cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding linkages

Mechanical linkages are used to transmit and transform motion. In this paper we investigate what it means for a program to "understand" a linkage. Our system extracts its understanding by analyzing the results of a numerical simulation of the mechanism, finding interesting qualitative features, looking for symbolic relationships between these features and conjecturing a causal relationship between them. Our system is capable of understanding a variety of mechanisms, producing explanations very much like those in standard texts.
Regulatory annotation of genomic intervals based on tissue-specific expression QTLs.

Motivation Annotating a given genomic locus or a set of genomic loci is an important yet challenging task. This is especially true for the non-coding part of the genome which is enormous yet poorly understood. Since gene set enrichment analyses have demonstrated to be effective approach to annotate a set of genes, the same idea can be extended to explore the enrichment of functional elements or features in a set of genomic intervals to reveal potential functional connections. Results In this study, we describe a novel computational strategy named loci2path that takes advantage of the newly emerged, genome-wide and tissue-specific expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) information to help annotate a set of genomic intervals in terms of transcription regulation. By checking the presence or the absence of millions of eQTLs in a set of input genomic intervals, combined with grouping eQTLs by the pathways or gene sets that their target genes belong to, loci2path build a bridge connecting genomic intervals to functional pathways and pre-defined biological-meaningful gene sets, revealing potential for regulatory connection. Our method enjoys two key advantages over existing methods: first, we no longer rely on proximity to link a locus to a gene which has shown to be unreliable; second, eQTL allows us to provide the regulatory annotation under the context of specific tissue types. To demonstrate its utilities, we apply loci2path on sets of genomic intervals harboring disease-associated variants as query. Using 1 702 612 eQTLs discovered by the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project across 44 tissues and 6320 pathways or gene sets cataloged in MSigDB as annotation resource, our method successfully identifies highly relevant biological pathways and revealed disease mechanisms for psoriasis and other immune-related diseases. Tissue specificity analysis of associated eQTLs provide additional evidence of the distinct roles of different tissues played in the disease mechanisms. Availability and implementation loci2path is published as an open source Bioconductor package, and it is available at http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/loci2path.html. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
An atypical case of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy with recurrent strokes.

Abstract Purpose To report an atypical case of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) with central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis and recurrent strokes. Observations A 57 year-old female presented with APMPPE after a febrile illness and rash. She developed an acute infarct on magnetic resonance imaging. Computed tomography angiography of the cerebral vasculature was normal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and an extensive serum lab workup were also unremarkable. She was treated with high-dose corticosteroids and eventually transitioned to methotrexate. A month after being on treatment she developed a second stroke. A cerebral angiogram was obtained and did not show evidence of CNS vasculitis. The methotrexate was eventually stopped and the prednisone was tapered. Approximately 3 months later she developed a third stroke and worsening APMPPE-associated maculopathy in both eyes. She was eventually started on oral cyclophosphamide. Conclusions & importance Although rare, CNS vasculitis is a known complication of APMPPE. This case is atypical given the development of multiple recurrent strokes, lack of inflammatory evidence on CSF analysis, and normal imaging of the cerebral vasculature. This report highlights the need for a high level of clinical suspicion for CNS vasculitis with APMPPE despite noncontributory cerebral angiographic imaging and normal CSF analysis.
Effects of transitional care intervention on ketogenic diet compliance among refractory epilepsy children post discharge

Objective To explore the effects of transitional care intervention on ketogenic diet compliance among refractory epilepsy children post discharge. Methods From January to December 2017, we selected 80 epilepsy children at a Class Ⅲ Grade A hospital. All of the children were divided into observation group and control group according to the random number table, 40 cases in each group. Control group received conventional therapy and nursing. On this basis of that in control group, observation group carried out transitional care intervention. And then, we compared the ketogenic diet compliance and curative effect of children between two groups after intervention. Results After carrying out transitional care intervention three month, there were 33 and 25 cases with complete compliance of the ketogenic diet in observation group and control group respectively, with a statistical difference (χ2=4.012, P<0.05) . Six months after intervention, there were 19 and 4 cases with complete remission in observation group and control group respectively, with a statistical difference in curative effect (χ2=16.573, P<0.05) . Conclusions Transitional care intervention can improve ketogenic diet compliance among refractory epilepsy children and has a significant effect on the epilepsy control with strong feasibility. Key words: Epilepsy; Ketogenic diet; Compliance; Transitional care
Green Synthesis of Thermoplastic Composites from a Terpenoid-Cellulose Ester

Herein we report a green route to thermoplastics from cellulose, the terpenoid geraniol, and fossil fuel byproduct sulfur with an overall atom economy of 90% over three steps. The only stoichiometr...
Introduction: On Police Violence and Systemic Islamophobia

This short essay examines the interdependence between the secular policing of Muslims and the policing of the entire population, between the policing of a racialized religion and the kind of bio-po...
Toxoplasma gondii Matrix Antigen 1 Is a Secreted Immunomodulatory Effector.

