cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fibrinogen Release and Deposition on Urinary Catheters Placed during Urological Procedures

Purpose: Catheter associated urinary tract infections account for approximately 40% of all hospital acquired infections worldwide with more than 1 million cases diagnosed annually. Recent data from a catheter associated urinary tract infection animal model has shown that inflammation induced by catheterization releases host fibrinogen, which accumulates on the catheter. Further, Enterococcus faecalis catheter colonization was found to depend on EbpA (endocarditis and biofilm-associated pilus), a fibrinogen binding adhesin. We evaluated this mechanism in a human model.Materials and Methods: Urinary catheters were collected from patients hospitalized for surgical or nonsurgical urological procedures. Catheters were subjected to immunofluorescence analyses by incubation with antifibrinogen antibody and then staining for fluorescence. Fluorescence intensity was compared to that of standard catheters. Catheters were incubated with strains of Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus or Candida to assess bin...
THE POLITICAL, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL VIEWS OF YUGOSLAV YOUTH

This paper is based on twenty or more youth surveys conducted in Yugoslavia from 1956 to 1963. It shows the relative influence of numerous opinion determinants on the political views of the students, their social values and life aspirations, and their social and cultural interests. In many respects the Communist youth policy in Yugoslavia seems to have been successful in producing acceptance of the regime and a mood of political and social acquiescence. However, the absence of political fervor and participation, coupled with indifference to "higher" social and political goals, are disturbing tendencies from the point of view of the Communist authorities. Stanislaw Skrzypek is a student of East European affairs with Ph.D. degrees from Lvov University in Poland and Fordham University in New York.
Fourier analysis of continuous data using DFTs

Traditionally the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) has been viewed as a mathematical transform. L.R. Rabiner and B. Gold (1975) have pointed out that, for continuous data, the DFT can be viewed as a bank of digital filters. The author looks at the issues related to this view of the DFT. Specifically, he reviews the resampling process associated with performing the DFT on an infinitely long stream of data and points out that the key issue is aliasing. He also reviews an efficient means for achieving locally very high resolution spectrum analysis while the complete spectrum is monitored. This is the concept of post-DFT zoom. >
Hysteresis Offset and Dielectric Response of Compositionally Graded Ferroelectric Materials

Ferroelectrics with a spatial variation in the polarization exhibit behavior and properties that are not routinely observed from homogenous bulk or thin film ferroelectrics. A systematic spatial variation in the polarization in a ferroelectric material can be achieved by variations in the composition of the material, impressing temperature gradients across the structure, or by imposing non-uniform external stress fields. In this article, a Landau-Ginzburg thermodynamic model is used to develop a methodology for analyzing compositionally graded ferroelectric materials. The composition gradient is shown to give rise to a corresponding polarization gradient. The misfit due to variations in the self-strain tends to flatten the polarization gradient and leads to the bending of the ferroelectric. The polarization gradients result in asymmetric hysteresis responses with “up” or “down” charge offsets which are strong functions of composition. Analysis shows that the compositional grading results in a broadening i...
Immunological features of Pneumocystis carinii infection in humans.

Pneumocystis carinii is an important opportunistic pulmonary pathogen in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients and other immunocompromised hosts. Basic research on P. carinii has been hampered by the lack of a reliable in vitro culture system; nevertheless, through the use of molecular
Chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker therapy combined with diuretic therapy is associated with increased episodes of hypotension in noncardiac surgery.

Objective: Chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) therapy has been reported to result in intraoperative hypotension in patients undergoing general anesthesia. This study evaluated the association between ACE-I/ARB therapy and the hemodynamics of patients undergoing noncardiac surgery using a large patient dataset. Design and Setting: A prospective, observational study performed at a single tertiary care hospital. Participants: All adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Propensity score matching for the likelihood of chronic ACE-I/ARB therapy was used to create 2 patient cohorts with similar cardiovascular and pulmonary comorbidities. The number of periods of absolute and relative hypotension, vasopressor requirements, and postoperative myocardial infarction and renal failure rates were compared among patients with and without ACE-I/ARB therapy. A total of 65,043 noncardiac cases between 2003 and 2006 were included. Two-digit propensity score matching resulted in a study population of 12,381 operative cases with very similar cardiovascular comorbidities between the ACE-I/ARB and control cohort. Patients with chronic ACE-I/ARB and diuretic therapy showed more periods with a mean arterial pressure Conclusions: Chronic diuretic therapy is associated with more frequent hypotension in ACE-I/ARB–treated patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.
A mutant of Prevotella ruminicola B14 deficient in β-1,4-endoglucanase and mannanase activities

