cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Dynamic Analysis of Death Causes in Habitants in Luoyang from 1987 to 2000

Objective To find out the mortality level and the change of death cause spectrum among inhabitants in Luoyang. Methods Classify the death cause with standard and requirement of ICD-9. The mortality rate is stable at 5‰. Cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, injuries or poisonings, respiratory and digestive diseases rank the first six constitution of causes of death. Men's mortality rate was higher than women's(χ 2 2000 =148.5820, P 0.01 ).The death causes at different ages were distinct. Conclusions Prevention and control of cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, injuries and poisonings is an important task medical and health institute have to face.
MODELING THE PHONOLOGY–MORPHOLOGY INTERFACE

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a defense of interactionism that phonological rules may precede morphological rules. Pesetsky's model might be called the standard theory of phonology–morphology interaction in lexical phonology, incorporating several hypotheses. Lexical phonological rules apply cyclically in an unmarked case, the lexical phonology may precede word formation, and the word-internal structure is invisible to certain later processes. The model predicts that any lexical phonological rule that belongs to the same or an earlier phonological domain as a morphological rule should be able to precede that morphological rule. McCarthy and Prince adduce a number of morphological rules from various languages that operate on a prosodically circumscribed base in this manner. This well-supported conclusion presupposes and thus provides support for interactionism—that is, phonologically defined circumscription of a base precedes some morphological process in a number of languages.
The Decision to Become a Police Officer in a Legitimacy Crisis

This study examines how individuals make the decision to become police officers in the context of a police legitimacy crisis and how men and women’s decision-making processes may be different. In-d...
Usual and Unusual DNA Structures: A Summing-Up

Being asked to give the final talk at a conference such as this is both an honor and a formidable task. After three days of intensive exchange of ideas, the audience is verging on battle fatigue; thinking of the undone tasks waiting at home, and of the possibility of missing the shuttle service to the Mobile or Pensacola airports. The problem under such circumstances is not one of knowing what to say, but how to make it interesting. It would not be very interesting to use the talk merely as a platform for my own latest results, nor to give a four minute potted summary of each of the previous speakers’ talks. Instead, I am going to use my allotted time (and no more) to say a little about where I think we stand today on DNA structure and where we should be going.
Endocrine Regulation of Growth in Ruminants

Hormone regulation of growth involves multiple hormones acting in concert. It is currently believed that the principal hormones are growth hormone and the somatomedins. These hormones, however, would be of limited effect without the presence of thyroid hormones and, at puberty, gonadal steroid hormones. Normal growth is additionally dependent upon insulin and glucocorticoids. Interactions among these hormones and cellular mechanism of hormone action are still poorly understood. It appears that optimal secretion of growth hormone and the somatomedins is dependent on breed, age, sex and nutrient intake. Generally those variables which are related to enhanced long term growth hormone secretion are also associated with greater rates of growth. Therefore, it should be theoretically possible to artificially enhance growth rate of domestic animals by enhancing growth hormone secretion, injecting synthetically derived growth hormone or by alteration of skeletal muscle cell responsiveness to a given amount of hormone. Although very little is known about the latter area, it would ultimately seem to be the most attractive approach because of proposed inherent genetic limitations in cell responsiveness to hormonal stimulation. In addition, any of the approaches suggested above may be further limited if applied singly rather than in the presence of additional amounts of secondary hormones associated with growth.
Cuerpos Confinados, Almas Resilientes

En noviembre de 2016, el 26% del padron electoral de Estados Unidos voto por el entonces candidato a la Presidencia Donald Trump, quien dirigio una campana electoral con base en la retorica anti-inmigrante que prometia deportar a 11 millones de indocumentados y construir un enorme muro a lo largo de la frontera sur, para lo cual obligaria al Gobierno mexicano a pagar por la construccion del mismo. Al llegar a la Casa Blanca, Trump no perdio tiempo: el 27 de enero de 2017 firmo una orden ejecutiva titulada “Mejorar la seguridad publica en el interior de Estados Unidos”. Esta orden amplia significativamente la categoria de “extranjeros removibles” (Removable Aliens) y senala que los no ciudadanos que han entrado a Estados Unidos cruzando la frontera sin documentos o que han entrado con visas que luego expiraron representan una “amenaza significativa” para la seguridad nacional y la seguridad publica. La orden ejecutiva de Trump y la guia adjunta del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en ingles) eliminan las prioridades establecidas por el expresidente Barack Obama y ordenan a las agencias federales que empleen “todos los medios legales” contra “todos los extranjeros removibles”, incluyendo a aquellos acusados que no han sido condenados (MPI 2017).
Bank Secrecy Laws and Tax Havens: Expanding Areas and Possible Roles for Computer Forensic Accounting? (Presentation Slides)

