cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seniors with chronic health conditions and prescription drugs: benefits, wealth, and health.

Abstract Objectives The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between prescription benefit status and access to medications among Medicare beneficiaries with hypertension, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and diabetes and to determine how income, wealth, and health status influence this relationship. Methods We analyzed survey and administrative data for 4492 Medicare + Choice enrollees aged 67 and above enrolled in a predominantly group-model health maintenance organization in 2000. Outcome measures included difficulty affording medications, methods of coping with medication costs including obtaining medicines from another country, using free samples, and stretching out medications to make them last longer. Independent variables included prescription benefit status, income, wealth measures, health status, and out-of-pocket prescription drug spending. Results Lacking a prescription benefit was independently associated with difficulty affording medications (25% of those without a benefit vs. 17% with a benefit) and coping methods such as stretching out medications. Lower income, lower assets, and worse health status also independently predicted greater difficulty as measured by these outcomes; there was no effect modification between these factors and benefit status. Relative to national figures, out-of-pocket spending in this setting was quite low, with only 0.2 and 13% of those with and without a benefit, respectively, spending over $100 per month. Higher out-of-pocket spending predicted greater difficulty affording medications but not stretching out medications. Conclusions Efforts to improve medication accessibility for older Americans with chronic conditions need to address not only insurance coverage but also barriers related to socioeconomic status and health status.
SECONDARY ANALYSIS: A STRATEGY FOR THE USE OF KNOWLEDGE FROM RESEARCH ELSEWHERE

out too much chance of the perpetrators being caught. The boys reacted accordingly. Direct observation of the antiSemitic children in the New York sample (not the youths over 16) indicated that, by and large, they were not arrogant, swashbuckling personalities. Even the most aggressively antiSemitic among them tended rather to be beset with feelings of weakness and ineffectiveness, frustrated in their capacity to achieve and unable or unwilling to assert themselves openly. These children were inclined to be
Polarizations of Personality: A Factor Explanation

This study examines six polarities to determine whether a one-factor (unipolar) or two-factor (bipolar) canonical interpretation generated the more precise data for the eight subscales of the Tennessee Self-concept Scale. A canonical correlation was performed on each of the six polarities. For four of the six, a bipolar explanation provided more precise data than did a unipolar explanation of self-concept as measured by the self-concept scale. The four significant polarities were sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, judgment-perception, and masculinity-femininity.
Improved techniques for single-pass adaptive vector quantization

Constantinescu and Storer presented a new single-pass adaptive vector quantization algorithm that learns a codebook of variable size and shape entries; they presented experiments on a set of test images showing that with no training or prior knowledge of the data, for a given fidelity, the compression achieved typically equals or exceeds that of the JPEG standard. This paper presents improvements in speed (by employing K-D trees), simplicity of codebook entries, and visual quality with no loss in either the amount of compression or the SNR as compared to the original full-search version. >
Christian privilege, history, and trends in U.S. religion

This chapter defines and discusses Christian privilege, incorporates the current state of religious flux in the United States, and offers some implications for practice as student affairs practitioners work with today's college students.
Harm reduction: Come as you are

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe what harm reduction is, how it developed, how it works, and why it is becoming a major approach in the addictive behaviors field. Based on principles of public health, harm reduction offers a pragmatic yet compassionate set of strategies designed to reduce the harmful consequences of addictive behavior for both drug consumers and the communities in which they live. To illustrate how harm reduction has been applied to both the prevention and treatment of addiction problems, highlights of a national conference on harm reduction are presented. The historical roots of harm reduction programs in Europe (Netherlands and the United Kingdom) are described. The paper concludes with a discussion of four basic assumptions central to harm reduction: (a) harm reduction is a public health alternative to the moral/criminal and disease models of drug use and addiction; (b) it recognizes abstinence as an ideal outcome but accepts alternatives that reduce harm; (c) it has emerged primarily as a “bottom-up” approach based on addict advocacy, rather than a “topdown” policy established by addiction professionals; and (d) it promotes low threshold access to services as an alternative to traditional high threshold approaches.
The category of linear codes

Slepian (1960) introduced a structure theory for linear, binary codes and proved that every such code was uniquely the sum of indecomposable codes. He had hoped to produce a canonical form for the generator matrix of an indecomposable code so that he might read off the properties of the code from such a matrix, but such a program proved impossible. We here work over an arbitrary field and define a restricted class of indecomposable codes-which we call critical. For these codes there is a quasicanonical form for the generator matrix. Every indecomposable code has a generator matrix that is obtained from the generator matrix of a critical, indecomposable code by augmentation. As an application of the this quasicanonical form we illuminate the perfect linear codes, giving, for example, a "canonical" form for the generator matrix of the ternary Golay (1949) code.
Diet and Diabetes: Lines and Dots

Diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, is epidemic in the United States among adults and children alike, and increasingly prevalent around the world. On its current trajectory, the increasing incidence of diabetes has the potential to ravage both public health and economies. There has, however, been evidence for decades that lifestyle has enormous potential to prevent chronic disease, diabetes included. Studies suggest that the combination of tobacco avoidance, routine physical activity, optimal dietary pattern, and weight control could eliminate as much as 80% of all chronic disease, and 90% of cases of diabetes specifically. None of these factors is necessarily easily achieved, but most are simple. Diet, on the other hand, is complex, and arguments abound for competing diets and related health benefits. From an expansive review of relevant literature, the case emerges that the overall theme of optimal eating for human beings is very well established, whereas the case for any given variation on that theme is substantially less so. Once the theme of healthful eating is acknowledged, the challenge shifts to getting there from here. Although much effort focuses on the wholesale conversion of dietary patterns, the introduction or removal of highly nutritious foods can have direct health effects, and potentially reverberate through the diet as well, shifting the quality of the diet and related health effects. Studies demonstrating favorable effects of daily walnut ingestion in diabetes and insulin resistance are profiled as an illustration, and an ongoing study examining the implications of daily walnut ingestion on diet quality and various biometric variables is described. The line between dietary pattern and the epidemiology of diabetes is indelibly established; we must work to connect the dots between here and there.
Heat release kinetics

The role of solid-state thermal degradation kinetics in steady-flaming combustion is examined. Expressions for the burning surface temperature, pyrolysis zone depth and fractional mass loss rate are derived from heat transport limited, nonisothermal pyrolysis kinetics. The predicted magnitude of these fire response parameters and their variation with incident heat flux are in qualitative agreement with experimental data from the literature. A material flammability parameter emerges from the analysis that has the units (J/g-K) and significance of a heat release capacity.
Development of Humidity Sensors using Layer-by-Layer nanoAssembly of Polypyrrole

In this paper we demonstrate high sensitive and fast response humidity sensors using layer-by-layer (LbL) nano-assembled films of Polypyrrole (PPY). Spin coated PPY films were used for sensitivity and response time comparisons. The change in electrical sheet resistance of the sensing films was monitored as the device was exposed to humidity. For 5% change in relative humidity sensitivity measured from layer-by-layer based devices was 10% and 8% for the spin coated devices. The response time for LbL based and spin coated device was measured as 25 seconds and 57 seconds respectively. The LbL nano-assembled films of PPY showed the better response in terms of sensitivity, response time, linearity and degradation. An intended application for these LbL nano-assembled devices is in disposable handheld instruments to monitor the presence of humidity in humidity sensitive environments.
Ion channel kinetics

Proteins called ion channels, which are found in the lipid bilayer that forms the cell membrane, can have different shapes, called conformational states. Experimental evidence that the timing of switches between these states has fractal properties is examined. The physical interpretation of this phenomenon is discussed. >
Accurate vocal compensation for sound intensity loss with increasing distance in natural environments

Human abilities to adjust vocal output to compensate for intensity losses due to sound propagation over distance were investigated. Ten normally hearing adult participants were able to compensate for propagation losses ranging from −1.8 to −6.4dB∕doubling source distance over a range of distances from 1 to 8m. The compensation was performed to within 1.2dB of accuracy on average across all participants, distances, and propagation loss conditions with no practice or explicit training. These results suggest that natural vocal communication processes of humans may incorporate tacit knowledge of physical sound propagation properties more sophisticated than previously supposed.
Expression of plasmolipin in oligodendrocytes.

Plasmolipin is a plasma membrane proteolipid which has recently been described as a component of myelin (Cochary et al.: Journal of Neurochemistry 55:602–610, 1990). The present study reports the expression and localization of plasmolipin in primary glial cultures and secondary oligooendrocyte cultures. Double-label immunofluoresccnce showed that plasmolipin was expressed by galactoccrebroside (GC)-positive oligodendrocytes, but was absent from astrocytes, characterized by their positive staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). At 1 week in culture plasmolipin staining was relatively weak in the cell body of some of the GC-positive cells. During the following 3 weeks in culture plasmolipin staining of Oligodendrocytes gradually increased and was present in the cell body, its plasma membrane, and all the processes. However, the plasmclipin antibodies did not stain regions of the flat membrane sheets. Western blot analysis of homogenatcs from primary glial cultures showed that plasmolipin levels gradually increased during the first 5 weeks in culture. We conclude that the presence of plasmolipin in myelin is a result of its expression by Oligodendrocytes.
Postoperative Morbidity by Procedure and Patient Factors Influencing Major Complications Within 30 Days Following Shoulder Surgery

