cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tobacco industry price‐subsidizing promotions may overcome the downward pressure of higher prices on initiation of regular smoking

Real cigarette prices in the US increased from the early 1980s to early 1990s. Holding all else equal, adolescent initiation of regular smoking should have declined during this period. Using national population-based surveys (n = 336 343) conducted in the 1990s, we present trends (early 1960s to mid-1990s) in the initiation of regular smoking among 14-17-year-old adolescents and 18-21-year-old young adults. We also present trends in consumer-price-index-adjusted cigarette price and tobacco-industry expenditures for price-subsidizing promotions. We relate price and price-subsidizing tobacco industry expenditures to trends in initiation in the two age groups, using autoregressive integrated moving average models (ARIMA). From the model results, we conclude that price-subsidizing promotions may provide the tobacco industry with an effective way to segment the market. That is, they effectively offer lower prices to population subgroups that are more price-sensitive (e.g. young smokers not yet addicted), countering the depressing effect of general price increases on smoking. Thus, we find that the relationship of cigarette price to smoking behavior is more complex than previously described.
Fish assemblage structure on a drowned barrier island in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

We investigated the assemblage structure of fishes associated with different habitats (inshore mud, shell bank, and offshore mud) over a drowned barrier island, Freeport Rocks Bathymetric High, on the inner continental shelf of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (NW Gulf). Density data from otter trawls were used to examine spatial (habitat and site) and temporal differences in fish assemblage structure using multi- and univariate procedures. Eight species accounted for 69% of the total composition and in order of decreasing abundance included shoal flounder (Syacium gunteri), dwarf sand perch (Diplectrum bivittatum), red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), least puffer (Sphoeroides parvus), silver seatrout (Cynoscion nothus), largescale lizardfish (Saurida brasiliensis), silver jenny (Eucinostomus gula), and sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius). Multivariate results indicated fish assemblage structure differed among habitats (ANOSIM; Global R = 0.190, P < 0.001) and survey dates (ANOSIM; Global R = 0.541, P < 0.001); however, differences among sites were negligible (ANOSIM; Global R = −0.015, P = 0.749). Highest densities of dwarf sand perch and least puffer were found on the shell bank, while densities of shoal flounder, largescale lizardfish, and silver jenny were highest on offshore mud. In addition, smallest sizes and highest densities of six of the eight abundant species were found in July, suggesting an important period for juvenile fishes. Diversity indices also varied relative to habitat with highest Shannon diversity (H′) and species richness (S) values for fishes associated with the shell bank. Results of this study highlight the importance of a mosaic of habitat types to fish assemblages on a drowned barrier island in the NW Gulf.
Servo-write quality and servo performance in perpendicular recording

Perpendicular recording has recently been replacing longitudinal recording in hard disk drives (HDDs). With perpendicular recording, however, it has been clarified that a state of DC magnetization is not conducive for read and write operations because it causes a unique flux flaw. In this paper, we investigated servo-write quality and servo performance, and found that the erasing conditions strongly affected the self-servo-write quality, which was especially seen in the reading process.
A Crowdsourcing Innovation Challenge to Locate and Map Automated External Defibrillators

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health problem that affects an estimated 300 000 people in the United States every year.1,2 The application of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to patients who have experienced cardiac arrest has saved many lives. AEDs coupled with cardiopulmonary resuscitation can significantly improve survival from cardiac arrest from 50%.3–5 AEDs can be used easily by untrained laypeople. When accessed and opened, most devices provide audible and visual instructions on use and how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, AED effectiveness is extremely time dependent, and presently, in a crisis no comprehensive map of these devices exists to help bystanders find and use them.3,6–9 Previous work from a large database of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States suggests low (4%, 1166 of 31 689) use of AEDs by bystanders.10 An accurate, easily accessible map of AEDs could help people locate them in an emergency, either directly through smart phone applications (apps) or through communication with map-equipped 911 emergency responders.11 Creating such a map is challenging, and currently, there is no publicly accessible, accurate, comprehensive crowdsourced map for any region in the world. Although sending out an army of staff might allow canvassing of a geographic region, such an approach would be expensive and not clearly scalable. Furthermore, because AEDs can move locations and require maintenance, ensuring that a database of devices had valid, routinely updated data would be a difficult task. Crowdsourcing is increasingly used to address major creative and data gathering challenges.12–15 Crowdsourcing involves taking a task conventionally assigned to particular individuals and instead soliciting help for the task from a large group of diverse individuals (ie, the crowd). The task is often posted online to …
Postural Instability and Motion Sickness in a Virtual Moving Room

