cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Carrier Sensing Outage in Single Hop IEEE 802.11 Ad Hoc Networks with Slowly Moving Stations

Physical Carrier Sensing plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of CSMA-based MAC protocols, yet its properties and impact on the system performance under slow fading channel have not been well understood. We demonstrate that carrier sensing can be highly unreliable even within the "carrier sensing range" and the channel is largely stable during a transmission between slowly moving mobile stations. Then we formulate the carrier sensing outage probability between competing mobile stations and propose a model to estimate the frame error rate and normalized throughput of a saturated IEEE 802.11 DCF single-hop ad-hoc network. Our model is validated via extensive simulations using Qualnet. The numerical and simulation results reveal substantial degradation in system performance with a small amount of carrier sensing outage.
Association of response endpoints with survival outcomes in multiple myeloma

Since the introduction of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib and the immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) thalidomide and lenalidomide, more patients with multiple myeloma are achieving deep, durable responses and disease control, and are living longer. These improvements have afforded more robust analyses of the relationship between response and survival. Generally, these studies have demonstrated that improvements in the quality of response across all stages of treatment are associated with better disease control and longer survival. Thus, achievement of maximal response should be strongly considered, particularly in the frontline setting, but must also be balanced with tolerability, quality of life and patient preferences. In select patients, achievement of a lesser response may be adequate to prolong survival, and attempts to treat these patients to a deeper response may place them at unnecessary risk without significant benefit. Maintenance therapy has been shown to improve the quality of response and disease control and, in some studies, survival. Studies support maintenance therapy for high-risk patients as a standard of care, and there are emerging data supporting maintenance therapy in standard-risk patients to improve progression-free and possibly overall survival. Multidrug regimens combining a proteasome inhibitor and an IMiD have shown exceptional response outcomes with acceptable increases in toxicity in both the frontline and salvage settings, and are becoming a standard treatment approach. Moving forward, the use of immunophenotypic and molecular response criteria will be essential in better understanding the impact of highly active and continuous treatment regimens across myeloma patient populations. Future translational studies will help to develop antimyeloma agents to their fullest potential. The introduction of novel targeted therapies, including the IMiD pomalidomide and the proteasome inhibitors carfilzomib and ixazomib (MLN9708), will provide greater options to individualize treatment and help patients achieve a clinically meaningful response.
Studies of Enzyme Polymorphisms in the Kamuela Population of D. MERCATORUM. I. Estimation of the Level of Polymorphism.

A Kamuela, Hawaii, population of Drosophila mercatorum was surveyed for enzyme variability. The mean heterozygosity and the proportion of polymorphic loci were estimated as 0.1255 and 0.37, respectively. Neither deviates more than one standard error from their respective means for 43 Drosophila species (Nevo 1978). Heterozygosity was distributed across enzyme categories in much the same manner as observed in other species (Gillespie and Kojima 1968; Johnson 1974), and enzymes associated with glycolysis were about as variable as other enzymes of central metabolism.——The levels of heterozygosity and polymorphism in this population do not seem to have been affected by a low-level capacity for parthenogenesis. The observed parthenogenetic reproduction is not strongly associated with particular allelic variants among viable parthenogenetic adults; however, the capacity to establish a self-sustaining parthenogenetic clone is strongly associated with the phenotype with the most frequent allele at every locus studied. We interpret these results to mean that isozyme variants do not strongly influence viability under total homozygosity (the genetic condition imposed by parthenogenesis), but they do have an impact upon the reproductive biology of parthenogenetic adults.
Proteomic identification of less oxidized brain proteins in aged senescence-accelerated mice following administration of antisense oligonucleotide directed at the Aβ region of amyloid precursor protein

Abstract Amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) is the major constituent of senile plaques, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. It is generally accepted that Aβ plays a central role in the pathophysiology of AD. Aβ is released from cells under entirely normal cellular conditions during the internalization and endosomal processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). However, accumulation of Aβ can induce neurotoxicity. Our previous reports showed that decreasing the production of Aβ by giving an intracerebroventricular injection of a 42-mer phosphorothiolated antisense oligonucleotide (AO) directed at the Aβ region of the APP gene reduces lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation and improves cognitive deficits in aged senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. In order to investigate how Aβ level reduction improves learning and memory performance of SAMP8 mice through reduction of oxidative stress in brains, we used proteomics to identify the proteins that are less oxidized in 12-month-old SAMP8 mice brains treated with AO against the Aβ region of APP (12 mA) compared to that of the age-control SAMP8 mice. We found that the specific protein carbonyl levels of aldoase 3 (Aldo3), coronin 1a (Coro1a) and peroxiredoxin 2 (Prdx2) are significantly decreased in the brains of 12 mA SAMP8 mice compared to the age-controlled SAMP8 treated with random AO (12 mR). We also found that the expression level of α-ATP synthase (Atp5a1) was significantly decreased, whereas the expression of profilin 2 (Pro-2) was significantly increased in brains from 12 mA SAMP8 mice. Our results suggest that decreasing Aβ levels in aged brain in aged accelerated mice may contribute to the mechanism of restoring the learning and memory improvement in aged SAMP8 mice and may provide insight into the role of Aβ in the memory and cognitive deficits in AD.
Religious‐issues group therapy

