cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical investigation of coexisting high and low amplitude responses and safe basin erosion for a coupled linear oscillator and nonlinear absorber system

Over the last half century, numerous nonlinear variants of the tuned mass damper have been developed in order to improve attenuation characteristics. In the present study, the performance of a linear oscillator and an absorber with a strongly nonlinear cubic stiffness is evaluated by using numerical methods. This configuration has been of recent interest due to its capability of wide-band energy absorption. However, high amplitude solutions, which would amplify the response of the system, have been shown to often coexist with the low amplitude solutions. The present research is focused on numerically determining the relative strength of the coexisting solutions. Erosion profiles are presented, quantifying the integrity of the system, i.e. the likelihood of converging to a safe, low amplitude response, and providing an indication of the structural safety of a practical absorber system. The results indicate that the high amplitude solutions not only exist but significantly influence the response of the system within the range of expected operating conditions, particularly at excitation frequencies lower than the natural frequency of the linear oscillator. The erosion profiles indicate a 20–40% increase in system integrity for the case of zero damping compared to a small amount of damping, no significant integrity change when adding a small linear stiffness component to the nonlinear absorber, and no significant change in integrity between the midpoint and extreme of the bi-stable range. Additional higher-period solutions are also discovered and evidence of a chaotic response is presented.
Sexual Maturation of the Cold-Exposed Male Rat: Alterations in Secondary Sexual Organ Sensitivity to Testosterone

From an age of 35 days, male rats were raised at either 23#{176}C or 4#{176}C under identical Pghting schedules (LD:14:10). On Day 49, animals were castrated and a testosterone-filled capsule implanted s.c. Capsule number and size were adjusted to provide 25, 50, 100, 200 or 300 mm2 implant surface area/100 g body weight. Control animals received empty capsules. Animals were decapitated on Day 52. One group of rats was left intact and killed on Day 50. Prostates and seminal vesicles were weighed and serum LH, FSH and prolactin (PRL) determined by radioimmunoassay. Cold-exposed intact animals had significantly (P<0.05) smaller prostates and seminal vesicles than controls. There were no differences in LH, FSH or PRL in intact rats. Secondary organs were less sensitive to testosterone in cold-exposed castrated animals. Control animals showed maximum growth of both accessory structures with capsules of 50 mm2 or larger. Cold-exposed animals required 100 mm2 capsules for maximum prostate growth and 300 mm2 implants were required for maximum seminal vesicle growth. All sizes of capsules suppressed LH and FSH. No differences were found in serum PRL. These data suggest that the delay in sexual maturation experienced by cold-exposed male rats is the result of a reduced secondary organ sensitivity to androgen. Changes in gonadotropin and/or PRL secretion do not seem to be involved in this response.
Descriptive Survey of Household Product Warning Labels and Consumer Knowledge

Many household products are associated with several safety hazards ranging from minimal to severe and life threatening. Several household products were surveyed to determine conformity of labels to principles known to enhance warning label effectiveness and to determine consumer knowledge of product hazards identified by experts to be unfamiliar to consumers. Most product labels did not apply signal word/background color principles or symbols/pictorials, which are features known to facilitate attention capture, comprehension, and compliance. Although point biserial correlations were significant for the relationship between product usage and accuracy of reporting product hazards, consumers had little overall knowledge of the specific hazards in question. Implications for household product label design are discussed.
Spatially heterogeneous carbon-fiber papers as surface dendrite-free current collectors for lithium deposition

Summary Despite the high energy density, the lithium metal electrode has been plagued for decades with a dendrite growth problem that can result in a battery thermal runaway. Here, we introduce anisotropic spatially heterogeneous three dimensional (3D) current collectors that prevent lithium deposition on the insulating electrolyte-facing surface and accommodate lithium deposition inside the spacious voids. The anisotropic spatial heterogeneity was introduced by a line-of-sight deposition of a thin SiO2 layer onto a carbon-fiber paper. The deposited SiO2 was later converted into SiC by a magnesiothermic reaction. The SiO2 and SiC decorated 3D current collectors were confirmed dendrite-free by ex situ SEM observation after a deep lithium deposition of 28.8 C cm−2 at a high current density of 4 mA cm−2. A high lithium cycling efficiency of 94% was achieved over deep deposition (14.4 C cm−2) and stripping cycles in a carbonate based organic electrolyte, demonstrating the superiority of the novel current collector for dendrite control and lithium cycling. This strategy opens new avenues to address the dendrite problem by rationally designed current collectors and for the creation of a high energy density electrode.
Genome-Wide Analysis of Spatial Gene Expression in Arabidopsis Flowers