Faced with the demands, challenges and risks of an ever evolving and complex digital economy, there remains a formidable position – and possibly more formidable one in the years to come, to be assumed by computer forensics – and particularly in respect of combatting aggressive tax planning schemes, base erosion practices, and other fraudulent related schemes involving the use of financial instruments. It also needs to be highlighted that privacy laws and legislation – whilst subject to manipulation and cover up schemes designed to facilitate illegal activities such as money laundering, are also very much needed in certain cases. In other words, lack of adequate bank privacy legislation – as well as manipulative use of such laws, could also be channeled towards illegal and criminal purposes. This presentation aims to demonstrate the above mentioned statement - as well as contribute to the literature on how computer forensics can address the gaps and challenges presented by the risks of an increasingly complex digital economy.
Remarks on a Functional Equation

In a recent paper [1], V. Ganapathy Iyer studied the problem of finding integral functions, f, such that for any integral function g and any complex number a, the functional equation f(az) = f(z).g(z) holds for all complex numbers z.
Comparison of Driver Navigation at Turbo Roundabouts and Modern Two-Lane Roundabouts: Simulation Study

Roundabouts can be a solution to safety concerns common to conventional intersections. Recently in the United States, there has been an increase in the conversion of problematic intersections to roundabouts to improve their safety. However, there are some important considerations and challenges to make roundabouts safe for all users, especially multilane roundabouts. There may also be challenges for drivers to navigate a newly built or a new type of roundabout. Roundabout features such as pavement markings and signage play an important role in driver navigational performance. This research was an effort to evaluate new roundabout design and existing roundabout safety and operational features such as signs and pavement markings. The focus was on how such features influenced the performance of drivers, specifically at multilane roundabouts. Two-lane roundabouts and rotor turbo roundabouts were evaluated. A driving simulator was employed to test various simulation scenarios in a virtual world. The results in...
Random walk designs for selecting pool sizes in group testing estimation with small samples

Group testing estimation, which utilizes pooled rather than individual units for testing, has been an ongoing area of research for over six decades. While it is often argued that such methods can yield large savings in terms of resources and/or time, these benefits depend very much on the initial choice of pool sizes. In fact, when poor group sizes are used, the results can be much worse than those obtained using standard techniques. Tools for addressing this problem in the literature have been based on either large sample results or prior knowledge of the parameter being estimated, with little guidance when these assumptions are not met. In this paper, we introduce and study random walk designs for choosing pool sizes when only a small number of tests can be run and prior knowledge is vague. To illustrate these methods, application is made to the estimation of prevalence for two diseases among Australian chrysanthemum crops.
Infections and the kidney: a tale from the tropics.

Tropical infections are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses and parasitic organisms across varying geographical regions and are more often reported in adults than in children. Most of the infections are acute, presenting as a febrile illness with involvement of multiple organ systems, including the kidney. The gamut of renal manifestations extends from asymptomatic urinary abnormalities to acute kidney injury and—albeit rarely—chronic kidney disease. Tropical infections can involve the glomerular, tubulointerstitial and vascular compartments of the kidney. Leptospirosis, malaria, dengue, rickettsial fever and schistosomiasis are the most prevalent tropical infections which affect the kidneys of children living in the tropics. In this review we discuss renal involvement in these most prevalent tropical infections.
A 9-nW on-chip constant subthreshold CMOS transconductance bias with fine-tuning

A novel 9 nW process, voltage, and temperature invariant subthreshold transconductance bias circuit is designed using a 150 nm CMOS process with BSIM3.V3 models. The circuit uses no external components or strong inversion transistors, drastically reducing complexity and lowering power compared with prior work. The proposed method extracts the specific current of a transistor and is then passed through a squaring circuit to deliver a constant transconductance bias over temperature in subthreshold region. We also propose a unique fine-tuning block that improves the robustness of the transconductance using the difference in the mobility temperature exponent, m, of electrons of differently-sized NMOS transistors. Simulations show that the circuit outperforms prior work with the least variation in subthreshold transconductance of +0.63% over −40 °C to 125 °C.
Generation of shrimp waste-based dispersant for oil spill response

In this study, shrimp waste was enzymatically hydrolyzed to generate a green dispersant and the product was tested for crude oil dispersion in seawater. The hydrolysis process was first optimized based on the dispersant effectiveness (DE) of the product. The functional properties of the product were identified including stability, critical micelle concentration, and emulsification activity. Water was confirmed as a good solvent for dispersant generation when compared with three chemical solvents. The effects of salinity, mixing energy, and temperature on the dispersion of the Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil were examined. Microtox acute toxicity test was also conducted to evaluate the toxicity of the produced dispersant. In addition, DE of the product on three different types of crude oil, including ANS crude oil, Prudhoe Bay crude oil (PBC), and Arabian Light crude oil (ALC) was compared with that of the Corexit 9500, respectively. The research output could lead to a promising green solution to the oil spill problem and might result in many other environmental applications.
Future Prospect of Research on Endocrinology of Embryo-Endometrial Interactions

