cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recruitment practices in Nigeria : issues of equality and diversity

This paper examined the context of recruitment practices among Nigerian public and private firms. A comparative analysis of their recruitment practices were examined to determine if they adhered to the Nigerian Federal Character Principle (NFCP). Four pertinent research questions were raised and addressed and descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data collected from 42 human resource practitioners from both the public and private sectors. The public organizations include both federal and state ministries in Nigeria while the private firms include both servicing and manufacturing companies. The results showed that there are unique similarities and differences in the recruitment practices of public and private firms. But with regards to NFCP policy adoption, public firms complied more than the private firms because they are directly regulated and controlled by the government. Private firms' recruitment patterns are contingent upon the perceived needs of the organizations. The findings also revealed that the recruitment approaches and orientations of public firms in UK differed greatly from those that are practiced in Nigeria. The study is relevance to every employer of labour as it highlights key areas they can improve upon to be able to bridge the inequality gap between men and women employees in Nigerian. Policy makers will benefit tremendously from the findings and recommendations of the study since it provides a well-grounded approach of addressing inequality issues in societies.
The Virgin, the Dynamo, and Newton’s Prophetic History

When we carry our speculations into the two eternities, before and after the present state of things; into the creation and formation of the universe; the existence and properties of spirits; the powers and operations of one universal spirit, existing without beginning and without end; omnipotent, omniscient, immutable, infinite, and incomprehensible: We must be far removed from the smallest tendency to scepticism not to be apprehensive, that we have here got quite beyond the reach of our faculties. So long as we confine our speculations to trade, or morals, or politics, or criticism, we make appeals, every moment, to common sense and experience, which strengthen our philosophical conclusions .... But in theological reasonings, we have not this advantage; while at the same time we are employed upon objects, which, we must be sensible, are too large for our grasp. David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.1
Software safety

The author considers four issues that prevent software safety from sometimes getting the attention it deserves: safety is often confused with security and reliability; safety is viewed as a system-level problem; software failures are subtle; and safety cannot be proven. He presents his software safety predictions.
Characterizing the Effects of Race/Ethnicity on Acetaminophen Pharmacokinetics Using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling

Background and Objectives Acetaminophen (APAP, paracetamol) is currently the principal cause of acute liver failure in both the USA and the UK. However, relatively little is known about the influence of genes and race/ethnicity on the disposition of APAP and the extent to which genetic variation and ethnicity may predispose individuals to a higher risk of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The objective of this research was to develop subpopulation-specific physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for two genetically different groups (Western Europeans and East Asians) and then use the models to quantify the difference in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of APAP between these groups.
Managing the Toll of Stripping Boundary Setting among Exotic Dancers

This article examines three psychospatial boundary-setting strategies exotic dancers rely on to manage the difficulties of working in strip bars: what the author elaborates as the "toll" of stripping. These include setting personal rules, "othering" of fellow performers, and creating a dancer persona. Dancers set rules to personally determine the amount of sexual and emotional contact they are willing to have with customers to prevent workplace exploitation and manage the toll of stripping. Othering involves constructing oneself as superior to one's peers, and the dancer persona provides an internal boundary that separates the "authentic" from the stripper self.
Research on The Double Cyclograph Interpolation Moving Direction in NC Lathe

Based on the cyclograph interpolation instruction of normal NC lathe,it proposes the way to locate the coordinate system and distinguishes the cyclograph moving direction.The method alleviates the programmer work and enhances the NC coding efficiency.
‘Myxoedema madness’ with Capgras syndrome and catatonic features responsive to combination olanzapine and levothyroxine

We present the case of an elderly woman with hypothyroidism and no psychiatric history who presented with new onset of psychosis, paranoia, catatonic features and Capgras syndrome (CS). This case illustrates the spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms that may accompany hypothyroidism and the importance of considering thyroid dysfunction as a primary contributor to severe psychiatric symptoms, especially in previously stable patients. We demonstrate the effectiveness of combination levothyroxine and olanzapine, with its favourable cardiac profile, in the treatment of myxoedema madness. Antipsychotics can be weaned once psychiatric symptoms resolve and hormone levels are stabilised.
Nonparametric Regression Analysis of Some Economic Data

We study the relationship between unemployment rate and the rate of change of wage rates based on economic data from 1861 to 1913 in Britain. Various parametric models have been proposed in the past. Here we present a kernel regression approach within the framework of Nadaraya (1964) and Watson (1964). The choices of the bandwidth based on cross-validation and a new local criterion are compared. The validity of the currently accepted Phillips Curve is addressed.
Overhead Analysis for Radio Environment Mapenabled Cognitive Radio Networks

