cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient generation of exponential and normal deviates

We present efficient procedures for generating random exponential and normal deviates based on the acceptance-complement method [Kronmal, R.A. and Peterson, A.V., 1981, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 76, 446–451.]. We provide comparisons with the corresponding Ziggurat procedures proposed by Marsaglia and Tsang [Marsaglia, G. and Tsang, W.W., 1984, SIAM Journal on Scientific and Statistical Computing, 5, 349–359; Marsaglia, G. and Tsang, W.W., 2000, Journal of Statistical Software, 5(8), 1–7.]. The proposed procedures maintain good precision over the entire support of the respective densities and are very easy to set up and implement. The proposed exponential procedure compares favourably with the Ziggurat procedure in terms of speed, running up to 24% faster on some platform/compiler/uniform generator combinations tested.
Mashups for the web-active user

With the abundance of information online, mashups are a powerful way to process and make sense of all the data that we are exposed to on a daily basis. However mashup creation is a complex task that requires expertise in advanced programming languages. Moreover, the currently available tools do not adequately support the technical knowhow of end users. In order to identify the skill mismatches between the tools and the users, we profile the Web-active end user and propose directions for future research.
A 90-nm CMOS Power Amplifier for 802.16e (WiMAX) Applications

In this paper, we demonstrate a single-stage 90-nm CMOS power amplifier (PA) for 2.3-2.7-GHz WiMAX (802.16e) band applications. An integrated balun is used to match the output to 50-? load. The PA gain and saturated power ( P SAT) are +18 and +32 dBm, respectively, working from a 3.3-V supply, with a peak power-added efficiency of 48%. A digital-predistortion technique is used to enhance the PA linearity. The measured error vector magnitude for a 64 quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing signal is improved from -24 to -30 dB at +25-dBm output power. Compliance with the 802.16e standard 10-MHz WiMAX mask and Federal Communications Commission regulations is demonstrated at + 25 dBm of output power with power efficiency of ~ 25% and with a measured second harmonic level of - 31 dBm/MHz. Using a crest factor reduction technique, mask compliance is achieved at + 27 dBm with tradeoff on EVM = -20 dB, sufficient for quadrature phase-shift keying.
Composition controlled spin polarization in Co 1 − x Fe x S 2 : Electronic, magnetic, and thermodynamic properties

We recently demonstrated that alloy composition can be used to fine tune the position of the Fermi level in ${\mathrm{Co}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ alloys leading to composition-controlled spin polarization and the ability to engineer high conduction electron spin polarizations of up to 85%. We present here a comprehensive experimental investigation of the structure, stoichiometry, magnetic, magnetotransport, and thermodynamic properties of bulk polycrystalline solid solutions of ${\mathrm{Co}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$. These data are supplemented with direct measurements of the spin polarization at the Fermi level by point contact Andr\'eev reflection (PCAR) and first principles electronic structure calculations. The compositions studied are in the range $0.0lxl0.30$, the most relevant part of the phase space in terms of composition control over high spin polarization. By measuring the Fe doping dependence of the saturation magnetization, high field magnetoresistance, and anisotropic magnetoresistance, and combining them with PCAR, we are able to show that Fe doping first leads to a crossover from minority to majority spin polarization, followed by attainment of a highly spin polarized state for $xg0.07$. The experimentally determined spin polarization can be tuned by alloy composition between $\ensuremath{-}57%(x=0)$ and $+85%(x=0.15)$. The evolution of the magnetic, transport, and thermodynamic properties with increasing Fe doping is discussed in terms of the composition dependence of the conduction electron spin polarization and the spin-dependent band structure.
Premature aging in klotho mutant mice: Cause or consequence?

Suitable mammalian models for aging with a wide range of age-associated pathology are desirable to study molecular mechanisms of human aging. Recent studies have identified that fibroblast growth factor 23 (Fgf-23) null mice and klotho hypomorphs could generate multiple premature aging-like features, including shortened lifespan, infertility, kyphosis, atherosclerosis, extensive soft tissue calcifications, skin atrophy, muscle wasting, T cell dysregulation, pulmonary emphysema, osteoporosis/osteopenia, abnormal mineral ion metabolism, and impaired vitamin-D homeostasis. The strikingly similar in vivo phenotypes of two separate genetically altered mouse lines implicate that the premature aging-like features may be partly regulated through a common signaling pathway involving both Fgf-23 and klotho; such speculation is experimentally supported by the observation that Fgf-23 requires klotho as a cofactor to exert its functions. Despite about 2000-fold higher serum levels of Fgf-23 in klotho mutants (compared to wild-type animals), these mice show physical, biochemical and morphological features similar to Fgf-23 null mice, but not as Fgf-23 transgenic mice; these observations suggest that widely encountered premature aging-like features in klotho mutant mice are due to the inability of Fgf-23 to exert its bioactivities in absence of klotho. The results of recent studies showing klotho as a cofactor in Fgf-23 signaling consequently explains that the premature aging-like features in klotho-deficient mice is not a primary cause, rather a consequence of lacking Fgf-23 activity. These understandings will help us to redefine the role of klotho as an aging factor.
Family Planning in Rural India: A Problem in Social Change

