cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On fully-dispersed shock waves in carbon dioxide

A dispersed shock wave may be defined as one in which finite changes occur over distances large compared to the mean free path in the gas. In contrast a shock wave in air extends over only a few mean free paths. When internal motions in a molecule are excited rather slowly by collisions, as is the case for molecular vibration, the shock wave may be partly dispersed; then, the sharp shock front is followed by a diffuse tail leading to complete thermal equilibrium. Alternatively, it may be fully dispersed, so that adjustments in the energy in all the degrees of freedom proceed slowly and in parallel. The purpose of this note is to point out that within a narrow speed range, from a shock Mach number of 1 to 1.042, shocks in carbon dioxide are fully-dispersed in the above sense. Such waves have been observed experimentally using a shock tube and interferometer. The possible existence of such waves was first pointed out by Bethe & Teller (1941) purely as a matter of academic interest. This note treats the problem in the same spirit.
Clinical outcomes of children and adults with central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

Central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumors (CNS PNETs) predominantly occur in children and rarely in adults. Because of the rarity of this tumor, its outcomes and prognostic variables are not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes and prognostic factors for children and adults with CNS PNET. The records of 26 patients (11 children and 15 adults) with CNS PNET from 1991 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated with the Kaplan–Meier method, and relevant prognostic factors were analyzed. For the cohort, both the 5-year DFS and the OS were 46 %. For pediatric patients, the 5-year DFS was 78 %; for adult patients, it was 22 % (P = 0.004). Five-year OS for the pediatric and adult patients was 67 and 33 %, respectively (P = 0.07). With bivariate analysis including chemotherapy regimen (high dose vs. standard vs. nonstandard) or risk stratification (standard vs. high) and age, the increased risk of disease recurrence in adults persisted. A nonsignificant tendency toward poorer OS in adult patients relative to pediatric patients also persisted. High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue was associated with a statistically significant improvement in OS and a tendency toward improved DFS, although the findings were mitigated when the effect of age was considered. Local recurrence was the primary pattern of treatment failure in both adults and children. Our results suggest that adult patients with CNS PNETs have inferior outcomes relative to the pediatric cohort. Further research is needed to improve outcomes for CNS PNET in populations of all ages.
Design of an Electric Propulsion System for a Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

A quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle has been developed at Ohio University's Avionics Engineering Center for use as a navigation sensor testbed. The quadrotor was designed with a 10 lb payload capacity, transforming what has typically been a lightweight airframe into a more robust platform. Specific design considerations included the characteristics of high-power brushless motors and electronic speed controllers, the variation of motor rotational losses with frequency, and the impact of heat dissipation within the battery packs. Simple feedback loops were sufficient to stabilize the platform. An accounting of the component efficiencies allowed for effective mission planning based on the desired payload. The quadrotor, with a demonstrated ability to lift up to 10.6 lb, provides a convenient way to flight-test new sensor technology.
THE IDENTIFICATION AND ESTIMATION OF ETHYLENE IN THE VOLATILE PRODUCTS OF RIPENING BANANAS

THE HISTORY of this subject may conveniently be divided into three phases: first, the early work which led to the discovery that ethylene had some influence on the rate of ripening of fruits and vegetables; second, the finding that plant tissue apparently gives off some gas or vapor which affects the ripening of fruits; and last, the identification of this active substance. Forced curing of citrus fruits was practiced in California, and the early use of a tent and a few kerosene stoves in the field was considered ample to provide the "heat" necessary for stimulation of the coloring of the fruit. After sad experience had shown that steam heat was not so effective as the " crude " earlier arrangement, Sievers and True (1912) demonstrated that the coloration in forced curing was brought about primarily by the gaseous combustion products of the kerosene stoves. Chace and Denny (1924) and Denny (1924) proved by a series of experiments that the effective constituent among these gases was readily absorbed by bromine and had a specific gravity approximately equal to that of air. These facts suggested that the active gas might be ethylene, and further work proved ethylene to be very effective in bringing about the desired change in the color of the fruit. Since then Denny (1924), Harvey (1925), Chace and Church (1927), Regeimbal and Harvey (1927), Mack (1927), Regeimbal, Vacha, and Harvey (1927), Hibbard (1932), Dufrenoy (1929), Kohman (1931), Wolfe (1931), Rosa (1928), Ramsay and Musso (1930), Fudge (1930), Davis and Church (1931), Marloth (1933), and Dustman (1934) have reported the effects of ethylene upon the ripening of various plant products. The experience of the United Fruit Company in the carrving of bananas from the tropics to this country may have parallels in commercial handling of fruits, though none has been published. Over a period of years prior to 1917, it was noticed that some bananas ripened faster than the bulk of the shipment during transportation. It was further noted that this ripening generally occurred in pockets. Moreover, there was a tendency for a "ripe pocket" to act as a focus of ripening for a whole bin of bananas. Evidence accumulated which pointed to the fact that this pocket ripening was not entirely caused by heat, and it seemed that some other factor helped to induce this phenomenon. The theory developed that the carbon dioxide evolved by the fruit during respiration was influential in the production of " ripes " in pockets. Though this was soon discredited, there seemed to be some correlation between the respiration rate and accelerated ripening.
Cellular Response to Peritonitis Among Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

