cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The State of Infection Control Among Los Angeles County (LAC) Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Providers

Infection control (IC) in the pre-hospital care setting by EMS providers is important to protect themselves and patients receiving emergency care and being transported between healthcare facilities. From 2016-17, LAC Department of Public Health (DPH) collaborated with LAC Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) to assess and improve IC among EMS providers. DPH/EMSA adapted tools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designed for healthcare facilities to assess EMS IC policies and practices. Large and small EMS agencies/companies were assessed to ensure a representative sample. Policies were reviewed, and observations made by DPH/EMSA nurses during ride alongs in >2 ambulances per provider. Fourteen providers were assessed. Eleven had a designated infection control officer (DICO). Thirteen had written IC policies; 12 reviewed and updated them annually. All required IC training for new staff, but only 59% assessed skills post-training and 31% audited across four IC topics. Twelve had written policies for cleaning/disinfection. Twelve had a policy for influenza vaccination; however, the median vaccination rate was only 55% (range 1-99%). Observations showed handwashing occurred before patient contact for 7% of assessments, glove use in 100% and hand hygiene after removing gloves in 79%. Staff cleaned the ambulance after each patient encounter; cleaning high touch surfaces in 79% and replaced cleaners/disinfectants when appropriate in 89%. EMS providers are an important part of the healthcare system as they transport patients in and out of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Overall, findings were encouraging, but ensuring up-to-date policies for all areas of IC, monitoring competencies, and observing practices to assess adherence may improve IC. In 2018, LAC hosted an IC train-the-trainer course for DICOs to bring proper IC practices back to their agencies/companies. LAC DPH and EMSA will continue to work with EMS providers to improve IC policies and practices.
Poincaré type inequalities for group measure spaces and related transportation cost inequalities

Let G be a countable discrete group with an orthogonal representation α on a real Hilbert space H. We prove Lp Poincare inequalities for the group measure space L∞(ΩH,γ)⋊G, where both the group action and the Gaussian measure space (ΩH,γ) are associated with the representation α. The idea of proof comes from Pisierʼs method on the boundedness of Riesz transform and Lust-Piquardʼs work on spin systems. Then we deduce a transportation type inequality from the Lp Poincare inequalities in the general noncommutative setting. This inequality is sharp up to a constant (in the Gaussian setting). Several applications are given, including Wiener/Rademacher chaos estimation and new examples of Rieffelʼs compact quantum metric spaces.
A comparative study on physiological responses to drought in walnut genotypes (RX1, Vlach, VX211) commercially available as rootstocks

Walnut production in California depends on the performance of three clonal hybrid rootstocks, and this study provides evidence that roots of genotype RX1 exhibit unique properties to cope with water stress induced by drought. Three hybrid genotypes RX1 (Juglans microcarpa × J. regia), Vlach and VX211 (both J. hindsii × J. regia) are the most commonly used rootstocks for walnut production in California. These rootstocks provide various levels of disease resistance, but their performance under drought is unknown. Based on our findings on xylem stress physiology of native walnut species, we hypothesize that hybrid genotypes originating from wild species native to drier habitats will exhibit superior root performance under drought stress. Using a whole-plant experimental approach, we evaluated root and canopy physiological characteristics of 2-year-old tree saplings of RX1, Vlach and VX211 under two soil moisture treatments (‘control’ 70–90% and ‘drought’ 20–40% w/w soil moisture). In control saplings, root biomass was twofold smaller in RX1 as compared to VX211, but root system hydraulic conductance (Kro, predominantly cell-to-cell pathway) was more than 50% greater in RX1 and Vlach as compared to VX211. The relatively low Kro of VX211 was related to a larger number of root cortical cell layers and endodermis development. In drought-stressed saplings, root biomass was reduced by 27% (P < 0.05) in VX211 but no significant reduction in root biomass was detected in RX1 and Vlach. Maintenance of root biomass under drought in RX1 and Vlach was associated with an 80% decrease in Kro, a threefold increase in leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency, and maintenance of leaf turgor as compared to control conditions. Drought-induced reductions in Kro were linked to the formation of a multiseriate root endodermis in all three genotypes.
National Analysis of Patients With Ulcerated Melanoma in the United States.