Although there are many interesting maternal-embryo interactions that deserve careful attention, this presentation will focus on the following four topics that represent, in my personal opinion, areas of investigation that attract research interest in the near future: (1) endocrine regulation in early pregnancy, (2) uterine receptivity for blastocyst implantation, (3) in vitro culture systems, and (4) step-by-step consideration of blastocyst-endometrial interactions.
Highest In-Hospital Glucose Measurements are Associated With Neurological Outcomes After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Abstract Background and Purpose The relationship between in-hospital hyperglycemia and neurological outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is not well studied. Methods We analyzed the relationships between pre-hospital and hospital variables including highest in-hospital glucose (HIHGLC) and discharge Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), discharge Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) and 3-month MRS using a single-institution cohort of ICH patients between 2013 and 2015. Results There were 106 patients in our sample. Mean HIHGLC was 154 ± 58 mg/dL for patients with discharge GCS of 15 and 180 ± 57 mg/dL for patients with GCS Conclusions The relationship between in-hospital hyperglycemia and neurological outcomes in ICH patients was meaningful on univariate, but not multivariate, analysis. Glucose control after ICH is important.
Multidimensional Kernel Principal Component Analysis of False Alarms of Rapidly Intensifying Atlantic Tropical Cyclones

Abstract Previous work investigating rapid intensification (RI) predictability within Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) has revealed numerous challenges in identifying parameters useful in predicting RI. In particular, false alarm RI forecasts are notably high, driving down forecast skill despite higher RI detection rates. RI forecast improvement will be achieved by identifying spatial patterns distinct to RI false alarm cases that help distinguish them from correctly forecast RI events. A previously developed machine learning ensemble was used to hindcast on a database of Atlantic TCs spanning 1999 – 2016 to identify false alarm RI forecasts, as well as correct RI forecasts. Each set of cases (correct and false alarm) was used to develop kernel principal component (KPC) based composites of important meteorological features within RI TCs to facilitate meteorological comparisons against correctly forecast events. Optimality was determined using a simple metric based on a cluster analysis silhouette and compared against a baseline of traditional k-means cluster analysis, hierarchical analysis, and rotated PC analysis. Once optimal cluster configurations were identified for each meteorological feature, events within each cluster were averaged to yield composites, which in turn were used to facilitate meteorological comparisons between false alarm and correctly forecast RI events.
Isavuconazonium Pharmacokinetic Interactions with Immunosuppression in Thoracic Transplant Recipients

Purpose Isavuconazonium (ISA) treats and prevents invasive fungal infections. Advantages over other azoles include improved bioavailability and less CYP inhibition. Its effect on calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) and sirolimus (SRL) concentrations (concns.) has not been studied thus far relative to other azoles in thoracic transplant (TXP) patients (pts). Our aim is to study ISA's relative effect on CNI and SRL concns. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted in thoracic TXP recipients on ISA. Tacrolimus (TAC) and SRL whole blood trough concns. were collected at baseline (BL), day 3, and weekly for 9 weeks after the start of ISA. Concentration to dose (C/D) ratios were calculated using TAC or SRL concns. and total daily doses. Median percent C/D change from BL was assessed at each time point. Results Fourteen pts were included (10 lung, 3 heart, and 1 heart/lung TXP). ISA was used to treat invasive fungal infections in 12 pts and as prophylaxis in 2 pts. ISA was started at a median of 477 days post-TXP. 6 TAC and 3 SRL pts transitioned from posaconazole (POSA), 1 TAC pt transitioned from voriconazole (VORI), and 1 TAC pt from fluconazole (FLUC) to ISA. Reasons for transition to ISA from other azoles included adverse effects (5/11) and ineffective therapy (6/11). 1 TAC and 2 SRL pts started ISA de novo. By day 28, the median TAC C/D decreased from BL by 75.5% and SRL C/D decreased by 68.5% in pts who transitioned from POSA to ISA (Figure 1). Pts on prior FLUC and VORI also demonstrated respective TAC C/D reductions of 63% and 57% by day 14. Pts starting ISA de novo showed a 73% median increase in SRL C/D and a 57% increase in TAC C/D by day 14. Conclusion Up to a 4-fold TAC and SRL dose increase may be expected when transitioning from other azole antifungals to ISA. The largest change in dose requirement occurred by week 2, and C/D did not stabilize until week 4. Given interpatient variability, clinicians should continue therapeutic drug monitoring of TAC and SRL levels to guide dose adjustments when transitioning between azoles.
Use of the brief Confusion Assessment Method in a veteran palliative care population: A pilot validation study.

