cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiological and medical findings in insomnia: Implications for diagnosis and care

This review will examine objective physiological abnormalities and medical comorbidities associated with insomnia and assess the need to measure parameters associated with these abnormalities for diagnosis and to monitor treatment outcomes. Findings are used to develop a decision tree for the work-up of insomnia patients. Currently available measures and those with possible future predictive value will be discussed. Costs, advantages, and the development of screening laboratory tests will be presented. It is concluded that there is a need to differentially evaluate insomnia patients based upon their comorbidities and the presence of objectively decreased total sleep time to direct optimal treatment. The development of objective diagnostic criteria and treatment outcome goals beyond subjective symptomatic relief will establish insomnia as a true medical problem and improve patient care.
The relative controls of temperature, soil moisture, and plant functional group on soil CO2 efflux at diel, seasonal, and annual scales

[1] Soil respiration (Rsoil) is a dominant, but variable, contributor to ecosystem CO2 efflux. Understanding how variations in major environmental drivers, like temperature and available moisture, might regulate Rsoil has become extremely relevant. Plant functional-type diversity makes such assessments difficult because of the confounding influence of varied plant phenology and influences on soil microhabitats. We used automated measurement systems to quantify Rsoil in the three microhabitats (under mesquites, under bunchgrasses, and in intercanopy soils) that result from mesquite encroachment into grasslands to inform our understanding of diel Rsoil patterns in response to changes in temperature, seasonal variations in Rsoil in response to varied soil moisture and plant phenology, and the contribution of each microhabitat to total ecosystem-scale Rsoil. We detected a counterclockwise hysteretic response of Rsoil to soil temperature, such that up to 100% greater fluxes were observed in the afternoon/evening than the morning for the same temperature. Phenological differences influenced ecosystem-scale Rsoil in that mesquites were physiologically active months before bunchgrasses and Rsoil rates under mesquites were greater and elevated longer in response to rains. Cumulative annual Rsoil was 412, 229, and 202 g C m−2 under mesquites, bunchgrasses, and intercanopy spaces, respectively. Extrapolating to the ecosystem-scale using cover estimates within the site's eddy covariance footprint illustrated that average mesquite Rsoil contributed 46% to overall ecosystem-scale Rsoil, though mesquite composed only about 35% of the site. As grasslands transition to shrub dominance, the contribution of Rsoil to net ecosystem flux will likely increase, potentially offsetting presumed greater CO2 uptake potential of woody plants.
Methodological problems in programmed composition of psychological test reports

Programmed composition of psychological test reports by selecting more than 100 statements separately and printing them in sequence yielded reports with abrupt transitions, redundancies, and contradictions. Statistical, logical, and semantic problems demanded solution, and continual reprogramming was done. Some statements were rewritten to avoid contradictions and to make discrepancies meaningful. Rules for choosing connecting particles were written. Methods were devised to modify scores to reduce variance of irrelevant or undesired source. More “reconciling statements” based on combinations of scores were added. The improved program writes smoother reports with fewer internal contradictions.
A fisheries application of a dual-frequency identification sonar acoustic camera

The uses of an acoustic camera in fish passage research at hydropower facilities are being explored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) is a high-resolution imaging sonar that obtains near video-quality images for the identification of objects underwater. Developed originally for the Navy by the University of Washington?s Applied Physics Laboratory, it bridges the gap between existing fisheries assessment sonar and optical systems. Traditional fisheries assessment sonars detect targets at long ranges but cannot record the shape of targets. The images within 12 m of this acoustic camera are so clear that one can see fish undulating as they swim and can tell the head from the tail in otherwise zero-visibility water. In the 1.8 MHz high-frequency mode, this system is composed of 96 beams over a 29-degree field of view. This high resolution and a fast frame rate allow the acoustic camera to produce near video-quality images of objects through time. This technology redefines many of the traditional limitations of sonar for fisheries and aquatic ecology. Images can be taken of fish in confined spaces, close to structural or surface boundaries, and in the presence of entrained air. The targets themselves can bemore » visualized in real time. The DIDSON can be used where conventional underwater cameras would be limited in sampling range to < 1 m by low light levels and high turbidity, and where traditional sonar would be limited by the confined sample volume. Results of recent testing at The Dalles Dam, on the lower Columbia River in Oregon, USA, are shown.« less
Ability of obstructed bladders to empty is dependent on method of stimulation.