• White blood cell counts and differential cell counts were performed on 249 peritoneal dialysis effluents from 48 patients using chronic peritoneal dialysis. The finding of more than 50% polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the dialysate was a more sensitive indicator of peritonitis than was an absolute cell count of 100 cells/Ill. This finding was true for patients using intermittent peritoneal dialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and con­ tinuous cycling peritoneal dialysis.
Hypertrophied Right Hearts Get Two for the Price of One Can Inhibiting Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Also Inhibit Phosphodiesterase Type 3

Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) was first discovered in the mid 1970s, not as a PDE but rather as a binding protein for cGMP.1 Shortly thereafter, it became clear that this protein also had cGMP-selective PDE activity, and cGMP-binding to domains in the N-terminus (GAF domains) regulated its enzymatic activity.2 PDE5 gained more attention in the mid 1980s when its role in modulating vascular tone was revealed.3 Pharmacologists at Pfizer considered it a potential drug for hypertension or coronary heart disease, which led to the development of UK-92,480 (sildenafil), a selective and potent PDE5 inhibitor. Although the desired cardiovascular responses were unimpressive, the phase I studies revealed a now-famous side effect that was quite popular among the trial participants. This ultimately led to development of PDE5 inhibitors for erectile dysfunction.4 Cardiac data collected to confirm drug safety found little impact of these agents on the heart.5–7 Gene and protein PDE5 expression was low, and even whether the enzyme was in myocytes was controversial.8 Limited functional analysis obtained largely under rest conditions suggested negligible effects.7 Article p 238 The plot thickened in the late 1990s when our laboratory reported that PDE5 (or PDE5A) appeared to be present and active in canine myocardium and isolated myocytes and that, in normal animals, selective PDE5 inhibition blunted β-adrenergic stimulation.9 Work subsequently reported by Kukreja and colleagues10 and Das et al11 revealed that PDE5 inhibition preconditioned ischemic hearts and was cytoprotective (antiapoptotic) in isolated myocytes. In mice, PDE5 inhibitors blunt adrenergic stimulation in normal myocytes, an action that depends critically on the synthesis of cGMP by nitric oxide–dependent soluble guanylate cyclase.12 A similar “antiadrenergic” effect was documented in a double-blinded clinical trial in healthy volunteers who showed marked blunting of dobutamine-stimulated contractility when administered sildenafil …
Optimal Time Intervals for Testing Hypotheses on Computer Software Errors

This paper discusses certain stochastic aspects of the software reliability problem. First an empirical stopping rule for debugging and testing computer software is discussed. Then some results are presented on choosing a time interval for testing the hypothesis that a software system contains no errors, given certain cost and risk constraints.
How Demography was born.

The Population Association of America wanted and discussed having a journal for articles long before Demography was launched in 1964. In fact, at least two committees had been appointed at annual meetings to explore the need and feasibility of establishing such a journal. Both times there were strong recommendations as to need, but a vote to postpone because of financial obstacles. No member wished to jeopardize Population Index (begun in 1935) and there was doubt that the PAA membership was large enough and committed enough to support both the Index and a new journal. (It was widely believed that many PAA memberships were primarily subscriptions for the Index, and that adding the cost of a journal onto the membership fee could cause a decline in membership). There was little doubt that sufficient numbers of publishable articles could be recruited, if only the financial hurdle could be overcome. Being convinced that the PAA needed a journal, and 1963-64 being the year of my presidency of the Association, I petitioned and obtained permission from the executive committee to publish a journal of refereed articles on a trial basis as my presidential obligation. Thanks to funding given to the Community and Family Study Center from the Ford Foundation for the purpose of international population communication, it was possible to put together and offer PAA a "package" that was difficult to refuse. The terms were:
Extra-abdominal desmoid tumours — report of three cases and a review of the literature

Extra-abdominal desmoid tumour (syn. aggressive fibromatosis, extra-abdominal fibromatosis, musculo-aponeurotic fibromatosis) is a rare condition which can present in a variety of ways. Three patients were treated in the Plastic Surgery Unit in Edinburgh in the ten year period 1982-1992. This rare disease can be difficult to treat, and this is illustrated by one of our cases. We conclude that radical surgery, when possible, forms the basis of treatment, but we acknowledge that a proportion of patients will suffer repeated recurrences despite this. Other nonsurgical therapies are also discussed.
The postnatal development of the pituitary thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor in male and female rats.

