cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of rapid screening and pre-emptive contact isolation for detecting and controlling methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in critical care: an interventional cohort study.

Rapid diagnostic tests may allow early identification of previously unknown methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers at intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The aim of this study was twofold: first, to assess whether a new molecular MRSA screening test can substantially decrease the time between ICU admission and identification of MRSA carriers; and, second, to examine the combined effect of rapid testing and pre-emptive contact isolation on MRSA infections. Since November 2003, patients admitted for longer than 24 hours to two adult ICUs were screened systematically on admission using quick, multiplex immunocapture-coupled PCR (qMRSA). Median time intervals from admission to notification of test results were calculated for a five-month intervention phase (November 2003–March 2004) and compared with a historical control period (April 2003–October 2003) by nonparametric tests. ICU-acquired MRSA infection rates were determined for an extended surveillance period (January 2003 through August 2005) and analyzed by Poisson regression methods. During the intervention phase, 97% (450/462) of patients admitted to the surgical ICU and 80% (470/591) of patients admitted to the medical ICU were screened. On-admission screening identified the prevalence of MRSA to be 6.7% (71/1053). Without admission screening, 55 previously unknown MRSA carriers would have been missed in both ICUs. Median time from ICU admission to notification of test results decreased from 87 to 21 hours in the surgical ICU (P < 0.001) and from 106 to 23 hours in the medical ICU (P < 0.001). In the surgical ICU, 1,227 pre-emptive isolation days for 245 MRSA-negative patients were saved by using the qMRSA test. After adjusting for colonization pressure, the systematic on-admission screening and pre-emptive isolation policy was associated with a reduction in medical ICU acquired MRSA infections (relative risk 0.3, 95% confidence interval 0.1–0.7) but had no effect in the surgical ICU (relative risk 1.0, 95% confidence interval 0.6–1.7). The qMRSA test decreased median time to notification from four days to one day and helped to identify previously unknown MRSA carriers rapidly. A strategy linking the rapid screening test to pre-emptive isolation and cohorting of MRSA patients substantially reduced MRSA cross-infections in the medical but not in the surgical ICU.
Re-colonization by common eiders Somateria mollissima in the Aleutian Archipelago following removal of introduced arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus

Islands provide refuges for populations of many species where they find safety from predators, but the introduction of predators frequently results in elimination or dramatic reductions in island-dwelling organisms. When predators are removed, re-colonization for some species occurs naturally, and inter-island phylogeographic relationships and current movement patterns can illuminate processes of colonization. We studied a case of re-colonization of common eiders Somateria mollissima following removal of introduced arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus in the Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska. We expected common eiders to resume nesting on islands cleared of foxes and to re-colonize from nearby islets, islands, and island groups. We thus expected common eiders to show limited genetic structure indicative of extensive mixing among island populations. Satellite telemetry was used to record current movement patterns of female common eiders from six islands across three island groups. We collected genetic data from these and other nesting common eiders at 14 microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial DNA control region to examine population genetic structure, historical fluctuations in population demography, and gene flow. Our results suggest recent interchange among islands. Analysis of microsatellite data supports satellite telemetry data of increased dispersal of common eiders to nearby areas and little between island groups. Although evidence from mtDNA is suggestive of female dispersal among island groups, gene flow is insufficient to account for recolonization and rapid population growth. Instead, near-by remnant populations of common eiders contributed substantially to population expansion, without which re-colonization would have likely occurred at a much lower rate. Genetic and morphometric data of common eiders within one island group two and three decades after re-colonization suggests reduced movement of eiders among islands and little movement between island groups after populations were re-established. We predict that re-colonization of an island group where all common eiders are extirpated could take decades.
Volunteered Geographic Information, Actor-Network Theory, and Severe-Storm Reports

In this chapter, we will use actor-network theory to describe a decentralized, heterogeneous storm-spotting and storm-chasing network in the United States, which connects human-sensor observations in the field with operational meteorologists in the center of calculation and with television media as the recipients and public distributors of official severe-weather watches and warnings. In the first section, we present actor-network theory as a conceptual framework for describing the co-construction of society and technology and the centering processes associated with scientific laboratories and government agencies. In the second section, we demonstrate the use of actor-network theory (ANT) through a descriptive case study of the storm-spotter and storm-chaser network, which encompasses both decentralized and centralized processes. Finally, we analyze the centering processes that the National Weather Service (NWS) uses to mobilize, stabilize, and combine VGI storm reports with their existing technologies.
General Method for Modeling Slope Discontinuities and T-Sections Using ANCF Gradient Deficient Finite Elements

