cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compositional effects of government spending in a two-country, two-sector production model

Abstract We employ a two-country, two-sector, two-period, Heckscher-Ohlin model to analyze the production-side channels through which a change in the composition of government spending in one country affects real exchange rates, rental rates, and current account balances throughout the world. With one traded and one non-traded consumption good, the model highlights the way in which the world capital stock reshuffles internationally in response to changes in the composition of government spending. These international capital flows correspond to temporary current account imbalances, and serve as the transmission mechanism linking real exchange rate changes at home and abroad.
Vaccines do not cause atopic dermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Previous studies found conflicting results about the association of vaccinations and likelihood of atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives To determine whether vaccinations increase the likelihood of AD. Methods A systematic review was performed of all published studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. At least 2 reviewers conducted title/abstract, full-text review, and data extraction. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results Forty-four studies met inclusion criteria; 37 had sufficient data for meta-analysis. There were no associations any vaccine regimen (random-effects logistic regression: odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.961 [0.822-1.124]; n = 21 studies) BCG (0.927 [0.701-1.226]; n = 8), pertussis (0.790 [0.416-1.499]; n = 4), single (1.031 [0.920-1.155]; n = 17) or multiple vaccines (0.902 [0.608-1.338]; n = 7) with likelihood of AD. This remained true in studies with high-quality (NOS ≥ 7) (OR [95% CI]: 0.941 [0.793-1.117]; n = 13 studies) or low-quality (NOS Limitations No randomized controlled trials. Conclusions No vaccine regimen was consistently associated with developing AD.
Abstract P012: Association Between Testosterone And Sex Hormone Binding Globulin And Risk Of Ischemic Stroke: The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study

Background: Sex hormones are associated with obesity, diabetes mellitus, and other stroke risk factors; however, studies on sex hormones and stroke risk report inconsistent results. We assessed the...
Let’s Hear It For Janus: Looking Behind and Ahead

Dubrow’s Afterword identifies several achievements of the collection, notably the range of critical methods and texts it encompasses and its inclusion of both critics of earlier generations and cutting-edge work. The essay traces the ways contributors approach three keys and often overlapping subjects: authors, readers, and forms. In so doing, these studies often participate in the rejection of what is often termed “critique” in the sense of antagonistic attacks on other approaches. This collection, the Afterword suggests, gestures toward goals for the future, such as ways we can continue to approach other scholars judiciously, build bridges with creative writers, and address contemporary pedagogical challenges.
Time to integrate oral health screening into medicine? A survey of primary care providers of older adults and an evidence-based rationale for integration.

OBJECTIVE Primary care providers were assessed regarding their training and interest to screen oral conditions in patients ≥55 years old. BACKGROUND Oral health (OH) is an essential component of overall health and can affect systemic health. Medical/dental integration in older adults is underdeveloped. METHODS A brief survey assessed primary care providers' self-reported skills, practices and barriers towards integrating OH screening into adult primary care. Data were collected using Survey Monkey® . Respondents were physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) working at a large mid-western safety-net hospital. Descriptive statistics, T-tests and Chi-squared tests were reported. RESULTS Eighty-two of 202 participants (41%) completed the survey. Most respondents were female (75%). A majority were physicians (68%); the remainder APPs. All providers (100%) reported OH was important or extremely important to overall health. More physicians (93%) reported not being well-trained to address adult OH issues and perceived less medical-oral health integration in their practice (16%) compared to APPs (P < .05). Time was more of a barrier with APPs (74%), compared to physicians (51%), to integrate OH screening activities (P < .05). Most providers reported other barriers such as inadequate OH training and insurance coverage. Providers endorsed that OH should be assessed frequently (56%) including providing referrals to dentists (77%) and educating patients on oral-systemic issues (63%). More female than male providers endorsed dental referrals and educating patients (P < .05). CONCLUSION Primary care providers embraced greater medical/dental integration for older adults. Instituting OH activities appears to be supported. Future interventions that are feasible in primary care settings are examined.
Real-Time Integration of Cell Death and Proliferation Kinetics at the Single-Cell and Population-Level Using High-Throughput Live-Cell Imaging

Quantifying cytostatic and cytotoxic outcomes are integral components of characterizing perturbagens used as research tools and/or in drug discovery pipelines. Furthermore, data-rich acquisition coupled with robust methods for analysis is required to properly assess the function and impact of these perturbagens. Here, we present a detailed and versatile method for Single-cell and Population-level Analyses using Real-time Kinetic Labeling (SPARKL). SPARKL integrates high-content live-cell imaging with automated detection and analysis of fluorescent reporters of cell death. We outline several examples of zero-handling, non-disruptive protocols for detailing cell death mechanisms and proliferation profiles. Additionally, we suggest several methods for mathematically analyzing these data to best utilize the collected kinetic data. Compared to traditional methods of detection and analysis, SPARKL is highly sensitive, accurate, and extremely high-throughput while substantially eliminating sample processing and providing richer data.
Certified evaluations of H\"older continuous functions at roots of polynomials.

