cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Youth Bulges in Communities: The Effects of Age Structure on Adolescent Civic Knowledge and Civic Participation

Youth bulges, cohorts of 16- to 25-year-olds disproportionately large relative to the adult population, are linked with social upheaval in historical research. Limited civic knowledge and heightened civic participation in adolescence, resulting from socialization in communities with large populations of children, are hypothesized to be developmental precursors to the political activism characteristic of youth constituting bulges. In two studies with nationally representative samples, adolescents in communities with disproportionately large populations of children were found to have less civic knowledge than equivalent adolescents in communities without large populations of children. In both studies, civic participation was predicted by the interaction of a community's proportion of children and its poverty level. Similar patterns were identified in a third study using country-level data. Together, the findings demonstrate that the youthfulness of communities and countries influences civic development.
Prevalence of Hypertension in the US Adult Population: Results From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1991

Abstract The purpose of this study was to estimate the current prevalence and distribution of hypertension and to determine the status of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control in the US adult population. The study used a cross-sectional survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States, including an in-home interview and a clinic examination, each of which included measurement of blood pressure. Data for 9901 participants 18 years of age and older from phase 1 of the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected from 1988 through 1991, were used. Twenty-four percent of the US adult population representing 43 186 000 persons had hypertension. The age-adjusted prevalence in the non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and Mexican American populations was 32.4%, 23.3%, and 22.6%, respectively. Overall, two thirds of the population with hypertension were aware of their diagnosis (69%), and a majority were taking prescribed medication (53%). Only one third of Mexican Americans with hypertension were being treated (35%), and only 14% achieved control in contrast to 25% and 24% of the non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white populations with hypertension, respectively. Almost 13 million adults classified as being normotensive reported being told on one or more occasions that they had hypertension; 51% of this group reported current adherence to lifestyle changes to control their hypertension. Hypertension continues to be a common finding in the general population. Awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension have improved substantially since the 1976-1980 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey but continue to be suboptimal, especially in Mexican Americans. Consideration should be given to revision of the criteria for classification of hypertension to reflect the widespread use of lifestyle modification for treatment of hypertension.
Static noise analysis for digital integrated circuits in partially depleted silicon-on-insulator technology

This paper extends transistor-level static noise analysis to consider the unique features of partially depleted silicon-on-insulator (PD-SOI) technology: floating-body-induced threshold voltage variations and parasitic bipolar leakage currents. This involves a unique state-diagram abstraction of the device physics determining the body potential of PD-SOI FETs. Based on this picture, a simple model of the body voltage is derived which takes into account modest knowledge of which nets have dependable regular switching activity. Results are presented using a commercial static noise analysis tool incorporating these extensions and comparisons are made with SPICE.
Demonstrating Dynamic Social Impact: Consolidation, Clustering, Correlation, and (Sometimes) the Correct Answer.

This demonstration illustrates principles of group dynamics and dynamic social impact and can be used in classes in social psychology or group dynamics. Students discuss their answers to multiple choice questions with neighbors and answer them again. Discussion consistently leads to the consolidation (reduced diversity), clustering (spatial self-organization), correlation (emergent linkages), and continuing diversity of responses. "Truth" does not necessarily win, showing (that the social reality of the group may be more important than objective reality.
Water quality conditions associated with cattle grazing and recreation on national forest lands.

There is substantial concern that microbial and nutrient pollution by cattle on public lands degrades water quality, threatening human and ecological health. Given the importance of clean water on multiple-use landscapes, additional research is required to document and examine potential water quality issues across common resource use activities. During the 2011 grazing-recreation season, we conducted a cross sectional survey of water quality conditions associated with cattle grazing and/or recreation on 12 public lands grazing allotments in California. Our specific study objectives were to 1) quantify fecal indicator bacteria (FIB; fecal coliform and E. coli), total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus, and soluble-reactive phosphorus concentrations in surface waters; 2) compare results to a) water quality regulatory benchmarks, b) recommended maximum nutrient concentrations, and c) estimates of nutrient background concentrations; and 3) examine relationships between water quality, environmental conditions, cattle grazing, and recreation. Nutrient concentrations observed throughout the grazing-recreation season were at least one order of magnitude below levels of ecological concern, and were similar to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) estimates for background water quality conditions in the region. The relative percentage of FIB regulatory benchmark exceedances widely varied under individual regional and national water quality standards. Relative to USEPA’s national E. coli FIB benchmarks–the most contemporary and relevant standards for this study–over 90% of the 743 samples collected were below recommended criteria values. FIB concentrations were significantly greater when stream flow was low or stagnant, water was turbid, and when cattle were actively observed at sampling. Recreation sites had the lowest mean FIB, total nitrogen, and soluble-reactive phosphorus concentrations, and there were no significant differences in FIB and nutrient concentrations between key grazing areas and non-concentrated use areas. Our results suggest cattle grazing, recreation, and provisioning of clean water can be compatible goals across these national forest lands.
INITIAL STAGES OF REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION IN TWO SPECIES OF THE ENDANGERED SONORAN TOPMINNOW

