cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blood oxygen saturation measured in the presence of a mixture of cyclopropane, sulfur hexafluoride, and ethane.

Some anesthetic gases interfere with the determination of blood O2 values. We evaluated, for its potential for such interference, a gas mixture containing (v/v) ˜70% ethane, 20% sulfur hexafluoride, and 10% cyclopropane, as is currently used in trace amounts to determine ventilation-perfusion (\(\)) ratios. Normal human blood samples were first tonometered with control gas mixtures containing (v/v): (1) 20.9% O2, 0.04% CO2; (2) 16.0% O2, 4.0% CO2; and (3) 9.9% O2, 7.8% CO2. A large quantity (20.9%) of the \(\) mixture was blended experimentally into the control mixture and the tonometry repeated. The entire experiment was then repeated substituting pure N2 for the \(\) mixture as a dilution control. O2 values were determined by three methods: (1) a polarographic electrode, ABL-300 (ABL); (2) a spectrophotometric method, Co-Oximeter (COOX); and (3) a galvanic cell, Lex-O2-Con (LEX). The \(\) gas mixture lowered significantly all measured LEX values by 2.5–3.6 saturation percent (sat%), but showed no effect, dilution or otherwise, on the O2 values determined by the COOX and ABL methods. The N2 dilution lowered the LEX values by an average of only 0.9 sat%; the ABL and the COOX were ≈0.6 sat% lower. We therefore suggest that, if any of these O2 measurement methods are used in the presence of the \(\) mixture, baseline O2 values should be determined both before and after injection of the mixture into the bloodstream, prior to performing other experimental manipulations. The difference between the two values, if any, can then be used to interpret subsequent results.
Flow-Dependent Remodeling of Small Arteries The Stimuli and the Sensors Are (Still) in Question

See related article, pages 86–92 From the embryonic state to the end of life, the elements of the circulatory system are exposed to hemodynamic forces associated with the circulation of blood. Various levels of intraluminal (transmural) pressure and wall shear stress represent the natural environment for the tissues of the vascular wall. Physiological or pathological changes in the level of these forces elicit active responses in the cellular and noncellular elements of the vascular wall. In the short-term, vessels may change their functional diameter, whereas, if the hemodynamic forces are altered chronically, this results in morphological changes of the wall, indicated by changes in vessel diameter and wall thickness, frequently termed remodeling, aimed at minimizing the effect of altered hemodynamic forces on the vascular wall. A change in intraluminal pressure was the first to be recognized widely as a potential stimulus for functional or morphological changes in vessel diameter.1–3 Indeed, vascular remodeling was recognized as an important factor in the stable increase in peripheral resistance in hypertension, a disease in which the intraluminal pressure is elevated.1–4 There are ample original publications and reviews on this subject.1–4 The present editorial focuses on the remodeling of vessels that are initiated by a change in blood flow. ### Early Findings on the Effects of Chronic Alterations of Blood Flow In 1893, Thoma summarized, with great insight, his own and other investigators’ ideas describing the relationship between blood flow and vascular dimensions. He posited that growth of the “cross-diameter” of vessels was dependent on the velocity of blood flow. Recklinghausen (1883) and Nothnagel (1889) drew similar conclusions, namely, that it is not an increase in pressure, but rather an increase in flow velocity, which brings about the development of widened or new collateral blood vessels. Later Kamiya and Togawa demonstrated in carotid arteries that flow/wall shear stress elicits remodeling,5 whereas in …
Direct Thermal Measurement of Adiabatic Dendritic Coarsening

This poster portrays the microstructural changes occuring in pure systems freezing from the undercooled melt. We show that changes occur in dendritic arm spacings concurrently with the solidification process. The changes involve local rearrangements, including local melting and coarsening of side arms, plus initiation of chaotic structures bearing little relationship to the well-known periodic microstructures associated with dendritic solidification. All the observed changes involve an increasing average microstructural size sccale, although locally, dcreasing size scales may be seen. The tendency to increase size scales has been modelled as diffusional coarsening, a process akin to Ostwald ripening, except that the diffusing quantity is enthalppy, not solute. We show how to estimate the local microcurrents of heat due to spatial gradients of interfacial curvature, which through the Gibbs-Thomson effect result in thermal gradients. Simple scaling arguments are shown to deduce that the average microstructural length scale will grow as time to the cube-root power. An outline is provided that describes some novel experiments which monitor the progress of recalescence subsequent to rapid dendritic freezing. We show that under adiabatic solidification conditions the recalescence temperature asymptotically approaches the bulk melting point, too.
Variability of Landsat MSS spectral responses of forests in relation to stand and site characteristics