Purpose: To correlate pharmacologic changes that occur in the bladder after a partial outlet obstruction with the bladder's ability to perform work and empty.
A High-Resolution Imaging Touch Sensor:

A dexterous robot manipulator must be able to feel what it is doing. The mechanical hand of the future will be able to roll a screw between its fingers and sense, by touch, which end is which. This paper describes a step toward such a manipulator, an imaging tactile sensor with hundreds of pressure sensors in a space the size of a fingertip. The sensor was designed as part of a tendon-actuated mechan ical finger, similar in size and range of motion to a human index finger (Hillis 1981). As a demonstration, the device was programmed to distinguish among several commonly used fastening devices—nuts, bolts, flat washers, lock washers, dowel pins, cotter pins, and set screws—by touching them with the finger and analyzing the tactile image.This paper describes how the tactile sensor array was constructed and how it works. The simple pattern- recognition techniques used in the demonstration program are also outlined. The final section notes some promising directions for future research.
Virulence of Vibrio vulnificus: association with utilization of transferrin-bound iron, and lack of correlation with levels of cytotoxin or protease production

16 Vibrio vulnificus strains isolated from clinical and environmental sources were studied. 6 strains (4 clinical and 2 environmental) were virulent in both an infant mouse intragastric inoculation model and an iron-loaded adult mouse model; there was a close correlation between results in the two models. Virulence was not associated with increased in vitro production of extracellular cytotoxin-hemolysin or protease. There was some correlation between virulence and the ability of a strain to grow in an iron-limited medium, with a significant association observed between virulence and utilization of transferrin as an iron source. Our results suggest that the ability to make use of available host iron is an important determinant for pathogenicity of V. vulnificus.
Comparison of WindSat and ASCAT wind fields on the mediterranean sea

The ocean wind vector (OWV) fields retrieved on the Mediterranean and Black seas by satellite-borne microwave active and passive instruments (the ASCAT and QuikSCAT scatterometers and the WindSat polarimetric radiometers) are statistically compared each other. The periods of the comparison vary: from 2003 to 2009 for QuikSCAT and WindSat, and 2009 to 2010 for ASCAT and WindSat. Global and local statistics of the OWV comparisons are performed and shown. Trends are evidenced for some parameters, and a general agreement in the statistical description of the OWV is found. The reason for the study was the need to increase the number of available observations in the Mediterranean Sea to better describe meso-scale β (20–200 km, [1]) atmospheric processes and the characteristics of the interaction of the wind flow with the orography.
Histologic Lesions Associated with Intravenous Infusions of Large Volumes of Isotonic Saline Solution in Rats for 30 Days

The objective of this study was to characterize the changes associated with intravenous infusions of large volumes of isotonic saline solution in rats so that effects of the infusion process could be more easily distinguished from effects of test articles. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing approximately 225-275 g at the beginning of the study were given intravenous infusions of isotonic saline solution once daily for 30 consecutive days at dosages of 40 or 80 ml/kg body weight. Saline solution was administered through catheters placed in the caudal veins of the tail according to one of the following regimens: 80 ml/kg at 0.25 ml/min; 80 ml/kg at 0.5 ml/min; 80 ml/kg at 1.0 ml/min; and 40 ml/kg at 1.0 ml/min. Control rats were catheterized but not administered intravenous fluids. One day following the last treatment, all rats were necropsied and major organs were collected in 10% formalin. Histologic lesions associated with treatment included increased incidence and severity of pulmonary periarterial infiltrates of eosinophils, multifocal pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary granulomas that often contained hairshaft fragments, endothelial hypertrophy and hyperplasia within pulmonary arterial vessels, and pulmonary arterial medial thickening. Infiltrates of eosinophils around small pulmonary arteries were more severe in rats given intravenous infusions than in untreated rats and were more severe in rats given isotonic saline at the 80-ml/kg dosage than at the 40-ml/kg dosage. The severity of periarterial infiltrates of eosinophils increased with increasing infusion rates in rats that received 80 ml/kg isotonic saline. Pulmonary granulomas and multifocal pulmonary inflammation were observed in more rats that received intravenous saline than in control rats, but their incidences did not appear to vary with the volume or rate of infusion. Multifocal endothelial hypertrophy and hyperplasia occurred in most rats given isotonic saline solution at all volumes and rates, but not in untreated control rats. Inflammatory lesions in the tail near the injection site were considered sequellae of catheter insertion that, in some instances, may have been exacerbated by intravenous saline infusion. There were no lesions in other organs that were attributable to intravenous infusions of isotonic saline solution.
Cool Chips: Opportunities and Implications for Power and Thermal Management

Alongside innovative device, circuit, and microarchitecture level techniques to alleviate power and thermal problems in nanoscale CMOS-based integrated circuits (ICs), chip cooling could be an effective knob for power and thermal management. This paper analyzes IC cooling while focusing on the practical temperature range of operation. Comprehensive analyses of chip cooling for various nanometer scale bulk-CMOS and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technologies are presented. Unlike all previous works, this analysis employs a holistic approach (combines device, circuit and system level considerations) and also takes various electrothermal couplings between power dissipation, operating frequency and die temperature into account. While chip cooling always gives performance gain at the device and circuit level, it is shown that system level power defines a temperature limit beyond which cooling gives diminishing returns and an associated cost that may be prohibitive. A scaling analysis of this temperature limit is also presented. Furthermore, it is shown that on-chip thermal gradients cannot be mitigated by global chip cooling and that localized cooling can be more effective in removing hot-spots.
Protein Nano-Object Integrator (ProNOI) for generating atomic style objects for molecular modeling

