cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological analysis of influenza from sentinel hospital in Tianjin Binhai New Area( Tanggu) during 2009-2012

[Objective]To understand the epidemiological characteristics of influenza in Tanggu of Tianjin City,and provide the scientific basis for influenza control and prevention. [Methods]The surveillance data of influenza like illness( ILI) from 2009-2012 were collected for the analysis of percentage of ILI outpatients( ILI%),and the results were analyzed by SPSS 15. 0. [Results] During 2009-2012,a total of 29 553 flu-like cases were reported in sentinel hospital and clinics,accounting for 1. 77% of the total 1 673 458 cases reported. Influenza-like cases accounted for 7. 76%,1. 47%,0. 82% and 0. 79% from 2009 to 2012. Most cases were children and teenagers aged ≤24 years( 82. 61%). The incidence peaked during October to December in 2009,and became stable from 2010-2012. ILI cases reported by fever diagnosis ward were the most( 45. 14%). [Conclusion]The ILI% showed a downward trend from national sentinel hospitals in Tanggu City from 2010-2012. The influenza activity is relatively stable without large-scale outbreak in Tanggu,but the ILI% has a upward trend in elder people,therefore,the vaccination of this group should attract more attentions.
Nonlinear optical signals and spectroscopy with quantum light

Author(s): Dorfman, KE; Schlawin, F; Mukamel, S | Abstract: Conventional nonlinear spectroscopy uses classical light to detect matter properties through the variation of its response with frequencies or time delays. Quantum light opens up new avenues for spectroscopy by utilizing parameters of the quantum state of light as novel control knobs and through the variation of photon statistics by coupling to matter. An intuitive diagrammatic approach is presented for calculating ultrafast spectroscopy signals induced by quantum light, focusing on applications involving entangled photons with nonclassical bandwidth properties - known as "time-energy entanglement." Nonlinear optical signals induced by quantized light fields are expressed using time-ordered multipoint correlation functions of superoperators in the joint field plus matter phase space. These are distinct from Glauber's photon counting formalism which uses normally ordered products of ordinary operators in the field space. One notable advantage for spectroscopy applications is that entangled-photon pairs are not subjected to the classical Fourier limitations on the joint temporal and spectral resolution. After a brief survey of properties of entangled-photon pairs relevant to their spectroscopic applications, different optical signals, and photon counting setups are discussed and illustrated for simple multilevel model systems.
Migrant Narratives and Ethnographic Tropes Navigating Tragedy, Creating Possibilities

Tragic stories of border crossings are often central to accounts of migration, and as ethnographers we are privy to stories of clandestine crossings, painful separations, and unspeakable loss. In t...
Aggregation of Elongated Colloids in Water

Colloidal aggregation is a canonical example of disordered growth far from equilibrium and has been extensively studied for the case of spherical monomers. Many particles encountered in industry and the environment are highly elongated; however, the control of particle shape on aggregation kinetics and structure is not well-known. Here, we explore this control in laboratory experiments that document aqueous diffusion and aggregation of two different elongated colloids: natural asbestos fibers and synthetic glass rods, with similar aspect ratios of about 5:1. We also perform control runs with glass spheres of similar size (∼1 μm). The aggregates assembled from the elongated particles are noncompact, with morphologies and growth rates that differ markedly from the classical aggregation dynamics observed for spherical monomers. The results for asbestos and glass rods are remarkably similar, demonstrating the primacy of shape over material properties—suggesting that our findings may be extended to other elong...
Household Photovoltaic Systems in Developing Countries: Experience, Issues, and Outlook

Individual household photovoltaic (PV) systems have been shown to be economically competitive with conventional energy technologies under conditions which are widespread in developing countries. These systems can provide basic levels of electric service for tasks such as lighting and television and radio reception for which rural households are willing to pay relatively large amounts. If the household PV market is to achieve its potential, the technology must be commercialized on the basis of the household willingness to pay for services delivered. Drawing from the experience gained from several recent household PV projects, this paper explores some of the financial, institutional, and technical dimensions of commercial system dissemination, and assesses the prospects for the technology in light of these considerations.
Economical triac motor drive design study from handbook to product

Summary This paper describes a production-reliable, line voltage insensitive, economical drive based on a handbook circuit. The available circuit could not be used without revision due to variations in line voltage and other factors. The study includes impedance matching required at the input, triac triggering and associated problems when neither side of the device is at a reference potential. Oscilloscope traces are presented with explanation of triac misfiring when pulse-transformer coupling is used. Methods to avoid such misfiring are also presented. A method to yield a more consistent speed versus input voltage is given. Optical isolators are considered for triggering instead of pulse transformers. An example circuit is presented with comparative waveforms using the optical isolator in place of a pulse transformer.
Discounted Cash Flow Analysis

