cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distribution of voriconazole in seven body fluids of adult horses after repeated oral dosing

The purpose of this study was to assess safety and alterations in body fluid concentrations of voriconazole in normal horses on days 7 and 14 following once daily dose of 4 mg/kg of voriconazole orally for 14 days. Body fluid drug concentrations were determined by the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). On day 7, mean voriconazole concentrations of plasma, peritoneal, synovial and cerebrospinal fluids, aqueous humor, epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and urine were 1.47 ± 0.63, 0.61 ± 0.22, 0.70 ± 0.20, 0.62 ± 0.26, 0.55 ± 0.32, 79.45 ± 69.4, and 1.83 ± 0.44 μg/mL respectively. Mean voriconazole concentrations in the plasma, peritoneal, synovial and cerebrospinal fluids, aqueous humor, ELF and urine on day 14 were 1.60 ± 0.37, 1.02 ± 0.27, 0.86 ± 0.25, 0.64 ± 0.21, 0.68 ± 0.13, 47.76 ± 45.4 and 3.34 ± 2.17 respectively. Voriconazole concentrations in the bronchoalveolar cell pellet were below the limit of detection. There was no statistically significant difference between voriconazole concentrations of body fluids when comparing days 7 and 14. Results indicated that voriconazole distributes widely into body fluids.
On the Feasibility of Detecting Quantized Conductance in Neutral Matter

When an electrochemical potential difference (i.e., a voltage) is applied across a metal wire whose transverse dimensions are on the order of the electron’s Fermi wavelength, the conductance G≡ I/ΔV becomes quantized in units of 2e2/h. We present calculations that show that when a chemical potential difference Δμ3 is applied across an array of small apertures whose sizes are comparable to the Fermi wavelength of 3 He in a 3 He:4 He mixture, the mass conductance $$G \equiv \left(\frac{I_3}{\Delta \mu_3/m_{3}^{\ast}}\right)$$ will be quantized in units of 2m 3 * /h where m 3 * is the 3He effective mass. We show that the mass conductance will be quantized for a 0.1% mixture passing through 10 nm diameter pores at temperatures below 25 mK. The phenomenon should be observable in a filter material made by nuclear track etching.
Photoionization detection (PID) as a high throughput screening tool in catalysis

A versatile photoionization detection (PID) system has been developed to rapidly screen libraries of catalytic materials. The PID approach involves the use of an appropriately selected dc discharge lamp to obtain monoenergetic photons, which are then used to photoionize gaseous molecules whose ionization potentials are lower than the photon energy. The suitability of the PID as a rapid screening tool has been demonstrated using oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane and propane as example reactions. Two 66 member ternary libraries of V-Mo-Li and V-Mo-Rb on-Al2O3 were tested for ethylene and propylene formation using the 10.6 eV photons from a Kr discharge lamp. The PID screening allowed the determination of 6% V, 3% Mo and 1% Li as the optimal catalyst formulation with regard to maximum alkene production for both reactions in a matter of hours. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Peering into the black box: a meta-analysis of how clinicians use decision aids during clinical encounters

Objective To quantify the extent to which clinicians use clinically-efficacious decision aids as intended during implementation in practice and how fidelity to usage instructions correlates with shared decision making (SDM) outcomes.
Quality assessment of frameless fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy using cone beam computed tomography.

Purpose A quality assessment of intracranial stereotactic radiotherapy was performed using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Setup errors were analyzed for two groups of patients: ( 1 ) those who were positioned using a frameless SonArray (FSA) system and immobilized with a bite plate and thermoplastic (TP) mask (the bFSA group); and ( 2 ) those who were positioned by room laser and immobilized using a TP mask (the mLAS group). Methods and Materials A quality assurance phantom was used to study the system differences between FSA and CBCT. The quality assessment was performed using an Elekta Synergy imager (XVI) (Elekta Oncology Systems, Norcross, GA) and an On-Board Imager (OBI) (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) for 25 patients. For the first three fractions, and weekly thereafter, the FSA system was used for patient positioning, after which CBCT was performed to obtain setup errors. Results ( 1 ) Phantom tests: The mean differences in the isocenter displacements for the two systems was 1.2 ± 0.7 mm. No significant variances were seen between the XVI and OBI units ( p ∼0.208). ( 2 )Patient tests: The mean of the displacements between FSA and CBCT were independent of the CBCT system used; mean setup errors for the bFSA group were smaller (1.2 mm) than those of the mLAS group (3.2 mm) ( p Conclusions System differences of less than 1 mm between CBCT and FSA were seen. Error regression was observed for the bFSA patients, using CBCT (up to 4 mm) during the treatment course. For the mLAS group, daily CBCT imaging was needed to obtain acceptable setup accuracies.
Patient Drug Attributions and Postmarketing Surveillance