Background With the progress of nanotechnology, one frequently has to model biological macromolecules simultaneously with nano-objects. However, the atomic structures of the nano objects are typically not available or they are solid state entities. Because of that, the researchers have to investigate such nano systems by generating models of the nano objects in a manner that the existing software be able to carry the simulations. In addition, it should allow generating composite objects with complex shape by combining basic geometrical figures and embedding biological macromolecules within the system.
Evaluation of Fourier transform coefficients for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis from diffuse optical tomography images

We apply the Fourier Transform to absorption and scattering coefficient images of proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints and evaluate the performance of these coefficients as classifiers using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. We find 25 features that yield a Youden index over 0.7, 3 features that yield a Youden index over 0.8, and 1 feature that yields a Youden index over 0.9 (90.0% sensitivity and 100% specificity). In general, scattering coefficient images yield better one-dimensional classifiers compared to absorption coefficient images. Using features derived from scattering coefficient images we obtain an average Youden index of 0.58 ± 0.16, and an average Youden index of 0.45 ± 0.15 when using features from absorption coefficient images.
Spatial pattern of gas exchange for montane moist meadow species

. Montane moist meadows of western North America are relatively unique in that they are characterized by annual cycles of spring inundation followed by summer drought. Thus, plants adapted to these ecosystems must cope with a wide range of environmental conditions. We compared gas exchange and water relations of upper canopy leaves and leaf area index (LAI) of three dominant montane meadow graminoids growing at both streamside and mid-meadow locations (2.5 and 20.0 m, respectively from the stream edge). The two locations were environmentally very different in spite of their close proximity. The water table at the streamside location was ca. 40 cm closer to the surface compared to the mid-meadow. When averaged over season and species, photosynthetic rates were 12.5 % (p 0.05) The similarity in stomatal response was surprising given that streamside plants had midday xylem potentials that averaged 0.72 MPa less negative (less water-stressed) than that of mid-meadow plants (p < 0.05). There was no clear relationship between xylem potential and conductance for the species studied. Total LAI for the three species combined was nearly three times higher at the streamside compared to mid-meadow location. At the streamside location, Carex nebrascensis had a LAI over twice as high as that of the other species (p 0.05) at the mid-meadow location. Carex nebrascensis had a more conservative gas exchange strategy (lower photosynthesis and transpiration) than Juncus balticus or Deschampsia cespitosa, yet developed more leaf area than either of these species. Juncus had higher photosynthesis and transpiration compared to the other species, yet maintained less negative midday xylem potential (p < 0.05). Apparently, Juncus balticus maintained a greater supply of moisture to above-ground tissues than the other species, which is probably an indication of higher root length per unit leaf area, or a more efficient water conducting system. The other two species - Carex nebrascensis in particular, maintain relatively conservative gas exchange rates, but under favorable growing conditions (such as occurred at the streamside) can develop high leaf area indices. Wetland species with similar growth forms (graminoid) and distributions can have contrasting patterns of gas exchange and plant water relations.
NCBI BLAST: a better web interface

Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) is a sequence similarity search program. The public interface of BLAST, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ blast, at the NCBI website has recently been reengineered to improve usability and performance. Key new features include simplified search forms, improved navigation, a list of recent BLAST results, saved search strategies and a documentation directory. Here, we describe the BLAST web application’s new features, explain design decisions and outline plans for future improvement.
Question of Parity Conservation in Weak Interactions

The question of parity conservation in β decays and in hyperon and meson decays is examined. Possible experiments are suggested which might test parity conservation in these interactions.
Variations in the measurement of weaning parameters: a survey of respiratory therapists.

