cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extubation Readiness Practices and Barriers to Extubation in Pediatric Subjects.

BACKGROUND: Invasive mechanical ventilation is a lifesaving intervention that is associated with short- and long-term morbidities. Extubation readiness protocols aim to decrease extubation failure rates and simultaneously shorten the duration of invasive ventilation. This study sought to analyze extubation readiness practices at one institution and identify barriers to extubation in pediatric patients who have passed an extubation readiness test (ERT). METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of all pediatric subjects admitted between April 2017 and March 2018, and who were on mechanical ventilation. Exclusion criteria were cardiac ICU admission, tracheostomy, chronic ventilator support, limited resuscitation status, and death before extubation attempt. Data with regard to the method of ERT and reasons for delaying extubation were collected. RESULTS: There were 427 subjects included in the analysis with 69% having had an ERT before extubation. Of those, 39% were extubated per our daily spontaneous breathing trial (DSBT) protocol, and the DSBT failed in 30% but they had passed a subsequent pressure support and CPAP trial on the same day. The most common reasons for failing the DSBT were a lack of spontaneous breathing (30% [75/252]), being intubated CONCLUSIONS: In our institution, there was variation in extubation readiness practices that could lead to a significant delay in liberation from invasive ventilation. Adjustment of our DSBT to tolerate a higher work of breathing, such as higher breathing frequencies and lower tidal volumes, and incorporating sedation scoring into the protocol could be made without significantly affecting extubation failure rates.
Abstract 14913: The Impact of the Wearable Cardioverter-defibrillators on Quality of Life: Insights From the Vest Trial

Background: There is scant research on the effect of wearable cardioverter-defibrillators (WCDs) on quality of life (QOL). One retrospective observational study concluded that WCDs have a negative ...
Precision planting impacts on winter cereal rye growth, nutrient uptake, spring soil temperature and adoption cost

Growing winter cereal rye (Secale cereale) (WCR) has been identified as an effective in-field practice to reduce nitrate-N and phosphorus (P) losses to Upper Mississippi River Basin, USA. In the Midwestern USA, growers are reluctant to plant WCR especially prior to corn (Zea mays L.) due to N immobilization and establishment issues. Precision planting of WCR or ‘skipping the corn row’ (STCR) can minimize some issues associated with WCR ahead of corn while reducing cover crop seed costs. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of ‘STCR’ vs normal planting of WCR at full seeding rate (NP) on WCR biomass, nutrient uptake and composition in three site-yrs (ARC2019, ARC2020, BRC2020). Our results indicated no differences in cover crop dry matter biomass production between the STCR (2.40 Mg ha−1) and NP (2.41 Mg ha−1) supported by similar normalized difference vegetative index and plant height for both treatments. Phosphorus, potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) accumulation in aboveground biomass was only influenced by site-yr and both STCR and NP removed similar amount of P, K, Ca and Mg indicating STCR could be as effective as NP in accumulating nutrients. Aboveground carbon (C) content (1086.26 kg h−1 average over the two treatments) was similar between the two treatments and only influenced by site-yr differences. Lignin, lignin:N and C:N ratios were higher in STCR than NP in one out of three site-yrs (ARC2019) indicating greater chance of N immobilization when WCR was planted later than usual. Implementing STCR saved $8.4 ha−1 for growers and could incentivize growers to adopt this practice. Future research should evaluate corn response to STCR compared with NP and assess if soil quality declines by STCR practice over time.
Quickest Change Detection in the Presence of Transient Adversarial Attacks

We study a monitoring system in which the distributions of sensors' observations change from a nominal distribution to an abnormal distribution in response to an adversary's presence. The system uses the quickest change detection procedure, the Shewhart rule, to detect the adversary that uses its resources to affect the abnormal distribution, so as to hide its presence. The metric of interest is the probability of missed detection within a predefined number of time-slots after the changepoint. Assuming that the adversary's resource constraints are known to the detector, we find the number of required sensors to make the worst-case probability of missed detection less than an acceptable level. The distributions of observations are assumed to be Gaussian, and the presence of the adversary affects their mean. We also provide simulation results to support our analysis.
Applications of Iterative Reconstruction Methods in SPECT

We have applied iterative reconstruction methods to compensate for the major image degrading effects of photon attenuation and geometric response in SPECT imaging. The compensation methods implement, in the projection and backprojection operations of the iterative reconstruction algorithms, an accurate model of photon attenuation in the patient’s body and the geometric response of the collimated-detector system. To evaluate the corrective iterative reconstruction methods, data from a computer-generated phantom which simulated T1-201 distribution in the thoracic region was used. Also, the techniques were assessed using data from a cardiac SPECT study with T1-201. Our studies indicate that compensations for attenuation and detector response in SPECT are possible using iterative reconstruction techniques. The compensations are especially important when the attenuation coefficient distribution in the body region, such as the thorax, is non-uniform. The attenuation compensation scheme using the iterative maximum likelihood-EM (ML-EM) algorithm can provide reconstructed images with low noise amplification, and accurate quantitative information without distortions and artifacts. Also, compensation for detector response gives additional improvement in spatial resolution.
Marketing Metaphoria: Undressing the Mind of the Consumer