Slope discontinuities and T-sections can be modeled in a straight forward manner using fully parameterized absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) finite elements that have a complete set of gradient vectors. Linear transformations that define the element connectivity can always be obtained and used to preserve ANCF desirable features that include constant mass matrix and zero Coriolis and centrifugal forces in the case of spinning structures. The objective of this paper is to develop a general method that allows for modeling slope discontinuities and T-sections using gradient deficient ANCF finite elements that do not have a complete set of coordinate lines and gradient vectors. Linear connectivity conditions that preserve all the ANCF desirable features including the constant mass matrix are developed at the nodes of slope discontinuities. At these nodes of discontinuity, one can always define a complete set of independent coordinate lines that lie on the structure. These coordinate lines can be used to define a complete set of independent gradient vectors at these nodes. Since the proposed method is based on linear coordinate transformations, the method can be implemented in a preprocessor computer program. The application of the proposed general method is demonstrated using ANCF gradient deficient beam element example.
A system for assessing toxicity of chemicals by continuous monitoring of homecage behaviors

A noninvasive system is described for continuous recording of behaviors in the home cages of rats. Commercially available mesh cages were used so as to conform with housing conditions in most toxicological studies. A minicomputer controlled environmental lighting and recorded eating, drinking, rearing, and horizontal activity. The system's sensitivity was comparable to more complex systems. Validity was demonstrated through manipulation of environmental lighting, food deprivation, and the effects of amphetamine, scopolamine, ethanol, methylscopolamine, triethyltin, and trimethyltin. Advantages over other systems are practicality, economy, the simultaneous analyses of several naturalistic behaviors of individual rats, and the quantification of diurnal rhythms.
OBSERVATIONS OF THE INFRARED TRIPLET OF SINGLY IONIZED CALCIUM

Solar IR triplet of singly ionized Ca, suggesting limb darkening caused by chromospheric inhomogeneities for source function inequality
Broadband proton decoupling for in vivo brain spectroscopy in humans

A new decoupling sequence, PBAR, is described for broadband heteronuclear decoupling in vivo in humans at 1.5T. The sequence uses non-adiabatic, frequency- and amplitude-modulated inversion pulses designed to minimize decoupling sidebands at low applied gammaB(2) RF field levels and to cover only the narrow range of resonance offsets encountered in practice. The offset dependence of the decoupling efficiency of PBAR is demonstrated and compared to the conventional WALTZ-4 sequence. At the same average power levels, PBAR had slightly reduced bandwidth but significantly less intense decoupling sidebands. Applications of PBAR are shown in vivo in the human brain both for (31)P and natural abundance (13)C spectroscopy using volume decoupling coils. The PBAR sequence allows whole brain [(1)H]-[13]C decoupling to be performed at 1.5T with a standard head coil within FDA guidelines for RF power deposition. Magn Reson Med 45:226-232, 2001.
Mapping attractor fields in face space: the atypicality bias in face recognition

Abstract A familiar face can be recognized across many changes in the stimulus input. In this research, the many-to-one mapping of face stimuli to a single face memory is referred to as a face memory's `attractor field'. According to the attractor field approach, a face memory will be activated by any stimuli falling within the boundaries of its attractor field. It was predicted that by virtue of its location in a multi-dimensional face space, the attractor field of an atypical face will be larger than the attractor field of a typical face. To test this prediction, subjects make likeness judgments to morphed faces that contained a 50/50 contribution from an atypical and a typical parent face. The main result of four experiments was that the morph face was judged to bear a stronger resemblance to the atypical face parent than the typical face parent. The computational basis of the atypicality bias was demonstrated in a neural network simulation where morph inputs of atypical and typical representations elicited stronger activation of atypical output units than of typical output units. Together, the behavioral and simulation evidence supports the view that the attractor fields of atypical faces span over a broader region of face space that the attractor fields of typical faces.
Travel behavior in neo-traditional neighborhood developments: A case study in USA

Although previous research has supported the view that neo-traditional or new urbanist designs result in more walking activity, several questions remain: Do residents of these neighborhoods substitute walking for driving trips, or do they make more trips overall? What is the role of self-selection of residents in these developments? This paper aims to address these questions by examining differences in travel behavior in a matched pair of neighborhoods (one conventional and one neo-traditional) in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, North Carolina. A detailed behavioral survey of 453 households and two-stage regression models suggest that single-family households in the neo-traditional development make a similar number of total trips, but significantly fewer automobile trips and fewer external trips, and they travel fewer miles, than households in the conventional neighborhood, even after controlling for demographic characteristics of the households and for resident self-selection. The findings suggest that households in the neo-traditional development substitute driving trips with walking trips.
Flexible microelectrode arrays to interface epicardial electrical signals with intracardial calcium transients in zebrafish hearts.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an emerging genetic model for regenerative medicine. In humans, myocardial infarction results in the irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes. However, zebrafish hearts fully regenerate after a 20% ventricular resection, without either scarring or arrhythmias. To study this cardiac regeneration, we developed implantable flexible multi-microelectrode membrane arrays that measure the epicardial electrocardiogram signals of zebrafish in real-time. The microelectrode electrical signals allowed for a high level of both temporal and spatial resolution (~20 μm), and the signal to noise ratio of the epicardial ECG was comparable to that of surface electrode ECG (7.1 dB vs. 7.4 dB, respectively). Processing and analysis of the signals from the microelectrode array demonstrated distinct ECG signals: namely, atrial conduction (P waves), ventricular contraction (QRS), and ventricular repolarization (QT interval). The electrical signals were in synchrony with optically measured Calcium concentration gradients in terms of d[Ca2+]/dt at both whole heart and tissue levels. These microelectrodes therefore provide a real-time analytical tool for monitoring conduction phenotypes of small vertebral animals with a high temporal and spatial resolution.
Dynamics of semibatch polymerization reactors: I. Theoretical analysis

