cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why dietary restriction substantially increases longevity in animal models but won’t in humans

Caloric restriction (CR) extends maximum longevity and slows aging in mice, rats, and numerous non-mammalian taxa. The apparent generality of the longevity-increasing effects of CR has prompted speculation that similar results could be obtained in humans. Longevity, however, is not a trait that exists in a vacuum; it evolves as part of a life history and the physiological mechanisms that determine longevity are undoubtedly complex. Longevity is intertwined with reproduction and there is a cost to reproduction. The impact of this cost on longevity can be age-independent or age-dependent. Given the complexity of the physiology underlying reproductive costs and other mechanisms affecting life history, it is difficult to construct a simple model for the relationship between the particulars of the physiology involved and patterns of mortality. Consequently, we develop a hypothesis-neutral model describing the relationship between diet and longevity. Applying this general model to the special case of human longevity and diet indicates that the benefits of caloric restriction in humans would be quantitatively small.
Collection of airborne microorganisms by a new electrostatic precipitator

Abstract Bioaerosol exposure assessment and the protection of civil/governmental/military establishments from bioterrorism require the development of low-power bioaerosol collectors that are able not only to efficiently collect airborne microorganisms, but also to preserve their biological integrity. In search for such a method, a new bioaerosol sampler was evaluated. In this device, the airborne microorganisms are imparted electrical charges and are then deposited in an electrical field onto a growth medium (agar). Experiments were conducted with Pseudomonas fluorescens vegetative cells, Bacillus subtilis var. niger (BG) endospores (used to simulate the spores of anthrax-causing Bacillus anthracis when testing bioaerosol sensors) and Penicillium brevicompactum fungal spores. It was found that 80–90% of initially “charge-neutralized” biological particles were removed from the air, when a small amount of ionization was generated in the electrostatic precipitator's (ESP) inlet and a precipitation voltage of ±4000 V was applied across the agar plates. Over 70% of viable BG and P. brevicompactum spores entering the ESP were enumerated as colony forming units. The bioefficiency of the new sampler was about the same as that of the Biosampler, which was tested in parallel. In experiments with sensitive P. fluorescens vegetative cells, the ESP enumerated twice as many cells as the Biosampler. The latter result indicates that the electrostatic collection method may be especially useful for the collection and enumeration of sensitive airborne microorganisms. Experiments investigating the effect of aging time on the amount of electrical charge carried by the airborne microorganisms showed that the level of electrical charge gradually decreases with increasing aging time. However, even after the P. fluorescens cells had remained airborne for an hour, they retained enough electrical charge to be collected with efficiency higher than 70%.
Development of group- and serotype-specific one-step SYBR green I-based real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay for dengue virus.

A quantitative one-step SYBR Green I-based reverse transcription (RT)-PCR system was developed for the detection and differentiation of four different dengue virus serotypes in acute-phase serum samples. A set of group- and serotype-specific primer pairs was designed against conserved sequences in the core region and evaluated for clinical diagnosis. A linear relationship was obtained between the amount of input RNA and cycle threshold (Ct) value over a range of 10 to 107 PFU per ml of cell culture-derived dengue viruses. The detection limit of the group-specific primer pair was between 4.1 and 43.5 PFU/ml for four dengue serotypes. The detection limit of each of the serotype-specific primer pairs was calculated to be 10 PFU/ml for dengue virus serotype 1 (DEN-1), 4.6 PFU/ml for DEN-2, 4.1 PFU/ml for DEN-3, and 5 PFU/ml for DEN-4. Comparisons between the one-step SYBR Green-based RT-PCR assay and the conventional cell culture method in the clinical diagnosis of dengue virus infection from acute-phase serum samples of confirmed dengue patients were performed. The results showed that 83 and 67% of 193 acute-phase serum samples tested were positive by the one-step SYBR Green-based RT-PCR method and cell culture method, respectively. Further analysis showed that the one-step SYBR Green-based RT-PCR method could detect twice as many acute-phase serum samples with positive dengue-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and/or IgG antibodies than cell culture method. Our results demonstrate the potential clinical application of the one-step SYBR Green I-based RT-PCR assay for the detection and differentiation of dengue virus RNA.
Embedded inferior vena cava filter removal: use of endobronchial forceps.