The book by Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman (2008), Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal about the Minds of Consumers, builds on the premise that most thoughts are unconscious and what people think are actually in frames of pictures, not necessarily words. The authors focus on seven deep metaphors in which they believe is the key to understanding consumer’s minds and thus that marketing firms and managers can truly understand what consumer’s desire and need. These seven deep metaphors are explained in detail and are the meat of this book. Mr. Zaltman has conducted several thousand qualitative inquiries using his patented marketing research tool called ZMET, Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique. This book does not go in depth into the procedures and process of ZMET, which is a downfall to its overall usefulness to the qualitative research industry.
Automating Modular Verification

Modular techniques for automatic verification attempt to overcome the state-explosion problem by exploiting the modular structure naturally present in many system designs. Unlike other tasks in the verification of finite-state systems, current modular techniques rely heavily on user guidance. In particular, the user is typically required to construct module abstractions that are neither too detailed as to render insufficient benefits in state exploration, nor too coarse as to invalidate the desired system properties. In this paper, we construct abstract modules automatically, using reachability and controllability information about the concrete modules. This allows us to leverage automatic verification techniques by applying them in layers: first we compute on the state spaces of system components, then we use the results for constructing abstractions, and finally we compute on the abstract state space of the system. Our experimental results indicate that if reachability and controllability information is used in the construction of abstractions, the resulting abstract modules are often significantly smaller than the concrete modules and can drastically reduce the space and time requirements for verification.
Evaluation of the Erythrocyte Aspartate Aminotransferase Activity Coefficient as an Indicator of the Vitamin B-6 Status of Postpubertal Gilts

In two experiments, postpubertal gilts, individually housed in gestation stalls, were fed daily 1.9 kg of a purified diet providing 0.45, 1.5, 2.1 or 83 mg of vitamin B-6/d. The erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase (more commonly known as glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase) activity coefficient (EGOT-Ac) of gilts fed the low vitamin B-6 diet (0.45 mg vitamin B-6/d) for 121 d increased 200%, while the EGOT-Ac of gilts fed the high vitamin B-6 diet (83 mg vitamin B-6/d) remained unchanged. Two gilts were fed the low vitamin B-6 diet for 241 d at which time hair loss was observed. Muscle glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase activity was reduced 75% in vitamin B-6-deficient gilts. The EGOT-Ac of gilts consuming 2.1 mg vitamin B-6/d was 100% greater than that of control animals (83 mg vitamin B-6/d). These findings indicate that the current NRC estimated vitamin B-6 requirement for mature swine (1.8 mg vitamin B-6/d) is inadequate. Prior intake of excess vitamin B-6 did not prevent the subsequent development of a vitamin B-6 deficiency.
Refinement Types as Proof Irrelevance

Refinement types sharpen systems of simple and dependent types by offering expressive means to more precisely classify well-typed terms. Proof irrelevance provides a mechanism for selectively hiding the identities of terms in type theories. In this paper, we show that refinement types can be interpreted as predicates using proof irrelevance in the context of the logical framework LF, establishing a uniform relationship between two previously studied concepts in type theory. The interpretation and its correctness proof are surprisingly complex, lending credence to the idea that refinement types are a fundamental construct rather than just a convenient surface syntax for certain uses of proof irrelevance.
Generating heap-bounded programs in a functional setting

High-level programming languages offer significant expressivity but provide little or no guarantees about resource utilization. Resource-bounded languages provide strong guarantees about the runtime behavior of programs but often lack mechanisms that allow programmers to write more structured, modular, and reusable programs. To overcome this basic tension in language design, this paper advocates taking into account the natural distinction between the development platform and the deployment platform for resource-sensitive software.
Evolution and Economics: Austrians as Institutionalists

The author argues that the Austrian school has consistently applied an evolutionary perspective in their analysis.
Performance tradeoff between evolutionary computation (EC)/adaptive boosting (AB) hybrid and support vector machine breast cancer classification paradigms