The dynamics of semibatch reactors is often neglected in the literature despite their industrial importance. This article analyzes the stability and dynamic behavior of semibatch polymerization reactors operated according to a flow scheduling strategy designed to impart a steady-state nature to the dynamics of these essentially transient reactors. It can also improve the operation of these reactors, especially the quality of the polymer produced (such as molecular weight distribution and polymer composition). In the proposed strategy of flow rate scheduling, the intensive states of the reactor can be made to reach steady-state values. A comparison of the dynamics of the proposed and classical operating strategies illustrates this possibility. Further dynamic analysis reveals the emergence of phenomena characteristic of continuous operation in a CSTR. Examples are multiplicity of the trajectories, limit cycle oscillations, as well as nonhomogeneous oscillations belonging to a period doubling cascade. Operation in a sequential semibatch mode is discussed, as well as the importance of selecting parameters for the fillup and discharge operation. In this mode of operation either periodic or chaotic behavior is obtained. The effect of both on polymer properties is studied in detail.
The Acute Neutrophil Response Mediated by S100 Alarmins during Vaginal Candida Infections Is Independent of the Th17-Pathway

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) caused by Candida albicans affects a significant number of women during their reproductive ages. Clinical observations revealed that a robust vaginal polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) migration occurs in susceptible women, promoting pathological inflammation without affecting fungal burden. Evidence to date in the mouse model suggests that a similar acute PMN migration into the vagina is mediated by chemotactic S100A8 and S100A9 alarmins produced by vaginal epithelial cells in response to Candida. Based on the putative role for the Th17 response in mucosal candidiasis as well as S100 alarmin induction, this study aimed to determine whether the Th17 pathway plays a role in the S100 alarmin-mediated acute inflammation during VVC using the experimental mouse model. For this, IL-23p19−/−, IL-17RA−/− and IL-22−/− mice were intravaginally inoculated with Candida, and vaginal lavage fluids were evaluated for fungal burden, PMN infiltration, the presence of S100 alarmins and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Compared to wild-type mice, the cytokine-deficient mice showed comparative levels of vaginal fungal burden and PMN infiltration following inoculation. Likewise, inoculated mice of all strains with substantial PMN infiltration exhibited elevated levels of vaginal S100 alarmins in both vaginal epithelia and secretions in the vaginal lumen. Finally, cytokine analyses of vaginal lavage fluid from inoculated mice revealed equivalent expression profiles irrespective of the Th17 cytokine status or PMN response. These data suggest that the vaginal S100 alarmin response to Candida does not require the cells or cytokines of the Th17 lineage, and therefore, the immunopathogenic inflammatory response during VVC occurs independently of the Th17-pathway.
A Cloud Computing Based Network Monitoring and Threat Detection System for Critical Infrastructures

Critical infrastructure systems perform functions and missions that are essential for our national economy, health, and security. These functions are vital to commerce, government, and society and are closely interrelated with people's lives. To provide highly secured critical infrastructure systems, a scalable, reliable and robust threat monitoring and detection system should be developed to efficiently mitigate cyber threats. In addition, big data from threat monitoring systems pose serious challenges for cyber operations because an ever growing number of devices in the system and the amount of complex monitoring data collected from critical infrastructure systems require scalable methods to capture, store, manage, and process the big data. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a cloud computing based network monitoring and threat detection system to make critical infrastructure systems secure. Our proposed system consists of three main components: monitoring agents, cloud infrastructure, and an operation center. To build our proposed system, we use both Hadoop MapReduce and Spark to speed up data processing by separating and processing data streams concurrently. With a real-world data set, we conducted real-world experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of our developed network monitoring and threat detection system in terms of network monitoring, threat detection, and system performance. Our empirical data indicates that the proposed system can efficiently monitor network activities, find abnormal behaviors, and detect network threats to protect critical infrastructure systems.
Tissue effects of chemotherapeutic agents in children with solid tumors