ABSTRACT Our studies on novel cyst wall proteins serendipitously led us to the discovery that cyst wall and vacuolar matrix protein MAG1, first identified a quarter of a century ago, functions as a secreted immunomodulatory effector. MAG1 is a dense granular protein that is found in the parasitophorous vacuolar matrix in tachyzoite vacuoles and the cyst wall and matrix in bradyzoite vacuoles. In the current study, we demonstrated that MAG1 is secreted beyond the parasitophorous vacuole into the host cytosol in both tachyzoites and bradyzoites. Secretion of MAG1 gradually decreases as the parasitophorous vacuole matures, but prominent MAG1 puncta are present inside host cells even at 4 and 6 days following infection. During acute murine infection, Δmag1 parasites displayed significantly reduced virulence and dissemination. In the chronic stage of infection, Δmag1 parasites generated almost no brain cysts. To identify the mechanism behind the attenuated pathology seen with Δmag1 parasites, various immune responses were screened in vitro using bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Infection of BMDM with Δmag1 parasites induced a significant increase in interleukin 1β (IL-1β) secretion, which is a hallmark of inflammasome activation. Heterologous complementation of MAG1 in BMDM cells prevented this Δmag1 parasite-induced IL-1β release, indicating that secreted MAG1 in host cytosol dampens inflammasome activation. Furthermore, knocking out GRA15 (an inducer of IL-1β release) in Δmag1 parasites completely inhibited all IL-1β release by host cells following infection. These data suggest that MAG1 has a role as an immunomodulatory molecule and that by suppressing inflammasome activation, it would favor survival of the parasite and the establishment of latent infection. IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii is an Apicomplexan that infects a third of humans, causing encephalitis in AIDS patients and intellectual disabilities in congenitally infected patients. We determined that one of the cyst matrix proteins, MAG1, which had been thought to be an innate structural protein, can be secreted into the host cell and suppress the host immune reaction. This particular immune reaction is initiated by another parasite-secreted protein, GRA15. The intricate balance of inflammasome activation by GRA15 and suppression by MAG1 protects mice from acute death while enabling parasites to disseminate and establish chronic cysts. Our finding contributes to our understanding of how parasites persist in the host and how T. gondii modulates the host immune system.
Pulmonary Support of Infants with Tracheotomies in a Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objective We evaluate patient characteristics, hospital course, and outcome by type discharge pulmonary support; mechanical ventilation (MV) or with tracheotomy masks (TM). Study design We reviewed records of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that underwent tracheotomy within their first year of life between 2006 and 2017. We evaluated patient characteristics, referral pattern, destination of discharge, and outcome by type of pulmonary support at discharge (MV vs. TM). Results Of the 168 patients, 63 (38%) were inborn, 91 (54%) transferred to our NICU, and 5 (3%) were readmitted after being home. Median gestational age at birth was 34 weeks. Twenty-three (14%) infants were transferred to hospitals closer to their homes (13 with MV and 10 with TM), and 125 (74%) were discharged home (75 on MV and 50 on TM). Twenty patients (12%) died in the regional center (RC). Among those discharged home from our RC, infants on MV were of lower birth weight and younger gestational age, had tracheostomies later in life, had longer duration between tracheostomy to discharge to home, and had longer total duration of hospitalization at the RC. In addition, infants in the MV group were more frequently dependent on MV at time of placement of tracheostomies, less frequently had congenital airway anomalies and more frequently having possibly acquired airway anomalies and more frequently having major congenital anomalies, more frequently treated with diuretics, inhaled medications and medications for pulmonary hypertension, and more frequently had gastrostomies for feeding compared with the TM group. Conclusion Patients with tracheostomies in the NICU and discharged from RC on MV or TM vary by patient characteristic, timing of tracheostomy placement, timing of discharge from RC, type of upper airway anomalies, duration of stay in the hospital, and complexity of medical condition at discharge. Key points · Infants on home mechanical ventilation have long hospital stay and complex conditions at discharge.. · We describe factors associated with the type of pulmonary support for infants with tracheostomies.. · Treatment strategy may influence type of discharge pulmonary support in infants with tracheostomies..
Robust Environmental Sensing Using UAVs

In this article, we first investigate the quality of aerial air pollution measurements and characterize the main error sources of drone-mounted gas sensors. To that end, we build ASTRO+, an aerial-ground pollution monitoring platform, and use it to collect a comprehensive dataset of both aerial and reference air pollution measurements. We show that the dynamic airflow caused by drones affects temperature and humidity levels of the ambient air, which then affect the measurement quality of gas sensors. Then, in the second part of this article, we leverage the effects of weather conditions on pollution measurements’ quality in order to design an unmanned aerial vehicle mission planning algorithm that adapts the trajectory of the drones while taking into account the quality of aerial measurements. We evaluate our mission planning approach based on a Volatile Organic Compound pollution dataset and show a high-performance improvement that is maintained even when pollution dynamics are high.
Evaluating Reproducibility and Transparency in Emergency Medicine Publications

