cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parental investment strategies in two species of nuthatch vary with stage-specific predation risk and reproductive effort.

Life-history theory predicts that differences in reproductive effort and residual reproductive value among species should result in differences in the level of risk that parents are willing to tolerate to themselves versus their offspring. Specifically, highly fecund and shorter-lived species are expected to place greater value in current offspring than themselves, whereas less fecund and longer-lived species are expected to place greater value in their own survival and future breeding opportunities. Here, we test the prediction that parental investment decisions are correlated with life histories by comparing risk-taking behaviour in two species of nuthatch that differ in reproductive effort: the white-breasted nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis (more fecund, lower survival) and the red-breasted nuthatch, S. canadensis (less fecund, higher survival). We experimentally manipulated stage-specific predation risk by presenting models of an adult predator (hawk) and an egg predator (wren) and measured the willingness of males to feed incubating females on the nest. We found that both species of nuthatch responded to predators by increasing the length of time between visits and aborting more visits to the nest. However, as predicted by their life histories, S. carolinensis displayed a significantly stronger response to the egg predator, whereas S. canadensis responded more strongly to the adult predator. Thus, species can differ in their willingness to tolerate risk to themselves and their young, and such differences appear to be related to differences in investment in current reproduction and the probability of future survival.  2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Thoracic Involvement With Pheochromocytoma: A Review

Pulmonary manifestations of pheochromocytoma are infrequent and are not well documented. A MEDLINE search in the English language revealed no cases of endobronchial involvement from a pheochromocytoma. We report a case of endobronchial metastases in a 37-year-old woman known to have a recurrent extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma. She presented with symptoms of wheezing and a nonproductive cough for 8 months and was being treated for asthma. A flexible bronchoscopy with endobronchial biopsy established the diagnosis. The patient underwent a Nd-YAG laser photoresection (LPR) to ablate the tumor, which was followed by placement of a Wallstent (Pfizer Medical Technology Group; Rutherford, NJ). She remains well 18 months later, having required multiple palliative LPRs. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of endobronchial pheochromocytoma. The pulmonary manifestations of this rare disease and their management are reviewed.
Random Walks and Sustained Competitive Advantage

Strategy is concerned with sustained interfirm profitability differences. Observations of such sustained differences are often attributed to unobserved systematic a priori differences in firm characteristics. This paper shows that sustained interfirm profitability differences may be very likely even if there are no a priori differences among firms. As a result of the phenomenon of long leads in random walks, even a random resource accumulation process is likely to produce persistent resource heterogeneity and sustained interfirm profitability differences. A Cournot model in which costs follow a random walk shows that such a process could produce evidence of substantial persistence of profitability. The results suggest that persistent profitability does not necessarily provide strong evidence for systematic a priori differences among firms. Nevertheless, since the phenomenon of long leads is highly unrepresentative of intuitive notions of random sequences, such evidence may still be persuasive.
The capacity of finite-State Markov Channels With feedback

We consider a class of finite-state Markov channels with feedback. We first introduce a simplified equivalent channel model, and then construct the optimal stationary and nonstationary input processes that maximize the long-term directed mutual information. Furthermore, we give a sufficient condition under which the channel's Shannon capacity can be achieved by a stationary input process. The corresponding converse coding theorem and direct coding theorem are proved.
A 5GHz CMOS PLL with low K VCO and extended fine-tuning range

A 5 GHz dual-path integer-N PLL uses an LC VCO and softly switched capacitors in the integral path to extend the fine-tuning range while keeping KVCO low. The loop BW is 80 kHz, the reference spur level is Lt -70 dBc with a 1MHz reference frequency and total loop filter capacitance of 31 pF. The measured phase noise is Lt -78 dBc/Hz and -115 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz and 1MHz offsets, respectively. This 0.23 mm2 PLL is fabricated in a 90 nm standard digital CMOS process and consumes 10 mW from a 1.2 V supply.
Biological versus electronic adaptive coloration: how can one inform the other?

Adaptive reflective surfaces have been a challenge for both electronic paper (e-paper) and biological organisms. Multiple colours, contrast, polarization, reflectance, diffusivity and texture must all be controlled simultaneously without optical losses in order to fully replicate the appearance of natural surfaces and vividly communicate information. This review merges the frontiers of knowledge for both biological adaptive coloration, with a focus on cephalopods, and synthetic reflective e-paper within a consistent framework of scientific metrics. Currently, the highest performance approach for both nature and technology uses colourant transposition. Three outcomes are envisioned from this review: reflective display engineers may gain new insights from millions of years of natural selection and evolution; biologists will benefit from understanding the types of mechanisms, characterization and metrics used in synthetic reflective e-paper; all scientists will gain a clearer picture of the long-term prospects for capabilities such as adaptive concealment and signalling.
Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty versus operation for peripheral arteriosclerosis * ** ★: Report of a prospective randomized trial in a selected group of patients