Background:Little data are available to prioritize quality improvement initiatives in shoulder surgery.Purpose:To stratify the risk for 30-day postoperative morbidity in commonly performed surgical procedures about the shoulder completed in a hospital setting and to determine patient factors associated with major complications.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:This retrospective study utilized the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database from the years 2005 to 2010. Using Current Procedural Terminology codes, the database was queried for shoulder cases that were divided into 7 groups: arthroscopy without repair; arthroscopy with repair; arthroplasty; clavicle/acromioclavicular joint (AC) open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF)/repair; ORIF of proximal humeral fracture; open tendon release/repair; and open shoulder stabilization. The primary end point was any major complication, with secondary end points of incisional infection, return to the operating room, ...
Diagnostic Accuracy of Fall Risk Assessment Tools in People With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Background Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects nearly half of individuals with diabetes and leads to increased fall risk. Evidence addressing fall risk assessment for these individuals is lacking. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify which of 4 functional mobility fall risk assessment tools best discriminates, in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, between recurrent “fallers” and those who are not recurrent fallers. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting The study was conducted in a medical research university setting. Participants The participants were a convenience sample of 36 individuals between 40 and 65 years of age with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Measurements Fall history was assessed retrospectively and was the criterion standard. Fall risk was assessed using the Functional Reach Test, the Timed “Up & Go” Test, the Berg Balance Scale, and the Dynamic Gait Index. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and overall diagnostic accuracy were calculated for each fall risk assessment tool. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to estimate modified cutoff scores for each fall risk assessment tool; indexes then were recalculated. Results Ten of the 36 participants were classified as recurrent fallers. When traditional cutoff scores were used, the Dynamic Gait Index and Functional Reach Test demonstrated the highest sensitivity at only 30%; the Dynamic Gait Index also demonstrated the highest overall diagnostic accuracy. When modified cutoff scores were used, all tools demonstrated improved sensitivity (80% or 90%). Overall diagnostic accuracy improved for all tests except the Functional Reach Test; the Timed “Up & Go” Test demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy at 88.9%. Limitations The small sample size and retrospective fall history assessment were limitations of the study. Conclusions Modified cutoff scores improved diagnostic accuracy for 3 of 4 fall risk assessment tools when testing people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Costs and effectiveness of the fast track intervention for antisocial behavior.

BACKGROUND: Antisocial behavior is enormously costly to the youth involved, their families, victims, taxpayers and other members of society. These costs are generated by school failure, delinquency and involvement in the juvenile justice system, drug use, health services and other services. For prevention programs to be cost effective, they must reduce these costly behaviors and outcomes. AIM: The Fast Track intervention is a 10-year, multi-component prevention program targeting antisocial behavior. The intervention identified children at school entry and provided intervention services over a 10-year period. This study examined the intervention's impact on outcomes affecting societal costs using data through late adolescence. METHODOLOGY: The intervention is being evaluated through a multi-cohort, multi-site, multi-year randomized control trial of program participants and comparable children and youth in similar schools, and that study provides the data for these analyses. Schools within four sites (Durham, NC; Nashville, TN; Seattle, WA; and rural central Pennsylvania) were selected as high-risk based on crime and poverty statistics of the neighborhoods they served. Within each site, schools were divided into multiple sets matched for demographics (size, percentage free/reduced lunch, ethnic composition); one set within each pair was randomly assigned to the intervention and one to the control condition. Within participating schools, high-risk children were identified using a multiple-gating procedure. For each of three annual cohorts, all kindergarteners (9,594 total) in 54 schools were screened for classroom conduct problems by teachers. Those children scoring in the top 40% within cohort and site were then solicited for the next stage of screening for home behavior problems by the parents, and 91% agreed (n = 3,274). The teacher and parent screening scores were then standardized within site and combined into a sum score. These summed scores represented a total severity-of-risk screen score. Children were selected for inclusion into the study based on this screen score, moving from the highest score downward until desired sample sizes were reached within sites, cohorts, and conditions. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The intervention lacked both the breadth and depth of effects on costly outcomes to demonstrate cost-effectiveness or even effectiveness. Limitations: The outcomes examined here reflect effects observed during measurement windows that are not complete for every outcome. Data are lacking on some potential outcomes, such as the use of mental health services before year 7. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The most intensive psychosocial intervention ever fielded did not produce meaningful and consistent effects on costly outcomes. The lack of effects through high school suggests that the intervention will not become cost-effective as participants progress through adulthood. FUTURE RESEARCH: Future research should consider alternative approaches to prevention youth violence. Language: en
Grain‐Boundary Reactions in Magnesia‐Chrome Refractories: Application of the Electron Probe, I

The technique for the preparation of polyphase refractories for electron probe investigations is described. Chemical changes occurring during heating of an unused chemically bonded magnesia-chrome refractory were studied and the spatial distribution of Fe, Cr, Al, Mg, Ca, and Si at different temperatures was determined. The development of the reaction layer around the chromite grains, the migration of ions into the periclase grains, and the distribution of ions in silicates were followed qualitatively using Kα X-ray and electron back-scattering displays.
Urinary tract infection-like symptom is associated with worse bladder cancer outcomes in the Medicare population: Implications for sex disparities.

