cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlling Nonpolar Colloidal Asphaltene Aggregation by Electrostatic Repulsion

While aromatic chemicals are applied to petroleum oil systems to thermodynamically prevent asphaltene precipitation, amphiphilic dispersants can truncate the precipitation process and create stable suspensions of asphaltene colloids in the submicrometer size range. Bulk sedimentation and dynamic light scattering have shown that stabilizing dispersants inhibit colloidal asphaltene aggregation at approximately the same concentration as is needed to effectively slow bulk sedimentation. At the same time, these same types of dispersants can alter the electrostatic properties of colloidal asphaltenes in nonpolar suspensions. While electrostatic stabilization has been linked to aggregation dynamics in several types of colloidal systems, both aqueous and nonpolar, the complete linkage between electrostatic interactions and aggregation inhibition has yet to be shown in colloidal asphaltene suspensions. In this work, we present dynamic light scattering and electrophoresis measurements in colloidal asphaltene suspen...
Developments in Radiation-Hardened Electronics Applicable to the Vision for Space Exploration

The Radiation Hardened Electronics for Space Exploration (RHESE) project develops the advanced technologies required to produce radiation hardened electronics, processors, and devices in support of the anticipated requirements of NASA's Constellation program. Methods of protecting and hardening electronics against the encountered space environment are discussed. Critical stages of a spaceflight mission that are vulnerable to radiation-induced interruptions or failures are identified. Solutions to mitigating the risk of radiation events are proposed through the infusion of RHESE technology products and deliverables into the Constellation program's spacecraft designs.
An Action-Research Approach to Organizational Change.

This paper is concerned with the development, testing, and application of a research instrument designed for use in organizational settings as an integral part of organization change and developmen...
A new financial engineering model for analyzing the royalty of BOT projects: The Taiwan case

This paper uses the financial engineering concept to compare build, operate, and transfer (BOT) projects with non-BOT projects. The comparison reveals that there exists a difference in financial flow framework between BOT and non-BOT projects and that the benefit cost ratio (B/C) or self-liquidation ratio (SLR) cannot be used to analyze the financial plan although some earlier studies have used either of them to evaluate the financial feasibility of BOT projects. Moreover, this study construct a new financial investment evaluation model which includes the private construction cost ratio (PCCR), government construction cost ratio (GCCR), royalty, and government finance recovery ratio (GFRR) for analyzing the financial characters of BOT projects. In addition, this paper conducts a case study on the BOT concession of the Container Terminal in Taipei Port to find the solutions of PCCR, GCCR, royalty, and GFRR. Results of the case study show that the new BOT financial model could be used to interpret the financial characters of BOT projects.
“Time to Do the Chores?” Factoring Home-Production Needs into Measures of Poverty

Currently, income is the only resource that the government uses to measure poverty. However, in order for a family to maintain an adequate standard of living, its members must have the money and the time to do certain kinds of work in the home, such as child care, food shopping, meal preparation, laundry, housecleaning, and other similar household tasks. In this article, poverty rates are recalculated using a method developed by Vickery (1977) in which time is incorporated as a resource. Findings show that poverty rates increase dramatically when time is incorporated as a resource because working parents, especially single parents, often do not have enough time to perform essential tasks. Data are from the 1985 American Time Use Survey.
Distribution of Genital Lactobacillus Strains Shared by Female Sex Partners

The flora of the healthy vagina is dominated byH2O2-producing Lactobacillus species, predominantly Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii [1]. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is characterized by overgrowth of commensal anaerobic flora relative to lactobacilli. BV among heterosexual women is associated with a new male sex partner and unprotected intercourse [2, 3] and with vaginal intercourse immediately after anal intercourse [4]. The prevalence of BV among lesbians is high relative to that among heterosexual women [5, 6], and BV is frequently found in both members of lesbian couples [5]. Sexual practices involving digital-vaginal or digital-anal contact might transmit vaginal fluid and may promote abnormal vaginal flora [7]. Criswell et al. [8] “transmitted” BV from one woman to another by transferring vaginal secretions. We hypothesized that sexual behaviors that could transfer vaginal fluid might also transmit lactobacilli between female sex partners. Repetitive element sequence– based PCR (rep-PCR), a DNA fingerprinting technique, has been successful in distinguishing a probiotic Lactobacillus crispatus strain from other L. crispatus strains and from other endogenous Lactobacillus species [9]. Rep-PCR uses repetitive sequences throughout the genome for direct amplification of genomic DNA, generating fingerprint patterns unique to bacterial species or strains [10]. We defined species-specific distribution of genital Lactobacillus isolates recovered from women who reported having had sex with other women and used rep-PCR fingerprinting to assess whether unique Lactobacillus strains were shared by female sex partners.
Viscoelastic Characterization of a Nonlinear Fiber-Reinforced Plastic