OBJECTIVE: We examined motion sickness in an oscillating virtual environment presented via a video projector system. BACKGROUND: Visible oscillation of the physical environment is known to induce both postural instability and motion sickness, but it cannot be assumed that the same phenomena will occur in a virtual simulation of such motion. METHOD: Standing participants (3 men and 9 women, 20-22 years of age) were exposed to oscillation of a virtual room. The stimulus was a computer-generated simulation of a laboratory device that is known to induce postural instability and motion sickness. Participants viewed the simulation for up to 40 min and were instructed to discontinue if they experienced symptoms of motion sickness. RESULTS: Motion sickness incidence (42%) did not differ from that in studies using the corresponding physical moving room. Prior to motion sickness onset, the sick group exhibited changes in movement, relative to the well group, as predicted by the postural instability theory of motion sickness. Differences in movement between the sick and well groups developed over time, in contrast with previous studies using physical moving rooms, in which such movement differences have not evolved. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that changes in postural activity precede motion sickness that is induced by an oscillating virtual environment, but they also reveal differences in postural responses to virtual and physical motion environments. APPLICATION: Potential applications of this research include recommendations for the use of virtual environments as models for perception and action in physical environments. Language: en
Efficient algorithms for fast integration on large data sets from multiple sources

Recent large scale deployments of health information technology have created opportunities for the integration of patient medical records with disparate public health, human service, and educational databases to provide comprehensive information related to health and development. Data integration techniques, which identify records belonging to the same individual that reside in multiple data sets, are essential to these efforts. Several algorithms have been proposed in the literatures that are adept in integrating records from two different datasets. Our algorithms are aimed at integrating multiple (in particular more than two) datasets efficiently. Hierarchical clustering based solutions are used to integrate multiple (in particular more than two) datasets. Edit distance is used as the basic distance calculation, while distance calculation of common input errors is also studied. Several techniques have been applied to improve the algorithms in terms of both time and space: 1) Partial Construction of the Dendrogram (PCD) that ignores the level above the threshold; 2) Ignoring the Dendrogram Structure (IDS); 3) Faster Computation of the Edit Distance (FCED) that predicts the distance with the threshold by upper bounds on edit distance; and 4) A pre-processing blocking phase that limits dynamic computation within each block. We have experimentally validated our algorithms on large simulated as well as real data. Accuracy and completeness are defined stringently to show the performance of our algorithms. In addition, we employ a four-category analysis. Comparison with FEBRL shows the robustness of our approach. In the experiments we conducted, the accuracy we observed exceeded 90% for the simulated data in most cases. 97.7% and 98.1% accuracy were achieved for the constant and proportional threshold, respectively, in a real dataset of 1,083,878 records.
Yolk testosterone organizes behavior and male plumage coloration in house sparrows ( Passer domesticus )

Vertebrate eggs contain maternal steroid hormones in their yolks; and in avian species the concentration of these steroids vary within and among clutches. The organizational actions of these variable doses of maternal steroids in the avian egg, analogous to those regulating the development of sexually dimorphic traits, are little explored. In this study, we examined the organizational effects of yolk testosterone in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus, a sexually dichromatic passerine bird in which males are characterized by the presence of a throat patch or “badge” of black feathers that varies in size among males. We injected a physiological dose of testosterone or vehicle into eggs in the field, removed nestlings, and hand-raised them in the laboratory. At 5 months of age, we investigated treatment effects on plumage and behavior. Males that hatched from testosterone-injected eggs developed a larger badge than males that hatched from vehicle-injected (control) eggs. However, testosterone did not induce the expression of a badge in females. In staged dyadic encounters, both males and females hatched from testosterone-injected eggs were more successful at obtaining and defending a food source than individuals of the same sex hatched from control eggs. The results suggest that variable concentrations of maternal testosterone in the eggs of the house sparrow organize the expression of a plumage trait in males and behavior in both sexes.
Xylem dielectric constant, water status, and transpiration of young Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in the southern boreal zone of Canada

Diurnal changes of xylem dielectric constant (XDC), microclimate, and tree water status were studied in a young Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) stand in the southern boreal zone of Canada. Tree water status of trees was also manipulated by changing the canopy vapor pressure gradients in order to evaluate its influence on tree hydraulic conductance. Seasonal stand water consumption was calculated from tree transpiration. The mean XDC of eight concurrently monitored trees changed significantly from day- to nighttime. Individual trees varied widely in trend and diurnal amplitude of XDC changes. Correlation between individual tree's XDC, micro-meteorological parameters, tree water status and xylem flux was weak. Changes of XDC were observed during short term manipulation of water potential while tree water content did not change significantly. Xylem flux in trees was linearly related to the xylem water potential gradient. Tree hydraulic conductance was weakly correlated with xylem water potential and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit. No significant relationship was found between tree water potential and water content. Stand transpiration was depending on available soil water, reflected in a strong decreasing trend of transpiration vs. atmospheric vapor pressure differences during periods of water storage depletion.
Infusion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist during pregnancy: maternal and fetal responses in primates.