Various methods can obtain certified estimates for roots of polynomials. Many applications in science and engineering additionally utilize the value of functions evaluated at roots. For example, critical values are obtained by evaluating an objective function at critical points. For analytic evaluation functions, Newton's method naturally applies to yield certified estimates. These estimates no longer apply, however, for Holder continuous functions, which are a generalization of Lipschitz continuous functions where continuous derivatives need not exist. This work develops and analyzes an alternative approach for certified estimates of evaluating locally Holder continuous functions at roots of polynomials. An implementation of the method in Maple demonstrates efficacy and efficiency.
Serving Two Masters? Public Ethics and the Regulation of Financial Conflicts of Interest in the Administrative State

Federal law regulates financial conflicts of interest via a legion of mechanisms, including criminal prohibitions on self-dealing, mandatory financial disclosure requirements for federal officials in all branches of government, and administrative provisions that demand disqualification or divestiture of assets, to name a few. While certainly complicated, however, the current law governing conflicts of interest is underinclusive in scope and inconsistent in execution. Indeed, the extant regulations may permit as many conflicts as they deter. Because conflicts of interest create immense complications for public legitimacy, regulations of financial conflict seek to limit both actual and apparent conflict for officials in the federal executive branch. Despite this aspiration, officials in federal administration encounter no uniform legal prohibition on owning investments that, while not the direct object of administrative action, may nevertheless fluctuate in value as a proximate result of agency choices. These penumbral financial conflicts of interest may jeopardize the integrity of the administrative state. This Article offers a critique of the present regulations governing financial conflicts of interest and uses original data on the personal finances of executive branch officials to assess penumbral conflicts of interest in federal administration. Through a multi-method empirical investigation that employs both observational and natural experimental analyses, the Article suggests that penumbral financial conflicts of interest should beget significant but resolvable concerns about the current state of public ethics in the executive branch.
Improving Neural Networks for Time-Series Forecasting using Data Augmentation and AutoML

Statistical methods such as the Box-Jenkins method for time-series forecasting have been prominent since their development in 1970. Many researchers rely on such models as they can be efficiently estimated and also provide interpretability. However, advances in machine learning research indicate that neural networks can be powerful data modeling techniques, as they can provide higher accuracy for a plethora of learning problems and datasets. In the past, they have been tried on time-series forecasting as well, but their overall results have not been significantly better than the statistical models especially for intermediate length times-series data. Their modeling capacities are limited in cases where enough data may not be available to estimate the large number of parameters that these non-linear models require. This paper presents an easy to implement data augmentation method to significantly improve the performance of such networks. Our method, Augmented-Neural-Network, which involves using forecasts from statistical models, can help unlock the power of neural networks on intermediate length time-series and produces competitive results. It shows that data augmentation, when paired with Automated Machine Learning techniques such as Neural Architecture Search, can help to find the best neural architecture for a given time-series. Using the combination of these, demonstrates significant enhancement in the forecasting accuracy of three neural network-based models for a COVID-19 dataset, with a maximum improvement in forecasting accuracy by 21.41%, 24.29%, and 16.42%, respectively, over the neural networks that do not use augmented data.
Susan Wheeler, Five hundred years of medicine in art: an illustrated catalogue of prints and drawings from the Clements C. Fry Collection in the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University , Ashgate Publishing, 2001, pp. xxviii, 363, £85.00, US$144.95 (hardback 0-8596-7992-6).

This catalogue lists and illustrates prints and drawings on medical themes from the Fry Collection at Yale University Medical Library. This wonderfully rich collection consists of about 2000 images gathered over almost thirty years by Dr Fry, who donated it to the library in 1955. The images span five centuries and include the work of over six hundred artists, including great masters such as Pieter Bruegel, Rembrandt van Rijn, Guercino, and Hendrick Goltzius. It is especially strong on French and British works, particularly images representing the interaction of doctors and patients, specific diseases and injuries, and therapeutic practices. Almost half of the works are satirical or humorous, including a large number of excellent caricatures by the French Honore Daumier (1808–1879) and the British Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827). Each item consists of a black-and-white reproduction of the work (all roughly the size of the 35-mm. negative from which they were printed, which makes a magnifying glass a necessary aid for most readers) and a textual entry identifying the artist, title, medium, dimensions, and inscription (if any). The catalogue is organized thematically, with ninety-nine subject groupings arranged into fourteen main topics dedicated to different medical professions and trades, institutions, practices, diseases, therapies, and so on. This arrangement allows for the comparison of contemporary representations of the same topic—for instance, a dozen depictions of grimacing faces ingesting medicines—or even a single subject—such as seven different portraits displaying the obesity of Mr Daniel Lambert of Leicester, c.1800; as well as the examination of continuities and changes in representation over time. (The thematic arrangement, however, is insensitive to differences in medium or genre.) The excellent indexes at the end of the catalogue allow the reader quickly to navigate the collection, searching by artist, title, publisher, name, and subject. The richness of the collection, the inclusion of a reproduction of every single item in it, and the care with which the catalogue has been edited and put together will make this a valuable tool for those interested in the intersection of art and medicine, as well as for those simply looking for striking images with which to illustrate their research or teaching.
Searching in the real world