Abstract A prospective, randomized comparison of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with surgery in the treatment of occlusive disease of the iliac, superficial femoral, or popliteal arteries began in 1983. Radiologists and vascular surgeons independently assessed index lesions on arteriograms to decide whether their respective treatments were appropriate. Of 263 male patients randomized, 255 received vascular intervention (surgery, 126 patients; PTA, 129 patients). The groups were comparable when stratified for systemic risk factors and anatomic distribution of disease. Because eligibility criteria required that all lesions randomized for treatment be suitable for PTA, the severity of disease was less than that of the general population having vascular disease. Claudication was the principal indication for intervention. The immediate failure rate for PTA was 15.5% (20 of 129 patients). Surgery was performed with one in-hospital death (0.8%) and 17 complications (13.5%). There were two late deaths ascribable to surgical complications and none to PTA. At 4.5 years, 50 deaths (20%) (28 from surgery; 22 with PTA) and 24 major amputations of legs included in the study (13 with surgery; 11 with PTA) have occurred. The baseline ankle-brachial indexes (ABIs) of 0.51 ± 0.01 for surgery and 0.50 ± 0.02 for PTA increased by 0.32 ± 0.02 and 0.28 ± 0.02, respectively, after treatment and was not different between the groups through 36 months (surgery, 0.28 ± 0.04; PTA, 0.30 ± 0.05). The 17 patients undergoing surgery after unsuccessful PTA had a mean ABI increase of 0.32 ± 0.07; the durability of hemodynamic improvement was similar in both groups of patients. (J Vasc Surg 1989;9:1–9.)
Secondary ion emission from Ti, V, Cu, Ag and Au surfaces under KeV Cs+ irradiation

Abstract Low energy mono-atomic singly charged secondary ion emissions from Ti, V, Cu, Ag and Au substrates during the initial stages of sputtering with Cs+ primary ions have been studied. With the exception of the Ag− secondary ions, all exhibited exponential like correlations with the Cs induced work function changes. This, along with the lack of variations in the valence band structure around the Fermi edge, is consistent with resonance charge transfer to/from states located at the Fermi edge. The insensitivity of Ag− to work function appears to stem from the dominance of a separate ion formation process, namely charge transfer into vacant 4d states in the sputtered population, which themselves appear to be produced through collective oscillations. A similar excitation-mediated process involving different levels also appears to be active in the formation of other negatively charged transition metal ions, albeit to a much lesser degree.
Teager-Kaiser Energy bi-level thresholding

In this paper an automatic bi-level thresholding method of grey scale images using the Teager-Kaiser Energy Operator (TKEO) is proposed. The TKEO, a quadratic filter, is used to enhance high frequency information which is then combined with image grey values to estimate the threshold value. More precisely, this threshold is the average of the grey values by the energy at each pixel. The TKEO reflects better the local activity than the amplitude of the gradient. The performance of the thresholding is illustrated on different images and results compared to Otsu [1] and Kitler et al. [2] methods respectively.
Complementary and alternative medicine for upper-respiratory-tract infection in children.

Purpose. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for the prevention and treatment of upper-respiratory-tract infection (URTI) in children is reviewed. Summary. A search of the literature to June 2005 identified six clinical trials examining the use of herbal medicines and nine trials of other CAM therapies. All articles were critically evaluated for adherence to standards of efficacy and safety research. Echinacea did not reduce the duration and severity of URTI. Andrographis paniculata or echinacea decreased nasal secretions ( p < 0.01) but not URTI symptoms. A combination of echinacea, propolis, and ascorbic acid decreased the number of URTI episodes, the duration of symptoms, and the number of days of illness ( p < 0.001). Echinacea was associated with a higher frequency of rash compared with placebo ( p = 0.008). Neither ascorbic acid nor homeopathy was effective. The efficacy of zinc was not clear, and zinc may be associated with adverse effects in children. Osteopathic manipulation decreased episodes of acute otitis media ( p = 0.04) and the need for tympanostomy tube insertion ( p = 0.03) in children with recurrent acute otitis media. Stress-management therapy reduced the duration of URTI compared with relaxation therapy with guided imagery or standard care ( p < 0.05). Conclusion. Current data are generally inadequate to support CAM for the prevention or treatment of URTI in children.
Human Neutrophil Elastase and Elastase/Alpha1-Antiprotease Complex in Cystic Fibrosis: Comparison with Interstitial Lung Disease and Evaluation of the Effect of Intravenously Administered Antibiotic Therapy