Abstract To determine whether a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist could cross the placenta to the fetus, each pregnant rhesus monkey (110 to 155 days' gestation, n=10) and her in utero fetus had indwelling cannulas placed in the femoral veins. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (1000 μg intravenously) was injected into the mother (n = 8) or fetus (n = 2); serial blood samples were collected from mother and fetus for luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone determination. None of the mothers responded to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist bolus. In contrast, some of the fetal monkeys receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist via placental transfer and all fetal monkeys injected directly with the agonist responded as indicated by increased luteinizing hormone (2.8- to 12.3-fold) and follicle-stimulating hormone (1.5- to 8.9-fold) concentrations. In evaluating maternal and fetal effects, we found that continuous maternal infusion with either gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (n = 14) or saline solution (n = 11) throughout pregnancy did not alter maternal hormonal profiles. Histologically, gonads from their infants, removed within 3 days post partum, were normal. Although neonatal ovarian weights were unaffected by the in utero treatment, the testes weighed less (p
2,3‐Bis(bromomethyl)‐1,3‐butadiene

[18214-55-6] C6H8Br2 (MW 239.94) InChI = 1S/C6H8Br2/c1-5(3-7)6(2)4-8/h1-4H2 InChIKey = OZUCUCKQZLWFON-UHFFFAOYSA-N (Diels–Alder diene;1 preparation of other 2,3-disubstituted 1,3-dienes2) Physical Data: mp 57–58 °C. Solubility: sol pentane, THF. Form Supplied in: white solid. Preparative Methods: Zn–Cu1 or Sn–Cu3 mediated dehalogenation of tetrakis(bromomethyl)ethylene; thermolysis of a precursor sulfone;3 and through reaction of allene with PdBr2.4, 5 Purification: recrystallization from pentane,1 hexane,6 or hexane–ethyl acetate.5 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: light sensitive; tends to polymerize at room temperature. Stable for months when stored as a solid or as a solution in ether in the dark at 0 °C.
Multiecho magnetic resonance angiography.

Several pulse sequences which generate projected MR angiograms are presented. These pulse sequences exploit multiple-gradient refocused echoes to obtain several independent angiograms, which can be combined or separately analyzed to provide more information than an individual angiogram. For example, a series of angiograms, each with a different projection axis, can be obtained in the time required to obtain a single angiogram using a single-echo method. If the view angle of each echo is the same, then the acquired angiograms can be added to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. Another pulse sequence simultaneously obtains two or more angiograms, sensitive to orthogonal flow components of the overall blood flow. These angiograms are then added to give an angiogram which is sensitive to flow in all directions. © 1987 Academic Press, Inc.
Species Abundance and Diversity of Burkholderia cepacia Complex in the Environment

Despite considerable interest in studying Burkholderia cepacia complex in the environment, we still do not have efficient methods to detect, isolate, and screen large numbers of B. cepacia isolates. To better describe the ecology and diversity of B. cepacia complex, a colony hybridization assay was developed to detect specifically all species of the complex based on polymorphism of the variable V3 region of the 16S rRNA sequence. The sensitivity of the assay was dramatically enhanced by using a probe consisting of three repeats of a B. cepacia complex-specific probe, each separated by a phosphoramidite spacer. In addition, a duplex PCR targeting B. cepacia complex-specific recA and 16S rRNA sequences was developed to enable a fast and reliable diagnostic assay for members of the complex. When applied to maize rhizosphere samples, colony hybridization results were in good agreement with those of most-probable-number duplex PCR, both indicating a >100-fold fluctuation of abundance between individual plants. Using restriction analysis of recA for a total of 285 confirmed isolates of the B. cepacia complex, up to seven B. cepacia complex species were identified; however, their diversity and abundance were not evenly distributed among individual plants, and several allelic variants were commonly found from the same rhizosphere sample. These results indicate that not only complex communities of B. cepacia complex species and closely related strains of the same species may coexist at high population levels but also species composition and abundance may dramatically vary between individual plants.
Persistent agmination of lymphomatoid papulosis: an equivalent of limited plaque mycosis fungoides type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Background Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) is a self-healing eruption in the spectrum of CD30 + lymphoproliferative disorders. The most common lymphoproliferative disorder associated with LyP is the most common form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: mycosis fungoides. Objective We sought to describe a distinct entity on the spectrum of CD30 + lymphoproliferative disorders. Results Seven patients presented with similar findings. Within a well-circumscribed area, the size and location of a patch of mycosis fungoides, these patients had continual eruptions of papulonodules that were histologically typical of LyP. The localized areas of involvement were treated as oligolesional mycosis fungoides and long-standing remissions occurred even after years of experiencing continuous localized eruptions. The clinical and histologic findings are reviewed and presented in a way to further the identification of patients with this entity. Limitations This distinct entity is only defined by 7 patients. Conclusion The agmination of LyP-like papulonodules confined to a discrete circumscribed area is a distinct clinical subset within the spectrum of CD30 + lymphoproliferative disorders. The behavior of this entity is that of a progressive lymphoma that warrants therapy.
Agenesis of the left pulmonary artery as a cause of hemoptysis

