cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of the Clinical Efficacy of Nedocromil Sodium and Placebo: How Does Cromolyn Sodium Compare as an Active Control Treatment?

Nedocromil sodium and cromolyn sodium are the only two currently available nonsteroid anti-inflammatory agents for treatment of asthma. Clinical differences between the two agents remain under continuous investigation with reports differentiating the two on the basis of atopy of the patient and reversibility of bronchoconstriction. This study investigated the efficacy of nedocromil sodium (4 mg, qid) for treatment of mild-to-moderate asthma in comparison to placebo using cromolyn sodium (2 mg, qid) as an active control treatment. Patients were primarily allergic asthmatics (with at least 15% reversibility) previously maintained on a regimen of regular bronchodilator therapy. During a 2-week run-in period, the patient's slow-release theophylline therapy was removed, and the patients were randomized to treatment after deterioration of asthma control (asthma symptom summary score of 3 for 7 of the 14 days). After 8 weeks of treatment, patients were returned to as occasion requires bronchodilator therapy, as per the 2-week baseline period. The results demonstrate that patients treated with nedocromil sodium shewed statistically significant improvements during the primary time period (mean weeks 3 through 8) over placebo-treated patients as evidenced by all indexes of asthma symptoms, pulmonary function measures, and decreased bronchodilator reliance (p 1 , and forced expiratory flow rate between 25% and 75% of the FVC) in favor of cromolyn sodium when the data were pooled during the primary time period. The number of patients missing 1 or more days from work/school/regular activity due to asthma was significantly fewer compared with placebo, and favoring nedocromil sodium over cromolyn sodium. No differences were observed among the three treatments for adverse events. This study demonstrated that in primarily allergic patients with reversible airways disease, nedocromil sodium and cromolyn sodium are both significantly more effective than placebo for treatment of mild-to-moderate asthma.
Congenital absence of the radial artery.

A 44-year-old man was brought to the emergency department after being struck in the upper right chest by airborne debris while watching an automobile race. The impact resulted in an open fracture of the right clavicle and a right pulmonary contusion but no pneumothorax. Thorough examination in the emergency department revealed a non-palpable right radial artery pulse and a strong, palpable right ulnar artery pulse. The patient had no detectable neurologic deficit and his right hand was warm and well perfused. Right upper extremity angiography was performed to evaluate for possible vascular injury. Arteriography revealed normal subclavian, axillary and brachial arteries proximally. In the forearm (Panel A), there was a normal ulnar artery (black arrow), a diminutive interosseous artery (white arrow), and a congenitally absent right radial artery with no evidence of thrombosis or embolism. Distally, the entire right hand was perfused by only the right ulnar artery (Panel B). The patient’s neurovascular status remained stable and he was discharged from the hospital after operative repair of his clavicular fracture. Congenital absence of the radial artery, also known as radial artery aplasia, is a rare anatomic variant with a reported frequency estimated to be 0.1% or less.1 Documentation of absence of the radial artery in the literature is scarce.2 This variation causes no symptoms and no treatment is required. The angiogram in this case illustrates this uncommon congenital variation causing a diminished distal pulse in this trauma patient.
The Acceptability of Acidulated Cottonseed Soapstock as an Energy Supplement for Broiler Diets

Abstract Studies were conducted with broiler chicks to determine the acceptability of acidulated cottonseed soapstock as a dietary energy source and to determine criteria which would be indicative of an acceptable sample. A poor quality sample, characterized by a high level of ether insoluble impurities (23.8%) and total gossypol (0.42%) caused a linear depression in weight gains, associated primarily with reduction in feed intake. Blending the poor-quality soapstock with high-quality animal or vegetable fats was of no benefit in alleviating this depression. Several samples of soapstock which were characterized by low ether insoluble impurities and gossypol were acceptable as energy sources for the growing chick.
Model-Based Material Parameter Estimation for Terahertz Reflection Spectroscopy

One important yet commonly overlooked phenomenon in terahertz (THz) reflection spectroscopy is the etalon effect-interference caused by multiple reflections from dielectric layers. Material layers are present in many THz applications from the monitoring of pharmaceutical tablet coating thickness to the detection of drugs, explosives, or other contraband concealed beneath layers of packaging and/or clothing. This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a model-based material parameter estimation technique, primarily for use in reflection mode THz spectroscopy that takes the etalon effect into account. The technique is adapted from techniques developed for transmission spectroscopy of thin samples and includes a priori information; namely, the assumption that a material's complex refractive index behaves consistently with the Lorentz dispersion model. The inclusion of the multiple returns provides additional information about the material and its structure, alleviating the need for short time windows in the fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing, which can limit spectral resolution. In addition, the parametrization of the material's dielectric function offers the potential for material classification based on these estimated dispersion model parameters. The parametric model-based method is validated by comparison with results from a conventional, non-parametric method applied to transmission mode data before being applied to reflection mode data for further validation with transmission mode results. Tests are also conducted to evaluate the parametric technique's robustness against measurement noise and ambiguity in sample thickness.
In vivo tomographic imaging of near-infrared fluorescent probes.