Abstract The use of field measures of slope angle, slope aspect, cover type, crown size and crown density is evaluated in appraising the variability of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) spectral responses for 182 sample sites within Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Multiple linear regression models indicate that 73, 72, 71 and 57 percent of the variation in the mean response of MSS bands 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, was explained by the environmental variables entered into the models. In general, crown size and crown density are less important in altering spectral response than terrain orientation. This type of analysis is useful in guiding field work for remote sensing studies into areas that are environmentally diverse and which are, therefore, capable of significantly altering the spectral response of cover types.
Electron transfer mechanisms in electron transfer chains

Mechanisms responsible for the transfer of electrons through mitochondrial and photosynthetic electron transport chains are considered. Mechanisms considered include diffusion, ligand-mediated transfer, tunneling and semiconduction. Perturbations which create satisfactory conditions for electron transfer are also considered. There is a brief discussion of the electron transport chain environment and constituents.
An Efficient Minimal Solution for Infinitesimal Camera Motion

Given five motion vectors observed in a calibrated camera, what is the rotational and translational velocity of the camera? This problem is the infinitesimal motion analogue to the five-point relative orientation problem, which has previously been solved through the derivation of a tenth-degree polynomial and extraction of its roots. Here, we present the first efficient solution to the infinitesimal version of the problem. The solution is faster than its finite counterpart. In our experiments, we investigate over which range of motions and scene distances the infinitesimal approximation is valid and show that the infinitesimal approximation works well in applications such as camera tracking.
Phylogeny and age of diversification of the planitibia species group of the Hawaiian Drosophila.

The Hawaiian Drosophila oVer a unique opportunity to examine evolutionary questions because of the known ages of the Hawaiian Islands and the large number of species endemic to this archipelago. One of the more well studied groups of Hawaiian Drosophila is the planitibia species group, a long-standing population genetic model system. Here we present a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis of all 17 taxa in the planitibia group based on nucleotide sequences from two mitochondrial (16S and COII) and four nuclear (Adh, Gpdh, Yp1, and Yp2) loci, accounting for over 4 kb of sequence per taxon. We use these data to estimate major divergence times within this group. Our results suggest that the basal diversiWcation within this group, calculated at 6.1§ 0.47 MY, predates the oldest high island of Kauai. The older diversiWcations in this group took place on Kauai, with subsequent colonization and speciation events occurring as new islands became available to Drosophila. Understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of this important group will place the existing population genetic work in a macroevolutionary context and stimulate additional work, particularly on those taxa endemic to the Maui Nui complex of islands.
Tongue necrosis: a rare complication of oral intubation.

Objectives (1) Present a unique case of partial necrosis of the dorsal tongue caused by an endotracheal tube; (2) highlight the importance of verifying proper endotracheal tube positioning during cases requiring prolonged intubation. Methods Case report and literature review. Results A 50 year-old man underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomies for papillary thyroid carcinoma. A nerve monitoring endotracheal tube was used during the case. Postoperatively, the patient reported tongue pain and examination revealed partial necrosis of his dorsal tongue. On follow up, the patient had improved tongue pain and well-healing dorsal tongue. Discussion We present the a case of tongue ischemia and partial necrosis due to oral endotracheal intubation, specifically with a nerve monitoring endotracheal tube, which has not previously been reported in the English literature. Tongue necrosis due to compression by an endotracheal tube during prolonged intubation is unusual, however surgeons, anesthesiologists and those involved in the care of intubated patients should consider the potential for this complication when orienting and securing endotracheal tubes. Conclusions This unique case of tongue necrosis underscores the importance of proper endotracheal tube positioning during prolonged intubation.
A compact millimeter-wave horn antenna array fabricated through layer-by-layer stereolithography

In this paper, a millimeter-wave dielectrically filled compact horn antenna array is presented, which is fabricated through layer-by-layer stereolithography. The antennas are well suited for phased array circuits due to their ability to interface with microstrip circuitry through low profile microstrip to waveguide transitions. The aperture size of the horn antenna is 0.5 lambda square, and the entire antenna and waveguide feeding structure does not exceed this area, thereby allowing for compact integration of multiple antenna elements. The antenna demonstrates broad bandwidth with better than -10 dB return loss from 35 to 39.5 GHz. The radiation patterns of a single horn antenna show broad angular beamwidth for wide-angle phased array scanning, and there is 5.7 dB gain with better than 20 dB cross-polarization discrimination at broadside.
Emerging Needs for Pervasive Passive Wireless Sensor Networks on Aerospace Vehicles

NASA is investigating passive wireless sensor technology to reduce instrumentation mass and volume in ground testing, air flight, and space exploration applications. Vehicle health monitoring systems (VHMS) are desired on all aerospace programs to ensure the safety of the crew and the vehicles. Pervasive passive wireless sensor networks facilitate VHMS on aerospace vehicles. Future wireless sensor networks on board aerospace vehicles will be heterogeneous and will require active and passive network systems. Since much has been published on active wireless sensor networks, this work will focus on the need for passive wireless sensor networks on aerospace vehicles. Several passive wireless technologies such as microelectromechanical systems MEMS, SAW, backscatter, and chipless RFID techniques, have all shown potential to meet the pervasive sensing needs for aerospace VHMS applications. A SAW VHMS application will be presented. In addition, application areas including ground testing, hypersonic aircraft and spacecraft will be explored along with some of the harsh environments found in aerospace applications.
Single nucleotide polymorphism arrays: a decade of biological, computational and technological advances