Purpose Removing a retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filter can be extremely difficult with the use of standard techniques if the filter is tilted and embedded in the wall of the IVC. The use of rigid endobronchial forceps has been described in case reports to remove embedded IVC filters, and the present report describes the use of this technique to remove a series of tip-embedded IVC filters in two separate institutions. Materials and Methods The medical records were reviewed of 21 consecutive patients at two institutions who underwent attempted IVC filter removal with rigid endobronchial forceps over a 34-month period. The mean age of patients was 32.4 years (range, 14.1–54.1 y). The patients had the following filters: Recovery ( n = 6), G2 ( n = 10), Gunther Tulip ( n = 4), and OptEase ( n = 1). Results Rotational or biplane venography was used to confirm that the filters were tilted and embedded in the wall of the IVC in all 21 patients. Rigid endobronchial forceps were used successfully to remove 20 embedded IVC filters in 21 patients. There was one case of failure to remove an embedded suprarenal G2 filter. There were no major complications. Conclusions Rigid endobronchial forceps may be used as a reliable option for removal of embedded IVC filters.
Resistance, Reinhabitation, and Regime Change

This paper was delivered as the lead keynote address at the Third Research Symposium of the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics (Newark, OH: May 18, 2006). Correspondence concerning this article should be directed to David A. Gruenewald, Department of Teaching and Learning, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2132. (dgruenewald@wsu.edu) Citation: Gruenewald, D. (2006, August 2). Resistance, reinhabitation, and regime change. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 21(9). Retrieved [date] from http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/21-9.pdf Resistance, Reinhabitation, and Regime Change
Ionospheric research opportunity

Ground-based explosions have been exploited successfully in the past as a relatively controlled source for producing ionospheric disturbances. On June 25, the Defense Nuclear Agency will conduct a high explosives test on the northern section of the White Sands Missile Range. Approximately 4,800 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) will be detonated at ground level, producing an acoustic shock wave with a surface pressure change of approximately 20 mbar at a 6 km range. This shock front will have sufficient strength to propagate into the ionosphere with at least a 10% change in the ambient pressure across the disturbance front in the lower F region. Such an ionospheric perturbation will give ionospheric researchers an excellent opportunity to investigate acoustic propagation at ionospheric heights, shock dissipation effect, the ion-neutral coupling process, acoustic-gravity wave (traveling ionospheric disturbance) generation mechanisms, and associated RF phenomena.
Optimal combined task and message scheduling in distributed real-time systems

In this paper we present a branch-and-bound (B&B) algorithm for combined task and message scheduling in distributed hard real-time systems. The algorithm finds an optimal schedule for a set of communicating tasks with known arrival times, precedence constraints, and resource requirements in conjunction with the assignment and scheduling of intertask messages over communication links. The schedule is "optimal" in the sense of minimizing maximum task lateness under a heuristic message priority assignment found during the search. A robotics application is used to illustrate the utility and potential of the algorithm. Results of an extensive simulation study analyzing its performance are also presented.
Executive compensation and internal capital market efficiency

Abstract We document that chief executive officer (CEO) incentive compensation plays an important role in determining internal capital market (ICM) allocation efficiency. Our results suggest that CEO equity-based compensation can be effective in ameliorating inefficiencies in internal capital allocation decisions. We find that while stock grants play an important role in motivating CEOs to make more efficient internal capital allocation decisions, there is surprisingly no discernible influence of stock options. Our analysis supports the view that private benefits derived by managers are increasing in internal capital misallocation. We also document a strong positive link between CEO incentive compensation and excess value of diversified firms suggesting that the diversification discount can be ameliorated with CEO incentive compensation. The study contributes to the ICM literature and the literature on conglomerate diversification discount.
Waterpipe tobacco smoking: what is the evidence that it supports nicotine/tobacco dependence?

Objective Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) involves passing tobacco smoke through water prior to inhalation, and has spread worldwide. This spread becomes a public health concern if it is associated with tobacco-caused disease and if WTS supports tobacco/nicotine dependence. A growing literature demonstrates that WTS is associated with disability, disease and death. This narrative review examines if WTS supports nicotine/tobacco dependence, and is intended to help guide tobacco control efforts worldwide. Data sources PUBMED search using: ((“waterpipe” or “narghile” or “arghile” or “shisha” or “goza” or “narkeela” or “hookah” or “hubble bubble”)) AND (“dependence” or “addiction”). Study selection Excluded were articles not in English, without original data, and that were not topic-related. Thirty-two articles were included with others identified by inspecting reference lists and other sources. Data synthesis WTS and the delivery of the dependence-producing drug nicotine were examined, and then the extent to which the articles addressed WTS-induced nicotine/dependence explicitly, as well as implicitly with reference to criteria for dependence outlined by the WHO. Conclusions WTS supports nicotine/tobacco dependence because it is associated with nicotine delivery, and because some smokers experience withdrawal when they abstain from waterpipe, alter their behaviour in order to access a waterpipe and have difficulty quitting, even when motivated to do so. There is a strong need to support research investigating measurement of WTS-induced tobacco dependence, to inform the public of the risks of WTS, which include dependence , disability, disease and death, and to include WTS in the same public health policies that address tobacco cigarettes.
Occurrences of intergranular coesite in ultrahigh-P rocks from the Sulu region, eastern China: Implications for lack of fluid during exhumation

