cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Robust and Reliable IEEE1547 Compliant Communication System for High Penetrated Renewable Energy Sources

A novel and robust communication platform, compliant with IEEE 1547.3 has been developed for a distribution system with high penetrated renewable energy resources. The proposed communication system not only provides the realtime data monitoring through a designed web interface but also makes possible to remotely regulate the output voltage of all interconnected renewable energy resources. The effect of the communication latency on the performance of the designed hierarchical controllers of the interconnected renewable energy resources has been thoroughly investigated and the contributing parameters on improving the performance of the system has been determined. The result of this analysis could be used to optimize the system controller to minimize the voltage sag of the dc link capacitor and also improving the power system operational planning. The feasibility and reliability of the proposed communication platform has been validated by simulation and experimental results.
Lack of impact of radiologic septal measurements upon patient symptoms and performance of septoplasty during endoscopic sinus surgery.

Background Recent literature suggests that concurrent septoplasty during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) improves patient outcomes, however, the underlying indications for performing concurrent septoplasty are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between objective radiologic measures of nasal septal deviation with preoperative patient symptomatology and measures of CRS disease severity. We also sought to understand the association of objective radiologic measurements with surgeon performance of concurrent septoplasty during ESS. Methodology Seventy-four patients with CRS undergoing ESS were prospectively enrolled. Angles of septal deviation, intranasal areas and volumes were assessed on preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans and correlated with a robust battery of patient reported outcomes measures (PROMs), objective measures of CRS severity including olfaction scores, radiologic and endoscopic staging, and performance of septoplasty. Results Intranasal areas and volumes demonstrated only weak linear associations with patient-reported nasal congestion, however, angles of septal deviation alone did not correlate with congestion or any other PROM measure. Meanwhile, radiologic septal-related measurements did not correlate with objective measures of CRS disease severity or the performance of a concurrent septoplasty. Conclusions Though prior studies demonstrate improved patient outcomes in the setting of concurrent septoplasty during ESS, this study failed to establish an association between preoperative radiologic septal-related measurements and patient symptomatology or surgeon decision to perform septoplasty. Although objective factors to identify patients most likely to benefit from concurrent septoplasty remain unidentified, the potential improvement of surgical recommendations and patient outcomes makes this an important area of continued investigation.
A University/School District Partnership to Close the Information, Opportunity, and Attainment Gaps for Students in Urban Schools:

This article outlines how to replicate strategies employed during a two-decade partnership between the University of North Florida’s (UNF) school counselor preparation program and Duval County Publ...
Differences in estimated persistent inward currents between ankle flexors and extensors in humans

Persistent inward currents (PICs) are responsible for amplifying motoneuronal synaptic inputs and contribute to generating normal motoneuron activation. Delta-F (ΔF) is a well-established method that estimates PICs in humans indirectly from firing patterns of individual motor units. Traditionally, motor unit firing patterns are obtained by manually decomposing electromyography (EMG) signals recorded through intramuscular electrodes (iEMG). A previous iEMG study has shown that in humans the elbow extensors have higher ΔF than the elbow flexors. In this study, EMG signals were collected from the ankle extensors and flexors using high-density surface array electrodes during isometric sitting and standing at 10-30% maximum voluntary contraction. The signals were then decomposed into individual motor unit firings. We hypothesized that comparable to the upper limb, the lower limb extensor muscles (soleus) would have higher ΔF than the lower limb flexor muscles [tibialis anterior (TA)]. Contrary to our expectations, ΔF was higher in the TA than the soleus during sitting and standing despite the difference in cohort of participants and body positions. The TA also had significantly higher maximum discharge rate than the soleus while there was no difference in rate increase. When only the unit pairs with similar maximum discharge rates were compared, ∆F was still higher in the TA than the soleus. Future studies will focus on investigating the functional significance of the findings.NEW & NOTEWORTHY With the use of high-density surface array electrodes and convolutive blind source separation algorithm, thousands of motor units were decomposed from the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles. Persistent inward currents were estimated under seated and standing conditions via delta-F (∆F) calculation, and the results showed that unlike the upper limb, the flexor has higher ∆F than the extensor in the lower limb. Future studies will focus on functional significance of the findings.
Reproduction without polarity in the work of Johann Wilhelm Ritter

The theories of reproduction that emerged at the end of the eighteenth century exhibited a range in experimental thinking about concepts of gender and sexuality. This essay focuses on the work of a writer who proposed an unusual alternative to polarity-based ideas of reproduction. Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776–1810) was a physicist and friend to the German Romantics and someone whose writing also shares many interests with German Naturphilosophie. The essay discusses how, inspired by ideas from the alchemical tradition, Ritter challenged conventional thinking about reproduction in two significant ways: by linking it to the idea of rotation, and by using the figure of the androgyne to understand reproductive models in terms of triads, rather than oppositional pairings. A further objective of this essay is to consider which aspects of the alchemical tradition proved the most useful for Ritter’s experimental thinking and to show how he integrated them with reflections on contemporary scientific developments around 1800.
In-Person and Virtual World Mindfulness Training: Trust, Satisfaction, and Learning.

