cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rainfall-Induced Release of Fecal Coliforms and Other Manure Constituents: Comparison and Modeling

Modeling release of fecal coliforms is an important component of fate and transport simulations related to environmental water quality. Manure constituents other than fecal coliforms may serve as natural tracers of fecal contamination provided that their release from manure to runoff is similar to the fecal coliform release. The objectives of this work were to compare release of fecal coliforms (FC), chloride (Cl-), organic carbon (OC), and water-soluble phosphorus (P) from dissolving manure and to assess the performance of three models in describing the observed release. Bovine manure was applied on 0.5- by 0.3-m bare and vegetated subplots with 20% slope on sandy loam and clay loam soils. Concentrations of Cl-, FC, OC, and P were measured in runoff collected from troughs at the edges of the subplots at 5-min intervals during 1-h rainfall simulations. The one-parametric exponential model and two-parametric Vadas-Kleinman-Sharpley model and Bradford-Schijven model were fitted to the data. The Bradford-Schijven model had uncorrelated parameters, one of which was linearly related to the irrigation rate, and another parameter reflected the presence or the absence of vegetation. Kinetics of the FC release from manure was similar to the release kinetics of P and OC. The Bradford-Schijven model is recommended to simulate the release of manure constituents.
Low-Intensity Nonlinear Spectral Effects in Compton Scattering

Nonlinear effects are known to occur in Compton scattering light sources, when the laser normalized 4-potential, A = e{radical}-A{sub {mu}}A{sup {mu}}/m{sub 0}c approaches unity. In this letter, it is shown that nonlinear spectral features can appear at arbitrarily low values of A, if the fractional bandwidth of the laser pulse, {Delta}{phi}{sup -1}, is sufficiently small to satisfy A{sup 2} {Delta}{phi} {approx_equal} 1. A three dimensional analysis, based on a local plane-wave, slow-varying envelope approximation, enables the study of these effects for realistic interactions between an electron beam and a laser pulse, and their influence on high-precision Compton scattering light sources.
On Regional Differences in Dispersion of Mantle Rayleigh Waves

Summary Rayleigh waves generated by the Peru-Bolivian border earthquake of 1963 August 15 have been analysed at 35 WWSSN stations in the period range between 150 and 300 seconds. Thirty-one of these stations were grouped into six narrow azimuth windows as a result of an analysis of observed phase velocities. In each of these windows the phase velocity dispersion shows similar characteristics, and the composition along the paths (in terms of the shield, oceanic and tectonic fractions of a path) was approximately the same. An error analysis indicates that differences in phase velocities obtained for individual windows are statistically meaningful, thus proving that the Rayleigh wave dispersion measured on world-circling paths shows regional variations. These six areal windows cover a third of the Earth's surface. Group velocities were measured for the six azimuthal windows by summing the auto-correlograms of individual seismograms for stations within each azimuth range. A statistical test has shown that the measurements of phase and group velocities are mutually consistent proving for the first time that the lateral inhomogeneities in crust and mantle can also be detected by measurements of group velocities for world-circling paths. The simultaneous least-squares condition for both phase and group velocity observations for each window was used to derive a polynomial approximation for the frequency of free oscillations as a function of order number measured as the excess over a reference model. ‘Pure path‘ phase and group velocities derived according to the approach of Toksoz and Anderson indicate substantial differences in dispersion for each basic type of mantle. Pure path phase velocities derived in this report differ considerably from the corresponding results of an analysis by Kanamori, whereas world-wide averages are very similar for both reports. Group velocities can be separated much more effectively than phase velocities, especially at the longest periods. This effect may be explained by world-wide variations of depths to the so-called 400 km and 650 km discontinuities. These variations appear to be unrelated to the regionalization adapted in this paper.
Understanding Global and Historical Nutrient Use Efficiencies for Closing Maize Yield Gaps

Global food security must address the dual challenges of closing yield gaps (i.e., actual vs. potential yield) while improving environmental sustainability. Nutrient balance is essential for achieving global food security. Historical (in distinct “Eras” from late 1800s to 2012) and geographical (in United States vs. remainder of World) changes in maize (Zea mays L.) grain yields and plant nutrient content (N, P, and K) were characterized from studies (>150) with known plant densities. At the community scale, greater yield to nutrient content ratios (physiological efficiency, PE) were documented for United States vs. World. The U.S. historical trend displayed increasing gains for community-scale yield and nutrient uptake, except for a recent decline attributed to weather. At the individual-plant scale, geographic PE differences over time were primarily explained by changes in yield, and secondarily by nutrient content changes. Despite wide variation, high-yield maize in both geographies was associated with balanced N/P (5:1) and N/K (1:1) ratios. More scope exists for maize nutrient PE gains in developing regions. Achieving balanced nutrition in optimally integrated soil-crop management cropping systems will facilitate simultaneous realization of high-yield and bio-fortification goals in maize improvement efforts.
Improving Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort of Smart Buildings with HVAC Systems in the Presence of Sensor Faults

