cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of the Choosing the Best Program in Communities Committed to Abstinence Education

States vary in standards for sex education, some requiring an emphasis on abstinence. Schools seek to identify curricula that reflect local community values and meet state standards. Choosing the Best (CTB), a classroom-based abstinence education curriculum, has been implemented in 75 Georgia school districts since 1995. CTB Inc., sought to determine if this popular program had an impact on abstinence attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Six Georgia public schools (1,143 ninth graders) participated in the study in 2009-2010. Four randomly assigned schools received the CTB curriculum, taught by trained CTB staff. Two control schools received their usual textbook-based abstinence lessons. Surveys were conducted at the beginning and end of 9th grade, and the beginning of 10th grade. Data demonstrated significant impact of CTB at the end of 9th grade on commitment to abstinence, proabstinence beliefs and attitudes, intentions to maintain abstinence, and lower onset of sexual intercourse, and at the beginning of 10th grade on proabstinence attitudes. In two communities that sought an abstinence education approach, CTB had a short-term impact on abstinence attitudes, commitment, and behaviors, and a longer term impact on abstinence attitudes only.
Cut Points for Lipids and Lipoproteins in Children and Adolescents: Should They Be Reassessed?

Antecedent plasma concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins are associated with both early pathologic lesions of atherosclerosis and arterial changes in vivo, such as carotid intima media thickness (IMT)1 and endothelial dysfunction (1)(2). Healthy normolipidemic Finnish children, treated with a low–saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet from the age of 7 months to 11 years, had less carotid IMT than controls. In Dutch children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), treatment for 2 years with a similar diet and an inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductase led to decreased carotid IMT compared to IMT in FH children treated with diet and placebo. Impaired endothelial dysfunction in FH children, as judged by flow-mediated dilation, improved significantly in those treated with simvastatin vs those on placebo, to a level similar to that in healthy non-FH controls. These findings have raised considerable interest in identifying children and adolescents with dyslipidemia and to initiate treatment with diet and, when necessary, with drugs. Screening of children for dyslipidemia has traditionally been focused on those with a positive family history of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and those whose parents have CVD or dyslipidemia (primarily hypercholesterolemia). Unfortunately, screening by family history of CVD or hypercholesterolemia fails to detect 17% to 90% of those with significant dyslipidemia (1). Although 50% of offspring of parents with premature CVD will have dyslipidemia, such parents are usually in their 40s, delaying the detection of dyslipidemia in their children. Conversely, considerable data indicate that lipid and lipoprotein concentrations track from childhood into adulthood, especially total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, non–HDL-C (the estimated cholesterol concentration of all the apolipoprotein B–containing lipoproteins, i.e., TC minus HDL-C) (1). Given all of the above results, the alternative approach of universal screening is receiving greater attention. Screening requires the use of cut points to identify individuals with dyslipidemia. …
Rule-Based Support Vector Machine Classifiers Applied to Tornado Prediction

A rule-based Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier is applied to tornado prediction. Twenty rules based on the National Severe Storms Laboratory’s mesoscale detection algorithm are used along with SVM to develop a hybrid forecast system for the discrimination of tornadic from non-tornadic events. The use of the Weather Surveillance Radar 1998 Doppler data, with continuous data streaming in every six minutes, presents a source for a dynamic data driven application system. Scientific inquiries based on these data are useful for dynamic data driven application systems (DDDAS). Sensitivity analysis is performed by changing the threshold values of the rules. Numerical results show that the optimal hybrid model outperforms the direct application of SVM by 12.7 percent.
Monodomain response of finite-aspect-ratio macromolecules in shear and related linear flows

Recent extensions of the Doi kinetic theory for monodisperse nematic liquids describe rigid, axisymmetric, ellipsoidal macromolecules with finite aspect ratio. Averaging and presumed linear flow fields provide tensor dynamical systems for mesoscopic, bulk orientation response, parameterized by molecular aspect ratio. In this paper we explore phenomena associated with finite vs infinite aspect ratios, which alter the most basic features of monodomain attractors: steady vs unsteady, in-plane vs out-of-plane, multiplicity of attracting states, and shear-induced transitions. For example, the Doi moment-closure model predicts a period-doubling cascade in simple shear to a chaotic monodomain attractor for aspect ratios around 3:1 or 1:3, similar to full kinetic simulations by Grosso et al. [Grosso M, Keunings R, Crescitelli S, Maffettone PL (2001), Prediction of chaotic dynamics in sheared liquid crystalline polymers. Preprint (2001) and lecture, Society of Rheology Annual Meeting, Hilton Head, SC, February 2001] for infinite aspect ratios. We develop symmetries of mesoscopic tensor models robust to closure approximations but specific to linear flow fields, and analytical methods to determine: Simulations highlight the degree to which scaling properties of Leslie-Ericksen theory are violated. By varying molecular aspect ratio, any shear-induced monodomain is reproducible among the well-known closure approximations, yet no single closure rule suffices to capture all known attractors and transition scenarios.
Research Commentary---Virtual Worlds: A Performative Perspective on Globally Distributed, Immersive Work