For many, "searching" is considered a mostly solved problem. In fact, for text processing, this belief is factually based. The problem is that most "real world" search applications involve "complex documents", and such applications are far from solved. Complex documents, or less formally, "real world documents", comprise of a mixture of images, text, signatures, tables, logos, water-marks, stamps, etc, and are often available only in scanned hardcopy formats. Search systems for such document collections are currently unavailable.
“I Just Really Love My Spirit”: A Rhetorical Inquiry into Dissociative Identity Disorder

Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder aims to integrate diverse narratives into a coherent whole. However, no compelling reason exists to privilege a cohesive narrative; in fact, treatment may at times introduce false memories in an attempt to construct such a narrative. This essay critically examines dominant conceptions of memory and consciousness based on logic and coherence in order to argue for the value and validity of fragmented narratives as a legitimate rhetoric.
Assessing when increased media weight helps sales of real-world brands

A prevailing view is that increased media weight for frequently purchased brands in mature product categories usually does not lead to increases in sales. However, the role of advertising executional cues and viewer responses on media weight induced sales has not yet been examined. The authors find that whether weight helps or has no sales impact depends on the creative characteristics of the ads and the responses they evoke in viewers. Study 1 showed that real world ads for frequently purchased brands in mature categories were likely to create greater media weight induced sales when they utilized affectively based executional cues. Study 2 found that greater media weight was related to the sales impact of ads that evoked positive feelings and failed to evoke negative feelings in viewers. Hypotheses related to these results are developed within the context of prior work on consumer persuasion (including the ELM), memory processes, and advertising wearout.
Camera models for the wright patterson air force base (WPAFB) 2009 wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) data set

This article provides an introduction to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) 2009 wide area image data set. The data set is useful for those doing research on projection, tracking, georegistration, and other image-related activities. The data set includes raw images, pose data, and projected images. For users that would like to project the data, a camera model and calibration are provided here. The camera model and calibration developed here provide a significant improvement over the projected images included with the data.
Zeynep Gambetti & Marcial Godoy-Anativia (Eds.), Rhetorics of Insecurity: Belonging and Violence in the Neoliberal Era

Zeynep Gambetti and Marcial Godoy-Anativia’s edited volume, Rhetorics of Insecurity: Belonging and Violence in the Neoliberal Era, is a fascinating collection of essays from prominent researchers in political science, security studies, and anthropology. It engages global forces of capitalism in their specifically localized manifestations, successfully contextualizing the oft-homogenized concept of neoliberalism. The text sits well alongside influential works such as Aihwa Ong’s (2006) Neoliberalism as Exception, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s (2005) Friction, and John Clarke’s (2008, 2010) essays on neoliberalism.
Orthodoxy and revisionism in American demography

From the vantage point of the late 1980s what passes for orthodoxy in American demography is a perspective founded on 2 basic assumptions: rapid population growth in nonindustrial societies is a significant problem and providing contraceptives to peasant couples can lower fertility prior to industrialization. The emergence of this perspective within American demography during the 1950s and the rise of revisionist views more recently are examined. Orthodoxys emergence is attributed to 2 sets of factors: 1st the inability of demographic transition theory to explain postwar demographic trends; 2nd the manner in which the Cold War decolonization and the influx of funds for fertility control changed American demographers approach to the study of population trends. The recent rise of revisionism is attributed both to orthodoxys difficulty in digesting the favorable economic and demographic trends of the 1970s and to the changes in the political and funding environments within which American demographers work. (authors)
The Prehistory of Southwestern Iran: A Preliminary Report