This paper presents a novel and general approach to cognitive radio (CR) networking based on the Radio Environment Map (REM). REM is envisioned to be an integrated database that consists of comprehensive multi-domain information for CR, such as geographical features, available services, spectral regulations, locations and activities of radio devices, policies, and past experiences. Disseminating and sharing REM information offers a proper vehicle of CR network support, which can be exploited by cognitive engine (CE) for most cognitive functionalities such as situation awareness, reasoning, learning, planning and decision support. Tradeoffs have to be made between the performance gain and the cost of overhead. This paper focuses on analyzing the overhead associated with REM dissemination under various scenarios. With analytical models and network simulations, it is shown that the overhead of REM dissemination can be significantly reduced by extending the optimized link state routing protocol (OLSR). Application-specific ad hoc methods have also been proposed and can be employed to further reduce the overhead. Simulations are presented, comparing the overhead of REM dissemination for different network size, topology, node density and mobility. Preliminary results show that the speed of wireless nodes has little impact to the load of overhead if the REM dissemination rate is fixed. The size of REM information element is estimated for the emerging cognitive wireless regional area networks (IEEE 802.22 WRAN).
Adult Sleep Apnea and Related Procedures

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most prevalent breathing disorder in sleep, affecting up to 20 % of the population, with approximately 5 % experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness [1, 2]. The total economic burden of OSA including health-care costs, lost productivity, accidents, and loss of quality of life is substantial, accounting for billions of dollars per year, and is expected to increase [3]. As such, procedures related to improvement of OSA symptoms, as well as unrelated procedures in patients with OSA will likely increase in prevalence. Anesthesiologists and otolaryngologists will therefore face the challenges inherent to this patient population and a thorough understanding of the scope of the disease state is crucial.
A31 Remembering george huntington and his world

Raised in East Hampton, on eastern Long Island (New York, USA), George Huntington (1850–1916) is known for his classic 1872 description of “hereditary chorea”. Earlier accounts had appeared in the USA, Britain, and Norway. They too described an inherited late-onset incurable illness with involuntary movements, cognitive changes, and psychiatric symptoms. But Huntington was the first to include a specific pattern of hereditary transmission, recognised later as “autosomal dominant”. How did a 21-year-old newly graduated physician arrive at this insight, decades before the ideas of Gregor Mendel on heredity were rediscovered? Huntington himself always credited the observations of his physician father and grandfather over a period of seventy-years, for the patients he described were theirs, not his own. However I will suggest that several other features of his environment may have contributed as well. These include 1) the agricultural milieu of eastern Long Island and the local culture of raising cattle and sheep, with the attendant breeders’ concern over the transmission and non-transmission of specific traits from one generation to the next; 2) the unusually rich cultural resources of the Huntington’s household; and 3) George Huntington’s intimate appreciation of the emotions and anxieties of the affected families--his neighbors--who were concerned not only with how the disease was transmitted but even more with how it might not be passed on: how it might stop. This was precisely what he was the first to describe. None of this detracts from his achievement in delineating, accurately and almost poetically, a devastating and still incurable disease. It suggests that social circumstances and cultural practices may enhance, rather than detract from, scientific discovery.
Prevention of Chronic Post-Thoracotomy Pain in Rats By Intrathecal Resolvin D1 and D2: Effectiveness of Perioperative and Delayed Drug Delivery

Abstract Thoracotomy results in a high frequency of chronic postoperative pain. Resolvins are endogenous molecules, synthesized and released by activated immune cells, effective against inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Different resolvins have differential actions on selective neuronal and glial receptors and enzymes. This article examines the ability of intrathecal resolvin D1 and resolvin D2 to reduce chronic post-thoracotomy pain in rats. Thoracotomy, involving intercostal incision and rib retraction, resulted in a decrease in the mechanical force threshold to induce nocifensive behavior, an enlargement of the pain-sensitive area, and an increase in the fraction of rats showing nocifensive behavior, all for at least 5 weeks. The qualitative nature of the behavioral responses to tactile stimulation changed dramatically after thoracotomy, including the appearance of vigorous behaviors, such as turning, shuddering, and squealing, all absent in naive rats. Intrathecal delivery of resolvin D1 (30 ng/30 μL), at surgery or 4 days later, halved the spread of the mechanosensitive area, lowered by 60% the percent of rats with tactile hypersensitivity, and reduced the drop in threshold for a nocifensive response, along with a reduction in the occurrence of vigorous nocifensive responses. Resolvin D2's actions on threshold changes were statistically the same. These findings suggest that intrathecal resolvins, delivered preoperatively or several days later, can prevent chronic postoperative hyperalgesia. Perspective In studies of rats, the injection of the proresolving compounds of the resolvin-D series into spinal fluid, before or just after thoracotomy surgery, prevents the occurrence of acute and chronic pain. If these chemicals, which have shown no side-effects, were used in humans it might greatly reduce chronic postoperative pain.
Prediction of pathological outcome at radical prostatectomy for MRI-ultrasound fusion prostate biopsy versus standard transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy.

73Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-ultrasound (US) fusion prostate biopsy has been shown to be able to detect prostate cancer, with the goal of targeting specific lesions. Our objective was to evaluate the ability of this technique to accurately determine the final pathological outcome at the time of radical prostatectomy as compared to standard template 12-core transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate biopsy. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent both prostate biopsy and prostatectomy at the Cleveland Clinic. Patients who underwent standard template 12-core TRUS biopsies between January 2005 through December 2013, and MRI-US fusion biopsies from January 2014 through June 2015 were included. Patients who had more than 12 cores taken during TRUS biopsy were excluded. Relevant covariates included patient demographics as well as pre-biopsy PSA and prostate size, which were collected from the electronic medical record. Continuous variables were compared usin...
Thermodynamic effects of single-qubit operations in silicon-based quantum computing

Abstract Silicon-based quantum logic is a promising technology to implement universal quantum computing. It is widely believed that a millikelvin cryogenic environment will be necessary to accommodate silicon-based qubits. This prompts a question of the ultimate scalability of the technology due to finite cooling capacity of refrigeration systems. In this work, we answer this question by studying energy dissipation due to interactions between nuclear spin impurities and qubit control pulses. We demonstrate that this interaction constrains the sustainable number of single-qubit operations per second for a given cooling capacity.
Geographic variations in lowermost mantle structure from the ray parameters and decay constants of core-diffracted waves

We introduce an array-based approach for constraining seismic velocity structure in the lowermost mantle by measuring the frequency dependence of the ray parameter p and decay constant γ for core-diffracted waves (Pdiff & SHdiff). The approach uses an iterative multi-channel cross-correlation algorithm that solves for relative arrival times and amplitudes of core-diffracted waveforms from multiple peaks in normalized correlograms from pairs of co-azimuthal stations. The approach is applied to 60 mb ≥ 5.8 earthquakes for Pdiff and 36 for SHdiff during 2001-2002, with nearly 50,000 unique profile station pairs with epicentral-distance differences of ∆d ≥ 10° and azimuth differences of ∆φ ≤ 10°, sampling a significant portion of the lowermost mantle. Cap-averaging the resulting ray parameter estimates produces geographic variations that are largely consistent with the distribution of lowermost mantle large low-velocity provinces and seismically fast slab-accumulation regions seen in seismic tomography models, whose locations also strongly influence the geographic distribution of heat flow out of the core. Geographic variations in station-pair diffracted-wave decay constants differ from those of the ray parameters, suggesting that variations in the decay of core-diffracted waves are more linked to lowermost mantle seismic velocity gradients than absolute values of seismic velocity. The ray parameters and decay constants of core-diffracted waves are strongly frequency-dependent and these frequency variations also vary significantly with geographic location. Combining lateral and vertical seismic-velocity variations with mineral-physics data on elasticity and conductivity of lowermost mantle species can provide constraints on D” composition and CMB heat flux.
Sexual Assault Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevalence in College Students.

ABSTRACTWith the advent of the “Dear Colleague” letter in 2011, higher education institutions have become focused on sexual assault and related policies, procedures regarding offenses, and prevention education. Institutions should consider using this spotlight on interpersonal dynamics to increase awareness about other types of relationship violence that may be more common. This secondary data analysis of 72,067 U.S. college students indicates stalking, emotional abuse, and physical abuse are very common. Along with relationship difficulties in general, these forms of relational violence occur more frequently than sexual assault. Implications for counseling and mental health services are provided.
Commercially sexually exploited youths’ health care experiences, barriers, and recommendations: A qualitative analysis

The current study sought to understand commercially sexually exploited (CSE) youths' health care experiences, barriers to care, and recommendations for improving health care services. We conducted focus groups (N=5) with 18 CSE youth from February 2015 through May 2016 at two group homes serving CSE youth in Southern California. We performed thematic content analysis to identify emergent themes about CSE youths' perspectives on health care. Youth described facilitators to care, including availability of services such as screening for sexually transmitted infections, knowledge about sexual health, and a strong motivation to stay healthy. Barriers included feeling judged, concerns about confidentiality, fear, perceived low quality of services, and self-reliance. Overall, youth emphasized self-reliance and "street smarts" for survival and de-emphasized "victimhood," which shaped their interactions with health care, and recommended that health providers develop increased understanding of CSE youth. Our findings suggest that providers and community agencies can play an essential role in raising awareness of the needs of CSE youth and meet their health needs through creating a non-judgmental environment in health care settings that validates the experiences of these youth.
Polyamines in the life of Arabidopsis: profiling the expression of S -adenosylmethionine decarboxylase ( SAMDC ) gene family during its life cycle

