cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of an Intensive Outpatient Program to Augment Primary Care for High-Need Veterans Affairs Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Many organizations are adopting intensive outpatient care programs for high-need patients, yet little is known about their effectiveness in integrated systems with established patient-centered medical homes. Objective To evaluate how augmenting the Veterans Affairs (VA) medical home (Patient Aligned Care Teams [PACT]) with an Intensive Management program (ImPACT) influences high-need patients’ costs, health care utilization, and experience. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized clinical trial at a single VA facility. Among 583 eligible high-need outpatients whose health care costs or hospitalization risk were in the top 5% for the facility, 150 were randomly selected for ImPACT; the remaining 433 received standard PACT care. Interventions The ImPACT multidisciplinary team addressed health care needs and quality of life through comprehensive patient assessments, intensive case management, care coordination, and social and recreational services. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary difference-in-difference analyses examined changes in health care costs and acute and extended care utilization over a 16-month baseline and 17-month follow-up period. Secondary analyses estimated the intervention’s effect on ImPACT participants (using randomization as an instrument) and for patients with key sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. ImPACT participants’ satisfaction and activation levels were assessed using responses to quality improvement surveys administered at baseline and 6 months. Results Of 140 patients assigned to ImPACT, 96 (69%) engaged in the program (mean [SD] age, 68.3 [14.2] years; 89 [93%] male; mean [SD] number of chronic conditions, 10 [4]; 62 [65%] had a mental health diagnosis; 21 [22%] had a history of homelessness). After accounting for program costs, adjusted person-level monthly health care expenditures decreased similarly for ImPACT and PACT patients (difference-in-difference [SE] −$101 [$623]), as did acute and extended care utilization rates. Among respondents to the ImPACT follow-up survey (n = 54 [56% response rate]), 52 (96%) reported that they would recommend the program to others, and pre-post analyses revealed modest increases in satisfaction with VA care (mean [SD] increased from 2.90 [0.72] to 3.16 [0.60]; P = .04) and communication (mean [SD] increased from 2.99 [0.74] to 3.18 [0.60]; P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance Intensive outpatient care for high-need patients did not reduce acute care utilization or costs compared with standard VA care, although there were positive effects on experience among patients who participated. Implementing intensive outpatient care programs in integrated settings with well-established medical homes may not prevent hospitalizations or achieve substantial cost savings. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT02932228
Predictors of Resourcefulness in Preadolescent Children.

Resourcefulness is a set of cognitive-behavioral self-control skills for coping with stress to maintain quality of life. However, research examining precursors in the development of resourcefulness in preadolescents is scant. A cross-sectional approach was used to investigate hypothesized predicting effects of intrinsic contextual factors (children’s age, gender, and school performance), extrinsic contextual factors (parents’ age, gender, education, income, and resourcefulness), and process regulators (academic stress and dispositional optimism) in a convenience sample of 361 preadolescent–parent dyads. Results show that preadolescents’ process regulators, academic stress, and dispositional optimism were significant predictors of resourcefulness. The findings suggest that preadolescents’ resourcefulness was greatly influenced by process regulators, which are cognitive perceptions intervening the use of resourcefulness. Further research with various study designs is needed to examine additional factors tha...
Field trials of fatty acids and geraniol applied to cattle for suppression of horn flies, Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae), with observations on fly defensive behaviors

Adult horn fly populations were tracked on cattle for 2-week periods before, during and after multiple treatments (every 3-4days) with two repellents in a mineral oil carrier. Cattle were sprayed four times in a two-week period either with 2% geraniol (125ml/cow) or a 15% mixture of short chain fatty acids (C8-C9-C10)(250ml/cow), and there were untreated control cattle. Trials were conducted in California and North Carolina for 3 summers. Short-term fly counts (same day) on treated cattle were reduced by 61-99%, depending on material and trial, and the fatty acid mixture provided better control than geraniol. Horn fly counts were suppressed for 1-3 d and rebounded somewhat after both treatments. Consecutive treatments showed evidence of persistent impact in California where herds were more isolated. Rebounds to pre-treatment levels 3-4 d after treatment occurred more often in North Carolina, where other infested cattle were closer to treated herds. By 3-4 d post-treatment, horn flies were reduced by 29-61% in California and 0-83% in North Carolina, relative to pre-treatment. Background behavior frequencies were assessed from hundreds of counts on untreated, infested California cattle, where horn flies were the only abundant biting fly. Behavior averages were 16.5 tail flicks, 7.6 skin twitches, 1.2 head throws, or 0.2 leg stamps per 2min observation period. At horn fly densities from about 200 to more than 1000 flies per animal (moderate to high numbers), fly defensive behaviors on control cattle were poorly related (or unrelated) to fly numbers. Immediately after repellent application, however, flies were almost absent and behavior frequencies dropped distinctly. Cattle fly defensive behaviors therefore seem to be quite sensitive to low (less than 100 flies/animal) horn fly densities, and behaviors would be a poor quantitative tool to track fly stress at moderate densities and above. Both geraniol and the fatty acids show promise for horn fly control, especially in organic agriculture. Treatments at 1-2 d intervals probably would keep infestations below the economic threshold (200 flies/cow).
Time, Third Space, and Counternarratives of Achievement for Young Mothers in High School