The nonlinear, viscoelastic behavior of a unidirectional, glass fiber-epoxy composite material is characterized by using isothermal, uniaxial creep and recovery tests together with a constitutive equation based on thermodynamic theory. The nonlinear constitutive equation for uniaxial loading is described first, and then fourth-order tensor transformations relating principal linear viscoelastic creep compli ances, uniaxial creep compliance, and fiber angle are summarized. Following a discussion of experimental aspects, creep and recovery data obtained from several different specimens (each having a differ ent fiber orientation relative to the loading axis) are reduced using a graphical shifting procedure and tensor transformations to evaluate all material properties, including the principal creep compliances. As a check on the constitutive theory, the data are shown to be in ternally consistent. Some simplicity in the analytical representation of the data is found; viz. the nonlinear, uniaxial creep compli...
Toward a Comparative Study of Revolutions

Revolutions have been studied for many different reasons—some involving the scholarly task of understanding the transformations of societies, and some involving the pragmatic problems of promoting or preventing revolution. However, the contributions to the study of either orientation and of the social sciences as a whole remain quite unimpressive. Analytical talent and availability of information are not in question here. On the contrary, few fields in social science have produced a comparable array of theories and findings. Some practitioners are even asking how the embarrassment of riches can be reduced: a veiled recognition that perhaps something has gone wrong.
The angular bony defect in the maintenance of the periodontal patient

The present retrospective study was performed to evaluate some long-term alterations of the alveolar bone level at periodontal sites with angular and even ("horizontal") patterns of bone loss. The investigation included 48 patients who, following treatment for advanced periodontal disease, were placed in a maintenance care program which included recall appointments every 3-6 months for a period of 5 to 16 years. The material of the study comprised all teeth at which angular osseous defects (test sites) could be detected in a full-mouth series of radiographs obtained at the end of the active treatment phase. Alterations in the position of the marginal alveolar bone crest and the base of the osseous defect which took place during the maintenance period were assessed by comparing the post-treatment radiographs with a 2nd set of radiographs obtained at the final examination. In the same patients, an equal number of contralateral or neighboring teeth at which bone loss in the radiographs had an even or "horizontal" character were included as controls. The results from the assessments demonstrated that periodontal sites which, following active therapy displayed either angular or "horizontal" patterns of alveolar bone loss underwent, during a 5-16 year period of maintenance, only minor bone level alterations. Additional loss of supporting bone occurred equally frequently at sites with "horizontal" and angular patterns of bone loss. Thus, the findings reported failed to show up sites with angular bony defects as being particularly susceptible to recurrent destructive periodontitis.
Occupational injury and absence from work among African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White workers in the national longitudinal survey of youth.

Objectives. We examined how race and ethnicity influence injury and illness risk and number of days of work missed as a result of injury or illness.Methods. We fit logistic regression and negative binomial regression models using generalized estimating equations with data from 1988 to 2000 on currently employed African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White participants in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.Results. Occupational factors—having a blue-collar occupation, working full-time, having longer tenure, working 1 job versus 2, and working the late shift—were associated with increased odds of an occupational injury or illness. Although racial/ethnic minority workers were no more likely than Whites to report an occupational injury or illness, they reported missing more days of work. African American and Hispanic men missed significantly more days of work than non-Hispanic White men, and African American women missed significantly more days of work than non-Hispanic White women.Conclusions. ...
Generalized Shwartzman Reaction: Role of the Granulocyte in Intravascular Coagulation and Renal Cortical Necrosis

Summary: The protective effect of nitrogen mustard-induced neutropenia on the development of the GSR was studied. No coagulation defect was found in neutropenic rabbits and simultaneous administration of Thorotrast and endotoxin did not produce intravascular coagulation or renal cortical necrosis. Infusion of neutropenic rabbits with suspensions of viable granulocytes derived from peritoneal exudates reinduced susceptibility to both intravascular coagulation and renal cortical necrosis. It is concluded that the presence of granulocytes is essential for the production of intravascular coagulation by endotoxin.
A Global Optimization Method for the Nonlinear Sum of Ratios Problem

This article presents global optimization algorithm for globally solving the nonlinear sum of ratios problem (NRS) on nonconvex feasible region. Two folds are presented. Firstly, a problem (P1) is derived which is equivalent to problem (NRS). Second, by utilizing the parametric linearization relaxation method, initial non-convex nonlinear problem (NRS) is reduce to a sequence of linear programming problems through the successive refinement of a linear relaxation of feasible region and of the objective function. The proposed branch and bound algorithm is convergent to the global minimum through the successive refinement of the solutions of a series of linear programming problems. A numerical example is given to illustrate the feasibility of the present algorithm.
Distributed utility maximization for network coding based multicasting: a shortest path approach