Arabidopsis has 5 paralogs of the S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) gene. Neither their specific role in development nor the role of positive/purifying selection in genetic divergence of this gene family is known. While some data are available on organ-specific expression of AtSAMDC1, AtSAMDC2, AtSAMDC3 and AtSAMDC4, not much is known about their promoters including AtSAMDC5, which is believed to be non-functional. (1) Phylogenetic analysis of the five AtSAMDC genes shows similar divergence pattern for promoters and coding sequences (CDSs), whereas, genetic divergence of 5’UTRs and 3’UTRs was independent of the promoters and CDSs; (2) while AtSAMDC1 and AtSAMDC4 promoters exhibit high activity (constitutive in the former), promoter activities of AtSAMDC2, AtSAMDC3 and AtSAMDC5 are moderate to low in seedlings (depending upon translational or transcriptional fusions), and are localized mainly in the vascular tissues and reproductive organs in mature plants; (3) based on promoter activity, it appears that AtSAMDC5 is both transcriptionally and translationally active, but based on it’s coding sequence it seems to produce a non-functional protein; (4) though 5’-UTR based regulation of AtSAMDC expression through upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in the 5’UTR is well known, no such uORFs are present in AtSAMDC4 and AtSAMDC5; (5) the promoter regions of all five AtSAMDC genes contain common stress-responsive elements and hormone-responsive elements; (6) at the organ level, the activity of AtSAMDC enzyme does not correlate with the expression of specific AtSAMDC genes or with the contents of spermidine and spermine. Differential roles of positive/purifying selection were observed in genetic divergence of the AtSAMDC gene family. All tissues express one or more AtSAMDC gene with significant redundancy, and concurrently, there is cell/tissue-specificity of gene expression, particularly in mature organs. This study provides valuable information about AtSAMDC promoters, which could be useful in future manipulation of crop plants for nutritive purposes, stress tolerance or bioenergy needs. The AtSAMDC1 core promoter might serve the need of a strong constitutive promoter, and its high expression in the gametophytic cells could be exploited, where strong male/female gametophyte-specific expression is desired; e.g. in transgenic modification of crop varieties.
The Generalized Bootstrap

The bootstrap of Efron is generalized to the Generalized Bootstrap. The Generalized Bootstrap has superior properties for continuous data in the small-sample non-asymptotic case.
The Shepherd Scale: Separating the Sheep from the Goats:

This article presents an instrument designed to differentiate Christians from non-Christians. The instrument reflects the belief that published past attempts to measure Christianity have underutili...
Review of Session II

The energy theorems which have been developed for creeping materials have proved to be useful in helping formulate design procedures. As the loadings on components have become more demanding it has become recognised that the early theorems have proved to be overly restrictive and conservative. It has also been recognised that for the severe operating conditions advantage would have to be made of the hardening properties of the metal. In the paper of Ainsworth the material is assumed to harden according to the kinematic hardening rule. As a result the component can operate outside the shakedown region without suffering a continued ratchetting process. Bounds on the creep deformation have been obtained in terms of the stress states of an elastic plastic analysis. In the paper by Ponter a more accurate constitutive equation for creep has been used which more faithfully represents the stress dependence of creep rate on stress. Contrary to what might be expected the theorems are no different than those derived earlier but excessive restrictions are now removed and the range of their applicability extended. The results of both of these papers should have a profound effect on new design procedures.
Physical Activity Recommendations and Exercise Guidelines Established by Leading Health Organizations

After completing this chapter, you should have an understanding of the following: • The difference between moderate physical activity, vigorous physical activity, exercise, health-related physical fitness, and sports-related fitness. • Physical activity recommendations for health-related fitness from leading health organizations. • The American College and Sports Medicine’s (ACSM’s) exercise recommendations for cardiorespiratory fitness. • The ACSM’s exercise recommendations for muscular fitness. • The ACSM’s exercise recommendations for healthy body composition. • The ACSM’s exercise recommendations for flexibility.
Dynamic Scaling in Surface Growth Phenomena

The most characteristic feature of many of the growth patterns that are formed in physical, chemical and biological processes is the existence of an evolving interface. Thus, in order to develop a better understanding of pattern formation in growth phenomena we need to study the structure and the dynamics of growing surfaces and interfaces. Recently considerable advances have been made [1] in this direction using the concept of dynamic scaling [2] which is based on the fact that growing surfaces exhibit non-trivial scaling behavior and naturally evolve to a steady-state without a characteristic time or spatial scale. Due to its generality, the dynamic scaling approach has become a standard language in the study of growing surfaces and interfaces [1]. In this review I will discuss some recent advances in theoretical, simulational and experimental studies of surface and interface growth phenomena using this approach.
Clinical Radiobiology and Physics