BACKGROUND/AIM Ulceration is associated with unfavorable prognosis in patients with melanoma. The present study aimed to analyze the characteristics associated with ulcerated melanoma in the United States. It was hypothesized that patient disparities associated with increased odds of ulceration exist. PATIENTS AND METHODS We searched the National Cancer Database for melanoma patients from 2004 to 2015. Data regarding patient demographics, facility characteristics, and tumor characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS There were higher odds of ulceration in non-white patients, 50 years of age or older, and melanoma on the trunk and extremities. Lower odds were found in women, zip codes with higher income and education levels, and Metro or Urban counties. CONCLUSION Age above 49 years, male sex, non-white race, living in rural areas, and living in zip codes with low income and low education were independently associated with ulcerated melanoma.
Improving empirical characteristic multiplier estimation through a change of basis

Abstract This paper applies empirical Floquet theory to extract characteristic multipliers from time series data and builds upon prior works by significantly reducing the influence of experimental noise. Characteristic multipliers (CMs), which are the eigenvalues of the transition matrix governing the evolution of transient solutions over one period of motion, quantify the local stability of periodic orbits and can be estimated experimentally without knowledge of the system model. Traditionally, empirical CM estimates were obtained from the transient dynamics observed by subtracting measured steady-state behavior from a recorded perturbed response. The subtraction of two experimentally measured quantities amplifies noise, producing inaccurate CM estimates. By applying a moving integral to isolate the transient dynamics, this work provides an approach to reduce, rather than amplify, the influence of noise on empirical CM results. This approach is applied to the reconstructed phase space of a numerical example and an experimental system to demonstrate the improvements.
102 Impact of weaning strategy on beef cow-calf behavior and activity

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of three weaning strategies on cow and calf behavior and activity. Research has shown that weaning imposes stress on both the cow and the calf that can alter behavior, activity, and growth performance. Angus-based cow-calf pairs (n = 147) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, abrupt weaning on d0 (Abrupt, n=50), fence-line contact for 7 days and then relocation of the cow on d7 (Fence, n=50), and late weaning by abrupt separation on d84 (Late, n = 47). Both cow and calf behaviors were observed over 7d prior to weaning and 7d post weaning activity for each treatment group. A single observer recorded activity and vocalizations for each animal twice in morning and evening on observation days. Calf activity was also continuously measured using accelerometers secured to collars worn by five calves per treatment group. Observation and activity data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. Significance was determined at P 0.05) when no vocalizations were recorded. These results differ from the previous year study; therefore, further investigation of the impact of weaning strategy on cow-calf behavior and activity is warranted.
The Parameters Determination of Path Loss Model for THz Chip-to-Chip Wireless Communications

This paper presents the parameters determination of a path loss model for THz chip-to-chip wireless communication in desktop size metal enclosures. To determine the parameters, gradient decent algorithm was applied to minimize the mean square error between the model and the experimental results. Measurements were performed and the obtained results match well with the model prediction.
Narrowing the Remedial Gap: Damages for Disability Discrimination in Outsourced Federal Programs

The federal government incarcerates hundreds of thousands of people on any given day, in jails, prisons, and immigration detention facilities. For the very large portion who have physical or mental disabilities, disability discrimination can cause them grievous harm—it can extend their incarceration, undermine the fairness of judicial proceedings, and impose acute medical problems. Notwithstanding longstanding protective statutory law and robust regulations, federal prisoners and detainees with disabilities have very limited remedial options, because sovereign immunity protects the federal government from lawsuits seeking damages. But what about the significant group of prisoners/detainees—more than 65,000 at a time, in recent years—who are incarcerated by the federal government in privately operated facilities? In this essay, I argue that the Rehabilitation Act (the antidiscrimination law that preceded the Americans with Disabilities Act) authorizes damages awards against private firms that commit disability discrimination while administering outsourced federal programs. This argument reaches broader than federal incarceration, but solves an especially acute problem in that arena. The argument has two steps. Step 1 is a textual argument that the statute imposes liability for discrimination in “federally conducted” programs without limiting liability to the federal government. And Step 2 points out that contractors are not protected by sovereign (or other governmental) immunities, so damages liability is available against them. There is nothing anomalous about either of these steps. It is routine and non-controversial for causes of action to cover only governmental activity, but to allow non-governmental defendants. And it is likewise routine to hold a federal contractor liable in damages in a situation in which the federal agency does not face a damages threat. Nevertheless, the argument is novel—it has not been accepted or rejected by any court. If accepted, the result would be some degree of deterrence and remediation for grievous harms imposed on vulnerable subjects of federally conducted programs, including federal incarceration.
Case Report – Diagnosing twin pregnancies in Holstein cows:

Cattle are capable of carrying twins to term, and the pregnancy can be unicornual or bicornual. Risk factors associated with twinning include genetics, breed, parity, ovulation rate and milk production. Methods such as palpation per rectum and transrectal ultrasonography can be used to diagnose twin pregnancies in cattle. This case report demonstrates the usefulness of transrectal ultrasonography for early detection of twin pregnancies between 55 and 83 days of gestation over an approximately two-year period (2001-2003), and provides information on the outcome of 64 cows (case population) randomly identified with twin pregnancies. Of the 64 cows, 48 (75%) animals delivered twins, one (1.6%) animal delivered a single calf, 13 (20.3%) cows aborted the pregnancy and two (3.1%) animals died prior to calving. This study should support the importance of accurately diagnosing and understanding outcomes of twin pregnancies in cattle. Further research is warranted to better understand the dynamics surrounding twin pregnancies in cattle.
A Multidimensional Model of Religiosity from Adolescence through the Transition to Adulthood