This technical note outlines the principles and application of proper discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis in the context of evaluating business investment projects. The note provides several specific examples, emphasizes building intuition for DCF modeling, and reviews several common errors novices to the subject make in such analysis. Excerpt UVA-F-1728 Rev. Oct. 2, 2020 Discounted Cash Flow Analysis Business managers face a steady flow of business investment opportunities. These important investment decisions take many forms: an extension of an existing product, software to reduce production costs, or a machine purchase to improve product quality. With so many investment choices, managers quickly appreciate that some amount of rigor is required to discriminate between those opportunities that merit going ahead with the investment from those that do not. In making these sorts of decisions, astute managers consider the perspective of their investors. To that end, this note outlines principles and examples of proper discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis in the context of evaluating business investment projects. The fundamental premise of the DCF approach is that the value associated with a business investment is measured by the expected cash flow gains to investors above what they might expect to generate on their own with investments of similar risk. DCF analysis provides an important tool that allows managers to model the gains to investors associated with investment opportunities. DCF analysis seeks to precisely identify the present value of economic net benefits to business investors associated with an investment (the net present value, or NPV). By identifying the investment cash flows, the manager is able to identify the exact source of the value gains and losses to investors relative to a baseline of not making the investment at all. To provide context for the discussion, this note begins with the example of a capacity expansion decision for a crop-dusting business. An Investment Decision for Dusty Barnes . . .
Accomplishing Translation: The Notion of Evidence in the Discipline of the History of Science

It has taken some time, but the history of science has finally come to be viewed as something more than the repository for “anecdote or chronology” that Thomas Kuhn described, with some frustration, in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions thirty-one years ago.1 Indeed, the history of science is now rightly recognized as essential to the understanding of science. Good history enriches the conceptual repertoire available for understanding science — it reveals forgotten styles of theorizing and kinds of scientific theory, standards of evidence and theory choice, modes of scientific practice, and realms of methodological debate. In the philosophical research program developed by Larry Laudan, episodes drawn from the history of science serve as data against which debates about science — concerning, for example, scientific realism, standards of theory choice, or the aims of science — are tested, if not settled.2 And perhaps most importantly, the history of science is now appreciated for its capacity to provide an understanding of science which emphasizes the historical contingency in its theories, aims, methods, and place in society. The undermining of the notion that there is an ‘essence’ of science, accomplished largely by the examination of the history of science, is perhaps most directly responsible for the emergence of science studies in the United States; no such effect could be attributed to a mere repository for “anecdote or chronology.”3
Environmental Risk and Hazards

Environmental hazards are defined as extreme events or substances in the Earth and its ecological system that may cause adverse consequences for humans and things they value. These include geophysical and meteorological phenomena such as earthquakes and droughts. Approaches to environmental hazards developed from an initial focus on preventing natural disasters through engineering works, to an emphasis on how human behavior and perceptions influence response and adjustment to hazards, and then to analyses of how political and economic processes and structures make some people and places more vulnerable to extreme events than others. Environmental risks are often defined as the product of a hazard and the likelihood of its occurring, using a simple formula that defines a risk as the product of probability of an event, and its severity measured in terms of the population exposed, and the nature of the consequences. Environmental risk assessment employs a wide range of experimental, statistical, and economic techniques to estimate and compare risks from pollution, technologies, and everyday activities. Critical perspectives on risk point to the limitations of quantitative assessments, including the differences between public and ‘expert’ judgments, the unequal distribution of risk exposure in space and society, and to the ways in which risks are constructed and defined by different interest groups.
Supermultiplexed optical imaging and barcoding with engineered polyynes

Optical multiplexing has a large impact in photonics, the life sciences and biomedicine. However, current technology is limited by a 'multiplexing ceiling' from existing optical materials. Here we engineered a class of polyyne-based materials for optical supermultiplexing. We achieved 20 distinct Raman frequencies, as 'Carbon rainbow', through rational engineering of conjugation length, bond-selective isotope doping and end-capping substitution of polyynes. With further probe functionalization, we demonstrated ten-color organelle imaging in individual living cells with high specificity, sensitivity and photostability. Moreover, we realized optical data storage and identification by combinatorial barcoding, yielding to our knowledge the largest number of distinct spectral barcodes to date. Therefore, these polyynes hold great promise in live-cell imaging and sorting as well as in high-throughput diagnostics and screening.
Demonstration of interactive teaching for end-to-end dialog control with hybrid code networks

This is a demonstration of interactive teaching for practical end-to-end dialog systems driven by a recurrent neural network. In this approach, a developer teaches the network by interacting with the system and providing on-the-spot corrections. Once a system is deployed, a developer can also correct mistakes in logged dialogs. This demonstration shows both of these teaching methods applied to dialog systems in three domains: pizza ordering, restaurant information, and weather forecasts.
Time Trends in Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in California, 2007-2010.