One central issue in practically deploying network coding is the adaptive and economic allocation of network resource. We cast this as an optimization, where the net-utility-the difference between a utility derived from the attainable multicast throughput and the total cost of resource provisioning-is maximized. By employing the MAX of flows characterization of the admissible rate region for multicasting, this paper gives a novel reformulation of the optimization problem, which has a separable structure. The Lagrangian relaxation method is applied to decompose the problem into subproblems involving one destination each. Our specific formulation of the primal problem results in two key properties. First, the resulting subproblem after decomposition amounts to the problem of finding a shortest path from the source to each destination. Second, assuming the net-utility function is strictly concave, our proposed method enables a near-optimal primal variable to be uniquely recovered from a near-optimal dual variable. A numerical robustness analysis of the primal recovery method is also conducted. For ill-conditioned problems that arise, for instance, when the cost functions are linear, we propose to use the proximal method, which solves a sequence of well-conditioned problems obtained from the original problem by adding quadratic regularization terms. Furthermore, the simulation results confirm the numerical robustness of the proposed algorithms. Finally, the proximal method and the dual subgradient method can be naturally extended to provide an effective solution for applications with multiple multicast sessions
Oviposition Behavior of Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): Diel Periodicity and Choice of Host Plants

Previous research has shown that more Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer) eggs occur on plants with glandular trichomes than on plants without such trichomes. Those studies also revealed that C. maculata eggs suffer greater predation (mostly cannibalism) on plants lacking glandular trichomes than on plants with glandular trichomes. Those results, however, left open the question of whether differences in observed egg densities on the two types of plants were caused by oviposition preference or differential removal of eggs by predators. Our primary objective was to determine whether C. maculata preferentially oviposit on plants with glandular trichomes. We also determined the diel periodicity of C. maculata oviposition; in addition to its intrinsic value in understanding the predator’s behavior, this knowledge facilitated our study of oviposition preference. Diel periodicity of oviposition was studied in the laboratory and in the field. In the laboratory, most oviposition occurred in the afternoon and early evening. In the field, the pattern was even more distinct, with all oviposition occurring between 1200 and 2000 hours and >80% occurring between 1400 and 1800 hours Eastern Daylight Time. To determine oviposition preference, we placed equal numbers of velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti (Medicus), and smooth pigweed, Amaranthus hybridus L., plants (with and without glandular trichomes, respectively) in the field and observed them continuously during the afternoon and early evening. Oviposition events by naturally occurring (i.e., wild, uncaged) C. maculata were recorded. The beetles clearly preferred to oviposit on plants with glandular trichomes, laying 51 of 52 egg clusters on velvetleaf, despite the fact that they visited smooth pigweed plants more often and spent more time per visit on those plants than on velvetleaf. We hypothesize that egg predation, especially cannibalism, has selected for this oviposition behavior.
Computational Modeling of Integration of Voluntarybehavioral and Automatic Mechanisms Forbreathing Control

The integration of voluntary/behavioral controls with central pattern generators providing low-level control of movement is an important issue of broad relevance to basic neurophysiology, and neuroprosthetic technology. For automatic movements like breathing and locomotion, there is strong evidence that the CNS is organized for their control in a hierarchical fashion. The central pattern generator (CPG) is located in the brainstem (respiration) or spinal cord (locomotion) and generates the motor program for the neuromuscular apparatus. This low-level controller interacts with afferent feedback from the peripheral receptors and in turn is controlled by descending signals from the higher-level controllers (Figure 1A). The CPG defines automatic (involuntary) movements, which may be executed without conscious awareness. At the same time, these movements are subject to voluntary/behavioral regulation (i.e., they are integrated and regulated with the overall movement/system state). Therefore, understanding of complex mechanisms used by the brain for motor control demands investigation of interactions between the automatic and voluntary/behavioral components of this control.
Effect of fluoro-substituted proline residues on the conformational stability of triple-helical collagen mimics

Collagen is the most abundant protein in animals. In connective tissue, is present as chains wound in tight triple helices, which are organized into fibrils great tensile strength and thermal stability [1,2]. 'We have identified a new component of this stability. Collagen consists of XaaYaaGly repeats where Xaa is often L-proline (Pro) and Yaa is often 4(R)-hydroxY-L-proline (Hyp). The Hyp residues in a (ProHypGlY)1l triple helix confer substantial additional thermal stability relative to a (ProProGIY)n triple helix. It has been proposed that the extra stability ensues il'om a network of water bridges in which the 4(R)-hydroxyl group participates [1,3]. \Vater bridges that link a Hyp sidechain of one strand to a main-chain carbonyl of another strand have been seen in a crystalline collagen mimic. We believe that \vater bridges are unllkely to contribute significantly to triple-helical stability [4,5].
Evaluation of the Mayo Clinic Phenotype-Based Genotype Predictor Score in Patients with Clinically Diagnosed Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Genetic testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can provide an important clinical marker for disease outcome and family screening. This study set out to validate our recently developed phenotype-based HCM genotype predictor score. Patients clinically diagnosed with HCM and evaluated by genetic counselors comprised the study cohort. Genotype score was derived based on clinical and echocardiographic variables. Total score was correlated with the yield of genetic testing. Of 564 HCM patients, 198 sought genetic testing (35 %; 55 % male; mean age at diagnosis, 50 ± 20 years). Of these, 101 patients (51 %) were genotype positive for a HCM-associated genetic mutation (55 % male; mean age at diagnosis, 42 ± 18 years). Cochran-Armitage analysis showed similar, statistically significant trends of increased yields for higher genotype scores for both the original and study cohort. Validated by the current study, this scoring system provides an easy-to-use, clinical tool to aid in determining the likelihood of a positive HCM genetic test.
Abstract 17001: Is There Cytomegalovirus Disease After Prophylaxis?