A mutant of Prevotella ruminicola B14 was isolated after chemical mutagenesis with ethylmethanesulfonate. The mutant, MW1, did not produce polypeptides that cross-reacted with antibody to wild-type β-1,4-endoglucanase and virtually no β-1,4-endoglucanase or mannanase activity was detected. MW1 grew more slowly on cellodextrins and no growth was observed with guar gum (mannan) as an energy source. MW1 cultures that were repeatedly transferred with cellobiose and mannan eventually regained the ability to utilize mannan as an energy source. The revertant (MW1R) had 40 and 25% of β-1,4-endoglucanase and mannanase activities compared to wild-type B14, respectively. Western immunoblots indicated that MW1R produced a β-1,4-endoglucanase that could crossreact with wild-type B14 enzyme. Wild-type B14 had β-1,4-endoglucanase and mannanase activities when either cellobiose or mannan was the energy source, but MW1R had these activities only when mannan was provided.
Assessing Children's Conceptions of AIDS

Assessed intuitive theories of AIDS transmission through clinical method interviews in a cross-sectional design for a sample of 205 1st; 195 3rd; and 208 5th-grade students, balanced by sex and race (black/white). Analyses of relationships between the types of theories children held and their responses to closed-end questions about transmission and willingness to interact with a person with AIDS supported the validity of the interview method. Grade differences were noted for knowledge of high-risk routes, rejection of misconceptions, and cohesiveness and complexity of children's theories. Theories also differed by race and verbal abilities. Implications for most appropriate ways to assess children's understanding of illnesses and directions for future research are discussed.
A high-content, high-throughput siRNA screen identifies cyclin D2 as a potent regulator of muscle progenitor cell fusion and a target to enhance muscle regeneration

Cell-mediated regenerative approaches using muscle progenitor cells hold promises for the treatment of many forms of muscle disorders. Their applicability in the clinic, however, is hindered by the low levels of regeneration obtained after transplantation and the large number of cells required to achieve an effect. To better understand the mechanisms that regulate the temporal switch of replicating muscle progenitor cells into terminally differentiated cells and to develop new strategies that could enhance muscle regeneration, we have developed and performed a high-throughput screening (HTS) capable of identifying genes that play active roles during myogenesis. Secondary and tertiary screens were used to confirm the effects of RNAi in vitro and in vivo and to select for candidate hits that significantly increase regeneration into skeletal muscles. Downregulation of cyclin D2 (CCND2) was shown to dramatically enhance myogenic differentiation of muscle progenitor cells and to induce a robust regeneration after cell transplantation into skeletal muscles of dystrophin-deficient mice. Protein interaction network and pathway analysis revealed that CCND2 directly interacts with the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk4 to inhibit phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb), thus blocking the activation of the myogenic switch during fusion. These studies identify CCND2 as a new key regulator of terminal differentiation in muscle progenitor cells and open new possibilities for the treatment of many forms of muscle disorders characterized by impaired regeneration and loss of muscle mass.
Limitations of the Hodgkin-Huxley formalism: effects of single channel kinetics on transmembrane voltage dynamics

A standard membrane model, based on the continuous deterministic Hodgkin-Huxley equations, is compared to an alternative membrane model, based on discrete stochastic ion channel populations represented through Markov processes. Simulations explore the relationship between these two levels of description: the behavior predicted by the macroscopic membrane currents versus the behavior predicted by their microscopic ion channels. Discussion considers the extent to which these random events underlying neural signals mediate random events in neural computation.
Will the Boomers Volunteer During Retirement? Comparing the Baby Boom, Silent, and Long Civic Cohorts

Data from the 1995 and 2005 waves of the Midlife in the United States panel study were used to compare rates of volunteering among the baby boomers with earlier cohorts and to predict boomers' future volunteering. When age was kept constant through the use of panel data, the first baby boom cohort (born 1946 to 1955) did more volunteering than did the “silent” cohort (born 1936 to 1945), and the silents volunteered more than did the “long civic” cohort (born 1926 to 1935). The author generated regression equations that used nine 1995 variables to predict 2005 volunteering and used the boomers' 2005 values on these variables to predict their 2015 volunteering. These equations slightly predict higher volunteering among the boomers in 2015 than the silents did in 2005. This result, combined with the large size of the boomer cohort, indicates that the total number of elderly volunteers will probably increase in the next decade.
Ab initio anharmonic vibrational frequency predictions for linear proton-bound complexes OC–H+–CO and N2–H+–N2

Ab initio anharmonic transition frequencies are calculated for strongly coupled (i) asymmetric and (ii) symmetric proton stretching modes in the X–H+–X linear ionic hydrogen bonded complexes for OCHCO+ and N2HN2+. The optimized potential surface is calculated in these two coordinates for each molecular ion at CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVnZ (n = 2–4) levels and extrapolated to the complete-basis-set limit (CBS). Slices through both 2D surfaces reveal a relatively soft potential in the asymmetric proton stretching coordinate at near equilibrium geometries, which rapidly becomes a double minimum potential with increasing symmetric proton acceptor center of mass separation. Eigenvalues are obtained by solution of the 2D Schrodinger equation with potential/kinetic energy coupling explicity taken into account, converged in a distributed Gaussian basis set as a function of grid density. The asymmetric proton stretch fundamental frequency for N2HN2+ is predicted at 848 cm−1, with strong negative anharmonicity in the progression characteristic of a shallow “particle in a box” potential. The corresponding proton stretch fundamental for OCHCO+ is anomalously low at 386 cm−1, but with a strong alternation in the vibrational spacing due to the presence of a shallow D∞h transition state barrier (Δ = 398 cm−1) between the two equivalent minimum geometries. Calculation of a 2D dipole moment surface and transition matrix elements reveals surprisingly strong combination and difference bands with appreciable intensity throughout the 300–1500 cm−1 region. Corrected for zero point (ΔZPE) and thermal vibrational excitation (ΔEvib) at 300 K, the single and double dissociation energies in these complexes are in excellent agreement with thermochemical gas phase ion data.
The effect of layout on the comprehension of UML class diagrams: A controlled experiment

