cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A negotiated-text method for assessing situation awareness information requirements from emergency responders

Role-specific situation awareness (SA) requirements analyses have the potential to significantly improve public safety agency responses during the ambiguous incipient stages of emergencies. The results of such analysis can be used to both (1) filter out information that is not goal-related, and (2) help people in other roles to understand how and why they should provide relevant information to first responders. This project adapted existing approaches to create an easily deployed method that does not require technical human factors expertise. The method is based on a semi-structured negotiated text approach where informants review data as it is recorded by the interviewer. In our study, interviewers entered data into a shared display that shows a table with four levels of an easily understood goal hierarchy: (1) high level goals (strategies) pursued by persons in the role; (2) objectives (tactics) that are the means to achieve the goals; (3) actionable decisions that are used to achieve the objectives; and, (4) information needed to make those decisions. Data were collected about three high-rise building scenarios (1) a reported fire; (2) a reported person who is hostile and potentially armed; and (3) an apparent release of a potentially toxic airborne contaminant somewhere inside or near the building. Data were obtained from representative of three first responder roles: firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians. Advantages to using the approach are discussed as well as limitations.
Insensitivity of near-term fetal sheep to cortisol: possible relation to the control of parturition.

In ruminants, parturition is stimulated by increased cortisol secretion by the fetal adrenal in the last few days of fetal life. Before this preparturient surge in fetal plasma cortisol, fetal ACTH and renin secretion are suppressed by small physiological increases in the fetal plasma cortisol concentration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that the sensitivity of ACTH and renin to cortisol inhibition is reduced at term. Fetal sheep, chronically catheterized at least 4 days before the first experiment, were subjected to iv infusion of cortisol at rates of 0 (n = 5), 1 (n = 4), 2 (n = 4), 5 (n = 5), and 10 (n = 5) μg/min for 5 h. One hour after the end of the cortisol infusion, fetal ACTH secretion was stimulated by fetal iv infusion of sodium nitroprusside (50 μg/min). In all groups, fetal plasma ACTH increased during the cortisol infusions, perhaps reflecting a circadian variation in fetal ACTH secretion which was not suppressed by cortisol. The endogenous increase in fetal AC...
Estimation of Ship Dry Air Emissions

The Clean Air Act of 1990 was introduced to achieve and maintain a healthy environment while supporting strong and sustainable economic growth and sound energy policy. The federal regulations that followed require the Maritime shipping industry to work with government agencies to achieve these goals. This paper will estimate the theoretical stack emission from a vessel based on two models used by the maritime industry. The methods being discussed include one presented by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Commission as done by Entec. Both models utilize published Lloyds Register Engineering Services Data to generate emission factors for each approach and therefore may yield good predictors of emissions. These models quantify both criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases. A comparison is made between the two methods with regard to similarity of emission rates from a model vessel. There are four parameters of NO x , SO 2 , CO 2 , and HC, which can be compared between the two methods. The values for NO 2 in the EPA method would be equivalent to the NO x in the Entec methodology. The SO 2 and CO 2 values appear to be consistently higher in the EPA model. Hydrocarbon estimates appear to be consistently at least six times higher using the Entec model.
Long-term oxygen therapy.

The concept of oxygen as a therapeutic agent was introduced in the 1920s by Alvin Barach.1 Since then, a better understanding of the effects of hypoxemia, and of their reversal with oxygen supplementation, has enhanced the treatment of patients with pulmonary diseases. There are close to 800,000 patients receiving long-term oxygen therapy in the United States, at a yearly cost of $1.8 billion.2,3 We need to understand the effects of oxygen therapy, the indications for it, and its modes of delivery in order to make the most appropriate use of this effective therapeutic resource. In this article, we discuss . . .
Interburst interval measurements in the EEGs of premature infants with normal neurological outcome

Interburst intervals (IBIs) are quiescent periods of cerebral activity, which normally occur in the electroencephalograms (EEGs) of premature infants. Although it is generally felt that the duration of these intervals shorten with increasing conceptional age (CA), no systemic studies of IBIs have been done in a large group of normal premature infants with long-term follow-up and using multichannel routine EEGs. In this study, we measured the IBIs, using defined criteria, in 36 premature infants who were normal at 3 years. The IBIs were measured in 104 EEGs, obtained from these infants, using standard recording techniques. Mean and the maximum IBIs were calculated. IBI duration decreased with increasing CA, although this trend was not very prominent when very restrictive criteria for measurement of IBI length were used. Less restrictive criteria for defining an IBI led to trends which are similar to those of previous studies. Various clinical factors, such as mild encephalopathies, small intraventricular/subependymal hemorrhages, mild bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or patent ductus arteriosus did not significantly alter IBI durations. Comparison with other techniques of IBI measurement and recording are discussed. The longest period of continuous activity during a routine recording was also measured and was found to increase with increasing CA.
Autocatalytic-assisted photorelease of a sensitizer drug bound to a silica support.

