cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The physiological correlates of Kundalini Yoga meditation: a study of a yoga master.

This study explores the physiological correlates of a highly practiced Kundalini Yoga meditator. Thoracic and abdominal breathing patterns, heart rate (HR), occipital parietal electroencephalograph (EEG), skin conductance level (SCL), and blood volume pulse (BVP) were monitored during prebaseline, meditation, and postbaseline periods. Visual analyses of the data showed a decrease in respiration rate during the meditation from a mean of 11 breaths/min for the pre- and 13 breaths/min for the postbaseline to a mean of 5 breaths/min during the meditation, with a predominance of abdominal/diaphragmatic breathing. There was also more alpha EEG activity during the meditation (M = 1.71 μV) compared to the pre- (M = .47 μV) and postbaseline (M = .78 μV) periods, and an increase in theta EEG activity immediately following the meditation (M = .62 μV) compared to the pre-baseline and meditative periods (each with M = .26 μV). These findings suggest that a shift in breathing patterns may contribute to the development of alpha EEG, and those patterns need to be investigated further.
Bike Boom: The Unexpected Resurgence of Cycling, by Carlton Reid: (2017). Washington, DC: Island Press. 272 pages. $30.00 (paperback).

Bike Boom: The Unexpected Resurgence of Cycling by Carlton Reid presents a history of cycling in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 20th century. First let me address the book’s ti...
KAJIAN NILAI ESTETIK SAMPAH IKLAN VISUAL DI JALAN GEJAYAN YOGYAKARTA

Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mendeskripsikan kajian nilai estetik sampah iklan visual di Jalan Gejayan Yogyakarta, menurunnya kualitas ruang publik di Yogyakarta, dan solusi dari pemecahan masalah dari maraknya fenomena sampah iklan visual di Yogyakarta. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Prosedur penelitian ini meliputi studi pustaka, penelitian pendahuluan, penyusunan usulan penelitian, usulan penelitian, persiapan penelitian, penelitian lapangan, dan penulisan skripsi. Data dan sumber data penelitian adalah primer dan sekunder. Subjek penelitian adalah kajian dari nilai estetik sampah iklan visual di jalan Gejayan Yogyakarta dan objek penelitian adalah hasil dari kajian nilai estetik sampah iklan visual. Variabel penelitian ini adalah tunggal, yaitu masalah nilai estetik dari sampah iklan visual yang berada di Jalan Gejayan. Pengumpulan data berupa, observasi, wawancara dan dokumentasi. Dalam penelitian ini instrumen yang digunakan seperti, pengamatan, daftar pertanyaan dan kamera. Teknik analisis data dengan cara menghimpun data, mereduksi data, mengklasifi kasikan, menganalisis data, dan menarik kesimpulan. Dari hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa dikaji dari nilai estetiknya, sampah visual mengganggu ruang terbuka hijau dan merusak nilai keindahan kota, khususnya di Jalan Gejayan, menururnnya kualitas luar ruang di Yogyakarta, adalah salah satu dampak buruk dari munculnya fenomena sampah iklan visual saat ini, kurang tegasnya pemerintah terhadap keadaan ini, menjadikan banyak pegiat sampah iklan visual untuk mengkritik pemerintah agar lebih peduli akan fenomena ini, salah satunya pemerintah harus lebih berani menghapuskan reklame luar ruang, serta merevisi kembali master plan untuk disesuaikan dengan perkembangan zaman. Kata kunci: Kajian, nilai estetik, sampah iklan visual.
Shifting cultivation on the tidal floodplains of Amazônia: impacts on soil nutrient status

Studies of the impact of traditional agroforestry practices on soil nutrient status in the Amazon Basin have largely been limited to upland sites, many of which are oligotrophic. However, rural population density in Amazonia is highest on the floodplains of the major rivers and shifting cultivation has been practiced on the floodplains for millennia. We established a slash-and-burn cultivation plot and an untreated forest plot in tidal floodplain successional forest in the Islands of Abaetetuba, Para, Brazil, and sampled soils (0–10 cm) during four phases of the agroforest cycle (n = 9 in each plot for each sampling period): (1) prior to clearing, (2) following burning, (3) harvest one (rice at four months), and (4) harvest two (sugar cane at 15 months). During the course of this pilot experiment, background temporal variability in SOC, total N and available mineral nutrient pools (P, K, Ca, Mg) exceeded treatment effects, suggesting that soil nutrient pools in this environment are well-buffered against the effects of shifting cultivation. These results contrast markedly with those reported for Amazonian upland sites where nutrient pulses and declines associated with the agroforest cycle have been demonstrated and may restrict the potential for low-input, continuous cultivation. Physical limitations imposed by flooding and fluvial erosion, rather than nutrient constraints, restrict the potential of agricultural intensification in the tidal floodplains.
Analyzing the Long-Run Performance of Initial Public Offerings: An Empirical Investigation for Germany