Several coesite grains along garnet-omphacite grain boundaries were discovered in eclogites from Yangkou Beach of the Sulu region, eastern China. These grains exhibit variable extents of conversion of coesite to palisade- through mosaic- to granoblastic-quartz aggregates. The rare occurrence of intergranular and matrix coesite in ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) crustal rocks is related to the fast rate of exhumation and the low amount of fluid infiltration required during retrograde recrystallization. Sluggish reactions due to the lack of fluid in both UHP and retrograde metamorphism resulted in the occurrence of intergranular coesite in these eclogites, the preservation of gabbroic texture and relict igneous minerals, and the metastable persistence of low-P assemblages in the coesite-stability field.
Celebrity humanitarianism, transnational emotion and the rise of neoliberal citizenship

Celebrity humanitarianism is a form of advocacy for the poor and ill, primarily those populations residing in developing regions of the world. Often the celebrities attempt to galvanize support and care for these distant populations through various kinds of emotional practices, which are promoted and sustained across space through the invocation of community and the use of new social media. The articulation of community, empathy and fan activism creates an experience of citizenship that appears to transcend national borders and enables affective relations between distant individuals and places. In this article, I analyse the mechanisms of emotion in the constitution of these deterritorialized networks, including the specific practices and pastoral language that draw individuals into feelings of transnational solidarity, through fan groups and fan–celebrity engagement. Further, I address the ways in which the emotional enrolment of individuals in this vein can be read as part of a larger process of neoliberal citizenship formation and depoliticization, in which subjects are subtly directed away from state-based responses to problems of poverty and ill health, and towards more individualized, enterprising, and market-mediated forms of social aid.
Quaternary Geomorphology and Modern Coastal Development in Response to an Inherent Geologic Framework: An Example from Charleston, South Carolina

HARRIS, M.S.; GAYES, P.T.; KINDINGER, J.L.; FLOCKS, J.G.; KRANTZ, D.E., and DONOVAN, P., 2005. Quaternary geomorphology and modern coastal development in response to an inherent geologic framework: an example from Charleston, South Carolina. Journal of Coastal Research, 21(1), 49‐64. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 07490208. Coastal landscapes evolve over wide-ranging spatial and temporal scales in response to physical and biological processes that interact with a wide range of variables. To develop better predictive models for these dynamic areas, we must understand the influence of these variables on coastal morphologies and ultimately how they influence coastal processes. This study defines the influence of geologic framework variability on a classic mixed-energy coastline, and establishes four categorical scales of spatial and temporal influence on the coastal system. The near-surface, geologic framework was delineated using high-resolution seismic profiles, shallow vibracores, detailed geomorphic maps, historical shorelines, aerial photographs, and existing studies, and compared to the long- and short-term development of two coastal compartments near Charleston, South Carolina. Although it is clear that the imprint of a mixed-energy tidal and wave signal (basin-scale) dictates formation of drumstick barriers and that immediate responses to wave climate are dramatic, island size, position, and longer-term dynamics are influenced by a series of inherent, complex near-surface stratigraphic geometries. Major near-surface Tertiary geometries influence inlet placement and drainage development (island-scale) through multiple interglacial cycles and overall channel morphology (local-scale). During the modern marine transgression, the halo of ebb-tidal deltas greatly influence inlet region dynamics, while truncated beach ridges and exposed, differentially erodable Cenozoic deposits in the active system influence historical shoreline dynamics and active shoreface morphologies (blockscale). This study concludes that the mixed-energy imprint of wave and tide theories dominates general coastal morphology, but that underlying stratigraphic influences on the coast provide site-specific, long-standing imprints on coastal evolution.
Mössbauer Study of Gold-Iron Alloys

M\"ossbauer results obtained at 300 and 4.2 K for ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{57}$ in alloys of 2-40 at.% iron in gold have been fitted with consistent values for the hyperfine interactions. The 300-K data are adequately fitted using a reducing-point-charge model based on a Thomas-Fermi-like model for the iron screening in gold, and the derived parameters are used in fitting the 4.2-K data. The sign of the electric field gradient is deduced to be negative, and information concerning the magnetic moment alignment with different numbers of neighbors is derived. The spins point along $〈111〉$ crystallographic directions when the atom has two or more iron neighbors, and along directions normal to the iron-iron axis when it has one neighbor. With increased size of groups of atoms the spins point along the $〈111〉$ axis that minimizes the number of Fe-Fe axes normal to it, until at about 16 at.% iron long-range ferromagnetism occurs due to the occurrence of linear chains. The results for higher-concentration alloys are consistent with those expected for a ferromagnetic random alloy.
Highly Stable Positively Charged Dendron-Encapsulated Gold Nanoparticles

