cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the concatenation of LDPC and RS codes in magnetic recording systems

In this paper, we investigate the sector failure rate (SFR) and the burst-error correction capability of two coding solutions in magnetic storage systems. The two-level solution involves concatenating an outer RS code with an inner LDPC code whereas the one-level solution is an RS-only or an LDPC-only system. Although the outer RS code incurs an additional rate loss, it is expected to gain in the presence of burst errors. The rate of the LDPC code and the i-level of the RS code can be chosen optimally to suit the operating condition of the channel. These solutions have also been studied in various technical papers in literature. Previously mentioned performance measures are used to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of these two solutions.
The Impact of Customer Satisfaction Based Incentive Systems on Salespeople's Customer Service Response: An Empirical Study

There is increasing recognition that customer satisfaction should be an important objective of sales organizations. For example, 40 percent of the incentives of IBM's salesforce are based on customer satisfaction ratings. In a series of three studies, this paper investigates the relationship between different bases of salespeople's incentives and their customer service response behavior. The results provide evidence that incentive systems based on customer satisfaction increase salespeople's customer service response compared to salespeople whose incentives are based on sales volume. An interesting and important result of the studies is that mixed incentives (incentives based on a combination of sales volume and customer satisfaction) reduce the customer service response of salespeople. Thus, firms that are introducing mixed customer satisfaction incentives need to study the impact of the incentive structure on salesperson behavior. Finally, training positively influences salespeople's customer service be...
Total quality management in India: a tool with widening acceptance

Quality and Productivity enhancement in India’s manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors are needed to make them more competitive. This can be done by making quality dimension a focused goal throughout the economy. Technological improvements such as automation through computerization and reengineering the work flow are essential to achieving efficiency. Organizational structure is also important in increasing productivity. A customer centered and customer service focused system with higher productivity can evolve to be competitive internally and in foreign markets based on comparative cost advantage and high quality of its goods and services.
UNESCO and the Fate of the World Heritage Indigenous Peoples Council of Experts (WHIPCOE)

In December 2000, a World Indigenous Peoples Forum was held in conjunction with the 24th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Cairns, Australia. Representatives from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand har- nessed the momentum of these events and their location to propose the forma- tion of a new committee, the World Heritage Indigenous Peoples Council of Experts (WHIPCOE). The initiative was taken in response to concerns voiced by indigenous peoples to their lack of involvement in the development and imple- mentation of laws, policies, and plans for the protection of their knowledge, traditions, and cultural values, which apply to their ancestral lands, within or comprising sites now designated as World Heritage properties. This article traces the fate of that proposal and underlines the intransigence of sovereign states during those short-lived discussions. It goes on to suggest alternate routes for indigenous representation and recognition within the World Heritage system.
IRAS Studies of NO2, N2O3, and N2O4 Adsorbed on Au(111) Surfaces and Reactions with Coadsorbed H2O

Adsorption or bonding geometries of pure adlayers of several NxOy species, i.e., nitrogen dioxide (NO2), dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3), and dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), on Au(111) were determined by utilizing infrared reflection−absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). Dosing NO2 on Au(111) at 85 K produced, in our experiments, mixtures of NO2 and N2O3 (from contaminant NO) at submonolayer coverages and NO2, N2O3, and N2O4 at monolayer coverages. However, a pure adlayer of chemisorbed NO2 could be prepared by forming the monolayer on Au(111) at 85 K and then heating to 185 K or by NO2 exposures on Au(111) at 185 K. Chemisorbed NO2 is bonded to the surface in an O,O‘-chelating geometry with C2v symmetry. A monolayer of adsorbed N2O3 was produced by exposing the pure, chelating NO2 adlayer to NO(g). The adsorbed complex with N2O3 has Cs symmetry, and we believe that N2O3 is bonded to the surface through one oxygen. Large NO2 exposures can be used to produce crystalline N2O4 multilayers that have a preferential orientat...
Case 21-2012: A 27-Year-Old Man with Fatigue, Weakness, Weight Loss, and Decreased Libido

A 27-year-old man was admitted to this hospital because of fatigue, myalgias, weakness, and profound weight loss. Marked abnormalities in liver function were noted, and chest imaging revealed pneumomediastinum. A diagnosis was made.
Noteworthy Literature in Cardiac Surgery 2015

In 2015, the cardiac literature has pushed for change in cardiac practice. The areas are evolving quickly based on new technology, ranging from percutaneous valves in the aortic position to mechanical support. The new devices in both these fields are changing the way patients are cared for very quickly. Another topic evolving is temperature management in aortic arch cases. This field is being pushed more by the threat of endovascular technology creeping into the arch than technology directly causing change in care. But that threat is real and inevitable. Finally, the discussion about optimal conduits is unending in coronary bypass grafting. A new algorithm has been proposed for utilization of more arterial grafts; however, there remains trepidation in changing from more vein grafts. Furthermore, those pushing for more arterial grafting seem to be black and white about these approaches rather than using what is best for the patient. These topics, among others, have made the literature from cardiac surgery in 2015 worth reading.
Systemic photoprotective agents.