Although initial public offerings (IPOs) have been intensively analyzed in the USA and some other countries, IPOs in Germany are not sufficiently discussed. This paper analyzes the post-issue long- run capital-market performance of German IPOs from the beginning of the eighties until the early nineties. The performance is investigated relative to three market indices and a sample of matching firms (MFs). In accordance with the Ritter (1991) analysis the cumulative average abnormal returns are calculated and tested for significant deviations from zero. The test shows that the IPOs perform neutrally over the whole sample period (1983–1993) compared with the broad market indices during the first five years after the issue, but over/underperform the market during the eighties/nineties. The IPOs, however, generally underperform the sample of matching firms.
A Comparison of Child Blood Lead Levels in Urban and Rural Children Ages 5–12 Years Living in the Border Region of El Paso, Texas

Lead exposure is an unresolved pediatric health risk and disproportionately affects children in lower-income neighborhoods. Residences with children younger than age 5 years are the focus of mitigation policies; however, studies have shown that older children between the ages of 5 and 12 years also are at risk of central nervous system effects. Whether historically contaminated neighborhoods present ongoing risk to older children also is of concern. This study compared the blood lead levels (BLLs) of older children from an historically contaminated urban neighborhood to those of demographically matched children from a nearby rural locale and predicted significantly higher BLLs in the urban children. The study included 222 children aged 5-12 years, 111 from the urban neighborhood and 111 from local rural townships, matched for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and family income. Blood lead, cadmium, and mercury were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. General linear models tested whether geographic location (urban vs. rural) predicted child heavy metal levels, controlling for sex and age. Only location predicted only child BLL (R2= 0.36); children living in the urban setting had significantly higher BLLs as compared with matched rural township children (F = 125, df220,2, p <0.001). Neighborhoods with a history of lead contamination can present current risk of lead exposure for older children between the ages of 5 and 12 years, as well as for infants and toddlers. More studies are needed to better characterize the risk of lead exposure to older children, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods with a history of lead contamination.
Toughening poly(lactic acid) with poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers

Abstract This study describes the toughening of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) through blending it with poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers (EPE, Pluronic®) at loadings less than 10 wt%. The miscibility of EPE copolymers in PLA was examined by thermal, morphological, and rheological analysis. Copolymers with low molecular weight and low poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) content were more miscible with PLA but less efficient as a toughening agent. In contrast, copolymers with high PPO content and high molecular weight formed droplets in the PLA and significantly increased the ductility of PLA at 5 wt% loading. More importantly, it was found that the toughening mechanism in those toughened PLA/EPE blends is similar to “rubber toughening of brittle plastics” rather than plasticization. Since the refractive indices of PLA and EPE are nearly matched, the blends were transparent. For the first time, the rheological properties of PLA/EPE blends are studied. Both the miscible and immiscible blends exhibited lower viscosity than neat PLA on account of different mechanisms. The low viscosity of the miscible blends resulted from the plasticization effect of the molecularly dissolved EPEs while the low viscosity of the immiscible blends resulted from the lubrication effect of the phase-separated EPE liquids. This lubrication effect also led to low adhesion on metal surfaces.
Aspects of the social biology of the beeHalictus ligatus in New York state (Hymenoptera, Halictidae)

This paper is a study of the life cycle of the eusocial halictine beeHalictus ligatus in New York State, U.S.A., with an emphasis on individual differences among nestmates. This species is compared with other well-studied primitively social halictine bees.
Automatic marker-free target positioning and tracking for image-guided radiotherapy and interventions

Current image-guided prostate radiotherapy often relies on the use of implanted fiducial markers (FMs) or transducers for target localization. Fiducial or transducer insertion requires an invasive procedure that adds cost and risks for bleeding, infection and discomfort to some patients. We are developing a novel markerless prostate localization strategy using a pre-trained deep learning model to interpret routine projection kV X-ray images without the need for daily cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). A deep learning model was first trained by using several thousand annotated projection X-ray images. The trained model is capable of identifying the location of the prostate target for a given input X-ray projection image. To assess the accuracy of the approach, three patients with prostate cancer received volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) were retrospectively studied. The results obtained by using the deep learning model and the actual position of the prostate were compared quantitatively. The deviations between the target positions obtained by the deep learning model and the corresponding annotations ranged from 1.66 mm to 2.77 mm for anterior-posterior (AP) direction, and from 1.15 mm to 2.88 mm for lateral direction. Target position provided by deep learning model for the kV images acquired using OBI is found to be consistent that derived from the implanted FMs. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that highly accurate markerless prostate localization based on deep learning is achievable. The strategy provides a clinically valuable solution to daily patient positioning and real-time target tracking for image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and interventions.
8.02 – Nasal Airways