Fluorescence imaging is increasingly used to probe protein function and gene expression in live animals. This technology could enhance the study of pathogenesis, drug development, and therapeutic intervention. In this article, we focus on threedimensional fluorescence observations using fluorescencemediated molecular tomography (FMT), a novel imaging technique that can resolve molecular function in deep tissues by reconstructing fluorescent probe distributions in vivo. We have compared FMT findings with conventional fluorescence reflectance imaging (FRI) to study protease function in nude mice with subsurface implanted tumors. This validation of FMT with FRI demonstrated the spatial congruence of fluorochrome activation as determined by the two techniques. Mol Imaging (2002) 1, 82 – 88.
Global Power Transitions and Their Implications for the 21st Century

This essay presents a theoretical approach toward war and peace, reviews basic conditions for world leadership, discusses four modes of global power transitions, illuminates the likely emergence of the future superpowers, and summarizes the differences and common interests between the United States, the incumbent world leader, and China, a potential contender for the global leadership in the 21st century. The theoretical background is power-transition theory, which predicts war when superpowers are close in power and peace when power preponderance exists. Power parity need be also considered in the context of common interests and preferences of superpowers. Conflict abates when the nations share fundamental rules of the game in world affairs. Four historical modes of transitions – co-dominion, deterrence, confrontation, and cooperation – were identified. Of the four historical transitions, each time, the challenger surpassed the hegemon in economic power, and deterrence and confrontation by the hegemon against the challenger did not prevent the challenger from assuming global leadership in the long term. Among the newly rising nations (BRICs), China is discussed as a potential contender for world leadership. The economic and financial interdependence between the United States and China is currently the driving force in their relations. It shapes their political arrangements, necessitating coordination and cooperation in policy issues. While economic collaboration and interdependence drive the relations between the two, they are not sufficient conditions for a peaceful transition, until their political and security relations are solidified and their preferences coalesce substantively.
Counting on Continued Fractions

have the same numerator. These fractions simplify to 1 a3993 and 103993 respectively. _T3_102 355 In this paper, we provide a combinatorial interpretation for the numerators and denominators of continued fractions which makes this reversal phenomenon easy to see. Through the use of counting arguments, we illustrate how this and other important identities involving continued fractions can be easily visualized, derived, and remembered. We begin by defining some basic terminology. Given an infinite sequence of integers ao ? 0, a, ? 1, a2 ? 1,. let [ao, a n.a,] denote the finite continued fraction
Intravenous hydrocortisone premedication reduces antibodies to infliximab in Crohn's disease: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background & Aims: We assessed the relationship between antibodies to infliximab (ATI) and the loss of response postinfliximab, infusion reactions and, in a randomized trial, investigated whether intravenous hydrocortisone premedication can reduce ATI. Methods: Initially, we prospectively evaluated clinical response, adverse events, and ATI levels in 53 consecutive patients with Crohn's disease who received 199 infliximab (5 mg/kg) infusions. Subsequently, 80 patients with Crohn's disease were randomized to intravenous hydrocortisone 200 mg or placebo immediately before their first and subsequent infliximab infusions. The primary endpoint was reduction in median ATI levels at week 16. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results: Nineteen of our initial 53 patients (36%) developed ATI, including all 7 patients with serious infusion reactions (median ATI level, 19.6 μg/mL). Eleven of 15 patients (73%) who lost their initial response were ATI positive compared with none of 21 continuous responders, (8.9 vs. 0.7 μg/mL, P P = 0.0007) or concurrent immunosuppressants (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04-1.03; P = 0.007) significantly reduced ATI formation. In the placebo-controlled trial, ATI levels were lower at week 16 among hydrocortisone-treated patients (1.6 vs. 3.4 μg/mL, P = 0.02), and 26% of hydrocortisone-treated patients developed ATI compared with 42% of placebo-treated patients, P = 0.06. Conclusions: Loss of initial response and infusion reactions post-infliximab is strongly related to ATI formation and level. Administering a second infusion within 8 weeks of the first and concurrent immunosuppressant therapy significantly reduce ATI formation. Intravenous hydrocortisone premedication significantly reduces ATI levels but does not eliminate ATI formation or infusion reactions.
Use of ureteroscopy before and after expansion of lithotripter ownership in Michigan.