Relationships between sociological theory culture and fertility behavior have long been of interest to sociologists and population is generally recognized as one of the principal elements of sociological analysis. Of more recent concern is the interest in family planning programs particularly in modernizing societies. Family planning is of course one aspect of the more general problem of fertility. It implies a deliberate attempt to control fertility within the context of the family. Interest in the sexual and motivational sphere of fertility the particular concern of family planning research has only recently become a matter of scientific inquiry on the part of demographers and other social scientist. One of the reasons for this interest in the problem is the close relationship between economic development and the size distribution and growth rate of population; this is particularly true for modernizing societies. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the results of an exploratory study of family planning in rural India and the relationship of social change to this problem. (excerpt)
Proto-Semantics for Positive Free Logic

This paper presents a bivalent extensional semantics for positive free logic without resorting to the philosophically questionable device of using models endowed with a separate domain of “non-existing” objects. The models here introduced have only one (possibly empty) domain, and a partial reference function for the singular terms (that might be undefined at some arguments). Such an approach provides a solution to an open problem put forward by Lambert, and can be viewed as supplying a version of parametrized truth non unlike the notion of “truth at world” found in modal logic. A model theory is developed, establishing compactness, interpolation (implying a strong form of Beth definability), and completeness (with respect to a particular axiomatization).
ENCEPHALOMYELITIS OF MICE : III. EPIDEMIOLOGY.

1. In the feces of approximately two-thirds of normal mice 6 weeks of age an agent in all respects similar to the virus of mouse encephalomyelitis can be recovered. 2. In isolated mice, fed on sterile food and water, excretion of virus has been shown to persist up to 53 days after isolation. 3. In normal mice known to be virus carriers virus has been demonstrated in the gastro-intestinal tract but not in the central nervous system, thoracic or abdominal viscera, or any organs of the head. 4. The source of the virus excreted in the feces has been shown to be located in all probability in the intestinal wall. 5. Evidence is presented that the virus can invade the animal organism, as virus has been demonstrated in the mesenteric lymph glands.
An implantable all-Parylene liquid-impedance based MEMS force sensor

We present a new transducer paradigm based on the electrochemical impedance transduction capability of encapsulated liquids within Parylene-based MEMS structures. We demonstrate the ability to measure forces in the micronewton range with a resolution of 4.56mΩ/µN. These sensors are ideally suited for applications requiring highly sensitive interrogation of soft non-planar surfaces in wet environments. Specifically, in situ and in vivo measurement of interfacial forces exerted on tissue by chronically implanted neural prosthetic devices is presently an unmet engineering challenge. Our approach enables, for the first time, interrogation of such biomechanical phenomena.
Mechanotransduction and the Regulation of mTORC1 Signaling in Skeletal Muscle

Mechanical stimuli play a major role in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass, and the maintenance of muscle mass contributes significantly to disease prevention and issues associated with the quality of life. Although the link between mechanical signals and the regulation of muscle mass has been recognized for decades, the mechanisms involved in converting mechanical information into the molecular events that control this process remain poorly defined. Nevertheless, our knowledge of these mechanisms is advancing and recent studies have revealed that signaling through a protein kinase called the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a central role in this event. In this review we will, (1) discuss the evidence which implicates mTOR in the mechanical regulation of skeletal muscle mass, (2) provide an overview of the mechanisms through which signaling by mTOR can be regulated, and (3) summarize our current knowledge of the potential mechanisms involved in the mechanical activation of mTOR signaling.
Structure and dynamic properties of a glucocorticoid receptor-induced chromatin transition.