The density of the pituitary TRH receptor in male and female rats was measured during postnatal development. The younger rats of both sexes exhibited higher [3H]TRH binding than did adults. A comparison of the properties of receptor binding between 4–5 day-old and adult pituitary showed that the increased binding was solely due to an increase in Bmax (maximum binding capacity) and not the KD (binding affinity). In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that the increased TRH-receptor density may be a contributing factor in eliciting exaggerated TSH response to exogenous TRH in neonatal rats.
THE MANAGEMENT OF WILDERNESS AREAS: A SIMULATION MODEL

This paper describes a travel simulation model developed to analyze the effects of alternative management practices on the quality of low-density recreation experiences. The model represents the first attempt to represent the travel behavior of wilderness recreationists in a format consistent with the analysis of management policy. The model can accommodate large scale areas and has been applied to the Spanish Peaks Area in Montana and the Desolation Wilderness in California. It is illustrated with a simple example. Experience with the framework suggests that it can function as an instrument for managerial policy with wilderness areas.
Multimedia emissions inventory of polychlorinated biphenyls for the U.S. Great Lakes states.

Abstract Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were banned in the United States in 1979, and since then a significant decline in their release to the environment has been observed. This decline has now reached a plateau. Several new regulatory programs have been put in place to further reduce PCB emissions/releases. However, our ability to measure the effectiveness of these regulatory/voluntary programs and to support regional fate/transport and source/receptor modeling efforts depend on reliable emission information. In this study, we attempt to improve the emission inventory for PCBs by compiling and analyzing the multimedia total PCB emission/release data reported for the U.S Great Lakes states for each year from 1990 to 2000. Although Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), National Emissions Inventory (NEI), Great Lakes Regional Air Toxic Emissions Inventory (GLRATEI), and Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) data formed the basis of estimating air emissions, we used the TRI, National Response Center (...
Sustainability science: accounting for nonlinear dynamics in policy and social–ecological systems

Resilience is an emergent property of complex systems. Understanding resilience is critical for sustainability science, as linked social–ecological systems and the policy process that governs them have the capacity for nonlinear dynamics. The possibility of nonlinear change in these systems means that there is an inherent degree of uncertainty in social–ecological systems and the policy process. Abrupt, nonlinear change often results in social and/or ecological surprises that create tremendous challenges for environmental management. Thus, it is necessary to improve environmental management via a suite of mechanisms that have the capacity for adaptation. This paper suggests how we can move closer to achieving this goal through an overarching focus, including reformed and new law, adaptive management and adaptive governance, scenario planning, and leading indicators.
Stimulatory effects on various immunologic responses by ascites fluids from patients with metastatic malignancy

Abstract Cancer ascites has been repeatedly shown to suppress a number of immune responses. In this report, we examined a total of 28 unfractionated ascitic fluid samples from patients with various metastatic malignancies and rather unexpectedly found that the majority of these samples were capable of enhancing various immune reactivities. Twelve of 17 samples were shown to increase significantly humoral antibody production in mice when injected 1 day before sheep erythrocytes. Ten of 13 samples significantly enhanced the proliferative response of human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes to the T-lymphocyte mitogen, phytohemagglutinin. Twelve ascitic samples were added to mouse mixed lymphocyte cultures and 9 were found to augment significantly the generation of alloreactive cytolytic lymphocytes. Pooled normal human serum was similarly tested as a control and found to have no effect in these systems. Furthermore, we have isolated three active fractions from these cancer ascites fluids by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration. However, each fraction was predominantly responsible for enhancing only one of the three immune responses tested.
A WEIGHTED GRAM-SCHMIDT METHOD FOR CONVEX QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING*

Range-space methods for convex quadratic programming improve in efficiency as the number of constraints active at the solution decreases. In this paper we describe a range-space method based upon updating a weighted Gram-Schmidt factorization of the constraints in the active set. The updating methods described are applicable to both primal and dual quadratic programming algorithms that use an active-set strategy.
Adipose tissue metabolism of weanling rats after destruction of ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei: Effect of hypophysectomy and growth hormone

Abstract This report describes the effects of hypophysectomy and growth hormone treatment on the endocrine-metabolic alterations associated with destruction of the ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei (VMN) in weanling rats. In addition to previously noted characteristics of the syndrome (increased plasma insulin and triglyceride levels without hyperphagia, normal plasma glucose, and decreased plasma growth hormone levels with impaired linear growth), changes in in vitro adipose tissue metabolism of glucose-U-C 14 and palmitate-1-C 14 were observed. Glucose oxidation and incorporation into lipid were markedly elevated, whereas palmitate oxidation was decreased in adipose tissue of VMN rats. Although hypophysectomy and growth hormone treatment alone or in combination produced effects in rats with or without VMN lesions, neither significantly modified the characteristic changes observed in untreated rats with VMN lesions.
An experience in the management of the open abdomen in severely injured burn patients.