The long-standing success of a Spiritual Beliefs and Values Group supports the potential value of discussing spiritual issues and challenges the assumption that religious concerns voiced by people with serious mental illness should be considered pathological.
Prostate Cancer Severity Among Low Income, Uninsured Men

Purpose: The proportion of American men with organ confined, low risk prostate cancer has increased significantly during the last 2 decades. Whether this trend also applies to men at the extremes of socioeconomic disadvantage remains unknown. Therefore, we evaluated trends in prostate cancer severity in an ethnically diverse cohort of low income, uninsured men served by a state funded public health program in California.Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 570 disadvantaged men enrolled in the California program from 2001 through 2006. Using routinely collected clinical variables we defined 2 measures of cancer severity as 1) the proportion of enrollees with metastases at diagnosis and 2) the proportions of men with nonmetastatic tumors whose cancers had low, intermediate or high risk features at diagnosis. We performed bivariate analyses to assess time trends in cancer severity.Results: Prostate specific antigen levels at diagnosis exceeded 10 ng/ml for 51% of enrollees, 50...
Experimenting with spirituality: analyzing The God Gene in a nonmajors laboratory course.

References linking genes to complex human traits, such as personality type or disease susceptibility, abound in the news media and popular culture. In his book The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired ...
The Use of Nails in the Crucifixion

These words in criticism of Fra Lippo's vivid and realistic painting of sacred subjects admirably typify the attitude of theology to art. In the ages when the masses were still unable to read, the church took advantage of the work of the painter to impart instruction in the Bible stories. But after all, mere enlightenment is comparatively useless, sometimes even dangerous. It is always inferior to devotion. As long as the masses could be inspired by art to perform more fully their religious duties, so long was art rendering to the church the services that were its due. If the actual facts, even as recorded in the Scriptures, stood in the way of the theological object, they had to be neglected, obscured, or denied. If by a false depiction religious feeling were aroused, there could be no doubt as to the value of such depiction.
Narratives of Moral Order in Michigan's Foreclosure Crisis

In the United States foreclosure crisis since 2007, millions of homeowners have strived but failed to hold onto homeownership. This crisis threatens to unsettle the myth of the American dream and deep-seated cultural beliefs about the self as a moral, political, and financial subject. On the whole, mainstream narratives blame homeowners for their predicaments or at least hold them responsible for the consequences of the housing bust. This article examines how homeowners, housing professionals, and activists in Michigan confront narratives of blame and flawed foreclosure prevention programs. Michigan has been pivotal in the formation of beliefs about the American dream, evidenced in the blue-collar middle class, as well as being emblematic of deindustrialization and the foreclosure crisis. Confronting a multi-layered crisis, homeowners, housing professionals, and activists in Michigan produce narratives of suicide, walking away, or strategically defaulting on the mortgage. These narratives present moral critiques of lenders, enact and challenge tropes of blame, and imagine ways to recapture (albeit constrained) agency.
The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Dietary carbohydrate is the major determinant of postprandial glucose levels, and several clinical studies have shown that low-carbohydrate diets improve glycemic control. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a diet lower in carbohydrate would lead to greater improvement in glycemic control over a 24-week period in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eighty-four community volunteers with obesity and type 2 diabetes were randomized to either a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (<20 g of carbohydrate daily; LCKD) or a low-glycemic, reduced-calorie diet (500 kcal/day deficit from weight maintenance diet; LGID). Both groups received group meetings, nutritional supplementation, and an exercise recommendation. The main outcome was glycemic control, measured by hemoglobin A1c. Forty-nine (58.3%) participants completed the study. Both interventions led to improvements in hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and weight loss. The LCKD group had greater improvements in hemoglobin A1c (-1.5% vs. -0.5%, p = 0.03), body weight (-11.1 kg vs. -6.9 kg, p = 0.008), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (+5.6 mg/dL vs. 0 mg/dL, p < 0.001) compared to the LGID group. Diabetes medications were reduced or eliminated in 95.2% of LCKD vs. 62% of LGID participants (p < 0.01). Dietary modification led to improvements in glycemic control and medication reduction/elimination in motivated volunteers with type 2 diabetes. The diet lower in carbohydrate led to greater improvements in glycemic control, and more frequent medication reduction/elimination than the low glycemic index diet. Lifestyle modification using low carbohydrate interventions is effective for improving and reversing type 2 diabetes.
Use of etanercept for psoriasis in a liver transplant recipient