The results of a controlled experiment assessing the effects of different layout strategies on the comprehension of UML class diagrams of two software systems is presented. Six different categories of software comprehension tasks, with varying degrees of difficulty, are used to assess the layouts. Each task consists of several questions aimed at measuring the comprehensibility of a layout. The study involved 45 participants of varied experience in software design and programming ability. A report on the quantitative analysis of accuracy, speed, confidence level and preference of solving the tasks is given. Results indicate that clustered layouts demonstrate significant improvement in subject accuracy and speed in solving the problems in a majority of tasks.
Experimental investigation of the effect of semiconducting cable jackets on adjacent steel structures

Currently, RUS, the federal agency that regulates electric cooperative utilities, requires insulating jackets on medium voltage underground power cables. This requirement is primarily based on a series of papers written in the 1970s, which hypothesized that cables with semiconducting jackets accelerate the corrosion of adjacent steel structures. To evaluate this hypothesis, a test program was designed to simulate field conditions as closely as possible. The program contained medium voltage cables with semiconducting jackets, cables with insulating jackets and cables with no jackets buried adjacent to galvanized ground rods. Galvanic currents and voltages were measured over a period of a year. The cables and ground rods were then removed from the ground and examined. The results demonstrate that cables with semiconducting jackets do not enhance the corrosion of adjacent steel structures. In fact, semiconducting jackets significantly reduced the corrosion of adjacent steel ground rods when compared to cables with bare neutrals. While the least amount of corrosion occurred on steel ground rods adjacent to cables with insulating jackets, ground rods adjacent to cables with a semiconducting jacket had corrosion characteristics that were very similar to rods adjacent to cables with an insulating jacket.
Improving Services for Problem Learners: Rethinking and Restructuring

The proposed merger of special and regular education is analyzed relative to two issues: the reality of conditions of mild handicap, and the capability of the regular education system to serve all pupils effectively. It is argued that study of individual differences, one major component of a needed research agenda, must be directed at determining the nature and expression of instructionally relevant individual differences within and across conditions of problem and nonproblem learning. Similarly, study of program models must address efficacy across conditions and sites. It is concluded that conditions necessary for restructuring include a stable and coherent policy of support for research and evaluation, the study of programs as well as of individuals, and recognition of the need for multiple and competing program models.
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass): Rapid growth and growth pattern in conditions approximating newly restored wetlands

ABSTRACT Species invasions have several stages: 1) immigration of propagules, 2) establishment, and 3) spread and replacement of native species. The unconstrained growth of a species contributes to competitive ability during establishment and spread in bare soil conditions such as exist in newly restored wetlands. Phalaris arundinacea, an invasive perennial grass, is problematic in wetlands across temperate North America. Studies have shown that other wetland species have slower growth than P. arundinacea during the first 2 y following germination, implying that P. arundinacea invasiveness may be related to high rates of biomass production during establishment. We conducted a uniform planting study to observe P. arundinacea growth over two growing seasons. Phalaris arundinacea grew rapidly during establishment, producing a total biomass of 124 g·plant−1 in four months and 525 g·plant−1 at the end of two growing seasons. Root:shoot ratios were 2...
Environmental factors regulating the recruitment of walleye Sander vitreus and white bass Morone chrysops in irrigation reservoirs

Understanding the environmental factors that regulate fish recruitment is essential for effective management of fisheries. Generally, first-year survival, and therefore recruitment, is inherently less consistent in systems with high intra- and interannual variability. Irrigation reservoirs display sporadic patterns of annual drawdown, which can pose a substantial challenge to recruitment of fishes. We developed species-specific models using an 18-year data set compiled from state and federal agencies to investigate variables that regulate the recruitment of walleye Sander vitreus and white bass Morone chrysops in irrigation reservoirs in south-west Nebraska, USA. The candidate model set for walleye included only abiotic variables (water-level elevation, minimum daily air temperature during winter prior to hatching, annual precipitation, spring warming rate and May reservoir discharge), and the candidate model set for white bass included primarily biotic variables (catch per unit effort (CPUE) of black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, CPUE of age-0 walleye, CPUE of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and CPUE of age-3 and older white bass), each of which had a greater relative importance than the single abiotic variable (minimum daily air temperature during winter after hatching). Our findings improve the understanding of the recruitment of fishes in irrigation reservoirs and the relative roles of abiotic and biotic factors.
Exemplar-Based Face Parsing