We have compared the gene expression profiles of inflorescences of the floral homeotic mutants apetala1, apetala2, apetala3, pistillata, and agamous with that of wild-type plants using a flower-specific cDNA microarray and a whole genome oligonucleotide array. By combining the data sets from the individual mutant/wild type comparisons, we were able to identify a large number of genes that are, within flowers, predicted to be specifically or at least predominantly expressed in one type of floral organ. We have analyzed the expression patterns of several of these genes by in situ hybridization and found that they match the predictions that were made based on the microarray experiments. Moreover, genes with known floral organ-specific expression patterns were correctly assigned by our analysis. The vast majority of the identified transcripts are found in stamens or carpels, whereas few genes are predicted to be expressed specifically or predominantly in sepals or petals. These findings indicate that spatially limited expression of a large number of genes is part of flower development and that its extent differs significantly between the reproductive organs and the organs of the perianth.
A maternal health voucher scheme : what have we learned from the demand-side financing scheme in Bangladesh?

It is now more than 2 years since the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh implemented the Maternal Health Voucher Scheme, a specialized form of demand-side financing programme. To analyse the early lessons from the scheme, information was obtained through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders at the sub-district level. The analysis identified a number of factors affecting the efficiency and performance of the scheme in the program area: delay in the release of voucher funds, selection criteria used for enrolling pregnant women in the programme, incentives created by the reimbursement system, etc. One of the objectives of the scheme was to encourage market competition among health care providers, but it failed to increase market competitiveness in the area. The resources made available through the scheme did not attract any new providers into the market and public facilities remained the only eligible provider both before and after scheme implementation. However, incentives provided through the voucher system did motivate public providers to offer a higher level of services. The beneficiaries expressed their overall satisfaction with the scheme as well. Since the local facility was not technically ready to provide all types of maternal health care services, providing vouchers may not improve access to care for many pregnant women. To improve the performance of the demand-side strategy, it has become important to adopt some supply-side interventions. In poor developing countries, a demand-side strategy may not be very effective without significant expansion of the service delivery capacity of health facilities at the sub-district level.
Stimulation of partial development of human mast cells by supernatant fluid from mouse fibroblast cultures

Summary. Fibroblasts have been implicated as culture-competent cells for the mast cell lineage in several species. In man, fibroblast monolayers sustain the ultrastructural phenotype and function of isolated human lung mast cells and permit the differentiation and full maturation of human mast cells from their agranular precursors in cord blood cells. We examined whether development and maturation of the mast cell lineage in man can be achieved by a supply of the soluble products present in fibroblast culture supernatants. Suspension cultures of cord blood cells were supplemented with culture supernatants derived from two different murine fibroblast lines; controls were not supplemented. The cultures were sampled for light and electron microscopy at 6, 7 and 8 weeks. Human mast cells developed in quantity when cultures were supplemented with the supernatants from BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts, in reduced numbers when supplemented with Swiss Albino 3T3 fibroblast supernatants, and not at all in culture media alone. By ultrastructural criteria, the newly developed mast cells did not achieve full maturity; they did continue to synthesize new granules and to undergo intragranular maturational events. Small numbers of mature basophils persisted in suspension cultures, and many were undergoing piecemeal degranulation. Other cell lineages noted included eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages and endothelial cells. We conclude that a factor(s) of fibroblast origin permits the differentiation and partial maturation of human mast cells from their agranular precursors in cord blood, but that fibroblasts must be physically present for complete maturation of these lineages to occur.
Realism, Antirealism, Irrealism, Quasi‐Realism. Gareth Evans Memorial Lecture, Delivered in Oxford on June 2, 1987

It is, as is familiar, difficult to be precise about what is involved in realism. The realist in us wants to hold to a certain sort of very general view about our place in the world, a view that, as I have put it elsewhere, mixes modesty with presumption.' On the one hand, it is supposed, modestly, that how matters stand in the world, what opinions about it are true, is settled independently of whatever germane beliefs are held by actual people.2 On the other, we presume to think that we are capable of amving at the right concepts with which to capture at least a substantial part of the truth, and that our cognitive capacities can and do very often put us in position to know the truth, or at least to believe it with ample justification. The unique attraction of realism is the nice balance of feasibility and dignity that it offers to our quest for knowledge. Greater modesty would mean doubts about the capacity of our cognitive procedures to determine what is true-or even about our capacity to conceptualize the truth-and, so, would be a slide in the direction of skepticism. Greater presumption would mean calling into question, one way or another, the autonomy of truth, and, so, would be a slide in the direction of idealism. To the extent that we are serious about the pursuit of truth, we are unlikely to be attracted by either of these tendencies. We want the mountain to be climbable, but we also want it to be a real mountain, not some sort of reification of aspects of ourselves. It is a remarkable phenomenon that an issue of this degree of abstractness, whose proper formulation is unclear to the point where it is prima facie hazy what shape a relevant debate about it might assume, can so command intellectual curiosity. The conviction that a real issue is being presented is the conviction that metaphysics, in the most traditional sense, is possible: that there are genuine questions about the objectivity of human intellectual endeavor, and about the constitution of reality, which it falls to the traditional philosophical methods of critical reflection
Africa's place in globalization: Africa, Eurasia, and their borderlands