In recent years, there has been an explosion of new scientific information on the structure and function of the nose at the macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular levels of analysis. This previously underexamined part of the respiratory tract has recently been the focus of reported research efforts in a variety of diverse scientific disciplines such as neuroscience, pharmacology, respiratory biology, toxicology, and even paleontology. The tremendous discoveries made over the past decade in the area of olfactory science were recently highlighted worldwide when Dr. Linda Buck and Dr. Richard Axel were awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in biology for their pioneering work on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of olfaction (Mombaerts 2004). Major scientific advances have also been made in the field of nasal toxicology, which has grown exponentially over the past two decades since the first published reports that long-term inhalation exposures to high concentrations of formaldehyde induce nasal tumors in laboratory rodents (Kerns et al. 1983; Swenberg et al. 1980).
Bayesian petroelastic inversion with multiple prior models

ABSTRACTBayesian methods are commonly used for geophysical inverse problems, such as seismic and rock-physics inversion, for the prediction of petroelastic properties. Bayesian inversion is based o...
Tumor-targeted CD28 bispecific antibodies enhance the antitumor efficacy of PD-1 immunotherapy

Monoclonal antibodies that block the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) checkpoint have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. However, many major tumor types remain unresponsive to anti-PD-1 therapy, and even among responsive tumor types, most of the patients do not develop durable antitumor immunity. It has been shown that bispecific antibodies activate T cells by cross-linking the TCR/CD3 complex with a tumor-specific antigen (TSA). The class of TSAxCD3 bispecific antibodies have generated exciting results in early clinical trials. We have recently described another class of "costimulatory bispecifics" that cross-link a TSA to CD28 (TSAxCD28) and cooperate with TSAxCD3 bispecifics. Here, we demonstrate that these TSAxCD28 bispecifics (one specific for prostate cancer and the other for epithelial tumors) can also synergize with the broader anti-PD-1 approach and endow responsiveness-as well as long-term immune memory-against tumors that otherwise do not respond to anti-PD-1 alone. Unlike CD28 superagonists, which broadly activate T cells and induce cytokine storm, TSAxCD28 bispecifics display little or no toxicity when used alone or in combination with a PD-1 blocker in genetically humanized immunocompetent mouse models or in primates and thus may provide a well-tolerated and "off the shelf" combination approach with PD-1 immunotherapy that can markedly enhance antitumor efficacy.
PI-RADS® Category as a Predictor of Progression to Unfavorable Risk Prostate Cancer in Men on Active Surveillance

Purpose:We identified baseline imaging and clinical characteristics of patients that may improve risk stratification among patients being evaluated for active surveillance.Materials and Methods:Fro...
Bells, from a hospital near Zadar

Rare sunlight-streaked and autumn-ceilinged dawn on this frail-skinned globe— it’s apt a frame for these so ancient harbingers of grief and hope: they toll above the olive groves where stones drag ...
Hegel’s proto-modernist conception of philosophy as science

EnglishI argue that the reception of Hegel in the sub-field of history and philosophy of science has been in part impeded by a misunderstanding of his mature metaphilosophical views. Taking Alan Richardson’s influential account of the rise of scientific philosophy as an illustration of such misunderstanding, I argue that the mature Hegel’s metaphilosophical views place him much closer to the philosophers who are commonly taken as paradigms of scientific philosophy than is commonly thought. Hegel is commonly presented as someone who conceived of philosophy as a science that relied on the solitary genius of the individual thinker, and as a science whose propositions could not and should not be made accessible to “the common people”. Against this view, I argue that Hegel in fact thought that philosophy was a thoroughly anti-individualistic activity, and that he emphasized the importance of the intersubjective accessibility of philosophical discourse. I argue that when we carefully reconstruct Hegel’s reasons for his break with Schelling, and if we pay close attention to his explicit metaphilosophical pronouncements, we can see that he in fact adhered to what I call a “proto-modernist” conception of philosophy as a science. I conclude by pointing out how the mischaracterization of Hegel has served to obscure the existence of a strand of scientific philosophy that emerged by way of an immanent critique of Hegel, namely Marxist philosophy. portuguesAfirmo que a recepcao de Hegel no subcampo da historia e da filosofia da ciencia foi impedida, em parte, por um mal-entendido de suas visoes metafilosoficas maduras. Levando em conta as posicoes influentes de Alan Richardson sobre a ascensao da filosofia cientifica como um exemplo de tal mal-entendido, eu argumento que as visoes metafilosoficas do Hegel maduro o colocam muito mais perto dos filosofos que sao comumente tomados como paradigmas da filosofia cientifica do que normalmente se pensa. Hegel e comumente apresentado como alguem que concebeu a filosofia como uma ciencia que se apoiava no genio solitario do pensador individual, e como uma ciencia cujas proposicoes nao podiam e nao deveriam ser tornadas acessiveis “ao povo”. Contra essa visao, argumento que Hegel, de fato, pensava que a filosofia era uma atividade totalmente anti-individualista, e que ele enfatizou a importância da acessibilidade intersubjetiva do discurso filosofico. Argumento que, quando reconstruimos cuidadosamente as razoes de Hegel para sua ruptura com Schelling, e se prestarmos atencao aos seus pronunciamentos metafilosoficos explicitos, podemos ver que ele de fato aderiu ao que chamo de concepcao "protomodernista" da filosofia como ciencia. Concluo apontando como a descaracterizacao de Hegel serviu para obscurecer a existencia de uma vertente da filosofia cientifica que surgiu por meio de uma critica imanente de Hegel, a saber, a filosofia marxista.
Political influence, central bank independence and inflation in Africa: A comparative analysis