This article shares alternative conceptions of time in a qualitative study about the schooling experiences of teenage mothers. The counternarratives of three women of color are presented as alterna...
Size and fitness responses of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) following reciprocal transplant along an estuarine gradient

Abstract Eelgrass (Zostera marina) differs in shoot size, growth rate, and life history investment along a 30-km estuarine gradient in Willapa Bay, Washington (USA). In this study, reciprocal transplants were carried out among four sites in the estuary to test the roles of source population and outplant site for summer-season performance, a method that distinguishes any advantage of locally-tuned phenotypes and whether such trait differences are fixed or phenotypically-plastic. Shoots were measured after 2–3 months for size, leaf emergence rate (productivity) and shoot emergence rate (fitness), as well as simply finding them again (retrieval). Results generally did not support that best performance came from local shoots (few source x outplant site interactions). However, at one site, local shoots had higher fitness than other sources, and for one source, local retrieval exceeded that at other sites. Across all outplants, retrieval improved with rhizome length, suggesting that longer rhizomes provided better anchors. Fitness and productivity were both reduced for transplants into eelgrass relative to those in nearby bare areas at most sites, likely reflecting strong intraspecific competition for transplanted shoots. At this within-estuary scale in summer, morphology appeared entirely plastic, given convergence to local size, but annual vs. perennial life history was strictly a function of source population regardless of outplant site. This reciprocal transplant study supports many of the best practices for restoration, which include effective anchoring of shoots into locations with suitable environmental conditions. Matching donor populations for life history may be more important than for size, given differential phenotypic plasticity in these traits.
Textures of 3He-A in a Sphere: Topological Theory of Boundary Effects and a New Defect

Brinkman1 in 1974 was the first to comment on the possibility of point defects in the 3He anisotropic superfluids, and he gave what is surely the correct answer: There are point defects in the B liquid when dipolar energy is considered, but not in the interior of A because of the well-known topological difficulty of “signposting the sphere”: mapping the orientation of rigid triads continuously onto a sphere, so that if, for example, the pair angular momentum vector \(\hat \ell\) points radially outward from a supposed defect, no nonsingular assignment of phases is possible. By phase we mean the orientation of the two gap parameters vectors \(\overrightarrow {{\vartriangle _i}}\) and \(i\overrightarrow {{\vartriangle _2}}\) about \(\hat \ell\). This follows from the complete topological theory of order parameter singularities given by Toulouse and Kleman, who show that the only topologically stable defect of the orbital portion of the order parameter in the interior of 3He-A is one type of line, which can be deformed continuously from 2π vortex to dis gyration to -2π vortex.
DNA vaccination by somatic transgene immunization

Possibly the most astonishing feature in vaccinology is the fact that vaccines have, and continue to be, developed on an empirical basis. The biotechnological revolution that took place in the eighties expanded the range of strategies and approaches for making novel vaccines, but while not establishing new principles for vaccinology [1] it acknowledged two factors: (a) effective and durable immunity can be achieved with suitable constituted non-infectious vaccines, and (b) the experience of infection is not required for inducing such an effect [2]. Although immunology as a science has made remarkable progress in elucidating the physiology and the molecular basis of the immune response, new vaccines are not developed at the pace needed.
Does Trade Liberalization Cause a Race-to-the-Bottom in Environmental Policies? A Spatial Econometric Analysis

This chapter explores the impact of openness to trade, and the size of trade flows, on the determination of environmental regulations. Some authors argue that as a result of global trade liberalization countries are likely to relax domestic environmental policy standards in order to increase (or maintain) “competitiveness” (see Esty, 1994; Dua and Esty, 1997; Esty and Geradin, 1997). This could potentially lead to a “race to the bottom,” where countries continually undercut the competitors’ regulations, or refrain from enacting new environmental policies altogether, a “regulatory chill.” Fredriksson (1999) shows in a political economy model that the effect of trade liberalization on politically determined pollution taxes depends on the size of the relative shifts in political power of producer and environmental lobby groups that occur as a result of the liberalization (see also Bommer and Schulze, 1999). Others argue that “ecological dumping” may occur, where environmental policies are set at suboptimally lax levels for strategic reasons (Barrett, 1994; Kennedy, 1994; Rauscher, 1994). Industry and union interests join the environmentalists in their fear that trade liberalization will create “pollution havens” with low stringency of environmental regulations and a comparative advantage in polluting sectors. These fears have given rise to calls for harmonization of environmental policies in regional free trade areas, e.g., across the EU or NAFTA members (Esty and Geradin, 1997).
Glass Transitions and Compatibility; Phase Behavior in Copolymer Containing Blends