The smart building, as an application of the cyber-physical systems (CPSs), plays an important role in everyday lives of people. Thermal comfort and energy efficiency are primary goals for HVAC systems in smart buildings. Since the controllers of the HVACs heavily rely on data of sensors that are deployed in the buildings, temporary or permanent sensor faults may lead to increased energy consumption or decreased thermal comfort far below expectations. In this paper, we examine sensor data faults observed in the real-world sensor deployments, and their effects on thermal comfort and energy efficiency in multi-room buildings. The read-back and nearest neighbor monitoring approaches are proposed considering temporal and spatial correlations between data of sensors to mitigate the faults of interest. We adopt a model-based design methodology for the multi-room building as a CPS application and develop reusable system models in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. We conclude that the aforementioned faults may significantly reduce energy efficiency and thermal comfort unless mitigated. The proposed approaches improved thermal comfort by up to 75% for the room where the faulty sensor was deployed and reduced total energy consumption by up to 38%.
Antibody-detectable changes in fibrinogen adsorption affecting platelet activation on polymer surfaces

Reactivity of platelets with an artificial surface exposed to whole blood is correlated with the concentration of adsorbed fibrinogen detectable by antifibrinogen antibodies. To examine the effect on platelets of the organization (distribution, orientation, conformation) of fibrinogen adsorbed on a hydrophobic surface, we studied the binding of polyclonal and monoclonal antifibrinogen antibodies to polyalkyl methacrylate polymers previously exposed to purified fibrinogen solution or diluted plasma and compared the results with platelet retention in methacrylate bead columns. There was an increase in platelet retention following diluted plasma pretreatment, which was eliminated by a polyclonal antibody against fibrinogen or against a gamma-(395-411) peptide from fibrinogen and was reduced by monoclonal antibodies (4A5, 4-2) against other COOH-terminal gamma-chain epitopes. Monoclonal antibody 10E5 against the fibrinogen receptor GpIIb/IIIa totally inhibited platelet retention in the bead columns. Our data suggest that different methacrylate polymers induce different changes in adsorbed fibrinogen, which may interfere with its interaction with platelets, and that platelet retention in a methacrylate bead column involves interaction of the COOH-terminal end of the gamma-chain of adsorbed fibrinogen with platelet GpIIb/IIIa receptors.
The Variability of Wintertime Precipitation in the Region of California

Abstract Rotated principal component (RPC) analysis, subject to the varimax criterion and including area weighting, is applied to a 58-yr record (1931–88) of monthly- and seasonal-mean Climatic Division precipitation anomalies for the contiguous United States to document wintertime precipitation variability in the region of California. Rotated principal components (time series) derived from this analysis are related to anomalies of seasonal-mean global sea surface temperature, and monthly mean Northern Hemisphere 500-hPa geopotential height and sea level pressure (SLP). Wintertime seasonal-mean precipitation in California is captured by two RPCs. The first RPC documents coherent precipitation anomalies centered in northern California, Oregon, southern Idaho, and eastern Washington, and explains the largest portion of area-averaged variance of any of the patterns in the decomposition. A second RPC captures coherent precipitation variability in the south coast and southeast desert regions of California, sou...
Abstract 14037: The Additive Effects of Tricuspid Regurgitation and Pressure Overload in Pulmonary Hypertension on Three-Dimensional Right Ventricular Mechanics and Patient Outcomes

Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) results in chronic right ventricular (RV) pressure overload and variable degrees of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The combined effects of RV pressure and volume overload on PH patient outcomes are unclear. Methods: We studied 93 PH patients with invasive hemodynamics and 3D echo imaging (Toshiba Corp.) measuring RV end-diastolic and end-systolic volume index (EDVI, ESVI), and RV ejection fraction (EF). TR was graded (0=none, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe), PH patients were divided in 4 groups based on the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and TR severity (≤ moderate was defined as significant TR+). Outcome analysis over 6 months was the combined end-point of first PH hospitalization, all-cause mortality, lung transplantation or pulmonary endarterectomy. Results: Of the 93 PH patients, there were 40 (43%) with significant TR+. 3D RV EDVI was larger in patients with significant TR+ than others (129 ml/m2* vs. 93 ml/m2, *p<0.001). RV EF was 30±9%* in patients with significant TR+ vs. 36±9% in those without significant TR (p=0.003). In patients with significant TR+, 19 (48%) had mPAP ≤ 45mmHg and 21 (52%) had mPAP < 45mmHg. Kaplan-Mayer analysis showed that the subgroup of patients with both significant TR+ and mPAP ≤ 45mmHg had the worst prognosis, and TR+ was additive to high mPAP (Log rank p < 0.01). Conclusion: 3D echocardiographic RV analysis of PH patients with invasive hemodynamics demonstrated that there are additive effects of pressure overload and volume overload by TR on RV mechanics which were strongly related to the outcomes, and of clinical importance. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
EPID-09IMPROVED SURVIVAL OF LOW-GRADE GLIOMA PATIENTS (1999-2010) DESPITE DECREASED UTILIZATION OF RADIATION THERAPY: A SEER-BASED ANALYSIS.