We report the development of a novel cationic dendron (TAG1-PCD) and a positively charged gold nanoparticle-dendron conjugate (PCD-AuNP). TAG1-PCD was designed by considering the reactivity, hydrophilicity, and cationic nature that is required to yield a stable gold conjugate in aqueous media. The PCD-AuNPs, nominally 10 nm in size, were synthesized by reduction of chloroauric acid in the presence of TAG1-PCD. The physicochemical properties of PCD-AuNPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis absorbance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for investigation of size distribution, shape uniformity, surface plasmon resonance bands, and Au-dendron bonding. Asymmetric-flow field flow fractionation was employed to confirm the in situ size, purity, and surface properties of the PCD-AuNPs. Additionally, the stability of PCD-AuNPs was systematically evaluated with respect to shelf life determination, stability in biological media and a wide range of pH values, chemical resistance against cyanide, redispersibility from lyophilized state, and stability at temperatures relevant to biological systems. Dose dependent cell viability was evaluated in vitro using the human lung epithelial cell line A549 and a monkey kidney Vero cell line. Observations from in vitro studies are discussed. Overall, the investigation confirmed the successful development of stable PCD-AuNPs with excellent stability in biologically relevant test media containing proteins and electrolytes, and with a shelf life exceeding 6 months. The excellent aqueous stability and apparent lack of toxicity for this conjugate enhances its potential use as a test material for investigating interactions between positively charged NPs and biocellular and biomolecular systems, or as a vehicle for drug delivery.
Black-Box, Real-Time Simulations of Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

We introduce an atomistic, all-electron, black-box electronic structure code to simulate transient absorption (TA) spectra and apply it to simulate pyrazole and a GFP-chromophore derivative. The method is an application of OSCF2, our dissipative extension of time-dependent density functional theory. We compare our simulated spectra directly with recent ultrafast spectroscopic experiments. We identify features in the TA spectra to Pauli-blocking, which may be missed without a first-principles model. An important ingredient in this method is the stationary-TDDFT correction scheme recently put forward by Fischer, Govind, and Cramer that allows us to overcome a limitation of adiabatic TDDFT. We demonstrate that OSCF2 is able to reproduce the energies of bleaches and induced absorptions as well as the decay of the transient spectrum with only the molecular structure as input.
Design, synthesis, and characterization of hybrid metal-ligand hydrogen-bonded (MLHB) supramolecular architectures.

Despite the prevalence of supramolecular architectures derived from metal–ligand or hydrogen-bonding interactions, few studies have focused on the simultaneous use of these two strategies to form discrete assemblies. Here we report the use of a supramolecular tecton containing both metal-binding and self-complementary hydrogen-bonding interactions that upon treatment with metal precursors assembles into discrete hybrid metal–ligand hydrogen-bonded assemblies with closed topology. 1H NMR DOSY experiments established the stability of the structures in solution, and the measured hydrodynamic radii match those determined crystallographically, suggesting that the closed topology is maintained both in solution and in the solid state. Taken together, these results demonstrate the validity of using both hydrogen-bonding and metal–ligand interactions to form stable supramolecular architectures.
Associations of Subjective Sleep Quality and Daytime Sleepiness With Cognitive Impairment in Adults and Elders With Heart Failure

This study examined the association of subjective nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness with cognitive impairment in 105 adults (< 60 years old) and 167 elders (≥ 60 years old) with heart failure. Nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Cognitive impairment was assessed using a neuropsychological battery measuring attention, memory, and processing speed. Multivariate logistic regression was used. In adults, daytime sleepiness was associated with cognitive impairment, whereas poor nighttime sleep quality was associated with cognitive impairment in elders. Age may play an important role in how sleep impacts cognition in persons with heart failure. Improving nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in this population may improve cognition.
State of differentiation affects the response of endometrial adenocarcinoma cells to retinoic acid.

BACKGROUND Patients with poorly differentiated endometrial cancers have a worse prognosis than patients with well-differentiated endometrial cancers. If poorly differentiated cells in endometrial cancers could be induced to differentiate, they would be more responsive to hormonal manipulation, and survival rates would be increased. We set up an in vitro model system to examine the effects of retinoic acid on human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells at three states of differentiation. METHODS Cells were treated with pharmacological doses of 13-cis or all-trans retinoic acid (0.5 microM, 1 microM or 5 microM), and stained for mucins or actin filaments. RESULTS Untreated undifferentiated (KLE) cells lack organized actin filaments and cytoplasmic mucins. Treatment with 5 microM retinoic acid caused some reorganization of actin filaments, but cytoplasmic mucins remained absent. Moderately differentiated (RL95-2) cells differentiated the most with retinoic acid treatment evidenced by a dramatic reorganization of actin filaments and an increase in cytoplasmic mucins. Untreated or treated well differentiated (Ishikawa) cells possessed well organized actin filaments and exhibit positive staining for cytoplasmic mucins. CONCLUSION Retinoic acid causes cellular differentiation in less differentiated human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells.
Respiratory distress syndrome, fetal pulmonary surfactant, and amniotic fluid phospholipid analysis.