In cystic fibrosis (CF), extracellular lung matrix is progressively damaged, neutrophils invade the air spaces, and activated neutrophils may release large amounts of neutrophil elastase (NE). Although α1-antiprotease (α1-AP) binds and inactivates NE and is the major antielastase of the lower respiratory tract, antielastase defenses may be overwhelmed in CF, leading to progressive lung damage. To determine whether the ability of α1-AP to neutralize NE is impaired in CF, we compared NE activity in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and human neutrophil elastase/α1-antiprotease (NE/α1-AP) complex in both BAL fluid and peripheral blood serum from patients with CF, normal volunteers, and patients with interstitial lung disease. We detected a considerable amount of NE activity in BAL fluid from all but one patient with CF but none in that from normal volunteers or from patients with interstitial lung disease. Although in interstitial lung disease there was a significant correlation between increased NE/α1-AP c...
Tissue-specific roles of Tbx1 in the development of the outer, middle and inner ear, defective in 22q11DS patients

Most 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) patients have middle and outer ear anomalies, whereas some have inner ear malformations. Tbx1, a gene hemizygously deleted in 22q11DS patients and required for ear development, is expressed in multiple tissues during embryogenesis. To determine the role of Tbx1 in the first pharyngeal pouch (PPI) in forming outer and middle ears, we tissue-specifically inactivated the gene using Foxg1-Cre. In the conditional mutants, PPI failed to outgrow, preventing the middle ear bone condensations from forming. Tbx1 was also inactivated in the otic vesicle (OV), resulting in the failure of inner ear sensory organ formation, and in duplication of the cochleovestibular ganglion (CVG). Consistent with the anatomical defects, the sensory genes, Otx1 and Bmp4 were downregulated, whereas the CVG genes, Fgf3 and NeuroD, were upregulated. To delineate Tbx1 cell-autonomous roles, a more selective ablation, exclusively in the OV, was performed using Pax2-Cre. In contrast to the Foxg1-Cre mutants, Pax2-Cre conditional mutant mice survived to adulthood and had normal outer and middle ears but had the same inner ear defects as the Tbx1 null mice, with the same gene expression changes. These results demonstrate that Tbx1 has non-cell autonomous roles in PPI in the formation of outer and middle ears and cell-autonomous roles in the OV. Periotic mesenchymal markers, Prx2 and Brn4 were normal in both conditional mutants, whereas they were diminished in Tbx1-/- embryos. Thus, Tbx1 in the surrounding mesenchyme in both sets of conditional mutants cannot suppress the defects in the OV that occur in the null mutants.
Power system load modeling in virtual test bed

The performance of a power system during transient operating conditions is highly dependent on the type of loads connected to its nodes. Accurate load flow analysis for different system configurations is needed to determine the best power system reconfiguration. In this paper, the load modeling concept for power system simulation and analysis is explained. Several load models are derived and implemented in Virtual Test Bed (VTB). The new models are tested and validated with Matlab/SimPowerSystem simulation results.
What's So Stressful About Job Relocation? British Researchers Give Some Answers

This article discusses research that examined job stress related to job relocation in Great Britain. The author notes that pervious studies have shown that job relocations can have negative effects on employees even when the relocations present obvious improvements. The author notes that relocations often come with increased workloads, loss of control and a reduction in social support. These occurrences are often reflected in increased anxiety or physical disturbances. The author discusses some of the characteristics of employees who were found to cope more effectively with relocation as well as those who had a more difficult time.
The Tokar Gap Jet: Regional Circulation, Diurnal Variability, and Moisture Transport Based on Numerical Simulations

AbstractThe structure, variability, and regional connectivity of the Tokar Gap jet (TGJ) are described using WRF Model analyses and supporting atmospheric datasets from the East African–Red Sea–Arabian Peninsula (EARSAP) region during summer 2008. Sources of the TGJ’s unique quasi-diurnal nature and association with atypically high atmospheric moisture transport are traced back to larger-scale atmospheric dynamics influencing its forcing. These include seasonal shifts in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), variability of the monsoon and North African wind regimes, and ties to other orographic flow patterns. Strong modulation of the TGJ by regional processes such as the desert heating cycle, wind convergence at the ITCZ surface front, and the local land–sea breeze cycle are described. Two case studies present the interplay of these influences in detail. The first of these was an “extreme” gap wind event on 12 July, in which horizontal velocities in the Tokar Gap exceeded 26 m s−1 and the flow from t...
Computing volume descriptions from sparse 3-D data

An approach is presented to describing objects as generalized cones (GCs) starting from sparse, imperfect 3-D data, such as may be obtained from stereo. Though some previous systems have been developed for generalized cone descriptions, they are not good at handling imperfect and sparse data. In our approach, we first label the boundaries of the generalized cone as axial contour generators and terminators. We examine the general properties of these labels/features. In addition, we note that for aLinearStraightHomogeneousGeneralizedCone (LSHGC), the axial contour generators are coplanar. We use these properties in our search for labeling the GC boundaries; the search is based on the hypothesize and verify paradigm. The axis, cross-section, and cross-section function of the GC are then deduced from the labeled boundaries. The system described has been tested on a number of synthetic and real scenes of LSHGCs and some results are presented. We conclude by indicating how the system could be extended to more complex objects.
EVALUATION OF FORCE FEEDBACK STEERING IN A FIXED BASED DRIVING SIMULATOR