BACKGROUND: The survival trends and the patterns of clinical practice pertaining to radiation therapy and surgical resection for WHO grade I, II, and III astrocytoma patients remain poorly characterized. METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, we identified 2497 grade I, 4113 grade II and 2755 grade III astrocytomas during the period of 1999-2010. Time-trend analyses were performed for overall survival (OS), radiation treatment (RT), and the extent of surgical resection (EOR). RESULTS: While overall survival of grade I astrocytomas remain unchanged during the study period, we observed improved overall survival for grade II and III astrocytoma patients (Tarone-Ware p < 0.05). The median survival increased from 44 to 57 months and from 15 to 24 months for grade II and III astrocytoma patients, respectively. The differences in survival remained significant after adjusting for pertinent variables including age, ethnicity, marital status, sex, tumor size, tumor location, EOR, and RT status. The pattern of clinical practice in terms of EOR for grade II and III astrocytoma patients did not change significantly during this study period. However, there was decreased RT utilization as treatment for grade II astrocytoma patients after 2005. CONCLUSION: Results from the SEER database indicate that there were improvements in the overall survival of grade II and III astrocytoma patients over the past decade. Notably, the improved survival for grade II astrocytoma was achieved despite an overall decrease in up-front radiation therapy. These results bear significant implications in terms of neuro-cognitive preservation in terms of delaying radiation therapy for grade II glioma patients.
MOCVD HTSC Precursor Delivery Monitored By UV Spectroscopy

UV spectroscopy has been used as an in situ diagnostic to measure the gas phase concentration of 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethyl-3, 5-heptanedionate (thd) complexes of Ba, Cu and Y in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) bubbler effluent. These precursors for MOCVD synthesis of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) show marked instability in gas phase concentration as a function of time during bubbler purge. The UV diagnostic technique has been applied to both a small scale test system and a commercial scale MOCVD reactor.
Ethics and War: An Introduction

Ethics and War: An Introduction STEVEN P. LEE Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012, 328 pages. ISBN 978-0521727570 New Wars and New Soldiers: Military Ethics in the Contemporary World PA...
Reaction Pathways of Propanal and 1-Propanol on Fe/Ni(111) and Cu/Ni(111) Bimetallic Surfaces

The adsorption and reaction of propanal and 1-propanol were compared on Ni(111), Fe/Ni(111), and Cu/Ni(111) surfaces by using density functional theory (DFT), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) as probe reactions for reforming of oxygenates for hydrogen production. DFT calculations predict that the binding energy trend of propanal and 1-propanol is Fe/Ni(111) > Ni(111) > Cu/Ni(111). For propanal the Ni(111) surface shows the highest reforming and total activity, the Fe/Ni(111) surface shows the highest decarbonylation activity to produce gas-phase ethylene, and the Cu/Ni(111) surface shows the highest total decomposition activity, attributed to the adsorption of propanal through the O lone pair. For 1-propanol the Ni(111) surface shows the highest reforming and total activity and produces propanal via a selective dehydrogenation pathway while both Fe/Ni(111) and Cu/Ni(111) surfaces favor the decomposition pathway to produce CO and surfac...
Pairwise Alternatives to Ewald Summation for Calculating Long-Range Electrostatics in Ionic Liquids

Room temperature ionic liquid calculations require extensive sampling due to the large degree of localized structuring in the liquid phase relative to conventional solutions. Consequently, a large amount of computer time is required for the convergence of solvent properties, much of which is spent evaluating long-range electrostatics via Ewald summations. The damped Coulomb potential and cutoff-neutralized method of Wolf et al. (J. Chem. Phys.1999, 110, 8254) provides the framework for an accurate, linear-scaling alternative to Ewald in the ionic liquid simulations. The method has been the subject of multiple modifications for improved accuracy, including the damped Coulombic potential of Zahn et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B2002, 106, 10725), the damped shifted force method of Fennell and Gezelter (J. Chem. Phys.2006, 124, 234104), and the shifted force gradient of Kale and Herzfeld (J. Chem. Theory Comput.2011, 7, 3620). These pairwise electrostatic interaction alternatives along with the CHARMM shifted force potential and a new method proposed herein, the shifted force third derivative (SF3), have been examined on 59 unique ionic liquid combinations of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium [RMIM] (R = M (methyl), E (ethyl), B (butyl), H (hexyl), and O (octyl)) and N-alkylpyridinium [RPyr] cations, along with Cl(-), PF6(-), BF4(-), NO3(-), AlCl4(-), Al2Cl7(-), and TfO(-) anions. Monte Carlo simulations utilizing our custom OPLS-AA ionic liquid force field and employing the pairwise alternatives with multiple cutoff distances and electrostatic damping values are compared to the energetics from full Ewald sums.
FDP-E induces adipocyte inflammation and suppresses insulin-stimulated glucose disposal: effect of inflammation and obesity on fibrinogen Bβ mRNA

