cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Storm-Related Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: An Investigation of Target Audience Knowledge and Risk Behaviors.

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings in the United States consistently occur when residents improperly use portable gasoline-powered generators and other tools following severe storms and power outages. However, protective behaviors—such as installing CO alarms and placing generators more than 20 feet away from indoor structures—can prevent these poisonings. This study identified knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that lead consumers to adopt risk and protective behaviors for storm-related CO poisoning and post-storm generator use. Four focus groups (32 participants in total) were conducted with generator owners in winter and summer storm-prone areas to explore home safety, portable generator use, CO poisoning knowledge, and generator safety messages. Discussions were transcribed, and findings analyzed using an ordered meta-matrix approach. Although most generator owners were aware of CO poisoning, many were unsure what constitutes a safe location for generator operation and incorrectly stated that enclosed are...
Finite-Element Modeling of Nonlinear Behavior of Masonry-Infilled RC Frames

The evaluation of the seismic performance of masonry-infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames has been a major challenge for structural engineers. This paper addresses pertinent issues on the development and calibration of nonlinear finite-element models for assessing the seismic performance of these structures. The modeling scheme considered here combines the smeared and discrete crack approaches to capture the different failure modes of infilled frames, including the mixed-mode fracture of mortar joints and the shear failure of RC members. A systematic approach is presented here to calibrate the material parameters, and the accuracy of the nonlinear finite-element models has been evaluated with experimental data. The comparison of the numerical and experimental results indicates that the models can successfully capture the highly nonlinear behavior of the physical specimens and accurately predict their strength and failure mechanisms. The validated models have been used to assess the sensitivity of the numerical results to the modeling parameters and to identify the critical material parameters through a parametric study.
Macrogeographic variation in the song of the Mourning Warbler (Oporornis philadelphia)

Studies of macrogeographic variation in birdsong involve populations incapable of interbreeding because of physical barriers or separation by large distances. Different patterns have emerged from t...
Sources of Error in the Determination of Platelet Monoamine Oxidase: A Review of Methods

The methods used in the determination of platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in 26 studies of chronic schizophrenic patients and normal subjects (reviewed by Wyatt, Potkin, and Murphy 1979) are examined. The most commonly used substrate was tryptamine (64 percent) followed by tyramine, benzylamine, and /3-phenylethylamine. When the relationship between the MAO activity and substrate concentration was examined, it was found that as many as 75 percent of the studies used suboptimal substrate concentrations. It appears that some chronic schizophrenics have a lower Michaelis constant (Km) and maximal velocity (Vmax). Thus, the use of suboptimal substrate concentrations could lead not only to a low estimate of the MAO activity, but also to erroneous comparisons between schizophrenic and normal groups. Because platelets are markedly heterogeneous in size and density, the differential centrifugation methods used for platelet preparation can produce up to an eight-fold error in the estimation of the MAO activity. We describe the use of a new method for the preparation of platelets that avoids many of the problems of the differential centrifugation methods. The new method shows substantially less intrasubject variance in MAO activity and is significantly different from the differential centrifugation procedures (by x2 of pooled intraclass correlations, p < .005).
Transmission of Coccidioidomycosis to a Human via a Cat-bite

We report an unusual case of coccidioidomycosis in the arm of a veterinary assistant without pulmonary symptoms. The patient had been bitten on the hand by a cat which was later diagnosed with disseminated disease. The patient responded to fluconazole therapy and remained asymptomatic at 2 months after cessation of therapy.
The [18F]2-fluoro-1,3-thiazolyl moiety—an easily-accessible structural motif for prospective molecular imaging radiotracers

2-Fluoro-1,3-thiazoles were rapidly and efficiently labeled with no-carrier-added fluorine-18 (t1/2 = 109.7 min) by treatment of readily prepared 2-halo precursors with cyclotron-produced [18F]fluoride ion. The [18F]2-fluoro-1,3-thiazolyl moiety constitutes a new and easily-labeled structural motif for prospective molecular imaging radiotracers.
On blow-up of solution for Euler equations

We present numerical evidence for the blow-up of solution for the Euler equations. Our approximate solutions are Taylor polynomials in the time variable of an exact solution, and we believe that in terms of the exact solution, the blow-up will be rigorously proved.
Design, simulation and testing of a new modular wheelchair mounted robotic arm to perform activities of daily living

A new and light wheelchair-mounted robotic arm (WMRA-II) was designed and built to meet the needs of mobility-impaired persons with limitations of upper extremities, and to exceed the capabilities of current devices of this type. The structure of the new robotic arm utilizes carbon-fiber and polycarbonate tubes to reduce the arm weight. The mechanical design incorporates DC servo drive, with actuator hardware at each individual joint, allowing reconfigurable link lengths. It has seven degrees of freedom and uses a side mount on a power wheelchair. A single control board that is capable of controlling eight motors was used for coordinated Cartesian control of the robotic arm. This paper discusses the current state of the art in WMRAs; describes the design goals and user requirements for this device; explains the component selection process; discusses details of the mechanical design and the controller design; and describes the testing of the completed arm. Further improvements are also suggested.
Morphological Evolution of ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Reactive Sputtering