Virtual worlds (VWs) present a viable, low-cost delivery mechanism for telehealth services. Although preliminary reports support the effectiveness of VWs in terms of health metrics, few studies hav...
Conversational User Interfaces As Assistive interlocutors For Young Children's Bilingual Language Acquisition

Children in a large number of international and cross-cultural families in and outside of the US learn and speak more than one language. However, parents often struggle to acquaint their young children with their local language if the child spends majority of time at home and with their spoken language if they go to daycare or school. By reviewing relevant literature about the role of screen media content in young children's language learning, and interviewing a subset of parents raising multilingual children, we explore the potential of designing conversational user interfaces which can double as an assistive language aid.We present a preliminary list of objectives to guide the the design of conversational user interfaces dialogue for young children's bilingual language acquisition.
Characterization of bridge substructures explored by leveraging structural identification of a scaled bridge model

Abstract Characterization and evaluation of bridge substructures, especially when as-built information is missing, are needed to assess the vulnerability of bridges to natural hazards, other possible causes of bridge failure, and as prerequisites for bridge substructure and foundation reuse. Structural identification has been investigated as a tool for characterizing and evaluating bridge substructures. Structural identification offers advantages over conventional methods especially by integrating information from structural testing and local NDE approaches. During field investigations the authors observed significant challenges to assessing substructure characteristics such as embedded depth, even for simple piers on spread footing foundations. It is found that impact excitation on bridge superstructure or even directly on substructure aiming for conventional flexural modes in the lower frequency band is not sufficient for a reliable identification of the substructure and its surrounding soil. To understand better the challenges limiting reliable structural identification of bridge substructures, a phenomenological scaled bridge model with strip footing, mimicking an actual bridge on shallow foundations, was designed, fabricated and utilized for controlled laboratory testing. The scaled bridge model could be modified to comprehend the sensitivity of bridge substructure modal properties to: i) stiffness of bridge bearings (causing coupling between superstructure and substructure) and ii) foundation substrate compliance. A finite element representation of the physical model, with a Multiphysics Simulation Finite Element Software, was calibrated and was then exploited to perform further sensitivity studies which confirmed the potential of high frequency axial and flexural modes of the substructures to: iii) identify shallow foundation embedded depth, and iv) characterize the soil substructure interaction. Throughout the paper, different challenges affecting structural identification for characterization and evaluation of bridge substructures and possible countermeasures are discussed. Findings of the study indicate that a high frequency bandwidth covering the axial vibrational modes of the substructure is necessary if structural identification is used for estimating shallow foundation embedded depth. Such a bandwidth is not possible in conjunction with ambient monitoring, pointing to the necessity of a controlled multi-inputmultioutput (MIMO) dynamic testing.
The social amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 risk perception shaping mask wearing behavior: A longitudinal twitter analysis.

Author(s): Hopfer, Suellen; Fields, Emilia J; Lu, Yuwen; Ramakrishnan, Ganesh; Grover, Ted; Bai, Quishi; Huang, Yicong; Li, Chen; Mark, Gloria | Abstract: IntroductionTwitter represents a mainstream news source for the American public, offering a valuable vehicle for learning how citizens make sense of pandemic health threats like Covid-19. Masking as a risk mitigation measure became controversial in the US. The social amplification risk framework offers insight into how a risk event interacts with psychological, social, institutional, and cultural communication processes to shape Covid-19 risk perception.MethodsQualitative content analysis was conducted on 7,024 mask tweets reflecting 6,286 users between January 24 and July 7, 2020, to identify how citizens expressed Covid-19 risk perception over time. Descriptive statistics were computed for (a) proportion of tweets using hyperlinks, (b) mentions, (c) hashtags, (d) questions, and (e) location.ResultsSix themes emerged regarding how mask tweets amplified and attenuated Covid-19 risk: (a) severity perceptions (18.0%) steadily increased across 5 months; (b) mask effectiveness debates (10.7%) persisted; (c) who is at risk (26.4%) peaked in April and May 2020; (d) mask guidelines (15.6%) peaked April 3, 2020, with federal guidelines; (e) political legitimizing of Covid-19 risk (18.3%) steadily increased; and (f) mask behavior of others (31.6%) composed the largest discussion category and increased over time. Of tweets, 45% contained a hyperlink, 40% contained mentions, 33% contained hashtags, and 16.5% were expressed as a question.ConclusionsUsers ascribed many meanings to mask wearing in the social media information environment revealing that COVID-19 risk was expressed in a more expanded range than objective risk. The simultaneous amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 risk perception on social media complicates public health messaging about mask wearing.
Current Status of Neonatal Heart Transplantation

Neonatal heart transplantation has assumed equivalent, if not preferred, status in the treatment of complex congenital heart disease. Transplantation becomes even more efficacious when structural anomalies include systemic outflow obstruction. Its evolution through early experimental work on newborn goat allografts to the first successful cardiac allotrans-plant in 1985 in a neonate with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is well chronicled.1,2 These fundamental efforts documented normal growth, development and exercise tolerance in the recipient newborn.3
Preparation of human kininogen. 3. Enzymatic digestion and modification.