Objectives To determine the time to bladder cancer diagnosis from initial infection-like symptoms and its impact on cancer outcomes. Methods Using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare, we designed a retrospective cohort study identifying beneficiaries aged ≥66 years diagnosed with bladder cancer from 2007 to 2009. Patients were required to have a hematuria or urinary tract infection claim within 1 year of bladder cancer diagnosis (n = 21 216), and have 2 years of prior Medicare data (n = 18 956) without any precedent hematuria, bladder cancer or urinary tract infection claims (n = 12 195). The number of days to bladder cancer diagnosis was measured, as well as the impact of sex and presenting symptom on time to diagnosis, pathology, and oncological outcomes. Results The mean time to bladder cancer diagnosis was 72.2 days in women versus 58.9 days in men (P < 0.001). A logistic regression model identified the greatest predictors of ≥pT2 pathology were both women (odds ratio 2.08, 95% confidence interval 1.70–2.55) and men (odds ratio 1.71, 95% confidence interval 1.49–1.97) presenting with urinary tract infection. Cox proportional hazards analysis identified an increased risk of mortality from bladder cancer and all causes in women presenting with urinary tract infection (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.10–1.71, and hazard ratio 1.47, 95% confidence interval 1.28–1.69) compared with women with hematuria. Conclusions Women have a longer interval from urinary tract infection to diagnosis of bladder cancer. Urinary tract infection presentation can adversely affect time to diagnosis, pathology and survival. Time to diagnosis seems not to be an independent predictor of bladder cancer outcomes.
Comprehensive Protein-Based Artificial MicroRNA Screens for Effective Gene Silencing in Plants

Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) approaches offer a powerful strategy for targeted gene manipulation in any plant species. However, the current unpredictability of amiRNA efficacy has limited broad application of this promising technology. To address this, we developed epitope-tagged protein-based amiRNA (ETPamir) screens, in which target mRNAs encoding epitope-tagged proteins were constitutively or inducibly coexpressed in protoplasts with amiRNA candidates targeting single or multiple genes. This design allowed parallel quantification of target proteins and mRNAs to define amiRNA efficacy and mechanism of action, circumventing unpredictable amiRNA expression/processing and antibody unavailability. Systematic evaluation of 63 amiRNAs in 79 ETPamir screens for 16 target genes revealed a simple, effective solution for selecting optimal amiRNAs from hundreds of computational predictions, reaching ∼100% gene silencing in plant cells and null phenotypes in transgenic plants. Optimal amiRNAs predominantly mediated highly specific translational repression at 5′ coding regions with limited mRNA decay or cleavage. Our screens were easily applied to diverse plant species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Catharanthus roseus, maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa), and effectively validated predicted natural miRNA targets. These screens could improve plant research and crop engineering by making amiRNA a more predictable and manageable genetic and functional genomic technology.
Novel thermogelling dispersions of polymer nanoparticles for controlled protein release

Abstract A novel poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-oligo(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate)–poly(acrylic acid) interpenetrating network (IPN) nanoparticle was synthesized. The temperature-responsive properties of the IPN nanoparticles were investigated by a dynamic light scattering method. Atomic force microscopic images confirmed the homogenous and monodisperse morphology of the IPN nanoparticles. Both visual observation and viscosity testing demonstrated that the IPN nanoparticles exhibit thermogelling properties at body temperature, 37°C. Subsequent studies verified that such temperature-sensitive properties of IPN nanoparticles allow their ease of injection and then slow release of model proteins, both in vitro and in vivo. Histological analysis showed that our IPN implants exerted minimal inflammation following subcutaneous implantation. Our results support the idea that, by simply mixing with proteins of interest, the novel IPN nanoparticles can be used to form in situ thermogelling devices for controlled protein release. From the Clinical Editor This paper discusses a temperature responsive interpenetrating network (IPN) polymeric nanoparticle that can be used to form in situ thermogelling devices for controlled protein release by simply mixing them with proteins of interest.
Stability and convergence of nonlinear systems having a continuum of equilibria and time-varying delays