Author(s): Johnson, Bradley S.; Rauh, Shelby; Tritz, Daniel; Schiesel, Michael; Vassar, Matt | Abstract: Introduction: We aimed to assess the reproducibility of empirical research by determining the availability of components required for replication of a study, including materials, raw data, analysis scripts, protocols, and preregistration.Methods: We used the National Library of Medicine catalog to identify MEDLINE-indexed emergency medicine (EM) journals. Thirty journals met the inclusion criteria. From January 1, 2014–n December 31, 2018, 300 publications were randomly sampled using a PubMed search. Additionally, we included four high-impact general medicine journals, which added 106 publications. Two investigators were blinded for independent extraction. Extracted data included statements regarding the availability of materials, data, analysis scripts, protocols, and registration.Results: After the search, we found 25,473 articles, from which we randomly selected 300. Of the 300, only 287 articles met the inclusion criteria. Additionally, we added 106 publications from high- impact journals of which 77 met the inclusion criteria. Together, 364 publications were included, of which 212 articles contained empirical data to analyze. Of the eligible empirical articles, 2.49%, (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33% to 4.64%] provided a material statement, 9.91% (95% CI, 5.88% to 13.93%) provided a data statement, 0 provided access to analysis scripts, 25.94% (95% CI, 20.04% to 31.84%) linked the protocol, and 39.15% (95% CI, 32.58% to 45.72%) were preregistered.Conclusion: Studies in EM lack indicators required for reproducibility. The majority of studies fail to report factors needed to reproduce research to ensure credibility. Thus, an intervention is required and can be achieved through the collaboration of researchers, peer reviewers, funding agencies, and journals.
Know your cost: Using price transparency in the operating room to control costs

Objectives: Surgeons have significant choices when selecting specific disposable operating room (OR) equipment and supplies, while most are unaware of the costs associated with these choices. We used a cost transparency tool to demonstrate an impact on discretionary OR spending for disposable supplies. Methods: Patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy or debulking within a gynecologic oncology department were included in this prospective, single-institution study. The operating room staff as well as the surgeons were informed of the cost of disposable equipment including the lowest-cost alternatives for commonly used supplies. Intraoperative supply cost feedback for all included procedures were provided to all surgeons in the department via a custom dashboard and monthly email reports with itemized costs. The results for all surgeons were transparent to all other surgeons in the department and the lowest cost surgeons were highlighted monthly. The primary outcome was percentage change in the cost of disposable supplies in the intervention year (11/1/2018-10/31/2019) as compared to baseline (11/1/2017-10/31/2018). Major postoperative complications including return to OR, wound dehiscence and wound infection were also collected. Results: A total of 21 surgeons performed 539 laparoscopic hysterectomies and a total of 18 surgeons performed 119 debulkings between 11/1/2017-10/31/2019. For laparoscopic hysterectomy, there was an overall average cost increase of 4.6% between the baseline year and the intervention year. Five (28%) of 18 surgeons with surgeries in both years demonstrated average decreases in costs by more than 5%. For debulking, there was an overall average cost decrease of 12.9% from baseline to the intervention year. Eight (53%) of the 15 surgeons with surgeries in both years demonstrated decreased costs by more than 5%. Complication rates did not change significantly over the study period (p=0.83). Conclusions: Transparency in the cost of disposable OR equipment and supplies may result in significant decrease in OR spending without affecting major postoperative complications.
Design Patents are Theft, Not Just a 'Fraud on the Public,' Who Need Legislation to Restore Their Repair Rights

This Comment, forthcoming in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, commends the excellent and timely historical analysis of Menell and Corren addressing design patent law and the awful historical development of its current functionality doctrine. Peter S. Menell & Ella Corren, Design Patent Law’s Identity Crisis, 35 Berkeley Tech. L.J. __ (2021). But their cogent analysis fails to focus adequately on the harm to the public from such fraud and restricts the scope of the fraud to functionality. Instead, I argue that design patents and the law surrounding them have been a series of category errors from the beginning. The entire concept of a design patent is a “fraud upon the public,” and it is the public that loses its rights (and pays from its metaphorical wallet) when that fraud occurs. The Comment traces these various category errors, suggesting that design rights be relegated to a sui generis regime rather than included in a technological patent regime.
Prophet among Rebels: Henry David Thoreau and the Creation of a Transcendentalist Bible

Henry David Thoreau is often referred to as a “prophet,” but the degree to which he embraced that role has not been recognized. I argue that with his final manuscript, Wild Fruits, he sought to pro...
Economics as A Cultural System