Abstract Purified human plasma kininogen of mol. wt 70,000 has been shown to be resistant to carboxypeptidase B treatment and to be a substrate for both plasma and urinary kallikrein. Two kininogen-containing peaks isolated from fresh plasma by stepwise column Chromatography on Sephadex DEAE-A50 were shown to have identical mobility upon disc gel electrophoresis in 8 M urea or after neuraminidase treatment and to have sedimentation coefficients slightly smaller and slightly larger than that of albumin. These data, together with a difference in partial specific volume, suggest a role for carbohydrate content in accounting for the apparent heterogeneity of kininogens.
The Economy and Suicide

Abstract. The suicide rate for the U.S.A. for the period of 1940–84 was posited to be the consequence of the interplay of economic and social variables. The single equation regression was applied to the suicide rates for the total population and for the four sex by race social groups. The results indicated that: (1) suicide rates did not increase during the economic booms and busts as predicted by Durkheim, and the change depended upon the social groups involved; (2) the unemployment rate had significant detrimental impact only on the white male suicide rate; (3) the female labor force participation rate had beneficial impact on both the white and non-white female suicide rates; (4) the divorce rate was the only variable that had a consistent impact for all social groups; and (5) membership in the Catholic Church had a positive association with the suicide rates.
Willingness to Pay for Climate Policy: A Review of Estimates

One explanation for the modest pace of efforts to mitigate climate change, both federally and internationally, is that constituents do not ascribe much beneficial value to new laws that change the way we produce and consume energy. We surveyed estimates of consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for climate policy to: (1) assess the validity of this explanation, (2) compare elicitation techniques, and (3) explore factors that might explain variation in WTP estimates. We recalculated WTP estimates on an equivalent basis across 27 studies and found a range for WTP of $22-$437/household annually, with a median of $135. We also discuss outliers not included in this range. Discrepancies among estimates drawn from American, Asian, and European samples enable some preliminary inferences about the effects of nationality on WTP for climate stability. Environmental attitudes and beliefs are common explanatory elements in WTP surveys. Others include income, education, and political views. While valuation methods and survey types vary, the great majority of existing work in this area has relied on contingent valuation.
Management of peripheral pulmonary emboli with the use of transvenous catheter-directed thrombolysis and right ventricular assist device.

Objectives Pulmonary emboli (PE) can result in significant hemodynamic instability that requires urgent intervention; however, the management of peripheral emboli has been controversial. Patients and Methods We present two patients in whom a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) was used in treating peripheral pulmonary embolism, applying the technique of pulmonary artery catheter-directed thrombolysis after resuscitation with an RVAD. Results The clot burden was not suitable for surgical embolectomy due to its peripheral locations. The patients' hemodynamic conditions improved with thrombolytic therapy and gradually were weaned off the RVAD. Follow-up scans showed near resolution of all PE. Conclusion Catheter-directed thrombolysis with an RVAD as an adjunct should be considered in management of peripheral PE. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12185 (J Card Surg 2013;28:611–615)
Management trends in stage I testicular seminoma: Impact of race, insurance status, and treatment facility

BACKGROUND The management of stage I testicular seminoma is evolving rapidly. This study examined modern trends in the management of stage I testicular seminoma and the effects of sociodemographic factors on therapy choice. METHODS Data from the National Cancer Data Base on 34,067 patients with stage I testicular seminoma who were treated between 1998 and 2011 were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with adjuvant management strategies. RESULTS For patients with stage IA/B testicular seminoma, rates of observation after orchiectomy increased from 23.7% to 54.0%, the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy increased from 1.5% to 16.0%, and the receipt of radiotherapy decreased from 70.8% to 28.8%. A similar pattern was seen in stage IS testicular seminoma, although these patients were more likely to receive adjuvant radiotherapy/chemotherapy (60.7% vs 44.8% for stage IA/B in 2011, P < .001). For patients with stage IA/B testicular seminoma, observation after orchiectomy was more common in racial minorities (odds ratio [OR] for blacks vs whites, 1.31, P < .001; OR for Hispanics vs whites, 1.39, P < .001) and in the uninsured (OR for uninsured vs privately insured, 1.33, P < .001) and less common at community centers (OR for community centers vs National Cancer Institute–designated cancer centers, 0.80, P = .044). In those with stage IA/B testicular seminoma who received adjuvant radiotherapy/chemotherapy, the receipt of chemotherapy was more common at academic centers and for patients with nonprivate insurance. CONCLUSIONS Postorchiectomy observation in stage I testicular seminoma has increased significantly in recent years, as has the receipt of chemotherapy, whereas the receipt of radiotherapy has declined, particularly at academic centers. Race, insurance status, and facility type are strongly associated with the choice of adjuvant management. Cancer 2015;121:681–687. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
Tidal geomorphology affects phytoplankton at the transition from forested streams to tidal rivers