Purpose: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease (specific organ involvement) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). CMV disease is reported to increase the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). The duration of CMV prophylaxis in recipients is dependent on their CMV serostatus in relation to the donors. However, the effective duration of CMV prophylaxis post-transplant remains unclear. Methods: Between 2007 and 2012, 267 OHT patients were divided into four groups based on the CMV serostatus of the donors (D) and recipients (R): D+/R-, D+/R+, D-/R+, D-/R-. CMV prophylaxis was given for up to one year in D+/R- patients, up to six months in D+/R+ and D-/R+ patients, and three months in D-/R-. Endpoints included two-year overall survival and freedom from development of CMV disease, CAV, and NF-MACE (defined as myocardial infarction¼..) after the end of CMV prophylaxis in the four study groups, respectively. Results: After the end of respective CMV prophylaxis in the four study groups, there was no significant difference in two-year overall survival and freedom from development of CMV disease, CAV, and NF-MACE among the four groups. Of the D+/R- group, one patient developed CMV gastritis, one patient CMV pneumonia, and one patient CMV colitis. Two patients developed CMV colitis in the D+/R+ group. ![][1] Conclusions: The current recommendations for the duration of CMV prophylaxis appear to be satisfactory in preventing CMV disease and complications after the end of prophylaxis. [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Fecal androgen, a progesterone metabolite in the bovine.

SummarySexually mature and pregnant cows excrete in their feces appreciable amounts of androgen, whereas males and immature females do not. To determine whether progesterone might be the precursor of the androgen, 7 male and female bovines were given subcutaneously 1 g progesterone daily for 3 or more days. Following these injections a statistically significant increase in fecal androgen was observed in 6 animals while a non-significant increase was observed in the pregnant cow. These data are believed to indicate that at least a part of the fecal androgen normally found in the sexually active bovine may be derived from progesterone.
Effects of Repeating Varied Ad Executions on Brand Name Memory

The encoding variability explanation for the superior memorability of varied ad executions over repeated same executions was tested in two experiments. Results show that attention and encoding vari...
Cold Acclimation, Diapause, and Geographic Origin Affect Cold Hardiness in Eggs of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Eggs of five strains of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) were obtained in both diapause and nondiapause conditions and exposed to various cold acclimation regimes in the laboratory, after which they were subjected to diverse chilling treatments. Larvae that survived chilling as eggs survived to the pupal stage. Eggs of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes triseriatus (Say) were included as control species. Eggs of temperate Ae. albopictus were more cold-hardy than eggs of Ae. aegypti but less cold-hardy than the eggs of Ae. triseriatus . Cold acclimation and diapause enhanced cold hardiness of only temperate Ae. albopictus . Cold acclimation had a greater influence on cold hardiness than did diapause. Both the temperature and the duration of cold acclimation modulated cold hardiness. Cold hardiness induced in the laboratory was similar to cold hardiness induced in the field in northern Indiana. The cold hardiness of Ae. albopictus from central Florida was intermediate in comparison with temperate and tropical strains. Tropical Brazilian Ae. albopictus and tropical Asian Ae. albopictus were similar in cold hardiness.
“First and Foremost They’re Survivors” Selective Manipulation, Resilience, and Assertion Among Prostitute Women

Based on qualitative data from three sites (N = 76), we describe prostitute women’s agency and problematize dominant assumptions. Prostitute women exhibit creative, resilient, and rational conduct....
Self-organized criticality and power system blackouts prediction

Based on the study of power system self-organized criticality(SOC) model and the power-law of the power system blackouts,the theoretical meaning of SOC is discussed from the physics standpoint.The SOC model provides reasonable theroritical basis to future accidents prediction by using limited history data in power system blackout risk analysis.The focus of power system SOC model is not a certain blackout,but accident group consists of many blackouts.The key point of power system SOC model is trying to explain the universal rules of accident group,not clarifying the rule of a specific blackout.Although SOC is a simple model,it plays an important role in not only reminding the possibility of the blackouts prediction from the physics standpoint,but also revealing the value of understanding the complex blackouts phenomenon through simple physic model.
The influence of pH on the muscarinic action of oxotremorine, arecoline, pilocarpine, and their quaternary ammonium analogs.