A simple, inexpensive, and unidimensional thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed for rapidly estimating lecithin, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidyl glycerol extracted from amniotic fluid. Visualization of these three pulmonary surfactant phospholipids permits prediction of respiratory distress of the neonate in normal and complicated gestations.
Structural Bottlenecks to Democracy

The general consensus on Sub-Saharan Africa, regardless of paradigmatic orientation, is that African soil has been infertile for democracy. Although this deduction is slowly losing ground with the impact of the third wave of democratization on Africa, sceptics remain as to the structural compatibility of democracy (defined narrowly as multiparty and Western-style) and African society.1 Several factors can be attributed to this situation. The political reasons focus on factors such as the lack of a democratic political culture based on compromise and conflict resolution through dialogue (Almond and Verba, 1963), neopatrimonialism and the parasitic and exploitative role of the political elite (Hyden, 1983; Sandbrook, 1985), the lack of an elite consensus, and the predominant role of the military. These political factors spillover into the social and economic realm as well.
A quantitatively accurate theory of stable crack growth in single phase ductile metal alloys under the influence of cyclic loading

Although fatigue has been a well studied phenomenon over the past century and a half, there has yet to be found a quantitative link between fatigue crack growth rates and materials properties. This work serves to establish that link, in the case of well behaved, single phase, ductile metals. The primary mechanisms of fatigue crack growth are identified in general terms, followed by a description of the dependence of the stress intensity factor range on those mechanisms. A method is presented for calculating the crack growth rate for an ideal, linear elastic, non-brittle material, which is assumed to be similar to the crack growth rate for a real material at very small crack growth rate values. The threshold stress intensity factor is discussed as a consequence of “crack tip healing”. Residual stresses are accounted for in the form of an approximated residual stress intensity factor. The results of these calculations are compared to data available in the literature. It is concluded that this work presents a new way to consider crack growth with respect to cyclic loading which is quantitatively accurate, and introduces a new way to consider fracture mechanics with respect to the relatively small, cyclic loads, normally associated with fatigue.
The moisture outgassing kinetics of a silica reinforced polydimethylsiloxane

A silica-filled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite M9787 was investigated for potential outgassing in a vacuum/dry environment with the temperature programmed desorption/reaction method. The outgassing kinetics of 463 K vacuum heat-treated samples, vacuum heat-treated samples which were subsequently re-exposed to moisture, and untreated samples were extracted using the isoconversional and constrained iterative regression methods in a complementary fashion. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of water interactions with a silica surface were also performed to provide insight into the structural motifs leading to the obtained kinetic parameters. Kinetic analysis/model revealed that no outgassing occurs from the vacuum heat-treated samples in subsequent vacuum/dry environment applications at room temperature (∼300 K). The main effect of re-exposure of the vacuum heat-treated samples to a glove box condition (∼30 ppm by volume of H2O) for even a couple of days was the formation, on the silica surface fillers, of ∼60 ppm by weight of physisorbed and loosely bonded moisture, which subsequently outgasses at room temperature in a vacuum/dry environment in a time span of 10 yr. However, without any vacuum heat treatment and even after 1 h of vacuum pump down, about 300 ppm by weight of H2O would be released from the PDMS in the next few hours. Thereafter the outgassing rate slows down substantially. The presented methodology of using the isoconversional kinetic analysis results and some appropriate nature of the reaction as the constraints for more accurate iterative regression analysis/deconvolution of complex kinetic spectra, and of checking the so-obtained results with first principle calculations such as DFT can serve as a template for treating other complex physical/chemical processes as well.
Exploring Initiative as a Signal of Knowledge Co‐Construction During Collaborative Problem Solving

Peer interaction has been found to be conducive to learning in many settings. Knowledge co-construction (KCC) has been proposed as one explanatory mechanism. However, KCC is a theoretical construct that is too abstract to guide the development of instructional software that can support peer interaction. In this study, we present an extensive analysis of a corpus of peer dialogs that we collected in the domain of introductory Computer Science. We show that the notion of task initiative shifts correlates with both KCC and learning. Speakers take task initiative when they contribute new content that advances problem solving and that is not invited by their partner; if initiative shifts between the partners, it indicates they both contribute to problem solving. We found that task initiative shifts occur more frequently within KCC episodes than outside. In addition, task initiative shifts within KCC episodes correlate with learning for low pre-testers, and total task initiative shifts correlate with learning for high pre-testers. As recognizing task initiative shifts does not require as much deep knowledge as recognizing KCC, task initiative shifts as an indicator of productive collaboration are potentially easier to model in instructional software that simulates a peer.
Role of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory

The microbiology laboratory offers a variety of procedures and diagnostic technologies to assist in the diagnosis of ocular infection. As many organisms cause eye infection, it is important to select the appropriate specimen for a particular ocular infection. Laboratories that receive specimens inoculated to primary culture media at the bedside or in the clinic will want to coordinate with those clinicians to provide collection and transport protocols along with fresh media. The types of specimens that may be taken for ocular infection include conjunctival swabs, corneal scrapings, aqueous and vitreous fluid aspirates, aspirates from an abscess or wound, periocular tissue, corneal donor ring in storage media, and contact lens solutions. Ocular pathogens include bacteria, fungi, acid-fast bacilli (AFB), viruses and parasites. Microbiology laboratory procedures that support the identification of ocular pathogens include smear and microscopy, conventional culture, serological assays, and a number of specific molecular assays to include nucleic acid amplification and DNA sequencing. Coordination between the clinician and the microbiologist is essential for proper clinical interpretation of results and resulting therapeutic management of the patient. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) yielding minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values with breakpoint interpretations is useful for therapeutic decision-making on patients requiring systemic therapy. MIC breakpoint interpretations are not defined for drugs that are applied topically or that are injected into the anterior or posterior segments of the eye, as concentrations achievable through direct administration can be significantly greater than those measured in serum after oral or parenteral administration.
Modelling and simulation of a solar water heating system with thermal storage

This paper presents a solar thermal energy storage system used for domestic water heating purposes in a detached house setting. Solar heating systems with seasonal energy storage have attracted growing attention in recent decades. However, because the availability of solar energy is discontinuous, heat storage is an indispensable element in a building's solar energy-based thermal system. The objective of modelling is to determine the temperature of a tank and the heat loss of a system. System design is dependent on certain equations and data, such as temperature, time, and flow rate estimated in a lab. A BEopt and Matlab / Simulink model is used to determine the storage water temperature of the tank and house temperature. Additionally, the house has two heat sources: the hot water of the storage tank, and the solar used for heating. The maximum temperature of the storage tank was found to be 82.4°C and the temperature inside the house ranged from 18 to 25.11°C. Overall, the heating of the house needed 12,268 kWh/yr, while the total energy use was 19,537 kWh/yr.
The Anarcho-Calculus of Consent: Proprietary Communities as Substitutes for the State

James Buchanan pioneered constitutional political economy, especially in The Calculus of Consent (with Gordon Tullock) and The Limits of Liberty. While he briefly considered private clubs and associations, he mostly limited his analysis to the traditional state. However, privately governed proprietary communities are capable of providing most public goods and internalizing most externalities. We argue that such proprietary communities offer a viable and feasible means for implementing a non-state-based constitutional political economy which satisfies Buchanan's own standards. The state is not necessary to accomplish Buchanan's goals, and Buchanan's works carry unrecognized anarchist implications.
Use of the 21-Item Test with children and adolescents 5 to 16 years of age.

The goals of the present study were to: (a) collect preliminary normative data on the 21-Item Test in children and adolescents and to determine if cutoffs for biased responding in adults can be generalized to a younger population; (b) determine if Caucasian and Hispanic children perform differently on the test; and (c) ascertain the relationships of age and verbal intelligence with effort test performance. The 21-Item Test was administered to 153 children attending either a public (n = 96) or private (n = 57) school. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) was also administered to the private school sample. The results indicated that the 21-Item Test has potential as a tool for identifying children who do not put forth maximal effort during formal assessment and that the adult cutoffs appear applicable to children 8 years and older. Caucasian and Hispanic participants performed similarly on the test. Forced-choice scores ≤12 were associated with age and lower levels o...
Effect of Postdismissal Pharmacist Visits for Patients Using High-Risk Medications

Abstract Objective To determine whether a pharmacist visit after hospital dismissal for patients taking at least 1 medication that places patients at high risk for emergent hospital admissions (termed high-risk medication) would decrease the risk of hospital readmission at 30 days compared with usual care. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective study at a tertiary care center conducted from July 26, 2013, through April 1, 2016. We reviewed outcomes among patients who did or did not have a post–hospital dismissal pharmacist visit immediately before a clinician visit. We included patients who were at least 18 years old and were taking at least 10 total medications at hospital dismissal, 1 or more of which were high-risk medications. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the risk of 30-day readmission between the groups. Results The study cohort included 502 patients in each group (pharmacist + clinician group and clinician-only group). After adjusting for differences in background demographic characteristics, patients in the pharmacist + clinician group were significantly less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days postdismissal compared with the clinician-only group (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.35-0.69; P Conclusion Patients seen by a pharmacist immediately before a clinician visit after hospital dismissal had a lower risk of readmission than patients who had a clinician-only visit. Patients taking high-risk medications for hospital admissions are ideal candidates for pharmacist involvement.
Detection and Identification of Plant Pathogens on Maize Kernels with a Hand-Held Raman Spectrometer.