BACKGROUND As the number of total hip and knee arthroplasty cases increases, it is important to understand the burden of factors that impact patient outcomes of these procedures. This article examined the time trends in key demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidity burden (Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI]), and presence of depression in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty using population-based, all-payer inpatient database, California Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, from 2007 to 2010. METHODS Chi-square tests and analysis of variance were used. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed to compare the prevalence of depression in 2007 to later years. RESULTS In the primary total hip arthroplasty cohort, the prevalence of depression significantly increased by 20%, mean age decreased by 0.4 years, mean length of stay (LOS) decreased by 0.5 days, and having a CCI score of ≥3 increased by 30% (P value < .001 for all) over the study period. Similarly, in the primary total knee arthroplasty cohort, the prevalence of depression increased by 23%, the mean age decreased by 0.4 years, mean LOS decreased by 0.4 days, and the prevalence of CCI score of ≥3 increased by 35% (P value < .001 for all). CONCLUSION Despite the younger age of the joint arthroplasty population over time, we found increased prevalence of depression and comorbidity scores but shorter LOS. Further study is needed to determine the impact of the changing demographics of the total joint population and the best strategies to optimize their outcome with these procedures.
OPTIMIZATION IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Today, most successful applications of optimization in the automotive industry are at the detailed-design level. Examples include structural optimization of metal gauges and beam cross sections, topology optimization of cast parts, and engine calibration. Despite these successes, it is fair to say that optimization is used less often, and has had a smaller impact, than most researchers might have expected. The reason is the presence of numerous barriers, such as poor connections between computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided engineering (CAE) software, insufficient predictive accuracy of computer simulations, difficulty in automating and iterating computer analyses, long simulation times, and poor availability of data. As a result, until recently, the focus has just been on getting to the point where we can do optimization. Fortunately, many of these barriers are being overcome, and the next decade is likely to witness a fast growth in the use of optimization within the industry. Accordingly, the focus will shift to more interesting challenges, such as robust design, multi-disciplinary optimization, and the roll-down of vehicle-level requirements to subsystem specifications.
THE DECISION PROBLEM FOR FIELDS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the decision problem for fields. A finite field is clearly decidable since any sentence can be systematically reduced to a Boolean combination of sentences of the diagram of , which is finite. A field is formally real if and only if — 1 is not the sum of squares of elements of the field. A formally real field is real closed if and only if it has no proper algebraic extension which is formally real. This definition of a real closed field does not appear to be a first-order property of fields. Thus Θ is a Boolean combination of formulas of the form α β and α = β where each α and β are obtained from the free variables of ф, 0, and 1 by additions and multiplications. This decision method, or algorithm, of Tarski is on the edge of practicality.
ESR Lineshapes and Saturation in the Slow Motional Region—The Stochastic Liouville Approach

Let us define an orientation-dependent spin-density matrix, σ(Ω, t) by: $$\sigma \left( {\Omega ,{\rm{ t}}} \right) = {{\rm{e}}^{ - \left( {{\rm{i}}{H^ \times } + {\Gamma _\Omega }} \right){\rm{t}}}}\sigma \left( 0 \right)$$ (1) such that 〈P0|σ(Ω, t)|G0〉 = σ(t) as given by eq. VIII-119. Then it obeys the stochastic Liouville equation of motion:1,2,3 $${\partial \over {\partial {\rm{ t}}}}\sigma \left( {\Omega ,{\rm{ t}}} \right) = - \left[ {{\rm{i}}H{{\left( \Omega \right)}^ \times } + {\Gamma _\Omega }} \right]\sigma \left( {\Omega ,{\rm{ t}}} \right).$$ (2)
An Application of Two-Mode Classification to Analyze the Statistical Software Market

This paper presents the results of a market research concerning statistical software packages for Microsoft Windows. On the one hand, the implemented features as well as the numerical accuracy and the computing speed of the software packages are analyzed. On the other hand, a segmentation of the market using a two-mode classification method is performed.
A new technique of internal suture mastopexy for mild to moderate breast ptosis.

Aging, peripartum enlargement, postpartum involution and several other factors can contribute to the diminished elasticity breast tissues over time, the end result of which is a ptotic breast. True ptosis occurs when the nipple-areola complex descends to a position that is level with or below the inframammary crease. In 1976, Regnault (1) described a classification of breast ptosis that remains in use today. The goal of mastopexy is to give the breast a natural, replete, youthful appearance. This is accomplished by tightening the skin brassiere (skin excision or implant insertion), elevating the nipple-areola complex or both. For minor degrees of breast ptosis, several sound options exist that produce excellent results. Rohrich et al (2) have recently published an excellent review of the current concept of limited scar mastopexy for mild to moderate ptosis. Currently, these techniques rely on breast incisions to correct ptosis. Trading a ptotic breast for a visibly scarred breast can be a difficult choice. In severe breast ptosis, a Wise breast reduction pattern (3) that results in an inverted-T scar will produce a reasonable and reliable result. We present a technique for the correction of mild to moderate ptosis that does not leave a mastopexy scar on the breast. This technique is specifically applicable to patients requesting simultaneous augmentation and mastopexy or to patients who already have implants placed via an inframammary crease incision that now require mastopexy.
Evaluation of Parental Perspectives and Concerns About Pediatric Tonsillectomy in Social Media.