In this paper, we develop a semistability analysis framework for nonlinear systems with time-varying delays with applications to stability and convergence analysis of multiagent dynamic networks with consensus protocols in the presence of unknown heterogeneous time-varying delays along the communication links. We show that for such a nonlinear system having a continuum of equilibria, if the system asymptotically converges to a constant time-delay system and this new system is semistable, then the original time-varying delay system is semistable, provided that the delays are just bounded, not necessarily differentiable. In proving our results, we extend the limiting equation approach to the time-varying delay systems and also develop some new convergence results for functional differential equations.
Effects of Some Centrally Acting Drugs on Caeruloplasmin

Publisher Summary The copper-containing oxidase caeruloplasmin is studied in this chapter as a potential model for those receptors in the CNS with which certain centrally acting drugs must interact in order to produce their characteristic effects. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and to a lesser degree ibogaine and 2–bromo–LSD, inhibit the enzymic oxidation of 5-HT but accelerated the oxidation of NA. Harmine and harmol inhibit the enzymic oxidation of both substrates. Phenylethylamines and anticholinergics with reported central activity have no effects on the enzymic oxidation of NA and 5-HT. Some of the drugs used in the treatment of mental illness affect the caeruloplasmin-catalysed oxidation of NA and 5-HT. Tranquillizers of the phenothiazine type, for example, accelerate the oxidation of both substrates, whilst anti-depressant drugs (other than monoamine oxidase inhibitors) inhibit the oxidation of both substrates. The results have led to the tentative suggestion that caeruloplasmin, or an enzyme with similar properties, may be of importance in controlling the relative concentrations of NA and 5-HT in some areas of the brain. The relevance of this suggestion to the mode of action of LSD, and other centrally acting drugs are discussed here.
Cell-cycle arrest and acute kidney injury: the light and the dark sides

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common consequence of systemic illness or injury and it complicates several forms of major surgery. Two major difficulties have hampered progress in AKI research and clinical management. AKI is difficult to detect early and its pathogenesis is still poorly understood. We recently reported results from multi-center studies where two urinary markers of cell-cycle arrest, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) were validated for development of AKI well ahead of clinical manifestations--azotemia and oliguria. Cell-cycle arrest is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of AKI and this 'dark side' may also involve progression to chronic kidney disease. However, cell-cycle arrest has a 'light side' as well, since this mechanism can protect cells from the disastrous consequences of entering cell division with damaged DNA or insufficient bioenergetic resources during injury or stress. Whether we can use the light side to help prevent AKI remains to be seen, but there is already evidence that cell-cycle arrest biomarkers are indicators of both sides of this complex physiology.
The PROPHET system and resource sharing.

The PROPHET System is a specialized computer resource sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NTH). The short-term objective for the System is that it be a unique and valuable research tool shared by a broad array of geographically distributed scientists studying chemical/ biological interactions. The long-term goal for the System is that it promote the emergence of a predictive science regarding drugs and drug-related phenomena. This paper discusses this shared research resource and the management considerations associated with its operation and continuing development.
The End of Overkill: Reassessing U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy

U.S. security does not require nearly 1,600 nuclear weapons deployed on a triad of systems — bombers, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) — to deliver them. A smaller arsenal deployed entirely on submarines would save roughly $20 billion annually while deterring attacks on the United States and its allies. A missile dyad is more politically feasible but saves less.The triad grew from the military services’ competition to meet the Soviet threat. The arguments for it arrived to rationalize its components. The public rationale was a second strike: a diversity of delivery systems insured the nuclear arsenal’s survival against a Soviet preemptive attack. The more sophisticated rationale was a first strike: deterring Soviet aggression against European allies required the ability to preemptively destroy their nuclear forces. U.S. power today makes the case for the triad more dubious. Survivability is no longer a feasible justification. No U.S. adversary has the capability to destroy all U.S. ballistic submarines, let alone all three legs, and there would be time to adjust if that changed. Nuclear weapons are essentially irrelevant in actual U.S. wars, which are against insurgents and weak states without nuclear arsenals. Nuclear threats have a bigger role in hypothetical U.S. wars with nuclear-armed powers. But cases where the success of deterrence hinges on the U.S. capability to destroy enemy nuclear forces are far-fetched. In any case, U.S. submarines and conventional forces can destroy those forces. Even hawkish policies do not require a triad.Nuclear weapons are no longer central to the identity or budget of the Air Force and Navy. Especially while austerity heightens competition for Pentagon resources, service leaders may see nuclear missions as red-headed step-children that take from true sons. That shift would facilitate major reductions in the nuclear arsenal, the elimination of at least one leg of the triad, and substantial savings.
Analytical, Computational, and Experimental Investigations of Equivalence Between Pitch and Plunge Motions for Airfoils at Low Reynolds Numbers