Oxotremorine, arecoline, pilocarpine, and their methiodides have been assayed for muscarinic activity on isolated guinea pig ileal segments using bethanechol as a reference compound over the pH range 6.2-8.7. The relative activity of the tertiary amines decreased with increasing pH, while that of oxotremorine and arecoline methiodides was unaffected by pH. Pilocarpine methiodide was pharmacologically inert. The data were interpreted quantitatively using an iterative nonlinear regression procedure to fit an equation derived on the assumption that only the ionized forms of the compounds were active. A satisfactory fit for the five active compounds was obtained as judged by analyses of variance. The procedure also yielded estimates of the dissociation constants of the amines, which were close to those obtained by direct titration, although small significant differences were found. All three tertiary amines were more active than the corresponding quaternary ammonium compounds, and the reasons for this anomaly are discussed. Evidence is presented to indicate that pilocarpine methiodide is 1,3-dimethyl substituted on the imidazole ring, and methylation of pilocarpine therefore yields a product which is not sterically analogous to the other two methiodides.
Influence of mating frequency on sow reproductive performance

Gilts and sows were bred one, two, or three times during a single estrous period in a commercial herd for evaluating the effect of mating frequency on reproductive performance. Estrus detection started at approximately 0630 daily by applying back pressure to females with the presence of a mature boar. Natural mating was used. Gilts detected in estrus were mated in the morning of d 1 (AM), the morning of d 1 and 2 (AM-AM), and the morning and afternoon of d 1 and morning of d 2 (AM-PM-AM) for mating frequencies 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Sows were bred in the AM, AM-AM, AM-PM-AM (1), and morning of d 1 and morning and afternoon of d 2 [AM-AM-PM (2)] for mating frequency 1, 2, 3 (1), and 3 (2), respectively. Breeding events in the morning and afternoon started at approximately 0730 and 1530. Females were randomly assigned to a mating frequency. Boars were randomly assigned to each breeding event. In total, 256 gilts and 766 sows were involved in the study. Gilts with a single mating (76.5%, P = .06) and triple matings (80.4%, P .1) in the farrowing rates of sows were observed between mating frequencies 1, 2, 3 (1), and 3 (2). Double-mated gilts had more (P .3) in total born and pigs born alive in sows between mating frequencies. We concluded that triple-mating gilts and sows did not improve farrowing rate and litter size compared with single and double matings. There were no differences in farrowing rate and litter size between double- and single-mated sows. Gilts with double matings had a larger litter size than those with a single mating.
Recovery of the C ∞ jet from the boundary distance function

For a compact Riemannian manifold with boundary, we want to find the metric structure from knowledge of distances between boundary points. This is called the “boundary rigidity problem”. If the boundary is not concave, which means locally not all shortest paths lie entirely in the boundary, then we are able to find the Taylor series of the metric tensor (C ∞ jet) at the boundary (see Lassas et al. (Math Ann 325:767–793, 2003), Uhlmann et al. (Adv Appl Math 31:379–387, 2003)). In this paper we give a new reconstruction procedure for the C ∞ jet at non-concave points on the boundary using the localized boundary distance function. A closely related problem is the “lens rigidity problem”, which asks whether the lens data determine metric structure uniquely. Lens data include information of boundary distance function, the lengths of all geodesics, and the locations and directions where geodesics hit the boundary. We give the first examples that show that lens data cannot uniquely determine the C ∞ jet. The example include two manifolds with the same boundary and the same lens data, but different C ∞ jets. With some additional careful work, we can find examples with different C 1 jets, which means the boundaries in the two lens-equivalent manifolds have different second fundamental forms.
Constructing the General Markov Chain

In this chapter, I will construct the general Markov chain with continuous time parameter, countable state space, and stationary standard transitions. Let I be the countable state space. Let I n be a sequence of finite subsets of I which swell to I. For each n, suppose X n is Markov with continuous time parameter, has stationary standard transition, and has right continuous I n -valued step functions for sample functions. Suppose that X n is the restriction of X n+1 to I n , for all n. Here is the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a process X whose restriction to each I n is X n . The sum of the lengths of the I2, I3, … -intervals occurring before X1-time t is finite. If X is chosen with moderate care, it is automatically Markov with stationary standard transitions and smooth sample functions. Sections 1.5–6 show this construction is general. I will only do the work when I forms one recurrent class; but it is quite easy to drop this condition.
Wordsworth and the Beautiful Day