Current research on the prehistory of the Near East is proceeding at a pace unmatched since the ‘golden era of archaeology’ immediately preceding World War II. Iran, because of its great archeological potential and its stable political situation, has become a prime target for new investigations. Expeditions from the United States, Great Britain, Denmark, France, and Japan have all made substantial contributions to knowledge of Iranian prehistory in the last five years.One recurrent problem in the new research, however, is a lack of coordination and communication between expeditions, which means that many opportunities for useful cooperation are lost. For example, in 1961 we surveyed in some 15 valleys in western Iran, plotting the distribution of pre-Uruk settlements. Unbeknown to us, at least one American and one Danish survey team crossed our path, duplicated many of our survey runs, and excavated one of the sites found on our project. We later learned that we, in turn, had duplicated several survey runs made previously by a British team, who were interested mainly in later sites but would have been happy to share their data on sites in our range of interest. Had all of us known what our colleagues were doing, we could have saved ourselves many hours of duplication.This situation is worsened by the fact that many surveys and test-excavations remain unpublished, and diagnostic artifacts remain undescribed. With regard to pottery sequences, the urgency of the problem has recently been stressed by one of our colleagues (Young 1966: footnote 28).
A Labyrinthodont Amphibian from the Margin of the Pennsylvanian Epicontinental Sea in Kansas

A partial labyrinthodont amphibian skull was collected from the Pony Creek Shale Member of the Wood Siding Formation (Virgilian Stage, Upper Pennsylvanian) in Wabaunsee County, Kansas. The partial skull provides supporting evidence that labyrinthodonts frequented marginal marine environments. The fossil is from an animal that probably was about 1.5 meters long in life and was ecologically similar to an alligator.
Implicit Enumeration for the Pure Integer 0/1 Minimax Programming Problem

We present an implicit enumeration procedure for solving pure integer 0/1 minimax problems which arise in the context of Benders decomposition for mixed integer 0/1 linear programming problems, or in various practical settings such as the location of facilities and assembly line balancing. The procedure is an extension of the additive algorithm of E. Balas for pure integer 0/1 programming problems. We solve minimax problems directly i.e., as minimax problems, not as mixed integer programming problems. A numerical example is used to illustrate the procedure. Extensions of the basic algorithm are discussed.
Electrokinetic phenomena in the filtration of colloidal particles suspended in nonaqueous media

Filtration of carbon black particles from tetralin through a bed of sand with simultaneous measurement of bed streaming potential shows that the charge on the filter and its neutralization by depositing colloidal particles plays an important role in filter performance. Filter capacities up to the point of charge neutralization, calculated from knowledge of the colloid and filter zeta potentials using a semitheoretical model for variation of filter surface charge characteristics, are found to be in good agreement with experimental values.
Changes in frequency representation in the auditory system of mice with age-related hearing impairment

Abstract Aging C57BL/6 mice show a progressive decline in sensitivity to sound, beginning with high frequencies. In the inferior colliculus (IC), tonotopic organization — the orderly representation of frequency from low to high along the dorsoventral dimension — shows marked changes. No neurons respond to high frequencies, most respond best to a restricted range of frequencies, and ventral neurons become responsive to low frequencies. These age-related response alterations have implications for hearing problems of aging humans.
Multiple ligand binding functions for VLA-2 α2β1 and VLA-3 (α3β1) in the integrin family

In our studies of VLA-3 we have shown (i) that a single integrin (VLA-3) can bind to multiple ligands by different mechanisms, involving RGD and non-RGD sites, which are regulated differently by divalent cations. Also we showed from the primary sequence of VLA-3 that it is only distantly related to the other cleaved alpha subunits. In our studies of VLA-2 we have shown that a single integrin may have at least three functional forms, depending on the cell type where expressed. In addition, we have expressed functional VLA-2 in RD cells, resulting in both Coll and Lm binding functions in vitro, and increased tumor cell metastasis in vivo in nude mice.
Energy transfer and the distribution of excitation energy in the photosynthetic apparatus of spinach chloroplasts

Equations are derived from our model of the photochemical apparatus of photosynthesis to show that the yield of energy transfer from Photosystem II to Photosystem I, phi T(II leads to I), can be obtained from measurements on an individual sample of chloroplasts frozen to -196 degrees C by comparing the sum of two specifically defined fluorescence excitation spectra with the absorption spectrum of the sample. Then, given that value of phiT(II leads to I), the fraction of the quanta absorbed by the photochemical apparatus which is distributed initially to Photosystem I, alpha, can be determined as a function of the wavelength of excitation from the same fluorescence excitation spectra. The results obtained in this study of individual samples of chloroplasts frozen to -196 degrees C in the absence of divalent cations, namely, that phi T(II leads to I)varies from a minimum value of 0.10 when the Photosystem II reaction centers are all open to a maximum value of 0.25 when the centers are all closed and that alpha has a value of about 0.30 which is almost independent of wavelength for wavelength shorter than 675 nm (alpha increases rapidly toward unity at wavelength longer than 675 nm), agrees quite well with results obtained previously from comparative measurements of chloroplasts frozen to -196 degrees C in the presence and absence of divalent cations.
Advanced virtualization techniques for high performance cloud cyberinfrastructure

