cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fringe cracks: Key structures for the interpretation of the progressive Alleghanian deformation of the Appalachian plateau

Vertical joints in Devonian clastic sedimentary rocks of the Finger Lakes area of New York State are ornamented with arrays of fringe cracks that reveal the complex deformational history of the Appalachian plateau detachment sheet during the Alleghanian orogeny. Three types of fringe cracks were mapped: gradual twist hackles, abrupt twist hackles, and kinks. Gradual twist hackles are curviplanar en echelon fringe cracks that propagate with an overall vertical direction within the bed hosting the parent crack and are found in all clastic lithologies of the detachment sheet. Abrupt twist hackles propagate as planar features in thick shale beds above or below the siltstone beds hosting parent joints. Kinks propagate horizontally as planar surfaces from the tips of parent joints in siltstone beds. The breakdown of the parent joint into either gradual or abrupt twist hackles depends on the orientation and magnitude of the remote stress field, internal fluid pressure, and the elastic properties of the bed. The twist angle of gradual twist hackles is larger in coarser clastic beds, indicating that stress and internal pressure are more important parameters than elastic properties in controlling breakdown. Assuming that the vertical stress axis (S v ) equals 78 MPa at 3 km burial depth, the difference in twist angle between sandstone and shale beds is used to estimate the maximum horizontal stress difference in the shale beds as S H ‐ S h ∪ 2.5 MPa when S H ‐ S h ∪ 12 MPa in sandstone beds. The twist angle of the fringe cracks and the abutting relationships of parent joints give an indication of the overall change in stress field orientation within the detachment sheet during Alleghanian tectonics. These parent joints indicate a regional clockwise stress rotation of Alleghanian age concordant with the twist angle of fringe cracks throughout the western part of the study area. A counterclockwise twist angle in the eastern portion indicates a local stress attributed to drag where no salt was available to detach the eastern edge of the plateau sheet. The clockwise change in stress orientation is consistent with the rotation in stress orientation found in the anthracite belt of the Pennsylvania Valley and Ridge, but is opposite to the sense of rotation in the southwestern portion of the detachment sheet (western Pennsylvania and West Virginia). The two regional rotation domains are separated by the Juniata culmination.
Self-Assembled Monolayers of Hexapeptides on Gold: Surface Characterization and Orientation Distribution Analysis †

Monodisperse hexapeptides that have lipoic acid coupled to the N-terminus were self-assembled on gold substrates. The self-assembled monolayer (SAM) film compositions were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), angle dependent XPS, and grazing angle Fourier transform infrared reflection−absorption spectroscopy (FTIR−RAS). The surface coverage of the self-assembled films was significantly larger than that of control physisorbed films, and the chemisorption between the hexapeptides and gold surface was stable in solvent. The structural results indicated that the hexapeptides helix orientation distribution relative to the surface normal is ambiguousthe data can be explained by either a broad distribution of an on-average perpendicular arrangement or a tight distribution about a single tilt angle. Hexapeptides in which a spin label, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-4-amino-4-carboxylic acid (TOAC), was incorporated as an amino acid residue exhibit electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra dom...
A C to hardware/software compiler

Improvements in FPGA technology have resulted in the introduction of reconfigurable computing machines, where the hardware adapts itself to the running application to gain speedup. We present a top-down compilation method, under development, for such systems. We compile a C program into hierarchical VHDL source files, and annotate them with the placement information of the hardware modules to be configured on the FPGA. Static scheduling combined with a fast, two-stage placement core reduces the compilation time of large programs to minutes.
Investigation of intervalence band absorption in type-II QW MIR lasers

We investigate the intervalence band absorption (IVA) in InAs/InGaSb/InAs type-II MIR lasers using a nonlinear pump-probe spectroscopy technique. We resolve the increased IVA cross-section with temperature, its influence on Auger rates and carrier heating.
Attitude Importance and Attitude Accessibility

Across a range of settings, attitudes that people consider personally important have been shown to be more powerful determinants of perceptions of others' attitudes, of liking of others, and of social behavior than unimportant attitudes are. This article reports two studies that evaluate one possible explanation for this difference: the hypothesis that important attitudes may be more accessible in memory and may therefore come to mind more frequently in the course of social perception. In both studies, subjects reported the importance they attached to a series of political attitudes and reported those attitudes on a computer that measured response latencies. Important attitudes were reported more quickly than unimportant ones, even when subjects were instructed to report the first attitudinal cue that came to mind. This finding supports the accessibility hypothesis.
Phillip L. Hammack, Narrative and the Politics of Identity: The Cultural Psychology of Israeli and Palestinian Youth