Psoriasis, a chronic cutaneous inflammatory disease, is an immune-mediated disorder caused by complex interactions between dendritic cells, T cells, and keratinocytes. Tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-α) is a cytokine that plays a major role in the inflammatory cascade.1 Biologic agents that target TNF-α such as etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab are effective in the treatment of psoriasis.2 Psoriasis has been described as a systemic inflammatory disease, given its association with comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and psoriatic arthritis.1 Of note, other autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), primary sclerosing cholangitis, celiac disease, systemic sclerosis, and alopecia areata are reported to occur with a higher prevalence in patients with psoriasis.3, 4, 5 The relationship between psoriasis and IBD may be related to the overlapping role of T-helper–17 cells, interleukin-12, interleukin-23, and TNF-α in the pathogenesis of these inflammatory disorders.3 There is a dearth of literature regarding the treatment of psoriasis with biologic agents in patients with organ transplants. Given the immunosuppressive regimens of the posttransplant population, psoriasis flares are uncommon and are thus a challenge to treat.6 Treating psoriasis with additional immunosuppression poses significant risks, including the increased risk of infection. This article describes the efficacy of using etanercept in a patient with psoriasis and ulcerative colitis/primary sclerosing cholangitis after liver transplantation.
Evidence for specific tumor cytotoxic antibodies in serum of cervical cancer patients.

Antibodies against cell surface antigens of cervical carcinoma were detected using microcytotoxicity and complement fixation tests. The cytotoxic reaction was dependent on rabbit complement. CX1B, a cervical epidermoid carcinoma strain growing in our laboratory was employed exclusively in these tests. We define specific destruction of cells when less than 40 per cent of the cells remain viable after a four hour exposure to antibody and complement; cytotoxicity under these circumstances can be related to cervical carcinoma-related antibodies. Nonspecific destruction as high as 20 per cent was routinely observed as test background. The evidence for antibodies specific to cervical carcinoma is based on: (a) the serum of cervical carcinoma patients which produced specific destruction of the malignant CX1B line did not affect a normal cervix strain; (b) none of the control sera elicited a specific reaction; (c) absorption of specific serum of cervical carcinoma patients by membrane fragments of CX1B reversed the positive result: and (d) three out of four specific cytotoxic sera could be correlated with positive complement fixaton test. Correlation with clinical data revealed higher titers of tumor related antibodies in Stage I which may be interpreted as evidence that circulating antigen-antibody complexes are not common early in this disease.
The Many Faces of IpaB.

The type III secretion system (T3SS) is Shigella’s most important virulence factor. The T3SS apparatus (T3SA) is comprised of an envelope-spanning basal body and an external needle topped by a tip complex protein called IpaD. This nanomachine is used to deliver effector proteins into host cells to promote pathogen entry. A key component of the matured T3SS needle tip complex is the translocator protein IpaB. IpaB can exist in multiple states when prepared as a recombinant protein, however, it has also been described as having additional roles in Shigella pathogenesis. This mini-review will briefly describe some of the features of IpaB as a T3SS needle tip protein, as a pore-forming translocator protein and as an effector protein. Reflection on the potential importance of the different in vitro states of IpaB on its function and importance in serotype-independent vaccines is also provided.
Under the Radar: State Associations and Election Administration

This paper is part of a larger project on the urban and rural dimensions of election administration. There is a dramatic skew in the distribution of voters across local jurisdictions. We enumerate the state associations of local election officials and examine how they aggregate their members’ preferences on election laws and procedures, with a focus on early voting policies. We hope that our findings will bring a much needed local focus to the nationalized discussion over election reform and highlight the nexus between politics and administration in a very important policy arena.
Urinary Crystal Growth: Effect of Inhibitor Mixtures

1. The crystal growth inhibitory activity of mixtures of known inhibitors and of mixtures of known inhibitors with normal urine was determined in calcium oxalate monohydrate and hydroxyapatite seeded crystal growth systems. 2. The inhibitory activity of the mixtures was compared with the measured activity of the individual components of the mixtures. All mixtures had inhibitory activity equal to the sum of the activities of their components, with the exception of RNA/urine mixtures in the calcium oxalate monohydrate system. 3. RNA/urine mixtures had inhibitory activity toward calcium oxalate monohydrate crystal growth which was less than would be predicted from the activity of the RNA and of the urine which were added. This reduced inhibitory activity was shown to be due probably to hydrolysis of RNA by the ribonuclease activity normally present in urine. 4. The results of these experiments make it possible to determine quantitatively the contribution of various naturally occurring urinary crystal growth inhibitors to the total measured inhibition observed in urine.
Characterization of a Saturated, Fractured Porous Rock and Estimation of its Fracture-Fluid Factors