Sinusoidal pure pitch, pure plunge and combined pitch-plunge of airfoils at high reduced frequency and moderate to high amplitude have been compared using experiment, analysis and computation. Quasi-steady airfoil theory and Theodorsen’s method are adapted as predictive tools, to find a candidate pitch time history yielding the lift coefficient time history equivalent to that of a given plunge. Prediction of such equivalence is quantitatively assessed using 2D RANS computations, while, qualitatively, the flowfield time history is examined both by computation and dye injection in a water tunnel equipped with an oscillator rig. Theodorsen’s method evinces considerable and perhaps surprising resilience in finding pitch-to-plunge equivalence of lift coefficient time history, despite its present application to cases where its mathematical assumptions are demonstrably violated. Further, combination of pitch and plunge motions can be found such that net lift coefficient is nearly identically zero. This supports the validity of superposition, even for flows that are quite intuitively nonlinear.
The Breakdown of Authoritarian Regimes

5Y rEARS of scholarly concern with the conditions of democracy have been followed rather belatedly by recent attention on the part of students of comparative politics to the clearly related, though hardly identical, question of the breakdown of democratic regimes. Similarly, most students of military governments, and of authoritarian regimes generally, have been far more interested in the reasons for military intervention in politics than in the causes or process of the demise of authoritarianism. Only lately has this begun to change. In recent years, for example, there have been a spate of scholarly analyses of Latin America's latest version of authoritarianism, the bureaucratic-authoritarian (B-A) regime.2 In the earlier writings concerning such regimes it was often at least implicitly treated as the new paradigm of Latin America's political future, following upon those earlier, failed paradigms of democracy and socialist revolution. That is, B-A regimes were presumed to be both the wave of the future and a semi-permanent condition, related as they were to Latin America's situation of international dependency and the supposed end of the import-substitution phase of economic development. More recent scholarship, however, has begun to question or qualify some of those formulations and to address such questions as the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of such regimes, as well as the causes and conditions of their possible demise.3 Nonetheless, there still has been remarkably little comparative attention paid to how and why authoritarian governments break down4 (apart, that is, from studies of certain particular cases). Can some general patterns be dis-
Comparison of the molecular structures of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase

Eukaryotic cells contain two forms of the enzyme L-malate dehydrogenase (MDH; EC 1.1.1.37) which catalyse the reversible oxidation of malate to oxaloacetate using the NAD/ NADH cofactor system (Banaszak & Bradshaw, 1975). Reflecting their cellular location, the two eukaryotic isoenzymes are called mitochondrial and cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (abbreviated mMDH and sMDH, respectively). Both forms of MDH are synthesized in the cytoplasm, where sMDH remains after acetylation of the N-terminal residue. mMDH is synthesized with an N-terminal extension and is subsequently imported into the mitochondrial matrix (Chien & Freeman, 1984). The translocation sequence is essential for this process and is proteolytically cleaved in several steps during the mitochondrial translocation process. (Chu et al., 1987). sMDH and mMDH are both homodimers. Each sMDH subunit has a molecular mass of 35000 kDa and contains 332 amino acids of known sequence (Birktoft et al., 1987; Joh et al., 1 9 8 7 ~ ) . The subunit molecular mass of mature mMDH is 33 000 kDa and the known amino acid sequence contains 314 residues (Birktoft et a[., 1982). The MDH family is closely related to the L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) family of enzymes. This homology is observable both at the level of amino acid sequence and even more so in their three-dimensional structures. Together MDHs and LDHs form the superfamily, 2-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase (Rossmann et al., 1975; Birktoft et al., 1982; Birktoft & Banaszak, 1983).
Parallel Techniques for Navier-Stokes Solver based on 4th Order Modified Runge-Kutta Scheme with TVD

This paper describes the optimization and parallelization techniques used to develop a NavierStokes solver capable of being executed on large clusters. The solver is capable of solving two dimensional, laminar and compressible flows and relies on a 4 th Order Modified Runge-Kutta scheme with TVD to discretize the equations. Standard tools like MPI and OpenMP are used for parallelization to ensure portability of the code. A hybrid MPI+OpenMP approach is used which is suitable for clusters of shared memory machines. The performance of the hybrid application is compared using the benchmark problem of supersonic flow over compression corner with shock boundary layer interaction. It is seen that the hybrid model shows better performance compared to the pure MPI model. A speedup of ~63 times is achieved for a grid consisting of ~35K cells. The code exhibits an almost linear weak scaling for up to 128 processors.
College libraries and Students’ Quality Education

Quality education is an urgent task at present in higher education.College libraries,as students’ second classrooms are absolutely necessary in quality education.So college libraries must try to create a fine reading environment and make full use of literature resources to provide high quality services for quality education.
Present Status of Antithrombotic Therapy in Acute Heart Attack