In recent decades, and especially since 1993, numerous programs have taken place in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which aim to contribute to conflict resolution and peacebuilding...
13, 6-N-sulfinylacetamidopentacene based Fully Encapsulated Low Voltage Vertical Short Channel OFET

13,6-N-sulfinylacetamidopentacene based low cost fully encapsulated OFET is designed. High output current of 5mA is achieved under 1volt for better OLED brightness in novel device geometry with channel length of 350nm.
Magnetic and Magneto-Optical Properties of Exchange Coupled Films of Transition Metals/TbFeCo

Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of transition metal films (Co, Ni) deposited on TbFeCo films were studied for application to magneto-optical recording. Individual films of Co or Ni showed in-plane remanent magnetization, although for Co a component of perpendicular anisotropy was found to increase for thinner films. Double layer films of Co on TbFeCo showed perpendicular remanent magnetization for Co thicknesses up to 25 A. The effective exchange field acting on the Co layer was estimated from Kerr loops and was found to increase for thinner Co films. Double layer films of Ni on TbFeCo showed perpendicular remanent magnetization for Ni thicknesses up to 50 A. Because of the high intrinsic magneto-optical activity of Co, the remanent Kerr rotation of Co on TbFeCo was found to be 50 % larger than for a single layer of TbFeCo with the same total thickness. No Kerr enhancement was found for Ni on TbFeCo.
Developing Ties to the Past: Photography and Other Sources of Information in Maxine Hong Kingston's China Men

The act of writing an autobiography necessarily requires the use of memory. Yet memory is often the most unreliable source of information available to a writer. Memory is inevitably incomplete and inaccurate, and material retained by memory is usually subject to distortion and disfigurement over time. Although a writer makes conscious decisions about what to include in an autobiography, the autobiographer is never in full control of his material the past because the selection process has already begun on a subconscious level. This phenomenon the natural limitations of memory is so common a concern among autobiographers that many address the issue directly in their life stories. At times, writers dramatize the problems of memory by presenting contradictory versions of one story and by structuring the narrative to reflect apparent discrepancies. Maya Angelou, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, for example, juxtaposes two entirely different versions of a childhood visit to a racist dentist in Stamps, Arkansas, and tells her readers that she "much preferred" the more fantasized version of the two. Similarly, in Memories of a Catholic Girlhood, Mary McCarthy alternates regular chapters with italicized sections which introduce contradictory versions of her life story suggested by other family members. While Angelou alters the story line and McCarthy the form, both writers deliberately bring attention to the inevitable fallibility of memory and the subsequent problems faced by the autobiographer. Maxine Hong Kingston, then, is not alone in acknowledging the unreliable resources of memory in her most recent autobiography, China Men (1980).1 Like Angelou and McCarthy, Kingston admits from the very beginning that much of the story of her father and grandfathers is based on unreliable sources and unverifiable evidence, including material from her memory. Like the Chinese adventurers who "invented and discovered" the Gold Mountain, a legend identifying the United States as the land of opportunity, Kingston must sort through often contradictory accounts of her family's past to create a synthesis that captures the
Cholecystitis in the Elderly Patient

Chronic cholecystitis, with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis, and acute cholecystitis occur more frequently in elderly persons than in younger ones. Because of the serious and often fatal complications which these conditions cause, cholecystectomy should be advised for chronic cholecystitis with stones whenever the condition exists. Elderly patients for whom operation is not strongly contraindicated tolerate simple cholecystectomy well.Acute cholecystitis usually is best managed by early surgical treatment.The most common condition requiring abdominal surgical treatment in the aged is disease of the biliary tract.
Comparison of outcomes after endovascular and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms in low-risk patients

Background In randomized trials endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) has been shown to have superior perioperative outcomes compared with open aneurysm repair (OAR). However, outcomes in patients at low risk of complications are unclear and many surgeons still prefer OAR in this cohort. The objective was to analyse perioperative and longer-term outcomes of OAR and EVAR in this low-risk group of patients. Methods All elective infrarenal EVARs and OARs in the Vascular Study Group of New England database were reviewed from 2003 to 2014. The Medicare scoring system was used to identity patients at low risk of perioperative complications and death. Perioperative and longer-term outcomes were analysed in this cohort. A Kaplan–Meier plot was constructed for evaluation of longer-term survival. Further propensity matching and multivariable analysis were performed to analyse additional differences between the two groups. Results Some 1070 patients who underwent EVAR and 476 who had OAR were identified. Mean(s.d.) age was 67·3(5·7) and 65·1(6·3) years respectively (P < 0·001). EVAR was associated with a lower overall perioperative complication rate (4·2 versus 26·5 per cent; P < 0·001). There was no difference in 30-day mortality (0·4 versus 0·6 per cent; P = 0·446). Overall survival at 3 years was similar after EVAR and OAR (92·5 versus 92·1 per cent respectively; P = 0·592). In multivariable analyses there was no difference in freedom from reintervention (odds ratio 1·69, 95 per cent c.i. 0·73 to 3·90; P = 0·220) or survival (hazard ratio 0·85, 0·61 to 1·20; P = 0·353). Conclusion In patients predicted to be at low risk of perioperative death following aneurysm repair, EVAR resulted in fewer perioperative complications than OAR. However, perioperative mortality, reinterventions and survival rates in the longer term appeared similar between endovascular and open repair.
Design of E-invoice Management System of Coal Transportation and Sale Based on Network