Eight participants drove a fixed base simulator using both spring-loaded and force feedback steering wheels. Their route included curves of 100, 200 and 300 radii of curvature, and two freeway style exit ramps that were sloped, banked and, had changing radii of curvature. Both mean and variance of lane position were calculated. There were no differences in terms of mean and variance of lane position between the steering wheels when driving on straight road segments. Lane position variance was significantly greater when driving on the 100 meter curves then when driving of the 200 and 300 meter curves. Drivers “hugged” left hand curves more when using the force feedback steering wheel as indicated by their average lane position being significantly more to the left. On the two right hand exit ramps, drivers drove significantly more to the left when using the force feedback steering wheel. Subjects rated the force feedback steering wheel higher in terms of realism, maneuverability, and vehicle control on a po...
Social Psychology in the United States During the Second World War

This article, together with a number of others, was prepared at the request of the American Council of Learned Societies, partly for the information of scholars in other countries. Distribution of the articles outside the United States will be accomplished by a special distribution of reprints as well as through the complete issues of the journals in which they appear. The bulk of the materialpresented in this article was collected by a committee of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues on the Evaluation of Social Psychology in the War. Special credit should be given to Mr. David Jenkins who assisted in the compilation of the material presented here.
A Dynamic Resource Management and Scheduling Environment for Embedded Multimedia and Communications Platforms

We present a framework, OpenCLosE, for dynamic resource management and scheduling of applications written in open compute language (OpenCL) for heterogeneous multimedia and graphics platforms, such as those found in multimedia smartphones and automotive infotainment clusters. We describe the design of a resource manager and master scheduler for the OpenCLosE environment, that allows efficient realization of multiple applications within a multitasked platform.
Imagery of women in television drama: 1974

Taking up a somewhat differing point of view in this dialogue which began on page 259 is Dr. Seggar, a member of the sociology faculty at Brigham Young University in Provo, and a previous Journal contributor.
ACL Graft and Contralateral ACL Tear Risk within Ten Years Following Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft tear and contralateral ACL injury have devastating effects on patient outcomes following ACL reconstruction. Long-term results after ACL reconstruction are being reported with greater frequency, allowing a detailed analysis of the long-term risk of failure. Methods: A systematic review of prospective studies that recorded the risk of ACL graft rupture and contralateral ACL injury following primary ACL reconstruction was performed. All studies included intra-articular ACL reconstruction with modern techniques and patellar tendon or hamstring autograft with a minimum follow-up of ten years. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The overall ACL graft rupture risk was 7.9% (211 ruptures in 2682 reconstructions) and ranged from 3.2% to 11.1% in the individual studies. The overall risk of ACL injury in the contralateral limb was 12.5% (335 injuries in 2682 reconstructions) and ranged from 0.6% to 22.7% in the individual studies. Among the seven homogeneous studies that were pooled, the overall risk of a contralateral ACL tear was 1.63 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30 to 2.04) times that of a graft tear during the follow-up period. Conclusions: At a minimum follow-up time of ten years, the risk of contralateral ACL tear significantly exceeds the risk of ACL graft rupture. Further work is necessary to understand and potentially reduce this risk of graft and contralateral ACL tears. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Diagnosis of Pediatric Foreign Body Ingestion: Clinical Presentation, Physical Examination, and Radiologic Findings.

Objectives:(1) To describe clinical and radiologic findings in patients with esophageal foreign bodies. (2) To examine the sensitivity and specificity of history, physical examination, and radiologic studies in children with suspected foreign body ingestion.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was performed evaluating all children who underwent esophagoscopy for suspected foreign body ingestion at our institution from 2006 to 2013.Results:Five hundred forty-three patients were included (54% male). Average age was 4.7 years (SD = 4.1 years). Foreign bodies were identified on esophagoscopy in 497 cases (92%). Ingestion was witnessed in 23% of cases. Most common presenting symptoms were choking/gagging (49%), vomiting (47%), and dysphagia/odynophagia (42%). Most patients with foreign bodies had a normal exam (76%). Most foreign bodies were radiopaque (83%). In 59% of patients with normal chest radiographs, a foreign body was present. Sensitivity and specificity of 1 or more findings on history, physical exam...
Viewpoint Collaborative rationality for planning practice

Collaboration is a growing practice among agencies, between government staff and citizens, among citizens in neighbourhoods, in environmental problem-solving and many other planning-related tasks. Although only a fraction of these efforts have been documented, there is considerable evidence that such processes can not only break through stalemates, but also produce creative solutions to complex and controversial problems and win the support and cooperation from many players that is necessary for action and results. While collaboration is not a panacea, research suggests it is underutilised for many situations. Bureaucrats, elected officials and planners themselves often stand in the way of collaboration, preferring to keep control, without recognising how collaboration can reduce conflict, prevent mistakes, enrich their thinking, offer new options and reframe difficult problems. Such desirable results are contingent, however, on properly designed and managed processes that approximate the ideal of collabo...
Wavelet networks for sensor signal classification in flank wear assessment