Activation of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is associated with a chromatin structural transition in the B nucleosome region of the viral long terminal repeat (LTR). Recent evidence indicates that this transition extends upstream of the B nucleosome, encompassing a region larger than a single nucleosome (G. Fragoso, W. D. Pennie, S. John, and G. L. Hager, Mol. Cell. Biol. 18:3633-3644). We have reconstituted MMTV LTR DNA into a polynucleosome array using Drosophila embryo extracts. We show binding of purified GR to specific GR elements within a large, multinucleosome array and describe a GR-induced nucleoprotein transition that is dependent on ATP and a HeLa nuclear extract. Previously uncharacterized GR binding sites in the upstream C nucleosome region are involved in the extended region of chromatin remodeling. We also show that GR-dependent chromatin remodeling is a multistep process; in the absence of ATP, GR binds to multiple sites on the chromatin array and prevents restriction enzyme access to recognition sites. Upon addition of ATP, GR induces remodeling and a large increase in access to enzymes sites within the transition region. These findings suggest a dynamic model in which GR first binds to chromatin after ligand activation, recruits a remodeling activity, and is then lost from the template. This model is consistent with the recent description of a "hit-and-run" mechanism for GR action in living cells (J. G. McNally, W. G. Muller, D. Walker, and G. L. Hager, Science 287:1262-1264, 2000).
Controls on vegetation structure in southwestern ponderosa pine forests, 1941 and 2004

Long-term studies can broaden our ecological understanding and are particularly important when examining contingent effects that involve changes to dominance by long-lived species. Such a change occurred during the last century in Southwestern (USA) ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. We used five livestock grazing exclosures established in 1912 to quantify vegetation structure in 1941 and 2004. Our objectives were to (1) assess the effects of historical livestock grazing on overstory structure and age distribution, (2) assess the effects of recent livestock grazing and overstory on understory vegetation, and (3) quantify and explain changes in understory vegetation between 1941 and 2004. In 1941, canopy cover of tree regeneration was significantly higher inside exclosures. In 2004, total tree canopy cover was twice as high, density was three times higher, trees were smaller, and total basal area was 40% higher inside exclosures. Understory species density, herbaceous plant density, and herbaceous cover were negatively correlated with overstory vegetation in both years. Most understory variables did not differ between grazing treatments in 1941 but were lower inside exclosures in 2004. Differences between grazing treatments disappeared once overstory effects were accounted for, indicating that they were due to the differential overstory response to historical livestock grazing practices. Between 1941 and 2004, species density declined by 34%, herbaceous plant density by 37%, shrub cover by 69%, total herbaceous cover by 59%, graminoid cover by 39%, and forb cover by 82%. However, these variables did not differ between grazing treatments or years once overstory effects were accounted for, indicating that the declines were driven by the increased dominance of the overstory during this period. Our results demonstrate that historical livestock grazing practices are an aspect of land-use history that can affect ecosystem development. Grazing history must be considered when extrapolating results from one site to another. In addition, the understory vegetation was more strongly controlled by the ponderosa pine overstory than by recent livestock grazing or by temporal dynamics, indicating that overstory effects must be accounted for when examining understory responses in this ecosystem.
Massage therapy plus topical analgesic is more effective than massage alone for hand arthritis pain

Summary Methods 20 adults were randomly assigned to a massage therapy or a massage therapy plus a topical analgesic application group. Both groups received a weekly massage from a therapist and were taught self-massage (same procedure) to be done by each participant once daily over a four-week period. Results The massage plus topical analgesic group as compared to the massage group had greater improvement in hand function as measured by a digital hand exerciser following the first session and across the four-week period. That group also had a greater increase in perceived grip strength and a greater decrease in hand pain, depressed mood and sleep disturbances over the four-week period. Massage therapy has been effective for several pain syndromes including migraine headaches (Lawle and Cameron, 2006)), lower back pain (Hsieh et al., 2004), fibromyalgia (Kalichman, 2010), neck and shoulder pain (Kong et al., 2013), carpal tunnel syndrome (Elliott and Burkett, 2013), and pain related to upper limb arthritis (Field et al., 2013). The purpose of the current study was to determine whether applying a topical analgesic following massage might be more effective than massage alone in treating pain associated with hand arthritis.
Fiscal and Monetary Policy

This note provides a summary of the primary fiscal and monetary policies. It also provides a matrix of the expected effects on GDP and interest rates when these policies are enacted simultaneously. The matrix reflects the interactions of the policy mix when both policies are expansionary and contractionary, and when one is expansionary and one is contractionary.
Genetic relationships between race-nonspecific and race-specific interactions in the wheat–Pyrenophora tritici-repentis pathosystem