In view of problems existed in usage of E-invoice system of current transportation and sale,the paper proposed a design scheme of integrated E-invoice management system of coal transportation and sale based on network.It introduced whole structure,technical characteristics,workflow and application effect of the system.The actual application showed that the system strenghtens supervision of management department and increases fiscal revenue obviously.
P08.04 Pathogenicity of plasmid positive and negative chlamydia trachomatis in a macaque model of ocular and genital tract diseases

Introduction Previous studies demonstrated that a Chlamydia trachomatis plasmid negative ocular strain (A/P-) resulted in attenuation of infection and pathology, paired with immune stimulation that produced protective immunity in a monkey ocular model. Expanding upon these findings, we assessed a plasmid negative genital strain (D/P-) in the pigtailed macaque model of chlamydial reproductive tract infection. Infection and pathology were compared to a plasmid positive genital strain (D/P+). Methods Groups of six macaques were cervically challenged with C. trachomatis D/P+ or D/P-. All animals were followed for infection, circulating antibody, local immunity, and tissue inflammation. Upon spontaneous clearance of cervical infection, each animal underwent repeated challenges with matched strains to drive upper reproductive tract disease. The same strains were similarly compared in the macaque ocular infection model. Results Similar rates and duration of chlamydial genital infection were documented in both the P+ and P- challenged macaques. Likewise serum and local antibodies were similar. Tissue inflammation graded by gross observation during laparoscopic procedures and by tissue histology yielded no discernible patterns to disease pathology between P+ and P- strains. Because A/P+ and A/P- ocular strains in macaques exhibited dramatic differences in infectivity and pathology in the eye, we ocularly challenged animals with D/P+ and D/P-. Unexpectedly, no differences in infectivity or pathology were observed between the D/P+ and D/P- strains; each produced similar infection kinetics with ocular disease characterised by conjunctival hyperemia and follicle formation. Conclusions Unlike the ocular strain, the plasmid negative genital strain is not attenuated in either genital or ocular macaque infection models. This suggests that genetic determinants unrelated to the plasmid play a dominant role in the pathogenesis of urogenital strains. Disclosure of interest statement This research was supported by NIH Contract Numbers HHSN266200700013C and HHSN272201400016C, and by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health through Grant Number P51 OD010425 Washington National Primate Research Centre. No pharmaceutical grants were received in the development of this study.
Toward Carbon Fibers from Single Component Kraft Lignin Systems: Optimization of Chain Extension Chemistry

Single component softwood kraft lignins have been sought after as precursors to carbon fibers. This noble goal can be achieved by adding carbon onto lignin via propargylation. The reactivity of propargylated lignins may then be modulated via methylation, thus eliminating the onset of gelation via phenoxyl radical initiated random polymerization. This article demonstrates that properly installed propargyl groups of an acetone soluble kraft lignin (ASKL) fraction can be thermally polymerized to high molecular weights in a controlled manner. In order to create single component chain extended softwood kraft lignin systems for carbon fiber applications, one needs to regulate the amount and the positioning of the propargyl groups on the lignin. This became possible, and it is now demonstrated that the propargylation of lignin needs to occur first, followed by methylation and not the other way around. Such a sequence offers substantial benefits for the onset of a Claisen rearrangement to occur between the propar...
Paradigm Clashes and Progress: A Personal Reflection on a 50-Year Association With ABCT☆

Abstract Why is ABCT a successful, vibrant, and growing association when most other professional associations are withering on the vine? Since the first annual meeting of the organization, which I was privileged to attend, I have witnessed repeated changes in direction as new paradigms were introduced and debated. The clashing of ideas in these debates in our Association over the years centered on such things as classical versus operant learning principles, cognitive versus behavioral modes of intervention, the introduction of a focus on modifying affect and emotion, and “third wave” approaches. Indeed the very founding of the organization was based on a fundamental paradigm clash with the prevailing psychoanalytic approaches in the 1960s. The fact that through it all the organization continues to thrive reflects the secret to our success and our fundamental strength, a reliance on the slow but inexorable process of science.
Polystyrene-based wound healing systems