While many multidimensional models of religiosity have been proposed over the years across a range of samples, nearly all are cross-sectional; this prohibits the assessment of model change or stability over time, particularly with regard to developmental changes at critical junctures in the life course. Recently, a longitudinal, five-dimensional model of religiosity during adolescence was proposed and validated (Pearce, Hayward, and Pearlman 2017), making significant progress in this regard. This research note now attempts to replicate this model on the young adult sample from the same study. Using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, results show support for a modified version of this typology over time - one that combines the two dimensions of religious practice and incorporates a number of cross-loadings between dimensions. Importantly, this model fits well across both adolescence and young adulthood, lending strong support to these four dimensions of religiosity, their indicators, and their persistence as valid measures across a decade of developmental change.
Factors affecting placental size in beef cattle: Maternal and fetal influences

Our objectives were to determine the effects of dam body condition score (BCS), age of dam, and calf sex on placental size and the relationships between dam body weight (BW) and calf size with placental size. Expelled placentas and calf size at birth were collected from crossbred beef heifers and cows during four experiments (n = 22 to 39/experiment). Placentas deemed complete by visual inspection were dissected; dry weights were determined for cotyledonary and intercotyledonary tissues. Mixed linear models were used to individually determine main effects of peripartum BCS category [Thin (<5), Moderate (=5), or Fleshy (≥6)], age of dam category [Primiparous (2 yr), Young (3-4 yr), or Mature (≥5 yr)], and calf sex on placental measures. Correlations were determined for placental characteristics with prepartum dam BW, gestation length, and calf size. Thin BCS dams had lower (P ≤ 0.05) cotyledonary, total placental, and average cotyledon weights and greater placental efficiency (calf birth BW/placental weight) than moderate and fleshy dams. Intercotyledonary weight was lower (P < 0.01) in thin BCS dams compared with fleshy dams. Thin and moderate BCS dams had smaller (P ≤ 0.04) calf birth BW than fleshy dams. Primiparous dams had lower (P ≤ 0.05) total placental and average cotyledon weights than young and mature dams, yet calf birth BW was unaffected (P = 0.17). Male calves were heavier (P = 0.01) than females, yet there were no differences (P ≥ 0.59) in placental weights. Calf birth BW and heart girth had moderate positive correlations (P < 0.01) and shoulder to rump length and abdominal girth had weak positive correlations (P < 0.01) with all placental weights. Dam prepartum BW and calf flank girth had moderate positive correlations (P < 0.01) with total placental weights and weak positive correlations (P < 0.01) with cotyledonary and average cotyledon weights. Intercotyledonary weight had moderate positive correlations (P < 0.01) with gestation length and calf flank girth and a weak positive correlation (P < 0.01) with dam prepartum BW. Gestation length had a weak positive correlation (P = 0.02) with total placental weight. Number of cotyledons was not correlated (P ≥ 0.28) with any dam or offspring characteristics. In conclusion, these data suggest that both maternal age and BCS affected placental size. Calf size at birth and placental weight were positively correlated, but it is still unknown which controls and signals for the growth of the other.
Responding to patient requests for women obstetrician-gynecologists.

Patients may request care from a woman obstetrician-gynecologist for various reasons, including privacy concerns, religious or cultural reasons, and in some cases, a history of abuse. They should be given the opportunity to voice their reasons for requesting a woman obstetrician-gynecologist but should not be compelled to do so. Respect for patient autonomy is a compelling reason to consider honoring a patient’s gender-based request. When a patient requests a woman obstetrician-gynecologist, efforts should be made to accommodate the request if possible. However, medical professionals and institutions are not ethically obligated to have a woman obstetrician-gynecologist on call or to make one available at all times. If it is not feasible for a woman obstetrician-gynecologist to provide care because of staffing or other system constraints or patient safety concerns, accommodation is not required, and physicians do not have an overriding responsibility to ensure that patients receive gender-concordant care. Patients have the right to decline care and may choose to seek care elsewhere if their requested healthcare provider type is not available. Institutions and medical clinics should have policies and procedures in place for managing patient requests for women obstetrician-gynecologists, and patients should be made aware of these policies preemptively. These policies and procedures should include information about whom to contact for assistance and how to document the encounter. They should also be accessible and familiar to physicians and trainees. Care should be taken to ensure that adequate educational opportunities in obstetrics and gynecology are available for all medical trainees, regardless of gender.
Energy-Efficient Autonomous Driving Using Cognitive Driver Behavioral Models and Reinforcement Learning.