Africa is commonly marginalized in global social studies, whether of present or past. This chapter makes the case for the substantial importance of Africa through a systematic comparison with Eurasia. It documents the large area and the relatively dense population of Africa, in past and present, as compared with Eurasia and with the Americas. The essay gives particular attention both to sub-Saharan Africa and to the long Afro-Eurasian borderland from Gibraltar to the Bab al-Mandab, and briefly explores the interactions of Africa, Eurasia, and their borderland since the beginnings of humanity. In the course of the comparison, the chapter raises the question of whether the theory and methodology of historical globalization studies need to be more fully specified in order to ensure inclusion of the African region and perhaps other historical situations that have been insufficiently represented in the understanding of globalization.
Robust design optimization techniques for ultra-low flying sliders

This paper addresses the topic of global optimization as it is applied to the problem of designing slider air bearings. The techniques employed are genetic algorithms and simulated annealing. Both claim to achieve global optima in the presence of many local optima. Neither method uses calculation of gradients, numerically or otherwise, to determine search directions. These methods are described briefly, and then a typical two-dimensional problem is described and analyzed. Attainment of the optimal solution for this problem is confirmed through comparison with a mapping of the objective function over optimization search space. Finally, a five-dimensional problem is described and analyzed. In the five-dimensional problem, the optimality of the solution is determined by comparison with a manually designed slider. A 36% improvement in optimality is found in this instance.
The ABO gene— more variation!

The polymorphism of the ABO antigens was largely responsible for the discovery of blood groups by Landsteiner[1][1] about 100 years ago. The ABO blood group system is clinically one of the most important because the A- and B-glycan epitopes it expresses are strongly immunogenic. Functional alleles
Blindness Rehabilitation Agencies and Organizational Environments

Previous research has suggested that the extent to which rehabilitation agencies must compete over clientele affects the structure and behavior of organizations. Institutional theory suggests, however, that increased competition is unlikely to affect the rehabilitation process and client outcomes. In this paper, multiple regression analysis on survey data from 135 agencies in 22 states suggested that organizational structure and behavior were not affected. However, increased competition did appear to lead to a greater retention of clientele while personnel constraints appeared to increase the referral of clients to other agencies. Since agencies have less control over funding and other related scarce resources, clientele appear to be the manipulable resource which can be referred or retained to meet organizational needs.
Bats in Riparian-Restoration Sites Along the Lower Colorado River, Arizona

Abstract During 2007–2010, we captured the western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii) and Arizona myotis (Myotis occultus) in riparian-restoration areas along the lower Colorado River. Previously, the western red bat had not been reported along the lower Colorado River and the Arizona myotis was presumed to be extirpated from that area.
Piazza: data management infrastructure for semantic web applications

The Semantic Web envisions a World Wide Web in which data is described with rich semantics and applications can pose complex queries. To this point, researchers have defined new languages for specifying meanings for concepts and developed techniques for reasoning about them, using RDF as the data model. To flourish, the Semantic Web needs to be able to accommodate the huge amounts of existing data and the applications operating on them. To achieve this, we are faced with two problems. First, most of the world's data is available not in RDF but in XML; XML and the applications consuming it rely not only on the domain structure of the data, but also on its document structure. Hence, to provide interoperability between such sources, we must map between both their domain structures and their document structures. Second, data management practitioners often prefer to exchange data through local point-to-point data translations, rather than mapping to common mediated schemas or ontologies.This paper describes the Piazza system, which addresses these challenges. Piazza offers a language for mediating between data sources on the Semantic Web, which maps both the domain structure and document structure. Piazza also enables interoperation of XML data with RDF data that is accompanied by rich OWL ontologies. Mappings in Piazza are provided at a local scale between small sets of nodes, and our query answering algorithm is able to chain sets mappings together to obtain relevant data from across the Piazza network. We also describe an implemented scenario in Piazza and the lessons we learned from it.
Making Alternative Histories: The Practice of Archaeology and History in Non‐Western Settings

Making Alternative Histories: The Practice of Archaeology and History in Non-Western Settings. Peter R. Schmidt and Thomas C. Patterson. eds. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press, 1995. 312 pp.
Automated Image Registration for Hydrologic Change Detection in the Lake-Rich Arctic