Obesity is associated with increased fibrinogen production and fibrin formation, which produces fibrin degradation products (FDP-E and FDP-D). Fibrin and FDPs both contribute to inflammation, which would be expected to suppress glucose uptake and insulin signaling in adipose tissue, yet the effect of FDP-E and FDP-D on adipocyte function and glucose disposal is completely unknown. We tested the effects of FDPs on inflammation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and primary macrophages and adipocyte glucose uptake in vitro. High-fat-fed mice increased hepatic fibrinogen mRNA expression ninefold over chow-fed mice, with concomitant increases in plasma fibrinogen protein levels. Obese mice also displayed increased fibrinogen content of epididymal fat pads. We treated cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes and primary macrophages with FDP-E, FDP-D, or fibrinogen degradation products (FgnDP-E). FDP-D and FgnDP-E had no effect on inflammation or glucose uptake. Cytokine mRNA expression in RAW264.7 macrophage-like cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with FDP-E induced inflammation with maximal effects at 100 nM and 6 h. Insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-d-[(3)H]glucose uptake was reduced by 71% in adipocytes treated with FDP-E. FDP-E, but not FDP-D or FgnDP-E, induces inflammation in macrophages and adipocytes and decreases glucose uptake in vitro. FDP-E may contribute toward obesity-associated acute inflammation and glucose intolerance, although its chronic role in obesity remains to be elucidated.
Serotype and drug resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Lishui shellfish products

Objective To understand the serotype distribution and resistance to antibiotics of the Vibrio parahaemolyti- cus isolated from shellfish products,and provide evidence for prevention and treatment of disease caused by V.parahae- molyticus.Methods Shellfish products were collected from farm produce market of Lishui City,and V.parahaemo- lyticus were isolated by routine assay.According to the standard technique GB/T 4789.7-2003,serotypes were deter- mined by standard serum,and drug-resistances were tested by disk diffusion method.Results Twenty-eight shellfish products were infected with V.parahaemolyticus,and the positive rate was 26.67%(28/105),including seven serum groups:O:4 39.29%(11/28),O:3 14.29%(4/28),O:2 14.29%o(4/28),O:11 14.29%(4/28),O:1 7.14%0(2/ 28),O:7 7.14%(2/28),O:10 3.57%(1/28).Susceptibility tests showed that 25 strains were resistant to ampicillin and 1 strain was resistant to decycline.Conclusion The V.parahaemolyticus isolated from the shellfish products in Lishui City have diversified characteristics of serological type and simple drug resistance.
Abstract A181: Dissecting the spatiotemporal functions of WAVE complex during chemotaxis using CRISPR and optogenetics

Neutrophils comprise a crucial component of the innate immune system and rely on chemotaxis to track down, engulf, and destroy pathogens. However, neutrophils also migrate to sites of developing tumors where they may promote angiogenesis and set the stage for metastasis to occur. The WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) serves a central role in mediating chemotaxis, as it links the actin dynamics powering cell movement to the signaling cascade which responds to environmental stimuli. Actively migrating neutrophils must respond quickly (within seconds) to changes in their environment; unfortunately, traditional methods one may use to alter WRC activity (e.g, RNAi and gene deletion) require hours/days to take effect. Consequently, while we know that WRC is generally required for efficient chemotaxis, its specific functions during each temporal phase, such as establishment and maintenance of a chemotactic response, remain unknown. Furthermore, the roles of WRC in this process are convoluted by additional actin assembly and assembly-promoting factors that act alongside WRC to drive neutrophil movement: Cells may compensate for prolonged loss of WRC through altering the activities of one or more of these factors. Here, I employed CRISPR to knockout the HEM1 subunit of WRC in neutrophil-like HL60 cells. Lacking functional WRC, these cells exhibit impaired chemotaxis, similar to cells where HEM1 expression is knocked-down. Unexpectedly however, the knockout neutrophils display additional defects in morphology and actin organization that are never observed in knockdown cells, despite knockdown cells containing less than 10% of normal Hem1 levels. I have also, in parallel, generated and validated optogenetic tools that can be used to rapidly and reversibly recruit WRC to different subcellular locations. When expressed in neutrophils lacking HEM1, these tools will open up the possibility of acutely ‘activating’ or ‘inactivating’ WRC during different temporal stages of chemotaxis (e.g., polarity establishment or maintenance). Ultimately, a more nuanced understanding of neutrophil chemotaxis should lead to the identification of new drug targets that may be used to block the accumulation of neutrophils at sites of tumor growth. Citation Format: Brian R. Graziano, Orion D. Weiner. Dissecting the spatiotemporal functions of WAVE complex during chemotaxis using CRISPR and optogenetics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A181.
The role of spermatozoa in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia trachomatis salpingitis in a primate model.