This paper describes a breast cancer classification performance trade-off analysis using two computational intelligence paradigms. The first, an evolutionary programming (EP)/adaptive boosting (AB) based hybrid, intelligently combines the outputs from an iteratively "called" weak learning algorithm (one which performs at least slightly better than random guessing) in order to "boost" the performance of an EP-derived weak learner. The second paradigm is support vector machines (SVMs). SVMs are new and radically different types of classifiers and learning machines that use a hypothesis space of linear functions in a high dimensional feature space. The most important advantage of a SVM, unlike neural networks, is that SVM training always finds a global minimum. Furthermore, the SVM has inherent ability to solve pattern classification without incorporating any problem-domain knowledge. In this study, the both the EP/AB hybrid and SVM were employed as pattern classifiers, operating on mammography data used for breast cancer detection. The main focus of the study was to construct and seek the best EP/AB hybrid and SVM configurations for optimum specificity and positive predictive value at very high sensitivities. Using a mammogram database of 500 biopsy-proven samples, the best performing SVM, on average, was able to achieve (under statistical 5-fold cross-validation) a specificity of 45.0% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 50.1% at 100% sensitivity. At 97% sensitivity, a specificity of 55.8% and a PPV of 55.2% were obtained. The best performing EP/AB hybrid obtained slightly lower, but comparable, results.
A software simulation testbed for third generation CDMA wireless systems

This paper describes a testbed which simulates a third generation code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless link. The designer of next generation wideband CDMA systems has the choice of a wide array of advanced signal processing algorithms and a variety of operating environments. The Rice testbed is a tool to evaluate these design options and trade-offs in different system scenarios. The backbone of this testbed is a wireless CDMA multiuser link built using Simulink and Matlab. An efficient method of system modeling is used to accelerate the simulations. The testbed also uses a method for rapid prototyping of algorithms and DSP-based simulation acceleration for the new algorithm complexity and performance evaluation.
Cryptic trysts, genomic mergers, and plant speciation

Summary It has long been recognized that interspecific hybridization is common in plants, enhancing processes of diversification and speciation. With the widespread utilization of molecular tools, interspecific hybridization – as revealed through incongruence among two or more phylogenetic data sets – is now inferred to be even more prevalent than indicated by morphological and cytogenetic evidence. Using Gossypium as an example, we show how multiple molecular markers have implicated a high frequency of historical hybridization between lineages whose modern descendants are strongly isolated by geography and intrinsic genetic barriers. For example, transoceanic dispersal of propagules from Africa to the New World led to the creation of a novel allotetraploid lineage, as well as the introgression of African repetitive elements into a Mexican diploid species. By mechanisms that remain obscure, fully one-quarter of modern Gossypium species appear to have experienced historical interspecific cytoplasmic and possibly nuclear introgression. These remarkable observations of interspecific genetic exchange emerge from a genus for which such contact would appear improbable, implying that historical hybridization is a more creative force than suspected in angiosperm evolution.
Functional connectivity homogeneity correlates with duration of temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is often associated with progressive changes to seizures, memory, and mood during its clinical course. However, the cerebral changes related to this progression are not well understood. Because the changes may be related to changes in brain networks, we used functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to determine whether brain network parameters relate to the duration of TLE. Graph theory-based analysis of the sites of reported regions of TLE abnormality was performed on resting-state fMRI data in 48 subjects: 24 controls, 13 patients with left TLE, and 11 patients with right TLE. Various network parameters were analyzed including betweenness centrality (BC), clustering coefficient (CC), path length (PL), small-world index (SWI), global efficiency (GE), connectivity strength (CS), and connectivity diversity (CD). These were compared for patients with TLE as a group, compared to controls, and for patients with left and right TLE separately. The association of changes in network parameters with epilepsy duration was also evaluated. We found that CC, CS, and CD decreased in subjects with TLE compared to control subjects. Analyzed according to epilepsy duration, patients with TLE showed a progressive reduction in CD. In conclusion, we found that several network parameters decreased in patients with TLE compared to controls, which suggested reduced connectivity in TLE. Reduction in CD associated with epilepsy duration suggests a homogenization of connections over time in TLE, indicating a reduction of the normal repertoire of stronger and weaker connections to other brain regions.
Semiclassical vibration-rotation transition probabilities for motion in molecular state averaged potentials

Collision-induced vibration-rotation transition probabilities are calculated from a semiclassical three-dimensional model, in which the collision trajectory is determined by the classical motion in the interaction potential that is averaged over the molecular rotational state, and compared with those for which the motion is governed by a spherically averaged potential. For molecules that are in highly excited rotational states, thus dominating the vibrational relaxation rate at high temperature, it is found that the transition probability for rotational state averaging is smaller than that for spherical averaging. For typical collisions, the transition cross section is decreased by a factor of about 1.5 to 2.
Specific contributions of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the dorsal striatum to cognitive flexibility.