Abstract : Few descriptions of temporary abdominal closure for planned relaparotomy have been reported in burned patients. The purpose of this study is to describe our experience and outcomes in the management of burned patients with an open abdomen. The authors performed a retrospective review of all admissions to our burn center from March 2003 to June 2008, identifying patients treated by laparotomy with temporary abdominal closure. The authors collected data on patient demographics, indication for laparotomy, methods of temporary and definitive abdominal closure, and outcomes. Of 2,104 patients admitted, 38 underwent a laparotomy with temporary abdominal closure. Their median TBSA was 55%, and the incidence of inhalation injury was 58%. Abdominal compartment syndrome was the most common indication for laparotomy (82%) followed by abdominal trauma (16%). The in-hospital mortality associated with an open abdomen was 68%. Temporary abdominal closure was performed most commonly using negative pressure wound therapy (90%). Fascial closure was performed in 21 patients but was associated with a 38% rate of failure requiring reexploration. Of 12 survivors, fascial closure was achieved in seven patients and five were managed with a planned ventral hernia. Burned patients who necessitate an open abdomen management strategy have a high morbidity and mortality. Fascial closure was associated with a high rate of failure but was successful in a select group of patients. Definitive abdominal closure with a planned ventral hernia was associated with no increased mortality and remains an option when tension-free fascial closure cannot be achieved.
Immunomodulatory Effects of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide

AbstractThe most easily discernible and characteristic result of interaction of LPS with the immune system are the activation of B cells to divide and/or synthesize and secrete immunoglobulin. LPS as an antigen or carrier for chemically defined haptens induces a T independent antibody response, while antibody responses to unrelated T dependent antigens are modulated by LPS. Such regulation can be explained both by increased susceptibility of B cells to regulation after interaction with LPS, and increased activity of regulatory cells after their interaction with LPS. Studies of these mechanisms have exploited the availability of several strains of mice which are genetically poorly responsive to LPS and thus have helped to define the genetic basis of LPS responses. In addition, these studies have demonstrated the existence of other bacterial cell wall components which have some of the immunological properties of LPS but are not susceptible to the same genetic control. Future studies on the molecular nature ...
Screen for Small Molecules Increasing the Mitochondrial Membrane Potential

The identification of small molecules that positively modulate the mitochondrial respiratory function has broad applications in fundamental research, therapeutic target validation, and drug discovery. We present an approach in which primary screens for mitochondrial function in yeast are used to efficiently identify a subset of high-value compounds that can in turn be rapidly tested against a broad range of mammalian cell lines. The ability of the yeast assay to successfully identify in a high-throughput format hit compounds that increase the mitochondrial membrane potential and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels by as little as 15% was demonstrated. In this study, 14 hits were identified from a collection of 13,680 compounds. Secondary testing with myotubes, fibroblasts, and PC-12 and HepG2 cells identified two compounds increasing ATP levels in hepatocytes and two other compounds increasing ATP in fibroblasts. The effect on hepatocytes was further studied using genomic and mitochondrial proteomic tools to characterize the changes induced by the two compounds. Changes in the accumulation of a series of factors involved in early gene response or apoptosis or linked to metabolic functions (i.e., β-Klotho, RORα, PGC-1α, G6PC, IGFBP1, FTL) were discovered.
Dried Cow Manure as a Supplement in a Layer and Breeder Ration

Abstract INTRODUCTION THIS investigation was undertaken to determine to what extent dried cow manure may be substituted in a standard layer and breeder ration. Such information would be of value in areas, like Hawaii, where ingredients must be shipped long distances and are occasionally subject to prolonged interruption in shipment. References to cow manure as a source of vitamins for poultry have been extensively reported in the literature. Bechdel et al. (1928), Wegner and coworkers (1940, 1941), Hunt et al. (1941, 1943), and McElroy and Goss (1940a, 1940b, 1941) reported that vitamins of the B-complex were synthesized in the cow’s rumen. Hammond (1942 Hammond (1944), Hunt and co-workers (1943), Rubin et al. (1946), and Rubin and Bird (1946a, 1946b) have reported on the presence of a chick growth-promoting factor(s) in cow manure as well as on its beneficial feeding value for laying birds. Hatchability was improved also by the addition of cow . . .
Delay spreads and channel dynamics measurements at ISM bands

To understand the potential of indoor radio systems as communication media between portable computers and local area networks, the authors built a wideband indoor radio propagation measurement apparatus. The apparatus operates in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands centered around 910 MHz, 2.44 GHz, and 5.8 GHz. They briefly describe the measurement apparatus, the measurement procedures, and the measurement areas in an academic environment, Columbia University. Complex multipath delay profiles were recorded in classrooms, small-room offices, open-layout offices, an auditorium, a library, and a machine room. The effects of both delay spread and channel dynamics on designing a high-speed indoor radio data transmission scheme are also discussed. >
Personality and risk-taking: common biosocial factors.