ObjectiveMany patients with advanced serious illness or at the end of life experience delirium, a potentially reversible form of acute brain dysfunction, which may impair ability to participate in medical decision-making and to engage with their loved ones. Screening for delirium provides an opportunity to address modifiable causes. Unfortunately, delirium remains underrecognized. The main objective of this pilot was to validate the brief Confusion Assessment Method (bCAM), a two-minute delirium-screening tool, in a veteran palliative care sample.MethodThis was a pilot prospective, observational study that included hospitalized patients evaluated by the palliative care service at a single Veterans’ Administration Medical Center. The bCAM was compared against the reference standard, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition. Both assessments were blinded and conducted within 30 minutes of each other.ResultWe enrolled 36 patients who were a median of 67 years (interquartile range 63–73). The primary reasons for admission to the hospital were sepsis or severe infection (33%), severe cardiac disease (including heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and myocardial infarction) (17%), or gastrointestinal/liver disease (17%). The bCAM performed well against the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, for detecting delirium, with a sensitivity (95% confidence interval) of 0.80 (0.4, 0.96) and specificity of 0.87 (0.67, 0.96).Significance of ResultsDelirium was present in 27% of patients enrolled and never recognized by the palliative care service in routine clinical care. The bCAM provided good sensitivity and specificity in a pilot of palliative care patients, providing a method for nonpsychiatrically trained personnel to detect delirium.
Nurse Practitioners and Virtual Care: A 50-State Review of APRN Telehealth Law and Policy

The healthcare industry is bracing for a predicted shortage of primary care physicians at a time when the telehealth industry is predicted to explode. Advance practice registered nurses (APRNs), who combine clinical expertise with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management, have long been providing high-quality healthcare in the United States and will likely play a key role in assisting to alleviate this anticipated shortage. Approximately 86% of APRNs are certified in an area of primary care, and the workforce continues to grow with over 26,000 new APRNs completing their academic programs in 2017. Empowering APRNs to provide care via telehealth will extend the reach of their expertise and further expand access to care. Before providing care via telehealth, APRNs must be well versed in the laws, regulations, and policies affecting their practice when using this modality, especially since these can vary significantly between states. To this end, a 50-state review of APRN legislation, advisory opinions, policy statements, and telehealth legislation as it pertains to APRNs was conducted. The findings illustrate a wide array of APRN telehealth policies and regulations, ranging from no APRN telehealth provisions to detailed guidelines established in statute. State-by-state findings are summarized while identifying the various resources that should be considered when reviewing APRN telehealth practice policy. Recommendations to foster telehealth adoption by APRNs through legislative means are also provided.
Prescribed fire effects on oak woodland advance regeneration at the prairie–forest border in Kansas, USA

Understanding the effects of fire on advance regeneration of oak (Quercus L.) species and their competitors is an important step in determining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating and resto...
Conceptual Underpinnings and Methodology

Here are set out the basic commitments of Cognitive Linguistics: its semantic base, with particular consideration of constructions, its use of prototype theory to describe pervasive polysemous meaning, and its emphasis as well on the metaphoric and metonymic lines of extension from one meaning to another within what is called the radial set. The chapter also addresses methodologies used to underpin analyses, both experimental and with the use of corpora. Fundamental to the entire enterprise is the claim of full psychological reality.
Do the Same Central Anthropometric Variables That Best Predict Blood Pressure in European Americans Also Best Predict Blood Pressure in African Americans

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if central anthropometric vari­ables that best estimate blood pressure risks in European Americans also best estimate blood pressure risks in African Americans. Design: The participants were 357 nor­motensive African and European American volunteers with a mean age of 32.6 ± 12.4 years. Participants were evaluated for central adiposity with dual energy X-ray ab­sorptiometry, abdomen and thigh skinfolds, waist and hip circumferences, waist/hip ratio, waist/height ratio, body mass index, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Descriptive statistics, partial correlations, ANOVA and stepwise regressions were used to analyze the data. Results: Central adiposity anthropometric indices made different contributions to blood pressure in African and European American men and women. When weight was held constant, waist circumference shared stronger partial relationships with blood pressure in African Americans (r = .30 to .47) than in European Americans (r = .11 to .32). Waist circumference in com­bination with other indices was a predictor of systolic and diastolic blood pressures in European American men (P<.05) but only a predictor for diastolic blood pressure in African American men and women (P<.01). Hip circumference was the only predic­tor for systolic blood pressure (P<.01) in African American men and women. Conclusions: Further research on the rela­tive contributions of central anthropometric indices to blood pressure in African and European Americans is warranted. A better understanding of this relationship may help reduce hypertensive morbidity and mortali­ty disparities between African and European Americans. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(2):349-356; doi:10.18865/ed.30.2.349
Accelerated equilibration for lithium-ion battery using optimal time control with electrochemical model