Since the last chapter gave to epistemological concerns a foundation both in ontology and in the lyric, I’d now like to address that rubric, ‘ontology and the lyric,’ under a specifically aesthetic heading — the concept of beauty. This chapter, the book’s final one on Wordsworth directly, highlights two main issues not taken up in any fixed order in the discussion below. The first comes in response to the last few decades of high-powered philosophical writing on ‘aesthetic ideology.’1 Associated primarily with the romantic New Historicism of the 1980s, it is my judgment, rather, that this critical trend is taken to its furthest extent instead by forces already implicit in Yale School deconstruction. The inheritance runs through an approach developed in some important individual essays by Geoffrey Hartman to be discussed below, and in the book of that title by Paul de Man. A simple point I’d like to make in this connection is that Wordsworth’s images of enchantment don’t primarily relate to the realm of aesthetic form.
Last-Minute Hall of Fame Game Fumble May Be Costly

This year NFL fans were forced to wait an extra week after the NFL canceled the 2016 game out of safety concerns that resulted from mismanaged field construction. Several NFL analysts and former players applauded the league’s judgment in canceling the game out of player safety concerns. Not surprisingly, though, fans were not as pleased with the league’s seemingly last-minute decision to cancel the game.
A Case of Severe Iron Deficiency Anemia Associated with Long-Term Proton Pump Inhibitor Use

The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases has evolved over recent years. Initially intended for short-term use, PPIs are increasingly being used, often inappropriately, as long-term maintenance medications. The mechanism of action of PPIs is suppression of gastric basal and stimulated acid secretion by inhibiting the parietal cell H+/K+ ATP pump with a resultant increase in gastric pH and hypo- or achlorhydria. Although short-term use is related to few adverse effects, long-term use is associated with numerous complications. We present the case of a 58-year-old man with severe iron deficiency anemia due to malabsorption suspected to be caused by long-term PPI use. An extensive medical work up failed to reveal any definitive source of bleeding. An iron malabsorption test confirmed that iron was not being absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale and the Horn and Hansten Drug Interaction Probability Scale are suggestive of an association between long-term PPI use and the observed iron deficiency anemia. However, the patient's death and lack of an autopsy prevented confirmatory follow-up data from being obtained to connect long-term PPI use as the culprit. Although there are currently no recommendations regarding screening for iron deficiency and/or anemia in patients on long-term PPI therapy, physicians should be aware of this potential side effect and consider monitoring in high-risk patients.
Learning from faith: Christian scholarship in the context of the American secular academy

The present article seeks to extend the dialogue about faith and learning to the space of American public universities where faith, in particular, is problematized by the secular nature of such institutions. The author shall argue that universities should maintain a curious posture about the role of religious convictions in the teaching and learning of their scholars and students, so that they may better appreciate the value of the distinct contributions of Christians in their pluralistic and democratic spaces. The author offers a brief account of the important historical developments of the integration model of faith and learning, while considering the implications of the model in light of the customs and traditions of the American academy. Finally, a modest proposal shall be articulated by which Christians may live their religious convictions while members of these secular institutions of higher learning. Keywords : Christian scholarship; integration of faith and learning; academic freedom; American secular universities.
Improving Follow-Up of High-Risk Psychiatry Outpatients at Resident Year-End Transfer

Article-at-a-Glance Background Few studies have examined the safety risks of the annual outpatient clinic handoff that occurs when residents either advance to a higher level of training or graduate ("year-end transfer"). A multifaceted intervention was designed and implemented to identify and improve follow-up of high-risk patients during academic year-end outpatient transfers in a psychiatry resident continuity clinic. Methods Departing residents identified "acute" patients, who were scheduled on a priority basis for longer appointments during the first month after the transfer. In addition, standardized written and face-to-face sign-outs occurred, incoming clinicians contacted every patient in the first week, and specialized didactics were provided. Results For the three intervention years combined, the odds ratio of hospitalization for acute patients compared to nonacute patients was 9.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.43, 34.7; p = .001). Compared to Year 1, the proportion of acute patients seen within 31 days in Years 2 and 3 increased by 32.2% (from 64.3% to 85.0%, p Conclusions Categorical designation by the outgoing clinicians effectively identified patients at higher risk for hospitalization during the transition. Relatively low-cost interventions may significantly improve patient safety and resident training in not only psychiatry, but also other disciplines and specialties.
Large Artery Atherosclerosis: Extracranial and Intracranial.

