cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of short-term treatment with simvastatin 40mg on plasma concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in patients with unstable angina pectoris

Objective To study the changes of plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) concentrations in the patients with unstable angina pectoris(UAP) after two-weeks' treatment with simvastatin 20 mg or 40 mg per day,and explore the influence of aggressive lipid-lowering therapy on hs-CRP in short term.Methods Seventy-six UAP cases were randomly divided into two groups to accept simvastatin 20 mg per day as routine lipid-lowering group(ROU group,n=38),or simvastatin 40 mg per day as aggressive lipid-lowering group(AGG group,n=38) at the base of routine therapy.The concentrations of LDL cholesterol(LDL-C),HDL-C,TC,TG and hs-CRP of all the patients were measured before and one week and two weeks after therapy.Results Both TC and LDL-C could be decreased by simvastatin(20 mg or 40 mg daily) therapy through two weeks(TC:F=44.88,P0.0001;LDL-C:F=32.92,P0.0001).The plasma hs-CRP concentration had descendent trend in two groups(F=4.515,P=0.044).And,hs-CRP had more significant decrease in AUG group than that in ROU group.The reduction of plasma hs-CRP concentration was not related to the change of plasma lipid level.Conclusion Simvastatin 40 mg may effectively reduce the plasma hs-CRP concentrations in UAP patients by two weeks independent on its effect for TC,HDL-C,LDL-C and TG.
Matrix-free Krylov iteration for implicit convolution of numerically low-rank data

Evaluating the response of a linear shift-invariant system is a problem that occurs frequently in a wide variety of science and engineering problems. Calculating the system response via a convolution may be done efficiently with Fourier transforms. When one must compute the response of one system to m input signals, or the response of m systems to one signal, it may be the case that one may approximate all system responses without having to compute all m Fourier transforms. This can lead to substantial computational savings. Rather than process each point individually, one may only process basis vectors that span the output data space. However, to get a low-error approximation, it is necessary that the output vectors have low numerical rank if they were assembled into a matrix. We develop theory that shows how the singular value decay of a matrix ź A that is a product of a convolution operator ź and an arbitrary matrix A depends in a linear fashion on the singular value decays of ź and A . We propose gap-rank, a measure of the relative numerical rank of a matrix. We show that convolution cannot destroy the numerical low-rank-ness of ź A data with only modest assumptions. We then develop a new method that exploits low-rank problems with block Golub-Kahan iteration in a Krylov subspace to approximate the low-rank problem. Our method can exploit parallelism in both the individual convolutions and the linear algebra operations in the block Golub-Kahan algorithm. We present numerical examples from signal and image processing that show the low error and scalability of our method.
Value of information in sequential decision making: Component inspection, permanent monitoring and system-level scheduling

Abstract We illustrate how to assess the Value of Information (VoI) in sequential decision making problems modeled by Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs). POMDPs provide a general framework for modeling the management of infrastructure components, including operation and maintenance, when only partial or noisy observations are available; VoI is a key concept for selecting explorative actions, with application to component inspection and monitoring. Furthermore, component-level VoI can serve as an effective heuristic for assigning priorities to system-level inspection scheduling. We introduce two alternative models for the availability of information, and derive the VoI in each of those settings: the Stochastic Allocation (SA) model assumes that observations are collected with a given probability, while the Fee-based Allocation model (FA) assumes that they are available at a given cost. After presenting these models at component-level, we investigate how they perform for system-level inspection scheduling.
Case studies in cervicothoracic spine function evaluation and treatment of two dancers with mechanical neck pain.

Abstract It has been reported that manual therapy directed at the thoracic spine followed by exercise may improve outcomes in patients with mechanical neck pain. At this point, there is little available data on dancers with neck pain, and it is unclear whether this type of treatment is appropriate for restoring the rigorous level of activity required of the dancer. The purpose of this study was to review the evaluation, clinical decision-making process, and treatment of two dancers-one with acute and the other with chronic neck pain-who fell into the classification of patients who might benefit from an intervention to the thoracic spine. The two participants were a musical theater dancer with an acute onset of neck pain and a retired dancer who was an active dance company director with an 11-year history of chronic neck pain. Both participants went through a standard examination and were treated with mobilizations to the upper thoracic spine followed by therapeutic exercises. In both cases, successful outcomes were achieved immediately after treatment and up to six months after discharge from physical therapy.
Moral versus Market Economies in the Post-Soviet Firm