Rapid detection and identification of crop pathogens is essential for improving crop yield. Typical pathogen assaying methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), are time-consuming and destructive to the sample. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a noninvasive nondestructive analytical technique that provides insight on the chemical structure of the specimen. In this study, we demonstrate that using a hand-held Raman spectrometer, in combination with chemometric analyses, we can distinguish between healthy and diseased maize (Zea mays) kernels, as well as between different diseases with 100% accuracy. Our analysis is portable and sample-agnostic, suggesting that it could be retooled for other crops and conducted autonomously.
CRT-100.95 Drug Eluting Stents Versus Bare Metal Stents in Saphenous Vein Graft Interventions. Evidence From a Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The optimal stent type in saphenous vein graft (SVG) intervention remains debatable. Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) compared drug-eluting stents (DES) with bare-metal stents (BMS) in SVG intervention with conflicting results. We searched the online databases for RCTs comparing DES
A skeleton of a Uintan machaeroidine ‘creodont’ and the phylogeny of carnivorous eutherian mammals

An edentulous partial skeleton of a carnivorous mammal from the Uinta Formation (middle Eocene) of Utah is referred to the rare and enigmatic sabre-tooth clade Machaeroidinae primarily on the basis...
Amorphous MOF Introduced N-Doped Graphene: An Efficient and Versatile Electrocatalyst for Zinc–Air Battery and Water Splitting

Recently, developing metal–organic framework (MOF) derived carbon-based electrocatalysts has become more and more popular for large-scale application of renewable energy devices. However, the rational conversion of MOFs into a versatile platform for high-efficiency catalyst is still very challenging. Moreover, the relationship between the crystallinity of MOF precursor and the catalytic activity of resultant carbon-based catalyst is still not well-understood. In this work, a strategy for the synthesis of sheet-like mesoporous nitrogen-doped graphene (MNG) derived from amorphous MOFs is demonstrated. The amorphous MOF derived MNG showed much higher catalytic activity than that of nitrogen-doped carbon (MNC) derived from highly crystallized MOFs. This rationally designed MNG catalyst served as a multifunctional electrode in a zinc–air battery and a water splitting device, both of which showed electrocatalytic performance superior to those of platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts. The characterization analysi...
Molecular profiles of invasive mucinous and ductal carcinomas of the breast: A molecular case study

Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays have redefined the molecular classification of some cancers. The comprehensive genetic analysis also permits the identification of novel pathways that might determine subtle differences in tumor phenotype. Herein, we analyzed the tissues from a patient with bilateral cancer of different histologies in each breast (pure invasive mucinous and pure invasive ductal), thus providing a unique opportunity to assess the expression profiles determined by histology in an isogenic human background. Our results show that the mucinous phenotype is associated with the expression of immunostimulatory and inhibitory genes, consistent with the cellular infiltration of lymphocytes and with the expression of enzymes involved in mucin production. Moreover, the panel of matrix metallo-proteinases are distinctly different between the mucinous and the invasive tumors, suggesting that therapeutic targets to this class of compounds may need to be tailored for the varying histologies. Taken together, these data suggest that expression profiling can be used diagnostically to distinguish individual histologic subclassifications and may guide the selection of target therapeutics.
Radioactive Plaque Therapy with Iodine-125 and Palladium-103

In 1930, Moore first used brachytherapy to preserve vision for a monocular patient with uveal melanoma (Finger 1997a). He implanted radon seeds directly into the uveal melanoma. Stallard tried this technique, but went on to develop cobalt-60 (60Co) plaque radiotherapy (Finger 1997a). Since that time there have been multiple phase-I clinical trials describing the use of a variety of brachytherapy sources [primarily ruthenium-106 (106Ru), iodine-125 (125I),iridium-192 (192Ir),and palladium-103 (103Pd)] for eye plaques (Finger 1997a).
Genetic Analysis of Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Behavior

In this chapter, we examine the evidence for genetic influences on conduct disorder and antisocial behavior. First, we present results from a meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies estimating the relative magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior (Rhee & Waldman, 2002). Second, we discuss recent studies that have examined several interesting issues in the etiology of antisocial behavior, including genotype × environment interactions, co-occurrence with other psychiatric disorders, the etiology of psychopathy, and the etiology of adolescent-limited versus life-course-persistent antisocial behavior. Third, we review association studies examining the influence of specific candidate genes on antisocial behavior and linkage studies conducting genome-wide screens for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) influencing antisocial behavior. In this review, we focused on phenotypes directly related to conduct disorder or antisocial behavior. Studies were included if they clearly examined antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, criminality, or aggression; if there was empirical evidence suggesting that the measure of antisocial behavior used in the study successfully discriminated an antisocial group from a control group; or if there was empirical evidence suggesting that the measure used in the study is significantly related to a more established operationalization of antisocial behavior. Studies examining four operationalizations of antisocial behavior were included. First, studies examining psychiatric diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and conduct disorder (CD) were included. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994), describes the essential features of ASPD as “a pervasive pattern of dis-
Influences of Precipitation on Bison Weights in the Northern Great Plains