We identified a major QTL conferring race-nonspecific resistance and revealed its relationships with race-specific interactions in the wheat– Pyrenophora tritici - repentis pathosystem. Tan spot, caused by the fungus Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr), is a destructive disease of wheat worldwide. The disease system is known to include inverse gene-for-gene, race-specific interactions involving the recognition of fungal-produced necrotrophic effectors (NEs) by corresponding host sensitivity genes. However, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) conferring race-nonspecific resistance have also been identified. In this work, we identified a major race-nonspecific resistance QTL and characterized its genetic relationships with the NE-host gene interactions Ptr ToxA-Tsn1 and Ptr ToxC-Tsc1 in a recombinant inbred wheat population derived from the cross between ‘Louise’ and ‘Penawawa.’ Both parental lines were sensitive to Ptr ToxA, but Penawawa and Louise were highly resistant and susceptible, respectively, to conidial inoculations of all races. Resistance was predominantly governed by a major race-nonspecific QTL on chromosome arm 3BL for resistance to all races. Another significant QTL was detected at the distal end of chromosome arm 1AS for resistance to the Ptr ToxC-producing isolates, which corresponded to the known location of the Tsc1 locus. The effects of the 3B and 1A QTLs were largely additive, and the 3B resistance QTL was epistatic to the Ptr ToxA-Tsn1 interaction. Resistance to race 2 in F1 plants was completely dominant; however, race 3-inoculated F1 plants were only moderately resistant because they developed chlorosis presumably due to the Ptr ToxC-Tsc1 interaction. This work provides further understanding of genetic resistance in the wheat-tan spot system as well as important guidance for tan spot resistance breeding.
Precision Medicine for Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

This study demonstrates the clinical utility of a targeted gene sequencing panel "the Lymphopanel," which enables the detection of actionable mutations and subtype-enriched gene alterations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that will pave the way to precision therapy era for patients with this form of aggressive lymphoma. Clin Cancer Res; 22(12); 2829-31. ©2016 AACRSee related article by Dubois et al., p. 2919.
Springback Analysis for Metal-Polymer-Metal Laminates

Metal-polymer-metal laminate is an emerging material that has many potential applications. The laminated structure consists of two outer layers of sheet metal and a polymeric center core. The material offers an excellent sound deadening properties and is being introduced to applications where noise reduction is desired. Part manufacturing for laminates involves converting a flat sheet into a deformed body. Springback has been a major concern in shape control. While bending of a single layered sheet metal does not exhibit significant sidewall curl, the problem is pronounced in bending laminates. This paper presents an analytical approach to predict springback and sidewall curl of laminates due to simple bending. Based on the models, springback factor Ks is calculated. It is shown that the prediction is in good agreement with the published experimental data.© 2003 ASME
Measurement and Prediction of Hot Streak Profiles Generated by Axially Opposed Dilution Jets

A hot streak profile was produced experimentally at the inlet to a turbine vane annular cascade through the use of two pairs of opposed cold dilution jets. Time-averaged inlet temperature measurements were obtained in the facility with vanes installed, by traversing thermocouples across the inlet plane. A 3D, steady, RANS numerical model of the entire test section, including the dilution jets, was developed, the results of which were compared to the experimental measurements obtained. Six different turbulence models were implemented to determine the sensitivity of results to choice of model. It was found that each of the models predicted varying amounts of diffusion, and thus jet temperatures, at the inlet plane. Choice of turbulence model thus has a first order effect on diffusion. In general, the turbulence models predicted very similar positions of the jets within the vane inlet, with the RNG and Reynolds Stress models showing slightly increased penetration into the cross flow. All of the turbulence models underpredicted jet mixing and lateral spreading, which is a common finding with many studies on RANS modeling of jets in cross flow. Possible additional causes to the mismatch were also discussed, with the sensitivity to freestream turbulence intensity tested by conducting additional simulations. It was concluded that in addition to the difficulties associated with modeling jets in crossflow using RANS, the turbulence models’ poor performance under high free stream turbulence is a major contributor to the mismatch with the experiment.
Progress in research on tick-borne encephalitis vaccine

As one of the most prevalent tick-borne diseases,tick-borne encephalitis(TBE) has become an international public health problem.Vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent and control TBE.This paper reviews the latest progress in research on TBE vaccine as well as its application and significance.
Illicit-drug injection among psychiatric patients without a primary substance use disorder.

OBJECTIVE To increase understanding of HIV infection risk among patients with severe mental illness, the study sought to identify predictors of injection drug use among patients who did not have a primary substance use disorder. METHODS A total of 192 patients recruited from inpatient and outpatient public psychiatric facilities were interviewed by trained mental health professionals using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Parenteral Drug Use High-Risk Questionnaire. RESULTS Sixty percent of the sample met SCID criteria for lifetime substance abuse or dependence. Although only two patients reported drug injection in the past six months, 38 (20 percent) had injected drugs since 1978, the year that HIV began to spread in the U.S. A lifetime diagnosis of opioid abuse or dependence was a strong predictor of drug injection, but only 11 of the 38 patients with a recent history of injection drug use had either of these diagnoses. The likelihood of injecting drugs was four times greater among patients with a history of intranasal substance use compared with those without such use, three and a half times greater among African-American patients than among non-African-Americans, and five times greater among patients aged 36 or older compared with younger patients. CONCLUSIONS In assessing HIV risk among patients with severe mental illness, it may be more important to identify the route of drug administration than the specific substances used because of the strong association between intranasal drug use and history of injection.
No Place Like Home: The British Home Front