The Four Rs of Radiobiology (rationale for fractionation of radiation) Repair – refers to DNA repair in response to sublethal or potentially lethal radiation damage. Fractionation of radiation allows normal tissues time to repair. Reassortment – refers to radioresistant cells that synchronize into a more radiosensitive phase of the cell cycle after a fraction of radiation. Over multiple fractions, more and more cells are redistributed into these radiosensitive phases. Repopulation – refers to tumor cell proliferation during the course of radiation therapy. This can be problematic with very low dose rates (VLDRs) or prolonged treatment durations. Reoxygenation – refers to the importance of oxygen in mediating the cytotoxic effects of radiation due to free radical production. As normoxic tumor cells are killed with each fraction, formerly hypoxic cells become oxygenated.
Multiple C-H Bond Activations in Corannulene by a Dirhenium Complex.

The reaction of Re2 (CO)8 (μ-C6 H5 )(μ-H), 1 with corannulene (C20 H10 ) yielded the product Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H)(μ-η2 -1,2-C20 H9 ), 2 (65 % yield) containing a Re2 metalated corannulene ligand formed by loss of benzene from 1 and the activation of one of the CH bonds of the nonplanar corannulene molecule by an oxidative-addition to 1. The corannulenyl ligand has adopted a bridging η2 -σ+π coordination to the Re2 (CO)8 grouping. Compound 2 reacts with a second equivalent of 1 to yield three isomeric doubly metalated corannulene products: Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H)(μ-η2 -1,2-μ-η2 -10,11-C20 H8 )Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H), 3 (35 % yield), Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H)(μ-η2 -2,1-μ-η2 -10,11-C20 H8 )Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H), 4 (12 % yield), and Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H)(μ-η2 -1,2-μ-η2 -11,10-C20 H8 )Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H), 5 (12 % yield), by a second CH activation on a second rim double bond on the corannulene molecule. The isomers differ by the relative orientations of the coordinated Re2 (CO)8 (μ-H) groupings. All new products were characterized structurally by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.
Observing Changes in Ocean Carbonate Chemistry: Our Autonomous Future

We summarize recent progress on autonomous observations of ocean carbonate chemistry and the development of a network of sensors capable of observing carbonate processes at multiple temporal and spatial scales. The development of versatile pH sensors suitable for both deployment on autonomous vehicles and in compact, fixed ecosystem observatories has been a major development in the field. The initial large-scale deployment of profiling floats equipped with these new pH sensors in the Southern Ocean has demonstrated the feasibility of a global autonomous open-ocean carbonate observing system. Our developing network of autonomous carbonate observations is currently targeted at surface ocean CO2 fluxes and compact ecosystem observatories. New integration of developed sensors on gliders and surface vehicles will increase our coastal and regional observational capability. Most autonomous platforms observe a single carbonate parameter, which leaves us reliant on the use of empirical relationships to constrain the rest of the carbonate system. Sensors now in development promise the ability to observe multiple carbonate system parameters from a range of vehicles in the near future.
Geometric and Statistical Approaches to Audiovisual Segmentation

Multimodal approaches are proposed for segmenting multiple speakers using geometric or statistical techniques. When multiple microphones and cameras are available, 3-D audiovisual tracking is used for source segmentation and array processing. With just a single camera and microphone, an information theoretic criteria separates speakers in a video sequence and associates relevant portions of the audio signal. Results are shown for each approach, and an initial integration effort is discussed.
Metal sulfide-based process analysis for hydrogen generation from hydrogen sulfide conversion

Abstract Fossil fuel power plants often generate sulfur species such as hydrogen sulfide or sulfur dioxide due to the sulfur content of the raw feedstocks. To combat the associated environmental, processing, and corrosion issues, facilities commonly utilize a Claus process to convert hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to elemental sulfur. Unfortunately, the potential for H2 production from H2S is lost in the Claus process. In this study, two chemical looping process configurations utilizing metal sulfides as chemical intermediates for sulfur recovery are investigated: (1) sulfur recovery (SR) system for sulfur production; (2) sulfur and hydrogen (H2) recovery (SHR) system for sulfur and H2 and production utilizing staged H2 separation. Since, H2 yield and sulfur recovery in a single thermal decomposition reactor is limited by low H2S equilibrium conversion, a staged H2 separation approach is used to increase H2S conversion to H2 using the SHR system. Steady-state simulations and optimization of process conditions are conducted in Aspen Plus (v10) simulation software for the chemical looping process configurations and the Claus process. An energy and exergy analysis are done for the Claus and chemical looping processes to demonstrate the relative contribution to exergy destruction from different unit operations as well as overall exergy and energy efficiency. The two chemical looping process configurations are compared against the conventional Claus process for similar sulfur recovery in a 629 MWe integrated gasification combined cycle power plant. The SHR system is found to be the most efficient option due to a 97.11% exergy efficiency with 99.31% H2 recovery. The overall energy and exergy efficiencies of this chemical looping system are 14.74% and 21.54% points higher than the Claus process, respectively, suggesting more efficient use of total input energy.
Health providers induced iatrogenic delusions of infestation