The concept of an effective, safe systemic photoprotectant circumvents many of the shortcomings associated with the use of topical agents as a modality preventive of actinic damage. On the other hand, difficulties resulting from systemic metabolism and toxicity complicate this approach. The problems are exemplified by the fact that some agents such as the antimalarials, psoralens, and carotenoids have been successfully employed in the treatment of specific photosensitive diseases but, aside from any potential toxicities, their ameliorative effects appear to be related to the particular pathomechanisms of the responding disease rather than general photoprotection. The complexity of systemic approaches is further demonstrated by the fact that agents possessing protective properties, e.g. butylated hydroxytoluene and carotenoids, inhibit UV carcinogenesis, while others, e.g., 8-methoxypsoralen, potentiate this process. Nevertheless, from this ostensible disorder of responses, it seems apparent that those agents holding the greatest promise for future investigation are those capable of enhancing natural defense mechanisms, i.e., melanization and antiradical activity. Thus, while none of the agents reviewed here are deemed suitable as general photoprotectants, the fact that only a modest, measured protective effect can elicit a dramatic decrease in actinic damage (particularly with respect to cancer) upholds this concept as an important goal.
Optimization of Field Amplified Sample Stacking on a Microchip

An experimental scheme has been developed to study field amplified sample stacking at a single fluid-fluid interface on a microchip. Using a simple cross-channel configuration a high-gradient initial step-function in the buffer concentration field was established which causes an unsteady sample concentration process. The concentration process is wave-like in character and is analyzed using epifluorescence imaging. Experiments at varying fields suggest the existence of an optimum electric field for a given concentration ratio.
Measuring What Matters

Modern medical care has irreversibly embraced outcomes monitoring, public reporting, and transparency with patients, payers, and regulators (1-4). Patients have come to expect accurate assessment of the potential risks and likely outcome of medical procedures. Similarly, medical professionals rely on outcomes data to drive health care innovation and improvement through critical evaluation of care processes (5,6). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Harnessing the power of Digital Mobile Maps in Africa

Africa has experienced an explosive growth of smartphones---particularly sub-Saharan Africa where growth rates are more than twice the global average. Such mobile devices provide new ways for technologies to help people discover and interact with their physical worlds. In particular, harnessing the power of digital mobile maps in Africa has the opportunity to transform lives by providing greater access to information, goods, and services that exist in people's physical worlds. Despite this potential, there are a number of challenges and opportunities to doing so that are unique to Africa's culture, infrastructure, and physical landscape. The goal of this workshop is to engage in creative ideation around this topic in order to create a series of innovative designs and to build out a research agenda that would push forward the design and development of such technologies.
A Method of Discovering Genre Similarity using Aspect Based Approach

In the movie industry, movie recommendations are a manner of advertisement or promotion that target customers. In this study, we proposed a method called "TDFIDF" which extracts genre specific keywords from movie reviews using an aspect based approach model. We also proposed a method called "genre score" which indicates a degree of correlation between the movies for discovering a genre similarity. Then, the system recommends movies based on the K-means clustering result. Through this research, we verified that movie reviews contain sufficient information to find characteristics of movie genres in terms of the user perspectives. In addition, our system can suggest relevant movies using our proposed methods.
The Realization of the Second

A primary cesium beam frequency standard serves to realize the unit of time, the Second, in accordance with the international definition as formulated at the XIII General Conference of Weights and Measures in 1967. The basic design of a cesium standard is shown in Fig. 1. The cesium beam emerges from an oven into a vacuum, passes a first state selecting magnet, traverses a Ramsey type cavity where it interacts with a microwave signal derived from a slave oscillator. The microwave signal changes the distribution of states in the atomic beam which is then analyzed and detected by means of the second state selector magnet and the atom detector. The detector signal is used in a feedback loop to automatically keep the slave oscillator tuned. The line-Q is determined by the interaction time between the atoms and the microwave cavity. Thus a beam of slow atoms and a long cavity leads to a high line-Q. Commercial devices which for obvious reasons are restricted in total size have line-Q’s of a few 107, whereas high performance laboratory standards with an overall device length of up to 6-m feature line-Q’s of up to 3 × 108.
Statistical prediction of eye locations for drivers of military ground vehicles