Not without cause, some late Soviet-era reformers believed hypercentralization and micro-management were partly responsible foreconomic inefficiencies. Enterprise managers and employees did notdisagree. To them, the problem was not the enterprise itself; certainlyoutdated or worn technology hurt, but the real obstacle to productivitywas bureaucrats to whom they answered and whose Plan-centeredrules stifled innovation and productivity. As several assistant managersof a lathe-making firm told me in 1995, they knew much of their outputwas unnecessary and that monthly Plan targets were not “rational.” In the Soviet production model, economic output depended primarilyon sheer numbers of workers—but this model reached diminishingreturns. Further, the Soviet Union faced a renewed arms race involvingnew levels of technology, East Asian economies driven by modern technologiesand techniques, and dependency on petrodollars that the oilglut of the 1980s revealed. In this context, some reformers in ministriesand around Gorbachev came to see that liberalizing enterprise relationsand decentralizing decision-making to managers and even industrialworkers would inject needed dynamism into production against sclerosisand stagnation.
Questioning the president: Examining gender in the White House press corps:

In 2014, President Barack Obama made history by only calling upon women journalists during a domestic news conference with the White House press corps. To capitalize on and examine this critical first in journalism, this study analyzed the potential influence of a journalist’s gender in White House press corps news conferences with President Obama a year before and a year after the all-female conference. The content analysis examined what political issues journalists emphasized in presidential news conferences and whether these issue emphases varied (a) by journalists’ gender and (b) before and after the all-female conference. Results revealed that, to some extent, men and women emphasized different issues. Furthermore, there were marked shifts after the all-female conference. First, women were called upon more often. Second, women emphasized several issues more than men. In particular, women became predominant on questions dealing with so-called ‘masculine’ or ‘hard news’ issues, for example, macroeconom...
Infrared Stark and Zeeman spectroscopy of OH-CO: The entrance channel complex along the OH + CO → trans-HOCO reaction pathway.

Sequential capture of OH and CO by superfluid helium droplets leads exclusively to the formation of the linear, entrance-channel complex, OH–CO. This species is characterized by infrared laser Stark and Zeeman spectroscopy via measurements of the fundamental OH stretching vibration. Experimental dipole moments are in disagreement with ab initio calculations at the equilibrium geometry, indicating large-amplitude motion on the ground state potential energy surface. Vibrational averaging along the hydroxyl bending coordinate recovers 80% of the observed deviation from the equilibrium dipole moment. Inhomogeneous line broadening in the zero-field spectrum is modeled with an effective Hamiltonian approach that aims to account for the anisotropic molecule-helium interaction potential that arises as the OH–CO complex is displaced from the center of the droplet.
Challenged Expectations: Mere Exposure Effects on Attitudes About Transgender People and Rights

Social categorization processes may be initiated by physical appearance, which have the potential to influence how people evaluate others. Categorizations ground what stereotypes and prejudices, if any, become activated. Gender is one of the first features people notice about others. Much less is known about individuals who may transgress gender expectations, including people who are transgender. Using an experiment, this study investigates whether the attitudes that people have about transgender people and rights are influenced by information and facial images. We hypothesize that mere exposure to transgender people, via information and images of faces, should be a source of prejudice reduction. We randomly provide participants with vignettes defining transgender and also randomize whether these vignettes come with facial images, varying the physical features of gendered individuals. We find our treatments have lower levels of discomfort and transphobia but have little effect on transgender rights attitudes. We further find that the impacts are stronger among Democrats than among Republicans. Our findings support the argument that people are in general unfamiliar with transgender people, and the mere exposure to outgroups can be a source of prejudice reduction.
Mechatronic Design of a Mixed Conventional/Braking Actuation Mobile Robot

This paper presents the design of a novel mixed conventional/braking actuation mobile robot (MAMR), which replaces conventional actuators used for steering with controllable brakes. The mechatronic design of a novel electromechanical braking actuator, its implementation in the MAMR, and the mechatronic design of the MAMR are presented. A motion experiment is also given as a demonstration. The MAMR presented in this paper implements a new platform for mobile robots which is composed of two electromechanical braking actuators and an omni-directional drive wheel. The electromechanical brake presented is an omni-directional ball transfer that is electronically lockable. When the brake is in the locked state, it generates a reactive friction force onto a dynamic system that, in the case of the MAMR, can be used to steer and brake. This platform offers a minimalistic approach to locomotion in mobile robots.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Stopping the Nonadherence Cycle: The Clinical and Theoretical Basis for Dialectical Behavior Therapy Adapted for Adolescents With Chronic Medical Illness (DBT-CMI)

Abstract Most adolescents with chronic illness do not adhere to their regimen. A novel transdiagnostic adaptation of dialectical behavior therapy (dialectical behavior therapy for chronic medical conditions; DBT-CMI) is presented to improve medical adherence in adolescents. The authors describe the approach of DBT-CMI and the model’s conceptualization of nonadherence, with specific focus on the core concepts of non-adherence across illness in adolescence. DBT-CMI has been piloted in two disease groups with preliminary benefit. DBT-CMI lends itself theoretically as a transdiagnostic approach due to specific skills that target core concepts of nonadherence in adolescence. Future research is warranted on the applicability of DBT-CMI across other pediatric medical conditions to replicate findings and examine long-term outcomes.
Molecular engineering to improve carrier lifetimes for organic photovoltaic devices with thick active layers