Although studies have shown that patients can distinguish probable adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from adverse clinical events (ACEs) caused by other factors, it is not known whether these attribution judgments add any independent validity to other accepted methods of identifying ADRs, such as physician assessments or epidemiologic data. Data from 2487 patients receiving fluoxetine and 815 receiving trazodone were used to see whether such information was redundant when added to standard statistical analysis directed toward detecting ADRs. Relative risk values for 14 trazodone or fluoxetine ADRs were selected because each was significantly identified by an innovative postmarketing surveillance system. In one analysis, all patient reports were used to compute relative risk; in the other, only reports attributed by patients to the study drug were included. Results indicate that taking into account patient attribution judgments results in a consistent, albeit modest, increase in the discriminatory power of this monitoring method.
The Gunther Special Deterrence and the DUI Offender

This paper describes the "Gunther Special", an innovative sentenc program for youthful driving under the influence (DUI) offenders on a deterrence rationale. Program requirements include a visit the morgue to view bodies of accident victims, a 4-hr Saturday ni visit to a hospital emergency room, a 1-hr education/counseling interview with a family nurse practitioner, and a 1,000-word essa be presented to the court within 6 months as reflection on these experiences. Court records were compared for 168 18-20 year old offenders completing the program and 168 individually matched controls. Results indicate the failure of the program to reduce recidivism rates. (A*)
A 22–29-GHz UWB Pulse-Radar Receiver Front-End in 0.18- $\mu{\hbox{m}}$ CMOS

The design of a CMOS 22-29-GHz pulse-radar receiver (RX) front-end for ultra-wideband automotive radar sensors is presented. The chip includes a low-noise amplifier, in-phase/quadrature mixers, a quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator (QVCO), pulse formers, and baseband variable-gain amplifiers. Fabricated in a 0.18-mum CMOS process, the RX front-end chip occupies a die area of 3 mm2. On-wafer measurements show a conversion gain of 35-38.1 dB, a noise figure of 5.5-7.4 dB, and an input return loss less than -14.5 dB in the 22-29-GHz automotive radar band. The phase noise of the constituent QVCO is -107 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset from a center frequency of 26.5 GHz. The total dc power dissipation of the RX including output buffers is 131 mW.
Intelligent systems technology for higher level fusion

The premise of this paper is that a combination of information extraction techniques, knowledge bases and natural language processing technology can assist the intelligence analyst by providing higher level fusion capabilities to support the decision making process. The paper examines programs and the tools that have evolved from these programs being researched by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate. These programs include DARPA sponsored High Performance Knowledge Bases (HPKB), Rapid Knowledge Formation (RKF) and Evidence Extraction and Link Discovery (EELD). Some of the tools include the CYC knowledge base, Intelligent Mining Platform for the Analysis of Counter Terrorism (IMPACT) and the START natural language query system. By exploiting and leveraging the strengths of each system, we believe that a high level of information fusion is possible.
Inappropriate Antibiotic Use Due to Decreased Compliance with a Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Computerized Clinical Pathway: Implications for Continuing Education and Prospective Feedback

Study Objective To assess the impact of noncompliance with a ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) computerized clinical pathway (CCP) on antibiotic use after removal of prospective antibiotic stewardship resources. Design Retrospective, observational, quasi-experimental study. Setting Three intensive care units (medical, surgical, and neurotrauma) in a large, tertiary care hospital. Patients A total of 136 patients with culture-positive VAP; 72 were treated from September 2006–August 2007 (period 1), during which use of the CCP was mandatory along with aggressive stewardship support, and 64 were treated from September 2009–April 2010 (period 2), during which use of the CCP was voluntary. Measurements and Main Results Compliance with use of the CCP was 100% during period 1 and 44% (28/64 patients) during period 2. For the 36 patients (56%) whose antibiotic selection did not comply with the CCP, empiric antibiotics were selected by provider discretion. Most patients had late-onset VAP and were similar with respect to age, sex, and comorbidities between the two periods. Staphylococcus aureus (11–17% methicillin-resistant S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common pathogens during both periods. The proportion of patients with appropriate antibiotics within 24 hours of VAP identification was not significantly different between period 1 (70.8%) and period 2 (56.3%, p=0.112). During period 2, patients who were treated according to the CCP were more likely to receive appropriate antibiotic therapy compared with patients treated according to provider discretion (82.1% vs 36.1%, p≤0.001). Time to appropriate therapy was also shorter for patients treated according to the CCP (mean ± SD 0.43 ± 1.14 vs 1.29 ± 1.36 days, p=0.003). Treatment with the CCP was the only variable significantly associated with appropriate antibiotic therapy (odds ratio 4.8, 95% confidence interval 2.1–10.9). Mortality was not significantly different between period 1 and period 2, and only Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and admission with a head injury were predictive of death. Finally, a greater proportion of patients treated with the CCP were de-escalated from anti-Pseudomonas β-lactams (85.0% vs 33.3%, p=0.006) when they were not necessary. Conclusion These data highlight the importance of continued stewardship resources after CCP implementation to ensure compliance and to maximize antibiotic stewardship outcomes.
Banking on the past: seed banks as a reservoir for rare and native species in restored vernal pools