In this work, we propose an exemplar-based face image segmentation algorithm. We take inspiration from previous works on image parsing for general scenes. Our approach assumes a database of exemplar face images, each of which is associated with a hand-labeled segmentation map. Given a test image, our algorithm first selects a subset of exemplar images from the database, Our algorithm then computes a nonrigid warp for each exemplar image to align it with the test image. Finally, we propagate labels from the exemplar images to the test image in a pixel-wise manner, using trained weights to modulate and combine label maps from different exemplars. We evaluate our method on two challenging datasets and compare with two face parsing algorithms and a general scene parsing algorithm. We also compare our segmentation results with contour-based face alignment results, that is, we first run the alignment algorithms to extract contour points and then derive segments from the contours. Our algorithm compares favorably with all previous works on all datasets evaluated.
THE PREPARATION, PURIFICATION, AND AMINO ACID SEQUENCE OF A POLYPEPTIDE RENIN SUBSTRATE

A purified preparation of a polypeptide renin substrate prepared by tryptic degradation of the protein renin substrate has been analyzed by the fluorodinitrobenzene method and after degradation with renin, carboxypeptidase, and phenylisothiocyanate, has been found to possess the amino acid sequence; asp-arg-val-tyr-ileu-his-pro-phe-his-leu-leu-val-tyr-ser. The first 10 of these amino acids constitutes hypertensin I which is released by cleavage of the leucyl-leucine bond by renin. The remaining 4 amino acids, leu, val, tyr, ser, apparently link hypertensin I to the protein renin substrate.
From ranger talks to radio stations: the role of communication in sense of place.

Considerable scholarship has demonstrated that the tenure and quality of our experiences and the physical characteristics of the setting help to predict sense of place (SOP). Less research has exam...
Georeferencing School-Age Population Projections: Methodology for a Rapidly Growing District

Schools and other public service providers often require detailed information about local populations to accommodate geographically specific population growth and decline with necessary resources. Faced with relentless middle-class population growth, the Ascension Parish School District requires fine-grained population projections of its school enrollment to ensure sufficient facilities and balanced attendance zones in coming years. In this paper we outline the method we created to integrate standard projected population values with GIS to forecast any number of sub-parish population settlement geographies. With this approach, Ascension Parish School District is able to locate future school facilities and easily negotiate multiple possible attendance zone boundaries by systematically disaggregating and recombining standard population projections through GIS.
Impact of speed limit: I. Chest injuries, review of 966 cases

Traffic fatalities have decreased since the reduction in the speed limit to 55 miles per hour. However, there has been no report documenting a decrease in the severity of chest injury from automobile accidents. From January, 1968, to January, 1980, 966 patients with chest injury from automobile accidents were admitted: 463 during the period January, 1968, to December, 1973 (before speed limit change, first period), and 503 during the period January, 1974 to January, 1980 (after reduction of speed limit, second period). The mortality during the first period was 17.3% (80/463), which was 16.1% higher than second period, 14.9% (75/503), p > 0.05. There were no significant differences in number of the following chest injuries: multiple rib fractures, 77.8% (360/463) versus 73.0% (367/503); pneumothorax, 41.7% (193/463) versus 39.4% (198/503); lung contusion, 25.9% (120/463) versus 24.9% (125/503); diaphragm rupture, 3.9% (18/463) versus 4.2% (21/503); tracheoesophageal fistula, 0.4% (2/463) versus 0% (0/503); cardiac injury, 3.5% (16/463) versus 5.6% (28/503), or aortic injury, 3.2% (15/463) versus 4.0% (20/503). There were statistically significant differences in the following injuries: hemothorax, 42.1% (195/463) versus 29.2% (147/503), p
Bound states of the Hulthén and Yukawa potentials.

The generalized variational method is used to compute energies for the Yukawa and Hulth\'en potentials for states with n\ensuremath{\le}6. This straightforward approach is based on forming trial wave functions from a linear combination of independent functions. The estimates for the energies produced by this method are considerably more accurate than previous results for a wide range of values for the screening parameter.
Isothermal Martensitic Transformation Kinetics in Ni-Mn-Sn Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys

This study examines the kinetics of the martensitic phase transformation in a representative Ni-Mn-Sn Heusler alloy. Here, we present data on isothermal and continuous cooling/warming transformations in both bulk polycrystalline and individual small particle samples. We demonstrate that while the martensite to austenite transformation proceeds very rapidly (faster than the time-scale of our observations), the austenite to martensite transformation has a significant isothermal component. A similar asymmetry is also noted in transformation behavior of individual martensite plates. We conclude that the observed time dependence is due primarily to nucleation-limited kinetics.
PERFORMANCE OF LARGE METAL AND CERAMIC HEADS ON HIGHLY CROSS-LINKED POLYETHYLENE IS SIMILAR AT FIVE-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Introduction Wear and osteolysis are major contributors which limit the durability of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and ultimately cause it to fail. Efforts were made to decrease the wear by highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) and using ceramic bearings. The purpose of this study is to analyze the five year performance of large sized (32mm and 36mm) ceramic and metal heads on X3 HXLPE (Stryker, Mahwah, NJ). Materials and Method From Jan 2006 to June 2008, 81 consecutive patients with minimum 5 year radiographic and clinical followup were identified from out institutional prospective database. 51 non-cemented THA (45 patients) had ceramic on HXLPE (CoX3) group and 30 hips (29 patients) had metal on HXLPE (MoX3) group. Mean age was 36 ± 8 years (36–76) and 50 ± 9 years (51–86) in ceramic and metal group, respectively. Wear rates were measured on an anteroposterior weight-bearing pelvis radiographs using the computer-assisted Roman software. Results The mean WOMAC, PAQ, HSS and UCLA scores for CoX3 and MoX3 groups at final follow-up were 13.2 ± 17.3, 10.1 ± 14.4, 36.4 ± 5.3 and 5.9 ± 1.8 and 16.5 ± 17.8, 17.1 ± 17.2, 31.6 ± 10.5 and 5.3 ± 1.6, respectively. At the final follow up, the mean wear rates were 0.022 ± 0.06 mm/yr and 0.022 ± 0.05 mm/yr for CoX3 and MoX3 groups, respectively. This was not statistically significant (p=0.8). When negative values were considered zero, wear rates for CoX3 and MoX3 groups were 0.037 ± 0.04 mm/yr and 0.033 ± 0.04 mm/yr, respectively (p=0.6). Radiographic analysis does not reveal any incidence of osteolysis or loosening in both groups. Discussion and Conclusion The five year wear rate of large diameter metal and ceramic femoral heads on HXLPE bearing demonstrated excellent similar wear rates. Longer follow-ups are required to assess superiority of one bearing over another.
Source trap space allocation relation and gas migration conducting form in Xujiaweizi fault depression

By research on space allocation relation between traps in different horizons and K1sh source rocks,gas migration conducting form and control effect on reservoir formation and distribution in Xujiaweizi fault depression,it was considered that there were mainly two kinds of source-trap space allocation relations: source rock bottom-trap top and source rock bottom-trap lateral top.Linear type and reverse "L" type are migration conducting forms of gas.Linear type conducting form is composed of fault or unconformity or both.Reverse "L" type migration conducting form is composed of fault and unconformity.The control effect of gas migration conducting form in gas accumulation and distribution is mainly showed as the following 2 aspects: Gas migrated along fault transporting pathway and accumulated in the fault trap near it.Gas migrated along unconformity transporting pathway and accumulated in the high part of the structure.
HbF and HbA production in erythroid cultures from human fetuses and neonates.

Abstract The synthesis of γ- and β-globin chains was investigated in erythroid cultures from first and second trimester fetuses as well as neonates in order to examine whether the differences in production of HbA and F in the fetal and newborn ontogenetic stages reflect in vivo predetermined differences in commitment among erythroid progenitors. Cultures of erythroid progenitors from first and second trimester fetuses (12 experiments) produced amounts of HbF that were similar to those synthesized in vivo by fetal liver erythro-blasts and reticulocytes (range of HbF production: in vivo, 84%-93%; in culture, 80%-94%). There was no difference in HbF synthesis in cultures of fetal liver or peripheral blood-origin progenitors from the same fetus. In cultures of circulating progenitors from full-term newborns (nine experiments), amounts of fetal hemoglobin that are expected for the newborn ontogenetic stage (range of HbF in culture: 55%-80% of total Hb) and that are close to the levels of HbF production in cord-blood reticulocytes of the same fetuses, were observed. Varying the concentration of erythropoietin by 40-fold produced only minor changes in the proportion of γ and β chain synthesis in culture. The findings show that the fetal or newborn erythroid stem cells are programmed in vivo for expressing the characteristic, for each ontogenetic stage, pattern of non-α-globin synthesis. This is consistent with the proposition that the regulation of γ- and β-chain synthesis during development takes place at the level of erythroid progenitor cells rather than in the terminally mature erythron.
Effects of Alternative Thinning Regimes and Prescribed Burning in Natural, Even-Aged Loblolly-Shortleaf Pine Stands: 25 Year Results

In southeastern Arkansas, pine growth was monitored for 19 yr after mechanically strip thinning a dense, naturally regenerated, even-aged stand of Gyr-old loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) and shortleafpines (P. echinata Mill.) that averaged 16,600 stems/UC. Prescribed winter burns were conducted biennially between ages 9 and 20 yr and at 24 yr. Commercial thinnings during the 17th and 23rd growing seasons left a residual stocking of either SSf$/ac or 200 crop trees/at (7.5ft2/ac) in merchantable-sized (>3.5 in. dbh)pines on plots that wereprecommercially thinnedand on plots that were not. Precommercial thinning
Major Issues and Conclusions