Abstract This paper develops a new de facto measure of central bank independence (CBI) based on two recent measures of the turnover rates of central bank governors introduced by Vuletin and Zhu (2011), complemented with measures of alliance with the government in power, captured by prior executive appointment, tribe proximity, and political party affiliation. Using 1980–2009 data from 13 countries from the CFA zone (a currency union) and 18 non-CFA countries, the new index is used to 1) examine whether CBI can help achieve price stability in Africa and 2) show how CBI affects African countries that are part of a monetary union. We find that higher turnover rates lead to higher inflation. Our results are robust to the decomposition of the turnover rates into premature removals and ally replacements. Furthermore, we find that for CFA zone countries, central bank autonomy has no effect on inflation and instead inflation is driven by other variables such as the fixed exchange rate regime or commodity price shocks.
A Rare Triad: Hypercalcemia-Induced Necrotizing Pancreatitis Presenting as Severe Diabetic Ketoacidosis:

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) typically occurs in persons above 45 years, with a female predominance. PHPT induces a state of hypercalcemia, but acute pancreatitis is a rare sequelae of this hypercalcemia. We report a case of a 31-year-old man with no known medical history who presented in diabetic ketoacidosis with electrolyte abnormalities. His clinical course progressed to multi-organ dysfunction despite correction of metabolic derangements. Further workup led to the discovery of the uncommon triad by which previously undiagnosed PHPT precipitated severe diabetic ketoacidosis.
Post-amputation Pain

Post-amputation pain is a common complaint in individuals who have suffered an amputation either traumatic or atraumatic. In addition to the well-known phantom limb pain, patients can also have pain in the residual limb itself or simply phantom sensations.
Evaluation of the Validity of the Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score in Critically Ill Children

IMPORTANCE: The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis- 3) utilizes the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score to predict life-threatening organ dysfunction and increased mortality in the adult population. The SOFA criteria is not applicable to the pediatric population as the SOFA variables do not adjusted for pediatric value norms. A Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score (pSOFA) was created and verified in one study at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago which showed to be superior to other pediatric sepsis assessment tools, but the pSOFA score has …
Experiment-Wise Type I Error Control: A Focus on 2 × 2 Designs:

Factorial designs are common in psychology research. But they are nearly always used without control of the experiment-wise Type I error rate (EWER), perhaps because of a lack of awareness about vi...
Implications of observed changes in high mountain snow water storage, snowmelt timing and melt window

Abstract Study Region Upper Rio Grande Basin, United States. Study Focus Both measured and modeled hydrologic studies report warming-related changes in the hydrologic cycle. However, studies using measured data often rely on April 1 snow water equivalent (SWE) instead of peak SWE. To understand climate-related hydrograph shifts we investigate trends in maximum SWE, timing of maximum SWE and snow depletion and length of the snowmelt window using measured data with both linear regression and Mann-Kendall methods to provide an integrated understanding of the trends. New Hydrological Insights for the Region Of 16 locations with the longest data record (1980–2018) in the region, more than half had significant declines in maximum SWE. Regional trends using all sites collectively showed a decline in maximum SWE of -0.4 cm/year. Maximum SWE was earlier at 10–13 of 16 sites, depending upon method. Trends at individual locations show a wide range in maximum SWE advancement (18–48 days). Regional maximum SWE advanced three weeks. Snowpack depletion was similarly early at more than half the sites. Although snowmelt occurs earlier, there was no change in the snowmelt window (days between peak SWE and no snow). The reduced maximum SWE may relate to reduced snowfall, increased sublimation or lower albedo associated with dust. We describe the ecological and social impacts of these observed shifts in snow amount and runoff timing for headwaters communities, water compacts, mountain ecosystems, and riparian vegetation.
Quantifying dynamic range in red blood cell energetics: Evidence of progressive energy failure during storage.