The photorelease of a sensitizer from a fluorinated silica surface occurs by a reaction of singlet oxygen with the vinyl ether bond linker with scission of a dioxetane intermediate. Irradiation of the released sensitizer generates singlet oxygen, which accelerates the release of more sensitizer via an autocatalytic reaction. Sigmoidal behavior of sensitizer release in n-butanol and n-octanol occurs at an optimal temperature of 20 °C. The photorelease efficiency was reduced at low temperatures, where the sensitizer was retained on the surface due to a long-lived dioxetane with inefficient scission, and also reduced at high temperatures, due to a slower reaction of 1O2 with the vinyl ether bond. Immediate acceleration is a result of released sensitizer being used as a dopant to eliminate the induction step, further implicating an autocatalytic mechanism. However, the sigmoidal sensitizer release was not correlated to solvent viscosity, heat, or light from the dioxetane decomposition or to minor O2 solubilit...
Parents' inconsistent emotion socialization and children's socioemotional adjustment

Abstract Parents socialize children's emotion through active, purposeful strategies and through their own expressivity; yet little research has examined whether parents are inconsistent within or between these socialization domains. The author presents a heuristic model of inconsistency in parents' emotion socialization. Parents ( M age = 34.8 years, 85% mothers) of preschool-aged children ( M age = 4.5 years, 53% female) reported on their responses to children's emotions, their own expressivity, child emotion regulation and expressivity, child social competence, and child internalizing and externalizing. Parents were largely consistent in their emotion socialization, with one exception being that some highly negatively expressive parents punished children's negative expressivity. This pairing of inconsistent socialization behaviors interacted to explain variance in child emotion regulation and internalizing. The author discusses the implications and limitations of the findings and directions for future research.
Unexpected thermal conversion of hydroxy-containing polyimides to polybenzoxazoles

Abstract An aromatic polyimide containing pendent hydroxyl groups ortho to the heterocyclic imide nitrogen was found to rearrange to a polybenzoxazole, with quantitative loss of carbon dioxide, upon heating above 400°C in an inert atmosphere. A hydroxy-containing polyimide film based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 3,3′-dihydroxy-4,4′-diaminobiphenyl (HAB) was prepared and converted to a fully aromatic polybenzoxazole by heating at 500°C for 1 h under nitrogen. The resulting polybenzoxazole film was found to be amorphous by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The film also displayed excellent solvent resistance and good thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis with 5% weight loss in nitrogen occurring at 625°C. A hydroxy-containing imide model compound was also found to undergo thermal conversion to a bisbenzoxazole when heated above 400°C under nitrogen.
Consumer discrimination in the NBA: An examination of the effect of race on the value of basketball trading cards

Abstract In this research we use sport trading cards to examine consumer discrimination in the NBA. Using a Tobit analysis, we test whether the race of a player affects the value (price) of his NBA trading card. We find that a player's race does not affect the value of NBA trading cards. We conclude that some forms of consumer discrimination are declining in the NBA.
A Procedure for Artificially Infesting Field Plots with Corn Rootworm Eggs

A procedure was developed to quantitatively and uniformily distribute eggs of corn rootworm, Diabrotica spp., in large-scale field plots. Eggs were obtained from field-collected beetles, quantitatively suspended in an agar solution, and dispensed at known rates using a mechanical-pressurized system. The artificial infestations produced are very uniform;; root damage ratings were highly correlated with rate of infestation. The technique is applicable to other soil insects where uniformity of natural infestations is a problem.
Histological Study of Injected Autologous Fascia in the Paralyzed Canine Vocal Fold

Objective Several methods have been used for the treatment of the unilateral paralyzed vocal fold. Teflon injections have been used e-tensively but not without complications. The ideal substance for injection is yet to be determined. Injected autologous fascia has been reported as a means of achieving glottic closure. In review of the literature, there are no long-term results described using autologous fascia in this way. The purpose of this study was to e-amine the histological changes of the laryn- after injection of autologous fascia into a paralyzed vocal fold. Study Design A prospective study with the contralateral side of the laryn- used as the control. Methods Si- adult dogs underwent severing of one of their recurrent laryngeal nerves. After the vocal folds were confirmed to be paralyzed by direct laryngoscopy, fascia lata that was harvested from the animal was minced and injected into the paralyzed vocal fold. The dogs were then killed at intervals ranging from 3 to 12 months and their larynges reviewed histologically. Results The larynges revealed muscle atrophy of the vocal fold, which is consistent with denervation, but there was no evidence of persistent fascia. In addition, there was no evidence of reaction to the injected fascia. Special stains for collagen were also performed which showed no significant change from the non-injected vocal fold. Conclusion From this model, it is concluded that injected autologous minced fascia is not a good short- or long-term substance for vocal fold augmentation. Further study is warranted to confirm this observation.
Clinical characteristics associated with interpersonal depression: symptoms, course and treatment response