It is known that the force and vibration sensor signals in a turning process are sensitive to the gradually increasing flank wear. Based on this fact, this paper investigates a flank wear assessment technique in turning through force and vibration signals. Mainly to reduce the computational burden associated with the existing sensor-based methods for flank wear assessment, a so-called wavelet network is investigated. The basic idea in this new method is to optimize simultaneously the wavelet parameters (that represent signal features) and the signal-interpretation parameters (that are equivalent to neural network weights) to eliminate the feature extraction phase without increasing the computational complexity of the neural network. A neural network architecture similar to a standard one-hidden-layer feedforward neural network is used to relate sensor signal measurements to flank wear classes. A novel training algorithm for such a network is developed. The performance of this n ew method is compared with a previously developed flank wear assessment method which uses a separate feature extraction step. The proposed wavelet network can also be useful for developing signal interpretation schemes for manufacturing process monitoring, critical component monitoring, and product quality monitoring.
Design of a Self-adaptive Distribution Transformer

A self-adaptive distribution transformer can automatically regulate its tap changer position rated operating capacity,online load phase rotation,and phase by phase reactive compensation according to the system voltage and loading conditions without disconnecting the load.The functional architecture of self-adaptive distribution transformer is described.The controlling principles of online load phase rotation,on-load capacity regulating,phase by phase reactive compensation,and onload voltage regulation are analyzed.The methods to determine control setting points are proposed with simulation model.Simulation and analysis results demonstrate the obvious advantages of the proposed distribution transformer.It is suitable to be used in rural distribution network,which features seasonal load,low annual average load rate,high no-load losses,and under voltages at the end user terminals and low power factor.By using self-adaptive distribution transformers,the economic operation level of distribution area can be improved,the quality of power supply for end-users will be improved,the operation loss of power network will be reduced,the energy-saving and emission reduction at the distribution network level will be maximized.
Online Context-Aware Recommendation with Time Varying Multi-Armed Bandit

Contextual multi-armed bandit problems have gained increasing popularity and attention in recent years due to their capability of leveraging contextual information to deliver online personalized recommendation services (e.g., online advertising and news article selection). To predict the reward of each arm given a particular context, existing relevant research studies for contextual multi-armed bandit problems often assume the existence of a fixed yet unknown reward mapping function. However, this assumption rarely holds in practice, since real-world problems often involve underlying processes that are dynamically evolving over time. In this paper, we study the time varying contextual multi-armed problem where the reward mapping function changes over time. In particular, we propose a dynamical context drift model based on particle learning. In the proposed model, the drift on the reward mapping function is explicitly modeled as a set of random walk particles, where good fitted particles are selected to learn the mapping dynamically. Taking advantage of the fully adaptive inference strategy of particle learning, our model is able to effectively capture the context change and learn the latent parameters. In addition, those learnt parameters can be naturally integrated into existing multi-arm selection strategies such as LinUCB and Thompson sampling. Empirical studies on two real-world applications, including online personalized advertising and news recommendation, demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach. The experimental results also show that our algorithm can dynamically track the changing reward over time and consequently improve the click-through rate.
Reactor design for nuclear electric propulsion

The paper analyzes the consequences of heat pipe failures, that resulted in modifications to the basic design of a heat-pipe cooled, fast spectrum nuclear reactor and led to consideration of an entirely different core design. The new design features an integral laminated core configuration consisting of alternating layers of UO2 and molybdenum sheets that span the diameter of the core. Design characteristics are presented and compared for two reactors. A conceptual design for a heat exchanger between the core and the thermionic converter assembly is described. This heat exchanger would provide design and fabrication decoupling of these two assemblies.
Hepatitis and cholestasis in infancy: intrahepatic disorders

This chapter discusses the clinical, pathological and laboratory features; management and diagnosis; and endocrine disorders associated with hepatitis syndromes. Hepatitis syndrome of infancy is characterized by clinical and laboratory features of liver dysfunction, particularly conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The term hepatitis indicates inflammation of the liver. The vast majority of patients present with jaundice usually continuous with physiological jaundice, but a small number present at between 5 and 8 weeks of life and some even later in infancy. Because of the high urinary output in infants, the urine is always yellow—never dark brown as it would be in adults with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia nor colorless as it is frequently in the healthy infant or in the infant with an unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Standard biochemical tests of liver function are of value in following progression of disease and assessing its severity. Serum aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and usually gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase are elevated to values between 1.5 and six times normal. Serum albumin is usually in the normal range at presentation but may be low if liver disease is severe or if there is marked fluid retention. The prothrombin time may be prolonged and usually corrects to normal with intravenous vitamin K unless acute failure is present. Serum lipids and cholesterol are normal in the first 4 months of life but they increase thereafter, particularly in patients with bile duct hypoplasia syndromes. Hypoglycemia suggests a metabolic or endocrine disorder.
Multihazard Risk Assessment of Electric Power Systems