Summary 1. Coastal rivers can have long tidally influenced reaches that are affected by tides but do not contain saline water. These tidal freshwater reaches have steep geomorphic gradients where the river transitions from narrow, heavily shaded streams to wide, unshaded channels. The influence of these gradients on river ecosystem production is poorly understood. 2. We characterised gradients in irradiance, geomorphology, water clarity and chlorophyll a along 9- to 16-km tidal freshwater reaches of the Newport and White Oak Rivers in North Carolina, USA, and examined the effect of nutrient enrichment on phytoplankton growth in the Newport River. Underwater irradiance was modelled at 2–4 week intervals along both rivers using measurements of the above-canopy irradiance, canopy cover, water column light attenuation (Kd) and water depth. Suspended material (TSS), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and chlorophyll a were sampled at 2-week interval at five sites on the Newport River and on four dates at four sites on the White Oak River over the course of one year. 3. Phytoplankton nutrient limitation was assessed at three locations along the tidal gradient. River water was collected during March, April, June and October, and incubated in 10-L plastic outdoor containers under ambient water temperature and sunlight. Additions of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus served as treatments; growth rate during the 4 days of incubation was calculated from the change in chlorophyll a concentration over time. 4. Canopy cover decreased from more than 90% to <10% over the length of both tidal freshwater rivers. Water column irradiance and phytoplankton biomass increased as tree canopy cover decreased and channel width increased. Channel width exceeded predictions for non-tidal rivers by threefold because of tidal influence. TSS and DOC decreased significantly along the length of the Newport River, but no significant gradients were observed in the White Oak River. Kd did not vary along the tidal gradient of either river. 5. Mesocosm experiments indicated that inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus enhanced the growth of phytoplankton advected from the non-tidal river into the tidal freshwater river during spring and summer. Phytoplankton in the tidal freshwater reach were generally not nutrient limited. 6. Tidal hydrology (in the absence of saltwater) directly affected the morphology of the channel and indirectly affected biological growth and production. The significant increase in river width, irradiance and phytoplankton biomass distinguished these tidal freshwater ecosystems from their upstream (non-tidal fluvial) counterparts, while the strong influence of riparian shading distinguished them from the saline estuaries downstream. Future development of ecosystem and biogeochemical models for tidal freshwater rivers will benefit from the linkages between geomorphology and biological processes identified here.
An inducible antipredatory defense in haploid cells of the marine microalga Emiliania huxleyi (Prymnesiophyceae)

Microzooplankton are important consumers of phytoplankton primary production, but phytoplankton defenses against these predators are not well understood despite their expected importance. We tested for inducible defenses in the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi, an abundant and cosmopolitan bloom-forming species with a heteromorphic haploid-diploid life cycle, against the ciliate predator Strombidinopsis acuminatum. We hypothesized that the two life-cycle phases (calcifying diploid and motile noncalcifying haploid) of E. huxleyi are differently defended against predation. Using short-term (30 min) ingestion rate assays, we compared predation on E. huxleyi that had been previously exposed to predators for 24 h to predation on naive (unexposed) E. huxleyi. Prey were considered to have a defense response when ingestion rates on naive cells were higher than ingestion rates on predator-exposed cells. Haploid E. huxleyi had a strong defense response, with a 25–43% reduction in ingestion rate due to predator exposure, whereas diploid E. huxleyi had no defense response. Haploid E. huxleyi grown with reduced nutrient availability showed no defense response when initially offered to ciliates (although there was evidence of a delayed defense response). Additionally, the presence of defended haploid E. huxleyi did not reduce ciliate ingestion on another prey species (Heterocapsa triquetra). This defense system points to complex predator-prey interactions as key factors controlling the structure and function of marine planktonic communities.
Treating connectionism properly: Reflections on Smolensky