One of the themes given expression below is the idea that people cannot tolerate the uncanny; that the stranger things in our environment are potentially unsettling and that people are unable to leave the unclarified simply unclarified. In what follows I discuss what must be to many, especially institutional economists, a very strange phenomenon in the landscape about us. Specifically, how it is that a scientific theory that purports to be a description of reality continues to be espoused when in fact so many are unable to bring themselves to honestly and truly believe in it as a description of reality, and for those who can, as has been noted, it is for about as long as it takes to write an examination).1 Undoubtedly John Kenneth Galbraith's comments have a great deal of validity, but somehow they are not satisfying; he suggests that economics must be more than an ideological mask directing attention away from inconvenient fact and that academic economists must have something to teach when the students arrive.2 Galbraith's own works are available but they are not espoused and if introduced at all it is only briefly and more often than not they are quickly dismissed. There must be more than meets the eye. This paper is, then, an attempt to think about economic theory. The vehicle for thinking about it will be anthropology's concept of culture; the end result will be to suggest that economics is a cultural system, more specifically, that economics is a sacred cultural system. In order to give expression to this view it will be necessary to first sketch the concept of
Characterizing the Na + /K + -ATPase

By 1965 numerous approaches had converged, supporting proposals that (Nat+ K+)—stimulated ATPase activity underlay the Na+/K+ pump of higher animals.’ Later papers in vast profusion reported diverse studies of ATPase and pump, describing details of details, but also demonstrating unequivocally the identity of pump and ATPase. Here only a drastically condensed sketch can be achieved. My aim is to illustrate the extensive branching of experimental endeavors that revealed complexities in this entity—a multi-sited enzyme—and in the process—cation transport by multiple modes linked to particular sequences of enzymatic reaction steps.
Electron beam induced radiation damage in the catalyst layer of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

Summary Electron microscopy is an essential tool for the evaluation of microstructure and properties of the catalyst layer (CL) of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, electron microscopy has one unavoidable drawback, which is radiation damage. Samples suffer temporary or permanent change of the surface or bulk structure under radiation damage, which can cause ambiguity in the characterization of the sample. To better understand the mechanism of radiation damage of CL samples and to be able to separate the morphological features intrinsic to the material from the consequences of electron radiation damage, a series of experiments based on high-angle annular dark-field–scanning transmission scanning microscope (HAADF-STEM), energy filtering transmission scanning microscope (EFTEM), and electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) are conducted. It is observed that for thin samples (0.3–1 times λ), increasing the incident beam energy can mitigate the radiation damage. Platinum nanoparticles in the CL sample facilitate the radiation damage. The radiation damage of the catalyst sample starts from the interface of Pt/C or defective thin edge and primarily occurs in the form of mass loss accompanied by atomic displacement and edge curl. These results provide important insights on the mechanism of CL radiation damage. Possible strategies of mitigating the radiation damage are provided. SCANNING 36:338–346, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparative Effects of β-Propiolactone on Mice, Mouse-derived Cell Cultures, and Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis Virus

Studies were made comparing the toxicity of β-propiolactone (BPL) for mammalian (mouse) cells in vitro and for mice and for Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus which is highly cytopathogenic for each. The mammalian cells grown in tissue culture were found to be adversely affected by BPL in concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 mg/ml of supernatant fluid. The difference in response was influenced by the menstruum in which the BPL was suspended and the difference in cell types tested. Tenfold less BPL appeared to be required to destroy the cells when it was suspended in a balanced salt solution than when it was suspended in protein-containing solutions such as beef heart infusion broth or medium 199 plus 20% horse serum. Secondary embryonic mouse lung cells seemed slightly more adversely affected by BPL than the established embryonic lung or L cells. BPL given to mice by intranasal instillation and by intracerebral injection was lethal to half of the animals within 2 days at doses of 0.31 and 0.39 mg, respectively. Higher concentrations of BPL were required to rapidly inactivate the virus in vitro than were required to kill mice or to cause a toxic effect on cells in culture. It required 10 mg/ml of BPL to completely inactivate a high-titered VEE virus preparation in 5 min and 1 mg/ml to inactivate most, but not all, of the virus in 15 min. A concentration of 0.1 mg/ml of BPL had only a slight effect on the virus after a period as long as 60 min. Evidence is presented indicating that simultaneous inactivation of all of the properties of the VEE virus particles by BPL aerosols did not occur at the same time but that, after treatment, the virus possessed a limited ability to immunize mice despite a loss in infectivity.
Understanding and Exploiting Spatial Properties of System Failures on Extreme-Scale HPC Systems

As we approach exascale, the scientific simulations are expected to experience more interruptions due to increased system failures. Designing better HPC resilience techniques requires understanding the key characteristics of system failures on these systems. While temporal properties of system failures on HPC systems have been well-investigated, there is limited understanding about the spatial characteristics of system failures and its impact on the resilience mechanisms. Therefore, we examine the spatial characteristics and behavior of system failures. We investigate the interaction between spatial and temporal characteristics of failures and its implications for system operations and resilience mechanisms on large-scale HPC systems. We show that system failures have "spatial locality" at different granularity in the system, study impact of different failure-types, and investigate the correlation among different failure-types. Finally, we propose a novel scheme that exploits the spatial locality in failures to improve application and system performance. Our evaluation shows that the proposed scheme significantly improves the system performance in a dynamic and production-level HPC system.
Observations of Nitrogen and Oxygen Isotopes in the Low Energy Cosmic Rays.