In her 1982 poem entitled ‘Picture From the Blitz’, Lois Clark commemorated the British women who suffered the loss of their homes while holding down the home front: After all these years I can still close my eyes and see her sitting there, in her big armchair, grotesque under an open sky, framed by the jagged lines of her broken house.1
Norepinephrine-Sensitive Systems Generating Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate: Increased Responses in Cerebral Cortical Slices from Reserpine-Treated Rats

The magnitude of accumulations of cyclic AMP elicited by various concentrations of norepinephrine was increased by 40-60% in cerebral cortical slices obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats 2 days after the first of two daily treatments with reserpine. The enhanced response of cortical cyclic AMP-generating systems to norepinephrine developed between 5 and 48 hr and disappeared between day 9 and day 16 after reserpine. The apparent EC50 of norepinephrine was not altered to a measurable extent by prior treatment with reserpine. The enhancement in the response was similar throughout a 4-90-min stimulation of slices. The response to isoproterenol or a norepinephrine-phentolamine combination was increased by 50-70%, while the response to a norepinephrine-propranolol combination was not significantly increased. This suggests that reserpine treatment may have caused a partly selective increase in the beta adrenergic component of the response to catecholamines. The response of cyclic AMP-generating systems to veratridine was not increased by reserpine, but there was about a 30% increase in the response to adenosine. The response to a combination of norepinephrine and a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, Ro 20-1724, was enhanced by about 40% in cortical slices from reserpine-treated rats, while the responses to combinations of either serotonin, dopamine, or histamine with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor were not enhanced above responses in control slices. It is proposed that the decreased availability of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, in reserpine-treated rats results in an enhanced concentration or responsiveness of nonrepinephrine-sensitive adenylate cyclase. Another possibility is a selective decrease in phosphodiesterase activity associated with this cyclase. The data do not permit an unambiguous choice between these alternatives.
Effects of betaine on biological functions in meat-type ducks exposed to heat stress.

Heat stress in hot seasons is a major problem in poultry production, particularly in humid areas. The aim of this study was to determine the pharmacodynamics of betaine on the blood and cecal short chain fatty acid profile in meat-type ducks exposed to heat stress. Three-hundred-sixty meat-type ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) were randomly allocated into 4 treatments: C (heat stress control without betaine), T1 (700 ppm betaine), T2 (1,000 ppm betaine), and T3 (1,300 ppm betaine). Each treatment had 6 replicated pens with 15 meat-type ducks per pen. The study was conducted for 42 days. Our findings revealed that the betaine group had higher body weight gain compared to the control group under heat stress (P < 0.05). Betaine supplementation resulted in more significant improvement in hematological indicators such as RBCs and platelet counts than the heat stress control group (P < 0.05). Under the heat-wave environment, supplementation of betaine manifested a significant decrease in blood pH (P < 0.05) but not in electrolytes (Na+, K+ and Cl-) and gas concentration. The concentration of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the cecum was higher than the control under heat stress conditions. The total SCFA, acetic acid, and propionic acid production was higher in the betaine supplemented groups compared to the heat stress control group (P < 0.05). Results showed that betaine supplementation has beneficial effects in meat-type ducks under heat stress on short chain fatty acid levels, blood biochemical parameters, and body weight.
Surface-Based Control of Oxygen Interstitial Injection into ZnO via Submonolayer Sulfur Adsorption

Semiconductor surfaces offer efficient pathways for injecting native point defects into the underlying bulk. Adsorption of a suitably chosen foreign element serves to modulate the injection rate, even at small percentages of a monolayer. Through self-diffusion experiments using isotopic exchange with labeled oxygen, the present work demonstrates such behavior in the case of sulfur adsorption on c-axis Zn-terminated ZnO(0001), wherein the clean surface injects with exceptional efficiency. The experiments provide strong evidence that the injection sites comprise only a small fraction of the total surface atom density and that sulfur adsorption merely blocks those sites. Comparison with related systems shows this simple mechanism is surprisingly uncommon.
Conformal Relativity

If one keeps angle but drops an invariant (four-dimensional) length from an essentially Einstenian description of the world, one gets Conformal Relativity. (The invariance of angle is all that is required by the «invariance of the light cone» for physically equivalent observers). The Special Theory of Conformal Relativity studies the conformal geometry, which replaces the Lorentz geometry of special relativity, from the kinematical point of view, in a world free of force fields. The General Theory treats a world with a curvilinear conformal geometry subjected to the one condition of minimum «total» curvature. The extremal equations describe force fields which comprise, along with the familiar gravitational and electromagnetic fields, several «mesons». The General Theory is thus a unified field theory, which, because it is modelled on Einstenian relativity, is completely free from arbitrary elements. The mathematical language allows interpretation in terms of exclusively four-dimensional geometric notions.
How I'm standing up for science