Abstract Behavioral flexibility is known to be mediated by corticostriatal systems and to involve several major neurotransmitter signaling pathways. The current study investigated the effects of inactivation of glutamatergic N-methyl- d -aspartate-(NMDA) receptor signaling in the dorsal striatum on behavioral flexibility in mice. NMDA-receptor inactivation was achieved by virus-mediated inactivation of the Grin1 gene, which encodes the essential NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors. To assess behavioral flexibility, we used a water U-maze paradigm in which mice had to shift from an initially acquired rule to a new rule (strategy shifting) or had to reverse an initially learned rule (reversal learning). Inactivation of NMDA-receptors in all neurons of the dorsal striatum did not affect learning of the initial rule or reversal learning, but impaired shifting from one strategy to another. Strategy shifting was also compromised when NMDA-receptors were inactivated only in dynorphin-expressing neurons in the dorsal striatum, which represent the direct pathway. These data suggest that NMDA-receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity in the dorsal striatum contributes to strategy shifting and that striatal projection neurons of the direct pathway are particularly relevant for this process.
Freezing of a paraffin flow downstream of an abrupt expansion

Abstract Freezing of a paraffin flow downstream of an abrupt expansion was studied experimentally. Results obtained for three different expansion ratios ( d D ) at a constant system flow rate ( Re D ≈ 3400) and a constant inlet Reynolds number ( Re d 3400) demonstrated that the ‘ice-band’ spacing is a function of the freezing parameter (θ) only and can be predicted to within 8% using a correlation developed for water flow in a constant-area duct. The results also showed that the effect of expansion caused freeze-off to occur at higher θ values, with freeze-off occurring for 7.5 θ ⩽ 8.5, 11 θ ⩽ 13, and 13 θ ⩽ 16, respectively, for d / D = 1.0 (no expansion), 0.643, and 0.340.
Resistivity due to weak double layers: A model for auroral arc thickness

We have calculated the resistivity due to a sequence of fluctuating weak double layers aligned parallel to the ambient magnetic field line. The average response of an electron drifting through a 1D randomly oriented array of WDLs is studied using a test particle approach. The average is taken over the randomly fluctuating values of the electric field associated with the double layers. Based on our calculations, we estimate that a 350 eV electron energy the thickness of the visual auroral arc is about 2.5 km and that of the auroral fine structure as about 250 m when mapped down to the ionosphere. The significance of our calculations is discussed in the context of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.
Magnets in the stomach.

An 11-year-old African American boy with a medical history significant for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder presented with a 4-day history of intermittent epigastric and periumbilical pain associated with nausea, anorexia, and decreased oral intake. A low-grade fever began the day before admission. Upon further questioning, the patient admitted to swallowing a few days before the onset of the abdominal discomfort multiple small magnets that were pieces of a toy. The patient had a temperature of 100.38F. Other vital signs were within normal limits for his age. Physical examination revealed a tender epigastrium and periumbilical region without guarding or peritoneal signs. The rest of the examination was unremarkable. White blood cell count was elevated. On abdominal x-ray, there was no free air or dilated loops of bowel; however, 3 opaque foreign bodies were seen in the area of the antrum-duodenal junction. Given that the patient showed neither signs of systemic illness nor peritonitis, an abdominal x-ray was repeated the following morning. This showed no change in position of the magnets (Fig. 1). The magnets were presumed to be in the stomach; therefore, an esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed in an attempt to retrieve the foreign bodies by aid of an
Selective Modulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) Functions via Exosite Inhibition

Unregulated activities of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family have been implicated in primary and metastatic tumor growth, angiogenesis, and pathological degradation of extracellular matrix components, such as collagen and laminin. However, clinical trials with small molecule MMP inhibitors have been largely unsuccessful, with a lack of selectivity considered particularly problematic. Enhanced selectivity could be achieved by taking advantage of differences in substrate secondary binding sites (exosites) within the MMP family. In this study, triple-helical substrates and triple-helical transition state analog inhibitors have been utilized to dissect the roles of potential exosites in MMP-9 collagenolytic behavior. Substrate and inhibitor sequences were based on either the α1(V)436–450 collagen region, which is hydrolyzed at the Gly ↓ Val bond selectively by MMP-2 and MMP-9, or the Gly ↓ Leu cleavage site within the consensus interstitial collagen sequence α1(I–III)769–783, which is hydrolyzed by MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-13, and MT1-MMP. Exosites within the MMP-9 fibronectin II inserts were found to be critical for interactions with type V collagen model substrates and inhibitors and to participate in interactions with an interstitial (types I–III) collagen model inhibitor. A triple-helical peptide incorporating a fibronectin II insert-binding sequence was constructed and found to selectively inhibit MMP-9 type V collagen-based activities compared with interstitial collagen-based activities. This represents the first example of differential inhibition of collagenolytic activities and was achieved via an exosite-binding triple-helical peptide.
The Effects of Visual Search Efficiency on Object-Based Attention