Background and objectives The role of spermatozoa in carrying microorganisms from the cervix to the fallopian tubes and promoting infection was examined in eight pig-tailed macaques. Goal of this study The aim of this study was to determine whether spermatozoa play a role in the transport of Chlamydia trachomatis into the upper reproductive tract and in the pathogenesis of chlamydial salpingitis. Study design Five monkeys were inoculated with Chlamydia trachomatis in the cervix and mated, and three other monkeys were infected in the cervix but not mated. Results Culture positive results were obtained for cervical samples from all animals. After cervical inoculation, no mated animals and one unmated animal had positive culture results for samples from the fallopian tubes. After mating, no spermatozoa examined in samples taken from the upper tract or cul de sac had elementary bodies (EBs) on their surfaces, and only one sample obtained from the cervix showed C. trachomatis attached to the spermatozoa, as determined by fluorescent antibody (FA) staining. Two of the mated monkeys became pregnant; one spontaneously aborted late in gestation, and the other delivered a normal female infant. The fallopian tubes of all eight monkeys were challenged directly with serovar D and examined for evidence of salpingitis. Repeat laparoscopy was performed to monitor the inflammatory response. Tubal specimens for isolation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were obtained. Hysterectomies were performed between 3 and 4 weeks after tubal inoculation. Histopathologic examination of the fallopian tubes revealed widespread inflammation consisting of focal collections of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the submucosa. Peritubal adhesions were observed in four of five mated monkeys and in two of three unmated monkeys. Conclusion This study failed to confirm that spermatozoa play a role in the pathogenesis of C. trachomatis infection.
Attention, President Obama

Richard Muller's new book Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines is both fascinating and frustrating. On the fascinating side is the wide variety of poorly appreciated, presidentially useful facts he includes. For example, did you know that petrol has 15 times the energy of TNT per unit mass, and that just one of the 9/11 aircraft carried the energy equivalent of almost 1 kilotonne of TNT? No wonder that the terrorists' planes did so much damage to a particularly vulnerable part of New York's infrastructure. And did you know that because growing corn requires so much energy and fertiliser, ethanol fuel produced from corn in the US reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by only 13% compared with petrol, whereas ethanol produced from sugar cane in Brazil reduces emissions by 90%?
Progress in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with meningiomas. Part I: diagnostic imaging, preoperative embolization.

BACKGROUND The clinical management of patients with meningiomas has changed over the past decade. Change has occurred because of a variety of factors including improved diagnostic imaging, better results with surgery and interventional neuroradiology, and the advent of radiosurgery. Recent clinical studies from several disciplines have provided new information on topics germane to the management of patients with meningiomas. Collecting this information into a series of review articles would have significant value, primarily for neurosurgeons. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this first paper is to bring together and evaluate the available data on: 1) noninvasive diagnostic imaging of meningiomas, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scanning, and MR angiography, venography and spectroscopy; 2) the present role of cerebral angiography in patients with meningiomas; and 3) the current status of preoperative embolization for these tumors. RESULTS With the advent of MR technology, the quality of diagnostic imaging for meningiomas has improved dramatically, and this is reflected in more sophisticated preoperative planning. MR imaging provides improved delineation of dura and sinus involvement, and even information about a tumor's consistency. Meningiomas have characteristic neuroimaging features, yet other lesions can still mimic a meningioma. MR venography can be used to demonstrate sinus patency, but intra-arterial cerebral angiography gives the most precise information concerning the degree of tumor involvement of critical vascular structures, and the anatomy of arterial feeders. In trained hands, superselective catheterization for preoperative embolization of meningiomas is feasible, and seems to be reasonably safe. CONCLUSIONS MR imaging, CT scans, and cerebral angiography can currently be used in a complementary fashion to diagnose, evaluate, and treat patients with meningiomas, with a high degree of clinical certainty. Angiography is used to determine the sites of blood supply to the tumor, which can then be attacked first intraoperatively, making tumor removal easier. Preoperative embolization continues to have value in selected patients, including those in whom the blood supply to the tumor is difficult to access at the time of surgery.
Incontinent ILEO-Vesicostomy Urinary Diversion in the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction

AbstractThe combination of high spinal cord injury and neurovesical dysfunction can present formidable problems in urological management. The lack of upper extremity function often prevents intermittent catheterization and leads to alternative methods. A total of 23 patients underwent incontinent ileo-vesicostomy in an effort to gain a low pressure bladder and control of urinary soiling: 17 had been previously treated by catheter drainage, 9 had bladder and/or renal calculi, 9 experienced recurrent sepsis, and 7 had urethrocutaneous fistula and total urinary incontinence. Most patients had poorly compliant bladder dysfunction associated in 9 cases with poor urethral continence function.At a mean followup of 45 months (range 3 to 240 months) 22 of 23 patients had a low pressure reservoir with low pressure egress of urine into a collection device. Complications included stomal stenosis in 3 patients and poor drainage across the ileovesical junction requiring revision in 2. One of these patients ultimately u...
The Time Factor of System Genesis