Multitemporal remote sensing provides a unique tool to track lake dynamics at the pan-Arctic scale but requires precise registration of thousands of satellite images. This is a challenging task owing to a dearth of stable features to be used as tie points [(TPs), i.e., control points] in the dynamic landscapes. This letter develops an automated method to precisely register images in the lake-rich Arctic. The core premise of the method is that the centers of lakes are generally stable even if their shorelines are not. The proposed procedures first extract lakes in multitemporal satellite images, derive lake centroids and match them between images, and then use the centroids of stable lakes as TPs for image registration. The results show that this approach can achieve subpixel registration accuracy, outcompeting the conventional manual methods in both efficiency and accuracy. The proposed method is fully automated and represents a feasible way to register images for lake change detection at the pan-Arctic scale.
Youngia thunbergiana (Crepidinae, Cichorieae, Asteraceae), a Species Overlooked in the North American Flora

ABSTRACT Youngia thunbergiana is documented for North America from Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina. Lloyd Shinners in 1964 reported this species for the District of Columbia and North Carolina, a fact apparently overlooked by subsequent investigators. When recognized, this taxon was generally treated as Youngia japonica subsp. elstonii, based on specimens from Hawaii, in accordance with the monograph of Youngia by Babcock and Stebbins (1937). Subsequently, when not accorded taxonomic recognition, it has been regarded as a synonym of the Y. japonica polymorphic complex. Shinners presented evidence for recognition at specific rank and, as such, asserted that Y. thunbergiana is its correct name. The present research is in agreement with his findings of Shinners. Youngia pseudosenecio is another name subsequently proposed within the Y. japonica complex that has been synonymized with Y. japonica subsp. elstonii. Nuclear ITS sequence data lend support to Y. pseudosenecio and Y. thunberg...
On the Microstructure of Nanoporous Gold: An X-ray Diffraction Study

The evolution of the grain structure, internal strain, and the lattice misorientations of nanoporous gold during dealloying of bulk (3D) Ag-Au alloy samples was studied by various in situ and ex situ X-ray diffraction techniques including powder and Laue diffraction. The experiments reveal that the dealloying process preserves the original crystallographic structure but leads to a small spread in orientations within individual grains. Initially, most grains develop in-plane tensile stresses, which are partly released during further dealloying. Simultaneously, the feature size of the developing nanoporous structure increases with increasing dealloying time. Finally, microdiffraction experiments on dealloyed micron-sized nanoporous pillars reveal significant surface damage introduced by focused ion beam milling.
THE POLITICS OF REPRODUCTION: MATERNALISM AND WOMEN'S HYGIENE IN IRAN, 1896–1941

Travelers to Iran in the 19th century often decried the startling rate of infant mortality. Writing in 1856, Lady Mary Sheil, wife of the British envoy to Persia, Sir Justin Sheil, remarked that “the mortality among children is immense, owing to neglect, ignorance, and laziness.” Citing the Shah's French physician, Sheil continued: “Dr. Cloquet … expressed to me his conviction that not above three children in ten outlived their third year.” Sheil faulted the local culture of child rearing, including women as the traditional caretakers of children, for this deplorable condition. She described a society in which fairly affluent mothers apparently disliked nursing infants and one that purportedly allowed “nurses” to calm children with bits of opium. Nearly four decades later, the British official George Nathaniel Curzon documented other scenarios to explain the high mortality of women and children. Upon visiting Iran in 1892, Curzon cited a report by the Austrian physician Jakob Polak that one of the “main causes of the decline of population” in Iran was related to the “unfavourable position of women, including the facility of divorce, early marriage, and premature age, the length of the suckling period, and the thereby impaired fertility of the sex.” Other possible reasons for population decline included the “decay of sanitary police, and consequent greater ravages by typhus, dysentery, cholera, plague, and, more particularly, owing to the inadequacy of inoculation, by small-pox—the mortality of children in the second year of their age being very striking.” Though pinpointing different reasons for the prevalence of infant mortality, Sheil and Curzon recognized this issue as a consequential social problem facing 19th-century Iranian society.
Diversity Awareness And Management In Adult Education

Effective education to all students is a moral imperative in today’s diverse environment of adult learning. Educators are obligated to avoid all issues that present a conflict of interest in order to create a healthy learning environment for all students. This document provides a review of diversity related issues such as sexual harassment, self-fulfilling prophecy in relation to the diverse environment of education, diversity management concerns in learning, and adult teaching practices geared toward new adult educators of diverse student populations.
Supercontinent breakup: effect on eustatic sea level and the oceanic heat flux

First-order sea-level highstands have occured only twice during Phanerozoic time and in both cases have followed supercontinent breakups by 50—100 Ma. We propose that a major control on first order sea-level cycles is the formation of new ocean basins and destruction of preexisting ocean basins. During breakup the global plate generation rate increases as new spreading ridges are created. As older basins are consumed, in order to conserve total ocean area, plate generation rates gradually decrease. Taken together, these variations in the global plate generation cause sea level, as well as the ocean heat flux, to first rise and then fall as new ocean basins open. The eustatic highstand generally occurs later than the oceanic heat flux maximum which, in turn, follows the time of peak plate generation rates. In contrast to other models, our mechanism does not require anomalously high spreading rates during the Late Cretaceous highstand.
Topical Anesthetics and Office-Based Procedures