Importance Tonsillectomy is common in children, but little is known about parental preferences and values concerning this surgical procedure. Twitter offers an opportunity to evaluate parental understanding and experience of tonsillectomy care. Objective To identify parental perspectives about tonsillectomy in children that may not be apparent in a routine clinical encounter. Design, Setting, and Participants In this qualitative study, social media platform Twitter was searched for posts (tweets) published between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017, by US-based parents about their child’s tonsillectomy. Modified grounded theory was applied to develop a coding taxonomy to classify the tweets. Tweets were assessed for thematic synthesis and classification, and descriptive statistics were obtained for each theme. Main Outcomes and Measures Themes of parental experiences and perspectives about their child’s tonsillectomy. Results Of the 5801 total tweets retrieved, 782 (13.5%) satisfied the inclusion criteria. Tweets were categorized under 2 overarching themes: procedural concerns (549 tweets [70.2%]) and attitudes or experiences (498 [63.7%]). Common tweets under procedural concerns mentioned surgical indication for tonsillectomy (55 tweets [7.0%]); eg, “strep–I think it’s tonsil removing time…”) and recovery (227 tweets [29.0%]), including child’s attitude (89 tweets [11.4%]; eg, “so hard to get my daughter to eat”) and parental experience (87 tweets [11.1%]; eg, “tonsillectomy recovery sucks for the parent as much as the kid!”). Common tweets regarding attitudes or experiences included the tenor of overall care (225 tweets [28.6%]; eg, “Tonsillectomy is a bear”) and fears or apprehensions (209 tweets [26.6%]). Conclusions and Relevance These social media findings may be used to guide clinicians in educating and counseling parents as well as further engaging parents and children in shared decision making for tonsillectomy.
Combined inhibition of mTOR and PIKKs exploits replicative and checkpoint vulnerabilities to induce death of PI3K-activated triple-negative breast cancer cells

Frequent mutation of genes in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in human cancers has stimulated large investments in therapeutic drugs but clinical successes have been rare. As a result, many cancers with high PI3K pathway activity such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are still treated primarily with conventional chemotherapy. By systematically analyzing responses of TNBC cells to a diverse collection of PI3K pathway inhibitors, we find that one drug, Torin2, is unusually effective because it inhibits both mTOR and PI3K-like kinases (PIKKs). In contrast to mTOR-selective inhibitors, Torin2 exploits dependencies on several kinases for progression of S-phase and for cell cycle checkpoints, thereby causing accumulation of single-stranded DNA and death by replication catastrophe or mitotic failure. Thus, Torin2 and its analogs represent a mechanistically distinct class of PI3K pathway inhibitors that are uniquely cytotoxic to TNBC cells. This insight could be translated therapeutically by further developing Torin2 analogs or combinations of existing mTOR and PIKK inhibitors.
Is it time to revisit R-CHOP for primary CNS lymphoma?

In this issue of Blood, Ferreri et al report preliminary results from the INGRID trial regarding the feasibility and safety of using engineered tumor necrosis factor-α for increasing blood-brain barrier permeability in patients with relapsed or refractory primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma.1 The authors demonstrate that treatment with tumor necrosis factor coupled with NGR (NGR-hTNF), a drug that targets CD13 on tumor blood vessels, followed by rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) is safe, selectively increases permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the tumor regions, and is associated with radiographic responses.
“Latinos Have a Stronger Attachment to the Family”: Latinx Fathers’ Acceptance of Their Sexual Minority Children

Parental acceptance is critical to the well-being of sexual minority youth, yet little research has been conducted with fathers, or with Latinx parents of sexual minorities. Understanding Latinx fa...
Catastrophic tibial baseplate failure of a modern cementless total knee arthroplasty implant

Tibial baseplate fracture following primary total knee arthroplasty is a rare complication, particularly with modern implants and surgical techniques. This case details the first known report of mid-range follow-up catastrophic failure of a cementless modular, trabecular metal tibial baseplate. This failure highlights the importance of continued follow-up for novel implants, to include cementless knee arthroplasty designs, particularly if new symptoms arise or periarticular bone loss is identified on radiograph.
NERDSS: a non-equilibrium simulator for multibody self-assembly at the cellular scale