During a hundred million years a given locale on Earth may slowly sink below sea level, then rise to mountain heights, be temporarily covered by glaciers, be eroded, and finally subjected to aridity. Chronosequences deal with brief segments of geological history.
The Economics of Politics in Comparative Perspective Revisited: An Introduction

Students of political behavior have long been interested in whether and how economics structures politics. Over the past two and a half decades, much effort has been devoted to investigating the influence of the economy on voting behavior, election outcomes, and government support in democratic polities. A special issue of Political Behavior explicitly addressed these issues some thirteen years ago. Since the publication of that special issue, however, a number of important developments have occurred. Clearly, we have learned a great deal about the influence of the economy on elections. We have been able to establish that there are powerful effects of economic conditions and perceptions at various levels of analysis (see Nannestad and Paldam, 1994, for an overview). Increasingly, attention has centered on identifying how the economy influences vote choice; that is, research has focused on which of voters' many economic perceptions are most important (see especially Lewis-Beck, 1988). The cumulative body of empirical work now supports a sociotropic electorate that votes on the basis of the state of the national economy. The bulk of this work finds that voters evaluate past performance, although some recent research also suggests that voters are "prospective," basing their political judgments on expectations of future economic performance (Lewis-Beck, 1988). Regardless of the exact nature of the effects, it is now fairly clear that vote choice and election outcomes are driven by the direction and magnitude of economic change, whether retrospective or prospective in nature. Scholarly interest in the relationship between the economy and politics
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors in III—V Semiconductors

Publisher Summary Modern epitaxial techniques, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), allow unprecedented control—nearly on an atomic layer scale—over composition as well as doping. The advent of these advanced capabilities has led to new transistor design possibilities, with improvements based on better carrier transport properties and on “bandgap engineering” to control the flow of carriers. These improvements have resulted in performance superior to that attainable in homojunction devices. The resultant devices, heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), retain the advantages of their Si predecessors but extend them to higher frequencies. The possibilities for device improvements have made the HBT field an active research area. Because of the wide range of optimization opportunities, HBT design provides a good case study to illustrate the relationship between transistor structure and circuit requirements. This chapter discusses the desired characteristics of bipolar transistors and describes the advantages of III-V materials engineering for device improvements.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Reservoir Filling

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is expected to create a reservoir of 73 bcm (billion cubic meter) covering an area of 1883 km2 stretching 246 km upstream. The reservoir will be half the size of the upstream Lake Tana. After the surprise launching of the construction of GERD, the controversy around GERD quickly evolved from its engineering design and construction aspect to the impact of filling on the Sudan and Egypt. One of the controversies with Egypt is the number of years for initial reservoir filling, as shorter filling time requires more flow reduction and higher investment return from the dam. Longer filling time requires lower flow reduction and lower investment return from the dam. In this chapter, reported and synthetically generated stream flow data were used to estimate required period of time for initial reservoir filling. Results suggest that eight to nine years is likely required to fill the reservoir with 20% of the annual flow of each year held back. With a historical average Nile annual flow of 84 bcm at Aswan, the 132 bcm volume of the High Aswan Dam took six years (1971–1976) to reach full capacity with full river flow. Historical average Nile annual flow at Aswan is 84 bcm.
Chapter 20 – Laser Applications in Spectroscopy

This chapter discusses the types of lasers that are commonly used for the spectroscopic studies. It describes several types of laser spectroscopy that have been developed, and also some of the applications of laser spectroscopy. The most obvious form of the laser-based spectroscopic measurement is to use a tunable laser, direct the beam through the sample to be measured, tune the laser wavelength, and measure the absorption spectrum of the sample. Few of the spectroscopic methods include: the absorption spectroscopy, the Raman spectroscopy, and the Doppler-free spectroscopy. The absorption spectroscopy involves tuning the laser. The combination of the narrow spectral linewidth, high radiance, and tunability available with the lasers lead to improvements in the resolution for absorption spectroscopy. Laser absorption spectroscopy can be carried out in the visible, near infrared, and near ultraviolet regions of the spectrum using the tunable dye lasers. Advances in the tunable III–V compound semiconductor lasers have led to their use as the spectroscopic sources in the near infrared (in the 1–2 μm) region. In the longer wavelength infrared, lead salt semiconductor lasers are used in spectroscopic applications.
Prospective Randomized Comparison of Capsular Management Techniques During Hip Arthroscopy.