Abstract In this paper, a statistical model is developed to predict the driver eye locations in military ground vehicles. The data were taken from a study on soldier driving postures and seating positions. The distribution of eye locations is represented by an “eyellipse”, a geometric construction that approximates the distribution of the eye locations using an ellipse. Eyellipses have been widely used for the design of passenger cars and commercial trucks. The location and dimensions of the soldier eyellipse were developed based on the data from 145 male and female soldiers who selected their preferred driving postures in a range of vehicle layouts presented in a vehicle mockup. Driver eye locations were modeled using regression analysis. The model predicts the distribution of eye locations as a function of vehicle interior layout for a soldier population defined by the gender ratio (fraction male) and the distribution of body dimensions within each gender. This is the first eyellipse model taking into account the effects of protective equipment and body-borne gear. The model has broad applicability to the design of tactical, truck-like vehicles with fixed accelerator heel points.
Assessment of PIT tag retention and post-tagging survival in metamorphosing juvenile sea lamprey

Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have been used to document and monitor the movement, behavior, or survival of numerous species of fishes. Data on short- and long-term survival and tag retention are needed before initiating studies using PIT tags on a new species or life stage. We evaluated the survival and tag retention of 153 metamorphosing juvenile sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus tagged with 12-mm PIT tags on three occasions using a simple surgical procedure. Tag retention was 100 and 98.6% at 24 h and 28–105 days post-tagging. Of the lamprey that retained their tags, 87.3% had incisions sufficiently healed to prevent further loss. Survival was 100 and 92.7% at 24 h and 41–118 day post-tagging with no significant difference in survival between tagged and untagged control lamprey. Of the 11 lamprey that died, four had symptoms that indicated their death was directly related to tagging. Survival was positively correlated with sea lamprey length. Given the overall high level of survival and tag retention in this study, future studies can utilize 12-mm PIT tags to monitor metamorphosing juvenile sea lamprey movement and migration patterns.
An Adaptive Gradient Approach to Displacement Estimation

An algorithm for estimating the displacement of objects in successive frames of images is derived. The adaptive gradient algorithm that is utilized in the displacement estimation is discussed from the point of view of Kalman Filtering. It is shown that the residual, or error, term produced by this proceedure is equivalent to the gradient utilized in the coefficient recursive method.
Mindfulness In A Hazardous Context: Times When Organizations Exibit Unusual Care

We conducted a case study of two organizations, an oil and gas company and hydroelectric energy producer, both of which operate in high-hazard contexts. The research question guiding this study was: How do organizations that operate in high-hazard context enact mindfulness? Our findings indicate that paradoxically, it is the acute awareness of their hazardous nature that makes them mindful in their practices. To this end, we show how these organizations enact mindfulness through extraordinary care for the employee, environment, and the impact they may have on society at large. In doing so, our findings contribute to extant research on organizational mindfulness in hazardous contexts and how organizational actors navigate often competing objectives to enact mindfulness.
Association Between Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth by Glucose Breath Test and Coronary Artery Disease

A possible role of gut bacteria and their metabolic by-products in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) is suspected. There is a lack of studies evaluating the association of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) with the development of CAD. To evaluate the frequency and risk factors for angiography-confirmed CAD in patients with or without SIBO. A total of 1059 patients tested for SIBO using the glucose hydrogen/methane breath test from 2006 to 2014 were evaluated. In total, 160 had coronary artery angiography and were included in the study. SIBO-positive patients were compared to SIBO-negative patients. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables and the presence of CAD on coronary angiography were analyzed. Patients with SIBO had a higher frequency of CAD (78.9 vs. 38.6%, p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (40.0 vs. 22.9%, p = 0.016), chronic kidney disease (26.7 vs. 12.9%, p = 0.025), use of angiotensin conversion enzyme inhibitor/blocker (45.5 vs. 32.9%, p = 0.008), and statins (75.6 vs. 61.4%, p = 0.004). Patients with SIBO had an increased number of coronary arteries affected compared to SIBO-negative patients (1-vessel disease 67.2 vs. 32.8%, p < 0.001; 2-vessel disease 85.7 vs. 14.3%, p < 0.001; and 3-vessel disease 82.4 vs. 17.6%, p < 0.001, respectively). In the stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis, SIBO remained an independent risk factor for CAD (odds ratio 7.18, 95% confidence interval 3.09–16.67; p < 0.001). SIBO was found to be associated with CAD and with the number of coronary arteries involved in this study from a single tertiary center. Further studies are necessary to confirm the association of SIBO with CAD. In the presence of risk factors, patients with SIBO may benefit from assessment for CAD.
Verification (Mostly) for High Energy Density Radiation Transport: Five Case Studies

In this review I will first describe some of the salient characteristics of high-energy-density physics (HEDP), and in particular the challenges of simulating HEDP radiation transport. The balance of the review is taken up with discussions of five case studies in HEDP radiation transport that illustrate some of the problems that are faced. The five case studies are: (1) the Marshak wave; (2) what I call the star-in-space problem; (3) the radiative shock wave; (4) the so-called crooked-pipe problem; and (5) a case that illustrates how severe the difficulty may be of choosing a sufficient set of discrete angles for 3-D radiation transport.
Trace element status of children with PKU and normal children