Patients that suffer from factitial dermatosis mutilate their skin, often lacking any consciousness of self-injury, attributing the resulting lesions to spontaneous development. The case hereby described shows how the health providers' interventions led a patient from a baseline undiagnosed factitious disorder to frank delusions of infestation with Mycobacterium Kansasii, and a relentless search for antibiotic treatments. We highlight the need for educating health practitioners on the characteristics of psycho-cutaneous disorders.
Relationship between Religious Support and Major Depressive Episode for Adult Non-Medical Prescription Opioid Users and Non-Users

Background: Non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) is linked with poor mental health outcomes. Previous research has shown that religious support is protective for mental health. Objectives: T...
Taming complexity in high performance computing

Today's high-performance computing environments, and the applications that must exploit them, have become much more complex than ever. We now build ensembles of large, shared-memory parallel computers, linked together with high-speed networks, in an attempt to achieve previously unheard-of speeds and still retain a "general-purpose" capability for running diverse applications.Demands for greater precision and realism in today's computer simulations of physical phenomena tax the imagination of the most aggressive system designers. Enhancing the accuracy of tomorrow's simulations requires simultaneously accounting for more physical, chemical and biological components. Predictive simulation is essential for making informed, science-based decisions on questions of national importance, including stockpile stewardship, global climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and epidemics. These applications are too massive and inter-related to be built, verified, tuned and maintained by conventional methods.Software teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory, along with collaborators world-wide, are building an integrated software infrastructure for scientific simulation development. This paper describes the projects now underway in object-oriented frameworks, scalable run-time software, scientific visualization, software component architecture, and high-end and experimental computer systems. We include achieved results and the status of projects.
Evaluation of a Ultraviolet B Light Emitting Diode (LED) for Producing Vitamin D3 in Human Skin.

Aim A commercially available light emitting diode (LED) that transmitted narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation was evaluated for its efficacy and efficiency to produce vitamin D3 in human skin. Materials and methods Human skin samples were obtained from surgical procedures. The LED had peak emission wavelength of 295 nm. Skin samples were exposed to the UVB-LED for varying times and then were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the vitamin D3 content. Results There was a statistically significant time- and dose-dependent increase in the percent of 7-dehydrocholesterol that was converted to vitamin D3 in the skin type II samples; 1.3%±0.5, 2.3%±0.6 and 4.5%±1.67 after exposure to 0.75 (11.7 mJ/cm2), 1.5 (23.4 mJ/cm2) and 3 (46.8 mJ/cm2) minimal erythemal doses (MEDs), respectively. Conclusion The UVB-LED was effective and efficient in generating vitamin D3 in human skin, in vitro. The amount of vitamin D3 production increased in a dose-dependent fashion with increased UVB energy. UVB-LEDs can be developed for devices that can efficiently produce vitamin D3 in human skin.
Forecasting in multivariate irregularly sampled time series with missing values.

Sparse and irregularly sampled multivariate time series are common in clinical, climate, financial and many other domains. Most recent approaches focus on classification, regression or forecasting tasks on such data. In forecasting, it is necessary to not only forecast the right value but also to forecast when that value will occur in the irregular time series. In this work, we present an approach to forecast not only the values but also the time at which they are expected to occur.
Epidemiology and etiological surveillance of hand-foot-mouth disease in Suining City, Sichuan Province, 2011-2015

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and virus constitution of hand-foot-mouth disease in Suining City, and analyze the high risk factors of severe cases. Methods The case cards of hand-foot-mouth disease in Suining City from 2011 to 2015 derived from infectious disease reporting information management system and the etiological monitoring data provided by laboratory of Suining Center for Disease Control and Prevention were analyzed. The general epidemic situation and the pathogenic classification were described, and the risk factors of severe hand-foot-mouth disease were explored by Logistic regression. Results The annual average incidence, severe rate, mortality rate and severe mortality rate of hand-foot-mouth disease in Suining City during 2011 and 2015 were 65.82/100 000, 4.83‰, 0.19‰ and 38.46‰, respectively. Two incidence peaks respectively were from March to May and from October to November. Age of onsetwas mainly concentrated under 3 years old (9 133 cases, 84.84%) , and the male and female ratio was 1.59:1 (χ2=108.72, P<0.01) . The crowd classification was mainly concentrated in the scattered children (8 168 cases, 75.93%) , followed by preschool children (2 362 cases, 21.96%) , while the severe cases was mainly scattered children (47 cases, 90.38%) .There were significant differences in the severe rates of hand-foot-mouth disease among different crowd classification, which had statistical significance (χ2=11.95, P<0.05) . There were 730 samples collected in 5 years, in which 413 samples were positive (56.58%) , and other enterovirus was the dominant strain (positive rate was 34.66%) , followed by enterovirus 71 (positive rate was 14.25%) . Multivariate analysis showed that the risks of severe cases with enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 positive were increased 3.44 times and 4.74 times respectively. Conclusions The incidence of hand-foot-mouth disease in Suining City is increasing year by year and with obvious seasonality. The focus group of hand-foot-mouth disease is of children under 3 years old. The enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 infection will increase the risk of severe cases. Key words: Hand, foot and mouth disease; Epidemic surveillance; Epidemiological characteristics; High risk factors
The Promises and Challenges of Human Rights Cities