Array manufacturers originally designed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays to genotype human DNA at thousands of SNPs across the genome simultaneously. In the decade since their initial development, the platform's applications have expanded to include the detection and characterization of copy number variation—whether somatic, inherited, or de novo—as well as loss-of-heterozygosity in cancer cells. The technology's impressive contributions to insights in population and molecular genetics have been fueled by advances in computational methodology, and indeed these insights and methodologies have spurred developments in the arrays themselves. This review describes the most commonly used SNP array platforms, surveys the computational methodologies used to convert the raw data into inferences at the DNA level, and details the broad range of applications. Although the long-term future of SNP arrays is unclear, cost considerations ensure their relevance for at least the next several years. Even as emerging technologies seem poised to take over for at least some applications, researchers working with these new sources of data are adopting the computational approaches originally developed for SNP arrays.
Negative preoperative localization leads to greater resource use in the era of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Successful preoperative localization plays an important role in patient selection for focused parathyroidectomy. METHODS: The case records of 499 consecutive patients with presumed hyperparathyroidism who underwent neck exploration were reviewed. Positive imaging patients (n = 373) had a localizing study that clearly showed a single abnormal parathyroid gland whereas negative imaging patients (n = 44) failed to localize or had discordant imaging results. RESULTS: Positive imaging patients were more likely to have a single adenoma (93.0% vs 72.1%; P < .001), and were less likely to require a bilateral exploration (8.1% vs 70.4%; P < .001). Negative imaging patients required more frozen sections (.9 ± 1.3 vs .2 ± .7; P < .001), and longer surgical time (77.3 ± 52.5 min vs 48.4 ± 34.6 min; P < .001). The cure rate was significantly higher in the positive imaging group (96.0% vs 87.1 %; P < .03), with no difference in the incidence of complications (3.2% vs 2.3%; P value was not significant). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with unsuccessful or discordant preoperative localization have a higher incidence of multigland disease, lower cure rate, and consume more institutional resources than patients with successful preoperative localization.
Alkaline pH shifts Ca2+ sparks to Ca2+ waves in smooth muscle cells of pressurized cerebral arteries

The effects of external pH (7.0–8.0) on intracellular Ca2+ signals (Ca2+ sparks and Ca2+ waves) were examined in smooth muscle cells from intact pressurized arteries from rats. Elevating the extern...
The Scottish Free Church and its Relation to Nineteenth-Century Swedish and Swedish-American Lutheranism

Some years ago James Hasting Nichols wrote, “A significant impetus to the awakening in Geneva and France came from Scotland… In Scotland the Evangelical revival may be dated from the 1700's.” But the influence of the Scottish Free Church went beyond the bounds identified by Nichols. At least one other country, namely, Sweden, was stimulated by this religious force from the British Isles.
Do Taxes and Bonds Finance Government Spending

(2000). Do Taxes and Bonds Finance Government Spending? Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 603-620.
Using trees to depict a forest

When a database query has a large number of results, the user can only be shown one page of results at a time. One popular approach is to rank results such that the "best" results appear first. However, standard database query results comprise a set of tuples, with no associated ranking. It is typical to allow users the ability to sort results on selected attributes, but no actual ranking is defined.An alternative approach to the first page is not to try to show the best results, but instead to help users learn what is available in the whole result set and direct them to finding what they need. In this paper, we demonstrate through a user study that a page comprising one representative from each of k clusters (generated through a k-medoid clustering) is superior to multiple alternative candidate methods for generating representatives of a data set.Users often refine query specifications based on returned results. Traditional clustering may lead to completely new representatives after a refinement step. Furthermore, clustering can be computationally expensive. We propose a tree-based method for efficiently generating the representatives, and smoothly adapting them with query refinement. Experiments show that our algorithms outperform the state-of-the-art in both result quality and efficiency.
A New Approach to Test Generation and Test Compaction for Scan Circuits

We propose a new approach to test generation and test compaction for scan circuits that eliminates the distinction between scan operations and application of primary input vectors. Under this approach, the scan-in, scan-select and scan-out lines are treated as conventional primary inputs or primary outputs of the circuit. As a result, limited scan operations, where scan chains are shifted a number of times smaller than their lengths, are incorporated naturally into the test sequences generated by this approach. This leads to very aggressive compaction, resulting in test sequences with the lowest known test application times for benchmark circuits.
Optimal linear precoders for MIMO wireless correlated channels with nonzero mean in space-time coded systems