Summary For fluid-saturated porous rocks with fractures, the elastic moduli are related not only to the physical properties of the host rock and fractures, but also to the fluid-infill material and hydraulic connectivity between pores and fractures. In the low frequency limit, considering fluid flow and hydraulic equilibrium between pores and fractures, we propose to use a fracture-fluid factor matrix to characterize the effect of the fractures and fluids. Here, the fracture-fluid factors are a combination of physical properties of the dry/saturated host rock, fractures and fluid infill, instead of the commonly applied normal and tangential fracture weaknesses. In this paper, we derive analytic expressions for the proposed fracture-fluid factors, express the anisotropic parameters and approximate P-wave reflection coefficients in terms of these fracture-fluid factors. Next, assuming the orientation of the fractures, physical properties of the overburden and unfractured background rock are determined. We use simulated annealing inversion to estimate the fracture-fluid factors. Inversion results from synthetic AVOA data, with 10% Gaussian random noise, show that the fracture-fluid factors can be successfully and reliably estimated.
The prevalence and influenceing factors of central obesity in Dai ethnics area of Yunnan

Objective This study was conducted to explore the prevalence and influenceing factors of central obesity in Dai ethnics area of Yunnan, so to provide a scientific basis for the development of optimal and appropriate policies and strategies against central obesity. Methods In 2008 and 2009, randomly chosen residents from Jinghong city and Mengla county aged from 35 to 70 were enrolled for questionnaire surveys and physical examinations through cluster sampling. A total of 1 912 people took part in this research. Results The ratio for central obesity was 30.8%, while the ratio for standard obesity was 30.5%. The occurrences of central obesity were more prevalent in male, city residents and Han ethnic population, comparing to female, rural residents and other minor ethnic populations. The major risk factors for central obesity were male(OR=2.48), living in the city(OR=2.04), aging over 45(OR= 1.5) and alcohol consumption(OR=1.31). Conclusion The authorities in Yunnan should reinforce the health education and interventions for chronic diseases in the Dai ethnics area. In order to minimize central obesity related chronic disease such as hypertension, coronary disease and stroke, the intervention should be focused especially on the middle-aged male living in the city.
The research about comparison of biological characteristics between replicative cell senescence and oxidative-stress induced premature senescence

Objective To study biological characteristics of replicative cell senescence and oxidative-stress induced premature senescence.Methods HPF cells were treated with 200 μmol/L H2O2 four times to induce cell senescence.HPF cells were continuously cultured and subcultured in vitro until losing their reproductive capacity.The cell morphology,growth curve,population doubling time,senescence-associated β-galactosidase and cell cycle were observed.Results The normal HPF cells and 200 μmol/L H2O2 treated cells stopped replication on PDL54 and PDL34 respectively.In normal cells,PI was negatively correlated with population doubling level.There were no significant differences in cell population doubling time and senescence-associated β-galactosidase expression between PDL50 group and 200 μmol/L H2O2 group.PI of 200 μmol/L H2O2 group was significantly different from PDL50 group.Conclusion The concentration of 200 μmol/L H2O2 could induce premature senescence.Although the biological characteristics of premature senescence cells is similar to replicative senescence cells,there are different mechanism.
Comparison of the diagnostic value of different tumor markers in prostatic cancer patients

The author compared the tumour markers of hundred virginell prostatic cancer patients. There were investigated the activity of prostatic acid phosphatase (SP) and its isoenzyme (SPP) by enzymatic method (PAP) as well. The concentration of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) was determined too. The sensibility of markers are growing on the row, SP, SPP, PAP, PSA. Summarising the results, the determination of PAP together with PSA seems to be not necessary. Because of the low price of SP, SPP their determinations is indicated in selected cases. Regarding of costs-benefit the author advises selected investigations in different stage and in different indications.
Cool codes for hot chips: A quantitative basis for multi-core design

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation on Philips' PNX8535 hybrid television processor. Some of the specific topics discussed include: the special features and processing capabilities of the PNX8535; applications supported; functions and use cases; device design; physical characteristics and key data; and software support and tools.
Indexing it All: The Subject in the Age of Documentation, Information, and Data, by Ronald E. Day: Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2014, 170 pp., $32.00 (hardcover)

“… one doesn’t simply ‘have documents,’ increasingly a person is a set of varieties of documents” (Latour & Woolgar, 1979, p. 127)Ronald E. Day’s Indexing it All: The Subject in the Age of Document...
Financial liberalization and private sector borrowing in ASEAN 4 economies 1990–2012

Using quarterly data spanning 1990–2012, this study estimates the optimal debt/net worth ratio for ASEAN 4 economies and whether business indebtedness of the private sector in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand was excessive during the period. Using the single-equation model from Stein’s stochastic optimal control-dynamic programming, I find that increased capital inflows and lower borrowing costs following financial liberalization spurred excessive borrowing before Asia’s 1997–1998 financial crisis. Results confirm Stein’s theory that rising excess indebtedness signals an impending financial crisis.
Linkage of traffic crash and hospitalization records with limited identifiers for enhanced public health surveillance.