Autonomous driving technologies are expected to not only improve mobility and road safety but also bring energy efficiency benefits. In the foreseeable future, autonomous vehicles (AVs) will operate on roads shared with human-driven vehicles. To maintain safety and liveness while simultaneously minimizing energy consumption, the AV planning and decision-making process should account for interactions between the autonomous ego vehicle and surrounding human-driven vehicles. In this chapter, we describe a framework for developing energy-efficient autonomous driving policies on shared roads by exploiting human-driver behavior modeling based on cognitive hierarchy theory and reinforcement learning.
Medical Student Knowledge of Oncology and Related Disciplines: a Targeted Needs Assessment.

Despite increasing numbers of cancer survivors, non-oncology physicians report discomfort and little training regarding oncologic and survivorship care. This pilot study assesses medical student comfort with medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, hospice/palliative medicine, and survivorship care. A survey was developed with input from specialists in various fields of oncologic care at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. The survey included respondent demographics, reports of experience with oncology, comfort ratings with oncologic care, and five clinical vignettes. Responses were yes/no, multiple choice, Likert scale, or free response. The survey was distributed via email to medical students (MS1–4) at two US medical schools. The 105 respondents were 34 MS1s (32 %), 15 MS2s and MD/PhDs (14 %), 26 MS3s (25 %), and 30 MS4s (29 %). Medical oncology, surgical oncology, and hospice/palliative medicine demonstrated a significant trend for increased comfort from MS1 to MS4, but radiation oncology and survivorship care did not. MS3s and MS4s reported the least experience with survivorship care and radiation oncology. In the clinical vignettes, students performed the worst on the long-term chemotherapy toxicity and hospice/palliative medicine questions. Medical students report learning about components of oncologic care, but lack overall comfort with oncologic care. Medical students also fail to develop an increased self-assessed level of comfort with radiation oncology and survivorship care. These pilot results support development of a formalized multidisciplinary medical school oncology curriculum at these two institutions. An expanded national survey is being developed to confirm these preliminary findings.
NewPatriarchies: A turbulence of source and subject

NewPATRIARCHIES: A TURBULENCE OF SOURCE AND SUBJECT By Stephen Blake Fuller, MFA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Major Director: Matt King, Chair of Sculpture and Extended Media Experiencing a turbulence of source and subject in the variable inversions and supports of one source to another--the wreck of the U-352, Carpeaux’s Ugolino and his Sons, a movie poster for J.A. Bayona’s The Impossible, and Cassiopeia mythology--these four sources as sons, in sacrifice to and surviving by way of “daddy” documentation, are here refigured to reenact and critique the patriarchally recreational, monumental, cinematic, and mythological infrastructures supporting the sources of this work and thereby serving to critique the newer patriarchies to which these sources and their subjectifications here seek to cross consumptively dead end. Following three public installations, and in service to a final publication, this text hereby functions as the syntactically masturbatory mythologizing of this work.
Skeletal muscle tensile strain dependence: Hyperviscoelastic nonlinearity

Abstract Introduction Computational modeling of skeletal muscle requires characterization at the tissue level. While most skeletal muscle studies focus on hyperelasticity, the goal of this study was to examine and model the nonlinear behavior of both time-independent and time-dependent properties of skeletal muscle as a function of strain. Materials and methods Nine tibialis anterior muscles from New Zealand White rabbits were subject to five consecutive stress relaxation cycles of roughly 3% strain. Individual relaxation steps were fit with a three-term linear Prony series. Prony series coefficients and relaxation ratio were assessed for strain dependence using a general linear statistical model. A fully nonlinear constitutive model was employed to capture the strain dependence of both the viscoelastic and instantaneous components. Results Instantaneous modulus (p 0.1). Additionally, the fully nonlinear hyperviscoelastic constitutive model provided an excellent fit to experimental data, while other models which included linear components failed to capture muscle function as accurately. Conclusions Material properties of skeletal muscle are strain-dependent at the tissue level. This strain dependence can be included in computational models of skeletal muscle performance with a fully nonlinear hyperviscoelastic model.
Meeting the Unique Needs of Grandparent-Headed Families Using a Community-University Interdisciplinary Model

An interdisciplinary initiative engaging graduate students and faculty from education, social work, and physics was developed to address the unique needs of grandparent-headed families. The goal of this qualitative study was to deepen the current knowledge base about the challenges and benefits of using an interdisciplinary, collaborative community-university model to meet the unique needs of grandparent-headed families. Findings are discussed in terms of literature relevant to advancing grandparent-headed families’ educational progress and health with an emphasis on the interprofessional collaborative process.
Late Medieval Education: Continuity and Change1