In this essay, I undertake to examine the principal theses of Paul Smolensky's 1988Behavioral and Brain Sciences target article, “On the proper treatment of connectionism,” from the point of view of the methodology and epistemology of science, that is, the philosophical theory of theories in general. After exploring the instrumentalist and realist views of the relationships between micro- and macrotheories on their ”home ground” in the natural sciences, the procedures by which a phenomenally described cognitive task is “prepared” for symbolic or subsymbolic modeling, and the contrast between the deliberate conscious reasoning processes of a novice and “intuitive” behavior of an expert in solving a given family of cognitive problems, I argue that although Smolensky is right about what it would take for connectionist subsymbolic models to relate to symbolic models as micro- to macrotheories, he is wrong in concluding that they do. On the contrary, it would be something of a miracle if the idealized nomological structure of the behavior of stochastic patterns of activity over large numbers of subsymbolic units in a connectionist machine corresponded even approximately to the nomological structure of the “conceptual level” behavior of a Von Neumann computer running off a program whose syntax had been explicitly designed to structurally operationalize a determinate fragment of intentional semantics — unless, of course, the connectionist machine had been deliberately constructed to implement the symbol processor in the first place. I conclude that the proper treatment of connectionism is to be found among the “blandly ecumenical” proposals for irenic cooperation and division of labor that Smolensky considers and rejects.
Imagetext in The Winter's Tale

In The Winter's Tale, the theme of jealousy is encoded in terms of word/image dynamics: men speak at and about women, who are treated as passive images. The character of Hermione, who appears to die before being magically restored to life, greatly complicates this normative binary. This article thinks through the implications of Hermione's representation by applying W.J.T. Mitchell's observations about the ideological motivations present within the relationship between spoken discourse and visual representation. For Mitchell, the word/image distinction functions to naturalise social inequalities, such as gender binaries. This is especially true in the Renaissance, when women were expected to be “chaste, silent, and obedient.” But as Mitchell demonstrates, the word/image binary is inherently unstable and therefore susceptible to destabilisation. The article looks specifically at how Hermione's status as a living statue, or speaking image, challenges the discursive assumptions of male power.
Pseudo myocardial infarction and pseudo ventricular hypertrophy ECG patterns in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

In Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, the ventricles are pre-excited through an accessory conduction pathway, bundle of Kent, which directly connects atria with ventricles bypassing the atrioventricular node. The altered sequence of ventricular activation secondary to presence of the bundle of Kent may cause pseudo myocardial infarction and pseudo ventricular hypertrophy patterns on electrocardiogram. The morphology of these pseudo electrocardiographic patterns depends on the anatomical location of the bundle of Kent around the circumference of the atrioventricular ring. Electrocardiograms of the WPW syndrome displaying morphology of different pseudo patterns are presented and the mechanisms causing pseudo patterns are reviewed.
Markers of atherosclerosis and inflammation and mortality in patients with HIV infection

Abstract Objective HIV-infected patients are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, which may be mediated in part by inflammation. Surrogate marker studies suggest an increased prevalence of vascular abnormalities in HIV infection. We examined the association of all-cause mortality in HIV-infected patients with carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Design and methods Baseline risk factors, cIMT and hsCRP were prospectively measured in 327 HIV-infected participants. Follow-up time with median of 3.1 years was calculated from baseline to death or censored dated 7/31/07. Cox Proportional Hazards models were used to study risk factors associated with mortality. Results Thirty-eight (11.6%) of participants have died since study enrollment. cIMT was significantly higher in those who died and decedents were significantly more likely to have cIMT above the 75th percentile. Those who died had higher hsCRP than those alive and more had hsCRP values above 3mg/L. CD4 count was lower and log 10 viral load was higher in decedents, but antiretroviral regimens were similar in both groups. cIMT and hsCRP levels were significantly associated with mortality (HR=2.74, 95% CI 1.26–5.97, p =0.01; HR=2.38, 95% CI 1.15–4.9, p =0.02). Conclusions Our study demonstrated a strong association of carotid IMT and hsCRP with all-cause death in this HIV-infected population despite being similar with respect to exposure to antiretroviral medications. Together these surrogate markers may be indices of chronic inflammation and unfavorable outcomes in HIV-positive patients.
Data science as an undergraduate degree

The purpose of this panel is to discuss the creation and implementation of a data science degree program at the undergraduate level. The panel includes representatives from three different universities that each offers an undergraduate degree in Data Science as of fall 2013. We plan to share information on the logistics of how the data science programs came to exist at each of our schools as well as encourage a robust interactive discussion about the future of data science education at the undergraduate level.
A peripheral sensory-to-motor neuron reflex arc in an arthropod walking leg