Minor procedures performed by the primary care practitioner are a source of pain and anxiety for children and their families. This includes procedures such as injections, veni-puncture, and bladder catheterizations. A paradigm which includes developmentally appropriate preparation, distraction, topical and local anesthesia, and complementary techniques will make the child more comfortable, calm the parent, and allow the procedure to be completed successfully.
Direct-Write Printing of Silver Metallizations on Silicon Solar Cells

Direct-write technologies offer the potential for low-cost materials-efficient deposition of contact metallizations for photovoltaics. We report on the inkjet printing of metal organic decomposition (MOD) inks with and without nanoparticle additions. Near-bulk conductivity of printed and sprayed metal films has been achieved for Ag and Ag nanocomposites. Good adhesion and ohmic contacts with a measured contact resistance of 400μΩ•cm2 have been observed between the sprayed silver films and a heavily doped n-type layer of Si. Silver deposited using the MOD ink burns through the Si3N4 antireflection coating when annealed at 850°C to form an ohmic contact to the n-Si underneath. An active solar cell device was fabricated using a top contact that was spray printed using the Ag MOD ink. Inkjet printed films show adhesion differences as a function of the process temperature and solvent. Silver lines with good adhesion and conductivity have been printed on glass with 100 μm resolution.
Year-class variation drives interactions between warm-water predators and yellow perch

Walleye (Sander vitreus), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are common top predators across many north temperate lakes, but no previous analyses have assessed factors driving their combined impact on mortality of a shared prey, yellow perch (Perca flavescens). We estimated consumption dynamics of walleye, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass during 3 years that differed in age-0 yellow perch year-class strength and evaluated the relative contribution of each predator to age-0 yellow perch mortality, in Oneida Lake, New York, USA. Habitat-specific diet composition and population densities were integrated with temperature and growth rates to parameterize a bioenergetics model and estimate annual consumption of major diet items. Walleye were the dominant predator in both offshore and inshore habitats, while smallmouth bass and largemouth bass were also important inshore predators. Consumption of age-0 yellow perch by all three predators was positively correla...
Epistemic Equivalence and Epistemic Incapacitation

AbstractOne typical realist response to the argument from underdetermination of theories by evidence is an appeal to epistemic criteria besides the empirical evidence to argue that, while scientifi...
Mechanism of Self-catalytic Atomic Layer Deposition of Silicon Dioxide Using 3-Aminopropyl Triethoxysilane, Water, and Ozone

We have investigated the surface reaction mechanism during the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of SiO2 from 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES), H2O, and O3 using in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. After the chemisorption of APTES on the SiO2 surface, during the H2O cycle, the aminopropyl groups in APTES catalyze the hydrolysis of ethoxy ligands, leaving the surface terminated with OH groups—a reaction that would otherwise require an acidic or basic catalyst. O3, in the subsequent cycle, combusts the remaining aminopropyl ligands, possibly producing combustion products such as CO, CO2, H2O, and NOx. Among these products CO reacts with surface OH groups to form monodentate formates and SiH on the surface. The formates and SiH groups produced during O3 exposure along with the OH groups produced during H2O exposure serve as the reactive sites for APTES chemisorption, thus completing the entire ALD cycle.
Diffraction Gratings for a Compact Integrated Optical Micro-Spectrometer

The integrated optical micro-spectrometer based on of focusing diffraction grating fabricated by e-beam lithography with the size of optical part less than 0.1 cm and spectral resolution at least 5 nm has been developed.
Cefoxitin: An Overview of Clinical Studies in the United States

Cefoxitin, a new cephamycin antibiotic that is active against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, was studied by 35 investigators in the United States. Of 657 patients eligible for evaluation of efficacy of the compound, 69% were cured and 92% were cured or improved on clinical grounds. Bacteriologic response to therapy with cefoxitin was equally good for infections due to gram-positive cocci (94% cured), gram-negative bacilli (87% cured), and anaerobes (95% cured). Cefoxitin was effective clinically and bacteriologically in the eradication of infections due to organisms resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and aminoglycosides. Overall rates of favorable response to cefoxitin therapy by disease were: lower respiratory tract infections, 90%; urinary tract infections, 87%; intraabdominal infections, 90%; gynecologic infections, 94%; and septicemia, 84%. Cefoxitin was tolerated well, and major abnormalities of hematologic, hepatic, renal, or central nervous system function were encountered rarely. Resistance to cefoxitin did not develop among gram-negative cocci, anaerobes, or gram-negative bacilli in the medical centers in which the antibiotic was used.
Micro Single Crystals of Hematite with Nearly 100% Exposed {104} Facets: Preferred Etching and Lithium Storage