Background During storage, red blood cells (RBCs) undergo significant biochemical and morphologic changes, referred to collectively as the "storage lesion". It was hypothesized that these defects may arise from disrupted oxygen-based regulation of RBC energy metabolism, with resultant depowering of intrinsic antioxidant systems. Study design and methods As a function of storage duration, the dynamic range in RBC metabolic response to three models of biochemical oxidant stress (methylene blue, hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase, and diamide) was assessed, comparing glycolytic flux by NMR and UHPLC-MS methodologies. Blood was processed/stored under standard conditions (AS-1 additive solution) with leukoreduction. Over a 6-week period, RBC metabolic and antioxidant status were assessed at baseline and following exposure to the three biochemical oxidant models. Comparison was made of glycolytic flux (1 H-NMR tracking of [2-13 C]-glucose and metabolomic phenotyping with [1,2,3-13 C3 ] glucose), reducing equivalent (NADPH/NADP+ ) recycling, and thiol-based (GSH/GSSG) antioxidant status. Results As a function of storage duration, we observed the following: (1) a reduction in baseline hexose monophosphate pathway (HMP) flux, the sole pathway responsible for the regeneration of the essential reducing equivalent NADPH; with (2) diminished stress-based dynamic range in both overall glycolytic as well as proportional HMP flux. In addition, progressive with storage duration, RBCs showed (3) constraint in reducing equivalent (NADPH) recycling capacity, (4) loss of thiol based (GSH) recycling capacity, and (5) dysregulation of metabolon assembly at the cytoplasmic domain of Band 3 membrane protein (cdB3). Conclusion Blood storage disturbs normal RBC metabolic control, depowering antioxidant capacity and enhancing vulnerability to oxidative injury.
“Behind each beautiful painting is a child longing to be free”: Deep visual listening and children’s art during times of crisis:

“Deep visual listening and children’s art during times of crisis” explores a way to understand children’s art created amidst crisis as well as the meanings we can discern from it through the lens o...
Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak and Pneumocephalus after FESS

The patient is a 75-year-old male with a history of chronic rhinosinusitis for years, status post balloon sinuplasty with recurrence of sinonasal symptoms including chronic nasal congestion, recurrent sinusitis, facial pressure, frontal headaches, and post nasal drip which had been refractory to daily large-volume saline irrigations, topical corticosteroids and several courses of antibiotics and prednisone. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) was recommended and the patient underwent bilateral maxillary antrostomies, anterior ethmoidectomies, and frontal sinusotomies by an outside otolaryngologist. The patient called the office on postoperative day 1 (POD1) and noted left greater than right copious nasal discharge and conservative management was advised. On POD2, he then developed severe bitemporal headache, nausea, vomiting, and chills. Significantly, he reported his headache was exacerbated when standing and improved when lying down. He was advised to proceed to the emergency room, where postoperative imaging was consistent with extensive pneumocephalus and an unrecognized skull base bony defect at the junction of the fovea ethmoidalis and lateral lamella of the cribriform plate at the time of FESS (Fig. 11.1). Otolaryngology was consulted, and the patient was urgently taken to the operating suite for endoscopic repair of the skull base defect and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. A 2 mm × 2 mm defect was identified just superior to the anterior ethmoid artery, along the lateral lamella, without direct arterial injury (Fig. 11.2). The area around the defect was prepared by first ligating the anterior ethmoid artery using bipolar cautery, removing the surrounding remnant ethmoid cells along the skull base and then clearing a 3–4 mm circumference of mucosa around the defect. This skull base defect was repaired using a free mucosal overlay graft harvested from the contralateral nasal floor and secured with fibrin glue and resorbable nasal packing. Postoperatively, he noted improvement of his headache and he was subsequently discharged in stable condition and has been doing well at follow-up. He has smooth re-mucosalization of the left ethmoid skull base (Fig. 11.2c).
A Goal-Setting and Goal-Striving Model to Better Understand and Control the Weight of U.S. Ethnic Group Members

This conceptual paper develops a refined theoretical goal-setting and goal-striving model regarding U.S. ethnic group members’ weight-control motivations and decision-making processes in order to better understand the reasons for their weight and to guide the development of effective health-coping strategies and intervention programmes regarding health disparities in general and weight control in particular. It advances our understanding by proposing how individuals’ different types of goals affect behaviour in the goal-striving stage and that the construct of hope can have a moderating effect on both the goal-setting and goal-striving stages. This paper theoretically demonstrates that for some people, keeping their body weight well controlled can be challenging, but nonetheless can aid in the development of effective strategies to control the weight of U.S. ethnic group members.
Failure to Rescue After Cardiac Surgery at Minority-Serving Hospitals: Room for Improvement.