Long-term geographic isolation can result in reproductive incompatibilities due to forces such as mutation, genetic drift, and differential selection. In the Sonoran topminnow, molecular genetic studies of mtDNA, microsatellites, and MHC genes have shown that the endangered Gila and Yaqui topminnows are substantially different, suggesting that divergence took place approximately two million years ago. Here we examined hybrid crosses and backcrosses between these two allopatric taxa to evaluate the accumulation of postmating barriers to reproduction. These results are then compared with results from a previous study where male topminnows were shown to mate assortatively with conspecific females. Despite their preference for conspecific mates, both types of interspecific crosses successfully produced offspring. There was evidence of reduced hybrid fitness, including smaller mean brood size and male-biased sex ratio, for some classes of backcrosses. Brood sizes and interbrood intervals varied significantly when hybrids were subdivided into different cross categories. Our results illustrate the importance of distinctly defining hybrid classes in studies of reproductive isolation. To our knowledge, this is the first such detailed evolutionary analysis in endangered fish taxa.
Antiphospholipid antibodies and the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is a multiple-system disorder characterized by persistently elevated antiphospholipid antibodies and/or arterial or venous thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, or recurrent spontaneous abortion. Anticardiolipin antibodies and the lupus anticoagulant are different classes of antiphospholipid antibodies associated with this disorder. Cutaneous manifestations are common and may be the presenting sign of the underlying disease. This article reviews the clinical manifestations, laboratory assays, histopathologic features, and treatment of the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
Intra–Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Hypothermia With and Without Volume Loading in an Ischemic Model of Cardiac Arrest

Background— We investigated the effects of intra–cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) hypothermia with and without volume loading on return to spontaneous circulation and infarction size in an ischemic model of cardiac arrest. Methods and Results— Using a distal left anterior descending artery occlusion model of cardiac arrest followed by resuscitation with a total of 120 minutes of occlusion and 90 minutes of reperfusion, we randomized 46 pigs into 5 groups and used myocardial staining to define area at risk and myocardial necrosis. Group A had no intervention. Immediately after return of spontaneous circulation, group B received surface cooling with cooling blankets and ice. Group C received intra-CPR 680±23 mL of 28°C 0.9% normal saline via a central venous catheter. Group D received intra-CPR 673±26 mL of 4°C normal saline followed by surface cooling after return of spontaneous circulation. Group E received intra-CPR and hypothermia after return of spontaneous circulation with an endovascular therapeut...
Racial Bias in Decisions Made by Mock Jurors Evaluating a Case of Sexual Harassment

White (N = 161) and Black (N = 152) college students served as mock jurors in a simulated civil case in which a female plaintiff accused a male defendant of sexual harassment. The authors experimentally manipulated the race (Black or White) of the litigants and asked the mock jurors to decide whether the defendant was guilty; to rate the certainty of their belief in the defendant's guilt; and, when they judged the defendant guilty, to recommend an award to the plaintiff. Mock jurors of both races tended to favor litigants of their own race and their own gender. Racial bias was highest among White male jurors and lowest among White female jurors.
Design Principles for Creating Human-Shapable Agents

In order for learning agents to be useful to non-technical users, it is important to be able to teach agents how to perform new tasks using simple communication methods. We begin this paper by describing a framework we recently developed called Training an Agent Manually via Evaluative Reinforcement (TAMER), which allows a human to train a learning agent by giving simple scalar reinforcement 1 signals while observing the agent perform the task. We then discuss how this work fits into a general taxonomy of methods for human-teachable (HT) agents and argue that the entire field of HT agents could benefit from an increased focus on the human side of teaching interactions. We then propose a set of conjectures about aspects of human teaching behavior that we believe could be incorporated into future work on HT agents.
Mapping giant reed with QuickBird imagery in the Mexican portion of the Rio Grande Basin

Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial invasive weed that presents a severe threat to agroecosystems and riparian areas in the Texas and Mexican portions of the Rio Grande Basin. The objective of this study was to use QuickBird satellite imagery to map giant reed infestations and estimate infested areas in the Mexican portion of the Rio Grande Basin (MPRGB). Intensive ground surveys were conducted and global positioning system (GPS) points were collected to document the locations along major tributaries and other infested areas in the MPRGB. To map the scattered infestations, QuickBird image scenes covering a total area of 7190 square km are needed. In this study, 40 archived and newly-tasked QuickBird image scenes acquired from 2002 to 2007 and covering a total area of 3252 square km were used. These images were classified using a maximum likelihood classifier and the areas for giant reed and water in each scene were determined. The total giant reed-infested area determined from the 40 images was 2160 ha. Since the 40 images constituted about 45.2% of the total area to be imaged, the total infested area in the MPRGB was estimated to be 4775 ha. Based on the images acquired along the tributaries, the ratio of giant reed-infested area to water area was 1.6 ha/ha and the ratio of giant reed-infested area to river length was 4.6 ha/km. Although actual infested areas are larger than the estimated areas because some of the infested areas may have not been counted during the ground surveys, this study provides the first and accurate estimates of giant reed infestations in the MPRGB. These results will be useful for both land owners and government agencies for the management and control of this invasive weed.
Transcription of the Streptococcus pyogenes Hyaluronic Acid Capsule Biosynthesis Operon Is Regulated by Previously Unknown Upstream Elements

The important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus [GAS]) produces a hyaluronic acid (HA) capsule that plays critical roles in immune evasion. Previous studies showed that the hasABC operon encoding the capsule biosynthesis enzymes is under the control of a single promoter, P1, which is negatively regulated by the two-component regulatory system CovR/S. In this work, we characterize the sequence upstream of P1 and identify a novel regulatory region controlling transcription of the capsule biosynthesis operon in the M1 serotype strain MGAS2221. This region consists of a promoter, P2, which initiates transcription of a novel small RNA, HasS, an intrinsic transcriptional terminator that inefficiently terminates HasS, permitting read-through transcription of hasABC, and a putative promoter which lies upstream of P2. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, and transcriptional reporter data identified CovR as a negative regulator of P2. We found that the P1 and P2 promoters are completely repressed by CovR, and capsule expression is regulated by the putative promoter upstream of P2. Deletion of hasS or of the terminator eliminates CovR-binding sequences, relieving repression and increasing read-through, hasA transcription, and capsule production. Sequence analysis of 44 GAS genomes revealed a high level of polymorphism in the HasS sequence region. Most of the HasS variations were located in the terminator sequences, suggesting that this region is under strong selective pressure. We discovered that the terminator deletion mutant is highly resistant to neutrophil-mediated killing and is significantly more virulent in a mouse model of GAS invasive disease than the wild-type strain. Together, these results are consistent with the naturally occurring mutations in this region modulating GAS virulence.
Review of Fritz Allhoff, Patrick Lin, James Moor, and John Weckert, eds., Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology. 1

Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology is a collection of 26 contributions (most of them original to the volume) that explore a wide array of the social and ethical issue...
The R&D Tax Credit And Its Implications For Small Business

The present study describes how the R&D tax credit functions, explores the impact of the R&D tax credit on SMEs, and proposes that the R&D tax credit is granted permanent status in the US tax code. This would provide a permanent tax incentive for SMEs to create new technology based intellectual property. Similar tax credits have been effectively adopted in Europe to stimulate high technology business creation.
States With Stronger Health Insurance Rate Review Authority Experienced Lower Premiums In The Individual Market In 2010–13

States have varying degrees of review authority over health insurance carriers’ rates, including prior approval authority over proposed rates and requirements for loss ratios, the proportion of premium revenues spent on medical claims. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires carriers in certain categories of health insurance to provide public justification for rate increases of 10 percent or more. We collected data on how states changed their rate review authority and requirements during 2010–13, the years immediately after enactment of the ACA, and we combined these data with carrier filings. We found that adjusted premiums in the individual market in states that had prior-approval authority combined with loss ratio requirements were lower in 2010–13 ($3,489) than premiums in states with no rate review authority or that had only file-and-use regulations, which gave the states no authority to block rate increases ($3,617). Adjusted premiums declined modestly in prior-approval states with loss ratio require...
Evidence that the beta cell microtubules are not involved in arginine-induced insulin release.

AbstractThe role of the beta cell microtubules in stimulus-induced insulin release was evaluated in the intact rat by utilizing vincristine, a known microtubular disrupting agent. In the first study, pancreases were removed at 60 min after vincristine (0.5 mg/kg) or vehicle (control) treatment for electron microscopy. Morphometric analysis revealed that the number of microtubules in the vincristine-treated rat pancreases was significantly less than that observed in the control rat pancreases. In the next series of studies, insulin release in response to a glucose (150 mg, iv) or an arginine (100 mg/kg, iv) pulse was examined at 60 min after vincristine (0.5 mg/kg) or vehicle treatment. In response to glucose, insulin release at 2, 3, and 5 min was significantly less, and glucose tolerance was significantly impaired in the vincristine-treated rats as compared with those observed in the control rats. In contrast, insulin release in response to arginine was similar in the vincristine-treated and the control ...
Desiring the Singapore story: affective attachments and national identities in Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo

In 2013, Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo/Pa ma bu zai jia became the first Singaporean film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. Set in Singapore during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the film portrays the lives of an ordinary middle-class family and their Filipino maid, Teresa. This article explores the affective ties to the ‘Singapore Story,’ an authoritative narrative of the city-state's nation-building history and progress determining (economic) success. Drawing on Lauren Berlant's notion of ‘cruel optimism,’ I argue that the film's main characters are dangerously attached to the idea of living the Singapore story. I further contend that Teresa's migrant domestic labor, which both sustains and troubles the Singapore story, exposes for audiences issues of loss, absence and dislocation. Employing Kathleen Stewart's notion of ‘ordinary affects,' the characters' everyday interactions and bonds formed through the figure of Teresa manifest her outsider status and the undesired costs of maintaining the Sing...
The Retreat of Multiculturalism? Explaining the South Korean Exception:

In the past 8 years, South Korea (hereafter Korea) has experienced a multicultural explosion—a growing emphasis on multiculturalism in both popular and political discourse. After demonstrating how ...
'Impost Begat Convention': New York's Ratification of the Constitution

The meaning of the Constitution is said to be set by the ratification debates. The key issue in New York was nationalizing the tax on imports, called the “impost.” The sides as to ratification in New York were set by the debates over the 1783 proposal to give Congress power to impose the impost. The defeated proponents of the 1783 impost in New York became the Federalists in favor of the Constitution in 1788, and the party that had defeated the 1783 impost remained intact to become the Anti-Federalists in opposition to the Constitution in 1788.Nationalizing the state imposts was the key economic necessity for the Constitution as a whole. The first mission of the Constitution, under proponents’ understanding, was to give Congress a tax of its own to make payments on the debts of the Revolutionary War. In the next and inevitable war, Congress would need to borrow from the Dutch again. The impost was considered across the nation as the easiest tax and most appropriate one under the mercantilist economics of the times. If New York legislature had granted the general government the power over the impost, the confederation mode of government under the Articles probably would have survived. The confederate congress would not have been replaced by the self-sufficient, vigorous, supreme national government that the Constitution formed, or at least not until some future crisis. As Hamilton appropriately put it, “Impost Begat Convention.”
Case Report: Hypophosphatemia with Reversible Ataxia and Quadriparesis

ABSTRACT A malnourished alcoholic man with severe hypophosphatemia developed ataxia, severe proprioceptive deficit, and quadriparesis that worsened during refeeding. Evoked response and EMG studies demonstrated the central location of the rapidly reversible conduction block. This syndrome can mimic a number of entities including the Landry-Guillain-Barre (LGB) syndrome, acute brainstem disease, and certain deficiency states. The neurologic features of hypophosphatemia are reviewed.
A multi-physics model for ultrasonically activated soft tissue

A multi-physics model has been developed to investigate the effects of cellular level mechanisms on the thermomechanical response of ultrasonically activated soft tissue. Cellular level cavitation effects have been incorporated in the tissue level continuum model to accurately determine the thermodynamic states such as temperature and pressure. A viscoelastic material model is assumed for the macromechanical response of the tissue. The cavitation model based equation-of-state provides the additional pressure arising from evaporation of intracellular and cellular water by absorbing heat due to structural and viscoelastic heating in the tissue, and temperature to the continuum level thermomechanical model. The thermomechanical response of soft tissue is studied for the operational range of frequencies of oscillations and applied loads for typical ultrasonically activated surgical instruments. The model is shown to capture characteristics of ultrasonically activated soft tissue deformation and temperature evolution. At the cellular level, evaporation of water below the boiling temperature under ambient conditions is indicative of protein denaturation around the temperature threshold for coagulation of tissues. Further, with increasing operating frequency (or loading), the temperature rises faster leading to rapid evaporation of tissue cavity water, which may lead to accelerated protein denaturation and coagulation.
Lung Injury Prediction Score in Hospitalized Patients at Risk of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Objective:The Lung Injury Prediction Score identifies patients at risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome in the emergency department, but it has not been validated in non-emergency department hospitalized patients. We aimed to evaluate whether Lung Injury Prediction Score identifies non-emerge
Descartes: new thoughts on the senses

ABSTRACTDescartes analysed the mind into various faculties or powers, including pure intellect, imagination, senses, and will. This article focuses on his account of the sensory power, in relation to its Aristotelian background. Descartes accepted from the Aristotelians that the senses serve to preserve the body by detecting benefits and harms. He rejected the scholastic Aristotelian sensory ontology of resembling species, or ‘forms without matter’. For the visual sense, Descartes offered a mechanistic ontology and a partially mechanized account of sensory processes, including some previously ascribed to judgement. He did this in the context of his theory of brain signs that prompt sensations. The article contends that Descartes’s use of the sign-relation was modelled on standard discussions of non-resembling signs in commentaries on Aristotle’s De interpretatione. It follows three uses of the sign-relation: brain states that cause colour sensations; brain states that cause experiences of spatialized cont...
Sinonasal Small Round Blue Cell Tumors: An Immunohistochemical Approach