This paper proposes linear precoder designs exploiting statistical channel knowledge at the transmitter in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless system. The paper focuses on channel statistics, since obtaining real-time channel state information at the transmitter can be difficult due to channel dynamics. The considered channel statistics consist of the channel mean and transmit antenna correlation. The receiver is assumed to know the instantaneous channel precisely. The precoder operates along with a space-time block code (STBC) and aims to minimize the Chernoff bound on the pairwise error probability (PEP) between a pair of block codewords, averaged over channel fading statistics. Two PEP design criteria are studied-minimum distance and average distance. The optimal precoder with an orthogonal STBC is established, using a convex optimization framework. Different relaxations then extend the solution to systems with nonorthogonal STBCs. In both cases, the precoder is a function of both the channel mean and the transmit correlation. A linear precoder acts as a combination of a multimode beamformer and an input shaping matrix, matching each side to the channel and to the input signal structure, respectively. Both the optimal beam direction and the power of each mode, obtained via a dynamic water-filling process, depend on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Asymptotic analyses of the results reveal that, for all STBCs, the precoder approaches a single-mode beamformer on the dominant right singular vector of the channel mean as the channel K factor increases. On the other hand, as the SNR increases, it approaches an equipower multiple-mode beamformer, matched to the eigenvectors of the transmit correlation. Design examples and numerical simulation results for both orthogonal and nonorthogonal STBC precoding solutions are provided, illustrating the precoding array gain.
RePriv: Re-imagining Content Personalization and In-browser Privacy

We present RePriv, a system that combines the goals of privacy and content personalization in the browser. RePriv discovers user interests and shares them with third parties, but only with an explicit permission of the user. We demonstrate how always-on user interest mining can effectively infer user interests in a real browser. We go on to discuss an extension framework that allows third-party code to extract and disseminate more detailed information, as well as language-based techniques for verifying the absence of privacy leaks in this untrusted code. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our model, we present RePriv extensions that perform personalization for Netflix, Twitter, Bing, and Get Glue. This paper evaluates important aspects of RePriv in realistic scenarios. We show that RePriv's default in-browser mining can be done with no noticeable overhead to normal browsing, and that the results it produces converge quickly. We demonstrate that RePriv personalization yields higher quality results than those that maybe obtained about the user from public sources. We then go onto show similar results for each of our case studies: that RePrivenables high-quality personalization, as shown by cases studies in news and search result personalization we evaluated on thousands of instances, and that the performance impact each case has on the browser is minimal. We conclude that personalized content and individual privacy on the web are not mutually exclusive.
The Urban Environment, Drug Use, and Health

Drug use continues to be a major concern in urban centers and significantly affects the health of cities at the beginning of the new millennium. Drug users still face considerable challenges to their health and well-being. The extent to which the urban environment affects the occurrence of drug use and its consequences is an area of growing research. Early investigations suggest that specific features of the urban environment are related to not only the occurrence of drug use, but also its course and consequences. Many questions remain unanswered with respect to the impact of the urban social and physical environment, along with larger societal structures, on illicit drug use. Because of the large number of drug users in urban areas, cities provide a unique opportunity for public health practitioners, urban planners, and policy makers to develop and test creative programs and interventions to improve the health outcomes for this population.
The Naturalistic and Slippery Slope Fallacies

In this chapter I discuss three problems that arise when one attempts to understand the nature of morality. The first concerns what is known as the naturalistic fallacy and it must be addressed if the principles of morality are to be related to biological principles. The second concern is one that basically involves the issue of causation, known as the slippery slope fallacy, and it is frequently raised when innovative interventions in current policies are proposed. The third is the fear that the use of biological explanations leads to an undesirable reductionism, a concern that results from a failure to recognize the contrast between event and theory reduction.
The Effects of Device Geometry and TCO/Buffer Layers on Damp Heat Accelerated Lifetime Testing of Cu(In,Ga)Se $_{\bf 2}$ Solar Cells

In Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 solar cells encapsulated with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or glass top sheets, the effects of damp heat (D-H) accelerated lifetime testing (ALT) depend on water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of both transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and the intrinsic zinc oxide (i-ZnO) buffer, as well as device geometry. PET top sheets have a WVTR of ∼10 g/m2·day, and glass has a WVTR of 0. Previously, coupons encapsulated with PET degraded to 50% of initial efficiency after 1000 h D-H ALT. We show that PET encapsulated coupons degrade at the same rate as glass encapsulated coupons after 2000 h D-H ALT to 92% of initial efficiency. The only change from previous work is that, here, i-ZnO covers the entire coupon surface, not the just active area. The WVTR of the i-ZnO/TCO stack is 2 × 10−3 g·H 2 O/m2·day. A set of unencapsulated devices went through D-H ALT, one where scribing was used to define the active area of the device and another without scribing; both were protected only by 50-nm i-ZnO. The bare-unscribed device performed as well as the previous glass and PET encapsulated coupons after 1500 h D-H ALT; the bare-scribed device degraded to 78% of initial efficiency, indicating that TCO integrity is a critical ALT parameter.
Use of the desk top computer to process and monitor data from continuous-flow analysis systems.