Abstract The equilibrium state of the lithium-ion battery refers to a state where concentration of lithium ions within the solid and the liquid becomes uniformly distributed, and as a result, no potential difference is present. This steady state is particularly required for measurements of cell properties such as open circuit voltage (OCV), entropy coefficient (dOCV/dT) and impedances by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Currently, it takes hours or even days of relaxation to reach the equilibrium state at a given state of charge (SOC) after charging or discharging, which prolongs the entire preparation time prior to actual measurements. In this work, a new equilibration method is developed using optimal time control based on an electrochemical model. The optimal time control is numerically solved by employing a direct solution approach to obtain an optimal current profile. Experimental results have shown that equilibration can be accelerated, so measurement time can be significantly reduced. For large format pouch type lithium-ion cells, the measurement time is reduced up to 58.3% compared with that by the current pulse-relaxation method at three different SOCs at 25 °C. In addition, the method is applied and experimentally tested at 40 °C and 10 °C and the effectiveness is verified.
Race, not socioeconomic disparities, correlates with survival in human papillomavirus-negative oropharyngeal cancer: A retrospective study.

Abstract Purpose Investigate the impact of black versus white race, socioeconomic status (SES), and comorbidity burden on oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) survival. Materials and methods This study retrospectively analyzed patients diagnosed between 1991 and 2012 at an urban tertiary care center with a high volume of head and neck cancer referrals. Data gathered included demographics, human papilloma virus (HPV) status, follow-up time, comorbidities, smoking history, and overall survival. SES was extrapolated from the 2000 and 2010 censuses. Analysis of variance, chi-square tests, multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, Cox proportional hazards regression, Kaplan Meier curves and the log-rank test were utilized. Results Of 208 charts reviewed, 192 patients met inclusion criteria. Black patients had significantly (p Conclusion SES did not explain the greater survival in HPV-negative white versus black patients. This indicates that race is an independent predictor of survival; future studies should examine more accurate indicators of SES and genetic differences in tumors of black and white patients.
Is Minimum Wage an Effective Anti-Poverty Tool?

The minimum wage has been at the center of much political debate recently. Many policy makers and scholars believe that increasing the minimum wage only has positive effects for the lowest-wage wor...
Further examination of a possible vibrational-rotational index

Abstract For other, mostly non-coexistence nuclei, I have examined a dimensionless ratio of E2 strengths that has been demonstrated to display a double-peaked frequency distribution for coexistence nuclei, with a void of points near R = 0.20. Results indicate that the lower peak remains, as does a deep minimum near R = 0.20, but that ratios above R = 0.20 are more widely spread for nuclei not known to exhibit coexistence.
Ultrasound PIV Uncertainty Quantification

Ultrasound Particle image velocimetry (UPIV) is a non-invasive flow measurement technique where acousticopaque flow tracers are injected into a working fluid and ensonified to create ultrasound images. These images are processed using PIV cross-correlation based algorithms to measure the velocity field (Kim et al., 2004). UPIV is useful for opaque flows, primarily where complex flows exist, accordingly, it is used in many industrial and clinical research applications such as studying intracardiac flow (Crase et al., 2007). Furthermore, the measurement provides suitable temporal and spatial resolutions for improved diagnostic metrics. Mentioned applications and the sensitive diagnostic industrial and clinical decisions made based on these measurements intensifies the importance of characterizing the UPIV measurement accuracy and associated uncertainty. However, quantifying UPIV measurement uncertainty is non-trivial due to the complexity of possible uncertainty sources, their combination, and propagation through the measurement chain. The formation of a particle image by ultrasound significantly differs from optical imaging, introducing unique aspects to image quality that must be considered. Particle images are formed across several ultrasound scan lines, yielding an elliptical particle image shape. Furthermore, the particle’s reflected pressure wave is converted to a digital signal that undergoes signal modulation, and this process forms a non-Gaussian point spread function (PSF) along the scan line direction. Additionally, clusters of tracers produce a single, bright image intensity and speckle image pattern. Compared to conventional PIV images, UPIV incurs significantly higher image noise due to lack of filtration for the ultrasound reflection of the non-tracer obstacles.
The STIM1–ORAI1 microdomain

The regulatory protein STIM1 controls gating of the Ca(2+) channel ORAI1 by a direct protein-protein interaction. Because STIM1 is anchored in the ER membrane and ORAI1 is in the plasma membrane, the STIM-ORAI pathway can support Ca(2+) influx only where the two membranes come into close apposition, effectively demarcating a microdomain for Ca(2+) signalling. This review begins with a brief summary of the STIM-ORAI pathway of store-operated Ca(2+) influx, then turns to the special geometry of the STIM-ORAI microdomain and the expected characteristics of the microdomain Ca(2+) signal. A final section of the review seeks to place the STIM-ORAI microdomain into a broader context of cellular Ca(2+) signalling.
Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance: A transaction cost theory of exchange