The morphological evolution of ZnO thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering has been investigated on two types of substrates, (111) textured Pt and (100) Si possessing a native oxide. The ZnO films are oriented with the c-axis (0001) normal to the substrate and possess varying degrees of crystallinity. The films have a columnar structure with column diameters in the range of 40-300 nm. As observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction, the film microstructure is strongly dependent on substrate temperature during deposition in the range from near room temperature up to 700 °C and is also dependent on substrate type. A textured film of platinum promotes nucleation thereby improving the crystallinity and texture of sputtered ZnO films. A mechanism for morphological evolution of the films via surface diffusion is proposed based on atom mobilities.
An Embodied Cognition Approach to Mindreading Skills for Socially Intelligent Robots

Future applications for personal robots motivate research into developing robots that are intelligent in their interactions with people. Toward this goal, in this paper we present an integrated socio-cognitive architecture to endow an anthropomorphic robot with the ability to infer mental states such as beliefs, intents, and desires from the observable behavior of its human partner. The design of our architecture is informed by recent findings from neuroscience and embodies cognition that reveals how living systems leverage their physical and cognitive embodiment through simulation-theoretic mechanisms to infer the mental states of others. We assess the robot's mindreading skills on a suite of benchmark tasks where the robot interacts with a human partner in a cooperative scenario and a learning scenario. In addition, we have conducted human subjects experiments using the same task scenarios to assess human performance on these tasks and to compare the robot's performance with that of people. In the process, our human subject studies also reveal some interesting insights into human behavior.
An object-oriented framework for the integration of interactive animation techniques

We present an interactive modeling and animation system that facilitates the integration of a variety of simulation and animation paradigms. This system permits the modeling of diverse objects that change in shape, appearance, and behaviour over time. Our system thus extends modeling tools to include animation controls. Changes can be effected by various methods of control, including scripted, gestural, and behavioral specification. The system is an extensible testbed that supports research in the interaction of disparate control methods embodied in controller objects. This paper discusses some of the issues involved in modeling such interactions and the mechanisms implemented to provide solutions to some of these issues.The system's object-oriented architecture uses delegation hierarchies to let objects change all of their attributes dynamically. Objects include displayable objects, controllers, cameras, lights, renderers, and user interfaces. Techniques used to obtain interactive performance include the use of data-dependency networks, lazy evaluation, and extensive caching to exploit inter- and intra-frame coherency.
Downward Comparison as a Coping Mechanism

This chapter discusses the use of downward comparison as a means of reducing the psychological impact of negative life events. I focus on how social comparison processes can be used by distressed persons to maintain or enhance their subjective well-being. The essence of downward comparison as a coping mechanism is to arrange comparison with other persons so that the outcome of the comparison is favorable to the self. Through this process, the self is perceived to be better off (in some sense) than the comparison target; the favorable outcome of the comparison process thus produces an enhancement of the person’s psychological state. In the following sections I outline the theoretical basis for downward comparison as a coping mechanism, summarize the current empirical support for downward comparison processes, and discuss a number of empirical issues for further research on coping through social comparison.
Angiotensin II binding sites in aortic endothelium of domestic fowl

In domestic fowl, angiotensin II (ANG II) produces a unique vasodepressor response in vivo and endothelium-dependent relaxation of aortic rings in vitro that appear to be a direct effect on vascular smooth muscle mediated through vascular angiotensin receptors. To explore the possible role of the endothelium in ANG II-induced vasodilation, ANG II binding to aortic membrane fractions and intact endothelium and prostaglandin (PG) production were examined in fowl aortas. 125I-[Ile5]ANG II binding by endothelium-intact aortic membrane fractions was consistently higher than binding by identically prepared endothelium-deleted membrane fractions at virtually all concentrations of ligand (10 pM-0.20 microM). Incubation of intact aortic rings with 125I-[Ile5]ANG II (0.50 nM) resulted in specific endothelial binding that increased linearly with time from 5.5 +/- 1.7 (SE) fmol/mg protein at 5 min to 13.7 +/- 1.8 at 30 min. Endothelial ANG II binding increased linearly with the dose of ligand, from 2.7 +/- 0.3 fmol/mg protein at 0.1 nM to 21.0 +/- 2.2 at 1.0 nM. Specific ANG II binding to aortic endothelium was competitively displaced 73 +/- 11% by unlabeled ANG II (0.1 microM) but not by bradykinin (0.1 microM). Incubation of intact aortic rings with [14C]arachidonic acid resulted in the formation of radioactive metabolites that comigrated in thin-layer chromatography with authentic PGE2 but not with 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. PGE2 production by aortic rings (44.4 +/- 4.5 ng.mg dry tissue-1.h-1) was not stimulated by addition of ANG II. These results suggest that specific receptors for ANG II exist in fowl aortic endothelium and that PGs are not involved in ANG II-induced vasodilation of the fowl aorta.
The Disintegration of N 15 by Protons