Proprietary formulations of polystyrene-based hydrocolloid dressings and negatively charged microspheres are used in wound management. Current promising areas of research for use of styrenic derivatives in wound healing are (1) development of tissue-compatible, pressure sensitive-adhesive layers as suitable water vapor transmission barriers for treatment of superficial wounds; (2) surface engineering and chemical modifications of the stiff thermoplastic hydrophobic backbone for increasing surface energy and cell adhesion; and (3) development of electrospun, biodegradable nanofiber composites for treatment of highly exudating wounds. The first and third approaches have led to positive wound closure in animal studies, but research in backbone modification has led to the development of high-energy surfaces fostering cell growth comparable to tissue culture polystyrene qualities. Promising future directions include the incorporation of silver and fullerene in styrenic nanocomposites. We have examined a custom-designed patch composed of swelling-resistant hydrogel-based layers consisting of a cross-linked alginate/chitosan or an alginate/chitosan/polylysine/genipin/polylysine solvent–casted layer incorporated into the adhesive of an existing polystyrene-based hydrocolloid dressing. Onset of dissolution of the hydrogel-based layers started after 300 min in a simulated wound milieu for the genipin-supplemented patch compared to 20 min for control and alginate/chitosan patches. This is a positive result considering the projected extended window of drug or cell-based delivery using a hybrid styrenic/hydrogel-based wound healing platform.
A community-engaged randomized controlled trial of an integrative intervention with HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men

Contingency management (CM) is an evidence-based intervention providing tangible rewards as positive reinforcement for abstinence from stimulants such as methamphetamine. Integrative approaches targeting affect regulation could boost the effectiveness of CM in community-based settings and optimize HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. This randomized controlled trial with HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men (MSM) is examining the efficacy of a 5-session, individually delivered positive affect regulation intervention – Affect Regulation Treatment to Enhance Methamphetamine Intervention Success (ARTEMIS). ARTEMIS is designed to sensitize individuals to non-drug-related sources of reward as well as assist with managing depression and other symptoms of stimulant withdrawal during CM. HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using MSM who are enrolled in a community-based, 12-week CM program are randomized to receive ARTEMIS or an attention-matched control condition. Follow-up assessments are conducted at 3, 6, 12, and 15 months after enrollment in CM. Four peripheral venous blood samples are collected over the 15-month follow-up with specimen banking for planned biomarker sub-studies. The primary outcome is mean HIV viral load. Secondary outcomes include: sustained HIV viral suppression, T-helper cell count, psychological adjustment, stimulant use, and potentially amplified transmission risk behavior. Implementation of this randomized controlled trial highlights the importance of delineating boundaries between research activities and community-based service provision. It also provides insights into best practices for integrating the distinct agendas of academic and community partners in clinical research. This trial is currently enrolling and data collection is anticipated to be completed in September of 2018. This trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT01926184 ) on August 16, 2013.
Impact of Retailers with Knowledge of Supplier's Inventory on Supply Chain Performance

We model a supply chain consisting of a supplier and multiple retailers facing deterministic demand. We denote some retailers as strategic in the sense that given the supplier inventory information, they will implement the optimal stocking policy by incorporating such information. On the other hand some retailers are denoted as naive in the sense that they ignore supply information and resort to a simplistic ordering policy. Naive retailers learn the optimal policy over time and adjust their orders accordingly. We study the dynamics of this game and investigate the impact of such strategic and naive retailers on the cost, ordering pattern and stocking policies of all parties. We analyze the supply chain under two scenarios: the centralized supply chain where the objective is to minimize the total supply chain cost, and the decentralized supply chain where each self-interested player minimizes its own cost in a Stackelberg game setting. We fully characterize the optimal policies under both centralized and decentralized scenarios and show that, surprisingly, the supply chain might be better off by virtue of naive retailers. The result is driven by the fact that strategic and naive players’ decisions shift the positioning of inventory in the supply chain with its final impact being determined by the relative costs of different retailer-types. Our results also offer managerial insights into how access to supply information can improve supply chain performance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Prediction-Based, Prioritized Market-Share Insight Extraction

We present an approach for Business Intelligence (BI), where market share changes are tracked, evaluated, and prioritized dynamically and interactively. Out of all the hundreds or thousands of possible combinations of sub-markets and players, the system brings to the user those combinations where the most significant changes have happened, grouped into related insights. Time-series prediction and user interaction enable the system to learn what “significant” means to the user, and adapt the results accordingly. The proposed approach captures key insights that are missed by current top-down aggregative BI systems, and that are hard to be spotted by humans (e.g., Cisco’s US market disruption in 2010).
EnergyCoupon: A Case Study on Incentive-based Demand Response in Smart Grid