Agenesis of a pulmonary artery is an unusual cause of hemoptysis. Presented here is a case of agenesis of the left pulmonary artery which presented following a subendocardial infarction which raised the suspicion for pulmonary embolus. Despite a ventilation perfusion long scan which showed absent perfusion to the left lung, the clinical absence of tachypnea and dyspnea led to pulmonary angi ography and thence to the correct diagnosis. Anticoagulant and/or thrombolyic therapy were withheld and the patient was treated conservatively. Agenesis of a pulmonary artery is a rare cause of hemoptysis, but may mimic pulmonary emboli and should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Failure to recog nize this clinical entity could lead to unwanted and potentially harmful anti coagulant or thrombolyic therapy.
An expert system for nonlinear filtering

Expert systems have been introduced into many different areas of engineering. The demand for introducing the human knowledge in solving complicated problems of signal and image processing, such as nonlinear filtering, has also been increased recently. This paper presents a viable solution to the problem of filtering in signal and image processing and analysis by building a knowledge-based expert system. This system takes into account the parameters specified by the user, the input data, and the extracted measurements to find the best output.
Terrorism as Group Violence

Terrorism is approached in terms of individuals' motivations in the context of group violence. Biological, social, and psychological factors that contribute to group violence in general are explored, and the psychological, rational choice, and structural explanations of terrorism are addressed. In light of these constructs, three patterns of thinking of individual participants in terrorist groups are posited, and some approaches to solving the terrorism problem are framed.
Distinct Effects of Contrast and Color on Subjective Rating of Fearfulness

Natural scenes provide important affective cues for observers to avoid danger. From an adaptationist perspective, such cues affect the behavior of the observer and shape the evolution of the observer’s response. It is evolutionarily significant for individuals to extract affective information from the environment as quickly and as efficiently as possible. However, the nearly endless variations in physical appearance of natural scenes present a fundamental challenge for perceiving significant visual information. How image-level properties, such as contrast and color, influence the extraction of affective information leading to subjective emotional perception is unclear. On the one hand, studies have shown that visual perception and emotional perception seem to interact with each other at the earliest stages in cortical processing. On the other hand, it is important for high-level subjective ratings to be invariant to low-level visual properties. Using a psychophysical approach and signal detection theory, we tested how contrast and color influenced fearfulness ratings of a set of natural scene pictures that varied in contents and in levels of fearfulness. Image contrast influenced perceptual sensitivity but not the decision criterion of fearfulness rating, whereas color affected the decision criterion but not perceptual sensitivity. These results show that different low-level visual features contribute independently to either sensitivity or decision criterion in affective perception, suggesting distinct interactions between visual cognition and affective processing. Specifically, our naturalistic approach using a novel stimulus set, combined with signal detection theory, has demonstrated two dissociable types of cognitive mechanisms underlying how image-level properties leverage the extraction of affective information in natural vision.
Federal regulation of experimental animal use in the United States of America

The author outlines the regulation of animal experimentation in the United States of America (USA). Regulation in this field is at the developmental stage; issues are still being defined as public interest in animal welfare focuses on various aspects of animal science. Society continues to initiate regulations for animal experimentation in response to technological advances which were unknown when the first USA Federal legislation in this field (the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act) was signed in 1966. Under the sponsorship of animal welfare activists and, more recently, animal rights advocates, amendments to the 1966 law have increased the scope of Federal authority by extending both the number of species covered and the areas of care which are regulated. A greater awareness has evolved of the issues raised by animal experimentation, both among the general public and within the scientific communities. The importance of the Institutional Animal and Care Use Committees in research facilities is described, together with other factors which affect Federal legislation. Government regulatory philosophy is also changing towards a participatory relationship between regulators and public interest groups. Various affiliations to global and regional organisations have heightened national awareness with regard to the perceived exploitation of animal species. The author demonstrates clearly that the prevailing trend in the USA is towards expanded agreements which are jointly derived and implemented, and which will be instrumental in the search for resolutions. The author concludes that these resolutions will continue to revolve around the ethical need to respect the nature of animal species and the need for knowledge concerning both humans and animals which can help to extend and enhance the quality of life.
The Functioning of International Systems