Currently, a significant barrier to building predictive models of cell-based self-assembly processes is that molecular models cannot capture minutes-long cellular dynamics that couple distinct components with active processes, while reaction-diffusion models lack sufficient detail for capturing assembly structures. Here we introduce the Non-Equilibrium Reaction-Diffusion Self-assembly Simulator (NERDSS), which addresses this gap by integrating a structure-resolved reaction-diffusion algorithm with rule-based model construction. By representing proteins as rigid, multi-site molecules that adopt well-defined orientations upon binding, NERDSS simulates formation of large reversible structures with sites that can be acted on by reaction rules. We show how NERDSS allows for directly comparing and optimizing models of multi-component assembly against time-dependent experimental data. Applying NERDSS to assembly steps in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, we capture how the formation of clathrin caged structures can be driven by modulating the strength of clathrin-clathrin interactions, by adding cooperativity, or by localizing clathrin to the membrane. NERDSS further predicts how clathrin lattice disassembly can be driven by enzymes that irreversibly change lipid populations on the membrane. By modeling viral lattice assembly and recapitulating oscillations in protein expression levels for a circadian clock model, we illustrate the wide usability and adaptability of NERDSS. NERDSS simulates user-defined assembly models that were previously inaccessible to existing software tools, with broad applications to predicting self-assembly in vivo and designing high-yield assemblies in vitro.
Impact of Adenovirus Stool PCR Screening on Incidence, Management, and Outcomes in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients (HSCT)

Introduction Adenovirus (AdV) infections can cause high morbidity and mortality. Reports that early PCR detection in stool preceded viremia led to a change in institutional screening practices. Objectives To describe the impact of AdV stool PCR screening. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of pediatric allo-HSCT at our institution from July 2007 – July 2018. Weekly AdV blood PCR screening was done throughout with addition of weekly stool AdV PCR screening from July 2010. Incidence rates were compared by Fisher's exact tests. Kappa statistic was used to measure agreement. Results We identified 117 transplants with 113 patients. Eight transplants were removed from analysis due to incomplete screening. Pre-stool screening AdV incidence was 6.7% (1 pneumonia,1 urine) with no deaths due to AdV. Post-stool screening AdV incidence was 31.6% (10 stool, 5 stool/blood, 5 blood, 2 respiratory, 2 stool/respiratory,1 stool/blood/respiratory) with 1 death due to AdV pneumonia despite cidofovir treatment with initial stool only detection. AdV detection was significantly increased in patients with stool testing versus blood testing alone (p=0.007) with poor agreement between the blood and stool testing (κ=0.25). Stool detection had limited value related to respiratory disease. No difference was seen in AdV incidence based on respiratory testing alone between patients with and without stool testing (p>0.9). The 2 patients with stool/respiratory AdV received cidofovir with initial stool only detection yet developed respiratory AdV. For the entire cohort, 27 patients tested positive for AdV with 68% of positive AdV patients receiving serotherapy or in vivo/ex vivo T-cell depletion (TCD). Of the patients with blood and stool testing (N=79), only 5% were stool only positive and did not have serotherapy or TCD. Stool AdV testing is $799/sample. Blood AdV testing is $383/sample. Conclusion AdV incidence was higher with the addition of stool testing. The addition of AdV stool screening however had limited impact on respiratory AdV, the cause of the one AdV-related death in our cohort. Given the high association of positive AdV in patients receiving serotherapy or TCD, a risk-targeted screening strategy may be considered for a cost-effective approach.
The earning losses of smokers.

Since the publication of the Surgeon General’s report (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1964) on the harmful effects of cigarette consumption, a vast literature has emerged exploring the economic consequences of smoking. Early analyses on the economic impacts of smoking anticipated that smoking would have adverse impacts in the labor market. Such studies predicted that poor health would adversely affect productivity and raise the cost of providing health care (Luce and Schweitzer, 1978; Oster et al., 1984), thereby lowering earnings. However, precisely quantifying the effect of smoking on earnings has proven to be challenging. Comparisons between smokers and nonsmokers often reveal significant differences on observable characteristics, which raises the possibility that significant differences may also exist on unobservable characteristics. As a result, credible evidence on the effects of smoking on earnings has been elusive.....
Why does cuteness matter? A review of The Power of Cute

“This is Cute!” For persons who rarely think about what makes cute appealing, Simon May’s The Power of Cute will provide some nuanced answers. The book recapitulates and synthesizes the main ideas ...
Same-Day Discharge After Transcatheter Native Aortic and Mitral Valve-in-Valve Replacement.

Abstract Transcatheter aortic valve replacement has become the gold standard of care in the management of patients with severe aortic stenosis and transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve replacement seems to be an attractive alternative to redo surgery. We report the first case of concomitant transcatheter aortic valve replacement/transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve replacement that was performed under conscious sedation who was subsequently discharged the same day. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.)
Identifying the Best Questions for Rapid Screening of Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Children.