With the advent of virtualization and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), the broader scientific computing community is considering the use of clouds for their scientific computing needs. This is due to the relative scalability, ease of use, advanced user environment customization abilities, and the many novel computing paradigms available for data-intensive applications. However, there is still a notable gap that exists between the performance of IaaS when compared to typical high performance computing (HPC) resources, limiting the applicability of IaaS for many potential users.This work proposes to bridge the gap between supercomputing and clouds using a few key aspects. First, we evaluate current hypervisors and their viability to run HPC workloads within current infrastructure. Next, we illustrate a mechanism to enable advanced accelerators such as GPUs in a Virtual Machine that can significantly enhance scientific computing problems. Furthermore, we are also able to support high speed, low latency inter-node communication through the use of InfiniBand within virtual machines. Upon evaluating these newfound features and leveraging the system within the OpenStack environment, we illustrate that cloud computing can perform at near-native speeds and support a broad range of scientific computing problems as never before.
SERIAL PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS IN A PATIENT WITH A MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMOR.

Summary A series of human figure drawings is presented illustrating a patient's reaction to the knowledge and the effects of his malignant brain tumor. The drawings reveal a subjective state concealed clinically by the patient's effort and obscured in the Rorschach by stereotypy and coarctation. The skill of the graphic portrayals is a deviation from the growing body of material which demonstrates drawing dyspraxia with parietal lobe lesions. The hypothesis is offered that the diagonal placement of a figure is a projection of the loss of equilibrium rather than an impairment in drawing perspective as it has been considered heretofore. This case is part of a larger on-going study in the use of projective techniques with brain damaged patients.
DISPERSAL POTENTIAL OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES IN DIVERSE HABITATS

Life-history parameters were used to estimate the dispersal potential of 1021 marine macroinvertebrates recorded in species lists from 91 sites comprising rocky intertidal, subtidal, kelp forest, sandy beach, and soft-bottom habitats in Washington, Oregon, and California. Mean species richness was significantly greater in the California rocky subtidal habitat. Data on development mode, planktonic larval duration, rafting potential, and adult mobility were compiled, and summaries of the dispersal potentials of taxa within each habitat type were generated and compared. In summary, development mode was known or estimated for 76% of species; larval planktonic duration for 49%; adult mobility for 76%; and rafting potential for 46%. In comparisons of species' life-history traits among habitats, sand-dominated habitats were distinct from rocky habitats. In rocky habitats, ∼42% of species had planktonic feeding larvae, 43% had planktonic nonfeeding larvae, and 15% had nonplanktonic larvae. Sandy intertidal habitats had higher proportions of taxa with nondispersing, nonplanktonic larvae and lower proportions of planktonic feeding and nonfeeding larvae than all other sites. Soft-bottom subtidal communities had the highest proportion of taxa with planktonic feeding development and larvae with planktonic lifespans >30 d. Species in soft-bottom subtidal sites, therefore, have the greatest potential for extensive larval dispersal, whereas species in soft-bottom intertidal sites have the least potential for larval dispersal. In these sites with limited larval dispersal potential, there is greater potential for adult dispersal through adult movement and rafting. These differences in the dispersal potential of larvae and adults suggest that the effect of environmental changes and the effectiveness of reserves may differ between habitats. Conservation methods, including the use of marine reserves, must therefore be tailored to the habitat of interest if effective protection of community resources is to be achieved.
MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGES ON PULVERIZED COAL IN A PNEUMATIC PIPELINE

Abstract Pulverized coal particles flowing in a pneumatic pipeline are naturally charged to a detectable level due to collisions with pipe walls. Systematic charge measurements of Anthracite (AN) coals, Medium Volatile Bituminous (MVB) coals and Lignite A (LIGA) coals in a grounded copper pipe have been made with an upgraded charge measuring system. The net particle charges were found to be positive, although both negative and positive charges were detected in all experiments. Effects of air humidity and conveying velocity on particle charges were examined. The mean particle charge was found in the order of 10−12 Coulomb and the charge-to-mass ratio in the order of 10−5 C/kg. Charge elimination techniques by strict humidity control and by introducing neutralizing charge carriers, such as minus 1 μm activated charcoal fines, ammonia, and piezoelectric ionized gas were explored. Effective reduction of 70 % to 85 % of particle charges was achieved. A charge neutralization mechanism was proposed to interpreta...
Basic body knowledge in street-recruited, active drug-using women enrolled in a "body empowerment" intervention trial.