Abstract Background Despite living closer to high-performing centers, minority patients reportedly receive care at lower-quality hospitals. Investigating opportunities for improvement at minority-serving hospitals may help attenuate disparities in care among cardiothoracic surgery patients. We sought to investigate the relationship between hospital quality and failure-to-rescue (FTR). Methods Over 451,000 cardiac surgery patients from 2000-2011 at minority-serving hospitals (MSH) were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. After stratifying patients by hospital mortality quartile, outcomes at poorly performing MSH were compared to those at high-performing MSH. Propensity-score matching was used for comparisons. Results Though patients at poorly performing centers were more likely black, there were no significant differences in admission status (urgent vs elective), income, insurance, or risk before matching. There were no differences in comorbidities between low- and high-performing MSH including chronic lung disease, coagulopathy, hypertension, and renal failure. While complications remained similar across mortality quartiles (29%, 32%, 31%, 36% respectively; p Conclusions Improving timely management of complications after cardiac surgery may serve as a promising opportunity for increasing quality of care at MSH. When considering centralization of care in cardiac surgery, equal emphasis should be placed on collaboration between tertiary care centers and low-quality MSH to mitigate disparities in care.
A System for Monitoring Student Behavior

(1980). A System for Monitoring Student Behavior. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 51, No. 5, pp. 25-25.
The Collider Dipole Magnet Program

The Superconducting Super Collider will consist of more large superconducting magnets than have been built to date. Over 12,000 superconducting magnets are required and more than 8,000 will be Collider dipoles. The dipole magnet program is on the critical path of the project and requires the optimized utilization of the Nation’s resources —National Laboratories, Universities and Industry. General Dynamics and Westinghouse Electric Corporation have been chosen as the Leader and Follower companies for the design of producible magnets and the manufacturing of the SSC dipoles. Industry has the necessary experience, skills and facilities required to produce reliable and cost effective dipole magnets. At peak production, 10 CDMs per day, very large quantities (nearly 130 metric tonnes/day) of materials will have to be procured from companies nationwide and fabricated into defect-free magnets. A key element of the SSCL’s strategy to produce the most efficient CDM program is to employ the Leader-Follower approach, with the Leader transferring technology from the laboratories to the Leader’s facility, fully integrating the Follower in the producibility and tooling/factory design efforts, and assisting the Follower in magnet qualification tests. General Dynamics is ready to help build America’s most powerful research tool. Management is in place, the facilities are ready for activation and our resources are available for immediate assignment.
Comprehension of Fish Consumption Guidelines Among Older Male Anglers in Wisconsin

Although awareness of Wisconsin's fish consumption guidelines is high among older male anglers, little is known about comprehension of guideline content, and many anglers have levels of contaminants high enough to be associated with adverse health outcomes. The Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative supported evaluation and revision of Wisconsin's fish consumption guideline program, using a web based survey of male Wisconsin anglers over the age of 50. A total of 3740 men completed the online survey; the median age of respondents was 62 years, and nearly all had lived and fished in Wisconsin for over 10 years. Comprehension of guideline content was relatively high, although two knowledge gaps were identified, one relating to mercury exposures and fish preparation, and the other to polychlorinated biphenyl content of certain fish species. The fishing regulations booklet distributed with annual fishing licenses and warning signs posted at fishing locations were commonly reported sources of guideline information in Wisconsin. Residents of coastal counties and consumers of Great Lakes fish were more likely to report guideline knowledge and behavior changes reflective of guideline knowledge, when compared to inland residents and those not consuming Great Lakes fish, respectively. In general, Wisconsin's consumption guidelines do not appear to discourage men from eating the fish they catch; rather, the most common behavioral changes included modifying the species eaten or the water body source of their meals. Continued efforts to educate anglers about the risks and benefits of fish consumption are needed.
Development of a reversible vas deferens occlusive device. I. Anatomical size of the human and dog vas deferens.

Considerations important to the development of reversible vas deferens occlusive devices are presented. A system was developed to gauge the internal diameter of the vas deferens. The mean size (plus or minus the standard deviation) of the largest gauge that could be entered into the vas without resistance ("no resistance") was .85 plus or minus .071 mm for the human and .77 plus or minus .075 mm for the dog. The mean size of the gauge that on insertion into the vas met with notable resistance ("significant resistance") was 1.06 plus or minus .124 mm for the human and .98 plus or minus .085 for the dog (mean E standard deviations). A smaller variance was noted among the "no resistance" than among the "significant resistance" group. The mean outside diameter of the human vas was 2.85 plus or minus .43 mm. A relationship was found between the internal and external size of the vas but this relationship was not sufficient to predict luminal diameter based on vas deferens outside diameter. Size variations frequently occurred between the right and left vasa of same individuals. From these studies the dog appears to be an excellent candidate for reversible occlusive device implant experiments.(AUTHORS MODIFIED)
An Advocacy/Empowerment Model of Organizing: Developing University-Agency Partnerships

Abstract This article examines an advocacy/empowerment model of organizing as a framework for developing university/community agency partnerships in the delivery of social work field instruction in new sites. Application of the model's four main components—outreach, partnership, direction planning, and change—is demonstrated in three case studies involving the social work field education office and diverse frontline community agencies. The partnerships developed through this model enable the university and community agencies to share in creating and implementing field opportunities that prepare students for emerging social work practice arenas.
Qualitative Research: A Discussion of Frequently Articulated Qualms (FAQs)

