this recognition, there is not yet any sufficient and systematic knowledge for clinicians to grasp in terms of how children and adolescents' lives are actually shaped by culture and the kinds of practical cultural considerations that are needed in their care. This is attributed to the shortage of child psychiatrists around the world to accumulate such transcultural knowledge in diverse cultural settings.
The symptom burden of treatment-naive patients with head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND The treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) may cause substantial local and systemic symptomatic morbidities, but many patients have high symptom levels before treatment begins. Knowledge of disease-related (treatment-naive) symptom status would aid in the evaluation of the symptomatic benefit or burden of HNC therapies. METHODS The authors retrospectively examined symptoms, quality of life, and health status reported by patients with HNC who were naive to any treatment. Symptoms were explored by anatomical site and disease factors were correlated with symptom severity and interference. A clustering algorithm was used to identify a subset of highly symptomatic patients, and the effects of disease site, tumor stage, and demographic variables on membership in this high-symptom group were examined. RESULTS A total of 748 treatment-naive patients with mucosal (434 patients), nonmucosal (272 patients), or skull base (42 patients) tumors were identified who had rated their symptoms using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory. The majority of patients were white non-Hispanic (82%) and male (68%), with a median age of 59 years. Approximately one-third the patients had a high pretreatment symptom burden. Pain, fatigue, distress, and disturbed sleep were the most severe symptoms reported, regardless of tumor stage or site. Symptom burden was found to be higher among patients with more advanced disease. Predictors of a high symptom burden included having a mucosal tumor and being female. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of moderate to severe symptoms found in the current study demonstrates the importance of assessing patient-reported symptoms routinely before treatment is initiated and emphasizes the need for symptom management in parallel with disease treatment. Baseline characterization of symptom status should be incorporated into clinical trials that may affect symptom burden. Cancer 2015;121:766–773. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
Ethical Context, Organizational Commitment, and Person-Organization Fit

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships among ethical context, organizational commitment, and person-organization fit using a sample of 304 young working adults. Results indicated that corporate ethical values signifying different cultural aspects of an ethical context were positively related to both organizational commitment and person-organization fit. Organizational commitment was also positively related to person-organization fit. The findings suggest that the development and promotion of an ethical context might enhance employees' workplace experiences, and companies should consider adopting ethical policies that support principled conduct, punish unethical actions, and increase individual perceptions of an ethical company environment.
China's Second Ascent and International Relations Theory

This paper questions the adequacy of IR theory in explicating China’s behavior in what is its second ascent in history, reversing a century-long decline under the crush of Western encroachments. For a thousand years until the West came in the 19th century, China had been the world’s largest economy and was the center of an Asian system of international relations. As existing IR theory is extrapolated from the predominantly Western history of international relations, it draws heavily from the examples of the first-time upstarts beginning with Britain after the Industrial Revolution, Napoleonic France, and post-Meiji Japan, and ending with Hitlerite Germany and Stalinist Russia. All of these rising nations asserted their new-found power in relentless expansions at other nations’ expense. Thus, the theory sees every rising power as a threat. It is disadvantaged, however, by the lack of a precedent of a similar former hegemon re-rising after a long eclipse. The second rise of China requires rethinking of our IR theory. A clue that might help is to review how China behaved during its first ascent and how it reacted to its pre-modern downfall, which the paper also addresses.
Interference analysis for FH-based multi-radio wireless mesh networks

In this paper, we study the interference analysis in a Nocoherent Frequency-Hopping (NC-FH) MFSK rural infrastructure Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) with each router node being equipped with multiple radio interfaces. Our choice of the FH/MFSK modulation technique here is not just to satisfy the security requirement in military communications but also to provide easy implementation for each router nodes; since FH/MFSK modulation technique has been specified in IEEE 802.11 standard, these router nodes can be implemented also using IEEE 802.11(FH) equipments. The performances of noncoherent slow frequency-hopping system with M-ary frequency-shift-keyed modulation (NC-FH/MFSK) with AWGN channel and Rician fading under independent multitone jamming (independent MTJ) are investigated in this paper. The expressions for calculating the exact BER performances of the system under the effect of the jamming strategies are derived. We apply the analyses to channel assignment (CA) in multiradio rural WMNs. We obtain a new interference model combining interfence tone and partial band noise, which would be incorporated into the CA algorithm to assign the most appropriate channel (or hopping pattern, in our case) to links in the mesh. Because it takes into account both the intranetwork and the coexisting-network interferences, the new interference model thus reflects a very realistic interference situation in WMNs.