Background:Capsular management during hip arthroscopy remains controversial. Studies evaluating this topic consist mostly of retrospective comparative reviews of prospectively gathered data on a la...
Structuralism, Systems Theory, and Ethnomethodology In The Sociology Of The Family*

Structuralism, systems theory, and ethnomethodology advocate revisions within the social sciences which are fundamental and general. Consequently, they solicit consideration for adoption in the stu...
Maladaptive Experience of Love

This chapter illuminates the possibility that love can become maladaptive experience with several negative consequences, such as emotional instability, suffering, obsessive and possessive feelings. Love for some men and women can become lovesickness, addiction, and obsession. Multiple cross-cultural studies of mania love style, accompanied by obsessive and possessive feelings, are described in details in this chapter.
A study of fluid flow in sediments and the effect of tidal pumping

Offshore drilling and production operations can result in spills or leaks of hydrocarbons into seabed sediments, which can potentially contaminate these sediments with oil. If this oil later migrates to the water surface it has the potential for negative environmental impacts. For proper contingency planning and to avoid larger consequences in the environment, it is essential to understand mechanisms and rates for hydrocarbon migration from oil containing sediments to the water surface as well as how much will remain trapped in the sediments. It is believed that the amount of oil transported out of the sediment can be affected by tidal pumping, a common form of subterranean groundwater discharge (SGD). However, we could find no study experimentally investigating the phenomenon of fluid flow in subsea sediments containing oil and the effects of tidal pumping. This study presents an experimental investigation of tidal pumping to determine if it is a possible mechanism that may contribute to the appearance of an oil sheen on the ocean surface above a sediment bed containing oil. An experimental apparatus was constructed of clear PVC pipe allowing for oil migration to be monitored as it flowed out of a sand pack containing oil, while tidal pressure oscillations were applied in three different manners. The effect of tidal pumping was simulated via compression of air above the water (which simulated the increasing static head from tidal exchange). Experimental results show that sustained oil release occurred from all tests, and tests with oscillating pressure produced for longer periods of time. Furthermore, the experimental results showed that the oil migration rate was affected by grain size, oil saturation, and oscillation wave type. In all oscillating experiments the rate and ultimate recovery was less than the comparable static experiments. For the conditions studied, the experimental results indicate that with an oscillating pressure on top of a sand pack, movement of a non-replenishing source of oil is suppressed by pressure oscillation.
Facilitating the Postsecondary Transitions of Youth with Moderate Intellectual Disability: A Set of Guidelines for Occupational Therapy Practice

This paper presents a set of occupational therapy practice guidelines that addresses postsecondary transitions for youth with moderate intellectual disability. The transition to adulthood often pos...
Midgut Neuroendocrine Tumors with Liver-only Metastases: Benefit of Primary Tumor Resection

Management of metastatic midgut neuroendocrine tumors (MNET) remains controversial. The benefits of resecting the primary tumor are not clear and advocated only for select patients. This study aimed to determine whether resection of the primary MNET in patients with untreated liver-only metastases has an impact on survival. This retrospective study reviewed data of the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2015 for patients with liver-only metastatic MNETs and compared those who received resection of their primary MNET with those who did not. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) after adjustment for patient, demographic, and tumor-related factors. The study identified 1952 patients with a median age of 63 years (range, 18–90 years). The median primary tumor size was 2.4 cm (range, 0.1–20 cm). Of these patients, 1295 (66%) underwent resection of the primary tumor and 667 (34%) did not. The patients who underwent resection were younger (median age, 63 vs 65 years; p < 0.001) and had smaller primary tumors (median, 2.3 vs 3.0 cm; p < 0.001). The patients with clinical T1 or T2 tumors were significantly less likely to undergo resection than those with stage T3 or T4 tumors (58.5% vs 89.7%; p < 0.001). The median follow-up period was 43 months (range, 1–83 months). In the entire cohort, 483 deaths occurred, with a 5-year OS of 61%. The 5-year OS rate was 66% for the patients who underwent resection and 49% for those who did not (p < 0.001). When the patients were grouped according to T stage, no OS difference between resection and no resection for stages T1 (p = 0.07) and T2 (p = 0.40) was identified. However, the 5-year OS rate was significantly better for the resected patient cohort with T3 (67.5% vs 37.2%; p < 0.001) or T4 (59.8% vs 21.5%; p < 0.001) tumors. The patients with treatment-naive liver-only metastatic MNET had improved OS when the primary tumor was resected, particularly those with clinical stage T3 or T4 tumors. These patients may benefit from surgical resection of their primary tumor.
Influence of Cobalt in the Tensile Properties of ½ Inch Ductile Iron Y-blocks

The ferrous industry keeps evolving, and the demand for castings with complex geometries is increasing. Due to this, some foundries are facing several challenges when it comes to producing highly complex parts with a specific microstructure. Normally, heat treatment is performed when a ferritic matrix is desired. However, distortion and cracking can become a problem too. Because of this, it is important to explore alternative methods that can potentially help with these problems. In ductile iron, cobalt additions are known to increase the nodule count, which favors higher ferrite fractions. Hence, the addition of cobalt was studied to investigate its effects on the microstructure and tensile properties of ductile iron. Five heats were produced and cast into ½ inch ASTM A536 Y-blocks: 0 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, and 4 wt% Co. Metallography was performed to evaluate the percent nodularity, nodule count (N/mm2), and ferrite/pearlite percentages. Tensile testing was executed using sub-size round samples. Brinell hardness and micro-Vickers were conducted on each Y-block to assess the macro and microscopic behavior of the cobalt bearing ductile iron. The addition of 4 wt% Co was found to decrease the nodule size and increase the percent nodularity and nodule count resulting in higher ferrite contents. Cobalt did not have a statistically significant effect in tensile strength and percent elongation. However, cobalt was found to increase the yield strength due to the solid solution strengthening effect in ferrite.
Trilayer Interlinked Graphene Oxide Membrane for Wearable Hemodialyzer