Virtual worlds are immersive, simulated, persistent, and dynamic environments that include rich graphical three dimensional spaces, high fidelity audio, motion, viewpoint, and interactivity. Initially dismissed as environments of play, virtual worlds have gained legitimacy in business and educational settings for their application in globally distributed work, project management, online learning, and real-time simulation. Understanding the emergent aspects of these virtual worlds and their implications for organizations will require both new theories and new methods. We propose that a performative perspective may be particularly useful as it challenges the existence of independent objects with fixed or given properties and boundaries, and focuses instead on situated and relational practices that enact entangled and contingent boundaries, entities, identities, and effects.
The Influence of Host Species and Location in the Host Detection Ability of Tiphiid (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae) Parasitoids

Tiphia vernalis Rohwer and Tiphia popilliavora Rohwer are ectoparasitoids of root-feeding larvae of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, and oriental beetles, Anomala orientalis Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Little is known about the influence of host species and location in the host detection ability of tiphiid wasps. In this study, we examined the response of female T. popilliavora wasps, an understudied Tiphia species, to potential host stimuli using dual choice tests in an observation chamber filled with soil. T. popilliavora wasps were able to successfully discriminate the trails containing body odor or frass of P. japonica grubs from trails without cues. Frass trails of P. japonica grubs elicited stronger responses than body odor trails. We also examined the preference of host cues by tiphiid wasps using dual choice behavioral assays. Both T. vernalis and T. popilliavora wasps did not show preference toward trails that either contained P. japonica or A. orientalis cues. In addition, we also determined the detection of host cues by tiphiid wasps in a dual-choice test for cues presented at varying soil depths. Wasps were able to successfully discriminate between the Y-tube arms with and without cues when the cues of P. japonica were buried at a depth of 2 cm. In contrast, both Tiphia species were unable to distinguish between the Y-tube arms with and without cues when the cues were buried at a depth of 5 cm. Thus, our findings suggest that once Tiphia wasps land on the ground, they can detect the presence of their specific hosts, just below the soil surface by exploiting the kairomones present in grub body odor trails and frass and once the wasps are in the soil, they use the same cues to direct themselves to the host grubs.
Vernakalant – a promising therapy for conversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation

Background: This paper reviews the pharmacology, electrophysiology, efficacy and safety of intravenous and oral vernakalant hydrochloride (RSD-1235), a novel antiarrhythmic drug that has relative atrial selectivity by blocking potassium channels that are present in the atria and not the ventricle. In addition, this drug has important rate-dependent sodium channel blocking properties. Methods: Currently, there few commercially approved intravenous antiarrhythmic agents for the conversion of atrial fibrillation. Intravenously, vernakalant has been demonstrated to be useful in terminating over 50% of recent-onset atrial fibrillation (< 7 days duration) with minimal ventricular proarrhythmic effects. Intravenous vernakalant is not effective in terminating atrial flutter. Oral vernakalant is currently undergoing study and appears to be effective in suppressing atrial fibrillation recurrences after cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation. Results/conclusion: Intravenous vernakalant has the potential to ...
Properties of a fabric made with tandem spun yarns

A totally new, integrated tandem spinning system was used to produce unique, 65- and 54-tex, core-wrap, composite yarns consisting of a high tenacity polyester staple core (40%) and a pure cotton wrap / sheath (60%). The yarns were conventionally processed on standard textile equipment in winding, warping, sizing/slashing, and weaving, and converted into a 220 g/m2, 2/1-twill fabric, which was permanently heat set in the greige stage and then pad-batch desized, scoured, and bleached. One portion of the fabric was dyed for cotton only, and the rest was union-dyed for both constituent fibers. One-half of the union-dyed fabric was finished with a softener only, and the other half was specially finished with a softener plus a light, 5% DMDHEU resin finish. The differently treated fabrics were then evaluated for selected important properties such as DP rating, shrinkage, tensile and tear strengths, flex abrasion resis tance, bursting strength, air permeability, overall core-coverage, and certain hand at tribut...
How well do emergency medical dispatch codes predict prehospital medication administration in a diverse urban community