The equilibrium phase state of a mixture of high molecular weight polymers may not be as obvious by visual inspection as is an analogous mixture of low molecular weight materials. Consequently the nature of this state and of the properties of macromolecular mixtures has become an important problem in polymer science. A binary polymer mixture at a given temperature and pressure can exhibit compatible (miscible) or, more often, essentially incompatible (immiscible) behavior. The former is characterized by the formation of a solution, homogeneous at the segmental level, which in principle is no different from that occurring in low molecular weight or polymer-solvent systems; the latter retains a discrete heterogeneity, even though it is nearly always possible to bring two polymers into a state of fine mutual dispersion, stable only because of kinetic barriers to phase separation. Nevertheless metastable incompatible mixtures are sufficiently important to warrant further subdivision into those systems which while thermodynamically unstable, possess mechanical integrity over a given temperature-time regime, and those which cannot retain mechanical integrity for any practical time period in the temperature regime of interest. Clearly such divisions are highly arbitrary and will be functions of the thermal, solvent and mechanical history of the mixture as well as the fundamental interactions between the two macromolecules.
Torsional Testing of Race, K3 and Profile Nickel Titanium Endodontic Files

TORSIONAL TESTING OF RACE, K3 AND PROFILE NICKEL TITANIUM ENDODONTIC FILES. By Sean D Fessenden, D.D.S. A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2004 Major Director: B. Ellen Byrne, Chairman and Professor, Department of Endodontics Rotary endodontic instruments have different cross sectional designs that may affect their resistance to torsional stress. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the static torsional properties of two nickel titanium files that have recently been introduced for use in endodontics and compare them to the same size Profile instruments. Ten new files of each brand and size were tested. The files tested were: RaCe 25 tip 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 taper, K3 and Profile 25 and 40 tip in 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06 taper. The diameter of each file was measured at 3 mm from tip. The last three millimeters of the working area of the file was
Connections Between Mathematical Models of Prebiotic Evolution and Homochirality

The evolutionary dynamics of prebiotic replicators and the amplification kinetics leading to homochirality share certain features and properties, such as the emergence of a certain type that achieves high abundance. The study of replicator dynamics and the study of the origin of homochirality have both seen numerous advances, both theoretical and experimental, in the last decades. Experimental models formulated in these fields are quite different one from the other, and these fields have traditionally been viewed as separate undertakings. However, despite differences in formalisms, it is remarkable that mathematical descriptions used to explain the behavior of replicating entities can be transformed into the mathematical descriptions of models leading to enantiomeric symmetry breaking. Thus two important phenomena during the origin of life, the selection of replicators and the origin of biological homochirality, share similar dynamics.
The Merging of Statistics Education, Consulting and Research: A Case Study

It is shown how student participation in a real consulting project can be leveraged to achieve the dual goals of (i) developing statistical consulting skills in graduate students, and (ii) enhancing the instructional effectiveness of statistical methodology. Achieving these goals is the primary mission of the Statistical Consulting Collaboratory at the University of California, Riverside. The paper gives a detailed illustration of the how the goals were achieved by reporting on an interesting case study, with special emphasis given to describing the involvement of students and the alternative ways in which the project found its way into classrooms.
Geophysical site assessment in karst terrain: A case study from southwestern Missouri

Abstract A 110 acre study site in karst terrain in southwestern Missouri was investigated to assess suitability for landfill expansion. ERT, MASW and core hole data were acquired on the site with the objectives of identifying any karst features that could potentially pose a threat to an overlying landfill, mapping variable depth to the top of rock, and mapping the probable flow pathway(s) of groundwater from the site to both a proximal spring and a proximal creek. Top of rock was readily mapped on the acquired ERT data, except in those areas where shallow bedrock was anomalously moist, such as beneath drainage ditches and surface flow pathways. In areas where bedrock was anomalously moist, depth to top of rock was more reliably estimated using the MASW method. Karst features that could affect the stability of an overlying landfill were not imaged on the geophysical data. Dye testing was performed to establish connectivity between the site and the proximal spring. Probable flow pathways from the site to the spring and the creek were identified.
Distribution Fitting and Performance Modeling for Storage Traces

Understanding I/O workloads and modeling their performance is important for optimizing storage systems. A useful first step towards understanding the characteristics of storage workloads is to analyze their inter-arrival times and service requirements. If these characteristics are found to follow certain probability distributions, then corresponding stochastic models can be employed to efficiently estimate the performance of storage workloads. Such approaches have been explored in other domains using an assortment of distributions, including the Normal, Weibull, and Exponential. However, our analysis and others' past attempts revealed that none of those distributions provided a good fit for storage workloads. We analyzed over 200 traces across 4 different workload families using 20 widely used distributions, including ones seldom used for storage modeling. We found that the Hyper-exponential distribution with just two phases H_2 was superior in modeling the storage traces compared to other distributions under five diverse metrics of accuracy, including metrics that assess the risk of over-fitting. Based on these results, we developed a Markov-chain-based stochastic model that accurately estimates the storage system performance across several workload traces. To highlight the applicability of our model, we conducted what-if analyses to investigate the performance impact of workload variability and garbage collection under various scenarios.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Dementia Caregivers' Well-Being.