Objectives Respiratory therapists differ in the methods used to obtain weaning parameters. A questionnaire survey was conducted to better characterize those differences. Design A questionnaire survey was conducted among respiratory therapists from nine hospitals in the Los Angeles area. The four-page, 32-question instrument was self-administered and anonymous. Responses were tabulated for analysis. Setting Respondents from nine hospitals, three hospitals with residency training programs and six community hospitals without training programs in the Los Angeles area. Participants One hundred two respiratory therapists. Results There was no universally acknowledged group of weaning parameters, although four parameters were named by > 90%. There was wide variation in methods used to obtaining weaning parameters. Almost all (91%) obtained measurements with the patients breathing their current fraction of inspired oxygen, but there was great variability in the ventilator mode used to collect these parameters (T-tube, continuous positive airway pressure, pressure support), with an equally wide range of pressures added to each mode (0 to 10 cm H 2 O). There was great variation in the time ( 15 min) before recording weaning parameters. Measurement of parameters was done either with bedside instruments or read from the ventilator display. The maximal inspiratory pressure had great variation in the duration of airway occlusion ( Conclusions There is great variation among respiratory therapists when obtaining weaning parameters. This calls for further standardization of the measurement of weaning parameters.
Evaluating FPGAs: capacity and utilization

The authors present the experimental results of a study on the effective capacity of a set of field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices and the influence of different circuit types on their utilization. A practical mix of benchmark circuits were used with several different FPGAs. The results indicate that (1) optimization is necessary to effect efficient device utilization, (2) devices with built in flip-flops are not efficient in implementing combinational circuits, and (3) the percentage of flip-flops in a circuit should match the percentage of flip-flops in the total device to maximize gate density. A graphical model is presented to interpret these results. >
Pattern of development of ascending and descending fibers in embryonic spinal cord of chick: II. A correlation with behavioral studies

Studies on the embryonic spinal cord were extended to include the development of the ascending and descending fibers from the brachial level. This study was designed to correlate morphological development of the intersegmental system with physiological and behavioral observations of early embryonic behavior. Chick embryos were analyzed prior to day 6 of incubation, which is before closure of the reflex arc and arrival of supraspinal inputs to the embryonic spinal cord. Injections of 3H-proline were made in the upper brachial level of chick embryos of stages 27--29 (5--6 days). The location of radioactive label in the marginal zone was analyzed autoradiographically to show the projection of labeled axonal flow from the site of injection. The majority of the labeled axons in the marginal zone was in the first 2--3 segments in both ascending and descending directions from the site of injection. By stage 27 (day 5), ascending labeled axons extended to the upper cervical level and labeled descending axons extended only about 4--5 segments to the upper thoracic level. By stage 29 (day 6) labeled ascending axons extended into the medulla oblongata, and labeled descending axons still extended only 4--5 segments caudally. These studies (Parts I and II) show that at stage 27 (day 5) there was considerable axoplasmic flow of radioactive label in the marginal zone from the lumbar to the brachial plexus but not in the opposite direction from the brachial to the lumbar plexus. Also, axoplasmic flow of label initially extended from the brachial plexus to the medulla oblongata sometime between stages 27--29. It was concluded that the intersegmental system of the embryonic spinal cord is well developed by day 6 of incubation and provides the neuro-anatomical substrate for early embryonic behavior.
Tectonic setting of the Portland-Vancouver area, Oregon and Washington: Constraints from low-altitude aeromagnetic data

Seismic activity in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area may be associated with various mapped faults that locally offset volcanic basement of Eocene age and younger. This volcanic basement is concealed in most places by young deposits, vegetation, and urban development. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an aeromagnetic survey in September 1992 to investigate the extent of these mapped faults and possibly to help identify other seismic and volcanic hazards in the area. The survey was flown approximately 240 m above terrain, along flight lines spaced 460 m apart, and over an area about 50 × 50 km. These magnetic data indicate a pronounced northwest-striking magnetic lineation east of the Willamette River in downtown Portland associated with a fault concealed beneath Quaternary sedimentary deposits and previously inferred from shallow well data. The magnetic lineation confirms the existence of the fault and suggests that it has had a prolonged history: (1) Although well data indicate <200 m of vertical offset of underlying volcanic basement, models based on the aeromagnetic data from downtown Portland suggest reverse faulting with up to 1 km of offset deeper in the section. (2) The magnetic lineation associated with this fault extends southeast to the Clackamas River drainage, a distance of 50 km and considerably beyond the mapped extent of the fault. A northwest-striking magnetic anomaly located southwest of the Tualatin Mountains corresponds closely with another mapped fault and with mixed reverse and strike-slip faulting during a seismic swarm (M ≤ 3) in 1991. We believe these and other anomalies in the aeromagnetic data reflect the Portland Hills fault zone, believed to be the southwestern boundary of a structural basin now occupied by Portland and Vancouver. The postulated northeastern boundary of the basin, the Frontal fault zone, is also evident, although less well represented in the aeromagnetic data. Aeromagnetic anomalies, geologic mapping, and earthquake focal-plane solutions demonstrate a complex deformational history in the Portland-Vancouver area since middle Miocene time that includes elements of compression, extension, and dextral slip. These complexities reflect Portland-Vancouver's unique position within a north-south transition in tectonic styles along the Cascadia margin, from compressional in the north to extensional in the south.
Foraminiferal Test as an Environmental Buffer: ABSTRACT