Objective To determine whether ureteroscopy (URS) rates decreased following the expansion of lithotripter ownership in Michigan. Historically, Michigan has had limited urologist investment in lithotripters owing to strict Certificate of Need legislation. However, 2 of the nation's largest lithotripsy providers formed Michigan subsidiaries in 2005 and 2006, thereby altering the ownership landscape. Urologists who acquired partnership shares were incentivized to perform shock wave lithotripsy preferentially over URS. Because of ownership expansion, the rates of URS might have decreased. Methods From the Michigan files of the State Ambulatory Surgery Database, we abstracted the discharges for URS performed at hospital-based outpatient departments. We measured the differences between the patients who underwent URS in the year before (2004) and the year after (2007) ownership expansion. We then calculated the annual rates of URS in Michigan and evaluated for changes over time. Results A total of 5857 and 6294 URSs were performed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Significant differences in age ( P P P P P = .129 for the temporal trend). Conclusion The introduction of physician ownership of lithotripter units in Michigan was not associated with decreased rates of URS but might have influenced treatment selection among certain patient groups.
Three floral volatiles contribute to differential pollinator attraction in monkeyflowers (Mimulus)

Flowering plants employ a wide variety of signals, including scent, to attract the attention of pollinators. In this study we investigated the role of floral scent in mediating differential attraction between two species of monkeyflowers (Mimulus) reproductively isolated by pollinator preference. The emission rate and chemical identity of floral volatiles differ between the bumblebee-pollinated Mimulus lewisii and the hummingbird-pollinated M. cardinalis. Mimulus lewisii flowers produce an array of volatiles dominated by d-limonene, β-myrcene and E-β-ocimene. Of these three monoterpenes, M. cardinalis flowers produce only d-limonene, released at just 0.9% the rate of M. lewisii flowers. Using the Bombus vosnesenskii bumblebee, an important pollinator of M. lewisii, we conducted simultaneous gas chromatography with extracellular recordings in the bumblebee antennal lobe. Results from these experiments revealed that these three monoterpenes evoke significant neural responses, and that a synthetic mixture of the three volatiles evokes the same responses as the natural scent. Furthermore, the neural population shows enhanced responses to the M. lewisii scent over the scent of M. cardinalis. This neural response is reflected in behavior; in two-choice assays, bumblebees investigate artificial flowers scented with M. lewisii more frequently than ones scented with M. cardinalis, and in synthetic mixtures the three monoterpenes are necessary and sufficient to recapitulate responses to the natural scent of M. lewisii. In this system, floral scent alone is sufficient to elicit differential visitation by bumblebees, implying a strong role of scent in the maintenance of reproductive isolation between M. lewisii and M. cardinalis.
Between a Rock and Hard Place Delaware Prison Reform and the Urban Landscape, 1961-1977

In the midst of several well publicized prison scandals, numerous lawsuits and a mass of studies revealing the squalid nature of U.S. prisons, in the early 1960s and 1970s Delaware was one of a han...
Stochastic modeling of oligodendrocyte generation in cell culture: model validation with time-lapse data

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. The first objective is to validate the assumptions behind a stochastic model developed earlier by these authors to describe oligodendrocyte generation in cell culture. The second is to generate time-lapse data that may help biomathematicians to build stochastic models of cell proliferation and differentiation under other experimental scenarios. Using time-lapse video recording it is possible to follow the individual evolutions of different cells within each clone. This experimental technique is very laborious and cannot replace model-based quantitative inference from clonal data. However, it is unrivalled in validating the structure of a stochastic model intended to describe cell proliferation and differentiation at the clonal level. In this paper, such data are reported and analyzed for oligodendrocyte precursor cells cultured in vitro. The results strongly support the validity of the most basic assumptions underpinning the previously proposed model of oligodendrocyte development in cell culture. However, there are some discrepancies; the most important is that the contribution of progenitor cell death to cell kinetics in this experimental system has been underestimated.
The efficacy of powered liposuction.

Background. Powered liposuction is a relatively new innovation for more efficient removal of adipose tissue. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of powered liposuction in removing adipose tissue when compared to traditional liposuction. Methods. Four powered liposuction devices were evaluated in the power on mode vs. the power off. The fat extracted in each of these modes was measured in a mucous specimen trap. Results. There was increased fat extraction in the powered mode for all instruments. The increased rate of fat extraction varied from 20 to 45% between instruments. the overall increased extraction in powered vs. nonpowered mode was 30%. Conclusion. The powered liposuction devices tested significantly increase the efficacy of subcutaneous fat removal during liposuction.
Examination of the Association Among Personality Traits, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Cannabis Use Motives in a Community Sample