As we prepare to enter the final decade of the twentieth century and look to the year 2000, considerable uncertainty surrounds international and East-West economic relations. On the one hand, international economic relations suggest considerable difficulty and growing strains. A variety of problems continue to challenge states in East and West as they search for strategies and solutions promoting national economic growth and welfare. Trade has stagnated; there are continuing restrictions, and impediments to economic relations; and there are unhealthy imbalances between and among the various states. On the other hand, the presence of new thinking and signs of increased international cooperation open new opportunities for nations to address, individually and collectively, these challenges and to promote their common and specific economic interests. Leaders are speaking more honestly and boldly about the problems that confront us. The quality of dialogue and the interest in cooperative responses to our economic challenges offer some reasons for optimism about the future vitality of East-West economic relations as we approach the dawn of the 21st century.
Changes in Nursing Students' Descriptions of the Personality Traits of the Ideal Nurse.

The purpose of this study was to determine in what ways students of nursing at various class levels perceived the personality traits characteristic of the ideal nurse and in what ways the students'...
Optimization of an Agitated Extractor

In this scenario, we use calculus to determine the optimal operating specifica tions of a chemical extraction process. The r esults are achieved by fir st developing an expression that yields the total annual cost of the process. Factoring in electricity, vessel, agitator, and solvent costs, an annual cost expression was fabricated. AGIEX company manufactures a certain amount of a product, A, which has an impurity that it wishes be reduced. By engineering an optimally sized vessel to perform the extraction of impurity, the company will save costs by ensuring no ineffic ient spending on power or excess solvent occurs. A specific a mount of electricity is required to operate this vessel during extraction batches. The se values of optimal vessel volume and power usage per batch ultimately form the boundaries of this streamlined system for the company.
REST regulation of gene networks in adult neural stem cells

Adult hippocampal neural stem cells generate newborn neurons throughout life due to their ability to self-renew and exist as quiescent neural progenitors (QNPs) before differentiating into transit-amplifying progenitors (TAPs) and newborn neurons. The mechanisms that control adult neural stem cell self-renewal are still largely unknown. Conditional knockout of REST (repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor) results in precocious activation of QNPs and reduced neurogenesis over time. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms by which REST regulates adult neural stem cells, we perform chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and RNA-sequencing to identify direct REST target genes. We find REST regulates both QNPs and TAPs, and importantly, ribosome biogenesis, cell cycle and neuronal genes in the process. Furthermore, overexpression of individual REST target ribosome biogenesis or cell cycle genes is sufficient to induce activation of QNPs. Our data define novel REST targets to maintain the quiescent neural stem cell state.
A Case Report and Systematic Review of Eosinophilic Angiocentric Fibrosis of the Paranasal Sinuses.

Objective:There is a paucity of literature discussing prognostic factors or comparing outcomes in eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis (EAF). This review aims to analyze tumor and patient characteris...
Strain Control Fatigue as a Tool to Interpret Fatigue Initiation of Aluminum Alloys

A wide variety of aluminum alloys in standard tempers were investigated using strain control fatigue and transmission electron microscopy. The log of the number of reversals to failure increased linearly with decreasing log of the plastic-strain amplitude down to a critical level which was alloy and temper dependent. Below the critical level of plastic strain, failure times were shorter than would be predicted by extrapolating the high-plastic-strain-amplitude data. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that specimens tested above the critical level deformed homogeneously, while those tested below the critical level deformed heterogeneously; consequently, microstructures which would maintain homogeneous slip at low plastic deformation should provide better resistance to fatigue initiation.
Trends in Fighting and Violence Among Adolescents in the United States, 2002-2014.

Objectives. To examine trends in and correlates of fighting and violence among youths from the 3 largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States.Methods. We derived race/ethnicity-specific prevalence estimates for fighting, group fighting, and attacks with intent to harm from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a population-based study of youths aged 12 to 17 years.Results. The prevalence of youth fighting and violence decreased significantly in all racial/ethnic groups over the study period (2002–2014), dropping from a high of 33.6% in 2003 to a low of 23.7% in 2014, reflecting a 29% decrease in the relative proportion of young people involved in these behaviors. However, there was also a clear severity gradient in which year-by-year point estimates for fighting and violence were consistently highest among non-Hispanic African American youths, followed by Hispanic and then non-Hispanic White youths.Conclusions. Although fighting and violence are on the decline among young people in general and ...
Quantum-scheme for improving interferometric visibility with imperfect distributed entangled-states

We analyze a quantum-scheme for measuring interferometric visibility for telescopic applications with imperfectly entangled states as a resource. The scheme overcomes photon loss thus permitting measurement with larger baseline leading to finer resolution of angular intensity distribution of remote sources of light.
The Malignant Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (MOHS)