In competitive electricity market systems such as Texas, Load Serving Entities (LSEs) purchase energy in a wholesale market and then sell it in a retail market. In wholesale market, LSEs see dynamic real-time prices, whereas in retail market, LSEs typically provide flat rate contracts to end-consumers. An intuitive idea to induce savings for LSEs is to shift loads from high-price hours to low-price hours of the wholesale market by incentive-based demand response. We design and implement such a system, called EnergyCoupon, to provide coupon incentives to users and collect their responses. We run the experiment over household participants through the summer of 2016. The experimental results suggest behavioral changes in energy consumption can be achieved, which could be beneficial to both end users and LSEs. This paper presents the system set up, key algorithms, as well as experimental results analysis.
A re-examination of firm, industry and market volatilities

Abstract In updating Campbell et al. (2001) we find evidence that the level of idiosyncratic volatility, industry-specific volatility, and market volatility have increased to their highest levels in 50 years during the 21st century. Our findings show that while the 2007–2008 Financial Crisis led to large spikes in all three measures of volatility, the Tech Bubble of early 2000’s led to an even greater increase in firm and industry volatilities than the Financial Crisis. By 2010, volatilities mostly returned to their pre-crisis levels. We also find evidence that the average correlation among stocks, which decreased during 1960–2000 period, has been increasing steadily since early 2000’s.
Microbial attachment to food and food contact surfaces.

Publisher Summary The ability of microorganisms to adhere to surfaces has significant implications for food science. Microorganisms attached to plant and animal tissues can affect food safety and spoilage. Microorganisms can adhere firmly and are therefore difficult to remove or inactivate without damaging the underlying tissue. This is not of concern for most processed foods, but it is for foods that are to be sold as raw or minimally processed. Disease outbreaks associated with Salmonella on chicken and fresh produce and Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in apple juice, alfalfa seed sprouts, and lettuce may be related to the inability of sanitizer and washing treatments to remove or inactivate attachedpathogens. Microbial attachment to food contact surfaces is also of significance for food safety and spoilage. Microorganisms attached to processing equipment may escape cleaning and sanitizing procedures and proceed to contaminate processed product. Pathogens originating with raw products can attach to food preparation surfaces, which, if not adequately cleaned before reuse, can serve to recontaminate cooked foods. The ability to attach to and subsequently detach from surfaces is a characteristic of all microorganisms. Attachment is advantageous and perhaps necessary for survival in the natural environment, as it allows microorganisms to exert some control over their nutritional environment, and offers protection from environmental stresses. Attachment is also the initial event in microbial infections, for if a cell fails to adhere it will be carried away from its potential host. Therefore, microbial attachment is a process that has been extensively studied.
Ultrasound-Guided Placement of Internal Jugular Central Venous Catheter

Ultrasound-guided placement of internal jugular central venous catheter is indicated whenever central venous access is required. It is the preferred location for hemodialysis catheters. This chapter lists the indications, essential steps, common technical variations, and complications of the procedure. A detailed template operative dictation note is included.
Are there regional tendencies toward controversial screening practices? A study of prostate and breast cancer screening in a Medicare population.

Abstract Introduction Prostate and breast cancer screening in older patients continue to be controversial. Balancing the desire for early detection with avoidance of over-diagnosis has led to competing and contradictory guidelines for both practices. Despite similarities, it is not known how these screening practices are related at the regional level. In this study, we examined how screening PSA and mammography are related within healthcare regions, and, to better understand what may be driving these practices, whether they are associated with local intensity of care. Methods We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in 2012. For each of 306 hospital referral regions (HRRs), we calculated rates of PSA screening for men aged ≥68 years, as well as rates of screening mammography for women aged ≥75 years, adjusted for age and race. Additionally, we determined regional rates of “healthcare intensity”, including spending on tests and procedures, and intensity of end-of-life care. Pearson correlations of adjusted rates were calculated within HRRs. Results The mean adjusted rate of PSA screening was 22%. The mean age of screened and unscreened patients was 75.0 and 77.4 years, respectively (p Conclusions Regional rates of PSA screening rates were independent of screening mammography, thus these practices appear to be driven by different factors. Unlike mammography, PSA screening was associated with local enthusiasm for testing and treatment. Efforts to reduce over-testing should contemplate these practices differently, and future research should examine the factors motivating these screening practices.
A Systemically Collaborative Approach to Achieving Equity in Higher Education

Colleges and universities have long recognized the need to address inequities affecting students from underrepresented or underserved groups. Despite efforts undertaken by dedicated individuals, large-scale, national change in this area has not been realized. In this article, we address two major factors underlying this disappointing result—the structures of isolation common in our institutions of higher learning, and the inadequate addressing of our own implicit biases—and offer a model of systemic collaboration aimed at ameliorating these problems so that colleges and universities throughout the nation can achieve the equity goals that have proved so elusive for so many of them.
Contingent Role of Knowledge Self-Efficacy Distribution on Diffusion of Knowledge in Peer-To-Peer Networks: An Agent-Based Approach