Despite many studies of foraminifers, very few suggestions have been made concerning the function of the test. If the adaptive significance of the test were known, this would provide a theoretical basis for understanding the ecological importance of test shape and construction. Observation of the behavior of many shallow-water species in response to environmental changes indicates that the test may function as a chemical and physical buffer between the organism and the environment. Shallow-water foraminifers construct a test of much larger volume than needed merely to house the living protoplasm. Under conditions of stress, Sorites, Planorbulina, Bolivina, Discorbis, and miliolids occupy only the inner chambers of the test; the outer chambers may be filled with a less dense, highly vesiculate cytoplasm, or may be empty. If the individual chambers of the test are connected only through one or a few small openings, adverse osmotic effects produced by changes in salinity can affect the protoplasm only slowly. Complex tests may thus serve as a baffle to reduce t e rate of chemical diffusion. Some chambers are sites of concentration of symbiotic algae. In Elphidium, algal-filled chambers are in communication with each other, but the apertures of the final chamber are sealed. The foraminifer communicates with the outside only through the tortuous passageways of the canal system except during relatively brief intervals of chamber addition. The test functions as a protected greenhouse for the foraminifers' symbiotic algae. End_of_Article - Last_Page 730------------
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia occurs in approximately 1 in 3,000 live births. There are two distinct anatomic forms that differ significantly in their physiologic effects. The more common and certainly more challenging type is the posterolateral (Bochdalek) hernia. Anterior defects (Morgagni) are much less common and also much less morbid, often not presenting until well beyond infancy.
Analyzing the Metabolic Microenvironment of Co-cultured Stem Cells and Cardiomyocytes

While there exists precedence over the last decade of decellularization of rodent, porcine, and human hearts to create a bioartificial heart scaffold, there remains a lot of work to be done regardi...
Introduction to the Special Issue: Planning for Climate Change: Assessing Progress and Challenges

Problem: The planet appears to be warming in a complex, highly unpredictable, unplanned-for pattern. Purpose: We briefly describe the seven articles and survey the topic of this special issue, framing it using both climate science and policy analysis. Methods: We review definitions and discuss known explanations and planning strategies. Results and conclusions: Planning for climate change differs from traditional urban planning in that we lack knowledge and experience about the efficacy of particular responses and that, without collective efforts, responses by individual municipalities, states, and even countries are likely to be ineffective. This combination of uncertainty and interdependency makes climate change a wicked problem. Takeaway for practice: Planners are relatively uninformed about whether and how particular climate change mitigation and adaptation responses are likely to work. Given this, we argue that planners’ experiences in dealing with uncertainty and contingent and collective actions po...
Enzymatic hydrolysis of benzoylarginineamide by normal and tuberculous tissue of rabbits.

Summary and Conclusions1. Caseous material was produced in the lungs and kidneys of rabbits by intratracheal infection with a virulent, Ravenel culture of tubercle bacilli. The animals were killed at intervals of from 5 to 20 weeks after infection. The lungs and kidneys, together with the livers and spleens, were removed immediately after exsanguination and death of the animals, preserved at a very low temperature in a dry ice refrigerator, and examined for enzymatic activity.2. Homogenates of tuberculous lung tissue containing very large amounts of caseous material can hydrolyze benzoylarginineamide (BAA) at pH 5.1 at a more rapid rate than those of homologous normal tissues. The lungs and kidneys of animals which were first immunized with a non-virulent culture before reinfection with a virulent strain of M. tuberculosis were found to have greater enzymatic activity than those with a primary infection.3. These results are analogous to those of Lurie who showed an increased capacity of rabbit tissue to d...
Injection of Cocaine-Amphetamine Regulated Transcript (CART) peptide into the nucleus accumbens does not inhibit caffeine-induced locomotor activity: Implications for CART peptide mechanism

Much evidence suggests that intra-nucleus accumbens (NAc) CART peptide (CART 55-102) injection inhibits locomotor activity (LMA) when there is an increase in the release and activity of dopamine (DA) in the NAc. However, this hypothesis has not been fully tested. One way to examine this is to determine if there is a lack of effect of intra-NAc CART peptide on LMA that does not involve increases in DA release in the NAc. Several studies have suggested that caffeine-induced LMA does not involve extracellular DA release in the NAc core. Therefore, in this study, we have examined the effect of injections of CART peptide (2.5μg) into the NAc core on the locomotor effects of caffeine in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Several LMA relevant doses of caffeine were used (0, 10, 20mg/kg i.p.), and an inverted U response curve was found as expected. We determined, in the same animals, that intra-NAc CART peptide had no effect on caffeine-induced LMA whereas it blunted cocaine-mediated LMA, as shown by other reports. We also extended a previous observation in mice by showing that at a LMA activating dose of caffeine there is no alteration of CART peptide levels in the NAc of rats. Our study supports the hypothesis that the inhibitory effects of CART peptide in the NAc may be exerted only under conditions of increased extracellular DA release and activity in this region. Our results also suggest that intra-NAc CART 55-102 does not generally inhibit increases in LMA due to all drugs, but has a more specific inhibitory effect on dopaminergic neurotransmission.
Analysis on a case of food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Objective To analyze the cause of food poisoning and provide the evidence for appropriate prevention and control.Method Conducting epidemiologx investigatiom,analyzing the collected food residue and the appliances,and testing the pathogenicity and drug-resistance of the isolated strain.Result After second enrichment,one Staphylococcus aureus strain producing enterotoxin B was positively detected in the food residue.The strain showed resistance to Oxacillin,Penicillin,and Tetracycline.Conclusion This incident was caused by Staphylococcus aureus.Food safety can be influenced by the processing,storage of food,and the health of the workers.
Influence of Flood Discharge Sluice Floor Panel's Relative Height Difference on Discharge Capacity