Background and objectives Studies comparing racial/ethnic differences on measures of psychological and physical well-being for dementia caregivers have reported differences between minority and white caregivers. Recruitment methods often differ for minority and white participants due to enrollment targets and may lead to biased comparisons, especially in convenience samples. We aimed to examine racial/ethnic differences in dementia caregiver outcomes and to determine whether differences vary between studies with population-based or convenience samples. Research design and methods We systematically reviewed articles with primary data from PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO. We included studies comparing African American or Hispanic/Latino to white dementia caregivers on measures of psychological well-being or physical well-being. Reviewers screened titles and abstracts, reviewed full texts and conducted risk-of-bias assessments. Meta-analyses were conducted to assess effects by race/ethnicity and study bias. Results A total of 159 effects were extracted from 38 studies, 2 of which were population based. Random-effects models revealed small but statistically significant effects with better psychological well-being in African American caregivers compared with white caregivers in both population-based (d = -0.22) and convenience sample studies (d = -0.21). Hispanics/Latino caregivers reported lower levels of physical well-being than white caregivers (d = 0.12), though these effects varied by level of rated study bias. Discussion and implications Consistency across study methods raises confidence in the validity of previous reports of better psychological well-being in African American caregivers. Future studies should use population-based samples with subgroups of Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, and American Indian caregivers that are culturally distinct on factors such as country of origin and tribe.
Hepatic Vein Blood Increases Lung Microvascular Angiogenesis and Endothelial Cell Survival-Toward an Understanding of Univentricular Circulation

To improve our understanding of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations in univentricular congenital heart disease, our objective was to identify the effects of hepatic vein and superior vena cava constituents on lung microvascular endothelial cells independent of blood flow. Paired blood samples were collected from the hepatic vein and superior vena cava in children 0–10 years old undergoing cardiac catheterization. Isolated serum was subsequently used for in vitro endothelial cell assays. Angiogenic activity was assessed using tube formation and scratch migration. Endothelial cell survival was assessed using proliferation (BrdU incorporation, cell cycle analysis) and apoptosis (caspase 3/7 activity, Annexin-V labeling). Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and repeated measures analysis. Upon incubating lung microvascular endothelial cells with 10% patient serum, hepatic vein serum increases angiogenic activity (tube formation, P = 0.04, n = 24; migration, P
Child maltreatment in Bangladesh: Poverty, social class, and the emotional abuse of elementary school children by teachers

Abstract Child maltreatment is a global problem, and child punishment, both physical and emotional, is a persistent phenomenon and major child rights issue in the global south, particularly in Bangladesh. Child abuse is any emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment of a child that is perpetrated by an adult in a role of responsibility. Emotional abuse refers to a relationship between a child and a caregiver, which is a consistent pattern of harmful interactions with a child, other than physical or sexual abuse. In Bangladesh, the prevalence of emotional abuse within school settings is ostensibly widespread. However, there is little systematic research on the occurrence of emotional abuse within elementary schools in the nation. This article focuses on the incidence and predictors of emotional punishment, as well as students’ reactions to discipline among elementary school-going students in Bangladesh. A survey data set was used to explore 450 primary school children’s experiences of emotional abuse and responses to abuse within the school system in Bangladesh. Findings indicate that 88% of child participants were scolded during their current school year, and 82.7% were scolded during the previous school year. Teachers threatened about a quarter (24.9%) of the participants in their current school year. We found that poverty was a consistent factor for children receiving emotional punishment in schools. Ninety-two percent of poor children were subjected to emotional abuse in schools, and poor children were significantly more likely to suffer emotional abuse by teachers than non-poor children. The findings of this study highlight the need to conduct further studies of child maltreatment within schools in Bangladesh. In particular, a better understanding of the frequency and impact of emotional abuse within schools in Bangladesh will help to inform interventions at all levels of practice including, individual, family, group, community, and policy levels, as well inform teacher training and teacher education curricula in the country.
Central Venous Catheter Maintenance Monitoring: It's Not Just for the IV Team!