Personality factors, such as neuroticism, are important for understanding motives for cannabis use; however, few studies have examined the role of neuroticism in the context of other personality factors, or possible mechanisms accounting for an association between neuroticism and motives for use. The present study examined concurrent associations between personality traits (i.e., conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and cannabis use motives, and the role of anxiety sensitivity (AS) in the association between neuroticism and coping cannabis use motives. Seventy young adults endorsing past-month cannabis use (58.6 % female, M age = 20.91) completed self-report measures. Linear regressions were conducted to examine the concurrent associations between personality factors and cannabis use motives. Higher levels of neuroticism, but no other personality traits, were significantly associated with greater coping (β = 45, p < .01) and expansion (β = 0.29, p = <.05) motives. Bootstrap analysis (10,000 re-samples) revealed that a significant portion of the relationship between neuroticism and coping motives was explained by AS (point estimate = 0.029, PB 95 % CI: 0.0089 to 0.0615). Greater neuroticism may result in heightened sensitivity to arousal, which may then increase motivation to use cannabis to alleviate such arousal.
Of Speech, Politics, and Circular History (Book Review of Geoffrey Stone, Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime, from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism)

Geoffrey Stone's wonderful new addition to the growing post-9/11 literature on free speech in wartime covers the history of the American experience with this phenomenon, offers insightful and instructive vignettes on the law's selective operation, and recommends a look to history as a guide to future conduct.
Pd and Pd–Au nanocatalysts supported on exfoliated graphite for high throughput dehalogenation by nanocomposite membranes

Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs) are proposed as a support material in the design of hierarchical Pd-based nanocatalysts for reductive dehalogenation. xGnP-supported metallic (Pd) and bimetallic (Pd–Au) catalysts were synthesized and evaluated in experiments on dehalogenation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in batch and membrane reactors. The TCE removal of 96% was achieved with Pd–Au/xGnP-filled membranes operated at the specific permeate flux of 47.4 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. Normalized reactive fluxes in flow-through dehalogenation by membranes with embedded Pd–Au/xGnP and Pd/xGnP catalysts were 14.71 ± 5.96 and 2.56 ± 1.79 m s−1 MH2−1 gPd−1 gPSf, respectively. These values were ∼80 and ∼14 times higher than the normalized reactive flux obtained using membranes with embedded commercial Pd/Al2O3 catalyst. To our knowledge, this is the first report on Pd and Pd–Au catalysts on a graphene-type support for hydrodechlorination and the first demonstration of high throughput TCE dechlorination in a membrane reactor. Determined for batch reactions, the second order reaction rate constants for Pd–Au/xGnP and Pd/xGnP catalysts were 26 309 ± 6555 and 9975 ± 9506 MH2−1 s−1 gPd−1 L. These values were ∼81 and ∼31 times higher than the rate constant obtained for the commercial Pd/Al2O3 catalyst.
Transcriptome analysis in heart failure.

Purpose of review Genome-wide analysis of RNA abundances (transcriptome analysis) offers great potential to identify biomarkers of disease and to gain insight into mechanisms underlying the development of heart failure. I will discuss key factors in generating and evaluating transcriptome data, and recent studies that have contributed to the understanding of cardiac disease in humans and animal models. Recent findings Thorough assessments of RNA-sequencing performance performed across multiple laboratories have demonstrated its primacy in measuring differential RNA abundances, due in part to its wide dynamic range and accuracy. In combination with network and pathway analysis tools, this enables greater understanding of heart failure mechanisms than previously possible, and renders possible current and future investigations into the role of RNA alternative splicing. Summary Current and future acquisition of accurate, unbiased, and comprehensive transcriptome data will continue to inform the understanding of heart failure, enabling hypothesis testing as well as hypothesis generation. Transcriptome data represent a vital bridge between genomic and epigenomic variation and proteomic output; progressive integration of data from these and other domains will fully realize the potential inherent in transcriptome analyses.
Novel New Oxygen Carriers for Chemical Looping Combustion of Solid Fuels

Several bimetallic oxygen carriers, MFe2O4 (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) and MnFeO3, prepared by the precipitation method in a microwave and the direct decomposition method, were tested for potential use in the application of chemical looping combustion (CLC) of solid fuels. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study their reduction rate, oxidation rate, and cyclic reduction/oxidation properties. Comparative experimental data of novel bimetallic ferrites and pure Fe2O3 and CuO showed that all bimetallic ferrites had better reduction rates than pure Fe2O3. The Group 2 metal ferrites had better reduction and oxidation rates than transition-metal ferrites. BaFe2O4 was the highest performing among all bimetallic ferrites during both reduction and oxidation reactions. The reduction rate of BaFe2O4 is comparable to that of CuO at higher reaction temperatures (>900 °C). A 10 wt % loading of an inert support on the surface of the bimetallic oxygen carriers significantly decreased the particle agglo...
Effect of Lanthanide Metal Complexation on the Properties and Electronic Structure of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Films