The absolute cross sections of the reactions (1) ${\mathrm{N}}^{15}(p,\ensuremath{\alpha}){\mathrm{C}}^{12}$, (2) ${\mathrm{N}}^{15}(p,\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\gamma}){\mathrm{C}}^{12}$, and (3) ${\mathrm{N}}^{15}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma}){\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ have been measured from 0.2 to 1.6 Mev. The thick target yield of reaction (1) was also measured at 0.100 Mev. Resonances were found at 0.338, 1.05, and 1.210 Mev for reaction (1); at 0.429, 0.898, 1.210, and possibly 1.05 Mev for reaction (2); and at 1.05 Mev for reaction (3). Most of the resonances follow closely the shape of the single level dispersion formula. The 1.05-Mev resonance is asymmetric and cannot be explained as easily. The cross section of reaction (1) has been extrapolated to stellar energies and is given by $\ensuremath{\sigma}=(\frac{110}{E})\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}6.95{E}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}})$ barns for $E$ in Mev in the energy region near 0.030 Mev.
Avoiding an International Law Fix for Terrorist Detention

Broad international counterterrorism efforts aimed in part at the detention of terrorist suspects have prompted renewed debate about the adequacy of the Geneva Convention regime and associated international law for addressing the current needs of international security. Criticisms that current law leaves unacceptable gaps in the regulation of terrorist detention, or is otherwise unclear, have led to a growing number of calls for new or revised international law governing state counterterrorism operations. This essay explores the primary arguments in favor of pursuing new international law in this realm, and ultimately rejects the new-law approach. While recognizing that existing international law is unclear in some respects, the essay identifies two basic reasons why pursuing new international law in this arena is not a useful next step, particularly for the United States. First, many of the "gaps" new-law advocates see in international laws regulating terrorism were left with the understanding that they would be filled in by other existing bodies of national and international law, including domestic criminal law. The existence of multiple, potentially relevant bodies of law governing different aspects of state action against terrorism is not of itself a problem; indeed, different governing laws usefully afford states a meaningful array of different policy options in responding to different degrees of terrorist threat. Second, to the extent international law is unclear on key questions surrounding detention, a U.S.-driven effort to negotiate a new formal (or informal) international understanding of these topics is unlikely to satisfy the interests of many U.S. proponents of a revised international framework, and otherwise unlikely to succeed anytime soon. Indeed, a different U.S. administration may well conclude the particular "clarifications" current proponents have in mind are not helpful to the security interests of the United States. Any engagement with international partners on these matters should be preceded by a strategic reassessment of the role of detention in U.S. counterterrorism policies. It may be that the outcome of this project will render moot the enormous task of international re-negotiation of core ideas in the international law of war.
How Cantillon and Hume Propose the Same Theory of First-Round Effects

Richard Cantillon and David Hume both propose the theory of monetary non-neutrality, whereby the money supply changes through the money balances of specific individuals. Such an uneven distribution of monetary change then spreads throughout the economy step by step and changes relative prices. While a number of authors note that Hume and Cantillon both present the same theory, they do so without seeking confirmation from the original texts. I fill this gap in the literature by identifying the main constituent parts of the theory in the contributions of both Cantillon and Hume.
Experimental "lactational" mammary gland growth in the rat as measured by DNA.

SummaryMammary gland growth comparable to that occurring during normal pregnancy was induced in ovariectomized rats by daily injection of 2 μg EB + 6 mg P for 19 or 24 days. GH, LGH and HCA were then injected separately and in combination for 3 days. These hormones stimulated significant increases in mammary gland growth as measured by DNA/100 g BW. 1.5 mg GH increased DNA to 9.05 mg/100 g while 2 mg GH + 500 μg HCA increased DNA to 9.15 mg/100 g. This latter value is 47% greater than EB + P at day 24. It is only 15% less than DNA value at day 3 of lactation. All hormones stimulated lactogenesis but GH was less effective than the other 2 hormones. It was concluded that ovarian hormones (EB + P) play a dominant role in preparturient growth, whereas GH and HCA play dominant roles in “lactational growth” of rat.
1-watt composite-slab Er:YAG laser

A diode-side-pumped discrete-optic Er3+ :YAG laser employs pump-light coupling through a sapphire plate diffusion-bonded to the laser slab, removing heat directly at the pump face of the slab instead of requiring conduction through to its far side. This lowers the temperature in the gain region and gives reduced thermal lensing, which produces exceptional beam quality (M2~ 1.3) at output powers -0.3 Watt. Powers above 1 Watt have been demonstrated with peak slope efficiencies ~20%. The novel architecture is also applicable to other side-pumped lasers.
Basic science and applied science instruction: are they compatible?