A range of theories, including environmental, personality and cognitive theories, have suggested that loss may be a particularly critical form of stress in the etiology and expression of depression. The current study examines whether interpersonal depression predicted a unique clinical presentation and course in subjects with major depression. Subjects who became depressed following a severe interpersonal event were contrasted with two control groups: patients without antecedent stressors and patients with major non-interpersonal stressors. The hypothesized interpersonal subgroup was differentiated from the control groups only in the speed of treatment response. Proposals for future research are discussed.
Distribution free tests for comparing trends in Poisson series

Abstract Tests are presented for comparing trends in the rate of occurence of events for two Poisson series. The tests are based on a product model which is similar to the one proposed by Cox [2]. The model allows arbitrary trends in the individual series. Although the density function of the observable variables does not belong to the exponential family, the method often used for exponential families is shown to be applicable for constructing the tests.
Does soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 regulate placental invasion? Insight from the invasive placenta

Objective Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFLT-1) is a potent antiangiogenic growth factor that has been found to be markedly elevated in preeclampsia. In healthy pregnancy, serum sFLT-1 concentrations are 50-fold higher than in the nonpregnant state. The functional significance of this physiologic elevation in serum sFLT-1 in normal pregnancy is unknown. We hypothesized that sFLT-1 regulates placental cytotrophoblast invasion and that lower levels of sFLT-1 would be observed locally in invasive placentas (accreta/increta/percreta). Study Design We performed a retrospective case-control study comparing placental sFLT-1 expression in hysterectomy specimens from 3 groups: group 1, focally invasive placenta; group 2, normal invasion from the same specimen; and group 3, normal invasion associated with placenta previa. Immunohistochemistry for sFLT-1 was performed, and staining intensity was graded on a scale from 1+ (weak) to 5+ (strong). Results We identified 10 hysterectomy specimens from women with invasive placentation and 3 with placenta previa. The median sFLT-1 staining score for group 1 was 1.75 compared to 4.0 for group 2 ( P = .01). A significant difference was also found between group 1 and group 3 ( P = .01). When comparing depth of invasion, there was a trend toward lower staining score as depth of invasion increased ( P = .11). Interobserver agreement for immunohistochemistry scoring was 87%. Conclusion Lower levels of sFLT-1 protein expression were associated with invasive placentation suggesting a critical functional role for sFLT-1 in regulation of placental invasion.
Race and Job Satisfaction in the Military

This paper questions the validity of past studies of job satisfaction for minority groups. Past studies relegate the racial issue to the initial determinant of status attainment deficiencies which indirectly influence job satisfaction. On a sample of over 9,000 military men, including almost 1,500 blacks, three questions are examined: (1) Do past findings on job satisfaction apply to the military setting? (2) Are the conditions contributing to job satisfaction for blacks qualitatively different from the conditions contributing to white job satisfaction? (3) What are the implications of the emergence of separatist attitudes among blacks for work experiences in an integrated setting? The black-white differences uncovered are traced from the historical development in race relation in America, pivoting on the intense racial experience of the 1960s. Implications for other minority groups are discussed.
Effects of group composition on agonistic behavior of captive pigtail macaques, Macaca nemestrina

We surveyed agonistic behaviors of 20 captive groups of pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) housed under identical spatial conditions. Fifteen groups contained one male each; the other five groups contained no adult males. Groups included six to twelve adult females, some of which had infants with them. We found no relationship between social density of groups and incidence of agonistic behavior, but significantly more contact aggression (grab, hit, push, bite) and noncontact aggression (chase, open-mouth “threat,” bark vocalization) occurred among females in groups containing no males than in those containing one male each. Apparently, males played an important role in the inhibition of intragroup conflict. We also found that females in groups containing males exhibited less noncontact aggression if infants were present than if no infants resided in their groups. Thus, competition of females over infants must not have been an important constituent of intragroup conflict under the conditions of this survey.
Short nucleosome repeats impose rotational modulations on chromatin fibre folding