Abstract Background The Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is an emergency medical dispatch (EMD) system that is widely used to prioritize 9-1-1 calls and optimize resource allocation. MPDS is a computer-based EMD system that uses callers' responses to scripted questions to categorize cases into groups and subgroups, based on complaint and perceived acuity. Objective This study evaluates the ability of MPDS codes to predict prehospital use of medications. Methods All transported prehospital patients assigned a subgroup by MPDS from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 in a diverse urban community were matched with their prehospital electronic patient care records. The records of transported patients dispatched through EMD were queried for prehospital interventions and matched to their MPDS classifications. Only MPDS subgroups with 10 or more calls were included in the analysis. Results A total of 38,005 patients met inclusion criteria. Patients with chest pain, breathing problems, heart problems, and diabetic problems received the most medications. Medications were administered in 19% of all calls. The individual MPDS subgroup with the highest rate of medication administration was 6E1A (breathing problems, 76%). Higher rates of Advanced Life Support (ALS) interventions in higher-acuity categories (e.g., Alpha, Bravo, Charlie) were seen in several EMD categories, including unconscious/fainting, breathing problems, and abdominal pain; but this was not observed in many other categories, including seizure, sick person, traumatic injury, and hemorrhage/lacerations. Conclusions Medications were administered in 19% of all calls. There were higher rates of ALS interventions in higher-acuity categories that were not observed in many other categories.
A self-curling monolithically-backed active high-density cochlear electrode array

This paper reports a fully batch-fabricated cochlear array with a current-driving ASIC. The array includes a stiffness-controlling ringed-channel for stylet wire placement and a self-curling parylene substrate capable of precurving the array to a 0.5 mm radius of curvature. A 32-site array with IrO sites on 250μm centers is realized along with a four-channel stimulation ASIC capable of driving multipolar site configurations with biphasic pulses of up to 500μA/channel.
Security, Community, and Democracy in Southeast Asia: Analyzing ASEAN

Is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a pluralistic security community (PSC)? Does community cause security in Southeast Asia? In a PSC, member states are sovereign. So are the members of ASEAN. Before concluding that the ASEAN region is a PSC, however, one should distinguish between two versions: a thin or descriptive PSC, whose members share both a sense of community and the expectation of security, and a thick or explanatory version in which community has actually been shown to cause security. Depending on how a sense of community is defined, one may say that at certain times in its history, ASEAN probably has been a thin PSC. More recently, however, the cooperative identity of regional elites may have frayed, as democratization, especially in Indonesia, has incorporated non-elites into public life. Meanwhile the proposition that the assurance of security in Southeast Asia has resulted from this sense of community, that ASEAN is a thick PSC, remains to be proven.
Control of a granulation process using a nonlinear MPC formulation

This paper presents a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm capable of controlling the evolution of particle size distributions used in aggregation/breakage processes such as granulation. High-shear wet granulation is an important aggregation/breakage process due to its ability to produce dense, spherical particles in a short amount of time. Problems typically arise in high-shear wet granulation while attempting to control final particle size distributions due to process sensitivity with respect to liquid addition. Thus, advanced control of high shear granulation processes is greatly dependent on a model capable of predicting process transients during particle growth. A population balance equation (PBE) model is implemented to capture process dynamics for the model based controller. A discrete element simulation model will act as the process to be controlled. The model determines the result of particle-particle interactions based on the physics of the process. This highly realistic model will act as a test bed for the newly developed MPC formulation which in the future can be implemented on an actual granulation process. Complexity arises in the MPC algorithm due to the fact that the model used by the controller is nonlinear, the process in question operates in batch, and the non-square nature of this problem.
The effect of the monomer-to-powder ratio on the material properties of acrylic bone cement.

The procedure percutaneous vertebroplasty consists of injecting polymethylmethacrylate cement into vertebral bodies for the treatment of osteoporotic compression fractures and tumors of the spine. Clinicians practicing vertebroplasty commonly alter the mixture of monomer-to-powder recommended by the manufacturer in an effort to decrease viscosity and increase the working time. The purpose of the current study was to measure the effect of varying the monomer-to-powder ratio on the compressive material properties (compressive modulus, yield stress, and ultimate compressive strength) of the cement Simplex P (Stryker-Howmedica-Osteonics, Rutherford, NJ). Cylindrical specimens were prepared using monomer-to-powder ratios of 0.45 to 1.00 mL/g and tested in compression. Peak compressive material properties occurred at the mixture ratio recommended by the manufacturer (0.5 mL/g) but decreased as the ratio of monomer to powder was increased. The material properties of specimens cured for 1 hour were significantly less than those for specimens cured for 24 hours. The monomer-to-powder ratio affects the compressive material properties of cement. The clinical significance of these results with respect to vertebroplasty is yet to be determined.
Refractive Laser Treatment Plan, Night Vision Disturbance

Night-related complaints are not uncommon after laser vision correction. Causes include decreased contrast sensitivity, uncorrected lower-order aberrations, or induced higher-order aberration (HOA), i.e., spherical aberration. Understanding how to address night-related complaints will result in higher postoperative patient satisfaction.
Evaluation of Team-Teaching as a Means of Integrating Microbiology and Pharmacology