In recent years American political science has passed through the "take-off" stage of development. The pace of change is so swift that there is hardly time to adjust to one innovation before the next one comes along. Each day?or at least each new publication?brings fresh insights, concepts, data, and methods into the field. At long last political scientists are beginning to build on each other's work (the surest sign, I think, of maturity) and thus to converge on similar models of the political process. I believe that the transformation now taking place in the discipline is more profound than any through which it has previously passed. I believe that developments in the field are as exciting and radical as those occurring in genetics or physics or, indeed, any other field. Within the space of a few years political science has changed from an intuitive to a scientific enter? prise. While there is still much to be done, I believe that the bases for continued and worthy accomplishment have been laid and that the future is full of promise for those who aspire to a body of reliable knowledge about political affairs. But; rapid change is no less chaotic for systems of thought than for systems of action. Even as it moves swiftly ahead, political science leaves inconsistency and contradiction in its wake. Many of our concepts and inquiries are elaborated and extended before they are clarified. Excited by our own progress, we do not take the time to assess whether our conceptual and methodological equipment is still serving its intended purposes. Hence errors and misconceptions tend to be compounded and eventually the need for stock-taking arises. Such a need is clearly evident in the case of the systems approach to political phenomena, Nearly a decade has passed since Almond, Kaplan, and others called attention to the relevance of the systems concept for political analysis and in the intervening time the concept has gained wide acceptance as a central device for organizing and analyzing data. Students of local, national, and international politics use the concept. So do those who focus on interest groups, parties, legislatures, and bureaucracies. In many ways the concept has replaced "power" as the number one plank in the foundations of the discipline. And, as in the case of power, excessive reliance on the systems concept has diminished its preciseness and obscured its full potential as an analytic tool. This is especially the case in the international field, where the systems perspective has been perhaps most widely applied. As I see it, any or all of three malpractices usually accompany use of the concept and we will not get a full return on our investment in it until they are corrected. One malpractice is the tendency to treat inter? national systems as all-encompassing rather than as political systems which
Metastability for the Blume-Capel model with distribution of magnetic anisotropy using different dynamics.

We investigate the relaxation time of magnetization or the lifetime of the metastable state for a spin $S=1$ square-lattice ferromagnetic Blume-Capel model with distribution of magnetic anisotropy (with small variances), using two different dynamics such as Glauber and phonon-assisted dynamics. At each lattice site, the Blume-Capel model allows three spin projections ($+$1, 0, $\ensuremath{-}$1) and a site-dependent magnetic anisotropy parameter. For each dynamic, we examine the low-temperature lifetime in two dynamic regions with different sizes of the critical droplet and at the boundary between the regions, within the single-droplet regime. We compute the average lifetime of the metastable state for a fixed lattice size, using both kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and the absorbing Markov chains method in the zero-temperature limit. We find that for both dynamics the lifetime obeys a modified Arrhenius-like law, where the energy barrier of the metastable state depends on the temperature and standard deviation of the distribution of magnetic anisotropy for a given field and magnetic anisotropy and that an explicit form of this dependence differs in different dynamic regions for different dynamics. Interestingly, the phonon-assisted dynamic prevents transitions between degenerate states, which results in a large increase in the energy barrier at the region boundary compared to that for the Glauber dynamic. However, the introduction of a small distribution of magnetic anisotropy allows the spin system to relax via lower-energy pathways such that the energy barrier greatly decreases. In addition, for the phonon-assisted dynamic, even the prefactor of the lifetime is substantially reduced for a broad distribution of magnetic anisotropy in both regions considered, in contrast to the Glauber dynamic. Our findings show that overall the phonon-assisted dynamic is more significantly affected by the distribution of magnetic anisotropy than the Glauber dynamic.
Analysis of malaria surveillance in the City of Beiliu from 1995-2010

Ministerial standards for the elimination of malaria reached the City of Beiliu in 1994,and in 1995 the city entered the later phases of malaria surveillance and management.From 1995-2010,25 cases of malaria were reported in the city;all were imported cases.Most cases involved young adults and more males were affected than females.Most cases appeared from March to September.Enhancing the surveillance of the migrant population and promptly detecting and treating cases are crucial to the City of Beiliu's future malaria control efforts.
Drag Reduction on Micro-structured Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Numerical simulation on superhydrophobic surface of turbulent flow is shown.Velocity or shear stress of turbulent flow are provided and basic law between microscopic structure and drag reduction rate is analyzed.In simulation,we use an unsteady Reynolds averaged simulation model and VOF model for gas-liquid two phase flow.It shows that slip flow and cyclical shear stress exist on superhydrophobic surface.It can reduce resistance and increased resistance as well.Microstructure size has significant effect on drag reduction rate.In order to increase drag reduction rate,the aspect ratio of rectangular microstructure should be greater than 3∶2 and the groove spacing should be small,while the groove width should be less than 200 micron.
Occupational Health Costs of Enterprises with Occupational Benzene Hazard in Xianghe County, Langfang, Hebei