Abstract Basic science and applied science instruction are compatible and essential for animal science professionals to succeed in their chosen career. Application of science is a continuum. Although production methods are constantly evolving, the science on which changes are made is fixed and fundamental. Only our understanding changes. We are educating students in preparation for a life-long learning process. Viability of animal science departments depends on attracting and challenging students with curricula that are demanding, create curiosity, and prepare students to understand the "whys and hows" of the phenomena of animal biology.
Analysis of etiology and epidemiology characteristics of severe Hand-foot-and-mouth disease in Ningbo in 2010 and 2011

Objective:To learn the etiological characteristics of severe hand-foot-and-mouth disease(HFMD) in Ningbo,so as to provide evidence for the prevention and management policy of this disease.Methods: Fecal specimens were collected from patients who were diagnosed as severe HFMD in 2010 and 2011.RT-PCR was employed to detect general enterovirus,EV71 and CoxA16 in these specimens.Results: The proportion of EV71,CoxA16 and other enterovirus were 81.28%,1.75% and 16.96% in 171 severe HFMD cases;The high-occurrence months were from May to July.Most severe cases were found in 1-year-old group.Male severe cases were more than female cases(1.76∶ 1).Conclusion: EV71were the major pathogens of severe HFMD in Ningbo,and the prevalence had obvious age and season limit.
Experiment of acetaldehyde oxime being reducer in boiler acid cleaning

According to state corrosion rate experiment,it is possible that acetaldehyde oxime is reducer in the oxidation solution,and its result is very good in the boiler acid cleaning of some power plant.
Operative Versus Non-Operative Management of Patients with Staghorn Calculi and Neurogenic Bladder

AbstractDuring the last 5 years 22 patients have been treated at our hospital for staghorn calculi and neurogenic bladder. In 17 patients an operation was done soon after discovery of the calculi, while 5 patients were followed non-operatively. The latter 5 patients had a rapid downhill course marked by sepsis and renal function deterioration and an operation was necessary in 4 of the 5 cases. Injudicious non-operative therapy only prolongs the relentless effects of staghorn calculi in patients with spinal cord pathology.
Indigenous Parties outside of the Central Andes

Outside of the central Andes, indigenous parties have had little success. Parties based in the indigenous movement have emerged in a number of nations, but none of these parties have won more than three percent of the national vote. What explains the poor performance of indigenous parties elsewhere in Latin America? Why have these parties failed to catch on in the manner of the MAS and Pachakutik? This chapter examines the performance of indigenous parties in Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua: the four Latin American countries with the largest and best-known indigenous parties outside of the central Andes. It contends that institutional factors cannot explain the meager results of indigenous parties in these countries because the institutional environment in three of these four countries was relatively favorable to such parties. As we shall see, in the 1990s Colombia and Venezuela reserved seats in the national legislature for indigenous people, and Nicaragua created an autonomous region in an area of the country with a large population of indigenous people and Afro-Latinos.
Laser ablation of germanium in arsenic sulfide solution

In this work, laser ablation is applied to generate germanium particles in arsenic sulphide glass, examined by Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy.
Doubly robust Kalman smoothing by controlling outlier sparsity

Coping with outliers contaminating dynamical processes is of major importance in various applications because mismatches from nominal models are not uncommon in practice. This paper develops a novel smoothing algorithm that is robust to outliers simultaneously present in the measurements and in the state dynamics. Outliers are handled through auxiliary unknown variables that are jointly estimated along with the state based on the least-squares criterion regularized with the l 1 -norm to effect sparsity control. Attractive features of the novel doubly robust Kalman smoother include: i) ability to handle both types of outliers; ii) universality to unknown nominal noise and outlier distributions; iii) flexibility to encompass maximum a-posteriori optimal estimators, and also exhibit reliable performance under nominal conditions; and iv) improved performance relative to competing alternatives, as corroborated via simulated tests.
1-1/2D Transport Studies of ITER Burn Control Scenarios

Reference operating scenarios for the physics phase of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) rely on low temperature, high density operation for good divertor performance. Ope...
Targeting the Lung Cancer Microenvironment: Harnessing Host Responses