Introduction Many children suffer from secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe), which leads to a variety of negative health consequences. However, there is no consensus on how clinicians can best query parents for possible SHSe among children. We employed a data-driven approach to create an efficient screening tool for clinicians to quickly and correctly identify children at risk for SHSe. Methods Survey data from mothers and biospecimens from children were ascertained from the Neurodevelopment and Improving Children's Health following Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure (NICHES) study. Included were mothers and their children whose saliva were assayed for cotinine (n = 351 pairs, mean child age = 5.6 years). Elastic net regression predicting SHSe, as indicated from cotinine concentration, was conducted on available smoking-related questions and cross-validated with 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to select the most predictive items of SHSe among children (n = 1,670, mean child age = 8.4 years). Results Answering positively to at least one of the two final items ("During the past 30 days, did you smoke cigarettes at all?" and "Has anyone, including yourself, smoked tobacco in your home in the past 7 days?") showed AUC = .82, and good specificity (.88) and sensitivity (.74). These results were validated with similar items in the nationally-representative NHANES sample, AUC = .82, specificity = .78, and sensitivity = .77. Conclusions Our data-driven approach identified and validated two items that may be useful as a screening tool for a speedy and accurate assessment of SHSe among children. Implications The current study used a rigorous data-driven approach to identify questions that could reliably predict secondhand smoking exposure (SHS) among children.Using saliva cotinine concentration levels as a gold standard for determining SHS exposure, our analysis employing elastic net regression identified two questions that served as good classifier for distinguishing children who might be at risk for SHS exposure. The two items that we validated in the current study can be readily used by clinicians, such as pediatricians, as part of screening procedures to quickly identify whether children might be at risk for secondhand smoking exposure.
Methane Emission Controls: Toward More Effective Regulation

In the United States, emissions to the air from the oil and natural gas sector are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). Unfortunately, the pace of emission reductions has been slow. In 2016, the Obama administration pledged to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45% by 2025, representing a compound annual decline rate of roughly 6%. However, the rate of methane emissions has changed slowly since the promulgation of natural gas emission control rules in 2012 and 2016, resulting in a compound annual decline rate of about 0.3%. This disappointing outcome is mainly the result of a narrow scope of regulation that has not confronted the realities of oilfield operations. Devised at a time when the technology for the measurement of natural gas emissions was relatively immature, performance-based regulations could not be implemented effectively. Therefore, NSPS regulations are either prescriptive or, if performance-based, lack means of verifying performance. Amendments promulgated in 2020 did little to change this situation. Thus merely reverting to the status quo ante, either by use of the Congressional Review Act or by conventional regulatory processes, will do little to improve the industry's environmental performance. Instead of proposing patchwork amendments to the current rules, which are outdated and ineffective, EPA should entirely rethink natural gas emission control. This paper analyzes why the rules were constructed as they were, examines the data that highlights the inadequacies of present regulations, explores the new technologies that have improved the prospects for effective regulation, and proposes a new, more efficient and effective regulatory regime.
Variations in Presentation and Management of COVID-19 Inpatients by Race and Ethnicity in a Large Texas Metroplex.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess variations in presentation and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across race/ethnicity at a large Texas metroplex hospital. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed. RESULTS: Although COVID-19 patients demonstrated significant socioeconomic disparities, race/ethnicity was not a significant predictor of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (P = 0.067) or case fatality (P = 0.078). Hospital admission varied by month, with incidence among Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino patients peaking earlier in the pandemic timeline (P < 0.001). Patients reporting Spanish as their primary language were significantly more likely to be admitted to the ICU (odds ratio, 1.75; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 patients do not demonstrate significant racial/ethnic disparities in case fatality, suggesting that state-wide disparities in mortality rate are rooted in infection risk rather than hospital course. Variations in admission rates by race/ethnicity across the timeline and increased ICU admission among Spanish-speaking patients demonstrate the need to pursue tailored interventions on both a community and structural level to mitigate further health disparities throughout the pandemic and after.
Wyant: from academia to industry to academia

After earning his PhD at Rochester in 1968, Wyant moved to Boston and joined Itek Corporation. Six years later he moved from Boston to Tucson and entered into the world of teaching, research, and probably most importantly, students at the University of Arizona. Then, in 1982, he made the partial move back to industry at Wyko Corporation. This section of the program will recall some of the events of his career during that time.
Behavioral Pharmacology of Cannabinoids