Background: Drug-using women remain at high risk for HIV infection. Female condoms (FC) have proven potential and cervical barriers have promise to reduce HIV risk; their effective use may be boosted by familiarity and confidence about female anatomy. Women with high levels of crack cocaine use were assessed for their knowledge about reproductive anatomy, HIV/STI risk, as well as cancer screening behaviors.Methods: Women were recruited for a randomized trial of a behavioral intervention via mobile vans in Philadelphia known for high crack use and sex exchange. Knowledge and behavioral data on 198 women were collected via interviewer-administered questionnaire. Women were randomized into control (n=99) and intervention (n=99) arms. Five weekly, small-group, intervention sessions stressed “body empowerment” and teaching use of female-initiated barrier methods. Follow-up body knowledge data were collected at 12 months. Changes in and correlates of body knowledge were analyzed and compared.Results: Most parti...
Proton pump inhibitors increase the risk for hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection in critically ill patients.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) have been linked to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) but there are few data specific to ICU patients. We evaluated duration of PPI exposure as a potential risk factor for hospital-acquired CDI in the ICU. This retrospective, case-control study was conducted using the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II database, a large publically available database of more than 35,000 ICU patients. Adult patients with CDI were identified using the ICD-9 code for Clostridium difficile listed as a secondary diagnosis. To be included, patients had to be present in an ICU for ≥48 hours prior to Clostridium difficile acquisition. These patients were then matched to patients without CDI using the ICD-9 primary diagnosis, age (+/−5 years) and SOFA score (+/−1). Successfully matched patients were reviewed for PPI exposure and other potential confounding variables for CDI. PPI exposure was characterized as short (<2 days) or long (≥2 days). Multivariate modeling was performed to identify independent risk factors for CDI. There were 408 patients evaluated and 81% received a PPI. The percentage of patients who had a long exposure to PPIs was 83% in the CDI group compared to 73% with controls (P = 0.012). Upon inclusion of the following variables into a multivariate analysis (long PPI exposure, histamine-2-receptor antagonist administration, antibiotic administration, immunosuppression and study duration), long PPI exposure (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.03 (1.23 to 3.36), P = 0.006) and antibiotic use (OR (95% CI) = 2.52 (1.23 to 5.18), P = 0.012) were identified as independent predictors of CDI. Proton pump inhibitors are independent risk factors for the development of CDI in ICU patients. This risk is particularly exposed after two or more days of therapy.
A simulation model for the analysis of machine deterioration and repair

Abstract One particular methodology for machine replacement and repair analysis encompasses a Markov or semi-Markov model consisting of states reflecting various stages of machine deterioration. In this paper the “bathtub curve” of replacement analysis is used as the basis for modeling the time in each state of a state-dependent, control-limit replacement policy. A repair queue is also embedded in the model. Specifically, a Q-GERT network simulation is developed and demonstrated via a case example of the weaving operation of a textile company. Output statistics related to the state movement of machines, new machines acquired, and machine repair are presented and discussed.
Physical Function in Patients with Cancer: Psychometric Characteristics and Clinical Usefulness of a Physical Performance Test Battery

This study investigated the psychometric properties of a battery of physical performance tests, characterized physical function in patients with cancer referred for rehabilitation, and provided normative standards against which to compare disease progression and/or future treatment effectiveness. A total of 109 patients with cancer (55 women and 54 men) and 105 control subjects (66 women and 39 men) participated. Subjects completed self-report questionnaires regarding pain, physical function, and fatigue, and also performed nine physical performance tests: the time taken to complete various tasks (picking up coins, tying a belt, reaching up, putting on a sock, standing from sitting, a 50-foot fast walk, a 50-foot walk at preferred speed), the distance walked in 6 minutes, and the distance reached forward while standing were measured. Inter-tester and test-retest reliability was good to excellent for all tests (ICC(11) 0.69 to 0.99). Known group analyses controlling for age were significant (P < 0.001) for all physical performance tests. Control subjects significantly and systematically outperformed those with cancer by a factor of two or three. Examination of the correlation matrices showed relatively low correlations between performance and external measures (r = 0.01 to 0.45). In contrast, correlations among performance measures were generally in the range of r = 0.25 to 0.85. Correlations between self-report of function and performance of functional tests were moderate, suggesting that the two methods of measuring function are complementary and both should be used for assessment and as outcome measures.
Steeper Delay Discounting Among Substance-Abusing and Substance-Dependent Adolescents Versus Controls

Delay discounting refers to the tendency to prefer smaller-sooner outcomes over larger-delayed outcomes and is associated with substance abuse and dependence in adult populations. However, few studies have examined delay discounting in the context of adolescent substance abuse. Adolescent substance abusers (N = 19) who met criteria for substance abuse or substance dependence and non-abusing adolescent community controls (N = 42) completed the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (Kirby, Petry, & Bickel, 1999), which provides an estimate of delay discounting rate. Substance-abusing and -dependent participants evidenced higher rates of delay discounting than did controls, even after controlling for ethnicity and gender. These findings suggest that delay discounting may represent an important behavioral process for understanding adolescent substance abuse.
A note on the problem of cycles in random nets

The problem of cycles in random neural nets is considered. An approximation is derived giving the expected numberE(k, a, n) of cycles of lengthk of which a neuron in a random net will be a member. The approximation is further simplifed for the casen> k. In this caseE(k, a, n)=a k/n , where (a) is the axone density of the net.
Long-stay patients in the pediatric intensive care unit.