Soil seed banks serve as reservoirs for future plant communities, and when diverse and abundant can buffer vegetation communities against environmental fluctuations. Sparse seed banks, however, may lead to future declines of already rare species. Seed banks in wetland communities are often robust and can persist over long time periods making wetlands model systems forstudyingthe spatialand temporal links between above- and belowground communities.Usingcollectedsoilsandgerminationtrials,weassessedspeciesdiversityanddensityintheseedbanksof restored, ephemeral wetlands (vernal pools) in California's Central Valley, USA. Using long-term vegetation surveys, we compared the community structure of seed banks to that of aboveground vegetation and assessed the temporal links between below- and aboveground communities. We also compared the proportional abundances of different cover classes as well as the abundance of native plants in seed banks to aboveground communities. The proportional abun- dances of both rare and native species were greater in seed bank samples than in aboveground samples, yet the seed bank had lower species richness than aboveground vegetation. However, the seed bank had greater levels of differen- tiation among pools (beta diversity;b) than aboveground samples. Additionally,the seed bank was more similar to the earlier(2003-06)abovegroundcommunitythanthemorerecent (2007-10)abovegroundcommunity.Thecorrelation ofspeciescompositioninthecurrentseedbanktoanearlierabovegroundcommunitysuggeststhatseedbanksexhibit storage effects while aboveground species composition in this system is not driven by seed bank composition, but is perhapsduetoenvironmentalfiltering.Weconcludethattheseedbankofthesepoolsisneitherpronetothesametem- poral rates of invasion as the aboveground community, nor is seed abundance presently a limiting factor in the above- ground frequency of native species or a promoting factor in plant invasions of these restored habitats.
Cellular changes during boron‐deficient culture of the diatom Cylindrotheca fusiformis

The effects of boron-deficient culture were studied on the unicellular diatom. Cylindrotheca fusiformis Reimann and Lewin. After 24 to 30 h, cell division was almost completely inhibited in boron-deficient cultures. By 48 h of culture, boron-deficient diatoms had approximately twice the modal cell volume of control cells, and at least twice the amount of organic constituents such as protein (2.0x), insoluble carbohydrate (2.4x), total phenols (2.6x), and chlorophyll at (2.1x). Boron deficiency led to irreversible damage after this time. Dark respiration was 1 nmol O2/min × 106 cells for both control and boron-deficient diatoms prior to 40 h of culture. By 48 h, the respiratory rate of boron-deficient diatoms was double that of controls. The proportion of 14C-glucose metabolized by the pentose phosphate pathway was similar in both control and boron-deficient diatoms after 24 and 48 h of culture. After 24 h, the in vitro activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was similar in both control and boron-deficient cells, although the pool size of its substrate, glucose-6-phosphate, was 26% greater in boron-deficient cells. The cellular amount of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase continued to increase once mitosis was arrested in boron-deficient diatoms. Boric acid (1 mM) inhibited 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase by 18% in diatom homogenates. During the early stages of boron deficiency, the uptake of silicate, nitrate, and phosphate, and the in vitro activity of β-glucosidase were similar to control diatoms. After cell division was inhibited, boron-deficient diatoms accumulated more nitrate and phosphate, and retained a higher level of β-glucosidase than control cells.
Access to Assessment? Legal and Practical Issues Regarding Psychoeducational Assessment in Children With Sensory Disabilities:

The need to provide valid and unbiased psychoeducational assessments to children from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds has been a prominent legal and judicial discussion...
Could Your Patient Have Swallowed Their Nasal Splint After Septoplasty? Seeing is Believing.

Nasal splints are commonly placed after septoplasty because they are thought to stabilize the healing septum; provide septal compression, which may mitigate postoperative bleeding; and reduce rates of postoperative nasal adhesions.1 Employing a Doyle splint after septal surgery is commonplace, although the utility of postoperative nasal splints remains unproven.1,2 Our practice is to employ Doyle splints in most septal reconstruction cases to maintain septal alignment and prevent postoperative hematomas. Splints are left in place for 1 week after a routine septoplasty and for 2 weeks after septal perforation repairs. Although many patients report nasal discomfort while postoperative nasal splints are in place, complications resulting from these splints are rare.1,3,4 Splint placement poses small risks for aspiration and/or ingestion, but, to our knowledge, these complications have not previously been reported in the literature. We present a case of nasal splint ingestion following septoplasty, which illustrates that splint ingestion is possible. A 19-year-old woman presented in June 2014 with right nasal septal deviation, airway obstruction, and inferior turbinate hypertrophy. She underwent an uncomplicated nasal septoplasty with cauterization and outfracture …
Gaston Bachelard's Topoanalysis in the 21 st Century: The Lived Reciprocity between Houses and Inhabitants as Portrayed by American Writer Louis Bromfield