Understanding the host response to lung cancer is critical in the development of long-term therapeutic responses and cures for advanced-stage disease. While state-of-the-art treatments that target the tumor cell directly are effective as initial antitumor approaches, strategies that augment antitumor host responses are highly appealing, and may overcome resistance through novel discoveries. These involve (1) discovery of basic mechanisms by which the tumor “hijacks” host immune regulation and vascular homeostasis (thus promoting tumor growth), and (2) discovery of tumor-resistance pathways that counter immune- and/or vascular-targeting therapies. Major mechanisms by which lung carcinoma is able to usurp host mechanisms include both the tumor’s manipulation of immune checkpoint regulatory pathways (with a cytokine and dendritic cell balance that maintains a high suppressor/effector T-cell ratio) and the remodeling of blood and lymphatic vasculature by multiple endothelial mitogens, thereby promoting tumor growth and dissemination. Lymphatic dissemination in particular involves not only tumor cells but also immunosuppressive dendritic cell trafficking to tumor-draining lymph nodes. Novel approaches to overcome these challenges include immune checkpoint-blocking strategies (e.g., PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA4 blockade which inhibit T-effector suppression) or agonists to T-stimulatory pathways, such as OX40 or 4-1BB. They also include vaccine development and/or approaches to manipulate dendritic cells or engineer T cells (e.g., CAR-T cells) against antigens that are (preferably) clonally expressed by the entire tumor. Major limitations to these approaches include poor tumor-antigen recognition or presentation by dendritic cells or hyporesponsive T cells in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Moreover, autoimmune-type side effects of immune checkpoint T-cell targeting or T-cell engineering present therapeutic challenges. Finally, the discovery of tumor neo-antigens, which are known to be more abundantly expressed in tumors initiated by environmental stimuli (e.g., melanoma or squamous lung carcinoma), as well as their ability to predict T cell responsiveness, is another important development in the quest to augment host immune responses to lung cancer. These discoveries will be valuable in promoting a set of strategies that markedly improve the chances for durable remissions or cures in the setting of advanced-stage lung cancer or even recurrent disease following definitive treatments.
The Economic Effects of Electoral Reform: New Zealand

In addition to the British and German cases, this chapter examines the effects of institutional change on the economic structures of New Zealand. New Zealand, having undertaken a rare change from a first-past-the-post (FPP) electoral system to a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, proves a useful natural experiment to test the hypotheses that political institutions shape the political economy of advanced industrial democracies. In the 1980s, under FPP, New Zealand underwent drastic neoliberal reforms. I contend that the New Zealand government was able to pass such sweeping reforms due to the majoritarian nature of New Zealand’s political system.
Deconstructing overhearing viewers: TVmojis as story retellers

The TVmoji is a pictorial visual device that captions or interprets television footage. It is widely used in many non-scripted television shows, particularly in East Asia. Using a Goffmanian footing analysis, this study categorizes TVmojis as blurted expressions, soliloquies, captions, narration, fictive viewer’s talkbacks, and fictive viewer’s comments. The author argues that by playing various roles, TVmojis help construct the viewer’s sense of being a bystander while concealing the producers’ manipulations of the media’s interactive roles vis-a-vis the viewers. The author contends that to improve the understanding of this editorial manipulation-in-disguise, the media should be conceptualized as retellers, rather than representers, of narrative using footage and visual devices such as TVmojis.
A Current-Dependent Switching Strategy for Si/SiC Hybrid Switch-Based Power Converters

Hybrid switches configured by paralleling Silicon (Si) Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFET) have been verified to be a high-efficiency cost-effective device concept. In this paper, a current-dependent switching strategy is introduced and implemented to further improve the performance of Si/SiC hybrid switches. This proposed switching strategy is based on a comprehensive consideration of reducing device losses, reliable operation, and overload capability. Based on the utilization of such Si/SiC hybrid switches and the proposed switching strategy, a 15-kW single-phase H-bridge inverter prototype was implemented and tested in the laboratory. Simulation and experimental results are given to verify the performance of the hybrid switches and the new switching strategy.
Degradation of aflatoxin B1 from naturally contaminated maize using the edible fungus Pleurotus ostreatus

Aflatoxins are highly carcinogenic secondary metabolites that can contaminate approximately 25% of crops and that cause or exacerbate multiple adverse health conditions, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. Regulation and decontamination of aflatoxins in high exposure areas is lacking. Biological detoxification methods are promising because they are assumed to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly compared to chemical alternatives. White-rot fungi produce non-specific enzymes that are known to degrade aflatoxin in in situ and ex situ experiments. The aims of this study were to (1) decontaminate aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in naturally contaminated maize with the edible, white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) using a solid-state fermentation system that followed standard cultivation techniques, and to (2) and to assess the risk of mutagenicity in the resulting breakdown products and mushrooms. Vegetative growth and yield characteristics of P. ostreatus were not inhibited by the presence of AFB1. AFB1 was degraded by up to 94% by the Blue strain. No aflatoxin could be detected in P. ostreatus mushrooms produced from AFB1-contaminated maize. Moreover, the mutagenicity of breakdown products from the maize substrate, and reversion of breakdown products to the parent compound, were minimal. These results suggest that P. ostreatus significantly degrades AFB1 in naturally contaminated maize under standard cultivation techniques to levels that are acceptable for some livestock fodder, and that using P. ostreatus to bioconvert crops into mushrooms can reduce AFB1-related losses.
Where Are the Women? The Underrepresentation of Women Physicians Among Recognition Award Recipients From Medical Specialty Societies