The controlled synthesis of inorganic single crystals with a large percentage of exposed high-index facets has attracted much attention. However, high-index facets usually disappear during the early stage of crystal growth due to the minimization of surface energy and typically facet-controlling agents are employed. Here a facile fast hydrothermal method for the preparation of microsize α-Fe2O3 rhombohedra with nearly 100% exposed {104} facets was developed in a simple formulated solvent without any additives. The hydrothermal reaction time could be as short as 75 min, in contrast to typical hydrothermal reactions over days. The preferred etching edges along the diagonal axis of microsize rhombohedra by the self-generated ions was observed, which could be potentially extended to synthesize and tailor other transition metal oxides. The formation mechanism was revealed by ex situ FESEM observations of the samples prepared at different reaction times. Improved electrochemical performances in terms of cyclabi...
The 4% Fallacy: R. I. P.

It is perhaps time for the 4% fallacy to rest in peace. Those who are alert to logical and methodological issues have probably registered the message clearly enough in the years since the first article appeared [1] and those who prefer fallacy have by now well demonstrated their invincibility. The diligent labors of McConnel [2, this issue], however, invite a brief and final response.
Physician rights to privacy of data prevail in two major court tests, but new questions lie ahead.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the days of paper-based medical records are numbered. The writing is on the wall or, perhaps more accurately, on the silicon, as electronic medical records (EMRs) are fast becoming the method of choice for storing clinical data. The newly passed economic stimulus bill, which allocates $20 billion to encourage the use of EMRs, will greatly accelerate the trend. Beyond EMRs, patient information is captured electronically through many different routes and for many different purposes. Patients compile their own medical dossiers on Web sites. Payers, both public and private, profile practitioners’ practice patterns based on re-imbursement claims. Third-party vendors facilitate electronic communication for electronic prescribing, claims submission, and other functions. The avenues for electronic sharing of clinical data have grown steadily over the past several years, and they promise to proliferate even more rapidly in the years ahead. Medical information that is linked to identifiable patients is protected from unauthorized disclosure by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). As a matter of ethics, patient privacy is widely considered to be sacrosanct. But what about the disclosure of information that identifies individual physicians?
Placebo Effect Perplexes Philosophy

It is called placebo effect for the acceptable curative effects that come from some inertial therapeutic measures with non-special purpose and without biological evidence. A suppositious processes will be given as some false or imitated inertial therapeutic processes might make the patient some mental processes at first, then it dominates some inner material processes in his/her body to respond the mental desires, if the two processes would meet properly, the placebo effects would be produced at the end. In the philosophy of psychosomaticality, placebo effects supports Mr. John Carew Eccles' psychon theory. In the philosophy of causality, the effects seem to support the causative ideas of subjective autogenous. In a moral phi-losophy, therapeutic nihilism, a kind lying, especially, whether placebo therapy could be used as a real clinic practice or not, need more ethic rethink and evaluation.
Relationship between Serum Interleukin-18 and Changes of Heart Function in Children with Viral Myocarditis

Objective To analyze the correlation between serum interleukin-18(IL-18) level and changes of heart function in children with viral myocarditis(VM).Methods Seventy-two cases with VM were selected from Tianjin Children's Hospital.Control group were selected from the patients in surgery outpatient department.The patient group was divided into 3 groups which were named non-heart failure group,heart failure group and cardiogenic shock group.The Pillip Sonos 5500 type echocardiogram was applied to measured the left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS),ejection fraction (EF),left atrium inner diameter(LAD),left ventricular end diastolic inner diameter (LVEDD)and left ventricular end systolic inner diameter(LVESD) in patient group,descripted function change of their heart.ELISA method was used to measure the content of IL-18 in 15 cases of control group and 36 cases of patient group.All data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 software.Results 1.The LVESD in shock group were larger than that in non-heart failure group and heart failure group,abnormality probability of LVFS and EF step up from non-heart failure group to heart failure group and to shock group.2.The serum IL-18 level in patient group was higher than that in control group (P0.01); the serum IL-18 level in each subset was higher than that in non-heart failure group (P0.01).3.There was one of negative rank correlation between serum IL-18 level and LVFS,EF(Pa0.05),there was one kind of positive correlation between serum IL-18 level and LVESD(P0.05).Linear regression was made these conclusion:lg(IL-18)=1.615+0.054×LVESD;lg(IL-18)=3.949-3.094×LVFS;lg(IL-18)=4.027-2.408×EF.Conclusions 1.The serum IL-18 level increased in VM,which complicated or not complicated with chronic congestive heart failure and cardiogenic shock and it is a sensitive parameter to mark patients condition.2.Along with the aggravation of VM children,the demage of heart function would be real measured.The serum level of IL-18 is correlate with LVFS,EF,and LVESD.IL-18 might be a good parameter to reflect the cardiac fuction except the echocardiogram.
CT of the retroperitoneum in urosurgical disorders.