Human Rights Cities is an international movement – started in the 1990s by the People’s Decade for Human Rights Education (PDHRE) – to implement human rights at the local level. It calls on individuals, communities and local governments to work together to build a culture of human rights in the city that will facilitate the realization of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all city residents. This chapter examines the promises and challenges of building a Human Rights City with a focus on Boston Human Rights City. On April 13, 2011, the Boston City Council declared Boston to be a Human Rights City, joining over two dozen Human Rights Cities worldwide. Drawing on previous cases studies and interviews with four key informants, the chapter first explains the movement by describing some Human Rights Cities in Africa, Europe and Latin America, and then turns to those in the United States, outlining their progress, achievements and challenges. The chapter then turns to Boston, drawing on the experiences of the five authors who have been working on the Boston Human Rights City Initiative for over 3 years. The chapter concludes with lessons learned, including achievements and challenges.
3-Dimensional CT Planning for Cerebral Embolic Protection in Structural Interventions

As transcatheter valvular interventions have grown in demand, so too has the need to protect the cerebral vasculature. Stroke remains a major concern for left-sided valvular interventions, occurring in 2% to 5% of transcatheter aortic ([1][1]) and mitral valve ([2][2]) replacements. The Sentinel
Dislocation Generation by Dynamically-Loaded Cracks and Its Effects on Fracture Characterization

Brittle fracture involves micromechanical processes, including the generation of dislocations by the crack edge. Here, dislocation generation under dynamic loading is analyzed for insight into its effects on fracture characterization.
Alcohol use patterns and their association with sober driver vehicle control in high fidelity driving simulation.

To examine the relationship between patterns of alcohol use, as determined by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and vehicle control measures in high fidelity driving simulation among a...
The WIC Shopping Experience: A Qualitative Study Examining Retail-based Strategies to Increase WIC Retention and Redemption Rates

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) successfully improves participant nutrition, but program effectiveness is threatened by retail shopping challenges,...
Molecular characteristics and spatial distribution of adult human corneal cell subtypes.

Bulk RNA sequencing of a tissue captures the gene expression profile from all cell types combined. Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies discrete cell-signatures based on transcriptomic identities. Six adult human corneas were processed for single-cell RNAseq and 16 cell clusters were bioinformatically identified. Based on their transcriptomic signatures and RNAscope results using representative cluster marker genes on human cornea cross-sections, these clusters were confirmed to be stromal keratocytes, endothelium, several subtypes of corneal epithelium, conjunctival epithelium, and supportive cells in the limbal stem cell niche. The complexity of the epithelial cell layer was captured by eight distinct corneal clusters and three conjunctival clusters. These were further characterized by enriched biological pathways and molecular characteristics which revealed novel groupings related to development, function, and location within the epithelial layer. Moreover, epithelial subtypes were found to reflect their initial generation in the limbal region, differentiation, and migration through to mature epithelial cells. The single-cell map of the human cornea deepens the knowledge of the cellular subsets of the cornea on a whole genome transcriptional level. This information can be applied to better understand normal corneal biology, serve as a reference to understand corneal disease pathology, and provide potential insights into therapeutic approaches.
Microsurgery: Vascularized Lymph Vessel Transfer

Lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) and vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) are the main established reconstructive treatments for fluid-predominant lymphedema. Both, however, have limitations. LVA is most effective for early disease with preserved functionality of lymphatic vessels, and VLNT carries a risk of donor site lymphedema as well as contour deformity. Vascularized lymph vessel transfer (VLVT) is a novel technique that can be utilized in more advanced, fluid-predominant lymphedema, does not have the risk of donor site lymphedema, and does not have associated contour deformity. In this chapter, the senior author (WFC) describes this novel technique, including patient selection, surgical planning, surgical technique, surgical outcomes, and postoperative care. After reading this chapter, the reader should gain both clinical and technical knowledge to begin incorporating VLVT into their lymphedema practice.
Baboon tolerance to linear deceleration (-gx): lap belt restraint