Large vessel atherosclerotic disease (affecting both intracranial and extracranial arteries) is a highly prevalent cause of stroke. In this review, the authors describe the epidemiology, evaluation, diagnosis, and therapeutic aspects of large-vessel atherosclerotic disease. Endarterectomy and stenting have proven to be effective methods for carotid artery revascularization and stroke prevention, although some of the clinical trials demonstrating this benefit predated the advances in modern medical therapy. Randomized clinical trials comparing aggressive management with surgical and endovascular stenting plus aggressive medical management have shown medical management alone to be safer and more effective for preventing stroke in intracranial and vertebrobasilar stenosis.
Relationships Among Teacher Communication Style, Trait and State Communication Apprehension and Teacher Effectiveness

The empirical model tested in this study examined the effects of teacher communication style (TCS) on students' affect and behavioral commitment in college classes. Additionally, the model posited ...
Identification of monosodium urate crystal deposits in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia using dual-energy CT

Objectives Dual-energy CT (DECT) scan is a sensitive and specific tool used to visualise and quantify monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposits in the joints. Few studies have examined MSU crystal deposits in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (ie, hyperuricemia in the absence of gout) using DECT. Methods We conducted a prospective, non-interventional cross-sectional study to detect MSU crystal deposits on DECT scans among patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia. We also examined patient factors associated with subclinical MSU crystal deposits. Out of 130 subjects aged ≥40 years with metabolic syndrome screened for serum uric acid (sUA) levels ≥6.5 mg/dL, 46 underwent a foot/ankle DECT scan. Results The mean age of the study participants was 62 (±8) years, 41% were men and the mean sUA level was 7.8 (±1.0) mg/dL. Seven (15%) of 46 patients had MSU crystal deposits on DECT with a mean total volume of 0.13 (±0.14) cm 3 . In the univariable logistic regression analysis, older age had a significant association with presence of MSU crystal deposits (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.39), but sUA did not (OR 1.36, 95% CI 0.63 to 2.95). In the univariable analysis, sUA levels showed a trend towards a modest linear association (β=0.11, P=0.09) with total volume of MSU crystal deposits. Conclusions Fifteen per cent of patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia had subclinical MSU crystal deposits on foot/ankle DECT scans. Older age, but not sUA, was significantly associated with presence of subclinical MSU crystal deposits among patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia. Clinical significance of these subclinical MSU crystal deposits needs to be determined.
The Value of Weapon System Reliability in a Combat Environment: Costs and Performance

This paper reports on the development of a methodology for assessing the cost and performance trade-offs between equipment reliability and logistic support under combat conditions. In other words, does reliability make a difference and, if so, how much?
Microfluidic and Paper-Based Devices for Disease Detection and Diagnostic Research

Recent developments in microfluidic devices, nanoparticle chemistry, fluorescent microscopy, and biochemical techniques such as genetic identification and antibody capture have provided easier and more sensitive platforms for detecting and diagnosing diseases as well as providing new fundamental insight into disease progression. These advancements have led to the development of new technology and assays capable of easy and early detection of pathogenicity as well as the enhancement of the drug discovery and development pipeline. While some studies have focused on treatment, many of these technologies have found initial success in laboratories as a precursor for clinical applications. This review highlights the current and future progress of microfluidic techniques geared toward the timely and inexpensive diagnosis of disease including technologies aimed at high-throughput single cell analysis for drug development. It also summarizes novel microfluidic approaches to characterize fundamental cellular behavior and heterogeneity.
ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF CATHETER DIRECTED THERAPY ON LONG-TERM CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE PULMONARY EMBOLISM

Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams (PERT) help providers quickly determine optimal management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Invasive catheter directed therapy (CDT) may help quickly stabilize patients with submassive and massive PE. However, data on the long-term impact of CDT is limited. Data
Life as the Inversion of Materiality

Relying on Bergson’s arguments against nothingness and his restriction of negative judgments to practical significance, this chapter shows how the notion of elan vital understands consciousness, life, and materiality as different levels of durational tension, thereby providing an integrative ontology transcending both dualism and the idealist and materialist schools of monism. Where dualism sees an opposition and where monism argues for reductionism, intuition obtains the vision of an elan, precisely by grasping life as an effort to surpass itself. Living beings are divergent and creative outcomes of this striving, otherwise called evolution. The striving nature of life means that the elan is limited but that it is also an unending process of self-overcoming.
Liberal and Conservative Representations of the Good Society: A (Social) Structural Topic Modeling Approach:

What, in the 21st century, is our vision of the “good society,” and what are the obstacles to its realization? What is the ideal mix of equality and tradition, individual initiative and social welf...
Amino Acid Carbon Stable Isotope Ratios Indicate Sugar Sweetened Beverage and Meat Exposure in a Clinical Feeding Study (P18-125-19)