Suitable programming permits a relatively inexpensive desk top digital computer to calculate, off-line, the chemical concentration of a group of unknowns by applying the Beer-Lambert law selectively to a set of straight lines formed by five standards whose absorbances overall define a nonlinear equation. The computer will reject any absorbance that lies beyond upper or lower limits of the curve. It will also monitor a control reference sample, using previously selected standard deviations, and prevent computation of patient samples if the assay is deemed out of control.
Studies on the Vorticity Field of Harmonically Excited Bluff Body Flames

This paper describes an experimental study of the effect of acoustic excitation on bluff- body stabilized flames. The Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability of the shear layer is excited due to the incident acoustics. In turn, the KH instability imposes a convecting, harmonic excitation on the flame, which leads to spatially periodic flame wrinkling and heat-release oscillations. Understanding the factors influencing these heat release oscillations requires an understanding of the generation, convection, and dissipation of these vortical disturbances. Phase locked particle image velocimetry was carried out over a range of conditions to identify the frequency response of the shear layer and the rate of decay of the KHI- generated vorticity. The length over which the decay occurs scales with the length of the recirculation zone of the bluff body, i.e. the length over which the velocity profile transitions from shear layer to wake. The flame influences this decay process through increases in product viscosity and gas expansion. The latter mechanism leads to a reduction in velocity gradient in the shear layer by reducing the magnitude of negative velocities within the recirculation zone. These results also revealed cycle-to-cycle variation in the position of the rolled-up vortices that increases monotonically in the downstream direction. This leads to fairly significant differences between instantaneous and ensemble averaged flow fields and, in particular, the decay rate of the vorticity in downstream direction.
Neurologic Examination Findings Which Are Associated with MRI Abnormalities in a Population of Children with Learning Disorders: Review of a Clinic-Based Sample (P03.128)

Objective: To determine if abnormal findings on the neurological examination of children with learning disorders were associated with MRI abnormalities, and if so, which findings were associated with which MRI abnormalities. Background We have previously reported that in a clinic-based cohort of children with learning disorders, 8% had lateralizing findings on examination (127/1587). Of those 127, 87 underwent MRI investigation. 16/52 in a group examined on a 1.5 T MRI had abnormal findings ( 31%); 21/35 in a group examined on a 3 T MRI had abnormal findings. This is comparable to rates of MRI abnormalities in patients with focal epilepsies or early language disorders. This study investigated which examination findings appeared to have a high correlation with MRI abnormalities. Design/Methods: Examinations were coded for their features - e.g., left hemiparesis, reduced automaticity of retrieval. These were then compared with MRI findings, coded by two reviewers examining MRI blinded to examination status. Results: Of the 87 children with focal findings on examination, 56 had severely reduced automaticity of retrieval and 52 had slow performance on a verbal automaticity task. 45 of this group had focal thinning of the corpus callosum or frontal white matter T2 hyperintensities, suggesting perinatal or prenatal CNS injury. 27 children had abnormalities of their motor exam; all had unilateral or very asymmetric periventricular leukomalacia. 4 children had distinctive examinations and each showed distinctive MRI findings - e.g., profound mnestic issues and evidence of early injury to mamillothalamic tracts, autistic features and inferior cerebellar vermian hypopolasia. Conclusions: Certain features on neurologic examination appear to be highly associated with MRI findings; this can help selcet patients for whom MRI is higher yield, and may lead to further understanding of the evolution of cognitive deficits in children with early brain injury. Disclosure: Dr. Urion has nothing to disclose. Dr. Huff has nothing to disclose.
INFERENCE OF SPERM COMPETITION FROM BROODS OF FIELD-CAUGHT DROSOPHILA.

In field studies of multiple mating and sperm competition there typically is no experimental control over the number of times that a female mates, the interval between matings, or the genetic identity of multiple fathers contributing to a brood. Irrespective of this complexity, high-resolution molecular markers can be used to assign paternity with considerable confidence. This study employed two highly heterozygous microsatellite loci to assess multiple paternity and sperm displacement in a sample of broods taken from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster. The large number of alleles present at each of the loci makes it difficult to derive explicit maximum-likelihood estimates for multiple paternity and sperm displacement from brood samples. Monte Carlo simulations were used to estimate maximum-likelihood parameters for the distribution of female remating frequency and the proportion of offspring sired by the second or subsequent mating males. Estimates were made based on genotypes scored at two distinct marker loci because they were found to give statistically homogeneous results. Fitting a Poisson distribution of number of matings, the mean number of males mated by a female was 1.82. The sperm displacement parameter estimated from doubly mated females were 0.79 and 0.86 for the two loci (0.83 for the joint estimate). The overall probability that a multiply mated female will be misclassified as singly mated was only 0.006, which indicates that microsatellites can provide excellent resolution for identifying multiple mating. In addition, microsatellites can be used to generate relatively precise estimates of sperm precedence in brood-structured samples from a natural population.
A new photonic bandgap fibre with extended triangular lattice and capillary core