The isotopic composition of the enhanced low energy nitrogen and oxygen cosmic rays can provide information regarding the source of these particles. Using the Caltech Electron/Isotope Spectrometer aboard the IMP-7 satellite, a measurement of this isotopic composition was made. To determine the isotope response of the instrument, a calibration was performed, and it was determined that the standard range-energy tables were inadequate to calculate the isotope response. From the calibration, corrections to the standard range-energy tables were obtained which can be used to calculate the isotope response of this and similar instruments. The low energy nitrogen and oxygen cosmic rays were determined to be primarily ^(14)N and ^(16)O. Upper limits were obtained for the abundances of the other stable nitrogen and oxygen isotopes. To the 84% confidence level the isotopic abundances are: ^(15)N/N ≤ 0.26 (5.6- 12.7 MeV/nucleon), ^(17)0/0 ≤ 0.13 (7.0- 11.8 MeV/nucleon), (18)0/0 ≤ 0.12 (7.0 - 11.2 MeV/nucleon). The nitrogen composition differs from higher energy measurements which indicate that ^(15)N, which is thought to be secondary, is the dominant isotope. This implies that the low energy enhanced cosmic rays are not part of the same population as the higher energy cosmic rays and that they have not passed through enough material to produce a large fraction of ^(15)N. The isotopic composition of the low energy enhanced nitrogen and oxygen is consistent with the local acceleration theory of Fisk, Kozlovsky, and Ramaty, in which interstellar material is accelerated to several MeV/nucleon. If, on the other hand, the low energy nitrogen and oxygen result from nucleosynthesis in a galactic source, then the nucleosynthesis processes which produce an enhancement of nitrogen and oxygen and a depletion of carbon are restricted to producing predominantly ^(14)N and ^(16)O.
Danger at the Edge of Chaos: Predicting Violent Behavior in a Post-Daubert World

This interdisciplinary article explores the boundaries of predicting violence in the context of capital sentencing decisions. Currently, experts are permitted to proffer opinions in death sentencing proceedings that have little grounding in science, without any examination of the scientific validity of their assertions. They are permitted to do so because, despite being widely castigated as wholly unscientific by the scientific community, predictions of future dangerousness were found to be constitutionally admissible in Barefoot v. Estelle. Standards for evaluating expert testimony have changed considerably since Barefoot, however. The Supreme Court, through its Daubert line of cases, has caused a paradigm shift in the evaluation of scientific evidence in both state and federal courts. The kind of unscientific predictions proffered in Barefoot continue nonetheless to be routinely admitted in sentencing proceedings without any judicial gatekeeping efforts. The tension between the scientific scrutiny required for admissibility even in civil cases (where money damages are at stake) and the unscientific predictions freely admissible in capital sentencing determinations (where the issue is death) is, at best, troubling. This article explores the validity of dangerousness predictions in light of the latest scientific research about brain structure and function. It also discusses the development of actuarial instruments to assess risk, and compares three predominant actuarial instruments. Based on criteria scientists themselves use to assess validity, as well as the Supreme Court's requirements in Daubert, Joiner, and Kumho Tire, this article outlines a framework for sound analysis of scientific evidence regarding predictions of future violence. Drawing on insights from brain science as well as complexity theory and empirical studies of jury decisionmaking, this article concludes that although actuarial instruments should be used with caution, they offer improvements over the unaided judgment of juries and over the kind of unscientific assertions about future dangerousness currently typical in capital sentencing proceedings. This is an important and timely issue, because the consequences of misleading the jury in a death sentencing determination are severe, not only for the defendant, but for a society that values justice and aspires to rationality.
Clearing the Path to Justice: The Need to Reform 28 U.S.C. § 1500

Plaintiffs suing the United States face a little-known obstacle to justice: 28 U.S.C. § 1500. This statute prohibits the United States Court of Federal Claims from exercising jurisdiction over a claim if the plaintiff has the same claim pending in another court. This apparently sensible rule causes considerable trouble because a “claim” is understood to include all claims based on the same operative facts, and Congress has required that certain types of claims against the United States must go to different courts. Therefore, a plaintiff with multiple claims against the United States may neither be able to bring the claims together in one case nor split them into separate cases. Section 1500 may effectively compel such a plaintiff to pursue only one claim and abandon the others. This unjust result is contrary to fundamental principles of modern civil procedure, which allow a plaintiff to pursue multiple claims against a defendant. Worse, it serves no good purpose. This Article argues that Congress should repeal § 1500 to provide justice to plaintiffs with multiple claims against the United States.
A Review of “Secret Wars and Secret Policies in the Americas, 1842–1929”