AbstractElectric power systems are susceptible to damage due to natural hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Considerable effort has been made to develop methodologies for assessing the reliability of electric power systems under a single hazard such as hurricanes or earthquakes. However, there are parts of the world, such as the coastal areas of South Carolina, which are affected by both hazards. In such regions, more comprehensive risk assessment can be achieved when the focus is shifted from single-hazard to multihazard analysis. There is, therefore, a need to develop methods for quantifying the risk posed by the combined effect of multiple hazards on structures and infrastructure systems in these regions. This paper presents a framework for multihazard risk assessment of electric power systems subjected to seismic and hurricane wind hazards. The framework includes hazard and structural component vulnerability models, system reliability analysis, and multihazard risk assessment. A notional elect...
Abstract 204: Who Funds “Evidence-Based Medicine” in our Guidelines: Government or Industry? Analysis of the AHA/ACC Class I Secondary Prevention Guidelines in 2011 vs. 2001

Background: Heated debate on the “influence” of the pharmaceutical industry has led some to question whether trials sponsored by industry provide strong evidence for clinical practice. We sought to analyze this issue by looking at what the independent ACC/AHA Guideline committee cited as the evidence base for Class I (strongest) recommendations, and evaluated the funding source, as well as changes over time. Methods: After importing all citations from the AHA/ACC Secondary Prevention 2011 Update into EndNote citation manager, we excluded those that were not primary publications (e.g. consensus statements or summary guidelines). Funding source was determined from the PubMed database (or if not specified, the primary publication itself). Research support was divided by PubMed categories: U.S. governmental (gov’t), non-U.S. gov’t (typically industry), or mixed. (Note that further division of funding source into any (U.S and foreign) governmental source vs. exclusively industry, is ongoing.) All Class I recommendations were reviewed to determine what percentage of the supporting evidence was funded by U.S. gov’t vs. non-U.S. gov’t, weighting those in the mixed category equally between the other two categories. Chi-square tests were used to statistically compare these percentages. Results: Overall, 62% of studies cited to support Class I recommendations in 2011 were sponsored by non-US gov’t (e.g. industry) sources. Nine of 12 categories of Class I recommendations had the majority of the studies supported by non-gov’t/industry rather than from US gov’t funding (Table 1). This was true both for lifestyle interventions and pharmacological therapies, although the percentage of industry-funded trials for pharmacological therapies was significantly higher as compared to studies for lifestyle interventions (83% vs. 46%, p Conclusion: Based on this initial categorization from PubMed, it appears that the majority of trials providing the evidence for the ACC/AHA Secondary Prevention guideline comes from non-government/industry-sponsored trials, and this percentage has increased over time. This finding suggests that industry-sponsored trials do provide a positive impact on clinical guidelines.
Extent of T1+C Intensity Is a Predictor of Blood Loss in Resection of Meningioma

Introduction Surgery for meningioma is associated with significant blood loss. Preoperative embolization has been associated with reduction of blood loss and has been noted to decrease intensity on T1 + contrast sequences. We investigate potential relationships between blood loss and the extent of T1 + contrast intensity. Methods Forty-two patients who underwent surgical resection of intracranial meningioma were retrospectively reviewed from August 2009 to May 2016. Clinical data were extracted (age, gender, location of meningioma, grade of meningioma, need for blood transfusion during surgery, preoperative and postoperative hematocrit level, estimated blood loss [EBL], and duration of surgery). Using OsiriX MD, the tumor volume, sinus involvement, peritumoral edema, extent of resection, and T1 index (average T1+C intensity across the tumor normalized to value at basilar artery) were assessed. Results With EBL, univariate analysis for gender, tumor volume, and T1 index showed correlations with P value P P value Conclusions Along with gender and tumor volume, extent of T1+C intensity is also an independent predictor of EBL. This finding may be helpful for surgical management of meningioma.
Fake information, fake warfare, and real destabilizations of news

Over the last year or so, the U.S./U.K. discourse of questionable news has become prominent with Russia pitted as the aggressor. Weaponized information, Fake News, Russian ‘hacking’ of the U.S. pol...
Bacteriophages of Gordonia spp. Display a Spectrum of Diversity and Genetic Relationships.