Although clinical history and morphologic appearance should be the initial considerations when evaluating small round blue cell tumors of the sinonasal tract, the final diagnosis often hinges on immunohistochemical findings. Unfortunately, interpretation of stains in these tumors is fraught with numerous pitfalls and limitations. This article presents an approach to sinonasal small round blue cell tumors based on four common immunohistochemical patterns: cytokeratin positivity, squamous marker positivity, neuroendocrine marker positivity, and cytokeratin negativity.
High throughput optical tweezers system for multiparametric analysis of nanoparticles

We present high-throughput optical tweezers based on the active delivery of nanoparticles in a microfluidic chip for multiparametric analysis. The throughput was enhanced by tenfold compared to conventional passive trapping, with an efficiency of 57%.
Bourdieu 1993: Ein Fallbeispiel einer wissenschaftlichen Ehrung

Im Ruckgriff auf Archivmaterialien und personliche Zeugnisse rekonstruiere ich die Bedingungen, unter denen Bourdieu 1993 die goldene Medaille des CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Frankreichs hochsten Wissenschaftspreis, entgegennahm, als ein ausergewohnliches Fallbeispiel des mit der wissenschaftlichen Ehrung verbundenen grundlegenden Dilemmas und ihrer institutionellen Begleitumstande. Bourdieus Preisrede und der Festakt, zu welchem er sie vortrug, sind fur die Geschichte und Soziologie der Soziologie gleich dreifach von Interesse. Sie zeigen, wie eine die Disziplin pragende Figur den Zusammenhang von Wissenschaft, Autoritat und Macht personlich erfahrt, reflexiv verarbeitet und praktisch meistert. Sie markieren das Jahr 1993 als einen Wendepunkt in Bourdieus intellektueller Entwicklung, der ihn zu einer neuen Programmatik fuhrt, nach welcher der Staat als hochste symbolische Macht, die Alchemie der Gruppenbildung sowie das unerfullte Versprechen demokratischer Politik in den Vordergrund rucken, und sie helfen zu erklaren, warum er sich in den 1990ern direkter in gesellschaftliche Debatten wagte. Bourdieus ambivalente Annahme des Preises verdeutlicht des Weiteren seine Konzeption einer „Realpolitik der Vernunft“ und sie beendet nachdrucklich die Nichtbeachtung Durkheims, indem sie der Soziologie ihren rechtmasigen Platz an oberster wissenschaftlicher Stelle in ihrem Mutterland zuruckgibt.
A yield optimization methodology for mixed-signal circuits

With technology scaling In the nanometer regime relative variability increases and becomes more complex, making traditional statistical modeling insufficient. To optimize yield, circuit designers need to determine effects of variations on particular circuit designs, which requires statistical modeling. This paper presents a methodology for simple, fast, design-specific yield optimization that is accessible to the circuit designer. The methodology utilizes backward propagation and convex optimization techniques to customize existing statistical model cards to a given design. The methodology is verified using comparator offset measurements on a 28nm FDSOI technology. The customized model achieves a mean absolute percentage error of < 4% compared to a 30% error in the original models.
The Irish and the making of American sport, 1835–1920

This book provides a wealth of information to make a straightforward point: Irish immigrants and their descendants were powerful in shaping the emerging sporting culture of the United States in the...
A factor analysis of plant variables associated with architecture and seed size in dry bean

A knowledge of the biological and functional relationships among traits would be of benefit to plant breeders in the choice of traits to use for increasing efficiency of selection in a breeding program. Principal factor analysis was used to identify biological and functional relationships among dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) traits in segregating populations of a phenotypic recurrent selection program designed to introduce upright architecture into medium-sized dry bean.
TREES IN GRASSLANDS: BIOGEOCHEMICAL CONSEQUENCES OF WOODY PLANT EXPANSION

Publisher Summary Woody plant encroachment has been widespread in grassland and savanna ecosystems over the past century. This phenomenon jeopardizes grassland biodiversity and threatens the sustainability of pastoral, subsistence, and commercial livestock grazing. When woody species increase in abundance and transform grasslands and savannas into shrublands and woodlands, the potential to alter land surface–atmosphere interactions and carbon and nitrogen sequestration and cycling at regional and global scales may be significant. The La Copita case study documents the rate and magnitude of change in ecosystem biogeochemistry that can occur when a subtropical dryland landscape is transformed from savanna grassland to woodland. Fluctuations in monthly woody plant root biomass in upper soil horizons exceeded foliar litter inputs by one to two orders of magnitude, suggesting that belowground inputs of organic matter drive changes in soil physical and chemical properties subsequent to woody plant establishment in grasslands. These results are of potential global significance, given that large areas of Africa, South America, North America, and Australia have been undergoing similar land cover changes over the past century. The demonstrated capacity for carbon sequestration in this semiarid system suggests a need to reevaluate traditional perspectives on woody plants in rangelands as governments and industries seek ways to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
1994 Directory of mass spectrometry manufacturers and suppliers