Abstract Membership in medical societies is associated with a number of benefits to members that may include professional education, opportunities to present research, scientific and/or leadership training, networking, and others. In this perspective article, the authors address the value that medical specialty society membership and inclusion have in the development of an academic physician's career and how underrepresentation of women may pose barriers to their career advancement. Because society membership itself is not likely sufficient to support the advancement of academic physicians, this report focuses on one key component of advancement that also can be used as a measure of inclusion in society activities—the representation of women physicians among recipients of recognition awards. Previous reports demonstrated underrepresentation of women physicians among recognition award recipients from 2 physical medicine and rehabilitation specialty organizations, including examples of zero or near-zero results. This report investigated whether zero or near-zero representation of women physicians among recognition award recipients from medical specialty societies extended beyond the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Examples of the underrepresentation of women physicians, as compared with their presence in the respective field, was found across a range of additional specialties, including dermatology, neurology, anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, head and neck surgery, and plastic surgery. The authors propose a call for action across the entire spectrum of medical specialty societies to: (1) examine gender diversity and inclusion data through the lens of the organization's mission, values, and culture; (2) transparently report the results to members and other stakeholders including medical schools and academic medical centers; (3) investigate potential causes of less than proportionate representation of women; (4) implement strategies designed to improve inclusion; (5) track outcomes as a means to measure progress and inform future strategies; and (6) publish the results to engage community members in conversation about the equitable representation of women.
Hemodynamic Effects of Lipid-Based Oxygen Microbubbles via Rapid Intravenous Injection in Rodents

Low oxygen levels, or hypoxemia, is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Hypoxemia is typically addressed by increasing the fraction of inspired oxygen, the use of mechanical ventilation, or more invasive measures. Recently, the injection of oxygen gas directly into the bloodstream by packaging it within lipid-based oxygen microbubbles (LOMs) has been explored. The purpose of this work is to examine the acute hemodynamic effects of intravenous injections of LOMs. LOMs composed of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocoline and cholesterol were manufactured using a process of shear homogenization under an oxygen headspace. A 5 mL aliquot of either PlasmaLyte A, or low (37%) or high (55%) concentration LOMs (n = 10 per group) was injected over a 1 min period into Sprague Dawley rats instrumented for measurement of cardiac index and pulmonary (PVR) and systemic (SVR) vascular resistance during a 60 min observation period. Hemodynamics were compared between groups by linear mixed modeling. Approximately 1011 LOMs with mean diameter 3.77 ± 1.19 μm were injected over the 1 min period. Relative to controls, rodents treated with high concentration LOMs exhibited a higher pulmonary artery pressure (20 ± 0.4 mmHg vs 18 ± 0.4 mmHg, P 48 h since manufacture) resulted in a higher incidence of hemodynamic collapse during the observation period (P = 0.02). LOMs may be injected in quantities sufficient to deliver clinically meaningful volumes of oxygen but cause significant decrements in blood pressure and elevations in PVR.
Explanation of Variability and Removal of Confounding Factors from Data through Optimal Transport

A methodology based on the theory of optimal transport is developed to attribute variability in data sets to known and unknown factors and to remove such attributable components of the variability from the data. Denoting by x the quantities of interest and by z the explanatory factors, the procedure transforms x into filtered variables y through a z-dependent map, so that the conditional probability distributions ρ(x|z) are pushed forward into a target distribution μ(y), independent of z. Among all maps and target distributions that achieve this goal, the procedure selects the one that minimally distorts the original data: the barycenter of the ρ(x|z). Connections are found to unsupervised learning and to fundamental problems in statistics such as conditional density estimation and sampling. Particularly simple instances of the methodology are shown to be equivalent to k-means and principal component analysis. An application is shown to a time series of ground temperature hourly data across the United States.© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the radiation mechanism of repeating fast radio bursts