The attentional prioritization hypothesis of object-based attention (Shomstein & Yantis in Perception & Psychophysics, 64, 41-51, 2002) suggests a two-stage selection process comprising an automatic spatial gradient and flexible strategic (prioritization) selection. The combined attentional priorities of these two stages of object-based selection determine the order in which participants will search the display for the presence of a target. The strategic process has often been likened to a prioritized visual search. By modifying the double-rectangle cueing paradigm (Egly, Driver, & Rafal in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123, 161-177, 1994) and placing it in the context of a larger-scale visual search, we examined how the prioritization search is affected by search efficiency. By probing both targets located on the cued object and targets external to the cued object, we found that the attentional priority surrounding a selected object is strongly modulated by search mode. However, the ordering of the prioritization search is unaffected by search mode. The data also provide evidence that standard spatial visual search and object-based prioritization search may rely on distinct mechanisms. These results provide insight into the interactions between the mode of visual search and object-based selection, and help define the modulatory consequences of search efficiency for object-based attention.
Computation of three-dimensional parabolic laminar flows

Abstract A simple yet accurate method for computing three-dimensional parabolic laminar flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid in a constant area duct is presented. The boundary-layer type nonlinear equations of motion are solved numerically using finite differences and the variable mesh technique. Results of the present calculations are compared with experimental and previous theoretical data for flow through square and rectangular ducts; the agreement is satisfactory.
Interaction and mutual suppression among three strains of aster yellows virus

Abstract Three isolates of aster yellows virus, collected in California, were differentiated on the basis of symptoms on common plantain, Plantago major L., Nicotiana rustica L. var. humilis, aster,1 and periwinkle and were designated as the Severe, Dwarf, and Tulelake strains. Leafhopper transmission tests conducted on 20 species of plants indicated only minor host range differences between the three strains. Cross protection experiments on plantain and N. rustica provided evidence that plants infected with either Dwarf or Severe strains were protected from infection by Tulelake strain. Protection was reciprocal between the Dwarf and Severe strains. In contrast, in plantain plants infected with Tulelake strain and challenged by the Dwarf or Severe strain the original strain was replaced and symptoms of the challenging strain developed. The most unexpected results were obtained when N. rustica plants infected with Tulelake strain were challenged with either Dwarf or Severe strain. This antagonistic interaction resulted in mutual suppression of both the Tulelake and challenging strain in each combination and the development of symptomless plants. Leafhoppers acquired virus from 14 of 23 such plants. The Tulelake strain was recovered from 7 plants, and both the Tulelake strain and the challenging strain were acquired from the seven other plants.
Hate Welfare But Help the Poor: How the Attributional Content of Stereotypes Explains the Paradox of Reactions to the Destitute in America1

Social scientists have documented more negative reactions to the concept of welfare versus the concept of poor, despite the fact that both labels can be used almost interchangeably in current political discussions. We believe that the most proximal explanation rests in the different attributional information contained within the stereotypes of welfare recipients versus poor people. Three studies were conducted to test this idea. The results suggest that the attributional content within stereotypes of welfare recipients, particularly their greater responsibility for their impoverished state compared with poor people, most influences the public's more negative reaction to welfare. The results are discussed in terms of how the rhetoric of stereotypes may be exploited in the political domain.
National Humiliation, History Education, and the Politics of Historical Memory: Patriotic Education Campaign in China

This manuscript explores the state’s political use of the past and the function of history education in political transition and foreign relations. Modern historical consciousness in China is largely characterized by the ‘‘one hundred years of humiliation’’ from mid-1800s to mid1900s when China was attacked, bullied, and torn asunder by imperialists. This research focuses initially on how such historical memory has been reinforced by the current regime’s educational socialization through the national ‘‘Patriotic Education Campaign’’ after 1991. It then explores the impact of this institutionalized historical consciousness on the formation of national identity and foreign relations. This study suggests that, even though existing theories and literature illuminate certain aspects of China’s political transition and foreign affairs behavior, a full explanatory picture emerges only after these phenomena and actions are analyzed through the ‘‘lenses’’ of history and memory. According to Eller (1999), the prime raw material for constructing ethnicity is usually the past—history. It is collective memory of the past that binds a group of people together. The powerful link between collective memory and history is particularly salient in the education system. Forging a country’s collective memory is an integral part of nation-building (Podeh 2000, 65). Schools are the primary social institutions that transmit national narratives about the past. All nation-states, whether Western democracies or nondemocratic societies, have placed great emphasis on teaching their national history with the aim of consolidating the bond between the individual citizen and the homeland. 1 This is particularly evident in the case of political transitions. As Evans (2003, 5) suggests, ‘‘seldom does history seem so urgently relevant or important as in moments of sudden political transition from one state form to another.’’ From postCommunist East Europe to East Asia and to South Africa, political transitions have often necessitated, among other things, the rewriting of school history textbooks. 2 What is the relationship between history education, historical memory and the formation of national identity? What are the implications of the uses and abuses of national history for political purposes? What role does history and history education play in political transition and foreign relations?
Antioxidant Effects of Carnosine and Phytic Acid in a Model Beef System