This article contributes to phenomenologist Gaston Bachelard’s call for topoanalysis by examining houses and inhabitation depicted in two works by American writer Louis Bromfield (1896-1956). The first work considered is “The Hands of God,” a 1939 short story that recounts the defilement of a 300year-old Basque farmhouse. The second work considered is Bromfield’s last novel, the 1951 Mr. Smith, which depicts the unraveling, pre-World-War-II home life of Wolcott Ferris, a conventional Midwestern, middle-class husband and father. These two works demonstrate how, regularly in his creative efforts, Bromfield depicted a lived reciprocity whereby house and inhabitants mutually sustain and reflect each other, sometimes in positive ways that facilitate engagement and care; at other times, in negative ways that intimate or spur personal or social dissolution. The article concludes by considering implications for phenomenological research on houses and homes in the 21 st century. The argument is made that, on one hand, inhabitation involves a lived whole unified by its total character. On the other hand, inhabitation involves a lived dialectic founded in a twofold significance involving internal diversity versus external connectedness. In both these inner and outer relationships, there are “sustaining” and “undermining” situations—e.g., the home as a place of comfort and regeneration versus the home as a place of unease, vulnerability, or conflict. Most broadly, the perspective argued for here looks inward toward the uniqueness of particular homes and inhabitations but also recognizes that they are integrally related outwardly to the world beyond, including other places, the broader societal context, and global interconnectedness.
Adults with pediatric-onset spinal cord injuries: part 3: impact of medical complications

AbstractObjective: To determine the impact of medical complications on adult outcomes of individuals with pediatric-onset spinal cord injury (SCI).Method: Structured interview including standardized measures.Participants: Individuals who sustained SCI at age 1 8 years or younger and were 24 years of age or older at interview.Outcome Measures: A structured interview covering employment, independent living and driving, and marriage. Standardized measures include the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART), the Short Form (SF-12), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).Results: Two hundred sixteen individuals were interviewed, with a mean age at injury of 14 years and a mean age at follow-up of 29 years. Of all the complications, pressure ulcers, severe urinary tract infection (UTI), and spasticity had the greatest impact on adult outcomes. Pressure ulcers were statistically related to all main outcomes. Severe UTI was statistically associated with all the outcomes except for marriage....
OT Factorial Typology and the Typology of Mandarin Mid Vowel Assimilation

Optimality Theory (OT) posits a universal set of constraints, and the factorial typology of the constraints, i.e. through all logically possible permutations of constraints to generate all possible constraint rankings, is predicted to produce possible grammars and exclude impossible ones. This paper examines the factorial typology of the markedness constraints relevant to Mandarin mid vowel assimilation, and checks the OT factorial typology against the typology of mid vowel assimilation. I demonstrate that there is a reasonable match between the two typologies, suggest that the few mismatches can be accounted for on principled grounds, and discuss the issue of uneven frequency distribution among different typological patterns.
Jobs Looking for People, People Looking for Their Rights: Seeking Relief for Exploited Immigrant Workers in North Dakota

The recent oil boom drew a number of workers to North Dakota, and the state has seen demographic changes as a result, including a growing foreign-born population. Immigrant workers have been a key part of the state’s economic development, but temporary or undocumented immigrants are also particularly vulnerable to exploitation by employers. This article will explore immigration remedies for workplace abuse and the barriers that workers face when seeking visa certification, as well as the legal implications of certification denial policies. Although T and U visa certifications are not yet common practice in North Dakota, this article argues that these policies are worth consideration, especially given the grounds upon which denials might be challenged. Certification practices across the country have demonstrated that these programs benefit relationships between law enforcement and immigrant communities, protect fundamental workplace rights, and ultimately support better conditions for all workers.
Dispersion of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Self Assembly of Polymers

Dispersion and stability of single walled nanotubes (SWNT) is one of the inhibiting factors affecting their tailorability for various electronic, chemical and mechanical applications . The realization of these applications depends on dispersing the SWNTs in aqueous media by inducing high forces of repulsion among the nanotubes. Steric repulsions are induced to the nanotubes by attaching polyelectrolytes, like poly styrene sulfonate (PSS) and poly allyl amine hydrochloride (PAH). In this work, Self Assembly technique is employed to attach polyelectrolytes, and thereby enhance the dispersion of SWNTs in aqueous media. The steric forces produced by the attached polyelectrolytes overcome the high van der waals force of attraction between the nanotubes and aid in the nanotubes dispersion. Characterization of the dispersions with UV-Vis Spectrophotometric method in kinetic mode revealed that nanotubes treated at pH 3 are seen to be more stable than the ones treated at pH 7. The effect of pH of the polyelectrolyte solutions in the assembly and its consequence on dispersion stability is also studied with zeta potential measurements. The morphology of the films produced by drying the nanotubes in vacuum on a silicon substrate is characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).
Sudden blindness as a complication of sphenoid sinusitis: a case report.