In 1907, a newspaper published in Nome, Alaska, claimed that the imperial Japanese had always looked with a covetous eye on Alaska's gold-producing region. A “Japanese cruiser might easily sail int...
A Review of “A Constructive Theology of Intellectual Disability: Human Being as Mutuality and Response”

In A Constructive Theology of Intellectual Disability, Molly C. Haslam seeks to develop an understanding of human being that includes individuals with profound disabilities in an attempt to weaken ...
Immersed in Illness

wealth of detail it provides about how chronically ill people manage their day-to-day lives and in its fascinating discussion of the interplay of time and the self. For this book, Charmaz conducted 115 interviews with fifty-five people. Almost half were interviewed more than once, and sixteen were followed for at least five years. The book is rich with quotes from these interviews. Recognizing that interactions with doctors and hospitals represent only a small portion of the experience of illness, Charmaz interviewed most of her respondents outside of medical settings and included in her sample people who avoid as well as those who use medical care. The sample included men and women from diverse
Birth weight and smoking practices during pregnancy among Mexican‐American women

The smoking practices of a national sample of Mexican‐American mothers and the resulting effects of those practices on birth weight were examined. Data were from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics during 1983–1984. We found that 24% of the mothers had smoked during their pregnancy, with a mean of 11 cigarettes per day. Infants of these women weighed 101 g less at birth than did infants of nonsmoking mothers and had a low birth weight rate of 8.0% compared with the 5.1% low birth weight rate for the sample as a whole. Multiple regression results indicate a 7.4 g decrease in birth weight for each cigarette smoked per day during pregnancy. Cultural factors that promote a low birth weight rate for Mexican‐Americans that is comparable to that of non‐Hispanic whites despite increased rates of poverty and inadequate health care do not protect against the insidious effects of cigarette smoking.
Virtual pion-nucleon scattering

We discuss the problem of pion-nucleon scattering when the initial pion is virtual with the aid of one-dimensional dispersion relations, under the usual assumption that the dispersive integrals are dominated by theJ=J=3/2 partial-wave amplitude. We reconsider the problem of obtaining the off-shell behaviour of the latter amplitude by avoiding certain approximations which had been used previously. The improvements are important at high momentum transfer. We calculate furthermore the other partial-wave amplitudes and obtain in particular a largeS1/2 amplitude withI=1/2. The significance of this result in certain production processes is discussed.
The effect of triiodothyronine on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia

Newborn infants with hyperbilirubinemia who required exchange transfusions were given triidothyronine for 4 days following the initial transfusion. No differences were noted between treated and control infants in respect to number of subsequent transfusions required.
Determining the In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Structure of Model Membranes; Two Recent Examples

With the exception of hydrogen, neutrons are found in all atomic nuclei. Importantly, unlike X-rays, neutrons are able to differentiate between the different isotopes of the same element. In biology, the classic example is the isotopic substitution of hydrogen for deuterium, allowing one to selectively tune the sample's contrast in situ with minimal or no change to its native structure. Biological membranes are believed to exist in a disordered state, a fact that presents unique challenges to elucidating their fine structure. In the case of model membranes, to overcome this difficulty we have developed the Scattering Density Profile (SDP) model, which combines neutron and x-ray scattering data, with molecular dynamics simulations to yield robust structural data, including the much sought after area per lipid needed by simulators to refine their force fields. In addition to one-dimensional structural data along the membrane, we have recently exploited the contrast variation offered by neutron scattering (exchange of hydrogen for deuterium), to study - with unprecedented accuracy - the lateral phase separation (in-plane structure) of so-called “raft” forming mixtures. We hope that in the near future we will apply this knowledge to address the question that has vexed biologists and confounded experimentalists for over 40 years: do membrane domains exist in vivo?
Genre and Postemergency Contexts: The Nexus of Strategic Communications

This article explores why organizations choose to enact public relations discourse genres after an emergency situation —organizational crises, disasters, and issues—has been resolved. In the aftermath of emergency situations, we argue that organizational communicators employ discourse messages according to five governing “commitments,” which corporate officials use to shape postemergency messages the way they do. This essay, then, is not so much a retrospective analysis of what happened in selected emergency situations but, rather, is more a prospective explanation about how to use these five governing commitments when anticipating emergencies that could happen. Organizational learning and organizational renewal are addressed accordingly. In this argument we draw upon literature in linguistics, rhetorical theory, and organization studies. Examples of postemergency situations are used to bridge theory and practice to show how what was done retrospectively can be done prospectively to prepare for communicat...
Systemwide Change of Sedation Wean Protocol Following Pediatric Laryngotracheal Reconstruction