My theory of institutions is constructed from a theory of human behavior combined with a theory of the costs of transacting. When we combine them we can understand why institutions exist and what role they play in the functioning of societies. If we add a theory of production we can then analyze the role of institutions in the performance of economies. The costliness of information is the key to the costs of transacting, which consist of the costs of measuring the valuable attributes of what is being exchanged and the costs of protecting rights and policing and enforcing agreements. These measurement and enforcement costs are the sources of social, political, and economic institutions. The rest of this chapter concentrates on economic exchange; in Chapter 6 I will build a model of political exchange from the same building blocks. The costliness of economic exchange distinguishes the transaction costs approach from the traditional theory economists have inherited from Adam Smith. For 200 years the gains from trade made possible by increasing specialization and division of labor have been the cornerstone of economic theory. Specialization could be realized by increasing the size of markets, and as the world's economy grew and division of labor became ever more specific, the number of exchanges involved in the performance of economies expanded. But the long line of economists who built this approach into an elegant body of economic theory did so without regard to the costliness of this exchange process.
Gender differences in alcohol misuse and estimated blood alcohol levels among emergency department patients: implications for brief interventions

To ultimately create more effective brief interventions (BIs), we compared the extent of alcohol misuse severity and estimated blood alcohol levels (BALs) between male and female emergency department (ED) patients. We surveyed a random sample of nonintoxicated subcritically ill or injured 18-64 year-old English- or Spanish-speaking patients on randomly selected dates and times at two EDs in July-August 2009. Participants self-administered the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and a questionnaire about their alcohol use in the past 30 days. Using the formulae by Mathews and Miller, gender-specific BALs were estimated for participants according to their weight and the number of alcoholic drinks consumed on days when typically drinking and on days of heavy episodic drinking (≥5 drinks per occasion for men, ≥ 4d rinks per occasion for women). Gender-specific alcohol misuse severity levels (harmful, hazardous, or dependent) were calculated using AUDIT scores. Wilcoxon rank-sum and Pearson’s chi-squared tests were used to compare outcomes by gender. Of the 513 participants, 52% were women. Mean AUDIT scores were greater for men than women (7.5 versus 5.3; p < 0.001), although alcohol misuse severity levels were similar between men and women (24.4% versus 26.6% for hazardous drinking, 2.8% versus 2.2% for harmful drinking, and 6.5% versus 3.4% for dependence, respectively; p < 0.38). Men reported greater mean alcohol consumption than women when typically drinking (4.3 versus 3.3 drinks per day; p < 0.001) and during heavy episodic drinking (8.6 versus 5.3 drinks per occasion; p < 0.001). However, the mean BALs for men and women were similar when typically drinking (0.05 and 0.06, respectively; p < 0.13) and during heavy episodic drinking (0.13 and 0.12, respectively; p < 0.13). For future ED brief interventions, women may benefit from realizing that, despite drinking less alcohol on average than their male peers, they are reaching similar BALs with comparable levels of alcohol misuse.
Schizophrenia and diabetes.

Publisher Summary Schizophrenic patients appear to be at an increased risk for diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperglycemia. Antipsychotic agents, particularly atypical antipsychotic agents, may further increase this risk. There is little genetic overlap with diabetes and schizophrenia. Understanding the mechanisms of glucose metabolism impairment by antipsychotic agents is critical to prevent life-threatening illnesses, such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The advantages of atypical agents, including improvement in cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia patients, must be balanced with data that suggest patients with diabetes or hyperglycemia demonstrate a cognitive decline. Recently, a great deal of attention has been given to the role of antipsychotic agents in the development of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Evidence dating back to long before antipsychotic agents were developed suggests a higher rate of DM in schizophrenia patients compared to the general population. This chapter reviews the literature on schizophrenia, DM, and antipsychotic agents and discusses several implications.
Singular solutions, integral transport theory, and the Sn method

The integral transport equation clearly indicates that the angular flux in a void is constant along each characteristic. Yet, simple arguments can be used to demonstrate that there exist angular flux solutions in voids that have a delta-function angular dependence and a nonconstant spatial dependence. Such solutions can appear to be nonconstant along a characteristic. Using a simple example problem, we demonstrate that such solutions represent the limit of a continuous sequence of nonsingular solutions, each of which is constant along every characteristic. We also show that care must be taken in applying the integral transport equation to singular problems of this type because erroneous solutions are easily obtained. Two reliable approaches for obtaining proper solutions are presented. We also show that the differential form of the transport equation in one-dimensional spherical geometry requires less care than the integral form of the transport equation for problems of this type. Finally, we discuss the applicability of the S{sub n} method to problems in curvilinear geometries with singular solutions of this type.
Oxidative folding and preparation of α-conotoxins for use in high-throughput structure–activity relationship studies