Abstract Background Motor vehicle traffic (MVT) crashes kill or seriously injure approximately 4250 people in New York City (NYC) each year. Traditionally, NYC surveillance practices use hospitalization and crash data separately to monitor trends in MVT-related injuries, but key information linking crash circumstances to health outcomes is lost when analyzing these data sources in isolation. Our objective was to match crash reports to hospitalization records to create a traffic injury surveillance dataset that can be used to describe crash circumstances and related injury outcomes. The linkage of the two systems presents a unique challenge since the system tracking crashes and the system tracking hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits lack key identifying data such as names and dates of birth. Methods NYC Department of Transportation provided electronic records based on reports of motor vehicle crashes submitted to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for all crashes occurring in NYC from 2009 to 2013. New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) ED and hospitalization administrative data from NYC hospitals were used to identify unintentional MVT-related injuries using external cause of injury codes. Since the two systems do not share unique individual identifiers, probabilistic record linkage was conducted using LinkSolv9.0. Sensitivity/specificity calculations and chi-square analyses of linkage rates were conducted to assess linkage results. Results From 2009–2013, there were 1,054,344 individuals involved in MVT crashes in NYC and 280,340 ED visits and hospitalizations from MVT-related injuries. There were 145,003 linked pairs, giving a linkage rate of 52% of the total MVT-related hospital records. This linkage had a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 93%. Linkage rates were comparable by age, sex, crash role, collision type, hospital county, injury location, hospital type, and hospital status, indicating no apparent biases in the match by these variables. Conclusions Performing a probabilistic linkage between MVT crash reports and hospitalization records is possible with a limited set of identifying variables. These linked data will inform traffic safety policies by providing new information on how crash circumstances translate to health outcomes.
Data Science Tools and Techniques to Support Data Analytics in Transportation Applications

Transportation is among the fields that can potentially benefit, and are under the pressure of, the data deluge the most. This comes from technological advances that improve both the ability to generate data from sensors and personal devices as well as the network capability that can make these data available for analytical purposes quickly. This chapter discusses techniques required for the first step in dealing with massive and complex data, which is to curate and integrate data, which can be under different formats and arrive from various sources. These techniques allow readers to explore transportation data under the most common format. In addition, this chapter will also introduce the R statistical programming framework, a popular open source framework with powerful support for statistical analysis.
Examining the Relationship Between School Sports Participation and Alcohol Use Among Middle School and High School Students

ABSTRACTThe study purpose was to examine the relationship between sports participation and recent alcohol and past-year alcohol use among students. A secondary data analysis of the PRIDE survey (N = 37,616) was performed. A series of chi-square analyses and odds ratios were conducted. Results indicated sports participation reduced the odds for past-year alcohol use among male students, but not recent use. Female students who participated in school sports often/a lot were at reduced risk for reporting both recent use and past-year use. Overall, sports participation had a protective effect on alcohol use. Recommendations for future research are included.
Assessing Change in Adolescents’ Art-Making Over Time: A Methodology Designed to Collect Data from Visual Artwork

This paper presents a novel data analytic approach used to analyze changes in visual artworks over time. Drawing on principles of art historical criticism, our research team devised a comprehensive coding scheme that captures both technical and content attributes. After establishing inter-rater agreement, the researcher team applied the coding scheme to 414 pieces of adolescent artwork published in a teen art and literary magazine between 1990 and 2011. Analyses of the occurrence of each code revealed notable changes in adolescent creative production over the twenty-year period that we investigated. Applying this analytic approach to visual art can yield insights into artworks, their creators, and nuanced changes in creative production over time.
Providing Control and Transparency in a Social Recommender System for Academic Conferences

A social recommender system aims to provide useful suggestion to the user and prevent social overload problem. Most of the research efforts are spent on push high relevant item on top of the ranked list, using a weight ensemble approach. However, we argue the ``learned'' static fusion is not enough to specific contexts. In this paper, we develop a series visual recommendation components and control panel for the user to interact with the recommendation result of an academic conference. The system offers a better recommendation transparency and user-driven fusion through recommended sources. The experiment result shows the user did fuse the different recommended sources and exploration patterns among tasks. The post-study survey is positively associated with the system and explanation function effectiveness. This finding shed light on the future research of design a recommender system with human intervention and the interface beyond the static ranked list.
Cold War in the Arabic Press: Ḥiwār (Beirut, 1962–67) and the Congress for Cultural Freedom