Team-teaching is a commonly used method for delivering content in medical schools with an integrated curriculum. However, there is wide variation in the temporal organization of a team-taught course at the session (i.e., lecture) level. The two most prominent team-teaching strategies are (1) co-teaching sessions with multiple faculty in each session or (2) independently teaching sessions with a single faculty in each session. Current studies evaluating the effects of team-teaching on student outcomes are lacking. Our goal in this study was to determine if the temporal organization of team-taught sessions would alter student exam performance in an integrated medical school course taught by faculty from different disciplines. Here, we compare exam performance of students co-taught microbiology and pharmacology with students independently taught microbiology and pharmacology in separate “stand-alone” sessions. Our results demonstrate that students performed lower on microbiology topics in the independently taught stand-alone sessions as compared to the co-taught sessions. The decrease in microbiology scores was accompanied by a slight decrease in the microbiology faculty evaluation scores. The pharmacology-specific performance was not significantly altered between the two approaches although the pharmacology faculty evaluation scores increased in the individually taught iteration of the course compared to the co-taught version. These results suggest that although co-teaching the basic sciences in an integrated fashion led to improvements in student performance, these gains should be carefully balanced with the considerable investment of time and resources associated with co-teaching.
Fair Maximal Independent Sets

Finding a maximal independent set (MIS) is a classic problem in graph theory that has been widely studied in the context of distributed algorithms. Standard distributed solutions to the MIS problem focus on time complexity. In this paper, we also consider fairness. For a given MIS algorithm A and graph G, we define the inequality factor for A on G to be the largest ratio between the probabilities of the nodes joining an MIS in the graph. We say an algorithm is fair with respect to a family of graphs if it achieves a constant inequality factor for all graphs in the family. In this paper, we seek efficient and fair algorithms for common graph families. We begin by describing an algorithm that is fair and runs in O(log* n)-time in rooted trees of size n. Moving to unrooted trees, we describe a fair algorithm that runs in O(log n) time. Generalizing further to bipartite graphs, we describe a third fair algorithm that requires O(log2 n) rounds. We also show a fair algorithm for planar graphs that runs in O(log2 n) rounds, and describe an algorithm that can be run in any graph, yielding good bounds on inequality in regions that can be efficiently colored with a small number of colors. We conclude our theoretical analysis with a lower bound that identifies a graph where all MIS algorithms achieve an inequality bound in Ω(n)-eliminating the possibility of an MIS algorithm that is fair in all graphs. Finally, to motivate the need for provable fairness guarantees, we simulate both our tree algorithm and Luby's MIS algorithm [13] in a variety of different tree topologies-some synthetic and some derived from real world data. Whereas our algorithm always yield an inequality factor ≤3.25 in these simulations, Luby's algorithms yields factors as large as 168.
Significance of Focal EEG Abnormalities in Pervasive Developmental Disorder and ADHD

Researchers at University of Fukui, Japan analyzed the relation between EEG abnormalities and PDD or ADHD, and assessed the clinical utility of EEG in the differential diagnosis of these disorders.
A Syndrome of Platelet-release Abnormality and Mild Hemophilia

Two families were studied because of a hemorrhagic tendency. The presumptive diagnosis of von Willebrand’s disease was suggested by low factor VIII levels (7.5%-33%), prolonged template Ivy bleeding time (9.5-17 min), low platelet adhesiveness (0%-8%), normal platelet factor 3, and normal clot retraction. Further studies, however, showed abnormal platelet aggregation with ADP, epinephrine, and collagen, and deficient release of platelet antiheparin activity and 14C serotonin. Patients’ platelets, rendered free of plasma by gel filtration, continued to show abnormal aggregation when resuspended in normal plasma. Plasma from the patients contained greater than 200% factor VIII by immunologic assay. The patients’ coagulant factor VIII level returned to base line within 24 hr after plasma or cryoprecipitate transfusions. Unlike von Willebrand’s disease, management of these patients required both platelets and cryoprecipitate to prevent bleeding.
Mathematical Probability in Election Challenges

Defeated candidates in primary elections sometimes challenge the results in court and collect evidence of irregularities in support of their claims that the contests should be rerun. Frequently, this evidence consists solely of proof that certain numbers of persons voted who were not qualified, with no evidence of fraud and no indication as to how such persons voted. How large must this group be before a new election should be ordered ?
Changes in the Downstream Insect and Amphipod Fauna Caused by an Impoundment with a Hypolimnion Drain