Background Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in acute care hospitals. Establishing a team that is dedicated to insertion & maintenance of central lines has been shown to decrease CLABSI. Methods To combat a rising CLABSI rate a dedicated team comprised to Infection Preventionists (IP) and Quality nurses was established to conduct daily observations of the central venous catheters (CVC) in the facility. The team primarily focused on tracking compliance to the maintenance bundle, which was comprised of 6 elements. Findings were communicated in real time to bedside nurses when issues were identified and to nurse managers for follow-up daily. Results The study results are focused on findings in the medical/surgical and neurological Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Compliance to parts of the maintenance bundle and the CLABSI rate improved after the dedicated team was put in place. One aspect of the bundle, correct placement of the chlorhexidine-gluconate (CHG)-impregnated sponge, improved from 73% at the beginning of the team audits in August 2018 to 88% after 6 months (February 2019), which was statistically significant (χ2= 6.371; 95% CI, 3.42%-28.88%; P = 0.012). The CLABSI rate in the ICUs in the 6 months prior to the intervention was 1.90 cases/1000 CVC days. In the 6 months following the initiation of the dedicated team the rate dropped to 0.00 cases/1000 CVC days. This difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions Fewer CLABSIs occurred in the ICUs and compliance to the CVC maintenance bundle increased following the initiation of daily audits by a dedicated team. Findings of the daily audits were communicated to nursing & nursing management daily.
Disguised Academic Plagiarism. A typology and case studies for researchers and editors. Research ethics forum 8 Disguised Academic Plagiarism. A typology and case studies for researchers and editors. Research ethics forum 8 , by M.V. Dougherty , Switzerland, Springer, 2020, 158pp., $59.99 (Hardcover), ISBN 978-3-030-46710-4.

Most students, professors, authors, editors, and publishers have some experience with plagiarism. It is discussed at universities, often in student handbooks and in seminars on the responsible cond...
An Exploration of Employment-Related Personal Projects Undertaken by Women on Probation and Parole:

This qualitative research investigates the extent to which 401 women under supervision identify employment-related personal projects (i.e., actions taken to achieve abstract goals) as a way to make...
piRNAs regulate a Hedgehog germline-to-soma pro-aging signal

The reproductive system regulates the aging of the soma through competing anti- and pro-aging signals. Germline removal extends somatic lifespan through conserved pathways including Insulin, mTOR, and steroid signaling, while germline hyperactivity cuts lifespan short through mechanisms that remain elusive. Here, we show that mating-induced germline hyperactivity leads to the dramatic downregulation of piRNAs, which in turn releases silencing of their targets, including the Hedgehog-like ligand encoding genes wrt-1 and wrt-10, ultimately causing somatic collapse and early death. Germline-produced Hedgehog signals require PTR-6 and PTR-16 receptors for mating-induced body shrinking and lifespan shortening. Our results reveal an unconventional role of the piRNA pathway in transcriptional regulation of Hedgehog signaling, as well as a new role of Hedgehog signaling in the regulation of longevity and somatic maintenance. Our data suggest that Hedgehog signaling is controlled by the tunable piRNA pathway to encode the previously unknown germline-to-soma pro-aging signal. Mating-induced downregulation of piRNAs in the germline and subsequent signaling to the soma via the Hedgehog pathway enables the animal to tune its somatic resource allocation in response to germline needs to optimize reproductive timing and survival.
Simulations of flow over a bio-inspired undulated cylinder with dynamically morphing topography

Inspired by the geometric properties of seal whiskers, the addition of spanwise undulations on a cylinder have been shown to lower the mean and oscillatory forces and modify the frequency of flow-induced vibration when compared to smooth cylinders. Previously, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to characterize the hydrodynamic response with respect to specific geometric features. However simulations are time intensive due to complex three-dimensional meshing and computation time, limiting the number of geometric perturbations explored. A method is proposed in which the specific geometric features of this complex topography can be modified during a simulation thereby decreasing the time per geometric modification and removing the need for manual meshing of the complex structure. The surface of the seal whisker inspired geometry is parameterized into seven defining parameters, each of which is directly controlled in order to morph the surface into any realization within the defined parameter space. Once validated, the algorithm is used to explore the undulation amplitudes in the chord and thickness directions, by varying each independently from 0 to 0.3 thicknesses in increments of 0.05 at a Reynolds number of 500. The force and frequency response are examined for this matrix of geometric parameters, yielding detailed force trends not previously investigated. The impact of the bio-inspired morphing algorithm will allow for further optimization and development of force-mitigating underwater devices and other engineering applications in need of vibration suppression, frequency tuning, or force reduction.
PANDEMIA, FARMACOLOGIA E BIOPODER — OU SOBRE MEU ENCONTRO COM O SARS-COV2 E ROSA B.