Antioxidant and color stability effects of carnosine and phytate were compared in a fresh beef model system and in cooked beef. Both compounds increased the rate of pH decline in pre-rigor muscle. Phytate also increased the rate of post-mortem glycogen catabolism. Both antioxidants inhibited metmyoglobin formation in raw samples during storage. Phytate was more effective than carnosine for inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Heme iron content was negatively related to lipid peroxidation in cooked beef (r=-0.92). Phytate was also more effective for inhibition of iron release from heme during cooking. Phytate is recommended over carnosine as an effective antioxidant in cooked meats.
Designing user-specific plug-n-play into body area networks

A Body Area Network (BAN) consists of a set of sensing devices deployed on a person (user) typically for health monitoring purposes. The BAN continuously monitors various physiological and environmental parameters and typically transfers this information to a base station for processing and storage in a back-end medical cloud. Despite the incredible potential that these systems offer, their utilization is largely limited to lab settings. One of the requirements for adoption in the real-world is the ease of deployment and configuration of such systems for the users. Much work has been done in developing middleware-based solutions that enable easy application development for BANs by abstracting out the details of the devices and sensors. However, none of the current approaches extend this capability to the users of the system. What is required is the ability to provide a means to dynamically add diverse devices into the system without requiring substantial reprogramming of the device and the base station. In this paper, we present BAN-PnP, a communication protocol for enabling devices and the base station (or middleware) to communicate effectively with minimal user involvement. The key idea of the protocol is to allow the devices in the BAN to "teach" the base station about their capabilities. By adding a few extra control messages, we are able to transform a traditional BAN into a plug-n-play BAN that is easy for the usually non-tech-savvy users of such systems to deploy. The performance analysis of the BAN-PnP protocol demonstrates that the protocol enables plug-n-play operation of BANs with an affordable increase in overhead.
DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT BEHAVIOUR TO ANTICIPATED SUPPLY SHOCKS IN A TWO-COUNTRY MODEL*

later identify in this paper. Intuitively one may feel that disturbances expected in the far distant future produce less effects now than those expected to arrive in the near future, i.e. the effects of anticipated future disturbances are monotonically discounted. Because of the dynamics of the adjustment, however, this does not always happen. Under circumstances described in this paper, some variables do not discount anticipated future shocks monotonically but misadjust in the sense that their initial responses are opposite from their eventual (long-run) responses. Note that familiar overor undershooting response patterns are not misadjusting in the sense of this paper. The paper establishes that the signs and the sizes of the two parameters relative to the time horizon from the first arrival of the news to the realisation of exogenous shocks, T, are crucial determinants of the shapes of the responses. Loosely put, some of the variables require sufficient lead time for them to react fully to anticipated disturbances. Events expected to occur far in the future provide enough lead time for these variables to misadjust for some combinations of the model parameters. If insufficient lead time is available, these variables adjust monotonically.' Because anticipated disturbances that are expected to be temporary produce different responses than anticipated permanent shocks, this paper focuses on real disturbances which are expected to be permanent once realised, and establishes that the terms of trade can exhibit different adjustment patterns under rigid nominal, and rigid real producer wage rates. Although complete descriptions of dynamic adjustment processes of the two countries require a * I thank two anonymous referees and an Associate Editor of this JOURNAL for their very useful
Considerations in the selection of surgical gloves for tape wound closure

One of the reasons that tape closure of wounds is rarely used in the emergency department is that it is difficult for the emergency physician wearing powdered, latex gloves to handle skin closure tapes. Because the skin closure tapes adhere aggressively to powdered latex gloves, it is difficult for the emergency physician to separate the tape from his glove and apply the tape to the skin. The advent of a new powder free glove allows the emergency physician to handle the tapes and accomplish tape wound closure.
Ecotoxicity of manufactured ZnO nanoparticles – A review