The late Middle Ages was a period of remarkable expansion in education. The educational wasteland depicted by humanists and religious reformers bears little resemblance to the complex and dynamic situation that characterized the last centuries of the Middle Ages. New urban schools catering to the needs of an increasingly powerful merchant elite appear throughout the Latin West supplementing and at times supplanting existing ecclesisatical schools. Monarchs, princes, bishops, and towns supported the foundation of new universities from Scandinavia to the Iberian Peninsula. Although substantial barriers to education remained, the late Middle Ages saw increases in literacy across a broad spectrum of society including both women and the poor. Although Jewish communities suffered from episodic and at times catastrophic outbreaks of violence, Jewish education continued to flourish in many parts of the Latin West until the end of the Middle Ages. In Italy new humanist textbooks and approaches augmented (though they did not entirely replace) traditional medieval grammatical instruction, and by the end of the Middle Ages Humanists had begun to make inroads within the universities as well. The result was the creation of a substantial literate public whose skills served both to challenge and reinforce existing political and religious institutions.
The relationship between temperature and rhythmic cirral activity in some Cirripedia considered in connection with their geographical distribution

1. Barnacles can tolerate quite a wide range of temperature without being killed, remain responsive to stimuli over a more limited range, but are fully active only within relatively narrow limits. It is the last range that is most important in determining the fitness of a species to its geographical distribution and the extent of competition between species. 2. During the past ten years work has been carried out on many European and American species from a wide variety of habitats and climates. Activity has been measured as rate of rhythmic beating of the cirri, a temperature-dependent process which is an index to general metabolic rate. 3. It has been possible to show the existence of sub-species or physiological varieties in some apparently widespread species, and to confirm or deny previous assumptions made on morphological grounds as to the validity of species and other taxa. 4. In a few widespread forms little latitudinal or temperature adaptation was found compared with differences related to tide-level and degree of exposure to waveaction. 5. In general the results empasize the importance of physiological data in taxonomy as well as the need for systematic exactness in physiology.
Abstract 14843: Permanent Pacemaker Implant Improves Patient’s Sleep Habit

Background: Permanent pacemaker is indicated for patients with symptomatic bradycardia. It has been known that patients often report improved sleep habit after pacemaker implant. However, to date, there has been no study that investigated a possible effect of pacemaker implant on sleep habit. Methods: Total 97 patients who agreed to the study were included (82 pacemakers and 15 ICDs). Patients with biventricular pacemaker were excluded. Patients filled the questionnaires about sleep habit upon their routine device interrogation. Data were analyzed using paired T test and chi square test. Results: Indication of permanent pacemaker was sick sinus syndrome (71%), 2nd degree AV block (17%), 3rd degree AV block (10%), and syncope (2%). Indication of ICD was primary sudden cardiac death prevention without history of known symptomatic bradycardia (100%). The ICD group was used as the control group. Ventricular pacing was noted 47.6% of the time in the pacemaker group and 17.27 % in the ICD group (p=0.01). Genera...
Short-term unit commitment expert system

Abstract A heuristic rule-based approach to unit commitment is discussed in this paper. The proposed unit commitment expert system consists of a commitment schedule database, a dynamic load pattern matching process, and an inference optimization process. The heuristic rules are employed to represent a variety of operating constraints in the unit commitment problem. A reference load pattern and its generating schedule are retrieved as the starting point, and object oriented programming is used to incorporate various operating constraints in obtaining a suboptimal solution and finally optimizing the schedule.
QSAR for cholinesterase inhibition by organophosphorus esters and CNDO/2 calculations for organophosphorus ester hydrolysis

Quantitative structure-activity relationships were derived for acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition by various organophosphorus esters. Bimolecular inhibition rate constants correlate well with hydrophobic substituent constants, and with the presence or absence of cationic groups on the inhibitor, but not with steric substituent constants. CNDO/2 calculations were performed on a separate set of organophosphorus esters, RR-primeP(O)X, where R and R-prime are alkyl and/or alkoxy groups and X is fluorine, chlorine or a phenoxy group. For each subset with the same X, the CNDO-derived net atomic charge at the central phosphorus atom in the ester correlates well with the alkaline hydrolysis rate constant. For the whole set of esters with different X, two equations were derived that relate either charge and leaving group steric bulk, or orbital energy and bond order to the hydrolysis rate constant.
The E3 combustors: Status and challenges

The design, fabrication, and initial testing of energy efficient engine combustors, developed for the next generation of turbofan engines for commercial aircraft, are described. The combustor designs utilize an annular configuration with two zone combustion for low emissions, advanced liners for improved durability, and short, curved-wall, dump prediffusers for compactness. Advanced cooling techniques and segmented construction characterize the advanced liners. Linear segments are made from castable, turbine-type materials.
Turbulence in Sparse, Organized Vegetative Canopies: A Large-Eddy Simulation Study