The morning after President Trump's inauguration, I woke up to an email from AAAS (the publisher of Science ) asking me, “How will you stand up for science?” This was a question I hadn't thought about or discussed much with other scientists, and I struggled to find my answer. However, after
Infective endocarditis due to Abiotrophia defectiva and its feared complications in an immunocompetent person: Rare, but real

Abiotrophia defectiva is nutritional deficient streptococci that cannot be cultured on routine culture medias. Even though fastidious in growth requirement, it is a virulent bacterium preferentially affecting endovascular structures and is implicated in many culture-negative endocarditis cases. Unlike other organisms, it is known for heart valve destruction leading to heart failure and excessive embolization rates. It's inherent resistance to routinely used antibiotics also contributed to increased mortality and morbidity in affected individuals and warrants timely diagnosis and prompt treatment. Our patient, a previous healthy individual, acquired this rare bacterium from intravenous drug abuse and developed infective endocarditis with valve destruction, heart failure, and distal embolization to multiple organs. He underwent multiple surgeries including mitral valve replacement and embolectomy with clinical improvement. Our case reiterates the possibility of rare cause of common diseases and raises awareness of infective endocarditis caused by A. defectiva among medical professionals.
Operating Room Management, Measures of OR Efficiency, and Cost-Effectiveness

Proper management of the operating room (OR) suite is important so that patients can get safe and efficient care. Much of the decision-making by the OR manager needs to be done prior to the day of surgery in order to appropriately allocate OR time, assign staffing, and estimate case durations. OR managers are also responsible for last-minute decisions on the day of surgery, such as determining which OR should perform add-on cases and emergencies. This chapter reviews key aspects of OR management including basic definitions, case duration predictions, OR time allocation and utilization, staffing, and measures of OR efficiency. These variables can help the OR manager make the best use of OR time and staff to maximize throughput of cases. Leadership ability is also a key component of OR suite management whereby teamwork and cooperation are encouraged so that OR personnel enjoy a healthy work environment.
Fourier grain shape analysis as tool to quantify the contribution of the fluvial input to the coastal sedimentary budget; an example from the Port Stephen's area, New South Wales, Australia

Fourier shape analysis has been applied to quartz sand grains collected along the coastal regions around Port Stephens (150 km north of Sydney), with the intent to determine the dispersal patterns of the fluvial sand along this coast. By using a video-digitizing micro-processor controlled computer system, the outline of the quartz particles were defined in polar coordinates and a Fourier series in closed form was calculated. Twenty-four harmonics were obtained, each representing the contribution of elementary forms to the real shape of the grain. Selected distributions of harmonic amplitude were defined utilizing the maximum entropy method and chi-square statistic. The combined 15-24th harmonic amplitude distributions were submitted to unmixing analysis, allowing the definition of three main end-members to be made, each one related to smooth, angular and intermediate shaped grains. The proportion of these end-members in each sample has suggested the provenance and dispersion patterns for the study system. Three major sand types have been identified: flood reworked coastal plain sands, related to a mixture of river and mature coastal plain particles; fluvial-marine coastal sands, related to a sand mixture of fluvial and marine origin, found close to the area of the Hunter River mouth, and marine coastal sands in the northern portion of the study area, which show higher maturity than the other two types of sediment. Sands associated with headland erosion display shape characteristics similar to those of the fluvial material. The shape data suggests that the Hunter River supplies sediment at least in the southwest sector of the Newcastle Bight modern beach system, probably during higher discharge flood events. Additionally, this study indicates that textural characteristics of the river sediment are subjected to rapid changes in the coastal active zone, and hence generally make non-definitive indicators of source and dispersion of the sediment.
Current Guidelines for the Management of Orbital Cellulitis

Orbital cellulitis and subperiosteal abscess are well-defined orbital infections with potential vision- and life-threatening sequelae. Bacterial sinusitis remains the leading cause. All patients with sinusitis-related infections are treated with dual-therapy, broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics that include coverage for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and with oxymetazoline nasal spray to promote physiological sinus drainage. Based on studies identifying a trend from simple aerobic pathogens and responsive infections in younger children to mixed aerobic-anaerobic pathogens causing refractory infections in older children and adults, a surgical management protocol that considers multiple variables, including patient age, is applied. Despite the emergence in recent decades of more virulent pathogens, including MRSA, the management protocol remains valid—appropriately triaging aggressive infections to timely intervention and avoiding unnecessary surgery in the majority of pediatric patients.
Debating the Field Civil Code 105 Years Late