This report presents an exhaustive literature review on the toxicity of manufactured ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to ecological receptors across different taxa: bacteria, algae and plants, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates. Ecotoxicity studies on ZnO NPs are most abundant in bacteria, and are relatively lacking in other species. These studies suggest relative high acute toxicity of ZnO NPs (in the low mg/l levels) to environmental species, although this toxicity is highly dependent on test species, physico-chemical properties of the material, and test methods. Particle dissolution to ionic zinc and particle-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) represent the primary modes of action for ZnO NP toxicity across all species tested, and photo-induced toxicity associated with its photocatalytic property may be another important mechanism of toxicity under environmentally relevant UV radiation. Finally, current knowledge gaps within this area are briefly discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
Alkane rearrangement pathways on tellurium-based catalysts

Isotopic tracer studies and reaction pathway analyses suggest that olefins and diene and triene species are reactive intermediates in n-heptane dehydrocyclization on Te/NaX. Their concentration is limited by surface hydrogen overpressures caused by a rate-limiting hydrogen desorption step in the dehydrogenation sequence. The distribution of toluene isotopomers formed from dehydrocyclization of n-heptane-1-13C is consistent with a reaction sequence involving thermal cyclization of an equilibrated mixture of conjugated and nonconjugated heptatrienes. Methylhexanes are formed predominantly by methyl and ethyl shift reactions of heptenes, and not by hydrogenolysis of CS ring species. Alkane hydrogenolysis on Te/NaX occurs predominantly by thermal cracking pathways of n-heptane and heptenes. No catalytic function for either (1,5) or (1,6) ring closure was observed on Te/NaX; a catalytic dehydrogenation function, however, suffices for dehydrocyclization to occur with high selectivity.
Utility and accuracy of collateral reports of smoking status among 256 abstinent alcoholic smokers treated for smoking cessation.

Abstract This study examined the utility and accuracy of collateral reports of smoking status among 256 abstinent alcoholic smokers (140 males, 116 females) treated for smoking cessation. Data were gathered prospectively from two randomized clinical trials of behavioral smoking cessation treatment conducted in San Diego, CA. The mean age of the participants was 42.0 years (S.D.=10.0) and 93% were Caucasian. Self-reported smoking status was obtained at posttreatment (1 week after the target quit date) and at 1 year. Collateral reports obtained by telephone and expired air carbon monoxide (CO) levels of ≤10 ppm were used to confirm self-reported smoking status. Collateral reports were available for 89.1% of subjects at posttreatment and 90.6% of subjects at 1 year. The smoking abstinence rates were similar when using collateral reports or CO confirmation of smoking status at both time points. Collateral reports refuted self-reported abstinence as often or more than CO levels, and showed relatively high concordance with CO levels. In conclusion, collateral reports have utility and are reasonably accurate for confirming self-reported smoking status in clinical trials of smoking cessation for abstinent alcoholic smokers.
Mixing and chemical reactions a tutorial

Abstract The objective of this paper is to complement previous reviews focusing on somewhat more classical aspects of mixing in the content of chemical reaction engineering and to provide additional fluid mechanical perspective by highlighting recent developments. Coverage is restricted to frameworks capable of accommodating a visual and physical description of fluid flow and associated spatial inhomogeneities that might ultimately lead to predictions in a variety of situations, in both laminar and turbulent flows. It is argued that the treatment of laminar or viscous mixing is in good shape. This has been spurred by theoretical developments based on chaos theory and increased computational resources, as well as by advances in fluid mechanics and a host of new experimental results; in this case a body of theory fulfills the double role of producing basic understanding leading to prediction. By contrast, the picture in turbulent mixing is still less sharply defined and no accepted paradigm fulfills both the role of understanding and engineering prediction. Typical flows undergo transitions and are, in general, far from homogeneous, involving coexistence of regions of active and poor mixing; current statistical approaches are not fully equipped to deal with these situations. The difficulty lies in the case of moderate and fast reactions. If reactions are diffusion controlled, chemistry is controlled by the smallest scales. Important processes occur within striations, and straightforward averaging, in general, does not work; coarse graining results in loss of interface and computing the rate of reaction cannot be accomplished without some sort of subgrid model based on the physics of the problem. A lamellar model provides a simple picture that frequently leads to accurate predictions and indicates when mixing effects are important. Noteworthy among recent developments are the observations of lamellar structures at Kolmogorov scales in highly turbulent flows and the establishment of the kinematical connection between chaos and mixing. Remarkably, the smallest scales in turbulent flows and chaotic flows appear to be described by identical statistics. Illustrations are provided throughout.
A Variational Boundary Integral Method for the Analysis of Three-Dimensional Cracks of Arbitrary Geometry in Anisotropic Elastic Solids