The cases of 21 children and young adults with solid neoplasms, who died and were autopsied at the University of Wisconsin Hospital between 1967 and 1980, have been reviewed in order to ascertain adverse effects of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. The main purposes of this review were to relate toxicity to specific chemotherapy in childhood neoplasms and to correlate possible toxic synergisms between radiotherapy and chemotherapy in children who received both forms of therapy. Results show that tissue toxicity correlates with the dosage (per m2) for most chemotherapeutic agents. The data suggest that the amount of drug administration per dosage as well as total amount of chemotherapeutic agents given closely correlate with tissue toxicity. Some patients showed no clinically apparent signs of toxicity prior to autopsy, although histopathological evidence of tissue toxicity was observed. Irreversible toxic tissue changes should be recognized as a long-term effect in the chemotherapeutic treatment of childh...
Drug Abuse, Dreams, and Nightmares

Craving is a concept with good face validity and poor construct validity. The difficulties measuring craving includes that it varies by time, by environment, by the amount of stress, by one’s state of mood, that it may be partially unconscious and that there is no clearly established concept of what exactly is being measured. Neural mechanisms of drug craving are reviewed. The ventral tegmentum is central to craving. It is connected to limbic and cortical structures that help the organism learn to find alcohol and drugs via the establishment of drug cues that intensify craving. The “dream on” mechanism and the subcortical pathways of addiction are identical (Solms, Behav Brain Sci 23:843–850, 2000). Specimen drinking/drug dreams are provided. A possible neural mechanism of transition from heavy drinking of alcohol to physical addiction is described and tied to the onset of drinking dreams. Therefore, drinking dreams would represent a biological marker of the transition from psychological to physical addiction. With more empirical work, it is possible that drug dreams would be established as the psychological readout of the “switch mechanism” to physical addiction and persistent craving for alcohol or drugs. Drug dreams might then represent the “gold standard” for craving research because they are a direct readout of midbrain function, and become the basis of construction of scales to capture the phenomenon of craving. Drinking and drug dreams represent a biological manifestation of addiction that can be used in psychotherapy to help the patient to be conscious of their persistent urge to relapse and to understand that their brain has been permanently captured by the addictive drug; whether they use or not. Nightmares are a subset of dreams defined by the presence of alarm on awakening. Nightmares are common in the addicted population because of an increased incidence of childhood abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder. Despite the wishes of some patients to avoid using nightmares in their psychotherapy, addressing the issues raised by the nightmare is essential as part of helping the patient remain abstinent.
Abstract 548: Association Between Serum Omentin-1 Level and Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Background: In recent years, visceral adipose tissues and adipokines have been implicated to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). Omentin-1(OM-1) is a novel adipokine shown to be associated with chronic inflammatory diseases, insulin resistance, obesity and carotid atherosclerosis. Recent studies have shown OM-1 as a modulator of vascular function via endothelium-dependent vasodilation. OM-1 plays a role in vascular inflammation as it suppresses cytokine-stimulated expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells. The association of CAD and OM-1 remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to conduct a meta-analysis to determine the relationship between serum OM-1 levels and CAD. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CIINHAL and COCHRANE databases for studies reporting serum OM-1 levels in the CAD and non-CAD study population. We included case controls, cohort and cross-sectional studies. We calculated the weighted standardized mean difference (SMD) in serum OM-1 levels between the CAD and control groups. Results: Our search strategy yielded 31 articles and we included 5 case control and 1 cross-sectional study enrolling 844 participants. The median age of the CAD group was 64yrs (IQR 62.3 - 65.76) compared to 61.93yrs (IQR 60.18 - 62.97) in the control group. The median percentage of female population in the CAD group was 39.25(IQR 29.13 - 53.7) compared to 43.5(IQR 26.92 - 43.5) in the control group. The unweighted median serum OM-1 levels in the CAD group were 103.6ng/ml (IQR 39.2 - 110.91) compared to 130.9ng/ml (IQR 62.6 - 370.65) in the control group. The SMD of OM-1 level was -2.27 (95% CI -3.44, -1.09) p Conclusion: Serum OM-1 level is independently and negatively associated with CAD. Further studies are needed to define the role of OM-1 in the pathogenesis of CAD and its potential to serve as a novel biomarker.
White House Review of Agency Rulemaking: An Empirical Investigation

This paper seeks to investigate White House oversight of agency rulemaking. Specifically, the paper analyses White House review of agency rulemaking accomplished through the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) as required by executive order. It examines White House review of rulemaking from the first Reagan Administration through the second Clinton Administration, focusing especially on the Clinton era. The paper examines such factors as the number of rules the OIRA reviews, the number of rules reviewed from different agencies, the amount of resources OIRA commits to rulemaking review, the frequency with which the White House approves submitted rules without requiring changes, and the frequency with which the White House requires a change in submitted rules. The analysis also examines the types of interests that meet with OIRA concerning rules under review and tests for correlations between, for example, the types of interests that meeting with OIRA, on the one hand, and the fate of rules the subject of such meetings, on the other. In addition to several specific findings, this paper concludes generally that, from the early 1980s through the mid 1990s, the White House used the review process to have a greater influence over agency rulemaking, focusing on fewer rules over the years while requiring a change in a greater percentage, though in an apparently evenhanded way that did not work to the advantage of certain types of interests and the disadvantage of others.
A Time Interval Trapping Device for Surveying with Pheromones in the Field