Abstract The trace mineral (chromium, copper, iron, selenium, and zinc) status of 10 children (4 to 13.8 years) with phenylketonuria (PKU) and 9 normal children (6.5 to 15.9 years) was assessed. The children with PKU were treated with a phenylalanine-free L-amino acid mix that supplied the following percentages (mean ± standard deviation) of total daily intake: energy, 45 ± 13; protein, 75 ± 11; copper (Cu), 62 ± 10; iron (Fe), 82 ± 7; selenium (Se), 40 ± 20; and zinc (Zn) 87 ± 8. Diet records and blood samples were collected from each subject. Children with PKU had significantly greater mean intakes of Cu, Fe, and Zn than normal children. Mean serum Cu, Fe, and Zn concentrations of the children with PKU and normal children were not different despite significantly greater intakes by the children with PKU. Normal children had a significantly greater mean serum Se concentration and a mean blood chromium concentration 1.6 times that of children with PKU. Individuals whose primary source of protein is an elemental diet are especially at risk for multiple trace mineral deficiencies. Manufacturers of chemically defined medical foods should evaluate composition, specifically molar ratios between minerals, as a basis for product formulation. J Am Diet Assoc 88:459, 1988.
La estructura informacional en la triplicación con clíticos del español rioplatense

Presentamos la triplicacion de cliticos (TCL) en espanol rioplatense como una construccion en la que dos frases nominales y un clitico comparten la funcion objeto (directo) de un predicado transitivo y analizamos su funcion comunicativa como la de permitir al hablante una mayor flexibilidad a la hora de asignar estatus informacionales a distintos constituyentes de la oracion. De esta forma, se vuelve mas transparente la correspondencia entre los constituyentes de la oracion y su estructura informacional, de manera similar a lo que sucede en las lenguas configuracionales de discurso
Hydrogen solubility in donor-doped SrTiO3 from first principles

Hydrogen contamination of strontium titanate (STO) during processing and usage is a known problem. However, it is relatively little-studied due to the difficulty in quantifying the amount of hydrogen that dissolves in the lattice. Here, we use hybrid exchange-correlation density functional theory calculations as input to a grand canonical thermodynamics framework to estimate hydrogen solubility and site preferences in donor-doped STO. Our results provide clear theoretical evidence that hydrogen contamination in donor-doped STO occurs at a low enough level to essentially ignore. But, this simple conclusion belies hydrogen's rich behavior; unlike many dopants, it is able to easily change its incorporation site in response to changes in processing conditions. Overall, the findings are consistent with prevailing wisdom and suggest that the presented first principles approach could be used for systematic exploration of hydrogen's impact as a function of doping and processing in this and other wide bandgap materials.
UNIT 8.2 Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Clinical Cytogenetics

The goal of any clinical laboratory should be to provide patients with the most accurate test results possible. This is accomplished through various overlapping programs that continuously monitor and optimize all aspects of a test, including decisions by the laboratory to offer a test, the decision of providers to request the test, the testing itself, and the reporting of results to the referral source and patient. The levels at which test performance and accuracy can be optimized are encompassed under quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA). The monitoring of QC and QA problems allows for the integration of these parameters into a total quality management program. This unit reviews QC and QA guidelines, in addition to discussing how to establish a quality assurance program. Curr. Protoc. Hum. Genet. 82:8.2.1-8.2.10. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: healthcare quality assurance; cytogenetics; genetic testing
Relationships Between Yield and Crown Disease of Sweet Corn Grown in the Willamette Valley of Oregon

Abstract Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) yields in the Willamette Valley of Oregon declined during the 1990s. Severe root rot affected some plants shortly before harvest, but was absent in other plants th...
Controls of carbon and nitrogen releases during crops’ residue decomposition in the Red River Valley, USA

Decomposition of crop residue releases nutrients and preserves soil organic matter dynamics. The decomposition rates of six crop residues namely, corn (Zea mays), dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), soy...
Self-efficacy as a pathway to long-term smoking cessation among low-income parents in the multilevel Kids Safe and Smokefree intervention.

Abstract Background This study investigated the effects of a multi-level smoking intervention on mediators of long-term abstinence in parental smokers, including smoking cessation self-efficacy, smoking urge coping, and perceived support to quit smoking. Methods This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial that recruited parental smokers from pediatric clinics in low-income communities (N = 327, 83% women, 83% African American, 79% below poverty level). Following clinical practice guidelines for tobacco intervention (“Ask, Advise, Refer” [AAR]), pediatricians asked all parents about child tobacco smoke exposure (TSE), advised about TSE harms and benefits of reducing TSE, and referred smokers to cessation resources. Eligible parents were then randomized to additional telephone-based smoking behavior counseling (AAR + counseling) or nutrition education (AAR + control). Bioverified 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence and perceived counselor support were assessed at 12-month follow-up; cessation self-efficacy and urge coping were assessed at 3-month follow-up. Results Relative to AAR + control, AAR + counseling was associated with higher self-efficacy, urge coping, and perceived support to quit (all p’s Conclusion Results suggest that all putative treatment pathways were improved more by the multi-level AAR + counseling than the clinic-level AAR + control intervention. Further, self-efficacy at end-of-treatment prospectively predicted long-term cessation, suggesting that building of self-efficacy through treatment may be key to sustained cessation.
Applications to Battery Diagnosis