Common issues related to conducting and reviewing qualitative research are examined. Questions of sample size, reliability, validity, generalizability and quality, along with the primary aim of qualitative approaches are addressed relative to the philosophical foundations and epistemological assumptions of qualitative inquiry.
Learning to plan in complex domains

Most real-world domains involve large search spaces with large amounts of subgoal interaction. Problems in these domains usually require finding a solution that best meets a set of goals and constraints. Finding such a solution often requires optimizing several real-valued performance measures, as well as satisfying a set of Boolean constraints. Most learning planners have concentrated on problems completely defined by Boolean constraints and have ignored real-valued performance measures. These problems have had low subgoal interaction and small search spaces. We introduce a new general learning problem solver for complex real-world problems.
Regulatory Challenges in Microbicide Development

Topical vaginal microbicides to prevent HIV infection are urgently needed. Recent scientific progress has identified potential new molecular targets for microbicides, and six older candidates are starting phase III trials. However, regulatory hurdles to licensure risk delaying future availability in developing countries unless these obstacles are pro-actively addressed. Although clear safety and efficacy data for microbicides are essential, risk-benefit profiles differ enormously between developed countries, which by default dominate global regulatory decisions, and developing regions where microbicides are needed most. This Policy Forum suggests actions to avoid regulatory logjams in making safe and efficacious microbicides available to women in resource-poor, HIV-prevalent settings.
Cytology of beet yellows virus infection inTetragonia

The distribution of beet yellows virus in parenchyma cells ofTetragonia expansa Murr. leaves and the pathologic changes in these cells were studied with light and electron microscopes. Segments of leaves of various ages were collected from systemically infected plants. Virus particles were in parenchyma cells of the veins and the mesophyll. In younger leaves virus particles were only in the cytoplasm, in older leaves virus was present also in the nuclei. The earliest abnormality in infected cells was the formation of vesicles containing networks of fine fibrils. The vesicles were in aggregates as large as or larger than the nuclei. In the highly vacuolated mesophyll cells, the aggregates protruded into vacuoles and assumed the form of amorphous inclusion bodies as seen with the light microscope. The vesicle aggregates contained virus particles. The chloroplasts were not materially affected by the infection except when the entire cell was undergoing necrosis. Mitochondria assumed ameboid forms in some cells, but appeared normal in most others. Certain membrane-bound enclaves, containing fragments of membranes, were possibly derived from mitochondria. Nuclei containing virus aggregates showed no other obvious abnormalities. In some cells ribosomes appeared to be degenerating.
Disk management for object-oriented databases

An object-oriented database provides persistent storage for a large number of objects. These objects may be very small, and the access patterns are likely to be not as uniform as the mostly sequential reads and writes seen in file-systems. For example, the 007 benchmark for object-oriented databases specifies a number of traversals that follow pointers around a graph of objects. Given these differences between file-systems and object-oriented databases, disk management techniques used in file-systems will not perform well if naively applied to object-oriented databases. This paper proposes three disk management strategies for object-oriented databases. These strategies are based on earlier work on file-systems. They differ from this earlier work in their support for a large number of small objects and non-sequential access patterns. >
Visual-vestibular interaction during rotation about the Earth horizontal axis

Summary form only given. Seven human subjects were tested for visual-vestibular interaction (VVI) in a constant-velocity Earth horizontal axis (EHA) yaw rotation. This so-called barbecue-spit rotation provides an angular acceleration pulse to the horizontal semicircular canals and a constantly rotating gravity vector to the otolith organs. The subjects were tested with their eyes open in the dark (EOD), while fixating on a target rotating with them (FIX), and while counting stationary optokinetic stripes (VVR). The magnitude parameters for the canal mediated response (AMP) and those of the otolith mediated response (MOD and BIAS) were measured in each of the VVI conditions. In the VVR paradigm, AMP values were slightly below those of EOD. Averaged over all subjects, MOD values were greater for the VVR paradigm than that of the EOF paradigm. The FIX results suggest that canal and otolith mediated vestibular responses are suppressed using a small-angle fixation target in a similar way. The VVR results suggest that the gain of the otolith mediated parameters of BIAS and MOD may increase by a factor of nearly four when subjected to an illuminated surround. >
Performance of Fourier series in line transect simulations

Performance of Fourier Series is assessed for density estimation problems involving the line transect census method. Simu lated populations of objects characterized by various distributions (Poisson, aggre gated, and uniform) are gener ated to examine important stochastic variables, including detection function, sample size, object movement, and several kinds of observer measurement errors. Circumstances are identified where FS performance is generally acceptable and where alternate models should be sought.
The Lecture Classroom Environment and its Effects on Change in Computer Anxiety of Students Taking Computer Proficiency Classes