Recent observations show that fast radio bursts (FRBs) are energetic but probably non-catastrophic events occurring at cosmological distances. The properties of their progenitors are largely unknown in spite of many attempts to determine them using the event rate, duration and energetics. Understanding the radiation mechanism for FRBs should provide the missing insights regarding their progenitors, which is investigated in this paper. The high brightness temperatures (>10^{35} K) of FRBs mean that the emission process must be coherent. Two general classes of coherent radiation mechanisms are considered --- maser and the antenna mechanism. We use the observed properties of the repeater FRB 121102 to constrain the plasma conditions needed for these two mechanisms. We have looked into a wide variety of maser mechanisms operating in either vacuum or plasma and find that none of them can explain the high luminosity of FRBs without invoking unrealistic or fine-tuned plasma conditions. The most favorable mechanism is antenna curvature emission by coherent charge bunches where the burst is powered by magnetic reconnection near the surface of a magnetar (B > 10^{14} G). We show that the plasma in the twisted magnetosphere of a magnetar may be clumpy due to two-stream instability. When magnetic reconnection occurs, the pre-existing density clumps may provide charge bunches for the antenna mechanism to operate. This model should be applicable to all FRBs that have multiple outbursts like FRB 121102.
Factors of U.S. Hospitals Associated with Improved Profit Margins: An Observational Study

Hospitals face financial pressure from decreased margins from Medicare and Medicaid and lower reimbursement from consolidating insurers. The objectives of this study are to determine whether hospitals that became more profitable increased revenues or decreased costs more and to examine characteristics associated with improved financial performance over time. The design of this study is retrospective analyses of U.S. non-federal acute care hospitals between 2003 and 2013. There are 2824 hospitals as subjects of this study. The main measures of this study are the change in clinical operating margin, change in revenues per bed, and change in expenses per bed between 2003 and 2013. Hospitals that became more profitable had a larger magnitude of increases in revenue per bed (about $113,000 per year [95% confidence interval: $93,132 to $133,401]) than of decreases in costs per bed (about − $10,000 per year [95% confidence interval: − $28,956 to $9617]), largely driven by higher non-Medicare reimbursement. Hospitals that improved their margins were larger or joined a hospital system. Not-for-profit status was associated with increases in operating margin, while rural status and having a larger share of Medicare patients were associated with decreases in operating margin. There was no association between improved hospital profitability and changes in diagnosis related group weight, in number of profitable services, or in payer mix. Hospitals that became more profitable were more likely to increase their admissions per bed per year. Differential price increases have led to improved margins for some hospitals over time. Where significant price increases are not possible, hospitals will have to become more efficient to maintain profitability.
Styles of Historical Investigation

This paper is an analysis of historical inquiry. Four styles of historical investigation are identified: realistic, formal, expressive, and pragmatic. Each style is considered for the philosophical assumptions of the historian, the methods employed, criteria for judgment, and examples of the style in the literature of art education. Some conclusions are reached regarding contributions that history can make to the field of art education.
Analyzing leadership within American Catholic dioceses: Communicating Catholicism. Rhetoric, Ecclesial Leadership, and the Future of the Roman Catholic Diocese (C.T. Maier)

There is no other organization on the planet as old as the Catholic Church and one might expect that two thousand years of existence could breed a sense of complacency within any kind of institutio...
Victim Blaming in Twitter Users’ Framing of Eric Garner and Michael Brown:

Using a critical race lens, this analysis extends the victim-blaming literature to examine representations of Black males killed by White police officers. Specifically, it explores tweets that emer...
Influence of Environmental Factors on Financial Provision of Investment Activity of Business Entities

The main priority objectives of investment development of business entities are singled out. The object of research is financial support for investment activities of business entities. An important problem in the process of investment activity of business entities is the financial provision of business entities, which is aimed at identifying priority areas for economic development of the region. Sources of financial support for investment activities of business entities depend on the economic conditions in which they function and environmental factors that affect both the results of production activities and the formation of investment attractiveness of the region. The sources of financing of capital investments are analyzed, among which the leading positions are taken by the enterprises' own funds that emphasizes the self-financing of enterprises in the process of investment activity. The main sources of financial support for investment activity of business entities are substantiated, namely, the growth of the volume of capital investments by main sources and direct foreign investment in priority spheres of the economy. The influence of environmental factors on the financial provision of investment activity of business entities is revealed, stressing the dependence of their economic growth on the efficiency of attracting and using the natural resource potential. That is why, it is necessary to create conditions for stabilizing the state of environmental protection as the main factor for attracting investments and increasing the investment attractiveness of business entities. The results obtained in the work can be used to study the formation of sources of financial support for investment activities and to study the influence of environmental factors on the formation of the investment attractiveness of the region.
Insulin and Adipose Tissue

This chapter focuses on insulin and adipose tissue. One of the functions of insulin is to favor synthesis of materials for energy storage when excess food is available. The physiology of adipose tissue is largely concerned with the formation and release of fatty acids and fat, which comprise a major reservoir from which energy-yielding substrates can be drawn. Insulin affects both the synthesis of fatty acids in, and the release of fatty acids from, adipose tissue. Adipose tissue can take up lipid from the medium and incorporate free fatty acids into neutral lipid . At the same time there is lipolysis, with transfer of the free fatty acids released to albumin in the medium. The net incorporation of fatty acids into neutral lipids by adipose tissue in vitro is enhanced by the presence of glucose in the medium, and even more by the addition of insulin in the presence of glucose.
The Last Millennium of Chinese Imperial Rule and the Emergence of China’s Modern Economy