This chapter uses a battery diagnosis problem to illustrate the use of the LDP in industrial applications. Management of battery systems plays a pivotal role in electric and hybrid vehicles, and in support of distributed renewable energy generation and smart grids. The state of charge (SOC), the state of health (SOH), internal impedance, open circuit voltage, and other parameters indicate jointly the state of the battery system. Battery systems’ behavior varies significantly among individual cells and demonstrates time-varying and nonlinear characteristics under varying operating conditions such as temperature, charging/discharging rates, and different SOCs. Such complications in capturing battery features point to a common conclusion that battery monitoring, diagnosis, and management should be individualized and adaptive. Although battery health diagnosis has drawn substantial research effort recently [26, 56] using various estimation methods or signal-processing algorithms [6, 43], the LDP has never been used before in this application. In the following, we describe a joint estimation algorithm for real-time battery parameter and SOC estimation that supports a diagnosis method using LDPs. For further reading on power control and battery systems, see [4, 5, 9, 13, 20, 21, 24, 25, 34, 44, 52] and references therein.
Statistical Inference in Mean-Field Variational Bayes

We conduct non-asymptotic analysis on the mean-field variational inference for approximating posterior distributions in complex Bayesian models that may involve latent variables. We show that the mean-field approximation to the posterior can be well-approximated relative to the Kullback-Leibler divergence discrepancy measure by a normal distribution whose center is the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). In particular, our results imply that the center of the mean-field approximation matches the MLE up to higher-order terms and there is essentially no loss of efficiency in using it as a point estimator for the parameter in any regular parametric model with latent variables. We also propose a new class of variational weighted likelihood bootstrap (VWLB) methods for quantifying the uncertainty in the mean-field variational inference. The proposed VWLB can be viewed as a new sampling scheme that produces independent samples for approximating the posterior. Comparing with traditional sampling algorithms such Markov Chain Monte Carlo, VWLB can be implemented in parallel and is free of tuning.
Complexity Cubed: Partnerships, Interest, and the Proposed Regulations

New section 163(j) strictly limits business interest expense (BIE) deductions to large (and possibly not-so-large) taxpayers. Generally, BIEs may only be deducted to the extent that they do not exceed 30 percent of adjusted taxable income plus business interest income. Section 163(j)(4) requires partnerships to calculate this limitation at the partnership level. In this report, I focus on how section 163(j) applies to partnerships. Given my focus, I leave to others a more comprehensive review of section 163(j) as a totality, as well as the coverage of S corporations. I will tend to give fairly short shrift to the portions of the statute and proposed regulations (REG-106089-18) that do not primarily apply to partnerships. For the most part, I assume the reader is well-versed in subchapter K. I begin by laying out some background to the enactment of section 163(j) and its application to partnerships.
Unraveling the epigenetic landscape of depression: focus on early life stress .

Depression is a devastating psychiatric disorder caused by a combination of genetic predisposition and life events, mainly exposure to stress. Early life stress (ELS) in particular is known to "scar" the brain, leading to an increased susceptibility to developing depression later in life via epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic processes lead to changes in gene expression that are not due to changes in DNA sequence, but achieved via modulation of chromatin modifications, DNA methylation, and noncoding RNAs. Here we review common epigenetic mechanisms including the enzymes that take part in reading, writing, and erasing specific epigenetic marks. We then describe recent developments in understanding how ELS leads to changes in the epigenome that are manifested in increased susceptibility to depression-like abnormalities in animal models. We conclude with highlighting the need for future studies that will potentially enable the utilisation of the understanding of epigenetic changes linked to ELS for the development of much-needed novel therapeutic strategies and biomarker discovery. .
Patients with Methamphetamine-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Have Less Favorable Hemodynamics Than Other Patients with Group 1 PAH