An annual directory of companies which supply mass spectrometers and mass spectrometry components and services.
Scaling sorbent materials for real oil-sorbing applications and environmental disasters

There are few feasible options for sorbents, which can be quickly manufactured and deployed in the event of a major oil spill and so every oil spill is an ecological disaster. This paper aims to provide an understanding of what a realistic, full-scale crude oil spill solution would look like based on the performance of the best sorbents currently available, their costs, and their advantages. Adsorbent materials or “sorbents” described here have been a recent target for research toward applications in environmental cleanup, remediation, and hazardous material containment. These materials contain many compositions, syntheses, and practical manufacturing parameters that make most of them practically and logistically unfit to tackle quantities much larger than a single barrel of oil. Different properties of crude oil and nonpolar materials, such as their viscosity, density, and weathering, can also make these materials seem attractive on a lab scale but underperform in field testing and in practical applications. This review addresses the challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of different technical applications of the superior sorbent materials and material types in the literature. In addition, we discuss the different costs and manufacturing challenges of sorbent materials in real oil spills and what a feasible containment sorbent material might look like.
Evidence for Microbial Mediated NO3− Cycling Within Floodplain Sediments During Groundwater Fluctuations

The capillary fringe is a subsurface terrestrial-aquatic interface that can be a significant hotspot for biogeochemical cycling of terrestrially derived organic matter and nutrients. However, pathways of nitrogen (N) cycling within this environment are poorly understood, and observations of temporal fluctuations in nitrate (NO3 &#1048576;) concentrations lack the necessary resolution to partition between biotic or abiotic mechanisms. At discrete sampling points we measured NO3 &#1048576;, nitrite (NO2 &#1048576;), ammonium (NH4 +), gaseous nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen (N2), and the corresponding isotopic composition of NO3 &#1048576; within floodplain sediments at Rifle, Colorado. Coincident with an annually reoccurring spring/ summer excursion in groundwater elevation driven by snowmelt, we observed a rapid decline in NO3 &#1048576; followed by transient peaks in NO2 &#1048576;, at three depths (2, 2.5 and 3 m) below the ground surface. Isotopic measurements (15N and 18O of NO3 &#1048576;) suggest an immediate onset of biological N loss at 2 m. At 2.5 and 3 m, NO3 &#1048576; concentrations declined initially with no observable isotopic response, indicating dilution of NO3 &#1048576; as the NO3 &#1048576;-deficient groundwater rose, followed by denitrification after prolonged saturation. A simple Rayleigh model further supports this depth-dependent variability in the significance of actively fractionating mechanisms (i.e., NO3 &#1048576; reduction) relative to non-fractionating mechanisms (mixing and dilution). NO3 &#1048576; reduction was calculated to be responsible for 64 % of the NO3 &#1048576; decline at 2 m, 28 % at 2.5 and 47 % at 3 m, respectively. Finally, by accounting for previous molecular and geochemical analysis at this site, and comparing the trajectories between 15N: 18O, we conclude that biological NO3 &#1048576; consumption at the two deeper and frequently saturated depths (2.5 and 3 m) can be attributed to heterotrophic denitrification. However, the 15N: 18O trajectory at the shallower, irregularly saturated site at 2 m shows a more complicated relationship best explained by the cyclic production of NO3 &#1048576; via aerobic oxidation, and consumption via NO3 &#1048576; reduction.
Brief Resolved Unexplained Events: Analysis of an Apparent Life Threatening Event Database.

Abstract Objective To identify the proportion of patients previously diagnosed with apparent life-threatening events (ALTE) who would meet criteria for brief resolved unexplained events (BRUE) and to identify rates of adverse outcomes in subgroups: ALTE not meeting criteria for BRUE, lower-risk BRUE, and higher-risk ALTE. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of a single-center prospective registry of patients diagnosed with ALTE in a tertiary care emergency department from March 1, 1997 to October 31, 2007. We identified the proportion of patients meeting criteria for BRUE, and the proportion of patients with BRUE meeting lower-risk criteria. We assessed outcomes of patients in subgroups. Results Seven hundred and sixty-two patients were included. Adverse outcomes included recurrent ALTE (n = 49), aspiration (n = 9), trauma (n = 8), and death (n = 4). Three hundred and twenty-six of 762 (42.8%) met criteria for BRUE. Seventy of 326 (21.5%) met criteria for lower-risk BRUE. Adverse outcomes occurred in 40 of 436 (9.2%) with ALTE not meeting criteria for BRUE, 2 of 70 (2.9%) with lower-risk BRUE, and 23 of 256 (9.0%) with higher-risk BRUE. Of 4 patients who died, 1 had an ALTE not meeting criteria for BRUE and 3 had non–lower-risk BRUE. The BRUE risk criteria identified all BRUE patients that died or had substantial morbidity as higher-risk. Conclusions Less than half of patients with ALTE meet criteria for BRUE. Of those who do, one-fifth is lower-risk. In this series, the risk-stratification in the BRUE criteria identified those patients at highest risk of adverse outcomes. Further research is required to risk-stratify patients with BRUE.
Effects of gestational age at delivery and type of labor on neonatal outcomes among infants with gastroschisis