A case of sudden blindness of the left eye is reported in a girl 10 years of age with sphenoid sinusitis. Cerebral angiography revealed partial filling and luminal irregularity of the left ophthalmic artery. The angiographic findings in follow-up study remained the same whereas the sphenoid sinus became normal. The anatomic relations of the sphenoid sinus and the ophthalmic artery are reviewed since they offer an explanation for the angiographic findings.
Enhanced resistance to three species of aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Acremonium endophyte-infected turfgrasses

Association of Acremonium endophytes with enhanced resistance to insects in various turfgrasses was studied using three species of aphids; greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani); bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.); and yellow sugarcane aphid, Sipha flava (Forbes). Choice and no-choice tests were used to test resistance in three to four genotypes each of endophyte-infected and endophyte-free perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L.; tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb.; and three species of fine fescues: hard fescue, F. longifolia Thuill; Chewings fescue, F. rubra L. subsp. commutate Gaud.; and blue fescue, F. glauca Lam. Feeding deterrence and antibiosis were significant in endophyte-infected tall fescue for all turfgrass genotypes and aphids tested, with no aphids surviving after 3 d on infected tall fescue. Feeding deterrence and antibiosis to greenbug and yellow sugarcane aphid were significant in endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass with all genotypes tested. None survived on endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass after 72 h. Resistance to bird cherry-oat aphid was dependent on concentration of endophyte hyphae in the host, with significant resistance observed in genotypes with high concentrations. Resistance in endophyte-infected fine-leaved fescues varied with insect and grass species. Preference was generally not significantly affected, but dramatic differences in survival were found in ‘Ensylva’ strong creeping red fescue, blue fescues, Chewings fescues, and hard fescues. Endophyte-enhanced resistance to insects varies between species of grasses and insects, and within species of grasses, suggesting that each endophyte or endophyte-host genotype complex should be evaluated individually.
Ubiquitous Computing Environment for Project Management Services

This paper describes a mediation based software framework for the development of a ubiquitous computing environment for distributed engineering services. Two fundamental issues are addressed: (1) universal accessibility from devices to services, and (2) coordination and interaction among the parties accessing the services. A prototype infrastructure has been developed and illustrated using a variety of project management application software as well as different devices ranging from PDA, web browsers and desktop computing.
Occipital Neuralgia Secondary to a Spontaneous CSF Leak (P03.218)

Objective: Spontaneous CSF leaks can cause occipital neuralgia. Background Spontaneous CSF leak is now recognized as a cause for secondary new daily persistent headache (NDPH). Although postural (orthostatic) headache is characteristic, multiple other headache types can occur with CSF leaks. We here report an occipital neuralgia case secondary to CSF leak, an unusual scenario not previously reported. Design/Methods: Case report. Results: A 51-year-old female diagnosed with NDPH for 3 years had bilateral, pressure-like, posterior headache which was exacerbated by Valsalva, alleviated by recumbency, and associated with muffled hearing. Neurologic exam, brain MRI/MRV/MRA, and cervical MRI were unremarkable. With the diagnosis of NDPH, amitriptyline was started but failed. With time, her headache changed to bilateral occipital, shock-like pains lasting seconds superimposed on steady, longer-lasting (20min to 5 hours) occipital pain, hypoesthesia, and dysesthesia without postural component. Greater occipital nerve block resulted in dramatic response, confirming a diagnosis of occipital neuralgia (ICHD-2 criteria), but later occipital headaches recurred. To exclude potential cranio-cervical junction structural pathology, brain MRI was repeated which showed slight dural gadolinium enhancement and “brain sagging”, features of spontaneous CSF leak. Subsequent complete spine MRI showed extradural fluid collections but no clear CSF leak location. CT myelogram confirmed a thoracic CSF leak but could not precise the level. Dynamic CT myelogram identified fast CSF leakage at T4-T5, secondary to a disc extrusion. Decompressive laminectomy with CSF leak repair completely resolved her occipital headaches. Conclusions: In addition to orthostatic and other headache types, occipital neuralgia is another manifestation of spontaneous CSF leaks. We suspect the mechanism may be traction of the C2-C3 nerve roots during cervicomedullary junction and brain descent from CSF leakage. This may be an underdiagnosed phenomenon which may account for some unexplained cases of occipital neuralgia. A transient orthostatic headache at some point in the clinical course may suggest the diagnosis. Disclosure: Dr. Ansari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Garza has received personal compensation for activities with American Headache Society as a speaker. Dr. Garza has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for UpToDate and Current Neurology.
Bilateral Nephrocalcinosis in Primary Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis

A 48-year-old White man with a history of congenital distal renal tubular acidosis and diabetes presented with low urine output for 6 months. He was diagnosed with distal renal tubular acidosis when he was 9 years old. He was not compliant to his alkali treatment. Labs were notable for a creatinine of 7 mg/dL, serum bicarbonate of 13 mEq/L with a positive urine anion gap and urine pH of 6. Plain radiographs of the abdomen and renal ultrasonograph are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. Nephrocalcinosis is a rare condition inwhich there is calcium deposited in the kidneys. It can be seen in a variety of congenital and acquired diseases. Diagnosis is oftenmade incidentally by imaging such as plain abdominal radiography, kidney ultrasonography and abdominal computed tomography. In general, nephrocalcinosis is recognized as systemic disease and appropriate evaluation is needed to clarify underlying disease. Differential diagnosis of nephrocalcinosis includes primary hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, hypervitaminosis D, medullary sponge kidney, distal renal tubular acidosis and other inherited tubulopathies. Initial laboratory evaluation including urinalysis, urine electrolyte, urine anion gap, serum calcium and phosphate, parathyroid hormone level and serum vitamin D level should be obtained based on clinical suspicion.
On the systematic view of exploitation and utilization of strategic resources in China