We present a PBGF composed of an extended-triangular-lattice cladding and a capillary core, which potentially have wide bandgaps without interface modes. A manufactured fibre exhibits a transmission range from 1520 nm to over 2100 nm. (2 pages)
THE DISTRIBUTION OF SURVEY CONTACT AND PARTICIPATION IN THE UNITED STATES : CONSTRUCTING A SURVEY-BASED ESTIMATE

In this article, the authors show how survey responses to the question “How often have you participated in a survey in the past [specified time period]?” can be used to construct a meaningful estim...
A quasi-experimental study to mobilize rural low-income communities to assess and improve the ecological environment to prevent childhood obesity

The Ecological Model of Childhood Overweight focuses on characteristics that could affect a child’s weight status in relation to the multiple environments surrounding that child. A community coaching approach allows community groups to identify their own strengths, priorities and identity. Little to no research currently exists related to community-based efforts inclusive of community coaching in creating environmental change to prevent childhood obesity particularly in rural communities. A quasi-experimental study will be conducted with low-income, rural communities (n = 14) in the North Central region of the United States to mobilize capacity in communities to create and sustain an environment of healthy eating and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity. Two rural communities within seven Midwestern states (IN, KS, MI, OH, ND, SD, WI) will be randomly assigned to serve as an intervention or comparison community. Coalitions will complete assessments of their communities, choose from evidence-based approaches, and implement nutrition and physical activity interventions each year to prevent childhood obesity with emphasis on policy, system or environmental changes over four years. Only intervention coalitions will receive community coaching from a trained coach. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, annually and project end using previously validated instruments and include coalition self-assessments, parental perceptions regarding the built environment, community, neighborhood, and early childhood environments, self-reflections from coaches and project staff, ripple effect mapping with coalitions and, final interviews of key stakeholders and coaches. A mixed-methods analysis approach will be used to evaluate if Community Coaching enhances community capacity to create and sustain an environment to support healthy eating and physical activity for young children. ANOVA or corresponding non-parametric tests will be used to analyze quantitative data relating to environmental change with significance set at P < .05. Dominant emergent themes from the qualitative data will be weaved together with quantitative data to develop a theoretical model representing how communities were impacted by the project. This project will yield data and best practices that could become a model for community development based approaches to preventing childhood obesity in rural communities.
volume of cold chain equipment investigation in Huhhot city,2008

Objective to know the current huhhot,flag counties at all levels,villages and towns of institution of disease prevention and control equipment status,give cold chain volume in cold chain equipment to provide the scientific basis for equipment.Methods random selective examination a county a township,survey the actual cold chain equipment,and according to statements material and brought seedlings,check the situation down a number of vaccine operation,thus further calculation at all levels of CDC,the volume of cold chain equipment required.Results the flag counties and the volume of common cold chain equipment can not meet the need,just WuChuanXian because work,still less vaccine inoculation type can meet the need.Conclusion the cold chain equipment volume insufficient,it needs further improvement.
CHANGES OF PLASMA SOLUBLE TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR RECEPTOR(TNFα R)LEVEL AND ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN PATIENTS OF ACUTE LEUKEMIA

Objective:To appraise the changes of plasma levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor α receptor (sTNFα R)and its clinical significance in patients of acute leukemia(AL).Methods: Plasmas levels of sTNFα R were detected with radioimmuno precipitation polyethylene glycol assay in 27 AL patients,and 15 normal subjects were used as controls.Results:The plasma levels of sTNFα R in AL patients were obviously increased,showing significantly difference compared with normal controls.Conclusion: The abnormal secretion of sTNFα R maybe one importante factor leading to Al cells grow.
Application of Multi-contact Number Set Pair Analysis Model in Risk Assessment of Urban Buried Gas Pipelines System

There exist many uncertain factors in urban buried pipelines steel system and set pair analysis theory is a valid method to solve uncertain problems, in which it looks the certain and uncertain factors as a whole system,discussions are conducted based the shortcomings of multi-contact number and multi-contact number set pair analysis model is applied to divide the risk grade.In order to reduce the subjective influences of the judgers,the assessment experts are given weight based on the comprehensive quality of experts.At last the evaluation results and set pair state are combined together to conduct synthetical analysis on risks,to make the results more conform to the development of the system.
Evaluating coaching’s effect: competencies, career mobility and retention