A timed trapping devise which utilizes the trap that was the most effective for capturing male oriental fruit moth, Grapholitha molesta (Busck), lesser appleworm, Grapholitha prunivora (Walsh), and pecan bud moth, Gretchena bolliana (Slingerland), and was also one of the most effective for capturing male lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes (Grote and Robinson), and peachtree borer, Sanninoidea exitiosa (Say), was designed and constructed to study response of each species to their respective pheromone sources in the field at different times in the day. Details on the design and construction of the timed trapping device are described.
A Streptobacillus from Urine

In the routine bacteriologic examination of specimens of catheterized urine we have repeatedly isolated an organism which we were unable to identify with any of the bacteria described in the literature available. As it occurs in the urine, the organism bears a striking morophogic resemblance to a long chain of streptococcus. In early subcultures on solid media it is coccoid, but later becomes definitely bacillary in form. In fluid media there is constant chain formation. We believe therefore that this organism should be included among the streptobacilli. Attention is called to this streptobacillus on account of the readiness with which it may be confused with the streptococcus. At first regarded as a contamination, it was not until its association with bladder symptoms was noted, that a more extensive study of its cultural and biologic characteristics was undertaken.
The Stability of Depot Fat from Broilers Fed Rations Containing Animal Fats Treated with Various Antioxidants

Abstract Previous results have shown that stabilized animal fat increases the stability of vitamin A and carotene during storage (Siedler et al., 1957). These studies have been extended to include the effects of feeding stabilized animal fat on the AOM stability of the rendered depot fat of broilers. The four experimental basal feeds used in these studies have been reported previously (Siedler et al., 1957). These feeds were supplemented with either no animal fat, 6% unstabilized animal fat, or 6% animal fat stabilized with 0.02% Santoquin (6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline), 0.02% BHT (ditertiarybutyl-para-cresol), or 0.02% DPPD (diphenyl-para-phenylenediamine). Citric acid was added at a level of 0.01% to all the antioxidant treated fat. The animal fat used was a blend of choice white grease and choice tallow. Twenty-five White Rock cockerels were fed the experimental feed ad libitum for nine weeks in duplicate experiments. Ten chicks from each group were sacrificed and the depot fats …
Impact of Chronic Pain Patients' Job Perception Variables on Actual Return to Work

Abstract:Objective:To examine the impact of preinjury job perceptions on chronic pain patients' (CPPs) return to work after pain facility treatment.Design:A total of 128 CPPs completed a series of rating scales and yes/no questions relating to their preinjury job perceptions and a question relat
Fibrinolytic disorders in obstetrics. Pathophysiology and treatment.

Widespread intravascular coagulation follows the release of thromboplastic substance into the circulation. Obstetric accidents (abruptio placentae, fetal demise, amniotic fluid embolism) are especially likely to initiate widespread coagulation. This coagulation leads to hypofibrinogenemia. Often, excess fibrinolysis will also begin as these obstetric accidents lead to excessive activation of the fibrinolytic system. Therapy begins with anticipatory management of high-risk patients.
Physical and Surgical Principles of Laser Surgery in the Lower Genital Tract

This article discusses the correct physical principles and strategies necessary to produce successful results with the CO2 laser. When the correct techniques are applied, CO2 laser treatment of HPV-associated disease within the male or female genital tract carries a primary success rate of 85% to 95%. Unless correct techniques are applied, laser surgery carries a risk of unintended thermal injury.
Systemic analgesia during labor.

Investigators in the fields of neonatology, obstetrics, and anesthesiology have increasingly directed their efforts to identifying the effects of analgesic agents administered to parturients in labor. This article examines the recent literature on the effects of systemic analgesia on the uterus, fetus, and neonate when these agents are administered to the mother during labor. Special attention is paid to the distribution and disposition of drugs administered to the parturient and to the effects of these drugs on maternal uterine activity, fetal heart rate variability, acid-base balance, neonatal respiration, and neurobehavior.
Toward a Methodology for Nonviolence

This paper will propose foundations for designing training in dealing with violence in others and in ourselves in order to become more nonviolent and thus more effective in our interactions.
Placement for General-Purpose FPGAs