Purpose Methamphetamine-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (Meth-APAH) is recognized as a definite cause of PAH. Given that methamphetamine use induces both myocardial dysfunction and pulmonary vascular remodeling, we sought to assess differences in echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters between patients with Meth-APAH and other patients with Group 1 PAH. Methods We performed a retrospective single-center cohort study of patients with Group 1 PAH in whom the first right heart catheterization (RHC) was performed within two months of a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). We extracted demographics and clinical data from the electronic medical record, including diagnostic etiology of PAH determined by the treating physician. TTE and RHC parameters were analyzed using Student's t-test and the Chi-Square test. We assessed time to first hospitalization and to death using Cox-proportional hazards modeling, adjusted for age, gender, and race. Results Of 302 patients, 57 had Meth-APAH. Patients with Meth-APAH were older (53 vs 49 years, p=0.05), more likely to be male (47% vs 39%, p=0.03), white (64.5% vs 46.7%, p=0.03), and to have a history of smoking (61% vs 35%, p Conclusion Patients with Meth-APAH are a unique subset of Group 1 PAH, with less favorable hemodynamics than other diagnostic etiologies and evidence of greater right ventricular dysfunction. Better understanding of how methamphetamine use causes myocardial dysfunction is necessary to understand the pathogenesis of Meth-APAH.
Managing Diabetes and Dementia

Dementia and type 2 diabetes are a serious public health problem worldwide, with increasing incidence with age. Diabetes is a risk factor for the development of dementia. Having cognitive dysfunction impairs a person's ability to perform self-care tasks. Also, community dwelling adults can have varying levels of functional impairment and can also have other geriatric syndromes. This article presents a multidisciplinary approach and treatment and goals tailored individually to patients with different levels of cognitive and activities of daily living impairments. Three case studies show the management of diabetes in older adults with different levels of care needs.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Serially Tested Emergency Medical Services Workers

Emerging research has examined the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in numerous settings, but a critical gap in knowledge is an understanding of the r...
DDT: The degradation of ring-labeled14C-DDT to14CO2 in the rat

Ring fission ofp, p′-DDT was studied in the rat following a single oral dose of 0.74 mg/kg (1.04 μCi) of uniformly ring-labeled14C-DDT. Expired air was passed through a solution of ethanolamine-ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (1∶2) to trap14CO2. A total of 1.6% of the radioactivity administered was recovered in the expired air collected continually for 10 days, indicating that while degradation of the phenyl moiety is not a major route pfp, p′-DDT metabolism in the rat, it is equal to the urinary excretion. Nevertheless, these results represent the most radical change accomplished in vivo of a residual insecticide yet reported in mammals.
The association between early in marriage fertility pressure from in-laws' and family planning behaviors, among married adolescent girls in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India.

Married adolescent girls are vulnerable to risky sexual and reproductive health outcomes. We examined the association of fertility pressure from in-laws’ early in marriage with contraceptive use ever, parity, time until first birth, and couple communication about family size, among married adolescent girls. Data were taken from a cross-sectional survey with married girls aged 15–19 years (N = 4893) collected from September 2015 to July 2016 in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India. Multivariable regression assessed associations between in-laws’ fertility pressure and each outcome, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. We found that 1 in 5 girls experienced pressure from in-laws’ to have a child immediately after marriage. In-laws’ fertility pressure was associated with lower parity (Adj. β Coef. − 0.10, 95% CI − 0.17, − 0.37) and couple communication about family size (AOR = 1.77, 95% CI 1.39, 2.26), but not contraceptive use or time until birth. Our study adds to the literature identifying that in-laws’ pressure on fertility is common, affects couple communication about family size, and may be more likely for those yet to have a child, but may have little effect impeding contraceptive use in a context where such use is not normative.
Trends am Bankensektor

The COVID-19 crisis has dominated the live of the Austrian population for over one year now. Initial hopes that we might be able to get through the crisis quickly disappeared even among the greatest optimists. Positive thoughts of a quick returning upswing and in combination with that also a financial improvement of the personal financial situation, do exist within the population, but they are in the minority. Skepticism among the population also continues to be present in the area of interest in various forms of savings and investment: Traditional saving products are becoming less and less attractive to Austrians. By contrast, crisis-proof assets such as real estates or gold continue to receive top ratings as interesting forms of investment even after one year of Corona, as shown by the GfK mood barometer for savings and investments. However, even if the overall picture in Austria is not very optimistic, there are some positive tendencies exciting.
Multiscale modelling of the seismic response of shallow foundations on saturated granular soils

This paper presents a multiscale approach to analyse the seismic response of a spread-footing system founded on saturated granular soil deposits that might be susceptible to liquefaction. The pore-...
The Paradox in Discourse and Praxis of Gender Equality: A Communicative Framework for Sustainable Development

Despite the massive programmatic effort during the past decades, the gender-based social disparity is yet to come to an end. Women and girls are still among the worst victims of poverty, insecurity, violence, and other forms of unfair social arrangements. While the international communities newly pledged to achieve gender equality by 2030, this chapter problematizes the notions of “equality” and “empowerment” within MDGs and SDGs and reveals how they are inadequate in bringing gender justice. The analysis suggests that the equality principle follows a one-way "allocation" of resources, not a two-way "exchange," thus not generating an equal "outcome," while empowerment is also pursued without questioning power per se. Drawing on a broad-based idea of social justice, an alternative framework is offered, and the role of communication is outlined in tackling gender inequality and oppression. The framework accounts for capabilities deprivation caused by the “disjunctures” existing between access and utility of resources and promotes a "life politics" of self-actualization (freedom to) and an "emancipatory politics" (freedom from) toward achieving the vision of sustainable social change.
ESG Standards: Looming Challenges and Pathways Forward