Abstract The morphology of the bulk heterojunction absorber layer in an organic photovoltaic (OPV) device has a profound effect on the electrical properties and efficiency of the device. Previous work has consistently demonstrated that the solubilizing side-chains of the donor material affect these properties and device performance in a non-trivial way. Here, using Time-Resolved Microwave Conductivity (TRMC), we show by direct measurements of carrier lifetimes that the choice of side chains can also make a substantial difference in photocarrier dynamics. We have previously demonstrated a correlation between peak photoconductance measured by TRMC and device efficiencies; here, we demonstrate that TRMC photocarrier dynamics have an important bearing on device performance in a case study of devices made from donor materials with linear vs. branched side-chains and with variable active layer thicknesses. We use Grazing-Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering to elucidate the cause of the different carrier lifetimes as a function of different aggregation behavior in the polymers. Ultimately, the results help establish TRMC as a technique for screening OPV donor materials whose devices maintain performance in thick active layers (>250 nm) designed to improve light harvesting, film reproducibility, and ease of processing.
Minimal enteral nutrition for promoting feeding tolerance and preventing morbidity in parenterally fed infants.

Background Because of concern that feedings may increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, some high-risk infants have received prolonged periods of parenteral nutrition without enteral feedings. Providing minimal enteral feedings during this period of parenteral nutrition was developed as a strategy to enhance feeding tolerance and decrease time to reach full feedings. Objectives For high-risk neonates receiving parenteral feedings, to assess the effect of minimal enteral nutrition (MEN) compared to no enteral nutrient intake on measures of feeding tolerance and neonatal outcome. Search strategy Searches were performed of the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials, MEDLINE, abstracts and conference proceedings, references from relevant publications in the English language, and studies identified by personal communication. Selection criteria Only randomized or quasi-randomized clinical trials were considered. Trials were included if they enrolled high-risk infants randomly assigned to receive minimal enteral feedings (defined as dilute or full strength feedings providing = 5d) or no enteral nutrient intake (no feedings or water only). Data collection and analysis The two reviewers reached consensus for inclusion of trials. Data regarding clinical outcomes were extracted and evaluated by the two reviewers independently of each other. Authors were contacted as needed and feasible to clarify or provide missing data. The specific data that were needed were requested in writing. Main results Among infants given minimal enteral nutrition (MEN), there was an overall reduction in days to full enteral feeding, total days that feedings were held, and total hospital stay. There was no discernible effect on necrotizing enterocolitis. Reviewer's conclusions The evidence of benefit from MEN in these analyses is not convincing for a variety of reasons--the inherent difficulty of assessing enteral feedings in high-risk infants, the small size and methodologic limitations of the studies to date, unexplained heterogeneity with respect to some of the apparent benefits, the potential for bias to affect the findings in unblinded studies, and the unexcluded possibility that MEN might increase necrotizing enterocolitis. For these reasons, it is unclear whether MEN should be used in lieu of an equal period of time without enteral feedings.
Process Modeling and Analysis of Manufacturing Pathways for Producing Ethylene and Propylene from Wet Shale Gas and Naphtha

Abstract This work addresses the comparison of manufacturing ethylene and propylene from wet shale gas and naphtha regarding economic and environmental performance. We first propose two shale gas-based pathways for the manufacturing of ethylene and propylene by employing the steam cracking of ethane-propane mixture and the integration of ethane steam cracking and propane dehydrogenation, respectively. We also investigate a conventional pathway considering the steam cracking of naphtha. We develop detailed process models and conduct techno-economic and environmental analyses for all pathways. The results shows that manufacturing ethylene and propylene from naphtha requires 90 ~ 110% higher production costs than from wet shale gas. However, manufacturing ethylene and propylene from wet shale gas results in higher greenhouse gas emissions by 20 ~ 40% than from naphtha.
Primary Surgery vs Radiotherapy for Early Stage Oral Cavity Cancer

Objective The goal of this study is to determine the effect of primary surgery vs radiotherapy (RT) on overall survival (OS) in patients with early stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). In addition, this study attempts to identify factors associated with receiving primary RT. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting National Cancer Database (NCDB, 2004-2013). Subjects and Methods Reviewing the NCDB from 2004 to 2013, patients with early stage I to II OCSCC were identified. Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival, Cox regression analysis, and propensity score matching were used to examine differences in OS between primary surgery and primary RT. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with primary RT. Results Of the 20,779 patients included in the study, 95.4% (19,823 patients) underwent primary surgery and 4.6% (956 patients) underwent primary RT. After adjusting for covariates, primary RT was associated with an increased risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.97; 99% confidence interval [CI], 1.74-2.22). On multivariable analysis, factors associated with primary RT included age ≥70 years, black race, Medicaid or Medicare insurance, no insurance, oral cavity subsite other than tongue, clinical stage II disease, low-volume treatment facilities, and earlier treatment year. Conclusion Primary RT for early stage OCSCC is associated with increased mortality. Approximately 5% of patients receive primary RT; however, this percentage is decreasing. Patients at highest risk for receiving primary RT include those who are elderly, black, with public insurance, and treated at low-volume facilities.
Immersed in the struggle: confronting whiteness in a sea of whiteness