This chapter provides a history for Ḥiwār (1962–67), edited by Palestinian poet Tawfīq Ṣāyigh from Beirut with broad dissemination in the Arab world, and outlines the CCF’s other interventions in the Arab cultural sphere from 1955. Over the course of its nearly five-year run, Ḥiwār published both emerging and established authors, serving as a register of some of the most important Arab historians, critics, essayists, short-story writers, novelists and poets of the 1960s, including Badr Shākir al-Sayyāb, Ghādah al-Sammān, Albert Hourani, Jabrā Ibrāhīm Jabrā, Walīd al-Khālidī, Zakariyyā Tāmir, Laylā Baʿalbakī, Ṣalāḥ ʿAbd al-Ṣubūr, Salmā al-Khaḍrāʾ al-Jayyūsī, Ṣabrī Ḥāfiẓ, Luwịs ʿAwaḍ, Fuʾād al-Takarlī, al-Ṭayyib Ṣāliḥ and Yūsuf Idrīs. Ḥiwār also published CCF-supplied interviews with major international cultural figures such as T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Arthur Miller, Ernest Hemingway, Gyorgy Lukacs, Aldous Huxley, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Picasso, and letters from CCF representatives and authors across the world.
Effect of rubber mats on sow behavior and litter performance during lactation

Abstract The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of rubber lying mats on sow behavior, production and litter performance throughout lactation. In total, 213 multiparous, late gestation, group housed sows were enrolled in the study after being blocked by parity and classified as lame or non-lame. Sows were randomly allocated to treatments; a farrowing crate with a perforated rubber lying mat (R), or a farrowing crate with standard metal slatted flooring (C). Sow behavior, lesion scores, sow weight, and body condition measurements were obtained once weekly over the course of 4 weeks around the farrowing event (1 week prior until 3 weeks post farrowing day). Piglet weights were recorded during the weeks of farrowing and weaning. Wean to estrus intervals and piglet mortality data were obtained post-hoc via records from the farm's computer database PigKnows®. Sows housed on the R treatment spent an increased proportion of time spent standing (P = 0.02) and tended to spend a lower proportion of their time spent lying (P = 0.07). Sows that were housed on R treatment weaned piglets with lower body weights when compared sows housed on C treatment (P 0.05). In conclusion, rubber mats did not affect behavior of lame or non-lame sows during lactation but impacted weaning weights and total piglet mortality due to crushing. Further research evaluating alternative flooring during the farrowing and lactation period is needed in order to improve sow comfort and longevity while protecting piglet health and viability.
Characterization of abnormal dual-fuel combustion

The boom in natural gas within the last decade from shale formations reduced the price of natural gas dramatically. This shift in price generated a great deal of interest in dualfuel conversion for many high-horsepower engines. These conversions are designed to replace a portion of the diesel fuel with natural gas.
Clinical Management of Osteoporotic Fractures.

This review examines recent literature regarding the clinical management of fragility fractures, provides insight into new practice patterns, and discusses controversies in current management. There are declining rates of osteoporosis management following initial fragility fracture. Management of osteoporotic fractures via a multidisciplinary team reduces secondary fracture incidence and improves overall osteoporotic care. Anabolic agents (abaloparatide and teriparatide) are effective adjuvants to fracture repair, and have shown positive results in cases of re-fracture in spite of medical management (i.e., bisphosphonates). For AO 31-A1 and A2 intertrochanteric hip fractures (non-reverse obliquity), no clinical advantage of intramedullary fixation over the sliding hip screw (SHS) has been proven; SHS is more cost-effective. As fragility fracture incidence continues to rise, orthopedic surgeons must play a more central role in the care of osteoporotic patients. Initiation of pharmacologic intervention is key to preventing subsequent fragility fractures, and may play a supportive role in initial fracture healing. While the media bombards patients with complications of medical therapy (atypical femur fractures, osteonecrosis of jaw, myocardial infarction), providers need to understand and communicate the low incidence of these complications compared with consequences of not initiating medical therapy.
The impact of prophylactic intraoperative vancomycin powder on microbial profile, antibiotic regimen, length of stay, and reoperation rate in elective spine surgery.