The influence of different flood discharge sluice floor panel's relative height difference on discharge capacity is described.The cause of the above influence is analyzed from model test in flume.And the experiential calculation formula for discharge coefficient at this condition is given.The exactitude and applicability of the formula is confirmed in practical project.
Taphonomy and the Role of Experimentation in Microartifact Analysis

In this paper, we review the minimal role experimentation has had in microartifact analysis to date and argue that the future of microartifact research lies in increased experimentation. To this end, we describe our own experimental efforts to understand the taphonomic and site formation processes associated with microartifact deposition and post-deposition. The project, conducted as part of an undergraduate class in experimental archaeology at Murray State University, was designed to test how microartifacts of different sizes and materials are generated and altered through cultural formation processes such as trampling and sweeping, as well as natural formation processes such as bioturbation and precipitation.
A creative account of the public schools via new perspective of economics

Public schools serve,from a new perspective of economics,as an organization for the implementation of education abided by a long-term agreement with teachers and other components.The effective incentive mechanism is key to the low cost,and a vital education service system demands an open evolution with progressive changes of internal,external compititions and governmental functions.
CO2 Sequestration Beneath The Seafloor

The injection of CO2 below the seafloor offers several advantages for seques tration, particularly that it may retard the return of CO2 to the atmosphere for long periods of time and minimize any environmental impact on the benthic ecosystem. A number of marine geological environments contain natural aqui fers with impermeable seals that are potentially suited for CO2 injection. Owing to 30 years of scientific drilling in the deep ocean, much is already known about such environments. Two possible locations which have been previously drilled and studied are compared in this paper-one in natural hydrate-bearing sediments and one in oceanic basalt crust. Although additional measurements and reservoir models are needed for a comprehensive and more conclusive evaluation, the existing information suggests that an oceanic crustal site is more likely to accommodate a substantial volume of injected CO2. Long-term monitoring of such sites would also help to establish a quantitative understanding of the fate of CO2 sequestered below the seafloor.
Low-Voltage Flow-Through Electroporation in Gold-Microtube Membranes.

Electroporation is used to create pores within the membrane of living cells in order to deliver a substance, for example, a gene, into the cytoplasm. To achieve the high electric field gradients required to porate the membrane, current electroporation devices deliver voltage pulses in the kV range to the cell medium. We describe a new device based on gold-microtube membranes that can accomplish electroporation with voltage pulses that are orders of magnitude smaller, ≤5 V. This is possible because the voltage pulses are applied to the gold microtubes resulting in large electric field gradients down the length of the tubes. We used COMSOL simulations to calculate the electric field gradients, and these theoretical results were compared with known experimental values required to electroporate Escherichia coli. We developed two fluorescence-based methods to demonstrate successful electroporation of E. coli. The percentages of electroporated bacteria were found to be more than an order of magnitude higher tha...
Myths in the Evaluation and Management of Ovarian Torsion

Abstract Background Ovarian torsion is a rare but serious cause of pelvic pain in females. Making the diagnosis is important because misdiagnosis can lead to an ischemic ovary and subsequent infertility. Objective Although all emergency physicians are aware of ovarian torsion, there are several myths regarding its epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. This article attempts to review some of these myths to improve emergency diagnosis and evaluation. Discussion Ovarian torsion is not an easy diagnosis to make and it is commonly missed. Signs and symptoms often mimic other disorders such as appendicitis, pyelonephritis, and nephrolithiasis. The diagnosis becomes more challenging in that torsion can occur in female patients of all ages, including infants and the elderly. Normal arterial blood flow on ultrasound does not rule out ovarian torsion and not every patient will have a mass on imaging or a palpable mass on examination. Patients may have symptoms for several hours or days, and thus, ovarian torsion may be present even with a longer duration of symptoms. Surgery is the definitive treatment and may still be effective after several hours of symptoms. Conclusions Although ovarian torsion is a challenging diagnosis, understanding myths surrounding the disorder may help emergency physicians consider it in unusual populations. If there is any clinical concern for ovarian torsion, a gynecologic consult may be helpful, even if imaging findings are not conclusive. Surgery remains the standard method for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
Collaborative Learning with Web 2.0 Technology: Synchronicity Dimension