Peertopeer (P2P) designs of knowledge management systems have been extensively utilized by organizations to facilitate knowledge diffusion. The dominant simulationbased research in this area usually assumes that knowledge seeking and sharing happen homogeneously such that: a) individuals ask question as soon as they lack knowledge, b) individuals from whom knowledge is sought answer if they have required knowledge, and c) these rules applies to all individuals in the focal knowledge community. This study, relying on selfefficacy theory, relaxe s these assumptions and investigates knowledge diffusion under different knowledge selfefficacy distributio ns. We also examine the interacting effect of knowledge selfefficacy distribution and reputation signals ( as a previously emphasized structural feature of P2P networks). Generally, results of this study indicate that P2P communities that have higher proportion of individuals with "moderatelevel" knowledge selfef ficacy exhibit a greater amount of knowledge diffusion. However, this effect is attenuated in conditions where inferior reputation mechanisms are used.
Soils in Pond Aquaculture

Water is the medium in which aquaculture is conducted, and much has been written about water supply, water quality, and water quality management for aquaculture ponds. Soil also is a key factor in aquaculture, but much less attention is given to soil condition than to water supply and water quality. Most ponds are built from and in soil. Many dissolved and suspended substances in water are derived from contact with soil. Pond bottom soils are the storehouse for many substances that accumulate in pond ecosystems, and chemical and biological processes occurring in surface layers of pond soils influence water quality and aquacultural production. An understanding of soil properties and the reactions and processes in soils can be useful in pond aquaculture.
The Practice of Psychotherapy in Various Cultures

This chapter reviews psychotherapeutic practices in various sociocultural settings in the East and West and illustrates how the development of psychotherapy has been influenced by various historical, social, political, economic, and cultural factors in addition to medical knowledge and theories. The acceptance of psychotherapy has been obstructed by political ideology, as in Germany during the Nazi era, Russia during Stalin's time, and China during the Cultural Revolution. The prevalence of psychotherapy has been influenced by socioeconomic-medical systems, as in Scandinavian societies, where medical practice is heavily oriented toward socialism, which emphasizes community related health programs that are not conducive to individually focused psychotherapy. However, psychotherapy became popular in the new world of America, where changing society and creating one's own life were valued in the country's pioneer atmosphere. Psychotherapy is not prevalent in Japan, as based on culturally patterned expectations, Japanese patients tend to assume a "pathological" dependent role and do not appreciate the goal of autonomy or independence emphasized in psychotherapy. Due to the political ideology, psychotherapy was severely suppressed in China during the period of the Cultural Revolution, where individually focused psychotherapy was considered as the product of capitalism and was criticized as not suitable to a socialistic country. In India, the basic difficulty encountered in psychotherapy is the traditional Hindu philosophy, which lacks an anthropocentric orientation and discourages egoistic and individualistic striving, leaving very little that can be done with the tools and methods of Western psychotherapy.
Analysis of inpatient cost of AIDS related opportunistic infection in a high HIV epidemic area

Objective To analyze the inpatient cost of AIDS related opportunistic infection in a high HIV epidemic area of China.Methods Information was collected and analyzed from 158 inpatients with AIDS related opportunistic infection,including demographic characteristics of patients,types of opportunistic infection and treatment cost (median) from 2008 to 2010 in a high HIV epidemic area.Results The inpatient cost per visit for AIDS related opportunistic infection was 2935.7 yuan.The fee per visit for examination,laboratory test,medicine,diagnosis and treatment,nursing,bed was 132.5,269.0,1485.5,367.3,302.5 and 264.0 yuan,respectively.The inpatient cost per visit for AIDS related opportunistic infection was 4383.1 yuan for male and 3418.6 yuan for female inpatient ( U =- 1.279,P =0.201 ).The cost per visit for AIDS related opportunistic infection was 4703.1 yuan for Han nationality and 3475.9 yuan for minority patient ( U =- 1.025,P =0.305 ).The inpatient cost per visit for AIDS related opportunistic infection was respectively 3429.3,5022.2,6705.5 and 2396.7 yuan for farmers,individual businessmen,employees of enterprise and public institution and jobless ( H =28.633,P =0.000).The cost per visit was lowest for illiteracy patients (2590.2 yuan),3626.5 yuan for primary school,4214.3 yuan for junior high school and 6865.8 yuan for high school and higher education ( H =10.828,P =0.013 ).The cost per visit for AIDS related opportunistic infection was respectively 2873.6,4534.3,3077.8 and 3208.1 yuan for under the age of 29,30- 39 years old,40- 49 years old and beyond the age of 50 (H =1.515,P =0.679).The AIDS related opportunistic infection cost per visit for inpatients infected through sex (4621.3yuan) was higher than that of intravenous drug users ( 3208.6 yuan,U =- 2.588,P =0.010).Among various types of opportunistic infections,the cost was highest for neurological diseases (5819.7yuan),4300.8,2806.8,and 2083.9 yuan for respiratory diseases,digestive system diseases and skin and mucous membrane diseases,respectively (H=15.142,P=0.004).Conclusion The study shows difference of inpatient cost per visit between subgroups,the cost of public institution was higher than that of other professions,the cost of illiteracy patients was lower than other education level,the cost of inpatients infected through sex was higher than that of intravenous drug users,the cost of neurological diseases was higher than that of other types of opportunistic infections. Key words: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; AIDS-related opportunistic infections; Hospitalization; Fees,medical
Design management: a collaborative design solution