Until computed tomography (CT) gained widespread clinical acceptance, the retroperitoneum was inaccessible to noninvasive imaging techniques. This article details the use of CT as a tool for studying urosurgical retroperitoneal disease. The CT image provides guidance for the rapid and safe performance of percutaneous biopsies and drainage procedures.
Can insignificant prostate cancer be predicted preoperatively in men with stage T1 disease

This study reviews the pathological findings in nonpalpable prostate cancer detected on transurethral resection (TUR) (stages T1a and T1b) and on needle biopsy (stage T1c) to determine whether insignificant cancers can be predicted preoperatively. The majority of stage T1a cancers are insignificant and all stage T1b cancers are significant. Preoperative pathological parameters cannot identify the minority of T1a cancers that are more significant and the minority of T1b cancers with relatively little residual cancer. Although most nonpalpable tumors diagnosed by screening techniques are usually significant tumors, which would be treated aggressively if they were palpable, 12% to 26% of cancers removed from nonpalpable disease are relatively insignificant. There is conflicting data as to whether a combination of needle biopsy findings and PSA density measurements can aid in the prediction of insignificant cancers. If conservative management is considered, a patient should undergo repeat biopsies (including transition zone biopsies) to detect those more significant cancers that may have been undersampled. In addition, serial serum PSA measurements should be performed to detect whether serum PSA levels increase to a point where these tumors would be reclassified as significant. When planning therapy for T1 patients, the age, comorbidity, and treatment preferences of the patient are key factors that must also be taken into account.
Preoperative Cytologic Diagnosis of Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features: A Prospective Analysis

Background: The term noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) has been proposed to replace noninvasive follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) in recognition of the indolent behavior of this tumor. The ability to differentiate NIFTP from classical papillary thyroid carcinoma (cPTC) by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) would facilitate conservative management for NIFTP. The aim of this study was to determine if NIFTP can be distinguished prospectively from cPTC. Methods: From June 2015 to January 2016, thyroid FNAs with a diagnosis of “malignant” or “suspicious for malignancy” were prospectively scored for features associated with NIFTP/FVPTC (microfollicular architecture) or cPTC (papillae, psammomatous calcifications, sheet-like architecture, and nuclear pseudoinclusions) and categorized as NIFTP/FVPTC, cPTC, or indeterminate. Results were correlated with subsequent histologic diagnoses. Results: The study included 52 patients with 56 resected nodu...
Biphasic Catalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidation of Alcohols in Flow: Scale-up and Extraction

We report continuous solvent-free biphasic alcohol oxidation with hydrogen peroxide and in-line separation of the tungsten polyoxometalate catalyst and phase transfer catalyst from the product. Zinc-substituted polyoxotungstate in combination with the selected phase transfer catalyst drives the oxidation reaction to completion within a short residence time (5–10 min) in a silicon Pyrex microreactor. This continuous and small-scale reactor allows for fast optimization of reaction conditions for each substrate and selection of the phase transfer catalyst. Scaling of the production rate (up to 650 times) is achieved with a Corning low flow reactor (LFR) and an advanced flow reactor (AFR). New scaled-up, in-line membrane-based liquid–liquid extraction units at the reactor outlet first separate the tungsten polyoxometalate catalyst with the aqueous waste stream from the organic product stream. A three-stage countercurrent liquid–liquid extraction then removes more than 90% of the phase transfer catalyst from t...
A retrospective study to determine the utility of measuring E6 and E7 antibody (Ab) levels in sera as a biomarker of recurrence in patients (pts) with locally advanced (LA), human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

6096 Background: Approximately 20% of pts with LA, HPV+ OPSCC have poor survival outcomes. To date, there is a paucity of biomarkers to predict which pts will ultimately fail standard therapy. E6/E...
Emergency Room Plain Radiograph Imaging Study Indications: An Analysis of Quality and Trends at a Large Academic Medical Center.

Rationale and Objectives This study aimed to assess the quality of and analyze trends among clinical indications received for emergency room radiograph studies. Materials and Methods Clinical indications provided by the emergency room and rapid care for consecutive chest, abdominal, and musculoskeletal radiographs were reviewed. Chart review was performed to analyze the provided indications compared to clinical information known to the ordering providers. Chest and abdominal radiograph indications were graded according to symptoms and physical examination signs and relevant past medical history. Musculoskeletal indications were graded according to symptoms, mechanism of injury, and positive physical examination findings. Each study indication was graded on a scale from 0 to 2 according to scales modified from those of prior published studies. Grades were further stratified according to ordering location, time of shift, ordering provider level, and specific anatomy involved. Results For chest and abdomen studies, mean scores for symptom and physical examination and provided past medical history grades were 1.16 and 0.36, respectively. There was a trend toward a significant difference in mean medical history grades among ordering provider levels. For musculoskeletal studies, mean scores for symptom, mechanism, and physical examination grades were 1.04, 0.89, and 0.51, respectively. Mean symptom and examination grades for physician extenders were significantly less than those of attendings and residents. Mean symptom and mechanism grades for extremity studies were significantly less than those for spinal studies. Conclusions For plain radiographs ordered through the emergency department, certain critical pieces of study indications tended to be underreported relative to other components. Furthermore, significant differences in select categories were seen among ordering provider levels and anatomic location.
Social interactions in daily life: Within-person associations between momentary social experiences and psychological and physical health indicators