To investigate the effect of preterm gestational age (GA) on neonatal outcomes of gastroschisis and to compare the neonatal outcomes after spontaneous labor versus iatrogenic delivery both in the p...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Rule out Leiomyosarcoma in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Leiomyomas: A Real World Experience in an Unenhanced Patient Population

Objective: Surgery for leiomyomas is common; yet, no reliable test can help distinguish a benign leiomyoma and malignant leiomyosarcoma (LMS). Materials and Methods: This retrospective observationa...
The FMCAD 2019 Student Forum

The Student Forum at the International Conference on Formal Methods in Computer-Aided Design (FMCAD) provides a platform for (under-)graduate students to introduce their research to the Formal Methods community and solicit feedback. In 2019, the event took place in San Jose, California. Twenty three students were invited to give a short talk and present a poster illustrating their work. The presentations covered a broad range of topics in the fields of verification and synthesis.
Reply to “Comment on ‘Observation of annual modulation induced by γ rays from ( α , γ ) reactions at the Soudan Underground Laboratory' ”

Annual modulation of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays from $(\ensuremath{\alpha},\ensuremath{\gamma})$ reactions induced by the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ activity of radon and its daughters was reported by Tiwari, Zhang, Mei, and Cushman (TZMC). While Mohr does not contest the measurements themselves, he has commented that unrealistic $(\ensuremath{\alpha},\ensuremath{\gamma})$ cross sections were used in the analysis of the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray flux, and thus the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray fluxes calculated by TZMC are not reliable. We demonstrate that the $(\ensuremath{\alpha},\ensuremath{\gamma})$ cross sections obtained from talys include the energy-broadened cross sections for discrete states in the high-energy tail of the spectra, which are required in order to compare with the angle-integrated and double-differential spectra obtained from a liquid scintillator detector with an energy resolution of only $\ensuremath{\approx}15%$. A comparison with varying ``elwidth'' shows that cross sections indeed are reliable within the energy region (4 to 10 MeV) reported by TZMC, especially for the dominant contribution, which is the aluminum wall of the detector. Any differences in the $(\ensuremath{\alpha},\ensuremath{\gamma})$ cross sections for $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ at the level detailed by Mohr will have negligible effect on the final flux.
Spatial and Temporal Thermal Dose Distribution in Hyperthermia Therapy

Introduction: A recent report of EORTC-STBSG phase III randomized trial (2010) describes that regional hyperthermia can improve chemotherapy results for patients with high-risk soft-tissue sarcoma and Krawczyk et al. (PNAS, 2011) have just discovered that mild high temperature can prohibit homologous recombination - a process to repair double strand breaks. The clinical outcomes and laboratory findings support the combination use of hyperthermia therapy (HT) with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, uncontrolled heating can cause severe burns of bones and other critical structures. Thus, it is extremely important to quantify heat transport and thermal dose in the human body for safe and accurate HT. Materials and Methods: Custom phantoms were made of materials with relative permittivity equivalent to soft tissue and shapes similar to the patient body with embedded heat reflectors simulating bones and heat exchangers simulating the blood streams. Eight thermistors were placed at various depths to monitor temperature changes during the heating process. The phantoms were heated by microwave surface heaters with adjustable heat power and water bolus. At therapeutic temperatures, thermographs and 3D surfaces at depths of interest were captured using an infrared camera and a 3D camera. Results and Discussion: Initial results without heat exchangers show that spatial temperature distribution varies greatly with the heat power, heating duration, treatment depth, surface shape, bolus thickness, and presence of heat reflectors. Understanding effects of the controllable variables of the heat power, heating duration, and bolus thickness and the intrinsic variables of the body shape, bone, and blood flow on the temporal and spatial temperature distributions in patients would allow us to optimize the heating process and to calculate the effective thermal doses.
Model Interpreter Frameworks: A Foundation for the Analysis of Domain-Specific Software Architectures.