The paper analyses the plights and causes of exploitation of traditional strategic resources,illustrates openness,unity,coordination of systems thoughts in our strategic resources development and utilization.It has an important guiding significance to correctly understand and handle the relations between the exploitation of strategic resources,ecological environment and social development.
Monitoring Techniques During Resuscitation

Shock is a complex entity defined traditionally as a state in which the oxygen utilization or consumption needs of tissues are not matched by sufficient delivery of oxygen. This mismatch commonly results from states of altered tissue perfusion. From this perspective, cardiopulmonary arrest represents the most extreme of shock states.
Changes in Insurance Coverage Among Hospitalized Nonelderly Adults After Medicaid Expansion in Michigan.

This study uses Michigan Inpatient Database data to describe proportions of insured and uninsured, nonelderly patients hospitalized in Michigan before and after Medicaid expansion in 2014.
Exploring Mind Wandering While Driving

Mind wandering while performing various tasks has been shown to increase errors and impair task performance (Smallwood, McSpadden, & Schooler, 2008). Performance decrements elicited by mind wandering occur when attention necessary for the primary task is diverted to task-unrelated thoughts. While these results remain consistent in various domains, it is less understood how driving performance is affected by mind wandering. He Becic, Lee, and McCarley (2011) used a self-caught method to detect mind wandering, finding that variability in vehicle velocity decreased during states of mind wandering compared to attentive states. Other studies using a probe method to detect mind wandering have found that speed was greater during mind wandering (Yanko & Spalek, 2014), or that speed and speed variability were lower during mind wandering (Bencich, Gamboz, Coluccia, & Brandimonte, 2014) compared to attentive states. Although these studies provide some insight about the performance decrements and associated consequen...
Control of a triple-column pressure-swing distillation process

Abstract The separation of the ternary mixture of acetonitrile, methanol and benzene into three high-purity products is complicated by the presence of three binary azeotropes that divide the ternary diagram into three distinct regions. Fortunately the compositions of two of these azeotropes change significantly with pressure. The economic optimum flowsheet has been developed in a recent paper in the literature that uses a process with three columns operating at different pressures. Three high-purity products are produced as bottoms streams from the three columns with the distillate of the third column recycled back to the first column. The plantwide dynamic controllability of this complex, non-ideal interacting process is studied in this paper. An effective control structure is developed that controls one temperature in each column. Pressure compensation in the low-pressure column improves load rejection of both throughput and feed composition disturbances. No on-line composition measurement is required.
RNA Polymerase Translocation in Processive Transcription Elongation and Pausing: Dynamics, Force-Dependence, and Modulation by Sequence-Specific RNAP-DNA Interactions

During transcription elongation, E. coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) alternates between periods of processive nucleotide addition and periods of pausing. Various mechanisms promote pausing. In particular, increased pausing at a “consensus pause element” of the form G-10Y-1G+1 (where Y-1 corresponds to the 3′ RNA end) has been described (Science 344:1042, 2014; Science 344:1285, 2014). Such pause sites have been shown to exhibit increased efficiency in the RNAP βD446A mutant; this effect can be understood from the interaction between WT RNAP βD446 and G+1, which stabilizes RNAP in a post-translocated register in the presence of a G+1, and thus decreases pausing (Science 344:1285, 2014).In this work, we use high-resolution optical tweezers to characterize the dynamics of both processive nucleotide elongation and pausing by WT and βD446A RNAP at very high spatial and temporal resolutions, under various force conditions. Our ability to resolve sub-second pausing events provide new insights into the dynamics of RNAP translocation and pausing during elongation, and their modulation by sequence-specific RNAP-DNA interactions.
AlterNail: Ambient, Batteryless, Stateful, Dynamic Displays at your Fingertips

Beyond phones, watches, and activity tracking devices, a new ecosystem of functional and fashionable wearable technologies can easily, safely, and economically be designed, prototyped, and integrated directly on the body. In this paper, we present AlterNail, a fingernail form factor, ambient, low-power, stateful, wireless, dynamic display with onboard vibrational sensing. AlterNail integrates a batteryless design using inductive coupling with e-ink technology to enable both quick dynamic and long-term static fingernail based visual designs without the need for power. We also detail the use of simple vibrational signals to uniquely identify everyday objects as they are handled using AlterNails. The intentionally limited interactional functionality of AlterNails, coupled with the rich personal and dynamic expressive potential, combine to present a compelling range of opportunities for designers of new interactive wearable technologies. We detail a range of practical and playful applications using this technology.
Unusual infrared absorption increases in photo-degraded organic films.