Mill Creek, a small stream in southwestern Wisconsin, was impounded to create a 150-acre recreational lake. This action had a pronounced effect on the insect and amphipod fauna of a riffle 600 ft below the dam, and also affected the fauna of a riffle 2 miles downstream. Prior to impoundment both riffles were inhabited by a diverse insect fauna that included mostly Ephemeoptera, Trichoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. After impoundment the reduction of the number of species in the upstream riffle was highly significant, and previously dominant families such as Baetidae (Ephemeroptera), Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera), and Elmidae (Coleoptera) were replaced mostly by increased populations of Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt (Diptera), Gammarus pseudolimnaeus Bousfield (Amphipoda), and Chironomus and other genera of Chironomidae (Diptera). The impoundment affected the downstream riffle similarly, but to a lesser degree. Large increases in phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations and increased siltation as a result of impoundment were probably the most important factors in altering the insect and amphipod populations.
Analysis on Seismic Property of Steel Frame

The finite element analysis on single plate steel frame on the different seismic waves, earthquake acceleration are conducted. The results showed that the vertex displacement increases with the earthquake acceleration increasing on the same terms of seismic wave; steel frame has a good seismic property.
Book Review: SueEllen Campbell, Alex Hunt, Richard Kerridge, Tom Lynch, and Ellen Wohl, The Face of the Earth: Natural Landscapes, Science, and Culture.

Book Review: SueEllen Campbell, Alex Hunt, Richard Kerridge, Tom Lynch, and Ellen Wohl, The Face of the Earth: Natural Landscapes, Science, and Culture.
Chapter 100 – Polyphenols and Breast Cancer Prevention: A Summary of the Epidemiologic Evidence

Phenolic compounds (e.g., flavonoids, lignans, stilbenes, and phenolic acids) are plant metabolites found in fruits, legumes, spices, tea, wine, cocoa, and coffee and may contribute to nutritional breast cancer prevention. This chapter describes intake levels in different populations, reviews epidemiologic evidence for their breast cancer protective effect, and presents examples of studies that examine the relationship between polyphenols and biomarkers. Based on the current literature, the evidence that consumption of plant-based phenolic compounds prevents breast cancer protective is quite limited. However, for individual categories of polyphenols, foremost isoflavones, lignans, flavones, and flavonols, possible protective associations have emerged. Coffee consumption also looks promising, whereas the studies on black tea do not support a breast cancer lowering effect. Epidemiologic studies with sufficient sample size and adequate exposure assessment by questionnaire or biomarker are needed to understand specific patterns of plant food phenols that would support dietary recommendations.
Multiscale geometric analysis of three-dimensional data

Three-dimensional volumetric data are becoming increasingly available in a wide range of scientific and technical disciplines. With the right tools, we can expect such data to yield valuable insights about many important systems in our three-dimensional world. This work presents new multiscale geometric tools for both analysis and synthesis of 3-D data that may be scattered or observed in voxel arrays. The data of interest is typically very noisy, and may contain one-dimensional structures such as line segments and filaments and/or two-dimensional structures such as plane patches and smooth surfaces. These tools mainly rely on two kinds of transforms. The 3-D Beamlet transform offers the collection of line integrals along a strategic multiscale set of line segments (Beamlets) running through the image at different orientations, positions, and lengths, while the 3-D Planelet transform computes a collection of plane integrals using a strategic multiscale set of plane patches (Planelets). We present different strategies and algorithms for computing the Beamlet and Planelet transforms, direct evaluations as well as fast FFT-based methods. We compare the different algorithms with respect to their accuracy, speed, and cache memory usage. We also present backprojection and inversion procedures using iterative methods and preconditioning. We present several basic applications for these tools, for example in finding faint structures buried in noisy data. We discuss in some detail the application of these tools for an important problem in astronomy, the analysis of 3-D Galaxy Catalogs, and show some promising results.
The Enigmatic Cornea and Intraocular Lens Calculations: The LXXIII Edward Jackson Memorial Lecture.

Purpose To review the progress and challenges in obtaining accurate corneal power measurements for intraocular lens (IOL) calculations. Design Personal perspective, review of literature, case presentations, and personal data. Methods Through literature review findings, case presentations, and data from the author's center, the types of corneal measurement errors that can occur in IOL calculation are categorized and described, along with discussion of future options to improve accuracy. Results Advances in IOL calculation technology and formulas have greatly increased the accuracy of IOL calculations. Recent reports suggest that over 90% of normal eyes implanted with IOLs may achieve accuracy to within 0.5 diopter (D) of the refractive target. Though errors in estimation of corneal power can cause IOL calculation errors in eyes with normal corneas, greater difficulties in measuring corneal power are encountered in eyes with diseased, scarred, and postsurgical corneas. For these corneas, problematic issues are quantifying anterior corneal power and measuring posterior corneal power and astigmatism. Results in these eyes are improving, but 2 examples illustrate current limitations: (1) spherical accuracy within 0.5 D is achieved in only 70% of eyes with post–refractive surgery corneas, and (2) astigmatism accuracy within 0.5 D is achieved in only 80% of eyes implanted with toric IOLs. Conclusion Corneal power measurements are a major source of error in IOL calculations. New corneal imaging technology and IOL calculation formulas have improved outcomes and hold the promise of ongoing progress.
Skeletal muscle conditioning may be an effective rehabilitation intervention preceding functional electrical stimulation cycling