Purpose Leadership coaching has become an increasingly common method to maximize competency development and behaviors for organizational leaders as well as to improve retention and career mobility. Few empirical studies have tested its capacity to generate such outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a coaching program within a healthcare organization, showing significant impact to the leaders’ behaviors and retention, measured through non-self-report data. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, the behaviors associated with leadership competencies were evaluated using a quasi-experimental design to determine if significant gains have been achieved following a coaching intervention when compared to prior competency ratings. Retention and career movement of participating leaders were tracked to compare rates against a control group. Findings In the present study, leadership coaching was evaluated. Results indicate that individuals who participated in the program, in comparison with those that did not, showed significantly improved leadership competencies and significantly higher retention rates one year post-program. Implications for leadership development programs are discussed. Research limitations/implications One possible limitation of this study is the program structure in the experimental condition received both individual and group coaching so the competency improvement cannot be parsed out to one type of coaching vs another. The authors suggest that this limitation is an opportunity for future research to explore differing effects by coaching type. Originality/value This study provides the healthcare organization with unique quantitative data regarding the positive implications of a leadership program that has not been reported previously. The findings will provide further justification to support leadership coaching programs.
Social Network Analysis for assessing research team collaboration and implementation capacity

Social network analysis (SNA) is a method of understanding how interactions between individuals give rise to emergent behaviors that can be seen as large-scale patterns characterizing the system as a whole. This paper presents preliminary results from efforts to apply the concepts of SNA to state-wide research collaboration. This assessment is based on patterns of cross-institutional interaction, and the distribution of individuals occupying key network positions, determined by three common centrality measures, across institutions. Team capacity to leverage collaborative efforts and implement sustainable outcomes are assessed by comparing emergent patterns across different types of communication networks that may be indicative of an organization's capacity for collective action.
B12(SCN)12–: An Ultrastable Weakly Coordinating Dianion

Stable dianions that are weakly coordinating with metal ions are not common. In this work, we show that the thiocyanate SCN– anion, known for its detoxification property of cyanide CN– and antidegradation property of perovskite solar-cell materials, can also be used to produce a new set of weakly coordinating B12(SCN)12– dianion complexes which are potential candidates for the anionic part inside the electrolytes of metal-ion, especially the magnesium-ion-based, batteries.
Public reactions to e-cigarette regulations on Twitter: a text mining analysis

Background In May 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule that deemed e-cigarettes to be within their regulatory authority as a tobacco product. News and opinions about the regulation were shared on social media platforms, such as Twitter, which can play an important role in shaping the public’s attitudes. We analysed information shared on Twitter for insights into initial public reactions. Methods A text mining approach was used to uncover important topics among reactions to the e-cigarette regulations on Twitter. SAS Text Miner V.12.1 software was used for descriptive text mining to uncover the primary topics from tweets collected from May 1 to May 17 2016 using NUVI software to gather the data. Results A total of nine topics were generated. These topics reveal initial reactions to whether the FDA’s e-cigarette regulations will benefit or harm public health, how the regulations will impact the emerging e-cigarette market and efforts to share the news. The topics were dominated by negative or mixed reactions. Conclusions In the days following the FDA’s announcement of the new deeming regulations, the public reaction on Twitter was largely negative. Public health advocates should consider using social media outlets to better communicate the policy’s intentions, reach and potential impact for public good to create a more balanced conversation.
On the Automation of Service Processes for Industrial Equipment

Abstract Several approaches to the automation of service processes for industrial equipment have been used at GE. Recent research approaches to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of such processes, as they relate to customer economics and service quality requirements, are surveyed in this paper. Selected examples in the areas of power distribution equipment and large motor drives are provided.
Conserved HIV Epitopes for an Effective HIV Vaccine

Despite major advances in antiretroviral therapy against HIV-1, an effective HIV vaccine is urgently required to reduce the number of new cases of HIV infections in the world. Vaccines are the ultimate tool in the medical arsenal to control and prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Several failed phase-IIb to –III clinical vaccine trials against HIV-1 in the past generated a plethora of information that could be used for better designing of an effective HIV vaccine in the future. Most of the tested vaccine candidates produced strong humoral responses against the HIV proteins; however, failed to protect due to: 1) the low levels and the narrow breadth of the HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies and the HIV-specific antibody-dependent Fc-mediated effector activities, 2) the low levels and the poor quality of the anti-HIV T-cell responses, and 3) the excessive responses to immunodominant non-protective HIV epitopes, which in some cases blocked the protective immunity and/or enhanced HIV infection. The B-cell epitopes on HIV for producing broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV have been extensively characterized, and the next step is to develop bNAb epitope immunogen for HIV vaccine. The bNAb epitopes are often conformational epitopes and therefore more difficult to construct as vaccine immunogen and likely to include immunodominant non-protective HIV epitopes. In comparison, T-cell epitopes are short linear peptides which are easier to construct into vaccine immunogen free of immunodominant non-protective epitopes. However, its difficulty lies in identifying the T-cell epitopes conserved among HIV subtypes and induce long-lasting, potent polyfunctional T-cell and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activities against HIV. In addition, these protective T-cell epitopes must be recognized by the HLA prevalent in the country(s) targeted for the vaccine trial. In conclusion, extending from the findings from previous vaccine trials, future vaccines should combine both T- and B-cell epitopes as vaccine immunogen to induce multitude of broad and potent immune effector activities required for sterilizing protection against global HIV subtypes.
Examining the feasibility of acceptance and commitment therapy self-help for problematic pornography viewing: Results from a pilot open trial