We are pleased to serve as guest editors of this special issue of the journal Organization & Environment on the State of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) Standards. Calls for standardization of corporate sustainability data continue to mount as a growing segment of the mainstream investor community seeks greater clarity and comparability regarding relative company performance on ESG issues. While ESG reporting standards have driven greater transparency over the years, there remains a great deal of work to undertake in order to better understand and formulate the standards for ESG data that will underlie decision-useful information in future disclosures.
Chloroprocaine and lidocaine decrease hospital stay and admission rate after outpatient epidural anesthesia.

Lumbar epidural anesthesia with 20 ml of either 3% 2-chloroprocaine (C), 1.5% lidocaine (L), or 1.5% mepivacaine (M) with epinephrine was studied in 84 outpatients undergoing surgery (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)). The average duration of the procedure was 31.9 minutes. The total duration of sensory anesthesia was 133 ± 28 minutes (C), 182 ± 38 (L), and 247 ± 42 (M) (p Times to discharge were 269 ± 62 minutes (C), 284 ± 62 (L), and 357 ± 71 (M). The time to discharge with M, almost six hours, was significantly longer than with C or L. There was a trend to an increasing rate of unplanned overnight hospital admission with increasing duration of the local anesthetic drug employed. Continuous epidural anesthesia with C, L or M appears safe and effective for outpatient surgical procedures such as ESWL. In contrast to previous understanding, mepivacaine produces significantly longer anesthesia and recovery times and may not be optimal for outpatient epidural use.
Growing Lambda‐Derived Vectors

It is often necessary to grow large quantities of lambda-derived vectors, so that DNA can be made from them. This unit describes a procedure for making a phage stock by plate lysis, and an Alternate Protocol gives details on how to make a liquid lysate. Storage of phage lysates is described in a Support Protocol.
Roadblocks to Implementing the Writing Process

(1989). Roadblocks to Implementing the Writing Process. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 222-224.
The Energy–Complexity Spiral

Engineers build many wonderful things that few of us would choose to live without. Yet, as we have seen, some structures are of such complexity and magnitude that an unforeseen failure can kill nearly a dozen men, ruin thousands of livelihoods, and pollute a valuable ecosystem. Failure on this scale is obviously undesirable, yet it happens to bridges, space shuttles, and giant drilling rigs. In response, our instinct is to seek proximate causes, which include such factors as mistakes, oversights, and technical failures, the very things on which most attention has been concentrated in the news media. By applying some fixes – better training, better oversight, a different corporate culture – we assume that the accident could have been prevented and that we can avoid future ones. Engineers must examine and learn from these proximate causes of failure, but as a society we are bound to seek the ultimate cause of tragedies such as the Deepwater Horizon’s blowout. The alternative is to lurch from failure to failure of increasing magnitude. We will find that the ultimate cause lies deep within humanity’s history, and in the very essence of what it means to be a civilization. A civilization is a complex society, and complexity is a phenomenon that we must understand in order to comprehend our potential futures and shaping events such as the Gulf tragedy.
International Cooperation Degree Programs: An Issue Brief

Using an "Issue Brief" approach, the author discusses the legal and political issues for faculty and administration staff at U.S. universities who are considering international cooperative degree programs in China and other countries. The author cites many Chinese and American sources of information from regulatory, accreditation, legal, trade, and lobbying organizations.
Influence of Nickel on the Detection of Nitrate Reductase Activity in Sorghum Extracts

The addition of nickel (4 x 10(-3)m) to the extracting buffer enhances the nitrate reductase activity in preparations of young grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. [Moench] leaf tissue by as much as 6-fold. Activities comparable to other plant species are obtained over an extraction pH range of 7 to 8 with tris buffer and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide as a cofactor for the reaction when the ratio of plant material to extraction medium is 1:20. The method also enhances nitrate reductase activity in sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense P. [Stapf]).
A concurrency control algorithm in a distributed environment

As a continuation of the POLYPHEME study, the Cii-Honeywell Bull research center has launched a project on co-operating transactional systems with particular attention paid to distributed concurrency control and commitment.Following the presentation of the application-driven approach being taken, the distributed concurrency control algorithm is described as an improvement of the proposal made by Rosenkrantz, Stearns and Lewis. Salient technical features such as deadlock prevention, wrong aborts, parallel execution, and relation between concurrency control and commitment are detailed. Then the main choices are justified, and the rejected techniques criticized.
A semiclassical theory for nerve excitation by a low intensity electromagnetic field.