On the Ground We evaluated relationships between bison weights and prior precipitation during 1983 to 2015 for Wind Cave and 1998 to 2015 for Badlands National Parks. We generally found positive correlations between weights for most sex and age cohorts and precipitation during each of the preceding 7 years. The association was strongest for yearlings. We speculate that rainfall several years prior can improve forage, which affects the condition of cows, which affects neonatal weights and subsequent growth of young bison. Correlations were stronger for a moving average of previous precipitation, suggesting a cumulative effect. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of longterm monitoring for better understanding of grassland ecosystems.
Facilitating Clinical Decision Making and Evaluation

Although systematic evaluation is now generally accepted as a necessary accompaniment to responsible and accountable practice and is a standard feature of most social work curricula, research indic...
Mental health treatment dose and annual healthcare costs in patients with cancer and major depressive disorder.

Objective Depression in patients with cancer has been associated with increased annual health care use and costs relative to nondepressed patients. Little is known of the potential cost savings associated with receipt of mental health treatment. This study evaluated the association between number of mental health visits and annual health care costs in patients with cancer and comorbid major depression. Method Using a retrospective cohort study design, this study included 182 individuals with an ICD-9 chart diagnosis of cancer in 2014 and with comorbid major depressive disorder. The outcome of interest was annual health care charges 1 year from cancer diagnosis. Number of mental health visits was extracted from patients' electronic medical records for the year following cancer diagnosis. A generalized linear model with a log link function and gamma distribution was used to evaluate the association between number of mental health visits and annual health care charges, covarying for age, sex, race/ethnicity, cancer site, metastatic disease, insurance status, and severity of comorbid medical conditions. Results A significant association was found between number of mental health visits and annual health care charges (exp(B) = 0.973, 95% CI [0.949, 0.999]; p = .043). Estimated annual health care costs were $99,073 for those receiving no mental health visits and $71,245 for those receiving the sample-based mean of 12 mental health visits, inclusive of mental health visits. Conclusions Greater dose of mental health visits was associated with lower annual health care costs. Improved screening and adequate treatment of depression has potential to reduce total health care costs among patients with cancer. Because this was a small study, few patients with exceptionally high costs could augment the results. Therefore, replication of these findings, particularly using a clinical trial design, is needed to confirm these effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Detection of Fronts as a Metric for Numerical Model Accuracy

AbstractAs numerical modeling advances, quantitative metrics are necessary to determine whether the model output accurately represents the observed ocean. Here, a metric is developed based on wheth...
Phosphorus fractions in montane forest soils of the Cordillera de Piuchué, Chile: biogeochemical implications

The Hedley fractionation procedure as modified by Tiessen and Moir (1993) was used to evaluate the amounts of P in several soil chemical pools in an old, unglaciated landscape at 600 m elevation in the Cordillera de Piuchue, Chile (42° 30′ S. 74° W). This is an area of primary forests which have escaped disturbance from forest harvesting, land clearing and the deposition of anthropogenic chemicals. Two study watersheds are conifer-dominated with moorland on wind-exposed ridgetops. In a third study watershed, vegetation is dominated by evergreen broadleaf trees. Soils are thin (ca. 40 cm) and have a high organic matter content. Across all communities, most of the soil P is in non-labile forms in organic combinations or in combination with secondary soil minerals. Little P was present in primary minerals. The remainder (ca. 20%) was in labile forms extractable with anion exchange resin or bicarbonate solution. From litterfall and allometric relationships, we estimated the annual P requirement of growing vegetation to be <1 kg ha-1 in the moorland and < 3 kg ha-1 in the conifer and mixed forests. This is substantially less than the standing pool of resin-extractable P (ca. 20 kg ha-1), which is considered to be P fraction most readily available to plants. Resin-extractable P was strongly correlated with soil carbon content ( R2 =0.72 − 0.87, p < 0.001) suggesting that soil organic matter is the likely proximate source of plant-available P. On a kg ha-1 basis, the most labile forms of P did not differ significantly across 3 of the 4 community types despite dramatic differences in species, live biomass and annual P requirement, suggesting little control of available P pools by forest vegetation type. On a more detailed level, resin-extractable P was strongly correlated with HCO3-extractable organic (and inorganic) P. This is consistent with other findings of P behavior in acid soils high in organic matter in which microbial transformations are key in regulating pools of plant-available P.