The first part of this article describes a study of the relationships between personality and risk-taking in six areas: smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, driving, and gambling. The participants, 260 college students, were given self-report measures of risky behaviors in each of the six areas and the Zuckerman- Kuhlman five-factor personality questionnaire. Generalized risk-taking (across all six areas) was related to scales for impulsive sensation seeking, aggression, and sociability, but not to scales for neuroticism or activity. Gender differences on risk-taking were mediated by differences on impulsive sensation seeking. The second part discusses biological traits associated with both risk-taking and personality, particularly sensation seeking, such as the D4 dopamine receptor gene, the enzyme monoamine oxidase, and augmenting or reducing of the cortical evoked potential. Comparative studies show relationships between biological markers shared with other species and correlated behaviors similar to sensation seeking in humans. A biosocial model of the traits underlying risk-taking is presented. Many of life's decisions involve a balance between anticipated reward and risk. The wild rodent venturing into an open field balances the possibility of finding food against the chance of being devoured by a predator on the ground or from the sky. The married man or woman who
Thermal preconditioning before rat arterial balloon injury: limitation of injury and sustained reduction of intimal thickening.

Abstract —Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of highly conserved proteins, essential to cell survival, that are induced during times of physiological stress. These proteins, when induced, can provide tolerance to subsequent injury. Several studies have documented that HSPs play an important role in the response of vascular cells to injury or stress. Whether the vasculature itself can be effectively preconditioned before arterial injury is unknown. Vascular HSP induction by whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) was evaluated with regard to its effects on the vascular response to balloon injury. WBH treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats (colonic temperatures of 41 to 42°C for 15 minutes) resulted in maximal arterial HSP expression within 8 to 12 hours. Rats (male, 300 g, n=59) were randomly assigned to undergo either WBH or no treatment 8 hours before standard carotid balloon injury. At 14 (n=26) and 90 (n=21) days after balloon injury, histomorphometric analysis revealed a significant limitation of intimal accumulation in preconditioned arteries as compared to controls (intimal/medial area ratios±SEM: 14 days, 0.57±0.07 versus 0.86±0.08, P =0.01; 90 days, 0.78±0.12 versus 1.19±0.14, P <0.05). The medial cell proliferation index at 4 days (n=12) was significantly reduced in the treated group as well (3.6±0.9% versus 7.2±1.3%, P <0.05). Conversely, the mean total cell number in the media of heated arteries was higher (393±20 versus 328±17, P <0.05). Vascular preconditioning with brief WBH induces a heat shock response in the arterial wall that is associated with a significant and sustained reduction in intimal accumulation. This effect appears to be due in part to preservation of medial cell integrity and limitation of the proliferative response. These results suggest that thermal preconditioning of vascular tissue may be an effective strategy to improve long-term results after revascularization procedures.
Carnitine: determination of total carnitine using a radioenzymatic assay.

Determination par methode radioenzymatique de la carnitine totale, resultat de l'hydrolyse alcaline de l'acetylcarnitine et de l'acylcarnitine. La carnitine totale est determinee par la mesure de la radioactivite (grâce a un scintillateur liquide) de l'acetylcarnitidine radioactive, prealablement separee de l'acetylcarnitine radioactive, prealablement separee de l'acetyl CoA radioactif par chromatographie echangeuse d'anions apres incubation de la carnitine totale avec la carnitine transferase et du [ 14 C] acetyl CoA
A Zero Carryover Liquid-Desiccant Air Conditioner for Solar Applications

A novel liquid-desiccant air conditioner that dries and cools building supply air has been successfully designed, built, and tested. The new air conditioner will transform the use of directcontact liquid-desiccant systems in HVAC applications, improving comfort and indoor air quality, as well as providing energy-efficient humidity control Liquid-desiccant conditioners and regenerators are traditionally implemented as adiabatic beds of contact media that are highly flooded with desiccant. The possibility of droplet carryover into the supply air has limited the sale of these systems in most HVAC applications. The characteristic of the new conditioner and regenerator that distinguishes them from conventional ones is their very low flows of liquid desiccant. Whereas a conventional conditioner operates typically at between 10 and 15 gpm (630 and 946 ml/s) of desiccant per 1000 cfm (0.47 m 3 /s) of process air, the new conditioner operates at 0.5 gpm (32 ml/s) per 1000 cfm (0.47 m 3 /s). At these low flooding rates, the supply air will not entrain droplets of liquid desiccant. This brings performance and maintenance for the new liquid-desiccant technology in line with HVAC market expectations. Low flooding rates are practical only if the liquid desiccant is continually cooled in the conditioner or continually heated in the regenerator as the mass exchange of water occurs. This simultaneous heat and mass exchange is accomplished by using the walls of a parallel-plate plastic heat exchanger as the air/desiccant contact surface. Compared to existing solid- and liquid-desiccant systems, the low-flow technology is more compact, has significantly lower pressure drops and does not “dump” heat back onto the building’s central air conditioner. Tests confirm the high sensible and latent effectiveness of the conditioner, the high COP of the regenerator, and the operation of both components without carryover.
Predictors of substance use disorder treatment outcomes among patients with psychotic disorders