A possible mechanism for microwave-neuron interaction, when the nerve is irradiated by a thermally insignificant electromagnetic field, is described. The radiation field is treated classically, but the atomic system which interacts with this field is treated quantum mechanically using the density matrix approach. Attention is given to both homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening effects, and the degrading influence of inhomogeneous broadening upon the neural membrane's ability to interact with the electromagnetic field is shown.
Shielding calculations for the National Synchrotron Light Source-II experimental beamlines ☆

Abstract Brookhaven National Laboratory is in the process of building a new Electron storage ring for scientific research using synchrotron radiation. This facility, called the “National Synchrotron Light Source II” (NSLS-II), will provide x-ray radiation of ultra-high brightness and exceptional spatial and energy resolution. It will also provide advanced insertion devices, optics, detectors, and robotics, designed to maximize the scientific output of the facility. The project scope includes the design of an electron storage ring and the experimental beamlines, which stores a maximum of 500 mA electron beam current at an energy of 3.0 GeV. When fully built there will be at least 58 beamlines using synchrotron radiation for experimental programs. It is planned to operate the facility primarily in a top-off mode, thereby maintaining the maximum variation in the synchrotron radiation flux to
'Spalog' and 'sequelog': neutral terms for spatial and sequence similarity.

The editors of Current Biology welcome correspondence on any article in the journal, but reserve the right to reduce the length of any letter to be published. All Correspondence containing data or scientific argument will be refereed. Items for publication should either be submitted typed, double-spaced to: The Editor, Current Biology, Elsevier Science London, 84 Theobald's Road, London, WC1X 8RR, UK, or sent by e-mail to cbiol@current-biology.com
Multi-Quadrant Surgical Robot for Single Incision Laparoscopic Colectomy

Colorectal surgery is an area of active research within general surgery. However, over 80% of these procedures currently require an open surgery based on the size and location of the tumor. The current state-of-the-art surgical instruments are unintuitive, restricted by the incision site, and often require timely repositioning tasks during complex surgical procedures. A multi-quadrant miniature in vivo surgical robot has been developed to mitigate these limitations as well as the invasiveness of colorectal procedures. By reducing invasiveness, the patient benefits from improved cosmetics, decreased postoperative pain, faster recovery time, and reduced financial burden. A paradigm shift in invasiveness is often inversely proportional to surgeon benefits. Yet, through the use of a robotic device, the surgeon benefits from improved ergonomics, intuitive control, and fewer required repositioning tasks. This paper presents a two armed robotic device that can be controlled from a remote surgical interface. Each arm has six internally actuated degrees of freedom, decoupling the system from the incision site. Each arm is also equipped with a specialized interchangeable end effector. For the surgical procedure, visual feedback is provided through the use of a standard laparoscope with incorporated light source. The robotic device is introduced into the abdominal cavity through a hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) port that is placed within the navel. The device is then grossly positioned to the site of interest within the abdominal cavity through the use of a protruding rod that is rigidly attached to each arm. The surgeon can then begin to manipulate tissue through the use of the surgical interface that is remotely located within the operating room. This interface is comprised of a monitor to provide visual feedback, foot pedals to control the operational state of the device, and two haptic devices to control the end point location of each arm and state of the end effectors.© 2013 ASME
MR imaging of the elbow in baseball pitchers

Baseball pitcher throwing biomechanics are important to understanding the pathophysiology and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearances of injuries in baseball pitchers. Baseball pitchers experience repetitive excessive valgus forces at the elbow. Typical injuries are secondary to medial joint distraction, lateral joint compression, and rotatory forces at the olecranon. MR imaging is useful for evaluation of the elbow in baseball pitchers.
The Generalized Diversity-Multiplexing Tradeoff of the MIMO Z Interference Channel

The generalized diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (GDMT) of the two-user, quasi-static fading, multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) Z interference channel (Z-IC) is established for the general case with an arbitrary number of antennas at each node under the assumptions of full channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT) and a short-term average power constraint. In the GDMT framework, which captures the rate versus reliability tradeoff in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, the direct link SNR and cross-link interference-to-noise ratio (INR) are allowed to be disparate, so that their ratios relative to a nominal SNR in the decibel scale, i.e., the SNR and INR exponents, are arbitrary and fixed. It is shown that a simple Han–Kobayashi message-splitting/partial interference decoding scheme that uses only partial CSIT—in which the second transmitter’s signal depends only on its cross-link channel matrix and the first user’s transmit signal does not need any CSIT—can achieve the full-CSIT GDMT of the MIMO Z-IC. The GDMT of the MIMO Z-IC under the No-CSIT assumption is also obtained for some range of multiplexing gains. The size of this range depends on the numbers of antennas at the four nodes and the SNR and INR exponents of the direct and cross links, respectively. For certain classes of channels including those in which the interfered receiver has more antennas than do the other nodes, or when the INR exponent is greater than a certain threshold, the GDMT of the MIMO Z-IC under the No-CSIT assumption is also completely characterized.