Resumo Em prosa livre e a partir de uma experiencia pessoal, uso referencias teoricas da antropologia do corpo e da saude (ou medical anthropology, no âmbito estadunidense), para explorar criticamente o modo como o conceito de biopolitica, de Michel Foucault, tem sido usado em analises sobre a chegada da pandemia de covid-19. Argumento que o uso do termo no singular o afasta da pluralidade de vivencias que ajuda a conceituar e sugiro o rastreamento da natureza matizada da fonte das biopoliticas, o biopoder, como forma de ampliar as nuancas que os cientistas sociais tentam identificar e incorporar as suas analises. Como caso exemplar de trabalho de rastreamento de um biopoder pos-disciplinar e fragmentado, resgato a etnografia de Joao Biehl sobre o estabelecimento da politica de combate a aids no Brasil. Uso o diagnostico de farmaceuticalizacao da saude publica, de Biehl, para imaginar os desafios que ela coloca ao enfrentamento da covid-19.
MultiScatter: Multistatic Backscatter Networking for Battery-Free Sensors

Realizing the vision of ubiquitous battery-free sensing has proven to be challenging, mainly due to the practical energy and range limitations of current wireless communication systems. To address this, we design the first wide-area and scalable backscatter network with multiple receivers (RX) and transmitters (TX) base units to communicate with battery-free sensor nodes. Our system circumvents the inherent limitations of backscatter systems -including the limited coverage area, frequency-dependent operability, and sensor node limitations in handling network tasks- by introducing several coordination techniques between the base units starting from a single RX-TX pair to networks with many RX and TX units. We build low-cost RX and TX base units and battery-free sensor nodes with multiple sensing modalities and evaluate the performance of the MultiScatter system in various deployments. Our evaluation shows that we can successfully communicate with battery-free sensor nodes across 23400 ft2 of a two-floor educational complex using 5 RX and 20 TX units, costing $569. Also, we show that the aggregated throughput of the backscatter network increases linearly as the number of RX units and the network coverage grows.
Uma nova abordagem do mecanismo monetário e sua relação com a estrutura financeira

Este trabalho visa focalizar mais uma vez o chamado "mecanismo monetario". Isto e, o mecanismo atraves do qual a Autoridade Monetaria consegue controlar com certa firmeza a renda nominal agregada. Nosso proposito e mostrar que a visao tradicional, englobando tanto formulacoes monetaristas como as de Keynes-Hicks, que coloca a oferta monetaria em primeiro plano, longe de ser uma visao geral, focaliza na realidade um caso bastante especial. Ou seja, que existem outros agregados, alem das obrigacoes monetarias dos sistemas bancarios, cujo dominio permite o controle da renda nominal. Da mesma forma, existem outros paradigmas alem daqueles baseados na oferta monetaria, que julgamos uteis para uma descricao do mecanismo monetario. Finalmente, que a eficacia das metas agregadas alternativas e a utilidade dos paradigmas alternativos dependem basicamente da estrutura frnanceira da economia.
Statistical and topological atlas based brain image segmentation

This paper presents a new atlas-based segmentation framework for the delineation of major regions in magnetic resonance brain images employing an atlas of the global topological structure as well as a statistical atlas of the regions of interest. A segmentation technique using fast marching methods and tissue classification is proposed that guarantees strict topological equivalence between the segmented image and the atlas. Experimental validation on simulated and real brain images shows that the method is accurate and robust.
Buyer Beware: Industry Links and Bankruptcy

This paper develops a model for forecasting bankruptcy at the industry level that accounts for bankruptcy contagion from customers and suppliers. Utilizing customer and supplier relationship networks, I find that both customer and supplier bankruptcies explain bankruptcies in the subject industry. However, when accounting for the endogeneity in the supply chain, I find that only bankruptcies in supplier industries cause bankruptcies in the subject industry. This contrasts with a previous study that only finds a relationship between customer bankruptcies and subject firms. Furthermore, the impact of supplier bankruptcies on subject industry bankruptcies is economically larger than other determinants of bankruptcy in the literature. To reinforce the notion of bankruptcy contagion, I find that close supplier bankruptcies have a larger influence on subject industry bankruptcies than far supplier bankruptcies. Finally, I find that high bankruptcies in central industries lead to high bankruptcies across the entire economy. These results provide a new explanation of why bankruptcies cluster in time. If an initial random bankruptcy shock in one industry propagates along industry links to a central hub industry or initiates from a central hub industry, a bankruptcy wave could branch out to many other industries in parallel from that central industry causing widespread bankruptcies across the economy.
Maize LEC1 Improves Transformation in Both Maize and Wheat

Since ectopic expression of LEC1 in Arabidopsis can lead to adventive formation of embryo-like structures (Lotan et al., 1998), it was hypothesized that ectopic expression of the maize LEC1 (Lowe et al., 2001) gene could be used to induce somatic embryogenesis in maize and wheat leading to an improved culture response and higher transformation frequencies.
Performance Degradation Analysis and Hot-Carrier Injection Impact on the Lifetime Prediction of $LC$ Voltage Control Oscillator