Abstract Although integrated approaches are recommended and effective for treating patients with co-occurring substance use and psychotic disorders (SUD-PSY), many patients receive standard, nonintegrated substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Research has yet to investigate how patients with co-occurring substance use and psychotic disorders respond to standard SUD treatment, an issue we address here. In a naturalistic follow-up of 236 male SUD-PSY patients receiving 12-step facilitation or cognitive–behavioral-oriented SUD treatment, we found that patients (1) demonstrated significant improvements in proximal outcomes (e.g., approach coping) from treatment intake to discharge, and in distal outcomes (e.g., psychiatric symptoms, substance use frequency) from treatment intake to 1- and 5-year follow-ups, and (2) tended to have similar outcomes whether they received 12-step facilitation or cognitive–behavioral SUD treatment. Patients who (3) were more involved in treatment, as reflected by more positive perceptions of and more satisfaction, tended to experience better proximal outcomes and engage in more continuing care, and those who (4) experienced better proximal outcomes tended to have better psychiatric and substance use outcomes in the years following treatment. Our results suggest that SUD-PSY patients can benefit from standard SUD treatments, even though it may not directly address their psychiatric disorders.
Degradation of precision reference devices in space environments

The degradation of precision reference devices is investigated to determine the relative importance of ionization and displacement damage. The results are compared with theoretical calculations of a basic bandgap reference circuit. Several of the device types were degraded severely at 20 krad(Si), with about the same degradation as that predicted for the basic bandgap reference circuit. One very high precision device with an internal heater performed far better than any of the other devices in the study.
Empirical study of neural network language models for Arabic speech recognition

In this paper we investigate the use of neural network language models for Arabic speech recognition. By using a distributed representation of words, the neural network model allows for more robust generalization and is better able to fight the data sparseness problem. We investigate different configurations of the neural probabilistic model, experimenting with such parameters as N-gram order, output vocabulary, normalization method, and model size and parameters. Experiments were carried out on Arabic broadcast news and broadcast conversations data and the optimized neural network language models showed significant improvements over the baseline N-gram model.
Nectar-Robbing Carpenter Bees Reduce Seed-Setting Capability of Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Rabbiteye Blueberry, Vaccinium ashei, ‘Climax’

The carpenter bee, Xylocopavirginica (L.), acts as a primary nectar thief in southeastern plantations of native rabbiteye blueberry, Vaccinium ashei Reade, perforating corollae laterally to imbibe nectar. Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., learn to collect nectar from these perforations and thus become secondary thieves. We conducted a 2-yr study to assess how nectar robbing in honey bees affects fruit production in rabbiteye blueberry. Various harvest parameters were measured from fruit collected from plants tented with honey bees and carpenter bees (AX), carpenter bees (X), honey bees (A), no bees (0), or in open plots (open). In open plots, rates of illegitimate honey bee sower visitation increase from initial lows to Þxation at 95%. Fruit set is higher in open, A, and AX plots than in X and 0 plots. Even though fruit set is similar in A and AX plots, seed numbers are signiÞcantly reduced in AX plots in which X. virginica-induced illegitimate honey bee sower visitation approaches 40%. Open-pollinated berries were larger than berries from all other treatments in 2001, whereas in 2002 berry weight followed the pattern A open AX (X 0). Sucrose content of juice and speed of ripening were unaffected by treatments.
M. Carey Lea, the first mechanochemist

The experiments of M. Carey Lea (1823-1897) are usually considered the first systematic investigations on the chemical effects of mechanical action. This paper collects the most important facts about Lea's life and discusses his research from the point of view of mechanochemistry. Lea was born into a family of considerable privilege and exceptional achievements. He suffered from weak health throughout his life. Consequently, he was educated at home by a tutor and later worked in the private laboratory of his home in Philadelphia. Lea was primarily a photochemist, his first mechanochemical observation in 1866 concerned the pressure sensitivity of photographic plates. Later in his life, he investigated the effect of various kinds of energy—heat, light, mechanical action—on allotropic (colloidal) silver and silver halides. The “parallelism” of the results motivated Lea to study the mechanochemical decomposition of dozens of stable compounds between 1892 and 1894. He observed the decomposition of silver and mercuric chlorides by trituration in a mortar, although the same compounds are known to melt or sublime undecomposed when heated. Lea was elected member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1892.
Efficacy of Human Simulated Exposures of Ceftaroline Administered at 600 Milligrams Every 12 Hours against Phenotypically Diverse Staphylococcus aureus Isolates