The global bacteriophage population is large, dynamic, old, and highly diverse genetically. Many phages are tailed and contain double-stranded DNA, but these remain poorly characterized genomically. A collection of over 1,000 phages infecting Mycobacterium smegmatis reveals the diversity of phages of a common bacterial host, but their relationships to phages of phylogenetically proximal hosts are not known. Comparative sequence analysis of 79 phages isolated on Gordonia shows these also to be diverse and that the phages can be grouped into 14 clusters of related genomes, with an additional 14 phages that are "singletons" with no closely related genomes. One group of six phages is closely related to Cluster A mycobacteriophages, but the other Gordonia phages are distant relatives and share only 10% of their genes with the mycobacteriophages. The Gordonia phage genomes vary in genome length (17.1 to 103.4 kb), percentage of GC content (47 to 68.8%), and genome architecture and contain a variety of features not seen in other phage genomes. Like the mycobacteriophages, the highly mosaic Gordonia phages demonstrate a spectrum of genetic relationships. We show this is a general property of bacteriophages and suggest that any barriers to genetic exchange are soft and readily violable.IMPORTANCE Despite the numerical dominance of bacteriophages in the biosphere, there is a dearth of complete genomic sequences. Current genomic information reveals that phages are highly diverse genomically and have mosaic architectures formed by extensive horizontal genetic exchange. Comparative analysis of 79 phages of Gordonia shows them to not only be highly diverse, but to present a spectrum of relatedness. Most are distantly related to phages of the phylogenetically proximal host Mycobacterium smegmatis, although one group of Gordonia phages is more closely related to mycobacteriophages than to the other Gordonia phages. Phage genome sequence space remains largely unexplored, but further isolation and genomic comparison of phages targeted at related groups of hosts promise to reveal pathways of bacteriophage evolution.
Nutrient content and variability in newly obtained salmon data for USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

Salmon Species/form Moisture (g/100g) Protein (g/100g) Total lipid (g/100g) Source: Alaska Native (AN) King, raw 66.0 (2) 20.2 (2) 11.7 (2) Chum, raw 72.3 (1) 20.7 (1) 3.67 (1) Red, smoked 26.9 (1) 56.9 (1) 11.0 (1) Retail (R) Atlantic, farmed, raw 68.9 (2) 19.9 (2) 10.8 (2) Atlantic, wild, raw 68.5 (21) 19.8 (9) 6.34 (7) Pink, raw 76.4 (141) 19.9 (141) 3.45 (144) Red, raw 70.2 (48) 21.3 (45) 8.56 (48) Number of samples analyzed Jacob Exler, Pamela R. Pehrsson
Chinese Americans and the Borderland Experience on Golden Mountain: The Development of a Chinese American Identity in the Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

In The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston tells the story of her immigrant family and their efforts to rise above their working-class status in America, which optimistic Chinese regard as the Golden Mountain. The Hongs9 experience is not unlike that of other immigrants who come to America to escape hardship in their homeland and hope to live the American Dream. The road to American success has numerous obstacles, and immigrants encounter many conflicts on their journey. One conflict relates to their cultural identities. Gloria Anzaldua uses the word “borderland” to refer to the meeting of two cultures, and she defines the borderland as a “place of contradictions. Hatred, anger and exploitation are the prominent features of this landscape” (n.p.). While Anzaldua9s discussion focuses on the borderland encountered by Mexican Americans, she believes that many share this painful experience:
Physician Attitudes About Maintenance of Certification: A Cross-Specialty National Survey.

Abstract Objectives To determine physicians' perceptions of current maintenance of certification (MOC) activities and to explore how perceptions vary across specialties, practice characteristics, and physician characteristics, including burnout. Patients and Methods We conducted an Internet and paper survey among a national cross-specialty random sample of licensed US physicians from September 23, 2015, through April 18, 2016. The questionnaire included 13 MOC items, 2 burnout items, and demographic variables. Results Of 4583 potential respondents, we received 988 responses (response rate 21.6%) closely reflecting the distribution of US physician specialties. Twenty-four percent of physicians (200 of 842) agreed that MOC activities are relevant to their patients, and 15% (122 of 824) felt they are worth the time and effort. Although 27% (223 of 834) perceived adequate support for MOC activities, only 12% (101 of 832) perceived that they are well-integrated in their daily routine and 81% (673 of 835) believed they are a burden. Nine percent (76 of 834) believed that patients care about their MOC status. Forty percent or fewer agreed that various MOC activities contribute to their professional development. Attitudes varied statistically significantly ( P Conclusion Dissatisfaction with current MOC programs is pervasive and not localized to specific sectors or specialties. Unresolved negative perceptions will impede optimal physician engagement in MOC.
Insights on the point of contact analysis and characterization of constrained pipelines conveying fluid

Modern methods of nonlinear dynamics including time histories, phase portraits, power spectra, and Poincare sections are used to characterize the stability and bifurcation regions of a cantilevered pipe conveying fluid with symmetric constraints at the point of contact. In this study, efforts are made to demonstrate the importance of characterizing the system at the arbitrarily positioned symmetric constraints rather than at the tip of the cantilevered pipe. Using the full nonlinear equations of motion and the Galerkin discretization, a nonlinear analysis is performed. After validating the model with previous results using the bifurcation diagrams and achieving full agreement, the bifurcation diagram at the point of contact is further investigated to select key flow velocities of interest. In addition to demonstrating the progression of the selected regions using primarily phase portraits, a detailed comparison is made between the tip and the point of contact at the key flow velocities. In doing so, period doubling, pitchfork bifurcations, grazing bifurcations, sticking, and chaos that occur at the point of contact are found to not always occur at the tip for the same flow speed. Thus, it is shown that in the case of cantilevered pipes with constraints, more accurate characterization of the system is obtained in a specified range of flow velocities by characterizing the system at the point of contact rather than at the tip.
Connecting clinical aspects to corticomotor excitability in restless legs syndrome: a TMS study.