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) self-help program for problematic pornography viewing (PV). A sample of 19 adults seeking help for problemat...
Coming Clean: Readings, Confessions, Shortcuts

This chapter recounts the convergence between remembrances of the writer’s early unintended and often unwanted experience as a gazer and his subsequent professional interests as a literary critic and cultural inquirer. It includes discussions of literary epiphany, the Judgment of Paris, and American popular songs, and treats work by range of painters, writers, and performers including Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Rembrandt, William Glackens, Willa Cather, Sinclair Lewis, Elizabeth Bowen, Ingmar Bergman, Geoff Dyer, Andrew Wyeth, and Sarah Silverman. Subheadings: After and Before; Avant la Lettre; Invokers and Provokers; Humanities Gazer; The Uphill Cul-De-Sac—Pardon My French; Romantic Gestures; Rock of Gazes; Clowning vs. Gazing; The Limits of Reciprocity; As The Gazer Ages; Joint Custody; Attention/At-Ease.
Evaluation of the Effects of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on Antiepileptic Drug Serum Concentrations in Pediatric Patients.

OBJECTIVES Patients supported on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) have an increased incidence of seizures. Phenobarbital (PB) and fosphenytoin (fos-PHT) are common antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used to manage seizures in the pediatric population; however, it is unknown what effect ECMO has on the serum concentrations of AEDs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of ECMO on AED serum concentrations. METHODS A retrospective, matched-cohort study was performed in patients younger than 18 years who received ECMO and were treated with intravenous (IV) PB or fos-PHT at Texas Children's Hospital between 2004 and 2014. Patients receiving IV AED therapy and ECMO were matched, based on age, sex, and weight, with patients receiving IV AED therapy without ECMO. The 24-hour cumulative AED dose, serum concentrations, number of doses per serum concentration drawn ratio, volume of distribution, therapeutic serum concentrations, and time to therapeutic serum concentration were compared between both g...
Xenobiotic Metabolism in Alginate-Encapsulated Primary Human Hepatocytes Over Long Timeframes

Abstract Introduction: Application of in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation to chemical safety assessment has gained significant attention in the past few years. Accurate prediction of hepatic metaboli...
Frequent premature atrial contractions impair left atrial contractile function and promote adverse left atrial remodeling.

OBJECTIVES This study assessed if frequent premature atrial contractions (PACs) were associated with decreased left atrial (LA) strain and adverse remodeling. BACKGROUND Left atrial dysfunction and enlargement increases risk of stroke. If frequent PACs cause LA dysfunction and remodeling, PAC suppressive therapy may be beneficial. METHODS Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years and sinus rhythm. Exclusion criteria were atrial fibrillation or any etiology for LA enlargement. Hundred and thirty-two patients with frequent PACs (≥100/24 hours) by Holter were matched to controls. Speckle tracking strain of the left atrium was performed from the 4-chamber view. Strain measurements were LA peak contractile, reservoir and conduit strain and strain rates. RESULTS In the frequent PAC vs control group, PACs were more frequent (1959 ± 3796 vs 28 ± 25/24 hours, P < .0001). LA peak contractile strain was reduced in the group with frequent PACs vs controls (-7.85 ± 4.12% vs -9.33 ± 4.45%, P = .006). LA peak late negative contractile strain rate was less negative in the frequent PAC vs control group (-0.63 ± 0.27 s-1 vs -0.69 ± 0.32 s-1 , P = .051). LA reservoir and conduit strain and strain rates did not differ. LA volume index (LAVI) was larger in the frequent PAC vs control group (26.6 ± 7.8 vs 24.6 ± 8.8 mL/m2 , P < .05). Frequent PACs were an independent predictor of reduced LA peak contractile strain and reduced LA peak late negative contractile strain rate. CONCLUSIONS Patients with frequent PACs have reduced LA peak contractile strain and strain rates and larger LAVI compared to controls. Frequent PACs are an independent predictor of reduced LA peak contractile strain and strain rate. These findings support the hypothesis that frequent PACs impair LA contractile function and promote adverse LA remodeling.