Pharmacologic candidates for prophylaxis and therapy against coronary thrombosis include platelet antiaggregants, anticoagulants, and thrombolytic agents. As understanding of the mechanisms of thrombogenesis and thrombolysis increases, so does the ability to anticipate when and how these agents can be expected to be effective. Current trials of the thrombolytic agents are viewed in this context.
Ethical issues in geriatric emergency medicine

The emergence of ethics, geriatrics, and emergency medicine as areas of specialized interest has proceeded rapidly over the past two decades. Each of these fields continues to grow in response to patient needs, but it is clear that scientific knowledge alone cannot provide the physician with all the guidance necessary to ensure the provision of optimal care. Patient care cannot consist only of making diagnoses, prescribing medications, and performing technical procedures. Particularly in the care of the elderly, the emergency physician must be able to recognize ethical issues and to respond to them in the manner that will provide the greatest benefit to the patient. With the application of such skills, the emergency treatment of the elderly promises more benefit for elderly patients and their families and less doubt and anguish for emergency practitioners.
The rat cerebral vasculature exhibits time-of-day-dependent oscillations in circadian clock genes and vascular function that are attenuated following obstructive sleep apnea.

Circadian clock components oscillate in cells of the cardiovascular system. Disruption of these oscillations has been observed in cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that obstructive sleep apn...
Extrinsic Calibration from Per-Sensor Egomotion

We show how to recover the 6-DOF transform between two sensors mounted rigidly on a moving body, a form of extrinsic calibration useful for data fusion. Our algorithm takes noisy, per-sensor incremental egomotion observations (i.e., incremental poses) as input and produces as output an estimate of the maximum-likelihood 6-DOF calibration relating the sensors and accompanying uncertainty. The 6-DOF transformation sought can be represented effectively as a unit dual quaternion with 8 parameters subject to two constraints. Noise is explicitly modeled (via the Lie algebra), yielding a constrained Fisher Information Matrix and Cramer- Rao Lower Bound. The result is an analysis of motion degeneracy and a singularity-free optimization procedure. The method requires only that the sensors travel together along a motion path that is non-degenerate. It does not require that the sensors be synchronized, have overlapping fields of view, or observe common features. It does not require construction of a global reference frame or solving SLAM. In practice, from hand-held motion of RGB-D cameras, the method recovered inter-camera calibrations accurate to within ∼0.014m and ∼0.022 radians (about 1 cm and 1 degree).
A New Dynamic Cyber Defense Framework

Current approaches in cyber defense are flawed as they are fortress-based and generally static in nature. They are not flexible in dealing with variations of attacks, especially zero-day attacks. T...
Kate Chopin in Context: New Approaches, edited by Heather Ostman and Kate O’Donoghue

Attempting to put forward novel approaches to any well-known and canonical author is a feat that should be approached with caution and sensitivity to the existing scholarly field. In their collecti...
A Community in Crisis: The Opioid Epidemic on Staten Island

There is no “magic potion” or vaccine to prevent youth from using alcohol or other drugs. Adolescent substance abuse prevention programs have been largely ineffective because the messaging is taken for granted. Efforts based on theories of growth and development patterns, and are inclusive of strategies beyond the classroom and home, have demonstrated encouraging findings particularly when members of the community are involved. This paper will explore factors behind illicit substance use among youth in Staten Island, New York and how Wagner College is playing an important part of a collective impact initiative that is starting to make a difference.
Effects of a Care Coordination Intervention with Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Their Families.

: Care coordination is integral to improving the health of children and families. Using a Shared Plan of Care (SPoC) as a care coordination activity is recommended, but related research on outcomes in pediatric populations with complex medical conditions is scarce. OBJECTIVE This study explores family outcomes associated with implementation of a care coordination/SPoC intervention with a population of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. METHODS Children aged 2 to 10 years with a neurodevelopmental disability (autism spectrum disorder: 60.9%; global developmental delay/intellectual disability: 39.1%) were referred by pediatric subspecialty programs for care coordination. The intervention included previsit assessments, planned care visits, SPoC development, and 6-month care coordination. A single-group, repeated-measures design was used to evaluate model feasibility and effects on care coordination access, SPoC use, family/clinician goals and needs met, family-professional partnerships, family empowerment, and worry. Times 1 and 2 survey data were collected from a total of 70 families. RESULTS Analysis shows significant improvement in care coordination access, SPoC use, goals achieved, needs met, family empowerment, and reduced worry. There was no significant change in family-professional partnerships and reported SPoC use. CONCLUSION Findings provide preliminary evidence that a care coordination model using a family-centered, goal-oriented SPoC is a feasible and effective approach with a cohort of children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders and is associated with improved family outcomes. Replication studies are warranted and should include a control group, prolonged time period, additional validated outcome measures, and measurement of costs and professional impact.
Socially Just, Inclusive School Environments in the United States: Creating Spaces for Dialogue