ObjectiveLength of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a reflection of patient severity of illness and health status, as well as PICU quality and performance. We determined the clinical profiles and relative resource use of long-stay patients (LSPs) and developed a prediction model t
MLS observations of ClO and HNO3 in the 1996–97 Arctic Polar Vortex

Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements of lower stratospheric ClO and gas-phase HNO3 are presented for the 1996{97 Arctic winter. The horizontal and vertical extent of enhanced ClO were smaller in 1997 than in 1996, as was the degree of enhancement. This is consistent with dierences in the evolution and vertical structure of temper- atures in the two years. Gas-phase HNO3 abundances, which increased in early winter due to diabatic descent, exhibited a decreasing trend from mid to late winter in all six Arctic winters observed by MLS, probably due to increasing HNO3 photolysis throughout this period.
Factors operative in mate selection in a Philippine village

(1958). Factors operative in mate selection in a Philippine village. Eugenics Quarterly: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 162-168.
Impactitis: The impact factor myth syndrome

Background : In the early 1960s, Eugene Garfield and Irving Sher created the journal impact factor to help select journals for the Science Citation Index (SCI). Today it has become a widespread subject of controversy even for Garfield, the man who created it who is quoted saying Impact Factor is not a perfect tool to measure the quality of articles but there is nothing better and it has the advantage of already being in existence and is, therefore, a good technique for scientific evaluation. The use of the term impact factor has gradually evolved, especially in Europe, to include both journal and author impact. This ambiguity often causes problems. It is one thing to use impact factors to compare journals and quite another to use them to compare authors. Journal impact factors generally involve relatively large populations of articles and citations. Individual authors, on average, produce much smaller numbers of articles. Objectives: Impact factor, an index based on the frequency with which a journal's articles are cited in scientific publications, is a putative marker of journal quality. However, empiric studies on impact factor's validity as an indicator of quality are lacking. The authors try to evaluate and highlight the validity of Impact Factors and its significance as a tool of assessment for scientific publications. Methods: Analysis of the several reports in literature and from their own point of view. Conclusion: A journal's impact factor is based on 2 elements: the numerator, which is the number of citations in the current year to any items published in a journal in the previous 2 years, and the denominator, which is the number of substantive articles (source items) published in the same 2 years. The impact factor could just as easily be based on the previous year's articles alone, which would give an even greater weight to rapidly changing fields.
Transphosphorylations between nucleoside phosphates.

Abstract Transphosphorylations between GTP-AMP, ITP-AMP, ATP-GMP, GTP-UDP and ITP-UDP have been demonstrated spectrophotometrically in an enzyme preparation from pig kidney cortex by coupling these reactions to the α-ketoglutarate oxidation system. Confirmation of the transphosphorylation reactions between nucleoside tri- and monophosphates has been obtained by direct paper chromatographic techniques.
Cyclosporine A-induced prostacyclin release is maintained by extracellular calcium in rat aortic endothelial cells: role of protein kinase C

Abstract Chronic treatment with the immunosuppressive drug Cyclosporine A (CsA) is associated with increased intracellular calcium in vascular smooth muscle cells, which may activate phospholipase A 2 . We used rat aortic endothelial cells to investigate the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in CsA-induced prostacyclin (PGI 2 ) release. CsA (10 −9 M) produced a significant increase in PGI 2 release. CsA-induced PGI 2 release were inhibited 80–85 % by 10 −9 M, and 99–100 % by 10 −6 M pretreatment doses of any of three different PKC inhibitors, i.e. 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonylmethyl)piperazine(H7), staurosporine or 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)piperazine. Pretreatment with (10 −9 M) of diltiazem (a voltage-sensitive L-type calcium channel blocker) completely inhibited both CsA-induced PGI 2 release. Conversely, pretreatment with (10 −9 M) of thapsigargin (an intracellular calcium channel blocker) did not alter the action of CsA. These results strongly suggest that PKC, in association with an influx of extracellular calcium, mediates CsA-induced PGI 2 release in rat aortic endothelial cells. Cyclosporine A; 1-(5-isoquinolinemethyl)piperazine(H7); staurosporine; 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)piperazine; diltiazem; thapsigargin; rat aortic endothelial cells.
The impact of executive personal branding on non-profit perception and communications

Social media has become an integral tool in public relations and marketing campaigns. Individuals now actively participate in conversations through Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and also leverage these communications tools for personal branding. A relatively new concept, personal branding has been studied in various contexts, but there is a lack of investigation into the effective use of the ICTs for personal branding purposes in relation to the communications of non-profit executives. This paper analyzes the personal branding strategies or seven executives from non-profit organizations in the United States. The study aimed to determine the extent to which executives’ personal branding communications aligned with the mission of their organizations. The results of this study are significant both for theorists and practitioners. The findings highlight the importance of personal branding in the non-profit sector; additionally, they help shape guidelines organizations can use to engage their executives in successful personal communications processes that raise awareness.
CD uniformity improvement by loading effect correction (LEC) function for 90-nm reticle