In our recent effort, we introduced a submaximal index that utilized ventilatory efficiency relative to CO2 production (VE/CO2) to evaluate the cardiovascular effectiveness to functional electrical stimulation lower-extremity cycling (FES-LEC) in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) (Gorgey and Lawrence, 2016). When compared to the resting state, we found that an acute bout of FES-LEC resulted in increased ventilation during exercise and a significant decrease of approximately 22% in the VE/CO2 ratio, suggesting that this ratio could be utilized to monitor the cardiovascular response during submaximal FES-LEC in the SCI population. The study demonstrated that a potential limitation to the FES-LEC application is a heavy reliance on carbohydrate storage as a main source of substrate utilization. Reliance on carbohydrate utilization, transformation to fast-twitch fibers following SCI and random muscle recruitment are likely to introduce rapid muscle fatigue during FES-LEC applications. This may limit oxygen uptake and outcomes regarding cardiovascular profile. In this perspective, we propose that skeletal muscle conditioning via surface neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may be an essential rehabilitation intervention to improve the outcomes of FES-LEC applications.
Russian Industry in H1 2016: Zero Dynamics

The trend that first became visible in early 2016 – decline giving way to zero rates of growth – towards the end of H1 had spread across a majority of segments of the economy’s real sector. The lack of a noticeable domestic demand and dependence upon foreign equipment supplies coupled with the persistently low relative income generated by exports of raw materials make it impossible to expect any significant domestic production growth in the nearest future.
Determination of Antibiotics in Meat Using Bacillus stearothermophilus Spores

Ten parameters affecting sensitivity, accuracy and simplicity of the diffusion plate method for determining antibiotic residues in meat were evaluated with spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus as the test organism. Eight antibiotics were studied and included penicillin, bacitracin, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, streptomycin, erythromycin and neomycin. Sensitivity of the method was most influenced by concentration of inoculum, quantity of assay medium on the plate and sample size. The optimal concentration of inoculum was established as 2 × 105 spores/ml of medium, quantity of the assay medium on plate/100 mm dia., as 6 ml and quantity of sample poured on disc/12.7 mm dia., as 100 μl. The pH of the assay medium was also important to both antibiotic potency and test organism growth. The activity of streptomycin and erythromycin was the most sensitive to pH variations.
Rethinking the American Dream Home: The Disability Rights Movement and the Cultural Politics of Accessible Housing in the United States

This chapter considers the “underlying ideological constructs” of home and disability in the contemporary USA. It explores the dialectical relationship between an ongoing movement for disability rights and the built environment through a consideration of the cultural politics of accessible, community-based housing for people with disabilities. Artifacts and images from the disability rights movement in the USA are analyzed alongside scholarly accounts and lived experiences of “home” and the built environment offered by crip/queer disability studies scholars, activists, architects, residents of institutions for the disabled who have lived through the era of deinstitutionalization in the USA, and those who continue to advocate for accessible housing and the right of people with disabilities to live in the community. The chapter concludes that if deinstitutionalization is to succeed, then the segregating built environments of America’s homes and communities must be changed. The political economy of institutionalization in the USA—as well as prevailing assumptions about disability and “home” that have long been used to justify segregating people with disabilities from the community—must be challenged to encourage new ways of thinking about, and building, houses that cultivate, rather than stifle, access to home and community for people with disabilities.
Market Structure and Broadband Internet Quality

This paper investigates the effects of the number of firms and their product-type on broadband Internet quality. We estimate a model that relates the actual speeds delivered, in census block groups to the number of wireline and wireless internet service providers (ISP's), cost and demand conditions, and correction terms for the endogeneity of market structure. Model estimates show four main findings. Wireline speeds are often higher in markets with two or more wireline ISP's than with a single wireline ISP. Excluding the correction terms from the analysis understates this effect. Increases in wireline speeds are larger in the upstream direction, and there is no relationship between wireline speeds and the number of wireless ISP's.
Magnetic resonance imaging findings in Ménière's disease.