We spectroscopically analyze the effect of e-beam deposition of lanthanide metals on the electronic structure and conductivities of films of semiconducting (SC) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in high vacuum. We employ near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy to interpret the changes in the electronic structure of SWNTs on exposure to small amounts of the lanthanides (Ln = Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Yb), based on the behavior of the reference metals (M = Li, Cr) which are taken to exemplify ionic and covalent bonding, respectively. The analysis shows that while the lanthanides are more electropositive than the transition metals, in most cases they exhibit similar conductivity behavior which we interpret in terms of the formation of covalent bis-hexahapto bonds [(η6-SWNT)M(η6-SWNT), where M = La, Nd, Gd, Dy, Ho]. However, only M = Eu, Sm, Yb show the continually increasing conductivity characteristic of Li, and this supports our contention that these metals provide the first examples of mixed covalent–ionic bi...
Accurate Estimation of Radiative and Convective Losses in a Multizone RTP Reactor

The authors have developed a methodology aimed at accurately determining the various forms of energy transfer (convective loss, radiative loss and absorption of lamp energy by the wafer) occurring in any advanced RTP system, based on basic system identification experiments and simple 3-dimensional physical model depicting the heat transfer processes. The identification experiments help in estimating the uncertain system dependent factors which characterize the various forms of energy transfer, which may be otherwise difficult to calculate on pure theoretical basis. This methodology forms the basic building block of the effort to develop a tool which can predict the temperature distribution across the wafer in a realistic way. This tool can be used both as a wafer temperature control algorithm in any advanced RTP system by incorporating more accurate system impedance parameters (convective and radiative loss) as well as by an end user to calculate the required power level settings to various lamp zones to attain reasonable temperature uniformity for a RTP system which does not have a dynamic control.
SOIL DEVELOPMENT ON LATE PLEISTOCENE MORAINES AT PINE CREEK, EAST-CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA

Late Pleistocene moraines at Pine Creek in the east-central Sierra Nevada Range are differentiated into three separate relative-age groups using soil morphological properties, with increasing soil development on progressively older deposits. Tiogaage soils (oxygen-isotope stage-2 equivalent) are weakly developed with A/AB/Bw/Cox profiles. Organic material extracted from Tioga-age till matrix has a conventional radiocarbon age of 19,570 ± 420 years B.P. Soils formed on Tahoe-age moraines (stage 4) show A/2BA/2Bw1/2Bwq2/2BC/2Cox horizonation with rubification to about 50 cm depth and slight clay enrichment. Organic matter from the Tahoe-age till matrix yields an infinite radiocarbon age (>38,000 years B.P.). Rovana moraines (stage 6) have moderate soil development, with A1/A2/2Bt1/2Bw2/2BC/2Cox profiles, conspicuous rubification down to about 103 cm, and significant clay accumulation in the Bt horizon. A soil-profile development index reflects the chronologic trend; however, lithologic and climatic variabil...
In Defense of Uncle Tom: No Man Was Safe

Uncle Tom Civil Rights (Integrationist) Leaders B y the 1960s, black public figures understood that racial snipers tracked their every act, scoping for any misstep that signaled betrayal. In fact, missteps were frequently unnecessary for loyalty enforcers to rifle Uncle Tom accusations into situations clearly devoid of duplicity. Even the highest of cultural icons drowned in waves of criticisms during the 1960s and 1970s. Indeed, some whose lofty cultural status has posthumously grown too exalted to criticize were once submerged face first into a pool of Uncle Tom ridicule. Simply put, amid the second epoch, no status was too well fortified or too elevated to keep anyone safe from Uncle Tom . This was especially true for integrationist civil rights leaders. Integrationists were ambivalently perceived, being among the most adored and reviled among their race. Many blacks considered them cultural heroes. They pushed presidents, Congress, and the Supreme Court to achieve equality under the law. John F. Kennedy orated in 1963, “One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free.” The black advocates for that full freedom were civil rights leaders, influencing Kennedy, his predecessor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and congressional leaders to pass legislation granting blacks the equality that Brown failed to secure. Such leaders firmly believed that blacks’ road to full emancipation was racial integration.
Wave Propagation and Heat Conduction in a Random Medium

We shall give a fairly selfcontained account of some results on waves in random media and related problems that we have considered in the past few years [l]–[6]. These results rcly upon properties of solutions of differential equations with random coefficients, i.e., stochastic equations. We restrict attention to one-dimensional problems so that we are dealing with stochastic ordinary differential equations. There are a few results, at present, dealing with multidimensional problems at [cf. 12} but we shall not discuss these here.
Detection and Differentiation of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in Water by PCR-RFLP