It is well established that individuals who engage in more positive social interactions report a broad array of benefit relative to those with fewer positive social interactions. Yet less is known ...
Navigating anger in Happy Valley: Analyzing Penn State’s Facebook-based crisis responses to the Sandusky scandal

Abstract Social media are important channels of communication during a crisis. This study examined the use of Facebook as a crisis management tool for Pennsylvania State University during the first month of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. A content analysis of all 129 posts made by the university during that time period and 2060 comments to the posts suggested that audience reaction to crisis information varies based on crisis response strategy, sources cited, and topics shared. This study has implications for social media crisis management models.
A prognostic tool to predict outcomes in children undergoing the Norwood operation

Abstract Objectives To create and validate a prediction model to assess outcomes associated with the Norwood operation. Methods The public-use dataset from a multicenter, prospective, randomized single-ventricle reconstruction trial was used to create this novel prediction tool. A Bayesian lasso logistic regression model was used for variable selection. We used a hierarchical framework by representing discrete probability models with continuous latent variables that depended on the risk factors for a particular patient. Bayesian conditional probit regression and Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations were then used to estimate the effects of the predictors on the means of these latent variables to create a score function for each of the study outcomes. We also devised a method to calculate the risk of outcomes associated with the Norwood operation before the actual heart operation. The 2 study outcomes evaluated were in-hospital mortality and composite poor outcome. Results The training dataset used 520 patients to generate the prediction model. The model included patient demographics, baseline characteristics, cardiac diagnosis, operation details, site volume, and surgeon experience. An online calculator for the tool can be accessed at https://soipredictiontool.shinyapps.io/NorwoodScoreApp/. Model validation was performed on 520 observations using an internal 10-fold cross-validation approach. The prediction model had an area under the curve of 0.77 for mortality and 0.72 for composite poor outcome on the validation dataset. Conclusions Our new prognostic tool is a promising first step in creating real-time risk stratification in children undergoing a Norwood operation; this tool will be beneficial for the purposes of benchmarking, family counseling, and research.
Characterizing New England Emergency Departments by Telemedicine Use.

Author(s): Zachrison, Kori S.; Hayden, Emily M.; Schwamm, Lee H.; Espinola, Janice A.; Sullivan, Ashley F.; Boggs, Krislyn M.; Raja, Ali S.; Camargo, Carlos A. | Abstract: Introduction: Telemedicine connects emergency departments (ED) with resources necessaryfor patient care; its use has not been characterized nationally, or even regionally. Our primaryobjective was to describe the prevalence of telemedicine use in New England EDs and theclinical applications of use. Secondarily, we aimed to determine if telemedicine use wasassociated with consultant availability and to identify ED characteristics associated withtelemedicine use.Methods: We analyzed data from the National Emergency Department Inventory-New Englandsurvey, which assessed basic ED characteristics in 2014. The survey queried directors of everyED (n=195) in the six New England states (excluding federal hospitals and college infirmaries).Descriptive statistics characterized ED telemedicine use; multivariable logistic regressionidentified independent predictors of use.Results: Of the 169 responding EDs (87% response rate), 82 (49%) reported usingtelemedicine. Telemedicine EDs were more likely to be rural (18% of users vs. 7% of nonusers,p=0.03); less likely to be academic (1% of users vs. 11% of non-users, p=0.01); andless likely to have 24/7 access to neurology (pl0.001), neurosurgery (pl0.001), orthopedics(p=0.01), plastic surgery (p=0.01), psychiatry (pl0.001), and hand surgery (pl0.001)consultants. Neuro/stroke (68%), pediatrics (11%), psychiatry (11%), and trauma (10%) were themost commonly reported applications. On multivariable analysis, telemedicine was more likely inrural EDs (odds ratio [OR] 4.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1. 30-14.86), and less likely in EDswith 24/7 neurologist availability (OR 0.21, 95% CI [0.09-0.49] ), and annual volume l20,000 (OR0.24, 95% CI [0.08-0.68]).Conclusion: Telemedicine is commonly used in New England EDs. In 2014, use was morecommon among rural EDs and EDs with limited neurology consultant availability. In contrast,telemedicine use was less common among very low-volume EDs.