In eukaryotic cells, DNA is organized into arrays of repeated nucleosomes where the shorter nucleosome repeat length (NRL) types are associated with transcriptionally active chromatin. Here, we tested a hypothesis that systematic variations in the NRL influence nucleosome array folding into higher-order structures. For NRLs with fixed rotational settings, we observed a negative correlation between NRL and chromatin folding. Rotational variations within a range of longer NRLs (188 bp and above) typical of repressed chromatin in differentiated cells did not reveal any changes in chromatin folding. In sharp contrast, for the shorter NRL range of 165–177 bp, we observed a strong periodic dependence of chromatin folding upon the changes in linker DNA lengths, with the 172 bp repeat found in highly transcribed yeast chromatin imposing an unfolded state of the chromatin fibre that could be reversed by linker histone. Our results suggest that the NRL may direct chromatin higher-order structure into either a nucleosome position-dependent folding for short NRLs typical of transcribed genes or an architectural factor-dependent folding typical of longer NRLs prevailing in eukaryotic heterochromatin.
Epistemic divergence and the publicity of scientific methods

Abstract Epistemic divergence occurs when different investigators give different answers to the same question using evidence-collecting methods that are not public. Without following the principle that scientific methods must be public, scientific communities risk epistemic divergence. I explicate the notion of public method and argue that, to avoid the risk of epistemic divergence, scientific communities should (and do) apply only methods that are public.
International Marketing Channels

International marketing channels consist of interdependent organizations participating in business activities necessary to make a product or service available for use in markets around the world. The structure or design of global channels can vary widely, comprising various organizational participants (foreign distributors, agents, subsidiaries, etc.) engaged in a diverse set of functional activities (selling to foreign customers, warehousing inventory, etc.). The determinants of channel design include key drivers associated with manufacturers, international middlemen, and foreign end users. A complex interplay among these key players and the characteristics of channel activities yields the particular contractual, ownership, and other institutional arrangements that govern cross-border channel systems. Further, channel designs are subject to important feasibility constraints emanating from the regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive elements of the institutional environment of the home and host countries. International marketing channels are one of the most complex and dynamic aspects of global marketing, and require careful analysis to achieve the most productive balance among the many determinants of channel design. Keywords: global channels; international marketing; foreign distribution; institutional environment; channel design; foreign middlemen
SILICATE DEFICIENCY AND LIPID SYNTHESIS OF MARINE DIATOMS

Lipid synthesis of three marine diatoms was studied with a /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ incorporation technique in silicate limited batch cultures. Growth rates were independent of the silicate concentration but the cellular yields were proportional to the initial amount of silicate. At the beginning of the stationary growth phase, lipid synthesis rates per unit culture volume increased by 1.7 times for Chaetoceros gracilis, 3.1 times for Hantzschia sp., and 2.8 times for Cyclotella sp., respectively compared to those during the exponential growth phase. Lipid carbon accounted for as much as 57% of the carbon in C. gracilis, 71% in Hantzschia sp., and 65% in Cyclotella sp., respectively. Additional enrichment with silicate during stationary growth phase allowed the cultures to grow further. Lipid synthesis rates were reduced during the subsequent growth phase, and the growth rates themselves were dependent on the level of biomass achieved during the previous stationary phase. However, the cellular yields were similar and probably controlled by light.
Novel horn designs for power ultrasonics

Ultrasonic horns are used in a variety of industrial and medical applications. At JPL, a rock-sampling tool based on an ultrasonic horn was developed to drill, abrade and core rock samples, including hard basalts. This device is an impact device, which uses ultrasonic vibrations that occur at the horn tip to produce a sonic resonance with the aid of a loosely connected mass. Although standard horns are found in many current industrial designs, they suffer from a few key limitations when used for USDC (ultrasonic/sonic driller/corer) applications. Manufacturing a horn requires turning down stock material (e.g., titanium) from the larger outer diameter to the horn tip diameter, and this process is both time consuming and wasteful. We present novel horn designs that are specifically designed for impact applications such as USDC. One such design addresses the excessive length that is involved with the use of the horn, limiting its applications when system dimensions are constrained. For this purpose, a folded horn design was conceived that reduces the overall length of the resonator (physical length) but maintains or increases the acoustic length. Initial experiments with horns having such a design indicate that the tip displacement can be further adjusted by phasing the bending displacements and the extensional displacements. Another conceived horn design is the "dog-bone" horn that uses an end mass on the horn tip to increase the impact efficiency of the horn. Experimental results for these novel horn designs are presented and compared to the results predicted by theory.
An accountability account: A review and synthesis of the theoretical and empirical research on felt accountability