Importance Pediatric laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) remains the standard surgical technique for expanding a stenotic airway and necessitates a multidisciplinary team. Sedation wean following LTR is a critical component of perioperative care. We identified variation and communications deficiencies with our sedation wean practice and describe our experience implementing a standardized sedation wean protocol. Objective To standardize and decrease length of sedation wean in pediatric patients undergoing LTR. Design, Setting, and Participants Using Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) methodology, we implemented systemwide change at a tertiary care center with the goal of improving care based on best practice guidelines. We created a standardized electronic sedation wean communication document and retrospectively examined our experience in 29 consecutive patients who underwent LTR before (n = 16, prewean group) and after (n = 13, postwean group) wean document implementation. Interventions Implementation of a standardized sedation protocol. Main Outcomes and Measures Presence of sedation wean document in the electronic medical record, length of sedation wean, and need for continued wean after discharge. Results The sedation wean document was used in 92.3% patients in the postwean group. With the new process, the mean (SD) length of sedation wean was reduced from 16.19 (11.56) days in the prewean group to 8.92 (3.37) days in the postwean group ( P = .045). Fewer patients in the postwean group required continued wean after discharge (81.3% vs 33.3%; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance We implemented a systemwide process change with the goal of improving care based on best practice guidelines, which significantly decreased the time required for sedation wean following LTR. Our methodological approach may have implications for other heterogeneous patient populations requiring a sedation wean.
A Preliminary Study of Syntax in the Written Expression of Learning Disabled Children

Syntax in the written expression of five normal and five learning disabled fourth graders was assessed. Samples of written language were scored using the method prescribed for obtaining a syntax quotient in the Picture Story Language Test (Myklebust 1965). The syntax of the LD group was found to be significantly deficient when compared to that of the normal group. Previous research has documented the syntactical deficiencies in the oral language of LD children. The findings of this report suggest that syntax problems also are likely to be found in the written language of these children.
Regional ischemia during cerebral bypass surgery

BACKGROUND We evaluated brain tissue oxygen pressure (PO 2 ), carbon dioxide pressure (PCO 2 ), and pH during regional ischemia produced by temporary brain artery occlusion. METHODS This 45-year-old woman with cerebral occlusive disease was scheduled for right superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass. Two Paratrend 7 sensors measuring PO 2 , PCO 2 , and pH were inserted into the cortex in the distribution of the MCA at a distance of 1 cm from each other. Jugular bulb oxygen saturation was measured by oximetry. Local perfusion was measured with a flow probe on the MCA and using a laser Doppler. Tissue responses were recorded during: (1) 100% oxygen ventilation, (2) hypercapnia, and (3) an 18 minute occlusion of the right MCA. RESULTS Under baseline conditions, tissue PO 2 , PCO 2 , and pH suggested that ischemia was present in tissue measured by both sensors. Tissue PO 2 rose 40%-50% in both regions during 100% oxygen ventilation. During hypercapnia, blood flow increased in the MCA, but local perfusion did not increase in region 2. During temporary occlusion of the MCA, ischemic changes in PO 2 , PCO 2 , and pH were seen in region 2 but not in region 1. Local perfusion decreased 80% in region 2, where ischemic changes were seen. CONCLUSIONS These results show that changes in tissue PO 2 , PCO 2 , and pH are consistent with local perfusion. The use of multiple tissue sensors can detect the presence of watershed ischemia that is not demonstrated by jugular bulb measurement.
Deformation gradients for continuum mechanical analysis of atomistic simulations

We present an expression developed for calculating an atomic-scale deformation gradient within atomistic simulations. This expression is used to analyze the deformation fields for a one-dimensional atomic chain, a biaxially stretched thin film containing a surface ledge, and a FCC metal subject to indentation loading from a nanometer-scale indenter. The analyses presented show that the metric established here is consistent with the continuum mechanical concept of deformation gradient (which is known to have a zero curl for compatible deformations) in most instances. However, our metric does yield non-zero values of curl for atoms near loaded geometric inhomogeneities, such as those that form the ledges themselves and those beneath or adjacent to the indentation contact region. Also, we present expressions for higher order gradients of the deformation field and discuss the requirements for their calculation. These expressions are necessary for linking atomistic simulation results with advanced continuum mechanics theories such as strain gradient plasticity, thereby enabling fundamental, atomic-scale information to contribute to the formulation and parameterization of such theories.
Pore growth kinetics in heat-treated glass-like carbons

The kinetics of changes in void size during annealing of glass-like carbons in the temperature range 1000/sup 0/--2800/sup 0/C for times up to 150 h were studied using small-angle x-ray scattering determinations of the radius of gyration R/sub g/. The results show that R/sub g/ ranged from 9 A at 1000/sup 0/C to about 24 A at 2800/sup 0/C. A pore coarsening analysis and a superimposition kinetic analysis applied to R/sub g/ gave activation energies of 76 +- 4 kcal/mole and 74 +- 9 kcal/mole, respectively, which are associated with migration of vacancies within graphitic layers in the matrix material.
WAVELET-CLUSTERING-NEURAL NETWORK MODEL FOR FREEWAY INCIDENT DETECTION