This paper analyzes the root cause of performance degradation and the impact of hot-carrier injection (HCI) on the lifetime prediction of an $LC$ voltage-controlled oscillator ( $LC$ -VCO). Observed from both constant voltage stress and ramped voltage stress tests, it is shown that the dominant degradation mechanism shifts from a negative bias temperature instability to an HCI due to the accelerated aging condition. Furthermore, simulations show that a frequency increase of degraded VCO is mainly attributed to the degradation in the pMOSFET of a cross-couple pair, while the degradations in the pMOSFET and nMOSFET have relatively the same impact on the startup voltage shift. Compared with the frequency change, the degradation of the startup voltage of an $LC$ -VCO is less sensitive to device width. Based on the observed results, methodologies to optimize the reliability tests and mitigate the frequency shift of $LC$ -VCO are proposed.
Interaction Between Cyclosporine and Grapefruit Juice Requires Long-Term Ingestion in Stable Renal Transplant Recipients

Study Objective. To examine the effect of the concurrent administration of increasing amounts of grapefruit juice, an inhibitor of drug metabolism, on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine. Design. Open-label, three-period crossover, food-drug interaction study in stable renal transplant patients. Setting. A university-affiliated clinical research center. Patients. Sixteen stable renal transplant recipients. Intervention. Cyclosporine was administered with 240 ml of water, 240 ml of grapefruit juice, or several 240-ml glasses of grapefruit juice, and serial blood samples were taken to estimate the effect of grapefruit juice on cyclosporine pharmacokinetics. Measurements and Main Results. Grapefruit juice caused a significant increase in cyclosporine area under the curve, however, no significant effect was seen in other pharmacokinetic parameters. Grapefruit juice caused an increase in the 24-hour trough cyclosporine concentration, which may be of clinical significance if long-term ingestion of grapefruit juice is recommended. Conclusion. A drug interaction exists between cyclosporine and grapefruit juice, and it is likely at the level of intestinal drug absorption.
Molybdopterin from molybdenum and tungsten enzymes.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the structural data describing molybdenum cofactor (Moco)-containing enzymes and discusses their respective catalytic mechanisms. The crystal structures of Moco-containing enzymes have revealed a remarkable degree of structural diversity in the overall polypeptide folds, as well as in the composition and stoichiometry of the Moco. The structures of Moco-containing enzymes representing the four different enzyme families indicate that there is no ancestral Moco-containing enzyme from which all enzymes containing this cofactor is derived. Instead, evolution independently selected at least four different protein folds to harbor the Moco. The structural differences between representatives of the same and different families are analyzed in the chapter. This comparison will show that the Moco-containing enzymes represent a very heterogeneous group with differences in overall enzyme structure, cofactor composition, and stoichiometry, as well as differences in the immediate molybdenum environment. The chapter presents the currently available biochemical and structural data on the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of Moco.
PERMANENT GENETIC RESOURCES: Identification and characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the argasid tick Ornithodoros coriaceus.

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite loci (di, tetra and di-tetra complexes) were developed for the argasid tick Ornithodoros coriaceus. Polymorphism was assessed for 56 individuals from two populations separated by ~95 km. All loci were polymorphic (X = 7, range 3-17 alleles). All loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except for one locus (OrC 8) in a single population (P < 0.00119, after Bonferroni correction for multiple tests).
X-ray standing wave study of the Sr/Si( 0 0 1 )-( 2 × 3 ) surface

Abstract Sub-monolayer surface phases of Sr on Si(0 0 1) have been studied with low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and X-ray standing waves (XSW). A (3 × 1) phase was observed after depositing 0.6–0.8 ML Sr on room-temperature Si(0 0 1). Annealing at 750–800 °C caused a portion of the Sr to desorb and resulted in a sharp (2 × 3) LEED pattern. Normal Si(0 0 4) and off-normal Si(0 2 2) and Si(1 1 1) XSW measurements made on the (2 × 3) phase indicate that Sr atoms must sit at either cave or bridge sites. The XSW results also suggest that if a sufficiently low anneal temperature is used, the (2 × 3) phase co-exists with short-range ordered regions of Sr atoms located at valley-bridge sites.
Sexually transmissible diseases

There is a widespread recrudescence of venereal disease. The possible reasons for this are discussed. Each disease is then considered from the viewpoints of clinical course, diagnosis, and treatment. Treatment failures are discussed in detail, immunity is covered, and recommendations for the future conclude the presentation.
Mutations affecting the development of the embryonic zebrafish brain