Summary Accountability is a fundamental element of all societies and the organizations that operate within them. This paper focuses on the individual-level accountability concept of felt accountability (also referred to in the literature as simply accountability), which can be described as the perceptions of one's personal accountability. We describe key theories that have formed the theoretical groundwork for the body of felt accountability literature, and discuss the empirical research published since the last major review of the accountability literature in the late 1990s. Empirical research has revealed that accountability has both constructive and deleterious consequences. Moreover, research examining accountability and key outcomes has produced mixed results, suggesting that consideration of moderators and nonlinear relationships are important when examining accountability. Although accountability is an important construct, there are many issues that have yet to be investigated by scholars. We identify limitations and gaps in the current body of the empirical research and conclude the paper with suggestions for scholars striving to make contributions to this line of research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detecting conflicts among declarative UI extensions

We examine overlays, a flexible aspect-like mechanism for third-party declarative extensions of declarative UIs. Overlays can be defined for any markup language and permit extensions to define new content that is dynamically woven into a base UI document. While powerful, overlays are inherently non-modular and may conflict with each other, by defining duplicate or contradictory UI components. We construct an abstract language to capture core overlay semantics, and design an automatic analysis to detect inter-extension conflicts. We apply the analysis to a case study of Firefox extensions, finding several real-world bugs. Our analysis provides low-level feedback to extension developers and high-level reports to end users. Finally, we show how variants of overlays more expressive than those of Firefox complicate conflict detection.
Effects of Early Enteral Feeding on the Outcome of Critically Ill Mechanically Ventilated Medical Patients

Study objectives To determine the impact of early enteral feeding on the outcome of critically ill medical patients. Design Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected large multi-institutional ICU database. Patients A total of 4,049 patients requiring mechanical ventilation for > 2 days. Measurements and results Patients were classified according to whether or not they received enteral feeding within 48 h of mechanical ventilation onset. The 2,537 patients (63%) who did receive enteral feeding were labeled as the "early feeding group," and the remaining 1,512 patients (37%) were labeled as the "late feeding group." The overall ICU and hospital mortality were lower in the early feeding group (18.1% vs 21.4%, p=0.01; and 28.7% vs 33.5%, p=0.001, respectively). The lower mortality rates in the early feeding group were most evident in the sickest group as defined by quartiles of severity of illness scores. Three separate models were done using each of the different scores (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II, simplified acute physiology score II, and mortality prediction model at time 0). In all models, early enteral feeding was associated with an approximately 20% decrease in ICU mortality and a 25% decrease in hospital mortality. We also analyzed the data after controlling for confounding by matching for propensity score. In this analysis, early feeding was again associated with decreased ICU and hospital mortality. In all adjusted analysis, early feeding was found to be independently associated with an increased risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) developing. Conclusion Early feeding significantly reduces ICU and hospital mortality based mainly on improvements in the sickest patients, despite being associated with an increased risk of VAP developing. Routine administration of such therapy in medical patients receiving mechanical ventilation is suggested, especially in patients at high risk of death.
Water-Soluble Cationic Conjugated Polymers: Response to Electron-Rich Bioanalytes

We report the concise synthesis of a symmetrical monomer that provides a head-to-head pyridine building block for the preparation of cationic conjugated polymers. The obtained poly(pyridinium-phenylene) polymers display appealing properties such as high electron affinity, charge-transport upon n-doping, and optical response to electron-donating analytes. A simple assay for the optical detection of low micromolar amounts of a variety of analytes in aqueous solution was developed. In particular, caffeine could be measured at a 25 μM detection limit. The reported polymers are also suitable for layer-by-layer film formation.
Public Health, GIS, and Spatial Analytic Tools

▪ Abstract We review literature that uses spatial analytic tools in contexts where Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the organizing system for health data or where the methods discussed will likely be incorporated in GIS-based analyses in the future. We conclude the review with the point of view that this literature is moving toward the development and use of systems of analysis that integrate the information geo-coding and data base functions of GISystems with the geo-information processing functions of GIScience. The rapidity of this projected development will depend on the perceived needs of the public health community for spatial analysis methods to provide decision support. Recent advances in the analysis of disease maps have been influenced by and benefited from the adoption of new practices for georeferencing health data and new ways of linking such data geographically to potential sources of environmental exposures, the locations of health resources and the geodemographic characteristics of ...
Parametric Inference in Stationary Time Series Models with Dependent Errors

This article is concerned with inference for the parameter vector in stationary time series models based on the frequency domain maximum likelihood estimator. The traditional method consistently estimates the asymptotic covariance matrix of the parameter estimator and usually assumes the independence of the innovation process. For dependent innovations, the asymptotic covariance matrix of the estimator depends on the fourth-order cumulants of the unobserved innovation process, a consistent estimation of which is a difficult task. In this article, we propose a novel self-normalization-based approach to constructing a confidence region for the parameter vector in such models. The proposed procedure involves no smoothing parameter, and is widely applicable to a large class of long/short memory time series models with weakly dependent innovations. In simulation studies, we demonstrate favourable finite sample performance of our method in comparison with the traditional method and a residual block bootstrap approach.
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes:indicators of tumor-related immune responses