This study looked at characteristics of the classroom environment and their relationship to reduction of computer anxiety in students taking college computer proficiency courses. The College and University Lecture Classroom Environment Inventory was developed for this study as a means to assess the classroom environment. Pre- and posttest data were utilized to assess computer anxiety levels as well as gather additional information about the classroom environment and provide demographic data for comparison with computer anxiety. Weak correlations were found between students' change in computer anxiety and students' perceptions of the classroom environment. Significant differences were found in changes of computer anxiety among students who indicated that they had sought or received assistance from the instructor and those who indicated that the instructor had said or done something during the semester to alleviate their fears and apprehension about working on a computer.
Let's make the DNA identification database as inclusive as possible.

The more comprehensive our DNA database, the more useful it is for identifying perpetrators and lifting suspicion from innocents. By excluding persons never arrested, our database will come to hold DNA profiles of nearly seventy-five percent of adult males and ninety percent of black males. Privacy is threatened not by the database but by government retention of tissue samples after analysis of the tiny fraction of DNA that yields the uniquely identifying profile. Public safety and privacy would best be protected by routinely destroying samples while deliberately constructing a comprehensive database.
College cannabis use: the unique roles of social norms, motives, and expectancies.

Objective:Given that the majority of college cannabis use occurs in social situations, descriptive norms (beliefs about others’ use) and injunctive norms (others’ approval of risky use) may be particularly relevant to cannabis-related behaviors. Yet, little research has examined the unique impact of these norms on one’s own behaviors when accounting for the variance attributable to other relevant cognitive factors. The current study is the first known investigation of the unique impact of social norms, cannabis use motives, and cannabis effect expectancies on cannabis use.Method:Data came from 223 (64.1% female) current cannabis-using undergraduates who completed an online questionnaire in exchange for psychology-course research credit.Results:Descriptive norms regarding friends (not students in general) and injunctive norms (friends and parents) were related to cannabis use frequency. Descriptive norms (friends, not students in general) and injunctive norms (friends, not parents) were related to cannabis...
Experimental investigation of formation time in single-gap pseudospark discharge

Experiment results on the formation of pseudospark discharge in single-gap device are presented. The formation process is investigated by capacitive probes and shows two phases: a slow ignition phase and a fast current increasing phase. The ignition of the discharge is found to be synchronous with a high speed ionization wave propagating from cathode to anode. Transition to the high current phase is initiated when the ionization front reaches the anode side. The experimental results on four different gap widths are presented under different pressures. The characteristic time of the ignition phase of the discharge is decreased with increasing pressure in all four gap widths. The mean velocity of the observed ionization front varies from 5.4 × 10 to 1.7 × 103 cm µs−1 under the investigated pressures. In four gap widths, the velocity of the ionization front can be fitted by one given curve as an exponential decline function of E/P.
Chaos Theory and Its Applications to the Atmosphere

A brief overview of chaos theory is presented, including bifurcations, routes to turbulence, and methods for characterizing chaos. The paper divides chaos applications in atmospheric sciences into three categories: new ideas and insights inspired by chaos, analysis of observational data, and analysis of output from numerical models. Based on the review of chaos theory and the classification of chaos applications, suggestions for future work are given.
Kinetics of NH3 decomposition on iron at high temperatures*1

The kinetics of NH3 decomposition on polycrystalline iron wires between 600 and 1250 K and pressures between 0.05 and 1 Torr are measured and correlated with examination by SEM and AES. Reproducible rates are obtained in pure NH3 which can be fit accurately at all temperatures and pressures by a Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) unimolecular rate expression with reaction and desorption activation energies of 49,600 and 39,600 cal/mole, respectively. Hydrogen alters the decomposition rate to a higher value which for high hydrogen pressures is independent of PH2 and can also be fit by a LH expression. Results are interpreted in terms of surface nitride in pure NH3 and nitride-free iron in hydrogen. Reaction in NH3 produces much more rapid and extensive facetting than does heating in vacuum, and repeated cycling through the α-γ phase transition in NH3 produces even more extensive facetting of the surface. This is apparently caused by preferential attack of NH3 at dislocations induced at the surface by the phase transformation. No discontinuity in rate was observed in crossing the transition temperature.
A fluorometric determination of zinc and cadmium

Abstract A comprehensive fluorometric study on the analytical application of the zinc-N-8-quinolyl-p-toluene-sulfonamide chelate and cadmium-N-8-quinolyl-p-toluene-sulfonamide chelate has been done. This paper reports the adherence to Beers Law in the 10−4 to 10−6 M range using chloroform as the solvent, the excitation and emission spectra of the chelates and the composition of the complexes. The effect of added foreign ions on the determinations and photodecomposition of the chelates has also been described.