Publisher Summary Placement follows technology mapping in the CAD flow and chooses a location for each block in a circuit. This chapter describes “general-purpose” placement approaches; these techniques can be used with any circuit targeting the commercial field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in widespread use today. It describes the clustering algorithms that are frequently used in conjunction with placement tools. It provides the details of three different classes of placement algorithms that include simulated annealing, partition based, and analytic. An FPGA placement algorithm takes two basic inputs: a netlist specifying the functional blocks to be implemented and the connections between them and a device map indicating which functional unit can be placed at each location. The algorithm selects a legal location for each block such that the circuit wiring is optimized. Both the legality constraints and the optimization metric depend on the FPGA architecture being targeted. A good placement is extremely important for FPGA designs—without a high-quality placement, a circuit generally cannot be successfully routed. Even if the circuit does route, a poor placement will still lead to a lower maximum operating speed and increased power consumption. The basic goal of an FPGA placement algorithm is to locate functional blocks in a way that the interconnect required to route the signals between them is minimized. FPGA placement tools can broadly be divided into routability-driven and timing-driven algorithms. Routability-driven algorithms try to create a placement that minimizes the total interconnect required, as this increases the probability of successfully routing the design.
The General Theory of Set Valued Semidynamical Systems

A set-valued mapping or correspondence, ө: r→r is defined along with a family of correspondences, parameterized by t, in the following manner: $$ {{\theta }^{0}}(X): = X $$ (3.1) $$ {{\theta }^{t}}(X): = \theta ({{\theta }^{{t - 1}}}(X))\quad \forall t\varepsilon {{{\rm N}}_{ + }} $$ (3.2) where x ∈r: Q × P. Hence Θt is the formal solution of the set valued difference equation Xt+1. Since Θ is a USC, Θt is a USC for all t ∈ N+ when Θ(X) =UX∈X Θ{X}. The family of correspondences {Θt|t ∈ N+ forms a semigroup of operators, for Θ0 is an identity operator, and for all r, s ∈ N+ and × ∈ r. Θr(Θs(X}}=Θr+s. The value of Θt(X) is the set in which motion starting in the set X will be located after the duration of length t. This semigroup is analogous to the single valued solution of a difference or differential equation in single valued systems where, for each t, an initial condition corresponding to X is mapped to some other position in the state space. For such single valued systems, {Θt} is a set of continuous mappings.
Defining Roasted Peanut Flavor Quality. Part 1. Correlation of GC Volatiles With Roast Color as an Estimate of Quality

SUMMARY A technique was developed for reproducible analysis of peanut butter volatile principles by direct gas chromatography at two purge temperatures (60° and 127° C) with flame ionization or sulfur specific flame photometric detection. Quality of peanut volatiles as well as degree of roast (e.g., several roasts of the same peanut lot with Hunter L values ranging from 60 to 40) can be measured using a uniform film of peanut butter on the wall of a glass cartridge. Examples are reported for Florunner medium (two crop years, 1985 and 1988) and Florunner #1 (1987 crop) commercial sized peanuts. All three crop year samples also had been defined for flavor quality by descriptive sensory panel analysis. Statistical correlation was made with quantities of key GC marker peaks and Hunter L-values as color indicators of degree of roast. Balanced peanut roast characteristics are present in Florunner peanuts roasted to a Hunter colorimeter L-value of 49 to 50, at which color quantities of volatile roasted peanut marker compounds are found in a rather narrow range of intensities.
EventShop: System Architecture

Based on the framework, we have developed a web-based platform called EventShop (http://auge.ics.uci.edu/eventshop/ ) that provides an easy way for different users to experiment with different data streams and recognize situations. This system operationalizes the various concepts promulgated in the framework. It provides an easy way to test and refine situation models (Chap. 5) and does so using the data representation and operation algebra presented in Chap. 6
Aggressive behavior problems.

Accurate diagnosis of the cause of aggression in horses is essential to determining the appropriate course of action. The affective forms of aggression include fear-induced, pain-induced, intermale, dominance, protective, maternal, learned, and redirected aggressions. Nonaffective aggression includes play and sex-related forms. Irritable aggression and hypertestosteronism in mares are medical problems, whereas genetic factors, brain dysfunction, and self-mutilation are also concerns.
Oil prices and the US macroeconomy

This paper examines the price of crude oil and explains how the variations in price affect selected US macroeconomic variable. Since the USA is a net importer of oil, this paper uses a balance of goods and services (BGS) model to show how oil price variation controls the balance of payment (BP) curve through money supply and exchange rates. The result shows that coefficient of money supply is −0.62 indicating that 1% increase in money supply will result in 0.62% reduction in BGS. This causes a leftward shift in BP curve, creating a deficit. The coefficient of price of oil is −0.24, implying that an increase in the price of oil will result in a decrease in the BGS and a left shift in the BP curve. Both effects shift the BP curve to the left. This depreciates the exchange rate (e) and reduces output (y).
The relationship between marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation

Increasing environmental uncertainty has focused greater attention on firms’ overall business orientations, particularly on the marketing orientation and the entrepreneurial orientation. The major ...
Endoluminal Small Bowel Procedures for Obesity and Metabolic Diseases

The small bowel is an important organ where the majority of nutrient absorption takes place. In addition, it also plays a major role in glucose homeostasis via gut hormone incretins. To date, there are two key incretin hormones that have been identified: glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which is secreted by K cells located predominantly in the duodenum and jejunum, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is secreted by L cells found primarily in the ileum and proximal colon. The incretin effect refers to a phenomenon when there is increased stimulation of insulin secretion with oral glucose intake compared to intravenous infusion of the same amount of glucose. This effect is thought to be due to incretin hormones, the function of which is enhanced by a contact between ingested nutrients and the small bowel. In addition to their effect on glucose homeostasis, GIP and GLP-1 also induce satiety and lead to delayed gastrointestinal motility.
Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in relation to levels of circulating matrix metalloproteinases in pregnant women

Phthalate exposure has been shown to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, human studies informing relevant mechanistic pathways are lacking. Experimental studies have reported that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are responsible for extracellular protein degradation, may be upregulated in response to phthalate exposure. In this exploratory study we measured urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations, plasma MMP levels, and relevant covariates among 134 pregnant women. There were statistically significant or suggestive positive relationships between several phthalates, particularly between metabolites of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, with MMP-1 and MMP-9 levels. Further research is needed to confirm these results and how they may inform the mechanisms involved between phthalate exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Urine anion gap to predict urine ammonium and related outcomes in kidney disease

Background and objectives Low urine ammonium excretion is associated with ESRD in CKD. Few laboratories measure urine ammonium, limiting clinical application. We determined correlations between urine ammonium, the standard urine anion gap, and a modified urine anion gap that includes sulfate and phosphate and compared risks of ESRD or death between these ammonium estimates and directly measured ammonium. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We measured ammonium, sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and sulfate from baseline 24-hour urine collections in 1044 African-American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension participants. We evaluated the cross-sectional correlations between urine ammonium, the standard urine anion gap (sodium + potassium − chloride), and a modified urine anion gap that includes urine phosphate and sulfate in the calculation. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models determined the associations of the standard urine anion gap and the modified urine anion gap with the composite end point of death or ESRD; these results were compared with results using urine ammonium as the predictor of interest. Results The standard urine anion gap had a weak and direct correlation with urine ammonium ( r =0.18), whereas the modified urine anion gap had a modest inverse relationship with urine ammonium ( r =−0.58). Compared with the highest tertile of urine ammonium, those in the lowest urine ammonium tertile had higher risk of ESRD or death (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 1.87) after adjusting for demographics, GFR, proteinuria, and other confounders. In comparison, participants in the corresponding standard urine anion gap tertile did not have higher risk of ESRD or death (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 1.07), whereas the risk for those in the corresponding modified urine anion gap tertile (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.68) approximated that of directly measured urine ammonium. Conclusions Urine anion gap is a poor surrogate of urine ammonium in CKD unless phosphate and sulfate are included in the calculation. Because the modified urine anion gap merely estimates urine ammonium and requires five measurements, direct measurements of urine ammonium are preferable in CKD.
Neurological Complications of Acute and Chronic Sinusitis

Acute and chronic sinusitis can give rise to a wide array of intracranial and orbital complications. These complications include brain abscess, subdural empyema, epidural abscess, meningitis, venous sinus thrombosis, frontal bone osteomyelitis, and orbital cellulitis and abscess. Despite numerous medical advances, these complications carry a risk of mortality and significant morbidity. Recent studies have shown improvement in both the mortality and the morbidity associated with the neurologic complications of acute and chronic sinusitis. However, there are still a large portion of patients with long-term sequelae, and the literature reports a morbidity rate of approximately 30%. The most common post-treatment morbidities include permanent changes in vision, seizures, and hemiparesis. Although the overall incidence of neurologic complications from a sinogenic source are rare, the potential long-term complications can be devastating making prompt diagnosis and treatment vital to improving outcomes.
Water-indexed benefits and impacts of California almonds