The etching loading effect is always a big issue for mask maker to get excellent critical dimension (CD) uniformity. For etching process, with different loading area density the etching rate is different and then micro-loading issue exists. In accordance with the shrinking of patterns on ultra-large scale integration (ULSI), higher CD accuracy on photomask is required. For the 130nm technology node, the SPEC of CD uniformity range is about 17 ~ 22nm. At common poly layer, the distribution of pattern density is from 50% ~ 90%. The CD variation with different pattern density is 15 ~ 20nm. Besides adjusting the etching recipe to minimize the loading effect, we provide another solution. With loading effect correction (LEC) function on HL-950M, it offers a software method to calculate the pattern density and produce a dosage map to compensate the CD variation which is resulted from etching loading.
Videomicroscopy in the study of protoplasmic streaming and cell movement

Various types of cell motility have been observed and analyzed with techniques of increasing sensitivity and sophistication. Photokymography, cinemicrography and laser-Doppler spectroscopy have all made important contributions to our knowledge of cytoplasmic streaming and cell movement. Now videomicroscopy is finding applications in recording and analyzing two different kinds of images. Video intensification microscopy by image intensifiers and silicon intensified target (SIT) video cameras is used to intensify images too dim to be viewed by eye or photographed. On the other hand, video enhanced microscopy uses a less sensitive chalnicon or other vidicon camera with adjustable amplification and offset to enhance the contrast and improve the resolution of microscopes that employ instrumental compensators. Both of these videotechniques have greatly extended the usefulness of the optical microscope: image intensification to brighten dim images and video enhancement to improve the contrast and resolution so that even “submicroscopic” structures and events can be recorded. These video techniques can both be further extended by a frame memory, with which images can be further enhanced by computer processing. Still to be developed, however, are appropriate methods for automatic tracking of particle motions.
The Heuristic Dimension of Instructional Development.

At the conclusion of a research project, the investigators face two questions: "What have we found?" and "What have we learned?" The answer to the first is determined by an examination of the data; the answer to the second, by a reflection upon their experiences. Contribution to knowledge from research can result from both systematic inquiry and heuristic observation. The answers to these two questions can be stated with different kinds, as well as degrees, of confidence. From the standpoint of systematic inquiry, confidence is an abstraction--a level at which one may declare data to be statistically significant. From the standpoint of heuristic observation, confidence is a conviction that something is true, that it will work, that one can use it with assurance.
138 COAGULASE NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCI (CMS) ARE TRUE PATHOGENS IN NEWBORN INFANTS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

We compared prospectively newborn infants with CNS bacteraemia (group 1) to infants with sepsis due to recognized pathogens (group 2), controls (group 3) and infants with suspected infection but negative blood-cultures (group 4). Ten clinical signs, complete blood cell counts and acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein, α1-acidglycoprotein, prealbumin) were recorded at the time of culture. 31 of 799 blood cultures (10.1%) became CNS positive, 25 (3%) grew other pathogens. 70 controls were matched to CNS positive cases for birthweight, gestational age and postnatal age.
On Extrapolation Spaces and a.e. Convergence of Fourier Series

A new, unified approach to recent end point estimates for the maximal operator of partial sums of Fourier series is obtained through the use of extrapolation theory. The method involves characterizing certain extrapolation spaces associated with scales of Lorentz-Zygmund spaces.
5-Oxocyclooctanecarboxylic acid: hydrogen-bonding pattern and conformational disorder in a medium-ring varepsilon-keto acid

Molecules of the title compound, C9H14O3, adopt a chiral `boat–chair' conformation, in which the carboxyl group avoids potential cross-ring ketone interactions by an outward `equatorial' orientation. The asymmetric unit contains two such mol­ecules, one conformationally fixed without disorder, (I), and the other, (I′), extensively disordered, both in the bond lengths and angles of the carboxyl and by a coupled `up-down' conformational disordering [ratio of 60:40 (1)] of the remote ends of the boat–chair system. Each mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit forms a centrosymmetric hydrogen-bonded carboxyl dimer with a second mol­ecule of its own type. For (I), O⋯O = 2.658 (3) A and O—H⋯O = 174°. For (I′), O⋯O = 2.653 (3) A and O—H⋯O = 165°. A number of intermolecular C=O⋯H—C close contacts are found.
A novel method for imaging in vivo degradation of poly(L-glutamic acid), a biodegradable drug carrier

Purpose To develop an L-PG-based imaging probe suitable for assessing the degradation of L-PG in vivo.