The State of Montana enacted the Field Code in 1895 without a great deal of debate. My research led me to the conclusion that this codification of the common law has done nothing but harm to Montana Law. Prof. Andrew Morriss, an authority on the Field Code, graciously agreed to introduce a debate between myself and Justice James C. Nelson of the Montana Supreme Court on the issue of whether the Field Code has been beneficial to Montana. This article contains Morriss’s introduction and a footnoted transcript of the debate.
THE IMPACT OF 2-YEARS HIGH INTENSITY EXERCISE TRAINING ON INTEGRATED CARDIOVASCULAR REGULATION

In a prospective, parallel group, randomized study, we examined the effect of two-years of high-intensity exercise training on integrated, dynamic (beat-by-beat), cardiovascular regulation incorporating (1) Starling mechanism, (2) arterial compliance, and (3) arterial-cardiac baroreflex function.
A controlled fetching technique for effective management of shared resources in SMT processors

Abstract Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) is a processor design technique that supports concurrent execution of instructions from multiple threads in every cycle by sharing the key datapath components. In the SMT architecture, the shared resources normally include the physical register file, Issue Queue (IQ), functional units, write buffer and the cache memory. Efficient utilization of the shared resources is critical to achieving high-performance gain. The physical rename register file is one of the most critical shared resources in the SMT architecture due to its being located at forefront of the pipeline stages. The inter-thread sharing of the physical registers reduces the number of registers required in the SMT processors than would have been needed in deploying multiple superscalar processors to achieve a similar throughput. However, due to the nature of sharing, an overwhelming occupancy of the physical register file by any slower threads can lead to a shortage of registers available for the other threads in the system and thus degrade the overall performance. In this paper, we propose an intelligent fetching algorithm for efficient management of the shared physical register file. Even though the primary focus of this paper is to manage the physical register file effectively, it indirectly controls the other shared resources downstream in the pipeline as well. The main goal of this paper is to propose a simple resource management scheme capable of achieving a considerable performance gain that neither incurs a substantial processing or hardware overhead for practical implementation nor requires modifications in the other pipeline stages. We demonstrate that temporarily suspending the slow threads from the system in the fetch stage can improve the overall system performance by a significant margin. An improvement of up to 63% and 68% is achieved when the proposed scheme is applied to the 4-threaded and the 8-threaded system respectively. The throughput of an 8-threaded system with 320 register file entries is significantly higher than the performance of default system with 416 register entries indicating a resource saving of 60%.
Identifying opportunities to improve piped water continuity and water system monitoring in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama: Evidence from Bayesian networks and regression analysis

Abstract Many piped water systems in rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean provide discontinuous service. In response to service delivery challenges, governments developed the Rural Water and Sanitation Information System to monitor water service levels, infrastructure conditions, water committees, and technical assistance providers. Collected data are combined into metrics to represent water service sustainability. There is little analysis of these data to identify service delivery and system improvement opportunities and the sustainability metrics are unvalidated. Multivariable regression and Bayesian networks were used to analyze variables associated with the availability of 24-h water services using data from 5560 community-based piped water systems in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The regression models were compared to the sustainability metric. In Honduras and Nicaragua, the proportion of systems providing 24-h service spanned 71 percentage points between sub-national regions. Good condition infrastructure and year-round water source availability were associated with the availability of 24-h service. The availability of support for system rehabilitation in Honduras and for preventative maintenance in Nicaragua were associated with the availability of 24-h services. The Bayesian networks predicted that good condition infrastructure and year-round water source availability were more influential on the availability of 24-h service than management variables such as the availability of external technical support and funds to rehabilitate the system. In each country, insufficient household water tariffs were collected for 90% or more of systems to cover infrastructure, operations, and maintenance costs. The r-squared values for the regression models ranged from 0.22 (Nicaragua) to 0.49 (Honduras) as compared to 0.05 (Nicaragua) to 0.03 (Honduras) for the sustainability metric – suggesting that regression models are better at predicting higher service levels. Rural water service operators, technical assistance providers, local and national governments, and external support agencies could make better use of monitoring data by using interdisciplinary systems approaches to identify improvement opportunities to allocate technical and financial resources to systems with low service levels.
NETWORKS | Cellular Properties and Synaptic Connectivity of CA3 Pyramidal Cells: Mechanisms for Epileptic Synchronization and Epileptogenesis