Prediction of the quality attributes of software architectures requires technologies that enable the application of analytic theories to component models. However, available analytic techniques generally operate on formal models specified in notations that cannot flexibly and intuitively capture the architectures of large-scale distributed systems. The construction of model interpreters that transform architectural models into analysis models has proved to be a complex and difficult task. This paper (1) describes a methodology for performing automated analysis of architectural models that simplifies the development of model interpreters and enables effective reuse of interpreter logic, and (2) demonstrates how a framework that utilizes the methodology can be designed, implemented, utilized, and evaluated.1
Explantation of High Submuscular Reservoirs: Safety and Practical Considerations

Abstract Background Over the past decade, high submuscular (HSM) placement of inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) reservoirs has emerged as a viable alternative to space of Retzius (SOR) placement; however, data comparing the feasibility and complications of HSM vs SOR reservoir removal do not presently exist. Aim To present a comparison of the safety, feasibility, and ease of removal of HSM vs SOR reservoirs in a tertiary care, university-based, high-volume prosthetic urology practice. Methods Data were retrospectively collected on patients who underwent IPP reservoir removal between January 2011 and June 2020. Cases were separated into 2 cohorts based on reservoir location. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact and Chi-squared tests for categorical variables and Student's t-test for continuous variables. Timing from IPP insertion to explant was compared between the HSM and SOR groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. Outcomes Time from IPP insertion to explant, operative time, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and need for a counter incision were compared between the HSM and SOR groups. Results Between January 2011 and June 2020, 106 (73 HSM, 33 SOR) patients underwent IPP removal or replacement by a single surgeon at our institution. Average time from IPP insertion to removal was 43.6 months (24.2 HSM, 52.7 SOR, P = .07)—reservoir removal occurred at the time of device explant in 70 of 106 (66%) cases. More HSM reservoirs were explanted at the time of IPP removal compared with the SOR cohort (54 of 73, 74% HSM vs 16 of 33, 48.5% SOR, P = .01). Similar rates of complications were noted between the HSM and SOR groups (1.9% vs 6.3%, P = .35). There was no significant difference in need for counter incision between the 2 groups (24 [42%] HSM vs 4 [25%] SOR, P = .16) or in average operative times (76.5 ± 38.3 minutes HSM vs 68.1 ± 34.3 minutes SOR, P = .52). Clinical Implications Our experience with explanting HSM reservoirs supports the safety and ease of their removal. Strengths and Limitations Although the absolute cohort size is relatively low, this study reflects one of the largest single-institution experiences examining penile implant reservoir removal. In addition, reservoir location was not randomized but was instead determined by which patients presented with complications necessitating reservoir removal during the study period. Conclusions HSM reservoir removal has comparable perioperative complication rates and operative times when compared with SOR reservoir removal. Kavoussi M, Bhanvadia RR, VanDyke ME, et al. Explantation of High Submuscular Reservoirs: Safety and Practical Considerations. J Sex Med 2020;17:2488–2494.
Machine Learning, Regularization, and Reporting Bias

We study how investors' use of machine learning methods affects corporate financial reporting decisions. Our model consists of a representative investor who employs a regularized regression (e.g., lasso) to infer value from earnings reports, along with a firm manager who may bias earnings reports. The investor's use of regularized regression serves as a commitment to underutilize earnings reports, and consequently, induces a lower price-earnings association, a smaller reporting bias, but greater price efficiency. The two-account version of our model suggests that regularization gives rise to a spillover effect: factors that influence the reporting bias in one account indirectly impact the manager's incentive to manipulate the other account. The model offers policy implications on algorithmic transparency and provides testable predictions.
Variable inhibition of unwinding rates of DNA catalyzed by the SARS-Cov-2 (COV19) helicase nsp13 by structurally distinct single DNA lesions.

The SARS 2 (Covid 19) helicase nsp13 plays a critically important role in the replication of the Corona virus by unwinding double-stranded RNA (and DNA) with a 5{longrightarrow}3 strand polarity. Here we explored the impact of single, structurally defined covalent DNA lesions on the helicase activity of nsp13 in aqueous solutions, The objectives were to derive mechanistic insights into the relationships between the structures of DNA lesions, the DNA distortions that they engender, and the inhibition of helicase activity. The lesions included two bulky stereoisomeric N2-guanine adducts derived from the reactions of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide with DNA. The trans-adduct assumes a minor groove conformation, while the cis-product adopts a base-displaced intercalated conformation. The non-bulky DNA lesions included the intra-strand cross-linked thymine dimers, the cis-syn-cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer, and the pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproduct. All four lesions strongly inhibit the helicase activity of nsp13, The UV photolesions feature a 2 - 5-fold smaller inhibition of the nsp13 unwinding activity than the bulky DNA adducts, and the kinetics of these two pairs of DNA lesions are also different. The connections between the structural features of these four DNA lesions and their impact on nsp13 unwinding efficiencies are discussed.