A variational boundary integral method is developed for the analysis of three-dimensional cracks of arbitrary geometry in general anisotropic elastic solids. The crack is modeled as a continuous distribution of dislocation loops. The elastic energy of the solid is obtained from the known expression of the interaction energy of a pair of dislocation loops. The crack-opening displacements, which are related to the geometry of loops and their Burgers vectors, are then determined by minimizing the corresponding potential energy of the solid. In contrast to previous methods, this approach results in the symmetric system of equations with milder singularities of the type I/R, which facilitate their numerical treatment. By employing six-noded triangular elements and displacing midside nodes to quarter-point positions, the opening profile near the front is endowed with the accurate asymptotic behavior. This enables the direct computation of stress intensity factors from the opening displacements. The performance of the method is assessed by the analysis of an elliptical crack in the transversely isotropic solid. It also illustrates that the conventional average schemes of elastic constants furnish quite inaccurate results when the material is significantly anisotropic.
A Thematic Analysis of Cultural Variations in Family Businesses: The CASE Project

This article shows cross-cultural variations in family businesses using nine cross-cultural dimensions of family business from the CASE project. A content analysis of the emergent themes from a set of contextual articles on family businesses in 10 regional clusters worldwide, as defined by the GLOBE program, is conducted. This thematic analysis shows qualitative as well as quantitative variations in the family businesses of different cultural regions. Further research is required to understand the rich diversity of family businesses within each cluster and to refine scholars’ knowledge about how the dimensions of family business are manifested in different clusters.
Ab Initio MODPOT/VRDDO/MERGE calculations on energetic compounds. II. Nitroexplosives: RDX and α‐, β‐ and δ‐HMX

Ab initio MODPOT/VRDDO calculations have been carried out on RDX and α-,β-, and δ-HMX using our ab initio programs that incorporate several desirable options for calculations on large molecules. Among these are ab initio effective core model potentials (MODPOT) that permit calculations of valence electrons only explicitly, yet accurately, and a charge-conserving integral prescreening evaluation (which we named VRDDO—variable retention of diatomic differential overlap) that is especially effective for spatially extended molecules. The resultant theoretical indices are relevant to a number of properties and behaviorial characteristics of these molecules, both intra- and intermolecular. The charges on the atoms (from the gross atomic populations) are needed for calculation of the atomic multipole-atomic multipole electrostatic contributions (a major or dominant factor) to the intermolecular interaction energies. These electrostatic interaction energies are part of the input necessary for calculations on crystal packing and densities of these molecules. The total overlap populations between atoms are related to the inherent bond strengths, which are of interest in predicting and tracing initiating steps of explosive phenomena. The molecular orbital energies of the lowest unoccupied orbitals are of particular interest since these nitroexplosives have been implicated in testicular toxicity and the initial metabolic activation appears to proceed through a one-electron reduction of the nitroexplosive.
The radiative width of the lowest T = 1 state of 20Ne and fundamental β-decay studies☆

Abstract Ge(Li) detector observations of the 16 O(α, γ) 20 Ne reaction and a measurement of the stopping cross section for 6.93 MeV α-particles in anodized tantalum (Ta 2 O 5 ) targets are combined with previous β-delayed γ- and α-observations of 20 Ne(10.27 MeV, T = 1) decay to obtain the partial decay widths. The values obtained are Γ γ = 4.08 ± 0.33 eV for the 8.64 MeV γ-transition to the first excited state, and γ α = 116 ± 20 eV for the isospin forbidden α-decay to 16 O. The γ-decay is discussed in relation to model calculations, to a test of the conserved vector current hypothesis and to possible second-class-current effects in the analogous β ± decays of 20 Na and 20 F. The small α-decay width is used to set an isospin impurity limit of less than about 1 % for 20 Ne(10.27 MeV, T = 1).
A Holistic Method to Design an Optimized Energy Scenario and Quantitatively Evaluate Promising Technologies for Implementation

In this article we focus on today's worldwide energy system, a fundamentally illogical and unsustainable system. Today, 85% of the world wide energy system depends on carbon-based fossil fuels. We develop a holistic method to analyze mankind's use of energy in a broad way and to design optimized, normative energy scenarios that conform to important scientific principles. The procedure is based on an abstraction process and helps to overcome thinking barriers and prejudice. The proposed method is applied to a general analysis of energy and to a simplified normative energy scenario for the United States in 2060. Important technologies for the implementation are evaluated in a bottom-up analysis. Since research endeavors and policies affect free-market decisions within the energy system, the developed method aims at guiding researchers and politicians to embark on strategies toward sustainable and scientifically optimized energy concepts for the future.
Structural defects in β phase FeAl

Abstract The density of B 2 type FeAl ordered alloys has been measured at room temperature. When the Al concentration is higher than 49 at % it is observed that the experimental values are lower than the calculated ones assuming two atoms per unit cell. Such a behavior is very similar to what happens in well known NiAl and CoAl β phases, and could be connected with the presence of structural vacancies.