Abstract 1. 1. Claws of Limulus walking legs, when removed from the animal, close spontaneously or reflexively in response to tactile stimulation. 2. 2. Electrical stimulation of claw sensory nerves evoked claw closing, as did stimulation of motor neurons in the large leg nerve. 3. 3. Curare (10 −6 M) injected into the claw blocked the former but not the latter. 4. 4. Acetylcholine (10 −4 M), injected into the claw, evoked claw closing and bursts of impulses. 5. 5. These and other results suggest that peripheral cholinergic sensory-motor synapses in the claw mediate reflexive and spontaneous closing. 6. 6. Reflexive closing in the isolated claw was shown not to be an artifact of the dissection procedure, as had been previously suggested.
Lipid and inflammatory biomarkers and kidney function decline in type 2 diabetes

Potentially modifiable biomarkers may influence the decline in estimated GFR (eGFR), but few data are currently available in type 2 diabetic adults. We studied 516 women with type 2 diabetes in the Nurses’ Health Study with data on lipid and inflammatory biomarkers from plasma collected in 1989 and plasma creatinine in samples collected in 1989 and 2000. An estimated GFR decline of ≥25% over 11 years was the outcome of interest. Comparing the highest with the lowest quartile, soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 2 (sTNFR-2) was independently associated with an eGFR decline of ≥25% (multivariate OR 5.81; 95% CI 2.90–11.65); this association was stronger in obese women (OR 16.76; 95% CI 4.69–59.90 for BMI ≥30 kg/m2; OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.12–6.89 for BMI <30 kg/m2; p for interaction = 0.02). No lipids (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerols, lipoprotein(a), or apolipoprotein B) or other markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, E-selectin, intracellular cell adhesion molecule 1, leptin or adiponectin) were significantly associated with eGFR decline after multivariable adjustment. Elevated sTNFR-2 levels may be an important and potentially modifiable risk factor for eGFR decline in type 2 diabetes, especially in those with a BMI of ≥30 kg/m2.
Practice theory for clinical social work

It is suggested that practice theory for clinical social work practice is in a state of disarray. Six new books on clinical social work practice are reviewed, with an identification of their contributions to the development of clinical practice theory. The expanded societal functions of clinical social work have resulted in major changes in method and in practice activities, without commensurate development of appropriate theory, as about environmental-situational interventions. Good theoretical advances have been made, as about a basic ecological systems model, though with need for a greater openness to new theories and to an eclectic approach. Advances have also been made in clinical research and knowledge building, handicapped though this may be by current critical inadequacies in the professional schools, particularly in the continued resistance to the development of clinical doctorate programs.
On identifying academic homepages for digital libraries

Academic homepages are rich sources of information on scientific research and researchers. Most researchers provide information about themselves and links to their research publications on their homepages. In this study, we address the following questions related to academic homepages: (1) How many academic homepages are there on the web? (2) Can we accurately discriminate between academic homepages and other webpages? and (3) What information can be extracted about researchers from their homepages? For addressing the first question, we use mark-recapture techniques commonly employed in biometrics to estimate animal population sizes. Our results indicate that academic homepages comprise a small fraction of the Web making automatic methods for discriminating them crucial. We study the performance of content-based features for classifying webpages. We propose the use of topic models for identifying content-based features for classification and show that a small set of LDA-based features out-perform term features selected using traditional techniques such as aggregate term frequencies or mutual information. Finally, we deal with the extraction of name and research interests information from an academic homepage. Term-topic associations obtained from topic models are used to design a novel, unsupervised technique to identify short segments corresponding to research interests of the researchers specified in academic homepages. We show the efficacy of our proposed methods on all the three tasks by experimentally evaluating them on multiple publicly-available datasets.
INTRACELLULAR CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT

The intracellular movement of cholesterol in mam- malian cells may involve complex pathways by which the sterol moves to various cellular sites and mediates transcriptional regu- lation, enzyme activation, and protein degradation. Current evidence indicates that there are three distinct pathways modulating intracellular cholesterol trafficking. The movement of endogenously synthesized cholesterol from the endoplasmic reticulum appears to be distinct from movement of exogenous, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived cholesterol to the plasma membrane. In addition, steroidogenic cells possess a third mechanism by which cholesterol is transported to the mitochon- dria to initiate steroid hormone synthesis. In this review, we have outlined the current knowledge of cholesterol transport mecha- nisms and pathways and have described approaches that may help define cholesterol trafficking mechanisms in molecular de- tail. The use of genetic and molecular biologic techniques can potentially reveal gene products that are involved in intracellular cholesterol transport and regulation as well as those that may secondarily affect this process.-Liscum, L., and N. K. Dahl. Intracellular cholesterol transport. J. Lipid Res. 1992. 33: 1239-1254.
C-reactive protein: from innocent bystander to pivotal mediator of atherosclerosis