This paper explores white pre-service teachers’ understandings of racism by focusing on their understanding of one moment in a field-based social studies methods course. Using interview and journal...
The Organization and Use of Knowledge-Based Expert Systems in the Computer-Based Design of Turbomachinery

System thinking and computer technology have grown explosively in the past three decades and in the process have given engineering designers a new world view with which they can frame their problems and new computer-based tools with which they can negotiate families of satisficing solutions to them. A key element in these new design processes and the body of knowledge which supports them is the organization and deployment of knowledge by means of modern computers that are capable of providing designers with a unique, integrating medium capable of representing and storing knowledge and using it to conduct the processes of design. Thus, the organization and use of both general archival and system-specific knowledge bases are of essential importance to designers.
Protecting Marine Ecosystems in Fishery Regulation

This article reviews the policies related to the protection of marine ecosystems from negative impacts associated with prosecution of fisheries – primarily bycatch and habitat damage. As acceptable levels of impacts are typically determined by biological and political considerations rather than economic efficiency in practice, the evaluation of alternative ecosystem-protection approaches is focused on from the perspective of their efficacy in meeting these objectives and their ability to do so at minimum cost. An economic view of ecosystem impacts that characterizes their presence as arising from the choices of profit-maximizing fishermen under biological, technological, and institutional constraints is expounded. It is therefore argued, theoretically and empirically, that consideration of the incentives embodied in regulatory approaches is critical. From this perspective, the pros and cons of input- versus output-based regulatory approaches and the factors that impact their relative effectiveness are discussed, in particular, incentive-based approaches for managing ecosystem impacts. The key role of information and its distribution between regulators and fishermen and the need to exert control over the spatial and temporal nature of effects in selection of the best policy are considered. Finally, the role of policies outside the reach of traditional fisheries management for curbing ecosystem impacts is discussed.
COX-2 Inhibitors for the Prevention of Breast Cancer

The inducible prostaglandin synthase cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is normally expressed predominantly in kidney and brain, and also has important roles in reproduction and inflammation. COX-2 misexpression has been observed in numerous human cancers, including the majority of colorectal cancers. Recently, COX-2 overexpression has been described in human breast cancer. COX-2 is present in about 40% of invasive breast carcinomas, particularly those that overexpress HER2/neu, and COX-2 expression correlates with poor patient prognosis. Manipulation of Cox-2 gene dosage by using transgenic overexpression and knockout approaches has revealed an important role for Cox-2 in tumorigenesis. Furthermore, translational experiments using rodent breast cancer models suggest COX-2 inhibition to be an effective strategy for both prevention and treatment of experimental breast cancers. Since COX-2 can contribute to multiple facets of tumorigenesis, including angiogenesis, several mechanisms are likely to underlie the anticancer action of COX inhibitors. Thus, selective COX-2 inhibitors offer considerable promise for the prevention and treatment of human breast cancer.
An Overview: Problems and Prospects

The functional perspective outlined in this book attempts to provide a relatively comprehensive and integrative approach to understanding nonverbal behavior. The circumstance that precipitated this effort included a vast inventory of empirical research linked only occasionally to limited theoretical models. Of course, I am responsible for some of the previous theoretical deficiencies in this area. The intimacy-arousal model (Patterson, 1976) may have been an improvement on equilibrium theory (Argyle & Dean, 1965), but it now seems too simplistic and mechanical in light of the complexity of nonverbal exchange. In addition, the results of more recent research, some of it from our own laboratory (Ickes, Patterson, Rajecki, & Tanford, 1982; Patterson, Roth, & Schenk, 1979; Patterson, Jordan, Hogan, & Frerker, 1981), highlighted some of the weaknesses of the earlier models and provided direction for developing this functional approach. An overview of the present model might proceed best by first attending to a general evaluation of the functional perspective.
Beta-Blockers for Primary Prevention of Heart Failure in Patients With Hypertension: Insights From a Meta-Analysis

Objectives This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of beta-blockers (BBs) for primary prevention of heart failure (HF) in patients with hypertension. Background The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association staging for HF classifies patients with hypertension as stage A HF, for which BBs are a treatment option. However, the evidence to support this is unknown. Methods We conducted a MEDLINE/EMBASE/CENTRAL search of randomized controlled trials that evaluated BB as first-line therapy for hypertension with follow-up for at least 1 year and with data on new-onset HF. The primary outcome was new-onset HF. Secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Results Among the 12 randomized controlled trials, which evaluated 112,177 patients with hypertension, BBs reduced blood pressure by 12.6/6.1 mm Hg when compared with placebo, resulting in a 23% (trend) reduction in HF risk (p = 0.055). When compared with other agents, the antihypertensive efficacy of BBs was comparable, which resulted in similar but no incremental benefit for HF risk reduction in the overall cohort (risk ratio: 1.00; 95% confidence interval: 0.92 to 1.08), in the elderly (≥60 years) or in the young ( Conclusions In hypertensive patients, primary prevention of HF is strongly dependent on blood pressure reduction. When compared with other antihypertensive agents, there was similar but no incremental benefit of BBs for the prevention of HF. However, given the increased risk of stroke in the elderly, BBs should not be considered as first-line agents for prevention of HF.
Hybrid Nanostructures in Targeted Drug Delivery

Abstract Nanostructure-mediated drug delivery improves the therapeutic effect and minimizes side effects by leveraging the favorable and tunable biodistribution of nanoparticles. Recent research efforts in nanomedicine have led to the development of hybrid nanostructures with enhanced and/or combination drug loading. Hybrid nanostructures seek to address the key challenges in oncology, such as tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance, by providing various combinations of therapeutic modalities in a single nanocarrier, which can be released in a controlled manner at the disease site. However, many of these hybrid nanostructures, even after promising preclinical results, have not made their way to the clinic. Challenges remain for scaling up, optimizing, and developing efficient clinical translational strategies for multicomponent nanomedicine.
Has zirconia made a material difference in implant prosthodontics? A review.

Abstract Objective The main goal of this review is to provide an in-depth description of published work on the application of zirconia for dental implansts and restorations on titanium implants, with an emphasis on clinical studies from the past dozen years with at least 1-year follow-up. Methods Online databases (Pubmed, Science Direct, Web of Science) were consulted on this topic. Published work from 2007 to 2019 was collected, analyzed and pertinent articles were selected for inclusion on this review. Results No clear superiority has been documented in biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, physical properties or allergenicity with zirconia implants compared to titanium, notwithstanding an esthetic benefit. While short-term studies have been promising, larger multicentered, longitudinal and randomized clinical trials with success data are required to validate zirconia as a viable alternative to the titanium implant and its design. Zirconia abutments with a titanium base have revealed a high survival rate and show no difference to metal. Bi-layered zirconia ceramic restorations are a valid treatment alternative to metal ceramic implant restorations for single crowns with similar biological complications and enhanced esthetics. Monolithic zirconia restorations hold promise to address the chipping incidence of the bi-layered ceramic restoration, but longer-term studies are necessary, and work needs to be done to improve their esthetics. The gingival feldspathic porcelain veneered monolithic zirconia complete arch prosthesis versus a resin metal prosthesis, in medium-term studies, offers a high survival rate and low mechanical complication rate, reduced laboratory costs, superior durability and wear characteristics, enhanced fit due to digital fabrication, availability of a digital file for duplication in the future, acrylic try-for adjustment and approval, and reduced plaque and biofilm accumulation. Significance Zirconia is a versatile material for implant prosthodontic application. Longer-term multi-centered studies are needed to assess success criteria and patient-related outcomes measurements. Monolithic zirconia offers enhanced mechanical properties for implant restorations, but development is needed to optimize esthetics.
Quality improvement in post-operative opioid and benzodiazepine regimen in adolescent patients after posterior spinal fusion

Prospective, quality-improvement. To evaluate pain management following posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and Scheuermann’s Kyphosis (SK) determine the optimal opioid and benzodiazepine prescription amounts, and implement a multimodal post-operative pain regimen. The incidence of prescription opioid abuse is increasing in the United States. Orthopedic spine surgeons often prescribe large quantities of opioids post-operatively for pain control. Previous efforts on pain control have focused on in-patient post-operative regimens after PSF. Between 2/1/17 and 5/30/18 patients with AIS or SK were sent home with pain diaries after discharge to document daily narcotic, benzodiazepine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen and gabapentin use following PSF. Diaries were collected at the 4 week post-operative visit. Data from two cohorts were reviewed: pre-intervention and post-intervention. Our prescription intervention went into effect 9/1/17. Twenty-four (30%) patients returned pain diaries. The pre-intervention cohort consisted of 12 patients (7 female; 5 males; 14.9 years (range 12–19)). Patients were prescribed on average 80 × 5 mg tabs (26–140) of oxycodone but used on average 45 tabs (12–129) over an average of 17.5 days (9–33). They were prescribed an average of 30 × 2 mg tabs (0–150) of diazepam, used on average 4.8 (0–105) tabs over 12.5 (5–25) days. The post-intervention cohort consists of 12 patients (9 female; 3 male; 14.8 years (12–19)). They were prescribed on average 50 × 5 mg tabs (35–80) of oxycodone, used 20.5 (0–39.5) tabs over 8.5 days (3–16). They were prescribed on average 18 × 2 mg tabs of diazepam (0–43), used 5.4 tabs (0–19) over 10 days (5–14). This analysis has directly impacted clinical practice. Prescribed opioid and benzodiazepine doses have been decreased by over 50%, and more resources are being directed towards determining the disparity between the amount of medications prescribed and consumed in our post-operative patients.
Demand Side Stimulus: The Democratic Socialist Alternative

Instead of allowing financial corporations to benefit further from a crisis that they precipitated and profited from for so long by providing them with taxpayer funded bailouts, a truly representative, democratic government would have surely bailed out those underwater in their mortgages, and small businesses bankrupted by the recession, and facilitated the renegotiation or refinancing, at lower interest rates, of home equity loans, credit card and student debt, and so on. This would have stabilized house prices, maintained property tax revenues to local government, enabled businesses to continue employing, and providing taxable pay and so on to, their employees, and generally contributed to demand side stimulus that would have limited the recession and speeded recovery. A solution which as well as being pragmatically efficacious would have been morally equitable.
A systematic investigation on the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the performance of eight low-cost particle sensors and devices

Abstract Low-cost particle sensors are rapidly gaining popularity for indoor air quality monitoring, but their accuracy has been shown to vary among products and among environments in which they operate. Previous research has explored the effect of environmental conditions including temperature and humidity on sensor accuracy and found appreciable effects of these variables in many cases. We extend this work to cover some models that have not been previously tested and analyze results in a way to establish the significance of environmental variables on low-cost sensor output. In this study, we conduct a series of laboratory experiments in which temperature and relative humidity (RH) are varied in a precisely controlled chamber and different common particle sources introduced. Eight different brands of low-cost particle sensors, some of which have not been previously analyzed in this manner, measured particle concentration inside the chamber and were compared to research-grade instruments. Comparison of the output of the research-grade instruments with that of the low-cost sensors yielded a few interesting results. First, temperature showed no statistically significant effect on sensor performance in any case, at 99% confidence. Second, RH appears to affect the magnitude of low-cost sensor output but not its correlation to research-grade instruments output, suggesting the possibility of RH-based calibration.
Improving Correctional Staff Perceptions of Organizational Justice

The current study explored how three key work environment variables – input into decision-making, instrumental communication, and perceived quality of supervision – affected views of distributive a...
Augmented Pain-evoked Brain Responses Account for Greater Pain Sensitivity in Healthy Adolescents

While pain has been identified as a major health issue for adolescents, brain mechanisms of pain processing in this population remain unclear. Previous findings from adult studies may not be applicable given that the adolescent brain, particularly prefrontal cortex (PFC), has not been fully developed. This study was conducted to characterize pain sensitivity, pain-evoked brain responses, and the brain regions mediating the relationship between the stimulus intensity and pain perception in adolescents. Thirty adolescents (ages 13-17) and thirty adults (ages 35-55) underwent functional MRI scans involving acute pain. They received 12 noxious pressure stimuli (2.5 or 4 kg/cm2, each lasting 10 seconds, applied to the left thumbnail) and rated pain intensity and unpleasantness on a 0-100 computerized visual analogue scale. Adolescents reported greater pain intensity (t=2.77, p=0.008) and unpleasantness (t=2.66, p=0.01) in response to stimulations at 2.5 kg/cm2. These differences disappeared at 4 kg/cm2 (pain intensity: t=0.39, p=0.700; pain unpleasantness: t=0.97, p=0.337). A significant group by stimulus intensity interaction effect (F=7.52, p=0.008) was found in pain intensity ratings using a mixed-design ANOVA. Adolescents had greater dorsolateral and dorsomedial PFC as well as supramarginal gyrus activations in response to stimuli at 2.5kg/cm2, and greater rostral anterior cingulate and dorsomedial PFC activations in response to stimuli at 4kg/cm2 (Z>3.1, p
Misattribution, Collaborative Authorship, and Recovery: The Legacies of Sarah Rogers (Mohegan), Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, and Elias Boudinot (Cherokee)

This essay examines the authorship of a brief, two-part anonymous publication called “Religion Exemplified in the Life of Poor Sarah,” which was printed in January 1820 in the Religious Intelligenc...
A comparative analysis of deferoxamine treatment modalities for dermal radiation-induced fibrosis.

The iron chelator, deferoxamine (DFO), has been shown to potentially improve dermal radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) in mice through increased angiogenesis and reduced oxidative damage. This preclinical study evaluated the efficacy of two DFO administration modalities, transdermal delivery and direct injection, as well as temporal treatment strategies in relation to radiation therapy to address collateral soft tissue fibrosis. The dorsum of CD-1 nude mice received 30 Gy radiation, and DFO (3 mg) was administered daily via patch or injection. Treatment regimens were prophylactic, during acute recovery, post-recovery, or continuously throughout the experiment (n = 5 per condition). Measures included ROS-detection, histology, biomechanics and vascularity changes. Compared with irradiated control skin, DFO treatment decreased oxidative damage, dermal thickness and collagen content, and increased skin elasticity and vascularity. Metrics of improvement in irradiated skin were most pronounced with continuous transdermal delivery of DFO. In summary, DFO administration reduces dermal fibrosis induced by radiation. Although both treatment modalities were efficacious, the transdermal delivery showed greater effect than injection for each temporal treatment strategy. Interestingly, the continuous patch group was more similar to normal skin than to irradiated control skin by most measures, highlighting a promising approach to address detrimental collateral soft tissue injury following radiation therapy.
Chapter 13 – On the Psychometrics of Assessing Science Understanding

Publisher Summary This chapter presents methods for examining the reliability and validity of test scores. A performance assessment is a set of aim-oriented science tasks with an associated format for responses and scoring system. The task is performed by a student on a particular occasion and is scored by an expert judge. The tasks in an assessment are assumed to be a representative sample of the universe of possible tasks defined by the substantive and methodological content in a subject domain. A science performance assessment is a set of standardized, hands-on investigations with equipment that reacts to the actions taken by the student in testing a hypothesis or solving a problem. When a decision maker wants to know the level of a student's performance, regardless of the performance of the student's peers, this type of decision is called an absolute decision. Most interpretations of test scores on alternative assessments include claims about the cognitive processes and declarative and/or procedural knowledge involved in performing a task.
Degradation and induction specificity in actinomycetes that degrade p-nitrophenol

We have isolated two soil bacteria (identified as Arthrobacter aurescens TW17 and Nocardia sp. strain TW2) capable of degrading p-nitrophenol (PNP) and numerous other phenolic compounds. A. aurescens TW17 contains a large plasmid which correlated with the PNP degradation phenotype. Degradation of PNP by A. aurescens TW17 was induced by preexposure to PNP, 4-nitrocatechol, 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol, or m-nitrophenol, whereas PNP degradation by Nocardia sp. strain TW2 was induced by PNP, 4-nitrocatechol, phenol, p-cresol, or m-nitrophenol. A. aurescens TW17 initially degraded PNP to hydroquinone and nitrite. Nocardia sp. strain TW2 initially converted PNP to hydroquinone or 4-nitrocatechol, depending upon the inducing compound.
Narrative and Psychotherapy—The Phenomenology of Healing

In recent years, there has been mounting pressure for the various schools and techniques of psychotherapy to demonstrate their effectiveness empirically. Numerous empirical studies, often ingenious...
Blinded by (a Lack of) Science: Limitations in Determining Therapeutic Equivalence of Follow-On Biologics and Barriers to Their Approval and Commercialization

Over the past twenty years, an increasing number of disease therapies based on recombinant DNA technology have been developed and commercialized. These treatments, commonly known as biologics, can be very effective. They can also be extraordinarily expensive. In an effort to ensure the availability and affordability of biologics, Congress enacted the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) in 2010. The BPCIA was designed to facilitate the approval of generic versions of biologics, striking a balance between facilitating the approval of generic biologics with a new regulatory pathway and protecting innovation of new biologics by offering a period of regulatory exclusivity much as the Hatch-Waxman Act (HWA) had done for small-molecule drugs.This Article takes the position that because of differences between the composition and features of small molecule drugs and biologics, as well as between the abbreviated-approval pathways instituted by the BPCIA and the HWA, pioneer and generic manufacturers seeking to market biologics will face distinct regulatory and patent litigation considerations compared with small-molecule drugs. First, it considers the important technical differences between small-molecule drugs and biologics and how these differences are likely to be reflected in different regulatory approaches under the HWA and BPCIA abbreviated-approval pathways. Second, the Article considers the particular role that production methods play in determining the characteristics of biologics. The complexity of these production methods can make it difficult to adjudge the presence of therapeutic equivalence between pioneer and generic biologics because it is difficult to ensure that production methods used by different manufacturers are identical. Method patents will also be litigated in distinct ways under the HWA and the BPCIA. Third, the Article argues that, as currently structured, the BPCIA is not likely to result in the dramatic reductions in healthcare costs that some of its proponents expect. This will be because of both difficulties in guaranteeing equivalence between pioneer and generic biologics and the strong protection offered to pioneer biologics manufacturers by process patents. The best way to ensure that the introduction of generic biologics can help meet the price reduction goals of the BPCIA is to work toward improvements in technical and regulatory procedures for determining equivalence between pioneer and generic biologics.
Electric Field Theory Motivated Graph Construction for Optimal Medical Image Segmentation