The aim of this study was to assess the validity and specificity of blood plasma and red blood cell (RBC) amino acid carbon stable isotopes ratios (AA-CIRs) as biomarkers of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) and meat consumption in a highly-controlled feeding study. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that SSB intake would increase the AA-CIR of alanine and other nonessential amino acids (NEAA), whereas meat intake would increase the AA-CIRs of essential amino acids (EAA). We measured plasma and RBC AA-CIRs in 32 United States adult males who participated in a 12-week, fully in-patient feeding study between 2011 and 2018. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of eight diets, which manipulated the intakes (presence/absence) of SSB, meat, and fish in all possible combinations while maintaining a macronutrient distribution of 50% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 20% protein at a weight-maintenance level. Fasting blood samples were collected biweekly throughout the study. Plasma and RBC AA-CIRs were measured using n-acetylmethyl ester derivatization and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. We examined final week AA-CIRs as a function of the three variable intakes and baseline values from samples collected at the start of the study, and we used a Bonferroni-adjusted α = 0.0007 to assess significance. In general, our results supported our hypothesis that NEAA-CIRs were elevated by SSB intake, whereas EAA-CIRs were elevated by meat intake. In plasma, the CIR of the NEAA alanine was elevated with the intake of SSB but not of meat or fish. In RBC, the CIRs of alanine and glutamine/glutamic acid were elevated specifically with SSB. However, the CIR of alanine in RBC had a smaller effect size than in plasma and was also significantly associated with baseline values. Three EAA-CIRs (leucine, isoleucine, and threonine) increased with meat intake in plasma, but not in RBC, and did not respond to SSB or fish intake. Two EAA-CIRs (valine and phenylalanine) measured in RBC were associated with baseline. This highly-controlled study suggests that the AA-CIR of plasma alanine is a promising biomarker of SSB intake in United States diets. The CIRs of essential AAs may have potential as biomarkers of meat intake. NIH NIDDK.
Cumulative Disadvantage and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in California Felony Sentencing

This paper examines the extent and sources of racial and ethnic disparities throughout the California criminal justice system from the perspective of cumulative disadvantage theory. Individual offender records from nine counties are analyzed to determine the extent and sources of differences between African-Americans, Latinos, and whites in sentencing outcomes. Disparities are present at nearly every point in the process, including arrests, charges, guilty pleas, jury trials, convictions, and sentences. Consistent with cumulative disadvantage theory, the gap between whites and blacks increases as inmates proceed further along in the criminal justice process. Latinos are also more likely to experience negative criminal justice outcomes than whites, but unlike the growing gap between blacks and whites, the gap between Latinos and whites remains constant throughout the criminal justice system, in line with the concept of continuous, rather than cumulative, disadvantage. Further analysis finds that the disparities are not entirely attributable to differences in legally relevant characteristics. Factors such as the type and number of current conviction charges, prior record, parole or probation status, and pretrial detention do explain some of the observed disparities in sentencing outcomes, but controlling for these variables, African-Americans and Latinos still tend to receive longer prison sentences than whites. This indicates that the observed disadvantages may be attributable, at least in part, to some degree of individual or institutional discrimination. The reduction or elimination racial and ethnic disparity is difficult because inequalities are pervasive throughout the criminal justice system. Participants in multiple agencies, organizations, and jurisdictions must therefore contribute to efforts to reduce the disparities that emerge throughout the justice system.
MONTE CARLO Simulation and AGENT-BASED Modeling (ABM) in Military Decision-Making

Consider a maintenance company that conducts vehicle inspections for a specific post. We have data for times of vehicle arrivals and departures, service times for inspectors under various conditions, numbers of inspection stations, and penalties levied for failure to meet state inspection standards in terms of waiting time for customers. The company wants to know how it can improve its inspection process in order to both maximize its profit and minimize the penalties it receives. This type of analysis for a complex system has many variables, and we could use a computer simulation to model this operation.
Assessing the Accuracy of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Photogrammetric Survey

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have seen an increase in use on terrain mapping, especially in lieu of manual surveying methods. This study will evaluate the accuracy that can be achieved using a c...
Locked Out of the Labor Market? State-Level Hidden Sentences and the Labor Market Outcomes of Recently Incarcerated Young Adults

A long literature attests to labor market penalties for having a criminal record. No research, however, has explored whether state-level policies that restrict social participation of the justice-involved contribute to these labor market consequences. Such policies, or hidden sentences, have clear implications for labor market outcomes but are difficult to measure. In this article, we leverage a combination of nationally representative individual data and state-level data on hidden sentences to ask whether the labor market penalties of incarceration are contingent on a state’s hidden sentence regime in young adulthood. Our results demonstrate that living in a state with moderate and high hidden sentences exacerbates the labor market consequences of incarceration, and that this pattern may contribute to racial disparities in labor market outcomes following incarceration.
Guidance on Sections 403(b) and 409A

Treasury and Internal Revenue Service have issued detailed new regulations for tax-sheltered annuity arrangements under section 403(b) of the Code and non-qualified deferred compensation programs subject to section 409A of the Code. The article discusses the most important provisions of the regulations, describes the actions that affected employers must take, and summarizes the affective dates of the rules.
Radical Capture at Nickel(II) Complexes: C–C, C–N, and C–O Bond Formation

The dinuclear β-diketiminato NiII tert-butoxide {[Me3NN]Ni}2(μ-OtBu)2 (2), synthesized from [Me3NN]Ni(2,4-lutidine) (1) and di-tert-butylperoxide, is a versatile precursor for the synthesis of a se...