Many cannabinoids, including both naturally occurring constituents of the plant Cannabis sativa and their synthetic analogs, are psychoactive and produce a distinctive profile of behavioral effects. These effects have been most completely documented for ...9-tetrahydrocannabinol (...9-THC), the major psychoactive constituent of the marijuana plant, and to a lesser extent for other cannabinoids. The other cannabinoids, which vary in their potencies and efficacies on various measures of central effects according to their chemical structures (Compton, Johnson, Melvin, & Martin, 1992; Pertwee, Greentree, & Swift, 1988), provide a useful means for investigating central sites of action. This review focuses primarily on the acute behavioral effects of ...9-THC, and other cannabinoids are mentioned when pertinent. The reader is referred to Martin (1986), Pertwee (1990), Chait and Pierri (1992), Grinspoon and Bakalar (1995), Howlett (1995), and Compton, Harris, Lichtman, and Martin (1996) for more extensive reviews of cannabinoid pharmacology.
The Economic Effects of Postal Reorganization

In this paper, I examine the effects of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. In passing the Act, Congress hoped to increase postal productivity, decrease dependence on government assistance, and help the Postal Service break-even, while keeping wages comparable to those in the private sector. Researchers have examined various aspects of postal operation, but few have focused on the effects of reorganization per se. Utilizing data on 21 variables from 1930 to 1996, I estimate reorganization's effects using time-series tests for structural change proposed in Econometrica by Pierre Perron. I describe the technique and examine reorganization's effects on the price of various classes of mail, employment, relative salaries, productivity, and profitability. I find that the Act did not increase overall real mail prices, but increased first-class while decreasing fourth-class prices. While there is a strong positive time-trend in postal employment (both absolutely and relative to population), the Act did not exacerbate this trend, but may have counteracted it. When measured by total factor productivity, the Act increased postal productivity. It also increased postal salaries relative to those of other government workers. The Act had little effect on the annual losses of and federal assistance to the Postal Service.
Diarrheal disease caused by enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis in infant rabbits.

Abstract Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis caused severe, nonhemorrhagic, watery diarrhea when 10(9) CFU of a porcine or human isolate was administered orogastrically to 3-day-old rabbits. The bacterium colonized the intestinal tract with a predilection for the large intestine (10(9) CFU/g of cecal contents). Diarrhea occurred at an average of 4.6 days postinoculation, and 84% of rabbits were dead or moribund at an average of 8.8 days postinoculation. The disease was characterized by watery diarrhea and dehydration. Severe histologic lesions including inflammation, exfoliation of epithelial cells, and crypt hyperplasia were observed throughout the colon. There was no indication of bacteremia or of bacterial adherence to or invasion of intestinal epithelial cells. Rabbits inoculated with nonenterotoxigenic B. fragilis were colonized with B. fragilis but did not develop clinical disease or intestinal lesions. While the pathogenesis of this disease is undefined, clinical signs of disease and histologic changes were consistent with a mechanism of net secretion of fluid into the small intestine and decreased absorption of fluid from the large intestine. Enteric disease caused by enterotoxigenic B. fragilis in infant rabbits was similar to naturally occurring enteric disease associated with the bacterium in humans and livestock. This study established that enterotoxigenic B. fragilis is enteropathogenic in intact infant rabbits.
How Toxoplasma gondii gets in and out of host cells.

The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii is responsible for a wide spectrum of disease affecting humans and many animals. While the parasite is in general well adapted to its hosts, usually causing an asymptomatic lifelong infection, it occasionally produces severe disease, especially when the host is immunoincompetent. Toxoplasma gondii has been known for years as an important congenital infection in humans (Stagno, 1980), and it is now a major cause of opportunistic infection in people with AIDS. There have been several recent reviews of advances in knowledge of the cell biology (McLeod et al., 1991), immunology, and molecular biology (Kasper and Boothroyd, 1991) of T. gondii. This chapter will review the progress of the last five years in understanding the mechanism of T. gondii invasion, since the review of Werk (1985).
A Type-Based Semantics for User-Defined Marshalling in Polymorphic Languages

Marshalling is an important aspect of distributed programming, particularly in typed programming languages. A semantics is provided for user-defined marshalling operations in polymorphic languages such as ML. The semantics of this are expressed in an internal language with recursion and dynamic type dispatch at both the term and type levels. User-defined marshalling amounts to reifying dynamic type dispatch to the programmer level in an ML-like language. A “external” language XML Π dyn is provided with explicit pickle types and operations for building and deconstructing pickles with user-defined marshalling.
Potential Flow and Slightly Viscous Flow

The goal of this chapter is to present a deeper study of the relationship between viscous and nonviscous flows. We begin with a more detailed study of inviscid irrotational flows, that is, potential flows. Then we go on to study boundary layers, where the main difference between slightly viscous and inviscid flows originates.
Isolation of Streptococcus equinus from Non-Respiratory Sources in Children

Streptococcus equinus, a non-enterococcal streptococcus, was isolated with increased frequency in a pediatric population.
Effect of Precursor and Solvent on Morphology of Zirconia Nanoparticles Produced by Combustion Aerosol Synthesis