Design is more important than ever as software systems continue to increase in complexity, become more distributed, expose multiple interfaces and have more integration points. Design process has also become more complex, involving dispersed teams, third-party components, outsourcing providers and business partners. Nevertheless, design tools have not sufficiently been coping with these growing challenges. In this paper, we discuss design challenges and highlight features of design tools that should help address them. We also describe a new application; Rational Design Management (DM) developed to boost the quality of design and streamline the design process. DM enables a collaborative approach that broadens the understanding of design, improves design quality and shrinks design time. DM leverages semantic web technologies and implements the Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) specification to deliver a linked data approach for managing design. Such an approach facilitates design extensibility, reuse and integration across the development lifecycle.
Friction Cost Estimates of Productivity Costs in Cost-of-Illness Studies in Comparison with Human Capital Estimates: A Review

Cost-of-illness (COI) studies often include the 'indirect' cost of lost production resulting from disease, disability, and premature death, which is an important component of the economic burden of chronic conditions assessed from the societal perspective. In most COI studies, productivity costs are estimated primarily as the economic value of production forgone associated with loss of paid employment (foregone gross earnings); some studies include the imputed value of lost unpaid work as well. This approach is commonly but imprecisely referred to as the human capital approach (HCA). However, there is a lack of consensus among health economists as to how to quantify loss of economic productivity. Some experts argue that the HCA overstates productivity losses and propose use of the friction cost approach (FCA) that estimates societal productivity loss as the short-term costs incurred by employers in replacing a lost worker. This review sought to identify COI studies published during 1995-2017 that used the FCA, with or without comparison to the HCA, and to compare FCA and HCA estimates from those studies that used both approaches. We identified 80 full COI studies (of which 75% focused on chronic conditions), roughly 5-8% of all COI studies. The majority of those studies came from three countries, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, that have officially endorsed use of the FCA. The FCA results in smaller productivity loss estimates than the HCA, although the differential varied widely across studies. Lack of standardization of HCA and FCA methods makes productivity cost estimates difficult to compare across studies.
Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in cancer trials submitted to the FDA from 2012-2015.

e14024Background: PRO measures are commonly assessed in cancer trials. We reviewed the PRO strategy, tools and trial designs for new drug applications (NDA) and biologics license applications (BLA)...
Incorporation of functionalized carbon nanotubes into hydrophobic drug crystals for enhancing aqueous dissolution.

Abstract We present for the first time the direct incorporation of carboxylated carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) into hydrophobic drug particles during their formation via anti-solvent precipitation. The approach was tested using two drugs namely antifungal agent Griseofulvin (GF) and antibiotic Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) that had very different aqueous solubility. It was observed that the f-CNTs dispersed in the water served as nucleating sites for crystallization and were readily incorporated into the drug particles without altering crystal structure or other properties. The results showed that the hydrophilic f-CNTs dramatically enhanced dissolution rate for both drugs, and the time necessary to reach 80% dissolution (t80) reduced from 67 to 10 with the incorporation of 5.1% f-CNTs in SMZ, and from 66 to 18 min with 4.0% f-CNTs in GF. The enhanced dissolution is attributed to the fact that the hydrophilic f-CNTs served as conduits for bringing in water in close contact with the drug crystals.
Extracting waves from noisy geomagnetic data – A synthetic study of equatorially trapped waves in Earth’s core