Degradation is among the most pressing problems facing organic materials, occurring through ingress of moisture and oxygen, and light exposure. We determine the nanoscale pathways underlying degradation by light-soaking organic films in an environmental chamber, and performing infrared spectroscopy, to identify atomic bonding changes. We utilize as a prototype the low band gap PTB7-PCBM blend. Films light-soaked in the presence of oxygen show unusual increased absorption at 1727 cm−1 attributable to increased CO modes, and a broad increase at 3240 cm−1 attributable to hydroxyl (O–H) groups bonded within the organic matrix. Films exposed to oxygen in the dark, or light-soaked in an inert atmosphere, do not exhibit significant absorption changes, suggesting simultaneous exposure of oxygen and light that creates singlet excited oxygen is the detrimental factor. Our ab initio electronic structure simulations interpret these by oxidation at the α-C site of the alkyl chains in PTB7, with an irreversible rupture of the alkyl chain and formation of new CO and C–O–H conformations at the α-C. Infrared spectroscopy coupled with ab initio simulation can provide a powerful tool for quantifying photo-structural atomic bonding changes. Understanding nanoscale light-induced structural changes will open avenues to designing more stable organic materials for organic electronics.
Parties’ foreign policy approach and the outcome of coalition allocation negotiations: the case of Israel

Foreign policy research has explored the impacts of different aspects of domestic politics on actors’ international behavior. This work looks in the other direction, examining how political parties’ foreign policy approach affects the share of payoffs they successfully negotiate in parliamentary government coalitions. This study integrates political psychology research, correlating IR paradigms and negotiating behavior, with studies of coalition formation. The article also expands on previous coalition allocation research through analysis of ministers, deputy ministers, and committee chairs in eight coalition governments in Israel from 1992 to 2015. The results indicate that political parties characterized by a realist approach obtain a higher share of coalition payoffs, quantitative and qualitative, than parties with a constructivist or liberal approach. Realists’ advantage is revealed to be significantly greater among non-formateur parties. This work contributes to research on coalition allocation, political behavior, political parties, and foreign policy analysis.
Connecting Neuronal Cell Protective Pathways and Drug Combinations in a Huntington's Disease Model through the Application of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology.

Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) is a drug discovery approach that integrates computational and experimental methods in an iterative way to gain a comprehensive, unbiased understanding of disease processes to inform effective therapeutic strategies. We report the implementation of QSP to Huntington’s Disease, with the application of a chemogenomics platform to identify strategies to protect neuronal cells from mutant huntingtin induced death. Using the STHdh Q111 cell model, we investigated the protective effects of small molecule probes having diverse canonical modes-of-action to infer pathways of neuronal cell protection connected to drug mechanism. Several mechanistically diverse protective probes were identified, most of which showed less than 50% efficacy. Specific combinations of these probes were synergistic in enhancing efficacy. Computational analysis of these probes revealed a convergence of pathways indicating activation of PKA. Analysis of phospho-PKA levels showed lower cytoplasmic levels in STHdh Q111 cells compared to wild type STHdh Q7 cells, and these levels were increased by several of the protective compounds. Pharmacological inhibition of PKA activity reduced protection supporting the hypothesis that protection may be working, in part, through activation of the PKA network. The systems-level studies described here can be broadly applied to any discovery strategy involving small molecule modulation of disease phenotype.
Volterra approach – a new method to accurately calculate the non-linear and time-varying roll restoring arm of ships in irregular longitudinal seas

With several incidents of large amplitude roll motion of ships observed at sea over the past two decades, the dynamic stability of modern ship types has assumed significant importance. The move by ...
LACTATION | Induced Lactation

Methods are available to utilize hormones to induce mammary development and lactation. Cows and heifers tolerate the treatments well and produce colostrum and milk of normal composition. There is a substantial financial incentive to use this technology for milk production as well as a model to learn more about normal mammary gland biology.
Oncotype testing in patients undergoing intraoperative radiation for breast cancer

Oncotype DX recurrence score (RS) predicts risk of distant disease recurrence, and can guide chemotherapy recommendations in hormone positive, human epidermal growth factor 2-negative, early stage breast cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the pattern of oncotype testing, RS and adjuvant treatment in patients undergoing intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). Single center prospective data registry was queried for patients receiving IORT between October 2011 and February 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, RS, systemic therapy and recurrence information were analyzed. A total of 150 women with mean age of 70.8 years were included. The majority had invasive ductal cancer (60.6%) with 1.0 cm average tumor size and no lymph node involvement (99%). Oncotype testing was performed in 36 patients (24.3%). Low risk score ( 30) in one woman (3%). Patients with RS testing had significantly increased tumor sizes (1.2 vs. 1.0 cm; P<0.001) and were younger (68.5 vs. 71.3 years; P=0.02) compared with those not tested. A total of 4/150 patients (2.6%) received chemotherapy; two received chemotherapy based on RS testing. Based on the current selection criteria for IORT, oncotype testing rarely results in a high-risk score or utilization of chemotherapy for IORT patients. The present study supports selective use of RS testing in IORT patients and confirms that biologically low-risk patients are being selected for IORT based on current guidelines.
The demand for life insurance in a heterogeneous-agent life cycle economy with joint decisions