Abstract Background Context There is growing concern that the microbial profile of surgical site infection (SSI) in the setting of prophylactic vancomycin powder may favor more resistant and uncommon organisms. Purpose To demonstrate the impact of prophylactic intraoperative vancomycin powder on microbial profile, antibiotic regimen, length of stay (LOS), and reoperation rate in spine surgical site infection. Study Design and/or Setting Retrospective cohort study. Patient Sample: the study included 115 postoperative spine patients who were required to return to the operating room for SSI. Outcome Measures The outcome measures were microbial profile, reoperation rate, antibiotic regimen, and LOS for patients with postoperative spine infection who either did (treated) or did not (untreated) receive prophylactic vancomycin powder during their index procedure. Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent posterior thoracic and/or lumbar spine surgery between 2010 and 2017 was conducted. Those undergoing surgical treatment of SSI were identified, and patients were divided into two groups - those who were treated with intraoperative vancomycin (treated) and those who were not (untreated). The organism profile for each group was compared. The average LOS, reoperation rate, and number of patients requiring more than 1 antibiotic were calculated for each patient in both groups. Results There were 5,909 procedures performed. One hundred and fifteen SSIs were identified, resulting in a 1.9% infection rate. Prophylactic vancomycin powder was used in the index procedure for 42 of those cases. 23.8% of cultures in the vancomycin group were polymicrobial and 16.7% were gram-negative compared with 9.6% (p=0.039) and 4.1% (p=0.021) in the untreated group, respectively. In the vancomycin-treated group, 26.1% of patients underwent repeat irrigation and debridement compared with 38.4% in the untreated group (p=0.184). The percentage of patients in the treatment and untreated group who required more than 1 antibiotic was 26.0% and 26.1%, respectively (p=0.984). Mean LOS in the treatment group was 8.0 versus 7.9 for the untreated group (p=0.945) Conclusions In this series, vancomycin powder was associated with a higher prevalence of gram-negative and polymicrobial organisms in patients that ultimately developed postoperative SSI. However, this did not adversely affect the need for multiple reoperations, antibiotic regimen, or LOS for these patients.
Rheology of Polymer Gels

A network polymer at its gel point is in a critical state between liquid and solid. Linear viscoelasticity reduces to a simple behavior which is described by the gel equation for the stress (J. Rheol., 30, 367 (1986) and 31, 683 (1987)): $$ \tau (\rm{t}) = \int_{ - \infty }^{\rm{t}} {{\rm{S}}\quad {{({\rm{t}} - {\rm{t'}})}^{ - {\rm{n}}}}} \dot{\gamma} ({\rm{t'}}){\rm{dt}} $$ in which the strain history is defined by the rate of deformation tensor \( \dot{\gamma} ({\rm{t'}}) \). Molecular parameters determine the gel strength, S, and the relaxation exponent, n. The above power law relaxation behavior seems to be a universal property at the gel point. It has been found with a large variety of chemically or physically crosslinking polymers, i.e. with all crosslinking polymers which we studied above the glass transition temperature. Initially, we seemed to find a universal relaxation exponent of 0.5 for all gels as it might be expected for a critical state. However, measured values between 0.15 and 0.8 indicate that the relaxation exponent may cover the entire range between 0 and 1. The front factor S depends on the magnitude of the relaxation exponent, and for classes of network polymers it is found to follow the relation S=Goλon, where Go and λo are characteristic properties which are constant within each class of network polymers (to appear in Macromolecules, 1990). Go is of the order of the plateau modulus of the network and λo is believed to be the relaxation time of a network strand. The universality of the power law relaxation behavior of polymers at the gel point allows a most accurate determination of the instant of gelation (Polym. Eng. Sci., 27,1698 (1987)). The gel point is reached when the complex rheological behavior reduces to power law relaxation in the terminal frequency range (fractal behavior, mechanical selfsimilarity). The simple technique of Fourier Transform Mechanical Spectroscopy (J. Non-Newt. Fluid Mech., 27, 17 (1988)) not only allows the direct determination of the gel point. It also allows, by extrapolation, to predict the distance from the gel point in a sol. Recent advances of the technique and a set of applications will be given. When replacing the rate of deformation tensor in the gel equation with a suitable strain measure, it can predict the stress in critical gels up to about 2 strain units (for PDMS). Beyond this, a large strain will irreversibly rupture the molecular network.
Examining the experience of recent war veterans who report posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that develops following exposure to a traumatic event, has long been associated with military combat. Despite the well-documented negative effects of PTSD, careful, in-depth accounts of the experience of those suffering from PTSD are rare. The present study employed Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore the inner experience of seven Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans with combat-related PTSD. Potential participants completed the PTSD Checklist - Military Version to determine the presence and severity of PTSD symptomatology. Participants who reported significant symptoms of combat-related PTSD participated in DES. A description of the inner experience of each participant was prepared and these were examined as a group in an attempt to identify similarities or differences in the characteristics of inner experience among the participants. Results revealed veterans with PTSD had an unexpectedly low frequency of inner speaking and few instances of clearly experienced feelings. They had a high frequency of focused attention to the sensory aspects of the environment as well as to the inner sensations of the body (sensory awareness). They also had occasional experiences that can be described as vigilance and flashbacks; such experiences are rare among participants in other DES studies.
MR imaging of pediatric abnormalities in the ankle and foot.