Consumption of contaminated water has been implicated as a major source of Cryptosporidium infection in various outbreak investigations and case control studies. Surveys conducted in various regions of the United States demonstrated the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in 67-100% of wastewaters, 24-100% of surface waters, and 17-26.8% of drinking waters. The identity and human infective potential of these waterborne oocysts are not known, although it is likely that not all oocysts are from human-infecting Cryptosporidium species. Likewise, the source of the oocyst contamination is also not fully clear. Farm animals and human sewage discharge are generally considered to be the major sources of surface water contamination with C. parvum. Because Cryptosporidium infection is common in wildlife, it is conceivable that wildlife can also be a source for Cryptosporidium oocysts in waters. The presence of host-adapted Cryptosporidium spp. and genotypes makes it possible to develop molecular tools to assess the human infection potential and source of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water.Currently, the identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts in environmental samples is largely made by the use of immunofluorescent assay (IFA) after concentration processes (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] recommended information collection rule [ICR] method or method 1622/1623 or similar techniques). Because IFA detects oocysts from all Cryptosporidium parasites, the species distribution of Cryptosporidium parasites in environmental samples cannot be assessed. Although many surface water samples contain Cryptosporidium oocysts, it is unlikely that all these oocysts are from human-pathogenic species or genotypes, because only five genotypes of Cryptosporidium parasites (the C. parvum human and bovine genotypes, C. meleagridis, C. canis, and C. felis) are responsible for most human infections. Information on the source of C. parvum contamination is necessary for effective evaluation and selection of management practices for reducing C. parvum contamination of surface water and the risk of cryptosporidiosis. Thus, identification of oocysts to species and genotype levels is of public health importance.
LSC Abstract – The association between fine ambient particulate air pollution and lung cancer incidence in adventist health and smog -2 (AHSMOG-2) cohort study

Background: A few studies suggest an association between ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and mortality from lung cancer (LC), but the relationship is not well established for LC incidence. Objectives: To assess the association between incident LC and PM 2.5 and ozone (O 3 ), using the Adventist Health and Smog Study-2 (AHSMOG-2) cohort. Methods: A total of 80,285 AHSMOG-2 subjects were followed for an average of 7.7 years. Ambient air pollution levels at subjects9 residences for the years 2000 and 2001 were linked with LC incidence data from U.S. state cancer registries. Results: A total of 250 incident LC cases occurred during 598,927 person-years of follow-up. Hazard Ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for LC incidence associated with each 10-µg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 was 1.46 (1.05, 2.05) in the two-pollutant multivariable model with O 3 . When limiting analyses to those who had lived more than 5 years at their enrollment address, the HR9s became stronger with a 59% and 60% increase in incident LC for each 10 µg/m 3 increment in PM 2.5 in single- and two-pollutant models, respectively. Conclusion: Increasing levels of ambient PM 2.5 are associated with increasingly higher LC incidence. No independent effect was found with ambient O 3 levels. Hazard ratios stratified by time since quit smoking for those who were ever smokers (n =135) compare to never smokers (n =115) This abstract has been presented previously at the European Respiratory Society9s Lung Science Conference in March 2016 .
Agent-Based Modeling of Retail Electrical Energy Markets With Demand Response

In this paper, we study the behavior of a day-ahead (DA) retail electrical energy market with price-based demand response from air conditioning (AC) loads through a hierarchical multiagent framework, employing a machine learning approach. At the top level of the hierarchy, a retailer agent buys energy from the DA wholesale market and sells it to the consumers. The goal of the retailer agent is to maximize its profit by setting the optimal retail prices, considering the response of the price-sensitive loads. Upon receiving the retail prices, at the lower level of the hierarchy, the AC agents employ a ${Q}$ -learning algorithm to optimize their consumption patterns through modifying the temperature set-points of the devices, considering both consumption costs and users’ comfort preferences. Since the retailer agent does not have direct access to the AC loads’ underlying dynamics and decision process (i.e., incomplete information) the data privacy of the consumers becomes a source of uncertainty in the retailer’s decision model. The retailer relies on techniques from the field of machine learning to develop a reliable model of the aggregate behavior of the price-sensitive loads to reduce the uncertainty of the decision-making process. Hence, a multiagent framework based on machine learning enables us to address issues such as interoperability and decision-making under incomplete information in a system that maintains the data privacy of the consumers. We will show that using the proposed model, all the agents are able to optimize their behavior simultaneously. Simulation results show that the proposed approach leads to a reduction in overall power consumption cost as the system converges to its equilibrium. This also coincides with maximization in the retailer’s profit. We will also show that the same decision architecture can be used to reduce peak load to defer/avoid distribution system upgrades under high penetration of photo-voltaic power in the distribution feeder.
Meditation and Music Improve Memory and Cognitive Function in Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background While effective therapies for preventing or slowing cognitive decline in at-risk populations remain elusive, evidence suggests mind-body interventions may hold promise. Objectives In this study, we assessed the effects of Kirtan Kriya meditation (KK) and music listening (ML) on cognitive outcomes in adults experiencing subjective cognitive decline (SCD), a strong predictor of Alzheimer's disease. Methods Sixty participants with SCD were randomized to a KK or ML program and asked to practice 12 minutes/day for 3 months, then at their discretion for the ensuing 3 months. At baseline, 3 months, and 6 months we measured memory and cognitive functioning [Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ), Trail-making Test (TMT-A/B), and Digit-Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)]. Results The 6-month study was completed by 53 participants (88%). Participants performed an average of 93% (91% KK, 94% ML) of sessions in the first 3 months, and 71% (68% KK, 74% ML) during the 3-month, practice-optional, follow-up period. Both groups showed marked and significant improvements at 3 months in memory and cognitive performance (MFQ, DSST, TMT-A/B; p's≤0.04). At 6 months, overall gains were maintained or improved (p's≤0.006), with effect sizes ranging from medium (DSST, ML group) to large (DSST, KK group; TMT-A/B, MFQ). Changes were unrelated to treatment expectancies and did not differ by age, gender, baseline cognition scores, or other factors. Conclusions Findings of this preliminary randomized controlled trial suggest practice of meditation or ML can significantly enhance both subjective memory function and objective cognitive performance in adults with SCD, and may offer promise for improving outcomes in this population.
Dimensions of Self-Concept as Predictors of Men Who Assault Their Female Partners