Objectives: To identify and evaluate cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with Meniere's disease. Methods: Seventy-eight patients with a documented diagnosis of Meniere's disease and 35 controls underwent 1.5 T or 3 T magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Patients also underwent otological, vestibular and audiometric examinations. Results: Lack of visualisation of the left and right vestibular aqueducts was identified as statistically significant amongst Meniere's disease patients (left, p = 0.0001, odds ratio = 0.02; right, p = 0.0004, odds ratio = 0.03). Both vestibular aqueducts were of abnormal size in the Meniere's disease group, albeit with left-sided significance (left, p = 0.008, odds ratio = 10.91; right, p = 0.49, odds ratio = 2.47). Conclusion: Lack of vestibular aqueduct visualisation on magnetic resonance imaging was statistically significant in Meniere's disease patients compared to the general population. The study findings suggest that magnetic resonance imaging can be useful to rule out retrocochlear pathology and provide radiological data to support the clinical diagnosis of Meniere's disease.
Impact of Postoperative Liver Dysfunction on Survival After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Background Liver dysfunction in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients is common both before and after implantation. Postoperative liver dysfunction (PLD) develops in some LVAD recipients without preoperative liver dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess clinical outcomes in such patients. Methods Records of all patients undergoing implantation of a HeartMate II (HM II, St. Jude Medical, Inc, Minneapolis, MN) LVAD at a single center at the University of Minnesota from January 2005 through June 2014 were analyzed. PLD was defined by hypertransaminasemia or hyperbilirubinemia, or both, during the hospitalization for LVAD implantation. Results During the study period, 284 patients underwent HM II implantation. Excluded from analysis were 14 recipients with preoperative liver dysfunction. In the final cohort (n = 270), there were no major difference in preoperative characteristics among those patients with versus without PLD. PLD developed in 129 (47.8%) recipients: 16 (12.4%) had isolated hypertransaminasemia (group I), 76 (58.9%) had isolated hyperbilirubinemia (group II), and 37 (28.7%) had combined hypertransaminasemia and hyperbilirubinemia (group III). Group III LVAD recipients had significantly greater rates of 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality, along with significantly higher transfusion requirements and higher rates of renal replacement therapy, prolonged ventilation, and vasopressor use. Moreover, their mortality risk was significantly higher than that of PLD-free LVAD recipients (hazard ratio, 4.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.1 to 10.1; p Conclusions Isolated hyperbilirubinemia is common after LVAD implantation. In this study, it was not associated with an increase in early or midterm postoperative mortality. However, postoperative combined transaminasemia and hyperbilirubinemia was associated with a significant increase in early and midterm morbidity and mortality. Further research into the pathogenesis of post-LVAD PLD is necessary.
Influenza-like illness as a trigger for ischemic stroke.

Objective We hypothesized that ILI is associated with risk of incident stroke, and that the risk would be highest closest in time to the event. Methods This case-crossover analysis utilized data obtained from the California State Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The outcome of interest was ischemic stroke. Exposure was defined as a visit to the emergency department or hospitalization for influenza-like illness (ILI) 365, 180, 90, 30, or 15 days before stroke (risk period) or similar time intervals exactly 1 or 2 years before stroke (control period). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (OR, 95% CI). Results In 2009, 36,975 hospitalized ischemic strokes met inclusion criteria, and of these strokes, 554 (1.5%) had at least 1 episode of ILI in the 365-day risk period prior to their stroke. Using non-overlapping time intervals from ILI to stroke, the odds of ischemic stroke was greatest in the first 15 days post ILI (OR: 2.88, 95% CI: 1.86-4.47). The strength of the relationship decreased as the time from ILI increased, and was no longer significant after 60 days. There was a significant interaction (P = 0.017) with age and ILI; the odds of stroke associated increased 7% with each 10-year decrease in age (OR per 10-year age decrease 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03-1.35). Interpretation We found that ILI increases short-term risk of stroke, particularly in people under the age of 45, and therefore may be considered to act as a trigger for stroke.
Plasmon enhanced light emission in molybdenum disulfide

Hot-electron (HE) transfer process in hybrid metal nanoparticle capped layered two-dimensional dichalcogenides (TMDs) can result in the modification of dielectric constant as well as doping of the semiconductor. Hot-carrier transfer process due to optical excitation is an attractive mechanism for enhancing the efficiency of photodetectors or photovoltaic devices. However, HE driven processes are usually non-radiative in nature and are not usually utilized in light emitting system. In this work, it has been demonstrated that by using the optical excitation resonant to plasmons in the hybrid structure, hot electrons are transferred from metal to semiconductor that causes the formation hybridized exciton-plasmon state that eventually gives rise to the enhanced photoluminescence (PL) emission. The localized surface plasmon (LSP) induced off-resonant to the emitted photons has also been utilized to enhance the PL emission. TMDs such as single monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) material has high exciton binding energy, which can facilitate strong exciton-plasmon interaction. The light emitted from MoS2 structure is weak due to intervalley scattering in indirect-gap multilayer structures or due to relatively low absorption of direct-bandgap monolayer structure. Hybrid Ag-MoS2 plasmonic structures were realized by nucleating silver film of optimum thickness into islands by nucleation on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monoloyer MoS2 structure. The LSP energy of the system is centered at 2.33 eV, with the two exciton absorption peaks at 1.85 and 2.0 eV. The carrier dynamics studied by ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy reveals HE mediated hybridization of exciton within 700 fs. The emisson energy at 1.83 eV can be tuned by the input power due to HE transfer from Ag to MoS2. A three-fold enhancement in the PL intensity has also been observed.
Asset markets, stochastic policy and international trade