High standards and expectations for all students drive current school reform efforts in the United States which target accountability measures and focus on standardized tests, leaving many American students, particularly those who have been traditionally underserved and marginalized, feeling excluded and silenced in school. Thus, it is important for school leaders to look to dialogic relations and democratic practices as a means for educational inclusion. Using research grounded in inclusive leadership practices and principles of social justice, this chapter examines the journey from exclusive, hierarchical structures to inclusive, democratic schools. In particular, the chapter examines the relationship between dialogue and inclusive leadership practices from a school principal’s perspective, including conceptions of an inclusive school, obstacles encountered when creating spaces for dialogue to occur, and strategies used to create democratic, socially just learning communities. The chapter suggests that a relationship between dialogue and inclusive schools exists in schools where the principal views dialogue in an ontological sense and as a way of life and provides practical suggestions for school leaders to intentionally create spaces for necessary dialogue to occur in their schools. The chapter calls upon all educators to rethink such practical application practices in their own school contexts and to have the moral courage to stand up to marginalizing structures and practices in schools in order to meet the needs of all students.
Brain Lesions in Autism

In this chapter we will review the available data on brain lesions in infantile autism. These encompass clinical and neuroradiological data, as well as neuropathological (autopsy) studies. The pneumoencephalogram and, more recently, the computerized tomographic (CT) scan have contributed to an understanding of brain lesions in autism, and the relevant studies will be reviewed. In addition, we will review a recent careful neuropathological study of the brain of an autistic man, which has provided evidence of a focal brain lesion in autism. Finally, we will discuss possible correlations between the brain lesions found by anatomical techniques and the neurobehavioral dysfunction found in autism.
Surgical Management of Cervicomedullary Compression in Achondroplastic Patients

In this segment it will not be necessary to go over the clinical presentations and pre-operative evaluations that are an essential part of the management of achondroplastic patients. It is sufficient to say that the clinical presentations such as delayed motor milestones, hyperreflexia and clonus, multiparesis, respiratory insufficiency and/or apnea, and obstructive sleep apnea are sufficient enough to warrant investigations to exclude cervicomedullary compression. If present, the evidence already presented during this conference in terms of outcome would justify surgical intervention. We will concentrate on the surgical preparation and the actual surgical procedure for decompressing the cervicomedullary region.
Working Together: the RNA Editing Machinery in Trypanosoma brucei

The proteins in the ∼20S editosome function in a coordinated fashion to catalyze the precise insertion and deletion of uridine nucleotides (Us) in mitochondrial pre-mRNAs, thereby generating functional mRNAs. Many catalytic components of the editosome have been identified, but the abundance of apparently non-catalytic components is a conspicuous reminder that the editosome is much more than the sum of its catalytic activities. As the functions of the various editosome proteins are elucidated, the importance of how they interact in vivo is becoming more evident. Indeed, ∼20S editosomes are compositionally heterogeneous in vivo, and higher-order interactions with proteins of other complexes affect editing. Here, we review the general process of editing, and discuss how the known editosome proteins interact and function to produce translatable mRNAs in vivo.
Finite element analysis and field observation of a residential roof subjected to hurricane winds

Every year, natural disasters take a great toll on the economy and infrastructure of the United States. When specifically considering the insured property losses of U.S. natural disasters, seven out of ten highest natural disasters are caused by a hurricane event. Hurricane seasons have increased in activity over the past few years, with the 2005 Atlantic storm season seeing 14 hurricanes, 7 of which were major hurricanes. This thesis focuses on an analysis performed under the winds of Hurricane Katrina on an instrumented roof structure of a house built in Pensacola, Florida. The data recorded is compared to results obtained from a theoretical finite element (FE) model as well as those stipulated from a design standard. The instrumented test structure was a low-rise residential house with 76 pressure cells attached to the hip roof sheathing and 68 load cells placed between the rafters/trusses and the top of the wall. A wind anemometer was located near the test structure to record the wind’s angle of attack and speeds during a hurricane event. Although Hurricane Katrina data is the focus of this report, the test structure, which was built in 2002, has experienced several other hurricanes. Data recorded during Hurricane Katrina data was chosen to be analyzed and compared against the FE analysis results as this storm event produced one of the highest peak wind speed of 56.2 mph. The results from the FE model was compared to Hurricane Katrina field data by performing a gravity analysis, analyzing equivalent loads from three wind speeds, and comparing the field data to the requirements of ASCE 7-02 Standard. The gravity analysis was important to verify that the assumptions used in the FE model were satisfactory and