2D nanomaterials have long been considered for development of high permeability membranes. However, current processes have yet to yield a viable membrane for practical use due to the lack of scalability and substantial performance improvements over existing membranes. Herein, an ultrathin graphene oxide (GO) membrane with a permeability of 1562 mL h-1 mmHg-1 m-2, two orders of magnitude higher than the existing nanofiltration membranes, and a tight molecular weight cut-off is presented. To build such a membrane, a new process involving self-assembly and optimization of GO nanoplatelet physicochemical properties is developed. The process produces a highly organized mosaic of nanoplatelets enabling ultra-high permeability and selectivity. An adjustable molecular interlinker between the layers enables absolute nanometer-scale size cut-offs. These characteristics promise significant improvements to many nanoparticle and biological separation applications. In this work, the performance of the membrane in blood dialysis scenarios is evaluated. Urea and cytochrome-c sieving coefficients of 0.5 and 0.4 are achieved while retaining 99% of albumin. Hemolysis, complement activation, and coagulation studies exhibit a performance on par or superior to the existing dialysis membrane materials.
The prevalence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health education and training in emergency medicine residency programs: Where are we now?

Background Despite identified inequities and disparities in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) health, past studies have shown little or no education at the medical school or residency level for emergency physicians. With increased focus on health inequities and disparities, we sought to reexamine the status of sexual and gender minority health education in U.S. emergency medicine (EM) residencies. Objectives Our primary objective was to determine how many EM residencies offer education on LGBTQ+ health. Secondary objectives included the number of actual versus preferred hours of LGBTQ+ training, identification of barriers to providing education, and correlation of education with program demographics. Finally, we compared our current data with past results of our 2013 study. Methods The initial survey that sought to examine LGBTQ+ training in 2013 was used and sent in 2020 via email to EM programs accredited by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education who had at least one full class of residents in 2019. Reminder emails and a reminder post on the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine listserv were used to increase participation. Results A total of 229 programs were eligible, with a 49.3% response rate (113/229). The majority (75%) offered education content on LGBTQ+ health, for a median (IQR) of 2 (1-3) hours and a range of 0 to 22 hours. Respondents preferred more hours of education than offered (median desired hours = 4, IQR = 2-5 hours; p < 0.001). The largest barrier identified was lack of time in curriculum (63%). The majority of programs had known LGBTQ+ faculty and residents. Inclusion and amount of education hours positively correlated with presence of LGBTQ+ faculty or residents; university- and county-based programs were more likely to deliver education content than private groups (p = 0.03). Awareness of known LGBTQ+ residents but not faculty differed by region, but there was no significant difference in actual or preferred content by region. Conclusion The majority of respondents offer education in sexual and gender minority health, although there remains a gap between actual and preferred hours. This is a notable increase from 26% of responding programs providing education in 2013. Several barriers still exist, and the content, impact, and completeness of education remain areas for further study.
Libertarianism and the Chicago School of Economics

The libertarian defense of free enterprise, free trade, and freedom from government regulations and controls is grounded in a normative commitment to individual freedom. The majority of the economics profession, including the Chicago School, are committed in the first instance to methodological individualism, which can be summarized as the assumption “that all social phenomena are caused by and caused only by the purposeful actions of rational individuals” (Waterman, 2019, 326). The paper examines three phases of the Chicago School, from the 1930s to the 2010s, in terms of the assumptions they add to methodological individualism, the outcomes of their research, and how their research may be viewed by libertarians. The three phases are: a) the Knight Circle phase, from the 1930s to the mid-1940s. b) the Friedman phase, when methodological assumptions were added which reinforced the Chicago approach to economics as an applied policy science; and the Becker phase, when the School’s research was expanded (by the methodological assumptions they made) to human activities and interactions that might not have been previously thought of as “economics”: discrimination, the family, and, through the Coase Theorem, to law. Since the time of John Stuart Mill, economists had tried to separate theoretical and normative commitments, and argued that methodological assumptions do not create a foundation for normative individualism. At Chicago, some of their work affirmed policy evaluations that libertarians could endorse. In other cases, they lead to modest government intervention, sometimes defended as promoting liberty. Intriguingly, the account provided here suggests, as well, that Chicago economics was created not by design, but by exploration, experimentation and mutual agreement upon how sound policy analysis could be conducted at the lowest cost.