The study of basic mechanisms of epilepsy is generally focused on (1) the generation of interictal spikes, (2) the generation of ictal discharges, and (3) the mechanisms of epileptogenesis. The in vitro hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cell network is an appropriate model system for the study of all the three issues. Interictal-like discharges can be elicited in the CA3 population via recurrent synaptic activation of ionotropic glutamate receptors. Ictal-like discharges can be activated synaptically by stimulation of both group I metabotropic and ionotropic glutamate receptors associated with the recurrent connections of CA3 pyramidal cells. In addition, activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in the CA3 pyramidal network triggers an mRNA translation-dependent plasticity process, which converts the normal activities of the CA3 pyramidal cell population to a persistent hypersynchronized epileptiform state – that is, epileptogenesis. This article describes the experimental conditions upon which interical-like discharges; ictal-like discharges, and epileptogenesis are elicited in the CA3 pyramidal cell network. Furthermore, available information regarding the generation mechanisms, from molecular signaling to network levels, are summarized.
Holidays as Multiple Realities: Experiencing Good Times and Bad Times after a Disabling Injury

Holidays are idealized as times of celebration. They are embedded in cultural symbols, family patterns, and lived experience. Because all holidays are not good times, however, the lived experience of holidays is considerably more complex than its symbolization. This ambivalence is dramatically deepened for recently disabled adults who view holidays as a specially strained time of remembrance. Past holidays are often idealized in a new way as one's biography is placed into a new embodied reality. Simultaneously, holidays remain days when one is supposed to celebrate, and often denote some celebration for the injured. The resulting experience is a melange of painful past memories, agonizing perceptions of the future, and a sense of possibility in the present. In this paper, I examine holidays as the locus of particularly problematic good times and bad times juxtaposed in one experience. The Data for this study were collected while the author did participant observation at a rehabilitation hospital during a series of holidays: e.g., the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
The Comparative Effects of Hypoxic and Carbon Monoxide Hypoxia on Behavior

Our recent concern with the quality of our environment has led to renewed interest in the behavioral effects of toxic substances. Thus, although research on the effects of carbon monoxide dates back to the early studies of Haldane (1895) and, more recently, McFarland (1946), very little progress has been made in quantifying the relationships between carbon monoxide exposures and behavioral effects. The recent reviews of the literature (Coburn, 1970; U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1970) are more noted for the contradictory behavioral evidence than for a clear comprehension of the effects of either short-term or long-term exposures on human and animal subjects. A review of the behavioral literature dealing with the effects of exposure to low inspired oxygen concentrations (hypoxic hypoxia) reveals very similar results. The reviews of Van Liere and Stickney (1963), Tune (1964), and, more recently, Meier (1971) show a diversity of experimental techniques, species, and exposures, with very little comparability in results, and only a few broad generalizations possible. The lack of systematic investigations of the effects of these two environmental conditions on behavior made it desirable to develop behavioral techniques that were both simple and reproducible and at the same time sensitive to changes in the gaseous environment. Since the major effect of carbon monoxide inhalation may be to produce tissue hypoxia, we initiated our experimental program by setting up a behavioral model that we hoped would be sensitive to the effects of hypoxia; only after we had obtained satisfactory results did we plan to proceed to the study of the effects of carbon monoxide. The first part of this report therefore will deal with our attempts to quantify the behavioral effects of hypoxia.
Defending stance voluntarism

In this paper, I argue that stance voluntarism is a coherent and useful view for understanding debates about the ontological commitments warranted by science. To do so, I first engage in a defensive move: I rescue stance voluntarism from what I take to be the most pressing objection to have emerged in recent literature, which I call the ‘irrationality objection’. According to this objection, an agent courts irrationality by simultaneously holding an epistemic stance and believing that stance voluntarism is true. I argue that this objection is based on a misunderstanding of stance voluntarism and the kinds of reasons that agents take themselves to have for their adopted stances. I then make the positive contention that we can expect the idea of stance voluntarism, thus saved, to not only be a defensible, but also a useful framework for understanding ontological disputes within science. I do this by presenting a case study from contemporary cosmology in which it is so. Combining these two claims, I argue that stance voluntarism is a coherent and useful view for understanding some ongoing disputes about ontology within scientific contexts.
Identifying Physical Features that Facilitate and Impede Building Adaptation

Interest in adaptable building design has increased in recent years, with many researchers and organizations recommending adaptable design strategies. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence to confirm the efficacy of these strategies. The purpose of the current project is to collect empirical data to identify physical features of buildings that facilitate and impede adaptation. This was done through a survey of design and construction professionals, in which participants described adaptation projects they have participated in. Physical features were the focus of the research, rather than contextual issues (i.e. features of a building’s setting and community). The focus on physical features was selected with the intent of aiding professionals during the design phase of new buildings. The preliminary results presented in this paper revealed a wide range of physical factors associated with the adaptability of buildings, with the most commonly reported factors aligning with “loose fit” and “long life” adaptable design strategies. Other factors, including modular design and access to information, were also observed. Results of this paper can be used to support adaptable design decisions in new construction.