Abstract Malignant obesity hypoventilation syndrome (MOHS) is a severe multisystem disease due to effects of obesity. MOHS is associated with increased healthcare utilization and a high risk of mortality. This syndrome is largely unrecognized because providers usually do not associate the patients’ multiple medical problems and obesity. Subjects with this syndrome have severe obesity-related hypoventilation along with systemic hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, left ventricular hypertrophy with diastolic dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, and hepatic dysfunction. MOHS should be suspected in any obese patient presenting with acute respiratory failure. Management of this condition includes short-term measures (correcting the acute hypercapnia and treatment of triggers of acute decompensating episode) and long-term measures (directed toward weight loss, maintenance therapy with noninvasive ventilation, and management of comorbidities). Due to its proven benefits reversing the multiple metabolic and organ dysfunctions associated with MOHS, bariatric surgery should always be considered in this condition.
Changes in asthma self-management knowledge in inner city adolescents following developmentally sensitive self-management training.

Abstract Objective To evaluate efficacy of a developmentally sensitive curriculum for improving asthma self-management knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy in adolescents. Methods Fourty-two inner-city adolescents (ages 16–20) participated in a 12 hour asthma self-management training program. Self-management knowledge, attitude toward asthma, and asthma-related self-efficacy were measured using short-answer tests before and after training. T-Tests were used to evaluate impact and effect sizes were calculated. Results Mean pretest knowledge was 21.37/46 points; mean posttest was 36.33/46 points. Change from pre- to posttest was highly significant (t = 10.34; p Conclusion Developmentally appropriate training is effective in increasing critical self-management knowledge and self-efficacy in inner city adolescents, particularly females. Practice implications Providers should screen carefully for symptoms and educate using developmentally appropriate training materials on ways to correctly monitor and manage symptom.
In-situ prevention of hydrogen sulfide formation during anaerobic digestion using zinc oxide nanowires

Abstract The utilization of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) technology for biogas and energy generation is often hindered by high concentration of sulfur-containing compounds in wastewater and consequential hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in biogas. In this work, we demonstrated a process, where independent mechanisms of anaerobic microorganisms and an inorganic reactive adsorbent (zinc oxide nanowires) worked synergistically to remove soluble sulfide (HS−) and prevent H2S formation during AD. Using a model aqueous sodium sulfide (Na2S) system, the nanowires (dosage 1 g/L) effectively removed sulfides from the Na2S solution to a maximum of 625 mg S2−/L per gram of ZnO. During 24 h and 3-day long (involving three consecutive sulfate feeding cycles) AD studies using anaerobic microbial medium (2 g/L SO42− and 1 g/L ZnO), no decrease in methanogenic activity and biogas production were observed using the ZnO nanowires, indicating that the nanowires can reduce the sulfide toxicity during AD. The post-process analysis of the recovered nanomaterial using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction showed the presence of sulfur and zinc sulfide (ZnS), respectively, validating HS− removal by the nanowires. This process intensification approach of combining AD and H2S removal into a single process step will help extend AD technology to high sulfate containing wastewaters.
Association of Future Orientation With Violence Perpetration Among Male Youths in Low-Resource Neighborhoods.

This study investigates the association between future orientation and violence perpetration among male youths in low-resource neighborhoods.
BIOMASS FOR ENERGY FROM HERBAGE AND WOOD

ABSTRACT The aim of an interdisciplinary research project, promoted by the Swiss Department of Energy, is to study the possibility of producing energy from biomass in an environmentally sustainable way, focussing mainly on the typical Swiss grasslands.
Parallel Computer Methods

This chapter focuses on parallel computer methods applicable to all types of differential equations. Numerical approximations to the solutions are yielded. Parallel computers may be used to quickly obtain numerical approximations to differential equations. The physical basis for most differential equations is a local and asynchronous model. It should be possible to numerically approximate a partial differential equation by processors that are loosely coupled. There are three major ways in which software for differential equations can exploit parallelism: (1) in coding a method so that it can be performed simultaneously on several processors, (2) in splitting variables (in a multivariable system) between processors, and (3) in using parallelism in performing the needed algebraic computations.
Direct-to-consumer marketing of durable medical equipment.

With commercials for “free” equipment and supplies running daily, you need to be ready to respond when a patient requests a prescription.
Physical and Electrical Properties of Graphene

Graphene is the single layer of the graphite crystal, pure covalently bonded carbon in a honeycomb lattice, one atom thick. The single layers can be detached from graphite, and grown by conventional chemical vapor deposition methods.
Continuous glucose monitoring in youth with cystic fibrosis treated with lumacaftor-ivacaftor.