A large-eddy simulation study was performed to characterize turbulence in sparse, row-oriented canopies. This was accomplished by simulating a set of heterogeneous row-oriented canopies with varying row vegetation density and spacing. To determine the effects of heterogeneity, results were compared to horizontally homogeneous canopies with an equivalent ‘effective’ leaf area index. By using a proper effective leaf area index, plane-averaged mean velocities and bulk scaling parameters contained only small errors when heterogeneity was ignored. However, many cases had significantly larger second- and third-order velocity moments in the presence of heterogeneity. Some heterogeneous canopies also contained dispersive fluxes in the lower canopy that were over 20 % as large as the turbulent flux. Impacts of heterogeneity were most pronounced in the cases of large row leaf area density and widely spaced rows. Despite the substantial amount of open space in the sparse canopies, vertical velocity skewness and quadrant-hole analysis indicated that the flow behaved predominantly as a canopy layer even though integral length scales at the canopy top no longer followed mixing-layer scaling. This was supported by the fact that similar composite-averaged coherent structures could be readily identified in both the heterogeneous and homogeneous canopies. Heterogeneity had an effect on coherent structures, in that structure detection events were most likely to occur just upwind of the vegetation rows. In simulations with large row spacing, these structures also penetrated deeper into the canopy when compared to the equivalent homogeneous canopy.
From adequate evidence to optimal evidence.

In this issue of iJACC, Dilsizian and Taillefer ([1][1]) offer a historical tour highlighting radiopharmaceutical developments for cardiac applications in nuclear medicine. This review features the staged developments in the field of nuclear cardiology from initial thallium-201 applications to the
Gpr126 is essential for peripheral nerve development and myelination in mammals

In peripheral nerves, Schwann cells form the myelin sheath that insulates axons and allows rapid propagation of action potentials. Although a number of regulators of Schwann cell development are known, the signaling pathways that control myelination are incompletely understood. In this study, we show that Gpr126 is essential for myelination and other aspects of peripheral nerve development in mammals. A mutation in Gpr126 causes a severe congenital hypomyelinating peripheral neuropathy in mice, and expression of differentiated Schwann cell markers, including Pou3f1, Egr2, myelin protein zero and myelin basic protein, is reduced. Ultrastructural studies of Gpr126−/− mice showed that axonal sorting by Schwann cells is delayed, Remak bundles (non-myelinating Schwann cells associated with small caliber axons) are not observed, and Schwann cells are ultimately arrested at the promyelinating stage. Additionally, ectopic perineurial fibroblasts form aberrant fascicles throughout the endoneurium of the mutant sciatic nerve. This analysis shows that Gpr126 is required for Schwann cell myelination in mammals, and defines new roles for Gpr126 in axonal sorting, formation of mature non-myelinating Schwann cells and organization of the perineurium.
Perishables—The New Intermodal Battleground

years, with rail share increasing to 12% in 1983 (USDA). In this paper we discuss the reasons for possible continuance of this trend and then identify implications of this turnaround to the agricultural community. It is specifically argued that shipper/receiver (S/R) sensitivity to transportation service factors is the paramount consideration in selecting modes for FFV transportation. The extent to which railroads can continue to recapture perishable traffic will depend primarily upon their ability to capitalize on the service characteristics of intermodal transportation.
Control of erythropoietin production during hypoxic hypoxia.

The control of erythropoietin (ESF) production in rats subjected to hypoxic hypoxia was investigated by studying the inhibition of endogenous ESF production by inhibitors affecting proteases and protein synthesis. The study revealed that the production of endogenous ESF was inhibited by protease inhibitors, Trasylol and epsilon amino caproic acid (EACA) and inhibitors affecting protein synthesis such as actinomycin–D, puromycin, and cycloheximide. The inhibitory effect of actinomycin–D on ESF production was dose dependent and markedly dimiished (threefold) in hepatectomized rats, whereas the inhibitory effects of Trasylol, EACA, and Step–I ESF (used as feedback inhibitor) were enhanced. These preliminary findings suggest that, during hypoxic stress, the control of ESF production may involve the interaction of a protease-globulin substrate to produce ESF as well as the de novo synthesis of a protein or proteins involved in ESF production.
CFD Simulation and Heat Loss Analysis of the Solar Two Power Tower Receiver

Solar Two was a demonstration of the viability of molten salt power towers. The power tower was designed to produce enough thermal power to run a 10-MWe conventional Rankine cycle turbine. A critical component of this process was the solar tower receiver. The receiver was designed for an applied average heat flux of 430 kW/m2 with an outlet temperature of 565°C (838.15 K). The mass flow rate could be varied in the system to control the outlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid, which was high temperature molten salt. The heat loss in the actual system was calculated by using the power-on method which compares how much power is absorbed by the molten salt when using half of the heliostat field and then the full heliostat field. However, the total heat loss in the system was lumped into a single value comprised of radiation, convection, and conduction heat transfer losses. In this study, ANSYS FLUENT was used to evaluate and characterize the radiative and convective heat losses from this receiver system assuming two boundary conditions: (1) a uniform heat flux on the receiver and (2) a distributed heat flux generated from the code DELSOL. The results show that the distributed-flux models resulted in radiative heat losses that were ∼14% higher than the uniform-flux models, and convective losses that were ∼5–10% higher due to the resulting non-uniform temperature distributions. Comparing the simulations to known convective heat loss correlations demonstrated that surface roughness should be accounted for in the simulations. This study provides a model which can be used for further receiver design and demonstrates whether current convective correlations are appropriate for analytical evaluation of external solar tower receivers.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
A calcium-activated, calcium-permeable ion channel in human retinal glial cells: modulation by basic fibroblast growth factor