Abstract : The tolerance to abrupt linear deceleration and the subject response to a lap belt restraint system were investigated. Nineteen adult male baboons comprised the test pool. The effects of impacts of 8.6-40 g were studied, with nonsurvivability used as the index of tolerance. The results indicated that the tolerance to impact approximated a 32 g sled deceleration. Lethality was presumed attributable to the secondary impact as the head contacted the floor of the sled. Predominant lethal injuries included avulsion of the atlanto- occipital articulation and dislocation fractures of the cervical vertebrae with resulting transection of the spinal cord. Excellent linear correlations were established between peak lap belt and seat pan forces versus maximum sled deceleration. Likewise, a linear relationship was found between peak head angular accelerations and maximum sled deceleration.
Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of microtubules, microtubule-associated proteins, and microtubule-organizing centers during amphibian oogenesis and early development.

Publisher Summary During the past 5 years, the picture of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton of amphibian oocytes has changed dramatically, due in large part to refinements in the techniques for preserving and visualizing the oocyte cytoskeleton. Individual MTs are first identified in the cortex of Xenopus oocytes in samples prepared by rapid freezing. Subsequently, whole-mount immunocytochemistry and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy has revealed an extensive network of MTs extending throughout the cytoplasm of oocytes from both X. laevis and Rana pipiens . In addition, these techniques have revealed that dramatic changes in MT assembly, organization, and dynamics accompany distinct stages in oocyte differentiation, maturation, and early embryonic development. This chapter presents a view of the assembly and organization of the MT cytoskeleton during oogenesis and early development in the African frog, X. laevis , which is based on results obtained in laboratories around the world. Results obtained from other amphibian species are discussed when informative. In addition, some of the mechanisms that might serve to regulate MT organization and dynamics during amphibian oogenesis and early development are addressed, focusing on the potential contributions of microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPS).
Microphysical effects on cloud water acidity: a case study in a nonprecipitating cloud event observed at Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina

There is increasing recognition that deposition of cloud water may significantly contribute to the decline of forest. In this paper, chemical and microphysical data obtained at Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina during one orographic, non-precipitating cloud event are examined to investigate the relationship between temporal variation of cloud acidity and cloud microphysics. The cloud acidity was substantially higher than in precipitating cloud events. Sulfate, nitrate, ammounium and hydrogen ions were the major constituents. The results suggest that water vapor condensation and evaporation of cloud droplets are the dominant processes in determining the total concentration of cloud water. 18 refs., 6 figs.
Physiological correlates of the precedence effect and summing localization in the inferior colliculus of the cat

The precedence effect (PE) describes an illusion produced when two similar sounds are delivered in quick succession (interclick delays of 2–8 msec) from sound sources at different locations so that only a single sound is perceived. The localization of the perceived sound is dominated by the location of the leading sound. If the delays are very short (
The influence of the location and abundance of the sea anemone Calliactis tricolor (Le Sueur) in protecting hermit crabs from octopus predators

Abstract Symbioses between hermit crabs and sea anemones, e.g., Calliactis spp., are commonly considered mutualistic. Benefits to the sea anemone have not been clearly demonstrated, but the hermit crab is thought to benefit, in part, by receiving protection. In the present study, the effectiveness of Calliactis in protecting hermit crabs from octopus predation was addressed. Hermit crabs with a greater number of attached anemones survived longest. Also, the location of an anemone greatly affected its ability to prevent predation. Hermit crabs with an anemone attached closest to the shell aperture survived longest.
Impact of Pain Question Modifiers on Spine Augmentation Outcome

In this study we observed significant variation in the reported pain intensity, both before and after spine augmentation, based on the types of questions posed.
Effect of niridazole and Niridazole Immunoregulatory Factor (NIF) on cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity in mice

It has been suggested that the suppression of cell-mediated immune phenomena following niridazole administration is most likely due to a niridazole metabolite rather than the parent drug. This hypothesis was tested using two inbred strains of mice that manifest different rates of microsomal niridazole oxidation and reduction. DBA/2J mice were found to metabolize niridazole at a rate approximately 3-fold greater than C57BL/6J mice under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Niridazole was found to be more potent with respect to suppression of cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity in the former than in the latter. An immunosuppressive component was isolated from the urine fraction obtained from niridazole-treated rats. This component was found to be chromatographically pure; have a simple UV absorbance spectrum containing no 360 nm absorbing material characteristic of niridazole; to show no strain difference with respect to potency or efficacy in the ear-swelling assay for cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity; and to be 10(7) times more potent than niridazole with respect to the suppression of cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity.