cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Protein-Calorie Malnutrition on the Pattern of Pre-School Childhood Diseases Observations in Lagos, Nigeria

Lagos, the Capital Territory of Nigeria, has an estimated 300,000 children under 15 years of age. With a total of only 140 hos pital beds available in two Pediatric Centers, the in-patient turnover is tremendous, and the size of the out-patient load unbelievable.This account of pediatric observations in Nigeria, with its new and somewhat un orthodox conclusions, has great pertinence to Western Hemisphere problems of the re lationships between poverty and childhood diseases.
Impact and Implications of Word-Finding Difficulties in Adolescents on Listening Comprehension Assessment.

This investigation examined the listening comprehension (LC) performance of two groups of adolescent struggling readers, one group with word-finding difficulties (WFD) and one with no word-finding difficulties (NWFD). Of interest was whether the expressive language difficulties of the WFD group would interfere with their success on a LC assessment that requires oral responses to complete. Findings indicated that whereas the performance of the WFD group was comparable with the NWFD group when LC was measured using a multiple-choice response format, their performance was significantly poorer when LC was measured using an open-ended verbal response format, suggesting that learners’ WFD could interfere with their success on such assessments. Practical implications of these findings for the assessment of LC as part of adolescents’ reading evaluations are discussed.
Assessment and application of the revised speech dialect attitudinal scale

In a series of seven experiments, audience members employed the Speech Dialect Attitudinal Scale (SDAS) in its revised, 12‐item form to rate speakers presented via several media. Speakers were selected for their differences in dialectal variates. Evidence of construct validity was provided by factor analyses, yielding a remarkably consistent three‐factor solution: Socio‐Intellectual Status, Aesthetic Quality, and Dynamism. Concurrent validity was supported by results from analysis of variance and covariance on SDAS dimension scores, which in every experiment discriminated among speakers of differing dialectal characteristics.
State Income Tax Burdens on Low-Income Families in 2003

The authors look at the state income tax burden on low-income families and find that Indiana, Illinois, and Rhode Island improved their tax treatment of low-income families in 2003. However, families with incomes below the federal poverty line still have to pay income taxes in 18 states.
The Demons of Decision

For three centuries, philosophers have mounted defenses against the melan genie with an obsessive intensity comparable to the Reaganite deter mination to squander American wealth on defenses against a Communist threat. And for three centuries, skeptics have argued for the futility of the expenditure of conceptual effort with no more success than critics of the Pentagon have had in stemming the flow of funds to the military and its in dustrial minions. My own sympathies are with the skeptics. However, their own intense involvement with the obsessions of the epistemological fear mongers and their failure to address the analogue of the problem of conver sion from military to civilian industry in an acceptable manner often deprive the skeptical position of the subversive force it ought to have. Charles Peirce and John Dewey pointed us in a more promising direc tion. Like many other skeptics, they abandoned efforts to identify an in corrigible foundations for knowledge. Instead, however, of substituting an account of the causal origins of human knowledge as an alternative to foun dationalism, they focused on the investigation of the structure of inquiries aimed at revising and improving the knowledge we have and, in the case of Dewey, not only the knowledge but also our moral, political, economic, and aesthetic values. According to the Deweyite version of this approach, an in quiring agent takes for granted all sorts of background assumptions at a given time. While one may concede the logical possibility that these assump tions are false, from the agent's point of view there is no serious possibility that the settled assumptions are false in any sense which guides the agent's practical deliberations and scientific inquiries. Still error is logically possi ble. Worse yet, the sources and methods we rely on to obtain new informa tion are not foolproof and we know this to be so. The testimony of our senses and of other oracles is not perfectly reliable. And inferences beyond what is entailed by the available knowledge incur risk of error. Anyone who is anxious about malevolent demons will fixate on these points. Dewey, however, would have insisted that as long as we provide for the revisability of our knowledge in acceptable ways, we are not doomed to being lost in a deceit from which we can never escape. By way of contrast, those still seized with fear of the malevolent demon will restrict those assumptions which they count as certain?i.e., as part of their standard for serious possibility, corpus of knowledge or body of
Carbaryl Resistance in the Filbert Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Development of resistance to carbaryl in field populations of the filbert aphid, Myzocallis coryli (Goetze), is reported here for the first time. The log dosage mortality curves of three aphid populations with different carbaryl exposure history suggest that resistance was acquired in a relatively short time (4 to 5 years, perhaps sooner), but the degree of resistance increased as insecticide use was prolonged. Aphid populations exposed to carbaryl for 5 years (about nine sprays) required 17 to 22 times more chemicals to obtain mortality similar to that of the susceptible strain. The population exposed to carbaryl for 20 years (45 sprays) required about 78 to 145 times more chemical than did the susceptible strain. Resistant aphids attempted to avoid insecticide residues more vigorously than did the susceptible aphids, suggesting that insecticide avoidance behavior might be involved in this resistance mechanism.
Spray Droplet Impingement onto a Smooth Flat Surface

A series of experimental measurements are presented of the liquid film thickness for a dense water spray impacting onto an unheated, smooth, flat impact surface. These data have been acquired using a non-contacting confocal chromatic optical thickness probe originally developed to measure the central thicknesses of precision optics. The measured average liquid film thickness is approximately 160 μm. This local residual liquid layer thickness increases slightly versus radial location at each spray flow rate, and also decreases slightly as the spray flow rate is increased. Also, backlit high-speed video imaging through the glass impact plate from below is used to observe the time variation of the diameter of individual spray droplet impact cavities. The spray droplet impact cavity diameter results indicate a time variation that is proportional to (t) during the cavity growth phase, rather than the (t) behavior that is commonly observed for isolated single drop impacts into a static liquid film. Generally, the details of the cavity retraction phase could not be observed in the current experiments. Measured maximum cavity diameters ranged from around 0.4 mm to 1.6 mm. It is estimated that the corresponding impinging droplets had diameters of between 80 μm and 320 μm. This range of estimated droplet diameters is consistent with a series of Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer measurements that were made for the same spray nozzle and flow conditions. These results are found to be consistent with the predictions from simple time scale estimates of the cavity formation time and cavity lifetime. Based on these observations and the time scale analysis, it is reasoned that transient conduction to the subcavity liquid film beneath spray droplet impact cavities enhances the overall spray cooling heat transfer, but resulting dry out of these cavities could then contribute to onset of critical heat flux.
Veterinary Science: A Model Discipline for Enhancing Diversity in the Sciences

Following decades of being underrepresented in veterinary science and medicine, women now comprise over 70% of graduating veterinary students. Although the ethnic diversity of veterinary programs in the U.S. lags far behind that of the general population, it is well ahead of other science disciplines. More importantly, the American Veterinary Medical Association has identified ethnic diversity as an essential element of the health and sustainability of the veterinary profession. Following their initiative, almost every veterinary program in the country now boasts a robust diversity program to enhance the recruitment, retention, and career placement of ethnically diverse students. Given the failure of most science disciplines to make significant strides toward diversification; veterinary science stands out as a model discipline for enhancing diversity in the sciences. Open Access Editorial
TITANOTHERE ALLOMETRY, HETEROCHRONY, AND BIOMECHANICS: REVISING AN EVOLUTIONARY CLASSIC.

A reanalysis of Osborn's titanothere data indicates that extrapolative growth of a constant allometric relationship alone ("hypermorphosis") does not account for the trend toward body and horn size increase. Empirically, we also observe possible positive changes in the y-intercept ("predisplacement" or early onset of development), and possibly, changes in the slope ("acceleration/neoteny" or changes in growth rate) between the Oligocene and Eocene groups. Theoretically, these may be responses to more massive body shapes, perforce accompanying size increase, which increase the amount of force to which the horns were subjected.
Higher Dimensional VECM Models with Long-Run Money Demand Functions

In the previous chapter, we analyzed various specifications of vector error correction models that involve three variables: real money balances, real income, and the Treasury bill rate. It was determined that there is one cointegrating vector among these variables, so there are two permanent shocks and one transitory shock that affect these three variables. The size of the model makes it impossible to attribute any economic interpretation to the transitory shock. In this chapter, the dimension of the VECM is increased to four variables. Two different specifications of such models are examined. In one the inflation rate is added to the vector of variables considered in Chapter 6, and questions of stationarity or nonstationarity of the real interest rate and the presence of absence of a long-run Fisher effect in the U.S. data are investigated. In the second model a long-term rate of interest is added to the vector of variables previously examined, and questions of the role of the term structure in affecting the demand for real balances and the elasticities of the demand for real balances with respect to long and short-term rates of interest are investigated. In both cases there is evidence for a second cointegrating vector. Restrictions on the second vector to a real interest rate or an interest rate spread, respectively, are not rejected. The estimated interest semielasticity of the velocity cointegrating vector is robust to this expansion of the model.
Thrust Calculation for Low-Reynolds-Number Micronozzles

Micronozzles represent a unique flow regime defined by low Reynolds numbers (Re<1000) and supersonic Mach numbers. Currently, the classic method of calculating thrust is used by the micropropulsion...
Long-term sequelae following blunt thoracic trauma

People experiencing blunt thoracic trauma may sustain multiple rib fractures, flail chest, cardiac or pulmonary contusions, injury to the great vessels, sternal fractures, clavicular fractures, neck injuries, and lacerations of the liver and/or spleen. Long-term sequelae from blunt chest trauma include chest wall deformities, persistent dyspnea, and cardiac, neurologic, or esophageal complications. Chronic pain, depression, and loss of functional status are also frequent components of recovery from trauma.
‘The Cast of the Past’: Truth Commissions and the Making and Marginalization of Identity

AbstractWhile truth commissions have become the ‘go to’ response in the aftermath of violent conflict and human rights abuses, serious critical discussion on the extent to which commissions have tended to shape and reify the identities of victims and perpetrators and obscure the reality of structural culpability is only tentatively emerging in the field. Drawing on the literature from the field of transitional justice, this article critically interrogates the relationship between truth commissions and the three key constituencies of victims, perpetrators and structural actors. It suggests that binary oppositions between victims and perpetrators are frequently privileged, resulting in hierarchal conceptions of innocent victims and guilty perpetrators. These polarized categories fail to reflect the complexity of conflict and promote easy and uncritical allocations of blame and responsibility. It also argues that the capacity of truth commissions to engage with structural actors and the structural causes of ...
Dimensional Performance of As-Built Assemblies in Polyjet Additive Manufacturing Process

The additive manufacturing (AM) technology provides a unique opportunity to realize as-built assemblies, i.e., assemblies which can be fabricated as a whole in one build cycle. Some of the introduced challenges, however, are the design issues of these assembly structures and understanding the dimensional performance of the AM process to ensure proper mobility. While process improvement techniques have been proposed for dealing with individual additive components, it is also necessary to study the dimensional behavior of as-built assemblies compared to individual additive components. This paper studies and compares the dimensional performance of as-built assemblies with ordinary assemblies in which the components are fabricated individually and then assembled together. A design of experiment approach is applied to study the effect of assembly type and orientation on the final clearances. The results suggest that in addition to orientation factor, the type of assembly can also play an important role in the final clearance values. In addition, a different dimensional behavior exists in the as-built assembly structures compared to ordinary assemblies, i.e., clearances in as-built assembly tend to be smaller and also more uniform along the clearance profile.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
Chapter 29 - Sympathetic neuroimaging

Sympathetic neuroimaging provides an important supplement to physiological, neurochemical, and neuropharmacological approaches in the evaluation of patients with clinical autonomic disorders. Almost all sympathetic neuroimaging to date has involved visualization of noradrenergic innervation in the left ventricular myocardium. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning after injection of the sympathomimetic amine 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) constitutes by far the most commonly used means worldwide to assess cardiac sympathetic innervation. Based on heart:mediastinum ratios of 123I-MIBG-derived radioactivity, decreased uptake, increased washout, or both have been reported in many disorders and relate to diagnosis and prognosis. Cardiac sympathetic neuroimaging and postmortem neuropathological findings have linked α-synucleinopathy with noradrenergic denervation in Lewy body diseases. Especially because of the utility of cardiac sympathetic neuroimaging in distinguishing Parkinson disease from multiple system atrophy in patients with clinical evidence of central neurodegeneration and orthostatic hypotension, sympathetic neuroimaging seems a valuable addition to physiological, neuropharmacological, and neurochemical approaches in the diagnostic evaluation of selected patients with autonomic and neurodegenerative disorders.
Hospital Cost Savings and Physiologic Benefit of Developmentally Supportive Care for Very Low Birth Weight Newborns 222

While previous studies demonstrated that developmentally supportive, family centered care reduces hospital charges, this systematic replication demonstrated that such care reduces hospital costs.
Two-Dimensional Nanosheets from Redox-Active Superatoms

We describe a new approach to synthesize two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets from the bottom-up. We functionalize redox-active superatoms with groups that can direct their assembly into multidimensional solids. We synthesized Co6Se8[PEt2(4-C6H4COOH)]6 and found that it forms a crystalline assembly. The solid-state structure is a three-dimensional (3D) network in which the carboxylic acids form intercluster hydrogen bonds. We modify the self-assembly by replacing the reversible hydrogen bonds that hold the superatoms together with zinc carboxylate bonds via the solvothermal reaction of Co6Se8[PEt2(4-C6H4COOH)]6 with Zn(NO3)2. We obtain two types of crystalline materials using this approach: one is a 3D solid and the other consists of stacked layers of 2D sheets. The dimensionality is controlled by subtle changes in reaction conditions. These 2D sheets can be chemically exfoliated, and the exfoliated, ultrathin 2D layers are soluble. After they are deposited on a substrate, they can be imaged. We cast them onto...
Ego Depletion Reduces Attention Control: Evidence From Two High-Powered Preregistered Experiments:

Two preregistered experiments with more than 1,000 participants in total found evidence of an ego depletion effect on attention control. Participants who exercised self-control on a writing task went on to make more errors on Stroop tasks (Experiment 1) and the Attention Network Test (Experiment 2) compared with participants who did not exercise self-control on the initial writing task. The depletion effect on response times was nonsignificant. A mini meta-analysis of the two experiments found a small ( d = 0.20) but significant increase in error rates in the controlled writing condition, thereby providing evidence of poorer attention control under ego depletion. These results, which emerged from preregistered experiments in large samples of participants, represent some of the most rigorous evidence yet of the ego depletion effect.
Adolescents' Use of Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Device Types for Vaping.

Introduction Advanced vaping devices likely pose a greater risk to adolescent health than basic or intermediate devices because advanced devices deliver nicotine more effectively and heat e-liquid to higher temperatures, producing more harmful chemical emissions. However, little is known about adolescents' risk factors for using different device types. Methods We used social media to recruit an online sample of 1508 US adolescents aged 15-17 who reported past 30-day use of electronic vaping products (EVPs) in September 2016. We assessed tobacco use, beliefs, and knowledge about EVPs and EVP use behavior, including the device type participants use most frequently. We used multinomial logistic regression to examine differences between adolescents who usually use intermediate versus basic and advanced versus basic devices. Results Most respondents usually used modifiable advanced devices (56.8%) rather than basic "cigalike" (14.5%) or pen-style intermediate (28.7%) devices. Use of multiple device types was common, particularly among those who primarily used basic devices. Younger age and less frequent vaping were associated with mainly using basic devices. Adolescents who were older, male, personally bought their main device, and had ever mixed e-liquids were at elevated risk for usually using advanced devices. Conclusions Adolescents who primarily use basic devices may be newer users who are experimenting with multiple devices. Future research should examine which adolescents are most likely to transition to advanced devices in order to develop targeted interventions. Regulators should consider strategies to reduce access to all types of EVPs, such as better enforcement of the current ban on sales to minors. Implications This research addresses two gaps in research on adolescent electronic vaping product use: (1) characterizing use of advanced devices as distinct from intermediate devices rather than grouping them together and (2) examining factors associated with use of specific device types. This study suggests that there are distinct profiles of adolescents who use primarily basic, intermediate, or advanced devices. Adolescents who most often use basic devices may be new users experimenting with vaping, whereas adolescents who most often use advanced devices appear to be buying devices for themselves and engaging in risky behaviors such as mixing their own e-liquid.
Summer Rainstorms in an Alpine Environment and their Influence on Soil Erosion, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Above tree line in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the statistical properties of summer rainstorms are similar to those at lower elevations. They show markedly skewed distributions...
Onus to Protect Identity

Elected officials, state and federal, should update current identity theft laws to make handlers of private information more responsible and more liable. While the average bank robber steals $2,500 per heist, the average identity thief makes off with $20,000 to $30,000 per victim, and the problem is growing. Legislators have tried to solve the problem, but their efforts, focusing mostly on penalties for thieves, are consistently misplaced. Penalties are important but form only one part of a solution. To fully address the problem, elected officials must put responsibility and liability squarely in the hands of the guardians of private information.
Use of portable CT in the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Experiences in the admitting area, ICU, and operating room.

The concept of a portable CT scanner, such as the Tomoscan-M (Analogic Corp., Peabody, MA) that went to a patient's bed certainly seemed like something closer to the realm of science fiction than fact. The good image quality of the Tomoscan-M portable scanner, however, is fact. Philips Medical Systems wanted to learn how the Tomoscan-M could serve in the environment of a major trauma center. The Level I Maryland Shock Trauma Center (STC) (Baltimore, MD) is a seven-floor intensive care hospital with over 90 beds serving Maryland and the mid-Atlantic coastal region. The STC admits over 5700 acute trauma and critical care patients annually; and provides a trauma resuscitation area (TRU) with 10 beds, 5 operating rooms (ORs), an intensive care unit (ICU) with 72 beds, a postoperative recovery unit with 5 beds, and a state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber. Adjacent to the TRU is a fixed spiral CT scanner, angiography suite, conventional radiographic room, and imaging consultation suite.
Numerical Stability and Sparsity in Piecewise-Linear Algorithms

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how the techniques of numerical linear algebra that possess attractive stability properties and exploit sparsity can be applied to the linear systems that arise in algorithms that solve equations by constructing piecewise-linear homotopies. Such algorithms are usually called fixed-point or simplicial algorithms; however, they are most simply described as finding zeroes rather than fixed points, and can traverse pieces larger than simplices—hence, they are called piecewise-linear (PL) algorithms. Within each major iteration, the PL algorithm generates a sequence of pieces. In the simplicial form of the algorithm the linear algebra amounts to a linear programming pivot, but when the large pieces are fully exploited it becomes more complicated. The proof that the algorithm does not cycle relies heavily on the uniqueness of the linear programming pivots to maintain feasibility, and lexicographic rules are used to avoid problems of degeneracy. The chapter describes various factorizations and reviews how they can be obtained and updated.
Challenges of customizing electrocardiography alarms in intensive care units: A mixed methods study.

Abstract Background Customizing monitor alarm settings to individual patients can reduce alarm fatigue in intensive care units (ICUs), but has not been widely studied. Objectives To understand ICU nurses' approaches to customization of electrocardiographic (ECG) monitor alarms. Methods A convergent mixed methods study was conducted in 3 ICUs in 1 hospital. Data on the type and frequency of ECG alarm customization were collected from patient monitors (n=298). Nurses' customization clinical reasoning was explored through semi-structured interviews (n=27). Results Of the 298 patients, 58.7% had ≥1 alarm(s) customized. Heart rate limits, irregular heart rate, and atrial fibrillation were the most commonly customized alarms. Interviews revealed that customization practices varied widely and were influenced by factors including clinical expertise, lack of customization education, and negative experiences. Conclusion Alarm customization is nuanced and requires adequate support to develop safe and effective practices. The challenges identified can inform development of strategies to improve alarm customization.
Flooding tolerance of Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria rigida under controlled laboratory conditions.

Pool‐scale growing‐season water‐level reductions (drawdowns) have been implemented on the Upper Mississippi River in an effort to improve fish and wildlife habitat. Aquatic vegetation is a key habitat component, with perennial emergent species, such as Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria rigida, especially important. River managers have assumed the need for continuous drawdown during the growing season with limited reflooding and used this guidance in assessing the potential for an ecologically successful drawdown. However, information on the effects of growing‐season flooding episodes on survival and growth of Sagittaria is limited. To assess the flooding tolerance of S. latifolia and S. rigida, we evaluated multiple levels of timing, duration, and depth on survival and productivity of plants. Plants were produced from S. latifolia and S. rigida seeds and S. latifolia tubers; all were reared under moist‐soil or shallow‐flooded rearing conditions. Mortality of plants was low (2%) among plants from large tubers, low (7%) among seedlings (and largely associated with early flooding treatments), and modest (11%) among plants from small tubers (with no clear effects of inundation). Flooding treatments generally had a positive effect on biomass production from seedlings, particularly when treatments occurred early, were relatively shallow, and were short in duration. There were no clear effects of depth, duration, or timing components of flooding treatments on plant biomass arising from tubers. This experiment indicates that S. latifolia and S. rigida are relatively tolerant of flooding events during the growing season and may actually benefit from some level of inundation.
Confucius and Kierkegaard: A Compatibilist Account of Social Ontology, Acquired Selfhood, and the Sources of Normativity

Nearly all of the scant comparative work on Soren Kierkegaard and Confucius places the two starkly at odds with each other. Kierkegaard is pictured as the paradigmatic exemplar of the Western self: a discrete rights-bearing and volitional atom who is quite alone in the world, while Confucius, by contrast, is the paradigmatic exemplar of the Eastern self: a complex and irreducibly embedded communitarian bundle of relations and rich social roles. In this article, I challenge this oppositional approach, since it is both erroneous and obscures fruitful dialogue between the two on conceptually commensurate problems. I argue (1) that Kierkegaard offers a relational ontology of the self which moves in a Confucian direction, (2) that subjectivity and relational reciprocity are not fundamentally at odds in the two thinkers, (3) that both thinkers value a life of harmonious integration that entails right relation to others, and finally (4) that Confucius’ appeal to Heaven as a source of normativity allows for salutary social critique of prevailing ethical norms and practices, in a way that provides important comparative insights with Kierkegaardian theism.
“Do You Love Me, Master?”: The Erotic Politics of Servitude in The Tempest and Its Postcolonial Afterlife

Kumar upends the popular postcolonial interpretation of The Tempest with a queer-positive reading of Prospero’s more obedient slave Ariel. Delving into a fraught and ambivalent expression of love between master and slave, Kumar locates strategies for black resistance not in the earthy, masculine Caliban, as one would expect, but in the light, airy, and feminine figure of Ariel. This project promises to challenge the tenets of masculinist terms of revolutionary nationalism that have come down through postcolonial thinkers such as Fanon, Cesaire, and Retamar.
Probabilistic analysis of vertical concrete dry casks subjected to tip-over and aging effects

Abstract Vertical concrete dry casks, which provide an interim solution for the storage of spent nuclear fuel, are vulnerable to tip-over due to lateral loads. This paper explores the probabilistic structural response of a representative dry cask subjected to tip-over impact loads and aging effects. Considering concrete and soil material properties, thickness of the pad, angular velocity at the onset of tip-over, and age of the cask as variables, 200 configurations of the tip-over problem are generated by Latin Hypercube Sampling. To consider aging and the associated temporal variations, material properties of the steel parts vary in the generated configurations due to temperature variations. The generated tip-over scenarios are analyzed by numerical models developed and validated in a commercial finite element analysis program. Machine learning algorithms such as polynomial response surface models, multivariate adaptive regression splines, regression trees, support vector machines, Gaussian processes and neural networks are trained on datasets provided by the finite element analysis to develop metamodels for the maximum strain of the canister and maximum acceleration of the concrete overpack. These metamodels offer statistical approximating functions that enable efficient impact fragility analysis and evaluation of the sensitivity of the fragility to age, concrete material properties of the cask and pad, and pad thickness. The effect of aging due to alkali-silica reaction on the strain fragility is also studied, and recommendations regarding the design of vertical concrete dry casks are provided. Risk analysis is performed to estimate the dry storage cask’s risk of failure (i.e., probability of limit state exceedance) and to uncover the effect of age and design parameters on the probability of strain and acceleration exceeding predefined limits. The risk analysis shows that the probability of canister failure in the tip-over event is negligible. That is, despite expected cracks in the concrete overpack, the structural integrity of the dry cask system subjected to the tip-over impact loads is retained.
Long-Term Performance of Switch Blade Restraint for Safe Operation during Maintenance

A restraint device was developed to avoid accidental re-closure of vertical mount switch blades during maintenance operations. To verify safe implementation, long duration tests were performed to define the device’s resilience to the high voltage environment in which it to be used. The restraint was exposed to continuous corona discharge for 56 days under dry conditions. The tested sample withstood this form of stress well, with only minor changes to electrical characteristics. However, a change in the sample’s hydrophobicity was observed and consequently a second long duration evaluation was commenced which included period precipitation. Surface tracking and erosion under periodic precipitation conditions initiated and developed quickly. The primary function of the restraint device and corresponding acceptance criteria need to be considered when concluding the suitability of the device for its intended function. Dependent on operational strategies, several alternative approaches can be adopted.
Mechanistic Toxicology Biomarkers in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract In many cases, the anatomy and physiology of the animal models in which human biomarkers are studied are almost as complex as human anatomy and physiology. While such complexity may reduce the number of steps in the translational process, it often makes it difficult to use high-throughput screening techniques, determine regulatory pathways, or to rapidly generate data. Caenorhabditis elegans have become a popular model organism to examine the role and usefulness of biomarkers. In this chapter, two major mechanisms of toxicity, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, are discussed. Additional information regarding how to pair these endpoints to assess gene–environment interactions is included in the context of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Finally, considerations regarding data reproducibility and study design in C. elegans are included to guide new (and seasoned) investigators in thinking about biomarker research in these worms.
ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF FRACTURE TOUGHNESS DUE TO TRANSFORMATION INDUCED PLASTICITY

ABSTRACT An analysis on transformation toughening of magnesia partially stabilized zirconia (Mg-PSZ) is presented in this paper. Transformation toughening of Mg-PSZ is attributed to the stress induced phase transformation of tetragonal zirconia to monoclinic structure at the neighborhood of crack tip. A rate form constitutive model [13, 14], using a micromechanics approach, is employed. Stationary and stably propagating crack problems are analyzed, using finite element method. The results of finite element analysis are compared to those of experimental study of Perry et al. [12] (companion paper). In the comparison, it is found that displacement field and toughness enhancement during stable crack propagation predicted by the finite element analysis, are very analogous to those obtained in the experimental study.
Exploring the Electromagnetic SpectrumOpen image in new window

In this and the preceding chapters we have covered many topics which may have seemed unrelated. We started by looking at water waves.
International Normalized Ratio (INR) Is Comparable to MELD in Predicting Mortality after Cholecystectomy.

Guidelines suggest targeting a preoperative international normalized ratio (INR) 1 to ≤1.5, >1.5 to ≤2, and >2. Thirty day postoperative mortality was the primary outcome. Multivariable logistic regressions controlled for baseline differences. Of 58,177 cholecystectomy patients, 15.2 per cent had INR ≤ 1, 80.4 per cent had INR > 1 to ≤1.5, 3.7 per cent had INR > 1.5 to ≤2, and 0.7 per cent had INR > 2. Patients with INR > 2 were older and more likely to have diabetes and hypertension (P 1 to ≤1.5 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.50 [1.10-2.05]), INR > 1.5 to ≤2 (OR = 2.96 [1.97-4.45]), and INR > 2 (OR = 3.21 [1.64-6.31]) relative to INR ≤ 1. C-statistic for INR (0.910) and MELD (0.906) models indicated a similar value in predicting mortality. INR groups also faced an incremental, increased risk of bleeding. Although unable to track preoperative correction of INR, this analysis identifies that INR remains an excellent predictor of postoperative mortality and bleeding after both open and laparoscopic cholecystectomies and is comparable to MELD.
High gain, wide-angle QCTO-enabled modified Luneburg lens antenna with broadband anti-reflective layer.

The gradient-index (GRIN) Luneburg lens antenna offers significant benefits, e.g. high aperture efficiency, low-power, minimal cost, wide beam scanning angle and broad bandwidth, over phased array antennas and reflector antennas. However, the spherical shape of the Luneburg lens geometry complicates the integration of standard planar feed sources and poses significant implementation challenge. To eliminate the feed mismatch problem, the quasi-conformal transformation optics (QCTO) method can be adopted to modify the lens’ spherical feed surface into a planar one. However, Luneburg lenses designed with QCTO method are limited to poor performance due to the presence of the reflections and beam broadening arising from the quasi-conformal mapping. In this paper, we present a new method of implementing QCTO-enabled modified Luneburg lens antenna by designing a broadband anti-reflective layer along with the modified lens’s planar excitation surface. The proposed anti-reflector layer is inherently broadband in nature, has a continuously tapered inhomogeneous dielectric permittivity profile along its thickness, and ensures broadband impedance matching. To show the new QCTO modified Luneburg lens antenna, an example lens antenna was designed at Ka-band (26–40 GHz) and fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) based additive manufacturing technique. Electromagnetic performance of the lens antenna was experimentally demonstrated.
Effect of Trans-catheter closure of the Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants

Purpose: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common clinical condition in preterm infants with hemodynamic consequences of systemic hypo-perfusion and later pulmonary hypertension. Management of pulmonary hypertension in the presence of a large PDA with left to right shunting is challenging. We sought to assess the effect of the PDA and its trans-catheter device closure on the pulmonary vascular bed in preterm infants. Methods: A review of 100 consecutive children who underwent trans-catheter device closure of PDA was performed. Preterm infants who had a diagnostic right heart catheterization …
To Reveal or Not to Reveal a Secret: Navigating the Conflict between Honesty and Loyalty

Secrets create moral dilemmas. Individuals who know others’ secrets face a choice: to be honest (and reveal the secret) or to be loyal (and keep the secret). We introduce a triadic model of secret-keeping involving a focal actor who knows a partner’s secret, a partner who has a secret, and an audience likely interested in knowing the secret information; the actor faces conflicting obligations: to be honest with the audience or to be loyal to the partner. Across four pre-registered experiments (N=1,514), we show that observers judge actors who privilege honesty (and reveal the secret) to be more moral but less likable than actors who privilege loyalty (and keep the secret). The nature of the secret information moderates these interpersonal judgments. When the secret information involves unethical behavior, observers judge actors who disclose secrets to be more moral (and less likable) than they judge actors who keep secrets, but when the secret information does not involve unethical behavior, observers judge actors who disclose secrets to be less moral (and much less likable) than actors who keep secrets.
Rate-enhancement effect of CO in magnetite concentrate particle reduction by H2+CO mixtures

The kinetics of the reduction of magnetite concentrate particles by H2+CO mixtures have been investigated in drop-tube reactors (DTRs) to obtain rate expressions for the design of novel flash ironm...
Mobility Tool Use Relates to Disability Affirmation among Adults with Visual Impairments

Introduction: Research is beginning to support the association between positive disability identity and well-being among individuals with disabilities, including those with visual impairments (i.e....
Evaluation of Biodegradability of Starch-Based Plastics

Four commercially produced starch based plastics manufactured by the addition of starch to polyethylene matrix were tested in the laboratory to measure their biodegradability under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Pure starch was also tested under identical conditions to compare rates and extent of degradation of starch in the plastics to that of pure starch. Plastics surface properties and weight average molecular weights were observed before and after biological tests using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and High-Temperature Gel-Permeation-liquid Chromatography (HT-GPC) (Lee et al., 1991) respectively. Degradation rates and total percentage of carbon conversion were higher under aerobic tests as compared to tests under anaerobic conditions. Overall carbon conversion in starch based plastics was less than that of pure starch. Surface analysis of the plastics indicated removal of some starch granules from the polyethylene matrix. Significant changes did not occur in the average molecular weights of the plastics from HT-GPC tests which indicated no degradation of the polyethylene matrix.
L-DEX RATIO IN DETECTING BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHEDEMA: RELIABILITY, SENSITIVITY, AND SPECIFICITY

Advances in bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) permit the assessment of lymphedema by directly measuring lymph fluid changes. The objective of the study was to examine the reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of cross-sectional assessment of BIA in detecting lymphedema in a large metropolitan clinical setting. BIA was used to measure lymph fluid changes. Limb volume by sequential circumferential tape measurement was used to validate the presence of lymphedema. Data were collected from 250 women, including healthy female adults, breast cancer survivors with lymphedema, and those at risk for lymphedema. Reliability, sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve were estimated. BIA ratio, as indicated by L-Dex ratio, was highly reliable among healthy women (ICC=0.99; 95% CI = 0.99 - 0.99), survivors at-risk for lymphedema (ICC=0.99; 95% CI = 0.99 - 0.99), and all women (ICC=0.85; 95% CI = 0.81 - 0.87); reliability was acceptable for survivors with lymphedema (ICC=0.69; 95% CI = 0.54 to 0.80). The L-Dex ratio with a diagnostic cutoff of >+7.1 discriminated between at-risk breast cancer survivors and those with lymphedema with 80% sensitivity and 90% specificity (AUC=0.86). BIA ratio was significantly correlated with limb volume by sequential circumferential tape measurement. Cross-sectional assessment of BIA may have a role in clinical practice by adding confidence in detecting lymphedema. It is important to note that using a cutoff of L-Dex ratio >+7.1 still misses 20% of true lymphedema cases, it is important for clinicians to integrate other assessment methods (such as self-report, clinical observation, or perometry) to ensure the accurate detection of lymphedema.
Prefrontal Cortex Development and Development of Cognitive Function

As early as the first year of life, developmental changes are found in prefrontal cortex and in the cognitive abilities dependent on prefrontal cortex. However, prefrontal cortex, and the cognitive abilities that depend on it, continue to develop until early adulthood. The ages of roughly 12 months, 6 to 7 years, and 10 to 11 years appear to be watersheds in the development of prefrontal cognitive abilities. Prefrontal cortex is required when concerted concentration is needed—exactly those times when going on ‘automatic pilot’ is not possible or would lead to error. This article focuses on two of the abilities dependent on prefrontal cortex: working memory and inhibitory control, the abilities needed to hold in mind what you should do and to resist doing what you should not. For each age period (0–1, 1–3, 3–7, and 7–22), advances in these abilities are discussed and then changes in prefrontal anatomy and biochemistry during that age period are discussed.
Two-dimensional ultrasound imaging of the diaphragm: quantitative values in normal subjects.

Introduction: Real time ultrasound imaging of the diaphragm is an under-used tool in the evaluation of patients with unexplained dyspnea or respiratory failure. Methods: We measured diaphragm thickness and the change in thickness that occurs with maximal inspiration in 150 normal subjects, with results stratified for age, gender, body mass index, and smoking history. Results: The lower limit of normal diaphragm thickness at end expiration or functional residual capacity is 0.15 cm, and an increase of at least 20% in diaphragm thickness from functional residual capacity to total lung capacity is normal. A side to side difference in thickness at end expiration of > 0.33 cm is abnormal. Diaphragm thickness and contractility are minimally affected by age, gender, body habitus, or smoking history. Conclusions: This study confirms previous findings in much smaller groups of normal controls for quantitative ultrasound of the diaphragm and provides data that can be applied widely to the general population. Muscle Nerve 47: 884–889, 2013
RDS gene mutations causing retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration lead to the same abnormality in photoreceptor function.

PURPOSE: To investigate functional abnormalities in mutations in the peripherin (RDS) gene leading to different clinical types of autosomal dominant retinal disease--macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. METHODS: Patients from two families, one with a mutation in codon 167 (Gly167Asp) leading to macular degeneration and another with a mutation in codon 210 (Pro210Ser) leading to retinitis pigmentosa, were studied with clinical examinations and measurements of rod and cone sensitivities and dark adaptation, electroretinography, and rhodopsin levels. RESULTS: Mildly affected patients had sizable rod and cone electroretinograms, reduced levels of rhodopsin, and minor losses of sensitivity. In both mutations, there were delays of rod and cone dark adaptation after bleaching, and the adaptational abnormalities were observed in peripheral and central retinal locations. Analysis of the kinetics of rod adaptation indicates that the underlying abnormalities are similar in both mutations and that the effects of the mutations are similar to those caused by mild systemic vitamin A deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the Gly167Asp and Pro210Ser mutations in the peripherin/RDS gene have widely different clinical phenotypes but show the same abnormality, slowed dark adaptation, of rod and cone photoreceptor function. The similarities of the characteristics of the adaptational abnormalities in the two genotypes suggest that, in addition to the structural roles normally assumed for it, peripherin influences or participates in the function of the visual cycle.
Linear-time algorithms for geometric graphs with sublinearly many crossings

We provide linear-time algorithms for geometric graphs with sublinearly many crossings. That is, we provide algorithms running in O(n) time on connected geometric graphs having n vertices and k crossings, where k is smaller than n by an iterated logarithmic factor. Specific problems we study include Voronoi diagrams and single-source shortest paths. Our algorithms all run in linear time in the standard comparison-based computational model; hence, we make no assumptions about the distribution or bit complexities of edge weights, nor do we utilize unusual bit-level operations on memory words. Instead, our algorithms are based on a planarization method that "zeroes in" on edge crossings, together with methods for extending planar separator decompositions to geometric graphs with sublinearly many crossings. Incidentally, our planarization algorithm also solves an open computational geometry problem of Chazelle for triangulating a self-intersecting polygonal chain having n segments and k crossings in linear time, for the case when k is sublinear in n by an iterated logarithmic factor.
Adaptive touch sampling for energy-efficient mobile platforms

In today's mobile computing environments, touch display and interface is becoming a primary means to enable interactive and perceptual applications, e.g., 3D mobile gaming. To realize highly interactive and responsive applications, touch display constantly scans touch input signals at high frequency, thus wasting energy. However, it is challenging to optimize the touch scan frequency due the highly unpredictable nature of human-touch interactions. In this work, we propose an adaptive touch sampling frequency scaling algorithm based on users' touch behavior, to improve touch devices' energy efficiency while improving user experience. We implemented the proposed algorithm to demonstrate its efficacy for mobile tablet platforms, and our evaluation results show that our proposed adaptive touch scan algorithm reduces touch power consumption by up to 44% compared to the conventional fixed scan rate algorithm, while enhancing user experience when needed.