[Objective] To describe distributions of occupational health costs of enterprises with occupational benzene hazard in Xianghe County,Hebei Province,and to evaluate levels of occupational disease prevention and control.[Methods]A questionnaire survey on occupational health costs was conducted among 245 small and medium-sized enterprises with occupational benzene hazard in Xianghe County.Obtained results were used for statistical analysis.[Results]The per capita occupational health cost was RMB 758.7 yuan.The overall occupational health costs of 245 enterprises amounted to RMB 2.372 million yuan,accounting for 0.6% of their overall annual gross product.The distribution of occupational health costs and its proportion to gross product showed a positive skewness.Twenty-three enterprises invested zero in occupational health,accounting for 9.4% of all enterprises investigated.The costs of detection and evaluation of occupational hazardous factors,occupational health surveillance,and occupational health training accounted for 15.3%,17.2%,and 15.1% of the total occupational health costs,respectively.[Conclusion]The enterprises with occupational benzene hazard in Xianghe County invest insufficient capital in occupational health,and their effort for prevention and control is generally on low levels.The limited funds for prevention and control are not invested in those sections with higher cost-effectiveness ratios.Moreover,their prevention and control strategies are not well-directed and fail to prioritize those important sections.
The Use of Embryonic Stem Cells to Study Hedgehog Signaling

Because they are capable of differentiating into cell types of all three primary germ layers, embryonic stem cells provide an ideal in vitro system in which to study the signals that regulate differentiation toward a specific cell type. Here, we describe methods for using embryonic stem cells to study the signals that control differentiation into neurectoderm and into vascular cell types, focusing on the Hedgehog signaling pathway.
Precocious Puberty: Clinical Management

Precocious puberty has been a focus of interest for both the pediatric ­endocrinologist and the primary pediatrician for many years. Thirty years ago (1980s), the development and application of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) therapy to treat central precocious puberty significantly changed our approach to this disorder. More recently, application of molecular biological techniques has provided us with a better understanding of the intricacies of the regulation of gonadotropin and sex-steroid production characteristic of normal pubertal development and provided us with the tools to elucidate the etiologies of previously uncharacterized disorders of precocious puberty.
Risk of cancer in Asian Americans: a Kaiser Permanente cohort study

To supplement published cohort data about incident cancer in Asian Americans (Asians) including risk of specific Asian ethnic groups. A cohort study in 124,193 persons (13,344 Asians) with baseline examination data in 1978–1985 used Cox proportional hazards models with seven covariates to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Through 2012 cancer was diagnosed in 18,687 persons including 1,522 Asians. Compared to Whites, the HR (CIs) for any cancer in Asians was 0.8 (0.7–0.9, p < 0.001). Lower Asian risk was stronger for men (HR = 0.7, p < 0.001) than for women (HR = 0.9, p = 0.003). Lower Asian vs. White risks with p < 0.05 were found for cancers of the upper airway digestive area, hematologic malignancies, melanoma, and cancers of the prostate, bladder, and brain. Melanoma contributed substantially to lower Asian risk, especially in women. HRs for specific Asian groups versus Whites follow: Chinese = 0.9 (p < 0.001), Japanese = 0.9 (p = 0.01), Filipinos = 0.8 (p < 0.001), South Asians = 0.5 (p < 0.001), and Other Asians = 0.7 (p = 0.006). Both South Asian men and women had lower risk than Whites, and South Asians had lower risk than any other racial/ethnic group. Asians had lower cancer risk than Whites, due to lower risk of several cancer types. Each Asian ethnic group had lower risk than Whites with South Asians at the lowest risk.
Guided wave structural health monitoring with large data sets

Structural health monitoring systems collect and process large collections of data taken over many years of a structure's service. Ultrasonic guided wave systems, in particular, must process an abundance of time-domain waveform data from widely distributed sensors. As few as 8 sensors that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves in pitch-catch mode every 10 minutes can accumulate over one terabyte of data in five to ten years. This number quickly rises as systems grow in size and complexity. As a result, computation and storage efficiency is extremely important, and current guided wave damage detection technologies cannot efficiently process such large data sets. This paper presents an approach based on random projection theory, which scales well with large data sets, to address this challenge. With 1447 experimental guided wave measurements, we demonstrate our algorithms to achieve a 2537 times improvement in computational speed with less than a 3% reduction in accuracy.
A hybrid statistical and semantic model for identification of mental health and behavioral disorders using social network analysis