This article presents a brief introduction to the relationship between the Chinese state c. tenth–early twentieth centuries and the emergence of China’s modern economy that contains shared points o...
Comparison of Bethesda cytopathology classification to surgical pathology across racial-ethnic groups

BACKGROUND The Bethesda System standardized the reporting of thyroid cytopathology and created categories to provide an estimation of a nodule's risk of malignancy. There are limited data describing their utility in different racial-ethnic groups. METHODS A retrospective chart review of thyroid fine-needle aspirations (FNA) was performed within our health-care systems. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPVs) were calculated for the total cohort, and racial-ethnic groups. RESULTS The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the entire cohort was 93%, 77%, 57%, and 97%. Among patients who underwent surgery, African Americans contained a high number of Bethesda II FNAs (63%) compared to Hispanics (48%) and whites (45%). The sensitivity, specificity, and NPV were comparable among groups, the PPV was lowest for African Americans (43%), followed by Hispanics (60%) and whites (69%). CONCLUSIONS The Bethesda system's predictive value may differ among racial-ethnic groups.
Clinical significance of pretreatment tumor growth rate for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may exhibit significant tumor growth before the initiation of definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT). We thus investigated the prognostic value of pretreatment tumor growth rate as measured by specific growth rate (SGR). Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 42 patients with locally advanced NSCLC treated with definitive concurrent CRT. For each patient, we contoured the primary gross tumor volume (GTV) on the pretreatment diagnostic chest computed tomography (CT) scan and the radiation therapy (RT) planning CT scan. We then calculated SGR based on the primary GTV from each scan and the time interval between scans. We used log-rank tests and univariate Cox regression models to quantify differences in progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and recurrence based on SGR. Results: We divided patients into two groups for analysis: those with an SGR greater than or equal to the upper tercile value of 0.94%/day (high SGR) and those with SGR less than 0.94%/day (low SGR). Patients with high SGRs versus low SGRs experienced inferior PFS (median, 5.6 vs . 13.6 months, P=0.016), without a significant difference in OS. The inferior PFS in the high SGR group persisted on multivariate analysis [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–5.25, P=0.034]. The risk of distant recurrence was higher in the high SGR group (HR 2.62, 95% CI: 1.08–6.38, P=0.033), but there was no difference in the risk of locoregional recurrence between groups. Conclusions: Pretreatment SGR was associated with inferior PFS and distant control among patients with locally advanced NSCLC treated with concurrent CRT. Further studies in larger populations may aid in elucidating optimal SGR cut-off points for risk stratification.
Contemporary loss of migration in monarch butterflies.

The annual migration of the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus is in peril. In an effort to aid population recovery, monarch enthusiasts across North America participate in a variety of conservation efforts, including captive rearing and release of monarch butterflies throughout the summer and autumn. However, the impact of captive breeding on monarchs remains an open question. Here, we show that captive breeding, both commercially and by summertime hobbyists, causes migratory behavior to be lost. Monarchs acquired commercially failed to orient south when reared outdoors in the autumn, unlike wild-caught North American monarchs, yet they did enter reproductive diapause. The commercial population was genetically highly divergent from wild-caught North American monarchs and had rounder forewings, similar to monarchs from nonmigratory populations. Furthermore, rearing wild-caught monarchs in an indoor environment mimicking natural migration-inducing conditions failed to elicit southward flight orientation. In fact, merely eclosing indoors after an otherwise complete lifecycle outdoors was enough to disrupt southern orientation. Our results provide a window into the complexity—and remarkable fragility—of migration.
Switching current measurements in Pb(Zn1/3 Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 relaxor ferroelectric single crystals

Switching current measurements have been carried out on relaxor ferroelectric single crystal-PZN, and the solid solution 0.86PZN-0.04PT and 0.91PZN-0.09PT for crystallographic directions [001] and [111]. The experiments showed the presence of two maximum points in the switching current for 0.86PZN-0.04PT and 0.91PZN-0.09PT that can be attributed to the co-existence of two phases. The switching time inverse shows a two-fold linear dependence on applied field for both [001] and [111]. This suggests that the polarization reversal in the relaxor systems is related to the mobility of the domains. The switching time in relaxor ferroelectric is long (millisecs) compared to the reported data on normal ferroelectric Barium titanate (microsecs). The switching time is dependent on the composition of the crystal along both [001] and [111]. Along [111], the switching time decreases as the PT component increases in the crystal while along [001], the switching time increases as the PT increases.
Potentially Curable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline Update.

PURPOSEThe purpose of this guideline update is to incorporate recently reported practice-changing evidence into ASCO’s recommendations on potentially curable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.METHODSASCO c...