During the past decade, remarkable progress has been made in understanding the interactions between the immune system and cancer. Importantly, there is growing evidence for the concept of cancer immunosurveillance and immunoediting based on (i) protection against development of spontaneous and chemically-induced tumors in animal systems and (ii) identification of targets for immune recognition of human cancer. The concept of cancer immunoediting holds that the immune system not only protects the host against the development of primary cancers but also sculpts tumor immunogenicity. The demonstration of this concept in animal models has been accomplished by the use of appropriate knockout mice, strategies that are not feasible for human experimentation. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on correlative human studies, such as tumor infiltration by lymphocytes as a reflection of a tumor-related immune response. This subject is of considerable importance, and yet continues to generate controversy in the field of human tumor immunology. More recently, there has been an improved ability to demonstrate distinct subsets of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in different tumor compartments, and a clearer picture is emerging. Data from many of these studies indicate that the presence of TILs may be associated with improved clinical outcome in several human cancers. The editors of Cancer Immunity believe that it is timely to undertake in-depth reviews of TILs in the major types of human cancers. These reviews will be concise, and yet be as definitive as possible at this stage of our understanding. In this volume, Dr. Haruo Ohtani has provided a detailed review of the significance of TILs in colorectal carcinoma. It our hope that this, and future reviews on human TILs, will generate interest and research efforts aimed at filling the gaps in our current knowledge.
Urea for SCR-based NOx Control Systems and Potential Impacts to Ground Water Resources

One of the key challenges facing manufacturers of diesel engines for light- and heavy-duty vehicles is the development of technologies for controlling emissions of nitrogen oxides, In this regard, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems represent control technology that can potentially achieve the NOx removal efficiencies required to meet new U.S. EPA standards. SCR systems rely on a bleed stream of urea solution into exhaust gases prior to catalytic reduction. While urea's role in this emission control technology is beneficial, in that it supports reduced NOx emissions, it can also be an environmental threat to ground water quality. This would occur if it is accidentally released to soils because once in that environmental medium, urea is subsequently converted to nitrate--which is regulated under the U.S. EPA's primary drinking water standards. Unfortunately, nitrate contamination of ground waters is already a significant problem across the U.S. Historically, the primary sources of nitrate in ground waters have been septic tanks and fertilizer applications. The basic concern over nitrate contamination is the potential health effects associated with drinking water containing elevated levels of nitrate. Specifically, consumption of nitrate-contaminated water can cause a blood disorder in infants known as methemoglobinemia.
Effect of Prolonged Passage in the Chick Egg on the St. Louis Encephalitis Virus

SummaryAfter 68 passages on the chorio-allantoic membrane of the chick there is no increased proliferation of the virus on the membrane. The virulence of this virus after cultivation in eggs for 9 months has been demonstrated to be the same for the mouse as that of the original inoculum of the eggs. The virus content of the chick embryo brain is consistently slightly greater than that of the corresponding chorio-allantoic membrane. The majority of the chicks live until the time of hatching and show no gross changes attributable to the virus and only slight and inconstant microscopical changes in the brain. The membranes show a gross edema and fine granulation of the surface. Microscopically, they show chiefly edema and cellular infiltration of the mesoderm and foci of ectodermal proliferation with superimposed necrosis of the superficial layers.
Educational modeling and load testing of shells

The author has recently developed a new course at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to address concepts of advanced structures. The course co...
Acquisition Method of Evaluation Model of Soil and Water Loss and Its Affecting Factors of the Southern Jiangxi

The paper introduced the evaluation methods and acquiring ways of soil and water loss and its affecting factors of the southern Jiangxi by taking model and 3S techniques as a base.It determines and establishes soil and water conservation evaluation model and acquiring way of its factors values that suits to erosion conditions of the southern Jiangxi based on the conditions of making the implication and algorithm of each factor clear.In the meanwhile,it has made an attempt on algorithm of factor B value(biological measures for soil and water conservation) and factor E value(engineering measures for soil and water conservation) in the soil and water loss region under trees in the southern Jiangxi.
Promoting research of heat pump technology in Shanxi province

Through analysis of the Shaanxi province natural climate condition,the shallow heat reservoir and the hydrogeological structure,the article studies the Shaanxi heat pump technology promotion direction,mechanism and market main body.Promotion of the specific case of heat pump technology is introduced.Heat pump technology,which guides the electricity consumption to realize saving energy and reducing consumption,is important direction in Shanxi Province to carry out the "DSM method" requirement,ensure to complete energy saving index prescribed by the state.
Nutritional aspects of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