The advent of social networking and open health web forums such as PatientsLikeMe, WebMD, ehealth forum etc. have provided avenues for social user data that can prove instrumental in suggesting futuristic trends in healthcare. Homophily in social networks is a vital contributor for analyzing patterns for medical conditions, diagnosis and treatment options. Since, members with similar medical issues contribute to a common discussion pool; this offers a rich source of information that can be utilized. This paper intends to explore growing trends in Mental Health and Behavioral Studies (MHB) which lays emphasis on co-existing conditions resulting in comorbidity. We present a novel approach where personality traits inferred from unstructured text of patients and general social users are compared via statistical analysis. This is achieved by our Psychiatric Disorder Determination (PDD) algorithm. Further, Social media data of users showing personality traits of patients is subjected to semantic based text classification using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Ontology Based Information Extraction (OBIE) in our Addiction Category Determination (ACD) algorithm. This provides categorization of user journals to common topics of discussion by referring to ontologies DBpedia, Freebase and YAGO2s. The final category hence obtained can be predicted to be a trending subject of concern for users with Psychiatric disorders developing Addictive behavioral personalities.
Modeling Unconventional Conflict

In this chapter, we will describe the value of the ontology in building a model of unconventional conflict. We do this by sketching the process of building a simulation using the ontology. This sketch identifies how each of the parts of the ontology supports model building. However, it is not a complete blueprint and is not meant to be one.
MET overexpression as a hallmark of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in colorectal cancer.

3529 Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been identified as a dominant molecular subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC). This EMT phenotype as recognized by complex gene signatures ...
Phase I study of weekly albumin-bound paclitaxel (ab-P) plus weekly cetuximab (Cet) plus intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients with stage III/IVb head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

6034 Background: There is a clinical need to improve the efficacy of standard Cet + concurrent RT for pts with stage III/IVB HNSCC. Taxanes have potent activity against HNSCC, and ab-P may offer th...
Crack control in concrete walls through novel mixture design, full-scale testing, and finite element analysis

Abstract The research evaluates novel concrete mixtures, including crystalline admixtures, coarse ground calcium carbonate, and macro/micro-fibers, for use in basement walls that satisfy the International Residential Code with a reduction in reinforcement. The experimental investigation proved the mixture exceeds the 28-day design strength within 7 days of age with excellent long-term strength gain. Addition of the crystalline permeability-reducing admixture was found to reduce the rapid chloride permeability and hydraulic conductivity. To validate the applicability of the respective mixtures, a nonlinear finite element analysis was developed to estimate thermal stresses and cracking at the basement walls when subjected to environmental loads and thermal gain from the heat of hydration. It is concluded through the experimental and numerical efforts that the novel mixtures are capable of mitigating thermal and early-age shrinkage cracks.
Containing influenza outbreaks with antiviral use in long-term care facilities in Taiwan, 2008-2014.

BACKGROUNDS Influenza can spread rapidly in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), and residents are usually at higher risk for influenza infections. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of antiviral interventions on outbreak control. METHODS Taiwan Centers for Disease Control used a syndromic surveillance system to monitor outbreaks in LTCFs. Local public health authorities verified those outbreaks and logged reports to the Epidemic Investigation Report Files Management System (EIRFMS). We conducted a retrospective cohort study by reviewing EIRFMS reports of influenza outbreaks in LTCFs during 2008-2014. An influenza outbreak was defined as 3 or more cases of influenza-like illness occurring within a 48-hours period with ≥1 case of real-time RT-PCR-confirmed influenza in the same LTCF. Antiviral interventions included providing antiviral treatment for patients and antiviral prophylaxis for contacts during outbreaks. RESULTS Of 102 influenza outbreaks, median days from onset of the first patient to outbreak notification was 4 (range 0-22). Median attack rate was 24% (range 2.2%-100%). Median influenza vaccination coverage among residents was 81% (range 0%-100%); 43% occurred during the summer months. Even though antiviral treatment was provided in 87% of the outbreaks, antiviral prophylaxis was implemented in only 40%. Starting antiviral treatment within 2 days of outbreak onset was associated with keeping attack rates at <25% (OR 0.29, 95% CI: 0.12-0.71). CONCLUSIONS Early initiation of antiviral treatment may reduce the magnitude of influenza outbreaks. Clinicians should identify patients with influenza and start antiviral use early to prevent large outbreaks in LTCFs.
A 5-Year Evaluation of Faculty Use of Practical Within-Course Writing Development Strategies in a DNP Program.