Web 2.0 technology provides an open platform to promote active users’ interaction and participation in anytime and anyplace, enabling knowledge creation, sharing, and transfer. Using grounded theory approach, this study examines how effective the online collaboration tool that employs Web 2.0 technology could enhance collaborative learning in a team-based environment in higher education. The study results discover that Web 2.0 collaboration tool lacks high synchronicity dimension. High synchronicity dimension of a communication channel is characterized by immediacy of feedback in support of attaining shared understanding, focus, and trust in team interaction. As learning is an outcome of interaction among team members who exchange ideas and share experiences to attain group solutions and bring about knowledge construction, the study suggests that Web 2.0 collaboration tool should include features supporting high synchronicity dimension.
A serological survey on cryptosporidiosis in Najran region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia with reference to some epidemiological features of the infection

Background: Cryptosporidium infection remains a major public health issue, but its epidemiology in humans is still unclear, particularly in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Hence, this study was designed to determine the infection status of Cryptosporidium and the reservoir hosts in southwestern Saudi Arabia community and to recognize the associated risk factors, with evaluating the diagnostic performance of the techniques used. Methods: A total of 576 stool specimens and sera were screened for cryptosporidiosis using modified Ziehl neelsen technique and a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively, between September 2015 and December 2016. Results: Of the 576 samples assayed, 9.5 and 20.8% were positive for Cryptosporidium oocyst and anti-Cryptosporidium antibody, respectively. The seropositivity was positively correlated with age, especially in the age group less than 6 years old. Likewise, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections in males was significantly higher than in female counterparts (P < 0.05). The current study revealed that the maximum number of cases, 22.4%, was observed during the months of January to April, indicating marked significant seasonal variation. Sensitivity and specificity of newly developed Elisa technique when compared to acid-fast were 100% and 88.24%, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first study highlighting that Cryptosporidium infections are still an important public health problem in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Therefore, health education would be the best way to prevent the infections and the serological assays proved to be useful mean to provide more accurate information regarding community levels of Cryptosporidium infection.
Dosing considerations in the use of the direct oral anticoagulants in the antiphospholipid syndrome

ummary What is known and objectives At least four prospective trials have been initiated investigating the direct oral anticoagulants in the antiphospholipid syndrome. Preliminary reports have supported their use in patients with a history of venous thrombosis and a target INR of 2-3, but there have also been reports of failure of these agents in the antiphospholipid syndrome. The objective is to present a case report that illustrates there may be important dosing issues when considering the use of these agents in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome. Case summary A 50-year-old woman with the antiphospholipid syndrome, manifesting clinically with recurrent pyoderma gangrenosum-like leg ulcers, was treated with apixaban, resulting in improved ulcer healing. For insurance purposes, she was switched to rivaroxaban with worsening of the ulcers which again improved when apixaban was resumed. What is new and conclusion Despite a similar half-life, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, the manufacturer-recommended maintenance dosing of apixaban is twice daily and rivaroxaban once daily. We believe this difference in recommended dose accounts for the differential clinical response noted in the present case report and that twice daily dosing and a larger daily dose of these agents may be more efficacious in potent hypercoagulable disorders, such as the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Mitigating a pyro-terror attack using fuel treatment

ABSTRACTWe study a security problem in which an adversary seeks to attack a landscape by setting a wildfire in a strategic location, whereas wildfire managers wish to mitigate the damage of the attack by implementing a fuel treatment in the landscape. We model the problem as a min–max Stackelberg game with the goal of identifying an optimal fuel treatment plan that minimizes the impact of a pyro-terror attack. As the adversary's problem is discrete, we use a decomposition algorithm suitable for integer bi-level programs. We test our model on three test landscape cases located in the Western United States. The results indicate that fuel treatment can effectively mitigate the effects of an attack: implementing fuel treatment on 2, 5, and 10% of the landscape, on average, reduces the damage caused by a pyro-terror attack by 14, 27, and 43%, respectively. The resulting fuel treatment plan is also effective in mitigating natural wildfires with randomly placed ignition points. The pyro-terrorism mitigation prob...
I CARE: Development and Evaluation of a Campus Gatekeeper Training Program for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention

Addressing the need for suicide prevention on campus, I CARE training, developed and facilitated by counseling center clinicians, trains students, staff, and faculty to provide support to students ...
Climate without Nature: A Critical Anthropology of the Anthropocene

This book offers a critical reading of the Anthropocene that draws on archaeological, ecological, geological, and ethnographic evidence to argue that the concept reproduces the modernist binary between society and nature, and forecloses a more inclusive politics around climate change. The authors challenge the divisions between humans as biological and geophysical agents that constitute the ontological foundations of the period. Building on contemporary critiques of capitalism, they examine different conceptions of human–environment relationships derived from anthropology to engage with the pressing problem of global warming.
Controlling for Frailty in Pharmacoepidemiologic Studies of Older Adults: Validation of an Existing Medicare Claims-based Algorithm.

BACKGROUND Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by weakness and weight loss and is associated with adverse health outcomes. It is often an unmeasured confounder in pharmacoepidemiologic and comparative effectiveness studies using administrative claims data. METHODS Among the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Visit 5 participants (2011-2013; n = 3,146), we conducted a validation study to compare a Medicare claims-based algorithm of dependency in activities of daily living (or dependency) developed as a proxy for frailty with a reference standard measure of phenotypic frailty. We applied the algorithm to the ARIC participants' claims data to generate a predicted probability of dependency. Using the claims-based algorithm, we estimated the C-statistic for predicting phenotypic frailty. We further categorized participants by their predicted probability of dependency (<5%, 5% to <20%, and ≥20%) and estimated associations with difficulties in physical abilities, falls, and mortality. RESULTS The claims-based algorithm showed good discrimination of phenotypic frailty (C-statistic = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.67, 0.74). Participants classified with a high predicted probability of dependency (≥20%) had higher prevalence of falls and difficulty in physical ability, and a greater risk of 1-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 5.7 [95% CI = 2.5, 13]) than participants classified with a low predicted probability (<5%). Sensitivity and specificity varied across predicted probability of dependency thresholds. CONCLUSIONS The Medicare claims-based algorithm showed good discrimination of phenotypic frailty and high predictive ability with adverse health outcomes. This algorithm can be used in future Medicare claims analyses to reduce confounding by frailty and improve study validity.
"Sinking into a coma" from spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

Intracranial hypotension from spinal CSF leak is seen most commonly as spinal tap headache. Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) refers to the syndrome when it is unprovoked. SIH usually presents with orthostatic headaches and is associated with highly characteristic neuroimaging findings; further study demonstrates an occult spinal CSF leak about two-thirds of the time. It usually responds well to conservative, symptomatic treatments and lumbar epidural blood patches.1
Four Topics in Accretion Disk Theory

In this review I discuss four recent projects involving an application of the limit cycle theory for dwarf nova outbursts. These studies cover a range in type of object and outburst behavior. The common theme in these works is the use of observations to place constraints on the physics of accretion disks.
Learning from Randomly-Distributed Inaccurate Measurements

Traditional measurement systems are designed with tight control over the time and place of measurement of the device or environment under test. This is true whether the measurement system uses a centralized or a distributed architecture. Currently there is considerable interest in using mobile consumer devices as measurement platforms for testing large dispersed systems. There is also growing activity in developing concepts of ubiquitous measurement, such as “smart dust.” Under these conditions the times and places of measurement are random, which raises the question of the validity and interpretation of the acquired data. This paper presents a mathematical analysis that shows it is possible under certain conditions to establish dependence between error bounds and confidence probability on models built using data acquired in this manner.
Effect of sleep deprivation on serum influenza-specific IgG

Intra-pulmonary protection against influenza virus in immune mice, largely dependent upon serum lgG, is reported to be suppressed by 7 hours of sleep deprivation following viral challenge. This implies that sleep deprivation may accelerate the catabolism of influenza-specific antibodies. To determine the effects of sleep deprivation on the catabolism of serum antibodies, BALB/c mice were passively immunized intravenously with lgG anti-influenza monoclonalantibodies and catabolism kinetics monitored for 6 days. Mice were then sleep-deprived for either 9 hours (one episode) or for 9 hours followed by 6 hours on the consecutive day (two episodes) and the serum titer of influenza-specific monoclonal antibodies monitored for an additional 8 days via ELISA. One episode of sleep-deprivation had only minor effects on lgG catabolism; however, two episodes of sleep-deprivation caused significant changes in the kinetics of lgG catabolism, resulting in elevated lgG levels (p = 0.02) for 2 days post-sleep deprivation. Elevation of serum influenza-specific lgG (p = 0.005) was also seen in actively immune mice following two episodes of sleep-deprivation. Serum chemistries ruled out dehydration as a cause of the increased antibody levels; however, some anomalies were noted: total protein and albumin were elevated, although not significantly, and P and Ca were decreased. Thus, our data do not support the hypothesis that sleep-deprivation lowers existing serum antibody titers by accelerating antibody catabolism.