There is compelling evidence that C-reactive protein is a sensitive marker for the development of cardiovascular disease in the general population. Recent studies suggest that C-reactive protein is not only a biomarker but also an active mediator in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We review the evidence and suggest mechanisms by which C-reactive protein can damage arterial endothelium and promote the development of atherosclerotic lesions, including the effects of C-reactive protein on arterial endothelial activation, macrophage recruitment, and foam cell generation. The direct role of C-reactive protein in sustaining a proinflammatory and procoagulant milieu within the arterial neointima is emphasized. We also discuss the evidence that C-reactive protein can injure arterial endothelium. Finally, we review therapies that target C-reactive protein for primary prevention and for the treatment of atherosclerotic diseases.
Conformal deposition of LPCVD TEOS

The step coverage of dielectrics is important for the microelectronics industry and critical to Micro-machined products and High Voltage MEMS drivers. The techniques used to fabricate MEMS structures require void free refill processes and even film deposition along deep trenches to protect against etch chemistries. High voltage drivers used to actuate MEMS devices benefit from dielectric isolation, which reduces the need for large tub formation between devices. It also enables 'system on chip' solutions for MEMs devices and protection against voltage spikes. This paper presents a process developed at Analog Devices Belfast that enables an LPCVD TEOS furnace to perform a highly conformal trench refill without equipment modification. The conformality is over 95% for 20 micrometer deep trenches and maintains a conformality greater than 85% in 50 micrometer deep trenches. This compares with 75% conformality which is considered excellent for 20 micrometer trench refills obtained using previous LPCVD TEOS processing. The process is shown to have benefits in conformality, breakdown voltage, and stress over standard trench fill processes including Ozone TEOS. The densification of the TEOS film has been optimized for electrical parameters using CV and IV techniques, while XPS, FTIR and spectroscopic ellipsometry are used for physical characterization. Stress is a very important parameter for micro-machining and the conformal TEOS has a film stress which is tensile 30 - 40 MPa as deposited and compressive 100 MPa after densification. The breakdown voltage has been measured at 8.5 MV/cm compared to 7.5 - 9 MV/cm for a typical densified TEOS film and the refractive index is 1.456 compared to 1.465 for a thermal oxide. Analog Devices Belfast is part of the Micro-machined Products division and provides SOI and customized SOI for the MEMs and IC market.
In search of Paleolithic dogs: a quest with mixed results

Abstract Archaeological evidence has long placed the origins of the domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris ) just prior to the beginning of the Holocene Epoch, some 12,000–15,000 years ago. Some studies of genetic profiles of modern canids have, however, suggested a much earlier origin, dating to Paleolithic times and perhaps exceeding 100,000 years. With such studies as a backdrop, cases have been made recently on archaeological grounds for Paleolithic dogs that in certain cases exceed 30,000 years old. When examined systematically, however, some such studies exhibit conceptual and methodological flaws, calling into serious question the accuracy of the cases advanced. At least one recent study highlights that difficulty. When a series of cases for putative Paleolithic dogs is assessed, convincing cases for such dogs are confined to about the past 15,000 years, or latest Paleolithic times. Further developments on certain specific fronts may change that, but for the time being the longstanding archaeological understanding of the dog domestication time frame continues to be reasonably accurate. Recent molecular genetic studies are converging on that temporal framework as well. Archaeologists need not be automatically swayed by ongoing changes in molecular genetic profiles.
Suppression of visual evoked responses to flashes and pattern shifts during voluntary saccades.

The visual evoked response was completely suppressed when either low intensity flashes of light or shifting patterns of narrow black and white stripes were presented at the onset of eye movements. Suppression did not occur when more intense flashes or wider stripes were employed. The similarity of effects suggest that the suppression mechanism operates independently of the type of stimuli which excite the retina. Since image displacement per se can not account for the observed results, the experiments support the view that eye movement plays a critical role in the elevation of visual thresholds during saccades.
Wy-48,252 (1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[3-(2-quinolinylmethoxy)phenyl]methane sulfonamide) an orally active leukotriene D4 antagonist: pharmacological characterization in vitro and in vivo in the guinea pig.

The following communicates the pharmacology of Wy-48,252 (1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[3-(2-quinolinylmethoxy)phenyl]methanesulfonamide) a chemically novel and orally potent leukotriene (LT) D4 receptor antagonist. In the isolated guinea-pig trachea pretreated with indomethacin (5 microM) and L-cysteine (10 mM), Wy-48,252 antagonized TD4-induced contraction with a pKB = 7.6. Against LTC4 on tissues pretreated with IND and glutathione (10 mM), Wy-48,252 had a pKB greater than 5. Wy-48,252 (10 microM) did not antagonize pilocarpine-, histamine- or PGF2 alpha-induced tracheal contraction. Further, in the presence of indomethacin and chlorpheniramine (1 microM), Wy-48,252 dose-dependently inhibited the antigen-induced contraction of guinea-pig trachea in a manner consistent with antagonism at the LTD4 receptor and inhibition of LT synthesis. In the Konzett-Rossler model of i.v. LTD4-induced bronchoconstriction in indomethacin treated guinea pigs, intragastric Wy-48,252 (2 hr) had an ID50 of 100 micrograms/kg and a functional half-life of 5 hr. Against i.v. antigen-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs treated with indomethacin and chlorpheniramine, intragastric Wy-48,252 (2 hr) had an ID50 of 0.6 mg/kg and a 5 hr half life. Intragastric Wy-48,252 also selectively blocked the cutaneous wheal reaction to intradermal LTD4 but not histamine. We conclude that Wy-48,252 is distinguished from other selective LTD4 receptor antagonists by its oral potency and should be useful in ascertaining the role of LTD4 mediated processes in asthma, allergy and animal models.
“The Song Is Unfinished” The New Literate and Literary and Their Institutions