A calcium-permeable, voltage-insensitive non-specific cation channel that is activated by cytoplasmic calcium was found in approximately 50% of the cell-attached patches in cultured human retinal glial cells sampled by the patch clamp technique. Spontaneous openings of this channel were infrequent, but increased markedly when glial cells were exposed to basic fibroblast growth factor. Although the role of these cation channels is uncertain, they provide a mechanism to perpetuate a transient rise in cytosolic calcium induced by the release of calcium from intracellular stores.
Domoic acid toxicokinetics in Dungeness crabs: new insights into mechanisms that regulate bioaccumulation.

Abstract Domoic acid (DA) is an excitatory neurotoxic amino acid produced by several marine algal species and is the causative agent of amnesic shellfish poisoning. Profound differences in the toxicokinetics of DA have been identified in a wide variety of shellfish. We characterized the toxicokinetics of DA in Dungeness crabs (Metacarcinus magister) after oral and intravascular dosing (IV) using a variety of doses ranging from 0.1 to 20 mg/kg. After a 1 mg/kg oral dose, DA disappeared from the foregut within 2 h and largely accumulated in the hepatopancreas, with hemolymph and other tissues having 100–1000 times lower concentrations. After IV dosing, hemolymph concentrations of DA were unexpectedly high and toxicokinetic analysis indicated the steady-state volume of distribution (Vss) was 123–197 ml/kg, which is well below the hemolymph volume of 350 ml/kg for crabs. This indicated only limited extravascular distribution of DA was occurring after IV injection, which is surprising considering the capacity of the hepatopancreas to sequester DA after oral dosing. Additional studies measured the partitioning of DA in hepatopancreas cellular and subcellular fractions. The subcellular distribution of DA was primarily associated with the S8 fraction and could be filtered through a 30,000 MW cut-off filter, indicating DA was not appreciably bound to macromolecules. Interestingly, very little (
Health, medical care, and economic crisis.

Ralph Catalano asks, does a contracting economy affect the health of a population? And if so, how?
Towards database virtualization for database as a service

Advances in operating system and storage-level virtualization technologies have enabled the effective consolidation of heterogeneous applications in a shared cloud infrastructure. Novel research challenges arising from this new shared environment include load balancing, workload estimation, resource isolation, machine replication, live migration, and an emergent need of automation to handle large scale operations with minimal manual intervention. Given that databases are at the core of most applications that are deployed in the cloud, database management systems (DBMSs) represent a very important technology component that needs to be virtualized in order to realize the benefits of virtualization from autonomic management of data-intensive applications in large scale data-centers. The goal of this tutorial is to survey the techniques used in providing elasticity in virtual machine systems, shared storage systems, and survey database research on multitenant architectures and elasticity primitives. This foundation of core Database as a Service advances, together with a primer of important related topics in OS and storage-level virtualization, are central for anyone that wants to operate in this area of research.
(Un)Risky Business: Adolescents and HIV Prevention Trials

This article comments on a report that attempts to justify the enrollment of adolescents in HIV prevention trials with a minimal relative standard risk. It argues that ethics committee members research administrators policymakers and other stakeholders should ensure that existing regulations and guidelines are fairly and appropriately applied to all pediatric studies and not just HIV vaccine trials.
Normal functional range of motion of the cervical spine during 15 activities of daily living.

Study DesignProspective clinical study.ObjectiveThe purpose of this investigation was to quantify normal cervical range of motion (ROM) and compare these results to those used to perform 15 simulated activities of daily living (ADLs) in asymptomatic subjects.Summary of Background DataPrevious studie
Nonpatient CPT performance varying target frequency and interstimulus interval on five response measures.

Abstract Studies of sustained attention using the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) often incorporate effortful processing conditions and different response measures. Difficulty of attentional effort and interrelationships among response measures, however, have not been well established particularly with normal populations. This study investigated three CPT tasks which varied in interstimulus interval and target frequency in 107 nonpatient adults. This report also examined five response measures ( d ′, a measure of discriminability; In( β ), a measure of response bias; reaction time; and omission and commission errors). Findings indicated that a high target frequency condition was more effortful than a short interstimulus interval condition on all response measures. Further, d ′, omission errors, and commission errors differentiated the short interstimulus interval condition from baseline, but reaction time and In( β ) did not. Participants with faster reaction times in the high target frequency condition had fewer omission errors but more commission errors; these relationships may have been mediated by response bias. This suggested that response measures were interrelated but nonredundant, and that these relationships were influenced by attentional effort and response bias.
A fiber-optic probe for particle sizing in concentrated suspensions