ABSTRACT Ceftaroline exhibits bactericidal activity against Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus, as well as common Gram-negative pathogens. This study evaluated the efficacy of human simulated exposures of ceftaroline against S. aureus in both the neutropenic and immunocompetent mouse thigh infection models. Twenty-six S. aureus isolates (4 MSSA, 22 MRSA) with ceftaroline MICs ranging from 0.125 to 4 μg/ml were collected. All isolates were tested in the neutropenic model and a subset of 13 MRSA isolates were tested in the immunocompetent model. Two hours after inoculation, a ceftaroline regimen that simulated the percentage of the dosing interval that free-drug concentrations remained above the MIC of the infecting organism ( f T>MIC) of humans administered ceftaroline at 600 mg every 12 h (q12h) infused over 1 h was given. The change in log 10 CFU/ml after 24 h of treatment was analyzed relative to the 0- and 24-h controls for neutropenic and immunocompetent mice, respectively. The human simulated regimen resulted in efficacy against all isolates tested in both infection models. In the neutropenic model, a 0.95 to 3.28 log 10 CFU/ml reduction was observed when compared with the 0-h control, whereas for the immunocompetent model, all isolates obtained a >1 log 10 CFU/ml reduction (log 10 CFU/ml reduction range: 1.06 to 2.43) in bacterial density. Irrespective of immune competency, a reduction in bacterial density was observed at the highest MIC of 4 μg/ml ( f T>MIC of 27.5%). Human simulated exposures of ceftaroline 600 mg q12h provided predictable efficacy against all tested S. aureus isolates in the mouse thigh model independent of immune status. These data support the clinical utility of ceftaroline against S. aureus, including MRSA, with MICs of ≤4 μg/ml.
Multiparameter Sensitivity Analysis of Multiple Coupled Vias in Board and Package Structures for Early Design and Optimization

Analytical expressions for the multiparametric sensitivity analysis of coupled-via S -parameters in board and package structures are derived in this paper. These expressions are validated with finite difference approximations of S-parameters obtained from three-dimensional field solvers and of the analytical expressions themselves. Sensitivity analysis with respect to multiple geometric and material variations provides quick early-design insight without resorting to complete three-dimensional field simulation. Sensitivities for eccentric effect of via drilling and exterior problem are also studied. First derivative data is also critical for gradient-based optimization of system-level performance which includes via-via coupling. The proposed approach is a stepping stone towards early design and optimization for large-scale via structures in microelectronics systems.
FINANCING THE GOVERNMENT DEFICIT

This study examines the relationship between the U.S. government deficit on a unified budget basis and the various available sources of financing. It identifies those sources of financing other than private domestic capital markets that are available, and develops measures of the financing responses of both domestic and foreign monetary authorities to the continuing U.S. budget deficits of the past fifteen years.
The Role of Sexual Autonomy in Evolution by Mate Choice

The field of sexual selection is dominated by research in which natural selection on mating preferences is assumed. As a result, there has been no need to recognize any of the consequences of mate choice that can be independent of natural selection. One such consequence is the evolution of sexual autonomy- defined here as the capacity of an individual organism to pursue its mating preferences independent of sexual coercion from the opposite sex. Here, I propose that the concept of sexual autonomy was implicit in Darwin’s work on mate choice, as evidenced by early criticisms of sexual selection by Darwin’s’ contemporaries. Subsequently, Fisher, Lande, and Kirkpatrick provided models of the origin of sexual autonomy through mate choice. Here, I propose that sexual autonomy evolves via the indirect costs of sexual coercion, and can involve evolution of either resistance to coercion or new aesthetic preferences. I review two distinct examples of this phenomenon—antagonistic genital coevolution in waterfowl (Anatidae) and the evolution of bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae) architecture—both of which protect females from sexual coercion. Waterfowl vaginal complexity evolves as a mechanism of resistance to protect females from unwanted forced fertilization, and reinforces female capacity for autonomous mate choice. Bowerbird bowers evolve by female preference, and function to physically protect females from male sexual attack. Female preferences for bower architecture provide an aesthetic mechanism for reinforcing female sexual autonomy. Recognizing the evolution of female sexual autonomy provides a new avenue for investigating the evolution by the indirect benefits of mate choice.
Titanium Alloys: Thermal Treatment and Thermomechanical Processing

Once the chemistry (composition) is set the mechanical properties of Titanium Alloys depend almost entirely on the size, shape, and distribution of two allotropic phases: the high-temperature b.c.c. s-phase and the low-temperature h.c.p. a-phase. Thermomechanical processing (TMP) – which is a combination of working (deformation) and thermal (heat) treatment – controls the microstructures and, in turn, the mechanical properties. For example, fracture-critical structures perform most efficiently when fabricated from materials processed to achieve a lenticular morphology, i.e., a high fracture toughness. In contrast Ductility is favored by a globular morphology.
Abstract P117: County Level Cardiovascular Health in the United States