The present study examines the role of financial markets for trade policy under conditions of uncertainty. It builds upon and extends an earlier work by Stockman and Dellas. Using a two country, two good stochastic general equilibrium model where both countries impose a combination of export and import tariffs and the agents trade in financial contracts to insure against policy risk, with the provision of spot trading in consumption goods, it is shown that: (i) the structure of commercial policy (i.e. import or export tariffs) matters, so that Lerner's symmetry theorem does not extend to a stochastic framework with asset markets; (ii) the Stockman-Dellas conclusions are sensitive to the choice of tariffs; (iii) in general, it is optimal to use both export and import tariffs in such a framework;The assumption of exogenous tariffs is relaxed next by making endowments random and by assuming tariffs are chosen optimally. The values of optimal policies are compared across states within any regime as well as across alternative policy regimes. The simulation results indicate that the expected welfare when both export and import tariffs are used is at least as high as that when only import tariffs are used. However, if commercial policy is restricted to import tariffs, the introduction of asset markets can be welfare-deteriorating, even though there remains potential gains from engaging in inter-state trade. Finally, the potential time consistency issues inherent in such a framework are addressed. The financial structure is found to play a crucial role in determining the time consistent policy ex post.
A Guide to Management Ethics

If the discussion in the foregoing chapters suggests one conclusion above all others, it is that moral attitudes are subjective. There is no single universal code to which every man and woman unequivocally subscribes. From person to person, differences in ethical orientation may frequently be minimal, but we are all subject to a variety of social, economic, and cultural influences throughout our lives, which, when combined with our individual psychological characteristics, make us the persons we are, with our unique perspectives of the world and our own ideas of right and wrong.
Lipophosphonoglycan of the Plasma Membrane of Acanthamoeba castellanii: ISOLATION FROM WHOLE AMOEBAE AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE WATER-SOLUBLE PRODUCTS OF ACID HYDROLYSIS

Abstract Lipophosphonoglycan, a macromolecule that accounts for about 31% of the mass of the plasma membrane of Acanthamoeba castellanii, has been purified to apparent homogeneity from whole cells. The isolated material is highly aggregated in water, partially disaggregated in water saturated with 1-butanol, and dissociated into two rapidly migrating components under conditions of electrophoresis on dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Approximately 60% of the mass of the isolated compound has been accounted for as follows: neutral sugars (glucose, mannose, galactose, xylose; 5:4:1:1) 26%, amino-sugars (galactosamine, glucosamine; 3:1) 3.3%, aminophosphonates (2-aminoethylphosphonate, 1-hydroxy-2-aminoethylphosphonate; 1:1) 10%, phosphate 3.2%, and fatty acids 14%. The fatty acid composition is the subject of the accompanying paper (Dearborn, D. G., and Korn, E. D. (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 3342–3346).
Wave-mean interaction theory

This is an informal account of the fluid-dynamical theory describing nonlinear interactions between small-amplitude waves and mean flows. This kind of theory receives little attention in mainstream fluid dynamics, but it has been developed greatly in atmosphere and ocean fluid dynamics. This is because of the pressing need in numerical atmosphere-ocean models to approximate the effects of unresolved small-scale waves acting on the resolved large-scale flow, which can have very important dynamical implications. Several atmosphere ocean example are discussed in these notes (in particular, see §5), but generic wave-mean interaction theory should be useful in other areas of fluid dynamics as well.
On Software Test Estimate and Requirement Tracking.

Test is a key activity for ensuring software quality. There is always pressure from project sponsor and management for software development team to commit to shorter schedule and lower cost, especially for testing. Some of the main challenges in testing today are to match the test cases with requirements correctly, and to provide accurate estimates and track the test progress accordingly. In this paper, we present a parametric model for software test estimate along with a test graph for matching test cases with requirements and test cases analysis to aid in producing a more accurate estimates and tracking. The model and the test graph can be used jointly or individually.
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF ROCK BED-EARTH HEAT EXCHANGERS

ABSTRACT The design of the basic rock bed-earth heat exchanger is described in some detail. A finite difference analysis of the heat exchanger is presented and points out the role of the rocks and the earth in the thermal performance. It is seen that the rocks create a time lag or “flywheel” effect on the short term daily temperature variations while the earth environment controls the monthly variations in temperature level. The heat exchanger is shown to be a very good air tempering system which can produce an earth-like environment above ground.