α-Conotoxins are peptide neurotoxins that selectively inhibit various subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. They are important research tools for studying numerous pharmacological disorders, with profound potential for developing drug leads for treating pain, tobacco addiction, and other conditions. They are characterized by the presence of two disulfide bonds connected in a globular arrangement, which stabilizes a bioactive helical conformation. Despite extensive structure-activity relationship studies that have produced α-conotoxin analogs with increased potency and selectivity towards specific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes, the efficient production of diversity-oriented α-conotoxin combinatorial libraries has been limited by inefficient folding and purification procedures. We have investigated the optimized conditions for the reliable folding of α-conotoxins using simplified oxidation procedures for use in the accelerated production of synthetic combinatorial libraries of α-conotoxins. To this end, the effect of co-solvent, redox reagents, pH, and temperature on the proportion of disulfide bond isomers was determined for α-conotoxins exhibiting commonly known Cys loop spacing frameworks. In addition, we have developed high-throughput 'semi-purification' methods for the quick and efficient parallel preparation of α-conotoxin libraries for use in accelerated structure-activity relationship studies. Our simplified procedures represent an effective strategy for the preparation of large arrays of correctly folded α-conotoxin analogs and permit the rapid identification of active hits directly from high-throughput pharmacological screening assays.
A Distributed Estimation Algorithm in Binary Sensor Network for Tracking Moving Target

At the present time, some filter algorithms are generally employed for the research of tracking target in wireless sensor network. However, due to the difficulty of collecting accurate sensor data and the huge computational burden, using particle filter for tracking in wireless sensor network is not suitable for practice. In this paper, a distributed estimation algorithm is proposed, and the work is concentrated on how to obtain the moving trajectory effectively in binary sensor network. For rational use of network resources, a new routing mechanism is designed based on Gabriel Graph. Moreover, we present the velocity estimation, which can efficiently estimate the speed of the moving target. And according to the relative position between nodes, two distributed tracking algorithms are proposed for different situations. As a result, the performance evaluation demonstrates that the proposed algorithm has a good performance on accuracy of tracking and effective energy saving.
Psychiatric Residents' Views of Quality of Psychotherapy Training and Psychotherapy Competencies: A Multisite Survey.

Objective Few studies of residents’ attitudes toward psychotherapy training exist. The authors examined residents’ perceptions of the quality of their training, support for training, their own competence levels, and associations between self-perceived competence and perceptions of the training environment.
The Impact of Information and Communication Technology Adoption and Diffusion on Technology Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: The Case of Kenya

A Journal article by Dr. Patrick Kanyi Wamuyu, a Lecturer at the School of Science and Technology in USIU- Africa
Carbonic anhydrase histochemistry: evidence for non-enzymatic reaction and artifact production.

The fine structural localization of histochemically demonstrable carbonic anhydrase (CA) has been studied in tissues of the rat with particular regard to the red blood cell and associated reactions. A variety of fixation methods, including immersion in warm solution for periods up to one week, were used. All methods showed a precipitate along the red cell plasma membrane, with less reaction inside the cell. Secondly, the pinocytotic vesicles of capillary endothelium, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells accumulated precipitate; this staining was independent of neighboring red cell activity. A third finding was filling of the extracellular space, accessible pinocytotic vesicles, and mesaxons of small nerves by dense material. None of these staining patterns appear to be mediated by enzyme activity; the first may represent CA localization via direct staining, but the others are probably artifacts typical of many systems which employ a simple heavy metal salt.
The German feminist movement and the question of female aesthetics

Synopsis This article discusses a recurring concern of German academic feminists with female aesthetics in writings from 1976 to 1992. It argues that academic feminists chose this question to define feminist literary study as a discipline and to revise the predominant concept of aesthetics, which they characterize as prescriptive and normative. The article surveys three theoretical approaches to the question, initial idealist concepts, materialist contributions, and attempts to synthesize both approaches. Initial idealist models as advanced by Sylvia Bovenschen, Elisabeth Lenk, and Gisela Breitling suggest that women's aesthetics does not yet exist because it relies on women's future autonomy as its basis. A genuinely female aesthetic will be nonnormative and will come into existence once women have become authentic selves. On the other hand, materialist critics such as Renate Mohrmann and Brigitte Wartmann posit concepts of female aesthetics that are rooted in specifically female forms of production in the past. Finally, critics such as Sigrid Weigel define female aesthetics as multiple; they present an inductive formulation in which aesthetics is subject to changes in women's historical situation.
Methodology for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Human Performance in Safety–Oriented Industries: A Conceptual Design