In a large scale mutagenesis screen for embryonic mutants in zebrafish, we have identified 63 mutations in 24 loci affecting the morphogenesis of the zebrafish brain. The expression of marker genes and the integrity of the axonal scaffold have been studied to investigate abnormalities in regionalization, neurogenesis and axonogenesis in the brain. Mutants can be broadly classified into two groups, one affecting regionalization along the anterior-posterior or dorsal-ventral axis, and the other affecting general features of brain morphology. The first group includes one locus that is required to generate the anlage of the midbrain-hindbrain boundary region at the beginning of somitogenesis. Four loci were identified that affect dorsal-ventral patterning of the brain, including the previously described cyclops locus. Mutant embryos of this class show a reduction of ventral neuroectodermal structures and variable fusion of the eyes. The second group includes a large class of mutations affecting the formation of brain ventricles. Analysis of this class reveals the requirement of a functional cardiovascular system for ventricle enlargement during embryogenesis. Mutations in one locus lead to the formation of supernumerary primary neurons, a phenotype reminiscent of neurogenic mutants in Drosophila. Other mutant phenotypes described here range from abnormalities in the fasciculation and outgrowth of axons to defects in the diameter of the neural tube. The identified loci establish the genetic foundation for a further analysis of the development of the zebrafish embryonic brain.
Elderly patients with hip fracture with positive affect have better functional recovery over 2 years.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether patients with hip fracture with high positive affect had better functioning than those with low positive affect or depressive symptoms in three performance-based measures over 2 years after the fracture. DESIGN: Longitudinal study with assessments at baseline and 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months posthospitalization. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred thirty-two patients, aged 65 and older, hospitalized for hip fracture in Baltimore, Maryland, between 1990 and 1991. MEASUREMENTS: High and low positive affect and depressive symptoms were based on baseline Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score, usual and rapid walking speed, one chair stand, demographic factors, comorbidities, and history of cognitive impairment. RESULTS: At each follow-up point, respondents with high positive affect at baseline (36% of sample) had faster walking and chair stand speeds than those with low positive affect (13%) and depressive symptoms (51%). For example, at 6 months, the mean usual walking pace was 0.4 m/s (standard error (SE)=0.02) for respondents with high positive affect, versus 0.4 m/s (SE=0.03) and 0.35 m/s (SE=0.02) for patients with low positive affect and depressive symptoms, respectively; adjusted differences were 0.02 (95% confidence interval (CI)=−0.06–0.09) and 0.06 (95% CI=0.01–0.11). Respondents with high positive affect appeared to achieve their maximum improvement in usual pace approximately 6 months before other respondents, but this interaction was not statistically significant. Respondents with consistently high positive affect had the best functioning over the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: High positive affect seems to have a beneficial influence on performance-based functioning after hip fracture.
Inter-Organizational Information Systems and the Role of Intermediaries in Marketing Channels: A Study of Two Industries

This paper examines the impact of inter-organizational information systems (IOISs) that link two or more firms on the role of intermediaries in marketing channels. It draws upon a study of two systems — Inventory Locator Service, an electronic market in the aircraft parts industry; and iPower, an electronic monopoly in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry — to test some preliminary propositions linking specific transaction characteristics and the nature of the IOISs implemented to the impacts on intermediaries.
From Brazil To Jamaica: a Range Extension of the Neritic Calanoid Copepod, Pseudodiaptomus Acutus

Pseudodiaptomus acutus (Dahl, 1894), welcher von der Kuste Brasiliens (Guaratuba bis Rio Para) bekannt war, wird von Jamaica (Kingston Harbor) gemeldet. Das Weibchen wird noch einmal kurz beschrieben.
Demonstration of shifter-less beam steering in an ultra-wide bandwidth array antenna using synchronized chaos

We demonstrate a new method for electronic beam steering in ultra-wide bandwidth array antennas based on synchronized chaos. Chaotic oscillators generate random-like waveforms that may be well-suited for highly unconventional ultra-wideband radar and spread-spectrum communication applications. The broadband and nonrepeating nature of chaos provides an ideal combination of high range resolution with no range ambiguity. Unlike true random sources, coupled chaotic oscillators can synchronize for coherent power combining. To steer the array, a small detuning is applied to each oscillator to slightly shift its natural frequency. Oscillators that are tuned to run faster will lead those tuned slower, providing a small time shift between the waveforms produced by each oscillator. The approach avoids the need for costly phase shifters or tunable true time delay elements. Our demonstration system consists of a linear array of four directionally coupled radio frequency chaotic oscillators, each of which produces a broadband waveform centered at 137 MHz. Each individual oscillator feeds one of four discone-type antennas spaced a third of a wavelength apart. We present far-field power level measurements characterizing beam formation and steering recorded on an outdoor test range. Our results suggest chaotic arrays could enable a new generation of low-cost, highperformance, ultra-wide bandwidth applications.
The interplay of culture and symptoms: menstrual symptoms among Samoans.

Menstrual symptomatology has received much attention in recent years but little attention has been given to the interplay of culture with these symptoms. Interview data from male and female Samoans in rural Western Samoa, rapidly modernizing American Samoa, and modem Hawaii are used to explore the role of culture and culture change in explaining variations in reports of menstrual symptomatology and menstrual distress. I suggest that culture plays a significant role in the recognition, evaluation, and expression of menstrual symptoms, and thus culture must be considered along with biological and psychosocial variables in the evaluation of symptomatological differences, including differences in number and kind.