In this paper, we present a novel graph construction method and demonstrate its usage in a broad range of applications starting from a relatively simple single-surface segmentation and ranging to very complex multi-surface multi-object graph based image segmentation. Inspired by the properties of electric field direction lines, the proposed method for graph construction is inherently applicable to n-D problems. In general, the electric field direction lines are used for graph "column" construction. As such, our method is robust with respect to the initial surface shape and the graph structure is easy to compute. When applied to cross-surface mapping, our approach can generate one-to-one and every-to-every vertex correspondent pairs between the regions of mutual interaction, which is a substantially better solution compared with other surface mapping techniques currently used for multi-object graph-based image segmentation.
A short radiosynthesis of 6-[C3H3]-dorzolamide at very high specific activity and optical purity

6-[C 3 H 3 ]-Dorzolamide£# was prepared starting from N,N'-bis-Boc-6-desmethyldorzolamide. An efficient radiosynthesis was developed involving a regioselective and stereo-controlled 3 H-methylation of the α-sulfone carbanion in the presence of the monoprotected sulfonamide anion. The methylation led to a mixture (ca. 7 : 1 for 4S,6R : 4S,6S) of the diastereomeric, tritiated products. Removal of the Boc protecting groups followed by HPLC purification of the resulting diastereomers afforded 6-[C 3 H 3 ]-dorzolamide with > 99 % radiochemical purity, > 98.4 % enantiomeric excess, and a specific activity of > 74 Ci/mmol.
Fabrication of silicon nanowire network in aluminum thin films

The formation of isolated silicon nanowires and silicon nanowire networks using aluminum thin film is investigated. The formation mechanism of the network mainly depends on the diffusion of silicon in the aluminum thin film. The silicon stops at the film grain boundaries. The continuous accumulations of silicon at these boundaries give raise to a continuous network of silicon nanowires. Characterization of the nanowires has been done using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. These results are unique in the fact that the nanowires found are grown in a horizontal fashion instead of the more common vertical direction. Most of the nanowires have a diameter of about 60 nm and a length of over 10 μm.
Anchoring and Sequence Effects for the Category Scaling of Stuttering Severity

Equal-appearing interval scaling is frequently used to measure stuttering severity. The scale values generated by this procedure are known to be affected by a variety of extraneous conditions. In p...
Electron correlation, geometrical (magnetic) frustration, and heavy-fermion behavior in a two-dimensional Hubbard model

Abstract We examine the effects of electron correlation and geometrical (magnetic) frustration on the quasiparticle-mass renormalization in the Hubbard model on a two-dimensional periodic small cluster. The frustration is found to be a key factor in the enhancement of the low-energy many-body density of states, an indication of the potential formation of heavy-fermion (HF) states in strongly correlated Hubbard systems. The ground-state magnetization decreases as the system approaches the HF state. Implications of the calculated results are discussed.
General level of reinforcement

A concept of General Level of Reinforcement (GLR) is introduced. This concept is defined as the number, quality and duration of reinforcements per unit time. The assumptions of this theory are discussed. A crucial assumption is that the theory is related to psychological and physiological well-being. Ways to measure general level of reinforcement are described, and clinical implications presented. Methods to increase the level of reinforcement, such as covert reinforcement and the Self-Control Triad, are specified. Finally, suggestions for research are provided.
An Improved Moving Object Detection Algorithm Based on Colour Separation

An improved background subtraction algorithm based on color separation method is improved to solve the problem of high rate of missing detection of moving targets in video surveillance. First, the algorithm implements the background subtraction of the current frame and the background frame for pixel blocks in independent RGB channels. Then the three foreground targets after denoising extracted respectively from three channels are combined by or operation to get a complete moving target. And then this algorithm removes the shadow in color model. After that the background frame from each channel is updated individually by recursive algorithm. The algorithm adopts a nonlinear way to change the learning factor for background updating. The experiments show that this improved algorithm can extract effectively foreground targets which are similar to the background’s grey level, with better accuracy and robustness.
Anesthesiology: perioperative medicine or “when the anesthetic is a diuretic”

Two patients are reported, each with heart failure, who were treated with digoxin (case 1) and furosemide (case 2). Indications for medical treatment of patients with heart failure, the role of various drugs, and exercise therapy, are reviewed. At a time when the population of people over 65 years of age is increasing, it is important for physicians to recognize the symptoms of heart failure and to know the most up-to-date treatment for this disorder. These cases demonstrate the significance of the anesthesiologist as a perioperative physician.
In Vitro Sulfate Fixation by Granulation Tissue and Injured Muscle Tissue from Healing Wounds.

SummaryGranulation tissue and injured muscle tissue from healing wounds were maintained in vitro in a medium containing inorganic sulfate labeled with radioactive sulfur, S35 . It was found that these regenerating tissues absorbed inorganic sulfate and fixed it in the tissues in an insoluble form. Uninjured muscle tissue from the same animals showed no significant sulfate fixing capacity. It is suggested that sulfate is utilized in the synthesis of the intercellular connective tissue substance, and hence is necessary to wound healing.