While professionals working in the field of domestic violence have gleaned much information about the prevalence and scope of spouse abuse, there is still a need for information on contributing variables in men who assault their female partners. Constructs emerging from the self-concept literature provide some promise for understanding personality attributes that can help explain why some men assault their partners and others do not. There are two constructs in particular that seem to help explain volatile reactions in relationships. The first construct is negative self-concept associated with rela-tionship role performance. The second construct is the unstable self-concep-tion. This study examines the role of self-concept in discriminating men who assault their female partners from their nonbattering peers. Using a sample of 272 men matched on educational achievement, this study uses negative self concept and unstable self concept to predict known wife assaulters from their non-assaultive peers. Findings of a logistic regression analysis indicate that each construct is able to accurately predict violent and nonviolent groups with about 77% accuracy.
Keynotes: K-1: Future directions for stem education and research

Changing expectations for higher education, combined with greater competition for resources, are creating a need to explore and develop both immediate, and long-term sustainable solutions that address the effectiveness and costs associated with higher education. Here in the U.S., reductions in state support at public universities have resulted in increases in that portion of the costs that are passed on to our students and their families, stimulating the national debate about the level of student debt. Similar pressures exist for the funding agencies that support university-based research. As a result, it is imperative that we continue to explore and evaluate new, innovative approaches to higher education, in order to provide alternative educational models that reduce costs and improve the processes and approaches we employ. Innovation can impact everything from the way we present material and interact with our students, to how we attract and educate tomorrow's leaders, articularly in STEM fields. Recent advances in areas such as “flipped classrooms.” technology assisted learning — including the maturation of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC's) approach, and the use of artificial intelligence methodologies to assist in the teaching and learning process, are already having a significant impact on the way we educate and communicate with our students, both in the traditional classroom and also in the virtual environment. These new innovative approaches, when coupled with continued collaborations and partnerships with industry, government and other institutions outside of our traditional universities, may provide a number of alternative solutions.
Research: Presbyterian Church (USA) Views on Mystical Religious Experience (MRE)

This chapter presents qualitative research. It gives highlights of the 2016 Presbyterian Panel Study as it relates to doctrinal beliefs and current denominational concerns. The author’s 2011 research in which 20 Presbyterian pastors/pastoral counselors in the Presbytery of Boston were interviewed regarding how they interpret profound experiences reported to them is presented in full. Participants were asked to tell about experiences they interpreted as mystical religious, indicative of a mental health problem, or too confusing to interpret either way. Multiple examples of each kind of experience are given along with methods and source norms participants used in making interpretations. Categories for various mystical religious experiences are introduced.
Ecological interactions and the distribution, abundance, and diversity of sponges.