Background Nursing students are underprepared for the rigors of graduate writing. The lack of sufficient writing opportunities and skill development in prelicensure nursing education creates barriers that threaten course and program progression. Approach This study used a prospective, repeated-measures design to evaluate 5 years of faculty-implemented writing development strategies in a DNP program. Outcomes Faculty adopted 12 strategies in 10 courses. The strategies addressed skill building in content, construction, format, plagiarism, and citation use. The most frequently used strategies were rubrics, plagiarism detection software, multistep assignments, and examples of well-written papers, all strategies that increased in use over the 5-year study. Conclusions Graduate faculty interact with students and assess writing development outcomes firsthand. Changes in faculty practices over time can indicate the strategies they consider most valuable for writing development.
Multidisciplinary Management Approach to Fulminant Hepatic Encephalopathy in the Neurocritical Care Unit: a single-center experience (P4.325)

Objective: Measure and change mortality/morbidity in patients with Fulminant Hepatic encephalopathy (FHE) using aggressive multimodality monitoring and multidisciplinary approach. Background: Fulminant hepatic encephalopathy (FHE) with diffuse cerebral edema has dismal prognosis if transplantation is not performed. Novel therapeutic interventions may change this outcome. Design/Methods: We reviewed all cases with FHE admitted to our hospital since 2008. In 2010, we developed a multidisciplinary management protocol, mandating transfer of patients entering grade 3 from other ICUs to the Neurosciences-ICU (NICU) for intracranial pressure (ICP) management. Multiple interventions were utilized including coagulopathy reversal with Factor VII and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC, Kcentra), ICP device placement, osmotherapy, aggressive ammonia lowering regimen with lactulose and rifaximin, early renal replacement therapy, mild hypothermia for refractory ICP, in conjunction with liver transplantation candidacy investigation. Results: Twenty-four patients (19 women, mean age of all patients 40 years) were admitted; seven were managed in the MICU/SICU and 17 in the NICU. The etiology of FHE was acetaminophen toxicity in 72% of patients. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) admission scores and liver enzymes between the MICU/SICU and the NICU were not different (Mann-Whitney test). Although the NICU admission ammonia level was higher than the MICU/SICU (168.75 vs 99.50, p = 0.00), the lowest achieved ammonia was lower in the NICU (41.31 vs 7978.13, p = 0.022, Mann-Whitney). Patients received ICP monitoring (all in the NICU plus 2 in the SICU) and the highest ICP recorded was 120 mm Hg. The pre- and post- coagulation reversal INR were 3.37 and 1.3, p=0.031, Wilcoxon test). Seven patients in the NICU received hypothermic treatment. Mortality in the MICU/SICU was 85.7% (6/7) and in the NICU 41.1% (7/17), p = 0.13 (chi square test). Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach centered around anti-cerebral edema protocol-driven management based on novel interventions may improve the outcome of patients with FHE. Disclosure: Dr. Rehman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mehta has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ramadan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Howell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Elkambergy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mayer has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Actelion, Bard Medical, Bayer, Edge Therapeutics, and Stryker Neurovascular.
Coordinating swarms of microscopic agents to assemble complex structures

This chapter addresses the problem of coordinating very large swarms of microscopic agents to assemble complex, hierarchically structured physical systems. The agents might be microscopic robots or genetically engineered microorganisms. The approach we use is a form of artificial morphogenesis, which studies the self-organized morphogenetic processes in the developing embryo, by which billions of cells cooperate to create physical form and abstracts these processes to control microscopic agents to assemble desired physical structures. We use an approach based on the description of morphogenetic processes by partial differential equations, which ensures that our morphogenetic algorithms will scale up to arbitrarily large swarms (millions or more). We present several simulation experiments demonstrating the coordination of massive swarms to construct complex objects.
Banning Math Progress: The Academic Impact of California's Suspension Bans

In this article, we examine the academic impact of banning suspensions for “willful defiance” – a subjective category that includes offenses such as refusing to remove a hat. Using grade-level data at the district and school level, we exploit the exogenous introduction of bans to the California policy landscape to compare growth before (2007-2013) and after (2016-2018) Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and Pasadena adopted bans. We find a negative but sometimes non-significant impact on reading performance in grades four through eight as well as a consistently significant, negative impact on math performance in grades four through seven. The impact occurred each of the three years after adopting a ban, and was equivalent to a decline from 50th percentile before a ban to the 39th percentile three years later. While the literature generally expects bans to improve academics, this paper complements and extends new studies that find unintended negative consequences for bans and other discipline reforms. Education leaders should strive to reduce suspension rates, but they should work with researchers to pursue strategies that avoid academic harm.