A life cycle model is developed to explain how and why life insurance demand of household participants varies and to further explore risk sharing effects within a household. The model includes endogenous labor supply and joint decisions of life insurance demand for men and women, and generates consumption with a sudden drop around retirement and hump-shaped wealth and life insurance. The results show that life insurance demand peaks earlier in single-parent households than married-couple households and that life insurance demand has an ambiguous relationship with mortality and wealth. The results suggest that gender disparity in life insurance demand is due to income gap. The results indicate that the effect of a spouse’s earnings on the other spouse’s demand for life insurance depends on the correlation of income between the spouses under mortality risk, and labor income risk diversification plays a role in this effect.
New County Records of Aedes aegypti and Aedes epactius in Colorado.

ABSTRACT In August and September 2017, we conducted mosquito surveillance in southeastern Colorado by using ovitraps and larval sampling. The aim was to determine if there were established populati...
Civil Society and Environmental Protection: The Case of Jamaica

The article examines the problems of environmental protection in developing countries, using the island nation of Jamaica as a case study. Solid waste management and water pollution are perhaps the most pressing issues, but problems of social organization and financial resources are perhaps equally important.Jamaica has tried to respond, with the meager resources at its disposal by engaging civil society. This approach focuses primarily on nongovernmental organizations, which assist in setting and implementing policy, as well as in seeking funds from international donors.Part of the traditional role of the nongovernmental organization is to stand between the government and the people, keeping the former accountable to the latter, however. Thus, the Jamaican strategy of necessity creates some civic and political tension.
Using Neural Networks for Programming by Demonstration.

Agent-based modeling is a paradigm of modeling dynamic systems of interacting agents that are individually governed by specified behavioral rules. Training a model of such agents to produce an emergent behavior by specification of the emergent (as opposed to agent) behavior is easier from a demonstration perspective. Without the involvement of manual behavior specification via code or reliance on a defined taxonomy of possible behaviors, the demonstrator specifies the desired emergent behavior of the system over time, and retrieves agent-level parameters required to execute that motion. A low time-complexity and data requirement favoring framework for reproducing emergent behavior, given an abstract demonstration, is discussed in [1], [2]. The existing framework does, however, observe an inherent limitation in scalability because of an exponentially growing search space (with the number of agent-level parameters). Our work addresses this limitation by pursuing a more scalable architecture with the use of neural networks. While the (proof-of-concept) architecture is not suitable for many evaluated domains because of its lack of representational capacity for that domain, it is more suitable than existing work for larger datasets for the Civil Violence agent-based model.
Comparison and Discussion on Shortcircuit Protections for Silicon-Carbide MOSFET Modules: Desaturation Versus Rogowski Switch-Current Sensor

Survivability of silicon-carbide (SiC) mosfet modules during short circuit (SC) is essential for modern power electronics systems due to large economic implications. SiC mosfet modules exhibit narrow SC withstand times and generally much lower SC robustness than silicon (Si) insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). This puts a critical concern on their utilization, further stressing the importance of reliable protection. This article presents a comprehensive analysis and discussion on the SiC mosfet module SC protection and performance comparison between conventional desaturation detection, previously used for Si IGBT protection, and Rogowski switch-current sensor (RSCS) detection. In addition, this article presents the experimental design for soft turn- off as a reaction to the SC detection to avoid excessive overshoots during the abrupt turn- off of the SC current. To perform different types of SC with various fault inductances on different temperatures, and for the sake of fair comparison under the same conditions, a gate-driver unit for 1.2 kV SiC mosfet half-bridge modules is developed containing both detection methods. The results demonstrate that both methods are successful in protecting the module in all SC types, with superiority of the RSCS detection and concerns for desaturation detection in high-inductance and high dc-bus voltage SC events.
Debonding test method to evaluate bond strength between UHPC and concrete substrate

The use of the pull-off test to evaluate the interfacial bond strength between substrate concrete and bonded materials can result in failure of the concrete substrate without clear indication of the interfacial bond strength. Proper knowledge of the interfacial bond strength between a repair material and concrete substrate is critical for the selection of repair materials and for the modeling of the performance of the composite section. This includes ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) used for thin bonded overlays of concrete bridge decks. The bond strength of UHPC to concrete substrate sections was evaluated in this study using the pull-off test, a modified version of the pull-off test, and the modified splitting tensile strength test. The results identified some challenges with respect to the characterization of interfacial bond and associated variability of test results. A new test method proposed to determine the interfacial bond strength showed that bond strength can range between 2.3 and 3.5 MPa and low coefficient of variation of 1.4% and 3.4%, respectively.