In this article, the author builds on McHenry and Heath’s study of the “literate” and the “literary” and McHenry’s research on “forgotten readers” by examining the often undocumented literacy traditions and practices of men and women of African descent. First, the author traces the legacy of blended traditions of both written and spoken words in African American writing and activism. Continuing with an examination of Black literary and social movements, the author asserts that the recent renaissance of activities around literacy, such as spoken word poetry events as well as writing collectives, contributes to a historical continuum. Ultimately, the author shows the importance of the inextricable link between history, literacy studies, and the teaching of language arts.
Rural older adults' likelihood of receiving a personal response system: The Arkansas medicaid waiver program☆

Abstract This study examined the relationships between older adults' likelihood of receiving a personal response system (PRS) and (1) predisposing characteristics (gender, race, marital status, age, and education level); (2) enabling characteristics (living alone, living in an extended family), and availability of informal (family/ friend) caregivers; and (3) need characteristics (physical and cognitive function). PRS applies modem communication technology to protect older adults living in the community by sending an automatic telephone call for help if a person at home cannot use normal means for signalling an emergency. The study sample consisted of older adults ( N = 553) living in rural areas of Arkansas and enrolled in a Medicaid waiver program for community-based services. Nurse case-managers evaluated the participants in their homes and decided whether PRS should be prescribed. Fifty-two percent of respondents were prescribed PRS free of charge by the nurse case-managers. We entered the three sets of characteristics into an adapted version of Andersen's behavioral model of health services utilization (Andersen, 1968, Andersen, 1995). We used logistic regression to evaluate the effects of predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics' relationships in relation to receipt of PRS. Based upon multivariate analysis, four variables—living alone, cognitive and physical function, and race—had statistically significant direct effects on PRS prescription. In other words, after adjusting for the effects of predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, cognitive intactness and living alone had the strongest positive effects on receiving PRS, followed by being Caucasian and having difficulties performing activities of daily living (i.e., assistance needed with bathing, dressing, toileting, and moving in/out of bed/chairs). Our results should be of value in designing, planning, and implementing PRS systems in rural areas.
Diagnosis and Management of Delayed Puberty

THREE percent of children are delayed in developing secondary sexual characteristics, on the basis of statistical considerations (1, 2). The best estimates for current pubertal milestones in North American children are given in Table 1 (3). Males present more often with this complaint, apparently due to the ascertainment bias which results from the psychosocial pressures on small and sexually immature males. The vast majority of children with delayed puberty will prove to have no pathology: such children have constitutional delay (CD) in growth and development. Children with this benign variant of normal growth uniformly possess an excellent prognosis for normal stature and secondary sexual development. On the other hand, they must be distinguished from the small fraction of children with pathological causes of delayed puberty. Characteristic Features of Constitutional Delay The characteristic features of CD are: 1) Puberty is not delayed beyond the chronological age of 16 yr in females and 18 yr in males,
The response of arterial pressure to halothane: A systems analysis

The relationship between the delivered halothane concentration, and the mean arterial pressure was studied by systems analysis techniques in dogs. Halothane administration was controlled by a servo motor.
Toxic fables: the advertising and marketing of agricultural chemicals in the great plains, 1945-1985.

This paper examines how pesticides and their technologies were sold to farmers and pilots throughout the midtwentieth century. It principally considers how marketing rhetoric and advertisement strategies used by chemical companies and aerial spraying firms influenced the practices and perspectives of farm producers in the Great Plains. In order to convince landowners and agricultural leaders to buy their pesticides, chemical companies generated advertisements that championed local crop health, mixture accuracy, livestock safety and a chemical-farming ‘way of life’ that kept fields healthy and productive. Combining notions of safety, accuracy and professionalism with pest eradication messages reinforced the standards that landowners, pilots and agriculturalists would hold regarding toxicity and risk when spraying their fields. As the politics of health changed in the aftermath of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, these companies and aerial spraying outfits responded by keeping to a vision of agricultural health that required poisons for protection through technological accuracy.