Abstract Background The effects of lumacaftor-ivacaftor therapy on glycemia have not been thoroughly investigated. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) provides detailed information about glycemic patterns and detects glucose abnormalities earlier than traditional screening tools for diabetes. Methods CGM measures, HbA1c, and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results were collected and within-subject results compared in F508del homozygous youth with CF before and after initiation of lumacaftor-ivacaftor using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results Nine youth with CF (6 males, median age 12.7 years) were enrolled. CGM was performed in all participants before (median 26 weeks) and after lumacaftor-ivacaftor (median 29 weeks). HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose increased (p = .02) after lumacaftor-ivacaftor initiation. No changes in OGTT 1 h or 2 h glucose nor CGM measures were observed overall. When analyzed by sex, males showed lower glycemic variability, as reflected by the mean amplitude of glycemic excursions, on the post-treatment CGM. Conclusions Glycemic abnormalities persisted in CF patients treated with lumacaftor-ivacaftor, although sex-dependent differences in glycemic response to treatment may exist.
Landmark-Based Re-topology of Stereo-Pair Acquired Face Meshes

Believable, detailed digital faces are desired for both film and game production as well as research applications. A high-resolution mesh of a face is acquired often with structured light and stereo computer-vision methods. In production for visual effects or games, the acquired mesh is “re-topologized” by an artist using software to draw a new edge layout in order to simplify and prepare a mesh for animation. For building models of facial population and expression for research, meshes often undergo a similar process to find correspondence among face models, although in the past the desired layout has not been designed for effective facial animation. We propose a process using images accompanying a 3D scan to locate dense 2D facial landmarks automatically to re-topologize meshes with the particular goal of creating models that deform well for facial animation. The technique also allows real-time editing of the re-topology relationship if modifications are desired.
Wellposedness of the sixth order Boussinesq equation with non-homogeneous boundary values on a bounded domain

Abstract This article is concerned with an initial–boundary-value problem (IBVP) for the sixth order Boussinesq equation on a bounded domain with non-homogeneous boundary conditions, (1) u t t − u x x + β u x x x x − u x x x x x x + ( u 2 ) x x = 0 , x ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) , t > 0 , u ( x , 0 ) = φ ( x ) , u t ( x , 0 ) = ψ ( x ) , u x ( 0 , t ) = h 1 ( t ) , u x x x ( 0 , t ) = h 2 ( t ) , u x x x x x ( 0 , t ) = h 3 ( t ) , u x ( 1 , t ) = h 4 ( t ) , u x x x ( 1 , t ) = h 5 ( t ) , u x x x x x ( 1 , t ) = h 6 ( t ) , where β = ± 1 . For 0 ≤ s ≤ 6 , it is shown that the IBVP is locally well-posed if the initial data lie in the product of L 2 -based Sobolev spaces, H s ( 0 , 1 ) × H s − 3 ( 0 , 1 ) , provided the boundary data ( h 1 , h 2 , h 3 ) and ( h 4 , h 5 , h 6 ) lie in the product space, H l o c ( s + 2 ) ∕ 3 ( R + ) × H l o c s ∕ 3 ( R + ) × H l o c ( s − 2 ) ∕ 3 ( R + ) .
Scene Grammar in Human and Machine Recognition of Objects and Scenes

In this paper, we study the effects of violating the high level scene syntactic and semantic rules on human eye-movement behavior and deep neural scene and object recognition networks. An eye-movement experimental study was conducted with twenty human subjects to view scenes from the SCEGRAM image database and determine whether there is an inconsistent object or not. We examine the contribution of multiple types of features that influence eye movements while searching for an inconsistent object in a scene (e.g., size and location of an object) by evaluating the consistency prediction power of the trained classifiers on fixation features. The results of the eye movement analysis and inconsistency prediction reveal that: 1) inconsistent objects are fixated significantly more than consistent objects in a scene, 2) the distribution of fixations is the main factor that is influenced by the inconsistency condition of a scene which is reflected in the ground truth fixation maps. It is also observed that the performance of deep object and scene recognition networks drops due to the violations of scene grammar. The class-specific visual saliency maps are created from the high-level representation of the convolutional layers of a deep network during the scene and object recognition process. We discuss whether the scene inconsistencies are represented in those saliency maps by evaluating their prediction powers using multiple well-known metrics including AUC, SIM, and KL. The results suggest that an inconsistent object in a scene causes significant variations in the prediction power of saliency maps.
Pluralism: Rashomon and Contested Conceptions of Criminality

The 1951 Akira Kurosawa film, Rashomon, is famous for depicting four often radically different reports of a violent incident that took place in a grove of trees in twelfth century Japan, the reports of the three participants in the incident and of the one witness to it. By considering this seemingly puzzling depiction in light of advances being made in the field of cognitive science, each of these conflicting reports can be understood as being based on one of the four fundamental ways in which the human mind can place events in a cognitive frame and thereby provide the structure for individual human consciousness. In his 1978 text, Rethinking Criminal Law, George Fletcher provided a trenchant description of his thesis that "the criminal law is a polycentric body of principles", bringing to light four fundamental ways in which the judiciary, by way of resolving particular disputes, determines the criminality of particular acts. Again, these four fundamental modes of determining criminality can be understood as being based on the four cognitive frames available for the structuring of consciousness. Because this polycentric nature can be identified across the various substantive areas of the law, this understanding provides a way of addressing the possibilities for developing a substantive jurisprudence of the law.