This paper presents an improved freeway incident detection (FID) model that is based on speed, volume, and occupancy data from a single detector station using a combination of wavelet-based signal processing, statistical cluster analysis, and neural network pattern recognition. A comparative study of different wavelets and filtering schemes was conducted in terms of efficacy and accuracy of smoothing. It was concluded that the 4th-order Coifman wavelet is more effective than other types of wavelets for the FID problem. A statistical multivariate analysis based on the Mahalanobis distance is employed to perform data clustering and parameter reduction to reduce the size of the input space for the subsequent step of classification by the Levenberg--Marquardt backpropagation neural network. For a straight 2-lane freeway using real data, the model yields an FID rate of 100%, false alarm rate of 0.3%, and detection time of 35.6 seconds.
In‐plane permeability measurement and analysis in liquid composite molding

This work presents methods to measure and analyze in-plane permeabilities of various fabric reinforcements. The principal flow directions need to be determined first by conducting flow visualization. From the flow front pattern, the ratio of the permeabilities in the two principal directions can be determined. The pressure and the flow rate relationship from both radial and unidirectional flow measurement methods are then used to calculate the values of the permeabilities. By the use of the unidirectional flow measurement method, the edge flow effect can also be estimated.
Red‐wing blackbird reproductive behaviour and the palatability, flight performance, and morphology of temperate pierid butterflies (Colias, Pieris, and Pontia)

Abstract In presentation experiments to red-wing blackbirds in eastern Washington, palatability of pierid butterflies varied over the birds» breeding season. The cloudless sulphur Colias eurytheme/philodice was always more palatable than the cabbage white Pieris rapae and the western white Pontia occidentalis. Pontia and Pieris had similar palatabilities when demand for resources by the nestlings was relatively low. When demand for resources increased at the height of the birds» breeding season, the palatabilities of all three species increased. Moreover, Pontia was eaten more frequently than Pieris , although the difference was not significant. Differences in palatability among species were associated with differences in capturability in artificial predation experiments. Colias flew for greater durations and distances than the other species prior to capture. The three species did not differ in flight speed. However, Colias was missed more often, suggesting that the species differed in manoeuverability. Two indicators of flight performance in tropical butterflies, flight muscle ratio (thoracic mass/body mass) and the position of centre of body mass, ordered with capturability of these temperate species as predicted.
Iron ooid beds of the Carolinefjellet Formation, Spitsbergen, Norway

Iron ooid beds are unusual deposits that have been linked to greenhouse conditions and the transgressive flooding of shallow shelves, and which were globally prevalent during certain periods. Within the marine, Aptian–Albian, Carolinefjellet Formation of Spitsbergen, chamosite ooids have been found within distinctive sandstone beds at six localities, and at a consistent stratigraphic position within the basal Dalkjegla Member. Distinctive characteristics include the iron ooids themselves, a coarser grain size, intercalation with silty siderites, grading, cross-beds indicating offshore or longshore transport, and a lack of burrowing. The enclosing sands display planar and hummocky crossstratification and abundant oscillation ripple marks, and are interpreted as lagoon-attached bar complexes. The stratigraphic position and traits of the iron ooid sands are consistent with seaward storm transport and preservation within interbar swales. Ooids vary in shape considerably, and display evidence for multiple growth events. Nuclei of quartz, opaques, carbonate clasts and laminated crusts are typically encircled by finer grained tangential chamosite and opaque laminae, sometimes with outer overgrowths of calcite and/or radial chamosite. The Dalkjegla Member is the marine portion of a large-scale transgressive tract, attached to underlying fluvio-estuarine Helvetiafjellet Formation strata. A lagoonal environment associated with the basal shales of the Dalkjegla Member represents a logical setting, where riverine iron concentration and iron silicate growth could occur. The Spitsbergen iron ooid beds extend the known occurrence of Cretaceous examples, representing a less common High-Latitude example, and one not directly associated with a transgressive flooding surface.
Validation of a numerical method based on Fast Fourier Transforms for heterogeneous thermoelastic materials by comparison with analytical solutions

A numerical method based on Fast Fourier Transforms to compute the thermoelastic response of heterogeneous materials is presented and validated by comparison with analytical solutions of the Eshelby inclusion problem. Spherical and cylindrical, homogeneous and inhomogeneous inclusion configurations are used to validate the results of the proposed spectral method. Dependencies of the numerical solutions on homogeneity, geometry and resolution are also explored, and the differences with respect to known analytical solutions are quantified and discussed. In the case of homogeneous inclusions, the proposed numerical method is direct, i.e. does not require iteration. Using enough resolution, the micromechanical fields predicted for these simple geometries are shown to be in good agreement with the analytical results. The specific way in which inclusions are voxelized is also explored, and its effect on local fields near interfaces is assessed.