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, so improving cardiovascular health (CVH) is a key population health goal. As part of public health efforts to achieve this, the American Heart Association recently developed a comprehensive CVH metric that incorporates smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose. The objectives of the current study were to measure CVH in all US counties and identify key socioeconomic determinants of county-level CVH. Methods: Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to determine calculate CVH for each county in 2009. Federal Information Processing Standards codes were used to obtain scores for counties with a sample size of 15 or more; 62% (1948 of 3142) of United States counties had available data . The main outcomes were age-standardized mean CVH score and percentage of poor or ideal health. Data on county-level socioeconomic indicators were abstracted from the Area Resource File. Results and Conclusions: Overall, 18% of the population had poor CVH, 77% had intermediate, and 5% had ideal. Between counties the average overall CVH varied from 2.13 to 4.80, the percentage of ideal health varied from 0% to 46%, and the percentage of poor health varied from 1% to 76%. Counties with the poorest health were in the Midwest and Southern regions. There is a moderate positive relationship between mean CVH and per capita income (r=0.355) and a weak positive relationship between mean CVH and percent urban population (r=0.245). In conclusion, there are few counties with a substantial percentage of their population with ideal health, there is a wide range of cardiovascular health status within the United States, and there is some association of increasing CVH with increasing income and urbanization.
Integrating a Theory of the State into Sovereign Debt Restructuring

A theory of the state should motivate any system of sovereign debt restructuring. Governments should borrow funds in order to promote the long-term welfare of their citizens. This borrowing, however, increases the possibility of later financial distress, which can decrease the welfare of the nation's citizens. This essay draws on recent scholarship in the corporate and individual bankruptcy realms and argues that a sovereign debt restructuring system premised on a theory of the state would further three goals - encourage efficient investment, protect citizens against the extreme consequences of the nation's financial distress, and promote the adoption of responsible fiscal policies. A right on the part of the state to discharge some of its debt could further the first two of these goals. This discharge right could reduce the agency costs that often exist between the country's leaders and its citizens by encouraging lenders to better monitor the planned use of borrowed funds in the first instance. Such a right also provides a form of mandatory insurance for the country's citizens against extreme distress. As to the goal of prompting better fiscal policies, a sovereign debt restructuring system can achieve this by predicating relief on the adoption of such policies. Perhaps the biggest impediment to implementing a sovereign debt restructuring system along the lines sketched here is that few of the current players in the sovereign debt system have an incentive to advocate such a regime.
It is time to implement One Health approach to address health complex challenges

As severe as it is, the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa may prefigure the complexity of future challenges that the continent will face in the near future. Is Africa public health and management workforce adequately trained to address these complex challenges? The (EVD) outbreak in West Africa is an opportunity to rethink our approach to address health complex challenges as far as capacity building of African health workforce is concerned.
Critical Acts of Recognition: Reading Law Rhetorically

This paper examines the parliamentary debates surrounding the United Kingdom's 2004 Gender Recognition Act. An Act meant to provide transgender people legal status according to their "acquired gender," it affords a site to study how legal recognition enables and forecloses the possibility of a pluralistic democratic society. The parliamentary debates and the Act itself suggest that legal recognition offers marginalized individuals the ability to take up a place within a community. Reading these debates and the law itself, this paper argues that political-theoretical accounts of recognition fail to fully explain this act of taking place. Employing a rhetorical perspective, I argue that "taking up a place" is a double act in which individuals are constituted through norms of recognizability through which they lay claim to rights. In the Act, this double moment of taking-place appears as a problem of who can speak for the subject of recognition. This argument is valuable because it demonstrates, first, that subjects appear in and through the language of law and, second, that positive law cannot contain or frame acts of recognition as the place of law itself is called into question through recognition practices.
Extending a potential vorticity transport eddy closure to include a spatially-varying coefficient

The use of spatially varying eddy diffusivities is explored with the extended Gent-McWilliams (eGM) closure for both passive tracers and potential vorticity (PV). Numerical experiments are conducted with a wind-forced isopycnal channel model. It is shown that, the eGM closure with eddy diffusivities derived from a high-resolution reference solution produces the best results compared to the reference solution in terms of the thickness, PV profiles and volume fluxes. The use of spatially varying eddy diffusivities also removes the unphysical reverse jets near the channel walls shown by the eGM with constant eddy diffusivities.
Computing disjoint paths with length constraints

We show that the problem of computing a pair of disjoint paths between nodes s and t of an undirected graph, each having at most K, K e Z+, edges is NP-complete. A heuristic for its optimization version is given whose performance is within a constant factor from the optimal. It can be generalized to compute any constant number of disjoint paths. We also generalize an algorithm in [1] to compute the maximum number of edge disjoint paths of the shortest possible length between s and t. We show that it is NP-complete to decide whether there exist at least K, K e Z+, disjoint paths that may have at most S+1 edges, where S is the minimum number of edges on any path between s and t. In addition, we examine a generalized version of the problem where disjoint paths are routed either between a node pair (s1, t1) or a node pair (s2, t2). We show that it is NP-hard to find the maximum number of disjoint paths that either connect pair (s1, t1) the shortest way or (s2, t2) the shortest way.