Abstract Although abiotic factors may be important first-order filters dictating which sponge species can thrive at a particular site, ecological interactions can play substantial roles influencing distribution and abundance, and thus diversity. Ecological interactions can modify the influences of abiotic factors both by further constraining distribution and abundance due to competitive or predatory interactions and by expanding habitat distribution or abundance due to beneficial interactions that ameliorate otherwise limiting circumstances. It is likely that the importance of ecological interactions has been greatly underestimated because they tend to only be revealed by experiments and time-series observations in the field. Experiments have revealed opportunistic predation to be a primary enforcer of sponge distribution boundaries that coincide with habitat boundaries in several systems. Within habitats, by contrast, dramatic effects of predators on sponge populations seem to occur primarily in cases of unusually high recruitment rates or unusually low mortality rates for the predators, which are often specialists on the sponge species affected. Competitive interactions have been demonstrated to diminish populations or exclude sponge species from a habitat in only a few cases. Cases in which competitive interactions have appeared obvious have often turned out to be neutral or even beneficial interactions when observed over time. Especially striking in this regard are sponge–sponge interactions in dense sponge-dominated communities, which may promote the continued coexistence of all participating species. Mutualistic symbioses of sponges with other animals, plants, or macroalgae have been demonstrated to increase abundance, habitat distribution, and diversity of all participants. Symbiotic microbes can enhance sponge distribution and abundance but also render their hosts more vulnerable to environmental changes. And while photosynthetic symbionts can boost growth and excavation rates for some sponge hosts, in other cases sponge growth proceeds as well or even better in diminished light. Metrics chosen for evaluating sponge abundance make a substantial difference in interpretation of data comparing between different sites, or over time at the same site. In most cases, evaluating abundance by volume or biomass allows more ecologically meaningful interpretation of influences on distribution and abundance than does evaluating abundance by numbers of individuals or area covered. Accurate identification of species, and understanding how they are related within higher taxa, is essential. Studies in every habitat have illustrated the great power of experimental manipulations, and of time-series observations of sponge individuals, for understanding the processes underlying observed patterns; in many cases, these processes have been revealed to be ecological interactions.
Current topics in the radiology of joint replacement surgery.

Several methods of total hip joint replacement are currently used. Radiographic appearances after cemented, bone ingrowth, press-fit, and bipolar hip prostheses are reviewed. The roles of nuclear medicine and arthrographic procedures for identifying complications are discussed. Total knee prostheses and, in particular, complications related to the patellar component are described.115 references.
Getting It Right: Where University Systems Lose Information in Designing Programs

Any system that must organize resources for the production of some good or service will find itself with the very difficult task of answering three seemingly simple questions: • What will be produced? • How will it be produced? • For whom will it be produced? Superficially, it would appear that any careful thinker or group of experts could answer these questions with the proper collection of information. The history of economics as a science is filled with the study of how different societies have answered these questions and which societies have answered them the most efficiently. Ultimately, the study of how societies answered these questions really ended up being a study of who within the societies were making the decisions – political representatives or individual households. The most famous case of the former strategy was the Soviet Union before its collapse, while Cuba and North Korea remain dedicated to the practice of a central planner dictating the answers to these questions on behalf of the entire economy. Economists now agree individual planning within a market system, as opposed to centralized planning, is the most efficient system for the bulk of economic activity. While most societies have moved toward a market system of planning, there are many centrally planned systems, where political agents are assigned the responsibility of organizing a system for production. This chapter focuses on one such example of a system, postsecondary education.
Exposing a Virus Hiding in the Animal Facility.

Roediger et al. (2018) demonstrate that a kidney disease characterized by apparently spontaneous nephropathy that had been recognized in laboratory mice for many years is caused by a newly recognized virus named the mouse kidney parvovirus (MKPV). That virus appears to be widespread in mouse colonies as it is not detected by current diagnostic tools, and its recognition presents new opportunities for understanding the pathology of tubulointerstitial fibrosis.
Tumor markers: myths and facts unfolded

The purpose of this article is to review the most commonly used tumor markers in abdominal and pelvic tumors, describe their limitations and explain how to use them in the context of known cancer in order to optimize multidisciplinary care of oncologic patients. Tumor markers are important for the diagnosis, staging, monitoring of treatment and detection of recurrence in many cancers. This knowledge is crucial in the daily interpretation of images of oncologic and non-oncologic patients. However, radiologists should also be aware of the limitations of the most commonly used tumor markers and they should not be used solely, but interpreted in conjunction with diagnostic imaging, clinical history and physical examination that will help optimize the multidisciplinary care and management of oncologic patients.
EUV photolithography: resist progress in metal–organic complex photoresists

With the rapid development of semiconductors, today’s optical lithography is approaching its physical limits, and thus alternative patterning technology is urgently needed. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, using a wavelength of 13.5 nm, is considered one of the most prominent candidates for next-generation lithography. The main challenge for EUV resists is to simultaneously satisfy resolution, line-width roughness, and sensitivity requirements following the ITRS roadmap. Though polymer-based chemically amplified resist is the current standard photoresist, entirely new resist platforms are required due to the performance targets of future process nodes. Our recent progress in metal oxide nanoparticle photoresist research will be discussed with a focus on zirconium and hafnium oxides. A brief discussion of a number of important structural and material properties pertaining to key characteristics affecting resist performance is also included.