A fiber‐optic probe employing two monomode optical fibers, one for transmitting a Gaussian laser beam to the scattering volume and the second, positioned at some backscatter angle, for receiving the scattered light is described. Performance and suitability of the system for a process control environment is assessed by studying a suspension of polystyrene latex particles over a wide range of sizes and concentrations. The results show that the probe is ideal for a process control environment in industrial and laboratory applications. Particle size is recovered, without any additional corrections for multiple light scattering, in concentrations containing up to 10% solids of 39‐nm polystyrene latex spheres.
Bullseye color schlieren flow visualization

In this variant of schlieren flow visualization a tricolored filter pattern made up of concentric rings is used instead of a knife edge at the cut-off plane. The method is particularly useful in combustion studies since it provides the range necessary to visualize flames while retaining the sensitivity necessary to detect fluid motion in the surrounding gasses. That utility is demonstrated in this paper in terms of basic principles and by application. Photographs presented include images of both premixed and diffusion flames in an unsteady swirling flow within a cylinder.
A Decision Analysis of Usual Care Versus Screening for Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis (CAS) After Radiation in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer

question University of Michigan Patient-reported Xerostomia Questionnaire were used to collect swallowing and xerostomia QOL data. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to test the significance between trial participants and the matched cohort in emotional, physical, functional, xerostomia, and global QOL domains. These were scaled from 0 to 100 with 0 being the worst QOL and 100 the best QOL. Results: Accrual began in 2007 and completed in 2014. The trial fully accrued 73 patients and 65 had evaluable QOL data. Median follow-up was 22 months for both trial and matched cohort patients. More patients in the matched cohort received chemotherapy and had N2c neck disease; otherwise there were no differences in clinicopathologic variables between groups. There was no baseline difference in any QOL domain or xerostomia between the two groups. Overall global QOL (59.1 vs 53.8; p Z 0.036) and xerostomia (60.5 vs 55.4; p Z 0.024) were improved on trial compared to standard of care. There was a trend for improvement in the emotional (64.2 vs 61.8; pZ 0.08) and functional (65.9 vs 63.1; pZ 0.06) domains. Fewer patients treated on trial, sparing the pN0 neck, required a temporary feeding tube (38% vs 54%; p Z 0.046). Conclusions: Elimination of radiation therapy to the pN0 side(s) of the neck is associated with improved patient-reported quality of life and xerostomia. Efficacy data will be presented after patient follow-up matures. Author Disclosure: C.R. Spencer: None. H.A. Gay: None. T.A. DeWees: None. T. Wildes: None. L. Michel: None. D. Adkins: None. B. Haughey: None. B. Nussenbaum: None. W.L. Thorstad: None.
Using peer feedback to improve handwashing and glove usage among Thai health care workers.

Abstract Background: Without protective practices such as Universal Precautions, health care workers are at substantial risk for bloodborne infection, especially in areas such as Thailand with high prevalence of HIV infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer feedback program (PFP) on handwashing and glove wearing (HW/GW) among Thai health care workers. Methods: Subjects (N = 91) were randomly assigned to receive PFP versus no treatment. By using a checklist, peer observers rated HW/GW compliance in their coworkers during patient care. For 1 month, the investigator posted a report of compliance behaviors from each 3 days of observations. HW/GW was also assessed by the investigator by direct observation at 1 month before the intervention, during the intervention period, and 1 month after the intervention. Results: Baseline HW/GW rates for the PFP and control groups were 49.2% and 61.5%, respectively. The PFP group had a significantly higher adjusted compliance rate than the control group during the intervention period ( P =.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the compliance scores obtained 1 month after the intervention. Conclusions: The PFP was effective during the intervention period, but there was no retention of effect. Therefore, adjunct methods should be sought to promote retention of effect. (AJIC Am J Infect Control 2000;28:365-9)
AN INDEXING SCHEME FOR OPTIMIZING THE CHOICE OF BIPHASIC SYSTEMS FOR CCC

Homologous series of N-alkylbenzamides, N-acylcytosines and N-acylcytidines are introduced as standards for comparing the relative polarity of solvent systems employed in countercurrent chromatography (CCC). A solvent system equipollent index, E, is defined as the fractional carbon chain length of the standard which would have a partition coefficient of unity in the solvent system. Alkylbenzamide indices, EB, are suitable to characterize nonpolar to moderately polar systems while more polar systems can be characterized by acylcytosine, ECS, and acylcytidine, ECD, indices. Both organic/aqueous and organic/organic bi-phasic systems can be compared. Disparate systems with the same index are defined as synonymous systems with respect to the standard. As a result of different solvent selectivity, synonymous systems are expected to exhibit different solubility and retention behavior toward chromatographically similar solutes, which may enhance solute separation in some of the systems. Correlation of estimated o...