Abstract California almonds have been the focus of recent media scrutiny because of the large amount of water required to grow individual nuts and, by extension, for the industry as a whole. With almond orchard acreage doubling in the last two decades and becoming California’s most extensive irrigated crop, the questions arise: what are the benefits and impacts derived from this use of scarce water? Can we use this information to make decisions about growing and consuming this particular crop? We first use a water footprint approach to estimate total impact on water per unit of almond production in California, including variation in the water footprint over time (2004–2015) and across the production area. We then compare almonds to a set of other foods and crops grown in California using water footprint values and three other dimensions: nutritional value, per-unit-weight economic value, and total economic value. The water footprint of California almonds averaged 10,240 liters per kilogram kernels (or, 12 liters per almond kernel), with substantial variation over the time period analyzed. Water footprint values also varied twofold across the production area, with the smallest water footprint being in the southern counties of California’s Central Valley. In relation to dietary benefits, almonds were among the top three foods analyzed providing the greatest nutritional benefit per unit weights, however they had the highest water footprint value per unit weight. The direct economic benefits of almond production based on market sales were also greater than for any other major crop in California, however almonds again had the largest water footprint on a per-unit and aggregate basis. We find that nutritionally and economically indexed water footprint indicators provide information to better-inform discussions on the benefits and impacts of growing almonds using California’s limited water resources, relative to other crops. Such composite indices can be used in combination with more local and contextual information on water availability/scarcity, existing impacts, and agricultural conditions to better optimize water use within single crops, such as the almond industry, and among crops within a region. We propose that this approach should be used to inform political- and value-weighted decisions about agricultural water allocation in California and beyond.
New pieces in the BTKi resistance puzzle

In this issue of Blood, Chen et al1 report about novel mechanisms of ibrutinib resistance related to BTK Cys481 point mutations in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). They transfected WM and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells with vectors containing wild-type (BTKWT) or Cys481Ser mutated (BTKCys481Ser) BTK, and examined effects of the transfected genes on ibrutinib sensitivity and signaling pathways, especially on ERK activation. The authors report that BTKCys481Ser promotes ibrutinib resistance via reactivation of ERK1/2 signaling (see figure). Next, they examined how WM and DLBCL cells carrying BTKCys481Ser can confer survival benefit to BTKWT cells, an important question because BTK resistance mutations often only affect a subpopulation of the malignant B cells. A prosurvival effect on WT cells was seen when mixing mutated and WT cells, which apparently did not depend on cell-cell contact, as demonstrated in micropore filter experiments to separate BTKWT from BTKCys481Ser cells. In this setting, BTKCys481Ser cells still conferred protection of BTKWT cells in a paracrine fashion, via secretion of cytokines, especially interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10, which were found to be elevated in supernatants from BTKCys481Se but not from BTKWT cells.
The Computational Complexity of Finding a Mixed Berge Equilibrium for a k-Person Noncooperative Game in Normal Form

The mixed Berge equilibrium (MBE) is an extension of the Berge equilibrium (BE) to mixed strategies. The MBE models mutually support in a k-person noncooperative game in normal form. An MBE is a mi...
Contrast recovery in positron emission mammography

433 Objectives Positron emission mammography (PEM) can potentially provide superior detection of breast lesions compared to whole-body PET. Dedicated PEM systems based upon limited-angle tomography have high spatial resolution in planes parallel to the detectors but much poorer resolution in the direction between detectors. We characterize the effect of this non-isotropic resolution on the contrast observed in experimental phantom images. Methods Phantom data were acquired using both a limited-angle tomography PEM system (PEM Flex Solo) and a whole-body PET/CT system (Discovery RX). Lesions were simulated using spherical phantom inserts with internal diameters ranging from 4-31 mm and a sphere-to-background activity concentration ratio of 4-to-1. For PEM, each of the spheres were individually mounted within two different phantoms so as to allow 55 mm and 90 mm detector separations. For PET/CT (clinical whole-body protocol) the NEMA image quality phantom was used in conjunction with the same sphere set. Image contrast recovery was defined according to NEMA NU 2-2007. Results Percentage contrast recovery data are shown in the table below. For PEM, contrast recovery improved as the detector separation decreased. However, compared to whole-body PET, improved contrast recovery was observed with PEM only for the smallest detectable sphere (6.2 mm) and only with 55 mm detector separation. Conclusions Despite high spatial resolution in-plane, poor resolution between planes degraded lesion contrast for the limited angle tomography PEM system. In order to reveal this effect, phantoms consisting of spheres as opposed to cylinder inserts are recommended when assessing performance. Contrast recovery improved as the PEM detector separation decreased and exceeded whole-body PET/CT for the smallest detectable sphere
Conceptual Constructs for Practical ITQ Management Policies

The purpose of this report is to build a conceptual model in which any number of practical management issues in an individual transferable quota program (ITQ) can be discussed. The topics that are given specific attention, however, are the nature of management rent, the workings of the market for ITQs, resource rentals, and problems with bycatch.
A Conceptual Reprocessing and Waste Management Scheme for Zircaloy-Clad Thoria Fuels

This simple, direct scheme depends on the use of a strong chlorinating agent to convert the zircaloy waste and adhering oxide fuel to nonvolatile chlorinated residue and volatile ZrCl/sub 4/ fractions. The latter would be converted to an inorganic ion exchanger and combined with HLLW to produce a stable, refractory waste form. The former would be processed to remove chloride and then recombined with the main oxide fuel process stream. (DLC)