This article focuses on the factors contributing to increased risk for malnutrition in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients, the methods of identifying and treating nutritional problems (including protein-energy malnutrition and obesity), and outlines national statistics demonstrating that the pediatric rheumatic patient population is nutritionally underserved. The dietitian, in conjunction with the interdisciplinary treatment team, should be involved in the initial evaluation of all juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients to facilitate early detection of nutritional problems and initiate nutritional intervention strategies.
THE ROLE OF NK(HSV-1) EFFECTOR CELLS IN RESISTANCE TO HERPESVIRUS INFECTIONS IN MAN

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the role of NK(HSV-l) effector cells in resistance to herpesvirus infections in man. In the study described in the chapter, fresh cord bloods were obtained from uncomplicated deliveries without signs of infection. Heparinized bloods were obtained from patients being evaluated immunologically. All tests were set up; on the same day, blood was drawn. The NK (HSV-l) assay was carried out. HSV-1-infected or uninfected fibroblasts were chromated, washed, and aliquoted. Effector cells were added to yield the desired ratios and the plates were incubated for 14 hours in a humidified CO2 incubator. The data was analyzed using the Von Krogh equation, and the percent lysis at a 50:1 ratio was estimated and used for comparison. Control values were generated with 58 normals. Normal values were considered to be those within 2 standard deviations of the mean. It was found that approximately 75% of all babies infected with HSV at the time of birth go on to develop an infection disseminated to the viscera, skin, or central nervous system. The other 25% of exposed children have localized infections and, thus, demonstrate some resistance to HSV not found with the other patients.
Class, gender, and the built environment: Deriving social relations from cultural landscapes in Southwest Michigan

The houses, barns, and gardens that comprise cultural landscapes embody information about their makers because the built environment actively serves to create, reproduce, and transform social relations. Members of society use space to reinforce and resist relations of power, authority, and inequality by organizing the landscape to facilitate the activities and movements of some individuals, while concurrently constraining others. Historical investigations indicate that the occupants of the village of Plainwell, Michigan, have witnessed political, economic, and social changes at the local, regional, and national levels since the mid-19th century. Yet, archaeological investigation of the Woodhams site (20AE852)—a residential homelot in Plainwell—provides evidence for considerable continuity in class and gender relations, despite transformations in American society at these multiple scales of analysis.
Pyramidal Neurons Are Not Generalizable Building Blocks of Cortical Networks.

A key challenge in cortical neuroscience is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how pyramidal neuron heterogeneity across different areas and species underlies the functional specialization of individual neurons, networks and areas. Comparative studies have been important in this endeavor, providing data relevant to the question of which of the many inherent properties of individual pyramidal neurons are necessary and sufficient for species-specific network and areal function. In this mini review, the importance of pyramidal neuron structural properties for signaling are outlined, followed by a summary of our recent work comparing the structural features of mouse (C57/BL6 strain) and rhesus monkey layer 3 (L3) pyramidal neurons in primary visual and frontal association cortices and their implications for neuronal and areal function. Based on these and other published data, L3 pyramidal neurons plausibly might be considered broadly “generalizable” from one area to another in the mouse neocortex due to their many similarities, but major differences in the properties of these neurons in diverse areas in the rhesus monkey neocortex rules this out in the primate. Further, fundamental differences in the dendritic topology of mouse and rhesus monkey pyramidal neurons highlight the implausibility of straightforward scaling and/or extrapolation from mouse to primate neurons and cortical networks.
The importance of immunization in cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE A measles outbreak originating in California during 2014 and 2015 called attention to the potential for infectious disease outbreaks related to underimmunized populations in the United States and the potential risk to pediatric patients with cancer attending school when such outbreaks occur. Compliance with vaccine recommendations is important for the prevention of hepatitis B-related and human papillomavirus-related cancers and for protecting immunocompromised patients with cancer, and these points are often overlooked, resulting in the continued occurrence of vaccine-preventable neoplastic and infectious diseases and complications. This article provides an overview of the importance of vaccines in the context of cancer and encourages clinician, health system, and public policy efforts to promote adherence to immunization recommendations in the United States. CA Cancer J Clin 2017;67:398-410. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
The challenges of teaching strategic management: Including the institution based view