The methodology described here provides an approach for evaluating safe human and organizational performance in nuclear power generating utilities and other high–risk, safety–oriented industries. Using existing indicators of desired organizational performance, internal and external evaluators can measure performance outcomes, as well as the effects of training on performance readiness. The performance outcomes “state of readiness” collectively impact on the safety of organizational operations. This proposed methodology is cost–efficient because it uses existing human and organizational resources; it is unobtrusive on the organization's time and manpower; it can be employed readily by external evaluators; and it can simultaneously be used to analyze an organization's effects on society's safety.
Evolving Gaming Strategies for Attacker-Defender in a Simulated Network Environment

This work investigates an evolutionary approach to generate gaming strategies for the Attacker-Defender or Intruder-Administrator in simulated cyber warfare. Given a network environment, attack graphs are defined in an anticipation game framework to generate action strategies by analyzing (local/global) vulnerabilities and security measures. The proposed approach extends an anticipation game (AG) framework by taking into account multiple conflicting objectives like cost, time, reward and performance for generating effective gaming strategies. A gaming strategy represents a sequence of decision rules that an attacker or the defender can employ to achieve his/her desired goal. In this work, a memory-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) is implemented in AG framework to generate action strategies, and experiments are performed in a simulated network. Simulations with different types of nodes and services are performed, results are analyzed and reported. These experiments demonstrate that the proposed MOEA approach performs better than existing AG implementations.
Removal of humic matter interference in the determination of Cr(VI) in soil extracts by the diphenylcarbazide method

Alkaline digestion of soil samples, which is recommended for minimizing Cr(III)–Cr(VI) interconversions during the extraction of Cr(VI), may also solubilize humic matter (HM). The latter is responsible for both positive and negative interference in the analysis of Cr(VI) in the extract by the diphenylcarbazide (DPC) method. Humic compounds indeed absorb light at 540 nm as the Cr-DPC product and are also able to rapidly reduce Cr(VI) under the pH conditions of the standard DPC method. To prevent any risk of interference and make the DPC method applicable to soil extracts, a new protocol is proposed. This consists of three successive steps: (1) extraction of Cr(VI) by the U.S.EPA method 3060A in the presence of Mg 2+ ; (2) batch removal of solubilised HM by the XAD-7 sorbent at pH 3.0 ± 0.1 with 3–5 min contact time; (3) analysis of Cr(VI) with the DPC method at pH 3.0 ± 0.1. The application of this new protocol to the soil product SQC-012 Lot 4 certified by R.T. Corporation (RTC, USA) gave significantly lower Cr(VI) concentrations and smaller variability compared to certified values (46.5 ± 2.3 instead of 153 ± 32.6 mg/kg). The new protocol was validated by Cr(VI) and Cr(III) spikes either to the soil/extractant suspension or to the exctract. Cr(VI) results in the wide range of acceptance limits (104–202 mg/kg) reported by RTC were only obtained when the U.S.EPA method 3060A without the addition of Mg 2+ and DPC analysis at pH 1.0 were applied. The latter procedure appears questionable since it leads to largely variable results which reflect the complex role played by humic matter in the determination of Cr(VI) and the instability of Cr(III) during the extraction. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The location of ethnic and racial groups in the United States.

The distinctive regional and urban locational patterns of thirty-three ethnic groups in the United States are analyzed from two different perspectives. First, who are the numerically important groups in each region? Second, from the perspective of the groups themselves, where are they spatially concentrated? We hypothesize that the forces generating distinctive ethnic locational patterns are strongest at the time of the initial settlement; thus the longer a group has been present in the United States, the less geographically concentrated it will be. This is found to be true for most ethnic groups except blacks and American Indians, whose specific social and political situations explain their particular concentrations. However, the early settlement patterns still affect the ethnic makeup of various areas of the nation, even though the concentrations have diminished over time. Moreover, although the 1975–1980 patterns of internal migration (analyzed through a Markov Chain model) are tending to reduce some of the distinctive geographic concentrations in the nation, this will still not fully eliminate distinctive ethnic concentrations. Groups differ in their propensities to leave or enter each area in a way that reflects the existing ethnic compositions of the areas. Thus even with the massive level of internal migration in the nation, there is no evidence that the substantial ethnic linkage to region is disappearing.
Occupational therapy and rehabilitation engineering.

Occupational therapists in clinical settings are often challenged with difficult problems in the selection, application and modification of complex mechanical, electrical or structural aids for persons with severe disability who wish to improve their levels of independence. At the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, solutions to such situations are facilitated by interaction between the occupational therapist and the rehabilitation engineer. In this paper, following the identification of the population served and their specialized needs, the working relationship between the occupational therapist and rehabilitation engineer will be discussed through presentation of two case studies. Various commercially available equipment will be considered along with modifications possible, and finally, customer design solutions will be given for some problems. Given the growing store of resources for assisting clients who have special needs, many creative systems can be developed in therapists and engineers combine th...