Abstract We assessed corticomotor excitability in the primary motor cortex (M1) of participants with moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in relation to the clinical and sleep aspects of the disease. Thirty-five participants (20 F; mean age: 59.23 ± 1.66 years; range: 42–78 years) affected by primary RLS (off medications) and 31 age-matched controls (19 F; mean age: 57.90 ± 1.50 years; range: 43–79 years) underwent TMS following two nights of polysomnography (PSG). Paired-pulse TMS measures [short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF)] of the dominant M1hand and M1leg muscles were collected and analyzed in relation to clinical features of RLS and PSG. We found decreased corticomotor excitability in M1hand, whereas it was increased in M1leg, which was greater in patients with more severe RLS. Participants with RLS with a history of dopamine-agonist–induced symptom augmentation showed decreased LICI (reduced inhibition) compared to nonaugmented participants with RLS for M1leg. None of the TMS measures (M1hand or M1leg) correlated with the PSG parameters. This study shows hyperexcitability in M1leg, and this appears related to RLS disease severity and decreased excitability in M1hand. The results provide new insight into the complex neurobiology of RLS, particularly in more advanced stages of the disease.
Cost-effectiveness of the recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices for the recombinant adjuvanted zoster subunit vaccine

This cost-effectiveness study evaluates use of the recombinant adjuvanted zoster subunit vaccine among patients 50 years and older.
An Allometric Perspective on the Morphological and Evolutionary Relationships between Pygmy (Pan Paniscus) and Common (Pan troglodytes) Chimpanzees

The pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus), or bonobo, has been the object of considerable primatological interest since its “discovery” in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Because pygmy and common chimpanzees differ in average adult size (although the amount of difference and degree of overlap are debatable), many have suggested that morphological differences between the species may be size-related, or allometric. For example, Corruccini and McHenry (1979) and McHenry and Corruccini, (1981) analyzed the cranium, postcranium, and dentition of P. paniscus and P. troglodytes, and concluded that many of the shape differences between the two species are due to allometry. Horn (1979) has made a similar suggestion. By contrast, Zihlman and others (e.g., Zihlman and Cramer, 1978; Zihlman et al., 1978; Zihlman, 1979, 1981) have argued that allometry cannot be invoked to explain the morphological differences between the chimpanzee species. In fact, Zihlman (1981, p. 6) suggests that we might view allometry as a “favorite anatomical fudge factor” which has obscured our understanding of the two chimpanzee species. In this paper and in other works (Shea, 1981a, 1982, 1983a-d; Coolidge and Shea, 1982), I have also analyzed the morphological differences between the chimpanzee species (and among the African pongids as a group) from an allometric perspective.
Nitric Oxide Inhibits the Synthesis of type-II Collagen Without Altering Col2A1 mRNA Abundance: Prolyl Hydroxylase as a Possible Target

The addition of human recombinant interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) to cultures of lapine articular chondrocytes provoked the synthesis of large amounts of NO and reduced the production of type-II collagen. NG-Monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMA), an inhibitor of NO synthase, strongly suppressed the production of NO and partially relieved the inhibition of collagen synthesis in response to IL-1beta. The NO donor S-nitrosoacetylpenicillamine (SNAP), on the other hand, inhibited collagen production. IL-1 lowered the abundance of Col2A1 mRNA in an NO-independent manner. Collectively, these data indicate that IL-1 suppresses collagen synthesis at two levels: a pretranslational level which is NO-independent, and a translational or post-translational level which is NO-mediated. These effects are presumably specific as L-NMA and SNAP had no effect on total protein synthesis or on the distribution of newly synthesized proteins between the cellular and extracellular compartments. Prolyl hydroxylase is an important enzyme in the post-translational processing of collagen, and its regulation and cofactor requirements suggest possible sensitivity to NO. Extracts of cells treated with IL-1 or SNAP had lower prolyl hydroxylase activity, and L-NMA was partially able to reverse the effects of IL-1. These data suggest that prolyl hydroxylase might indeed be a target for NO. Because underhydroxylated collagen monomers fail to anneal into stable triple helices, they are degraded intracellularly. Inhibition of prolyl hydroxylase by NO might thus account for the suppressive effect of this radical on collagen synthesis.
Medical Office Computer Systems: The Selectioii Process

This article highlights the process that a physician should undertake in selecting and implementing a business computer system for the office. Included are suggested approaches to identifying needs, establishing priorities, and communicating requirements to prospective vendors. Methods for reviewing various systems to evaluate whether they meet the practice's defined requirements are suggested.