Zirconia nanoparticles were synthesized using a flame-based system involving spray droplet combustion of different precursor solutions. The characteristics of the feed were varied by varying the precursor compound, precursor concentration, and solvent type, and by using droplets of different mean sizes. When large droplets were used, agglomerated particles were formed when an organometallic precursor was used and large cenospheric particles were produced when an inorganic precursor was used. Reduction of the droplet size to a number-mean droplet diameter of 3.2 μm resulted in the production of solid spherical particles regardless of the precursor type. When an inertial impactor was used to eliminate droplets larger than 2.3 μm, the large particles in the final product were eliminated and uniformly sized solid zirconia particles having a smaller mean size were produced. The final particle size did not vary with the concentration of the precursor, indicating that multiple ceramic particles resulted from each precursor-containing droplet.
Neonatal mastitis due to escherichia coli

Summary We have reported 2 recent instances of neonatal mastitis caused by E. coli. A review of the literature and the medical records of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Philadelphia General Hospital has confirmed our impression that in the past such infections were caused only by staphylococci or streptococci. Possible explanations are offered and a more vigorous diagnostic approach is stressed.
Operations research and informatics in Hungary

A National Science Foundation program in support of scientific cooperation with several countries in Eastern Europe gave me an opportunity to be in Hungary for two weeks in September (1975) in order to meet and exchange ideas with people in O. R. and Informatics. I should like to summarize my impressions (Section 1), and describe some of the specific activities and objectives of organizations and educational institutions which I visited (Sections 2-4).
Stock‐price reaction to equity issues of utilities: the influence of regulatory climate

Regulation of public utilities is pervasive in any modern economy. Regulation is designed to overcome the deficiencies of market discipline. The decisions of a regulatory agency have impacts for all parties concerned, namely, consumers, management, investors, and community. The economic impact of a regulatory agency has been deeply analyzed. Many researchers have studied the stock-price reaction to announcements of new issues of industrial and utility companies. We examine the stock-price reaction to the announcements of new equity of utilities attempting to operationalize several theoretic models explaining this reaction. Using an event-study method, this examination is conducted while explicitly controlling for the regulatory climate under which these utilities operate. The main findings are: (1) the reaffirmation that the price reaction of stocks of utilities is negative; and (2) no significant influence of regulatory regimes on the price reaction was detected. The second finding is quite unanticipated Some speculative explanations are offered for the absence of impact of regulatory climate. It appears that stock market participants are sophisticated enough to do their own 'due diligence' and do not consider the overseeing by state public service commissions as relevant for stock valuation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF THE SITES OF NUCLEAR RNA SYNTHESIS DURING AMPHIBIAN EMBRYOGENESIS.

The site of H3-uridine incorporation and the fate of labeled RNA during early embryo-genesis of the newt Triturus pyrrhogaster were studied with electron microscopic autoradiography. Isolated ectodermal and mesodermal tissues from the embryos were treated in H3-uridine for 3 hours and cultured in cold solution for various periods before fixation with OsO4 and embedding in Epon. At the blastula stage, the only structural component of the nucleus seen in electron micrographs is a mass of chromatin fibrils. At the early gastrula stage, the primary nucleoli originate as small dense fibrous bodies within the chromatin material. These dense fibrous nucleoli enlarge during successive developmental stages by the acquisition of granular components 150 A in diameter, which form a layer around them. Simultaneously larger granules (300 to 500 A) appear in the chromatin, and they fill the interchromatin spaces by the tail bud stage. Autoradiographic examination has demonstrated that nuclear RNA synthesis takes place in both the nucleolus and the chromatin, with the former consistently showing more label per unit area than the latter. When changes in the distribution pattern of radioactivity were studied 3 to 24 hours after immersion in isotope at each developmental stage, the following results were obtained. Labeled RNA is first localized in the fibrous region of the nucleolus and in the peripheral region of chromatin material. After longer culture in non-radioactive medium, labeled materials also appear in the granular region of the nucleolus and in the interchromatin areas. Further incubation gives labeling in cytoplasm.
Utility of the health belief model in examining medication compliance among psychiatric outpatients

This study investigates the relationship between health beliefs and medication compliance among a group of psychiatric outpatients who were prescribed antipsychotic drug regimens. The method of study was an interview with 107 outpatients discharged from two Veterans Administration Medical Centers. The health belief model (HBM) served as an organizing framework to explore the relationships among perceptions of illness severity, susceptibility, benefits and barriers of treatment, cues to action, and medication compliance. The results provide a systematic description of health beliefs reported by psychiatric outpatients. Analyses examine the ability of beliefs to predict compliance and affirm the model's theoretical cogency and appropriateness for use with psychiatric outpatients. Regression analysis showed that 20% of the total variance in compliance could be explained when all components of the HBM were examined together. The study supported the concepts that psychiatric outpatients hold identifiable patterns of health beliefs and attitudes and that the health belief framework functions best when utilized as an integrated model to examine compliance.