Dealing with the institutional differences is increasingly important in the globalizing world economy. While an Institutional Based View (IBV) is gaining prominence in strategic management scholarship, it is under-represented in strategic management courses. The resource based view (RBV) and Industrial Organization Economics (IO) commonly represented by Porter's Five Forces, remain the significant theories within strategic management courses in the U.S. We summarize the tenants of the Institutional Based View, demonstrate how it relates to the Resource Based View and Industrial Organization Economics and present an experiential exercise for introducing basic aspects of the IBV in the strategic management classroom.
Abstract 21118: A Systematic Review on the Risk of Mortality Related to the Timing of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Following Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: The optimal timing for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) following an acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a topic of controversy among cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. We sought to perform a systematic review of the evidence. Methods: PubMed was searched for studies that compared mortality between patients who underwent CABG, at different time points, following an acute MI. The quality of evidence was assessed using the National Institute of Health (NIH) quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies. Mortality was compared between groups who had CABG performed 72 hours (delayed) following MI. Results: Sixteen observational studies were identified (1 prospective, 15 retrospective) which included 94,841 patients. There were no randomized controlled trials (RCT). Five studies used data from official registries while 11 relied upon data from a single site. Two studies specified the MI type as NSTEMI, 2 as STEMI, and it was unspecified in 12. Mortality was assessed as ‘in-hospital’ in 10 studies, ‘perioperative’ in 5, and ‘one month’ in 1. Using the NIH quality assessment tool, we scored 12 domains on a dichotomous scale of ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘other’ and found the average number of ‘yes’ answers was 6.5/12 with a range of 4 to 8/12. A quantitative comparison of mortality risk between timing groups could not be performed due to heterogeneity between recorded baseline covariates across studies as well as heterogeneity between MI-type, timing cut-offs, and specific mortality endpoints across studies. Only 1 study used propensity-matching, most used some logistic regression but 4 did not adjust at all for baseline cofounders. Most studies found that mortality was increased when patients underwent CABG Conclusions: The current evidence base for timing of CABG post-MI is poor, being composed of low to fair quality observational studies and expert opinion. Selection bias is a major concern for all studies that were reviewed. Well-conducted RCTs are urgently needed to better inform this important clinical question.
Dorsal spine evolution in threespine sticklebacks via a splicing change in MSX2A

Dorsal spine reduction in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a classic example of recurrent skeletal evolution in nature. Sticklebacks in marine environments typically have long spines that form part of their skeletal armor. Many derived freshwater populations have evolved shorter spines. Changes in spine length are controlled in part by a quantitative trait locus (QTL) previously mapped to chromosome 4, but the causative gene and mutations underlying the repeated evolution of this interesting skeletal trait have not been identified. Refined mapping of the spine length QTL shows that it lies near the MSX2A transcription factor gene. MSX2A is expressed in developing spines. In F1 marine × freshwater fish, the marine allele is preferentially expressed. Differences in expression can be attributed to splicing regulation. Due to the use of an alternative 5 ′ splice site within the first exon, the freshwater allele produces greater amounts of a shortened, non-functional transcript and makes less of the full-length transcript. Sequence changes in the MSX2A region are shared by many freshwater fish, suggesting that repeated evolution occurs by reuse of a spine-reduction variant. To demonstrate the effect of full-length MSX2A on spine length, we produced transgenic freshwater fish expressing a copy of marine MSX2A. The spines of the transgenic fish were significantly longer on average than those of their non-transgenic siblings, partially reversing the reduced spine lengths that have evolved in freshwater populations. MSX2A is a major gene underlying dorsal spine reduction in freshwater sticklebacks. The gene is linked to a separate gene controlling bony plate loss, helping explain the concerted effects of chromosome 4 on multiple armor-reduction traits. The nature of the molecular changes provides an interesting example of morphological evolution occurring not through a simple amino acid change, nor through a change only in gene expression levels, but through a change in the ratio of splice products encoding both normal and truncated proteins.
Pragmatic Secularism; Or, What The Scarlet Letter Can Teach Us about Modern Medicine:

This article argues that The Scarlet Letter (1850) offers a unique insight into American secularism’s inherent pragmatism—a pragmatism that attempts to provide a resolution for the healing arts’ st...
Strain rate sensitivity of polycarbonate and vinyl ester from dynamic mechanical analysis experiments

Measuring the strain rate sensitivity of materials is desired to improve the design of polymeric parts in automotive and aerospace structures. In this work, we present a technique for determining the mechanical response of polymers at different temperatures and strain rates by converting frequency-domain dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) data to the time domain. Two polymers of practical interest, vinyl ester and polycarbonate, are examined. The modulus of elasticity in the linear region is measured as a function of the applied strain rate and compared to predictions from the DMA transformation technique. Close agreement between the results obtained from the two techniques is observed over the studied range of strain rates. The transformation technique only relies on the assumptions of the linear theory of viscoelasticity and is expected to be applicable to a wide range of polymers and can also be extended to polymer-matrix composites.