SUMMARY MR imaging has proved to be valuable for imaging the foot and ankle in infants and children. Knowledge of normal bone maturation is essential for accurate interpretation of foot and ankle MR imaging. Optimal technique with attention to immobilization and appropriate imaging sequences provides definitive data in a variety of straightforward as well as challenging diagnostic situations. MR imaging shows bone alignment in infants with congenital anomalies of the feet whose bones are not yet mineralized. It supplies tumor parameters including size and extent and potential for resection, as well as surveillance for tumor recurrence. The evaluation of many other disorders, including infection and trauma, benefits from the anatomic details provided by MR imaging.
Ultrasonic Techniques for Characterization of Manufacturing Defects in Thick Composites

New structural applications of polymer matrix composites require the use of thick sections. The fabrication and use of such thick sections create new needs for flaw detection and characterization which cannot be met adequately by conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE). These composites are susceptible to manufacturing defects due to thermal gradients and nonuniform resin bleeding during curing.
Do Smokers Recall Source or Quitline on Cigarette Constituent Messages

Objectives The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is required under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to communicate the risks of tobacco use to the public. Little research exists about methods to communicate the constituents of tobacco in a media campaign. This research examines specific strategies to increase effectiveness of a media campaign for cigarette smoking adults about tobacco constituents by including engagement text about smoking cessation and FDA as the source of the campaign. Methods In an eye tracking study of 211 current cigarette smokers, participants randomly viewed 4 cigarette constituent messages that varied engagement text for quitting (benefits of quitting and quitline number, presence, absence) and by FDA source (presence, absence). After the eye tracking session, participants were asked about recall of the national quitline number and the source of message. Results Participants in conditions with engagement text were significantly more likely than those in the no engagement conditions to recall the national quitline number. Few participants saw or recalled the FDA source. Conclusions Engagement text for smoking cessation on constituent communication campaign messages significantly increases recall of the quitline, an important resource for smokers.
Effective Mathematics Instruction for Students With Moderate and Severe Disabilities: A Review of the Literature:

Educational programs for students with moderate and severe disabilities (MSD) have undergone drastic changes since the mandate for access to the general curriculum was provided by Individuals With ...
The Dynamics of the Conceptualization and Categorization of Space in the Russian Language

This article presents examples taken from the National corpus of Russian language dictionar­ies which illustrate the objectification of space in the linguistic picture of the world. The examined data, taken from linguistic dictionaries and en­cyclopaedic sources, allow the dynamics of the process of conceptualization and peculiarities of the categorization of space in the Russian-language mentality to be identified, and verify the formed hypotheses. The formats of the conceptualization of space (starting from an image and mental picture to the notion of frame) and the language dynamics of the objectification of these formats are discussed. Examples from dictionaries of the National Russian Corpora illustrate the objectification of the language world map most vividly. The analysed data from the linguistic dictionaries and encyclopaedic sources prove the working hypothesis by defining the set of attributes which define the concept SPACE, the dynamics of the conceptualization process, and peculiarities of the categorizatition of space in the Russian language mind. The conclusion is drawn that the concept SPACE is an integrated, multiple-aspect, conceptional compound which is connected with the categorization of reality. The basis of the categorization of space is the prototypi­cal approach. In the Russian language world map, the prototype of SPACE is FIELD. Numerous new attributes of the word space show the broadening of the human idea about this universal phenomenon, which is already considered to be not only a form of substance existence, but also one of many forms of spiritual activities. The method of identifying the conceptional attributes is conceptually defini­tional analysis. Multidirectional tendencies to both widening and narrowing areas of space conceptu­alization were found, together with the tendency to integrate different formation-spaces.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the MAB phases, MoAlB, M2AlB2 (M = Cr, Fe), Cr3AlB4 and their binary monoborides

Abstract Interest in the nanolaminated MAB phases, wherein M is a transition metal, A is typically Al, and B is boron, has increased in recent years because some them have attractive properties, such as the high-temperature oxidation resistance of MoAlB or the near room-temperature active magnetic refrigeration capabilities of Fe2AlB2 . Herein, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to measure the binding energies (BE) of core electrons in the MAB phases, MoAlB, Cr3AlB4 and M2AlB2 (M = Cr, Fe). The BEs of the ternaries were then compared to those of their structurally related binaries, MoB, CrB, and FeB. In all these borides, a large, positive shift in the B 1 s BE relative to that of elemental B was observed. In contrast, the BE shifts of the M and Al atoms were found to be within 0.5 eV of the corresponding pure elements. These results indicate the strong role of covalent and metallic bonding in the MAB phases.