Author(s): Knezek, N; Buffett, B | Abstract: Geomagnetic Secular Variation (SV) and acceleration (SA) can provide a wealth of information about fluid motions in the core. However, recovering this information from noisy data is complicated by the structure of the magnetic field at the core-mantle boundary. We demonstrate the challenge using a numerical model for equatorial waves to produce synthetic records of SV and SA. We show that interpreting magnetic oscillations directly as waves in Earth's core can lead to spurious conclusions due to coupling between non-dipole components of the magnetic field and wave structures. Using the structure of our modeled waves, we derive a set of methods to detect waves using magnetic field observations. We show that these methods can recover the wave period, longitudinal wavenumber, equatorial symmetry, latitudinal extent, and amplitude for synthetic equatorial waves in Earth's core when the wave fluid velocity is ∼0.5 km/yr or greater.
LGBTQ Educators: Global Inequities

AbstractThe following paper argues that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) educators must have the option to come out in a safe and welcoming environment and until this is possible, equity for LGBTQ students will not be achieved. First the author frames the issue from a human rights perspective, followed by a review of the global climate concerning LGBTQ individuals. LGBTQ issues within multicultural education are explored, as well as specific issues concerning educators, and finally, recommendations for action are offered.
HIV virologic response better with single-tablet once daily regimens compared to multiple-tablet daily regimens.

Background:Single-tablet regimens are preferred prescription choices for HIV treatment, but there are limited outcomes data comparing single-tablet regimens to multiple-tablet regimens.Methods:We r...
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia and complete tracheal rings: The value of peri-operative ECMO

Abstract A full-term male prenatally diagnosed with left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) was intubated at birth and scheduled for elective repair. The pre-operative chest radiograph incidentally demonstrated tracheal narrowing and an intraoperative flexible bronchoscopy was performed, suggestive of impending airway occlusion secondary to complete tracheal rings. Given these findings, he was electively cannulated post-operatively to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for stabilization and tracheal repair. Post-operative day one, he underwent further characterization by computed tomography and was taken for slide tracheoplasty on ECMO support. Immediately following tracheal repair, he was decannulated from ECMO and was extubated to nasal CPAP two days after the slide tracheoplasty. This case highlights the rare association of tracheal anomalies associated with CDH and options for perioperative management, including the role of ECMO.
Framing Bias in the Interpretation of Quality Improvement Data: Evidence From an Experiment.

Background A growing body of public management literature sheds light on potential shortcomings to quality improvement (QI) and performance management efforts. These challenges stem from heuristics individuals use when interpreting data. Evidence from studies of citizens suggests that individuals’ evaluation of data is influenced by the linguistic framing or context of that information and may bias the way they use such information for decision-making. This study extends prospect theory into the field of public health QI by utilizing an experimental design to test for equivalency framing effects on how public health professionals interpret common QI indicators. Methods An experimental design utilizing randomly assigned survey vignettes is used to test for the influence of framing effects in the interpretation of QI data. The web-based survey assigned a national sample of 286 city and county health officers to a “positive frame” group or a “negative frame” group and measured perceptions of organizational performance. The majority of respondents self-report as organizational leadership. Results Public health managers are indeed susceptible to these framing effects and to a similar degree as citizens. Specifically, they tend to interpret QI information presented in a “positive frame” as indicating a higher level of performance as the same underlying data presenting in a “negative frame.” These results are statistically significant and pass robustness checks when regressed against control variables and alternative sources of information. Conclusion This study helps identify potential areas of reform within the reporting aspects of QI systems. Specifically, there is a need to fully contextualize data when presenting even to subject matter experts to reduce the existence of bias when making decisions and introduce training in data presentation and basic numeracy prior to fully engaging in QI initiatives.
Is the SNARC a boojum

In this essay, the author notes that for the past half-century, psychologists have examined how humans make use of spatial representations when making judgments about numerical properties of sets of items. This line of work was initiated by Frank Restle (1970), who asked college students at Indiana University to choose the larger number, either the sum of A + B or C, as rapidly as possible. Restle found that the timing of people's choices fit an analog model of numerical judgment that had been proposed a few years earlier (Moyer & Landauer, 1967) and that people seemed to judge the magnitude of numbers by their position on a mental number line. The hypothetical number line is now called the "mental number line," and the effect on latency to respond to questions about numbers that results from use of the mental number line has been labeled the "Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes" or SNARC for short. The author notes that she has parodied Frank Beach's (1950) title for his classic essay about the state of comparative psychology at the mid-20th century for the title of this piece. Beach, in turn, was inspired by Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem, " The Hunting of the Snark," published in 1876. The poem chronicles "the impossible voyage of an improbable crew to find an inconceivable creature," the snark. According to the poem, most species of snarks are relatively harmless. The boojum, however, is a dangerous snark, because those who catch sight of a boojum "suddenly vanish away." Here, the author wants to turn the meaning of the homonym SNARC a bit to suggest that the SNARC might itself vanish, perhaps to metamorphose into a more complex entity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).